They let themselves be swept in the direction Kori indicated. As they moved, heads turned again. Curiosity that didn't quite trust itself.
They crossed through a smaller library - the one with the tree. It rose out of a central planter as if a gardener had convinced a forest to try being a chandelier. Branches arched into the rafters and spread a canopy of green over the reading tables. Leaves threw dappled light that moved even when the air didn't, as if the tree had its own ideas about wind. Students read in puddles of sun.
A student dozed under the tree with a book over his face. The book's ribbon had stuck to his cheek. Kori pointed at him. "Don't be him. If you nap here, the librarians will decorate you with sticky notes and call it an art installation."
