Entralling Bloom

11.) A Rose of Another Hue

Rosalind

Albedo walked over to Rosalind and guided her to a tree stump.

"Wait here. I'll be right back."

Rosalind sat down and looked at Albedo. For a brief moment, it seemed as if there was a flash of concern in his eyes. 

"You can walk along the beginning of the trail if you get bored." Albedo offered, "There's also a trail that goes along the meadow. Just don't go too far from the cliff or leave the trails. You'll definitely  encounter hoards of monsters if you do."

Rosalind simply nodded, struggling to pay him any heed. Her mind was elsewhere.

Why did I go on such a long tangent in front of him? And a useless and chastising tangent at that! I should just keep my mouth shut like I usually do. Nothing good ever comes of me trying to make conversation.  When he comes back I won't try to force my poor conversation skills on him anymore. I'm just being bothersome... 

From her seat on the treestump, Rosalind watched Albedo take off sprinting up the trail to the summit.

Wow, he's fast. I truly would have slowed him down.

Bothersome or not I couldn't help but start rambling. I didn't like him trying to cover up the fact that my slow ass would've just dragged this trip out even longer. I didn't like all his pleasantries about ruining my clothes too... It reminded me of my family back on Earth... So... obsessed with appearances...

Rosalind sighed and started another attempt to ramble away her embarrassment.

"My family at home was so forthright in scolding me and yet so fake about it in public," she recalled out loud. "If my clothing wasn't immaculately washed and ironed, I  wasn't allowed to go outside, and if I gained weight they always privately battered me about it with snide remarks...But in public they'd always mask insults with pleasantries... I know Albedo didn't mean to be rude, but I couldn't help but be annoyed by his remarks anyways..." 

Rosalind gave an even louder sigh and rested her elbows on her knees and put her face in her hands.

"I suppose Albedo's politeness felt too forced; it was like I was traveling with a robot in some ways... His facial expression doesn't seem to change much and when it does, it's usually because he's trying to give a polite smile. Another 'pleasantry' of his I suppose..."

A small grin appeared on Ros' face as she recalled something, "At least his expression changed when I suddenly started laughing and talking a mile a minute."

Rosalind stifled a laugh at the memory of Albedo's restrained and yet still flabbergasted expression.

"He was so shocked, but he still was trying to be composed. The most he did was wrinkle his eyebrows," Ros recalled through quiet giggles.

Albedo seems so reserved, even more so than me, and yet he's also very confident. He's the kind of person who can offer to walk for hours with a stranger without getting anxious. I would never in a million years subject myself to being alone with a stranger for that long. I'm only here because of Lisa.

Lisa, Rosalind thought as a scowl crept onto her face.

I sincerely hope she doesn't blame me for taking 2 hours to get her the potion.