Diary of a crystalfly

Chapter 5. Little sister II

By mid afternoon, Albedo had already finished clearing out Mondstadt's entire reserve of alchemical books. Although the library did not have much to offer in the field of alchemy, skimming over twenty books in an hour or so must have been a monstrous feat since I've noticed the other library dwellers barely making it through half a book when Albedo was at his fifth.

Yet, even after hollowing out the library's complete use, here Albedo sat, at the corner, resting his chin on a hand and staring at the stale scenery out the window. Albedo was not one to spend his time idly, so seeing him dazed at nothing in particular felt unusual.

Thereafter, he spent a few more hours staring at Klee's doodles over his neatly written questions on Fisher something. His brows came together and I'd like to think of it as a sign of guilt.

Yeah reflect on it! I would've scolded. Of course, I've already forgiven him for what he did to Klee's toy, but evidently enough, it wasn't my forgiveness that he sought. Sighing, he sifted out a bigger notebook from his backpack, a different one from the book he'd use to scratch idle thoughts on. Flipping it open, I managed to catch a few paintings of scenery we've been to before Mondstadt. A little rough on its edges - it was clear Albedo's attention span did not last long enough for him to complete smaller details on the side, the paintings were generally still quite breathtaking. He flipped to a blank page and began casting light strokes over.

.

I was woken by light rocking. Nestled in Albedo's hair, I had fallen asleep while watching him sketch a landscape from memory. I peeked out, surprised to see the moon already out and that Albedo was strolling down the street, presumably back to the apartment. He usually walked quickly, but today, he strolled idly, the snail pace irking me when I felt my stomach growl in hunger.

After a few minutes, we reached our destination. With a hand hovering over the door handle, Albedo hesitated.

"But he-he," small sniffles can be heard from the other sound. A train of tender hushes followed, never losing its warmth even as the door muffled it. "He didn't mean to hurt Dodoco," Alice cooed, "Besides, isn't Dodoco all fixed up in one piece?"

Albedo heard it all, freezing to let their silent chatter sink in. He looked tired, tired enough to let emotions slip through his usually stoic farce. It was only then that I realised Albedo must have been taking his time on purpose. He did not want to see Klee - or Alice.

Yet, with considerable effort, he pushed through his mental barrier. Golden rays of light streamed through as the door cracked open, blinding him to a squint.

"Albedo, you're back!" Alice called, rushing over to usher him in, "Have your dinner, I've warmed it up for you."

The dining table was cleared out except for a lone bowl of porridge and meat - light to the stomach, perfect for someone with a small appetite like Albedo. It should have moved him that Alice noticed and took into account his preferences from their last dinner, but it took me by surprise when I saw his brows crumple at the sight of the warm meal.

The day was surely wearing him down, because Albedo would never have let such a look of hurt show. But I was much too hungry to care at that point in time, so I drifted over to his porridge and slurped up his portion first.

Klee was sitting opposite of me, lips puckering to a bitter pout and hugging her Dodoco protectively. She tightened the squeeze on her toy when Albedo came over to his seat, watching him with as much murderous intent as a child could muster. Albedo ignored her though, nudging me to the side as he picked up the spoon to eat quietly.

With silent footsteps, Alice slid over to the chair adjacent to us. And after a short gaze, which Albedo effectively avoided by glaring at the porridge, Alice decided to ask,