enchante

━━ and the stars watched.

FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SECONDS.

Dottore kept on counting numbers inside his mind so he could bore himself and go to dream about Celestia already. But as he was lying awake just above the comforters of his Murphy bed - the usual one he built so he can save space around his chambers - he still can't sleep or make his consciousness fade.

It's been minutes or maybe hours ever since midnight stroke clear in his clock, the full aeon's radiant glint already passed through his window pane, lighting up his room and mirroring above his florid eyes that seemed unable to feel drowsy after all the things he finished for the day.

Been hours ever since he lied above the soft cushions as well, his whole body felt devastated from the countless endeavors that y/n insanely drove him to do but at the same time of his exhaustion, he still can't bring himself to slumber. And so, he stood up, pushed away his blanket before striding himself outside to get a wisp of breeze on the front porch of the locale.

He needed no lights as he walked around the foyers of the place, every corner of the halls were filled with light posts that lit up not only the whole vast space but his frame, too. Dottore walked past them, nonchalant, his mind only containing no one and nothing but what happened a while ago with y/n and y/n herself.

He's still very perplexed about her sudden appearance, about how Tsaritsa noted carefully to them that they should take care of her, and how he should keep her safe in specific when Pierro - the strongest of them all - can do that himself because it will be much easier if they take that path anyways. But on second thought, the old man has a whole stack of work on his plate already.

Which is still incomprehensible. He thought, scoffing.

Say, y/n is a former maid of the Lawrence clan from Mondstadt who ran away to Qingce Village in Liyue, loves glaze lilies so much, didn't get a proper education about how their world works, visionless, doesn't know how to fight, outgoing, naive, weak, and a good for nothing brat who wants no less thing to do but to escape from him - why in the world does Tsaritsa want me to take care of a lady who behaves like a stubborn brat again? Dottore groaned once again, his mind in a deep trance that he didn't even notice the lady he's thinking of, following him from behind.

"Dottore?"

"Archons!" He blurted out loud, losing his composure, his voice's resonance echoed around the dimness of the halls that it immediately pulled a cackle from the lady that had been trailing behind him for seconds now. He's in daze as he was ambling, y/n guessed those, that he didn't even notice her presence abiding him from the rear.

"Can you refrain from surprising me like that?!" He grunted, clutching his chest, throwing his confusion away as to why y/n is wide awake like him. He just stared at how she looks like a nimbus wearing her pajamas whilst y/n had the same thought because it's also the first time she had seen Dottore in a simple clothing for slumber - it was so unlike the ponderous coats they were that will consume them minutes to take a step with because of how heavy it was - nevertheless, both of them had the polar opposite reaction.

"C'mon! I called out nicely for you! I just can't sleep so I went outside, saw you, and voila, I called out for you. If you haven't paid heed, we're just a room away from my room so it wouldn't be that impossible for me not to see you with how sturdy you look," Y/n pointed out, a ghost of smile lingered on her face, "But discarding those, what are you doing here at the middle of the night? Were you possibly thinking of murdering me in my sleep?"

"I think you're dreaming. And no. What are you doing here? Scheming to escape?" Dottore's eyebrows raised, "You're smitten on doing the impossible. Aren't you?"

"I am not! I simply want to get some soft gale by the veranda or better yet, watch the stars until I feel drowsy," She shrugged, tugging at her dress, "As you can see, I can't sleep."