ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 2 - Picking Sides

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No Roots - Alice Merton

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The bitter winds of Stormterror's Lair made Melanie's long, straight brown hair billow behind her. Her knee-high boots clicked against the ground in a steady rhythm. She adjusted her sky-blue coat and retrieved a darker-colored bandana from within the satchel at her hip. Judging by the sun's position, she was late. Perhaps she should have waited to bring the flowers and his coat to camp.

As Melanie finished tying the cloth around her face, she approached a small group of people. The four men turned and grumbled words of disapproval. She adjusted her black fingerless gloves and sighed. "I got caught up."

"Caught up with him," one of them sneered, walking towards her with his arms crossed. "We need our cryo marksman if we wish to succeed."

Melanie cracked her knuckles one by one, sighing once again. "Yes, I was with Albedo. You guys can carry out the raids without me, you know. Not everything has to depend on me, Finn."

A burly man stood up, facing her with narrowed brown eyes. He drove his shovel deep within the earth, causing her to flinch. "Don't forget your roots! That alchemist foiled one of our biggest hauls last season. All they left us with was a single cabbage. A cabbage, damn it! And might I remind you about what he did to JJ?"

The girl pulled her hood over her head and dipped her head, cringing at the thought. "Rhodes, Wren, Cal, Finn... I'm sorry. We can leave now while there is a bit of light in the sky. The moon will guide us even if we do not make haste."

As she spoke each of their names, they grunted. The leader, Finn, sighed and pressed his fingers to his temple. "There's no time to delay. If we don't get this catch before the Knights find us, we'll have to relocate."

Melanie snapped her head upward at the last word. She bit her lip and slowly nodded. In an instant, a luxurious bow appeared from a patch of cyan sparkles. The Polar Star shimmered in all its glory, already with an arrow infused with cryo in its hold.

"I assume the lady is ready," a pyro user chuckled.

She rolled her blue orbs in response to Wren's jeer. He was adorned with maroon in a similar style to her own outfit. As he walked past her, she could hear the quiet clinking of the bottles within his bag. It seems he had restocked just for this mission.

Finn turned away from the group and began walking off as quietly as a mouse. He made not a sound while he moved. His own tanned clothing blended in with the dead grass surrounding the ruins of the lair. It hadn't quite recovered its natural beauty since the drought that left JJ weak and exhausted.

Melanie removed the buckles from her boots and followed with the rest. The silent Treasure Hoarders started their march to the depths of the ruins in anticipation of finding a good deal to trade for.

Often when they went out to raid, they found produce, common artifacts, and the occasional traces of mora. All of which was good, but it was the rarer stuff they desired. This particular location was known for having the best treasures in the Mondstadt region. They preferred to stick close to home, but if all else failed, Liyue was their next stop.

Crickets chirped as the sun set, seelies went into hiding, and the travelers all returned home. It was the perfect night to stir up some trouble. The group followed behind Finn before he came to a sudden halt, raising his hand as a signal to stop.