ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 8 - A Painful Question

*inserts fangirl screams*

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Me And My Broken Heart - Rixton
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Melanie had fallen asleep that night at the sound of the wind howling outside. To many people, it would seem strange to find it soothing, but after many nights in the wilderness, any sound of nature was a blessing.

Her eyes flickered open the next morning when a beam of light landed on her face. She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. The wind from the night before had died down by morning, judging by the lack of it.

"Don't move."

Confusion lit her gaze as she obeyed. Her eyes followed the direction the voice came from. They landed on Albedo, who was painting on the other half of the space. His art easel had a canvas locked in place and his brushes clicked on the table beside him.

In his hand was his palette, currently covered in rehydrated oil paints. A thin trickle of water dripped down the side of it, suggesting he had recently begun his art. Every stroke he made with his brush was hypnotic to watch. The way he drew it across the canvas with ease pleased her.

Melanie rested her head back on her arm. She was leaning against a large rock by the entrance to the camp. At the time, it had seemed like a good place to sleep, but her aching muscles told her differently. No matter, since she was posing for Albedo unexpectedly.

Albedo peeked from behind his canvas and smiled at her. "I wanted to do a bit of painting before the day began. This scenery is nothing new for my abilities, but you make a lovely addition to it."

Shrugging in response, she watched him from afar. There was no way to determine how close he was to being finished with his painting, but she hoped he would be finished with her section soon enough. After their adventure yesterday, she was eager to find a nice hot spring to soothe her muscles.

She decided to make conversation. After all, if they were to be there for a while, she wasn't about to sit there in silence. "So," she said, "did you sleep well last night?" Melanie bit her tongue and blushed. It was such a strange question to ask... maybe silence would have been better.

"Sleep wasn't my priority, but I did accomplish a few tasks while you rested," he replied nonchalantly. His hand set down a brush, being replaced by a much broader one. It was dipped in a blob of paint and spread on the canvas with a single movement.

Melanie tilted her head. Squinting her eyes, she acknowledged the bags forming under his eyes. The dark circles told her everything she needed to know, especially about his sleeping habits. However, she brought no more attention to it and continued.

"Did we gather enough plants yesterday for the mixtures?" she asked curiously.

Albedo nodded and set his brush on the table. He walked away from the painting and gestured toward his alchemy table. "More than enough. Tomorrow, we can make a delivery to Diona and seek her professional opinion. I have no doubts in my mind that she will like them, maybe even allow us to test them ourselves."

The thought of drinking one of the bartender's drinks was exhilarating. She had always wanted to get her hands on one, but considering her background, she was always shooed away on sight. In fact, Melanie wasn't sure if she had ever had alcohol in the past. What kind of drunk would she be?

A quick snap dragged her out of her mind. Albedo was staring at her with a tilt of his head, though when she made eye contact, he straightened his look. "I have today's plans marked out," he declared with confidence. "It's day three, believe it or not. Once I've finished this painting, I'll take you out into the woods for a little surprise, then you'll be confined here in the camp."