ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 17 - One Too Many Sips

TW: ALCOHOL

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Killing Butterflies - Lewis Blissett
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Waking up was one of the worst experiences of her life. It was roughly noon from the position of the sun. Her shoulder throbbed like the dickens, making a single breath amp the pain further. She opened her eyes slowly, glancing down at it to see she was lying on it. And not just a little, but all of her weight rested on it.

Melanie swallowed hard and shifted off of it, inhaling sharply with every movement. "Gosh..." she muttered, unable to keep silent. It took all of her composure just to bring herself to stand on her feet, swaying heavily. The potion Albedo had passed to her no longer was working on her, it seemed. She wanted to wake him and request another, but he was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room.

Two amber-colored bottles glistened in the morning light near the entrance. Albedo had left his provisions packed near the cold wind to keep the food fresh, including the wine from the Cat's Tail. Two identical rays of light cascaded behind the bottles, angling their color on the cave wall. They were practically calling to her.

She took hold of her shoulder and walked toward it, taking each step carefully to avoid waking the alchemist. Very rarely did he truly sleep as deeply as he was now. Ruining his dreams would hurt her more than it would hurt him.

Melanie squatted in front of the bottles, inspecting their labels. None of them were familiar to her, since she wasn't a drinker, but the Dandelion Wine looked to be the simplest. Plus, it was one she had heard the name of in the past. Around the Angel's Share, drunk fellows would try to persuade other customers to one more bottle of the beverage.

For a moment, she wondered how the Cat's Tail got a hold of the recipe. The Dawn Winery was the primary supplier of the drink, and she knew Master Diluc was not the kind to share his secrets with the cat-girl.

Picking it up, she stepped outside to pop the cork, which presented itself as a challenge with only one working arm. So, she sat on the ground to hold the bottle between her feet, then used her good arm to open it. Some of the contents spilled out on her boots, but she was too desperate to acknowledge the mess.

The woman took an experimental swig, rolling the liquid over her tongue with a curious expression. Flavor bursted in her mouth, overwhelming herself with only a single drink. Instantly, she understood why many preferred the Mondstadt delicacy. She lifted the bottle to her lips, drinking more of the wine.

Melanie pulled the bottle away, falling back into the snow to stare up at the sky. She wasn't sure of how much she drank, but as someone who had never ingested alcohol before, this was a clear sign she was a lightweight. Her eyes squinted against the rising sun, and she raised the bottle to shield them from the sun.

The snow on the ground was cool to her aching shoulder, and already she was feeling a bit better. Albedo was right, it seemed, about alcohol having its benefits. But what was the stopping point? Was she meant to keep drinking until the pain was gone, or leave it as is? The answer was unknown, but for the time being, the Dandelion Wine was good.

She drank some more, swirling it above her head with contentment. Licking her lips, she brought it back to her mouth to take another sip, but nothing came out. Hold on, just a few minutes ago it was freshly opened, and now it was empty? She peeked inside the amber bottle as if to verify her conclusion, whining loudly when she did.

Melanie sighed and threw the bottle down the dirt path, watching the glass shards fly in every direction. Both of her arms extended to her side in the snow in the form of a snow angel, and she lay there without moving. The snow beneath her slowly lost its coolness from before. In fact, she seemed to be red in the face.