In the cold mountains of Dragonspine resides a certain alchemist best known by the people of Mondstadt as Albedo. Most think of him as distant and independent, only focusing on his studies when he isn't exploring the vast landscape, but there is muc...
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Melanie sat up on the futon, rolling Albedo off of her abruptly. The weight of him laying on top of her was both comforting and cumbersome at the same time. They had roughhoused for what felt like hours, and in all honesty, it was until Albedo dropped dead asleep on top of her. Even now, he was still lightly snoring with his face planted on the mattress.
The sight of the well-distinguished man in such a position made her smile. Holding back a laugh wasn't the easiest, though. I mean, his face was literally smushed into a futon. Nobody else in the world could say they had seen such a sight as hilarious as this one.
She got up and wandered to the food storage area to grab a lone tomato in the bag. She took a bite out of the soft flesh, wiping some of the juice dribbling down her chin with her arm. A few seeds were flicked off of the sleeve before she returned to lie next to Albedo, who, as expected, was still sleeping.
Albedo didn't seem the type to sleep much. He hadn't been much of himself since she showed up, actually. While he had conducted experiments once for Diona, his alchemy supplies were gathering dust on their shelves and on top of his desk. She wondered if he was just too distracted to work or if he felt inclined to spend every moment with her.
She should be grateful for that, but what if he really wanted to work? Did he feel like he shouldn't for her sake? After all, before everything had happened, all she ever wanted was his undivided attention. Now that she had it, guilt flooded through her. The tomato suddenly tasted bitter in her mouth.
His voice whispered in her mind, reassuring her of clouded doubt. Melanie could hear him telling her he was doing it for himself, not because he was being forced. Everything was consensual, and if he wanted to work, he would. The longer she heard his voice, the better she felt.
The tomato was finished with another large bite. Now that the food was in her belly, she felt a lot more comfortable laying next to Albedo. Food made everything better, especially when you've gone hours and hours without sleeping. The paranoia always crept back when she closed her eyes for longer than a blink-time.
Her paranoia was intense. It would make her tremble uncontrollably, even leading to her muscles spasming or her leg jutting out suddenly. She'd hear sounds that weren't there, and her eyes would dart around under her closed eyelids as if they were trying to see the impossible. All of those factors put together lured her away from the depths of sleep, no matter how badly she wanted it.
Still, something about the faint snoring of Albedo was comforting enough. He was sleeping for them both; she wanted to believe. If he was well rested, she'd be relaxed enough to feel a sense of relief. That's what she kept telling herself, anyway. She felt like she could pass out at any moment.
Tomorrow, Kaeya and Lumine would march into their camp. Melanie had no idea what she'd even say to the Traveler after the battle with the Knights. She was the one who started the fight. Lumine was the one who carried it on. The embarrassment of seeing the blonde made her stomach churn uneasily, almost making her regret the tomato.
More importantly, what would Lumine say about the situation? Would she be stuck up about it and demand the apology along with her floating pixie, or would she go easy on her? Melanie wasn't good at apologies, especially when she wasn't sorry. The Treasure Hoarders had to eat too; it wasn't as simple as simply having the money to buy whatever you wanted like Albedo did.
Kaeya would harp on her the most. She could practically imagine the teasing look in his eye, the smug look on his face. It irked her how much he'd enjoy seeing her apologize to the 'Honorary Knight' as so many people called her. Maybe the two women could have the conversation in private... that including Paimon staying behind. The pixie's voice was like nails on a chalkboard or a baby whining for its mother's milk in the middle of the night.
Melanie sighed, leaning into Albedo's sleeping form to block her face from the light streaming into the cave. She grumbled under her breath, muffled by his arm. He shifted a few times, and she froze quickly to avoid waking him. The last thing she needed was him trying to read another one of his nonfiction books to lull her to sleep again. The gesture was sweet, but if her personal trick didn't work, nothing would. Treasure Hoarders... Kaeya and Lumine... Albedo's supervising look... it all was a bit too much to think about. So she didn't think at all. Maybe then she'd be able to get some decent sleep. Even if it was for a minute or two, anything was better than nothing. Unless it's weird mushrooms in a cavern. Never eat those, not even one. She knew that from experience.
Melanie breathed in his scent, having to pull away the slightest bit to inhale actual air, rather than the fabric of his jacket. The warmth coming from his body was amazingly relaxing, so she pulled the blanket to her with her foot. She covered both of their heads with the blanket, adjusting it the best she could without disturbing him.
There she lay, engulfed in the fluffiest blanket and the sleeve of his jacket. She refused to move her face away from him. If he could sleep face-down on a futon, she could keep her face buried in clothing. That logic added up perfectly well.
Somehow, this gave her hope of rest, but for now, she didn't push it. Instead, she would listen to the birds outside and imagine the setting sun. There was no Traveler. She didn't know anybody outside of Albedo's inner circle. And a large field of tomato vines was out there somewhere for her to frolic through.
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For some reason, I now have Melanie addicted to tomatoes. I can't stop imagining that one scene with Gojo running around saying "I'm going to kill you", but it's just Melanie running through a bunch of tomatoes- I need to go to bed.
Question of the chapter:
Who's special dish would you want to eat?
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