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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She was in an environment she was familiar with. In fact, she'd been living in it for the past 12 days, just her and Albedo. Now there was an invader who was seated across from her with another floating close by. They were supposed to be alone, but there was no denying the prying feeling of eyes on them, watching their every move.
Kaeya took her bow before she was ordered to sit across from Lumine. The blonde Traveler was allowed to keep her weapon; hardly fair in Melanie's opinion. She was almost positive that a sword could kill faster than she could load her bow with an arrow and infuse it with Cryo energy.
The pixie floated closest to Lumine, whispering not-so-loudly into her ear. "Paimon thinks this isn't going anywhere. Should Paimon say something?"
Melanie suppressed a laugh by covering her mouth with a dainty hand. If she had to host the two companions, then she would do it with the utmost formality. She adjusted the bandana around her neck as if showing the piece of cloth off.
"Look, Traveler, I know this can't be easy for you either. Is there any way we can just talk this through so the men can get off of our backs?" she tried to reason, gesturing with her free arm.
"Paimon thinks you owe the Traveler a lot more than that!" the annoying pixie bellowed, stomping her little feet mid-air.
Lumine merely sat in silence with her hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked down at her feet, ignoring both the pixie and the Treasure Hoarder in front of her. This really bothered Melanie, especially since every glance at Kaeya was a slap to the face.
Melanie frowned and rolled her eyes. "I believe it was a very unfortunate situation. If it were any other group of Treasure Hoarders, you would have dealt with them swiftly, wouldn't you have? But you happened to stumble upon me, and I don't enjoy watching my family starve."
Finally, the Traveler looked up. Her eyes were kind and understanding, but they also held a great deal of knowledge beyond Melanie's own field. "I was in Sumeru before returning to Mondstadt at the rise of a certain card game. Never did I expect to rush into a battle with an opponent like you."
"So you traveled far. I apologize if my... predicament withheld you from your adventuring, considering it kept me from eating that day." A smug smile appeared on her lips, and she laughed openly. "Can we settle our differences here and now?"
Lumine seemed to consider it. She tilted her head to the side, humming softly to herself. Her blonde hair flopped to the side from the movement, but the flowers still held in place. Melanie secretly wondered what they were; they were the prettiest flowers she'd ever seen. That wasn't a hard feat considering she only really saw cecilias, calla lilies, lampgrass, and windwheel asters.
Paimon, however, felt like giving Melanie crap. "The Traveler shouldn't have to accept half-hearted apologies. You're lucky Albedo was there to knock you out of the way! Paimon thinks a Treasure Hoarder shouldn't be trusted."
The words stung. Melanie bit her tongue to keep herself from saying words she didn't mean... or well, she would mean every single one of them, but the backlash was not desirable. She was on a short leash, skating on thin ice. Pissing off Kaeya did not sound like a good idea.
She swallowed down her bitter words. Her tone was softened and slower to add more emphasis on her 'sincerity.' "Traveler, Paimon, I'm truly sorry to you both for the way I behaved in Stormterror's Lair. None of it was fair to you who were doing your jobs. I hope you can forgive me for my actions." Melanie batted her eyelashes, trying to look as innocent as possible.
Paimon crossed her arms but said nothing. The disapproving glare told Melanie enough about what the emergency food was thinking. A defiant look was shot back, but not noticeable for Lumine to notice, even if she tried. Melanie was good at hiding her emotions when she meant to. It was something even Albedo hadn't caught onto.
Lumine looked over at Paimon, her companion falling silent and looking away with guilt visible on her small face. All they did was look at each other. It was amazing the communication happening between them. Perks of traveling all around Teyvat with one person. Even with the countless other people they'd met along the way, Albedo included, they were the ones who stuck together through it all.
"I personally find this unnecessary, Melanie. You clearly don't want to do this, and I don't feel like you owe me anything," Lumine said with a shrug, straightening her posture. "But I appreciate it nonetheless. Right, Paimon?"
Paimon nodded solemnly, accepting the defeat for her companion. The Traveler stood up, extending her hand for Melanie to shake. Melanie looked at it for a long second, then shook it carefully. Touching the Traveler felt a bit odd, but she almost found it to be a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders.
"I think we can be friends," Lumine told her, offering a kind smile. "See you on the flip side?"
Melanie nodded, smiling back at her. "Surely."
Kaeya and Albedo seemed to get the jist that their talk was over. Both of them strode over to the women, curious looks on their faces. Kaeya looked Lumine up and down before passing back Melanie's bow, which she snatched hastily and returned to its resting position.
"Careful with that now," Kaeya warned, his voice unnaturally cold. "Don't forget that you're under surveillance. Your choice is coming up, but from the looks of it..." His eye looked her up and down, an unsettling feeling on her skin. "... you are still split."
Melanie shrugged nonchalantly. "It's my decision to make. You cannot dictate it, nor force it to come when a deadline was set weeks ago."
Kaeya narrowed his eye. "Fiesty; I like it. But be forewarned. Jean and I will show up any day now, and you will have to give us an answer. By now, I thought one side would have called louder than the other."
A grimace was obvious from Melanie. Albedo crossed his arms, frowning up at Kaeya. "Your pressure isn't convincing her any more than my actions. This decision is not an easy one to make. Surely you know what that's like?"
Something flashed on his face, but she couldn't catch quite what it was.
"Very well," Kaeya said, turning to usher Lumine out of the cave. "We'll be leaving now. Thank you both for your... hospitality."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shorter, but hey, I'm having major writer's block- Life's been chaotic! Hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless!
Question of the chapter: Do you forgive and forget, or seek revenge?
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