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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Fear. Tension. Anxiety. Concern. All of it floated in the air. Just like the day before, Melanie was on her feet, dressing before the sun was even up. The fire was nothing more than a few embers clinging to life in their small pit of burnt twigs. A small trail of smoke rose from the ashes.
Albedo was just as frantic as she was, though not for the same reasons as her. She wasn't sure who to choose. Her heart screamed to stick with Albedo to pursue a life outside of stealing to live, but her brain told her to protect him and rejoin the Treasure Hoarders to keep him out of harm's way.
If that dream was even the slightest bit prophetic, his death would be because of them. He still had so much to give to this life... Even if he never shared his hopes and dreams outside of their relationship, she still knew he had a desire to find every answer in the world they all lived in.
What was bothering him, though? Was it the prospect that she would choose to abandon him after everything he'd done for her? He'd probably blame himself for pressuring her yesterday and live in constant guilt and sorrow. That wasn't the Albedo she knew and never wanted to see. The mere thought of it made her gulp uneasily.
Kaeya and Jean would arrive at any moment. At least this time she met the Acting Grandmaster, Albedo wouldn't be several inches deep. She hoped Jean would remain understanding and oblivious to what went down the last time she showed up for a visit.
If it were any other person who had shown up, namely Kaeya, she wasn't sure the results would have been the same. Something told her either it would become a threesome, or he'd chew out both of their asses while smirking the entire time. Not a good situation, no matter which one you preferred.
Melanie sighed deeply, rubbing the material of her boots with a damp cloth to clean off some of the gunk that was settled on the surface. Her Vision and Insignia both bumped against the clasps, tying it together. The silver mark of the Treasure Hoarders was taken off of her boot to shove into her pocket. All she would let show was her Vision.
A cyan aura floated around the pendant. She put her boot back on, watching it the entire time. If she focused hard enough, she could see the depths of it even greater. The cyan turned more into a green, surprisingly. There were times when she would watch Albedo use his Vision and see the same time of aura, only more golden than greenish blue.
Her fingers wrapped around the cold insignia bouncing around in her pocket. It felt odd to be holding when she typically ignored the hunk of metal. Nervously, she fiddled with it to keep her legs from twitching with overflowing emotions. Their tendency to do that wasn't uncommon, even when she had the ability to stay calm under extreme circumstances.
Albedo eyed her from the other half of the camp. She pretended not to see notice, instead looking down at the foot that had begun to tap quickly. Well, fidgeting didn't seem to be doing enough to suppress her nervous system. She felt no shame in it as she looked out at the skies, slowly morphing from dark to light.
"Ample light..." he murmured, pulling out his sketchbook. "We have time until Kaeya and Jean arrive, surely?"
She glanced at him, noticing his kind smile and waving hand. He wanted her to come over and enjoy a few moments of joy before discord threatened to rip apart everything they had built over the course of the two weeks, and then some. She didn't sense anything wrong with it, so she stood up to sit on his lap.
Albedo adjusted his chin to hover over her shoulder, moving the sketchbook to be seen clearly while his pencil glided over the paper. His subject was a mint plant sitting outside, its green leaves seeming to perk up in the presence of the sun.
He didn't say anything more. His pencil shaded the darkest parts of the mint within his tangled outlines. Melanie couldn't make much sense of it, even though she knew what he was drawing. From an artistic standpoint, she was unable to do sketches in the slightest. Paint was more her medium.
Leaning back into him, she smiled warmly as a beam of sunlight crept from the floor up to his legs, then her thighs. The sight of the light lifted some of the burdens from her heart and convinced her to stop fidgeting with the insignia in her pocket.
She watched Albedo's pencil move back and forth like it was some sort of pendulum hypnotizing her. Once she was locked on it, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the mesmerizing action. The simple things in life were enough to please her, believe it or not.
Soon enough, the plant soon came to life on the thick piece of paper. The farther he progressed, the more she was able to better distinguish the clumped buds of the mint. Albedo worked far too quickly for her to acknowledge the steps he was taking, but she was simply grateful just to witness it.
Surprisingly, Albedo didn't complain about her weight. Maybe she was just too light for him to really notice an extra hundred pounds on his lap or he was just too kind to mention it. His face was drilled on his sketchbook anyway, focusing intently. Nothing would break that concentration unless it was-
Three horses galloped up to the cave; two had riders, and one was attached to a rope behind the others. Calvary Captain Kaeya rode on a dark bay stallion with a long, flowing black mane and a similar flicking tail. The horse had shiny tack, all of it seeming to be silver, even the bit which was covered with crusted grass.
Jean's horse was a white mare covered in decorative golden accessories. From the saddle to the stockings, everything matched the aesthetic of leadership. The mare stamped her foot once, whinnying at the horse behind her, which was pure white in color.
Melanie nearly slid off of Albedo's lap at the sudden appearance of the Knights this early in the morning. Right at dawn, they had ridden up to their camp. How unassuming.
Kaeya dismounted from his horse with a very dignified slide, then turned to help Jean down from hers. The horse from the back knickered at Jean's horse. The white stallion's breastplate gleamed in the morning light, the Knights' emblem on the front.
When Jean was safely on the ground, her companion jumped into the cave with his arms stretched about his head. "SURPRISE SHAW-"
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I HAD TO THROW IN A MEME, I'M SORRY- IT FELT SO RIGHT XD On the plus side, I got to use some of my equine knowledge to work!
Question of the chapter: Do you believe horses should be in Genshin?
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