Wallowing | Albedo's Descent Book 2

Chapter 9: What Now?...

"So what do we do now?!" Klee hopped up and down in her jammies.
"Now that you're all clean, you should go to bed," Jean smiled, "we'll leave the surprise for Kaeya in the morning so why don't you come sleep in my room tonight?"
Klee nodded, "okay!"
Lisa silently thanked Jean. She didn't want Klee getting so riled up this late at night. Lisa went back down the stairs. She couldn't change just yet, she needed to help Albedo clean himself up first.
Albedo was gazing around the cell, "... what happened...?"
Lisa rubbed her arm as she entered the cell, "well... it's a long story... but you tried to destroy Mondstadt..."
Albedo's eyes rested on the gold around him.
"I... to stop you I blocked that thing from accessing you, but I guess I didn't get rid of all of it... Jean had you put in here just in case it took control of your body again." Lisa flipped through her books on the floor, careful not to the gold on it. She hadn't used a conjuring talisman in a while and wanted to make sure she wasn't doing it wrong.
"... what...re..."
"Save your voice, Albedo. I'm sure everyone wants to hear from you again," Lisa smiled over her shoulder. "I'm making a bath for you. We can't have this mess around forever."
Albedo's eyes focused on the books in her hands.
"Oh... the spell I used to help you was a pretty taxing one..." she sighed, "and I had just gotten my magic back too..."
"Sorry..." Albedo mumbled as he closed his eyes.
"How well can you move? I bet it feels like you're too heavy right now, huh?" She chuckled, "that's a little silly considering how light you are."
Albedo's arm twitched, rippling the gold around him. He shook his head a bit.
If it weren't such a horrible situation, Lisa thought it would be a beautiful painting... "That's alright, we might keep you down here until you regain your full strength. Just in case that being isn't completely gone."
Albedo seemed to agree with the idea.
Lisa set a small piece of paper on the ground and stared at it, "huh, that's weird... it should have just-"
Right before she could take a step, a large bathtub filled with steaming water and bubbles appeared.
Lisa clapped her hands, "there we go!" She turned to the Alchemist, "let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

"And we don't know what the gold is?" Jean asked.
Albedo shook his head, his hand over his stomach where he sat, still chained to the wall.
"Cant we just let him out?" Lisa pleaded once again.
"No, he's a threat," Jean said firmly, "once he's fully recovered I'll consider it."
Lisa didn't like how stressed and upset Jean sounded. She looked down, pursing her lips.
Jean sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, Lisa... I want to let him out as much as you, but I just can't. As the Acting Grand Master I have to do what's best for-"
"What about what's best for you?" Lisa took her hand.
Jean bit her lip, "Lisa... if you're willing... I'll let you take him out for an hour each night, okay?... just make sure you keep an eye on him..."
Lisa nodded, kissing the love of her life on the cheek, "thanks! Love you!"
Jean turned her face away as she left, she couldn't keep herself composed around Lisa!
Albedo started choking again.
Lisa knelt next to him, taking his hand, "I'll figure out what's wrong, okay? I promise."
Albedo nodded as he painfully coughed up the thick golden liquid.
Lisa unlocked the clamps around Albedo's wrists and ankles, "what's the first thing you want to do?"
Albedo still felt like he didn't fit quite right in his own body, but he could move normally again. He stared at the floor as he stood, "I would like to go outside... I want to see what I did."
Lisa reluctantly led him outside, "it wasn't something you did, Albedo. It wasn't you."
Albedo squinted into the setting sun. He didn't like what he saw. Had he really caused this much destruction before he could be stopped?...
"Did I... hurt anyone?..."
"It wasn't you. And no, not really. A few people were injured, but Kaeya and I were able to keep that thing's attention."
Albedo gazed around, "how long did it take for you to stop me?"
"For the last time it wasn't you," Lisa folded her arms, "and that doesn't matter..."
"It matter to me, Lisa," Albedo said seriously.
Lisa sighed, "a little less than an hour..."
Albedo looked down as he went back inside.
Lisa followed him, "Albedo... I know you just went through something really traumatic but... are you okay?..."
Albedo stopped, "what do you mean?"
"Are you feeling alright? You seem... different..."
Albedo looked at his hands, "I'm... not the same?..."
"Do you know if that thing took something from you?" Lisa asked, fearing the worst.
"Do you think it did?" Albedo looked up at her.
Lisa placed her hand on his arm, "Albedo... your aura's gone... I'm worried that it may have siphoned away your emotions..."
"My... emotions?" Albedo blinked slowly. Had it really?... Now that he thought about it, he didn't feel any particular way... He felt bad, he thought, about hurting people and causing trouble... but he wasn't glad to be back. He was just... relieved?...
Lisa's brows pressed together tightly.
"I..." Albedo said slowly, "would like to see Kaeya..."
Lisa nodded, "just a warning: Kaeya took this the hardest of all of us... He... I honestly have no idea how he's going to react..."