ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 4 - Cold Shoulder, Warm Welcoming

Now playing:
despair - leo.
0:01 ❍─────── 2:55
↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺

The lack of motion woke Melanie. She lifted her head, blinking rapidly to clear her gaze. Snow fell lazily from the sky, covering her clothes in a white blanket. The Knight beside her stood up suddenly. The girl fell to the side, waking her fox with a squeak.

"I apologize, but we have arrived," he said sympathetically.

Oh, right. Here she had been dreaming of running through Dadaupa Gorge chasing a few hilichurls when, in reality, she was still being transported to the depths of Dragonspine. She turned her head around to absorb as much as she could.

A small fire burned outside of the cave entrance, a streak of ashy smoke rising into the air. It was dark inside of his campsite, a rare sight for many. She stepped out of the cart and approached the campfire, tossing a twig into the flames. It emitted a flurry of sparks but gratefully consumed the wood.

The Knights hopped back into the cart and rode away, leaving Melanie completely alone. Her fox had notably disappeared, she realized. In the presence of flames, the fox would melt away, hence her fear of pyro users. Wren was a stretch with her fear.

A stick snapped behind her and she spun around quickly. Fear pulsed from her body. She didn't want to start any trouble if she didn't have to; she did enough already. When another noise sounded from within the unknown, her bow instantly appeared in her hand.

Her bow was raised at the third snap, but that was when a figure pushed through a few low-hanging branches. She gasped and returned her bow, guilt flooding over her. Melanie bit her lip hard and shrank back into her coat, hands crossed in front of her.

"Ah, you're here a bit earlier than expected."

Albedo's gloved hand touched the tip of his chin in thought. His teal eyes were distantly looking at the side of her boot. A silver insignia glimmered on cue. She expelled a sigh, reaching down and pulling it off to show.

"Take it, if you want. My days of being a Treasure Hoarder are over." Melanie offered it out to him. He turned his head away, scoffing.

"We both know that's a lie, Melanie. Put it back on your boot. You aren't finished with this ploy simply because you were caught." Albedo began to walk toward her, his expression unreadable. "In two weeks, you'll be allowed to return to Mondstadt and do as you wish. However, you will be with me until then as an alternative to the cells of the Knights. It was all I could work with, but surely you aren't dissatisfied with the arrangements?"

Melanie felt a pang in her heart when he cocked his head to the side in his usual manner. She always found it cute when he did it during their gimmicks, but now she felt as if it were a weapon. Being with Albedo for two weeks was both a blessing and a curse, but why did she feel as though it were leaning towards one more than the other?

The girl bent over to reattach her insignia, shaking her head at the same time. "No... I'm thankful for your hospitality. It means a lot to me."

"Right, then."

Albedo unstrung the two bags from his bag and carried them by hand into the mouth of the cave. He approached a small pile of logs inside and tossed two on the campfire. His eyes made contact with hers and he nodded his head in the direction of the interior, inviting her in.

Melanie hesitantly stepped inside, taking a seat on her usual spot: the floor. Chairs were never her thing. She watched Albedo's movements carefully. Her stomach flip-flopped in her abdomen. She knew it was a sign that she had something to say, but the anxiety was too great.