THIRTY NINE
ALBEDO HARDLY EVER spent much time in Mondstadt. He preferred to give into his reclusive nature, spending most of his mornings and evenings on the blindingly white tops of Dragonspine. So when he did set foot into the city, you could only imagine the attention he'd get.
Chief alchemist, Captain of the Investigation Team, Kreideprinz. But of all his names, the worst one was when people referred to him as a "genius".
Such titles and honors are of no consequence to him when there is so much more research to conduct. He couldn't be more bothered with them. But he had a particular dislike for that last one. It gave him all the more reason to avoid social interactions.
Albedo currently sat at his desk, giving himself a moment's rest.
It was way too early to be awake. Half the residents of Mondstadt were most likely still in bed. He had just descended the mountain, having planned and taken this opportunity as a perfect time to avoid everyone.
Well, mostly everyone.
After about an hour or two, he heard footsteps echoing through the hall. Albedo didn't pay much mind, seeing as he didn't really care and was glued to a sketch his hands had began not too long ago.
They stopped across from his laboratory, a silence filling the atmosphere before they then shuffled to his door.
Without moving his head, Albedo glanced up. The door was then pushed with little to no effort, so it just swung shut again. This time, whoever was behind pushed it with more strength, allowing it to swing wide open.
From behind peeked in (Y/n) with a smile on her face. "Albedo," She greeted him. "You're here early?"
"Oh," The alchemist relaxed. "It's just you."
He kept his gaze fixed onto her figure as she helped herself in. "I've just returned from a small expedition," Albedo explained. "And mornings are quieter. So, my preferred hour to arrive would be now."
(Y/n) hummed in response as she loomed over his desk. "...You draw, Albedo?" Her eyes glossed over the page beneath his fingertips.
"Oh, yes. I do," He glanced down at his work.
"I had no idea," A corner of her lips tugged upward. "You do it often?" She asked.
The alchemist looked back up at her, to which their gaze met. "...Partly when Sucrose insists on small breaks," Albedo explained. "One I can't say I don't mind." He ended with a sigh.
Albedo didn't know why, but the question just rolled off his tongue as he asked. "...Would you," He paused briefly as he gathered his thoughts. "...like to try?"
After staring briefly at him, (Y/n) walked around his desk. She loomed over his shoulder, but was then at eye level as she leaned against the surface.
"How?" She had this warm smile plastered on her lips.
Their faces were close. Closer than he'd ever been to anyone. But Albedo didn't seem to care much, it was just something he took notice of.
The alchemist raised the pencil he had in hand towards her. "Here," His fingertips gently let go as she took it from his hands. "You'll need this."
He then stood up from his seat, offering (Y/n) to sit down and not tire from standing up.
Once she settled down and held the pencil above the page, Albedo rested an arm over the back of her chair, the other with his palm against the table. "If you don't mind," He began. "I'll watch a bit for now. Just to see what you know."
(Y/n) nodded. Her focus became concentrated onto the paper, using light strokes to continue the scenery Albedo had begun.
After a few minutes, her eyes then caught sight of his shadow leaning closer, and she listened as his voice spoke gently near her ear. "Adding shadows makes the beginning process easier," He explained. "So, don't be afraid of using darker values in extremes."
(Y/n)'s gaze was kept to the canvas. "Y'know, where I come from, art isn't charcoal or paint," She explained. "It's a physical thing, kind of like the theatre."
"Your home..." He spoke up. "Fontaine, was it?"
She nodded her head.
Albedo's eyes flickered from the pencil in her hand towards her face. "Is it really as glamorous as they say it is?"
(Y/n)'s lips moved to the side. "Well, if I'm being honest with you. Unless you live somewhere nice, you're bound to have your nose stuck under a cloud of pollution," Her smile wavered. "But, if you want it from a sheltered perspective, then I'm the perfect person to ask."
The alchemist kept his gaze fixed. "Then... would you care to tell me about it?" He asked.
(Y/n)'s hand slowed down, and then, it merely hovered over the page.
It seemed she pondered something with great debate, he noticed. There was no other way to describe her face in the moment.
"Hey, look," She then quickly changed the topic. "Did I do this right?" After all, she merely said she'd be the perfect person to ask. Not that'd she'd give just anyone a straight answer.
His lashes cowered over his eyes as he glanced down. Like few, her tones were too light when they could be darker to further push a deep perspective. Then again, she's probably never been asked to draw per his instruction.
Now thinking about it, he wondered if Kaeya got what he wanted after all the trouble he went through. But still, he couldn't understand why the man was so fixated on (Y/n).
"...Is something wrong?" She asked when he went quiet.
Albedo glanced over at her. "...Apologies," His eyes then shied away. "There's nothing wrong."
(Y/n) nodded as response. Her gaze flickered from his face towards her attempt at art. "...I've probably taken up a bit too much of your time," She said. Standing up from his chair, she looked back at him. "Thanks for the small lesson."
The alchemist was then left to his own accord.
❦
It was past evening by the time Albedo had begun his routinely preparation before heading out of the laboratory. He fixed his gloves, then adjusted his collar and coat. The alchemist made sure to leave his workspace in a cleansed state, with everything in It's proper place before pushing the double doors open. He slipped his body through, shutting it gently before letting go of the knob. His attention then coincidentally flickered towards the door across from him, a bit wary when it was cracked wide open.
No one should be here this late other than him and the night guard that routinely roams the halls. So it was awfully strange to see it still open.
Albedo walked towards it, his hand brushing against the door as he treaded inside. He noted it wasn't out of question someone could have broken in, as the door should've been locked by now but it wasn't. His gaze was kept to the stairs as he descended into the archives, only turning to look over his shoulder when he realized the dim light from the halls was cut off by the closing door. It shut ever so gently, and so he brushed it off and continued on his way.
But before he could even turn the corner, he met (Y/n) halfway as she bumped into him.
"Albedo!" She scolded him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The alchemist stared at her apologetically. "I'm truly sorry. That wasn't my intention..." He explained. "It was a bit strange seeing the doors to the archive opened so late, so I thought to investigate-"
"Did you let the door close?" She quickly interjected.
Albedo blinked his eyes a few times. "It closed on its own behind me..." He said.
At this, her eyes slightly widened.
"The night guard came around to make sure I was leaving. I told him I'd only be a minute so he went ahead and locked the door," She explained. "So when you let it close..."
Albedo's eyes widened in realization. "I locked us in."
He then watched as (Y/n) pushed a stool against the wall behind her desk. "There's no point banging on the door," She climbed atop it, her hands pressed to the half curved window above. "We're below the headquarters. He won't come around for at least another hour if we're lucky." She referred to the night guard.
A low sigh could be heard escaping her lips. "It's locked."
"...This is truly unfortunate," He said. "And, I'm very sorry for putting us in this."
(Y/n) looked over at him. "You didn't know," She said. "I don't fault you for it." He must've been gone in the duration the knights called for better security past light.
She then stepped off the stool. "...I suppose we should find something to do in the meantime."
❦
About an hour had passed and the two spent it in a comfortable silence.
Yes, there was nothing more better than a comfortable silence, he thought. Even better that it seemed she too didn't feel the need to "fill" the silence.
He could definitely get along with someone like her.
The alchemist spent the hour looking over old reports, specifically the ones he'd signed off. It didn't hurt looking back at old expeditions, it was all for memory's sake. But then Albedo glanced over at (Y/n), catching sight of her flipping through a book at her desk. Her head leaned into her arm, which propped it up. The other hand held the book for her, and she only let it fall when she was ready to move onto the next page.
The woman must've felt his gaze, for she looked up and their gaze met. "You bored?" She asked in a teasing manner.
"That book, it looks familiar," Albedo commented. He let go of whatever he was doing to tread closer to her desk.
(Y/n) glanced back down at the page. "...Oh, I borrow it time to time from the library," She admitted. "I just can't help it. It reminds me of home." Her fingertips shut it close.
This gave Albedo the opportunity to take a look at the cover. "I recall this title," He said. "It was the book Sucrose accidentally misplaced."
(Y/n)'s hand ran along the spine, her eyes softening at the fond sentiments the book carried for her. "There was a boy who'd listen to a bird sing outside. And sometimes, he'd even feed it seeds," She began to explain. "Since it brought him so much joy and happiness, his parents captured it and brought it to him in a silver cage. It was a little white dove, but never once did it sing again behind its bars. Upon noticing how sad it became, the boy unlocked the cage and let it soar free."
(Y/n)'s lips curved upward. "This story was common for children to read. It's a subtle lesson to learn, loving something enough to let it go. But it's lovely nonetheless."
The woman then glanced up at him. "What kinds of things do you like to read about, Albedo?" She asked.
Albedo peered down briefly. "...Things relative to my interests in the moment," He said calmly. "Nothing I'm certain you'd enjoy."
The curved window above their heads suddenly began to shutter violently. The pressure was enough to loosen the locks that held it together by a thread, allowing both panels to part open lazily.
Albedo and (Y/n) glanced upward towards it. From the outside, in peeked in a familiar face.
"Bet you didn't expect me, huh?" Venti's grin was wide. The bard then crouched down, extending his arms towards the (h/c) haired woman. "Come on, I got you."
(Y/n) stepped on the stool she had previously left against the wall, her hands meeting his as he used what strength he had to pull her out. Venti caught her in his arms before she could lose balance, glancing down at her face as she turned to his.
"How'd you know where I'd be?" She asked.
Letting go of her, the bard then placed both hands above his hips. "Well, it was a bit alarming when you didn't come home at the time you usually do," He said. "All I had to do was cross off the tavern then come check here."
The two turned to look down at the window when they heard a struggling Albedo.
"Sorry..." (Y/n) apologized before lending him a hand. Their hands intertwined as she pulled him up, dusting off her dress afterward.
Albedo fell to a knee once out the frame. "It's alright..." He assured her. Then he turned to the bard. "Thank you."
Venti crossed his arms over the other. "At least I got a thank you from you," His tone was coy as he referred to (Y/n), who still hadn't thanked him yet.
"I'll thank you with a treat at the tavern," She said. "How does that sound?"
"You needn't say more!" The bard insisted. He then intertwined his arm with hers. "Come on! They'll only be open for a while longer."
(Y/n) turned to Albedo. "That's our cue," She gave him an apologetic smile. "Will you be fine? You have a dorm right?"
He nodded his head. "Of course. I'll be fine, thank you for your concerns."
The alchemist waved the two goodbye, watching as their figures disappeared around the corner. His hand slowly came to a halt before he held his palm in front of his face. He stared down at it, still feeling (Y/n)'s hand between his.
His fingertips folded into his palm. He did this a few times, wondering why he could still feel what was absent yet insistent to be.
THIRTY NINE