Soleil knew she wasn't the only person who was affected by the last talk she had with Kaeya and she knew she was right.
The man himself was a little out of himself but only a few noticed because of his misleading facades.
However, duty calls and he still continues with his work. But he gets too preoccupied with his thoughts sometimes.
Kaeya stared out the window with a slightly sour look on his face. He was thinking about a lot of things.
Why did he get upset that time? It's just as Soleil said. She was just completing a mission that he recommended her for personally.
Was it because Soleil didn't fuss over it very much? Hmph. That wasn't a surprise. Soleil doesn't complain and just gets her tasks done.
Yeah... That's probably why. He didn't like how Soleil just takes whatever was given to her and thinks she doesn't have a say in it.
For all of the Archons' sake, she just let that irksome nobleman get touchy with her. She may have played along, but he knew she didn't like it.
He was there. He saw how her eyes just turn blank whenever the nobleman does something. It took him a lot of patience not to toss the guy into the water and freeze the surface so he never gets out alive.
Kaeya let out an irritated sigh. Soleil was so exhausting. All she had to do was tell him what she wanted.
If she didn't like something, he would get rid of it. If she needs a favor, he will do it.
All she had to do was tell Kaeya what she wants. He would do it for her in a heartbeat.
Come on. Snap out of it, Kaeya shook his head lightly. He was getting too distracted with something he had no control over.
He wasn't even listening to Sucrose, who had been talking for a good while now in front of him.
"Captain? Captain Kaeya?" Sucrose hesitantly approached the man behind the desk, waving a hand in front of his face, "Are you listening to me?"
Kaeya blinked and looked at Sucrose. "Ah. My apologies. What were you saying again?" he asked, sitting up properly.
"I was discussing the reports I made about the piece of item you gave to me," Sucrose said with her usual soft voice, "It took some time, but I managed to find something."
"Sucrose, I gave the pin to you nearly a month ago," Kaeya laughed lightly, "I thought you forgot."
"T-That was a month ago?" Sucrose covered her mouth and her eyes were wide.
She put her hands together, "I'm sorry! I must have lost track of time focusing on my other works!"
"No need to apologize. What matters is that you have something to present," Kaeya waved a hand dismissively, "So? What did our favorite bioalchemist find?"
Sucrose was flustered with Kaeya's sudden kind words. She blinked and cleared her throat, "First, please have a look at the reports I made."
Kaeya reached for the papers Sucrose placed on his desk and skimmed over the girl's handwritten reports.
"A catalyst?" Kaeya turned to Sucrose.
"Yes. While examining its exterior, I noticed a few details that resembled a catalyst's own exterior. I discovered that the pin, although quite small, can store elemental energy within it no matter how potent it is," Sucrose explained.
"How?" Kaeya asked. "That is the fascinating part I noticed. While most containers require its contents to be unmoving and stable, the pin was built to have the Electro energy flow through it continuously," Sucrose's eyes glimmered, "In a sense, the pins are like living creatures. The pins are the bodies and the energy inside is the blood."
"I can see why. With an element so potent, it will have to be continuously moving and hard to contain," Kaeya speculated, "So instead of trying to tame the energy, the pin was made to direct the energy into moving in a desired way instead."
"That is correct. It is almost impossible to tamper with the flow. No matter how much you shake it, the flow is never disturbed. With how the head of the pin is designed, I can speculate that there are two ways to disrupt the flow: one is that it is triggered with a detonator. The other is that a form of elemental energy makes contact with the pin," Sucrose explained.
The trigger and the ammunition, Kaeya thought. "Haha... Isn't it a fascinating tool?" he smiled at Sucrose.
"It truly is! I can only wonder what is inside the pin that can withstand the potent Electro and prevent it from combusting on the spot," Sucrose said with a thoughtful squint of her eyes.
"Oh? Were you not able to look into its interiors?" Kaeya asked.
"N-No..." Sucrose looked down and fidgeted, "The pin seems to have a mechanism that will cause the pin to immediately detonate if someone tried to dissect it. I suspect it is a way to prevent seeking eyes to figure the secrets of its production."
"Hm... Is that why you don't have the pin with you?" Kaeya asked. Sucrose sighed and nodded, "I'm sorry... It was destroyed after detonation."
"Well, that couldn't be a good thing. Are you hurt?" Kaeya asked. "I am fine. Thank you for your concern," Sucrose said softly.
"That's good. The pin doesn't really matter compared to your safety. I am glad you are fine," Kaeya said.
A burst of that needle is enough to medium-roast all of the fowls in the forest.
Sucrose fidgeted nervously, causing Kaeya to look at her with a curious gaze.
"Sucrose," he called and linked his hands together, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Sucrose flinched at this like a startled mouse. Then, she slowly nodded like a guilty child ready to be reprimanded.
"It... It was mister Albedo..." she said timidly, "He was in the middle of examination when the pin exploded."
"Ah, so it was Albedo who was tampering with the pin," Kaeya leaned back, a look of clarification on his face. Sucrose squeaked and put her hands together above her head.
"I'm sorry! I tried to keep it away from him, but mister Albedo was persistent! He eventually took interest in its design and began his own investigation. I couldn't stop him," the mint-haired girl said helplessly.
Kaeya sighed, "It's alright. No need to fuss over it. I suppose it is thanks to him you made some discoveries." "Yes," Sucrose nodded.
Kaeya crossed his arms. It seems that those two are eventually going to meet. He should have seen this coming when he entrusted Sucrose to study the pin.
"Mister Kaeya..." Sucrose's voice snapped the man out of his thoughts. "What is it?" Kaeya asked.
"I'm just curious, but where did you get the pin from?" Sucrose asked.
"Oh? Haha... You really are curious," Kaeya chuckled.
"This pin was made with a kind of technology even mister Albedo took time figuring out," Sucrose spoke, "Whoever made the pin must be formiddable and dangerous."
"You are right with that one," Kaeya stood up and flipped through the reports while walking, "The pin I gave to you was the reason why the knights had to investigate the condensing energy in the ruins."
"It can pull in energy after the energy previously inside it has been used up," Kaeya looked at Sucrose, "The reason why I asked you to look into the pin's properties was to find out if it has some purifying elements."
"Purifying elements? For what, may I ask?" Sucrose asked. "The pin is said to be capable of overriding Abyssal magic and can possibly terminate its corrosive properties. I needed to know how it works," Kaeya explained.
"But... There was no such thing," Sucrose blinked in confusion. "Tell me more," Kaeya told her.
"From what mister Albedo and I discovered, the pin only serves as a container for the Electro's potent energy. If the creator did not wish to let its interior be known, it meant that they were trying to prevent others from learning how to store Elemental energy," Sucrose stated, "But we've never noticed anything concerning Abyssal magic or what could purify it."
Sucrose's words made Kaeya silent, an enigmatic and almost cold look on his face. "I see," he said and nodded.
Sucrose noticed his intimidating aura and fidgeted again. "I'm sorry. I will try to do better next time," she said dejectedly.
"You've done well, actually. Your discoveries helped me clear some thoughts. Please, if you need anything, come find me," Kaeya said, "And you need to stop apologizing for so many things. You did nothing wrong."
"Sor-" Sucrose covered her mouth and shook her head furiously. Kaeya chuckled at this, "You almost did it again."
In the meantime, faint scribbles of charcoal on paper can be heard within a quiet and isolated location. Its sheer temperature and daunting snow was far from the lush terrains and verdant forests to its north.
Papers were arranged near the apparatus set up in the table, each one of them containing similar sketches of a pin and had its parts labelled meticulously.
Fire crackled underneath the pot of boiling mixtures, where blubbering sounds and steamy sizzles came from. Blue, red, and green flasks were arranged neatly within a wooden container and placed to the side.
This scene in the workshop was all too familiar to the young alchemist standing near the table, focused on comparing the sketches in two hands.
The fire illuminated his chalky, white hair and crystal blue eyes. Albedo looked at the papers with an intrigued look, "Fascinating."
Everyday, he would stay in his workshop and mind his business. He would only go to Mondstadt should his students and coworkers require his assistance.
But then again, he never really focused on the task if it didn't suit his interests. His title of Chief Alchemist sounded fancy, but he had lost interest in his tasks due to the repetitive routine.
That was why when Sucrose had began to investigate a strange, silver pin that could store energy, he was only too willing to help uncover its secrets.
But he saw how his student was unwilling to let him see it. Sucrose was usually happy to have him assist her, but he suspected she had orders not to let him intervene.
Regardless, that didn't stop him. Sucrose fell asleep and forgot to put the pin away. Albedo took the chance and studied the pin.
But who knew that it would explode when he was about to see into its full structure? A pin that can store energy despite its size... It definitely piqued his interest.
The explosion was enough to cause an avalanche with where he ran his experiments. Albedo was caught by surprise, but was able to escape the avalanche with his signature craft: the Solar Isotoma.
He really was astounded. The pin was relatively harmless without its trigger. Yet the moment he tried to take away its parts, the pin detonated.
It was a clear sign the owner has some secrets that needed to be kept within the pin. Albedo hummed in thought. They definitely took countermeasures to prevent anyone from examining it.
However, Albedo was one step ahead. Before he ran his experiments, he designed another pin that would mirror the details he noticed.
The original may have been detonated, but a pin with similar characteristics was still in his possession. Still, it was a fake that did not possess the one thing that makes the pin truly frightening.
"The craftsmanship is astounding," Albedo looked over at the sketches of the pin's exterior, "And to be able to harness Electro without the use of a Vision... This pin may as well be a force to be reckoned with."
He put the papers up against the corkboard and held his chin in thought. Sucrose had blurted out about Kaeya's instructions to not bother Albedo since it may not interest him.
But Albedo saw through this veiled attempt: The Cavalry Captain did not wish for Albedo to discover its secrets.
For what reasons? Albedo did not know yet. But it was obvious that Kaeya knew Albedo had the skill to figure everything out.
But wasn't that what he wanted? Why ask Sucrose instead when Albedo could be more helpful?
Albedo's eyes were tranquil. "He must be up to something," he said calmly.
An item such as the destructive pin could never be a small matter. Especially if it was in Kaeya's possession.
But Albedo did not care. He was simply interested in discovering the secrets of the pin. The technology used, the craftsmanship, the creator's motives...all of it.
★