"Rise and shine sleepyhead, the sun's already in your eyes! Hahah... don't tell me you actually thought i'd wake you up like that,"
Scaramouche perched on the end of your bed. He had a big grin on his face as he looked down at you. As you drew the blanket over your naked body, your eyes widened in disbelief,
"You can't really expect me to believe that you fell asleep, right? I mean, you were so drunk last night you could barely stand, and I was walking around like I had just come out of a coma. We both know that you didn't sleep a wink. In fact, I bet you were staring at me the whole time. Hahaha... that sounds about right, doesn't it?
As if the man was reading your mind, he smirked and continued grinning. You glared at him until he lost his smile and started to scowl. He pretended to get angry and waved a finger in your direction.
"Stop worrying so much; there is nothing to worry about; you simply plopped on the bed as soon as you entered the room."
Standing up, he moved over to the door while sighing.
"Meet me downstairs for breakfast as soon as you're dressed and up."
With that, he left the room. You sat up quickly to hide your embarrassment. Your sheets were soaked with sweat and you could feel the dampness of your hair clinging to your forehead. Your cheeks flushed crimson and you let out a soft sigh.You couldn't help but feel like an idiot. Not only did you embarrass yourself in front of Scaramouche, but you also embarrassed yourself in front of Thoma. And worse yet, you didn't remember a thing about the previous night.
____________________________________
You were in the middle of the dining room looking for your table. You turned around as soon as you heard someone behind you snap twice; it was Scaramouche. He called you over from behind a table where he and others were sat. His eyes twinkled brightly as he gestured for you to join them.
"Come on, sit down and eat,"
He motioned towards a chair next to him. You slid into the seat, still feeling self-conscious.
"I'm glad you decided to join us!"
A jovial voice came from one of the other people seated at the table. The man wore a white tunic that matched his blond hair. He was smiling broadly as he spoke to Scaramouche. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you..."
"Y/n"
"It's a pleasure to meet you Y/n, I am Ulfr,"
The man shook your hand. You smiled and returned his handshake. Ulfr looked to Scaramouche and nodded before turning back to you,
"Now that we've met, in a little over a half an hour, we're all taking a short trip to the local town. Interested in joining us?"
Ulfr asked you, still holding your hand and smiling at you. You glanced over to Scaramouche who was grinning from ear to ear and nodding enthusiastically.
"Sure, why not?
____________________________________
Uou stood alongside Ulfr and the group of people under a massive maple tree in the middle of the town.
"You can all disperse and go exploring wherever you choose right now, but please return in exactly one hour and a half so that we can continue with the remaining activities. I'll eject you from the group if you don't arrive by then,"
Ulfr gave notice.
"Alrighty, then..."
Laughing, the group broke up. Some headed to shops, others towards the taverns. Once everyone had left, you walked to the center of the clearing.
Your gaze wandered over the shops surrounding you. There were many interesting items displayed in each store window. It felt like you had been here before.
You couldn't exactly remember when or why until you saw a familiar building. Memories flooded back into your mind after seeing the store. You ran towards it and burst through the doors. Inside the shop, the owner was standing behind the counter. He looked up at you and smiled.
"Welcome back, Y/n."
You grinned widely.
"It has been awhile Albedo! How are things going?"
"Well enough for the moment. A few days ago, we received a large shipment of books from the north. They look promising, so I think they might be worth checking out. They're your favorite~"
Albedo enthusiastically responded, as he escorted you to the boxes in front of some bookshelves.
What do you say? Shall we take a closer look?"
You nodded eagerly.You smiled as you reached for a book in one of the boxes. It was titled: 'Dawn of the Gods'.
"Are these the same ones you brought back from the
library?"
"Yes, these are the latest editions, you can grab one for yourself, my treat!"
You took a book from the box and held it close to your chest.
"They seem to be in good condition,"
Albedo said, flipping through the pages. He closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. Albedo turned away from you and walked over to the counter. He rolled up his sleeves and glared at you.
"I know you're being held by the fatui, why haven't you tried to escape yet? or if I'm correct you're..."
"Albedo, I have no idea what
you're talking about,"
You interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
He lifted an eyebrow at you and stared at you for a moment. You looked away nervously.
"Y/N, let me help-"
"Sorry Albedo...but I don't want you to risk your life or freedom for me. We barely even know eachother apart from the few yearly encounter's we've had. I've got a plan already and it's already working quite
smoothly alright?"
"I'm sure you do...but if you change your mind, you can always come to me. I will help you escape, Y/n. I promise."
Albedo shook his head and sighed loudly. He turned away from you and disappeared into one of the many bookshelves.
You sighed as you turned your back and left the store, only to be greeted by Scaramouche. How many times a day were you required to see his dumb crinkled-up face?! He was EVERYWHERE.
"Y/N..."
He exclaimed angrily as he approached you. You scowled and pushed past him without another word. But you couldn't help but feel bad for Albedo; he seemed to be genuinely worried about you. But there wasn't much you could do either.
"Don't you walk by me like I don't exist!"
Scaramouche scolded while following you. When he finally reached you and gripped your shoulder, you stopped. You felt anger yet sadness fill up your whole body. Before you could turn around and full on lash out at him, he covered your mouth, grabbed you by your waist and pulled you to a nearby alley.
"Look, I don't want to be here either, but if you would cooperate with me, I'll give you what you asked for in the agreement we made. Alright?! This is simply extremely crucial."
He told you, making eye contact with you as he spoke. You were still angry, but you knew it wouldn't work unless you calmed down.