Chapter Text
Snow falls, a clash of sword to gun, Albedo slices the barrel clean off. Then silence as the men fall back into their camps , a safe distance weapons lowered and defensive.
The crunching of the ice, behind him
He readies his sword.
" I remember you "
Albedo turns to a familiar voice,
" You haven't aged a day " He steps towards him, Fatui agents follow behind " It's been what, 16, 18 years ? "
" Seventeen " He dismisses his sword " Mr. Scaramouche, as beautiful as ever. " He looks at him, gaze falling to the sandals " And underdressed for the weather "
" Sandal weather compared to the Snezhnayan snow " He speaks , there is no breath
" It is certainly easier to walk around Dragonspine than in Snezhnaya. "
" Should've expected to see you here, abyssal monsters sure are drawn to things like this " He gestures vaguely " Visiting your brother? Come to bury him?"
" Yes. " He answers honestly "—to visit. kindly tell your men to back off when I visit the heart "
" You heard him " He looks back at the Fatui subordinates behind him, neck twisting a little too far " Consider this a permanent command from a harbinger. Don't mess with him , he won't mess with you "
" Thank you " He turns away and starts walking, Scaramouche follows with quiet steps, dismissing his agents.
Down into a cave they go
Scaramouche notices the warmth first
Though he is not affected by warmth or cold, he can distinguish the change in warmth inside this cave is unnatural , abyssal. The bright red glow of something deep inside that slowly pulses. So this is the mission the Fatui has in this area.
" Is this what's left of that dragon? "
" He has a name."
" He’s lucky to have one." He follows him down, careful steps avoiding anything strange looking " Are you going to dissect it ? Take and burn the remains ? "
He does not answer, Scaramouche watches from beside him, fair enough if he wants to stay silent.
Albedo places his hand on the surface of the large thing in the middle of the cave. He's certain its a heart
" I record it as 15-20 beats per minute. But he's dead. Though some days I'm not quite sure myself. Maybe its dormancy, and Master will allow him the mercy of a rebirth. "
" You have more or less 20bpm"
" I suppose a low heart rate is common amongst creatures like me "
" You don't have real blood to circulate. And you only breathe when people are looking "
" I don't breathe around you "
" I'm not people "
" Fair enough, do you want me to start breathing? "
" Does it matter? " He smiles " You know, that unbreathing perfection of ours scares the agents. It puts them on edge. Unfortunately, as all humans are, they get used to it and don't mind it later on "
" Master would have us cannibalise one another if we were any less than perfection. " He looks fondly upon the abyssal heart before him " He was her favourite. So many scraps of my siblings were fed to him "
" Why am I not surprised "
" I carry around a weapon made from another sibling's bones. It is simple fact. " Albedo begins to breathe. " My apologies, I'm being more sentimental near my brother's corpse I suppose."
" And here I thought you were as cold as the ice out there. " Scaramouche looks upon Albedo's turned back, now writing notes and observations " If you end up like him, corrupting and killing everything you touch. Would you fight for your life like he did?"
" I expect those around me to make quick work of the deed. "
" Then you must be always ready to die "
" That's not true at all. "
" Really ? "
He does seem different from before, but then again so is he.
Scaramouche so blatantly follows him in silence as he observes the trees and wildlife around, and he does not seem to mind. They go further up the mountain to a camp without the woman he expects to always be by Albedo's side.
" What are you doing in Mondstadt "
" Master left. " He says quick " She hasn't come back yet and it's been a year "
" You expect her to be back ? "
" She must be busy . We found the heart of Naberius and she left. She left me with a recommendation to Mondstadt and her final studies to decipher. "
" That's why you're here . " And suddenly Scaramouche almost pities him. Abandoned in a foreign land by his mother who he so impersonally calls his master
" She led me here with her studies. So I assume something within my brother is worth looking after. If not then perhaps it's her sentiments, to have family care for his remains. "
" That cruel woman, sentiments ? "
" Believe it or not, even Khaenri’ahns have sentiments. "
" I believe it. "
That's why Albedo is here isn't it? Staying with the corpse of his sibling.
" Are you going to keep following me? " he asks out of curiosity, not annoyance
" There's nothing back at camp to amuse me "
" There's nothing amusing in my camp either "
" There's you, you're plenty amusing. "
" I certainly hope I can amuse you well enough."
The camp is as cold as Scaramouche expected. All practical alchemy materials strewn around, snow and potions, shelves and a cooking fire. It’s a mess.
Scaramouche decides to just set aside a bit of the mess, sit on a table and pick up a random incomprehensible report— a report on alchemical processes with the soil
" You're doing Favonius funded soil research in Mondstadt? "
" I became a knight, I'm doing alchemical research "
" Should I call you sir now?
" I don't call you lord "
" Whatever." He scoffs " I pieced together why you were in Mondstadt quick. Just visiting my ass, you are so much more than that. "
" And what are You doing in Mondstadt, Lord Harbinger " Albedo steps closer, stopping right in front of him
" Trying to interrogate me ? " A playful tone, he gently grips his lapel to bring him closer " You might have to try harder than that "
" Oh? And how do you suppose I go about this interrogation " He pushes Scaramouche against the table and he drapes his arms around Albedo to catch himself
" Amuse me. " he wraps a leg around his hip, making clear his intentions
" I'll certainly try my best "
He leans in and drinks his breaths in. Cold. It makes him shiver, electric between them. He laughs. Scaramouche pulls his hair downwards to be closer as Albedo grabs his leg, hooking his hand beneath—
" Oh my gods! " Papers dropping " I AM SO sorry Mr Albedo !" A canid young lady with green hair yells and looks away, jumps away and trips back
Right. An open cave camp
" Sucrose. " He says , trying to keep composure.
Scaramouche coughs, if he could, he would be flushed. Albedo certainly is, despite his blood being as cold as it has been " I'm sorry could you wait outside. "
" Y-yes!" She stutters, eyes still avoiding, She moves away hastily grabbing the papers on the ground.
A laugh " How amusing "
The mask of sly bravado now on Scaramouche's face " Am I embarrassing you ? "
" She is my student. "
" So that's a yes "
" I'm sorry. there will be many more chances for this sort of thing, after all we have forever. " Albedo's face is still slightly flushed as he moves to the bookcase to grab papers. They live for a long time if not forever, there will be plenty of chances to meet.
" Forever is a lot more finite than you think " He sits up and leans forward, elbows resting on his legs " Go after that little wolf. "
Albedo fixes the stack of papers on the floor , and exits his camp to Sucrose still looking slightly mortified by the broken bridge. She turns to him, papers in her arms held tightly " Mr. Albedo I am so sor—"
" I'm sorry Sucrose. " He cuts her off before the poor girl could apologise again " I'm sorry. I was . . . Entertaining a guest. " That sounds worse.
" I'm sorry for barging in. Just, the data for that, for- a-and . . . "
" Yes, thank you. I have the rest of the data and observations here. I will be needing it by tomorrow morning " He hands her the paper " So please send it over to the lab in the city. "
" Yes ! Um. I'd like to just inform you Klee is on her way here. Just in case. " She sputters out
" I see. Alright. " He takes the papers she was here to give " In any case, thank you. And I'm sorry. "
Awkward.
She runs off with the new papers,
He shelves the papers in a folder, placing it between two heavy books
Scaramouche walks to his side , unshelves a book and opens it
" You won't find any secrets there. The knights have a special process for that "
" Was worth a try " He closes the book and moves onto another as Albedo goes back to the entrance of the cave, shovelling snow out of the way
" All these alchemical treatises. . . Ever been to the akademiya? One of our harbingers graduated and got her doctorate there. Arrogant woman she is, not all can afford to get an education. " He speaks of the fair lady, she was from Mondstadt but left.
" I don't need to, I have everything I need with me."
" And just as arrogant! you'd fit in perfect " He teases, walking towards him after shelving the books back " Maybe you'd even become a national homewrecker "
" If anyone were to be a national homewrecker it's you "
" You flatter me "
" No I . . . I have my master's research with me to study "
Scaramouche scoffs. Pathetic. He can't stand it.
He hates how his non-existent, metaphorical heart is stirred by this abyssal monster waiting for someone who would never come back for him. Shouldn't he know deep down that he's going to end up like Durin , like Garmr , like all his other siblings; dead , abandoned , or worse off. Used and researched by the like this doomed dragon is.
" My mother left me in a tomb . She was a god who valued strength, and in her eyes , I was too fragile to be of worth. She left me in a domain , alone. And when I dared ask for help to save the family I've made. Nothing was done. What use is godhood if I can't even . . . " He sighs, he can't believe he's telling him all this " It's why I joined these clowns "
" What are you saying. Why tell me? "
" Your mother's actions speak louder than words "
" Master left me with her research for a reason. "
" Best not to hope. Join the Fatui like I did, maybe they'll find some use for you "
" Those are the facts. When I solve her research she will eventually come back to teach more. "
" You really think she'll come back for you? You idiot, take it from someone experienced with the world. she left you with an unsolvable riddle. Abandoned you for that fucking god's heart. She's never coming ba—"
SLAP
" You don't believe me " He chuckles. It leaves no mark. Nothing leaves a mark on his skin but the painted makeup he can smudge should he try " How foolish. I heard you were called a genius but it seems you'd be a perfect fit for the circus "
" You're the one to talk, Fatui harbinger " His gaze is cold, far colder than the snow they stand on, undeniable rage
He starts laughing " I knew your dry smugness wasn't the only emotion you can feel— you feel anger, joy, love. And here you were jealous of me when you're just the same. Your cold heart serves you well, chalk prince— "
" Big brother Albedo? " Klee's small voice yells from the broken bridge
A moment off guard , he does not strike back.
He visibly softens, " Klee, wait there " He quickly turns, as if there wasn't a threat by his side, and he places down a solar isotoma
" Your friend was laughing a lot, I wonder what joke you told ! " She hops on with help from him
" Don't worry about it " They reach the other side of the bridge in no time
" I was just teasing your big brother. " Scaramouche shrugs with a smile
" Really ? " Klee hops off and then gestures for him to lean closer, close enough to whisper, in response Scaramouche kneels and sits on his heels to her level " Big brother doesn't really have friends. He's shy. Be nicer to him."
" Okay I will. But don't tell him. I think he likes it when i'm a little mean " He whispers
She nods " Why are you with big brother? "
" You see, I'm a foreigner from Inazuma. So your big brother over here was going to take me on a tour of Dragonspine. "
" A tour! So you aren't his friend. You're a diplomat "
" I am a friend. I think . Unless . . . he wants to kill me ? " He says, almost a challenge
" Those aren't mutually exclusive "
" That's right! Sometimes big brother makes friends with the spiders, and then he eats them aallll up!" She exaggerates the word all with her hands, how much spiders does Albedo eat?
" What a price to pay for being small in the wrong place and time "
" Oh no they're not small at all! Sometimes they're even bigger than a dog!" She widens her arms as wide as she can to emphasise, how cute
" I better be careful then. " Sly , he looks up at him from where he crouches " Will you eat me? "
" Not right now~ " he bites back
Klee gasps " But big brother, you can't grill your new friends "
" How about we show Mr. Scaramouche to some ruins then. That ought to keep me from cooking him over a fire. "
" Mr. Scaramouche! Come with us " She grabs his hand and pulls. " We HAVE to show him the palace, and then fish the lake !"
Neither of them being much for talking, Klee easily takes the reins, dragging them all around the mountain and through ruins, till sunset and nightfall
At some point they stopped to eat fruit that Klee gleefully explains and talks about; as there are no apples grown in his homeland. though she makes the local specialty dishes sound appetising
At some point Klee has asked Scaramouche to carry her, at some point she fell asleep as they were walking, Albedo has been reduced to her bag carrier.
The false stars above them shine brightly
“ She’s fallen asleep ”
“ She was running around all day.” Scaramouche says quietly, perhaps to keep her sleeping
“ Can I bother you to help take her home? I don’t want to wake her ”
“ Fine ” He acts as though he doesn’t care but he clearly modulates his voice to be quieter and holds her with utmost regard to her comfort " Only because I have nothing else to do back at camp ”
Albedo opens the door and leads him in, a neat little room with a couch and two desks on opposite sides, one is full of a child's drawings, cute and playful and the other is very clearly Albedo's with a mess of papers and books written in Khaenriahn, the rug on the floor with papers and art materials, " Excuse the mess " He lights some lamps
" It's fine. The mess shows it’s lived in. "
" Just over on that bed " He points to the singular bed in the room, surrounded by hung up drawings Klee had made of her and what seems to be her mother and father, a chair by it's side with a small stack of books " Be sure not to touch any of the hanged drawings, Klee's mother likes to come by to collect them and add her own "
" Alright " Scaramouche places her down as gently as he can, practiced and calm, he places the blanket over her and blows out the lamp near the window
" You're gentle with children " Albedo absentmindedly says, fixing Klee's bag and putting away any perishables " I always wake her when I place her down, no matter how careful. "
" I had a son. " A sad soft look in his eyes " He was abandoned for being ill, so I took him in. No one else would care for him, so I did. " He places the small girl in the bed and piles the blankets on " I got used to caring for him, but he was terminal . I learnt that too late "
He takes care to arrange the pillows so she won't fall if she moves too much, as Albedo fixes the papers on his desk. Scaramouche then begins to turn out the lamps
" If you want the research observations I did on you that while back, I can give it to you "
" No need, it's now outdated research."
" Oh? Did you grow new arms? "
" Perhaps " He chuckles quietly
" I'm sorry I slapped you "
" I deserve it " His voice low and soft, as if careful not to wake the girl he walks to him, leaning on the desk, there are photos there, small illustrations of people pocket booked sized. He picks up one of them,
" You've got people here to help you adjust to being a person. Cherish them. "
" I do "
Scaramouche hands it back
" Good. Mortal lives are fleeting, the eternity my mother pursues is impossible, even gods die after all. " He steps outside , Albedo follows, silently blowing out the rest of the lamps in the room " I won't speak of your mother. I just . . . I'm sorry she left. "
" It's a fair assessment given your experience " he closes the door behind him
" Right. Mama never wanted a son— or a daughter for that matter; she wanted a prototype. Your mother wanted you to be alive, to experience life as it is. Mine never came back for me, maybe yours will. "
" If I think about her too hard. Master may come back just to kill me " Is that a joke? With the way Albedo is, Scaramouche can't ever tell
" Don't be so cold to yourself. You're frigid enough, even without living in the ice. "
" I know "
" You built a life for yourself. Fight for it. "
" Can you follow me back? "
" Why not, the night is long and I have nothing else to do anyway "
Silently they walk back to the cold of Dragonspine. The silence is comfortable as they walk side by side under the stars. They walk further up from the camp till they just sit watching the view, unbothered by the cold winds, they stay above the high vantage point of the tower overlooking
" Would you stay for the sunrise ? "
" I might. " He looks up at the sky " I'll have to leave for Snezhnaya soon. "
" Then my request at parting is the same. I only ask that you don't forget me "
" Why "
" . . . " He hesitates to answer " My master disposes of what has no use to her. If I lose control like Durin— if I die . . . I just want someone to know I existed, that I was here, not just as one of her many monsters of the abyss, but as Albedo. I'm not one of a kind like you. Close, but not quite." He looks him in the eyes " You're irreplaceable. Perhaps another reason I'm jealous of you. "
He presses his lips against his, electric in his senses, chaste though it catches him off guard. Before he could respond, Scaramouche pulls away.
" Return it to me next we meet. "
" Wh-"
" —you're the only non-human I've kissed. There's that. "
" Do you kiss humans often? "
" You've gained an irreplaceable honour! " he crosses his arms " Act like it "
" Next we meet, I'll return it to you. "
" Next time. "
The sun rises, warming their cold faces, it shines on Scaramouche’s indigo eyes as he stares on out into the horizon, his words may sound dismissive but there’s an uncertainty to it. A smile may be on his face yet it doesn’t reach his eyes
" Forever may be finite, but in the long time before the end, you know where to find me " he takes his hand and puts it against his lips. They may not be the same, but he hopes he finds comfort in knowing a creature like him, similar to him, inhuman and yet imperfect " Don’t be a stranger ."
With alchemy Albedo creates a small white flower, and with slight hesitation, Scaramouche takes it, " how incomprehensible " he allows this moment of quiet high above in the mountains, how can he not be a stranger, when his very existence as a created machine is strangeness. Though Albedo was a creation too, perhaps he can allow himself this, to a fellow synthetic being, he can allow himself to no longer be a stranger.
The wind chills their bones, yet it won’t kill them. They stay for the moment, their silhouettes almost becoming part of the scenery.