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“Mister Albedo!”
Klee’s squeal of delight could’ve been clearly heard even from halfway down Dragonspine. The mischievous young girl was currently dragging Sucrose towards Albedo’s campsite. Klee barrelled forward even faster when she caught sight of her brother, who seemed intrigued with the bunch of papers. He jumped, looking up in surprise when he heard her scream. His eyes softened when he saw the two, and a fond smile graced his lips.
“Klee. Sucrose.” He watched them skid to a stop, a pleasantly surprised look on his face. “What brings you two here?” Sucrose gave him a rattled smile in greeting, still out of it from being dragged halfway up the mountain. “Hello, Mister Albedo. If you’re not too busy, we have something we need your help with.” Klee was bouncing on her toes excitedly, eagerly looking up at him. “Work the day after I get home, huh?” Albedo sighed. “Alright then. What can I do for you?”
“Mister Albedo, can you help me draw Miss Yoimiya all fancy like you do? And Miss Lady Yae Miko? And Iwao? And-”
“Woah, woah, slow down.” He chuckled. “Are you going to draw all of Inazuma?” She nodded her head vigorously.
When the two had returned from their trip to Inazuma, Klee seemed more full of energy than ever. Today was the day right after their return, and she spent most of its duration rattling off to Sucrose of all of her adventures in a foreign land. But mid-chatter, she was saddened by the fact that she probably wouldn’t be able to see the friends that she’d made again. Very saddened. So saddened, in fact, that big crocodile tears came splashing down the poor girl’s face, and Sucrose tasked herself with damage control.
Panicked to see Klee crying, Sucrose hurriedly pointed out that she could see her friends anytime if she made a drawing of them. Her words were very well received. For her excellent idea, she was rewarded with one happy squeeze from Klee, one special edition copy of ‘Let’s Go, Dodoco!’, and an invitation to accompany her to Albedo’s lab. It wasn’t so much of an invitation as it was Klee grabbing her and hauling her through ice and snow, but still. She had it set in her little head that she needed to draw them NOW, since the earlier they started, the better she’d be able to remember their faces. And because it was Sucrose’s idea, she had to see it happen too, apparently.
Not that it bothered her. It wasn’t like she was itching to see Albedo the way she was when they were gone. After all, she’d already seen him yesterday when the two had returned. Nevertheless, she was happy to have a chance to see him again. The voyage from Mondstadt to Inazuma was long, and the journey back was even longer. They’d been gone for a considerable amount of time. She’d begun to miss Klee and her troublemaking habits, and discussing her alchemical-related questions with Timaeus just wasn’t as fulfilling as it was with Albedo. Her life, Mondstadt itself, felt too different without them.
The three entered his laboratory while Klee rambled about all the features she wanted to add to her drawings. Albedo hummed along, taking a seat by his desk. “This all sounds very exciting, Klee. But,” He glanced disappointedly at the papers in his hands. “I’m actually a little busy right now, so…” He trailed off when he saw his sister’s face drop. The poor girl looked like she would go right back to crying.
He chewed his lip for a moment, before sighing in defeat. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a little break.” He patted her head, the action squishing her scout cap. “Alright. You go get my art bag from the back, and we’ll all draw your picture together.” Klee’s face lit up once again. “ Yay! Even Sucrose?” She asked excitedly. He smiled at her enthusiasm. “Yes, even Sucrose.” Sucrose raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Wait, me too?” He grinned at her as Klee happily made her way to the back of his lab. “Of course. Surely you didn’t think you’d drop off this little disaster just waiting to happen, and make your escape?” Sucrose giggled at his comment. As if. She would never pass out an opportunity to hang out with the two of them. To her, they were the best people in Teyvat to be around.
Sucrose took a seat across from him, hearing his sigh of relief when Klee was finally out of sight. “Can’t get off of babysitting for a single day, can I?” he teased her. She ducked her head in embarrassment. “Sorry, Mister Albedo, I didn’t mean to disturb your work,” she apologized, “but I couldn’t exactly keep her away.” He chuckled. “It’s no big deal, Sucrose. And just Albedo is fine.” She nodded. “Of course, Mister Albedo.” He shook his head.
Curious to see what he was working on, she peeked over at the papers he read. Immediately recognizing them as excerpts from ‘A Legend of Sword’, she gasped in surprise. A Legend of Sword was one of her favorite book series. She remembered how excited she’d been when she found out Albedo did the art for the novels. She’d really wanted to meet the author of the series and go with them to Inazuma, but it wasn’t meant to be. “Woah.” she fawned. “Are those the drafts for ‘A Legend of Sword’?” Albedo frowned at her, pushing her head away from the papers. “Yes, so no snooping.” He chided her. “This is confidential material.” She frowned, ears drooping disappointedly. “Oh. Alright then. It’s confidential, so I won’t pry.”
Sucrose sat quietly, ears drooping lower every minute. Every now and then, Albedo would glance up from his drafts, a guilty look in his eyes. Finally, he sighed, drawing her attention. “Oh don’t sulk, Sucrose,” he grumbled, rummaging around in his desk. He pulled out a messy stack of papers, handing them to her. “Here. Those are the pictures that I’ve drawn so far for this volume. They’re not as confidential as the content of the book.” Her expression brightened, ears recovering from their former pitiable position. “So no one else has seen them yet?” He nodded, returning to his drafts. “I trust you, Sucrose. I know how intuitive you are. You’ll probably be able to figure out a lot about the story from a few pictures.”
Sucrose grinned, happily looking through the pictures. “Don’t worry, Mister Albedo, my lips are sealed.” At the very top of the pile, there was a detailed drawing of a marshland, depicting a crescent-shaped terrain. She was awed at how he’d captured the lighting in the scenery, paired with the unique coloring he’d used for the background. She was giddy to have the original art for an internationally famous novel, right in her own hands. And she was the first to see them. She appraisingly flipped through the drawings, placing them into a neat stack as she inspected each one.
But then, she came across a picture that was different than the others. It was just a sketch and hadn’t been painted, but its detail was still exquisite. The drawing showed a girl sitting under a large, flowering tree. It was a type of tree that she’d never seen before, adorned with soft-looking petals which decorated the illustration like confetti.
If she thought the scenery was breathtaking, even more so was the girl. She was skillfully, beautifully drawn. She could tell he put a lot of effort into drawing her. Her hair was short and fluffy, animal-like ears resting proudly atop it. A light blush dusted her cheeks. She wore big, spindly glasses that covered half of her face. Sucrose thought they suited her, in an endearing way. But her favorite part of the drawing was easily the girl’s smile, drawn ever so radiantly. The picture was incredible, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it didn’t actually belong in the book at all.
“Mister Albedo?” She called his attention to her, placing the photo down in front of him. “If you don’t mind me asking, where does this illustration come up in the novel?” He looked up from his drafts, giving the drawing a quick glance. “If I remember correctly, that-” He did a double-take, eyes widening at the drawing. “…is not supposed to be there.”
He cleared his throat, and a rosy red began to bloom on his cheeks. “Where did you find this?” She frowned, puzzled by his reaction. Did he not want her to see that drawing in particular? Even if he didn’t, it had won her heart. It was her favorite out of all the illustrations she’d just seen. “It was in the pile with all the rest of the pictures. Why?”
“Ah. Must have been my mistake, then.” He sighed, gripping the drafts in his hands tighter than he had before. “That illustration won’t show up in the novel.” His reaction only spawned more questions in her head. He was always so annoyingly mysterious. “So what is it?” She pressed him. He answered her tentatively, almost fumbling for words. “It’s…” he glanced at her nervously, quickly averting his gaze. “It’s you, Sucrose.”
She blinked. She never would’ve guessed that. After all, she didn’t think herself to be nearly as enchanting as the girl on the paper. He made her smile seem so enchanting. Her ears looked beautiful in the picture, not at all like she normally felt they were. And her glasses didn’t look nearly as dorky as they usually did. Did he normally see her in such a charming light? She felt her face flush, feeling more conscious of herself than before.
Albedo showed her his drawings all the time. When they were researching things together, they usually shared the diagrams he drew while carrying out their observations. He showed her some of his leisure drawings as well, ones where he would draw people, and sceneries he found interesting. She had expressed how impressed she was with his artistry multiple times already, so he couldn’t be nervous about showing her it. He shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t be, but he was. Could it be that he was acting like that because it was her he’d drawn this time, and not someone else?
She’d never seen him depict her likeness. In the past, she didn’t find it strange, but in retrospect, it was suspicious. He drew literally everyone around them- Timaeus, Jean, the traveler, Klee- but never her. Was it right to assume that he was just nervous to let her see his perception of her?
The prospect felt flattering. The ever composed Albedo, fidgety and blushing because she’d gotten a teensy peek into his mind. It made her question what his feelings towards her were, though she’d already gotten hers sorted. At least, she thought she did. She’d already come to terms with the fact that she liked Albedo, and tried not to let it show around him. But moments like this made it very hard.
She was really happy he wasn’t looking at her right now. The blush on her face just then would’ve made her feelings very obvious, and Albedo would’ve picked up on it instantly. He was naturally observant like that. “Oh. Okay.” She managed, bringing her hands to her lap. “It’s very pretty.” She said quietly.
“Really?” Sucrose hadn’t realized how he was practically strangling the papers in his hands now. The poor things looked like they were moments away from being crushed into oblivion. “I’m glad it’s to your liking.” She started fiddling with her hands, desperately avoiding eye contact. “Your drawings have always been incredible to me, Mister Albedo. I mean, I was surprised to see how you drew me, but I like it. It feels like if I’m looking at myself through rose-colored glasses.” She felt his gaze return to her, silently listening to her opinion. “A-And the choice of scenery is interesting too. I’ve never seen a tree like that before.” Albedo nodded, returning his focus back to his crumpled drafts. Though he tried not to show it, he was pleased to hear her praise.
“It’s a Sakura tree.” He informed her, trying to straighten out his papers. Sucrose pitied them. With the way he’d been squeezing them, she doubted they would ever be able to return to their former state. “They’re native to Inazuma. They have the most astounding pink petals. They were so brilliant, they stayed on my mind the whole voyage back.” Sucrose tried not to focus on how her nerves made her fingers cold as she listened to him. “I got a little homesick along the way. I thought of you, and how much more interesting Inazuma would’ve been with you there so I…I drew the things that had been plaguing my mind.”
Her hands curled into little balls, heart fluttering at his words. She gathered up her courage, determined to speak her mind to him. “I missed you too, Albedo.” She said softly. There was a nervous silence between the two when she said what both of them wanted to. Eventually, she peeked up at him and managed to catch sight of his reaction. His shy smile looked so pretty then - blonde locks framing his face, cheeks stained with pink, and teal eyes sparkling. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, regaining his usual calm expression. “If you really like the picture, you can have it.”
“Really?” If he gave it to her, then it would be the first time he ever gave her a drawing of herself. The occasion felt momentous, in a way. He nodded. “It’s not my only one, so I won’t miss it too much.” She smiled hopefully, praying that he’d let her see them. “You have more?”
He started turning red again, actually fumbling for words this time. She probably wouldn’t see them anytime soon, then. “Wait no, what I meant was…” before she could hear his sloppy explanation, he saw something that made him sigh with relief. “Klee.”
He quickly rushed over to steady the little girl. His art bag was huge, and she looked as though she would topple over carrying it on her own. She was giggling excitedly, rambling on and on about the things she wanted to add to her drawings. Together, the three worked to create a very big, very detailed work of all of their friends from Inazuma. Dodoco included, of course. It was certainly a tall order for Albedo, but he tried his best to fulfill all of Klee’s requests. The nervous glances he stole at Sucrose didn’t go unnoticed during the process.