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ever since you had been out adventuring through karamelle, you had come back to the arcanum smelling… sweeter.
it was to be expected – karamelle, at its core, was a sweet world; quite literally the sweets capital of the spiral.
but smelling it on you was different, mellori mused. you always came back smelling of sugar, nowadays, but it had managed to mix itself within your natural scent – she could never place her finger on where it came from or why it always led to you, but you could never shake the homey smell.
home…
she supposes that her home was in ravenwood now - saddled up in a small dorm room situated next to the schools of magic. it was cozy and small, but wizard city in general never seemed to deviate from its usual weather norms (outside of triton avenue, where rain seemed to pour whenever it pleased); just mild, perfect temperatures with clear blue skies. mellori was almost beginning to miss the chilly winds of polaris, or the dry desert heat of mirage..
or maybe, perhaps, she was just missing you.
(information you would not squeeze out of her.)
it was a common occurrence to see her in your room. and while she denied it at first, stammering and blushing up a storm, there was no denying that she would wait for you to return. she’d spend hours holed up in your arcanum apartment, sprawled out across your bed, kicking her feet in the air while she tried to read whatever she managed to get her hands on.
keyword being tried.
it was hard not to go through your things, despite the initial urge to do so. you were so much more experienced in the field, and the trinkets strewn messily across your desk showed for it.
she admits, sheepishly, that she may or may not have lightly skimmed some of the papers scattered on your desk.
(you couldn't blame her, could you? you were so secretive!)
eventually, when you did return, she would almost always be on the verge of passing out. it was almost a curse at this point, but she couldn’t help it!
surrounded by the scent of you (which, even now you claimed had nothing to do with perfumes or colognes), wrapping herself up in your blankets, allowing herself to sink into the warmth and familiarity your room brought – it reminded her so much of her first home in polaris, with the memory vivid and bright in her head: a fresh ravenwood graduate not even able to tread through the snowy fields, embarrassed beyond belief at how shaky their steps were…
when you return this time, you are pleasantly surprised to find her fast asleep.
your gear jingles as you near her – all belts and ropes, clasps and buttons. your potions and deck clack softly against one another, as your backpack falls to the floor in a gentle noise. you didn’t want to wake her.
your hand reaches out to tuck a strand of stray hair behind her ear, smoothing out the furrow in her brow, when she blearily opens her eyes, confused noise upon her lips.
it takes her a second to realize, before she's sitting up quickly, blush pretty and pink on her cheeks.
"wizard!" she says, and gets further embarrassed at the sight of your smile. "i… aw, jeez. i fell asleep, didn't i?"
"you did." you confirm with a gentle laugh that has her stomach bursting with butterflies. "but i don't mind. this room doesn't get much use anyways."
mellori is quiet for a moment, opting to let you decompress for the day before she pelted you with questions. your hands work deftly on your belts and buttons, pull the right knot to loosen up ropes to pull them off. the relief you feel is palpable, as you let a sigh of happiness escape you.
"how's karamelle?" mellori asks, leaning in eagerly. "ugh, i miss going on adventures with you!"
"karamelle is… fine." you say, after pondering for a moment. "a bit slow. a lot sugary. had to go deep diving in a soda lake today."
"a soda lake?" mellori repeats, wide-eyed. "that sounds.. sticky. how did you…?"
"i had to hose myself down afterwards." you grin. "i hope i still don't smell like it.. so many things are sticky and sweet in karamelle."
mellori is quiet as you begin to wind down, take note of what you had brought back. she was almost thankful she was still studying at ravenwood, the way you pulled out paperwork from your drawers, wrote down things in your pretty script. she didn’t think she could handle all the workload they piled onto you here..
"you think… i mean, after you're done and all," mellori starts, eventually growing more shy at the steady attention you give her. "we could.. walk through karamelle? just the two of us?"
you blinked at her, before letting a smile spread across your face. "i'd love to."
and just like that – you're radiant. shining. absolutely dazzling in the warm lighting of your apartment. the smile that could put thousands of stars to shame.
and the smile you’re sharing with her.