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Birds sang and chirped as the warm light of the rising sun peeked through the round window of the alchemist's workshop, gently settling itself down on Mei's sleeping face. Mornings were always slow for her, she never liked to get up by herself. Because of this, her small robotic companion Snowball had always been in charge of waking her up. Today was no different; barely awake, she could vaguely hear a distant zwooping sound approach her room and carefully push open her door. She could feel cold metal begin to lightly poke her warm face, her eyes fluttering open and smiling softly when she saw her little companion.
"Good morning, Snowball... What time is it?" She spoke ever so softly, Snowball's screen switching to show the time. 8:54AM. Slowly, she lifted herself up, her small hands rubbing her tired eyes as she looked for her glasses, those that sat on her bedside table. She sat up, her eyes gazing through the round window next to her bed. She pet Snowball on his metallic head before gently stretching her back and yawning. Today was gonna be a good day, she knew it!
It took her some time to wake up properly, but when she finally did, she bounced right off of her comfy bed and climbed down the twisty stairs that led to her kitchen. She always described her humble abode as 'small and nothing exciting, really', but that was far from the truth. She was much more than just an alchemist, she was extremely crafty, her own two hands created the large home she spent all her days in. Sure, she wasn't really an architect, but with her constant optimism and some help from her friends, she ended up building something truly spectacular. Maybe she'll never see it, how big of an accomplishment that is, but perhaps that can change.
Besides, she was the only one living in this large place. It didn't matter how much furniture and equipment was crammed into the corners and how little rooms felt, she still had that crippling feeling of loneliness. The townsfolk liked her, but mostly for what she could provide, knights from across the realm came to her for help but none of them ever really stayed or got to know her well enough, and Snowball.. Well, she built him. There wasn't anyone out there she ever really felt connected to. Some days more than others, it felt hopeless. As if perhaps... she would be lonely for the rest of time.
But she never wants to think about it so early in the morning. Right now, it's breakfast time!
Mei whipped up a quick omelette and prepared some lemon tea in her compact kitchen. She wasn't even awake for an hour and her face was already buried in books, scrolls and recipes. Lately, her experiments haven't exactly been the most successful, and her most recent idea was her last hope for this week. A fluid that could marginally speed up plant growth. You'd think that'd be pretty easy to make, considering the wild things that end up happening in the magical word she lived in. Unfortunately, she was never someone who dabbled deep into magic, just a simple alchemist and potion brewer that wanted to find simple ways around using magic. Something that could help townsfolk who knew nothing about this kind of thing. She felt the need to help people, and that's what she focused on most of the time.
"Alright Snowball! We're only missing one ingredient! And that's... Fairy Primroses, from... the mountains." Disappointment was the tone her voice faded into, letting out a sigh as she realized what it meant, taking a bite of her omelette. She grumbled, dissatisfaction slowly setting in as she realized she had overcooked it.
Lately, dodgy rumors have been spreading around town, some kind of.. large creature being spotted wandering the mountains and woods near the little town she lived in. Even so, Sunridge was known for it's impressing peacefulness, those sudden rumors about some monster that was never previously mentioned anywhere until now are absolutely ridiculous!
Snowball suddenly hovered in front of her and let out concerned, beeping noises, is he also worried about all this?...
"Oh Snowball.. We'll be fine, it can't be as bad as that time we went to Mount Malevento with Tracer and Genji for deathweeds! I thought we were going to die..." A shiver ran up her spine thinking of the scene as she finished her eggs. Thunder roaring as she and the others were chased by violent helldogs. It's a good thing they had an escape plan...
Snowball still wasn't convinced, he hovered lazily above the kitchen table they sat at. Mei gave a tired sigh and drank one last sip of her lemon tea before speaking up again.
"I promise we'll be okay. If anything happens, we can call on our friends to help, okay?" She pet Snowball's metallic head again as she got up and put her dishes in the messy sink, she's really gotta do them eventually...
"Right! I'll go change now!" She hurried back upstairs to her room, leaving Snowball waiting on the kitchen counter. Mei always made sure to take lots of things with her when going out for resources, after all, you can never be too prepared! Potions, tools, food, water, a basket, even a medkit... and she didn't even carry a backpack, she had holsters and pockets specifically for those items. Maybe it's a little silly, but it's what keeps things practical.
The Alchemist and her robot friend were off right before the clock hit 10:00AM, after making sure she hadn't left anything dangerous on before leaving. The town was quite active today, markets were busy and bustling with activity, joyous chattering and even a bit of charming music. The sight made Mei smile as she hurried through the crowds of people.
"Mei! Wait up, dear!" She heard a older woman's voice call her from the crowd, and when she stopped, she realized it was only her neighbor. She lived next to a few old people and families, one of them being the Amari family. Their daughter was a well known guard from the castle, far away from here, but every now and again, she'd visit her mother and the whole town would crowd around her, her visits could even be considered events at this point.
"Busy day today, hm?" She slowed down as she approached Mei, a hand on her aching back.
"It's always busy here, Mrs. Amari!" Mei giggled, looking back at the crowd behind the other lady.
"What are you up to?" She smiled sweetly at the alchemist, watching her adjust her goggles. "I'm going hiking today! I need some plants from the mountain, it's just a quick trip." She answered, checking on Snowball and hearing it's talkative beeps. Worry lightly struck the older woman's face.
"Oh but, haven't you heard the rumors? About the monster?" She shuddered, making Mei sigh internally. Not her, too...
"Rumors are just rumors, i'm sure people just made it up to cause a bit of trouble, nothing to worry about!" She assured the old lady. "You've always been the brave one. Well alright, but stay safe out there. If you need anything, i'll be there." Mei earned a reassured smile from Ana. She nodded and smiled back, before speaking up again.
"I've really got to go now... I'll be back before you know it!" She hurried away from the crowd and to the pathway that lead outside of the town, waving goodbye at the charming old lady.
And then began Mei's slow hike to the middle point of the mountain, where all sorts of things would grow. Weeds, flowers, sometimes she went there for berries too. She was never exactly good at physical activities, but it was always necessary for scouring and gathering things. It's a good thing she brought her hiking gear this time...
Nonetheless, the views from where she took small breaks just kept on getting more beautiful and impressive, the gorgeous, gigantic mountains against the green vibrancy of the forest just looked marvelous from far away. She swore she could even see the ancient tree from here, too.
By 2PM, she had reached the midway point, where the fairy primroses she needed grew. Mei leaned against a wall and let out a heavy sigh.
"Whew.. What a climb, right Snowball? And see, we're fine!" Mei threw a confident smile at her robot companion, which just made it let out small, disapproving beeps. There were many times during that hike where she slipped and almost fell off the mountain entirely, but knowing her, she just brushed those moments away.
Snowball lifted himself up and zwooped around, scanning the area they were in as Mei put some of her hiking gear down nearby, leaning against some rocks. Beeping could be heard from the little robot as he finished scanning a particular patch of moss and grass, and as expected, he had found a bundle of blooming primroses, exactly the ones they needed.
"Oh there they are! Good job, Snowball!" She hurried over to him and pet him on the head, receiving happy beeps in return. She carefully kneeled down next to them, her knees hitting the softness of the moss beneath her and began picking the delicate flowers, placing them in a small basket she had brung along.
Snowball, in the meantime, had been analyzing the area they were in to collect data. He turned a sharp corner, behind the mossy patch of flowers, and found.. a cave of some sort? Curious, the little robot approached it, his built-in lamp illuminating the entrance slightly. A few seconds passed as he floated still, the little blue eyes on his screen turning into a nervous expression.
Suddenly, rumbling could be heard from inside that cave. Not only that, but a sound that sounded eerily like footsteps could be heard, and as it crept slightly closer, Snowball beeped loudly in fear and zoomed right back to Mei.
"Snowball? What's wrong? Are you okay?" She held him in her gloved hands and his screen changed to an arrow, pointing towards the corner he'd turned. She lifted her head up towards the corner, and walked towards it, Snowball's worried beeping increasing as she peeked around the corner. The rumbling sound continued, and so did the footsteps, approaching closer and closer before finally stopping, Mei's eyes widening as she saw something incredibly unexpected.
There WAS a monster. The rumors were true.
It looked near identical to a human; it wore something similar to a mohawk and small ponytail on the back of his head, it was decently human shaped, apart from the fact that it was made entirely out of rocks. They wore clothing made of dark leather, all across their body were white lines and markings and patches of moss, on which sometimes had those same, beautiful fairy primroses blooming. It was huge, approximately the size of a boulder, or even one of those gigantic horses from Cass' stables.
But most importantly, it... did not look threatening or harmful.
The creature yawned and looked around, perhaps it heard Snowball's beeping in it's sleep and decided to check it out? Mei was frozen in place - no pun intended - as she gazed at the monster from behind that little corner. It was strangely beautiful, in it's own way, the moss complimenting their shape very well. She also noticed it was missing an arm, rough scraping and irregular fracture points could be very easily noticeable on where his upper arm was. It wore some sort of mask, too, which looked impressively well made. It looked like tough, brown leather, as if it were hunted, sewn together by hand and-
It noticed her.
Realizing this, she quickly turned back around the corner, flat against the wall as she sighed. Snowball gave out quiet, hurried beeps as it tried to pull Mei away by the gloves that previously held him so calmly.
"I don't think it wants to hurt us, Snowball.. And I still need a few of those flowers... We'll have to wait until it goes back in the cave." She whispered to him as he continued panicking. She shushed him down, before taking a sip of water from one of the bottles on her holsters. She held him in her small hands again.
"Hey hey, it's okay... We'll be okay. Do you want me to call Tracer for help? We have a recall gem..." She murmured, feeling the gem in her pocket. Snowball froze and did not answer her. Mei's brows furrowed in confusion, and before she could even ask what was wrong, she felt the ground beneath her rumble ever so slightly, and a shiver crawling up her spine. And when she turned around...
It was there. Behind her. So unbelievably close to her now.
Surprised, she yelped and took a step backwards, looking up at the creature. They were quiet, the only sound they made being loud, heavy breathing, but she knew their hidden eyes looked down at her. She didn't look back with fear in her eyes, however, she looked back with curiosity. She's been in situations like these before, big monster encounters weren't a new thing for her, but at times, she was able to resolve them with kindness.
What if...
"H-Hello..?" Her weak voice squeaked slightly, her head tilting to the side as she kept her hands close to her chest. "I-I mean no harm!" She spoke quickly, still slightly shaken. The creature didn't really answer, it grunted slightly, and instead, tilted it's head to the same side. It looked down at her, his expression completely unreadable making Mei quite nervous. More than she usually was against beasts and creatures.
Things became quiet again, as she looked and searched for something to say. Her eyes landed on his broken arm again.
"Your arm... Wh-what happened?" Her voice shook as she looked back up at them. They glanced down at their missing arm and thought for a second, still as quiet as a mouse.
"Avalanche." It mumbled. Mei was visibly surprised by their deeper voice, but she didn't point it out. Slowly, she let her shaking hands approach him and when he didn't turn away from her, she placed them on his shoulder, sadness filling her gaze.
"Oh.. Poor thing..." Her thumb instinctively began to gently brush the small cracks and edges as she glanced to the cave out of which he emerged, unable to notice him tense up very slightly at her soft touch.
"D-Do you live in there?.. People in town have been spreading rumors about you.." She pointed towards it, earning a nod and a quiet 'mhm' from him.
" 'Been here for a while. Alone." He spoke calmly, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. A few awkward seconds passed as Mei thought about something. He didn't look threatening, nor did it seem like he wanted anything from her. Lately, life had been a complete bore, and she guessed it was the same for the creature. Maybe... it didn't need to be.
"About your arm... I could try and help you with that..? Err- i know how to carve rocks, a-and i'm sure the healing springs in the ancient forest could be useful..." She slightly flinched when he quickly turned back to her, she could feel his surprise and excitement with so little expression.
"Really?" Curiosity filled his deep voice as he carefully approached her, his back lowering slightly, his face now at her level. She nodded rapidly.
"If y-you're fine with it, i'd have to go get some enchanted water from the spring and take you back to my workshop. It'd uh.. be complicated, because of all the monster rumors in town, but if we come home late enough, I'm sure we'd make it with no hassle." She spoke confidently, her smile showing slightly when he stepped back and nodded at her.
Originally, she came to pick a few flowers, and now she's bringing home a.. gigantic rock monster to fix his missing arm. Seems about right. It seemed like he trusted her, enough to let her help him. She never minded providing help for people, and if anything, that's something she loved doing. That's something she always thought of, of how she could help people, even complete strangers, and.. yes, even monsters. They can't all be bad, right?
"...S-Should we get going, then?" She stammered, realizing the two had been looking at eachother while she was daydreaming.
"Mmmh. One sec'." He nodded, walking in and quickly out of his cave. Mei looked back to him when he walked back and realized he was holding a hook, some sort of weapon and... is that his own dismembered arm?? She accidentally widened her eyes at the sight, causing the monster to react instantaneously.
"I uh.. kept it. It doesn't hurt. Might make things easier." He reassured her, before she let out a sigh.
"Ah wheew! You scared me!" She let out a small giggle, before adjusting her holsters and picking up her hiking gear. All of a sudden, she could hear beeping from behind her, which usually meant Snowball wanted her to turn around. His beeping was panicked, getting quieter when Mei placed her hand on his head.
"It's okay, Snowball. He won't hurt us... He's just lonely! And well, I trust him." She peeked back towards the creature, a warm smile on her lips.
She couldn't see it, his face hidden behind that leather mask, but he smiled back.
"Alright, NOW we're ready! Let's go!" She beamed, beginning her slow descent back down the gravely, rocky paths that led up the mountain, an uneasy Snowball and the large monster following right behind her.
Their walk together had admittedly been a little quiet, the alchemist and the monster now walking side by side on the forest's dirt path, the sun peeking through holes in the trees, where some leaves separated. Birds could be heard, many colorful bugs were hiding in the shadows and foliage, and sometimes, butterflies passed through.
Apart from gazing at the animals, Mei didn't lift her head up when walking alongside the monster, much too shy to speak up in the middle of pure silence. Unfortunately, the creature wasn't really the most talkative, either. Did it even have a name? Oh, whatever, she'll have to ask. She took a small breath before coughing slightly. What an awkward way to start...
"...S-So, umm.. What's your name?" Mei's head lifted itself up slightly, only to let her eyes glance up at the rock monster next to her, who seemed surprised by the sudden question. He was quiet for a bit, he wasn't gonna make up a name, but moreso- he was trying to remember it. After all, it'd been years since he'd ever heard his name from someone else.
"...Mako." He replied, his deep voice still a little startling to hear. She wasn't used to it enough yet...
"Mako? Ooh, that's a pretty name.." She finally ended up looking at him with a small smile, a sight that seemingly had no effect on Mako.
Little did he know, little flowers began blooming and growing on the spots where his moss had grown. Maybe he couldn't show bashfulness with his face, but it definitely showed everywhere else. Before she could comment, he retorted the question.
"..Yours?"
"I'm Mei." She gazed away, her hands fiddling and playing together. She was a little taken aback when she heard a very small huff from him.
"Heh- that's... also a pretty name." He decided to glance her way, a smirk appearing on his hidden lips when he saw her blush slightly.
"You're nice... How come you live alone? In the mountains?" Curiosity filled her voice as they kept walking forward, turning a corner and being met with a long, heavily wooded straight path. Mako thought again. She definitely trusted him, maybe putting his trust in her isn't a bad idea. He let out a heavy sigh.
"...T'wasn't always lonely like this, used to be friends with a criminal. Ended up betraying me and turnin' me into a stone monster, and i..." He paused, memories flooding his mind. The once bright, blooming flowers on his mossy spots began closing back up and getting fewer in number, leaving Mei a little concerned as she looked up at him with worried eyes.
"...Hid. Couldn't trust anyone for the rest of my life after that." Mako sighed, clutching his broken arm and readjusting his grip. "I used to be human. Kinda miss it. A curse never goes away, though."
Things became quiet quickly after he stopped speaking, the sounds of the forest and the branches crackling under their step uncharacteristically loud for a moment like this. For a little bit, all that Mei did was walk just a little bit closer to him, their arms brushing every so often. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't exactly know how. At least, not immediately.
"Cursed, by a friend... I could never imagine how bad that feels. I'm so sorry." She spoke softly, making sure he knew she was being genuine. And he could tell, definitely.
"One thing i was taught is to never look back on bad times or mistakes and focus on the present. Maybe you trusted the wrong person, and.. That's okay. There's plenty of people out there who can treat you better. And even if you think it's hopeless, it never is." She fiddled with her gloves as she spoke, Mako turning to her and listening closely.
"It's like that saying... 'Liú dé qīngshān zài, búpà méi chái shāo' or- 'Where There is Life, There is Hope.' "
The two kept walking, things got quiet again.
When Mei turned back to him, she noticed flowers beginning to grow all around his mossy spots again, a sight that made her smile sweetly. He didn't understand why she was like this. When everyone else he knew turned his back to him, the one stranger he comes across welcomes him with open arms.
"...How come you wanna help me so much?" He muttered, loud enough so she could hear. He blinked when he heard her giggle next to him.
"Because i want to. You're lonely and maybe... That doesn't need to be the case forever."
"...Thank you."
The two of them stayed quiet after he thanked her, sitting in a rather comfortable silence. The forest wasn't loud this time around, if anything, it was barely audible. All they could hear was their rhythmic walking and soft breathing.
The silence was cut short when the two stood in front of a large wall of huge bushes and rocks. Mako was confused, looking up at what seemed like a dead end. Snowball could be heard zwooping around, it's flashlight suddenly turning on.
"...So uh... Where's the big tree you mentioned?" He turned to Mei, noticing her fiddle against the wall, the sight quite humorous as her gloves desperately slid back and forth across the wall.
"There should be a secret entrance, somewhere on this wall... Over here?" She slid to the right. "Over there?" She slid downwards, a little to the left. "What abouuut HERE!" She quickly slid upwards, a spot so high she had to be on her toes.
Realizing how ridiculous she might've looked, she pulled her hands away and analyzed the wall again. With a sigh, she approached it again and put her hands on a spot she hadn't touched.
"...Maybe it's heeEEEEEEP-"
She yelped as she began falling forward, the leaves and vines scattering as her arms started flailing around in a panic. Mako, who'd been watching all this time, dropped some of the things he carried and let his available hand swiftly grab her before she could fall on the ground. Her eyes were shut tight, but when she didn't feel an impact, she calmed down. That wouldn't last long, though, when she looked around her waist, she saw and felt his large, rocky fingers almost completely wrapped around her. She felt her cheeks flare up, and before she could say anything, she was back on her feet.
"You ok?" His voice went soft when he put her back down, her eyes refusing to wander towards him as she stood there, much too embarrassed to move a finger. Mako's eyes didn't leave her as he bent down to pick up his stuff, but when they finally did, she spoke up.
"Y-Yes! Err.. Thank you.." She stammered, dusting herself off and quickly wiping the total embarrassment out of her mind as her hands went back to that spot on the wall, quickly realizing she'd found the entrance, excitement quickly coming back to her.
"Oh!! This way, we found it!!" Without wasting a second, she lifted up the long, leafy vines to reveal and walk through a roughly arched entrance, Mako following quickly after.
None of them could've expect just how breathtaking this place was. A large, glowing pond flowed all around a large spot of land, on which grew the 'heart of the forest', a gigantic tree with a glowing core that is debated to be above a hundred years old. Multiple waterfalls surrounded the beautiful ponds, ponds that glowed a vibrant blue and around which resided fireflies of the same color. Bushes full of gorgeous lavender flowers surrounded the whole pond, too. It felt unreal. As if this was a place someone could only dream about, a place that was made up entirely.
Mei's ebony eyes twinkled at the sight, the blue lights illuminating her was overwhelmingly beautiful, so much so that Mako hadn't noticed he was staring at her, his flowers blooming and growing again. She was much too distracted to notice him.
"Wā sāi! This place is incredible..." Her voice full of wonder, she took a few steps forward, each illuminating the grass under her feet. She got closer to the glowing ponds and kneeled down on the soft ground, taking off her gloves and scooping up a very small amount of water, drinking from her joined palms. The light blue tinted water was exceptionally clear, but also incredibly refreshing. Even if she hadn't any wounds to heal, she felt a rush of energy after swallowing that little amount she took.
"Hahhh.. They weren't lying when they said this was 'healing water'... I feel brand new again!" She beamed, turning back to the large creature behind her that jumped when she turned to him and giggled. Something about that, about her happy glance towards him and that warm giggle she threw his way, it made him feel some sort of way, a feeling he couldn't quite put into words.
His flowers bloomed in groups and his moss was fuzzier than it was just a second ago. Something had snapped, and it was all foreign to him.
When he came out of his daydreaming she was staring, he quickly realized she had said something and was awaiting his response. Sheepishly, he grunted, a little confused. That fuzzy feeling came back when she giggled a second time.
"I said- Do you wanna try some, Mako? Though now that i think about it, can you even do that?" Her head tilted to the side. Could he consume things? If so, where would it go? Did he even have organs anymore??
Those thoughts quickly came to a stop when he nodded and ever so carefully kneeled right next to her, his gigantic hand not diving into the water straight away, but lifting up his leather mask just a smidge. As hard as she tried, she couldn't take her eyes off of his slightly revealed face. His chin was fuzzy, moss and what looked like trimmed grass growing all around it. Most notably, his mouth was a tad bit open, and before his hands could cover him up, she noticed rocky tusks protruding from the bottom part of his already sharp teeth.
She felt her cheeks heat up ever so slowly as she watched him take a sip of the healing water, skipping a breath when she heard him hum deeply.
"Mmh. S'good, yeah." He pulled his mask back down, Mei's gaze turning away when she noticed she was still staring. She put her gloves back on and felt around on her thigh, taking out a few potion bottles she'd brought along from her holsters.
"Sadly, you won't need to drink it. I'll have to apply it where your arm broke off. One or two bottles should be enough..." She submerged the bottles and let them absorb some of the healing water, it's blue glow illuminating everything around it. She shook the water off of her gloves and closed the bottles, shoving them right back in her holsters. She didn't get up immediately, and neither did Mako. They stayed put, watching the flowing water and the fireflies happily flying around the large tree for a little while, like the flow of time had suddenly stopped, leaving them staring into nothing.
"...Ah! I spaced out! Duì bù qǐ... We should probably start heading back!" Mei snapped out of her daydreaming, hurriedly lifting herself up off the ground and snapping Mako out of his own daydreaming. He gave a small grunt in return.
When they got up, he let her pass him, lifting the vines open for her. With a smile and a nod, she headed out of the rocky, mossy entrance, while he stayed put. Mako took one last look at the area, the beauty of it was absolutely mesmerizing, hypnotizing, something the rocky monster had never ever witnessed before. Some small woman from a little town he'd just met wanted to fix his broken arm, took him along and is doing it all willingly without wanting anything in return. He took it all in, made a mental note of where this place was, and headed for the exit.
When they left the forest, the sun had already set and the stars began appearing one by one, the moon being the only light source illuminating the darkness that resided within the trees and fields. Mei knew that this was usually the time the townsfolk in her village began settling down and where one by one, lights in their homes would flicker off. Obviously, they had to be patient, waiting until the town was fully -if not, mostly- asleep before sneaking in. Mako had to walk ever so slowly, the weight of his rocky body and steps loud enough to wake a whole continent if he really wanted to.
Mei could hear the quietest of beeping from the tank of her endothermic blaster, Snowball had been unusually quiet up until seconds ago, what could possibly be troubling him now?
"Snowball! Shhhh.. we REALLY don't want to wake anyone up." She shushed him, his screen turning to a frustrated expression. She could tell he was still afraid of Mako, but so far, he'd been quite sweet. She pat him on the head regardless, his beeping slowing down as he kept his eyes on the rocky monster behind her. It threw a glare, but Mako didn't react.
The two came to a stop when they were near her workshop. The lights were on, there were noises coming from the inside. Was.. Was she getting robbed?
Her eyes then drifted over to the entrance. Is that.. Genji? She could faintly hear a higher pitched voice inside, rummaging through her things and zipping around, leaving a blue trail behind her.
"...Oh- Oh no." She gulped. What were THEY doing here at such an ungodly time!?
"Thieves?" Mako muttered, his voice low and quiet enough for her to hear.
"...Friends. Please stay here, i'll deal with it. Honestly, what is UP with them..." Mei sighed heavily, before patting Mako on the shoulder as she got up. He seemed cautious, weary of them, and who wouldn't be really?
"MEEEEI! MEEEEIIII! Huff- Where could she be..!" Tracer looked around Mei's cramped home, bottles, books and other things flying around as she looked for her friend. Genji leaned on the arched doorway and sighed under his heavy armor, his arms crossed and his weapon gently resting beside him.
"Tracer... She's clearly not around. Maybe she's on another adventure by herself?" He huffed. They had the right to be at least a little worried, after all, she left her recall gem at home.
Mei, who was listening in on them, mentally facepalmed herself at the realization. What she felt in her pocket wasn't actually the recall gem, it was nothing but a pretty pebble she picked up on the hike. Of COURSE she HAD to leave it at home... ugh. She didn't double check everything like she usually did, and when she doesn't she forgets things. Her brows furrowed as she breathed in and began walking towards them, Mako hiding steadily behind a vacant home just across from her workshop. The two heard her coming, and instantaneously, their moods changed.
"MEI! Oh my LOOORD where have you BEEN!? We were soo worried!" Tracer pulled and even lifted her into a tight hug, her armor clinking against her potion bottles. Afraid she was gonna break something, Mei gently pushed her away, feeling herself be gently placed back on the ground.
"I was just on a solo adventure! Sorry i got you guys so concerned... Ugh, i can't believe i left the recall gem at home, too.." She scratched the back of her neck as she heard Tracer's giggles, slightly embarrassed.
"We're just glad you're okay." Genji nodded at her, lifting himself up from the doorway as they all walked in her home, Mei giving herself yet another mental facepalm. No no no, i can't let them stay...
"Where were you? You usually tell us before going on adventures alone." His head tilted slightly to the side when she noticeably tensed up at the question.
"Err.. I was just picking up some fairy primroses from the mountains! Nothing i can't handle!" Mei let out an awkward giggle before showing them the basket full of flowers. The others glanced towards it, impressed.
"Oh, whew, we thought you'd gotten lost again! Y'know it's never a good idea to go hiking alone 'round those mountains, you could've taken us with!" Tracer cackled, her eyes glancing towards the mountains in the distance. "They're real dangerous... Ain't safe for a lil' lady like you!" Tracer joked, but Mei still got a little hurt by the comment. Sure, she wasn't the best at defending herself, but she was still brave and somewhat strong.
Suddenly, things felt... off. Something was wrong. Something was about to go array. She tuned out some of Tracer and Genji's talking when she felt her stomach turn slightly, and when she snapped back out, she could still feel something was wrong somehow.
"...and who KNOWS what kinda creature you could've encountered? You coulda been face-to-face with a—"
Everything stopped, there was a pause, and before Mei could've reacted to it,
"A.. A MONSTER!"
She turned around, and he was there. As large as a mountain.
He was getting worried about her, waiting behind that house and watching them leave him there. Mako knew she'd come back, but... he couldn't just stand there and wait anxiously forever.
"Mei- get out of there! We'll handle this!"
Immediately, Genji and Tracer drew out their weapons and battle stances, barely receiving any reaction from the rocky monster. Mei panicked, her head turning left and right frantically and muttering things under her breath. When the two others began running towards him, she snapped.
"Stop!! Both of you!!" She yelled, throwing her arms up and tightly closing her eyes, opening them when she didn't feel an impact. Tracer and Genji stood there, scared and confused to see her defend the monster.
"H-He's not... going to hurt anyone, i promise! Mako is..."
She glanced behind her and met the eyes hidden behind his mask.
"...My friend."
The other two glanced up at him, still unsure and freaked out. His lack of expression didn't help with that, either.
"Your friend? Really!?" Tracer sputtered, her hands resting on her hips as she gave Mei a baffled expression. Mei nodded rapidly, the back of her tank clinking against Mako's gigantic stone body.
"Yes! He's here because i want to fix his arm- see?" She hurried over to his broken arm, Mako reluctantly lifting up the rest he'd brought along, much to the others' surprise. Genji sighed.
"Are you sure he isn't a threat?" He said, still a bit perplexed. Sure, Mei had been nice to monsters in the past, but she's never done THAT before. She glanced back up at Mako, to whom she gave a warm smile, relieved when she noticed his mossy parts beginning to fluff up.
"Yes. I'm sure, Genji. He wouldn't hurt a fly." She reassured him, sighing happily when she was the both of them put their weapons away.
"He's a big lad, he is... Where's he gonna stay?" Tracer curiously peeked up at him, before looking around Mei's home. She... didn't think about that part yet. But now that she did, she remembered about all the 'unnecessary' bed sheets and pillows she'd crafted in the past. OBVIOUSLY she'll put them to use now!
"We'll.. um.. figure it out. In the meantime, you two should REALLY go back to the castle, it's late!! And i have work to do!" When Mei checked the time on Snowball's little screen, she read 9:45PM.
"AH! You're right!!! We really need to get going!" Tracer exclaimed, yanking Genji by the arm and pulling him towards the exit, Mei giggling sweetly at them when Genji began complaining. Mako politely moved out of the way and watched them pass through the entrance.
"Ah- Before you go! Don't tell ANYONE about Mako, alright? The town would go absolutely crazy if they found out he was here..." She told Tracer, only getting a fast nod from her.
They all had hurriedly said their goodbyes and as soon as they came, both Genji and Tracer were off. Mei sighed HEAVILY, she was always happy to have them around, but hooh gosh- she'd be lying if it wasn't tiring keeping up with them. When she turned back towards Mako, he hadn't moved a single inch, patiently waiting until she was done. She led him to her little living room, one that had a small couch and a tiny coffee table. He sat on the couch, where he would take up all the space instantly.
"Sorry about all of that... I love my friends, but they can be a lot." She put down her little basket and potion bottles on the table as she kneeled on the ground next to him, letting out a small, tired yawn. He nodded, slightly adjusting his sitting position.
"It's ok. Hope they keep their word." He grumbled, scratching the itching, mossy part on his belly.
There was silence for a while, but it wasn't awkward or bothersome. In fact, it was rather comfortable. Mako's breathing was loud, how he could even breathe was a mystery to the alchemist, but it served as comfortable background noise along with the crickets singing outside in the grass. Mei gently rubbed her eyelid, today's unusual events had tired her right out, but she couldn't give up now! She still had to fix Mako's arm, that's what he was here for. He could tell she was exhausted, her movements slow and lazy. She was cute, very much so, her black locks of hair glowing under the warm living room light. Her hair was all messed up from earlier, her goggles nearly starting to slip off of her head.
His daydreaming was cut short when she suddenly got up and stretched. He really has to stop staring...
"Alright, we should really start... Your arm isn't going to fix itself!" She bent down to reach for the potion bottles, swiftly grabbing them with one hand. He didn't know why, but this upset Mako. A part of him wanted to spend more time with her, that after she'd fix his arm, that he'd have to take his leave and that he'd never see her again. He couldn't have that happen just yet.
When he looked down at Snowball, who'd been resting on the coffee table, his face read 10:00PM exactly. He stood up abruptly, bumping his leg into the table accidentally and muttering a small apology when he noticed her robotic companion flying away.
"Err- We should do this... Tomorrow. It's late." He was partially hunched over as he spoke, Mei turning to him with a surprised expression. When she looked at the time, she let out the tiniest of sighs.
"Maybe you're right, i could really use the sleep... and i'm sure you're also quite tired..." She gently placed the potion bottles back down on the coffee table as well as the goggles that were lazily slipping off of her head seconds ago. He wasn't tired, not as much as he usually was, but he had to lie, at least for tonight. He watched as she walked towards a large closet, out of which she grabbed a couple pillows and blankets.
"Here- i'm gonna go get ready for bed, are you okay with setting up the couch?" Mei asked, receiving a small nod from Mako.
"I'll be riiight back!" She placed everything down on the couch next to him and hurried up the stairs, flashing a smile his way as she went up. He took a second to look around her home. It was small, cozy, but extremely cramped with gadgets and doodads wherever he looked. Every room in the house were merged together, except for her bedroom upstairs and the bathroom. He noticed the large ceiling had handmade garlands and vines, some that were noticeably trimmed. A corner of the room was assumed to be used for potionmaking and tinkering, large metallic bits on a long wooden table and bottles upon bottles of differently colored fluids sitting comfortably in rows on the shelves beside and above it. Her home was a mess, but despite all that, it was still charming and comfortable.
When he was done preparing the couch, he noticed it could unfold into a bed when he leaned on the part that sat upwards, closing his eyes and sighing in pure disappointment. He heard footsteps from behind him, and when he turned around, Mei stood there leaning against the staircase's railing dressed in a dark tank top and some blue pyjama pants.
"I probably should've told you i made it unfoldable, sorry!" She scratched the back of her neck as he got comfortable lying down on his back. It'd been years since he slept on an actual mattress, so it'd take time to get used to if he were to stay for a while longer. Mako watched as she hurried over to the table next to him, putting things away.
"Alright- I hope you're comfortable! If you need anything, i'm sure you won't have a hard time finding it!" She looked around, scouring at potential things he would ask for.
"I'm good." He mumbled, lazily turning towards her. He hadn't taken his mask off, he practically slept with it constantly and taking it off wouldn't exactly change anything. She started walking away, but was abruptly stopped when she felt Mako's large hand ever so carefully grabbing her's.
"One thing."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
He thanked her. After a short pause, she gave him a warm, genuine smile and she began walking away again, back towards the staircase. It deepened when she noticed him fluffing up again.
When Mei lied down in her own bed, she thought of everything that happened. This complete stranger, this monster, the one that the town feared so much... She had him in her home, she was nice to him and he was nice to her, she considered him a friend. It was rather quick, usually she wasn't the type to trust people immediately, but she just had this feeling, the feeling that trusting him was the right thing to do.
Snowball zwooped up the stairs when he realized she left the room below and settled itself down on the comfortable blanket wrapped around Mei's curved body, robotic purring coming out of it's voicebox.
This was right. This FELT right. Maybe the lingering loneliness she felt had been cured. Maybe it was only temporary.
She'll care about it more tomorrow.