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Alice was jolted awake by a small hand repeatedly tapping her shoulder and an even smaller voice calling out to her.
“Aunty Alice. Aunty Alice.”
“Albedo!” Sitting up abruptly and knocking over an ink pot, spilling it over the observations and formulas on the papers scattered across the desk. Alice blinked blankly at the puddle, quietly mourning the work before sighing and returning her attention back to the small boy “what do you need darling?”
“Mama said you made cookies earlier. May I have one?” For such a small child Albedo was extremely well spoken. Though the fact he’s existed for nearly 10 years now might explain that, though he still looked and acted like a child around the age of 4.
“Ah, cookies…!” Alice looked out the window to find outside completely dark before rather aggressively rubbing her eyes awake, standing up fast enough to make her chair screech “Yes! Let’s go get my little prince a cookie!”
Alice swept Albedo up in one smooth movement. The study had no door, instead it had an archway that led directly to the rather small dining area and kitchen, divided from the study by just a silky curtain.
The cookies sat in the centre of the table completely untouched. Alice isn’t even quite sure why she baked them. Rhinedottir and Albedo both didn’t care much for sweets and she herself hardly ate when she zeroed in on research. Albedo probably wouldn’t have even asked to have one if she had made anything else.
Placing Albedo gently to sit on the table, Alice picked up the largest cookie and broke it in half, handing half to Albedo and taking the other half for herself. Albedo ate silently as Alice fixed his small ponytail. Alice adored doing Albedo’s hair, it was a lovely dusty blonde, almost the exact same shade as Alice’s. Though it was much softer. Unnaturally soft, like feathers- which isn’t unnatural…
Albedo continued nibbling at the cookie and Alice couldn’t help wondering if Albedo would ever lose his baby teeth or if his teeth would slowly grow to resemble adult teeth.
If he did lose his baby teeth would they eventually crumble like chalk or would they be exactly like bone? Albedo was very human-like, spare the yellow mark on the throat and his skin being whiter than most paper. Would he continue to age like this? Around twice as slowly as humans do? Or maybe he’d get to a point where he would start to age extremely slowly like Alice herself. That would be fun, to have her darling little prince by her side for so long. Alice felt strange admitting it to herself but she was rather glad that the immortality curse upon Khaenri'ah’s people seemed to also extended to Rhinedottir. Her appearance hadn’t really changed in the decade she had spent in the archipelago with Alice. Rhinedottir likely wouldn’t think anything of it if Alice expressed those thoughts to her but she still felt something vaguely shameful about it.
Alice hadn’t ever been lonely. She just felt so permanent . People felt more like hamsters than beings equal to her. The end of their lives approached so rapidly. There was always the immortal being of Teyvat, but aside from Morax, and more recently Barbatos, she didn’t communicate much with them. Some seemed like they actively avoided her. So really no one could blame her for feeling giddy over the idea of people so close to her also having extended lifespans… except that they might now both live forever. Which would be longer than she would be around…
Alice rarely thought about her death. She still had thousands of years ahead of her after all. It’s hard to even conceptualise that large of an amount of time. But the idea that her loved ones could out live her left her feeling… something.
Out of the corner of her eye Alice saw a figure standing outside in the sand not too far from the entrance of the house. Alice tensed for a moment before realising it was just Rhinedottir. Albedo stood up on the table table to try and see what Alice was looking at.
“Should we ask mama if she wants a cookie too?” Albedo clutched Alice’s shoulder as he leaned further to try and see out of the window better. Alice picks him up from under his arms before setting him back down on the ground.
“Definitely.” She says in mock seriousness as Albedo jumps to open the front door.
Albedo hops through the sand barefoot before reaching Rhinedottir’s side, standing on the very end of her cape to keep his feet off the sand. Alice rather enthusiastically skips after him, joining Albedo at Rhinedottir’s side.
“What?” Rhinedottir asks rather flatly.
“We just wanted to see if ‘mama’ would like to come in and try one of the cookies her dear old friend slaved away making all morning” Alice grinned at her widely, almost teasingly.
“Mama sounds so childish.” Rhinedottir frowns far too deeply in return.
“Probably because it’s what children call their mothers.”
“I meant it sounds childish coming from you, Alice.”
Alice laughs lightly, slingling her arm over Rhinedottir’s shoulders jostling all three of them. Albedo almost lost his footing on the small area of the cape that reached the floor, holding tightly onto Rhinedottir’s leg.
“I can still call you ‘mama’?” Albedo tilts his head all the way back to look up at both the women above him.
“You can call me mama while you’re still this small. But it’s rather inappropriate for Alice to.” Rhinedottir rested her hand on the top of the boy’s head, fixing the way his fringe sat.
“Will you try a cookie though?” Alice perks up again, continuing to smile far too widely at the other.
She nods, curtly before turning her attention back to Albedo. “Go get ready for sleep will you?”
Albedo nods quickly before scurrying off back inside.
“I spilt ink all over the work I did tonight.”
“Was it very important?”
“No… mostly just notes on how Albedo has changed in appearance and action compared to those rift wolves and Durin. So rather easy to just rewrite. It’s still rather inconvenient.” Alice sighed as linked her arm with Rhinedottir’s, leading them back into the house.
“I probably have similar enough notes somewhere.” Rhinedottir followed Alice’s lead pliantly.
“Yes, but the whole point of me helping you is to bring in a whole new perspective!” Alice let go of Rhinedottir’s arm, collapsing dramatically onto one of the chairs before reaching out for the plate of cookies, picking up one vaguely in the shape of a heart, offering it to the other. “For you, my love .”
Regardless of how mockingly Alice says the words, Rhinedottir accepts the cookie. After one bite she pulls a face before turning the cookie over in her hand, observing it.
“Does mama not like it?” Albedo calls from the doorway that lead to the bathroom, now dressed in a sleep gown that looked more like one of Alice’s silk shirts. His big blue eyes, not too unlike Alice’s own, starring expectantly.
“No, ‘mama’ doesn’t like sugar. She’d rather eat a cookie made completely lacking anything sweet!” Alice playfully kicks Rhinedottir’s shin causing the other to stumble briefly. Huffing in annoyance.
“Mm, I prefer when my food isn’t sweet to… but cookies with no sugar sounds gross. Like just eating flour.”
“I know! Such horrid taste.” Alice stands up, scooping Albedo up again and walking back toward the study- which also was being used as Albedo’s bedroom.
Originally the room contained just a desk, a coffee table, several chairs, and a lounge. When Alice first convinced Rhinedottir to stay all that needed to be added was a cot. But Albedo had outgrown it in only a couple of years, so now there was no longer a lounge but a small bed, and the coffee table had been taken out to make room for more storage including a box filled with toys hand crafted by Alice herself.
Alice dropped Albedo onto the mattress, causing the boy to jostle the bedding. Alice sat herself on the edge of the bed as Albedo righted himself.
“Would you like a lullaby, dear? Or maybe a story?” Alice asked eagerly.
“No, it’s alright Aunty Alice” Albedo yawned as he readjusted his blankets to wrap them around himself. “I feel tired enough.”
“Oh, alight.” Alice gave a quick peck to Albedo’s forehead before getting back up to leave. “Good night Bedo.”
Rhinedottir was still staring at the cookies, several now being broken in half.
“Rhine, what are you doing?” Alice sighed, taking the plate of cookies to store before the rest could be defaced.
“What are these even made from? Where did you get eggs out here?”
“It’s Robin eggs.” Alice wrapped the plate, placing it in a mostly empty cupboard. “And I used coconut milk instead of cow's milk- though it was still a pain to find that many coconuts… we are also out of sugar now.”
“Never mind. I just couldn’t place the taste and it bothered me. I’m going to see if I can find my notes on Albedo’s development and you can tell me anything you’ve picked up on that I’ve left out.” She then left, walking into the study.
Alice laid bored in bed. At first she had stood around in the kitchen waiting for Rhinedottir before getting changed into more appropriate clothes for sleep and eventually opting to wait in bed. She could still hear Rhinedottir opening and closing draws in the study. Alice wouldn’t be surprised if it was all keeping Albedo up to.
“I found it.” Suddenly Rhinedottir was stood in the doorway, holding up a thin leather bound book, latched shut with twine.
She tossed the book into Alice’s lap before turning to leave again, likely to get changed.
Alice sat up, unlatching the book and flicking through the pages before landing on the pages illustrating Albedo. Alice scanned the page boredly, no longer as eager to add every detail Rhinedottir had missed about how Albedo’ behaviour has evolved. That is until Alice’s eyes landed on the page full of observation on Albedo’s appearance along with notes on how Rhinedottir had intended for him to look.
As far as the general public knew ‘the kamera’ was still far from ready to be released publicly (which was true) but Alice had made the first prototype nearly a hundred years ago. She had gifted a kamera to Rhinedottir when they first became close. Rhinedottir really only ever used the thing to take photos of Alice, specifically when she was drunk so that she could see how humiliating she looked once sobre. And several of these drunken photos were stuck in the page detailing how Albedo was intended to look. Each photo, none of which were flattering, accompanied with notes on Alice’s features.
Notes on Alice’s hair colour, her face shape, her eye colour and shape, her nose, and so on. Alice stared blankly at the page before hearing the bathroom door click open.
Alice had never really thought about it, but she supposed Albedo’s face is very round like her’s, though she just assumed it was baby fat. And Alice’s eyes aren’t fully blue so Albedo’s being the exact same shade never stuck out as of to her. When Alice looked up from the book Rhinedottir was stood in the doorway, now dressed in a matching cotton shirt and pants.
“Rhine~~!” Alice whined, jumping up from the bed, enveloping Rhinedottir in a hug, burying her face in the other’s shoulder.
“Huh?”
“How dare you not tell me you made Albedo look like me!” Alice whined dramatically.
“I didn’t think you would mind.” Rhine says blankly, hands settling on Alice’s waist.
“I don’t! I wish you had told me though. It’s a massive missed opportunity to not give him my elf ears though.” Alice pouted, tugging at one of Rhinedottir’s earlobes.
“He’s meant to look human.” Rhine pulled Alice’s hand away from her ear, letting Alice lace their fingers together.
”Then maybe you should’ve used a human as your muse.” Giddy, Alice dragged them both backwards, causing the two to collapse backwards onto the bed.
“It’s really like we’re both his mother~ isn’t that wonderful?” Alice squeezed her free arm around Rhinedottir’s shoulders, rocking them both side to side.
“I suppose.” Rhinedottir, seemingly accepting her fate, went completely limp in Alice’s grasp.
“You must think I’m awfully pretty to model your child after me~” Alice tried to tease, unlinking their hands to absently begin braiding a strand of Rhinedottir’s hair.
Rhinedottir moved to sit up and Alice followed suit.
“Did you not believe I thought you were attractive before finding out I made Albedo to look like you?”
Alice blinked at Rhinedottir before deforming into laughter. “I think- this is the most romantic you have ever been, Rhine!” She couldn’t help herself, cupping Rhinedottir’s face in her hands, planting kiss after kiss across the other’s face.