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Albedo,
I regret not making it back in time for Windbloom this year. I hope you and the rest had a wonderful celebration
Regarding your research on hilichurls…I met one who could speak. He remembers his past life. I’m not sure if this will aid you, but I will write as I know more.
Truly,
Traveler
Albedo taps his pen along the edge of his notepad. Underneath the handwritten letter, worn around edges from travel, is an incomplete research paper. For the better part of 5 years, Albedo has been trying to wrap his mind around the hilichurl population and how they adapted to the different regions of Teyvat. How could a species with one origin be so diverse?
Dragonspine’s local population in particular is intriguing. If the information Traveler has provided Albedo over the last two years has been accurate then the mystery has only twisted tighter. With every breakthrough the puzzle gains more pieces, and even with Albedo’s unusually long lifespan he has grown impatient.
As Albedo is staring down at his data and the shapes and lines blur together, a new piece of paper is slid on top. The background is crisp and clean with no ink smudges or wrinkles from being handled. A small hand is pointing at the colorful figures in the center of the paper. Further behind him, Albedo hears a familiar sigh along with the creaking of the door hinge.
“Mr. Albedo, this is dodoco,” Klee giggles, her finger drifting further along the page. There’s a figure indistinguishable in her scribbles. “ And this is the Mr. staying over by the mountain…”
“Klee, haven’t I told you not to bother the others while they’re working?”
Suddenly the page is gone in a flash. Klee squeals and runs to the other side of Albedo’s chair to hide.
“I’m not bothering him!”
Albedo laughs and fixes a stray piece of Klee’s hair. He glances up to find Jean leaning on the doorway of the Library, hand on her hip and looking spent. Between the constant paperwork as acting grandmaster and keeping tabs on Klee during the day, Albedo is sure she hasn’t slept yet.
“She’s not bothering me,” He assures. He feels Klee bouncing under his fingertips. “She can stay here with me for a while. I was needing a break anyway.”
“Are you sure?” Jean does not sound opposed. Albedo spots the corner of her lips lifting with his offer.
“Go catch up. I got it from here.”
Jean waves goodbye quietly, falling back out of the doorway and twirling on her feet. Albedo thinks she’s floating back down the hallway as her ponytail disappears out of sight. He clears his throat and closes his notebook. There’s a half hearted attempt to clean his area before he turns back to Klee.
“Let me see your drawing again.”
The young elf happily obliges. She hops up into the chair next to Albedo and leans over the table top. Her paper comes back into view - framed by little hands. Her drawing has improved, at least when it involves those explosive dodocos she so adores. Klee begins her story all over again, recounting the time she had been out by Dragonspine on a secret mission. Albedo makes note to check on the locks to her room later at night.
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When the sun rises, Albedo is already packing his bag. His rations are carefully wrapped in cloth and tucked in the opposite corner of his drawing supplies. In the middle is the perfect place to slip in his worn notebook. He should not be longer than a day, maybe two. He just needs more data. Albedo tightens the tie of his coat one last time. The mountain is always deathly cold, but this time of year makes it brutal.
Albedo is just about to leave for his journey when a red hat lands on the floor ahead of him. Following shortly after is a mess of blonde curls, and one very sneaky elf. With a sigh, Albedo walks forward and picks up the fallen hat.
“It’ll be cold.”
“I put on my coat!”
She had, indeed, thrown on the red pullover lined with fuzz that had been sent by Alice last winter. It’ll keep her comfortable in the warmer parts of the mountain, near the base where hardly any snow falls. Albedo had been hoping to reach his camp.
He’d be wasting time convincing Klee to stay home.
So, he doesn’t. Albedo places Klee’s hat back on top of her head quietly before extending his hand to her. Klee does her mini dance - tapping her feet and barely keeping herself from jumping up and down. She quickly slips her hand into Albedo’s and ‘shh’s him with her free one. They leave Mondstadt together before any Knight of Favonius has time to make their bed.
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Klee is riding on Albedo’s shoulders by the time they actually make it to the mountain. Her snores vibrate the hairs laid flat under her cheek. Albedo wishes he could have taken one of the horses from the stable, to carry Klee if nothing else. She lasted about half the journey before asking for a break. With no daylight to lose, Albedo had offered to carry her the rest of the way. He lost feeling in his arms an hour ago.
Albedo almost slips on a patch of ice, sucking air between his teeth as he slides a few inches forward. His stomach fills with rocks as he feels gravity pulling him back. Just before he topples over, however, Albedo manages to find footing and right himself. He stays frozen, however, to listen to the soft sound of Klee’s breaths.
Close.
He takes the moment to readjust the weight on his shoulders. They’ll just need to go a little further and then Albedo can take his own break, perhaps unpack his bag for a little while. He’ll have to find a seelie to stay nearby for warmth. The wandering seelies have become more scarce recently - that’s another mystery to solve. Without their presence, any and all research on Dragonspine may soon become impossible.
Albedo feels more at home when he’s here. Suddenly the pressure on him lessens and breathing becomes easier. While Mondstadt is full of the people Albedo loves and considers family, nothing brings as much comfort as the gray skies and numbing breeze. It’s so cold that it’s hard to recognize any particular scent, though he knows the needles off of trees are fragrant in a tea. He can scavenge for dinnery and disappear for weeks at a time.
Klee, however, needs her rest and meals served warm at a table with Jean. Albedo could never keep her out here for long. She should be tucked into bed where there is no potential harm to reach her.
“Mr. Albedo?” A yawn interrupts Albedo’s thoughts. Klee rubs her cold nose into his hair, eyes still squeezed shut against the wind.
Albedo hums, scanning the trees for a good place to stop. “Are you hungry, Klee?”
“A little.”
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The fire he lights won’t stay for long. The air around the mountain has a way of choking out any source of warmth. Thankfully, Albedo had not taken them much further than the adventurer’s checkpoint. Leftover supplies lay strewn across the ground, partially covered by powdered snow. Klee has made a game out of uncovering them - running back and forth, waving rope and empty ration sacks.
Albedo, of course, trusts that she’ll be fine on her own. He settles on a rock with charcoal in one hand and a journal balancing on his knee. He’ll take a little bit of time for himself while Klee stays busy. A little pile of trinkets end up piling at his feet.
The peak of the mountain is shaded in when the first snowball hits him. The chill on his cheek drips down on the paper, smudging some of the lines. Klee giggles in the distance, out of sight. Oh, no. Another one falls into the hood of Albedo’s jacket and he jumps.
“That’s an unfair strategy, Klee.” He still hasn’t spotted her. Albedo slowly leans down, as if it’s the movement that helps her target him, and grabs a fist full of snow into his glove.
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They spend the rest of the hour trading blows. The hair Albedo had carefully braided back now flows freely and tangles in the snow and wind. Somehow, the movement has kept them warm enough that neither has complained.
“Truce!” He calls, holding his palms up in the air.
Klee, with one more snowball ready in her hands, pouts. “Why now?”
“It’s about time we start heading home.”
“Noo…”
Well, when she puts it that way. Albedo shakes his head and lowers his surrender. He brushes the snow from his shoulder and steps closer. Jean is the better negotiator between the two, but Albedo likes to think he has the advantage when it comes to Klee. He considers it the older brother privilege.
“Okay, let’s make a deal then. No more battle,” Klee is repeating her disagreement quietly. “But we can build a snowman. Then we go home before Jean sends out a search party.”
That seems to brighten her up.
Klee skips ahead to scope out the perfect spot. They need a flat area with at least a few inches of snow. The snowman cannot be Klee-sized, afterall. It must be as large as possible. It does not take long for the pair to find the place. With no debris from the nearby vegetation and minimal animal tracks, the ground is smooth and shimmers with lightly packed snow.
Albedo begins on the base while Klee makes the head. He helps her roll the middle piece on first, stacking the spheres of snow as tall as Sucrose back at home. They have a competition to see who can find the best eyes and nose - Klee nearly pulls the buttons off her jacket to win.
Soon, Albedo places the smooth pebbles Klee found on the journey to Dragonspine and a pinecone for the nose. As a finishing touch, Klee sacrifices her own hat to give their creation. The result is quite satisfying if Albedo has a say. In fact, it has turned out to be quite cute.
“I think you won,” Albedo says, nudging Klee’s shoulder. She hums back in agreement and slips her hand into his.
The walk back is going to be long, and not unlike the one here. There is most certainly going to be a search party as the sun has already begun to set. The snow around them reflects orange and pink, losing the sparkle it had during the day.
“Are you ready?”
“Uh-huh.”
Albedo takes in the view one last time. He’s going to have to replace that hat. The hilichurls in the area will probably find the snowman before it ever has the chance to melt. They’ll scavenge whatever they think they’ll be able to use - Albedo hopes it’ll keep at least one of them comfortable out here.
He turns to begin leading Klee back towards the path. Two steps in, his ears begin ringing. A wave of heat brushes against his back. Snow falls above his head before dissolving in the air. Behind him, Albedo hears Klee cheering.