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Two weeks, four days, and five hours. This is the exact amount of time Rhinedottir has spent in her lab without emerging for true breaks. She had been spending time in her abyss-forsaken place for almost half a month straight, and it worried Alice.
“There is a new restaurant open in the town square, Sumeru cuisine–they sound really good, maybe you should take a break and we can go,” Alice said, sitting on a couch designated for Alice only just right behind Rhinedottir’s working desk. Despite constantly working and clearing her table everyday, new papers always find their way right to the head alchemist’s desk without fail every morning. Resulting in a never-ending cycle of more and more paperwork and clutter that neither of them can get rid of .
“There is too much for me to do here, you can go alone if you need,” Rhinedottir says to Alice—she hates her dismissive attitude sometimes, considering that they are lovers and friends no longer, she should be at least at the top of her priority. On the other hand, Alice understands. Rhinedottir is a woman of powerful position, she cannot desert her post regardless of how she feels. Her responsibilities as the head alchemist are far too great to let her emotions get to her. And yet, there is a bitter blue at the top of Alice’s tongue—she hates it.
“Must you remain here at all times? I think you deserve a little break, don’t you think?” Alice ccos near her lover’s ear and embraces her from behind.
“Hmm… deadline is approaching, I wish I could join you, but I have to remain here until my work is complete… “
“Rhine, you haven’t stepped outside of this lab for two weeks. Your psyche will break down if you still insist,”
“Well—the work it’s…”
“You have never missed a deadline; over half of the work is already done. You could use a break…”
Rhinedottir is about to argue back to her lover, but the eyes of the woman in red are nothing if not determined, and for anyone concerned, Rhinedottir’s only true weakness is Alice’s persistence
So that is why Rhinedottir finds herself being dragged out of her lab into the streets of Khaenri’ah. The night is still young, and people of all sorts of backgrounds pour into the city square wishing to experience that slight of opulence that central Khaenri’ah promises to its visitors. But the Gold Alchemist isn’t the sort that would get fooled by the light of the city without archons. She has lived here her whole life. She knows well the tears and blood behind the sanctuary of the abyss. On the other hand, she loves chocolate. Lately, Rhinedottir has been having this strange hyperfixation on sweets, particularly chocolate-related sweets. Possibly because it was rare to find in the city, and the only way to experience it was to make a long, dangerous trip to the city of Sumeru. Alice seems to be aware of her lover’s craving very well.
“A new chocolate shop has just opened! It's right around the corner on this street,”
“There is?” That caught Rhine’s peak interest and completely took her mind out of wandering around thinking of her research and the like.
“Yeah! Come on! Before the place is filled!” and with that, Alice began to run with Rhinedottir in tow
“W–Wait, Alice! Don’t run,”
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The shop is as packed as Alice had predicted it would be. Several citizens are loitering in front of the establishment, talking with goods in their hands. Lovers are feeding each other on what looks like a chocolate parfait. However, every movement stops as soon as Rhinedottir and her girlfriend enter. She always forgets that she is a famous person as a royal alchemist; of course, her presence is going to turn heads wherever she goes. The gold alchemist never let a piece of her mind fall into the hands of anyone, she never admitted how uncomfortable this position of fame made her. The eyes and ears are what she hates the most; next is the mouth of these strangers. They like to listen and they like to speak
And as predicted, people in the cafe are beginning to whisper to themselves; the noise was low but loud enough for her to realize it is there, like a buzzing sound of flies swarming a body of rotting corpse
“It’s okay Rhine, I’m here,” Alice whispers, her hand that is holding Rhine’s squeeze her lightly as a reassurance. Gold hates that she needs such accommodation for herself from her lovers like this. Yet, she can’t deny that her presence soothes her. She follows Alice’s lead to a vacant, no, booked table that has the name of Alice on the card. She reserved this?
“It took me several hours to reserve this. I swear it's even harder to walk-in this place.”
“You shouldn’t have to, Alice.”
“What? And let my girlfriend’s chocolate craving go unmanaged? Completely unacceptable,”
“You go out of your way to spoil me, didn’t you ?”
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They talk and they talk as the crowd shrinks and expands, old patrons finish with their sweets, and new patrons move in. Rhinedottir ended up ordering a hot chocolate drink. The taste is sweet enough for her liking, with a twist of some kind of nut in it. Alice got a chocolate parfait, a perfect, refreshing, and creamy dessert.
Alice’s finger reached the corner of Rhine’s mouth to wipe away the residue of chocolate
“You are so messy.” Alice whispers as she reaches for her girlfriend. The other woman is flustered, Rhine’s cheeks are lush and painted with a reddish hue. Their eyes lock for a moment before Alice pulls Rhinedottir closer–the distance between disappears, and their noses touch. The presence of the couple was long forgotten by the other patrons by now, as they simply enjoyed their own stay, and nobody paid any attention to them. Alice asserts herself before Rhine can, as she cups her cheeks and presses her lips against the blonde woman's.
“That was tastier on your lips,” Alice said after withdrawing her lips from Rhindottir's, whose face is now as red as blood.