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In the lazy summer evening, the clouds strolled by at an idle pace, painted a soft pink in the fading sunlight.
The Nights of Favonius were hosting their annual Windbloom party. Officially, the Windbloom festivities began proper the following morning, with the party being an opportunity for the knights to enjoy themselves before taking on a more formal administrative role to support the celebrations.
This year was a fairly raucous affair, with the tenacious young Knight Jean rising through the ranks in recent years, she had taken on some of the more tedious facets of organisation. Leaving the Grand Master, Varka, more time to focus on his many passions - tonight’s was a Monstadt specialty: Wine.
Albedo didn't hold quite the same affinity for liqueur as his peers, he suspected that he metabolised ethanol differently leading to weaker results, but even he had to admit that there were far worse ways to spend a summer evening than drinking with his colleagues in the warm night air.
This year the Knights had hired the charismatic bard named Venti to provide musical entertainment. While his performance was as merry as he was drunk, it seemed to have caused quite the stir. With rambunctious new recruits proving a little too energetic about the combination of wine and dancing as they rampaged around the large canvas tent.
Preferring to use these sorts of affairs for light networking, Albedo kept his distance from the makeshift dance floor at the centre of the marquis. Schmoozing his way through stern-faced elders and the more well-known donor VIPs that perhaps could fund his loose plans for a research base upon the mountain of dragonspine.
"…The price of star silver ore is set to rise, you know?" The moustached older man explained to him again, his wine-addled mind running in circles.
"Is that so?" Albedo, once again, feigned interest.
This particular conversation was going nowhere.
Searching for an out, he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.
His assistant Sucrose was hovering on the edge of what appeared to be an uncomfortable conversation. Her stance awkward in her neat airy party frock that was a far cry from her usual Favonius uniform. Albedo noticed eyes darting between the floor, the exit and the face of the Knight talking at her.
Sucrose had been an official colleague for over half a year now, her employment had come about following a particularly spectacular failed experiment that had plunged half of the city of Monstadt into a terrible bout of hay fever. After a thorough investigation, and a large-scale clean-up operation, it was decided that it would be for the good of the city that the Knights of Favonius take her under their wing.
The formal study of Alchemy was relatively uncommon in much of Teyvat and because of this, and due to his extensive experience preventing Klee from causing city-wide devastation, it was only natural that Albedo would be the one to oversee her.
Sucrose had several habits and quirks that had taken some time to adjust to. First and foremost was her single-minded dedication to finding solutions, regardless of the time of day. She was a tireless worker with organisational and practical-thinking skills in equal measure.
Secondly, she had an incredibly formal work ethic that extended to almost all things, refusing to address Albedo as anything less than “Mister Albedo” regardless of the circumstances.
Finally, she had a peculiar driving force that kept the realm of her research thoroughly unique. Many an Alchemist had failed in their pursuit of riches or power - Sucrose, on the other hand, had a standard that she was incredibly particular about. As though she had a vision that couldn’t be put into simple words or diagrams. A combination of bio-alchemy and bio-artistry. To Albedo's trained eye he had to admit it was quite fascinating.
In the few months together she had improved a great deal under his instruction, primarily because she took and applied feedback well. Growing more confident in her work, her ideas became far more honed and precise leading to some remarkable, if unorthodox, results. The same could not be said for her interpersonal skills, however. A feeling that Albedo was sure many in their field could relate to.
Collecting drinks like they were a life-saving re-supply, the Chief Alchemist thought it best to bail out his assistant.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Albedo interrupted the flow of the conversation cordially.
“Someone’s thirsty,” one of the more red-faced members of the group scoffed at his full hands, it was a tired joke.
Albedo's eyes scanned his features. An older, portly man with rosey cheeks named Gustav, he enjoyed a comfortable desk job thanks to his particularly wealthy half-Schneznayan heritage. That aside, he possessed no other interesting qualities.
Albedo laughed calmly, “I’m on good behaviour tonight, Gustav. No, I merely saw my assistant was in need of a top-up.”
Sucrose, who somehow seemed more alarmed by another person joining the conversation, hadn’t anticipated the gesture and grew flustered.
“Ah-! Mister Albedo, how kind… Thank you,” she held in her hands what looked like a small rectangle, without pockets in her party attire she tucked it under her arm to take the glass from him. Dipping her head respectfully, Albedo suspected, because she was still too shy to look him in the eye.
“‘Mister’?” Another asked, a tall and thin man. Albedo didn’t know his name but hazily recognised him as a supplier for the Knights, in other words: a VIP by invitation. “Let the poor girl unwind at the party a little, won’t you? Knights can be so strict…”
“…Hides her away in the lab too! He’s a stern teacher this one,” Gustav added overly-fondly, his large belly heaving as he chuckled at his own joke.
In the months prior to the current evening, Albedo had assured Sucrose that the respectful title of “Mister” was unnecessary for their working arrangements on exactly nine different occasions. He had only stopped because he was unsure whether persisting would be considered rude. In this moment he wished he had.
“Um, I-I think there’s been a misunderstanding…” Sucrose attempted to come to his aid, her voice almost too quiet to hear.
“Pardon?” The older man cupped his ear and leaned in to try and hear her over the buzz of the party.
“I mean… Ah- What I mean is… It isn’t like that, sir!” His assistant stood on her tip-toes to try and help her voice carry, but the words that came out were quieter still.
“Sir!?” The two erupted into raucous laughter at her added honorific, the wine sloshing in their glasses.
Sucrose turned to Albedo with a look of pure fear.
“Sucrose is quite new to the Knights,” her tutor explained the dynamic with an even tone, despite his internal frustration at the entire situation.
“So that’s how it is?” Gustav, still wholly amused, gave her a hearty pat on the back. "Then a welcome is in order!"
“Ah!”
Perhaps it was the alcohol that made Gustav a little stronger than intended, perhaps it was that Sucrose wasn’t prepared for the sudden contact, but she let out an audible squeak as he smacked her in the shoulder. The object she’d tucked under her arm slipped from her grasp and fell, no, fluttered to the ground in what appeared to be many loose parts.
Albedo, a begrudging veteran of these sorts of events, immediately moved to collect them for her politely - Sucrose being dressed in a less practical dress for the occasion.
Sucrose’s plea for him to wait came a moment too late.
They were cards, specifically handwritten cards with a smattering of questions scrawled across them in familiar handwriting. Some labelled with names he knew well…
Kaeya
- if possible: avoid
- If no: Inquire about dressage?
Jean
- Be polite
- Ask about books?
- Okay ask questions
- Smile!!!
Albedo
- Compliment clothing!
- Favourite Flora? Specifics needed.
- Favourite colour?
Sucrose snatched the card from his view before he could finish reading it.
Following her hands, he met her gaze. The young woman crouched beside him on the ground like she was wounded, gathering cards as quickly as she could before they were caught by the light breeze.
Prompt cards for when she didn’t know what to say to people, Albedo surmised.
Unsure of what to say, and shocked at her apparent distress, he held out the few he had picked up. She took them immediately.
They rose to their feet at the same time, the other two men at a loss for words. With an uncomfortable atmosphere hanging over the conversation Sucrose looked positively mortified, her face turning a shade of red Albedo would have thought impossible. Behind her spectacles her honey-gold eyes began to brim with… tears?
She took a hesitant step back, like a cornered animal bracing itself before taking flight, announcing in a tiny voice:
“Excuse me.”
And with that she turned and fled the marquis.
“Barbatos, what a fuss…” the supplier spoke, breaking the silence with a tone that sparked an unexpected feeling within Albedo.
"I didn't mean any harm…" Gustav sounded equally offended at her behaviour. Strictly speaking, it had been rude.
Turning to face the men, Albedo was surprised when his voice came out colder than intended.
“I think it’s time you two gentlemen switched to water.”
“Enjoying yourself?” The lull of Kaeya’s question in his ear was not unwelcome after the evening so far.
“Varka’s events are always the talk of the town,” Albedo answered, taking a small sip from his glass.
“So no , then…” Kaeya took a larger swig from his own glass in response. “You’ve been skulking around for the last hour, you know?”
“Have I?” The alchemist's tone was dry and noncommittal.
His colleague, growing disinterested, gave up that line of questioning. Leaning lavishly against the bar behind them to observe the spread of partygoers laid out across the tent.
Venti, after a break to sample the excellent buffet, had just begun his second set. It was far more slurred and unpolished than his first, but then again - so were his audience. The lively melody he strung upon his lute sounded vaguely familiar to Albedo's ears, similar to a song he hadn’t heard in centuries.
“How do you think Klee’s supervision for the night is getting on?” Kaeya mused, watching as the Librarian, Lisa, attempted to sweep Jean onto the dance floor.
Albedo considered the array of horrible things that could be occurring as they spoke, thankfully he would be able to see any smoke rising in the distance from their current position.“Given how thorough my interview process was, I’m hoping for ‘adequately’.”
The cavalry captain laughed. For all his wily methods, Albedo found Kaeya’s soft spot for children to be one of his more redeeming qualities.
“I’ve lost my assistant,” Albedo admitted after a pause. He’d taken a few laps around the marquis in the hopes of making amends, but to no avail.
“Like, she’s quit? Or literally? Emotionally?” Kaeya’s glanced at him from the corner of his eye, mischief written across his face.
“I think she’s gone home.”
“Is that so?” The tall, slender man pondered the thought for a moment, nursing his glass. “Small little thing in glasses? Wears her hair tied back?”
Albedo wouldn’t say he’d consider her a small little thing, but the description was close enough.
“Think she’s around the back by the carts, I could swear I saw a glimpse of her by the spare barrels…”
“You’ve spent your night skulking around the spare barrels?” Albedo teased.
“Come now,” Kaeya looked positively smug. “I’m nothing if not vigilant.”
He found her hiding spot just as Kaeya had said, her glass empty and her eyes red and murky from tears. Sucrose shrank away from him as he spoke, hugging her knees tight to her chest.
“Is everything alright?”
A long pause.
“Fine.”
Another pause.
“…Can I get you anything?” He’d spent so long looking for her he’d not considered what to say when he found her. The questions that tumbled out of his mouth were so pointless that Albedo disappointed even himself.
Sucrose shook her head, biting her lower lip as she refused to look at his face.
Quietly, she stammered: “Mister Albedo, I’m s-sorry… I, uh, I didn’t want you to… if I embarrassed you I-I…”
“No…” he sighed, half in annoyance. “No, you’re not the one who should be sorry for anything. I hope your night wasn’t ruined.”
She didn’t seem to have a reply to that.
He watched as she rolled the stem of her wine glass between her fingers, thoroughly dejected. It was only on closer inspection of her flushed cheeks that he realised she might be a little tipsy.
Albedo hadn’t intended to be stuck with a troublesome apprentice, but such was always the way when it came to humans.
“Can I walk you home?”
Panic set into her voice as her eyes met his for the first time in their conversation. “No, you shouldn’t leave early because of me-“
“Sucrose, these parties are exhausting,” it was the truth, even if it helped his cause, and because of the imminent sense of freedom he couldn’t help the smile that played across his lips as he offered her his arm. “Please forgive me for using you as an excuse to escape…”
It took her a moment to process, then…
Understanding flooded her features, sheer relief at finding a kindred spirit amongst the sea of partygoers that took the Alchemist by surprise. Hers was a kind of shy smile that made Albedo reconsider his apprehension about hiring her as she hung from his arm as he guided her home. Her sentences addled by wine and their conversation growing lighter as the thrum of the party faded into the distance.
So much so that Albedo came to the revelation, as he left her on her doorstep and bid her goodnight, that her company was an unavoidable entanglement that would no doubt cause him endless trouble.
But not unwanted trouble.
Several years passed and it was on a bright morning, when the air of the City of Monstadt was crisp with the turn of fall, that the famous Traveller - Honorary Knight of Favonus and hero of Monstadt, came to ask about her teacher. About his work, his appearance, where he could be found…
To her surprise - Sucrose, who had worked with him for some time, suddenly realised that she’d never had to explain Albedo to an outsider that way. As reclusive as he was, her teacher was so embedded in his work and in the city that she rarely met people outside their shared circle of acquaintances that didn’t already know of him.
When it came to summarising him to a stranger, outside the usual ‘a brilliant and talented and captivating alchemist’, her thoughts were swept her back to that night long ago. To his kind eyes and soft voice as he’d helped her home.
It was with a warm smile that she answered:
“…Look out for a refined gentleman with the presence of a true scholar.”