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The library’s doors swung open, bringing Lisa’s silent contemplation on the joys of simple and quiet life to a regrettable halt. The corner of her lips jerked up in disapproval. Setting her cup aside, Lisa angled her head towards the door, but the reprimanding remark froze on her tongue when she recognized the intruder.
“Lisa! I heard we have a promising new recruit?” Amber cried out as she stormed inside. Before the door could fully come to a close, the girl had already hopped to the table and propped herself on her arms. As was often the case, she also knocked over a bottle of imported Inazuman ink and scattered a handful of documents.
A spark flashed across Lisa’s eyes. Breathing out a quick oops , Amber ducked to fetch the fallen papers. Next, she covertly dried the black ink splotches with a corner of her sleeve, and held up the ruined documents with an apologetic expression. Lisa accepted them with a lenient smile.
After all, she couldn’t possibly dream of scolding such a cutie.
“That’s what Acting Grandmaster Jean said, indeed.” Lisa turned, stifling a chuckle at the impatient squirms behind her back as she calmly fetched two of her cutest and daintiest little cups.
“Coffee again? You sure love that drink,” commented Amber as she set them on her desk. The girl’s restless eyes followed Lisa as she filled the first cup and slid it gracefully into Amber’s hands. After that Lisa, filled her own cup and took a careful sniff, relishing in the fleeting memories that resurfaced whenever she brewed this particular Sumerian blend.
Amber followed her example, at last figuring that she wouldn’t get an answer before Lisa had her drink. The girl twirled the cup, giving it a thoughtful look, before finally taking a brave first sip. “Ah, hot!” She stuck out her tongue, a torrent of tears sweeping over her eyes. “And spicy, too! Is this my punishment for ruining the desk?!”
Lisa chuckled. “How could I possibly do that to my good friend?” She continued to smile, bringing up her cup to keep Amber from seeing her ever growing grin. After a few sips her expression softened, and Lisa felt pity for the poor girl. “So,” she said nonchalantly, “you were talking about our newest recruit?”
Amber nodded, still half-distracted by her scalded tongue. Humming thoughtfully, Lisa reached below her desk and slid out a thick register. It has been a while since she last paid attention to the new recruits, so she was out of the loop. She skimmed through a dozen pages before stopping abruptly. A single finger tapped on the glossy photo that adorned the upper right corner of the profile.
My, oh my.
“Oh, did you find him? Did you?” Having recovered from the heat shock, Amber all but pounced at Lisa, peering curiously at the form. A gasp left her. From the corner of her eye, Lisa could see the girl’s mouth flap open and close, unable to form a single word. Eventually, the girl settled on letting out an appreciative whistle, which, in Lisa's opinion, described it better than any human word ever could.
“Oh, Lisa, he’s… He’s— ”
“—trouble?” Lisa finished her sentence with a knowing grin. Bringing up her hand to gently close the girl’s hanging mouth, Lisa glanced back at the photo, taking particular note of the innocent, baby-blue eyes that stared uncaringly into the lens of the camera, seemingly unaware of their own beauty.
Pretty faces like his were surely made to bring calamity, but of what kind?
Lisa hummed, pleased as she closed the register. The flapping sound of the closing book snapped Amber out of her stupor. Shaking her head, the girl trotted over to the nearby armchair and plopped down with a notable sigh.
“To think that a man with this kind of face is real,” she muttered. “What's more, I heard that he showed excellent results in the exam. So what do you think, Lisa? If anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make him some sort of captain! Just give it half a year at most! Oh, and did you know?” At that, she leaned down, her voice dropping as she whispered her next words like it was the biggest secret, "People are already calling dibs! Oh, the power of a pretty face!" Having said that, she fell against the armchair with a theatrical sigh.
Lisa agreed wholeheartedly, all the while pulling out the menu of a nearby café.
After all, who didn’t like to indulge in sweet cakes with a pinch of gossip?
Just as Amber had predicted, the knight by the name of Albedo was soon promoted to the head over the investigation team as well as granted the position of the lead researcher in all matters that concerned the art of alchemy. Considering this torrentuous development, Lisa was hardly surprised when, once upon a beautiful, sunny afternoon, she received notice that he was to be granted access to the previously deserted rooms at the far back of the headquarters' first floor — the very same ones that she'd coveted ever since she'd first started sorting books for the knights.
Such a pity.
Still, Lisa figured as she glanced over the other proposals that the newly appointed lead researcher had handed in, still there was no use in pouting over the lost quarters that could have potentially become her tearoom. As the Akademiya's top graduate, she could tell at a glance that this Albedo was well worth every mora invested.
Pursing her lips, Lisa pressed the stamp of approval on the aforementioned documents and watched thoughtfully as the green color seeped into the paper. When at last she was bored of this menial task, she propped her head and turned her attention towards the unusually silent girl that was splayed on the armchair opposite of her desk.
Sensing her chance to speak, Amber looked up from her newest prototype of Baron Bunny, and after throwing a quick look over the approved proposals, let out a deep sigh.
“You know, the alchemist’s face is pretty, but it’s of no use,” she blurted out with honest disappointment. But as soon as the words left her mouth her expression grew worried, almost as if she was ashamed of having said that.
It made Lisa’s lips turn up into a smile. “Oh? Since when are you so harsh on our newcomers, dear Amber?”
She watched as the girl bit her lips, her head no doubt cooking up all sorts of curious thoughts. At last, Amber snapped. “Well, he’s just so... beautiful! I’ve even heard people call him prince charming before. I mean, isn’t that crazy? Yes, sure, he’s got that magical sparkle in his eyes, and his eyelashes are so long! But… But! How do I put it…”
The girl rambled on and Lisa didn't do anything to stop her.
“It’s like he’s a pretty do—”
Before she could finish that sentence, Amber’s breath halted as she stared off towards the door. In an instant, her large brown eyes grew wide. And then she squinted, almost as if she was in pain. Lisa guessed that she must’ve bitten her tongue.
Stifling a chuckle, Lisa looked over to the source of the girl's sudden distress. The young man looked back, his face wearing an impassive visage, seemingly unperturbed by the gossip that had been floating in the room just before he materialized in his near soundless manner.
"My apologies for disturbing you. You must be the librarian?"
Lisa nodded. "Why, yes, you've come to the right person. Though do be a dear and make sure to walk a little louder next time you drop by for a visit. See how you’ve scared our cute little bunny.” She gestured towards Amber, and the young man nodded dutifully.
"I’m very sorry about that." He sounded neither particularly sorry nor arrogant. Lisa didn’t mind the distant tone of his voice, as she was busy ogling him subtly. This was the first time she saw the famed new recruit in person. Needless to say, she was not disappointed in the slightest. She took particular note of the baby-blue eyes that Amber had described in such detail, and the blessing of the Lord of Geo that dangled from his slender neck. Some scholars said that that particular god favored those of a diligent, perhaps even a little stubborn nature.
Those denser on the inside, as some jealous tongues claimed.
In other words, it is a blessing that his diligence is directed towards the art of alchemy than, say, less savory endeavors. Especially considering that handsome face of his.
Having finished her assessment, Lisa glanced over to Amber, who still held her lips tight. “That’s quite all right,” Lisa continued in an attempt to smooth over the awkward silence. “In any case, to what do I owe the pleasure, Chef Alchemist Albedo?”
To his credit, the young man didn't blink even once. “Please, there’s no need for formalities,” he replied evenly, shaking his head at the offered coffee as he walked up to her desk. “I merely wished to inquire about the current state of my proposals.”
Nodding curtly, Lisa gestured towards the finished stack of documents. “All yours to have.”
“Many thanks,” Albedo bowed in turn, and before long the sound of his steps disappeared down the hall.
“Did you see that?” Amber asked meekly.
“See what?” Lisa replied, her tone amused.
“Well, he looks good, and he's polite,” recited Amber, “to top it all, he’s incredibly talented. But—”
What was it that Amber was trying so hard to convey? Perhaps she simply wanted to say that there was this thin layer of superficial kindness and civility, and cold, indifferent stone beneath.
Lisa hummed. For a girl her age, Amber was surprisingly perceptive. Regrettably, the same couldn't be said about the major portion of knights and staff that populated the headquarters.
Glancing at the curious faces peeking from behind the bookshelves, Lisa mused at how the alchemist's indifferent attitude didn't seem to deter his admirers in the slightest. Her chair creaked softly as she leaned back and took a delightfully long sip of coffee. And then she smiled, amused.
“Even though he’s like a doll, he still gets lots of admirers,” Amber said one day during her habitual watching ritual from Lisa’s window. Her bold statement caused Lisa’s eyebrows to rise considerably, and made her look up from her book to follow the girl’s line of sight.
“Ah, is that another…?”
“Yup. Sure is, Lisa.”
In other words, a love confession. In any other case, Lisa would have latched onto this opportunity and enjoyed the show, however—
Swinging her feet back and forth, Amber gave Lisa a challenging look. “Do you think he'll give an excuse or straight up tell her he's not interested?”
It was a show, all right, but it has grown old and boring over the past several months.
“Do ready the tissues,” Lisa said half-jokingly, but Amber nodded seriously, taking that as a sign to act. Jumping up from her armchair, the girl snatched one of the extra large boxes from below the desk and darted over to the courtyard.
This time, at least, she had used the door instead of the window. Lisa could only shake her head, anticipating yet another cutie wetting her precious books with tears.
As they’d suspected, Chef Alchemist Albedo was trouble.
Indeed, in spite of his excellent work ethics and brilliant results in the field, notice of Chief Alchemist Albedo's handsome face and the disturbance it caused inevitably reached Acting Grandmaster Jean’s desk — much to her honest surprise and displeasure. Naturally, this warranted a special kind of emergency meeting, which promptly took place over a cup of coffee and cookies at Lisa's office.
"This cannot continue," said Jean once everyone had a cup in their hands. "The knight's morale is at their lowest. I don't want to imagine what the grandmaster would say if he could see this!"
Unperturbed by her grave tone, Lisa slipped a slice of a strawberry tart onto Jean's plate.
Amber nodded. "And I hate to see my fellow knights cry. Say, can't we just make him wear a bag over his face?"
"I fear that it would be counterproductive in his line of work," interjected Lisa with a small chuckle.
"But he could simply cut some holes into the paper!"
“Enough with the jokes..." Jean sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Frankly, I do not see how this is all the alchemist's fault," interjected Eula, who had been called in for reinforcements. ''But if you do care for my input on the matter, then I suggest that we provide him with extra funds to make himself at home in the only place where his face is unlikely to cause any grievance to the common citizens of Mondstadt." Several heads tilted to the side as she elaborated matter-of-factly, "Why, I speak of Dragonspine, of course. Besides, you can hardly call it banishment if he likes the place."
Thus, the problem was effectively relocated so it no longer disturbed the knights.
Chief Alchemist Albedo was more of a rare sight from that point on. Oh, he still got looks from the occasional knights and apprentices that dropped by to catch a glimpse whenever he came down from Dragonspine, but all in all it seemed as if the new alchemist’s indifference towards anything other than research had already become common knowledge.
And truthfully, Lisa would have forgotten about him if not for a single event that happened a couple of months after the incident related to a certain dragon was sorted out and the respective recordings stored deeply at the back of the library’s archives.
It was a particularly lazy day, which perhaps explained how she’d noticed that which later triggered a whole chain of gossip that propagated through her fellow knights.
One by one, Lisa watched the apprentice knights leave the library to enjoy the summer’s last blessings. Even Apprentice Knight Noelle seemed no stranger to such simple delights. Dipping in a cute curtsy, Noelle asked shyly to sign out a book, informing Lisa that she'd also cleaned up some mess that she'd found behind the shelves in the back.
Oh, to be young and cute.
Propping her cheek on her hand, Lisa waved her off, as she was deeply engrossed in a new book that she’d acquired through her Akademiya contacts. Much to her displeasure, she soon found that she could hardly concentrate on the old runes with all that wonderful sun that turned the old library into a literal oven.
Lisa sighed. Closing the book, she let her eyes glide over the library, only to find a single person left sitting in the very far table, completely unperturbed by the stuffy, hot air.
That person was none other than Chief Alchemist Albedo. Ever pretty, ever unsweating. It was almost as if he was truly a doll, his expression so cool that she felt instant relief. Did he realize that she was watching? Perhaps he did, perhaps he did not.
Either way, it was so hot that not a single soul had remained to fawn over his pretty face, leaving this poor librarian bereft of any entertainment.
She spared the clock a glance and sighed. For a lack of better options, she redirected her attention to the coffee pot. Giving in to her old habit, she reached out for her secret stash and opened the box with her favorite blend. The sole anticipation of the familiar hot feeling on her tongue was just enough to lift her spirits.
Closing the lid, she was about to fetch the water when her ears perked up at a most unusual, foreign sound.
Lisa froze. Was that... a chuckle? In her very own library?
Holding the pot in one hand, she turned around slowly, searching for the only human being that could have possibly produced it.
As absurd as it sounded, Lisa was certain that it was indeed a chuckle, even if it was that awkward sort of sound that didn’t correspond in any way with the only person that could have produced it.
At last setting the pot down, she stole a subtle glance at the chief alchemist. And there it was, that subtle turn up of his otherwise flat lips, the clear blue eyes looking down and glimmering with inexplicable amusement.
The sight sent a small chill of excitement down her spine.
She pressed her lips together, trying hard to keep her composure. Albedo — that Albedo — was smiling? Inconceivable! She had to be dreaming! Just what was it that had amused him to the point of breaking that terribly dull expression on his sweet face? Was it something that he’d seen in a book? Was it a personal journal? A fond memory from the past?
Oh, no. She knew that sort of look very well, and she felt herself grin as the realization of that fact sank in, warming her chest.
Was this the sort of news that she’d been craving all this time?
Why yes, it was. It had to be! The best addition to her afternoon coffee, sweeter than the bee sting cake from the bakery down the street and almost as entertaining as one of those trashy light novels from that Inazuman publishing company!
Her chest overflowed with a feeling of utter delight.
Pretending to sort the shelves, Lisa edged towards the table that the alchemist was presently occupying, before subtly glimpsing at what he was doing. What she saw made her lick her lips in an attempt to smooth over the smile that threatened to spill all over her face.
Chief Alchemist Albedo was composing a letter.
Lisa was sure of it — all one hundred percent. There was no mistaking the way his pen scratched the paper so carefully and meticulously, fueled with a certain energy that could only mean one thing: it was a letter meant for his sweetheart — that precious significant other that had melted his lips of marble and molded them into a decent smile.
Fetching a random book from the nearby shelf, Lisa glided back to her table where she sat down leisurely and started to prepare her coffee. Like a Sumerian tiger, she observed her prey.
She did not have to wait long.
Having set the final dot of ink on paper, the alchemist set out a quiet sigh and went to gather his scarce belongings, before eventually setting out for the door. Never one to miss her opportunity, Lisa spoke up just as he was about to pass by her desk. “Did you know that the library can send your correspondence free of charge?”
That sudden remark made him stop in his tracks.
“Is that so?” Albedo said, giving pause as he regarded her quietly. “Well, thank you for telling me.”
"Oh? You’re not going to send it, then?"
"Perhaps another time, as I am not finished yet."
Tipping his head, the alchemist was off before Lisa could think how to persuade him to, at the very least, allow her to catch sight of the lucky recipient's name.
But that was fine. After all, Lisa was in no hurry. To her, this matter was more akin to taking small bites of a cake, and everyone knew that a good dessert was meant to be eaten slowly. Besides, it was not like she planned on doing all the work by herself.
As if on cue, the door to the library creaked. Through the crack, she saw Amber's face peeking carefully inside.
“Lisa! Your favorite jelly doughnuts were on sale so I bought a bunch!”
“Oh my, how sweet of you to think of me!” Lisa all but purred. “What are you still waiting for? Do come in! Besides, I have the most delicious news to share.”
Ushering the girl in, Lisa waltzed over to the cabinet to fetch the cups.
“So what’s that news you were talking about, Lisa?” asked Amber, once her coffee has cooled down just a little and she’d taken a careful first sip.
Lisa’s lips split in utter delight.
“Well, you see… My intuition tells me that our dear chief alchemist is seeing someone!”
The coffee came pouring out of the girl’s mouth.
One would think that finding out something as simple as who a single person was supposedly dating would be a trivial matter. Moreover, with so many parties involved, the results should have been ready within a week, at most.
After all, it was the doll-faced alchemist, the prince of marble and stone that they were talking about, the very same one that had stolen the hearts of at least half the knights’ population regardless of preference and gender, and had caused regular waterfalls to flood the headquarters' halls until he had eventually left to work full-time on Dragonspine. The very same one that had not batted a single eye at the confession letters that had clogged his personal mailbox.
In conclusion, this entire matter was of the highest importance. Oh, the things Lisa had done to fish for those delicious crumbs of gossip, starting from staying overtime and ending with attempts at buttering up both the staff that was assigned to the library as well as the knights stationed all over the city.
All to no avail.
“Not a chance,” cried Amber once a full month had passed. “It’s like trying to find out what’s inside a rock!"
“Amber’s right,” chimed in Eula, “and I’m afraid that we’d have to split his skull if we ever wanted to find out the truth. I volunteer, if I have the acting grandmaster’s blessing.”
"Oh Eula, that's just terrible!"
Eula let out a huff, before crossing one of her legs over the other as she went stubbornly silent.
Amber pursed her lips, looking apologetic. "If only he wasn’t so cautious,” she complained, biting her lip. “If only you knew the amount of times that he’d almost discovered me... No, I'm actually quite positive that he’d noticed me tailing him! And I'm never-ever doing something like that again!”
“There's truth to what Amber says," said Jean in turn, her own face clouded by a sense of guilt, "and I suggest that you stop with this nonsense.”
"We? My dear Jean," Lisa countered with a smile, "was it not you who has shown the most interest in this matter? Oh, I recall that you've explicitly permitted me to—"
Before she could say more, Jean cut her off with an embarrassed, Enough!
Just then, a certain captain's head poked into the room, before letting out a whistle.
“Oh, what are you ladies up to?” asked Kaeya as he let his curious eye scan their disappointed faces. “Am I missing out on some fun activity?”
“It’s not exactly fun!” groaned Amber. "The thing is, we’ve still no idea who the Kreideprinz is dating!" she blurted out, frowning when Kaeya let out a merry laugh.
“Oh, is that all? In that case, why don’t you simply ask the Spark Knight?”
The women stilled, before letting out excited sounds at the cavalry captain's marvelous suggestion.
The Spark Knight’s life held many troubles, but none was quite as terrible as unexpectedly being called into Master Jean’s office.
Firstly, it was because the room was stuffy and contained nothing but boring books. Secondly, unlike Lisa’s library, there was not a single wrapped candy to be found on Master Jean’s strict desk. Lastly, nothing good ever happened when she was called in without prior notice.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, the scary room that she secretly referred to as the lion’s den had been transformed into a paradise: there were chocolate and cream cakes as far as her eyes could see, and sparkly cherries on top begged her to reach out a hand and quickly pop them into her watering mouth.
But Klee was a good child, and she knew that good children waited until they were given permission to eat cake. With that knowledge in mind, her eyes darted impatiently to Master Jean, who was the highest ranking adult in the room, then over to Miss Lisa who, Klee believed, was actually the more important adult since she often gave her wrapped candies. Finding Miss Lisa hopelessly distracted, Klee looked over to the other side of the table. Amber and Auntie Eula sat there, both of whom Klee respected almost as much as she did Miss Lisa.
The adults all wore smiles as they gathered around the table, reminding Klee of her mom's gatherings with her closest friends. It made her feel a little proud of herself, since she had grown enough to participate in such a gathering of her own. With a broad grin, Klee looked over at Master Jean, taking note of the light crease between her eyebrows. Much like Klee, she probably couldn't wait to eat the cake.
It was therefore Klee's job to help.
Pursing her lips, the girl glanced over to the adult in charge. "Master Lisa, can we eat the cake?"
Miss Lisa replied with a smile and expertly cut the dornmanwelle cake into even parts. Swallowing the water in her mouth, Klee noted that each slice was at least twice as big as the ones they usually served at the canteen. Upon Miss Lisa’s encouraging command, Klee scooped a good spoonful of cream with a cherry on top and stuffed it greedily inside her cheeks.
She drowned out the adult’s conversation after that, concentrating entirely on the feast before her eyes. She was about half-way through her second slice when her ears perked up as Master Jean unexpectedly called out her name.
"Incidentally, Klee, was there, perchance, any change in Albedo's living circumstances?"
Klee's spoon stopped midway. "Circum-what?" she asked, distracted by a cherry on her plate. It was big and juicy, and was practically begged to be devoured.
As Master Jean fumbled to give an answer, Amber let out a huff, before scooting over and plopping another cherry onto Klee's plate. The girl almost squealed in pure delight. She barely heard what Amber said next.
"What we mean is, does he have a... lover?" Amber’s last word came out a little awkward, and Klee watched in quiet fascination how Amber's brows furrowed, almost as if she'd eaten something funny instead of a cake.
Then again, perhaps she simply disliked the cherries.
"A lo-ver?" Klee parroted as her fork made quick work of the gelatinous fruit. As soon as she spoke that word, Auntie Eula let out a choking sound. She must've eaten a bit much, but it couldn't be helped because the cake was SO delicious.
"Just so you know," she heard Auntie Eula speak after clearing her throat, "even if this doesn't go against any written rules, we will be in for a lot of trouble!"
"Oh, be quiet, all of you," Miss Lisa interjected with a wave of her hand. "Just watch how a professional does it." She then faced Klee with a sweet smile. "Klee, dear, do you know what it means when Mommy Dodoco and Daddy Dodoco like each other very much?"
Did Klee know what that meant? She paused at that, recalling the strange words from earlier as the little gears in her head set out to work. Suddenly, she recalled something that her mom had once told her when she'd explained how Dodoco came to be.
Putting two and two together, Klee felt a lightbulb blink up above her head. "Oh, I got it, I got it!" she cried, and after swallowing the last cherry, she promptly jumped up from her seat, much to the surprise of the adults, before announcing, "When Mommy Dodoco and Daddy Dodoco like each other so much, a Little Dodoco appears in the oven!” Her eyes brimmed with gratitude and delight. “Miss Lisa, you’re the best! I’ll inform Brother Albedo that he mustn’t use the oven! At least not until Little Dodoco’s arrival!”
And without further ado, she dashed out of the room before any of the adults could utter a single word.
"We're in trouble, aren't we?" asked Amber meekly as the rest of the women shared a horrified look.
"I suppose that we are," replied Jean.
The rest nodded simply, resigning to their difficult fate.
They didn't have to wait long for the repercussions of their accidental mischief. Only a half a day later, a certain alchemist knocked on a certain office's door, and half an hour later walked out with the promise that they would refrain from playing pranks on their fellow knights.
Life lost its spark after their small investigation team was forced to disband.
Once more, Albedo had retreated to his camp on Dragonspine. In the meantime, Lisa's attention had promptly jumped to the recruits that needed thorough training before they could be allowed to clean a single shelf of her precious library. Thoughts of the chief alchemist’s private life would have left her entirely, were it not for yet another small event that happened some weeks after the Dodoco incident.
Armed with a cup of coffee and a sweet bun, Lisa was heading back to her office when she caught sight of a familiar alchemist rounding the corner. As per usual, her head started to dip in a curt nod, but instead of following all the way through with this familiar action, her head froze and her mouth parted lightly.
She gaped at the alchemist.
As if oblivious to her stare, Albedo merely offered a nod. His unmistakably swollen lips muttered a greeting, just as his hand came up to loosen the shirt that was already partially unbuttoned in an utterly scandalous manner.
Clutching the handle of her cup, Lisa’s eyes followed the alchemist as he promptly disappeared down the corridor. Shock was plain on her face.
But she wouldn't be Lisa — the master librarian — if she didn't get hold of herself within the next couple of seconds. With narrowed eyes, she all but dashed around the corner from where the alchemist had appeared—
—only to come to a sudden halt as she almost ran into the back of a girl.
It was none other than Barbara, the acting grandmaster's sister. Lisa blinked. Oblivious to her surroundings, Barbara was twirling her finger around her curly locks as she mumbled in thought.
"How strange... How strange indeed. The knights have always praised my homemade drink... And yet Mister Kreideprinz said that it could use some improvement. Could it be that his taste buds are more sensitive than others'?"
Blinking as she emerged from her thoughts, Barbara let out a soft sound when she finally noticed Lisa's presence.
"Oh, Lisa! What a coincidence, I was just about to ask for your opinion."
Smiling that sweet, innocent smile that had cost many a clueless knight his taste buds, Barbara held up her famous chilibrew.
Lisa could only sigh, declaring herself defeated.
"The knights seem rather excited these days. You wouldn't know anything about it, Albedo?"
Albedo regarded the deck in his hand, deeming the cards sufficiently mixed. He then looked over to the woman that had spoken those words. "Oh, is that so?" he commented impassively as he watched her finish mixing her own deck. "I hardly keep up with the city's gossip, given that I spend most of my time out in the field. Perhaps you ought to ask the librarian instead? I am certain she would be overjoyed to share some of her gossip. No doubt she'd missed you at least as much as we all did."
" We? " Lumine didn't look him in the eye as she said this, instead focusing on the cards that she'd spread between her hands. As he regarded her, he could feel his own hands itching for a pencil and paper, even though he knew well that he couldn't do that while they were still playing the game.
"Of course, myself included."
Then again, if he'd have reached for his notebook, then he'd have missed the moment when her lips quivered, breaking into a soft smile that remained there even after she'd taken a sip of her coffee.
Bringing his own cup to his lips, Albedo found that he, too, was smiling.