Chapter Text
Of all the interesting things Albedo had hoped to find on this little expedition, he never would’ve expected anything quite like this.
A fairy.
Well, what he could only assume was a fairy, although it was probably the most logical assumption to make. She definitely looked the part. Like something straight out of a storybook.
What appeared to be a tiny young woman—hardly more than four inches tall—had somehow gotten herself caught up in some of his alchemy equipment. Aside from her small stature, her most noticeable feature had to be the wings on her back, which were currently fluttering like mad as she tried to free herself.
Unfortunately for her, she seemed to have gotten thoroughly tangled in a cluster of cords. Just how she had managed to do such a thing was beyond him, but he supposed that particular detail didn’t really matter in the long run.
“You’re only going to hurt yourself if you keep struggling like that.”
At the sound of his voice, she visibly flinched before turning to look his way. Her amber eyes grew even wider with fear. No matter how small she was, that much was readily apparent.
He hoped his words might convince her to stop struggling, but they seemed to have the opposite effect. Or maybe it was because he’d risen to his feet soon after speaking, intending to bridge the distance between them.
“Here, I’ll help you,” the young alchemist offered. He reached out towards her with both hands once he was close enough to do so. Just as the tips of his fingers brushed against her small form, Albedo received yet another surprise.
A sudden gust of wind pushed his hands away with enough force to make him reel back.
It didn’t take long to figure out what had happened. Not when the fairy’s hands glowed with a vibrant turquoise hue.
Had she just used Anemo on him? That had to have been the case, but… she certainly didn’t seem to possess a Vision.
Perhaps fairies were similar to slimes or hilichurls in that they didn’t require Visions to channel elemental energy? Albedo supposed that would work as an explanation, although it really only left him with more questions than answers. This definitely warranted further study later. But for now…
“I don’t think you’ll be able to get out of that on your own,” he pointed out. “Will you let me help you?”
There wasn’t any frustration in his tone at all. He was simply stating an observation and asking a question.
Still, no verbal response came from the tiny girl.
After quite a long pause, it occurred to him that there may have been another important trait she shared with slimes and hilichurls.
“Can you understand me?”
Another pause.
But before it became as long as the previous one, she finally nodded. A clear and definitive yes.
Alright. Good. That would make this situation much less challenging.
“Will you let me help you?” he repeated, still as calm and collected as ever.
The fear in her eyes shifted into a more conflicted expression as she seemed to mull it over.
“I’ll be careful, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Even without touching her, Albedo could tell how delicate she was. Almost like a flower. He recalled certain stories describing how fairies had clothing made from flowers, but the dress she had on now looked less like petals and more like normal fabric. Maybe silk? Or something similar? It was mostly white in color, with faint accents of pale blue.
“…Okay.”
Such a soft voice, and yet it was still enough to break him out of his thoughts.
Albedo tilted his head ever so slightly to one side, briefly wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. His little visitor had finally taken her eyes off of him, averting her gaze downward. Her conflicted and fearful expression remained, although it seemed to have lessened just the slightest bit.
Now that he had her permission, Albedo brought his hands closer to her again. With deft fingers, he began the meticulous process of stripping the cords away from her limbs. Given all the experience he had working with ingredients that could be volatile if mixed or handled incorrectly, this was a task he was somewhat familiar with. Obviously not quite the same, but close enough.
As he worked, there were times when his fingers grazed her wings. They’d gone still by now, save for a little twitch every so often, so he was able to get a much better look at them.
They were segmented into three distinct pairs, each paper-thin and somewhat translucent. Almost white at the tips, but fading into a pale yellow gradient closer to the base. They even gave off a faint glow. Most depictions he’d seen showed fairies with the wings of various insects—usually butterflies—but hers were much more unique than that. If not for the fact that he could feel them in that moment, Albedo probably would’ve thought they were just projections of some kind instead of anything physical. A part of him still expected his fingers to phase right through them.
“Almost done,” he murmured.
With most of the cords out of the way, he gently cupped one hand beneath her to support her feather-light weight, using the other to take care of what was left. At that point, only her legs were entangled, but it wouldn’t be too terribly long until he freed those as well.
As soon as the last bit fell away, her wings were practically buzzing again, fluttering too fast for his eyes to keep track of. Before he could even think of reacting, she zoomed into the air and all but vanished, darting off into the trees overhead.
Just like that, she was gone.
“Oh.”
Albedo had hoped to try talking with her more, maybe learn her name at the very least, but… it seemed clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed, but he couldn’t say he was all too surprised either.
Hmm… It would be difficult to do just from memory, but maybe he could get a few basic drawings down in his sketchbook? Surely it wouldn’t hurt to try. Even though he still needed to finish fully setting up his camp, there was plenty of daylight left. He could afford to take a break for a little while longer.
She thought for sure that he would’ve chased after her. Or at least tried to.
As soon as he’d gotten her free from those ropes, she’d raced out of that clearing as fast as her wings could carry her, not looking back until she reached the safety of the trees.
He just… stood there. For almost a full minute. And aside from looking a bit dejected, his somewhat blank expression hardly changed at all.
When he finally did decide to move again, it was to rummage through one of the packs he’d brought along, eventually pulling out some kind of spiral-bound book and a handful of pencils. With those minimal supplies procured, he then plopped right down in the middle of his campsite and started… drawing? That was what it seemed like, anyway.
What an odd human she’d found…
Lumine should’ve gone straight home after that, especially after confirming that she wasn’t being followed. She knew that was what she should’ve done.
So… why was she still there?
Probably for the exact same reason she’d gotten so close to the campsite in the first place.
It wasn’t unheard of for humans to venture into this part of the forest, but it wasn’t very common either. Not to mention, the ones that did come around usually didn’t stay for very long. Certainly not long enough to set up camp, and from the looks of it, this human seemed like he’d brought enough supplies to last for at least the next few days.
As far as Lumine was aware, there wasn’t really anything in the area that humans found particularly valuable. No major ore deposits, rarely ever any large prey animals like boars or deer… All the nearby streams were only just big enough to hold minnows and tadpoles… And not counting the trees, the only things that really grew around here were wildflowers.
Nothing of note, aside from her and her brother—and she liked to think that the two of them did a pretty good job of staying inconspicuous.
Speaking of Aether, though… He was bound to worry himself sick if she didn’t make it home by nightfall. Not that she planned on hanging around that much longer, she just…
Surely it wouldn’t hurt to stay and watch for a bit? Just to see exactly what this human was up to and make sure it wasn’t anything to worry about. As long as she kept her distance, everything was bound to be fine.
True to his usual nature, Albedo found himself getting so absorbed in his work that he almost completely tuned out the world around him.
He didn’t even notice that the sun had started setting until the decrease in light made it harder to see the page he was currently drawing on.
Ah. It seemed that time had gone by quicker than he’d anticipated.
He didn’t mind too terribly, though. If anything, he was more bothered by the fact that he wasn’t quite satisfied with the sketches he’d come up with.
Oh well. Neither of those things could really be helped, he supposed.
After taking a moment to stretch, Albedo set his sketchbook aside and stood back up. He then surveyed all the supplies he had left to unpack and set up. Perhaps he would save that for tomorrow morning, though. Even pitching his tent could wait, honestly. He wouldn’t mind sleeping out under the stars, especially just for one night. The weather was definitely more than pleasant enough for it—the clear, cloudless sky would provide for some excellent stargazing.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he spotted something strange out of the corner of his eye.
A faint golden glow, not unlike that of a firefly.
And it was coming from one of the nearby trees.
Albedo turned to try and get a better look at it, but the light disappeared hardly more than a second after his gaze landed on it properly.
It was entirely possible that he’d just imagined it, but… if there was even the smallest chance that she’d returned, he was willing to take it.
“Hello…? Are you there?”
A long pause followed his words.
He held his breath. The only things he could hear were the ambient sounds of the forest. Birds singing. Crickets chirping. Leaves rustling in the breeze.
And then the light reappeared, emerging from behind the trunk of the tree.
Even if it was too far away to make out any details, Albedo was certain that it had to be her.
“I didn’t think I would get to see you again.”
Another long pause.
Until she finally broke the silence.
“Why… Why are you here?” Her tone was quite demanding—almost harsh, even. It was a far cry from the single softly-spoken word he’d received earlier. And with a question he genuinely hadn’t been expecting, no less.
“In this forest, you mean?” he clarified. “I had heard that this area was rarely visited by other people, so I hoped it would be an optimal location to study and conduct research with minimal interruptions.”
As much as he would’ve preferred traveling back up to Dragonspine for the solitude he desired, this place was much closer to the city. He also didn’t have to contend with the mountain’s freezing temperatures here either. He didn’t particularly mind the cold, but his equipment would certainly be easier to maintain without it.
“…What kind of ‘research’?”
Albedo perked up ever so slightly at that. Was she curious about his work? Or just skeptical of his intentions? Either way, it might prove difficult to explain, depending on her answer to his next question.
“Are you familiar with alchemy at all?”
“I… No, I can’t say that I am.”
“Ah, I see.” That didn’t come as a very big surprise, if he was being honest. Even most humans weren’t very familiar with it, unless they themselves were alchemists. “I could show you some of my work, if you’re interested? That would likely be easier than trying to explain it.”
Yet another long pause. She seemed almost fond of them at this point.
By now, it was quite obvious to him that she was wary of humans, and he certainly couldn’t blame her for that. He knew all too well just how negatively people could react to those who were different from them. Especially those who weren’t human themselves…
“It’s getting late. I really shouldn’t—I can’t stay here for much longer,” she explained.
“I understand. I’ll be camping here for the next few days, though. You’re free to come back tomorrow, if you’d like,” he offered.
“I’ll… I’ll think about it. No promises.”
The light started to move again after that, heading back behind the tree.
“Wait. Before you go,” he called after her. “Could you tell me your name? Mine is Albedo.”
She’d already disappeared completely from his line of sight, but perhaps there was a chance that she was still close enough to hear his request.
“…Lumine.”
Albedo smiled at that. It suited her.
“It was nice to meet you, Lumine.”