#archon!morax got me head in hands down disgusting tbh

[m1d-45]

-Pari Anon

After the, um, accidental kidnapping, Albedo learns that Pari!Reader hates being taken to the city. But they enjoy being at the Inn or in nature.

He finds them again on the balcony. They’re splashing happily in a tub of shallow water. He remembers the Adeptus that got angry at him, but as long as he doesn’t take Pari, he isn’t breaking any rules.

So he plays with Pari a while. And he isn’t bothered.

Until Xiao is walking up the stairs and finds Albedo with Pari again. It takes all his self control to not attack Albedo.

He begrudgingly learns that Albedo isn’t much of a threat to Pari. And maybe he can help should Pari get kidnapped by a certain Geo Archon.

[ prev post ] : spoilers for albedo lore/story quest

all things considered, albedos trip to liyue was going rather well. aside from the part where he angered an adeptus and nearly got his head cut off, of course, he could have gone without that. but he’d found the source of the ley line disturbance, and a few books in the city on teyvat’s mythos confirmed what he already suspected. the pari were an ancient sumerun race capable of changing the very terrain with their elemental powers… so why were you here?

unfortunately, there was no book on the local adepti at wanwen bookhouse. he considered asking around, but that might just draw unnecessary suspicion. if you lingered around the inn, it was likely your adeptus wasn’t far behind. he conferred with a few local specialists, comparing notes on the ley line disturbances. taking care of his business in the harbor took less time than traveling here, but he wasn’t as upset as he’d normally be. you alone would have warranted a full trip to the inn.

revised notes and a few new pages of others’ observations later, he was on his way. it was late into the afternoon, too late to return to mondstat but more than early enough to make it to the inn. the path was well-worn and easy to follow, and even if it wasn’t it was hard to get lost in the plains. wangshu inn stood high above the horizon line, a permanent marker of his path. he passed the occasional merchant or guild member, but neither they nor he stopped. his journey was largely uneventful, in truth, arriving at the inn an hour or so before the sun would sink below the sea. perhaps if he was able to get settled in by then, he’d be able to watch.

he checks in, going to the balcony to try and catch a glimpse of the sky, and finds you again. someone’s set out a shallow tub for you, filled halfway up with water and sitting on a table so you can see over the railing. the fading sun catches the splashes of water and turns them a bright gold, though you quickly freeze up. how strange, that someone as far removed from human form as you express such complicated emotions as conflict and warning so easily.

how strange, that a pari had not only found itself in liyue, but chosen to stay under watch of an adepti.

“i apologize for earlier,” he says, taking post by the railing and setting up an easel from his inventory. “i didn’t know you had found a guardian. you’re not native to liyue, and i worried.”

a half truth. his motives were far more self-serving than selfishness, but he truly wouldn’t have bothered you if he knew you had “the bane of all evil” as your host. his mistake, though the circumstances of your relationship were quite strange. not a pet, you were too intelligent and the adepti had insisted otherwise.

idly, he trasmutes one of his shorter pencils into a small wooden boat, khemia buzzing in his fingertips. it’s child’s play, one of the first forms he’d mastered, but he hears you chirp sharply from behind him. it’s not fearful, and you don’t say anything when he sets it on the table next to your basin in a quiet offering. he angles himself such that he can see both you and dragonspine behind you, taking up another pencil and beginning to draw.

was it wise to start another sketch when his first was still unfinished? probably not. but that one didn’t have you in it, did it?

the wind runs cold as the sun begins to set, though he doesn’t notice. what does make him pause is the burn of ozone in the air, his mind automatically wondering if tubing had come loose before remembering that he wasn’t in his lab anymore, and that-

“what are you doing here?”

right. ozone, the same odd smell that he didn’t have enough time to register earlier, stinging his nose and warning the air. albedo set down his eraser, giving his hands a cursory dusting before turning around. the same adeptus as before, flickers of gold gathered in one hand like he’s prepared to draw his spear at any moment. you sit in your tub, glancing between them, and he notices you’ve brought the boat in with you.

“drawing. it’s too late to make the journey to mondstadt, and i’ve already checked in with ms goldet. don’t worry, no harm has come to your… friend?”

the adeptus doesn’t respond, not that he expected him to. this was a shared public space, one that he happened to be in at the same time as you. nothing suspicious. you were not alarmed, and had not called for assistance.

you chirped softly, succeeding in getting both of their attentions. you were holding up the boat, carefully balancing it on your wings. were you… showing it to him? why?

the adeptus—would it be rude to ask for his name?—picked up the boat by the mast, turning it over. his gold eyes flashed white with elemental sight, then he returned it just as delicately as he’d picked it up. “where’d you get that?” he asked, voice considerably softer than before.

you pointed one wing at albedo with another chip, letting the boat fall back into the water and batting it around. he’s not sure how much entertainment someone capable of understanding complicated inter-personal relations could garner from a boat, but you were pushing yours to the upper limit, it seems.

“you.” he lifted his eyes, surprised to see the harshness in the adeptus’ had dulled. “what’s your name?”

“i am albedo, chief alchemist of the knights of favonius. you are?”

“…I don’t suppose you just *happened* to have that boat on-hand?”

“no, i made it for them. consider it a gift for scaring the both of you last time.”

“i did not get *scared-…*” he crossed his arms, shaking his head. “irrelevant. come with me, you’re going to catch a cold.”

the latter sentence was of course addressed towards you, his hand lowering to pick up his sleeve. he held it out for you to flap up and into, clutching the boat tight to your chest. the adeptus turned away, swallowed by blue smoke, and albedo sighed.

he’d much have preferred to have his name, but it wasn’t strictly necessary. as for his drawing, it was getting dark, so he added in a quick detail on the front before flipping it over, writing along the top of its frame.

‘an adeptus and his friend.’ — oil, canvas — a painting of a small pari in a basin, lifting a toy boat into the air. at first glance, it may seem like they are the adeptus in question, but finer eyes will see a figure hidden in the shadows atop the roof, looking down with a thin smile. completed by the chief alchemist during his trip to liyue, kindly donated to the knights’ headquarters for your viewing pleasure.