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At the sound of footsteps through the whistling frozen wind, Albedo looks up from his perch on the stool by his work bench, hunched over the diminished warmth of his plate. At the entrance to his lab stands Amber, bundled up and frankly not looking excited to be there. “Hello, Amber, what brings you up here?"
Amber peers up at Albedo through the scarf wrapped up around her neck and half her face. Despite the heavy cloak—and no doubt the thick clothes she's wearing under it—she still seems to be trembling lightly. It seems that having a Pyro Vision doesn't prevent one from being cold. Interesting, really. But that thought is interrupted by a muffled voice, "Albedo? When was the last time you came back down to Mondstadt?"
Albedo stares at her blankly for a moment, calculating the days and hours he’s written in his observation reports. “I believe it’s been 9 days since I’ve arrived in Dragonspine.” His response is blithe and uncaring. He’s been away for longer certainly, and word would be sent if a problem arose.
Amber seems resigned at his answer, her usual energy having been drained by her body redirecting it to keep her warm. She still obviously makes an effort to be chipper though, "Albedo, you know Acting Grandmaster Jean said that nobody's allowed to spend longer than a week in Dragonspine—without giving notice and making the necessary preparations—ever since that one incident with Pallad almost freezing to death up here! If for nothing else, at least come down because Sucrose has been worrying herself sick. Not to mention, I think she made a breakthrough with whatever she was doing but didn't want to disturb you."
“Ahh.” Albedo failed to factor in his location as part of any concerns his coworkers might have had with his absence. “But as you can see my lab is more or less set up for long term habitation. So I do believe I’m exempt from that rule.” His fork clinks against his wooden plate as he sets it down. “There’s really been no issue at all, and you can report it as such to the Acting Grandmaster.”
Amber's eyes crinkle above the scarf covering her face, indicating the smile that was often present on her face despite being hidden down. Her warm laugh is unhindered by the sound of the harsh winds in Dragonspine and seems to bring with it the essence of Mondstadt up here with her. "Come on! You can tell her yourself! It's been a while and we miss you. Mondstadt just isn't the same when even one of us leaves, and that includes you with your research. Plus, you can get some fresh food. Good Hunter has this new dish you have to try out-"
She interrupts herself in her returned excitement, "What have you got there anyway? Is that a honey glaze? Do you like sweets? Lisa complained about the candy she set aside disappearing every now and then but we all just thought Ella was munching them absentmindedly. Was it you? They didn't disappear by the weekend this time like they usually do."
Albedo watches silently as she chatter seemingly endlessly, her eyes regaining their usual brightness as she warms up in the lab. It’s reassuring to see her returning to her usual chatty self, although finding she becomes quieter with the cold is an interesting discovery.
“They’re pancakes with honey glaze and whipped cream.” He gestures to a wooden crate nestled in the piling snow behind Amber. “Dragonspine is perfect for storing perishables, although they do tend to freeze.” He goes quiet again, pointedly ignoring her question about the candy, knowing Amber is easily distracted. Sometimes he just needs a boost of sugar for his reports—it’s not a crime or anything.
"Oooh, that looks delicious! Well, finish it up! I'm definitely getting you to make some for me when we get back—with ingredients that haven't been frozen. Quinn has a crate of fresh strawberries arriving soon and they'll be perfect with pancakes! We can have some together—you can teach me how you make your pancakes!" Amber's eyes sparkle with the reflection of the fire Albedo has set up to keep himself warm and she seems fully recovered by now. Even her shivering has stopped in favour of her lightly bouncing on her feet in excitement, the same way she is always ready to run off to make herself useful back in Mondstadt.
“I…” Albedo trails off as he begins to speak. From what little he’s seen of her cooking, she's frankly a … nightmarish cook. But perhaps she’d benefit from structured instruction. And it is awfully cold, and he has no currently ongoing experiments and only observation reports to write—perhaps returning to Mondstadt wouldn’t be so bad. He scans the lab for anything out of place, and stands up.
“Help yourself to some pancakes, and I’ll get ready to leave.” He wipes the slight stickiness from his hands before pulling his gloves on. “It can’t be helped so I’ll return to Mondstadt.” Amber grins so brightly at him that he's interested in seeing how she'll change as they brave through the weather again when they head back down. He lets himself smile a little. Mondstadt and its people aren't so bad, after all.