A Witch's Apprentice | Xiaoven

Chapter 4

I was frozen still. Not moving an inch. This wasn't supposed to happen; this wasn't part of the plan. Albedo glanced down at me, seeming to understand the situation I was stuck in and quickly tried to step in.

"My apologies," he bowed down to Barbatos, hiding the letter in the palm of his hand, crumbling it in his grip. "The name slipped out of my mouth."

Barbatos grabbed me away from him, clawing into my shoulders. I winced at the pain. Does he have no sorrow?
"Don't make that mistake again." He clung onto my hand and tried to drag me out of there. I immediately turned my head back around, looking at Albedo for assistance.

"I need the elixir! I can't leave without it..!" I sucked in my breath through my teeth, getting frustrated.
He opened his mouth but no words came out. Do I have to read his lips? Oh come on.. I was never good at that sort of thing...

Before I knew it, Barbatos had opened the doors, and sunlight peeled through the doorway.
"Quick!" I told myself. "Do something-!"

The blue bird flew towards me, using it's claw to pierce a long scratch onto my arm. It began to bleed, and the blood eventually dripped onto Barbatos hand. He paused midway in the doorway, looking at my arm. Was this Albedo's plan? To injure me and pray that Barbatos asks him to fix me up?

How idiotic.

"You're bleeding?" He questioned me. "How did you have the time to earn such a large cut on your arm?"

"I-..I fell into the waters at the fountain and scraped my arm onto the stone..." I tried to come up with an excuse. Barbatos wiped the blood away from my arm with his sleeve; staining it in a fading crimson color.

"I'll heal you when we get back." He said coldly. I assume he was angry at me for wandering into this shop without his permission.

"But it really hurts..I can't wait until we get home, that's too long..!" I whined just like how any other child would. I forced out a few tears and rubbed my nose hard to make it red, wiping away at fake boogers.

He stood looking at me cry for a moment before sucking it up and dragging me back to Albedo. Barbatos sighed after finally giving in as he stood face to face with Albedo.
"Do your magic, puppet man." He told him, handing over a bag of mora to him, and plopping it into Albedo's hand.

Albedo grinned, calling over for his assistant.
"Sucrose!" He said, waiting for a response. I could hear a pair of heels clopping towards us, and a maiden with mint green hair with cat ears and amber eyes approached up.

"You need anything, Mr Albedo?" She looked at him, not paying any attention to me or Barbatos. She looked too nervous to even look us in the eye.

"Would you lead this customer to a seating area while I fix up this young boy?" Albedo said, his voice was soothing and kind when he spoke to her. They were probably good friends. Unlike me and him who only were in contact because of a mission.

"Of course..," she said glumly. "Please follow me this way.." she lead Barbatos away. He glared at Albedo one last time before accepting it and moving on.

"Step inside please," Albedo told me, leading me into a separate room. "We have much to discuss."
______

"So I'm assuming the man you were just with was Barbatos, correct?"

"Correct." I answer back fast as he wrapped a bandage around my arm.

"I'll send out some Mondstadt soldiers to guard close around the area in the woods where you stated his house is." Albedo told me. "Just in case anything happens, of course."

"Tell them to be careful, he might sense them." I warned him in a hushed voice, afraid Barbatos might be able to hear us.

"No need to whisper, this room is soundproof." Albedo informed me, and that alone was enough to comfort me a bit. "And I will,"