Contentment is an emotional state of satisfaction that can be seen as a mental state, maybe drawn from being at ease in one's situation, body and mind. Colloquially speaking, contentment could be a state of having accepted one's situation and is a milder and more tentative form of happiness.

Viox was flushed red as she laid on her left side. She hardly wanted to be on this trip, much less be sharing a bed with the Chief Alchemist, but Klee had asked so nicely to sleep in the bed by herself because she was growing up and didn't need to share a bed with a grown up. So that's how Viox ended up laying in the same bed as Albedo.

He had explained beforehand that he didn't really sleep all that much due to being a Golem. So he had offered to lay on the floor if that made Viox feel better, but it would make Viox feel worse because it wasn't fair if he gave up being comfortable because she was sleeping in what was rightfully his bed. She had tried to say that she could sleep on the floor, but Klee asked why they couldn't just share the bed. Which led them to this moment in time. She was back to back with Albedo, they were both under the blankets as well. Viox knew one thing, she couldn't really fall asleep with the man in the same bed as her.

Now, she didn't think of him as a creep, but more or less, she had only shared a bed with females before. Her sister, Rei, Klee. Sleeping next to Albedo was different. She carefully rolled over as her eyes took in the sleeping form of Albedo, tonight it seemed his body needed more rest than normal. Maybe him learning that new thing earlier today took a lot out of him? She watched his shoulders rise and fall as his breathing was deep and even. Her eyes took note that his hair was a lot longer than she had originally thought it was. Though it was light and fluffy in some odd way. It was a light blond color but in the darkness of the room it took on a dirty blond. She was curious about how he kept it so neat and tidy. She did notice that the way that his hair was cut, a good chunk of the hair he always had tied back was longer than that of the hair in back that was always down. Which explained why he always had to tie back. Viox noticed that the hair also had a bit of a curl at the end of it. Perhaps he had naturally curly hair and Viox just hadn't noticed all that well. She hardly had been paying attention to the Alchemist although, spending most of her time with Klee and Rei this past week.

Her eyes looked over towards his neck where the thin leather cord from the necklace she had gotten him laid. Viox merely bought it as a thank you in a way, though that's what she said out loud. She actually bought it because she thought it was fitting for him to have. She leaned in a little closer as her nose also took in the same sharp scent from when they had danced together, the scent of dirt, paint, and grass. She watched his back as she noticed the man didn't have a shirt on, so his bare back was showing as the blanket was pooled over his stomach. Viox flushed a little, she had seen Kaeya shirtless many times, and the man would tease her about watching him. Albedo was different though.

She wanted to study him. Learn about him, what he was thinking, trying to feel, how he was made, and much more. Before she could think, her hand reached out and gently touched Albedo's back. She could feel the bones in his spine as her fingers gently traced the curves of it. She carefully pressed her hand fully against his skin. How could someone so human-like, be so inhuman at the same time. The skin under her warm palm was cold as if he was dead in a way. She pulled her hand away quickly as the other rolled over. Their eyes connected in the dim lighting.

Albedo kept his breathing even as he pretended to be asleep. He didn't mind sharing a bed with Miss Viox, but she seemed overly tense about it. He wasn't sure if lying in the same bed as him was the cause of it, but he did try to give her the bed. That's when he felt the bed move. He kept his breathing the same as he didn't dare roll over as well. That's when he felt her small warm hand touch his bare back. Albedo was unsure why the woman was tracing his spine as her hand ran down each bone curve, then it rested fully against his cold skin. Not one to assume something, he carefully rolled over to look at the woman that was laying next to him. Their eyes connected in the dim light. Miss Viox's eyes look like dark green pine needles in Dragonspine as he could see a little redness on her cheeks.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" She asked in a soft voice, it was hushed as Klee was sleeping.

Albedo shook his head, "No." He responded

"Oh."

Then silence once more. Albedo cleared his throat a little, "How is your night going?" He asked, looking at the pink haired woman.

"It's going well, yours?"

"It's going well as well."

This small talk didn't bother Albedo, although he was trying his best to learn about Miss Viox. The short answers were normal, but he was curious about her. "Miss Viox?"

"Yes?" She replied softly.

"Do you dislike me?" Albedo asked, he knew that his tone probably didn't help matters, he didn't know how to change it the way Klee and Miss Viox could to help express his conflictions. He watched Miss Viox's face morph into what he assumed was the emotion of surprise, as her eyes widened and her breathing stilled for a moment before he watched her take another breath.

"No…it's not that." Her reply sounded strained as if she was holding back a few other words, but she didn't voice them.

Albedo took a moment before speaking once more, "You seem rather upset at this whole arrangement. I merely am intrigued by if you are disliking me or my reasonings, though I have noticed you get along well with Klee, yet you seem to not want to get along with me. More or less tolerate me in a sense. Did I happen to do something wrong? Or have I made you, as they say, uncomfortable?"

"No, it's more of trying to understand you and your habits. Studying you as a researcher should be doing. I've been reading up on many different types of Golems and I still can't figure you out." Miss Viox explained quietly, she had tilted her head down to look at her hand that lay next to her head, "You're so different from what I've read. You breathe yet sometimes you don't even need to take a breath. You eat, yet it's in very small amounts, unless it's dessert, you seem to have the strangest sweet tooth, but you hardly eat large portions of meat. Which is fair, I don't even eat that much meat too. You don't laugh or smile, you never frown, your eyes never change, even when you are reading and learning something new."

Albedo watched her as something pulsed in his chest once more, he carefully reached out and took her hand in his. The warmth of her skin touching his cold fingers and palm sparked something inside him, as he moved to lay closer to the other, he found her warm. What was this feeling? She was warm and smelt like sugar, with the tartness of edible flowers.

"Knight Albedo?" She whispered

Albedo moved close enough so their foreheads would touch as he looked at her. Curiosity was the act of wanting to understand an action, thing, or more. This emotion was different, perhaps he could ask about it in the morning, but for now, his body seemed to want to relax while being close to Miss Viox.

"Call me Albedo…please." He whispered

"Then call me Viox…please?" She whispered back.

If he could smile, he would have. Was this the act of getting to know someone? He wasn't sure. He watched her eyelids slowly flutter shut, she was tired it seemed. Unlike him. He wasn't tired at all as the new emotion bubbled up inside him. He watched her sleep through the night as he gently held her hand in his. Albedo wasn't sure that there was something different, but it was new, and he oddly wanted the new feeling to stay.

When morning came, Albedo was unsure if he had fallen asleep, his eyes were blurry and he felt as if he was dazed in a way. He carefully moved but there was an odd weight on his chest. He blinked the sleep from his vision as a head of pink hair was cuddled up to his form. Viox had somehow tangled herself up with Albedo and was fast asleep. He knew that moving would cause the other to wake up, so he stayed put. What else could he do? Wake the woman that clearly needs rest? He had noticed that Viox was always a little slow in the mornings, she always was in a sleepy state till her breakfast tea. Albedo was always the one up first in the mornings and got everyone breakfast afterall. Though in this sticky situation, he might as well wait a little longer until Viox was awake.

"Big Brother Albedo?" Klee's voice called from the left side of the bed

Albedo turned as the bed moved, Klee had gotten up on the bed and crawled over to his side as she laid back down. He wasn't surprised that Klee was coming for a small cuddle, she had a habit of crawling into his bed late into the night as well, but it was barely dawn outside, so the room was still dark. Albedo would smile if he could as he felt Klee's small body cuddle up to his side as she curled up with his right arm in her small arms.

"Big Brother Albedo…can we get sweet cakes this morning?" Klee asked very quietly, she could see that Miss Viox's head was laying on top of her brother's chest, her eyes still closed as the other grown up was fast asleep still. Her red eyes looked up to meet her older brother's blue-green ones.

Albedo nodded a little, "I do not see a problem in doing so. Did you have plans for the day, Klee?" He replied

Klee shook her head a little, "Not that I can fully remember. Miss Viox wanted to walk around the Inn today with me and Miss Rei. I don't remember if it was for the Lantern Rite though, but I wanted to do something else, cause that all sounds boring."

"Why don't you two go fish blasting today then? Zhongli and I were going to go talk in the Inns library for the day. I'm sure Viox wouldn't mind going out to the waters today." Albedo stated

Klee looked at her sibling, he had called Miss Viox by her first name, "You called Miss Viox, Viox…Are you allowed to call her that?" She asked worriedly.

Albedo nodded, "She told me I could call her that last night after you had gone to sleep."

Klee frowned before she got up, "Lets go get breakfast!" She exclaimed quietly, getting off the bed and darting towards her pack of clothes to get dressed.

Albedo slowly removed himself from Viox's side as he made sure she was comfortable laying on one of the pillows as he too went to get dressed for the day. His eyes kept darting back towards the pink haired woman, that odd feeling from last night still itched his skin. Now if only he could ask what it was.