Sucrose's new bedroom was located on the third and topmost floor, across from Dori's. In said floor there were only those two rooms, larger than the ones on the second floor, and a restroom. Both rooms were of the same size but opposite layouts. Besides, Dori's room was full of all sorts of luxuries, whereas Sucrose's barely had the furniture, a lamp on her nightstand, and a new mattress purchased on their last trip to Sumeru City, along with some bed sheets. The reason for that was because Dori had never allowed for that room to be used until then. And nobody knew why, because Dori never explained her motive either, not even to Sucrose when she showed it to her.

That same night, Sucrose slept in her new canopy bed better than she ever had before. It was like she had slept on a cloud. And her new sky blue nightgown was also quite fresh and comfortable, even though she had slept with her gloves on. Her new bed was so nice that she had considered for a brief moment not to get up. But she did, she stretched, and then she got changed. She brushed her hair in her usual ponytail, hiding her ears with it as she did everyday. She always slept with her ears raised, because otherwise she would squash them with her head, which would lead to pain or cramps on them the morning after. She picked up her glasses from the nightstand and put them on. She was ready for her first day.

In the meantime in which she was waiting for everything to be prepared in order to begin her new job, Sucrose used that time to get used to her new environment. That first day, she explored the whole palace as much as she could, so that she could learn its layout at heart, after asking a perplexed Dori for permission.

"You are literally in your house," was her answer.

The only exceptions were any locked door to which she didn't have the key and going near the small building. Sucrose thought that that might be the storehouse where Dori kept her goods, because she saw constant movement of boxes of all kinds and sizes going in and out; moreover, the windows were boarded.

The day after, she began to explore the basin the palace was in. To the left after going down the entrance ramp there was a path between the rocky walls which lead to where the Stumper Beasts were kept. She couldn't go beyond the gate at the end of the path, as she didn't have the key, but she could see that the Beasts had a considerable amount of space to roam free.

The upper part of the basing had nothing but rocks and the side road to the palace. Sucrose didn't want to venture further on her own yet. The bottom was another story. Many lotus floated upon the water which surrounded the rock on which the palace was built. Native plants and flowers grew everywhere on the dry land patches, as well as fruits and berries. When Sucrose descended the path to the bottom, she felt a sudden temperature drop. Since it never received direct sunlight throughout the entire day, that place was cooler than everywhere else. For Sucrose, who was still accustoming herself to Sumeru's heat, it was a good discovery. Besides, the babbling of the waterfalls was relaxing. She thought that she could go there to rest and clear her mind as a change of pace from staying inside her laboratory all day long; or 'workshop', if Dori didn't change her mind.

She had it tougher, however, to get used to the sumerian's gastronomy, richer in spices than the mondstadtian's and, most notably, spicier. Her first normal meal made her breathe fire in tears and cries, even though Dori had said that it was only a little spicy.

On the other hand, she hadn't made any progress regarding her relationship with the other employees. She was already hesitant to speak with them in the first place, but after Dori had assigned her to that different and special room, she was feeling even more out of place than before. She tried to avoid Shaghayeh as much as possible, fearing that she might upset her; as well as Goshtasb, who still maintained a wariness towards her. In spite of this, she did get along quite fast with Mandana, the gardener. When the latter surprised her while she was gazing at the garden's flowers, they both talked about flowers for hours without even realizing.

It was her fourth day in her new home and Sucrose had already run out of ideas about what to do. Dori had left to do business in person and she didn't want to bother Mandana while she was working; therefore, she just sat on one of the gazebo's benches, trying to distract herself by filling her head with the ambiance's sounds in her best efforts not to become annoyed: there was nothing that Sucrose hated more than sitting idly being her only choice. That tediousness which she was having broke when she saw another employee arriving at the gazebo. She recognized him right away.

"Hello. Could we talk for a moment?" he greeted her.

"Ah, you're the one from the caravan the day that we went to the city, right?"

"So you remember me," the employee nodded. "That's correct. My name's Soltani."

"And what did you want from me?" Sucrose hesitated.

"Nothing in particular. I was wondering if we could chat for a bit."

Sucrose raised her eyebrows. Soltani had been nice to her the other day, but at that time Dori was present; the current situation was different. She couldn't avoid feeling skeptical.

"Are you going to say something about my sudden arrival, too?"

"Nothing of the sort. Although I'd lie if I said that I wasn't surprised," Soltani recognized. "But I don't mull over it. If the boss vouches for you, then you have my full support."

"Are you sure?" Sucrose queried, fully surprised. "Keep in mind that I suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it looks like she's giving me better treatment."

"Are you saying that because of the butler and Shaghayeh? Well, since the responsibility of the palace lies with them, I can't blame them for being wary around you," Soltani explained. "But the familiarity that the boss is treating you is something worth mentioning. She acts like that around us, too, but not to that extent."

"I don't know what to say to that…" Sucrose confessed. "She's been like that to me ever since we met."

"Just do what I'm doing: don't mull over it. If you do your job properly, everyone here will end up accepting you, I assure you."

Even though Sucrose had already decided to do so, hearing it from another made her feel much better. She looked at Soltani with a smile and nodded.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"And if you ever need help, don't hesitate to come to me or to the boss," Soltani advised. He then raised his head and grinned. "And I've mentioned her just now…"

Without saying a word, he left towards the garden's entrance. Sucrose went after him, full of curiosity. At the bottom of the ramp she found a small caravan that had just arrived, and Dori was there. She was dumbfounded. Did Soltani have some kind of sixth sense for knowing whenever the boss had arrived?

Dori noticed Sucrose and ran to her. She was bursting with joy and her eyes sparkled with blinding intensity.

"Sucrose! Guess what! I have two news for you, one good and one good!" she announced joyfully. "Which one do you prefer first?"

Sucrose was puzzled, but decided to play along. "The good one?"

"Very well, then!" Dori clapped. "We finally have your new outfit! I will go fetch the parcel and then we will go inside to get you changed!"

Dori waited next to Shaghayeh in front of the dressing room's door. Since Sucrose still didn't want to be seen, they had no choice but to wait outside. Dori, leaning against the wall, stared at Shaghayeh, who was waiting steadily and facing forward, as if she were a statue. Despite this, Dori could tell very well what was on her mind.

"Sucrose will do a great job," she assured.

"Whether she does a good job or not is nothing for me to decide," replied Shaghayeh in a monotonous voice.

"You are correct: it is mine. I am just asking you not to be so harsh on her. She still needs time to accustom herself to this new life of hers. Plus, she has a difficult time opening herself up to others."

Shaghayeh turned her head and stared back at Dori. She was still unsure if having let that stranger in wouldn't give rise to trouble in the future. And she was determined to protect the peace and quiet in the palace at any cost.

"You will see that I haven't made a mistake," Dori guaranteed. "And besides, shouldn't Lesser Lord Kusanali vouching for her be proof enough about her sincerity?"

Shaghayeh nodded, although with hesitation. She wasn't still convinced in its entirety, but she thought that she should at least give Sucrose a vote of confidence. Perhaps she was just being too overprotective.

Dori knocked on the door. "Sucrose! Have you changed already!?"

"Hey, Dori!" Sucrose exclaimed from inside the dressing room. "I don't like these clothes!"

"That means yes."

Before Sucrose could even react, Dori opened the door and irrupted without hesitation. Sucrose jumped and screamed. Dori wasn't mistaken: she had already changed.

She was wearing a white camisole with two vertical lace trims which left her navel exposed, and a turquoise green vest without buttons which barely covered her shoulders. Her shorts, quite short, were teal. She was wearing emerald shoes with golden lines and round, brown toes; and white socks. The soles of her shoes had the same prints as her old boots. Her gloves were white with long, transparent emerald frills. On her head she was wearing a navy blue headscarf with a light-blue orchid printed on it. Her new hair clip had the shape of a Kalpalata Lotus. Of the same color as her headscarf was the split cape she was wearing on her back. There was a small constellation printed on each part of said cape, both of the same color as the orchid. Both constellations had a line which went towards the center of Sucrose's back, where there was an eight-pointed star printed on her vest. That way, everything looked like one single, larger constellation. Lastly, she was wearing a necklace with a peculiar, hook-shaped ornament.

Sucrose turned an intense bright red when she was looked at by Dori and Shaghayeh, and covered her body with her arms.

"No! Stop! Don't look!" she begged. "This is too little clothes! It's embarrassing!"

"Nonsense. It suits you wonderfully," Dori smiled. "I told you that you would be more comfortable wearing something better suited for Sumeru's climate."

"Oh, come on! Almost everyone is more dressed than I am!"

Dori, without losing her smile, pointed at Sucrose's necklace and said, "That ornament is for you to hook your Vision on it."

Sucrose didn't have any time to say anything to Dori for outrageously ignoring her opinion when Shaghayeh stood before her.

"Is there something not of your size?" she asked her. "If so, I can remedy it in no time."

"No, there isn't anything uncomfortable…" Sucrose whispered shyly.

"Then it's settled!" Dori said smilingly while clapping her hands. "You may leave now, Shaghayeh."

"What!? No! I meant the size!" Sucrose protested.

However, Dori was paying the same attention to her, and Shaghayeh was already leaving with her old clothes. Sucrose couldn't stop her before she closed the door after her. She hung her head down and let out a quite long, heavy, sorrowful sigh, trying her best to resign herself to her fate.

"Everyone will look at me… Everyone will look at me…"

Mumbling and dragging her feet, she went to the box where she had put her Vision and took it. Unwillingly, she hooked it on her necklace. She saw herself in the mirror. However she looked at it, she didn't like that outfit: she was showing too much skin. At least she found solace that her headscarf helped her in hiding her ears better. Dori gazed at her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, then. Now that I have given you the good news," she said, "do you want to know the good news?"

"Honestly, I hope they're not as good as these ones…" Sucrose grumbled.

"Oh, you will see," Dori giggled. Then, she took out a long, black piece of cloth. "Here, let me put you this on."

The door of a pitch dark room opened and Dori entered, guiding Sucrose by her hand. Sucrose was blindfolded, and held her glasses in her free hand. She felt Dori letting go of her hand. Moments later, she heard the door closing.

"Wait here," Dori asked.

Sucrose remained still where Dori had left her. After a few seconds of total silence, she began to hear some unidentified noises. What was happening? She was curious; she was dying to know. She needed every last ounce of her strength of will to suppress her urge to take the blindfold off. That blindfold fulfilled its purpose without fail: Sucrose was unable to perceive anything with her eyes, not even that the room was now fully lit with natural light. The strange sounds had ended and there was now silence again, yet Sucrose remained still there, blindfolded, waiting for Dori. She was startled when she felt some sudden, gentle pulls on her arm. It was Dori asking her to crouch down. Sucrose squatted and Dori walked behind her; then, she removed her blindfold.

Sucrose put her glasses back on before opening her eyes. What she saw then left her so dazzled that she was open-mouthed and even forgot to breathe. Three work desks full of tools of all sorts stood in the center of the room. Next to the wall there was a table with several measuring instruments of the finest kind; and above it, a shelf with many empty jars. The back wall had a huge, empty bookcase, ready to be filled with all sorts of reference books; a big wall clock; a desk with a lamp for taking down notes; and a velvet couch for sitting down to read or lying down to rest. At the side with the windows there were several boxes, cupboards, drawers and a large container for storing everything Sucrose could think of. There was even a cauldron in a corner with a row next to it.

Sucrose was thrilled to the point that she couldn't help herself from shaking with emotion.

"Is this all really for me?" she asked excitedly.

"Indeed it is, all yours," Dori confirmed, delighted to see that her surprise had been a great success. "I'm quite glad to see you this happy, but please control yourself a little. If you continue to shake your ears with such vigor, you might take flight."

Sucrose brought herself to a sudden stop, and covered her ears in an act of reflex. She blushed with intensity.

"You knew?…" she stuttered.

"Have you already forgotten?" Dori teased while pointing at her own eye. "What did you think the headscarf is for? Personally, I'm not pleased that you feel ashamed of your traits, but I will respect your decision."

Sucrose remembered the words Nahida had told her. She herself would like to be more spirited and outgoing so she could walk around without hiding her traits for fear of being stared at; to be pointed at; to be asked… And yet…

She shook those thoughts out of her head; now wasn't the time to feel gloomy. She went to see her new workplace closer. She walked around the work desks, checking every tool which lay on them. Everything there looked like it had cost a hefty sum, at least. She sat at the desk. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, although such confort paled in comparison with the couch's. She looked inside of every storage tool. Some of them were already full with a considerable variety of materials. She checked the cauldron as well. It was larger and sturdier than those which she had worked with before.

Lastly, she leaned out the window, and she saw that they were in the small building. Now she understood why she wasn't allowed even near it. Tears began to form in her eyes; she was moved. That surpassed anything that she could have ever asked for by a very long margin. Without thinking, she ran to Dori and squeezed her.

"Thank you, Dori… Thank you so much…" she cried. "I promise I will return everything you have done for me."

"Now, now…" Dori said while rubbing Sucrose's back. It seems like she was moved as well. "As long as you help me earn money, I'm content."

They remained hugging each other for a few minutes until Sucrose calmed down a little. Dori let go of her and walked towards the center of the room.

"Of course, this is still my house," she stated firmly. "Thus, there are a few rules which you need to abide by:

"First: no all-nighters. No excuses. The first step to do a proper job is to take a proper rest, and both your body and your mind need their hours of sleep. If there is something that needs the most absolute urgency, you ask me beforehand.

"Second: no living creatures in any way whatsoever. I don't want anything running around in my house. As much as I'm fond of them, you may have noticed that I don't even let my Stumper Beasts in.

"And third." She relaxed her expression into a smile. "Please don't blow my house up."

It was evident that the third rule was just Dori teasing Sucrose, and she didn't have much inconvenience with the second one. As for the first one, she tried to think of something to persuade Dori to let her do some overtime at first, but then she thought that that could be her best excuse in order to get rid of that bad all-nighter habit of hers once and for all. She accepted Dori's rules without more hesitation.

"However, I would like to say something, too," she added.

"I'm listening."

"Many experiments are actually dangerous, and they could cause accidents, or something worse," Sucrose warned. "So nobody can touch anything here. Also, nobody is allowed inside if I'm not present."

Compared to her usual shy behavior, Sucrose spoke with complete seriousness, which surprised Dori.

"Understandable. I will let everybody know," Dori agreed. She approached Sucrose and extended her hand. "Here, you will need these."

Sucrose took what Dori had given her. It was a set of keys, most likely to the small building. She attached them to her key-ring, which until then only had had two keys: the front door's, and her bedroom's.

"Today, I will leave you be so that you become familiar with your new workplace," Dori continued. "Tomorrow, though, I will give you your first assignment."

"H-hold on! What exactly am I supposed to do?" Sucrose asked puzzlingly. "You haven't told me anything yet."

"Although it is commonly known that I have anything and everything, it is obvious that that isn't actually the case. And that's where you come in: I want you to make me whatever I need, whenever I need it," Dori explained. "Isn't creating new things from other things what you alchemists do?"

Sucrose didn't know how to respond to that. It seemed like Dori had a completely mistaken impression of what alchemy was. She wasn't sure how to explain to her that alchemy didn't work as if by magic; that realizing alchemical experiments was something much more complex than just stirring some materials in a cauldron, or what could be obtained from just using a Crafting Bench. Fearing not being able to meet her expectatives, she decided to speak now:

"But I'm just a bio-alchemist," she clarified. "I don't know almost anything out of that field."

"Don't you worry. Don't expect for me to ask you something like a homunculus or a Philosopher's Stone on your first day," Dori joked. "Jokes aside, there is no better teacher than experience. Just go step by step and you will achieve whatever you set out to do."

Sucrose was still unsure about it, but there was something that she was clear about: if she didn't try, if she didn't take those steps, then she would only achieve nothing. She had promised Dori to help her and she would do everything she could to keep that promise.

"And listen: if I'm asking something beyond your current abilities, be not afraid to let me know," Dori reassured her. "In fact, it will be better if you tell me, because then I will be able to look for other alternatives."

Sucrose didn't feel any less relieved. Even though Dori had said that, she still feared that she could disappoint her if she refused too many assignments. Despite this, she couldn't think of any other way, so she just looked at Dori and nodded.

"You can also make stuff on your own. You give them to me, I sell them and we share the profits fifty percent. What do you say?" Dori proposed. "That way, you can save money for your own expenses."

At first sight, fifty percent seemed like a swindle. Sucrose, however, considering everything Dori was doing for her, thought it was a good deal. Furthermore, she wasn't much interested in making money; she already had more than enough with her new workplace. She accepted. Then, Dori took Sucrose's hand, then raised both of her own up in the air and proclaimed:

"And now, without further ado, we can finally declare that Atelier Sucrose is open for business!"

Sucrose was left gawking, wide-eyed and completely bewildered. It wasn't 'laboratory'; it wasn't 'workshop', it was…

"ATELIER!?"