#ⅳ. devotional texts ── ⟢ ・⸝⸝ | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

prosperiitas · 23 days ago

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❝ FOR YOUR HAPPINESS, DEAREST ONE. ❞ ˙⋆✮ If it were for their happiness, La Signora would cleanse the world a thousand times over, but it seems she will never get the chance to.

la signora & younger sibling!reader ノangst ノ2.7k words ˙⋆✮ cws: major character death, grief, & spoilers for the inazuma archon quest. ˙⋆✮ notes: this fic is a repost from my old blog, @idyllic-affections. i miss my queen signora everyday 😔 i wrote this fic like 2 years ago i do NOT care if it isn't lore accurate anymore 🙏

Rosalyne, commonly known as La Signora, was many things.

She was the cold, calculated Eighth Fatui Harbinger who tended to use lethal force against all but one of her underlings. She was the Harbinger who, prior to joining the Fatui, nearly burned herself out within the scorching flames of her boundless fury. She was confident, cunning, and even sadistic in certain ways.

La Signora was many things, but few other than The Tsaritsa herself and some of the other Harbingers knew she was also an elder sister, and the only underling she was ever kind to was her younger sibling. She was an elder sister and, to anyone's blatant surprise, a wonderful one. She was never cruel or unnecessarily harsh towards them, and extended what little remained of the patience and gentleness in her heart to them exclusively. It was a privilege only they possessed. There was not a single Fatuus—hell, not a single person in all of Teyvat—that Signora favored more than her dear baby sibling.

To the Eighth, they were everything. She wished to burn away Teyvat's ugliness—if not for her own sake, then for the sake of her precious little sibling, because they had suffered just as much as she had. It was her job and hers alone to protect them from any more pain and anymore suffering, just or otherwise.

(To La Signora, no suffering bestowed upon her little sibling would ever be just, but she supposed some others might see it differently.)

They deserved the world, but Signora would not dare give it to them, for they did not deserve its cruelty. They deserved only the best, and the world was simply not on par with that. The world was unkind, disgusting, and utterly revolting. They deserved better than that.

Perhaps that was why she spoiled them in the ways she did; if she could not give them the best version of the world, then she could take them on shopping sprees in Fontaine or to expensive restaurants in Liyue that left little to no impact on her savings. If they were to express interest in something, it was guarunteed to be on their bedside table the next morning. Spoiled as they were, they still never failed to express their gratitude to her. It was one of the things she adored about them. How could she have nurtured such a humble, gentle soul, when she was anything but?

Truly, the Harbinger would do anything to distract them from the pain they had experienced. She knew deep down that there was no easing the agony. She knew that all too well, for even without all of the memories of her past, her bitterness and bias shone blatantly through when Mondstadt and its Archon was involved (and, despite not saying this aloud, they didn't completely blame her, as they had their own reservations about Barbatos).

If it were for their happiness, Signora would gladly cleanse the world a hundred times over.

"Will you take me to Inazuma with you, Rosalyne?" they wondered softly, eyes fluttering shut at the sensation of their sister skillfully—albeit absentmindedly—massaging their scalp. "I hear it's a beautiful nation. I'd like to experience it with you, even if it's technically a business trip..."

La Signora had long forgotten most of her past, courtesy of the Cryo Delusion gifted to her by the Tsaritsa herself. It was used to suppress her flames so that she did not burn away into nothing but ash. Even so, they never stopped calling her Rosalyne when they were alone together, for to them, she was still their same big sister from five hundred years ago. To them, it was like nothing had changed; they knew better, of course, for the amount of things that had changed since their days of living peacefully in Mondstadt were unfathomable. Even so, they still truly believed that their big sister was still there underneath the defensive layers of ice and fire. Wholeheartedly, they believed that Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter was still there.

She found it... endearing.

Despite everything, they still saw her as Rosalyne, not La Signora, not the Fair Lady, and certainly not the Crimson Witch of Flames nor Embers. Even if she could not recall her past, she did at least remember who she was.

She was Rosalyne, their big sister.

She would always be Rosalyne. Always.

"...I will," she responded, though not before a long moment of serious contemplation. She agreed to take them to Mondstadt only because the Anemo Archon was notoriously weak (at least, that's what she believed; they knew better than that), and she took them to Liyue since a contract had already been established between Rex Lapis and the Tsaritsa, but the Electro Archon was a different case entirely. Even the ever-confident La Signora acknowledged that. "Inazuma is different than Mondstadt and Liyue. As such, you are to do as I say without question, understood?"

"Of course. You know I would never do anything that you do not agree with." They peered up at her, lips curling up into a sweet smile. "I trust you."

Her gaze, steely and cold, softened significantly. She leaned down, pressing a brief kiss to their forehead. "...Good. Now go. Return to your quarters and prepare a bag with whatever you deem necessary. We will leave in the morning."

— flower of the universe !! 🌸

Inazuma was breathtaking.

Tenshukaku, however, was less so.

"...Do we really have to go in?" they wondered softly, hands smoothing anxiously over their shirt. Their voice betrayed their stance and expression—both being cool and impassive, managing to wordlessly communicate the same confidence Signora always seemed to have.

Though they were never really like her in that respect, they had to at least pretend to be. Their behaviors would reflect their older sister as their teacher. She had a reputation to uphold. They were always careful not to damage it in the slightest.

Adrenaline flooded their veins. Dread dug its fingers around their throat, making breathing suddenly seem more challenging. They didn't like this place. No, no, not at all. Tenshukaku, though admirable and elegant, had a terribly suffocating aura surrounding it. Perhaps it was merely the Shogun's elemental energy that made them uneasy, but something was putting them on edge. They truly couldn't be sure if it was their razor-sharp intuition or just the presence of a powerful God.

It felt inexplicably as if, assuming they and their sister both were to step into that dreadful building, one or both of them might not come back out.

The woman hummed, moving so that she was in front of them. Her hard gaze softened slightly. She straightened their collar, before delicately plucking off a stray hair off of their shoulder. "Yes. Walk in with your head held high. We are Snezhnayan diplomats. More importantly, you are my sibling. You are like me. You've handled these situations with confidence and grace up until now. I see no reason for you to suddenly change."

They swallowed back their wave of sudden panic, giving her a firm nod. "Right. My bad."

"You needn't speak to the Shogun. Only speak if you are spoken to. I will handle everything. If things go according to plan, she shouldn't spare you more than a glance."

They exhaled through their nose, calming their rapidly pounding heart. "Alright."

— flower of the universe !! 🌸

It was in front of Mondstadt's cathedral that they and their elder sister would dance together to the lively songs played by bards—some who were familiar locals, others complete strangers that happened to be wandering Teyvat. A crowd would always gather. Regardless of who one was, from Mondstadt or anywhere else, none could deny that there were few things more endearing and uplifting than seeing those two dance together.

Rosalyne raised a hand, twirling them around as they laughed delightedly. She pulled them back in, wrapping her arms lovingly around their neck with a contented sigh. They were quick to return the gesture, though instead their arms made their way around her waist. The woman raised one hand and stroked it over their hair. A soft hum rose from their throat.

"I love you dearly. I'll be away for a while, but I promise, I swear on the Seven that I will never truly abandon you."

"I know," they replied softly, gazing up at her with eyes full of unadulterated admiration. "I love you too."

That memory—one among many of them and their sister from five centuries ago—was one they held oh-so dearly. She promised not to leave them. Rosalyne did not take her promises lightly, so how...

How could it have possibly ended like this?

They could already feel a deep, gaping hole forming in their chest with the absence of the one person that mattered in their life.

A strangled sob left their throat. "No, no... oh, Gods..." They tried to grasp at what remained of their elder sister. The fine grains of ash merely slipped between their fingers, but that didn't seem to deter them. "No... Rosalyne, why? Why? You could've lived, you... why didn't you run? You were never supposed to abandon me, Rosalyne."

Their eyes burned with tears; whether they were tears of utter distress or anger, no-one could be sure. It seemed more likely that it was a dreadful mix of both, for as the Cryo Vision secured on their hip began to shimmer, the temperature in the room dropped immeasurably. With the transition from terror and despair to a blinding rage came the unforgiving, biting chill of Snezhnayan winters. A thin layer of frost descended upon all surfaces in the room.

Signora may have nearly drowned in the flames of her anger, but unlike her, they would freeze in the impenetrable ice of their's. Their rage ran so hot that it was cold.

Perhaps these behaviors simply ran in their family, for both they and Signora shared a tendency to be extremely passionate about all that they did. The issue was that that passion, when perpetuated by painful situations, became all-consuming and inevitably fatal if they were to fail to reign in their fury.

Signora's passion had once fueled her flames. Their passion now fueled their ice.

The traveler and Paimon both shuddered, recoiling from the sudden temperature change.

"You..." they murmured, eyes snapping up towards the Shogun. If looks could kill, she would have dropped dead the second their frigid gaze landed on her. Unfortunately, striking down a deity took quite a lot more than a simple glare. "How dare you? Who do you think you are to take her away from me like that? You— you..."

The God of Eternity stood unfazed, unbothered by their emotional outburst. Their eyes flickered briefly to her blade. If they didnt know better, they'd raise their Anemo Delusion to her. They'd risk losing their mind or even dying due to the toll Delusions took on one's body. They'd risk it all just to avenge their fallen sister if they didn't know better.

However, they did know better.

Rosalyne was adamant on ensuring that they were wise and wouldn't put themselves in a situation that they couldn't emerge safely from. She did exactly what she warned them about. She wouldn't want them to follow her example, no. Rosalyne would want nothing more than to see them learn from her mistakes.

A stray flame moth landed on their shoulder, it's wings ablaze with heat kissing their cheek gently, only strengthening their frozen resolve.

They had a feeling that the little being, radiating a soothing warmth that managed to melt away their ice and warm them both inside and out, would not part from their side anytime soon.

"Tch," they scoffed, rising to their feet with clenched fists. As if they hadn't broken down crying a few seconds ago, their gaze hardened, and their stance was as confident and firm as ever. They brushed the stray frost off of the shoulder that the moth had not settled on. "Her Majesty truly is the only Archon with the purest of goals. You disgust me," they spat, turning away with an elegant flick of their coat. "Goodbye, Shogun. I no longer have any business here."

As they departed, their steps left behind small patches of ice.

Before they exited, they mused threateningly, "The Tsaritsa will hear of this... incident. Your blatant disregard for the safety Snezhnayan diplomats will not go unpunished, Inazuman laws be damned."

— flower of the universe !! 🌸

Upon being summoned to the Cryo Archon's throne room in the palace, their immediate assumption was that they would be punished. Perhaps they had spoken out of line to the Shogun. Did they displease their God? Archons, they hoped not. A pissed off Cryo user was one thing, but enraging the Cryo Archon herself? That was surely nothing short of a death sentence.

Despite their natural fear for the deity, they barely seemed fazed as they treaded towards her throne room. All they could focus on was the heavy emptiness lingering in their chest. The flame moth had still failed to part from them. It seemed to bat its wings against their chilled skin in an attempt to soothe them as it did when it landed on them for the first time. Its efforts were to no avail, however.

'Why did you leave me here, Rosalyne?'

They kept their gaze directed downwards as they entered the infamous throne room, lower-ranked Fatui shutting the doors behind them. Despite the unmistakable below-freezing temperatures of the room, sweat rolled down the side of their forehead at the echo of the doors closing. The floor seemed to sway underneath their unsteady feet. They weren't sure if they'd even have the strength to stand for much longer.

Their mind was in utter shambles.

Now, they were truly trapped in here—not that they would have dared to try and flee, but something about being officially trapped in the same room as the Tsaritsa herself ignited a primal terror buried in the depths of their mind. Rarely did they even pass by this room; they were not a Harbinger and so they did not report directly to their Goddess. They'd only ever met her once before, and that was... perhaps four or five centuries ago.

They kneeled a few feet in front of her throne, clearing their dry throat. They willed their body to cease its shaking. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

"Such a formal one you are. Rosalyne taught you well," she lilted softly. "You have earned my praise, [Name]."

Their breath hitched slightly.

"You have shown great discipline and elegance despite recent events. Your judgement was not clouded by confidence or rage. This is something your elder sister did not succeed at—may she rest in peace. I will ensure that the entire nation sufficiently mourns her loss. No sacrifice will have been in vain when we win the divine rebellion."

They rapidly blinked in an attempt to rid their eyes of the tears threatening to spill over. Their voice cracked slightly as they murmured barely above the volume of a whisper, "Of course. I will never forget that. Your goal is of such purity, Your Highness... I will do anything to help you succeed."

The woman hummed thoughtfully. "Anything, you say?"

"Anything, especially in light of recent events. I have nothing but my life left to lose. I would gladly give it up in your honor, should that be your will." A stray tear rolled down their cheek. "I have nothing left to lose."

"In that case," she mused, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on the bridge they created, "inherit La Signora's position. Become the Eighth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers."

Wide-eyed, they snapped their gaze up towards her, only to frantically look back down at the floor. Perhaps they wouldn't be punished for looking at her directly, but the shooting chills her gaze sent tingling across their skin was enough for them to not want to regardless. "Y... your highness, surely I am not strong enough to—"

"Nonsense. I have seen you best Tartaglia effortlessly—you barely even broke a sweat, while he expended his strength in full. As such, I have no doubt that you are fit to fill the vacant Eighth position."

Silence.

"In..." Their voice came out embarrassingly meek and timid on their first attempt, so they took a breath and tried again. "In that case, if you truly feel that way about me, I graciously accept your kind offer."

Her lips twitched upwards, forming the ghost of a barely noticeable smile. "Wonderful. Welcome to our ranks, Scappino."

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