#he just got into the fatui and she’s making a name for herself as a mercenary. he tries to commission her into fighting him shdjs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tenjikyu · 9 months ago

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𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 - 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘬𝘪 - 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘝

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ traveller (aether) has saved fontaine from its flood by now, so we’re pretty much in present day but w a few changes , not super happy with the end product but i didn’t wanna make the people wait any longer , male!reader throughout the entire series.

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF FONTAINES ARCHONS QUESTS. DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THEM.

PART III • PART V • GENSHIN M.LIST

tag list - @wanderchive @gimmealamp @lucianidealz @sleepdeprivedpotato @unemiart @camryn-ciel67 @aruaruru @danika-redgrave124 @bunbunboysworld @kaoyamamegami @aphxdea @red1sg0ne @sleepndacloud @squishyboo @ally674 @hoo-hoo @probablynoposts @junevtv @og-winnie @exrellian @f0th3rr @cb97s-laptop (i hope i got everyone 😭)

it had been about a year since your move to the nation of justice, and it had been nothing short of excitement and entertainment. you met a blonde traveller and his glutinous pixie through lyney, after the two of them had their name cleared. you found them to be quite good company, despite the floating fairy’s consistent whining.

freminet didn’t talk to you for awhile after his and his family’s identity had been exposed to fontaine, and you couldn’t blame him. you had deep rooted issues with the fatui, even if freminet didn’t know it at the time, however what he underestimated was how much you valued him over his background.

it took some pushing (forced interaction) and a lot of tears, but freminet eventually broke down into your arms. you could only hold his head against your form, sheltering him away from the rest of the world as he cried in your living room.

the two of you were the dubbed ‘the second duo of fontaine’ with lyney & lynette holding the original title. the two of you were inseparable after the fatui incident, and him going into the fortress of meropiede was pure TORTURE as he forbid you from following him. (after finding out he almost drowned you had to be practically dragged away from the gates, the twins fearful of what you might do to wriothesley.)

you had officially met the knave whilst outside the palais mermonia, a ‘wrong place wrong time’ kinda situation. you had strolled by after she had finished talking with aether, and formally introduced herself as ‘father’ to you. almost pissing yourself, you converse for awhile before she takes her leave. you’ve never been so uncomfortable in your life.

you just interacted with a fatui harbinger.

needless to say, you’ve had quite the adventure since your arrival in fontaine, and as news spread of the flood around teyvat like wildfire, it caught the attention of two certain brothers.

“have you heard about the flooding in fontaine?” the drunkards would gossip among themselves, and diluc could only hold his breath in worry. kaeya had left months ago in search of you, and he could only sit back and wait for the good news.

it was decided between the two that you’d most likely talk to kaeya before diluc, so he was the one to go on the hunt whilst diluc held the fort down in mondstadt, lying to the costumers that the captain was on “knightly duties in sumeru.”

kaeya was in a constant state of alert, searching nation after nation for your whereabouts. he tried liyue and inazuma, however both had turned over fuitless.

he had multiple run-ins with aether and paimon throughout his journey, and had to come up with lie after lie to explain why he wasn’t in mondstadt. if it got out that they were looking for you, word might spread, and you might end up hiding from him. it was better nobody but the two brothers and jean knew what they were really up to.

eventually, the arrival of lantern rite had come, and as the captain happened to be restocking in said nation at the time, he concluded that if you were nearby, he might just be able to see you.

and attending lantern rite you were.

the family of three had invited you to join them on their trip to liyue for the lantern rite, and you had graciously accepted.

you had changed over the year you had been in fontaine. your outfit had gone from a traditional mondstadt look, to something more fontainian. you learnt the art of the sword, thanks to lynette teaching you personally. your grumpiness had somewhat faded, and you were no longer as easily irritated. you were more level headed and calm, adapting lynette’s mannerisms somewhat.

fact is, you had become almost a new man. you were happier, brighter and stronger. you could now defend yourself, and had the protection of three fatui members wherever you went. you had the spina di rosula AND the former archon in your corner (knowing what it feels like to lose everything, you made it your goal to become furina’s first real friend), and you even had the infamous traveller in your favour.

life was finally starting to look better for you, and so, you decided to take the risk and venture out once more, this time, with your family by your side.

and so, off to liyue you went.

you travelled around for awhile, stopping by qiaoying village and picking up some snacks. along the way, you end up running into the traveller, as well as a new face. the boy with them is young and jumpy, as well as overwhelmingly extroverted. in a way, he almost reminds you of your frosted companion. not in personality at ALL, but in spirit, almost.

you all introduce youtselves, and lyney puts an emphasis on the fact you’re their “fourth” member of the family (unbeknownst to you and freminet, lyney and lynette’s plan to get the both of you together was already set in motion.)

freminet holds your hand the entire way back to liyue harbour, uncomfortably shifting as gaming attempted to conversate with him. noticing his hesitation, the pyro user leaves your friend to be and ends up becoming besties with lyney along the way. after making it to the harbour, you privately apologise for freminet, explaining how he’s quite shy but not at all uncomfortable with the wushou dancer, to which he was greatful for. poor gaming was under the impression freminet disliked him. :(

you walked around the harbour with the fatui trio, grasping freminet’s dainty hands in your own. you admired the lanterns that danced in the sky, almost as if they were stars.

“are you sure you don’t wanna cover up (Y/N)? what if we run into one of your brothers?” freminet asks. the three knew of your situation. after they had explained to you in detail why they were apart of the fatui, you revealed your own background. about your father, your brothers and even about your almost-death encounter. out of respect for the anemo archons anonymity , you left out the part where he saved you. instead, you said a humble bard had found you, and took you home.

“even if we do run into either of them, we’ll take good care of you (Y/N). you don’t have to worry about them.” lynette pats your shoulder comfortingly. you had made peace with what had happened to you back mondstadt, but you were unsure if you were ready to face them again. they were your first family, but if you had to choose right now which family you’d want to spend the rest of your days with…

you’d take your fontainian family in a heartbeat.

“(Y/N) will be fine with us by his side! wont you, (Y/N)?” lyney reassures excitedly, stuffing his face with the liyuen cuisine that you had oh-so-generously paid for.

“i’ll be alright, i doubt they’d come anyways. diluc is too busy with the bar and kaeya probably doesn’t give enough of a shit to bother.” you reply, ending the conversation.

as the night continued, the lanterns above continued to float around, yet never quite leave the harbour. it’s almost as if as much as they attempted to, they couldn’t detach themselves from their origins.

the days went on, and you enjoyed your well-spent time in the region of geo. you met some friendly faces, such as a horned-adeptus, the conqueror of demons, a stubborn old bird refined older adeptus, a young cook whom lynette got along quite well with and many more. you are various different foods, wore traditional liyuen hanfu’s, and even got to help the traveller in his quest to help restore the bond between gaming and his father.

the second last night of your stay in liyue began, and you’re greatful you decided to stay as long as you did. that might, you got to witness the most beautiful dance you’d ever seen.

gaming was almost one with the lanterns, and he was glowing. you were so invested in the dancing, you didn’t notice how you took freminet’s hand in your own. your companion, on the other hand, could only watch your eyes.

they gleamed with excitement, and freminet wanted nothing more then to share that joy with you.

you knew you loved freminet from the moment he broke down into your arms. you knew as you cradled his puffy cheeks in your hands, almost kissing away his gentle tears.

you knew you loved freminet as he fixed your diving gear, triple checking to make sure it was on before he took you diving with him.

freminet knew he was in love with you when you told him that you look past his line of work. and how you know that he isn’t a bad person.

freminet knew he was in love with you as you took his side in an instant when some fontainian’s were harassing him after the word had spread.

“(Y/N), can i talk to you once the dance is over?” freminet doesn’t fail to notice you snap out of your trace to fully engage yourself in what he had to say.

it was almost as if you stopped the world just for him.

the dance ended, and you took the cryo users hand in your own as you took him somewhere more secluded. you didn’t fail to see the both of the twins shooing away anybody in your vicinity to give you both some privacy.

you knew this was your chance, the chance lyney and lynette had given you.

“(Y/N), i wanted to talk to you about something.” the boy before you stutters. it’s been awhile since he’s stuttered around you. he knocked that habit with you only a few month into your friendship, however none of this phased you. you knew what he was going to tell you.

“(Y/N) I-” freminet is cut off by a gentle hand to his mouth. your face contortd into an almost annoyed yet concerned look, seemingly displeased at the interruption of freminet’s confession. confused, freminet looks in front of you, too distracted by the beating of his heart to notice what you’re staring at.

then, he then hears it.

footsteps.

“(Y/N)?”

“k-kaeya..?”

the pure look of terror struck across your face had freminet switch up almost completely. he straightens up, before he steps in front of you in an almost protective manner. he was ready for combat.

then you notice it, three more pairs of feet come charging in behind you. in a flash, freminet’s claymore in drawn, and his gaze flickers both behind you and in front. you see the twins chasing another figure, one you can’t quite make out.

and then, as if the situation couldn’t get much worse then it already was, you see a shade of red emerge from the black mystery man.

it’s almost like a scene from a movie. in front of you, you have your almost-lover threatening your (former?) brother with his claymore.

on the other hand , you had your own flesh and blood behind you, with the twins behind him, a look of apology spilling across their face.

“i’m so sorry (Y/N), we let your name slip when talking about the two of you, and we didn’t even think that these two would be listening in on us-” lynette begins, before she’s cut off by diluc.

“listening IN? you fatui SCUM have been in the steam bird left and right with your scandals! i was only making sure you wernt about to hollow up the harbour.”

“excuse you?? you have NO RIGHT to call US scum when you barge in on a PRIVATE moment”

“lyney, now is REALLY not the time for this.”

“i’ll do whatever the fuck i want if it involves MY brother.”

“YOUR brother!?”

“ENOUGH!”

you finally decide to step in. “diluc, kaeya, what the fuck are you two doing here??” you begin.

“me and our dear diluc decided to take a bit of break, and when we heard these two looney magicians mention your name, we had to know if it really was you.” kaeya’s statement is almost humeruous, but the tone in his voice is enough to tell he isn’t fucking around.

“so what if it IS me? why the fuck would you care? you two bastards haven’t seen me in a year.”

“because, (Y/N). you’re OUR family, and we’re here to take you home.”

“the FUCK did you just say?? YOUR brother?? last time i checked, lynette and i are (Y/N)’s family after you practically NEGLECTED him!” lyney spits out.

by now, the two brothers are on one side, and the fontaine twins are on your other side. only freminet, who’s grip on his claymore hasn’t faltered, stuck next to you.

“i doubt you fuckhead fatui members want anything from my brother then to extort him. you don’t give a shit about him!” diluc reprimands.

“if (Y/N) wanted anything to do with you then he would’ve left fontaine ages ago.” lynette spits out, glaring at the two brothers.

you’re about to step in again, before freminet finally decides to speak up.

“(Y/N) may have grown up with the two of you, but at the end of the day, the both of you ended up hurting him without apologising. we know everything about what happened to the three of you, and on behalf of the fatui, we apologise for the loss of your father. loosing family is hard, and us raised in the house of the hearth would know that more then anybody.”

“but when (Y/N) accepted us for who we truly are, he became apart of our family. he chose to stay with us, and to support us from anybody who had something to say. it’s not just us either, (Y/N) has many friends and companions in fontaine, whom cherish him deeply. that is a fact, and it doesn’t matter what you think.”

all of you stand and listen to what freminet says. throughout the speech, he grabs your hand once more, just like when he did during the wushou dance.

and you fall in love with him all over again.

“he talks to us about you two a lot, and it’s clear to anybody that despite all that you’ve done, (Y/N) still cherishes you two very much, but he’s not ready yet. if you truly care about your brother, perhaps.. you’ll wait?” he questions, awaiting the brothers responses.

it’s quiet for a bit, with yours and freminet’s hands still intertwined. lyney comes to stand next to freminet, and lynette comes to caress your shoulder.

diluc’s heart aches. he wants nothing more then to hold you in his arms once more, like he used to when you cried as a child. he had been so worried about you, that he had completely forgotten what you looked like smiling. diluc knew he was being too harsh, but seeing you being cradled by the very organisation he despises made him want to sob.

but now, you stand before him, a happier and brighter man. your eyebags have cleared up, and your smile now reaches your eyes. he also can’t help but notice the almost romantic tension between you and the diver.

kaeya feels proud. he’s had a lot less to say then his brother, but deep down he knows that you’re happy. kaeya never truly intended to take you home like diluc had wanted. don’t get him wrong, kaeya also wanted nothing more then to have you in mond city once more, however his only intentions were to make sure you were safe. that would be enough.

as the silence comes to an end, diluc speaks gently.

“(Y/N), when you’re ready to come back to the mansion, we’re only a door away.”

he then takes kaeyas shoulder, before heading back to where they had come from. kaeya gives you a gentle nod and a smile, before he followed your crimson brother.

and then, as they disappeared from view, you fell to your knees. years of sorrow awoken within my you, and you felt yourself crumble before the three.

in an instant, they were by your side. all weapons had been put away, and only comforting arms awaited.

you feel yourself nuzzle into freminet’s shoulder, him arms wrapped around your body. lyney and lynette held your shoulders as you sobbed.

everything freminet had said was true. you did want to forgive them, but you weren’t ready.

you knew you had more healing to do before you could officially reconcile with the two, however in your heart, you knew it was possible.

you all eventually went back to the hotel you had been residing at. it was quaint and peaceful, and it’s soothing atmosphere helped your pounding headache.

as the four of you readied yourself for bed, a knock at the door surprised you all.

lyney, being the oldest, took it upon himself to open up in case of a possible intrusion, however only a bard dressed in green garments and a lyre in hand stood before him.

“hey (Y/N)! wanna have a chat?”

did i still leave on a bit of a cliff hanger? maybe. but i was gonna leave it at the kaeya-(Y/N) part so be greatful 😔

#genshin impact #genshin #ragbros #freminet x reader #freminet x male reader #genshin x male reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x male reader #fontaine trio

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sweetainwen · 1 year ago

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ᴜɴᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴsɪɢʜᴛ [WANDERER/SCARAMOUCHE]

Summary: the creator just wanted to find the reason for that system error, but she had brought with her an unwanted insight into the game itself, causing a dangerous and unexpected collapse within him.

Pairings: yandere!Scaramouche/Wanderer x fem!OC (you can think of her as Y/N)

Genre: sagau, yandere!au, isekai!au, futuristic!au, sci-fi!au.

Warnings: jealous!wanderer, fluff, angst, d^aths (no blood tho), wanderer losing his mind, noncon kissing.

SUMERU ARCHON QUEST SPOILERS

I STARTED WRITING THIS BEFORE THE FONTAINE RELEASE, SO IT'S NOT PRESENT

THE WANDERER'S NAME IS THE ONE I CHOOSE (IT MEANS "LIGHT", "RADIANCE")

Word count: 12k+

A hand gently, lightly brushing his hair. The humming of a sweet, soothing tune tickling his ears. A smile, a face, a calm voice and muffled words.

His eyes struggled to focus.

Everything was blurry, but he could catch those details of the one who was tenderly lulling him.

She was moving her lips, she was talking. but he did not understand. He was still groggy. Nevertheless, he sensed it.

It was home.

“Here, your food.”

He snapped his eyes open, staring at the bowl in front of him before looking up at the arm holding the item and finally at the person sitting to his left on a medium tree trunk.

The Wanderer saw her give him a surprised look, blinking.

“Oh, sorry, did you fall asleep?”

He let out a grunt, almost snatching the bowl out of her hand and spilling out its contents, causing her to gasp slightly.

“My, how grumpy,” she snickered amusedly. “It seems like I'm putting you through torture. You can't call me a bad cook, big hat guy.”

He took the spoon between his fingers, sighing annoyed at the way he had been called for the thousandth time, “Quit with that name.”

“I would if I had a real name to call you by,” she shrugged with a smirk on her face, the spoon playing with the food in the bowl. “But since you won't tell me, I had to give you one. It suits you, doesn't it?”

Her eyes were fixed on his hat at that question, and the Wanderer preferred to ignore it, causing her to put on a feigned pout.

She took a bite of her lunch, "Is this how you treat your travel companion?"

“You are not.”

“But we are traveling together to Sumeru!”

“You have decided to join. Without my consent,” he reminded her, his gaze now on her.

“You didn't refuse though.”

This time her sullen face was genuine.

He stared at her without arguing back, the impulse to leave her there on the spot taking over. However it dissipated shortly after the lively gleam in her eyes struck him.

Again.

“Stop talking and eat up. We need to get back on the road.”

He brought his gaze back to the food, but he could feel the young woman's victorious smile.

She was truly a whirlwind in perpetual motion. She got into constant trouble between hilichurls, treasure hoarders, and even fatui.

It was better to call her a loose cannon.

That was just how he had met her several days before, though the hilarious part was that the hoarders were running away from her.

And he even ended up in the middle of their battle when those bandits had tried to use him as a shield.

It had been a scene comical enough to almost make him sneer.

And that was when she proclaimed herself as his travel companion, since they had to go the same way.

“Have you gone freaking nuts?” he blurted out with crossed arms.

She blinked before putting on a huge smile, “Why not?”

“I could kill you too.”

“You don't seem like a bad guy at all, hat guy," she shook her head, stretching her hand toward him and eyes twinkling like stars. “I'm Clara. No last name, just Clara. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

And he had let her come with him.

He felt a kind of force drawing him toward the young woman. He could not respond in any other way to her gestures and words than with indulgence.

And it irked him that it was no problem for him.

Those eyes on him now accentuated the annoyance he had been feeling for the past few days.

As a result, he put into action what he thought whenever he was stared at intensely by her before continuing on his journey.

A movement of his hand was enough to create a vortex that surrounded the young woman and carried her away from him.

The gasp of surprise and words of displeasure never failed to be heard.

But she always managed to return and take him wherever she wanted to go.

Such as booking a room at an inn for the night.

“Using your element to get rid of me is completely pointless. You are perfectly aware that I'd be back on my feet in no time,” Clara sneered at him, sitting on the windowsill with one leg toward her chest as he lay on the bed far from the open window.

“And you acknowledge the fact that I could harm you with that.”

She giggled in response, and he saw that particular glint in her eyes again that if he could lose his breath, it would have happened by now. The smile that followed it made the picture even more vivid.

“You would have already done what you had to do, Hikaru.”

He frowned, astonishment at hearing that name, “What?”

“Oh. Calling you big hat guy all the time doesn't seem appropriate, and since you won't tell me your name, I decided to give you a real one. Why?” She brought her arm on her knee before resting her chin on it. “You don't like it?”

“Why that name?”

This time, the smile she showed him was a sweet one, devoid of any malice.

“Because you remind me of how a person can emanate their own light, and head towards the end,” she explained in a soft voice, her face now turned up to the night sky. “Like a bright star high in the sky.”

Silence filled the room.

The Wanderer did not know what to answer, and he did not want to answer. The name said so lightly, but with meaning, was the same one the traveler had given him.

It was so strange.

“Although... these stars and this sky seem to have something wrong with them.”

The Wanderer sat on the edge of the bed, confused by the sudden change of subject, “Wrong how?”

He watched carefully as her expression became thoughtful, almost serious, absorbed in finding an explanation.

“It's as if ... you want to go one way, but you are pushed in another. Determined to follow that set thought of yours, but it gets diverted, and you don't know whether to continue or not. A false sense of control. A purpose-built hope.”

She went back to look at him. And the feeling he got from it was totally different.

She seemed to be observing him, seeking something deep within him. Like an astrologist reading your future.

“Well, it's probably just my mindless reasoning," she shrugged, her facial features softening. “I'm going to go to sleep now. Good night, Hikaru.”

And as she got up and headed for her bed, that feeling vanished along with her no longer being in his line of sight.

He lay back down again, confused for the umpteenth time by their interactions. There was definitely a double meaning in what she had said, and he even began to believe that it had some connection to the reason for her journey to Sumeru.

And at that point, after days and nights together, he was wondering: what was she looking for?

Everything was dark, he could see nothing. He could only hear murmurs and noises.

But then there was a gentle touch, his hair being tousled by her hand.

All went quiet, and a faint, sweet chuckle echoed in that darkness before making way for a soft, muffled voice.

He felt it. Deafening and overpowering. That strange feeling.

“You're such a good boy.”

Like it was home.

He snapped his eyes open, and the first thing he saw was Clara’s surprised and slightly worried face.

“Is everything all right?”

Disoriented, he tried to grasp the situation. One of her hands was at the side of his head, while the other was in his. He couldn’t blink.

And Clara, surely noticing his inquisitive look, was quick to explain.

“I saw you stirring in your sleep. I thought you were having a nightmare so I tried to wake you up, but you grabbed my hand,” she showed him their intertwined hands. “Then I tried to soothe you with caresses and reassuring words. And it worked.”

She gave him a smile, but he said nothing. He only stared at her.

Clara tilted her head slightly to the side at that reaction, not understanding what else he wanted to know. Or he probably didn't believe what she had told him.

She did not give it much thought.

When Clara felt his grip loosen, she gently freed her hand from his, standing up.

“I brought your breakfast. It’s on the bedside table. Eat with no rush, I’m going downstairs.”

And she walked on, closing the door behind her.

The Wanderer sat at the edge of the bed and sighed deeply, his eyes going to the tray with his breakfast mentioned by Clara.

He had been experiencing those moments for days now. It was beyond annoying.

Dreams that showed scenarios that then affected him emotionally and psychologically when he woke up. Not just any scenes, but of himself in situations that seemed familiar despite the fact that he had never actually experienced them.

Memories.

It was also strange and impossible. Because he was a puppet. He could not sleep, consequently neither could he dream. However, he was doing both, and he was unaware of how he was doing it.

What was he to expect now? That he would no longer have to pretend that he had to eat?

Of one thing he was sure though. It had all started after the arrival of the one he was now watching chatting and giggling with an inn employee outside the inn after leaving the room.

He sensed it. That greater force pushing him back toward her.

Uncontrollable and domineering.

And another emotion mixed with it. An emotion so strong that he wanted to rip off the head of that young man standing too much close to her.

Instead, he moved closer, catching their attention, and with a movement of his fingers, he made a vortex appear around the young woman that dragged her away from the guy, leaving both of them stunned and confused.

And after throwing a glance that made the unfortunate man shudder, he went behind the whirlwind with Clara rolling her eyes.

He just sneered, feeling a little better. Clara huffed after being released far from the inn, adjusting her disheveled clothes and walking toward the direction they had come from.

Knowing her intentions, he stepped in front of her and before she could even open her mouth to argue, he revealed the object of interest and threw it at her, watching as she tried hard not to drop it.

“Your bag,” he informed her, putting a hand on his hip.

She just shot him a glare, her eyes almost twitching.

“What am I surprised about? Your social skills certainly can't improve in a snap of the fingers,” she muttered displeased, fixing her shoulder bag over one shoulder and checking the contents for possible breakage. “Be more careful when holding other people’s things! And stop frightening people for no reason at all! Poor guy was praying that he wouldn't end up in pieces.”

He did not speak, resuming his walk as if he had heard nothing.

“Ignoring my words, are you?” she gave up, going after him.

“Just a little while and we will arrive at our destination,” was what he communicated instead.

He suddenly felt himself grabbed by the arm, almost causing him to lose his balance, and caught her radiant face a few inches away from his.

He could tell he had had a heart attack at this.

“Really?! Finally! Then we must hurry, I can’t wait to get there!”

He frowned, trying to break free from her grasp, but was taken aback by her sudden jerk forward before she started running and dragging him with her.

She was too enthusiastic for his liking, a child in an adult's body. Hopping here and there like a rabbit with a goofy smile and sparkling eyes through the streets of Sumeru.

He felt like a nanny and couldn't say he was pleased about it.

“Sumeru is just as it was portrayed to me. I love it!”

“Your elation over a city is quite childlike. I could swear I'm dealing with a child.”

She hopped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks and puffing out her cheeks, “And you’re too edgy and grumpy for my liking. Change your mood when you’re with me. I won’t tolerate a gloomy atmosphere.”

“You’re such a-“

“Cute, lovable, little person? I am, thanks for noticing that, Hikaru.”

She stuck out her tongue at him before a smile spread across her face, and he grimaced at what he called her antics. Realizing the presence of the god of wisdom coming toward them with her lips upward instead made him roll his eyes.

“I take great pleasure in seeing that you have finally found yourself a friend.”

That sweet, little voice made Clara turn around, and was taken aback as soon as she saw who was before her.

The Wanderer placed one hand on his hip, shaking his head at her words, “You shouldn’t.”

Nahida slightly giggled, shifting her focus on the young woman by his side, conscious of how she struggled to conceal her astonishment and nervousness in her presence.

“I’m- I’m honored to make your acquaintance, Dendro Archon! I’m… I’m Clara!”

“Very delighted to meet you, Clara.” She almost cooed at her reaction. “I’m hoping he’s not causing you any distress.”

She gesticulated, eyes wide open, “Oh! Of course, he isn’t! Our traveling proceeded smoothly! Not one person was the victim of his aggressive look or word!”

The Wanderer gave her a look and Clara pressed her lips together after the gaffe she had made.

The little Archon cocked her head to the side, entertained by their interaction. But the most interesting behavior was that of the former balladeer, somehow influenced by the young woman to be more calm and condescending.

“You seem to get along pretty well.”

The duo looked at her, baffled. Before they could comment, the clatter of rapidly approaching wheels against the ground alerted the young man.

His hand was quick to rest on her hip, bringing her closer to himself and thus preventing her from being run over by the wooden cart.

The man carrying it apologized several times under Hikaru’s grim gaze, and Clara and Nahida’s surprised eyes before going on his way.

Clara thanked him and, moving slightly away from him, turned to Nahida with a curious look, “There is a lot of movement around. Is there any celebration going on?”

“A festival. Would you like to partecipate?”

Her eyes sparkled, “Can I really?”

“There is no prohibition on this,” Nahida giggled. “Everyone is welcome. With Hikaru's company, it will be easier to integrate.”

“Excuse me?” his eyebrow shot up.

“She’s not familiar with Sumeru. Consequently, someone who is should be her guide.”

It wasn't the beaming face and the implied order of the Dendro Archon, it was Clara's eyes filled with expectation and eagerness to witness a common joy that dragged him through the stalls ― one of which she had almost ended up being scammed and if it hadn't been for her stopping him, he would have probably literally blown up every one of his pieces for sale and the seller himself ― and ultimately among the people moving to the beat of the music.

But he had stood on the sidelines, leaning against a tree and watching as she laughed and got involved with the locals. On her head the hat she had snatched from him.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

Her face that showed eyes like sparkling gems filled with life, red cheeks, and lips fully spread in a joyful smile.

She was some sort of flower in the midst of the desert. You found it strange that it was there and at the same time you thought it was wonderful to see it there.

It led you to get closer and stand there admiring it. To cup your hands at its sides and hide it from any intruder.

A sight that you wanted only yours to witness.

And the way he was thinking irked him.

His ears sensed a shift in the air, and Hikaru was able to quickly catch the hat Clara had thrown at him with one hand.

“Guess you’re not fond of festivals. Or should I say people in general?” she remarked, moving to his side and placing her elbow on his shoulder. “Oh, look! I can touch your shoulder even like this!” she added in mock surprise.

He didn't speak, but Clara saw him raise his arm slightly and form a small swirl of air from his hand. She stepped back just far enough not to be blown away with her hands in surrender ― although she didn't think he would really do that.

She tried not to laugh, but it was impossible.

And it was in that instant that Hikaru saw all around her become blurred and overlaid by an environment all too familiar to him. Her clothes replaced by others and her laughter accentuated.

It echoed in his ears. Overbearing, piercing.

It mixed with the muffled music and chatter in the background of the festival.

A desperate cry broke in, words overlapping each other. Distorted and almost inaudible.

His head began to ache, his eyes squinted, and an annoying ringing thrummed in his ears.

And it became more and more unbearable.

He wanted it to stop. It fucking hurt.

“Please! Please, don’t leave me!”

“Are you all right?”

The suffering vanished as soon as her hands touched his cheeks, bringing him back to the present.

“It's better if you reach a quieter place. Or maybe go straight to bed. It's pretty late, I'd say.”

He didn’t utter a word, completely disoriented by this event. And with no hesitation, he agreed with her suggestion, leaving that chaotic place under Clara’s attentive eyes.

She crossed her arms pensively.

“I assume that your research is not bearing fruit, given the way the situation is somewhat out of control.”

Clara looked at the Dendro Archon beside her, blinking away the fear from her eyes and with a hand on her chest the near heart attack she had from her sudden arrival.

“Don’t ever do that again if you do not wish for my death!” She exhaled, “I cannot ask such questions without having at least a phase of knowledge and trust between us. It will just take a little longer because of his wariness. Nothing is out of control. What gave you this impression?”

Nahida didn’t look away from the crowd and Clara followed suit, “Is this the first time he has shown himself like that?”

Realizing that she was referring to how Hikaru had grabbed his head with one hand and his face had distorted in pain, Clara cocked her head to the side, not sure how to respond.

“I think it is. Although he had a pretty awful nightmare last night. He wouldn't stop squirming and at one point wouldn't even let go of my hand. The situation is indeed quite strange.” She shook her head, crossing her arms again, “He should not experience this kind of thing; he is a puppet. Still, seeing him trying to hide it is very amusing.”

She smiled, amused by the memory of him eating and sleeping like a normal human being.

Nahida hummed thoughtfully, “It may be a consequence of your closeness.”

Her gaze ended on her again, and Nahida did the same.

“You two share something deep,” she replied at her silent question. Something that both unites and changes you.”

“Like… a connection? Are you trying to say that because of this connection that we have,” she pointed at herself in a surprised manner. “I am instigating a change in him? He forgets everything if I get out of the game and then remember again if I go back in?”

“A deep connection. The more you feel, the more intriguing and dear is something or someone to you,” she clarified her hypothesis. “You must remember your effect on the people of this world. Your presence can be sensed by every single individual here. You are the creator. A powerful figure, more than us Archons. We are not fully aware of the influence of each of your actions. And I forewarned you of my inability to help you in such dangerous cases. What I see is total blackness; you are not part of this world. That’s why you have to be careful not to ruin the balance of Teyvat more than Dottore and Wanderer have discovered. Do it for the sake of all of us.”

Clara let out a sigh, and nodded.

Her voice was sweet and gentle, but the weight of the words spoken was not light.

The things that were taking form in this game were not supposed to occur. Having real interactions with people here was not an expected possibility, because it was a game.

A game that she herself had given shape to and was having huge success.

She was living in an era where technology was overdeveloped, it could very well be compared to a sci-fi movie. Time travel had been discovered, even flowing into parallel universes. Computers were no longer cumbersome but a small device that showed you in hologram what you wanted, like the keyboard and the mouse itself.

Being a video game producer, she had in mind a game that would bring back the old days, a gacha style of gaming that had gone out of fashion long centuries before, leaving only complete games to continue through time.

Thus, she had shared with her co-founders this idea of hers, which was accepted with some misgivings.

She did not have many expectations either, nevertheless people had liked it, taking her by surprise. Probably because this generation had never seen any, except in documentaries or such, and wanted to experience what it was like to live in an earlier era.

Some time after the game was released, she had thought of creating a more realistic alternative of it using VR headsets to engage even those who had felt no interest.

However, something had gone wrong, because she had experienced firsthand one of the scenes she had intended to include in the game that was still far from being added: the Tatarasuna Mistery. In which a mysterious disease had infected, killed many locals and scarred Hikaru to the core.

She hadn’t been an exception.

The crying, suffering, screams, desperation.

It had been too much to watch and had nearly given her a panic attack.

And she had done the only thing she believed was right: use her VR headset to get out of there. When she did, she was wearing the clothes of that world and had some small wounds on her feet from running on the ground barefoot in terror.

It was then that she realized she had created a parallel universe of that game. The game codes had been mixed up and incorporated by the three-dimensional-capable machine she had used as a technical test, bringing to life the scenarios that were still being designed.

This discovery was too dangerous to share; in fact, they decided never to talk about it again. The fright and concern her co-founders had felt after seeing her in that state had been enough to agree to keep quiet about the matter.

Unfortunately, a problem occurred when an event came out further on, in which Scaramouche, the sixth fatui harbinger, made his first appearance.

Some of the scenes were not what they were supposed to be. They had changed. Scaramouche should not have said that the sky was fake, a hoax. But they had let it go; it gave a sense of mystery and decided to go with the flow.

After that, Il Dottore said the same words. It was not a simple concidence. Her game had a reality on its own and was writing its own story. Even their employees were beginning to detect strange things.

She wanted to solve the issue, but she did not know whether destroying that universe would bring consequences in the game and be discovered by the S.T.C.C.O., the Spatio-Temporal Continuum Control Organization.

Wandering between worlds must be authorized by them to prevent ill-intentioned people from changing parts of history for selfish purposes, and if they did not show permission they could shut the company down.

Risking a life of progress was out of the question, consequently the only option was to look for a foothold in that same world and figure out how to fix it against the disagreement of her co-founder friends.

The only way she believed possible was to ask for help from the one who had wisdom and knowledge on her side, The Dendro Archon Lesser Lord Kusanali.

She smiled. Kind, welcoming. And a small movement of her head in a reverent greeting.

“Welcome, outsider.”

She was petrified of Nahida’s awareness of her. It showed her skill as the ruler of a region, but it was all the same frightening how her identity could be so easily discovered.

She found out later that not everyone could do that, only the archons, so she had breathed a sigh of relief, hoping, however, that she would not one day end up buried alive for all the pain they had felt because of her.

Her explanation of the events, where she came from and who she was, had left Nahida speechless. She had understood she was a foreigner, but not the significance of her presence there.

Everything about the young woman had some kind of wall blocking any outside access, and the reason she could not was precisely her provenance.

The Dendro Archon had then taken her to Hikaru while he was still Scaramouche, and the sight of him lying unconscious after the battle with the traveler had made quite an impression on her.

Everything here was real; you could talk to them, joke with them, touch them.

Remorse had made its way into her, and unconsciously she had approached and reassured him of his rebirth.

He was now Hikaru, the Wanderer.

She still had to find out what made him think everything was fake before releasing another region and archon quests, though it was proving quite difficult to do so.

She just had to try several times in different ways until he gave in.

That was why she had asked Nahida to send him on a trip and have them meet in the least forced way.

It would have taken her longer, but since in this universe time seemed to pass as it did in his game and unlike his world, she didn't mind.

The same could not be said of her indecision about whether or not to knock on the door of the room where Hikaru had decided to rest.

She could feel tension in the air. It was strange. And… intimidating.

Especially after talking to Nahida.

“Are you coming in or not? Don’t have any hands to open the door?”

She almost let out a scream at this sudden voice, a hand on her chest.

The way both of them made her almost die of a heart attack from a fright was really impressive.

Opening the door slightly, she let only her head pop out, almost shy, "I just wanted to know if you're feeling better."

“What do you think?” He articulated sharply, not even glancing at her.

“Well…” She entered the room, walking towards the bed where he was sitting and standing a short distance from him, “Is it a headache? Do you want me to fetch some medicine?”

“It’s not necessary. It will go away on its own.”

“Oh, good.”

Silence built between them.

Perhaps it had not been a good idea to visit him now, he was definitely not in the mood for small talk or anything else ― as he always was ― but she could not leave him alone.

“What’s your purpose here?”

After the initial moment of stupor, with a blink of her eyes, she could only say, “What?”

He looked at her, and almost took a step back because of how dull his eyes were.

“Sumeru probably has something to do with your traveling. What is it that you’re looking for?”

That was totally unexpected.

She thought she would have to work her way up to simply have a reply from him without creating suspicions. Even though it didn’t look like there wasn’t any from his intense gaze.

“Answers.”

He raised an eyebrow, a slight hint of amusement in his hollow eyes at her short response, “Answers. To what? The bright star high in the sky and the feeling of being controlled?”

He was definitely mocking her and the metaphor she used to express her opinion.

“Precisely that one.” She tilted her head to the side, “What do you think about it?”

“Everyone is controlled by someone one way or another. Willingly or unwillingly.”

“That makes sense. But how are you aware of that control? What signs do you see to come to that conclusion?”

“I don't know. Your instincts?”

She opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again, sighing slightly.

It was too good to be true. It was Hikaru they were talking about. The personality could not change.

She had a pang in her heart. She had given him that personality, like every character in the game. She had caused trauma and tragic experiences.

And that struck even deeper.

Everything in the palm of her hand, but as soon as something was out of control she wanted to fix it right away.

It was also a logical consequence of her work environment; she could leave nothing to chance.

The guilt still consumed her from the inside.

She realized only now how they had remained silent and with their eyes on each other.

He seemed to want to peer deep into her. To look for behavioral changes, for a weakness, to give certainty to doubts.

Or perhaps she was influenced by her own guilt.

It was suffocating.

Her hand moved, slowly, giving the puppet the choice to shrug it off, but he did not. It rested on his head and began to gently caress it.

“I’m sorry.”

It was a faint whisper, but a strange glint flashed through his eyes at it.

“For what?”

“I don’t know, just… I’m sorry.”

It had been spontaneous. She wanted to tell him, even though he did not understand the act.

And again, the same gaze as a few moments ago was on her. This time it was less oppressive and more… soft.

He reached for the arm of her hand still on his head and put it down, before pulling her close to him and resting his head on her stomach. His arms wrapping around her waist.

The word astonishment did not fully describe how she felt about this gesture.

It was completely out of character. Nonetheless, she had to remind herself that he was no longer a mere character in a game and that anyone who got an aloof, arrogant and conceited attitude could fall apart.

As a result, she encircled his head with her arms, attempting to convey comfort and reassurance.

She felt his grip on her waist tighten slightly, but was completely oblivious to the effect her words had on him… and the sudden change in his eyes hidden from her sight.

Thus, when he was standing at her heels the following days, it had her somewhat confused.

Scratch that. It was really confusing how calm and kind he had become to her.

It was likely due to that moment they shared together a few nights before, but the shift was…

Well, at least he had not completely changed; that would have been unsettling.

But she did not expect that he would even lie beside her on the grass, on a small slanted ledge of a hill, to watch the sunset together.

A bird flew in front of her and, following it with her eyes, she saw how it landed on Hikaru's head.

He sighed but did nothing to get it off.

It wasn't the first time this had happened; even if he tried to make it leave, he wouldn't succeed like he did with the others, and that made her laugh.

“They love you, huh?”

He didn't look at her, “Shut up.”

“Never.”

He raised his hand, ready to make her fly faster than a bird, but she surrendered by shaking hers.

“Oh, my! You should calm your horses! There's beautiful nature here contributing to a breathtaking view and you want to sweep it away? That's so cruel!”

“I eliminate possible contamination.”

She blinked, “Wait. Me?”

With his eyes now on her, he cocked an eyebrow matter-of-factly, “Who else? The bird? Is your brain a decoration by any chance?”

She snorted, sitting down on the grass, “Then you should avoid associating with a person who has her brain as a decoration. That way you can avoid becoming dumb yourself.”

She was about to get up, but Hikaru's hand putting her back down blocked her from doing so.

And without saying anything, she smiled, bringing her arms under her head again and closing her eyes. A slight smile took up the young man's lips; she would not find out though, for it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

And after he did not know how long, heavy breathing of a sleeping person could be heard instead, and when he looked to his left, Clara was completely in dreamland.

Hikaru let out a small snort of disbelief at the scene.

The sound of stepping on grass behind him caught his attention.

“You like her company now, don't you?”

He sat up, watching the bird finally fly away, “She is bearable.”

Nahida giggled, “So bearable to follow her around, right?”

He reimaned silent as he got up and brushed off his clothes from the dirt, but didn't miss to give her a side-eye.

The little Dendro Archon observed as a small wind began to rise with a movement of his hand, lifting Clara into the air and carrying her directly into his arms; one below the crook of her knees and the other wrapping around her back. Her head drooping before resting on his chest.

With a nod toward her as a sign of goodbye, he jumped up into the air and flew away, leaving her alone.

Along with her worries.

She sighed slightly, “Seriously, I hope nothing happens.”

It could not be said that something was not wrong, as doubts had crept into Hikaru's mind anyway.

Such an answer as Clara's would have pleased no one; it was too vague.

That was why he had changed his attitude a bit, to get more informations.

Laying her on her bed, he took the bag off her shoulder without waking her and sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze drawn as always to her face.

He had a gut feeling of her being involved in those chaotic and confusing fragments of situations he was recalling, although there was a certain confidence ― which by now had wavered ― that he had never experienced them.

Getting closer was the best method to piece together those called fragments, but the more he did, the harder it was to detach and stay focused.

She was the one distracting him.

A few strands of her hair had fallen across her face, and his hand reached out to move them aside. After that he heaved a sigh, realizing that he had been staring at her for he did not know how long before he recovered from that strange state of daze.

He was definitely losing his mind.

He stood up and walked over to the chair placed by the door to put Clara's bag, which he still had in his hand, on it.

Before he could open the door a sudden noise stopped him. It had echoed in his mind, like a jingle.

Familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Another forgotten memory.

Looking behind him, he spotted the bag upturned on the ground with something out of it. It almost seemed to shimmer under the moonlight coming in through the open window.

And as soon as he took the fallen object in his hands his brows furrowed.

It was big, almost as big as half his head, and black. There was some kind of rope tied to the ends of it and eyes in the center of that small bizarre thing.

He recalled Clara’s exaggerated care for her bag, figuring now that it was most likely for this item and its possible fragility.

The more he stared at it, the more there was something tickling his mind.

And it turned into a deafening ringing that caused him to blink several times before he heard a muffled voice and saw blurred images of that same object and a young woman showing how to use it.

“Bring this to the back of your head, then this to the front.”

Like a puppet, he led that rope behind his head and the large part in front of his eyes. It fit like a glove.

“And press the button on the left side.”

He skimmed lightly for a prominent spot until he found it.

Through that device, a spiral of colors appeared before his eyes as the ground beneath his feet seemed to disappear into thin air before he felt it again.

Now he could only see white, and he quickly took that thing off, finding himself in a completely white and empy small room. A sliding metal door opened ahead of him and he hesitantly stepped out.

What he saw left him totally shocked.

There were pictures and drawings of a lot of people posted on the walls, but the ones he recognized immediately were Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Raiden Shogun, the traveler, their fellow flying being.

And himself. In all his forms.

To his left was a chair that had small wheels instead of feet and a kind of desk with another strange invention on it; there were almost transparent windows in which one showed a picture of flowers and writing in a small square while the other showed letters and symbols.

They were not part of the alphabet of the Teyvat language, so he could not tell which letters they were.

Next to them was yet another one with an almost mouse-like shape.

Attracted, he tried to press the arrow symbol pointing to the left located in the middle of that rectangular window, and a female voice suddenly boomed in the room.

She had used a welcoming tone, however, he did not understand what she had said except for a few words.

Xu Shi Han.

He was sure it was a name.

It was then that his gaze landed on a frame. A picture frame where Clara was smiling together with other people.

What was a picture of her doing here? Was he going insane?

Where the heck was he?

Raising his head, he looked out of that large window that gave a view of huge, long, light-filled buildings and the dark sky.

This made him come to a realization.

He was in another world.

He looked at the picture frame again.

Clara’s world.

She had gotten to Teyvat with that same machine that had taken him here.

He clutches on it still in his hand, overwhelmed by that discovery.

Then who was Xu Shi Han? A friend of hers? A workmate? Both?

Or was this all a hallucination?

Sudden sequences occupied his mind, almost causing him to lose his balance and grunt from the incessant pounding in his head.

He cast a glance at the device in his hand and decided to go back and ask the young woman for an explanation.

It was better to be direct this time, she might even have a solution for those headaches and disconnected memories.

It was beginning to irritate him.

However, as soon as he entered that white room again, put the object on and pressed the button, he had to grit his teeth and hold his head.

It felt like it was being hammered. Repeatedly and relentlessly.

A searing burning melting his brain until it reached his legs, which gave way under the weight of the pain.

There were voices.

It was unbearable!

Voices. Images.

He wanted it to stop!

Giggles. Cries. Screams.

Stop! Enough! No!

Please!

He inhaled deeply and his eyes were drawn to someone standing in front of him with their back to him.

Trees, plants and bushes began to dip into scenery.

Tilting his head to the side, curiosity crept in at the sight of that person dressed in clothes he had never seen before.

She had also removed something black and large from her head and was looking around. He could only see half of her face but wonder and excitement were visible on it despite standing slightly away from him.

Adjusting the basket full of harvested fruit on his hip, he moved a foot forward but found a small tree branch under it, alerting the young woman who spun around at the noise.

It was like being struck by a lightining. She was really beautiful.

“Oh, forgive me! I didn’t mean to frighten you!” he exclaimed in a soft voice, shaking his head. Confusion was visible in her features, and his fingers began to play with part of the rim of the basket, feeling shy, “Are you lost, by any chance?”

She let out a sigh, “I… think so. Am I on a island?”

Even her voice was melodious.

“You are. Kannazuka, more specifically in Tatarasuna.”

He saw her eyes widen and look at him intently, almost as if she wanted to see through him.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh! I’m Kabukimono, pleased to meet you!” he smiled, enthusiastic about making new acquaintances. “And you are?”

She seemed to have relaxed a little, smiling back at him, “Shi Han. The pleasure is all mine, Kabukimono.”

Technically it was not a lie, yet she was puzzled by the situation because it was not supposed to start that way.

Had she gotten the main settings wrong? A reversed scenario loading? She recalled checking several times before putting the machine into operation.

Glancing one more time at the trees, the bushes, with the chirping of the birds around and the sound of their shoes against the ground, the feeling of experiencing such a realistic sensory stimulus never ceased to charm her.

Her gaze fell on the puppet leading the way to the village after telling her that she could stay with them as long as she wanted. The shy but lively way he interacted with her turned the corner of her lips upward.

“We’re here!” he informed her, quickening his pace.

Chatter and laughter reached her ears, and she stepped out of the way in time to avoid being bumped by two children chasing each other.

She followed Kabukimono with her eyes as he walked over to this familiar young man with a red lock of hair to show him the basket of fruits, being repaid with a smile and probably words of praise.

After that, his attention switched to her, thus bringing the other to look at her as well, and she decided to approach for introductions. She then understood why he looked familiar; he was Niwa Hisahide, the one she would blame for the island tragedy in the game.

They appeared like real people. Having them face her really did have a strange effect.

She certainly could not say that they were fictitious characters and was trying out the game in virtual reality to attract more players, so she had opted for a simpler and quite believable explanation: she was traveling but had gotten lost and her possessions had been stolen.

She had also immediately found a bag to put her VR headset in to avoid curious questions.

Kabukimono had already thrown a quizzical look at it, which was not supposed to happen, since it was not meant to be exposed to the eyes of the characters.

Even if there were inventions here, explaining the use of a VR headset could have involved complications in the game which she was not inclined to have.

Everything had to go smoothly, and her intent had been achieved.

She wore the local clothes, got along well with the villagers, and helped with whatever errands were available.

Still, Kabukimono's reluctant behavior around her had not escaped her notice.

Conversations were brief ― almost nonexistent ― and he would run off, yet he had been so friendly during the first meeting.

These interactions were odd; she did not remember including them as options. Actually, nothing was as she recollected setting them up.

As he was now with the elderly women who spoke to him as he smiled and listened eagerly.

“Don't worry. He had these reactions with us at first too,” Niwa's voice caught her attention as the young man walked up beside her with a hand on his hip. "He just needs some time, you'll see how he won't pull away again."

"But it's been days," she sighed. "And I'm not doing who knows what action to deserve this attitude again. I'm approaching in a gentle way."

He hummed thoughfully, “You are right about that. But... it may be that you are different.”

“Different?”

He smiled, “Sometimes we have different impressions of some people. Honestly speaking, yours leaves its mark, Shi Han. You release positive energy that relaxes and makes one feel at home. Apparently, your energy has a powerful effect on him and that makes him shy and clumsy.” Niwa chuckled at the dumbfounded face she had while he was talking, and shoved the sheath with the sword inside into her hands. “Now take this and hand it to him. He lost his previous sword and had asked me to forge another.”

Awakening from her initial astonishment, she tried to speak but he was already on his way.

So she huffed out a laugh and the only thing she said to him was a "thank you!" to which he responded with a shake of his hand.

She hadn't really noticed that he had a sword in his other hand, caught up as she was in the Kabukimono dilemma.

Niwa's confession had left her speechless. So much for the fictional character!

If they had told her that she would hear such a thing from a nonexistent person, she would have laughed in their faces.

Glancing at Kabukimono, she caught him staring at her before returning his eyes to the women who were walking away after the talk ended. She almost chuckled as she walked toward him to fulfill her errand.

“Hi. Here, from Niwa,” she spoke kindly, showing him the weapon he then took from her hands.

“Thank you,” it was almost a whisper.

“I heard you practice sword dance. It must be difficult.”

“Not very.”

“You put in a lot of effort, though”, she smiled. “This is not to be underestimated. Although I have never seen you dance, I know enough about this.”

He had not responded, he just looked at her. She seriously believed that she was hated at this point and that Niwa's words were just to reassure her.

"Would you like to... watch me?"

That caught her off guard, but she widened her smile, "I would love to!"

She hadn't really expected that! It was a really huge leap of progress!

It certainly had not been easy to ask her to see him dance, but she was really happy about it. And now that she was witnessing that dance, to say that he was talented was an understatement!

The smooth and accurate movements, the relaxed facial features, and the passion-filled eyes with which he performed the poses was nothing short of mesmerizing.

As a backdrop, the trees, the river and the light wind that had risen made it almost magical.

She couldn’t stop looking at him.

He was so immersed in it that he seemed to have forgotten her presence after ending his dance, so she applauded him, catching his attention.

"That was... magnificent. I don't know what else to say.”

His eyes drifted to the sword, playing with its hilt, “I’m honored to be complimented.”

Shi Han was completely taken hostage by the tenderness he had awakened in her, and without thinking about it she had mussed his long hair in an affectionate gesture.

Kabukimono had only blinked in surprise.

"Oh, forgive me!" she pulled away, raising her hands in surrender. "You were so sweet that I moved unintentionally. Please, don’t hate me!”

“Hate you? I would never!” he quickly shook his head, almost offended by that.

“Oh. I thought… you hated me.”

“Never! I’m just…” now he looked anywhere but at her, what was probably embarrassment invading him. “You are so beautiful and kind…”

She would have had an explosion of diabetes if he had not stopped!

How in the heck was he so, so sweet? He was a precious cinnamon roll!

“So it is not a disturbance if I request to see your dance again?”

“Absolutely not.”

“That’s a relief then. And… thank you for your compliments.”

The response she received was sparkling eyes and a toothy smile.

And the following days Kabukimono had left all shyness behind and kept staying close to her like a child trailing after his mother.

He would smile constantly, seek advice on even the smallest things, ask to pick fruits or just go for a walk together.

A total different character.

You could not look at him and not think of protecting him from any danger.

To think that he would change his personality after that tragic event that he would soon have to endure was really a shame, yet the story had to have footholds to continue.

Every action and reaction was calculated and giving them drastic plot changes could have consisted of inconsistencies in moving forward.

Messing up was not an option.

She was going to enjoy the course of events without a hitch.

And watching Kabukimono had become her favorite pastime; he was so adorable and innocent. Like now as he placed the firewood under the cauldron.

Surely he had noticed her fixed gaze on him, for she could see him playing with the sleeves of his robe.

“Asahi is late.”

She chuckled, “He wants to do it himself, as small as he is it will take him a while. He wants to be useful, like you.”

“He shouldn't tire himself though, since he's not very well.”

“I know, but let him do it. It's really cute to see him so hard-working.”

Asahi, the sick child who would add to Kabukimono's suffering when he would pass away.

He was already ill, that tragedy would take place sooner than later.

Another detail she did not remember at all was his name, because she had not given him one. He was just supposed to be an addition for the character that would become Scaramouche.

But if she dug her heels in over everything, she would start to get headaches, so it was best not to question and just comply.

“Water is here!” the small enthusiastic voice of Asahi caught their attention and they saw him almost trip and tip over the bucket full of water.

“That's too much water, Asahi!” Shi Han burst out laughing, helping him move closer to the fire.

“We still need it!”

“Yes, yes. Pour it slowly or you'll ruin the firewood.”

The teasing, the smiles, the chattering, the caresses. These heart-warming interactions had always fascinated Kabukimono.

Every human feeling and emotion captivated him.

There was something mysterious and inexplicable about the way they worked and manifested themselves.

However, the one who attracted him like a moth to a candle was Shi Han.

The manifestation of her emotions was a subtle but strong trait; the change of them could be sudden or slow.

He often found himself staring at her more than he should, completely invaded by a strange feeling that a puppet should not experience.

He had no heart; it was impossible.

Could it perhaps have been her aura? It was not to be ruled out. The villagers also felt at ease with her and almost considered her family.

“Is something wrong?” Shi Han's gentle voice and her face so close to his made him pull back a little from the sudden entry into his view. “I called you several times. Do you feel strange?”

“Oh, no. It’s just… You seem to feel so much happiness…”

“Are you not happy?” Asahi asked confused.

“I could, if I didn’t have…” Unconsciously, his hand went to his chest. “… a void here.”

“You mean, you wish you had a heart?” He nodded and heard Shi Han sigh, sitting next to him. “Mmh, have you ever heard this story before?” the question gained their attention as the child placed the bowl of food on the floor, “There once was a puppet soldier whose greatest wish was to be with a ballerina doll forever and ever. But the soldier didn’t have a heart and didn’t know where his feeling came from. One day, his owner didn’t want him anymore and threw him away into a fire. But even in the flames, his eyes never left the ballerina.” He smiled, ”The next day, the people found a tiny heart in the ashes left by the fire.”

He exhaled, sadness filling his voice, “Probably ashes in the shape of a heart, but that’s not a real heart.”

“Maybe. But what if…” He tilted his head to the side, “… hearts can be born from ashes?”

That would have changed things, but he was not sure.

“You don’t need a heart,” Shi Han spoke, grabbing his hand and slight sparks orerran his body. “The fact that you worry about being empty and that you might not reciprocate in the same way shows that you feel something.” A tender smile played on her lips, eyes looking at him with affection, “You are able to express emotions without it. You are more human that most people. Am I right, Asahi?”

“She is!” he had almost shouted it while nodding firmly.

Her face lit up, as if he had remembered something, “Oh! Asahi! Your handmade gift!”

The child made the same expression, got up and ran to a wooden box, pulling out a doll.

Kabukimono was quite confused.

After the child had gotten closer, he noticed the details of the object better. It was him. Its hair and clothing were the same as his, and it had what looked like a small tear under its eye.

“I'm aware that it didn't turn out that well, but I still wanted to give you a gift.”

He was at loss of words. He had a knot in his throat and his eyes were stinging.

He grabbed the doll and stared at it, a smile forming on his lips.

“Look, you’re smiling,” Shi Han rubbed his shoulder in a comforting way. “You’re happy, Mono.”

“Mono?”

She sucked the air through her teeth before grinning, “Kabukimono is too long. Mono is better.”

He smiled back, feeling shy again but with a tingling sensation.

He heard Asahi giggling, but a coughing fit struck him, bringing Shi Han to stroke his back and him to look at him worriedly.

“Everything is fine, just coughing.”

“You should still get back into bed. I’ll accompany you.”

He followed them with his gaze until they vanished into the other room and went back with his eyes on the doll. He touched its hair, its trim and stitching.

A gift made with affection.

A goal he did not think he could achieve. He thought people would not consider him; lacking a heart he might not feel empathy, or understand certain actions dictated by certain feelings. Consequently, causing estrangements on their part.

Yet they were friendly, loving, and hospitable. They treated him like a son, an older or younger brother, a friend. He felt loved and always wanted to be loved.

And very much loved by Shi Han.

It had become a permanent fixture. He did not want to do anything that could lead her to be bothered by his presence; he wanted to be praised.

More and more.

She had become the first person he spoke to as soon as the sun came out. A strong force continually pushed him toward her. And he did not mind.

Just being near her gave him warmth and love. He could sense it.

Like now, as the sound of the flowing river was heard, sitting at its bank and looking at the night sky.

It was better to say that he was watching her admire the stars.

“I love this view. I've never seen so many stars light up the night.”

“Where you come from there aren't many?”

She shook her head, “No. Let's just say they've… dimmed over time.”

“You will see them often by staying here then.”

She had opened her mouth, but had not spoken. This jolted him slightly and he began to feel a squeeze in his chest at that nonverbal response.

“Are you… leaving?”

Shi Han had definitely noticed the sudden change in mood, because she was hesitating, but she eventually nodded.

“I’m traveling, so… I’m moving all the time.” He turned his head to the other side and pulled his knees to his chest. “I also have to stay with my family. They definitely miss me. But this doesn’t me- wait, what’s wrong? Are you crying?”

Hearing her concerned voice gave him a sense of victory.

First she would sneak in and then decide to leave without thinking about what she had left behind? Without thinking about how he would feel? Was she really going to leave him? Why?

He didn't want to!

Her hand moved his shoulder slightly so she could look at him, but he resisted. He heard her calling him, but he did not answer.

He felt betrayed.

“Mono, please, listen to me!”

“I am.”

“You aren’t. You didn't hear a word I said because you’re still like this.”

He stood up abruptly and looked at her, taking steps back before halting and showing her bag in his hand.

Shi Han had widened her eyes, taken aback and confused by his action.

“Speak the truth. It has to do with that object you always carry in here with you, doesn't it? The way you take care of that thing has always intrigued me. You never show it to anyone, you keep it hidden and you seem obsessed with it.”

She let out a long sigh with her eyes closed, sensing the situation getting out of hand.

She was probably thinking that she would never have thought of such an overreaction on his part and that she didn't even know how they had gotten to this point.

He didn't know either. All he knew was that a trigger had been set off.

“It is because it’s an important object for me. It has an emotional value. It’s a gift.” She explained in a soft voice and stretched out her hands, “Come here, I’ll show you.”

He kept looking at her, stalling for a while until he gave up.

Shi Han reached into the bag and pulled out the object.

"Bring this behind your head," she had lifted that thing above her head and brought with one hand what looked like a strange rope behind it. “Then this to the front,” the large part went in front of her eyes. “And press the button on the left side,” her finger stayed on that specified spot but didn’t press down. “That’s it. But since I break a lot of things, and you know that, I don't use it much to avoid breaking it.” She took it off and smiled at him before putting that thing back in the bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Sorry if I startled you. I was going to talk to everybody about it these days. And I was telling you earlier that I would come back to visit anyway, and we may as well write to each other.”

He lowered his head, distress overtaking him.

Of course there were these options, but they were not like having her by his side all the time.

It was different.

“But I will not see you every day.” his voice had come out hoarse, as if he were tearing up.

“You can travel with me. And we can take Asahi with us, too. If you want, we can ask Niwa as well. I don't know if he would agree to travel, but it doesn't hurt to try.” He raised his head, stunned by the proposal. Shi Han cupped his cheeks, her fingers wiping away tears he did not know were coming out, “There, there, stop crying. Have you calmed down? Do you like my idea? No more sadness?”

He nodded, inhaling a deep breath to cool down.

This myriad of emotions were making him dizzy. And what she did next almost caused him to lose strength in his legs.

She giggled, tousled his hair and rested her lips on his forehead. After that, she hugged him. His face leaning against the crook of her neck, warm and soft skin touching.

“You’re such a good boy.”

Her fingers run through his hair, stroking gently and slowly.

He couldn’t think straight. He was over the moon.

He hugged back, tightening his grip as much as he could without hurting her.

It was like being wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, comfort and fondness. Safe from any danger, feeling special, and have no negative thoughts.

She was the last piece to complete his wish.

Like it was your home.

It felt like home.

He had attained peace. A feeling so wonderful that he wished it would last for eternity.

But against his every thought and will, that newly completed paradise was gone.

Black smoke had begun to surround them, and the villagers began to get sick. They were getting worse and worse, and no one knew how the heck to stop the disease.

And they were dying. They were dying and dying one by one. A chain reaction that had spread terror and despair. And the helplessness about the situation didn’t help.

Hence, he decided to ask for help from the one who had created him, the Electro Archon herself.

He did not want to leave Shi Han, Asahi and Niwa alone, but he had to do something.

When he arrived in Inazuma, no one would let him in to have an audience with the Archon. With tears in his eyes and desperation clouding his senses, he did not for a single moment stop asking about his creator, displaying the golden feather around his neck, left by her in his hands.

Even though Yae Miko appeared in Ei's place, he begged to save the villagers, on his knees, his hands grasping her clothes. Shepromised help, and he believed her.

After returning to Tatarasuna, he saw Shi Han standing outside the house in the distance.

“Shi Han! The shogunate will come here! Let’s inform Niwa and-“

Now close by, he could notice Shi Han's dull eyes and bare feet. A bad omen took hold of him and he ran toward Asahi's bedroom.

When he saw him, Asahi seemed to be asleep.

Deeply asleep.

He had a lump in his throat, his hands began to shake.

That was a joke, wasn’t it? Asahi was definitely joking. It was not the best moment to do that, but he was playing around.

For sure.

“Asahi, it’s not good time to play. You need to wake up. The… The shogunate is coming and…”

One touch and he suddenly pulled his hand away, as if electrocuted.

Asahi was cold to the touch. Too cold.

No. No! No! No! Please, no!

Why? Why was all this happening? What had they done wrong to undergo such a thing?

The child’s words crossed his mind and he smiled through the tears.

He was here. Asahi was still here. His heart was still here.

And without a second thought, the flames enveloped both him and the house. He waited, waited until he could see it, but there was nothing there.

No heart from the ashes but anger and sadness made an appearance.

He clenched his hands into fists, tears that would not stop falling, “How dare you die like this, and break your promise to me?” He sneered, “What a joke… It’s just ashes, nothing left but ashes.”

He lifted his head up, a deep sigh leaving him. He stayed like that for a while before walking out.

He still had his Shi Han. He needed her hugs and sweet words.

He needer her.

However, he did not expect to see her with that black object on her head, her hands still on each side of it.

Hesitantly, he spoke, “Shi Han?”

Their eyes met, and what hers conveyed made him even more desperate.

“What… are you doing?”

Shi Han gulped, lips quivering and voice shaking, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”

It was too much.

Tragedy was to come, but she did not imagine it so suddenly. She had not even had time to breathe. It was all going too fast, and witnessing it firsthand had never been in her plans. To see the life of someone you spend time with vanish before her eyes without being able to do anything to stop it was the most deplorable torture there was.

Waking up from the catatonic state with the smell of smoke from the flames Kabukimono had started burning the house in which she had memories was another pain.

She could not take it.

It was all too realistic; she did not even believe she was in her own game anymore. Maybe she was and there had been mistakes during the data transfer.

She didn’t care anymore. She wanted to get the fuck out.

If she had entered in the game with the VR, she could as well come out of it.

Fear was dominating her and she didn’t give a shit about anything or anybody else. She couldn’t.

She was doing what was right for her sanity. And she also felt so bad for that.

“What are you saying? I… I don’t get it.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I can’t stay here any longer.”

“Wait, wait! What do you mean? What are you trying to say? Where are you going? Where-“

Adjusting her VR, she pressed the button and everything was reduced into a spiral of colors. Seeing the familiar white room again, she collapsed on the floor, relief taking over her senses. Hearing her friends' and co-fonders’ voice put a definite end to that long moment.

But for Kabukomono had been an istant. A light and then nothing. She was gone.

His Shi Han was gone.

Where? Where had she gone? What had she done to make herself disappear? And why? So was it a lie? She did want to leave him?!

His head hammered incessantly, it felt like needles penetrating and pushing deep. His pupils constricted, a silent scream leaving his body, his hands clutching his head to try to stop the pain.

It hurt. It was unberable.

“Shi Han! Shi Han!” he sobbed. “Don’t go! Come back! Why are you doing this?! Please! Please, don’t leave me! Shi Han, please! Don’t leave me!”

Shi Han exhaled, almost running out of air. After regaining oxygen, she sat on the edge of the bed and a sigh of relief left her lips.

She was in her room, probably after she fell asleep and was brought in.

That was terrifying.

Dreaming of those events was not really something she expected. She had had nightmares after returning from here, but they had faded after a few months.

Guilt was kicking in again.

She needed a glass of fresh water for her dry throat.

Movements alerted her and she got up, spotting Hikaru under the moonbeams picking up her bag and placing it on the chair.

“Oh, it’s you. Was it you who brought me here?”

“Did you think it was someone else?”

“I… never thought you would do that,” she giggled. “but thank you.”

He just hummed, “Your bag fell and this thing slipped,” he lifted one of his hand to show her VR, the other one on his hip. “Nothing broken, you can rest assured.”

She let out a sigh of relief, “Ah, thank God- Archons. It’s a precious item for me.”

She walked over, checking that nothing was really broken, and put it back in the bag, then holding the latter to herself and returning to the bed to place it on the nightstand.

She wanted to hit herself because she had almost made a stupid mistake. Here they were not thanking God but the Archons.

It had never happened before, but the air was imbued with something strange.

It was heavy, tense.

“Is something wrong? You look nervous, Shi Han.”

“Oh, it’s al-“

Her heart skipped a beat, turning pale. She turned around to look at him, searching for something in his eyes that suggested she had heard wrong.

She had certainly heard him wrong. A trick of her ears. He didn’t know her real name.

“What…?” it was almost inaudible and she saw him tilt his head to the side. “Oh, sorry, Hikaru. I thought- nothing, don’t worry,” she shook her head and gesticulated with her hands. “I really should sleep.”

“Hikaru was the best name you could have chosen. I really had an enlightenment in my life.” One step forward, one more, another, as he continued, “But giving it to me through the Traveler was not necessary. I would rather you had given it to me in person.”

He was there, close to her. Too close. She was petrified.

His irises seemed to glow in the dark. Threatening, smothering.

She did not know how or when, but she felt pressure on her arm, was pulled to the side, and the sound of something being broken echoed the room.

Her eyes settled on the nightstand, where her bag was no longer. Her lips began to tremble, her face to distort with fear, and her breathing became labored.

His foot was still on top of it, the VR inside shredded.

He knew. He knew her real name, about her.

Fuck! Fuck!

How was this possibile? How did he find out?! Did her presence really lead to this? She had been careful, avoiding anything that might spoil the plan. Really!

Realization kicked in and she stared at him, while his eyes had never left her and had watched her every facial change.

“You used my VR!”

“Is that what it is called? It is certainly a wonderful invention.” With his hand still holding her arm, he drew her to him, chests touching and faces a short distan apart. “It made me see your world. Our past.” She could feel his breath against her lips. “You don't know... how painful it was after you left me. Asahi, Niwa, you. I saw the darkness, and called your names. Yours especially.” His other arm went around her waist, pressing their bodies together as tightly as he could, ”I wanted your hugs, your caresses, your reassuring words. You were my support, my fixed thought. But after a while, I began to forget you, only you. Probably because you are connected to my world and can manipulate a few things. And I bet the stars and the sky are part of it, aren't they?”

She gulped, trying to push him away, but she couldn’t.

It was happening too fast, she couldn’t react. Her head was spinning, her pupils shaking.

“But I’m also aware of how what happened has worn you down. You tried to make things better, giving me a new rebirth.” He gave her a knowing lopsided smile, a sinister glint in his eyes, “Everything is okay, honey. Your suffering is coming to an end. You will be reborn with a new you. I promise.”

A flashback of her stroking his hair and humming a melody while he was in a coma popped into her mind. He had recited the same words she had said.

He had heard it all.

“I'm sure you didn't do it all by yourself. Someone helped you. But even knowing the current situation, Lesser Lord Kusanali did not act on it. I assume that no one can do anything if you are involved.” His hand left her arm, which fell dead weight, and moved towards her chin, cupping it, “Am I right, Clara?”

She coudn’t breathe.

Demanding, controlling, out of his mind.

“Am I right?”

She breathed out, “Yes.”

“It means no one can meddle between us. Is that correct again?”

“... Yes.”

His face lit up, a smile making her skin crawl.

He giggled, caressing her cheek. He placed his lips on her forehead, before cupping her cheeks and kissing her.

She was squeezing her eyes, paralyzed.

He nipped at her lip, causing her to flinch and taking advantage of this, he swept his tongue between her lips, tangling and tinkling their tongues together.

He broke the kiss, staring at her with eyes filled with confirmed madness.

And hugged her. Her face against the crook of his neck.

“You’re such a good girl.”

The paradox was paralytic and finding a way out erased.

She realized that she had taken Nahida's words lightly.

But what could she have known? How could she have known that he would behave this way? These were not excuses! She could not have foreseen this!

But unconsciously she had believed that she would not arouse suspicion. Foolishly she had gotten too close.

And she had brought disaster with her.

Memories had surfaced that should not be there.

An unwanted insight into something that should not have been there.

He was so attached to her that his affection had transcended time and space, outclassing that betrayal and seeing the positive side of her redemption toward him that would also be projected onto her game, having a close connection between parallel and video game realities.

But she was the culprit. She had decided to test the waters by prolonging her stay in a place that was beginning to seem strange to her.

And she was paying the consequences. Willy-nilly.

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idyllic-affections · 2 years ago

Text

dad!pantalone ii.

summary. the eighth and ninth both adore [name].

trigger & content warnings. slight angst (but only if you squint), fire & accidentally lighting a harbinger on fire. no-one gets seriously hurt though.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. fluff, slight angst. pantalons & child!reader, la signora & child!reader. 0.7k words. they/them pronouns used for reader. < previous | next >

author's thoughts. i sort of implied where in genshin's timeline we are in this post; collei is implied to be present as one of dottore's subjects and is suggested to be around [name]'s age!! so yk, several years before the traveler appears in mond.

without a doubt, pantalone absolutely adores his child. for them, he would tear down teyvat in its entirety.

he's completely enamored with them. he's always spoiling them; his love language is gift-giving, after all, especially in their case. he has the mora to spare. what else would he use it on? funding dottore's experiments? pfft, please. he'd rather spend it on his lovely child!! it's his money, he can do what he wants as long as it doesn't noticeably affect the fatui's funding. additionally, he finds himself cherishing physical touch just as much as he does gift-giving—the fatui agents in his division claim that he's generally less irritable if he has his child in his arms while he's working.

of course, pantalone can't always have them around. he doesn't want them to be too deeply involved in his fatui work... not yet, anyway. it'll be a different story when they're a little older. personally, he thinks they'd make a very impressive fatui debt collector one day; everyone's already terrified of upsetting them. if they became a debt collector, such fear would increase tenfold. they'll end up joining the fatui one day regardless, so why not as a debt collector?

for the most part, he doesn't trust anyone to watch them, not even his own business partner. what fool would trust il dottore with a child? not pantalone, that's for certain, especially since this particular child is his heir, his flesh and blood. the regrator knows about what the doctor is doing to that little girl with eleazar. archons forbid that kind of treatment was directed at his gem. dottore and all of his segments know damn well not to bring any kind of harm to them, but still. the ninth would rather not leave them with the second unless it was absolutely necessary.

he settles on enlisting the help of la signora.

as arrogant and cunning she is—what harbinger isn't, really?—the regrator knows very well how fond she is of his child. he's not blind to her blatant affections towards them.

(little did he know, sometimes she wonders if this is the child she never got to raise with her lover gifted to her by the heavens above. signora knows better, but the thought is comforting. she even shared her name with them. such a sweet little one shouldn't be calling her a name like la signora.

the first time they called her 'mother rosalyne,' she may or may not have shed a few tears, knowing very well that their mother seemed to have disappeared off the face of teyvat after leaving their newborn self with pantalone. 'they don't have a mother,' she thought to herself one day, 'so I will gladly take up that role. no harm shall come to them for as long as I live.')

he has little issue leaving them alone with her, as they also seem quite fond of the woman.

one day, she suggests teaching them to harness pyro based on the old art she learned at the akademiya. no need for a vision, she insisted—all they need is patience. she expected him to reject the idea, but to her surprise and delight, he gave her permission to do so as long as she doesn't forget that they will be making public appearances in noble society soon enough. as such, they do need to have some restraint. she gladly agrees to his terms.

signora quickly discovers that they are a very fast learner. they take her lessons very well. what a smart little one they are! she thinks it's very funny when they accidentally light the balladeer's coat on fire. he was not happy. the fair lady, however, found it absolutely fucking hysterical. she praised them in secret for it!

"you are very, very important," she had said, "there are very few people on teyvat that could hurt you and get away with it. the balladeer is not one of those people, so by all means, light him on fire again, my little flame <3"

she is creating a firey (literally and metaphorically...) little noble. pantalone doesn't really mind.

they are very important, indeed, and if la signora is encouraging that ideology, then he doesn't care whose coats he will need to replace.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

#aphelion brainrots 🌸#la signora x reader #platonic la signora x reader #pantalone x reader #pantalone x child reader #fatui x reader #genshin imagines #platonic genshin x reader #platonic genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader

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fatuismooches · 1 year ago

Note

Hellow :3 Hope you're doing well! I had this random thought and i can't help but share my brainstorm.

So. Tsaritsa. The Cryo Archon. The leader of the Fatui. The Goddess of Love with heart colder than ice, with no love left for her people. Or is she?

Childe confirms that Tsaritsa is far too gentle in his voiceline. Venti says that she and him were close 500 year ago, but then she cut all ties with him. These statements combined, i tend to think that after the Cataclysm, Tsaritsa has become cold due to the horrors and injustice she experienced (there is a theory regarding the book "Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies" which could elaborate on that but it's far too long to explain it here 😅). However, the Goddess of Love is still there, even if hidden deep within her.

Pehaps common folk of Snezhnaya can't see her as sweet, loving and benevolent Archon due to Fatui's dirty way of doing things. That being said, Tsaritsa could also be aware of her terrible reputation among the people which makes her embarrassed and disappointed that she couldn't follow her ideals and be a loving Goddess of Love she was supposed to be. However, if you asked the Harbingers, she is a sweetheart energy embodiment. The Eleven are her most loyal group of followers, i feel like she trust them, so she dotes on them quite a lot.

Now picture this. Tsaritsa arrives to Dottore's lab for whatever business she had to sort out with him. While the two are talking, poor Fragile!Reader stumbles into the room to sleepily announce that they are hungry and ask for Zandik to make some food, but then- oh heck. Is that the Tsaritsa? Bad timing... Terrible timing, in fact...

Or was it? Tsaritsa is confused but extremely curious. Whatever they have been discussing before is no longer important. She immediately asks Dottie who is this and poor blueberry (yeah, that's what i call him affectionately 😊) has nowhere else to go but explain himself. Fragile!Reader is just as shocked to have a sudden encounter, but for their surprise - Tsaritsa shows not a hint of hostility, anger or general disagreement. Before the reader and Zandik knows it, there is an ocean of questions leaving Archon's lips.

What's your name? How old are you? Where are you from? What do you like/dislike? How have you met Dottore? When have you met? What happened? How long have you been suffering from this mysterious illness? How is the cure creation process going? How are you feeling now? How-

For some such behavior may appear annoying and perhaps even suspicious. However, Tsaritsa's excitement to meet and get to know her 2nd lieutenant's significant other is as pure as freshly fallen snow. If there are any intentions behind her questions - it's only the good ones. How could the Goddess of Love wish harm to her Harbinger and his lover? Especially when they're such a cute couple?

Let's just say Cryo Archon took GREAT liking into Fragile!Reader. Blizzards in Snezhnaya haven't been as horrifying ever since and Fragile!Reader got to enjoy the nice afternoon walks with their lover, appreciating the beautiful scenery of endless plains of snow as far as the eye can see. Goddess of Love is well aware that couples need their privacy, so she tends to not interfere too much. However, with each visit she pays Dottore, be it for Fatui work matters or casual, she also politely asks to visit the reader. She is almost like a doting, caring mother and always reassures reader that it's gonna be okay. Dottore is her best scientist, after all! He will find a cure soon enough!

Bonus: i feel like she'd sometimes go CloudRetainer mode and tell stories of younger Zandik, when he recently joined the Harbingers (let's assume the reader was in comatose during that time).

In conclusion, the meeting was sudden, but fateful. Zandik's and Reader's relationship was blessed by the Goddess of Love herself. The bond they share is far more stronger than one may first anticipate - so strong that even Tsaritsa expressed her recognition. There was no mistaking: if they ever need guidance, she got their backs.

- 🐺

🐺 ANON I AM ABSOLUTELY REVELING IN THIS CONCEPT OH MY GOSHHHH. I completely agree with your take on the Tsaritsa I've spoken about it before about I think she was kind but had to change herself after what she experienced and also to accomplish her goals. BUT OMG. YOU WENT SO GOOD INTO HER CHARACTER. To think that she knows she has to be cold for the sake of her plan but hurting inside that she can't be the loving archon her people deserve hits HARD. Though she is quite grateful for her Harbingers, though no one could ever completely understand her pain they are the closest people to her and understand her more than anyone. New Fatui members are always surprised to see the Tsaritsa herself going to visit her Harbingers. It doesn't seem like something an Archon such as herself would do. But she does anyway.

MOVING ON OH MY MY I AM LOVING THESE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TSARITSA AND FRAGILE READER. You always held a grudge against the Gods for being cursed with this illness. But the Tsaritsa was an exception. There was just something about her that was comforting. And relatable somehow. Even with these feelings, you would be so awkward and even a bit scared at first because all of your knowledge of her comes from Dottore. You try to excuse yourself quickly but there's no escaping at this point since the Tsaritsa's gaze is fixed on you now.

Dottore never thought he'd have to explain this to Her Majesty and for once is a bit unsure of how to phrase it but goes with the simplest explanation: "[Name] is my lover." You're sweating at this point because you've had bad experiences with Gods before but to your surprise and relief, the Tsaritsa is now rattling off questions about you to both you and Zandik. Your head is spinning by the end of it but thankfully Dottore answers most of the questions for you.

You actually feel very happy and appreciated by the Archon's genuine interest. When was the last time someone besides Zandik ever doted on you? You loved him but it got lonely sometimes. The Tsaritsa is only upset she didn't know about you sooner! At some point she shushes Dottore up and only wants you to answer her. Her sheer adoration makes you feel a bit hot and embarrassed but in a good way.

AH YESSS TSARITSA MAKING THE SNOWSTORM LESS SEVERE FOR READER 💖 Takes me back to when i did a piece like that a few months ago, because she would do that for her dear Harbinger ❤️ It makes her content to think about how you and your husband are able to enjoy her country together much more. Only thing is that the Tsaritsa's drastic change in weather makes the other Harbingers question why this is happening so Dottore should keep you hidden as best as possible from his nosy co-workers ehehe unless he wants to deal with their pestering too.

I think the Tsaritsa is really good at soothing and easing others' worry considering she is probably the Goddess of Love so she can easily see through your worries. You don't know how but when she talks you can't help but believe her. Omg not her telling on young Zandik 😭 You keep this secret to yourself considering Zandik won't tell you those stories himself. I just know she has excellent memories when it comes to the people she cares about. I can see her remembering everything and anything because she knows how easily something she loves can be stolen from her.

Gosh i love this. Most people may think that your relationship is not one of true love, perhaps fake or forced considering the kind of man Dottore is. But the Tsaritsa can easily see true love. And she'll see to it that you two stick together.

#smooches talks #🐺 anon #fragile reader <3 #dottore love notes <3 #literally love this so much #I LOVE UR IDEAS!!! i love the tsaritsa too #i found the theory ur talking abt #ive read through it and wow that was interesting #how do ppl process all that wow #u cant tell me the tsaritsa didnt cry at signoras death #fragile reader needs more friends the tsaritsa is filling that role

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zweetpea · 1 year ago

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Kaeya Prince of Khaenri’ah

Happy birthday baby 😚

(Listen if he doesn’t end up canonically being the prince then just consider this an AU. It already kinda is but… um… I suck at wording.)

“The prince of Khaenri’ah will be arriving in Mondstadt tomorrow for trade negotiations.” Grand Master Varka explains to Jean, Lisa, Amber, Diluc, Eula, Albedo, Noelle, Klee, and you. “I want all of you to be on your best behavior.”

“He means you and Klee.” Diluc looks over to you.

“Hey! That’s not entirely fair. I’ve been keeping Klee out of trouble for months.”

“Yeah! Miss Knight and I have been very good! I haven’t bothered big brother Albedo, I haven’t blown up any fish, and no one’s got mad at me and dodoco.”

Varka kneels down to Klee. “We’re all very proud of you for that Klee but you need to be extra good okay? Mondstadt needs Khaenri’ah to help us out.”

“Okay, Master Varka! Can me and miss Knight go fishing now?”

Varka sighs and and smiles at her. “Okay, just be careful and don’t blow up anything.”

“Come on you little pyromaniac. Let’s go get some fish.”

“Yay!” Klee cheers and pulls you out of the Knights HQ.

You two make your way down the street towards the front entrance of the city. On you walk you see a stranger at good Hunter. He had blue hair; tan skin; pants, boots, fingerless gloves, and a corset (all black); a short blue vest; a white shirt; and a fur collar with a cape attached.

“Hmm, what should I get? Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother a beautiful woman but do you perhaps have any wine?” He asks Sara.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry. We don’t serve wine here.”

“Oh that’s unfortunate. I suppose it’s made up for by the fact that a stunning, kind, woman works here.”

“Well aren’t you a charmer.” Sara smiles at him.

“I just try to make people’s day.”

“Excuse me!” You and Klee walked over to the man. He turns around and he has a beautiful blue left eye and his right eye is covered by his bangs. His face over all is ethereal. “Um, I, Angel’s Share is known for its immaculate wine. The Cat’s Tail also has some great choices of Alcohol apparently, I don’t usually drink but Crepus does enjoy their drinks.” You blush as this gorgeous man smiles at you.

“Crepus? The owner of Angel’s Share and the Dawn Winery?”

“Yeah, I helped him escape a Fatui Ambush a few years ago at his son’s birthday party.”

“Interesting, so you know the Ragvindrs?”

“Kinda, Diluc and I trained together to become knights. He’s very strong and incredibly and Crepus is so proud. I’ve only met the older Ragvindr a handful of times but he’s been like a father to me.”

“Hm, you and this Diluc must be a very happy couple.”

“Ew! Miss Knight would never be with that weirdo!”

“Klee! Sorry about her. I try to teach her to be nice to the other knights. Diluc and I have a friendly rivalry so we send jabs back and forth and Klee can sometimes be defensive of me.” You smile politely at the cute stranger.

“She’s very cute. Though she looks bit old to be your daughter.” Klee starts tugging on your sleeve.

“Oh no, she’s not mine. I’m more of a nanny. I’m sorry to cut this short but Klee and I were heading to starfell lake.”

“That sounds like a good time.”

“Yeah, she likes catching fish and I sit and watch her to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. Maybe you’d like to join us.”

“I would actually, thank you. It would be my pleasure to entertain a woman as radiant and stunning as you. For all the stars beauty could never compare to the shining light of your eyes.” He takes your hand and kisses your knuckles. Your heart is thumping wildly in your chest.

During the afternoon you three play at the shore of starfell lake. Well Klee and dodoco play, you and this stranger (who you learn is named Kaeya) talk about life and your interests. He is an incredible charming man.

“Wait so this Diluc guy got his vision on his 18th birthday?”

“Yep, because he helped saved his dad. I don’t want to brag but I did get my vision before him.”

“So you mentioned before that you’re a knight. What’s that like?”

“Well I’m the cavalry captain so I manage funds for the horses. I could take you to meet my horse Marshal. How long do you plan to stay in Mondstadt for? I’ll be busy this week because the prince of Khaenri’ah is visiting but maybe on my lunch break I could introduce you to be noble steed.”

“I’d love to meet Marshal. Oh wow it’s getting late. I should head back. I’ll see you tomorrow miss Cavalry Captain.” He kisses your knuckles again and walks off.

“I call dibs on being the flower girl!” Klee shouts and you blush fiercely at the implication.

——

The next morning you get up and clean your, get on a professional but still combat oriented dress, and made breakfast then rushed off to work.

As you got to the front hall where the other knights were waiting, you joined Diluc and Lisa in the corner.

“Attention! Knights, I’d like to introduce to you all Kaeya Alberich, the prince of Khaenri’ah and his personal guard Dainsleif.” Varka announces.

You look over in shock and see the man from yesterday. He was dressed head to toe in whites and blues. White pants and shoes, a dark blue vest, light blue shirt and jacket with white fur on the bottom trim. He was decked out in sapphires, and his right eye was showing. It was a dazzling glowing gold. He’s so pretty.

Oh yeah and there was a blue eyed blondie in black and blue armor next to him.

—

During lunch he came to your office and knocked on your door. “Hey cute stuff.”

“Hey stranger, or would you like me to call you ‘your highness’?”

(A/n: you guys don’t even know how tempted I am to have Kaeya say “I’d rather you call me your boyfriend.”)

“Kaeya is fine. Varka told me that you were on lunch break so I thought that we could go see Marshal. If you’re not busy, I understand if you are.”

“I’d love to entertain a handsome charming man.” You smirk as you turn his words from yesterday on him. You pull him along and he starts idle conversation with you.

“You have no idea how many times Dain had to stop me from mentioning you.”

“I’m flattered.”

“Well it’s not every day that I see someone who can rival the Archons beauty.”

“You flatter me too much.”

You bring him to meet a white horse with brown spots around one eye and more sporadically around his back. “Hi Marshal!” You pet him.

“He’s adorable.” Kaeya smiles. “Can I ask you something crazy?”

“Go ahead.”

“Will you be my girlfriend? Or at least let me take you out for dinner?”

“I’d love to go on a date with my new boyfriend.” You say as you grab his hands and pull him into a short but intimate peck on the lips which he returns.

#kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich #genshin kaeya #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #kaeya genshin impact #kaeya alberich x reader #kaeya fluff #prince Kaeya

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whistleloves · 7 months ago

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Moonlit Ride

[Pure Whiluc fluff, with not a single problem in sight for either of them.]

Whistle had never considered herself one for emotions or attachments. She usually held herself to a code of honor rather than messy things like emotions. Though one thing always seemed to slip past that general rule of thumb. Whistle was horse crazy. She was always trying to weasel her way into a stable when she was young. When she was a high ranking Fatui she was always negotiating with her superiors to give her a horse to ride out on missions. They said no.

Her affinity for the equine didn’t leave her when she moved to Mondstadt. Though the topic only came up once in her and Diluc’s conversations, some random afternoon before the two coupled up, Diluc certainly remembered. Having a few horses himself, Diluc didn’t let the opportunity to use them to his advantage slip by. So the two developed a habit of taking a ride out on the horses together at least once a week. Though Whistle’s enthusiasm usually meant they’d be out far more often than that.

On this day, Diluc decided to plan a cute little evening to commemorate their 6 month anniversary. He had been busy the majority of the day setting it up, having taken off from his duties for the day. He had made sure both horses were perfectly well groomed, shiny coats, polished saddles, and the like. Then he spent an ungodly amount of time trying to figure out a recipe that Whistle had mentioned rather offhandedly, his coat flung on a chair and his sleeves rolled up. A bit of flour smudged on his nose, though he was trying to figure out what “a decent amount of sunsettia extract” meant, and didn’t notice it. Once he had puzzled his way through baking, he took even more pains to make sure all the food he was putting in the saddle bags wouldn’t get jostled around too much on the trip. Faintly smiling all the while.

It was much later than expected when Whistle busted down the front door, as she was accustomed to doing. Adelaide and the other maids no longer startled at the sound. It was simply the routine now, just as wiping the boot print from the bottom of the door was every morning after Whistle had left for work. Though her integration into the winery’s day to day was sudden, everyone took it in stride fairly quickly. Whistle’s erratic ways weren’t such a mystery once you got to know her after all.

“Sorry I’m home so late- some weird guy asked me to kill like 30 something slimes for him and it went a little south.” She explained, spotting her red haired darling by the door. He looked like he was doing something but quickly bent to obstruct her view.

“Really? I had been wondering what was keeping you so late. I nearly went out to look for you myself.” His voice remained even and calm, as he seemingly stuffed something away in his coat. Whistle eyed him suspiciously, and opened her mouth to speak before he walked over to her and held his hand out for her to take.

“I do have something for us to do tonight,” A faint smile played on his lips as he raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. Whistle took his hand, smiling a bit herself. He had a way of calming her normally quick thoughts down with a simple word or a gentle touch.

“And what might that be?” She asked, tilting her head slightly as he brought her hand to his lips. Her smirk widened as he then gently pulled her forward and back towards the front door.

“I hope you’re not sick of the horses just yet, dear.” He playfully dragged her to the stables, the two practically jogging. Elzer and Adelinde giggling as they watched them from the window. Diluc wasted no time picking Whistle up and suddenly dropping her on her horse. Whom she’d affectionately named Black Beauty after her favorite book. He quickly mounted his own steed, and the two set off at a brisk trot. Diluc leading the way.

“What on earth have you planned, hmm?”

“Just a little something, for a little someone.” He remarked with a shrug. Though Whistle couldn’t see his smug face, she could just feel that he was smirking. Little moonbeams lit up Diluc’s hair, and Whistle couldn't help smiling to herself looking at him. He turned around slightly to glance back at her, and just as she thought, he was smirking.

“Alright if you say so, just don’t make me fight anymore slimes. I have had enough of those today.” Diluc laughed slightly,

“I assure you, no slimes involved tonight.” Whistle followed Diluc’s horse diligently, the two peaking a little on their days. Though Diluc fibbed a bit to keep the surprise. They eventually picked their way to Starsnatch Cliff. They didn’t normally go to the cliff on rides, though one of the few times they had, Diluc had confessed and Whistle nearly received a concussion. Diluc then dismounted, and began leading his horse up to a small sapling. He tied the rein around a branch, as Whistle dismounted and followed his lead.

“Check the saddle bag” Diluc looked just as smug as ever when Whistle opened up the saddlebag of Black Beauty to see a bottle of apple cider, and a cloth containing a bunch of pastries.

“Awww Diluc-” She started, pulling the food out and holding it tightly. The starlight above once more catching Diluc’s hair. He looked almost angelic to Whistle at that moment. The words died on her tongue as he looked her dead in the eye, leaning on the tree behind him with his arms crossed. He looked very happy with himself, and Whistle couldn’t very well hide the red on her cheeks seeing just how pretty he was with the moonlight. She cleared her throat,

“I um… You are so handsome right now I don’t even know how to react.” She mumbled to herself, though not very quietly as Diluc himself flushed a little. He blinked a few times before walking back over to her and taking her hand gently in his. It was always very warm, the direct contrast of Whistle’s frozen ones. He took the cider bottle from her and let her keep holding the pastries. Leading her up the cliff until they neared the edge, where he sat down and she once more followed suit. Diluc smiled a little awkwardly as he looked over at Whistle,

“See, tonight marks 6 months since we committed our hearts to each other. I wanted… I wanted to try and make it special for you. Since I know you’re always helping around the winery, and occasionally keeping me sane enough to keep running it. I just felt that expressing my gratitude was in order.” He blushed as he spoke, looking out from the cliff once more to try and hide his bashfulness, passing her a small card with some writing on it. Most likely what he had been working on when she walked in. Written on it, was one of the sweetest things she’d ever read.

“Thank you, Diluc,” Whistle quietly said. Moving to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He turned to look at her once more with an adoring smile. He popped the cork on the cider then stopped rather suddenly.

“Uh oh- What's wrong? Did you forget to do some report or something?” Whistle asked quickly, noting the look on his face as he pressed his gloved hand to his forehead.

“I didn’t bring cups.” He muttered, hiding half his face. Whistle covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh. “You hate drinking after other people, how could I have made such an oversight?” He grumbled, mostly to himself.

“Diluc, I don’t mind drinking after you. We kiss all the time. If I was repulsed by your spit like I was everyone else’s, I wouldn’t be kissing you so often.”

“... Ah… well that fixes things now, doesn’t it?” Whistle took the uncorked bottle from his hand and took a drink, passing it back to Diluc.

“See. Not so bad!” She laughed a bit breathily as he took a sip. The wind quietly ruffled their hair, and the faint sound of the water below weaved a gentle song. Slashes of light cut across the night and lit up everything like it was dipped in silver. While the crickets sang, Diluc and Whistle simply enjoyed being around each other. Though as the night chilled a bit more, Diluc slung his coat around the both of them and they spoke of the stars. Whistle recounting looking up at them when she lived in Snezhnaya, the snow reflecting every little shimmer of the stars above.

Though their conversation quelled as it got even later. Whistle was now snuggled up as close to Diluc as she could get. He merely laughed and wrapped his arm around her. Once more simply just happy to be close together.

“Whistle?” Diluc quietly questioned, trying to angle his head in a way that wouldn’t jostle the woman leaning onto his arm. “Whistle?” He asked again, smiling softly. A soft hum was all he received in response. “You awake dear?” silence again. He chuckled, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Looking out over the cliff one more time before gingerly standing up. Picking Whistle up, as well as what was left of the cider. He stuffed the cloth he had wrapped the pastries with, into his pocket. Then he made his way back to the horses, awkwardly trying to get on his horse without dropping his girlfriend, on top of holding the other horse’s reins to get both of them home.

He debated waking her up for a moment, but she had told him she had a rough day, so the poor man toughed it out. Eventually he managed to precariously get on his horse. Whistle carefully situated in front of him as he tied the other horses reins to the saddle-horn. He didn’t rush to return to the winery for two reasons. 1, going fast might wake Whistle up. 2, he liked her company even when she was asleep. It was just shy of 3 in the morning when Diluc returned to the stable, Elezar had stayed up to make sure the pair would get home safe. Thus Diluc nearly mirrored the confession incident trying to get off the horse. If Elezar wasn’t there, he probably would have.

When Whistle woke up the next morning, warmly nestled in a bed, she wasn’t the least bit surprised. She supposed for a moment, there was another exception to her little “no emotional attachments” rule. It was the man she would gladly spend the rest of her life simply being near.

#Whiluc<3 #f/o #genshin impact #self ship #oc x canon

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lostsunlight · 1 year ago

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CHAPTER 7 - DAYBREAK

childe x reader, wc: 4.2k, masterlist, Ao3

cw: nsfw, violence, murder

Childe left the apartment as soon as he left your room. He had a whole barrage of things to complete now that he had finally arrived in Liyue. Signoria had told him two things in exchange for helping her track down Barbatos. One. To seek a man who went by ‘Zhongli’. The second was that a Sigil of Permission was being held by Yangshang Teahouse. Despite Childe’s overall intolerance for La Signoria’s entire being, she was useful when she needed to be, but only when there was something in it for her.

He had to check in at Northland bank first but it seemed that the owners of Yangshang were yet to pay their debt to the Fatui, a perfect opportunity to take the Sigil and begin replicating it in order to summon Osial and force Rex Lapis’s hand.

He had organised to meet the consultant tomorrow at Liuli Pavilion for lunch. But now it was time to make people pay their debts, the sooner he can get the Sigil the sooner he can prove himself. He makes his way up the winding balcony and red-lacquered stairs of Liyue Harbour to Northland Bank.

As he approached the guard, if he recalled correctly her name was Nadya, she had been under his division for a while now. She stood to attention and saluted.

“Welcome Lord Tartaglia, Nothing to report'' she said sharply in Snezhnayan, Childe had to admit hearing and speaking in his mother tongue was a small comfort one he missed.

“Thank you Nadya” He responded in Snezhnayan

He brushes past her and strides into the bank. The bank teller looks up sharpy, clearly not expecting anyone past the bank closing. Much like Nadya she immediately stands to attention, despite the standard grey Fatui mask covering her eyes she was quite clearly shocked.

“Lord Harbinger, Please forgive me I was not expecting your arrival. I am Ekaterina, the receptionist at Northland Bank. Please allow me to show me to your office” She said softly, hand on her chest, not a strand of hair out of place.

“No need to worry Ekaterina. Please” Ekaterina stands and heads up the staircase concealed by the desks at the front and leads him to the second level. She stops at a door above the entrance to the bank, giving him a full view of the interior.

“Your office Lord Harbinger”

“Thank you, dismissed” Without another word Ekaterina dismisses herself and leaves Childe to work. Childe was impressed that he couldn't hear her footsteps as she left, she would be useful later.

Childe walks into the office, it looked like his apartment, decorated in the standard Liyuan style. He beelines towards the desk, already covered in stacks of paperwork to look for what he needed. After a few minutes he finds the file on Yangshang Teahouse and their debts to Northland as well as their assets, just as Signoria told him the Sigil was in their possession, as for how they got it in the first place was anyone's guess.

Immediately making his way back downstairs he tracked down the Pyro Agent responsible for debt collections that night.

“You, Javert is it?” he signalled to the Agent “Come with me, were headed to Yangshang Teahouse for a debt collection”

The agent appeared hesitant “Sir, need you see to such a routine matter?” His voice was augmented by the mask he wore, a handy invention of Capitano.

“Relax, I have… other matters to attend to”

“If you command Lord Harbinger” He gave a short bow and waited for his next order

Without another word the two made their way to the infamous teahouse. Sneaking in the backdoor Childe heard the tail end of a conversation between the owner and a woman

“…We can make it far away with this” The owner said, pushing up his glasses and crossing his arms, he seemed too sure of himself for Childes liking, it would be satisfying taking him down a peg. He seated himself down in a chair in the shadows, agent standing behind him.

“But Master” the woman hesitated, the jewels of her expensive-looking hairpin swung with the movement of her head, her voice lowered to a whisper “What about the debt?”

Childe decided it was his time to interject he tapped a finger against his knee “Oh yes, I’ll be here to collect that” he said, his voice having a hint of amusement weaved in with the sinister tone

“What? Who's there!” the owner yelled, looking around furiously before spotting him sitting in the shadows.

The woman broke out into a panic “Guards! Protect the Master!” She ran behind a table, hands white-knuckling the edge. Two burly guards closed in behind the so-called master, wielding nothing but wooden bats. At first sight Childe could see that he would beat them with no effort, they were slow and uncoordinated. For a place so elusive they couldn’t even hire competent guards

“No matter what you owe, you cannot run from your debt. Is that not the Law of the God of Contracts in Liyue?” Childe rested a hand on his head and finally made eye contact with the owner. An indigent expression was painted across his face. He raised a shaking finger accusingly at Childe.

“F-Fatui! How dare you barge into a private residence!” He whipped his head “Guards! Show them how we treat unwanted guests at Yangshang Teahouse!”

Childe stood instinctively drawing his hydro blades holding them back handed.

“Hah, not much for adversaries” he said, his cool demeanour contrasting the heated situation. Childe instantly jumped in.

He slid behind the guards and hit one on the back of the neck, the sickening crunch of bone rang through the room. The guard fell to the floor with a loud thump, with his body unable to move his eyes darted to Childe. He moved onto the next, the guard swung his bat and Childe ducked under the blow. He aimed his blade so it laid flat and stabbed it into the man's rib cage directly into his beating heart. Childe lodged his other blade in the first guard's back, he took in one last shaking breath as the light in his eyes died.

Childe stalked up to the owner, new dual blades forming to replace the old ones.

“Now, time to pay your debts comrade”

“I-I have no money as of now but give me a few more weeks the debt and interest will be paid in full! Please!”

“It's been months of us knocking at your door, you say the same thing every time don't you?” He drew closer to the owner, blade pressed against his throat “Begging is rather unbecoming for a man of your status isn’t it?”

“If you don’t have the mora then give us material goods and then your debt would be considered cleared”

“I would rather die than give up my life's work to the likes of the Fatui!” he shouted, back pressed against the wall. Even with his life under threat he still believed himself to be invincible.

“Very well” without a second thought he banged the man's head forcefully against the wall knocking him unconscious. The woman still behind the table screamed. The Pyro Agent who had been standing in the corner moved to quickly cover her mouth. Childe turned towards her.

“I’m feeling merciful today, I’ll let you go. Tell a soul about what happened here and you’ll meet the same fate as your owner” He decided to not tell her that he didn't actually kill him yet. The woman nodded vigorously and Childe nodded to the agent. He unhanded her and stood back against the wall. The woman collapsed to the floor panting, clutching her chest.

“Now, tell me where your goods are and we’ll leave you be” The woman pointed to a painting that hung on the wall.

“B-Behind there, the key is on the owners neck” Childe crouched down and found a worn piece of string tied around his neck, a key tied to the end of it. With a harsh tug it snapped off. He carefully took the painting off the wall and opened the hidden compartment. Even his security wasn’t well thought out. He mused to himself.

Taking stock of what was in there he grabbed an ornate box and flicked it open. Inside was exactly what he was looking for. The golden sigil floated upright in his palm. The Pyro Agent stepped forward a little.

“I never would have thought that an ordinary person had a Sigil of Permission in their possession. Its been years since anyone has seen one of these” he said in awe

“Your job is debt collection, and yet you failed to check what treasures he might possess that you might collect?” Childe snarked back

“Apologies, a dereliction of my duties”

“Enough, lets go”

“Yes sir”

Childe and the agent stopped out the same way they came in. On the way back to the bank he gave one final order to the agent .

“Javert” The agent stood to attention “Return to the bank with another agent, clean up the mess there and possess any treasures you find, ensure that the woman doesn't say a word. I’ll handle the owner” With a way of his hand he dismissed him.

He immediately made his way back to Northland bank. On the way back he overheard two people talking, a snippet of their conversation caught his attention.

“...strange blond traveller, couldn't be older than seventeen and a small fairy. Apparently he’s causing quite the stir in Mondstadt. Something about single handedly fending off the city from a dragon”

"I heard he doesn't even have a Vison but he was still able to harness Anemo"

Childe decided to put a pin that for later, he had only just left Mondstadt. For someone to obtain such notoriety in a short amount of time, and for it to reach Liyue so quickly. It would be useful to know more.

Opening the heavy doors he saw Ekaterina still sitting at the desk he was surprised to see her hanging back so late.

“Ekaterina, what are you still doing here?” he asked jovially

“I had a feeling you would need me to be around Lord Harbinger”

“Rather insightful aren't you comrade? As a matter of fact I do have something I need you to do. Come with me to my office”

Childe and Ekaterina quickly go up the stairs and enter his office, after rifling through a few papers he finds the ones he's looking for. The ones detailing the fraud of Yangshang Teahouse’s owner. Pulling out another copy of the paper he hands them to Ekaterina.

“Give one to the printing press, ensure they have it printed by morning. Give the other one to the Millelith. It's vital that nobody knows it was the Fatui who leaked this information so please be discrete”

“Yes Sir”

“Perfect, Dismissed”

Without another word Ekaterina left the office. Childe pulled out the Sigil of Permission, the golden talisman emitting a soft golden glow. Now that he had finally gotten his hands on a real one the Fatui research division under him should make exponentially more progress. Enough to hopefully summon Osial before the Rite, his mission had a time limit after all.

Placing it back in its box went to find an underling to transport it safely to the facility, it would be far too suspicious for him to leave the city, as the old saying goes In Liyue even the walls have ears. After a few minutes of looking he found an inconspicuous ground soldier to get the package to the factory as fast as possible.

With his work done for the night he walked the short distance across the raised walkways to his apartment. He opened the door and walked inside, instinctively checking to see if anyone was there. He caught sight of a figure curled up on the couch, book open. Within an instant he drew the dagger that lay strapped to his thigh. He stalked further into the apartment.

“I thought we agreed not to kill me?” The voice rang out, you snapped your book shut and gave him a lazy smirk.

“Can’t be too cautious” he retorted, re-sheathing his dagger. “I thought you would be asleep by now”

You sighed and rested a hand on your chin “I couldn’t sleep, I don't know where you went off to and considering your supposed track record I couldn’t risk it” Childe sits down next to you, long legs perching on the table in front of the couch.

“Aw, so you care about me? It’s not like anyone I killed tonight had a chance against me anyways” He said nonchalantly. He didn't miss your eyebrows furrow for a second.

“Just doing my job Harbinger” you tucked a strand of hair behind you ear “You still haven’t told me where you went”

“Just some debt collection, nothing for you to worry about” He leaned back against the couch, and you leaned in over him a little, placing a hand on the couch behind him to support yourself. You looked suspiciously at him.

“I thought you said that was just a cover for what you were actually doing”

He titled his head up to meet your gaze “Ask the staff at Northland if you wish, If I was scheming I would be out far later wouldn’t I?”

“You’re a terrible liar you know that” you flicked his earring, he recoiled at that and gave you a sharp glare.

“People would say otherwise Y/N, but maybe my мама might be able to still tell ” He laughed, recalling his mothers smile, how her hugs seemed to fix everything.

“Мама?” You question, accent slightly butchering the foreign word.

“ Мама” he annunciates it better this time “ Mutter, Mother” he repeated in Mondstadtan and Common Tongue.

He sees something flicker in your eyes, what looks like sadness. It was gone when you looked at him again.

“You’re not going to tell me what you were actually doing were you?” You huff. Childe picks up a strand of your hair and plays with it, twisting it between his fingers admiring the way the yellow lamplight glows off of it.

“Like I said debt collection, they had something I needed”

“The Sigil of Permission?” you breathe

“Perhaps” he smirks, dropping the strand of hair “You would make a good spy you know”

“And I already told you I’m not. Maybe in another life, If I was born a man and given to The Knights, or maybe if I was born in Snezhnaya and been conscripted to the Fatui”

“You would be a useful tool to the Tsaritsa”

“What makes you think I would serve her?”

“Because you have ambition Y/N, don't let them rot at your feet”

“I think I just proved that I’m more than willing to do whatever I can to reach my goal Tartaglia” You draw closer to him, almost nose to nose. Your breath ghosted his face

“You said it yourself, you have further to go” his hand grasped your waist, the silk fabric of your nightdress bunching.

“I also recall saying I wanted my freedom, I don't want to serve any god, no matter how glorious you say they might be”

Childe had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying what he truly wanted to say. That he would bring the heavens down for the Tsaritsa. That her plan was to let man rule over Teyvat for themselves.

He leans into whisper in your ear “Don’t let another Fatuus hear you say that, you might get yourself killed” A hand moves up your thigh to skim the rapidly healing wound

“And I thought you agreed to protect me, don't want to break a contract under Morax’s watchful eye do you?” your voice was barely above a whisper, hand grasping onto his shoulder. He draws a gloved finger across your jawline.

“Goodnight Y/N”

With that he stands and heads to his room without a second thought, leaving you to fall back onto the couch.

✧

Liyue was much harder to navigate than Mondstadt, you thought to yourself as you strolled across the intersecting walkways flanked by well kept ponds. Green lily pads floated upon the clear water’s surface, so clear you could easily see the koi slowly swimming below.

Looking up the honestly ridiculous amount of stairs to see Bubu Pharmacy at the top. You began your ascent. The cold morning air got worse as you got higher. Finally cresting the top you made your way to the counter at the front of the pharmacy. You took a moment to take in the sheer luxury of the place, endless draws edged with gold and heavy green curtains pulled back. The strong smell of incense permeated the place.

Looking around for someone you wondered if the pharmacy was closed. That was when you heard a quiet monotone voice from behind the counter.

“How can I help you today” You whipped around and peered over the counter. There stood a small girl barely peeking over the edge. A large talisman was attached to the hat perched atop of her lilac hair. She looked up at you, there was no emotion in those large magenta eyes.

“I’m here about the apprenticeship to study under Dr. Baizhu”

“…One moment please. Qiqi will get Dr. Baizhu” The girl ambled off into one of the back rooms of the pharmacy. A moment later she returned with a tall man, a white snake wrapped around his neck.

“Thank you Qiqi” He said to the girl, she merely nodded and returned to the counter and pulled out a battered notebook. Baizhu turns to you, you could have sworn you saw the snake giving you a once-over.

“And you would be here for the apprenticeship?” He questioned, long green hair swaying with the moment of his head.

“Yes, I’m Y/N of Mondstadt, I was trained as a healer using my Hydro Vision. I’m very well versed in anything in the realm of physical trauma”

“Interesting” You started a bit as a feminine voice came from the snake. “What? Are you truly surprised I can talk? Teyvat has stranger things wandering around”

“M-my apologies, I was not expecting it” You let out a small laugh trying to ease the nervousness.

“Now, Changsheng” Baizhu scolded her in a light tone. “I’m interested to hear why you would be applying for this apprenticeship in Liyue”

“I believe I have a lot to learn from Liyuean healing techniques, especially herbalism and spiritualism. Monstadt focuses more on the physical aspects of the patient and tends to disregard the spiritual and emotional aspects of healing”

“How long have you been a healer?” Changsheng hisses

“Five years, I started my training when I was fourteen”

“And you were trained by The Church?”

“Not quite, I was born in Springvale, a small village in the woods. I was trained by some of The Sisters but I was never formally a part of The Church” You hoped they wouldn’t question the lie, wouldn’t press further into your past.

“A healer with a Hydro Vision could be very advantageous for us, they can heal physical wounds a lot faster than our current treatments” Changsheng said to Baizhu, cocking her head.

“A good point Changsheng” He looks to you “Come, show me your skills and then I’ll decide on this apprenticeship”

He leads you up the set of stairs around the back to a cosy infirmary, sunlight pouring in through the open windows, vases full of various plants were spotted around the room.

“First, how would you heal a cut?”

“I would first ask if the patient needed any milk of the poppy. I would clean the wound with water and then fire water. Appy my Hydro Vision to partially heal the wound by easing the inflammation and speeding up the process a bit. I would apply an appropriate herbal salve and then wrap the wound” You said, listing off the steps on your fingers.

He gives you a short nod and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Very well”

He walks up to a woman lying in bed. Instantly you notice a few small cuts on her arm, as if she had been caught in a particularly nasty thorn bush. Medical supplies already laid out on a small cart next to the bed.

“Miss Su Lin” Baizhu approached the patient, an elderly woman with grey hair, a few black strands remaining.

“I have a Healer from Mondstadt here, would you be alright if she attended to the cut on your arm”

Su Lin, looked at you standing a little behind Baizhu. You give her a smile. “Alright, so long as you stay with her”

You sat on the small stool next to her bed.

“Miss Su Lin, would it be alright if I looked at the cuts on your arm?” Su Lin raised her arm and placed it in your grasp, you gave them a look. You fell easily into the routine.

“How did you these may I ask?”

“Tried to feed the stray cat outside my house. She laughed, didn't appreciate me petting it.” You laughed a little at that

“Not at all by the looks of it, would you like any pain relief?” you ask

“I’ll be alright” she replied

With that you get to work cleaning the wound, satisfied you removed your gloves and dipped your hands in the steaming bowl of water and herbs on the cart to clean your hands.

“I don’t have enough power or skill to fully heal the wound using my Vision alone, but I can partially heal it” You explain to her. She gives you a nod, the go ahead.

You pressed your fingers on Su Lin’s skin and drew power from your vision. A faint glow comes from your hands, you see the redness going down and the wound gets smaller before your eyes. You removed your hands the moment you felt dizzy and took a deep breath in. Taking a second you don your leather gloves again and finish taking care of the wound.

Su Lin gives Baizhu a look and thanks you. You stand and clasp your hands in front of you.

“Please give us a moment” Baizhu guestres towards the door, you politely step out and close the door behind you. Muffled voices came from behind the dark wood. You pressed your ear to the door

“She has potential, but she needs more training with tapping into her elemental mastery” a voice that sounded like Changsheng said

“I concur, out of everyone that has trialed here she had done the best '' Su Lin said, you frowned. Was Su Lin a test patient? How did she get the cuts on her arms then?

“Although it seems she's not very well versed on Liyean customs and manners, perhaps it would benefit to teach her those” Su Lin continued

There was silence for a moment

“I believe the Mondstadt training was a good foundation but she really could learn from Liyuean technique” another pause “And it saves me from having to teach the basics” Baizhu hummed

“Then it's agreed” Changsheng hissed

“Very well”

You stood back from the door the moment you heard him approach.

“Y/N, I would be delighted to take you on as my apprentice here at Bubu Pharmacy”

You stepped back a little in shock, you hadn’t expected to actually get the apprenticeship. You bought a hand to your chest “T-Thank you Dr. Baizhu” you breathed out

“Return here tomorrow morning, we will discuss your contract and pay then. Until then have a lovely day”

“You too Dr. Baizhu” you look at the snake draped around his neck, tongue flicking out “And you Changsheng” You give her a nod. With that you leave Bubu Pharmacy and make your way down the stairs. There were significantly more people gathered around the store compared to when you got there, this time Qiqi was standing on a small step ladder so she was able to see over the counter.

You felt elated, luck was in your favour it seemed, now you just had to work with the Harbinger until he finished his mission. On your way down the stairs you heard people muttering about something called ‘The Rite of Descension’ wondering what predictions Rex Lapis would bring this year. You made a mental note to question Childe about that later. You had a lot to learn about Liyue it seemed.

The copy of ‘Teyvat Travel Guide II’ laid abandoned on the bookshelf after your conversation with Childe last night. You still couldn’t grasp how he joked about murdering a man so easily. Being around him was certainly interesting to say the least. The way he so casually touched you, the way he let you tease him. You didn’t know what you felt about him.

You tilted your face up to the sun, feeling its warmth in the height of summer. You decided to enjoy the rest of your day and deal with Childe and his scheming later. For now you had a new city to learn.

You wandered around the streets, enjoying the pure liveliness of the atmosphere. Even with the Milleleth stationed around you felt at ease, your every move wasn't being watched. A sense of paranoia still clung to you, every few minutes you would instinctively look around as subtly as you could.

Out of the corner of your eye you could have sworn you saw a flash of silver, you turned towards the alleyway and saw nothing. You dismissed it as nothing and continued on your way, content to blend in with the crowd of Liyue Harbour.

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shiiiko · 2 years ago

Text

Scaramona au

She couldn't hear anything, she couldn't see anything. It got her breathing heavily as she tried to move but her body would not, in the distance she could see him. The 6th of the Fatui Harbingers, The balladeer, her lover.

She tried to move, Archons only know how much she's trying but she couldn't, as if there were invisible cuffs shackling her as she watched her beloved continue to walk further and further away from her.

Her eyes wide, pupils dilated she tried to shout his name, make her presence known to him but she couldn't as if her mouth was sealed in shut, she was struggling against the invsible binds that got her stuck. When she finally got out of the binds she ran, ran towards him even when her legs begged her to stop. Whenever she reached closer to him he seemed to move even far away than the last time.

In futile effort she tried to reach out her hand towards the purple headed puppet before she fell into a void of darkness.

Her eyes shot open as she jolted awake, she sat down on the soft comfort of her bed, she looked around her to see a familiar room, it was her room. There were scattered spellbooks and documents littering around as she sighed, leaning her forehead to the palm of her hand as she tried to calm her erratic heartbeat

"Come on Mona, that was a dream..."

The purplette tried to convince herself, taking a deep breath she finally grasped the reality she was in. The reality where there was no Scaramouche, there was no 6th Harbinger, no Balladeer. Only The Wanderer, how she came to remember remained unknown to her and she was not about to tell anyone about it either.

She laid back down, her hitting the soft pillows as she stared at the ceiling in a daze, sometimes she wonders if everything would be different if she did not remember, sometimes she wished she didn't. For the main reason of memories that kept plaguing her mind. memories she knows she won't be able to relive.

She kept shifting her position in bed as she grunted, decided that if she couldn't sleep she'll just start her morning at.... 4 am.... Oh teyvat she groaned as she rubbed her face and got up

"Damn it all"

She murmured to no one in particular as she went to her window to look at the stars. She spotted a particular constellation, bringing back a memory

------------

"Such a useless hobby you have"

Huffed a short purple haired man as he eyed the Astrologist as she looked through a telescope making her snort and retort

"For your information this is my job, not my hobby"

The latter only laughed sardonically but kept quiet, decided that arguing with the female would just end up in a fruitless endeavor though he does like pushing her over the edge of her sanity

"Amuse me, Megistus. What's my constellation?"

He asked as he walked behind her to embrace her from the back, something he does not do in public. Something that's only exclusive for her. The Astrologist's lips quirked upward as she felt the familiar warmth

"How arrogant of you to think that I did research about your constellation"

she giggled when she heard a small but noticeable grunt coming from the short male, squeezing her a bit before he chuckled and spoke

"Did you not?"

He asked, his tone cocky. Knowing fully that she did no matter how much she tried to deny it. Her huff was an answer enough making him laugh, the female slapped his arm playfully as she spoke

"Oh fine I did, only out of pure curiosity! Do not get any ideas, Scaramouche!"

He rolled his eyes playfully at her remark as he rested his head on the juncture of her shoulder and neck

"I'm not~ So tell me, what is it?"

He loves humoring Mona's rather peculiar hobbies just as much as he loves teasing her, something about her innocent smile and her excitement that's somehow akin to a child's whenever she talked about anything related to the stars just seemed to make his heart burst

------------

Her eyes gleamed as she began ranting on and on about his constellation in his arms as both stared at the starlit sky

#scaramona #scaramouche #mona #astrology #constellation #scaramona fluff #post wanderer #mona remembers #light angst #fluff and angst #Idk how to tag #fanfic #au

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mikwaa · 2 years ago

Text

Pairing: Zhonglix f! Reader

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, graphic descriptions of blood and violence, enemies to friends to lovers.

Lenght- 4,057

Here is the masterlist of this series!

This fic is also posted on Ao3!

I kindly thank you for every like, reblogs and replies. Thank you very much!

Now you were in Mondstadt, in the tavern of a guy named Diluc. In the company of Morax of course, with the small fact that you had to act like a mortal, this being one of Morax's demands, besides accompanying him on this trip.

How you ended up here was a bit complicated, but the fact is that you were here. At first for an investigation, however, you ended up having to witness Morax's negotiations with local merchants, because he was responsible for some of the preparations for the Moonchase festival that took place annually in Liyue, and this time he decided to make these negotiations in person.

And how you had supposedly gotten in the way of one of his schemes with the other Adepti, as a way to pay for your mistake you came with him to Mondstadt, which seemed more like a way to get you out of the trouble that was brewing in Liyue, a trouble that you had no idea what it could be, all you knew was a thing or two here and there. And how you were idle just waiting for Morax to finish his conversation, it brought to mind again the conversation you had with the Adepti before you came here.

"But retainer of the cloud, I-" You've been cut off for the thousandth time. "No buts, I've already said that this will be your punishment for the irresponsible things you've been doing." And with that line you can hear Morax's chuckle in the background. What was this discussion about? Well, the cloud retainer wanted to give you some tasks to redeem yourself for your latest actions, including the near-death of an innocent, at least that's what she said. The fact is that you met a group of suspicious people recently, and then watching them a little more you realized that it was a group of treasure hoarders, and as soon as you pressed them minimally they said they were there to disrupt the preparations of the next event of Liyue, the Moonchase festival. So you made a deal with them, if they told you who they were trying to gain from this situation you would let them go, and they did. They guided you to the leader, an ordinary man from Sumeru, until you saw that he seemed to be very close to the Fatui. He didn't have to explain anything else for you to realize what it was all about, so it didn't have a very happy ending. You thought you were done with him, too bad that the miserable guy still managed to survive somehow. You didn't even intend to get involved in the story, but seeing that they were depredating the resting place of the Adepti, it became impossible not to act against them. And then you found out more and more things, and got yourself in a big mess. Even though the retainer understood your reasons, she still wanted to take action herself, and thinking that the men you pursued could start thanking you, because frankly she wouldn't take it easy. "You disrupted one of our interventions in a foolish way. Nothing more fair than this minimal punishment." Moon Carver speaks up, another important Adeptus gathering here. Even you didn't know what you had disturbed, the fact was that even Morax was present. The Adepti who had a higher degree did not get involved in small or changing situations, yet they seemed to be quite engaged in this situation that seemed to be very common for you. But despite this, it was clear that there was something much more serious going on. "In any case I can help you with the task if you like." Morax said kindly, as if you didn't see the teasing face he was making at you. All you had to do was follow another suspicious group, what was so great about that? Except for the fact that you would have to act like a mortal and could do nothing, even if things got bad. Other than that, it didn't sound bad. Of course, Morax was the one responsible for giving this suggestion, to see how you would act next to him in the most normal way possible, but how? That's for him to know. "So that's it, I hope I was clear about what you should not do under any circumstances.” That already scolding tone coming from the cloud retainer. "Then we are settled, you accompany me and help when necessary." Morax gives the final word, and everyone present agrees. You only accepted all this because of your respect for the Adepti, nothing else.

"I wonder why you are so quiet." That brought you back to reality.

"And I wonder why you even bothered to bring me here." With enough tantrums you answer him.

"Don't be so grumpy, it's not being that bad." With a brief smile he says.

It wasn't that he was being annoying or anything, but you could swear there was something going on behind all this, and the fact that they were hiding it from you made it even worse. The Adepti with a higher authority always did this, it wasn't hard to find Morax talking to them, and as soon as someone got close the topic would change. Even if it is not yet clear what this is about, whenever this happened something good was not.

Since Morax had decided to act like a mortal things had changed quite a bit, it's these Adepti with more authority had stopped acting on things about Liyue, they would only act if the situation got out of hand, just as Morax had said. The only Adepti who still had a strong presence were the Yaksha, that's down to you and Xiao,Ganyu too, though she was always working.

"Because I know you are doing something, don't think you can fool me.That's not from today." You retort.

"It's undeniable that your senses are sharp, but I'm afraid this time they're wrong." Knowing him so well, you sense a certain cynicism in his tone.

Mistaken? It seemed that you were more right than ever.

"If I knew you yesterday you might be able to fool me." You say looking him in the eye.

He responded with a laugh, the kind that makes you angry. More than enough to make your blood bubble.

"I brought us some more wine." Barbatos says cheerfully, this was already the third bottle he had.

"You still have that nasty habit of drinking too much." Morax scolds him, but still accepts a glass of wine

"And you are still one who doesn't know how to enjoy life." Even if decades go by, Barbatos as always acts as he pleases. Honestly, sometimes he made more sense than Morax.

"I thought we were here so you could take us to the owner of the tavern, and you're going around in circles. Do you think I'm stupid or what?" You say this to the two at the table. It was already becoming more and more clear that this was just small talk.

"Well, the reason we are here is because someone is in some kind of trouble, isn't it?" The line had a provocative connotation, the way Morax hated it.

From Barbatos' petulance you could tell that the alcohol was already taking effect.

"You should keep these matters more confidential." Morax says very calmly, but looking at him you could tell he wanted to strangle Barbatos.

You just look at them both incredulously, it's not as if veiled provocations are going to get you anywhere. All you did was put one thing or another together, and in the end you had a pretty good idea. What was still not clear was Morax's motivation for coming to Mondstadt, with the excuse of having to come to make negotiations in person.

"If the two clowns don't tell me what this is all about, you can be sure I'll find out on my own." Of course you were full of it, if it was a bigger problem it would all fall on your shoulders later.

"Honestly, why do you two look so much alike? That's why you can work together like this." Barbatos says taking another sip of wine.

You sighed and looked at Morax, who had said 'sorry' with his eyes.

"You two can keep talking, I don't intend to get in the way any longer." You said flatly, and then left.

You could have teleported, but that would have drawn attention, and that was the thing that would have gotten in the way at this point, since you had to look like an ordinary mortal.

Even your clothes had to change, you now wore clothes that were similar to those of Liyue's residents, making it obvious where you came from. If it was any consolation, Mondstadt had some very pretty places you could spend some time in, as well as some flora that caught your interest, so you wouldn't have to spend too much mora to buy materials when you got back.

In fact even the town of Mondstadt was very cozy by itself, it was a good place to relax, it was incredibly quiet, unlike the Liyue Harbor. And since you had nothing to do, you just had to find a suitable place to put your thoughts in order. Everything was very different from Liyue, even the weather so to speak, the landscapes that were solemn to look at.

And you vaguely remembered things around here, in fact they had changed a lot since the last time you walked through these lands, because it had been a long time. And as with Liyue, you couldn't help but admire the progress that had been made, Barbatos had done well. And if you were correct, walking ahead you would find a large oak tree, in a place where it was named Windrise.

And you had been right, it didn't take long to see the big tree, it was incredibly majestic up close. The serene place would be a great place to feel at peace with yourself, something you had been needing a lot lately. Even knowing the price it would take to defend Liyue so bravely, you didn't run away from it, quite the contrary. The price of all of this was already showing in an eloquent way, your karma was already having the first symptoms, that even if you tried to hide it you wouldn't be able to.

The pain, the agony, the suffering, simply all blended into one, and you couldn't do anything about it. There was no way to prevent it, not even with years of study had you accomplished such a feat, and frankly it still seemed a long way from any significant result. It was agonizing to think that one day you would suffer from it and not be able to cure it, sometimes even control it if it was more serious.

This is because you couldn't tell if you would have worse symptoms than the current ones, or if you would reach the point of going insane. And besides, you could reach a point where no medicine you already have would have any effect, since with Xiao and Bosacius you had to change your medicines quite constantly. And if you were to cause harm to those you held in high regard, you would rather die than do such a thing. Just remembering the fight between Bonanus and Menogias gave you a chill down your spine, and you still had noticeable scars from that fight, because you and Bosacius went to separate them.

Even though fear took over when you thought about these things, you had to keep your head up at all times, if you let your guard down it would be even worse. All you had to keep in mind, even with all these things happening, was that your journey was far from over, and you still had many memorable things to do.

As the afternoon wore on you snuggled into the grass as the soft breeze hit your skin, it was a feeling so pleasant that you could tell it was able to cleanse the soul. Even if you weren't here just for fun, at least it was giving you some good feelings. At first it seemed like a pleasant trip with Morax, too bad you hated it when he started to hide things. He had his reasons, but it was frustrating to say the least.

"I suppose I'm not interrupting." Looking up to see it was Morax, who had somehow managed to find you. Not that it was very difficult.

"No, it isn't. How was your conversation with Barbatos?" You say bluntly, wanting to know the real reason he came here.

"As usual, Barbatos was a bit rude." Him of all people, talking about bad manners.

He might have learned to have all this elegance and sophistication, but he still had many remnants of his rudeness.

"I want to see how long you'll keep things from me, I thought that according to you we were friends." You sounded more upset than you should have been.

He gave a smile followed by a sigh, but still he didn't seem the least bit concerned. "It has to do with a contract I made that got partially out of hand."

Even if it was minor, it made you think of a thousand things that could have happened, and none of them pleased you.

"It has nothing to do with your Gnosis or Liyue's integrity, does it?" You're already thinking about the groups of monsters from the abyss that you and Xiao and Bosacius have killed in the last few days, not to mention the Fatui who could be seen prowling around the port.

He looked lost, and didn't give any answers either. And it made you wonder what kind of deal would be worth spending everything on.

"You will know as time goes on, but if I need your help I will not hesitate to call on you." And as comforting as it was to hear, you couldn't help but feel that he still wasn't being honest.

"You never get tired of getting into these kinds of trouble, and it makes it even worse to know that the other Adepti are also aware of it." You make a point of telling him that, if he understood that many of his actions could mean a lot of trouble.

And of course he was still incredibly wise, if he wasn't, Liyue wouldn't have progressed so far. But this didn't mean that he was always right, many times simple decisions that he made in a wrong way could be a big disturbance.

"I understand your concerns, they are very coherent. I couldn't expect anything less from you." Why did he have that gaze in your direction? It wasn't anger or anything bad, it was a different look.

Not only that but he was being very understanding with you lately, in fact it seemed that he even enjoyed the teasing you were doing, he seemed to enjoy the situation a lot.

"What's really bothering me lately is you. I know what you're going through." The completely sudden change of subject left you all flustered.

For you were thinking that you had hidden what you were feeling well, it seemed that you were quite mistaken.

"What are you talking about?" Trying to make a fool of yourself, too bad it almost never works.

"Don't play the ingenue. The symptoms have started, haven't they?" He spoke in a low and welcoming way, and actually sounded quite concerned.

"Yes, it's been a while actually. But it's nothing serious." Insecurity was all you expressed, it's not as if you were sure of your condition.

He was silent, a very uncomfortable silence. You both just kept staring at the horizon, each waiting for the other to take the initiative to speak.

"I hope I can make it up to you."

You look at him puzzled, Make it right?

"What do you mean?" You ask a question and wait anxiously for the answer.

"I think you already know how I feel about everything that has happened. And I intend to do differently with you, everything in my power I will do." He takes one of your hands and holds it in a symbolic way.

It's not that he was stuck in the past, nor are you. But you could understand the fact that he felt bad about everything that had happened, and now wanted to at least help. And you felt good to know that at least you would have his support, that was very reassuring indeed. And after so much complaining about Morax's lack of support, now you simply heard him say that he would help you.

You can already feel your eyes filling with tears, yet you contain them."I am grateful, really." You squeeze his hand with a smile.

It seemed more like you were locked in that moment, it seemed like such a peaceful interaction, because it had been genuine.

"And I also hope I can help you if you need it." Since you didn't know what to say, you ended up saying that. Funny to think that's what you had been doing all along, helping Morax, even if in an indirect way.

"You already do more than enough, and you know it." Another compliment that left you speechless.

It was ironic to think that, two beings with the same interest and with such similar ways, became so distant. Maybe this showed that even though both were so similar in some ways, yet so different in others. But still, complementing each other if need be, just as it was lately, is this was rekindling a lasting connection.

"Yes, it was unexpected. You actually still have some questionable attitudes, but at least you're reliable." Your line drew a good laugh from him, that was the attitude that caught his attention. Irreverent, that's what you were, no matter who or what, you would never lower your head.

"I admit that this time we've been spending together has been very enjoyable, even if some of it hasn't been the best." This he says referring to when you were trapped in the depths of the chasm. Who would have thought that a situation like that could bring something good.

"I hope that never happens again, imagine getting another complaint from the cloud retainer." And you gave a wide smile as you said that, it might have been awkward, but it was comical.

"Even I had to put up with it, the cloud retainer is not as harsh with me as she used to be, but I remember hearing her complain a lot." Even he talked about it laughing.

Doing such memorable things just for the sake of being together. Looking at it this way even the silly fights and teasing became a good remembrance in your memory, remembrances that stayed in a good part of your mind.

"Perhaps I'm being indelicate, but you look good when you smile." He was quite sincere as he said it, and there was something else in his voice that you didn't identify.

Your smile faltered, not because you didn't like what you heard, on the contrary. The fact was that you always felt awkward when you smiled, and that was one of the reasons you didn't do it often.

"You keep noticing all this foolishness." The same little game of trying to take attention away from you, which always had the opposite effect.

"Silly things you say. To me it's very interesting stuff."

You give a slight smile and sit back down on the grass, by now the sun was setting.

"By the look on your face you intend to stay here, don't you?" He had a good perception of you, how could he not if you had been together for so long?

"No, I don't want to go back. I'm already feeling too suffocated with this plan of yours to pretend I'm a mortal." Another giggle came from him.

"I won't deny that for me and incredibly interesting to see how you behave in this situation." Sure, maybe he thought you would adapt to such things as well as he did.

But that was a terrible judgment, since he had plenty of time to get used to it, plus he already had plenty of practice with socialization issues, something you lacked.

"All this was just an excuse for you to bring me here, wasn't it?" You inquire directly.

"I know it may have been a little.... Rustic? But you wouldn't take it under normal conditions." It's not as if you didn't know from the start, it's still you accepted it. Curiosity maybe?

"Why the insistence? You're not going to tell me it's just for my company." Why did your voice sound a bit nervous this time? It was a simple question.

"Would it be too bad if I said yes? Actually I also brought you along because I'd like some opinions from you." Whether it was good or bad you couldn't say, it was unusual for him to say he wanted your opinion.

"You with your secrets, you're making me concerned about this." Actually you were quite worried about everything, and you were starting to put some pieces together with it.

The fact that he said he would do everything possible to help you with your karma, and that there was an increase of Fatui activity in Liyue, along with Morax's closeness to Childe, not to mention that Childe himself gave you the Reuca cure just like that. Wasn't all this very strange? It seemed to fit together so perfectly that it didn't make sense.

"It's normal, but you don't have to worry so much. I must remind you that I still have my means, even with so many changes, I am still an Archon." His voice was filled with harshness, but the reminder was not for you.

"All this has to do with many things, right? And specifically to the Fatui, which leads me to believe that you know you could end up in trouble." His expression changed, not of surprise, but maybe of astonishment that you connect the dots so easily.

"The exchange I made was very important, and the return would also have to be. Although it seems that this is taking longer than it should." And you could already feel sorry for the one who even thought to scam Morax, for sure this person wouldn't last long.

Besides that Morax is the God of contracts, he wouldn't make a bad contract, you could be sure of that.

"Just don't take too many risks, I know you have full and complete knowledge of the situation you are entering, but still." Now your concern was not only directed at Liyue, but at him.

He took one of your hands again, this time squeezing hard.

"The concern here is not me, I can handle this situation very well. As for you, don't try to put all this weight on your shoulders." That was it, one giving advice to the other, as if both of you didn't know that.

After that you both remained silent, even though you had many things to talk about. His presence was already enough for you, even if he didn't say a word. It was already night, the darkness already prevailed in that open field where you were. But it was no bother, the serenity that the night brought with it was what made you like it so much. It was the time when everything calmed down, even the busiest city ceased.

But for you, this time was a little different, this time you had a good friend by your side. Just there, without fights or disagreements, it was just the two of you looking at the starry sky, enjoying the calm. At this time you didn't need much, just be there just for the sake of being there, talk just for the sake of talking. It was already very clear that you were pacified, and the friendship flowed very well.

A great friendship was forming, along with a feeling that was growing in both of you, companionship, at least that was what came to your mind.

After all, what else could it be?

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