Chapter Text
After the argument with Diluc you haven't visited the tavern for a few days. You wouldn't want to see him staring at you from behind the bar as if you did something bad. This man's attitude was just infuriating! What is he trying to achieve by acting like that? Pouring his negative feelings onto everyone around him as if his blood was constantly boiling. Such a temper… You couldn't bring yourself to hate him, but dislike was a perfect word to describe your feelings towards him. You already saw the terrible state his brother was in. If he's not doing anything about it, then there's something seriously wrong with him. You recalled the night when Kaeya held onto you and cried… You didn't want to see him like that ever again. This has to stop.
In the heat of the moment, you grabbed your sister's old Fatui uniform and ran out of the house. Maybe you can at least warn some of the other camps so that they move away from Mondstadt. You didn't want to see them hurt… Even if they did bad things, not all of them were bad people. They didn't deserve to get hurt like that. What if Diluc won't hold himself back and kill them next time? You sneaked out of the city and found a hidden cave nearby to change your clothes. You looked down at yourself. She looked so pretty in this outfit back then. You couldn't compare to her.
The sun was setting and it only made the camps easier to find since you just had to follow the warm light of the fireplace. Soon you found what you were looking for. A group of the Fatui Skirmishers were sitting by the fire and preparing a meal. You walked up to them carefully and hoped for the best. At first, they were grabbing their weapons alarmed by the sound of a stranger approaching, but when they saw your outfit they calmed down. One of them walked up to you. He was tall… Was it the case for all Fatui soldiers? What did they feed them?! You bravely stood there as he approached you but your heart was pounding in your chest restlessly.
"What are you doing here? Did you separate from your team?" he asked calmly. You saw his face in the warm light of the setting sun. He didn't seem scary when you were able to see his plump cheeks and soft blue eyes that looked at you with concern.
"I lost them… a man with red hair-'' you made up a believable excuse and went with it, but when you mentioned Diluc he didn't let you finish. A big warm hand landed gently on your shoulder.
"You don't have to say anything. We know about him. That's why he is banned from even entering Snezhnaya." He paused for a moment and let go of your arm feeling your body tense up. "I'm Edmon. I know that it's not much, but if you'd like you can join my team at least for the night."
His kind offer caught you off guard. You almost forgot how friendly they are with each other. You nodded agreeing to stay with the group. They might have technically been an enemy, but you remembered the times when you were one of them… Even if it was all play pretend. Edmon led you to the fireplace where everyone gathered and introduced you to the others. There were four of them in total, all males. You tried your best to remember them.
The one who approached you - Edmon - was the leader of the group responsible for making sure the operations went well and for shielding his teammates. He had short platinum blonde hair and really pretty sky blue eyes hooded with eyelashes that had the same color as his hair. He was tall and muscular, but also a little chubby, which others liked to tease him about. Edmon was soft-spoken and caring. He made sure you were comfortable and helped you connect with the group. The way he was acting made him look like a big brother to all of them, and now also to you.
The one who was preparing the meal introduced himself as Danya. He was just a little shorter than Edmon but much louder than him. He kept talking about their mission, the group members, food or anything he could think of at the moment. His medium-length dark hair was tied in a neat small ponytail and when he approached you to hand you a bowl of soup you could see his unusual two-coloured eyes. One was green, while the other was dark brown. When you stared at him for too long he shyly covered one of his eyes. You smiled at that and said that it looks pretty. Danya quickly cheered up and started telling everyone about how he used to wear an eyepatch as a kid to hide his odd eye. Apparently, he works with guns, but you couldn't imagine him focusing on his aim. He was all over the place constantly doing something with his hands.
Shasha was shyly sitting in his place and only introduced himself when Edmon asked him to do it. His soft and quiet voice surprised you a little. A big muscular guy like him would usually sound completely different. You didn't dislike it though. Shasha had short ash-blonde hair and lots of freckles all over his body. You could see them clearly on his face and hands. His eyes were hazel and when the flames reflected in them they looked like liquid gold. He smiled at you shyly whenever you glanced at him but didn't say much. It was a shame because his voice was really pretty. Danya said that Shasha is fighting with a huge hammer, but he's just as good with a small one as their handyman. It made you chuckle when he put it that way.
The last one to introduce themselves was Vitya. He was the prettiest of the bunch. With his bright blue hair and beautiful purple eyes, he looked more like a model than a soldier. He proudly admitted that he usually works alone, but joined the others for fun. His weapon of choice is a dagger, but he's fine with any kind of blade. He sat next to you and showed you one of his pretty ornamental daggers. He even let you hold it to appreciate the details better. Even though Vitya acted self-absorbed and proud you could see that it was just a front he was putting on to hide his true kind nature. He only spoke highly of himself to show off, but when he was talking about his collection of daggers or his teammates he barely mentioned himself except for his genuine feelings. You thought it was quite charming. Far more than his silly act.
Seeing them laugh together and bond over a simple meal made you tear up. They weren't bad people… And they treated you so kindly, inviting you to their group so that you could feel safe. You wanted to save them too…
"Ah, Bri, you're sitting there quietly all this time. Is Danya being too loud? It's okay for you to join the conversation if you…" Edmon spoke to you a little concerned about your quietness. He stopped talking, noticing the tears gathering in your eyes. You could see as he pursed his lips and frowned slightly. "We will avenge your team… Don't worry." He patted your head.
"No… We should move further from the city. I don't want you to end like them!" You looked up at him. The tears in your eyes couldn't be held back anymore. You weren't sure if you were still playing your role… You felt bad lying to them, but from the very start, it was to protect them.
Edmon’s eyes widened for a moment as he looked at you. Others stopped whatever they were doing and turned to face you. It wasn’t hard to see that they were concerned about you. For a moment you were worried that you might have overdone it with your reaction, but it wasn’t an exaggeration on your side at all… you really wanted to save them. They were so kind to you even though they had no idea who you were. Maybe it was a little foolish of them to just trust someone dressed as one of them, but it only made you feel more sympathy towards the naive Fatui soldiers. You wondered if they’d take you in as kindly if you were just a civilian passing by. It was hard to imagine these people taking lives… Though you had trouble seeing Childe do it too, yet he proved to you it comes to him as easy as pie… which when you think about it is a huge red flag. The fact that you were standing there till this day after spending a few years with this man only proves that even someone like him has some good in him.
They say that when you kill someone you become a monster. You’ve been living among human-shaped beasts all your life and as much as you should feel scared, you felt sorry for them. Living with that stigma, remembering the last moments of people dying by your own hands… It must have felt so scary. You wondered what pushed them to do it. If there’s something like an unhealthy amount of empathy, you’re definitely suffering from it.
“Brienne, we’re more than qualified to take care of this scary guy or any of the knights. You’re safe with us.” Vitya started calmly and moved to sit next to you. His confidence would probably calm you down if you didn’t know better.
“No. You don’t understand the danger you’re in… The truth is that all of the lower rank Fatui soldiers are just sent there for certain death. Your training is NOT enough. You’ll just end up seriously injured or worse… Since you’re so kind to me I am willing to do everything in my power to help you, but you have to LISTEN. It’s not safe to stay here.” You stood up unable to sit in place with all these emotions buzzing inside you. It couldn’t be helped when you were fighting for their safety. Edmon lifted himself up from the ground and took a step closer to you. His hand landed on your arm as his soft gaze was focused on you. Did he believe you? You’ve never been so anxious about someone believing you before… even when you were hiding amongst the Fatui years ago. Back then you were only fighting for your own life, now you were responsible for more than one person.
“Where shall we go then?” he asked with a soft smile and you couldn’t believe your ears. You asked him to repeat what he just said and the taller male just chuckled at that shaking his head. “I asked where shall we go then? You said it’s dangerous here. Is there a safer place where we can continue our operations? We can’t really come back to Snezhnaya without completing our mission. We’d be as good as dead then…”
His expression shifted as he spoke. You felt your heart almost stopping at the mention of death. Wasn’t it a little too much…? Surely they wouldn’t dispose of their own soldiers, right? Even if it’s just because they need them as the mere pawns in a bigger operation, they were still residents of Snezhnaya, living people with feelings, past, families and friends… You felt nauseous remembering the death of your sister. You couldn't find out much about it during your stay in the Snezhnaya. What if it was Fatui that covered it. Cold sweat ran down your back at the thought. You needed a moment to yourself. Unconsciously you curled into a ball hugging your legs and staring at the ground. You felt everyone's eyes on you, but you couldn't make yourself calm down.
“I… I don’t know…” you said softly, feeling the helplessness wash over you. You didn’t have a plan for helping them since you just rushed here… You always do it. You run into danger without thinking. It should make you a master of improvisation, and maybe you are one. Though facing an organization as big as Fatui was a little too ambitious. You did it once, so doing it again shouldn’t be so difficult. But back then you weren’t alone in this. Childe helped you. Maybe he could do it again? You lifted your head feeling an idea form in the back of your mind. It’s been a while since you texted him last, but maybe it was the best thing to do. Reaching out to friends while in need could never go wrong.
Edmon walked up to you ready to comfort you, but you suddenly sprung to your feet with renewed vigor.
“Sorry, I gotta go somewhere. It’s important.” you said turning to your new friends. “I promise that I’ll save you. It was nice to meet you and I’ll never forget your kindness.”
“Huh? What happened? Did you suddenly get an idea what to do?” Danya laughed, seemingly pleased with your mood change. You just nodded in response gathering your things to leave.
“We’ll try moving a little further from the city. Hopefully we’ll see each other again soon. Stay safe, okay?” Edmon said placing a hand on your shoulder stopping you from leaving too soon. You turned your head to face him. He was looking at you with a warm smile. It hasn’t been long since you met, but you could tell that all of them were genuine with you. They had no reason not to. You HAD to save them.
“I’ll be careful. Only if you promise to do the same.”
“Hahaha alright. You have my word, Bri.”
After waving them goodbye you ran to the city. You almost forgot to change from your outfit. If it wasn’t for an unfortunate couple on an evening stroll you’d probably run into the city with the Fatui uniform on. There was no time to spare. You had to write and send an important letter. Hopefully the 11th Harbinger didn’t forget his old friend…
Hi Ajax,
it’s me, Brienne. We haven’t talked in a while, huh? I’m writing to ask for your help with something important to me. Please respond as soon as possible. I am once again sticking my nose where I probably shouldn’t and I won’t be able to do it without you…
You spent a few hours writing the letter and trying to explain the situation. Your conflict with the red haired barman, the danger that the Fatui soldiers were in and your willingness to solve this conflict. You thought that he could advise you what to do since he’s an experienced general. You already saw him in action. The way people followed him without hesitation. You needed this confidence… You needed him.
You placed the pen aside after you were done writing and looked at the letter, your heart sinking a bit. You realized that you missed Childe. He was like a brother to you back in the days. Now that you were back in Mondstadt all of your old friends were far away or moved on in life. What if he did too…? You had to at least try to get in touch with him. Maybe it was a little selfish of you to ask him for help after such a long time, but before you could let the doubts get to you, you ran to the Adventurers Guild to send the letter.
On your way back, you bumped into someone you didn’t really expect to see… Well, you clearly did NOT WANT to meet him, but there he stood - Diluc. You frowned and tried to ignore him, saying a quick apology for running into him, but he grabbed your arm… The one that had a burn on it. You hissed in pain and stopped turning around to face him. Seeing your face twist in discomfort he let go of your hand. He didn’t look mad like before. There was just deep sadness in his eyes and he seemed rather awkward. You glared at him, but he just looked down retracting his hand slowly as he realized that he hurt you again. He looked ashamed… but was he ashamed of himself or just his actions?
“What do you want from me?” you asked, since he didn’t seem like he’d speak up any time soon. He just stared at your arm with guilt painted all over his face.
“I’m sorry…” he said, lifting his eyes slowly to look at you.
“Well, you better be… This hurt. Both the burn and your words.” You said rubbing your arm as you eyed him. You wanted to be mad at him, but that damn sad face just made you pity the man in front of you. Maybe you could listen to his side of the things now that he cooled down a bit.