Chapter Text
Ajax stared at the white board full of photos of the mint’s employees– and possible hostages in the robbery he was trying to solve. Each one of them with names under and the role they filled in at the mint prior to the heist. He placed the cup of coffee from Welkin on the desk as he hummed, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
“What is it?” Scaramouche asked and reached his hand for Ajax’s cup.
Ajax slapped his hand away.
“There was a TV show with this premise...”
“Huh? That’s what you’re wondering about?” Scaramouche was quick to mock him.
Ajax scoffed and walked away from the white board. Taking his coffee with him too, much to his partner’s chagrin.
“Are the proofs in yet?” He asked one of the Liyuan agents. The one that seemed the sweetest out of all of them.
The blue haired woman shook her head. “Not yet, no…”
Ajax sighed. “Alright, we’ll give them until 9 o’clock if we have nothing by then, I’ll give Traveler a call.”
It wasn’t needed, however. At 8 o’clock in the morning sharp, the phone of one of the hostage started sending short videos of three to five minutes one after another.
“Quick, we need to hack that phone!” Keqing exclaimed and when she turned her head towards the rest of the staff, everyone was with their noses in their screens, typing away furiously.
Scaramouche rolled his eyes at their reaction.
It didn’t matter however; the camera was covered. As for the microphone…
Agent Keqing raised her eyebrows. “Is that…?”
♪ Aaaaand if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see ♪
Ajax bursted out laughing, earning himself a glare from the frustrated Liyuan agent. She snapped her head towards the IT team. Scaramouche snickered.
“Can’t you remove the song?” She asked while Ajax was struggling to breathe.
“We did.” An agent said with a wry smile on his face. “There is nothing in the background except the song.”
Keqing groaned. “They know we’re listening…”
“Of course they know.” Ajax agreed in between hums. He was bouncing his head left and right to the rhythm, the reminiscence of his laughter still curling his lips.
Compared to Keqing, he found the little mockery highly entertaining. Brilliant, even; if The Traveler wasn’t his enemy, he would have patted her on the back for this one for sure.
Still humming to the song that was on a repeat, Ajax grabbed the star pen and started twirling it in between his fingers.
“Alright, while we wait for all the videos to come in, let’s look through the ones we’ve got so far.”
Before he could place the tip of the pen on paper, however, the writing instrument was snatched out of his hand.
“Excuse me??? That is my pen!!!” A voice he didn’t recognise admonished him.
Surprised, Ajax turned around in his chair to face the voice. In front of him stood a woman– slightly taller than Ying but way shorter than Yelan, dressed in a long pencil skirt and a loose dark blue sweater. Hair tied up in twin tails, just like Agent Keqing.
Silver eyes glaring at him just like hers too.
“Ah, sorry about that” Ajax uttered, not forgetting his manners despite his confusion. “I didn’t know it was yours…” He tilted his head, blue eyes questioning. “But may I ask who you are?”
The woman put the pen in her purse– round and with star motifs. She pointed to her badge.
“Yes, you may– my name is Mona Megistus–” She looked Ajax in the eyes. “–and I am here on behalf of the Alliance, Agent Alekseev.”
“What a coincidence, so are we.” Scaramouche was quick to chime in, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied the newcomer.
Agent Megistus narrowed her eyes at him.
“There is no need to resort to crude remarks, Agent Tokunaga.” The woman said with disinterest despite the impact her words had on Scaramouche. Whose eyes were wider than they had ever been and who looked as if Agent Megistus just cast the legendary Musou no Hitotachi straight on the top of his head.
Ajax had to restrain himself from whistling; it had been a long time since he had seen his partner completely at loss of words. No one called Scaramouche by that name. There were rumors that an agent had once done so by mistake while under the Harbinger's command. No one had ever heard from that agent afterwards.
Now Ajax asked himself if they were gonna hear from Agent Mona Megistus ever again.
“If you don’t want me to ‘resort to crude remarks’...” He murmured through what sounded like gritted teeth. “...I suggest you call me Agent Scaramouche from now on, Agent Megistus.” He flashed the woman a toothy grin that resembled more a carnivore flashing his teeth than an amiable smile.
Something told Ajax that Agent Megistus would be sent for a mission in Snezhnaya soon…
She didn’t seem affected by him however.
“I’ve heard the robbers are to send proof of life?” She asked, pointing at the screen in front of Ajax.
“Ah, yeah. They’re already coming in and we were about–”
“Not so fast, idiot!” Scaramouche cut in quickly, hand raised in front of Ajax’s face. “A name is not enough to prove that you have permission to be here.” He gave Mona another do-over, indigo eyes now full of suspicion. “I for one had never heard of an Agent called Mona Megistus and you’re not part of the team we were briefed to be working with for this case.”
Ajax sighed. It was a justified question, however he was sure the reason for this sudden doubt was anything but justified. Scaramouche felt threatened and now he was grabbing at straws as he usually did.
“I believe I can help you with that.” Agent Yelan chimed in, drawing all the attention to herself.
Scaramouche gave her a suspicious look. Compared to Ajax, he didn’t find the Liyuan agent that noteworthy. The woman gave him a knowing smile; ever the diplomat.
“After the little scandal about Snezhnaya’s involvement in this case, I made some calls and had Mondstadt send in one of their agents.”
Scaramouche didn’t even get to open his mouth. Sensing his question, Agent Yelan added. “She had been in touch with reporters until now, which is why there hasn't been any official introduction yet.”
Ajax tilted his head. “Reporters?”
This time Mona chimed in.
“Yes, reporters–” She placed a hand on her chest, suddenly in her element as she uttered. “I am working on a column for The Steambird so I have some ties with the press. These past few days, I’ve been pulling strings and favors to get most of the local publications to cooperate with us so that the scandal from a few days ago doesn't repeat.”
“So, you’ve been bribing them.”
Mona threw a sharp glare towards Scaramouche, then continued as professionally as she could.
“There was no such thing as bribing involved.” She uttered, silver eyes twinkling at her own words. “But let's just say 90% of the Liyuan press is now on our side. If the robbers are to send something to the press, I will be the first one to know.”
Scaramouche scoffed, a smirk twisting his features. “And she said there’s no bribing involved.”
Agent Megistus frowned. “There isn’t any bribing involved.”
Her diligence only fueled his partner’s amusement. “Of course there isn’t.”
Agent Megistus took a step forward, silver eyes shimmering affected.
“I don’t like what you’re implying, Agent Tokunaga…” She said, the corner of her mouth curling upwards when Scaramouche’s jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed.
Yet, before Scaramouche could open his mouth and rain the psychological warfare he was brewing, Agent Keqing cut him off.
“I don’t like this either.”
At everyone’s visible confusion, she pointed towards Mona, making the other frown.
“This. If the government is controlling the press, then where is the freedom of speech? The press should be apolitical and independent.” She grimaced. “While I get that the tensions are high, I don’t think pulling a page out of Snezhnaya’s book is what we should be doing–” She looked towards Ajax. “No offense.” She added, professional as always.
“None taken.”
Agent Yelan chuckled.
“I get where your sentiments are coming from, Agent Keqing.” She placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. Keqing flinched, her instincts suddenly alert. “But sometimes the circumstances force us to take inspiration from our allies' modus operandi– as I am sure you will soon grow to understand.”
She squeezed the woman’s shoulder, making Keqing’s cheeks lose most of their color as she stood petrified in her own uncertainty. It was when Agent Yelan let go of her shoulder that Ajax saw an opportunity to lighten the mood.
“Actually, I think Agent Keqing’s concern is very justified.”
Unlike Keqing who had probably followed orders all her life until now, Ajax was indifferent to the icy look Agent Yelan shot him. He had always been a trouble maker, after all. He got up from his chair and pointed at the wall of names behind him dramatically.
“What Agent Megistus brings to the table is a valuable ace up our sleeves, yet I don’t think it’s something we can use excessively.”
He saw Agent Keqing’s eyes light up at his words– a glimmer of hope in a sea of uncertainty.
“I agree with that statement.” Mona uttered. “I’m sure if they were to release a “juicy” scoop to the press and not see it make the news, The Traveler would be quick to put two and two together. I’ve studied what we’ve got on the individual so far and I can say with confidence that she is a maniac when it comes to details.”
Ajax felt his chest swell with pride. Finally– someone who understood that his Traveler was brilliant. He cleared his throat to hide the self satisfied smile that threatened to bloom on his lips.
“Exactly; The Traveler is not to be messed with. I’d say we can only use Agent Megistus’ thumb card once–” He lifted his finger for emphasis. “–and only once.”
“Yes…!” Mona burst out, silver twinkling in excitement. “I meant to say that just now; that while this advantage is tempting, I don’t intend to abuse it in any way. It will only give us a head’s up so that the possible scandal wouldn’t affect our team’s work quality but we will have to let most of them reach the public.” Her eyes turned serious. “The moment we use it, we’ll have to burn this thumb card.”
Ajax nodded his head. He had to admit, he liked the agent Mondstadt sent them.
Matching each video to the list of people and to the security camera videos turned out to be a task way more painstaking than they expected.
The robbers didn’t let the hostages take off their masks at the beginning of the video. For more than half of the video, the only thing that separated the hostages from video to video was their voices. Instead the face reveal was in the later half of the video; a dramatic reveal combined with a heartfelt declaration of their well being aimed at the hostage’s loved ones.
When they tried to skip forward, they found out another thing–
That each “video” was a GIF.
“They’re doing this to force us to watch the whole thing…” Scaramouche muttered under his breath, his lips twisted in a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Fortunately, the Liyuan IT team was quick to download a tool from the Akasha to turn the GIFs back into video.
And they were also just as quick to point out something that had Ajax reach for the phone and dial the Golden House’s number.
“Good moooorning, Inspector~” The Traveler’s sing-song voice could be heard even through the voice warper she was using.
“Good morning to you too, Traveler.” Ajax uttered with a smile that he was quick to drop for effect. “Although I can’t say it’s that good of a morning…” He trailed off to build a bit of tension; make her play his game this time.
“And why is that, Inspector?”
“Well, let’s just say I’ve never in my life watched a 5 minutes long GIF. That was a truly dull morning activity you’ve put us through.”
At his whine, The Traveler chuckled.
“Oh my…” She murmured in mocked surprise. “We’ve converted them to make the transfer easier. You know how phones are when it comes to large files… I honestly thought I was doing you a favor, Inspector.”
Ajax hummed. What was honesty when it was coming from her lips…?
Perhaps he lulled her in a sense of security enough; it was now time to set the bait.
He let out a dramatic sigh. “How thoughtful of you, Traveler” He uttered, then suddenly his tone livened up. “And how very sweet of you to set something for us to listen to during the transfer.”
Bait set.
The Traveler chuckled. “You’re welcome. I gather you guys enjoyed the song then.”
Ajax’s lips curled into a smile. “Well yes, the little song was delightful.” He tapped his nails against the desk as he paused dramatically before continuing. “However, that can’t be said about the videos.”
“Oh?”
“Our IT team has suspicions that some videos have been tampered with and we can’t let that slide. Seeing how you have failed to provide clear proof of life, I will have to send two agents to check for the wellbeing of each and every hostage.” He took a deep breath, then continued before she could argue. “I might be from Snezhnaya and the Liyue public might see me with bad eyes, but no news article can get you out of this now, Traveler, not when the hostages’ safety is involved– We’re going in.”
There was only silence at the other end.
Ajax leaned in his chair. He wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t playing her game. The IT team had said the tampering was masterfully done. Something only someone that was looking for it would find– they changed whatever was on the tv behind the hostage to a broadcast from the second day of the heist.
More exactly, to the news about Snezhnaya’s involvement. Which made Ajax wonder–
Was this the real bait?
“One.” Traveler’s voice abruptly pulled him out of his thoughts, making Ajax jump in his chair.
“Excuse me?”
“Only one agent. That’s all I’m consenting to allow inside.”
Ajax’s eyes narrowed. Her phrasing was deliberately suggestive; The Traveler was back in control… or more exactly, she had never lost it to begin with–
This was the bait.
Ajax bit his lip. He had planned to send two; half for safety reasons and more than half because he wanted to send Scaramouche in, yet he was sure Agent Keqing would bend him backwards to have her go instead. On the other hand, the fact that The Traveler wouldn’t consent to more probably meant she did not have enough people to handle two agents inside comfortably. This was going to be tough…
Eventually, Agent Keqing won the argument.
Much to his partner's chagrin, although Ajax wasn’t pleased with this development either. He personally knew Scaramouche's highs and lows. He was a weapons specialist and could distinguish fakes from genuine weapons from a glance alone. He had an incredible visual memory also and an attention to details that almost rivaled The Traveler’s. An expert in body language too; a mask couldn’t hide fear and confusion from this control freak.
Ajax grimaced. This was a wasted opportunity and the two Snezhnayan agents knew it– and Ajax suspected Agent Yelan shared the same sentiment…
Ajax’s eyes widened. Before Agent Keqing could inquire about his reaction, he uncovered the microphone of his headset.
“Very well, one agent– Agent Yelan will be interviewing the hostages personally.”
Agent Keqing was livid. With her violet eyes set on Ajax, she grabbed the microphone of his headset enough to muffle the sound. Then asked through gritted teeth.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Ajax leaned away from her glare and pressed the hold button on the analog phone.
“Out of all of us, Agent Yelan is the best candidate for this. She has the experience needed, she knows how to read people and is one of the best agents Liyue ever had.” He looked Keqing dead in the eyes as he added. “No offense.”
Keqing let go of the microphone. Violet eyes still glaring daggers his way as she straightened herself.
“Very well, then.”
Before she could add anything else, Ajax quickly let go of the hold button. He earned another glare as he turned his attention back on The Traveler.
“I apologise for the delay– is this arrangement alright for you?”
The Traveler hummed.
“Orchids growing in the dark ravine will not cease their fragrance for a lack of people…”
She uttered thoughtfully.
“Huh?”
The Traveler hummed. “Kind of similar to Khaenri’ah’s Inteyvats– these night orchids…”
Ajax looked at the phone; the only means of communication he had with The Traveler. "The Night Orchid" was one of Agent Yelan’s code names. She had especially used it during the Jade Palace siege and before that, during the realm-wide war colloquially known as the Cataclysm. When one of the strongest nations of Teyvat fell to ruins at its own hand.
In the few seconds Ajax wasted arguing with Keqing, The Traveler had already researched Agent Yelan. No… perhaps she had done that long before the heist even started.
“Do you know anything about Khaenri’ah, Inspector?”
Ajax flinched, pulled out of his thoughts by her question.
“Sorry, I was sound asleep during that history lesson.”
The Traveler burst out in laughter. Even through the voice warper he could easily say the sound was dismissive. Of what– he wasn’t sure…
“In that case, I’ll have you know we’ll be welcoming Agent Yelan with open gates– and open arms.”
And with that, she ended the call.
This day had been… weird.
Draining. Too much happened and yet little of importance.
With the help of Yelan’s photogenic memory, matching the hostages with the people that appeared on the surveillance cameras had been much easier than before.
The staff was the easiest to identify, the visitors took the longest, but even then, some of the staff members were missing.
They were later matched with the people found tied up on the streets outside of the city.
Two drivers– which meant 2 robbers that entered the Golden House as supplies drivers.
One gentleman caught on camera didn’t have any matches on the list of hostages. A short man with blond braided hair dressed in a fine suit. He was last seen entering the director’s office while escorted by two bodyguards with sunglasses. After that, the camera had been cut off.
Ajax himself counted them as robbers. They had walked at just the right angles so that the cameras wouldn’t catch their faces.
So that made 3 more robbers. And judging by the vehicle they used to enter the Golden House, 2 or 3 more robbers could easily fit in the back, together with their weapons and other equipment.
So, 7 to 8 robbers in total– if The Traveler herself wasn’t to be counted as Ajax suspected.
After they were done with the assessment of hostages, Ajax made a beeline for Welkin Moon. It was already 7 o’clock in the evening, but he was in dire need of something warm that smelled like coffee…
“Oh, welcome!” The blonde barista chirped when he entered the shop. Her little face lit up with the sun itself and Ajax’s heart swelled up in his chest with her light.
…Or perhaps just of Ying’s bright smile.
He smiled back at her, dull blue eyes creasing at the corners.
Then ordered a decaf.
“I’ll have you know that we’re closing in a few minutes.” She said as she took his order.
She just as quickly took to preparing it. Ajax took a seat on the chair in front of the counter.
“I promise I’m not gonna hold you past your shift.” He uttered and raised both his hands in surrender at her narrowed eyes. “Pinky promise– I just want a cup of something warm before going home.”
“Oh?” She placed a metal kettle underneath the espresso machine. “That’s it for the day? You’re going home?”
Ajax blinked. She sounded sad. Almost like she wanted him to bother her more.
He nodded his head. “Yeah, we decided to call it a night for now…” He wanted to tell her more. That they barely had any information about the robbers– except maybe the blond man. That The Traveler was a genius and she was always challenging him with her games. That maybe he liked it a bit too much; he had always liked a challenge. But not as much as he liked to see her after a challenging day such as this one–
“Reeeeally?” She asked, her ‘e’ long as she poured the milk over the brown liquid. She pushed the paper cup his way then leaned over the counter.
Ajax nodded his head.
–But he shouldn’t. Couldn’t tell her that.
Instead, he took a sip of his coffee. Warm and sweet– just like the blonde looking at him with bright golden eyes.
“In that case, which way are you going?”
Ajax blinked, a deer caught in the headlights. No way… Was she…?
“Ah, Feiyun Slope. That is where my hotel is.”
Ying’s lips curled into a smile, golden eyes twinkling in delight.
“I’m going that way too!” She chirped as Ajax just blinked in response.
No way… Or perhaps yes way…?
“Really?” He asked, dull blue eyes wide in surprise at his own luck. What were the chances…? “In that case, how about we go together?”
Ying’s round little face lit up. “Okay!”
And in the next second, she apologised because he would have to wait for the store to close first. Then she asked him to wait for her outside when she started mopping the floor. She instantly apologised for making him wait– in the cold too. Sensing an opportunity, Ajax faked the most miserable expression of a kicked puppy he could muster.
And the way she whined, blonde brows knitted with guilt, plump lips parted as she tried to argue but had no arguments to his pout– the cutest thing he had ever had the privilege to see.
Before long however, Ying joined him in the cold and after she bid farewell to her manager with an energetic wave, they started walking towards their homes.
The streets of Liyue were loud. Louder than his homeland, at least.
Buzzing with life, despite it being in the middle of the cold season, with the night cold and damp. And a week day of all things. The street lighting, warm despite the biting wind. The wind itself warmer and milder than the ones Ajax had grown up with. And yet some Liyuans still shivered in their thick coats as they walked past the two of them in a desperate, methodical hurry to get home.
It seemed that Ying must be earning quite a lot with her barista job because they didn’t walk much when she stopped at a crossroad. At Ajax’s quiet inquiry, she pointed towards the street to her left.
“My place is just a few blocks from here.” She announced, her little nose red from the cold.
“I can walk with you if you want.” Ajax suggested. The rather dark, narrow street gave him a bad feeling. Plus his mother would kill him if he were to let a woman walk alone after dark.
However, the blonde smirked at his words.
“Did you really think you could find out where I live without taking me out first?” At his wide eyes, she chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ve walked up this street alone countless times.”
She must have gathered he wasn’t convinced from his concerned expression because she added, just as cheerful as ever. “Plus it’s not that late yet, there’s plenty of people coming and going."
Ajax glanced at the small street over her shoulder. Indeed, just as she finished her sentence, a group of girls took the corner towards that very street, chatting full of energy about the current highschool drama.
His eyes fell on the blonde again. From the look on her face, she didn’t seem willing to accept his offer to him. Perhaps it was better that way, after all, they were strangers a few days ago… He decided to change the subject.
“So, to learn where you live, should I take you out on a date or with a sniper?”
Her eyes widened. Ajax flashed her a toothy grin, suddenly feeling cocky again. He was sure she could hear the smirk in his voice.
So, it came as a great surprise to him when he was met with golden curiousity. And slight amusement.
“Weren't you a cop?” She asked, lips curled into a little smirk. “Now you're a hitman too?”
He did not expect that. It made him laugh– a genuine one too which only widened her smile.
“Oh, I can easily play the hitman role if that's what my boss asks of me…” He chuckled darkly, dull blue eyes suddenly alit with a twisted kind of humor that was meant to disarm her.
And it did. She looked up at him, golden eyes wide in stupour.
“Wait, isn't that illegal?!
Ajax looked down at her. The smile curling his lips not really his as he uttered. “Depends for which side of the law you're working. The government, for example, is the side with access to most resources and opportunities. It can cover up some terrific things if it needs to.” He stopped, making her frown. “It's called law enforcement for a reason, don't you think...?”
Ying nodded her head. Slowly; speechless as she was. Golden eyes unsure how to look at him now. And if the frown twisting her brows was any indicator, she must be a bit spooked by him now. As he expected her to, for which Ajax was grateful deep down. It would have been odd if she wouldn’t be, after all she was a normal citizen that had no idea how things worked beneath the veil of her own mundanity.
“I've always been aware for which side I'm playing…” He added, then shook his head. Blue eyes apologetic as he gave her a weak smile. “Sorry… I should've told you before that I'm kind of a bad guy…”
She frowned at his words– as he expected her to. Golden swirling in those round eyes of hers as she looked at her feet. Ready to throw the counter argument that had been on the tip of her tongue since he opened the subject.
Ajax sighed. He wished she wouldn’t. Wouldn’t try to argue with him about it just because she had seen only the good side of him. And yet there was plenty of bad she didn’t get to see– he was aware of it, sometimes even reveled in it, if given the chance.
After all, it made him stronger.
Ying lifted her eyes. Blonde brows knitted. Warm air escaping her lips as she opened her mouth…
“I– umgph…!!! “
And before she could say it, Ajax wrapped his scarf around her neck. And muffled her words.
Much to her protest.
Short fingers wrapped around the red fabric twisted around her neck and now covering half of her face. Cheeks rosy as she looked up at him. Golden eyes asking for an explanation.
Instead, he bid her farewell with his hand.
“I’m going this way. You can keep it for the night so you don’t catch a cold.” And before she could respond, he turned on his heels. “Good night, Ying.”
He didn’t like it when people told him what he was.