Chapter Text
"Now, children," the teacher begins, "there are many colors in the world, and, while you can't see them now, they're breathtaking when you finally find your soulmate!"
The classroom's volume increases as every child overwhelms the teacher with endless questions about soulmates. Some show less interest than others, while there was one child who shows no interest at all; instead, she's nose deep in a book about the Three Moon Sisters and the Lunar Palace. When one of her classmates jumps out of their seat in their excitement, she's jostled, and the book falls from her hands.
It hits the ground with a loud bang, and the room is silenced. Unperturbed, Lisa leans down and grabs her book before opening it right back up to the page where she'd left off.
When the classroom stays silent, Lisa glances up from her book to find her teacher smiling at her. "Lisa, what do you think about soulmates?"
Dozens of responses fills Lisa's mind— they're a waste of time, I don't need a stranger to see colors, I'm just fine with everything in black and white. Instead of using those obviously rude responses, Lisa smiles at her teacher.
"I think they're a wonderful blessing given to us by the Anemo Archon, Barbatos."
Liar.
The class proceeds normally after that— excited children not waiting their turns to speak up, the teacher trying to get them all to calm down and listen to what she has to say. Little Lisa sitting at her desk, reading her book.
Why does she need colors when her book fills her mind with so many beautiful pictures? There's still a beauty in black and white— colors are an unnecessary addition.
Liar.
Lisa doesn't need to find her soulmate. She'll be perfectly happy by herself.
She won't feel lonely at all when she's lost in her studies, writing papers upon papers for experiments failed and failed again, failing until she finally manages to succeed. Lisa won't need someone to cheer her on, to hold her up when everyone's expectations feel like they're too much, like they're overwhelming her, drowning her—
Liar.
Liar, liar, liar.
For the first time in two years, Lisa sleeps in. Her house is much too cold for her liking, and there's no sun peeking through the blinds right onto her eyes to wake her up. So she stays curled in bed, perfectly comfortable under the soft, cotton sheets.
Soft cotton with purple and gold embroidery. Who knows how long she'd stayed up analyzing every single color that she could in her house the night before, but Lisa was not planning on getting up anytime soon. Her plans with Grand Master Varka and the Knights of Favonius— they would understand if she didn't feel up to doing anything after all of that traveling.
She'll make herself a cup of tea whenever she decides to pull herself out of bed. What color is chamomile tea, Lisa wonders? Is green tea actually green, or did they name it that because the leaves were green, not the actual tea? So many things to research, so much of her curiosity pointed toward an area that she was never interested in until now.
All thanks to one knight wishing her a good night. That thought gives Lisa a chuckle.
Jean, of the Gunnhildr Clan. The successor to one of the oldest family of knights in Mondstadt, and Captain Jean was certainly no exception to her bloodline. While Lisa was yet to see Jean with a sword in hand, the way that the young knight carries herself exudes an aura of confidence. With her clan's history of knights, however, it's no real surprise that Jean holds a natural talent for swordplay.
... How old was Jean, anyway?
That gets Lisa to push herself up into a sitting position. When she left to go to Sumeru— well, she'd gone sightseeing before truly arriving at the Sumeru Academia and becoming an official student— she'd been... 25? She's 27 now, and Jean seems much too young, especially being a captain at her age.
Lisa decides that she may as well get up while trying to rack her brain for how old— or young, in this case— Jean is. She rummages through a couple boxes to gather her tea set and her kettle to boil some water. It only takes Lisa manipulating her Electro magic in just the right way to get the water to heat up, then she has to wait for her tea leaves to steep.
The color of the water slowly changing has Lisa lost in thought before she quickly remembers her initial goal— right, Jean's age.
She couldn't be in her mid-twenties. Maybe... 22? Jean hadn't declined the dandelion wine she was offered last night, so she had to be at least 21. Still, she looked so young...
What if Jean didn't want to be with someone older than her?
That fear, while brief, quickly claws at Lisa's stomach and digs its teeth in. Archons, curse her mind for coming up with such a silly thought. If they were soulmates, then they were fated to be with each other. That's the whole point of having a soulmate!
With a huff, Lisa sets down her teacup—
And a knock sounds at her front door.
"Just a moment," Lisa calls, grabbing her robe from her bedroom and quickly throwing it on before opening her door— had she even locked it last night?
"Ah, good evening, Miss Lisa." Kaeya greets the mage with a smile, though Lisa does see that glimmer of amusement in his eye when he notices Lisa's attire. "Resting all of your travel fatigue away, I presume?"
Lisa almost scoffs at his bluntness, but reins it back with a well-practiced smile of her own. "Yes, my apologies for refraining from attending the meeting that I'd planned with Grand Master Varka—"
"Not to worry," Kaeya shakes his head, waving one tanned hand before dropping it back down at his side. "Captain Jean noticed how exhausted you were the night prior and mentioned to the Grand Master that you might be too fatigued to attend. Grand Master Varka said, and I quote," he lifts a finger up and puffs out his chest, "'Dandelion seeds in the breeze! Just tell the girl to come in whenever she needs and we'll go wherever the winds take us.'"
Kaeya shrugs after that display, his smile never leaving his face. "So, I was chosen to relay that message to you. Jean offered to come in my stead, but the Grand Master had other work for her."
"He isn't working that poor girl ragged, is he?" Lisa inquires, voice tinged with just the right amount of concern. "She's so young..."
"Ah, I wouldn't be too concerned for Captain Jean," Kaeya waves off Lisa's worries. "While she is quite young for her position, she handles all the work given to her quite well. Between you and me," he leans in slightly, lowering his voice, "I've seen Jean's schedule, and she's a well-oiled working machine. She's always been that way, even when she was still a rookie. I would never be able to pull off what she does."
The two of them share a laugh, while Lisa is internally fretting that her guesses about Jean's age were right on the mark.
She stops herself before she loses herself in worry, though. There's no use worrying about such a thing when she barely even knows Jean. Once they were closer, she would allow herself to give her concerns more thought.
Now, though, she had more pressing matters to attend to. Like a possibility of her getting a stable income from the Knights of Favonius. From what she remembers, knights get plenty of benefits. If Lisa plays her cards right, then she can land a job that pays well but doesn't require her to do too much work.
"I would invite you in, but I still haven't been able to unpack everything," Lisa smiles apologetically. "Give me a few minutes, though, and I'll be ready to meet with Grand Master Varka. Would you mind being my chauffeur, Sir Kaeya?"
"It would be my honor," he replies with a short bow, "I'll wait right out here, take as long as you need, Miss Lisa."
"Please, just Lisa is fine."
"Then I would also ask you to go without the formalities when referring to me as well. When you're ready, we'll take you to meet the Grand Master."
With one last nod, Lisa closes the door and sighs. Alas, her break was short lived. As she dresses herself in more casual attire, there's a part of Lisa that's hoping that Varka won't try to put her into a position that would have her in charge of a group of knights. She shivers at the thought of being a captain— having to be responsible for an entire platoon of soldiers...
Whatever it takes, she will find a way to get a job in the knights without being a knight.
Once she gives herself one final check in the mirror, Lisa leaves her house and walks with Kaeya through Mondstadt. Being outside in the day is much more different than the short time she was standing outside her front door last night. The bright blue sky with white, fluffy clouds, the deep green of the well-taken care of trees and hedges. Bright red tiles on every building. A few birds fly overhead, and Lisa is almost breathless at the beauty of it all.
"Miss— apologies," Kaeya quickly corrects himself, "Lisa, are you alright?"
"Yes, I've just missed the scenery in Mondstadt," she replies easily, giving Kaeya a convincing smile. "Those two years felt much longer than I imagined they ever would— I'm glad that I chose to return instead of staying at the academy."
"Really? Is the Sumeru Academia not as wonderful as the rumors put it out to be?" Kaeya inquires, tilting his head to look at Lisa. A part of her worries that he might stumble while going up the stairs to the Knights of Favonius' headquarters, but the elegance in his step quickly dispels those concerns.
Humming, Lisa considers how to approach Kaeya's question. "I wouldn't necessarily say that— my experience was a lot different than your average scholar's would be. Although..." She trails off, mind wandering to the mages who spat in Lisa's face, accusing her of cheating on the exams and being a fraud, an imposter.
No one could ever progress at the rate you are, spittle flying and landing on Lisa's cheek, how much have you sacrificed to the gods to get where you are today, Lisa Minci? What is the cost of your talent, and when will you be satisfied? When the rest of us have given up and only you remain?! Will that be enough for you?
"... Although?" Kaeya asks, pulling Lisa out of her reminiscing.
"The expectations of the alumni were high, to say the least," she decides on answering, and Kaeya knows not to pry further. "How about your experience with the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya? As someone who's about to enter your ranks, I'm quite curious as to your perception of the organization."
Kaeya chuckles, looking up to think. "I think it's a lot more peaceful than you'd imagine. While I, the Cavalry Captain, have a lot more to do than your average knight— well, you're not exactly what one would consider 'average,'" he says, using air quotes. "I can at least tell you that Grand Master Varka knows that you have a lot more power than you're letting on. So I would be prepared for some unorthodox tests."
"Thank you for the warning. I hope he doesn't plan on asking me to spar with him or any of the other knights," Lisa sighs, lifting a hand to run her thumb over her Electro Vision. "I would be at a disadvantage."
At that, Kaeya raises a brow. "Would you? Really?"
"Really! A mage against a swordsman," Lisa scoffs, shaking her head. "I wouldn't stand a chance."
Liar. All it would take is a snap of your fingers and lightning would strike on your opponents.
They reach the Knights of Favonius' headquarters, where Kaeya nods at the guards, who seem distracted when they see Lisa at his side. She pays them no mind, however, instead admiring the architecture and the polished golden coat of arms. Lisa follows Kaeya inside, nodding and smiling at every guard they pass after that, until they're standing in front of the Grand Master's office—
"Grand Master Varka, I implore you— please take your job more seriously. This paperwork needs finished by the end of the day, and I cannot continue doing it all for you!"
Lisa perks up at the familiar voice, exhausted as Jean sounds. Kaeya lifts a hand to stop Lisa from going in, and the two of them silently agree to eavesdrop.
"Jean, I have more important things to focus on than some... paperwork," Varka responds, referring to his more diplomatic duties with disgust. Lisa thinks it's akin to a child showing a distaste for their vegetables. "And soon, you will officially be my second-in-command. Think of this as practice—"
"This practice has been continuing ever since I was promoted to captain," Jean interrupts firmly. "Grand Master, I understand that your skillset lies more on the battlefield than it does in an office; however, that does not mean you can just shirk your duties like this. If you evaluate half of the papers in this stack—"
"— Half?!"
"— then I will do the rest. Please, Grand Master. It will make up for all the work that I'll be doing for you once you go on your next expedition."
A silence blankets the room, though Kaeya still doesn't move to enter Varka's office. Eventually, the Grand Master lets out a heavy sigh. "I suppose such a small stack won't be too terrible to read through. Perhaps I should take Lisa's original offer of her being my secretary. It would lighten the load on the both of us, eh, Jean?"
"Please don't try to find ways to further delegate your responsibilities onto other people. Besides, didn't you say that we need her as the Captain of the 8th Company?" Jean asks.
"Nymph wouldn't appreciate that," Varka replies with a huff. "Since Lisa is someone who has more of a status in academics than on the battlefield. I don't know how to convince them that she would fit the role perfectly—"
Kaeya takes that as his cue to knock on the door, and Lisa glares at him. "Excuse me, Grand Master Varka. I have Lisa with me," he calls, waiting for Varka's permission before opening the door. "Now that I've escorted here, though, I should be going—"
"No, actually, I'd like your opinion on what we discuss, Kaeya," Varka lifts his hand, before gesturing to one of the chairs in his office. "Come in, take a seat. Or stand, if you're more comfortable doing that. Would you like anything to drink?"
Lisa steps further into the room, scanning everything in her periphery while her gaze stays on the Grand Master. "Some tea would be wonderful, thank you," she answers, and Jean moves to make some immediately. For a moment, Lisa's attention strays to watching the young knight, who adjusts the sword sheathed at her hip before moving to the tea set on the coffee table. "Grand Master Varka, if we could get straight to business— I couldn't help but overhear you and—" she glances at Jean, who looks up from her work to catch Lisa's eye.
"— And your 'second-in-command,' she teases instead, watching as Jean flusters slightly, "having a discussion. Something about needing a captain?"
She has no idea why she refrains from saying Jean's name. Or perhaps she does— suddenly saying her name like that, while they're in the office of the Grand Master. She's working, having that thrown at her out of nowhere would be disorienting. Distracting. So Lisa will wait until the perfect opportunity to say Jean's name.
But what if she doesn't feel that way towards you? A small voice whispers, sowing seeds of doubt in Lisa's mind. Keep her name off of your tongue, Lisa. You're about to be coworkers with her, and that would be severely unprofessional of you to bring the fact that your soulmates into your workplace.
"Ah, yes. That's what I wanted to discuss with you today," Varka interrupts her thoughts. "The 8th Company needs a Captain; however, the current Field Officer, Nymph, is against my initial plan of having you take that role.”
“I understand their hesitance,” Lisa replies carefully, “I also am not confident in my abilities to—“
Varka barks out a laugh, startling Lisa. “Oh, come now! Surely one of the youngest grand mages has more confidence than that—“
“Well, I am no longer a grand mage,” Lisa interrupts, her hands twitching at her sides, “and I would be much more comfortable doing paperwork and alchemy than being delegated the duties of a captain. You’re overestimating me, Grand Master Varka.”
“I don’t think I am,” Varka responds coolly, resting his elbows on his desk and clasping his hands in front of his face. “I’ve been on a many a battlefield, Miss Minci. You carry yourself like a distinguished warrior—“
“Then it is quite unfortunate,” Lisa coos, the electricity from her Vision thrumming and jumping all throughout her body, “that I am not a warrior. Respectfully, Grand Master Varka, I am a scholar. My skills lie elsewhere, so I recommend you find another candidate for the Captain of the 8th Company.”
The Grand Master opens his mouth to counter yet again, and electricity visibly sparks in the air next to Lisa. Her gaze is dark, dangerous— a silent warning that Varka takes with a raise of his hands, palms up in surrender. “Alright. I’ll table this discussion for now. However, I would at least like you to keep that position up for consideration.”
“Who is your other candidate for captain?” Lisa questions instead.
Jean interjects before Varka can speak again, giving the Grand Master a warning glare before smiling at Lisa. “Your tea is ready, Lisa. Apologies, I haven’t quite gotten good at making a good brew, so—“
“Oh, not to worry, dear,” Lisa hums, walking over to the coffee table where Jean set everything down and taking a seat. “I’m sure you’re not as bad at making tea as you’re making it seem.”
That seems to dissuade some of Jean’s worries, and she pours Lisa a cup. Thanking the young knight, Lisa adds a single cube of sugar to her tea before stirring it. “It’s a beautiful, deep color. Most beginners can’t get such a strong steep, so you’re on the right track.”
“You can see the color of the tea, Lisa?”
Ah. She was so concerned about consoling Jean that she slipped up. “It's not necessarily a matter of seeing the color," Lisa answers, "I've had plenty of different teas while relaxing after an especially strenuous experiment, and so it's become easier for me to tell the shades and tints of teas apart. Since this tea that our dear knight steeped has a darker shade, I can tell that she went through the process of steeping the leaves well. If I could see colors, then the color of this tea would be a beautiful one."
She puts the cup up to her lips, and a gentle, floral scent comes from the tea. Lisa was right— it's a good cup of tea. Maybe not as good as Lisa would make them, but for a young knight like Jean, its quality is a pleasant surprise.
“Thank you for your praise, Miss Lisa—“
“Please, just Lisa is fine, dear.” She gives Jean a soft smile before refocusing her attention on Varka. “So, the second candidate?”
“… Right. Currently, you’re the only official candidate, Lisa; however, if the need arises, then we could very easily give Nymph the position if you’re truly against the idea of your leading the 8th Company. Given the chance that you reconsider, you’d have to earn the respect of Nymph before taking on the position of captain.”
That sounds like it’ll take too much effort, Lisa thinks, hiding her pout behind her teacup. “You make it sound so easy, Grand Master. Earning the respect of a Field Officer when I have little to no experience on the field… it would be best if you put someone who’s familiar with what they’re doing in charge. Nymph sounds like they would be the perfect candidate."
"While your faith in Nymph is wonderful, Lisa, the 8th Company would do better under your leadership—"
"Grand Master, excuse me for interrupting you," Kaeya steps forward with an apologetic smile on his lips, "but might things be easier if we invited Nymph to this discussion?"
Varka's eyes widen in surprise. "AH!" He stands abruptly from his desk, seeming as if he was about to vault over his desk to get to Kaeya. Before he can, Jean clears her throat, and Varka remembers that he needs to keep up whatever appearances he can for their guest.
While the Grand Master claps Kaeya on the back, Lisa watches while sipping at her tea. If Varka plans on having her as a captain, the least he could've done was have some of the members of the 8th Company in attendance. Nymph seems like the most important member of the company— and they don't seem too fond of Lisa, even though they haven't met.
So it's obvious that Lisa shouldn't lead the 8th Company. She's not about to try and lead knights who won't respect her— that's an uphill battle that she's not about to try and climb. The easiest solution would be to give Nymph the position of captain, all while allowing Lisa to put her scholarly skills to use elsewhere.
She had her fill of bloodshed when the occasional mage went on a rampage at the academy. Too many caught in the crossfire, caught in the endless of cycle of hurt and, inevitably, lashing out on others when they have lost everything.
"Lisa?"
How many scholars looked at Lisa with such contempt whenever she walked around the academy? Few tried to hide their disdain for her, though they were quick to hide their loathing behind well-practiced smiles if it meant earning Lisa's favor. Worming their way past her defenses, acting so innocently all while stabbing her in the back.
Too many times. There were far too many times where Lisa had to rebuild the walls around her heart in her first few months at Sumeru. Her naivety only lasted so long, however.
Isn't it better to be alone?
Yet another reason for her to not say the name of—
"Lisa."
Someone taps her on the shoulder, and Lisa zones back into her surroundings. Jean's looking at her, brows slightly knit together in concern.
Cute.
"My apologies, dear, I was lost in thought," Lisa smiles, setting her teacup down on its saucer.
"Ah, no need to apologize. Grand Master Varka left with Kaeya to find Nymph, though I'm afraid they might take a while. Nymph is quite difficult to find when they don't want to deal with any of the other knights, I'm afraid," Jean chuckles, shaking her head in amusement.
An aloof type. They wouldn't be able to shirk their responsibilities so easily if they became captain, Lisa notes, tracing the rim of her cup with her finger. "There's truly no other candidates for the 8th company? Surely they could find someone with ease if it was of such importance..."
Jean tilts her head to the side, which allows the sun filtering through the window to capture her profile in a golden glow. "The 8th Company has been a recent addition to the Knights of Favonius, and the Grand Master views the organizing of our companies as more important than the more... diplomatic issues," Jean sighs, smiling when Lisa chuckles. "Regardless, he might not say it outright, but Grand Master Varka holds a great amount of respect for you, Lisa. If he didn't have such grand faith in your abilities, then he wouldn't be so stubborn about making you Captain of the 8th Company."
Lisa's pout from earlier returns as she huffs at Jean's words. "While I'm flattered, in the letter I wrote Grand Master Varka, I explicitly asked if he was in need of a secretary. Someone whose primary job is filling out paperwork at a desk. I'm not—"
I'm don't take joy in fighting. Not anymore.
"Miss Lisa! If I could have a moment of your time," Cyrus calls out to Lisa, who'd already gathered all of her books and was halfway to the door to return to her dorm. It was either that, the library, or the laboratory to start on her next batch of experiments. Since her last hypothesis ended up as a fluke, she wanted to polish it as much as possible before continuing to the next stage.
Still, she supposes that she can amuse Professor Cyrus for a moment. "Yes, sir? I'm not missing any assignments for your classes, am I?"
Cyrus chuckles, "No, Lisa. I just wanted to compliment your most recent academic paper," he says, tapping a thick stack of paper on his desk with his knuckle. "How did you manage to experiment on elementally infused flora? I'm sure that the older members of the alumni strictly prohibited any analyses—"
"On the campus," Lisa corrects. "They banned experiments on elementally infused flora on campus laboratories, but they never said anything about doing them off of the academy's grounds," she elaborates when Cyrus' confusion is evident on his face.
Once he realizes what Lisa is saying, his eyes widen. "You mean to tell me that you performed potentially life-threatening experiments on dangerous flora without the supervision of any alumni from the academy?"
"Yes. I would rather not divulge the details, in order to protect the person who cooperated with me; however, I can assure you that they were a perfect replacement supervisor for what should have been someone from the academy. Is that all you wanted to discuss with me?" Lisa shifts the books in her arms— not that she was actually exhausted from holding them. Cyrus would think that she was, though, and let her go.
Hopefully.
"Lisa, a lot of the elementally infused flora in Sumeru are monsters with Dendro powers. They're dangerous—"
"Professor Cyrus, I'm sure you know that I'm capable of handling myself in a fight with any beasts," Lisa interrupts coolly. "You saw what happened my second day here."
Cyrus flinches, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Y-yes. Covering up why the sky suddenly erupted into a... dark purple thunderstorm took quite a lot out of the higher ups." He quickly composes himself with a deep breath, and settles his steeled gaze on Lisa. "Regardless of your capabilities, Lisa, you're a student— my student. We, the professors and alumni of the Sumeru Academia, are responsible for your safety and well-being. Since you're unscathed, and this is your first offense, I can let this slide. However—"
Lisa's already moving toward the door when Cyrus says that she's forgiven. "Thank you so much for your forgiveness! I knew I chose the best professor to submit that paper to," she smiles sweetly before quickly bowing and escaping any more conversation with her professor.
Of course those monsters were dangerous. They were terrifying. The hilichurls and slimes at Mondstadt were tame compared to the beasts that roamed freely in Sumeru's rainforests. Still, if it meant learning more about the world around her, reaching heights that no one else had gotten to, then the pain and risks were all worth it.
Until.
“Did you hear? One of the younger scholars died trying to repeat an experiment that Lisa did.”
No.
“The elementally infused flora experiments, right? Those specimens are dangerous to collect, so no wonder she was the only one who managed to do it. Anyone else who tries to walk in her footsteps is a fool.”
No, no, no.
Why are they laughing?
“Come one, that’s disrespectful to the student that died! You shouldn’t say things like that, not when their soulmate is grieving over their death. Apparently they were both students at the academy and met during their classes. So try to be a little more sympathetic.”
Ah.
Ah, why must this happen? Archons, this must be a curse. I won’t use my powers for fighting. Is that what you want? I’ll stay as a scholar— a pacifist, at that. Never shall I raise my hand with the intent to kill anyone or anything. Is that what I need to do? What can I do to appease you?
If the cost of enlightenment is death— if it is insanity— then I do not want it.
I will ask of no more blessings of the gods.
No more.
When Lisa moves to lift her teacup to her lips, her hand trembles. Jean notices and moves forward, eyes full of worry. “Miss Lisa—“
“Keep this a secret,” Lisa interrupts, forcing a smile on her face, “between you and I, dear knight. The things I saw at the Sumeru Academia… scholars raving mad, sacrificing their sanity for research, hoping to find a breakthrough that hadn’t already been discovered. I accomplished too much, and gained too little when taking the true costs into account. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
“Before demanding too many miracles from the gods, first consider if you are willing to pay the price they ask.”
Jean falters, if only for a split second, before kneeling beside Lisa and gently taking the cup from her hands. “I know that I will never understand what haunts you from your time that you spent in Sumeru, Miss— I mean, Lisa,” she takes one of Lisa’s hands in both of her own. “I will not ask any questions, other than one: Are you alright?”
… Huh?
“I— it’s just that,” Jean stands, dropping Lisa’s hands from hers to make wild gestures, her face flushing further with every word, “The memories that you’ve been thinking about seem to have— you seem heavily affected by them and, I just— is there anything… I can do…?”
How can she go from acting so knightly and composed to flustered and utterly adorable?
Somehow, even through the darkness of all of her memories, Lisa laughs. Genuinely laughs, not the small chuckle she does out of courtesy. “What a treat you are, dear knight,” she sighs after her laughter subsides, wiping a happy tear from her eye. “I am alright, thanks to you. You’re very thoughtful toward other people.”
“Ah, well… it’s my duty as a descendant of the Gunnhildr clan to do everything I can for the citizens of Mondstadt,” Jean deflects, covering her blush with one of her hands.
“How very knightly of you,” Lisa chuckles, reveling in how Jean flusters even more. “Though, you should learn to not blush so easily when people thank you.”
Jean manages a laugh, nervously averting her gaze. “I will… be sure to keep that in mind, thank you.”
Varka enters with Kaeya and an unfamiliar knight not long after, who glances at Lisa with contempt before looking away with a quiet harrumph. Lisa stands, probably more gracefully than she should've, and gives the stranger a smile.
"You must be Nymph. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm—"
"I know who you are, g rand mage," Nymph sneers, stepping forward to poke a finger into Lisa's chest.
Try as they might to be intimidating, Nymph is a little on the... short side. If Lisa wanted, she could just smother Nymph in her bosom. Not that they would want that, but the thought gives her a chuckle. "I'm no longer a grand mage, so I request that you refrain from using such a title when referring to me," Lisa responds, maintaining her composure even while Nymph tries to burn a hole in Lisa's head with their gaze.
"My sincerest apologies, then," Nymph mocks, stepping back to bow deeply. "What would you like me to refer to you as?"
Aha, this field officer barks, but do they have the bite to back up their arrogance?
"As we are both candidates for Captain of the 8th Company, there's no need for honorifics," Lisa waves her hand. "We are equals, Nymph. I am neither above or below you," she adds, her smile turning more sinister, "so it would be best to treat me with the same respect as the other knights. Since we might be working together."
Lisa can practically see every vein popping out of Nymph's neck and forehead from her every word. "Then, respectfully, I will say that I will never work under an academic. What would you know about using your magic on a battlefield?"
Deep breaths, Lisa. They're saying these things to get under your skin.
"While I may not have the same proficiency or skill as a field officer of the Knights of Favonius, I can assure you that the life of a scholar is not just sitting at a desk or in a laboratory." Lisa cocks her head in mock thought as she adds, "Are you to tell me that your alchemists have never been on the field to gather their specimens? Mondstadt is a large nation full of flora and fauna barely touched by man, and sending out knights to escort every alchemist would not only be decreasing the security around Mondstadt, but would also hinder the alchemist who knows the land and its resources. So, are your alchemists helpless little things that require a knight for their every beck and call?
"Or have they experienced what it's like to fight tooth and nail against monsters deep in the forest, surviving for themselves and their experiments in hopes of achieving further developments in their areas of study?" Lisa runs her thumb over her Vision, watching as Nymph opens and closes their mouth in a weak attempt to form an argument against her.
After a long, tense silence, Kaeya clears his throat. "Might I suggest we move to the training grounds? If Nymph is truly unconvinced that Lisa has little to no magical proficiency in terms of combat, we could have a practice combat session. That would make it easier on all parties— talking with their blades, or, in our case, their magic, instead of their words."
Nymph is quick to jump on that offer. "Excellent idea, Kaeya! Let's go, then," they spin on one heel, quickly leaving the Grand Master's office.
"I..." Lisa sighs, before following the rest of the group. There was no way that she could refuse a practice session— not only would she be hiding the fact that she does quite well in combat, but she could only imagine the smugness on Nymph's face if she backed out. That makes her body tingle with electricity— Lisa Minci does not back out of challenges. At least when it involves putting someone entitled in their place.
Well. Guess she has to kick Nymph's ass, but in a subtle way. She doesn't want to seem too overpowered, after all.
This is all so... tiring. And she's not even an official knight yet! The things you do for a decent income with a variety of benefits. For a potential love, too, Lisa thinks idly as her gaze wanders to Jean’s back.
But, for the love of the Archons, please don’t make me captain.