Chapter Text
From a young age, Bennett has always been a mischievous boy. Almost everyone in Mondstadt city has been tricked by the lad in some form or another, whether it be accusing customers of stealing items at Quinn's fruit stall, to ordering a food delivery from the Good Hunter - only to send it to a random address - there was no end to his naughty pranks. He was an adventurer at heart, so he had to find ways to make each day more exciting than the last. But he was also a clumsy child and not all his tricks go as planned.
“I've caught you now, you little rascal!” Cyrus, the Branch Master from the Adventure Guild, playfully called out as he swooped the silver-haired boy into a headlock.
“Ita- ita- ita- hurts!” Bennett cried in a high pitched tone as he squirmed under the arms of the larger man.
Cyrus let out a hearty laugh and let go of the poor boy, who stumbled and fell upon the sudden release.
Bennett propped himself back up with ease and dusted the dirt off his clothes. With a small pout, he whined. “Dad, c'mon, you didn't have to sneak up on me like that!”
“Well now you know how it feels, Bennett Boy, so don't you sneak up on me again whilst I'm drinking my coffee!” Cyrus scolded teasingly, crossing his arms.
“You're no fun. I'm gonna go dress up and pretend to be a new adventurer in front of Katherine--”
“Wait!” Cyrus called, grabbing the boy's arm before he could escape. Bennett looked up at his adoptive father quizzically. Sighing, Cyrus got down on one knee so that he was at eye level with the boy. “Bennett, it's not good to do so many pranks. It's fun every once in a while, but don't overdo it. I've already apologised to Quinn and Sara plenty of times. At this rate, we're going to be paying double for our meals. Do you understand?”
Nod. Nod. Nod. Bennett shook his head up and down like a bobblehead.
“It seems like what I said went in one ear and out the other.”
Bennett continued to nod his head in agreement. “Uh-huh…”
There was no use lecturing the wild child. Cyrus and the other members of the Adventure Guild have tried countless times, but there's no way to get through to the boy.
“I thought so... Well, since I can't stop you, just make sure you don't hurt yourself and others. Be careful, ok?”
With a wide grin, Bennett nodded for the last time and set off to make some more pranks.
For months, Bennett had been planning the ultimate prank in Mondstadt. He needed to come up with a plan that would be so scandalous the stories of his greatest prank would continue to be told by bards of all nations and for centuries to come. He giggled childishly as he replayed the prank in mind.
This was definitely going to work!
Bennett finished setting up the last scene for his ultimate prank and he marvelled at the promising set-up. He had placed one bomb (courtesy of Klee, of course) on the tower above the gate and another bomb hiding in a bush beside the gate, and the plan was to fake an attack into the city. He would set off the bomb in the tower to get everyone’s attention, and while they were distracted, he would climb up the tower and reveal a banner saying: “Benny’s Adventure Team: Back In Business.” It was a prank as well as a recruitment performance; it was a genius idea!
Everything was going according to plan and Bennett was about to set off the bomb on the tower, when he noticed a group of kids playing with fireworks near the bush where he hid the other bomb. He thought about shooing the kids away, but then realised they would probably run away from hearing the bomb explode from the tower. Without any further delays, he pressed the detonation button and covered his ears.
BOOM!
The thunderous sound of the explosion erupted in the air, shocking everyone within the vicinity. The group of kids screamed as they ran away, dropping their fireworks on the ground. The lit sparklers rolled along the grass until it reached the bush containing the hidden explosive.
BOOOOOOOM!
Bennett was already halfway up the tower when he heard another booming sound. He wondered why there was another explosion when he was sure he only activated one. Then, it dawned on him. The spare bomb he hid must've gone off! Cursing to himself, he had to abandon the second part of his act and ran down to see if anyone was injured.
Luckily, the guards that were by the gate had already left from the first explosion. Bennett heaved a sigh of relief. While he was initially disappointed in that his prank didn't work, he was glad no-one was injured. He watched as the guards fired a blast of water at the bush which caught on fire. Bennett could feel the heavy weight of guilt forming at the pit of his stomach. He had placed a second bomb near the gates so that he could easily replace the first one in case it didn't work. Both of them weren't supposed to explode!
"Who is responsible for this commotion?" A man in a white and blue outfit said aloud as he looked up at the fumes ascending into the sky. When there was no response, he turned to face the growing crowd. "Confess, or face double the punishment when the Knights of Favonius discovers the culprit!"
It was Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain in the Knights of Favonius!
Normally, Bennett would confess and jokingly say it was all a prank, but he decided to keep his mouth shut upon hearing the crowd angrily demand to prosecute the culprit. Bennett was scared. Really scared. Now it became apparent to him the true gravity of his actions.
"I can bet you it was Bennett who did this! It's probably one of his pranks!" One man called out.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Bennett. He was sweating profusely, struggling to find the words to say (or the excuse to make). In a bout of panic, Bennett shouted “It was Klee!” for fear of whatever punishment he would have to endure if he was ever caught.
The sound of murmurs filled the city as they heard that Klee was responsible for the heinous act.
“Of course!" replied a woman in agreement. “She’s always going around throwing bombs! But bombing the city is a step too far!”
The townspeople all agreed and they marched towards the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. They demanded to have Klee punished for her actions.
Kaeya didn’t seem convinced and he questioned the crowd, “Do you have any evidence for your accusations?”
The crowd fell silent and they turned to face Bennett. His body trembled as he was placed on the spot again. He could feel Kaeya stare at him suspiciously.
“I-I saw it happen! It was Klee!” Bennett lied for the second time.
“Klee has been with me all day,” came the stern voice of an older woman behind him.
Bennett spun around, a look of horror plastered on his face upon realising his grave mistake.
It was Acting Grand Master Jean, and she did not look pleased.
Ever since the prank and the lie he told, Bennett became the talk of the town. For the bad reasons, that is. After his trial, he was sentenced to solitary confinement in his own home for a month, only leaving to get exercise for a few hours a day with the company of one of his adoptive fathers. Essentially, he was grounded. His punishment would have been much greater had he not been a minor though. Whenever he was allowed to walk around the city, people would comment on how reckless he acted and would poke fun that he deserved his punishment. Soon enough, the residents in the city refused to even communicate or entertain the boy, and some would go as far as completely ignoring him. No one trusted him. Especially Klee. Bennett also wondered what Cyrus thought of him after the incident, since it was he who mainly took up the role as his guardian whenever they went outside. The man who he looked up to the most stopped looking back down at him with his usual father-like grin. Instead, he just looked down at Bennett with serious eyes. Or was it pity? Disappointment?
“The city's no fun anymore…” Bennett muttered to himself as he sat curled up in the corner of his bedroom.
Then, he had an idea. He wished he didn't have to resort to it, but he had no choice. As an adventurer, there was no way he was going to let himself die of boredom in his house.
He lived in the City of Freedom.
He had to get out.
He had to escape.
Packing all of his belongings, Bennett sneaked out of his house and ran out of the city as fast as he could. He ran and ran and dared not to look back. He kept on running until he lost sight of where he was going. And when he stopped, he found himself lost and deep inside a forest.