Chapter Text
A cold front breezes over the city of freedom while clouds stir ominously above. Prior to today, Bennett’s bad luck had been as dangerous and cruel as ever, but from the moment he woke up and noticed everything was exactly as he found it the day before, he knew something was off. Following the unexpected increase of disrupted ley lines, he began to feel… uneasy. For one, when he was traversing through a storm in an attempt to complete a commission, he was left unscathed and successful.
He can’t remember the last time he faced weather as bad as the storm in Dadaupa Gouge without getting struck by lightning once. If there wasn’t something disturbing about that, then there was also his strange find of great treasure in the middle of nowhere. It went untouched and unguarded, which was unusual in itself… but to have such goods as well?
Bennett was determined to ignore these unexplainable occurrences. He would stick to feigning ignorance because anything otherwise would simply be terrible news.
The last time the gods were in his favor, he was informed of the tragic death of one of his dads.
He feigned ignorance, because he knew—he thought it would be for the best. He placed solace and faith in the idea of comfort and convenience. Bennett believed what he was doing was in his best interest. Because really, what could happen? Monstadt was in a state of peace for years. What could possibly happen that was so terrible it was enough for Lord Barbatos to grant him pity.
With a hop in his step and a lump in his throat, he prayed to every God he knew as he made his way to Wolvendom. He begged and begged them. In the back of his mind, he was on his knees, praying to them that Razor is okay. That he was safe and alive and healthy. That he wasn’t dying anytime soon, nor would he be leaving. He prayed to the Gods, because if it’s anything that his bad luck would do, it’s strip away one of the constants in his life that he couldn’t do without.
Razor is okay. He is safe. He is alive. He is healthy.
Bennett approached the cave his best friend spends most of his time in. The weight in his chest grew heavier as he realized Razor was nowhere to be seen.
He broke into a sprint.
The weather was still as terrifying and intimidating as ever. It still threatened to cast a terribly sized whirlwind toward Monstadt and rip it to shreds, but Bennett couldn’t seem to care as the lungs in his body burned. It was so uncharacteristically cold for some reason and his breaths came out icy, and foggy. The temperatures only made it harder to breathe as he raced to Andrius, hoping he would know where to find one of his Lupical.
One would say Bennett is terrified of Andrius, but when he demands Razor's location, he does not crouch in fear or uncertainty or anxiety. The adventurer stood tall and with assertiveness. He hadn’t cower because there is nothing scarier than losing Razor.
Andrius seems to notice this and not only that, but respect him for it. Instead of telling Bennett off and looking down on him, he simply huffed tiredly and told him what he asked to know.
“He was called back to Monstadt. Escorted, if you will. A few Knights of Favonius took him away and before he left, he insisted that we should stay put. That we were to wait for his return because the Knight of Favonius were… as he put it, friends.”
Bennett gulped. “So he’s okay?”
“We’re not sure. He only departed just last night.”
“I see. T-Thank you.”
“Yes, you are welcome.” Andrius paused for a moment, as if debating on continuing to speak, and inquired. “When you see him, tell him he should come back soon. Some of the pack were worried he was in trouble. I told them he would be fine since Monstadt was your territory and they seemed to…trust you. However, judging by your, ah, state, you didn’t know.”
Shame stung silently within Bennett. He muttered a small apology to the wolf before biting back words he clung to. There was no excuse for his absence of knowledge. All he could do was return home and find Razor.
______________
The journey back to Monstadt was as uneventful as it was lucky. He spotted multiple precious and luxurious chests on the way back home, but ignored them in favor of returning as soon as possible.
Even as he ran without protection through the powerful lightning, he made it out without harm. Timmie waved a quick hello that went ignored along with Wagner’s grunt of greeting, Katheryne’s calls for his progress with commissions, and advertisements for the Good Hunter. He passed by Kaeya who also seemed to be heading to the Knights of Favonius headquarters along with Diluc.
Those two were an unlikely pair, especially with their tricky… relationship. Bennett used to assume they hated each other's guts, but the traveller convinced him otherwise and assured him that it went deeper than that.
“Brotherhood wasn’t exactly easy with their circumstances”, they put it. As he raced up the steps, expressing hatred toward the architect who planned Monstadt’s construction as he did so, Bennett wondered if something would ever come between him and Razor. Not that he saw him as a brother. In all honesty, Bennett wasn’t quite sure how he saw Razor, nor did he know how his best friend saw him.
Something told him it wouldn’t matter much if he couldn’t find the guy. Thankfully, HQ was only a few steps away.
Bennett pushed open the doors mercilessly before stumbling into the open space and desperately looking around. Jean’s office was to his left, while the library to his right. He hesitated for a few seconds. Lisa didn’t like when he didn’t say hello every time he visited, but it didn’t matter now. She’d have to deal with it this time around.
Rushing to his left, he turned the door knob and quickly went inside without a knock. His heart rushed when he saw the Acting Grand Master on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Bennett had half a mind to leave the room without alerting her instead of asking her where Razor was. Had he really been so fixated as to ignore one of the strongest people in Monstadt’s weak state?
Or was he sparing himself the sight of the Acting Grand Master’s feelings in order to deny it. To deny the truth.
There was still a chance, wasn’t there? That he was okay, and that Jean was just facing some other crisis that didn’t personally affect him.
Bennett wanted lighting to strike him right then and there for thinking something so selfish.
He shook as he approached the door to the library across the room. Had there been a time where he was so desperate to run away and hide from reality? He wondered for a moment how he would react once it was confirmed. Razor’s current state.
Bennett opened the door to the library, forcing a smile for Lisa and gathering the strength to not cry right then and there. It was bad enough for Jean to be so emotional, but Lisa? Razor was like a son to her. How would she feel?
The door suddenly swept open. Every tense bone in the unlucky adventurer's body turned to jelly and then quickly eased. The uncontrollable feeling of relief coursed through him as his restraints soon wore off and tears streamed down his face. Without thinking, Bennett swung his arms around Razor’s shoulders and cried deep within the crook of his neck.
His best friend stood still, and quietly. He did not move a muscle, with the exception of his lips as he very clearly whispered in his ear. Razor’s words nearly cause Bennett to go into a temporary state of paralysis.
“Lisa was killed.”