Chapter Text
Electrifying.
That was the best word Beidou could use to describe Inazuma’s atmosphere. Despite the seemingly tense and unchanging environment, there was also the intoxicating feeling of something new, something on the horizon that would strike like lightning and shake the very earth beneath her. A feeling that clung to her throat and invaded her lungs like a thick smog, taking hold of her air and ripping it from her in a gasp of thrill. Even now, as she walked along the dark cobbled streets of Ritou, she had to remind herself that the very air she breathed was far different then from her home of Liyue - instead of the metallic taste that always coated her mouth as the ironworkers shaved off imperfections of precious gemstones with specially sharpened tools made of seemingly unbreakable iron, or the burn of the speciality jeuyun chilis that covered the mountainsides of Qingce Village and helped make some of the most iconic meals of Liyue, Inazuma brought forth with it a hair-raising taste of undiscovered desire, an ever-burning fire of desperation for freedom and change.
“Captain Beidou! You made it!” The familiar call brought said Captain back to the present. Glancing up from her aimless wandering, she looked over her shoulder to see the sight of a tall blonde man, gesturing for her to come over. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, a hair tie being made of what looked to her like rope. A headpiece kept his bangs out of his face, small pieces jutting outward, giving an almost horned-devil appearance to, which didn’t entirely fit his personality in Beidou’s opinion.
Thoma was the man’s name. A face Beidou had seen many times over the last few years of working with Inazuma traders, and was always happy to see. Thoma was a man who knew how to get things done, even at his young age. She’d met him her third time coming to Inazuma, the lad being freshly turned eighteen, having just started working for the Kamisato Clan. He’d been set simply to deliver documents to her from the head of the Clan, yet he went above and beyond, taking her around Ritou and showing her off to the different tradesmen who stationed themselves there. Beidou had noticed how he avoided certain ones, it wasn’t blatant, she knew, but the young man clearly knew the song and dance of business despite his “low” rank of housekeeper. The older woman quickly figured out why: they weren’t with the International Trade Association. Not only that, but they had been known to deal with more, lower-quality, goods. Within the first time of meeting, Thoma had charmed Beidou with his brilliance and his wit, and the ruby-eyed captain was more than happy to continue to work for him and the Kamisato Clan over the past few years.
As Beidou locked eyes with Thoma, sparkling ruby meeting dazzling emerald, she felt the small smile that had stained her face moments ago falter. The usual warm eyes that would greet her and the rest of the Crux fleet were clearly glazed over: not to the point where she believed Thoma to be so upset that he’d break like a dam, but clear enough to her that he was distressed. Perhaps it was with her constant working with others to notice something so small, but this wasn’t like the normal Thoma she had befriended over the past few years. Something was wrong - very wrong, gleaming how she had picked it up from his physical appearance. She’d seen the younger man get into hot water, but not to the point where he was now.
The captain moved quickly, trying not to show her concern as she moved towards him. Her black heels clicked against the path, maneuvering around a few people in the streets as she made her way towards him.
“Thoma! Always a pleasure!” Beidou tried to soothe her voice, not wanting to alarm him with how worried she was, though even as the words left her mouth she was unsure how well she covered it up.
“Same to you! I hope I’m not interrupting,” Thoma responded, desperation seeping into his words, that while, inaudible to most, struck Beidou in her core. Something was very wrong.
“Not at all! Is there anything I can help you with? I know you’re a busy man, and I’ve got a few days to help in any way I can,” She grimaced at how fake she sounded, praying to any Archon that was listening that she didn’t spark any worry in those around her. Even from where she was standing, she could see a few of her crewmates around the plaza, and the last thing she wanted to do was make them think that there were any problems going on while they were in Inazuma of all places.
“I was hoping you could assist me with a few things. Please, follow me if you will!” Thoma chirped, the words being as convincing as fake gold to a blacksmith whilst he pulled Beidou onwards, her steps matching his unusually quick pace. She wanted so desperately to just drop the bomb and ask what was ailing him so badly, but she knew that if it was as serious as it seemed, it was likely for very few ears to hear. And a bustling plaza in Ritou wasn’t exactly the best place to discuss private matters.
Beidou followed quietly as Thoma guided her along a small path, the already beaten path getting less and less visible as they roved. They walked downhill for a ways, not a steep hill, but she could smell how close they were getting to the salty sea that surrounded Ritou. Thoma was being uncharacteristically silent, and Beidou seemed to unintentionally match his energy.
The less people who have any idea of where we are, the better.
A silent message. One would think that if Thoma wanted to keep this much of a secret, that he would’ve arranged a much more secretive meeting, but Beidou cast that from her mind quickly. A secret meeting by the sea between business partners was unsurprising; the harsh waves would drown out their voices, not allowing eavesdroppers to listen in as well.
What did catch her by surprise was when they suddenly came to a halt. They were close enough to the water to where their voices would still be drowned out: she could hear how now the tide crashing against the rocky cliffs nearby. However, as Beidou’s thoughts had been so clouded with worry, she hadn’t noticed that they were off the beaten path - not far from it, but still out of sight.
Thoma had clearly wanted people to see them leave towards a usual meeting spot, but not the destination.
“Captain, I’m sorry-”
“What’s wrong?” Beidou cut him off. She spoke so quickly, so urgently, that she didn’t even think before blurting it out. The young man grimaced.
“That obvious, huh?” Beidou frowned.
“I can see it in your eyes, Thoma. Something’s wrong. Something’s really wrong. This isn’t like you.”
“Yeah, something is wrong,” Thoma sighed. He tapped his foot, seemingly impatient with himself. Beidou didn’t speak, simply waiting for an explanation.
A minute passed before Thoma spoke again.
“Beidou… have I ever told you about my family?”
“Some tidbits. I know your father was from Monstadt, your mother, Inazuma. That’s why you came here in the first place - you never specified, but I know you came here for something related to her.”
“That’s… partially correct. I did come here because of my mother, but it was less because of her and more so because of what she left behind here,” He began to explain, solemnly.
“You see… I wasn’t born here, obviously. Monstadt’s my home region, and I lived there for most of my life with my dad. My mom, she… she walked out. Didn’t even leave a letter, just packed her stuff and snuck back off to Inazuma. I’m not sure why, either, she just did." He shrugged, taking a second to let a deep breath fill his lungs before continuing, "It tore me up as a kid - so after my old man passed away, I decided to start looking for her. Something, anything, and through a lot of connections I found out that she’d snuck back into Inazuma, but had already long since passed.”
Thoma paused for a moment, emerald eyes just starting to become dappled with tears before taking another deep breath and continuing.
“I thought that, because she had passed away even before my dad had, that maybe that’s why she had left. Because she wanted to die at peace in her home country. So, I made arrangements to come here, before the lock down became too strict for me to get in. I thought maybe that she’d have family here, like parents or siblings or cousins, that might be able to tell me more. And well… I guess I got what I was hoping for.”
Thoma’s voice sounded bitter within the last few sentences, and even with how brief they were, the flashes of true anger that plagued his tone caught Beidou off guard. She didn’t speak, she didn’t dare. Clearly, he needed to get this off his chest, and while Beidou wasn’t sure where this was going, she listened intently.
“As it would turn out… she did have a family. A whole new one, here in Inazuma. A husband and daughter… both of whom she left without even saying goodbye, just like she did to me and my dad. I can’t even begin to explain how pissed I was. She started a family again, and abandoned them, again. I had hoped so desperately when I first came here to find out that she left out of mercy, but in reality she had just continued a vicious cycle all over again. She’d screwed over another kid, another innocent child who wanted nothing more than loving parents who’d be there when they’d get home. I was already in Inazuma, so I decided to seek them out: maybe they’d have more answers.”
Two kids. This woman had had two children and simply walked away. A sharp stab of anger flared up in Beidou, one she couldn’t tell if triggered by her morals, her past, or some base maternal insticts.
“The Naganohara family. A mostly deaf father and his bright firework of a daughter. Naganohara Ryuunosuke was so welcoming despite me being from out of the region - and was more than happy to let me get to know Yoimiya. I could tell even from the first meeting that she was born for her family’s work: a bright ball of fire barely contained in the body of a twelve year old girl who seemed so unaffected by everything around her. She let the bad things of the world roll off of her like water off a duck’s back. She had a habit of running her mouth, I’ll admit, and she wasn’t much - isn’t much - a fan of authority. She doesn’t take the laws of the land very seriously, and will throw worry to the wind if that means making others happy. And that’s… that’s why I need your help, Beidou.”
His pacing came to a sharp end as he finished the latter half of his story and stared the captain in her face.
“Yoimiya’s in danger, and she needs to get out of Inazuma, fast.”