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“Auntie! It’s been so long!!” Klee skipped to La Signora, who carried her in her arms. “Why didn’t you talk to Mom and I ever since?”
“Alice loves to hop around the world. Tell her to send more letters,” The Fair Lady replied, setting her down minutes after.
Rosalyne preferred to hear more than travel recommendations from her sister.
Before she fell in with the Fatui, she and Alice agreed to have Albedo and Klee visit her aunt every Christmas. She’d have to buy everything the kid wanted, and Klee had to enjoy being with Rosalyne the entire day.
The first one was easy; her huge salary did most of the work. The second? Well…
“Klee, for the last time, we’re not going to the toy store unless you ate first,” She said while her niece tugged at her white sweater.
“But Klee’s not hungry!‘ Klee rubbed her stomach. “Wait, I am… can we got to McDonalds, please?!”
“Heh, I’m not taking us to plebeian food. Klee, I know a place upstairs.” Signora said as they got on the escalator. She clenched her niece’s arms when she tried to run to the toy store they passed by.
Signora saw herself as composed, elegant, and graceful. Klee was the opposite of these things; she never shut up about her bombs, yet somehow every Christmas they (mostly) got along well.
“How’s school so far, Klee?” Signora asked, having ordered ukha soup and golubtsi for both of them.
“I’m doing good, but I end up facing the wall a lot,” Her niece frowned. “Klee… might have blown up the swing set in the playground.”
“No one was hurt, right?” Signora stared at her in disbelief. From her limited communication with her sister, she knew Klee loved explosives since she was three!
“It was for science class! Teacher Jean told us to show off our inventions… but she was scared I’ll hurt someone,” Klee covered her face and started sobbing. “I worked so hard for those small toys!”
“You’re too good for that class, sweetie.” Signora hesitated at first, and then for the first time, let her niece cry on her shoulder.
She remembered the thunderous applause she received back in university for her liquid fire concoction. Even as the substance now flowed into her veins, the Fatui stood in awe when she demonstrated her fiery powers when the filthy commoners feared her.
“I know a school where you can really grow.” Perhaps she could take Klee with her on a flight to Ulan-Ude to a place where she could be free to do what she wanted. On this Fatui school for enhanced individuals, her co-Harbingers will give her a wide playground to test her bombs in!
When the waiter arrived carrying their orders, she thought of how to commence this plan. Done right, this would be the best Christmas gift she’ll give to Klee.
“Auntie, this fish soup looks delicious!” Klee said as she slurped the ukha broth.
“Klee, that’s not how you eat that!” Signora cringed in disgust and demonstrated to her how to properly hold a spoon.
Her niece had a lot to learn if she were to join the Fatui.
“Auntie, could you please buy Klee those model tanks? They blow tons of stuff up!” Klee ran around the military toy section, eagerly looking for more.
Signora sighed, visualizing Klee blasting away at her bank account. The fact only a few of these toys survived the next year (those not used for her ‘experiments’) didn’t help.
How did Childe manage this with Teucer? She barely had a grip on her niece; the thought of the three hanging out made her want to down an entire wine bottle.
“Klee, we’ve yet to go to your favorite store. I know just the place.” Signora didn’t say the place out loud; there might have been cops who overheard it.
“Whaaaa-?” Klee’s eyes beamed. “Thank you so much! Uh, before we go, can you tell Klee some stories about the Crimson Witch?”
The Crimson.. what? When she heard those two words, her eyes turned red with the same shade that fateful day. The jeers and boos she heard from the people rang back in her ears.
“Why… did you say that name?” Signora’s deep breaths tried to mask her growing rage.
“Well, Mom tells me stories of how you blasted the bad guys! You’re rich, pretty, and powerful so I wanna be just like you!”
The Fair Lady winced a little, her anger dissipating all at once.
All she’s ever heard to that point were insults behind her back. Any positive comments about her had irony tinged in them, and she could sense if someone only stroked her ego because they expected something in return.
But a kid, her niece no less, praising her? Sure, she might’ve done that for toys, yet somehow, her tone was so genuine. Klee sounded like someone who met their hero in the flesh.
“I… don’t know what to say.” Rosalyne wished the flames that threatened to consume her spared her niece. Klee had her life ahead of her, and to subject her to that process felt… wrong. “Thank you? Buy everything, we have all day.”
Rosalyne smiled with the same bliss she had when Rostam proposed to her. What a shame, Klee never got to know her would-be uncle…
“Klee’s so lucky to have the best auntie in the world! Oh, Mom wanted me to give this to you!” Klee handed her a large plush crystalfly. “She spent all night making this.”
“Tell your mom thanks.” Signora had so many stories she wanted to tell them both before Albedo took her back. Hoping something would delay his journey, she accompanied Klee as she roamed across the toy store.