Chapter Text
You gaze at the papers cluttered around the mahogany desk before you, some neatly piled while others are loose, one held in between gloved fingers. You look at the man before you with pale blue hair and a white uniform, trying not to stare as you are mesmerized with his prince like attitude, every movement calm and graceful. His clothing softly shuffles as he reads the documents presented to him. The room's decor around you alone is so sophisticated and well put, adding an extra layer of power.
"You're from Liyue correct?" Your ears perk up at the sudden question, but you are in the middle of an interview with Ayato Kamisato after all.
"That is correct."
"What made you come all the way to Inazuma? You've had plenty of experience, but I am still interested as to what made you leave your hometown."
"Well," you look down at your lap. "I was actually born here. I lived in a village in the city's outskirts. We were the last to be invaded by the Shogun's officials during the vision sweep." You look back up at him. "My family and I had tried to escape the island by boat, only we weren't entirely successful. Our ship was destroyed. They… didn't make it. And I lost part of myself as well. You may have noticed that despite the fact I have fox ears my tail is nonexistent." You fidget with your vision, rotating it slightly from right to left, letting the violet luminescence bounce from it. "I am regretful for running away, as it possibly did more harm than good, my parents wanted me to keep my vision and dreamt of going to a place where more opportunities were available." With that sentence your determination rises and you look back at Ayato. "But I've come back to redeem myself, I was lucky to make it out and see the rest of the world for myself, and I want others to have the same opportunity."
Ayato taps the papers against the desk and smiles warmly at you before offering more tea from the teapot, which you accept.
"You've worked in the field for a long time now, but I must remind you, this is a very dangerous job. Not only is your life on the line, but if anything slips up there are others at stake as well." You hold the cup with both hands. Then you look into his eyes.
"I understand." You've learned to separate fear from yourself, you haven't anything to lose but the drive to protect others who had much to go on encouraged you to make the most well calculated decisions.
"Well then, welcome Y/N." He places a hand on his chest and nods and you reciprocate. "I do have an assignment in mind for you that must be addressed as soon as possible. That is, after you've settled in of course." You stand and nod, excited to start as soon as possible. You then turn around to find a boy in red with golden hair who escorts you out.
While you walked into your assigned room your lips curled into a smile. It is hard to ignore the rush just speaking to Ayato. His voice is so soothing and you were swooning over his demeanor. His eyes were beautiful and you were trying hard not to be nervous.
"Well, here's your room,Y/N. I'm glad for your help, we could always use more hands, especially those with ones as nimble as yours." You smile and after asking for his name, learning it is Thoma, close the door.
You lean against the wall and squish your face with your hands.
"Everyone here is so nice here. Even his sister, and oh gosh she's so pretty too." You shut your eyes hard and feel all gushy inside. You then open them and examine your room. Although it is minimalistic, there was this aesthetic to it that made it charming. Your bag was already placed in the center of the room so you start unpacking.
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You release your grip on the windowsill as you slip into the second floor of the building, your footsteps muffled as you keep on your toes. Although you have only stayed at the Kamisato housing for a day, you insisted on taking on the mission as soon as possible. The "floor" is basically nonexistent, only serving as a giant window to the one below, the only flooring beneath you is for guards to have a higher ground in case anyone were to escape. Your silky black clothing drapes on the floor as you remained crouched, trying to peek over the ledge at the numerous jail cells.
The man who makes fake visions. He was caught and locked up in here just for trying to prevent more lives from being ruined by the Shogun. That's who you are looking for. All you have to do was ensure he still remains in his holding and alive. Breaking him out would have to come another time.
You close your eyes and stay perfectly still, allowing yourself to take in every sound. You feel your ears slightly swivel at the sound of the wood settling and the small clinks of guards' uniforms. Otherwise, there isn't anything of importance, and you start to move.
You start with a stride and then pick up the pace, rolling your feet to make sure no sound seeps out from under you. The rush is thrilling as you feel your oversized sleeves flowing as you speed past pillars. You stop at corners and try to detect any movement before zipping through. Finally, you found his holding cell. You completely let yourself slide and lie on the floor once you see two guards at post before the bars, them not noticing.
You see him. Although his head is hung as he is sitting slouched over, he seems fine. You accomplished what you had to, but you don't want to leave him hopeless. The guards are slipping in and out of consciousness, their heads bobbing from being up so late.
You reach behind your back and slowly take out your longbow. Attached to the tip of one of your arrows is a folded note that read that help is on the way. You extend one arm and keep the other propped, stretching the string and focusing on balancing the arrow against the wood. You take a deep breath, steady your breathing, the metal end of your arrow aimed to go through the iron bars, your fingertips ready for release.
There is suddenly a large crash, followed by a hard thump from the other room and you immediately disassemble your weapon. The guards jolt up and ask who's there, readying in their stance as they scan the area.
You hear footsteps from the room and scramble to your feet as they get closer, them not even bothering to quiet down. You look around the area for an escape but they arrive at the doorway you came from.
There were three men, one looming over the other two. The most prominent one had long ruby horns and silver hair and a vibrant coat. An oni. The other two had some kind of uniform but you didn't pay too much attention.
"Yo boss, I see him right down there," one loudly whispers.
The oni shushes the other men loudly and you stare with your eyes wide. They couldn't be serious. Either way, whether they got caught isn't of your concern. They probably haven't noticed you at all. Suddenly you lock eyes with the oni and freeze.
The only way out is through the window you came from, but was obviously blocked by these three idiots. You ready your stance to run as you hear one guard ready his bow.
"Who are you? And what are YOU doing here?!" The oni doesn't even try to lower his voice and you sigh, sprinting towards the three who flinch backward in surprise. An optical illusion is in place as the fabric of your clothes spread middair, the folds unraveling and fanning out, making you appear much larger and as a morph of shadow. Using your momentum you kick your foot out and allow yourself to fall and slip on the floor, your clothes having no resistance due to its slick design, and traveling under and in between the oni's legs who instinctively jump in horror.
You swivel your weight to prop back onto your feet and head to the window, not bothering to look back.
"We've got what we needed boys, let's get out of here, and don't let them get away." Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion and you realize he is referring to you, which didn't make sense, you are obviously on the same side. You jump off the sill that is now scattered with broken glass, and allow yourself to free fall, your clothes once again unfurling and acting as a weak parachute as you land on the floor. You turn back and see one of the men climbing down a rope hanging over the window. Taking the head start, you sprint, only to hear their footsteps following behind you shortly after, every second growing louder. Before you fully panicking as they draw nearer you spot a lake, speeding up and jumping over it. Landing on the other side, the heel of your foot barely grazes the water's edge. Using this contact, you send electricity down your leg, the lake now sparking. You turn to admire your work and watch both men fall into your trap. The oni halts right before and looks at you, annoyed you are about to get away.
"Oh yeah? I can do that too! You're not the only one with a vision!" He seems to ready himself to use his element, his arms extended before him but suddenly stops. "Oh wait," he mutters. You continue watching him as he awkwardly puts down his hands. "Y'know what? I've gotta take care of these guys, but I will find you!" He cups his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice even though the night is dead silent and you were in front of him. Your ear twitches in annoyance as his voice pierces your eardrums. But, you give a taunting curtsey and turn around to run back to the Kamisato clan.