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There wasn’t much to do as of late. Sara hadn’t seen the Raiden Shogun. Not where she usually was anyway. Instead she saw her out and about. Abandoning her. Yae Miko had been closely at the archon’s side for what felt like forever. Sara was forgotten about.
Loneliness wasn’t all others made it seem to be. Sara remembered a chance encounter with the Balladeer and he seemed quite fond of his life alone. Fatui didn’t count as people as far as Sara herself was concerned. They had no soul, devoid of loyalty and willing to sell one another out for some mora. As far as Sara was concerned, the Balladeer was a demon here to harm Inazuma. She couldn’t believe that he came from the beloved archon she had devoted her life to.
So what came next? Sara wasn’t quite sure, and the festival had only made things feel worse. Ei had given her the choice to work or enjoy the festivities, and in hopes of winning the archon’s approval once more, Sara opted to work. Work made it so she didn’t have to think about the love she didn’t have the privilege of having. The love that Miko had so cruelly robbed her of. Instead of dwelling on it for much longer, she allowed her mind to be lost in work. Making sure no one was trespassing, making sure that things were properly taken care of. Sara would do her job to the greatest of her abilities; whether Ei loved her or not.
Deeply entranced in her work, Sara hadn’t seen Kokomi waving to her. The shorter woman had been walking with Lumine and Ayaka, the three of them speaking enthusiastically.
“Sara!” Kokomi called with a smile.
Blinking, the taller woman looked down at her shorter peer, surprised to see her at the festival. “Kokomi?” She looked back, taking in the company Kokomi had in tow. Respectfully, Sara bowed her head just slightly. “Ayaka, Traveler, Paimon.” Paimon was waving and speaking, but Sara was only really paying attention to Kokomi, who had also begun to speak.
“Sara, don’t look so shocked to see me! I’m trying to enjoy the festival just like everyone else.” Though something about her words didn’t seem entirely true. A look of disappointment lingered in her gaze, which Sara had easily picked up on. “I just finished my meeting with Yae Miko, I’m afraid it didn’t go as planned. But Ayaka and Lumine had offered to show me their favorite parts of the festival.”
There Miko went, ruining someone else’s day. Sara felt an odd sense of kinship with Kokomi for just a moment. Not kinship, but just a similarity. Sara’s own words were becoming confused in her head, as she knew of Miko’s various professions. All that woman did was claim jobs and make simple actions like proper grammar seem despicable in Sara’s mind. All because she didn’t want to do anything that had to do with Miko. Thinking in grunts wasn’t exactly ideal though, so she changed her tune and looked at the others. “Really? That’s wonderful. Have you all been enjoying the festival? I hope you haven’t encountered any troublemakers, though if you have please tell me.”
Kokomi had leaned forward, looking directly into Sara’s eyes. “Actually, I would love to tell you about something I saw.” The shorter woman turned to her companions. “I’ll be back, I’ll find you. Promise, I just need to discuss something with Miss Sara.” With that, the others had left, leaving the two alone. Silence hung in the air for a moment, making her skin crawl.
Sara’s throat tightened when Kokomi met her eyes. “Yae Miko said she wanted me to speak with you.” There was still tense, uncomfortable silence looming over the pair. “That we should go to Liyue together, as representatives for Inazuma.” Confusion showed visibly on Sara’s face. “I, too, am confused. I am not sure if she has ulterior motives, or if the Raiden Ei just simply doesn’t want to make the journey herself.”
“I also, must leave Gorou in charge of Watatsumi Island, so I’ll be traveling without a companion.” She paused, “And I believe that was why Miko suggested for you to attend Liyue with me. Or…” Kokomi paused, a puzzled look crossing her face. “I’m not sure.” She said suddenly. “At the same time, I think that it would be refreshing to breach a new space with new company.”
For some reason, Kokomi saying these things made her hands shake. Sara stared, frowning a little bit. “Do you think…” Her brow furrowed in silent thought, determining what she was meant to say or do. Her eyes darted between Kokomi and the empty space around them. Her eyes flickered towards the other. Raiden Ei. The title and name reverberated around her brain. It was too much to admit to the other that she knew the truth.
Sara’s master had fallen. Raiden Ei was alive and well, but the woman that Sara had served was no longer around. The husk that Ei had given her essence to run Inazuma was essentially laid to rest. Raiden Ei wasn’t the same as the husk. The doll that Sara had begun to fall for. Which left her feeling lonely. That was what pushed her to agree.
“I’ll tag along then.” She nodded. Miko would not be able to instruct Sara on what to do. No, she would make those choices herself. No one else. Her eyes glowed for a moment.
“Kokomi, I think we should pack right away. Don’t you?”