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The House of the Hearth has two rules. The first is simple, survival of the fittest. The strong take from the weak, and those that can’t defend themselves will lose everything. The caretakers don’t care about the kids that they watch over. All that matters to them is that their funding keeps coming by producing Fatui soldiers. Their charges are kids with no families, no homes, and nowhere to go. Only the ones that learn to fight for themselves, to take rather than be taken from, survive to adulthood.
Not that Arlecchino needed to be taught this anymore. It had been a few years since her entire world turned upside down, she knew the rules. She was only six years old when her family was murdered in a break-in. With no one else to rely on, she was quickly forced out onto the streets. Arlecchino managed to survive for three years without getting caught, fighting with man and beast alike for even a small scrap of food. She had a secret weapon on her side, apart from being ruthless. Her blood.
How can a timid child no more than nine years old compete with grown adults and beasts of various sizes? Well at first, she couldn’t. Arlecchino quickly went hungry, unable to get enough food from stealing, begging, or discards. It wasn’t until she was on her last legs, fighting a stray dog for a piece of meat, that her power became prominent. The dog dug its teeth into her arm but was torn to ribbons shortly thereafter. Her blood was the medium by which she could survive, and even get food.
One winter day, a man witnessed her terrifying power and approached her with an offer.
“Come with me,” he said with a smile, “I run an orphanage in Snezhnaya. You can get all the food you want, and never have to sleep in the rain again.”
To Arlecchino, it was a no brainer. Even if he had an ulterior motive, she would rather take the chance for food. She can fight her way out if necessary anyway. And fight she did, though not to escape. The very first dinner, one of the older kids tried to steal her food. He used his knife to try and threaten her into giving it up, but rather than be intimidated she simply grabbed the blade. The brat didn’t know what hit him, being cut from every possible angle while looking into Arlecchino’s glowing crosses.
That boy was never seen again.
From that day forward no one dared to pick a fight with Arlecchino. Some even tried to give her some of their things to gain her favour or assistance. A little over five months after Arlecchino came to the House of the Hearth, a new girl was brought in. She was a pale and frail child, with long dark hair fading to red in spots. The new girl was only seven at the time, and she was very small for her age. Columbina, that’s how the caretakers introduced the girl, though she was quiet most of the time. The caretakers’ next words were a shock to everyone, the girl is blind. This brings us to the second rule in the House of the Hearth.
No one fucks with the blind girl.
The first kid to try and cause trouble with Columbina was the same age as her. He would steal bread from her dish at mealtime, though the first couple times no one noticed. Arlecchino only noticed the third time it happened, but it pissed her off. The boy was flat on his back before anyone knew what happened. She beat him for several minutes, unflinching when kids and adults alike tried to stop her. If anything, that made her swing harder. That they would defend this brat but not Columbina.
“…lecchi…”
“Arlecchino!”
She freezes mid swing. Columbina’s voice is the only one she seems to hear, simply turning to stare at the blind girl. After a few moments, Arlecchino stands up and walks back to her own tray. She doesn’t eat any of it, rather she hands the entire plate to Columbina and walks off, deeper into the building. She can hear someone following her, and has a pretty good guess as to who.
“What do you want, Columbina?”
“Why did you help me?” Columbina’s question is asked with an odd tone, and she can’t tell whether it’s accusatory or not. Arlecchino’s irritation is plain as day on her face, fortunately no one is around to see it, or at least the only person there cannot. “You have not shown concern for other children, why me?”
So that’s what she was getting at. The hardest interpretation for Arlecchino to answer as well. She could lie and say it’s because she just got here, or perhaps respond with a personal anecdote. She could also dodge the question. That sounds nice.
“The little brat pissed me off. Didn’t know his place.” She turns to leave again, this time not turning back as Columbina called out for her. Being followed by a blind girl was a bit unnerving given that she can’t, well, see. She didn’t want to hurt the girl, that much she knew, but getting away from her was proving difficult. Finally, Arlecchino gets to the entrance of her room. She doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the door is locked behind her.
The next day Arlecchino knocks another kid flat for pulling Columbina’s hair. She doesn’t speak up this time, she just continues with a serene smile on her face. It’s odd, though she can’t possibly see it Columbina’s closed eyes are directly facing Arlecchino. She can feel it, and she hates it.
“You,” Arlecchino commands, directly addressing Columbina for the second time. “Come with me. Right now.”
“As you wish.” Columbina’s nonchalance in the face of her only serves to piss Arlecchino off more. She doesn’t give Columbina a chance to even try and follow. Might as well show everyone not to fuck with her, at least not until Arlecchino figures out what the hell is happening. Without warning, she grabs Columbina’s wrists and drags her up onto her shoulder.
“Oh?” Columbina lets out a startled yelp at being tossed around. Despite her initial surprise, her calm demeanor remained unshaken. “I can walk by myself, you know.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
It’s not more than a whisper, but it does its job. Columbina stops talking as she’s carried away from the dining and common areas. She doesn’t even speak when she hears a door open and feels the cold Snezhnayan air crawl across her skin. Only when she’s tossed onto something soft does she open her mouth again.
“May I speak now?” The only response is a slight huff from Arlecchino, which she takes as a sign to continue. “While I thank you for your assistance, it truly was unnecessary. There is nothing you will gain from helping me.”
“And?” Arlecchino’s terse reply caught Columbina slightly off guard. Even more so when she feels the bed shift from Arlecchino sitting next to her. She’s starting to lose her patience for the first time in a while.
“I’m saying there is no need to concern yourself with me. Defending me and bringing me to your room will only make you an easier target. Just-”
“Don’t care. I do what I want,” interrupts Arlecchino as she strokes a brush through Columbina’s hair. The small girl flinches as she begins working through a knot. Despite her brash demeanor, her hands are surprisingly deft and caring. “This is your room now. Can’t trust those brats won’t mess with you when I can’t see.”
“I’ll be quite alright where I- Ow!” Columbina’s indignance was cut short by a press on one of the bruises hidden by her clothes. It seems Arlecchino has noticed after all. And she had hid it so well too.
“Quiet. I’m not going to hurt you if I don’t have to.” She’s being comforting in her own odd way. Her hands are shaking enough that she stops with the brush and just drapes her arms over Columbina’s shoulders. “A kid like you should be able to rely on someone. You don’t have to be alone.”
Columbina can tell that those words are only superficially meant for her. Her voice was quiet, and trembling. It makes Columbina wonder what Arlecchino has been through to get in such a state from her alone. The shaking arms that surround her are little more than shivers compared to her trembling body. After a moment Columbina speaks up.
“Why me?” Her question is soft as she grabs Arlecchino’s hand. Columbina knows that Arlecchino is strong enough to look after both of them, though she doesn’t feel like she needs protection.
“I’m a monster, but not you.” It’s a whisper, though it feels more like she’s begging. “You don’t have to become one. Please, let me protect you Sorel.”
“Sorel?” Arlecchino freezes when Columbina says the name, her entire body going stock still and her arms drop away from the girl. Confused, Columbina turns around, and though she can’t see Arlecchino, they’re directly facing each other. She can’t see Arlecchino’s panic stricken face, but she can feel the tension in the air.
“Sorry, I just… Sorry.” Arlecchino’s movements are stiff and awkward as she backs away from the blind girl. She only gets more panicked when Columbina tries to get closer, tracking her remarkably well. “I didn’t mean to… Just, goodnight.”
With those departing words Arlecchino swings herself out of the open window, and Columbina’s chances of tracking her disappear. She falls back onto the bed, wondering what just happened. There’s certainly more to Arlecchino than she knows, but what could possibly create that kind of reaction? She can’t wrap her head around it, falling asleep on the bed before getting any answers.
Sounds of movement stir Columbina in the middle of the night. The door wasn’t opened, so it’s not one of the other orphans. That leaves it as Arlecchino or a burglar, more likely the former since who would rob an orphanage.
“Arlecchino?” Whoever it is doesn’t reply, and the sounds of rummaging increase slightly. She briefly wonders if she was wrong before hearing the closet door close. Columbina sits up when a blanket is tossed over her, it has to be Arlecchino. She’s about to ask her to talk, but the window slams shut and fills the room with silence.
The next day, Arlecchino still didn’t show up. Not for breakfast, nor for lunch. None of the others tried to start something with Columbina after the demonstrations the other day, but Arlecchino’s absence is making them bolder. Columbina meanwhile, is worried and confused. She knows the older girl can handle herself, but it’s cold in the summer, much less late fall.
Arlecchino finally returns at suppertime, spinning some nonsense about feeling sick all morning that she clearly doesn’t care if people believe. Her skin is pink from windburns, and her hair is frosted with a thin coating of ice. Columbina can only tell her condition by her ragged breathing, but it’s clear she was out all night and day.
She slips over to Arlecchino while everyone is confused. With the way she slips through the crowd of kids and adults alike it’s hard to believe she’s blind. Arlecchino grabs a piece of bread and tries to leave before she gets too close, but she doesn’t make it in time. Columbina’s hand grabs the sleeve of her jacket, tugging her in to whisper in her ear.
“I want to talk. When you’re ready, come to our room.” If anyone else had heard it, they’d have expected Arlecchino to lay the poor girl flat, but she just gives a dismissive huff and turns back to get food. Everyone stares at Columbina, shocked, as she walks off in the direction of the living quarters.
Arlecchino briefly considers just heading back outside, up to the roof. She certainly doesn’t want to talk, but she may as well see what this is all about. Twenty minutes later, Arlecchino opens the door to her room to find Columbina sitting in the middle of the floor. There isn’t a chair, but it’s surprising that she isn’t on one of the beds.
“Where did you go?” Columbina questions as soon as the door is shut. The window is also closed, so the room is far warmer than before. “You were cold earlier. Were you out all night?”
“I slept on the roof,” replies Arlecchino, slightly agitated but not looking directly at Columbina. The question was too easy, considering what she should be asking about. She briefly considers that Columbina may be tormenting her on purpose but decides it’s unlikely.
“So you came in for that heavy coat in the middle of the night,” reasons out the younger girl. It’s obvious that Arlecchino’s reasons for looking after Columbina are personal, but she doesn’t seem to want to say. “I won’t ask why you decided that freezing to death was a good idea, but don’t do it again.”
“Fuck off. I’ll do what I want.”
Columbina stands up to her full height, still a full head shorter than Arlecchino, Not one to be intimidated, she stands her ground while Columbina approaches.
“Perhaps you think I’m being kind,” her tone is ice. For the first time since coming to the House of the Hearth, Columbina’s eyes crack open. She can’t see anything in them, though they aren’t fully open either. “You will not do that again.”
“Whatever.” Arlecchino just brushes past the dark-haired girl and yanks off her coat. The shock of the temperature difference is making her skin hurt. Without another word, Arlecchino crashes into one of the beds. She’s exhausted, and the conversation with Columbina made it exponentially worse.
Arlecchino spends very little time within the House of the Hearth oved the next couple of days. The kids aren’t allowed to leave, but even the adults seem hesitant to try and stop her. She still returns every night for dinner and to sleep, not wanting to annoy Columbina. The other kids are getting more brazen in her absence. They don’t mess with Columbina though, rather they conspire among themselves. It only takes three days before they try to jump Arlecchino as a group.
At least six kids, all of them older than her by several years, ambush her when she returns one evening surrounding her on the street. Even six against one, it’s still a relatively fair fight. What she lacks in raw power, Arlecchino more than makes up for with brutality and cleverness. Joints? Vitals? Nothing is off limits, all that matters is that she wins.
It’s not easy, heavily outnumbered and objectively weaker than most of her opponents. She can’t even use her ace in the hole until she starts bleeding, but a fistfight won’t draw much blood. She manages to drag out the fight, taking them down one by one until only the two oldest kids are left. Her entire body is sore from exhaustion, cold, and physical damage.
Arlecchino’s breathing is pained, muscles tight and bones bruised. One of her arms is dislocated, hanging limply by her side. She’s lucky that they don’t know how to fight well, or she’d have lost ages ago. The other kids, probably around 15 years old, aren’t faring much better. But still, they’re starting to work together. They keep trying to pin her. It’s easier to escape now that there’s only two left, but each time has consequences.
“You fuckers had enough yet?” Arlecchino spits between exhausted pants. Her hair is sticking to her face, silver and black in a chaotic mess. She brings her wrist up to her mouth, wiping away sweat and small amounts of blood. “Six of you and you still can’t win. Just give up.”
It’s a simple taunt, but it works wonders. One of her assailants runs in swinging which she easily sidesteps, extending a foot to trip her. Before the kid can hit the ground, Arlecchino catches her collar. Painfully, she raises the attacker and stares her down. The poor kid is trembling now, looking back into the bloody crosses of a child she can’t hope to best.
Arlecchino drops them to the ground, running out of strength and still needing to scare off the last one before she drops. With slow movements she finally unleashed her ace in the hole, biting hard into her hand and drawing blood. The one on the ground scrambles to get away as hundreds of bloody blades start swirling around her. The ones on the ground only escape because the fight has moved so far through the street. The last two fall, torn to ribbons as she drags her way past them. They’re still breathing, but they’re covered in cuts.
She skips dinner completely and just heads straight back to her room, forgetting that it’s also Columbina’s room. She’s tired, and stumbles through the door before collapsing on the ground. A small gasp of pain is the only indication that she’s even breathing.
“Get up.” Columbina’s voice startles Arlecchino back to consciousness. The blind girl is standing above her, and she didn’t even notice. Trying to push herself up doesn’t work; Columbina has to lift her up and lean her against the door, which she does with surprising ease. Arlecchino’s panting makes it easy for Columbina to put some fabric in her mouth. “Bite.”
When Arlecchino finally bites down, a spike of pain courses through her dislocated arm. In precise movements, far more precise than anyone would expect, Columbina pulls her arm forward and relocates her shoulder. Arlecchino muffles her pained grunts as well as she can, but it’s impossible to stay silent.
“Other arm.” Arlecchino weakly gives her bloodied arm to Columbina. The warm blood is slick in Columbina’s hands as she begins cleaning it off. After wrapping the wound with a clean cloth, which immediately soaks red, she speaks up again. “I can’t do anything about the other injuries, so you’re staying in bed for a few days.”
Arlecchino protests weakly, but the pain is making her somewhat delirious. Columbina picks her up gently and places her on one of the beds, at no point does she seem to be having any sort of trouble. Was she always this strong? Arlecchino doesn’t care at this point, melting into unconsciousness before she hits the mattress.
She sleeps for almost two days, fitfully despite Columbina’s best efforts. She’s dreaming of something, given how much more talkative she is in her sleep than she is while awake. It doesn’t seem pleasant though. Arlecchino ranges from speaking with her parents or someone called Sorel, to screaming and crying with very little time in between.
“Sorel?” Arlecchino’s voice wakes Columbina from her sleep. It’s more aware, more focused than her sleep talking. “Sorel, you’re a-… Oh.”
She seems to snap back to herself when she sees Columbina raise her head. The normally stoic girl’s expression quite visible falls, and though Columbina can’t see it she can hear the disappointment in her voice.
“Something wrong?” she asks, slightly mischievously yet out of concern nonetheless. Arlecchino doesn’t speak, she just sits there breathing slowly. Not one to poke the beast, Columbina is content to sit with her in silence.
“I had a sister…” After almost 20 minutes Arlecchino finally breaks the silence. “Sorel, that was her name… She would have been about the same age as you.”
“Oh, so that’s why…” Columbina trails off as realization dawns on her. This is why Arlecchino had been protective of her, why she had said those things about becoming a monster. “I am not your sister; I am not Sorel.”
“I know,” she chokes out. Her next words are barely a whisper. “You’re so alike it’s scary.”
“I won’t replace your family. They need someone to mourn them after all, based on how you speak of it. But,” she continues unperturbed, “I do not mind If you consider me a part your family. You said it yourself, a child of your age should not have to be alone.”
They fall back into silence, though it isn’t awkward. Content, or perhaps comfortable, neither of them say a thing. Finally, Columbina decides that Arlecchino needs food and water, so she gets up to leave. Before she can get to the door, Arlecchino speaks up.
“Columbina?”
“Yes Lecchi?” Well, that’s new, but it doesn’t bother her. Despite knowing she can’t see it, Arlecchino puts on the biggest smile she can muster. Probably the biggest since she was orphaned, or maybe the first. It’s a little crooked, somewhat unnatural feeling.
“One day, I promise, I’m gonna run this fucking place. So no one goes through this hell like we did.”
Columbina smiles as well, just as bright, but far more natural than Arlecchino’s.
“I look forward to the day. Now get some rest, I’ll be back soon with some food, okay?”