Chapter Text
☆ Scaramouche
I never liked Mondstadt, for two simple reasons. One: because of the freedom it offers its inhabitants. It blinds them. They rely too much on it, on the lack of rules and the fact that they can do almost anything they want. What kind of freedom is that supposed to be, the kind that doesn't give you a clue as to what you should do with your life? The kind that lets you do everything on your own, without any purpose? Too much freedom spoils it. But on the other hand, it also sucks when you don't have it. What would you do if you weren't free? I wouldn't know because I'm not like them.
And the other reason, well, I've never liked the nation because it's very warm, the people who live there are very friendly and welcoming and I have to pretend to be just like them. I was there once, a few years ago, and although they say some places change I don't think that's true here.
I'd like not to have to see the changes, if there are any, with my own eyes, but I have no choice, because I have to go back. Back to the city to find someone. A certain someone who escaped us almost four years ago. A person who knows too much and is dangerous to us, especially for what we plan to do. At least, that's what my superiors like to say. Still, I wish I had gone anywhere else. Even Liyue, the country where the adepti are, was a much better option. But fine, even though I hate Mondstadt, the mission is a mission and I can't abandon it.
"I can see on your face that you wish you had gone somewhere else," someone behind me says and I immediately get angry.
I recognize the voice, I've heard it too many times.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
I turn my head and see a clump of orange hair three heads above me.
"I heard about your mission," he says. "I won't lie to you, I wanted to be able to carry it out myself. It's a pity I couldn't attend the meeting."
I roll my eyes. I didn't need him to come over here to tell me that just like I didn't want to see him. He is perhaps one of the most annoying colleagues, and I find them all annoying.
The one I'm talking to now is Tartaglia, but people call him Childe, which is the name he usually uses to introduce himself. Tartaglia is his Harbinger title in our Fatui organization, which handles diplomatic affairs in Teyvat for all the world to see, but also has a very large military force. A force that makes it the strongest in the whole world. My mission within Fatui also involves killing that person as soon as I find them. Tsaritsa, our leader, told us that they were in the way of the organization's plans, and I, among others, offered to take over the mission without realizing, at the time, what it entailed doing. Now I think maybe I should have figured it out or at least asked, but that day when she told us about the enormous power the person one of us is supposed to seek possessed, I couldn't think of anything else but that I should be the one to carry out the mission.
In this world there are normal people and people with visions, which are objects that take the form of glowing gemstones of different colours with their respective elemental symbol in the middle. Those who have visions can control the element of that vision that they received at some point in their lives. Obviously, a person can only have one vision, and those who have none have no power whatsoever. It's obvious, isn't it? Well, no. There are seven elements - Pyro, Hydro, Geo, Dendro, Electro, Anemo and Cryo - and with each one you can control a force of nature. Now take all these visions and give them to one person. Now you get it?
And that's why I know the mission won't be easy. Well, there's also the fact that I have no idea who they are, and the information I've received doesn't help much. All I know is that they are in Mondstadt right now. I have no idea if they're a girl or a boy, what their name is, or if they're still relying on their Anemo vision. But I'm not discouraged, because that makes the mission more interesting. Something this guy would never understand if he were in my shoes. Besides, there's clearly a reason why Tsaritsa agreed to me being assigned the mission, and it's definitely the ranking.
There are eleven Harbingers in total, which is the second highest rank in our organization, and the ranking is by strength. The other five above me always have other duties, so it's clear why I, being sixth in power, have been given the honour. And Tartaglia, being at the bottom of the rankings, well... he's kind of pitying himself in my room. Pretty pathetic.
"It must suck to be you on this one," I say with a laugh.
I'm not trying to hide the fact that I laugh at him and what he wants. How much longer is he going to stay here? Can't he tell when he's not wanted?
"Can't you take me in one of your suitcases?"
"I hope you're joking."
Something tells me he's not, though.
"Go complain to them, not to me!"
"It's no use," he replies, and I immediately frown. "I can't pass myself off as an Academy Candidate."
Excuse me?
"What did you say?"
"What did I say?"
I must have misheard.
"Candidate..."
"Ahaha," he laughs, and I refrain from smacking him in the face, "don't tell me they didn't tell you that."
"Fu..."
"Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly, interrupting me. "Why are you looking at me like you want to kill me?"
Oh, because that's exactly what I want to do. I want to kill someone, and he's the closest, so automatically I want to kill him. It's not like I haven't killed before, I've done it and it's not that hard. With time, everyone gets used to it.
"And you, why pray tell, couldn't you do it?" I ask, expecting him to admit he's weaker than me in terms of power.
But he doesn't. The moment I see him squatting, I kick him in the shin and he falls flat on the floor.
"What was that for?!"
"You were making fun of the fact that I'm short, right?!"
"I wasn't making fun, I was just telling it like it is. You look the same age as them and..."
"Say that again and I'll make sure you won't live long enough to see tomorrow! Get out!"
"Your attitude is on a different level to the hei..."
"GET OUT!!!"
And as soon as I say that, I see him leave the room and close the door behind him.
I hope you're going to burn, Tartaglia.
Although he's not wrong, as I'm the shortest of all here. But I'll never stand for anyone laughing at that since I know that no matter how short I am, I can still give them a hell of a beating to remember it by.
I already knew to some extent what he said, that is, I knew that I was going to go undercover and somehow infiltrate the town and their lives so that no one would be suspicious, I just didn't know how I was going to do it. But now it's all much clearer and it kind of makes sense... What better way to find out information about someone and the country itself than directly from the ranks of the most important people there? Still, it's really annoying to find out that I've also been chosen because I'm short and that makes me look like I'm the same age with the rest of the Candidates. Well, in a way I am, because I'm almost twenty.
But I'm not going to let that demoralize and annoy me any more than it already has, so I'm going to start packing. Which I should have done a while ago if I hadn't been annoyed. I was told beforehand to take only the bare necessities because in Mondstadt they clearly don't have as much as we have here. Yet another reason why I can hate that country. Who the hell doesn't have a stove if they want to cook something?
But I guess I shouldn't judge them...
Yeah, as if.
In my opinion, all the townspeople there can burn in hell.
☆
Mondstadt, the region where you can relax, where it's always green and beautiful, where you can always hear the birds chirping in the morning and enjoy nature since it's everywhere, where you can go hunting and then sell the game or prepare special food from its meat, where you can walk the cobbled streets of the town, where you can throw coins into the fountain in the city centre and eat at the nearby restaurant, where you can go and listen to someone sing and you can hum their tune too... what more could you want, right?
You couldn't wish for anything more, could you?
No?
I can't stand this region! I say to myself, stomping angrily on a dandelion that has grown by the side of the road.
I came by carriage all the way here and I'm glad I didn't think of jumping out of it, because it would have screwed up my mission. I would have expected the mission to make me not care that I had to come back to this place, but apparently not. My hatred of Mondstadt is stronger than any satisfaction it brings.
And why the hell could I swear it was going to be as hot as last time?
Where I'm from it's always cool and I don't have to worry about being sunburnt, but here, like back then, the weather was totally not on my side or any of the locals' side; although they seem resilient in this heat, God knows how. Though, I would have liked to be able to take my hat to protect myself from the sun, but I know that, even then, I would have stood out more than the Raiden Shogun's statue from Inazuma's town square.
And speaking of Raiden Shogun, she has her own vision of how she should run her country. According to her, the Vision Holders are a very big threat to the country and how it should be. Since Inazuma is also known as the "Land of Eternity" she believes that everything should continue as it has been, and that the Vision Holders no longer conform. I've heard these things discussed many times among recruits, soldiers, and Harbingers alike. And obviously, this should be my ticket into Mondstadt: to introduce myself as a fugitive from Inazuma. Or it should be obvious, if I had a vision that could be stolen. And that's precisely why I'm not going to stick to the plan we set before I left. I'm going to tell them I'm an orphan and that I got permission to leave. After all, that's how it is, isn't it?
I don't remember anything about my real family, I don't know who my parents are, if they are still alive, if I have brothers or sisters, or even if I have any living relatives. Well, not that I would care if I randomly met someone from my family and they recognized me, I don't care about that at all. However, I do know one thing about myself, probably the only thing: I was born in Inazuma.
And the name I'll be introducing myself by... well, I guess it'll be Scaramouche. After all, nobody knows me anymore. Those who knew me by my Fatui title haven't been around here for a while. What can I say, they made the best choice when they left this place.
"Excuse me... sir?" someone asks me suddenly.
Looks like I've reached the city gate.
"Greetings", I say in a friendly tone that seems to take the guard by surprise.
He probably expected me to yell at him, especially if he saw the disgusted expression on my face when I stepped on that flower.
"I'd like to go into town."
"I haven't seen you around these parts before," he says.
"I'm not from around here," I say and start saying my litany.
At the end the guy just shakes his head.
"Some people here rent rooms," he tells me and points to someone nearby. "Marjorie, the salesgirl at the jewellery shop, knows someone who could rent you a room..."
My superiors told me that it would be best if I stayed at the Academy dormitory for the entire Try-outs period, but a room of my own sounds much better.
What they don't know can't hurt them, right?
"Of course, I could use it."
As soon as I say that, the guard beckons me to follow him and I grit my teeth. Seriously, this woman is standing right here in front of me and you still want to lead me? I'm not seven years old. If I wasn't undercover right now I'd kick his ass and make sure it hurt.
He waves to the woman who supposedly works at the store, according to him, and she waves back, then looks at me with such a stunned expression on her face that I tense up and prepare for the worst. But when she opens her mouth, I almost refrain from laughing, for it seems that the people here have remained as suckers as I knew them. But I feel just as much a sucker for expecting something different.
"What a delightful young man you have here," she says and laughs.
No wonder I charmed her without even trying. I've been told I'm handsome, or charming in this case, and I'm quite aware of that myself without it being brought to my knowledge.
"I told him you knew someone who could rent him a room. The boy comes all the way from Inazuma."
"Oh?"
"I want to train to become a Knight," I say smiling. "My parents would've been proud."
Yes, that's what Tartaglia meant when he mentioned the Candidates. The plan was as follows: I ran away from Inazuma and came here to train for the Academy. The superiors probably thought that posing as someone with similar circumstances to the target would make my job easier, but I think that would be a bit of a coincidence. Very rarely can one run away from Inazuma, especially with a vision. Or with all seven, in their case.
However, I could pass myself off as a Vision Holder very easily. I may not have one, but I can still use the elemental power of Electro. Why? I don't know. Someone probably does, but I haven't been told. And I didn't care enough to investigate.
"Oh, so a little knight in the making, you mean."
I feel my eye twitch when I hear her say "little". Not even here, in this part of the world, people don't stop picking on my hei...
"I didn't upset you, did I?" she asks worriedly.
"She wasn't trying to make you feel bad, it's her way of talking to people. You could say she's coddling you."
She's coddling...? No, you know what? I'm not even gonna ask.
"No problem," I say smiling, although I'm pretty sure they've figured out what my eye is twitching about.
"Come on, let's talk to the landlord of the apartment," says the saleswoman and turns to lock up the shop.
Apartment? Sounds better and better.
And here I am, venturing once again through the streets of this wonderful city, this time accompanied only by a woman. Not that the earlier journey could be called an adventure. I try to calm myself as we go. I breathe in and out forcefully, though the air I'm putting into my lungs is more bothersome than helpful in any way. I don't normally need air, I don't need to breathe to live - although I do it more out of habit - and my heart doesn't beat either. Other oddities, like my innate powers.
Thirty minutes later I'm standing in front of a large wooden door with a key in one hand and my luggage in the other. I didn't bring many things, just as I was told. Not that it matters, the organization could provide me with enough money to buy this whole town if I wanted to.
Fortunately, when I enter the newly rented apartment I see that it is much better furnished than I expected. And I wasn't expecting much in the first place. The woman talked long and hard with the landlord so they could come to a compromise, but in the end I ended up with this place. And I think you already understand what I meant earlier about these people: they all want to help you, like that security guard who wanted to walk me five meters to the shop and the woman who talked to the landlord for me. I wonder what they want in return for their help? I bet it's just some trivial stuff.
The first thing I do after peering into the apartment is throw my luggage across the room, and it bumps against the edge of the bed. Why do I need a double bed, though? I ask myself as I take a closer look at it. I'm staying here alone and it's not as if this apartment, although it looks like it has three rooms, is spacious enough for two people to stay in. But whatever, I'm not going to be here long, so there's no point in complaining. I'll make do with what I have. At least I don't have to sleep outside like an animal.
But even so. For the last time.
I hate this damn region!
☆
I don't know where the library is. A Fatui agent in town told me there was one here and gave me a map... which I may have lost along the way, but that's another thing. So I have to get there on my own. The conversation with her, however, reminded me of the times I spent with agents, soldiers and recruits. I take great pleasure in giving them orders, perhaps because it reminds me of how important and powerful I am in the organisation and beyond.
I'm so important and powerful and yet I get lost in the city because I can't find a damn library.
Where the hell is it?
For goodness's sa...
I don't even get to finish my thought, because I bump into something, or rather someone, and we both fall on the pavement. Dammit! I bring one hand to my head to massage my temple and lean on the other, and when I open my eyes to see what the hell has happened, I see a pile of papers and books and a girl trying to collect them all. For a moment I don't know what to say because, and I'm cursing myself a little for noticing this, she's really beautiful. If I were alone on the street right now I'd be smacking myself in the face. This thing is pissing me off.
"Hey!" I yell without realizing exactly what I'm doing, just as she reaches for a book that must have fallen on my head when I bumped into her.
I should have kept the friendly tone I used when I came into the city. Yes, that's what I should have done... if it hadn't pissed me off that the way she looks left me speechless!
"Watch where you're going!" I continue.
I screwed up anyway, so what's the point of pretending to her anymore?
"Sorry... Sorr... Hey! But it was you who..."
I give her an angry look, and she immediately shuts up. Obviously, I'll never admit that it was actually my fault. Pride won't let me do it.
"If you can't see where you're going, you should wear glasses. You definitely need them!"
"But I didn't..."
I can think of another stinging retort I could give her, but I know it's just a waste of time. I get up from the sidewalk and walk in the direction I was going.
"Aren't you going to help me with these?"
"Why should I? It's not like I bumped into you."
"You are... You are..."
Oh, I know what she wants to say, the same things I've often heard from soldiers, recruits, and even my colleagues when they think I'm not paying attention. But what they don't know is that I always hear when something bad is said about me, and that I can say things a thousand times worse than all the things that go through their minds. It doesn't surprise me anymore.
"Handsome, a genius, very talented..." I list my qualities.
"An ogre!" she says with her hands balled into fists.
"I've heard worse insults," I say.
It's my first day in this town and I've already made an enemy. I'm off to a good start. Well, not that it affects me because I already have more enemies and people who don't like me than I have fingers on both hands. And even if I started counting them on my toes I still wouldn't have enough fingers to go around. With a situation like that what's one more person on that list? And in any case, she's just an insignificant girl in this crappy town, so I know I shouldn't have to bother with her.
But I have to admit that I did enjoy picking on her just now, although it wasn't exactly how I do it with my own soldiers. No, that's just a hidden pleasure and that's all, but now I'm really having fun at her expense. And, well, I guess I deserve a reason to have some fun in this place while I'm doing my job. I hope to see her around again.