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Lumine looked up as the door opened to her room. She curtsied to the fourth fatui harbinger as she entered the room. It had been awhile since she’d been in the presence of a Fatui Harbinger, but she still remembered the manners and respect Childe had been sure to teach her. Arlecchino entered with an air of arrogance, arms crossed.
“Ah. Lumine, right? Childe’s little call girl?” Lumine grit her teeth, hardening her gaze as she looked up at her. “I bet this was all your doing to take his place.”
“It’s not like that. I’ve been here since he arrived in Fontaine. I was in the audience when he got arrested.” Lumine huffed as Arlecchino drew closer. “I was here when they told me he disappeared.”
“You’d stand to benefit if he didn’t return. You are his second in command, are you not? Perhaps you were hoping the Tsaritsa would let you take his position in the fatui.” Lumine clenched her fists. She didn’t have much experience with Arlecchino, despite being in the fatui for over two years already. Childe often avoided the fourth, preferring not to deal with her unless he had to. As such, her exposure to the female harbinger had been minimal.
“Don’t say that like I would do something like that. If you ask me, treachery fits someone like you far better.” Far too quickly the woman grabbed the former traveler by her dress, lifting her up to her face.
“Didn’t Childe teach you how to respect your superiors?” Lumine glared into the dangerous eyes of the harbinger. She didn’t scare her.
“I’m not your subordinate. I’m Childe’s second in command. I follow his orders and his alone.” Technically, she also followed the Tsaritsa’s order, but she’d only ever received those orders through Childe.
“As fatui, you follow the harbingers’ orders. I outrank you. Now,” Arlecchino dropped the female onto her knees before stepping down on the back of her head, forcing her to lower it. “Apologize.”
Lumine growled in frustration. Childe had been sure to enforce to her that she followed him, not any of the harbingers. He’d reinforced it after she’d almost ended up as one of Dottore’s test subjects. He’d drilled into her head that she would answer to him, and if any of the other harbingers had a request for her, they would direct it through him.
“No.” As humiliating and frustrating as this was, she still couldn’t fight back against the harbingers, not physically anyway. Doing so would make her a traitor in the eyes of the fatui, and she had no desire to be labeled as such, not until they found out where her brother was. Besides, if she became a traitor, she would be much further from figuring out where Childe was. “As I stated, I follow Childe, NOT you.” And there was a LOT of satisfaction in angering the fourth without even resorting to violence.
Even as she kicked her in the chin. Lumine hissed as she held her jaw, looking up as Arlecchino turned away. “I’ll be sure to write about your insubordination in my report.” The woman adorned in the black and blue dress pushed herself up to her feet as she rolled her jaw. “Tell me what you know. The last time I saw either of you was before you two left on Childe’s vacation. If I recall correctly you were-” A cry cut into the room, catching the shorter woman’s attention.
“Sh… It’s okay!” Lumine quickly called out as she hurried to the bassinet set to the side of the room by her bed, scooping up the small baby within.
“Carrying that.” Arlecchino waited while Lumine rocked her baby, quietly shushing it and holding it close. “From my perspective, our eleventh and his pregnant second went on a vacation, and somehow he ended up in jail. Please enlighten me.” If the former traveler could tell anything, it was that Arlecchino was still very upset about the way Lumine had talked to her, but likely had given up in trying to correct her when she realized Lumine was already versed in how much respect she was required to give.
“It’s okay Ajax…” She’d talked to Childe regarding their son’s name, and they’d settled on a few before he was sent to the fortress, but once she’d heard he’d been missing, she had decided to name him after his father in the off chance the harbinger never returned. “There’s not much to provide. Childe had been in a bad mood often and wasn’t sleeping well so he requested taking a small family vacation. We were approved for two weeks, but when we got here, things seemed to be getting worse for him, he was tossing and turning, he snapped more at me and strangers, and he began having troubles with his vision.”
Arlecchino put her hand to her chin in thought as Lumine continued on. “He’d just finished fighting Clorinde in a duel when he was told he was going on trial.” She bit her lip as she rocked her baby. “He didn’t even realize what he was on trial for, they had no evidence on him, I vouched for him, yet he was deemed guilty. I know he wasn’t the one responsible for…” No, it didn’t matter, Arlecchino wouldn’t care about the crime he was sentenced for. Though, Lumine knew he hadn’t kidnapped any women.
“And he’s been in prison until his disappearance, I take it?” She was silent as her baby slowly quieted down.
“He… Was, yes.” Arlecchino turned to her. “He was writing to me every week while I waited for him. Then one week the letters suddenly stopped. The week after that, I was informed he disappeared.” Lumine left out the detail that the news had triggered her labor, Arlecchino wouldn’t care about that.
“I see. That was a few months ago now, yes?”
“Three.” Her baby was already three months old, and she had no idea where his father was.
“What have you been doing in the meantime?” Arlecchino hummed out. Lumine felt as if Arlecchino didn’t quite care about where Childe had gone to, but was far more interested in how to use that information for her own gain. It sickened the former traveler, but it wasn’t any of her business how the harbinger used the information.
“Some of Childe’s recruits are in the fortress now, investigating his disappearance without rousing suspicion. They’ve been writing back to me weekly, but they haven’t gotten much luck lately.” In any other circumstances, Lumine would’ve investigated on her own, she’d always been great at doing it; but she had their newborn to take care of. It had been ideal before, when she’d serve and follow him, both the baby’s parents would always be there. But now, with Childe gone, she was all little Ajax had left.
“Hm…” Arlecchino paced in front of the girl, eyes fixated on the ground. “Are all of Childe’s underlings writing back?”
“Yes. They’ve kept in contact and diligently write back weekly.” Arlecchino seemed troubled by that, though Lumine wasn’t quite sure why.
“You should warn them to be careful if you don’t want them to disappear.” Disappear? Was someone targeting Fatui? Was that where Childe had gone…? “I want a copy of each report you’ve received. Have them dropped off at the House of Hearth tomorrow evening.” Arlecchino turned away from the mother as she walked toward the door.
“I’ll be sure to do it tomorrow afternoon.” If she took the time to copy them tonight, then stopping by tomorrow afternoon when she took Ajax for his walk would be the best time to do so.
“Good.” Arlecchino grabbed the doorknob. “And if you dare disrespect me again, well.” Arlecchino looked over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t mind the House of Hearth picking up the son of a harbinger.” She opened the door and left, leaving Lumine in the silence of the room. A chill ran up her back. If Arlecchino ever actually attacked her, she knew she’d be able to defend herself; but the consequences of it would hurt the most. She was fully a part of the fatui now, if she struck down a harbinger… Even Childe wouldn’t be able to save her.
Ajax began to cry again, louder this time as if he could sense the danger that permeated in the room. “Don’t worry, mama is here…” She muttered as she raised her baby to her chest, rubbing his back soothingly as she rocked him. It was amazing that Arlecchino was the one in charge of the orphanage. How could someone who instilled so much fear to a baby, care for so many children? Then again, Lumine was sure she was manipulating the children behind the scenes. Childe didn’t trust her, and she had a hard time believing his fear was completely misplaced.
As she soothed the baby, she walked toward the door. The visit had been so stressful, and she’d have to be awake for quite awhile if she were to copy every report. She swung the door open, greeted by a fatui agent. “Is there something you need, m’lady?” He asked as he bowed before her.
“A copious amount of sweets… And a bit of coffee. I’ll be up late tonight.” She hummed out. “Oh! See if you can get some of that REALLY tasty cake Vera brought me the other day, the white cake with the berries decorating it!” He nodded and bowed again.
“Right away, m’lady. I’ll have it delivered as soon as possible.” Lumine sighed out at the thought of the cake.
“Thank you, I’ll be working when you return, please knock when you return.” She closed the door and returned back into the room, approaching the desk that had been Childe’s. She sat down with her baby in one hand, pulling up the stack of reports with the other. This would be a long night.