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The Crux stopped in the platforms of Port Ormos and lowered the anchor, the workers walked off the boat and join in on carrying the boxes to somewhere. Beidou stretched her arms and walked off the boat too, eyeing the others who were checking on the supplies. She looked up to Kazuha, who was sitting on top of the railings, letting the wind sway his hair and haori.
“Hey, kid, you got any plans in Sumeru?” Beidou called out, causing Kazuha to look down. The sword user shook his head, “Not really, but I guess I'll go wander around for a moment” he answered. Beidou shrugged at that, “Well, suit yourself. We'll be here in sumeru for some time, might aswell travel around for the time being” She added.
Kazuha dropped down from where he was sittinf and landed on the docks, “Alright, I'll go walk somewhere in the meantime” he brushed the dust off of his clothes upon landing. “Just don't get lost!” Beidou grinned and patted his back, the sword user merely chuckled. No matter how far Kazuha goes and wanders, he always comes back in nightfall. Beidou has no need to worry if Kazuha would get lost to somewhere.
“Don't worry, I'll come back before you know it” He replied, then he walks off the docks and onto the cement of Port Ormor's street. He glanced at his co-workers, and continues walking. He hears the merchants yelling out their products, he hears the sound of waves as the boat docks, he hears the constant chatter of the civilians.
The sense of atmosphere was lively.
He spent the time walking around the streets, glancing at the shops nearby. Of course, he stared up at the tall trees of Port Ormos. The trees in Sumeru is surely massive, it is the land of the Dendro Archon afterall. He lets his feet lead the way and his eyes catch interesting sights, he can let the wind lead him back.
Kazuha didn't know how long he spent walking and admiring the views from afar, but he eventually comes across a forest. Usually, he could sense the dangers of fungis and maybe even hilichurls, but he sense no tension. The forest felt oddly calm, like it was luring Kazuha into entering it. Trusting his instincts, the sword user entered inside the forest.
The trees stood tall and firm, and the grass was soft to step on. The leaves from the trees were abundant and spread out, almost making the forest look dark because of the shadow. Kazuha continues his trip forward, glancing around and heightening his sense incase there are any monsters nearby. Surprisingly, there isn't. There aren't many creatures around, aside the occassional squirrels and finches. ‘This seems like a pretty safe place to wander around’ Kazuha thought.
There were some bushes around, some contained berries that may or may not be dangerous to eat. Kazuha is not risking it. He is not in fear of being lost in the middle of nowhere, he can let the wind guide him back, and he just always smell the trecks he left behind to go back outside. Kazuha listened closely to the sounds of nature, the swaying of the leaves, the sounds of his steps, the chittering of squirrels...
It was also then, did he hear a soft ‘meow’ from somwhere in a bush. Kazuha stopped in his tracks, did he just hear a cat? Well, obviously. But it was the first time did he hear a cat in this forest, let alone any forest actually. Curious about the safety of the animal, he walked towards the direction of the noise. Moving closer with every ‘meow’ he hears
Kazuha stops infront of a bush, he can hear the sounds coming from it. With patient hands, he moves the leaves away in search if the cat. After managing to remove the blockage, there, he saw it.
A purple cat, small and vulnerable. It was shaking on the grass, and it raised his head up to look at Kazuha. The eyes of the cat was glistening, like it was crying. It let out a soft ‘meow’, staring up at the samurai with those crying eyes.
Kazuha might've thought it mean that the cat wants to get closer to him, “Are you okay, little one?” he tries to touch the cat with his unbandaged hand. But the cat backed away and hissed at Kazuha, but it was looking at him with eager eyes earlier. It wanted attention, but pushed it away when it was given...
“Don't worry, kitty. You'll be safe with me” He reassured, and held his hand out. The poor cat only hissed and scratched at his arms, Kazuha hissed slightly in pain and pulled his hand back. There was a little scratch, but Kazuha went through worst. He wasn't willing to give up though, he was a massive cat person and it makes him feel bad if he left the cat alone.
Kazha held his other hand out, “I promise, I'll take care of you”. The cat only hissed again, but didn't scratched at Kazuha's palm this time. It seems the worss were starting to get to him, if it is even understanding a word that the samurai is saying. “You can come with me, if you want” He asked for one final time, and there was a new reaction out of the kitty. It seems to still be hesitant, but the cat had calmed down now. It reluctantly walked towards Kazuha and nuzzled its head onto his hand, and his heart fizzeled at the sight.
Deeming the conclusion that the cat finally felt comfortable at him, he carefully picked it up. The cat let out a ‘meow’ as it was lifted off of the ground. Kazuha placed his other hand underneath it and helt it against his chest.
The cat gripped Kazuha's shirt with it's tiny claws, it's eyes still shining with pitiful tears. The samurai can see a red collar with a golden feather wrapped around the animal's neck, a sign of past ownership. ‘Did he get abandoned?’ Kazuha thought, the assumption was most likely. It would explain why a cat was in the middle of nowhere, with no one around.
But before Kazuha can think more, there was a sudden puff of smoke engulfing the duo. His sight was blinded, and he registered the feeling of emptiness on his jands. But then a weight was pushed on top of him, sending him to tumble down to the ground with the unknown weight. Kazuha was confused by the sudden turn of events, thus, he stayed seated to register what just happened.
He only comprehended the scene when the smoke disappears, and he finally sees the weight that was on his lap. He slowly turned his gaze up to see- a person?...
They- *he* - has a blue hime cut, shiny indigo eyes that lookd like it has secrets. Skin as pale as the purest snow in the mountains, his face fair and gorgeous. Kazuha can see blood red eyeliner on his eyelids, pink lips that the samurai tries hard not to look at. If Kazuha has to describe this person in 2 words, he might aswell call him an “ethereal puppet”.
Kazuha stammered, he felt his face heat up at the sight of this stranger. The person tilted his head and hummed, he looked at the samurai with a curious look. How should Kazuha talk this pretty person that he doesn't even know and is sitting on his lap like it's normal, aswell as the fact this person just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Speaking of which, where did a cat even go?
“Uhm...” Kazuha started, “Who are you?...” he was still overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. “I'm... Scaramouche” The person answered. “I see... I'm Kazuha... And where did you come from?” Kazuha lifted himself up with his hands, his upper body lifted but he couldn't move due to the person.
Scaramouche huffed, “What? Did you not see the puff of smoke, or were you blind? I was here the whole time” he replied. Kazuha was even more confused, but it does explain the puff of smoke. But he's not surprised, he awakened a dead vision, striked against the musou no hitotachi, got possessed by a sword, and gods exists here in Teyvat. He can barely be surprised anymore.
“Well, may I ask for you to move, please? I have to go somewhere..” Kazuha politely asked, but he knew it was a bit rude (or perhaps it was just himself). But he truly needed to go. Was it to find the cat or go back to the alcor? He doesn't know. Scaramouche's face turned into that of amusement, his mouth agape in disbelief at what Kazuha said. “Wait- you're gonna leave me here?” He sounded like he was betrayed, he didn't move a single inch away from Kazuha's lap.
Now the samurai was stuck, and he looked at Scaramouche again with a confused look. “Pardon?” Kazuha didn't mean to offend Scaramouche, let alone make him feel like he's leaving him. But he truly wants to go somewhere else, and that thought almost made him forget about the cat.
Before he could think further, Scaramouche pounced onto Kazuha. He wrapped his arms around the samurai, sending them back to the ground again. “Wait- Don't you dare leave me, you promised me!” Scaramouche clung onto Kazuha like a ‘cat’, the sword user was speechless on the other hand. He doesn't recall promising this stranger to not leave him. Scaramouche trapped him with his body, making him unable to leave.
Kazuha didnr know what to do, but he tried to calm Scara's rambling first. “Um, excuse me. But what do you mean?” Kazuha asked, the other lifted his head up. Scara looked at him with a pout and an irritated look, “you- you said that I can come with you if I want..” he muttered. Kazuha swore a big question mark appear because he doesn't remember saying that to him, call him dense or an idiot because he currently is. Though, it was familiar...
“You even said that I'll be safe with you...” Scaramouche added, Kazuha remembered saying thise to the cat. Why would he mention Kazuha saying those- oh wait.
Same color hair, the puff of smoke, the clinginess, his words. Scaramouche was indeed the same cat he saw, just the humanized version. The realization scratched onto his head. This person, is the same one as the cat? Kazuha's mouth went agape, now he truly doesn't know what to do.
Sure, Kazuha promised to take care of the cat. But it's a different story when it's a human, even if they're basically the cat! “Hold on, wait-” Kazuha stammered, and Scaramouche whined further. “Please...” He pouted, looking up at the bewildered sword user. ‘Oh archons, what should I do?’ Kazuha thought, a million possibilities ran in his mind.
He could just take Scaramouche with him, but how can he act normally around him? Wait no, Scaramouche is technically a human, so Kazuha can just act normally towards him. But about the ‘taking care’ part, hm... Eventually, after a long discussion in head and groans of pleading frustration from Scaramouche. Kazuha agreed to have Scaramouche as company.
“Okay, okay- You can be with me” Kazuha reassured quickly before Scaramouche can overthink any longer. Scaramouche perked up at that, his mood lightened up compared to what it was before. “Really?” His eyes went wife, and the samurai nodded. “Yes, I'll keeo my word for it” He smiled fondly, and Scaramouche somehow brightened up at that.
Scaramouche's hand went up but he stopped, he looked like he was about to hug Kazuha. He looked hesitant, but then he remembered he was still sitting on top of the sword user. Immediately, his face went flushed and he stood up to let Kazuha go. He cleared his throat, “pretend that never happened, alright?” Scaramouche said to Kazuha. The samurai merely chuckled and stood up now too, “I can't guarantee that I'll forget about it easily” that earns him a glare from Scara.
But the ‘cat’ cleared his throat, “Anyways.. Thank you for um, you know...” Scaramouche sounded like he didn't want to say it in the first place. Kazuha was starting to like him, he always does like talking to frank people. “Oh, no worries. Just think of it as an act of kindess” Kazuha reassured, and Scaramouche was sure there was more to these motives.
“Well, where will you take me now?” Scaramouche asked, that got Kazuha pondering for a bit. He could bring him all around Teyvat and be both wanderers, but there was another thing in Kazuha's mind. He recalled the collar adorning the car earlier, and he sees the same feather on Scaramouche's brooch. “I'll think of a way, but there is something I'm meaning to ask...” Kazuha muttered, and Scara tilted his head.
“About that collar, did you... used to be someone else's ‘pet’?” Kazuha asked, pointing at the feather. Scaramouche's expression turned grim, he looked away with a frown. “I don't want to talk about it...” Scaramouche whispered, and the samurai could sense the feeling of sentinentality. So, he decided not to prod further. “It's alright, you can tell me once you're ready” Kazuha smiled, his hand unconciously went up to try and touch Scaramouche's cheek. The ‘cat’ became flustered and slapped the hand away before it touched him, “Whatever, don't expect me to tell it anytime sooner...” he muttered.
Kazuha doesn't know but he finds his irritation adorable.
“Ehe, well, I can always wait” Kazuha told him, and Scaramouche almost rolled his eyes at that. “Well, how about we go now? I do want to take you somewhere” Kazuha suggested, and Scaramouche perked up again. “Huh? Oh, sure” Scaramouche responded, with that, Kazuha gently grabbed a hold of his hand to lead the way. This time, Scaramouche's didn't scratch back. They were led back outside the quiet forest, and thye begin their little expedition.
Kazuha thinks he can show Scaramouche around Port Ormos, maybe even bring him to secluded spot that he remembers going to the last time he visited Sumeru. Then he can introduce him to the crux by nightfall, and they can wander around Teyvat. Afterall, this is the start of their story together.