Work Text:
There was an intruder in the midst.
Skirk felt the disturbance, heard its commotion. Somewhere beneath Teyvat, somewhere near her corner of the shadows… there was a battle.
Now, she would have never looked twice at such a thing. Torment was common in the Abyss, and Skirk had witnessed many reckless things within her time in such a grim space-
And yet… this particular fray caught her eye.
Because at the center of it, there was a human. A boy, specifically, one fair in the face and slim in the body.
Hm.
Only once before had she stumbled across a human within her realm. Defenseless, weak- traits that this mysterious face did not have.
For he fought valiantly, without fear. His movements were swift and precise, sparks of Electro surging from his fingertips. Flowing through his form and dancing alongside their master, keeping in perfect pace with the towering, hideous beast of the shadows.
He did this, all the while maintaining a giant, decorated hat atop his head.
But in the end, this confidence did not overshadow the truth. Humans did not belong in the Abyss- could not - but somehow, he’d made it to depths unheard of by the common folks up in Teyvat.
So, Skirk was intrigued.
The very next second, Skirk drew her weapon. She called for it, simultaneously willing the space before her to slice right open, to bear down for her…
And then, she was gone.
When she reappeared, she appeared opposite the intruder. Face to face with the flesh and scales of his opponent. Their opponent.
How pitiful, it looked.
Even then, mercy was not a courtesy Skirk allowed herself to have- especially in the ruins and wreckages of the Abyss.
So, Skirk launched, bringing her blade clean against the back of the beast.
Swipe after swipe, Skirk pressed forward with immense force. She sought to kill, and against a thing as large as this one, it was rather wise to end things quickly.
Yet, the creature fought back, swinging around and bearing its sharp fangs in her direction. Roaring and hissing, clawing at the space she occupied seconds before.
Skirk did not flee, but she did use the Abyss as her weapon. Tearing through space, cutting through time…
This is how, despite their cosmetic differences, Skirk maintained the upper hand.
In the end, it took only moments to tire the thing out. With its heaving chest and slowed attacks, Skirk saw the opportunity to enact the final blow.
But only then, when she was high in the sky, floating far above the disoriented thing- did she and the boy meet eye to eye.
Eyes to a set of piercing, deep purple.
The boy exchanged only a frown, before they both came to an understanding. An understanding regarding their opponent.
Skirk summoned her double-blade spear, watching closely as the boy conjured Electro in his fingertips. The power grew and grew, until eventually-
The Electro released, with Skirk’s weapon following close behind.
She launched it with all her might, their weapons coming together in a powerful surge of electricity.
Blinding .
But as quickly as it appeared, the flash of light dissipated. It left behind nothing but a charred patch on the ground- her weapon stuck deep into it.
Skirk wasted no time in her descent, standing over the remnants of that beast smoldering before her.
Dead. Gone.
Silence fell, and all felt right once more.
Yet, from the corner of her eye, Skirk sensed the other’s presence. He wasn’t quite looking at her, but she felt the brew of curiosity sitting between them.
He spoke, and the voice that followed was every bit as melodic as she expected.
“I didn’t need your help.”
Skirk agreed.
Though she witnessed only a short few moments of the clash, it was obvious enough that this individual was a skilled fighter. Competent, through his own right.
Still- that did not justify his presence.
“Not many people wander their way down here, if at all.” Skirk willed her blades out of existence. “What is it you seek here.”
Unsurprisingly, the boy scoffed, crossing his arms and gazing into the endless sky.
Not only was this mystery boy confident in himself, but it was as obvious as day that he was a bit of a… brat.
A shame, for such a pretty face.
And just when Skirk thought about forcibly removing this boy from her space, he opened his mouth and said:
“Your bladework is similar to that of my… sparring partner.”
Skirk raised a brow, unimpressed. She’d picked up hundreds of skills in her time crossing the stars, but to have this someone recognize even a smidge of her work…
“A swordswoman, one who yields heaven and earth as her weapons.” The boy continued, very much holding Skirk’s interest. “Your name must be… Skirk. Ajax’s Master.”
Ah. So this individual was acquainted with her disciple?
“Hm.” Skirk hummed. Though she had been wary of this boy throughout their entire interactions, hearing Ajax’s name lifted some weight from her shoulders.
It eased her. Calmed her, if even just a tiny bit.
Yet- the second Skirk felt her muscles relaxing, she willed them taught once more. On guard.
After all, Skirk never allowed herself a moment of rest.
“I never imagined I’d run into another human here- not again.” She thought of Ajax- of his young, toothy grin and wavy, ginger hair. “Especially not one that is of relation to my disciple.”
The stranger made a face, as if Skirk’s comment hit some sort of nerve. Not irritated nor embarrassed… but something in between.
That is when Skirk looked at him. Really looked at him.
Though his face, since the second she’d first laid eyes on him, bore a constant frown, it took nothing away from his beauty. From plush lips to a soft nose, sharp eyes and silky hair- well, if Skirk was as naive as some of the humans roaming around Teyvat, she’d be lulled into a false sense of security.
After all, his face paints a picture of something delicate- perhaps, even, nurturing.
But there was a fire inside this boy, something far removed from the ease of his complexion. Skirk could tell- not only from the expression souring his face, but from the slight smidge of red adorning the outer corner of his eyes.
And as for his clothes…
As she’d noticed before, a large hat adorned his head. Wide and intricate, with a detailed veil draped at the back and flowing with the slightest of movement. On his body, if Skirk were not mistaken, lay clothes hailing from the nation of thunder and eternity- Inazuma.
Yet, a certain element stood out against the darks and the reds on this boy’s clothing. A very specific, quite troublesome thing…
She’d certainly been to the surface enough times to recognize that emblem and the notoriety that followed it.
“A Fatuus.” Skirk observed- not unkind, but not open, either.
“A Harbinger .” He specified. “Sixth of the Eleven- The Balladeer.” The boy pressed his lips together, as if his own words left a bad taste in his mouth. “Though- I can’t say I care much for any of those titles.”
Interesting… Skirk had heard much about the Fatui and their highest members, but she had never bothered enough to even run into such officials. What a coincidence, for one of them to run into her.
“Tell me, Balladeer…” Skirk moved her body, fully facing the one who calls himself The Balladeer. “What is it you seek here.”
At this, the wretched boy snickered. Snickered.
“Well, I’m not here to peruse this land.”
The Balladeer said this with such sarcasm, such gall-
Skirk considered raising her blade against him, for she tolerated little from brats such as himself- but The Balladeer seemed to be of no nonsense, as well, considering how point and clinical his face remained.
“I only come to research.” He said, tilting his head. “The Fatui are interested in the Abyss’s environment, in its monsters. I am the only one who can travel as deep as I’ve travelled, so they send me here time and time again.”
“And yet, I have not once ran into you.”
“I know how to keep my tracks covered.” The Balladeer grinned. “Besides, you ran into me eventually.”
Skirk would have much preferred never to have run into another being amid the Abyss. The less people that knew about her, the better.
Unfortunately, it seemed The Balladeer knew a bit about her. It also seemed… that Ajax spoke of her to other people.
Fine. As long as things were the way they were, it was fine.
Skirk straightened herself up.
“Well. Your dealings in the Abyss are of no concern to me. I will take my leave.”
And instead of transporting herself out of the situation, Skirk simply turned on her feet and made to walk off.
After all, she still wanted to keep a loose eye on this intruder. Perhaps—
“Wait.” The Balladeer spoke, and immediately, Skirk stopped in her stride.
Of course, she had had a feeling their encounter wasn’t quite over with. Judging by The Balladeer’s sudden interruption, he knew it too.
“You got something out of me, now I want something out of you.”
Skirk scoffed.
Of all the things she expected, demands were not one of them. How dare this stranger make orders of her.
But, just as Skirk was about to conjure a rift in space, The Balladeer’s next words gave her pause. Of all the things she expected- hoped… this was not one of them.
“Tell me about Ajax.”
In truth, it had been years since she’d spoken of Ajax. A lone trespasser such as herself had no need for companionship- and she was certainly not the type to speak to herself.
Yet, she thought of Ajax. Far more than she would ever like.
Skirk chose her words carefully.“And why should this be something I indulge you in?”
The Balladeer laughed, veil swaying with the movement.
“Well, we are colleagues.” He looked amused- as if recalling some distant memory. “And as much as he is a thorn on my side, it’d be of use to learn a thing or two about him.”
They met eye to eye, and though The Balladeer spoke the truth, Skirk could tell there was something he kept from her. Something guarded- and nowhere near malicious.
With time, this would surely reveal itself. On the other hand…
“Colleagues, you say…” Skirk recalled, way back when. “He is a Fatui Harbinger, then?”
“Surprisingly.” The Balladeer rolled his eyes. “Eleventh of the Eleven. Tartaglia. ”
Hmph. The tales she’s heard of a young Harbinger- a boy unbefitting of the conditions of a cruel and merciless group… were true. This boy and her rambunctious disciple were one and the same…
“I suppose they have you to thank, considering it was his skills in combat that caught the eye of our own Mayor of Snezhnaya.”
There was static in her ears. A lump in her throat.
Why did those words leave a cumbersome feeling at the pit of her stomach?
Still, Skirk maintained her neutral expression.
“Ajax achieved what he has with his own prowess. I simply guided him where guidance was due.”
And at this, something strange happened. The Balladeer’s face… softened.
It was slight, but Skirk knew how to read even the coldest of attitudes. Where there once was a finely pressed mouth, a gentle upwards turn now graced those lips. Where the face was as rigid as stone, there now was a soft give in the brows and light in the eyes.
“That, I will agree on.” He said.
It was as clear as day- The Balladeer and Ajax were far more than colleagues. Far more than sparring partners .
What was the term they used in Teyvat…
Ah.
Significant other.
Skirk, against all the odds in the stars, found herself softening, as well.
“You want to learn more of Ajax, then?”
The Balladeer hummed. “While we’re here.”
And so, Skirk offered something she had never offered before.
Stories.
She didn’t tell him everything, but she told The Balladeer a handful of moments from Ajax’s time in the Abyss. Some lighthearted enough, some to boast of Ajax’s skills at the ripe age of fourteen.
And throughout the talking, The Balladeer would occasionally offer his own interjections. His own memories, of an older and refined Ajax. No longer a boy, but still boyish in his own ways.
In the back of her mind, Skirk knew she should have confirmed her suspicions before offering such sensitive memories. She was never as careless as this when it came to speaking with another of Teyvat’s occupants, but Skirk simply couldn’t shake the feeling that the one before her shared more than titles with Ajax.
Besides, what simple colleague would be eager- interested in the silliest of things young Ajax got himself into?
What colleague would sit there and listen to her drone on and on about little things that happened years ago?
If anything, Skirk had to admit…it was nice to relive these memories, as was it pleasant for The Balladeer to hear them.
Eventually, as the exchange of tales flowed between them, a distant rumble rang through the air. An unpleasant one, that tore their fantasy chat into ugly, fearsome reality.
Of course, something was approaching- and fast . It was a wonder they were even allowed such a big, silent moment to talk amongst themselves in the Abyss.
The Balladeer turned to the noise, a sneer falling from his mouth.
“Dottore…” He muttered, now with a deep frown etched onto his features. “It looks like this is my cue.”
“Indeed.” Skirk stepped back. Though she could easily assist in the battle that was sure to ensue, The Balladeer had made it clear he and only he was to face an Abyssal beast.
For his supposed research, of course.
But before they parted from their pleasantries, and before The Balladeer moved towards the sounds of battle, Skirk called out one last time.
“You will not tell Ajax of this encounter. I do not need his partner instilling false hope of a reunion.”
The reaction was instantaneous.
“Wha– partner?” The Balladeer’s cheeks, strangely enough, flooded a sheer shade of pink.
So, she was correct on the significant other front.
Skirk couldn’t help the snicker from her throat.
“There is no shame. Ajax babbled a lot in our time- he swore up and down he would marry a beautiful princess upon his coming of age, and it seems–”
“Alright, alright!” The Balladeer brought a hand to his temple, ducking behind the wide brim of his hat.
“Am I mistaken?” She asked, the answer already as clear as day.
Even so, The Balladeer grit his teeth. He struggled, it seemed, to form the words confirming her train of thought.
“I won’t tell him of this.” The Balladeer grumbled, quite visibly at odds with himself. “But I will return to the Abyss. Sooner or later, I’ll have another expedition to carry out here.”
Skirk nodded, picking up his unspoken question.
“Should we meet again…” She looked upwards, onto the inky sky. “It will be the will of the stars.”
And with one final look, The Balladeer turned away from her.
Hm.
Incomplete. That is how their entire interaction felt- cut short, snipped right in the middle.
But, what was Skirk to expect in the Abyss? What was she to yearn for, as an intruder in this world?
Distantly, the sounds of battle now began.
Skirk willed herself to walk away, summoning a rift in space to take her on the next leg of her journey. Leaving behind The Balladeer and their stories of Ajax.
One thing she could not force herself to leave behind, though, was the smile that encounter brought to her face.