"i am not and will never be raiden makoto, i know that."
the puppet slowly blinked her shimmer-lacking eyes as she stared at the electro archon who knelt defeated on the ground. the air felt heavy and the silence would've been deafening if it weren'...
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•a spark knight's rush•
♡__.○.__♡
As the sun began its descent beyond the horizon, casting a warm glow, y/n emerged from the bustling streets below. She made her way up the stone steps leading towards the structure of the Knights of Favonius headquarters.
She'd been on her way with the intention of speaking with Jean before she'd head to the tavern to get something to drink with Aether and Paimon, wondering what kind of intel about Inazuma the acting-grandmaster would be aware of.
It wasn't that y/n didn't already try to ask the locals about it, but all their tales varied from one another greatly. One spoke of a paradise that outsiders were secluded from, the other spoke of it not even being real and another theorised that the archon was the embodiment of selfish evil and held her own people as her captives.
Y/n hoped for the last not to be true.
But what these answers did at least have in common with one another was that Inazuma did not welcome outsiders with open arms.
The soles of her shoes met cobblestone as she climbed higher and higher. The air was alive with the sounds of the city. The chatter of merchants, the laughter of children and the distant hum of activity.
She reached the top of the stairs and manoeuvred her way to the headquarters, turning her head to gaze over the stone walls of the parapet. The cool evening breeze ruffled her hair as she gazed out over the city below.
Just as y/n was about to make her way up a smaller set of stairs to head inside, she heard a yelp not too distant from her.
Turning her gaze towards the source of the sound, her heart skipped a beat as she witnessed a young girl stumble and lose her footing, teetering dangerously close to the edge of the steps.
Without a moment's hesitation, y/n sprang into action, her instincts taking over as she summoned forth her fan and with a swift wave, she channeled her energy into the catalyst, conjuring a cascade of soft ice that materialized beneath the young girl. She created a heap of snow.
The shaved ice formed a soft, cushioned heap, breaking her fall and providing a safe landing as the girl fell on her stomach, her eyes wide with surprise towards the fact that she had tripped.
With a grateful sigh of relief, she eventually steadied herself after getting back up onto her feet. She looked up at her rescuer with a mixture of awe and gratitude.
"Thank you, miss! I was going so fast I couldn't slow down." A soft yet cheerful voice slipped past the child's lips, and she was about to step closer to the vessel only to slip again over the flattened ice beneath her boots. "Oh no-"
Luckily y/n was close enough this time, allowing her fan to fade and reaching her hands out to place them over the little one's shoulders, keeping her upright.
"No need to thank me," she replied, sighing softly now that she's nearly fallen a second time and helping the pale blonde off the ice to stand onto the pavement again instead. "Just be more careful next time, alright?"
At the repetition of events, the young girl couldn't help but giggle. A wide, toothy grin lit up her face as she nodded her head and the sight would've most definitely filled y/n's heart with warmth if she had one.
Fondness was still there however, and y/n smiled softly.
"How come you were running here so fast anyway?"
"Oh- Oh right! It's an emergency." The child suddenly seemed to realize, adjusting her hat, "I have to go get my map! The treasure I buried- its gone." She frowned.
Y/n blinked. "Hold on, slow down- treasure?"
The elf nodded. y/n was able to tell that she was one judging from her pointed ears. She couldn't help but be reminded of an enthusiastic elf that paid a visit to Xingxing village once and spoke to Yanli..
"Mhm, Klee's treasure." The elf, Klee, explained, "It's super duper important to me! I thought i hid it very well.."
At the loss of the girl's smile, y/n couldn't help but frown herself. She glanced towards the headquarters and then back down at Klee. "In that case, I could help you find it?" She offered, "My name is y/n, by the way. Pleasure to meet you, Klee."
"Y/n?" Klee lifted her head and adjusted her hat, "Wow! One of the honorary knights? I'm sure with your help I'll be able to find my treasure in no time!"
Y/n chuckled somewhat, thinking back on the last time she had tried to collect a valuable and how it just managed to escape her grasp.
That was a failure she'd rather push aside for now.
'That wasn't your fault.' Megumi reminded.
Y/n sighed.
"I'll try my best." She promised, "You said you kept your map here? How come?"
"Well! Because," The little elf cleared her throat before straightening her stance, "I'm Spark Knight Klee of the Knights of Favonius, reporting for duty!" She introduced herself in a way that seemed well practiced, blinking her eyes in thought before looking away to the side and rubbing her head, "There's some more, but uh, I forgot. I'm not so good at remembering..."
The vessel didn't really need to know more. "A knight? You're part of the knights?" She questioned, shocked.
Klee hummed with a nod. "I am! And you are too." She pointed out, smiling with excitement flickering in her eyes, "Two knights on the search for treasure! Oh, this'll be so fun!"
Wow, y/n knew younger soldiers existed, but she didn't know they came this young.
"Now come on, pretty honorary knight! I can show you my room while I'm at it." Klee reached for the vessel's hand, and the feeling of warm fingers intertwining with her own cold ones somehow brought a sense of ease.
So small yet so enthusiastic, y/n couldn't help but be reminded of Yue.
"..Alright, I'll let you lead the way." She said softly.
Guess her own search for answers to her questions would have to be postponed for another time.
