saudade; raiden ei

xʟ. battle

She groaned.

"What do we do with her? Do you think the boss will forgive us if we bring her in?" As they contemplated their next move, she sat upright and turned around. To her surprise, those outfits were ones she recognised.

"Treasure Hoarders?!" Her nose scrunched up with disgust and disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"Shut it, bitch. Why do we have to tell you anything?" The one who grabbed her huffed, only for his companion to betray him with a hurried account of their intentions.

"Boss told him to win the tournament! But we were paired with Gonzales in the first round. First round! We lost, didn't stand a chance... when he finds out, we're in trouble."

The other's eyes sharpened with his fury, and he reprimanded the bandit, who cowered in apology. It was too late. The gears had begun to turn in Y/n's brain, and she addressed them with conviction. "Your so-called 'Boss' wants the Archon's prize."

Her attacker scoffed, eyeing her indignantly from the side. "Everyone wants the prize. It's a damned gold mine, for Murata's sake. A desire granted by the Archon is enough to set you for life!"

'Oh. So that's the promised reward.' Her eyebrows rose before she burst into derisive laughter. "You're pathetic! Who enters a tournament like that just for Mora? You failed; badly. How is abducting me meant to make things any better?"

They had bound her with a rope to dispel free use of her Vision. Anger erupted across their faces as they were ridiculed, and both the brains and brawl of this dynamic duo raised his fist to assault. Unfortunately for Y/n, as the punch was thrown at her face, his eyes caught a reflection's gleam.

He faltered in his steps, and both pairs of eyes stared soundly at the silver chain as it swayed innocently from her neck. It had parted from her skin and exposed itself to daylight with her fall, resting untucked for Teyvat to see. The Treasure Hoarders glanced at each other as if to confirm what they saw, and smirks grew wide on their faces.

Y/n's heart dropped to her stomach, which devoured it with acid and restrained it from beating. Every trace of smugness had been erased from her face as soon as she realised the direction of those eyes. Her pupils constricted in horror; she thought she would be sick. Like a captive animal, the soldier began to thrash violently for freedom.

Her assailant was only spurred further by her reaction. "Would you look at that? The little bitch does have some use aside from running her mouth. If we were to pawn this piece of junk..." He ripped Ei's necklace from her neck and garnered a pained whimper. "Boss would forget about the tournament. We'd even be able to snag some Mora for ourselves!"

The other's eyes grew wide with visions of their future. He broke into a grin, his whole body trembling with excitement. "He'd promote us for sure! We'd live like gods! Let's take this piece; forget about the girl! With this, we can do as we please!"

Y/n begged them for mercy. She had run out of options. She pleaded and pleaded until she was too weak to do so, and her mouth was dry. She pleaded even as they packed their bags and left, leaving her to distant cheers and the scorching sun. Her head dropped heavily to her chest, suddenly weighing a ton. She didn't look up; she couldn't. She felt small and vulnerable. And before long, sobs wrecked her pitiful form.

Y/n L/n didn't often cry.

But the sobs wouldn't stop coming, and the tears didn't cease their flow. The pang in her chest settled like stone. It wouldn't leave, and neither would her regrets over her stupidity. Ei had spent for that necklace. She had gifted it to her with such affection in her eyes, and her servants had paid for its price. It wasn't just a necklace but a token of their love, something that had felt so far since she'd set foot on the mainland.

Now, it was further than ever, and she damn missed Ei.

All she wanted was to go home. The day turned to night, and Carlos finally found her; all evidence of her anguish had evaporated from her cheeks. She tenderly rubbed the bruise that stained her throat and refused to explain anything, only knowing she wanted to leave.

✧:･ﾟﾟ･

"Ah." The fox envoy's ears lifted as she cast a gentle hum. "Y/n's been injured."

The Electro Archon froze in place, her heart skipping beats and being wrung through a wringer. Her eyes fell frantically upon her friend, who garnered her full attention with that statement. "What?" She swallowed the panic in her veins, "what do you mean she's 'been injured'?"

Again, Yae Miko shook her head, unable to determine more. Ei responded with an unconvincing smile; it shook with nerves and betrayed her anxiety. "Please, excuse my abrupt exit, but... I have work to do."

She returned to the comfort of her room whilst blinking away watery tears that threatened to spill. Without a location, Ei couldn't even send a letter to her lover. Knowing that which was inaccessible to her was bitter and cruel, but she had no choice but to delude herself with ideas of the best.

If only that were enough to quench her concerns.

Instead, after the panic settled, Ei immersed herself in drawing plans for Inazuma's restoration. If she were to suppress her thoughts and throw away their key, effective distraction was a desperate need.

'...Will Y/n come home at all?'