I Plead, Your Majesty, For Forgiveness

Chapter 22

That's where his devotion began. He didn't understand their message, but he couldn't care less about that part. They were a deity, the one the Tsaritsa adored, and they chose him to spoil with gifts of power. And, as a bonus, he could witness the turmoil of the Balladeer every time he witnessed the use of the multitude of gifts.

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[Name] didn't remember when they fell asleep. From the overstimulation, they expected to be up until they broke themselves into a meltdown. However, someone has to be on their side, they stayed strong and battled the tears and hands they wanted to throw. When they awoke once more, they craned their neck with an unsatisfied whine from the crackles and gas in their joints from where they'd slept. Tartaglia, on the other hand, slept soundlessly with his closed eyes focused on the entrance of the hut. Had he stayed up? They brought a hand to their eyes to wipe at the crust in their eyes, cringing at how awful they felt, and directed their gaze to the outside to notice the rain was no longer pouring.

They slowly rose to their feet after a few minutes (or an hour, did it really matter?) to stretch their limbs further. They only stopped as they teetered near a cramp in their abdomen and calves: those were too dangerous to risk any further. They covered their mouth as they yawned silently, blinking the tears that formed as a result as they spared a blurry glance towards the sleeping Harbinger. With his cheek resting against the back of his hand, he leaned against the barrel that kept his body sat up. Now that they could get a closer look at him, [Name] noticed the scars that littered both his face and arms from his (presumed) countless battles.

He's cute. They surmised, but what's with everyone sleeping sitting up around me? Their eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, visibly portraying their suspicion as they huffed to themselves. But they brushed it off, turning back towards the outdoors as they took a simple step that echoed against the wooden panels. The noise awoke the sleeping beauty, unfortunately.

His awakening was abrupt. His eyes snapped open almost instantly as a result, looking around with his Hydro swirling in his hands already before he noticed the Creator and their 'deer in headlights' expression. Once he realised the situation, he let his blade evaporate with a sheepish, sleepy smile. There were no words exchanged as he got up, copying their display as he readies his limbs for battles before he stood by their side. "Good morning," he soon spoke, clearing his throat of the raspiness. "You're looking well."

What's your secret? Care to exchange notes? They completed his voice line with a smile to themselves, "you too." His demeanour perked in response to their passive compliment, "Uh, do you wanna go get something to eat or something before you kick my ass?"

His eyes widened slightly, "no, no! We'll be training," he correctly politely, "I'd never do something so rough to you."

"Ah, what a shame." His pale cheeks flushed at their muttering, unsure if he was meant to have heard their implication or not. "But should we eat first?" They continued on as if they didn't say anything. How often do they make these small comments? Had he missed any?