She put her mask back on, her shiny eyes once again hidden in the shadows of her mask. "Now, what are me looking for again?" Scaramouche scowled "the hell was that?!" he trudged up to her and once more removed the mask from her face and closely observed the 'scar'.
It shimmered with starlight but at the same moment it was an inky black void prepared to swallow anything up. She didn't like the close proximity at all, "Step back or I'll.." he scowled and stepped away, tossing her mask back to her.
"You'll what?" he inquired, daring her to make a move. She fell silent, quickly putting her mask back on "That's what i thought..now we have a traveler to catch" he hummed bitterly with a grin.
"Using you're position to satisfy you're stupid curiosity.." she murmured, forcing herself to follow the harbinger grudgingly. "I'm stronger then you so i'd shut my mouth" He hissed, traveling the path to Wangshu inn with the livid underling behind him with an angry frown.
The sun pounded against the girl and her peers hat, warm but undeniably cold; at least between the harbinger and her. But she stayed silent prone to her given orders, "May i?" she began, speeding up her pace to match his.
"hurry up, you're voice gives me a headache" She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, "In case we run into Aether and Paimon, i think i should walk on the sidelines instead of the center of the path.."
She glanced over and slightly up at him, "that is a surprisingly good idea.." he mumbled "What was that? I didn't hear you clear enough my dear Balladeer" she giggled at her antics but in turn got shoved off the path, but luckily kept her balance with ease.
"Hey asshole! take a damn joke!" she hollard but just heard a loud and purely cheerful laugh as a response "dickhead.." she mumbled, beginning to move along the brush and bushes and occasionally jumping over small stone walls.
but she stopped and froze when she caught glance of the blond traveler and his emergency food, they were accompanied by another blond character with dark clothing, mostly purple and black along with a bird.
She was pretty but she didn't look at all like Aether's sister.
They approached a cart where Scaramouche had stopped to help someone who seemed to have passed out, or he pretended to help.
She couldn't catch much after that because her attention was drawn to a character who's golden eyes fixated on her with anger and possible hostility. she stared, losing focus on her peer and her friend but he couldn't see her eyes and only glared at the mysterious masked woman.
but in an instance he was gone, like he was blown away with the gentlest breeze that barely swayed a leaf on a branch. But after he was gone she realized how long she had been staring, "Shit shit shit.."
she peeked from the branches again, seeing that not only the traveler was gone but also the electro user. "dammit.." she stood up and removed any plants or leaves in her hair then hurried out of her hiding place.
Hell would break loose if he figured out she wasn't paying the slightest attention to where and what happened. She eventually gave up completely losing sight of him, instead the person she found was the one she was supposed to practically stalk.
"Y/n!" Aether hollard, halting the masked fatui girl in a moment "A-Aether..?" she looked over her shoulder, her brows pinching together with worry. "It's been a while! What are you doing here? Does this mean Childe's at Wangshu inn?"
Last time she encountered the blond and his emergency food was when she still served under Childe in Liyue, granted i don't believe he's gotten the chance to leave yet after returning from Snezhnaya after acquiring the Geo archons gnosis.
"No Childe's on break i'm just um..on leave right now" Aether nodded, Paimon then proceeded to drift closer and put her hands together in a praying position. "Paimon's really hungry! can you buy dinner like last time?"
"Paimon, manners" Aether sighed, "Please!" he rolled his eyes "She's on leave, we should let her have a peaceful break!" He insisted. "It's fine.." she pat Paimon's head "Wangshu has good food, i hear their almond tofu is great"
"We can't, Elzer from the Dawn winery needed our help to find lost workers, we have to help get one of them back" she sighed and nodded, "Maybe next time, good luck!" Aether nodded and Paimon whined but followed the traveler.
"he's so sweet.." She murmured to herself nearly silently, "Repeat that for me?" Balladeer chimed in making the small masked her jump. "Dammit.." she calmed her nerves and faced her peer with a poker face.
"Friendly with the enemy, should that count as treason?" He asked himself, putting an innocent expression on his pretty face. "I told you he's a friend and i play a convincing role. I can get close to him without him being alarmed.." Scaramouche rolled his eyes, "I couldn't care less for you're excuses" he hissed.
she absent mindedly averted her gaze slightly off to the side, "Anyways, what are we doing next?" he blinked once and brought his hand to his chin "For now, follow him get any info you can on the meteorites after that come back to Liyue"
"Northland bank?" He nodded briefly, "I'll carry out my own investigation now get out of my sight" he glared at her and she returned the hostile gaze unknown to him. "Bye hatbinger" before he could threaten her again with his sword she dashed off to the path Aether and Paimon went down.
That glare followed her and burned into the back of her head until she was out of his sight, He was scary when he was mad but god he was fun to tease.
=========
"Aether! Paimon!"
The traveling pair turned around, Aether's sword dispersed as well as a few hilichurls and Paimon was already hurrying towards the harbingers servant. "Will you be coming with us to Dawn winery?" Aether asked.
"If you'll let me, that is" he smiled and nodded, once three now four were venturing towards the winery chatting about this and that. "So what will you guys be doing after going to the Dawn winery?"
"We have to meet up with someone, if you like you can join us" Paimon nodded at Aether's response "And maybe the five of us can go eat!" ah right, from here Y/n looked over at the odd girl with a bird flying just besides her head.
"You're gaze it rather intimidating it even makes i, want to shrivel up.." The bird looked surprised as did Aether and Paimon, "She broke character!" The mask wearing girl tilted her head "Broke character?"
"She talks in essays half the time" Aether responded briskly "Paimon doesn't know what she says half the time!" the floating pixie got closer to the odd girl and stared at her "Is Fischl still in there!?"
The girl seemed alarmed, "Why would you ask such a pointless and unimportant question, I, Fischl Prinzessin der Verurteilung feel harmed by you're words my dear servant" The masked girl raised a brow at the outlandish behavior but shrugged it off and listed it as one of the less normal things she's heard.
The group wandered the path with ease, greeting passing merchants or traveling couples that passed occasionally. Then the Dawn winery came into view after passing stone gate, the scent of grapes filled everyone's noses, a delightful smell.
"I hope whoever picked up that fallen worker got here safely" Aether commented with a worried expression. "I have a question," She began, "You said this worker was passed out, how exactly did he pass out and why hasn't he woken up yet?"
Fischl was about to speak but Paimon hushed her quickly, "There's been meteorites falling recently that whenever a person touches them they pass out this worker must have come into contact with one"
She nodded, "I get it, they've been falling everywhere, even Liyue? perhaps i should be more careful while i'm out on errands.." He nodded. "What else do you know about them?" She pondered, the bottom half of her face expressionless "An Astrologist named Mona has told us that the sleep might be a cause of someone very powerful will power"
"We went to Qingce village earlier and a guy woke up and told us about climbing a snowy mountain, he didn't know why he wanted to climb it but he couldn't stop himself. He was freezing when he woke up too.."
Paimon, always running you're mouth to the wrong person. "Interesting, And this astrologist Mona, she's a hydro user right?" Aether tilted his a little. "Yeah, you know her?" she nodded.
"We don't get along well, she says that she can sense my evil intent when i simply want to conversate about the stars. Speaking of, if i have spare time some stargazing at starsnatch cliff or the mountains in Liyue sound great"
He smiled, "Sure, if we don't get swamped with commissions again" he slumped over "Well I will leave you too you're work, I'll see you later!" she turned on her heal and retreated to stone gate and back to the harbor with haste.
After all, someone was scary when mad.
But fun as hell to tease.