"They may forget us but not in their hearts."
----
Guyun Stone Forest, the cold wind, night sky, a wide ocean, and one full moon. Her eyes widen when Zhongli asked Sierra the question, her body froze and she can't speak while she stare at him.
"He's here, in front of me." She said in her mind. There was a long silence to the both of them that they can only hear the ocean waves. Sierra wanted to say something but she can't, it felt like she was forbidden to talk, and stares at those amber eyes of Zhongli.
Zhongli looks different now than his usual godly form. Sierra knows that Zhongli ended hiscontracts to all other contracts because of course, Sierra is a sister of the Tsaritsa and there isno way she wouldn't know.
But those amber eyes remained in his. Those eyes that she adores while looking at it. She can'tget tired of it.
When Sierra is ready to speak, a flash of light suddenly embraced her body, and a second she'salready in the lobby room in one of the hotel suits in Liyue that was reserved for Fatui.
Pantalone arrived from her behind and he put his head on her left ear.
"Where have you been?" Sierra jumped off and looked at Pantalone, who couldn't say a word.Until now, she's frozen. There are no thoughts in her mind that are coming naturally. She feltmixed emotions when she met him at that mountain peak.
A minute later of silence, Pantalone's expression changed. He cupped Sierra's face with worry inhis eyes. "What happened? Are you hurt? Hungry?" Pantalone panicked.
"I met him..." Sierra whispered while looking down as her tears fell down non-stop. "I met him..." She muttered and whispered in the air when she finally realized it. She covered her facewith her hands while Pantalone caressed her hands gently. Pantalone couldn't utter a word as he stares at Sierra who's completely speechless.
'was it her ex-lover?' he thought.
"Look at me." Her crying face looked at Pantalone, they're faces were close to each other as Pantalone put his forehead to hers.
"Calm down." He spoke. Pantalone gritted his teeth. After becoming close to Sierra, he learned that there was someone else in her heart. Before she entered the Fatui, she loves someone else. Of course, it pains him. To learn that the person you're in love with had her heart captured by someone else is something more painful than any other.
But knowing those, he still didn't give up.
"I don't want to see you cry, Sierra." Pantalone blurted out his feelings — giving a hint to Sierra. 'please, choose me.' he silently hope. Sierra was there, crying on the couch as Pantaloneembraced her in his warmth until she fell asleep.
"Kid, better thank Dr. Baizhu." Sierra said with a threatening gaze she gave to Childe as he lay down and laugh with a nervous tone.
"Don't worry, Ms. Sierra, Mr. Pantalone. Mr. Tartagilia will be okay in the next 2 weeks." Sierra nodded as Dr. Baizhu made his way out into Childe's room. It's already been a month since what happened that night. But it still feels like it just happens yesterday.
In the usual office inside of their room, Sierra sat down while she works the documents and helped Pantalone. An hour later, Sierra sighed. She thought of him again as she wanted to meet Zhongli again but she couldn't find a chance to do so because number one, she doesn't know where he lives and if she visited Zhongli does not remember her so he might think she is a stalker. He may be hard as stone yes and that is his problem. He's sometimes straightforward.
Number two, she doesn't know where he works. Spying on someone is Sierra's specialty but she's too scared that Zhongli might know there's a spy planted on him following every day and every night and Childe would know since those two are close and Childe would think of her as a stalker or a pervert.
"Haaa- why life is so hard!" She finally said out of her mind. Pantalone sitting across her while signing documents said, "then die." Sierra blankly looks at him.
'is this guy nuts?
"And number three—" she cut off her words. She thought about what she said earlier. her eyes widen as she realized it and said, "I CAN ASK CHILDE FOR HELP!" she jolted in her seat with a happy face. That's how Sierra wanted to see Zhongli badly.
"Wow, what a pervert," Pantalone whispered but it was enough for Sierra to hear. "I'm not dating him!" She defended herself.
"But I never say you dated him." Sierra look at Pantalone pissing him off while he smirked, signing the documents.
"Argh!" She walked out of the door and Pantalone stopped moving his pen. He stares at the document with a blank face asking himself, "did she remember what happened that night?"
For Pantalone, it was clear as the day. It's like it just happened yesterday. He looks outside from the huge windows as he reminisces what happened that night.
Sierra suddenly stopped crying so Pantalone carried her into her room to make her sleep comfortable. As usual, Pantalone stares at the sleeping Sierra in the bed. He then kissed the tips of her hair from Sierra. She suddenly moved and whispered the name he couldn't recognize. "Uncle Morax..."
Pantalone flinched. Morax? Was that the name of the Adeptus God?
A lone tear escapes from her closed eyes so he wipes it off.
If so, then why did she call him Uncle? Were they relatives? He then stepped out of Sierra's room as he questions himself who Sierra's real identity is.
The original Sierra is a weak fatui member. She's the lowest of all lowest. And when she was affected by an illness, Sierra retired. But one day, Sierra came back and her eyes had a different color. Sierra is unbelievably strong that even the Fatui Members who mocked Sierra before even bow down their heads to her as if repenting their sins.
At that time, Pantalone doesn't know the soul who entered Sierra's body.
----
"Oh, our almighty Childe!" Sierra busted in from the door in Childe's room, and when she did that. Childe and Lumine were caught in 4k — I mean red-handed.
Lumine leaning onto Childe's face while her hands are in his chest and Childe's left hand to Lumine's waist and his right hand to her hair.
Childe look with a furious gaze at Sierra while Lumine was embarrassed. Childe then stood up controlling himself not to punch Sierra because she's the trusted subordinate of Tsaritsa. If it wasn't forTsarista then he should be killing her now.
"I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't know! Bye-bye!" Sierra then rushed out of the room. She got scared by Childe's expression right now, it feels like Childe will choke her to death. Imagining those gore things makes Sierra feel more scared.
"Miss?" A familiar voice echoed in her mind. She turns around to see Zhongli's mouth a little wide open. It looks like he wanted to say something.
"W-we met before, right?" Zhongli stuttered which is a surprise. Sierra put a pretend smile of 'what are you talking about?' look.
"I-I mean, in the Guyun Stone Forest. At the top of a mountain peak?" He stuttered again, Zhongli look flustered and nervous by only Sierra's presence. He can't seem to understand why or what is happening to himself.
It's true that he met her, she's Iris after all but her appearance has a big difference. Iris has night sky hair, while Sierra has chocolate brown hair. Iris has emerald green eyes that looks almost like a jewel, while Sierra has boring brown color eyes. Sierra is weak and introverted, while Iris is a carefree soul, strong and extrovert.
But ever since Iris entered Sierra's body, Sierra feels like Iris. Because the original Sierra is already dead.
In Zhongli's perspective, when Sierra turned around slowly, he got a glimpse of Iris. He remembered something.
Zhongli as usual reading books about business and contracts. He's sitting in Cloud Retainer'splace in Liyue. He sometimes stays in Celestia but it's not a comfortable place for him. Because that place is just for official business. If you locked your authority and throne in Celestia you can stay there as you please.
"Iris is not here today..." He mumbled while he flipped the pages in his book. A minute later he can't get off Iris in his head so he stood up and search for her. 'I'll search for her so that I'll catch her red-handed if she ever did something again.'Zhongli decided to go to Huaguang Stone Forest, he predicted that Iris might be there.
Iris likes flowers, so she must be in that field. And so, he was right.
He was about to call Iris when he saw her sitting on the field full of yellow and gold flowers, it also has blue and green ones. This is Liyue after all, magical flowers always exist. He couldn't utter a word as he stares at Iris who's smiling charmingly while picking up the flowers. Then he decided to call her name.
"Iris." He whispered in the air, hoping she would hear. Iris stopped what she's doing and slowly turn to look in Zhongli's direction. The wind blew her hair and also the flowers she picked.
Zhongli's eyes widen as she saw how lovely and beautiful young Iris was. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he stared down at Iris who's smiling at him. It felt like time stopped whenever he see her smile. He again was reminded by the warm spring.
But after years, he couldn't remember it anymore. It feels vivid but it looks blurry in his memory.
"Mister? Sir? Sire? Hello?" He came back from his thoughts when Sierra waved her hands in his face.
"Uhm... can you hear me?" Zhongli looks like he's confused so Sierra sigh.
"I'm saying that we haven't met before, Mister," Sierra said. Zhongli stared down at her emerald green eyes, the more he stares at it the more it looks like a jewel.
A blurry picture of a lady with night sky hair smiled down at him, "Morax!" He could hear her calling his name. Yet he couldn't see clearly her face. 'Who is she? Why does the lady's face in my memory would always repeat whenever I see those emerald eyes of this young lady in front of me?'
"I meant, at that night in Guyun Stone forest." He repeated. Sierra stares at him then stares at the ceiling acting as if she remembers it or not. Of course, she remembers it. she's just pretending not to know.
"No, Mister. I sleep early at night." Which is half-lie, half true. Sierra smiled, covering her lies.
But Zhongli is certain it's her. Well, her eyes were emerald, and her hair that looks like a mixed color of chocolate brown and night sky hair at the tips. He couldn't understand it anymore.
"I see... I'm sorry if ever I disturbed you, My Lady." Sierra then waved her hands, pointing out it was nothing. She felt nervous because she knows Zhongli. He got a good memory of anything, yet because of this damn curse, he won't remember me.
Zhongli then took ten steps away from her and Sierra stared at his back. Zhongli stopped and Sierra flinched. He won't tell me I'm a pervert, right?
"Miss." Zhongli turned around.
"Y-yes?"
"What is your name?" Sierra was silent for a moment then she opens her mouth and say,"Sierra." She smiled and Zhongli too.
"Sierra, I see. It's a pretty name." Sierra felt a strange butterfly feeling on her stomach and also her heart can't stop beating fast. She put her right hand to her chest as she looks at Zhongli'samber eyes.
"I hope we will meet again, Miss Sierra." He closes his eyes as he bows down his head a little and he took a step away from her, only seeing his back away from Sierra.
She couldn't breathe while she's blushing.
Zhongli's smile keeps repeating on her head and she silently screams.
"Are you feeling much better now, Childe?" In the middle of the day, Sierra visited him. Childesmirked as if telling her that he is okay. Childe really made Sierra worry, ever since Childe is still a kid, they would often meet in The Abyss.
As Iris swallowed by the darkness when she died, she was laying there sitting on a cold dark floor when suddenly a child fall from above.
Iris was a ghost at that time, her features weren't visible to a human child, all Ajax remembers is the gentle and warm smile of a young lady who help him overcome the darkness alone.
When Childe already escaped in The Abyss and became a Fatui Harbinger, there he met Sierra who also has a mysterious and scary gaze. Childe recognizes her as the young lady who helped him in The Abyss.
"Thank you, for helping me always," Childe muttered, still in pain as he lay down looking at the ceiling.
"I didn't know you could be emotional." Childe then takes back all the good thoughts he had for her.
Sierra laugh. "Cherish her, Ajax." He then looks at her while Sierra has this expression of sadness and happiness and her eyes.
"If you're going to confess now, I'm sorry but I'll have to reject you." Sierra looked at him with utter disgust.
"Forgive me also because younger men are not my type." They both got silent and then burst into a laugh.
"You know who I am talking about." Sierra smiled at him as Childe blushed.
"Take care of her. Don't you ever break her heart or else I'll come and kill you." Childe laughs with a nervous tone.
"Have you been in love, Sierra?" Childe asks out of the blue. She looks outside from the small window in his room. The flower vase was beside the small window, she stared at those.
"I have been in love but... Unfortunately, my love was rejected." Sierra picked the half-bloom pink rose from the flower vase as she stood up and look outside.
"He's timid. He's also hard to read, but that's what I admire from him." Sierra then puts down the flower in her hands as she focused on the outside of Liyue Harbor.
"Until now, I'm still wishing to the stars in the night sky for him to fully accept my love someday."
Childe stared at Sierra with a sad expression on his face. He pitied Sierra who's known to be a diligent and smart person. But, when it comes to these kinds of things, if this is a class, she'll be ranked lowest because of her stupidity.
"Why are you waiting for the person who already rejected you when there is someone you know your worth and ready to accept you?" Sierra turns around to look at Childe confused.
"Huh? Who? You?" He leans a little as he sat down comfortably.
"Not me, idiot." Sierra laughed.
"There's no way that other than him, there will someone who likes me."
Childe again puts an expression on his face, pity for Pantalone and Sierra.