Scaramouche's Perspective
"How sweet of you to help out a comrade in need~" Dottore mused, making himself at home on the couch beside me.
"Although I wonder . . ."
I stacked my sixth shot on the counter, my cheeks flush.
"If you're quite alright yourself, Balladeer."
Rolling my eyes, I poured myself another glass, swishing the amber liquid around. "How about you mind your own business, Doctor?"
We sat in silence for a while, and after my tenth shot, the Doctor grabbed me by the wrist.
"That's enough, Scaramouche," he said sternly. "She's just a girl."
He was right.
She was just a girl, and here I was, about to get wasted over the thought of her.
I glared at him. "Don't you have any more crazy experiments to be doing? Any more abductions you need imperial funding for?"
"How could I not want to be a part of this fairy tale that's unfolding between my own colleagues?" Il Dottore laughed. "You visited brothel after brothel, and yet your affections never wavered from power. Tell me with honesty, Balladeer. Are you falling in love?"
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Curling up behind a marble pillar, I caught my breath, hiccupping between shallow, sharp inhales.
I really was a fool.
Regaining my composure, I rose to my feet, swearing under my breath in Inazuman.
"Miss Rin? Is that really you?"
I turned around slowly, covering my mouth in disbelief.
"Alyona?"
Without thinking, she rushed towards me, the papers in her hands fluttering to the ground, and pulled me into a tight embrace.
I hugged her back, wishing that this moment would last forever.
Of course.
How could I forget the countless gentle hands who had hoisted me up when I was down? How could I forget the countless kindred spirits who had come to my side in my darkest times?
She pulled away, giving me a radiant smile. "I look different, don't I?"
It took my mind a moment to process Alyona's new appearance. A mask rested atop her dirty blonde curls, and her hazel eyes were speckled with sage. Instead of the Cicin Mage uniform, she wore the dark violet robes of the Intelligence Company.
"You got promoted!" I exclaimed excitedly, grabbing her hands. "You should've written to me, Alyona!"
"All my letters got filtered out by security, Miss," she sighed. "I completed training top of the Lady Signora asked me if I wanted to undergo surgery to extract the Cicin genes from my body. I agreed, and after that was done, I got accepted into Intelligence."
Wiping away the tears in my eyes, I smiled. "You deserved it, Alyona. You really did."
"You deserved it too! I can't believe you're really a Harbinger, Miss!" Alyona leaned in coyly. "By the way, are the rumors true?"
"What rumors?"
"Are you really courting Lord Childe?"
I flushed, swatting away the comment like a pest. "Of course not! I told you I would never even consider courting anyone outside of my homeland!"
"So, are you dating Lord Scaramouche then?" she smirked.
I stepped on her foot, irritated that she was taking pleasure in my bashfulness. "We're complicated, Alyona. Since when were you invested in my love life anyhow?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Alyona scoffed in incredulity. "I refuse to believe you don't find any of the Harbingers, the most stunning beings to walk the surface of Snezhnaya, even the slightest bit attractive!"
Rolling my eyes, I prodded her in the arm playfully.
"Tell me about work. I heard Lady Arlecchino has been running Intelligence, am I correct?"
"Goodness, we're not here to talk about work!" She grabbed my elbow enthusiastically, pulling me in the direction of the staircase. "Let's chat over some baklava, Miss Rin. We have so much catching up to do!"
As I let myself be dragged away, a feeling of belonging washed over me, lulling me into a state of tranquility.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to live.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to be a normal, teenage girl.
And perhaps there was nothing wrong with being ordinary.
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I collapsed on my mattress, fatigue consuming me like a plague.
For the past few hours, I had exhausted myself telling Alyona stories of my time with the Harbingers, and describing the events leading up to the debutante ball in great detail, as per her request. Meanwhile, she told me of her time serving in Intelligence, as well as her impressions of her manager, Arlecchino, who she swooned and squealed over. At some point, Alyona received a message from her radio transceiver, and we said our farewells, but not before stuffing ourselves with jellied sweetmeats, bread pudding, and chocolate-covered plums. I was too full to attend dinner, so I decided to head to bed early.
But more importantly, the idea of dining with Scaramouche was too risky to entertain. In fact, I could go as far as to say it was my worst nightmare.
"Your Grace," a disembodied voice called from beyond my door, accompanied by a melodic system of knocks. "It's Nadezhda."
After confirming that the visitor's aura was indeed hers, I materialized a thin tendril, unbolting the door.
"I've been expecting you." I glanced at the rather large machine gun strapped over her body, nearly twice her build. "I figured you'd come to see me sooner or later."
Nadezhda curtsied lightly. "It's good to see that you're as witty as always, Your Grace," she deadpanned, her chartreuse eyes lifeless in appearance. "I gathered the intel you wanted, but I also found out something that might interest you."
"Well then, the floor is yours."
"I did some digging in Lord Childe's office, and there are clear records of intel from Fatui agents being stationed in Inazuma in the past," Nadezhda explained, handing me one of the sheets she had presumably scavenged. "I managed to track down an Intelligence Officer named Yelisei, and I was able to ask him a few questions."
"What did your interrogation yield?" I pressed, narrowing my eyes.
She shook her head. "In relevance to you, Your Grace, it seems that no one in Inazuma speaks of you, and your legacy isn't preserved in any manuscripts, even those belonging to the Grand Narukami Shrine. Your official documentation and belongings have all been discarded by the Yashiro Commission. It seems there truly is no trace of you left in Inazuma. No one remembers you."
I leaned back. "I see."
"Your Grace, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened back then?"
I ran a hand over my face, smiling grimly.
"When I'm ready, I'll tell you."
"Yes, Your Grace."
We were silent for a moment, before I buried my head between my knees.
"No one remembers me," I repeated, my voice shaking. "I was the jewel of Inazuma, the favorite of the Raiden Shogun, the White Crane Princess, favored by Celestia and baptized by the lightning's glow. I was the girl. I had so many friends. I had a family who loved me. Everywhere I went, I was adored and doted and fawned over."
Nadezhda stared at the hardwood.
"And now it's all gone," I muttered, tears falling onto my sheets.
Setting down her weapon, Nadezhda strode to my aid, handing me a kerchief.
She hesitated before placing her hand on my shoulder. "I can't say I know how you feel, but I know what it's like to lose something. The day I lost Irene . . . I'll never forget it."
I wiped away my tears, urging myself to be strong.
"You mentioned something that you thought might interest me?"
"Right." Nadezhda cleared her throat. "I got my hands on a floor plan of the Kamisato Estate, and there's a section that's been walled off ever since you left Inazuma. No one's ever paid much mind to it, but recently, the Yashiro Commissioner, Kamisato Ayato, has been taking down the planks and spending hours at a time inside that area, according to eyewitness accounts. He's been requesting all sorts of outdated historical records from the Electro Archon's private library for 'investigation', but no one knows what he's up to. Given the peculiarity of the situation, I'm going to assume you had a hand in this, Your Grace."
"I'm going to make you play a game."
"A game?" Ayato asked, confused. "What kind of game?"
"You'll see," I replied enigmatically. "Someday, I'll present this game to you in the form of a letter, as my final hurrah. An ode, of sorts."
"I don't think so," I lied. "That area you speak of was probably my old quarters, but I don't know what could possibly be in there that I didn't already entrust to my brother."
"Alright then," Nadezhda yawned. "I'll head back to my post. Rest well, Your Grace."
"You as well."
The door closed, and I rolled over.
Took him long enough to put together the pieces.
I shut my eyes to the sound of the seabirds and the crashing of the waves, praying for sweet dreams.