Chapter Text
The white-haired man kept eyeing the three with suspicion the whole boat ride to Inazuma. Aether had quietly asked Captain Beidou what the man’s deal was, and she didn’t provide a very helpful answer.
“He’s a stowaway,” she said.
“Wouldn‘t that mean you want him off the ship?” Aether asked.
“What? Kick Kazuha off the Alcor? I’d gouge out my other eye before I’d even dream of it!” Beidou said, laughing heartily.
But his red eyes shone as he held tightly to an empty vision in his hand, his eyes never leaving the party of three men. Or, more specifically, Scaramouche.
They’d given the balladeer a cloak and unflattering, plain clothing, but he still managed to draw unwanted attention. Xiao shot a dangerous look at the white-haired man, and the white haired man simply looked at Xiao with an empty expression and sighed. He was sitting up on one of the masts, and the feeling of being looked down upon was unsettling.
“LAND HO!!” Beidou shouted. The crew cheered, and the white-haired man immediately jumped down from the mast. It was at least a thirty foot fall, and instinctively, Aether leapt forward to catch the man. But with a gust of wind and leaves, the man landed softly next to Aether as if he had only jumped from a few feet up.
“I appreciate the gesture, but I can handle myself,” the man said. “I don’t need to be touched by anyone who chooses to have him in their company.”
He shot another cold stare at Scaramouche. The balladeer hadn’t even noticed he’d been being watched. He kept his head low and he stayed as small and quiet as he could, just as Aether had instructed. On the way through Liyue, Aether had picked up the power of Geo for his journey forward in case he needed a stable place to trap the harbinger they kept in their company.
They were heading to Inazuma for one reason: To find a cure for Xingqiu. Roughly one year ago, Aether and Xiao, along with four other men, had been saved from a Fatui gloryhole called “Archon’s Pleasure.” They’d been kidnapped and forced to live in a closed, monitored, completely restrained state for over three years. In that time, the overseer of the operations in the Liyue branch of Archon’s Pleasure, Scaramouche, had been experimenting with dangerously strong aphrodisiacs. Xingqiu had been his main test subject for these drugs, and after the establishment had been found by the governing officials and shut down, they realized that Xingqiu was still almost braindead from the drugs. A year later, and there was still no sign of any progress towards curing him, even with the expert help of Doctor Baizhu.
Tartaglia, an unlikely ally in the whole debacle, was able to tell Aether that every nation had a branch of Archon’s Pleasure. So he set out with Xiao to Mondstadt, where they were able to shut down another branch of Archon’s Pleasure. Alongside saving six more men, they were surprised to find that Scaramouche, the imprisoner of everyone from the Liyue Branch, was now just another slave in the Mondstadt branch. His mental state was unstable, to say the least.
Aether and Xiao took Scaramouche hostage, essentially, and their journey to Inazuma was solely for collecting the ingredients for the cure for Xingqiu. They didn’t know what they were going to do with Scaramouche after they had the cure, and though his loyalties didn’t lie with Aether, they certainly didn’t lie with the Fatui anymore, either.
“What do you know about him?” Aether asked. “He’s hardly with us by choice, so don’t think too ill of us for having him in our company.”
The white-haired man stepped through the door to the captain’s quarters and beckoned Aether to follow. Aether obliged.
The captain’s quarters were comfortable, with a main desk and chair and two couches in front of it. Maps hung on the walls, and strangely, several photographs of Captain Beidou and Tianquan Ningguang were framed as well.
The white-haired man gestured for him to take a seat on one of the couches. Aether paled a bit.
Walking on dry land was hard enough. Trying to cross a room on a boat was a recipe for injury. When he’d been captured by the Fatui, the restraints kept him in the same position for over three years. His muscles were still nowhere near fully recovered, and he had trouble walking without support. Xiao was able to help him with this though because as an adeptus, his body had healed significantly faster than Aether’s. But Xiao was outside and Aether was in here, and the three meter walk to the couches seemed like a mile.
“Are you okay?” the man asked.
“I—I—how do I put this?” Aether sputtered, “I’m currently unable to walk on my own. I…I used to be able to, but I can’t anymore.”
The man’s eyes softened, and a gentle gust of wind picked up, sweeping Aether off his feet and setting him down onto the couch gently. “We all lose things in life. Things come and go in cycles, just like the wind. But they will come around again. That is nature’s way,” he said. “My name is Kaedehara Kazuha, and for now, please call me Kaedehara.” Kazuha holds out his hand as a greeting.
Aether shakes Kazuha’s hand, noticing a slight wince from him when he touches the bandaged part of his hand. “My name is Aether, and you can call me…well, Aether. I’m a traveler, and I’m looking for a way to cure my friend of a…particular ailment. Scaramouche out there is the one who knows the recipe for the cure, and he’ll be helping us find the ingredients.”
Kazuha placed his hand over his mouth and mumbled, “So you do know who he is. On a basic level, at least.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Care to repeat?” Aether asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just talking to myself. If you don’t mind, I’d like to accompany you. I couldn’t stay here knowing I am leaving a disabled person with the balladeer of the harbingers,” Kazuha said.
Aether felt a pang of embarrassment in his chest at hearing himself be called “disabled.” It was an accurate description, but it hurt to hear. “Kaedehara, I appreciate the gesture but we really aren’t a good group to travel with. We don’t have much for food supplies or mora, and we’re dysfunctional to say the least. And…please don’t take this the wrong way, but there are some things that the three of us have gone through that we’d prefer for people to not have to know about.”
“Are you aware of the Vision Hunt Decree?” Kazuha asked.
“No?”
“Are you aware of the war and the resistance?” Kazuha asked.
“The war? ”
“Tell me: of the Kanjou commission, the Tenryou commission, and the Yashiro commission, which one can you trust?” Kazuha asked.
Aether was silent.
“You don’t know. It’s very clear. I can stay ten meters from you at all times if that’s what it takes, but I strongly insist that you let me accompany you,” Kazuha said.
Aether sighed. “Four people does make for an optimal travel group, I suppose. If you’re dead-set on coming with us, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop you.”
***
Scaramouche couldn’t help the tears that sprang to his eyes when he could finally see his homeland. He’d left his home powerless, and now he was returning, even less powerful than before. He’d been free when he left, and now he was back as a captive.
He wondered how long he could keep Xiao and Aether believing that he still had his powers. He wasn’t mentally stable, but he was faking most of his silence. It was easier to hide it this way, though. La Signora had sealed his powers again as soon as he arrived at the Mondstadt branch. Every instance of his lightning after that was a fabricated lie, because it wasn’t his at all. When he still held a position of power in the Mondstadt branch, he had devices that would emit lightning to make it appear like he could still wield his powers. But it was coming up to almost a year now that his powers had been missing.
Aether re-emerged from the captain’s quarters, and the white-haired man followed close behind him, now covered by a cloak similar to Scaramouche’s.
“This is Kaedehara, and he’ll be traveling with us while we’re in Inazuma. He…despite his appearance, he is a fugitive, so this may change our course a bit,” Aether announced. Scaramouche leaned against the wall behind him and nodded.
“A fugitive? Aether, do you understand that one of my purposes in this life is to rid this world of criminal scum?” Xiao asked, eyeing Kazuha. “I knew you had bad vibes around you. What did you do?”
Kazuha cleared his throat and looked Xiao dead in the eyes as he said, “I watched my lover die before my eyes because he was unwilling to give up his vision to the Raiden Shogun. I arrived too late to save him, and I took his vision and ran until I’d reached the sea. From there, I swam and swam until I was about to drown, and that’s when Beidou found me. I wouldn’t give up my vision, and I wouldn’t let the Raiden Shogun take his, either, even if it’s only a shell. So I may be a fugitive, but what is a fugitive really if the law is corrupt at its source?”
Xiao went silent and bowed his head in apology to Kazuha. “I—I apologize. I didn’t understand. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“He gave his life for something he believed in. I do not hate the Raiden Shogun for what she’s done to my lover, and I do not hold any regrets in this life. But the one enemy I truly face is the Fatui. They are the ones who orchestrated the Vision Hunt Decree, and thus are the ones responsible for the death of my friend,” Kazuha said. He couldn’t help but have his eyes flicker to Scaramouche, who was sitting with his knees to his chest against the wall.
Scaramouche sighed. “I understand if you hate me. A lot of people do. It doesn’t bother me. But I’m not with the Fatui anymore. Officially, I was kidnapped, but if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be here. I will guide Aether to the cure he needs, and if he’s done with me after that, I plan to stay in Inazuma. Maybe my little sister will have a place I can stay.”
“Who said we were letting you go?” Xiao asked.
“No one did. But I don’t see what other use you could have for me after we’re done,” Scaramouche said. He’d been much less snappy ever since they left Mondstadt, and depending on the day, Aether couldn’t tell if he was doing it to lower their guard or because he really felt defeated.
“Maybe we’ll keep you and make you go through everything you did to us,” Xiao spat. He pushed his foot into Scaramouche’s chest, and Scaramouche looked up at him with a fearful expression.
In a panicked tone, Scaramouche spat, “You won’t. You can’t hurt mortals! You’re bound by some code or something!”
Xiao’s face was painted with a dark expression as he leaned down and said, “But you’re not mortal, are you? Or have you already forgotten that we know?”
Scaramouche tried to collect himself, but his next words came out as a desperate plea. “I just want to go home! I’m done with trying to make allies. I was made to be unlike anything else in this world, and that’s exactly what I am! I don’t belong anywhere! So just let me live in peace!”
Kazuha’s crisp voice cut in, “Clearly I’m missing a major piece of this picture. I understand what you mean, though. Not belonging anywhere. I used to just roam the Inazuma countryside with him, because even if there was nowhere I could call home, I knew I belonged with him. Nowadays, it feels like all the color has drained out of my life.”
Scaramouche’s shoulders relaxed a bit. A gust of wind blew across the Alcor, and Scaramouche’s hood fell to his shoulders. His round eyes looked at Kazuha with respect and fascination. It had been a while since he’d been spoken to as an equal.
“Scaramouche is the name given to you by the Fatui, is it not? Many Inazumans know your name because you decided to ally yourself with the Fatui instead of the Shogun. Why is that?” Kazuha asked. He took a seat next to Scaramouche.
Scaramouche chose his next words carefully. “I did it because I didn’t know any better. Back then, my only thought process was that they seemed like fun, so I would join them. I should’ve realized sooner that I was just another pawn in their game. Disposable,” Scaramouche said, eyes trained to the floor. “How long has the Vision Hunt Decree been in place for?”
“A month, maybe?” Kazuha said.
“Then don’t blame me for your lover’s passing. I had nothing to do with it. I was kidnapped by Aether and Xiao two months ago, so I couldn’t have had any say in it even if I wanted to,” Scaramouche said.
Kazuha seemed to take that last comment well. “I understand. Life is change. It’s where the Raiden Shogun’s ideology is flawed. Nothing is eternal—not even the gods. Things come and go, and that is the natural way of life and nature. Lightning strikes, people die, the wind blows, you meet new friends. Powers rise, powers fall, the past may repeat, and love changes. That is life,” Kazuha said, putting a hand on Scaramouche’s shoulder and looking directly into his violet eyes.
“That’s beautiful,” Scaramouche breathed, unable to break away from this man’s scarlet gaze.
“An appreciator of poetics?” Kazuha asked, his lips curving into a slight, curious smile.
“They wouldn’t call me the Balladeer if I didn’t have an appreciation and a skill for the arts,” Scaramouche said.
Kazuha smiled. “Remind me to read you some of my poems sometime. And I’ll listen to whatever it is you want to share in return.”
For the first time in…days? No. Weeks? It’s been longer than that. For the first time in years , Scaramouche smiled. Not a fake, maniacal, power driven smile. Not a superficial one. A genuine smile.
***
“The three ingredients we need are lavender melon rind, crushed dendrobium petals, and onikabuto guts,” Scaramouche rattled off. They’d snuck out of Ritou in the dead of night, easily making it past the guards. They were headed west towards Kannazuka Island.
On the side of the road they were following, a tree stood proudly, bearing some kind of fruit that hung over the road. Scaramouche reached up for it, but he cursed the electro archon for making him so small as he jumped to grab the fruit.
“Xiao, use your spear and knock—gyah!!” Scaramouche yelled, his order interrupted by a hand snaking around his waist and then the sudden feeling of rapidly accelerating upwards. He looks to his left and sees Kazuha beaming at him as they floated next to the fruit. Scaramouche grabbed the fruit and twisted it at the stem until it snapped off, and then he fell back into Kazuha’s arms so he could lower them back down.
Kazuha let him go gently and smiled lightly at Scaramouche. He giggled and brushed Scaramouche’s hair back into place.
“S-Step one: complete,” Scaramouche announced, a trace of blush spread across his cheeks. “We’ll just have to peel it and then we’ll have lavender melon rind.”
“Give it to me,” Aether ordered. His left arm was around Xiao’s waist so he could have support, and he extended his right hand to take the lavender melon. Scaramouche handed it over, a little disappointed by the lack of grandeur of finding the first ingredient.
***
The Raiden Shogun paced the room. “He’s back in Inazuma, I can feel it. It’s faint, but I sense his presence.”
“Oh? Shall I go deal with them?” La Signora asked, swirling her red wine in her cup. “I’m sure he’s accompanied by a vision holder or two.”
“Yes. Bring them here. All of them. I want to see Kunikuzushi mostly, but the vision holders are also a top priority,” the Raiden Shogun said.
“Tch..Kunikuzushi…what a mouthful.”
***
“Got it!” Xiao shouted, brandishing a fat purple beetle in his hands. “This is disgusting.”
He pulled off his mask, the strain of wearing it already visible. “Is it okay if I kill it?” Xiao asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine. You just need the guts,” Scaramouche said. “Fun fact: if you’re ever in a pinch and you need food, their guts are edible and are actually very sweet.”
Three faces looked at him with looks of utter disgust.
“That’s disgusting!” Aether cried, laughing a bit. “You’ve eaten these before?”
Blood rushed to Scaramouche’s cheeks as he stammered, “I-It’s completely normal here! Everyone eats them!”
Kazuha raised a teasing eyebrow at him, but didn’t correct him. Scaramouche was eternally grateful.
***
The beach was warm, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore allowed the party to relax. Kazuha leaned down to carefully pick a dendrobium from the sand, taking special care to not harm its petals. A warm breeze tousled his hair gently.
The red flower looked like nature had specifically cultivated it so it could find its way into Kazuha’s hands today. He raised it gently to his nose, and the gentle scent brought a small tear to his eye. His friend loved dendrobiums.
“These only bloom in places where there has been bloodshed, you know,” Kazuha said. A frigid breeze blew across the beach. “A great many battles have been fought on Nazuchi Beach. It’s almost ironic how such a beautiful flower can bloom from such a horrendous place of death and despair.”
The beach was eerily quiet, in fact. It seemed like the weight of the souls lingering on the beach were suppressing the noise of the area. A beautiful sunrise rose over the ocean, but the air here was thick and stifling. It was hot, and then it was cold again.
Unnaturally so.
“You guys,” Scaramouche whispered.
Xiao, Aether, and Kazuha turned to him. They were a bit confused, but he motioned for them to come closer.
“Can you feel the temperature changing?” Scaramouche whispered.
Xiao and Aether shook their heads, but Kazuha nodded. “I’m glad I wasn’t the only one,” Kazuha said.
“Kaedehara, I need you to give the dendrobium to Aether. Xiao, as soon as he has it, you need to run. I have a bad feeling,” Scaramouche whispered. His tone was serious, but his eyes betrayed his fear.
“Alright. And please, call me Kazuha,” Kazuha whispered, and then handed the dendrobium to Aether. Aether and Xiao didn’t seem to pick up on the gesture of trust just made, but Scaramouche found himself beet red even as the temperature swung into a chill again.
“Is this just a trick to get us to leave you so you can go off on your own?” Xiao accused.
“I mean this with every ounce of seriousness in my body. Signora is here. You need to run, ” Scaramouche urged. His hushed tone turned more ragged as he grabbed Kazuha’s hand a stared dead into his red eyes. “Kae—Kazuha. You need to run, too.”
“Why aren’t you going to run with us?” Kazuha asked.
“Because she’s here for me . She won’t stop following me until she has me. Now go. ”
With a nod, Xiao swooped Aether off his feet with a small “ eep~!” He took off running, his unnatural speed taking him much farther than any human could ever hope to manage.
“Kazuha, please, you need to get out of here before she reveals herself,” Scaramouche pleaded.
“I think you underestimate my combat prowess, Balladeer,” Kazuha said with a smile.
His hand reached for the hilt of his sword, but as he was about to touch the hilt of it, a breeze of pure ice blew over the beach. Kazuha’s whole body was frozen within seconds.
Scaramouche whipped his head around to see that Xiao and Aether were already just a speck in the distance, and he felt a strange sense of relief. A year ago, he never would’ve thought that seeing the Traveller escaping to safety would bring him joy.
When he turned back around, La Signora was directly in front of him.
“What do you want?” Scaramouche demanded.
“You are still a member of the Fatui, so as our property, we are reclaiming you from the hands of your kidnappers,” La Signora said bitterly. “Don’t think I don’t know what was really going on here, though.”
“Just don’t hurt this man. He has nothing to do with my kidnapping,” Scaramouche said. He was already shaking like a leaf. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he was biting back tears. Why was she here?
“He may not be involved in your kidnapping, but he is a vision holder. Under the Raiden Shogun’s decree, he will need to be brought in to be assessed,” La Signora said with a wicked smile.
Scaramouche paled. The desperation set in like a brick. “WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN BY HAVING THE SHOGUN COLLECT VISIONS?” he screamed. He made a dash over to Kazuha’s frozen body, but as soon as he put a hand on him, the ice began to rapidly spread across his own body. “FUCK,” he yelled.
La Signora strode up to him, amused. “Power, Balladeer. I hope to gain power. The Anemo and Geo archons were easy to dominate. The Raiden Shogun, on the other hand, is a nigh unstoppable force. The only way I can exploit her power is by manipulating her. The Vision Hunt Decree allows me to do exactly that.”
“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO HIM?” Scaramouche yelled. The ice was already covering half of his torso.
“I think you should be more concerned about what will happen to you. The Raiden Shogun requested for you specifically,” La Signora said. A crimson butterfly floated to Scaramouche’s neck, holding the ice from reaching his face but allowing the rest of his body to freeze.
Scaramouche’s heart dropped. “She…what?”
“She requested I bring you to her personally. I wonder how this will play out, Balladeer? You are hers, but the Fatui have not released you. You may try to convince her to save you from us, but she has no authority to do so,” La Signora said.
“LET ME GO! I QUIT. I RESIGN. I AM NOT ONE OF YOU ANYMORE. LEAVE ME IN PEACE!” Scaramouche yelled desperately. He tried to use the little momentum he had left to break the ice, but he had no luck.
“I’m afraid you’re not allowed to do that yet. You still have a large debt to pay off to the Fatui from your failure in Liyue. You won’t be let off the hook easily. Now…you’re a bit noisy. I think I’m done discussing this with you,” La Signora said.
The butterfly floated off Scaramouche’s neck, and within seconds, his entire body was encapsulated by ice.
La Signora smiled. The cold wind blew over the beach, and a few moments later, the only evidence that remained were a few icy footprints in the sand.
***
Scaramouche woke up in a familiar place. The smell of otogi wood and electricity wafted through the air, and although his head ached, he was comfortable. He definitely wasn’t dreaming though, regardless of how much he wished he were.
Tenshukaku hadn’t changed much. Just like his creator, it seemed to be a place of eternity.
He was not in the same drab clothes as before, but rather in a soft white robe that reached just past his knees. He realized quickly that it was almost the same exact robe he had worn when he was first created. He reached to the back of his head just to make sure his hair was, in fact, short, and he was not, in fact, dreaming. Unfortunately, he was still awake.
He was sitting up in a large, soft bed. If he closed his eyes, maybe he’d never have to face whatever was outside of this room.
The door slid open. Scaramouche’s eyes flickered open and he wished he had just kept them shut. He couldn’t help but cower at the woman standing in the doorway.
“Scaramouche.”
“Raiden Shogun.”
A black, engulfing darkness began to ooze from the Raiden Shogun’s body. Scaramouche welcomed it, allowing himself to enter into the Plane of Euthymia without a fight. In an instant, the bed was gone, and he was on the floor of the plane of ruins.
Ei stood before him.
“Kunikuzushi,” she said softly. She approached him slowly, her stride threatening, yet gentle. “You’ve changed.”
“Why did you request me?” Scaramouche asked. His voice quaked, but he wasn’t dead yet, so he figured she wouldn’t kill him yet if she hadn’t already.
“I was curious to see where my experiment ended up, that’s all. Judging by the emotional instability and lack of control over your powers, I was correct to discard you,” Ei said.
That hurt. Hearing from his own creator that he was not fit for her liking; it was like being run through with her tachi.
Ei dropped to her knees, allowing them to be eye to eye. She reached out gently, pausing when he flinched away violently. He scooted backwards, keeping out of his creator’s reach.
“I know what the Fair Lady did to you, child. She told the Raiden Shogun everything—or what I’m assuming is everything—and I tuned in to listen. I have no plan to hurt you,” Ei whispered. She had a sorrow in her eyes that seemed almost misplaced in such a fearsome creature.
Ei crawled forward again and brushed Kunikuzushi’s hair gently out of his face. She traced her fingers down his almost porcelain face, etching the shape of his jawline softly. “I see why they would sell your body. You really are a beautiful creation.”
Her hands moved to pull the robe off his body. He jerked to stop her, but she looked him dead in the eyes and said, “There is nothing here I haven’t seen before. I molded every part of your body. In fact, I probably know your body better than you know it yourself.”
The robe dropped to the floor and Ei’s eyes looked over him disapprovingly. There were many scars across his perfect figure; some from training with the Fatui, but most from his time in the sex industry. Ei’s index and middle finger joined and ran across a scar on his collarbone. It melted away, leaving the skin unblemished and new.
She continued to silently erase his scars. He didn’t know when he started crying.
When she finished, she pulled him into a soft embrace. He cried quietly into her shoulder, and she rubbed her hand against his back. She petted his hair and let him cry, waiting as long as he needed to recover. She pulled the robe back over him, and he seemed to calm down at last.
“What do you want to do, Kunikuzushi?” Ei asked. She pulled him away from her so she could look him directly in the eyes.
Kunikuzushi paused. “I—I don’t know.”
“Well you don’t want to go back to the Fatui, correct?”
“No,” Kunikuzushi said. “Anything but that.”
“Would you like to stay in Tenshukaku as an esteemed guest and member of the Raiden Shogun’s family?” she offered.
He hesitated again. “Two months ago, I was avidly against ever returning here and meeting you. I wanted nothing to do with this life. I just wanted to be my own person, free to do what I want.”
“Has that opinion changed?”
“…Yes. I realize more and more every day that I am not like anyone or anything in this world. I’ve tried to run from my past, and it ended up finding me again. I tried to exist like a human, only to be exploited and abused. The only place I am truly known and understood is here.”
Ei squeezed his hand tenderly. “So what do you want?”
Kunikuzushi sighed. “If you‘ll allow me to, I’ll stay at Tenshukaku for at least a little while until I find where I want to go next.”
Ei smiled. “Of course. And what shall I have the servants address you by?”
“…Kunikuzushi. I am done with the Fatui. But…speaking of the Fatui, La Signora said specifically that she wasn’t going to let me go. I have to pay off my debt to the Fatui before I can be released.”
“This is the debt you were paying off with your body, correct?” Ei asked.
Kunikuzushi turned red. “Y-yes.”
“How much more mora do you have to pay to them?”
Kunikuzushi muttered the number and Ei clicked her tongue. “I see. That is a very large sum. I don’t think I can safely offer to pay off your debt entirely, so I will just have the Raiden Shogun compromise with the Fair Lady. I can see you’re hurting, child. You’ve finally learned your lesson that you are not eternal. Being a divine creation will get you far, but if you expect to gain everything for free because of that, you will be sorely disappointed.”
“I understand that now.”
“When you first entered the Plane of Euthymia, I said ‘you’ve changed.’ I think I should clarify what I meant. Kunikuzushi, you’ve grown,” Ei said, placing a gentle kiss on her creation’s temple.
Kunikuzushi closed his eyes and embraced the feeling of being truly and honestly cared for. The dejectedness, the resentment, and the bitterness towards his creator flooded away as she took care of him. He never wanted to leave. He wanted this to be his eternity.
He opened his eyes and the Plane of Euthymia was gone. He blinked, and felt tears running down his face. He was back on the bed, and the Raiden Shogun was towering above him. She tossed a pile of clothing at him, and when he recognized the design, he almost choked.
“Do you have something else I could wear?” he asked, his voice smaller than a mouse.
“No,” the Raiden Shogun said coldly. “La Signora ordered for this to be your clothing.”
His old uniform in his lap felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. He could barely breathe under the weight of it.
“You have three minutes to get it on before I return,” she said, and exited the room promptly.
With shaking hands, he pulled the uniform on. The shorts, the sandals, the shirt—it was like draping himself with bad memories. He finished dressing himself just as the Raiden Shogun opened the door again, holding his hat. The clothes could’ve just been remade, but that hat was definitely the original. The small scuffs in the golden frame and his Fatui mask attached to the top of it ensured that this was no replica.
She held it out to him, and he reluctantly took it and donned it on his head. If nothing else, it was at least a good way to hide the panicked look in his eyes.
Scaramouche stood in the doorway, almost too afraid to move. But the Raiden Shogun pushed him forward by the shoulder, her grip as firm as her eternity.
Tenshukaku was not hard to navigate, but Scaramouche found himself lost. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived in a large, open, dojo-like room.
Though the top halves of the bodies were blocked by his hat, Scaramouche could tell in an instant that La Signora was one of the two women waiting in this room.
“Ei would like to discuss the terms of freeing Kunikuzushi from his contract with the Fatui,” the Raiden Shogun said. Her grip on Scaramouche’s shoulder tightened, and he liked to think that it was Ei trying to protect him.
“He was kidnapped and was unable to completely pay off his debt to us. I was already able to pay off my entire debt thanks fo pre-established wealth, but Scaramouche was never particularly good at saving his money. Due to him still being indebted to us, he will remain under our control until he has finished repaying us,” La Signora said.
“Ei is requesting you waive these fees,” the Raiden Shogun said plainly.
“He will finish his service to us, and then you may have him to do whatever you’d like with him. He will not be far from Tenshukaku, so if you need him, he will be available,” La Signora said.
“What is your plan for him?” the Raiden Shogun asked, pushing him towards the crimson witch. He resisted, and the Shogun simply shoved him to the floor. She placed a foot on his back to keep him down, and his hat slid off his head and clattered to the floor.
“He will join the vision holders who resisted the decree,” La Signora said. Scaramouche was roughly pulled up by the other woman in the room, her dark hair almost obscuring her golden eyes as she hoisted him off the floor.
He dared to glance at the Raiden Shogun, and to his horror, she was smiling. “Sara, bring him along with us. We will walk to my statue,” the Shogun said.
Sara nodded, and the four of them left for the Statue of the Omnipresent God at once. Along the way, the Raiden Shogun asked, “Signora, what is the status of capturing the Kamisato’s eldest and the oni man?”
“No luck. The Kamisato boy is amusingly hard to find, and the oni, Itto, has managed to lead me to a dead end on countless occasions. In short, I am working on it,” La Signora said.
They arrived at the scaffolding in front of the statue. The visions embedded into the stone served as an immortal reminder that the will of the Raiden Shogun was undeniable.
The Shogun nodded. La Signora stepped forward, spoke, “ Inlaid,” and the stone in front of her shimmered. She stepped through into the center of the statue, the stone rippling like water behind her. Sara followed suit, and then it was just the puppet and the prototype.
“You will be inlaid upon this statue,” the Raiden Shogun said sharply. Her eyes burned into Scaramouche, and he just focused on the wall, waiting for it to shimmer again.
“Why isn’t it opening?” Scaramouche asked.
“I wasn’t speaking to the statue,” she said, and then looked straight at the statue and said, “ Inlaid .” The wall opened, and Scaramouche couldn’t help the shiver that ran down his spine as he stepped inside.