you hide your face with your disguise // 'cause someone filled your head with lies

[monoceroscaeli]

[It had been a few days since the hunt for the Great Mujina Youkai had come to an end, having to say goodbye to the kids and to Yoimiya too. The ship that was to take him back to Snezhnaya would be arriving a bit later in the day, and Childe sighs as he sits back in his chair in the tent he's occupying in one such hidden Fatui camp. He had a great time in Inazuma. The country was beautiful, rich with a new culture to learn and all sorts of places to explore and fight new and more exciting enemies. All his things were in order- the gifts that he'd bought to bring back to his family, Teucer's Onikabuto in a little bug box with some food to keep it alive during the trip back- all he'd have to do is wait for the ship and he'd be on his way.

He tells himself that he'd return to the country one day, once tensions between the Fatui and the Shogunate calm down. It was a miracle that he was able to stay as long as he has, evading the Tenryou Commission. He has some people to thank for that, and he won't forget what they did for him while he's been here. Some gifts would be in order for them upon his return.

The Harbinger idly plays with a writing utensil between his fingers. He'd like to bring something from Snezhnaya for Yoimiya, too.

There's a sharp rap at his door, and Childe sighs. He doesn't really want to deal with work right now, perfectly happy reminiscing on the time he's spent in Inazuma before he leaves, but answers with a bored tone to his voice:]

Come in.

[An agent enters, bowing and standing at attention.]

Sir, we've captured a Tenryou Commission spy that was found sneaking around. We've taken her into custody and are awaiting your orders on how to deal with her.

[Childe's eyebrow raises. It should have been hard to find this camp, even by the Shuumatsuban. Somehow, doubt creeps into his mind, but stands from his chair.]

Alright, I'll deal with it myself. At least I can have one last bit of fun before I depart.

[The agent only bows once more, to lead Childe towards the prisoner. He knows better than to argue with the Harbinger, but feels sorry for the spy. The two cross the camp to another tent, the agent stopping him right before lifting the flap for his senior commander.]

She claims to be from the fireworks shop, but we've seen Tenryou soldiers stop frequently at it.

[Before he can answer, the flap is lifted to reveal a certain girl that he'd met not but a few days ago...]

Comments

[niwabi]

[ How could something so bloodthirsty also be so cute? Yoimiya is so charmed by lil Arajax singing a tune for them that she almost forgets he's here for a fight. Ajax's question snaps her out of her cuteness overload reverie and she quickly holds up her lyre. The song was so adorable and yet so simple, so even for someone who can't play her way out of a wet paper bag, this shouldn't be too hard. Hopefully. ]

Let's see... like this?

[ With Arajax's song fresh on her mind, her fingers carefully strum across the lyre's strings, playing the song note for note. Just like that, Silapna's opening glows a bright green, spooking away nearby crystalflies in the process. Yoimiya looks amazed at the sight, she can't believe she's already learned two songs from the cute Aranara. ]

Oh, look at that! It's glowing! How pretty... I guess I need to start keeping track of the songs y'all taught me.

[ Hopefully her blonde head will be able to fit everything... 💦💦💦 ]

Well, do we just hop in to get in on the action?

[monoceroscaeli]

[And just like that, the gate springs to life and emits a strange aura from the entrance. It beckons all who stand before it to come in, and while Yoimiya asks her question and worries about learning songs, Tartaglia steps forward to reach his hand out gingerly towards the portal. Nothing seems to happen upon him touching it, and he retracts his hand. Guess he'll have to take the plunge to find out.]

That's right! Just step inside and your trial will begin. Good luck, you two!

[Arajax, who has assumed that both Yoimiya and Ajax both want to attempt the gate's trial, plip-plods behind the both of them. In the next second, Ajax can feel a force on his back that's pushing both himself and Yoimiya forward towards the gate, but he doesn't try to resist- he wants to do this more than anything.

That must be that Aranara's power...I can't wait to challenge him.

In he goes, through the portal into a darker version of the very forest they find themselves in. No Aranara are present inside, and he looks around to see what exactly it is they're looking at. He calls out for his companion, looking behind to see if she'd gotten pushed in too.]

Yoimiya?

[niwabi]

[ One shove and in they go, the sudden force against her catches Yoimiya by surprise. Was that really the work of Arajax? She ponders to herself. All she can think about is the tiny creature somehow hoping in the air to shove them both in but of course, she knows something like that isn't possible. Somehow or another, Arajax must have used his powers to push them in, a feat that seems incredible for such a small plant-like creature. It's hard to believe that something so cute harnesses powers which go beyond the realm of possibilities.

But Yoimiya doesn't ponder for too long, they're engulfed by the strange green light and before she even realizes what's happening, the two of them are brought to an almost eerie version of the same forest. As she glances around, the blonde is amazed by what she sees, the forest still has its lush foliage but the surroundings are darker.

It's not long until her boyfriend's voice cuts through her muddled thoughts, bringing her back to... well, as much of a reality as they can get. She looks over to see that familiar head of ginger hair she adores so much, relieved and thankful they haven't been separated. ]

Ajax!

[ She quickly rushes to his side to grab his arm. ]

Oh, thank goodness you're here! I thought I lost you for a second.

[ Maybe she's being a bit more clingy than usual because of Seraphina but considering the circumstances, the idea of separation rips at her heart. ]

That was wild, wasn't it? I'm still trying to figure out how he shoved us in. But wow, this is like, a darker version of the Aranara forest! Their powers sure are on a whole new level.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Seems she got through the portal okay too, so main concern is taken care of. He's happy that she's at his side, but right now he needs her to be a warrior instead of a lover. Childe hadn't missed how fungi bounce in certain areas of the forest here, just as Arajax had told them they would. No doubt there's more where that came from. He scans the forest as soon as he knows that Yoimiya is here and safe next to him, now very squarely in Battle Mode now that they're inside.]

They certainly are...especially to practically create a dream within a dream.

[It's the only thing that makes sense to him for this to be. He's sure Arajax would confirm it too once they complete this trial.]

Let's not waste too much time in here. Arajax expressed that he likes to defeat the monsters in here despite it not being necessary...so that means whatever we need to do isn't just slaying fungi. They seem to be in places around those strange green floating objects. They might be guarding them, which means those are our true targets.

[niwabi]

[ She sees Ajax go straight into warrior mode and decides that she needs to do the same. As much as she'd like to cling to him, they're in the middle of a training session and she can't afford to hold him back, especially not when she already feels so useless and undeserving to stand at her lover's side.

Yoimiya quickly pulls herself together by slapping her cheeks and manifesting her bow. Speaking of Arajax.... where is the lil fella, anyway? She could have sworn he had every intention of joining them. But then again, he is an Aranara version of Ajax and has been through this training session multiple times so there's no need to worry. The little orange sprout will crop up eventually. ]

That makes sense! Sounds like you can either choose to fight the Fungi or deal with whatever the objects are. But we'd be missing the point of training if we ran away from mushrooms.

[ She knows she doesn't have to tell her boyfriend twice, he's going to fight everything within sight. Besides, they could totally use this as a way to blow off steam after all the stress thrown their way. With her bow armed and ready, Yoimiya can vaguely make out the sight of the green floating object that Ajax was talking about. She's never seen anything like it and has no idea what it is but what she does know is that they can't afford to waste time. ]

Oh, I think spot one up ahead. Let's go, Ajax!

[ As soon as they're within arms reach of the mysterious object, a Winged Dendroshroom accompanied by a group of mini fungus appear from the ether to guard it from the two intruders. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[That's exactly what he wants to hear. Avoiding fighting the monsters is out of the question unless the mission specifically needed it to be successful. But as far as he's concerned, there's no reason to avoid them. He takes off alongside Yoimiya, eyes scanning everywhere around them, making sure they're not running headfirst into a trap. He's never fought fungi before, but he's excited to see if they're worth the time. But a wonder of the trial inside of the portal surprises him when fungi manifest from seemingly nowhere to defend the little green flying object from the two of them.

His blades are drawn quickly, looking at them like they were a nice snack to be enjoyed along the way towards their goal. Ajax's eyes light up with excitement, and he poises himself for a moment and says:]

Four to two, is it? No matter- let's make short work of them.

[There isn't a single moment of hesitation from the Harbinger, gleefully leaping right into the fray between them all, his blades flashing between swings that slice open one of the smaller fungi to fluid, effortless dodges from him when attacks are pointed his way. Tartaglia has done this on purpose of course- to give Yoimiya the opening she needs to pummel them freely with her bow without having to worry about being chased.]

[niwabi]

[ Seeing Ajax in his element, gleefully fighting is just the medicine she needs to begin the healing process. It's the first bit of "normalcy" the couple were granted ever since that harrowing ordeal in the cave. As Yoimiya preps her bow for the beatdown, she can't help but glance over at her excited boyfriend, looking happy and thrilled to show off his prowess. His boyish entusiasm over a quick scrap brings a bright smile to her face and now, more than ever, she's determined to be a strong girlfriend who can stand at his side.

Yoimiya quickly rushes into the fray with him, shooting a series of pyro-infused arrows at the smaller fungi. The combination of his hydro blades and her arrows makes short work of the fungi, each of her arrows explode on impact from the contrasting reactions. ]

Is that all y'all got?

[ Now with the mob dealt with, they have the big boss to take care. Yoimiya focuses all her firepower in this one shot, tugging on the strings of her bow until she releases a powerful shot directed at the Dendroshroom and succesfully, searing her signature goldfish mark for Ajax to go wild with the vaporize. ]

Strike them down, Ajax!

[monoceroscaeli]

[The fungi could never of seen the vaporize duo coming nor known what they were getting into by attacking them. He watches a few fungi practically explode from the elemental reaction as her arrows land and literally vaporize them and they disappear from this dream they find themselves in. It's a joyous sight to him, living in the moment and loving that the two of them work as such a great team when fighting monsters.]

Already on it~!

[He laughs like a maniac as he closes in on the largest creature, slamming his blades together into his glaive as he torques himself around and slashes the monster in half- leaving it only a second to realize its fate before it dissipates into nothingness. With a few twirls of his weapon, he slams it into the ground and lets it disappear effortlessly.]

Hey, not bad! That's the first time we've really fought together, isn't it?

[niwabi]

[ What a flawless execution! The aftermath of their vaporize devastation causes the fungi to disappear into the void leaving not a single trace of it behind. It's gone and Yoimiya couldn't be any happier to see her beloved indulging in his one true love— fighting. His manic laughing might be concerning to most people... but for Yoimiya, she sees it as Ajax having the time of his life.

Besides, she thinks the laughter is more cute than creepy. ]

Yeah, you're right. This was the first time we truly fought alongside each other and I'm having a great time.

[ At this point, she'll do anything to spend time with Ajax. She's bound and determined to get stronger for his sake. She has to keep pushing forward if she wants to overcome Seraphina. ]

We make a pretty good team, don't we? I'm happy to see our powers working in perfect sync.

[monoceroscaeli]

Hahahaha, they'll never know what hit them.

[He's happy to hear that she's happy. Tartaglia already knew that Yoimiya was the kind of person who would never back down from a challenge like this, but it's really nice to have someone standing by his side that enjoys fighting alongside of him. He doesn't really have too many friends like that- they're few and far in between, and some of them don't even know he's a Harbinger- so it's nice that not only does he have someone like this, this certain someone is one of the most important people to him that he loves dearly.

He collects the little floating green firefly-like object the fungi were protecting, only to have it disappear and reappear behind him, albeit smaller, and like it's attached to his back instead of free-floating as it was before.]

Huh...guess that answers any questions I had. I suppose now that we understand exactly what this course is, we should finish it with flying colors, shouldn't we?

[He smirks at her before turning to look in the direction of the rest of the fireflies, noting that it's sort of taking them around the village and back again. It really is just an obstacle course- one that he's sure he and Yoimiya will have no problems clearing.]

[niwabi]

[ Now that they've cleared the first course, Yoimiya watches the spoils of their victory vanish and attach itself to Ajax's back. How adorable... she swears that everything in this village is just so stinkin' cute. She can't help but giggle at the sight of the little fireflies looking like they've made a home on his back. ]

Absolutely! We might even be in the running for the fastest clear time. Arajax will be so amazed at us.

[ And also eager to challenge them to a duel, if his human version is anything to go by. Now that her confidence is through the roof, Yoimiya is ready to head out to the next mechanism to continue proving her prowess to her battle-hungry sweetheart. She gets to fight with him and he gets to be happy, it's an absolute win in her book.

Onwards they go! Yoimiya turns on her heels to walk across the water surrounding the village leading them to the next part of this fantastical obstacle course. The next object isn't too far away, just a few steps away from them. She makes sure to keep her bow at her side, certain that they'll be met with another group of fungi ready to defend their sacred object. ]

Speaking of... have you seen the lil fella? I thought he was coming along with us.

[ Kind of surprising he didn't jump into the fray alongside them. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Fastest clear time might be a little optimistic to him, but with the ease of which they'll clear it, it might as well be child's play in his opinion. Childe grins as he follows Yoimiya onward to the next point, which isn't far away at all. He's got a feeling the course itself isn't all that big, it's just fraught with danger. He glances down at her bow, and thinks to himself about Yoimiya's weapon choice...

Which gets interrupted. He hadn't thought about Arajax coming in, after he pushed them both in.]

No. I assumed he was being thoughtful of our warrior's honor by letting us face the incoming challenge head on without his help. Or maybe he is in here, and he just hasn't revealed himself to us yet.

[Who knows. What they do know is they won't find out till the very end.]

By the way, I was thinking...have you ever considered using another weapon?

[niwabi]

[ When he puts it like that, makes sense. If there's anyone who knows Ajax better than her, it's himself, even if it's a mini plant-like version of him. If he didn't join them, she figures he'll learn about their achivement in due time and most likely, will be begging for a fight.

With the matter of Arajax out of the way, her boyfriend asks a question that has crossed her mind a few times. Using a different weapon... she glances down at her shimmering bow as the walk, seriously thinking about his suggestion. Yoimiya had never taken fighting super seriously until she started dating the Harbinger and ever since they became a couple, she's been itching to improve her skills. ]

It's crossed my mind a few times. A bow is nice for long-range and all but hand-to-hand combat is definitely not one of my strong suits.

[ The moment she gets interrupted it's yoiver, a fact that she is unfortunately well aware of. ]

I've only ever used a bow and arrow my whole life but... I'd like to try my hand at close-range fighting.

[monoceroscaeli]

Then why don't you try out something new right now?

[He grins at her like it's an obvious choice. They're in a training ground, fighting a bunch of monsters that he doesn't really consider all that difficult to fight. Yoimiya will need more battle skills for the future if they're to take on the psychic entity that's trying to kill her and capture him, so this seems like a great time.]

I'd be more than happy to teach you, and we can use these fungi as targets. How are you with handling a sword?

[Ajax's mind is already coming up with all sorts of ways for Yoimiya to learn how to fight, ways he can teach her and how he can help her get really good at it as fast as possible...because he's a freak ε-(ｰдｰ)]

[niwabi]

[ Yoimiya's eyes instantly light up at his suggestion. Yeah, he's right! Why doesn't she try it out now? They're inside a special place meant for training, it'd be a waste not to at least give it a shot. It's a brilliant idea and she really could stand to learn how to get better at combat for their inevitable battle against Seraphina.

Her smile is wide, bright, and full of conviction. No words are needed to know that she is absolutely down for this idea and is thrilled to have Ajax as her trainer. ]

I've held swords in my hands but I've never seriously used one. Whenever I see you or my friend Ayaka slicing and dicing enemies with your blades, I can't stop thinking about how cool y'all look.

[ Yoimiya doubts she'll be able to reach that level but maybe one day in the distant future she'll be at least semi-proficient at cutting down a slime. ]

Hehe, I guess that's my way of saying I'd love to learn how to use a sword! Would you be willing to create a practice one out of your hydro powers for me?

[monoceroscaeli]

["My friend Ayaka." He's pretty sure that's the Shirasagi Himegimi, but it's not a huge surprise to him that Yoimiya is friends with her, given the nature of her work with fireworks. But it makes him wanna challenge the both Yashiro Commission's leads, but unfortunately that'll have to wait until much, much later.

Right now, he's going to help Yoimiya start her journey into cross-weapons training :D]

Why don't you make one with your own powers instead?

[See: Tartaglia does not know if pyro elemental abilities will burn their owner. I don't even know if they'll burn their owner if they make a weapon with it alkfj;slfj]

Then you can start right away with one perfectly balanced and made just for you.

[niwabi]

Huh...? You want me to make a weapon out of pyro?

[ She glances down at her hands, wondering if her powers are even capable of such a feat. Sure, she made that Yoifish light for their journey through the cave and other cute firey animals for the kids but this is a first for her. In all her wildest imaginations she's never even thought about creating a weapon with her powers.

But there's just one problem. ]

I don't mind giving it a shot but won't Pyro burn me...? I've never directly touched any of the cute fire critters I made.

[ Granted, she's always down to play with fire but Yoimiya does her best to be safe about it. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

Well, I don't know.

[He holds his hand up to his chin in thought. She makes a point, a weapon made of pure fire could burn someone. He's not sure if that would be the case for the wielder of the elemental energy, though. He tries to consider how it works for him first.]

...When I make my swords, they're certainly wet due to the nature of hydro, but my hands aren't wet after I use them. Nor do they slide around in my hands, so I can't say for sure that you'll be burned by your own power. Besides, we'd have to see if you can even do it first.

[He takes her hand, holding it out in front of her, as if she could summon her bow into it.]

Usually when one uses their elemental powers to create a weapon, it'll take a form that reflect the user's life experiences. You've seen mine, yes? They resemble a harpoon- something used frequently in Snezhnaya to catch large fish.

[niwabi]

[ When he puts it like that, she's reassured that maybe, just maybe, she'll be fine holding a weapon made out of fire. It's only natural his hands would be soaked after using his arsenal of hydro-infused weapons and now that she thinks about it, she's never noticed any wet spots on him after battle. So, maybe it will be okay...

Any concerns she might have hand immediately vanish as he takes her hand. She glances up with a soft reassured smile, enjoying the warmth of his strong hands that have been through countless battles. Ajax might hail from the coldest country in Teyvat but in his presence, she feels like she's basking underneath the sun on a summery day. ]

I see... that makes sense. If you don't mind me asking, I've seen you make a variety of weapons out of your powers. Since you lived your whole life in Morepesok, I take it that all your experience in fishing paved the way for the harpoon being the first of your creations?

[ Yoimiya doesn't know what she's doing or even how to go about this but she figures that talking through this will give her the inspiration she needs. She takes a deep breath to concentrate on the powers stirring inside of her. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Now that he's put Yoimiya in a good position, he lets go and takes a step back to stand more beside her than in front, just in case. And to her question, he nods.]

Indeed. I've even dove in the water myself to catch fish with my bare hands. It's all a part of life when you live in a fishing village, so I suppose all my exposure to it helped form the basis of my elemental powers. For you, that should be all you've experienced and seen in Inazuma.

[He waits patiently for Yoimiya to concentrate, so she can focus and form a weapon in her hands, not knowing what exactly it might look like. He can only guess, from a land of samurai and ronin ruled by the Shogun, how it'll form.]

Just focus on which weapon you want, and you'll see how it'll manifest.

[niwabi]

[ Even just little snippets of Ajax's childhood memories can brighten her spirits. She can see it now, tiny Ajax attempting to catch fish with his small, bare hands. Listening to him is just the inspiration she needs and with that, Yoimiya takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and begins to concentrate on the powers within.

She channels all the pyro energy within her to summon the perfect to use at her disposal. The first one that comes to mind is a katana, she's lived around samurai her whole life and watched Ayaka perform the most elegant sword play she's ever witnessed. So, it's only natural that a katana is the first thing to come to mind. It's not long until she feels something powerful taking shape in her hand, her whole hand permeates with heat, it's hot and yet, and feels strangely familiar. Slowly, she opens her eyes to see a sword she absolutely was not expecting. ]

A-Ajax...

[ Yoimiya sputters, stunned by what she's seeing. Flames surround the sword from the golden hilt all the way to the galactic-looking blade. ]

What kind of sword is this?!

[ She was expecting to summon a katana, not whatever.... this is. It looks so ornate and completely unlike anything she's ever seen. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[He's silent as he lets her concentrate. No need to interrupt unless something goes wrong, but Yoimiya's had the powers of her vision long enough that he feels confident that she'll be just fine. It's just a matter of using her elemental powers in a different way, and being versatile as a vision user is key to becoming stronger. So he waits, letting her work until she's able to form the weapon.

What he didn't expect is what sword ends up forming in her hands.

Ajax's eyes go wide with surprise and shock as something more otherworldly forms in her hand, surrounded by flames with a pattern of the stars that reminds him of the Foul Legacy Transformation. His eyes dart between it and her, as the flames dance in his eyes and the reflection of the galaxy in the blade shine against them.]

I...I don't know. Well, I have a few guesses, but...

[He steps forward, examining the blade, in complete awe of its beauty and power. There's no way she could of formed that out of her elemental powers alone...]

...hmmmmm. I've seen something similar before, but Yoimiya...did someone teach you how to use this power...?

[niwabi]

[ Ajax's surprised face mirroring hers tells her everything she needs to know, he's just as startled and confused as she is. This isn't good, if there's one person with an expansive knowledge of weapons it's her battle-loving sweetheart. If he doesn't know, then who else could they ask? From a crazy ex wanting her dead to a mysterious otherworldly weapon, the situation keeps getting stranger with every passing second.

Still, Yoimiya isn't about to be deterred. There has to be a reason why she created such a magnificent weapon. As Ajax inspects it, she holds the sword out to him, allowing him to grasp it if he so wishes. Since it's not burning her hands, she figures it should be fine for him. ]

No. This is the first time I've tried to make a weapon out of my own powers. I didn't even know such a feat was possible until I met you...

[ He's seen something similiar before? That definitely catches her attention. Yoimiya isn't sure if he's talking about creating weapons or something else entirely. ]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're not talking about the ability to create weapons. So... um, what was it that you saw?

[monoceroscaeli]

[Childe reaches gingerly for the weapon when presented, not knowing whether or not it would burn him. Flames lick at his hands as they draw closer, and though he can feel the heat, it doesn't feel as if that heat was meant to burn him. Carefully, with one hand on the hilt and the other hand on the flat side of the blade, he takes the sword from her to examine even more. It feels easy to hold, familiar in a way, like an old friend that he's reunited with.

Stepping back to give himself some room, Tartaglia gives the sword a few swings, slicing through the air expertly with perfect technique. He could use this...almost as if it were made for him.]

That's right, [he admits to her,] I'm talking about the design of the blade itself.

[He hands it back to her, still confused as to how she could possibly make a blade that looks like that...]

It might be easier just to show you than to explain it. It's something that's similar to my own powers. This might be a good time too...I wouldn't use this power in the presence of the Aranara. Mind taking a few steps back?

[niwabi]

[ As she watches him take the blade, she can't help but be concerned about the flames flickering all across the weapon, he might be an expert but she can't rule out the possibility of him getting burned. But thankfully, she quickly realizes her concerns are unfounded as he looks completely unaffected with the sword in hand. In fact, he looks like an expert swinging it around. Yoimiya's whole visage lights up with joy as she watches him slice the air with fine point precision, he looks so cool wielding such an otherworldy blade. He swings it around like the blade was tailor-made for him as if he's used it many times...

She swears Ajax and that sword looks like they're a match made in heaven.

The sword being handed back to her snaps her out of her reverie, she takes it back to inspect it once more, still confused with a myriad of questions running through her head. But for now, she's far more curious about what Ajax has to show her. If he's cautious enough to use his power in the presence of the Aranara, then it must be something beyond her wildest imagination. ]

Of course! [ With her sword in hand, she quickly takes a few steps back, putting a good amount of distance between them. ] Ready whenever you are.