Childe "I Can Make Her Worse" Tartaglia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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insurmountable2022-11-26 09:40 pm
monoceroscaeli) wrote in insurmountable2022-11-26 09:40 pm
Entry tags:
you hide your face with your disguise // 'cause someone filled your head with lies
[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...]
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...]
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
1/2
Alright, brace yourself. Don't go flying off on me.
[And when he says that, he means it.
Tartaglia's hand comes up as electricity sparks around him, his clothing changing rapidly from the grey uniform to the black of his delusion, mask donning on his face as he coalesces and concentrates all his power. It arcs off of him, searing the grass around his feet, before he moves into the next part of his transformation.]
2/2
A glaive materializes into his hands, of which he separates immediately into two blades that match the mass of stars that shine in the cape that flows behind him, staring at Yoimiya from behind a red mask with a single eye. He steps forward once the transformation ends, feeling the weight of it, heavy on his shoulders and joints.]
Y̙̝̘o͔̪͜u͔̪̫ s̪͚͚e͎͎͉e̞̼͙,͍͉͉ t̡͔͕h͇͖͇i̼͖͔s̢̪̞ i̢͎̠ș͙ w͍͍̝h̢̘̺e͇̞̟r̦̟̫e̘͉̘ I͕͎͎'̝̼͙v͇̠͚e̼̺ s͎̼̘e̞͜͜e̙̪͇n̻͇̼ a̠̻̺ b͔̞͇l͔̦͙a͙͙̻d̡͕͙e͎̼͜ l̠͉̠i̘̠͜k̟̘̦e͚̦ t̢͉͎h̟̫̦a͚̠͍t̼̟͚ b͉̼̘e̘̝f̝̠o̺͇̫r͙̻͓e͇̼̦.̺͕̫ I̢̘̙t̘̘̫ m͚͙̪i̠̦r̟̞͔r̙̘͎o̠̟̠r̢̠̫s̡̫̘ m͖̟y͓̪͍ o̢͚̞w̡̦͜n̢̻͔.͓͉̘
[He slams one blade into the ground, massive in size and sticking upward for her to see and compare to the sword in her own hand.]
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Incredible, she knows Ajax's powers are out of this world but he always finds a way to continue amazing her.
And he certainly pulls out all the stops to blow her mind. Yoimiya sinks both of her heels and the sword into the now dirt ground to keep her balance. But even so, the shockwave is so intense that it brings her down to her knees. Everything around him is on the verge of disintegrating just from his Harbinger uniform transforming into armor that looks unlike anything in Teyvat. As that last blast of wind comes to a stop, Yoimiya slowly lowers her arm and is stunned by what she's seeing. Her dear sweet Ajax no longer looks human, he's shot up in size, donning armor from head to toe, and she can no longer see his face. Even his voice is so different, it sounds so distorted from what she's used to, the only remnant of him is his bright ginger hair gusting against the breeze.
It's hard to believe the otherworldly being staring at her through a single eye behind his red mask is her beloved but even underneath all that armor, she knows he's still the same man she fell head over heels for. ]
Ajax...
[ She slowly approaches him, holding out her sword to compare the two weapons. Archons, she swears that glaive alone is bigger than her. She flickers her gaze back and forth between the weapons and sure enough, the blades look identical, both sharing the same star pattern as the cape that flows behind him. It's certainly a match but at this point, the mysterious sword is the least of her worries. She's far more concerned about Ajax. ]
What kind of power is this? You look so... different.
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When she speaks again, his attention moves over to her. The look on her face, he can see that none of this matters more than him to her, and his body relaxes, knowing that he's probably got a bit of explaining to do now. It's not like this is a normal, everyday transformation.]
I͇͔t̟͇̫'͚͚̦s͓͚̞ c̪͓̙a͇̟l̠̪̺l̢͍͓e̠̘̞d͎̞̝ t͎͕͙h̢͇͙e̪̝͓ F̺̫͜o͖̻͎u̫̞͜l͕̪͓ L̡̡̦e̙͔͍g͚̪͓a̢̘͖c̘͚͎y̫͍̠ T̟͇̪r̦͓̙a̟͚͎n̡̘͉s̫͍f̻͇̻o̦̪r̞̫͍m͖͓͍a̝̪t͕͔̺i͇̙o͓̝̟n̠͓.̠͍͜ .͓͚͜.̪̝͉.͙̝I̻̪̠t̡̢ w̡̻̫a̦̞͔s͖̼ s̢͖͜o͕͎m͖̝͚e̡̦͕t̞͔h̡͜͜i̠͚͉n̙̫͙g͍̝͖ m̡͎͉y̟͜ m͔͇͜a̟̞̟s̟̻͙t͙̝͜e͍̞͚r͉͎͉ t͖͚̼a͎͉͔u̢̟͔g͔͕h̪͖͔t̻͕͙ m̢̞͜e̼̝̙ a̙̠̟ l̻̼̠o͕͔n͓̦͓g͕͇̙ t̢̢͕i̡̘m̺͇̺e̡̟͇ a̫̪̪g̫̫̪o͇͖̪.͇͎̘ T͓͎͚h͍͓͕a̙̪͜t̢͕̝'̞̙͔s̘͍̟ ș̻̠o̙̼r͙͓t̝͖͙ o͉͙͜f͙͇͖ a͎͚͔ l̡̙o̡͚̫n͉̻g̡̞͍ s̢̪̫t̺͉o͇͙̙r̪̺y̼̠̙.͓̺
[As if it were a question that Ajax was underneath that mask, his hand goes up to scratch behind his head. He hadn't really thought he'd have to show let alone explain the Foul Legacy Transformation.]
I̼͇͓t̝̠͉'͇͓͜s͖͙͎ a̟̠̦ p̟̟̙o̦̦̙w͇̟͉e̡̘̘r̝͉ f̡̞͜r̡̠o̢̪̫m̢̪ b͍̠e̡͎͇y͕̺͚o͔̘͚n̠̘̟d̟̼͖ t̡͇h̡͔i̝͙͖s̘͍̝ w͕͙̝o͓͕͜r̙̼l̞͕̼d̝̦̦.̙͍͖ I̡͎̫m͓̝̫a͙̟̪g̞̟i̺͓̻n̻͉̘e̙͓̙ m̢̘y̘̞͕ s͉̫͔u̼͉͇r̢̺̝p͖͙̠r̡͇i̢̟͇s͓̫e̙͜ w̢̼͜h͚̙̪e̞͍̦n͉̟͉ y͙͎͜o͓̙̙u̪͕͚ m͓͍̝a͙̞d̺̦͉e͓̞͓ a̫͉ w̡͕͕e͔̘͔a̞͕̘p͍͔̪o̞͖͜n̦̠̺ s̙̝̘i̢͇͕m͍͖i̻̼̺l̝̻̠a̦̻r̼͉ t͙͔̝o͉͎̘ t͙̦̻h̫̞i͖̠͇s͓͕̺ p͔̻͇o̡̪̦w̪̺e͚͇̝r̞͙̘.͓͕̼
no subject
Ugh, all these questions are making her head hurt. All she can do is inwardly sigh and accept they won't be getting any answers today.
What's more important to her is her sweetheart. To say she's shocked by his transformation would be an understatement. She still can't believe Tartaglia has a power beyond this world capable of transforming him into something almost unrecognizable. But even so, she can still see he's very much Ajax underneath that distorted voice. The way he scratches the back of his head is so him and it's pretty amusing to see something so big do something so normal. Definitely her Ajax. ]
Yeah, this whole ordeal is blowing my mind. My mind can't even conjure up what powers from beyond this world would even look like.
[ Nevertheless, Yoimiya cracks a soft smile and makes a motion for him to get closer. ]
Do you mind bending down closer to me? You're so tall, I wouldn't be able to reach you even if I jumped.
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H̻̺̦a̟͎͕h̺̙͇a̡͚͕,͉͓̦ w̘͍̼e͍͜l̦̻͕l̞̫,͖̟̞ t̠͇͜h̢͇̫e̟̼͜ h͖̻̺e͖͖̻i̙̠̪g̢̻͓h̪͙̦t͎̠̫ g͍̘͓a̪͚͕i̪͔͎n͕͓͖ h̪̠͔a͖̝̼ș̦ i̡͔̼t̡͔͔s̡̫̪ a͇̻̟d̞͎v͚͔͉a̟̼͓n̻͚͍t͍̠͉a͉͜g͚̺͎e̡͚͖s͍̞͓ a͚͉̝n̡̝̦d̞͖͙ d̡͍̟i̪͎̪s̺͚̝a͎̟̼d̦̠v̘͔͜a͓͎̻n͖̟̫t̟̪͚a̡̙͙g͉̝͕e͎͔s̝͔͜.̞͓͉.͖̞̝.̢͍̙
[Maybe she wants to inspect more of his armor, it's pretty cool in his opinion and if it were him, he'd want to get a good look at it too. So he happily stands there to let her do whatever it is she wants ^^]
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You might have a different appearance but it's still you. Your size just happens to match your heart.
[ No matter his appearance, he will always be Ajax in her eyes. She wubs her monster boyfriend uwu ]
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[He was not expecting to get a kiss while transformed, and though he can't feel it, it still makes him blush furiously beneath the mask. She's stunned him into silence for a moment, that and that compliment that came out of nowhere...]
C͇̞̘'͔̪m͙̘o̢̪̫n̟͓̠.͕͜͜.̡̝.̢̪͖n͖̦͙o͇͎͇w̝̟̦ y̡̻̟o̫̫u̪͜͜'̼̺̠r̘̘e̦̪͇ e͚͇̦m̺͙b̺͔a̝͎͜r̫͙r̞͇̫a͎͖̪s̻͜s͍͉̞i̢̠͜n̪̘̙g͍̼̼ m̻͓͎e̪͇.͓̦͕
[Yoimiya ૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫﹏<⸝⸝꒱ა]
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Yup, this really is her Ajax, adorable even when transformed. Yoimiya can't help herself as she laughs and gives him a small boop with her finger before peeling herself off him. ]
Hehehe, does that mean I defeated the great and powerful Foul Legacy?
[ And she didn't even have to lift a finger! YOISTRONG ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ ]
I'm just kidding. I always knew you were a foe to be reckoned with, but your powers go beyond my wildest imaginations. You're truly incredible, Ajax.
no subject
Y̞̞o͍̻͉u͓͓͇ f̟̞̝l͎͓̦a͚̙t͍̻̻t̡̟͖e͓̫̺r̡̙ m̞͇͕e͎̘̼.̞̟̫ J̢͔u͎̘͜s̟̘t̙̻̦ w̼͖͜a̺̙͇i̠̙͙t͖̪̦ u̢̢͉n̟̞̝t͇̦͜i̘̙͜l̢͔̠ y͕͙͙o͇̙u͇̞̞ s̻͓e̡̫e̪̙̼ m̡̼̼e͖̞ i͓͚̙n͔͍ a͖̟̞c̺̺͜t͍̼i̻͙o̪͕̠n̙͙̺,̠͖͉ a͙͉̠n͖̪̪d̻͚͔ t̢̢̝h̠͉͕e̫͉͉n͕͍͖ t͚͓͕e̞̪͜l͖͜l̡͇̪ m̠̼̠e͙̼͚ w̢͇̫h͖͖̺a͍͙̼t̼͍ y̼͜͜o̻͙̪u̢̝͎ t̡̪͕h̢̫͜i͕̟͉n͙̻͜k̞̦͎.͉̙̺
[If he could wink at her, he would here- but as it stands, she can't see an inch of his face, so he simply stands confidently while declaring it. She's so small and tiny to him in this form...it makes him want to pick her up and fly her around just so he can see her priceless expression from soaring through the air.
But since they're in a dream within a dream, he'll hold off. They do have monsters to kill, but he got a little caught up in Yoimiya flirting with him...]
A̡͎͇n͓͙̺y̝͖͓ f̫͕͜o̢͓͎e̢͙̼ t̟̝̻h̢̢͜a̙̻̘t̡͚̼ s̡̺͙ț͜͜a̡͉̪n̢̫̺d͔̼̪ș̡̢ b̢͔͎e̡̢f̫̘͎o̡͉r̡͙͖e̠͖͜ y̡̡̺o̢̝̠u̟̻͙,͔̺ I̫͎̟'̟͉l̪̪͎l̡̡̞ m͔͍͖a̙̠k̡̠̦e̦̫ s͍̼u̢͓͜r͎͉͉e̡͚͍ t͙̫̘o̡̪̘ c͍̝͙r̢͔͇u̘̪͎s͖̦h͍͎͇ i͙͔t͚͙͚.̘̟͜ Y̝͚͜o̙͍͕u̺͚̞ c̡̙͇a̡͎̼n͙̪̻ c͚̼̙o̙͉u̘͜n̢̺͜t̪̻͎ o͙͉̘n͙̪͚ m͕͙̘e̙̼ t̺̞͔o͉̠̙ b͇̘̟e͍̘͎ y̫̟̞o͉͎̞u̼̙͜r̠̙̙ l̢͖o̼͓͖y͙͙̠a͉̫̟l̪̠͙ k̡̦̦n͎͖̪i͕͓͜g̢̪͜h͔̺̦t͚̠̫.̝͉͜
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I have the best knight anyone could ask for. Strong, handsome, talented, and big. Since you've been so sweet, I'd like to give you a reward.
[ Unable to contain her urges, Yoimiya leaps at him, slinging her arms around his neck to assault him with kisses. She makes sure no part of him is deprived of affection as she smooches him all over his face, neck, shoulders, and anywhere else in reach.
It's the Yoikiss attack! Mwah mwah mwah. Chuu chuu chuu. ]
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[He catches her mid-leap, pulling her upwards and holding her right against his chest as Yoimiya delivers her signature Yoikiss attack, standing up to his full height now as she gives him all sorts of kisses. He can't feel any save for the ones applied to his neck, and those feel good against the black of his abyssal skin. Ajax cranes his head to the side to allow Yoimiya much more purchase to it, indicating that he'd like them there above all the other places...]
H̙͔͓e̞͕̝y̞̪̦ n̢͍̺o̻̠̙w̻͜,̙͜ s̫͎t̝͙͔o͎͚̻p͚͚͓ t̪͜h̡͍͎a͚̻̼t̻̟͙.͚͕͚.͕̞.͉̦̞y͍͖̠o͓̞͇u͉͚'̘̘̝r̘͓̟e̠̻̘ t̻͖̼o̟̫͜o͕͔͕ a͚͓̪d̫͚o͖̠͜r̡͍̞a̢̦͔b̦̘l͙̫̞e̢̻̝,̙̝ i̺̙̟t̠͎̻'͖͚͜s͉͚̘ a͔̘͎s̼͓̠ i̞͙̟f͎͙̙ I̠͚̠ h̞͇a̠̺v͔͇̼e̼͙͎ n̢͙̘o͔͉͖ p̺͇̪o̘̼̦w͔͚̦e͖̘̞r͕̪ h͓̟̘e͍͉͖r̙͍̫e̼͓͍.͎͕̙.͙̪͜.͕̻h̠̞͉a̢̦h̡̪̞a̡͖͖h͉͎̪a͉͉h͓͇a̟̘!̢̟͖
[His laugh is soft and fond despite how distorted it is, loving every second of affection that Yoimiya pours on him. It almost lulls him into a sense of complacency, being with her in a realm that's only filled with monsters that have taken to hiding away and not coming near them for fear of complete annihilation. So he giggles more, humming with pleasure at the soft, sweet kisses, until he suddenly feels a presence in the area.
They're not alone.
One second he's drinking in Yoimiya's affection, the next he's pivoted with one hand pointing the blade of his glaive at a small cabbage-like child while holding Yoimiya protectively against his chest with the other. Tartaglia's focus is lasered in on the young looking girl, but he knows if she's here, she must be anything but.]
Sorry, but am I interrupting?
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But then it all comes to a close. One moment she's showering him with affection and then the next, she's huddled in his chest with Ajax whipping his blade out at an unexpected guest. She briefly flickers her gaze to see a small girl. ]
Ah! Who are you...?
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[Tartaglia feels so on edge, it's such a terrible whiplash from the giddy emotions he was feeling just moments ago as he and Yoimiya enjoyed a stress-free moment together. But with the threat of someone being able to get in a space he thought was secure puts him on edge, and his blade is unwavering as he points it at this little girl's face.
Never would he ever take an action like this against a child, but he's convinced she's not.]
I think I should be the ones asking you two that question. The Aranara don't often let adults come into their lands, but for some reason, they made an exception for you.
[Ajax stares hard at her for several moments, and the gears begin to click in his head. Little green girl, looks like she belongs to Sumeru, appearing in a dream...
His glaive lowers and his body relaxes, turning fully to face her with Yoimiya still tucked safely away in his arm.]
F͚̻̦o̡̘r͍͇̦g͉̙͔i͎͙̫v̟̝͙e̢̪̙ m̢͕͎e̪̠̺,͔͉̦ A̡͚͔r̺̝͚c̺͇h̫͎̘o͜͜n̢̡͔.̞̠̼ I̟͍͜ d̙̟̻i̡̘̙d͙̫͔n̻͚̼'̠͓̼t̢͚ r̼̺͖e̼͎̠a̢̠͕l͖͕͖i̢̻͇z͍̫̞e̡͔̺ w̺̘̪e͉͚͔ w̙̼͙e̡̠͔r͓̘͓e͇͔̠ s͍͙̻p͚͎͔e̡̞͔a̼̻͜k͇̫̫i̻͚n͖̝̟g̡͎͓ t͔͓o̟͇̠ t̝̙h̡͍̫e̼̼̪ L̡͚̘o̪̙̻r̠̺͍d̝̺̞ o̫͉f̫̫̫ V̡͍͙e͇̞̫r͉̘͓d͓͖͍u̟̦͉r̙͎̪e͇̟͓.͉̠̼
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Yoimiya knew there was something off about this young girl as soon as she made her appearance but it finally dawned on her right then and there. They're face-to-face with the Dendro Archon herself. In an instant, she goes from even more shocked to somewhat embarrassed, she was being all cute and PDA in an Archon's domain. Oh goodness, she just hopes the god of her own country forgives her for this transgression. She quickly peels herself off Ajax and immediately bows her head down in reverence. It's rare for her to get flustered but being this lovey-dovey in front of an Archon would certainly do just about anyone in.
Especially since she looks like a little girl... ughhh. How mortifying! ]
Please forgive me as well, Dendro Archon! If I had known we were having an audience with you, I would have given you the respect you deserve.
[ Now that he's lowered his glaive, Nahida visibly relaxes, feeling the tension in the air dissipate. He might be a Harbinger but at least he's reasonable and for that, she knows they'll be willing to talk. ]
It's quite alright. I'm not asking for respect, I'm just curious about you two. Now please, could you tell me exactly who you are?
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He switches into diplomat mode as quickly as he can switch to battle mode, keeping his attention on Nahida and paying no mind to Yoimiya. He doubts there's much Yoimiya can do that would anger this particular archon, so he's not worried about it.]
You'll have to forgive us, Archon. I'm number eleven of the Fatui Harbingers, codename Childe. And this is Miss Naganohara Yoimiya, of Inazuma. We're here as sort of refugees, seeking temporary asylum from an outside threat that's been following us from Snezhnaya.
[That pretty much sums it up, he thinks. It's more likely Nahida knows why they were allowed in Vanaranara, so no need to sum that up.]
I'm guessing my little stunt there disturbed the peace here, didn't it? My apologies, I hadn't meant to frighten anyone.
[Nahida looks thoughtfully at the both of them, trying to gauge Childe more than Yoimiya. He is the most dangerous one here in her opinion, but she's curious as to what could possibly be so threatening that even he, with that power, would have to hide.]
You both shook up the Aranara quite a bit, and I sensed a lot of peculiar energy coming from this realm. But, apology accepted. At least I know that the forest isn't in danger. Maybe we can chat a little more somewhere else? This realm isn't safe either to have a discussion.
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And considering Nahida has every right to be suspicious of Childe, she really doesn't want to make him look bad. ]
We'll do whatever is easiest for you, Archon. This will also give me a chance to apologize to the Aranara. They've been nothing but kind to us and I hate to think that we spooked them even for a second. We truly didn't mean to scare them.
[ Nahida glances back and forth between the two of them, their concern feels genuine, it doesn't seem like either one of them are attempting to pull the wool over her eyes. She can sense that the young lady from Inazuma has a pure heart but the Harbinger in particular is rather interesting. Despite his allegiances, his respect for her and the Aranara feels authentic. But there's no use pondering in this dimension, all she can do is keep an eye out for him. ]
I'm sure the Aranara are more concerned that something bad happened to the two of you. They seem to have taken a liken to you since you're one of the few adults to enter Vanaranara.
[ With that, Nahida turns on her heels to lead them towards the exit. Once out of the domain, they're greeted by a gaggle of Aranara surrounding the Silapna. Some are confused, some are concerned, some are freaking out by the sudden appearance of the Dendro Archon but out of all of them, one brave Aramiya plip-plods her way over to the trio. ]
We heard a huge commotion in this direction! Is everything okay?! Aramiya was so worried about new Nara friends.
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Childe looks around with an apologetic smile to the rest of the inhabitants, seeing the results of the commotion they caused. But to no one's surprise, the one Aranara who would have the guts to come up and say something is none other than...Aramiya. Yoimiya's Aranara self really is just like her...
He kneels down in front of her, keeping a warm and reassuring smile on his face now, just for her.]
We're just fine. We ran into an unexpected situation inside, but we were never in danger. Lesser Lord Kusanali doubly ensured our safety, so there's nothing to worry about, okay? Thank you for being so worried about us.
[Tartaglia reaches out to muss the top of her little plant head, to show his appreciation of her. Nahida eyes him, while also trying to keep the rest of the Aranara in check as they throw question after question at her and Yoimiya.]
Is Red Nara okay? Was that the Marana inside? Didn't Golden Nara and Arama beat the Marana? Lord of Verdure, did you take care of the scary Marana?
Not so many questions at a time please! Everything is okay and these two are perfectly fine. Please, give us a little space, I have to talk to them a little!
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Yeah, we're okay! Sorry for causing a commotion, we went overboard in the training session is all, really!
[ Try as she might, Yoimiya is having a tough time keeping up with all the questions. Golden Nara? Scary Marana? What is all that???? It's overloading her brain. Thankfully, Nahida does her best to calm the poor confused Aranara but it's proving to be difficult with so many of them throwing question after question. ]
Shall we move our discussion to the Elder's hut? They're all understandably curious but it's getting difficult to converse.
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Standing up back to his full height again, he towers over the rest of the inhabitants of the forest, giving them all a reassuring wave just so they could see that both Orange Nara and Red Nara are okay. They're really an excitable bunch, but that makes them all the more endearing to Tartaglia- they definitely can't let Dottore get his grubby paws on them. He doesn't like to think of what he'll do to the poor things if he's allowed the chance. So he looks down to Nahida, gives a nod of his head, so they can head in the direction.]
Let's go. This isn't going to let up if we don't move.
[He's happy to take the lead, being careful not to step on anyone as they make their way back to the elder's hut to talk about things. Tartaglia doesn't say anything on the way there, preferring to have the privacy of the house to discuss things- he wouldn't want to talk about the real threat looming over their tiny town.
Once inside, he finds a nice spot near the wall while everyone else files in.]
What a lively bunch...seems that the village and everyone else was alright. For a moment, I was scared that we'd affected the forest outside of that little training realm. Now, why don't we get down to business.
[He's ready to talk, and doesn't want to waste any time- the Dendro Archon is here, and that means they can kill two birds with one stone.]
Yes, let's. Can you two explain exactly your business is in Vanaranara? You said you were refugees, and you said there was a threat. Care to elaborate on that so I can understand?
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With newfound vigor, Yoimiya takes a deep breath and enters the hut, she quickly makes her way over to where Tartaglia stands while Nahida get herself situated. Thankfully, the elder is here too and since they've already shared their story with him, he'll be able to vouch for them with any luck. ]
Absolutely. So um, we keep getting attacked by an entity beyond our control. She's been after us for some time now. To say her powers are terrifying would be an understatement, she can control both the mind and body of a large city. Here recently, she took control over the citizens of Sumeru City just to kill me.
[ There's a brief moment where Nahida looks surprised before her expression melts into one that looks like she's received an answer to a question that's had her perplexed. She brings her tiny hand to her chin to contemplate for a few short seconds. ]
I see... I actually recall sensing a strange presence in Sumeru City a few days ago.
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So call it a relief that Nahida also can sense the presence of Seraphina. Knowing that, they might have a chance if even she can't hide from an archon.]
That most certainly was her. She also possessed Yoimiya's body just to get to me the night before. She goes by the name Seraphina. Ever heard a name like that before?
[Concern lines Nahida's features, bringing a finger up to her lip to think.]
No, but there's ways of finding out who that is. I can't have someone like that manipulating the minds of the people of Sumeru. As the Harbinger is certainly aware, the people have already gone through a similar crisis. I don't want anyone to go through that again.
[Childe's face doesn't change, but internally he feels a little anxiety. Dottore already made a mess of things here, and he hopes that she doesn't hold that against him instead of the culprit.]
Speaking of which, the Doctor has returned to Sumeru. The reason of which is something I think Yoimiya can speak more to.
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And maybe, just maybe, she'll use her vast knowledge to unveil her identity. If the Archon of Wisdom can't figure out who Seraphina is then no one can. ]
That's right, Dottore is here in Sumeru and his goal is to grab a hold of an Aranara. But before we go any further, there's a matter I need to be honest about and apologize for.
[ Yoimiya hangs her head down in shame. As much as she doesn't want to come out and spill the beans on their true intentions, it doesn't sit right with her to keep this from Nahida. ]
I was brought here to bring an Aranara to him. We told him about the entity that's been going after us and I told him about my ability to see the Aranara. So in the end, I struck a deal with him to bag an Aranara.
[ Nahida doesn't say anything for a good while, almost as if she saw through their intentions right on the spot. ]
I see... [ She directs her attention at Ajax. ] And you? I assume you're helping her?
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