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]

[ The starry shield successfully manages to repel the final swing of his blade, albeit just barely. Though Yoimiya is still unaware of these newfound powers, she knows a crack when she hears one, that strike did enough damage to knock out a few of her stars. In a blink-and-you-'ll-miss-it moment, her mind barely registers the echoes of Ajax skirting across the ground before they vanish like ripples in the water. The next thing she hears is his menacing laugh that's accompanied by a ferocious shot from his bow.

Yoimiya glances up to see the sky opening up for a ginormous whale. She's heard about this devastating move—that whale is enough to turn anyone's blood cold. Now that she's on the receiving end, she understands why this technique can move mountains and scare the living daylights out of people.

She's gotta run, she needs to get the heck out of here. That would be the smart thing to do. As Yoimiya contemplates her options, a faint glow begins to take shape on her chest, enveloping her with a warm, pleasant feeling that is soon accompanied by a soothing, yet familiar voice.

"Don't be scared. Keep on fighting."

It's like something within her changed, the once fired-up blonde suddenly looks uncharacteristically serious. Instead of moving like a sane person would, Yoimiya just stands there, staring intently at the whale. She gives the sword a passing glance before quickly discarding it to summon her bow. Aiming directly at the whale, she pulls on the strings of her bow, focusing all her firepower in this one shot. However, instead of pyro, a cluster of shimmering stars mingle at the tip of her arrow, growing bigger and bigger until it looks like a star shower has taken shape around her. In one smooth motion, she releases the shot right at the whale, and upon impact, the stars explode in a beautiful night sky array. It will be hard to make out what's going on as specks of light spread across the battlefield in the aftermath of the explosion, littering the field with tiny stars. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Ajax watches on, curious to see how Yoimiya will handle one of his bigger, more serious attacks. It's the kind that if you don't deal with it, you'll die, but those stars that swirl about her and protect her seem to be something that's worth testing. One could say something about the reckless decision on his part to launch such a deadly move against the one he loves with no regard to what might happen to her if she isn't able to block or dodge it, but there's a feeling in his gut that's telling him that she isn't completely defenseless against this. He stands ready to move if needed, but what comes next confirms what he thought would happen if such a life-threatening attack were to be unleashed against her.

Her counter attack involves her bow, summoning the very stars at its tip to shoot it directly at the whale that arcs above her, singing it's lonely tune as it falls back down to the earth to crush her. Stars fill his vision as it connects, making him shield his eyes for a moment before he's able to turn back and see a beautiful scene- the world around them is filled with stars, scattered all over the ground in addition to the bright light of a star barrier that holds the whale up in mid-air.

He can see the cracks starting to form in the barrier itself, and he knows it won't last much longer before the whale will eventually fall through it and onto the ground. Tartaglia quickly scans their arena to look for Yoimiya, just in case she's decided to go full deer-in-headlights, ready to dash forward to grab her to make sure she doesn't die to this attack.]

[niwabi]

[ CRAAAAAACK

The sounds of the star barrier succumbing to the whale's might can be heard all across the arena. Yoimiya can see the cracks taking shape, it won't be much longer until it crumbles into galactic dust. The whale really is no joke, it looks so... otherwordly, something within tells her that she's still not strong enough to take on a beast of this magnitude.

"Don't worry, there will come a time when you shine brighter than the stars in the sky."

With those words floating through her head, Yoimiya gives the whale once last glance over. The noises get louder and soon, the barrier can no longer hold its weight as she watches the first signs of the whale breaking through. Not wasting a single second, she makes a grab for the sword before rolling herself out just in the nick of time. As soon as she's out, the whale has slammed into the ground, completely crushing the barrier and leaving nothing but stardust in the arena. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[He can see Yoimiya begin to move once she realizes that her barrier won't hold. Tartaglia is judging by how fast she's moving versus the impending doom that she will, actually, make it out alive without needing assistance. So he doesn't move, watching on as his attack finally shatters the star barrier and slams into the ground, causing waves of hydro to ripple out violently to all sides as the water dissipates, stardust floating downward to create a beautiful dazzle of colors against the water.

Childe slowly begins to walk towards Yoimiya, still on alert in case she unleashes another barrage of attacks at him, but definitely wants to ask a million questions about her power and what's happening with her.

The slow clap of his hands can be heard as he approaches, grinning wickedly.]

Not bad. I'm impressed.

[Still acting in the Harbinger role, he stops only a little ways in front of Yoimiya, letting one of his hands rest on his hip.]

So very few manage to survive an attack like that...I guess you've entertained me a little better than what I was expecting. But you've got a lot to answer for.

[He drops the act, looking a little concerned for her, despite the fact that his whole being is on fire to fight more.]

Tell me how you're feeling right now. Is that power draining you? Are you alright? Is there anything strange happening to you that you can see?

[niwabi]

[ The sounds of the whale slamming into the ground rings in her ears, a wake up call that beast could have easily squashed her like a bug if she dodged a second too late. With the strange sword in hand, she uses it to stand up as the sea of stars cascade around her ankles. She briefly looks down to gaze at the aftermath of their battle, the shimmering stardust floating across the water is beautiful, filling her with a sense of awe and nostalgia.

Almost as if... she's seen something like this before.

But before she goes down that rabbit hole, Ajax's clapping rouses her, bringing her gaze back to him. At first, she doesn't say anything in response to his question, only staring at him with a serious expression completely opposite from all her bravado from earlier. She doesn't even pay mind to the little jab he throws at her while acting like a big bad Harbinger. Normally, she might have bitten back but this time she's just silent. Her gold eyes are still bright and full of energy, like she's ready to go at him again but there's something about her stare that's different from usual as if dignity is coursing through her veins and she's looking at him through exalted lens.

His concern snaps her out of her thoughts. Yoimiya comes to and is quick to bounce back to her usual self. She flutters her lashes, rapidly blinking as she tries to make heads or tails out of what just happened. ]

I just peachy! Nothing feels off with me and even after all that, I don't feel tired or drained. However...

[ She brings her free hand to her forehead, needing a short moment to gather her thoughts together. ]

I'm not sure what happened out there. It was like my body moved on it's own and I somehow knew how to create that barrier to protect me against your whale but... I've never seen powers like that before. Those stars are unlike any of the seven elements.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He can't quite put his finger on it, but he can tell in that short moment that she stares back at him, that he's not looking at Yoimiya. That's someone else's glare, and it's definitely not Seraphina taking over her body- he's already well acquainted with her and he'd be able to spot that from a mile away now. But whatever it is that has a hold over her, it's relinquished quickly as his perky girlfriend comes back to her senses in the aftermath.

He listens, glad that she was okay overall. That was the most important matter to him, but when she says that her body moved on its own, he doesn't seem all that surprised.]

There came a point where you really weren't yourself out there. I don't think I've ever seen you glare at me, or anyone else for that matter, quite the way you did just now.

[The mysteries keep piling up, and he's not left with much way to solve them...]

And there's the matter of those powers...they most certainly don't originate from Seraphina, based on the first battle I had with her back in Snezhnaya when she took your body. So you definitely didn't get them from her possessing you. What else happened when those stars manifested to protect you? Can you remember anything?

[niwabi]

[ There's a pause on her end as she files back to the recesses of her mind. Seraphina is immediately ruled out as an option, she never once felt threatened or even possessed while she was fighting with those weird powers. It's strange but even though she's unfamiliar with those powers, something about it feels like she's right at home. As if she's picked up an art once forgotten... ]

When those stars came out of the sword to protect me, I honestly chalked it up to that sword having weird powers. However, when you summoned that whale into our battle, I knew I had to do something to protect myself... and that was when it happened.

[ She takes a deep breath to gather her thoughts. If she continued using that sword, she might have still assumed that star barrier came from the weapon in question but there's no denying she brought out her bow to defend herself against the whale. And that is truly the most baffling part of this situation. ]

Before I knew it, my whole body felt warm and I noticed a faint glow emitting from my chest. After that, the last thing I remember was a soothing voice telling me to keep fighting before I just... knew what to do. It's... a really weird feeling that I'm not quite sure how to explain. All I can tell you is that I somehow knew that barrier would be the best way to protect me from your whale.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Yoimiya's initial assumption about the stars was his too- he just figured the sword itself came with strange abilities that were under her power to command. Or, if they just automatically would protect the wielder of the sword itself. That would of made this easy, but of course nothing can ever be that easy. Childe's eyes narrow at her explanation, wondering what on earth that could have been otherwise. A glow and a voice...]

Hah, maybe you have a guardian angel of sorts on your side.

[It's a joke, but it's really all he could think of that it could be. At least, he hopes it's something that benevolent and simple. Of course, it probably isn't, in the end.]

But this does worry me...you seem to be a popular target for these sorts of things as of late. Thankfully, this time it was to help you instead of harm. Are you positive you aren't keeping something from me? [He says with a wink.] Any more secret powers that you're hiding up your sleeve?

[niwabi]

[ A guardian angel would be a nice and easy way to write off these otherworldly powers. There's a small part of her wishing that was the case but deep down inside, she knows it's never gonna be that simple. More questions and lack of answers keep piling up on them and as much as she'd like to stand around and solve this mystery, the answers will only come to them in due time.

So for the time being, she gives up the chase. All they can do is hope these powers will come in handy when they desperately need it. ]

Hmmm. Maybe... maybe not... [ She trails off with a teasing grin as if she were feigning her identity this whole time. ] it wouldn't be fun if I gave away all my secrets to you.

[ The open book says like she's actually got something to hide. ]

Or better yet, let me join in the fight with Columbina and you'll know for sure.

[ She! Still!! Wants!!! To!!!! Smack!!!!! A!!!!!! BITCH!!!!!!! ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[That's definitely a no, she doesn't have any other knowledge of more power or anything hiding from him. He snorts, amused by her little act here, but she's still gunning to get involved with the fight. Childe's hand comes down on the top of her head, mussing up her hair playfully as he looks down at her with a grin.]

You still didn't beat me, and I didn't even transform. Plus, you don't even really know how your powers are manifesting, so continuing this fight might prove far more dangerous than beneficial. You're going to have to do some training on your own yet if you want to really explore them.

[She can smack a bitch MAYBE. IT'S A MAYBE NOW.]

That training won't be against Columbina.

[Just to make sure they're clear!!!!]

[niwabi]

[ BOO, the hand to her hair brings out the most fearsome of HUFFS. With her arms akimbo, she narrows her eyes and puffs out her cheeks at him like a brat. Look at this guy, acting all big and tough because he didn't bust out his magical girl transformation. Well, she protected herself against that fatass whale of his and that counts as a win in her book. ]

Oh, whatever! You're just butthurt I found a way to repel your whale. [ yoi.......... ] But anyways, you don't have to tell me twice. I'm gonna train and work my butt off so hard that you'll be seeing even more stars.

[ But at least it's a MAYBE now instead of a straight up no. She'll take any victory, no matter how small it is. ]

Mark my words, I WILL join that fight. I'm not giving up until I show you and the whole world what I'm capable of.

[ Something something YOU'LL SEE! YOU ALL WILL SEE!!!!!! ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Look at this angry little goldfish. He didn't know goldfish could huff at all.

He folds his arms over his chest, letting her just go at it and get all that steam out. He knows that mussing her hair was going to get a reaction like this out of her, so he's going to sit back and enjoy his little hot-headed fireworks queen go off. She's really worked up and he's excited to see how far she's going to grow as a warrior. Really, he couldn't be more proud.]

Haha, then I expect that you won't let me down.

[Taking the time to at least figure out these new powers of hers would be beneficial...for everyone's sakes.]

But give me a little time to figure out how to really push you. This has given me a lot of food for thought.

[niwabi]

[ Even though she obtained a small victory, it somehow still feels like Ajax is the real winner in all of this...

Not only did he get to fight, but his girlfriend uncovered unknown powers and he gets to fight over and over again? Yeah, this can easily be considered a W for him. Too bad Yoimiya herself is none the wiser. She's just happy he finally acknowledged her a little bit. ]

Okay! I'm not scared of you. I'll rise up to any challenge you throw my way.

[ At least she's gained a little bit more confidence through this fight. There is one thing Yoimiya isn't going to let slide. Grinning, she brings her hand to the side of his face to tug on his cheek, just for good measure. ]

That's what you get for calling me boring.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He almost laughs. He's glad she's not scared of him, she's one of the few who he wouldn't want to be scared of him. Everyone else though, they should be scared. They should be terrified.

But when she starts tugging on his cheek, he frowns, making all sorts of protest noises at her.]

Owwwww...perhaps you should learn to be a little scared of me. That hurts...

[It doesn't hurt. He's being a giant baby.]

[niwabi]

[ Having dealt with children her whole life, Yoimiya knows a baby when she sees one. And right now, she's staring at the biggest ginger baby she's ever laid eyes on. Her diabolical giggles fill the air as she proceeds to squeeze his cheek like he's the cutest baby in all of Teyvat. Goochie Goochie Goo ]

Awww, baby Ajax can't handle a little squeeze? Where's the big bad Harbinger who summoned that whale?

[ But, she does feel a little bad for popping off at him. After giving him one last squeeze, she pulls her hand away to stand on her tiptoes and give him a small peck on the cheek. ]

All better now?

[monoceroscaeli]

[It doesn't stop, she keeps tugging and squeezing his cheek. Tartaglia grumbles underneath the Pinchy Yoi Attack, eye closing on the side where that kiss gets placed as she does it.]

No, [he pouts, but he's fine.] It still hurts, right here.

[He points to his cheek where she was squeezing it, still pouting at her.]

Big bad Harbingers need additional care for all the hard work they do.

[niwabi]

[ Archons help, he's sounding more and more like a gigantic baby with each passing second. It takes every ounce of willpower to not double over with laughter as he points at his cheeky like a brat wanting to be spoiled. She wonders how his coworkers would react if they saw their Eleventh acting like a baby. ]

Hmmmm. Normally I would agree, you do work your butt off and deserve a little extra attention.

[ Unfortunately for him, she also knows how to act like a huge brat. ]

But you were being a huge stinker in our fight.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Now it's Tartaglia's turn to huff. He knows how he was acting during the fight, but he feels like he's justified in his actions. His angry gf needs to know how to handle a Harbinger for what she's asking for him to allow her to do!]

Ah, I was simply showing you a sliver of what you're going to go up against. I was hardly being a 'stinker'. This is what battle is.

[He folds his arms over his chest and gives a small little huff again, as if she were falsely accusing him of something.]

I just like to have a little fun while I'm at it, is all. Fighting talk is one of my favorite things to do. It brings a level of heat to it all, taunting your opponent. Sometimes, you can even make them angry enough that they slip up- and then you punish them for it.

[( ๑‾̀◡‾́)✨]

[niwabi]

[ Oh, that huff is splendid. She's over the moon now that the tables are turned and he's the one acting like a huffy child. Yoimiya hears everything he's saying and even kind of gets it. Kind of. In the face of his fighting talk, she simply rolls her eyes right at his face with no shame or guilty conscience. ]

When you put it like that I suppose it makes sense. Even if they're cheap tactics, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do to gain the upperhand. But you want to know what you sound like to me? A brat.

[ Not that she has any room to talk but details, details. Of course that's not all, she has something else to add: ]

A huge brat stinking up the air.

[ She even goes as far as to cover her nose and make a show of batting the air away.

(≖ᴗ≖) ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[WTF cheap tactics? It's all a part of the experience, how dare she say that. It's like she's itching to fight him again, right? This is clearly her trying to rile him up to go at it, because why else would she say that? Why would anyone say that? Calling him a brat, what a hypocrite...]

Excuse you!

[Tartaglia sets his arms akimbo, feeling the itch to draw his blades in his fingertips...]

Perhaps you'd smell too if you were actually trying during our fight. Those stars did all the hard work for you.

[His mom taught him to be polite, but right now, with his sassy girlfriend all bets are off the table. He lifts his arm, and starts wafting his BO at her as he fans it with his hand!]

[niwabi]

[ She is absolutely eating up his reaction after all the shit he gave her during their battle. The grin on her lips curves even wider as she listens to him sound so indignant. He even sets his hands on his hips!! Riling him up and getting a reaction out of him is exactly what she wanted. ]

Excuse you. Big talk coming from the guy who had to bring out a whale to try and stop me.

[ But then her smug aura changes when he starts drifting the "smell" right back her. Yoimiya feigns looking horrorstruck as she covers both her mouth and nose. He doesn't actually stink, she's just being a brat. ]

Yuck! You need to take a shower, mister. Your BO is putrifying the air! Ughh... are you sure it's from the battle? Or did you actually fart?

[ Dragging my hands down my face at this dialogue. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Whether or not he actually smells is irrelevant to him, she's recoiling and actually takes a few steps closer to her for the fun of it all. If he's gunna be stinky, he'll give her something to call him stinky about!]

I don't know, [he sasses right back,] I don't normally allow myself to do something so crude in front of others. But if it makes you regret your words, I suppose using another weapon in my arsenal isn't out of the question.

[Too bad he doesn't have to fart. Maybe if he eats a whole bunch of vegetables and digests it later he'll fart on her when she's least expecting it.]

For now, suffer in the face of my battle-stink.

[Sniff him Yoimiya his armpit is right there]

[niwabi]

[ Oh Archons help. What has she done??? Only Ajax would somehow harness the power of farts as a weapon. She feels like she's made a mistake by bringing this up but that's okay, it just means she has to fight fire with fire.

Which includes eating the spiciest food Sumeru has to offer. Watch out Teyvat, this will be the most terrible battle of the century. But for now, she's more concerned about this smelly mofo walking closer and closer to her. Yoimiya leans in to give him one good sniff and it's not long until she's springing away from him. ]

Ewwwwwww! Get away from me you walking stink bomb!

[ And with that, she runs, all the while biting down on her bottom lip to hold in her giggles. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[It's too much, he has to do a small little spit-take as she sniffs his armpit, screeches and runs away. He wasn't expecting her to do that and that was really funny, so naturally there's only one thing he can do now.

Give chase!]

Oh no, you won't get away that easily. Come here and give me a hug, Yoimiya!

[Time to run after her, sprinting until he can at least get just within arm's length so he can keep a good close distance to her without actually catching her. Just to put the pressure of him on her back for a minute or two (*-`ω´- )人]

[niwabi]

[ Yoimiya took off running knowing full well he would give chase. As ridiculous as this convo is, it's doing wonders to raise her spirits and put her in a better mood. A welcome change of pace from all the doom and gloom from earlier. So, she keeps running away from him but not so fast to where he can't keep up with her. ]

Noooooo! I don't want to get infected by your stink!!!

[ She squeals, feigning terror in her voice. She senses that he's right behind her so she purposely slows down, curious to see if he'll swoop in to give her a big ol' smelly hug. ]

If you hug me... I'll become a stinker too.

[ GASP-P!! But lbr she's already a giant stinker. ]