"As long as they aren't poisonous, there are no good or bad ingredients," Xiangling crossed her arms in defiance. "It doesn't matter if they taste bad on their own at first."

We were on our way to the dining hall, and I suspiciously eyed the bulge in her bag that I knew to be slime condensate. Determined to hear her out before being too judgmental, I listened to her case.

"You can find the best ingredients in the most unlikely of places. Imagine how sad it would be if everyone saw mint as a pesky weed and never gave it a taste." She slowed to scan the area with a sigh. "Okay, there's no mint here because of the groundskeeping, but I can still demonstrate."

"Demonstrate?"

Xiangling veered off the path, waving me over to join her. "I heard a rumor that the hedges have secrets. All you have to do is give them a little shake."

Without hesitation, Xiangling thrust her hands into the dry leaves and rustled them around. Nothing happened. She pulled back, hands on her hips, and frowned.

I idly plucked a leaf that had gotten stuck in one of her braids and watched it flutter to the ground. "You can also find amazing food in incredibly likely places—like the dining hall."

"That's no fun," she pouted. "I'm probably not using enough force. Let's see…"

She didn't seem to care what other students might think of her crouching down to grab the base of the wooden stems. I ducked down with her to avoid looking like a crazy person talking to plants.

Xiangling shook from the bottom, causing the whole hedge to shudder. What did a bunch of bushes have to offer other than leaves, sticks, and bugs? If Xiangling tried to pass off some random beetle as a rare delicacy…

A soft thud interrupted my thoughts.

Her hand shot out to grab the object, and she squealed, "See? What did I tell you?"

It was a mushroom.

"Huh," I leaned close to confirm. "Would you look at that?"

Xiangling winked before taking a small chunk off the mushroom and chewing it delightfully. "Matsutake. Nice."

My hands were grasping the hedges before I could stop myself. Where had that mushroom been hiding? What other secrets did these hedges hold? While the action seemed wild to me just seconds before, Xiangling proved at least one point.

I shook it with as much force as she did. No drops of anything.

"Can't resist, can you?" she grinned. "I did back-and-forth already. You should try side-to-side."

Second attempt—with a little extra force.

Something small, white, and round popped out of the dense shrubbery. It would have rolled away if Xiangling wasn't a sharp gathering fiend. This time, it wasn't a mushroom.

"An egg?" my jaw dropped. "How did—what birds are nesting in here?"

"I wonder if we can get lizards next." Xiangling's fingers twitched in excitement. "You keep checking this one. I'll hop over to another hedge."

"But what about dinner—"

She was already gone.

With a sigh, I decided it wouldn't hurt to indulge her passions for a little while longer. We would have gotten to the dining hall early, anyway. Right as I reached out to hassle the hedge a second time, I heard something familiar—someone familiar. Two whispering voices accompanied by snarky giggles.

Cici and Cicin.

When I tried to peek, nothing was visible through the leaves. That was for the better. If I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me.

"It won't be long before Tartaglia breaks," one of them snickered. "I would too if I had to endure Vlad's existence for a week."

They were talking about Childe? Who was Vlad? I scooted closer to listen better.

The other mage let out a cackle. "I can't believe he actually sat at their table. Signora warned us not to directly provoke any of them."

I shouldn't have been shocked to hear Signora's name. They'd been her loyal followers before she was expelled, but that was so long ago. Why did it sound like she was still giving them orders?

The voices grew stronger as the pair walked closer to the hedge, coming from the dining hall's direction.

"She also warned us to get results," the first tutted. "It's harder for us to be involved because people are already so wary, but Vlad has been under the radar for a while now."

"He's got a backbone, unlike the new recruit."

"Oh my gods, the weasel."

"Do you think that loser will actually pull it off? She's got, like, an army of guys on her side. There's no way he succeeds."

A sneer. "I don't care. It's not our problem."

Tension and curiosity gripped me as the Twin Mages walked further away. This had to be related to whatever Cicin was doing in Kaeya's room. I had a feeling she wasn't acting alone, but I wouldn't have guessed so many others were a part of it—Signora being the most concerning.

Those two weren't the only ones who could make use of stealth. The hedge had some length to it, and I stayed low to the ground as I kept up with their speed.

"You're right. I'm so glad we only had to sneak around for evidence."

That was the last sentence I was able to catch before the talking stopped altogether. Had they noticed me? Panic shot to my stomach, but there were no shouts of realization, and neither of them burst through the hedge. A few more seconds of silence passed, and I slowly lifted myself to peek above the leaves.

Cici and Cicin had forked off onto another path. I spotted the glow of their blue and purple lamps hanging off their bags as they walked away, completely unaware of my presence.

If not knowing what Cicin was up to before was an issue, finding out some of the truth turned out to be an even bigger problem. Cici was a suspect now, too. Same with Vlad, though I still couldn't figure out who he was. Another name they mentioned also needed to be considered—they called him a weasel. Was that a code, or were they being mean? It could be both.

I stood pressed up against the hedge for just a moment before brushing off the leaves that decorated my blazer and veering back onto the designated path as though I hadn't been sleuthing in the landscaping. Xiangling was nowhere to be found, so she was probably hidden in one of the surrounding hedges if not in the ones further away.

I clenched my jaw.

Signora.

Even after getting expelled, she found a way to be a thorn in our side. Whatever her agenda was, it had to do with Kaeya—Cicin had invaded his room—and Childe—who was supposedly being bothered by Vlad in the dining hall. Figuring out The Weasel's identity would be crucial, but that would come later.

"That's a negative on the lizards," Xiangling announced, popping up several hedges down and waving an arm to get my attention. "All this searching has me famished. What do you say we pause and grab dinner?"

I joined her at a brisk pace with a nod. If Childe really was getting riled up by Vlad, the dining hall was the first place I wanted to be.

The smell of popcorn hung in the air. Popcorn was a rare item on the menu, and Xiangling inhaled deeply with approval.

What drew more of my attention was the head of the Pyro table. Amber and Bennett were already there, sharing a serving of popcorn. They stared straight ahead to where Childe and Thoma sat, or rather, in-between the spot. Normally, that's where my seat was.

Right now, it was occupied by a student I didn't recognize. That had to be Vlad.

He looked normal. Average. Certainly not the kind of person that would align themselves with the Twin Mages or Signora. He looked especially innocent under Childe's scrutinizing glare. I couldn't imagine what Vlad could have said to earn such a look, but the problem was probably where Vlad was sitting.

"Oh, I remember him. That's the same guy who sat in your seat this morning. You didn't show up, and he chatted with Childe the whole time. He left a bad taste in my mouth."

"Oh?"

Xiangling sniffed. "Yeah, he would ignore the rest of us and only focus on Childe. I can't even tell you his name because he didn't even bother introducing himself."

Thoma gave a wave when he saw us approach. He was the only one not engrossed by the Vlad drama, but there was an edge to him that suggested things might take a turn for the worse. Childe also looked up, his expression lightening for a brief moment before darkening several degrees at Vlad.

"Your time's up," he said, jutting his thumb away from the table. "Leave."

"You can't be serious. I was here first. Why should I have to give up my seat for someone who was too late to claim it?" Vlad's voice was unusually confident for someone in his situation. "There's still a seat open, anyway."

"For Xiangling," Childe nodded to my friend who cheerily waved back. "The one you're currently sitting in is Lumine's."

"She wasn't sitting here for breakfast."

"I was busy at the time." I stepped up. "You are…?"

Childe interrupted. "About to leave. Lumi, this is that annoying guy I told you about earlier. You know, the one that won't stop pestering me. I've shown him enough mercy by ignoring him—"

"I have a name. It's Vlad."

"—but he won't quit it. Violence is the obvious alternative."

Vlad's beaming smile didn't match the atmosphere. "You're finally accepting my invitation to fight? Excellent. I've been meaning to observe your skills up close."

"A beatdown, not a spar."

Vlad shrugged. "I can tough it out. You've taught me so much already."

At some point, Xiangling had slipped into her seat and silently munched on popcorn with Amber and Bennett.

Up close, there was an odd sharpness to Vlad hinting at an ulterior motive. One of the mages mentioned he had a backbone, and they weren't kidding. In the face of Tartaglia, he didn't back down. What did Vlad hope to gain from this, though? What was Signora's goal?

If I had to guess, Vlad normally hung around the Visionless table that had plenty of seats open. He was only here now to get Childe's attention. Or on his nerves. Both seemed to be working.

"You have ten seconds before I kick you out of the table. Would you rather be kicked into it? I think the wood could use a little reshaping."

"What, all this trouble to make room for one person?" Vlad laughed in Childe's face. "Lumine, hey, you're Visionless like me. I've heard a lot about you from Ellin over there, so why don't you two go and catch up? I'm sure you could make better use of your time talking with her than distracting the great Tartaglia."

My shoulders prickled at his dismissive tone, and I stalked over to loom over where he sat.

"Excuse you, but I don't know you, and you don't know me. Nobody wants you here at the moment, so I suggest you leave," I said in a calmer tone than I felt. "Now."

He whistled low, eyeing me up and down. "Ellin sure gave you a lot of praise, but you don't look like much up close. Did someone like you really ascend to Physical Combat II after just one day? Am I the only one questioning this?"

My hand twitched.

"Oh, I get it. You must have made some sort of deal with the instructor," Vlad said assuredly, wiggling his brows. "Who knew the Conqueror of Demons was capable of having interests? Just so you know, student-teacher relationships are against the rules."

The implication he made was obvious and far from the truth. An angry heat flushed my cheeks. Judging by how Vlad's smug grin widened, he probably thought I was embarrassed.

Childe was right. A solid blow to the jaw might be enough to knock Vlad back down to reality.

"I can keep a secret," he winked. "As long as you're willing to extend the favor to me—"

Vlad didn't get a chance to finish his sentence just as I didn't get the chance to swing a proper hit. His eyes widened with shock—quickly transforming to anguish as a pained scream burst from his mouth. Leaping up from the table, Vlad cursed and drew back to reveal the steaming liquid that soaked the pants of his uniform.

I stepped away, avoiding the stray droplets that he shook from scathed hands.

"Oh, goodness."

Everyone looked to Thoma, who innocently held a teapot.

"I meant to reach over to grab some popcorn, but this teapot was in the way. I'm afraid I noticed too late and the tea was already spilling out." He smiled apologetically, though it didn't reach his eyes. "What a waste."

"You—" Vlad hissed through his teeth. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? The lid is still on the pot. You poured that on me yourself."

Amber gasped. "Thoma would never! That would be awful—to waste tea."

"Vlad, I don't think you have what it takes to withstand the effects of my bad luck," Bennett sighed. "You're better off going to the infirmary and staying away from now on."

"Who knows? You might end up with food poisoning next time. It would be completely unintentional, of course," Xiangling said. "You wouldn't happen to have any allergies, would you?"

"I…" his voice came out garbled, and the confident mask slipped away. A weak laugh rasped from his chest. "This wasn't supposed to…hah. I'm going to need a rain check on that fight, Tartaglia."

The prick turned away, shoulders hunched, and fled from the table. He didn't get very far before Childe was in his face up and swiftly grabbing the lapels of Vlad's blazer. Vlad visibly struggled to pull away, but there was no competition in strength between the two.

At that moment, Childe was replaced by Tartaglia.

The aura of bloodlust that radiated from Childe's body was nowhere to be seen in his dulled eyes or the flat line of his mouth. There was a stillness to him more dangerous than any Vision or weapon. I cooly watched as Childe leaned in to whisper something into Vlad's ear before roughly shoving him to the floor.

Vlad scrambled up from the ground, and I bet the snow in Snezhnaya wasn't nearly as pale as he'd become. He stood on shaky legs, opening his mouth to say something before shutting it abruptly. Vlad backed away slowly at first, his frightened eyes never leaving the threat in front of him, before nearly tripping over his own feet and rushing out of the room.

The doors banged open as he fled, echoing loudly in the too-quiet dining hall. I looked around and noticed that everyone had put their dinner on pause, watching the entire scene play out in suspense. Now that Vlad was gone, whispers broke out, and crunching sounds of popcorn being munched dissipated some of the tension.

"Hey, Thoma," Childe said slowly. "I can grab another pot of tea for you."

This time, Thoma smiled for real and set the emptied teapot on the table. "Green tea is best for detoxification."

Childe nodded astutely. "Green tea it is."

there is a leak in my basement and mice in my ceilings. writer's block had me in a chokehold until the recent ragbros angst lore got me creative again. it's a good thing these things are temporary, but the job i just started is (hopefully) not. working full-time has thrown off my energy balance, and I barely get my good good genshin playtime in before the day is up :( and so, it took longer than i liked to write this chapter, but it's here, and you're here, and i'm here for that 3

good luck to all yoimiya and thundering pulse wanters! yoi is one of my faves 3 hyv did her dirty with a banner right before sumeru release…