Diluc's consciousness was slowly coming to, the static of voices in his ear, seemed far away, he groaned, the shot of pain in the back of his head present. A hand buried deep into his hair, tugging the fistful they held, jerking his head back, a humorless laugh heard behind him.
"Oh, what a sight you are, Master Diluc. It's a shame, Tsarisita did not permit me to have you." Dottore somberly, his gloved hand, petting Diluc's cheek in false affection. Diluc felt like ice in his veins, the bile rising in his throat was choked back down, and his breathing was shaky, memories of seeing his father be mercy killed, the day he went on a rampage throughout Tyvat, clouded his head, biting back a snarky retort, a swift blow to his stomach was dealt, coughing at the air being punched from him, the bile left his mouth, leaking into the floor, tears welled in his eyes.
"This person is supposed to be persona non grata. All I see is a pathetic worm, who used his hate for us in the name of his father. You do not deserve to carry the legacy you're a weak-minded fool of a father, so cherished to capture." Sneers Arlecchino, glaring at the man before her, before turning away in disgust, her nose twitching from the smell of bile filling the room.
"Now now, Arly! Don't be so harsh to our friend here. I'm sure he can explain his reasoning, don't ya want to know why he chose to target us, comrade?" Chirps Childe, a wild grin displayed on his face, his dead blue eyes lit up from the captive before them.
Arlecchino scoffs at the sight of her fellow harbinger, turning away from his cheerful personality looming over, she walked over to the blindfolded male, tossing him behind her with a flick of her wrist, bending down to eye level with a young lady, her platinum blonde hair in pigtails was messy, her hair was all over as if she struggled against it.
"Oh? Taking an interest in the deaconess, Arly? My, I didn't know you were that desperate-" Arlecchino spun around, her lips in a snarl, glaring daggers at the ginger-haired male, who grinned back innocently, as if he did not start anything.
"Knave. Tartigila, please control yourselves, we are here to finish what was started in Snezanya." Butts in Pantalone, adjusting his glasses, the two harbingers back away from each other, Arlecchino crouches down, and the muffled cries of said girl are quiet, but the tears streaming down her face stain her reddened cheeks."She's grown into a lovely young lady, hasn't she? No wonder that boy follows her around, claiming to be her number-one fan. Maybe she should see how you look now?" Murmurs Arlecchino, letting her gloved index finger slip into the blindfold, causing Barbara to flinch outwardly, her whimper running higher.
"Could we not just kill her? Her being is merely irrelevant, she only grew up with the three, because of Lady Gunnhildr's mother." Added Childe, his hands lingering on his weapon.
Pantalone waved his hand, the notion was unheard but confirmed what he was asked to do. Childe pulled out his iced sword, moving toward the deaconess, Arlecchino held her hand up, before lifting the blindfold off her, her teary eyes glistened, her eyes frantic from looking at the two harbingers closest to her.
"Wh…where am I? Why are you doing this?!" Barbara remarks frantically, looking back and forth between the two, a humorless chuckle left Arlecchino, and her smile widens as she near Barbara.
"Be a good little mouse, there's nowhere you can run to." Chided Arlecchino, curling her hand in Barbara's wavy pigtails, and yanking her harshly, a yelp left her, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Pl..please let me go.." pleads Barbara, her face wet with tears.
"We have bigger fish to fry. Let's not waste our time with those who cannot properly fight back." comments Childe, his sword cutting into the back of the dress, closing in on the nape of her neck.
"We have all the time in the world, no one is going to bother us, even if they try, our recruits are guarding the said area. It would take them time to arrive to even stop us." Snaps back Arlecchino, caressing Baraba under her eye, fear reflected in her pale blue, as Arlecchino, grasps her chin, biting her glove, as she slowly takes it off, tossing it behind her.
"Oh? Did the girl give you ideas? My, how unusual for you to feed into your nature. She must have angered our knave." Taunted Dottore, a wicked smile covering his face, turning back to Pantalone who looked unimpressed by them.
"Do what you will. I have no qualms to stop either of you from punishing our prey." Mused Pantalone, his palm resting on his cheek in thought. "However, do be mindful, attracting the wrong attention will cause us to speed things up a bit."
Arlecchino ignored the warning, dragging her short-manicured nails along the deaconess's exposed shoulders, leaving trails of beading red, across her collarbone, the girl sniffled but kept quiet. With a wicked smile, she pulled a pocket knife from inside her coat, painting it red, Barbara shook from her silent scream, her breath quickening, as the slash ran from her shoulder to her wrist, and red seeped through her sleeves, slowly rolling down her arm in trails, the pain was swift, gritting her teeth, she kept her eyes locked with Arlecchino. The jagged cut was not fatal, she flickered the blade at Barbara, and the droplets of blood blinded her momentarily, as it splattered her face. Cooing at the girl's strong front, she pinched her cheek, in mock adoration, her nails digging into her wounded shoulder, as she pulled the young woman forward, stumbling her. Her wrists aching from the tightened rope, the white-haired harbinger, pressed a finger into her mouth, holding her tongue, Barbara squirmed uncomfortably.
"Adorable little mouse, let's hear you sing." Chimed by Arlecchino, a confused noise muffled from Barbara came out, her smile lessening, she used her index and thumb to pull on her tongue, her voice commanding instead of playful. "Sing for me. Us. Show me why they come to you for prayer and hope in your archon."A poor muffled tune came from Barbara, her pronunciation was off, but her voice ran clear, despite the difficulty she was having. Barbara lurched forward by a sudden harsh grip tangled in her hair, her head banged against carpeted wood, the dull thud echoed, repeating with no real rhyme, before letting her stumble away, aching from the treatment, feeling dizzy.
"...no more…no more…" murmurs Barbara, a trickle of blood running down her forehead, dripping from her nose onto the carpet.
"We just began, little mouse." Arlecchino grabbed the scissors from a nearby desk, and grabbed the back of her dress, cutting it away, to see the pale skin, untouched and unmarked. Barbara clenched her teeth, shivering from the cold air hitting her now exposed back, trying to look up, her head slammed back down, bruising her nose into the floor. The knife was pressed into her pale skin, not fully cutting into it, as she let it crease her back, her shaky breathing was ignored.
"Arlecchino, are you done? We still have the others to play with."
"If you're so impatient, then go ahead. Take your pick from the lot. No one is stopping you from having any fun, child. "
"It's Childe. And I'm waiting for you to clear the way. Your plaything is taking up much space. "
"Then go somewhere else. I'm not done with her."
"...I see. Then I take my leave."
Arlecchino ignores Childe's snide remark, turning back to the girl. Carving into her back, her screams echoed throughout the halls, each piercing screech, was met with her head slammed into the ground, untucking her legs, she placed the girl's head on her knee, admiring the staining of red marking and smeared across her skin beautifully.
"Red looks lovely on you."
Barbara cried hard, her words jumbled with pleads and begging to be let go, Arlecchino smiled at the sight. Gripping the young woman's chin, her teary eyes still slightly dull, she pried the girl's mouth open, her fingers gripping her tongue, Barbara started to squirm, fighting from the steel grip, but it was futile on her part. She tore out her tongue, sobbing and choking on the blood that engulfed her throat, gurgling, the sensation of something wet touching Arlecchino's leg, disgust filling her face, shoving her away, as it seeped into the carpet. Arlecchino sat near the girl's side, ignoring the staining on her knees of the yellow liquid surrounding Barbara, her cries becoming less frequent. Her face turned away from the carpet, Arlecchino plunged her hand into the eye socket, uncaring of the girls slowly dying attempts at talking, she yanked it, leaving red tears leaking out of the now empty socket, doing the same with the other, tosses said appendages at Dottore, stuffing the bloody parts unto an empty medical baggy, before hiding it away, nodding quiet thanks to her.
"Get rid of the maid and old man. They are not needed. " Commands Arlecchino, rushing to the bathroom, with a fatui recruit trailing behind holding an extra pair of clothing for her.Childe dropped the female into the younger, her arm was twisted as her legs were cut from the knee down, her face splattered with dried blood, eyes dull of life. Pantalone fixed his glasses, pulling out a handgun, he shot the maid and old man quickly, tossing it to an expecting grunt, who caught it, rushing away towards the river to get rid of it. Childe pouts at Pantalone, who waved off his upset reaction to the simple point and blank offing he did.
"Where's the knave? Was she not torturing someone earlier?"
"She will be back. Just unfortunate circumstances happened that ended her fun earlier than she wanted."
"Oh?"
"I would not bring it up if I were you. Picking a fight now would be troublesome."
"aww, comrade. It'll be just a quick spar, please!"
"Absolutely not. A quick spar to you is the worst kind to be asked of you. Now shush, time is running out, and our dear young master has not faced his retribution for attacking ours." Hissed Pantalone, grabbing Kaeya as he stumbled walking with Pantalone guiding him with his long hair tangled into his hands, stopped short of Diluc.
"Isn't he-?"
"Yes, and his blood will be the last thing Master Diluc will see."
"He already caused pain for him. A strong warrior like him needs to be burned before he is shown any mercy."
Diluc was pulled upward by his midsection, and his unfocused vision snapped away as Kaeya's bloody lip, and blood trickling down his chin, chilled his blood like ice, feeling frozen by the looks of his brother, his eyes glassy, words stuck in his throat.
"Kae…ya…?"
"Ah, so you do hold a fondness for the traitor!" Chirps Childe, grinning down at Diluc. Pantalone ignores the jab at the redhead, ripping away the gag, Kaeya coughed, his vision blurred, the eye he covered always, gleamed a bright yellow. Twisting his arm back, Kaeya hissed at the pain, clenching his teeth, as Childe whacked his head with the handle of his frozen hydro blades. Diluc's mouth was covered, muffling Kaeya's name, as he saw his sworn brother's head slump down.
"Dillluuc~! Aren't you enjoying this? This is nothing new to you, after all. You who fed our fatui to the black flames of your delusion turned on your best confidant. And lost daddy dearest because you were weak and following a pipe dream."
"I…i..just wanted…"
"There's no need. Your words would never reach their ears. For their forgiveness was never theirs to give."
"Leave Kaeya. He has done nothing. Let me take the blows of your fallen. For I shall never request reconciliation for what I did."
"Oh, but there's another matter at hand. Why just get rid of you? When we could bring in old familiar faces as well!"
"That-!"
"Silence, boy. I'm done with your whining. You are a mere fool who dared raise your hand to a nation, with more soldiers willing to fight under their queen than the others who want peace and do not resolve their pleas with violence. May you waste away, with your beliefs of proving anything worthwhile. Your time is now."Childe said nothing, moving past Pantalone, he quickly in succession sliced Kaeya's throat, gurgling then falling with blood stains seeping into the carpet, his body motionless.
"You-! I could've used him as another patient!" Snarls Dottore, gripping Childe's coat in anger.
"He was useless to us. Besides, we still have Master Diluc. Let's bring him to our queen, I'm sure she'll allow a small mercy, and let you use him for your experiments."
"Tch, he's only good to me alive. I doubt our majesty would allow this."
"Then I guess we'll just gut him here. Unless you wish to hear what our Tsarisita has said."
"Arly, welcome back comrade!"
"You were talking to her? Why, and why only you?"
"Quit your bitching, and listen, filthy mutt."
"Arlecchino,-!"
"Please continue. The doctor shall not speak till you finish, Knave."
"Yes, well she has informed me. That we may take the prisoner home. Or we can let him burn into the depths of hell, as he deserves."
"Let's start escorting him! I cannot wait to fight him, once he heals."
"Hm, Dottore carry him. I will ask our agents to pack his clothing and other necessities."
Diluc felt his ears burn, his mouth locked in shock, the conversation around him numb and wordless, blocking out whatever was to be said. He looked at the carnage, stilling at the sight of Barbara, her mouth dripping in red, her eye sockets empty and expressionless, bile rose, heaving onto his carpet, and his stomach emptied itself, the foul taste lingering on his tongue disgustingly.
Gritting his teeth, he watched his vision be pocketed by the ginger-haired male, who winked at him playfully, his grin full of excitement, making his stomach ache. Lifted up, and being carried bridal style, Diluc gave no hint of fighting back, the flames licked the building, as it engulfed each other, the burning of wood, a run his nose, placed by the Tartigila, who kept his hands linked to Diluc's forearms, watched the manor burn, as they rode far away from the sight.
"Isn't this exciting, Master Diluc! Our fight is gonna be legendary!" Cheers Childe, grinning wildly at him. Arlecchino hung her arms off Diluc's stiffened shoulders, her breath caressing his ear, as she spoke, chilling Diluc.
"Are you happy now?"