Signora's Saviour- Chapter 8.

[Liu's POV]

That was a good night's rest. There truly is nothing quite like your own bed, especially after being away from it for so long.

That view of the city never gets old!

Oh, right. Aunt Beidou requested a drink with me when I came back, but I think she was expecting to be the one that takes me back to the mainland. Shit, what am I going to say as an explanation?

I'll have to improvise. For now, I should focus on breakfast.

Before leaving my room, I look through my satchel's contents.

Snacks..? Check. Zephyr's treats..? Check.

"Hmmm..." A particular item catches my attention.

I take it out and inspect it, reminiscing. The Carnal Crown.

Useful for enhancing my abilities, but I hate the way I become when it takes control...

...Meh, it must be because I lack mental fortitude to resist it.

I return the crown to it's place in my satchel and seal it up.

Right, time for food...

[Later...]

I now stand at the end of the path that leads in and out of Liyue Harbor. If the Alcor's moored, it will be in Guyun Stone Forest. So, that's my destination.

Here's hoping it goes smoothly...

[Signora's POV]

That damn cocky, midget, brat, pathetic excuse of a 'Harbinger' has ran off with the Electro Gnosis. Something I almost lost my life for...no, I almost lost my life fruitlessly.

It was his scheming that put me in that position to begin with. Leo...Liu was my saviour.

How ironic, the only person who's been willing to tolerate my...eccentricity, besides Arlecchino and...my beloved. To think he's the son of such an outspoken opponent of the Fatui.

Makes me wonder if I should keep believing him.

"Lady Signora, what should we do about the Scaramouche situation?" A Cicin Mage asks.

"It is not my call to make." I reply, hiding my anger. "We are on standby until further orders from her Majesty, the Tsaritsa. In the meantime, I suppose you could do some treasure hunting..."

"Understood." She bows and leaves.

I growl and throw an empty vase at the clifface, shattering it.

"To HELL with waiting around!" I yell to myself. "That brat made a fool of me!"

I pause, staring at the shards of the vase.

"I'll hunt him, I'll find him and I WILL break him!" I mutter. "Piece by piece."

It is what the Tsaritsa would want, after all.

I take a deep breath. 2 days until I meet with Liu again. We'll set off together immediately, after that treacherous Number 6. Liu deserves a share of the glory after all.

It just might save him from the wrath of her Majesty when she finds out about his deception.

Yes, Scaramouche will rue the day he crossed me and backstabbed the entire Fatui. That is certain.

[Liu's POV]

There's the ship. If Aunt Beidou's not on board, then I have wasted my time and energy coming here. Guess I'll just have to go and find out.

"Where are you off to?"

A group of Treasure Hoarders emerge and surround me.

"We can't have you proceeding without paying the toll." The leader says. "That sword of yours is quite nice, that will suffice as payment."

"Am I even in danger right now?" I retort.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You seem to only have 6 people here." I state. "That's not enough to stop me."

"Want to test that the-"

I interrupt him by rolling up the sleeve of my coat, revealing my previously obscured Vision.

"S-so what?" His grin faulters for a split second.

"You still want to do this?" I ask rhetorically.

I swiftly throw my elbow backwards striking the person that was sneaking up behind me, knocking him out. This changes the expression on the leader's face.

"How..?" He trails off.

"Don't let you guard down!" I shout before throwing an ice kunai directly at his face.

It connects, instantly taking him down.

I dive forwards grabbing the unconcious leader's body and holding it in front of me, facing towards the rest of the group. As despicable as they are, I don't want to end up killing them.

"I would suggest the rest of you to leave now." I throw the leader towards the group. "Take them with you, and don't bother me again."

"Don't be so cocky!"

Who's this? The second in command?

"We'll take you down in a fair fight." He says and the other goons ready their weapons.

"Big mistake guys..."

[Later...]

"Never had a chance." I say while dusting my gloves off.

The last conscious member of this gang collapses completely. That's dissapointing. They didn't even get close to hitting me.

Waste of my time.

[At the Alcor...]

I purposefully enter the Captain's quarters to see Aunt Beidou, asleep in her bed.

"Really? I come all this way to be greeted by that?"

Well, I suppose I can give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she's been busy. Now, how do I go about waking her? Anything too forceful would result in me getting attacked.

Suddenly, a pouch on her desk catches my attention. I wander over to it and peer inside, and sure enough, it's full of small crystals. This will work.

I take position a safe distance away from Beidou and begin chucking the crystals at her, taking care to avoid her head. The relentless patting of the crystals hitting the duvet should wake her up.

2...3...4...5...6

She groans and fidgets. I don't think she's quite awake yet. So, here's number 7.

"I get it..." She speaks, surprisingly.

"It's not like you to sleep this long." I say as she slowly sits up.

"Yeah I know, but Liu..." She pauses, then looks over at me. "Wait, Liu?!"

"Last time I checked, but you're welcome to confirm for yourself."

Beidou smiles. "Yep, definitely Liu. Only him could respond like such a smartass."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I continue. "Anyway, why were you still asleep? You haven't even changed!"

She looks over herself.

"Let me guess, my mother?" I ask.

"Dead been commissioning me a lot." She replies, while picking up one of the crystals. "Were you throwing these at me?"

"If I was any closer you would have got me in a headlock before I could even say one word." I explain. "I had to keep a distance to avoid that."

"Can you blame me?" She says while collecting the numerous gems on her bed.

"No, not really. I, too, would attack on instinct if I sensed someone too close to my bed." I admit.

"Exactly." Beidou stands. "More importantly, how are you back in Liyue? I was supposed to pick you up from Ritou when you needed."

I was afraid of this question. What do I say?

"I...I found another...way." I blurt out.

"That's not all there is to it." She states. "But I'm sure you have your reasons, so I won't pry."

I silently thank the Archons that she let it go.

"What IS the time, Liu?" Beidou asks as she puts the jewels back in the pouch.

"Almost midday." I bluntly retort.

"Hmmm..." She thinks to herself. "It's still too early to go drinking like we promised..."

This is one of the few times I've seen Aunt Beidou so deep in thought. She can be incredibly strategious at times. Usually, when it's concerning something fun for her.

"We can just hang out, I suppose." She suggests. "At mid-afternoon that's when we truly start to catch up."

"Sounds good to me." I agree.

I'll take this opportunity to unwind. Who knows what escapades I'll get dragged into with the Fatui...