Signora's Saviour- Chapter 9.

[Liu's POV]

I watch as Aunt Beidou finishes up her half of this Hilichurl camp we had decided to clear. I finished before her as she was so insistent to take on the more crowded side of the camp. I guess she hasn't had much time to blow off steam recently.

"Have fun?" I call to her as she wanders back over to me.

"I don't know if 'fun' is the right word..." She sits down on the rock in front of me. "But, I definitely feel a bit better now."

"Well, that was the point of coming out here." I say while turning to look at the Sea of Clouds.

"True." Beidou pauses. "So, Liu, how was Inazuma and the rest of Teyvat?"

I turn back to her. "This world...is certainly an interesting one. Every nation has their own way of running things, and so international politics rarely occur at all."

"There are a lot of travelling merchants, though." Beidou interjects.

"Maybe so." I nod. "But those are individuals, they do not represent the interests of their country. The result of this lack of consensus between the regions is a bittersweet one."

"Please, elaborate." Beidou gestures for me to continue.

"There are not any nations that are on good terms to the extent of mutual defence or officialized trade routes. The closest thing we have is the Feiyun Commerce Guild. At the same time, there are no countries that are at odds with each other. However, seemingly everywhere seems to be suspicious of Snezhnaya and it's governing force, the Fatui."

"Can you blame them, Liu?" Beidou asks. "The Fatui have always been somewhat hostile. And I'm sure you know of the attack on Liyue Harbour by Osial's wife. I heard that it was the Fatui themselves who awakened her."

"Do you have any evidence, other than hearsay?" I reply. "Having spent time in Snezhnaya I can say, with confidence, that the soldiers of the Fatui are not heartless."

"They target the Traveller without hesitation." Beidou stands. "The hero of TWO nations."

"The Traveller?!" I have to stifle a chuckle the mention of him. "He is a one man propaganda centre. So many people rally behind him, not realizing his true feelings."

"What are you on about, Liu?" Beidou looks concerned.

"Think about it Beidou. He set out on his adventure with the purpose of locating his sister." I explain. "That has been the only thing on his mind the whole time."

"I don't see your point." Beidou shakes her head.

"Everything he has done, that's notable, has been solely for information on his sister. Everything! He does not care for this world. That is what I believe." I state.

"That cannot be true. He's saved lives, many of them, in fact." Beidou protests.

"If he had awakened with his sister, he would have forsaken Teyvat. And also,saving lives means very little if was never your true intention. Especially to someone like me, who he has done precisely nothing for." I stare at the grass. "The way he parades around, upholding that lofty sense of justice and righteousness...it makes me sick."

Beidou frowns. "I think you're being too harsh, Liu. Would you say this to him?"

"No, of course not, and not because I'm scared." I state. "I just think it would be advantageous to not make an enemy of him. Still, I would happily fight him if it were unavoidable."

Beidou stays silent.

"Then let me ask..." I begin. "How can one claim to be an idol for a concept that is simply a matter of perspective?"

"And besides, I could never ally with the person who endangered the woman I've come to love."

"What?" Aunt Beidou looks directly at me. "What did you say?"

"I...I've said too much." I begin to walk away. "This conversation is over."

"Hey, wait!" Beidou starts to catch up.

"Please, Aunt Beidou, I just want to be alone. To cool off a bit." I say.

She looks troubled, but solemnly nods.

[Signora's POV]

Why did I give Liu three days? My patience is thinning.

"Ugh...I need to relax..." I mutter to myself.

Perhaps I'll use the nearby river for that purpose. It is the only solution, I suppose.

[Later...]

I let out a long sigh as I lower myself into the water to the point that it up to my neck. Thank the Tsaritsa, it's not too cold.

Leaning my head on the bank of the river, I drape my arm over my eyes.

[4 Months Ago]

The last Hilichurl succumbs and collapses at my feet. Shouldn't have gotten so close to HQ.

"Lady Signora, this area has been cleared..." An agent reports.

"Go on." I reply.

"However, there's an overwhelming enemy presence at the Dead Forest." He says.

Dead Forest? That's where I sent Leo as a scout.

"How many?" I ask, hiding my growing worry. "And who?"

"It looks like the Treasure Hoarder's base camp there." He explains.

I know Leo's good, but he's not THAT good.

"We're heading there immediately."

"Understood." He bows and walks off.

Leo...you better be alright. No right hand man of mine will be so reckless as to let himself die like that.

I swiftly begin making my way towards the forest, wasting no time on petty existences. I'll get you out of there Leo. I'll definitely save you.

Arriving at the forest, I start looking around for any sign of Leo or the Hoarders...Nothing. Did they move on? If so, where's Leo?

"Leo?!" I call to the emptiness. "Leo it's Signora. Me and the squadron are here to back you up."

I turn to the team of soldiers.

"Search for Leo right now." I order.

They all salute and comply immediately. Calls of Leo's name fill the forest, my own included...Come on, you have got to be somewhere here, Leo.

"Lady Signora..." A voice calls from the right.

I wander towards it and it leads to a group of my soldiers congregated around something.

"Yes, what is it?" I ask. "Did you find him?"

"Well..." One of the soldier's hesitates.

"What?" Don't tell me...

The group parts revealing-

"No..." I whisper covering my mouth.

I slowly approach the body and kneel down, lifting the top half up.

"No!" I shout, looking at the lifeless eyes.

It's just like Rostam...this world has taken yet another important person from me.

"Leo..." I feel tears forming. "Why? What did I do to deserve this?"

Am I cursed?

"Guess he got too cocky..."

"I knew this would happen..."

"Good riddance..."

"SHUT UP!" I snap at the murmurings of my squad. "ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!"

The tears that had previously just been forming were now streaming and falling into the snow.

"...Just go." I say. "Before I incinerate you all."

I look back down at Leo. Where is his sword?

"Those Hoarders..." I grit my teeth.

My attention is caught by his Vision, devoid of any light, snuffing out the last spark of hope I had.

"I...I'm sorry..." I hold his body in my arms. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..."

[Present day...]

I still don't fully understand why Liu did that to me, but I guess he doesn't know what I've been through.

...Alright, that's enough dwelling on the past.

I rise out of the river, dry myself off and start to dress myself again.

[Liu's POV]

I return to my room in the Jade Chamber after greeting my mother and the staff. I look around and admire, once again, the wellness of it's preservation. Well, guess it's time to repair this...

I slide of my defunct hook and set it on my worktable.

"Let's find out what broke..." I sit down and use the variety of tools to access the inner workings of my mechanism.

"I see..."

The launcher snapped, but that's something that can easily be fixed with a small amount of dried slime secretion. With that solution in mind I take the launcher out and set it down gently.

It's been a while since I've done something like this... Do I still have the skill?