"So this…is how I - khfff - meet my end…? Betrayed…by my closest advisor…?"
"Ahahahah! Was this not what you wanted, your majesty? All your life you dreamed of dying a hero's death, as if your duty to this land meant nothing to you! Well, rejoice as I bestow upon you your wish! Rest easy, knowing that your kingdom is safe in my hands!"
Violet flames flickered around the ruined bedchamber as the baroness advanced upon the prince with a merciless and cruel sneer, the flame of his life hanging on by a pitiful ember.
"Are you ready to go back on your word? Do you wish to be saved? You need not answer; romantic fools like you are too predictable! Well then - pray for deliverance, pray to be rescued by your precious knight - but no one is coming to save you!"
The dancing flames swirled around the doorway at the end of the room…
"I said…no one is coming to save you!"
Yet the only movement in the bedchamber came from the continuously raging flames. A long silence stretched out across the violet-lit room, and the baroness looked around in confusion…
"Noelle? Noelle. Teyvat to Noelle?"
"Hm? O-oh, sorry!"
Up on the balcony above, Barbara hung her head with a weary groan. She signalled to Sucrose, who promptly dropped several fireproof tarps over the violet torches with the flick of a lever, extinguishing their flames.
"Never mind, that was a good try!" Bennett said as he stretched his head out on Barbara's side, flashing the actors a wide grin and thumbs-up. "Well, no - that was kinda terrible…but it's okay! We've still got plenty of time to practise! Anyway, let's pack up, same time same place tomorrow…"
Mika stood up and wiped the ash from his costume, shaking large amounts of it off his cape. Fischl coughed a little as she fanned smoke away from her face, then they both got down from the makeshift stage that Bennett and Razor had set up in the tower a week ago.
"Well then, what think you of my performance? No doubt you found yourself spellbound, unable to tear your gaze from the dazzling spectacle that was myself?"
"Most impressive indeed, mein fraulein…if not for the prompts I saw you writing on the hilts of the daggers last night."
"S-say what?!"
As Fischl turned her nose up at Oz's accusation, Mika watched Noelle descend from the other side of the stage, shying away from Barbara's icy glare with a timid smile. Her silver knight's costume gleamed in the sunlight as she walked, as if the painted wood and fabric were real armour. The fluffy white feathers lining the edges rustled with her every step, as her winged boots clinked softly, owing to the loose pieces of Mora that Sucrose had cleverly taped to their interior.
"Are you feeling alright?" asked Mika as he passed her a cloth to wipe the ash from her face. "You've been kind of distracted ever since we started rehearsals."
"Oh, I'm fine. It's just…"
Noelle suddenly looked down at the silver-painted sword in her hands, running her fingers delicately over the wooden blade. Mika noticed a dreamy look in her eyes.
"…um, I'll tell you when everyone's gone. It's a little embarrassing."
Mika nodded discreetly, then left with Bennett and Razor to change out of their costumes in another chamber in the tower. As they left, Mika could hear Oz's muffled caws as he struggled against Fischl's hands clamped around his beak.
When Mika came back a few minutes later, the girls had almost finished packing away the equipment. Only Noelle, Sucrose, and Collei were left; Sucrose and Collei were talking to each other in the corner, the latter struggling to carry a large crate containing everyone's costumes. Mika felt an odd tingling of deja vu, and like clockwork, Noelle swiftly appeared at Collei's side.
"Please, let me handle that - thank you…"
With a sigh of relief, Collei gladly dumped the crate into Noelle's arms, then grabbed a startled Sucrose by the hand and practically dragged her full-sprint out of the door, excitedly saying something about a new TCG deck she wanted to try.
Mika looked back at Noelle across the now-silent chamber, feeling inexplicably like the world had shrunk a little. He watched her as she placed the crate neatly in a corner with the rest, then turned to him with an earnest smile.
"S-so, um…" Mika couldn't believe he was getting tongue-tied whilst alone with Noelle for the thousandth time. "…so, what was it you wanted to tell me?"
Noelle went slightly pink, raising an armoured finger to scratch her face.
"I read an article once," she said. "An interview with a young opera singer from Liyue. She said that when she puts on masks to play different characters for the first time, she can understand them on a level far beyond what she gets from reading or writing a script. She said it's…as if she enters the character's psyche, allowing her to see the story - the world - from their eyes."
Noelle took out a piece of her costume, the knight's chestplate, from the crate. She ran a gentle hand across the downy feathers that Bennett had glued onto it, stroking them tenderly.
"I felt the same thing when I put on this costume for the first time," she said. "All of a sudden, I was a hero in shining armour, ready to fight for the things I care about the most…exactly the kind of knight I always wanted to be. Even though it was all just for a performance, the thrill I felt was the same one I'd get when I played pretend as a little girl. I didn't know playing a character could feel so…freeing."
She went silent for a moment, still gazing at the armour with a dreamy, distant smile on her face - and when she realised Mika was staring at her, her face went pink.
"I-I know it's childish, but that's really how I feel," she said in a defensive tone.
But in truth, Mika completely understood how she felt. His own character in the play - a brave, headstrong, and stubborn hero, all of which were vital traits to his character (Fischl made that explicitly clear to him the day she finished the script) and none of which he found himself sufficient in. He never really felt insecure about these shortcomings, or thought of himself as a coward, but as a member of the knights he was constantly bugged by the notion that he wasn't acting as bravely as he should.
When playing his character, however…all of a sudden, he could put all that self-doubt aside, even if it was all fleeting and imaginary.
He couldn't deny that the feeling was exhilarating.
"…I see," he said, not really knowing how to put all of that into words. "D-don't worry, I don't think it's weird. I'm…glad you're having fun. I kind of get where you're coming from, actually."
"Oh - so I was right, then."
"Huh?"
"There's something…different about you when you're in your costume. I can see it whenever we're doing a scene together. I guessed you might be like me, living vicariously through your character to fulfil a wish you have…but I didn't say anything in case I was mistaken."
"Oh. Y-yeah…that's how I feel," said Mika. "You're pretty spot on."
"Really?" Noelle's eyes sparkled. "What about your role makes you feel that way?"
"Er…"
"Forgive me, that was a rather personal question. Still, it heartens me to know you find this entire project as fulfilling as I do." She let out a wanting sigh. "Wouldn't it be nice if we had a few extra scenes to ourselves? Then we could simply enjoy our little masquerade without worrying about a script."
"Yeah…that sounds nice…" Mika's voice trailed off in distant thought.
"Yes?"
"Well, it's just…nobody's using the tower for the rest of the day…and I doubt Bennett is coming back for the costumes…"
The nameless knight turned in horror as the door burst open, dropping the tattered journal from her hands as if it were ablaze.
"How did you learn of the secret hiding place by the lakeside?!" the prince demanded, his rose-adorned sword aloft. The evening light flowed like magma along his blade, yet it was still outshone by the fire that raged in the prince's eyes.
"Ah…my prince. I was…not expecting you."
"You're quite the hypocrite, aren't you? All you speak of is about how much I should trust you, yet here I find you in possession of a royal family secret."
"It was simply…not a secret to me."
"Impossible. There isn't a soul alive who knows where I keep my father's journal! Explain yourself before I break the promise we made!"
The knight's face turned ashen, her wide eyes trembling. And for a moment the prince wavered in his rage, seeing before him not the mysterious and valiant protector sent to him, but a timid young maiden.
"No! Do not ask me the question," she pleaded. "I speak the truth now and since the day I pledged my blade to you."
"Hmph - perhaps I would be more inclined to listen to you if I had a name to go with your face."
"Again you demand what cannot be granted. Oh, how I wish I could tell you who I am, and why I came to your side. Perhaps then you will finally believe I have no intentions of deceit? How cruel you can be, my prince, to stain your sword for vainglory and believe your own heart so righteous, whilst you tar mine with mistrust."
Gods, it was endearing just how much Noelle put into her role. Mika couldn't take his eyes off her; her bright-hot passion had him in a chokehold. He could tell how much she loved this; this was a completely improvised scene that they were just having fun with, and here she was coming up with lines that would fit right into Fischl and Barbara's carefully crafted script.
As Noelle finished her line, she gave a masterful imitation of a sorrowful sigh, then twirled sharply on the spot so that her feathers danced around her.
"Well?" She opened one eye to peer at him. "How was that?"
"A-amazing," said Mika. "Seriously, you could give Fischl a run for her Mora."
Noelle beamed at the compliment. Picking up the prop journal, she went to place it back in its chest. Mika noticed a visible spring in her step. She went to take a seat on the stage, her painted armour shining gold in the low-hanging sun.
Speaking of the sun, the stifling evening heat was starting to get to Mika. Standing around in a stone-brick chamber wearing three layers of decorative fabrics did little to help. Mika went to a corner of the tower where Sucrose had prepared an alchemical water dispenser, and got himself a drink before going to sit beside Noelle.
"That was fun," she chirped. "Perhaps we should do this again sometime?"
"We're…getting pretty close to our deadline, though. We've still got a little more to cover, and then we have to start rehearsing the whole thing…"
"Oh. That's right. Speaking of which, I have to commend your courage. I thought you might be feeling a little more anxious now that we're getting closer to the end."
"Hm?" Mika raised his cup to his lips. "Why's that?"
"You'll have to kiss me soon, won't you?"
A stinging pain suddenly attacked the inside of Mika's nostrils. He shuddered violently, trying to cough out the large amount of water that he had just swallowed, spilling his drink all over the floor.
"Oh dear."
Noelle instinctively pulled out a cloth to clean up the spillage, but Mika stopped her.
"J-just give me that."
She passed the cloth to him, and he immediately dived down to start cleaning up, turning his head away from her so that there was absolutely no chance of her glimpsing his scarlet face.
He had been so focused on every other aspect of the performance that he had totally forgotten about the ending. He already needed every ounce of his willpower to accept that he was going to kiss some random girl onstage, and now that Noelle would be the one wearing that feathered silver armour…he felt like Barbatos was having a laugh at him.
"How do…um…how do you feel about that?" he asked without looking up, his heart hammering rapidly. "The kiss?"
"Hm? Oh. I can't say I wasn't surprised at first, but after the initial shock, I don't think it'll be that embarrassing."
Mika continued to scratch at a chip in the floor with the cloth. That wasn't why he asked her that.
"You, er…don't have a problem…doing it with me?"
"Do you?"
Mika turned his head so quickly he heard his neck make a sound. Rubbing his neck, he stared wide-eyed at Noelle.
"N-no. I…no. I don't."
At his response, Noelle let her shoulders fall, the feathers around her shoulder plates fluttering slightly. Mika thought he saw her let out a breath. She looked…relieved?
"Well then, I'm fine with it," she said. "As I'm striving to become a proper knight and join your ranks, anything you have no problem doing…I should be capable of as well."
Mika wanted to point out that his knightly duties typically didn't include enacting a love story in front of a live audience, but it sounded like Noelle's approval was dependent on his own feelings on the matter, so he kept his mouth shut.
"Y-yeah, I guess you're right," he said, letting out the breath he too had been holding. "It is just a kiss…"
"Right? What's the worst that could happen?"
"Must we truly part again?"
"There can be no other fate for the treacherous. You broke your oath, as I did mine. What solace or reward may ones such as us be entitled to?"
"If this is our penance, I shall cling to this sliver of hope you have given me - I know where you are now. You feel closer to me than I have ever remembered. The gods cannot hide you from me. When the ashes have settled on the battlefield…on the first peaceful dawn this land has seen in years…I will come and find you."
The prince and his knight clung on to each other still, their hearts beating in resonance, joy and sorrow spilling forth in silent tears as they danced.
"Just wait for me…I will come home one day."
And as the two swans reached the end of their dance, their bodies coming to a still like the ripples upon a lake, the prince raised a hand to the anticipating knight's chin. With a hopeful shudder she closed her eyes, and with her blessing, the knight claimed-
Stars suddenly exploded in front of Mika's eyes as something hard slammed into his face, like he had run straight into a brick wall. He staggered backwards, let out a whimper, then fell back onto the grass.
He heard an aghast gasp, an outburst of hysterical laughter, and a very tired groan coming from somewhere above his head. A blurry figure knelt down beside him, and a second later, his vision magically cleared as a ring of shimmering water began to encircle his head, washing away a trickle of blood from his nose.
"Are you alright?" came Noelle's voice from ahead. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Mika looked up as she ran over to him, staring down at him in shock with her costumed hands clenched tightly over her ashen face. A crystalline golden barrier was gleaming around her body, on which a small red stain could be seen.
"Perhaps we should take off our Visions for the scenes where we don't need them…" Sucrose suggested, as Collei collapsed onto the ground next to her, clutching her sides and wheezing.
Noelle made her barrier vanish before hastily helping Mika to his feet, more half-formed apologies tumbling out of her mouth as she placed her hands on the sides of his head.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't know that would happen, I really thought I was ready, I-"
"It's okay. I'm okay. R-really," said Mika, who was starting to get flustered himself as Noelle felt him down for injuries, so close that he could feel her warm breath on his neck. "P-p-please stop."
Noelle stopped as her hands reached his collarbone, where they lingered for a brief moment before she abruptly recoiled as though she had touched an Electro Slime. She made a sound somewhat like a sharp breath, and she suddenly became very interested in staring at her winged boots.
"What happened?" Razor asked, running forth. "Why was Mika lying on ground? Is there danger?"
"N-no, calm down, I just panicked. That was…more alarming than I thought it would be…"
Her eyes flitted towards Mika for the briefest of seconds, and her face went bright pink. He pretended not to have noticed. He began watching Barbara as she frustratedly fiddled with her costume, taking off her large white hood and wiping sweat from her forehead. Her usually curly hair, now tied into two long braids, was frayed and unkempt from the afternoon heat.
"Bennett, can we just call it a day?" she huffed.
"Huh?" Bennett stared at her. "We're almost at the end. Can we wrap it up?"
"What's the point? It's frustrating enough that we had to come all the way out here because the trainee knights had to use the tower today; why even bother if some of us aren't prepared? It's a waste of everyone's time. And-"
She abruptly fell silent, apparently just noticing how Noelle looked like she had just been slapped across the face. Her expression stricken, Barbara looked around at the others, her eyes lingering for a second longer on Mika. He realised his jaw was feeling tense from being clenched in a tight frown.
"I-I'm sorry," Barbara said softly, as a hint of shameful redness became mixed into the angry scarlet of her face. "I need a break."
Razor's confused eyes followed her as she stormed off towards the lake. He made an attempt to stop her, but Bennett grabbed his half-outstretched arm.
"Leave her," he whispered. "I think she's still mad about the new role I gave her. My fault - probably should've known…"
Mika watched Barbara come to a stop by the lakeside, absent-mindedly digging her heel into the grass next to a small cluster of bushes.
"Um…N-Noelle?" he said, turning to face her. "Are…you okay?"
"I am," said Noelle, smiling up at him. "Barbara's usually very sweet to me, I know she's just having a bad time. Shall we just focus on rehearsing this scene? Since…I obviously need to work on it."
"It wasn't that bad."
He just wanted to cheer her up, but the lie was apparently too blatant to be taken seriously, and Noelle stifled a little chuckle.
"But in all seriousness, I'm sorry," she said one more time. "I thought I was prepared for that…apparently not. That was the first time my Vision ever went off by itself, too - oh, how embarrassing…"
"I didn't even know that was possible."
"Miss Lisa told me about it once…something about how you use the same part of your brain to defend yourself and to use elemental magic? I didn't really understand…"
"Defend yourself? B-but I'm not…I'd never think of…I-I-I'm going to stop talking now. Um, the notes you gave me - didn't you include a bunch of tips for reducing anxiety while performing? I found them pretty helpful, maybe you could…"
"I did go through them. But…well, the books I looked at for those notes didn't warn me about how fast your heartbeat gets when someone gets that close to you…"
Mika stared at her, feeling a heat rising rapidly in his neck. Did she realise what she had just said? Her matter-of-fact tone gave no indication that she was trying to imply anything else; did she seriously believe that kind of feeling was just an acting thing?
"Eeeeeeek!"
The scream from the lakeside caused everyone to turn. Barbara was standing there, her eyes were wide and trembling and her face ashen, with one hand clamped over her jaw. Her other hand shuddered violently as she jabbed it towards the cluster of bushes, at something near the bottom.
"What's going on?" Bennett called out.
"S-someone's dead…!"
Mika's blood ran cold as he looked down. Sticking out of the bushes, half-buried in the grass, were a pair of legs, still and lifeless as driftwood. His mind firing at full speed, he started to recall the protocol he had been taught - tell everyone to stay calm, get three witnesses to run for help, and then-
The pair of legs twitched. A second later, the bushes burst apart violently as the person inside sat upright, causing Barbara to scream and fall backwards into the grass.
"Woaaahh…how long was I out?" the person slurred, clutching the Cecilia-adorned beret upon his head. "Last time I spend my whole day drinking by the lakeside, hehe! Oh! Fancy seeing you here, deaconess! Did you come out here for a drink, too?"
Barbara didn't respond, glaring daggers at Venti as she plucked pieces of grass out of her painstakingly tied braids. Seemingly oblivious to her murderous stare, Venti quickly turned his attention to the others, before his eyes widened and he let out a whoop of laughter.
"Well, this is quite the ensemble!" he chuckled. "What's with the garish wardrobe? Is the Windblume Festival here already? Or is there a promotional event for the latest Inazuman light novel I haven't heard about?"
"Ohh…I see, I see," said Venti, stroking his chin as he stood before the group, looking around them with an odd smirk. "How interesting. As it happens, I'm actually quite familiar with this tale!"
"You are?" asked Sucrose.
"Never doubt a bard's knowledge regarding the obscure tales of his homeland, my friend! Why, I remember it as if I witnessed the author inscribing it myself! A tale of love and foolhardiness, of paradise lost and regained, penned in an era shortly after the fall of Decarabian to spread the word of the new Anemo Archon…"
Bennett suddenly looked at Fischl. "I thought you said this story originated from your kingdom?"
Fischl suddenly went bright red, stumbling over her words as she avoided Bennett's curious stare. Her hands flew to the wooden daggers in her sheaths, as if instinctively trying to defend herself from some threat only she could perceive.
"…Or at least, that's what some people believe!" Venti quickly added, giving Fischl an indecipherable wink.
Behind him, Barbara opened her mouth sharply, but seemed to think that she had done enough damage for one day, and she contented herself with a roll of her eyes.
"But enough about ancient history! Why don't you tell me about the here and now? In particular…why does the young lady behind me look so grouchy today?"
Barbara looked like she had just swallowed a Jueyun Chili. Venti turned on the spot, staring at her with a cheeky grin. She immediately crossed her arms defensively and avoided his gaze.
"I-I-I…oh, you wouldn't understand! My grievance stems from my own devotion to Lord Barbatos. I should shoulder this burden myself."
"My dear deaconess, no need to silence your rage! Let me hear your troubles; don't let your heart be a cage!"
"Oh, fine - I…I just don't feel comfortable acting as Lord Barbatos onstage…"
"Oh, is that what you are?" Venti looked her costume up and down. "Hm…but in the original story, the identity of the god was never specified…I assume you lot are trying to make the tale more appealing to the modern audience?"
"Yes, that's what Bennett wanted - but how can I wear our Archon's dress and pretend to speak for him?"
"Oho, but our little land of freedom is also a land of the arts, is it not? What god of either would our beloved Archon be to deny the expression of such a lovely tale through harmless mimicry?"
"That's…well…I suppose you're right."
"There we go! Problem solved!" Venti cheered. "Oh, but - hmm…"
He began to peer closely at Barbara's face, scratching his chin in musing.
"…I'd say your hair could use a little touching up. Hold on…"
He began to lick his palms. Barbara yelped and leapt backwards, staring at Venti in renewed disgust - only for the bard to start laughing.
"Just kidding!"
With a twirl and a snap of his fingers, a ring of Anemo-coloured light appeared beneath Barbara. A breeze picked up around her feet, causing her to shut her eyes as it blew upwards. And with the precision of threading needles, tiny gusts of wind snaked between her frayed braids, unfurling them with ease, before a downward breeze spiralled round and redid them perfectly, with not a single strand of hair astray.
"There!" Venti grinned. "Now aren't you just dashing? The Anemo Archon himself would be proud to have a pretty young lady like you donning his masquerade!"
"W-wow…thanks!" said Barbara breathlessly.
Mika stared at the two of them. He had no idea how that bard had managed to make Barbara's sour mood evaporate within seconds, but he appreciated the miracle. Come to think of it, as she stood in front of Venti running her hands over her braids, the two of them looked incredibly similar…
…he was probably imagining things.
"Anyway, I want to talk to the lucky two - who's playing the main leads?"
Venti scanned the area once, and his eyes fell on Mika and Noelle.
"Oho, so it's you two?" He practically drifted through the air towards them, his eyes shining. "Hm…yes, I can definitely see it. Well, do your best to put on a good show! I'll be watching!"
"Hey, Noelle. Get backstage, quick. People are coming."
"Just a minute, I'm almost done setting up the props-"
"Leave it to the other adventurers! We can't have you damaging your costume, just come back here…"
As Bennett pestered Noelle to get out of sight of the soon-to-be audience, Mika peered out at the venue from the other side of the curtains. The Adventurers' Guild had prepared the stage outside the city gates earlier in the day, and now that dusk had fallen…Mika found it a little ironic how he felt more tense now than he did sneaking behind enemy lines as a scout on Varka's expedition.
He tugged at the collar of his costume, trying his best to remain cool, even clutching his Cryo Vision in his other hand as he pressed it to his neck - he couldn't afford to start sweating now that Barbara had done the finishing touches on his makeup. Behind him, he heard Sucrose pacing back and forth, muttering to herself as Collei pleaded with her to sit down at the table with the others and relax.
The curtains were thrown sideways as Noelle finally came backstage - or rather, was forced backstage before Bennett's outstretched palms disappeared back behind the curtains.
"How many people are out there?" Mika asked. "I can't really see from here."
"They're still trickling in," said Noelle. "But I doubt there'll be more than thirty here tonight."
Risking being seen, Mika pried open the curtains a bit more. There were at least a dozen people scattered about in the rows of chairs. In the cover of the night, their faces weren't too visible…the thought of that helped a little.
His attention was drawn to a tiny figure coming in through the entrance, bouncing up and down as someone much taller held their hand as though on a leash. It was clear that it was Klee; Jean was probably just bringing her down before going back to her office to work through her never-ending stack of paperwork. Mika watched Jean guide the Spark Knight - or rather, he watched Klee drag her - over to the very front row of seats. There, Jean said something very quickly to someone sitting right in the middle of the row, then handed Klee over to them before briskly walking away.
The person moved one seat to their side to allow Klee the middle seat. As they stood up, Mika caught a glimpse of their face…
Archons above.
It was Eula.
And she was holding a Kamera.
Eula's eyes flashed towards the stage momentarily, and Mika saw a smirk creeping across her shadowed face. He jumped back from the curtain and flung it shut as though his captain's gaze were the tracking oculus of a Ruin Hunter about to bombard him to death.
Unfortunately, he did not have the luxury to avoid Eula for much longer - he heard footsteps onstage, and the voice of one of the female adventurers who had helped set up the venue earlier was heard loud and clear:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're very happy to have you here tonight! Please disable the flash on your Kameras, and-"
Bennett swiftly appeared backstage, nearly tripping over a chest of spare props. With a grin, he shushed everyone with one swift motion, and then ran over to Mika.
"Alright, we're up first," he whispered. "You remember what to do, don't you?"
Mika nodded, giving him what he hoped looked like a confident grin.
"Great! You're gonna rock it out there, just take it easy!" Bennett flashed him a thumbs-up and picked up the enormous prop claymore lying on the table, then headed towards the stage. There was silence on the other side of the curtain now - the adventurer outside had finished her introduction.
Mika felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, and almost jumped at the sight of Noelle's face mere inches from his.
"Good luck," she whispered.
"R-right. Thanks."
Mika wished he could've stayed backstage with her a little longer, but there was no more time. Still, it didn't matter…those two words filled him with courage, giving him the final push he needed.
He picked up his prop sword and followed Bennett out into the stage lights.
Canon Noelle x Mika interactions? In my Genshin event? Someone pinch me I'm dreaming.
I want to get the finale up by Christmas, but I feel like wrapping up my oldest longfic first before I do it…and maybe make a quick one of Xingqiu dealing with these two dorks based on the new event…so don't take my word for it. Most likely it's gonna be Lantern Rite again when I'm finally done.
Thanks for reading!