Disclaimer: The following story will have spoilers for nearly all of Genshin Impact. Specific spoilers will be listed above here but I cannot recommend you continue this story until after you have completed at minimum Inazuma Act III.

A winter's night earlier

Cold winter air permeates through the few openings of the Palace placed in snow. A gentle, almost melodic whistle echoes within the chamber below. The howl of the ferocious blizzard outside seems almost kind to the Lazzo underneath. Tartaglia looks up at the opening in the roof and watches as bundles of snow gracefully float down onto the tomb before him, the icicle immediately turning into water as it touches the elegant tapestry of stone.

His eyes are glazed, focusing on anything except the conversation occurring around him. The Palace seems almost lifeless, as it ever has. The crest of Snezhnaya drapes just as dull against the monochrome colors of grey. To Tartaglia, planning and scheming is always the worst part of any mission. But this specific one he has particular disinterest in.

"Come Pierro, is this really necessary?" The fiend-eyed Knave asks.

All 11 of the Fatui harbingers, with the exceptions of the 10th, 6th, and 8th, stand listlessly around an open coffin. A chilling darkness fills the void within it, screaming like the depths of the abyss. The crown of the coffin sits beside the stone carving, displaying a beautiful embellishment of the Snezhnayan crest across its features.

"People say the Northland Bank's true currencies are blood and tears. But Director even speaking as a banker that sounds a little unconscionable." The ever-manipulative 9th comments.

"Enough. Are you saying you wouldn't do whatever it takes to save the Tsaritsa? To fail in your duties as a Harbinger under her authority?" The cold and calculating director of the Fatui commands.

"They did not mention anything of the sort, Pierro." The captain speaks without emotion. "We may not all get along with Rosalyne, but this plan of yours may be hard to digest for some of the weaker-willed."

A furious Columbina makes herself known. "Weaker-willed?! We're talking about the execution of a fellow harbinger! One, I may add, that happens to be particularly adored by the most benevolent and powerful goddess of this era."

"What Columbina means to say-" Now the second of the harbingers chimes in from his spot leaning against one of the pillars. "is that she is having difficulty separating her own personal feelings from the calculated truth on the subject."

Columbina grits her teeth together, making a rather uncomfortable screech that mimics the sound of angels weeping.

Tartaglia finally speaks up amongst the risible rabble, annoyed at how much the other harbingers seem to enjoy the sound of their own voice echoing against the stone-cold walls. "Hey, c'mon now. Even I don't think this is the right time or place for a fight."

Pierro's voice booms across the empty palace. "Tartaglia is right. Fighting is only going to drive us mad wandering in circles. We all know what must be done. Whether we agree with it or not, Rosalyne's time has come."
Columbina doesn't say a word in response, simply staring at the empty black void of the tomb before her. Deep within her heart, she knew his words to be true.

"The nation shall witness half a day of rest in honor of her sacrifice to the Tsaritsa." The Mayor of Snezhnaya notes.
Everyone in the palace nods solemnly.

"Dottore. What of Scaramouche and the Gnosis from Inazuma?" The captain asks with a cold commanding glare towards the Doctor who examines a vial held in his left hand.

Dottore smirks a fiendish smile, "Conventional wisdom holds that divine knowledge cannot be rationally comprehended. After conquering the divine gaze he will make his next move."

"I'm going to assume that means he was successful in capturing the next piece on the board. Do not let your little experiments get the better of you, Dottore. The Gnosis is not for you to toy with as you please." Capitano states authoritatively.

"Clearly you do not understand the difference between me and my segments." Dottore chuckles. Capitano finds this to be less funny.
"I'm serious, Dottore. We're putting a lot of faith in you. Faith that may be misplaced." He mutters.

Dottore smirks. "I can promise you that by the time my experiments have concluded, we will know more than we ever wished to about Celestia herself." He sighs. "If only I could save a little bit of Rosalyne's blood for myself. The Flame Witch would prove to be a highly valuable asset to my studies."

Pierro turns his back on the group, the rest of the Harbingers halt their conversations and turn to gaze upon their director.
"You have your orders." He places a hand gently down on the empty tomb, brushing over the etchings of the familiar crest. "Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice. And with this nation, endure for all time. In the name of her majesty, the Tsaritsa. See it be done."

In all my years and all the worlds I have visited, I have never seen water burn. In the infinite void beneath me, I search through the rays of fire sparkling in the murky waters for anyone who might be drowning. Pieces of debris fall all around me, spinning their way toward the shallow ocean floor. I scoop endless amounts of water through my hands, pushing pieces of scorched wood aside on their way down.
I catch a glimpse of something metallic sinking into the darkness. A flash of purple soon follows as Beidou's sinking body is briefly illuminated by a sub-explosion on the surface. I dive down deep, grabbing the unconscious captain's arm and lacing it around my opposite shoulder. In the darkness, it's impossible to tell if she's wounded or not. I ascend to the surface, moving ever so slightly away from the burning Alcor above.

I breach the surface of the water, taking in a deep breath to fill my burning lungs. The ocean burns around the Alcor, pasting the night sky in an almost sun-setting glow. Ashes rain down from above, singeing the top of my hair like a firework as their embers glow gently out of the explosion they were created from. I paddle my way closer to the dock before throwing Beidou onto its wooden planks. My bangs drape in front of my eyes, blocking my vision significantly. I look further up the docks to find several sailors, singed and burned, pulling themselves out of the glowing water and collapsing onto the surface.
I try and pull myself out, the water adding extra pounds of weight on my muscles as my clothes cling to me like a blanket in the early morning. I spring out of the water, dripping the ocean into a puddle upon the wood. I rush over to Beidou where Paimon waits for me patiently. "Beidou!" I yell, refusing to let yet another friend die this day. She does not appear to be injured but that is not my main worry.
I hold my ear next to her mouth while checking her pulse. She's not breathing. "What are we going to do traveler?!" Piamon squeaks in fear.

"Forgive me Beidou." I mutter as I press down on her chest with the palm of my hand. I throw all my force into the action, repeatedly pushing and releasing. Pushing and releasing. Beidou does not move. I quickly tilt her head up and open her mouth in one last desperate attempt to save her. Just as my lips approach hers, she spits an ocean's worth of water right onto my face. Despite this, I can't help but feel relieved as her eyes shoot open.

"Tra-" She coughs. "rave-" cough "ller?!" She says in surprise, unable to finish a sentence without coughing violently.

I gently help the captain to sit up, pressing softly against her back. She looks at me with surprise, looking from me to the ship. The burning wreck swiftly falls beneath the waves, but the oversized length of the Alcor's masts continue to stick up out of the harbor even after the ship has hit the bottom.

She then looks to her crew. Untold amounts of dead sinking beneath the waves. Screams of those who were unlucky enough to be alive. She drags her hand through her hair, stopping at the missing patch that would normally cover her gouged eye.

She tries to stand, but quickly falls back down.
"Woah Beidou. Sit down. I'll help them." I plead with her.

The captain will not have any of it. "I'm fine. Just winded. I need to save the others." The air around her crackles with electricity as her vision glows deep purple.

"Don't push yourself, Beidou. But… I understand how you must be feeling. Let's go save them." I say, offering her a hand.

She takes a deep breath in before grabbing my hand. Together, we hoist her up from the dock. Beidou does not waste a moment to say a word, instead running towards the burning wreck before her and helping everyone out of the water.

Paimon also goes up ahead, doing whatever she can with her little body to clear the area of fire and debris. Just as I'm about to start heading over to help as well, I hear a voice from behind me.
"T-... Traveler…"

I turn around to find Signora lying weakly on the ground, steam emanating from her body coated in ocean water. Her expression is that of pure pain, as if she herself was also on fire. Her breathing is accelerated, panting as if she were out of breath and desperately trying to fill her lungs. Half of her crown was blown away in the explosion, exposing parts of her hair and forehead that I've never seen before.

She doesn't say another word after getting my attention, panting in torture. I'm not sure what's wrong with her, she doesn't seem to be physically hurt but is clearly in a lot of pain. Water evaporates off of her skin as she looks like she's about to collapse again. I bend down to one knee unsure as to what I should do.

"Signora…" I say softly, holding my hand out towards her. I'm afraid my skin might burn if I do touch her so I'm initially hesitant to do so. But I know I can't find anything out if I simply stand here and do nothing. I grasp her shoulder gently. It doesn't burn. In fact it's almost cold to the touch. The Fair Lady lets out a gasp of relief as her breathing slows to a steady pace. Her body stops convulsing as does her facial features return to a less pained expression.

"Traveler! Over here!" Paimon's shrill voice says above the lingering echoes of burning wood.

I stare at Signora who stares back at me. Our eyes interlocked for a prolonged period of time. As I attempt to leave, Signora reaches out and quickly grasps my hand. "Please don't go… Rostam…" She begs. I can feel the sincerity in her words. A rare moment of complete weakness from the Wicked Witch of Flames as she exposes a new self for the first time.

I back up slowly, judging her expressions as I distance myself from her. She looks hurt, but slowly I can see the witch returning as I remove my hand from her shoulder.
"Coming!" I yell above the noise around us.

I turn and run towards Paimon, leaving behind the Harbinger. I can hear her body slump and hit the wooden deck as I run toward the danger unfolding before me.

…

Devastation is the only word that I can use to describe it. The initial explosion had damaged multiple nearby ships and dock equipment which still smolders in the morning sun. It almost seems like all of Liyue Harbor has come to see what the source of the explosion was. Rumors spread like wildfire as the injured are carted off.

I didn't get the chance to see Beidou again after she fled with an injured sailor under her arm. I myself stand feebly against the wall of Bubu Pharmacy's living quarters. Carrying the unconscious Signora all the way here after wrestling the crew of the Alcor out of the waters all morning was certainly a way to test my strength.

Though I know Bubu is not a hospital, it is the only place I could think to go after Signora collapsed and would not wake. She lays in bed, mumbling to herself. About what I cannot discern. Paimon had gone to fetch Baizhu after being unable to find him or Qiqi manning the front desk, leaving just me and the witch alone in the room.

Her sweat seeps into the bed as her disheveled hair drapes across the ends of the mattress like a blanket. She breathes heavily, whatever is happening to her seems to be worsening.

'Come on Baizhu.' I say to myself, waiting for the door to open and the green-haired pharmacist to come through.

I can't help but ask myself why I continue to help her. She has been nothing but a pain since the moment I saved her. But what she's going through… isn't it awfully similar to what Teppei went through..? Maybe this is the result of overusing a delusion… Who knows how long she's had the last one in her possession.

Perhaps it's simply because she so closely reminds me of Teppei that I find it impossible not to help her. I should be with the crew of the crux, visiting members who survived. Finding Beidou and the others. I shouldn't be here.

I clench my hand into a fist. What happened last night… Why did the Alcor suddenly explode? Surely it can't have been something as simple as mismanaged cargo. Could it?

I don't have much time to ponder over the answer as Signora suddenly jolts awake, sweat dripping down her brow as she yells out, "Rostam!"

I nearly jump at the surprise of her waking. She pants, trying to calm her furiously beating heart. She glances at me without any malice as I slowly approach her. As I grow nearer, Signora clenches her forehead, burning in searing pain no doubt. She shuts her eyes and tries to push the pain elsewhere.

I sit down on the bed across from her as she gathers herself. "Welcome back." I say softly, not wishing to increase a headache any further.

She slowly regains her composure, though her unkempt hair does not. Seeing it drape across in long strands reminds me just how human she is, despite her efforts to make herself appear otherworldly in beauty. Her makeup had all been washed off by early attempts to cool her off and now with her bare face she doesn't seem nearly as intimidating. Yet somehow she still manages to appear flawless in her allure even while in such pain.

I can't even begin to understand the training she's had to do to always present herself as such.

"Traveler…" She mutters after a moment, lacking disdain or any other emotion. "What happened?" She asks, refusing to look at me as she gently applies pressure over the masked region of her eye.

I glance towards her as she awakes from her slumber. "The Alcor… exploded. We don't know any details yet but you suddenly collapsed. I think you might be-"
"I'm not sick." She commands with a booming and authoritative voice.

I want to sigh but cannot find the will in me to do so. "You still need rest. I made sure you weren't injured in the explosion but… something is definitely off about you. Though maybe this is just how you always are. I can't say I know all that much about you."

She glances at me briefly. A quick flash of sadness swims in her gentle blue orb. So short that I'm not sure if I even processed it before it was gone.

"By design." She says coldly, despite this she shifts her legs closer to her underneath her blanket. She seems to be cooling down for the moment, which is good I suppose. "Not even the other Harbingers know that much about me…" She says softly, her words barely louder than a pin hitting the ground.

Signora looks around the room with mild intrigue but mostly filled with bewilderment. "Where are we?" She asks.

"Bubu Pharmacy. The Doctor is the best one around. I was hoping maybe he could explain your sudden collapse." I respond, slowly getting up from the bed.

"The one who seeks immortality?" She says plainly, more as a statement than a genuine question.

Slight surprise fills my thoughts as she already seems to be familiar with Baizhu. "The same."

I can see gears turning in Signora's head. She doesn't comment any further on the topic. Just as the silence was starting to become awkward, Baizhu comes through the door with a booming authority. Changsheng, the white snake wrapped around his neck like a scarf nods in acknowledgement of my existence.

"Well, if it isn't the Crimson Witch of Embers herself." He says, coughing after he finishes. His words are not filled with malice nor intrigue. Simply professionalism.

Signora tries her best to maintain her composure, despite her condition swelling as time passes. "Doctor."

Baizhu nods to me as Paimon enters into the room quietly. "I always hoped to one day meet you. Though I'm sorry to know it isn't under better circumstances." Baizhu mentions as he approaches the sweating woman. He places a hand on her forehead.
"Yowch!" He yelps, pulling his hand back in pain. A red searing mark is left on his hand as proof of his attempts. "So the flying pixie was telling the truth. You're burning up."

"I know. I once had an ice delusion to keep it under control… however." She trails off at the end, looking anywhere but at anyone standing in the room. She seems much more meek. Perhaps its her psyche weakening from the constant exhaustion and pain.

Baizhu seems to understand what she means without her even having to say it. I for one still cannot comprehend why this is happening to her. My only guess is that is has something to do with the Crimson Witch which resides in her.

Baizhu backs away waltzes around the room towards a bookshelf that contains hundreds of dust-covered tomes. "You know, I read your book." He begins. "Being able to contain flames inside of your body to artificially increase your life and increase your abilities to an unimaginable degree. That is certainly something of envy." He picks up a book, nearly ancient in its appearance.
"If you are planning on extorting me for information about the ritual, you can forget it." The Fair Lady seethes through her teeth.

"Not at all, My lady. I'm only thinking about how I can help you. You see, in my quest for everlasting life, I've read through the book you published at the Academia multiple times. Thinking that perhaps it was my best chance at achieving that desired rebellion of humanity. But each time I thought about it, I was certain that such power and the ability to harness flames through your blood would come with a catch." He walks over with the book in hand towards the bed in which Signora lies in. "In this case, without something to control your body temperature, you are doomed as a slave to the embers burning within you."

Signora tightens her grip around the edge of her sheets. "I already know that. Gods I'm the one who was the first to know that."
The few records I've found about the Crimson Witch of Flames have not been pretty, and have revealed very little information to me. An all-enveloping storm of flames, one which I likely fought back in Tenshukaku. A powerful display of magic derived without the use of a vision. A power very similar to mine.

I swipe at the phantom pains of embers searing my flesh as Baizhu continues.
"I can see if perhaps Qiqi can aid you. I would need to test several hypotheses before being able to truly aid you."

Signora seems displeased. "I am not to become one of your test subjects. I would rather-" She keels over as a searing pain rips through her stomach. She gasps for air as I take a step towards her in worry. Her pain seems to temporarily subside even for the briefest of moments. Baizhu silently raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

I return back to my viewing spot just as Signora's pain starts again.

"Interesting. Traveler, could you get closer to the Lady?" Baizhu asks.

"Do not take a step towards me, Rodent." Signora spits out through the pain swelling within her.

I clench my teeth and bite my tongue. Now is not the time to be hurling insults back and forth at each other. I take a step forward, disregarding the consequences.

Just as I near Signora, her expression eases and the scorching pain seems to ease. Suddenly I begin seeing a pattern forming. 'Only I can touch her without getting burned… she seems to slow her burning whenever I near her… am I… keeping her from becoming the witch again?'

Signora seems to soothe her anger as the pain eases, returning once again to a rather stoic poise. Her icey blue eyes dart to me, as if telling me there would be hell to pay for not listening to her orders.

"Hmm. Interesting. It seems I won't need Qiqi to look at you after all." Baizhu comments with a snicker, watching the two of us silently bicker with our gazes. "Miss Harbinger. The Traveler here is keeping you from burning."

Signora turns her head to the Doctor and back towards me. I take a step back and the results are almost immediate as she begins experiencing flashing pains once more. I step near her once again and watch as relief washes over her face. Before I have the chance to step backwards again, Signora stops me.
"Alright. I get it. There's no need to give us another example." She spits, clearly not enjoying the fact that I hold her very life in my hands. "But that does not explain why."

I give a small smirk. Knowing that even after our fight, I still have something I can hold over her as leverage gives me a small dose of satisfaction. Signora glares daggers at me.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I vanquished the Witch in Tenshukaku." I mutter, just loud enough for the witch to hear me. She grits her teeth and bares her canines.

"I'm not a witch."

"If you say so." Is all I respond with.

Baizhu glances between the two of us and dons a gentle smile. "I can see staying around each other is probably not going to work. However I don't think there is anything I can do to aid you, at least not within a given amount of time. I can only give recommendations, and though it gives me no pleasure in recommending to search for the mystical instead of science, your condition is far from scientifical."

Both Signora and I look to Baizhu, then toward each other.
"What did you have in mind?" I ask him.

I Hate. Hate. Hate. HATE this feeling. Relying on someone to keep me from completely passing out.

I've spent my whole life studying and perfecting myself to the point where I would never have to rely on anyone ever again. Yet because this man saved me back in Inazuma, I'm now attached to him at the hip.

Moving a mere couple of feet too far away from him is enough to cause my condition to swell in agony beyond measure. The Crimson Witch's blood gnaws at my insides, begging to burst free from the shackles I keep it chained to.

Nothing makes sense about this situation. Why is it only HE who has this ability to calm the violent storm? Actually, if it was anyone of course it would be the only one to have beaten the Crimson Witch.
I look awful. Before heading out I took a look in the mirror and nearly gasped at my disheveled appearance. I can't believe I let anyone gaze upon my radiance while in such a moment of weakness. I really should pluck out his eyeballs in retaliation. But for now he is of use to me. It suddenly makes sense why I no longer feel so violently ill whenever I'm around him. By whatever means he is managing to hold the embers in my blood down.

An unfortunate side effect of this is that I have to stand so close to him we're basically touching. As we leave the pharmacy and head out towards our new destination, I find myself clinging pathetically like a lap dog to the blonde-haired traveler.

I try to hide my face as best I can. Without any of my makeup I simply look dreadful. I could at least brush my hair before leaving, though I still have some knots in my hair they're not nearly as bad as being bare-faced with my one true enemy.

I glance down at the blonde-haired traveler as we walk in silence to the hospital nearby. I've noticed it quite a few times but he's almost a head smaller than I. Though I suppose that's because I've got heels adding inches to my height.

Dreams from early flood my head, flashing images of gleeful springs and terrifying death like a burning memory. I shake the thoughts away from my head.
"I understand why you want to go, but surely it could have waited until after we followed Baizhu's instructions." I state, trying my best not to let my frustration show.

The Traveler pays no heed to my comment, focused solely on the growing building before us. Normally I hate being ignored. But honestly, now that we're forced to be so close to each other, silence is golden.

As we approach, more and more people seem to gather around the hospital. The Traveler's floating companion spots a few crew members in the crowd and drags us along to interview them.

The Traveler walks up to one of the surviving crew with me directly by his side. It's nice to know that even without my makeup I'm still plenty intimidating as the expression the sailor wears is priceless upon observing my presence.

"Hey! Are you alright?" The Traveler asks them kindly. I put my weight onto my right leg as I lean against the air. A habit of mine I've picked up over the years.

The crew member rubs the back of their neck and sighs. "Honestly, I was one of the lucky ones. I'm so ashamed I couldn't do more. I would have happily traded places with any of the other members if that would have helped save even one more life…"

"Don't say that." He responds. "None of the others would have wanted to see you act so hard on yourself."

My mouth opens before I can realize words are coming out. "Don't tell them that. The memories and thoughts of their crew cannot be compiled into a broad-spanning ideal no matter how intoxicating or pleasant it might feel. The only emotions that matter now are how you feel. The dead be damned, there's nothing left for you now except the memories you shared with them. Reflecting too long on their passage will end up getting you killed."

"Signora." Traveler bites.

The drooping face of the crewmate resounds across both of us. A hollow silence echoes across the cobblestone street of Liyue before it's replaced with the overwhelming familiarity of the bustle of street life.

"I'm sorry, we'll get out of the way. You should rest up soon." Traveler says hastily, trying to pull us away from the conversation.

The Traveler moves first and I step with him. As we approach the opening to the hospital, the sounds of the wounded and dying moan around us. A familiar sound. One which never quite leaves your mind after you first hear it. It's certainly not my first time, and I seriously doubt it will be the last.

The Traveler braves ahead and opens the doors at once, scanning the rows of beds methodically. Many of the minorly injured lay with bandages wrapped around their wounds. The pained groans tell a story as we walk gingerly past them. For once I feel a twinge of pity towards these pour souls.

I too know what it's like to have flames lick your skin.
I gently caress the mask over my eye, trying to keep the subtle gesture out of sight from the traveler.

A young purple-haired maiden rushes over to the two of us. I recognize her, she's the current Yuheng of the Qixing. I guess it only makes sense she be here.

"Traveler!" She shouts as she leaps towards him. Muscle memory almost forces my body to block the incoming woman from approaching, but I manage to keep those urges under control. She is obviously a friend to the Traveler.

The Traveler catches her in his arms as the two embrace for a brief moment. I can feel a flash of heat wash over me as my blood begins to boil. They separate from each other as the purple-haired woman glances towards me. I can feel my blood begin to cool once more.

"Keqing! Is everything alright here?" The Traveler asks worriedly.

Keqing looks at me almost like a cat stalking her prey, she has never been a fan of the Fatui in our brief conversations. I almost crack a smile as I think about our previous conversation.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I'm just glad you're alright. I heard you were at the explosion too but when I went to investigate and provide aid you were missing. I could only fear the worst. I'm glad I was just overthinking things." She breathes with a sigh of relief.

"How is everyone doing?" He asks the purple-haired woman.

Keqing tenses at the question. She casts a gloomy glance towards the floor. "I wish I could say everyone was alright, but we've lost a few more to their injuries. All the best healers and doctors in Liyue are doing their best to save everyone by order of the Qixing. But we've already lost many." She pauses in silent memoriam. "Do you know what happened? None of the witnesses have been able to say anything on the matter."

I only knew these people through conversations with the Traveler and what I experienced first hand on the Alcor. I can tell they weren't the people to simply store the wrong chemicals in the wrong places. This was a deliberate attack on the Crux pirates. One I don't enjoy finding myself in the middle of.

"I'm sorry but I know just about as much as you do. I didn't see anything in the heat of the moment. I planned on doing a little reconnaissance while I was here as well, but seeing the state everyone is in right now…" His voice trails off at the end.

I can't say this scene is unfamiliar. I had seen this exact room replicated a thousand times during the fall of Khaenri'ah. Each day more wounded and more dead would enter into a thousand different halls. Each time I prayed I wouldn't see Rostam.

The memories of that event 500 years ago pry into my mind. My face quickly darkens as I look to the ground in silent sadness. I can feel the Travelers gaze fall on me as I do so. He turns his attention back to Keqing.

"If you need anything, Keqing, I won't be far away. I have a trip to take with the Harbinger next to me so if you need me I'll be heading toward Huaguang. I'll be back in time to help settle things." The Traveler speaks, reassuring the purple-haired girl.

"Alright, Traveler. Be careful." She says, worry lacing her voice. She gives me one last daggered glance before stepping out of the hospital.

The Traveler watches with his pixie friend as she rushes out into the mob of people gathered outside. He sighs detachedly.

"Alright. Sorry, Signora. Sounds like Beidou isn't here. We can go now." He says in defeat.

It's a side I haven't seen of him before. I've seen fierceness, kindness, power, exhaustion, and all sorts of other emotions. But I've never seen him simply give up. I must admit it is a little disheartening.

Such determination is contagious. And now that I'm invested in it, I can't seem to find myself trying to pull us away towards our other goal.

"Don't be. This. This is a good reminder of this world's horrors…" I say, my voice trailing off as my sentence finishes. I pause for a moment, a thought occurring to me as we head towards the exit. I blush lightly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to buy some makeup before we leave."

"Are you asking me or commanding me?" He asks, a small smirk growing on his face. Ugh that pisses me off.

I furrow my brow. "Does it matter? I simply just require something to hold my face together."

The Traveler snickers, and then speaks words I was not expecting to hear. "You look pretty with out it though."

I nearly have to take a step back in shock. I'm used to being called beautiful and gorgeous with my makeup applied. No one has called me beautiful without it in… centuries. Suddenly, the words I wish to say get stuck in my throat. 'Don't think flattery will work on me' or 'Thanks, you don't look bad yourself' all lost as I swallow my pride and don a monotone complexion.

"I-I'd still like it. I don't feel like me without it." My first word comes out with a stutter, but I quickly correct my speech before he can tell.

The Traveler shrugs. "Sure thing. Though I suppose I'll have to accompany you. Can't say I know much about makeup though, that's mostly my sister." He says, scratching the back of his head and smiling.

'I didn't know he had a sister…' I think to myself. I don't think I know anything about this man who I am now attached at the hip to. Perhaps I- No. He is the enemy. A thorn in my side. I wouldn't even be in this situation if it weren't for him. But… I can't help but wonder what would have happened if in another life it had been he who freed me from my curse and not Pierro…

I shake the thought from my head and follow the Traveler to a boutique nearby.

Signora spent a long time picking out what makeup she wanted. Her standards included making sure it was at least travel resistant because both of us know there is likely going to be a lot of traveling from here on.

Back in Bubu Pharmacy, Baizhu left us with a little nugget of information.
"Though her methods venture into the realm of… mystics, Ms. Cloud Retainer might likely have an invention, or at the very least she could make one, to soothe the Fair Lady's condition at least until a more permanent solution is created." He said.

I suppose I could visit her, it has been a while since we last spoke. I hope she's doing alright. Maybe Ganyu will be visiting her as well.

This of course I all left out of the conversation.

Signora takes even longer to apply her makeup. She stares into a small hand held mirror which the stall woman handed her for free to thank her for buying her most expensive makeups.

Watching her apply her new and rather expensive makeup is almost hypnotizing. The way she sways her brush as if she were painting. The eyelash curls heavenward and really manages to make her eye pop. Being able to stand so close to her while she applies her makeup really helps me appreciate her beauty.

Too bad she's as rotten as it gets. I patiently wait for her to finish as I sit down next to her at a table.

I notice that she starts to get a little more conscious of my staring as she applies gloss to her lips. Her eye darts to me as she finishes her upper lip and moves onto the bottom one.

"What?" She asks.

"Nothing." I say back to her. How could I ever explain to my greatest enemy that I think she's stunning?

She gives me a confused look before continuing to apply her makeup.

By the time she has finished, the sun is high in the sky and the bustling city seems to be busier than ever. I watch as Signora places the last finishing touches on her hair before turning to me. She's lost her crown. She decided to discard it after it was damaged in the explosion. It allows me to see the top of her forehead.

"Yeah. It looks better without the crown." I comment.

"I wasn't asking for a compliment, Traveler." She states coldly.

"I was only giving you some fashion advice." I reply back.

She squints her eye in my direction, letting me know she doesn't all that much care for my opinion. She turns around and waits for a moment. She then swipes her hand almost as if commanding a dog to follow her.
I crack a smile and chuckle to myself. She knows she can't go anywhere without having me follow.

In the background, an auburn head of hair watches the two closely. Sneaking in the shadows of the noon sun. He grinds his teeth in frustration.
"She's… alive…" He mutters to the shadow next to him.

The shadow chuckles lightly. "I'm impressed even you thought your conceited plan would work. With how much you were boasting to the other harbingers I figured you would have something truly diabolical planned. If I had known it was just a single explosion, untimed and impractical, I would have been down at the docks to cast any suspicion of myself aside."

Tartaglia rolls his eyes. "Please, like Signora wouldn't have found your presence suspicious, Dottore."

"It certainly would have been better than making an enemy out of Liyue Harbor." Dottore jests from the shadows.

"Well what do you have planned then?" Tartaglia pleads defensively.

The Doctor smiles.
"A little lesson in Blasphemy."

You can tell I'm cooked because instead of studying for finals I'm procrastinating and writing fan fictions. Desire to write comes and goes but the ideas do not, so having all this extra time between chapters really helps get the juices flowing. Not that I enjoy having writer's block.
Anyways in case I don't see you until Christmas, happy holidays!