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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 26: Comeuppances

Morning, a quick bath had happened and I found myself winging my butt out of the Jade Chamber as I realized who I had forgotten during that steamy night.

The kiddos! I forgot my babies! With the ferocity of the Dark Knight himself, I was soon hovering over the judicial house of the Liyue Qixing before landing in front of it. The guards sparing me a wary glance, but they stiffly nodded as I showed them the medal Ningning gave me. Something of a 'special guest' sort of ID which allowed me within the government's building and, as to why I knew my wards were in this place was one of the secretaries that arrived earlier that morning remarked it odd that Lady Ganyu had taken in young and unusual apprentices.

Of course the cocogoat would have a passive hatebone for yours truly! But see, there is a big issue with what she did. Had she come for me and only me, then I would have more than happy to play this game- but she went for Lumi, PaiPai and Lil' Durin... and that pissed me the fuck up. So, as I marched through the halls, the only thing that stopped me was a fussy fake cat-girl.

"E-Excuse me! Who are you and where are you going?"

I had to stop and smile a bit more since I couldn't exactly trigger Keqing since, you know, she is coded to be Ganyu's little gf.

"Oh, if it isn't the Lady Yuheng. My apologies, but I am quite in a hurry- see, I was told, quite scandalously, that Secretary Ganyu may have forced my young wards into unpaid assignments. And that is something that troubles the Lady Tianquan."

At the mention of Ningning's title and the situation, the purple-haired girl's scowl shifted into a surprised look. "Would the wards be a girl with blonde hair, one with white hair-"

"And a flying little dragon? Yes. I suppose you have seen them."

She offered a slow nod. "A-Are you going to cause issues within the Qixing?"

"Oh, I don't intend to. I wish just totalkwith Ganyu."

Indeed, I wanted to talk, but the kind of talk that is not exactly common between the locals of this world. Oh no, I felt like it was time to remind folks of one thing - Aha can also be a serious shitbag when provoked, and one of his emanators can only be just as deadly when there is no giggling in the air.

As we entered Ganyu's office, we found her attentively looking as poor Lumine whined over a lot of paperworks to write, with Paimon moving stacks of documents around with Durin. No one noticed we were there now, until it was too late for Ganyu. She turned to greet us, her gaze betraying her as she saw just Keqing standing by the door, but as she moved to stand up and greet her accordingly, a firm gloved hand suddenly pushed her back to her chair. She felt the grip, strong and intense and her eyes jumped to my face. There was no smile, there was no warmth or human care aimed at her, only a flat look full of hatred.

"Y-You-"

"I am very aware that my stay in this region is not accepted by yourkind, but I wish to make a very fine point clear before we ends up playing the wrong games: if you wish to come at me, go on and I will face you withallI got. Come for those I trust and care for, and I promise you that whathappenedto you with Childe in Nyantcha's comics will be afuckingjoke once I am done with you."

...

"Are we in the clear,little miss Ganyu?" I finally smiled after a while, allowing the cocogoat to digest my warning, and she reacted properly - with an obedient look.

"Good. Then you will be happy to know the Lady Tianquan is waiting to speak with you about this... how did she call it- illegal hiring without proper certification and permissions for the appropriate tasks."

Ganyu flinched as I knew that was a little bit of a big crime. So all kudos to her if she survived NingNing's wrath. That being said, I was over with her. I turned to Lumine, surprised her by picking her off from the desk where she was slaving off and-

"W-Where were you!?" Lumine bawled her eyes out at me as I picked the rest and walked away with them.

"Sorryyyyy, I forgot about time while I was having fun with my old friends. Worry not, the evil cocogoat is getting punished and we are eating some delicious snacks for breakfast since you worked so hard."

Food. Food was always the solution to this sort of problems, but I will need to work on keeping track of these three more since I forgot those that hate me may use them as easy targets to get to me. That and the fact I didn't want Lumi to develop trust issues around me. That was the last thing I really needed to feel bad about myself.

But as we left Keqing and Ganyu in that room, the Lady Yuheng turned to see her 'secretary' look mighty worried on what was going on. She wanted to say she would be fine, but if Ningguang was angry, then it had to be serious. That being said, something very bizarre stuck to her mind. Bizarre enough to make her verbally ask about it.

"What is a Nyantcha?"

While Ganyu was equally puzzled by this odd addition within the warning, she couldn't help but feel very nervous about that name and she unconsciously reached for her horns. It was as if those were in danger for some reasons and...

Ganyu had never thought of someone breaking those in a fit of anger until that very moment - and it terrified her to the bones.

Arlecchino had received a stress ball from one of the older children under her care as a New Year's Eve gift.

It was a simple rubbery thing that was meant to be squeezed. She had been using it a lot to handle the pressure of the paperwork. Nothing new in terms of tasks, but more children meant more chores to conduct over their documents. Fontaine was very diligent in all its paperwork, with adoptions being considered the most important elements within the bureaucracy.

Life had to be nurtured, not exploited. Long ago, some had tried to use these laws to abduct children for vile experiments, which made the Court very hostile towards those accused of torture and violence against the youths.

The House of the Hearth was thus an organization that put a lot of care in handling this sort of circumstances. Crucabena had used a loophole involving sending the children to the Doctor to 'study' under him. Of course, the practice was darker than that and no longer approved by the current Knave. That being said, paperwork can be burdening much to a mind like hers.

Having to take care of so many businesses at once, it felt frustrating how little free time Arlecchino had between her bureaucratic madness and training. But it was fine. The job she took wasn't one she yearned out of wanting it, but rather out of necessity. And as she listened halfheartedly as Lyney delivered another report from their latest missions, she was keen to say that her job had produced some fine assets for the House.

Standing beside him were Lynette and Freminet, all three with straight posture while Lyney took centerstage in delivering how their most recent investigation over suspicious activities from Sumeru bore some unusual results. Odd messages and dolls, but the messages was what interested Arlecchino.

Not because they had meaning to her, but the reaction they had on someone like Furina. The Hydro Archon was hardly someone that showed signs of 'panic' but she sure had a strangely terrified reaction at the one saying 'The you in the mirror will always lie to make you feel better'. It was such a simple 'fact' that it felt odd it had an effect on Focalors.

Maybe there was more than just a mere 'factual reminder', and that's why she had sent her children to see what this was all about. Of course, a trip to Sumeru was not acceptable for Dottore was known to be currently lurking the area, and she didn't wish for any of those under her care to deal with that monster on their own.

That being said, someone suddenly knocked at her office's door, and Lyney paused, noticing her gaze now aimed at the source of the noise.

"Yes?"

One of the children popped into the room. "Father, a message from Nikolai in Liyue."

She briefly perked up as she had been able to finally caught on what her foolish older brother had been up to as he left his little 'shelter' in Mondstadt. His return to Liyue was unusual and suspicious considering it occurred just a few days away before their agents in the region acted to retrieve the Geo Gnosis. She thought for a while he was planning to intervene and stop them, but she was told by Signora herself that Sampo had been a 'supportive element in Mondstadt, but nothing else noteworthy in her eyes'.

In simpler terms, Sampo was aware of those matters but not doing anything to stop those. Which conflicted with his efforts to end war in Inazuma as it had been crucial for their operations to provide Delusions as replacements to Visions for those that were stripped of the latter.

She couldn't see his plan, yet, and that made this game ever so an exciting novelty after another. Hence why she perked up for the letter, dismissing the little one carrying it once it landed on her desk and... she held back a sigh as she saw the three main children of this House glancing at the letter itself. Admittedly, Arlecchino had only herself to blame when it came to telling them about Sampo.

Not in a way that was outright telling of her past, but she stressed well enough he wasn't to be seen as a hostile element unless she said otherwise. And to... 'treat him like family'. In a weirder sense, it was ironic how, despite the Visions were switched, where Lynette took much from her, Lyney looked like a mini Sampo with his social awareness and his 'forced smiles'.

As she removed the letter from the envelope, her gaze was aimed at the document itself. Simple monitoring of Sampo's movements, some displays with locals which implied closeness and fondness - he always had a thing in making friends wherever he went - and then there was a peculiar theory where Sampo's stay at the Jade Chamber with the Lady Tianquan and Captain Beidou was of the...

INTIMATE KIND?!

The entire room grew hotter and the three other occupants tensed up at the spike in temperature. Lynette's feline ears twitched in discomfort as she stared at their Father, hardly known to show any discomfort or displeasure, suddenly flash a rather ugly look for a moment. Whatever was written within that letter was enough to not only cause the older woman's vision to exude great heat, but also cause the stressing ball in her hand to melt on the spot.

"F-Father?" Lyney spoke, trying to make sense of what was going on while also snapping Arlecchino out of her murderous burst.

To their surprise and relief, it worked as the Knave closed her eyes, raised the now freed hand from the melted ball to her face and sighed loudly. She slowly calmed down, the heat simmering and the tension vanishing. The three were still tense, shocked by what had just occurred, but Arlecchino recovered fast enough to give them reprieve with her next words.

"Children, I am proud of your good work. I will ask for your help in more chores but, right now, I need tothink."

They all bowed and left hastily, whatever happened with Sampo was enough to make their Father furious. What they didn't know was that a certain little sister was furious that her big brother lost his purity on two Liyuean sluts rather than with her!

And there was going to be a reckoning WHEN Sampo came visiting. She was sure as hell going to give him a proper beating once he was within reach and then... She was going to show him he didn't need any skank to have his bed warmed.

AN

Arlecchino through the many chapters - 'He is my brother', 'I like him perhaps more, but he is free to pursuit his own happiness', 'we are perfect, of course he is waiting to find me again so we can be whole', 'the hell you mean he gave the dick he owed me to two sluts?!'.