Things were getting a little wild at the Fatui campsite.

A certain Harbinger was growing more impatient by the second, pacing around the tent, his hands fidgeting over the other. Anxiety washed over him like the constant downpour of rain slowly flooding the nation of Liyue.

If the members residing within the campsite were to describe the feeling in the area, certainly they would say that there was a heavy amount of angst hanging in the air. It was almost suffocating, unbearable.

The tent's curtain was pulled to the side and a trembling soldier slowly made their way to Scaramouche who was still pacing around. Once the young man saw there was news, he immediately dropped everything that was plaguing his thoughts and eagerly stood still to listen.

"That was quick. I'm expecting you've brought her back. Where is she?"

"Well, my Lord, you see..."

The messenger whispered something to Scaramouche which deeply upset him, resulting in the Harbinger throwing a shift punch to the recruit's gut and watching them collapse from the pain. Staring down with disgust and disappointment, he ordered the soldier to leave before he decided to throw another punch.

Crawling away, the recruit exited the tent and vowed to never become the messenger ever again. Scaramouche was now left with the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and for a little bit of reassurance, he turned towards the other male in the shelter with him.

Through the corner of his blue eye, Childe watched that little interaction silently. Again, he chose not to speak against Scaramouche since he really did not have the time to deal with something as petty as this.

A fist was slammed onto the table as a way to grab the Snezhnayan's attention, which happened to work. Scaramouche's hands clenched and unclenched angrily, itching to find more things to hit and destroy. Childe simply raised an eyebrow to silently question why he was troubled.

"She killed the Cicin Mage!" Scaramouche exclaimed loudly, clutching onto his hat before unwinding in psychotic laughter. "Did you hear that Childe?! [Y/N] is amazing! She can murder one of her comrades in cold blood but fail to shoot the actual enemy?! Doesn't that sound awesome?!"

The young man shrugged his shoulders, continuing to sort out his equipment, "Well, you did want to provoke her and stir up a reaction-"

"Yes, but I expected her to come back!" Scaramouche shouted at the top of his lungs. "She was supposed to come back because I know she gets competitive over dumb things like that! Only I know how upset she gets when she thinks she's getting replaced! That Cicin Mage was meant to manipulate [Y/N] into crawling back to me but that moron failed miserably!"

"I know you're angry," Childe muttered as he packed some items into his inventory. "But I think we should continue with the Gnosis mission without secretary [Y/N]."

Scaramouche couldn't believe what he was hearing. Continue the mission without his secretary? That was something he couldn't imagine. After all, he was accompanied all the time. Even though before he would go on other missions alone, it just wasn't the same as having a partner. Having an assistant is fun, entertaining... It makes a man feel less lonely.

Childe glanced at the other Harbinger, "Maybe we should pursue Rex Lapis' Gnosis before it's too late."

"We can't stop now!" Scaramouche scoffed bitterly. "We were so close to killing those people she was with! If that idiotic Cicin Mage moved a little faster, we would have captured [Y/N] by now! I'm sure if we send another, we can finally get the job done!"

"Think about the events after secretary [Y/N]'s capture. I'm sure there will be a huge mess and the amount of paperwork to be sent to the other Harbingers and the embassy will be enough to be as tall as the Dragonspine mountain. Traitors like her need to be thrown in prison or worse, killed. Let's be realistic: this won't end once she comes back."

Scaramouche was speechless for a moment before declaring his future plans, "It will end once I punish her myself. I will be the only one to discipline my secretary-assistant. No one will even think of laying a finger on her."

"Here we go again..."

"I believe [Y/N] deserves the harshest punishment there is. Maybe I should lay her over my legs and slap her silly for an hour? Or perhaps, I should keep her leashed to me at all times? Oh, I can already see her dying from embarrassment... Then again, I wouldn't know what my mood would be when I capture her." Scaramouche spoke calmly, wondering about his next move. "What do you think, Childe? How would you punish a disobedient woman?"

"I don't want a say in this..." He replied, readying his bow as if he was preparing for battle. "Plus, I'm done standing here idly. Now is the time for action."

"Giving up already?" Scaramouche taunted.

"I'm going back to the Northland Bank for final preparations..." Childe sighed tiredly, turning towards the other male. "Will you be joining me on this mission...?"

"Is [Y/N] back yet?" Scaramouche's tone was painfully sarcastic.

"..." Childe had a look of dismay written all over his face.

"No. The answer is no. I will not forego with the Gnosis mission until she has returned back to me."

"You're insane..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Scaramouche snapped his fingers out of realization, "Childe, since you're leaving, make sure to keep an eye out for [Y/N]. Despite the fact that you're already quite wealthy, I will give you the bounty reward if you bring back my secretary."

The younger male nodded unenthusiastically.

"Let me know right away if you come in contact with her... And if you even try to retain any information about her location or recent activities, you better expect a fight from me." All laughing matter aside, the seriousness in Scaramouche's expression was enough to send an unpleasant chill down Childe's spine.

"I'll be going then," Childe walked over and pushed the tent's curtain open, not forgetting to glance back one last time. "When you finally decide to help, you know where to find me."

Once the younger Harbinger exited, Scaramouche felt his legs give way and he immediately leaned against a table for support. There was a look of torment in his dark eyes as he began breathing heavily, brimming over the edge with anxiety. It's no surprise that the absence of the person he loved the most was driving him crazy.

Crazy enough to put an insane amount of money on your head. Two million Mora, adding another million every twelve hours, was enough to spark the greed in every person, right? Then, why was it taking so long for people to pinpoint the whereabouts of one single person? It shouldn't be that difficult. It shouldn't be taking up this amount of time.

Many people look at Scaramouche's situation and think: Why is he making such a fuss over his runaway assistant? It would be better to just get a replacement. But no one understands and surely, they never will. No one knew how deep and how twisted your relationship with Scaramouche really ran in the roots.

Sometimes emotional attachments need to be considered when it comes to Scaramouche's feelings towards you. Take into account how many Fatui members are getting their asses beat for the stupidest things. Or how many boxes and trees are getting obliterated because of random violent outbursts. And how much Mora is being placed over an unnecessary bounty.

He was like a junkie on withdrawal. An insomniac, anxious, irritable, just tired - yearning for that drug he so terribly desired.

"I cannot believe how long this is dragging out... This is driving me crazy..." Scaramouche composed himself, getting up from leaning against the table and adjusting his hat to let it sit properly on his head. "It's driving me crazy... I can't stand it... [Y/N]..."

He emerged from the tent, in all his glory and power, walking unbothered without a care in the world. The mere sight of him was enough for soldiers to stop what they were doing and await new instructions. Scaramouche was not bothered by the dreadful rain and the roaring thunder in the distance, he was deeply concentrated in his next commands.

"All able Pyro Fatui Agents, line up front and centre! I have a special mission for one of you. It involves... connections with secretary [Y/N]'s family."

•••

You have been sitting on a little rock with your head in your hands for the past half hour or so. A shaky sigh blew through your lips as you tried to expel the adrenaline that was still coursing through your veins, it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

The rain continued to mist over you unforgivingly like it didn't care that your tears were mixing in with the water droplets. Though, you were starting to think the storm was slowly moving on. Liyue's weather never failed to make you sick.

At the moment, Lumine's party was praying in front of the Geo Archon's God Statue, as well as resting for a bit and taking care of any injuries they might have. You, on the other hand, continued to wallow in depression and self-pity, your emotions swinging like crazy and clashing against each other.

You really lost control of yourself, spouting nonsense and brutally murdering one of your comrades - a recruit that might have looked up to you (or at least was driven by competition). It's never been this bad before... Was this the reason why Scaramouche rarely made you fight enemies? Because there was a chance you would snap just like that?

Ever since you left, you were starting to discover more about yourself. Without him, you were beginning to realize how much you couldn't even think for yourself - always given orders, requests, something to do. It really made you think that your whole life was just one big waste of time.

"[Y/N]," Lumine came out of nowhere and crouched down next to you, patting your shoulder sympathetically. "I have great news...!"

You wiped your eyes and glanced at the blonde, still sulking on top of your little stone seat, "I'm finally going back to Snezhnaya?"

"Ahaha... Once we get to Liyue Harbour, I will ask Captain Beidou right away...!" The Traveller smiled crookedly and gave you a half hug when you started to sulk even more. "But Xingqiu and I have to tell you what we've discovered! Come on, we'll tell you all about it!"

You were pulled from your seat as Lumine gently took your wrists to lift you up. Timidly, you began walking with her, both of your hands entwined together while walking up to the other half of the party. The trio of best friends turned their attention to both of you, greeting you quickly.

Lumine stood back as Xingqiu walked up to you with a pile of dampening notes. Xiangling and Chongyun watched with interest.

"We found a cure," Lumine gave you a tearful laugh, almost squealing with excitement. "Your older brother's sickness is curable!"

Your eyes widened the slightest, "Really...? A cure...? But how did you guys find out...?"

The blonde explained, "Xingqiu said he learned a little bit of alchemy when he went on a mini-expedition to Dragonspine, Mondstadt... He believes that the lessons his acquaintance taught him would help us find a way to harness some sort of ingestible medication to reverse the brainwashing..."

"You told Xingqiu about my brother?" There was a sour tone in your voice.

"I did, I'm sorry," Lumine replied melancholically. "I knew I should have asked your permission first... But I couldn't just stand idly, I only asked for his help."

The blue-haired boy opened a book, looked over some handwritten notes, and shut it just as quickly. His golden-hued eyes sparkled brightly as he began to tell you about his findings, "After seeing what happened earlier today, I came up with a conclusion. Remember how Guoba was able to break the Cicin Mage's Electro shield? That is the cure."

"Taa daa!" Xiangling cheered as she summoned Guoba.

Xingqiu gave you a witty smile as he tried to simplify his explanation, "Your older brother needs some sort of medication involving the Pyro element. With this, the Electro shocks clouding his mind will be overloaded and essentially, removed from his brain."

You placed your hands on your hips, eyebrows slightly furrowing, "Are you sure that won't hurt him?"

"I'm positive he won't be hurt. From what I've seen, Geo Vision holders can be quite... how do I put this nicely...? They can be quite hard-headed." Xingqiu grinned bashfully, awkwardly placing a strand of hair behind his ear. "I mean, they are the best at protecting themselves from attacks. Know what I mean?"

You thought about it for a second and, once you were comfortable enough, nodded your head in agreement, "Alright, it seems like a plausible solution..."

Xingqiu had a bright smile on his face, "Of course, we will need to run a few experiments before actually producing the medication. I suggest once we get to Liyue Harbour, to stop by Bubu Pharmacy and ask for more guidance. Also... You wouldn't mind being a volunteer for the medicine testing?"

"Fine, fine..." You consented. "In the meantime, I will send a letter to my father. He has a Pyro Vision so hopefully having him with my brother would speed up his recovery. Could I borrow some paper, Xingqiu?"

"Wait, your father has a Pyro Vision...?" Chongyun suddenly spoke up, head tilting in confusion. "That's almost a polar opposite from your Vision."

"That's right...?" You replied in a questioning manner.

The exorcist held a finger up, "Wait, can I take a guess? Your mother has a Cryo Vision."

"Yes, you're correct...?"

"Oh," Lumine perked up. "So your brother has a Geo Delusion. [Y/N], you should have cleared that up-"

"No, it's not a Delusion..." You felt your heart drop to your stomach. "Why are you assuming he has a Delusion...?"

The Traveller awkwardly fumbled with her words, "W-Well, you told me he's a Geochanter."

"Yes, because he has a Geo Vision." Glancing at each person, your frown deepened the more they stared back at you with skeptical eyes. "Why are you guys questioning my older brother's Vision...? Are you doubting me? Do you think I'm not telling the truth?"

Chongyun continued, "So, your brother is a Geo user, while you and your mother are both Cryo, but on the other hand your father is Pyro... Does that make any sense?"

You fiddled your fingers nervously, "I don't think I need to explain... I-I don't understand why you're putting my entire family on the spot..."

"Have you ever thought about it..." Chongyun edged on. "In-depth?"

There was a deafening silence, the whole party's eyes were on you for an answer. Your heated glare towards the exorcist was just as sharp as daggers, anger was slowly building up inside of you. You can feel some kind of unpleasant pressure against your forehead and your stomach doing flips, like you were caught in some kind of lie.

"Visions are not hereditary." You pointed out bitterly.

Chongyun shrugged, "We know that but... it sounds like there's more to it..."

You felt a sting in your heart as you heard his words, his burning question was tearing you up from the inside. Trying to look unbothered, you attempted to laugh it off to no avail, everyone was waiting for you to say something. Anything.

The no correlation of Visions peaked the interests of each party member. Well, there was no use in hiding the truth any longer, you decided to give them a response. Although it pains you to admit it, why prolong this family secret until it becomes unbearable to withhold?

Clenching your hands into tight fists, you finally spoke up, "My older brother and I... have different fathers."

The group exhaled at the same time as if they were holding their breaths in anticipation. Expressions of distaste and mild discomfort were shamelessly plastered on their faces. All the more, you felt like an outcast.

"There, I answered your question." Your voice wobbled as you tried to keep yourself composed. "My mother... had plenty of fanboys that liked her... His father was one of them, but then ran off... Whereas my father... he helped my mother after she got pregnant..."

"What a moving life story. So, this brother you're trying to protect is actually your half-brother." Chongyun cleared up, humming in disapproval.

"Regardless if he's my half-brother, he's still my brother and I care about him deeply." You snapped back harshly, scowling at each person. "I don't think anyone understands because I believe that you guys don't have siblings."

Lumine reached out gently, "Oh, [Y/N]... I apologize-"

"Stop."

"Wait..." Xingqiu shook his head. "I didn't mean to-"

"Stop it!"

Xiangling held back on offering you any food, keeping a discouraged Guoba close to her chest.

Chongyun simply lowered his gaze from you.

"Please, stop asking about my family... It really, really hurts me to explain... I'm just worried about my brother's condition... That's all that matters... I just want to go back home."

The party stood still and stood silent, glancing at each other briefly before respecting your boundaries. Individually, each person slowly went away to attend to their own thing. Even Lumine summoned Paimon to have a short discussion with the floating girl, parting from the crowd. You felt like you were going to cry any second now.

Xiangling walked away sadly, the bell dangling from her clothing even made a depressed ding. In her arms was a pouting Guoba, snuggling against her shoulder as a way to comfort the chef. You assumed that she was going to go cook some more food to boost up her mood.

Xingqiu had a look of regret on his face, eyes glancing down at his book out of guilt. He didn't mean to pry like that, he figured that telling you any information about your brother's illness was going to be helpful. Still, he separated from you and walked off to stand beside the God Statue, distracting himself with his written notes.

As for the exorcist-

"Fatui girl, can we talk for a minute? Alone?"

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