[Once Lyney and Heizou reuinited and reconciled, they were borderline inseparable from each other; spending countless hours in each other's presence and spending each night at one of their houses. Even when they weren't being intimate they were still eating out together, walking hand in hand together, and just taking the time to fully enjoy each other's company in ways they hadn't been before. It seems that both men are determined to make use of the time they previously squandered together.]
[It's late at night, past when both of them fell asleep after a night together. All is quiet in Heizou's house, and both men are tangled in each other's arms. All is calm, and all is still as the two men sleep soundly.]
[At least, it was soundly. But suddenly, Lyney shifts in his sleep. lets out a soft, pained noise. And even in slumber, his expression turns pained.]
[Even if Heizou weren't tightly wrapped around Lyney as they slept, he's gotten so attuned to his companion's sleeping patterns and the peace of their surroundings that the moment he hears an unusual sound, he starts to stir. He's not quite wide awake, just peeking an eye open to see if it's anything he needs to be worried about. It doesn't take long to realize there's no external threat, but as Heizou turns his attention to the man in his arms--]
Lyney...?
[Despite the dark of the room, Heizou can see that expression on the magician's face. It's enough that Heizou props himself up a little bit, gently reaching up to card a hand soothingly through Lyney's hair with a look of concern on his face.]
[The hand in his hair doesn’t seem to soothe him. In fact, he lets out another pained sound, his hands unconsciously tightening into fists before him. His brow scrunches, and Heizou can probably feel how clammy his hair is getting.]
L…Lynette…
[He shifts, seemingly unable to shake the dream. His voice has an edge of desperation to it.]
Heizou sits up a little better, leaning over Lyney and starting to carefully shake him by the shoulder. Just enough to start to rouse him from his nightmare, hopefully without startling him when he finally wakes. He knows from experience that emerging from any kind of bad dream is never a good experience.]
Wake up, Lyney-- Everything's okay, baby, you're dreaming-
[It’s good that Heizou opts to move carefully, because Lyney’s shifting gets a bit worse, a bit more jerky… that is, until Heizou’s hand rests on his shoulder.]
Ah—!
[He jerks awake, eyes flying open as a hand unconsciously grabs for the arm on his shoulder. He pants heavily, eyes searching in the darkness as his chest heaves with his laboured breaths, and it takes several seconds before his brain catches up with what he’s seeing.]
[Heizou lets out a little sigh of relief when Lyney finally wakes up, gently moving his hand from Lyney's grasp to instead tuck some stray hair back behind his ear. He gives him a reassuring smile, even with that tinge of worry in his eyes, and keeps his voice soft and understanding when he speaks.]
That's right, Lyn. It's just me.
[He leans down to press a quick little kiss to his forehead. And smooth some hair back out of his face. All just to give Lyney some time to reorient himself in the present.]
[The little kiss makes Lyney let out a shuddering breath, and he curls in closer to Heizou. Wrapping his arms around Heizou, he runs his hands along the other man's body; just wanting to make sure he's real. Slowly, he nods.]
Y-Yeah. Just... bad dream. It's alright...
[It's an automatic sort of response, said both to placate Heizou and to reassure himself.]
[He settles down once Lyney's arms go around him, easing himself back into the spot he was in while also pulling his partner along with him. He lets him take his time coming back into the present, not at all minding those wandering hands when it's easy to tell what exactly Lyney's trying to do. Heizou stays wrapped around him as well, one hand rubbing his back and the other moving to sort of pet his hair.]
It's okay. You're right here with me. I've got you.
[Fingers trail gently through fair locks while he listens to Lyney's breathing calm back down, still waiting patiently for him to really settle.]
[In and out, in and out... slowly but surely, Lyney's breathing goes back to a calmer state. His grip slowly loosens to less of a vicegrip and more of a gentle hold, and he takes a moment to bask in Heizou's warmth and scent. It's several long minutes before Lyney speaks again, muffled against Heizou's skin.]
[Heizou is right there with him the whole time, just holding onto him and idly petting his hair. As Lyney's breathing evens out he almost thinks he might have fallen back asleep. So when he speaks up Heizou shifts slightly to drop a kiss to his head.]
No need for thanks.
[One more little kiss and then he pulls Lyney in a little closer, keeping him nice and warm and safe in his arms.]
[Lyney doesn't reply initially, hesitating from replying. It's clear he's not asleep, but he also hasn't moved from that cocoon of warmth and safety. It's again another several minutes before he replies.]
It's... I don't know if it's something you'd want to hear.
[It's an answer that, if Heizou remembers, is reminiscent of Heizou's reply about his family.]
[Heizou is all too familiar with that reply. The very same words that he's always used to avoid talking about certain subjects. He'd laugh if it these were different circumstances, but as things stand Heizou just gives Lyney a quick, reassuring squeeze.]
I wanna hear everything, my dear magician. But only if you're comfortable with it.
[Another familiar reply, except this time Heizou is taking it from Lyney himself, on that day that they'd finally made up.]
[Lyney briefly looks up at Heizou, meeting his gaze for a moment as he recognizes the words that he himself once said. It makes him sigh ruefully, before looking down and away. He remains quiet for a moment, before he closes his eyes and presses his forehead against Heizou's chest. Like this, where he won't have to see Heizou's reaction, he speaks.]
It was... just a nightmare of that night. The night... that Lynette and I met Father.
[When their eyes meet Lyney will find that Heizou's gaze is steady, neither prompting nor shying away from the topic. Just waiting for the magician to reach his decision. And once he does, Heizou just gathers him up closer in his arms, tucking him in under his chin and continuing to rub idle, soothing circles to the space between Lyney's shoulder blades.]
...Do you dream of that night often?
[He's not really trying to pry. It's more like he's encouraging Lyney to continue, if he's willing.]
[Lyney curls up into Heizou’s hold, and a part of him (perhaps his own feline traits, even if Lynette is the one with the overt gene) feels comfort in being held in this small, warm, safe space. He knows that Heizou isn’t looking to pry, and it’s honestly that knowledge that has Lyney slowly nodding.]
…we all get nightmares at some point or another.
[It’s something of a vague answer, but it also says a lot about the children of the House as a whole. Because they were just that at the end of the day: children, or those whose childhood was stolen from them. He takes another shaky breath before continuing in a smaller voice.]
[Even though he knows Lyney's talking about the rest of the House of the Hearth, Heizou's all too familiar with what he's saying. He's suffered from his own set of recurring nightmares over the years, from that night with his friend to past cases gone wrong. He likes to think he's gotten better at recovering from them, or at least shaking them from his waking thoughts... but the fact remains that they will always be there, waiting at the back of his mind.
So he understands this fear, and as Lyney's voice gets smaller Heizou gives him a quick, comforting little squeeze.]
You were both just children, Lyney... There's nothing wrong with being scared...
[He wants to ask more, so he can better understand what happened. What it is that haunts Lyney like this. But he'll wait until the other is ready to continue. And until then he'll just squeeze his shoulders and kiss and pet his hair.]
[Lyney appreciates that Heizou doesn’t push for answers. Rather, he provides Lyney with an anchor to hold onto, to keep himself grounded. The comfort eases Lyney’s nerves and allows him to calm himself, and enables him to keep talking.]
My sister and I… we were both very young when our parents died. Lynette and I were left wandering the streets, and I took to observing street performers and learning magic to survive. Eventually, an aristocrat saw us, and offered to take us in. But even if he called us “foster children”, it was clear he was only interested in our magic.
[He pauses, and though his face is pressed against Heizou’s chest, he can probably feel the way he frowns.]
He would constantly have us perform at various functions, and it was fine if it meant a roof over our heads and food on our plates. But after one banquet… Lynette didn’t return home with us. I waited and waited, until only our benefactor returned. When I demanded where Lynette was, he said…
[He has to pause, taking a breath to stabilize himself before continuing in a bitter tone.]
He said “she caught the eye of the most eminent person at the banquet, so I sent her over as a gift. I mean, you’ll be able to perform your magic regardless of who your assistant is, yes?”
[Heizou frowns a little as he listens, the hold he has on Lyney somehow taking on an almost protective turn. In all his time working as a detective, this kind of story isn't new for him. He's worked on many cases similar to what Lyney is describing, some of which involving people he's come to know personally back in Teyvat. But it's never gotten any easier to encounter, and especially hearing that it happened to someone as close and special to him as Lyney is... He just wishes that there was something he could do about it.]
Lyney... I'm so sorry...
[It's easy to imagine how horrified Lyney must have been in this situation. Just a child, being told that his only real family was being given to some disgusting pervert as if she were a doll... A child with not enough strength to fight off a grown adult on his own. Of course something like that would leave a scar in its wake. No wonder Lyney is so fiercely protective of his family, so terrified of being apart from them for too long.]
[It's not a story that's easy to tell, let alone live through. That night is probably the worst night of his life, and he's gone through quite a few horrible, awful nights. It's the one nightmare that persists even to this day, moreso than any of his other recurring nightmares he has. That night clearly left a gaping wound, a scar that's never fully healed and probably never will heal completely, not for a very, very long time. Things are better now, but... it still weighs heavily on his mind.]
[He curls in smaller against Heizou, taking in another slow, shaky breath before he continues.]
I managed to find out the location of the mansion of that so-called eminent person, and tore through the night to get there. I don't even remember how I got there, I just remember... that I needed to get there as fast as possible. That I couldn't allow anything to happen to Lynette. But by the time I climbed the wall, got past the guards, and made my way in... All I saw was the moonlit ground covered in blood, and The Knave standing there in the darkness.
[It's a sight he'll probably never forget, and now looking back on it, he can recognize the cold, unbridled fury that The Knave herself carried for the scene.]
She had rescued my sister before any harm had come to her, and even discovered several more girls hidden in the basement. All orphans, like Lynette. I also learned that she had also been quick to destroy the noble who had taken us in at first, giving us our freedom. After we were freed, Father turned to me and said "The House of the Hearth welcomes you, for your interests align with ours. Here, no one will ever betray you. Indeed, betrayal shall never be permitted here."
[Those words are words he will also remember for a long time. They changed the trajectory of his life, after all.]
[The whole time, Heizou simply listens. He knows this isn't easy for Lyney to talk about, but since he's willing to share there's some part of Heizou that's glad to know he's earned this level of trust. He no longer has to poke around and carefully fill in the blanks with whatever bits and pieces he's been able to pick up from his observations. Lyney is giving him all this freely, opening up to him where he'd been afraid to before, and Heizou doesn't take any of it for granted.
He can tell how deeply the events of this night are ingrained into the magician's memory. Down to the very words that had been exchanged between everyone involved. And if it was traumatic for Lyney, then surely it was just as bad - or worse, unsurprisingly - for Lynette. It's a wonder, then, that they have done so well for themselves in spite of it. Or perhaps it says a lot about the House of the Hearth, about the Knave herself, and how the twins were treated as they were brought into the family.]
...I can see why you all look up to her so much, then. She quite literally rescued you from the darkest depths of humanity.
[Heizou reaches up to card his fingers carefully through Lyney's hair, letting out a soft, sympathetic sigh. It's all he can do in terms of comfort at the moment. He hopes it's enough.]
[Lyney leans into those fingers in his hair, a small hum escaping him. It's not quite a human hum, but not quite a purr; something strangely in the middle, both and neither. He clings to Heizou a bit more, his gaze wandering a bit.]
I was hesitant to trust her at first, given I'd just been betrayed by adults, but... She rescued us and cared for us, when no one else could. When everyone else sought to use us to their own needs...
[He shifts a bit to lean closer against Heizou, to hear his heartbeat better.]
Living at the House of the Hearth, and being a member... it hasn't always been easy. But it's the only home we've ever known.
[As Lyney shifts, Heizou drops another little kiss to the top of his head. Just something comforting, to reassure him that learning all of this hasn't changed Heizou's opinion of him. Really it feels like there's very little that could at this point. He's come to care about the magician far too much in a relatively short period of time.]
...I spoke with her, you know. I wanted to know what kind of person the Knave really is, beyond the wild rumors and reputation. It seems pretty clear that if she could extract the entire House away from the Fatui, she would.
[That actually causes Lyney to shift, looking up at Heizou with a surprised look.]
You did..?
[It's actually quite surprising to him to hear, especially with how wary and afraid everyone was of the Knave. So to hear that Heizou had gone out of his way to speak to her... it's impressive. He briefly wonders when, exactly that was... was it one of the days Arlecchino had stepped out? Or one of the days he was sent on an errand? Well, he supposes it doesn't fully matter in the end.]
Honestly, I believe if she had the choice, she would. But the other Harbingers... she's not one to make overt moves against them. In fact, she tends to keep them away from the House of the Hearth when she can. The only ones I remember having any form of interactions with us would be the Eleventh, and the former Eighth.
[He lets out a small, breathy chuckle.]
Though, that's mostly because she views the Eleventh as harmless to us, and because the Eighth would often bring gifts for us.
I did. I'm glad she's so good to you all. It was a bit of relief to meet her, too. So many things about you and Freminet started to make sense once I understood her and the House better.
[That look on Lyney's face just strikes Heizou as amusing, and he can't help but smile a little in return. It's kind of cute that Lyney didn't expect a talk with Arlecchino to be part of Heizou's efforts to mend things between them. Though given the woman's reputation, he's not exactly surprised to hear it either.
Either way, hearing the magician chuckle like that must mean that he's feeling a little better. And that's enough for even Heizou to relax a bit, smiling as he snuggles in until they're properly nose to nose.]
I haven't met any of the other Harbingers before~ Our Shogun handled things with La Signora, and I've heard about the Eleventh visiting Inazuma several times before. He didn't cause any trouble while he was there, so there was no reason for our paths to cross.
I'm glad you decided to meet with her. She may be intimidating, but she truly does mean well. It's... not something that's easy to see, if you don't take the time to understand her.
[It sounds like a lame excuse, but it's true; Arlecchino has plenty of rumours around her, and even Lyney's heard other Fatui talk about the mad, cursed Knave before. But she never goes out of her way to correct those rumours, and Lyney and the others know better than to trust the rumours.]
Yes, Master Childe is... rather interesting. The last time he came to visit, he kept trying to get Father to spar with him, despite being injured. If it wasn't that, it was him talking about his siblings back home.
[It was actually rather cute, in a strange way. Master Childe was an odd one.]
As for La Signora... I remember her coming by the House when we were younger. She would bring us presents... but only give them to those who "liked" her. She even told us: "those who dislike me shall receive none."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
book2thehead
Sometime early September
Date: 3 Sep 2024 03:39 (UTC)[It's late at night, past when both of them fell asleep after a night together. All is quiet in Heizou's house, and both men are tangled in each other's arms. All is calm, and all is still as the two men sleep soundly.]
[At least, it was soundly. But suddenly, Lyney shifts in his sleep. lets out a soft, pained noise. And even in slumber, his expression turns pained.]
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 05:27 (UTC)Lyney...?
[Despite the dark of the room, Heizou can see that expression on the magician's face. It's enough that Heizou props himself up a little bit, gently reaching up to card a hand soothingly through Lyney's hair with a look of concern on his face.]
Lyney... Wake up, mon amour...
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 05:42 (UTC)L…Lynette…
[He shifts, seemingly unable to shake the dream. His voice has an edge of desperation to it.]
Lynette… Lynette..!
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 05:50 (UTC)Oh that's worse than he thought.
Heizou sits up a little better, leaning over Lyney and starting to carefully shake him by the shoulder. Just enough to start to rouse him from his nightmare, hopefully without startling him when he finally wakes. He knows from experience that emerging from any kind of bad dream is never a good experience.]
Wake up, Lyney-- Everything's okay, baby, you're dreaming-
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 05:59 (UTC)Ah—!
[He jerks awake, eyes flying open as a hand unconsciously grabs for the arm on his shoulder. He pants heavily, eyes searching in the darkness as his chest heaves with his laboured breaths, and it takes several seconds before his brain catches up with what he’s seeing.]
H…Heizou..?
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 06:06 (UTC)That's right, Lyn. It's just me.
[He leans down to press a quick little kiss to his forehead. And smooth some hair back out of his face. All just to give Lyney some time to reorient himself in the present.]
Are you okay?
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 16:56 (UTC)Y-Yeah. Just... bad dream. It's alright...
[It's an automatic sort of response, said both to placate Heizou and to reassure himself.]
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Date: 3 Sep 2024 21:27 (UTC)It's okay. You're right here with me. I've got you.
[Fingers trail gently through fair locks while he listens to Lyney's breathing calm back down, still waiting patiently for him to really settle.]
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Date: 4 Sep 2024 03:39 (UTC)[In and out, in and out... slowly but surely, Lyney's breathing goes back to a calmer state. His grip slowly loosens to less of a vicegrip and more of a gentle hold, and he takes a moment to bask in Heizou's warmth and scent. It's several long minutes before Lyney speaks again, muffled against Heizou's skin.]
Thank you...
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Date: 4 Sep 2024 05:54 (UTC)No need for thanks.
[One more little kiss and then he pulls Lyney in a little closer, keeping him nice and warm and safe in his arms.]
...Do you wanna talk about it?
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Date: 5 Sep 2024 03:33 (UTC)It's... I don't know if it's something you'd want to hear.
[It's an answer that, if Heizou remembers, is reminiscent of Heizou's reply about his family.]
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Date: 5 Sep 2024 04:57 (UTC)I wanna hear everything, my dear magician. But only if you're comfortable with it.
[Another familiar reply, except this time Heizou is taking it from Lyney himself, on that day that they'd finally made up.]
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Date: 6 Sep 2024 05:05 (UTC)It was... just a nightmare of that night. The night... that Lynette and I met Father.
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Date: 6 Sep 2024 06:14 (UTC)...Do you dream of that night often?
[He's not really trying to pry. It's more like he's encouraging Lyney to continue, if he's willing.]
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Date: 6 Sep 2024 15:28 (UTC)…we all get nightmares at some point or another.
[It’s something of a vague answer, but it also says a lot about the children of the House as a whole. Because they were just that at the end of the day: children, or those whose childhood was stolen from them. He takes another shaky breath before continuing in a smaller voice.]
…she was only eight. I was… I thought she’d…
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Date: 6 Sep 2024 16:15 (UTC)So he understands this fear, and as Lyney's voice gets smaller Heizou gives him a quick, comforting little squeeze.]
You were both just children, Lyney... There's nothing wrong with being scared...
[He wants to ask more, so he can better understand what happened. What it is that haunts Lyney like this. But he'll wait until the other is ready to continue. And until then he'll just squeeze his shoulders and kiss and pet his hair.]
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Date: 6 Sep 2024 18:18 (UTC)My sister and I… we were both very young when our parents died. Lynette and I were left wandering the streets, and I took to observing street performers and learning magic to survive. Eventually, an aristocrat saw us, and offered to take us in. But even if he called us “foster children”, it was clear he was only interested in our magic.
[He pauses, and though his face is pressed against Heizou’s chest, he can probably feel the way he frowns.]
He would constantly have us perform at various functions, and it was fine if it meant a roof over our heads and food on our plates. But after one banquet… Lynette didn’t return home with us. I waited and waited, until only our benefactor returned. When I demanded where Lynette was, he said…
[He has to pause, taking a breath to stabilize himself before continuing in a bitter tone.]
He said “she caught the eye of the most eminent person at the banquet, so I sent her over as a gift. I mean, you’ll be able to perform your magic regardless of who your assistant is, yes?”
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Date: 7 Sep 2024 01:32 (UTC)Lyney... I'm so sorry...
[It's easy to imagine how horrified Lyney must have been in this situation. Just a child, being told that his only real family was being given to some disgusting pervert as if she were a doll... A child with not enough strength to fight off a grown adult on his own. Of course something like that would leave a scar in its wake. No wonder Lyney is so fiercely protective of his family, so terrified of being apart from them for too long.]
What did you do?
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Date: 7 Sep 2024 02:42 (UTC)[He curls in smaller against Heizou, taking in another slow, shaky breath before he continues.]
I managed to find out the location of the mansion of that so-called eminent person, and tore through the night to get there. I don't even remember how I got there, I just remember... that I needed to get there as fast as possible. That I couldn't allow anything to happen to Lynette. But by the time I climbed the wall, got past the guards, and made my way in... All I saw was the moonlit ground covered in blood, and The Knave standing there in the darkness.
[It's a sight he'll probably never forget, and now looking back on it, he can recognize the cold, unbridled fury that The Knave herself carried for the scene.]
She had rescued my sister before any harm had come to her, and even discovered several more girls hidden in the basement. All orphans, like Lynette. I also learned that she had also been quick to destroy the noble who had taken us in at first, giving us our freedom. After we were freed, Father turned to me and said "The House of the Hearth welcomes you, for your interests align with ours. Here, no one will ever betray you. Indeed, betrayal shall never be permitted here."
[Those words are words he will also remember for a long time. They changed the trajectory of his life, after all.]
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Date: 7 Sep 2024 03:06 (UTC)He can tell how deeply the events of this night are ingrained into the magician's memory. Down to the very words that had been exchanged between everyone involved. And if it was traumatic for Lyney, then surely it was just as bad - or worse, unsurprisingly - for Lynette. It's a wonder, then, that they have done so well for themselves in spite of it. Or perhaps it says a lot about the House of the Hearth, about the Knave herself, and how the twins were treated as they were brought into the family.]
...I can see why you all look up to her so much, then. She quite literally rescued you from the darkest depths of humanity.
[Heizou reaches up to card his fingers carefully through Lyney's hair, letting out a soft, sympathetic sigh. It's all he can do in terms of comfort at the moment. He hopes it's enough.]
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Date: 7 Sep 2024 04:00 (UTC)I was hesitant to trust her at first, given I'd just been betrayed by adults, but... She rescued us and cared for us, when no one else could. When everyone else sought to use us to their own needs...
[He shifts a bit to lean closer against Heizou, to hear his heartbeat better.]
Living at the House of the Hearth, and being a member... it hasn't always been easy. But it's the only home we've ever known.
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Date: 7 Sep 2024 05:28 (UTC)...I spoke with her, you know. I wanted to know what kind of person the Knave really is, beyond the wild rumors and reputation. It seems pretty clear that if she could extract the entire House away from the Fatui, she would.
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Date: 8 Sep 2024 02:22 (UTC)You did..?
[It's actually quite surprising to him to hear, especially with how wary and afraid everyone was of the Knave. So to hear that Heizou had gone out of his way to speak to her... it's impressive. He briefly wonders when, exactly that was... was it one of the days Arlecchino had stepped out? Or one of the days he was sent on an errand? Well, he supposes it doesn't fully matter in the end.]
Honestly, I believe if she had the choice, she would. But the other Harbingers... she's not one to make overt moves against them. In fact, she tends to keep them away from the House of the Hearth when she can. The only ones I remember having any form of interactions with us would be the Eleventh, and the former Eighth.
[He lets out a small, breathy chuckle.]
Though, that's mostly because she views the Eleventh as harmless to us, and because the Eighth would often bring gifts for us.
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Date: 8 Sep 2024 02:34 (UTC)[That look on Lyney's face just strikes Heizou as amusing, and he can't help but smile a little in return. It's kind of cute that Lyney didn't expect a talk with Arlecchino to be part of Heizou's efforts to mend things between them. Though given the woman's reputation, he's not exactly surprised to hear it either.
Either way, hearing the magician chuckle like that must mean that he's feeling a little better. And that's enough for even Heizou to relax a bit, smiling as he snuggles in until they're properly nose to nose.]
I haven't met any of the other Harbingers before~ Our Shogun handled things with La Signora, and I've heard about the Eleventh visiting Inazuma several times before. He didn't cause any trouble while he was there, so there was no reason for our paths to cross.
no subject
Date: 8 Sep 2024 03:03 (UTC)[It sounds like a lame excuse, but it's true; Arlecchino has plenty of rumours around her, and even Lyney's heard other Fatui talk about the mad, cursed Knave before. But she never goes out of her way to correct those rumours, and Lyney and the others know better than to trust the rumours.]
Yes, Master Childe is... rather interesting. The last time he came to visit, he kept trying to get Father to spar with him, despite being injured. If it wasn't that, it was him talking about his siblings back home.
[It was actually rather cute, in a strange way. Master Childe was an odd one.]
As for La Signora... I remember her coming by the House when we were younger. She would bring us presents... but only give them to those who "liked" her. She even told us: "those who dislike me shall receive none."
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