To Be A Harbinger

To Be A Harbinger, pt. 11

"Here."

"What's this?" Lucille held the bottle delicately, like it was a child. She had been staying with the knights for two weeks, and she was beginning to grow bored of it.

"Wine. Mondstadt is famous for it, you know." Diluc said simply.

"What, going to butter me up and make me spill all my secrets?" Lucille scoffed and set the bottle down, opening her book again. She sat in her room at the Knights of Favonius headquarters. It was far smaller than what she was used to, but she was a prisoner here, not a lieutenant. At least the window wasn't barred, and it had a nice view.

"That was the plan, yes."

Lucille looked back at him. "Really?"

"Mhm." Diluc had his hands folded behind his back.

"And you really thought it would work?" She chuckled.

"Oh I know it will." He said simply.

Lucille stopped for a moment before turning back to her book. "At least get a couple glasses. We aren't savages."

Diluc disappeared for a moment before returning with two glasses. "I don't typically drink."

"Why?"

"Because I make it." He scrunched up his nose as he uncorked it.

"Diluc..." Lucille mumbled as he poured them both a glass. "You seem rather familiar with the ways of the Fatui."

"I had a run in a couple years ago with one of your own, Dottore." His grip tightened around the bottle. "Clearly, I won."

"Impressive." Lucille sniffed her wine before cautiously tasting it. "You know, Scara never drinks either. I hope he doesn't. He's troublesome enough sober."

"What about you?" Diluc asked. "What kind of drunk are you?"

"I've never been drunk." She admitted. "My father drank enough for the lot of us."

"Oh?"

"If only they could see me now." She laughed, sipping some more.

"What's it like, being a harbinger?" He asked, carefully sipping his own.

Lucille stared out the window. "It's like knowing you could destroy a city on your own if you wanted to."

She glanced back at Diluc and laughed. "It's freedom. When you know you're the strongest, nothing can hurt you."

"How are you so sure?" He flexed his grip on the wine glass's stem.

"You talk too much." She jeered.

"Drink your wine." He topped off her glass. She rolled her eyes but did anyway.

"Your methods of interrogation are far less effective than ours." She clinked their glasses together. "If you were wise you'd have me strung up somewhere they couldn't hear me scream."

"I wouldn't mind that." Diluc said.

Lucille didn't stop to think about it. Instead she finished her wine and poured some more. "What would you do to me, then, if you had your way?"

"I'd melt you." He shrugged. "Pyro versus cryo, that would be interesting, watching you try to protect yourself and only make things worse."

"Careful, you're beginning to sound like Dottore." Lucille laughed. The thought of it worried her, but they couldn't hurt her until Scaramouche returned. Not if they were smart. "So are you a sadist or do you simply hate us?"

"The Fatui killed my father." Diluc said bluntly. "I hate you."

"I wish my father were dead." Lucille scoffed. She swirled the wine in her glass. "When was it?"

"Five years ago." He stared out the window, but didn't move.

"Ah, well you can't hate me then. Not for that anyway. I've only been with the Fatui for about a year and a half, a harbinger for less." Lucille laughed, downing more wine. She knew it was a bad idea, but it's not like she knew anything important. She was knew and young and she wasn't trusted with anything that could hurt the cause.

"How did that happen?" Diluc asked, finally turning his eyes back to her.

"Joining up or signing off?" Lucille scoffed.

"Both."

Lucille kept her eyes on the stack of books on the table. She scanned the titles again before answering. "Scaramouche saved me. I was weak and helpless and some people took advantage of it."

Her words were bitter, and Diluc could see the fresh wounds overlaying the old ones. "So you decided to marry him?"

"I adored him." She admitted, tearing her eyes away from him and to the waves. The city sat in the middle of a large lake, and Lucille felt the familiar dread sinking in again. "He was my savior; I wanted to make him proud, earn his respect."

"So you became a harbinger for him?" Diluc asked in surprise.

Lucille swallowed. She had to play her part. She's in love. With Scaramouche. She's engaged, and she's bored, waiting for him to return to her so they can get married. "I did."

Diluc shook his head, pushing his wine glass to the side. "So what went wrong? Something isn't right between the two of you."

"He... he doesn't love me." Lucille said slowly, ignoring every emotion she couldn't admit. "He just likes having me around, someone to adore him."

"That's a lie." He said sternly. "Why can't you ever tell the truth?"

"What? I am." Lucille frowned.

"He's in love with you, that much is clear. He wouldn't surrender control for a fuck buddy." He met her eyes, and she blushed.

"There's no way."

"Why not?"

"Because if he loves me, I won." Lucille tugged at her hair before letting out a shaky laugh. "I'm not that lucky."

Diluc sat there silently trying to piece together what she'd told him. Before he could come to any conclusions, she reached across the table and grabbed his collar. When she kissed him, all his theories shattered.

"What are you doing?" He slowly untangled her fingers from his coat.

"Kissing you." She muttered, getting up to move closer. He didn't move at all as she straddled him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled out his hair tie and fluffed his hair. "Is that okay with you?"

He held onto her hips. "I hate the Fatui."

"Then how about you let out some of that anger?" She smiled, tangling one hand into his hair.

His grip tightened. "What are you offering?"

"Everything." She kissed him again, and he started debating it.

Finally, he slipped a hand down to grab her ass. She smiled against his mouth, and he seized the opportunity to put his tongue into her mouth. She thought of Scaramouche, how he'd done the same only a few weeks ago. Things started to align in her mind, the way he touched her, they way he spoke. The way he ate her up like he'd never get another taste.

How long had he been dancing on the edge of love? Lucille laughed when Diluc finally pulled away.

So this was their lot now. He would come back for her with Signora in tow, and she'd get to laugh as he realized she would never love him back.