Gonna live this life as the Heroine Villianess

❄️ Chapter 19 👑

The sun was rising. Wren watched the sky turn into pretty hues of red, pinks, and yellows before fading into it's usually blue color. It was strangely nostalgic- and much more beautiful then the sunrises in the other world. This was a fantasy world after all. Wren leaned back as she deftly peeled the skin of an apple and took a bite, savoring the sweet taste of the fruit. The food was better too. As she chewed, she pulled out a thin leather notebook from the bag beside her and flipped it open, scanning the contents of the marked page. No "extra commissions" for today. But Sara needed another food parcel delivered. Wagner needed some white iron chunks... did she have enough? Wren thought as she chewed. Maybe she would go mining later today...

She absentmindedly tapped out a rhythm on the roof tiles beside her, dangling one leg over the edge while bracing the other underneath her. It was a nice day. If she finished her commissions early, she could head over to cider lake and fish for a bit. "Ahoy up there!" She paused, glancing down to the streets of Mondstat below. People were beginning to exit their houses, ready to start the day. A few small children near Cat's Tail laughed and pointed up at her from where she sat. She scrunched her nose at the now familiar tanned face of a certain Calvary captain. Wren gave an unladylike snort. "Glorious day, isn't it?" She said sarcastically. Kaeya grinned, although his face was slightly blurry from where she was. Wren squinted.

"Of course- but to be graced with my most favorite mysterious wanderer just makes it better..." She rolled her eyes at the excessive flattery. "Say, what are you doing up there? Does the little bird yearn to be closer to the sky?" Her eye twitched, and she picked up a handful of straw from an unfortunate bird's nest and threw it at him. The pieces fluttered to the ground so slowly, it didn't take much effort for Kaeya to dodge it- but he buckled dramatically when they were followed by the remains of her apple. She cackled, then, bracing herself on the rafters, launched herself off the roof, speeding towards the ground only to tuck and roll into a perfect landing. Wren straightened, clasping her hands behind her back and laughing at Kaeya's surprised expression, who looked slightly taken aback. "...Is it normal for you to jump from four story buildings?" "Yup." After all, the inn keeper said it was okay for her nightly sessions of parkour- as long as she didn't bother any of the other residents.

~❄️👑~

"So uh... what now?" Kaeya ignored her, continuing to stare out of the rusted iron bars of their makeshift cell. It was his idea, and his plan that had gotten them here. Jean had assigned her a side mission to investigate the abnormal activity of a small group of treasure hoarders, and Kaeya decided to tag along. She let him, but she didn't know that he would make the ordeal so... messy. She leaned with her back to the bars, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she glanced at her surroundings. It was a basic camp- a tent, a couple bonfires and a cooking pot. Nothing special. But out of the corner of her eye, she could see scorch marks on the wood of the storage boxes and traces of ash scattered around on the floor. Wren frowned. Did they come in contact with hilichurls maybe? Berserkers were known for their fire clubs- a blazing axe mitachurl would just decimate the camp- so that was out. Then again, a lot of things could have caused the fire. A certain pyro user could have, for all she knew. But he wouldn't have been so merciful as to leave them all alive. So...

Meanwhile, the men around them leered at the prisoners, cheering at their catch- the calvary captain known for being elusive- and an exotic white haired beauty (she had to admit it >:)) that would... sell for high prices on any market. "If you're done," she muttered. "Can we leave now?" Kaeya turned towards her. "Just a few more minutes." Then, he promptly turned away. Wren felt her anger rising, and closed her eyes, opting to take a deep breath. It helped. Kind of. Was this how Diluc felt all the time? "You know you could at least tell me what you're doing," She sighed. "I could help." He stayed silent. Finally, after a few moments, he replied, "...Alright. I think that's about it. Let's get out of here. Do you see a key?" She gave him a look. "We don't need a key." She extended her hand, allowing the claws on them to glow red hot, then slashed them down the iron bars, which melted like putty. One of the hoarders gave a cry of alarm, and he and his accomplices got into their usual fighting positions. "Let's make this quick." She told him. "I want to be back before lunch."

~❄️👑~

They ended up tying the hoarders to a tree using some stray rope they found. They marked the camp on a map and then left for Mond, leaving the group for the monsters. The two of them agreed (for once) that it was too much of a hassle to escort the criminals such a long way back, and it would just slow them down. Besides, they deserved it. "You're treating me to lunch," She announced as they approached angel's share. Kaeya raised an eyebrow. "I am?" Wren smirked. "Consider it payback for getting us captured without my consent." He laughed. "Alright, alright... but it did work out in the end, right?" It was true. They were able to gather the information they needed, and had left unharmed. But there were much cleaner, more efficient ways to do it. Sara came with their orders shortly after they had sat down. "I guess..." She took a bite of her tea break pancakes, smiling at the combination of fluffy batter and the sweetness of the sweet flowers. "But seriously, you should have warned me." Wren said, waving her fork as she reprimanded him. His own meal remained untouched as he opted to watch her as she ate. Weird guy.

"...Did you know I once triggered a ruin guard, for the sake of completing my mission?" Wren raised an eyebrow. She vaguely remembered that he had done something about that in his character description. "...No? Why?" Kaeya laughed darkly, tapping the silver knife on his plate of Sweet Madame. "That's the thing. There really was no reason. All I needed was the right influence to push my opponent into revealing himself. It worked, but at what cost?" He sighed wistfully. "My point is, dear wanderer... is that my actions- particularly in battle- are mostly impulsive and at the expense of the safety of others. Many of my coworkers that day were injured- but I was not." Wren blinked, and gave him a deadpan look. "So?" Kaeya frowned, his eyebrows scrunching slightly at her unimpressed tone. "...I'm saying that you're endangering yourself by being around me. Today was another good example. I tend to think up things as I go- which is why... and I've made quite a few enemies, over the years..." Wren finished off her pancakes with a relish, putting the fork down with a clatter. Kaeya startled. 

"Hey, you think I don't know that?" Wren scolded. "Yes, your actions today were dumb, uncalled for, and totally unnecessary-" Kaeya looked slightly offended. "But I'm alright, you're alright, so this time, it's fine." She sighed. "Also, yeah, I was kind of expecting life wouldn't be a walk in the park when I teamed up with you. And you're not the only one who has people who want to kill you, you know." Kaeya blinked, opening his mouth to retort, but Wren continued. "And why are you worried for me, anyway? I can fight, I can get myself out of one if I need to- I can take care of myself. So you don't need to do that. I'm staying. At least for now." Kaeya hesitated, taking the chance to call for the bill. "...Excellent meal, am I right?" He said quietly.

Kaeya, being the gentleman he was, escorted her back to the inn before taking off for his nightly patrol. As they walked up to the door, she stopped and spun on her heel to face him. "Oh yeah- I forgot-" She leaned forward and poked him on the chest, giggling at his squeak of protest. "It's not only the people around you who are in danger- you know that, right? You're also endangering your own safety. You should be more careful. For yourself, as well." In the dim light, she couldn't quite make out Kaeya's expression- but the lamps positioned around the streets illuminated his expression. His face betrayed no emotion- he was neither touched or unimpressed with her words, rather- he seemed indifferent. Like it didn't mean anything. But he was quick to smile, chuckling as he back tracked onto the streets once more. "I'll... keep that in mind."

If only you knew. Would you look at me the same?

A/N Sad because I haven't played Genshin in a while. Anyway, woaw two chapters in like a week??? ig i just don't have a lot to do (finished assignments two weeks early) lolllll