When the Stars Fall [Genshin Impact]

Chapter 23: False Favour of the Divine

“...You all have been given half a day’s time off duty to settle in.” Scaramouche scoffed before muttering something under his breath. “If it were up to me personally, I wouldn’t even have given them an hour. Curse Signora.”

You turned to leave upon hearing his dismissal, but you heard a voice calling you back.

“Y/N, stay behind,” Scaramouche said. “Since we’re in Inazuma now, you’ll receive your delusion shortly. Don’t bother getting settled here. You’ll be assigned living quarters elsewhere.”

"When are we leaving, my Lord?"

"As soon as possible. I can't stand this place any longer." He waved a hand to gesture at the place his division had been called to. It was nothing spectacular. The interior of the building was drab and plain.

You nodded and said, "I'm ready to go."

As a Fatuus on duty, you had very little items in your possession. They could all fit inside a single bag, which you carried on your person now. There were a few things that you couldn't remember where you got, but you dismissed it quickly, telling yourself that you had come across far too many things in your journey thus far; it was reasonable that your memory of how these objects came to be in your possession became less than clear.

Lord Scaramouche started to head out the door without looking back at you. You followed dutifully after him, heading out the building and into the open. You didn't know whether to say anything, or continue to walk in what you thought was a mildly awkward silence.

He broke the silence first as the two of you walked down to the pier. "We've received permits to get out of Ritou. We'll board a ship to Kannazuka, which should take approximately an hour, and travel down to Jakotsu Mine by foot. Lady Signora's divisions should already be spread out, so we'll stop at camps when we need to."

“What else will I do at Jakotsu Mine, my Lord?”

“The Fatui have set up a delusion factory there. Once you receive your delusion, you’ll practise using it. Il Dottore seems to have taken an interest in delusions recently, and would like several of my best to…appease his curiosities.” He sounded like he was against the idea. “I’ll have to help you with the delusion, it seems.”

You only realised that you were essentially stuck on a ship with your superior for the next hour or so when you boarded the ship with Lord Scaramouche. You had nothing to do, and nothing of interest to say, and you doubted that he wanted to even entertain the idea of idle chit-chat.

You stood attentively behind Lord Scaramouche, waiting to see if he would dismiss you. You wanted to head below deck as soon as you could to avoid feeling seasick. You could catch a few winks of sleep that way too.

“You know that you’re technically off duty, right? You don’t need to be standing at my beck and call.”

“Right.” You blinked. “Thank you, my Lord. I’ll be heading below deck then.”

Docking at Kannazuka, you marvelled at the dramatic hills and rocky mountains as you walked alongside your superior. A few pit stops later, the two of you finally arrived at the place Lord Scaramouche called the delusion factory. It was in a very discreet location - it was certain that no random passerby would stumble across it.

“The Fair Lady should already be here, so make sure you aren’t slacking off,” Lord Scaramouche said as he walked in.

Through corridors long and rickety you treaded carefully. It seemed as though the two of you had come across the main sector of the factory after a few short minutes. Sure enough, there La Signora stood.