The Most Important Gear

Chapter 9

"i'm simply a wanderer," scaramouche decided to say. "and i'm originally from inazuma. that's all there is to it."

"really? oh come on, there's gotta be more," you tried to gather information, getting more bold. then, you looked at him up and down, and an inquisitive expression came onto your face. "hmm... you're not a human, are you?"

"how did you know," scaramouche asked you, very surprised. after thinking for a moment, he decided to give you a challenge. "bonus points if you can guess what i am."

"it's just that you look too perfect to be a human," you said honestly, the strong wine adding to your tipsy state. "hmm... you mentioned that you were from inazuma right? for sure if you were a yokai, you would have another defining feature like a tail or two or maybe some ears. i believe... you're a puppet, aren't you?"

"you're very clever," he said, smiling at you. "it's very impressive how you were able to deduce that."

"it's because i've studied these kinds of things in my free time," you smiled. "also, the little mark on your back gave it away. it's like a signature, and i've seen artificial humans that have a distinctive mark that was given to them by their creator."

scaramouche looked at you surprised, his hand flying to his neck instinctively, "how did you even-"

you giggled, and he swore he could feel butterflies erupt in his chest. this was a side he had never seen before, and he could only regret that he didn't see it earlier. your eyes were glassy from the alcohol, a small grin on your face, "it's just being observant."

"not to change the subject, but what was the fuss from earlier today with that scholar, al haitham was it?"

"mhm," you said, taking yet another sip. "well... there's a very interesting investigation concerning research involving technology. al haitham is the acting grand sage as of now, so he brought me along with him to help."

"i see," scaramouche said. as i suspected, it looks like the only thing impacted by my erasure is just the fact that {name} doesn't know me or remember me.

"anyways... it's getting late and i should start getting home. thank you for the company, my friend. do you want to continue our discussion tomorrow?"

"of course," scaramouche replied, almost a little too eager. he cleared his throat and tried again. "that's alright with me. although... it may have to wait until the evening."

"sure," you nodded. "i have to help al haitham again tomorrow, so i doubt i'll be free before the evening as well. why don't we meet here again? 7:00?"

he nodded. "sure. would you like me to walk you home? you seem a little tipsy."

"i'll be alright," you responded, a small grin on your face. "you don't need to worry about me."

"i insist," scaramouche said.

you sighed, "you're not going to give in, are you?"

"for me to allow a young lady such as yourself to walk around and night alone, that'd be inconsiderate of me," scaramouche insisted. "it'd be a pleasure."

"if you say so," you said, smiling. you grabbed your mora pouch out of your pocket, leaving the correct amount and a tip and headed out, scaramouche walked ahead of you and opened the door.

"thank you both! come again soon," the boss called.

"thank you," you called back, scaramouche closing the door behind you both. "and thank you for walking me home."

"of course," he said. "i'm curious though... why isn't your friend here? based on his behavior from earlier, i wouldn't expect for him to leave his lady alone."

"i'm not his lady," you said, slightly surprised. "what makes you say that?"

"i made the inference based on his actions," scaramouche admitted. "i guess that was a little hasty on my end."

"it's alright," you smiled, shaking your head. "he's quite childish. we've gotten closer since the grand scheme that he planned."

"i can tell," scaramouche said, almost bitterly. he was getting frustrated, the fact that you couldn't remember him and now he had to win your heart back. then again, it was his fault to begin with, which is what made him even more upset. "if you didn't tell me this, i would have assumed you two were dating."

"oh heavens no," you scoffed, then laughed. "he's not my type. at most, he's just a very good friend of mine."

scaramouche let out a sigh of relief, thank god.

"anyways, this is my house," you said, then walked to the door. "goodnight, kunikuzushi. see you tomorrow!"

"goodnight," he said, then you closed the door, and he promptly left. however, you were slightly suspicious.

a puppet from inazuma yet he has a vision from sumeru. that mark on his neck... there's a lot more to this guy's story than he's letting off... but why is he acting so cautious? he might be hiding something... also why does he sound so familiar when talking about the harbingers? ... maybe it's the alcohol but he looked almost nostalgic when talking about it. maybe i should let nahida know tomorrow.