A Worthy Replacement

Chapter 21 - Training Day 1

you got a brief shot of confidence. if i can look jester in the eye, this should be easy. you turned around, tartaglia's grip never faltering as you looked at him dead in the eye. but... the words got stuck in your throat.

why can't i say it?

tartaglia knew it already. there was no way you could say that. your actions showed him how you thought of him as more than just a superior. you cared for him.

"you can't say it, can you?"

you took a deep breath, twisting your arm and ripping it out of his grasp while looking away. "i'm doing this for your own good."

"and i'm doing this because i think having an official friend and ally in such a lonely and toxic environment would do us both some good, wouldn't you think?"

if i accept and be his friend... it'll end badly.

if i don't accept and be his friend... it'll end less badly.

he clearly sees me as a friend, and i see him as more than a friend. but... the future is inevitable.

"you won't leave this alone, will you?"

"no," tartaglia said.

"why are you so desperate to be my friend, my lord?"

"well... we work well together. we've become good comrades since our last mission, no? why wouldn't i want to be friends with you?"

you sighed. maybe... i'll just be vague about it.

"i'll consider it then."

"consider what?"

"i'll consider being your friend."

tartaglia gave you a small smile. "i'm glad."

"you look so pleased with yourself," you looked at him with your neutral face. "why?"

"because now i have a genuine friend in the fatui."

"i didn't say we were, and how do you know i'm genuine."

"well you wouldn't have exactly said all of that if you didn't mean it."

you kept your mouth shut, tartaglia laughing at your demise as both of you began to walk back to the hotel to get some rest. after you got ready and flopped on your bed, you turned over and looked at the ceiling. friend...

the next morning, you met zhongli as planned. he was punctual and you knew that, so you made sure to be 10 minutes early. both of you drank some tea together and made some light conversation when he took you to a secluded place in liyue to train. 

"i want you to imagine yourself as a boulder," zhongli said, steadying you by putting his hand on your shoulder. "close your eyes Y/N, imagine golden strings of energy flowing into your vision."

the first step was awakening it further. you had received it, yes, but you needed to awaken it in order to actually use it. "a connection has to be formed for you to feel comfortable using it" as zhongli put it. you could have used it right off the bat, but you needed this extra step.

you took a deep breath, holding your hand out in the direction of the rock where your vision was resting. you imagined it, energy that flowed into your vision. it was bright, so bright that you squeezed your eyes even more shut as you felt an overwhelming amount of power flow through your veins and seep into your heart.

"control it," zhongli commanded, keeping his grip firm. "you need to steady it, right now you're drawing too much energy from it that it's overwhelming. create a constant flow of your power."