Genshin Impact - Seven Nation Family [EN]

Procella Irbis - Act I (Part 2)

 Phil sat down on the chair Jean offered him, and took a deep breath. For a moment, he gathered his thoughts, trying to formulate in the best possible way the circumstances that had led him to appear before the Acting Grand Master with a lost child.

Once he'd chosen his words, he began his explanation:

"I met this child during a trip to the edge of Snezhnaya. A diplomatic exchange with the Northland Bank. I took the opportunity to explore the Snezhnaya countryside. I hadn't had much chance to visit these regions before, and the boreal fauna is absolutely fascinating in its perfect adaptation to the frozen steppes of... Anyway, I was going pretty deep inland, when I came across her.

She was walking alone in the snow, looking completely haggard. She already had her Vision, which she was clutching with all her might. Hearing me approach, she jumped and ran to hide; but when I reached her and she could see me, she threw herself on me. She clung to me with all her might, crying her eyes out.

I must admit I was on the verge of panic, caught off guard by the situation. I gave her something to eat and drink, and tried to ask her where her companions were, but she remained speechless.

Looking at her more closely, I could see what a sorry state she was in. Her clothes (unsuitable for travel far from civilization) were worn, even torn in places, and soaked by the patches of snow stuck to them. She was shivering violently, and her sunken cheeks showed that she hadn't eaten for several days.

I hurried to take her to the nearest village. On the way, she developed a high fever, which made me fear the worst. Fortunately, the village doctor was able to treat her quickly.

She then fell into a deep slumber, sleeping in my inn room. Even in her deep sleep, she wouldn't let go of her Vision. At one point, I went downstairs to ask the innkeeper if he had any information about a lost child. Snezhnayans are quite suspicious of strangers, and I was having trouble getting any information out of him.

That's when I saw her (I'm talking about Tigritsa) I saw her coming down the stairs, looking around terrified, before seeing me and throwing herself against me. The maid who was following her explained that she had heard banging on my bedroom door and, on opening it, had discovered the little girl in tears, who had rushed out of the room. She tried to hold her back, but the little girl struggled violently and even scratched and bit her to get out of her grip.

It took me some time to calm the Snezhnayans' suspicions and make them understand that I had found her in the wild, and was trying to find her family. I went upstairs to put her back to bed, but she seemed so reluctant to go back to sleep that I promised her I wouldn't leave the room. I had to have my meals brought upstairs for the next few days.

When she had recovered, I began to question her again about her family, and her Vision, but it was impossible to get a clear answer. She spoke very little and gave no satisfactory response. To be more precise, she seemed incapable of answering my questions. And questioning her about what had happened before I found her triggered violent fits of panic.

The doctor was able to confirm my suspicions. She must have had a traumatic experience there. So traumatic that she had developed complete amnesia. This made it very difficult for me to find her parents.

I took her with me through the village to find out more about her, but nothing. I tried asking about the surrounding villages, but to no avail.

I also had to think about what to do with her, as I couldn't go on searching forever. And also to avoid a potential diplomatic incident... I tried to leave her with families or in an orphanage, but as soon as she understood what I was talking about, she would cling to me, crying with all her might. It was during this period that she earned the nickname "Tigritsa", which means "tigress" in snezhnayan, reflecting the ferocity of her struggles.

I ended up bringing her back here with me, and thought I might be able to find a solution by bringing the matter up with you about it, J- Jean..."

A silence settled over the office. Phil waited nervously for Jean's reaction. She was pensive, having listened to this long story.

"Poor child..." she said sadly, "I can't imagine what she's been through to end up in such condition..."

"Yes... one reason I decided to take her with me is that showing her a landscape other than the one linked to her trauma could be beneficial. And I have the impression that this is the case, as she didn't have too much trouble letting go of me to go and play with Klee."

"You're right, she did."

They were interrupted by someone knocking on the door, and a splendid young woman, wearing a large hat, entered the room. Like the two young men, she proudly sported a Vision on her belt.

"Excuse me, Jean, do you..."

She paused to discover Phil sitting in one of the armchairs.

"Philly! I didn't know you were back... I'll leave yo–"

On hearing these words, Phil's face flushed, while Jean, unfazed, addressed her colleague and friend:

"Actually, Lisa, you're just in time. I think your expertise will be most welcome in this case."

"Hmm, all right, let's hear it."

Phil briefly recapitulated his story, then waited for the librarian's response. She had listened attentively and was thinking:

"Hmm, I see... But why did you think of coming to see Jean in the first place?" she asked with an amused air.

Phil stuttered loudly, fighting his cheeks turning pink:

"W-well... Jean is a thorough... and dedicated person,... with lots of connections and power... a-and also... I have... almost... almost absolute trust in her..."

"I'm flattered, really", Jean replied with a small smile, "but I don't know if I'll be able to help solve such a delicate case. I'm afraid Snezhnaya wouldn't look too kindly on the extradition of one of their allogenes, and I wouldn't be surprised if they came knocking on this door before long.

"You're right, many people in the village were able to see the Vision she carried with her at all times, and the information was most likely passed on to the Fatui... To tell the truth, during my search for a place for her, I wondered if any Fatui would arrive to take her away. But no one came, and my right to stay was coming to an end... I'm sorry, I..."

"Don't apologize, I can see you didn't have much degree of latitude. I'll do my best to support you in this situation."

"Thank you, that's a relief... (Phil blushed as Lisa smiled at him) T- To tell the truth, there's also something that worries me about Tigritsa... You see, the situation in which I found her was rather strange. She was freezing, but none of her limbs were actually frozen. Normally, such a prolonged stay in the Snezhnayan snow results in limbs so frozen that they have to be amputated, but this was not the case.

"It's very disturbing indeed", says Lisa, looking serious. "It's possible that it's linked to her Vision, although I've never heard of such an ability. Have you seen it in action?"

"No, she hasn't shown any of her abilities since I found her. It could have something to do with her Vision, or–

They were interrupted once again by someone knocking on the office door, startling Phil.

"Come in!"

"Ma'am!" said the knight as he entered, "it's Klee, she..."

"Klee? What has she done now..."

"She's fighting by the lake with an unknown creature!"

The three persons in the office rose in unison, immediately leaving the room with the knight following behind.

"Explain on the way!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"