|Goodbye Again| kazuscara

九(2)

Bitter Taste 

🍁☂️

The bright scenery began to slowly shift to a dim and misty colour, much like how Kazuha could remember when passing by Dragonspine. The track ahead seemed the most dangerous so far as he had never been so far from his land of birth, nor learned much beforehand of the nation which grew in secrecy under the Tsaritsa.

When he noticed the clouds began to shield over the sun, Scara could feel the cold air welcome them. The darkness of Snezhnaya reminded him of his 'home' in Tenshukaku with its gloomy weather and foggy days, but this was different. Flurries of snow had begun to take form the farther they walked down the winding paths, catching in his veil.

"Last night," Kazuha began, glancing at him. "I had a dream."

Dread began to fill Scara's chest. Is he referring to last night? How much does he remember?

"In that dream, I saw you for who you are, and the vague expression in your eyes." Kazuha stopped talking for a moment, recalling how real the dream felt. "And you were upset. The dream was all broken up, and it might all be actually from last night, but..."

Kazuha fiddled with the pummel of his sheathed sword, searching for the words. "I remember feeling overcome by the loveliness of your stature like I found the bird that carried a familiar and captivating melody."

The wanderer was getting emotional again but in a way of melancholy and longing. "Tell me," he paused and turned to Scara, his expression stiff but not suffocating. "Did I see your face?"

How could he not have prepared himself for this moment? Kazuha would eventually see his face, and what other secrets he had. Scara hid under plenty of false identities to keep himself safe, so why did it matter if he was truthful or not to Niwa's descendant?

"Yes," Scara choked and drew in a sharp breath. "It wasn't a dream." He stared ahead, just anywhere so that he wouldn't have to look at Kazuha. It was only a blessing that no one knew what Inazuma's prince looked like, only by simple descriptions and the most signature feature of 'having lavender-coloured eyes.'

Kazuha was quiet for a period too, staring out to the mountains beyond before a big smile formed on his face. He turned to Scara with a faint redness in his cheeks. "Everything from when I looked into your eyes, even in my drunken state, to your smile is wonderful." It might have been the alcohol in his system that brought him the courage to be so honest, but he still felt embarrassed.

This was not the response Scara had been making up fake scenarios for. Glancing away from Kazuha, his face grew red, "You..You're the only person that has ever seen my face so closely, so you better feel lucky."

Kazuha also turned away, covering his smile before he turned back around with a meek smile. "Would I ever see you without the veil again?" he almost whispered, hope in his eyes.

"Most likely, though we'll have to see." Even though it was beginning to grow cold around them, Scara's face was warm. Ever since he had begun to become..what do you call this? Friends? He felt a whole new array of emotions, as he is a puppet, shouldn't be able to feel.

"Now my turn, what are your guesses about me? I haven't said much about myself, so I'm curious what your assumptions are."

Kazuha paused, a bit taken aback by the question. He had never thought too deeply of Scara's true identity to prevent his curiosity from getting the best of him, but, in all honesty, he already knew Scara was of noble background.

"Well," he began walking down the road again, looking up to the sky as he put his thoughts into words. "I knew when I first saw you in Liyue Harbour by your indigo silk that you were of some Inazuman noble blood. At first, I felt you were travelling for fun without permission, but I see now that it's more than that."