Illusions x logic || Lyney x OC (Xue)

Chapter 8 - The fatui's way

Xue PoV

After a while of walking we made it to the café, once we sat down we managed to catch up without pen and paper, and this time I could give a quick reply.

Whenever he writes it doesn't take too long to arrive but I'm always so engulfed by paperwork and now to add on I had to train again now, I just had no time.

So I asked my assistant to section his letters to my desk instead of the box I have underneath my desk with 'important' letters, they're normally people not reading the prescription given but, what am I ment to do?

It was nice having a cup of tea with him, and catch up, I ment it.
His precense was always so warm and sweet, he had always a smile plastered on his face, his presence was do lively compared to the rest of Snezhnaya, it made me smile, but not my usual one, a real one, this guy had me on choke hold for his presence and the need of him.

"So, how's the shows going?" I asked he was the one making most questions so it was only right for me to ask something aswell.

"Like always, everyone blown away-"

"By the simplest tricks." I interupted him know what came next.

"Well, you know me well huh?" He said leaning closer on the table keeping his head up with his hand.

"I guess so." I smiled back at him.

"You guess?" He joked with a teasing smile.

We ended up talking for a whole hour that my tea got cold, but I had been talking with Lyney, so I didn't mind. I craved the Magician's attention more than anything or anyone's. I need it.

"Oh! Have you heard about the traveler?" He asked engulfing back into conversation with a now cold cup of tea in his hands.

"I have heard of them, they're popular in teyvat, why?" I asked the question of 'why' with a bitter taste, though I tried to keep my tone as calm as possible.

"Oh they are sooo dreamy... Their eyes are like topaz, their hair blonde like a sunflower, they are just so-"

As he kept going on about them it made me feel so,so, bitter. I cut his words out of my mind as they started to go on about this traveler. I couldn't help but feel my chest hurting and about to crash...

"Do you think I have a chance at a charm?" That question asked by him led me out of my euphoria of thoughts and questions, what does he mean by charm them?

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my tea started to taste bitter even after 3 tea spoons of sugar. I like my tea sweet, don't judge.

"Well, try to get maybe a kiss from them."

What?... I felt my chest actually crush now, the warmth I felt replaced with the coldness of Snezhnaya, I guess that's why it's called a 'crush' I thought to myself.

"Then you're gonna need your best charms." I replied, trying to keep my tone as normal as possible without a single drop of suspicion.

He laughed, a laughed that can only hurt now.

As he kept going on about this traveler, my eyes wondered outside where I spotted Pierro. Right, I was originally supposed to talk with him whilst we went to the meating place where I'll see Arlecchino's successor.

I got up and excused myself grabbing my stuff and saying I had business to attend to. He looked confused and a little shocked at my sudden hurry to leave before he let me go.

"Sorry, I got caught up with stuff." I said to Pierro.

"Boys? Really? You seem like the kind of person who wouldn't fall inlove." He remarked.

"Oh please! ... He's interested in someone else, it's fine..." I said in a bit of a monotone.

"You don't seem fine." Pierro pointed out, it was scary how good he figured things like this.

"Nothing I can't control it anyway..." I said walking along the icy part of the sidewalk, careful to not slip.

"You like him?" He asked a little skeptical.

"And if I do?... Doesn't matter anyway he likes someone else." I replied looking down at the icy ground, between the cracks there were little ice puddles.

"Well, you never know." He replied looking at me with a bit of a shocked expression.

He's never really thought I could fall inlove but whatever, I thought the same, turns out I can.

After a while of walking we made it to fatui grounds.

"Mask and hood remember." Pierro said to me before handing the items over. I was meating Arlecchino's successor and Alrecchino herself, due to policy in the fatui I was not allowed to know his identity just yet and he wasn't allowed to know mine.

Once the items where on, Pierro lead me into a room with him, there he was, standing next to Arlecchino, being a doctor I was very much aware that Arlecchino won't grow any taller and that ment the boy had grown being up to Arlecchino's eye. I ofcurse couldn't see his features such as eye colour and hair. The easiest thing to give away who they are.

Once they got closer I noticed they were around half a head taller. And maybe even taller since my boots had a bit of a heel. We shook hands before we were taken away by our mentors

Once I was ready to fight Pierro came up to me.

"Fight him, but don't kill him. And if at any point your mask breaks cover your face the best you can and drop your weapon imideatly." He said before telling me to follow him into the arena.

The arena was full of talk and bets, and right there in the middle stood Arlecchino, Pierro had left my side now and stood to the side waiting for the fight.