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"... I knew this planet was a bit on the silly side, but that's a bit ridiculous to see."

❝ huh? ❞ there's no hiding the annoyance in the puppet's tone as it turns to face her ; brows knitting together when its gaze settles on the woman. if these are the type of people setsuna will encounter in planarcadia, then he's already regretting not staying behind on the express.

Kaeya notes the slight movement of his fellow Harbinger, and he can't help but to give a grin at the other's words. Honestly, if everyone could be more like the other, perhaps it wouldn't seem so dreary around wherever they happened to meet up. Ah well, perhaps the rarity of said meetups is what makes the few times they do find each other more special.

"We could always fight each other instead. Then you'll have to keep your eyes on me."

His lone golden eye holds a hint of amusement, but also a challenge.

scaramouche lets out a short, dry laugh at that suggestion. ❝ there it is, ❞ his gaze narrows as he meets kaeya's challenge head-on, violet eyes lingering on that smug grin of his. of course he would turn the conversation into a duel. for someone who spent so much time talking, kaeya always seemed eager to settle things with crossed blades. ❝ i was beginning to wonder how long it would take for you to suggest a fight. ❞

he folds his arms loosely across his chest, head tilting and that faint upward curve at the corner of his mouth remained. unlike most people scaramouche would encounter, he didn't find kaeya's persistence as irritating as others. if anything, his it was that very persistence that made him interesting.

a mix of arguments, tension, manipulation, gossiping, fighting, & general emotional messiness!

you  weren't  supposed  to  hear  that.

don't  look  at  me  like  i'm  the  only  one  lying.

want  to  tell  them,  or  should  i?

you  think  i  don't  know  what  you  did?

i've  hit  people  for  less.

oh,  i  thought  you  already  knew.

that's  funny,  you  didn't  say  that  last  night.

say  that  again.  i  dare  you.

you  wanna  talk  about  loyalty?

no  offense,  but  if  you're  the  last  to  know,  that's  on  you.

go  ahead  -  pretend  like  it  wasn't  your  idea!

they  deserve  to  know  the  truth.

you  didn't  hear  this  from  me,  but  -

oh,  so  now  you  care?

don't  flatter  yourself.  you  were  just  convenient.

you  crossed  a  line.

we  had  bets  on  how  long  it  would  last.

it's  not  even  a  secret  anymore.

you  don't  get  to  cry  about  it  now.

touch  me  again  and  see  what  happens.

say  it  again.  louder  this  time.

you  really  thought  nobody  would  find  out?

don't  act  so  innocent.

okay,  but  am  i  the  villain  for  laughing?

tell  me  who  else  knows.  right  now.

this  whole  time,  and  you  didn't  say  a  word?

don't  act  brave  now.

you're  really  gonna  do  this  here?

it  wasn't  supposed  to  get  this  far!

you  can't  rewrite  history.

oh,  i'd  never  say  it  to  their  faces.

it  was  supposed  to  stay  between  us.

we're  all  thinking  it,  i  just  said  it.

you're  not  as  untouchable  as  you  act.

do  you  even  feel  guilty?

they  warned  me  about  you.

go  ahead,  make  it  worse.

if  you  repeat  this,  i'll  deny  everything.

the  next  thing  out  of  your  mouth  better  be  an  apology.

you're  about  three  seconds  away  from  regretting  this.

you  keep  pushing,  and  i'll  push  you  back.

they're  going  to  find  out.

one  more  lie,  and  i  walk.

they're  lying  to  you.

you  need  to  back  off.  now.

you're  defending  them?  after  everything?

don't  try  to  hide  it.

tell  me,  was  i  just  a  placeholder?

you  really  think  sorry  fixes  this?

there's  nothing  left  to  say.

don't  act  like  you're  the  one  hurting.

i  don't  owe  you  any  explanation.

whatever  helps  you  sleep  at  night.

you  should've  seen  this  coming.

i  hope  it  was  worth  it.

i  told  the  truth.  just  not  all  of  it.

you'll  miss  me  before  i  miss  you.

smile.  you're  ruining  the  mood.

i'd  watch  that  tone  if  i  were  you.

it's  not  my  fault  you  believed  me.

you  have  such  a  talent  for  pretending  you're  innocent.

we  both  know  this  is  over.

i  never  said  i  was  a  good  person.

mona was supposed to be working on her next article for the steambird, the deadline was in two days and she has yet to write a single word. even now as she stares at the blank page before her, her mind wanders to the one person who has, annoyingly, consumed every piece of her. scaramouche. it was so unlike her, she wasn’t supposed to be this kind of girl whose mind is so preoccupied with a boy she can’t even focus on her work. even worse, she’s starting to see things that remind her of him. one of the stray cats, of all things, who likes to lounge on her stoop has a face that seems to resemble his along with the somewhat grouchy attitude. she had half the mind to hunt down a therapist to find out what was wrong with her.

this was entirely his fault. after all, it's been longer than usual since he’s last come to visit her, she’s simply not used to going this long without seeing him. that part frightened her, had she really gotten so entangled with him that she couldn’t function properly? it was embarrassing and would be more so if he found that out as well. however, it’s been long enough where it was starting to worry her. she hadn’t even gotten a letter from him saying their time apart would be longer than usual. her fingers tapped idly on her desk as she debated whether or not to do a little divination. after all, it would be to make sure he’s safe and then perhaps after finding out he is she can go back to work worry free.

it was her own stubbornness, trying to convince herself she doesn’t care about him that deeply enough to look, that made her debate whether or not to actually do it. she spent the next fifteen minutes pushing herself back and forth in her desk chair as she debated. “damn him,” she grunted as she jumped out of the chair to give herself room to use her scryglass. in a matter of seconds she was peering into his fate, but what she saw caught her so off guard she gasped and caused her to stumble back. “idiot.” it had to be impossible what she saw, for someone to erase themselves completely from this world. the memories people have of him, his very own constellation. all of it would be gone. he would be gone from her memory. she felt sick and utterly angry.

whatever was between him and mona had yet to be defined. it had evolved past the level of friendship into something more. there was an unspeakable devotion shared between the two and yet, he still kept mona at arm's length refusing to put any label on what they had. he knew he couldn't provide the sort of relationship he knew that she needed. mona is a powerful mage, that much was undeniable, but her insecurity fueled by barbeloth was exactly why she needed someone who wouldn't keep up their walls around her. she needed someone who would readily tell her every miniscule detail about their life no matter how dull. and that's exactly what he can't provide. he can't give her that sort of vulnerable honesty. which is why he needed to cut the cord between them. her memory of him would be another casualty of his failure.

scaramouche had no plan beyond rising as a god. fatui business was a topic off the table for mona and him. after the first time he shot down questions she had about the fatui, she never dared ask again. he kept everything close to his chest, including the experiment with dottore. he would only return to her when he succeeded — maybe offer her the chance to be by his side as the powerful astromancer she was destined to be. so when he failed, he knew going back to the fatui was out of the question and that the harbingers may have already freed up his position as the sixth. anywhere he went, he would be marked by his failures and crimes, so agreeing to taken under nahida's custody and help her search irminsul on her behalf, he saw his opportunity.

the very branch ei used to bring her puppet to life would be what helps him in his new plan. he would erase every trace of him when the time comes. he may have lost his title as the balladeer, but one name still held its grip on him. kunikuzushi — nation destroyer — that name would only continue to follow him. his very existence had destroyed countless lives and only ever hurt those he cared about. it was only a matter of time before that same fate would reach mona. he couldn't continue his existence as is and keep mona safe at the same time. whether the fatui or any other enemies he's made throughout his life, someone would eventually make sure they got their revenge on him. erasing scaramouche, kunikuzushi, kabukimono . . . it was the only option he knew would prevent even more people getting hurt by him.

Kaeya maintains his even tone, still grinning all the while. For as much as he's been told that he needs to be far more deferential to his superiors, the siren doesn't care too much to do so. Then again, Scaramouche is different, given that the two of them have what could be considered an...affable relationship. Granted, the two of them probably trade barbs between one another more often than not, but it could be considered friendly, maybe.

"But I'll try and keep things exciting for you, I'd hate to lose those pretty eyes upon me."

scaramouche’s eyes narrows at that with a hint of amusement in his gaze. the banter shared between them always kept him from slipping into boredom whether it be during missions together or quiet moments like this where the two just lingered around each other for company.

❝    must   you   always   greet   new   people   at   the   end   of   a   catalyst ?    ❞     gives   scaramouche   a   cheeky   little   smile.   to   be   fair,   pantalone   did   approach   him   out   of   nowhere   (   which   subtly   is   his   specialty   ).

@pouppet      ⋆˚✰     ݁˖⭑     .ᐟ

scaramouche’s gaze flickers toward him, almost disappointed that it was a fellow harbinger and not a lower ranked fatui that he could flaunt his authority over. the catalyst in his hand lowers slightly, but not out of courtesy.