'does bronya dream of electric rabbits?'

Okay but actually, having her as a client? Might not be so bad?? But if she so much as never looked at Sampo twice after this incidental crossing, that'd be A-OK, one hundred percent fine by him too.

Wait. Was it an incidental crossing? Eek! What if she's here to punt his sorry hide back to the Underworld? She wouldn't… would she? Especially during a festival of warmth and friendship and all that cheesy stuff? … . . .

Wait.

' Small business. ' The way she puts it is borderline insulting, especially with how innocent it sounds coming out of her mouth-

But wait! It gets better!

"The. Heart of a young lady…"

What?????

A-huh??

"Ahahaha!! Yes, yes, of course! You're really taking thie 'mingling with your people' bit seriously huh ha ha I mean- I feel like I understand you a bit better now, madam. Truly, this conversation has been, ehm, enlightening…"

Nope. Still terrifying. Seriously, what does she Want with him?!

(Has she busted him for some old shenanigans he'd thought buried and forgotten? Surely not - he is Sampo Koski!)

Hands steeple together. Okay. All right. This is still comebackable. Probably.

"Woullllld it be all right, madam supreme guardian, if I gifted this to you?" It's just a trinket, really, but one man's garbage is ever another’s treasure. Sampo knows that better than anybody. And if it's caught ma'am eye, who is he to judge? Maybe she'll even lead a brand new trend, and the cute (?) lil buggers will catch fire like those weird monkeys in Penacony… Belobog doesn't have a mascot yet, right? Maybe it could use a mascot---

“Well of course I take ‘mingling with my people’ seriously. I’d like to hope that I’m more than just an unobtainable figure to the eyes of Belobog.” Though, this posed a question – what exactly was this planet’s version of Bronya like? Better yet, did she have a Seele at her side, too? What was she like? Had they met under different circumstances, Bronya would ask Sampo for all of this and more. Unfortunate it was that they met under false pretenses, as none of Bronya’s curiosity about Bronya would be so easily satiated. 

“Ah-” she’s caught off guard by the proposal of the little trinket as a gift. ‘Damn, he’s really trying to appeal to me. Is Bronya Rand that scary?’ She clears her throat, gathering herself before breaking into a fit of giggles (which may honestly have made her appear scarier, if anything). “-How kind of you. You do understand the heart of a lady then. However, it wouldn’t be right of me to accept such an adorable little thing without so much as providing compensation. Worse yet, without even so much as hinting towards foot traffic for your business endeavors.”

As much as Bronya wanted to believe that this was out of the goodness of Sampo’s heart, she more reasonably expected the purpose of pawning off this item as a ‘gift’, was to curry further favor with Bronya Rand. That much was clear, with Sampo offering this as a little secret between the two. ‘He must have a nasty reputation, if he thinks the Supreme Guardian would be better off keeping this meeting a secret.’

“No, no, I think I’ll promote you. Or at the very least, when asked, mention you. I wanna keep this little one at my side. Of course, there’s the matter of payment as well – unless you’re truly gifting this to me?” A light chuckle leaves her lips; it’s playful, innocent in some way, though almost… knowing, if one were to look into it further. 

“ 'cause it's my workshop. my craftshop. where i work. ” Aino grumbled, arms still crossed as she spoke to convey such displeasure at needing to explain further. “ are you a traveler? is that why you're so curious? ”

then - at the mention of ineffa, she softens up considerably in stance, “ ineffa is my most important family member. ” she informs, raising a brow before changing her stance again. Aino's hands rest on her waist, “ are you friends with ineffa? friends of ineffa are friends of mine. and enemies of ineffa are enemies of mine, but i can't imagine anyone who'd wanna get on our bad side. . . ”

the caution comes back - the mechanical tail from behind the girl pokes out to the front, glaring as menacingly as a bright yellow, eyeless thing could - as bronya approaches. Aino tilts her chin up, standing tall as the visitor instead crouches. “ . . . hehe, weeeelll, i'd be very happy to tell you about what i make here! just - lemme finish snacking, m'kay? won't be long. you can wait. . . uh, here! or around the craftshop. i'll find you, anyway. ”

Honestly, it was better that this child found herself face first in nuts, bolts and other items of the kind, rather than…

“I am a traveler, and this is my first time in Nod Krai.” She bows, apologetically, realizing that she might’ve caused further offense to someone who didn’t deserve it. “I didn’t expect to see engineering at this level here. It’s not often that you meet prodigies in their craft.” Bronya wondered, far in the back of her mind, whether someone like this little lady would’ve thrived, had she been conscripted to be a Valkyrie for St. Freya. ‘Theresa would love to meet this girl, huhuhu…’ 

Then, the mention of an important family member… and somewhat instinctively, Bronya raises her hands, shaking them as if to say ‘no, no, no’ – “not necessarily friends, but most definitely not enemies, either, I swear.” Unless, somehow, Bronya misremembered who she worked with that one time in Penacony…

But, the sudden invitation to simply… meander and explore, to pick and prod… Bronya, who had a refined love and appreciation for engineering (despite being a game developer at present… perhaps all Herrschers of Reason had a love of understanding intricate systems and mechanics) felt like a kid in a candy store at the opportunity. First, she mouths something of an ‘okay, thank you’ to the little girl, before approaching the seemingly annoyed robot, bowing before it and donning a smile.

" Truth be told , I didn't get the chance to learn a whole lot about them , when I had started actually learning about it , the hotel began completely collapsing . . . " she admitted , a relieved sigh escaping as the two were finally a little more alone now , the crowd of people becoming quickly overwhelming for her .

" If I remember what he said . . . the stellaron is something akin to a world ending threat , it could cause entire planets to explode , freeze over , you name it , it brought sorts of disasters , it could be used for terrible things in the wrong hands , I don't know if it's a good comparison , but . . . imagine a ball of Honkai Energy overflowing and erupting , that's the mental image of it , in my head , at least . "

recalling the most she could from the explanation Ratio had given , hoping it would be enough to give Bronya a proper idea , though tilting her head once she apologized . " Oh , please , it's not your fault we met like this , chaos just seems to follow me where I go , huh ? "

she falls silent momentarily after she apologized , gazing off for a moment , there were certainly plenty of thoughts running through her head , trying to piece together so many different parts of this puzzle , but coming up blank .

Of course, Bronya presumed that Mei knew of these little quirks of hers – their friendship spanned the better part of a decade, after all. There were few others in the world who could understand Bronya Zaychik like Raiden Mei had (and Kiana Kaslana, but she isn’t here at present, and Bronya would first throw herself headfirst into the depths of hell than give Kiana that moment of satisfaction) had. “Hrm…”

The grunt was borne from concern; the Destructive nature of the Stellaron really had sounded all too familiar to the Honkai’s wrath. The fact that Mei had directly compared it to an eruption confirmed those terrifying concerns. “The Stellaron’s similarities to the Honkai makes offering relief efforts easier… but brews concern. To think that the Honkai could’ve reached as far as this side of Sol… Damn it.” Realization sinks in with each word, understanding that the Honkai truly shall never cease its wanton evisceration. “I’d like to ask who this man you spoke to was. I wish to have a word with him to garner more information.”

It was, not coincidentally, a day in which he was relieved of his duties in leading morning prayers, and he had busied himself instead by speaking to those who similarly had chosen to not attend church this morning- especially those, he found, who had problems that would be easily solved should they simply give them a voice.

Whether routine or irregular, Dahlia listens to them all, occasionally offering advice- though sometimes he finds it is better to simply offer a listening ear. Regardless, there are many who appreciate a word of concern, and he is happy to oblige.

Of course, the trust that the people of Mondstadt put into him is not shared with those who come from beyond its borders- but he is not one to simply leave them to their troubles because of it. One such stranger mills about the plaza, clearly troubled about one thing or another.

“Greetings, stranger! Am I correct in assuming that you are not from around here?” The Deacon approaches with the ease of someone who knows those who belong to his congregation like the back of his hand, “I can’t help but notice that you’ve been pacing at our entrance for a while now- what’s on your mind?”

   “I apologize,” she states, rather than offering verbal greetings of any sort. Bronya had a reason to pace around outside of the Church of Favonius – she read that in older times, Churches acted as an institution of a therapeutic sort, alongside their pious practices. Of course, any sort of therapy was easily afforded back at home- that much wasn’t a concern. However…

   Her issues lay mostly within Mondstadt’s walls. So it would be easier to have that discussion with someone from there, rather than a therapist from home, who may look at her with a bit of insanity (especially if she divulged the extent of how vast the universe truly was).

   More specifically, she was on the hunt for Treasure Hoarders who had managed to escape from the Chasm, and make their way to Mond’s walls with their absconded riches. The hunt to even find them to begin with was a hassle – a wild goose chase, ultimately resulting in those damned Hoarders utilizing the paranoia wrought by the surrounding rumors to catapult their escape. The fact that Bronya found herself willing to chase them all the way to Mondstadt was more than impressive, and all the more proof of the Treasure Hoarder’s annoying tenacity, given that they had escaped across (somewhat nonexistent) national borders. “Fuck,” Bronya cursed to herself, hoping no one else had heard her utterance of such uncouth language. She scanned the area, trying to find where the Treasure Hoarders could’ve gone, and when she couldn’t pick up on any tracks an audible sigh escaped her lips. 

   Somehow, they managed to cover their tracks well enough to escape Bronya’s ire. She simply would not let that slide. 

   She began to quietly ask around town, asking idle citizens if anyone had come into the city recently – of course, with how busy Mondstadt tended to be (especially for its size), no one seemed to immediately notice “People come and go all the time!” seemed to be an unfortunately common sentiment. Slowly, though, Bronya rose throughout the city – and with each level, she continued to garner no meaningful answer, until a passerby mentioned a few guys wanting to ‘seek absolution’ recently. ‘The Church of Favonius!’ And, within moments, Bronya found herself at the church’s doors, though as she was gearing to head in – a familiar face seemed to enter her vision. “Deacon-!” 

   With a pep in her step, Bronya approached the Deacon, Dahlia, and bowed (like she probably had plenty of times already to other denizens of Mondstadt), taking a moment to ignore the nature of their initial counter that lingered in the air. “Deacon,” her voice was calm as she repeated his title, though there was a considerable breathlessness to the tone, “a few Treasure Hoarders from Liyue are somewhere in the Church of Favonius. Could you help me find them and arrest them?”

   Guilt at the inability to protect was all consuming, especially for someone who sought to do all that she could to protect. Maybe that was why she still remained in Belobog to assist in the relief efforts, though it wouldn’t be hard to argue that she’d still be here even if she hadn’t felt guilty for her perceived failures. The Fragmentum, and the Destruction by extension, were too similar to the Honkai for her to ignore. ‘Belobog was impacted by a Stellaron too, if I remember from that Museum… that’s why the Fragmentum is here.’ Bronya recalled a conversation with Mei regarding the Stellaron on the planet Empyrea, ‘Empyrea’s destruction and the Fragmentum here both feel similar to a Honkai Eruption… but I cannot be too sure.’ Because of that, Bronya found herself ready to take a closer look at the Fragmentum, even if that may have been a considerably bad idea.

   She wouldn’t allow herself to go alone, though. There was benefit to exploring in numbers, especially when it came to the Honkai. She fought far too many battles against it over the past decade to underestimate something even slightly similar to it, even if that similarity lies in concept more than anything. However, as she waded through the crowd of Belobogians offering relief aid, no one seemed to stand out at attention to her – they all seemed frail, in the event of a battle. 

   That was, of course, until Bronya spotted an unfamiliar head of dark-green hair. The stature of one not too significantly shorter than she, but still carried a significant fierceness in their eyes. She approached, bowing before the unfamiliar figure in the crowd. “Excuse me,” her voice was polite – perhaps that was unbecoming of a warrior, but that did not matter to her, “I plan to investigate more of the Destruction out in the field it… reminds me of something from back in my home. Would you come with me? It would be considerably dangerous to go alone.”

Still, her favorite hacker's doppleganger was interesting. She'd reclaimed her composure quickly despite being flustered, maintained her curiosity about the event despite how vague the cost would be. All useful traits for a second pair of eyes, a second heartbeat to siphon attention while Kafka claimed her quarry.

The risk lied in this older wolf's nature—if she turned out to be more of a rabbit, she might balk when the favor's teeth showed. Still… the calculus of entertainment favored a little danger. Pretending to 'audit' the Wubbaboo ring had its charms, but so did seeing if she could nudge this look-alike into becoming an accessory to larceny.

"Kafka," she supplied, mouth curving with lazy amusement. "I know you aren't my Wolfie… but I'm curious how you'd hold up in a friendly wager."

   Resting a hand on her hip, Bronya’s lips remained without any sort of curvature – “so in exchange for getting me in there… you want me to participate with you?” It seemed so simple, and alongside that errant simplicity, Kafka confirmed to Bronya what had been going on in those closed doors. Unless, of course, she was lying. It wouldn’t hurt to lean into the possibility of truth, though- after all what would that make Bronya’s title? 

   She leaned in, drawing ever closer to the mulberry twine of danger and lies that stood before her. Bronya would walk into the den of the predator, ever confident in her safety to see the end of it all. Besides, she was a woman of curiosity, and she wouldn’t allow this Kafka to deter her by any means. “That’s fine. What do you need me to do, Kafka?” Though the name was wholly unfamiliar, sans that famed author, Bronya wondered if Kafka felt a sense of familiarity, hearing her name said in what she could only imagine as a similar voice to her companion. 

but with her being so off guard with all the hits to them weakening her , she was off her game , taking a dangerous enough hit that nearly makes her stumble . . . the one shade they killed opened up a path behind them , looking to Bronya , her breathing heavy .

" Bronya . . . I can't take another hit , I'm already in a poor state -- we've got to go , now ! " you know it's bad if Mei is admitting defeat , holding her arm , hand over the wound recently delivered to her , she's clearly in a weaker state then some of these shades , once her teammate was ready , breaking out into a sprint , going as fast as she was able to muster in this state .

And she wouldn’t want to drag Mei down further, after all what proper partner would see that as a good idea? “When we return, let me tend to your wounds.” There was an ‘it’s the least I could do’ that remained unspoken.

night 4 begins…

After time spent patching each other up to the best of their capabilities, Bronya took a deep breath. “The enemy forces are even less now than they had been nights prior.” She nods, a little relieved with this fact in mind. “I… don’t think we’re in very good standing, even with the bit of patchwork we were able to do. A bit of rest would do us some good…” It was the more responsible decision she could make, especially after encouraging moments of irresponsibility last night. “We can travel to the first block, and find a bit of respite there. Then, after that, we can figure out what our approach should be.”

Nodding, the two women make their way over to the first block. The fifteen minutes of travel was something they gradually grew more accustomed to, as this was not the first time such a trip had to have been made. When they reached the first block, though a few enemies had been roaming the area, Bronya didn’t pay them any mind as she set up the campfire. “When this is all said and done, we should really get something to eat together…”

Mei showed a similar calm , the words going unspoken as the two set off , they knew each other well enough to be able to just tell those little things , which definitely helped in situations like this .

it didn't take long for the enemies to begin rushing them down , they'd likely witnessed their feats the prior nights and decided to take them out before more trouble could be caused , but the girls were ready , slicing through the enemies with her blade like butter , the shouts from her teammate helping her even more , a perfect duo , perfectly in sync -- as if they'd entered a flow state tonight , in a mere two hours , striking down three -- in such short time , they'd begin dropping the enemies numbers .

" No reason to stop now ! " it's as if they were walking right into their graves , meeting their makers as the Frostspawn tried their best to swarm them , but unscathed , the girls danced through their attacks like it was a routine they'd practiced for years , like they knew every step they were going to take eons before the time to move actually arrived , the gap in power between a lowly spawn and the two Herrschers growing further and further .

the two were weakened down with ease , as the two tried to rush Mei in unison -- as if time itself had frozen , Mei was able to put her herrscher powers to use and flow right between them , moving as her blade sliced down one of the two , the other finished off by Bronya without so much as a scratch .

aren't they getting tired of rushing them so quickly ? at this point , she's able to easily predict the speed at which these ones come flying at her , landing a heavy wound with such a coordinated strike to the wing . " That makes five and a half , you're not gonna slow down on me , right , Bronya ? " calling out to her teammate in a teasing way , she knows the answer already , but she's sure Bronya won't mind the encouraging little nudge .

An attack, one made in anticipation, cut off their conversation. An Ice out of Space, weakened but still swinging with full force as though it were making its own sort of last stand, struck the two women with an unexpected strength. Still dazed, Bronya stood back up, gritting her teeth from the pain. Helping her partner to her feet, Bronya’s voice is quiet, still from the attack just now. “We should… finish this thing off.” And, with strength still gathered in their mutual plight, they had. A dancer, even whilst injured, is still an expert in their craft, and soon the Ice out of Space, hanging on for its life, was brought to its much deserved grave. 

Another Frostspawn stood behind it, and a Shade next to that one. “Hm… we still shouldn’t stop now. However many we can take out tonight will be helpful for when we return tomorrow.” And with such a declaration, the two women attack the enemies before them. The Frostspawn briefly nicks them both, but even that doesn’t dispel their fervor. Soon, that Frostspawn is brought to join the Ice out of Space, and with enough strength behind the two women’s attacks, the Shade is brought to similar dire straits. 

“That Shade is weak… good.” Bronya takes a breath, and turns to face her partner, pain in her expression. “Mei, your call. We retreat back to the camp, or we continue until the night ends. You know my personal opinion, though I would not follow through were you against continuing on.”

and this time ? she had no intention of getting as beat up as before , taking what shots she can at the Ice out of Space before moving on to the nearest enemy -- Bronya can likely tell Meis energy for the night is starting to waver , having nearly been engaged in battles or running for six whole hours . . . is gonna start wearing you down , Herrscher or not .

clashing with the incoming Frostspawn , doing well to dodge the attack patterns she's gotten so used to , with the continued support of Bronya , she'd pick up the pace -- in the blink of an eye , landing the finishing blow on it , given no time to breathe as her winged blades fly up to block the enemy that came flying at her , throwing it off to allow Bronya a few shots on it .

out of the corner of her eye . . . even though the enemy was weakened -- she spotted a crate sitting by its lonesome , frozen over for the most part , but recognizable enough , it was a crate of rations , something she couldn't ignore .

" Bronya , we can come back for them , we should get this thing out before they get to it ! " although you could take it as if Mei was running from the fight , she ran over to pick up the crate of rations and sheathing her blade , knowing that if she needed , Bronya would be there to give her covering fire , beginning their return to basecamp with the haul that was starting to weigh them down .

…So she understood that such an assessment on the state of the second block could only be determined by the third night’s fall. 

night 3 begins….

The sun falls for the third time, and the embrace of night’s fall graces those who wish to protect those Belobogians who lay in fear for what is to come. Some set out first, taking their own preparations to attack. While on site. Bronya chooses to stretch, as she turns to face her partner for another night. “It’s time. I don’t think we should come up with a plan…” The prior night, Bronya assessed to herself that the second night was overtaken by the Fragmentum. Were her assessment to hold true, any plan would fall flat in the face of overwhelming numbers. 

Because of that, “I do still believe we should first try to take down any of the little ones that are there. The bigger enemies could come after.” Nodding, Bronya brings her weapon to be at the ready. She gives her partner a look, one claiming preparedness for the night to come, without so much as uttering that very confirmation. 

And after that, they set off. A fifteen minute walk soon brought them back to the second block. The moment they set their foot into enemy territory, a Frostspawn made its way to attack. Though anticipating the possibility, Bronya was alert – “on your left!” – she calls out, giving Mei ample time to react and counter the Frostspawn, and Bronya even sighs in relief to herself as she notices her partner nick the creature with her blade. “Let’s do this.”

The first Frostspawn that attacked was dispatched quickly, with Bronya providing cover fire to Mei as she routed the enemy. Though the fight started off light, the two women quickly began to dominate the opposition, soon dispatching the Fragmentum as quickly as it had approached. Then, two more showed up, as though they were prepared to avenge their friend. ‘That makes this easier, at least.’ 

Those two were swiftly dispatched as well. Falcon Flare becomes a blade once more, and the two warriors rout the enemies in collaboration, as they had each night prior and many more years prior. Of the two new Frostspawn, one swiftly falls, and soon, the second falls thereafter. They were on a roll, a focus in their eyes indicative of the experience gained from the nights prior. “Three down, many more to come. Let’s continue, shall we?”

it didn't take long for the two to swing into action , from the moment they entered , Mei had barely waited for Bronya to give the word before drawing her blade and rushing into battle , giving a show of that speed paired with the mantle of origin , yet even with that power -- this specific enemy did wonders to wear the two down again , but they manage to dispatch it rather quickly , slicing the enemy down much easier with the help of the other pair . " just what fuels these things ? their aggression is surprising . . . " if she'd be able to encounter that man again , perhaps the one who filled her in on the knowledge of the fragmentum in the first place can give her a lesson about the monsters that come from it .

just like before , before she's unable to properly finish her thought before more of the enemies begin closing in , eyes locked on the two opposing Frostspawn , if she wasn't given the courtesy to properly think ? neither would these beasts -- if they were even capable of such , she'd rush forward , taking advantage of her enemies clumsy movements to get a quick strike in , to which Bronya seems to be able to follow rather quickly , the two moving in near perfect synergy to be able to strike down the two enemies trying to swarm and surround them , able to take care of them before they became a proper threat to the girls .

lucky them to leave this battle unscathed despite their close calls , that was a blessing especially after all that's already happened to the pair tonight , quickly gathering the resources from the enemies and storing them away , staring out towards the group of enemies in the short distance away .

" Don't drop your guard , there's still plenty here to deal with . . . "

That did not mean giving up, though. 

Stealing her resolve, Bronya calls out, “that Frostspawn is weak! I’ll goad it as a distraction – I trust your reflexes, Mei.” And quickly, with Truth firing warning shots to make herself an easier target, she watches as Origin follows through. Then, a Shade makes its unseemly appearance, and once again, Truth nods, wordlessly making quick work with Origin’s blade at her side. They even slightly knick an Ice out of Space in that decisive strike, and Bronya is left panting at the end in response. 

She looks up once more, gazing at the swarm of enemies lurking through the second block. Even now, it felt like there had been more, even compared to before. Bronya’s grip around Falcon Flare tightens, and in the distance she can tell that the end of this night draws closer. “I think we… need to keep fighting- or at the very least stay here… so no more of the Fragmentum from the other blocks head our way, at the very least…”