"Sometimes I have the strangest feeling about you." (from Alice :3)
Jane Eyre ... sentence starters
IF EVER THERE WAS A CLEAR CUT CASE of the pot calling the kettle black - this would be it. Alice had always been the oddity in her life; this majestic and mythical woman that swept in and out of Mondstadt like a warm summer breeze, yet wielded the destructive potential of a category 5 hurricane. Yet for all the unpredictability she brought with her, there was always a saving grace too. She was the safety net that kept watch over them all, the kind, even if mischievous sorceress that elevated mischief and mayhem far beyond law and order. But she was always considerate. Always compassionate and doting, like the friend that had somehow inadvertently become everyone’s unofficial mother. Which begged the question now, of which side of the coin she was staking this conversation on: chaos or compassion?
❝Lady Alice... I must admit, a phrasing like that from you usually precedes a localized climate crisis, an unexpected invoice from the Hexenzirkel, or an explosion that entirely redraws the borders of Brightcrown Canyon. If this 'strangest feeling' is merely your intuition telling you that I am running on three hours of sleep and an unhealthy amount of black coffee, I assure you, your perception is as flawless as ever. I am perfectly well, simply ensuring the Knights remain steady in Grand Master Varka’s absence.❞
Firmly, but calmly, Jean delivers the start of her response, those tired blue eyes flitting up from her stack of parchment to settle on the face of the mischief maker herself. ❝However, if this feeling of yours is of a more... prophetic nature, I implore you to be merciful. Please tell me it does not involve Klee, a newfound method for fish-blasting, or a prototype for an automated Favonius airship that uses Pyro slimes for propulsion. The last time you had a 'feeling' about Cider Lake, the literal ecology of the region took three months to recover, and the Ordo’s logistics team is still drowning in the resulting paperwork.❞
A pause follows, the faintest flicker of exasperation lingering on the periphery of her expression - but so too is the hallmark sign of genuine vulnerability. Perhaps it was better to be strange than predictable - and if anyoen should know, that was surely Alice herself. ❝ Yet if impending chaos is indeed on the horizon, please grant this Acting Grand Master at least an hour's head start to alert the cavalry, reinforce the structural integrity of the headquarters, and safely escort Klee to solitary confinement before the first spark is struck. Otherwise, I remain, as always, deeply grateful for your unique perspective. Please do clarify. My nerves—and Mondstadt’s masonry—await your reply.❞
