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His hands were stained red, the blood from both the innocent and the guilty never truly left, no matter how much he scrubbed. Yet, she still held his crimson stained hands, perhaps it was because her hands were just as soiled.
Two sinners, one loved for their blood ridden hands, the other feared and hated. Yet it didn’t matter because he hated them just as much. Lumine on the contrary, seemed to love teyvat’s citizens. She fought with blood, sweat, and tears to protect them; to protect the nations of gods who destroyed her brothers home, and took everything away from her.
Though, unlike most of the mindless humans of teyvat the balladeer knew something no one else did. Their benevolent hero wouldn’t love them forever. Every time the harbinger saw her, the traveler’s anger had seemed to have grown. She clenched her fist, ready to attack whenever a pesky individual couldn’t take no for an answer. Gritted her teeth when recalling a rather ungrateful client, and scowled whenever someone hung a self proclaimed useful piece of information regarding her brother over her head, wanting something in return as if she hasn’t already given this world enough.
‘Not all of them are bad’ She always told him,
‘why don’t you just join me with the fatui?’ He would ask, ‘We can give you the information you need, and more.’
‘not for a price of course?’
‘A better price than neglecting yourself for information that wont benefit you in the end.’
At this Lumine would pause, pondering,
‘…I don’t want to lose myself, even if it means losing my brother.’
But she would, or rather, she would find herself, she would find the resentment buried deep in her heart, ready to burst at any moment. And how Scaramouche relished in this future. The balladeer grinned at the thought of his Mistress finally snapping, and abandoning the people that she both loved and hated. Then joining his side, where he could assure nothing truly horrendous happened to her, to assure she never cried a tear over her traitor brother again.
To assure that she was only his.
Just as his malicious thoughts arrayed he felt gloved, bloody hands touch his shoulders, rubbing up and down his back under his clothes. He didn’t need to look behind him to know who it was.
“You know, I could have you beheaded for touching me without my permission, Traveler.”
“You give others permission to touch you?”
“Do you?”
“…Of course not.”
The Balladeer suddenly turned around, and grabbed her sullied hands. Hard enough to make her gasp, but gentle enough where she could break free if she truly wanted. Looking at Lumine, by societal standards she looked horrible. Gashes and bruises that made his stomach boil were littered all over. She was dirty with grime, and blood that mostly wasn’t hers. Her golden locks were messy and unkept, blood splattered in random places.
To him, she looked absolutely gorgeous.
“Are you sure? That gaudy blonde man seemed to enjoy saving you quite throughly.” He said peering down at her, jealousy running through his mechanical veins.
“…You were watching?” ‘You didn’t help me?’
“I was watching the one hundredth vision being taken by my mother. I didn’t expect the golden traveler to come to that person’s Aide, an oversight on my part given her rather heroic reputation.” I wasn’t close enough.
“If only pretty boy knew his darling traveler was alone in a hotel room with a harbinger. What would he say then?” The harbinger smirked, removing his hands from hers to grab her hips, and bring the her closer. The traveler was now close enough where even his mechanical nose could smell. Her sweat was over powered by the scent of flowers; perfume, and Iron; blood.
“It’s not like that,” She swore.
“hmm..” Scaramouche squinted his eyes, as if he was trying to detect a lie, making the woman anxious at the thought that he would even consider that she would betray him in such a cruel way.
“He was like you said, saving me. Must you be jealous when someone else literally saved my life? Why can’t you just be grateful for once?” Lumine scoffed, lightly hitting his chest, her anxiety turning into disbelief and annoyance.
“I guess you’re right,” The man said, making the blonde suspicious, “He saved your life so I should at least be grateful. Despite the fact he was the one that put you there, no?”
“I put myself there.”
“I’m not sure which is worse.” He coldly stated, taking his hands off of her hips, and stepping back from her.
“You almost betrayed me.” He said bitterly as he crossed his arms, with the blonde in front of him at a loss of words.
“I didn’t think you were like everyone else.” Scaramouche said.
“Perhaps I was wrong.”
The traveler felt anxiety brew at the bottom of her chest. Despite the man in front of her being a rather formidable fighter, a harbinger, deep down they both knew, he was runner.
A coward that ran away at even the slightest hint he would be ‘betrayed’ for a fourth time. A coward that ran away from his own emotions. Would he run away here? Did Lumine scare him? Did she bring out a part of him that he left to burn with the nameless child? If so why hasn’t he abandoned her yet?
Lumine took a step forward, closing the space between them as she put her hand where his heart would should be. The blood on her palms littering his clothes for not the first or last time.
“I would never betray you, you know that.”
“Do I?” The balladeer asked, re placing his hands on her waist and pulling her closer again.
“I promise. Especially not to your mother.”
At this he hummed, partially accepting her answer as he moved his right hand up to cup her cheek. He watched Lumine’s tense shoulder’s drop, and exhaled through his nose feeling a sense of relief himself.
“We may need to clash in a few days.” Scaramouche said, examining the bruises and cuts that rested on her face, occasionally using his hand to brush back stray strands and move her head for more leverage.
“Don’t we always?” The traveler chuckled.
“Not like we normally do.” He said seriously, and Lumine’s smiled faltered, “It’s about the gnosis.”
The traveler paused for a moment, not knowing what to say. She knew the day where they would fight for the gnosis would come, but didn’t want it to come so soon. Apart of her wanted to just give up, and let him have it. Both of them knew the gnosis wouldn’t be going into the hands of the fatui, but despite knowing how much the gnosis mean’t to the puppet, Lumine couldn’t let him have it. She couldn’t let him destroy himself.
“You can’t take it.” She said, grabbing onto his clothing.
“I’m just taking what is mine back. You would be the one stealing if you were to prevent me from taking what is mine.”
“You don’t need a heart, Scara.” Lumine desperately reinforced, “You only need me, you don’t need anything else.”
“You don’t need your brother yet here we are. Don’t be hypocritical Lumine, we’re both doing the same thing.” The harbinger said bitterly, and took his hand from her face to let it rest on her back.
“You only need me, you don’t need anything else.” He echoed.
“I’m not going to lose myself by finding my brother. You will.”
“Oh dear traveler you already have.” Scaramouche scoffed, “The firstborn daughter of a king, spare heiress of an entire world, reduced to what? Mindlessly running around looking for someone that doesn’t even want you looking for him?”
The harbinger watched his lover’s expression and figure crumble under his words, he cut her. He cut her deep. Normally he would laugh in the face of someone who shed tears over his words, but when the woman in front of him ducked her head down, hiding her face from him, and started to cry he immediately felt a twinge of regret pang in his chest.
Scaramouche brought her into his embrace, bringing one of his hands to pet her hair.
“Look Lumine- I just-“
“You’re an asshole.” Lumine cried,
“I know, i’m sorry. I just- i’m going to do this no matter what you say, so don’t get in my way. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
The balladeer grabbed the travelers face to look up at him, and wiped her tear ridden cheeks, along with using his thumb to wipe her water line to prevent anymore from falling.
“Join me Lumine.”
“What?”
“I am to be in possession of my gnosis soon. I will be a god, and you can be my first follower.” He said, grabbing her face with both of his hands.
“You say I will lose myself, but you’re wrong. I will finally reach my full potential, what I was created for. You can’t stop me, so join me Lumine.” Scaramouche bordered on begging, “We both hold contempt for the archons, and the heavens. I, a puppet abandoned by an archon, and you, someone born to embrace the heavens and sit on their throne.” Lumine opened, and closed her mouth several times trying to find what to say,
“I-“
“We can become the new gods, together.”
“Scaramouche.. I..” She hesitated,
“If you truly believe i will lose myself by becoming what I was created to be, then we can lose ourselves together.” Scaramouche further emphasized, “We wont ever let someone abandon or betray us again, no one will be able to tear us apart.”
“So what do you say Lumine?”
“I..” Lumine said something she would likely later regret,
“Ok.”