It's funny who you run into on the road.
The person who was responsible for this whole situation was now standing right in front of us. The question is, what were we going to do about it? We had no real obligation anywhere, to be honest.
We were just helping out Jean because she asked nicely and we already intended to wander around.
Well, that and Artoria sympathized with her workload and stress she was dealing with.
And now this woman looked like she was ready for round two.
The issue is…there were a lot of people around us, mostly other customers who were staring. If a real fight broke out, they would most certainly be collateral damage.
But regardless, I couldn't hide my shit-eating grin.
I really have been a bad influence on Artoria, haven't I? Because now this supposed 'Harbinger' was fuming.
You could practically see the steam rolling off her from the anger.
I don't think she was used to being dismissed like this.
"Insolent brat!" She hissed at Artoria. "Do you think this is the same as before? Those Knights won't come running this time because things got too loud!"
Artoria kept her expression composed. "It is highly likely that I am older than you."
The woman seemed to not like that response.
She slapped her hand on the table, and the room's temperature went down several degrees immediately.
I exhaled, and it was turning a tad white from the temperature drop.
"By the way," I spoke up over Artoria's shoulder. "Venti said he didn't get his money's worth."
She blinked.
"He asked me to tell you that next time, you should step on him a little harder."
Her eyes stayed unmoving on me, and there was a fraction of a second where it took her to digest what I just said.
It really was a Chinese inn, because everyone understood what was happening and immediately started to flee the room.
Damn, I didn't get a chance to become Young Master Wilhelm again.
Was she being considerate? Because it was only when the regular people left the room that it immediately got flash frozen.
I blinked, because through the chilled air, an outstretched hand made of ice seemed to penetrate through the air, trying to grab at my neck.
It reminded me of the Winter Queen in a way.
"I'll rip your tongue out." Half of her face was frozen in ice, carrying with it a nasty-looking gaze.
Artoria, however, scoffed in dismissal and reached out to grab it. The woman seemed surprised that she was able to. Probably because of how quick and unnatural her 'attack' was.
I think I understood what she did; this entire room was now her 'domain.' The cold air was an extension of her, and she could use it to act from a distance.
Her iced hand wasn't reaching me from past Artoria; it was essentially using the cold air to bridge the gap in space between us.
That's interesting; I've never seen the cold used in that way before.
"Then freeze together."
The cold from her frozen hand intensified, but Artoria didn't budge. Surprisingly, a small bit of ice began to gather on her arm, slowly enveloping her. But that was only for a moment before it cracked, and a golden light shined through.
The warm and protective light of Avalon warded off the harsh cold.
Genuine disbelief crossed her face, making it rather easy to read her thoughts. She was visibly shocked at what she was seeing as her harsh cold was pushed away under the light of Avalon. It wasn't a simple matter of someone using their power to resist her ice; it was something much deeper and heavier that brushed it away.
"I wanted to surprise you, but I suppose this isn't a bad time." Artoria opened her mouth, and I had a feeling she was talking to me.
She took a deep breath, looking right at the Fatui Harbinger. "Fus."
A familiar invisible force rippled out, blowing her back and shattering all the ice in the room, shaking the building in its entirety.
I could feel the reverberations throughout the rock formation and the tree this inn was utilizing at its foundation.
Did…she learn how to use the Thu'um while in Skyrim!?
I was truly and honestly speechless. Not because I looked down on her, but because I knew how difficult it was to actually learn. I was cheating by having Ddraig in my soul and him actively helping me.
And even then, it was difficult. I still had no talent in the branch of 'magic.'
Yet, here she is, having learned at least one word by herself.
She looked over her shoulder to see my reaction. That smile she gave me as if to ask how she did, like she was looking for praise rather than being proud of herself for the feat alone.
[I would be surprised if she could string together more than one word. Learning a single word here or there isn't too hard. But putting them together increases the difficulty exponentially] Ddraig spoke from within me. [Even so, that little Dragon Lass put in all that effort, and from the looks of it, she just did it for your attention.]
I know she's never been interested in learning magic before, but I just never expected her to do this in secret, even if it wasn't normal magic in the strictest sense.
However, the brief moment of respite didn't last long as the room froze over again, this time with a much thicker level of ice.
Artoria returned her attention back on her opponent. I had no intention of interfering unless, of course, things turned for the worse.
But she didn't need to say anything for me to know that she considered this her fight here.
And I didn't dislike it when she was being protective of me.
However, I did sneakily throw out a handful of talismans as they found spots pressing against the sides of the building, the rock formation, and even exposed parts of the tree underneath.
A quick sealing formation that reinforced the building's foundation just in case.
And, otherwise, I could repair any other damage that incurred because of a 'fight.' I knew she would do her best to force the woman outside, though, so I was just taking precautions so he didn't have to overly worry.
Her invisible sword was already in her hands, and the Fatui Harbinger looked ready to throw down too.
But my eyes darted to the side, and I wasn't the only one who noticed.
A flash of green broke through a window, slamming into the floor between them.
A green spear that looked to be made of jade had impaled itself into the floorboards, and with it, it brought a gust of wind and shattered all the ice in the vicinity.
With another faint breeze, a man appeared, standing on top of it.
At first glance, he looked like a kid, maybe mid-teens, perhaps a few years older than that. But that was false; I could practically see the weight of years radiating off him.
The way he held himself, the look in his eyes—it was enough to tell me all that I needed to know.
And at first glance, I don't think he was human.
"What are you doing, causing damage in someone's inn?" He glared not just at the Fatui but at us too.
He was ready to pick a fight, huh?
I noticed he also had one of those visions at his hip, a teal one, so Anemo.
"Hey, we're the victims here. This is self-defense." I raised my hand up. "That stripper over there started it." I then pointed at the Harbinger.
If her glare could kill…I would have been dead a long time ago.
Despite the words I said, he did focus his gaze back to her.
"Fatui." His words carried a noticeable disdain in them.
"Adepti." She returned his same tone as the ice around her body slowly disappeared and she returned to normal. "I have no quarrel with you."
"If you're going to cause problems in Liyue, then you will answer to me." He slid off his spear and pulled it free from the ground, pointing it at her.
She narrowed her eyes and then harumphed. "I have business with your archon; don't make empty threats." She turned to walk away but stopped right before she left the room; out of the corner of her eye, she glared at us. "This is the second time you've escaped out of luck. Praise whatever god you believe in, because it won't happen again."
"Ah, you seem to be under the impression that it is us that are being shown mercy. I see, how amusing." Artoria responded casually, and I think her attitude is what made the woman further infuriated.
The Fatui Harbinger turned on her heel and truly walked away this time.
She was apparently here in this country for a reason important enough that she didn't want to fall out with the locals. It was very clear she had a large ego and inviolable pride that she wouldn't allow anyone to speak down to her. The fact that she took a step back spoke a lot about the reason she's actually here.
Not that it really matters to us, I think. I doubt Artoria or I have any intention to further get involved. But if we meet in the future, then whatever happens will happen.
Well, now that she had left, I noticed something strange about this man.
Well, specifically, there was a mask on his hip that felt rather ominous.
He's pretty strong, isn't he? I could tell that much without needing to probe deeper.
Just as she left, though, he turned towards us. "Who are you? Why are you causing trouble for the inn?"
Artoria and I shared a look before she answered. "We are simply traveling on a caravan towards Liyue and sought to purchase a room for the night. Unfortunately, that woman was someone who we had interacted with negatively beforehand."
The man stared at Artoria for a long moment before grunting. "Since you went out of your way to protect the inn, I will forgive it this time." He walked over and pulled a Talisman of mine off the wall and tossed it onto the table as if to emphasize a point.
Hmm, it seems I got noticed.
He glanced back at me. "You have the scent of Mondstadt's wind. What's your relationship to him?"
Hmm, was he talking about Venit? Intentionally being vague about it? I guess they must have some passing knowledge of one another at least; if he isn't human, I think.
"Friendly," I said casually. "You know, a certain drunken bard was attacked by that woman earlier. Tried to steal something important from him, something that looked like a chess piece."
I was curious, so I probed him a bit.
There was a slight reaction as if he recognized what I said, but he kept himself passive.
He was silent for a long moment. "I see."
He didn't seem like the talkative type.
The man spared us another glance, then looked at the room. "Compensate the owner for the damage."
I felt my eye twitch. "Shouldn't you go after the culprit for the damage, not the poor victims who just defended themselves?"
"You both instigated. I was aware the moment the altercation started." He dismissed me immediately.
You know what?
That's fair.
We did run our mouths and rile her up.
But for some reason, I was feeling sort of petty in a benevolent way. I took out my wand under his gaze and aimed it at the room full of broken chairs and tables. Some of them were destroyed by the women, some of them by Artoria.
"Reparo."
The room shifted, broken splinters of wood weaved through the air, tables flipped back up, and chairs were returned to their normal positions as all the damage caused started to become undone.
The man watched with a slight bit of surprise.
"I will tell the owner that it has been settled." The man turned around, about to leave.
"I'm Wilhelm Schweinorg. This is Artoria Pendragon." I introduced us because I had a feeling we would be meeting again.
"You can call me Xiao." He said before he disappeared with a gust of wind.
[Line Break]
It was nice that the owners didn't really hold a grudge or anything like that.
Artoria and I went up to the top floor to avoid the crowd after what happened, but we were being treated like proper guests still.
The view was nice. With how high up we were, we could see out for miles in all directions, and it was very beautiful.
Artoria was enjoying her food.
It's been a while since I've had Chinese food, like proper Chinese food. A lot of people don't realize that just because cultures are so close and somewhat similar, Japanese and Chinese food have some heavy distinctions.
Even over in England, most Asian food is lumped together in one category. Places in the western world just call everything from China, Japan, Korea, or other regions just 'Chinese food' in shorthand.
Granted, we aren't on Earth at the moment, but the food is oddly on point here.
And of course, the food is fantastic.
I really don't think we can go back to regular food after this adventure. We've been stocking up everywhere we go, but we were going to need to really get a good reserve of food to bring back home.
I couldn't help but stare at her. Her cute way of eating her fill never stopped being fun to watch. But beyond that, well… I was finding myself looking her way.
She apparently noticed my gaze too, beyond just something idle. "Do you wish to say something?"
"Since when are you so petty?"
She flushed slightly. "Do you think I cannot speak words to anger my opponents? I am versed in the methods of verbal altercation amidst a fight."
I think she would pout at me if I said that the idea was cute more than insulting.
"So you learned a dragon word, huh?" I changed topics.
She perked up, and her smile became beautiful again. I picked up a napkin and dabbed it at the corner of her cheek because she had a couple grains of rice stuck to her as she let me do it.
"Did I use it well?" She asked.
"You used it perfectly." I said immediately, and that was enough to make her happy. The excitement was very clearly written across her face. "When did you learn how to do that?"
"I spent time practicing when I was with Rin in Skyrim. I visited Thorum, and he would give me advice and help me. I told him…that I wished to surprise you…" She trailed off, looking away.
"Have you worked on any other Dragon Shouts?" I asked curiously.
She nodded. "I have been working on the first word of Disarm. I have yet to find success, however."
I reached for her hand, taking it into mind. "I'm sure you'll get it in no time. What made you want to learn? I didn't think you had any interest in magical arts. And while the Thu'um isn't technically magical as it is normally, I would think it's still in the same area."
"You are correct; I do not have much interest in learning magic. I fear that my desire has been thoroughly crushed due to the users of it in my life." She admitted fairly easily. And considering who was around her—Merlin and even her sister—I couldn't fault her that she would associate it with them and not wish to learn it. "However…perhaps this is different enough that I find it not unpleasant. And…mayhaps, I wished to share an additional interest with you."
Is there a question as to how I fell in love with this woman?
I'm so very happy that she came on this trip with me.
This is a moment I would remember for my entire life. And I think part of that is because there is a giant crane staring at us from the other side of a window.
Like, full-on staring.
With clear intelligence in its eyes.
This wasn't some private room or something like that. Even if it was secluded, we were in a public place, more or less.
But still….
I met the crane's eyes, then slowly pulled the curtains shut.
That's better.
[Line Break]
A/N
Artoria reveals a secret: she has been practicing the Thu'um. No conclusion to their little spat with La Signora yet, but it's also not really a place for them to run wild either.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
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