(2) in the sun

I did not go the long way, with liyue and all. I couldn't care less. I just need to finish this stupid task as fast as possible.

I arrived at Port Ormos, in Sumeru. I was not going to ask anyone for directions. I was not asking these idiotic strangers.

it was embarrassing enough with signora.

So i looked for posters or something. anything related to the Forest Watcher T man.

I found a bulletin board but it was no use.

I looked at the map of sumeru, and thought. If he is a forest watcher..

There is a big jungle and a big forest in Sumeru. there may be a chance he is in the jungle, but a forest is obviously my best bet. I used a boat to try and find the FOREST part of the Avidya Forest.

That's when i remembered childe may be here soon. But he probably just had some other task.

I was in the middle of Avidya Forest, when i saw a giant tree. I was curious and went up to it, and lo and behold there was a small village .

Was i going to ask for help? NO! I just wanted to see posters or something.

Ugh this is the most empty village yet.No posters.. board.. nothing

After a few minutes.. or almost half an hour of just wandering around aimlessly, I gave up, i just asked around. The first person i asked had answers, thankfully

"Yes we have a popular forest watcher here.. He goes by the name Tighnari. He is around here. Look for dark green hair and fox ears."

"Okay??"

Fox ears? wth

I looked around and didn't see anything. he didn't lie right? to scaramouche? 6th of the Fatui harbingers?

No he didn't. behind me someone asked,

"Who are you? I haven't seen you around?"

Thank god. It was the fox eared man

"I am Scaramouche, sixth of the fatui harbingers. Are you Tighnari?" I wasn't going to be my normal rude, until after I finished my mission.

"Oh?! A harbinger?!? Uhm.. yes i am tighnari." He said that a bit nervously.

"The tsaritsa wanted 'samples' that she asked for a while back. Do you.. have them?"

"Oh shit. I'm sorry man, I sent them with Cyno. He was going to bring them back, but he has to do his duties first, which can take a few days. He is in the desert."

"The desert?!? Are you kidding.. Ugh -just -just where is it." I was losing my temper.

Pftt he looked so nervous.

"uhm it's uh there to the west.."

"k." i responded, and off i went.

—

Okay i finally reached SAND. Now how in the hell was i gonna find Cyno? He didn't even tell me how he looked like.

Suddenly, I heard someone behind me.

"Scaraaa~~!!"

Fuck.I looked behind me and- it was childe. Ughhhh

"ITS SCARAMOUCHE"

then he hugged me. ughhhh

"GET OFF ME"

"oh scara don't you want to work together?" he asked

"no, it's scaramouche, and FUCK OFF"

"atleast tell me what you are here for!"

i just told him. i shouldn't but he wouldn't let go.

"i'm here to find cyno, AND GET OFF OF ME."

He got off (thank the archons)

"Oh but scara.. i'm here to find him too."

I really should not of told him.

"ughhhhh"

"Cmon scara! let's walk together!"

He grabbed my hand

I immediately jerked it off.

"No. It's scaramouche."

"Fine.. scaramouche.. can we walk together?"

"Ugh NO!"

"Why not?"

just stop being so stubborn for archons sake

"your annoying"

"all the more reason!!"

he grabbed my wrist, tight and starting walking.

"LET GO! GET OFF"

i couldn't escape, i tried with my other hand to get off.

"Nuh uh, your staying."

i sighed. no use in wasting energy. i was walking but slightly dragging across the sand. Sand was in my mouth and eyes.

It's different. i mean he was grabbing my wrist, and i couldn't stand straight.

—

Time passed, maybe like 10 minutes?

I was so tired, from being dragged.

"You okay scara?"

"SCARAMOUCHE."

"You should answer my question~ scara." he asked that in the most annoying tone ever.

"ugh. no im tired, from being DRAGGED. It's HOT outside."

I preferred to be dragged. Because right then he grabbed my hand tightly. Now our fingers where intertwined and connected. It was also very tight, i couldn't escape.Nono i do NOT like being dragged.

"NO! Stop! LET GO!"

"you know scara, that's very cute."

i blushed a little..

"what? no it's not cute. your annoying."

he looked at me, i was flustered. i was sweating, from the heat. my hat didn't really help because the sun was shining on us.

"yeah okay." he replied.

Yeah okay?!? Ugh that stupid ginger. I stopped trying to escape his hand, because it's hot, and i didn't want to waste energy.

HOT AS IN THE SUN.. not himbeing hot.. what?

—

we were still holding hands. i mean it felt okay. but i didn't want people to look at us like that. i was sweating, my hat actually made it worse. made my head sweat and hair sweaty. i took my hat off.

then childe looked at me and smirked.

"what??" i asked. annoyed. "why are you smirking?"

"well i don't really see your hat off, it's cute but your bowl cut shows, much more."

My bowl cut? CUTE?!

"it's not cute. and it's not a bowl cut."

"yeah sure. sure sure sure." he replied.

i blushed a bit again..sort of hoping this would end soon. the looking around for.. uh Cyno. but a teeny teeny tiny part of hopes it wouldn't end.—

"Look over there!" Childe said, a bit excitedly.

It was a group of people, a guy with white hair, two random nobody's with brown hair, and a little girl with green hair.

"Let's go!" Childe said, eagerly.

So we went, i tried getting my hand out of his along the way, but i couldn't. It was going to be embarrassing...

"Hello comrades!" Childe said to the crowd.

They all looked at him... some looked at me.. and then they looked at our hands..i was so embarrassed and now blushing. i then continued to try and get my hand out of his.

"Are perhaps, any of you, named Cyno?"

"I'm Cyno." Said the man with white hair."What do you want?" he asked a bit rudely.

"Well the Tsaritsa sent us to gather samples from Tighnari. Then Tighnari told us you have them." Childe said.

Wait so he had the SAME mission as me?!? He asked Tighnari already too? Why would the Tsaritsa do such a thing...?

"Do you happen to have those samples?" Childe asked.

"So your the Fatui? Yeah i got them." Cyno stated.

He gave Childe a bag.

"The samples are in there."

"Thank you comrades! Thank you!" Childe said and we left. Going back the way we came.

We walked for a bit, with no talk.

—

"Scara?"

"Hm?- It's scaramouche." I replied to childe. almost forgetting he called me scara and added an angry tone

"Pftt. Well, how do you feel about this trip?"

If i'm going to be honest, it was so boring until childe found me. Because after that am i could think of was trying to get out of his grasp or finding Cyno.

But no way was I telling Childe that.

"Its boring." I replied.

"Boring? Huh."

Maybe he doesn't think it's boring. Maybe he LOVES this trip.

wait why would i care...

"Anyways. it's getting late. We don't have enough time to go back."

I realized that too. The sun was still beaming as it formed a sunset. Still extremely hot. But Sumeru's sun sets late anyway.

"Did you.. bring anything to sleep in?"

At first i thought he meant pajamas and i was going to say i'd don't need to sleep in them, but now i realize he meant tent.

"like.. a tent?" i asked.

"Mhm" he replied

"No.."

I didn't bring a tent. I didn't think this would take all day. or i just forgot.

"It's okay i have a tent, and some pillows. No blankets though, i forgot them."

He pulled out his tent from a backpack and he began to set it up. i just sat on the ground. On the sand.

"You ain't gonna help? Scara?"

"SCARAMOUCHE. and no. it's for you?"I got annoyed at him saying scara.

"It's big enough for 2... you can help or sleep on sand."

Ugh. The sand was very soft, lots of bumps. But it was getting windy.. sand would probably wake me up at midnight..

I decided to help him. By a tent big enough for 2 i thought he meant like a giant tent with enough room for 2 sleeping bags. But now. It could literally, only fit 2.

"This is tiny.." i said.

"It's a bit smaller than i thought but it's okay!" He replied.

I sighed. It was VERY small. If we wanted good sleep, we couldn't fit our bags. Let alone my hat. We left everything outside.

Childe crouched in first and I followed. He laid down and i did the same. there was almost no room. Unless I wanted to touch him- which is an obvious no!!

I laid down facing away from him. He faced towards me.

"Scara?"

"scaramouche." i said grumpily. I was tired.

"actually nevermind." he said.tsk a waste of time.

it was getting colder and colder. Deserts being extremely hot during the day and cold at night..

i fell asleep quite fast on the pillow. I was tired. But cold.

———

so a bit happened in this chapter! expect more 🤭