Don't have an account yet? 
Forum Thread
The Masquerade of Two Liyuen Fatui Harbingers [1x1 Tsuko]
Forum-Index → Roleplay → Private RP → The Masquerade of Two Liyuen Fatui Harbingers [1x1 Tsuko]
Posted: Fri, 17/11/2023 05:05 (5 Months ago)
"If they were tricked by their hearts, they were reckless.
If they were tricked by their mind, they were foolish.
If they were tricked by their abilities, they were overconfident.
And a predator that can be tricked...won't fall for the same trick twice.
But a predator that can be tricked...can be beaten."
Generally, Ray hated feeling drunk, especially if it was not Snezhnayan whiskey. It set her apart from the average Mondstatian, who enjoyed wasting their late afternoons under a drunken haze. Mondstat had none of Snezhanya's brisk pacing, and the summer afternoon weighed heavy on her skin, luring her into a soft haze. Her mouth swam with the pungent taste lingering on her mouth as she imbibed drinks with reluctance at parties, shuddering in distaste. Snezhnaya may be known for their brand of drunken revels, but they were never quite...tame. Fatui parties had an innate sense of danger. Having those senses dulled in Mondstat made Ray's head spin worse than an early morning hangover. Far too accustomed to the cold of a winter morning, a Mondstat summer was almost smothering. Hard to breathe, harder to think.
The festivities? Unbearable.
The grand doors of the party beckoned her to the deep night beyond, and Ray longed to answer.
She bid a polite goodbye and a mild excuse of getting some fresh air before she separated from her little knot of Mondstat nobles, leaving them to chatter and revel among each other. She pointedly ignored their lurid gazes on her figure, telling herself that their desires were merely fatalistic flaws. No one in the Fatui would admit to wanting something unless they knew they could follow up on it. However, the Mondstatians could not agree. Already feeling the telltale beckons of alcohol on her mind, Ray went for a gulp of fresh air and some water before she could start swaying on her step. She would never hear the end of it from Pantalone if he saw her thoroughly intoxicated. The Regrator would only shake his head and give her a lecture about "keeping one's wits about them" and "alcohol swaying the mind." It was a warning every Fatui should heed, and every Harbinger would have it down by heart. No better way to loosen the tongue and fog the mind than a few stiff drinks. As if every man expected Ray to be filled with lustful and passionate urges that weakened her knees and made her body bloom with flame.
The notion that any Harbinger would catch her swaying on her damn feet outside of headquarters was appalling. There was no better definition of being "blindsided," and if it was not the threat of a laugh from Pierro and Arlecchino back at dinnertime that kept Ray from drinking her night away, it was the thought that she had lost the person she had been tracking since last week. Sarcastic insults, saccharine smiles, and honeyed pickup lines that could throw a Mondstat man on his back traded for information on tap. Hands wandered lower and suddenly the man was like liquid gold...their eyes glazed over and their breaths hot and panting with lust. A lead to a particular Liyuen representative set to appear tonight at a ball thrown in their favor. To commemorate a union, said the glasses lofted in the trembling air. Easy enough to anticipate a visit when the offer of a "good time" appeared. Maybe in a few hours...maybe in a few minutes, the knock would come. Ray had to make sure she had a clear head before the meeting.
Childe was right. Mondstat was softening her, rendering her unaware in its stagnant air. Track first and complain later. Ray drew a glass of water from the sink and threw it back like a shot while she waited for the fog in her mind to finish clearing up. Looking down, she ensured the listening device was still attached to her neckline, far from where a man's wandering hands or kiss would accidentally crush its petite surface. She was drawing another when she pressed a button to open the communication with Pantalone. Static soon gave way to an unmistakable hum, and she said into the expectant silence, letting the sink run over her voice.
"Mondstats brings the luxuries with none of the Fatui's raw fire." Ray kept her voice low and respectful as she called to mind the stately older Harbinger, "Even winter nights here are much too warm for my liking, let alone the summer ones we have now. I expect our guest to be here in a few hours...you know how punctual Liyuens are. And you? Surely you've found more excitement with the other Harbingers than just in your office, no?"
Posted: Sat, 18/11/2023 20:09 (5 Months ago)
Letting out a sigh, Pantalone let his mind wander away from the pile of work still waiting for his attention. The night was still young of course as he let himself relax for only a moment. Of course as he made sure that the listening dice was affixed firmly on himself, his thoughts naturally latched onto one of the few things he held more tightly than mora. Missions as a harbinger was nothing new, their vanguard always on the move throughout Teyvat and diplomats forging only the most equitable of bonds, Pantalone himself rarely staying in one place for too long, on the perpetual hunt for various investments and opportunities. An unfortunate reality concerning the fluid nature of their duties was that he rarely ever knew with certainty where the rest of his companions were at any given point though he did make it a point to keep himself informed about the whereabouts of a select few precious names.
She would begin to tire of the party, he presumed with an amused hum, lips quirked up as he wondered how she would fare in a city known for its loose revelry and enthusiastic nightlife. He was proven correct as communications crackled with life, the two way lifeline opening with nothing but a breath of much needed air. He hummed in acknowledgement, almost amused at the expected correspondence. For all that they immersed themselves in the ebb and flow of the social game, neither he nor his precious Ray were ever the type to find comfort in large company, preferring instead those who understood them and let their own masks fall to the wayside as well.
As he let the other complain in her own eloquently scathing manner, silent agreeing that even his old region's climate had grown much too foreign for his liking and thus even Mondstatian winters must be equally as dreadful even with its seaside breeze, Pantalone let his own pen scratch idle numbers on empty pages moreso to keep his hand busy rather than any boredom. He hummed noncommittally at Ray's almost probing question, juggling potential answers in his head. It wasn't accusatory, it never was when it came to Ray, her gentle probing only meant to tease out answers with careful hands, but even in the face of saving face and weaving harmless lies, he could never bring himself to mislead the part of his heart willingly carved out for another.
"Perhaps about as much entertainment as one could find while still working." He admitted truthfully, and while he knew Ray couldn't see the wary smile on his face he knew that she would pick it up immediately. "Though Dottore did pass by briefly and sends his regards. Never standing still yet finding the time for drop pleasantries, that man." Shaking his head with mock exasperation, Pantalone let himself enjoy this brief moment of rest as he tipped his head. "Our guest should be arriving just around now, dearest Ray." And I close behind, was the unspoken assurance, his own vessel already in the process of loading its hull with coffers and contracts. He would depart soon but never straying too far, the sound of their shared breaths keeping them company
•°. * иσвℓє ρυяρℓє * .°•
•°. * тнє вєαт σf ℓανєи∂єя є¢нσєѕ σи, ι'м иσт α ωιт¢н σя αиутнιиg * .°•
•°. * яє∂ αи∂ gяєєи тяυℓу gσ ωєℓℓ тσgєтнєя * .°•
Posted: Mon, 20/11/2023 05:25 (5 Months ago)
She tapped the table while she pondered what to say back. Ray was more than familiar with the bond between the Regrator and the Doctor, a personalized dynamic with countless years of experience. This was not to say that she found the Doctor's company to be any less forbidding. All of Snezhnaya's ice stuffed into a person, and a tongue more poisonous than a snake's. There was a bond to be found between those of intellectual genius, one Ray could respect as a woman of sweetened tongue. It wasn't as if their cruelties could be measured - one cut people apart with needles and knives, whereas Pantalone could rip someone apart with words and lies. The playful exasperation evident in Pantalone's voice did not go unnoticed by her, and Ray chuckled dryly. As much as the Harbingers tried to keep their distance from their peers to save face and hide their intentions, sometimes intimacy lurked below the ice.
"Give the good Doctor my regards as well." Ray said calmly as she made some notes on a piece of paper. She read over the script for the meeting, written in Snezhnayan script. "I'm sure he has his own reason for sending you greetings in his notoriously busy schedule, but maybe you could take a leaf out of his book and get out more." Ray let her playful chide hang in the air expectantly, having long learned that a little bit of emptiness could tease out even the most curt responses. She returned to her room, tipping back the glass of water as she made some last preparations for her visitor. Even the finest of details in practice could mean the difference. Ray noted Pantalone's more reserved speaking pattern with a curious "hm." Though notoriously introverted and confined office, there is a clear difference between privacy...and caution. Curious, was Pantalone worried they would be overheard?
Pantalone's use of warm sobriquets elicited a fond laugh from Ray, and perhaps her blush was equally obvious. Dearest Ray... "Yes, I thought as much, Pantalone." Ray chuckled. She turned her head towards the door as if expecting the knob to turn any second. "We're going to have a very entertaining evening, and I do think that this information could serve you well. Comes with the region. I'll fill you in on what you missed when you get here."
Ray sat her desk, folding her hands patiently as she listened to the telltale sounds of Pantalone's office activities from the comm. One minute or another the knock would come.
Posted: Thu, 23/11/2023 23:01 (5 Months ago)
"Then I'll be sure to listen attentively." Pantalone agreed, tapping his pen idly as he stood up. "And we can have a nice discussion over proper drinks." Pushing open the door, he made a mental note to pick up a few new supplies as he made his way towards the docks. He had a boat to catch in order to keep such a promise, after all. One that held some of the nation's best firewiskey that he suspected would be sorely welcomed for the coming morning when raging headaches and annoyances would undoubtedly rear its bothersome head.
A timid knock came from the grand door, a small voice dutifully announcing "Circinus, your guest has arrived." before it creaked open to reveal the diplomat, not one fold of silk out of place. Smiling in greeting, the Liyuen bowed in deference to who was clearly a superior. "This one greets Circinus." Came the humble greeting, deference in each motion.
•°. * иσвℓє ρυяρℓє * .°•
•°. * тнє вєαт σf ℓανєи∂єя є¢нσєѕ σи, ι'м иσт α ωιт¢н σя αиутнιиg * .°•
•°. * яє∂ αи∂ gяєєи тяυℓу gσ ωєℓℓ тσgєтнєя * .°•