“Huh?” he mumbled, looking up at the librarian. Once he did, the tiredness in his eyes was quite evident, and the notes he had been taking were strewn over the desk, filled with places where he’d scratched out, notes that seemed to be forming some kind of connection, and papers with “???” written on them. “Oh, uh, sorry, ma’am. I guess I lost track of time.”
“No, don’t mind at all,” he replied. When she mentioned a lack of knowledge about the Vagrants, a subtle expression of disappointment. “Doesn’t really surprise me. They aren’t very well-known among historians and the like. Among other things, I’m trying to see if their current ties to the Fatui have any basis in past events.”
“Huh?” he mumbled, looking up at the librarian. Once he did, the tiredness in his eyes was quite evident, and the notes he had been taking were strewn over the desk, filled with places where he’d scratched out, notes that seemed to be forming some kind of connection, and papers with “???” written on them. “Oh, uh, sorry, ma’am. I guess I lost track of time.”
Accepting his teacup and saucer gratefully, he took a few sips of it. Already he was starting to look less exhausted than before. Then she brought up his reasoning for coming here, and he seemed a bit sheepish.
“Well, it’s a bit complicated. I was trying to learn more about the involvement some people I used to work with may have had during Mondstadt’s darker days. Does a mercenary band called ‘the Vagrants’ ring any bells?”
Clearly being a fixer required a certain degree of affability, something Thoma was quite good at. Except Ash knew when people were just playing up polite attitudes for the sake of business, and Thoma’s entire demeanor didn’t give any of that away. No exaggerated smiles, no attempts to advertise, none of that. So unless he was a born liar… But no matter. Keeping his nervous tics as subdued as he could, Ash nodded. “Yeah, I think that would be a good place to discuss this. Thanks.”
Thoma displayed a great deal of trust toward Ash, or at least, the fox thought so. He had only been to Inazuma a few times in his life, but even he could tell just how out of the way this path was. He did become less tense the further from town they were, though, so he counted it as a good thing. Once they had reached their destination, Ash turned his attention to the fixer.
“Right. So, for starters, my name’s Ash Vulpes. I… Well, there’s no delicate way of putting this. I’m a mercenary, raised by an entire band of them called the Vagrants. That detail is part of what I needed to talk with you about. I know about the Fatui’s involvement here, and they happen to be the Vagrants’ bosses. If you have any information about them or the Fatui’s current activities, or if you know anyone who might, then I’d be willing to compensate you for that information.”
Even he seemed mildly surprised by how easily that came out now that they were away from prying eyes and ears.
Ash’s posture, previously tense, relaxed slightly as Thoma affirmed it. “Sorry about the abruptness, I just needed to make sure it was you before I gave away anything too sensitive. And yes, I was referred to you, though they would prefer to remain anonymous. To cut to the chase: my name’s Ash and I was told that you might be able to assist me with a matter involving some old acquaintances of mine. Before I say anything more, though, do you know a place where we could talk in private?”
His voice was measured and calm, but his eyes darted around several times, and his fox ears twitched each time someone walked behind him as if he were afraid they would put a knife in his back.
Clearly being a fixer required a certain degree of affability, something Thoma was quite good at. Except Ash knew when people were just playing up polite attitudes for the sake of business, and Thoma’s entire demeanor didn’t give any of that away. No exaggerated smiles, no attempts to advertise, none of that. So unless he was a born liar… But no matter. Keeping his nervous tics as subdued as he could, Ash nodded. “Yeah, I think that would be a good place to discuss this. Thanks.”
It was nice being welcomed into Inazuma more freely. Since the abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree, foreigners were allowed to come and go from the country as they pleased, more or less. However, Ash still found himself in a tight spot. While the lack of scrutiny gave him better room to conduct his “business”, it also meant that the people he was looking for could get in without being noticed. Luckily, he’d been informed beforehand of Ritou’s fixer. As such, he tried not to draw attention to himself as he casually walked through the streets until he finally saw the other foreigner who matched the description given to him. Approaching him, he said in a low voice, “You Thoma?” It was a rather blunt way of establishing contact, but with how important this was to him, he figured there was no sense in beating around the bush.
Being approached by all sorts of people while browsing through the streets of Ritou wasn’t really that strange of an occurrence, but the greeting would still get a small “ -hm? ” out of the fixer regardless. He’d thought he’d taken care of any curious passersby who’d had a question for him earlier, but it seemed like there was still one more person.
“ Yeah, that’s me. ” he’d confirm. “ But I don’t think we’ve actually met before, have we? Did someone else send you here looking for me? ”
Referrals for his skills were always nice, but that left Thoma to stand there, quietly sizing up the other. He didn’t seem to match the description of anyone he’d offhandedly met before and he wasn’t sure of any problems on the island that would’ve lead to a stranger seeking him out. Either way, he’d still hear the other out.
Ash’s posture, previously tense, relaxed slightly as Thoma affirmed it. “Sorry about the abruptness, I just needed to make sure it was you before I gave away anything too sensitive. And yes, I was referred to you, though they would prefer to remain anonymous. To cut to the chase: my name’s Ash and I was told that you might be able to assist me with a matter involving some old acquaintances of mine. Before I say anything more, though, do you know a place where we could talk in private?”
His voice was measured and calm, but his eyes darted around several times, and his fox ears twitched each time someone walked behind him as if he were afraid they would put a knife in his back.
“Well, for starters, it’s split into three separate realms: Tartarus, where my father rules it from and where evil people are cast into, Asphodel, where mortals who were neither extremely good nor bad are sent to, and Elysium, where people who did great things in life or who died doing great deeds. There’s, uh, there’s quite a bit more to it, but I think you get the idea.”
He nodded, though he seemed a little puzzled. “You’d think they’d move their camp to another part of the island… Never mind. I’m ready to set sail if you are.”
Again, he was having some doubts. While he wasn’t sure if his brother would personally oversee such an operation, he knew that their old mercenary group might be sent to by the Fatui to spy on their underlings, report to them about potential treason, even “liquidate” such groups. As the boat left, he brought this up to Itto. It wouldn’t do to walk into something like that blindly.
“Fair enough,” he agreed with a nod. As the boat was sailing further out into the ocean, he looked ahead at Seirai Island. It might take an hour to reach it, maybe a bit more. It didn’t matter; he could wait. In the meantime, he closed his eyes while the boat moved, appearing to be in a meditative state. He knew he needed to be of sound mind when they got there, whether his brother was in Inazuma or not, but especially if he was.
Ash nodded in agreement and followed Itto to the boat. He examined the vessel, noting the craftsmanship that had obviously been put into it. If Itto thought it could withstand the conditions of Seirai Island, then Ash saw no reason to doubt it. However, something occurred to him after he climbed into the boat.
“You don’t think the Fatui have defenses set up around the island, do you? I mean, I haven’t heard any reports of things like that, but it seems like the kind of thing they’d use.”
He nodded, though he seemed a little puzzled. “You’d think they’d move their camp to another part of the island… Never mind. I’m ready to set sail if you are.”
Again, he was having some doubts. While he wasn’t sure if his brother would personally oversee such an operation, he knew that their old mercenary group might be sent to by the Fatui to spy on their underlings, report to them about potential treason, even “liquidate” such groups. As the boat left, he brought this up to Itto. It wouldn’t do to walk into something like that blindly.
there was no way of winning, and you knew it too. but you still tried. you tried again and again and again to change it. you fought tooth and claw to change your fate, but she cannot be easily manipulated. it’s not your fault. the game was always rigged against you. from the moment you entered the narrative, your fate was sealed. you didn’t stand a chance.
