Faded Harmony

Prison Break

The prison was deep within the headquarters, and as Lyra leaned against the bars of her cell, she wondered how they slept soundly knowing that the jail was inside the headquarters. She had two guards keeping watch near her cell, and they were doing their best not to look at the girl inside the prison cell. Lyra was probably an extremely dangerous prisoner for all she knew, but she wondered if they knew why she was here.

She observed both the guards. One stood as still as a statue, arms firm at his side. The other was younger, he shifted weight from foot to foot, and he seemed rather restless. Lyra smiled.

"Mmph!" she said through the cloth.

The younger guard turned, startled, but the older one merely gave her a sideways look. Lyra put on her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Is something wrong?" the younger guard asked, reaching towards her before stopping.

"Frederick," chastised the older guard.

"I mean, there's no reason to keep a young lady gagged now, is there?"

"They probably have their reasons," said the older guard, giving her another sideways looked. Lyra caught his eye and immediately looked at the cup on the window.

"Water?" asked Frederick, blinking. Lyra nodded and the older guard sighed, before handing Lyra a cup through the bars. Lyra rolled her eyes, and he sighed again, pulling away the cloth, and Lyra took her chance.

'An innocent lady locked in a cage,
Bound, speechless and alone,
Unlock the cell and let her free,
For she wishes to return home.
A little lady counting the bars,
Untie her and set her free,
And then the time comes, promise,
That you won't ever remember me.'

The guards, a blank look in their eyes, opened the lock. Frederick stepped forward in the same hypnotized state, and untied Lyra's hands. Lyra sighed with relief, before looking around. Some of the other prisoners were watching with interest, but none of them made a move. Frederick and Mr. Stoic were the only guards inside the prison, but she was certain there would be more outside, and that meant chaos to break out.

Heading to the door, she stood there in the shadows, memorizing the routes the guards paced, before quietly dodging them all. The lack of light in the white halls of the Headquarters told her it was night, as she bolted through the front door, startling the two knights who were on guard. Without looking back, she ran, leaving them yelling behind her. Thundering footsteps followed her, but she was faster.

"Barricade the city walls!" she heard someone yell. She didn't stop until she reached the side exit, a stitch forming in her side. Pushing the knight on guard there aside, she shouted an apology as she tore across the bridge and the plains under cover of darkness, stopping to catch her breath beside Venessa's tree. Panting, she looked up the tree. Lyra knew the knights would pursue her, so she climbed up the tree, settling between two branches in the darkness, as she watched Kaeya and another knight run past.

Mortals. They seldom looked up. She had to agree with Diluc: The Knights of Favonius were inefficient indeed.

She hummed under her breath for a few hours, until the search began to die down. Hopping from the tree, she headed away from the city, deciding to search for an Abyss Mage. With that, perhaps she'd have her answers.

                                 *

"Has anyone found her?" asked a rather distressed Jean. She had called for a quick meeting with Kaeya, and had also sent someone to fetch Diluc and Lisa.

Kaeya shook his head, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. The door opened softly as Diluc walked in.

"You let a dangerous prisoner escape."