Temptress

Chapter 1

'Put your red boots on baby giddy up' She began to sing in front of the tsaritsa and her 11 harbingers. It was a fancy ball to celebrate the taking of barbatos' gnosis. The Tsaritsa sat upon her throne looking down at the ballroom floor, which had the 11 harbingers scattered across. The sound of laughter and joy could be heard roaring from mouths. 

'Baby wants a dance, baby gets her way.' She continued to sing. 'Treat me nice, talk to me with that whiskey breath.' The band seated behind her started to pick up. 'Twirl me twice, i'll treat you like a holiday .' Her eyes scanned across the room for a particular harbinger, the one who started it all for her. She finally found him and caught his eyes. The colour of the cool ocean glared back at her and she started to sing once again 'And don't say  you're over me, when we both know that you ain't.' He turned away and continued talking to the tall blonde woman who was the one to steal the gnosis.

 She continued singing until the song came to a close. It was time for her break she retreated from her stage and walked to her dressing room. She slowly closed the door and sat down in front of the mirror. She looked at herself. Disappointed in what she had become. A prostitute for the harbingers, who are some of the most dangerous people in all of teyvatt. Indigo, was an immortal beauty. 

Knowledge was something the archon of Dendro yearned for, it kept him living. He knew about everything there was to know, and he knew his fate. He wanted a successor, someone greater than him to fill his role of the Dendro archon. But this person couldn't be just anyone, the power they where to told was too great for a human. He needed someone artificial the reproduce of his knowledge. 

Indigo was grown from the thorns of his castle, and her brain made of the pages of books. She was beauty herself, as well as having all the knowledge in the Kingdom of knowledges libraries. Once the archon was to fall into his destined slumber, she would continue his rule with the gnosis.     

 She was the right hand man of the lord of dendro, for hundreds of years. Soon though he fell into a deep slumber and left the nation under her rule. A few months into her new job she gets kidnapped from inside her palace. Her vision confiscated from her and positioned as a prisoner for the Tsaritsa.

 It was common knowledge that her voice had a healing and almost an aphrodisiac property, and so she became a singer for the tsartisa.  

The night of her first song for the Harbingers was the night the 11th Harbinger Tartaglia joined. As she sung she couldn't keep her eyes of him and his hers. After she sung he knocked on her door and that's when it all started. From what she'd heard from other members he boasted boasted about how good his night was. The morning after she practically had a line of men wanting to sleep with her. She was so lonely and desperate for love she let them sleep with her. Soon enough she realised she was gaining nothing from this and began to ask for money before they slept with her. 

Still staring deeply into the mirror at herself. She ponders on what song to sing next. Something a little more upbeat she thinks. This is a celebration after all. While being friends with the lord of dendro, she had met Barbatos a few times, he was so very childish for his occupation, but he was a nice guy. Other than the lord of dendro her other archon friend was Morax the lord of geo. When she first met him was like a playful young boy, reckless but had a strong sense of morals. She wishes desperately that she could and see him again once more and she also fears from gossip that he will be the next archon targeted to lose his gnosis. 

A sharp knock at her door snapped her out of her thoughts. 'Come in' She called in a sweet melodic voice. She heard the sound of the door creaking open and was greeted with the cold gaze of the arhcon of cryo herself. Immediately Indigo stood up and bowed. 'No need for the formalities Indigo. I think we know each other well enough. Indigo stood back up straight and nodded her head and said 'So what do I owe the pleasure?' There was then a sharp exhale from the highnesses mouth. 'I'm sending you away from Snezhnaya. I need someone to make sure everything goes smoothly in mond and quite frankly I don't have time for prostitutes here. You leave at the end of the ball gather your things before then.' She then left the room leaving the door open and the cold air of the Tsaritsa spread into her room. 

There was a mix of relief and worry in her stomach. She got up and started to gather her most valuable items. People dont just pay her in money they pay with all types of jewels and treasures. Her favourite was a gold locket necklace with a piece of cor lapis inside from Singnora, another of her favourites was a crystal marrow ring from northland bank in liyue, though she cannot remember who gave them to her as she was very drunk when the transaction was made. She put them in a briefcase and gave it to the guard outside her door. She made her way back to the stage to sing her next song. 

She picked up a lyre from her section of instruments and began to play. After a few bars she began to sing again. 

The end of the ball just couldn't come fast enough. Though once she had sung a few more songs she was allowed to go onto the floor and drink. She stood by the bar talking to the bartender, who was one of the only people who didn't want to sleep with her. Once she had drunk rather a lot she began to talk to him about how she was leaving 'I'm going to mond tonighttt' she said slurring a little. 'Is that so? Apparently Mr Tartaglia was going too.' The bartender told her. 'Oh?' Her mood dropped a considerable amount 'I better drink more if I'm going to spend the night with ajax.' The bartender looked perplexed by the name ajax, but her turned around and poured another vodka and lemon. She downed it in one swift movement almost like a shot. She turned on the bar stool she was sitting on so her back was to the bar and her eyes where on Tartaglia. 'I wonder what business he has across seas.'  She pondered. 'Probably something to do with the gnosis.' Suddenly Tartaglia started walking towards her.

'Are you ready to leave m'lady.' He asked. He seemed to be a little tipsy but not as far gone as she was. 'I guess' she said getting up to leave. She turned to the bartender and smiled and waved him a goodbye. They started to walk to the exit of the palace in an uncomfortable silence.  

A/N 

 Also any songs sung are probably gonna be by Lana, Mitski or the smiths, because I lack the creativity to write songs and music heavily inspires my writing.

We are going to liyue next chapter!! Gonna meet some funny little people.