enchante

━━ beneath those smiles.

A WISP OF MELODY SUNG WITH SUCH DULCET greeted y/n's ears the moment she arrived at the locale that Dottore instructed his agents to bring her at. The place reeked an ambiance of malevolence, deviousness, and noxiousness, coming from the few folks in their Homeric garbs and are all gathered around the place for whatever reason.

Their stand screamed danger. I must not draw attention. Y/n warned those to herself as she followed the footsteps of Dottore towards the very center of the place or that's how she sees it. She can describe that the whole space is indeed scary, it was like she's looking at a crypt or a mausoleum.

All corners are dim, not many lights all across the room but only the large beam of light directed towards the damselette singing above a tomb, and on top of it, it's also frigid cold - just enough to send her shivering. Well, with the huge bracket of ice demesne across some kind of majestic tomb and a beautiful lady singing whilst resting on it, y/n felt shivers splinting all over her.

"Pardon if we have brought you to a funeral but this is the only occasion that gathered all the Harbingers. I must introduce you to them, Lady." Dottore said enough for her to hear, not looking back to her as he continued to walk towards the few people whose eyes looked insouciant as it stared at her.

They seemed pleased and displeased at her sudden appearance, and it made her frightened more. But above it all…this is a funeral? Why does it seem like it wasn't? Or maybe it's just an unimportant intuition of hers.

"Is she the former maid of Lawrence?" The man with tangerine-hued hair asked, "She looks rather a lady of tranquil, like a dove."

A dove? What was that supposed to mean? Y/n asked herself, never showing her confusion towards them.

Dottore nodded, "If you may, you can introduce yourself to her with your name. Tsaritsa's orders."

The orange-haired man peered at her, head to toe, never stretching his hands as a former greeting as he said, "Childe is my alias but I'm known as Tartaglia, the 11th Harbinger. I apologize sincerely for the invidious courtesy we may have shown for bringing you into a funeral, Signora's funeral to be exact. I hope this won't reach anyone's ears though because if it does, I think you know what will happen."

They seemed worried about whom y/n will tell of this when in fact, she's too scared to even open her lips adding it with a threat coming from a Fatui.

She also said she will not draw any unwanted attention for her safety but it seemed like attention is the want who wants her by the way it made all of the people around look at her with an inspecting glance, they seemed perplexed but never paid it any heed anyway.

"Welcome to the ceremony. I am Arlecchino, I'm known as the Knave. That girl resting above the tomb while singing her melancholy is Columbina, the Damselette. It's an honor for you to meet us." The woman with the similar silver tresses as Dottore introduced herself, a streak of garnet peered from her hair as she bowed politely towards y/n.

She seemed sane than the other ones but it never topples on how insouciant and appalling she looks. Nonetheless, she seemed a little bit harmless unlike the other lady who's still singing near the casket.

"There are eleven Fatui Harbingers who are reporting directly to Tsaritsa; all standing in front of you now. You've known two but I'm here to inform you that the other one, La Signora, already perished and is resting in the tomb in front of you, whilst the other, Scaramouche, isn't present." Dottore informed and maybe it was just a quiet hunch of y/n but his tone seemed to deplete hostility as it mentioned the name of this Scaramouche harbinger.

Considering that he's not here, maybe he's unwanted or uninvited; she thought of those and she cared less either way.

"Am I allowed to speak?" Y/n whispered, replied with a nod from Dottore.

"I'm L/n Y/n, a former maid of the Lawrence Clan from Mondstadt. It's an… honor to be invited? Here..." She bowed towards them, hesitant, not knowing what she should say exactly.

"We affiliated with them once, did we not? I mean, the Lawrence Clan. But a traveler and that Knight of Favonius, Eula herself, were responsible for stopping the operation. That traveler and their dull blade seemed threatening enough. They defeated the Delusion of Childe as well using nothing but a dull blade." The smiling handsome man with such plangent pitch smiled even more widely but y/n's not the one he can deceive by that sweet reverie.

She immediately sensed that the man is not normal even with that nirvana facade he has, and for once, she felt perplexed about who he is. With the fur coat similar to what Dottore is wearing, a fixed long tresses, a seemingly gentle reverie, she ascertained at once that poise is one of that person's mantra. 

"Pardon my insolence, young maiden. I am but a humble Harbinger under the name of Pantalone and an alias of Regrator. It's pleasant meeting such a beautiful lady." He diverted his head towards her, still smiling, the curves of his lips never fell.

Y/n blinked and bowed, her eyes circled around the other people present around, still confused.

"Capitano, humble maiden. I am the Captain. It's an honor to meet you." The man whose face is covered in a thick metallic suit and helmet bowed his head lightly towards her, to which she answered with the same gesture.

"Sandrone, the Puppet." With her sage hair, the quiet lady shortly spoke with devoidness embedded in her frame. Beside her almost drowsy figure is a huge mechanic puppet, maybe a guard or a chaperone — y/n can't really discern which.

"Pulcinella is the name of this old man, little lady. I am the Rooster, my alias. Such an honor to see you," Next who introduced himself is the short old man who chuckled right after solemnly bowing at y/n's frame, "And that man seated at the center is Pierro, the Jester. He is the number one Fatui but I guarantee you that he's a humble and kind old man, unless you push his buttons, that is."

The singing stopped together with the introduction — a cue for y/n to still be in her spot yet, she soon was strode by Dottore towards the long casket of whoever was inside. 

She wonders why they seem so polite and forgiving towards her except for the man who's all void beside her. They all said it's an honor to meet her as if she's crucial and almighty when she's clearly nothing but a mutt, a commoner from the outskirts, and a maid of the Lawrence. 

What could be the reason why they brought her there anyways? 

"Do your thing, Dottore. The Tsaritsa will know none." Pantalone smiled, sending another load of creeps towards the lady who soon stiffened in place when two hands caught both of her forearms. And when she looked back, her eyes widened more at the sight of two Dottores holding her still with a one Dottore crossing his arms behind her.

"W-who—?"

"Your clones are so bothersome. I prefer Sandrone's puppets." Childe complained, making the holed up y/n stiffen even more.

"Really? Didn't your brothe—nevermind. It's such a jest to tinker about." Cutting his own words off, Pantalone cackled when Childe glared at him. A pleasant memory of Teucer surely passed by their minds at the mere mention of Dottore's segments or clones and the ruins of his Ruin Guards research lab. But to top it all off, what the hell even is happening?

"Please, wait! Where are you going to take me? What have I done wrong? Have I gotten into something troublesome? Did I displease the Cryo Archon? Please tell me!" She managed to ask, shivering from the hold of Dottore's clones, yet, she was answered by nothing but a cold gaze from Dottore, colder than how it was before even though he seemed roguish at first glance.

"Fair lady, he will not harm you though I can't guarantee that his ways are not painful," Pulcinella smiled sweetly, "You just have to endure it until it's all done. Fret not, he's a gentle lad."

Gentle? Are they kidding me?! Y/n immediately countered in her mind. Oh, it was a time for her to ascertain that she's wrong about them. Those smiles are deceiving. They weren't pleased to see her nor meet her, it's just a facade coming from a cunning group of Fatui Harbingers, coming from the man behind her whom she thought will keep her safe in all means — under the name of the Cryo Archon, Tsaritsa.

"Wait, please!" She panicked, struggling still from their holds but failed because of how they topple her strength.

"Take her to my chambers," Dottore commanded in a stoic pitch, turning his back for the clones to follow, "Then strip her to her undergarments but don't ever touch her."