Life is never really nice (and neither is the author)

3-Her Majesty

Ajax's P.O.V.

I slept awfully, and for not even three hours.

When my phone started playing a not so specific cover of the four seasons by Vivaldi, I had to use all my mental strenght to not throw it out of the non-existent window.

I groaned and got up.

After I put on the first clothes that fell on me when I opened my closet, my thickest coat, and a red mask, I ran out of my apartment.
I wanted to end this as quickly as possible.

Every week, two or three nights I was called, to do whatever Her Majesty, a Russian "Queen" I worked for, felt like asking me.
The jobs went from stealing, to murdering, to seducing people for information.
And to be honest, I was the best at the latter.

The assignments usually lasted for an hour at most, but still: sleep seems a much better option at night when you are tired.

I don't even remember how exactly I got stuck in this businness, but I wasn't even sixteen yet.

I fell.
Really hard.
Life didn't seem to have a meaning anymore, and it's not even like I've found it by now, however, I didn't know how to cope with pain yet.

Some people found me in the snow, perhaps trying to kill myself or at least get sent to the hospital, and they brought me in a cave....or was it a cottage in the woods?

The point is, snow was everywhere, except where they made me lay down.
They talked to me, and probably found some "potential" or whatever, which induced them to convince me to join them and sign a few papers.

Next thing I remember, I was already training to become enough to help them, to "be of service".
I hated those kind of words.
It was like they wanted us to think of ourselves as good-willed knights.
Disgusting.
That only succeeded in making me find fairy tales horrifying.

That night, the text I received said:
"2 a.m.
today 1 partner
***** avenue n. 35".

"Well I guess my partner will have the rest of the info..?"
Good.
I had read somewhere that talking to yourself as if you were with friends was a sign of madness, and I highly doubt it's wrong, since shit DID happen to my brain and mental sanity.
But well, happens.

I reached the said street, and found nothing but a few not so well-mantained benches and a half broken street lamp.
I walked down the sidewalk for a few doors, until I saw an unilluminated small cul-de-sac right in between of two small buildings.

I hid myself in it, resting my back on a wall, breathing in and out slowly a few times.
Then, I heard a young voice.

"Are you Childe or do I have to kill another prick?"

They sounded rather annoyed, and even if in the shadows I couldn't discern anything, I did smell fresh blood.

"I am Childe. Who are you?"

"You can call me boss for tonight, since that's exactly what I'll be.
I don't even know why they made me babysit you or what for.."

"Excuse me?! As far as I'm concerned, I'm good at my job, so stop acting bitchy and tell me your name and what you know about this mission already"

"As if I cared about your opinion.....but fine. My code name is Scaramouche, the Balladeer, and we have to retrieve a few important documents a literal whore managed to steal from us"

"Okay first thing, I'm never gonna say your full name, too lazy, I'll just call you Scara, or Scars, since you seem to have a lot of 'em. And second, how did they steal it from such a greatly defended association?"

The young man that had just come in a cone of lunar light muttered something, trying to turn away, perhaps to not face me.

"What?"

"One of the harbingers was seduced...as in sexually"

"Damn now I really wish to meet the only person who could compare to me in flirting skills"

Scars looked at me with disgust.

"Tsk" he clicked his tongue.

That made me irritaded.
But work was work, and I could not reason with such a person regardless, so I grabbed his wrist and dragged him at the end of the buildings, where their walls fused into one, much shorter, and more broken.

I let go of him and started climbing, while he looked at me with a curious expression.

"And here I thought they were right..."

"Whaddya mean?" I had reached the top and sat there, trying to convince him to do the same as me with gestures.

"They told me you were hot-headed and violent, and to be careful around you or you might blow up the whole cover" he grinned.

"What assholes" I mumbled.

"Yeah, probably. It *is* true though that you are a little rascal"

"Aren't you younger than me?"

"Pffffffft hahahahaha that's seriously what you thought? Shouldn't you be a little more aware of the harbingers? We're literally ten"

"Wait, so, how old are you?"

"Let's say I'm 27. My exact age doesn't matter too much, don't worry"

"Okay..?"

He started climbing and in a few seconds he was next to me.
He turned around and bent over to look me directly in my eyes.

"Let's be clear, I don't like your attitude, and it's obvious that you find me an unpleasant company, but I feel like interacting with you will be very interesting. Also, Her Majesty would probably not accept it, which makes it even better.
My point is, give me your number and let's try to get along, shall we?"

I was amazed by what he had said, and I really felt like I need a honest friendship, or whatever he would have liked best.

"Sure thing, if you give me your phone I'll add my contact" I probably smiled, I was really fucking glad and grateful for this meeting.

Little did I know about what was meant to happen soon.

<yo people! I somehow did it in only a few hours, se yeah. We are almost at one of my favourite parts, that will be a lot about Scaramouche, but also Aether and Lumine.
Yes, Zhongli will have another business for a while, so I may make a chapter about him.
Anyways, bye❤>