𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵) | 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙤

hello.

Scaramouche was certain that Dragonspine was not meant for humans. Its cold climate and fierce monsters would chase off any ordinary person with just a glance, but fortunately, the harbinger was no such person. He could hardly feel the frigid air nipping at his skin, though the snowstorm did slow his movements with how the wind whirled around him, and he was far more powerful than a normal human. He was practically a god. He was made to scare monsters.

The snow crunched beneath his feet and he squinted through the fog, hoping to find some sort of shelter soon. Of course, he could've always returned to Mondstadt, but he came here with the intention of hiding, so being inside of a crowded city didn't exactly bode well. The Fatui were not people you'd want to anger, especially not by stealing their gnosis and ruining their grand plans.

Well, technically it was his, but they didn't care about that.

Speaking of which, his soon-to-be heart was sitting comfortably within his fist. He was holding onto it like he'd die if he let go, and at this point, he honestly thought he might've. He could hardly believe the electro gnosis was right in the palm of his hand, after all this time.

Something wasn't right, though.

Maybe it was the glow of the gnosis, or the way he was holding it, or maybe it was the delusions finally getting to him. Maybe it was because the gnosis wasn't part of him yet, because he'd have to wait for that. He wasn't sure, but he brushed off the feeling and continued on through the blowing snow until he heard a sudden explosion.

His eyes snapped in the direction of the sound, and following it was a short wail. It sounded like a little girl, which was the only reason he bothered to find the source, and eventually, he came upon a small girl, unconscious with her legs buried in the snow. She had a few bruises across her arms and face, indicating a fight, and even though she obviously won, it must've tired her out past her limit. Scaramouche glared down at her for a moment, eyes fixated on her peaceful expression, before he finally kneeled down and picked her up in his arms.

Afterward, he pushed through the layers of snow in search of somewhere to take shelter, until he eventually came upon a cave carved into the side of the mountain. It was completely bare, other than a pile of sticks in the middle from what he assumed used to be another adventurer's fire. Deciding this was good enough, he threw his coat onto the floor of the cave and gently laid the girl down on top of it, wrapping it around her like a blanket. He didn't need it anyway.

—

When Klee woke from her exhaustion, she felt refreshed and oddly warm. Initially, she expected this to be because Albedo went to look for her after she passed out, but she was proven wrong when she lifted her head and saw a complete stranger sitting against the rough wall of the cavern.

"Huh... Who are you?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up properly. "You're not Mr. Albedo..."

He looked back at her with half-lidded eyes, "...Call me Kunikuzushi."

Klee furrowed her brows, "Kunikuzuki?"

"Kunikuzushi."

"Kunuzushi."

He sighed, already annoyed by this conversation, "Kuni?"

"Okay, Kuni!" She grinned. "I'm Klee!"

She pulled the coat tighter around her shoulders until it covered her entire body, leaving just her head to peek out the top of it. The fur lining at the top tickled her cheeks, but it was also extremely warm, so she buried the bottom half of her face in it.