ᴍy ᴄʟᴇᴍᴀᴛɪꜱ [Scaramouche x reader]

8. A model

The return to Liyue was more than chaotic, a real disaster. And again, that's an understatement.

Scaramouche's legion was known to be extremely cautious, and very obedient, after all, the contrary would have been surprising knowing Scaramouche's personality. However, a single trip was enough to understand that his soldiers were... particularly clumsy when he was not present. Indeed he had left early, having an important matter to settle.

To return to Liyue, it was necessary to first cross Sumeru, a journey that included passing through the desert, then through the dense rainforest, before rounding the dreaded Chasm to finally reach Liyue. The desert was an inhospitable and unforgiving place. Without water or a compass, it could easily be considered a real hell. But here's the problem: an unexpected attack by Eremites in the middle of the night, surprising everyone in their sleep. Provisions were depleted, and the compass had been lost during the attack. But hey, it could have been worse. As a former noble, you had been brought up the hard way and had skills to find your way by certain stars. Hunting wasn't a problem for you either, which was an advantage in this difficult situation.

The other problems arose in the rainforest. To sum up: a soldier was torn to pieces by Rishboland tigers, a Cicin mage was poisoned by a fungus, and a cryo-gunner was crushed by a Sumpter Beast. Not to mention that a group of four people had walked away and never returned, for reasons still unknown, and the only clues were some jagged weapons found in their location. Tension was rising among the soldiers, and if you hadn't intervened, they would have fought amongst themselves. You left with a bruise on your cheek, while two soldiers had broken noses and dislocated jaws from the fight. When you finally arrived in Liyue after this chaotic journey, you knew that your superior was going to give you a hard time. And indeed, Scaramouche was furious. In addition to the 7 soldiers, you were 2 days late.

POW!

You were on your knees, your nose bleeding, and you were struggling to breathe. The other members of the group looked at you, scared and silent. Nobody would say anything, because nobody wanted to attract his wrath, the state of your face was not worth it. You didn't flinch, out of habit, letting him vent his anger on you. Scaramouche was insulting the whole earth. He took you by the collar and showed your bruised face to everyone else.

- You are just a bunch of incompetents and idiots! 1 week! 1 week without me and you manage to mess everything up! You must have done it on purpose, it's not possible otherwise!

He started laughing. Strangely his laughter was even more terrifying than his insults. Your face hurt, and the blood flowed in your mouth.

- Look at all the things I have to do to your officer! Watch what will happen to you if you humiliate me like this again. This is just a preview! I am ashamed of all of you here!

He twisted your arm back like he was going to break it. Normally, you wouldn't have had any particular reaction, despite the intense pain you were feeling. These repeated humiliations had become a grim routine, you always tried hard not to give him the satisfaction of seeing you react to his blows, but this time the pain was unbearable, leaving a repulsive metallic taste in your mouth, almost suffocating. Your body reacted almost instinctively, and you began to struggle to free yourself from its grip. Surprise flashed across Scaramouche's face, and he let go. You took advantage of this moment to spit blood on the side.
Everyone was shocked and speechless. Scaramouche fell silent, looking at you with wide eyes. The shame you felt was too great, and you began to cry more despite yourself in front of this silent crowd. All those stares at you were suffocating. Such a spectacle was not common within the legion.

- It's all their fault...they didn't listen to me...it's their fault if they died...

Your words were barely audible but clear enough to be heard. The soldiers frowned, indignant. How could you say such a thing? On the other hand, Scaramouche sketched a mischievous smile, he had something in mind.