Look Me in the Eyes (and tell me that it's me) [Zhongchili]

Chapter 38 - Reunited

Ajax exits the Tsaritsa's tower. Upon his cheek he bears a temporary seal of Cryo, a symbol of Her permission for him to pass freely. He walks through the rubble-littered compound (turns out the explosion had a little more boom to it than he anticipated) to the bush where his suitcase sits hidden. Then, he wheels it towards the main road, basking in the curious stares of the recruits and ignoring the sour looks the other Harbingers shoot him as they trudge back and forth, cleaning up his mess.

Adrenaline drains from his body, leaving him suddenly sore. His limbs are heavy, his rib cage clamps tight around his chest, and his right ankle aches each time he puts weight on it. He must have landed badly on it during his fight with Capitano, but there's no time to worry about a twisted ankle or an aching rib now. He needs to get out of here, to get home.

"Boy!" Pulcinella calls after him. "What are you doing, boy?"

"Leaving," Ajax calls back. "I'm going home."

"Wait, boy!" The clip-clop of Pulcinella's tiny feet chases after him. "Surely you wish to rethink? Your potential—"

"Is somewhere else," Ajax finishes the sentence for him. Pulcinella's footsteps fall into place alongside him, but Ajax doesn't bother looking down to speak to him. His gaze is fixed upon the chain link fence and the gates set into it at the end of the track. The road lies beyond. Freedom lies beyond. The wind blows, and he's sure he can catch the low rumble of a car engine in the distance.

Zhongli lies beyond.

"But you know your place is here, yes?" Pulcinella continues following him. "You know how we appreciate you, treasure you, dear boy. Now calm down and think about this. You don't want to leave, not really. The world out there doesn't understand you, but we do. We understand you and we celebrate you."

"Respectfully," says Ajax, "you don't understand shit about me. Now leave me alone. Her Majesty said I can go, so I'm going, and you can't stop me."

"Oh dear boy, such a foolish mistake, I—" Pulcinella cuts off with a high pitched squeak as Ajax wheels around to grab him by the front of his shirt, lifting him to eye level. His legs dangle beneath him, feet flailing wildly. He tries in vain to swat at Ajax's arm, managing to apply about as much force as a fly against a window.

Ajax speaks to him, slow and deliberate, "Tartaglia makes no mistakes. Now, when I put you down, you'll run off back to your comrades, just in case I do make a mistake about the valuation of your life. Understood?"

Pulcinella whimpers and nods, and Ajax drops him to the ground.

"Bye!" He waves cheerfully as Puncinella picks himself up and scurries away back towards the compound's main hub. "Have a terrible life!"

Right. Now that pest is dealt with, onto more important things.

Like Zhongli.

His suitcase grows heavier with every step. By the time he reaches the gates, which the guards haul open for him at a single glance of the Tsaritsa's symbol, each step is like walking through treacle; the ground claws at his feet, dragging every footstep down into its clutches.

Tired. He's tired. But he has to keep going. No looking back, no hesitation.

He steps past the threshold, and there's a soft fizzling sound on his cheek. Instinctively, he knows that the Tsaritsa's symbol has faded, its authority contained to the boundary of her realm.

He is truly free.

He crosses the road, predicting the direction Zhongli should arrive from, then leans against the top of his suitcase and waits. The spluttering of the car engine rounds the compound's far corner and then, rising from a dip in the road, a little red car emerges, chugging along steadfast, and behind the wheel sits the most welcome sight he's seen in a while.