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[threebetrayals]

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[threebetrayals]

[....you know what.]

Tell me, Heizou, who's the Sixth Harbinger of the Fatui?

[book2thehead]

[Heizou blinks at the abrupt topic change, raising an eyebrow curiously.]

The Sixth? That seat has been empty for years now, as far as I know. Why do you ask?

[threebetrayals]

Because it wasn't, it was just easier to erase the history of the Sixth Harbinger, who only got that position because Dottore thought he was "interesting".

[Wanderer what does that even mean.]

[book2thehead]

[Good job, Wanderer. You have officially earned a genuinely confused look from Heizou.]

His history was erased? Then how do you kno--

[He cuts himself off, eyes going a little wider.]

Are you saying you were the Sixth Harbinger?

[threebetrayals]

Maybe.

[Yes.]

Still think I'm interesting?

[book2thehead]

[Everyone knows about Dottore. Probably not everyone knows about the extent of Dottore's madness, or the lengths he goes to for his experiments. Even so, Heizou understands what kind of trauma Wanderer is looking at with regards to that man. Honestly it helps quite a few things about Wanderer make sense.

Heizou stops walking, turning to face Wanderer instead. He looks quite serious as he steps closer, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. There's no teasing this time, his tone just soft and earnest when he speaks.]

I'm sorry I used that word. That's certainly not the sort of thing I meant by it. I just want to get to know you better, and I'd also like to help you get to know yourself better. If that's really not okay, then tell me now in no uncertain terms and I'll step away.

[threebetrayals]

[Wanderer starts to snarl at Heizou when he comes closer, but then he says that and seems so earnest that Wanderer, for all of his prickly pissy behavior, can't really bring himself to get vicious. Even now, some part of him is still weak to that sort of...humanity, for lack of a better word. Nahida's somewhat the same way, after all.

He hates this, and he does move away from Heizou's hand.]

I don't care if you want to get to know me, but I don't think you can help me get to know myself better. There's not much there I don't already know.

[He thinks. He hasn't quite wrapped his head around the fact that he does not, in fact, know himself at all. Not outside of the Fatui.]

...just don't call me interesting again. Got it? And stop touching me!

[That last complaint is more in-line with Wanderer's usual (toothless) complaints.]

[book2thehead]

[He studies Wanderer for a moment, dropping his hand as he steps away. For someone so guarded and prickly, Heizou finds his emotions are pretty easy to read. He can tell the difference between Wanderer's genuine anger and when he's just being a tsundere snappy, so when he barks out the complaint about touching, Heizou can't help but smile. Just a little bit.

Really he's relieved to know that he can keep trying to better befriend him. He would've been disappointed if he really had to completely cut the fragile tie between them.]

I'll never call you that again. I'll call you "cute" instead! Is that better~?

[threebetrayals]

Absolutely not.

[book2thehead]

No? What about "pretty"?

[threebetrayals]

Why do you want to call me that?!

[book2thehead]

[He laughs softly, back to leading the way to their "date" destination.]

Because it's true! I like having keywords to describe my friends, so I'd like to find a good one for you~

[He says this like he has more than three or four actual friends in his life--]

[threebetrayals]

And you default to "cute" and "pretty"? Really?

[book2thehead]

They're the first ones that came to mind for you.

[threebetrayals]

Now why do I doubt that? Are you sure "rude" or "acerbic" weren't the first ones?

[book2thehead]

[The most dramatic gasp!]

Man alive, that's my friend you're talking about, sir! How dare you accuse me of thinking such things about him~!

[threebetrayals]

Are you a detective or an actor?!

[book2thehead]

Hey, sometimes a little acting is necessary during an investigation, you know~

[threebetrayals]

So you act like someone in a Fontanian thriller novel?

[book2thehead]

[That makes Heizou laugh brightly, head thrown back and everything.]

Oh, have you read those?! They're amazing! Fontaine has the best mystery authors in Teyvat, without question!

[threebetrayals]

Kusanali gets books from all over.

[So, yeah. One.]

They're overblown and dramatized.

[book2thehead]

They are! The killers' methods are always so convoluted and not at all how it is in my experience, but Fontanian authors really have the most incredible flair for the dramatic. The characters are all so exaggerated, and the stories are compelling and fun, even if sometimes they can be a little predictable...

[He lets out a sigh of nerdy joy.] It's fantastic~

[threebetrayals]

The one I read involved the Fatui.

[A beat]

I realize that I was never in the public consciousness even before everyone forgot me, but to put the Sixth Harbinger in a relationship with the Arlecchino?

[book2thehead]

[That makes Heizou laugh even harder.]

Well, it's called fiction for a reason! Being invisible to the public opens people's imaginations up to all sorts of possibilities about who the Sixth could be.

[threebetrayals]

But Arlecchino. She's insane.