Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Aether has no idea what the goddamn hell is going on anymore.

After their pitiful attempt at dueling Scaramouche in the delusion factory - after being rescued by Yae Miko and learning she gave him the Gnosis (terrible idea, but okay, not their business) - after seeing Signora get straight-up murdered and facing Baal-who-was-actually-Beelzebul and getting the Vision Decree reversed and all that jazz - they decided it was time for some light exploring. You know, to take their mind off the shitshow Inazuma turned out to be.

Except Yashiori was as much of a shitshow as the rest of Inazuma, and Aether, as usual, found a lot of things they needed to fix.

Well. They didn't need to. But it's just sort of what they do, isn't it? Travel around, solve people's problems, get showered in treasure before leaving for the next place. They might not have felt compelled to stay on Yashiori so long if it weren't for the little boy they met on the island.

It was bewildering that Chouji was still alive, and Aether suspected early on there were things he wasn't telling them. He kept chattering about making money and getting off the island, but when Aether offered to give him a lift on the Waverider to the next island, Chouji gave them a long look and then confidently declared, "That won't work."

Aether and Paimon were at the point of practically begging him to let them evacuate him. It was taking a long time to figure out how to reverse the evil miasma on this place - longer than usual, as evil miasmas went - and it badly stressed Aether out knowing Chouji was fending for himself. Supposedly the kid had a brother, but Aether'd never seen him. And what sort of big brother would let the kid run around on this death trap of an island by himself? They were pretty sure it was a lie for their benefit.

Eventually, their search of the island turned up a letter from Chouji's mother, as well as evidence related to his father. Also, a man called Yasumoto who was supposed to help Chouji but did nothing, and then - appeared to get himself killed in a last desperate attempt to remedy his mistakes? There was no body, but considering the trend of how things had gone so far in Inazuma, Aether kind of had to assume.

Guiltily, they kept all these things to themself. They didn't see what the point would be of sharing. Maybe the information would give Chouji some closure, but Aether selfishly didn't want to dampen his spirits. They didn't want to tell the kid that both of his parents seemed to have left him on purpose.

They were near their wits' end when their exploration finally turned up a helpful document that provided enough pointed hints that Aether could figure out how to re-seal the Tatarigami. If it looked a bit less worn than the other documents they'd been finding on the island - well, Aether didn't pay it much mind in the moment.

And then, the real kicker. Chouji's mysterious older brother did exist, but this whole time, it had been Scaramouche.

Aether's not exactly proud of trying to kill the guy in front of the kid, but to be fair, they assumed at the time that Scaramouche was just using and manipulating Chouji. Any affection Chouji had for him could be discarded once the illusion was shattered, right? Aether gets berserker rages every once in a while, so sue them, okay! Lumine has them way more often than Aether does.

They did not expect Chouji throwing himself in front of Aether's blade, then receiving an honest-to-God Vision. Aether- not being beholden to the religious traditions of Teyvat, and having recently been informed that the Archons don't actually hand out Visions personally- didn't particularly take it as any sort of sign, but it was enough to shock them out of their rage. They began to grow very uncomfortable as they watched the two interact before Scaramouche passed out.

Scaramouche's care toward the kid didn't look fake. In hindsight, he was trying to steer Chouji away from danger the whole fight. And in Aether's experience, it's not really possible to fake that kind of emotion on the verge of death. They began to have the unwelcome suspicion that they were the bad guy in this situation. They hadn't come to Teyvat to tear families apart. The way Chouji yelled that his aniki was all he had, it-

Goddamn it. It reminded them of themself and Lumine.

So when Chouji tearfully demanded that they fix it, help him, Aether gave in. They didn't think it wise to bring Scaramouche to Ei; though she seems to hold no ill will toward her erstwhile creation, Aether is still a bit wary of dealing with her in general, and they don't like to imagine what sort of tantrum Scaramouche would throw upon waking. That leaves them with only one real idea; if there was anyone else who could help Scaramouche, it would be Albedo, a fellow artifical human and a master of Khemia. Albedo probably wouldn't balk at helping a Harbinger if he trusted Aether had a grip on the situation, and for the alchemist, sheer scientific curiosity would be motivation enough.

Aether still doesn't trust Scaramouche as far as they can throw him. After smuggling him aboard, they keep the gnosis and delusion strictly on their person. They considered returning the gnosis to Yae Miko, but frankly they don't trust her to keep an eye on it, and Ei seemed to want nothing to do with it. If nothing else, it could be a useful bargaining piece in the future... Aether doesn't like thinking in such a mercenary way, but the longer they go with no further leads on their sister, the more they're willing to bend.

But personal feelings aside, it's impossible not to feel bad, seeing how upset Chouji is, knowing some of the puppet's tragic origins, and having to look at the grievous wound they caused. Sure, yeah, they were trying to kill him, but- but cleanly. They had no idea his fucking chest was going to explode. They've never been one to cause unnecessary suffering.

If Albedo is able to heal him... after the Balladeer wakes up... Aether doesn't know what they'll do. They can't just coldly put him down after all this, but their conscience won't allow them to let the person who caused so much death and destruction wander free. Can they hand him into Mondstadt's custody? Does Mondstadt even have jails? Could they even jail him for crimes committed in another nation? In hindsight, maybe they should have gone to Ei. If anyone could safely contain the Balladeer, it would be her.

Perhaps, the crux of Aether's decision to go to Albedo comes down to this: they are sick of Inazuma and its tragedy.

*

Albedo is not sure what he expected out of his day, but this was not it.

It's been some time since Aether has been in Mondstadt, and they're a welcome surprise. Their cargo... perhaps less so.

There's a scrawny, wary-looking boy with them - foreign, likely Inazuman given his manner of dress and Aether's last known whereabouts - who isn't so much hiding behind the Traveler as hovering protectively over the large crate they've dragged into Albedo's lab. The boy looks prepared to fight someone with the Dendro vision clipped to his belt and the chipped shortsword on his back. This is highly unusual; the Traveler isn't one for taking in strays, despite their general goodwill towards the people of Teyvat. Albedo is fully ready to be occupied unraveling this mystery, only for several others to blow it out of the water.

"Chouji," Aether tries, "You don't have to stay. You can take a look around the city."

"Yeah!" Paimon exclaims, zipping toward the boy. "Paimon can show you around! We can grab a bite at The Good Hunter, and-"

Chouji glares, puts a hand on the hilt of his sword, and says, "I'm not leaving."

Paimon looks hurt. The Traveler deflates a bit. Albedo wonders how in the world they've earned this child's ire despite being apparently responsible for him.

Turns out, the answer is more complicated than Albedo could have imagined.

In the crate is the comatose body of an artificial human. Archon-made, rather than Khaenrhian- a puppet, not a homunculus.

He is a war criminal, a Fatuus, a creation abandoned by its creator. He is the boy's adoptive brother. Albedo, they want to know, can you fix him?

"If anything could do it, it would be Khemia," Albedo says absently. He drifts closer to get a better look, already entranced by the shape of the problem.

It's a rather gruesome sight. The puppet's chest has been torn apart from the inside out by Electro crystals and Dendro vines- evidence of an elemental reaction gone disastrously wrong. He isn't breathing, but it's clear he is in a state of deactivation rather than death. Albedo frowns, already beginning to work out a plan for triage in his head. First, though-

"Chouji," he says, and the boy twitches, surprised to be addressed by name- he'd been staring grimly at the body in the box. "It'll take me some time to operate on your brother. Perhaps in the meantime, you'd like to play with my sister, Klee? She's always excited to meet other young Allogenes, and-"

"You can't treat me like a little kid," Chouji spits, squaring his stance. "I'm staying right here."

Separation anxiety, Albedo notes. "I won't be able to focus properly if I'm worrying about his family while I work," he says more gently, trying to channel everything he's learned about children from looking after Klee. "I know you want him to recover well, so please, let me do my job."

Chouji deflates a little, scowling and scuffing at the crate with his toe. "Fine!" the boy barks finally, rubbing at his eyes with the back of one hand, "But- But if you do anything bad to him, I won't let you get away with it!"

That declaration made, Paimon quickly volunteers to help him find Klee; the child leaves, stiff-backed and clearly unhappy. Albedo sends an inquiring look to the Traveler.

Aether sighs heavily, then looks morosely down on the Balladeer. "It's my fault," they say. "Chouji doesn't want to leave me alone with him because I'm the one responsible for his current state."

Albedo's eyebrows go up. From the short explanation they gave, it's clear that the puppet is the Traveler's- former?- enemy, but he's never known them to dish out such vicious wounds.

Aether hesitates for a moment, then says, "I didn't know it would happen, when I fought him. I think it has something to do with these." They put a hand into their pocket, and draw out two items that shock him once more. A Dendro delusion, and then- twinkling and deceptively small, but with an aura of elemental power that can be felt from across the room-

Albedo sucks in a breath. "Is that-"

The Electro Gnosis.

"You know," says Aether, smiling ruefully, "I'd better just start the explanation over."

*

By the time Albedo is preparing to begin operating, he still feels short some important pieces of information.

What will you do with him after, if he poses such a threat? - The Traveler doesn't know.

Is he "turned off", so to speak, or merely unconscious? - The Traveler doesn't know.

Can he feel pain? Do anesthetics work on him? - Yes, he seems to; no, the Traveler doesn't know.

"Are you sure you're alright with helping him? I know it's quite the imposition. It could even get you in trouble. You don't have to feel obligated, just because..." Aether trails off.

"Don't worry. I'd want to do this even if it weren't you who brought me the request," Albedo tells them sincerely.

The truth is, Albedo is not impartial in this. There's the pure scientific fascination of examining a fellow artificial human, but beyond that-

He can't help but think of Subject Two and Durin, abandoned and set up for failure by their shared Master. He still deeply regrets how things had gone with Subject Two. Perhaps it's selfish to think this way, but faced with another abandoned creation, Albedo can't help but want to find a different outcome this time.

It does not matter to him much if the Balladeer is destructive or antagonistic. Albedo is a creation of the so-called Great Sinner and has little room to judge. His own siblings brought untold destruction to this world. Still, Albedo would have liked for them to have lived. He would have liked to be able to get to know them. The fact that this person has connections- a little sibling- waiting for him only strengthens Albedo's resolve.

Before he begins, Albedo administers a common sedative and anesthetic, hoping it will keep the Balladeer comfortable throughout the procedure.

Of course, that would have been too easy.

*

Albedo has only cleared out about a third of the debris from the puppet's chest cavity when Scaramouche wakes up, choking, the whites of his eyes rolling with panic.

It becomes immediately evident that the medicines were not effective, and he is feeling this very, very well.

His limbs jerk, uncoordinated and lacking the strength to pick himself up from the table. He tries to breathe, then gags, chest falling still. His violet eyes well up with tears and overflow. His entire body begins to tremble minutely.

Albedo must make a terrible choice.

Now that he's started, he can't easily stop. The balance of elemental forces inside the puppet's body is unstable; already, Albedo has triggered several small aggravate reactions as he removes debris from the wound. If he were to stop now that he's disturbed the equilibrium, it's possible that things could shift further, worsening the damage to the Balladeer's body. Worst case scenario, if a severe reaction occurs, he could be damaged badly enough not even Albedo would be able to put him back together.

Albedo has a reputation as rather cold and distant, but he has always disliked causing unnecessary pain. The prospect of continuing without anesthesia reminds him of his earliest experiments with Khemia under his Master's tutelage, when not every result was perfect. It reminds him of even older, hazier memories; the screaming from adjacent rooms - full-throated and neverending - when Albedo's consciousness was still untested and new.

Albedo leans over his patient, studying the puppet's hazy eyes. "Do you know where you are?" he asks. No response. "You are in Mondstadt. I am Albedo Kreideprinz, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius. You were brought here by the Traveler. I am attempting to repair the damage done to your body by the interplay of your Delusion and your Gnosis. Nod if you understand." No response.

Albedo takes a deep breath, and makes his decision. Discreetly, he forms a butterfly in one hand and sends it fluttering off to find Sucrose. Then he says, "I am afraid this is going to hurt. I apologize, but for your benefit, I cannot stop the surgery at this stage. Do you have any knowledge of an avenue of pain relief that works on you?"

The puppet tries again to take a few failed, hitching breaths. His eyes dart from side to side. Albedo cannot tell how much he understands.

"I am looking into other solutions," Albedo says, feeling his artificial heart beat in his chest. "I am going to continue. I am sorry."

He lowers the forceps. But the moment he tugs at another section of crystal, Scaramouche makes a choked sound, and one of his arms shoots out, grabbing Albedo's wrist with a surprisingly strong grip. He locks gazes with Albedo, eyes wide and frantic. He looks terrified.

Albedo feels... Bad. Hm. Yes. He feels bad. In fact, he thinks he feels awful.

Albedo has learned that experimenting on sentient beings without their consent is generally frowned upon, especially if the experiment involves pain or bodily harm. This is not a rule his Master strictly kept to, but it is one Albedo has found he prefers to follow himself. More than not causing the puppet harm, however, he does not want the puppet to die.

"I'm sorry," he repeats, and pries the Balladeer's hand away.

Surprisingly, Scaramouche tries to lie still as Albedo continues- gritting his teeth and turning his face to the side, eyes scrunched shut. But he can't help flinching and crying out, the garbled noises emerging even without lungs to furnish breath, and Albedo can't help flinching in response. When he removes a particularly long vine, snarled around shredded lung tissue, Scaramouche screams and jerks away violently. He nearly falls off the table- Albedo has to grab him to prevent it. The crystals spark ominously at the sharp movement- a vine aggravates, curling up and out of newly vacated space, and Scaramouche chokes, what little color remains in his face draining away. He trembles badly under Albedo's hands.

Then, for the first time since regaining consciousness, he speaks. His voice is thin and raspy, barely there. "Just- just tie me down and get it over with, Dottore," he says.

This is concerning for several reasons.

It implies that Scaramouche is not fully conscious of his present situation. It implies he is used to being restrained during medical procedures, and, perhaps, used to being operated on without anesthesia.

Albedo, as a Knight of Favonius, is privy to briefings on potential threats to Mondstadt. He recognizes the name Dottore. He knows of the cruel experiments the man performed on the children of Mondstadt some time before Albedo came to the city.

As a fellow Harbinger, the Balladeer should not have been at the Doctor's mercy. But it seems likely that, at some point, he had been.

This does not make Albedo feel better about continuing the operation. If anything, he feels worse. But he takes Scaramouche's advice in the end. If Albedo cannot sedate him, then restraining him to prevent further such damage is the only option that remains.

Albedo, of course, does not have lab tables lying around with restraints on them. He uses alchemy to form cuffs around the puppet's limbs. Scaramouche lets out a stuttering sigh and lets his head fall back to the side, violet eyes dull with resignation.

"I am sorry," Albedo repeats, uselessly.

He makes another incision.

*

Sucrose arrives what feels like an eternity later, but realistically speaking was probably only twenty minutes.

"Albedo, are you alright?" she asks, frowning, when he meets her at the door.

He doesn't know what expression must be on his face. It's possible this is affecting him more than he realizes, emotionally speaking. For as long as he's lived, his own emotions have been hard to grasp, and he's not sure whether this is due to his being a homunculus. His Master was never a very emotional person either.

"I'm fine, Sucrose," he says. "I'm sorry to bother you on such short notice, but your expertise in plant-based bioalchemy is unmatched. Could you attempt to synthesize an anesthetic for this person? It's rather urgent."

He hands Sucrose a set of papers- all the notes he'd manage to take on Scaramouche's unusual physiology before the puppet awoke. Her eyebrows go up as she gets a glimpse at it, but Albedo knows that Sucrose is both discreet and capable of restraining her curiosity if the situation calls for it. Sure enough, she nods, expression firming into determination.

"I'll do my best, Mister Albedo!" she says. As she leaves, she's already mumbling a set of possibilities under her breath.

When Albedo returns, Scaramouche stirs at the sound of his footsteps. His eyes slit open. Weakly, he groans, "How much longer, Doctor...?"

Albedo picks up his tools, then frowns at his own hands, which seem to have developed a tremor. He tries to will it to stop: steady hands are a necessity for this endeavor. "I don't know," he answers honestly. "I've removed about three-quarters of the debris from your chest cavity, but I have reason to believe there may be fragments embedded deeper in your system."

Scaramouche doesn't respond to the words, gaze sliding absently off to the side. It's highly unnerving how little he reacts given the amount of pain he must be in. He stays mostly quiet, and though the noises he does make are gut-wrenching, his voice rarely rises to the level of a scream. It would be enough to make Albedo question whether the Balladeer perceives pain the same way humans do if it weren't for all the other clear indicators that he is in agony.

It's truly cruel that there's nothing Albedo can do about it. Once he deems the steadiness of his hands acceptable, he begins again, navigating around shattered ribs, mechanical components, and the pulpy remains of biosynthetic organs. It's not the gore that disturbs him, but the bitten-off whimpers he does his best to tune out. It's not exactly a reasonable task he's given her, but he'll have to trust in Sucrose's skill- and hope she will hurry.

*

Albedo regrets remarking to himself on the infrequency of the Balladeer's screams. When he reaches the center of the crystal growth, knotted around the space where a human's heart would be, Scaramouche screams until he passes out.

The puppet wakes again with a horrible, hoarse keening sound when Albedo cuts down the line of a faded scar on his stomach to look for fragments that have migrated elsewhere.

"Please, Dottore, no more," Scaramouche croaks, voice thick around the start of a sob.

"I'm sorry," Albedo says yet again, his own voice strangely unsteady. It's all he can say.

*

Sucrose's first effort does not seem to anesthetize the Balladeer so much as make him sluggish; an incomplete sedation, not enough to put him under. He continues to whimper as Albedo roots around in his gut cavity, delicately untwining the last tendrils and removing the last shards. Her next three attempts have even less effect.

Finally - mercifully - just as Albedo prepares to begin reconstruction, Sucrose reaches a breakthrough. She runs to the labs breathlessly, nearly barging in on the scene before he can intercept her.

She bumped into the Traveler, from whom she was able to procure a variety of foreign plants. The successful formula involves a distillation of naku weed along with several other compounds. When it proves helpful, Albedo tapers the Balladeer onto it gradually, knowing that an overdose of this type can easily be lethal in humans and unsure whether the same would be true for him. Finally, finally, the puppet's agonized expression smooths over and his body falls slack.

He could hug Sucrose. He could weep. He does not, but Albedo is not sure he has ever actually felt this much relief. Sucrose- not allowed in the operation room proper but lingering outside the door for his report- is beet red from the praise he heaps on her before she leaves.

"And don't worry, the Traveler told me," she assures him. "Top secret!"

Although it would have been welcome at any point, this is lucky timing indeed. From now on will be the most experimental of Albedo's efforts. It will be a true miracle if it proceeds without any hiccups.

At least, now that the Balladeer is truly unconscious, Albedo can sink into the buzzing hyperfocus of encountering a truly fascinating problem. It became clear to Albedo fairly quickly that Scaramouche's design was at least partially based upon the homunculi of Khaenriah, which he finds encouraging in regards to his prospects of successfully healing him, and which on another level he finds darkly amusing. To think that an Archon would deign to use the research of her sworn enemies in such a way...!

However, he does mean it when he says partially, and herein lies the problem. Albedo is not a mechanic or an engineer. He has a passing familiarity with ruin mechanisms, but it is far from his realm of expertise. For every close-to-human organ the Balladeer has, it seems, there is also a delicate construction of twining metal and wires. The mechanical parts seem to integrate flawlessly with the biosynthetic ones. The purpose of some of them is easy enough to guess, but many are complex enough it would likely require months of research for Albedo to hope to understand. Scaramouche's body is a true marvel of craftsmanship, and if the situation were not so dire, Albedo would be much more thorough in his notetaking.

As it is, Albedo cross-references his Khemia research thoroughly before he proceeds. He gets his materials together, using the closest analogues he has- things that should integrate well with the Balladeer's body.

Albedo works all night and into the next morning before he is done. Even now, he is not certain of his success; much of the puppet's inner workings remain opaque to him. For those parts that mimic a human's biology, he is fairly confident in his efforts. He had to reform the puppet's lungs entirely, and reconstruct much of his ribcage. A half dozen other organs required repair, though the puppet's body lacks the place for a number of organs that would be vital for a human; most notably, the heart.

It's the damaged mechanical components that give Albedo more worry. He carefully reconnected wiring where he could, but in some cases, although the mechanisms didn't look quite right, Albedo could do little more than leave them alone. The device at the heart of the electro crystal growth in particular was so mangled- its pieces melted and half-fused together- Albedo had no choice but to cut it out.

Finally, though, Scaramouche has been put back together, skin smooth and unmarred. All there is to do is wait for him to wake. As he surveys his enigmatic patient one last time, a crashing wave of repressed stress and fatigue seems to hit Albedo all at once. "Huh," he remarks to himself, watching dispassionately as his own hands, once again, begin to shake.

He decides he'd better sit down before he falls.

*

When Aether returns the next morning to check on Albedo, hoping nothing has gone majorly wrong, they find the chief alchemist sitting on the ground outside his lab with his head in his hands. He is splattered with reddish-purple blood that he doesn't seem to have even noticed, and when he raises his head to greet them, there's a harrowed look in his eyes.

"Please," says Albedo, "Do not ever ask me to do something like that again."

Chapter Text

Chouji unhappily follows Paimon onto the streets of Mondstadt.

He doesn't think the Traveler is going to do anything - they honestly seem pretty sorry about the whole thing - but that doesn't mean he wants to leave Zushi alone with them.

And he hates being talked down to. He's gonna be twelve soon! He was on his own for months before Zushi showed up! Zushi didn't patronize him, that's why they got along so well. After their bumpy start, anyway.

Chouji's anxiety twists and turns inside him like a snake, and it's hard to listen to Paimon as she rambles on, much less appreciate the sights. But he supposes it makes sense, that the alchemist would need focus to work on such a vicious wound. Finally, grudgingly, the pull of his curiosity makes him look up from his feet, right before Paimon halts midair, announcing, "And heeere we are!"

Chouji frowns. "Where's here?"

It's an ornate building, much grander than anything he's seen before - but then, he never left his rural island in Inazuma, and this is the capitol of a nation, isn't it?

"The Knights of Favonius headquarters, silly!" Paimon exclaims. "Weren't you listening? Klee is a Knight of Favonius! Paimon's, uh, not really sure how that works, but-"

"Who's Klee?" (Why should he care?)

Paimon pouts. "Wow, you really weren't listening, were you? Cheer up, Chouji! Sc- the B- your brother will be fine. Probably. Albedo's the best there is! And Klee's his little sister."

"So I'm... babysitting," Chouji concludes.

"Paimon knows you're really serious about the whole 'being a grown-up' thing, but you gotta remember you're a kid sometimes too, Chouji," Paimon says. "And anyway, don't underestimate Klee! She's pretty small, but she packs a punch! And- Oh, here she comes now!"

There's a shrill, high-pitched noise:

"Paimooooooooon!"

It's... a very small little girl, all in red. Her clothes are fancy, and her ears are pointed. There's a plushie clipped to her backpack, and when she spins excitedly in a circle, he sees a Pyro Vision attached to it, too. Self-consciously, Chouji grips at his Dendro Vision on his waist. How did such a tiny girl manage to obtain one? He's never heard of someone so young having a Vision - he thought he was pretty young for it himself.

"Paimon, Paimon," the little girl is saying. "Where's the Traveler? Did you bring presents? Is Albedo with you? Ooh, who's THAT?"

"Whoa, whoa! One question at a time, please!" Paimon protests.

"Um," says Chouji. "I'm Chouji. Zushi Chouji." He gives a shallow bow in greeting.

"I'm Klee!" the girl shouts, waving her arms in excitement. "You're funny." Then she grabs his hand.

"Um," says Chouji, again.

"Oh!" says Paimon. "In Mondstadt, when you meet someone new, you shake hands."

Klee giggles and grabs his hand with her other one too, shaking it up and down. "Where are you from?" she demands. "I bet my Mama's been there before!"

"Inazuma," he says, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He does not feel Paimon warned him sufficiently.

"Oooh!" Klee's eyes go round. "I've never met someone from there before! But I think Mama's been there. Klee's pretty sure..."

"Is your mother famous?" asks Chouji, frowning.

"Yeah!" Klee exclaims. "She's Alice! She's the super-best adventurer there is! That's why she had to leave me with Big Brother Albedo, so she could keep going on awesome adventures... But it's okay! I'm not lonely! I have Dodoco!" She grabs the plushie and brandishes it as if it could dispel any notion of being lonely without her mother.

Chouji glances at Paimon, who has a slightly awkward expression. Unwillingly, Chouji feels a little bit of kinship forming with this strange, hyper child. Her mother left her behind too, huh? And for something frivolous - not even for an important reason, like her life being in danger. There must not be a father in the picture either, or else Klee wouldn't have mentioned her brother as her guardian.

"So, you only have your brother?" Chouji asks- and then, a bit embarrassed to have phrased it so indelicately, rushes to add, "Me too."

"Ohhh," Klee frowns, "You don't have Dodoco, though." Before Chouji can begin to question the importance of this, she brightens up to say, "But big brothers are the best!"

Paimon cuts in, taking control of the conversation once more. "Actually, Klee, that's what Paimon was trying to say! Your big brother is busy helping Chouji's big brother today. Chouji is new to Mondstadt, so Paimon was hoping you could show him around!"

"Me?" She seems surprised to be given such responsibility. "Okay! Klee will give him the best tour ever! Yayyy!"

And without further ado, she grabs Chouji's hand and starts dragging him down the street, leaving Paimon in the dust.

*

For a long while he just follows her around, listening to her babble on about the city. Chouji admittedly becomes distracted drinking in the unfamiliar sights, his distress beginning to fade into the background. The massive statue of Barbatos in the center of the city is awe-inspiring, and if he thought the Favonius headquarters were impressive- well, that's nothing compared to the towering opulence of the Church of Barbatos' cathedral. He finds every detail of the foreign city interesting, from the two-story houses that line the streets to the stately city walls to the huge windmill that spins on the lower level. Even the foreign mushrooms clinging to the buildings catch his eye.

Unfortunately, when Klee tries to make conversation with him about cool places in Inazuma, Chouji doesn't have much to say. Orobashi's remains are the only really interesting things on his own island. He tries to tell Klee about the Tenshukaku and the Sacred Sakura, even though he's never seen them in person. She listens raptly, though Chouji's never thought of himself as a storyteller.

Chouji's heard that Mondstadt is a lot more carefree than Inazuma, and it quickly becomes clear this is true. When Chouji asks if Mondstadt has a lot of enemies - eyeing the impressive fortress-like walls that surround the city, which surely must have been built to keep something out - Klee looks at him funny. "Well, the Treasure Hoarders and Abyss," she says. "And the Fatui, I guess."

"You need walls like this for that?" he asks skeptically.

"Um-" Klee looks stumped. "I don't know why the walls are there. It was a really, really long time ago. We could ask Miss Lisa?"

"No, it's okay," says Chouji. "I was just curious."

He also remembers hearing Mondstadt called a godless nation, and it's true he doesn't hear Barbatos mentioned all that much in the lively conversation of the city, except for by the nuns on the steps of the cathedral. In Inazuma, the Shogun's ever-present eye lies heavy over everything, and she's invoked at the start of most conversations.

Chouji's not too sure how he feels about the Shogun anymore though. Maybe Mondstadters are able to be so relaxed because they don't feel the eye of their god ever on their backs.

Eventually, Chouji's stomach growls loudly, and Klee drags him to a place called The Good Hunter. He insists on paying for their meals - he is, at this point, what would have been considered "loaded" in Yashiori's pre-disaster economy, having managed to pawn off at least some of his Crystal Marrow stock. On Klee's advice, he tries a fried vegetable known as "potato". His eyes go wide when he takes his first bite and he's scarfed it down before he knows it. Klee looks proud of herself.

"You'll have to try dango one of these days," he pauses to tell her seriously.

Klee beams at him. "Okay!"

How odd, to be back in civilization again. Throngs of people, none of them sick or dying. No one possessed or raving from street corners. Delicious, pre-cooked meals just an exchange of mora away. Smiles on people's faces. Cheer in the air. Soldiers- or, as Klee calls them, knights- but no war. It would be easy to become overwhelmed by it if he let himself.

"...Is it too loud out here?" Klee asks, looking worried.

...Maybe he's not doing a good enough job of not letting himself.

"It's okay, Klee knows what to do!" she whispers loudly. "This happens to Razor a lot."

She leads him to a quiet alcove in the city whose location she seems to know by heart. It's almost like a garden with its benches inbetween pruned pines. The bustle of the city fades, and Chouji lets out a sigh of relief.

"I've never been around so many people," he confides.

"You must be a country kid! Like Razor!" Klee giggles and kicks her feet. "Hey, what's Albedo helping your big brother with, anyway?"

Oh. Chouji didn't realize she'd take what Paimon said so literally. "He got hurt," Chouji says, and is unable to hide the wobble in his voice when he continues, "Bad. Your brother is helping him."

Klee tilts her head to the side in innocent confusion. "But Albedo isn't a doctor?"

Chouji pauses and considers. Zushi has always been cagey about his non-human identity, and this bouncy little girl probably wouldn't be very good at keeping secrets. Then again... He steals another glance at her long, pointy ears, which he's been sneakily doing all morning. He hasn't been able to figure out why she looks like that. Klee seems more like a human than a youkai, but then he doesn't think Mondstadt has youkai. That doesn't mean it doesn't have other fantastical creatures, though.

"Klee," he says finally, trying to be as polite about it as possible, "Are you human?"

"Mm? No," she lightly touches the tip of one of her ears. "Klee is an elf!"

"And what does that mean?" he can't help but ask. Chouji has never heard of elves.

"It means I'll live a really long time, and I'll be really good at magic when I get big," Klee answers readily. "Why?"

"Well," Chouji scuffs the dirt with his foot. "My big brother isn't human either. But don't tell anyone, okay? It's a big secret. A normal doctor can't help him. That's why we brought him to Albedo."

Klee's eyes go huge. "IS HE-" she shouts, jumping up on the bench, then seems to catch herself, glancing wildly around.

"...Yes?"

"Klee can't say!" she wails. Then, after several moments of silence, she bursts out with some force: "Do you think he'll be Albedo's friend?!"

"Um," says Chouji. Probably not. "Maybe?"

Klee nods to herself and sits back down, still thinking hard. Then she says, "Will it be a long time until Albedo is done helping him?"

"Seems like it," Chouji admits. He thinks the Traveler would send Paimon to come get him if something happened. Probably.

"Then," Klee asks, "Wanna go fish blasting?"

*

Fish blasting is something that Klee is, apparently, strictly prohibited from doing. It involves her Vision and must be done outside the city limits. So into the wilds of Mondstadt they go. They cross the bridge, startling a flock of fat pigeons who didn't take flight until Klee and Chouji were almost on top of them. (Good place to catch dinner later, Chouji thinks, until Klee tells him they're a boy named Timmie's pets.)

They cross into Springvale, a smaller village whose pace feels much more familiar to Chouji. Klee seems well-known in these parts; a number of people give her cheerful greetings as they pass by.

"Aren't they worried about you going off on your own?" he asks. He was never allowed in the woods by himself, but maybe the woods in Mondstadt are simply less dangerous. No youkai, and at least you wouldn't have to worry about stumbling upon a group of soldiers and trying to fake loyalty to whichever side they're on.

"Klee's not alone. I'm with you!" she chirps happily. "But don't worry. I'm the Spark Knight. I'm strong!" Then, like she's telling him a secret, she giggles and leans closer to say, "Klee's got lots and lots of bombs."

Chouji stares for a moment. "Bombs?" he asks. "You mean, like this?" And he rummages in his pack, pulling out a handful of the miner's charges he always carries with him.

Klee freezes. She takes in a huge breath, and Chouji swears he can see stars dancing in her eyes. "You're going to be Klee's bestest friend EVER!!!" she shouts. "Come on come on come on, you have to fish blast with Klee!!"

*

Fifteen minutes later Chouji is having the time of his life.

"Fish blasting" turns out to mean fishing. With bombs.

Klee cackles maniacally as she generates bombs from her Vision and tosses them into the water. They're in a secluded spot a ways out from Springvale, "where Jean can't catch us".

"DODOCO, DODOCO, GO! BA-BOOM!"

The explosion is glorious. Fish go flying, and a few geese take to the sky, honking in panic. Chouji whoops with excitement. Her blast radius is impressive.

"Okay, okay, your turn!" she insists.

Chouji feels giddy getting to finally light a bomb after all this time. He considers maybe he shouldn't be wasting them on something so frivolous, but then, he can always buy more. Klee has already offered to show him how to make them. He strikes a match with practiced ease, and waits until he sees the shadow of a fish stirring under the water before he tosses it.

"WOO-HOOO!" Klee loyally cheers, though Chouji's explosion isn't anywhere near as big and flashy as hers.

It takes a couple tries before he properly hits a fish. He runs and catches it as it falls from the sky, then takes a big bite out of the crispy scales.

"WHOA!" Klee gasps. "Are you sure you aren't f- fee-"

He cocks his head to the side, chewing and swallowing. Honestly it wasn't very good- charred in parts and near-raw in the rest- but the texture was fun.

"Are you sure you weren't raised by wolves?!?" she exclaims. "Razor did the same thing!!!"

"Well, why do you blast them all if you're not going to eat any?" Chouji asks, frowning. He's really starting to get curious about this 'Razor' person she keeps mentioning.

"Because it's fun?!?!"

Well. He can't argue with that.

"And," says Klee sagely, putting her hands on her hips, "Klee does eat them. But Albedo says I have to cook them more evenly first. For safety."

She shows him how she makes a spit and roasts them a little more with her Vision. As they sit around enjoying their afternoon snack, Chouji asks, "Have you ever gone rock blasting?"

"Mmm? No." Klee touches a finger to her lips. "Sounds dan-ger-ous. And maybe boring?"

Should he be offended? Chouji feels a little offended. "Not if you know what you're doing! Do you know if there are any valuable ores are around here?"

"Mmm... I think I saw some last time I was in Wolvendom..."

So off they go again. Klee helps him locate some gleaming teal crystals deeper in the woods. It's different from any kind of ore he saw in Inazuma.

"Okay, okay, watch!" he exclaims. He sets up his charges around the weak spots in the bases of the crystals, then drags Klee behind a big rock to watch them explode. There's a BOOM, and then tinkling and clattering fills the air.

"YAY!" shouts Klee. She runs out from behind the rock to help him gather up the shards.

"How much do these go for do you think?" Chouji asks as he stuffs them in his pack, always on the lookout for opportunity.

"Umm... Klee doesn't know."

Chouji's warming to the subject. "Does Mondstadt have any special ores that people look for? Stuff that's not found outside the country?"

"Mm... Oh! There's Starsilver. It's on Dragonspine. That's the big mountain over there!" She flings out a finger to point, and Chouji squints at the horizon. "But Big Brother Albedo says-" She lowers her voice to imitate him- " 'you absolutely must not go to Dragonspine alone'."

"Maybe we can visit it together someday," Chouji says optimistically.

"Yeah!" Klee beams.

When they get done sweeping up the ore shards, she stands there pondering for a moment. "What kind of special stuff can you do with your Vision, Chouji?" she asks.

"I don't really know," Chouji admits, his mood dampening a bit as he remembers how he received it. "I only got it, like, a week ago. I haven't used it very much."

"WHAT!!!" Klee gasps in a huge breath, and he braces himself for the volume. "You have to test it with me Chouji!! You have to you have to! Let's go find some hilichurls!"

"Wh-"

*

This girl has no natural fear.

Chouji is forced to conclude that after she runs full tilt into a hilichurl camp on her own. He runs in hollering after her, his shimmering green shield springing up again to protect her from harm. Turns out he didn't need to worry. Her explosives easily topple their towers. The last of the creatures are running from her by the time she's done.

"Ooh, you can do shields! Let's see what else!" she exclaims.

The next time they jump into combat, a mitachurl charges at him and he nearly panics, before managing to summon vines to trip it over. It's similar to the few times he caught a glimpse of Zushi using his dendro vision- err, delusion- in combat. It doesn't feel all that impressive, but Klee cheers him on. He has to admit that discovering his own power is exhilarating.

"You use a sword like Albedo, that means you need to infuse," Klee tells him.

"In...fuse?"

"Mhm! Put your energy on the sword," Klee says.

It takes a few tries before he starts to get the hang of it. He can't really do it consistently, but when it works, it makes his swings much more powerful. He thanks her sincerely. Shortly thereafter, they discover the Burn reaction.

After that, none of the hilichurls they run into stand a chance.

It's the most fun Chouji's had in ages. Maybe in his entire life. His cheeks hurt from laughing. It's surprising how bloodthirsty a little thing like Klee can be, but he can't judge. He's having as much fun exploding things as she is. Watching her flames spread like wildfire up the vines he provides, eating up hilichurl towers and shields alike, never gets old.

...Until the moment it starts to spread into an actual wildfire.

"...Uh," says Chouji. "That looks bad."

"Oh no no nooo," Klee whimpers. "We have to fix it before Jean sees!"

"Do you know anyone with a Hydro vision? What should we do?!" Chouji demands.

"Mmmnnrnnm," Klee whines, apparently too stressed out to speak. Tears are gathering in her eyes.

Chouji's starting to panic. His mother always taught him to treat nature with respect. He feels like a criminal watching another two trees go up in flame. Are they gonna toss him out of Mondstadt for this? What would happen to Zushi then? What if Chouji becomes a pariah and no one will sell him anything? He doesn't want to go back to living off fruit picked from trees! What if he angers the nature spirits and they all try to kill him whenever he goes looking for things to eat?!

He's about ready to tear his hair out from stress. Then a series of resonant howls break out from deep in the woods. A chill runs down Chouji's back and he straightens, gripping his sword. But, strangely, Klee seems to perk up.

Moments later, at least a dozen wolves come running out of the woods. Running with them is a boy with long, messy grey hair and a claymore strapped to his back.

"Klee! Klee, we have to run!" Chouji hisses.

But Klee breaks from him and actually runs toward the group. She throws herself on the strange boy, who catches her with an oof. "Razorrrrrrr!" she sobs. "You have to help us! We didn't mean tooo!"

He frowns, looking down at her. "Burny girl," he says. Then he looks up at Chouji, who goes stiff under the intense gaze. "Burny girl's... friend?"

"Chouji and me didn't mean to, Klee promises," she blubbers, clinging to him.

Chouji is starting to gather that when she mentioned being raised by wolves she meant it literally.

Razor sighs. "It's okay. Guardian of this land will help."

...Uh. Chouji doesn't like the sound of that.

Turns out he was right not to! Because shortly after, an absolutely massive, clearly sacred wolf spirit comes bounding into the open. It obliterates the burgeoning wildfire in one gigantic, swirling icy blast.

Then it turns toward them.

Chouji quakes in his boots.

Even Klee is silent, clutching Razor in fright.

"Razor," the wolf spirit starts. Its voice is tolling and inescapable, undeniably canine yet intelligible all at once. The smaller wolves start to gather and flop down around its paws. "Your human Lupical has disturbed the forest."

Razor shuffles awkwardly. Klee tries loudly to sniff the snot back up her nose. "It wasn't Razor's fault!!" she wails. "Klee was bad. It was Klee!"

The spirit's great head swings slowly toward Chouji. "What of this one?" it asks.

Oh, god. Chouji is only eleven!! He doesn't want to die!!! He feels the otherworldly sensation of its gaze and immediately drops to the ground, prostrating himself in dogeza. "Great Wolf Spirit, we meant no disrespect!" he stammers. "We will- will do whatever we must to pay off our debt!"

He hears the spirit pad closer, feels its supernaturally cold breath as it lowers its snout to sniff at him. Chouji feels like he's going to pass out. It could bite him in two with no effort at all.

The wolf spirit raises its head. "Hm," it says, sounding... a little smug? "I don't dislike this one." Then it announces, "Razor's Lupical. Stay out of Wolvendom until after the new moon. Do not play with your fire here again."

"Okayyyy!" sobs Klee.

The wolf spirit pads away, then vanishes with an echoing howl. Chouji sits up slowly, still trembling. Then he squawks and nearly falls over backward. The wolf-boy Razor is crouched on his haunches right in front of him, looking him over appraisingly.

"Never heard him say that about human before," Razor grunts. Then, "Razor bring you back to city."

Chouji picks himself up, feeling frazzled. "At least we didn't burn down the forest after all," he says faintly.

Klee trudges after them, her little face still red. "Klee is so grounded," she mopes.

*

Personally, Chouji doesn't think it counts as solitary confinement if two people are locked in the same room together, but that's still what the tall intimidating blond lady calls it before she shuts the door on them and turns the key. The room is small, and has no furniture. There's a light, and a rug on the floor, but that's about it. It's probably a cleared-out supply closet.

"Is this jail?" Chouji asks. "Are we in jail?"

"Mondstadt doesn't have jails," Klee says from the floor, where she has thrown herself dramatically.

"But we're locked up and can't leave. Isn't that basically jail?"

"Barbatos banned jail," insists Klee. "I think."

"You should tell that lady she isn't a very good disciple of Barbatos then," Chouji says grumpily. From outside the room, he thinks he hears a sneeze.

They didn't even have time to get dinner before they were apprehended. Razor, having found the "purple teacher" he wanted to talk to, just watched them be marched off and didn't do anything, the traitor.

Klee pats him comfortingly on the arm. "It won't be tooo long," she says, trying to put on a brave face. "Albedo will come get us soon." Then she seems to remember he's busy and amends, "By morning."

By morning?!

"Here," she says. "Let me tell you Kaeya's rules. We can try to remember them better next time."

And she starts rambling off the weird little poem her brother's friend taught to her to help her avoid being thrown in jail.

Mondstadt is weird.

*

In the morning, it isn't Albedo who comes and gets them.

Chouji didn't sleep a wink. Now that there was nothing to distract him, he couldn't think about anything but his worry for Zushi.

Klee seems to think very highly of her big brother. He really, really hopes it works. He hopes they won't do anything to harm Zushi, even though it was him who did all those awful things.

When the door creaks open, Klee shifts sleepily, making a "Muh?" noise from where she's curled up against Chouji's side. She yelps in displeasure as Chouji scrambles to his feet, ready to demand an answer from the alchemist.

Only, it isn't the alchemist. It's the Traveler. They look over Chouji and Klee with an inscrutable gaze. Almost impassive, if it weren't for the hint of stress Chouji can see in their face.

"Scaramouche is awake," they tell him. "And he's asking for you."