Chapter Text
The night is cold and dreary, despite the sounds of loud music blasting from within an inconspicuous building. You prepare yourself, dressed in the most party ready attire you can with your partner, Childe next to you. You blow away loose strands of hair from your face, feeling the chill of the night settle into your bones as the moon presses along your back.
You talk to Childe, feigning idle chatter as you and him slip into the building, accompanying a few men, and when the sound of music explodes in your ears you stop talking to him altogether. With a small wave, you bid Childe adieu, knowing you had work to do. With a pretentious smile, you follow a crowd of people, your eyes scouring the scene as you dissect every action of every person within a ten meter radius from you.
You had been given a description. Male, light blue colored hair– a strange mask to cover half his face– a symbol he so proudly wore as a part of the Fatui faction. You were tasked with bringing him down after months deprived of information concerning the Fatui. Your department had been briefed with an anonymous tip with photo evidence to follow up. Despite the possibilities of this location being a possible setup, the police were forced to play their hand after months without information. The head of the department, Kamisato Ayato, had decided that your team be dispatched with backup in a nearby disguised van. You and Childe took the stage for the night, being the leaders in your team.
This had been a proper , two-month long organized sting operation. For everything, your team had designed a plan b, and even those extra cautionary steps had extra precautionary steps to them. You had an in and out, and with one click of your earpiece behind your ear, the whole building would be swatted.
Minutes pass with no signal from Childe, so you continue to follow the crowd, dancing to the beat of the music in search of the masked man, Il Dottore.
Among the sea of people, you catch a few familiar faces. People your department had been on the lookout for– and in specific, another member of the Fatui, regarded in a high position as one of the ‘harbingers’– Rosalyne Lohefalter, also known as ‘La Signora’. She sat among a crowd of people, in the center of a plush, amber hued couch with what you had supposed to be bodyguards.
Carefully, you swing by the area, grabbing a drink one of the masked servers in the party gives you. You say your thanks to the server with dark locks, making sure to stay just in earshot of La Signora’s conversation with the woman in front of her. Unable to hear the conversation too well, you pretend to dance with the crowd, swinging by the area where she had been seated once more as you grabbed onto anybody’s hand, leading them into a dance with you.
For a brief moment, you make eye contact with Signora, and you swear she tosses you a small, lopsided smirk before going back to her conversation with the woman before her. What was that? You thought to yourself as you submerged yourself into the center of the crowd, giving space between you and where La Signora had been sitting. Were you overthinking things? No, you think as you dance away, turning your body around when you feel someone grab onto your waist, that wasn’t it. You definitely made eye contact with her.
“Having fun, miss?” An odd voice starts, and when you turn to face the stranger, your breath hitches in your throat, your eyes threatening to widen in realization as you feel your muscles tense.
Your eyes trail along his features, a wide, toothy smile peeking out from his pale mask as his blue hair framed his features. Il Dottore.
“Yes, I am,” you choke on your response, replying just a second too late to be dismissed of suspicion as he presses his other hand on your waist, his gloved hands pressing uncomfortably into your sides as he pulls you a little closer to him, his smile widening ever so slightly at your delayed response.
“Good, good,” he replies with a joyful tone, spinning you around with a twirl before looking back at your expression, a smile hardened onto your lips as you attempt to calm yourself from your whirlwind of emotions. “I was worried tonight’s party would be a little boring,” Dottore starts, “so I was actually thinking of upping the stakes a little. But if it’s fun, then I suppose there’s nothing to change then, is there?”
You laugh lightheartedly, unsure of how to respond as one of his hands trail upwards to cup the side of your face, and you let him, casually taking a sip from the drink you had in your free hand. You had to let Childe know that Dottore was here with you. Your mind fires with thoughts as he sways you from side to side, letting out small chuckles of laughter as you nearly trip over yourself from the aggression of his movements, your back meeting another person’s own, causing a hiss from the person behind you.
When you attempt to turn your head to apologize, Dottore’s hand on your face slowly draws upwards, following your movement as he leans his head down towards you, his eyes wide, gleaming red as an array of lights behind him flashed violently. When his hand nearly brushes by the hidden earpiece behind your ear, you swat his hand away, your eyes narrowed with fire as your façade breaks for a moment.
“Sorry,” you laugh, regaining your façade as you fix your hair, taking another sip from your glass, “my ears are really sensitive,” you lie as you press your free hand onto his chest.
“Oh, my apologies! ” Dottore parrots your laughter back at you, irking you for a moment as he pulls away, dragging you along with him through a crowd, “Come with me, I’ll let you sample our newest candy as an apology.” As you’re being pulled away, your heart beats rapidly in your chest, your eyes wide as you scan the area behind you once more for any signs of your orange haired partner.
Where was he? He was missing for a little too long now?
Before you know it, you’re in a small room with dirty mirrors all around you. Hidden only by a curtain. You turn around just in time to see him pull something out of his pocket, his smile wide as he grips onto something before outstretching his hand out before you. Was this it? You think to yourself as your eyes land onto the gloved hand before you, your lips pursing tightly as you keep a smile on your face.
“Here you have it,” Il Dottore begins with a smile, “our newest prototype candy! I’m sure you’ll love it,” when you hold your hand out before his own, he drops the object into your hand. You blink twice, looking at the pink candy in your hand.
Konpeito?
You are startled by the loud bubble of laughter that escapes the man’s lips before you as he claps his hands, your hand wrapping around the hard candy in your hand as you back away, feeling alarmed. “That was a wonderful expression! Such an innocent look of shock,” he laughs before taking a few steps closer to you, his grin wide on his features, “you can go ahead and take it. It’s just as you suspect! Candy! So go on now,take it!”
Your heart is racing in your chest as you scan the room for any means of escape, feeling like a prey trapped in a corner as he takes another step forward when you back away. Something was definitely wrong here– and Childe had been missing for some time now. Was it possible that the two of you had fallen into a trap, after all? Were the two of you purposely separated to make this attempt in cornering you possible? Even so, how did they know who to target?
“The police force is as pathetic as usual,” Il Dottore snickers, “all we had to do was lay the bait, and here you are! You police people are always so easy,” his lips suddenly fall to a scowl, “and dull,” he growls, inching closer once more as you press your back against a mirror, your eyes widening as you reach for your earpiece.
Before you can do anything, the room suddenly goes dark, and in a clamor, people scream and shout from the crowd, as though panicking. The club lights turn on again, and they flash rapidly, only allowing increments of the scene unfolding before you to make itself known with every flash. “The cops are here! Go, go, go!” Someone yells from just outside the curtain, and you hear Il Dottore make an unsatisfied noise, and your eyes grow wide when a familiar server enters the room.
“ Idiots ,” the server sighs with a snicker, and you keep your back pressed along the wall at his words, a swell of confusion and panic slowly building in the pits of your stomach. You had to find safety. Being cornered by two people nonetheless– this was a bad spot for you.
When Dottore freezes up at the server’s voice, your eyes flicker towards the blue haired man’s features, noticing that he looked almost displeased to hear the male’s voice. “Now then,” the server starts, and just before Il Dottore can completely turn around, the masked server covers his mouth, “to get you to safety.”
Your eyes widen as you watch Dottore fall to the floor. What was happening? Before you could say anything, the same cloth that had covered Dottore’s nose is against your own. You struggle, clawing your hands against his own gloved pair as you let out muffled screams, his apology lost on you as you feel all your strength leave you.
Leaning forward, your eyelids grow heavier, and you hear the man before you huff as your weight falls over him. And then, the room is pitch black.
You awake groggily, barely lifting your eyelids open as you let out a soft groan, your torso bearing most of your weight as you lift your head, attempting to scan your surroundings. Where were you now? Feeling as though you were seeing doubles of everything around you, you took a second, just closing your eyes to regain your composure. Your breathing is slow, and calm, having just come out of a deep slumber, though when you reopen your eyes and scan your surroundings once more, you find that your heart rate is steadily increasing.
You hiss, shifting in your seat only to feel that you had been bound to a chair, your wrists struggling against a cuffs that had been attached onto you. Your eyes fly open as you survey your area once more, realization overwhelming you as you realize that you were in an interrogation room. Why were you brought here, and cuffed up at that?
The sound of a door opening rings throughout the room, followed by a steady pair of footsteps. You swivel your head towards the direction of the sounds, your eyes narrowing as you watch a male, unknown to you emerge into the light. His hair is hued in a shade of navy, his indigo irises bright and stark to couple his pale features. He dons a white button up suit and tie, looking formal as he steps in. The man notices your expression of confusion, and in return, smiles at you.
“Did you have a good nap?” The voice is light, sounding almost playful, as though this entire setup had been an elaborate joke made for his own amusement. “You’ve been out for about… Six hours, now? Anyways,” you keep a careful gaze on him as he seats himself just before you, keeping his hands folded in front of him as he gazes at you, “how are you feeling?”
You don’t answer him. “Who are you? Why am I in this room?” You fire off, leaning forward, feeling the metal cuffs strain against your skin, “Where am I?”
“Now, now,” the male replies with a soft sigh, looking a little disappointed by your sudden urgency, “calm down. You'll get a chance to ask questions. I don’t think you’re understanding your position here,” he calmly begins, his voice lowering slightly as a false smile imposes onto his lips, “ I’ll be the one asking questions. What were you doing at the Fatui hideout?”
You huff, irritated as you glare at him, and at the sight of anger in your gaze, the youth smirks, leaning back in his seat as he crosses his arms. “Why should I answer you?” You reply in a serious voice, your eyes scanning his torso for a nametag, or anything of the sort regarding who he was.
The male blinks twice, as though coming to a realization, and he lets out a short chuckle before pulling out something in his pockets. You lean forward, attempting to gauge his badge, as he waves it in front of your face. “I’m an undercover cop, ma’am,” he replies with an almost sardonic snicker. Finding it difficult to discern anything properly with all the unnecessary movement he was making before you, you let out a defeated sigh, sinking back into your seat as he puts his badge away. You saw enough of the badge, you supposed that was good enough– and this cop in particular seemed to be hard to get along with anyway.
You narrow your eyes onto his pale features, “I’m an investigator,” you plainly reply, “I’m sure you’ve frisked me beforehand. So why am I in cuffs, exactly?”
“Well, Miss Investigator,” the male starts with a smile, “you’re under the suspicion of aiding the Fatui in their escape out of the hideout.”
You balk. “What!?” You exclaim in shock as your heart plummets to the floor, “How did you and your crew come to such a conclusion?” You look towards the blacked out windows, your eyes wide as you hope for anybody to come in and help you. You would do no such thing– never!
“All the evidence points towards you,” his indigo hued irises narrow onto your form of discomfort as he resumes crossing his arms, leaning back in his seat as he eyed you like a hawk watching its prey, “my team and I found you unconscious by the alarm system, surrounded by broken glass and drugs. Do you have anything that can explain such a scenario?”
Oh great, you huff, as you lean forward, allowing strands of hair to obscure your features, now you have to prove yourself innocent? Still, his method of interrogation was a little unusual… You shake your head. “You can speak to my department manager,” you replied stiffly, “Kamisato Ayato, over at the Inazuma Narcotics Bureau. He can brief you.” In fact, the cop should’ve done that first thing. Was he trying to have you tell it to him first hand?
The male clicks his tongue, sounding a little impatient as he gets up from his seat, moving towards you in a slow fashion as you maintained a locked gaze with him, “That wasn’t my question, ” he sneers at you as he leans on the side of the table before you, crossing his legs and arms, “ Miss Investigator.”
At the brief sharp look in the youth’s eyes, you purse your lips together. Something wasn’t right here. You avert your gaze, thinking that you had to play along with him for a little to confirm your suspicions. “..I was involved in a sting operation,” you reluctantly confess, keeping your eyes on the area of the table in front of you unoccupied by the male, “we hoped to arrest the Fatui while they were caught in the act, so me and my partner–”
“Childe, was it?” He suddenly cuts in, and when you nod, he lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head, “Excuse me,” he clears his throat, unable to hide his smile as he glances down at you yet again, “please continue.”
You eye him once more before continuing, “We dressed up, and I came in contact with the notorious harbinger, Il Dottore. After that, he…” You pause, realizing there was a slight lapse in your memory since everything was a little hazy, “He… Brought me to a room on the sidelines somewhere, and he offered me…” You halt altogether. The konpeito he offered you. You hadn’t actually taken it, had you? No, no, of course not– not even for a mission you would do that. “He gave me candy, ” your eyes widened as his own narrowed onto your features, looking almost pleased by your confession, “however it was regular candy. I haven’t taken anything– basic toxicology reports could show that. I can offer one, if you so wish–”
He bursts into laughter again, and you stare up at him, a little confused and bewildered as you feel your hands grow clammy. “No need to be so panicked, Miss Investigator,” he replies smoothly, sounding thoroughly amused by your reaction as he leans down a little, “I hadn’t accused you of taking drugs yourself. I was just hoping that you would explain how I found you there, by the alarm– and unconscious. We can submit you for a toxicology report later, since my suspicions have been aroused.”
You shut your eyes, taking a deep breath in as you attempt to calm yourself. When you feel a little more clear, you let out the breath you had been holding in, fanning the air out slowly. He tilts his head in response to your actions, “And? Have you come to realize something?”
With your eyes half lidded, you gaze down at your lap, recollecting the events from several hours ago, “I was rendered unconscious by something– one of the servers at the event, he dosed a handkerchief with– chloroform, maybe? Both me and… Il Dottore,” you slowly add on, your eyes widening– “that’s right. Il Dottore! Has he been captured?” You raise your head up to meet indigo hued irises once more, “Did we finally get him?” There’s a slight excitement to your tone that the male seems to notice.
Pressing a hand by his chin, he offers you a small apologetic smile before shrugging altogether, “Unfortunately, I think he managed to get away somehow. We couldn’t find him at the scene,” the dark haired male sighs, feigning disappointment as he shakes his head, “he was nowhere near the perimeters. That oaf escaped,” he snickers, “I don’t doubt that he received some help in doing so.”
“What do you mean?” You slowly start, sounding unsure of yourself as you gaze up at him, feeling something burn within the back of your brain as he returns your gaze, his smile ever growing.
He doesn’t reply. Instead, he sneers at you, as though you were something stupid standing before him. “No,” he finally says, adjusting his seat on the table to sit more comfortably, “that’s none of your concern. Let’s go back to the topic, shall we?” His voice drops a few octaves when he continues, “What were you doing by the alarm?”
You pause, scanning your mind once more before shaking your head, “I was knocked out, unconscious,” you reply with a scowl, “I don’t know. It was probably staged– to pit my own teammates against me.”
The male doesn’t reply for some time. Instead, he sits still, as though gauging your expression and words for a moment, his head tilted to the side when you look back up at him, “Is that so?” He softly hums, sounding almost careless as his indigo hued irises burn into your own.
“Yes,” you reassure him confidently, your gaze unwavering, “I swear on my honor and fealty pledged upon the Inazuma Bureaucracy that I’m not lying.” His eyes narrow onto your features once more, his eyes looking almost violet under the shadow of the pale lights above the two of you as he leans down further, making you push yourself away ever so slightly in response. “You can check with Kamisato Ayato,” you begin softly, keeping your confidence in your tone, “and if not him, you can check with others in my department if you doubt me.”
“Hmm,” he hums, and when his hand meets the side of your face, your breathing stops altogether. Through his thick eyelashes, he examines your features, turning your head to the side a little to reveal your earpiece, still intact. With a smirk, the male brushes his finger over your ear, and you shiver when you feel the earpiece fall into his hands, “Okay. I suppose your conviction is strong enough,” his words spike an interest in you, the suspicion in the back of your mind growing as he plays with the earpiece, surveying its almost clear material before shifting off of the table.
“Let’s have a little break and pick up when I come back,” he offers you a small smile before turning around, keeping his hands behind his back as he ambles towards the door once more, and before you can say anything, struggling against your cuffs, he speaks up once more. “Oh, and,” he tosses you an expectant stare, “you preferred your coffee with two sugars and one cream right?”
Your mind comes to a full stop.
“Yes..?” You slowly retort, your eyes narrowing onto his form as his smile widens, his eyes gleaming at the sight of your expression, “How do you–?”
“I’ll be back then,” he announces with a wave of his hand, “I’ll return shortly. So just sit pretty for me, will you,” he snickers as he opens the door, disappearing behind it before adding on, “Miss Investigator?”
You clench your teeth.
Something was definitely amiss.
The moment he enters the room, you quickly start, glaring at him through your furrowed eyebrows, “You’re not actually a cop, are you?” You start inquisitively, keeping your lips pursed even as he sets the cup of coffee down before you. For a moment, there is absolute silence in the room, aside from the sound of his clothes shuffling as he leans on the table once more, holding a mug of what you had assumed to be coffee in his other hand.
He raises an eyebrow up at you, his tone derisive despite the hint of curiosity laced within it, “Why do you say that?” You snicker at his tone, his eyes narrowed as though he already knew the answer to your words.
“You already know why,” you scoff, a little irritated at the sight of a smile on his lips, “that badge– it’s cover is outdated. It’s old, at least ten years old or so, and you look rather young. Who really are you?” He lets out a chuckle at your words.
“Are you interested in me?” He replies with a blithe expression, and you recoil in mortification. “I’m joking,” he sighs with a roll of his eyes, “relax a little, will you? I haven’t done anything to hurt you,” you watch as he gets up from his seat in front of you, shifting a little ways behind you before adding on, “yet.”
Your shoulders tense at his words, earning another small snicker from him, serving to only infuriate you.
“Don’t worry, Miss Investigator,” you turn your head to look at him, only to see his arm from your peripheral vision, “I don’t plan to hurt you, unless you try to hurt me in return. I’ve taken a liking to you, in truth,” you feel his hand tug against the chain of your cuffs, and you hiss feeling the cuffs restrict along your wrists yet again, “your conviction is strong. Like mine. That quality is the most redeemable aspect in any human being in my eyes."
You don’t respond to his antics. You opt to listen to his actions instead, preparing for a hit to arrive from your side despite him telling you to calm your nerves.
“Bingo,” he replies, appearing from your side now as he lays the badge onto your lap, leaving it for you to see completely, “it’s not mine at all!” You examine the badge before you, your eyes scouring for information as you were starved of any knowledge.
“Raiden.. Ei?” You slowly say, the name sounding familiar on the tip of your tongue, “That’s…” Your eyes widen in realization, and you turn your eyes up to glare at him, noticing that they did look somewhat alike.
“Do we look similar?” He questions with a small smirk, leaning on one arm as he places his mug of coffee down onto the table, “Almost had you there, didn’t I? I was unaware of the updated badge covers, so I suppose this was a miscalculation on my part ,” he sighs with a shrug, “oh well. I didn’t play too well as a cop anyway.”
You supposed he chose her badge because they looked close to one another. Though with that aside, you now had a new question running forth into your mind. “Why do you have the Chief’s badge?” You hadn’t heard of it missing, though you supposed even if it had gone missing, it would be kept on the downlow, for only the executives to know about.
The male eyes you carefully, his smile lessening as his eyes narrow, his irises gleaming violet, “Uh-uh,” he clicks his tongue, “that’s no good. With me, you need to suppress your curiosities, Miss Investigator. I don’t like it when people get too chatty. They tend to step out of their place, and as you can see,” he nudges the leg of the chair with his foot, and you follow his actions, “you’re still very much my prisoner for the time being. Be obedient. You’re good at that, aren’t you?” He sneers, leaning down towards you, just close enough to your ear as you turn your head away from his face, “They train you to be good dogs at the police force,” he whispers with a tone steeped in darkness, “that must be why you’re so good at asking questions despite your position here.”
You freeze up, feeling your pulse rise when you feel his hand reach over to your cuffs. You can feel the warmth of his face radiating off of his cheeks, his breath warm on your ear as your eyes widen considerably at the feeling of fear building in your stomach.
“That’s why I hate you cops…”
You blink twice, feeling the weight of your cuffs fall off your wrists, and you twist them for a moment, unsure. The moment you feel that you are freed, your hands are quick to find his chest, shoving him away from you roughly, and before you can stand up, he stomps a foot down between your own. The action startles you, and when you turn your head up to look at him, you notice that his cool facade has nearly completely fallen off, a scowl on his features as he glares down at you.
“Don’t test me in my own domain,” he seethes, pressing his hands on either side of your shoulders, pressing you into the seat yet again as you stare up at him in bewilderment, “ stupid woman. Getting too cocky since I freed you would be your first mistake,” he clicks his tongue before offering you your own cup of coffee, “I only did it out of courtesy to let you drink some of your coffee. It’d be troublesome if it went to waste so quickly,” with reluctance, you take the cup from his hand, settling your nerves with a soft exhale as you maintain a steady composure.
“You’re not afraid that I’ll hit you?” You snicker, a small smile on your lips.
He returns your smile, “Try me, and you’ll see who will win.”
After a few seconds, you begin to lean closer to him, deciding to make yourself comfortable since he seemed to be unwilling to let you go. You watch as his features soften, a look of satisfaction overwriting his expression as you start, “Fine,” you capitulate, “I won’t ask anymore than I should. Then I’ll ask what I’m able to,” you take a sip from your coffee, enjoying the surprisingly rich taste of coffee on your tastebuds before adding on, “what do you need from me?”
A bubble of laughter escapes his throat at your words, his eyes remaining on your form as he snickers, “I knew my eyes didn’t fail me when I chose you,” you speculate his words in your mind before he adds on, “you’re quick to learn. That’s excellent,” he huffs before gulping down his coffee, “then, let’s get down to business…”
You flinch when he shifts off of the table, his eyes finding your own as he leans down to meet you at eye level, “How about we work together?”
You balk, all the blood leaving your face as your stomach drops, a dead silence flooding your mind as you gape at him in terror.
“In secret, of course,” he adds on with a smile that seems a little too suspicious to your liking, “I’ll help you take the Fatui down.”
You purse your lips together, the corners of your lips tugging into a straight line, “Why should I trust you, and whatever intel you have to offer me?” The male rolls his eyes, scoffing a little as he moves away from you, flipping the chair to your side backwards as he sits on it, leaning on the backrest of the chair to stare at you.
“Us strangers, maybe we could work out. Let’s just say,” he hums, pondering for a moment, “I’m someone you can rely on…”
“Excuse me?” You reply in irritation at his words, and he swiftly presses on in response.
“You can trust me,” he smoothly retorts, his eyes wide as he tosses you a small smile, “I know a lot about the Fatui more than you think. Your crew has been tracking them down for about four years now, correct?”
You narrow your eyes at him once more, “How do you know that–?”
“Like I said,” he shrugs, “I know a lot more than you think. I know about you a little, too,” he hums, thinking of examples before listing them out, “like… How you like your coffee, where you usually get your hair done–” his smile grows as you pale in fear, “and maybe… I know where you live..?”
“That’s not a little,” you whisper, unable to hide your terror, “that’s a lot,” you grit your teeth glaring up at his pleased expression before retorting, “have you been stalking me? You sick bastard!” You hiss, feeling rage build within you as you clench your fists, threatening to lift yourself up to toss him a hit before he scowls at you.
“I had to gather information on you somehow,” he says with a casual tone before shrugging, “wouldn’t you like to know about the person you want to work with as well to see how the chemistry would be, before working with them?”
“You–!” You slam your fist down onto the table, unable to keep yourself still any longer, “That’s it. I’m leaving– and I don’t want any part of this–!”
“I don’t think you should be saying that so quickly,” he begins, “I might have potential information concerning a Fatui harbinger among your ranks,” a smile grows on his lips when you halt altogether, your motions coming to an abrupt stop, “I’ll tell you who. But if you want to know anymore than a name, then you will have to work with me.” You twist your body around to glare at him once more, scanning his expression as he continues, “Knowledge comes at a price, and I swear to you, Miss Investigator, that I won’t dissatisfy you.”
To you, he looks like a handsome devil, smiling at you as though he had the whole world in the palms of his hands– as though one way or another, everything was under his control – a notion you couldn’t quite understand. Nevertheless, he was confident in his approach towards you.
You ponder over his words for a little, keeping your gaze firm on him as you scrutinize his words in search of anything that he could possibly use against you. You decide to test the waters, “What’s the name of the harbinger?” You inquire, remaining standing as you glare down at him.
His cool façade remains.
“Tartaglia.”
Your eyes widen at the name, and you lick your lip before nodding once, urging him to continue.
He lifts a delicate brow up at your actions before allowing a bubble of laughter to escape his throat, “I thought I was clear,” his tone drops a few octaves, his indigo hued irises flashing dangerously at your suggestion, “I named a price for more information. All you have to say is ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you understand, then you know what’s on the line. Now then,” he offers a hand towards you, urging you to take a seat next to him, “what’s your decision?”
Your eyes flicker from his placated expression, to the outstretched hand before you, and you gulp.
What should you do?
If this were fake information, then you would have to fight your way out of this establishment you had been held captive in. You could search for that earpiece, had it still been available. If you were successful, then it would be simple to call them over– or, if you had escaped, it would be easy to raid the building at a later time.
However, if this was no ploy, then… You really had no choice, did you? You would gain in the end, more than you lost- and after tonight's blunder, this was one of the only options of success you had left.
The navy haired male is satisfied to see you take his hand, a smile wide on his lips as he hums appreciatively at your actions. He leads you down, allowing you to take a seat on the chair next to him before beginning, “Smart girl,” he comments, “it would be a waste to let such free information go.”
“It’s not free,” you simply say before placing your hands on your lap, straightening yourself as you glance over at him, “now how equipped are you with your intel?”
His indigo hued irises flash before he smirks, his eyes narrowing over at you, “Are you really sure you want to know who Tartaglia is?”
“Of course I do,” you hissed in reply, feeling enraged by his words, “why else would I have sat down here?”
“So be it,” he shrugs before tilting his head, resting his head on his hand, “you know him well. Childe– that’s the name he goes by around your department,” your eyes go wide at the name of your most trusted associate leaving the male’s mouth, disbelief settling in you as you turn to look at him. “If I were you,” he begins again, “I wouldn’t trust him so easily. He’s no good, and he will bring nothing but chaos to your department. I suppose it’s safe to say all the leads on the Fatui have gone cold as of late, correct?” He gauges your expression before continuing, “For years at a time– and why do you think that is? Has someone perhaps been misleading your group on purpose..?” He offers you food for thought, and you grit your teeth at the sound of the suggestion, your hands clenched into fists as you aim your glare down at your lap.
“..He wouldn’t do that,” you reluctantly begin, “I’ve known him for a long time. I choose to trust my partner,” you bite your lip, drawing blood forth as you dig your nails into your palms. Childe wouldn’t do that, would he?
“I’m your partner now, too, aren’t I?” The navy haired male laughs, “Do you doubt me so? Perhaps now is a good time to reevaluate your senses with him. Doesn’t he seem a little distant at times?”
You don’t reply. The image of Tartaglia, sneaking off somewhere, speaking to what he had told you were ‘his parents’ over the phone in the distance. You remember the serious look in his eyes when he speaks in his mother tongue over the phone when the two of you were out for lunch one afternoon– the burning fire behind those ocean blue eyes that gleamed and glittered with such pride–...
“See?” The male next to your snickers, drawing you out of your mind, “I’m right, aren’t I? Here,” he leans forward a little, and you don’t react to it, still feeling your mind cloud with several thoughts, “I’ll tell you a little more,” with his lips next to your ear now, he presses onwards, “ he was the one who nearly let you get drugged and kidnapped at the Fatui event. He told Il Dottore of your whereabouts, and had led him to you in secret. Not to mention that I bet while I was busy taking you somewhere safe, he had gone ahead and taken that stupid quack doctor.”
Your blood runs dry. You didn’t want to believe the man before you, but… Childe had been missing for an awfully long time, and without communication… What was he doing then?
Pulling away, he examines your expression with a small smile, “If you’re not careful,” his tone is low, almost dangerous as he warns you, “he might put a bullet in your head when you’re not looking.”
His words send a shiver down your spine, and you roll your eyes upwards to meet his gaze once more, noticing his strange, unreadable expression despite the smile on his face. Snapping out of your reverie, you start abruptly, “How do you know this? Didn’t you tell me that I was ‘under suspicion’ for pulling the alarm on the event?”
“That was a lie, of course–” before he can continue you cut him off, feeling impatient.
“Why in hell would you go on about this in such a roundabout way in the first place!?” You growl, feeling a torrent of emotions well within you, mixed with disbelief, anger and betrayal, “Just to make me look stupid?”
His eyes narrow sharply at your words, “I had to test you before asking you to work with me,” he simply says, his tone harsh, “but if you thought it made you look stupid, then we can go with that, too.”
Irritated with his behavior, you grab his tie, pulling him forward as you bristle with anger, your eyebrows furrowed as your hand trembles on his tie, rage wracking your nerves. He remains still, to your surprise, a scowl on his lips as he glowers at you from his position, and then suddenly, the edge of his lips curve into a smirk, “Am I getting on your nerves, Miss Investigator?”
You clench your teeth, holding yourself back from punching him in the face. You were better than this, you told yourself as you let go of him, allowing him to fall back into his seat. You huff, shaking your head, “So everything was a lie to test me, then?” He doesn’t reply, instead he remains smirking at you. You take that as a ‘yes’, not wanting to remain on this question any further with how your blood was boiling, “Then where were you at the event? How would you know that my partner– that Childe would do such a thing?”
The male before you hums, “I was there,” he replies shortly, “in fact, I was the one who pulled the alarm when the rat bastard got too close to you,” he snickers at your change in expression, “you’ve seen me. Hell, you even bumped into me before– you took a cocktail from my platter.” Your eyes widen in realization.
You vaguely recollect the memories of a server with dark locks, his eyes obscured by a mask– although his smile was all the same.
“You were the one who… Who drugged me?” You slowly start, hesitation seeping into your tone.
“I saved you,” he corrects with a light tone, “and I apologized for having to do such brutish things beforehand– but you were in serious danger. I’m sure you’ve heard of Il Dottore and the rumors of him selling people overseas, and experimenting on them. If I didn’t step in, then you’d be good as sold,” his smile stretches on his lips as terror burns onto your expression, “with the help of your so-called trustable partner, ‘Childe’.”
At a loss for words, you avert your eyes, heaving a heavy sigh as you relax yourself back into your seat, feeling a little overwhelmed. Of course, you didn’t trust him completely just yet– but this stranger’s words– they added up. His information just added up so well– the sudden loss of information concerning the Fatui that your department had been struggling with upon Childe’s arrival, from tracking them down and pinpointing their hideouts to just information concerning their infamous trafficking and drug rings. The occasional moments of bleakness you had ignored with Childe, brushing it off as something else entirely considering he was one to usually hide things behind a silver tongue and a wide smile.
He was your most trusted associate in the department, and you trusted him with your life on several occasions– and he never seemed to turn you in towards bad hands so easily.
Noticing your downtrodden expression, the male before you speaks up yet again, “Let’s stop here for today. We can always meet another day, to discuss more about the Fatui. I’ve told you a key factor regarding them, anyways,” he clears his throat, standing up from his seat, and when he feels your hand on his forearm as he is about to circle around you towards the door, he pauses his motions.
Still looking down, you find the voice in you to speak once more, “What do you gain from selling the Fatui out?” You inquire, your voice lacking strength when you speak.
“Why of course,” his tone is honeyed, sounding sickeningly sweet, “for the good of the world! I want nothing more than to see this world clean of filth,” he pauses, waiting for your reaction with a smile, and when he gets nothing, he frowns. “Was my answer not good enough?” His eyes wander on your exhausted form before he turns his eyes upwards, towards the tiled roof of the room, “Then… I suppose you can say I have a personal grudge I seek help in fulfilling. Just know I want to bring them down, even if it means that I have to work with the Inazuman dogs I despise the most …” His tone is distant, sounding almost lost when it meets your ears, and you don’t dare to question why.
You purse your lips at his words. Despite how blank his tone was… There was an underlying solemnness to it.
Your hold on his forearm tightens, and you pull him down towards you, “I–” you abruptly start, watching as his eyes grow wide at the sight of you, looking so seriously up at him, “I don’t have anything that deep in terms of breaking the Fatui and bringing them down– however,” you grit your teeth, “if you have knowledge of their innerworkings, then I will see to it that I use you to your full capacity. I’ll be the one to bring them down.”
The Fatui organization has been at large for decades now, and members have been caught on and off several times– though since the operation was never plucked from the root, the Fatui only seemed to grow and grow by the day. You were certain that now, since your department was full of intelligent people, that they would get caught sooner or later.
And now, you held a secret trump card– a mysterious man who seemed to know a lot more than he should. Despite being forced to trust him with what information you had at hand, he was your biggest way in and out of anything if his words held any truth to them.
He blinks twice, his expression darkening as he smiles, “Likewise, Miss Inspector,” he chuckles, pulling away from you as your hand falls from his sleeve, “we already get along so well. I have high expectations for you,” he whispers as his eyes gleam, “don’t disappoint me.”
Before you leave the establishment, you make sure to absorb as much information as you can regarding your surroundings. Despite the interrogation room– clearly fake, now that you were outside of it, looking in from the one-way windows, everything surrounding the establishment was fairly nice. A part of you had expected to be in some sort of rundown building outside of the city somewhere, you were pleasantly surprised to find that everything was clean for the most part. The residence was well kept, and hidden seemingly at a nook somewhere in the city.
Though the exterior seemed shady, the inside was well decorated.
“Enjoying the view?” The navy haired male’s voice booms as he enters the lounge with a coat in hand, “You must have weird tastes if you think the neighborhood looks friendly outside of this room.”
You shrug, deciding not to say anything more as you retrieve your phone from the countertop. “Your number,” you start as he approaches you, your eyes on his form as he loosens his tie, “give it to me.”
“How demanding of you,” he retorts, sounding a little unamused, “I won’t do it if you ask like that,” he allows a sigh to pass his lips as he lays the coat down before you, and you shift in your dress, scowling despite your tiredness.
“Please give me your phone number,” you stiffly reply, lacking any sort of sweetness or kindness to your tone.
The male raises an eyebrow up at you before holding a hand out towards you, “You’re annoying,” he remarks as he types his number into your phone, “I hope you lose that attitude now that we’re working together. You’re practically committing a crime, you know? Sharing top secret information with a complete stranger… I can sell you out if I wanted to.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” you plainly retorted as you received your phone, staring at the name he had entered into your phone, “Kunikuzushi.” It was clearly a fake name of some sort, though you supposed you wouldn’t complain. You had no need to know his identity for a mission like this, no matter how long term it was. You decide to give him a quick call, watching as his phone vibrates on the table before turning around, “Just like you know that I won’t sell you out either, for as long as you give me the information I need.”
Before you can leave, he stops you, gripping onto your wrist, and you turn to glare at him before realizing he was holding a coat in his hands.
“Go on now,” he frowns, ushering the coat towards you, “take it. Consider it a present for our togetherness today,” he studies your expression before adding on, “or you could leave this shady neighborhood looking like a party girl, and get in trouble with a couple gangs around here. Up to you, really.”
You take the coat from his hands reluctantly, eying the dark jacket before wrapping yourself in it, “Thanks,” you whisper lightly before adding on, “and for helping me out during that dangerous time with Il Dottore too. Thank you,” you keep your gaze on his features, expressing your gratitude, and you watch as his eyes narrow ever so slightly.
“..I don’t need your thanks,” he replies stiffly, though it sounded a little ingenuine to your ears.
For the first time that day, you offer him a small, genuine smile. “Suit yourself, Kunikuzushi,” you wave him away as you continue your amble outside, mentally preparing yourself for an interrogation of what would happen when you arrived at work after being missing for so long during such an important time.
Kunikuzushi smiles from behind you, eying you as you walk away.
“I’ll see you next Monday, Miss Investigator.”