Work Text:
If you asked anyone else why they thought Ororon had betrayed Natlan, they'd probably just sigh and shrug, because to anyone but himself the reason made absolutely no sense. In fact, even to himself it made no sense. But, here he was.
Amongst the different types of people in not only Natlan, but Teyvat, fell a group of Lykos: part wolf people. Ororon, made clear by his ears and tail, was one of them. Normally, this would cause no problems and be entirely irrelevant, if not for his current situation. See, one less known trait of the Lykos is the way they mate. Unlike most the other species across teyvat, where courting and the likes was how you decided your future, the Lykos were different. One of the blessings given to them by the moon goddesses was the concept of a special something known as fated mates. A concept that landed Ororon exactly where he is right now.
Ororon had simply been minding his own business mingling around his tribe, when he saw his peers tense up and a sharp smell hit his nose: the distinct smell of blood, the abyss, and ... Evergreens? The hairs on the back of his neck stood up immediately on high alert, the stances of his fellow tribe mates worrying him. He was quick to turn around, on high guard due to the presence and scent of whoever or whatever this was. He was also quick to jump back as he ended up turning face first into a tall stranger's chest. However, before that he did take care to note that the man had a slight hint of merlot to him.
He felt his peers shift back behind him as he looked up at the man. He took a moment to take in his appearance . "You are Ororon, yes? I presume at least." The man's voice was deep and flowed with confidence but that didn't sooth him at all, he felt his ears press back against his head in alarm as he heard his name leave the stranger's mouth and two things went through his mind. The first was panic, 'wait, why does he know my name-'. The second against his better judgment, and that was ‘my name sounds good when he says it”.
Before he could respond, the man stepped forward, closing the gap between them again. "I'll take the silence as a yes?" Ororon merely swallowed. "Follow me. I have something to discuss with you." The man didn't wait for his response before turning and walking back the way he'd come. Once again against his better judgment, Ororon followed. 'I really shouldn't be doing this' was all he thought to himself, but he didn't listen.
He quickly found the man was not one for small talk, remaining silent as he walked in long steady strides. Ororon had no trouble keeping up, but he was starting to wonder where they were going. He watched as the terrain around them slowly changed from that of his tribe to the wilderness around them, and slowly more and more into nature. He couldn't stop the feeling of uneasiness coming from the fact that this man was seemingly leading him to the middle of nowhere alone. He tried to calm himself by taking in his surroundings, but upon noticing the fatui sigil on the man's coat, he quickly tried to find anything else to occupy his mind.
Just as he was about to speak, something else clicked in his mind as his tribe faded from view. Now, out in the open without the mixture of everyone's combined scents, he realized the longer he was near him, the stronger the man's scent became. Before while he hosted the scent of blood and abyss with mild undertones, now it was an entirely different case. The stench of blood and abyss was still there, but everything else was so much clearer. Evergreens and cedarwood came through in a strong musk, reminding Ororon of the forests to the north, deep and rich. The smell of merlot was clear too, as if Ororon could tell distinctly his preference in beverage. The distinct smell of cherries came through to him, almost sickeningly sweet compared to everything else. But- he didn't hate the combination of all these smells- no he found himself almost leaning into the man trying to see if there was anything he missed.
His downfall came when the man came to a sudden stop and turned to face him, Ororon's lack of attention causing him to fall into the man's chest, again. This time, however, he didn't have time to jump back before the man steadied him instead. Ororon looked up again, meeting the face of the mask again, this time catching a subtle blue in the shadows before the man finally spoke. "You should be careful where you step." He said calmly, "walking so close to someone is a hazard". Ah- so he had noticed.
Ororon wasn't sure what to say so he opted for a quick apology, "Ah- my apologies. Ill be sure to keep my distance next time."
He could have sworn he heard the man's voice shift as he replied, "Don't bother. Nothing is all that hazardous to myself anyways, just keep yourself up right." He was getting insane mixed messages right now, did he want him to stay away or not? "That aside, I'm just stopping to let you know we’re almost there." As he turned to continue walking, Ororon also could have sworn he felt the mans touch linger. He also assumed he was officially going insane as he shook his head and followed the man, carefully maintaining the same distance as before trailing closely behind and counting his steps to ensure he didn't overstep again.
The silence was heavy as the two walked, until eventually the tall man stopped at a cliffside near a few baby Tepetlisaur. Ororon watched in silence as the man lodged his sword in the ground with a heavy thud and took off his heavy cloak, hanging it on the hilt. It reminded Ororon of a gravesite for a lost comrade. As he looked back towards the man, seeing him now without the cloak's bulk, the leanness of the man's build was clear. Ororon felt strange as he watched the man, from the fatui sigils, to the smell of death and abyss, every single thing about this man threw him off and made him wary. He swore the man's eyes followed him even when he wasn't facing Ororon, his entire presence was eerie. He couldn't help it as once again his ears tensed and flattened against his head, his anxiety rising. Amidst all this however, the man still remained silent, slowly sitting down on the edge of the cliffside.
Ororon tore his eyes away as he tried to focus on anything else, anything being the man's cloak. He'd taken a small note of it earlier, but now it was even more clear, this man was a high ranking member of the Fatui. Too high to be requesting to meet him. Any Fatui member who ranked high enough to wear a sigil of the Tsaritsa should be meeting with the pyro archon, not him. Lost in his thoughts, Ororon barely noticed as the man shifted to actually look at him, jumping slightly as he spoke, "do you plan to stand and gauk or shall you sit? The choice is yours of course." Ororon hesitantly chose the latter, sitting down beside the man, trying not to think about how far the fall below was if something went wrong. "You need not fear, i've no plans to harm you. The greatest threat here to yourself is probably the small Tepetilsaur" Ororon just laughed nervously, unable to help himself from flicking a glance towards the small Saurian. Small noise escaped the other man, either a snort or a sigh, he couldn't tell.
Silence settled over them again and Ororon found himself basking in the man's presence. Which was bad, very bad. Though his body was still on edge and wary, he didn't like that his mind was starting to relax around this man. He needed to stay alert, he was alone and he still had no clue what this man's intentions with him were. So he decided to bite the bullet and move on, "So- why am I here?" He asked bluntly, not wanting to allow himself any more time for his idle daydreaming or was it day-nightmaring? He wasn't even sure anymore.
The other man was silent for a moment before he spoke, "I was told you carry great sway in your tribe." He didn't continue, as if giving him the opportunity to respond. Ororon in turn said nothing, awaiting a more detailed explanation from the strange man. "I presume this to be true?"
"I suppose I do host a decent amount of power, yes." Was all he responded, feeling even more wary. He kept his eyes trained on the sunken terrain in front of him, mind starting to race again. Why exactly did this man want to know about his political standing for-?
"Good" he heard the man hum, before feeling the man's eyes tear into him from where he was sitting, as if trying to dissect his thoughts, "then i'd like to propose a deal. I need your tribe's aid, well more specifically..."
Ororon finally took this as the chance to look at the man as he finished his sentence, and that's when it finally clicked. As he looked into that mask, his mind stilled as the man continued. "I need you." As those words were spoken and Ororon stared into the fragments he could see of the man beneath, something snapped and a harsh reality dawned on him. Of course he would help this man, no matter what he asked. It was ironic, truely, fate at the gods hands. He almost laughed as he stared at the man, the realization almost too much. Yes how ironic indeed that the Fatuu who had sought out his help just so happened to be his fated pair. How fortunate for the man in front of him.
---
Capitano knew something was … off? The moment they left the tribe, he didn't even have to glance back to notice how the man slowly drifted closer to him. It was entirely the opposite of what usually happened, most would steer as far away from them as possible, even his fellow harbingers with few exceptions. He tried not to react as the man slowly crept closer, but he couldn't help but be curious, so he needlessly stopped to turn back and check on the man. But before he could speak, the man went tumbling into him, had he been a weaker man, they probably both would have fallen into the dirt. "You should be careful where you step." He said carefully, trying his best for his words not to come off as cruel as Lady Lohefalter had told him he commonly did, "walking so close to someone is a hazard". He knew he failed immediately as the men tensed up, moved away and apologized. He did his best to quickly rectify it and made up something about them almost being there before turning around. In truth he didn't have a set spot he'd planned to arrive at, he'd hoped the man would have suggested a place.
Eventually he spotted a cliffside that looked … pleasant enough. Probably not the most professional place to discuss business, but with how tense the man was he hoped maybe the baby saurians would ease the tensions. Most people enjoyed cute creatures, regardless of where they came from. A perfect spot in his opinion. He also wasn't biased towards the breeze that flowed through this area. The heat of Natlan was the opposite of the Snezhnayan weather he'd grown used to, and he found himself practically suffocating from the heat. As Capitano approached, he didn't waste much time unsheathing his sword and planting it into the ground, stipping and tossing his cloak atop it, hoping the lighter layers would offer him some relief from the heat.
As he sat down on the cliff side, he once again took note of the man's tenseness. He wasn't familiar with the Lykos but hed met enough wild beasts and inhuman creatures to know that a tense body and laid back ears usually meant they were strung up and anxious, tethering violence even. Which wasn't good, being as the man before him was an ally he needed. He offered a seat to the man and followed up with "You need not fear, i've no plans to harm you. The greatest threat here to yourself is probably the small Tepetilsaur" hoping the small joke would relieve the tension. It clearly didn't as he watched the man bristle up and glance warily at all the saurians. This really wasn't going well. He was about to speak again to try and ease the tension one last time when Ororon finally spoke unprompted himself, filling him with at least mild relief.
“So- why am I here”, the man asked, and Capitano found himself relieved again that he no longer had to bother with attempting and failing at small talk. At least now with the mission at hand he knew exactly what he needed to say. Or at least- he hoped he did. With how things had gone so far, he was very slowly losing faith in his ability to properly speak to this man, let alone make an alliance. Still he had to try.
He took a deep breath before he started speaking, "I was told you carry great sway in your tribe." He waited a moment, and the man did not respond, hopefully just awaiting more of the story so he continued, “I presume this to be true?” The man quietly confirmed it, the look he gave eerily focused now, albeit not on him.
"Good" he hummed, trying to think of how to continue on, not wanting to seem desperate but still conveying his need for the man's help. "Then I'd like to propose a deal. I need your tribe's aid, well more specifically..." Capitano watched the man carefully as he spoke, and watched as the man looked up at him, ears still flatted as a look came across his face. Capitano froze as he spoke the last part of his sentence, “I need you.” The look the man gave him held so many emotions Capitano was genuinely confused. Realization, Horror, and something else all flashed across the Ororon’s face and he wasn't quite sure if he should continue or wait to see if the man would respond.
They sat there in silence for a moment before Ororon began laughing, and Capitano sat in silence unsure of what he should do. On one hand, the man now seemed less tense, his ears had perked up and he didn't seem as likely to snap. On the other hand, the man looked anything but happy right now. “Oh how ironic” Ororon mumbled, “Archons above this is insanity.” Capitano still said nothing, honestly just confused now.
After a moment Ororon turned towards the Captain and finally spoke to him directly, “pray tell, what exactly do you need my help for?” Ororon was curious by now. He already knew what his answer would be either way, lest the moon goddess grow angry with him, but he still didn't want to be left in the dark.
“Ah yes right. Well- I face two objectives here in Natlan.” He began, “One is the Tsaritsa’s will, to collect all the Gnosis.” He paused for a moment, gauging Ororon’s expressions, upon no direct apprehension he continued, “the second is a … personal matter.”
“A personal matter?” Ororon echoed, not entirely sure what to make of said vagueness. “Care to explain, I'd like to not be left in the dark.”
“I wish to use Natlan’s skill in resurrection. There is someone who was dear to me that I wish to bring back. She was gone too soon and I know this may just be the only chance.” Ororon felt something twist inside him as the man mentioned a “dear someone”, but he said nothing for the moment. Capitano continued seeing his silence, “Many of my fellow colleagues could care less of her sacrifice, but she did not deserve that. After all the years of what we went through, she didn't deserve that.”
Ororon spoke with a slightly tight throat, even if he had no real emotional connection to the man, it still didn't feel right to be hearing this. “And who exactly is this woman?”
Capitano merely sighed and internally frowned as he responded, “Lady Lohefalter.”
Ororon actually wanted to smack the man based on that response, what in the hell was that supposed to tell him. “And Lady Lofefalter is?” Was this his wife? Lover? He honestly couldn't tell. Confusion whipped away any traces of the feelings he'd felt earlier.
“Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter, I suppose some may know her better as La Signora of the harbingers? She was …” He trailed off and Ororon watched as he looked away.
“Your lover?” He offered, trying to connect the dots at least mildly.
This, somehow, earned him a laugh out of the man. “Gods no, that comment alone may have just resurrected her from the grave even. She was my late master's fiance. After the injustices of 500 years ago, we joined the Fatui at similar times after his death. I may not have shown it, and we both changed greatly from before and after the incident, but I found great comfort in her presence. She may not have acted it, but she was a good woman. She did not deserve the fate Eternity decided to bestow upon her.”
Ororon made no comment at first, but he felt the shift in the man's tone. It was slight, but the anger was now evident in his voice, and Ororon could only assume by Eternity the man meant the electro archon. He thought for a moment before speaking again, “I see,” he began, keeping careful note of his words. He was less on edge, but unlike himself, this man had no prior dedication to him. “She must have meant a … great deal to you.”
“I never said it to her face, but she was honestly probably my best friend and also the closest thing I had to a mother. So, while the Tsaritsa may have sent me to collect the gnosis, perhaps you could say Rosalyne has been my real goal all along.” His voice was no longer angry, but it also wasn't calm again either. It was hard to place, and it left Ororon unsure of what to say.
“Well, now I feel bad for making you explain everything.” Ororon started, and he watched as the Captain turned his head to look at him again, “I've known since you started talking that i'd end up joining you, I was simply curious of why you wanted me of all people.”
“Ah- I never did answer that question. Honestly, I didn't have much thought into it at first. But with no remaining cryo tribe, my intuition told me the anemo tribe would be my next best bet. It's common knowledge in Snezhnayan history that the Tsaritsa used to be close with lord Barbatos, so it seemed only fitting.” Capitano explained, as if it was the simplest concept in the word. Which Ororon figured was simple enough logic.
It was silent for a moment, and Ororon once again found himself thinking. Honestly he still wasn't sure what had gone through the moon goddess’s mind to make this decision. Not only was the man, assumedly since Ororons only seen him in the mask, not a Lykos, but he was also a Fatui harbinger. It's not as though Ororon himself was weak by any means, he was one of the strongest members of his tribe, but compared to a harbinger? He wasn't entirely sure where he stood. “You don't seem very surprised by my agreement?” He mused, curious.
“The Tsaritsa told me I'd have good fortune in Natlan, I've been banking on her word being true. So far, it has been.” Ororon almost snorted again at the irony, the Tsaritsa being the god of love and all that.
“That's all she told you?” He asked again, more interested in exactly what he'd been told. “Just that you'd have good fortune?”
“Well, she spouted a few other words of ‘advice’, but she's always been one to mix her wishes with her prophecy so it's hard to tell exactly what's what. She did have quite the rant on how Lohefalter would have loved to see what was to happen in Natlan and how she's proud i've ‘finally received her blessing’ whatever that is supposed to mean. I had assumed becoming a harbinger proved that I'd received her blessing.”
Ororon actually snorted this time, perhaps the cryo archon was in cahoots with the moon goddesses, he verbalized the same to the captain, “Perhaps your goddess and mine are in some secret alliance.”
Capitano merely looked at him, he couldn't see his expression but he could hear his confusion, “Pardon? What do you mean?”
Ororon merely laughed again, “well it's quite ironic to me. Your goddess, lady of love mind you, speaks of how you’ve received her blessing, and somehow at the same time conveniently it seems the moon thought now was a really funny time to grant me this nifty new ‘tattoo’”
Capitano looked down at the man's hand, spying a thin red band around his wrist, mildly confused at what the man was implying, “...?”
Ororon resisted the urge to facepalm as he laid it out just about as bluntly as he could without being crude, “I'm sure you're aware of how different courting is with the Lykos aren't you? Or the lack thereof I should say.”
It was silent for a moment, and Ororon debated giving up his pride to just blatantly tell the man, but when he heard the man make a slight choked sound after a moment he knew the message had finally landed, “You mean to say-” The Captain began before promptly stopping. Ororon merely laid back on the grass laughing.