"Now, now," Signora began, twirling her hair as if she had no where else to be, "What's my senior doing running around with a lowlife adventurer, hm?"

Looking over at Scaramouche, you could tell he wanted to respond but the mere shock of being caught had stunned him. He was positive that they were being careful. Then again, their current position wasn't too hidden from the main path. In his mind, he placed the blame on Childe for being too loud.

Signora then turned her attention towards Childe, "And you. Why would you of all people help them? You don't strike me as the type to betray Her Majesty.. especially over something so foolish.."

"I don't owe you an explanation. Neither do they. You know what? I'm sick of this," Childe was becoming more and more agitated until finally, he snapped, "Their association with each other may not even concern me, but that also means it doesn't concern you either. So why are you so hell-bent on turning them in?"

Signora simply scoffed, "Hm, I could say the same to you. Why are you so fixed on wanting to help them escape?"

Though he was about to say something, Scaramouche was cut off by Childe once again, "Is that so wrong? What they're doing is harmless. His personal relations shouldn't have to be of anyone's concerns. Especially not the Tsaritsa's."

You didn't know much about Childe and Scaramouche's relationship, but from what you'd heard, they didn't get along whatsoever. In fact, they wanted nothing to do with one another. Yet somehow, here he was, sticking up for the very colleague that he despised so much. You couldn't help but wonder what had changed.

Practically ignoring Childe, Signora menacingly walked up to Scaramouche, towering over him, "I suppose I'll give you a chance to speak. Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" She folded her arms impatiently.

Scaramouche scowled, backing up a bit while also pushing you back in the process, in an attempt to shield you from Signora's line of fire, "As much as I hate to admit it, Childe's right. Why should it concern you? Huh?" A smile started to grow on his face, "Oh, I get it now. It's because of your sad and pathetic love story that you feel the need to destroy someone else's. Is that it?"

That clearly hit a nerve with her, because she tightened her grip on her arms.

"Look, I'm not one to get all sympathetic, but just because something unfortunate happened to you, doesn't mean you have to make someone else's life miserable," Scaramouche continued, starting to get mildly annoyed, "It would be in your best interest if you just turned around and walked out of here, forgetting you ever saw us."

Still shaken up from Scaramouche's statement about her past, she replied, "That would be directly going against Her Majesty's orders. Why would I even think about doing such a thing?"

"Uh, I don't know, basic human decency?!" Scaramouche yelled, though to be fair, you thought he was being a little hypocritical, well, a lot hypocritical actually, but he had a point.

Not knowing what to say, Signora's gaze turned towards you. She half expected you to be scared out of your mind, but to her dismay, you looked just the same as Scaramouche and Childe; pissed off.

Having said that, Signora took a step back whilst also taking a deep breath.

Scaramouche wasn't done though. He decided to keep going, "I'm not going to doubt the Tsaritsa's teachings, but don't you think this is at least a little bit unfair?"

This time it was Scaramouche who took a step forward, closing the distance between him and Signora, "Why don't you put yourself in my shoes for once. What if your lover were to come back? If he was standing right there in front of you. Would you welcome him like before, knowing very well the consequences if Her Majesty were to find out?"

Signora stayed quiet and simply listened, which seemed quite out of character for her. That was to be expected though, as she was being forced to relive painful memories from her past.

He went on, "Being a Fatui Harbinger is no easy job. And the rules have gotten way too out of hand. So you know what..?"

What happened next was something neither you nor Childe anticipated.

Scaramouche quickly pulled an insignia out of his pocket, throwing it on the floor in front of Signora then looking straight into her pale blue eyes, "You can return to Snezhnaya and inform the Tsaritsa that, from now on, she no longer has a 6th Harbinger."

You could feel your head starting to spin. What did he say..? You knew he was thinking about quitting, but honestly, you thought it was all just talk. You never expected he'd actually do it.

Childe had the same reaction as you. For someone who hated Scaramouche, he looked awfully concerned and shocked at what just occurred.

With that, Scaramouche took your hand and started to walk away. Before disappearing into the wilderness, he turned around, "I know, deep down, you feel the same way I do. So for Archons sake, let us be."

Finally, he dragged you away and out of side from Signora and her men.

Though it was hard to tell, Scaramouche's hand seemed to be shaking. Was he scared..? Him? Scared?

When you finally reached a suitable stopping point, Scaramouche let go of your hand and quickly sat down on a rock. He held his head in his hands as if he was starting to regret everything he'd just confessed.

"Hey.." you knelt down next to him, gently placing a hand on his knee. You never expected to see this side to him, so in all honesty, you had no clue what to do in this situation. It was all so out of character.

Eventually he started to calm down. Scaramouche glanced up, but not enough to meet your eyes, "That was far too close.. she almost.. you could've been hurt."

You shook your head, "But I'm fine! See? Nothing happened to me. Nothing happened to you either. We're safe now."

"That was too reckless of me.. I shouldn't have quit like that," he once again covered his head from your view as if he was cringing at himself.

Taking his wrists, you pulled his hands away from his face, causing him to look at you, "What's done is done, there's no sense in worrying about it now. It's best if we just get as far away as possible now, in case she comes after us."

In the distance, you heard quick footsteps, like someone was in a hurry. As you glanced to where you came from, Childe emerged.

He was clearly out of breath, "Man, that was.. unexpected.." Childe plopped right onto the floor, not a care in the world.

You stood up, "What happened with that woman?"

Childe sighed, "I don't think she'll rat you guys out just yet. Whatever Scaramouche said must've struck a nerve or something, cus' she let me go without any punishment as well."

Once Childe fully caught his breath, he was finally able to look over at Scaramouche, "What's up with him?"

His question made you glance back at your lover, who was still sulking. You couldn't really blame him, though. After all, he did just quit his job and the only thing that made him feel whole. Well, aside from you.

Still, you wondered what was going on inside his head. You so desperately wanted to ask but instead, you kept quiet. You'd suspected that he would simply tell you when he was ready. He didn't necessarily owe you an explanation.

"Well," Childe began, "I suppose now that you got that settled, you won't really need me anymore." He chuckled, yet beneath that heartwarming laugh, you could sense a bit of disappointment.

You walked up to Childe, "Thank you for helping us out. Even if I might not know you too well, it really means a lot that you did that." You quickly glanced back at Scaramouche, then back to the man in front of you, "And whether he acknowledges it or not, he's thankful for you as well."

Childe gave you a smile, "I'm glad I could be of assistance. Well, I'll leave you to it. If I never see you guys again, I just want you to know that I wish you the very best. Even if I hate that guy's guts, you two really deserve it."

And like that, he was gone.

You really were grateful for Childe's help. Though he was a pain sometimes, he meant well. You just hoped one day he could find happiness as well.