Chapter Text
“Is this the famous port of Mondstadt?” The passers-by were looking curiously onto this eccentric man, his footsteps loud on every single step in the stone flooring.
“Yes sir, it’s where the nation's economic activities centre is around.”
A guard responded. He looked as foreign as the man who made the inquiry himself.
“Not that impressive.” He huffed, not caring a bit about the strange looks he was getting.
“I thought it’d hold quite more worth than a couple ships with just apples and sunsettias to trade.” He kept going, throwing judgemental glances on every singular object. Even the sun couldn’t escape his narrowed eyes and furrowed brows.
“This isn’t a busy hour sir. Dornman port sells more than just fruits.”
“Not a busy hour? For a port this famed, every hour should be packed. But alas, my sire has given me a job to be done.” He replies, shushing the soldier. That pawn in his chessboard knew consequences would be much worse if he kept arguing.
—
“Invader!!”
Right when the busy hour had struck the clock, amidst the cries of seagulls and the usual noise of ships departing and arriving, chants and screams had caught the ‘visitor’ off guard.
“Invaders! Foreigners!!” They were running towards the guards and officers, who had formed a wall around him.
“Sir Harbinger! You must move out!”
Yet, in the high fashion of a leader, who knew little was about to happen, he got curious around the locals who were protesting. Just for how much had the news been around? He couldn’t help but be annoyed. His business on taking over Dornman should've been quiet, a couple gossips and scandals about celebrities thrown here and there, a fish crisis, and voila, he would be seen as an investor and saviour while him and the Fatui would suck the area dry.
He hated when such things went out of control, he hated when these poor people in rags, would try and mess with them.
“Your destiny as the poor is something to be accepted.” His voice had silenced the ruckus, as the people were looking at him wide eyed, stunned at his words.
“Our duty as the rich is to invest, and take you out from this unfortunate curse.” His synthetic voice would charm the ignorant, loud crowd, who was sure to listen. Aside from a few individuals. “I noticed that…this port, as rich and beautiful as it is naturally…cannot be used to its maximum capacity by people who are riddled with illness and whatnot, while the typical scum of leaders benefit from the poor people's demise.” Were his long words confusing them? Or was his last declaration, something that’d pull those few individuals who were standing, in his grasp?
“We intend only to make sure this land is purified of poverty-..” before he could even finish the sentence, before he could even react to the figure moving towards him in his peripheral and step aside, his body had already collided with another one. A light, nearly fading jade dress, made of some cheap robe, nothing like his fancy clothes, and a stream of dark hair was all he got as a warning before his hand instinctively caught a wrist. Another hand snaked around her waist to stop her momentum lest it cause both of them to fall. He barely missed the blinding black paint now staining his white formal diplomatic garb. His eyes found the face of his attacker at last.
For a moment, they both had a good look at each other. His eyes were stuck on her small figure, her torso, and her very noticeable hips. His purplish, dark eyes, were stuck on her silver ones for a while longer, darting between her plum lips and soft cheeks.
He couldn’t lie, the dark haired girl, the silver eyed threat, didn’t quite look like a stinky peasant usually would.
The threat in question, Mona, could say the same. If she saw his eyes almost hinting surprise and innocence joined by a red eyeliner of slick and elegance, along with all the most beautiful features an eastern, no, scratch that, a human could be blessed with. She wouldn’t call him a blood sucking monster right off the bat either.
His mouth moved, in confusion she garbled up a “Huh…?” .
She could barely make sense of the gurgled mess of distorted sounds she was hearing, as her mind was focused elsewhere.
“What’s your name?”
“Mona.” As if she was in a trance, she embarrassingly gave the answer she shouldn’t have. Her name. Which wasn’t to be given no matter what you did. And even worse, she gave it to him.
“Well, Mona.” She almost couldn’t feel the arms dragging her body. “I feel like this is going to be a long day for both of us. And I really hope the punishment chosen for such a dirty act will be fit for you.”
She kept looking at him, listening to his voice without any protest, for she barely heard him at all.