Chapter Text
After the Interdarshan Championship, it seemed as though Wanderer gained an influx of nuisances bothering him. Something about the way he fought the General Mahamatra apparently drew people in. Perhaps he should've held back, since it had become rather difficult to find respite as a result. He'd never been one for restraining the truth, though.
In first few months since Lesser Lord Kusanali decided to keep him as prisoner and right-hand, he never had to worry about people bugging him. Since then, though, she signed him up for the Akademiya with the name "Hat Guy." Other members of the Vahumana Darshan tried approaching him, varying from friendly introductions to discussions on his essays, but a few glares and incisive remarks had been enough to repel them.
This was undone very suddenly by the reputation gained through the Interdarshan Championship. He didn't know why he assumed it would be the same as his essays. People find interest in him for a little bit, he makes sure they don't want to be around him, then they leave him alone. It was foolish to conflate the academic world with the social one. Scholars, acquainted with his sharp rebuttals, knew when to give up. Civilians who found entertainment in the competition and were intrigued by his lack of answers? It seemed like anything he did just added fuel to the fire.
So, he'd been finding a few new spots to spend his free time in. Which was a ridiculous notion, for a prisoner to have free time, but the Dendro Archon was adamant on not constantly assigning tasks for him to complete. This was despite the fact she knew he had no need for rest or nourishment, and he didn't even have any studies to worry about at the moment due to the Spring Break.
He huffed, dropping down from the tree he had been biding his time in, letting out a burst of Anemo at the last moment to slow the fall. Another use for the free time provided was to become acquainted with his vision. He'd almost assume that was his captor's purpose for providing the time to him, but if it was, she would certainly just order Wanderer to train his vision instead of hoping he decides to do it by himself.
Many months had passed since Lesser Lord Kusanali had taken up the role of leading the Nation of Wisdom. People gradually became more accustomed to the arts, and days in which performances were held attracted more and more people, making it especially difficult to navigate his way through the crowds. The atmosphere was less heavy than it used to be, and life was once again normal for the citizens of Sumeru after the attempted replacement of their Archon.
Making his way through the busy streets, the prisoner ignored anyone who tried to wave or say hello. Aside from those who decided to take interest in him after the championship, some people mistook his tasks assigned to him by Lesser Lord Kusanali as kindness. She would send him on a few odd jobs every now and then to deliver various items or messages to people throughout Sumeru City, and merchants who he had come into contact with multiple times were the most common to assume he was doing so out of the goodness os his heart. Maybe this was influenced by his "other" incarnation, who had been unnecessarily kind in the time he'd been at Sumeru City. Sometimes he felt the questioning gaze of the merchant who brought him to the city, likely confused by the shift in demeanor.
Finally out of the crowded marketplace, he walked the stairs to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, where the Dendro Archon was awaiting him. He recalled walking this same path as the Balladeer, on his way to complete a much different task. Connected to Irminsul, he immediately went behind her back, erasing himself from the world's memory after a foolish assumption he made from a moment of hesitation by the Traveler.
He opened the grand doors, greeted immediately by his captor, who appeared to have some kind of small package in hand.
"Hat Guy!" She smiled warmly. "Has your Spring Break been enjoyable?"
"After the championship, many new pests have taken to bothering me. Cut to the chase, there's no need for idle chatter."
"I'd like for you to deliver this package to Port Ormos," she said, holding out the small thing.
He took it carefully, feeling the light yet solid weight and observing the paper wrapping. "Is that all?"
"Yes. Be sure to spend some time there to rest, though. I know you're not too familiar with the land, so it may take you a bit to arrive."
"You're sending me all the way out to Port Ormos and want me to take my time?" He narrowed his eyes. "Why not send anyone else?"
"It's been a few months, and you've become well acquainted with Sumeru City and some of the surrounding land. Shouldn't an Archon's right hand also familiarize themself with the rest of the nation? There's a reason a dandelion's seeds travel far."
"What, so you're trying to get me to grow my roots in Sumeru? I feel as though that's already accomplished by holding me prisoner," he said, crossing his arms.
"Not at all! With me rooted in the heart of the nation, you should be able to grow familiar with places of a much further distance."
"Ugh, quit with the metaphors. You want me to get to know Port Ormos while I'm delivering this package. Just say that," he turned, beginning to walk back towards the entrance.
"Take your time! Just be back by the end of the Akademiya's Spring Break," she waved goodbye.
Upon exit, he decided to bypass the layers of pathways, instead using his Anemo Vision to float down the side of the tree and land on the platform that directly overlooked the port.
Glancing at the various docks, he debated whether he should ride a boat or travel by foot. On a boat, he would likely need to converse with other people, but it would be faster. By foot, he would be alone, but the time spent in Port Ormos would be much shorter, which contrasted the direction of taking his time.
As he pondered, a flash of strange attire caught his eye.
Snezhnayan attire.
On a young child with reddish hair.
Goddamnit. Why in the world was Tartaglia's younger brother in Sumeru?
The oblivious thing flittered around like a bird, staring wide-eyed at the various stalls. Wanderer wondered if he even had any reason to be so enamored, considering his moronic older brother bought gifts for the boy no matter where he went. Souvenir shopping like an average tourist on diplomatic missions assigned by the Cryo Archon herself.
In any case, where in the world was his family? He certainly wasn't intentionally left to explore the streets alone. Whatever. It wasn't his problem anyways- he himself was assigned a mission, albeit by a much more flowery archon and not exactly of diplomatic nature.
He turned away with a huff, deciding he would go to Port Ormos by foot. It would be best to depart as swiftly as possible to avoid any complications in arriving back at the Akademiya on time.
Unfortunately, he was denied of these plans when he felt a small tug at the fabric of his clothes. Greeting him were the dangerously curious eyes of a child holding a torrent of questions about his hat.
"Excuse me, mister? Your hat's really cool, can I see it?" Tartaglia's brother excitedly asked. What was his name? Anthon? Teucer? Well, it didn't matter anyways.
"No."
"Oh." The two stared at each other for a moment's pass.
"Was that all?" He drawled.
"Well... yeah, but... why can't I see your hat?"
"Because I said so," he responded dryly, beginning to turn away and go on with the rest of his business. "If that's your only question, I'll be going now. I'm busy."
The boy, who was apparently set on bothering him, quickly walked around to face him again. "With what?"
"Delivering a package."
"What's it for?"
"Quit asking so many questions. Go bother your family or something." He, once again, attempted to leave.
"They're not here right now. Why won't you tell me what the package is for? And why can't I see your hat?" The nuisance trailed after him.
"I just told you to stop asking so many questions." He paused. "What do you mean your family isn't here right now? Did you manage to come to Sumeru all on your own?"
"Hey, how can you tell I'm not from Sumeru?"
"By your clothes, although even if you changed I'd still be able to tell with the way you're wandering around like a tourist. Now, where's your family?"
The boy looked around and shrugged, "I dunno."
"You don't know?"
"Nope. Can I see your hat now?" A tiny hand reached for the hanging bells, and was quickly intercepted to be placed back at its owner's sides.
Glancing at the sun, the Wanderer could tell the marketplace was only going to get busier. If Tartaglia was here, he was probably going to be growing more and more frantic as the time passed looking for his seemingly lost brother.
He sighed. May as well try to prevent a diplomatic disaster as part of his repentance. No need to drag the Fatui back into Sumeru's affairs.
"So," he started. "Did you come here with family?"
"Nope! Well, kind of? Not really."
Okay, so that meant nothing. He pressed his hands to his temples. "Where is your family?"
"My brother will be here! He doesn't know I'm here, though."
The Wanderer stared. "What."
"He told me that he was going to Sumeru on his way to Fontaine, so I came here myself!"
"You what?"
The boy simply smiled at the man, unaware of how utterly ridiculous this situation was. Was this kid stupid?
"Okay. Great. How... competent of you. Do you know when he's going to be here?"
"Soon, I think. The boat I came here on got here earlier than his, so I'm gonna surprise him when he gets here! Although, I really thought I got onto the same boat as him. There were only two boats going to Sumeru where we were, and one looked all fancy while the other one looked normal. Maybe he got on the wrong one?"
"Right. So will he be here today?" Did this kid think there was only one destination boats could go to in Sumeru? What if Tartaglia was somewhere entirely different?
"Probably. I know when he left, which was a bit before I did, so he should be here around the same time as me, I think." Uncertainty filled the tone of his voice, but still not his demeanor for some reason. Must be a family defect.
These questions were only making things more convoluted. It clearly wasn't going to get him anywhere, especially not as more people flowed into the marketplace. This may take a while.
What even was "this?" Was he really about to help this boy find his family? He didn't exactly have time if he was going to Port Ormos. Unless...
"Did your brother say where exactly in Sumeru he was going?"
"Um, he said Port-Something, I think? And this is a port!"
"Did he say Port Ormos?"
"Yeah! How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess. This isn't Port Ormos. It's rather far away from Port Ormos, actually."
"Huh?! Then how am I going to see my brother?" The kid was starting to get upset. Ugh.
"What's your name?"
"My name's Teucer," he sniffled.
"Okay, Teucer. I'm currently on my way to Port Ormos. You can go with me."
"I'm not supposed to follow random strangers!"
"Then how did you get here in the first place?"
"I was... trying to follow my brother."
"I'm going to make sure you can see your brother. You'll get lost otherwise."
"Pinkie promise?"
Wanderer held out his pinkie begrudgingly, "Pinkie promise."
"You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend-"
"And the frost will freeze your tongue off so you never lie again. Right. So, the boat ride to Port Ormos is going to take several hours. We won't be able to get off, so now is your last chance to do anything beforehand."
"Oh, can we go eat first? I'm kind of hungry."
"Fine. You're going to tell me all about your little journey here as we walk to someplace for food."
As they walked, Teucer explained how Tartaglia's family was saying goodbye to Tartaglia while he was leaving to get on a boat for Sumeru. However, the boy was upset that they didn't get to spend more time together, and tried to sneak onto the same boat as him. One of them had a large amount of security, so he chose to get onto the other, giving them some money as a bribe.
Teucer paused, apparently reminded of something. "Oh! I forgot, I'm supposed to give you this now," he said, holding a large bag of coins to the Wanderer.
"Where in the world did you get all that mora?"
"My brother told me that if I give it to people they'll help me, and you're already helping me, so..."
"... Makes sense to me. Now, continue with your story." He wasn't about to argue over mora with the kid- Being under Lesser Lord Kusanali hadn't made him that virtuous.
"My throat's too dry to keep talking! Are we nearly there?"
"It's right here," he said, taking a left to enter the tavern.
As Wanderer had predicted earlier, the streets were beginning to get much busier. By proxy, this also made the tavern much busier. After taking a seat, Teucer began to yammer on about whatever came to mind.
"You know, this place is really different from Snezhnaya! It sort of reminds me of Liyue, but it's still super different."
Despite himself, Wanderer couldn't help but ask, "Liyue?"
"Yeah! I went, like, two years back. I wasn't really supposed to, though... See, my brother is a toy seller, which I thought was the coolest thing ever, and I saw a boat that had toys on it so I figured my brother would be there, you know? Anyways, he wasn't, but the boat took me to Liyue, and he was in Liyue! But I was having a hard time finding him, so this traveler helped me out, and brought me to him. He was busy with work, though, so the traveler to me a bunch of places in Liyue. Eventually, the two of them took me to a toy factory, and..."
The boy continued on for the 15 minutes it took for their orders to be taken. So much for being too thirsty to talk.
"Do you guys have any foods that aren't spicy?"
"Ah... We can try to work something out, I think. And for you, young man?"
"Nothing, but the kid will also take a water."
"On it. I apologize for the long wait, your orders will be out as quickly as possible."
Wanderer avoided the curious gazes of all the Akademiya students who walked in as Teucer talked, repeating the stories his brother had told him about being a toy seller. Tartaglia really had to give up that lie soon- he'd always found the nonsense he spewed about "protecting dreams" to be ridiculous.
Eventually, they were served their food, and thankfully it was to Teucer's tastes. He would've lost his mind if the boy decided it was too spicy for him and they had to wait even longer.
"Mister? I need to use the bathroom."
"Okay? Go... Do that. I'll wait here."
"I don't know where it is."
"Fine. I'll take you there."
The child grabbed his hand to be led through the busy restaurant, eventually making their way to the restroom.
"Can you wait outside the door for me?"
He stifled a groan. "Sure."
As he waited on Teucer, he could tell many eyes of fellow students were on him. Hopefully none were bold enough to approach him. For once, his prayers were answered, and the bathroom door opened within a timely manner.
Making their way out of the building, he found that he spoke much too soon, confronted by Kaveh of the Kshahrewar Darshan standing just outside.
"Oh, Hat Guy! I didn't think you had any siblings, who's this?"
"That's none of your business-"
"I'm Teucer! It's nice to meet you," the boy cheerfully held out his hand.
"I'm Kaveh, it's nice to meet you too." He crouched down to greet him.
"Unfortunately, we are rather busy and have to get going now. Let's go, Teucer."
"Just a few minutes?" Teucer asked. "Please?"
"Two. Minutes."
"Thank you! Mister Kaveh, I've never been to Sumeru before, what's it like here?"
"Well, it's the Nation of Wisdom, so there's a lot of learning to be done! I'm a student at the Akademiya, like Hat Guy here, but we're in different Darshans. Did he not tell you anything about Sumeru?"
"Huh? Oh, I sort of assumed he was from Snezhnaya, since he acts like it and sort of has a bit of an accent."
"... Assumed? Do you two not know each other very well?"
"The two minutes is up," he lied. "Let's go, Teucer."
"Okay. Bye, Mister Kaveh! It was so nice to meet you!"
Wanderer swiftly led Teucer away before Kaveh could respond. "Let's get to the boat."
"Is your name really Hat Guy? Are you not from Snezhnaya?"
"No more questions."
"If you're not from Schneznaya, then how do you know the pinkie promise rhyme?"
Wanderer did not answer any questions, simply leading the boy back to the port of Sumeru City. He scanned the available boats to see which seemed to have the least amount of other people riding it and leaving the soonest.
"When do you leave?"
"In just a few moments," the one manning the small boat said, pausing in the process of loading various items onto it. "Do you need something?"
"Are you going to Port Ormos?"
"Yes, we are. If you'd like a ride, it costs a few hundred mora."
Wanderer grabbed a few coins from the bag of Teucer's money and handed it over. "Will this be enough?"
"Yes, plenty," the woman replied. "Go ahead and get on."
He got on first, lifting Teucer up since he seemed unfamiliar with so much water not being completely frozen. They got settled in, and he ignored the attempts as conversation from other passengers, feigning sleep.
What in the world was he getting himself into? Helping the brother of Tartaglia? It wasn't exactly dangerous, but he knew the Eleventh could be particularly curious. He just had to hope he wouldn't catch his eye.