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There were two changes that the people of Mondstadt noticed.
One: the child who always fed the pigeons had gained a vision and was now being trained by the wine tycoon, Diluc Ragnvindr. They had an almost parental relationship.
Two: the vigilante Darknight Hero had a shadow- a small masked figure wielding a slingshot, assisting in battles by slinging fireballs. This new sidekick called himself Flock.
-
Timmie had been living in Dawn Winery for a while. A week into Diluc’s offer of training, he’d start staying in a guest room at the Winery for convenience. Two weeks after starting training, Diluc had allowed him to go out as Flock, the Darknight Hero’s sidekick.
Staying with Diluc had changed his opinion on the wine tycoon drastically. Before, he was a strange adult who rarely smiled. Now, he was someone who understood.
Diluc would even occasionally tell Timmie stories of his childhood. Timmie made it a goal to one day make Diluc make up with his brother.
Being Flock, Timmie couldn’t be happier.
But now, Timmie was nervous. Diluc was going to Liyue for business for four days, meaning the Darknight Hero would not be there, and Flock would have to defend Mondstadt by himself.
There were the knights, of course, but as Diluc had repeatedly complained about, and as the death of his own father had shown, they were pathetically inefficient in protecting Mondstadt.
His training had been going well. Diluc had taught him how to do simple hand-to-hand combat in the case that he can’t use his slingshot, and also how to use a dagger to defend himself if needed. His control over his pyro vision was also increasing, and with Klee’s help, he’d figured out how to make some projectiles for his slingshot that would explode upon impact.
He kept the small bombs as well as his normal pebbles in a pouch on his belt, the same one that held his vision. Diluc had given it to him, it was more secure than his pocket.
Timmie knew that with his current training, he would be able to fight any monsters too close to the city by himself for the four days. But still, that doesn’t stop him from being nervous.
-
Childe has been sent to Mondstadt to investigate reports of multiple camps being burnt down.
A month ago, there were reports of ten Fatui camps being burnt down within three days- clearly targeted. Since then, the arsons have stopped, but any attempt made to investigate them had been unsuccessful, shut down by the so-called Darknight Hero, who had been a thorn in the Fatui’s side for years.
Now, according to the diplomats in Mondstadt, there were whispers of an accomplice, going by the name of Flock. All of the Fatui in the nation seemed to have reached the same conclusion- Flock had been responsible for the burnings.
They wouldn’t have needed to send a Harbinger, but with the Darknight Hero involved, they had ended up deciding that Childe was the best fit to investigate this problem. Childe was also pretty sure they sent him because they wanted him to just “take care” of the problem, permanently. In any case, he would have to start in the city.
Anyhow, the Tsaritsa had given him four days to complete the mission
Leading his men across the bridge, Childe heard the squaking of pigeons as they startled and the flap of their wings as they flew away.
A sharp, indignant voice yelled from the side. “Hey! You scared the pigeons away!”
Turning towards the voice, Childe saw the kid- he had brown hair, blue eyes and reminded him of his brother Teucer.
Acting on his elder brother instincts, he turned to the kid and gently reassured, “Don’t worry, they’ll be back.”
“Hmph.” The kid snorted, and walked away. That kid really was like Teucer.
Ah, well. Childe continued into the city, and headed to the Grand Goth hotel.
-
Timmie was panicking. This was bad. Diluc was away, and he was pretty sure the man that just walked past was the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, Tartaglia.
Diluc had taught him about the Fatui as an organisation, as one of the two groups they would be clashing with the most often, the other being the Abyss Order. The Harbingers held the highest authority just below the Tsaritsa, and were all extremely powerful.
Even worse- Timmie was pretty sure they were there to investigate him. Diluc had told him just how much trouble he had caused, burning down those Fatui camps at first. Diluc had done his best to shut down any investigations, but now that he was gone, Timmie would have to face them on his own. And they had sent a Harbinger.
The way Tartaglia looked at him on the bridge- did he know that Timmie was Flock? Was it already over? Even with his training, Timmie couldn’t beat a Harbinger.
It’s ok. Everything’s ok. Timmie was good at hiding, he’d always beaten Nora in hide and seek. He could remain low key while still protecting Mondstadt. He would only have to not get caught for four days, then Diluc would be back, and he would protect Timmie.
Until then, Timmie could keep the Harbinger off his track. It was ok. Only four days.
Timmie whistled, and a nearby pigeon flew onto his waiting outstretched arm.
“Get the rest of the flock and distract the man that was here earlier.” He whispered to the pigeon.
-
Childe was sitting in his hotel room, having debriefed his men and delegated their roles. He stared out the window, when suddenly-
A pigeon flew in through the open window, straight towards his face. Childe dodged to the side, and the pigeon changed course, flying straight for the side of his head. This time, it hits its mark, leaving Childe rubbing his temple in pain. Annoyed, Childe launches himself at the pigeon, and it zips across the room, avoiding him. The angry Harbinger continued to throw himself at the pigeon in the strangest game of cat and mouse, getting increasingly mad at every failed attempt.
Eventually, he pins the pigeon’s legs down, and holds it up. He is ready to skewer it with an arrow, when-
Childe remembers the kid who was feeding the pigeons by the bridge, and imagined the face he would make if he saw the dead pigeon. Then he imagined that expression on Teucer.
Goddammit, he couldn’t kill the pigeon. Instead, he opens the window, and shoos it out, before firmly shutting the window.
He turns to see his entire room in disarray, feathers littered across the floor. Ugh. Childe did not like Mondstadt.
-
Meanwhile, Timmie has been gathering more pebbles to put in his pouch. Just in case.
-
The next day, the moment Childe leaves the hotel, he is promptly assaulted by a storm of pigeon droppings. He contemplated jumping back into the Abyss, before retreating into the hotel to change his clothes.
His men were visibly trying very hard not to laugh.
With a change of clothes, the moment he stepped out, it happened again. Childe wanted to lay down and die.
After changing again, he left the hotel with an umbrella. The recruits trailing behind him were coughing very strangely. Childe wanted to fight something.
He did not make much progress in the investigation.
-
That night, Timmie went out, fighting a few slimes too close to the city, while carefully avoiding the Fatui. When any came too close, a pigeon would fly by to distract them.
-
It was rapidly approaching the deadline of his investigation, yet Childe has yet to make significant progress. Both him and his men had been repeatedly harassed by the stupid pigeons, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hurt them. He’d even ordered for his men to not hurt the birds.
Well, some of his men had reported seeing a small figure fighting slimes near the walls at night. At least there was that.
He’d look into that tonight.
-
It was the damn pigeon kid. He was the one fighting the slimes.
He was also holding a slingshot and wearing a bird mask.
“Eek!” The kid turned around as Childe approached. “Don’t hurt me! The Darknight Hero’s not here!”
Childe stared incredulously. “You’re Flock?”
“Yup.” The kid replied, “Are you gonna kill me?”
Recovering from his shock, Childe shook his head. “No, kid- were you the one sending the pigeons after me?”
The kid nodded. Childe pinched his nose.
“Ok, kid, I’ll be going tomorrow. I’ll just report this mission as a failure, and you can call the birds off, ok?”
-
True to his word, Childe’s last day in Mondstadt was peacefully bird-free.
Still, he would never see pigeons the same way again. And he still hated Mondstadt.
-
Diluc was part disappointed, part worried and part proud when Timmie reports the happenings of the past four days.