Uh.. Here! Have what I wrote in like.. 40 minutes after thinking about it for actual months
Rosaura's Character Quest
"The words of a woman who knows the ending"
After the Traveller and Paimon go to the HotH to deliver some materials from a commission, they hears Arlecchino and Rosaura having a slight argument about Rosaura's past
About how she could choose to seek closure on her parents, to learn who they are and why they did what they did, to get to hunt them down and kill them, that's what Arlecchino argues.
Rosaura simply brushes her off, stating that she simply doesn't care to. That it doesn't matter anymore, that she doesn't need to know, it won't change anything, that they may not even be alive anymore.
The argument doesn't end as well as she'd have hoped for and, after a moment of complete silence, Rosaura storms off to go get ready for the mission she has to leave for.
The Traveller and Paimon walk into Arlecchino's office and ask what's wrong, what that was about.
Arlecchino explains the situation in brief (the first time the Traveller and Paimon learn of Rosaura's backstory, at least in full) and Arlecchino adds that Rosaura is being sent to do a mission in Inazuma.
She proceeds to ask if the two can accompany Rosaura on that mission since the assassin trusts them and Arlecchino cannot go because she's busy with matters in Fontaine.
Ofc they agree and after talking to Rosaura about it, she lets the two tag along, as long as they promise they won't get in the way of her mission, to which the Traveller agrees while Paimon hesitates, knowing it's most likely an assassination (which it is)
They get to Inazuma and despite journeys on boats being not fun for Rosaura, it's a smooth ride.
It turns out, Rosaura needs to assassinate someone rich who escaped from Snezhnaya after committing treason and fleeding to Inazuma but that's not until a few days time as it'll happen during a festival of some kind in Ritou, so in the meantime it's just the three hanging out while the Traveller finds opportunities to sneak away and try and dig into Rosaura's past, find the information, the files, any leads about it believing that Arlecchino is right and Rosaura deserves to have the chance but she just thinks it's impossible and simply uses everything else as a reason to not let it get her down.
With the help of Kujou Sara, Kamisato Ayato and Shikanoin Heizou, the Traveller and Paimon are able to put the pieces together, though they don't dare look at it themselves because, well, it's not for them (or the player) to read.
Lastly, after a conversation with Rosaura herself the morning before her missions she explains that the hardest part of this job is the knowledge that the Raiden Shogun didn't do anything to help, that she didn't even know until it was too late and that it's too late for apologies now.
The Traveller interprets that as Rosaura thinking it's not an option anymore and as Rosaura goes to finish her mission (which is where you'd get to play as her or whatever), the Traveller and Paimon go to Ei. They explain the situation and she's more than willing to provide an apology to be given with the letter.
Here comes the animated part of the Character Quest
The mission is successful and Rosaura, the Traveller and Paimon go back on the boat to leave and as they're getting settled in, the Traveller and Paimon present the letter to Rosaura
They explain what it is, what it contain and she looks at it for a single moment before taking it and putting it in the lantern on the table to burn it and all it has inside, shocking both of them
The words that end the quest go as follows:
"I thank you, for carrying about me enough to seek this out. But I meant it when I say, it matters not to me now. The truth will hurt more than not knowing. An apology is meaningless when it's only given after it's asked for.. Let the guilt haunt those who know, those who always knew, until their final breathes. I won't be amongst them. After all, what better bliss than ignorance?"
I do have an AU where Rosaura is in good enough condition to be sent to the House of the Hearth
In that AU her, Arlecchino and Clervie escape and run away to Mondstadt. Arlecchino becomes a Knight, Clervie becomes a bard and Rosaura becomes a florist. It doesn't take place in modern day but when they're all 23-25
Clervie is the biggest Burning Rose shipper there is. That lady has been trying to get them to kiss for around a decade at this point, but they're oblivious and she's suffering.
As for the Visions, Rosaura's doesn't change, Clervie gets a Cryo Vision and Arlecchino manages to end up with an Anemo Vision she uses just to cause swirl with her own fire
That's it, that's the AU
Tags bc @clownilly @emilynyaesmp @devi-n0valty @evelinli
I think the worst thought I can see Arlecchino having about Rosaura would be "You look like/act/remind me of Clervie" for a few reasons
First, Rosaura never got to form an identity unit she was 16 or so (after being brought to the Fatui and having spent two years recovering from.. All that.) which is the age Clervie died and the two would roughly be the same age, so to Rosaura it'd feel like she was just a replacement for someone lost, a misaligned continuation
Second, Rosaura has done her best to regain her personhood as best she can, she hates nicknames for that very reason and she also hates being compared to other people especially do directly
Third, Clervie probably feels like the person Rosaura might've grown into if given a normal life and that thought would eat the woman up alive
Rosaura obviously knows who Clervie was to Arlecchino, she's been told the story and she's more than willing to indulge Arlecchino in reminiscing or wondering about the "what ifs" but she draws the line at direct comparisons for her own sanity
It's interesting to think about, though, how the first slip up from Arlecchino at the start of the two's relationship almost definitely led to a semi-serious fight they both did all they could to make up for
Tags to those of interest (if you want me to not do this in the future, tell me, I won't)