@threebetrayals stands on the scales to be judged / / plotted starter call ⚖️
Scarlet Sands rings out like thunder before the lightning strike when Cyno bangs the end of his polearm into the ground and the jackal headdress upon snowy locks of hair morph into a lupus face of Judgment. with chin pointed downward, the burning white eyes of justice see who stands before the Scales. The General Mahamatra has found his target.
“ Balladeer. Wanderer. a change of identity cannot erase the sins of your soul. ”
and Cyno has come to collect. he lifts his head and scarlet eyes finally gaze upon the Wanderer. the one who thought himself a god. the one who thought to overthrow the Dendro Archon. the one who struck Tighnari down in Pardis Dhyai. the one who brought the Fatui to Sumeru; the Fatui who experimented and corrupted a sick little girl. Cyno’s gaze sharpens with disgust and his veins fill with rage and violence from an ancient spirit that shares his body. The Scales tip unbalanced and Judgment has passed.
Cyno jumps down from the ledge and with incredibly speed he rushes the former Harbinger. clouds of dust and dirt follow after the Mahamatra’s steps and Cyno stops just a foot before The Wanderer, holding the tip of his polearm beneath the puppet’s chin. Revenge No, Justice is right there.
But. powers higher than Cyno, stronger than Anpu’s thirst for blood and Judgment, keep Cyno from plunging his weapon forward.
a single dendro crystalfly flutters above The Wanderer’s left shoulder and Cyno grips his weapon tighter. with frustration.
“ The Lord Kusanali may have absolve you, but I have not. ”
unfamiliar voice draws him to a pause, has him turning in place so that his gaze might find the one who speaks to him. he knows, of course, the moment indigo eyes fall upon the headdress, EXACTLY who this is. though they’ve never met, he’s heard plenty about the general mahamatra, the one who values JUSTICE above all else. it’s impossible to be involved with the akademiya in any capacity without hearing at least a bit about him.
truthfully, he’s been half-expecting this. part of him has been waiting for the man to track him down, to seek justice for all the WRONGS he’s committed in sumeru, so it comes as little surprise that, apparently, the time has come.
when cyno launches at him, brings the sharp end of his polearm to his throat, the wanderer doesn’t so much as flinch. instead, he merely meets the man’s gaze, expression unreadable. he KNOWS that the general mahamatra won’t kill him outright, that he won’t dishonor the protection buer has put him under — at least, not yet. not without good reason presented for him to cross that line. for the moment, he’s SAFE, no matter how the other tries to intimidate him.
“ then kill me. ” eyes flash as he finally speaks, but still the former harbinger makes no move to physically retaliate. “ if that is how you believe justice will be achieved, do it. ”
perhaps there’s a challenge in his tone, something daring the general to go ahead and TRY to end it all here. in all honesty though, he has come to recognize the error in his ways, to see his prior actions for how HORRENDOUS they had been — choices he had made after being manipulated and misguided, but HIS choices and actions all the same. admitting to this aloud, however, openly accepting the guilt verbally... is difficult. what’s easier is falling back into the smug, petty behaviour he’s carried out for centuries.
“ but have you considered, general mahamatra, that you don’t know everything? if you don’t know everything... how HONEST can your judgement be? ” a sneer tugs at his lips, and the wanderer scoffs. “ you don’t have to absolve me. ...unless you think the dendro archon’s blessing is untrustworthy? ”
annaxmalina
2087
izzy806
