Chapter 9: House of Kidnapped Children II
"Hey! Wait!"
Osha hurried down the hallway, chasing after the small figure he was pretty sure was Freminet.
To the young and timid Freminet, however, it probably felt less like someone trying to talk… and more like being chased by a Rishboland Tiger.
"I just wanna talk! And maybe get some pointers around here!"
Osha called out while running.
Freminet glanced back over his shoulder for a split second. In his mind, the image of Osha instantly turned into a predator about to pounce on easy prey.
Panic kicked in.
So he sped up, his tiny legs moving as fast as they could carry him down the hallway.
'Why is he so fast?! What is this, Tom and Jerry?!'
Osha thought as he kept chasing Freminet through the hallways.
Soon, Freminet suddenly took a sharp turn. Just as Osha was about to catch up, the boy slipped into a room and immediately locked the door behind him.
*Click.*
Osha stopped in front of it, slightly out of breath.
'Man… would I be faster if I ran on all fours?'
He stared at the door for a moment before gently knocking.
"Um, do you have a spare bed? I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean any harm, promise."
Osha waited quietly.
"T-The r-room is f-full… Sorry..."
Freminet's timid voice replied from the other side of the door.
'Are you lying to me, boy?'
Osha thought, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, thank you for replying…"
He answered calmly. If Freminet didn't want him there, he wasn't going to force it. After all, the kid had already been through too much.
As Osha turned to leave, another thought crossed his mind.
'Strange how Freminet was the first one here rather than Lyney and Lynette…'
Osha's thoughts, finally leaving Freminet's doorstep, he knocked at the other room doors, yet for some reason, every single one of them replied.
"We're full."
'This is annoying...'
Osha glanced out one of the hallway windows and noticed the sun was already setting. From what he had seen so far, the second floor was most likely where the children of the House of Hearth lived, while the first floor functioned as the actual hotel.
Eventually, Osha reached the last door in the hallway.
Instead of knocking, he simply turned the handle and pushed the door open.
Surprisingly, it wasn't locked.
"Did you know that ants can lift fifty times their weight? I just learned it from the library a while ago, desuwa."
Osha stepped inside the room, only to find two kids already there, sitting together on the lower bed of a bunk bed.
"Huh?! That's impossible! You can barely give me a piggyback, kashira!"
"Huh?! I'm not an ant, desuwa!"
The two seemed to be arguing about… ants.
Osha blinked, momentarily confused, before glancing around the room. His eyes quickly landed on a spare bed nearby.
Well.
That was convenient.
'Kashira? Desuwa? Those words sound like Japanese… Well, I can't exactly ask them how they know that, since I'm still a stranger.'
Osha thought to himself. For now, he decided to simply ignore the pair and walked straight toward the spare bed.
He lay down, letting his tired body sink into the mattress.
'I hope I'm gonna dream of Roach again… So many questions, yet so few answers.'
With that thought lingering in his mind, Osha closed his eyes and tried to take a sweet nap.
"Greedo, Greedo, there's a big cat in our room, kashira."
"Yes, yes, Dona, there is indeed a big cat in our room, desuwa."
Osha's eyes remained shut, but he was very much still awake.
'Greedo? What kind of name is that?'
From their voices alone, it was easy to tell that Dona was the girl, and Greedo was the boy.
---<>---
"Mm."
Osha slowly began to wake up.
"Greedo! His ears are so soft, kashira!"
He felt a faint ticklish sensation on top of his head.
"Let me try, desuwa."
Osha heard small footsteps approaching. Just as another hand was about to reach him, he suddenly opened his eyes.
"What are you two doing?"
He stared directly at Greedo, whose hands were already suspiciously close.
"Nothing! Desuwa!"
Greedo quickly replied, pulling his hands back.
'Well… I guess it's not common to see a human with feline traits…'
Osha thought as he slowly sat up on the bed.
"I hope I'm not intruding. Someone told me that you could just claim a bed if it's not occupied, and both of you seemed busy earlier."
Osha said calmly.
"Oh, no, it's fine. That bed actually used to belong to an adult, and he, uh… desuwa…"
Greedo trailed off, deciding not to continue.
Osha didn't need to hear the rest. He could already guess what had happened to whoever used to sleep there.
"I see. I'm Osha, by the way. Just Osha."
Osha said simply.
"I'm Gre-"
"I'm Dony! Dony Snezhevna, future Grand Master of Mondstadt, kashira!"
Dony suddenly cut in, shoving Greedo aside with a hand pressed against his cheek.
Greedo wobbled slightly from the push, blinking in mild annoyance.
"Hey! Don't push me!"
Greedo sighed, rubbing his cheek where Dony had shoved him.
"I'm Greedo Snezhevich. I used to have an Inazuman second name, but when they bring you here, you're forced to abandon your old surname, and they give you a new one. Snezhevich for boys, Snezhevna for girls. I suppose you'll be Osha Snezhevich tomorrow, desuwa."
Greedo introduced himself while casually explaining.
"Well, I didn't have a second name anyway… right."
Osha shrugged slightly.
"Sorry if this offends you, but, um… why do you both end your sentences with kashira and desuwa?"
Osha asked. He genuinely wanted to know why these kids seemed to know two Japanese words, or at least knew how to pronounce them.
Because from Osha's perspective, you don't really use those words every single time you end a sentence. The way they were saying it almost made it sound like they were just using the words without actually knowing what they meant.
"It's a long story, but in short, my mother, her mother, and so on, all used kashira and desuwa to end their sentences. We don't exactly know where it came from. I think my mother said it was just a cool way to finish a sentence, desuwa."
Greedo explained, earning a few nods from Osha.
"That's right! That's right! Kashira!"
Dony chimed in enthusiastically, raising her hand with a big, proud smile.
'Was this caused by a Descender?'
Osha pondered quietly, his curiosity piqued.
"She stole my kashira, so now I can only use desuwa, desuwa."
Greedo pointed a thumb at Dony, his cheeks already turning a faint pink.
"Hey! I didn't steal it! I remember you said, 'Well, if it's only you, I guess you could say it, desuwa,' kashira!"
Dony said, mimicking Greedo's voice in a shy, playful way.
"H-Hey! I don't remember saying that! Desuwa!"
Greedo's cheeks flamed bright red, like a ripe strawberry from embarrassment.
'Ah, young love… something I never experienced.'
Osha thought, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched Greedo chase Dony around the room, her laughter ringing joyfully in the room.
"Oh, right… Osha, we got you some food earlier in the dining hall when you were asleep… desuwa."
Greedo said while slightly panting, still trying to catch his breath after failing to catch Dony, who was now standing behind him and sticking her tongue out playfully.
"Ta-da! Best food in all of Fontaine… sardines with tomato sauce… kashira."
The last part sounded noticeably gloomier.
Dony handed him the bowl, and Osha accepted it.
"Thank you."
'These two are actually quite nice.'
Osha thought as he looked down at the bowl. Inside were six sardines floating in thick tomato sauce.
The food… almost looked like dog food.
'This looks depressing.'
Osha used his fork to pierce one of the sardines.
"Uh… you don't have to eat it. I mean, Dony and I only ate half of ours. Breakfast is the main meal around here that's actually decent, but it's still far worse than what the grown-ups eat… desuwa."
Greedo explained, while Dony stood nearby holding a small milk carton. Every child below ten was required to drink milk with every meal.
"Awmp."
Osha ate the sardine in one go, his face remaining completely passive.
Dony had actually been waiting for his reaction, because almost all the kids here hated sardines.
"Hm. Not bad."
Osha said casually as he speared another one and ate it whole.
Greedo was slightly surprised by his reaction.
"Eh?!"
Dony watched as Osha continued eating the sardines with a completely straight face. He even drank the leftover tomato soup, something that most kids here thought tasted rotten half the time.
'It tastes like those cheap fish back in Inazuma… but with tomato.'
Osha thought as he looked down at the now-empty bowl.
"Osha! You can have my dinner from now on, kashira!"
Dony suddenly declared, handing him the milk carton.
What she meant by giving him her dinner was basically letting him take the food no one else wanted to eat.
"Uh… sure?"
Osha replied, slightly unsure how to respond, as he drank the milk.
"Oh, right, Osha, you dropped this in your sleep earlier. Sorry, we were a bit curious, desuwa."
Greedo handed him the small box Shuri had given him.
Osha didn't seem to mind. A child's curiosity wasn't something he'd get mad about, especially since the pistol inside was unloaded anyway.
"Nice piece. Where'd you get it anyway? Desuwa."
Greedo asked as Osha opened the box, revealing the fancy flintlock pistol with its bright teal colors, almost like the ocean.
"A parting gift from someone, I guess?"
Osha replied casually.
Though, in truth, parting wasn't exactly the right word for being sold...
"Ehhhh? I wish I had gotten something before being brought here… kashira."
Dony said as she leaned closer, also staring curiously at the flintlock.
"I don't really know how to use it, though. I'm not familiar with Fontaine's advanced weapons, since I'm from Inazuma… so it kinda feels like giving one to a Hilichurl."
Osha said casually as he handed the pistol to Greedo so he could inspect it.
Sure, guns like this existed in his old world, too, but he had never exactly read up on how flintlocks from the Napoleonic era worked.
"Hey, I'm from Inazuma too, and I just happen to know how these work, just by observing the adults. Lucky you, desuwa."
Greedo said confidently.
He then began explaining how the flintlock worked. First, he picked up the small powder flask. He didn't actually open the cap, just imitating the motion. He tapped the pan of the flintlock, pretending to pour in the powder, then closed it again.
Next, he picked up one of the five small steel balls already wrapped and explained how it would be dropped into the barrel. After that, he pointed to the ramrod beneath the barrel, showing how it would be used to push everything down and ready the shot.
Finally, he lifted the pistol slightly and pulled the trigger, making a small clicking sound.
"And that's basically it, desuwa."
Greedo finished before handing the flintlock back to Osha.
"Uwah! Amazing! Teacher Greedo, kashira!"
Dony exclaimed, grabbing Greedo by the shoulders and shaking him excitedly. A faint blush quickly spread across his cheeks.
"Thanks, Greedo."
Osha said with a slight smile.
"No problem. Hey, since you're new here, you can stick with us if that's okay with you. This place is definitely not a good place to be alone, desuwa."
Greedo offered.
"Sure, if it's alright with you guys."
Osha replied with a small nod.
'Well… I guess Clervie was right.'
Osha thought quietly.
"Well, I'm going to sleep first. Osha, there are some spare clothes in the closet, and the bathroom's over there. Be sure to be ready tomorrow, new children here are going to get an earful, desuwa."
Greedo said, yawning as he hopped off Osha's bed and climbed up to the bunk above.
'Right… I almost forgot. Peaceful moments like this are rare in an environment like this…'
---<>---
It was Osha's second day in the House of Hearth, and he stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his new clothes.
"I didn't even realize I was still wearing it until Greedo pointed it out…"
Osha murmured, touching his neck. The faint collar mark was still there, though he knew it would fade with time.
"Hey, Dony! Hurry up in there, or we're gonna miss breakfast because of you, desuwa!"
Greedo banged on the bathroom door, impatience evident in his voice as Dony leisurely took her time inside.
"I'm coming, kashira!"
Dony called back, her tone playful. Greedo let out a small sigh, he already knew he'd miss the best part of breakfast.
"You two seem really close."
Osha remarked, tilting his head.
"E-Eh? W-we're not! She just… can't do anything on her own, so I'm forced to be with her, desuwa…"
Greedo stammered, scratching the back of his neck as a slight blush spread across his cheeks.
"I heard that, kashira!"
Dony's voice rang from the bathroom, sharp and playful.
Osha smirked, leaning slightly as he placed a hand on Greedo's shoulder.
"She's all yours, buddy."
"H-Huh?! What's that supposed to mean!? Hey, Osha, desuwa!"
Greedo's cheeks flared an even deeper red, stammering as he tried to protest, but Osha merely walked past him, a mischievous grin on his face, and moved to the window to take in the morning view.
Osha rested his head on his hand as he gazed out the window at the Palais Mermonia in the distance. The morning air drifted gently through the room, slightly fluttering his hair and ears.
"When am I ever going to have the chance to meet you…?"
Osha muttered quietly to himself. The chances of meeting Furina felt about the same as being struck by lightning, especially considering his current situation.
"I'm ready, kashira!"
Dony finally stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing her hair with a towel.
"Took you long enough. Let's go, Osha, desuwa."
Greedo said as Osha turned toward him and gave a small nod.
Shortly after, the trio left their room. Outside in the hallway, many other kids, and even a few adults wearing the same kind of clothes as them, were already walking in the same direction.
The dining hall.
Osha followed behind Greedo and Dony, who had already started rambling about something again. Their voices bounced back and forth as they walked, completely absorbed in their conversation.
As they moved through the crowd, Osha suddenly spotted a familiar trio from yesterday.
The tall kid now had a bandage across his cheek, and the chubby one looked like his head had somehow gotten taller thanks to a noticeable bump. Their leader noticed Osha too, but the moment their eyes met, he quickly turned away.
'Heh… It's fun beating kids.'
Osha thought sarcastically, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"See! I told you we had to go early, but thanks to you, this line is gonna give us only an empty plate, desuwa!"
Greedo complained, pointing at the long line ahead of them.
"Hey! A lady has to take care of herself more! Unlike you, I don't just look in the mirror and call it a day. I'm actually taking care of myself, unlike you, kashira!"
Dony shot back immediately, crossing her arms with a huff.
"I am already taking care of yo- augh… forget it, desuwa…"
Greedo finally surrendered, deciding it wasn't worth dragging unnecessary attention to their argument.
"Hey, if you two are done, go find a table, and I'll bring the food."
Osha said, already stepping into the line while Greedo and Dony continued rambling.
"Thanks, Osha! Come on, let's find a table, my noble steed, kashira."
Dony said cheerfully as she grabbed Greedo's hand and dragged him away to look for a place to sit.
Osha glanced at Greedo and Dony as they wandered off to find a table, then turned back to look at the huge line stretching ahead of him.
'Augh… this is gonna take a while.'
"Boo!"
"Nyah!"
Osha jumped slightly as his tail was suddenly grabbed.
"Aha! Good morning, Osha!"
He heard a familiar voice behind him.
Turning around, Osha saw Clervie, smiling brightly, with Peruere standing just behind her, holding two trays in each hand.
"Clervie... Good morning, please don't yank my tail, please, it's sensitive."
Osha said to Clevie.
"Oops, sorry, ehe!"
Clervie said, her hands folded together apologetically.
Osha then turned to Peruere behind Clervie.
"Good morning... Peruere."
Osha said, if he wants to change the future, he should at least get on Peruere's good side.
Peruere's eyes turned toward him, her face as stoic as ever.
"...Morning."
She simply said.
"Aww, look at you two finally getting closer!"
Clervie said happily. Peruere had no comment on that; her expression remained completely unchanged.
"Anyways, Osha, wanna sit with us? I'd like to hear how your first day here was."
Clervie offered.
"I don't mind, but I have some… friends who are waiting for me."
Osha politely declined. Clervie looked a little surprised for a brief moment, but it quickly turned into a warm smile.
"I see. Mm! That's good."
Clervie gently patted Osha's head before taking her tray back from Peruere.
"Here, have my macarons! Share them with your friends, okay?"
She handed Osha her plate of three macarons.
"Make sure to fill your stomach, you'll need it later. Be careful, okay?"
Clervie said. Osha nodded, and soon she and Peruere headed back to their table, Clervie giving him one last bright smile before leaving.
'She's like everyone's dream big sister…'
Osha thought to himself.
Finally, after waiting what felt like hours, Osha reached the front of the line. He raised his hand to signal Greedo, who quickly noticed. Breakfast today was pancakes, just pancakes, and a carton of milk. No bacon, no syrup, no eggs. Plain pancakes. Some of them were even slightly burnt.
'This is what's considered better than dinner? Man… I'd take those sardines any day.'
Osha stared down at the three stacked pancakes on his plate.
"Macarons! I've always wanted to taste these, kashira!"
Dony exclaimed as she immediately grabbed the pink macaron and took a bite, ignoring the pancakes entirely.
"Hey! Eat your pancakes first, desuwa!"
Greedo sighed, watching Dony happily munch on the macaron without paying him any attention.
"You know them, Osha, desuwa?"
Greedo asked, referring to Clervie while he wrapped his pancakes together like a burrito.
"Oh, Clervie? I guess… I mean, they're the ones who brought me here."
Osha replied, taking a bite from his pancake burrito.
"Lucky… you already made some connections on your first day. I think the pink girl is 'Mother's' daughter, and that scary one over there is called the strongest one around here, desuwa."
Greedo said, glancing toward Clervie and Peruere seated far at the back of the dining hall.
'Mother… huh. Must be referring to that tyrant.'
Osha thought as he chewed on his pancake burrito while listening to Greedo.
As he continued eating the rather tasteless pancakes, Osha took a closer look around the dining hall. The place was huge, filled with children sitting at long tables. One thing he noticed was how quiet it was, not completely silent, but none of the kids dared to raise their voices beyond a certain level.
"Mm?"
While scanning the sea of faces, Osha spotted a familiar one.
Freminet.
The boy was sitting alone… and those same three kids from yesterday were crowding around him.
Osha let out a small sigh before pushing his chair back and standing up.
"Excuse me for a bit."
He placed the second macaron onto Greedo's plate before heading toward Freminet's table.
"Hey, Osha!"
Greedo called out, trying to stop him, but Osha didn't slow his pace.
Just as Osha was walking over, he spotted Clervie a short distance away. She looked slightly surprised to see him heading in that direction, it seemed they had the same intention. But instead of continuing forward, she stopped in her tracks and gave Osha an approving nod, silently encouraging him to do what was right.
Osha nodded back.
"Hey."
"Gek!"
The leader of the trio immediately backed off, and his two goons followed. What had happened yesterday was still fresh in his mind.
"J-Just you wait! I-I'm gonna bring her next time!"
The three of them quickly ran off, only to be reminded by a nearby adult, forcing them to slow down and walk instead.
'Embarrassing~'
Osha thought as he turned his attention to Freminet, who looked like he had just wiped away a few tears.
Osha placed the last macaron onto Freminet's plate before quietly sitting down on the other side of the table, finishing the last of his pancake.
Slowly, Freminet lifted his head and noticed the macaron resting on his plate. He hadn't eaten anything with the same quality as a macaron after living here. The food given to the children here was usually just enough to get them through the day, not something meant to be enjoyed.
"Go on. No one's gonna bite you here."
Osha said calmly.
Freminet held the small macaron in his hands, slowly lifting his head to see who had sat across from him.
But the moment he recognized Osha, the same guy who had chased him yesterday, he quickly lowered his head again.
"Um, sorry for scaring you like that yesterday. I was new to this place, and some people aren't exactly willing to give a new guy some directions."
Osha explained gently.
Freminet hesitated, still holding the macaron, as if expecting Osha to suddenly take it back.
"Go on. It's good."
Osha said.
Well… he had never actually tasted one himself since he gave them all away. Instead, he took a sip of his milk, which was actually pretty decent.
After hesitating for quite a while, Freminet finally took a small bite of the macaron.
"Mm!"
There it was, every kid needed something a little sweet in their life.
"I'm Osha, by the way. I hope we get along. What's your name?"
There were two reasons Osha wanted to get closer to Freminet. First, the boy was actually a genius when it came to fixing mechanical clockwork, which was common here in Fontaine, and he would even invent things, like that small penguin of his in the future. Second… Osha simply felt a little bad for him.
"F-Freminet…"
Freminet replied quietly.
"Let's get along, okay?"
Osha said to Freminet.
"Mm…"
Freminet nodded, though he still didn't raise his head. He slowly held the macaron out toward Osha, offering it back. A small bite mark was already taken from it.
Osha smiled slightly at the gesture.
'This kid…'
Instead of taking the whole thing, Osha just broke off a small piece.
"Sweet stuff is bad for cats. Are you trying to kill me?"
Osha said sarcastically as he ate the tiny bit of macaron.
"N-No!"
Freminet quickly raised his head in alarm.
"Then you know why I gave it to you."
Osha replied with a faint smile.
"O-okay…"
Freminet lowered his head again, this time eating the macaron without worrying about losing it.
After a moment of Osha quietly watching Freminet eat the macaron, which was starting to make Freminet a little awkward, a higher-up entered the dining hall. He wore armor similar to the purple Fatui soldiers that wield those massive hammers in the game, and three adults from the House of the Hearth followed behind him.
"Listen up! Those who are new, stand up!"
His voice echoed across the dining hall, heavy with authority.
Osha stood up. Freminet glanced up at him with a worried look for a moment, but quickly lowered his head again once Osha noticed.
It wasn't just Osha, plenty of other kids around the hall stood up as well.
"Proceed to the training grounds! The adults will lead you there! Those who are caught not standing up will be punished severely! That is all. Everyone else, proceed to your assignments and responsibilities."
'Ah shit, here we go again...'