Bloodstained snow. Ayame walks alone amongst the snowy white, lost in her thoughts. Until an unfortunate Fatui member gets

Bloodstained snow.

Ayame walks alone amongst the snowy white, lost in her thoughts. Until an unfortunate Fatui member gets sent to silence her.

Tw: dark themes, mentions of blood.

A short girl with pale pink hair hidden by a giant hat walked through the snowy landscape. Her hat had bells and ribbons on it, a thin cloth hiding her face from the cruel eyes of the snow that stood awfully still everywhere she looked.

As she walked, a soft melody echoed in the empty, freezing air. Her breath fogged in the harsh winds, and her hands felt numb, but she kept walking.

She whore a cloak lined with fur in hopes of keeping herself warm against the dying of the dim sunlight. She quietly cursed under her breath, regretting that she didn’t wear warmer clothes before she left for the endless mountains.

Her footsteps here muffled by the snow, her eyes as cold as the trees looming over her, welcoming her amongst their fallen leaves and twisted roots.

She shifted her eyes to her left, a quick movement made her aware that she wasn’t as alone as she previously thought. She started humming, a faint melody quick to drift off in the icy waters and deep below the surface.

It was around midnight, and in the dead of night, someone, or something, kept her company just outside her vision. She walked, aimlessly almost, but she kept a close eye on the movements behind the trees.

As time hopelessly dragged on, the person, or well, Ayame was sure it was a person by now, become more confident. They moved quicker, sure that the girl didn’t see them. They made more noise, assured the girl wouldn’t hear the twigs snap under their foot over the sound of her hypnotic humming. They breathed faster, by now all fear of failure had escaped them, probably a Fatui member.

She softly chuckled, slowly losing interest in the spy following her. Probably to get information, or maybe to end her life before she got where she wanted to.

“You can come out now. I know you’re there, after all. There really isn’t any reason to continue this, wouldn’t you agree?” she spoke, her voice a bit too cheerful. It dripped caramel sweet poison as each word was laced with more and more amusement.

“Ahhh, afraid of failure, I see. Very well, if you will not comply, then I shall drag you out of the shadows myself.” her smile was gone, instead, she looked angry. Not that the Fatui agent that was so sure of being unnoticed could see.

The cloth around her hat covered her face, but as the Fatui agent lunged out at her, knife pointing at her neck, she turned around meeting their eye.

Her eyes where cold, piercing. They drove this overwhelming sense of fear into the Agent’s weary heart. Their pulse quickened, their breathing raced, but Ayame was kind, and she didn’t mind helping them calm down.

She laughed at the face of death itself, the knife barely an inch away from her skin, the light that reflected off of its sharp surface intrigued her deeply.

“Do your worst, hit me where it hurts.” she said in a breathless laughter, twisted amusement dancing behind her eyes.

In one swift movement, blood splattered around the trees, it stained the fresh snow, tainting its color with a crimson hue.

Ayame reached up, wiping the blood off her cheek with her thumb. She looked down, watching the Fatui Agent bleed on the ground.

“The pain will pass, eventually.” her words didn’t match her tone. One was soft and reassuring, the other was cruel and mocking.

Now which was which, I’ll let you figure that one out on your own. It wouldn’t be fun to give you all the answers, now would it?

Ayame sighed, happy to finally know where she was going, and who she had to fight. But she knew I wouldn’t be easy.

She didn’t feel as bad about taking Fatui lives. They started this war, they attacked her first, they pointed their blades at her first. And now, she was returning their oh so kind gesture.

The snow soon became monotone again, void of the same crimson that pooled below the Agent. And so, she began humming once more.

Stories spoke of a pale woman, who’s hands bring death after melodies accompanied by soft bells. Ayame wasn’t heartless, she felt bad for all the lives she cut short, for all the families she bruised and broke, but this had to be done.