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The door to Pulcinella’s office seemed a lot larger than it really was, and suddenly Ajax felt like a little boy again. He had only officially become Fatui a few nights ago, a bit after Pulcinella first took him under their wing. It had been different ever since, his room was moved to the hallway across from Pulcinella’s office and he was allowed to sleep alone now.
Which, after 14 years of sharing a bedroom, was different. Ajax had a hard time sleeping ever since, and would often venture out after curfew to track down something to do. But tonight there was nothing he could do, and he found himself craving company.
Without even bothering to knock, Ajax quietly opened Pulcinella’s door. He knew they would still be awake, they often sat in their office until the latest hours of the night doing work. And he was right, as Pulcinella looked up at him and immediately frowned the lightest bit upon recognizing him.
They set down the papers in their hands and looked at him silently for a moment. Ajax shut the door behind him, making his way to the armchair at the edge of Pulcinella’s desk, where he made himself at home the past couple of days. Something about being in the company of the 5th Harbinger when he wasn’t out on the training field reassured the boy.
It was like an anchor to this reality, something keeping Ajax from losing it.
“What are you doing?” Pulcinella asked, their gaze trailing Ajax’s movements. They were never great about expressing how they felt, but Ajax didn’t mind.
He sat sideways in the armchair, hanging his long legs over one side, posed so that he could watch Pulcinella. Ajax was still in that awkward teenage phase where his body had too much space to fill. His dad suspected he’d hit a growth spurt soon but for now, he was stuck with long limbs and large feet and hands in comparison to the rest of his body.
He was actually quite short still, barely hitting 5'4.
Awkward.
“I can’t sleep.” Ajax said simply, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.
Pulcinella made a show of sighing heavily. “As soon as I’m done for the night, you’re going back to your room. I can’t have you running around the Palace in the dead of night, can I?”
Ajax shrugged uncomfortably at the sudden piercing gaze placed on him. Pulcinella had this sort of deadpan stare that they used quite frequently on Ajax, reminding him of when his mom would look at him, usually causing trouble, disappointedly. He thought the stare really highlighted the pale blue of Pulcinella’s eyes and the pale white of their skin, making them look like some kind of man made of ice rather than a living being.
It seemed they were simply waiting for a confirmation from Ajax because the second he mumbled out an “okay”, they turned their focus back to their work. A sort of comfortable silence fell over the pair and Ajax’s thoughts trailed a random path, leaving the current subject to wander around. He wondered where Pulcinella went at night, it seemed like they left their office and vanished.
Then again, it was possible they didn’t even leave their office. Ajax squinted at the door behind Pulcinella, oddly placed behind the desk they were sitting at. It was either an escape route or some kind of stairway leading up to a bedroom, and for that Ajax was sure. Unless it was his imagination wandering once more, he’d always been told he had a strong imagination after all.
~•~
The swinging of Ajax’s legs finally seemed to get on Pulcinella’s nerves, as they stood up suddenly. Ajax watched curiously as they strode over to a bookshelf by the door and studied it for a moment before picking something out. They handed it to Ajax as they returned to their seat, and he studied the cover for a moment before deciding to give it a try.
Historical fiction, somehow fitting that Pulcinella would read it. Ajax wasn’t particularly fond of the genre, but he was growing bored, and there wasn’t much else to do. So he began to read as well, holding the relatively large hardcover book in his lap as he did.
It wasn’t particularly interesting to him, and about a quarter of the way through he found himself too bored to continue. He closed the book rather loudly and looked up at Pulcinella, who was seemingly busy writing something.
“Why do you never leave your office?” Ajax was talking before he even realized what he was saying, another problem he never bothered to fix.
It used to bother Skirk, how much he’d talk. She’d usually get him to quiet by promising more training as soon as they got to a quiet place. He often wondered how she was doing now, if she missed his voice now that he was gone. Oh well, he’d find a way to visit her once he was older, and he could annoy her there as well.
Pulcinella didn’t look at him, but it was somehow clear he’d been heard. Maybe it was the sudden stiffness of their shoulders.
“I permanently injured my knee.” Pulcinella finally said, still not looking up from their work.
Ajax blinked. “How?”
Pulcinella didn’t answer, instead saying, “Aren’t you supposed to be reading?”
Ajax groaned heavily, tilting his head back for dramatic effect. He was swinging his legs again and while Pulcinella didn’t seem particularly pleased by this, they didn’t say anything. Their face just remained as blank as ever.
“Its boring,” Ajax complained honestly, kicking his leg particularly hard. It hit the wall and the thud made Ajax wince. Pulcinella didn’t move.
Instead, they put down their papers, standing up once more. “Get up,” Pulcinella ordered, though they didn’t seem upset. “Since that book isn’t your type and I have nothing better, we’re taking a trip down to the library.”
Ajax blinked dumbly before rising to his feet, compliant as he followed them out the office door. The library was still inside the Palace, but at least a 15 minute walk away, and that was the furthest he’d ever seen Pulcinella walk without starting to limp. He couldn’t help a prickle of concern as he looked up at the Harbinger, debating if he should mention it.
Eventually, he decided not to bring it up. He doubted Pulcinella would be spending an extra hour moving around if they didn’t think they’d be okay, especially for him, so he kept his mouth shut. If they ended up unable to walk back though, he’d definitely mention it then.
~•~
The Palace library was stupidly huge, and Ajax was proud to recall he knew it was managed by both Columbina, the 9th, and Pantalone, the 4th. Their subordinates were frequently sent down here to clean, and from Ajax’s understanding, paid graciously for it. Keeping the library clean, organized and running was something the two Harbingers were incredibly proud of and anyone who dare complain about it was shut down.
He also knew the third, Il Dottore, would often come up here from his lab room in Pantalone’s basement seeking a new way to pass time — or some way to expand his knowledge. Ajax had only met Dottore once, and it had been an encounter he was grateful to be saved from. His saviour was unsurprisingly Pulcinella, who seemed to go out of their way to make his time here easier.
The library was three stories tall, and the very top story had a large glass dome as the ceiling. Sneznhaya snowed quite frequently though, especially over the winter, so the night sky couldn’t be seen through all the piles of snow. Each story had a staircase on either side of the library going up to it, and the steps had a dark mahogany rug laid out over the golden-brown wooden flooring.
The railings of the stairways were lined with gold, sparking in the stupidly huge chandelier’s light as Ajax climbed the stairs behind Pulcinella. He grew a little more worried the second he saw the stairs and wondered if he’d get punished for asking if they could really make it up. Maybe it was best to keep his mouth shut this time around.
Eventually, they made it to the second floor, and Pulcinella stopped for a moment. Ajax turned to look at them, bending over with a hand gripping the railing firmly. Their other hand was resting on their injured knee and their expression was tight with pain. Had they been in pain the whole time, or did Ajax just now notice?
So much for keeping his mouth shut. “Are you okay?” Ajax broke the silence to ask a question, a rather stupid one because anyone could tell Pulcinella was not okay.
But yet, they straightened up as soon as Ajax spoke, their expression going flat. “Fine,” they grunted, walking past Ajax.
Pulcinella was starting to limp again, and so Ajax stubbornly stood still, his arms crossed over his chest. He stared defiantly at Pulcinella’s back.
“I’m not going any further until you sit down and rest.” He wished his words didn’t sound so pathetic, commanding a Harbinger to take a break. Maybe someday he’d be powerful enough for his words to matter.
Pulcinella stopped, not quite turning to look at Ajax anymore. They stood there for a moment and just as he was considering saying more, they finally faced him. As usual, Pulcinella’s expression was flat, though there was a glint of exasperation in their eyes somewhere. Ajax shifted uneasily.
“Fine.”
Ajax blinked. “What?”
Pulcinella sighed, as if thinking he wasn’t listening, and sat down on the floor carefully. Their back rested against a bookshelf and they stretched their injured leg out, a hand once more resting on their own knee. The other lifted into the air and pointed to their left.
“Directly down that way, two sections from the bathrooms, there’s the young adult fantasy section. Find yourself two books and come back here when you’re done. I’ll be waiting.”
Ajax hesitated before nodding swiftly, a little shaken that Pulcinella actually listened to his demand. He started down the hall, feeling their eyes on his back up until he disappeared around a corner, and began the hunt for a book.
~•~
When Ajax finally returned, two decent sounding books tucked under his arm, he was surprised to see Pulcinella speaking to someone else. He didn’t recognize this person, though the Harbinger symbol on their… cape(?) gave him enough details. Quietly, he hovered in the background, listening in until Pulcinella recognized him and beckoned him forward.
Ajax complied, scurrying up beside the still-sitting Pulcinella and looked at the new Harbinger curiously. He had long bronze hair, curly and cascading down his back in waves. The mask covering the top half of his face almost looked more masquerade than the rest of their masks, and his eyes were a sparkling green, peering out of the mask’s eye holes at him.
“This is the Second Harbinger, Arlecchino.” Pulcinella said from beside him.
Ajax suddenly stiffened, stood at attention with his arms firmly at his sides. Just like Pulcinella taught him to do. Respect for the First and Second was practically necessary to survive here; most of the others would let him get away with it because of his direct association to Pulcinella. Pierro was decently kind when Ajax first met him, though distant in a fairly eerie way.
He was also small. Not short like the Balladeer, or skinny like Dottore. He just looked small, as if he would be able to crawl into the tiniest of holes and hide away. Ajax couldn’t explain it.
“There’s no need for that,” Arlecchino laughed. He had a sort of booming laugh, fitting for a man of his large stature, and it briefly reminded Ajax of his dad. “I won’t kill you, relax. The paperwork would be too much work, and ’Nella here wouldn’t be too fond of me afterwards.”
Pulcinella sighed heavily and struggled to their feet. Ajax was tempted to offer a helping hand but he resisted, relaxing as the atmosphere did as well.
“I told you not to call me that,” Pulcinella said, then turned to face Ajax. “He's scarcely in the Palace itself, he runs an orphanage just at our border with Natlan.” That was pretty far south.
Seemingly eager to escape the situation with Arlecchino, Pulcinella kept talking. “Did you get your books?”
Ajax held his books up proudly, presenting Pulcinella with the cover of the one stacked on top. They seemed to approve, and turned to Arlecchino once more, telling him they needed to go. He simply said goodbye, even ruffling Ajax’s hair — to which he frowned a little at — and turned to leave. Ajax wasn’t quite sure how to feel about the 2nd.
Although it did surprise him that both of the most respected Harbingers were kind to him. Ajax had met the Balladeer twice and so far, each time, Scaramouche seemed to despise his presence. Pulcinella told him that was simply how Scaramouche was, however.
He, fortunately, hadn’t met Signora yet. But the only things he heard of her were either whispered complaints at how terrifying she was, or comments about how pretty she was. Ajax didn’t like the last ones, especially since most of them came from other boys his age, and he tended to stray from those boys during training. He didn’t believe a Harbinger should be anything but respected.
Maybe Ajax should be a little more grateful that Pulcinella had taken him in, his association to them seemed to earn him a significant amount of respect around here.
~•~
When the pair finally returned to Pulcinella’s office, their limp had worsened and they immediately propped their leg up on the desk the second they sat down. Without flinching, they encased their knee with ice outside their pants leg, and Ajax frowned a little at the display. He was tempted to ask why they bothered to go out of their way and hurt themselves, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Instead, he settled in the armchair once more, curling up with one of the books in his lap. Ajax felt Pulcinella looking at him for a moment longer before they returned to their work. And the pair stayed like that, quiet until Pulcinella was ordering a tired Ajax back to his room to rest.
Grumpily, Ajax closed the book loudly and left the office, making his way across the hall to his room. Pulcinella wasn’t even done working and it was only 1:00am, far too early for him to be going to sleep. But he was tired, and so he willingly climbed to bed, feeling oddly content there for the first time in nights.