Gentle and Refined Kiana

That night, the bright moon hung high in the sky. "It hurts..." Kiana slowly woke up, finding her hands bound with thick ropes. She was lying on a makeshift bed made of white cloth laid over straw.

"You were really impulsive. Grandpa Arthur is my combat instructor, not someone you can just deal with."

A familiar voice sounded again. Kiana looked towards the source and saw Kallen, her hands still cuffed with heavy shackles, leaning against the wall. Her eyes were full of concern. "But don't worry, I've already explained to Grandpa Arthur. You and I just met, and you can leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Kiana retorted defensively, "I didn't! I was just caught off guard! Then... what about you, sister?"

Seeing that Kiana was still thinking of her well-being at a time like this, Kallen's heart warmed. She pretended to be relaxed, "I have to stay here for a while longer. It's okay."

Kiana then remembered she hadn't even asked Kallen's name. "Oh right, sister, I don't know your name yet. I'm Kiana, what about you?"

"My name is Kallen, beautiful lady," Kallen said with a gentle smile.

Kiana asked curiously, "Sister Kallen, why are you locked up here?"

Kallen gave a wry smile. "...Probably because I stole something that belonged to someone else."

Kiana, with a confidence she didn't know where it came from, stated firmly, "Stealing?! Sister Kallen, how could someone as kind as you steal! They must have made a mistake!"

Looking at Kiana's innocent eyes, Kallen couldn't bear to lie. She finally told her with a solemn expression, "No, I did steal something from someone..."

"I get it! Sister Kallen must be robbing the rich to help the poor, just like Robin Hood." Kiana still believed Kallen had her reasons for acting this way.

Kallen sighed helplessly. "It's not like that. If I had to say... it's because if that thing fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, it would cause an irreversible catastrophe. Alright, it's very late. You should get some rest." With that, Kallen ignored Kiana's further questions and slowly closed her eyes.

The night deepened. In an alley not far from the dungeon, a naked man, covered in wounds, was hanging upside down from a clothesline. If Kiana were there, she would have recognized him as the guy who dragged Kallen away that morning.

"Damn it, I'm going to kill you all, you idiots— Ah!" Before the man could finish speaking, his abdomen was hit by a heavy punch, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Standing before him was a man in an identical black robe, wearing a Raven Mask.

At this moment, the man in black was holding a document, comparing the bruised and swollen face of the man with the photo on the document. "Oh dear, forgive me for saying so, Mr. Castro, but your appearance... is truly ugly beyond compare. I think even among Honkai Beasts, or rather, Exotic Beasts, there are few as uniquely featured as you."

"You brat, don't let me down, or I'll— Mmph mmmph mmmph!"

A large piece of cloth was stuffed into Castro's mouth. The man in black patted Castro with a smile and said kindly, "Mr. Castro, you talk too much. Take a rest. It's still 8 hours until dawn. I'll be borrowing your clothes for now."

"Oh, right. I heard that the residents of this neighborhood don't get along well with Schicksal enforcers. If you're still alive tomorrow morning, I'll return your clothes to you. Well, goodbye!"

The man in black put on the Raven Mask, and disappeared into the night.

The next day, just as Kiana was fast asleep, a guard's cold voice rang out without warning: "Kiana, your mother is here to pick you up."

Kiana groggily raised her head. "Huh? Oh, I'm coming right out." As Kiana got up, she looked back at Kallen reluctantly. "Sister Kallen, why are you..."

Kallen smiled understandingly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Go see your family."

Kiana hesitated, but the guard roughly pushed her. "Stop wasting time and get going!"

"Don't push me, you bastard!"

After watching Kiana leave the cell, Kallen's smile gradually faded, and a hint of sadness returned to her face. Not far away, the guard looked towards a corner and drew his sword. "Who's there!"

"Oh? Is this how you treat your master?" From the shadows, a man in black emerged, looking coldly at the guard.

"L-Lord Castro."

"How did the matter I entrusted you with last night go?"

"My lord, you didn't..."

"A bunch of useless people!" The man in black slapped the guard hard, the force of which sent him sprawling to the ground. "Did you take my orders lightly?"

The man in black grabbed the guard by the collar and lifted him up. "If this happens again, you won't see tomorrow's sun!"

"Yes... My lord, this subordinate knows his mistake." The guard knew that in this situation, silence was the best course of action.

The man in black snorted, threw the guard aside, looked at Kallen in the cell, nodded, and then turned to leave, leaving Kallen with a suspicious look: Mr. Castro seems very... strange today?

Outside the cell, Kiana stared at Bronya, who was dressed like a big doll, and fell into deep suspicion. Is this my mom? Have you ever seen a mom shorter than her daughter? Hey! However, under the intimidating presence of the Heavy Trooper Bunny, she didn't say it out loud.

"I apologize profusely for the trouble my daughter has caused. We will take our leave now." Bronya, holding a parasol that was comically disproportionate to her height, turned and quickly pulled Kiana away.

"Bronya, don't walk so fast, wait for me! Hey, wait, where's Sheng Jiu?" Kiana finally realized something was amiss.

"He has his own mission. We're leaving first." Bronya led Kiana into a secluded small room and opened the door. "Idiot Kiana, so reckless, actually fighting with the man in black."

"It was an emergency situation! I'm actually very gentle and refined..." Before she could finish, the door was suddenly pulled open, and the man in black who had appeared in the cell earlier walked in.

"They're already chasing us? Watch this, this lady will show you—"

Enemies meet, eyes burn with hatred. Kiana, ignoring Bronya's obstruction, launched a whip kick at the man in black. The man in black hadn't expected Kiana to attack and took the full force of her kick, falling to the ground immediately.

"Hmph, you dare to come again? Watch this lady—"

"Idiot Kiana, look closely at who this is," Bronya's exasperated voice rang out.

"...You... girls... always greet each other like this... Damn it..." A familiar voice came from the Raven Mask. Kiana was startled and immediately crouched down, pulling off the mask of the man in black, revealing Sheng Jiu's face contorted in pain.

"Ahhh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" Kiana's face turned as red as a ripe apple. She quickly helped Sheng Jiu up and sat him on a chair...

After two minutes of rest, Sheng Jiu could finally speak fluently. Kiana sat to the side with a flushed face, not daring to look at him.

"Alright, it's okay. My fault, my fault, for not explaining beforehand. See, I'm fine, aren't I?" Sheng Jiu smiled and ruffled Kiana's hair.

"Don't flatter yourself! I... I wasn't worried about you at all!" Kiana said, but she still looked up at Sheng Jiu's swollen left cheek. "...I used too much force just now. Are you really okay?"

"Heh, it's nothing. I'm tough, what could happen? Come, come, eat an apple." Sheng Jiu, as if by magic, produced three apples and handed two of them to Kiana and Bronya respectively. "I found out about the matter you asked me to investigate."