There were a lot of benefits with collaborating with the Fatui. Although they do often have morally ambiguous and mostly questionable actions, they do have a few merits with them.
Like a strict hierarchy that commands absolute respect for those at the top.
And Arlecchino, being a Harbinger herself, had sufficient authority within the Fatui.
Coupled with the collaboration between her and Isaac, it would come as to no surprise when said certain benefits come into play here.
"Stay here for the time being, sir."
"Alright."
Isaac was led to a room in the pub he visited in Nasha Town with the utmost importance.
Truly, the Fatuus insignia he got directly from Arlecchino proved its worth quite quickly than he initially anticipated.
Walking over to the bed in the room, he sat down and made himself comfortable.
As he laid there, his eyes drifted and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"...this really is not that bad."
With the way things have been lately, Isaac noticed that his personal free time has shortened considerably, meaning his relaxation was being cut.
That would have been fine, but to do it every day would only invite burning out and gradual demotivation into his life.
Isaac loved his job. But sometimes, it can be a little tiring.
As such, small vacations like this do work wonders not only for his body, but for his mind also.
"I wonder how the others are doing?" He mumbled to himself. "The café would be closed for a few days or so... I wonder what they'll do in the meantime?"
"But oh well, that's none of my business right now."
He discarded those thoughts and made himself comfortable.
That's right, he was on vacation right now. He didn't need to think about anything else and just focus on completing what he came here to do.
Isaac continued to idle around in that room for a bit, when finally, a knock came from the door, prompting him to look.
"...Isaak?"
Oh, and yes, he used a slightly different name when he introduced himself. Clever, really.
Isaac jumped up from the bed and walked over to the door. He grabbed the hilt, and without any delay, opened it.
"Yes?"
Truth be told, he already knew who was on the opposite side of this door. It couldn't just be another random Fatuus or an officer, no, it had to be the only person he had been searching for.
With the insignia he gave, it was clear that the message he was conveying was that he was an envoy of another Harbinger.
And so, who was better to meet a subordinate of another Harbinger, than another Harbinger himself?
Isaac's eyes looked at the person that just arrived.
There, standing just before the threshold, was a man whose face was obscured by his helmet.
He had a large build and a long black hair that protrudes from the back of his helmet and over his shoulders, and wore a black winter coat with a black bodysuit underneath.
"Are you the one under The Knave?" The man asked with a tone befitting someone with authority.
'Whoa...' Maintaining his calm façade, Isaac felt the pressure weigh down on him from all directions. 'So this is what it feels like... To stand in the presence of a human whose strength is on par with the gods...'
The man who bears the curse of immortality, had lived through countless battles, and is the First of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, whose strength rivaled the gods themselves, was standing in front of him.
"That's right," Isaac replied slowly, trying his best to not slip up. "Nice to meet you..."
"Il Capitano."
The one who Isaac had been looking for.
The Captain, whose face he cannot see or not to mention read, didn't show any other reactions and merely nodded slightly.
"May I come in?"
'Polite.' Isaac noted in his mind. He then stepped aside. "Of course. Please, come inside."
The Captain didn't say anything else and stepped in through the door. He walked over to the middle of the room before looking back at Isaac.
As for the latter, he had already closed the door and was looking back at The Captain, still in his façade.
The Captain didn't say anything at first, but after a few moments, he initiated the conversation.
"Are you an orphan of The Knave?" He asked.
"No, not really." Isaac replied with a shrug. "I'm more of something like... her collaborator. Or a cohort."
"That doesn't explain why The Knave would give an executive insignia to you without a more proper reason."
"Well... Who knows?" Isaac's lips curled into a faint smirk, but his eyes didn't dare linger too long on The Captain's form. "She must've seen something useful in me, I suppose."
Or the other way around.
The Captain gave no visible reaction. He simply stood there, a mountain of a man whose presence filled the entire room without even trying to.
'Incredible…' Isaac thought, hiding his awe behind a calm façade. 'Not a single wasted motion. Just by standing there, he feels immovable… Absolute.'
Just then, The Captain voiced a question that Isaac had long been anticipating.
"Why did you come here, all the way from Fontaine?"
Isaac straightened up, his tone steady and even. "I came here to seek an answer."
"...an answer?" The Captain's voice carried that weight again, as though every word he uttered demanded Isaac to choose his next words with caution.
"Yes. Something I believe only you could provide."
The Captain's head tilted slightly. "Then you should've sought out my colleague, The Doctor. He is… more inclined toward giving answers."
"No. Not him." Isaac's composure faltered just enough to show his distaste, to show him his true intentions. His voice held a sharp edge, almost instinctive as he spoke. "I don't want anything to do with that man."
The Captain regarded him silently, neither chastising nor questioning Isaac's audacity to say such a thing so brazenly in front of him. But that silence was heavier than any rebuke Isaac anticipated.
"So then why are you here?" The Captain finally asked. "If not for The Doctor, what use is this meeting?"
Isaac paused. His gaze narrowed down on the obscured face before him, and with seamless composure, he said, "I came here for you, Captain."
That drew the first trace of tension in the air, though whether it was curiosity or scrutiny, Isaac could not tell.
He breathed in quietly, choosing his words, and continued. "I want you to teach me. Not in combat, nor as a soldier or officer… but to learn something no other could impart."
The Captain's silence stretched as he listened. Isaac thought for a moment that perhaps he had overstepped his request, but then, the reply came, steady and unyielding.
"Teaching is not my specialty."
Isaac's lips pressed into a faint, restrained smile. "Perhaps not in the conventional sense. But what I want to learn is not a skill, nor a technique. What I seek… is a lesson. A lesson in life, if you will. Something only you might know too well, Captain."
"It's your pure indomitable will."
The Captain shifted, faintly, as if weighing the words. "...And why do you think I qualify to teach you something that?"
Isaac inhaled, then let it out slowly. His eyes locked straight on the helmeted figure, unwavering.
"Because only someone like you could."
He had seen what The Captain was capable of and knew how strong his will was. His resolve was undoubtedly unmatched in the same way his will to impose it was undeniable.
Why else would he persist for centuries worth of torment, his flesh rotting and his strength fading, just to achieve a certain goal?
That was because he had conviction unlike any other.
And Isaac... Isaac wanted to know how to also do that.
As such, looking at the man he idolized in front of him, Isaac continued with a steadfast look.
He then smiled wryly.
"Please?"
It was worth the shot.