Knights' Headquarters
"Ah… oh no—"
Just as Lisa was about to speak, Lumine suddenly gasped, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's wrong? Do you need help, Lumine?"
Rita glanced up from the note, concern evident. She didn't know why Lumine suddenly looked so flustered, but she knew Lumine must need support.
"It's this—Sarah, Charles, and Margaret each had commissions for Jean to handle. But Jean's gone. How should we respond to them?" Lumine blurted. She'd nearly forgotten those requests until now; with Jean missing, she didn't know how to proceed. Some commissions were unusual and usually only Jean would handle them.
"I see." Lisa frowned, thinking fast. The typical citizen requests were small—but many were tasks the people of Mondstadt expected Jean to deal with personally. If Jean was suddenly unavailable, they needed a believable explanation that wouldn't arouse suspicion.
Lisa brainstormed: diplomatic trip to a neighboring country? Out on a lengthy monster-hunting mission? No—those explanations required many people and were too easy to poke holes in.
She thought quality options through, one after another.
"Okay—we can do the commissions ourselves," Lisa said aloud, "but we'll still need a cover story to explain Jean's absence. Something convincing."
Paimon's ideas arrived immediately, as energetic and naive as ever.
"What if Jean has a boyfriend, and they went on a vacation? Or—maybe she's getting married! Or—she's pregnant!" Paimon declared with exaggerated cheer.
Everyone stared.
"Say another word and I'll lock you in a chest outside," Lisa told Paimon flatly.
"Aah—no!" Paimon squealed and darted behind Rita.
"Overwork and sudden illness," Rita suggested calmly. "That fits Jean—she's been pushing herself nonstop. It's believable."
Lisa nodded. "Good. That's the plan. Tell the people she's unwell and needs rest. We'll handle the commissions. Charles's errand I'll take—he has special requirements that you might find tricky."
"Understood." Rita stood, ready. "We'll begin."
Outside:
"Thinking about handling Jean's requests makes me nervous," Rita admitted as they walked. These weren't trivial errands; Jean usually handled them herself.
"Actually they're mostly small things—finding lost cats, handling hilichurl trouble—and not that hard," Paimon chirped.
Rita's smile tightened a second. She'd meant it—Montstadt's de facto manager did take care of even the small matters personally. But fine. They had a job to do.
"Which commission shall we do first?" Rita asked.
"The cat searches," Lumine answered. "Let's help Margaret find that black little prince—likely around the market and residential area."
Rita climbed onto a rooftop to scout—cats loved high places.
"Woah—Rita's amazing!" Paimon gaped when Rita moved with ease.
Lumine folded her arms, a touch smug. "I can do it too."
Rita returned from the roof with a small sleek black cat curled in her arms. "Found him—he's a handsome fellow."
Paimon gushed about how easily Rita had handled the task, then teasingly reminded Lumine how she often chased across half of Mondstadt when doing commissions. Lumine flushed—this small competitive spark lit up inside her. She wasn't about to let Rita steal her thunder.
Rita handed the cat back to Margaret—who was grateful and relieved—and the trio moved on.
"The next job is clearing hillchurls from the trade route," Lumine announced. "I'm familiar with that."
They headed toward the Deer Hunter's Inn. There the group ran into Amber helping Sarah. Amber was brimming with energy, ready to take the hillchurl job.
Rita—listening as Lumine volleyed helpful tips about local resources—felt a little out of place. Lumine eagerly offered to collect needed ingredients for Sarah's orders: sweet flowers and fowl meat. Lumine insisted she knew Montstadt like the back of her hand—she wanted to prove it. This time, Lumine was determined to show she could match Rita.
"Alright, I'll take care of it," Lumine said, and dashed off toward the outskirts.
Rita watched her go, puzzled: why rush off alone? More hands would make the work easier.
Knights' Headquarters — Office
Venti shook his head. "No, there's nothing here," he said, frustrated. He, Kaeya, and Diluc had canvassed the Headquarters and surrounding area: no trace of Jean. No evidence—no strange elements, nothing indicating a magic-based abduction. Only the odd note remained.
They pooled theories. One credible escape method stood out: Jean might have slipped out via the Cider Lake that rings the city—an unobserved drop from the office window into the water could enable a quiet landing a short swim from the shore. From there she could cross out of Mondstadt. Alternatively, the window could be used to reach a rooftop and then use a wind glider to leave, but wind gliding usually leaves witnesses. Another possibility: sneaking out to the perimeter and using a small boat at the logistics harbor. Or if an ice-vision user was involved, she could have temporarily frozen a path on the lake to escape, though that was less likely.
"A lake exit seems most plausible for a stealthy departure," Diluc concluded. "We must search the shore and the immediate surroundings."
"We'll split up," Diluc ordered. "Kaeya, marshal the Knights. We need manpower."
"I'll check known acquaintances of Jean," Lisa said quietly. "Someone close may have seen something."
Venti offered a creative trick: "I can conjure a brief illusion—take my shape for a short period to help cover public appearances while we keep the search discreet." The Knights would then have a living Jean as a temporary stand-in if needed to avoid panic.
Kaeya left to muster the patrols immediately.
Lisa started to quietly interview names on Jean's list.
Rita knocked and entered the office. Venti greeted her politely, then shared their considered escape vectors on a scrap of paper.
"I can help," Rita said upon reading it. "I'll assist with searches and interviews."
"Good—every pair of eyes helps," Diluc said, standing. He and Kaeya were ready to mobilize.
Rita followed behind as the search began, thinking: it was time to give them a clue—something they could act on next.
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