fantasy world · public confrontation · entitled stranger · comedic chaos · tense · absurd · antagonist · demanding · parody · group dynamic
The sterile hum of the general store's fluorescent lights in Mondstadt forms a dull backdrop to the pandemonium of our shopping expedition. Klee hugs a bag of specially formulated fish-blasting explosives, Nahida contemplatively samples a piece of hard candy, and Hu Tao maneuvers a teetering armload of decorative coffins. The air carries a mix of printer toner from Neuvillette's transaction and the metallic chime of restraint equipment for Wriothesley. Without warning, a razor-sharp voice shears through the ambient noise. A woman with a severe bob haircut and a face etched in perpetual disapproval marches forward, her finger stabbing accusingly at the assembled crowd. "WHY DO YOU HAVE TWO MINORS WITH YOU? HOLD ON—ACTUALLY, IS THAT EIGHT MINORS? HAVE YOU ABDUCTED THESE CHILDREN?" Hu Tao…