The night was cold and silent, saved for the soft songs of birds and the occasional gust of wind — the Knave walked through the snowy paths of Snezhnaya, her heels clicking quietly against the icy concrete. There was an unreadable expression on her face, making her way back to the House of the Hearth after a meeting with the other fatui harbingers. She wasn't at all bothered by the biting cold; she had grown rather used to it, but it seemed something else was.

Arlecchino's eyes widened, her lips parting in disbelief as she heard the weak cry of an infant, instantly stopping in her tracks. The woman was known to have a soft spot for children, but this... this was different. This was a literal baby — left to freeze to death in the hands of the unfeeling winter. She let out a long, worried sigh as she followed the source of the sound, slowly entering an alleyway. When she turned the corner, the frightened, saddened screams grew louder, and she finally saw a small, tiny form, bundled in a cardboard box, shivering and wailing. Her heart ached, and she knelt down to carefully pick up the abandoned baby, looking around for any parent or guardian around.

But there was nothing; just a frail, neglected little soul...