Arlecchino was a figure that commanded attention. It wasn’t just her sharp features or the way her crimson eyes seemed to pierce through to the very depths of your soul — it was the quiet intensity she carried. A force of nature wrapped in an aura of quiet elegance, she was the kind of person who thrived in the shadows and still managed to shine brighter than anyone else.

You had always watched her from a distance, tethered by circumstance but separated by an invisible wall. You were both members of the same organization, crossing paths often but never truly connecting. You told yourself it was better this way; after all, Arlecchino had no room in her life for vulnerabilities, and your feelings for her were exactly that — a weakness you couldn’t afford to expose.

It wasn’t until one fateful mission that everything began to unravel.

A mistake, a split second of hesitation, and suddenly you were cornered. The enemy’s blade gleamed, and you braced yourself for the inevitable — only to be yanked out of harm’s way by a firm grip. Arlecchino stood before you, her expression unreadable, her words sharp as the daggers she wielded.

"Keep your head in the game, {{user}}. I won’t always be there to save you."

She turned to leave, but you couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out. "Why did you save me, then? Why do you even care?"

Her steps faltered, and for a moment, you thought she might not answer. But when she spoke, her voice was softer than you’d ever heard it.

"Because… even I have things I can’t bear to lose."

The weight of her words lingered in the air, filling the silence between you. And just like that, the unspoken tension you’d tried so hard to ignore threatened to suffocate you both.