All According to the Plan

{AN: I changed how Aleksei refers to Yelan, calling her dog rather than fly. I prefer thinking about her as a guarding dog rather than an annoying fly.}

Over a room at Baiju Guesthouse, Aleksei was resting on the sofa when a Fatui Agent entered the room.

"Master Aleksei" The Agent bowed "Our cargo ship had been attacked by an unknown enemy."

"Losses?" Aleksei asked calmly while playing with his cup.

"Master, they..." The Agent made a worried voice "They had robbed the present for the Tsaritsa."

"Clank!" Aleksei left the cup on the table "The dog, eh?" He whispered inaudible "Anything else?" He asked calmly.

"No, master. Should we sent a force to investigate?" The Agent asked already preparing the forces to attack.

"No, there's no need for it. Forget about it. Let her keep it as a consolidation prize" Aleksei let it go, taking again his cup of whisky "Command the ship to leave at time."

"Yes, master" The Agent bowed again, leaving the room. He was unsure of Aleksei's decision but he knew better than to go against his orders.

"HM!" Finally, finding himself alone, Aleksei couldn't stop himself more "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He burst at laughed, the cup in his hand falling down and breaking.

"That dog really felt for it! How could such a trashy cloth deserve to be even touched by the Tsaritsa?! She really took that consolidation price, pitifully thinking that she got us. She might even wear it from now on as a sign of her little victory over us when in truth is my gift for letting us have such a great vaul this time."

"Puahh! HAHAHAHAHA" His laugh resounded over the room.

"You sure have nasties hobbies" The door opened, an old woman entering from it that if Allen were to seen her, he would recognize her as the old woman that had sold him the Promise to meet again back then at the festival. "Could you just let it go?" She asked.

"Don't be such a party popper. If you leave the dog hungry, it would start attacking indiscriminately. It's better to leave her with some bones. " Aleksei explained, "I'm sure that if it had been your idea, you will enjoy it?" Aleksei said it between laughs "no, Alina?"

A green glow shined over the old woman's hips followed by roses blooming all over her body, covering it fully just to fall over the ground, disappearing and revealing in their place, a Fatuus Agent wearing a crimson suit. Alina took out her hood and mask, revealing her deep blue eyes and bright blond hair.

"Hum!" Alina fumed, letting herself fall over one of the sofas.

"And we finally have the last man, here" just as Aleksei talked, the door opened again, this time entering a young man. He was a tall man over 2 meters tall, with caramel-colored skin and green emerald eyes. He would be considered quite handsome and gather a lot of attention from the opposite sex if it weren't for his face that lacked of any mark of expression to the point of being strange and unnatural. He wore green robes covering all his body, only revealing his toned arms and a light green Anemo Vision tying his right brace.

"The man who never smiles, Kevin!" Aleksei introduced clapping his hands. Kevin for his part, sat over the free sofa without saying a word.

"Now that we are all here. Let's start our reunion" Aleksei said "We can finally take out our masks." Aleksei took out his man, showing a quite handsome face with high cheeks and black eyes that went well with his curly black hair. He didn't stop even a moment, taking some glasses from his pockets and putting them on, smiling at the other two.

Alina looked down at Aleksei "You are the only one that Lord Pantalone forces to wear one."

"Not everyone is a monster like you, Alina, or doesn't have any feelings like Keving. I'm too sentimental!. Hahaha!" He laughed.

"Let's go finish it quickly, so we can all return to our jobs" Alina hurried Aleksei.

"Okay, okay" Aleksei nodded, taking out an envelope and opening it "For this year's Liyue Competition, the winner who will be in charge of Vladivostok over the next year is...? Drumroll!" he made the gesture of playing drums "ALINA! Congratulations!" He said laughing.

The Liyue Competition was a yearly competition of Pantalone's aides who competed against each other for the best results over the Rite of Descension.

The Aides would divide in two groups, the open and hidden, needing to turn to a different one the next year. The open group, prepared inversions, trying to anticipate the future regulation and win the most about them, all of it more or less legally.

On the other hand, the hidden group made a more legally doubtful work. They worked behind the scene, robbing, killing and preparing the groundwork for the open team.

"You cleaned the way for your young student, making him meet the Yuheng. Letting her escape, keeping her guards away, all of it while guiding him to where you wanted."

"It was truly a touched time when you stopped her from running away, blowing away her hood using Kevin's Vision, and how little Allen solved everything. Causing a big final for their relation, making them fight some Hoarders." Aleksei said amazed "All of it without forgetting that you were also testing him. Letting a trace of him working for the Fatui, even using the need to safe his life to let one knife with our mark. Splendid!" Aleksei clapped "Causing for Yelan to go after him and see how he reacted. Quite good, I must say."

"Have you finished talking?" Alina said, without hiding her disgust.

"All of it culminating with what it truly caused your indisputable win" Aleksei said continuing to read Pantalone's letter "Without even little Allen knowing, giving him a Promise already marked with Kevin's power, making it a communicator."

Even when his name was said Kevin didn't really react. That lack of emotions and ambitions was the reason for him not really participating in the competition and being like a support for the other two. He really didn't have the ambition necessary to become the next Pantalone, but the reason of him being an aide was that he was simply too good!

He was a human calculator and the best account, plus a Vision user quite useful, his Anemo vision having a certain control over sound. Being able to attack with sound blasts or like in this case create communications between two objects, similar to a one-line walkie-talkie. Being undetectable and extremely useful in this world where no phones existed.

Kevin was the reason for the efficient movements between Pantalone's forced, boosting their communication power. The only downside being the limited number that he could create and that they truly couldn't be used for a long time before they lost their ability.

"One half been kept by Allen, letting you spy at him and even see how he reacted with Yelan and of course the other half" Aleksei clapped again "Letting Keqing keep it, listening to everything around her for over a week like her reunion with the other Qixing, stating the policies given by Morax, obtaining the information of Liyue for the next year."

"You truly had outdone this year Alina" Aleksei said truthfully impressed "How great is too have intelligent guys that follow and act as expected, even when they don't know it. Hahahaha!" he laughed "You should give him to me."

"I won't" Alina negated "Lord Pantalone had let him at my care. I won't let you break him."

"It doesn't matter, in the end" Aleksei smiled "As he would be mine once I become Pantalone. The old man has become quite old, it would be short" He grinned.

"You are always too full of yourself, Alek" Alina glared at him "Don't forget. I won this time and I will win in the future. I won't let you taint Pantalone's good name."

"Try it if you can" Aleksei grinned madly.

"The time for the reunion had finished" Kevin was the one to interrupt the two of them that seemed to want to start a fight in that moment "Goodbye" He said leaving the room.

"Another party pooper" Aleksei clicked his tongue.

"Bye" Alina said disappearing.

"Struggle as much as you want, Alina" Aleksei grinned "It's futile. I will end up winning Pantalone's position and..." he made a pause "you! KUAHAHAHAHA!"