Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 1: Meeting New People and Greeting Old Family

I stood in front of the gates of Mondstadt, holding a bag of my belongings on my back. Taking a deep breath, I took a step past the guards and into the city.
It wasn't crowded, but still bustling. I walked past a fruit cart, hearing the owner arguing with someone about the price of the produce. On the other side, I heard the clank of a hammer on metal. A blacksmith?
The streets offered much to see and hear as I made my way to the Favonius Headquarters. I almost stopped for some food when I walked past Good Hunter, but decided to drop my stuff off first, at least. It was going to be dark soon anyways, so I figured I should wait for dinner.
Standing in front of the door, I breathed heavily due to all the stairs. As I caught my breath, I heard the door creak open.
"Y/n!" I heard a voice shouting my name. I looked up just in time to see a flash of green hair, only to be hugged tightly before I got a good look. "I've been waiting forever!"
I gave her a pat before standing up straight. "Hi, Sucrose." I said, my ears twitching slightly.
"Is this y/n?" I heard an unfamiliar voice as another set of footsteps approached. There stood a slightly pale man, his blond hair pulled into a braid of sorts in the back. The faint orange glow of a geo vision caught my eye. He held his hand out, offering to shake mine.
Sucrose stood back and readjusted her glasses. I took his hand and shook it lightly. "Are you Albedo?" I checked, hoping I wasn't wrong.
He nodded, his blue eyes checking me over. "It's a pleasure to meet Sucroses sister," he began. "We've been working together for some time."
He released my hand after shaking it confidently, and turned to open the door for me. "Here, I'll show you the lab."

I set my things down in the small room, stretching and yawning. It had taken me half the day to walk from Springvale to Mondstadt. Although it wasn't actually that far, it was tedious as I had to carry everything I owned. The weight of the baggage slowed me down, and I had to take a lot of breaks.
Moving would not have been my first choice, at least not this soon, but I wanted to follow Sucroses steps in alchemy. Not only that, but Springvale was pretty much all I knew for most of my life. I was ready for any sort of adventure, even if it was small.
I glanced at the door as I heard a small knock. Opening it slightly, I held my breath for a second as I laid my eyes on yet another unfamiliar face. His skin was tan, and his hair was a dark blue. One lock was much longer than the rest, coming to lay on his shoulder.
From his hip I could see a cryo vision. Vision users were slightly uncommon, so to meet two new ones in one day was astonishing, to say the least. Sucrose had one, so maybe I have a chance...
Shaking out of my thoughts, I opened the door wider. "Hello," I began nervously. "You are?" I smiled carefully.
"Sucroses sister, right?" He said. I nodded slightly. "Ah good, didn't want to get the wrong door. Names Kaeya, Cavalry Captain," He said, offering to shake my hand.
As I did with Albedo, I carefully shook it. "It's nice to meet you," I said. "My name is y/n."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Kaeya said cooly. "I'm going to Angels Share with a friend, would you like to come with?" A tavern? "I'll pay, as a welcoming gift of course."
I thought it over. It was a nice offer, and it would be rude to refuse. However, I didn't really drink.
"I'd love to go," I said, smiling. "I don't really drink, but I don't mind accompanying you."
"Is that so?" He said, leaning on the door. "No worries, I'm not going to make you drink or anything." He said. Kaeya looked like he wanted to say more, but he then kept quiet.
"I have to catch up and get started on some things with Sucrose first," I began, my ears laying flat on my head, calm. "I'll meet you there tonight, though."
He nodded, and turned to leave.

I shut the door behind me and and walked the opposite direction, towards the lab.
Breathing a sigh of relief from unpacking after the long journey, I shut the lab door behind me. "Okay, I'm all unpacked," I went to stand near Sucroses desk.
"Alright," Albedo said, going over notes on his desk. He picked a few from the pile and set them on the edge. He tapped them and glanced at me, motioning for me to come look at them. "I just need you to compile and simplify some of these for me..."

I stretched as I exited the lab, already worn out from all the reading and writing I had done. Here I was thinking I was going to be mixing potions on day one...
I stumbled out of the way of a somewhat tall lady. She wore a purple pointy hat adorned with a purple rose, her matching dress trailing elegantly behind her. She paused, the pile of books in her hands nearly falling to the floor.
"Oh!" I reacted. "I'm so sorry,"
"That's alright cutie," she said. The nickname was said with a motherly tone, making my cheeks tint pink. "You seem new, are you y/n? I heard you were joining us!"
"Yeah," I said, my ears perking up. "What's your name?"
"Lisa," she said, shifting the books in her arms. "I'm the librarian here."
I noticed how heavy the books were. "Nice to meet you!" I said, giving a wave and continuing towards the door. Deciding to let her set her books down in the library, I resumed my journey to Angels share.
I pushed the door open and was surprised to see the sun was almost set. The smell of the food from Good Hunter made my stomach growl, but I held back. Dinner would have to wait.
Reaching the wooden building, I could hear the bustling and chatting within. They must have been busy tonight, as the noise seemed substantial.
I pushed the door open, the sounds that were muffled previously now filling the air. Glancing inside, I could see Kaeya in the back sitting with a dark haired boy, who's braided hair faded to a cyan. Their green clothes matched the lyre sitting on the table, and his head was tilted back as he downed a whole glass of wine in one go.
I shuddered slightly at just the thought of that much alcohol. My ears laid flat against my head at the thought.
Kaeya noticed me in the doorway and waved me over. I gulped nervously and stepped in. In the corner of my eyes I noticed a bright red color.
I turned to the source only to see it was the hair of the barkeeper. His curly red hair was gathered behind him in a ribbon, his dark clothing complementing his pale skin. Red eyes gazed down towards the glass he was cleaning, and paid little to no attention to the bustle of the tavern.
Seeing Kaeya continue to wave at me, I tore my eyes away from the eye catching figure. I walked past the bar and to their table and carefully took a seat, nervous about meeting new people.
"Y/n! There you are!" Kaeya said loudly, setting down his drink. "This is my friend, Venti!" He motioned to the bard.
Venti was downing another drink, setting down the previous glass next to three other ones, which were also empty. I mean, some people drink a lot but this was just overboard!
"A-are you okay?" I asked quietly.
He took a deep breath as he set down the new glass, stretching. "Never felt better!" He said. His voice sounded cheerful, and not a hint of drunkenness had appeared yet.
"How..." I began, speechless. "How did you drink that much? Are you sure you're okay?"
Kaeya shrugged. "He's just getting started. His tolerance is pretty high."
I laughed, feeling the tension start to break. My ears relaxed, twitching slightly every now and then.
"So, why don't you drink?" Kaeya asked before tilting his head back, drinking wine out of a glass.
I shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," I said. "I just don't like the feeling, I guess." It wasn't a conversation I was keen on having, at least not at that moment.
He tilted a brow at me, but only for a moment. "I see, I know someone who's the exact same way." He said, setting down his drink.
"You two would be *hic* good friends." Venti perked up, his cheeks tinted pink. The alcohol was starting to take hold. "Really good friends," he hiccuped again and then went for more.
I raised a brow, concerned for his well-being. "He's fine," Kaeya said, putting a hand on Ventis shoulder. "He's drank way more than this before." He laughed.
I shrugged. "If you insist," I began. "I think I'm going to grab some food at good hunter and head back to headquarters."
Kaeya took a sip of wine. "Already, huh? Tired from the journey? You've already worked today, so I can't blame you."
I smiled and gave him a wave goodbye. Standing up, I walked to the door and grabbed the handle before hearing a voice from the bar.
"Nothing to drink?" It said. The voice was somewhat a deep, although it gave a calm and confident tone.
I turned to the source, seeing it was the red haired barkeep. "No thank you," I smiled, raising my hand to decline. "I don't drink."
He seemed surprised for a second, but then went back to cleaning the glass. "Have a good evening then."
I nodded before opening the door and heading home, thinking nothing of the interaction at the time.