Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 39: Hello, Liyue!

I stared in awe at towers building that was Wangshu Inn. Just as Diluc had said, it was spectacularly beautiful. It seemed almost too grand to be a mere inn. The building rested on large stones, and a huge tree with yellow leaves grew through it.
"I did say it was quite hard to miss, yes?" Diluc said with a slight chuckle.
"Yeah, you sure did," I said, not taking my eyes off this. "This is only an inn?"
"Liyue is... grand, to say the least," Diluc said as we grew closer it it.
The smell of what I assumed were the silk flowers that Diluc had told me about filled the air. They were planted along the path, the pink flowers growing on red bushes. "Silk flowers would make a nice perfume, huh?" I said, noting the smell.
"I agree," Diluc said, taking in the smell.
As we approached, there were tables and chairs set up at the lower deck. I saw employees carrying food to guests.
"A restaurant?" I asked.
"Maybe we can stop by tonight. There's still a few hours of daylight left," he added, looking to the sky.
"Welcome to Wangshu Inn," a lady by the base of the large stones called out to us. "Our stairs are under repair, please take the elevator," she gestured behind her.
Up a few steps and down a wooden deck, there was a platform that was being lifted up and down from the building above. "I wonder how they power that," I said to myself.
We walked to the elevator, stepping inside. Diluc pointed to a large waterwheel, turning slowly. "My guess is that it's powered by that."
"That makes sense to me," and I stumbled a little in surprise as the platform shook a little, and then began to rise. I looked around nervously as we went up. "This... will take some getting used to."
Diluc chuckled, standing comfortably. "You'll be fine, don't worry."
"How can you get used to it so quickly?" I asked him, a little surprised at his lack of unease.
"I use wing gliders, so this doesn't really worry me too much," he said, glancing at the top. "Have you never used one?"
I shook my head. "No. They've always kind of freaked me out..." I said, holding back a shiver. Being high in the air always made me nervous. Even climbing trees as a kid, I would always make sure not to climb too high.
"Are you afraid of heights?" He asked, tilting his head.
I shook my head defiantly. "No, I'm not..." I insisted, although I was lying.
"I'll gladly teach you when we get back home," Diluc said. "Now that you have a vision, you will probably want to learn to use one. It will help you greatly when you travel."
"Okay..." I said, although I wasn't exactly thrilled. Still, he was right. I would likely travel even more if Albedo sent me on more trips loke this.
The elevator shook a little before stopping fully. I stepped out quickly, glad to be on a solid surface.
We walked inside, the smell of food filling the air as we walked down the steps. A lady stood behind the counter, a cat sitting on it lazily. "Welcome to Wangshu Inn," she said pleasantly.
"Hey, I believe I'm already set up," I said, taking my backpack off. I dug around inside and pulled out a paper. I handed her the documents, proof of our reservations.
"It seems so. Give me just a moment," she ducked below the counter, and I could hear items shuffling around. After a few moments, she popped her head back up and handed me a key alongside my papers. "You can keep the paper, here's your key. You're already paid for, so you can head up anytime."
I nodded, and turned to Diluc. "Do you want to stop at the room now?"
He nodded. "We should drop our bags off, and then we'll figure out what to do next."
Nodding back, I walked past him and began to climb the stairs. Looking at the key, I saw a room number carved on top of the wooden tag attached to it. I turned as we ascended the stairs, making sure Diluc was following.
As we reached the top, there was a balcony outside. I paid no mind to the person standing outside and continued looking down at the key. "Let's see... I think it's that way," I pointed to the hall on the right, and began to walk down it.
"Is this it?" Diluc asked as I stopped outside a door.
Double checking to make sure the numbers matched, I nodded. Inserting the key into the keyhole, I hard a click as I turned it into the lock. Pushing the door open, my heart stopped.
"Oh damn it Albedo..." I said, eyeing the single bed. "Of course."
"What is it?" Diluc asked me, peering into the room. He stopped when he saw it, surprised. "Well well. Maybe they made a mistake?" He said, looking back at me.
I dug around in my bag again, taking out the paper she handed back. "Nope... it says it here," I sighed. "I bet Kaeya put him up to this..."
"It's alright," Diluc said, walking into the room. "We can share. We did that last time, right?"
"Yeah, you're right," I said, walking in. I set the bag down, stretching. "I bet Kaeya put him up to it. I blame Kaeya."
"When in doubt," Diluc replied, shrugging. He set his bag down too, sitting down on the bed. "Are you tired from walking?"
I shook my head, sitting down beside him. "No. We've been walking all day, but to tell you the truth... I think I'm too eager to explore Liyue."
"I can't say I'm tired enough to sit around here either," Diluc said, crossing his arms. He thought for a moment. "Why don't we take a walk?"
"A walk?" I asked, confused. "Haven't we done that all day?"
"Well, you know," he said, scratching the back of his head. "It's been awhile since I've fought anything."
"You want to fight hillichurls?" I said, surprised. "Are you sure that's a good idea? With your-"
"Injury?" He said, unbothered. "It's less of that and more of a mark, now. I'm pretty sure it's healed up mostly."
"Are you sure?" I asked with a sigh, although I knew he would probably be fine. I remembered what Adelinde had told me, however.
"I'll be fine. Besides, I need to start fighting again," he said, standing up. "I don't want to get rusty if we end up in a real battle."
Sighing, I stood up. "I suppose you're right... Let's go."