Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 44: Rite of Descension

"You think they're after you?" Said the light blue haired boy. He was pale, and his clothing matched his hair. Carrying a cryo vision like me, Chongyun consistently remained monotone no matter the situation.
"She doesn't think so, she knows!" Xingqiu corrected him. As we had walked to Wanmin, I had noticed a hydro vision on him.
"I'm positive," I said. We were sitting down at the Wanmin restaurant, and I had ordered a small meal of chop suey. After all, the lady nearby just kept yelling about it, so I decided to give it a try.
"How can you be sure?" Chongyun asked, resting his head on his hand. "Maybe it's a coincidence, they wouldn't follow you all the way from Mondstadt, right?"
"That's kinda what I'm thinking," I said, smiling nervously. "Although, they're convinced that me and Diluc are the reason they lost half of their men."
"Diluc?" Xinqiu asked, perking up a little. "You don't mean the Dawn Winery owner, do you?"
"Ah... I do," I said, folding my hands in my lap. I wasn't one to boast, but being close to Diluc did make me a little proud, I'll admit.
"That's all the more reason for them to leave you alone! What's their deal?" Xingqiu was surprised.
"You said your friend was injured, right?" Chongyun spoke up.
I nodded. "Yeah, badly. That was the whole reason I got my vision, I think."
"Maybe they think he's vulnerable," Chongyun said. "It's harder to fight back when you're injured."
"Even so, he's mostly healed by now," I said, putting a finger to my chin. "Although, he's been a thorn in their side for a while. Maybe they're that desperate to get rid of him," I almost shuddered at the thought of Diluc being hurt again.
"That could be it," Xingqiu said as if he'd reached a conclusion. "Oh hey, foods here!"
"Hey Xingqiu! Chongyun! And person I've never met before!" Yelled an eccentric girl who was walking over with trays of food in her hands.
"Xiangling, hey," Xinqiu said, waving. "This is y/n, shes visiting from Mondstadt."
"Mondstadt? I've been there!" She said excitedly. She began to set the food down in front of us one by one. "I know your orders by now! Cold noodles with mountain delicacies for Chongyun," she said, setting the plate down in front of him. He sat up, his mood seeming to improve. Wait, cold noodles?
"Grilled tiger fish for Xingqiu," she said, setting the plate in front of Xinqiu. "And Zhongyuan Chop Suey for y/n! It's nice to meet you!" She said, smiling warmly.
"You too, Xiangling," I said, remembering what Xingqiu had called her.
"I have a few minutes," she said, sitting at the table. "What're you guys talking about?"
"Y/n here got followed by some treasure hoarders," Xingqiu blurted, although I wasn't ready to repeat the whole story. "Long story, she's just hanging out for now."
I laughed a little. "Yeah, it's a long story..." her pyro vision caught my eyes. I was meeting a lot of vision holders today, wasn't I?
"No worries," she said, starting to talk with Chongyun and Xingqiu.
As they conversed, I began to try my chop suey. I was nervous just looking at it. Having never tried Liyue food until the a few days prior, I wasn't sure what to order. Going with the smaller portion available, I decided on the chop suey despite not really knowing what it was.
I gulped a little, the dish looking unfamiliar to me. Not wanting to disappoint Xiangling, I took a quick bite and was pleasantly surprised.
"Is it good?" Xiangling asked me, studying my face for expression.
"It's... actually really good," I said, smiling. "I haven't had Liyue food before a few days ago."
"The food is always good, Xiangling," Xinqiu said, laughing. "When is it not?"
Chongyun was eating quietly, watching the conversation and occasionally pitching in. He seemed to be a quiet boy, but I had a feeling that there was more to him than that.
As the time flew, no one noticed a strange person creeping up on the group. I felt as though we were being watched, but I was too late.
"Boo!"
"Ah!" Xiangling screamed, throwing her hands up in fear. "I- Hu Tao! Would you stop that?"
Xiangling looked behind her towards a girl her age. She wore dark clothing and a hat with flowers on it. Her long brown hair was organized into two pigtails, and a pyro vision glowed from her back. Hu Tao's fingers were also adorned with many rings.
Proud of her spooking of Xiangling, she stood up straight with her hands on her hips. "Why? It's so fun when you jump like that!"
"Y-you're so weird!" Xiangling said to Hu Tao, her pride wounded. At the same time, her tone didn't sound too serious. Was this friendly banter? I couldn't tell.
"Hey, what time is it?" I asked, feeling bad for interjecting.
"The time?" Hu Tao said, thinking. "I think it's almost noon."
"Oh, I have to get going. Here," I set some mora on the table by Xiangling. "It was nice to meet you guys, but I have to wake Diluc up. We're going to watch the Rite of Descention,"
"You haven't seen it?" Xingqiu said before remembering that I hadn't been to Liyue prior. "Have fun!"
"Let's hope Rex Lapis doesn't die!" Hu Tao said. My, was her sense of humor dark...
"You say that every year," Chongyun said, rolling his eyes.
Their conversation faded out as I made my way back to the hotel. I kept my eyes and ears alert, but spotted no treasure hoarder in the crowd this time. I sighed with relief as I entered the hotel room.
"Diluc? It's time to get up," I called out. Diluc rolled over on the bed, still tired. "Come on, we don't want to miss it."
"Alright," he said, sitting up. As he did, I noticed he looked a little pale.
"Are you feeling okay?" I asked Diluc, sitting down on the bed next to him.
He nodded, although his complexion showed otherwise. "I just feel a little tired. I'll still go."
"Are you sure? It can't be good for you to stand in the sun if you're sick," I said, a little concerned.
"I feel just fine," he said, standing up. Diluc stood with no issues, stretching a little. While he did seem paler than usual, he acted completely fine.
"You just seemed a little pale, but if you feel okay..." I said, standing up as well. "Then we should be just fine when we go watch the Rite."
Diluc nodded, grabbing his coat from his bag. "I'll be alright," he said.