Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 69: Old Friends

"Hey, I'm going to Angels Share," I said to Sucrose as I gathered the last of my papers. Deciding to catch up on lost time, I had stayed in the lab until it was about 4 in the afternoon working on notes.
"Okay..." she said, only sparing me a glance before returning to her work.
"I will likely stop there soon," Albedo said, his eyes glued to his papers.
"With Kaeya?" I raised an ear, to which he nodded slightly. "Alright then."
I walked outside of headquarters with a big stretch, only to sigh when I remembered all the stairs. Oh well. I'll manage...
I made my way down them carefully, thankfully avoiding a fall. When I reached the fountain in front of good hunter, I smiled when I heard a familiar sound.
Venti stood by the fountain, facing down the street away from me. His fingers dances across the strings of the lyre with ease, a mesmerizing note singing from each one. His braids flowed in the wind gently as his music flowed through the air.
"Ah, y/n," he stopped playing his lyre, looking over to me with a smile. "I've been meaning to talk to you."
"I haven't seen you in a while," I said. Venti set his lyre down beside the fountain and turned to face me.
"I've... been a little busy," Venti said, scratching the back of his head. "It's... quite a story. Anyways, what's up?"
"You seem different..." I said, putting a finger to my chin, an ear raised. Venti gave an awkward smile and raised a brow.
"Well, I hope that's not a bad thing," he said, laughing a little.
"No, it isn't..." I said, trying to think of what it could be. My nose twitched when I realized, a certain smell missing. "You're... sober."
"Oh! Is that... unusual?" Venti said, tilting his head. The smell of alcohol would usually waft in my direction, but it was gone.
"It's just... every time I've seen you, save for once or twice, you had a few to drink," I said, a little surprised. "Even in late afternoon."
"Oh, I... suppose that's true," Venti said, sighing.
"Are you waiting for that special order wine that Diluc got you?" I said, wondering if that was the case. Diluc had gone to pick it up the other day.
"No, I already drank it," Venti laughed a little, shrugging. "I don't know. I guess I just haven't gone to the tavern yet!"
"I'm heading there now. Why don't you come with?" I offered.
"Alrighty then," Venti smiled, seeming a little more energetic. "So, I heard that you killed a god?"
"Huh?" I tilted my head. I looked to him with confusion as we walked towards the tavern. "That... Wasn't me."
"Hm... you've got the scars of it though!" Venti said, raising his lyre and pointing to my eye. "I'm thinking about writing a song! A lovers ballad, to be precise."
"Oh?" I asked, raising a brow. "But what does that have to do with Osial?"
"Think about it!" Venti said, spreading his arms out in front of him. "An upbeat tune, something to dance to! And then, it slows down to a melancholic melody, the heroine about to sacrifice herself, and then... just as it seems like it's all over..."
"The music picks up again! And the lyrics wrap up the story with a happy ending," Venti said, his eyes lighting up. "I can almost hear it in my head!"
"You... want to write about what happened in Liyue as a lovers ballad?" I asked, a little confused.
"Hmm... that's more the setting," Venti did before turning to me excitedly. "Can I write it?"
"Are you... asking me?" I said, laughing a little and raising a brow. "It's your music, you can write it."
"I wouldn't feel right without your permission. Oh! Don't say a thing to Diluc," Venti said, placing his finger over his mouth in a 'hush' motion. "It's a surprise!"
"Are you trying to pay for the wine using that gift as leverage?" I said, although I couldn't help but smile.
"Maybe," Venti shrugged, before turning his gaze out in front of him. We had arrived to Angels Share. "Let's go in!"
When we walked in, Venti immediately took refuge in the corner of the tavern, where he plucked away at his strings. Hm... he isn't ordering anything?
Diluc watched him from behind the bar, his arms crossed like usual.
"Ah, good evening y/n," Diluc said, starting to pour a glass of what I could only guess was wolfhook juice.
"Good evening? Come on, I'm not some customer," I said, chuckling a little. "You can abandon the formalities."
The ice clanked in the glass as the purple liquid began to fill the space. "I suppose so, dear." He smiled at me.
I flushed a little. "That's even more formal," I laughed.
When he set the glass down in front of me, I dug in my pockets and set a couple coins down on the counter. "What happened to 'abandon the formalities?'" Diluc said, pushing the mora back to me.
I rolled my eye before sighing. "I'd feel bad for not paying for it."
"I'm not picking this mora up. You may want to collect it before a stranger does," Diluc said, smirking at me a little as he left the coins on the counter.
"Fine," I said, finally giving in. I slipped the mora back in my pocket in defeat.
As I picked up the glass, the door opened again. Sure enough, it was Kaeya and Albedo.
"I thought you weren't coming until after work?" I asked, looking towards Albedo.
"Sucrose... left some extra time in my schedule," Albedo said, glancing up to Kaeya.
"You got wolfhook juice again?" Kaeya asked me, looking towards the juice in my hand.
"Always," I said, starting to walk to our usual table. I took a seat, waiting for them to finish ordering their drinks.

Albedo and Kaeya talked for ages, although their conversation had started to fade as I was lost in my thoughts. My finger tapped the glass as I stared at the wall.
We had been there for a bit, and the sun was due to set within an hour or so. The bell of the door rang, catching my attention. It was a little slow tonight, so more customers surprised me a little.
My heart stopped as three faces I hadn't expected to see walk through the door.
Chongyun, Xinqiu, Xiangling.
Xingqiu was looking around the room with wonder, his eyes taking in every bit of the architecture around him. Chongyun stood close beside him, a pensive expression on his face. Xiangling almost started jumping when she saw Diluc at the counter.
Diluc's face lit up in surprise as well. "I didn't expect you three all the way here in Mondstadt."
Chongyun was the first to notice me, his usually calm expression shifting for only a moment. His eyes widened when he saw me, and I stood up and waved.
"Over here!" I said, my heart pounding. I hadn't felt excitement like this in a long time.
"Who are these fine people?" Kaeya asked, intrigued as the three approached us.
Xingqiu ran ahead of Xiangling and Chongyun, quickly giving me a hug. I hadn't expected the gesture at first, but returned it without hesitation.
Chongyun and Xiangling followed close behind, Chongyun rolling his eyes a little at Xingqiu.
"Y/n! We got your letter, and I just couldn't wait to come see you," Xingqiu said, letting me go.
"I hope we aren't too sudden," Chongyun said, slightly apologetic.
"Are you kidding? Of course not!" I said. Inside, I was ecstatic.
"Before I forget, here," Xinqiu said, digging into a bag he carried on his back. He pulled out a book, setting it down in front of me. Moonlit Bamboo Forest. "You said you wanted me to suggest a book, so I brought this."
"Oh wow," I said, running my fingers over the hard cover. "I'll definitely give this a read."
"And I brought you something too!" Xiangling spoke up, her eyes lighting up as she dug through her own bags.
She handed me a small booklet. "Oh?" I said, starting to flip through it. Recipes?
"I put together some recipes for you to try!" Xiangling said, looking over my shoulder as I flipped through it. "And I wrote down some tips too, just in case you needed them!"
"This is..." I said, not sure what to say.
"You... you said you wanted to know more about me," Chongyun said. "I like cold foods because I have a rare condition."
"Condition?" Albedo spoke up, everyone turned their heads to him. "It sounds intriguing. Will you tell me more?"
"Ah! Let me introduce you guys," I said, smiling. "This is Kaeya, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius," Kaeya gave a friendly wave. "And this is my boss, Albedo. Chief Alchemist of the Knights."
"Albedo, Kaeya, this is Chongyun, Xingqiu, and Xiangling," I said, gesturing at each of my friends. "I met them in Liyue."
"Xiangling, huh?" Kaeya said. "Aren't you that Chef from Wanmin Restaurant?"
"That's me!" Xiangling said, smiling with enthusiasm.
"Chief Alchemist?" Xingqiu said excitedly, his eyes lighting up even more. "What's that like?"
"Alchemy?" Albedo asked him, raising a brow at the question.
"Well, what's it like being an alchemist?" Xingqiu said. I saw similarity between the two, both equally craving knowledge.
"You... sometimes learn new discoveries that lead to useful technologies, or travel far and wide. Speaking of new discoveries, will Chongyun here tell me about his condition?" Albedo began, and I started to flip through the recipes again as I let him question Chongyun. I was positive he would write pages and pages about it, that I would have to sort through later.
Xiangling stopped me at a page, pointing to a recipe containing chillis. "Juyeun Chilli Soup!" She said, smiling widely. "It's great when it's cold out. Warms me right up!"
"Ah, that could be useful to you soon y/n," Albedo said, drawing out of his conversation with Xingqiu. "You may want to bring that with you when we go to Dragonspine soon."
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I said, continuing to flip through the pages. I stopped, looking up to him. "Hold on... did you say Dragonspine?"

To be continued!