Genshin Impact One shots

Melted - Diluc part 1

For a while now, you had seemingly been running on autopilot. Quests came and went and you had gotten very familiar with the Knights of Favonius. Naturally, Jean, Kaeya, Lisa, and Amber were all starting to become your closest friends after all the adventures you'd been through. They were easy people to get along with and trust in battle, too. Being their Honorary Knight had originally seemed like a big responsibility, but it actually fit you quite well. It only took a few months for you to get acclimated and adjust to the rhythm of the Knights. The daily tasks of helping others was something you had come to enjoy as well.

Today was no different. You walked up the steps of Mondstadt on your way to the Knights' headquarters with Paimon in tow.

"Monstadt sure is full of stairs, isn't it..." you thought wearily as you trudged up the last few steps. You shot a look at Paimon, who was floating effortlessly beside you. Lately, you had been feeling a little worn thin after dealing with the recent Stormterror threats. In addition, there were so many quests lately involving traveling to Hilichurl camps and it was beginning to be exhausting.

Once inside the Knights' headquarters, you went into the Grand Master's Office to find that everyone was waiting for you.

"Good morning," Jean greeted you, "I trust youve slept well?"

You nodded in response, feeling that she had good reason for asking.

As if reading your mind, Kaeya said, "We've got a long journey ahead of us, Y/N. It seems we have to go clear past the Dawn Winery to a location near Dragonspine mountain. They've had some adventurers disappear near there and they're worried that some Hilichurls may be the cause."

Jean nodded. "I'm afraid it's going to be a very cold trip. We'll have to travel to the Dawn Winery and stay there for a night before making our way around the side of the mountain. Diluc has already agreed to let us stay."

Jean shot a look at Kaeya with that last sentence as if he had been arguing about it with her before you had arrived.

"Wow! We get to stay at the Winery? What a treat!" Paimon chirpped.

"Thats very kind of him," you told Jean.

She nodded in agreement. "I do plan to track down a few Hilichurl camps on the way to the Dawn Winery as well. People have been complaining a lot about that road lately."

Lisa piped in, saying, "I think I heard something about a wine shipment going missing along that road, but let's not bring that up to Diluc, shall we?"

"No," Jean shook her head, "Diluc does not like talking about his wine business affairs with anyone, much less the Knights of Favonius."

"Right..." You made a mental note not to mention it. The only problem you could forsee with that topic would be your loud mouthed companion, Paimon.

"Paimon thinks this trip will be so much fun!" She flew in a gleeful loop next to you. She was probably thinking about all the food she might get to try.

"Shall we all get our things ready and meet at the gates?" Amber asked.

"Yes, lets do that. Everyone make sure you've got your gear ready, and your blades sharpened. I've got a feeling we may run into a lot of Hilichurl camps on this journey." Jean dismissed everyone.

In about an hour everyone had gathered back at the gates of Mondstadt. You, Paimon, Jean, Kaeya, and Amber all set off in a carriage full of all the gear you'd need from clothes to food, and even a small selection of books Lisa thought you might need if you encountered anything strange along the way. As the carriage bumped along the road, you couldn't help but feel a pit in your stomach form. Very rarely did your group ever need this much gear, and even more rarely did Jean and Lisa participate in the same quest. One or the other had always stayed behind to manage things in Mondstadt while the other was away. You began to see how serious this quest was in an unsettling way.

Taking care of Hilichurl camp after Hilichurl camp in the harsh cold climate of the Dragonspine mountain was not an easy task. You glanced over at the books Lisa had brought to see that those weren't much comforting either. One of them was a medical book on how to treat serious wounds.

With a nervous gulp you couldn't help but cast an angry glare at the back of Paimon's head. She was humming a song and drumming her fingers on the edge of the carriage window without a care in the world. Had she even heard what Jean had said aside from the fact that they would be staying with Diluc? It was as if she went deaf after hearing about where they were staying.

As you thought about that, your mind drifted to Diluc. He had always seemed like the quiet and independent sort of person with so much going on in their personal life that they had time for little else. In fact, as you thought about it, you felt like you didn't really know Diluc at all. Sure, he had tagged along during the Stormterror crisis, but...

"Maybe I could get to know him better on this trip... If he'll let me," you thought dismally. The pit in your stomach made it hard to think positive thoughts. "I just have to try my best not to make the wrong impression. He would be easy to annoy. I'm just curious, that's all."

The carriage continued along the road, making the occasional stop so one of the Knights could scout ahead for Hilichurl camps. You ran into two camps and then two loner Hilichurls crouched by a campfire before finally reaching the Dawn Winery right around dinnertime.

You had been here to meet up with Dilic before when Stormterror was threatening Mondstadt, but that didn't stop the Winery from looking just as beautiful and cozy as ever.

"Whaaaa~!" Paimon yawned and stretched, "Paimon can't wait to eat and then get a good nights rest"

"But you floated the whole way!" Amber protested.

"So? Who says Paimon can't get tired of floating and keeping up with you guys?"

Jean let out a chuckle. "Let's just go inside and greet Diluc. I'm sure he's been waiting for us."

The group went inside and a maid sent for Diluc. He came from downstairs and stood in front of you all. You'd almost forgotten how red his hair was and how his eyes seemed to pierce deeply into whoever he was looking at. As his eyes glanced over you, you felt like his eyes had some sort of fire burning behind them, but you weren't sure what kind of fire it was. Was it malice? Anger? Resentment? He was incredibly hard to read.

"Welcome, it's good to see that you all made it in one piece." He took a step forward and shook Jean's hand in a smooth, formal gesture.

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," Jean sighed.

"We ended up taking care of some Hilichurls on the way over," Kaeya explained.

Amber nodded, "There were a few more than we were expecting, but we've been getting complaints about that road anyway, so..."

"You know how it is, as Knights of Favonius, we see trouble and we have to rise to meet it!" Jean finished with a chuckle.

"Of course. Please, take a seat. You must be tired after your travels today. My staff can take your bags to your rooms, and then we can have dinner served whenever you're ready." Diluc swept back up the stairs and the group was left alone in the main room where a table was. You assumed it was primarily used for Diluc's clients to taste wine.

"He seemed a bit... cold," you murmured to Amber as you all took a seat.

She shook her head, whispering, "He just doesn't get along with Kaeya very well. Pay no attention to it, he's really a nice person when he wants to be. Think about it, he's letting us - including Kaeya - stay here. He knows the quest we've received is an important one."

"Thats true I guess," you whispered back. However, part of you wondered if it was just a favor to Jean since she was the one who asked to stay in the first place.