TWENTY
THE LONG DISTANCE for her to travel from her home to the Mondstadt library left her quite exhausted. So when she heard of a popular tavern called Angel's Share, she couldn't help herself and stop by.
Etched in the walls and wooden frames were the smell of aged wines, reminiscing the echoes of laughter and glass clinking against the tables.
She looked around the place, hand gently closing the door behind her. To her right was a table, and directly above it across the wall were posters and ornaments. Her attention fell to her left, her gaze casted over the few men who drank at the tables. It was a bit overwhelming, to say the least.
(Y/n) took a deep breath in as she looked ahead of her, a few empty seats in the bar in front of her. She shook off the nerves, swiftly making her way towards the seat farthest from anyone else.
As soon as she sat down, brushing away a few strands of hair behind her ear, a young man of vibrant red hair stood before her.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked.
(Y/n) panicked. "...I think I'll just take a water today," She felt a bit awkward.
The young man's apathetic expression cracked a bit when he raised a brow, but nonetheless gave her what she wanted.
(Y/n) took the glass and made her way through the bustling atmosphere. She passed a bard who paid her no mind, climbing the few stone steps underneath the wooden archway. There were men all around, arms thrown over their shoulders and spewing out nonsense followed by laughter. She spotted a staircase, seemingly leading upstairs. Taking the chance, she ascended the steps, becoming at ease when she realized the second floor was quite literally empty.
There was a table that overlooked the first floor, a perfect view of the flickering lights that decorated the hanging chandelier.
She took a seat, the one where she could easily spot the redhead performing his work. Lifting the cold glass to her lips, she took a sip, setting it back down gently and letting out a satisfied sigh.
So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, which was more than good news to her. Though, she wasn't sure what to make of what became of the bond she shared with her newfound friendships in Liyue.
"My, my, what do we have here?" A voice spoke from behind.
The young woman looked over her shoulder, her (e/c) eyes focused towards the figure cloaked by the overwhelming shadows where clarity did not reach.
He inched closer to her, the natural light that cascaded over him like a spotlight revealing his tall stature. The locks of his navy blue hair were pulled back, thrown over a shoulder with loose strands.
"Apologies," The sly smile on his face was revering. "I truly hope you don't find my sudden presence quite alarming."
He now stood alongside her. "Would you mind if I joined you for a while?" The man asked rather politely.
"Not at all," She motioned with a hand for him to sit across from her. "Be my guest."
The man sat down, his chin against the palm of his hand while his arm rested against the wooden surface with a drink in his free hand. "Tell me," He began. "What's a young lady like you sitting all alone on the second floor of the tavern?"
(Y/n) kept her eyes to his face. "I suppose there isn't anything wrong wanting some space from the hot atmosphere down there?" She nodded towards the downstairs.
"No," His tone was rather relaxed, "I suppose not."
The woman took a sip from her drink, taking the opportunity to soak in his appearance now that he was closer. The most noticeable feature of his to distinguish him from the rest had to be the eyepatch he wore. It was a shame, she thought, for his visible eye cradled the beautifulest hues framed by long lashes.
Those lips of his curved upward. "Take a picture," His eyes met hers. "It'll last longer."
(Y/n) blinked her eyes repeatedly, feeling the slightest warmth make its way to her cheeks.
Then, that was when she felt a pair of eyes on her.
Without moving her head, she looked down towards the bottom floor, catching sight of the redhead turning his back towards her.
"What's the matter?" Her acquaintance asked. "Something catch you off guard?" He was such a tease.
(Y/n) nodded towards the stranger behind the bar downstairs. "I could've sworn he was glancing at me," She kept her eyes on the young man, watching as he poured a few glasses.
The navy-haired man looked towards the direction where her gaze fell, to which his visible eye slightly widened. "That man?" He sounded in disbelief.
"Yes," (Y/n) stared ahead at him.
He glanced back towards her. "You mean... the most eligible bachelor in Mondstadt?"
(Y/n) furrowed her brows. "...Are you humoring me?"
The young man leaned back in his seat. He aired out his drink gently, parting his lips to speak. "No," He was sly. "But I have to ask, you into him?"
If there was anything this man seemed to be good at, it was making her face turn red without even trying.
(Y/n) felt her ears turn red. "Of course not," She clarified. "I merely brought it up because of the few stares he's given me."
With a smirk, he leaned inward. "Perhaps it might be because you came all the way here and ordered the simplest thing in a bar."
Once more, (Y/n) felt her face heat up. "...You talk a good point."She admitted.
He leaned back, his eyes kept to hers. "A few months here and you'd most likely ordered something else the more familiar you became," He was extraordinarily perceptive. "You're not from around, are you?"
(Y/n) lowered her head a bit. "What's it to you?" She asked. "I don't even know your name."
At this, his eyes slightly widened. "Oh? How rude of me," He stretched out his hand for her to shake. "Kaeya Alberich. A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," She returned the gesture.
The man named Kaeya smiled. "Does a fair lady like you have a name?" He tested his limits with a tease. "Or shall I guess it myself?"
"(Y/n)," She said, a bit charmed by his tone of words. "That's my name."
"A pretty one too," His visible eye glinted. "I like that."
(Y/n) then turned her attention back to the redhead downstairs, their eyes meeting in unison. Their gaze stayed on one another, neither looking away to see what the other would do as if it were a competition. However, it was broken when a customer took his attention.
"I think my visit is long overdue," (Y/n) lowered her head, hoping the redhead wouldn't be able to see her from down below.
"Hm?" Kaeya blinked his eyes. "What makes you say that?"
(Y/n) stood from her seat. "He's either extremely bothered by me or planning my death for the great sin of ordering water," She stared down at Kaeya. "I don't plan on staying for either."
At this, Kaeya merely chuckled. He slightly threw his back, eyeing the young woman with a mischievous smirk. "The man you speak of in question is my brother," He explained.
Kaeya then stood, his eyes tethered towards the said brother. "We may not be blood-related, but I assure you I know him well enough to say he bears no ill will."
(Y/n) sighed. "Look, I really need to get going-"
"Why don't I walk you out the door then?" He suggested. "I'm sure it feels a bit intimidating walking past a bunch of drunks."
"I'd appreciate that..." She managed a subtle smile.
The young woman followed him closely behind. Their shoes made noise as they descended the stairs, reaching the bottom floor that wreaked of alcohol. They were almost to the door when Kaeya abruptly stopped walking, causing her to nearly bump into his back.
(Y/n) peered upward at him, confused as to why they stopped walking.
Kaeya looked towards the bar, directly at the redhead behind the counter. "Diluc!" His voice echoed amidst the loud noise of nearby laughter.
The man named Diluc glanced from the bottle in his hands and towards his brother, who he looked at with visible distaste.
"Allow me to introduce (Y/n)" Kaeya gestured towards the woman now standing beside him. "A new acquaintance of mine."
(Y/n)'s gaze met Diluc's, whose eyes searched her face for something she didn't know. He then glanced back at Kaeya. And when he did, his eyes narrowed.
Upon settling down the glass bottle nearby, Diluc pressed a few fingertips to the bridge of his nose. With a slight shake to his head, his lips parted to speak. "Let this be known," He began. "That I don't have the strength to play nice right now. So unless any word that comes out of your mouth is anything but-"
"Oh! Come on now!" Kaeya interjected. "Don't you want to get to know her?"
The redhead became more disgruntled by the second. "I'm not interested in idle chit-chat," He responded.
"Loosen up a bit, would you?" Kaeya gave him a half shoulder shrug. "It's not every day a rare moment like this arises."
"You speak of a rare moment," His brother's eyes seemed to grow duller the longer they stared at Kaeya.
"Do enlighten me."
(Y/n)'s eyes flickered back and forth between the two, their conversation happening from across the bar.
Kaeya terribly held back the peal of laughter that escaped his lips. "The tavern is at rest, and all the while you loiter behind there," He then gestured towards (Y/n). "Here stands a lovely, young woman."
She felt a sweat run across her face as his brother took another glance at her. He eyed her up and down, but that expression on his face was one she couldn't read.
Diluc resumed his work by snatching the bottle he previously sat down into his grasp. "If you don't mind," He turned away. "I'd like to return to my work."
Kaeya watched as his back now faced them, probably praying they'd go away. "Such a bore..." He sighed.
Then, he glanced back towards (Y/n). "Apologies," He said. "Shall we continue?"
❦
Stepping outside the tavern, (Y/n) peered up towards the sky. It had gotten darker than she'd like, most likely because of the delay caused by Kaeya.
Her gaze followed his figure as he continued walking.
He had this sort of charm to his step, visible in the way he moved his body.
She felt her breath hitch when he looked over his shoulder, his eye meeting hers. "Y'know, a man never stares for no apparent reason," He said. Then he turned back around, "Maybe he sees something he likes. Maybe even more."
(Y/n) raised a brow. "I know you're not saying what I think you're saying," She said. "It's far too early for that. Not to mention we're complete strangers."
Kaeya struggled to contain a few hiccups of laughter. He spun his body around, the cape falling over his shoulder fluttering behind.
"Secluded, emotionless, and unimpressed. Despite these qualities, you've managed to capture a few glances," He commended her.
The man ran a few fingers through his hair. "Yes. Something tells me we're going to get along quite splendidly."
TWENTY