THIRTY TWO
ANGEL'S SHARE WAS as crowded as ever. Glass clinked against one another. The sound of the bottoms hitting tabletops along with laughter erupted from amidst background conversation. The ambiance was only amplified by the warm lights that filled the ceiling, cascading back down onto the tables and wooden floor.
Eula and (Y/n) sat at the front bar of the tavern, and right across from them as always was Diluc Ragnvindr with his attention divided towards the ongoing conversations around him and the (h/c) haired woman beside him.
"Achoo!"
"Bless you, Eula." (Y/n) suppressed a smile as the knight composed herself.
"Someone must be speaking of my name in disdain," She huffed.
(Y/n) tilted her head. "Now why would you say that?"
Eula's fingertips tightened around the glass. "Listen. We're not so different, you and I," She gave a weak smile. "We're both outsiders in Mondstadt. Difference is, Mondstadt welcomes you with open arms, but they treat me with hostility and suspicion..."
"...Why?" (Y/n) asked with wide eyes. She almost couldn't believe she was hearing such a thing.
Eula stared down at her drink. "Perhaps it's best I tell you now than later," She said.
So the knight continued. "Didn't you think it was strange? When earlier we stepped into the tavern that the men previously sitting in the empty stools beside us moved away when we took a seat?" Eula asked.
(Y/n) kept a steady gaze.
"Lawrence," She shut her eyes close. "The evil aristocrats of historical infamy."
Eula then glanced over at (Y/n). "And... my clan."
"But oh, we're very much still evil," She seemed irritated. "Just look at me. I'm infiltrating the inner ranks of the knights, all as part of a diabolical plan to exact our revenge and reclaim our former glory." You could tell by her tone she was joking. But had it been anyone else, they might've stupidly taken it seriously.
(Y/n) gave her a half-hearted smile. "If you're evil, then I must be a few steps behind you," She teased. "That's okay. We can plan in secrecy together what we'll do with the spoils afterward."
Eula's expression softened.
Thinking of Amber, she was such a good friend. But the two stood on opposite sides of a bridge the brunette could never cross.
So why is it that (Y/n) stands on the same side when the Spindrift Knight looks to her side? When the two have just met yet the woman feels right at place with Eula herself.
"(Y/n)..." Eula parted her lips to speak, ready to ask her something that lingered on her mind, but not before another could step into their conversation uninvited.
"(Y/n)!" Kaeya's figure loomed over the two women. "Just the person I wanted to see. Might I steal you for a second?" He asked. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Sure," She responded. (Y/n) then glanced over at Eula. "I'm sorry, just give me a few seconds."
The Spindrift Knight followed their figures with a piercing gaze as they treaded across the tavern, the corner where empty seats sat untouched.
She hadn't exactly forgotten her vengeance on the cavalry captain.
❦
"What is it you needed?" (Y/n) leaned her arm against the tavern wall, her head cocked to the side.
Kaeya projected his voice as way from the others. "Let me start by saying it's nice to see you doing well," He smiled. "You're flourishing. As expected."
(Y/n) playfully rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kaeya," She slightly shook her head. "What's going on?"
The man's smile grew a bit wider. "So straightforward. I like that."
Kaeya then relaxed. "Very well then. On behalf of my brother, would you do me the honor of accompanying him to an upcoming event?"
(Y/n) stared at him. "What?" She tilted her head the other way.
The knight too leaned against the wall, his head pressed against it with a tug to the end of his lips. "The winery is holding an audience with a few aristocrats to celebrate its anniversary of success," He explained. "Diluc, being the owner, is applauded for such a feat. But, this does invite unwanted attention he prefers not to have."
(Y/n) raised a brow. "Ahuh. Are you sure it's okay for you to ask me this?" She sounded unsure.
"Oh, my brother likes you very much," Kaeya said. "To what extent? I don't know myself. But I do know it'd make his day having a friend like you by his side for once."
(Y/n) averted her gaze, glancing off towards the redhead's direction.
Kaeya followed her line of sight. "He may come off as closed, though in reality, Diluc is rather shy. And I know he's thought of it, but he'd never ask you himself," He partly lied. But which part of it, you'd never know.
"Every year you can tell by his face he's rather lonely, even when surrounded by so many smiles." He then looked back at her. "I think yours would change that."
"That's a rather big assumption," She said. "I honestly don't mind, but does he know you're asking?"
"It's a surprise," His visible eye narrowed.
(Y/n) furrowed her brows. "Diluc doesn't seem like the type to like surprises..."
Kaeya laughed. "Have a little faith in me as his older brother," He encouraged her. "I promise you, I know him better than anyone else."
(Y/n) pondered for a moment.
Given how influential and popular Diluc was, she'd be mistaken to take this event as a casual evening party. Surely the winery would be transformed into an extravagant setting, filled with people of the same tastes. But luckily for Kaeya, she was no stranger to these types of things.
She'd been living them nearly every day her entire life.
(Y/n) made up her mind. "I'll look out of place with the dresses I have from Fontaine," She spoke up. "I don't suppose you have a solution for that, do you?"
"Great observation, (Y/n)" Kaeya was notably well prepared for the question by his relaxed demeanor. "But I wouldn't worry. It's my responsibility to prepare you well for the night after all."
"That being said, unless you don't mind a fitting, do hand Noelle a dress of yours for measurements," He said. "I've already filled her in on the details."
(Y/n) raised a brow. "Noelle knows how to make clothes?"
"No, no, no," Kaeya shook his head. "She's simply tasked with the responsibility to deliver it elsewhere. That is, if you choose to go that route."
The cavalry captain took a step back. "Well then, I'll leave the next part up to you," He waved her goodbye.
(Y/n) watched as he left without another word, not even to anyone he passed by. She glanced back at Diluc, her eyes darting across his figure.
It was awfully nice Kaeya wanted to do this for him, so she thought no harm in accepting the brother's request.
She caught glimpse of Eula's expression as she sat back down, a look of worry and suspicion though it'd take a second glance to notice.
"Sorry," (Y/n) flashed Eula a warm smile. "I hope I didn't take too long."
"...What exactly did Kaeya tell you?" Eula asked. "That is, if it's alright to share."
(Y/n), without moving her head, glanced over at Diluc who stood behind the bar.
His lashes cowered as he glanced down at the glass he wiped away at, that concentrated look he always wore a bit more relaxed than usual. And then, their gaze met.
The first time she'd settled into his eyes, there was once a fierce fire that settled into her bones. But after so many times, it had softened. It was the undercurrent she hadn't realized to this pleasant atmosphere when around the man.
It was funny how silent he was at first, as if trying to figure her out. And how open and talkative he became when he succeeded. But it was only because she allowed him in.
In the same fraction of the second, (Y/n) passed off the coincidental meeting of their gaze by glossing over towards Eula's pale face. "...Nothing in particular," Her lips moved naturally.
The Spindrift Knight's eyes slightly curved. "Him and that arrogant smirk of his. You should be warned he's a smooth talker," She explained. "Careful what you say."
(Y/n) looked rather puzzled. "Kaeya doesn't seem like a bad person," She said. "I have faith in him. A little."
But all Eula could do in response was lift the mug in hand to her lips and hope trouble stayed clear of her newfound friend's path.
THIRTY TWO