KAEYA
Working as an adventurer for the Adventurer's Guild was never easy with the various amount of requests and commissions ranging from simple deliveries to those which were more dangerous such as defending a place of importance from hilichurls. The best ones were the most dangerous ones; if you were looking for quick mora that is. [name] was luckily in the right place at the right time.
A man donned in the Knights of Favonius uniform sauntered up to Katheryn whom [name] was talking to. Katheryn helped the knight since the two women were striking up a conversation.
"The Acting Grand Master needs assistance with a few things, that I cannot disclose but the one who would accept the request would be heavily rewarded." The knight explained to the brunette.
"Well, I believe we may have a taker already..." Katheryn turned her head with a smile ghosting on her lips. [name] didn't notice until it was too late; she was subconsciously leaning herself onto the counter to get a good look at the paper. She leaned back on her heels, coughing to cover up what little dignity she had left.
"Ahem...well...if it's for the Acting Grand Master, why not?" No, actually...she was in it for the mora. A little greedy, yes...but she had to eat, and pay her dues for housing and other things. Katheryn gave the adventurer a thumbs up as she was escorted away by the knight.
The Favonius Headquarters was always a building she admired. How pristine it looked on the outside...there were only rare occasions that she was allowed in. Mostly because of the library or her relatively close relationship with Klee. The first floor was quiet but she could see one or two knights standing guard near doors on the right-hand side.
"Please wait out here, I will inform the Acting Grand Master of your arrival." The knight disappeared into the first door on the left leaving [name] in the quiet hallway. It was dimly lit, the natural lighting doing very little due to the time of day.
The adventurer was too busy examining her surroundings...and didn't notice the few knights tense up at the new arrival coming from the stairs all the way towards the Acting Grand Master's door. Specifically where [name] was standing.
Now she noticed. Of course she would...the deep blue hair, the eye patch, and flamboyant clothing. She'd only heard of him, only glimpses of him she was only rarely able to see. He turned his head ever so slightly with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Didn't someone ever tell you that it's rude to stare?" The Calvary Captain lit up the room with his voice, a very playful attitude obviously melting into his words. It was clear that he wasn't mad but very amused and he made that clear to everyone in this hall. Her ears burned as she leaned her head back.
"You just surprised me, that's all." The knight exited the room, likely her saving grace. He turned his head away from the woman and nodded respectfully to the Calvary Captain.
"She's ready to see you." The knight motioned to the inside of the room and [name] quickly took the opportunity to escape the awkward situation and delved into the office of the Acting Grand Master. Now, she knew that Jean was only in this position temporarily, Varka being on an exhibition they appointed Jean in his absence.
"Welcome in, [name]," Jean looked over a stack of papers before up at the woman, and then...the Grand Master's eyes flickered to [name]'s right, "Kaeya. Can you get the door?" The blue-haired man obliged, shutting the door behind the two of them with a knowing smile when he turned to see [name] looking at him in confusion.
"So, [name]. I looked over your Adventurer's Guild file and you seem like an extremely talented individual. I would like to request a commission from the Knights of Favonius ourselves. It would span a few weeks so it may take your time away from other commissions." The blonde explained as she stood up to directly express these things. [name]'s heart sank as she weighed the pros and cons of this job.
"Would I be compensated for my time?" She pointed out, hand on hip. Jean nodded and brought out a piece of paper, writing a few things down before handing her the slip of paper. [name]'s jaw would have dropped if she didn't have any manners. That was a lot of mora to put it lightly. "Okay, I'll do it."
There was a chuckle beside her, "being swayed so quickly by a sum of mora...it makes me wonder what kind of person you are..." Right...he was still here.
"I'm sorry if this sounds rude but why is the Calvary Captain here?" She asked Jean raised a brow, turning her head to Kaeya who merely shrugged. The Grand Master pinched the bridge of her nose.
"He was supposed to tell you...but he will be working with you periodically through the next few weeks."
"Whoops...it must have slipped my mind." He held his hands out in a shrugging motion but didn't bother to move. It was obvious he was toying with her; he didn't forget. But he had manners, turning his body and holding out a hand. "It'll be a pleasure working with you, adventurer."
VENTI
It was quite a busy day for the Angel's Share. When the sun slowly set it got even busier. [name] often came by to help the Ragnvindr's business. She'd done it a few times before so whenever a lone bartender saw her walk through the door on a busy night relief washed over their face.
A night much like tonight. For some reason, a group of knights thought it to be a good idea to come by. Whether it was a celebration or just needed a spot to hang out and stretch their legs from a long day's work. Not that they did much anyway. [name] saw them slacking off at various times of the day.
The rowdy voices, laughs and rounds of alcohol served were getting to the server's heads. [name]...had a pep in her step. For some odd reason, the bard's music was familiar, a melody that hit all the right cords in her heart and gave her a feeling that she'd heard it before.
Going back and forth from table to bar she was never really able to take a break but lucky for her walking around gave her glimpses of what the bard looked like. He was in his own trance as his dexterous fingers plucked each piece of the harp. His song had no lyrics but he hummed the tune just as loud as his instrument. His white and green clothing was a beautiful mix of his dark hair, and a neon blue at the ends of his braids.
This song did not need lyrics.
"Whoa! [name]...are you okay?" The bartender asked as [name] stood up straighter. She turned her head to the side, confused before the man pointed to his face. She pressed her fingers up before quietly gasping. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Why was she crying? Wiping the tears away quickly she looked back to the bard that had enchanted her previously to meet green-blue eyes. He stopped his playing, bowing to the crowd that cheered for him. A few people yelled for an encore but the bard only sheepishly laughed.
"Apologies! I promise to strum a tune for you all at a later time~!" He promised before b-lining it for the door.
"Hey, I'll be right back." [name] tapped the bartender on the shoulder, heading to the door after the bard. He'd already disappeared out the door; he seemed to be in a hurry.
She opened the door and made a large step into the cold air of the night. In normal circumstances, the person that she wanted to talk to would have been walking away where she could see them or maybe even hear them. But this was not normal, the bard had disappeared. There was no trace...only a gentle gust of wind.
DILUC
Nights outside of the city of Mondstadt were always strangely peaceful. There was practically nobody about, except maybe an adventurer setting up camp in a nearby safe spot for the night, or a traveling merchant rushing to get within the city's gates so they could settle down. [name] mostly found herself wandering outside the city on most nights, enjoying the calming sounds of nature and the peacefulness of the midnight walk.
Except, this night was different.
[name] decided to stray from her usual path from the city, opting to head towards Springvale instead of her usual trek around Windrise. The small town was still somewhat awake during her passing, a few houses were still lit up inside, but nobody was up and about outside. She smiled, turning her gaze away from their humble town, and continued forward.
Her surroundings grew darker as she passed under a pointed peak above her head in a small cavern, one that would inevitably lead to the famous Dawn Winery ahead. She had heard many things about it and passed by it once or twice while on a few commissions, but never had stepped close enough to gather any attention.
Just as she was beginning to become lost in her thoughts, the smell of water and fire mixed in the air; there were no clouds in the sky though, and there were no smoke plumes rising in the distance. Then, she heard it.
The quiet chanting and small cackles from two abyss mages. They were nearby, just out of sight, but just as she noticed them, they noticed her.
[name] sighed, "can't I enjoy my walk in peace?" She tilted her head at them as an almost translucent, red shield formed over the pyro mage and a blue around the hydro one. The female lifted her hand, drawing it behind her back, and clutched something seemingly invisible at first until she drew out a sword which manifested entirely once it was drawn out from behind her shoulder.
The pyro mage was easier to deal with as their attacks couldn't curve and when the three, bird-like heads were formed in a triangle, she just needed to avoid being in the center. The visage of wind spiraled down [name]'s blade as she sent a thin slash of anemo towards the two mages that floated in the air. It hit the hydro mage first, so the wind swirled with blue, soaking the pyro mage's shield and forcing it into a daze.
[name] took this chance to thrust her sword into the vital point of the mage. It let out a sharp cry, then began to fade, turning into ash, then nothing. Not wasting a beat, [name] swung her sword around to slash at the bubble the hydro mage sent her way and sent another wave of wind its way.
The mage's shield did not break at this, but it did center its weapon towards the middle of its face and, with a flash of blue, it teleported, and that's when she felt a chill run up her spine. The smell of snow when she was nowhere near Dragonspine.
Then came the sudden wave of heat and the sharp cry of a cryo abyss mage as its shield broke with a heavy slash from a greatsword heated by someone with a pyro vision. If [name] had met this person under normal circumstances, she would've guessed he had a pyro vision in the first place due to the redness of his hair.
Combining the pyro with [name]'s quick slash of wind, she hit the hydro mage with her next attack, effectively breaking the mage's shield. Thanks to the aid of this newcomer, they were able to put a swift end to the abyss mages.
The [h/c]-haired female exhaled loudly, clenching and unclenching her hilt of her blade before tucking it back behind her shoulder; the weapon vanished.
"Thanks for that," she nodded, finally giving the man a proper look. Flaming red hair pulled into a low ponytail with somewhat fancy attire. A pyro vision gleamed in the night, resting on his left leg.
The man sunk his greatsword into the ground to free both hands so he could tug on and adjust his gloves, "you shouldn't be out of the city so late at night," he commented rather gruffly, which made [name] place one hand on her hip.
"Well, I was handling myself just fine, thank you very much." She retorted, but his look said, 'are you serious?'
"But...I suppose I should get going," she chuckled, averting her eyes from his piercing gaze, "thanks again for the help..."
[name] trailed off expectantly, bringing her gaze back to hold his with an eager smile. For a few seconds, it didn't seem like he was willing to give up his name, so she was preparing herself to walk awkwardly away, but his defeated sigh caused her smile to grow.
"Diluc Ragnvindr."
[name] nodded, "Diluc Ragnvindr!"
She turned on her heel and left swiftly, leaving the man to wonder just who she was.
MIKA
The small shuffling of feet against the tiled floor filled the air as well as the soft hum of a girl as she darted between chairs and shelves full of books. It was quiet today, only a few people coming in and out of the library in a simple need to look for something specific or to return a book.
Since [name] was Lisa's assistant, she most often worked at the library when Lisa was off elsewhere. It wasn't like [name] minded; working at the library was actually pretty calming and she was paid for it too. It was a perfect type of job if someone just wanted to relax most of the time.
Currently, she was reorganizing the shelves, taking out books that didn't belong in an area, and adding in books that were recently returned. [name] kept an ear out when she was out of the eyeshot of the door so she could call out a small greeting to whoever entered. Usually, she was great at noticing whenever someone entered, but not this time.
A small sigh escaped her lips as she glanced down at the rolling shelf in front of her. It was still full of so many books that people hadn't bothered to replace in their original home, but that was still a job for [name] if that ever happened.
[name] placed her hands on the end of the shelf and pushed it forward, just about to round the corner of the large shelf she stood behind, but stopped when she felt just a bit of pressure knock against the item she pushed. Then, the sound of clattering as objects hit the floor.
[name]'s heart pounded as she blinked in surprise. She released the rolling shelf and hurried around the corner only to pause in shock. The sight of someone sitting up on the ground with books scattered around him. His blue eyes gazed up at [name], wide with his own surprise.
"Oh... Archons! I'm so sorry," [name] dropped to her knees and began to collect the books that he had supposedly dropped. The titles were unknown to her, but they all looked like books on exploration or geography.
The boy sat stunned for a moment before finally collecting himself. He grabbed a nearby book, one of the only remaining ones on the floor, and held it close, almost like a shield.
"N-no, it's..." He trailed off for a moment, his voice quiet. [name]'s head shot up to look at him in the eye with a firm expression, one that caused him to stiffen.
"No. It's mine, I didn't check if anyone was there," she reaffirmed, stacking the books he had collected and picking them up with ease, "you want to check these out?"
The boy, still clutching the book, got up to his feet, eyes darting around for a moment, and then ended up nodding quickly with slightly flushed cheeks. [name] gave him a small smile and brought the books over to the front desk near the door. She placed the stack on the desk and patted the top. He placed the singular one he held right where she patted.
[name] stepped behind the desk and quickly wrote down the six books' numbers on the list which was quickly tucked away. She then opened a large, old book at the center of the desk and was about to take out a quill, but the blond boy seemingly knew what he should do next. He took out a quill of his own, this one with a nice, big feather attached to it. He wrote his name along one of the empty lines; Mika.
"Thank you. Your return date is on the twenty-ninth, but I'll ask Lisa if I can extend it a bit longer for you," she winked in good fun. This was because of the trouble she had caused him.
"No, no, it's...um, it's alright," he slid the books closer to his side of the table and gripped the stack firmly, "now...uh, goodbye!"
[name] watched Mika hurry out with the books in hand, using his back to push the door open. She hoped that with the books, they weren't going to fall again...
Maybe she could ask to work the twenty-ninth...
BENNETT
[name]'s luck worked in mysterious ways. It was somewhat of a people magnet...longing to be her friend just because of her special quirk.
She had insanely good luck. From being blessed with a cryo vision, to finding treasure in almost any place she grew up into the Adventurer's Guild after a few gentle nudges from a few of her friends. But she'd come to learn that some of her friends were simply using her for this luck.
It was a depressing feeling to find out that they were just your friends for a completely bogus reason but that was just reality.
She'd been adventuring off on her own now, staying away from other adventurers whenever she could but it never hurt to be a friendly face to those who needed help. She'd be that face for someone today.
It was pouring in a thunderstorm that had suddenly come out of nowhere but specifically near Starfell Valley which was odd in itself. [name] opted to go look for people who may be lost or in need of help. She knew the area well, knowing that there was a large stone and cement structure; who knows how old it was.
"Hey! Over here!" [name] yelled over the roaring winds, reaching out with a wave with her free hand. There were two figures who stopped in their path, turned in the direction the female was coming from, and headed straight for her. There was one female and one male and both wore the Adventurer's Guild. They yelled 'thank you's that were somewhat difficult to make out.
They began to move past her but she yelled at them once more, "Is there anyone over there?" The woman stopped as if hesitating before moving on. [name] eyed her cautiously but turned back the way the adventurers came.
It wouldn't hurt to check... And so she moved onward. Just in case anyone could be caught and those adventurers didn't notice. The ruins were usually occupied by a Ruin Guard but it made itself scarce, apparently, it wasn't a fan of the weather as much as anyone else was.
Then there was a yell. It was very faint but it was there, you just had to listen through the wind whipping around and the rain pelting the ground. A young voice called out from her left. [name] hugged the wall until it curved inward. A large gate firmly separated the inside of the ruins but what faced her wasn't emptiness. A male with light blond hair, goggles, and drenched clothing gripped the iron bars.
"Oh! Looks like my luck actually turned around for once!" After saying that a brief flash of lightning sounded behind her making [name] jump. "Or not..."
"Do you know how I can get you out of here?" She asked, stepping closer, and looking around the close vicinity but there was only rubble.
"There should be a switch to these mechanisms somewhere, at least that's what my colleague told me..." The boy rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry to drag you into this."
"Don't apologize. My name is [name]. I'm going to look for the lever, if it opens I want you to immediately escape and head back towards Mondstadt. Don't wait for me." [name] ordered the adventurer who nodded vigorously. She wanted to ask how he'd ended up there in the first place but that would have to wait until after he was freed.
She turned away from the gate and headed around the wall of the ruins and up to the near top of it. It was similar to a colosseum but run down with age. She stumbled making her way up a platform but looking back she saw that it was flat. There should not be anywhere or anything to trip on.
But looking closely; thanks to the rain she saw something akin to a button. There was a very faint outline but it was there. She prayed to Barbatos under her breath before pressing the button with her palm. Then there was a sound of gears churning and something clinking. The ground shook abnormally but nothing else happened.
After waiting a bit longer [name] stood up onto her two feet and made their way back down the ruins to check on the gate. Success was brought to her attention when she saw there was no longer a gate in the way. The adventurer was gone just as she instructed making a smile come to her lips.
Oh. I never got his name. Well, don't suppose we'll hear the end of the story now, will we?
RAZOR
Being an adventurer had its perks... Like compensation upon injury, and meeting other adventurers just like her! Sure, it had its downsides too, like the amount of commissions you could do weekly or what commissions are available to do based on your skills.
The latter is what [name] was upset about the most. She wasn't a great fighter, but she could use her dendro abilities in other categories. She was usually deemed as a 'healer' by most people, and whenever a group would need such a healer, one would tag along on the commission. Yet, the commission's pay was never handed out evenly among the group; it was distributed based on the contribution to the commission.
Despite being the short end of the stick, [name] most often chose the easier commissions due to the unfair treatment, as such, she was on one right now.
"Wolvendom...Wolvendom..." [name] repeated, looking down at the paper the commission was written on in her hand. The one who had posted this commission needed two wolfhooks, that was all and nothing else was specified. [name] thought this was easy enough and decided to accept it...but she hadn't realized how big Wolvendom was in the first place.
She hadn't explored the area often due to a few adventurers talking about how this place was far too dangerous for new adventurers or those who weren't trained with a sword. But, she just needed two wolfhooks! She'll just grab them and go, simple as that.
[name] did a decent job avoiding the sleeping hilichurls that were scattered about near the lower parts of Wolvendom; she used her dendro vision to help cover her by manipulating the plants nearby. Yet, as soon as she stepped back onto the path, she heard somewhat of a low growl.
Freezing, [name] searched for the source, expecting it to be some sort of beast or monster coming out to attack her, but the small speckle of blood dotted across the path caught her eye, dotting the grass and trailing over to a slope of rock. Underneath the shade and cover of some was a dark grey wolf, lying on its side. Its teeth were bared and hackles were raised.
[name] calmed down only slightly. She placed her hands up in the air slightly and knelt down from where she stood. The sight of blood worried her, and it no doubt came from the animal hidden underneath the shelter of the rock. She couldn't see the wound from here, so she could only assume that it was on the side that it was lying on.
"I'm...not gonna hurt you.." She spoke softly, slowly relaxing one arm, to her side, then a hand to the ground. Her vision pulsed as she sent a small wave of energy through the grass, then to the wolf. Anyone could physically see how the wolf, once irate and wary, now became a bit confused and quiet. The growling had stopped, the wolf squinting at [name].
Then, just before anything else could happen between the human and animal, there was a rustle of the bushes being moved through nearby. [name]'s heart dropped and she turned her head quickly to the left; yet, this sight wasn't exactly what she was expecting...
A boy, one with long, ruffled, grey hair came jumping out of the bush. There was a brown hood over his head and his clothing did not at all look like it was from Mondstadt...did he make them himself? His red eyes darted around at the scene.
"You...hurt Lupical?" His words trembled, almost as if he was trying to hold himself back from doing something rash, or just shaken at the sight. At the sound of this question, [name] quickly shook her head, hands raised.
"No-no! I helped, healed, them!" She turned her head to where the wolf was, only to watch it dart past her and in the direction of the new face, disappearing into the greenery. Her eyes came back to meet his.
"They were hurt, so I healed them," she breathed out, repeating once more, "it looks like it worked too."
"So... Lupical okay? You helped Lupical?" [name] didn't know whether or not this 'Lupical' was the name of the wolf, or something else entirely, he was a bit strange.
"Yes. My name is [name], and I'm an adventurer," she decided that giving him her name wouldn't do any harm and maybe would even lower his guard just a tiny bit, "I was here to gather some wolfhooks...do you know where I might find some?"
She watched the boy shift warily, then turn and disappear within the depths of the greenery. For a moment, she thought he had just left and thought about leaving and forgetting the commission altogether, but only a few seconds later the grey-haired boy came back with an armful of wolfhooks.
He didn't approach her but rather placed them on the ground not too far away from where [name] still crouched in the path. She smiled up at him, reaching over to gather the ones he had gotten for her.
"Thank you, um... What is your name?"
[name] could still see that he was still somewhat guarded around her, but his shoulders, which had been tensed up at the beginning, had relaxed.
"I am Razor," he placed a hand on his chest, the necklace of bone or some other material rattling.
"Well, thank you, Razor." With a simple, almost shy, nod, Razor disappeared into the forest and [name] got to head back to Mondstadt with more than just two wolfhooks that day.
ALBEDO
Another chill ran up [name]'s spine as she trekked the snowy path of Dragonspine. Usually, the snowy mountain snowed lightly every once and a while, and if there were going to be any rough blizzards the mountain would make it known... But today, sadly, began to snow heavily without warning.
And, unluckily for [name], she had been sent on a delivery mission by the Knights of Favonius specifically up the mountain of Dragonspine and to the Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt's lab. [name] had accepted it purely because she was told there was only going to be a little bit of snow...but apparently she was either lied to or they were wrong.
[name] adjusted her grip on the two boxes in her grasp which weren't that heavy, but she heard the orders to be careful with them both. She didn't look inside, nor did she want to. Yet, these two boxes were probably the things keeping her from being frozen solid, giving her the slightest bit of warmth at the moment due to the strange heat radiating from inside. She couldn't lie and say she wasn't a tiny bit curious about what was inside.
Thankfully, though, [name] didn't have to walk too long in the snow. She had spotted the orange flickers of flames between the white powder raining from the sky. Hope fueled the fire in her chest and she increased her pace, arriving at the alchemist's camp in record time.
The alchemist was there as well, thank the Archons. He was currently focused on an experiment of sorts; something to do with a small, blue plant. [name] watched curiously for a moment, the shivers across her body becoming less and less frequent as she stood in the vicinity of the area, the place being warmed and heated by many braziers and burning devices scattered about.
"Um, excuse me," [name] finally cleared her throat and spoke, readjusting the boxes she held once more while shifting on her feet. The light blond-haired man turned his head, blinking once in what could be told as surprise. His eyes settled upon [name], then down a little at the boxes she held.
"You must be here to deliver the supplies I requested?" He questioned, to which [name] gave a firm nod. His attention then turned to the snow that fell just outside the front of the cave. Even though [name] couldn't read the expression on his face, anyone would be thinking the same thing right now.
You walked through all that?
"Yes. Is there anywhere you'd like them placed?"
The alchemist nodded, pointing over to a small desk near the far end of the camp. She hurried over and placed the boxes down onto the wood carefully. Just as she let go of the items, a small piece of paper slipped from underneath the top box. [name] bent down and scooped it up, scanning the words on the piece of paper as she placed it on the topmost box.
Albedo.
With a small smile, [name] turned away and began heading toward the cave's entrance.
"You're heading back out into the blizzard?" Albedo spoke up right before she could step out into the cold. She could feel the nipping of the snow right against her skin. [name] turned her head and nodded.
"I made it up here, so making it down will be no problem," she chuckled, not exactly pumped about walking back into the cold, but she needed to do what had to be done, "if you need any fast deliveries again, just ask for [name]!"
And, with a quick wave, [name] disappeared into the snow.