folkmeme | leap night tfln

[He angles himself for the best position to get on. He idly reflects he could have made himself smaller but. What’s done is done.] Climb on.

Don’t worry I’m quite experienced. [He grins. It’s a lot of sharp teeth. Now this is cheering him up. The armor that protects vulnerable points is also good to help one climb on. There is armor at the backs of his shoulders and near his head. He flaps his wings and hums.]

Whenever you’re ready, D.

[ Diluc approaches the dragon and not unlike how he’s climbed up on the actual Dvalin in the past, he hops up on the massive beast’s leg. The armor comes in useful in helping himself up and he’s comfortable around Kaeya’s neck in no time. He’s ridden on Dvalin’s back enough times by now that this isn’t challenging; it’s just strange to know the dragon is Kaeya. He’s not even sure how to feel about the fact that Kaeya apparently does this regularly.

He’s about to go back to sulking when it happens: Kaeya uses his old nickname from their childhood rather than Diluc or the more formal Master Diluc. His brows stitch together. Aside from their letters to one another, it’s been years since Kaeya has called him that…

Strange. ]

Ready.

[He doesn’t notice his slip. He looks up at the wide open sky and launches himself into it. He climbs higher and higher until he’s over the forests and fields of Lapine. He catches an updraft and glides past the markets far below. Venti’s home drops away as he takes them over a wide stretch of desert. Pale threads of icy blue light curl out of his mouth and spiral over his limbs, controlling the temperature so the merciless desert won’t scorch them both.] One of the trials dumped us in Cruel Summer here and told us to survive.

[He rumbles as they approach an foreboding looking forest and climb upwards, towards a floating isle up above it.]

[ While they fly, Diluc tries to focus on the surrounding landscape, but he’s distracted. He can’t shake the questions bubbling up in his mind about Kaeya’s use of his nickname for him, nor the uncomfortable feelings that have been roused by it. Diluc starts doing what Diluc usually does when something nags at him like this: overthink.

“Whenever you’re ready, D…” All these years… and not once has Kaeya called him that since that awful day. That terrible night. Diluc can’t stop thinking about it. All those memories he has of Kaeya calling him that in various situations, some happy, some grim… but always there’s warmth and love in Kaeya’s voice when he says it in Diluc’s memories.

Even now, it wasn’t different.

He’s pulled roughly out of his thoughts by the sound of Kaeya’s voice booming through the air. He glances down over the side of the dragon’s flank. ]

And you live beyond this desert?

[ Why? Why? Why does Kaeya seem to live so far from everyone? And why did he— ]

Are we close yet?

We’re almost there. [He climbs higher. Water falls over the side of the floating island of Never Fade. He soars over the edge. He beats his wings to gain a little height and glides the rest of the way. A landing spot has been set up outside a small white windmill. He approaches with precision, and barely kicks up any debris when he lands.

The windmill doesn’t look that impressive. The small vineyard wrapping around it however looks well cared for. And newly replanted. Beyond the windmill the town is cozy but it is a bit of a walk to get there. Kaeya rumbles once and settles, shifting his feet to make a smooth path off his back.] Told you it was a bit of a trek.

[ The location is, in a word, gorgeous. Diluc has only seen such perfectly idyllic surroundings before in Sumeru and Fontaine. It truly does look like something out of a storybook. How fitting for that Fox to create a world like this.

Once they land though and Diluc leaps off of the dragon’s back, he takes one good look around and recognizes that Kaeya has built… well, a small monument to his homesickness. It makes his eyes gray again taking it all in, but he politely makes no comments about it or about how far and isolated this place is. He notices the vines have been recently been moved and he’s not sure what to draw from that.

Instead of trying, he looks back at Kaeya. ]

So I see.

[Kaeya is back in human form, heading for the windmill. His ears lower then right themselves. He feels uncomfortably aware of how much might be given away.

But there is more that isn’t. This is still a better start. He supposes. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and strides for the front door.] It’s not much, but it’s deceiving just like all kinds of things here.

[He opens the front door and walks inside. Inside the floor is made of plain sandstone tiles. The inside is much larger than the windmill should possibly hold. A stairwell leads up into a loft attic. The rustic interior is accented with soft blue and grey throws tossed over a fold out couch. Some boxes clutter the living room space a bit. Kaeya waves a hand at it and walks towards a ramp on the side leading down.

The inside is well lit, and the kitchen is set up. But there are signs that this move was pretty recent. Kaeya looks back at him, motioning he follow.] My office is down here. It’s past this next floor.

[The windmill should - if physics were working - not have two floors let alone three.] If the spacial oddities are driving you crazy…welcome to Folkmore.

[ The windmill seems homey enough that Diluc can visualize how it might all look once it’s all set up. The spatial differences are a bit jarring, but right now, they’re the least of his concerns. ]

There are worse things.

[ He answers honestly as he looks at all the boxes on their way through the windmill. A recent move. That’s why the vines had been moved. That doesn’t make sense to him. Kaeya has clearly been here for a while, so why does it seem like he’s just now moving into a home? Diluc is even more suspicious now that there is a lot Kaeya is opting not to tell him, but he doesn’t try to press the issue. Kaeya’s secrets are to be expected and they’re his alone to divulge as he sees fit. Diluc long ago gave up any right he had to them.

He follows him to the office in silence. ]

[The floor below is more personal. Kaeya walks past it to a staircase without looking back.

He leads Diluc past an open door to a small gym and practice room. Down to the office. The office looks a lot like his office at home. Down to the coat of the ordo on the door. His office is entirely set up and moved in.

He leads him in and moves the board near the wall away. The board has pieces of paper tacked to it. Dragons, one reads with several paragraphs of Kaeya’s handwriting. The Wild hunt, is written on another. Post it notes mark the edges of each and yarn connects some pages to others. His case file laid out in all its glory. He sits on the edge of his desk but his expression is that of Captain Alberich. The public face he shows when on duty.]

Let’s start with this. Ask me what you want to know. I’ll answer. There is a lot to cover and it’s a lot easier to tackle it from order you deem important.

[ Well, Diluc’s curiosity wants him to look down the stairs, but out of respect for Kaeya’s privacy, he doesn’t. Either the other man will take him down there or he won’t. Either way, it would be too rude to just take it upon himself to go exploring. He stays in step with Kaeya rather than poke about.

As soon as he steps through the door to this room though, it feels as though he’s walked through time. Diluc hasn’t been inside the Knights’ headquarters since he left the order and yet, everything in this office looks exactly how he remembers it, with a few personal effects to show it’s Kaeya’s, his captain position within their ranks dictating he would operate from this office now. He steps up to the board and glances over it, much of what’s on there being entirely new information to him so it’s difficult to parse.

When he turns back to see Kaeya having put his game face on, for a moment, Diluc just stares at him. He’s dealt with Kaeya like this before, but somehow it feels so much more painful to do so here. All they have is each other, really, and they’ve already agreed to work together. The guise of a Mondstadt Knight of Favonius doesn’t seem appropriate here. Diluc scoffs and shakes his head, more at himself than anything else. This is what it’s come to, of course. He shouldn’t be surprised. ]

Don’t make promises you are not inclined to keep, Sir Kaeya. This could become quite uncomfortable quickly.

[It already is. He feels the icy cage containing his rage quaking under the beating it is taking from the inside. The fox and their business is feeling less and less whimsical.

He promised himself to just be who he is these days. Not try to play the games he used to play. He gestures to the room around them and nods to the case board.]

Master Diluc, I said my offer. Take it or don’t. It’s just refreshing to have a choice in what comes out.

You are the only one who has ever had a choice.

[ Diluc snaps back. It’s not fair for him to say that to Kaeya because Kaeya meant having a choice in this strange place, not his long past decisions to keep his secrets from the family that took him in. Diluc knows that, but his temper always flares when he’s faced with the option to either trust what Kaeya says at face value or try to decipher truth from lies. It makes his head pound, brings up all the grief and anxiety from that night. ]

My main concerns are not on that board right now.

[His expression goes blank but his ears are flat against his hair. He goes still like a wolf freezing in place in the woods.

The snap hurts. Genuine hurt flashes across his face before he covers it up. But it was visible. He forces his ears to right themselves and leans back, one leg crossing over the other. He gestures with one hand in a lazy way.] Ask.

[ When he and Kaeya go at it, neither of them show their cards. This time though, it’s different. Diluc sees the hurt that flashes across Kaeya’s handsome face and it’s so deeply unexpected that Diluc feels as though he’s the one who’s been slapped. The last time he saw Kaeya show any signs of being emotionally wounded was years ago. He’s unprepared for the way his own heart reacts to seeing Kaeya look at him like that; it twists fiercely in his chest and makes his blood run as cold as the ice of Kaeya’s Vision.

For a moment he just stares back at the other man in shock, his eyes turning that dark blue-violet, then slowly, gray. Diluc can’t hide how shaken he is and he swallows thickly in an attempt to regain his composure. ]

…How long have you been here?

[He grips the edge of his desk. He shocked him. It takes all of his will not to reach out. Diluc wouldn’t accept. He sighs.] it has been about…two years? Or getting there.

[He leans over his desk and pulls a small journal out. He flips to a marked page.] A year and some months. It will be two years soon.

[He shuts it and drops it back in the drawer, shutting it. There is a brief glimpse of stacks of papers and what looks like grades.]

[ Two years. Two years. Diluc’s head spins. He feels dizzy. And Kaeya keeps describing the trials as dangerous, traumatic, and he’s different. Changed. And it has nothing to do with his new abilities. Diluc takes a long, shaky breath, trying to steady himself. It takes great effort for him to say what he does, but his voice doesn’t waver. ]

You… are not fine. What happened? And don’t lie to me. Don’t even try it.

[Don’t lie. His ears lower, he slumps a bit. His mask of captain is proverbially discarded as he gets up and walks around his desk. He drops into his chair and gestures to a seat in front of the desk.]

Sit. A lot has happened, Diluc. I don’t know how to sum it up. Those examples I used are personal experiences. And it’s not all of it.

The best I can put it as? [He taps a claw against his lips and drops his hand back to his desk.] I survived it. I’ll keep investigating.

[He shrugs but his heart isn’t in it. He looks at him, a tired young man that is a little older than he was but that’s…he leans back in his chair.] The last few trials were…more difficult for me. The very last one was the first time we had a choice to refuse it. I did.

[He folds his arms over his chest.] I do have my limits.

[ Seeing Kaeya look so nearly defeated, so completely exhausted, is hard for Diluc to stomach. He sits when he’s told to, but the grim, worried expression on his face and the blue-gray of his eyes doesn’t change as he listens to the other man talk. Kaeya avoids getting into details again and this time, Diluc considers it’s because it’s too damaging to his mental state to do recount in detail what he’s been through. Diluc decides to ease up on pushing about it and accepts the explanation for what it is: Kaeya’s best right now. After a long moment of sitting there in silence together, Diluc finally speaks again in a quieter, marginally softer voice. ]

…All right. I’ll ask no more about it, but—

[ He clenches his teeth, the joints of his jawbone visibly popping as Diluc scrambles around in the dark of his heart and mind for a way to offer comfort. He wants to reach out to Kaeya, but he feels as though he’s the last person true comfort could come from and worse yet, he isn’t even sure how he would do it. He wouldn’t blame Kaeya for rejecting any offering made. Their brief, private moment in the sun together on Golden Apple Archipelago was a while ago and they’ve never spoken about it since. The closeness Diluc felt to Kaeya then was the closest he’d felt in years, a small sliver of confirmation that their shared childhood of memories wasn’t meaningless to Kaeya as he feared, but now… now it feels as though he’ll only make a worse mess of things for the younger man whose internal light that’s made him so popular in their homeland looks a bit faded. ]

—but… I’ll leave the decision to have further discussions of these events to you.

[ He’s trying, but the words feel awkward in his mouth and he balls his hands into fists on his knees. What else is there to do? What else can he do? The days where he would hold a crying Kaeya to his chest after he misjudged a foothold and fell out of a tree are long, long behind them. ]

[His fingers twitch but he forces his hands to stay still. For a moment. It hurts in a different way that he can’t just hold his hand. It’s such a subtle way to show things will be alright. He hadn’t realized how much it helped. He pushes up from his desk and motions for Diluc to do the same.]

Let’s go to the kitchen. I haven’t yet had breakfast. [In a small way he could take care of Diluc and allow himself to be taken care of. It’s a subtle shifting of pieces of the board of the game they both play around and around. But he thinks it acceptable.

There’s a pause then he adds,] We will talk further about all of this at a later time.

[He could keep dancing around and around but he adds,] We both could use some time to process. Now, let’s head up.

[ Diluc nods and gets back on his feet, surprised that Kaeya even reacts positively to his slight offer to listen if he ever wants to talk about the things he’s been through here. It seems more and more, they’re inching their ways closer to one another. Diluc is not dismayed — far from it, in fact — but he does find himself feeling more apprehensive that this sudden peace won’t last long.

He pushes up from the chair on the opposite side of the desk and waits for Kaeya to lead him back outside the office. He follows in silence, mulling everything over carefully. How can he support Kaeya without making it awkward? He supposes he’s already done his best. Maybe Kaeya will ask something of him, like he did on the Archipelago. ]

[He leads Diluc back up. The personal floor is full of boxes. He hasn’t fully moved into it yet. The boxes are out of the way but, he feels a small pang.

Starting over fresh like he is. It helps, but it also feels difficult at the same time. He leads Diluc up to the kitchen.

The kitchen is fully moved in. His pots and pans hang from easy to reach racks. His knives rest in the magnetic strip on one wall. He pulls off his coat and hangs it on the back of a chair.

He rolls his sleeves up and visibly perks up a bit.] I’m assuming you could use some breakfast too. Yes?

[He looks at him and there is a clack from the living room. He holds up a hand and peers that direction. A brown, curly haired llama that looks hauntingly like Lisa as a llama looks back at him. He sighs and turns away from it.]

Ignore her. She comes and goes. The biggest drawback of this island. That’s a guide and I think a spirit. Even if I lock the door she finds her way in.

[ There’s that curiosity again for the lower floor and this time, Diluc has a harder time resisting looking down because he feels as though he could glean more of what Kaeya has been through from what’s on that level. He sneaks a peek, sees the boxes, and again wonders why, but he still doesn’t ask. Instead, he follows Kaeya into the kitchen and stumbles on his words when he’s faced with the way Kaeya looks a little excited about the prospect of cooking for him. ]

That’s not neces— Ah, I suppose—

[ He gets out just enough when they’re distracted by the noise. Diluc turns around and…

Well, it’s enough of a shock to change his eye color again. ]

Er… why does it look like…

[ Lisa. It looks like Lisa if she were a llama. It’s absolutely horrifying. And he’s just supposed to ignore it??? ]

Our fair Lisa? Couldn’t tell you. Better her than Rosaria. [If the ilama looked like Rosaria he would laugh himself sick next time he saw the real one. She would glare. He would keep laughing and pay for it.

Lisa at least would primly ignore it and grill him about how he looked like shit. He waves a hand as the ilama wanders around his living room with seeming purpose. He snags his kettle from the hook above the stove and fills it with water.]

Coffee, tea, milk, or juice?

[The ilama looks over hopefully. He doesn’t look up from setting the kettle on the stove.] Not you.

[ Diluc keeps staring at the animal — mostly in abject horror, somewhat still in shock — but he does glance back at Kaeya momentarily when he mentions Rosaria, a brief look of irritation crossing his face at the mention. But then he’s back to staring at the llama warily, moving a little closer to Kaeya in the kitchen. He knows Kaeya isn’t the least bit afraid of her, but he has no idea what she’s doing in here and in case the animal decides to charge suddenly or otherwise act up, Diluc wants to be near the younger man to keep him safe while he’s just playing up his domestic side. ]

You have juice?

[The ilama huffs like an offended Lisa might. Kaeya flicks his right ear. His earring catches the light.]

I do. Lapine has a wonderful market street. Less so right now in the winter but. It was a good autumn.

Shapeshifting requires more energy than people think. [He looks at Diluc as the Ilama continues to wander. He walks to the fridge and opens it.] So, I keep a variety.

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