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A shiver escaped Diluc’s lips as he decided it was now time to return back to Mondstadt. He received word from an informant that there was Abyss activity going on, and so he decided to investigate the place himself.
True enough, Diluc found a group of Abyss Mages chanting and doing some sort of ritual. He wasted no time in summoning his red claymore and easily dispatched of the mages. After taking a quick survey of the area to make sure that no mages were left. Once he had taken a few more rounds, he decided it was time to return to Mondstadt.
The redhead rubbed his gloved hands together and sighed at the mist leaving his lips. He wasn’t exactly a fan of Dragonspine’s cold climate, much preferring the regular climate of Mondstadt itself. He shivered with every step he took and decided to conjure a small ball of flame in his hand to keep himself warm.
Just as he was making his way down the mountain, he spotted a figure in the distance.
“An Abyss Mage? Best to investigate than to let this menace run free.”
With renewed vigor and determination, Diluc made his way to the figure, summoning his claymore to his hand. Though as the Ragnvindr got closer, he realized that the shape of the figure was distinctively human. Based on the body shape, it was definitely a woman. Said woman appeared to be… dancing?
As Diluc got closer, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the woman’s graceful and calculated movements. Every turn, spin, and movement she did was well-choreographed, evidence that she was an expert dancer. Diluc didn’t even realize he had stopped in his spot until he realized that the woman had stopped and started walking towards him.
“You there. What do you think you are doing? Watching me dance without my permission, Diluc Ragnvindr?”
Diluc blinked twice before he realized that Eula Lawrence was standing right in front of him, hands on her hips. The redhead tried to speak, but couldn’t form any words in his mouth to explain why he was watching her.
Eula looked at him with narrowed eyes, her arms now crossed on her chest. “Well, aren’t you going to say something? And why in Barbatos’ name do you have your claymore drawn.”
“You’re not here to assassinate me, are you? I’m not surprised. I’m pretty sure you’re just like the rest of them, thinking I’m filthy trash for carrying the name of Lawrence.”
Eula decided to summon her claymore and took up a stance. “If that’s what you want to do, then rest assured, I will not make it easy for you.”
At her words, Diluc vigorously shook his head and put his claymore away. He raised his hands in an act of surrender to appease the woman who wore a scowl on her face.
“No, no, no. Please, this is just a misunderstanding.” Diluc said as he tried to diffuse the situation. He let out a sigh of relief as Eula put her claymore down and put it away. Her expression was telling him to talk now, and so he did.
“Anyway, I received word that there was Abyss Order activity going on in Dragonspine. I decided to check up on it myself. I may not be a knight anymore but I still have an obligation to protect Mondstadt.”
Seemingly satisfied with his explanation, Eula nodded and walked past him. Diluc followed the Spindrift Knight as she made her way to a bag that was lying nearby before she took out a coat. Diluc looked at her in confusion as she approached him and draped the coat around him.
“You’re shivering quite badly. Not used to the cold, huh?” Eula said with a hint of amusement. Diluc proceeded to scoff at her. “Sorry for not having a cryo vision like you, Captain Lawrence.”
Eula’s lips curved up into a smirk before she reached for the bag again and took out a glass of what appeared to be milk.
“Here, have some warm milk.” Eula said as she offered him the glass. Diluc looked at her quizically but decided to take the glass with a quick ‘thank you.’
The Ragnvindr downed the glass in a single gulp, thankful for the warmth it provided in his belly and letting out a content sigh. When he opened his eyes, he found Eula staring intently at him. For whatever reason, his body stilled, feeling like he was suddenly paralyzed. An uncomfortable silence passed them both, and Diluc willed himself to move to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Um, Eula?” he began but the Lawrence didn’t do anything. Diluc moved his hand from his side, but before he could raise it to touch Eula’s shoulder she had started talking.
“Diluc Ragnvindr,” the Spindrift Knight calling out his full name immediately caught his attention. Almost like an obedient puppy, Diluc looked at Eula, who had an expectant look on her face. Her face then contorted into a grin as she suddenly held out a hand to him.
“As vengeance for watching me dance without my permission, you must now dance with me.”
The tycoon blinked, once, twice, thrice before shaking his head.
“What?” he asked her dumbly. Eula rolled her eyes at the redheaded noble. “Dance with me, Master Diluc. You’re a noble, are you not? I fully expect you to know how to dance since it’s part of noble teachings correct? Besides, it’s way better than staying still and freezing, don’t you think?”
“So what do you say? It takes two to tango after all.”
Diluc was stunned at how forward Eula was. Her hand remained stretched out to him, and the expectant look never left her face. The redhead couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he took the woman’s hand and let her lead him to the field.
“Dance of Sacrifice - Flickering Candlelight Act Three. You do know this dance, right?” Eula questioned Diluc. When she looked at Diluc, a frown formed on Eula’s lips upon seeing that he seemed frozen in place while holding her.
“Diluc?” she said to the redhead whose hands were on her waist. Hearing his name was enough to snap him out of his daze as he cleared his throat.
“Apologies Eula. I just remembered something. Shall we begin?”
Eula smirked at him. “Now that’s the spirit. Let me take the lead here.”
Just as she asked, Diluc let Eula lead him. He let her guide him as they waltzed effortlessly in the snow, Diluc surprising Eula with how easily he could match her movements. As the two of them continued to dance, spinning each other around and flawlessly matching each other’s steps and movements.
By this time, Eula had a wide grin on her face, with Diluc himself having a smirk. The two never stopped looking at each other’s eyes as they danced, the world around them seemingly disappearing as fiery red eyes focused on purple-yellow ones.
“I have to say Master Diluc, I never expected you to be an amazing dancer.” Diluc grinned at her in response. “What can I say? It’s to be expected from a noble, correct?”
The two resumed their dance as they broke away from each other and each performed the duet’s respective moves. Deciding that he was no longer fine with letting Eula take the lead, Diluc grabbed Eula’s arms as they got closer and pulled her to his chest, a gasp escaping her. They were now at the crescendo of the dance, and their movements became faster.
Diluc was dancing like a man possessed, his body feeling like it was moving on his own. Eula couldn’t do anything as she simply let him lead her, their movements never losing it’s grace even once. As they reached the finale of the dance, time seemed to go still as they once again gazed at each other’s eyes.
Now at the very end, Diluc dipped Eula down, their eyes never breaking contact as they both breathed heavily, sweat forming on their foreheads despite the cold weather of Dragonspine. The two of them stayed like this for a moment, Eula enjoying the sensation of Diluc’s gloved hand on her back and waist.
It was only at the sound of clapping did the two of them finally return to the real world, the couple looking at the source of the sound. There on their right stood Amber, Lumine, and Paimon, who all had dazzled looks on their faces.
“That was amazing!” Amber squealed as she along with the traveler and the fairy approached the two.
“Yeah! Paimon thinks so too! For a second there, Paimon thought that Master Diluc or Eula would get dizzy from all that spinning but they kept dancing like nothing! It was incredible!”
“It was an incredible show, Master Diluc, Eula,” Lumine said as she smiled at them both. Though the smile quickly turned mischievous. “I’ll say, the two of you never stopped looking at each other. It was almost like watching two lovers dancing the night away.”
At the traveler’s words, both Diluc and Eula’s cheeks flushed pink, with Eula clearing her throat to alleviate the embarrassment growing in her chest. “Anyway, when did the three of you get here anyway?”
“Oh, maybe five minutes ago? By the time we arrived, we already spotted the two of you dancing here.” Amber answered for them. Though a smirk formed on her face as she turned to Diluc. “But I must know, what are you doing here with Eula, Master Diluc?”
Diluc let out an instinctive groan as he could already see in the Outrider’s eyes the crazy theories she was coming up within her head.
“Oh, oh. Don’t tell me,” Amber said before letting out a gasp then squealing. “The two of you must be secretly dating! The two of you are here to celebrate Eula’s birthday and are on a date!”
Amber let out another squeal as she cupped her face with her hand. “It’s so romantic! I can’t believe you, Eula! Why didn’t you tell me, your best friend, about this?”
“NO!”
Both Diluc and Eula shouted at the same time before sharing a look, both their faces as red as Diluc’s hair. Amber looked at them both in confusion, trying to figure what was going on. She proceeded to question Eula as to what was going on here.
“So you’re not on a date?”
“No.”
“And you’re not secretly lovers?"
“No.”
“B-but, that dancing! It was so intense! Especially with how you were looking at each other.”
This time it was Diluc’s turn to explain. “We were just dancing, Amber. Nothing more, nothing less. This was Eula’s supposed vengeance against me for watching her dance without her permission.
Amber, Lumine, and Paimon visibly deflated at the answer that they got. Not long after, Lumine raised a hand towards Diluc, but he already had an answer prepared.
“As for what I’m doing here on Dragonspine, I caught wind of Abyss Order activity and investigated. I’ve vanquished the threat and have confirmed that no more Abyss Mages or Heralds are roaming around.”
After Diluc’s explanation, an awkward silence came over the group. Eula sighed as she decided to break the awkwardness. “Well now that the three of you are here, I guess we can go skiing now.”
At Eula’s words, cheers erupted from the trio. Diluc simply raised an eyebrow at Eula, before realization hit him.
“Wait a minute. Did Amber say it’s your birthday today?”
The Spindrift Knight rolled her eyes. “Yes. Really, today isn’t anything special. It’s just another yearly reminder that I’m getting older.”
Diluc laughed at her answer, which irked the knight as she narrowed her eyes at him. “What? Is there something so funny about my birthday and me getting older?”
“No, nothing at all. I just find it a bit funny that we share the same sentiments about birthdays, that’s all.”
Eula looked at Diluc, who had a small smile on her face as she let out a laugh of her own. “Heh. I’m glad we actually agree on something, Ragnvindr. Oh.. Ummm, by the way...”
Diluc tilted his head as he looked at Eula who seemed to be fumbling with her words and her face flushing again. “Come again?”
“Would you like to join in skiing? If you have the time that is.”
The redhead looked at her with a brow raised and looked at his pocket watch, releasing a sigh from his lips. “Unfortunately, I can’t. What happened here wasn’t really part of my agenda, and my shift in the tavern starts in a couple of minutes.”
“Oh…” Eula said as she tried hiding her disappointment. Diluc paused, not sure what to do. He didn’t want to be the reason that she was down on her birthday. He also didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her “Vengeance”, whatever it may be. Fortunately, he came up with an idea just in time.
"Why not drop by the tavern later? We can spend some time if you'd like and I can give you your gift."
Eula’s mood went up at his words, a smile on her face. Though when she looked over to Amber, Lumine, and Paimon who all wore wide grins, she switched her expression to that of a scowl.
“Hmph. Whatever you say Diluc. But mark my words. I will have my vengeance on you for not joining us on this skiing trip.”
Diluc only laughed at her words. “Whatever you say, Eula.”
With that done, Diluc turned around to Mondstadt’s direction and waved a hand. “Have fun and stay safe, all of you.”
Just as Diluc was walking away from the group, he turned around and looked at Eula directly, sending her a warm smile.
“Happy Birthday, Eula.”
His words and smile combined were enough to send a warm sensation up her chest. Eula thought it was stupid, how Diluc’s boyish smile could make her feel like a maiden in love. She could only stare at his retreating figure until she was broken out of her trance by Amber, who again had a wide grin with Paimon and Lumine.
Seeing the three of them like this made her face heat up as she suddenly marched ahead. “Alright you three, let’s get to skiing.
*****
Eula couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun on her birthday, from her dance with Diluc, skiing with Amber, Lumine, and Paimon, to finally having dinner with the trio at the Good Hunter. Today was one of the best days she’s ever had in her life, and she was thankful for it.
After parting ways with Lumine, Paimon and Amber (with the three shooting her a final teasing look much to her annoyance), Eula made her way to Angel’s Share. Eula had to calm herself down at the bubbling excitement in her belly. The knight shook her head. She was just parched and wanted his signature Dandelion Wine. She wasn’t excited about the gift that Diluc said he’d give to her.
No. That definitely was not the reason.
Soon enough she found herself in front of the tavern. Eula let out a deep breath as she opened the tavern doors, a greeting ready for Diluc already.
To her complete and utter disappointment, it wasn’t Diluc manning the bar but Charles. Eula swallowed her disappointment and tried to cover up her dejected look. The bartender soon noticed her as she sat down on one of the stools.
“Good evening Captain Lawrence. What can I get for you?”
Eula let out a sigh before speaking, not bothering to look at the bartender. “Some Dandelion Wine would be fine.”
Charles nodded respectfully at her before getting to work on her drink. Eula stared into space, slightly irritated by the situation.
“Was he just lying a while ago about wanting to give me something? Hmph. He will receive my vengeance tenfold. I do not appreciate him toying with me like this.”
Truth be told, she was very disappointed, a bit hurt even that Diluc wasn't here. Eula was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Charles putting her drink down which startled her. The older bartender looked at her with an apologetic look on his face. Before he could say anything Eula cut him off with a raised hand.
“No need to apologize. It was my fault for spacing off.”
Charles blinked before nodding slowly and returning to work. By now, the tavern was empty with most people having left due to her presence or other reasons. A few minutes passed before Eula finished her drink. Sighing, she got up and was about to leave before Charles caught her attention.
“Ah yes, before I forget Captain Lawrence,” Charles said as he moved from his spot from behind the counter and bent down to retrieve a rectangular box with a note attached. “Master Diluc instructed me to give this to you. He said he’s sorry he couldn’t give this to you personally since some urgent matters with Dawn Winery came up.”
The bartender handed Eula the neatly wrapped gift, for which the blue-haired woman thanked him. Since it seemed like Diluc wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon, Eula let out a sigh and decided to return to her apartment.
A quick walk later and Eula found herself in front of her apartment. She fished out a key from a hidden pocket in her uniform and slipped in the key. Once she got into her apartment, she made sure to lock it properly first before she got to unwrapping the gift Diluc had left for her.
After taking a quick shower, Eula returned to Diluc’s gift she had left on her dining table. The knight decided to read the note for later, much more interested in unwrapping Diluc’s present for her.
Eula gently tore off the wrapping, slowly unveiling the gift from within. After completely taking off the gift wrapping, the knight was greeted with a sight of a wine bottle. Based on the packaging, it was from Fontaine, and it definitely looked expensive. Her hands then reached for the note that was attached to the wrapping.
Hello, Eula. First of all, I’d like to apologize for breaking my promise. I really wanted to give this gift to you personally, but several matters at Dawn Winery required my immediate attention. This here is a bottle of wine from Fontaine. It’s the 1774 Vercel ‘Vin Jaune d'Arbois’, one of the rarest wines ever produced. I took it from my father’s wine collection and seeing as you seem to enjoy wine yourself based on your visits to the tavern, it looked like an appropriate gift.
Again, I wish you a happy birthday Eula. Maybe next year we could spend some more time together.
- Diluc
Eula wouldn’t have been able to stop the smile on her face from forming no matter how hard she tried. While she received gifts from Amber, Lumine, and Paimon, somehow this gift from Diluc made her feel significantly better. She closed her eyes as she savored the warmth that started blooming in her chest.
With that done, the Spindrift Knight reached for the corkscrew and opened the bottle. A sweet aroma filled the room, and Eula poured herself a glass. She took a sniff of the aroma, taking in its sweet scent.
After doing that, Eula took a sip, savoring the feeling of the wine in her mouth and its aftertaste. This wine truly was delicious, as to be expected for a gift from Mondstadt’s leading wine tycoon. Feeling her eyelids get heavy, Eula stretched her arms and decided it was time to go to sleep. She never gave too much thought about her birthday, but today really was an extraordinary day.
“Hmph. Inviting me to your tavern and suddenly not being there? Mark my words Diluc Ragnvindr, vengeance will be mine.” the knight said to herself with a smirk.
That night, Eula would dream of piercing red eyes and red hair. It was the most pleasant sleep she’s had in a while.