Chapter Text
When Sucrose first met Dainsleif, every cell in her body screamed run. And she would’ve, had Amber and Lumine not been holding her hands.
There was nothing wrong with Dain, per se. He was just…tall. Really tall. With a mask and a cape and- did the stars on it just move? Was that galaxy swirling? And his armour, it’s so dull and covered in scratches. How long has he had it? Did those gauntlets have claws? Oh, no, not today. She couldn’t do this today.
That was what she told herself a month ago, when Dain first moved in. It’d been an eventful ordeal: when the others saw Lumine with him, they’d thought she was in danger. She’ll never forget how quick Xiao and Diluc had been in raising their weapons, before being stopped by Kaeya and Albedo. The two of them recognized Dain.
(They were hesitant in saying how, answers vague as they shifted under her gaze. She decided not to press on it.)
Tensions were diffused when Lumine explained that Dain was her friend; her not-evil, very nice friend, menacing appearance aside. Dainsleif only nodded along, looking a little shy at the praise.
Lumine informed them that Dain was a “wanderer,” like Venti. Everyone caught on at that, giving each other looks that said ah, so that’s how it is: she had found yet another broke, homeless immortal, one in dire need of a support system and stable housing.
They agreed to let him stay in the Serenitea Pot with them, though they figured Lumine would invite him in even if they’d said no. Or she’d rope them into some absurd barn-raising project, where instead of a barn, they were raising a home for a disgraced ex-knight.
Thankfully, no barn-raising had to happen, and Dainsleif was accepted into their home with hesitantly open arms. It’d be a lie to say they weren’t wary of him; with the exceptions of Kaeya and Albedo, all they knew about Dain were his name and apparent immortality…not to mention his less-than-ideal living situation.
Even so, they trusted Lumine’s judgement; if she said someone was good, chances are that they were (or they were working on it).
A wonderful example of this would be Childe. The ex-harbinger had joined their party after defecting from the Fatui, claiming that he’d find “more worthwhile battles” by staying with the Traveler. Lumine had let him, though she made it clear that he wasn’t forgiven, and that had been that.
Protests were made (especially by Xiao and Diluc) and concerns were voiced, but Lumine was steadfast in her decision. It was a little over a year when they learned that he’d left the Fatui for his family in an attempt to keep them safe.
(It’s been a few years since then. Childe never talks about what happened. Lumine goes quiet when it’s brought up, while Diluc and Zhongli tense up.
“They’re safe now,” Childe says, trying to sound cheerful. “That’s all that matters.”
Every year, on the same day, the four of them disappear somewhere, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. No one knows where they go.
Childe and Lumine always come back crying.)
* * *
It took a while to get used to having Dainsleif around. Xiao and Diluc had the most trouble adapting: they jumped each other on several occasions, thinking the other was an intruder. (Come to think of it, hadn’t they done the same thing when Xiao moved in? Maybe it was a vigilante thing.)
It led to awkward mornings where one party would have a bruise, their assailant sheepishly apologizing about attacking them the night before.
Childe, Amber, Kaeya and Albedo were the quickest to welcome Dain into their home.
Kaeya and Albedo had the easiest transition, having known Dain before. The three could be found in the garden, looking after Klee or enjoying a comfortable silence.
At least…Sucrose thinks it’s comfortable. While she didn’t doubt that the three were close, it always felt like there was tension between them, an issue they had yet to address. As curious as she was, she wouldn’t pry - that was their business, not hers.
Childe attempted to befriend Dain using two of evolution’s four F’s: food, and fighting. He’d been ecstatic at having a new sparring buddy (though Dain hadn’t agreed to being one), cheerfully informing him of him and Lumine’s weekly throw-downs. Lumine gave him an apologetic look, shrugging as if to say don’t worry - it’s how he says he likes you.
Learning that this was how Childe made friends, Dainsleif accepted his invitation, becoming a regular in Lumine’s team when she went to beat him up.
(“Punching people is his love language,” she explained.
“It’s true!” Childe beamed. “The harder I hit, the more I admire you!”)
The day he and Childe broke each other’s noses, he knew he’d made it. It was strangely endearing, having the ex-Harbinger grin and compliment him on his strength, blood gushing out their noses and dripping onto their clothes.
Dain could’ve waxed poetic about how a brotherhood had formed between them, very literally forged in blood. He felt a little younger, then, remembering his days in the army.
It’d been a while since he made a friend.
Amber, on the other hand, took a less…physical approach, inviting Dain to do commissions with her or go scouting. She was pleasantly surprised when he agreed, even offering to help on days when he wasn’t busy. It became normal for Mondstadt’s citizens to see their peppy outrider with the reserved adventurer, chatting up a storm while he listened, replying every now and again.
As for Sucrose, she’d yet to have a proper conversation with the man, still too nervous to approach him. It wasn’t his fault; she was always nervous around new people. Though, was he really new if he’d lived with them for a month? She contemplated this from her perch atop a rock, sitting in the shade of a nearby tree. Dainsleif stood close by, watching something on the shore below.
Lumine had brought them to Tsurumi Island, a mysterious isle that was abnormally far from the rest of Inazuma. She’d received a commission to retrieve a maushiro, an instrument unique to the island. The commissioner, an extremely particular author named Sumida, needed one to properly write about its sound.
(Sucrose could understand where she was coming from. She was a sucker for factual accuracy, especially considering her occupation. Even then, wasn’t this a bit much?)
The commission was simple enough: travel to the island, get a maushiro, come back, and get paid. Maybe celebrate afterwards with a meal and congratulate themselves on a job well-done.
What was supposed to be an easy job was made difficult by the island’s fog. The group had yet to venture into it, but judging by how thick it was (they could barely see the main isle), they needed a plan of action.
Amber, Lumine, and Paimon had taken to determining it, using an old map as reference. Trying to, anyways. No one had actually done a cartography of Tsurumi Island; the original inhabitants had died out several thousand years ago, and since then, no one had explored the island in its entirety.
Attempts were made to do so, but its mysterious fog seemed to keep people out, turning them around and leaving them back at the Electro Archon’s Statue no matter how hard they tried. Eventually, they gave up, and Tsurumi Island was left a brief mention in the furthest corner of Inazuma’s map. Not even Dainsleif knew what the island was like, making it all the more cryptic.
As her girlfriends figure out how to tackle the fog problem, Sucrose quietly observes Dain. Notebook in hand, she does a quick sketch of him, scribbling his profile as he gazes at the shoreline.
Outlander. Odd mask; seems older than he looks. Friends with Lumine.
Sucrose jots this down, glancing at her subject from the corner of her eye. He doesn’t notice her, focused on something below the cliffside.
His starry cloak dances in the wind, metal ornaments clinking as he stands, lost in thought. The right side of his face is obscured by a mask; if she looks closely enough, there are hints of a scar climbing up his neck, clawing its way onto his face…Just where did Lumine find this guy?
Sucrose, too caught up in her staring, fails to notice Dainsleif staring back. It’s only when they make eye contact that she realizes she’s been caught.
She fumbles with her notes, slamming them shut and stuffing them in her bag. She tears her eyes away from him, forcing herself to look at the ground. When she thinks about it, it actually looks really interesting. Has it always been so…made of dirt?
“Sucrose?” Aw, shit.
“Y-yes?” she replies, louder than intended. She claps a hand over her mouth, growing redder by the second.
Dainsleif looks more pensive than peeved, tilting his head a little as he looks at her.
“Did you need something?” he asks, taking a step towards her. He freezes when she stiffens up, leaning back as if trying to avoid him. Her ears flatten against her head; was she trying to make herself seem smaller?
He clears his throat. His eyes dart to the side, occasionally flickering back to her.
“I’m sorry,” he coughs. Sucrose notices that he’s turned a little red, struggling to meet her gaze. Was he…embarrassed?
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Dainsleif explains. “I noticed you looking at me, and thought you wanted to ask something. I apologize if I sounded…upset.”
“No, no!” Sucrose waves him off, jumping to her feet. “You didn’t scare me! Well, okay, maybe a little, but it was my fault for staring at you! Sorry, that was probably really creepy of me.”
He looks relieved by her admission, expression softening. Sucrose considers it a win, mentally high-fiving herself for quelling his concerns.
“It’s alright,” he says, smiling a little. “However, you did admit to staring. When someone stares, that often means they’re curious about something.”
“Well…yes.”
“What is it you’d like to know?”
Ah, where to begin. She’s been very curious about him. For starters, she could ask where he got that cape (and the rest of his outfit), or maybe that mask…no, wait, that’s too personal, if he’s got a mask then it’s probably to hide something, so she shouldn’t pry-
Dainsleif laughs a little, quickly hushing himself. She realizes she’s been gawking at him again, like a deer in headlights.
“I’m so sorry!” she blurts out, pulling her hat over her eyes. The ground’s looking good again, she should be curious about that instead.
“It’s okay, really,” Dain reassures her. He seems amused by her struggling, but she can’t bring herself to be mad about it. She probably does look a little funny, stumbling over her words and jolting whenever she’s caught off-guard.
“Though, I must say…this is the first time we’ve had a proper conversation.”
“Wait, really?” Sucrose looks up at him, eyes wide. And to think, they’ve known each other for a month…that’s kind of pathetic, actually.
“Really,” he affirms. “I must apologize for not bothering to reach out to you-”
“Oh, no no! It’s my fault, I should’ve tried harder to be more welcoming-”
“No, I understand, I also find it difficult to connect with new people-”
“But that’s not an excuse! You live with us now, the least I could do is chat with you a little-”
“Sucrose, I insist, you’re not to blame for our lack of interaction-”
“No, Dainsleif, I insist! I need to be a better friend to you-”
“HEY!”
The two of them flinch, startled by Paimon’s shout. The pixie has her hands on her hips, pouting at them.
“Some of us are trying to work here! So unless you know how maps work, Paimon suggests you keep it down!”
Lumine hushes her, giving them a rueful smile. Amber, on the other hand, looks like she’s trying not to cry, grin wobbly as she rubs at the corner of her eye.
They return their attention to the map. Sucrose hears them giggling about how “cute it was that she and Dain were finally talking.” If Dain hears, he doesn’t show it, stifling a laugh of his own.
He glances at her, and she realizes she’s smiling. Soon, he breaks, snickering a little before turning around, pressing his head to his arm as he leans against a tree. His shoulders shake, a clear indication of his laughter. Sucrose chuckles, muffling it by clasping her hands over her mouth.
Paimon, unfortunately, notices this, narrowing her eyes at them. They straighten up. Dainsleif coughs into his fist. Sucrose folds her arms behind her back. Paimon nods, satisfied by their silence.
It doesn’t last; Sucrose snorts, laughter fighting its way out of her as Dainsleif follows suit, leaning on the tree again. Paimon looks unimpressed, mumbling something about professionalism and how the two of them “have none.” Lumine pats her head.
“Leave them be,” she tells her. “It’s not every day that those two manage to make friends, especially not with each other.”
Amber nods in agreement, giving an “I’m so proud!”
“If I may,” Dainsleif manages, coming down from his high. “I believe you said something about needing to be a better friend?”
Sucrose stops laughing, growing flustered. For the third time that afternoon, the ground beckons to her, looking to be the most beautiful thing she’s seen since Lumine and Amber. (Okay, maybe not that pretty, but it beats having to own up to her words.)
“Well, I- uh,” she stammers, looking everywhere but Dain. “Is it…presumptuous of me to say that we are? I mean, I don’t want to overstep, this has been the only conversation we’ve ever had.
“Not to mention how I barely greeted you the first time we met, or how I shy away whenever you’re in the room- wait, no! You weren’t supposed to hear that! Forget that, I just…”
She takes a deep breath, steeling herself before looking up at him.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to be friends. I, uh, think you’re cool, and Lumine is really fond of you, so…I’d like to befriend you too.”
Hesitantly, she holds her hand out to him. Now Dainsleif is the one staring at her, shock written all over his face.
Oh, no, maybe he didn’t want to-
His features soften into a smile, one of the few she’s seen him give. It’s a lopsided, goofy little thing, nothing like the controlled ones he does when he’s being polite. This one’s real, and Sucrose is grateful to be the one receiving it.
“Thank you,” he beams, shaking her hand. His grip is warm, but loose; Sucrose idly recalls how he wears gauntlets.
“I’d be happy to call you my friend.”
Sucrose lights up, bouncing a little in excitement.
“By the way,” she starts, remembering how Dain had been watching something. “What were you looking at? On the shore, I mean.”
“Ah, that,” he mutters. “I saw some foxes playing, and thought to observe them. They don’t seem to be any different from those on the mainland, if not a little smaller.”
“They may have a different diet, then,” Sucrose agrees, raising a hand to her chin. “Or their stature indicates a predatory presence on the island.”
“Hey, now!” Paimon calls, crossing her arms. “We’re here to find a maushiro, not foxes! You two can study wildlife later.”
“Paimon’s right,” Amber chirps, waving them over. Sucrose picks up her bag, slinging it onto her back as they approach them.
“As great as it is that you two are bonding, we’re here on a commission. The sooner we finish it, the sooner you two can research foxes! Sounds good?”
“Sounds good!” Sucrose replies. “Have you had any luck figuring out how we should navigate the fog?”
Amber’s smile falters.
“Weeeell…” She scratches the back of her neck, looking over at Lumine.
“We decided that we should stay close,” Lumine reports.
“Besides this small unshrouded area, we weren’t able to determine the rest of the island's layout. Since we don’t know what it’s like, we’ll stick together. If we do have to separate, we’ll remain within shouting distance. Amber will light the way using pyro.”
“Oh, that reminds me!” Sucrose pulls her bag off, rummaging through it before pulling out a small, handheld lantern. It’s a simple device, made of iron and glass and left undecorated. However, in place of a candle is a bulb, nestled within a bubble of glass.
“Albedo and I ordered these from Fontaine a while back. They’re a new type of lantern, one that runs on Electro energy. Using this little switch here-”
She points to it.
“You can even turn it on and off!”
Her partners look impressed by this, murmuring in fascination. Paimon gives a small “ooh, cool!”, floating closer to inspect the lantern.
Sucrose turns to Lumine, holding the device out to her.
“Lumine, if you would? The battery is in the base.”
Her girlfriend nods, carefully turning the lantern in her hands as she admires it, muttering about how she’s “surprised this world has them too.”
She slides the panel off of the base. Paimon holds it for her as she gathers electro on her fingertips, pressing them to the lantern’s battery. It sparks to life, glowing with a soft, purple hue. Paimon passes the battery panel back to Lumine, who slides it into place before handing the lantern back to Sucrose.
Sucrose shuts it off, excited at the prospect of finally being able to use it.
“Good to know we have a back-up!” Amber grins. “Now we have something to use in case I burn myself out.”
She cackles at her joke, Paimon groaning as Lumine rolls her eyes, a fond look on her face. Dainsleif gives an amused huff, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Sucrose giggles, pecking her cheek. Amber lights up (much like the lantern), before coughing into her fist, donning a more professional air.
“Okay, no more stalling!” she declares, doing her best to sound serious. “We have a maushiro to find, and an island to explore! Let’s go!”
She turns on her heel, calling pyro into her hand as her party follows. In the distance, Tsurumi Island watches, waiting to welcome its visitors.