Chapter Text
Angel's Share was a good place for a person to live.
Big or small.
There was an abundance of food in the pantry, it was always lively at night and guaranteed to be quiet in the cellar if the noise got too much.
And when nobody was there, food was so easy to steal. The food was good, too. High quality ham, cheeses, bread, fresh apples and sunsettias... anything a mouse could want.
...well.
You weren't a full mouse.
Just a "Mäuschen"- part human, part mouse. Usually the animal features just came through with ears, maybe a tail and a few animalistic behaviors, but the Mäuschen bloodline decided to adopt the absolutely awful height too.
And due to extremely violent and sadistic past events, the Mäuschen bloodline lived like mice, hidden away from humans and all other people alike.
Most people had completely forgotten they were real at this point, only thinking they were folk tales now- but no, you were very much real, and very much eating ham and bread you had stolen this morning.
Stealing was such a harsh word... you needed it to survive. Blame all the cats in Mondstadt for making foraging outside impossible. Staying inside and making crumbs disappear was just the sane option.
Upstairs, Angel's Share was bustling with customers again.
You knew the names and faces of the regulars by now, making note to be especially careful around them. Cause if they saw you, they'd be back to check.
If it was just a random person, they'd probably think they were just too drunk that night.
You just about finished your meal, and were itching for a drink. And boy, was there a lot of choice around with all of the barrels around...
Eh, why not live a little...? You barely let yourself relax, so a little bit of dandelion wine wouldn't be so bad.
Using your needle, you struggled to poke a little hole into one of the containers, and held your mouth to it.
Not the most sanitary, but not like you'd get a disease or something.
It didn't leak, but with some effort you could drink from it.
Oh damn. This wine was good. No wonder Ragnvindr was a wine tycoon with product like this.
The dandelion wine was bitter, but the more you drank, the more sweetness spread across your taste buds and made your head feel like it was in the clouds.
Blissful.
You stopped yourself after finally noticing just how hot your ears were getting. Either you were a light-weight (literally) or you underestimated the amount without a glass to compare.
Wouldn't have been a problem, if it weren't for the fact a loud creak alarmed you someone was coming, and light peered into the dark room.
You tried to run back to a hole in the wall, but instead drunkenly stumbled over your legs and caught yourself on your hands.
"Darn-!" Archons, did your hands ache from those fresh bruises you just got on them.
You struggled back up, barely able to find your balance. No time to check if they had seen you- you swayed on over to the wall finally, only to realize the light was gone again.
Not completely.
Just a shadow now over you.
Suddenly the warmth of the alcohol was gone and ice cold shudders ran down your back.
Please let them be checking a barrel, let them just be getting something near me-
"Stay there."
You whirled around to be met with glaring red eyes staring down at you, and a swiftly approaching hand.
Shrieking, you squirmed your way back through the hole in the wall you had came from, and fell quite uncomfortably once out of reach.
The person on the now other side groaned frustrated.
"I already saw you. Hiding in there will do you no good."
You covered your mouth, but now your body joined in on exposing you via hiccups.
Stupid, stupid, stupid- why NOW?!
The person sighed deeply.
"Fine. I'll just get one of the cats to get you out of there then." You heard the rustling of clothes right near the hole. "I don't much appreciate thieves."
Your mouth answered before your brain could. "'sss not- no thief-! I n-need to live!"
Stupid, stupid, shut your mouth! At least pretend to- to have- to not be there or something!
"And for that you need dandelion wine, yes?" The tone of voice implied they were rather annoyed.
And you didn't really have an answer.
They did catch you red-handed.
Another exasperated sigh.
"Look, I've known you've been here for a while now. Just cut the crap and come out so I can get this over with."
And the cold fear was back. Get this over with- surely they meant just killing you. People back then had seen your kind as nothing but pests, just like rats and vermin. Why would they care now?
Getting rid of a thief Mäuschen was so easy, and it wasn't like you had anything to bargain with.
...that didn't mean you'd just give yourself up though.
You stayed where you were, now pressed against the wood in the wall, as far away from the hole you had escaped through as possible. If only there were ways through here too- but nooo, of course dumb drunken brain chose the one with 0 tunnels or connections...!
Tapping.
One, two, three, four, five...
"I'm going to count to ten," they spoke, "...and if you're not out by then, I'll make sure that when I catch you, you'll regret ever thinking of hiding in the walls."
Your fingers dug into the planks at the threatening words.
"One," as if you could move after *that*,
"two," where were you going to go now?
"Three," how in the world were you gonna move somewhere else?
"Four," there was no way the cats wouldn't catch you when leaving.
"Five," this person was gonna tell everyone.
"Six," everyone would know you'd exist.
"Seven," and then they'd get their cats to kill you.
"Eight," you were practically already dead.
"Nine..." stupid, stupid, this was all your fault, should have known, should have known-!
"Ten."
You shrieked as suddenly foreign objects intruded on your vicinity, and wrapped around you, then dragged you out.
It took you a second to realize they were fingers- which was even more terrifying, because now, at any moment, whoever grabbed you could choose to crush you.
"No- NO, NO, STOP, PLEASE!" You tried to grab the side of the wall, but your grip slipped off all too easily. "STOP, STOP, I DONT WANT TO DIE-!"
Your body left the ground and faster than ever before, you were brought up to a height that would surely kill you.
Panicking, you turned every which way, and stared up at the person grabbing you.
It was the owner of the tavern, Ragnvindr, you didn't know his full name, but you didn't need to know anything about him to realize he was pissed, and you were screwed.
"I'd stop struggling, least you want to end up falling." They huffed.
...true, if they dropped you now, you'd 100% die. You had nothing on you to break that fall, usually you brought something akin to a grappling hook, but now you were at the mercy of the person holding you.
Holding you.
In their hand.
Which could crush you at any moment.
"Now, who exactly are you?" They demanded.
Ah. Name.
For a second you considered giving them a fake one. But if they found out...
You told them your name, although you had trouble not stuttering endlessly.
"I see. So you can listen." The tavern owner remarked.
Red eyes looked you up and down. It felt like they were burning your soul.
"I can hardly let you go again. Someone much worse than me could find you."
You felt like protesting- that up until now, nobody had ever found you, but remembered that they said they had known all along you were here.
Plus, their other words- "someone much worse"- you felt like it implied they wouldn't kill you.
...not immediately.
"You already know my name, don't you?" They returned the question.
"Only-" you hiccuped, "...only your last name."
You had managed to get your arms free, although your more rational brain kept you from squirming. Not from shaking like a leaf though.
"It's Diluc Ragnvindr. I'm surprised you don't know, what with those big ears."
He pointed at your ears.
Embarrassed, you covered them with your hands, though didn't dare to retort.
"How long have you been living here?" Diluc asked. He turned, his shadow not on you anymore, although now he could fully see you in the light.
Ugh, the light.
It was always dim in your quarters, any light practically blinded you. You covered your eyes.
"About-" how long had it been now...? "About two years."
That's when you had been kicked out.
"Two entire years you were living here?" He pried.
You nodded.
"Two years without me noticing..." he sighed annoyed, though it sounded like it was at himself, rather than you. "I don't suppose you'll voluntarily stop living in the walls, would you?"
You pondered the question.
The answer was no- but you pondered what exactly he meant.
These specific walls? Live out in the open?
...with actual people?
You hadn't ever seen any Mäuschen people besides your family...
"I'll take that as a no." Diluc interrupted your thoughts. "I'll find-"
He stopped talking as the door creaked again, and he quickly opened his coat, shoving you into it- much to your dismay, as you squeaked in surprise.
It smelled of a fireplace, and you thrashed against the warm fabric.
There was someone else in the room now, but you couldn't hear what they were saying. It was way too muffled through the layers of cloth.
You were fumbled around, and sunk into what you could guess was a pocket. You immediately tried climbing out, but your attempts were futile for now. It was way too step- not to mention the fabric wasn't the most climb friendly.
Diluc replied to the other person, "...I just needed a moment. I'll be right back."
His voice was a little obscured too, but still very much audible.
It sounded as if they exchanged more words, then the person left as the stairs creaked and the door closed.
You held your breath now, as if praying that Diluc just suddenly forgot he had put you into his coat.
His heartbeat was audible from your position. Would yours be this loud too if you were that big?
You didn't get time to think as the familiar gloved hand scooped you back out, and red eyes glared at you again.
"One could mistake you for having a death wish with all that squirming." Diluc sneered.
You crawled back, but only ended up bumping against his curled fingers.
His other hand moved above you, and you flinched in fear, thinking he was about to squash you.
"Good lord, I'm shocked you've lived this long if you're that excited to fall off..." Diluc muttered, and the hand that had been a roof over you a second ago moved next to his other.
He tilted the one you were on, so you fell between his palms with a yelp.
"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're so antsy about."
You didn't reply, simply struggling to try and sit up. Laying on your back like this made you feel exposed and helpless, like some trapped animal at the mercy of a predator.
Which wasn't far off- but you'd prefer it to not feel that way.
The red-haired man sighed as he looked towards the door. Sure, he could just put this... uh, person, he supposed, back down and pretend this never happened, but a big part of him already knew he'd never be able to forget that there was someone within his walls who could get eaten by a cat incredibly easily.
The thought left him pretty anxious, and even though he didn't know them, he'd rather make sure they wouldn't get hurt.
Not if he couldn't help it.
You grabbed the side of Diluc's glove and pulled yourself up and away from the dip between his palms, catching his attention.
"Hey, hey- stop moving, or I'll drop y-!"
Too little too late, Diluc fumbled with his hands to grab you again, but the motion made you stumble instead.
And fall.
"Ack!" You managed to grab a hold of Diluc's coat, but continuously slid down until you harshly hit the ground. "Ow!"
Now your knees had bruises too.
You rubbed your head, but before you could come to your senses, a shadow cast over you again.
You shrieked at the hand coming towards you, and scrambled back to the closest wall. Loud footsteps shook the ground as they followed you, but ultimately had to stop as you had vanished into a crack in the wall.
Diluc groaned frustrated.
"Hiding again? Really?"
You blew air on your hands to try and get rid of the searing pain.
"Fine. Keep on hiding, but the second my shift is over, I'll get you out of there myself." An unexpected scratch made you flinch. "Even of it takes all night."
You waited with baited breath, until finally after a full minute it sounded as if he started leaving.
As the door sounded, you took a shaky breath, it felt as if a stone had just lifted from your chest.
Your breathing sped up and shuddered. Did that just happen? You really, seriously got caught?
...he hadn't hurt you or killed you- he had said he wouldn't- YES, but now he was mad, and he was going to!
You shook your head over and over again.
There wasn't a high survival rate trying to move- but the chance of surviving here was even lower. Like he had said, he'd get you out even if it took all night. A cat or owl would just give up after a few minutes.
You steadied your breathing.
No use in panicking any longer.
You had to get out of here, right now.