Chapter Text
Mondstadt buzzed in excitement. Civilians chattered in the streets while vendors set up their carts of foods and trinkets. Above them all, the sun shone brightly behind the occasional fluff of a white cloud. It was mid summer, the heat wafting from black stones and sweaty people's backs.
It was the perfect time for a festival.
Not that anyone got to choose the date of the Rose Courting ceremony that accompanied the Festival of Solstice. It was an event that occurred every five hundred years, something that no mere mortal could witness more than once. But it could still be a delight for the gods and immortals to partake in.
Kaeya had only heard stories of the festival from neighbors and townsfolk who passed on legends from their elders.
Even those stories were dim though. All he knew was that it was created to be a celebration of the gods and mortals uniting as one. Two individuals, chosen by Celestia herself, would be grabbed by the hands of fate and set on a path of something great.
What that path was? Kaeya had no clue. He was just excited to see all the food, music, and dancing being set up.
Oh, and the drinks.
And despite the hard work he had been forced to endure over the last month in preparation (setting up guard rotations for the ceremony, establishing a perimeter for the Grandmaster’s safety, and combing through foreign visitors' identities to make sure they didn’t come with bad intentions) he was looking forward to the actual event.
The rest of the city was scrambling to complete their last-minute tasks, but he, the overachiever he was, had completed his morning patrol and list of chores that Jean had supplied, early on that day.
He had been hoping to drag some of it out, in order to avoid speaking to Jean again to get more tasks. Ordinarily, he enjoyed talking with her, she might’ve even been the closest person he had in his life at the moment (The only person actually, unless you counted the bottom of bottle). However, with the stress of the festival, she had begun to grow…irritable.
As he knocked on the door to her office, he steadied himself with a breath, hoping he wasn’t disturbing the beast that was Jean Gunnhildr’s rage. The day prior, he’d seen a knight sprint from her office in near-tears because she’d been late to a meeting about flower arrangements.
She could be quite frightening when angry- it appeared in a cold voice and narrowed eyes.
Jean wasn’t a visibly angry person when upset. She didn’t glare or huff or clench her fists. No, instead, she let her fury creep into her words. She scolded and reprimanded in a diligent way, but what got people to feel ashamed (when they acted out of order) was the pure disappointment or frustration that altered her tone.
Luckily, Kaeya had only been on the receiving end in rare occurrences.
Unluckily, it seemed that as he opened the door and entered her office- one of those occasions was going to be right then.
“Acting Grandmaster,” He smiled charmingly, “I hope I haven’t interrupted you at an inopportune moment.” He stepped into the room and took notice of the other women already seated in the chairs directly in front of the Acting GM’s desk, “Lisa. Amber. Lumine. What a delight, my four favorite ladies-“
“Paimon is here too!” A shrill voice sounded through the room. The floating blur of pink and white that was the traveler’s companion suddenly flew upwards, arms crossed in annoyance. She wore a petulant frown on her face and openly glared at the man in the room, “I’m a girl too!”
(Kaeya noted Jean closing her eyes and sighing- a clear indicator that she was developing a migraine).
“Ah, sorry, my five favorite women in one room.” He corrected himself.
The rest of the women rolled their eyes in reply, not caring about his disingenuous flattery. Paimon gave a huff and floated back to where Lumine sat. None of them were affected by Kaeya’s smooth talking.
Or at least, they weren’t affected anymore . Lisa took his words in stride, usually sending back flirty words the second he made a sensual comment. She never meant any of it, too caught up in her own life to actually flirt.
Jean used to stutter and flush when they first met, all those years ago, but now she was a stone wall when Kaeya spoke. Lumine never cared, her preferences a tad more…feminine.
And Amber blushed easily, but didn’t give him the satisfaction of a gasp or exclamation anymore, like she had when they first met. Instead, she seemed to view him as an older brother, or a paternal figure (something that greatly disturbed him) the longer they knew each other.
“What did you need, Captain?” Jean asked, straight to the point like usual, waving away his flatteries with a bored expression.
She had several documents and pieces of parchment on her desk, some half written on and others covered in so much writing that they were illegible.
Clearly, she was hard at work and needed to get back to whatever meeting she was in the middle of. Kaeya couldn’t blame her for wanting him to hurry up and get out of her office. He didn’t want to be in it any longer than he had to be either.
“I’ve finished with my tasks for the festival. I was wondering if you needed help with anything else.” He leaned against the door nonchalantly, sending a smile that for a moment- broke through Jean’s impenetrable wall, making her fondly shake her head.
“Well, I don’t have much that would be suitable for the cavalry captain to deal with. Unless you want to help set up some tents and hang some roses. Or there’s-“
“ Jean. ” Lumine frowned, indicating disapproval when the Acting GM reached for a stack of papers on her desk, “Maybe it’d be better if he stuck to patrols.”
“Hmm?” She blinked, “Oh, yes, you’re right, Traveler. Never mind.” Jean nodded, setting the papers back down, “How do you feel about taking out a local hilichurl camp, Kaeya?”
“Hold on,” His interest peaked. He leaned off the wall to step further into the room and placed his hands on the back of Amber’s chair, “Tell me what those papers are. What task do you need done? I can do it.”
The women all exchanged glances (that did not soothe Kaeya’s worries) before Lumine heaved a sigh and gestured for Jean to continue, “Maybe he’ll have better luck than us.”
The woman in charge nodded and began to speak, “I have some foreign visitors attending the festival and some of them are…not exactly people I’d feel comfortable having free reign. If you could pick someone out of these papers to observe-“ She pulled out a folder and held them forward for Kaeya to take, “That would be great.” She finished.
“Aren’t we in the city of freedom?” Kaeya quipped, already reading through the files, “This feels like it goes against our city’s motto-“
“I’m not saying you need to stalk them or disrupt their fun at the festival.” Jean cut in, voice back to its hardened tone, “But I’d feel much more at ease, if I knew no one was going to try and make trouble.”
“Yeah, someone on that list has a history of ruining festivals.” Paimon scowled, crossing her tiny arms over her chest.
Kaeya’s eyebrow quirked upwards for the second time, “I’m assuming you’ve had a run in with some scoundrels on your travels then?” He flipped through the pages quickly, absorbing information as Paimon dove into describing their past, giving her 2% of his attention.
“Oh really?” He hummed as she talked, “How awful.” He commented and flipped to another page. He read through the people quickly; a few alleged bandits, a corrupt leader of a city, some treasure hoarders, and on the last page;
The Eleventh Harbinger .
Now that. That was interesting.
Goes by the name: Childe.
“ Last seen in Liyue. Weapons include: bow and spear. Hydro and electro user. Has intentions of attending the festival. Appearance? Red hair. Origins? Schneznayan. Intentions? Unknown. Real name? Unknown. Age? Unknown. Threat level? Extreme. Do not engage if alone.” He muttered to himself, quietly.
Very interesting indeed.
At the bottom was an image, sketched by some poor soul who must have had a run in with the man. He had softer features than Kaeya would have expected: a round nose, doe-like eyes, fluffed hair. Handsome, some might say. The parchment didn’t lie though; there was a glint of something mischievous in his smile.
“I’ll look after this one.” He decided, cutting off whatever rant Paimon was in the middle of. Someone had to protect the city, and he was up for the challenge.
“Which one?” Jean asked. Lisa and Amber looked over his shoulder, reading the document with questioning stares.
“The Eleventh Harbinger.” He answered.
The room went quiet. Until-
“That’s him! Childe!” Paimon squeaked, “He’s awful! He’s the guy Paimon was just talking about! He-“
“Is a perfect candidate for Kaeya to observe.” Lisa finished for her.
And she was right. No other knight had the skills to maintain a harbinger or the time to take off from the festival. Not to mention, most of the other knights who were at a higher position, were already dealing with the other difficult people on the list.
“But, are you sure about that, Kaeya? He’s kind of a hassle to be around.” Lumine frowned.
“Aw, do I detect concern, my dear traveler?” He gave her doting expression, only for her to shove him away with a good-natured groan.
“But really, do not worry about me.” Kaeya said, “I’ll keep my distance from the harbinger unless he makes me feel a confrontation is necessary. None of you doubt my capabilities in combat, right?”
The girls all shook their heads in answer (although Kaeya could’ve sworn he saw Lumine hesitate for a half second) and then gave a pleasant smile as he prepared to leave.
“I’ll take my departure now then. If you need me, ladies, I’ll be at the front gate waiting for this dangerous doer.” He made for the door, the document on this ‘Childe’ still clutched in a tight grip.
“Kaeya.” Jean said as he was about to close the door behind himself. He stopped and looked over his shoulder, waiting for her to continue.
“Please remember to enjoy the festival.” She finished.
A warm glow surrounded Kaeya’s chest at her words, comforted by the fact that she cared.
However;
“The festival is three days long. How could I not enjoy at least one of the three?”
He gave a blinding smile and then shut the door behind him.
For the rest of the day, Kaeya remained at the front gate, standing at the top of the tower which overlooked the bridge in order to scan every face that entered. Despite it being a relatively easy task- it quickly became tiresome. The sun beating down his back made him sweat buckets while his eyes grew sore from straining to watch every individual who entered the city.
As time went on, he also endured the curious stares of his fellow knights, pesky insects, and a rather rude crow that dropped shells on his head for a solid hour. All of which he shook off, waving them away in annoyance. He found though, after the fourth hour of standing in the hot sun, searching for his target- that sitting at the knights headquarters, filling out paperwork would be more entertaining than his present tasks.
His relief didn’t come until the sun began to set. It was just past nine thirty, when he finally saw a man who fit the description of a troublesome Fatui agent in grey clothing. He entered through the gates accompanied by a hoard of travelers and visitors for the festival, blending in with them until Kaeya noticed his head of red locks. The man wore dirty traveling boots and a large pack on his back, his face covered by a red scarf, despite it being summer. His ‘disguise’ (if you could even call it that), didn’t do much- Kaeya believed he still could’ve picked the man out from a crowd.
‘Childe’ (or whatever his real name was) walked with a swagger that was typically only reserved for residents of Mondstadt. He seemed familiar with the city’s layout, scanning it like he already knew exactly where to go.
Not to mention his smirk. It irked Kaeya down to his core.
The harbinger flashed the offending movement of his lips to everyone he passed and when he stopped at Flora’s flower stand, he let it fester onto his face, greeting the young girl in a way that made her reply with a sneer. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, as Flora generally disliked people (i.e.; men) but it made Kaeya spur into movement, ready to defend any one of the townspeople he was sworn to protect against the outsider.
Fortunately for all those involved, before Kaeya could charge into action (and subsequently give up his hiding in the shadows) Childe pulled a small sack from his pocket and placed it on the table between him and Flora.
Trying to gain a better viewpoint of the mysterious pouch, Kaeya stalked around the perimeter of the wall and leaned in over a wooden banister.
It was a brown cloth bag, small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, but seemingly heavy enough to make a clang when it hit the metal rim of the table it sat upon.
Childe reached inside and plucked a gold coin from its innards, handing it over to the (suddenly smiling) young lady with a flourish. They spoke quietly and briefly, their goodbyes to each other being punctuated with Flora pointing up the street.
It was in the opposite direction of the local inn, and Kaeya faltered for a moment, before realizing Childe wouldn’t be welcome at such a location. His Fatui allegiance made him less than favorable amongst the citizens and he’d be turned away from most locations, pardon the Goth Grand Hotel. That was where he had to be going then, Kaeya decided.
He followed Childe closely and easily. The harbinger took slow steps and took the time to observe everything he passed, humming to himself in the dim moonlight.
His tune was high and childish (no pun intended) and he let his song flow loudly in the empty street, echoing against the cobblestone. It was an alluring sound, a tune that he’d never heard before, but sparked an interest in Kaeya to hear more. As he walked along the roofs and railings, he let his steps sink into beat with Childe’s song, the two making an unintentional sort of waltz of steps as they went.
It took over both of their thoughts, as Childe began to go in circles around the town, constantly missing his turn and going down paths he didn’t need to.
“The poor man is lost.” Kaeya tsked, watching Childe pause to scratch at his chin and venture along. He grinned, bemused and invested on whether or not the other man would eventually find his destination. He didn’t have high hopes. For another amusing five minutes, Childe sang under his breath a song that sounded Schneznayan, and Kaeya allowed himself to spin and take light steps alongside him- until the harbinger stopped outside the Goth grand hotel.
The realization suddenly sunk into Kaeya as they both came to a halt, and he found that he could not enter the building without drawing attention. There was no way of entry that would allow him keep a low profile and remain undetected.
“Damn.” He muttered.
It was time to head back home and call it a night.
He’d gotten enough information on the harbinger; his location, what he looked like, the fact that he had money to hand out on the regular. However, It didn’t seem like the man was a potential danger to the festival so far. He seemed rather; a foreigner hoping to partake in their ceremony, just like every other person to have walked through their gates that evening.
Nonetheless, Kaeya vowed to himself that he was going to pursue his watch over the harbinger the next day, as Jean had asked.
“That’s that then.” He muttered, rubbing his hands on his pants and grabbing onto a pipe to slide the rest of the way down to the cobblestone pavement. He landed hard, boot heels making a ‘ clunk’ sound when they hit the stones. For a moment, he panicked, head rearing up to check if Childe had heard his landing.
To his relief, the man didn’t so much as twitch. His shoulders remained loose and casual, his scarf slipping down to reveal a tired yet relaxed expression, and then nothing as he opened one of the heavy wooden doors and went inside the hotel.
Kaeya stayed there until the door shut with a click, waiting to see if Childe would make a reappearance- but nothing happened. He waited a beat longer, just in case, until his thighs began to cramp from where he was crouching in the darkness.
The sky was black by the time he began to walk home.
“Captain.”
He jerked, grabbing the handle of his sword, ready to draw it, before the voice registered in his ears. A glimpse of red hair caught his eye and exhaled slowly, removing his hand from his weapon.
“Diluc.” He murmured, spinning on his heel so he came face to face with the man.
He wore an apron around his waist, stains of alcohol dotting the cloth from what must’ve been a hard shift at the tavern. The locks of his fiery hair were tied high and tight; a ponytail perched on the crown of his head, strands of messy hair poking out. He looked utterly exhausted, pardon a scowl that was deeply carved into his face.
Kaeya could imagine he looked just as bad, sweaty from the day’s events and eyes tired from straining in the sun.
“You look gross.” The bartender frowned, confirming that statement. On his hip, he carried a box that was twice the size of his torso. His fingers spasmed and strained around the wood, drawing Kaeya’s attention.
“Thanks, you do too,” He snarked, “What do you have in there?” he pointed at the box, “Some kind of illegal paraphernalia?”
Diluc’s eyes sharpened with annoyance, “I have liquor in here. For my job. ” He emphasized the word, lips hard and strict, “Unlike you- strolling around at odd hours-“
“I’m patrolling. For my job. ” Kaeya spat back.
He regretted the mocking tone as soon as he used it, watching as Diluc’s lips twisted deeper into a snarl.
“It’s nearly eleven. Your patrols are in the afternoon.” He spoke.
Kaeya heaved an amused chuckle, “You’ve memorized my schedule?”
The humor died when he noticed the twitch in the man’s eyelid, “Whatever, forgive me for wanting to make sure you were protecting our fair city for once.” Diluc scoffed, shifting the box in his hands. He shoved past the knight, scuffing his boots.
“For once?” Kaeya muttered under his breath, staring after Diluc with a heavy heart. He felt the urge to run after and grab his shoulder- anything that might make him a little less snuffed, but the redhead was already down the street.
Each step he took, was punctuated with the box swinging on his hip and slamming into his thigh.
“Have a good night!” Kaeya called out before the bartender turned around a corner.
Diluc’s shoes stopped with a click, his back facing Kaeya. The sounds of the evening surrounded them, leaving nothing audible but the serenity of nightlife; birds, crickets, and the gentle hum of the lake licking at it’s shore, just outside the gates. Diluc’s huffs of irritation were loud in comparison when he finally spoke.
“Don’t talk to me at the festival.” He snapped, looking over his shoulder. His hair snagged on the collar of his shirt and his eyes gleamed a vibrant red.
His words left no room for debate. And with that, he continued on his way, heaving his large box along and slouching back to the Angel’s Share.
The walk back to Kaeya’s house was frustrating and contemplative.
He knew the next day was going to be hectic, what with his long list of duties, but he couldn’t find it in himself to go right to bed when he arrived home.
Instead, the moment he entered through his front door, his feet took him directly to his kitchen.
His hands followed suit, pulling a bottle of his favorite wine from the alcohol cabinet.
It was a moderately small loft, just near the knight’s headquarters. It sat overlooking the cathedral. Being cozy yet chilly, an effect that seemed to stem from his use of Cryo, coldness seeping into the wooden floors.
Kaeya had decorated the place in tapestries and rugs with intricate designs, a choice that made his home look different from the room he’d had growing up, which had been decorated by the Ravinger family for generations.
As an adult, with his own funds and sense of style, his home was cluttered and decidedly absent of other people. He had a study with a desk that held piles of unorganized documents and objects from investigations. Examples being a dagger from an Abyss mage and a cursed necklace he’d found in a pawn shop. Behind the desk, was a stained-glass window allowing pink hued light to shower the room.
The next door opened up to a simple washroom. There was a sink, a toilet, and a clawfoot bathtub. Some bathrooms had themes to them, however, his was in a state of chaos. The bathtub was a light orange, while the sink and toilet were white. Just like the rest of the house, there was a tapestry on the wall, this one depicting two men fighting. Or fucking.
Kaeya found it funny.
A small wicker table sat beside the tub, holding shampoos and bath salts. All around the room were red candles, in different stages of height from their past uses. They emitted a soothing aroma. On the back of the toilet lay a stack of books, a lantern, and a sack of mora. It was an odd experience to say the least, when using Kaeya’s commode.
Luckily, no one ever visited.
Finally, at the end of the hall, was his bedroom.
Just like the rest of the house, it was disorganized. His bed was perpetually unmade, and his closet was stuffed with unfolded clothing.
Blankets and duvets swallowed his mattress, and two pillows lay forgotten under the bed, his blankets instead being bunched up to support his head.
Inside the terror-filled-hell that was his closet, shirts and trousers wrinkled in their positions. He had a habit of shrugging off his clothes when he got home from work and stuffing them away so he wouldn’t have to deal with them until laundry day (unless of course they were doused in blood and/or slime).
Which was exactly why he plopped down on his couch the moment he arrived home and began sipping at the red wine in his grip.
It held an acidic aftertaste, leaving his throat shuddering. It was a tad stronger than his usual choices, but he sucked it down anyways. He drank before going to bed a lot as of late, a habit that he’d developed after becoming Cavalry captain.
“Oh, my delicious compatriot, I do wonder what I am going to do tomorrow.” Kaeya hummed into the air, gazing at his drink like it was an old mate.
When drinking, he tended to desire drinking-buddy. Someone to drunkenly engage and banter with like they were actually friends. It was why he liked the taverns so much; his couch offered no socialization.
When his wine gave no reply, he settled with that fact and took a long drink.
He hoped the next day would be less stressful than the present. His list od duties went on and on; protecting the people, going on patrols, keeping an eye on the festivities, helping Jean, and of course, supervising Childe.
His desire for a less strenuous day was unlikely to occur.
He was probably going to end up exactly where he was in the present, with a glass of wine while nursing an impending migraine.
“Do you think Childe is suspicious?“ He asked his wine again, mistaking the ripples it made for nodding, when he shifted to cross his legs.
“Yes well, while he has not shown any unsavory behavior…I still have this gnawing feeling of uneasiness where he is concerned,” He told the inanimate object, “Or maybe I just don’t trust redheads.” He snorted, an intoxicated smile drifting over his face.
It was probably a good thing he hadn’t gone out to a tavern, now that he stopped to think about it. Even in a buzzed haze, he could imagine the disappointed discussion Jean would sit him down for, if he stepped outside looking as he did. The last time he’d gone out drinking to punish himself, he’d spent the night out at Starsnatch cliff, stargazing and letting the rain wash over his body. He’d trudged home afterwards; soggy and stumbling- but at least no one had seen him.
He hadn’t had a public drunken outburst in over six years, back when he was completely and utterly miserable. Which he technically still was, but at least he was also twenty four and had his own place to drink his sorrows away.
“To being a drunken fuck,” He toasted the air, sloshing wine over the side of the lip of the bottle so it’s stickiness dribbled over his fingers, “And to the Festival of Solstice.” He punctuated his words with a long drink, throat bobbing as the liquid went down.
That night, he fell asleep on his couch, spooning a half empty bottle that inevitably turned over and stained the cushion of his couch. There was no need to worry though. Afterall, it was a great idea to monitor someone while dealing with a hangover, right? The next day wouldn’t end in total disaster.
Probably.