Chapter Text
Thoma supposed he should have been thankful for the fact that Mondstadt had a port leading directly into the heart of the city. However, his travel had been long and hard enough that he was finding it hard to stay in good spirits. In his hand, his clothes and travel pack. On his back, the sleeping child, her form slumped in the carrier that the seamstress of Inazuma had fashioned for him.
He waved goodbye to the sailors, stepping off the ship and onto the port in a daze. The city looked much as it had when he was a kid. Spiraling stone steps leading up to markets and apartment homes, the statue of Barbatos looming overhead, the beacon of hope and freedom. He felt emotional, memories flooding back in.
Thoma remembered summers with friends, running through the fields outside the city. Flashes of blond hair, blue, red. Blowing on the Windwheel Asters to see who could spin them fastest. Those were… simpler times.
He grunted, feeling the girl shift her weight in her sleep. He had been using his staff as a walking stick, but was emboldened with the thought that he didn’t have much farther to go. For just a moment he stopped, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, breathing deeply. It smelled clear, fresh.
He could hear murmurs around him, and as he opened his eyes, he could see a young boy pointing at him. Only… it wasn’t Thoma he was pointing at. It was Idalia. Thoma looked behind him to check on her.
Oh, shit. She was slipping out of the pack. He hurried to readjust her, watching her blink sleepily and smack her lips before going back to sleep. Who knew five year olds needed to sleep so much?
The murmurs were growing louder, though, and people were unafraid to look at Thoma. Most of them smiled, and he smiled back. Did they recognize him? He didn’t remember any of their faces.
Out of his periphery, he heard a loud crack. He flipped around, one hand guarding Idalia, the other pointing out with his polearm.
A woman stood there, green eyes glinting in the light from the setting sun. She was looking at him in awe, purple skirt flowing as she strode towards him. Her eyes were not on him, though. Again, it was Idalia.
“Hello, traveler,” she mused lightly, tilting her head and meeting his eye. She bore a tall witch’s hat, something at the tip jingling as she moved. “What brings you to Mondstadt?”
He chuckled nervously, moving the tip of his weapon away from her. “Well, believe it or not, I actually grew up here. I just… haven’t been back for a bit.”
She nodded, looking again to Idalia. “She’s a beautiful little girl. How old is she?”
“Five. Her name is Idalia.”
The woman smiled, staring for a moment, before she startled. “Oh! How rude, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Lisa. You must be exhausted, your attire harkens you from far away. Inazuma?”
He blinked in surprise. “Yes. Have you been?”
“Many years ago,” she nodded. “Do you have a place to stay?”
He shrugged. “Ida and I have been camping mostly. I don’t have much Mora.”
Her eyes met his with concern. “Oh, you poor thing. And your sweet daughter!”
He flushed, shaking his head. “She— oh, she’s not my daughter. That’s actually why I’m here…”
He trailed off, watching something like shock pass over her eyes.
“Ma’am?”
“Sorry, distracted. Is her… home, here?” Lisa asked, a tentative hand reaching out to push Ida’s bangs out of her face.
“I’m hoping so. I believe her father lives here. Idalia’s mother passed away recently. We were good friends.” Thoma’s throat closed up with emotion. The pain of losing Leylah was still fresh in his heart. “Her dying wish was that I take her daughter to meet the father. Hopefully… hopefully she will find a home here.”
Lisa stared at Idalia, clearly thinking intently on something. Understanding dawned, and she looked up at him.
“Her hair is beautiful.”
Thoma smiled, looking back at the auburn locks spilling from the girl’s little head. “Yes. Her mother was brunette, so I believe that shade is from her father.”
Lisa said nothing, but motioned for him to follow her. They walked in silence for a short while before reaching a nondescript door. The sun had set now, blues streaking across the night sky.
“Stay here,” she instructed. “This reunion I fear may be a bit of a shock to… Well, the father. He doesn’t know, does he?”
Thoma shook his head, dropping his bag to the stone outside. “No— sorry, you know who the father is?”
Lisa didn’t reply, instead walking into the area. It appeared to be a tavern, lively and warm. As the door was shutting, Thoma watched her stomp her foot, a surge of purple light exploding from her. The door fell shut as her voice bellowed, “EVERYONE OUT!”
Thoma slunk back into the shadows, watching the stream of people flee the building. After a minute, Lisa poked her head out, cheery as ever.
“Okay, come on in!”
Thoma tentatively walked through the door, memories hitting him like a wall.
Diluc Ragnvindr was standing behind the bar, staring at Lisa with undisguised agitation. To the side, Kaeya Alberich sat, nursing some drink. Apparently, “get out” did not apply to him.
Lisa nodded to Thoma, who swallowed thickly. As Kaeya and Diluc met his gaze, shock and disbelief passed over their faces.
“Thoma?” Diluc asked softly.
“Hello Diluc,” he replied, suddenly horrifically nervous. “You… you look good.”
A happy laugh exploded from Kaeya, who surged from his seat. He had an eyepatch over his right eye, but other than that just seemed stronger, older. Undoubtedly dashing. Kaeya went to give him a hug, but froze upon seeing the little girl on his back.
His mouth fell open. “What…”
Thoma sighed. He supposed it was going to have to be done at some point. “Please try to keep your voice down. She’s asleep.”
As he turned back from Kaeya to face Diluc, he could see the man’s face was deathly pale.
“Is she…”
“Her name is Idalia,” Thoma murmured, walking towards the bar seats. Diluc was rooted in place, staring at the pop of red hair spilling over Thoma’s shoulder. “She is your daughter.”
Diluc was silent for a long while. Everyone was, actually. Just watching the sleeping girl.
Silently, Diluc walked around the counter. Thoma unclipped the pack, maneuvering it so he could lift Idalia out and cradle her. Diluc approached, staring down at her face with something unreadable on his face.
“Leylah… that is her mother?”
“Was. She passed away this summer.”
Kaeya stood off to the side, looking incredulously between Diluc and Idalia.
“Her last wish was that I brought her to you. She believed you could give her the best life.”
Without warning, tears began to fall down Diluc’s cheeks. “That woman… I didn’t know.”
“That she was pregnant, or sick?”
“Both.” Diluc’s eyes were still glued to his daughter, remarkably still fast asleep in Thoma’s arms. “Can I hold her?” He asked, meeting Thoma’s eyes.
Thoma nodded quickly, helping to guide the girl into Diluc’s arms. “She is your daughter, after all.”
Thoma watched as Diluc shifted the girl in his hold, and how she tucked into her father’s warmth. He knew, immediately, the trip had been worth it.
“Okay. What?” Kaeya demanded suddenly. “Diluc, explain. Now.”
Diluc sighed, something long and pained. “Fuck. Ah, sorry. Id-Idalia. Do you remember my vacation in Snezhnaya?”
Lisa gave him a flat look. “That’s what they’re calling it these days?”
Diluc glared. “Yes. When I… cooled off, I went to Inazuma. I met Idalia’s mother, Leylah. We became friends quickly. She was… she was maybe one of my best friends. One night, we were both drunk, and she suggested we… fool around. Just to see how we liked it. I had never… With a woman… So I agreed. It was nice, but I think both of us felt better as friends. I was… well, 20, maybe? 21? How old is she?”
“Five,” Thoma answered quietly.
Diluc nodded. “I spent a few more weeks there, before sailing back to Mondstadt. I wrote Leylah… She never mentioned anything.”
“I became good friends with Leylah after you left,” Thoma explained. “I had known her mutually for some time through the Kamisatos. I was disappointed to learn that a childhood friend of mine had been in Inazuma, and I hadn’t met him. So, as Leylah told me stories, we grew close. Then she found out she was pregnant. It was very hard on her. Not the fact that she was pregnant— she had always wanted a child. Her body… It just wasn’t ready. Childbirth left her irreparably weak. I helped her raise Idalia, until she passed away. She… she didn’t want you to throw your life away to raise a child you hadn’t planned on. Though, as Ida grew older, Leylah began to hint at it through letters. To see if she should tell you. She had decided she was going to tell you everything, hopefully to invite you to visit for Idalia’a seventh birthday. Sickness took her before she could reach that, though. She asked me to bring her to you.”
Diluc was crying again, looking at the girl in his arms. “I… She looks so much like Leylah.”
“Definitely has your hair, though,” Kaeya mumbled, peering over Diluc’s shoulder. “Archons, that’s uncanny. Diluc, look at her arm!”
Thoma cocked his head, trying to see what they were looking at. Idalia had a birthmark just below her left shoulder that they always called her Star.
Diluc saw his confusion. “I have the same mark,” he explained. “I can’t believe…”
“Logistics can be sorted out tomorrow morning!” Kaeya chirped, coming up to Thoma. This time he did give the man a hug, holding for a moment before pulling away. “Let’s get the three of you out to Dawn Winery. Unless you have another place to stay?”
Thoma shook his head, not missing the look of disbelief Diluc shot at Kaeya’s back. “Is— Is that okay?”
“What, would you rather sleep on the street?”
“We’ve been camping…” Thoma trailed off.
“Yeah, no more of that. Diluc, carry your daughter. Thoma, you have bags?” Kaeya began looking about.
“Just one, outside. You don’t have to—“
“Great! I’ll carry that. You just carry yourself to the Winery. Lisa, you coming?”
The witch shook her head. “No, I’m going to tell Jean to give you a few days so you can help them… settle.”
Kaeya clapped. “Excellent! Oh, I love it when you think ahead. Alright team— break!”