Chapter Text
The sun had been shining earlier in the day. When her time in solitary confinement ended, however, it had been covered up by clouds. Much like her mood, she would say. The little Spark Knight had, indeed, blown up the lake again, and had, indeed, turned herself in as per Big Brother Kaeya's instructions she kept with her at all times. And, of course, she had, indeed, spent her time away from the outside world conceiving new bomb ideas, as if she had no clue why she was in solitary confinement in the first place.
Klee stared up at the sky, just outside of the Knights Headquarters. Big Brother Albedo was locked in his room and could give no time to Klee, and that made her sad, but Big Brother Albedo made her very, very happy when he did manage to spend time with her, so she supposed it all evened out in the end. Except today was especially gloomy now; although Master Jean had given her a hug and a head pat, she also gave those things with a warning to be good, so they only served to reinforce her quickly souring mood.
She adjusted her backpack, filled to the brim with all sorts of funny things and shiny things and practical things—and always sporting her bestest friend Dodoco. She skipped down the steps of the Headquarters, wondering if Big Brother Kaeya was up for playing. She knew that Jean had to have told him what she had done earlier today, because Klee asked her to, so that Kaeya would know she was a good girl who could manage to take responsibility for her actions. Still, Klee wasn't sure if he'd want to see her after she had messed up again, after he had gone through all that trouble to help her follow the rules. Big Brother Kaeya was always nice, sure, but what if he wanted to punish her, too, by not talking to her for the rest of the day?
Unable to stomach that thought, she chose to do what children and many adults choose to do when confronted with things they'd rather not face: Run away. She made her way through Mondstadt's winding streets until she came to the exit gate, and she snuck past the guards there (though they always saw her, as children always think they are being sneakier than they really are), and she continued through the fields and among the trees.
She thought to herself, why not hunt crystalflies? It would keep her mind occupied, for the most part, and she wouldn't have to think about how Kaeya probably—no, definitely hated her!
The best area around here to hunt crystalflies was the Dawn Winery. Ever since the mishap a few years ago, where she accidentally made a mess of Mister Diluc's vineyard, she was super, duper careful to not repeat her mistake. She would have to be extra careful today, too, for she didn't think her poor little heart could handle two solitary confinements in a row.
Klee began to make her way towards the Dawn Winery, her tongue out in determination. There wasn't that much wind today, strangely enough, even though it looked like it could start pouring at any moment. On her way there, she picked a few flowers, holding them safely in her hands, making sure the blooms and the petals stayed intact. Perhaps she could make a flower garland to give to Big Brother Kaeya to beg for his forgiveness, even if, on some level, she knew that would be bribery. (She didn't know the word for bribery, however, so she was allowed a pass.)
As she came to stand at the top of the hill, as she was about to turn towards the nest of crystalflies around the statue, she gave pause. Instead, she turned to overlook the Dawn Winery, solely because she had a feeling to look down that way.
Klee didn't normally come around here. Even for the crystalflies! She had last been here when she was curious as to why Mister Diluc hadn't been around lately. She had gone to the wall right before the manor every day, waiting for him to come out so she could ask if he wanted to play, or if he could give her some of that yummy grape juice, but she never saw him. When she wrote to her mama asking her to look into this, because Mister Diluc seemed busy all the time but he at least said hello, and Klee was very, very worried, Alice eventually wrote back:
Mister Diluc has to go find his dodoco. She seems to have gotten caught on a very strong wind current, and he's sad because he misses her very much, so he has to leave to go find her!
After that letter, Mister Diluc did leave—at least, that's what Miss Adelinde had told Klee when she went to go offer to help him find his dodoco. She said that she wasn't sure when he'd be back, but Klee would be the first to know when he returned, she promised.
Klee tiptoed closer to the edge of the overlook, then she went around to the easier path she always used to take and started to climb down. Surprisingly, there was a wagon out front, and Miss Adelinde was attending to it. Klee couldn't see what she was holding since her back was turned. When Klee entered the vineyards proper, Miss Adelinde reached into the wagon, offering her hand, and out stepped a man with a fiery red mane of hair, unkempt and really needing brushed.
In her euphoria of realizing Mister Diluc had finally come back, she nearly forgot to hold the flowers in her hand carefully. Perhaps she squeezed the stems a little too tight, but would anyone really notice? It was the top part that was important, after all! Klee moved a little slower, wanting to surprise him but not scare him, dipping beneath a row of vines and being very quiet as she watched from her clever hiding place.
Her cute little gait came to an end when Mister Diluc stumbled up the stairs to the manor, nearly falling over. That earlier euphoria was instantly replaced with worry and concern and sadness. Was he hurt? Maybe he was just tired? Either way, Klee decided that the flowers originally intended for Big Brother Kaeya's bribe—she meant gift—would instead go to Diluc. She always loved to receive flowers, so Mister Diluc would surely appreciate them as a welcome back gift.
Diluc's maid, Miss Adelinde, who was also rather nice and always had given Klee cookies when they ran into each other in town, placed a hand on Diluc's back, helping him the rest of the way up the stairs and into the house proper. When Klee didn't think Miss Adelinde would be coming back out, Klee furrowed her brow, jogging up to the wall around the manor and poking her head above the edge. She lowered a little bit when Adelinde did come back out to say something to the driver of the wagon and give him a bag of mora. She looked very worried, her hands folded in front of her. She wasn't smiling like she normally was.
But that confused Klee. Shouldn't she be happy Diluc was back? Klee was happy, even if she was worried, and perhaps the worry now outweighed the happy, but she was still happy in the end. Maybe Adelinde was the same?
Klee thought back to what her mother had written to her—the explanation for why Mister Diluc was going away in the first place. He had lost his dodoco and had set out in order to find her, right? Even before she thought these next thoughts, her hand went to the fuzzy plush animal hanging from her bag, double checking to make sure her best friend was still there. After all, if Diluc was sad or tired and Adelinde didn't look happy, that meant Diluc, in the end, didn't...
She couldn't bear to think of this! This was the worst news! Losing your dodoco was akin to losing who you were! And if Diluc didn't end up finding his... He must be super lonely, and that must be why he was sad.
As the wagon's wheels creaked, pulling off and leaving Adelinde to watch it go, with no luggage in sight, Klee shook her head and resolved to make Mister Diluc happy again. She placed her hands on the edge of the wall and hoisted herself over, carefully jumping down into the grass on the other side (the opening was only two feet away). The flowers she had picked had been discarded off to the side, as there were much more important things to be worried about right now.
"Miss Adelinde! Miss Adelinde!"
The maid tilted her head over her shoulder, looking back. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Klee, and she turned fully around. When Klee didn't seem to be slowing down, Adelinde lowered her hands in order to catch her before she made abrupt contact with her legs.
"Miss Klee?"
Klee sniffled, looking up at Adelinde with wet, round eyes. "Miss Adelinde! Mister Diluc is back, right? Did he find his dodoco? Did he, did he?"
Unbeknownst to Klee, Adelinde had no idea what the girl was talking about. However, Diluc and Kaeya, in their youth, had been quite imaginative children. She also knew who Klee's mother was—just how eccentric she was, more like. Always prepared for almost anything, Adelinde gave a soft, sympathetic smile to the Knight clinging to her arms.
"Hello, Klee. Yes, he returned just a moment ago. Did you see?"
Klee nodded. She grew a little more anxious, holding onto Adelinde even tighter. "Klee did! But he looked tired... Or sad... Mama said he left to find his dodoco, but neither of you are smiling, so—so Klee wanted to know if he did or not!"
Adelinde wrangled one arm out from Klee's grasp, patting her on the head. She seemed to debate with herself internally, trying to figure out the most appropriate, white lie. It had been awhile since she dealt with kids in this manner, however. "... I'm sorry, Klee. His dodoco has gone on to a better place."
It took Klee a few moments to process this, and once she did, she gasped, tears now wetting her cheeks. Honestly, she didn't understand fully, not yet. "His..."
"They were able to meet one another again, though. They got to say goodbye," Adelinde explained. She looked her age, wrinkles framing her eyes. "Master Diluc is quite tired, and he feels a little under the weather from the trip, so perhaps—"
"Miss Adelinde!" Klee wailed. She shook the remaining arm in her grip, and Adelinde shook with it. "This—This is terrible! Klee is so sad! He... He couldn't... He must be really lonely!"
Adelinde was beginning to think she had told the wrong lie. She gave a weary smile, trying to still Klee and failing. "Master Diluc will be okay in a few days, I promise. You can come back—"
Unfortunately, Klee was a child, and their minds and bodies worked much faster than an adult's, in some ways. Klee wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve, looked to the door of the manor, and nodded.
Klee was sad for Diluc. She hadn't even lost her own dodoco! She couldn't think of how Mister Diluc was really feeling! With her mind made up, she slipped through Adelinde's legs, skidding to a stop only to fuss with the doorknob.
Somehow, Adelinde hadn't anticipated this. She only had limited interactions with Klee, after all. She should have known better to expect the unexpected, especially with a little girl who was known for blowing lakes up. Klee turned the knob and was up the stairs by the time Adelinde was able to cross the threshold.
"Mister Diluc!" called Klee, knocking on each door, as she fancied herself a rather polite girl, even if she hadn't realized barging in on someone was usually considered rude. "Mister Diluc, it's Klee! Where are you...?!"
"Miss Klee, please—" Adelinde began up the stairs, clutching the hem of her dress in one hand, the other holding the bannister.
Klee pressed her ears to one door, trying to listen for any sounds of life. She knocked again, and she wailed when no one answered. "Mister Diluc, are you so sad you don't want to see Klee?"
Adelinde finally caught up to her, now that she stopped in front of that particular door. She grabbed Klee from behind, pulling her into her arms as a mother would. She brought Klee to face her, holding her against her chest. Klee kicked when she was picked up, a fury of a thousand dodocos behind every swipe of her leg. Even Adelinde had trouble keeping her in her arms.
"Miss Klee, Master Diluc isn't feeling very well." Klee stilled her fury and distress when the maid started petting her back, rocking her back and forth in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sure he'd want to play in a few days. I'll send you a letter when you can—"
"What's the matter?"
The voice came from below. Adelinde froze, and Klee raised her head from Adelinde's shoulder. Adelinde slowly made her way to the railing, looking down into the foyer of the manor.
She smiled. "Master Diluc, I'm sorry for the commotion. Miss Klee saw you arrive, and..."
"Mister Diluc!" Klee's eyes sparkled upon seeing the somewhat familiar mop of red hair. Surely it was longer, and the ponytail was looser, but it was definitely Diluc. She kicked her legs again and eventually wormed her way out of Adelinde's arms. Skipping down the steps, careful not to fall, she smiled wide, even if her cheeks were still damp. "Klee was so worried! But Klee is happy you're back! Klee wrote to Mama, and Mama wrote back, and she said—"
She came to a stop several feet away from him, once she stepped down the last step. She was closer, now, and could look at him properly. Diluc had taken off his usual coat, wearing an outfit that seemed too casual for him. His hair was even messier this close up, as if he hadn't brushed it in days. He held a glass in his hand—a type she saw Big Brother Kaeya drink from often, though Klee was never allowed to have whatever juice was in there. It was much more full than Kaeya's had ever been, so she had to wonder if it was all for Diluc. The most jarring thing about him, however, was his expression.
Klee hadn't visited Diluc often, as stated. But in her memories, he was a bright man who was always working, and he always smiled at Klee, and he always talked with Klee, and he always listened to Klee and her myriad of stories. But even though every other characteristic of Diluc was as she remembered, even if some things were a teensy bit different, Diluc looked angry. He looked upset, and he looked mad. He wasn't just sad or tired, though he was those things, too. He was scary. Even his eyes looked as if they would be able to hurt her.
Klee took a step back and sniffled again. She bunched her dress up and held it taut, as if that would protect her from whoever this was.
A look of realization dawned upon Diluc, though Klee wouldn't have called it that. How scary he must've looked to her, he thought, how haggard and beside himself. How pathetic. How blood-stained. His gaze slid to the wine in his hand, and he cleared his throat, attempting to soften his features for someone whose innocence hadn't been ruined like his own.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Klee."
His voice did not sound like his own. He had become accustomed to not speaking to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary to do so in his sojourn away from Mondstadt. His throat hurt, and he went to take a sip of the wine in order to wet his lips, but he paused. His head hurt, and he again went to take a sip of the wine, but he again paused. Adelinde, sensing something was amiss the moment Diluc wobbled in place, free hand coming to his forehead, came to his side. He hesitated, then she took the glass from him, standing off behind him as she tersely watched her master and the girl.
His fingers hurt, too, when he no longer held the alcohol in his palm.
By this time, Klee had taken a few steps closer, just a few little ones, though. She didn't want to get too close, but she also felt silly for being scared of Diluc. Although he had changed a bit, she was very sure he wouldn't hurt her. She was very sure he would do anything he could in order to protect her. She wanted to return that thought, that feeling. She wanted to make him happy again. Yes, he was trying to smile right now, but she was an expert smiler, so she could tell this was a smile that was only meant to soothe her.
"Mister Diluc," she eventually said, hands still bunched in her dress, "Miss Adelinde said your dodoco went away forever. And… and that makes Klee really sad. Even if you're safe and sound, and Klee is happy that you are, it still makes Klee very sad."
Diluc blinked, momentarily confused. His eyes focused on the little fuzzy charm dangling from her backpack, and he recalled Klee telling him all about Dodoco and the stories that came with that. That was a few years ago, however, and the details were fuzzy. His current state of mind, addled with an exorbitant amount of wine, wasn't helping, either, and he couldn't think of anything specific. At any rate, he certainly didn't have a dodoco for himself, and his mind was too slow to catch on to what she was saying.
Adelinde stepped closer, leaning in to whisper in his ear, quiet enough that only he could hear. "Alice had told her you went to find your lost dodoco. I had made the mistake of telling her that it, well... That it was 'in a better place'. It might be good to play along, so she doesn't get further upset."
Diluc nodded. Adelinde stepped away again, and he turned to face Klee fully. His head swam, though, and he nearly stumbled. Klee ran forward as if to catch him, and the image of him crushing her in this stupor of his briefly crossed his mind. He steadied himself. He had to be careful.
"Mister Diluc, are you okay?" Klee asked with the naivete that only a child could ask a drunk man with. She raised her hands, placing them on his thigh, trying to help with holding him upright. "Is your sadness that bad? Is it making you sick?"
The ex-Knight stilled. What a question. One that he didn't have an answer to. Klee couldn't have known anything. She just called things as she saw them, didn't she? He raised his hand, wincing at the red he momentarily saw—but it was clean, on second glance. As clean as it could get visually, anyway. He never felt like his hands were clean again. Not after...
He gently patted Klee's head. Her hat nearly fell off, only because of the awkward angle that he used. His other hand came to her shoulder, and he knelt down so as to speak to her a little easier. She reached up to fix her hat, her cheeks, reddened from crying and tantrum-throwing, puffing out.
"I'm feeling sick, yes," Diluc said after a moment of searching for the right words. "I wasn't able to help my dodoco," and he thought, did he even try? Didn't he put his dodoco out of his misery? He didn't try to help at all, not really. There wasn't anything he could do to help. At the very least, he hoped that finishing the deed helped in some manner.
Klee sniffled. She didn't start crying again yet, but she did shuffle closer until she was able to embrace Diluc in a warm hug—the best hug she could ever give, her little arms wrapping around his chest but her hands unable to touch one another. She channeled all of her warmth and love for her dodoco, for Mama, for Big Brothers Kaeya and Albedo, for Jean and Lisa and Razor—for Diluc himself—into this hug. She didn't want him to feel alone anymore. She didn't want him to feel so terribly sad that he would get sick. She wanted to play with him, to see him smile, to tell him more stories. She sniffled again, tightening her hug.
Diluc, meanwhile, was frozen solid at this gesture. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her too, loosely holding her. His eyes had widened, but they slowly returned to normal, eventually closing altogether as he leaned into Klee's embrace. He hid his face in her hat and hair, and she just pat his back, rubbing it like how Mama used to rub hers when she was sad or how Big Brother Albedo did when her tummy hurt. Even when he silently wept, trying to keep as still and quiet about it so she didn't freak out again, she never let go. And he needed that. He was immensely thankful for her thoughtfulness, even if she was a little scared of him.
He hoped she wouldn't be scared of him sometime soon, but he also knew there was a lot to be scared of.
Her voice, muffled in his shoulder and hair, was strong and confident, somewhat unlike her age. "Mister Diluc, Klee knows it won't be the same... But..." She pulled away a little, unattaching the keychain from her bag and holding it out to him. "... Do you want to borrow Klee's Dodoco? She's very sweet and loves everyone she meets!" She forced Dodoco into one of his hands, and he was back to looking shocked. She wiped at the wetness on his cheeks, and he bowed his head in shame. "And—And Klee will be your friend, too! You won't ever have to be alone again, Mister Diluc!"
"... Klee," he muttered, willing himself to not cry. He clutched the Dodoco close to his chest, like this was the most important thing in the world right now. That his entire mental state in that moment was dependent on this plush toy and its apparent love for him—Klee's apparent love for him. "Thank... Thank you. I'd like to be your friend, if you'll have me."
"Silly! We're already friends, then! Klee and Big Brother Diluc will be bestest friends forever!" She held out her pinky finger. "Promise?"
His tears fell a little more freely, still not quite crying, but he looped his own pinky finger around Klee's very tiny one and shook once.
"Promise."
Klee threw her arms around him again, and he held her in return with one arm, holding Dodoco tight but careful. She smiled into his hair and jumped up and down giddily.
Adelinde clapped a hand on her wrist, still holding the discarded glass, half-full. "Klee, do you want to stay for a while?" she asked—she didn't think Diluc would have her leave so soon, not after that sudden display of affection. "I'll go make some snacks, and you can tell Master Diluc all about what you've been up to while he's been away."
"Yay! You're the best, Miss Adelinde! Let's go, Big Brother Diluc!"