Chapter Text
KAEYA
Soft golden glows had just peeked over the edges of rocky cliffs when a uniform-less Sir Kaeya Alberich trekked away from the city gates. During this time of the year, days became windier, and the temperature dropped by quite a few degrees. A thin veil of mist even hung low on mornings like this. But even though a layer of white tunic and black trousers were the only garments on his person, Kaeya was not bothered by the cold—he never was (except maybe Dragonspine). His colleagues always dismissed it as one of the many perks of owning a cryo vision. But in truth, he had always enjoyed it since he was a child.
Today, too, the crisp air helped clear his weary mind. Ever since the Acting Grand Master called him to her office last Tuesday, he often found himself lost in his thoughts. He forgot things he had set out to do just a minute prior, had a hard time comprehending what others said, and was just generally unresponsive—extremely uncharacteristic of the cunning and suave cavalry captain. Even just now he almost forgot to salute Lawrence and Swan by the gates. Several knights noticed his odd demeanor, but luckily, he still managed to brush them off and placed the blame on him being more tired than usual.
Which was not a lie in the slightest.
Before he realized, the manor of his destination towered before him. Kaeya stood unmoving at the bottom staircase leading to its entrance, catching himself almost backtracking. What was he thinking, standing here before the sun even completely rose like a fool? Who could be up at this hour on such a day, anyway? Even the winery staff were not so eager to hustle on Sunday—there was not much work to do to begin with. But the maids must still clean the manor every morning and prepare for breakfast, right? And oh, Adelinde would be up now, wouldn’t she? She always was an early riser. And—
“Kaeya?”
Ah.
A familiar voice called from behind him, and Kaeya turned around to find Diluc standing way down the outskirts of the vineyards, his pale skin a stark contrast to his black shirt and trousers. His crimson hair was tucked into a slightly disheveled ponytail. He was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat.
“Ah, Master Diluc! Always stay true to your name and never a quitter. A stellar example to the youth of Mondstadt, I should say.”
Of course. Who would be up at this time of day if not the master of Dawn Winery himself. The ever-diligent Ragnvindr heir had always started his days early throughout childhood and adolescence, having a habit of being awake before dawn. The boy fancied himself some early morning workouts—a routine he tried plenty times to drag poor young Kaeya into. Most of the time it was running laps around the estate, but sometimes he would even bother to swim in the in the lake of Springvale. The most irksome part of all was how consistent with it he was, even a big part of this old habit still stuck to this day. Diluc had called it perseverance, Kaeya dubbed it lunacy.
“What are you doing here?” Diluc shot him a confused look as he wiped trickling sweat off his face and neck with the back of his forearm. His shoulders rose and fell in rhythm with his heavy breathing. Judging from his state, Kaeya suspected he had not just been running. “Breakfast won’t be until another hour, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“Hey, come now, Diluc,” Kaeya said, smiling wryly. “Surely you don’t think I’m here to leech, do you?”
The blank expression on Diluc’s face was enough to tell what crossed his mind. “That’s... not what I’m implying at all.” He sighed and shook his head. Kaeya caught him mumbling something under his breath.
“What?”
“I said.” Taking another deep breath, Diluc hiked the footpath winding through the vineyards to where Kaeya stood. He stopped to face him, hands on hips. The unimpressed look he gave was irritatingly a spitting image of how Father used to reprimand them when he caught them with their evil little schemes. “How could it be leeching when it’s one’s own home.”
How dare you pull a Father on me just because you have his face. Kaeya begrudgingly kept the thought to himself.
“So. What brought you here this early?”
Ah, yes. Why was he here, again?
His conversation with Jean last Tuesday. Grand Master Varka’s letter. The predicament he found himself in was unlike anything he had before, and Kaeya was hardly just anyone. The only other individual he might loosely attribute to being in the same boat as him was the Acting Grand Master, who would be working together with him on the preparation stage. Afterwards, however...
Jean was sympathetic, but there was nothing much she could do otherwise.
I must remind you strongly that any information regarding this event is strictly confidential, Varka said in his letter. The Grand Master offered his most heartfelt support, but Kaeya suspected he wrote it with a wicked grin spread across his face.
“I... we need to talk.”
Diluc looked skeptical. “And what is this about?”
Kaeya’s glance flickered around their surroundings before catching Diluc’s eyes. He shook his head slowly.
“Alright,” Diluc said, turning towards the manor. Kaeya tailed behind in silence.
A few maids had just begun their morning chores when they stepped into the foyer. A few curious glances were stolen Kaeya’s way, which he tried his best to ignore. Although he had been visiting every several weekends lately, he very rarely stayed over. Popping in out of nowhere at daybreak must warrant a suppressed smile or two.
“Hillie, could you please make us some coffee?” Diluc said to one maid cleaning a book-stacked drawer around the corner. “And bring it to my study, thank you.”
“Yes, Master.” She bowed politely, then turned to Kaeya to pay him the same respect. “Welcome back, Master Kaeya.”
Welcome back, huh?
His attempt at a charming smile fell short by an awkward lopsided one, but that was the best he could muster to hide his surprise. And it was not only because of the problems occupying his mind—he still got taken aback at how the winery staffs started addressing him as ‘Master’ again so openly every time he visited. Instinctively he stole a glance at Diluc, who did not even seem to register there was something out of the ordinary about the situation to begin with.
They both continued upstairs to Diluc’s study. The soft glow of morning light leaked through its window as Diluc drew open the curtains. Its familiar scent of cedarwood flooded Kaeya’s mind with memories. The room used to belong to Master Crepus. A painting of a grey falcon he made hung on one side of the wall behind a large mahogany desk. Kaeya still remembered how he loved to watch Master Crepus paint on most Saturday mornings, enthralled as his brushstrokes slowly filled the blank canvas. Bookshelves lined the wall next to it, stuffed with records of the winery and Master Crepus’ personal collection. Their layouts, down to the book arrangements, stayed as they had been since their childhood. Kaeya came here two or three times for knightly duties after Diluc returned from his travel, yet no change had been made to this day save two red couches facing each other across from the desk. This room was a place they associated the most with their father. For that reason, although Kaeya was bitter Diluc sold Father’s mansion upon his passing, he must thank Diluc for preserving this study, down to its scent.
Kaeya peered over the polished desk, running his knuckles along its carved edge. Receipts and letters were scattered across it, most bore the winery’s official stamp and its owner’s signature. A few books containing records of the estate’s income and expenses and logistics were laid open. They were inscribed in an elegant and familiar penmanship, and some had annotations scribbled in red ink. Judging from their state and the fact that the door was locked upon their arrival, these works were left as they were and meant to be picked up today at the earliest time possible.
Kaeya cracked a fond smile, could not be more grateful he was facing away from Diluc. They used to play pretend as children. Diluc, as the head of Dawn Winery, would sit at the very same desk and scribbled nonsense like how they often see Mater Crepus would; his tiny figure swallowed by the huge leather chair. Kaeya would be his trusted and dependable right hand, offering advice and executing their plans brilliantly without fail. Presently, he could just picture Diluc, now the real head of Dawn Winery, working diligently deep into the night alone in this candlelit room, the scratching of his quills filled the silence.
You must be very proud of him, Father. I hope you rest in peace.
“Alright then, what do you want to talk about?” Diluc called from behind him, pulling him back to the present.
Kaeya sneered to himself. Every time he was here, he seemed unable to escape being swallowed by nostalgia. Just a moment ago, he had already forgotten the purpose of his visit. Even at this second, he was realizing Diluc made no effort to stop him from looking into these supposedly confidential documents, which Kaeya was sure he would have with any other guest.
But Kaeya was not just any other guest, was he?
Almost unable to stop emotions from getting the better of him, Kaeya quickly tried to compose himself. There was no way he would let Diluc catch on. Still, the small voice in a far corner of his mind was aware that Diluc did not egg him on and chose to wait patiently instead.
He turned around, feigning a look of exaggerated disgust.
“I’m disappointed, Master Diluc. Even the inefficient Knights of Favonius know better than to put sweaty men in the office. Not to mention one frequented by guests.”
The look of disbelief on Diluc’s face must be worthy of being put on posters and plastered around the city. He paused, mouth slightly agape, and finally let out a weary sigh. Either he did not want to further deal with Kaeya’s bullshit or realizing Kaeya was right, the man stood up and left the room without a word.
Kaeya grinned. He missed this. He really, really missed this.
Diluc was back with a fresh set of his predictably boring black shirt and black trousers. Their coffee had arrived, and Kaeya had taken the liberty to claim the leather chair, legs crossed atop the desk (of course, he was careful not to ruin the paperwork). Diluc made no comment on Kaeya’s blatant impudence. He stared briefly, indifferent as if the situation happened regularly, then proceeded to pour a coffee for each of them.
“Two teaspoons of cream and—”
“No sugar. Yeah, yeah.”
A cloyingly sweet smile spread across Kaeya’s face as Diluc handed the cup to him. His red eyes glared down at Kaeya he could hear the silent ‘what else now’ in them. Diluc looked tempted to just dump the hot liquid onto the captain’s face for a solid second. Whatever force managed to advise him against it was Kaeya’s savior for today.
“You look distracted,” Diluc remarked after sipping his coffee. “Does that relate to the matter you want to discuss?”
“Oh? And how might the incredible Master Diluc come up with this conclusion?”
Diluc simply shrugged.
“To be so observant… I had no idea you’re that concerned about me, Brother.”
“Kaeya.”
Kaeya chuckled. “Alright, alright.” Heavens know how much he would love to indulge longer in this moment of normalcy, but his duties awaited. He had to face reality and focus on the real purpose of his visit. “I’ve got news.”
“About?”
“Let’s say... an international summit.”
The end of Diluc’s brows knitted slightly. “So I’ve heard.”
“How much do you know?”
“Very little. Only that it will be held between Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and... Snezhnaya.”
Kaeya nodded. “Grand Master Varka sent us a letter.”
“And how much details were disclosed in his letter?”
“Quite a lot.”
Diluc considered their exchange for a moment, leaning forward in his seat. There was a familiar glint in his eyes. One that Kaeya had seen in Cavalry Captain Diluc when he was assigned an interesting case. When he was devising a strategy. When he was on the verge of an ambush.
“What is this conference about?” he asked. “With four nations attending, it will be one of the biggest events in Teyvat in recent decades. I must admit, I couldn’t quite believe it when the news came to me.”
Kaeya looked at Diluc’s expectant stare.
The fact that Diluc’s intelligence network did not manage to snitch more information confirmed the Grand Master’s warning on how confidential the information must remain until made public officially. Kaeya’s hesitation resurfaced. Once he went through with this idea, there was no going back. Was this wise? Had he really considered the consequences well enough? Grand Master Varka had reminded him of being discreet, but there was a small additional note at the bottom of his letter.
P.S. When in doubt, consult someone you trust (the most)!
It almost like the old man wanted him to drag a certain specific someone into this.
“Do you recall recent event in Sumeru?” Kaeya finally relented. Diluc’s expression went somber as quickly as his eyes blinked.
“Atrocious.”
They must’ve been very desperate to taste the Divine Punishment, Kaeya thought bitterly.
“And are you aware that our certain... ah, old friend, is involved?”
Diluc averted his gaze, jaws clenched. Even for Dottore, none of them would have predicted the Fatui was willing to go that far. Too far.
“Let just say, some other nations aren’t so pleased with Snezhnaya,” Kaeya explained.
A brief silence followed Diluc’s hum. “What else have you got?”
Kaeya let out a reluctant sigh. “You know, I’m not even authorized to share this information—”
A dramatic huff from Diluc snapped Kaeya’s mouth shut. He regretted his stupidity immediately.
“I was never aware you could be so concerned about such a matter, Sir Kaeya.” Diluc sneered. “Ordo Favonius must be most proud to have such a faithful knight amidst their ranks.”
He walked into that one. Kaeya stupidly walked into that one, yet he wanted to claw that smirk off Diluc’s face so badly.
“And yet I’m here,” he said hotly, his scowl resembled that of a child being waved off by an adult. “I even took the effort to wait and come on my day off. Maybe it occurs to you why?”
“Do enlighten me.”
“Because,” Kaeya replied, dragging his syllables, “I’ll be representing Mond, Diluc.”
Another huff, another sneer, a mocking laugh—were what Kaeya expected. Or any kind of reaction, for that matter. Instead, his words must have cast a strange spell because Diluc went still as a statue. Almost comical how every muscle on his face smoothed out instantly. Silence grew by the second as even the sound of their breathing faded away. It was as if life was being suspended in space while the clock ticked through the morning.
Only when someone knocked on the door was life breathed back into the room.
“Master Diluc?”