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Kaeya gently swirled his cup of sake in his hand. The strong, fruity aroma circulated amongst him and Yae Miko, sweetening the air between them. He made care to not spill any of the drink on his sleeve, or splash it on the table in front of him or Yae. The swirl of the clear liquid seemed to fascinate Kaeya ever so briefly, before he directed his attention to the vibrant pink kitsune sitting next to him.
“So,” Kaeya said, turning around on the stool, “you come here often?”
Yae was swirling around her wine in a similar manner, only with more speed as she had less risk of it spilling out. She took a sip before responding to Kaeya’s question.
“When I’m not fulfilling my duties as a shrine maiden, yes. I frequent Uyuu during any free time that I may have,” Yae said, picking up a stick of dango and taking a hefty bite out of it. “How about you?”
“This is my first time here. I’m in Inazuma for some…business…so I figured that I would stop by and give some of the local specialties a try,” Kaeya said. He took a sip of his sake. “Strong. I like it.”
“You came to a fine place indeed, darling. Uyuu serves only the best food and beverages in Inazuma City.”
Rather pleased with the flavor, Kaeya gulped down the entirety of his sake. He was a bit taken aback by its potency, but was pleasantly surprised by the experience.
“You can say that again. It’s been far too long since I’ve had something this strong.”
“My, someone’s thirsty,” Yae remarked.
She tapped her claws on the rim of her wine glass, making a loud ting-ting-ting sound. The restaurant attendant’s attention was caught, and he turned to see Yae staring him down with a demanding gaze.
“Another cup of sake for this fine young man here, please,” Yae called.
“You really don’t have to do such a thing. A beautiful lady like you shouldn’t feel obligated to show such kindness to a strange outsider.”
“Oh, don’t worry one bit about it. It’s been quite pleasant meeting you. Besides, I’m a regular here. I’ve worked my way into acquiring some…special discounts.”
Kaeya’s interest was piqued by Yae’s cunning implications. He wondered, just how deep did this fox’s swindles go? It’s one thing to be a regular guest, but if Yae could easily persuade her way into getting discounts at a popular restaurant, then she must hold more secrets than meets the eye. People who frequent this location would kill to have the type of discounts that she was given behind the scenes, so why her, of all people? Guuji privileges? Blackmail, even? He was intrigued, to say the least.
“Special discounts, eh?” Kaeya said, suggestively. “Just how deep do your tricks run, little fox?”
“Tricks?” Yae said, with a sly giggle. “I assure you that I am not pulling any tricks.”
“Now now, you have the eyes of a mischievous spirit. Something dastardly is brewing in that head of yours.”
Yae gave Kaeya a sly grin.
“Of course my thoughts would be occupied. A writer’s mind is always bustling with ideas.”
“And with an active mind comes the potential of a lot of sneaky plots brewing, no?” Kaeya remarked, smiling in return.
The attendant returned with another cup of sake and sat in down in front of Yae. He took Kaeya’s empty cup, and walked off without saying a word. Yae watched him as he walked away, as if there was something she wanted to shout to him from across the table. Instead, she slid the full cup of sake across the table to Kaeya.
“You’re awfully suspicious of me, aren’t you? That means a lot coming from a man with an eyepatch,” she said, reaching out to his eyepatch. Kaeya dodged her attempts at prying at the mysteries underneath.
“It takes one to know one,” Kaeya said, jerking his head back with a smirk. “You know a lot more than what you’re letting on yourself.”
“Hmm? And how so?”
“You’re a kitsune, meaning you’ve been around long enough to know some things. Excluding other yokai, the only other person to have lived long enough to be a witness would be the Shogun herself.”
“A witness to what, exactly?”
“Khaenri'ah, and its fall.”
“I knew you had sneaky motives, but alas, I am the wrong one to ask this sort of thing. I would’ve been too young to recall any sort of vivid detail, and besides, what you seek is on the other side of Teyvat,” Yae said, sipping her glass of sakura wine dry.
“I see…” Kaeya said, swirling his new cup of sake and once more distributing a fruity aroma through the air between them. He looked at her as if he was still suspicious that she was indeed hiding something.
“What more can I offer than the tales of Inazuman kitsune that have nothing pertaining to your goals, unless you of course, are interested in hearing about my heritage?”
“That is quite all right. While I am indeed captivated by your beauty, tales of Inazuma’s past will not bring me closer to what I seek today.”
“Beauty? You flatter me.”
“It’s the truth,” Kaeya said, taking a sip of his drink. “Mysterious and beautiful…”
“Haha, someone seems to be feeling the effects of too much sake already. Though I have to admit, you are quite handsome yourself.”
“Oh, now you’re just saying things,” Kaeya said.
Yae giggled as she went to take a drink of her wine, realizing that she had neglected to order another serving for herself. Kaeya snorted watching her absentminded failure.
“It seems I have neglected to order a second serving for myself. How silly of me,” she said, tapping on the glass and pointing to it being empty.
“A little distracted, are we?”
“I have to remain careful, otherwise, you’ll pull a fast one on me,” Yae said, picking up her stick of dango and taking another bite out of it.
“A fast one? What are you implying? I give into the temptation to pet those gorgeous ears of yours?”
“I never know with the likes of you. Since when have you seen a Khaenri'ahn and a kitsune in the same restaurant together?”
Kaeya once again gulped down his cup of sake.
“Since now, apparently. How could I not be here, though? This beats Mondstadt alcohol any day of the week.”
“You mean dandelion wine?” Yae said, gesturing to the menu. “We have that here, sort of.”
“That stuff is nothing. Inazuma gets lower quality leftovers imported, that is, when the Mondstadters leave some to spare. You have to try the genuine stuff.”
“Hmm…but how will I get some if it’s so popular over there?”
“Simple. I take you to Angel’s Share myself. Nothing’s better than getting it right from the source.”
“If it weren’t for the atmosphere right now, I would assume otherwise that you were inviting me out for a date.”
“It can be one, if you’re interested.”
Yae tapped her now full glass, with the echoing of the sound waves creating ripples in the sakura wine. She thought intently for a moment.
“That doesn’t sound half bad, but one problem remains, and that is who will attend to the Grand Narukami Shrine in my absense.”
“Just tell them you’re leaving on account of a foreign relations trip. In a way, it’s not completely inaccurate.”
“I’ll think about it,” Yae said with a smile. “You’re too good of a catch for me to just throw back into the water anyways.”