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Diluc walked back into the winery after his patrols that night and sighed as he started to walk up to his room. He wasn’t expecting to be stopped by Adelinde at the top of the stairs.
“Sir, there’s another letter here for you.” She said, holding out a light blue envelope. Diluc bit back a smile and carefully took the letter from her.
“Thank you, Adelinde. You should go get some rest now.” He said, turning and walking to his bedroom.
“Make sure you rest as well, Master Diluc. Goodnight.” She responded as she started walking down the stairs.
Diluc only smiled once he was in the privacy of his room and the door was shut behind him. Then, he almost rushed over to his desk, sitting down and opening the letter.
~
Diluc,
For the time being, I’m done with overseas missions. I’ll be staying in Snezhnaya for a while. There will be times I won’t be able to receive letters due to being stationed away from my two homes here, but I will keep you updated where I can.
Right now, my break is still ongoing, but I did have to return to Zapolyarny Palace. It’s lonely here without you. And cold. I really miss you.
I do hope you’re doing well. Whenever I get the chance, I promise I’ll come see you. I hope that chance comes soon.
Love,
Ajax
~
Diluc smiled at the letter. He did feel bad that he couldn’t go see Ajax, but he knew trying to cross into Snezhnaya again would be a rather difficult task and he wasn’t looking forward to being tailed by a Harbinger everywhere he went. He figured it was for the best if he remained in Mondstadt for now.
‘I’ll see you again someday. I promise, Ajax.’
~
Ajax,
I am sorry that I can’t come visit you, but I do believe it’s for the best that I remain in Mondstadt. I’ll be here whenever you have the chance to return. That, I promise.
I am also sorry that you couldn’t spend your whole break visiting your Morepesok home, but I’m sure you must be somewhat glad to know that the overseas traveling has ceased for the time being. I can’t imagine being on a boat that often would be any fun, but maybe I just get seasick too easily.
I hope you are also doing well. I wish I could check on you properly. Sometimes I worry you’re sugarcoating injuries in your letters. I do not want to hear that you have been seriously injured and have hidden it from me. Please take care of yourself.
Love,
Diluc
~
Ajax sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. He had just finished writing his response to Diluc’s last letter, and he felt a little twinge of guilt when he’d read that Diluc worried about his sugarcoating injuries.
The truth was that he was indeed hiding the extent of some of the injuries he’d received. Many of his missions would have gone by faster had it not been for the injuries received during those times that left him stuck in bed for weeks. He felt bad for not saying anything, but part of him felt unsafe writing about such things in the letter and part of him worried that Diluc really would try to come back to Snezhnaya just to check on him if he told him the whole truth.
Now, he was laying in his bed in Zapolyarny Palace, and he had to admit that it felt colder than usual. Diluc’s warm presence had always made it easier to sleep, but now he wasn’t here and Ajax was all on his own. He used to like being alone. It gave him time to think without interruptions. He often used that time to find ways to combat his incessant urge to fight everything that breathed.
Diluc had silenced that urge just by being there. Oh, how he missed the redheaded winery owner. Of all the people he could have fallen in love with. ‘Why do you have to live so far away?’ Ajax thought, pouting. ‘It’s not fair.’ He knew it was a childish thought, but he couldn’t really help it.
For the first time in his life, he really did wish he was no longer part of the Fatui.
~
Diluc,
I am making sure that my injuries heal properly. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine. As for you, make sure you aren’t shrugging your injuries off or overestimating your limits. If you collapse from exhaustion, it wouldn’t be very honorable of you, Uncrowned King of Mondstadt. Do you have any idea how many interesting titles you have? Where did you get that one from?
I do wish I could have spent more time with Tonia, Anthon, and Teucer. They weren’t very happy when I told them I had to leave again, but they all put on brave faces and didn’t cry a single tear. I’m proud of them, but I do fear they’re growing up too quickly. I just hope I’ll have fulfilled what I wanted by the time they grow up and they’ll be able to look back on their childhood with smiles.
Thank you for also caring about them, Diluc. I know they probably overwhelmed you while you were with them, but they are only children after all. Please take care of yourself. Make sure to get some rest and be careful with that monster hunting you’ve been doing. I’m worried about you.
Love,
Ajax
~
Diluc carefully set the new letter in the box with the old ones. Then, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing his response, smiling. Every now and then, he’d glance over at the box of letters that he had collected from Ajax over time. He still remembered the box full of response letters that he was unable to send.
‘I’ll let him read those the next time I see him.’
~
Ajax,
Keep taking care of yourself. I wasn’t kidding about coming to Snezhnaya if I find out you got seriously injured during some mission. And please don’t call me that. I’m unsure of where that title came from or how you found out about it, but it is not a title I asked for.
The monster threat in Mondstadt seems to be getting worse suddenly. I’ve got it mostly under control, though, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure to stay safe. I promise. I hope you get the chance to come back to Mondstadt and stay for a while. Not only do I want to see you again, I could also probably use the help. I don’t really trust asking the Knights. They don’t work well enough as is.
Be careful, Ajax. I’m worried about you.
Love,
Diluc
~
Ajax stretched his arms over his head as he stood up off the couch. Then, he walked over to the door and opened it, locking eyes with the guard assigned with bringing his mail today. He held out a letter encased in a red envelope.
“Sir, this letter has arrived for you.” The man seemed to recognize the color of the envelope.
‘He must have delivered my mail before. Huh.’ Ajax took the letter and dipped his head to the guard. “Thank you. Have a wonderful day.” He said, shutting the door as he turned away and walked to his room. He sat down at his desk and opened the letter, reading through it and smiling to himself. Then, he reread the part about the monster threat in Mondstadt.
‘Not good.’ He thought, sighing. He wished he was in Mondstadt now. He knew Diluc was most likely dealing with all of this alone. He wasn’t very likely to ask for help in this situation unless he really trusted the specific person he was asking. And… Well, the only person that Diluc seemed to really trust was Ajax.
‘Don’t worry, Diluc. I’ll come back to help you as soon as I can. I swear. In the meantime… stay safe for me.’