Chapter Text
His chain clinked with each step as his cryo vision bounced against his thigh from where it hung from his belt. The cool breeze wafted through the market district, carrying with it the scent of Flora’s display of flowers and the chatter behind him. Kaeya paused halfway up the concrete steps and tilted his head to the side. The pot plants sat out of alignment; the closer one to him was centred, while the farther one sat to the left. He blinked and tilted his head to the other side. Each was made up of two wooden rectangular pots with a collection of flowers. How long had they been shifted?
“No wonder the Knights are so useless when their captains behave as such.”
Kaeya glanced over his shoulder to Master Diluc. He straightened up and turned to face him. A lazy and sly smile bloomed on Kaeya’s face. “Master Diluc, what a surprise! Though I’m unsurprised a bore like you doesn’t know about stopping and appreciating the flowers.” He rolled his shoulders as if perfectly at ease.
The other man scoffed and crossed his arms. “I appreciate flowers just fine without blocking the walkway. Perhaps a knight requires better spatial awareness.”
Kaeya laughed. “Well, it is very lucky for the knights that it is my day off. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a civilian day filled with blocking every walkway in Monstadt.” He turned around and began to walk away. Half a second later, he could hear Diluc falling into step behind him.
“Your day off? Those are Mondays, and unless all of Mondstadt is mistaken, it’s Thursday.”
Kaeya plucked a flower as he passed the misaligned pot. It was blue with a gradient getting darker in the centre, though it didn’t have much of a scent. “Very astute, Master Diluc, truly a genius!” He ran his finger over the soft petals. “A puzzle for the ages. I’m sure you will take great joy in stewing over it.”
He could feel Diluc’s glare burning through his skull as he walked away. He had been sent home to recover after taking a rather nasty beating the day before. His right side was a sea of purples and green, bruises that would have put him on desk duty if Swan had not seen him thrown into a tree by a shielded mitachurl. He was sure a week of patrol through the hills of Wolvendom would make the man think twice before opening his mouth.
Still, being sent home for the day wasn’t an excuse to slack off.
He continued up the stairs, waving at people as he passed. When he looked back, Diluc’s fiery hair had disappeared. Whether Diluc had simply considered the interaction to be too much effort or decided to investigate the anomaly was up to a coin toss. Kaeya wasn’t sure he wanted to know which side the coin would land on.
Still, he had larger problems than the emotionally constipated barkeep. It was quite a roundabout trek to his destination at the overview, which looked down at the fountain in the middle of the district. Kaeya understood why the traveller was reported to have just climbed it rather than walked around. If he weren’t a knight, he probably would do it himself. He assumed Jean would likely not be impressed, and Kaeya prided himself on never getting caught.
At the top, the view was a familiar comfort; the wind fluttered the flags and washed over him.
More important than the city around him was the two Fatui agents who stood up there. Mikhail and Lyudmila, useful people, Kaeya had to admit. They were gracious with their gossip, with all the major moves of the Fatui Harbringers, and oblivious enough not to realise someone was eavesdropping. They fell silent when he approached the area. It was impossible to discern what they were thinking with their masks covering their faces, but Kaeya pretended not to notice them. The picture of ease as he soaked in the sunlight and surveyed the people he pledged to protect.
Looking down the short drop, he could see the fountain clearly. Coins glinted from beneath the rippling water, wishes passed on to the bottom. He sat down on the ledge of the plant pot, overlooking the bustling city. The concrete was rough but warm under his fingers.
After five minutes, they started talking again.
“Did you hear about Tartaglia?” Mikhail asked. It was abrupt enough not to be what they were discussing earlier, but Kaeya perked up anyway. Tartaglia, also called Childe, was the Eleventh Harbringer of the Fatui and was banned from Liyue for attempting to flood the nation. The traveller had described the man as battle-hungry and recounted fighting him in The Golden House. They spoke with awe while Paimon had only expressed annoyance. He wondered if their reaction spoke more about the traveller or Tartaglia himself.
“Last I heard, he was back in Snezhnaya after his stunt in Fontaine,” Lyudmila replied, clearly giddy. The stunt in Fontaine - that would be the arrest after trying to fight the Iudex of Fontaine. And of course, something about a whale? Or fish? The story had been muddled by the drunken sailors, and the steambird had not written anything regarding the topic, too focused on the Hydro Archon. Kaeya had not chased up the specifics.
“Well, he’s being relocated.”
From Snezhnaya? Kaeya had to pity whichever nation got stuck hosting him. It seemed he was especially good at stirring up chaos compared to other Harbringers. Though he always seemed to be linked with ancient gods. Kaeya wondered if it was just that he had a knack for pissing off the most powerful being in a nation.
“Yeah, he’s being sent here. To Mondstadt.”
“What?”
Yes, Lyudmila, exactly. What? Mikhail had best be playing a horrific joke, or Kaeya may present himself to a hilichurl camp and let them kill him. Or perhaps they would let him join their ranks until the Harbringer left. He could pass as an abnormally tall cryo mage.
He shivered at the thought; the wind brushed past him as if banishing it.
“The Tsaritsa ordered him personally. It’s meant to be a diplomatic mission.” That did not help dissuade the threat. He had never actually heard why Tartaglia had been in the other nations to begin with, but no doubt he had not announced his plan to attack officials and destroy the nation. Surely Lyudmila was not stupid enough to believe such placating words.
“Oh, Her Royal Highness the Tsaritsa. Perhaps I should request a transfer before he arrives.”
Me too, Lyudmila. Me too.
Kaeya rose from his perch and wandered towards the knight's headquarters. A diplomatic envoy required paperwork, which Jean would have, and it would prove all of this was a sick joke. Mondstadt was already under occupation, with only the skeleton of an army after Varka took everyone for the expedition. A battle-hungry idiot with diplomatic immunity would further undermine the little power Mondstadt had; they couldn’t even remove Signora for her attacks with three witnesses, one of whom was an honorary official. Before that, Il Dottore had hunted down a child inside their walls and attempted to recruit Mond's children into the Fatui, and Kaeya still had to play nice with him until Diluc could stir up enough trouble.
The damage a lone Harbringer could do was immeasurable.
Perhaps Diluc could chase him off the second he crossed the border. What use was the Dark Knight Hero if he couldn’t do something as simple as saving his brother from a diplomatic migraine?
But of course, if he were to attack a second Harbringer, they may make more formal requests for his arrest. Should Mondstadt fail, further soldiers would likely arrive for their protection.
Blockade after blockade.
He climbed the rest of the stairs in a daze, pushing open the doors as Porthos and Athos tried to stop him. They called his name and hovered awkwardly behind him as he approached Jean’s door.
She looked up at him as it swung open, a piece of paper in her hand, and a shocked expression painted on her face.
“Captain Kaeya, what’s wrong?”
“Jean.” He shook his head and cleared his throat, trying to calm down. “Acting Grand Master, please tell me the Eleventh Harbringer won’t be joining us?” Even he could hear the tinge of hysteria in his voice. Jean gestured for the others to leave. They bowed politely before disappearing.
“Captain Kaeya, have a seat. Please.” Her voice broke a little at the end, turning softer. He dragged a chair from the table and sat opposite her. His heart raced in his chest, a sense of nausea building in his throat. “The Eleventh Harbringer will be joining us.” Jean raised her hand, silencing him before he could fall into justified hysterics. “The paperwork is yet to be completed, so I wasn’t going to announce anything yet. I’m sorry, I thought… I didn’t realise this would distress you so much. He’ll be here in just under a month. We’re trying to decrease the length of his stay and organise for him to have a monitor at all times.”
Jean let out a sigh. “I was going to request you to help monitor, given your… skills.” Jean hesitated for a moment. “It’s just… Eula and Albedo would not seem appropriate given what we know of his demeanour, and Hertha would not be strong enough if the worst were to happen. If you really can’t handle it, I will try to come up with an alternative-”
Kaeya let out a sigh, anxiety giving way to exhaustion. “No, Jean. It’s fine. I’ll babysit the Harbringer. After all, you’re right about the others' dispositions. Just don’t assume I won’t complain about it. My reports will be nothing but grievances.”
He turned it over in his mind. Mondstadt would have no political or military power to stop him. However, all men had weaknesses, and if the traveller was fond of him, it meant he had some degree of heart. In which case, he would need to find a personal weakness.
Jean didn’t look happy with his response, a small, strained smile underpinned by the crease between her eyebrows. “Thank you, Kaeya. Now please. Go rest.”
“Of course, Jeanie. After all, it seems I should enjoy my peace while it lasts.” He slid the chair back under the table. He offered Jean a lazy salute, the kind that would have had him doing drills until his arms fell off as a recruit.
She opened her mouth and hesitated for a moment. Kaeya watched her expectantly. “You look after Klee all the time, just imagine it’s like that.”
“So what I’m hearing is that I should allow him to blow up half of Monstadt and break him out after he gets caught?” Kaeya winked, all too aware of how it came across with one eye. Jean’s squawk was drowned out by Kaeya’s laughter as he crossed the room to the door. When he turned around to close it, he glanced over at Jean. The crease was gone, and the uptick of her lips looked more real. She finally looked more her age.