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No sheer cold or harsh wind can stop a Ratnik… or, at least that's what Illuga is trying to tell himself. Despite the lack of snow in Nod Krai at the moment, it doesn't change the fact that the weather in this part of Teyvat is chilly enough to freeze to death at night if you aren't careful.
Illuga was doing a regular patrol around the outskirts of Ashveil Peak-- best not to get too close, lest you find yourself face to face with some abyssal monstrosity. Well, even if that were to be the case, Illuga was prepared for the worst. He had been a member of the Lightkeepers long enough to know how to defend himself, even if on his own.
Holding his oath lantern out in front of him, he tries to tell himself just that over and over again. He was strong enough to handle anything, if there was something to need to handle. Though, truth be told, he was really hoping for a quiet and uneventful patrol tonight.
As he got closer to the start of the Kipumaki Cliff area, he noticed a strange darkness coming across the floor.
Abyssal contamination…?
Curious, he knelt down, bringing his lantern to it to get a closer look. Admist his pondering though, he heard a rustling sound.
“Who’s there!?” He quickly turned around, holding out his lantern, his eyes scanning the area.
“Oh, a person.”
A voice called out to him. Illuga darted his eyes around trying to see where the voice came from, his body tense and ready to attack. Another shuffling and bristling sound came by, his gaze set on a broken wall up ahead covered up by some shrubbery. A sudden laugh came, and a blue haired boy came out from behind.
“Huh…?” Illuga eased up a bit, seeing it was seemingly just a normal person.
The boy waved, a polite smile on his face.
“Hello there! You wouldn’t happen to be a Lightkeeper, would you?”
“Uh, yes… I am.”
“Oh, perfect. I’m a bit lost… Do you think you could show me the way?”
Illuga felt a bit uneasy about this stranger showing up out of nowhere and asking for directions, but as a Ratnik, he couldn’t just abandon someone in need.
“Of course,” he offered a smile to the boy, holding out a hand. “Where are you headed to?”
“The Knights of Favonius camp.”
Knights of Favonius?
“Ah,” Illuga’s shoulders relaxed at the mention of the Knights, dissuading his current suspicions about the boy. “Are you a Knight from Mondstadt? I should have figured, based on your clothes.”
The blue haired laughed, coming closer to Illuga. “Ah, I am. Where are my manners? I should introduce myself.” He takes a small bow, “my name is Lohen, Vice Captain of the Fifth Company of the Knights of Favonius.”
Illuga rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly. “Yeahh, that’s uh… quite a title. I think I’ll only remember the first part.”
“Haha, sorry. I’m Lohen. What’s your name?”
“I’m Illuga.”
“Well, isn’t that a lovely name?” Lohen reaches out to shake Illuga’s hand, beaming brightly.
He doesn’t know why, but Illuga can’t help but feel uneasy around this Lohen fellow. Why is he smiling so much?
“T-Thanks…? Well, the… Favonius Keep isn’t too far from here. I can take you there.” Illuga retracts his hand from Lohen’s grasp, trying his best to keep a cool demeanor.
“That would be most appreciated. Please, lead the way.”
Illuga gives him a nod before going down the trail.
The two share… a somewhat awkward silence on their walk. For some reason, Illuga can’t shake the feeling that Lohen is staring at him. He wants to check to confirm his suspicions, but…
Is he…?
He tries his best to discreetly glance behind him faced to see--
Ah.
He was. Lohen was staring, his persistent smile still lingering on his lips.
“Something the matter, Master Illuga?”
“Master? Just Illuga is fine. I was just wondering…”
Ugh, what’s something not suspicious to ask so he doesn’t know I just wanted to see him?
“...how did you get lost, exactly?”
“Oh,” Lohen strolls up a bit closer to Illuga. “I was actually on a little patrol of my own. But my… ahem, incompetent… crew was taking too long, I got kinda bored and went ahead. I followed a trail of monsters, and next thing I knew I was just in some weird place.”
“Well, that’s… hm.” Illuga diverted his gaze elsewhere. For some reason, when he looked at this man, he felt a strange sensation. “Please be more careful. What if I hadn’t found you to take you back?”
“Well, I guess I’d just have to keep wandering around until I found another Lightkeeper!”
…He really is carefree.
“You better be careful, mister Lohen. Don’t want you dying out here…”
“Haha, like I’d ever.”
As the pair continued to head towards the Favonius Camp, Illuga couldn't help but notice the overcast sky. He really didn’t wanna get caught in the rain while he was out, especially not when night was going to fall so soon.
“Looking for something?” Lohen’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, no. I was just thinking that it might rain soon…”
“Ah, I see. I suppose you're right…” Even while saying all this, his eerie smile never left his face.
Seriously, what is wrong with this guy?
Illuga doesn't know what to make of Lohen. First he appears out of nowhere all alone and claims to be lost, even though he also claims to be some vice captain… of the whatever from the Knights of Favonius? Are all of the Knights this reckless? No, that can't be the case. Illuga’s worked with Varka before, their grand master, and he was normal-- well, maybe not normal… but he wasn't as impulsive and strange as--
Drip.
“Ah,” Illuga let out a soft gasp, his worst fear in this situation coming true: a rain drop falling into his cheek. “Looks like the rain is coming after all…”
He turned to Lohen, whose careful and slight smile was still ever present on his lips.
“We should take cover for now. We’re still quite a ways from the camp, and it would be bad to risk getting sick.” Illuga spoke sternly, like a true captain.
“Sounds good to me.” Lohen nodded, awaiting his next command.
Seeing his cooperativeness, Illuga quickly led him to a small cave opening underneath a cliff, right as the rain began to get heavier.
“Phew… this should be okay for now. Hopefully this’ll clear up soon enough… if we're lucky, maybe less than an hour.” He sets down his lantern, looking carefully at the clouds up in the sky.
Lohen doesn't speak, he just smiles as he watches Illuga. His gaze isn't entirely unnoticed, as Illuga turns to see him he clears his throat before speaking again. “I’m sorry this seems to be taking longer than I anticipated. I promise I'll still return you safely as soon as possible.”
“Not to worry, I trust you Illuga. The grand master has nothing but praise for the Lightkeepers of Nod Krai, my life is in your hands.” Lohen gives him a thumbs up, yet Illuga just laughs nervously.
Is that supposed to be reassuring…? I can't really tell.
He decided to brush it off for now, sighing and taking a seat on the ground.
“Well… I imagine this is going to take a while. You should take this opportunity to rest.”
Lohen stared at him for a moment, putting a hand to his chin before smirking.
What is he thinking now…? I swear, I don't understand this—
All of a sudden, Lohen dropped to the floor and laid against Illuga.
“Wh— huh!?!”
Lohen looks up at Illuga innocently, a sly smirk plastered all over his face. “Something the matter?”
“Y-You-- what are you doing!?”
“You told me to rest, didn’t you? The only way I can relax is by being close to a strong Ratnik to keep me safe.”
“Huh!?”
Illuga’s face was probably redder than his ruby earring right about how. His body was tense, and he had no idea what to say to this.
“Um, are you… are you messing with me or something?”
“No, what makes you say that?” Lohen chuckles, lifting a hand, trailing it up to Illuga’s chest.
“Wh--”
He covered his face with his hand in utter embarrassment.
What the hell is this guy doing!?
Illuga liked to consider himself pretty level-headed and serious most of the time, but this… was pushing his limits a bit.
“Seriously, is this… s-some sort of…”
Lohen glanced up at him again, his smile dropping for once, staring like some sad puppy-- striking some sort of odd feeling in Illuga’s chest.
“You’ll protect me, won’t you Illuga?”
“...Uh… Uh, I…”
He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath.
“I… Yes, I will. Don’t worry.”
“Hehe.”
Lohen giggles, his little smile returning to lips. Illuga can’t help but feel embarrassed when he looks at him like that.
I guess all I can do is try to relax… for now.
Illuga closed his eyes, trying his best to keep his breathing steady, as the blue haired boy drifted to sleep on his shoulder.
-----
A cold draft of air rudely intruded on Illuga’s rest. A real pity, he was having a pretty nice nap, having Lohen resting on his--
…Wait a second.
Lohen’s warm presence was no longer resting against his body. His eyes shot open, scrambling to get up off the floor and looked around rapidly.
Where is he?
His question was quickly answered when he heard the sound of grunting and swishing from just outside the cave. He looked out to see Lohen, with a spear out and stabbing inside of some kind of wild hunt creature. Seeing him fighting by himself, Illuga quickly picked up his lantern and ran over to help.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Lohen makes a quick glance over to see Illuga running over with a panicked expression. He scoffs, directing his attention back to the monster he was currently fighting. He yanked his polearm out of it, swinging quickly.
“Stay behind me!” Illuga yells, but Lohen doesn’t listen. He swings again, but it has no effect.
Why is he so stubborn!?!
“Go get em’, Aedon!” Illuga calls out.
Lohen’s expression falters for a split second, a look of confusion, but his eyes widen upon seeing a golden bird fly out from Illuga’s lantern in the next moment. Illuga swings a spear of his own, attacking simultaneously with Aedon, enough to get the monster down. The two take the opportunity to impale it, making sure it’s absolutely dead before they can talk.
“...”
“...”
“So, uhm… you’re welcome?” Illuga sheepishly speaks up first.
“I could’ve handled it myself, little nightingale.”
“Well, I did say that I’d protect you, didn’t I?”
Lohen laughs, pushing his hair back.
“What an interesting little birdy you have… is this the power of the Ratnik too?”
“Huh? Aedon? No, it’s just my messenger bird.”
“You sure? Don’t think I’ve seen any glowing birds before.”
“Really…?”
“Pfft, hahaha…!”
Illuga tilts his head in confusion as he watches Lohen laugh.
“I have to say, you’re actually a lot stronger than you look…” he says, offering a hand to Illuga.
He stares at his hand with a perplexed look on his face. He reluctantly takes hold of it, muttering an, “Uh, thanks?”
However, rather than a handshake or whatever he was expecting, Lohen tugged him closer till their bodies were pressed against one anothers.
“Huh--” Illuga’s eyes widened in surprise, a blush creeping across his cheeks.
“Are there more strong people like you in the Lightkeepers?” He asks.
“What…? Y-Yes, but what does that--”
“Do you also enjoy the thrill of battle, Illuga?”
“Pardon me…?”
Lohen chuckles, bringing Illuga’s hand to his chest.
“Hey, what are you--”
“Does it make your heart race?” Lohen asks him, his gaze intense and the red pupils in his eyes practically piercing Illuga.
“N-No? I don’t think so? What are you doing, Lohen?”
Lohen frowned in response, releasing him from his embrace.
“Oh, that’s a shame.”
“What’s a shame…!?”
“I guess… you and I aren’t the same after all.” Lohen picks up his spear from the ground, sighing. “You don’t enjoy the thrill of battle. You don’t feel a rush of adrenaline whenever you take a life with your own hands.” He turns around looking at Illuga-- his signature smile long gone from his face, a look of disappointment in its stead.
“...Excuse me?”
Illuga had no idea what to say to this mad fellow. He just woke up, and now has to deal with him rambling about liking to kill things?
Ugh, maybe I should just go with it… or something.
“Lohen, you…” Illuga started nervously.
“Hm?”
“...Your fighting was mesmerizing. You're a lot stronger than you look, too.”
He placed a hand on his own chest, taking a step closer.
“Ah?”
“It’s very elegant. Refined. M-Maybe we can spar sometime, it was fun to fight side by side with you.”
Upon hearing this, Lohen paused. His disappointment faded, and his eyes lit up with joy.
“Really?”
“...Yes. It was enjoyable. Would you be interested?”
Lohen giggled, suddenly shaking Illuga’s hand.
“Yes, I’d love that!”
Illuga can’t help but smile, shaking his hand in return.
“By the way, why didn’t you wake me up earlier? I could have helped you.” He asked.
“Oh, you just looked so cute. I didn’t wanna disturb your rest.”
Illuga’s hand froze, he blinked in surprise.
“...Huh? Oh, uh… thanks? I mean, err…”
Lohen waved it off, gesturing towards the path.
“Shall we get going? The sun is almost setting.” He asked.
“O-Oh, yeah… coming.”
Illuga grabbed his lantern, and quickly started speed walking away, trying to hide his blushing face from the other boy.
After a short walk of silence, the two finally arrived at the ever-familiar Favonius Keep. A man nearby looked over at them, suddenly looking surprised and ran over.
“V-Vice Captain Lohen! You’re back!” He gasped.
Vice Captain? Oh yeah, I guess he did say that.
“Haha, of course. Did you think I died or something?” Lohen laughed, seemingly unconcerned by his subordinates' worries.
“W-Well, maybe? You were gone for so long, and you suddenly disappeared on our patrol, and--”
“Oh, Lohen’s back?”
Another voice called out, another knight coming to greet them.
“I told you, Vice Captain Lohen just does that sometimes. But he’s stronger than all of us combined, he can handle himself!”
Illuga silently watched the knights chatter amongst themselves, feeling a bit out of place. Should he just leave or something mid conversation? Would they care? Probably not, but he really wanted to give a proper goodbye to Lo--
“It was all thanks to Captain Illuga from the Lightkeepers here.” Lohen said, gesturing to Illuga.
His train of thought suddenly crashed, he blinked in confusion. “Huh? Oh, uh, hello.” He bowed a bit nervously to them.
The two knights saluted him, both with warm smiles on their faces. “Thank you Sir Illuga!”
“Just Illuga is fine--”
“Could you two give us a minute? I’ll be back to the camp in a bit.” Lohen interrupted Illuga’s complaint, a smirk on his face as he looked over at Illuga.
The knights nodded, scurrying away back to their camp. Lohen turned to Illuga, looking… Well, for once in this whole trip, he looked like his smile was genuine. That was new.
“Thank you very much for accompanying me back, Illuga.” He said.
“It’s no problem. It’s my duty as a Ratnik to ensure the safety of everyone in Nod Krai.”
Lohen held out his hand, Illuga taking the hint this time and placing his own out too. Lohen smiled softly, bringing Illuga’s hand to his lips, kissing the back of his knuckles-- gaining a small gasp from the other boy.
“May we meet again soon, Illuga.”
Lohen released his hand, waving goodbye to him as he ran back into the camp, leaving Illuga stunned-- his cheeks flushed, and a soft smile on his lips.
“...May we meet again, Lohen…”