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“I need your help.”
Kaveh initially assumes Kunimitsu is talking to Nahida, so he readily ignores the conversation in favor of the card game where he’s getting suitably destroyed by Cyno. It’s a bit weird for them to have the conversation here, what with Kunimitsu’s withdrawn behavior, but he has been getting better since the whole debacle with Durin and Albedo, so…
But then Cyno doesn’t play a card, and Kaveh looks up to see that Hat Guy is indeed looking at everyone. The room stills as everyone comes to that revelation together, and Kaveh feels a deep shock settle in his chest.
“W—wh… Wha… wait, us? Who?” He splutters, and can’t even be offended by the annoyed glare Kunimitsu sends his way.
“All of you,” Kunimitsu grits out. He sighs, suddenly deciding that the ceiling of the room is much more interesting than the rest of them. It’s a decidedly more nervous move from him, which is nervewracking in and of itself. “…Durin’s birthday is soon.”
Tighnari frowns, folding his hands together. “Wait. His birthday. Like… which one?”
“To be honest? I don’t know.”
“How do you not know?! That’s, like, your kid!” Sethos says.
Hat Guy glares at him in turn. “Never say that to me again.” Then, to Tighnari, he says, “I’ve done the math for both versions of him, and neither matches up. So… either Simulanka’s creation, or the previous Durin’s creation.”
“What’s Simulanka again?” Cyno ponders.
“The magical storybook. Keep up,” Alhaitham deadpans.
Kaveh scoffs. “Oh, of course.”
“What is it about Durin’s birthday?” Nahida asks, gently bringing them back on topic.
Kunimitsu nods to her in a silent thanks. “I don’t know what to get for him as a gift.” Then, he pauses, nonchalantly glancing out the window. “…Actually, you all have to get him gifts as well. Albedo invited you guys to the party.”
“What?! Oh my god,” Kaveh stands up immediately, sending some of his cards flying. “How soon is it?! What day?”
“March 14th.” Hat Guy sighs, as if he’s the one being inconvenienced.
“The fourteenth?!” Kaveh grasps at his own hair.
“Which is three weeks away,” Tighnari says, sending an unimpressed look his way. “You are fine. I’m guessing the party isn’t going to be in Sumeru, though?”
“No. Mondstadt.” Kunimitsu scowls. “I hate that place. Everyone is too happy.”
“That just means they live well!” Nahida says, cheerfully. “I had the pleasure of meeting their Archon not too long ago. He’s a sweetheart!”
“Isn’t the Anemo Archon in slumber?” Alhaitham mutters, slowly closing his book.
“Ah… well…” Nahida hums. “…So. Kunimitsu. You need help deciding on a gift?”
Hat Guy sighs once more, crossing his arms. “He is simultaneously three ages at once. He’s two species at once. The kid has no actual hobbies except alchemy, and I suspect Albedo already has things covered on the front. What the hell am I supposed to get him?”
“Oh no,” Kaveh says, because those are all very important things to consider. “What am I supposed to get him?”
“Kaveh, don’t worry about it so hard!” Sethos leans over to pat him on the shoulder. “You’ve only met him a couple of times! You’re not expected to get anything groundbreaking. Kunimitsu’s different because Durin’s his kid! If he gets him a bad gift, it’ll tear the family apart—“
“Stop it.”
“Does he like storybooks, or is that a little too close to home?” Cyno asks.
“Stop.” Kunimitsu puts his head in his hands. “I shouldn’t have asked you all.”
“It’s quite a shame…” Nahida sighs. “I likely won’t be able to take off for a vacation to Mondstadt, even just for the one day. You’ll take my gift to him for me, won’t you?”
Alhaitham perks up. “Ah, unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to, either—“
“No need, I’ll take care of it for you!” Nahida tells him, and her bright smile is nearly threatening. “You, too, Cyno.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“Man, I haven’t left the temple in a while…” Sethos sighs, but then brightens. “Sumeru even less so! Can’t wait to see what Mondstadt is like in comparison!”
Tighnari takes a sip of his tea. “Collei will be ecstatic to visit again. Consider us there. Kaveh, you’ll be able to make sure you don’t have any projects by that time period, right?”
“Are you kidding?!” Kaveh huffs. “If I want to get a good gift for Durin, I’m going to have to cancel all of my current projects!”
“…I highly doubt that’s the case.”
Suddenly, Sethos gasps. “Hey, Kunimitsu! Does this mean we all get to travel together? Aw, road trip!”
Hat Guy buries himself further into his seat, likely pondering some sort of violence.
In truth, Tighnari thinks Kunimitsu was right about the whole ‘road trip’ thing.
They don’t even make it out of Sumeru before Sethos is sighing deeply and stopping in his tracks. “Guys,” he says seriously. “I have to go back. I forgot Durin’s gift.”
“That is the entire goddamn reason we are here,” Kunimitsu grits out, clenching his fists in a way that has to be uncomfortable.
So the rest of them wait in Port Ormos for an hour or so while Sethos retrieves his lost gift. At one point, Kunimitsu looks like he wants to just leave by himself, which is a fair tactic, but Tighnari has spent too much time here already for it to happen. Port Ormos is a hellscape for his poor ears.
Kaveh, for his part, sighs wistfully every time a boat leaves the dock — they weren’t able to find a reasonable way of sea travel to Mondstadt, not with Dornman Port having so many issues lately, so they’re having to resort to the old-fashioned way across Liyue. Liyue is a nice place in itself, but with all these people, Tighnari would rather just skip ahead.
Kunimitsu, again, is thinking along the same lines. “If you all hadn’t just desperately wanted to come with, I could’ve flown all the way to the city by now.”
Alhaitham also stares at the docks, which is quite telling about their situation considering his avid dislike of sea travel. “To be fair, I didn’t want to.”
Kaveh smacks him on the shoulder, “It’s Durin’s birthday! Why wouldn’t we come?!”
“Of course you have to come for Durin’s birthday.” Kunimitsu scoffs. “I just don’t understand why it had to be with me.”
Cyno hums. “You do realize you could just leave us here to travel on our legs alone?”
Kunimitsu grumbles. “Then who would make sure you didn’t fall into the Chasm?”
The rest of them share varying degrees of unimpressed looks.
“Okay, no, I think if we go around the left of the Chasm, we’ll be closer to Liyue Harbor.”
“It’s a circle. We won’t be any closer by going left or right. The only difference is how treacherous each side is, with the terrain—“
“Wait, so by that logic, we should be going right…”
“No, I swear! If we look at this map, here…”
“Sethos,” Kunimitsu nearly growls. “Your map. Is upside down.”
“Oh. Haha. So it is.”
Collei yawns, already far too tired for the events of this trip. Tighnari can relate. “So are we going right?”
“They have a lot of windmills in Mondstadt,” Cyno explains to the three of them who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting. “Personally, I’m a huge fan of those.”
Tighnari can make out Liyue Harbor in the distance. Just a little farther…
“Bad news,” Cyno sighs. “The guesthouse here is filled up. We’ll have to go further down the road. Wangshu Inn.”
“I’m never coming back to Liyue again,” Tighnari grumbles.
“I’m still upset you guys wouldn’t stop and let me look at those statues.” Kaveh pouts as they set off again.
Alhaitham switches his headphones back on. Tighnari stares at him enviously.
“Hey, on the bright side,” Sethos says, for the seventh time on this entire trip, “Wangshu Inn is closer to Stone Gate. So we won’t have to travel as far tomorrow!”
“Yay,” Collei sighs out, well-meaning.
The woman behind the counter smiles, albeit slightly pitying. Tighnari waits for the hellish news. “I’m afraid we’re a couple short on beds. Would some of you mind sharing?”
“Ah, no, of course not.” Kaveh shakes his head. “Five will be fine.”
“Four,” Kunimitsu pipes up. “I don’t sleep.”
The woman blinks at him, but that must not be the strangest thing she’s heard here, as she just nods easily. “Okay, two beds for each room.”
“Wait, does this mean I’m gonna have to sleep in the same room as Kaveh and Alhaitham?” Sethos cringes.
“Oh my god, who do you think we are?!” Kaveh squawks indignantly.
“Screw all of you.” Tighnari glares. “Cyno and Sethos can share. Collei and I are taking the second room for ourselves.”
“That’s fair.” Cyno nods.
“Hat Guy, what are you going to do?” Collei asks politely. “If you don’t sleep…”
Kunimitsu sighs, but doesn’t bite back with a rude comment like he usually does. Collei privileges, as it were. “Don’t know. Read or something. I’ll probably stay out on the balcony.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t recommend that at night,” the woman hosting them says. “There’s an adeptus that likes to hang out around that area.”
“Seriously?!” Kaveh gasps, then turns to Alhaitham. “You’re sleeping alone tonight. I’m going on the balcony.”
“None of you are bothering a literal adeptus,” Tighnari commands. “You’re going to sleep, in your rooms, nice and quiet.” He pauses. “Except for Kunimitsu.”
“I’m not going to bother them, I just wanna see—!”
It’s at that moment that a young man quite literally materializes into thin air, a strong wind pursuing him. Despite his youthful look, the sharp gold of his eyes and the way he looks down on everyone is quite striking. “Your visitors are loud tonight, Verr Goldet. Do you need me to escort them out?”
The woman sighs, as if this is a frequent occurrence. “No, Xiao, not everyone mildly annoying needs to be thrown out of the inn.”
Kaveh opens his mouth as if to protest at the descriptor, and then promptly closes it.
“Yo,” Sethos greets the frightening figure, as he does. “Love your mask,” he says, gesturing to said ornament hanging off the man’s hip. “I’m gonna call you Mask Guy.”
“Do not do that,” Xiao tells him, and then turns to Verr Goldet. “Are you sure?”
“We should go upstairs before she changes her mind,” Cyno suggests to everyone, and they’re quick to scramble away. The man glares at them until they’re out of view.
Tighnari catches Cyno and pulls him aside, near the aforementioned balcony. “Goth Hotel is the only place I remember accommodating guests. Fatui agents were all over that place last time, remember? I don’t want Collei to have to deal with that again…”
Cyno considers this for a moment, nodding seriously. “We could camp, I suppose. But that would be worse on her physical state, we’re already pushing her by traveling this far…”
Suddenly, Kunimitsu appears beside them. His ability to fly usually leaves his footsteps unheard, and it gives Tighnari a fright every time. Cyno, too, but he merely blinks owlishly rather than full-bodiedly flinching back like Tighnari does.
“Let her stay with that outrider girl. They’re friends, right?” He points out with a bored tone, as if he wasn’t voluntarily offering solutions and admitting that he listens when they talk about their friends and personal lives. “The party's supposed to be at this tavern. You don’t have to worry about Fatui lingering there.”
“Why not?” Tighnari asks. He can’t recall anything about Fatui agents not allowing themselves a drink.
“For starters, I'm pretty sure they’re letting Albedo reserve it for the party.” Kunimitsu rolls his eyes, like he wouldn’t do anything similarly extra for Durin if asked. “Otherwise, the guy who owns the place hates Fatui. They don't usually like to come anywhere near the building.”
“Sounds like a man of my caliber,” Tighnari deadpans. “Thanks, Kunimitsu.”
Kunimitsu glares at him, expression visibly offended. “For what?” He asks, before flitting away without waiting for an answer.
Cyno blandly turns his eyes to Tighnari. “How kind,” he says, and his voice is monotone and sarcastic, but Tighnari hears the truth behind it. He quietly agrees.
The pass through Stone Gate is uneventful considering what it took to get here in the first place. Kaveh looks around, frowning, as if he expected a horse-drawn carriage and fanfare upon their arrival. Or perhaps it was the joke about qingxins Cyno had made a mile back.
Collei gets more and more excited the closer they get to Mondstadt. Kunimitsu, on the other hand, looks more and more like he wants to throw himself into the nearest bodies of water. Cyno nearly starts to ask what the matter is with him, but his survival instincts save him.
For some unknown reason, Collei has chosen Alhatham to be her current victim, and chatters his ear off all the way through the fields about Amber and her other friends. Kaveh makes an effort to listen, too, but he’s much more interested in the large stone walls in the distance.
“I do love the architecture of Mondstadt, but I cannot fathom how some of it has stood for so long,” Kaveh ponders aloud. “Those windmills never get damaged, and all the stone is in impeccable condition…”
Collei nods. “I wonder about that too, especially with the little explosive girl that Amber tells me about… it’s a wonder she hasn’t demolished the whole city.”
“Have you heard about the dragon?” Kunimitsu asks. His voice is monotone and bored, but there is a slight amusement to his expression.
“The… dragon?” Collei frowns.
“The Dragon of the East, Dvalin.” Kunimitsu gestures vaguely to the walls in the distance. “Apparently he went through the Knights of Favonius Headquarters and took a whole chunk of the building out.”
“Oh no!” Kaveh gasps, hands coming up to his mouth. “That must block off a large part of the city… We won’t be able to tour some of the places…”
Kunimitsu waves his hand, scoffing. “It’s fine. Albedo and his little assistant fixed it. I’m sure alchemy was involved somehow.”
Kaveh blinks, then stares into the distance. “Right. He can just… make a dragon-sized stone wall anew.”
“He can also make humans,” Cyno sees fit to point out. He still hasn’t quite gotten over that fact. Tighnari hasn’t either, if the way he shakes his head at the ground is any example.
“Right, I suppose that isn’t the largest of his feats.” Kaveh huffs, rolling his eyes. His head swivels toward Kunimitsu, likely to ask him something, but he stops short once he sees the dreadful look on his face. “Wow. You really don’t like Mondstadt.”
“Why not, anyway?!” Sethos all but shouts. “The only reasoning you’ve given us is that they're all too happy.”
Kunimitsu sends him a particularly rude side-eye. “Picture a thousand versions of you running around.”
“Sounds great!”
Alhaitham is the only one who seems to understand the gravity of Kunimitsu’s statement, wincing just slightly as he messes with his earpieces in advance.
Tighnari’s ears twitch annoyedly, and he sighs deeply. “It’s quieter than Sumeru, at least.”
Cyno has been to Mondstadt before, but the sight of the city gates are still just as beautiful of a view. Kaveh and Collei practically skip and hop all the way there, with the exception of Kaveh taking a moment to ponder the bridge’s architectural details. He doesn’t stay long, likely thanks to Kunimitsu giving him a glare from the end of the path.
“Hey, Hat Guy!” One of the guards at the gate greets, stretching his arm out in a Favonian salute. “It’s been a while! How are you doing?”
Kunimitsu grumbles something unintelligible but probably threatening.
The guard’s smile falls a bit, but the other one straightens up and takes a chance. “You’ve brought guests this time! Friends of yours?”
“No,” Kunimitsu immediately says, and the six of them share looks varying in disbelief.
“Right… Well.” The guard clears his throat, saluting to the rest of their group. “Welcome to Mondstadt, strange yet respectable guests! What are you here for?”
“A birthday party,” Cyno replies. He’s become used to the Knights’ unique way of language, and appreciates their bluntness. He wishes he could call guests strange at his job. “We’re from Sumeru.”
Tighnari had convinced him not to make up fake identities for their party this time around, regrettably, but he still doesn’t want people to ogle at the General Mahamatra and the former Grand Sage. Hat Guy seems to draw enough attention to himself as is.
“Oh, right!” The other guard pipes up. “It’s Durin’s birthday, isn’t it? That explains it. Wish him well for us, Hat Guy!”
“The Knights of Favonius are here to ensure your safety. Enjoy your stay!”
Kunimitsu walks past without listening to half of what they’re saying. Alhaitham follows, but the rest remain respectful and exchange pleasantries before catching up.
“Amber said she’d meet me by the fountain,” Collei tells them. “Can I go ahead?”
“Sure,” Tighnari says, eyeing Kaveh who has stopped in the middle of any and all walkways to observe the buildings. “We’ll probably be here for a while.”
Collei excitedly skips away, and the rest of them are forced to wait as Kaveh eagerly takes everything in. Sethos, at least, is just as excited as he is, whipping his head around with a wide smile on his face. Cyno feels like a proud brother of some sort for being able to take him on a trip outside of Sumeru.
Although he likes to pretend otherwise, Alhaitham is equally as interested in his surroundings. He frowns at the loud blacksmith just a few steps away, but reads every single nearby sign as if he’s testing his knowledge.
Kunimitsu sighs and fixes them all with a menacing glare. “Angel’s Share tavern tomorrow at noon. Be there or I’ll find you.”
“Where are you heading off to?” Tighnari asks, ears tilting this way and that.
Kunimitsu answers by swiftly walking away.
“Should’ve known,” Tighnari grumbles.
The group spends the day touring the city. They meet back up with Collei and Amber by Good Hunter, and the outrider excitedly introduces herself to everyone. She is unfazed by Alhaitham’s general lack of social skills, which makes Cyno think he’s been included in a letter or two of Collei’s.
Amber offers to take them around the city, which Kaveh readily agrees to. Tighnari and Alhaitham go off on their own, likely to find a quieter and shadier area to hide out in, which means Cyno is perpetually stuck between Kaveh and Sethos who radiate with excitement. A rock and a hard place, as it were.
He almost expects Kaveh to cry when he lays eyes on the gigantic statue of Barbatos, and he really expects him to cry whenever he sees the church. He rambles on and on about the magnificence of the design and asks too many questions about the building process, to which Amber has to politely admit she has no idea. Alhaitham, who had taken refuge up in the plaza with Tighnari, stares up at the Anemo Archon’s statue with a frown for longer than Cyno thinks necessary.
Amber takes them down to the Knights’ headquarters, and Alhaitham makes a beeline for the library whenever she mentions it. Whenever the others catch up with them, he’s in deep conversation with Lisa. Cyno considers jumping out of the window like the Dragon of the East had done before.
Thankfully, all they’re discussing is books up until the rest of the group greets them. Lisa all but pinches Cyno’s cheeks and ruffles his hair, which Sethos loudly laughs at until her eyes are on him. Once Cyno tells Lisa who he is, he’s practically shoved into a chair with a blanket and pillow and given the nicest tea in her set. He’s given the big sister Lisa treatment about fifteen years after Cyno had been victim to it, but no less violently.
Amber deems the tour sufficiently complete and whisks Collei away to gossip about whatever they usually gossip about. Sethos and Alhaitham are seemingly not leaving the library anytime soon, so Cyno and Tighnari are able to have a little date by themselves once Kaveh decides he needs to go see the church again.
Their date includes getting to the hotel and sleeping. This must be the post-married life all the older aunts had preached to Cyno.
The next day, the two are significantly more refreshed than everyone else is. It’s entirely possible Alhaitham had slept in the library, because Cyno can hear him quietly ranting to Kaveh about what the Great Fire of Fall Equinox had taken from them and how Lisa wouldn’t let him into the restricted section. Kaveh, in turn, complains that the nuns at the church wouldn’t let him see the basement.
When the group exits the hotel, Kunimitsu is standing outside. He narrows his eyes at them.
“You’re late.”
Cyno frowns. He is never late to events. “It’s eleven-thirty.”
“And yet, everyone else is already at the tavern,” Kunimitsu says in that high, condescending voice of his that always seems to tick Kaveh off.
Naturally, Kaveh crosses his arms and huffs. “Aren’t Mondstadters known for being late? Freedom and all that.”
“Not to Durin’s birthday party, they aren’t,” Kunimitsu says darkly.
Cyno has a guess on how everyone ended up early to Durin’s birthday party. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kunimitsu had ended up sending ransom letters or something equally insane.
Kunimitsu leads them all to the Angel’s Share as if they’re children on a school trip. True to his word, there’s a sign saying that the place is reserved for an event. There’s a few stragglers on the outside tables, chatting and giving longing glances to the bar. They all shrink back at Kunimitsu’s approach.
There’s a good amount of people inside. Amber and Collei are already present, waving to them from across the room. He recognizes very little of the rest: the Calvary Captain Kaeya, the Acting Grand Master Jean, and if he’s not mistaken, the actual Grand Master, Varka, is as close to the bar as he can get. Durin sits at a table in the center of the room, next to Albedo, his assistant Sucrose, a little girl dressed in red, and a woman dressed in equally as much red and a large hat similar to Lisa’s.
There’s plenty of chatter and laughter, and Cyno subtly glances toward their group. Alhaitham seems fine, with his earpieces, and Tighnari seems more interested in cataloging all the people.
“Woah, there’s a lot of people here!” Sethos grins, looking around. “And there’s an upstairs, too? Man…”
“Of course there’s a lot of people.” Kunimitsu glares at Sethos like he’s personally insulted his mother. “It’s Durin’s birthday party.”
“Right, of course, sorry…”
Durin’s head whips around as if he’d somehow sensed their presence. Cyno distantly wonders if he has a sense to do that, like smell or hearing. Durin all but rockets from his chair, smiling wide as he barrels into Kunimitsu for a hug.
“You’re here! And you brought everyone from Sumeru, too! Ah, you guys didn’t have to come all this way!”
“You saw me yesterday,” Kunimitsu irritably tells him as he makes no move to return the hug. Durin is wearing a party hat (instead of being tied around his face, the string is cut in half and tied around each of his horns with little bows) that bumps into the other’s face, and Cyno watches as Kunimitsu’s expression scrunches up into something hilarious.
“I know, I’m just so excited!” Durin moves backward and waves at their group. “It’s so nice to see you all again! Thank you so much for coming! I’ve never had a party like this before…”
“No need to thank us, we’re happy to be here!” Kaveh smiles just as wide. “Where are we putting gifts at?”
It’s then that Durin registers the fact that they’re all holding gifts, packages of varying sizes and shapes. His eyes go wide and, terrifyingly, brim with tears.
“You guys all got me gifts, too? Oh, wow, you didn’t have to…” He sniffles.
Kunimitsu sighs and leans over to knock into his horns with his hat. “Stop crying. Everyone gets gifts on their birthday, you’re not special.”
Tighnari suddenly frowns, ears flattening startlingly quick. “Hey, Kunimitsu. When’s your birthday?”
All eyes suddenly turn toward Kunimitsu, who pretends that none of them exist and looks everywhere else before pointing to a nearby table. “Gifts go there.”
Everyone frowns and sighs, but shuffles to place their gifts next to the others. Party hats are stacked on the same table, which Sethos and Kaveh immediately grab.
The group warily searches the place for somewhere to hang out, but each table already has someone at it. Collei is excitedly chatting with Amber and Eula, along with a couple of younger people that must be around her age, so Cyno avoids them. Nothing less cooler than your parents showing up while you’re trying to make friends, according to the parenting books. Lisa and Jean are near the bar, but Cyno has a rule about avoiding their private conversations also.
It’s at that moment that the Traveler makes their appearance, coming downstairs with their flying companion. They light up at the sight of them all, waving happily before coming to stand at the table with Albedo and the others.
“Come sit with us for a little bit! You can meet my sister,” Durin exclaims excitedly, already taking Kunimitsu by the hand and running.
There’s a pause as they share varying looks. “Sister?” Sethos confusedly voices aloud. Cyno just walks forward. The only way to find out is through.
Durin all but forces Kunimitsu into a chair next to him, Albedo on his other side, and the others slowly pull up seats as well. The little girl, stationed on the woman’s lap, looks up at them all with wide eyes.
“Aunt Alice, these are Hat Guy’s friends from Sumeru I was telling you about!” Durin says to the woman. “Besides Collei, I mean. There’s Tighnari, Cyno, Kaveh, Alhaitham, Sethos…”
The group awkwardly waves and greets the woman — Alice — who grins at them with excitement Cyno has only seen on criminals who have a screw or two loose.
“And this is Klee!” Durin points out the little girl. She waves wildly, grinning with the same excitement that mirrors the woman above her. “She’s my little sister! Uh, well, sort of. She’s Aunt Alice’s daughter, so I guess she's actually my cousin? Or…”
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you all!” Alice exclaims. “And you, Hat Guy! It’s lovely to see you again.”
Kunimitsu rolls his eyes, but says nothing, which tells Cyno that he must have some sort of respect for her. He quickly reevaluates his joke catalogue.
“Thank you all for coming.” Albedo nods to them all, a pleasant smile on his face. “I wondered if the trek from Sumeru would be too far, especially with the ports lately…”
“Oh, no, it was fine,” Tighnari says, even as his tail twitches in a telltale lie. “Thank you for inviting us. Mondstadt is as nice as always.”
“It’s good to see you all,” the Traveler says. Paimon has made her way to the bar, sharing food with someone donned in green. “How is Mondstadt for the rest of you?”
“Delightful!” Kaveh immediately says, practically vibrating with excitement. “The design of the church is flawless, and the symmetry of the plaza? I was suspicious at first, with all the stone, but…”
“Kaveh’s the one that likes to draw,” Durin says to Klee, who immediately brightens up.
“I love to draw! Look!” She shuffles papers on the table, sifting through a pile of what seems to be a mix of childish doodles and strangely complex mechanical diagrams. She grabs one drawing with a loud aha! and proudly showcases it to the table. “This is a drawing I made of me and mom blowing up the fish in the lake!”
Sethos coughs, badly hiding a laugh, and Kaveh is taken aback for a handful of moments before he collects himself.
“Oh, well, that’s... That’s very nice! You’re a great artist!”
“Alhaitham’s taken to the library like a moth to a flame, as I’m sure you’ve guessed,” Tighnari says to the Traveler, continuing their conversation. Cyno glances at the man in question, expecting him to make some comment at the mention of his name, but instead finds him staring at the bar with narrowed eyes.
Cyno follows his gaze to Paimon and the one in green from earlier, happily chatting and poking fun at each other by the looks of it. He can’t find anything off, exactly, but a strange instinct from Hermanubis startles a little.
“Don’t think too hard about it,” Kunimitsu tells the two of them. “He’s an annoying little shit.”
The person in green looks up and over directly at their table, as if somehow hearing Kunimitsu despite the distance. Upon spotting him, he smiles wide and waves his arm as obnoxiously as possible. Kunimitsu covers Durin’s eyes and flips him off.
Cyno looks to Alhaitham, who only seems to have gone as still as possible and narrowed his eyes even further, as if waiting for something to show itself. He tries to catch his eye, but there’s no distracting him for now.
Kaveh and Klee are still engaged in a frankly concerning conversation about engineering and design, with Alice piping in at opportune times, so Cyno turns his attention back to Durin. “You’re acquainted with quite a number of people.”
“Oh, yeah, sort of…” Durin sheepishly says, wings fluttering. “I wanted Dvalin to come too, but he’s too big for the tavern. I think he’s also a little bit scared of the city since the headquarters situation anyway…”
“You’re friends with the Dragon of the East,” Cyno says more than asks. He really shouldn’t be surprised, yet…
“As well as I can be!” Durin nods happily. “He’s very nice to me. Venti and I are going to go see him later today.”
“Speaking of Venti, I should probably go make sure he and Paimon don’t kill each other,” the Traveler says just as tinny shouting erupts from the flying pixie. “Have fun, guys. Introduce yourselves. I’m sure you could get along with plenty of people here.”
Tighnari seems to highly doubt that if the way he looks around the room is any sign.
Alice stands up and deposits Klee into Albedo’s lap, where the girl takes a sudden interest in Kunimitsu’s hat. She claps her hands loudly, quieting the tavern. A couple people upstairs lean over the railing to look at her.
“Alright, everyone’s here!” Alice smiles wide. “Which means… it’s time for cake! Everyone gather around!”
Everyone stands moves toward the center of the room to their table, to which their group subtly moves backward so as to not take up too much of the view. Collei rushes up to them, happily greeting everyone.
The bartender, a man with striking red hair, retrieves a cake from behind the counter and brings it to the table, then retreats back into the crowd. It’s a beautifully designed cake, made of purples and pinks. There are candles arranged in the shape of a star, and Cyno can hear Sethos quietly counting them from beside him. He doubts it matters.
Alice lights them all with the flick of a wrist, and Durin looks up nervously at the amount of people watching him. Albedo gently adjusts his party hat.
“Um, so I just… make a wish?” He asks, meek and small.
“Yes, but don’t say it out loud!” Alice whispers theatrically to him. “Otherwise it might not come true!”
Durin frowns, studying the candles. “How does that work?”
“Oh, curse your scientific brain.” Alice sighs. “Just make a wish and leave the logistics to me, okay?”
“Wait!” Klee suddenly shouts. “We have to sing happy birthday!”
“Goodness, Klee, you’re right! How could I forget?!”
“Oh, I don’t really think that’s… necessary…” Durin mumbles, awkwardly fidgeting with his sleeves as his face reddens.
“Absolutely it is!” Someone else calls. “Venti, if you could…”
The boy in green from before steps forward from the crowd, summoning a lyre with what looks to be his Anemo Vision. He dramatically clears his throat. “Everyone sing along now!”
Cyno and his friends sing about the first note of Sumeru’s happy birthday song before they realize Mondstadt has an entirely different one and awkwardly close their mouths. Except for Alhaitham, naturally, who recites it perfectly in a low voice.
At the end of the impromptu choir performance (seriously, does everyone in Mondstadt have such angelic voices? It is the Nation of Wind and Song…), Durin quickly blows the candles out. Everyone erupts into cheers, clapping heartily, until Durin lifts a hand and relights them all again.
“Your turn, Jean,” he says, smiling to the Acting Grand Master in the crowd.
All eyes turn to Jean, who freezes entirely. “Oh, um. No, I don’t need to… I already said I didn’t want to celebrate on your first birthday…”
“We know, it’s awfully depressing,” says the Calvalry Captain. “Just blow the candles out, Jean.”
Durin steps away from the cake, and the crowd excitedly ushers her forward.
“It’s her birthday too?” Tighnari frowns. “A shame. I would’ve gotten her a gift as well…”
Kaveh looks like he wants to jump into the lake. He’s staring forlornly at the table of presents, likely contemplating the same thing, nevermind that he’s never met her.
Jean awkwardly makes her way to the cake, sheepishly looking at the crowd. She goes to blow out the candles, but is stopped by Klee’s scream of, “Waaaiiitt!!”
Everyone stills, immediately whipping around to face the girl, who for some reason has been shifted to be held by Kunimitsu. He looks awfully disgruntled at the shouting in his ear, but is holding her perfectly. Surely he hasn’t held small children before? This will require further discussion at the next tea meeting.
“We need to sing happy birthday again!”
“Oh, of course, Klee! I am just all over the place today…”
“We really don’t have to do that, please, everybody…” Jean lets out a strained laugh.
“Venti, if you would…”
Venti strums his lyre just once, enough for everyone to go silent. “Usually, I don’t do encores, but…”
Everyone sings happy birthday a second time, save for the awkward group of Sumerians oddly close to the table. When Jean blows her candles out, the clapping and cheering is twice as loud as before, for twice the people.
“To many more!” The Grand Master shouts in a loud, boisterous voice. Another cheer goes up before the cake is passed around.
With the commotion around the center table, Cyno and his group end up somewhere near the bar instead. Collei makes her way to Amber again, but not before exchanging nervous waves with Kaeya.
“If it isn’t the General Mahamatra and the former Grand Sage!” The Grand Master greets them, grinning widely. “Pleasure to finally meet you. My stint in Sumeru wasn’t long enough to see Sumeru City, I’m afraid. My men didn’t like the idea of the Akasha, you see…”
“Acting Grand Sage,” Alhaitham corrects in a bored tone. He glances over at Venti again, who has retaken his seat at the bar and is curiously roving his gaze over everyone.
“Right, sorry!” The Grand Master laughs, not sounding sorry at all. “Anyway, it’s probably good for politics if I introduce myself, right? I’m Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, but you can just call me Varka.”
“It’s good to finally meet you.” Cyno inclines his head. “Truthfully, it’s for the better that you skipped Sumeru City and its Akasha at the time.”
“My thoughts, too. At least your Archon is doing well, right? I’ve heard very good things.” Cyno doesn’t miss the quick glance Varka sends to Venti, and ponders it in his head.
“She’s wonderful,” Tighnari agrees. “We’ve heard good things about your Archon, as well.”
“Have you now,” the bartender grumbles quietly, and then his face twitches as if he had not meant to say that out loud.
Varka just laughs, throwing his head back. “As it should be! So, you know her personally? Figures, if you’re friends with the Hat Guy over there.”
“You two have met?” Sethos pipes up, peeking in between Cyno and Tighnari’s shoulders.
“Yeah, in Nod-Krai.” Varka nods, taking a sip of his drink. “He’s… a hell of a person, that’s for sure! Did some mighty good things, though.”
Kunimitsu hasn’t told them a word about his journey in Nod-Krai, despite all their needling. When your Archon tells you to prepare for war one moment and then to stand down the next, and then you hear news about the moon breaking through the sky, one gets curious about what their friend had gotten up to in the nation. Naturally, Kunimitsu keeps his secrets.
“So, he was involved in that whole debacle after all.” Sethos shakes his head, crossing his arms. “Add that to the notes for the next tea meeting.”
Kindred spirits, they are. Cyno nods an agreement.
“Anyways, besides all that, I’ve heard plenty about you from Lisa before.” Varka gestures to Cyno in particular, and a feeling of dread crawls up his back. “I have to thank you for what you did for Mondstadt and Collei back then. Haven’t gotten the chance to say hello to her yet, but she seems to be doing well.”
Cyno relaxes. “Of course. She’s been doing much better, especially after the extinction of Eleazar. Lisa is a close friend of mine, I would’ve been remiss not to respond to her request.”
“Ah, yes, she’s told me many an anecdote about her teacher, Cyrus, and the mischievous child he took in…”
The dread is back.
Kaveh, who has since become disinterested in the conversation, ponders the menu behind the bartender. “Is there a limit to how many drinks you’ll serve? Since it’s a birthday party and all?”
The bartender looks outright offended by the very question, and Venti and Kaeya laugh joyously. “Let’s hope not, or else our beloved bard here wouldn’t be able to feel any buzz at all,” Kaeya says, elbowing the other good-naturedly.
“Ah, you’re a heavyweight, then?” Kaveh asks, smiling politely.
“Something like that, yes.” Venti grins right back, swaying his glass. “Which is a shame, since I’d consider myself lightweight in all other ways of life.”
If it’s a joke, Cyno doesn’t get it, and no one else in his group seems to. Otherwise, Kaeya and Varka both chuckle lowly and the man behind the bar rolls his eyes as far back as possible.
“To answer your question, it depends on the behavior of the drunkard,” the redhead says. “Try your luck, I suppose.”
Alhaitham is still studying the bard by the looks of it, barely looking away when he takes a seat beside Kaveh. He hasn’t even gotten a book out, which is the most surprising part. Cyno looks at Venti again, trying to find anything odd, anything at all… Hermanubis stirs again, but nothing else sticks out.
“Present time!” Alice sing-songs. Everyone turns to face the center table, but nobody crowds around like last time as Durin retrieves his gifts. Idle conversation continues, save for the people who eagerly await for their presents to be opened.
His first present is from Albedo, if the way Durin hugs him is any indicator. It’s a fancy new potion set, as Kunimitsu had surmised. There’s a messily-wrapped box holding a specially decorated plushie that is apparently a gift from both Klee and Alice. There’s also a similarly decorated gift of a storybook, said to be from a person named Nicole who wasn’t able to make it.
Most of the gifts are alchemical or scientific in nature, with a few childish things here and there — mostly storybooks. Cyno makes it a game for himself to deduce which gift came from who based on how the package is decorated and the person presents themselves, which proves to be entertaining in the long wait before Durin gets to their gifts.
“That one’s from Nahida,” Kunimitsu tells him, pointing at a beautifully crafted green box. “She sends her well wishes.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of her!”
“Who’s Nahida?” The woman seated next to Varka asks, a nun who’s been mostly silent up until now. The rest of the people at the bar share various shrugs, save for Venti, who just smiles knowingly at the group from Sumeru.
Nahida had gifted Durin a beautiful tea set, along with some Sumeru candies and treats for him to enjoy. Collei’s gift was a few of her old light novels paired with a marvelously well-sewn stuffed dragon. Amber's gift revealed to be a matching dragon, made with blues and teals instead of the pinks and purples of the other one.
Tighnari’s gift was a few books on ingredients and herbal remedies that he thought could do well in alchemy. “If not, he can learn to cook or something,” he had said.
Alhaitham’s, similarly, were also books. However, instead of storybooks or scientific textbooks, these were books based on culture and history. They were primarily Mondstadtian in nature, but there were a few from Sumeru and even a couple about Inazuma. Durin, unexpectedly, had been ecstatic about these, especially the Inazuma ones, while Kunimitsu just sent Alhaitham a look of death from across the tavern.
Sethos had gone the alchemical route, also, with a set of beakers and glasses that were decorated with desert-style paintings and gemstones. Durin had to have a very long conversation with him on how fragile they were, and apologize in advance if any of them got broken in the process of destructive alchemy, but Sethos had simply waved him off and said he’d make more, to just send him a letter when he needed them.
Cyno had zero idea on what to get Durin, but after quite a few shopping trips to the Grand Bazaar, he’d settled on some herbs and flowers from Sumeru, along with a specially-made Kunimitsu TCG card he had commissioned from Albedo beforehand. So, technically, it was a joint gift.
If the look Kunimitsu had sent Alhaitham was deadly, the look he sends Cyno all but buries him alive. Durin seems to love it, though, so it’s worth it.
Kaveh is a nervous wreck by the time Durin gets to his gift, taking a swig from his non-alcoholic juice after Alhaitham had banned him. “It’s a child’s birthday party,” he had said, which put Kaveh in his place plenty.
It’s jewelry, Cyno can tell, and exquisite jewelry at that. Multiple black, pink, purple, and red gems pop out at him from this far away, and Durin gently picks them up with stars in his eyes.
“Um, they’re adjustable, so they could be used as bracelets or necklaces…” Kaveh tentatively speaks up, “but I read some things about horn jewelry in Ancient Sumeru and Natlan, so I thought you might like them? But, I don’t usually see you wear jewelry, so—“
“I love them, thank you!” Durin immediately exclaims, tilting some of the pieces up into the light. “They’re beautiful! You made these?”
“Oh, well, kind of… I bought some from the Bazaar, but they weren’t really what I had in mind for you, so I made my own creative choices—“
“Yes, he did,” Alhaitham loudly proclaims.
“Wow! That’s amazing… Thank you so much, Kaveh! How do I put these on…?”
The rest of the gifts range wildly from very different things, and Cyno counts one for each person in the tavern. Save for Kunimitsu, who Cyno catches discreetly putting a small present to the side of the dwindling pile. The wrapping is impressively neat, and Cyno finds himself wondering if it was done by Nahida or Kunimitsu just… knew how to do that.
It takes a moment for Durin to find it, but once he does, he lights up. Cyno has to squint to see what’s inside, since Kunimitsu seems to be all but bodily blocking everyone in the room from catching a glimpse at his momentary display of sentimentality. Durin lifts up what seems to be a bookmark, with a purple tassel connected akin to one that Kunimitsu wears around his torso. It’s decorated with a wonderful artsy piece of stars and space, and Cyno wonders once more if that’s a product of Kunimitsu’s own skill.
There’s also a few books included about worldwide flora and fauna. Underneath is a large photo album, empty but ready to be filled.
Compared to some others in the room, the gift is a little underwhelming. But it means a lot to Durin, who wraps Kunimitsu in an exceptionally tight hug. Off to the side, the Traveler is sorting through their own photo album for extras to leave with him.
It’s a wonderful party, all around. Durin talks to every single person to thank them personally for coming, and Kunimitsu follows him around like some sort of bodyguard. It’s a habit of his, Cyno has noticed. He does it with Nahida, too, and occasionally the Traveler.
Kunimitsu and the Traveler seem… closer, as well. They’ve never been enemies, per se, but they have a relationship different to how the Traveler usually interacts with others. They’re more prone to teasing him, knocking him around and taking the returned venom in stride. On the other hand, Kunimitsu treats him similarly to how he treats Nahida; insults and threats, but an underlying weakness to it that shows he really doesn’t mean what he says. Perhaps it’s unnoticeable to anyone else, but Cyno prides himself on his investigative skills.
So when he says now that they seem closer, he means it. The Traveler smiles at him whenever he passes by, and he nods back with nothing but a dismissive wave. Kunimitsu seems to keep an eye on them throughout the party, whenever he does his periodic scan of the room. When Grandmaster Varka pats them on the back hard enough to make them wince, Kunimitsu glares at him from across the tavern.
He’s certainly a separate person with each individual he speaks to. Cyno hopes that the version they communicate with is as real as the one who watches out for the Traveler, helps Durin adjust his jewelry, and holds Klee when she raises her arms up to him.
Something happened in Nod-Krai, for sure. And they aren’t much closer to understanding Kunimitsu as a person, but Cyno would like to say they’re getting somewhere. The fact he lets them call him by his name is already a feat.
Well. Little about it matters now. Durin is the star of the party today. It’s only fitting he has a proper bodyguard.
Albedo, Durin, and Kunimitsu have joined them in their hotel room the night before they have to leave. Collei is still staying with Amber, but she doesn’t really have a tendency to play TCG, so it’s all well when Cyno announces they all have to have a final game night, Tighnari’s eye-roll be damned.
It’s not until later that it comes back to him. When Durin shuffles through his newly acquired deck built with the help of Albedo, Cyno, and the Traveler, a bright teal card sticks out to him.
“There’s something odd about that bard,” Cyno speaks up after a tense silence during the battle between Albedo and Kaveh. “Venti, I think is his name.”
“Oh, something odd…?” Durin says, a strangely nervous smile appearing on his face.
“I told you not to think too hard about it,” Kunimitsu grumbles.
Alhaitham blatantly ignores him, turning to Cyno. “He’s the Anemo Archon.”
Kaveh freezes as he’s reaching for a card. Cyno blinks mindlessly.
Sethos clears his throat. “Sorry. What?”
Alhaitham frowns, brows furrowing as he looks around at his clueless group of friends. “I can understand the Durin thing, I suppose. But, really? We all saw the statue. It looks exactly like him.”
“Oh my god,” Kaveh mutters. “The statue. And the paintings in the church…”
“I just thought he was devout,” Tighnari says, narrowing his eyes at his card deck.
“You can’t be serious,” Sethos says, hands reaching up to claw at his hair. “You can’t be serious. Kunimitsu? Albedo?”
“I’m afraid he’s right.” Albedo nods, unbothered save for the slightly amused smile on his face. “Venti is the Anemo Archon Barbatos. Keep it a secret, though, if you please.”
“Wait, you knew?” Sethos whips around to face Kunimitsu. “How?”
“He’s visited Nahida on a few occasions. I happened to be there for most of them.” Kunimitsu glares at the window like it’s personally wronged him. “He is one of the most annoying people I've ever met, and I’ve lived for five-hundred years.”
“What? I think he’s nice!” Durin exclaims, pouting.
“He knows too much,” Kunimitsu says, explaining exactly nothing. “It disturbs me.”
“He hears everything on the wind,” Albedo agrees. “It’s likely he knows everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets.”
“How wonderful,” Kaveh grumbles. “No wonder he’s such a heavyweight.”
“Albedo, strange question,” Tighnari suddenly pipes up. He’s staring upward with a confused expression like he’s stumbled upon some scientific formula to solve. “What, um. What are you?”
“You mean my species?” Albedo clarifies, placing another card. “I’m an alchemical construct, sort of like Durin. A homunculus, to be precise.”
Cyno ponders his investigative skills.
“Are you being serious?” Alhaitham all but growls, looking around at their befuddled group. “He has a dragon for a brother. You thought he was biologically human?”
“I— I mean, well—“ Sethos flounders, “I— I guess I just assume! That people who look like humans! Are humans!”
“That seems controversial,” Albedo supplies, tilting his head.
Alhaitham scoffs. “Kunimitsu looks like a human. Guess what?”
“To be fair, I have ball joints,” Kunimitsu points out for no reason other than to instigate, assumedly. “They’re just hard to see.”
Kaveh is instantly narrowing his eyes at him, searching rapidly, and Kunimitsu proceeds to blow him over with a gust of wind. This also has the added effect of disrupting the card game, which Cyno and Albedo both frown at.
“How old are you?” Tighnari asks, looking as exhausted as a nurse at the Bimarstan asking for one’s basic information.
Albedo pauses, thinking, which isn’t a good sign. “Roughly four-hundred-and-fifty… more or less… but if we’re only counting years I spent around human civilization, then—“
“Kunimitsu’s older than you? Huh. That seems odd,” Durin finally pipes up, looking between them. Then, a moment passes before his eyes widen and he abruptly gasps. “Wait! Evil Durin is older than you! So, like, half of me is your older brother and half of me is your younger!”
“I want to go home,” Tighnari tells the room, burying his face in his hands.