Chapter Text
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AETHER
Aether had heard of the infamous apothecary early on in his journey from the people of Mondstadt. A woman known far and wide for her extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs, poisons, and a near-perfect recollection of all plants in Teyvat.
Stories about her were common within the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius every time Aether visited, some knights saying she was the most insane woman they've ever met, others saying she was sweeter than sweet can be.
But just hearing about her wasn't enough to get a full picture; it wasn't until after the Dvalin threat was quelled that Aether met her face-to-face.
He first saw her talking to Jean, a smile evident on her features. A truly radiant smile, with a flush coming to the traveler's cheeks as he stared. Surely someone whose smile is that luminous couldn't be so strange, right?
Jean noticed him rather quickly, motioning for the Honorary Knight to join her and the wandering apothecary, whose name he learned was Y/n, in their conversation.
Aether was a bit nervous, unsure of how this particular meeting would go. Some said that Y/n was hard to get along with, or so he heard. Rumors of her butting heads with some of the knights weren't hard to come across.
Though as he stood between Y/n and Jean, he couldn't help but stare at her; she wasn't anything like the way the knights described her; she was actually pretty kind, a bit forthright, but still a rather patient person.
And when her eyes met his, a cute grin on her lips, he felt his heart skip a beat. Aether didn't even hear what she had asked him, soon apologizing and requesting her to repeat herself.
"You got hurt in that fight with Dvalin, right? I can patch you up if you'd like. Barbara's a bit busy at the moment, so I thought I could be of use."
His expression went blank at her statement, mouth open like a gaping fish. After a few moments, he clacked his jaw shut and nodded, albeit a little too enthusiastically.
Y/n guided him to the infirmary at the knight's headquarters, then, once settled, pulled out some bandages to wrap his lower arm where Dvalin had struck him.
"You're really strong, aren't you?"
He was caught off guard by her statement, only able to stare back in response.
"It takes a lot of strength to go against a foe like Dvalin. I'm glad things were resolved peacefully, though."
Then she looked at him with a small grin and a look of relief in her eyes.
"Mondstadt is one of my favorite places in Teyvat... so... Thank you, Mister Honorary Knight. For helping the Knights of Favonius out, I mean."
God, he was going to explode if she kept looking at him like that.
DILUC
Diluc's first meeting with the apothecary was... odd, to say the least.
A knock on his manor's door would usually be answered by one of the many maids or butlers running the household, but for some reason, Diluc felt compelled to answer it himself.
On the other side of the door stood a woman, her expression hard to read, almost neutral except for the bit of excitement hiding behind her eyes.
"Sorry to disturb you, Mister, but you have some poisonous plant roots on your grape vines."
Diluc stared back at her, brows lifting ever so slightly at her straightforwardness, "And... you're telling me this because...?"
A smile quickly spread across her face, "I'd like to take them, if you don't mind."
His lips pursed together before speaking, "If you're offering an extraction service, I'm not interested in buying-"
Her eyes widened, "Huh? Oh, no, nothing like that. I'd just like to take the roots. I'm not looking for payment. The roots themselves would be more than enough."
Diluc narrowed his eyes, glancing over at the vineyard to see what she was talking about, noticing a purplish root stemming from the ground and wrapping around the trellis.
"You... just want the root?"
The woman emphatically nodded, a sparkle appearing in her eyes, "Mmhm! They're uh— good for certain medicines."
Her gaze met his, a certain intensity to her expression, "I can take them and be out of your hair in, like, three minutes tops! I promise not to touch the grapes!"
Diluc looked at her, skepticism evident in his stare, "I suppose there's no harm in it; you don't mind if I supervise, do you?"
The woman shook her head rapidly, then turned around to squeal and jump up and down on the tips of her toes in excitement, mumbling under her breath, "Yeeeeessss~ I finally get a rare poisonous root from Mondstadt...! This is awesome~."
Diluc couldn't help but let out a small, if not totally silent, laugh, slightly amused by her sudden burst of joy.
She practically raced over to the trellis with the dangerous root, picking and prodding at it with determined focus. Diluc noticed the way her hands were steady, unyielding in their pursuit.
And as she carefully extracted it, Diluc couldn't help but stare with fascination. Her eyes were glinting with a certain spark, one that Diluc could only admire.
Though when she finished, gathering the now-removed root and glancing back at him, he almost felt embarrassed for staring for so long.
The woman gave him a sheepish smile, a cute giggle escaping her, "Sorry for making you wait, and uh... thanks for the root."
"No problem." Diluc turned his gaze away from her to the place where the root once occupied. It was expertly cut, with no damage to the trellis or any of the grapevines, "Who exactly are you, anyway? I doubt any average citizen of Mondstadt would notice such a thing, let alone be able to handle it without issue."
She laughed, "I'm not from Mondstadt, actually; I just kinda wander from place to place, ya know? Oh, and the name's Y/n, I'm an apothecary."
Diluc hummed in response, "And I suppose you have some use for this particular plant for your practice?"
"It's more for experiments, really. I like to test things out."
She stood up rather quickly, bowing to Diluc with a joyful expression, "Thank you again, Mister. I'll be going now!"
And with those last words, she raced off into the woods near the Dawn Winery.
A sudden pang in Diluc's chest hit him harder than he thought, an outstretched hand following her form for a moment before recoiling back.
He didn't get to tell her his name, did he?
KAEYA
Kaeya's meeting with the wandering apothecary was a while back, long before the Traveler appeared in Mondstadt.
He liked to recall the memory from time to time, often musing about it and longing to see her again since he enjoyed her presence so much.
It had happened by chance, with Kaeya on his way to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, and Y/n standing in the middle of the square's fountain.
Kaeya had almost laughed out loud. Seeing a random girl poking through the fountain was such an intense gaze was definitely a comical sight.
"Did you lose something in there?" The Cavalry captain couldn't hide the smile on his lips and was far too amused to hold back the teasing lilt to his voice.
Without a moment of hesitation, the woman shook her head, not even bothering to speak.
"Do you require some assistance then?"
A laugh escaped her, not sparing him a single glance, "Hardly. Besides, a knight wouldn't know the first thing about this."
Kaeya tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better view of what she was doing. Her gaze was set on the water before her, with her hands scraping something at the bottom of the fountain.
"...And what would that be?"
Her head snapped towards his direction, a big grin on her face, "Algae. What else?"
He had to admit, out of all the things she could have said, that was nowhere near what he expected.
She turned back to the water, slowly lifting her scraping utensil and depositing the contents of the algae into a small pouch, "I saw this when I was at Good Hunter earlier, so I knew that I needed to check it out!"
Kaeya only stared at her, for once not able to give his typical witty response.
The woman stepped out of the fountain, shaking off the excess water on her legs, then turning to leave the city, a pep in her step, and humming a small, cheerful tune.
Since then, Kaeya has met this woman more often, learning she was an apothecary who experimented with random plants and poisons.
And as the knight sat in Angel's Share, swirling a glass of dandelion wine in his hand, he couldn't help but wish that she could visit Mondstadt more often, if only to enjoy her sweet smile and adorable laugh once more.
One of these days, Kaeya would be sure to ask her to have dinner with him and hopefully woo her with his enigmatic charm.
LOHEN
She had piqued Lohen's interest the moment he saw her, with the knights under his order only staring in worry as their vice captain completely forwent the mission to talk to the random girl poking around the poisonous flowerbed.
His usual Cheshire grin flourished on his handsome face, "You know those are poisonous, right?"
The woman only hummed back in response, picking up one particularly well-preserved flower with a cute little smile on her face as she admired it.
Lohen stepped closer, his gaze landing on that adorable smile, eyes narrowing with a mischievous glint, "You gonna poison somebody with that?"
She laughed, almost shocking Lohen, if not for how pretty it sounded to his ears.
"No way. This stuff could kill the average man with only a milligram of the venom in its stem. I wouldn't do that to anyone." The woman picked a few more flowers, careful not to let the toxin escape from the bottom, "I'll be testing it on myself anyway."
The knights who were just standing around waiting for Lohen to finish his impromptu conversation all let out choked coughs and held flabbergasted expressions as they stared at the woman.
"Testing on yourself? A pretty 'lil thing like you?"
The woman shot him a glare, rising from her crouched position in the flowerbed, "One, don't call me little, and two, I can handle just about any poison in Teyvat, just so you know."
Lohen chuckled, "No need to get hostile; as a knight, it's my duty to make sure the citizens of Mondstadt are all safe. Wouldn't want someone getting sick, right?"
She stared at him for a moment, eyeing his expression and evaluating his body language, before finally speaking, "Something tells me that's not your actual concern."
The mint-haired man tilted his head, still grinning away, "Oh? And what makes you think that, lovely?"
The woman narrowed her eyes at that term of endearment, but straightened her shoulders, crossing her arms and faced him squarely, "You're the Vice Captain of the Fifth Company, right? You're a poison fiend from what I've heard. So I'm sure you know this type of toxin isn't contagious when it infects the body."
He held up his hands in mock surrender, "You got me."
Lohen lowered his hands, "You're that apothecary everyone keeps talkin' about, right? Could I get a name to match the pretty face?"
The h/c-haired woman stared again, then sighed at her own realization. She picked up her bag and prepared to leave, "It's Y/n. And you can stop with the flattery; I don't give out poisons for free."
As she left, Lohen couldn't help but chuckle. She knew the whole time that he wanted her poisons, didn't she? How cute. He'd have to be more covert next time.
And he hoped that that next time would be soon.
VARKA
Varka found it hard to focus with such a loud commotion right outside his office. He could clearly hear Amber's worried shouts; she might as well have been screaming right in his ear for the difference it'd make.
Staring down at his mountain of paperwork, the Grandmaster let out a heavy sigh, then pushed himself up and out of his desk chair to see what was going on out there; it's not like he'd get any work done with that racket, nor did he want to.
His office door slid open, causing Amber to freeze mid-shout.
"G-grandmaster Varka!? I didn't realize you were in there...!" Embarrassment crossed the young outrider's features, "I'm really sorry for disturbing you, but I need to get this woman to Barbara A.S.A.P!"
Varka glanced at the woman next to Amber, someone he didn't recognize. But getting a good look at her, he couldn't help but think about how pretty she was, even with her expression clouded by some form of distress.
But as soon as he realized that he was just staring, Varka let out a small cough to cover his slightly more rosy cheeks, "Did a Hilichurl get you?"
The woman didn't respond, simply turning her gaze to the floor with pursed lips.
Varka glanced at Amber for an answer, which he got rather quickly.
"She ate some poisonous berries! I'm trying to get her to go to Barbara, but she's been refusing!!"
The Grandmaster's eyes widened, his head snapping to look at the woman again to confirm.
"And I told you that it's fine; I've ingested way worse toxins and come through just fine."
Amber huffed, taking hold of the woman's wrist, "If that really is the case, then a check-up won't hurt!"
The woman sighed, "It's really not necessary; I'd only be wasting Miss Barbara's time."
Their banter continued for a bit, Varka keeping his eye on the woman in front of him. Did he hear her right? Does she eat poisonous things on the regular? Why?
Varka laughed, catching both women off guard.
"Grandmaster Varka? This is hardly a laughing matter! Those berries could be killing her at this very moment!"
Varka showed a sheepish smile, "Sorry about that, but you don't happen to be that Apothecary everyone keeps talking about 'round here?"
The woman nodded after a few moments, almost hesitantly, "Whatever you heard, it's either not true, or my crimes have been greatly exaggerated."
The Grandmaster let out another laugh, "I was referring to an immunity to poisons you happen to have."
"Ah."
Silence stood between the three of them before this woman broke it, "So... can I go?"
Varka chuckled, while Amber stood with uncertainty in her gaze.
"If you start feeling sick, come back right away, alright?"
The woman did a mock salute before rushing out of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters.
Varka stared at her retreating figure, more amused than anything, a small hope in the back of his mind that he'd see her again.
VENTI
A gust of wind nearly sent her flying off the tree, only barely escaping such a fate by taking hold of the branch she was sitting on at the last second.
Her curved blade nearly slipped from her fingers, catching the looped end with her other hand before it tumbled below.
With narrowed eyes, she glanced around, at least as much as could while dangling from a branch.
Y/n couldn't see anyone, but there was definitely a person here. She felt it. With a quick pull, she was sitting on the branch again, sitting still with a few cursory looks around the giant tree in Windrise.
When nothing happened, she carefully lifted her blade to resume her previous task.
But of course, another gust of wind was pointed in her direction; thankfully, she was prepared enough not to skid too far off.
"Whoever's doing that, you're being a real pain in the ass...!" Y/n glanced around again, an annoyed tone laced throughout her statement.
The branch she rested on dipped a bit as new weight was added, "Then stop messing with the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero."
Y/n turned around and saw a shorter guy with deep black hair and an aqua-teal color fading in his front braids, a green outfit that looked like a fancy bard's getup. Her head tilted to the side, trying to get a good read on him, while his face was soft-looking and rather cute; however, his frown was evident, a look she could tell was unusual for him.
"I'm just getting this mycelium; I'll be in and out quick." Y/n turned back to extract the mushrooms she had noticed growing on the side of the large oak tree.
Another gust of wind nearly sent her right into the tree itself, which she stopped right before she faceplanted the hardened wood.
"Would you quit!? I'm not doin' anything bad here!"
She glanced over her shoulder at him again, his brows now furrowed deeply with puffed-out cheeks, "Not doing anything bad? You're clearly trying to hurt the tree!"
Y/n stared blankly at him, eyes trained on his expression and the small ways it fluctuated, from the crinkle between his brows to the flaring of his nostrils. Then, she spoke in a much less annoyed manner, "You're worried I'm hurting the tree? C'mere then."
The h/c-haired woman motioned for him to get closer, placing her blade back in its holster.
Cautiously, the raven-haired guy took a few steps closer.
Y/n then pointed at the mushrooms on the tree, "These are parasitic and saprophytic mushrooms, you know what that means?"
She didn't let him respond, instead pointing at the root point of the mycelium where signs of crackling wood were clear, "It's a wood-decay fungus, typically only feeding on dead trees; that's the saprophytic part, but when in dire need, it can grow on live trees to continue thriving, that's the parasitic part."
The guy's eyes widened, leaning in slightly more.
She continued, "It's in a rather early stage of development, so it's not doing any damage right now, but if it's left to fester, it can kill the tree within two to five years."
He went silent, staring down at his lap in thought before finally speaking, "And you were trying to stop that from happening..."
His words were more of a statement to himself than to her, but after a few short moments, he looked back at Y/n, a much softer expression on his face, "Sorry... about that."
Y/n smiled at him, picking up her blade again, "No need for an apology, just let me finish this real quick."
Within the next few minutes, the fungi was completely extracted and placed into a pouch for safekeeping.
She had fully expected the stranger to be gone, but he stood at the bottom of the tree instead, almost like he was waiting for her.
"You good?"
He looked like he didn't know what to say, his eyes having a hard time meeting hers. But after a moment of pure awkward silence, he spoke, a slightly more cheerful grin on his lips, "Thank you. For helping the tree, I mean."
Y/n laughed, "It's no problem. I'd hate to see this big guy go down; it's such a relaxing spot here in Mondstadt, one of my favorites to come to when I'm passing through."
The guy looked up at the big tree, "Me too..."
Silence came between them again, but much less awkward this time.
When that silence was broken, a friendly chat arose, learning each other's names and professions, then talking for a while longer before splitting ways.
And the stranger, now known to her as Venti, couldn't help but wish to see her again, hoping she stops by Mondstadt again, sooner rather than later.
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END