Chapter 7: Plan of Action

Entering Jean's office for the second time Lumine found it far more occupied than before, a bevy of familiar faces seated about as the leader of the knights herself took up position at the head of the room, favoring all present with an authoritative yet confident expression as she announced, "You've all done excellent work thus far and with any luck we now have a means of bringing an end to the crisis facing Mondstadt courtesy of Dvalin. And with my old superior present we have just that many more resources to bear."

Sequestered away in a corner of the room and leaning against a bookshelf Diluc didn't exactly look pleased at that statement, commenting, "As much as I appreciate the respect, it's not needed."

Lumine perked up at the clear signs of a past between the duo but neither seemed all that inclined to continue it, the Traveler shrugging as she instead turned to Kaeya, Amber and Lisa, asking, "So everything is working out okay at the temples, I take it?"

The tan-skinned knight airily waved a hand, jokingly replying, "How could it not be, with the brave and accomplished Master Diluc there to oversee its security?"

"Not funny. I'm here to ensure Mondstadt's safety is still in good hands, not joke and galivanate about."

Clapping her hands to regain everyone's attention Jean announced, "I invited Master Diluc to this meeting personally. Despite his proclaimed distaste of the Knights of Favonius there are few more dedicated to him in keeping our fair city safe. Can I trust everyone to be civil about this?"

Her pointed look around the room quickly quelled any mischief or butting heads that had been in the works, Lumine innocently tilting her neck at Alec's gaze sent her direction, no doubt as he sensed her curiosity about Jean and Diluc's past.

"Very well, if we're all settled on that front...why don't you two begin by informing us of the circumstances and thought process that lead to you thinking stealing the Holy Lyre der Himmel was a good idea?"

Put in the proverbial spotlight Alec and Venti briefly sent each other inscrutable looks, the bard eventually leading with, "We took it because as the instrument that was used to empower and strengthen Dvalin during his battle with Durin it carries within it a great deal of power and history, both of which we had been hoping to use as a means of snapping him out of his anger and fury."

The young man's brow furrowed, tone regretful as he continued with, "Unfortunately the lyre is pretty useless as it is, having lost the majority of its power over the years just sitting in some cathedral. Not to mention the Abyss Order found a way to harness the cursed blood within Dvalin and use those accursed abilities to control and direct his wrath into a specific direction."

Diluc clicked his tongue, musing, "So that's why the Abyss were here, they're attempting to use Stormterror to destroy Mondstadt...although that still begs the question of why."

Jean didn't immediately comment on the Abyss, instead turning to Venti as she asked, "Why were you so confident that your actions would be able to help Dvalin? Didn't you just say that the Lyre was only used by Barbatos himself during the battle?"

Proudly puffing himself up Venti cheerfully replied, "Well obviously it's because I'm the Anemo Archon in the flesh~!"

The bevy of unimpressed and downright apathetic stares quickly took the proverbial wind out of the Anemo god's sails, tone indignant as he protested, "W-what's with all of the disbelief, I really am the Anemo god!"

Alec rolled his eyes, dryly commenting, "Can you blame them? That little introduction of yours had all the fire, fury and divinity of a fart in the wind."

"Hey!"

"And you've never bothered to keep any kind of real presence here in Mondstadt, how are they supposed to just recognize you on sight? There's a fine line between freedom and neglect, if you were to ask me…"

Venti puffed out a cheek, staring down the taller male as he retorted, "Sheesh, you sound just like Morax, all grumpy and stiff about silly stuff like this. No appreciation for free will and the ability to pursue life as the winds will take you."

"Don't go putting words in my mouth, I've downtalked Morax plenty of times and you know it. Geez, the both of you get so defensive and freaked out about stuff like that, for god's that profess utmost confidence in their respective styles of leadership you sure act insecure about the whole thing…"

"Hah! Spoken like a true outsider to the concept, if anything you're even more hands off than I am, what do you-"

"AHEM!"

Jean's pointed clearing of her throat had Alec and Venti unapologetically shrugging, argument instantly forgotten as Mona muttered, "Honestly, are they children in men's bodies?"

Lumine jumped on the observation, cheekily stating, "Mmm, I think they argue more like an old married couple actually."

Both manchildren in question gave the Traveler offended looks, Venti hiking a thumb Alec's way and complaining, "Married to him? Ugh, talk about boring. He's got way too much baggage and is a total grump."

"Oh, I'm the undesirable spouse? So says the guy who's never home, has a drinking problem-"

"I can stop anytime I want!"

"So you do admit you have one, right?"

Lumine eagerly watched as both Diluc and Jean looked on the verge of putting the proverbial foot down on the arguing duo, Kaeya, Lisa and Amber seeming unsure whether to be amused or annoyed as Mona stepped forward, concisely stating, "If you two will cease squabbling for more than five seconds I am perfectly capable of ascertaining the veracity of this proclaimed god's claim. Now, remain still and allow me to perform my craft."

Summoning her Hydromancy star charts the astrologer explained, "If this little gremlin really is the Anemo Archon then the Anemo star will revolve around him, not the other way around as he shall be the origin and baseline alignment of the celestial pathways."

Chuckling in the same way a horny old man would Venti chirped, "Well I'm certainly not about to complain if such a pretty young lady wants to take a closer look at me~!"

An explosive sigh left Alec, the man grumbling, "I have no idea how Vennessa managed to put up with you the whole time, I would have cut off a certain someone's wandering hand three weeks in."

Before Venti could respond Mona suddenly sucked down a sharp breath, face paling and hands trembling, staring upon Venti with wide eyes and an unblinking stare.

"H-h-he...he's actually the Anemo God?!"

"Oh, that was quick."

Alec's idle observation didn't seem to reach the rest of the room, all of them staring with varying levels of shock at the grinning bard, Venti proudly stating, "A pleasure to meet you all, Anemo Archon Barbatos at your service!"

On cue a gust of wind blew Mona's hat off her head, the astrologist yelping as she made a grab for it-

-and doubled over with a far more feminine queak as the air currents slipped between her legs, Venti cackling with glee all the while.

THWACK!

At least until Alec smacked him over the head none too gently, growling, "Can you maybe not torment the poor girl who just helped you out of being so pathetic you couldn't prove your own validity as the Anemo Archon? Have some basic respect for a lady's decency."

Rubbing his skull as Mona warily eyed the bard Barbatos complained, "Geez, you really are uptight, aren't you? Pretty sure only Morax is as stiff as you…"

"What's up with the comparisons between me and the Geo Archon today? Are you two actually missing the other and still too stubborn to admit you want to hang out?"

"No, it's more like neither of you have a sense of humor or attraction to the fairer sex-"

Jean clapped her hands, bringing an end to yet another one of the pair's brewing disputes as she announced, "While it is indeed an honor to finally meet the Anemo Archon in the flesh...I fear circumstances demand action rather than dalliance. Continue with your reasons as to why the lyre needed to be removed from Mondstadt and is apparently of no current use to us."

Diluc evidently agreed with the inquiry, adding, "You are the undisputed Anemo Archon that we hold in the highest regard and you lack the ability to reinfuse the lyre with enough energy to once again be effective?"

"It's not that simple, if blessing and empowering random artifacts or stuff was as easy as you're making it out to be Teyvat would be ridden with hundreds of thousands of divine instruments of either destruction or restoration. Sure, if I walked around for a few years with the lyre close at hand it would eventually return to its former glory...but we're all in agreement that such a timetable isn't really gonna work?"

A round of affirmative nods, Alec continuing the conversation with, "Thankfully Mona was able to find out something that may be of use to us when she tried to get a read on the lyre's astrological significance. Obviously it's tied to the Eastern star that Dvalin represents and she discovered an interesting connection."

Clearing her throat and shooting Venti an acidic glare the astrologist replied, "Trace amounts of residual energy and astrological connections litter Mondstadt, all of them bearing the star of East and Anemo. My hypothesis is that concentrations of divine energy resonate with the lyre are currently residing across these lands and it may be possible to employ those in restoring the lyre's former strength."

Lisa perked at the young woman's comment, remarking, "Now that you mention such a thing...one moment, please."

Rummaging through a box resting on a nearby table the librarian quickly withdrew a heavily wrapped and swaddled object, gingerly handling it as she remarked, "I discovered this at one of the temples and kept it out of curiosity but if my hunch is right then this may be just what we're looking for. Unfortunately it's rather...chaotic. My first attempt at grasping it sent a painful jolt of Elemental energy through my body."

Unwinding what looked like ten layers of cloth a violent ruby glow suffused the room, all present aside from Alec, Venti and Lumine instinctively flinching.

"Oh, Dvalin…"

Walking forward Venti placed his hand near the glowing gemstone in the shape of a jagged and crimson teardrop, quietly whispering, "Has time truly only made your rage and abandonment fester, rather than heal? And why did you never tell anyone?"

"Barbatos."

The Anemo Archon started, staring back at Alec as the taller male shrugged, remarking, "Don't worry about it, you'll get a chance to scold him once we've got this plan under lock-and-key."

He paused, eventually adding, "Or get on your knees and beg for mercy, whichever fits the mood."

Some of the morose aura around the bard vanished, crooked smile adorning his lips as he replied, "Heh, course we will! I never thought otherwise!"

Lumine watched the interaction with interest, Jean sighing as she bemoaned, "To think that Mondstadt has driven one of it's greatest protectors to such despair and madness...this is a stain that will haunt us for generations to come, one of our greatest failures."

"A failure remains such only when the perpetrators wither and labor under the delusion of finality, our fair city will remain strong even in a forlorn twilight."

Fischl's decisive comment caused Lumine to quickly translate, "She's right, there's a chance to right this wrong and we have a means to do so."

"And as always mein fräulein will be ready to assist and offer her talents to the cause."

Lips briefly quirking Jean mused, "How fortunate Mondstadt is that so many of its own offer themselves to the safety of this fair city."

"Indeed. A shame this generation wasn't present years ago…"

Diluc's distant musings caused some mildly uncomfortable shifting among Jean, Lisa and Kaeya that Lumine noted, eventually shrugging the observation off as she instead looked towards Alec to see how he was reacting to everything-

-and blinked in surprise as the man was merely staring at Dvalin's tear with a furrowed brow and contemplative air, eventually turning to her and asking, "Hey, Lumine. Pick up that stone and see if it does anything to you, I've got what you might call a hunch…"

"I would advise against that, it's quite the nasty sensation and I got no closer than a finger's length away, directly touching it would no doubt cause all manner of-"

"Okay, sure!"

Lisa blinked, caught off guard by the Traveler's easygoing acceptance of the request as she strode forward, calmly reaching out towards the ominously glowing stone...and promptly picked it up with her bare hand with zero difficulty whatsoever, the room staring with no shortage of bewilderment as Alec merely looked satisfied, nodding to himself.

"Thought so."

"Eh heh heh, looks like we've got an interesting character on our hands, don't we?"

Venti's happy little editorial caused no lack of questions to start flying as the group collectively tried to figure out just why the tiny blonde could so easily handle the dangerous artifact...and aforementioned blond found her attention drawn towards the pulsating stone, gaze narrowing as it felt...strange? As if it was calling to her, almost.

Centuries of travel had taught her to listen to her gut, Lumine doing as instinct suggested before closing her hand around the gem and focusing on the discordant sensation of energy that angrily crackled and snapped against her soul, drawing forth the virulent infestation-

-and simply let it go, releasing a slow breath along with the encroaching madness as she opened her eyes, staring down at a now calmly twinkling gem of brightest blue, the room openly gaping at her actions.

Again, except for Alec who sent her a warm smile that she had no trouble admitting made her stomach do a minor flip in excitement.

"Yup. Proven right on both accounts."

"What? How did you do that?!"

Lisa's flabbergasted words caused Lumine to ponder the question, giving it due thought...and eventually shrugged, responding, "No idea, really. Guess I've always just been really good at learning and accepting new things."

That didn't seem to reassure the mage all that much, Amber timidly asking, "You don't, erm...feel any different now, do you? That was a lot of weird looking energy that you just-"

"I SAID I FEEL FINE!"

The room was dead silent for a time, caught off guard by her shout.

At least until the Traveler grinned, chirping, "Just kidding~!"

A few choice comments and grumbles were music to her ears, Paimon smacking her shoulder while protesting, "That wasn't funny, Lumine! Paimon really thought you were going crazy there!"

"I know, right? Pretty good acting on my part, huh?"

A hand set itself atop of her head, affectionately ruffling her hair as Alec chuckled, "I'll say, you almost had me convinced there."

"Almost, huh?"

"Yup. You had this creepy little glint in your eyes before you shouted, kinda gave the game away. Venti, catch."

Plucking the gem from her hand and lightly chucking it to the Anemo Archon the group quickly got over their shock and racing hearts as the lyre eagerly accepted the shining light from the tear, glowing with an ethereal brightness for a moment before fading back to its usual hue.

"Huh, well the good news is that the lyre feels a little bit more like its old self. The less good news is that we're probably gonna need quite a few extras before it's all set to go."

Jean nodded, decisively stating, "Then our current objective is clear, find as many of these 'tears' as we can and get them to Lumine so she can convert them. Lisa, any chance you can figure out where more of them might be located?"

"Well things have calmed down a little bit since we removed the source of elemental chaos ravaging Mondstadt, I should be able to find something as noticeable as those gems without too much difficulty."

Nodding more confidently the mage announced, "Then without further ado allow me to start on that, I should have results within the hour."

A despondent sigh left the woman.

"All this rush work is going to give me stress wrinkles, isn't the job of a librarian meant to be one of quiet leisure and relaxation?"

"I like her work ethic."

Alec glanced towards Venti, grumbling, "Of course you do…"

Lisa departed without further comment, Diluc stating, "If the Abyss Order really is here in force then we shouldn't travel anywhere unless it's in a sizable group. If they see us attempting to grab ahold of those tears then they'll no doubt try to put a stop to it."

"Agreed. And we need to consider the fact that the Fatui were also after the lyre, while I'd like to think they'll have learned their lesson for the moment I wouldn't put my money on it."

Amber groaned, complaining, "Why do so many people seem to have it out for Mondstadt right now? Don't they have anything better to do?"

"Doubtful. Some revel in chaos and destruction the way others frolic in the sun."

Kaeya's more morbid response had the Outrider sulking where she sat, Jean moving to her desk while wryly commenting, "I think it's time to muster the reserves then...including our rather trouble-prone explosive enthusiast."

The room stiffened, all but Kaeya - who sported a mischievous grin - seeming apprehensive as Fischl timidly inquired, "Far be it from the Prinzessin de Veirurteilung to deride others for skill and talent beyond the pale...but doth there exist no other solution?"

Alec, Lumine and Paimon were all on the same page as they gave each other confused looks, about to ask who this mystery individual that had them so apprehensive was when all eyes abruptly zeroed in on the male himself.

"Now while we've had other topics to focus on of greater immediate import there exists a rather pertinent issue we've ignored up to this point...namely you."

"Me? I'm flattered."

Alec's bland response to Diluc's suspicious words went largely unappreciated, the redhead continuing with, "You speak to Barbatos so casually with the air of great familiarity. You've mentioned both the Dragon of the East and Falcon of the West as if you knew them personally and seem to be well versed on subjects that have taken place quite a long time ago."

Jean nodded, adding, "You're clearly trusted by the Anemo Archon and while we have implicit faith in his judgement-"

"You shouldn't, but continue."

"Hey!"

Pretending she hadn't heard the brief byplay Jean concluded, "-the fact remains you are an unknown of clearly ancient descent."

Lumine watched the ensuing conversation with great interest, hoping she herself could get some answers as Paimon whispered in her ear, "Ooh, he's trapped now and can't just hand wave things away~!"

The Traveler resisted the urge to openly smirk as Alec looked Venti's way, both of them meeting the other's gaze with some kind of unidentifiable communication occurring at the speed of thought...and Alec shrugged, turning to the room at large as he said, "To answer your question I suppose it wouldn't be too far off the mark to say I'm part Adeptus, or at least closer to them than I am Human."

Jean arched an eyebrow, remarking, "While that's a reasonable enough explanation should you truly be wandering out and about then? I hear that the presence of an Adeptus can be corrosive and dangerous to Humans if exposed to them for a long enough period of time."

"If I was a true blooded one, sure. But all I've really got going for me is a longer than usual lifespan, not much else. Don't worry, you're safe. I'm more worried by the fact that you all seemed worried when this reservist was brought up."

Lumine tuned out the conversation, unsure of what an Adeptus actually was but not believing the story Alec had just told. The look he and Venti had shared before imparting that information hadn't been one of debating whether or not to share a secret but more along the lines of uncertainty on how to get out of trouble.

Whatever her traveling companion was he wasn't an 'Adeptus', of that she was certain. In fact, now that she thought about it he and Barbatos seemed to be pretty familiar with each other...another clue to the puzzle that she was slowly piecing together.

Rejoining the conversation as Mona suddenly stepped forward the astrologist inquired, "While I understand that these are trying times may I ask if any of you are familiar with a 'Spark Knight' that resides within Mondstadt? My original purpose was to find them and retrieve something they possess for my current master."

The positively gleeful smile upon Kaeya's lips didn't go unnoticed by the group, Jean tactfully clearing her throat as she met Mona's raised brow, commenting, "It's funny you should ask about that, actually…"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Is...is this some kind of prank? Is that dusky-skinned scoundrel playing some manner of elaborate joke?"

Mona and Alec stared down at a guilelessly smiling girl maybe ten years of age at the max, pointed ears almost twitching with excitement as she cheerily asked, "Oh, am I being let out of grounding early? That's great! Are you two strangers going to be my new travel guides?"

Poking his head around the corner of the door where Alec and Mona were still standing in mild disbelief Kaeya remarked, "That's right, Klee. Grand Master Jean decided that you're allowed to go out and play as much as you want-"

Amber wrapped Kaeya in a chokehold, hauling him out of sight as Jean quickly corrected, "You're allowed to play, Klee, but you'll have to help these newcomers to Mondstadt with their adventure, is that understood?"

"Yup! I'll be the best adventurer partner ever!"

Lumine hopped onto Alec's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and glancing over his shoulder as her short stature kept her from seeing the girl properly, cooing, "Aww, she's so adorable!" upon laying eyes on the little girl.

"Paimon thinks we should stop getting too many cute sidekicks, otherwise she's not going to have a purpose anymore…"

Mona hadn't really heard any of their words, dumbly staring at the squirming and excited girl as she pulled on durable travel boots before rushing to throw various knick knacks and assorted items into an oversized backpack.

"This...this is meant to be my grand rival, archnemesis and benchmark of progress? The fabled Spark Knight of Mondstadt? I...I find myself at a loss…"

Alec's brain caught up with the currently presented information, brow furrowing as he asked, "Wait, this little lady is the one who blew up a fair chunk of Stormbearer Mountains?"

"Oh, I remember that! Mommy's Jumpty Dumpties weren't quite as powerful as I'd hoped, I went ahead and tried to make them more powerful and needed an abandoned area where no one could get hurt!"

Quietly sighing to himself Alec turned to the bewildered and stunned Mona, remarking, "I don't know what you're worried about, she seems plenty dangerous enough to me."

Jean nodded, remarking, "Klee is quite adept at finding all sorts of various treasures and such that litter Mondstadt's lands, as well as being quite formidable in a fight. As much as I would prefer she stays safe behind Mondstadt's walls until she's older...well, she's been creative in sneaking out before."

It was Mona's turn to breathe out in vexation, asking the tiny girl, "Just to absolutely certain, your mother's name is Alice, yes?"

"Yup, that's mommy!"

"Very well, then perhaps you are aware of a trinket or tome in your possession that belongs to my master? She and your mother were old 'acquaintances' and I was tasked with retrieving it."

Cupping her chin and squinting her eyes tight in concentration Klee eventually shrugged, responding, "I'm not sure...I sometimes hide things all around Mondstadt because they're too heavy to carry around."

Mona stared at the diminutive girl in mild disbelief.

"My mentor's prized artifact...may be buried in the dirt in some unknown location?!"

Klee beamed, happily replying, "Of course not! I know exactly where all my buried treasures are~!"

"That's not what I-"

A defeated whimper left the astrologist, Alec and Lumine sharing an amused glance as Mona quietly asked, "Could you perhaps lead me to where this treasure is?"

"Of course, can we leave now?"

Jean nodded, commenting, "Until Lisa has any specific locations for us to pursue you may as well conclude your business, we'll send word your way if the situation changes."

Nodding in understanding Mona approached Klee, crouching next to the girl as she pointed out a few locations on a map...Lumine's eyes wandering downwards as the astrologist's posterior ended up rather nicely defined by her clothing and posture.

"Hmm, I honestly can't decide if that's a 9/10 or 10/10...I wonder if-"

Her vision was abruptly turned to the side as Alec applied gentle pressure to her chin, dryly stating, "Easy does it there, corrupter of maidens. Eyes upfront, not down below."

"Pfft, as if you weren't staring yourself."

"Believe it or not, I'm a gentleman and don't make it a habit of checking out every woman I come across."

The Traveler rolled her eyes, nonetheless dropping the subject with an innocent smile that didn't fool her traveling companion in the slightest.

"Better start wearing a chastity belt, Paimon. You never know when Lumine will snap."

"T-that's not a very funny joke!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Should Paimon be worried?"

"We're going to be headed south-west for awhile, then cross over a hill and past some trees and then we'll be right where we want to be!"

"You do realize your directions are at best confusing and at worst completely and utterly worthless, yes? There is little but hills and trees across most of Mondstadt!"

"Hmm...I didn't think of that~!"

Watching Mona continuously lose her remaining threads of patience with Klee's attempt at pathfinding had both Alec and Lumine laughing silently as they traversed Mondstadt's streets, on their way towards the main gates to begin their latest step of the journey.

"So Fischl isn't tagging along? Shame, I kinda liked her variety."

Lumine shrugged, replying, "She's making a quick stop at the Adventurer's Guild to relay everything we've discovered and organize additional search parties to help out. She'll be back before long."

A non-committal hum left Alec as they continued their walk, Lumine frowning slightly as she and Paimon exchanged a brief glance, the tiny sprite nodding in agreement as the Traveler turned to her taller friend.

"Hey, Alec?"

"Yeah? And before you ask, no, I'm not going to help you hit on Mona."

"Not really what I was going to ask. Actually I was going to ask if you're a god like Barbatos."

Remember kids, being a pyromaniac and potential war criminal is perfectly acceptable as long as you're heckin' adorable.