DISCLAIMER: All characters and settings are properties of miHoYo
With the threat of Stormterror having been suppressed thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius, the city of Mondstadt has slowly but surely started regaining its sense of normality. While the incident itself continued to affect certain businesses, whether due to damage to the infrastructure left behind by Dvalin's violent winds, or to the impediment caused towards trade routes, most people simply found ways to make do until everything was restored back to the way it was.
The Knights of Favonius found themselves all hands on deck helping the people of Mondstadt with the repair work. Normally, this would've been a trivial affair with the Knights having enough people on hand to help get things done as quickly as possible, but with the recent expedition led by Grand Master Varka, the Knights were stretched thin. This pretty much forced Acting Grand Master Jean to micromanage her people to help with the repairs on top of dealing with the monsters that regularly cause problems outside the city.
Meanwhile, there's Angel's Share, the tavern owned and operated by Dawn Winery, the premier of Mondstadt's wine industry. While the tavern itself received little to no structural damage during the incident, with their biggest physical damage being a signboard that was blown away by the strong winds, the winery's trade routes with the other nations was compromised, limiting their operations to just within Mondstadt for the time being.
For now, it was business as usual for Angel's Share, and with Charles the bartender currently away, patrons were treated to having Diluc, Dawn Winery's owner, as their bartender. Cyrus, branch master of Mondstadt's Adventurer's Guild arrived with a couple of younger adventurers, Jack and Royce, and were the day's first customers.
"Master Diluc! It's quite unusual to see you here today, anything special going on?" asked Cyrus as he saw Diluc behind the counter in place of Charles.
"It's nothing, really. I simply had an errand for Charles, is all." replied the wine tycoon. "I can say the same to you, to what do I owe the pleasure of the Adventurer's Guild's company in broad daylight?" he added.
"Well, with the damage Stormterror left in its wake, the Adventurer's Guild decided to temporarily suspend operations and have everyone on hand to help with the repair work. We've been working the windmills since last night and thought we'd come over and relax a bit now that we got them back up and running." Cyrus and his group then took one of the longer tables at the far end of the tavern. "We might as well make it special since we got Master Diluc with us. We'll take three bottles of your fine Dandelion Wine!" he called out.
Diluc simply nodded in response and went on to prepare their orders. As he rummaged through one of the chilled containers for the bottles of wine, he overhears the adventurers' conversations.
"Hey, did you hear about Grand Master Jean?" began Jack.
"No, what happened?" replied Royce, who sounded clearly interested in the story.
Jack then continued "I heard she fell ill and was rushed to the cathedral."
Cyrus groaned and shook his head "Ah drat, guess she must have overworked herself too much again..." he said.
The conversation about Jean apparently falling ill caught Diluc's attention. While his disdain for the Knights was well-known throughout the city after he had left them four years ago, he's made exceptions for a select few; Jean being at the top of that select list. Hearing his friend's gotten herself sick made him anxious, more than he'd like to admit. Having prepared the three Dandelion Wine bottles, Diluc placed them on a tray along with empty glasses and carried it to the adventurers, thinking that he might as well ask them about the topic directly.
"Finally, been waiting to put one back!" exclaimed Cyrus as he watched Diluc put the bottles down on the table one by one, clearly looking forward to his time in the tavern today.
"But weren't you just here a couple days ago?" Jack said jokinglu as he uncorked one of the bottles and began pouring everyone's servings in the empty glasses.
"Nonsense, you don't pass up on an opportunity to get Mondstadt's Dandelion Wine! Say, weren't you here with me back then, too!?" retorted the branch master, quickly taking one the glasses and downing it in a single gulp while the other two shared a laugh.
Diluc then took this chance to ask about Jean "Say, I heard you talking about the acting Grand Master. Did something happen to her?" he asked as he put the tray away on a nearby shelf.
"Ah, that." began Jack, putting his glass down after taking a sip "I was up in the windmill near the Anemo Archon statue when I saw Huffman and the other Knights talking with Captain Kaeya like some sort of emergency happened." began the adventurer "I managed to ask Huffman what was wrong, and he told me that Grand Master Jean apparently collapsed in her office. Luckily, the Honorary Knight was with her at the time and brought her to the cathedral and that Sister Barbara's tending to her now."
"Typical Master Jean..." said Cyrus in a rather disappointed tone. "There was this one time I came across her walking around town while I was on the way home one late night. I thought she was also headed home late but she told me she still had work to do and was just out to get some fresh air." he continued, the tone of his voice making his disbelief apparent. "I know the Knights are stretched thin with Master Varka and the others away, but Jean really needs to learn to give herself a break. This is like the third time I've heard her falling ill from work..." Cyrus then grabbed the nearest bottle, pouring himself another glass.
"I see...well, with Barbara taking care of her, I'm sure she'll be back on her feet soon enough." Diluc felt somehow relieved that it was nothing serious and that Jean's younger sister was looking out for her, yet he still couldn't help but worry. As Cyrus said, it wasn't exactly the first time Jean had risked her health overworking.
Diluc and Jean had known each other for most of their lives. Being born into Mondstadt's two most prominent noble houses, the two first met while they very young, and developed a strong friendship as they grew older. Diluc could still fondly remember Jean being the first to congratulate him after his promotion to Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius. And when Jean received the title of Dandelion Knight a year later, he found her at Windrise after she left the celebrations early, and the two spent the rest of the day together there.
In the aftermath of his father's tragic death and his subsequent departure from the Knights, he continued to hold Jean in high regard even as he held the rest of the organization in contempt. During his self-exile, he carried the guilt of leaving without telling his closest friend why. When he eventually returned to Mondstadt years after and finally succeed his father as owner of Dawn Winery, he was surprised to find Jean welcoming him back with open arms despite what happened. It was a testament to how deep their bond was, and though their careers led them down different paths, the two would always have each other's backs.
Their high-profile status within Mondstadt came at a cost, however, as it left them highly vulnerable to the prying eyes of the public. It didn't take long for rumors to circulate about them once people learned of their history and close friendship. The two simply chose to ignore the rumors, no matter how outrageous they seemed to grow as time went on. Diluc, however, was well aware of his own growing feelings towards the Dandelion Knight.
As Diluc made his way back to the counter, he began to grow impatient, wondering when Charles will be back from his errand so he could leave to see Jean in the cathedral. To keep himself distracted while waiting for the bartender's return, Diluc proceeded to make some Berry & Mint Burst, a drink that Jean was quite fond of whenever she had time to pay a visit to the tavern. He decided to add a few extracts of medicinal herbs to help with her recovery, exercising caution to make sure that the bitter herbs wouldn't overwhelm the original taste of the drink.
Once the mix was done, Diluc put the drink it in a small glass bottle and set it aside in the chilled container along with the tavern's other wine bottles. Once that what done, a few more patrons began arriving, much to Diluc's delight as he now had something else to keep him occupied.
About an hour later, Charles finally returned from his errand with a couple crates full of ingredients for the tavern's special drinks only available in their secret menu. After setting aside a portion of the ingredients on the box behind the counter, Diluc then helped Charles take the crates to the wine cellar upstairs, keeping them in stock for future use.
Charles couldn't help but notice that Diluc was acting strange. Normally, he would've been fine bringing up the crates to the cellar himself but Diluc's insistence in helping him to speed things up gave him the impression that the young tycoon was restless "Is something the matter, Master Diluc? You seem a bit impatient...did I take too long getting back?" he asked worriedly.
Diluc was surprised by Charles' correct assumption, grimacing as he thought he made himself too obvious. "No, not exactly. Although, something did come up while you were gone and I couldn't exactly leave the tavern unattended." he replied.
"Okay, well you can leave the rest to me, then." said the bartender, and Charles could've sworn he saw the owner smile for a moment. Diluc quickly pulled a thick paper bag from the stack they'd placed under the counter and put the bottle of Berry & Mint Burst inside. The bar owner had already gone out the back door before Charles could get another word in, which left him to wonder what exactly it was that Diluc had to attend to.
The tycoon walked through town after leaving Angel's Share and as he arrived by the fountain at the city square, he saw Barbara walking towards his direction from the other side. Recalling his earlier conversation with the adventurers in the tavern, Barbara was the one taking care of Jean. Wanting to know more about Acting Grand Master's condition, he called out to the young deaconess.
The sudden acknowledgment from the tycoon startled Barbara "Oh! Master Diluc!" she greeted him back.
"I heard about what happened to Jean, but I thought you were with her." he said, wondering if Jean was fine now that the deaconess was out and about.
"I was with her until just now. She's fine, but still resting over at the cathedral." replied the nun. "Apparently, she hadn't been feeling well for days already but still got barely any sleep! Seriously, when will she ever learn..." Barbara's exasperated tone made it clear she was unhappy about Jean pushing herself despite her condition.
"I see. I'm glad to hear she's doing better." Diluc then noticed the empty basket that Barbara was carrying. "Are you heading out somewhere?"
The young deaconess nodded "Yes, I wanted to make Jean some stew so I thought I'd go and gather some Snapdragons just outside the city." she replied. "Were you on your way to see her, by any chance?"
"Yes, I was." Diluc replied. "Would it be alright to see her right now?"
Barbara nodded in response "Yes, absolutely. She was fast asleep when I left, but I think she'll be happy to see you there when she wakes up." she then turns to be on her way but suddenly remembered to remind Diluc "Oh, but if Sister Victoria asks about it, please just tell her you've found me on the way there and she should let you in to see Jean. I did tell her not to let anyone disturb Jean, after all." she said, sounding almost apologetic.
"I understand. Do be careful on your way now." And with that, Barbara gave Diluc a slight bow before continuing on her way out of the city gates. Diluc, meanwhile, went back to making his way towards the cathedral. Once he made it to the stairs leading to the Anemo Archon statue however, he found himself interrupted on the way up.
"I take it the Darknight Hero is here to see the sick princess?" Diluc heard Kaeya ask from the top of the stairs, who looked like he had been expecting him. His teasing tone indicated that he was likely watching Diluc's movements yet again, and Diluc felt a wave of irritation come over him, something that only Kaeya seemed to trigger. It hadn't been long since Kaeya uncovered Diluc's activities as Mondstadt's famous Darknight Hero, and while he trusted Kaeya to not let anyone else know, the Cavalry Captain certainly took the opportunity to pick on his adoptive brother about it, knowing how much it annoyed him.
"What do you want, Kaeya?" came Diluc's quick and snarky reply, not even attempting to hide his annoyance. While Diluc's animosity against his adoptive brother from years back had subsided enough to be replaced by just mere irritation in his presence, he'd still prefer to not be around Kaeya at all if he could help it. "If you knew where I was going, then why bother interrupting me?"
"I simply thought you'd want to see how she's doing. Figured it wouldn't take long for word to reach you." Kaeya then started walking down the stairs, going past Diluc before stopping just a few steps below where he stood. "Knowing Jean, no matter how many times we try to talk her out if it, she'd probably try getting back to her office before the day even ends. Would you care to do us a favor and try talking to her about this?"
Diluc frowned at the thought of being asked of a favor by the Knights "And why would I even do anything for the Knights?" he angrily retorted.
Kaeya shrugged and sighed deeply "I'm not asking on behalf of the Knights, Diluc. I'm asking you as Jean's friend." he replied. "You know very well how stubborn she can get, and I'm afraid none of the ones closest to her in the Knights have enough power to break through that stubbornness. Not me, nor Lisa or Amber. You, on the other hand, might just be powerful enough to get her to stop and listen."
Diluc raised an eyebrow "What are you implying?". Deep down, he knew where this was headed. Back when their relationship was far less abrasive, Kaeya had always teased Diluc about his growing feelings for the Dandelion Knight, not that Diluc ever admitted to anything, and he did hate it whenever Kaeya was right.
Kaeya simply shrugged "Come on, surely you don't need me to spell it out for you." began the blue-haired knight. "I don't think there's anyone else in the city who has the Acting Grand Master at his beck and call like you do...Sir Diluc." he teased further, even using the formal way Jean addressed Diluc when he was still in the Knights. "I'm quite sure she'd be more willing to listen to you."
Realizing that Kaeya had the argument won before it even began, Diluc just groaned and shook his head as he continued on his way. "Fine. I'll do what I can." he grumbled audibly enough for Kaeya to hear. Kaeya's amused laugh that followed made Diluc to grit his teeth and hasten his pace, eager to get far away from the Cavalry Captain as soon as possible.
When Diluc made his way up the stairs in front of the cathedral, he was greeted by Sister Victoria who stood by the doors. She appeared to have been waiting for someone, but the surprised look that appeared on her face as he got closer told him he wasn't the expected visitor.
"Master Diluc, to what do we owe the pleasure?" she greeted in a gentle voice.
"Sister Victoria. I've heard Grand Master Jean had fallen ill and was taken here." began Diluc "I ran into Barbara on the way and told me that I should talk to you about visiting Jean?"
Sister Victoria smiled in response "Is that so? Well, by all means, Master Diluc. Grand Master Jean is currently in the infirmary. Thankfully, we had no one else in there when she was brought here so she currently has the whole room to herself." she said.
"I see, thank you." As Diluc started making his way inside the cathedral, he heard Victoria call out to him again.
"If I may, Master Diluc. Would you please be so kind as to put in a word to the Grand Master about watching her health?" pleaded Victoria, her voice full of worry for the Grand Master. "I'm afraid that even for someone so young, she's now managed to work herself sick far too many times than most old folk have!"
Diluc was quite perplexed that even Sister Victoria echoed the same request as his adoptive brother. He was now growing suspicious as to why they would insist that he be the one to talk to Jean "I ran into Kaeya on the way here and he asked me for the same thing. Is there a reason why you think I should talk to the Grand Master?" he asked.
"Nothing in particular, Master Diluc, it's just that Master Jean seems to highly value your opinion." said Victoria, raising her hands in front of her in denial. "Given that she had sought your help in bringing an end to the Stormterror crisis, I thought that maybe you can at least try and help convince her to stop pushing herself so hard. We all appreciate the work she puts in for everyone, but nobody would want to see her forget to even take care of herself."
"I...see. I can't guarantee anything, but I will give it a try." replied Diluc, who decided that it wasn't worth pressing the issue.
Finally reaching the infirmary, Diluc stood by the wooden door for a while, thinking about what everyone had been asking him to do. Whatever the case, he knew he was not leaving without at least having a talk with Jean. Gently pushing the door open, he stepped inside and saw Jean lying on the bed nearest to the entrance, fast asleep just like Barbara had told him. The room itself was well-lit, with several windows letting more than enough sunlight in. Jean's bed sat just under one of these windows, and as he slowly walked over to her, he placed the bag he had been carrying on the small bedside table just by the bed.
Looking at her sleeping figure, Diluc noticed that her normally noticeable ponytail was undone, golden strands framing her face as they flowed down to just below her bare shoulders. The tycoon then felt his face gradually warm up, quickly averting his gaze from her. Jean had always kept her hair tied in the same style of ponytail since their youth, but in the few times he had seen her with her hair down, he couldn't help finding her to be quite attractive. This moment, of course, was no exception.
Attempting to distance himself from those thoughts, Diluc turned his gaze to the empty bed right beside Jean's. On it, he saw what looked like to be Jean's dark blue cloak and tailcoat and sleeves neatly folded along with her gauntlets and the black ribbon she uses to tie her hair. He also noticed her boots that were placed just under the bed. He quickly assumed that it was Barbara who had neatly organized her clothes on the empty bed, having been the one who laid her to bed.
Diluc walked over and sat near the foot of the empty bed, but as soon as he sat down, he heard Jean groan as she stirred herself awake.
He simply smiled and watched as she slowly turns her head in either direction until eventually, her eyes landed on him and went wide in surprise. "D-Diluc?" she asked, her raspy voice hinted that all was still not well with the Acting Grand Master. "What...what are you doing here?"
The tycoon took a moment before answering. "I heard you collapsed while working earlier today, I thought I'd come by and see how you were doing." he began. "You've gotten quite a lot of people worried, you know that?" he added while giving him an accusing look.
Jean frowned and looked away from Diluc, she clearly hadn't expected him to be chastising her right away "I know...Barbara certainly wasn't happy with me earlier. It seems that all I've been able to do for my younger sister is make her take care of me and make her worry." she replied, the hurt in her voice apparent. "Where is she, by the way?" she then asked, having noticed that her sister was nowhere to be found.
"I met her on my way here." replied Diluc. "She said she was going out of the city for a while to gather some herbs for you."
"I see..." Jean's voice was barely above a whisper and hinted disappointment, which she attempted to cover up with a light chuckle. "I'm such a mess, aren't I?" she said jokingly as she looked back at him.
"I couldn't say, but I do think that you and your sister are certainly better off than me and Kaeya." While she spoke in jest, Diluc could sense that she was merely putting up a front and began to wonder if he should meet her head on and try to get her to open up but decided to leave the matter alone for the time being, thinking that it was something the two sisters needed to discuss and sort out by themselves.
He instead turned his attention to the bag he brought with him "Anyway, I brought you something, thought it'd liven you up a bit." he said as he walked up to Jean's bedside table and pulled the bottle of Berry & Mint Burst out, taking a nearby cloth to wipe the moisture off from the bottle's surface.
Jean's eyes lit up as she recognized the light blue tinted beverage "Berry & Mint Burst? I don't even remember the last time I had one." she then looked at Diluc and smiled as she sat up on her bed. "It's as if you've read my mind. Before all this happened, I was actually thinking of dropping by your tavern to get one the next time I was free." she then took the bottle after watching Diluc pull the cork out.
"Wouldn't that mean I'd have to wait somewhere close to a year before I see you come by, then?" Diluc joked as he handed Jean the bottle, which earned him a more sincere chuckle from the knight. He then observed Jean as she took a sip, trying to gauge her reaction and from the puzzled look on her face, he figured she had found the bitter aftertaste from the herbs he added.
"I added a few herbs to the mix, so the flavor might have been slightly bittersweet." he explained.
"Oh, so that's what it was. For a moment there, I was beginning to think I had completely forgotten what Berry & Mint Burst tasted like." said Jean, then giving a warm smile to her visitor "Either way, it was still delicious. Thank you for bringing me this."
Diluc nodded in acknowledgment "I'm glad you liked it. It was the least I could do." he then looked away from her, turning towards the window by her bed "After all, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius has given so much of herself to the city of Mondstadt that I don't think the people can ever repay her for all she has done. For me, this was merely a small token of gratitude for her service."
Jean raised an eyebrow "You don't give yourself enough credit, Diluc." she began. "If it weren't for you, I don't think we would have made it as far as we did during the Stormterror incident." she said. While it took their combined efforts to combat Dvalin, it was Diluc and his connections that gave them the information regarding the Abyss Order's key involvement in the incident, something that the Knights would've taken much longer to uncover by themselves.
Diluc however, merely scoffed dismissively at the credit Jean had given him "That may be true, but once everything was said and done I was able to simply return to being the owner of Dawn Winery." he said, then turning his gaze back to her "You, on the other hand, had to return to your duties as the Acting Grand Master of the Knights. I can't imagine you had much time to relax coming back to leading that inefficient and indecisive bunch."
Jean frowned and looked down, having sensed where the conversation was headed "We all have our own responsibilities." she began "I bear the responsibility of being the Acting Grand Master of the Knights, and living up to my title as the Dandelion Knight. It is my duty to ensure that the people of Mondstadt are able to live their lives in peace."
Diluc let out an exasperated sigh "For Mondstadt, as always." he said, echoing the motto of the Gunhilldr Clan, earning him a surprised look from Jean " I know we haven't talked like this in years, yet I can still tell you haven't changed a bit, Jean. Your heart has always been in the right place, but your stubbornness is often misplaced. To wit, that same stubbornness is what got you in that bed in the first place." Diluc then paused for moment, knowing his next words were going to be difficult, even for him.
"It's actually quite sad to see the Acting Grand Master of the Knights be able take on every threat to Mondstadt yet has proven incapable of taking care of herself."
Jean felt hurt, even though she knew Diluc was never one to mince his words "But what else am I supposed to do!?" she cried out. "Master Varka's expedition has stretched the Knights thin, and with everything that's happened, how else am I supposed to fulfill my duty to protect this city?" Jean clenched her fists, gripping tightly on the fabric of her blanket. "I know I've not taken care of myself as well as I should've...but I cannot falter in my responsibilities to this city." she said as she looked at him with a pained expression on her face.
"Your responsibility to this city does not mean you have to shoulder the burden all by yourself." countered Diluc. He then took a deep breath before continuing "I know what it's like to try and do everything alone, and what the inevitable outcome from that is." He walked over to the side of Jean's bed and sat at the edge closer to her, then began to recall his own experiences while away from Mondstadt. "It's a hard lesson that almost cost me my life to finally understand." he said in a somber tone.
Jean's expression quickly softened, and was replaced by one of concern. "Diluc...what really happened to you?" she asked. It had already a lengthy period since Diluc had returned to Mondstadt, but not once did he open up to her about what happened during his travels. Whenever she brought it up, all he'd say was that he went to investigate his father's death himself, and that he had come to blows with the Fatui along the way.
"You're well aware of my run-ins with the Fatui." he began "Determined to find the truth behind the Delusion that killed my father, I eventually found out that Fatui were most likely involved in their creation. Since then, I spent every waking moment gathering information by any means. I was so focused on laying waste to every single Fatui stronghold I came across and interrogating every member that was wise enough to not resist, that I failed to realize that I had put myself out in the open when I needed to stay in the shadows."
Jean could only look on as she tried to picture Diluc ravaging the Fatui all by himself as he told the story. She knew better than anyone that he was more than capable of such feats, yet the thought of Diluc being fueled by grief and anger from his father's death frightened her. In a way, she was glad she never got to see it for herself, for she feared that her opinion of him might have soured if she had.
"Then one day, I made my way towards another Fatui camp, thinking it was just going to be routine like the others; Walk up the door, destroy everything in sight and hope someone would fear for their lives enough to willingly give up information I needed." Diluc continued "Up until then, my anger and single-minded focus blinded me to the possibility of exposing myself, and I ended up walking into a trap. The Eleven Harbingers personally showed up to confront me, and I, in my hubris, tried to fight them, thinking I was strong enough with the help of the Delusion that killed my father."
Jean gasped as Diluc talked about personally encountering the Fatui Harbingers. The Harbingers were notorious in all of Teyvat as the Fatui's most powerful lieutenants, directly under the command of the Tsaritsa herself. While each member was already formidable by themselves thanks to the special power granted to them by the Tsaritsa that put them a class above Vision wielders, she couldn't even begin to imagine how it felt like dealing with all of them at once. The fact that it must've taken a miracle for Diluc to live through the encounter made her realize the gravity of the events that happened in Diluc's self-exile.
"After a long fight, I found myself exhausted and on the verge of death. I was ready to unleash one final blow with the Delusion, even if it ended up destroying my body as it did to my father, only for someone to come in and save me." Diluc then paused for a moment, trying to figure out his next words. "I then chose to repay my debt to those people by working with them. They were the ones who provided us the information about the Abyss Order's plans for corrupting Dvalin." while he didn't want to divulge more about his new comrades, he still wanted Jean to know how they affected him going forward.
"The whole affair made me realize that by choosing isolation, I left myself vulnerable to my own emotions, clouded my better judgment. It was through working with the people that saved me, that I gained a better understanding of what having comrades that I can count on meant. That I did not need to shoulder the burden by myself."
Jean fell silent as she pondered upon what Diluc was trying to tell her. In her pursuit to live up to the expectations of being the Dandelion Knight, as well as that of being the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, has she somehow ended up selfishly shouldering the burden all by herself? For want of fulfilling her duties and responsibilities, has she somehow forgotten that she had comrades to seek help from? Has she grown to forget all the times she and the other Knights combined their efforts to quell the threats to the city of Mondstadt?
"We both had the luxury of having the the Knights just within arm's reach, Jean. I chose to abandon them while you chose to remain loyal to them, yet now you appear to have taken their presence for granted." said Diluc "They're practically begging you to let them share the burden of guarding this city right now. The people of Mondstadt don't look to just the Grand Master to help keep the peace, but to the Knights of Favonius as a whole." he then reached out to put his gloved hand on her shoulder.
"We all know your heart's in the right place, but don't make the same mistake as I when the people you need to look to have been there with you from the beginning. You may be better off now than I was back then, but everyone around you is worried all the same."
Jean took a deep breath as her own shortcomings finally dawned on her "I...I think I understand. All this time I've been so focused on the expectations I put on myself that I guess I simply failed to realize I had people around me for help when I needed it. I was on the right track yet I've somehow managed to make a fool of myself." she then let out a sigh in disbelief "So much for following Lady Vennessa's example, huh?"
"Lady Vennessa didn't establish the Knights of Favonius alone, so there's no reason one person should try and run the Knights by themselves." Diluc reminded her "Although, you do have my sympathies, given how the order has grown decadent in recent years." he added, taking the chance to pass an insult towards the order.
"Then perhaps I can enlist the help of a Ragnvindr knight too, just like Lady Vennessa did." Jean playfully countered his insult, referring to the Dawn Knight Ragnvindr, a noble of old Mondstadt who joined Vennessa's rebellion and eventually founded of the Knights of Favonius with her. Clearly caught off-guard, Diluc simply let out a stifled laugh in response, which Jean found amusing, leading to the pair sharing a hearty laugh.
After they settled down, Diluc took a moment to observe Jean's disposition. Taking note of how she felt livelier than she was when they started talking, he didn't bother resisting the smile that slowly formed on his lips. "Well I'm glad that you seem to be in good spirits, certainly a much better sight than earlier." he commented.
"All thanks to you. You just know me too well, it seems." she replied. Her thoughts then drifted to the Knights, wondering what they were doing now that she's fallen ill. "I wonder how they're holding up without me right now, everyone must be worried." she voiced her thoughts aloud.
"I'm sure they are, but they are probably at ease knowing you are resting and not trying to drag yourself back there." he then stood up from where he was seated on the bed. "Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well, but I'm afraid I may have taken too much of your time. Please, get some rest." he said, giving her a warm smile that he hoped was enough to shield the slight regret he felt for bidding farewell.
Jean, however, couldn't hide her disappointment as she watched Diluc prepare to leave. She knew he was right and that she needed to rest, but she didn't want to part with his company just yet. Something simply kept tugging at her to stop him, so she called out to him before he got to the door, making Diluc stop and turn back to her with a curious look on his face.
"You...you said it's been years since we got to talk like this. So...would you mind staying with me for a bit longer?" she asked him. "I'm afraid we won't get to have more chances like this once things go back to...you know...normal." the two held their gaze for a few moments, and a shade of pink slowly began to color Jean's cheeks.
Diluc simply sighed and walked back towards Jean's bed, sitting down in the same spot he did only a few moments earlier. He then reached his hand over to Jean's face, gently brushing her golden fringe to the side, giving him a good view of her forehead "I never knew Frederica's daughter could be so spoiled." he said as he watched her blush turn into a deeper shade of red and her gaze wandered about, actively avoiding his. "It simply doesn't suit the one called the Dandelion Knight."
"And when did you become so foolish?" Jean muttered as she pouted to express her embarrassment "For someone called the Uncrowned King of Mondstadt, it doesn't suit you either." she asserted as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Kaeya's rubbing off on you more than you think." Despite her reaction, Jean felt elated at Diluc acquiescing to her selfish request to stay. She smiled before the two once again broke into warm laughter.
In the end, the two spent the next hour talking about any topic they could think of. From reminiscence of their youth to Diluc's ironic aversion to alcohol despite being a leading figure in Teyvat's alcohol industry, as well as Jean's love for romantic novels, which Diluc was actually aware of, much to Jean's further embarrassment. Being alone meant that they could simply be themselves, not having to worry about being the Acting Grand Master and the Dawn Winery's owner. For that hour, they were two friends catching up and reminiscing on old times, they were back to being just Jean and Diluc.
Eventually, after much insistence from Diluc that he was now costing her valuable recovery time, Jean had managed to force herself to drift back to sleep. Relieved that the stubborn blonde knight was finally getting the rest she needed, the wine tycoon prepared to make his leave. He stood up from the side of the bed he sat on, carefully as to not rouse her awake. He then smiled as he looked back at her sleeping form, taking full note of her attractiveness once more.
"And Kaeya said you were the one at my beck and call..." he muttered to himself, recalling Kaeya's earlier teasing. Diluc then slowly walked towards the head of the bed and reached a hand out to Jean's face, brushing her fringe aside in the same way he did earlier, only to lean down and gently plant a soft kiss on her forehead.
"It may be difficult, but let's spend time like this again once you're better, shall we?" Diluc whispered. The tycoon then quietly made his exit, a content smile forming on his lips as he went on his way back to Angel's Share.
Meanwhile, Jean, who only pretended to be asleep all this time, was left clutching her blanket over her face, hiding the deep shade of red that colored her cheeks once more. She had read about this kind of scene countless times in her precious romantic novels, and had always yearned for the mutual attraction between the protagonists of those novels. Her thoughts started racing towards the next time the two of them could spent time together, thinking that perhaps she may have found that which she yearned.
"I wonder what he'd think of dawn at Cape Oath... "
~ fin ~