Chapter 5: Mondstadt, Part 3
A/N: Guess what... I am actually alive!
I'm sorry sorry sorryyyyyyyyyy for the impromptu hiatus! I MEANT to write, I really truly DID, but... ughhh I'm really really sorry *sigh*
I mean it's been a REALLY busy few... weeks? months? however long it's been... but, there's no excuse for me to take THIS long, nothing dramatic or life-changing has happened, or anything...
Also I'm sorry that the first chapter back from my impromptu hiatus is more-or-less just filler-ey stuff (maybe that was part of the reason it was so hard to write, tbh). At least it's long(er) I guess? Oh well, better late than... you all still thinking I'm like dead or something! XD
Thank you to JustAReader240, KUROI VOID, K3S3LA, akameyukimura, gougakin, DayByrd, Aihime195, and TeotakuFantasia (and anyone else I missed) for the favorites/follows, and to kageroudaze13 and Guest (and anyone else I missed, of course - my inbox only remembers so long ago, hehe...) for the reviews! I'm sorry I didn't respond to any of them, but I appreciate each and every one just the same, and will try to respond to all the ones I get in the future.
And also I'm reallyreallyreally sorry... again...
~Golden out~
The next morning, Lumine and Paimon entered the Angel's share to meet up with Diluc and Jean. They had come up with a plan the night before, and today they were going to search Mondstadt for more of Dvalin's tears to restore the Holy Lyre.
The tavern was surprisingly empty. There were one or two drunk customers who appeared to be passed out on their tables nearby, Charles was standing as usual behind the counter, and...
"Master Diluc!" Paimon waved cheerfully to the man, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking right at the two of them. "Good morning!" She continued. "Did you, er... sleep well?"
He uncrossed his arms and shoved off the wall, walking over to them. "No need for small talk," he said firmly. "All that matters is that you - and all the people of Mondstadt - were safe last night." His eyes met Lumine's, and she went slightly pink.
Wow, she thought, Master Diluc acts so serious and stoic all the time, but the truth is, he's a really caring and compassionate person... I got to see that side of him when he saved me from the Fatui, but I doubt many other people have seen it. I wonder why-
"Now, let's get going," he said abruptly, snapping Lumine out of her thoughts. He walked past them and reached for the door.
"Wait!" Lumine placed a hand over his, stopping him from opening the door.
"Yes?" He replied, turning his head to look at her.
"Um..." he hadn't moved his hand, and hers was still resting on it, which for some reason was making it a little hard to think properly. She shook her head slightly, and gathered her thoughts. "Oh, right! Uh, where's Jean? Isn't she coming, too?"
His face darkened, and he took his hand off the doorknob. Lumine quickly snatched hers away and let it hang down by her side, and Master Diluc crossed his arms, appearing not to have noticed. "The Acting Grandmaster won't be joining us. She's with the rest of the knights - searching Mondstadt for Dvalin's tears."
"Wait, what? I thought we were going to do it ourselves, she never mentioned getting the knights involved!" Lumine frowned in confusion.
"Apparently, it'll be quicker and more efficient this way," he replied, imitating Jean. "The three of us - sorry, four if you include Paimon - wouldn't have been able to cover much ground on our own. I suppose that she does have a point," he admitted bitterly, "and I'm not exactly angry with her, per say, but..."
"But she should've at least told us first," Lumine said, finishing his unspoken thought. "Especially knowing... well, how you feel about the knights."
Master Diluc sighed. "I'm... glad that you understand," he told her, letting his stony facade fall for a brief second. "But, that's enough idle chit-chat. We still have a job to do," he said, and the moment was gone.
"Oh! Where are we going, then?" Lumine asked.
"We're heading to the Thousand Winds Temple. The Acting-" he stopped for a moment and sighed. "That is, Jean, let me pick an area for us to search. I figured that it was as good a place to start as any."
"Okay then... well, at least we get to help, even if we aren't doing the whole job ourselves," she said, following him as he stepped outside. "Paimon, let's- wait..." Master Diluc paused and turned towards Lumine as she looked around. She could've sworn she saw a flash of teal in the balcony, but it was gone when she looked back. "Where did Paimon go?!"
"Paimon's right here!" The little fairy skidded to a halt in midair right in front of them. "Uh, Paimon definitely wasn't talking to Tone-Deaf Bard, or anything!"
"Huh? Venti's here?" Lumine asked, looking around.
"No, no, no! Paimon said that he's not here!" She frantically tried to cover for her slip-up. "Anyways, um, didn't Master Diluc say we should go? C'mon Night, we have, uh, stuff to do!" She said, practically dragging Lumine out the door.
"Okay, okay!" She laughed, and followed Master Diluc outside.
"You know, this search reminds me of a feud I once had with the Fatui," Master Diluc told Lumine as they - and Paimon - headed towards the Thousand Winds Temple. They had teleported to the nearest waypoint, but it was still a bit of a walk to reach the temple itself.
"Oh? How so?" Lumine asked curiously.
"Six months ago, a thief stole treasure from the East Temple of the Four Winds," he began.
"Oh, is that the one for Dvalin, the Temple of the Dragon?" Lumine asked. "I've been to the other three, but... now that I think about it, I don't even know where the fourth one is!"
"Yes, that's correct - I'm surprised an Outlander like yourself would know that, actually," he mused.
Outlander...
"It's Traveler," she muttered softly.
"What?" Master Diluc asked, confused.
"Please, call me Traveler, not... not Outlander. It... I just don't like it, that's all."
A memory flashed before her eyes: "Outlanders, your journey ends here!"
"Whoa, what was the treasure?! A cup used by Barbatos, or something?" Paimon asked, and Lumine jolted back to the present. She rolled her eyes. If you so much as mention the word treasure in front of Paimon... Secretly, though, she was very grateful that her annoying little companion had changed the subject.
"That would be quite valuable, but no. Although, you aren't too far off: among all the relics the thief managed to dig up, one particular object was very rare... it was a vial which contained the Anemo Archon's breath." Master Diluc looked strangely amused by this, though Lumine couldn't figure out why.
"Relics come in every shape and form huh..." Paimon replied.
"Anyone with an eye for..." he stopped and cleared his throat. "Ahem, fine art... would like to add this relic to their collection. Once word got out, the Fatui started trying to seek it out as well. They've made tons of counterfeits that can be found everywhere."
"You don't seem to be too put off by that, though..." Lumine remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, in response, I just bought every one I could find, irrespective of its authenticity. We're still at it now. I've bought more than two thousand fakes to date, and the Fatui are yet to find the real one," he told her, sounding almost proud.
Lumine grinned. "That's crazy. I mean, awesome, but still... a bit crazy," she informed him.
Paimon's, however, had a hungry glint in her eyes. "So, the real one must still be out there somewhere on the black market, right? Well, Paimon might give you a discount if she finds it - cause Paimon's just great like that!"
"Sure," Master Diluc smirked, "you can try to find the real one. I'll take what you find, even if they're fake. Once you're done, find me at the winery. I'll trade you a beer for every twenty you find."
"Umm..." Lumine looked pointedly from him to Paimon.
He followed her gaze, and nodded. "I'll trade you a grape juice for every twenty you find," he rephrased. Lumine laughed at the pout on Paimon's face. "And that goes for you as well, Traveler; you hardly look the right age to be drinking," he added. Now Paimon was the one laughing at Lumine's look of outrage. Even Master Diluc couldn't keep himself from smiling, though he tried to cover it up with a cough.
"For your information," Lumine protested, "when I started drinking, you weren't even-"
"Ooh, is that the temple?" Paimon interrupted.
They had come to a stop near the edge of a small cliff. Spreading out before them was a large ruin that looked as though it had once been circular-shaped. Tiers of raised seats rose up around the nearest side, and opposite them were many broken stone arches and pillars.
"Huh, I think it looks more like an amphitheater than a temple," Lumine mused.
"Actually, in the days of Mondstadt's Aristocracy-"
"Ooh, look! There's something shiny on the ground!" Paimon cut in over Master Diluc's explanation. "Could it be treasure?!"
Lumine wanted to groan in exasperation - or better yet, strangle the greedy little fairy - but Master Diluc spoke up before she could do anything drastic. "Actually, I think that is what we came here for."
She looked at the object more closely. "I think you're right, it looks like it might be one of Dvalin's tears! I can't tell for sure, though - we need to get closer."
She made to glide down from their perch on the cliff into the middle of the amphitheater, but a hand closed around her arm and stopped her. She glanced back, and was met with Master Diluc's concerned, almost fearful expression.
"Traveler, wait! Look, getting closer might not be as easy as you think," he told her.
Lumine turned to where he was pointing and gasped. Somehow, she had failed to notice the hulking shape of a Ruin Guard stomping around the temple below them. After the whole ordeal with Kaeya's treasure and the Ruin Guard she had helped him to destroy, she'd made sure to find out what they were and how to deal with them. Still, if one took her by surprise - like the one in front of them would have if she hadn't been warned by Master Diluc - it was quite possible that she'd be seriously injured, or worse.
"Wow, th-thanks," she told him, taking a hasty step backwards as he let go of her arm. "I... don't know how I missed that," she admitted guiltily, her left hand instinctively going up to touch the place where his hand had been a moment before. This is the same spot where I got injured that day in the cave, that he bandaged up for me...
"Don't worry about it, I have your back," he told her firmly. "Now, we need to come up with a plan to deal with that thing..."
The two of them worked together seamlessly, managing to bring down the Ruin Guard with ease. Lumine leaped forwards and delivered the final blow, rolling out of the way as the machine crashed to the ground and broke apart.
"Impressive... I wasn't able to pay much attention to your fighting style before, but it's clear to me now that you're very skilled," Master Diluc told her. "The way you fight is very graceful, almost... dance-like."
"I- well, um... th-thanks?" She stammered. How am I supposed to respond to that?! She thought, looking around for some sort of distraction. Spotting the glittering red object they had seen earlier, she bent down to pick it up, glad of an excuse to hide her face.
"Look, we were right! It is one of Dvalin's tears!" Lumine held up the muddy red crystal for him to see. "Looks like you chose the right place," she smiled.
Master Diluc, however, was not deterred by her attempt to change the subject. "Also, despite the curious lack of a Vision, you have great control over your Anemo powers... even though you did not posses them the first time we met, did you." It wasn't a question; they both knew the answer was no. However, the unspoken why? lingered in the air between them, a question which even Lumine couldn't fully answer. After a moment, he turned away. "Forget it: I don't want to pry. You didn't do it to me, so it's only right that I return the favor."
Lumine nodded gratefully, stowing the tear. "So... what now? Should we go look somewhere else, or...?"
"Let's regroup with Jean and the bard first," he told her.
"So, back to the tavern then?" Paimon asked, making Lumine jump. She'd almost forgotten that her little companion was still there!
"Actually, we will be meeting at my home, the Dawn Winery," Master Diluc explained. "It's much more private than the tavern, so it will be far easier for us to do what we need to do without attracting too much attention. Come on, let's head back to the Teleport Waypoint." He started walking, and the two of them quickly followed.
"Ooh, will you give us a tour?!" Paimon asked. "This tear-collecting is hard work, Paimon's tired!"
"Paimon didn't even do anything," Lumine commented dryly. "Besides, we're not done yet; we still have to deal with Dvalin."
"And," Master Diluc added darkly, "the Fatui could also be planning something..."
"Really? Even with the knights..." she began, but quickly stopped as it dawned on her: the Fatui have carried out their plots in Mondstadt without hindrance before, haven't they? The Stormterror crisis, the Holy Lyre, whatever happened to Master Diluc's father... the knights haven't really been helpful at all! Well, most of them, she finished, thinking of her friends in the Knights of Favonius: Amber, Jean, Lisa, and even Kaeya, who individually were probably more efficient than all the rest of the knights combined.
Master Diluc let out a snort of derision. "The knights are subject to too many restrictions. They can't directly confront this so-called 'diplomatic' scum. Personally... I despise them. If I had to choose between 'eating a Cryo Slime alive' or 'joining the Fatui...?' I'd prefer to be crushed to death by a meteorite."
Lumine couldn't stop herself; at the end of his passionate rant, she burst into peals of laughter. "S-sorry, sorry..." she giggled, trying to catch her breath. As she looked up at him, however, her laughter faded away at the stony, closed-off look that had overtaken his face. "I'm sorry, that's not what- I mean, you're not... I- I would never laugh at you, or at your hatred of the Fatui - after what you've told me, and the few encounters I've had with them?! You have every right to hate them!" She assured him desperately. "I just laughed because of... well, because - because the way you said it was just so dramatic! Like, over-the-top, really funny dramatic. I just couldn't help it, I- I had to laugh!" She explained, feeling horribly guilty.
"Oh, I... see," Master Diluc answered, frowning thoughtfully. His tone was neutral, and she couldn't tell whether he was mad or not.
Oh, please don't let him be too mad... she wished desperately.
He must have sensed her agitation, because he turned to her with a small smile and said, "don't worry about it... I understand." She sighed with relief, but almost immediately tensed up again. "But..."
"What is it?" Lumine asked nervously.
"Well... was what I said really that hilarious?"
She almost started laughing again - he looked so embarrassed! - but just barely managed to stop herself. "Well..." she cleared her throat, then said in her best imitation of his voice, "I'd prefer to be crushed to death by a meteorite."
He crossed his arms, turning his head to cough into his fist. However, Lumine managed to catch a glimpse of his face - it had become practically the same shade as his hair - and wasn't quite able to hide her smile. It must be really rare for him to get so visibly flustered, she realized, and decided to take pity on him.
"You know, I've said my share of embarrassing things, too!" She told him brightly, looking straight ahead - away from his face - so he could have some time to compose himself if he needed it. "For example, there was this one time two or three months ago, when Paimon was still teaching me the language of this world... I was trying to learn simple greetings. Instead of telling her 'it's nice to meet you,' I accidentally said, 'it's nice to eat you!' Since then, I've been teasing her by calling her my 'emergency food,'" Lumine grinned, finishing her story. She snuck a glance at his face, and was relieved to see that he was smiling too.
It looks like Di- like Master Diluc isn't mad at me... I'm so glad! She thought.
Suddenly, Paimon appeared in front of them with a very offended look on her face - just like last time, Lumine hadn't even realized she was still with them. "How many times does Paimon have to say it?! Paimon. Is. Not. Emergency. Food!"
The sight was so funny that Lumine started giggling again, and Dilu - Master Diluc - actually let out a snort of laughter.
"If you're going to keep treating Paimon this way, Night, then Paimon's gonna... Paimon is gonna... gonna ignore you!" The (no matter what she thought) Emergency Food huffed, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air.
"Oh no, whatever shall I do?!" Lumine responded, raising a hand to her forehead dramatically.
"Stop making fun of Paimon!"
"Me? Make fun of you? Why, I would never!"
"That's it! Paimon is no longer speaking to you!"
"Ahem..." the two traveling companions stopped bickering and turned to face Master Diluc, who was watching them with raised eyebrows. Lumine blushed, and Paimon scratched her head embarrassedly. He thankfully chose to ignore this, and instead informed them, "the Teleport Waypoint is right here - are you two coming, or not?"
"Oh, yeah! C-coming," Lumine laughed awkwardly. She and Paimon placed their hands on the device, and the three of them disappeared.
Diluc's winery - that is, Master Diluc's winery - and the surrounding orchards and cottages made quite the beautiful, picturesque scene. I wish I could see the inside of his house as well... Lumine gave her head a quick shake to clear her thoughts and focused back in on the conversation.
"...Let's start purifying these crystals first. Please, Night," Venti asked, holding out the handful of tears they had all managed to collect.
She took them, and within moments the angry red had turned to a clear, pure blue.
"It is hard to believe such a thing is possible, until you've seen it with your own eyes," Jean mused.
"Interesting. It's like filtering wine. The process is... refreshing," Master Diluc added, looking curiously at Lumine. She shrugged. It's my power, sure, but do I know everything about it? Definitely not!
After using the newly-purified crystals on the Holy Lyre, it looked even better than before. Venti confirmed that its power was fully restored, and they would now be able to summon Dvalin with it.
"Now, where should we summon Stormterror?" Jean asked, going full business-mode. "It must be away from the city, else there will be casualties should we fail. Perhaps here at the winery..."
"What?! That's-" Lumine began to protest, but Diluc- Master Diluc cut across her.
"If the winery was destroyed, it's not something I couldn't eventually fix, but... I'd still rather not go through the hassle," he informed them carelessly. The others gaped at him.
"Heh... the wind that blows at sea or in high places should be able to carry a bard's words far away," Venti said, breaking the silence. "It's never going to work if the air is too dry or suffocating."
"Oh, Paimon understands!" The fairy cut in enthusiastically. "Sea or high places, right? Then the best location to play the lyre would be..." she tried to think of a place. Then, Lumine had an idea.
"Paimon, do you remember that beach we were at when I told you about my brother? Wasn't there a cliff..." she trailed off, trying to figure out where in Mondstadt they had been at the time.
"Well, if you go east from Starfell Lake, there are mountains south of the beach," Di... Master Diluc... told them, realizing what place she'd described. "If you head to where the cliff juts out - that place is known as Starsnatch Cliff. What do you think, bard? Meets the requirements, no?" He asked, turning to Venti.
They agreed to meet at the cliff the next morning, since it was already rather late in the day. Jean left shortly after, needing to get back to work. Lumine stuck around, however, since Venti didn't seem like he was going anywhere and she wanted to ask him a question or two.
She walked up to the bard, who was still fiddling around with the Holy Lyre. He looked up at her with a grin. "Great job, Night. Now, look at what I can do!"
"Uh, actually," she cut in before he could start playing, "can you tell me more about Dvalin?"
Venti lowered the lyre, a serious look overtaking his normally cheerful face. "Dvalin used to be my friend... I still regard him as such. We used to listen to the songs of the wind, and sing 'Ode to the Dandelion' together..." he stared into the sky, lost in his own memories, before blinking and looking back at her. "That's why I remember him as someone gentle."
"Do you think you'll come to regard me as your friend, too?" Lumine asked, half-joking.
"Huh? Of course, you're already my friend!" He replied earnestly, and Lumine smiled. Before she could say anything more, Venti's smile became a mischievous grin, and he announced gaily, "heh-heh, one must be going! Seeya, Night," before darting away - and probably just in time, too.
"I bet that rascal managed to make off with a bottle or two of my best wines," Diluc grumbled. That is, Master Diluc, Lumine corrected herself again. "Anyways..." he said, turning to her. "Although we may be able to negotiate with Stormterror, we'll most likely have to fight. Please... be ready for it," he told her with concern.
As Lumine gazed up at him, a question suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't thought to ask him before. "Why... why are you helping us, Master Diluc?"
He considered this for a moment, then replied. "I mostly decided to do it on a whim... though I must say, that bard is quite intriguing. And, besides, it's bad for my business if we keep letting Stormterror do whatever it pleases..."
Lumine had a feeling that he still hadn't gotten to the real reason yet, though, so she kept quiet.
Diluc's voice changed slightly, taking a softer, more earnest tone. "Let me be clear though. I did it for you, not for the knights."
Her heartbeat quickened, and her mouth fell open slightly. "I..."
He continued. "If you ever need to talk, feel free to come find me at the Angel's Share - I work the bar there sometimes. Otherwise, though, you might need to make an appointment with my butler if you want to be sure you'll catch me..." he smiled, and Lumine's heart - if possible - pounded even faster.
"Um, yeah, I- uh, I will!" She stammered. Why was her mouth so dry all of a sudden?! "Th- thank you, Di- uh, M-master Diluc." He hadn't noticed her slip-up. Phew!
They stood there staring at each other for a few seconds, before Paimon broke the awkward silence. "Uh, heh... we should really get going, Night!"
"Oh, y-yes, you're right! Uh, thank you for... for everything," she told Diluc again.
"I believe you already said that," he pointed out, amused.
"Right, I did, didn't I?" She laughed nervously. Why is everything so awkward all of a sudden?!
"Bye-bye, Master Diluc!" Paimon yelled as she began shoving Lumine onto the path away from the Dawn Winery.
"Alright, see you next time. I can escort you to the Teleport Waypoint, if you wish - it's rather far from here, and I want to make sure you leave safely," Diluc offered.
Lumine opened her mouth to answer, but Paimon butted in. "No, it's okay, Paimon and Night've got this!"
"Well, if you're sure..." he looked to Lumine for her answer.
She shrugged. "We'll be fine, don't worry! Thank you for your offer, though..." she blushed slightly. And thank you, Paimon, for helping me out of this awkwardness! She thought as the little fairy dragged her away from the winery.
On an impulse, Lumine took a breath to steady herself, before calling back at him, "see you tomorrow, Master Diluc!"
"See you tomorrow, Traveler."
Bonus:
Venti was sitting at an upstairs table in the tavern when Night and Paimon arrived. He watched Master Diluc walk up to them, and quickly got up, settling himself on the railing for a good show.
It had been about thirty-six hours since Master Diluc had given him the instruction to stay in the tavern, but (despite there not really being any need for it anymore) Venti had taken it to heart. He was actually fairly certain that everyone had forgotten he was even in the tavern still - giving him the perfect opportunity to spy on his favorite new ship!
Paimon waved and greeted the tavern's owner, her high-pitched voice carrying easily to where Venti sat, perched on the balcony railing. "Master Diluc! Good morning! Did you, er... sleep well?"
"No need for small talk," he told Paimon abruptly. Yep, that's Master Diluc for ya! "All that matters," he continued, looking at Night, "is that you - and all the people of Mondstadt - were safe last night."
Venti giggled, seeing Traveler's blushing face, and almost fell off the railing from leaning too far forward. He definitely lingered on the you... I'm pretty sure "and all the people of Mondstadt" was just an afterthought!
He looked back over at them, and accidentally caught Paimon's eye. She smirked, glancing quickly at her two companions to make sure they didn't notice, and flew up to where Venti was sitting. "So you're still here, huh, Tone-Deaf Bard?" She whispered.
"Shh! Lemme liste- oooh!" Night had placed her hand on Diluc's to stop him from leaving, and now she was getting all flustered - it was so cute!
Venti and Paimon sat there and listened as the two lovebirds downstairs talked about boring plan stuff. He sighed, and turned to Paimon. "You're going with them, right?" She nodded in agreement. "Well... can you do something for me?"
She looked at him suspiciously. "Whaaat?" She asked carefully.
Venti grinned. "Oh, nothing much. Just, try to be inconspicuous and stay out of the conversation - then, listen in on everything they say so you can tell me later!"
Paimon smirked. "Alright, Tone-Deaf Bard, you've got yourself a deal!" They shook hands, her absurdly tiny one swallowed up by his.
"Paimon, let's- wait..." they heard the Traveler say. The two of them looked at each other for a moment in panic, before Venti quickly dropped off the railing and slid back into his seat as Paimon flew back downstairs.
"Where did Paimon go?!" She finished.
"Paimon's right here!" Looks like she made it just in the nick of time... phew! Venti thought gratefully. "Uh, Paimon definitely wasn't talking to Tone-Deaf Bard, or anything!"
"Huh? Venti's here?" The Traveler asked.
He facepalmed. So! Not! Subtle! He wanted to yell, but that would probably be even more of a dead giveaway than Paimon's rather sad attempts at covering up what she'd just said.
"No, no, no! Paimon said that he's not here! Anyways, um, didn't Master Diluc say we should go? C'mon Night, we have, uh, stuff to do!" It occurred to Venti that he should maybe give the little fairy lessons in lying - she clearly needed them.
"Okay, okay!" The Traveler laughed. A few seconds later, he heard the tavern door swing shut, and relaxed. I can't believe that neither of them questioned that... He waited until he was sure they were gone, and burst out laughing.
Finally, he stopped, stood up, and straightened his hat. Let's see, what should I do now? It'll probably be at least a few hours until we have enough Teardrop Crystals... I think I'm gonna head to the Dawn Winery early, though. Who knows what rare, vintage wines I'll be able to find there if I look hard enough?
Venti grinned.
A/N: I think I said most everything at the top already... but, one more thing: now that it's (almost) summer and I'm (more-or-less) done with school, hopefully I'll have a lot more time to write! Hopefully!
Also, I've been thinking... I think I want a beta reader. Probably. If anyone's interested, do tell, please! If not, I guess I'll just find one myself! *shrugs*
Also... i'm sorryyyyyyy
~Golden out~