"You might want to clear some space on your calendar this weekend," Kaeya said, his attention switching from the icebox to me. "Our final interview with Sara will be on Saturday, and we'll have our follow-up meeting the night after."

"Sounds good. I've been wanting for us to get together again. Where and when for Sara?"

"The archery range. Eight o'clock."

I nodded at that, sipping my water. "Another post-dinner one, then."

"Not quite. Eight in the morning," Kaeya smiled wryly. "Getting her to agree with an interview was a feat on its own. She's only free to speak with us while she does her early-bird practice."

I tried not to choke on my drink at the thought of waking so early on a free day. Before I could forget, I reached into my bag and pulled out a planner. After a brief note marking the interview information, I made an extra scribble on the side detailing plans with Thoma.

We'd be eating at the restaurant for sure, but what else? I should get him a gift. Something bought or something made? Thoma would appreciate either, but I could see him making a fuss over me spending Mora. I also wanted to give him something meaningful for both of us. Something made, then. What could it be…?

I underlined the word "gift" and next thought of when we would meet. Obviously, a time when both of us were free, but anything close to finals would be too stressful. Though, I didn't think we'd ever be free from stress—not until we could guarantee my safety. Our deadline for that was before winter break started. The real threat loomed after that period. But then, there were still finals.

My brows furrowed as I tried to think of a workaround.

Winter break was two weeks long. Did I really need to vacation for two whole weeks? Madame Ping would probably run out of odd tasks and fun surprises after the first week…I could always come back to campus early. As long as Thoma was on board, that might just work.

"I wouldn't have guessed you'd be so invested in Sara's interview," Kaeya commented. "You should consider joining the student council if scheduling and planning are your thing."

I paused my excited writing. "Documenting interviews in an archery range isn't my favorite pastime. I just got a little carried away thinking about…something else."

"Oh?" Kaeya leaned in to get a closer look at my notes. "And what might that be?"

Surprised, I lifted the notebook and held it to my chest. "Nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing," he smirked. "You're blushing, Lumine. Could it be that you were sketching my excellent side profile? Let me have a look. I promise I won't judge."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not always about you."

"Let's fix that."

"Where's Beidou?" I looked around. "She should be here by now."

"Changing the subject, hm?"

"No, I'm trying to get back on subject. We're here to interview her, remember? I just realized I have no idea what Beidou looks like. She could've been here this whole time, waiting for us."

"Beidou's not here yet, but she will be. Most people recognize her by her eyepatch."

My eyes widened. "An eyepatch? Like yours?"

"Not quite. Mine is far more impressive." Kaeya lifted a hand to my face, brushing away the hair that hung by my left eye. "Hers is on this side."

"Oh."

That was all I could say. Kaeya had a special skill that robbed me of speech whenever he got close, and right now, he was very close. If I held his gaze any longer, my thoughts would fizzle to nothing. I should look away.

My eyes shifted…down to his lips.

So close.

"Your Golden Chicken Burger."

A plate clattered loudly in front of us, and I jumped back in my seat. Kaeya pulled away, too. He composed himself far quicker than me, but a smug smile still remained. A simmering heat built up on my face, and I wished for a draft to pass by. Fighting the urge to put a hand on my chest to force stop my quickening heart, I settled for tightly squeezing the notebook in my hands.

Diluc had seen it all.

Pure annoyance radiated from where he stood behind the counter, arms crossed and a steely glare cutting towards Kaeya.

Completely unfazed, Kaeya said, "I'll have a glass of wine."

"No."

His smile fell. "No?"

"Consider yourself lucky that I even let you sit at the bar."

"That wouldn't be good for business, Diluc. Wouldn't you rather me foolishly empty my pockets for a night of fun?"

Diluc grunted. "At least you can recognize that you're being foolish. Based on what the staff told me, you've given this tavern quite enough business. Late nights spending Mora on the cheapest of ales and finest of wines—conveniently whenever I just so happen to be out. Does that ring a bell?"

"Ah, that feels like such a long time ago."

"It was last week. It doesn't surprise me if you don't remember," Diluc said. "Seriously, Kaeya? There are important things at stake here, yet you can't bring yourself to act responsibly when it matters most."

I did remember Kaeya smelling like wine in the Cryo House stairwell back then. After what he and I went through that day in the mailroom…the tavern was his escape at the time. I also remembered Diluc mentioning a student patron that the employees were concerned about. So, the unknown regular had been Kaeya.

I bit the inside of my cheek, wanting to defend Kaeya, but I had had the same reaction as Diluc. His concerns were valid, and though I knew Kaeya was still on top of his game, the frequent drinking wasn't exactly something I wanted to stick up for.

"Aren't you here for an interview?" Diluc asked after Kaeya remained uncharacteristically silent.

Kaeya said, "That is true."

The Golden Chicken Burger in front of me didn't hold my attention like I thought it would.

"There's no chance I'll let you jeopardize it by getting drunk on the job." Diluc's jaw ticked as he grabbed a clean glass, filling it with water and sliding it to Kaeya just as he'd done for me. "Drink that instead."

"Your tavern, your rules. I'll grab a pick-me-up after we're done talking with Beidou. How's that sound?"

"What, so you can disorientate yourself and end up with bruises courtesy of walking into walls and furniture?" Diluc's eyes narrowed. "Don't go thinking I haven't noticed."

"Clumsy? Me?" Kaeya pointed to himself.

"Your eye."

Kaeya's eye? Diluc couldn't be talking about the one hidden by an eyepatch. Was there a bruise by Kaeya's left eye? I couldn't see from where he sat—which is probably why he chose to sit on my left in the first place. I pressed my lips together, frustrated when Kaeya angled his face away from me.

"What happened?" I, too, crossed my arms.

"It's nothing to fuss over," Kaeya hummed. "And certainly not serious enough for the infirmary. Someone came to me with a…disagreement, but we got that sorted out. Diluc, are my ears playing tricks on me, or did you sound genuinely concerned over my well-being just now? A drink or two would help with the pain. I have the Mora."

"I won't accept any amount of Mora from you tonight, Kaeya. If you can go without proper treatment, then you'll be fine with just water," Diluc clipped and set a napkin next to my plate. The plate I had yet to touch. "Is the food not to your liking? I can grab you something else."

I shook my head and picked up the burger. The bun was toasted to perfection, and my mouth watered on contact. "It smells delicious. Beidou might be here any minute now, so I'll eat quick."

Diluc finally smiled after I took my first bite. Then, a customer walked up to the other end of the bar. Visibly reluctant to leave his spot, Diluc darted an untrusting look at Kaeya. He didn't hesitate for long before attending to the customer's order.

Kaeya idly spun a coin on the countertop. The Mora twinkled before slowing down and rattling to a stop on the wooden surface. He played with that coin a lot when there was something on his mind, and I wondered what that could be. I couldn't ask him outright—not with my bites of Golden Chicken Burger in the way—but I had a feeling it was about Diluc.

Even though Kaeya said it as a joke, I really did believe Diluc was concerned about the bruise—at least a little bit. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so adamant about not serving Kaeya anything but water. It reminded me of the time I had one too many Pinkity Drinkities and Diluc wouldn't stop fussing until I had a whole glass of water, plus a meal.

At last, I finished my dinner and wiped my mouth with the napkin Diluc gave me. With the remaining time we had before Beidou showed up, I could pester Kaeya about that bruise until he caved with the truth.

"Oh my gods," I gasped dramatically, pointing to the right. "That's…that's him. That's Enjou!"

Kaeya snapped to attention in an instant. "What? Over there?"

Perfect. With his head fully turned this way, I could clearly see the yellowing bruise that decorated Kaeya's upper cheekbone. It wasn't very large, but I would have noticed right away if Kaeya hadn't been so careful about hiding it from me.

"Who was it?" I asked sharply.

His face colored with confusion before it went slack altogether in disbelief. Kaeya reached up to his bruise at my reminder, skimming it lightly with his fingers.

"That wasn't a fair trick," he sighed.

I narrowed my eyes. "Tricks aren't fair by nature. I dueled you once before, so I know you're good in a fight. Whoever you were up against was either just as good or better. Don't leave me hanging."

"Like I said, we worked it out. Revealing their identity now would mean I've broken my word. Though I would have preferred talking first and fighting later, some people have a one-track mind." Kaeya flicked the long end of his hair over his shoulder.

The answer clicked in my head. So obvious.

"It was Childe, wasn't it?"

Kaeya didn't say anything to that, only sipped his water.

It was then that a tall woman sat right next to him. She was dressed in red with half of her long, brown hair held up by an elaborate pin. Where some of her hair also swooped to cover her face, there was a red cloth hiding her left eye.

She must be Beidou.

"Ah, a cold beer after a hard day's work…nothing like it." Beidou exhaled loudly and rested her elbows on the counter, waving to Kaeya and me. "Hey there, hope I'm not late or anything. I wouldn't miss this interview for the world."

"Right," Kaeya smirked. "Are you sure you're not just looking forward to the free alcohol?"

Beidou let out a hearty laugh. "A deal's a deal. One round paid by you in exchange for some information. All I see is fair trade and good conversation."

I didn't know there were conditions for Beidou to do the interview. The past four didn't ask for anything in return—probably because one interview wasn't much of an inconvenience. Already, I could tell Beidou's personality would be a far cry from Ayaka's regality.

Her smile was broad and carefree as she called out to Diluc. "I'm all set for a proper drink! It's going to take a lot more than changing out of uniform for me to let loose."

She seemed content to wait, so I took this chance to introduce myself.

"You're Beidou, right? I don't think we've met before. I'm Lumine."

"You're right, we haven't." Her bright eyes looked me up and down. "Are you the student council's newest addition? It's not too late to back out and escape the stress."

I shook my head and pointed to Kaeya. "Nope, I'm just helping him out."

Beidou whistled. "I hope you got a good deal sorted out with him. Trust me, you want to make sure these student council dealings are worth your while. I've gotten pretty good at negotiating terms with Ningguang. You a first-year?"

I nodded.

"Don't let Kaeya here cheat you into too much work." She kicked the leg of his barstool. "He's a wily one."

Kaeya laughed at that, hardly offended by her words. I was very much aware of how cunning Kaeya could be, but Beidou didn't know that these interviews weren't actually for the benefit of the student council. If anything, Kaeya and the others were putting in all this work for my sake. I would contribute as much as I could and more.

Before I could thank her for the advice, Diluc walked the length of the bar to where we sat and greeted her.

"What'll it be?"

"A pale ale," Beidou grinned. "It sure feels good to save some Mora."

Diluc paused, frowning. "Save Mora? A pint will run you for fifteen hundred."

"I'm buying," Kaeya said and pulled the payment from his pocket. "In return for an honest interview."

"Have you already forgotten what I said earlier? Not a single Mora of yours will be accepted by my tavern tonight."

Beidou cleared her throat. Her condition was a paid drink. The success of their deal was at stake and in the hands of Diluc's resolve. It's not like Kaeya would sneak a sip from her glass…would he?

"It's on the house," Diluc said to Beidou directly. "My thanks to you for being a loyal patron."

She chuckled. "What loyalty? This is the only tavern within a thousand-mile radius. Since the offer's coming from you, Diluc, then I'll change my order to a bottle of Dandelion Wine."

Of course she went for one of the pricier items on the menu. Smart. Diluc wasted no time reaching into the icebox and grabbing a new bottle along with a clean glass. He set both on the counter as far from Kaeya as possible.

"Anything extra will be half-off," he said and pointed to the ceiling. "If you want a quieter atmosphere for your meeting, there are more empty tables upstairs."

Beidou grabbed the wine glass in one hand and the bottle's neck in the other, pumping it in the air enthusiastically. "Talk about hospitality. Let's go on up, then. The sooner we get comfortable, the sooner I can pop this open."

She was out of her seat in a flash, waving hello to a few people as we made our way up the wooden steps that spiraled to the second floor. Diluc was right—not a lot of people were on this level. Navigating the stairs would be difficult for anyone more than tipsy. Looking for a table to sit at wasn't a problem for us, and Beidou sauntered over to a corner booth.

Kaeya paused in front of the table and gestured for me to slide in first. Lifting my bag so it wouldn't bump into the table, I scooted in and grabbed the interview notebook along with a pencil. Kaeya leaned back into the plush seats next to me as Beidou uncorked the bottle.

Dandelion Wine sloshed into her glass, and her eye twinkled with delight as she drank it in.

"So," Kaeya began. "You were in the Grand Tournament last year?"

She tipped her head back a little. "That I was. I figured that I might as well try at least once during my time here, and I couldn't keep my mind off the enticing prize."

"Did you do anything special to prepare?"

"I can admit that I didn't train all that hard beforehand. I didn't know what to expect," she shrugged. "Sometimes, Celestia likes to exaggerate and build up a glorious pedestal for themselves. There have been times when my expectations were hardly met, so I don't always take their opinion on difficulty too seriously."

"And how did that work out for you?" Kaeya asked with a slight grin.

Beidou snorted and only spoke after finishing her first glass. "For a school competition, they sure didn't hold back. The Academy must have pooled all of their resources to create enough intensive and puzzling trials that'd send a person into six weeks of cooldown afterward."

Six whole weeks? My job was to write down her responses, but I just had to ask, "It took you that long to recover?"

"Nah, I just made sure to take it easy in the week after. I can't say the same for some of the other students, though."

I wrote that down as Kaeya followed up with the next question.

"Is there anything you wish you had done differently? More training?"

"Yeah," Beidou cracked her neck to the side. "I did well enough for how little I prepared, but I'm sure it would have been more entertaining with my best foot forward. That's on me for underestimating the Grand Tournament."

Beidou's motives and responses were a sharp contrast to the other interviewees. Both Keqing and Ayaka wanted to prove themselves and achieve the Champion title. Kokomi and Gorou were more interested in the logistics and how they could practice their talents in the trials. Beidou's sole interest was the promised prize to whoever ended up winning, and she genuinely seemed unaffected by the loss.

"That treasure was never mine to begin with, so I can't be too disappointed."

"Well said," Kaeya agreed. "Did you at least find it enjoyable?"

Beidou nodded with no hesitation and poured herself another glass. "Most definitely. If I ignore the headache of rules and technicalities, I had a good time competing with students that I otherwise wouldn't have made a connection with."

That was one way to look at things. I liked how easygoing and optimistic she was.

"You think the rules were excessive? Was there anything else you didn't like?"

"Anything else?" she frowned, thinking for a moment.

Beidou's eyes skimmed around the table as though she'd find an answer somewhere embedded in the wood grain. So far, her Grant Tournament experience sounded more like a curious endeavor fueled by greed. With how casual she spoke, it would take something seriously negative to be a real thorn in her side.

"The organizers did a good job, but you know what? There was someone who got on my nerves."

"Another competitor?" Kaeya asked.

Her hand clenched on the wine bottle. "Yeah. I know I didn't take the Grant Tournament seriously going in, but I played my part. Following the rules, sticking it through—simple enough stuff. Unfortunately…not everyone got the message."

For a moment, I almost forgot I was here to record information. I'd only just met her, but I was prepared to welcome the gossip. What did it take to make Beidou dislike a person?

"There was this guy who I ran into during one of the trials. Judging by how things were set up, I was prepared for a duel. I matched his level, but the fight didn't last for very long. For no reason at all, he just…stopped. Lost interest entirely. There I was, ready to go all-out, and then he just—wait."

We waited.

"No…there was a reason," she grumbled. "He was looking for someone, and that someone wasn't me."

Kaeya leaned forward slightly and asked, "What was his name?"

"Not a clue."

"You don't know? Is it that you don't…remember?"

Beidou's face soured as she thought about it. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't remember seeing his face before then, and I haven't seen him since. He might have graduated or transferred, but you can bet your Mora that I'd recognize him in a crowd."

Kaeya leaned back into the booth. "He was looking for someone?"

"That's what he said. I don't know if he got bored with our fight and wanted someone more challenging or if there was an actual person he had in mind, but he just…left. I lost points for that."

"The rules allowed that?" I blurted.

"That's the thing," Beidou set her glass down loudly. "There's no way he should have been able to leave. The prick found some sort of loophole and torched his way out of there."

A hum from Kaeya. "Pyro?"

"Catalyst, too."

I tried to keep the interest off my face as I copied down what she just said. This wasn't the first time someone mentioned a problematic Pyro competitor. Though the circumstance was different, Keqing had brought up someone similar—adamant they had no Pyro Vision. Linking these two cases felt too easy, but I couldn't ignore the possibility that, in both cases, Beidou and Keqing encountered the same unique individual.

Could that have been the Champion?

"If I ever catch sight of him again…" She huffed and drank directly from the wine bottle. "I'll knock those glasses off his smug face for wasting my time."

Glasses?

That was the most information we got on the Champion besides Venti's helpful hint. How could it be that Beidou, a regular student, could remember something like that? Ayaka's brain had nearly combusted when we pressed her memory too far.

A male student. Pyro. Glasses. He was also someone Beidou didn't know before, despite her being a third-year. Who could he have been?

A quick glance at Kaeya told me he was just as puzzled, eyebrows drawn in thought. Those descriptors didn't fit anyone he knew, either.

"You said he torched his way out?" I tapped the line on my notebook. "What does that mean?"

Beidou sighed, the bottle empty. "Exactly how it sounds. The Grand Tournament wasn't always your typical open arena. The organizers fabricate the trials, meaning they control the space within those trials."

"And he burned through that created space," I murmured. "That must have taken a lot of power."

"It sure was. He practically set himself on fire."

Set himself on fire?

My writing hand stilled, and I tightened the grip on my pencil.

"You said he was smug. How smug?"

Kaeya cleared his throat, probably a subtle suggestion for me to back down. There was an identity—a name at the tip of my tongue. I just needed Beidou to validate who I had in mind.

"I've forgotten most of our conversation by now—thank the Archons—but I can't name anyone nearly as overconfident and talkative. Those two traits combined were enough to tick me off."

"His hair was black," I stated.

Beidou watched me curiously. "It was…dark. Black. How'd you know?"

My mouth dried at the confirmation. "Lucky guess."

It had to be him.

I wasn't sure how he went unnoticed by Celestia Academy, infiltrating the Grand Tournament and searching for someone—a special someone—and escaping with ease, but Enjou was definitely there last year. Without a doubt, his goal was to establish a connection with the yet-to-be-crowned Champion and secure a Source for the Abyss.

Just how far did he succeed?

the 3.0 update kept pulling me away from finishing this chapter oops...sumeru is here! there's so much to do and explore, and i loved the archon quest (even though my brain was beyond exhausted)

good luck to people pulling for tighnari, zhongli, and their weapons it took me a year and a half to get a single jean, so i went for tighnari even though he'll be standard soon-collei constellations yum