Chapter Twenty-Six
From the blank spots in his memory, Diluc guessed he kept passing out. Every time he opened his eyes, they were in a totally different part of the canyon, and it felt like he was missing time. So when he struggled back to awareness again, he kept his eyes open in an effort to stay awake.
Kirara was still pulling the balloon smoothly over the path, tirelessly bobbing along. Fishl had wandered off ahead of them to make sure the path was clear, and occasionally her overly grandiose tones echoed faintly down the canyon. Kaeya sat across from him, leaning against the rail and keeping his injured arm cradled close to his body. He had a distant look in his eye, gazing ahead of them without really seeming to take in their surroundings. Jean was still dozing, but she'd rolled over to face Diluc at some point. The shadows of the canyon were lengthening, casting a chill over the party. Jean shivered, mumbling something in her sleep.
Diluc frowned. I shouldn't let her catch a cold after everything she went through to find us. He considered his options, then slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. Instantly he caught Kaeya's attention, and the knight startled, his elbow slipping off the rail.
"Diluc? Do you need something?" Kaeya kept his voice low to avoid waking their friend.
"I'm fine." Diluc's warm coat was bunched underneath him, cushioning the hard boards and leaving him in his short-sleeved shirt and formerly white vest. It took him a few minutes to maneuver off of his coat without upsetting the transport balloon's balance, but finally it was free. He reached out and draped it over Jean's shoulder.
Kaeya gave him a reproving look. "You'll get stiff sitting on the boards without that, you know." Disregarding his own words, he helped to adjust the thick material until Jean was cocooned in warmth. When she sighed and snuggled deeper into the coat, her shivering subsiding, both brothers smiled slightly. Then Kaeya's eye returned to Diluc. "Have you slept at all?"
"A little." Diluc didn't bother telling him that it wasn't intentional. Instead, he checked the bandages wrapped around his shoulder. Based on the way the pain had drastically increased over the past few minutes, it was no surprise to see that a spot of red was seeping into the white bandages. Hissing with annoyance, he reached up to probe around the wound cautiously. The balloon jerked abruptly as Kaeya lunged over Jean and caught his wrist, and Kirara squeaked.
"You're bleeding again! No, don't touch it, that'll make it worse," Kaeya said ugently.
Diluc drew in a harsh breath between his teeth, his fingers clenching instinctively. Kaeya's hand had closed too tightly around his injured wrist. Quickly he whispered, "Sit down! I don't want to fall off the transport because you can't sit still. And shh, don't wake Jean. She's clearly exhausted."
Kaeya released him and sat back, still watching him narrowly. Then his eye widened abruptly, and he glanced down at the smudge of red in the palm of his hand, then at the bandages around Diluc's wrist. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Just then, Fischl bounded around the corner and fell in line next to the balloon, blithely barging into the conversation to Diluc's great relief. "I bring good tidings, my loyal subjects! The Immernachtreich draws nigh, and I have caught sight of its most grand palace. Ere the brilliance of day fades on the wings of the night, we shall rest easy in the dwelling of the Uncrowned King of Mondstadt!"
Diluc eyed her. "Did she just call me—"
Distracted from his apology, Kaeya smirked and cut in, "Thank you, Fischl. You were saying that you can see the winery from here?"
She nodded, flashing a pair of fingers mysteriously past her face. "I am overjoyed to confirm thy assumption, noble knight!"
Oz landed on the wooden boards with a subtle sigh of relief. "That means yes."
Carefully Diluc leaned back again. He was starting to see darkness seeping into the edges of his sight, a sure sign he was about to pass out again. "Good. Wake me when we get there." With that, he closed his eyes and let himself drift off.
oOo
He fought off the stifling slumber when the transport came to an abrupt halt. As he was regaining his senses, he heard a terrified yelp. He forced himself upright and held a hand to his head, wincing. "Ah, Adalinde." He glanced at her from under his hand. "Would it be too much to request that you clear my schedule for the next few days?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some more vineyard workers drop whatever they were doing and break into a run. Good. We might require a bit of assistance getting settled.
"Master Diluc!" His head housemaid gasped, then flew to his side, taking in his injuries at a glance. "This is worse than the time that you—"
"Ahem." He glared at her until her mouth snapped shut, then he finished smoothly, "You mean the time Kaeya caught a fever and got both of us laid up in bed for a week? I must agree with you." There's too many people around. I don't want word to get out that I regularly come home injured long after nightfall. It wouldn't take much to put two and two together.
"Hey!"
He ignored his brother's protest and glanced down, sensing Jean stirring beside him. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, mumbling groggily, "Don't wanna yeet Dandelions anymore…"
Diluc stopped rubbing his forehead long enough to pat her shoulder sympathetically. "Understandable. Adalinde, please prepare suitable lodgings for our guests."
His faithful housekeeper bowed. "Of course. I'll prepare the suite next to Master Kaeya's quarters for the Acting Grand Master. Master Kaeya, you will, of course, lodge in your own room for the time being. Miss Fischl—Oh! And who are you? Miss Kirara? Very well, the two young ladies can stay in the rooms across from you."
Several voices rose at once in discussion, but Diluc was done. Instinctively his gaze sought Kaeya's. His brother nodded to him, then flicked a spray of Cryo into the air, silencing everyone.
"That's enough now." His lilting voice was reproachful. "Surely we can get everything sorted out in a timely fashion, now Adalinde has dealt with the pressing concern of lodging so admirably? Diluc needs..."
Diluc was fairly certain his brother kept talking. Around that point, however, he lost the battle to stay conscious, and slumped back.
oOo
This time, he awoke to a soft voice humming nearby. He lay in the comfortable familiarity of his own bed, and when he opened his eyes, the soft light of his bedside lamp warmed the room. Through the great windows opening into his quarters, he could see the barest hints of rosy sunshine peeking over the mountains. Beside him stood the young nun, Barbara. One hand hovered over the deep stab wound in his shoulder, her Hydro healing powers trickling into his injury. Her eyes were closed to focus on her singing, so Diluc waited quietly. Eventually the cool stream faltered slightly, and Barbara immediately pulled away as her voice faded. She opened her eyes and jumped when she found Diluc studying her.
"Oh! Master Diluc, you're awake!" She laid a hand on her heart. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
He gave her as much of a grave nod as he could from the stack of pillows at his back. "Not to worry. I doubt your singing woke me." He shifted slightly, pleased. "As always, your work is impeccable. I can barely feel any pain."
She clasped her hands and bobbed a grateful nod. "Thank you, Master Diluc!" Then she sobered. "But you're not fully healed, you know. You'll have to remain on bedrest for a while before I can let you up with a clear conscience."
"I know. You've healed me before." He usually tried to avoid going to the Cathedral for healings, but there had been one or two occasions where he hadn't had much choice in the matter. He glanced around the quiet chamber, noting the lack of panicking people. A bit of humor infused his voice as he commented, "I presume I've been unconscious for quite some time now, judging by the silence. How is everyone else?"
A faint frown tugged at Barbara's soft eyes. "You've been asleep for a few days now, mostly because of me. I wanted to make sure you healed properly, which means keeping you quiet... something you seem to struggle with." She eyed him sternly, then continued, "Miss Kirara is still here, as she said you would probably want to discuss things with her. Miss Fischl also hasn't left, but she's planning to leave after lunch. Elzer refused to be scripted into her castle fantasy for the seventh time last night, so instead he asked her to give that Transport Mission another go. Elzer let Angel's Share know that the shipment would be delayed, but it can't wait any longer, so Miss Fischl will be escorting it later today." Barbara rested a finger on her lips thoughtfully. "Jean stayed for two days before returning to work. I can verify that she's much improved, though. I'll keep a close eye on her to make sure she makes a full recovery from her overexertion."
He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. He watched her closely as his fingers flexed thoughtlessly against the dark comforter. "And… the Cavalry Captain?"
She looked a little flustered. "He asked me to give you this when you woke up." She held out a small piece of paper.
Diluc nearly snatched it, flicking it open and scanning the short message. He could almost see Kaeya's trademark smirk as he read it.
Dawnbird,
My turn to leave without telling you, dear brother! But don't worry, I'm not off fighting Fatui or Treasure Hoarders or whatever. Just taking care of some things in the city for Jean. You're in good hands now, I know you'll recover just fine. Oh, and I think you owe me a drink, on the house.
~Your best client
Folding the note again, Diluc scoffed. "That would be Venti, actually." He noticed another line of writing on the back and flipped the note over.
You're right, I think Venti passed me up long ago. Let me think of a better title… Ah, I've got it.
~The best Cavalry Captain… at least, since the last one, you know.
Diluc couldn't help a chuckle at his brother's antics. His smile faded slowly as he thought, though. He completely forgot that the young nun was still in the room as he gazed out one of the great windows, drinking in the familiar scene slowly coming into focus with the rising sun. The view of the Dawn Winery at the hour of its namesake was one of his favorites, but for once, he wasn't thinking of how to best protect it. He rubbed the note absently between gloved fingers, not even noticing when Barbara quietly took her leave. He sounds fine in his note, but I know him better. We need to talk soon. His ruby-red eyes narrowed. Adalinde and Barbara won't want me to leave. I'll just have to think of a way to avoid them. Hm… I think it's time to talk to Kirara if she's up for it. I have a feeling she'll be able to assist with my… dilemma.