My head was pounding.

I clutched it, groaning as I rolled under my blankets. Sunlight streamed through the window, signaling a new day and jabbing at my eyes with no mercy. My mouth was dry as a desert, and muscles all over my body ached from the strain of teleporting last night.

I remember taking the town waypoint with Diluc, but there was no memory of our actual arrival. Had the pain hit me so bad that I passed out? The thumping in my head distracted me from recollection, and I cursed the source of my suffering. I swear to never touch another Pinkity Drinkity ever again. Evil in a bottle, that one.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Archons, I might have to stop by the infirmary to take care of this. I winced as the sound thrummed in my head. This headache was like no other.

Thump. Thump. "I know you're in there."

Huh? Was the thumping coming from…my door?

"Are you cowering?" My visitor yelled from the other side. "How very uncharacteristic of you. Come on out and face me head-on, girlie."

Childe.

What was he doing here? I groaned once more and contemplated whether or not I should respond. There's a chance he might go away, and then I could try going back to sleep. What could possibly be so important that he'd be at my door this early in the morning? The knocking persisted, and I resisted the urge to yank my hair out.

Stumbling out of bed, I stomped to my door and yanked it open. On the other side, Childe stood with his hand poised—ready for another knock. I should knock him on the head, instead.

I squinted in the light, hunched over. "What do you want?"

"Good." He dropped his hand, stuffing it in his pocket. "You're alive."

"Of course I'm alive," I grumbled. "Why wouldn't I be? If this is what you came here for, I'm going back to sleep."

He caught the door before it could slam in his face. "Did you not eat at all yesterday?"

"What? Of course, I did."

"You weren't at breakfast." Childe crossed his arms. "Nor were you at dinner. I even asked Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes Thoma if he knew where you were. He had no idea."

I dragged a hand down my fac. "Sorry about that. I got carried away after an early breakfast, and dinner was…a blur."

"You look awful."

I rolled my eyes and threw myself back into bed. "Thanks."

"You're not even wearing pajamas," he commented. "How long did you stay up last night?"

I wasn't? Huh, I guess I was still wearing the same clothes I wore last night. Oddly enough, it looks like my shoes were neatly lined up by the door. I didn't think Drunk Lumine would have the courtesy of such foresight. Good for her.

The pounding in my head subsided now that Childe wasn't attacking my door, but it was still there—threatening to drive me insane. Ugh, I needed a glass of water or something.

"You're not going to eat lunch?"

"Lunch?" I spoke into the pillows.

"It's past noon."

Had I really slept in for so long? "I'm not hungry."

Actually, now that he mentioned it, I was famished. However, my exhaustion outweighed my hunger, and I'd rather just perish into my mattress as soon as possible. My stomach, the traitor, growled.

Childe whistled. "It sure sounds like you are."

"Well, you should get your ears checked."

"Must we argue? I thought we agreed on no more fighting. If that's off the table, then I'd be happy to throw you over my shoulder."

I turned my head to the side, shooting him a glare that said don't you dare. "Barbarian."

"If that's what it takes to drag you to the dining hall. You need to keep up your strength."

"I am strong," I muttered. "I beat up a guy last night. I think."

"Oh?" Childe grinned and sat at the foot of my bed, eager to gossip like some schoolgirl. "Do I know him?"

I tried to recall the image of said man in my memory, but it was all fuzzy. There was something about the man that set him apart from everyone else. Did he have extra fingers? Nah, that sounds like something the alcohol would make up. Then, could it be—

A knock interrupted my thoughts, and we both turned to see who was standing in the open doorway.

"Diluc?" I perked up. "What are you doing here?"

He held up a bowl in his hand. "I brought you some goulash. It normally works to prevent hangovers if you have some before passing out. I suppose the morning after will have to do. I figured you might want a warm meal, but perhaps you need help taking out the trash, instead."

"What do you mean by that?" Childe pushed himself off my bed, standing at his full height. "Surely, you can't be referring to me?"

Diluc stepped aside to look at me. "Should I dispose of him?"

I pressed a hand to my temple and waved Diluc over. "No, he can stay. Can I try the goulash? My head is killing me."

He nodded and walked past Childe. "Careful, it's hot."

"So, you were with Ragnvindr," Childe assessed. "All night, it seems."

"Mhm." I accepted the bowl of stew and blew on the steam wafting up from it. The goulash smelled heavenly. Childe barked out a harsh laugh, and I frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Am I?" He suppressed himself with a hand over his mouth. "And here I thought I only had to worry about those other two. How long has this been going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Diluc gave him a blank stare. "Nor do I care about whatever your concerns might be. What I do care about is why Lumine is associating herself with the likes of you. Really, dropping down to second-year status hasn't humbled you one bit?"

I lifted the spoon Diluc included in the bowl and took a sip of the goulash. It was perfectly savory, and the soft textures did wonders in my mouth. "Childe is my friend, Diluc. We're partners in Physical Combat, and we have our meals together a lot."

"I see."

"You can, too," I added. "If you ever decide to show up to the dining hall."

Childe chuffed. "Our table is full enough as it is. His ego is too big, girlie. Let him be."

I balked. He was one to talk. "Ego?"

"Girlie?" Diluc grumbled at the same time as me. "I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to dine alone."

"A shame," Childe sounded not at all disappointed. "Thank you so muchfor delivering the Goulash. I can keep her company from now on. We have lots to discuss, so you are dismissed."

I frowned. "We do?"

He clasped his hands together. "But of course! You've missed out on quite a lot after skipping out on three of our meals—with no warning, by the way."

I cringed at the broken promise. "Sorry."

"I'm not leaving until I make sure she's well." Diluc glared at him. "You're in no position to dismiss me."

"Why wouldn't she be well? Unless someone put her in a position that was unsafe? That would explain her sickly complexion."

"Lumine makes her own decisions," Diluc said. "Whether or not they be wise ones, who am I to dictate her actions?"

These two acted civil enough that I could turn my full attention to the goulash without worrying if they'd tear at each other's throats right then and there. A silent staring contest took place, and the lack of hostile words did wonders for my headache. Trying not to make a mess, I scooped spoonful after spoonful in my mouth. Once the bowl was empty, a satisfied sigh escaped my lips.

"How was it?" Diluc asked.

"Delicious, thanks."

He took the bowl from me. "I don't go back on my word. Rest assured, my promise to you will remain upheld for as long as I am able."

Promise? What promise? I wasn't sure whether or not I should reveal just how little I remember of the events that transpired post-teleporting back to Celestia, especially not with Childe here. From what I could piece together, Diluc must have brought me back to my room last night, being so kind as to even remove my shoes. For now, I should go along with it.

I smiled in earnest. "Thank you."

The corners of his mouth curved upward ever so slightly. "You seem to be doing better."

"I'm feeling better."

Childe clapped. "Perfect. She's well. You can leave."

I sighed. "What happened to you being nice to my friends?"

"I seemed to have forgotten about that." He looked up thoughtfully. "The same way you forgot about me."

Well, when he put it that way…I had enough sense to feel a tad ashamed.

Diluc cleared his throat. "I have other business to attend to before the day escapes me."

And now I felt bad for taking up Diluc's time. I take back what I said about Drunk Lumine—she's the worst. "Don't let me keep you any longer. We can catch up another day."

"Of course, during my weekly win."

I laughed. "Not if I can help it."

Diluc said his final goodbye, giving a wide berth to Childe without acknowledging him at all on the way out. Childe scoffed, kicking the door shut just after Diluc crossed the threshold. After making sure the room was secure, he turned around to face me with a rather contemplative look. A contemplative Childe couldn't mean anything good.

"I know," I sighed. "You're upset. If you want, we can fight it out, just this once."

"Let's go into town."

"That doesn't mean I'll let you win. Me being in the wrong is—wait, what?"

Childe chuckled. "I've come to a few realizations over the past week, and they've become even more clear to me during your abrupt absence."

"I was gone for one day." During the weekend, at that. "Were you really so bothered? I would have thought you spent the majority of your free time challenging yourself with, I don't know, swinging from ropes laced with barbed wire."

"An interesting idea," he mused. "I'll have to add that to my regimen."

"Seriously?"

"C'mon, girlie. You and I in the town. I've got something in store for us."

I gave in to Childe's plan, though he refused to let me in on any of the details. He wouldn't try anything too life-risking in town, probably. He had enough sense to not accidentally demolish a building while showing off a new move, right? I had too much faith in him.

After shooing Childe out of my room so I could change into a fresh set of outside clothes, we met in front of the student dorms and began walking to the campus' teleport waypoint. A pool of dread filled my stomach at the thought of enduring yet another round of teleportation. Diluc said it would get easier with each time, and I could only hope he was right.

"This is your first time teleporting to the town, isn't it?" He pulled off his gloves and winked. "Here, you'll have to hold my hand to get there."

I blinked at the moment of déjà vu.

"I don't make the rules. That's just how it is for newbies who haven't unlocked a waypoint yet."

"I've already unlocked them, though."

He faltered. "What do you mean?"

"Last night," I stated. "Diluc showed me."

"Did he, now?" Childe's cheerful expression darkened a fraction. "Well, isn't that wonderful? A night on the town."

"He was there to work at the tavern. I just hung around…mostly." I did more than just hang around, but it was best to not rehash those events. "Why, does it matter?"

Childe sighed in a sort of defeated way, though I'm not sure why. It was impossible to discern what was going through his mind. One moment, he's amiable and easy to get along with, and the next he's either quiet or sardonic. "You seem quite busy for a first-year," he said at last.

I thought about it. "I guess so."

"Some relaxation would do you good."

"What do you know about relaxation?" I eyed him warily.

"You know about my hobby."

"Combat?"

He laughed. "My other hobby."

Other hobby…other hobby…oh."Fishing?"

He held out his hand to me. "It's a port town, after all. Let me teach you a few of my tricks. We can even engage in a little friendly competition."

"I see you've already forgotten I don't need an anchor." I accepted his hand despite myself.

A fishing trip with Chidle certainly wasn't something I'd expected to do today, or ever. Such a harmless activity with someone so destructive—what could possibly go wrong?