-...Master Diluc always looked after Master Kaeya, his "Little brother whom he loved a lot and strived to protect", doing his best to be the greatest big brother possible! -Adelinde was currently enthusiastically saying, as she was in the middle of showing the Dawn Winery staff some photos of the two when they were children. -Here is a picture taken after Master Kaeya's fall. Master Diluc helped Master Kaeya up, put a cute little bandage on his little brother's leg and even took him to the house so he could get treatment! -She reminisced while showing a picture of a little Kaeya riding on equally little Diluc's back, the former looking teary and the latter determined. -Even though the situation was bad, the little masters looked so adorable, I had to take a picture to immortalize this view! -She then passed the photo around, letting the equally enthusiastic staff look at it too, much to the embarrassment of the people being talked about. -This makes me so glad that Master Diluc and Master Kaeya finally made up! There were truly such adorable little masters~ Another photo I took of them is this one...
She continued upon taking another photo in her hands and started to reminisce what was going on there,
An explanation that took even more time than the last, which took more time than the previous one...
*This whole "bullying attempt" was going on for a while now and at some point Diluc stopped counting...
...
Moreover, at this point he tried really hard to completely ignore the whole thing...
*As he was still sitting by the dinner table, trying to eat his food in peace,
With Kaeya sitting nearby, looking mostly unaffected by this embarrassing situation...
...
Seriously, that Kaeya,
Was he also enjoying his suffering...?
...
...
Of course he is, that stupid brother of his,
It was his idea that started all of this, after all...
...
"I apologize about my dear brother, he is very tired from the earlier chaos in Liyue and the recent crisis here and needs a good night's sleep!"
Accompanying him to Dawn Winery and staying there for the night...
...
"Diluc, I thought we already talked about this: You are tired from the recent...Well, everything really and need to have a good night's sleep! Look, I will even join you in order to make it fair! How does that sound?"
Deciding that it was such a great idea for them to sleep together...
...
"...Oh, you agreed to it quite easily, dear brother~ Might I propose a suggestion...?~"
And then this stupid proposal his "dear brother" made...
*One he should have adamantly declined...
...
"Nope~ It's something that I wanted to do for a while now and I am quite certain that you do too! Do you remember when we were children and loved cuddling together? How about we do the same now...? Surely, you don't hate me anymore, rig...?"
Cuddling together in their sleep,
Such an embarrassing thing to do for adults like them...
*But still, somehow it didn't feel so bad...
...
...
And then, in the morning when they woke up,
After they got ready for the day and went to have some brunch...
"Master Diluc and Master Kaeya were truly so cute in the past! They were inseparable, doing everything together and Master Kaeya always looked up to his big brother!"
...
The bullying by the Dawn Winery staff started,
With Head Housemaid Adelinde being the ringleader...
*He wasn't surprised it was her, as she saw him and Kaeya grow up...
...
Yet still, why did she have to make everything so embarrassing...?!
*Just what did he do to deserve such great...?!
-Apologies for interrupting your meal, but I would like to have a moment of your time. -His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice nearby, as Zhongli and Xiao suddenly teleported in, the former looking a little weary. -I understand if this request is too sudden and...
-It's not sudden and you didn't interrupt anything important! Let's have a discussion right here and right now, just anything to spare me from this...! -Diluc started in panic, before suddenly pausing, as he realized where he was. -...I-I mean, if you want to talk, Rex Lapis, I will be more than happy to oblige. You may take an empty seat by the table.
-Thank you for agreeing to my sudden request. You might call me Zhongli, as this is the name I mostly go by now. -The other answered, still looking quite tired, as he turned his gaze towards the serious looking Yaksha. -Xiao, I have already kept you here long enough. The ongoing situation in Sumeru requires that you...
-I am not going anywhere, Yánwáng Dìjūn. Not until I am assured you took my words to heart and do not plan to do anything stupid, again. -Xiao interrupted him, looking and sounding dead serious, as he soon crossed his arms. -Whatever you want to talk about, I wish to be a part of the discussion.
He added with a small glare sent towards the other,
One which didn't go unnoticed by everyone around them...
*As they couldn't help but wonder what the switch in the two's dynamic was...
After giving the children presents,
They all left to get "late" breakfast...
*Technically lunch, but it was his first meal for the day...
...
The children soon left to play,
With his reassurance of joining them later...
...
...
No, this start is kind of lame, isn't it...?
*But he couldn't really make a different one, even if he tried...
...
"Thank you for the presents, Papa! Lily is glad I tried to be just like you!"
"Venti, Venti, while you were in Liyue, we asked the grown-ups to teach us how to either sing or play an instrument!"
"Trying to play the Lyre was harder than I thought, Father, but I am not going to give up! I will definitely be the first one to...!"
"No, you are not! I am going to be the first one to do it and make Daddy Venti proud!"
"I also tried the Lyre, but singing was also nice. If I sing well, can I join Miss Barbara in...?"
"If anyone is going to join Venti's music group, it's gonna be me!"
...
...
He was still a little embarrassed about what they told him before,
How not only did they want to spend as much time as they could with him...
...
They actually wanted to be more like him, which felt a little surreal,
Especially as for the longest time, people's perception of him wasn't the best...
*It was mostly by the people not native to Mondstadt, yet still...
...
He still remembered what happened during the aristocracy period,
As well as about the situation with Rostam and Rosalyne...
*He was doing much better now, both emotionally and with helping Mondstadt,
So after a while, he seemed to become a role model of sorts for the children...
...
...
...
Instead of feeling surprised and embarrassed about this "turn of events",
Shouldn't he help teach the children all he knows about instrument playing and singing...?
*If he became their teacher, yes, they could even be able to make a whole children's choir...
...
And now that things are mostly peaceful,
He should definitely resume his music lessons to Mondstadt's bards...
*When was the last time he taught them, anyway...? It feels like it was so long ago...
...
...
...
Even with everything that happened lately,
It felt quite peaceful right now...So quiet, too...
*Was it just him or the Winds didn't talk to him in a while...?
...
...
It was weird for them to be quiet for so long, especially to him,
Could they have been planning something, per...?
Creak...
BAAAAM!
-L-Lord Barbatos...W-what was that order? I-I don't understand?! -A red faced Seamus shakily yelled out, as he and Frederica entered the room. -...S-sure, if it's your order, as the Seneschal of the Church of Favonius...I-if you want us to try for a baby...I-I will have to…! -At these words, his face got even redder. -F-Frederica is a knight and still in good shape...E-even after having both of our daughters and we separated…! A-and I still have enough stamina from my days as an adventurer...A-and even if I don't, after settling in and becoming a Seneschal…I-I promise to train and get into shape…! A-and Mondstadt has enough people to help during labor...S-so that the baby arrives safely and the mother survives…! B-but Frederica and I, having another baby now...W-we can try, as is your order, but seeing her in that "outfit" was already…!
-We can try for a baby, but it would certainly be a process. -Frederica added, looking and sounding a little amused by her (former) husband's small panic attack. -But Lord..."Venti", you rarely use your Archon authority to order people. Why do this now and for such an unusual reason...?
She asked soon enough, as her expression shifted to a more serious one,
During which Seamus finally calmed down somewhat, as both of them were now waiting for the Archon's answer...
...
One which wasn't coming for quite a while,
As Venti was currently having a small "discussion" with the Winds,
The little menaces being the true culprits for this misunderstanding...
...
"But Barbatooos! You "said" yourself you wouldn't have minded for Deaconess Barbara and Dandelion Knight Jean to have an adorable sibling! We were just helping make your wish a realityyyyy!", the Winds were trying to make excuses, sounding quite sheepish and a little scared, "S-so we told Seneschal Seamus and Alder Knight Frederica about your thoughts on the matter and that you really really want them to make...!"
Creeeeeeeeeak
The door slowly opened,
Revealing both Barbara and Jean standing there,
Both of them appearing to be quite embarrassed and shocked…
...
It looked like they heard some of the talk, if not all of it...
...
...
Venti already started thinking how he was going to punish the Winds for this,
After he takes care of this whole misunderstanding, that is...
...
Which is bound to take some time...
-After getting the results of our latest experiment, it appears that the Crystaltear's power combination is way different than that of a Sigil of Permission. More than 70% of it consists of Anemo power, while nearly 30% is the remaining Time power. -Emilia couldn't help but say in dead seriousness, as she was currently reading from the result chart, before her expression turned thoughtful. -...In hindsight, even if the Crystaltears would surely be less effective in extending Collei's life, it is still the safer option. Not only should they be easier to "harvest" by asking the Archon for more, since they are basically tears, their use would not attract THEIR attention. Still, there is something that I can not help but wonder about...-She paused in her words, her expression soon turning a little confused. -...Is it possible for us to extract the Time power from the Crystaltears in order to use it more efficiently...? Surely, the Crystaltears should be strong enough to persist this kind of experiment.
"If this plan succeeds, we should be able to use the Crystaltears' power more efficiently for both the items' enhancements and Collei's treatment.", was left unsaid,
Though it need not be, as Albedo was also already wondering if this kind of method was possible, which did sound like an effective one...
...
And yet...
-Since it would be an entirely new method, we would need to run multiple tests in order to perfect it. -He finally answered, looking and sounding very serious, before sighing. -Tests that would surely take a lot of time. Time that we do not have, as Collei's life is rapidly dwindling away.
-...So it might be best to use the Crystaltears as they are and ask Venti for more when needed. -The Alchemist added in both seriousness and thought, as she soon mirrored her twin's currently grave expression, before sighing too. -...The only thing we can do now is to find a way to best administer the Crystalters' power into Collei's body. At the moment, the best way to do so seems to be via ingestion. Yet, seeing as Collei's body is that of a human, we have to make sure this method is safe, taking the necessary precautions.
-Thankfully, we already have found ideas of what those necessary precautions should be. All we need to do now is to run some more calculations, in order to find the best way to implement them. -The Chief Alchemist added in reassurance, which his twin mirrored, before his expression turned serious and thoughtful once again. -We should start by finding the perfect way to make the Crystaltears easier for ingestion. Asking Venti for help might be the best way to do so. For the steady and slow power distribution through the human body, to gradually make both it and Collei's immune system used to the foreign power and accept it as beneficial...
Knock Knock!
Knock Knock Knock!
His words were soon interrupted by a few knocks to the door,
Before there was some uncomfortable silence and a deep sigh was heard through it...
-...C-Chief Alchemist Albedo, Alchemist Emilia, I deeply apologize for interrupting your work, but I was worried...! -The familiar voice of Sucrose soon followed, before there was a small pause once again. -S-sorry for yelling like that. I should enter the room first and then explain myself. -At these words, the door soon opened and Sucrose entered it with a small tray in her hands, one she soon put on a nearby free chair. -I-I brought you two refreshments, since I heard you didn't leave the room at all since yesterday evening. O-or even told me you would be working and on what project and…!
She soon went onto a nervous tale about the matter, which was taking quite a while,
Though it didn't take long for Albedo and Emilia to realize what the issue truly was...
*As each one of them was currently wondering if their theory was truly the case,
And were about to ask the other if they thought the same...
"Chief Alchemist Albedo, Alchemist Emilia, there is no need to ask. Both of you are right in your assumption: Alchemy Assistant Sucrose is indeed feeling both jealous and left out.", the Winds told them both moments later, before there was silence for a few seconds, "During the crisis and even after, when Forest Ranger Trainee Collei got her horrible diagnosis, she wanted to help out so much. But before Alchemist Assistant Sucrose could volunteer her help, you two decided to leave here without any notice, already staying here for more than half a day.", they soon explained, their voice quite serious, "And while Alchemist Assistant Sucrose knows the reason for this decision: Working together in order to search for a way to extend Forest Ranger Trainee Collei's life. As well as the fact that you already made some progress...", there was suddenly a small pause, with a chuckle being heard afterwards, "...She still can't help but miss the teamwork and the attention, wanting to join your "project", yet not being able to ask if she could also join due to what happened before."
They ended the explanation with this, becoming quiet once more,
As the two Alchemists glanced between one another and to the now quiet Sucrose...
*Who looked like she was waiting for something, yet was too nervous to say anything...
...
In truth she was currently feeling ashamed for acting in such an embarrassing manner,
As she first interrupted the two's work, before coming in and starting to mumble all of THAT...
*And there was a chance that the Winds already told Mister Albedo and Miss Emilia everything...
...
...
She was truly glad to see them working together,
They were truly going along with each other so well now...
*They were truly acting like Twins, like a family,
Which might not have been possible a few months ago...
...
Combined with Venti's and Amber's help,
Collei was really in the best hands she could be at the moment...
...
...
Yet, she couldn't help but feel this way,
As if she was completely left behind...
*Why was she acting so emotionally now...?
...
She should be more collected than this...
*Why was she still feeling so jealous...?
…
…
What was she even truly jealous of…?