Ch. 4 –Home Visit
The stars shine above the winery, twinkling brightly amongst the dark sky. The moon provides little light, but it's enough for Kaeya to see where he's going. He jumps over the short stone wall around the manor easily and sneaks through the grapevines, taking a quick glance behind him. The windows are still dark. If anyone is still awake, they haven't noticed him leave.
He had tried to go to sleep, honestly, but for the life of him, he simply couldn't. He had debated sneaking through Master Crepus' office first to find evidence of any Fatui deals or messages. His office is much closer than the lake, but Kaeya knows that by tomorrow, any tracks would be gone.
He would very much like to figure out why and how he is in the past. What better place to start than the location of the attack?
He'd pretended to be asleep when Master Crepus came by to check on him about two hours after he had finished dinner and when he was sure the master of the house had gone to bed, Kaeya snuck out the front door.
He jogs as silently as he can to hurry through the field toward the waterfront. He just wants to see if there's any evidence left behind. Part of him doubts there's anything at all. Either the knights have already cleaned the area or there's nothing to even investigate.
He's careful not to wake the slimes that are sleeping between some trees as he passes them. He can easily fight them off with the kitchen knife he has tucked in his boot, but it's the noise that would attract someone from the manor to come out running. He doesn't want to get caught by Adeline, Elzer, or worse, Master Crepus. He shudders to think what they would do if they find out he is sneaking around.
Once he's far enough away from the slimes, he picks his pace up again and stops near the waterfront. It's quiet, save for the cold water gently lapping against the rocky shore. The little lake is crystal clear and Kaeya can see every little star on the water's surface but he turns away from it to begin searching.
A quick glance around and nothing immediately grabs his attention. Trees are still standing strong, bushes that lay on the ground look undisturbed, and the only footprints he can immediately see in the dirt are his own. It's difficult to see anything when it's this dark out.
He walks away from the shore, his eye still scanning the immediate area. Finally, something catches his eye, a little ways from the footpath to the lake. He walks over to a tree and puts his hand against the trunk. There is a slash on the bark, likely from a heavy sword or an axe and some of it is on the ground.
Next to the fallen bark is a piece of torn cloth. He can't tell what color it is in the dark, but he knows it's likely white or silver. He takes it and puts it into his pocket, deciding that he could look at it at a later time. He frowns at the mess of footprints embedded in the soft dirt. Some are the same but different sizes, and he can safely assume those are the footprints of the knights that fought off the monster.
Another two sets are much smaller than the rest and there's a burnt spot on the ground in front of them. This must have been where Diluc got his vision. The set that interests him the most, however, are the heavy-looking prints that stand in front of the burn mark. They're pointed at the tips and extremely close to the smallest set of prints of the entire group.
He looks down at his own feet. Those are his prints. He wishes he had even a shred of memory about the attack, but no matter how much he tries, the last thing he remembers is seeing Diluc and then… he woke up to Adeline opening the curtains. He feels like he had woken up earlier, but he isn't sure. Maybe he could ask someone about it later.
He glances at the footprints again and scans the area one last time. Without the ability to use his elemental sight, he can't tell if there are any other tracks he can follow. He bites back a curse. He hoped there could be more he could see, but the small piece of cloth is enough for now. With nothing else of note, he turns around, careful not to disturb the prints, and makes his way back to the manor before he is caught sneaking around.
Had he looked a bit further between the trees and past the sleeping slimes, maybe he would have seen a pair of eyes watching him leave.
-x-
Kaeya wakes up to someone lightly shaking his shoulder. He doesn't want to open his eyes and tries to bury his face into the soft pillows. "It's time to wake up, young master," Adeline's voice says.
He cracks his eye open slowly and blinks the sleep out of it. Adeline steps away and he isn't prepared for her to suddenly open the curtains wide. He groans loudly when the bright morning sunlight hits his face. "Addie," he whines. "It's too early."
"It is eight in the morning, Master Kaeya. It is hardly early."
Kaeya scowls. Despite the fact that he stayed up too late last night and that he's usually in his office by this time, it is still too early. He forces himself to sit up anyway and rubs his eye with the back of his hand.
Adeline helps him out of bed and tells him to get dressed into something presentable for their guests that will arrive today. He watches her leave the room to wake Diluc next. When the door closes, he lets out a long sigh.
He needs a drink. Preferably a strong sparkling wine he can get at a tavern. A pity he's in a body too young to be served alcohol. Maybe Master Crepus would let him at least have some coffee.
He gets dressed and steps out into the hall. He turns his head and blinks as he watches Diluc slink out of his room, clearly still half asleep. "Morning, Kae," he mumbles. His hair is everywhere and wild, and it's more than likely that Adeline will need to help brush his hair out. "I had a weird dream last night."
"What kind of weird dream?" he asks, heading for the bathroom to brush his teeth. He doesn't know which toothbrush is his, so he waits for Diluc to grab his first and then takes the other one.
Diluc mumbles as he brushes his teeth slowly, "It wasn't that weird, I guess." He spits out the paste and water into the sink. "We were fighting monsters together and you had a sword!" He mimics what he had seen in his dream by sticking his arm out in front of him. "And there was some blue stuff coming out of it!"
He pauses his scrubbing to look at him with a wide eye. Diluc's crude stance is so familiar. Kaeya has always used a more polished version of that same stance whenever he used Frostgnaw. "Blue stuff? Was it cryo?"
"I think so. And then I would come in and burn them!" He looks excited and he turns around to look at him. "We would be the best duo ever! No one could stop us!" He lets out a boisterous laugh.
Kaeya turns away to set his toothbrush back. "Yeah… we would be a good duo, wouldn't we?"
"That's enough playing in the bathroom." They both look at the door as Adeline steps into their view. "Breakfast is ready, young masters."
"We weren't playing," Kaeya answers. He doesn't play. Spending time with Klee doesn't count. The little arsonist plays with Dodoco half the time and tinkers with her bombs the other half. Kaeya just spends his time keeping her out of trouble, sometimes unsuccessfully.
"Yeah, I was just telling Kae what I saw in my dream!" Diluc adds.
"That's very nice, Master Diluc."
Diluc grins, mischief clear in his eyes. "Are you tired, Addie? You sound super tired. I think you need a vacation."
Adeline sighs and Kaeya felt it deep in his own chest. She really does sound tired, and he's sure it's because she had a long day yesterday and probably didn't get much sleep last night. After all, dealing with children can be exhausting, especially ones that have been ill. "Someone has to look out for you two when Master Crepus is busy."
"Come now, Diluc, she's worked hard making breakfast, and I'm famished," Kaeya says before Diluc can open his mouth again and say anything smart to Adeline. "We can play after breakfast."
Diluc stares at him for a moment before he suddenly points an accusing finger in his face. "See, Addie! See?! He's acting and saying weird stuff!"
Kaeya pushes his hand away and hears Adeline sigh again. He winces internally, knowing that he screwed up again. Pretending to be young again is harder than it sounds. "No, I'm not!"
Diluc immediately glowers at him. "Yes, you are!"
"No, I'm not!" He just needs to convince them that he's just a normal eight-year-old kid that is just hungry and needs breakfast.
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Young masters, please. That's enough. Come along, now." Adeline turns and leads the way downstairs.
Kaeya tries not to send Diluc a smug look. He really does. He knows he still has to somehow convince him that he's normal. Younger sibling instinct wins over. "I win," he whispers to Diluc. He sticks his tongue out at him in victory.
Diluc immediately scowls and lunges with his arms outstretched toward him. Kaeya dances away before he can grab him and the two sprint around Adeline's legs to avoid tripping her as they run down the stairs.
Before they reach the last step, Master Crepus steps out of his office and stops them immediately when he says in a firm voice, "Boys, I'm sure you're both very excited about having guests come over, but that does not mean you can run inside the house."
"Sorry, Master Crepus," Kaeya immediately apologizes.
"I'm sorry, Father," Diluc also says. His meek apology is immediately followed up with an excited, "So when are they going to be here? Soon?"
"Master Varka and Inspector Eroch will be here sometime after breakfast."
Kaeya looks up at Diluc as the older boy finishes descending the stairs. "You're going to like Master Varka," he tells him.
"You think so?" Kaeya chuckles quietly. Of course he knows Grand Master Varka well. He has always been a strict man that has a heart of gold. He is still bitter about him taking his entire cavalry, though. He doesn't think he needed to take as many knights as he did on his expedition. He loses his smile easily when he thinks of the other guest coming with him. "Have you met Inspector Eroch before?"
Diluc nods. "Only once when Master Varka had to do something instead of training a long time ago."
"But you've only been training for two weeks," Kaeya tells him.
"Two weeks is a long time."
Kaeya rolls his eye. Two weeks of training is better than nothing, but it is still nothing compared to all the years of experience he has in his memories. "What is he like?"
"He's nice enough. Not as strict as Master Varka, but I don't think he liked training me very much."
"Why not?"
He shrugs. "Maybe he doesn't like kids? I don't know."
Breakfast goes by too quickly for Kaeya's taste and he nervously sits on the couch with a book about Mondstadt's history that he hardly touches in his hands. He contemplates grabbing another book from the shelf nearby. He's read the history books countless times before, maybe there is something different that he's long forgotten that can distract his anxious thoughts.
He looks up as Diluc approaches and then plops onto the couch next to him. He takes a quick glance at the book and says, "That book is boring, why are you reading it?"
Kaeya turns the page, not looking up from it. "Distracting myself," he admits.
Diluc lets out a little oh and leans forward a bit. "Do you want to go outside? Fresh air might help you relax."
He is grateful Diluc has always been rather perceptive about how he's feelings. When they were younger, he'd always tried to make Kaeya feel better when he was nervous—which was most of the time for a foreign child. It definitely helped forge their seemingly unbreakable bond, and they always did everything together.
Kaeya immediately snaps the book shut to get out of his memories and gets up to his feet. Anything to get his mind off of the impending visit. "Adeline would kill us if we get our clothes dirty before the guests get here."
There's a brief pause between them and then mischief flashes in Diluc's eyes. "Do you want to annoy Elzer?"
Kaeya prides himself to be a full-grown and mature twenty-two-year-old man that works hard to keep Mondstadt safe through… well, various means that Jean nor the other higher-ups need to know about. Annoying Elzer? The suggestion has both of them running out the door to search for the poor butler.
They find the silver-haired man speaking with a much younger-looking Ernest a little bit past the front door. Ernest sees them first and immediately turns around as if he knows already what the two have planned. "We can discuss the delivery after Master Crepus' meeting," he says before he leaves.
Elzer turns around when the other young man is gone. "Young masters, how may I be of service to you?" he asks politely.
Kaeya watches Ernest disappear towards the cellar as Diluc asks curiously, "What delivery were you talking about?"
"Master Crepus has scheduled a delivery of wine bound for Sumeru next month. We are just ensuring all of the stock will be ready by then."
Kaeya hides his little smile. He remembers how his little fruitless trip to Sumeru went last time and he doesn't want to incur Master Crepus' wrath again. His ear still hurts thinking about it.
"Well, we're not here because of that!" Diluc exclaims. "We're here because we're bored!"
Elzer's green eyes narrow suspiciously. "You came to me because your little antics involve me again," he accuses.
The redhead lets out a loud groan and dramatically falls into him. Elzer doesn't make a move to catch him and raises a brow as Diluc looks up at him. "We can go on an adventure to the lake together!"
The butler sighs. "So you can push me into the water?"
"No," Diluc quickly answers. "I would never push you into the water."
"I would," Kaeya admits. Diluc hides a giggle behind his hands.
Elzer scowls at him. "At least someone is honest."
"Come on, please, Elzer? Who knows when Master Varka will get here, anyway."
He looks past them and nods in the direction of the road. "I'd say in five seconds."
Both boys instantly turn around and Kaeya's nervousness spikes again as he sees the two knights dismounting their horses in front of the stairs. Grand Master Varka is taller than he remembers, but it's likely because he's so small now. His thick beard is neatly trimmed and his armor glints in the morning sunlight. Kaeya feels almost sorry for the horse he's riding—he is nearly as large as the poor mare. But he's not why Kaeya's back stiffens like a baseboard.
It's the man that is dismounting the horse beside Master Varka. Unlike the Grand Master, he is clean-shaven and donning the same short hair he unfortunately remembers. He also wears the Knights of Favonius armor, its bright golden emblem shining in the breastplate he is wearing. He doesn't like seeing Eroch donning the traditional armor, especially knowing how little he truly cares for Mondstadt. It feels… wrong.
He doesn't bother hiding his disdain for the man and glares at him as they are greeted by Adeline and Master Crepus. If Eroch notices, he doesn't seem to care enough to say anything about it.
A stable hand comes to take their horses and put them into the stable nearby as Master Crepus steps outside with Adeline right behind him. "Good morning, Grand Master Varka! Inspector Eroch!" he greets.
"Please, just Varka is fine, Master Ragnvindr," Master Varka replies. He turns his gaze to Diluc and Kaeya as they are ushered over by Elzer. "Good morning, Diluc! And you must be the mysterious Kaeya I've heard all about." He sticks his hand out for him to shake. "I am Grand Master Varka of the Knights of Favonius."
Kaeya looks up at him and shakes the offered hand. His hand is entirely engulfed in the man's much larger palm. "Hello, Master Varka," he greets.
"Diluc, you remember Inspector Eroch, yes?"
Diluc nods. "I do. Hello, Inspector Eroch," he says.
Eroch merely nods at him and then looks at Kaeya. "So, you are Master Ragnvindr's new ward?" he asks. He looks at his arms and then his eyes make their way to his face. "Are you one of the desert folk from Sumeru? How did you get all the way here to Mondstadt?"
Kaeya's covered eye twitches. He's already getting angry he even has to face Eroch again, he doesn't want to go through any kind of introduction with him. He doesn't like the way Eroch's eyes are lingering on his eye.
"It doesn't matter where he's from, he lives here with us now," Master Crepus thankfully interjects. Kaeya can't thank him enough for it and he relaxes a little. "Come inside and we can get out of this morning chill. Adeline, can you brew some tea or coffee for us?"
"Of course, Master Crepus," she says and turns to head back inside and get started.
Kaeya and Diluc stick close to Master Crepus' side. Kaeya refuses to look back at Master Varka or Eroch. He just wants to get this questioning done and retreat to his room and hide until they're gone. He takes a quick glance at Diluc, then away when he notices the other boy is looking at him.
They're led to the sitting room and Master Crepus sits beside Diluc and Kaeya on the same couch Diluc had dragged Kaeya off earlier. Beyond the little mahogany coffee table is another couch that Master Varka and Eroch sit in, their heavy armor clinking and somehow not tearing the delicate cloth.
Eroch glances at the table, seeing the book Kaeya had set down earlier. "How are you liking Mondstadt so far, Kaeya?" he asks.
"It's nice," he replies meekly. A child, I have to play as child, he thinks.
Diluc looks between them and then asks the two knights, "So are you going to ask us those questions yet? Master Varka and I need to get to training sometime today."
Kaeya has never been grateful for Diluc's bluntness at this age. He too would like to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"Don't be rude, Diluc," Master Crepus scolds.
Master Varka laughs, the noise coming from the belly. "So eager to go train! I wish all trainees were like you, little Diluc!"
Adeline comes back holding a tray with three ornate teacups full of tea on top. She sets one in front of each of the adults and then puts the tray underneath her arms. "Would you like anything else, Master Varka? Inspector Eroch?"
"No, thank you, Adeline," Master Varka said.
She glances at Master Crepus and when he shakes his head, she gives a polite bow and turns, closing the door behind her.
"We only have a few questions and after that, you two are free to go," Master Varka tells Kaeya and Diluc. "We only ask that you answer truthfully and if you don't remember certain things, that is okay, too."
"Good, because Kaeya doesn't remember the attack," Diluc says.
Kaeya bites the inside of his cheek. Why did Diluc have to blurt that out first?
Master Varka looks at him curiously. "What is the last thing you do remember?"
He shifts in his seat uncomfortably. He's always disliked being the center of attention, always preferring to work in the shadows and letting others take the credit. He looks down at his knees, mostly to avoid staring straight at Eroch, who sits on the opposite side of him. "Seeing Diluc's face," he says truthfully. "I think he screamed… and then I woke up to Addie opening the curtains."
"What were you two doing before the monster attacked?" Eroch asked.
This time, Diluc answers. "We went to the lake because we wanted to play. I… also wanted to teach Kaeya how to swim," he adds sheepishly. Kaeya wonders if he isn't allowed to go swimming without an adult and that is why Master Crepus narrows his eyes at the older boy.
"You don't know how to swim, Kaeya?"
Kaeya frowns and finally looks up at Eroch and meets his gaze. "I know the basics. However, I've never put it into practice." Even he's not sure if that is the truth. He might not have been able to swim this young, but as an adult, he definitely knows how. Someone has to fish Klee out of the lake when she's fish blasting, after all.
"The knights that fended it off claim it disappeared through a portal. Did it appear through a portal as well?" Eroch continues.
"I'm not sure…" Diluc's brows furrow as he seems to try and recall the attack. "But Kaeya and I were just talking and then there was this really weird noise and it just appeared and tried to hit me. Kaeya pushed me and took the hit instead. I got my vision trying to protect us until the knights got there."
Kaeya frowns a little. Diluc's voice is getting slightly quieter the more he speaks, his posture a little more withdrawn, and his hands are holding the hem of his shirt a little too tight. Kaeya has seen this happen to many other victims of various crimes he's questioned. He can't do much, but he puts a hand on his shoulder and Diluc visibly relaxes.
They ask a couple more questions and while Kaeya answers when he's asked to, he truly can't answer much. Diluc does most of the talking and he does it so confidently, that Kaeya thinks he's completely changed from the nervous boy from before.
Thankfully, the questioning doesn't last very long. Master Varka finishes his tea and sets the teacup down onto the table. "Thank you for answering everything. The monster unfortunately got away, but we'll be able to look out for it now that we've confirmed a few of our suspicions. Do you have everything you need, Inspector?"
Eroch nods. "I do. I assume you're taking Diluc to complete today's training?"
Diluc grins at Master Varka. "Yeah! Where are we going to train today, Master Varka?" he asks enthusiastically.
Master Varka turns his eyes to Master Crepus. "If you don't mind, Master Crepus, we can do our training near the water today. It would save a rather long trip to the training grounds."
"That's fine, yes. I'll let workers know not to bother either of you," Master Crepus says.
Diluc is the first one up and he darts upstairs to get into his training attire while Kaeya stays beside Master Crepus as they wait for him to come back in the entryway. He doesn't take his eye off of Eroch, just waiting for him to try something against Master Crepus, even as unlikely as it is with Master Varka around.
When Diluc comes back down just a couple of minutes later, Master Crepus smiles at the two knights. "Don't hesitate to call for me if you need anything, Varka," he says.
Master Varka chuckles. "Perhaps I'll send Diluc up to get some lunch later, but I expect he'll be tired with the regimen I have planned. Most kids his age start to complain about the training around this time, and I expect young Diluc will be no different," he replies. He then looks down at Kaeya. "Will you be joining the knights as well, Kaeya?"
Kaeya immediately nods. "Yes, as soon as I'm of age, Master Varka," he answers.
"So polite. I expect great things from you, young Kaeya." Master Varka chuckles and looks at Diluc. "Are you ready, Diluc?"
Diluc nods. "Bye, Father! Bye, Kaeya!" he says and chases Master Varka down the footpath to the lake.
Kaeya watches him go, and then up at Master Crepus as the man puts a hand on top of his head. "I'll go send for someone to get your horse ready, Inspector. Kaeya, why don't you wait here with him? I'll be right back," he says. He removes his hand and heads around the side of the manor to search for the stable hand.
Eroch and Kaeya stand in awkward silence. He can hear workers tending to the grapevines, and a bit farther, he assumes someone is rolling a cart towards the cellar. He jumps a little when Eroch coughs to break the silence. "I couldn't help but notice," the Inspector says, "but your eye is very unique."
Kaeya frowns. The man is staring at him, and even though he is standing a bit further than arm's length, Kaeya wants to step even farther back. Preferably with a solid brick wall between them. "I think my eye is normal," he answers.
"Hm. Well, your pupil is a very interesting shape. It's a beautiful color, too."
Alarm bells begin ringing in Kaeya's head. Had Eroch always been this way towards him? He hadn't noticed if he had.
"Since you've decided to become a knight, why don't I be the one to train you? I believe you would do well with the investigation team."
Kaeya stiffens as he reaches out, itching for the ability to summon his sword. He doesn't know what Eroch is doing and he can't exactly fight back if Eroch tries anything—
He jumps when another hand lands on his shoulder and he looks up. Master Crepus gives Eroch a rigid smile and a horse whinnies outside close by. "Your horse is ready, Inspector," he tells him.
"Thank you, Master Ragnvindr." He looks back down at Kaeya and ruffles his hair. Kaeya tries not to flinch away from his touch. "I look forward to seeing you in the knights, young Kaeya."
He doesn't take his eyes off Eroch even as the man steps outside, mounts his horse, and turns it away from the manor. Then he feels a bit more pressure on his shoulder as Master Crepus' grip tightens a little and he looks up at him.
His eye widens when he sees the carefully neutral look on his face. Had Master Crepus always been wary of the former Inspector as well? Is that why Kaeya hardly saw anything of Eroch before Master Crepus died?
After a brief moment of silence, Master Crepus looks down at him. "You look tired, Kaeya," he says.
"…A little bit," he replies with a nod. He isn't.
Only when the door finally closes does Master Crepus drop his hand off of his shoulder. "I do not want you to be alone with the Inspector. If he absolutely needs to speak with you, fetch for me or another adult. Do you understand?"
Kaeya nods again. He remembers a similar warning, years and years ago, just before he started training. "I understand, Master Crepus."
"Good. Now go on up to your room. I'll have Adeline or Elzer get you later for lunch."
Kaeya hurriedly obeys but he pauses at the stairs. He turns to look at him. He feels grateful that he had returned when he had, otherwise who knows what Eroch could have attempted to do. "Master Crepus?"
"Yes, Kaeya?"
"Thank you." He quickly turns back around and runs up the steps to return to his room to thankfully hide for the rest of the day.
He doesn't see the genuine smile that finds its way onto Master Crepus' face.