Ch. 6 – A City Trip
Kaeya wakes up the next day with an objecting whine and pulls the covers back over his face to block out the sunlight. Master Crepus is the one who has woken him today, but he wants nothing more than to just go right back to sleep. He's getting very tired of people waking him up with an onslaught of the morning sun.
Master Crepus shakes his shoulder when he doesn't immediately get up. "Come on, time to wake up," he says.
Kaeya hopes he leaves when there's a few seconds of silence. Maybe Master Crepus would ask him if he feels better, which he does but he doesn't want to get up yet.
His hopes are dashed away when the covers are suddenly pulled off and cool morning air hits him. "Just five more minutes," he sleepily begs. He blindly searches for the covers that were so rudely pulled off and doesn't open his eye even when he hears Master Crepus sigh.
"Five minutes will turn into five hours if I let you," he replies.
Kaeya cracks his eye open and glares at the first thing he sees, which happens to be the pillow he had tried to hide his face in again. Why is he so tired? He went to bed right after taking medicine yesterday afternoon. Had he slept too much?
Master Crepus is still standing next to the bed, patiently waiting for him to move. When Kaeya doesn't stir anymore, he leans down to lift him up under his arms. "We have things to do today, come on."
Kaeya lets out a surprised noise when he's picked up and his feet hit the cold floor. He will try to convince Master Crepus that he most certainly did not squeak from shock sometime later in the day.
The redheaded man doesn't bother hiding his amused smirk when he sets him down. Kaeya glares up at him. "Get ready to get going. We'll be leaving after breakfast."
"Where are we going?" he asks as he walks to the door. He yawns and rubs his eye, wanting nothing more than to curl back into bed with every blanket wrapped around him.
"To the city. I have a few things to do at the tavern, and I have a meeting before noon."
Excitement flutters and he suddenly finds he's much more awake than a few seconds ago. "Why are you taking me with you? Not that I don't want to go—because I do." He rubs the back of his head. "I'm just curious, I guess."
Master Crepus smiles at him, standing in the doorway. "Because I can tell you're bored. You have been acting a bit strange lately, so I feel like a trip to the city will do some good. Now go get ready and don't forget to brush your teeth."
Kaeya blinks as Master Crepus closes the door behind him. He moves to get ready, but as he pulls his clothes out and sets them on his bed, he loses his smile. He already feels embarrassed to act like a child in front of them, but it's not like anyone knows what happened to him.
He stares at the small clothes. To them, he's just a boy. He's supposed to be childish and play and have too much energy for the adults to keep up with. He's not a knight and he isn't the cavalry captain.
He glances at the door when he hears Master Crepus calling for him to hurry up. He grumbles under his breath as he moves to obey. By the time he's downstairs, he sees Elzer heading outside and Adeline sets a bowl of fruit in front of him once he's sat at the table. "Where's Elzer going?" he asks her curiously.
"I presume he's getting the carriage ready to go," she replies.
He should have expected it. Elzer has always gone to the city with Master Crepus for work-related reasons. "Oh. Are you coming too, Addie?"
"Not this time as I have things to do here." She pats his shoulder comfortingly. "You'll be fine, young master. Master Crepus and Elzer will be there with you the whole time."
He starts eating and watches her head off to start her normal morning duties. As a child, Kaeya hadn't particularly enjoyed going to the city. There were too many people all in one place and easily overwhelmed him, so he only ever went if Diluc had come along, too.
He hopes Master Crepus doesn't find his eagerness to leave the winery suspicious. Although, the man seems to be eager to bring him along as proven when he briefly steps inside. Kaeya abandons the last of his breakfast to rush to his side and follow him out the door.
The ride to Mondstadt is uneventful, but Kaeya isn't bored in the least. He fills the silence with questions like when will they pick Diluc up, what they're having for lunch, and what he needs to do in the city. The rest of the time, he simply stares outside, watching the trees pass by them until the city eventually comes into view. As soon as the large lake comes into view, he smiles. It looks the same in the future and the city that lies in the middle has barely changed. The stone walls remain strong, the windmills gracefully moving, and the water is as calm as could be in the land of anemo.
It feels like he hasn't been back in years and he glances at the knights that walk along the road in their patrol and wave as they pass by. He looks up at Master Crepus as he looks outside as well. "It's pretty, isn't it?" he asks.
Kaeya nods. "Yes, it is," he replies.
The vintner turns his attention back to him. "I have some things to do at the tavern and Elzer is running some errands for me. You're more than welcome to stay with me or go with him, and then after I'm done, we'll have some lunch with Diluc and we'll all head home from there."
He pauses. He'd like to stay at the tavern, but he doesn't know if he will get another chance to wander the city without Diluc by his side. As much as he enjoys the other boy's company, he isn't the stealthiest at this age. He needs to rifle through Eroch's office, find any and all evidence of his deals with the Fatui. He can't do that if Diluc talks the entire time and risks getting them caught. He turns away from the view to glance at Master Crepus. "Can I go to the library?" he asks. "I promise I'll be quiet."
"The library? I don't see why not, but Elzer will need to stay with you."
"Wouldn't it be counterproductive if he stays with me? You'll work at the tavern, he'll do his errands, and I get to read a bunch of books."
Master Crepus raises a brow. "Why are you so eager to go to the library so early today?"
"Ah… I've read all the books at home, and I'd like to get more." It's not a lie, and maybe he can bring a few extra books along with him back to the manor.
The man doesn't look surprised. "You do enjoy reading, don't you?"
Kaeya nods.
"I suppose you can go to the library. However, I still want Elzer to stay with you."
He doesn't voice his disappointment. He doesn't want or need a babysitter, especially one like Elzer. The butler would never take his eyes off him and he would follow him around and cling to him like a shadow. He'd never get a chance to do his investigation. He needs to somehow convince Elzer that he will be fine at the library alone.
Hopefully, the ever-loyal Elzer will leave him be for at least a few minutes.
"It will bring me peace of mind if you have someone with you."
He looks at Master Crepus with surprise. When he sees the worried look on his face, he feels immediately guilty. He's supposed to be a child and in this life, he has already been attacked and injured by a monster. Suddenly, he understands where Master Crepus is coming from. It's no wonder he wouldn't want him wandering around a strange city alone.
"…Okay," he says. He feels guilty knowing he plans to ditch Elzer, but he can't have Master Crepus get his hands on a delusion. He'll take any punishment if it means it'll save him.
Master Crepus looks relieved. "Thank you, Kaeya."
Kaeya looks outside again as they reach the bridge. The guards at the entrance are obviously different knights than he's used to, but the posts are still the same and just like the knights they passed earlier, they also wave as they enter the city. When he looks up near the top of the wall, the unmanned posts have knights patrolling them.
He smiles at the nostalgia. He's missed seeing the city, as busy as it is. Mondstadt has always had bustling mornings full of people running their daily errands yet he's grateful that Angel's Share isn't as busy as it is at night. The carriage stops beside the tavern and he steps out of the carriage with a stretch.
Master Crepus steps out after him and leads him and Elzer inside. "Good morning, Charles," Master Crepus greets.
Kaeya looks at the bar. Charles is standing behind the counter cleaning some mugs, but the wrinkles he has grown used to seeing aren't as prominent, and his hair isn't as long. Charles smiles back at Master Crepus. "Good morning, Master Ragnvindr," he replies. "Everything is ready for you in the back." He looks down when he finally spots Kaeya. "You must be Kaeya. Master Diluc has told me all about you. He seemed very upset you didn't come with him to town last time."
Master Crepus laughs. "Kaeya has been bored recently, and we'll go see Diluc after I'm done with everything." He looks at Elzer. "I'll be right back." He walks behind the bar and disappears into the back room in a few short strides.
Kaeya looks around the tavern as Charles and Elzer talk while they wait for Master Crepus to return. The tavern's interior has hardly changed, although a few decorations look much newer and the tables are not as worn down. The few patrons that are there are just as loud as ever, and Kaeya snorts. One of them he recognizes as a treasure hoarder he arrested when he was a captain a few months prior, but he won't say anything about his affiliations to anyone. Not yet, anyway.
If he wants to be on neutral terms with the hoarders, then he'll need someone on the inside in the future. This one in particular had always been a good source of information, however after one too many attacks on civilians, he couldn't protect him from the law anymore. He looks away before the man notices him staring.
Master Crepus returns almost as quickly as he'd left and hands a thin folder to Elzer. "I'll meet up with you later, we'll leave town after lunch."
"Of course, Master Ragnvindr," Elzer replies.
They both look at Kaeya. "Do you still want to go with Elzer?"
He nods.
"Very well. Make sure he doesn't run off and get into any trouble. I'll be here if you need anything. Kaeya, behave and listen to Elzer."
"I will," he replies.
"Come along, young master," Elzer says to Kaeya. He opens the door and holds it for him to dash through. "We'll get this done and then head to the library."
Kaeya obediently follows the butler and looks around as they reach the main street. It feels much busier in person than from the carriage even though he knows hardly anything has changed in the past few minutes since they arrived. It's loud, and had he still been a child, he would have turned and run straight back to the tavern.
He avoids running into people and huffs as he has to nearly jog to keep up with Elzer's quick pace. It's another reason to add to his list of why he hates being a child again. Fortunately, Elzer slows down as they get close to the general goods stall.
Once they stop and wait in the short line, he glances at the folder that the man opens. He needs to find a way to ditch Elzer, but when he asks if he can go to the library alone, he's instantly denied and told to stay close.
He scowls and looks around. He can see the Knights of Favonius headquarters from here, and with whatever else Master Crepus assigned Elzer to do this morning, he's positive they would be running around too long for him to actually get anything done before they needed to leave. It's also likely that Elzer won't have the patience to stay for too long.
He sees children running around screeching at the top of their lungs as they play near the fountain and then looks back up at Elzer. "Mondstadt is really, really safe," he says.
"I have already said no, Master Kaeya." Elzer looks at him with a disapproving look. "Why are you insisting to go to the library right now?"
"They don't have adults with them." He points at the playing children. "Besides, I know where the library is. I can go there and wait for you to get done."
He raises a brow. "How do you know where the library is? I thought you'd only been to the city once before."
Kaeya points to the building above them past the stairs to prove he knows where the library is. Its tower and flat roof are distinguishable amongst the colorful roofs of the city, and he doesn't hide his smirk when Elzer's gaze follows his finger. "It's in there, the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Diluc told me so."
"I guess you do know where it is." He looks at the older woman in front of them. "However, you still shouldn't be going off alone."
"Please, Elzer?"
Elzer doesn't say anything and Kaeya tries not to groan in his frustration.
Ugh, come on, he thinks. He tries a different approach. "You and Addie and Master Crepus let Diluc run around by himself all over the place. How come I can't?"
"Because Master Diluc is older than you are."
"He's barely older than me, that doesn't make any sense." He motions to the children again. "They're smaller than me! How come they can play without anyone babysitting them?"
"Because their parents are likely nearby or they are irresponsible." He looks at a rather long list that sits in the folder. "I will get this done as fast as possible and then we can go to the library just like we planned."
Kaeya huffs again. "I would only slow you down with all those errands Master Crepus gave you." He nods to the list he's going over. "That looks like a lot of stuff to do and I'd get super tired and start complaining and I know how much you don't like it when we complain."
Elzer's long sigh makes him grin. Finally, he's starting to crack. "Master Kaeya, please don't start this."
He gives him his best puppy eye look and asks again, "Please, Elzer?"
He pinches the bridge of his nose with two fingers and a loud groan.
"I promise I won't leave the building!"
He looks down at him and takes a deep breath through his nostrils as he looks at the list. He shifts his weight as he turns to face him. "All right, all right, fine. But you're to stay at the library and that's it. If I hear you're running around the city, I will drag you to Angel's Share by the ear and you're answering to Master Crepus."
Kaeya internally cheers. "I will!" He turns around and starts running towards the stairs, barely hearing Elzer telling him to be careful when he almost runs into a woman's legs. He can feel his eyes follow him and once he reaches the final step, he looks back at the general goods store. Elzer is at last preoccupied with the lady behind the counter and he sighs in relief.
Finally, he's alone. He starts making his way to the headquarters, knowing that Elzer will likely hurry through his errands since he doesn't want to get caught without Kaeya around. He also knows that most of the higher-ranked officers are in meetings around this time.
It's the perfect time to sneak into Eroch's office, gather what evidence he can, and leave. In and out, that's all he's going to do. He'll be waiting in the library reading a random book until Elzer gets back and no one will be the wiser. Of course, he has to worry about the other knights guarding the building but he's not worried about them stopping him.
As he reaches the building a short walk later, he sees a single guard that spots him immediately. "Hey, kid, what are you doing here?" he asks as he approaches. He then looks around. "Where are your parents?"
"They let me come to visit the library until they're done running some errands," he easily answers.
"A studious one, aren't you?" He chuckles. "Go on in. Just remember to be quiet when you're in the library."
"I will!" He pushes the door open and lets it close behind him as he walks inside. He glanced at a door with a slight frown. He doesn't know who the cavalry captain is right now, but the door is closed and there isn't any light coming from underneath it.
Seeing his would-be office makes him miss being a knight. He half expects Klee to run through the front doors and drag him outside to visit Albedo at the alchemy station or Jean to come down the stairs to reprimand him for skipping his paperwork again. He quickly looks away and starts walking to the library doors when a knight walks by and gives him a strange look.
Kaeya moves as though he's going to open the door but once the knight leaves and he's alone in the hallway, he rushes to a closed door near the staircase. He opens it quickly when he hears footsteps on the staircase and rushes inside. He closes it as quietly as he can and holds his breath as the footsteps get closer. Thankfully, they keep going and fade away down the hall.
He lets out the breath and turns around to face the office. He's glad the window allows enough sunlight inside to allow him to move around without having to light a candle. However, being inside the office makes him frown again. In the future, all traces of Eroch has been wiped and it becomes the solitary confinement room.
He peers at the desktop but turns away from it. The desk in the middle is clean, the pen and quill set next to the ink bottle and papers neatly stacked beside them on the corner but the files he sees in the bookcase in the corner of the room catch his attention. He pulls out a few files, but they are just completed cases, mostly low-grade crimes and various hilichurl camp sightings.
He puts them away with a disappointed sigh and freezes again when there are more footsteps that approach and keep going. He needs to hurry, it's only a matter of time before someone opens the door. He can't keep pausing every time he hears a noise from the opposite side of the door.
He works fast, going through the drawers of the cabinets but he has to pull the chair from behind the desk out to even hope of reaching the top shelves. After struggling to pull out a book, he scowls at it. It's a simple book that lists all of Mondstadt merchants that have permanent stores inside the city, even Master Crepus is in here.
This is normal information, but he pauses before he puts it back. Why would Inspector Eroch have a book like this? Wouldn't something like this be in a financial officer's possession? He slowly puts the book back and climbs back down.
If he were Eroch, where would he hide any Fatui intel? There isn't a safe in here, and he couldn't find any locked drawers. He glances at the desk. He opens the single drawer again, watching as some pens roll to the front and bounce off of the edge.
He pushes them to the side and pulls out a small pin-like object that slides into view from the back. He flips it around in his hand and quickly realizes that it's a key to something small. He glances at the filing cabinet next to the bookcase. Small… like a false bottom of a drawer.
At the very least, it's worth a look. He quickly goes to it and shoves the files piled inside to the back. The first drawer shows nothing but once he opens the second drawer, he grins. A tiny hole rests in the bottom corner, easily missed if anyone wasn't looking for it. Using the little key, he presses down and it lets out a soft click.
"What are we hiding in here?" he mutters to himself as he lifts it and reaches down. A thin folder is resting there and he pulls it and the key out before closing the drawer again. Kaeya sets the key onto the cabinet and opens it with a grin. Bingo.
He knows these names listed on the piece of paper. He's studied all kinds of cases as a knight, and all of these names he recognizes as missing persons cases, but he freezes when he sees his own name written down at the bottom.
That… has never been there, especially Kaeya Alberich. How would Eroch know what his last name is? The Fatui should have no idea who he is, either. The only person he's told his last name is Master Crepus, and he highly doubts the winemaker would let loose that information.
He flips to another paper, and he scowls instantly. The Goth Grand Hotel's information is next, and a large sum of mora at the bottom makes his eye widen with astonishment. "How many zeros is that?" he wonders out loud. But the name of the person who paid that much at the bottom…
He knows the name of the ninth harbinger, Regrator. He curses quietly. The Fatui are already starting to infiltrate Mondstadt. He's too late. He takes the first two papers and puts them into his pocket and goes through the rest of the small folder. Not much else is inside of it, and he quickly puts it back underneath the drawer and locks it back up.
He's careful to put the key back into the desk and makes sure everything is the same as when he got in, sans two papers, and nods to himself. Mission successful. He has what he needs and heads for the door.
He reaches for the handle but it opens wide before he can touch it. His heart skips a beat when he sees Inspector Eroch and the man looks just as surprised to see him. A smile forms on Eroch's face, a fake one that makes Kaeya gulp. "Good morning, Kaeya."
Shit. "Hello."
His eyes scan through his office and Kaeya feels his stomach drop. He hadn't expected him to come in already. Double shit. The inspector looks back down at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for the library," he lies. "I just got lost."
He hums. "This place is awfully large, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is… um, but I should probably go. Elzer's waiting for me."
He shifts uneasily on his feet when Eroch doesn't step aside and rubs his chin. "Elzer… Ah, yes, that's Master Ragnvindr's butler, correct?"
He nods, getting more and more anxious the longer Eroch stands there. "I said I'd meet him back in the library when he comes to get me."
He doesn't like the way his beady eyes look at him. Why is he making him feel so uneasy? "Why don't we wait for him here? I wouldn't want you to be alone. It would make me feel better if you have an adult with you."
As Diluc would say, he would rather be crushed to death by a meteorite than be anywhere near Eroch. "No, that's okay. I can wait for him in the library."
He stands there for a few seconds more until at last, he steps aside and gives him enough space for him to hurry by. Before he can get too far, Eroch puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Kaeya stiffens immediately at his touch and looks up.
Eroch is staring at him, a deep frown etched on his face. "And you really just got lost? I wouldn't want anything to happen to you if you saw anything in here."
He knows an underlying threat when he hears one. He frowns and immediately shakes his head. "I really thought this would be the library. I was only in here for a few seconds and was about to leave when you came."
"Kaeya!" They both look at the front door and Kaeya feels Eroch's hand drop from his shoulder quickly. He relaxes even as Elzer narrows his eyes at him and rushes to his side. "I'm sorry if he's bothering you, Sir Eroch," he says and bows his head apologetically. "I told him to stay in the library until I got here."
"Ah, it's no problem." Eroch's tone is much lighter, and he smiles at the butler. "I saw him when I passed by and I simply pulled him aside to speak with him." Kaeya glances at him and he returns the look. "I was worried about him being alone, but he's a good kid."
His eyebrows twitch as he struggles not to glare. Why is Eroch lying? He forces a smile to convince only Elzer. "We had a nice chat, Elzer."
"Oh, good. Come, young master. Did you want to check out a book?" He turns around, leading Kaeya away from Eroch and the office.
"No, it's okay. I've read all those books in the library."
"Every single one? I somehow doubt that." He opens the front door and Kaeya glances behind them. Eroch is still watching them and when he notices Kaeya's look, he smiles one last time and turns to walk into his office.
The doors to the headquarters close behind them and Elzer takes Kaeya's hand as they walk away with the excuse that it would be easy to get lost.
If he's holding onto Kaeya's hand as they walk to Angel's Share a bit too tight, neither of them mentions it.