Ch. 12 – Weinlesefest
It's no secret that the people of Mondstadt love to drink. From breweries and wineries, to taverns and inns, people from all over Teyvat come to visit the land of anemo to show off their brands and drinks. To the people of Mondstadt itself, it's more than just getting blackout drunk for a full week like most of Teyvat believes. It's a week to celebrate the Anemo Archon's return.
Normally, families will brew their homemade wine and seal it only to open it on the final day that they call Windcoming Day. It's no secret that the best wine that is opened comes from Dawn Winery, and on Windcoming Day with a special barrel of wine, they serve it all throughout Mondstadt with the wind on their backs.
Despite how much the people love their wine, Diluc's nose scrunches as he sniffs the cup that Crepus hands him. He tentatively takes a sip and Kaeya laughs at the overreacted gag and the disgusted face he makes. "I thought grapes were supposed to be good!" the redhead complains. "Why is it so gross? And spicy! Stop laughing, Kaeya!"
Crepus chuckles as well and takes the cup back. "I think it's a fine wine," he replies. "You must remember that wine is not grape juice. It's made with grapes, but it uses a different process and has many different flavors."
The little secret lesson Elzer gave them a couple days ago remains fresh in their minds, but neither of them are about to tell him they know. They only share a knowing look and smirk, and Kaeya looks up at their father eagerly. "Can I try some, too?" he asks.
He nods and carefully hands him the cup. "Careful not to spill any."
Kaeya lifts it to his nose and breathes in the drink's aroma. The red wine smells heavy and from the scent alone, he can tell it's a savory wine that is meant to be drunk with meals. Crepus is only letting them try wine today since everyone else at the winery is given a drink and a few days off.
He takes a sip and winces. It's not a bad wine, it's quite good, actually, but his much younger taste buds aren't accustomed to its strong flavor and the spicy aftertaste it leaves in his throat as he swallows. Tears sting his eye as he holds back a cough, hardly acknowledging Diluc's laugh. "I like it," he chokes out.
Crepus doesn't look like he believes him as he takes the cup back. "Are you sure about that? You look like you're in physical pain," he teases.
He nods and then immediately coughs.
He laughs and sets the cup on the counter. "I don't want either of you to be drinking any kind of alcohol without my direct supervision. If I catch either of you drinking at all anywhere, you'll be grounded for an entire year. Weinlesefest is the only time I will let you two try some, got it?"
"I don't think I'll have it ever again," Diluc says. He takes a large drink of water. "It was really gross. Why do adults like that stuff?"
"You'll understand when you get older. Now come on, we'll be late if we dawdle any longer."
He heads out the manor's front door, holding it open to let the two boys rush out in a hurry. While most of the staff is out, the carriage is still ready and instead of Elzer in the driver's seat, a knight is in his place and turns around in his seat when he hears them coming. "Good morning, Master Ragnvindr!" he greets with a slightly awkward salute since one hand is holding the reins. "I am Wyratt; Master Varka sent me to escort you to Springvale."
Ah, Kaeya recognizes him. He looks much younger now and if Kaeya has to guess by the nervous look on his face alone, Wyratt is freshly out of training and on his first solo mission. "Wonderful. Will Master Varka be at the festival?" Crepus asks and ushers Kaeya and Diluc into the carriage.
Wyratt nods. "Yes, sir. He's actually overseeing the knight's booth today."
"Well let's not keep him waiting. Shall we?"
Crepus gets inside the carriage and closes the door, sitting across Diluc and Kaeya. The carriage lurches as it starts to move, and Kaeya looks outside, noticing that there are more people traveling than usual. A few people travel on horseback or wagons, but the ones that travel on foot are mostly adventurers and knights patrolling the area.
Diluc can barely sit still, excitedly jumping in his seat without actually standing up. He gets onto the bench on his knees to look out the little window in the door, eagerly waiting to see how close they are to getting to the little town. Kaeya is tempted to pull him back down, although he doesn't need to when Crepus tells him to sit down while the carriage is moving.
The redhead huffs impatiently and plops back down obediently. "Why does it take so long to get to Springvale?" he complains.
"It doesn't take that long to get there," Kaeya answers for Crepus. "Just be patient, Diluc."
"Aren't you excited, too, Kaeya?"
He's more tired than excited. If he had a choice, he would rather be back in bed fast asleep instead of enjoying the first and busiest day of the festival. "Yes," he lies.
He hums and then looks between him and Crepus. "Do you think Jean and Thoma will be there? I haven't seen Thoma in forever."
Kaeya feels bad for forgetting about Thoma. He left when he was young and because he hardly ever saw him, Kaeya has little to no memories with him. He has never been particularly close with the other boy, but he knows that Diluc was. After Thoma left, Kaeya has no idea if the two were able to keep in contact. Thoma never returned to Mondstadt anyway, nor did his parents, for that matter.
As for Jean, he wouldn't be surprised if Frederica didn't let her come to the festivities. If she is there, she is most likely with the alder knight. Kaeya would like to see their friend, too. For now, he shrugs and leans back in his seat. "I'm not sure, but a lot people will be there. Perhaps Jean and Thoma are among them."
"I hope so."
Diluc fills the silence for the most part, with Crepus and Kaeya adding a few words here and there, although Kaeya mostly stares outside and his tired mind begins to relax the longer he stares off in the distance. He hasn't spoken to Crepus about the Fatui since the ride home a couple of days ago and while it constantly sits in the back of his mind, he can talk about it after the festivities are over.
His adoptive father needs a break; he has been moving nonstop for the past week and hardly had the time to rest for more than a few minutes. Kaeya wonders how he was able to manage Angel's Share and Dawn Winery's day-to-day activities and planning for the festival booth and bar (which is likely set up by now in Springvale) without collapsing from sheer exhaustion.
A rough divot in the dirt road snaps him out of his thoughts and brings him back to attention. They're near Springvale now, Cider Lake is slowly coming into view and in the near distance, the sound of music echoes through the air. Diluc looks outside as well, his red eyes wide with wonder as the town comes into view. "This looks better than last year!" he exclaims.
"You say that every year," Crepus teases.
"Because it's true!"
The carriage comes to a stop and as soon as the door opens, Diluc is the first to jump outside. He turns and looks at them with a look that clearly tells the other two to hurry up. Kaeya is out next, followed by Crepus, and with a quick thank you, Wyratt takes the carriage away to await them when they're ready to head back home.
Diluc hops back and forth in place, clearly ready to go enjoy the festival. "Father, can we go play now?" he asks eagerly.
"Hold your horses, kiddo," Crepus tells him before he can run off. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small pouch. "Don't spend it all in one place and share it with Kaeya. You know where our stall is, right?"
He nods and points to the largest one closest to the stage. "Right there!"
"It's hard not to miss," Kaeya adds.
Crepus nods at both of them, giving them the signal to go ahead. "I'll be there if you need me, and be back by sundown!" he calls as Diluc starts to run off with Kaeya hot on his heels. His sigh is drowned out by the loud chattering from the crowds as the two get closer to the stalls that line the main road in the already tiny town.
Diluc's excitement starts to rub off on Kaeya as they slow down to a more relaxed walking speed. It's been so long since any of them could simply relax and have fun, instead of worrying about patrols, winery deals, or spooky voices. All he needs to worry about for now is staying at Diluc's side and not getting separated.
The redhead stops in the middle of the main street and turns to face Kaeya with a large, toothy smile. "What do you want to do first?" he asks. "This is your first Weinlesefest, since you didn't want to go last year. It's super fun! There's this thing called a fecund blessing—we get a slip of paper and it'll give us a hint where the blessing is found and we just go around looking for the chest! That sounds like fun! Or, we can go find some games that people have set up."
He looks around. He's been to countless festivals like this, although he hardly ever participated in the festive parts since he was too busy being a captain and all… He mentally shakes off those thoughts. Today is a day of fun. He doesn't want nor need any depressing thoughts. "Should we start making the wine for Crepus?" he suggests. "He gave us mora, right? We can use that to find the perfect bottle."
"And then we go find the fecund blessings."
"Then we can go find presents."
Diluc scowls at him. "They aren't presents, Kae. They're blessings!"
"Whatever you say, 'Luc." He smirks as Diluc huffs at him indignantly. "Come on, before all of the merchandise is sold to other people. We probably aren't the only ones looking for an empty wine bottle."
"It can't be just any empty wine bottle. It's going to be the one we make Father wine for!"
"That's what wine bottles are for. You should get a position in the Investigation Team instead of the cavalry. You would shine there."
"Really?"
Right, Diluc doesn't exactly understand his sarcasm yet. "No, 'Luc. It's a joke."
Diluc blinks innocently. "…I don't get it."
Kaeya waves it off, chuckling as he says, "Never mind." He falls in step with him as they walk around, and they are quickly distracted by the games that line the stalls, although Kaeya has to pull Diluc away from the ones that require far more combat experience than he has. He doesn't think Crepus would like it if he went off boar hunting alone.
They explore the various stalls that are set up and browse through the numerous games for a few hours until they get hungry. Kaeya convinces Diluc to go visit Crepus and see how he is faring at the busiest stall of them all, knowing the man must be hungry by now as well.
The tables surrounding the Dawn Winery's stall are fully occupied by smiling, no doubt drunk, customers and behind the bar hard at work is a bartender Kaeya doesn't recognize right away and Crepus right beside him. Once they get close enough, Kaeya realizes that this is a much younger Patton, and it's clear how nervous he is working beside Crepus. It likely hasn't been too long since he shattered a whole crate full of Crepus' most expensive wines; it's too bad he has to work off the entire debt he owes. But he isn't a bartender, so he's most likely temporary help until Weinlesefest is over while Charles mans Angel's Share alone.
As soon as Crepus spots Diluc and Kaeya, he steps out from the bar to approach them. He looks like he hasn't taken a break since they arrived, and he quickly reaches up to retie his hair and put it back into place. "Why, hello, you two. Are you having fun?" he asks.
Diluc nods. "We haven't seen Jean or Thoma, but we're having loads of fun!" he replies. "We're actually hungry and Kaeya says that we should eat lunch together."
Kaeya nods once in confirmation.
Crepus looks between them and then at the bar. Patton smiles knowingly at him. "I can handle the stall alone, Master Ragnvindr," he says. "You go have a good lunch with your boys!"
He looks relieved. "Just don't break anything, Patton!" he says and tries not to laugh at the nervous look they get. "Let's go, boys."
There are three or four stalls that sell food, and each of them has Kaeya's stomach rumbling as they pass by them all. He won't admit that he feels like he's starving; moving around with Diluc all morning does that.
Crepus finally stops and gets them a modest meal with a fairbrew jelly for dessert. The treat makes Kaeya hum in pleasure and quickly finishes it. It's the right consistency that isn't overly sweet, although Diluc tells them that it's too sweet for his taste. It's rare when they get sweets like this, so when Kaeya offers to finish it for him, it's no wonder he doesn't want to share the dessert.
Their father reminds them to come back when the sun sets and goes back to Dawn Winery stall with a pat on their backs and a gentle push to get them to run off and enjoy themselves. Diluc watches him go and sighs once they're left alone again. When he doesn't say anything, Kaeya curiously asks, "What's wrong?"
"He told me he wouldn't work so much this year," Diluc answers. "Maybe tomorrow he'll join us." He looks back at him. "Do you want to try finding the fecund blessings now?"
"Sure." Kaeya turns around and nearly runs into a taller, yet scrawny, boy. He really does need to start paying attention to where he's going.
Before he can apologize, the other boy says it first. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get so close to you," he says.
Diluc's face brightens. "Thoma!" he says loudly.
The boy, Thoma, returns his greeting with a cheerful smile and, "Hello, Master Diluc! Happy Weinlesefest!"
"I haven't seen you in so long! How come you don't come by the manor and say hi anymore? Adeline's been asking when you're coming over next time. Oh!" Then he puffs his chest out proudly. "This is Kaeya, he's my new brother."
Thoma looks between the two. Kaeya knows this innocent confusion. The two obviously don't look like each other, although Thoma's stare hold no disgust like some of the Lawrence family has. Instead, it's innocent curiosity that sparkles in his green eyes. "He's your brother?"
"Adopted," Kaeya says.
"Oh, I understand—"
"Yeah, we adopted him and had a huge dinner. Addie even cried," Diluc interrupts with a laugh.
Kaeya rolls his eyes at him. "So did you!"
"I did not!"
"Did too! Like a baby, might I add!"
"Did not!"
Thoma holds his hands up to try and get them to stop. "You really do act like brothers but please don't fight each other." He smiles as the two immediately calm down. "Hey, what are you two doing now? Do you want to go to the spring with me? Jean's coming, too."
Diluc perks up. "Jean's here? Yes, we'll come!"
Naturally, Kaeya follows them and walks right behind them. Someone has to keep an eye on these two, and while they're pretty safe in town, he can at least keep them out of any trouble they may encounter. Any friend of Diluc's is likely a troublemaker just like him.
As they near the windmill in the center of town, Kaeya spots a familiar figure beside it. Jean kicks at a pebble on the ground and smiles as soon as they get close enough. "It took you guys long enough," she says and joins them on the walk to the spring.
"We didn't take that long," Diluc replies.
"It felt like it did."
"Well, it wasn't."
Kaeya sighs. Is this what he and Diluc really sound like when they bicker all the time, too?
Diluc looks between Jean and Thoma as he tells them, "Kaeya and I were gonna go look for fecund blessings after this; do either of you want to join us?"
"That sounds like fun! I'll come along!" Thoma says with a nod.
"Yes, I'd like to join, too," Jean adds. She walks beside Kaeya a few seconds later as Diluc and Thoma decide to race to the spring, something about last one there being a rotten hilichurl or whatever. She rolls her eyes at the two older boys and crosses her arms across her chest. "Do they really have to race?" she asks.
"You should see Diluc when we're at home," he replies with a soft laugh. "He wins a lot, mostly because he cheats."
Jean smiles, then looks ahead to step over a rather large rock. "I'm glad you and Diluc have such a good bond. Hold onto it; it's a special thing to have."
He doesn't intend to let it go again. He looks at Diluc and Thoma, seeing both of them panting as they stop at the water's edge. "I will this time," he mutters.
Jean tilts her head curiously at that but doesn't ask him anything as they meet up with the two eldest.
Kaeya takes a deep breath as he stops at the water. Aside from Thoma, Diluc, and Jean's chatter, it's much quieter here and there isn't anyone nearby that could potentially bother them. He feels like if he's left alone here, he'd probably fall asleep and stay that way until someone would find him to take him back home. Thoma's sudden yell makes him jump and he snaps his attention to the taller boy.
Is he in danger? Are they being attacked by monsters? He relaxes when he sees that the three of them are just hovering over something near a rock. He rubs his face with a hand. Gods, he really needs to get some sleep.
He moves toward the trio curiously. Jean, Diluc, and Thoma are all crouched over something. When Kaeya sees what they're hovering over, he feels confused at their fascination. It's just a turtle. Why are they so interested in it? He comes to their side, squatting down as well. "What's going on?" he asks curiously.
"It's a turtle," Diluc says softly.
"Ah… yes? What's so special about it?"
Thoma gently lifts the turtle, avoiding its head. "Yeah, and its shell is cracked," he adds, a worried tone in his voice. "We have to help it!"
"Do you think I can heal it?" Jean suggests.
"You can definitely try!"
Kaeya isn't amused and stands back up as he says, "It's a turtle. I'm sure it'll be fine."
Thoma looks at him disapprovingly. "We can still try to help it. Wouldn't you want help if you were hurt?"
He shifts uncomfortably on his feet. "I guess. Sorry."
He smiles. "It's all right. Nothing to apologize for, Master Kaeya."
"Please, just Kaeya is fine."
He laughs. "Okay, Kaeya."
Jean raises her hand and a gentle turquoise glow flows from her hand and onto the turtle's back. They watch as the turtle starts to squirm in Thoma's hold and he sets it down and the shell heals before their eyes. Soon, Jean pulls her hand back with a tired sigh. "There. It should be okay now," she says.
Diluc pokes the light scar on its shell. "We should keep it," he suggests and then looks up at Kaeya. "You think Father would let us keep it?"
"Do you know how to take care of a turtle?"
He shrugs. "It can't be that hard. They eat, sleep, poop, and eat some more."
Kaeya shakes his head as he tells him, "I don't think he'd let us keep it. Besides, I have a feeling there's a lot more to it than just eating and sleeping, 'Luc."
"Jean and I could help take care of it!" Thoma suggests with a smile.
Jean nods. "I know Mother will not let me keep it, but I can come over sometimes to help you take care of…" Her voice trails off. "We should name it first."
The three of them look at the turtle. The little animal doesn't seem like it cares, letting out a tiny yawn. "How about Dawn?" Diluc suggests.
She shakes her head, disagreeing with his choice. "That's already your bird's name. You can't have two animals with the same name!"
"Don't mind him, he's not that great at naming things," Kaeya tells her and laughs at the glare he gets from Diluc.
"If you're so good at naming things, why don't you name it?" he tells him and motions to the turtle.
"I never said I was. In fact, I'm quite useless in the naming category." Unless it has something to do with Darknight Hero. He's rather proud of that. "Besides, what would I name it? Shelly? No, I'll let you guys decide."
Thoma gasps. "Shelly! We should definitely name it Shelly!"
Jean and Diluc nod in agreement. "It's a good name!" Jean exclaims.
"Wait, what?" Kaeya looks between them, mortified. Are they serious? Shelly? He continues, "No, that's a dumb name. Hey, wait, we're really going to keep a pet turtle?"
The three ignore him as they pick up Shelly and run back for Springvale with Kaeya hot on their heels.
-x-
In the end, no one keeps the turtle.
Crepus convinces Diluc to put the turtle back, pinching the space between his eyes with a sigh as Thoma joins Diluc. The sun is beginning to set by the time they get back to the stall, and by now most people have left and gone home for the night. Jean leaves sometime between sunset and when the Ragnvindr family makes their way back into the carriage to go home. Thoma also leaves, running back for his house with an excited wave.
Kaeya yawns as they get into the carriage and leans against the carriage wall, exhausted. He's ready to crawl into bed, curl up into his blankets, and pass out for the rest of the night. Running around all day has made him even more tired than he wanted, but he is glad it was a good day.
There were no strange voices, no monsters, no Fatui, and no stalkers. Just he and his brother running around a festival all day with their friends.
He forces his eye open as the carriage begins to move and notices that Diluc is quiet as well. He looks just as tired as he feels, but he smiles at Crepus when he tells him all that they did, including caring for Shelly with Jean and Thoma's help. He can barely hear them a few minutes later as his eyes start to drift shut, and he lets himself fall asleep to the rhythmic bumps of the carriage and the few snorts from the horses.
He barely feels someone shaking him gently awake. Crepus chuckles softly and when Kaeya looks out the open carriage door, he sees the manor's front doors. When did they get back? "Hey, I know you're tired. You need to get ready for bed and then you can go back to sleep, all right?" he tells him.
Kaeya groans quietly and nods, slowly standing up and follows him inside. Diluc is staggering his way up as well—did he fall asleep in the carriage, too? The two eventually get ready for bed and Kaeya lets Diluc come into his room and flop onto his bed. "I'm so tired," he whines into his pillow.
"Then go to bed, you're making my bed stink," Kaeya replies. He crawls under his sheets with a relieved sigh and buries his head into the pillow. He's asleep before he realizes Diluc hasn't left the bed and passed out next to him, too.
Later in the night, he is woken from a dead sleep to the sound of quiet footfalls coming into the room. It's dark inside the room, but he can't remember if he left the candles lit before he fell asleep or not. He drags his eye to blearily look toward the open door and mumbles a quiet greeting when he recognizes Crepus' blurry form walking to his side.
The man softly shushes him, pushing his bangs back. "It's just me," he whispers, not wanting to wake Diluc up either. "Just checking on you both. Good night, Kaeya. Sleep well."
Kaeya doesn't know if he says anything back. All he knows is that the sheets are tucked in around him and something scratchy gently brushes against his forehead as he falls back into an uninterrupted, nightmare-less slumber.