circuitice | CALL ME OUT

[ diluc, who wasn't born yesterday, and who definitely didn't meet kaeya yesterday, levels him a look.

he reaches for yet another vintage, one that's slightly below the one that's slightly higher than raw grape juice, and pours kaeya another glass. the ice-cubes are nominal. the drink clinks as it's set once again before kaeya. diluc, leaning forward like a knife poised to cut, as level as a burning brand: ]

Be offended.

This is usually the opposite of how you'd loosen someone's tongue, honestly.

[ Kaeya sighs heavily, and though that fragile smile vanishes in a moment of annoyance, the mask he wears is still firmly in place. ]

What, I wonder, am I being punished for?

[ and he doesn't reach out for the new glass, instead folding his arms on the bar. He knows what Diluc is driving at, but there is an instinctual part of him that wants to protect him from that, as though he was ever honest about why he ran in the first place.

He'd given a childish excuse but... Diluc knew his secret, and had access to the same books as him.

but he should want nothing to do with that. ]

[ a flicker. kaeya, for a moment, is a fragment of something real. diluc looks. of course he does. he is but a man. he is a man who bleeds when cut. he is a man who bruises when hurt. he is a man who burns when put to the torch. kaeya folds his arms, and diluc knows that they are now beyond kaeya's version of small talk. there is no guarantee that the path forward will not diverge back; it is, however, a start.

the smooth, varnished wood of the bar is a dividing line. diluc allows it to reclaim territory as he leans back. he does not yet retrieve his cloth. ]

I have no desire to punish you. [ diluc, how has never lied to kaeya, not really, says thus. ] You came back. Did you find what you were searching for?

...

[ he considers, because of course he does. Diluc knows the truth, is the one person who can puncture the veil of loneliness that surrounds him.

but he found something out, and he no longer has that same desire to use it to drive a wedge between himself and Diluc, there's no longer a point to that. Because Diluc will never be able to give him the release he wants.

And he sighs, looking down at the bar. ]

You should think carefully on if you actually want an honest answer to that question.

[ kaeya sighs. that kaeya will never know exactly what that sound does to diluc is a grim blessing. does winter sigh? does the peak of a mountain? what sound would it make; how should those who have watched it all their lives make of it?

diluc, who has spent years thinking, looks at him. of course he does. ]

It's why I am asking. [ is what diluc says. he had once asked without knowing the answer to that question. winter had come early that autumn. perhaps winter has never truly left. ] Though I know better than to expect honesty. I ask for it; what you choose to do is up to you.

What did you see there, Kaeya?

... I met someone else from Khaenri'ah.

[ he can't fathom why Diluc wants to know, the knowledge he has now will only hurt him. as everything about him has come to be. And truthfully, he doesn't know why he isn't lying. Isn't easily brushing it off.

but at some point... if Diluc asks, he knows he'll answer. even when he knows that it would be better to feign ignorance. What they had could never be mended. ]

He filled in some gaps for me.

[ another pause. ]

And yet, I still wish I'd had more time.

[ before it became suspicious. After all, he was there on official business. Otherwise, in Mondstadt he would remain.

So, he offers a version of the truth, sanitized, but enough of a trail that were Diluc to dig deeper, he could have it. And he knows that he will, even if he wishes he wouldn't. ]

... I'd like a stronger drink, if you will.

[ someone from khaenri'ah.

the existence of kaeya permits the existence of other khaenri'ans. through diluc's journey across teyvat like a burning brand, he had met no other - but have heard of whispers. he's always heard of whispers. of course it would be kaeya who would find irrefutable proof. for a moment, something cold cards through diluc. it is the same cold that had carded through him that wintery autumn day, when kaeya had smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes. khaenri'ans were kaeya's people.

the confluence of two timelines merging, of that autumn and the autumn of today: i could lose him again.

today, diluc reaches for a particular vintage of white wine. seven years out of the cask; it is a smooth, pale moon of a wine that pools in his metal shaker. next is a dandelion wine. the bar is the scent of a mondstadt spring as he pours it in next. the ice clinks, and settles, at the bottom of a glass. diluc shakes, then pours. the glass is passed to kaeya without another word. death, as it stands, after noon. ]

He could not answer all of your questions. [ because it's kaeya - if answers existed, he would have pried them out of a bleeding mouth with the thin prick of a sword. but - this is also kaeya, who had pointed a blade at diluc only because diluc had done so first. he muses, suddenly: ] Or because you did not want to know.

Hm? No, not quite.

[ he looks at the glass, his hand reaching for it, and not quite taking it. and then he glances at him, taking stock of what his emotions might be. why he might care about this conversation, how honest to be.

diluc had been furious with him once, though in large part due to his own pushing. but their relationship had been rended. irreparably damaged. could he ever truly be free of his past? he wasn't sure. he wanted to hope, but either way... ]

I was there on official business. I simply didn't have time to speak for longer.

[ and he takes the drink in hand and takes a sip. ]

Tastes amazing. Thank you.

[ the quirk of a brow. he pulls another glass from the rack, and lets his terrycloth run over its rim.

'i simply didn't have time to speak for longer', says kaeya, but since when has kaeya been so simple?

since when has diluc? ]

... imagine you following business protocols. [ is what diluc lands on after a moment. ] Did it snow in Sumeru?

Haaah.

The conversation was also far too serious.

[ he says with twist in his smile. Can he admit what his surname means? Would Diluc's fury ignite again, and this precious moment be ruined? another, longer sip.

His stomach twists at the thought. And so, he hopes, Diluc won't ask. ]

Speaking with a spice merchant, personally, sounded far more interesting.

Was it a spice merchant from Khaenri'ah?

[ the glass in diluc's hand clinks. ] You are stalling.

Maybe I am.

Very well.

[ he downs the rest of the drink, and then sets the glass down with a clink. ]

What if I told you that the Alberichs founded the Abyss Order?

[ the silence resounds. diluc looks. ]

And if I were to ask you for the source of your information? The Khaenri'an from Sumeru, perhaps?

Yes.

[ the smile he wears is fragile. ]

[ like ice on permafrost. but you forget - there is water beneath. there always has been. diluc looks. of course he does. ]

Trustworthy?

He has no reason to lie.

Are you hoping he is? Because the Traveler seems to trust him.

[ Kaeya recognized his eyes. There was no second guessing. He hadn't even asked for the information. ]

Your standard for trust goes beyond that. [ but diluc's head dips - a graceful concession. in this, he trusts kaeya. it takes a liar to know one. ] And?

It answered questions, related to why I was left here, so it wasn't entirely surprising.

[ a mild shrug ]

... I didn't feel like continuing the conversation. And had an appointment to keep.

Are you going to turn me in?

To whom?

[ diluc finishes the last glass. he lets it sit on the counter for a moment - a precarious balance of glass, before he lets that glass, too, return to its place on the shelf.

he looks at kaeya. ]

I resigned from the Knights of Favonius years ago. I am a mere business owner in Mondstadt.

... I see.

Then I suppose I escape by the skin of my teeth once again.

[ he chuckles a little, but makes no move to leave. Instead, he sighs once the silence settles between them.

he should give Diluc a harder time, just to annoy him. but for the moment, he's fine to be in the silence between them. the worry, and the fear, have settled and blown away, with that simple confession.

it won't be a repeat of that night so many years ago. ]

[ kaeya chuckles. the sound is like the fragmenting of ice along the hoarfrost of a mountainside, the chipping of rime from a dragon's teeth. diluc has learned long since to never trust his laugh; diluc has learned to listen. the fact of the matter is: kaeya had gone to sumeru, the place where his people had once been, settled beneath the earth. kaeya had spoken to someone khaenri'ah, with secrets unforetold clenched between starving teeth.

and kaeya had come back.

diluc who hasn't looked away, finally, allows himself to say thus: ]

I am glad you came back.

Hmm...?

[ he lifts his head, leveling his gaze at Diluc. Studying, like Diluc isn't a known entity to him. But this sort of admission is not the sort of thing that he allows himself to dream of from Diluc. If anything, he feels awkward accepting the meaning at face value.

but deep down, there's a rush of relief. a warm feeling settles in the pit of his stomach. ]

Of course I came back. You didn't think you would be rid of me, did you...?

[ it's impetus to look away. the issue is, at a bar, the only place to look is racks upon racks of alcohol. there is grape juice in the back room. for once, diluc doesn't have the heart to return with it.

so he picks through his alcohol collection until he finds one that's just slightly below the one slightly below the one slightly above plain grape juice - and pours himself a glass. ]

Hm. [ the mouthfeel goes down like rust. diluc grimaces, and breathes out. ] Perhaps I underestimated your attachment to busywork. The Knights of Favonius does pay well for little effort.

I really would run away to Sumeru if that were the case.

[ he would do no such thing, and yet, he finds himself leaning towards Diluc, amused at how he's allowed himself the weakest of alcohols. grape juice surely was at hand, and yet. so much for those sharp senses.

He rests his cheek in the palm of his hand again, and calmly takes in what this all means.

and the conclusion-- is alarming. and yet, his mouth propels itself on. ]

But no, that's not it. Though I think you know that, without my saying.

[ diluc, who is consuming alcohol out of sheer self-defense, looks at kaeya. the line of kaeya's mouth is concerning. his eyes narrow imperceptibly. ]

You would have me guess at what's in your head.

Perhaps you've had too much to drink.

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