#` ⭒ ✦ 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 ⸻ let the fire breathe me back to life

[noctuafought]

"how could you work for someone like /him/?" //for fatui!diluc uwu

— @abysshearted

what else is he meant to do when this is the only life he knows and has to carry now that their father passed? who else is he meant to turn to? he can't just walk away. not to mention, all his life he's been around his father and the director. if crepus wanted diluc to follow in his footsteps and remain close to pierro, then who is he to question it?

unfortunately, this had been all kept from his brother. crepus had sworn diluc to secrecy while the pair were growing up, crepus unsure how to break the truth to kaeya.

he supposes now is as good a time as any to tell him.

diluc sighs.

"it's what father wanted, kaeya." besides, the jester hasn't done anything to cause diluc to question his loyalty to him.

[cursedstar]

“where were you…?” (scoot my Abyss/Khaenriah verse)

he's knelt at her side, arm looped around her waist to help her to her feet.

“i tried to get here as fast as i could. i apologize if i wasn't efficient enough.” he expresses his regrets, "are you hurt anywhere? can you walk?" he asks, looking her over to assess her possibly injuries.

[pyrorot]

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑   ⸻   let the fire breathe me back to life

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐈𝐒𝐌𝐒   ⸻   maybe i'll burn a little brighter tonight

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂   ⸻   maybe i'll burn a little brighter tonight

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏   ⸻   give me your filth ‚ make it rough

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒𝐊   ⸻   i need more dreams and less life

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒   ⸻   how'd it get to be only me?

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐔𝐄   ⸻   you can go queue me an ocean and leave me be

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒   ⸻   letting people down is my thing

-` ⭒ ✦  𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘   ⸻   i only plugged in to save rock and roll

[cursedstar]

"if that's what you wish, my lord. i am at your mercy." mega simp alert.

"look at you all, simping for me. if you love me that much. kneel and beg for me."

[noctuafought]

❝I can say goodbye to everyone else, but not you.❞ (Aether)

— @artificeheart

it's truly an odd sensation to be missed, heart thumping at the notion of just how much he matters to someone again on a deeper level. it terrifies him, but it also makes him feel weightless.

crimson hues flit over to the traveler, his own emotions fluffing up as he, too, realizes how much he's come to appreciate aether's presence.

“i... i suppose i feel the same way,” he starts, gaze drifting away now, “but,” his logic rolls forth, an attempt to comfort the other, “you don't have to say goodbye, and it's not for forever. you have your sister to find, so i won't take it too harshly that you have to depart again. not to mention, i know you'll always return. while i will also... miss you, you'll always have a place here... a home to return to.” home being... himself. he never understood the idea of being someone's place of comfort, but he doesn't want to make the same mistakes again.

[cursedstar]

“you came for me…” //hehe kaeya having an abyssal flare up

he holds the fallen prince in his arms, hand lifting to stroke kaeya's hair back out of his face, hoping he doesn't seem as panicked as he feels..

“of course i did. i vowed to always be by your side and to protect you until my last breath.” he reminds, his frantic heartbeat finally calming down as he continues to comb his fingers through kaeya's hair.

[noctuafought]

he wants a kiss but he'd rather get crushed by a meteorite than admit it.

[noctuafought]

he tries not to wince at the other's defeated tone, his own arms crossed. he knows he's asked a lot from his twin over the years, depended on him far more than he should have, but he doesn't know what else to do.

he reaches up to flick a red lock out of his eyes before finally returning his twin's gaze. "i hate to ask," he really does, "but do you think you can perhaps pose as me in the tavern tonight? i have... business to attend to, and the knights of favonius are too suspicious for my liking, if what the traveler says is anything to go by."

no one else in the world besides the traveler knows his identity, but vesper will always be a different case. even if the two stand at a considerable distance, diluc knows deep in his heart that he can trust him despite it all.

@noctuafought indulged my special guy! (diluc starter call)

"I already know what you're going to ask, 'Luc..." There's a furrow of the brow as bitter words fall from his lips, rising emotion bubbling beneath the surface, an old anger that has never truly fizzled out. Vesper's arms fold across his chest as he turns away, already contemplating carrying the weight of a familiar coat that has never truly sat well upon his shoulders, only used when the need for a faux interpretation, a copy of the original, is necessary. "Just tell me where you need me to be."

There's a resignation to his tone then and he glances back across at his twin, but says nothing, instead letting his arm drop once more to brush imaginary lint from his waistcoat. It would seem he needs to pull on Kaeya for another favour, switching shifts at least so they can cover for the head of the family's escapades. Nevermind that the two of them live up to dear old father's dream better than Diluc himself.

[noctuafought]

collapse.  for your muse to catch mine, preventing them from falling to the ground. [ Albedo ]

— @assembledstars

as a pyro user, he tends to run at a higher temperature. while most days, it can be handled, today happens to be one of the worst.

his flames surround the pair after unleashing his phoenix on a group of treasure hoarders, the heat of his own fire bringing upon a stuffy, dizzy feeling.

he tries to blink through the haze, but before he knows it, he's swaying. his claymore disappears and he falls to his side. he blearily registers albedo speaking to him, the alchemist's arms out and catching him before he could hit the floor.

[noctuafought]

diluc, do you feel betrayed that kaeya is embracing more of his khaenri’ahn heritage and fraying from mondstadt?

his jaw clenches ever so slightly as he crosses his arms over his chest. does he feel betrayed? in all honesty... no.

it does partly hurt, but who is he to object to kaeya's choices when diluc so clearly pushes him away. it doesn't surprise him in the slightest.

“not necessarily. ever since he told me his... ‘truth,’ a part of me always knew that he would eventually side with his own home versus the one he was left in. standing with your true home isn't a crime. it'll only be an issue if he raises his sword against mondstadt. at that point, i'd have to choice but to step in and fight for my home.”

[noctuafought]

leaves a gift for Diluc on the table to find when he returns from his moonlit vigilantism. A single lampgrass in a vase casting a soft light over the rest of the present. A new pair of gloves made in the same fabrics as his current ones (he's noticed them wearing out), a new waistcoat for events, a bottle of grape juice and a few genius invocation tcg cards that have recently been released. A simple card beside it. Another year dawns, happy birthday. Vesper.

— @resolutepath

despite their estrangement, diluc can't help but long for his twin. spending his birthdays alone these past four years brought him to this inescapable yearning, and he isn't sure how to rectify their distance.

so far, he attempted with gifts, hoping it would be the first step to diluc showing just how sorry he is for, well, everything. that's not to say he's fully aware of his twin's feelings, but he knows his own recent actions put more of a strain on him.

nevertheless, he's surprised to find gifts on the table as he returns to the manor. heart bursting at the seams, he gently caresses the flower — his favorite flower — as he reads over the simple note. he smiles affectionately, eyes straying to the clothes and the juice before landing on the card deck. oh how he can't wait to break these out. maybe he could talk vesper into a few rounds?

[noctuafought]

“let’s scream until there's nothing left.”

— @deificdeceit

[noctuafought]

[ text ] do you want to talk? (Aether)

— @artificeheart

[ text ] if it's not too much an issue for you, i wouldn't mind

[noctuafought]

“you’ll be the one to save us.”

— @artificeheart

[noctuafought]

Makes themselves comfy in his lap. Content gremlin.

— @wolfkcst

he ceases in the middle of his paperwork when he finds the viking in his lap. a soft chuckle of amusement leaves him and he wraps his arms around them.

“would it be too much to say you remind me of a cat?” he teases.

[noctuafought]

❝Perhaps life is beautiful because it is fleeting — there is an adoration in the transience of people, an elegance in the passing of time.❞ (Ayato)

— @artificeheart

a hum of acknowledgement and agreement, diluc setting his tea down as he looks to the commissioner.

“what a quaint observation. i didn't think anyone else noticed. many seem to live in the moment without recognizing it.” he responds, but he knows full well what it means to appreciate the time he has.

after everything, he knows he can't take the present for granted, for he doesn't know what the future would hold.

“you'd be right, though. life is more... fulfilling when you stop to appreciate what's in front of you.”