#❥ diluc. ic ﹕ ash created and fire born.

[stellarhistoria]

" Eat shit and die. "

" Good afternoon to you too, Sir Ragnvindr. "

[stellarhistoria]

in a sense, it came as a ... perhaps, comfort? that ren was as curiously blunt as he insisted on being through his days. there was little attempt to regard such statements about premature hair loss with anything more than a brief chortle, which might in turn startle the wandering soul. diluc does not often laugh; it was odd to hear him so easily slip into something even close to genuine joy, even in his fatigued state. even tired as he is, he has been far more tired before, so this must be coming rather easily to him in turn.

ember red eyes look up from the papers he's doing when he hears the sparked curiosity ── he knows well, when someone like ren is curious, they won't stop until they know. so ... how bad could talking about it be? perhaps, perhaps the wanderer could assist him.

"I'm issuing a restraining order on someone who has been insisting on getting near me after repeated attempts at staying the fuck away from him." he says with a bit of bitterness and hostility to an otherwise level and calm tone. those swirling clouds of embers seem to burn bright in his eyes for a moment before he closes his eyes and sits back in his chair, one hand still resting on the papers, which are mostly filled out by now. "It's proving to be a fruitless endeavor, as giving any information about what he did to me would get me removed from my position faster than an arrow at top speed."

@stellarhistoria &&. said... [ Diluc ] "I've been so drowned in paperwork for the Winery that I've barely seen sunlight for the last four days."

he  supposes  he  feels  some  measure  of  SYMPATHY  in  that  regard.  there  are  countless  things  ren  doesn't  necessarily  miss  about  the  fatui  —  the  people,  the  tedious  experiments,  being  ordered  to  waste  his  time  dawdling  in  the  most  UNPLEASANT  places  teyvat  has  to  offer.  ( ... dottore. ) technically paperwork  was  never  much  of  an  issue,  courtesy  of  his  ability  to  go  without  sleep  indefinitely  —  extra  hours  in  the  day  to  chip  through  the  mindless  busywork.  he  certainly  didn't  ENJOY  IT,  but  he  also  can't  recall  a  time  he  was  ever  made  to  lock  himself  away  for  so  long  in  a  desperate  bid  to  fight  the  flood.  even  the  essays  he  finds  himself  writing  now  hardly  compare.  (  though  perhaps  that  says  more  about  his  capabilities  as  a  student.  )  he  doesn't  think  he  has  the  patience  to  spend  four  consecutive  days  locked  away  with  only  dry  paperwork  for  company;  he  would  probably  escape  through  a  window  after  two. 

❝  that's  bad  for  your  health.  ❞   he  quips  —  more  a  statement  of  fact  than  an  expression  of  CONCERN.  humans  are  more  similar  to  plants  than  they're  willing  to  admit;  both  need  ample  amounts  of  water  and  light,  or  they're  bound  to  meet  a  miserable  end.  ❝  have  you  checked  yourself  in  a  mirror  lately?  lack  of  sun  can  lead  to  premature  hair  loss ...  ❞  miscellaneous  trivia  courtesy  of  loitering  around  dottore's  lab  on  and  off  for  several  hundred  years.  it isn't a lie  —  though of  course,  the  other  looks  completely  fine.  he  doesn't  think  diluc  is  the  type  to  get  rattled  over  something  so  SUPERFICIAL,  but  it  doesn't  hurt  to  push  his  buttons  a  bit.

❝  what  kind  of  paperwork  would  a  winery  necessitate  that  takes  up  so  much  of  your  time?  ❞  the  wanderer  asks  instead.  his  CURIOSITY  is  genuine;  he  has  a  vague  idea  what  such  a  thing  might  entail  —  but  he  isn't  shy  about  being  just  a  bit  nosy,  regardless.

[stellarhistoria]

"Ah... Hey, Diluc." He'd been resting in a chair while he'd waited, getting to his feet once he saw the winery owner. Or... Well, making an attempt; The bandages still covered the injuries, and the hike from the statue to the winery took more out of him than he'd expected.

Andrii still smiled, ignoring his exhaustion and pain for the sake of this. He was just glad to see Diluc.

UNPROMPTED ── characters: diluc & andrii @stellafortunae

The movement to pick up Andrii is easy. ── To do so without implying that he's worried, that he's concerned, that he's going to ask so many fucking questions when they're done resting for a little while, because he had been searching when he had heard of rumors of someone who had looked like Andrii being beaten up and dragged off the desert sands of Sumeru by kindly souls, only to disappear for no reason, not to be heard from for a while maybe not forever... that was harder. Almost impossible, really. So he picked up the younger into his arms and walked upstairs to his private room, silent as a sunny day that would approach a storm.

He shuts the door behind him, unable to lock it but knowing there would be no need to, this time, and heading to the bed to lay down. They would be resting, or so help him. Perhaps he might actually try to fight an Adeptus to destress. He might find Venti.

He lays down with his boyfriend in tow, resting the man's head on his chest, and allows him to listen to the steady, though worried, tense breathing, rise and fall of his chest.

" You're an idiot. " ── read: don't scare me like that again.

[stellarhistoria]

i can't see anything i don't like about you. - Andrii and Diluc

[ romance quotes ] ── characters: diluc & andrii @terredivine

" Flatterer today, aren't you? " ── Amusement narrows his eyes, a slight smile upturning his lips as he realizes that his boyfriend ( he can't get used to that, yet; it feels too surreal, and a little frightening ) is being a bit sappy today. " Should I be concerned that you're going to do something reckless in the next few days and put you on lockdown with Kaeya or should I simply revel in you being adorable right now? I feel like I should do both... hmm... " He faux-ponders aloud.

[stellarhistoria]

@terredivine sent: ‘🃏 !’ - Diluc and Andrii?

── ♥ TAROT RECEIVED : THE HERMIT

Don't be afraid of being alone.

" I don't understand you, Andrii. " ── Diluc shakes his head absentmindedly as he takes a heavy seat next to the exhausted looking man beside him. " You move and move, and keep moving, but you never give time for yourself. How do you manage it? I would go insane. "

[stellarhistoria]

" Hmm. " ── He can only really hum at the new information, but it does align with what he was told by the others - with the reports of what had happened in the desert. Sure he had to force himself to stay for even a moment, as Kaeya had requested he not be in the room and it was only accelerated when he had an explosive reaction towards the implication of not being near the information that could help him find his boyfriend.

Being protective is new to him. Damn him for being a phoenix of one.

" And where did you go after? You just... disappeared. No one could find you. Not even the best could locate you, and they're the best for a reason. It's like you just... stopped existing. " He frowns slightly, but his heart rate speeds up slightly.

@stellarhistoria || whoops

There was a soft yelp as the man scooped him up, arms instinctively going to hold on and steady himself. Not saying a word as he was carried; It didn't take a genius to know that Diluc had been worried.

It was obvious, just with the way Andrii could feel him holding onto him. The way that they immediately went to Diluc's room, away from the curious and concerned eyes of the maids. Those little gestures that Diluc didn't need to say. Probably didn't want to say... Andrii rested his head on the redhead's chest, just taking a moment to listen to the breathing. Frowning, when what was normally steady...well... Wasn't.

"I'm sorry."

He turned his head as he spoke, moving to look up at Diluc. Andrii had no excuse. He had panicked, ran back home, and left Diluc to wonder. To worry. "Guess I just forgot how many ruin guards hang around the desert."

[stellarhistoria]

it was a spoken aloud thing of begrudging admittance, perhaps, of knowing that despite all his rage and despite all his loathing of how the world worked, indeed, indeed, there was little he could do to change it. even with his moonlighting status as it stood, it mattered little in the wake of things that had been happening since then, and what with the wanderer here being in his bar at such an hour that few others are, perhaps he had gotten a touch too comfortable within his own space. simply speaking his mind, when he knows he needs to be professional.

regardless, he keeps something of a poker face when the wanderer turns to face him, a glass of grape juice for himself separate from the glasses he was shining and cleaning up for other patrons that come through, should they even on this quite lazy day for everyone ( it would seem ) . so when there's an offer of venting troubles, something of a chuffing laugh results, hands pausing in their work behind the bar.

"It wouldn't be professional of me to drone on about personal affairs during work hours," he says with a flatness that begets the usual understanding that he's likely to ignore the offer and forget about it when he leaves to attend other matters... but after a moment, he looks around the mostly empty tavern ( save perhaps ren and a straggler too deep in drinks to listen ) and loosely shrugs. "It's not a comfortable conversation. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable in my establishment." even if he does have some level of, perhaps not recognition, but awareness of who he may or may not be speaking to. he doesn't really care who walks in, just that they don't start drama.

@stellarhistoria &&. said... [ Diluc ] "If ONE more thing decides to happen I am going to /lose it/." (( HELLO I FINALLT SHOOK OFF MY NERVES TO SEND YOU SOMETHING SILLY

the  wanderer  thinks  he  would  be  the  first  to  admit  he  takes  perhaps  a  bit  more  AMUSEMENT  in  the  suffering  of  others  than  he  probably  should.  there's  no  true  malice  behind  it  —  not  anymore.  (  though  the  balladeer  was  a  different  story.  )  while  ren  would  much  prefer  to  keep  his  own  bonds  to  a  bare  minimum,  he  gleans  a  particular  sort  of  joy  from  watching  others  stumble  GRACELESSLY  through  their  own ...  only  validating  his  fervent  desire  to  abstain,  really.  or to  put  it  more  plainly,  drama  is  fun  —  and  he  is  much  like  an  eternally  bored  child,  constantly  hungering  for  the  next  flashy  bit  of  gossip  to  come  along  and  entertain  him.

so  at  the  admission  (  or  complaint  )  the  wanderer  is  perhaps  a  bit  too  quick  to  spin  around  in  his  seat  —  bright,  bright  eyes  tracing  the  human's  face  with  a  sort  of  mild  curiosity  that  wasn't  present  before.  he  isn't  a  particularly  sturdy  shoulder  to  cry  on,  nor  does  any  excessive  sympathy  fill  that  empty  hole  where  a  heart  would  be.  most  advice  he  tries  to  give  (  when  ren  ENDEAVORS  to  give  it  )  is  oft  of  a  more  acquired  taste  —  for  he  speaks  bluntly  and  honestly,  with  little  consideration  for  how  others  might  be  harmed  by  the  sharpness  of  his  tongue.  even  so,  he  has  nothing  but  time  to  kill;  the  weather  outside  is  too  horrible  to  bother  traveling  through  and  the  drink  in  his  hand  is  really  only  there  to  justify  his  PRESENCE�� while  he  waits  out  the  rain.  he  isn't  interested  in  chatting  with  overly  friendly  strangers,  but  a  bit  of  pointless,  petty  gossip  is  more  to  his  liking. at least enough to make socializing worth the hassle.

❝  ... it  sounds  like  no  one  ever  thought  to  tell  you,  ❞  the  wanderer  replies,   ❝  but  life  is  just  a  series  of  things  happening ...  from  the  day  you're  born  until  the  day  you  die.  ❞  it's  a  joke  —  or  something  close  to  it.  seems  every  word  that  leaves  his  mouth  veers  mildly  ANTAGONISTIC,  even  at  the  best  of  times.

a  hand  curls  beneath  his  chin,  elbow  propping  itself  on  the  counter.  ❝  i  think  the  cliché  would  see  me  venting  my  troubles  to  you.  ❞  ren  notes.  the  distraught  patron,  drowning  his  sorrows  —  seeking  wisdom  from  the  wise  soul  behind  the  bar.  he  can't  help  but  find  the  mental  image  just  a  bit  LAUGHABLE.  ❝  but  i  have  nothing  else  better  to  do ...  and  i'm  not  opposed  to  reversing  our  roles.  ❞  he's  incredibly  nosy  and  equally  unapologetic  about  it.  ❝  so ...  why  not  give  it  a  shot?  ❞

[stellarhistoria]

" Oh, yes, and I certainly want him here. " ── Is Diluc smirking? No of course not.

"If there was one person that I wish wasn't here, it's definitely that guy."