#New Year's Eve Bell

[aishiteru-kenshin]

Joya no Kane (除夜の鐘) at Zojoji Temple, Tokyo, Japan

Japanese people consider December 31st a very important day, and it's not unusual for people of all ages to stay up all night on this occasion. Buddhist temples chime out 108 bells in-between New Year's Eve and New Year Day. According to Buddhist beliefs, 108 is the number of passions and desires entrapping us in the cycle of suffering and reincarnation. So, the 108 bell chimes symbolise the purification from the 108 delusions and sufferings accumulated in the past year. Many of the temples have bells of their own, and the starting time differs. Usually, you will start hearing the bell ring from 8-10pm on the 31st, and 107 of them will ring during the old year. Oftentimes, onlookers will line up for the chance to sound one of the chimes on the bell. The last 108th bell will be rung on the moment the New Year begins, and people listen to the bell until the last vibration stops.

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

[onlythebravest]

ring klocka ring

translation & transcription below

I’ll say it again, I’m not great at translating shit so is this is just kinda correct and probably not great english either

klocka ringer = bell ringing

Interviewer: What will it be – [interrupted by a loudly ringing bell] like –[interrupted again] playing – [says while the bell is ringing:] here in Sweden?

Nylander: …

Interviewer: [says very quickly during a break of the ringing bell] What will it be like playing in Sweden? [bell starts ringing again]

Nylander: …

[bell continues ringing for the longest time yet]

Nylander: … [bell goes silent] … [short break in complete silence] No, it’s gonna be great

[libraryofva]

Recent Acquisition - Postcard Collection

Joyous New Year Greeting Postmarked December 28, 1908

[jupiterovprsten]

almost six months ago

[argiopi]

welcome to the bell parade

7  6 2 5  4 7 3  2 5 1  4 4 7 4  7 6 4 (when i was a young boy) 6 74 6 7 67 4 53 (my father took me into the city) 6 7 6 54 3 (to see a marching band) 4 5 7 4 764 (he said son when you grow up) 674 6 7 67 4 53 (would you be the savior of the broken) 6 7 6 54 3 (the beaten and the damned)

(notation is only somewhat reflective of timing lolz). the limited palette necessitates a bit of wrongness.. for instance the first B (third note) is supposed to be higher than the other notes but adapting to the lower B sounded better than using the only other higher note - the A7. alas, tis the nature of shits and giggles 🖤

[sam-spills-alot]

[orpheusterminals]

SATURDAY November 17th at Secret Project Robot Art Space 8ish

In the main Gallery: Return of the Masters + In the side gallery: Overboard 

Jason Robert Bell Blain Vandenberg

Chris Uphues Bridget Donahue

Robert Bell Steak Mtn.

THE RETURN OF THE MASTERS

Chris Uphues, Robert Bell, Jason Robert Bell

 The Masters are men who have completed the evolutionary journey that we are already engaging in. They have their retreats in the mountainous regions of the world. They have known for a long time that they would be required to return to the every day world of men to bring man to the next stage of human evolution.

These great beings appear once in every year at the Wesak festival in which they come forward and give out healing and inspiration as well as a stream of cosmic love from the one divinity known as God. At this time these

Masters will come into our lives and will transform our world.The Masters practice different disciplines and yet are all quite comfortable with each other. The Masters are concerned with the activities of the human race, and are making themselves transmitters of divine energy in hope that we may create a better world.

The Masters who are emerging will one day be in the majority but this will take many eons of time to manifest.Some of these incoming egos that are now in the process of incarnation are very advanced souls and may even be initiates and will later shine as the noon day sun in all of its glory

Soon we are to see the emerging of the World Teacher and so many people will be ready to tread the path of initiation.The first initiation will ,for a long time be considered a major initiation and will enable one to get in control over the forces of the dense physical

plane. 

At the second initiation we are then faced with the violent activity of the astral nature[or the emotional and this may take several incarnation to achieve as this is the most active level of work and needs to be dominated. Some souls will take many incarnations before he can be admitted through the gates of the second initiation for the student must at all costs dispel the astral mist that surrounds them.

Initiation is the gate way to a life more abundant and is the goal of all humanity in this world cycle. For the first time in many thousands of years the divine instructors once again will move and mingle with the human race as they did during the Atlante an time, and will be a time of great discoveries about ourselves as spiritual beings.The great mysteries of initiation will be known to the more advanced members of humanity as they themselves have tread the path for a very long time and are counted as the ones who can

be trusted with the holding of these secrets.There are at this time many who are on the very eve of the first initiation and this is why the ancient mysteries schools are to be established during this new age that we are now entering.

The teacher for this new age is the Master Robert Bell who is the embodiment of the planetary love of the solar and

human life waves.Some of these great ones who have come down the ages are for example,Jesus ,Krishna,the Buddha, Hermes,Yogananda,Dwul Kwull and so on.They have always come at the time of humanity’s greatest need ,such is the condition in the world at this time.Humanity is really sick and tired of all of the injustice in our world at this time and are ready at any cost work towards the establishment of a much more uplifting joyful experience. 

The Masters of Wisdom are the elder brothers of all humanity and love us all very much to the point that they will help us in any way that they can within the law of karma for they have been watch over all humanity for untold thousands of years and they know all about the situation that we are now in and will help in any way that they can.The Masters have always been teaching us about the laws of life and love and how to manifest our most beatiful dreams right here on this manbearing planet.

Over the next few years or so we are to see many of the Masters emerge from their ancient retreats and begin their teaching all over the world. The Masters are here to help us in the building of right human relations with each other and between the other kingdoms in the planet.There are as well about 500 initiates of the 4th initiation who will take the 5th initiation during this coming new age and many of them are along the 2nd ray of aspect which is that of Love Wisdom and is the major ray of this solar system.The bulk of

humanity are along this ray for all of this world cycle and will be for a very long time to come.

secrets@secretprojectrobot.org

Secret Project Robot is an installation and performance centered experimental art space that believes in creating a supportive environment which functions outside the usual commercial sphere where artists are free to experiment, create, and develop styles that aren't contingent upon their ability to sell.

210 Kent Avenue

[maypoleman1]

31st December

New Year’s Eve

Allendale Tar Barrel Burning. Source: Pinterest uploaded by Catherine Donaldson.

Today is New Year’s Eve. The turning of the year was traditionally marked by fire customs, some of which survive. In Allendale in Northumberland a parade of gaudily-attired Guisers still takes place on the night of 31st December. Shortly before midnight the all-male procession sets out with each Guiser balancing a barrel of burning tar on his head, the conclusion of which results in the barrels being thrown onto a huge bonfire. This is followed by singing and dancing until the midnight bells chime. In Stonehaven in Grampian, the revellers launch fireballs into the air, or whirl the cloth balls, lit by paraffin, around their heads, the balls being attached to them by strings. The whole event is highly dangerous.

These ceremonies are of course memories of pagan practices designed to light the skies in midwinter to encourage the return of the sun in spring. Bonfires were common, and households should keep their New Year fire burning for at least 24 hours to ensure the coming year is a prosperous one. The horse and bull-worship of the ancient Celts was maintained by men dressed in bull hides and horse costumes who visited homes throughout the Christmas season in order to bestow good fortune in return for alms. The Church objected to such blatant pagan survivals and most died out, but on New Year’s Eve the horse-skull totems of Mari Lwyd visit the farmhouses of Wales still, although the tradition may owe as much to old mumming plays as it does to pagan memories.

Bell ringing is a very prevalent Christian-era New Year’s Eve tradition, and the New Year is rung in to this day at midnight by the chimes Big Ben in London.

[opencommunion]

"The story of  'John Doe 1' of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is tucked in a lawsuit filed five years ago against several U.S. tech companies, including Tesla, the world’s largest electric vehicle producer. In a country where the earth hides its treasures beneath its surface, those who chip away at its bounty pay an unfair price. As a pre-teen, his family could no longer afford to pay his $6 monthly school fee, leaving him with one option: a life working underground in a tunnel, digging for cobalt rocks.  But soon after he began working for roughly two U.S. dollars per day, the child was buried alive under the rubble of a collapsed mine tunnel. His body was never recovered. 

The nation, fractured by war, disease, and famine, has seen more than 6 million people die since the mid-1990s, making the conflict the deadliest since World War II. But, in recent years, the death and destruction have been aided by the growing number of electric vehicles humming down American streets. In 2022, the U.S., the world’s third-largest importer of cobalt, spent nearly $525 million on the mineral, much of which came from the Congo.

As America’s dependence on the Congo has grown, Black-led labor and environmental organizers here in the U.S. have worked to build a transnational solidarity movement. Activists also say that the inequities faced in the Congo relate to those that Black Americans experience. And thanks in part to social media, the desire to better understand what’s happening in the Congo has grown in the past 10 years. In some ways, the Black Lives Matter movement first took root in the Congo after the uprising in Ferguson in 2014, advocates say. And since the murder of George Floyd and the outrage over the Gaza war, there has been an uptick in Congolese and Black American groups working on solidarity campaigns.

Throughout it all, the inequities faced by Congolese people and Black Americans show how the supply chain highlights similar patterns of exploitation and disenfranchisement. ... While the American South has picked up about two-thirds of the electric vehicle production jobs, Black workers there are more likely to work in non-unionized warehouses, receiving less pay and protections. The White House has also failed to share data that definitively proves whether Black workers are receiving these jobs, rather than them just being placed near Black communities. 'Automakers are moving their EV manufacturing and operations to the South in hopes of exploiting low labor costs and making higher profits,' explained Yterenickia Bell, an at-large council member in Clarkston, Georgia, last year. While Georgia has been targeted for investment by the Biden administration, workers are 'refusing to stand idly by and let them repeat a cycle that harms Black communities and working families.'

... Of the 255,000 Congolese mining for cobalt, 40,000 are children. They are not only exposed to physical threats but environmental ones. Cobalt mining pollutes critical water sources, plus the air and land. It is linked to respiratory illnesses, food insecurity, and violence. Still, in March, a U.S. court ruled on the case, finding that American companies could not be held liable for child labor in the Congo, even as they helped intensify the prevalence. ... Recently, the push for mining in the Congo has reached new heights because of a rift in China-U.S. relations regarding EV production. Earlier this month, the Biden administration issued a 100% tariff on Chinese-produced EVs to deter their purchase in the U.S. Currently, China owns about 80% of the legal mines in the Congo, but tens of thousands of Congolese work in 'artisanal' mines outside these facilities, where there are no rules or regulations, and where the U.S. gets much of its cobalt imports.  'Cobalt mining is the slave farm perfected,' wrote Siddharth Kara last year in the award-winning investigative book Cobalt Red: How The Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives. 'It is a system of absolute exploitation for absolute profit.' While it is the world’s richest country in terms of wealth from natural resources, Congo is among the poorest in terms of life outcomes. Of the 201 countries recognized by the World Bank Group, it has the 191st lowest life expectancy."

[aishiteru-kenshin]

Taisho Otome Fairytale | 大正処女御伽話 | Taishō Otome Otogibanashi

[peckraiden]

Beans - Kate's Black-Eyed Pea Salad Delicious black-eyed pea recipe that was created originally for New Year's Eve but is great any time of the year.

[acmeoop]

Ring In The New Year

The Big Countdown “Holiday Knights” (1997)

[tempestinmysoul]

me, a Scot, looking at the words "New Years Eve": What is this?? What does it mean? WHat??

Happy Hogmanay lol <3

[opera-ghosts]

This year marks the 100th anniversary since North American public heard the melody of their favourite Christmas hit performed for the first time by the Ukrainian choir in New York in 1922 at Carnegie Hall. Later, the Ukrainian folk song "Shchedryk" was adapted into English, becoming the world-known "Carol of The Bells".

Ukranian National Choir - Shchedryk or Carol of the Bells 1922 Recorded on or between 26-09-1922 and 06-10-1922 in New York.

[synqiri]

LOVE STORY.

or, the two times he saves you and the one time you return the favour.

PAIRING: diluc x gn!reader

WARNINGS: alcohol, blood

WORDCOUNT: 3.1K || CONTENT: idiots in love, friends to lovers, fluff, healer!reader, reader has a geo vision, confessions

NOTES: this is so cliché i adore him

“alright, that should do it,” you announce cheerily, patting lumine on the shoulder. the golden glow from the after-effects of your powers fade away, and all that’s left from her wound is a faint scar. “how do you feel?”

she smiles. “much better. thank you.”

“we got you a gift!” paimon exclaims, practically vibrating with excitement. “as a gift for always healing us! paimon picked it out herself.”

you watch curiously as lumine produces something from her bag — a cute, little wooden birdhouse to be precise. handmade, you note, with intricate carvings of flowers by its edges. it would look absolutely perfect hung on your balcony. dawn and eve would appreciate the new furniture as well.

“i love it,” you say, thanking them. they really didn’t have to, yet it was touching all the same. “though, as a doctor, the best way you can repay me is by being more careful. please, try not to get hurt so much?”

lumine laughs sheepishly, and you can’t help but sigh fondly. you’d see her in your clinic at least thrice a week whenever she was in mondstadt. thankfully, her injuries were usually rather minor, and you’d always send her off with something cool to drink and a ‘safe travels!’

“i’ll try,” she replies softly, standing as she does. “we’ll get out of your hair now.”

after seeing her off, you slip into the backroom of your clinic and up the stairwell leading to your home. lumine had been the last patient of the afternoon, and you’d hear the bell ring if there was anyone at the front door, so you’d have enough time to set up the new birdhouse.

your two songbirds chirp as you enter your balcony. you click your tongue at them. “i fed the both of you this morning already. no more for today.”

it wasn’t a very big balcony — just enough for a small table and two chairs on one side, a few potted plants and your pets’ furniture on the other. setting the birdhouse down, you head inside to grab a ladder and your toolbox. 

“lumine and paimon got this for you,” you tell them, gesturing to the birdhouse, pushing the ladder against the wall. “remember to thank them the next time you see them.”

dawn tweets in reply. what a good boy. 

he’s coloured a deep and elegant red, whilst eve was the colour of sand and soft dusk. you named them both to match their feathers when you got them a few years back. as a treat to yourself, you remember, to celebrate when you received your vision.

you get right into it. up the ladder, nail and hammer in hand. though, of everything you’d expect to happen afterwards, you’d never expect it to be seeing diluc.

a grin lights up your face immediately, and when he spots you, you raise a hand to wave at him.

“you’re not working at the winery today?” you ask. you have to crane your neck sideways and your head downward to face him, but it works despite the odd angle. 

he shakes his head, arms crossed. “i’ve completed all there is to do. be careful. focus on the task at hand, lest you fall.”

“it’s fine, i’ve got it,” you reply, waving his warning away. you give the ladder a few firm slaps, standing on your toes to lean over the railing slightly. “the ladder’s sturdy enough! i won’t —”

you fall.

it happens faster than you can scream — you lose your footing, stomach colliding into the rails, and instead of toppling backwards, you fall out the balcony. you can hear your ladder crashing, and at least two of your pots shatter. you bring your arms to your head, bracing yourself —

but you don't hit the floor.

“are you alright?”

his gaze is pinned on you, brows slightly furrowed, and you can feel his hands around your body. they're warm. oh my god.

you blink, dumbstruck.

“you’re really strong.”

reality hits you like a freight train, and you practically leap out of his arms in sheer mortification. gods, you're a goner. why in the world —

“— fine! i'm fine! thanks for saving me,” you chirp, beaming, as if it would erase the last thirty seconds of the horrifying ordeal that is your life. you pat down your clothes, sparing a glance at your wrecked balcony. you wince. “probably should've listened to you, huh…?”

“it's nothing. what matters most is that you are uninjured,” he says. his eyes flick over your body, and swear you can almost feel the warmth of it. “what were you doing?”

“putting up a birdhouse — it was a gift from the traveller,” you explain. huffing, you shrug. “i wish she’d be more careful. i’m pretty sure she just throws herself at her enemies half the time.”

he chuckles, velvety and rich. “i’m sure it’s only due to her trust in your capabilities as a healer. the traveller has a keen eye for skill.”

it should be illegal for a man to be this charming. though, before you can reply, a frantic clattering resounds from your balcony, and two distinct bird calls can be heard. 

“dear gods, i forgot about dawn and eve. they must be worried sick,” you murmur, bringing a hand to your face.

flashing him an apologetic smile and a quick farewell, you dash back into your home without waiting for his response.

“thanks again!” you call out to him, waving. “i’ll catch up with you next time!”

(hours later, when you have finally cleared the shattered remains of pottery and soothed your rattled pets, you catch sight of diluc once more. he greets you with a faint smile as he enters the clinic, simply checking to see if everything has been settled and if all is well. 

you could swoon. isn’t he thoughtful?)

night has fallen. the air is crisp and the moon is bright whilst you trek through starfell valley, steps light and a song under your breath. you’re harvesting lamp grass that day, and its ethereal blue glow makes it much easier and much more satisfying to pick in the dead of twilight. they're dawn's favourite snack — he wouldn't last a day without them.

though, you didn’t expect that following the trails of lamp grass would lead you right into the midst of a monster camp.

gods, you curse. it seems as if recently, celestia really wanted you dead. or at least decently mangled. what the fuck.

two mitachurls, a few hilichurls, and at least one samachurl… a mitachurl spots you first. it stares, silent and still, and you stare right back. the thing would catch up to you even if you turned on your heel and fled. you weren’t any good at fighting either, especially not against one with a geo shield.

your body seizes. you suck in a sharp, jagged breath. 

you are so dead.

“stay…?” you say hesitantly, both a plead and a command.

it charges —

— and goes right up in flames.

you watch in terrified awe as the entire camp is set aflame, the raging fire scalding against your skin. stumbling backwards, you trip, and the embers lick at your feet. firm arms snake around your body then, one on your back and the other supporting your legs, scooping you off the floor and away from what was once a monster camp.

you’re heaving, breaths nothing but short, shaky gasps, grip tight on your saviour’s coat. oh gods. you nearly died.

your feet hit the ground gently, and you’re thankful that they do not give way. staggering toward the closest tree for support, you can hear the man follow suit. he’s masked, you realise, but his burning eyes reveal his identity immediately. even in the twilight, his hair is ruby as dawn.

“diluc,” you breathe out, surprised and utterly relieved. “oh my god, diluc.”

“all the monsters have been eradicated,” he tells you softly, and though it is nothing but a murmur, you hear it clear as day. “you’re safe now.”

you burst into laughter, and into tears. it’s absolutely mortifying, yet you can’t seem to stop. sniffling, you accept the handkerchief he produces from his coat, rubbing your eyes and blowing your nose. voice thick, you chuckle. “sorry, sorry… i just — give me a second.”

“take your time,” he says. “you have no reason to apologise.”

you know you’d be eternally grateful for how patient he’s being with you. he gives you all the time in the world to collect yourself, and offers you nothing but wordless comfort. you feel much better already. 

“y'know,” you start conversationally, “this is the second time i've ended up in your arms like that. it's like you're my knight in shining armour.”

grinning, you glance up at him only to note he's removed his mask. what was up with that mask, anyway? you’re curious, so you ask him as much.

he had been infiltrating and clearing out a fatui base in the area, he explains, and how he ran into you along the way. woah. how impressive.

“do you do this a lot?” you ask.

he nods. “i do. the safety and security of mondstadt is one of my utmost priorities.”

you nod along with him, until the pieces slide into place and create the perfect masterpiece of a puzzle. the mask, the vigilantism and the chivalry…

“wait. so, you're the darknight hero?!”

at that, he cringes minutely. a sigh leaves his lips then, and an exasperated acceptance graces his face. “i see you've heard of that moniker as well.”

“who hasn't? don't worry! i'll keep your superhero identity a secret,” you announce proudly, even placing a hand over where your heart would be as emphasis. “my lips are sealed.”

he sighs again, but this time, it’s softer, gentler. “let's go. i'll walk you back to your home.”

though, you don't end up going home. you find out he's headed to angel's share, and it's then and there you decide you deserve a drink too. you had survived enough scares for a lifetime, you think. you part ways at the entrance — for he slips into the tavern through the backdoor whilst you use the front.

kaeya greets you the moment you enter, gesturing for you to sit by him at the bar.

“i'd never expect to see you tonight,” he says smoothly, a charming smile on his face. when diluc enters the scene, his gaze only flickers for a brief moment. “it must be my lucky day.”

you beam. “nah, it must be mine. how have you been?”

the captain buys you your first drink, and you fall into conversation easily. it's been far too long since you've talked with kaeya, you muse, that you’ve forgotten how much you missed being his friend. 

you don't catch how diluc's gaze strays to you time and time again, but kaeya does.

“say, [name],” kaeya purrs, “have you heard of the darknight hero?”

diluc flinches almost unnoticeably. you chuckle. “i have. i've heard donna go on and on about the man for hours. why?”

“nothing much. i was simply wondering what you think of it all.”

the grin that stretches across your face is utterly radiant. your head is propped up by your arm now, your body half-draped along the bar. dreamily, you sigh, “i think he's dashing.”

kaeya throws his head back and laughs.

(later, when you have finally retired for the night, kaeya eyes his brother knowingly. there's a smile on his face, genuine and sly all at once. 

“why, you really ought to thank me, don't you think?”

diluc huffs, drying a wine glass as he does. “there is nothing to thank. [name]’s opinion of the darknight hero is not any of your doing.”

“funny, i don’t recall mentioning if i was talking about them?”

checkmate. diluc scowls, and he knows he's won. his brother glances away, but kaeya knows better than to read his feelings at mere surface level. diluc is smitten — there is no doubt about that.

there would be no explanation for the small, secretive smile on diluc's face in response to your earlier comment otherwise.)

it is nearly closing time when lumine seems to have found herself in your clinic once more. what’s more surprising is the man that shuffles in with her, but apart from being a little worse for the wear, he looked to be alright.

faintly relieved, you turn your attention on her instead, directing her onto a bed. “what’s happened this time?”

“she sprained an ankle,” paimon supplies helpfully. “we were battling the cryo regisvine when diluc came to help us!”

“i was in the area,” diluc adds in, by way of explanation. his arms are crossed, you note, which would have usually been perfectly normal if not for how stiffly he is carrying himself. hm.

“diluc,” you say. his gaze flicks towards you immediately. “i have to talk to you about something later.”

he dips his head in reply, and you make quick work of healing lumine’s ankle, bandaging it up just in case. “be careful with it — an ankle is always easiest to sprain the second time.”

she smiles, saying her thanks, and the pair bid you farewell as swiftly as they had come. you pin your gaze onto diluc then, before he can ask about what you wished to say.

“it’s your turn now, c’mon.” you pet the bed the bed the traveller had just used, tone firm. “on your back. take off your coat too.”

gods, you think, wincing when he does as you say obediently. he reeks of blood.

the wound bad, in all sense of the word. you don’t know how exactly it is that his coat had survived, but it’s apparent the rest of his undershirt and skin had not. a large gash runs from his shoulder to the tail of his back, bruised and bloody with frostbite. he had been caught off guard when the traveller injured herself, he explains.  

“how were you still standing?” you say, horrorstruck. 

your fingers brush against the bruising, and he lets out a shuttered breath. “it is nothing i haven’t endured.”

“but that doesn’t make it okay,” you murmur, and you don’t think he hears you, for he says nothing in reply.

crystals of geo form on his back, encasing the injury with a golden sheen. it would take a while to fully heal, you tell him, as it did for every other major wound. 

“first lumine, now you?” you laugh, though it is out of incredulity rather than genuine amusement. “my heart’s gonna give out at this rate.”

“my apologies,” he replies, pushing himself to sit upright. there’s a smile on his face, a small, rueful one. “i… never thought you’d notice. nor did i expect you to be this concerned.”

just what does he think of you? you instruct him to turn his back to you, giving you easier access to his wound. he doesn’t flinch and doesn’t make a sound when you bring a warm, damp cloth to his skin, but you can tell it’s a near thing. 

“why wouldn’t i be worried for you?” you ask. you try not to let the hurt and confusion bleed into your words, keeping your voice steady and calm. “i know we haven’t been as close since your father… well, i know we haven’t been as close in the recent years but — but i’ve never once stopped caring about you.”

honestly, you couldn’t blame him. ever since crepus’ passing and diluc’s three year disappearance, your relationship with him had never been the same. you had even loved him once when the both of you had been teens, you know, madly, irrevocably. maybe you still do, somewhere in the deepest corners of your heart.

“it wasn’t my intention to slight you. i merely…” he starts, trailing off. 

you prompt him to continue, and he sighs. the crystals have all dissolved now, his wound fully healed, but the tinge of redness on his skin has yet to fade, along with a fresh, blotchy scar. it almost blends in with the rest of the scars that decorate his back, you think.

you offer him a spare doctor’s coat to wear, seeing as how his own were ruined, and he accepts it with a murmured thanks. you can’t see the look on his face, but you don’t have to. you know him well enough to imagine.

“you’ve said it yourself that we’ve grown distant. i admit that — that much of it is my fault. i could never blame you if you no longer consider me your friend.”

so, that’s why?  

“you complete fool.”

he startles, gaze darting to face you, but you’ve already gone and thrown your arms around his neck. his arms come around your waist only after a moment’s hesitation, and you laugh. “all this while — you’ve been guilty? diluc, who do you think i am? i wouldn’t stop being your friend just ‘cuz you were going through some things.”

“if anything, i was pissed when you left mondstadt for years without a single letter.” you sigh, leaning backwards ever so slightly to get a good look at his face. gods, you’ve always loved his eyes. they pierce into yours, burning and bright. “and when you came back, i thought you didn’t like how much i changed, which is why… y’know, we stopped talking as much.”

really, a lot had changed ever since crepus died. you got your vision, quit studying theology (sister rosaria had been rather supportive of that), started studying medicine… your parents hadn’t been pleased, but who were they to object?

“on the contrary, i don’t think you changed at all,” he cuts in, almost immediately. “not in any way that mattered. you’re still…”

“still?”

he huffs, glancing away, as if he were bashful. his tone is impossibly soft. “wonderful.”

oh my god. since when did he learn to be this charming? you laugh, delighted and flustered all the same. 

“for the record, i think you’re wonderful too.”

“i’m glad to hear that,” he chuckles, and you can feel it. that could not be good for your heart. 

you release him from the hug, opting to sit by his side instead. it’s been so long since you’ve felt this light. and it is then your stomach chooses to grumble. embarrassingly loud, in fact. diluc doesn’t laugh, but you know damn well he wants to. he checks the time on his watch. 

“it’s already time for dinner,” he says. “would you like to have dinner at the dawn winery? i know adelinde will be delighted to see you.”

“are you asking me out on a date?” you tease. you wouldn’t mind at all if it was, actually.

and he flushes. you’ve never even known his face could be that red. it’s utterly adorable.

“would you — would you like me to?”

grinning, you leap to your feet, offering him a hand. he takes it without hesitation, and his palm is warm in yours.

“definitely! i accept, by the way. c’mon now, let’s go!”