117 » show me where your heart is tonight

[ironwind]

[He hadn't meant to startle anyone, really.

Even so, he'd startled Adelinde when he showed up on the steps of the Dawn Winery, bloodied and bruised from a recent fight. He hadn't asked to stay. He was hoping to avail himself of the facilities, that was all — he wanted to wash up, get the blood out of his hair and face. He thought it might be nice to have a proper bath with hot water rather than another freezing dip in another cold stream out in the wilds. Sure, a Statue of the Seven could have fixed up the worst of Aether's injuries without all the fuss of a bath, but he'd been too tired and wounded to make the pilgrimage there, and it was easier to ignore the ache in his legs while he was gliding toward the manor.

So. Could I just take a bath here? he'd asked, hiding a scrape on his elbow behind the back of one glove. I'll be quick. Diluc won't even have to know.

Somehow, the traveler hadn't expected the head maid to turn right around, march back into the manor, and call for her Master Diluc.

It wasn't, Aether reflects, that he was avoiding the man, though depending on how Adelinde reported the circumstances of his visit, Diluc might now be under that impression. It was just that Aether didn't want to bother him. Mondstadt's richest man and part-time Darknight Hero probably has other things that require his attention — can't spend too much time on the needs and wants of a traveler who is just passing through, even if that traveler had a few heroic mishaps with the city's local god and resident dragon.

Nevertheless, they're in the same space now, and Aether can't exactly continue worrying that he might be a bother. The golden-eyed outlander is sitting in a tub, hot water up to his knees, when Diluc comes into the bathroom with a change of clothes for him — which seems a little remarkable, in truth. The man himself, and not one of the maidservants? Then again, he is the sort of person who seems to always feel that he has to do everything on his own. Aether's gotten the worst of the mess out of his hair, at least; he feels presentable enough by the time Diluc enters, so he doesn't hide from the man's crimson gaze. He only looks over at the winery owner with mild surprise.]

Diluc...

[One of Aether's hands is pushing his hair away from his face so that he can examine an open cut near his hairline in the mirror. It bled more than the actual size of the cut would indicate. He sighs.]

It doesn't look that bad, does it?

Comments

sorry for the delay!!! i’ll be much faster now 😭

[diluced]

( it isn’t unusual nowadays that he has unexpected visitors. for years, the winery saw only merchants and customers. now, it’s lively with the traveler and others that come flitting along with news of mondstadt and beyond. it almost feels like a home, like life is being breathed into these walls. diluc doesn’t read too much into it.

for now, he’s focused on ensuring that the brave traveler is attended to properly. he has had his fair share of wounds and bruises; being a vigilante usually meant dealing with the worst of folks.

he regards aether once he enters the bathroom with a look. it’s both engaging and assessing all at once. slowly, his eyes drift to the cut in question. )

No, it does not look like it’ll scar. ( calmly, he heads over to the tub. wordlessly, he undoes his own mess of hair and offers up the hair tie. ) It may be easier to put your hair up for the time-being. ( just a suggestion. )

aw, don't worry about speed at all! it's all good

[ironwind]

[Aether takes the hair tie slowly, half-distracted by the way Diluc's hair looks when it's down and spilling around his shoulders. It's the first time he's seen the winery owner with his hair loose; he can't help but think that Diluc is beautiful, but he's more than certain that the man doesn't actually care about things like what he looks like or if anyone thinks he is attractive or not. Still, it's a thought. There's no harm in thinking it.

The traveler's fingers close around the hair tie. He gathers the heavy weight of his silken locks into a ponytail, wrapping Diluc's hair tie once, twice around it. It feels... snug.]

Mmm... You're probably right.

[Weary and contemplative, Aether lies back in the tub, his ponytail dangling over the edge. He lets his head rest against the hard marble behind him, allowing his senses to be swathed in the comfort of hot water and pleasant scents. Lazily, he lifts one of his arms and holds it up against the ceiling light; in spite of the various injures and bruises he's surely picked up on his journeys, his skin is unmarred, almost artificially so.]

I wouldn't mind having a few scars here or there. But they never really seem to take.

[diluced]

( diluc isn’t sure how to best answer that.

he has his own scars, both physical and emotional. the worst days of his life, all compounded together, littering his body and heart with scornful memories. but that’s not to be dwelled upon right now. not with company over.

a sigh. diluc pushes his own hair out of his eyes and kneels properly beside the tub. )

Sometimes, it’s better not to wish for such things. They may manifest in ways you didn’t intend. ( he doesn’t elaborate but gently urges aether’s back towards the water. )

Would you like any tea? It’s late, but I at least know how to do that on my own. ( an attempt at a small joke to lighten the mood. levity, as they call it. )

[ironwind]

[Aether thinks that he might know what Diluc really means, beneath the surface. That suffering is not to be longed for. That trauma doesn't make one stronger so much as that it simply damages, and leaves you behind to knit yourself together. But that's not a conversation that the winery owner is likely to want to have, not in this mood and at this time of night, so Aether lets it slide.

The traveler allows himself to be pressed back into the water, but he turns in the tub, graceful as a fish, such that he's flipped onto his knees and his belly, and his arms are resting on the tub's edge. There's a cut on his wrist that stings if he puts it into the water, so he's kept his arms up thus far. Inquisitively, the traveler looks up at Diluc, golden irises locked onto the man's face, not unlike those of a cat that has just spotted something of interest.]

You do most things on your own.

[A counterpoint framed as an idle observation. Aether isn't using it to argue, though. Maybe it's only a gentle admonishment, the same way Diluc told him not to wish for scars.]

Yes, I'd like tea. Do you mind putting sugar in mine?