Family Ties (Chiluc)

One

"Daddy!" Diona throws herself forward, body hitting the arm that is quick to reach out in front of her. As soon as she makes contact with the waiting arm she is scooped up and carried away from the grotesque scene.

Allan doesn't let her go no matter how much she struggles. He won't let her go to him, but she can still see the body of the boar over the hunter's shoulder, tusks still dripping with the blood of its latest victim. Still red; still fresh; likely still warm.

"Let me go to him!" she calls, pushing against Allan's shoulder in a feeble attempt to break free of his tight hold, no matter how much she needs the warmth and comfort of it right now. "I can fix this!" Her throat hurts as her voice is nearly a scream. "I can fix him!" She had stopped attempting to hold back tears the second Allen had pulled her away from her bleeding father. They fall down her face, feeling hot against her cheeks. "I can- Let me fix him!" Her cries fall on deaf ears, or, at least, ears unwilling to listen.

-

"It won't be for long." Diona can hear Margaret's voice, but can only muster up the energy to pick up a few words. She sounds so far away compared to the thoughts racing through Diona's head.

She stands at the front door of the large manor of Dawn Winery just a few days after the incident, hand clinging loosely to Margaret's, head hanging low, and her nose scrunched up in a weak attempt to block out the familiar smell of wine. She'd rather still be curled up on Margaret's couch than be here.

"Just until I can find space for her somewhere, I promise," Margaret continues.

Diona glances up and Adelinde is looking at her with a warm smile. "It's not a problem," she says, voice heavy with sympathy. Diona is so sick of the sympathy. Waste it on someone who wants it. "The young master is away on business at the moment, but I'm sure he'd have no objections to letting her use one of the guest rooms."

At least Diona won't have to see Diluc. Deep down, she knows this is his fault. If Diluc hadn't sold the wine, her father wouldn't have been drunk; and if her father wasn't drunk, he wouldn't have- he wouldn't...

"Thank you so much." Margaret's smile falters as her grip on Diona's hand tightens. She crouches next to Diona, and Diona looks away. "I'll be back soon," Margaret promises. "Will you be okay?"

Of course she wouldn't be okay, but that's not what Margaret wanted to hear. Diona lets go of her hand, but she doesn't respond. Her arms hang by her sides and she suddenly doesn't know what to do with her hands, so settles on crossing her arms.

She can see Margaret's shoulders fall from the corner of her eye, her sigh making it clear that she was no longer waiting for a response. "You know where to find me if you need anything." She stands up, attention back on Adelinde. "Thank you, again."

Diona doesn't say goodbye, and doesn't watch while she leaves. Margaret was choosing to leave her here alone, so she doesn't deserve that closure.

A few awkward moments pass before Adelinde is the first to speak. "I'll show you to your room." Her voice is still gentle; still sympathetic, and Diona hates her. How could she work for someone like Diluc? Support something like the Mondstadt wine industry? Pretend to care when she has no idea what Diona's going through right now?

Diona follows anyway. What other choice does she have? Go back to Margaret? To the Cat's Tail? She'd rather take her chances with Adelinde's polite sympathies than have gross, old drunks use comforting her as an excuse to reach for her ears or grab her tail.

She expects the manor to smell more of the wine she was so used to smelling, but there's nothing but a slight fruity fragrance. Nothing in the manor stands out as particularly interesting, other than a brightly coloured vase so gaudy that it looks out of place, as Adelinde guides her towards the steps at the back of the large house.