Vision of the Damned

Mind Games

Aether's sword slashed through another Hilichurl as Kaeya froze another one. Kaeya had enlisted Aether's help to clear out a few camps, only so he had a lesser workload. Once they eliminated every enemy, Aether collected discarded Hilichurl masks, arrowheads and divination scrolls. People didn't understand how useful they were for weapon enhancements and the occasional alchemic reaction!

"Paimon is tired!" The white-haired pixie complained, floating behind Aether.

Kaeya chuckled and began flipping his lucky coin. "You floated on the sidelines and watched, Paimon. How can you feel tired?"

"Hey! Paimon was cheering you two on!" She stomped the air yet again. It wasn't a conversation with Kaeya without her doing it at least once.

Once they'd retrieved anyone of use, Kaeya turned to his friends. "If you two don't have any plans, how about a drink at Diluc's tavern?"

"Sure, but Diluc doesn't let the Traveller drink alcohol," Paimon reminded them, pointing to her friend.

"Apple cider vinegar it is then," Kaeya chuckled as they began the walk back. "It may not be as exquisite as Dandelion Wine, but it's better than grape juice." Even though Aether would rather have some wine, Mondstadt's apple cider vinegar wasn't horrible...

Their path took them through Windrise, a soft breeze gracing them with the ocean's scent. Aether glanced over at the creek, not a crystalfly in sight around the lonely statue. The blackened grass had yet to recover and charred wood crumbled with every soft breeze, tainting the creek.

"The winds haven't smelled of apples lately." Kaeya broke the silence, inspecting the blade of his sword. "Barbatos mustn't be impressed." Aether nodded idly, recalling how much alcohol Venti had downed that afternoon... It impressed Aether, considering the same amount would kill a regular human.

"How's the city doing?"

"It's running." Kaeya released his sword, letting it dematerialise. "Some people are losing faith in Barbatos for not saving Vennessa's Tree."

Aether slowly nodded, knowing he couldn't reveal anything about Barbatos to Kaeya. The only ones who knew of Venti's true identity were Jean, Diluc and Stanley. Kaeya might know, but Aether didn't want to reveal anything on Venti's behalf. "How about Diluc?" He remembered how strange the redhead had acted after the burning.

"I haven't seen him lately. It's quite worrying." Kaeya sighed and fixed his glove.

Paimon gasped and floated in front of Kaeya's face. "You?! Worried about Diluc?!"

Kaeya chuckled. "I may not enjoy him as a drinking buddy, but we're still brothers, adopted or otherwise." He turned on his heels with a flourish. "Let's stop by Dawn Winery, shall we?"

Anxiety gnawed at their hearts during the short walk. This time, Aether didn't stop to gather materials on his way. "Ah, welcome, Master Kaeya. Oh, you have the Traveller with you, hello." Adelinde stood by the door with a bright smile.

"Pleasure to see you again, Adelinde." Kaeya nodded at the woman who raised him, a fond gaze in his eye. "How's Diluc doing these days? Still as boring as ever?"

Adelinde's smile fell and she sighed. "Master Diluc hasn't been quite himself lately. When he's here, he doesn't say a word to anyone. He also prefers to carry his claymore now, which leaves quite a lot of dirt behind. It's quite the hassle to clean."

"Sounds like you need to clean up after him more," Kaeya responded with a neutral expression. "Quite strange." Aether nodded in agreement. Diluc didn't like creating extra, unnecessary work for his staff, especially Adelinde. She was practically a mother to the two after helping Diluc's father to raise them both.