KAEYA strolls up. there's a healthy crowd gathered 'round, & there is no way in the seven hells that no-one will see this. as a matter of fact, someone has known better than to take their eyes off him-

        l i c k s a certain statue.

the riot of deep offence & the approach of a dutiful milelith. kaeya's laughter answers each in bright peals.

    " happy lantern rite~ "

which he'll be spending in jail for oh, i don't know, defacement of public property? inappropriate use of semi-holy objects? who cares, if it brings a twinkle to amber eyes.

       & happy birthday.

@galactia asked:

The darkness here was inky and suffocating, saturated in Abyssal power, clinging to the weathered stones and stealing what there was of air. This was a place sunlight could not touch; a place where the power of the gods could not bring reprieve. How a door had been opened to this depth was not known to that which crawled in the dark, but the Abyss opened its jaws, welcoming another sacrifice- Blue-black darkness gave way to frost here, like mist from the shadows, and reached, like cold tendrils to coalesce around her feet. It might have been a caress, for the way it ebbed and flowed, but another step, and then another, and the ice turned sharp, freezing at her boots. There was a laugh that echoed on unearthly stone, the echo of which was mad, and a voice, too familiar not to be recognized, too hollow to be right, joined it. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Little red riding hood, lost in the wood-" Spikes of pure cryo erupted from the floor, closing Signe in, entrapping her in a frigid cage. The breathy laughter seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere, and mingled with a distant scream (everywhere, no where, animalistic, pained). A figure unfolded from the dark, a blade of pure cryo in its hand, "Oh-... what big teeth, I have-" A gold eye (hazy, scarred) and a blue eye and cascading, blue hair, "my dear." Kaeya emerged from the dark, whole, alive (whole?, alive?), and different. Dark veins tore through brown skin, bleeding into his right eye, and disappearing across his neck. His clothes were his, but utterly changed. He drew close (was she real? was she flesh, and blood, and a beating heart?), eyes narrowed, eyes shifting. He watched the ice melt against her touch. Real. He flinched back and tossed his head and a peel of wretched laughter seemed ready to split him in two. (How? Why? No, no-...) "So brave, so foolish-" He leered closer, and a blink sent tears rolling down, seemingly unbeknownst even to him, "Have you come to join me?"

She had torn through the pages of her tomes until her fingers bled from the papercuts, and the dark circles under her eyes suggested that the witch hadn't slept in what was at least a day or two. Her escape from the Abyss had come at Kaeya's expense, and she wouldn't have rested until she found a way to rescue him, too.

Plenty of Knights and common Mondstadters alike had stopped by the library to ask how she was doing. The change in her demeanor and the absence of the infamous Cavalry Captain that usually lingered by her side were far from subtle signs that something wasn't right. Signe grew pricklier at each question, barely gracing them with a response to return more quickly to her desk to pour through information again. Finally, after endless research and Bennett's help, a portal into the Abyss had come to surface - but Signe had ventured into the cave alone in the case that she didn't return, the opening seemingly vanishing after her.

It became harder to walk with each step into the Abyss. Any moisture that had collected on the soles of her boots seemed to freeze her to the ground, and her shivers became more pronounced as the temperature around her dropped. It's of no matter, she thought: I must be getting close.

The large clearing in front of her was covered in ice, and the temperature had dropped so much that there was a bit of frost collecting on her lashes. Signe barely had time to react when the large spikes of cryo emerged from the ground, leaving her little room to move (to escape?). The figure that had emerged from the darkness was clearly Kaeya, but the Abyss had clearly managed to touch him, too.

"I came to find you," she replied, instinctively trying to melt through the cryo with her electro with little progress. Join him? Join... the Abyss? He couldn't be serious.

"--To bring you back. We've all been worried sick. Everyone’s been asking for you nonstop, and I couldn’t--

“Kaeya, what have they done to you?"

Trick: A bottle of dandelion wine is left at Venti's table, tied with blue ribbon, and accompanied by a note that, on the surface, is signed only with a K. Venti would know. Except when the cork is popped mint-colored glitter flies out, coating anyone in the vicinity in sparkly, green flecks. On closer inspection, there is another note on the bottom of the bottle, Trick or treat, friendly neighborhood bard. It reads, You'll find real bottle behind the third barrel on the left behind the Angel's Share. That one, is full of the nectar of the gods. Enjoy.

Not for a second had Venti thought the bottle contained anything truly malicious, despite noticing the very different feel this bottle had than one that was filled with liquid would have.

Alas, a glitter bomb was not something he suspected... he wouldn't have opened it inside the tavern if he knew what a weapon he'd be unleashing.

The note on the bottom caught his attention, and Venti had to laugh. At least there would be something for his troubles-

the trouble of having to use the wind to blow all of this glitter out of the tavern before Master Diluc banned him.

If, perhaps, later that night when Venti was indeed enjoying a nice glass of wine, some of the glitter blowing in the wind found its way into Kaeya's abode, well, who was to say?

galactia ;; He-.... well. Kaeya supposes if Albedo asks very nicely, and promises him a fine bottle of wine, he could agree to being an artistic 'muse' for a day.

Is that all ? A paltry compensation for several hours of sitting in place looking pretty, stiffly and uncomfortably. He'll even throw in a homecooked meal, as thanks for being such a beautiful means of inspiration, and enduring what will surely be a lengthy process. He promises to get your GOOD side, although . . . all of them are good, technically. Not a difficult endeavor by any means.

"No, you have to cradle it gently. A bow is like a bird - the string is like a feather. Tough, suited to its perhaps. It allows arrows to fly, but only when tended to with care." Kaeya's hands were careful, firm, but kind as he guided Razor's hands along the unfamiliar weapon. "Archery can be an exceptional skill for hunting." He promised, as he helped Razor to readjust, "You'll get the hang of it, I promise."

Random Prompt - Always Accepting! @galactia

Red eyes watched with fascination as his hands were adjusted to grasp the unfamiliar weapon. Aside from his own claws, the only other weapon that Razor's used is the claymore gifted to him by Varka when he'd been younger, and that great, steel fang was nowhere near as delicate as the bow that he was being taught to use now.

"Can... hunt with?" Turning his gaze up towards the older man, his brows furrowing with confusion, though recognition dawned upon him a few moments later as a memory came forward, "Fire girl use. Fire girl use to hunt? Razor... hunt like fire girl?"

He could remember seeing Amber shoot a bird in midflight, and the wolf boy's eyes light up at the thought. If he could do that, then he wouldn't be limited to prey on the ground! That knowledge alone was enough to fill Razor with a new sense of eagerness, an expression of determination crossing the wolf boy's face.

"Razor learn. Razor use to hunt for lupical. Will... listen to Kaeya if Kaeya teach. Please?"

asoiaf: a dance with dragons starters // accepting. @galactia // ❝ it is not the foes who curse you to your face that you must fear, but those who smile when you are looking and sharpen their knives when you turn your back. ❞ Kaeya remarked, while sharpening his own sword, ironically. He flashed a smile at Aether, "See? I only sharpen my sword in front of you."

BETRAYAL WAS NOTHING FOREIGN TO AETHER — to live such a long life came with intimate knowledge of the universe's perils, of the way all lifeforms would sooner bury a friend than themselves with so few exceptions that they may as well not exist, anomalies that could not be counted. Perhaps Kaeya is one of those anomalies, someone who Aether could find some trust for ( deep within their heart ) however misplaced it may be.

( one day, they will stand opposed with blades aimed toward each other. such is the nature of all things. one day, Aether will be grateful for it. )

Perhaps he should feel grateful for what Kaeya promises within those words, for his pledge that he would not betray Aether ( not yet ) & he might have if it didn't feel wholly like misdirection — it is cynicism that rests deep within his heart, the likes of which he has spent eons burying & yet could not rid himself of. Aether is aware, in the end, of what he is like: someone who claims optimism, who allows himself naivety, yet in the end it has always been an act, a desperate attempt to ignore his wounds by forgetting their existence altogether.

( some days, they cannot ignore them so readily. )

❝You're always good with advice, Kaeya.❞ Aether speaks, his voice level & eyes fixated on him, lips curled into a small smile as if to return the one he has been offered. He remains quiet for a moment as if to gather his thoughts, to put them into order & speak his mind freely rather than allowing them to remain stuck to the roof of his mouth like paper. His words were always watched, these days — too many secrets rested within that soul of his to speak of.

( they weighed upon their heart like bricks. )

❝I don't think either of those are anything to worry about, though.❞ The smile that had formed on his face fades as fast as it had appeared, uncharacteristic for Aether ( who had always tried to seem happy & unbothered by the cruelties of the world ) yet fitting for the subject matter of their conversation. ❝The people who you have to fear are the ones who are still breathing. The dead have nothing further to say.❞ There is a tendril of anger that strikes into his tone, the type that is aged & subdued yet not quite as invisible as he wished for it to be.

❝But the living?❞ He moves his gaze from Kaeya to instead focus on the ground, as if to avoid any show of emotion on his face — he has never liked to show vulnerability, not even to Lumine, yet he could not claim his friend to be undeserving of a show of emotion, either. ❝All the living know is to betray. To leave those around them to pick up the pieces. All you can do is hope you betray them first.❞

( it will lessen the pain of knowing they would have done the same to you. )

"One of the best ways to show someone you love them is to spend time with them. Adventuring together, camping, or even just sharing a meal with them. It can mean quite a lot to even tell them that. 'I want to spend time with you.' or 'I want to be by your side.'" Kaeya offered. He was hardly their friendly, neighborhood bard (who also fancied himself an expert on love and romance), but he had his tips and tricks.

kaeya's insight is greatly appreciated in this instance. he's never really asked the other for much before, captain never really gave advice either, but this...this made sense. he already did much of this with bennett, even made a point of telling kaeya so...

"i adventure with bennett many times. he is...usually alone. like me. i don't want him to be alone. i tell him i rather be with him, than without," a pause, you can see the thought of wolfkin's face as he processes what he's been told over the day, "...i should tell him this more?"

@galactia:

Kaeya vc: no no No nono

There’s a shit-eating grin on her face as she reaches her hand out menacingly.

“Oh? Are you self-volunteering, Sir Kaeya?”

Kaeya hadn't really- he certainly didn't plan for this. Clutching his head as if it would somehow keep the light from stabbing him, or the pain from pulling at his skin and tearing viciously into the back of his eye. What was this? Why? Albedo's lab was close. Closer than the church, closer than- The Captain slumped against the doorframe, looking like he might not be standing in a moment, desperately digging his fingertips into his skull, "Help me."

Like always, Albedo can be found in his lab. This time though, he's not doing research of any kind, but he's engrossed in a light novel. The story isn't particularly his favorite, but Albedo appreciates the peace that he normally doesn't feel.

Or, did appreciate the peace.

Kaeya is another matter altogether. While the Captain's whims are often to his own fancy, Albedo enjoys the man's presence regardless of what he gets up to. Albedo's never found an actual reason to pry into Kaeya's life, nor has Kaeya ever really pried into his life.

This is probably one of those times when Albedo could have pushed more. Because the state Kaeya is in when he bursts into Albedo's office has the alchemist alarmed. He's never seen Kaeya lose his composure before, and has never seen the man in such agony.

Albedo immediately drops the book onto the ground, forgotten about as he rushes to Kaeya's side and urges him to sit down, kicking the lab door closed. No one else needs to be privy to this particular scene.

"What's wrong?" Albedo questions. Soft, yet still urgency needing answers. He's already moving about, grabbing pain killers and water, even some herbs to hopefully cool down the current ailment. "Can you speak?"

"Diluc." Kaeya steps up to the bar, a divergence from his normal tendency to take residence on a barstool at this time of night. Angel's Share is relatively quiet, there isn't much risk of them being overhead, though Kaeya's forthrightness might turn a head or two, if he didn't keep his volume down. "I've gotten word that a person of mutual interest is coming to visit our fair city." He passed a small piece of paper across to him, "I thought, perhaps, they might stay at the winery?"

Unprompted Asks | always accepting

That Kaeya was stepping up to the bar to speak with him so directly implied a sense of urgency and importance to the matter at hand. And while, to some, a visitor coming to Mondstadt was hardly newsworthy, there could be no mistaking the intent behind Kaeya's coded words.

Someone dangerous was coming. Someone who posed a significant threat to Mondstadt. Someone that the Knights of Favonius couldn't touch.

Though, while they regularly passed each other important information about various dangerous persons coming to Mondstadt, it was rare for Kaeya to use that code specifically.

In essence: Make sure they never arrive.

Diluc carefully took the paper and pocketed it to look at later, assuming that any additional details Kaeya knew would be there. "Certainly,” he said as he started mixing one of Kaeya’s regular drinks. “I’ll make sure they get a proper welcome.”

Message received.

KAEYA  nobody ask why he has some dark, dark brown ( with golden ends?? ) braided into his own blue rat tail.      you simply would not be able to understand.

                smug smug fashion baby

@galactia said:

“  keep kissing me like that and we’re gonna end up back in bed.  ” Kaeya murmured against her lips, over the breakfast he'd been preparing. Pancakes and strawberries, and fresh coffee, ground from beans he'd purchased last when he was in Sumeru (a bit of an indulgence, but if she enjoyed it too, worth every mora). "I'd hate for this all to get cold." He wasn't making it easier though, standing there in nothing but an buttoned shirt and trousers, and not even bothering to correct the way it his shirt fell from his shoulder.

“We can always warm it up again somehow,” Signe breathed between kisses. She’d just barely gotten out of bed, hair still mussed from sleep, eyes practically still closed. The way she kissed him was sleepy but passionate nonetheless, addicting in the way she lazily and so nonchalantly moved her lips against his.

And then she was off him in an instant, a Cheshire grin tugging at her lips and honey-brown eyes dancing as she moved to take a bite of the pancakes. She knew she would leave him wanting, stealing his breath away and then sitting down to eat with no more than a cruel little smile. She made sure to shrug her own shirt off her shoulders, letting it hang at the elbows as if she were simply too lazy to pick it back up. But the way she stared at him, met his gaze directly, suggested she knew exactly what she was doing.

“Are you going to eat, Captain?”

❝ there is good in the world. I know there is. I just don’t think I get to have it in this life. Maybe in the next." Kaeya remarked, almost flippant, settled with his glass of wine at this table in Angel's Share. "But you? I'm sure you'll find your brother. ❞ (from Kaeya, for Lumine)

Lumine’s glass was half full of the sweet cider, the glass still cold against their calloused hands, a tad sore from the commissions they’d completed throughout the day. It wasn’t a surprise to see Kaeya at Angel’s Share, but the topic of the conversation had meandered from usual small talk to something that felt…vulnerable, in a way that left them wondering just how much of their inner turmoil he could see. Leaning back in their chair, they swirled their glass just to be able to watch the cider move rather than meet the too sharp gaze of the Calvary Captain. The flippancy of the remark perhaps made them all the more certain that he could see how they’d sought out familiar territory for the comfortability of it. Taking a deep breath, they rested one hand on the table, a small sip of their drink soothing their nerves enough to help them seek out his gaze. “I don’t know. I think you make quite a lot of good in this world by your very presence, not to mention your actions.”

Leaning their forearms against the table, they offer a small smile. “Perhaps the good in the world meant for you got a bit lost, or it’s like a plant, but I firmly believe that not only do you deserve to get it in this life, but that it’s making its way to you.” Maybe that was a bit much for such a seemingly flippant comment, but they wanted Kaeya to know that he was quite deserving of good things.

For all the good they had done in Teyvat, Lumine still wasn’t certain if what they hoped might happen when they finally found Aether would actually come true. Downcast gaze, they finished their drink quickly, the cold sweetness of the cider no longer enough for them as they stood up. “I don’t know if finding my brother is as much of a concern as to what he’s become now.” Kaeya was clever, they were certain he could at least understand part of their concern as they got their own glass of wine, a thin space to reorganize their thoughts before returning to the table. Mimicking Kaeya’s near flippant tone, they shrugged on shoulder, “Then again, it’s probably me that has changed so much compared to his memory of me.”

Diluc would find a certain Cavalry Captain dozed off in the back corner of Angel's Share, head pillowed on his arms, and face obscured by fur and hair. What had been his work is spread out beneath him, partially written but unfinished. It isn't alcohol, on this occasion, that has drawn him to sleep, as his drink has been set aside, half-finished and his only one of the evening. He's simply beaten, exhausted. (hi! <3 )

Unprompted Ask - [ ALWAYS ACCEPTING ] ;; DILUC . @galactia

            He eyes the drink first . . . the work, second,  and  Kaeya,  third.

         Years of a relationship that was well beyond the definition of STRAINED, and he still doesn't understand why Kaeya spends so much time here. All the other patrons have long since stumbled their way out of the door, pockets of mora left behind atop now empty tables as a COURTESY to their beloved bartender, who would have to clean up the dishware that surrounded it. Yet, Kaeya still remained, seemingly dragged into the deepest depths of slumber with not a modicum of AWARENESS as to how many hours have passed since his head had dipped in weariness.

                         " Tables aren't comfy . . . " Diluc mutters to nothing in particular, sighing as he reached for the now watered down beverage to pour out into the sink. He could easily wake Kaeya up . . . kick him out, urge him to go home and curl up in his OWN bed where he wouldn't render Diluc's nightly duties nearly impossible to complete . . . yet, seeing him rest like this, so peacefully and undisturbed but a handful of feet away from his brother, in clear NEED of it, makes the redhead's heart ACHE.

         It appears, if nothing else, they shared the trait of insomnia. Of restless nights, relentless nightmares that plagued the few hours they DID manage to get. Diluc isn't so cruel as to say he'd turned a blind eye to his brother's exhaustion. Nay, no longer did he step in to take care of him at a moment's notice, as he had when they were younger, but he did what he could from afar.

         Glasses of water in betwixt downings of alcohol. Free plates of food to make certain Kaeya's stomach was empty on the nights his tab weighed more than his weight in mora, and always -- ALWAYS -- he watched from afar when Kaeya stumbled home, refusing to turn around and leave until he saw the door shut, and heard the ' click ' of a lock.

       This time was no different. He pulled a blanket from the stockroom closet, draping it over Kaeya's shoulders so he wouldn't fall ill amidst his slumber. Mondstadt's air, around this time of year, could take on a worrisome chill, after all, and the last thing he wanted was for his little brother to suffer a preventable ailment in exchange for a few hours of rest. The papers, he neatly gathers, mindful of the potentially sensitive and confidential information they held, and tucks them, carefully, under Kaeya's arm.

        A glass of water is set nearest him thereafter, and a small pastry, in the event Kaeya woke up hungry.

       And, nearly . . . very nearly . . . Diluc rests a palm to the younger's backside, only to hesitate and pull away at the last second, legs carrying him back to the bar where he would pass the time doing his financial reports.

          All the while, though, he kept his brother in his ever vigilant gaze, watching over him from afar, as he always had, and always would, no matter what.

❛ i’d say we make a pretty good team. ❜ (from Kaeya!)

🔥 dialogue prompts.

it seems, despite the tension that still remains, that he and hiss brother still understand one another better than anyone else. he felt it himself, didn't need to hear kaeya say it to confirm. if anything, it just complicates things even more.

" ... i guess some things never change. " dawn replies, sounding almost resigned to this realization.

@galactia / kaeya

transferred from archived blog & lost meme // not accepting. @galactia // ‘ i've had to give up things but what i've learned is that i don't need much. i don't need much to be happy. ’ (Kaeya to Aether)

WHAT WAS NEEDED TO BE HAPPY WAS UNATTAINABLE. There are few things that he finds himself more certain about than this — perhaps it is because he feels the need to plead for love in places it is not given, to tear himself apart to see happiness on the face of someone he cares for, & thus he does not understand the meaning of a joy that is more than just a fleeting feeling he cannot hold onto no matter how hard Aether tries to keep it close to his heart.

( it has been so dreadfully long since delight had greeted him like an old friend rather than a passing thought. )

Perhaps this is a result of living too long — eons of grief would leave anyone unable to feel anything other than sorrow, would leave anyone desolate of positive emotion no matter how hard they might try to dredge some up from within the depths of their heart. Or perhaps this is the way Aether soothes himself, the way he justifies how he clings onto the sadness like it is a lost lover, a bittersweet end; something he cannot let go of.

( for what are they without their sorrow? what are they without their grief? they don't want to know the answer. they know they are hollow. they wish to learn how to be someone whole. they are afraid they will never be anything more than this. )

❝Then what do you need? To be happy?❞ His question is spoken in a quiet voice, hesitation in every word — as if he is almost too shy to ask, as if he is worried his own sadness ( the struggles on their shoulders ) would become clear as the winter sky should he even dare to hint at their existence. ❝I think... it takes a lot, to feel happiness. You have to bury your aches & sew shut your wounds.❞ & to do so without the help of another is a monumental task.

( they wonder when they will be done closing them & when the scars of old hurts would begin to fade. they wonder if they ever will. )

❝You can't just ignore them.❞ He continues his ramble, a softness on the edge of his tone, a pain buried deep within layers of words that he hopes is not audible — he has spent far too much time pretending to be alright to allow himself to unravel like this, to show some sort of vulnerability in a twisted attempt to understand what can be done to feel something other than what he might describe as anguish.

❝& if you bury them deep enough, they'll bury you instead. I think that's a lot more work than simply not taking much to be happy. Don't you?❞