@wanmins : “ yeah, the old man who lives in that old winery once bricked one of his servants into the cellar because he didn’t like them, my best friends xingqiu and hu tao told me !! ” xiangling rotates the bird she’s cooking on its makeshift spit in front of guoba. “ so that’s why i don’t go near there !! they won’t let me buy any wine anyways, even when i promise it’s just for cooking. ” clearly this is a major issue for xiangling, judging by how sparks fly off her fingertips as she gestures. “ how do you feel about deep fried breaded slime condensate and pork balls for an appetizer ?? ”
AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING LIKE A SPOILT RICH CHILD ( they are a prince in name alone, there is no luxuries nor splendor in a kingdom torn asunder by the cataclysm, dismantled by the gods themselves / the immense riches that the ragnvindr clan presented him with on his half—hearted assimilation had been a shock to their system and nowadays they live frugally, excessive drinking aside ) he can’t help but enjoy it when people cook for him. he’s DECENT ENOUGH with cooking, yes, but it detracts from what limited time they have in the day all the same / and it doesn’t look even half so interesting nor smell so good when they cook. not to mention : the dinnertime entertainment.
xiangling is quite the companion, thus far ——— kaeya certainly isn’t BORED / bemused, even, forever the frost drawn to the destructive nature of the sun.
this is a rumor that he’s at least dimly aware of ——— there isn’t a rumor adjacent to mondstadt that he isn’t at least SOMEWHAT knowledgeable of, particularly when they pertain to the ragnvindr clan, though this is the first time that he’s hearing it firsthand. or second hand, as it were / likely because his lovely dinner company for the evening isn’t aware of the fact that HE is ——— not a ragnvindr but ( ... ) close to the family. what remains.
( here is the truth, if you care to hear : KAEYA IS A RAGNVINDR IN ALL BUT NAME / and that had been offered to them, too. he remembers it well he remembers everything everything remembers crepus crouching in front of him and offering his name, offering the name of his forebears and the name of diluc, to make kaeya truly and at last a ragnvindr. after all, they had been adopted and crepus had been their caretaker and IT MADE SENSE, DIDN’T IT? didn’t it?
kaeya alberich he remained / and kaeya alberich is who sits before xiangling today. what a treat, truly ——— the third version, or thereabouts. )
he starts grinning at the mention of that old winery and outright laughing when she says that the old man BRICKED ONE OF HIS SERVANTS / not bothering to stifle the noise nor alter it in any way, instead laughing openly, leaning back from where he had seated himself on a felled tree well on its way to becoming simply a log, highly enjoying this abrupt turn of subject.
oh if only he could see diluc’s face right at this moment, overhearing this absurd rumor. as if diluc would brick a servant into the cellar ——— no, no, he had burnt a member of the FATUI to a crisp in the cellar. much more dramatic, far more in line with intrigue.
❝ xingqiu and hu tao are quite knowledgeable ——— did you know that they unbricked the cellar some months later to bury the body right where it laid? they say that a certain unique vintage marks the grave of the unlucky soul, ❞ they deliver the words with an utter lack of brevity and with laughter ringing in his voice / perhaps they shouldn’t be encouraging this, but could you truly blame him? he couldn’t just pass this opportunity up, not when he could add to the TALL TALES. ❝ the master of the house is terribly stuffy and dull, anyways, though if you’re especially curious about trying the wares of the dawn winery i may be able to get a bottle or two for you. ❞
what? isn’t it the duty of the younger brother to incessantly bother the older brother whenever possible? THEY’RE GIVING DILUC THEIR BUSINESS, surely that more than makes up for it ( it doesn’t it doesn’t it never will. )
AND LO, THEY’VE RETURNED TO THE SUBJECT OF DINNER, and kaeya leans his elbow against his knee / chin propped onto their palm, smiling at xiangling warmly, eye still BRIGHT with laughter. ❝ oh is that what smells so delicious? i can’t say i’ve had deep fried breaded slime condensate before but i’m feeling adventurous tonight. i imagine it simply melts in your mouth ——— don’t tell me if i’m wrong, though, i’d much rather experience it for myself. i hardly have your magic touch, but i could even lend aid, if you’d like, i am good for more than company, after all. ❞
