‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍

⠀⠀* ⠀⠀ 𝑫𝐎𝐖𝐍 ⠀⠀ 𝐀𝐍⠀ ⠀𝑼𝑵𝑲𝑵𝑶𝑾𝑵 ⠀⠀ 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ 𝐓𝐎⠀ ⠀⠀ 𝐄͟𝐌͟𝐁͟𝐑͟𝐀͟𝐂͟𝐄͟⠀ ⠀⠀ 𝐌𝐘 ⠀⠀ ⠀𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙴.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

i will search the world. i will face its harms.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

@JeanGunnhildr23 sick leave───? what happened?

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

was just forced through a wine—tasting with my butler. 🫩 it is so ass.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

@JeanGunnhildr23 oh? do you have time in that daily schedule of yours to squeeze that in?

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

₍ he's still as a stone───or trying to be. jaw clenching at the touch. ₎ i wasn't... that wasn't getting flustered. i'm not a child.

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

( a little hum, head tilting as edges of lips curl upwards. fingers cupping jaw gently, eyelashes batting playfully. )

i don’t know if you can handle this, master diluc. you got rather flustered the other night when i mentioned i had slept with people before.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

sitting up now, swinging his legs over the side of the bed in time with his arm pushing the other away.〝 ... i have somewhere to be. 〞

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

a frown is pulling the edges of his lips now, and an another attempt to sit up on his elbows is made.〝 i need to─── 〞he cuts himself off abruptly, the gravity of his unspoken words acting like a slumber—free balm. he's fully

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

said bard has a soft flush spreading across freckled cheeks and he turns his head away from the gaze.

“ don’t worry about it. you need to sleep. why are you fighting it so hard? “ they’re concerned. he looks like he’s dead on his feet. “ tell me. i’ll do it. “

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

... ₍ takes a step forward. ₎

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

come a little closer would you, darling?

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

₍ please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please ₎

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

pft. you can try.

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

i am. you wanna see my best attempt?

[╰ⴵ sᥱ𝗍һ᥆s @sojourningsun]

ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ
╰ BASILEOS ⴵ DELTA.

ㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

oh. not if you want me───would you like help? ₍ crossing the threshold to plant himself beside venti, carefully tugging the gloves off his fingers. ₎ i can cut the loaf, to start.

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

( nodding along, all the ingredients are set atop the counter before they start to work, humming a tune. )

are you going to linger so far away the entire time? ( head tilting towards him, frowning a little. )

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

you sound awfully confident.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

...

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

nope! but i am!

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

he's finally managed to peel his eyes open, and once adjusting to the light, he frowns towards jean's direction. he coughs, lifting gloved fingers to his lips to mask an incoming yawn.〝 i'm not going to sleep. 〞

[Jean ⚔️ @JeanGunnhildr23]

“Wake up sleepy head, I would prefer you to sleep laying down and not standing”

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

@JeanGunnhildr23 i think all wine is bad. that's not indicative of the winery's quality. besides, that's───not entirely my expertise.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

stirring slightly. eyes feeling like they're glued shut.〝 hmm? 〞

[Jean ⚔️ @JeanGunnhildr23]

Jean lightly pokes Diluc a few times

“Wakey Wakey”

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

tint───even if they're both to blame, in truth. diluc isn't immune to the concept of work consuming oneself either.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

a little relieved? if she tells him so, he probably wouldn't hesitate to say he knows. why else would he have been so insistent?〝 yes, that's true. 〞shooting her a sideways glance.〝 i wonder why. 〞he continues with a sarcastic

[𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕— LIMITED @ImmuneToCoffee_]

The lack of scolding was a welcomed surprise— she fell into step beside him. She was perhaps a little relieved to shirk responsibility for just a moment. “It’s not often we have time to catch up.” Was she trying to fill in the silence. ? Probably.

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

retreats, diluc addresses aether once more, head tilted.〝 you're not a bother in the slightest. i'd say you've arrived just in time, actually. i was about to start a round of chess───do you play? 〞

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

〝 a trip down memory lane. 〞he echoes with an amused tone.〝 well, i'm sure the city missed their... honorary knight. come on in. 〞he turns away from the traveler to thank adelinde with an additional request for refreshments. when she

[˚✧⋆☾ 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹—𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑺𝑬𝑹 ˚✧ .ᐟ @sagedbuer]

in the midst of an exchanging pleasantry conversation with the head housemaid, his smile falters only some at the sight of the winery’s owner. a bit of surprise, really, conveyed through a raise of eyebrows and dilated pupils.

“ diluc, i could say the same . . ” he pauses, +

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

had just been, and his eyebrows are drawn together as his head lifts, searching for the bard's face.〝 what... what was that. 〞

[‍ ‍ ‍𝒩𝑂𝐶𝑇𝑈𝐴.‍‍ ‍ ‍ @pyronous]

his body shifts, trying to kick off the blanket, and an indecipherable noise escapes him.〝 stop, 〞he whispers,〝 i'm not tired. i need to be up. i need─── 〞fingers lift to brush against the spot where venti's lips

[. ˚𝘽𝘼𝙍𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙎 ༄｡° ( rate limited ) @sleepingbards]

a soft tut, gently pushing him back down and draping a soft plush blanket over him. a small lingering kiss pressed to forehead. “ rest. “