Something Sweet

Chapter 8

Author's note:  So it's been a few weeks since my last post, and having to deal with finals week. I finally had the chance to work on this chapter and clear up the grammar. Stayed up a couple of nights trying to clean this up, but yeah... turned out to be another long chapter (7000K + words) so take your time. No rush. 

10/11/2023 update** I Revisited this chapter after so long and couldn't believe the number of grammar issues and punctuation errors I left sitting around for so long. I cleared it up a bit. Can't seem to ever get around to all the errors. Will continue to fine-tune chapters.

Have fun and enjoy.

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"It's raining again..." Lisa sighed, observing the rain from behind her acting grandmaster's chair. Staring from the window with her arms crossed, the looming dark skies continued to roll heavy sheets of cloud coverage. "Rain, rain, wash us away, wash us away far away..." The little tune Lisa proceeded to sing had Jean sighing at her desk.

"Must you sing something so depressing?"

"You think so...?" Lisa shrugged, continuing to survey the rain from the window, "With all this rain, it awfully brings down the mood. Don't you agree?"

"Yes..." You have no idea... Jean sighed at the question without adding to the topic. It's been nearly three weeks since the first storm. One after another, more rainstorms followed, causing little to no intermission of the rain letting up over Mondstadt.

The storms have left the townspeople sheltering in their homes for days at a time.

There were no street vendors, food stalls, or outdoor activities; everything had reached a steady standstill.

Even reports for the acting grandmaster have drastically become less.

"Well..." Lisa moved away from the window to approach Jean's desk, "Administration appears to be on the lighter end. Covering administrations for you shouldn't be too much of an issue. Especially with these weather conditions, people might not even sense the switch of administration for the next few months."

"That's hopefully the plan."

"Are you considering working from home? Wait- what am I asking? Of course, you are..." The mage didn't have to wait for her friend's response to know the answer.

"It's not... that I'll be working from home." Jean placed her pen down, explaining, "It's more like I'll be on standby just in case I'm needed."

Lisa silently contemplated the arrangements as her acting grandmaster would pass on administration duties to her during her lengthy absence.

Lisa didn't mind the upcoming arrangements as she had previously covered for Jean on other occasions. Although those occurrences were short-term, she knew it would be different this time.

"Does... he know that?" Lisa asked with rising curiosity.

"Who?"

"Sir Diluc..."

Jean contemplated the question as she took a few seconds before responding, "I don't see why he needs to know about my upcoming arrangements. I'm doing what's necessary to arrange my leave of absence while ensuring Mondstadt remains safe." Jean stood from her chair, noticing the late hour.

"But what about your health?" The mage questioned, "I'm sure once you get further along with your pregnancy, you will want to prioritize your rest and reduce your stress. That's something Sir Diluc might insist on when he finds out you're considering working from home."

"And even if he does, it won't change my mind. If things in Mondstadt require my attention, I will handle them one way or another. That's my duty as acting grandmaster." For some reason, the topic was fast to irritate Jean. "Okay, fine. I know that I'll need some time off. But I'll do things at my own pace. Whether Diluc seems to approve or not, he will not keep me from my duties."