paradoxical | genshin impact

26 : homecoming.

Diluc was fourteen years old when he's hailed the youngest Cavalry Captain of the Ordo Favonius. It's a feat that no ordinary person could achieve under normal circumstances, but for a boy from the Ragnvindr lineage, it was something that didn't surprise anyone in the slightest.

Years of training and tutelage had honed him into the person he was three years later. Young men his age were just about to graduate from the academy, but Diluc was already immortalizing his prowess in battle into the hearts of both his men and colleagues. He didn't particularly care about the revered manner in which they regarded him, though. As long as his father was pleased with his results, that was all that mattered.

But in one rare instance when the Grand Master convinced him to go home and take the weekend off, Diluc came to realize something.

"Aren't you coming down for supper?"

Your voice flitted to his ears from the door to his room. Diluc's writing hand ceased all movement, sparing you a backwards glance. You stared at him expectantly for a few moments until your brows creased together when he took too long to respond.

"Master Diluc," you called out firmly. "Master Crepus and Master Kaeya are waiting for you at the dining table, you know? Adelinde and the others even cooked up quite a feast to commemorate your return."

"Have you always spoken so formally to me?"

It's a question that Diluc himself didn't really put a lot of thought into, and it seemed that you were taken off guard—eyes widening slightly as your cheeks warmed at his observation. You adjusted the collar of your uniform, clearing your throat.

"It's, um, proper courtesy to address my employer's son with respect, isn't it?" you laughed awkwardly. "Besides, with how much attention you and your achievements have been garnering lately, don't you deserve to be spoken to as such, Master Diluc?"

The redhead sighed, putting down his quill and returning the cap back on the inkwell. "You've heard of them, then?"

You pause. "Well, yes. It's the talk of the town."

"What do you think of those achievements, personally?" he asked as he rose to his feet. "Not as a servant, but as someone who watched me grow alongside her."

For a moment, his ears ring in the silence of the room. The distant acoustics of dinner utensils scraping against one another floated in the natural backdrop outside, but Diluc was entirely focused on your shy form by the doorway. You fidgeted under his carmine gaze, as if struggling to come up with a response.

"I think it's a given that I'm proud of you." A soft chuckle fled your lips. "I've always thought you were incredible, Master Diluc. But I'm sure a lot of people have already told you that."

"You're not wrong."

You sighed, flashing him a wobbly smile. "I'm proud of you, yeah, but as someone who grew up with you... I hope you continue to let yourself rest like this more often."

Now that was an answer he wasn't expecting at all.

Thankfully, you seemed to read the question in his eyes without him having to articulate them. "You always work yourself down to the bone, did you know that? Your work ethic is impeccable, and you give results that go beyond what's expected of you. That's amazing and all but...I don't really want you to burn yourself out all for the sake of doing your job."

There's a momentary pause in your words, but when you continued, the grin that you showed him made something quiver deep inside his chest.

"So make sure to come back home more often, okay?" you requested. "We'll make sure you're pampered when you're here in the Winery. You don't have to put up fronts for everyone to see nor is anyone expecting you to be the perfect guy you are at the Favonius Headquarters."