King of Lies

Chapter 14

You shot daggers with your eyes at Kaeya from across the table as he smirked at you, Kokomi's words filtering into the air. She was explaining about a place called Enkanomiya, but you weren't entirely paying attention. No, you were peeved at Kaeya for teasing you that morning and then leaving you all hot and bothered. 

His eyepatch was back on, Kaeya having claimed that it was to keep people from being unsettled and identifying him immediately. He told you that his eye was the mark of his Khaenri'ahn heritage, of him being royalty. Khaenri'ahn royalty. And that it damned him from the beginning. 

His fingers were folded in front of him, positioned in a way to make him look like he was thinking. Which he probably was. You knew he was cunning and incredibly intelligent, that uncanny intelligence hidden by his flirtatious nature. He seemed to soak up the information like a sponge, nodding every once and a while.

"The last time someone was down there, they said they encountered a man named Enjou. Last I knew, nobody lived down there besides Shades. And even then the Shades are trapped there. I'd exercise caution down there just in case," Kokomi said, her voice soft and delicate.

Kaeya nodded once, his hands falling to his knee which had been crossed over a leg. His leg idly bounced, barely noticeable, but just enough movement to suggest either anxiety or too much energy. Perhaps both. You could never entirely tell. It was Kaeya after all. Sneaky, cunning, and not entirely truthful. But he was surprisingly truthful whenever he talked to you. You weren't entirely sure how to feel about Kaeya fully trusting you, and only you. 
Although, he did keep a few extra secrets, you trusted he would tell you in his own due time. 

His eye glanced over at you, and he smiled, softly smiled. The crinkle of his eye told you it was genuine. You smiled back at him as he turned back to Kokomi, his face becoming neutral and cold. He occasionally glanced over at you, that cold demeanor cracking everytime. His leg bounced a little faster, and it left you feeling unsure. Was he anxious?

"Miss. Are you alright? You look like you're burning up with fever."

You were snapped out of your stupor by Kokomi's voice, your cheeks heating. 
Her hand came to rest on your forehead, a frown on her lips. 

"You're feeling rather hot... you should go rest. Go back to your temporary lodgings and stay there. I'd hate for you to get sick. I'm also sure Kaeya would hate for you to be sick," Kokomi said, glancing towards the blue-haired male.

Kaeya stared with worry in his eye, a frown on lips. He nodded once. 

"I'll escort her there," Kaeya said, getting up. 

Kokomi nodded once. "I was done with the briefing anyways. Good luck."

Kaeya moved towards you with a predatory grace, something you never noticed before. You stood up, your legs suddenly wobbling like a newborn fawn. You tried to steady yourself, but your vision was blurry, everything fading in and out of focus. Darkness began to go into your vision going spotty. Your body felt light like a feather as you swayed back and forth. Your head pounded and screamed, aching and throbbing. Pain skittered down your spine, lashing at the muscles.

You heard a startled cry of your name as your vision went dark. 

•☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆•

Diluc ignored the rubble of what used to be Springvale. Didn't let himself feel the agony of losing more people. He quickly walked past it, trailed by Jean, Barbara, and Eula. Two claymore wielders, a sword user, and a catalyst. 

It was better than nothing, better than a ramshackle team. Two healers and two fighters. And then elements working together...

They could make it work. Jean would herd any enemies while Barbara kept them alive and causing the enemies to get wet. Then Eula could freeze them and finish them off with Diluc. It could work. It would work. It had to work, there was no other way.