Oh, Brother Of Mine

Chapter 1

In the few days that Kaeya had stayed with them, Diluc accomplished very little. First, he'd managed to get Kaeya to stop staring at him as if he was some storybook creature. With a lot of unseen effort, he'd also managed to get Kaeya to stop asking for permission before eating or drinking. (He still wasn't over that. A child of his age treated food and water like a luxury. A child should be worried about schoolwork and books, not about whether or not they're allowed to eat food or not.)

More importantly, though, he'd gotten Kaeya to feel a little more comfortable. With Father constantly out on work duties and Adelinde being busy with keeping the winery running, the task of getting Kaeya to feel more welcome was handed to Diluc, who took it gladly. He'd spent the past several days helping Kaeya adjust to the guest bedroom she was staying in, talking to her about her hobbies and interests. She, for the most part, had stayed silent. Diluc had started to wonder if maybe she didn't understand the common tongue. 

On day four of her stay, that theory was dispelled when Father had finally gotten her to speak. They were in the dining room, finishing the last of their dinner (and oh, didn't that feel strange, setting the table for three people rather than for two) when Father had brought up the topic of Kaeya's stay here.

"I'm sorry that it's taken me so long," Father said as he cut his steak delicately, "but I've sent out some of my workers this morning to search for anything that can help you trace your way back home."

Diluc stared at him. He only sent out his men this morning? Four days after Kaeya came? Wouldn't that already be useless?

Across the table from him, Kaeya stayed silent, clumsily spearing a piece of potato onto her fork. She remained emotionless. 

If Father could feel the tension in the room, he ignored it. "Do you know who you came here with, or in which direction they went? Anything that can help us track them down?"

Kaeya's fork dropped onto her plate with a clatter, the sound loud and echoing. She stared at her potato as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "My father. He said he went to get grape juice for the road."

Her voice was raspy, as if she hadn't used it in ages, but it was pleasant to hear. Diluc smiled to himself - so she did understand him, she was just shy and stubborn. That's okay. He could work with that, and with time, even she would be able to open up around him. 

Father nodded solemnly. "I see. In that case, your father should be somewhere nearby. He probably just got lost on the way to the winery and is searching for you as we speak. I'm certain that by tomorrow morning, my men will find him, and you will be reunited."

It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Kaeya's grip on her knife tightened, her entire body went tense, and a panicked look flashed in her eye. "He won't come back."

Diluc exchanged a look with Father. That was... unexpected. In all her time here, she hadn't reacted this harshly to anything Diluc had said or done. Okay, noted, the topic of her father was one that he should avoid.

At the head of the table, Father shakes his head, his lips pursed in disappointment. "Nonsense, Kaeya. He's your father. Of course he will return for you."

The knife shook in her hand as if she was about to drop it, and her eye shone with the beginning of tears. "I said, he won't come back."

Father opened his mouth again, no doubt an argument prepared on his tongue, but Diluc quickly cut him off. "How's the tavern doing?" Diluc asked, the question only slightly rushed. "You only opened it up to the public a few weeks ago, right?"

Father immediately brightened up at the new topic, all of his attention focused on explaining the business world of his tavern rather than drilling Kaeya about her parents. Diluc tried to listen - he really did - but the words were far too foreign, far too hard to understand. He found himself glancing up from his food to meet Kaeya's gaze, and he wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but he could've sworn he saw her give him a grateful smile.