Still mine - Your little secret II

VIII - "Kunikuzushi"

"You stink." Wow, what a nice greeting. "I'm fine too, thanks for asking." I put the backpack on the counter and gave Diluc a smile. "Where have you been?" he asked while adjusting his gloves and crossing his arms. "Exploring the region." I replied whistling as I helped myself behind the bar.

"You could at least have let me know, I was worried." Diluc grumbled as he served a guest, did I get that right? Was he worried? I put an apron on and smiled gently. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Humming, I carried glasses and jugs full of dandelion wine and other drinks to the tables and billed the guests.

"Oh, by the way." With a cocked head I turned to Diluc and put a couple of empty glasses on the counter. "There's someone for you on the first floor." Who should be waiting for me? Well, I nodded and walked up the stairs, there in the corner sat a single man dressed in purple. I slowly approached the stranger, his face was covered by a hood and a dark radiance emanated from him.

My heart beat faster and my breathing became unsteady. I felt a little uncomfortable but somehow I felt a little bit of hope welling up inside me. "There you are." I was flooded with disappointment when I heard who was actually sitting there. I had hoped that someone else was sitting there, a certain ginger, who would visit me.

"Balladeer..." I sat down across from him and rested my head on my hands. I watched him take off his hood and he smiled. "We're friends." He leaned forward. "So please call me Kunikuzushi." He had just told me his real name, I thought it was great how much he trusted me and it was nice to know that we were actually friends. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to inquire about your condition." A bit of heat flushed my cheeks, that he actually showed an interest in me touched me. "I'm fine if I'm honest." He nodded and fiddled with the inside of his coat, then placed a sack of mora in front of me. "10K mora."

I gave him a quizzical look, alternately looking at him and the money, then he sighed. "It's for a hotel room." Did he just inform me indirectly that I should move out at Diluc? If I remembered Ajax's last words, it seemed logical to me. If he was serious about my path being marked with blood, I had to hurry up with moving out.

"There's a room ready for you at Goth Hotel, he doesn't like the idea of you being with another man." I nodded with a sigh and stood up, putting the sack mora in my pocket. "What will you do?" I asked Kunikuzushi before heading for the stairs. "I'll stay in the area for a while." I smiled and went back downstairs to the counter, putting the mora in my backpack. "Will there be more fatui coming here?"

"No, don't worry. And you don't have to put up with me any longer in your estate. You have your privacy back." He looked at me in shock with wide eyes, he seemed surprised by my statement. "I have now earned enough money to afford my own apartment, thank you very much for your hospitality."

"But you're going to keep working here, aren't you? I've gotten used to you." A soft smile spread across my lips and I nodded. "Of course. I like it here."
"Then why do you want to move out?" He leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed and looked at me. "I don't want to talk about that here."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me through the staff-only door toward the kitchen. "Well am I listening?" I didn't think he would really insist on me telling him. "You're not going to let up until I tell you, are you?"

"Well, I'm trying not to take it personally that you're moving out." I sighed, rolling my eyes and closing the door. "I was or rather say am engaged to a Harbinger as you know." He nodded and looked at me expectantly. Memories came up that I didn't want to remember. Unpleasant moments, traumatic events that I experienced through Ajax. My glance fell on my left hand where I wore a ring with a little diamond, I couldn't take it off me.

"He let me go with a warning, or a threat... Anyway, sometimes he's unpredictable and I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt because of me." Diluc looked thoughtful, it was a few seconds before he replied. "That's a good reason." I was relieved that he gave me understanding. "But if you need help, I'll be there. We'll all help you."

It was nice that he and the whole ordo favonius looked out for me and cared, in them I had real friends, a real healthy family.

"Thank you very much, Master Diluc." Instead of hugging him I gave him another smile, in my time at his property I had learned that he didn't like physical contact. He nodded and left the kitchen, I followed him and saw my buddy Kaeya who was already helping himself with drinks.

"Ayo I saw that!"

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I swear this almost turned into a Diluc fanfic, I had to change that before my mind goes Brrr