Infinite time?

Ever consider how one thing can change your life in an instant? Ever been faced with the reality that your time isn't infinite? We all have that problem that's a burden on us, a problem if we just faced it our lives would be so much easier, but its a problem that's so hard to tackle, that instead it's simply easier to push it to the side for now. We go about our lives believing we have plenty of time to fix things and resolve that problem, but deep down we all know that isn't true. That problem is a ticking time bomb where one day it will be too late to fix, yet we are too scared to face that reality so instead everyone goes along with the naive hope that everything will be fine. However one day reality will hit and it will hit hard. You never know when it's going to come knocking; you're never ready for your life to abruptly change but it can happen anytime. For one Diluc Ragnvindr, on a seemingly normal night, reality hit him hard! He never expected his life to change that night but when he walked up those tavern stairs, his fate was sealed and the timer had started.

It was late at night and Diluc was getting the tavern ready to close. Just like normal, it had been a very busy night with plenty of rowdy customers up for a good drink. People were having fun at the tables, the bards were playing joyfully at the door, overall everything was pretty normal. There were a few treasure hoarders here and there but they caused no more problems than the knights, which was the same as every other night. Today was the same as all the others. Even now closing up was no different than any other day. He'd already shooed off all the downstairs customers with the usual declaration of closing time, and like usual, Diluc had to sadly 'gently' throw a few drunkards out the door himself. It was a pretty simple ordeal, one he was far too used to. Collecting the glasses and plates from the tables, then polishing and wiping surfaces to sparkling clean, only to repeat the process for upstairs.

Upstairs was usually the quieter part of the tavern and was often left in a much better state than below. Most patrons who sat up there just came for a drink and mainly wanted to relax away from the fanfare downstairs. Diluc couldn't blame them, he too sometimes found the fuss and overjoyment a bit too much at times. Simply coming to the tavern for a drink and to keep to oneself wasn't a problem; it put mora in his pocket and created a peaceful balance amongst the chaos of the party animals. It was a much needed reprieve. This meant cleaning upstairs was never as much of a hassle as it was downstairs. Occasionally he'd find a customer who had a bit too much to drink and had drifted off to sleep; Diluc only had to wake them kindly and they were more than happy to leave. On rarer occasions, there would be some scoundrel hiding, waiting to cause trouble, but Diluc was no weak fool and he always made quick work of them. For the most part, upstairs cleaning was the relaxing part of the night, so when Diluc came up the stairs to find Captain Kaeya still at a table, he didn't bat an eye.

Kaeya had come in early in the night and had come in alone. He had ordered his usual glass of death afternoon and decided to venture upstairs, instead of taking his normal seat at the bar. Although out of routine, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary. On the odd day or two, usually when neither of his drinking buddies were in, Kaeya would prefer to sit up in the quieter section of the tavern rather than annoy Diluc at the bar. Upstairs he would either enjoy some quiet time or do some out of public eye business, and as long as he didn't cause any trouble, Diluc would turn a blind eye to the actions above. So like any other day, Kaeya sitting upstairs was no stranger than a boar on a cliff- not normal but it does happen. The captain appeared a bit down so Diluc just assumed he needed some alone time and he was more than happy to provide just that. Furthermore, going off that hypothesis, finding his estranged brother still upstairs, despite the tavern closing an hour ago, didn't feel out of the ordinary.

Just like any ordinary sight, Captain Kaeya was slumped over at a table hidden away in the corner. His head was leaning heavily on the wooden table below, indicating he was likely deep in slumber. As predicted, the alcohol dependent knight must've decided to drown his sorrows and drunk himself into sleep. This wasn't one of Diluc's favourite episodes of late night Kaeya amongst the many other times the captain had stayed after closing. He'd much prefer a Kaeya who was hanging back just to make comments or banter, than a sorrow filled Kaeya who was drunk on emotions as well as booze. A bitter captain was much easier to deal with than a depressed one. Kaeya could get quite emotional at times and when he added alcohol to the fire, all ideas of filters were gone. Diluc had to face hearing all his brothers honest and heart breaking feelings whilst perfectly knowing he wouldn't remember it in the morning. Diluc would remember every single word and every single desperate look and cry, but would act none the wiser, because he knew his brother never wished those words to be said aloud. Now tonight was no different. Diluc was going to have to rouse the knight and help him home whilst hearing all words of self-deprecation Kaeya could think to spout, all while Diluc would try disproving every word spoken despite knowing Kaeya was too out of it to hear. Taking a deep breath of confidence, Diluc marched on over to his brother to begin the painful routine.