DISCONTINUING - Fairytale Dreams [Diluc x Reader x Kaeya]

ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ２３

Jia li.

Home.

Home is where the heart is, and wherever she walked, her family would follow her.

It was such a fond ideal that had eventually grown faint as she stepped into the clouds of nine's favorable dreams. Walking through time didn't settle her, rather it drifted her over a river of memories alluding her to the idea that such dreams were simply just illusions. The rippling waters flowed away such times, and she too, had found herself flowing with it.

It made her wonder: where did time go wrong with her. These towering castle walls built a cage for her once more, and now, she was trapped with such memories again. It was suffering.

The bustling streets crowded around her figure, reminding her of the late nights she'd walk home alone after an entire day of tireless working hours, and then the family she'd come home to that would push her around absent-mindlessly.

'I don't want to be here.' In this town of all places. She would instead just disappear if she could, such a beautiful option that would be.

She thought quietly to herself, but the busy atmosphere of the city silenced her wish.

"Do you not like it here? Does the thought of living beside the bar make you uncomfortable?"

Her head lifted up to the deep soothing voice of a certain red headed hero of hers.

"O- oh no! I'm completely fine, thank you, I'm very grateful to you, Diluc."

His red eyes pierced through her figure, as though, it was searching to find what she laid in bed with, with that head of hers, longing to hear her wish from her silenced soul, but instead had been graced with nothing but stillness.

He sighed, heading upward the path beside the bar before them. "I don't like half-assed answers, you know."

Of course she knew that. She didn't need to be reminded of it.

"It wasn't a half assed answer though..." She muttered to herself, slowly tracing after him.

The stairs beside the cavern had been replaced with ramps, as per Diluc's request. She could only assume he had done so out of concern for her safety and well being in case she tripped going upstairs, but he had simply denied her curiosity.

It was obvious to her that he had done it out for her own convenience despite his denial, but it still made her heart palpitate nervously as her hand traced itself slowly along the railing that he had tore down to build right back up for her.

Her hands felt around her before touching the doorframe. She stepped into the house hesitantly after Diluc.

The sound of a 'whoosh' echoed to the right of her, gesturing that Diluc had opened the curtains to the dark room, then creaked open the windows. A soft breeze blew into the house along with distant loud clattering and chattering from down the street.

The fluttering of her hair, awakened her to a question as Diluc shuffled around the room, studying each item around the house with intent, as though to quietly relieve the stress of a simple question in his head: 'does she like it?'

[name] stepped a couple steps closer to the window. "You took quite a bit at the stall in the street earlier. Did something happen?"

He stiffened up at the question, seeming slightly flustered. "Nothing in particular."

It was enough for her to understand for herself through his words:

"So, something did happen?"

The red head turned away from her, waving his hand in the air. "You're thinking too much. I was just looking for something worthy to buy."