He Shook His Head As He Politely Took His Hand In Greeting . " No , It Does Not Unnerve Me . In Fact

he shook his head as he politely took his hand in greeting . " no , it does not unnerve me . in fact , i agree that you feel familiar as well . i might have also seen you during my travels in liyue . either way , welcome to mondstadt . i do hope your trip hasn't been bothersome . "

"Likewise, Sir Ragnvindr. Please. Call me Zhongli." The consultant clasps his proffered hand warmly, offering a polite shake in return as he introduces himself.

"Perhaps we may have bumped into one another in mondstadt? I do occasionally travel to the nation of freedom from Liyue from time to time. I daresay there is...something familiar about you, though I do hope it does not place you ill at ease with my claiming so."

@noctuafought

“I’d compliment your beauty, but I can’t see it under there. You’ll have to accept my compliments to your mask instead, it’s quite lovely.” - from Leo 🤭

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @blindfoldcd  ⸤ masquerade starters ⸣

ordinarily , diluc hated these sort of functions , but being raised in the high life and being the sole proprietor to the dawn winery , he was forced to attend .

diluc was overseeing the party , wishing he had been stuck with drink duty as he so fervently despised the small talk .

someone approached , and something about the voice felt familiar . the compliment was the type to normally make him scoff and roll his eyes , but this one was rather genuine . after all , he did pridefully put together his costume, a phoenix mask over his eyes with beautiful red plumage.

" thank you . " he nodded his head once .

aether does a pretty twirl for diluc so he can come kiss him (:

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @aeviare  ⸤ unprompted ⸣

diluc watched in amusement , a small smirk tugging at his lips as the blonde twirled for him . he chuckled and captured aether by the waist . he drew him in and dipped his chin up .

" always so stunning . " he leaned in to give him a kiss .

he rolled his eyes in response , letting out an exasperated groan . great , here they go again . unfortunately for kaeya , diluc was always filled with fire . he didn't go down easily .

" don't be stupid . " he gave up on holding his frustration in , " you burdening yourself with other's people's pain has nothing to do with whether or not you're truthful . people care about you regardless . jean cares , klee cares , the traveler even . you don't have to play a martyr for other people , no one asked you to . "

immediately , diluc wanted to tell kaeya that he was full of it , but he held his tongue for now . it wouldn't do to get snarky with kaeya when he was trying to pry the enigmatic brother of his with a crowbar .

" you know that's not true . " he objected , " many people care for you . jean , rosaria , klee . it would make them happy to see you happy . " he shrugged , knowing it was a low blow of a guilt trip , but he needed kaeya to open his eyes for once .

" hurting yourself to keep others happy is only going to send you down a path of destruction . " don't be an idiot , he added silently , but it hung in the air regardless .

owl in wolf’s clothing

"it's not much, but it does its job."

whereas business had been concluded, wriothesley had opted to show diluc around the fortress and one of the many stops they had made throughout the little tour was the pankration ring. not as overwhelmingly interesting as many thought upon hearing its name and purpose as it simply was a stage where exiles could come and talk out their issues.

well into the room, wriothesley would reach out and pat the edge of the pankration ring. " some problems require a different approach, and while it might be a rough solution in the eyes of some it's what works here ; it's all in good spirits and those that go too far, well, that's usually where i come in. "

there'd be a quick glance over at diluc. " if you ever find yourself unsatisfied with my business, feel free to invite me to a round or three. " he'd laugh a little at his own joke.

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @avaere ⸤ unprompted ⸣

curiosity and intrigue rested in the young master's face as he studied the interior of the fortress while they walked . it was certainly different from what he expected . many made it sound cold , and though he could partly see why , it served its purpose at the end of the day . he would have made it work if things had gone differently for himself .

he had followed the duke into the pankration ring , surveying the room . it certainly sounded like a good way to let off steam . gods knew diluc needed a better outlet than strangling abyss mages in the dead of night .

a chuckle escaped him , crimson eyes flicking to wriothesley .

" i just might take you up on that offer , " he smirked , " i'm curious to see how you do in the ring . " diluc was a fighter through and through , and burned underneath all the grace and nobility . besides , he wanted to see wriothesley's combat style . he wanted to see just how different they were to each other .