A Hand Came Up To Rest On The Small Of Her Back As He Brought Her Into The Manor , Allowing Her To Rest

a hand came up to rest on the small of her back as he brought her into the manor , allowing her to rest against him all the while . he flagged down adelinde when she spotted them and the head maid set to preparing tea , juice , and some treats on the dining table .

their eyes met and the fear and lack of passionate determination in lumine's gaze shot ice into his veins . never before had he seen her so lost and perturbed , even when she was facing unknown danger .

he brought her to sit on the couch , settling beside her . his heart shattered into fine dust as her voice wavered , her words breaking . immediately , he drew her into a tight hug once more , a hand threading through her golden hair .

" no , no . you did not fail , i assure you . " he promised her . he knew exactly what she was feeling , her demeanor similar to his own when his father passed before the rage took over .

he didn't know much about what she was referring to as his network had hit a roadblock , but he knew in his heart she didn't fail . whatever happened , he could only assume the worst .

adelinde came by with the refreshments and poured them cups of tea — tea that often calmed diluc's emotional spirals .

diluc was ever so grateful he didn't have to say a word for her to know what was needed .

he held lumine for a moment longer before pulling back and reaching for the tea , handing her the cup .

" here . " he murmured .

She pressed on, after everything that had just gone down back in Sumeru. She had continued to press on. She was supposed to be headed for Natlan, but with everything going on... she was tired. Exhausted. Weary. The Loom of Fate was completed. Whatever happened now, everyone including herself were living on borrowed time. She didn't know what her brother had planned, aside from resurrecting Khaenri'ah, now that he and the Abyss Order had completed it, but she knew that whatever it was it was not going to be good.

Knowing that Diluc would give her some sound advice and let her rest and recuperate from the information ( as well unbeknownst to her the lack of it therefore of ) overload of knowing that they had lost the most important piece against the destruction of this world... she trudged through Sumeru, through the Chasm, Liyue and all the way through to Dawn Winery.

She collapsed in Diluc's arms and closed her eyes letting the warmth of her friend engulf her like a warm blanket on a cold night. The soothing strokes of his hand on her back in an attempt to soothe her, the comforting cheek on her hair let her know that she was okay, he was doing his best to give her what she needed.

He helped her up and walked her to the mansion. "The guest room, Diluc, please. I could never kick you out of your own room." she whispered, everything that had happened to her evident in her voice.

She looked up at him, her golden eyes usually so fiery and defiant now showed doubt and were dull.

"I'm sorry... I failed, the Abyss Order..." she trailed off, shaking her head as a lump appeared as she tried to speak of what she knew. It was too much. Her brother might be waiting for her to finish her journey before activating everything, but right now she was vulnerable and so very alone.

Other than Dain, she needed someone to talk to. Someone who would understand. Diluc would, wouldn't he?

Send “Talk about-” and a name for my muse to talk about that person!

diluc ragnvindr still has me in a chokehold

reposting this too because i didn't know my tumblr was wrecked for the last ten months actually my tumblr was denied for so long that i changed my username and thus the signature is different lmao

non speed blur version below the cut

WHAT LOW ACTIVITY & SLOW REPLY MEANS:

it means i want to be here, i really do 

it means that i have, whether i like it or not, more important things to do than roleplay at the moment

it means that replies are going to sit for a moment

WHAT IT DOESN’T MEAN:

that i care any less

that i don’t want to talk / plot with you

that you aren’t allowed to IM me or ask for my disco

Sometimes Tumblr has to take a back burner, and that’s fine! Roleplay will still be here when we get back. So take that day to yourself. Don’t worry about drafts. Don’t worry about how “slow” you are being. Everything is okay!

one of my favourite things in the world is casual intimacy. a small hand on your back when you’re in crowded streets. a gentle kick from where they’re sitting across the table. a head on the shoulder, a hand in your hand, a squeeze on the arm as they’re walking past you. and i think maybe love isn’t made up of grand gestures or explosive displays but that it’s made up of the little things. the little things that say i’m here and i care for you and that your life has intertwined so deeply into mine that that there’s no need to think, because casual intimacy comes easy

i always find it so hilarious how diluc actively knows venti's a god, his god specifically, and he still disrespects him to his face 😭 diluc 'i don't care if you're my archon, you're still not getting free wine out of me' ragnvindr