Y De Re Copper && 'd Ll O E E Old. In Character. - Tumblr Posts - Page 2

" i ran out of options. "

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @yegou ⸤ you're the only person i can turn to ⸣

concern and surprise etched across his face . he could never quite fathom that he was somehow the only option left . still , he would do his best to help .

" why don't you come in and we'll discuss where to go next ? " he offered , stepping aside to allow him entry into the manor .

[ hide ] \ fremi uwu

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @poswiecenia ⸤ you're the only person i can turn to ⸣

[ hide ] sender hides behind receiver's body

it wasn't easy facing down a harbinger , especially considering his last run - in with one . he barely managed to escape with his life . still , his fierce protectiveness and his children's well - being would forever burn brighter .

he felt more than saw freminet shuffle behind him , trembling like a leaf . he knew the young shark hybrid was capable of handling himself , he was a fatuus after all , but he was still young .

no matter his abilities , diluc would still fight for the trio .

he held out a hand behind him , reassuring freminet that he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him — ' father ' included .

there's a letter arriving for the winery owner, handwritten with... well, what one can deem an attempt at proper penship with writing that tries its best to imitate a somewhat fancy approach. it looks horrifying, and thankfully it's only the envelope that has suffered this ordeal (also known as wriothesley's writing) as the letter within holds a far easier font to read. within the letter there's also a... coupon. its pattern is unmistakably tied to the fortress, the sigill of the wolf ever so present.

"i'd like to inform you that the juices were a big hit with the head nurse of the fortress. she has great plans for it, and extends her gratitude for the business deal, so i'm warning you not to taste any examples produced by her in the future. you should find a coupon within this letter. consider it a reason to come back to the fortress... and dinner. with me. i know a spot."

there's a w signed at the end, oh, truly... who could the sender be?

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @avaere ⸤ unprompted ⸣

it took him a moment to realize the envelope was addressed to him , and as such , he found the calligraphy attempt rather amusing and charming . he could tell much effort was put into it , so really , it was the thought that counted .

opening the letter , he carefully set aside the coupon that fluttered out of the folded paper .

upon reading , pride bloomed in his chest . wonderful . he had hoped his drinks would serve well , and he was glad the head nurse had ideas — he would have to arrange a meeting with her at some point to see what they could concoct together .

dinner , however , caught his eye and a warm blush rose into his cheeks . surely it was among colleagues , but dinner with the duke did sound rather . . . special . after all , it was rare for diluc to find someone so like - minded . he would happily take any chance to spend even a little bit of time with wriothesley .

plucking a pen , he set to writing a response — his penmanship far more neater and elegant . all those years being tutored as a child certainly paid off . perhaps he could give wriothesley some pointers .

" i am glad to hear that the drinks were popular amongst the fortress , and i am pleased to see this partnership is working well . it seems my judgement was correct . i will have to set up a meeting with your head nurse to see what she has to say .

as for dinner , it sounds lovely . i could clear my schedule for the next coming days . simply let me know what day you are free and i will begin my trip to fontaine .

— diluc ragnvindr "

“I’d know those dazzling eyes anywhere.” (taichxu)

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

the phoenix couldn't contain the blush , cheeks flushing a deep crimson . he hummed , gazing up at the captain . he knew how to charm , it was one of his perks as a harbinger .

" such high praise from the captain himself . i truly am honored . " he responded .

okay so perhaps he was preening like a bird with pride at the compliment . it wasn't every day one was praised by the first harbinger .

" would you like to dance , sir ? " he offered .

“I’m a terrible dancer.”

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

diluc offered a reassuring smile as he took her hand . it seemed all those dance lessons as a child would finally pay off .

" don't worry , i'll guide you through it . " he promised as he led her towards the dance floor .

“Can I cut in?” \ lumine, sweetly shoving another woman away from him bye

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

diluc was politely — and not so successfully — trying to escape the conversation and invitation to dance . this had to have been the third woman to try and whisk him away and hope to get on his good side . needless to say , it wasn't working .

he opened his mouth to refuse the dance when lumine stepped in . he sighed in relief . even with the mask , he knew his radiant star anywhere .

" you may . " he answered as he took her hands and led her away , grateful to get away .

🧍‍♂️💜 ❛  I am here to collect the baby Dendro saurian. ❜

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @gonguji  ⸤ unprompted ⸣

said baby saurian could be found nestled on top of diluc's head , while the hydro one sat at his feet and the pyro one in his arms .

" ah , er . . . give me a second . "

he took a moment to set the clingy pyro saurian down before gently taking the dendro one off his head , handing it over . it sniffed curiously at the other before leaping to settle on his head , making a nest of his dark hair .

"Some of these costumes are so extravagant. They must have cost a fortune.” (from Gwyn if you're still accepting :>)

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

" indeed . tonight is a night where people are allowed to be as extravagant as possible . although , i wouldn't fret too much on the mora spent , some of them are personally tailored or otherwise . "

" it is very lovely to see the creativity others have . "

“I don’t think we’ve met yet.” [from zhongli c:]

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

" indeed . i don't believe we have . " diluc would have remembered meeting someone with such captivating eyes and a refined aura . he was quite curious and intrigued by this stranger . something about him did feel a tad familiar , but diluc couldn't be too sure .

he politely offered a hand to shake , " diluc ragnvindr , of mondstadt . pleased to make your acquaintance . " he introduced .

" well , i am certainly glad to hear that . what do you say we join adelinde for lunch and spend the day doing something before the event starts ? " he proposed , scarlet hues soft and adoring . it was always a joy to spend time with olivine , diluc was always interested in hearing what he had to say .

❛  well ... do you want to go with me?  ❜ - Oli :)

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @macabretcles ⸤ my immortal sentence starters ⸣

it had been a long time since he had gone out for leisure , and it was certainly even longer that he had gone out with olivine due to their busy schedules . an event was coming up hosted by the cathedral , and of course , olivine was a part of it . as such , he invited diluc .

the redhead hummed , taking olivine's hand . " very well , i'll go . we haven't spent much time together in any case . it will be . . . fun . "

the relieved sigh upon hearing that didn't mean to be so loud . he cleared his throat , and nodded in understanding .

" well , thank you for the clarification . " definitely amusing , certainly . diluc knew much about irony -- winemaker with a distaste for wine , after all .

" in that case , might i interest you in our juice , tea or coffee ? " he offered instead as he pointed them out on the drink menu .

@noctuafought

"Make no mistake. While the idiom has proven to hold some merit, I do not live up to its literal meaning." In vino veritas - albeit humerous, the correlation is but a coincidence. Wine is not a vice he is known to overly indulge in.

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

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 .

@noctuafought: " you can't adopt someone's pain to dilute your own. " let these brothers bond

a scoff slips past his lips, though was there even an attempt to hide it? probably not. then again, diluc is right. kaeya would rather take on the pains of those he wants to than face his own burdens and pain. grabbing the glass in front of him, he lets out a sigh as he sips the red wine.

"other people deserve a chance of happiness, diluc. i don't care what happens to me... no one realistically does."

“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 .

the hug that comes after a rough day

[ 🔥 ]  ──  * @inyvat  ⸤ hug prompts ⸣

it wasn't hard to spot the exhaustion and weariness on lumine's face as she practically stumbled into the vineyard of the winery . concerned , diluc met her halfway , hands gently taking her arms . he felt her collapse against his chest and he released a slow sigh .

he wound his arms around and hugged her tight , letting the silence wash over them , only the gentle breeze and crystal flies fluttering by .

he rested his cheek on her hair , rubbing her back in soothing strokes . after a moment , he pulled back .

" come , let's get you something to eat . afterwards , you're welcome to either use the guest room or my room if you need to lie down . " he offered as he led her into the manor .

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 .

"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 .

diluc felt more nervous bringing this up to his father than he did with anyone else, but it was a truth he had to let out . he wasn't so much scared of crepus , he knew his father would love and accept him no matter what — after all , he already used diluc's preferred named without question , so it was progress — but his nerves were still taut as it was something deeply important to the young heir .

he had already told kaeya to test the waters , and his younger brother was ecstatic even if the concept was unfamiliar and confusing to him . so he had hope that crepus would feel the same way .

the teen cleared his throat and sat next to his father , picking at the hem of his shorts as he looked down into his lap .

" father . . . i wanted to tell you something important . you see , for the past year or so , i have been feeling . . . off . i thought i was just being insecure or that my mind wasn't in the right place . but you see , i talked to another friend who felt the same way , and they told me something that made sense for me . "

he released a breath , " i want to be like kaeya — a boy . it took me a while to understand how i was feeling , and this disconnect i had with my body is something that happens to some people . so . . . if you can , i'd like you to see me as your son instead . "

ruby hues finally peeked up , diluc gauging his father's reaction .

( ℜ ) ❝ YOU IMPLIED YOU wanted to spend time with me alone today , so i sent your younger brother ahead with miss adelinde to the city to assist her with some shopping. now . . what were you wishing to discuss ? ❞

@noctuafought gets this from dad ty.

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?