[yes, yes, diluc could undoubtedly uncover countless things on his own. it isn't as though this city has, like, a darknight hero equivalent; shit happens and that is simply that, which means that diluc's (alleged) interest in this city is far more personal than he'd like to admit. kaeya knows this? kaeya isn't a fool.
which is perhaps (re: definitely) why diluc's choice of words strikes him so deeply. kaeya. he's been captain ever since—well. he's been captain for a long time, now, hence the way his eye flicks back to diluc's face, allowing a second of silent to stretch between them. it's vulnerable, in a way—leaving kaeya seemingly unguarded, albeit for the briefest moment.
kaeya.]
Some things, perhaps, [he agrees, shifting his attention somewhere to the side. some drunk is leaning against the corner of the building; kaeya pretends to be fascinated by them.] Though I'd say it depends on what you're hoping to see.
[ he didn't know just yet. he wanted more information-- information that he was sure Kaeya was seeking out in his own way. But in the meantime, he notes the pause. perhaps he'd been a little too obvious.
But then Kaeya just continues, and so Diluc sighs. At what?
well, that didn't really matter. ]
I think those things are obvious. We're both interested in whatever information gets us back to Teyvat.
[ and then he looks back at Kaeya, takes stock of how he's avoiding looking at him.
well, fair enough, given he'd just done the same. ]
[to his credit, kaeya only avoids looking at diluc for so long; like, after that drunk individual loses their, ah, composure, kaeya's eye slides right back to diluc—and what is he looking for, exactly? what is he hoping for? diluc remains as straight-faced as ever, which means that kaeya doubles down on his deceptively easy smile. whatever information gets us back to teyvat, diluc says, as though it's ever so easy.
and maybe it is, in a way? if one is willing to sacrifice absolutely everything. kaeya has, at least, thought of such a scenario—and rejected it, for there are things kaeya does care about. people, even. how wild!]
Both of us? [because, like, forget childe—but also, would diluc leave kaeya behind? if he had the opportunity to, would he?] You don't like it here?
[a bs question, really, because it isn't like kaeya likes it here.]
[ both of us? he asks, as though that's an easy question for Diluc to just answer. the stubborn part of him wants to maintain that whatever he learns, Kaeya will most likely learn on his own anyway. and they'll both eventually leave, regardless of anything else. so what does it matter?
he hasn't forgiven kaeya. and he knows his truth. it'd be only right for him to abandon him as soon as he could.
but then kaeya continues, and gives him an easy way to avoid that question, ]
I don't particularly enjoy it here, no. It's... strangely stifling.
[ what with the incense, and all. but he knows he's dodged the question Kaeya was most interested in. probably cruel in its own way, but... well, he's learned to be cruel. ]
[yes, yes, kaeya is clever enough to figure many things out on his own—but should he? or, more accurately: is that the smartest way to go about things? if they'd both like to go home—because of course they do—then the best course of action would be to work together...
...but that's difficult, which is why kaeya isn't the least bit surprised that diluc dodges his question. hmm, hmm, hmm. stifling is as interesting a way to descibe this world as it is telling; kaeya, for his part, merely grins.]
Oh? Your city must be boring.
[implying that his is not—and that he isn't, like, taking the sort of orders he absolutely is, so.]
You could move here, you know. If you're so interested in working together.
[it's as serious as it isn't, for kaeya knows the value of remaining in separate cities? more information, that way. more intel. remaining apart while sharing news (tm) is the smart way to play this—but here kaeya is, once again risking it all simply to test the boundaries between them.]
[ Diluc doesn't immediately reply. And yet, he also looks carefully neutral. but, truth be told, the living situation in Tikal is absolute hell to him. He hasn't returned to his quarters since finding out about the other man that they'd decided would share with him. his disdain for the Fatui just far too great, after everything's that happened.
so, it lends itself to a lack of... commitment, yes. but also not a complete throwing aside of the idea, either. he tries to thread that needle carefully, between wanting to maintain distance between the man who once was like his shadow-- and the harbinger that may as well have killed his father himself, for all Diluc cared about the important distinction.
it's... unpleasant, and he doesn't want to talk about it, and so he waves off the topic after the slightly too long pause. ]
That isn't a pre-requisite for working together. Distance has its own virtues.
[sooner or later, kaeya will learn all about childe's, ah, presence—and he will be equal parts amused and annoyed, but for now: haha. well, sir! that's true enough, he supposes. it's certainly why they'd worked together after all that past unpleasantness? kaeya, a knight, sharing/comparing information with a former member of the order...]
Are you suggesting we work together?
[like, of course he is? and of course kaeya recognizes the value OF such an arrangement, which is why he's been hinting around it this entire time—but, well. you know. as he takes another sip of his drink:]
After all, you don't trust me. I don't even know where you're staying in your city.
... Where I'm staying doesn't matter. If you need me, you have a quick and easy way to get a hold of me.
[ where he's staying is... well, it's transient, at the moment. similar to those three years he was away from mond-- some skills you never forget once you pick them up. and Diluc wants to be difficult to find in some ways. but, that isn't the only thing Kaeya's said.
the other... well, impulsively, Diluc thinks it's at least easy to agree to? even though he's trying to figure out how it could possibly be a trap. but the answer isn't obvious to him, and so, ]
As for working together, I think it would make sense. Unless you've decided you love this place so much that you'd rather not leave.
[ which is... a weirdly frightening thought? but he knows that his intuition is correct on this. kaeya would want to return to teyvat, as he's still guarding those secrets so carefully. ]
[kaeya can't help but to make a face at that? doesn't even bother disguising it, because now, now. there's a difference between chatting with someone via medallion and showing up on their doorstep—but if that's how diluc wants to play it, then so be it. it's not like kaeya is easy to find... he's already bounced between, like, three places, just to be annoying...
...but as he'd be stupid to admit such a thing:]
Oh? [oh!] I wonder.
[spoken like a man who has everything to lose—which kaeya doesn't, really. viper isn't the same as jean; kaeya isn't as free as he'd like to be, so. as he just so happens to be very good at lashing out, he offers the deceptively calm statement that is:]
If we do work together, Master Diluc, you will need to trust me. Are you capable of such a thing?
[ he sees the face. but then, opts to pretend he doesn't see it, not acknowledging the emotion there. but, a good start, at the least for the second, far more difficult question.
at which, he frowns. visions dance in his head, always at the periphery of everything he thinks with regards to kaeya, of that night. and he frowns, deeply. kaeya had spilled all of his secrets to him, and diluc had done the polite thing and kept them to himself.
out of... maybe a misguided memory of their former life as brothers. and so, there's a pang of anger at the question. but he tamps it down, and stares at Kaeya, refusing to let him out of his sight. ]
[that is an interesting question, isn't it? a pointed question, though kaeya does his best to remain calm, to keep his smile in place. does he consider himself to be trustworthy...
...well, the simple answer to such a question is this: no. of course he doesn't. kaeya knows that he will do whatever is necessary to maintain his mission, nebulous as it is. even if he would like to be honest—oh, if only wishes were fishes! he'd be a very well-fed man.
but as this is how things are, kaeya simply offers diluc a smile.]
[ but yet, he's not surprised, and he sighs, bringing a hand to his temple. he already knows this is the sort of argument that's going to go around in circles.
the very sort of thing that is designed to make him angry. ]
... And I've worked with people I don't trust before. In limited ways.
[yes! well!! this is the price diluc must pay—hence kaeya's continued smile as down whatever is left of his drink. not much, really. time to signal for another.]
"Limited ways?" [hmm.] What do you expect of me, then? I won't lie to you.
[he says such a thing so casually, but it's honest? it IS. there's no point to lying to diluc, after all that happened; diluc knows the worst of him, so, you know. even if there's nothing between them, there's at least the knowledge that kaeya has nothing to hide.]
[ his eyes narrow as he watches him drink, worried for a minute that he might take it too far. Diluc had no clue how much he had drunk before he found him, and to be ordering another... but he doesn't say anything. ]
You won't? Well, that's a relief.
[ he's already mentally preparing to cut Kaeya off, if necessary. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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which is perhaps (re: definitely) why diluc's choice of words strikes him so deeply. kaeya. he's been captain ever since—well. he's been captain for a long time, now, hence the way his eye flicks back to diluc's face, allowing a second of silent to stretch between them. it's vulnerable, in a way—leaving kaeya seemingly unguarded, albeit for the briefest moment.
kaeya.]
Some things, perhaps, [he agrees, shifting his attention somewhere to the side. some drunk is leaning against the corner of the building; kaeya pretends to be fascinated by them.] Though I'd say it depends on what you're hoping to see.
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But then Kaeya just continues, and so Diluc sighs. At what?
well, that didn't really matter. ]
I think those things are obvious. We're both interested in whatever information gets us back to Teyvat.
[ and then he looks back at Kaeya, takes stock of how he's avoiding looking at him.
well, fair enough, given he'd just done the same. ]
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and maybe it is, in a way? if one is willing to sacrifice absolutely everything. kaeya has, at least, thought of such a scenario—and rejected it, for there are things kaeya does care about. people, even. how wild!]
Both of us? [because, like, forget childe—but also, would diluc leave kaeya behind? if he had the opportunity to, would he?] You don't like it here?
[a bs question, really, because it isn't like kaeya likes it here.]
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he hasn't forgiven kaeya. and he knows his truth. it'd be only right for him to abandon him as soon as he could.
but then kaeya continues, and gives him an easy way to avoid that question, ]
I don't particularly enjoy it here, no. It's... strangely stifling.
[ what with the incense, and all. but he knows he's dodged the question Kaeya was most interested in. probably cruel in its own way, but... well, he's learned to be cruel. ]
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...but that's difficult, which is why kaeya isn't the least bit surprised that diluc dodges his question. hmm, hmm, hmm. stifling is as interesting a way to descibe this world as it is telling; kaeya, for his part, merely grins.]
Oh? Your city must be boring.
[implying that his is not—and that he isn't, like, taking the sort of orders he absolutely is, so.]
You could move here, you know. If you're so interested in working together.
[it's as serious as it isn't, for kaeya knows the value of remaining in separate cities? more information, that way. more intel. remaining apart while sharing news (tm) is the smart way to play this—but here kaeya is, once again risking it all simply to test the boundaries between them.]
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so, it lends itself to a lack of... commitment, yes. but also not a complete throwing aside of the idea, either. he tries to thread that needle carefully, between wanting to maintain distance between the man who once was like his shadow-- and the harbinger that may as well have killed his father himself, for all Diluc cared about the important distinction.
it's... unpleasant, and he doesn't want to talk about it, and so he waves off the topic after the slightly too long pause. ]
That isn't a pre-requisite for working together. Distance has its own virtues.
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Are you suggesting we work together?
[like, of course he is? and of course kaeya recognizes the value OF such an arrangement, which is why he's been hinting around it this entire time—but, well. you know. as he takes another sip of his drink:]
After all, you don't trust me. I don't even know where you're staying in your city.
[but he's looking 👁 he'll find it]
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[ where he's staying is... well, it's transient, at the moment. similar to those three years he was away from mond-- some skills you never forget once you pick them up. and Diluc wants to be difficult to find in some ways. but, that isn't the only thing Kaeya's said.
the other... well, impulsively, Diluc thinks it's at least easy to agree to? even though he's trying to figure out how it could possibly be a trap. but the answer isn't obvious to him, and so, ]
As for working together, I think it would make sense. Unless you've decided you love this place so much that you'd rather not leave.
[ which is... a weirdly frightening thought? but he knows that his intuition is correct on this. kaeya would want to return to teyvat, as he's still guarding those secrets so carefully. ]
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...but as he'd be stupid to admit such a thing:]
Oh? [oh!] I wonder.
[spoken like a man who has everything to lose—which kaeya doesn't, really. viper isn't the same as jean; kaeya isn't as free as he'd like to be, so. as he just so happens to be very good at lashing out, he offers the deceptively calm statement that is:]
If we do work together, Master Diluc, you will need to trust me. Are you capable of such a thing?
[well???]
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at which, he frowns. visions dance in his head, always at the periphery of everything he thinks with regards to kaeya, of that night. and he frowns, deeply. kaeya had spilled all of his secrets to him, and diluc had done the polite thing and kept them to himself.
out of... maybe a misguided memory of their former life as brothers. and so, there's a pang of anger at the question. but he tamps it down, and stares at Kaeya, refusing to let him out of his sight. ]
... Do you consider yourself trustworthy?
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...well, the simple answer to such a question is this: no. of course he doesn't. kaeya knows that he will do whatever is necessary to maintain his mission, nebulous as it is. even if he would like to be honest—oh, if only wishes were fishes! he'd be a very well-fed man.
but as this is how things are, kaeya simply offers diluc a smile.]
Do you have anyone else to trust?
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[ but yet, he's not surprised, and he sighs, bringing a hand to his temple. he already knows this is the sort of argument that's going to go around in circles.
the very sort of thing that is designed to make him angry. ]
... And I've worked with people I don't trust before. In limited ways.
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"Limited ways?" [hmm.] What do you expect of me, then? I won't lie to you.
[he says such a thing so casually, but it's honest? it IS. there's no point to lying to diluc, after all that happened; diluc knows the worst of him, so, you know. even if there's nothing between them, there's at least the knowledge that kaeya has nothing to hide.]
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You won't? Well, that's a relief.
[ he's already mentally preparing to cut Kaeya off, if necessary. ]
... And that's all I can expect of you, is it?