songerein | It's a Genshin Christmas

Entry tags:

It's a Genshin Christmas

Who: Genshin cast!
Which: Log
Where: Aether's ~~(and Childe's)~~ house
What: Genshin cast meets up for dinner and a small party, chaos ensues
Warnings: alcohol, will add more if anything happens!

[The temperature dropped, snow started to fall and it seems like Reverein is preparing for some kind of holiday. Aether observes all of that with fascination and decides that this is a perfect moment to gather everyone for a dinner together. Surely, a meeting at such a time will help them all get along!

...Hopefully.

Every person from Teyvat will get an invitation as Aether gets to work, and when the day comes around, all invited will be welcomed by the traveler and lead inside to the living room.

All kinds of dishes can be found on the table and everyone should be able to find something they like. Apart from various specialities from Mondstadt, Liyue and Inazuma, there are also Snezhnayan dishes, all thanks to a certain Harbinger who helped Aether prepare this feast. You can also find various drinks and teas to warm you up (likely a contribution from Diluc and Zhongli), though Aether did not foresee that a certain bard may be trying to add something to those drinks. Be careful not to get drunk!

Apart from food, you can warm up by the fireplace and there are also blankets stacked on the couch in case someone felt particularly cold today.

In the corner of the room there are many small boxes with bows, each one having a name tag. Apparently, this is a gift-giving season so the traveler felt the need to include that in his plans. The gifts are really not too much, many will find cookies and a colourful holiday card inside, but it's the thought that counts!

Sadly, not everything is planned. Aether could not expect that his house will be so inviting for Gumdrops. The small creature will float around, urging you to hug or kiss... or fight! Aether definitely does not like that last kind.]

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[ Oh. Oh dear. She had a feeling that they would all get up to some shenanigans tonight, but she isn't quite expecting Aether to fall prey...! She sets her offering of fruits down on the nearest surface and reaches out with a hand on the arm of Aether's that isn't braced against the wall. ]

Hello, Aether! It seems you've been having quite a time tonight. Are you alright?

[ She's sure he's just very drunk. But it can't hurt to ask! ]

[Aether blinks at her, still smiling brightly.]

Everything's okay... just the house is spinning.

[He grabs her hand and gives her a determined look.]

But don't worry, I'll do something about it.

[He's so used to resolving all the problems that he obviously thinks he can resolve this one, too... Even though the house is not actually spinning.]

[ She squeezes his hand back! It's hard not to be endeared by that determination... She's just glad that he seems to be having a good time, unlike someone whose name starts with D and rhymes with 'iluc' who is almost always miserable as soon as he's had something to drink. ]

Is that so? Here, why don't we get you to a couch or a chair before you do something about it?

[He doesn't have to be told twice. The couch is close and despite all the swaying, Aether reaches it without too much trouble. Once he sits down, the dizziness lessens a bit, giving Aether a pause.

The problem of the spinning house is soon forgotten though, as the traveler notices something floating in the distance and he squints. Then he leans closer to Ori and whispers to her, as if telling her a great secret.]

You should be careful. There are those tiny creatures here that keep you hostage until you hug someone.

[He doesn't realize how much like a madman he sounds... even though he is telling the truth.]

[ Ori remains all smiles even as Aether squints, and before she can turn her head to try and see what it is he's squinting at, he leans in to whisper. ]

Hmmm? Oh!

[ Thankfully, with how long she's been in this dream world, she knows exactly what he's talking about. ]

You must be talking about the Gumdrops. I suppose no one is safe even this year, huh...

[ She gives a long, long sigh. The kind that only says, "not this shit again." ]

[Oh. She knows what he's talking about! Aether looks surprised for a second, before giving her a few very firm nods... and then regretting that he shook his head so much.]

Yes... Those creatures are dangerous. They made me dance with Childe, can you believe it?

[...Actually maybe he shouldn't have said that. When he realizes, his face suddenly grows bright red and he looks away.]

I-I bet they're doing that on purpose...

[Childe was already teasing him before... Aether has no idea why! It's not like he has... feelings... or anything. His relationship with Childe is very complicated, okay!!]

[ Aether's easy admittance and confession surprise Ori a bit, if only because she's never really been certain of what the dynamic between Aether and Childe would be... Especially given what she knows of the Fatui from Diluc.

What's even more surprising is Aether's reaction to what he's confessing. She's not sure if it's the alcohol, but he seems a bit... flustered?

Without really giving it any more thought, Ori sits next to him on the couch and then reaches over to pat him gently on his shoulder. ]

I-It's okay... I definitely understand how that feels.

Last year, I was stuck beneath one of those Gumdrops with Thoma. We couldn't move until we kissed. And then I was stuck again with Diluc, a few days later... It was really embarrassing.

[ It also made things quite Complicated between the three of them for a bit. ]

Did you... Enjoy the dance, though? That's the most important part.

[The path on the shoulder definitely feels nice, but Aether's attention is quickly drawn to the revelation that the gumdrops can make you kiss someone.]

Kissed...?

[Aether stares into the distance, his eyes unfocused. Would he kiss Childe if the gumdrops made him do it? How would it feel? His face slowly gets more red, but he turns to Ori with a very serious look in his eyes.]

Did kissing them made you realize that you like them?

[Normally, he wouldn't ask blunt questions like this but he's drunk and he needs to know.

As for the dancing part... He just falls silent, unsure what to answer. The dance has given him even more complicated feelings than he had before.]

[ Ori chuckles at Aether’s question, a bit unsure as to how to answer. She could never really point to any one moment that made her realize how she felt about either Thoma or Diluc, even after all this time. She had enjoyed both of their companies from the moments she met them, but the Gumdrops certainly… changed the nature of those moments, in one way or another. ]

I… I suppose you could say that. It made me realize that there was something more to how I was feeling than just appreciating their friendship.

[ She wonders if that’s how Aether is feeling about his dance with… Childe. Childe. The Fatui Harbinger. She doesn’t know him well enough to pass judgment, and she’s not the type of person to do so even if she did know him better, so for the most part her pause comes from a place of surprise. ]

You seem a bit conflicted, Aether, and that’s okay! You’ve had a bit to drink, so it might be best not to think about it too hard at the moment, hm? It’s okay to not know what to think, either. I know I didn’t!

[Some gears start turning in Aether's brain... or at least it feels like that to him, because his mind is lost in haze, all thanks to the alcohol he consumed today. The thought that is born out of this is simple - maybe if he kisses Childe he'll know for sure that whatever he's feeling is not real. Or that they can only be friends.

...Because they are friends now? They have to be.]

Thanks, Ori. I think I know what to do now.

[Determined, Aether stands up...

...And then he gets dizzy and has to sit down again.]

[ He knows what to do...!?

Any further question as to what Aether meant, exactly, is lost when he stands up abruptly and then flops back onto the couch in a spell of dizziness. Ori startles a bit, but she's quick to rest a steading hand on his shoulder once more. ]

Easy there, friend. Please don't move around so suddenly. Would... Would you like to lie down?

[Aether blinks at her, before shaking his head a little.]

No, I have to go.

[Go where? Does he really have to? He's not really that sure himself, because he quickly frowns at his own words, then leans against the back of the couch instead.]

Or maybe I'll stay.

[He's not making much sense but at least he isn't arguing?]

Aether...

[ She reaches down to try and curl her fingers around his hand. ]

We are at your house, during your party. There's nowhere that you have to go to...

[ Ori is aware, at least, that sometimes you simply have to give up on reasoning with someone who's drunk. But she can at least try to soothe his nerves, so he doesn't try to run of somewhere... ]

Would you like to have some fruit?

[Aether's eyes widen.]

Oh. Right, this is my house... I don't have to do anything.

[He really didn't think of this before! But again, what was he about to do? Ah, never mind. He grins at Ori, completely forgetting about any plans he had before.]

Sure... fruit sound nice.

[Ori is such a good friend. Aether squeezes her hand a little, still smiling.]

That's right! Everyone has come here to see you and spend time with you. And having a wonderful time.

[ As far as she's been able to tell so far, having arrived as late as she has! ]

I'll be right back. Just stay here, okay?

[ She goes to fetch a helping of the cut up fruits she's brought, along with a fork! ]

Everyone except Childe. [He feels like clarifying.] He lives here too.

[He's really just confessing everything. Aether relaxes a little more on the couch.]

I hope everyone has fun...

[And he nods to Ori as she leaves to get the fruits. He'll be good and won't move from the spot.]

...

[ Hold on. She realizes how, that it sounded a whole lot like Aether said Childe lives here, too, while she was up getting fruits. It doesn't hit her until she's sitting back own and handing him the bowl. ]

Oh... You and Childe are roommates...?

[ OR...??? ]

A—Ahem. I'm sure everyone is having a good time! As long as you're here, Aether, everyone can relax. Even Diluc.

[ she glances over to where her boyfriend is probably passed out face down on another couch. ]

[Aether blinks slowly at her, before narrowing his eyes.]

I... guess? He gets into fights a lot so I patch him up. Sometimes he wants to fight me, too. And then he cooks for me.

[He pouts a little. Aether can understand thrill of the challenge but why seeking fights all the time. He also doesn't realize that he's talking too much and not really making anything clear.

When Diluc is mentioned, Aether follows Ori's line of sight and then looks to her again.]

You... really think so? [He smiles.] I'm sure Diluc would relax more if you were by his side. Thank you for taking care of him.

Ah... You're welcome, Aether. I know that he's a dear friend to you. I'm glad that he's had you and Venti here with him.

[ And now, Kaeya too, for better or for worse.

What Aether says about him and Childe, though, she can't seem to move on from entirely. The getting into fights and and patching the other up, plus the cooking... sounds a whole lot like when she was getting closer to Diluc and Thoma, respectively... ]

It looks like Diluc is asleep right now, so I don't mind sitting with you especially since it's been some time since we got to spend time together like this! But, um. It sounds like you and Childe are... Getting close!

He is a very dear friend.

[Being drunk, Aether completely forgets that this Diluc isn't the one that he has met in Teyvat, but at the same time it doesn't matter. Diluc has been nothing but kind to him and he's sure Lumine also considered him a dear companion.

Since Ori offers to sit with him for now, Aether nods to her, looking very happy for the company. Then she mentions Childe again and Aether blinks.]

Are we...? [Are they really getting closer?] Back in Teyvat it was... similar. He said he wanted to take me home to meet his family... and cook food for me... and he would talk a lot about challenging me...

[He frowns to himself, wondering how things changed between them since then.

...Wait, does this mean they were always close?!]

[ SIR?! ]

Oh, um... I'm not sure how things are in Teyvat, so you'll have to excuse me if I get this wrong, but...

Things like wanting to bring you back to his family doesn't strike me as an offer that one would extend to just anyone... If nothing else, it sounds to me like you're important to him.

[ Oh, spirits. She really hopes she's not overstepping her bounds, here. ]

B-But that's just how I think! It doesn't really matter, honestly, so f-feel free to just ignore anything I say...

[Aether doesn't look at her then he suddenly leans forward, hands over his head as if he was in pain.]

He said he trusts me... and that it would make him sad to see me injured... and he saved my life from those dragons...

[There's no doubt that Childe likes him, Aether is certain of that even in this drunken state, but at the same time a voice in the back of the traveler's mind is constantly trying to stay on guard. Don't trust him too much, don't get too attached.]

He's a fighting-obsessed Fatui Harbinger...

[And yet Childe's warm smile comes to his mind and there's this strange feeling in Aether's heart. Maybe a kiss is really the only way he can figure this out?!]

[ Ori has certainly come to know about that ‘fighting-obsessed’ side of Childe, both from her own encounters with him and what happened between him and Diluc, the first time Childe had been here. It’s part of why she’s been surprised throughout this entire conversation; Aether hasn’t struck her to be equally fight-obsessed, so the fact that he has been indulging Childe all the same sure feels like… something. She’s just not entirely sure what.

The more she looks at and listens to Aether, the more she realizes that he’s even more confused than she is about all this.

She pats him on the shoulder again. ]

Take some time and think about it some more when you aren’t quite so drunk, okay?

[ She can’t truly tell him what to do, but at the very least she doesn’t think that running off to kiss Childe like this would necessarily solve anything. ]

I can tell you, though, that… Mm, after we had to kiss because of the Gumdrops, Thoma and I stopped speaking to each other for a while. I think we were both a bit scared of how we were feeling about it. We wouldn’t talk again until he found himself dreamwalking into a horrible nightmare of mine. And I can tell you that those few weeks where we stopped talking, where we had to keep avoiding each other… Were very difficult…

When you’re feeling better, maybe it would be good to think about that… how you would feel if that happened to you and Childe.

[He listens, but it's obvious it's a bit difficult for him to focus in the current state. He can't quite imagine Childe avoiding him either, even if they kissed. All in all, Aether becomes even more confused, squinting and trying to figure out what to do now.

Still, there is one thing that he knows for sure.]

...I'm not drunk.

[He gives Ori a very serious look, but at the same time there is haze in his eyes. He is, in fact, very drunk.]

I haven't drunk any wine... or anything like that.

[That's true... thanks to getting drunk on spiked tea, Aether can't seem to connect the dots.]

[ At first, she thinks that he's just being stubborn and insistent - but the words that follow tell her that as far as he knows, Aether hasn't had any alcohol. But that he clearly has. Which means... ]

...Just a moment.

[ Ori rises from the couch, and grabs what looks like an innocuous cup of tea. One of the very few remaining amidst the damage this cast has collectively done to the drinks selection for the evening. As she makes her way back to the couch and sits down again, she takes a little sip. ]

Ah. There's definitely liquor in this tea...

It's a Genshin Christmas

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