songerein | 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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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...

[He watches her leave the couch, then come back with a tea. Aether blinks at her, unsure what she's trying to do, but then she tries the drink and informs him of her findings.

The traveler blinks again. Then again. Then he presses a hand to his forehead.]

Venti...

[It must have been him!!]

Oh? Do you think Venti poured liquor into these drinks without anyone knowing, to get everyone drunk without their knowing?

[ :) Just wondering, Aether :) ]

[Even drunk he can sense danger...]

Um... I think he's the only one who could do it.

[He has no other suspects.]

I see... [ She nods at him solemnly. ] Thank you for your honesty, Aether!

[ MENACING... ]

But you know, it's nice to see you all [ Diluc especially ] feel a little less stressed, so as long as we can take care of each other so that nobody is feeling too unwell, I think it'll be alright.

[It was nice knowing you, Venti.]

Um... I'll do my best so everybody is okay.

[Bold words from someone who can't even walk straight.]

[ Ah... She reaches up and pets his head, gently. ]

There, there... I bet you spend so much time taking care of everybody, don't you...? It's time that you let your friends help you, too.

[He falls silent, closing his eyes as she pets his head. It's a nice feeling, kind and warm. It spreads in his heart and makes him wish peaceful moments like these could last forever.]

I just... want everyone to be happy.

[Even in this state he knows it's hard, but he doesn't voice that. Moments of happiness are important, too.]

[ For Ori, too, moments like these often bring out her most fervent of wishes that all of their shared time together in this dream would last forever. It would be nice if, weeks, months, maybe even years from now, they're able to celebrate holidays like this.

... And if not, her wish for her to be able to find everyone in Teyvat again is just as fervent.

For now, she hums thoughtfully at Aether. Though he may be quite drunk, Ori thinks that he looks quite peaceful like this. She hopes that he has many more peaceful moments like this. The life of a traveler can be so weary, after all. ]

I'm sure they are, Aether. They wouldn't be here celebrating with you if they didn't see how much you do to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. But I'm sure it would make them just as happy to see you resting and at peace, too. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?

[There's a small hum from him, before he nods. Then he looks at her and smiles softly.]

...Thank you for coming here today, Ori. I promise I will get a lot of rest.

[Maybe not right away, but... eventually. For now, he doesn't move from the spot, just continues to smile at her.]

It's a Genshin Christmas

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