Chapter Text
“Do you want to explain…that?” Jean raised a brow when she saw the corner table of the tavern being occupied by two particular individuals.
“Nope.” Diluc said with a frown as he cleaned another glass and put it away.
“There are children in your tavern. This place is not exactly a kid friendly place.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“So…What…Are you changing this place to be a daycare?”
“Like I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
Ding Ding. The bells of the tavern rang and Jean turned around to see a small girl from Liyue looking up at her blankly.
“And there’s the last member.” Diluc said with a sigh before he pointed to the table where the other two occupants were seated. One little blonde girl and a brown-haired boy that were obviously glaring at one another. “I hope she’s here to be a mediator.”
“A mediator for what?”
“I don’t pry into patrons'...”
“They are children, Diluc! One of them is Klee!”
“Yeah and she likes using bombs. Are you going to pay for my bar once it’s in ashes if I say no to that girl? She already thinks I’m weird.”
“Well you are weird. You are letting kids occupy a table at a bar…Are those drinks on the table!? Diluc! Please don’t tell me…Diluc!”
“Milk. It’s milk. Do you think that any one of their brothers would let me live to see another day if I let them have anything other than milk?”
“You could have given them some apple cider…” Jean said under her breath as she watched Qiqi approach the group before pulling out a chair and hoping on. Jean’s mouth made an O shape as she realized what all three of them had in common. Brothers. “Don’t tell me…”
“Then don’t ask.”
“Tsk. Klee is right, you really are a grumpy old man.” And as Jean smiled and chuckled behind her hand, Diluc groaned and ran his hands down his face. When did his tavern, his place where members could exchange information for a price, a place where gods spent their idle time, become a daycare center?
“You’re finally here!” Klee said smiling slightly at the young girl who sat down and looked at the table with their drinks and very few snacks.
“Is this how you do tea parties in Mondstadt?” Qiqi asked quietly as she picked up a pastry from the dish and pulled it apart to see that it was a meat pie of some sort. She then saw a familiar beverage, she put it to her lips before she frowned. It wasn’t thick or creamy. It was runny and thin which confirmed that it wasn’t cocogoat milk. It was just some regular milk. How unfortunate.
“What? Tea party? This isn’t a tea party! It’s a meeting!” Teucer said as he squeezed the toy in his arms. “A very very very important meeting.”
“You should have prepared more snacks for an important meeting.”
“The snacks aren’t why we are here, Qiqi!”
“Oh?”
“We are here because Teucer here believes that his brother is better suited for Miss Lumine!”
“He is!” Adamant about his choice, he glared across the table, the pout on his lips growing. Klee had muttered something about not being able to use her toys..not when Master Jean was sitting so close. She couldn’t risk it. It would eat up into her time with her big brother and Miss Lumine. Time that could go to the enemy in front of her and his big brother.
“Better suited? Like in a team?” Qiqi nibbled on the meat pie before she frowned. This food didn’t feel right in her mouth. No, on a day like this a bowl of warm noodles is exactly what was needed. The chewy noodles with the thick and warm broth. “I wonder…”
“As a husband!” Klee loudly proclaimed as it was the most awful thing in the world. As if she was being told that there was no more toast in the world. Not even a single slice left. The rest of the bar turned around at the proclamation and chuckles around them as they thought the girl was talking about her future husband to her friends. Oh if they only knew. “How could someone who is an honorary knight end up with a…”
“My big brother is the greatest toy salesman in all the world!” The big blue eyes of the Snezhnayan boy watered slightly as he defended his amazing and brave big brother from the young knight. “And he makes Miss Lumine laugh! And he always says really nice things about Miss Lumine in his letters! My brother clearly likes Miss Lumine! And she’s always spending time with him at the Golden House!”
“No!” Klee slammed her tiny hands on top of the wooden table angrily. “Big Brother Albedo belongs with Miss Lumine! Big Brother Albedo is the best! He’s the best! He always plays with Klee and gives her new treasures and Miss Lumine is always smiling when she’s with Big Brother Albedo! And…And…They are just better together!” The young blonde was frantic before she turned her gaze to the lilac-haired girl that was staring blankly at the two of them. “Qiqi! Help!”
“With what shall I help you with, Klee?”
“Tell him that his brother isn’t the best choice for Miss Lumine! It’ll be two against one!”
She turned to the whimpering brunette who stared at them like they were destroying all of their dreams. Blinking slowly, she lightly lowered her glass of milk and nodded. “Klee is right. Your brother isn’t the best choice for Miss Lumine.”
“See!” Klee was gleeful. She had won. Clearly, Qiqi was smart, she knew she chose correctly when asking her to come to help her with this argument. How could the sweet and brave honorary knight possibly belong with a man like Childe? No. She belonged with someone like her big brother who clearly held a strong interest in her. She belonged with her brother who listened to every word that Miss Lumine said, which is very very rare. Klee knew her Big Brother Albedo is the best! And now even Qiqi—
“Big Brother Xiao is the best choice.”
TRAITOR!
Klee gasped and put a hand to her chest. She looked at the zombie girl and how she looked at her like she said the sky was green and the grass was blue and…IMPOSSIBLE. She had thought this out. She thought that Qiqi would have been smart enough to see the truth, but to think that instead, she’d choose her own big brother!? Klee's big brother had a secret code with Klee. Her big brother always encouraged her love for treasures. Her big brother was the best playmate well besides Miss Lumine but if they were together Klee would have them both! How could Qiqi betray her like this?
“Qiqi...This is a serious matter.”
“How could my big brother not be the best choice?!” Teucer whined and held his toy close to his chest. The same toy that Miss Lumine had delivered to him from his brother. The best big brother in the world who worked with toys and was always taking care of their family. There was something terribly wrong with this world if Miss Lumine and his brother didn’t end up together.
“I know. It’s a serious matter. And I said the truth. Big brother Xiao would be the best husband for Miss Lumine.”
“My brother met her first! He was first in line!” Teucer finally said as he gathered his thoughts. He would not lose. He would defend his big brother, support him, and make sure that he was happy with Miss Lumine. “My brother…wouldn’t have trusted her even if she was a nice lady if he didn’t like her! My brother…was first!”
“Who cares about being first! She went looking for my Big Brother Albedo! Looking! She went searching for him! That’s how all the fairy tales that Lisa reads start! They are a fairy tale couple! They are like the prince and princess that will always end up together!”
“Fairy tales aren’t real!”
“Yes they are!”
“No they aren’t!”
“Big Brother Albedo and Miss Lumine are living proof that they are real!”
“My Big Brother Xiao saved her life.”
And the two turned their heads to see Qiqi staring blankly at them. Teucer’s left eye twitched while Klee’s hand was inching towards her bag. They really couldn’t argue with that. If Xiao didn’t save Miss Lumine then they wouldn’t even have a Miss Lumine to fight over. But that wasn’t fair!
“He was just there at the right time! Big Brother Albedo would have saved her too if he was there!”
“Yeah! So, would my brother!”
“Didn’t your brother..”
“Now.;.Now...what are you three doing here?” A soft and familiar voice said with a hint of amusement. And all three of them turned around to see her. With her blonde hair that framed her face and always made her look pretty. Her golden eyes sparkling with joy as she looked at the three of them.
“Miss Lumine!” All of them said with a big smile. Behind her were also their brothers and Mr. Zhong Li who seemed to be questioning as to why the three of them were together at a tavern. How curious.
“This isn’t a place where good kids hang around.” Childe said while giving his little brother a sharp look but quickly his frown melted into a smile. Ruffling his brother’s hair, the young boy preened from the affection.
“Ahh but Mr. Diluc said it was okay.”
“Klee, what’s your hand doing in your bag?” Albedo said with a raised brow, his lips curved into a faint smile. He knew exactly what she was planning on doing which caused the nervous Klee to slowly take out her hand and wave it.
“Nothing at all, Big Brother Albedo! Just making sure nothing was moving in there!”
Meanwhile, Qiqi who was the closest to the traveller, took hold of her hand.
“Hmn? Qiqi?” Lumine looked down and looked at the almost sad expression on Qiqi’s face. Well, as sad as a zombie girl could look. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m hungry.” The girl said quietly and then opened her arms up. Quickly taking note, Lumine wrapped her arms around the young girl and picked her up. Gasps from both Klee and Teucer could be heard which caused their brothers to look down at the respective sibling to see what was wrong. But all they saw were their slacked jaws and big eyes staring at the sweet scene between Qiqi and Miss Lumine. “Big Sister Lumine..will you make me some Come and Get It Noodles?”
“But you make them so special, Qiqi.” The way she nuzzled the girl’s nose with hers, the other two children were visibly jealous. “How about we make it together?”
Qiqi nodded slowly. “And can we make some Almond Tofu for Big Brother Xiao?”
“Yes. We can do that. I’m sure Xiao wouldn’t mind.”
“Mind what?” The adepti finally came to the group after speaking to Zhong Li about something and looked at the young girl in the traveler’s arms.
“We’re gonna have dinner with Big Sister Lumine.”
“Is that so? That sounds nice. Then we should start heading home now if we don’t want to have a late dinner.”
Smiling softly, Qiqi nodded before wrapping her arms around Miss Lumine’s neck and tucking her head at the nook of her neck.
“She must have been pretty hungry. She’s so lethargic.” Lumine whispered to Xiao as they headed towards the door.
“I can carry her if you want.”He said in his low tone as he looked at both the traveller and the young girl in her arms.
“If Lumine didn’t come….I think my tavern would have been a war zone.”
“Klee...looked ready..”
“What exactly is going on?”
“We’ll…bring you up to speed, Zhong Li.”
As they exited together, Childe clicked his tongue with a bit of annoyance, Albedo just hummed and whispered something about an interesting observation. The two children however were speechless. Until Qiqi looked up slightly and gave the two of them a small smirk.
“Traitor!”
“This isn’t over!”
Oh…No..this was far from over. Even if Qiqi happened to win tonight…This was just the first battle of many. This was war.