Chapter Text
The moon hung low over Mondstadt, its pale glow spilling across the rooftops. The streets were quiet, save for the distant hum of the wind through the trees and the occasional click of armour from the night patrols.
Eula Lawrence moved like a shadow between alleys, the weight of her claymore steady on her back. Her patrol route was supposed to be uneventful tonight— but the faint scent of smoke in the air told her otherwise. She knew that smell: burning Pyro. And it was definitely not the kind from a simple campfire.
Following it, she slipped through a narrow passage toward the city gates. Beyond them, just at the edge of the Whispering Woods, orange embers flickered against the dark.
She found him there — tall, broad-shouldered, with hair like a streak of flame under the moonlight. The infamous, ever-serious Diluc Ragnvindr. His claymore swept through the air, scattering a Fatui Skirmisher like he was made of straw. His face was expressionless, his eyes cold despite the fiery warmth of his red, and his movements precise, a few times better than most of the Favonius knights combined.
Eula's fingers twitched. "Of course, it had to be him," she scowled internally.
"Fancy meeting you here, Master Ragnvindr," she called, stepping out of the shadows. Her voice carried its usual sarcastic lilt. "What is this, another secret vigilante outing? I could report you for obstructing Knights of Favonius' jurisdiction, ya' know."
Diluc didn't even look at her. "You should be more concerned about the four Fatui behind you."
Her eyes narrowed, but she spun on her heel without hesitation, her Sacrificial blade already drawn. The clash of steel rang out as she met the first attacker head-on. Pyro flared somewhere to her left; Diluc spun his fiery claymore towards another approaching Fatui, and the night lit up in bursts of orange and blue.
They fought back-to-back without meaning to, each covering the other's blind spots with instinctive precision. Eula's movements were sharp and elegant, her claymore arcing like a deadly dance. Diluc was all efficiency — no wasted motion, no unnecessary flourish.
Within minutes, the last Fatui agent crumpled to the ground. The silence that followed was almost deafening.
Eula wiped her blade clean and slung it over her shoulder. "You're welcome," she said flatly.
Diluc turned to her at last, his eyes catching the moonlight. "You're in over your head, Miss Lawrence. Next time, stay in the city."
Her jaw tightened. "And let you have all the fun? Not a chance. Besides, I didn't see you complaining when I kept a Cryo Agent from skewering you."
"That was not necessary." His tone was as frosty as her Vision.
"Of course it wasn't," she said with mock sweetness. "You're Diluc Ragnvindr — nothing is ever necessary unless you say so," her tone was sarcastic as ever. A faint shift in his gaze was the only sign her jab had landed. Before he could respond, Kaeya's voice drifted in from one of the nearby treelines.
"Well, well," he drawled, stepping into view, arms crossed. "If it isn't my two favourite ice-cold personalities, sharing a lovely evening. Should I leave you to your... tension?"
Eula rolled her eyes, one hand resting on her hip, "You have the worst timing."
"On the contrary, my timing is perfect," Kaeya proudly said, smirking. "I caught the part where you were saving each other's lives. Very touching."
Diluc shot him a withering glare. "Go home, Kaeya."
"Gladly," Kaeya replied, already turning away. "But don't let me stop you two from... 'bonding'." His laughter faded into the night.
Eula adjusted her gloves, trying not to notice the way her heartbeat still hadn't settled from the fight — or from the fact that she'd been close enough to feel the heat radiating from Diluc's Pyro bursts.
"I'll file my report," she said curtly. "You can... brood, or whatever it is you do after these little escapades."
Without waiting for a reply, she strode past him, her boots crunching softly on the gravel. But she could feel his eyes on her back until the shadows swallowed her completely. And for reasons she didn't care to name, she found herself thinking about those eyes all the way back to Mondstadt.