knight

        kaeya knows that look on her face ——— furrowed brows and a set mouth and unyielding shoulders. granted, it’s how jean often looks these days / a contrast to their youth when she had laughed easily and smiled broadly, though perhaps not as much of a contrast as some may believe. that tension in her shoulders is practically the same, the surefire sign of stress, the first that he had ever noticed on her all those years ago, family secrets and skeletons in the closet. so he throws her a wide, utterly at ease smile and seats himself on the couch, arms stretching across the back and legs crossing as he makes himself perfectly at home.

        it’s not as though he’s this couch’s most frequent occupant or anything. ( they are. )

        ❝ now, what’s gotten your brows so furrowed? they may end up stuck that way, you know, ❞ it’s a familiar tease, offered because it’s practically part of the script, at this point. the give and take they have and the roles that they bear and the things that remain unsaid between them, ear piercing silence ringing in the spaces between their words. ❝ is it the squires causing a ruckus again? an unexpected visitor coming to knock on our doors? ❞

@dandelionne​

     THEY ENTERED WITH hardly a knock ( or, if there had been one, she had been too engrossed in her work to hear it ), & the carefree smile sent her way was matched with a look of exasperation–––– though a bit too dramatic to be taken seriously, as it had been her own words that caused this. you are welcome anytime, kaeya.  he seemed to be calling her bluff more & more often. he was a distraction, & she was not afraid to tell him so. more of a secret was that they were a welcome one.

     SHE ATTEMPTED TO keep her eyes on her work, even as she repeated their words. ❝ stuck this way? ❞ jean couldn’t stop the quirk of her lips that attempted to reveal her smile. there was a phrase on the tip of her tongue–––– what would mother think?–––– but she knew asking it wouldn’t be quite as playful as she intended, & so she went a different route. ❝ we wouldn’t want that, now would we? lisa would never let me hear the end of it. ❞ that, at least, earned a laugh & a shake of her head.

     ATTENDING TO THE gunnhildr estate.

     SHE’S ONLY BEEN the acting lady gunnhildr, as she jokingly calls herself,  for the same amount of time she’s been the acting grand master. most of the estate’s affairs are handled by a caretaker established by her mother, but she promised to check in when she could before frederica left on the expedition, and as such stops by typically during single day holidays.

     MOTHER’S DAY IS certainly no different, and she tends to be there earlier than most days just out of a sense of obligation.

     JEAN DOESN’T FEEL...entirely welcome in the halls of the manor that she grew up in. They were the halls where she was expected to be perfect, to effortlessly balance jean the knight and jean the future lady gunnhildr, where she was constantly scolded and pushed and forgotten and she does not know how to navigate it all as just jean, but it doesn’t quite feel right to roam them as acting grand master, either.

     SHE STILL GOES, out of duty, but every day she goes, and mother’s day in particular, it isn’t unusual to find that she’s returned to her home in mondstadt for an early rest.

Late Night Wanderings Sentence Starters

“What are you doing out this late?”

“This part of town isn’t a good place to be at this time of night.”

“Now what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?” 

“You do realize what time it is, right?” 

“Where are you going at this hour?” 

“The sun isn’t rising anytime soon, you know.” 

“Do you know where I am?” 

“The city looks different at night.” 

“This street is very dark…” 

“Why don’t you come stand in the light?” 

“Are you lost?” 

“I got turned around in the dark…” 

“This isn’t the time to go wandering around.”

“Only fools and trouble come out to these parts at this hour.” 

“Looking for trouble, are we?” 

“A little late to be shopping.” 

“Just coming back from the bar?” 

“Think any of the pubs are still going to be open?” 

“Trouble lurks around every shadowed corner.” 

“Woah! I didn’t see you there!”

“Where did you come from?” 

“What are you doing here?” 

“A bold move to show your face here in the shadows of night.” 

“Go home.” 

“It isn’t safe here at this time of night.” 

“You’re being watched.” 

“What are you doing still up?” 

“Looking for something?” 

“I like walking when the streets are empty.”

“It’s dangerous to walk at night alone.” 

“I know where I’m going.” 

“The trees are kind of spooky…”

“Did you hear that howl?” 

“Was…was that an owl…?” 

“This path is scary at night…” 

“The woods is no place a __ after dusk.” 

“Oh you poor soul, wandering lost in the forest under the new moon…” 

“You can’t see the stars from here…” 

“This is the witching hour.” 

“Dark beasts lurk here. Be cautious.” 

“Stay on the road!” 

“Talking a midnight stroll along the beach?” 

“The ocean is so mysterious at night…” 

“What brings you to the pier at this hour?” 

“What dangers lurk in these dark waters, I wonder.” 

“You’re going to get yourself lost one of these days.” 

     BUT, THEN SHE realized those weren’t the only times she did it. she did it when she was criticized on her papers & equations during her lessons, she did it when her mother lectured her, she did it when her form & technique were criticized as she trained, so on & so forth. many moments of minor distress were often accompanied by an adjustment of her hair bow, even if it didn’t need it. though she noticed, she didn’t do anything to curb that habit. it was just under the radar enough that her mother didn’t notice & lecture her for it ( if anything, she was praised for the meticulous attention to her appearance, because while she was training to become a knight, she was also the future lady gunnhildr, & she needed to ensure she looked the part ), & it felt like her own little piece of rebellion, knowing that she wouldn’t approve if she knew the truth.

     THIS HABIT CONTINUES even now. though it’s true that her hairbow can come undone in moments of fighting, it’s usually tight enough that it doesn’t need the adjustment & , if it does, it’s usually a full re-tying of the ribbon instead of just tugging on the ends. if one pays close attention, they’ll see her adjusting her bow during meetings, when reading over difficult cases or particularly confusing paperwork, & even in social situations that she doesn’t want to be in.