#crepus.

Okay. So this first picture is when Crepus is in the carriage. Notice how he has his black coat on.

And now for the second picture, in which he steps out of his carriage. Notice how the coat and the cravat are both gone (and how the shirt is also unbuttoned), revealing the vest, tasteful black shirt, and the line of his throat.

And now for the third picture, in which he uses his Delusion. Notice how the shirt sleeves are rolled up, revealing those big, muscular arms.

-opi

Oh man, now that has me thinking about just how much Crepus and the family darling had with him truly changed them for the better. I’d suppose that before meeting Crepus, darling embodied (if not set the bar for) every negative stereotype associated with the Harbingers—civil and polite but insincere at best; cruel, cold-blooded, and maybe even bloodthirsty at worst. Upon first meeting Crepus, darling obviously put up a courteous front, but found that the longer they talked the more Crepus seemed to draw out darling’s true self—the more human, casual side of them that they probably didn’t even realize existed.

Over time, everyone around darling begins to notice the shift in their personality. From being cutthroat and and ruthless in their debt collecting, they begin extending the deadlines and even pardoning those unable to pay for their loans. They begin to be more friendly and relaxed with their subordinates. They butt heads with the other Harbingers over how to deal with high-ranking Fatui targets, and at times (much to the other Harbingers’ surprise and chagrin) suggest sparing their lives and giving them mercy.

The most apparent change in darling is physical, and it’s of the light in their eyes. One of darling’s core attributes as a Harbinger was the utter lifelessness in their eyes—complementary to the amount of death and carnage they caused as part of their duties in the Fatui. Little by little, and coincidentally every time they met with Crepus, a little flicker of light would appear in their eyes—not enough to be apparent at first, but would gradually grow bigger and brighter over time.

While darling’s departure has frequently been told as a drunken lament by other Fatui members who worked with them, none of them could ever deny the happiness darling practically beamed with upon being let go by the Tsaritsa. How they seemed to walk on air as they walked down the halls of Zapolyarny Palace for the last time, embracing as many of their subordinates as they could and wishing them all the best.

Over at the Dawn Winery, you could probably catch Adelinde reminiscing at the memory of darling (freshly out of the Fatui) embracing Crepus with a love and warmth felt by everyone in the household—a love and warmth that would continue to bloom as darling settled down with the Ragnvindrs as Crepus’s partner and parent to Diluc and Kaeya, and a love and warmth that still lingers every time darling comes to visit their two sons.

I'm an absolute sucker for tropes like this, and seeing all of this absolutely wrecked me.

The Reader's personality changing, the sharpened edges being smoothed out, and all because they've met someone who brings out the best in them, who sees them as more than just a weapon.

Darling continuously turns town Crepus’s offers to go back to their previous turn-taking, telling him that “You need as much sleep as you can get with the amount of work you deal with, beloved, I’ll be fine,” even if the ever growing rings around their eyes and their new habit of nodding off at breakfast, lunch, and even dinner tell Crepus otherwise.

Eventually, darling quickly notices something… off, particularly in regards to the amount of sleep they’ve been getting. How they’ve managed to get a full night’s rest for a week straight, and how they’ve hardly ever woken up to Diluc’s cries as well. It doesn’t take long for darling to get to the bottom of this, though, when they wake up to the sound of baby Diluc crying for the first time in a long while.

Darling gets up and groggily shuffles out of bed to make their way to the nursery, but just as they approach the doorway they stop their tracks at the sound of two voices in the room—two voices that they quickly realize are Diluc’s gurgling laughter and cooing, and… Crepus?

They peek into the nursery and, yes, find Crepus cradling his son in his arms, gently rocking him back and forth and pressing kisses onto his son’s chubby cheeks and forehead. “It’s okay, Diluc, Papa’s here,” darling hears Crepus say. “I know I’m not Mama, but they need their sleep, so that’s why I’m here. I’ve got you now. It’s okay, son.”

When Diluc begins to nod off, Crepus gently lowers him back down into his crib, but not before pressing one last kiss onto his son’s forehead. “Mama and Papa love you so much, Diluc. Good night.”

The best solution the couple has found is letting him cuddle their shirts bc it smells like them. This works especially well during times one of them is away.

Bc object permanence is a thing baby Diluc absolutely would cry when seeing Crepus with his hair down, there was one time he had to shave his beard and Diluc papped his face before he started sobbing and reaching for darling bc he didn't know who this guy was.

Any time baby boy would squawk or scream darling would do it back but at a higher pitch (I did this with a baby I watched and it always made him pause and look around and then he'd calm down and be snuggly, kids are weird).

When Diluc would babble both Crepus and darling would be like "tell me bout it." And Diluc would babble more and they'd act shocked and are like "no way!"

Oh.

The mansion staff listening in, remembering the happy hours the Reader had spent with Crepus, when the house had been filled with laughter and music and song.