@delusionaid.

𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏.          childhood friends   /   work buddies or coworkers   /   family friends   /   friends with benefits   /   smoking drinking buddies   /   adventure buddies   /   fake friends   /   recently friends   /   party buddies   /   friendship of need   /   dying friendship   /   circumstantial friendship   /   partners in crime   /   old friendship   /   [   your muse   ]   is the good influence   /   [   your muse   ]   is the bad influence   /   [   my muse   ]   is the good influence   /   [   my muse   ]   is the bad influence   /   opposites attract   /   ride or die   /   " frenemies "  /   roommates or flatmates   /   penpals   /   exes to friends   /   enemies to friends   /   other

>          the childhood friends element of our plotting really did deepen the multiple layers i'm sure their dynamic could have, because understanding who kaeya was prior to becoming a mondstadtan, and getting to observe ajax prior to becoming a fatuus is a level of familiarity i'm not sure the both of them get to experience very often. ajax got to experience a kaeya who hadn't been corrupted by the absence of his father and the weight of his duty yet, and kaeya got to know an ajax who still understood fear, who was more human than monster before the foul legacy begins to reshapen him into a bloodhound. >          more added onto the childhood friends dynamic, but i believe that knowing this about one another is fundamentally important in solaces made later on. this is specifically in regard to familial expectation, the trauma that ajax's parents and kaeya's bio father left on him, and their relationships with their familys. about hiding facets of themselves because they're afraid of how ajax's siblings and kaeya's most important people will view him. i think the both of them can relate very heavily in that regard and i would love to see them talk about it. >          workbuddies i can see as an easy mode of interaction, especially since i believe kaeya is the knight of favonius most known for dabbling in fatui affairs. childe is technically a diplomat, and one who frequents dragonspine at that. i wouldn't be surprised if he tended to drop by mondstadt on the way to snezhnaya or a neighbouring nation just to see kaeya on the way there. i can see childe involving himself in stray fatui issues in mondstadt because the primary harbinger most associated with them is now ... yknow, eviscerated. >          italicising " friendship of need " because if you're behind it, i can definitely see a somewhat transactional friendship involving information. i know that ajax's emotions to kaeya are genuine friendship, but that he unfortunately tends to blend his personal and professional relationship a little too much ( ergo, pulcinella knowing and being able to contact his family ) so blending their titles as a harbinger and fatui diplomat as well as kaeya's as a favonius captain and second in command to the acting grand master is bound to happen if kaeya is not forthright with those boundaries. childe is also seen as someone of lower standing with the harbingers primarily because he is not often involved with the political aspects of these schemes, including not keeping a tighter leash on the kind of information he should or should not be revealing. he is not stupid about it, but he is also not as meticulous about it as his co-workers. >          hear me out, " partners in crime " not necessarily being part of criminal activity but having both the theatrical instinct and social intuition to play off of one another if they were involved in a situation where one of them had to run in blind. if one of them is lying to weasel themselves out of a sticky issue, i can see the other lying for them, making their little story more believable. this could range from anything from literal missions to just something benign. " yeah, i'm pretty sure kaeya and klee were near starsnatch cliff last time i saw them. all the fish in cider lake are dead ? oh, what a weird coincidence. " >          penpals would be so, so cute please. i love the idea of them writing letters to one another once they're back in contact. kaeya having a stable place to send them, and childe designating specific outposts where he could recieve kaeya's letters depending on where they're both stationed would be so cute. childe doesn't recieve many letters except from his little siblings, so he would be so excited about a letter from kaeya.

𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄.          childhood sweethearts   /   [   your muse is mines   ]   childhood crush   /   [   my muse is yours   ]   childhood crush   /   exes   /   exes to lovers   /   forbidden lovers   /   highschool sweethearts   /   secret relationship   /   opposites attract   /   long distance   /   unrequited   [   from your muses side   ]   /   unrequited   [   from my muses side   ]   /   unrequited   [   from both sides   ]   /   skinny love   /   friends to lovers   /   enemies to lovers   /   spurious relationship   /   power couple   /   newly entered   /   soulmates   [   metaphorical   ]   /   soulmates   [   literal   ]   /   awkward   /   turning toxic   /   toxic love   /   cheating   [   on your muse   ]   /   cheating   [   with your muse   ]   /   other

>          like i'm gonna be real, down in the abyss i'm pretty sure that ajax's feelings were indistinguishable between trauma bonding and a childhood crush. it was one, when he did get the chance to reflect on it later. because ajax is the kind of person who has brief, fleeting five minute crushes on anyone for a little while. longer, if they show him any modicum of kindness, even in really fucked up toxic ways. longer than that, if they can actually beat his ass. but regarding ajax as a child, it was for sure one of the first fleeting instances of crushing for sure. he'd easily bring it up in conversation now, he's not embarassed about it in the slightest. >          i have no doubt that if kaeya were to remain in his life now, the charisma and mystery of that man would lure childe into more unrequited feelings. but he is notably good at hiding these kinds of emotions. if they remain surface level his yearning is easily masked and filtered into something else he could distract himself with. also his feelings don't outshine the ones that are just happy to have kaeya back in his life in some way shape or form.

𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂.           dangerous to each other   /   dangerous to others   /   unpredictable   /   rivals   /   petty   /   developing into sexual or romantic tension   /   based off family matters   /   based of off circumstance   /   based of professional matters   /   based off misunderstanding or lies   /   conflict of ideology   /   betrayal   /   hero - villain dynamic   /   enemies   /   fight club   /   friends turned enemies   /   lovers turned enemies   /   exes turned enemies   /   other

>          as both knight and fatui they are in the perfect settings to be in antagonistic roles to one another, even if childe doesn't necessarily feel true antagonism towards kaeya. it's actually really hard to get on childe's bad side, lmao. oh what fun they'd have pretending though. or, if things really have turned sour for them in their time apart for whatever reason, i think they would still make compelling enemies, especially with the information they have on one another. >          because of this, there is definitely enough to put them in the " based of professional matters " category. if they ever were to be associated their interactions would be questionable, there are most likely repercussions for a knight and a member of the fatui to have a dynamic, they would always be scrutinised because of their positions. i think there's definitely some delicious plots there somewhere that can utilise a lot of the worldbuilding that is already there. with my childe's tendency to see abandonment and deception as an immediate portrayal, because of his tendency to accidentally merge his work and personal life together, there is so much room for fun conflicts. >          but again ! let me know what you think, and if any of these dyamics give you any ideas of your own because i would love to know what you think.

ship headcanon questions | accepting

💋 Who says “I love you” first & how?

cacucu.

okay, no, i'm kidding. listen cacucu might have to be the one to out ifa's feelings for ororon but ifa can handle the rest himself - and i do think he'd be the first one to say it just because it's not a big deal for him. he's loved ororon for years at that point so once it's out there, probably actually when cacucu outs him, he'd just be like, "yeah, i kinda love you, y'know?"

and a part of it is also that he's said those words before to him - albeit in the context of platonic love, but considering it's them, they've basically been unknowingly dating each other for ages so really, how different can it be to say it romantically?

😳 What’s the most embarrassing thing they’ve walked in on the other doing?

the idea of anything being embarrassing for these two is difficult, considering the way they are - but ororon has 100% walked in on ifa practicing different saurian calls and sounds in the shower. and, again, it's not embarrassing for ifa (why would trying to understand his patients better ever be embarrassing?) but considering ororon is so much better at them than he is... there would definitely be a moment of oh, uh... pretend you didn't hear that-

as for ororon.... hmm, it's difficult, because ororon generally strikes me as someone who isn't very easily embarrassed anyway (especially with citlali as his 'granny'). i mean he talks to his vegetables without worrying about people thinking it's weird, so the concept of him being embarrassed by someone walking in on something (barring uh... spicy stuff maybe) - particularly ifa - is hard to visualise. like at this point the only thing i could see being remotely embarrassing for him is if, yeah, ifa walked in on him, uh... enjoying himself or something DLFKNFG-

🎂 How do they celebrate each other’s birthdays?

ifa will close the clinic early on ororon's birthday, without fail, every year. all his regulars know he won't be available except for serious emergencies (and he makes sure everyone knows where to find the other vets if needed) and, barring those emergencies, he spends the entire rest of the day with ororon. he'll make his favourite meals all ready for him and then they'll go find somewhere quiet and peaceful just the two of them to eat and enjoy the solitude together. ifa will prep a tent for them to camp in and they'll stargaze, talk well into the night, until ororon inevitably falls asleep curled into his side (where ifa will happily leave him)

and for ifa's birthday i can see ororon doing something similar in his own way. he might not prep whole meals but he'll select the very best of his vegetables from the latest crop because he knows ifa can work magic with them, both for himself and for his patients. and because he knows ifa will also work all through his birthday if someone doesn't stop him, i like to think he insists on ifa taking a few hours out - if not plotting to get him to take a half day off entirely - so they can have a meal together.

these two just strike me as the "we don't need to do anything special, i just want to hang out with you" kind of couple, y'know?

🚪 Who’s more likely to say “we’re not leaving this room today”?

now i may be wrong here but... i'm going to say ororon (though don't rule out ifa entirely, it's most likely after all). ororon is simply more free with his words, and especially because he's so comfortable with ifa, i don't see him holding anything back and being bold with what he wants in that kind of context - particularly in the early stages of their romantic relationship because, i mean... they've been holding out on each other for far too long. they deserve a few days where they don't get out of bed, honestly

       At first, Navia couldn't quite tell whether he was serious. It was only as Wriothesley continued to hold the painting up for her to look at, as if waiting ( much like a dog — though not the ones in the picture, important distinction ) for her approval or remark on his latest act of subtle mischief. Her mouth opened, closed again, and she once again blinked at the painting in front of her. It was certainly... different, and if you wanted different there was no better place to go looking for it than a local antique store. But when it came to furnishing the Spina's headquarters... this definitely wasn't what she was looking for.

       Though, if he was so intent on joking around and curtailing her attempts to thrift for some decent furnishings ( she did not mind ), then maybe there was an opportunity here to put the ball ( no pun intended. or maybe she did intend a little bit ) back in his court.

       “ If you feel so strongly, Your Grace... then I think this is the right moment to invest. ” Schooling her expression into one just as serious as his ( she was no actress, but she definitely had a poker face ), Navia turned to look at him earnestly. “ You can't continue working in the Meropide forever, can you? There'll come a moment when you want to retire and hand over the reins to someone else — and by that time, this supposed fortune, ” she gestured at the painting in his hands appraisingly, “ will have come to fruition. ” A pause, as she smothered her own smile. “ I think it would look perfect in your office, don't you? ”

Lil thing for @delusionaid because blacksmiths deserve some affection too.

IN AMIDST THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE of a now thriving Mondstadt, it was the steady drum of a hammer against steel that had beckoned the blonde in; a soothing and hypnotic chime that could cut away the noise and the stress and instead just offer a brief respite from the day’s tribulations. Granted, many of those tribulations had now inadvertently been passed onto the source of the sound, but such was the reason she had come to see him. To pay penance really for the sheer mountain of work that had been thrust upon those broad and well muscled shoulders and to say thank you in her own quiet way. 

❝Lothar…❞ It’s his first name that she uses (incidentally for the first time) when a hand rises in a wave, lips already tugged upwards into a smile whether she had particularly intended to or not. She can’t really help it where Wagner is concerned. He’s always been good to her; always been a kind and diligent worker - a model citizen in fairness - even when she’d had him repairing swords at the last minute, or apologising for damage a certain pint sized pyromaniac might have otherwise caused. He deserves the smile - and possibly the faintest hint of pink that colours her cheeks too.

It’s warmer than usual when she stands at the entrance of his workshop, the heat being churned out by the perpetually molten furnace only adding to the air of hesitation she carried, but she was a woman on a mission! And she couldn’t in good conscience retreat back to the Ordo without doing what she had come specifically down into the heart of the city to do. 

❝I won’t keep you, as I know you’re being run ragged keeping up with the work the Ordo has unceremoniously thrust on your shoulders but —  ❞ Her hands extend, a small lunchbox presented with a meticulously crafted meal inside that may just have been forged with her own two hands. ❝—I wanted to say thank you, and to remind you to take breaks when you need to.❞ Ah the irony, it was always easier to dole out the advice that Jean herself was seldom capable of following - but the fussing had come from a soft and heartfelt place none the less. 

@delusionaid — For Dainsleif.

Apart from the occasional water droplet lazily greeting the terrain, the faint echo of a breeze that has decided not to overstay its welcome, and the crunching of defeated leaves, there is little to be heard. Perhaps that is how he intends it.

For a long while, Kaeya has made a promise not to dwell too much about the content that may pay visit to the other's mind. A vice most vicious to combat, admitedly. A hint of spontaneity might be compelling, he tells himself. So, for once, allow him to be surprised by that which fate weaves, instead of investing in blind fortune telling.

One has to wonder how far one is from the heart of the cave, however. And what, precisely, one shall find there. This is one strage place to be: the ground glistens an otherwordly blue hue as the path traced is vast in small vegetation, which he cannot attempt to identify. This humid, hot place is certainly not the typical scenery for this sort of flora to florish, but naught about this place seems natural. Rather, it is as if they explore another realm altogether. One of distant, unrealized dreams, perhaps.

«You know…» Though the captain's voice is quiet, silence is unquestionably defeated. «As much as one may find comfort in the whispers of nature and the meditative state it promotes, even the most common of men begins to crave listening to a voice other than that of his own thoughts. Care to share yours?» He smirks, anticipating the response the blond man shall offer. A rough grunt, perhaps? An utmost dramatic roll of the eyes? Or mayhap he shall continue protecting his peace, allowing Kaeya's words to fall empty. Whatever the result, that does not deter Kaeya from trying to elicit a reaction out of this man.

Dainsleif is far too important to be a simple, silent presence.

" 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗮𝗮𝗮, 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝘂𝘆, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗮-𝗮𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 " Without a single care that Thoma might have been otherwise engaged, Itto broadshoulders his way into the other man's space and promptly thrusts a bunch of flyers into his chest, grinning broadly.

" Me and the boys are holding a no-holds-barred, all-out, event-of-the century beetle battle. " He jabs a thumb at the flyer in question, depicting a pretty crudely, childishly drawn figure of what looks like Itto if the red horns are any indication, holding what looks like a giant beetle. Across the top, in a vivid shade of red, the words BEETUL BATTUL are written. " Anyone's invited, so we thought we'd do a li'l advertising to whet the appetites. Whaddaya think? Pretty cool, huh? " Itto certainly seems to think so, pride shining in the way his grin widens, his chest puffs out. He worked hard on that one, if he does say so himself!

Where they might grate the nerves of those more ordinary; these distant, creaking sounds that resonated at every foot that this metal elevator further descended into Fontaine's depths, were ones she welcomed. They differed from the gossip of Liyue's hustle and bustle, and veered far from the howling ghosts of the Chasm that would never quite cease to echo in her ears. No, these sounds were man-made and authentic, the result of strenuous labor if fables were to be believed— and who was she now, if not a believer of almost unfathomable tales, at least in part? The Fortress of Meropide, a structure symbolical of humankind, and its perseverance and strength, and yet those were not the words she'd heard spoken in whispers above ground. Praise seemed rare enough, while fear of the unknown seemed ever more dominant among the nation's natives. Autonomous, and untouched by Fontainian jurisdiction entirely, its rarity tickled her curiosity to say the least; but a walking enigma to mystery is akin to a moth to flame after all, and so, albeit rather subtly so, satisfaction creeped and sat at the edges of her lips. Ningguang or other, a challenge would beckon her time and time again, especially if one of two Harbingers dangled as the victor's reward at the finishing line. That however, seemed to have proven a challenge for Liyue so far: Childe had been kept out of its reach. So perhaps she'd have her work cut out for her here— but she'd welcome that, too. She was owed a holiday after all, and Fontaine might not be the worst of destinations.

Her mantle was drawn closer when the descent had finally come to an end; ah, if only her welcome were anything different than this chill that caressed the bare of her back without much mercy. And yet, it matched the icy sting of heels to steel as she paced forward, a tilt of her chin leading her to certain memories of a not-so-distant past. She'd caught a glimpse of him above ground, this adversary of hers as designated by the Qixing's frustrations: the Duke of the Meropide himself. That alone had garnered some respect that pulled at her smile almost still too obviously now, all while only feet away from him. It mattered only little if he noticed, or perhaps she sought him to notice. All in all, anyone to rile both the Tianquan and Yuheng in tandem, deserved free rounds of tea on her. And if she couldn't bring the entirety of Yansheng Teahouse with her, she'd take at least part of it on her travels. And as her luck would have it, it seemed that this self-made man (to say the least) enjoyed his teas. Ah, a self-made man, it seemed almost too fitting for him to lead such a place, and rather ill-fitting for him to be here upon her arrival. Strange? Though, perhaps he would prove warmer than his surroundings. Though that would surely depend on just how thick the stack of Liyuen diplomatic requests got before her assistance had ever been requested in the first place. Tsk. "Your Grace." Borne in courtesy much like the slow, and graceful bow that accompanied it; her tone was warm and bore quite the authenticity.

"Duke Wriothesley." For all that Neuvillette had seemed as casually poised as ever on the walk to the Administrator's office, now that he was sat on the couch and able to get to business outside of the prying gazes of the guards and inmates his tone was far sharper, each word punctuated with intent.

"My hearing is quite sensitive, a fact you may or may not be aware of, and I overheard quite the peculiar conversation amongst the Melusines just outside of the Palais Mermonia the other evening." Svelte legs elegantly crossed over one another, hands clasping together in Neuvillette's lap as opalescent gaze settled firmly on Wriothesley's.