2 Chapter 2: The Barmaster

"With all due respect, I don't care if you want to fight me or not," No small amount of malice dripped from the sadistic grin on his face as he nocked an arrow, aiming his bow at the burly man. "You will fight me properly, or you can just serve as my punching bag. Either way, I'll give you five seconds before I attack."

Oga heaved a sigh in response, scratching the back of his neck as he let his sword drop to the ground with a loud thud. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Childe didn't hesitate any longer, quickly sending a quick succession of hydro-infused arrows to his opponent. They weren't slow or weak by any means, but when Oga just effortlessly dodged and blocked his projectiles, the Harbinger's grin sharpened. Giving up on his bow, he threw his last arrow, which was much stronger and faster than his previous attacks. Oga still evaded with a simple tilt of his head.

Judging from just the last attack, Childe could tell that his opponent was skilled. Extremely skilled. Not even the Fatui's best recruits could escape out of Tartaglia's attacks unscathed. He abandoned his bow without a second thought, and blades made of water replaced his discarded weapon. In a flash, Childe was in front of his adversary, who had lifted his greatsword to block his attack. Blade pressed on blades for a single moment before Oga swept his weapon and threw his opponent back, sending him flying.

The Harbinger simply did a backflip and landed on his feet, adrenaline pumping through his veins. This was it. This was the type of battle he was craving. A battle where he wouldn't have to hold back. But he had to savor it; who knew when he'd get an opportunity like this once more… With a feral smile and crazed eyes, Childe threw himself back into the fight, swords fluidly shifting to spear and back to swords as water trailed between his every strike.

It was exhilarating, but as Childe landed blow after blow, Oga had simply dodged or blocked them all. Not once had his opponent attempted to fight back. A part of his excitement made way for frustration. A one-sided battle was no fun, and the more Oga stayed defensive, the more Childe's smile waned. "Why aren't you attacking?" The Harbinger growled, his voice tight with irritation. "Come on! Fight! If you insist on being boring, I'll just have to kill you!"

"Fine." To Childe's delight, Oga finally swung his sword. He crossed his blades to block, but the sheer force of the attack sent him flying. Childe landed on his feet, but not without dragging on the ground for several yards until he finally grinded to a halt.

"That's better," Childe smirked. Water surrounded the Harbinger in a dome, and purple electricity sparked above the rushing riptide. When the water dissipated, Childe's Fatui mask covered his face, and he twirled his blades into a spear taller than he was, his weapon crackling with power as he activated his Delusion. "Shall we take this up a notch?"

"I would rather end this battle sooner than later," Oga relented, and he spun his sword once before grabbing the blade with both of his hands. The first time he had done this since he met the burly man, Childe noticed.

"Hah!" Childe charged, electricity surrounding him as a black flame surrounded Oga, steam escaping his mouth when his lips tipped with a snarl. As Childe got closer, closer, Oga raised his blade, his presence amplifying tenfold.

"I would rather you two not continue this meaningless battle."

A familiar voice rang out as a spear landed in between the two before they could collide, and a burst of geo energy caused Childe to stop dead in his tracks. The black flames surrounding Oga dissipated as they turned to see a man lower his leg from kicking his weapon. His sharp, golden eyes seemed to pierce through Childe, and in that moment, he knew he was in serious trouble. The Harbinger straightened, his adrenaline gone and his mood and battle ruined.

"Damn it."

-

"So let me get this straight." Jean pinched the bridge of her nose before giving Amber a tired look. "You guide some strange drunk from a foreign land you've never even heard of that was beating a slime to death into the city and now Venti has another drinking partner?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Amber saluted, but her voice was an octave higher than normal. A bead of nervous sweat trailed down the side of her face. Never before had she screwed up this badly, losing an unknown and potentially dangerous traveler within the city of Mondstadt. Lamy may have had Venti's help, but to Amber, that was no excuse.

"Celestia help me, there's another one," Jean sighed. "I don't think Mondstadt will have enough liquor between all of the alcoholics we have here."

"What should we do?" Amber asked, relaxing from her position she glanced at the Acting Grand Master. If anyone could find a solution to this, it was Jean.

"For now, I'll find someone of… Legal age to keep tabs on them," Jean answered, her eyes softening the more she thought about the situation. It wasn't like Amber could do anything about the situation they found themselves in. She offered the Outrider a little smile. "Thank you for letting me know about this, Amber. You did your best. You're dismissed."

"Thank you!" Amber exclaimed with another salute before exiting the room.

As soon as the door closed behind the archer, Jean deflated into her seat, her palm resting over her eyes. "I can't believe I'm about to do this."

-

"So, I heard Jean's sending you out to drink with our infamous little bard," Lisa opened the door to Kaeya's office, sauntering over with a sly smirk. "I'm jealous. Have you heard Venti's music? He's the cutest little thing."

"Yeah, I just hope his new drinking buddy doesn't turn out to be some kind of spy or agent," Kaeya replied, standing up. "Can I help you with anything while I'm still here?"

"I wanted to let you know that Venti and his new friend were headed towards Master Diluc's winery." The librarian leaned over on Kaeya's desk, placing her hand on it. A small, knowing smile was on her face as she watched the Cavalry Captain chuckle. "You better get going before they cause some kind of trouble."

"I see… Thank you for the information, Lisa," Kayea smirked. "What an interesting turn of events."

-

"Behold!" Venti jumped up in the air as he gestured wildly at the building behind him. "Dawn Winery, home of the best wine in this fair country of Mondstadt!"

"Woah!" Lamy literally had stars in her eyes as a hint of drool dribbled down her lip as she surveyed the large building surrounded by . "What are you waiting for?! Let's go!"

"Give me a minute, I have to do something first," Venti vanished in a gust of wind, only to appear on the side of the mansion.

It was just his luck, one of the maids had opened the window. Venti smirked as he hopped through. At this point, he knew the place like it was the back of his hand after stealing from the winery so often. He easily navigated the alcohol, grabbing as many bottles as his little body can carry (which was surprisingly a lot) before making a break for it, hopping out of the window before running back over to Lamy. A few more bottles were carried by the wind, happily aiding their master in his nefarious deeds.

Lamy gave Venti an impressed look as he sauntered back with a slew of floating bottles behind him. She was the type of person who would go to extreme lengths to get her booze, especially after that one time when her familiar Daifuku took all of her sake in an attempt to get her to stop drinking, which she promptly stole back.

"Got it!" Venti exclaimed as he stopped, neatly placing the wine in rows. He had managed to steal twenty-one whole bottles of wine, much to his and Lamy's delight.

"It's… it's beautiful!" Lamy exclaimed, forcing herself not to grab and nuzzle one of the bottles.

"Last I checked, stealing wasn't exactly a good thing," a new voice caused the two of them to jump, Lamy yelping in surprise. "Really? The window, Venti? It seems you haven't found the countless hidden ways in and out of that place yet."

"S-Sir Kaeya!" Venti stammered as the two turned to the source of the voice, and the Cavalry Captain walked into view with amusement glinting in his single eye. "It's not what it looks like!"

"Well, if you were stealing from anywhere else, I would have arrested you by now, but since you're stealing from Master Diluc's place…" Kaeya tapped his chin, a playful smile dancing upon his lips. "Why don't you open a bottle for me?"

The bard visibly relaxed, and he swiped one of the bottles at the end of the line with a smile. "Of course!" After opening it, he handed it to Kaeya. "Do you have any cups?"

"Unfortunately not," Kaeya replied, watching the bard roll his eyes with a smirk.

"Oh, what a shame," Venti sighed sarcastically. "Looks like we just have to drink straight from the bottle then."

"What a travesty!" Lamy was too excited to get her hands on the liquor to respond with a sarcastic tone. At the same time, both Venti and Lamy grabbed their respective bottle, opening it and chugging through them as fast as they could.

"Celestia, I thought I was bad," Kaeya chuckled. He was well aware of Venti's abilities, having spent time with him in the tavern many times before, but he was genuinely surprised that someone else could drink on par with the young bard.

"Isn't Lamy just the best?" Venti slurred, slapping Lamy on the shoulder. "My new best friend! Sorry, Kaeya. You've been demoted."

"I can't wait to introduce this place to all my friends!" Lamy cheered. Although most of her friends weren't as crazy about alcohol as she was, most of them knew how to appreciate a good drink.

"You probably shouldn't follow Venti's example of acquiring wine, if that's the case," Kaeya chuckled as he took another swig, feeling the cool burn of wine relax his nerves. Looking up, he noticed that both Venti and Lamy were already grabbing for more.

"I will totally follow Venti's example," Lamy replied without a second thought.

"Oh well. It's not like I can do anything about it." Kaeya shrugged, despite having the ability to do everything about it. "Anyways, tell me about yourself. It's not often we get… your type to come around here."

"Why are you looking at me?!" Venti put a hand over his heart in a mock expression of shock and betrayal.

"Well… I woke up in the middle of nowhere and saw this big ass city right? It was like huuuuuge," Lamy extended her arms as she started her drunken rambling. "And I was like 'hey, maybe I can get some booze there' so I started to walk over there since I don't have my car ever since I drove into HoloHQ last week."

Don't have your… What? There wasn't a lot that Kaeya didn't know, but those terms went straight over his head. He only had time to make a mental note about it before Lamy continued her rambling.

"And then there was like this really cute blob thing!" Lamy took a large swig from her wine. "I wanted to hug it, but it hit me in the face! What an asshole! Luckily I had an empty bottle of sake so I beat the shit out of it!"

"I think I'm starting to like this one even more," Venti laughed, drunkenly elbowing Kaeya.

"Man, I wish Pekora were here. She would totally learn how to tame that blob thing. Probably before exploiting it as much as she could before it died!" Kaeya looked up above his bottle in interest. He assumed that this 'Pekora' person was a friend of Lamy's, and she definitely sounded dangerous. The captain returned his attention to his drink. He'll try and get more information on 'Pekora' later, to make sure that if she ever decided to stop by, she wouldn't cause any trouble in his city. He listened carefully as Lamy kept talking. "Ah, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyways, that's when I ran into Amber! She's really cute! You've met her, right? I just wanted to pat her head so badly! Anyways, she led me to Montystat or whatever and I smelled booze so I ran. The rest is history."

Kaeya slowly processed the information that Lamy gave him. For a first impression, she didn't seem dangerous. But being a naturally cautious person, he never trusted first impressions. He needed to learn more about her… And the 'car' and 'HoloHQ' and 'Pekora' she was talking about, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't have a hard time getting any information. "Alright," he said, finishing off his bottle. "Venti! Hand me another. The night is still young!"

-

Roberu groaned as regained his consciousness. He sat up, surveying his surroundings. Last he remembered, he was falling asleep in his apartment after a late-night stream. The field, the trees, and the giant mansion signified that he was definitely not his room. I must be dreaming, Roberu thought to himself. If he was dreaming, then this was a very vivid dream. He glanced at the giant mansion, and people milled around, working the grapevines that grew around it or cleaning the grounds. Perhaps someone over there can help me get information on where I am.

Approaching the mansion, there was a man with white hair that seemed to be the supervisor of the place, with how he was instructing others. Roberu approached, trying to look as friendly as possible. "Hello!"

The white-haired man looked in his direction, and the people he was talking to gave him a little bow and dispersed. "A visitor?" The man asked. "Welcome, distinguished guest. My name is Elzer, and I manage Dawn Winery while its master is away, and take care of its major affairs. How may I help you?"

A winery, huh? "My name is Yukoku Roberu," he introduced himself with a warm smile. "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure where I am… Can you help me out a little?"

Elzer blinked, but washed away his confusion with a smile. "Of course. We are in Mondstadt, the City of Freedom. This is the Dawn Winery, the largest establishment in Mondstadt's wine industry. If I may ask, how did you stumble upon here?"

Roberu scratched the back of his head. "I just… Woke up here, I guess? Last I remember was being at home, but this definitely isn't near my house."

Elzer paused for a few moments. "I see. Well, I am happy to be of any assistance to our honored guest. If you would like-"

The white-haired man stopped in the middle of his sentence, and Roberu turned to see what might have interrupted him. A man with a mane of crimson hair tied back in a ponytail was approaching, his expression stern and his eyes sharp. Elzer bowed.

"Master Diluc." The man placed his hand on his chest and bowed respectfully after Diluc came to a stop. "If I may introduce you, honored guest, this is the master and owner of Dawn Winery, Diluc Ragnvindr. Master Diluc, this is-"

"I heard." Diluc's voice was curt. "Yukoku Roberu? Your name sounds Inazuman. You're a long way from home."

Confusion swept through Roberu. "I don't-"

Diluc waved a gloved hand in a dismissing manner. "You're free to stay. I don't mind helping you out until you can get back home."

Roberu frowned. "Thank you, but if you're willing to help me, I don't want to freeload off of you. Maybe I can work. Do you have a tavern or a bar? I have experience as a bartender."

Elzer's expression turned thoughtful. "Charles has been asking for more days off ever since Venti started stopping by Angel's Share more often," he mused.

"No." Diluc's fiery eyes bore through Roberu. "I said I'm willing to help, but I apologize, I don't want any strangers attending my bar. It's nothing personal."

Roberu frowned. "But-"

He stopped when he spotted something… Strange. A trio of people all holding wine bottles were sneaking through the side of the winery… And one looked awfully familiar.

"Lamy?" He brushed past Diluc and Elzer, breaking into a jog as he raised his voice. "Lamy?! What in the world are you doing here?"

Lamy turned, her eyes going wide as she almost dropped her booze. "Shit."

Roberu opened his mouth to say something else, but something that sounded like fire crackling stopped him. Turning around, he saw Diluc holding a claymore as tall as he was, flames flickering up and down the crimson blade.

"Sir Kaeya..." The look in the tycoon's eyes was downright terrifying. "I believe you're holding something that's mine. And Venti, I've been looking for you. Charles informed me on how you ran away without paying your tab… Again."

"Break for it!" The taller man shouted, the trio running towards the trees as fast as they could, the smallest one sweeping a hand in Diluc's direction. A burst of wind erupted from the boy, pushing Diluc back to buy them a few seconds as the three ran.

"This…" Roberu ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he and Elzer watched Diluc lift his claymore and chase them with murderous intent. "...is an interesting dream."