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The dim lighting in the auction room made it feel more suffocating than it needed to be. The fact that he was sitting there, undercover, with the ninth Fatui harbinger made matters worse. The seats were uncomfortable, his suit was tight, and for someone who didn’t even wear his pyro vision anymore, he was sweating more than ever. It was not the nerves, or the tension between all the bidders. All of them were criminals in one way or another, so solid trust could never be formed, checking their backs, drinks and pockets for anything missing or added. Diluc knew this, and he refused to believe that, being the only righteous person among everyone, he is the nervous one. In fact, he is annoyed.
Yes, only annoyed.
The announcer of the auction was a sleazy bastard in every way possible. Thin and boney, with a moustache that resembled the one Eroch would don on good days, instead of shaving. Good days being those where he was satisfied with his work, whatever kind it may be. Facial hair wasn’t exactly allowed, but Eroch didn’t mind that one bit. The amount of times Jean and he tried to politely tell him to follow the Codex of the Ordo Favonius made his blood boil even more. Soon, and he will start sweating out of anger, too.
“We left the best for last, folks! In question are this lovely pair of hatpins, gentlemen, made out of the finest jewels of Snezhnaya’s great mines; with imported silver from Liyue and a style inspired by the Dandelion Sea of Mondstadt. It is an exquisite piece, gone through the hands of countless of master artisans, beautiful on any of your lady companions, indeed!” The sleazy bastard continued onto the last item on the itinerary.
The description make Diluc’s thoughts wander back to Jean. Perhaps, even if this trip was futile in the end, this could be something she remembered him by. The Dandelion Sea they both longed to see since they were children. He might even see it, if Barbatos was kind enough.
“Oh my!” The man next to him spoke up in a sneering whisper. “Wouldn’t that look lovely on blonde hair, sir Ragnvindr?”
Not exactly sure of what he was implying, Diluc nodded curtly. He couldn’t afford to make rash mistakes and decisions here, especially when Pantalone already knew his name. He watched as Pantalone raised his voting paddle, calmly placing his bet on the hatpin.
“10 million mora.”
Did Jean even decide to wear her mother’s old hats, now that he was gone? Perhaps she wanted to change her style of usual hairties; maybe these things were not in fashion anymore. Diluc could only console himself with an imagination of the things he was not allowed to know anymore.
“You see, sir Ragnvindr,” Pantalone began again, as he kept bidding against another man in the audience. “I heard from a little birdie that you had quite a night around this time last week. One so wild that it has drawn blood from your being.”
Diluc’s hand subconsciously hovered over his stomach, where most of the bandages he wore were underneath his clothes. This man was provoking him. Did he want to fight or something?
“I do not appreciate it that someone has harmed my darling Milina. Especially not someone of the likes of you. I hated to see her have to copy your pathetic dove’s hairstyle, simply to bait you.” Pantalone waived his hand with a chuckle. “Ah, but what is done has been done. She looks rather adorable in blonde, don’t you agree?”
“200 million mora.” Diluc’s paddle raised before he could think. If he had his vision on him, that same wooden paddle would burst into flames. Thank Barbatos he left it back in Mondstadt.
Another chuckle emitted from the man beside him. The light his his glasses just right to serve as an ominous glint in the dark.
“I see… If this is how you want to play it, then so be it. 250 million mora, sir!”
What was he even doing? That was a very good question to ask himself, however, he could not possibly bear the guilt in order to form a proper answer. All he knew was that Pantalone knew of Jean, and that she very well may be on his radar. Sandrone already knew, so then surely she was the one that told him. Or was it the other way around?
Did he orchestrate that fight in the deepest snows of Snezhnaya?
Diluc needed to collect himself. “300 million mora.” There was no time to dawdle on what-ifs anymore. He started a war of wealth with the man next to him, and he would not lose.
Except, a painfully obvious oversight stared Diluc in the face when they eventually reached the billions. He was alone. This was Snezhnaya. He was undercover, with Pantalone on his tail, as if it was a cat and mouse game.
He did not have the capital to purchase these hatpins anymore. Otherwise his entire mission would fail. He couldn’t sign as Diluc Ragnvindr here. Not in this shady auction house. Not when his wealth was limited as the movement of the frozen water was in this nation. Pantalone’s wealth exceeded his, by not miles or the length of the entire continent, but rather the distance between the earth and Celestia itself and back.
“2.5 billion mora. That is my final bid. What say you, sir Ragnvindr?”
He was already long beyond his budget. He almost drew blood with how hard he was clenching his thighs through his suit. He needed to resign. He needed to let this silly auction go; he was not here to play games anyway. This was supposed to be a covert operation in order to observe Pantalone’s interests.
“I concede,” Diluc said through grit teeth.
“Excellent!” Oh how badly he wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face. Pantalone clasped his hands together as he sat up from his chair, seeing how the rest of the guests dispersed. Some went to pay for their items. Others left without getting anything. “Have a pleasant evening further, sir Ragnvindr.”
Diluc simply sat there as the world spun around him. His gaze was focused on his shoes, so that he would not lose his head. He couldn’t believe that he had fallen prey to such obvious bait. They always used Jean as bait. They would never let him forget, much less let go. Even though he needed to. This trip was his last goodbye to his father, Kaeya, the Knights… And Jean. She may very well still be in danger because of him. Somehow, even on the other end of the continent, he could not put enough distance between them to keep her safe from his carnage. After the incident with Kaeya, he wondered if she would hate him. It might’ve been better if he could show indifference towards her.
This mission was an utter failure, just like every other venture he did on his own.
The rattling of metal was heard right in front of his feet, before Diluc could even register that they were the very pins he had seen moments before in the display case on stage. How long had he been sitting there, staring at the ground?
“Here. You will see that I am a benevolent man, sir Ragnvindr.” The seemingly kind words were laced with taunt. “I would never have wanted my Milina to look even more like your darling dove. And this… abhorrent trash cost me but a penny; I’m sure you will be much happier with them than I.”
The footsteps rang in his head, long after he left. Gingerly picking up the hatpins that resembled all of the disdain he had left for his dreams, Diluc went outside into the snowstorm. Trekking long enough to find an abandoned patch somewhere. There, he buried the Dandelion Sea, as well as his affections for Jean, for good.
“I was such a fool…”