To Be Named After Her

Diluc had taken to the kitchen rather quickly, even when Johanna had first introduced him to her Serenitea Pot. Admittedly, she had always prepared herself and used the kitchen when her trips were longer than planned, and very little else. The fact that the two were together in a special situation meant that she set aside her previous reservations about allowing someone else in the teapot, even if she’d been in contact with Diluc for several years.

Today was no different. In lieu of simply building a tent on Dragonspine, Johanna had brought out the teapot once again, and Diluc had practically made a beeline for the kitchen.

Where today differed was Diluc’s reaction when she’d attempted to follow him in, as she’d tended to do.

“Wait. I’ll be back out in a few minutes.” He smiled when she blinked, before he added, “Kaeya’s not the only one who can give surprises.”

For those few minutes, Johanna began to flip through the books on the bookshelves she’d placed. Her typical habit when unoccupied here, really, although she couldn’t help but glance towards the kitchen after a few pages. The “surprise” wasn’t something cooked, as there was no smoke or scent, and so her curiosity was further drawn in.

“Forgive me for the wait. I had to make sure everything I needed was in place.” Diluc’s footsteps drew closer to her, and Johanna glanced up to find him offering her a flute glass, with what was likely juice within it. “I’d been thinking about it since we’d left Mondstadt…”

“Is that why you wanted to stop by Dawn Winery?” Johanna’s gaze flicked up at his features before she took the glass, noting his nod out of the corner of her eye.

He looked rather satisfied as he replied, “Yes. I needed to review a long-standing family recipe. Up until recently, I was puzzled as to what I’d do with it. With the events at the Archipelago so fresh in my mind, I wanted to pull it out and see what I could do with it.”

Sipping at the drink, she was surprised to find it was a crisp beverage, one that she was reluctant to part with. When she did, though, she found it had a mellow aftertaste, far sweeter than even the Applebloom Cider she would order during the Windblume season, yet not so sweet that she would despise it.

“The look on your face suggests that was rather to your liking.”

“More than that,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks grow warm as she glanced up at him. “And you say this was a long-standing family recipe? It almost feels like the one who made it knows me as well as the back of their hand.”

As if responding to her own flushing, a hint of red flickered across Diluc’s features. “Ah, I...I tried to adjust the recipe to match your taste, and from the looks of it, I succeeded in doing just that. Regardless, there is just one thing left for it.”

Johanna tilted her head. “An ingredient?”

“A name.”

“You can’t use the recipe’s name?”

“Not when it’s modified so much. It was a recipe for a lavish wine, so in turning it into a nonalcoholic beverage, I...made that predicament for myself, I suppose.”

Johanna nodded, taking another sip of the juice. With that knowledge, it certainly made a lot of sense why he would prefer to create a new name. It made her wonder what his thoughts on such a name would be, especially since he’d tailored the drink so much to her taste--

“I’d like you to name it, or...perhaps I should name it after you?” The musing sounded so casual from him that, admittedly, she blinked rather owlishly even as she felt the aftertaste take hold of her. “Although there’s no rush, of course. I can always make another glass if you forget how it tastes.”

“You’ve memorized the recipe already?”

“...perhaps.”

“Impeccable as always.” Even so, she took another sip, thinking it over. “I...admittedly, I’d studied quite a bit about Old Mondstadt on all sorts of topics. Coryn had brought in an astrologer who said she’d come on Lumine’s behalf…”

“Oh. Mona.” Diluc sighed, although Johanna could tell that it was much less at her and more at the astrologer herself. “And...what of it?”

“Prior to Mondstadt’s freedom from Decarabian, it seemed that there were a number of people who still wished to see their destinies, divine their fates. This resulted in a branch of astrological schooling exclusive to that period, which most others termed as ‘Old Mondstadtian astrology’.” Her blushing seemed to calm down, even as she laughed softly. “Most scholars aren’t exactly known for their naming expertise, but…”

“...but you do have a thought based on that?”

“Indeed. My birthday is the same as my father’s, as well as Coryn’s, and while all of us would fall under the Inversum Telescopium now…” She took another sip, before continuing. “...in Old Mondstadtian astrology, we would be under the Pluma de Angelus Lapsus. A sign known for troubles with their families, falling in love, and dying young…”

“I see. One of them being fulfilled, another avoided...and the third…” Diluc’s face eased back into that red tint. “...is up in the air.”

“...up in the air?”

“It’s nothing. Even so, would you be all right using a name with such...associations?” Was Diluc’s arm around her waist before now? Johanna wasn’t sure, but she certainly realized it was when their eyes met. “It sounds like it might be more of a thorn in your side, and I’d rather you be happy with the name as you are with the taste.”

“Oh, not the constellation itself, but...the knowledge that I managed to defy a fate set out for me.” Her expression softened, even as she relaxed against him. “...or, perhaps, finding the fulfillment of some part of it…?”

“I think that’s a good start.” His voice lowered, the inferno in his eyes once again candlelight with their gazes locked. “Something to reflect on. After all, there is no rush…”

“...and perhaps we can share some more of this...between us?”

“A wonderful idea.”

The two parted, Johanna feeling just as reluctant to do so as it felt like Diluc was. Despite the feeling that seemed to hang over them, they returned to the kitchen, and would soon find that they sat in chairs across from each other rather than next to each other.

All the better to look into each other’s eyes, so Johanna supposed, knowing that the heat in her face was not thanks to any sort of alcohol in the juice.