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Varka lied. A half-truth was there, maybe. Eh. Either way, Lohen would just create some traps for him later on.
There were, in fact, no guests traipsing the trail towards the city. However, he did see the Nod-Kranian-looking boat coming towards Dornman Port. It was still a smidgen from where he and Klee were, but still.
Walking the path towards the port with relative ease, the wooden decks beneath his boots could not have groaned any louder before Lohen came rushing off towards the boat that had just docked.
The people bustling around the pier took one look at him and then thought it would be better to jump off and swim away as soon as they could.
A Lohen on his own, they could easily deal with by choosing to ignore his actions and the consequences of it, lest they be roped into whatever fuckery the Vice Captain has concocted.
But with Klee resting on his hips with a determined look? Yeah, no, they're swimming away from that port. Those two together is never a good sign.
Granted, they'd had to give it to the Vice Captain, though, for almost barreling through towards the edge of the port with a child in tow. It's like the Spark Knight is weightless, or something.
As soon as Lohen deemed it near enough for the disembarking lightkeepers to hear, he waved his free arm and shouted, "Birdie!"
Klee giggled at that and, following Lohen, waved her arms to the new people. "Who are we calling a bird?"
At the sudden commotion, and really, yearning to hear his voice again, Illuga looked up from where he was helping Vlaicu with a concerning speed, his smile already plastered at his face even before he's registered it to be there, "Lohen!"
He dropped the suspiciously heavy crate like it was nothing and then bolted to where Lohen, who had decided to don a more casual outfit than his uniform, the blacks and whites drowning him in the same otherworldly beauty that had dragged Illuga towards Lohen in the first place, was waiting with, uh...
He slowly stopped running as soon as he was face-to-face with both of them. Illuga had to go through his mind for a while before finding the name that should belong to this mysterious child in front of him, looking at him as if testing him, whether he knew her or not. Well, he can't be too sure, but there's really only one kid Lohen always talks about in his letters. He can't help but tilt his head a little, his smile growing warmer. "Hello, Klee."
At that, her eyes lit up, almost jumping out of Lohen's grasp, to which both he and Lohen adjusted accordingly. Either way, they couldn't stop Klee from hugging him at the neck, squealing with joy. "Yes, yes! Hi, bird! I'm Klee!"
Illuga laughed at the ease with which Klee transferred herself to him, "Well, I left my bird at home, so Illuga would be a much more fitting name for me."
At that, Klee gasped, "You have a bird at home? No way!"
"Yes way!" Illuga replied with the same pep that she has, only to get sidetracked by a kiss on his cheek.
"Well, would you look at that!" Lohen exclaimed, his arms sneakily snaking towards his waist. He had to adjust Klee on his opposite side, what with Lohen's actions turning him to a helpless geo slime by the second, "You guys have already bonded! Say, how about we eat first, and then go fishblasting?"
"Ooh, yes!" Klee cheered, before turning her head back to him, "Big brother Illu...ga, do you know how to fishblast? I'll teach you if you don't!"
Him hearing Klee talk slowly as soon as she calls him by his name, and then returning to her faster talk has him already enamored by this troublemaker of a child.
"Why of course," Illuga nodded, his smile never leaving his face, "Please teach me the wondrous way of fishblasting, dear Spark Knight. But first..."
He turned around and saw the lightkeepers and their things already disembarked, howling and cheering as they saw their Captain's attention return to them. Lohen turned around to look as well and exhaled a laugh as a result.
"Don't mind us, Captain!" Egle shouted in hopes of her voice being heard against the cheers of their squad.
Vlaicu clapped, wiping a fake tear off his face, "Please rest with your family, Captain! Anleifr will take it from here!"
Pausing his cheers, Anleifr looked at Vlaicu, "Hey! What are you talking about–"
As soon as they cheered, Flins was already walking towards them and shook his head with a laugh, "Do not worry about us, young master. I will take it upon myself to guide them to our temporary abode. For now, please enjoy the leisure time that you rightfully deserve."
With Flins making a slight bow and his right arm against where a heart should be, Lohen patted his shoulder with his free arm, "I am forever in your debt, Sir Flins. Please accept a spar as my token of gratitude."
At that, Flins looked at Lohen with a sly smile, standing up straight again, "Once more, Sir Lohen, the answer is no."
"Eh, I tried," Lohen shrugged off the millionth rejection from Flins like it was nothing. Focusing his attention back to his two darlings at hand, he pinched Klee's cheeks (to which she laughed at before chasing his hands as he retreated it) before doing the same thing Flins did at Illuga, "Well, shall we, birdie? I want lohikeitto!"
Illuha rolled his eyes at both of them. Flins, he'll handle later. For now, "Well, lead the way, zaychik."
Lohen's eyes lit up at that. They left the docks with a bubbling child talking about literally anything under the sun, with Lohen replying with the same conviction he has with anything he's passionate about. Illuga tries to ignore the loud party behind them, sending them away.
—
Once they got Klee's fish-flavored toast from Frith, the two finally sat down at one of the seats at the Taste of the North, their table boasting the most gorgeous views of the port from high above the sails and ships.
"Wow," was all Illuga could say as he took in the stunning view of Mondsadt; he loved it already. Getting a spoonful of the lohikeitto, he's in awe yet again, "Wow! It's just like at Nasha Town!"
Lohen chuckled at his antics, busy devouring his meal to speak.
Klee, however, was curious, "Ooh, what's that, big brother Illuga?"
He cannot be this endeared to Klee in such a short span of time. He understands why Lohen loves her to bits, now, "Call me Lua, Klee, that way it wouldn't be a mouthful. This is a Lohikeitto, would you want to try?"
Klee hummed and nodded her head, "Yes, please, big brother Lua!"
That's not what Illuga had in mind when he asked him to call her that, but that's okay. He supposes it's some kind of cultural thing she grew up with, just as he did.
Grabbing the best bits of fish and potatoes with his spoon, he slowly guides it to Klee's waiting mouth, his hand following just under the spoon in case something spills.
At the scene right in front of him, Lohen can't help but mewl, tilting his head up towards the sky, "I'm about to combust, Birdie."
"And who says I'm not as well?" Was Illuga's quick reply, "This was your doing, by the way."
With Klee praising Lohikeitto's yumminess, she was blissfully ignorant of the predicament she put both her big brothers in.
—
"Okay, seems like we're clear, Klee," Lohen said, still scoping their surroundings.
They've walked up north from Dornman Port, half showing him the new sights and half finding a suitable place for this 'fishblasting.'
Klee nodded sagely, as if knowing the seriousness of the situation they were in, "Okay! Here's a dodoco, big brother Lua. Just do this!"
What a direct thing to do for something he assumes is volatile. As soon as Klee threw the cute-looking thing as hard and as far as her tiny arms could get her, both of his companions suddenly stepped back a few steps away from him.
Illuga: "Um–"
Lohen, laughing: "Birdie, step ba–"
The most violent, eardrum-destroying-induced explosion was suddenly activated just near him, his instincts suddenly pushing him away from the site before anything else could occur. As he did, water splattered at him, as well as–
"What the fuck!" He screamed, his head ducked in between his arms, seeing fish landing from where he was keeled over, seemingly dying.
Lohen had the nerve to guffaw at his sight, grabbing his stomach until his knees went weak, and then kneeling at the shore they were at, desperately chasing his breath.
"Archons!" Lohen's still laughing, that fucker, "That was so perfect! We got him, Klee!"
Lohen tilted his head to follow Klee's movements, who was also laughing, but collecting the blasted fishes all the while.
Before Lohen could see or even hear Klee's reply, a pair of hands were suddenly at his shoulders, pushing him backward so his back was laid flat on the sand, still laughing his ass off. With Illuga practically sitting on top of Lohen, it took all of his willpower to stop himself from kissing his stupid knight silly.
Opening his eyes, he saw his stunning lightkeeper, trying (and desperately failing) to be angry with him, yet a laugh was on his face.
Instead, Illuga just groaned and shook him violently by the shoulders, "Stupid zaychik, ugh! Stop teaching Klee your stupid moves!"
"What moves?" Lohen asked incredulously, an effect of the laughter still thinning out, "That's how Klee does it normally!"
Illuga glances at Klee, who was still busy collecting some of the fish, her back turned at them. Ever an opportunist, Illuga quickly held Lohen down by his neck with one hand, pinching at the sides to create pressure. Lohen gasped at the sudden turn of events, but he was silenced by Illuga's mouth on him, kissing him fervently.
It was only so much as a peck before Illuga stood up and brushed himself off the sands that had accumulated on his outfit before staring back down at him, "You're gonna continue lying there, or?"
Lohen only stared at him, "Unfair. This is so unfair."
He stood up unceremoniously, reminding himself that Klee was still with them before he did anything unruly as retaliation.
He glares at Illuga while he's cleaning himself off the sand as well, who's sporting a smirk of victory, "Well, you asked for it."
As if nothing had happened, he happily bounces where Klee was, all the while shedding his coat, to which Lohen has the pleasure of seeing Illuga's pale back. He's salivating at the sight of it already.
Of course, Illuga's smirk is still there, as if knowing that he's got Lohen exactly where he wants him to be.
Lohen just rolled his eyes with a smile; he can't fight the truth. Jogging towards where both his loves are, he called them, "Well, we had our fun here. Let's go to a different place!"
—
"I feel like we're just getting farther away from the port and the city. The Grand Master, in particular," Illuga said as he followed his two darling companions to yet another body of water. This time, they've gone back to the port and went south, but not before Illuga finding his squad, just to check if everyone has acclimated well to the new environment and everything else, before said squad practically pushed him away from them, repeatedly saying various ways of yes Captain, we're okay before pushing him towards the waiting duo, claiming that their honeymoon still isn't done yet.
Which is ridiculous; anyway, they've found another spot which, to Illuga's amusement, is (1) away from people who could see what they were up to, and (2) probably a soundproof enough place to not let everyone know that these two are at it again, probably.
"Ha!" Lohen let out a short laugh, "Varka's not the enemy here. If anything, he'd kill to be doing this with us right now."
Yet again, Lohen is looking around their surroundings, and really. Illuga hasn't seen Lohen as careful as this when fighting the Wild Hunt, often trusting his hearing on the field and his peripheral vision. Not literally scoping around the place to look for anyone who'd admonish them.
"Yeah!" Klee said, putting her bag down gently onto the soft border between grass and sand, rummaging inside of it, "It's Master Jean we look out for..."
At the mention of her name, Illuga found the two of them shivering despite themselves. He laughed once more, endeared by this duo.
"Really?" Illuga asked pointedly, shifting his weight to his other leg while he crossed his arms, amusement coloring his face, "What would Master Jean do if, say, she caught us here?"
"The worst thing she could possibly do, birdie!" Lohen exclaimed, and then continued silently, "Solitary confinement!"
Before he could ask what that was, Klee beat him to it, "She'd locked us in one of the rooms back at headquarters, and we'd have no way of opening it! We tried asking big brother Albedo for help one time, but he also went into solitary confinement because of it. He doesn't wanna go near us if Master Jean catches us again."
He wonders if this is true, because there is no way that is what's going to happen, but then he sees Lohen nodding along as Klee is talking, and okay.
"Well," Illuga said, and he wondered again if this was why he had been made squad leader, the gears inside his head whirring for a plan, "Let's start this mission, shall we?"
—
Illuga closes his eyes and inhales as deeply as he can. Slowly, he opens his eyes.
Starsnatch Cliff cannot be compared to anything else.
The grass is soft under them as they sat down together, their legs straight, but the ones touching one another loosely intertwined. Even as high up as they were, the winds were nothing but kind, unlike the ones he was used to back home, where the cold bites and the wind fights harder.
A gentle breeze makes the grass sway along, their hair dancing as well.
On top of their laps, Klee stretched unconsciously, still asleep from the day's work of tormenting all the fishes that Mondstadt could ever offer, and then turning her back to them as she shifted in her sleep.
Illuga smiles, so very fond of this little Spark Knight that literally bombed her way through and won his affections as easily as Lohen, whose shoulders he was using to rest his head on.
Sneaking his arms around his knight's waist, he bent his upper body as slowly as he could to avoid waking the tiny girl on their laps, and hugged Lohen, closing the distance between them to null. He sighed, satisfied with everything that had happened today, and what's happening now, "Zaychik, this is nice. So, so nice."
Lohen chuckled, grabbing Illuga's hand resting at his hips, and by holding it delicately by the palm, planted a kiss on top of the hand in such reverence that Illuga's breath stopped short, "I know. I love you, birdie."
Illuga hummed. He raised his head to kiss Lohen's peaking collarbone before resting his head back on his shoulders, its rightful place. "Maybe Nod-Krai is a bad influence on you, who knew you'd adapt to the winds? The harsh winds at the Keep versus the gentle breeze here at this cliff. Hm, I'm sensing a pattern here."
With his arm still at Lohen's mercy, a sudden pressure was applied, his fingers grinding with each other, but not enough to make it hurt, "Ruin this for all of us here, and I will hunt you down wherever you will go."
Illuga dismissed the empty threat, "Psh, as if you don't already do that."
To fully drive it home, Illuga kissed Lohen square on the lips. It was just supposed to be a peck, just like at the beach, but Lohen was prepared for this one.
Without rocking the sleeping Klee on their laps, his hands that he used as support were now suddenly framing Illuga by his cheeks, his abdomen now doing all the work to keep all of them sitting up straight, what with both Illuga and Klee's weight on him.
Illuga made a silent sound of shock, but Lohen couldn't be bothered. He closed his eyes as he tilted his head to fit their faces neatly as he deepened the kiss, both his thumbs caressing Illuga's pale cheeks that were powdered pink.
The slackened arms around Lohen suddenly gripped him tightly, and Lohen had to swallow a moan as the arm in front of him raised ever so slowly, and then once near the lowered collar his relaxed outfit had, quickly held him by the back of his neck, Illuga's thumb just resting shyly at his jaw.
Lohen was the first to pull back, kissing Illuga's mole first before kissing him everywhere else, which earned him Illuga's soft laughter, saved for moments just like these between them, where Lohen had had enough of fighting and Illuga of carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
Reluctant as he is to do it, he released Illuga's cheeks to have his arms to support him back on the ground, but not without one of his arms snaking underneath the cutout back of Illuga's sweater, resting just on top of his hips, pinching the skin there with as little pressure as he could. He kissed Illuga on his cheek one last time before fixing the jacket on top of Klee as her makeshift blanket, and then his hand was back firmly on the ground.
As the wind takes flight, dandelions crown their heads before following where the wind leads them.