Chapter Text
To be honest, I was kind of intimidated by Varka at first. He's much taller than me, he's loud, and he's incredibly strong. I mean, have you seen him fight? It's no surprise he's the Grandmaster.
I went to the Angel's Share tonight, planning to meet up with Kaeya and Amber for a drink. Varka showed up too, which was no surprise. He's at the tavern practically every night, at least when he's not forced to do paperwork. But tonight, he looked like he wasn't here to drink just yet. He found our table and greeted me, Amber, and Kaeya, then asked if he could speak with me alone. The Grandmaster wanted to talk to me? What in the world for? From the look on my face, I'm sure my friends could tell I thought I was about to die. I told them I'd be back soon, and Varka and I went outside the tavern to talk.
"So uh, what was it you needed to talk to me about?" To tell the truth, I was surprised he'd even need me for something. I always figured he didn't know much about me, as I'm a pretty quiet and reserved person; at least around people I don't know well. Hell, Kaeya and Amber are pretty much only my friends because they came to me first.
Varka stood with his arms crossed, and had a bit of a serious expression on his face. "Well, I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. I'm going to be heading out on an expedition soon, to Nod-Krai." I just stared at him at first. Obviously it was pretty unexpected news... I mean, an expedition to Nod-Krai? That's quite far, and what did that have to do with me?
"I'd like to ask you to join me and the rest of the expedition team. You're a good knight, and I personally believe your presence on this trip would be a big help. Plus, I know you've got some hidden talents, hahaha!"
I blushed a little. I didn't realize he knew anything about me... and he thinks so highly of me that he's come to personally ask me to join his expedition? Am I really that important?
"Grandmaster, I..." I had no idea what to say. I would be honored to go, who wouldn't? It's just... I wasn't prepared to be asked a question like this. Thankfully, he stopped me before I could attempt to say more.
"Look, you don't need to answer me right now. I know it's a big ask. Just... let me know in a few days, alright?" He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. "We won't be leaving for a while anyway. Now how about some drinks, huh? On me!"
I smiled back, and nodded. We headed back into the Angel's Share and drank the night away.
One long night of drinking later...
My head was killing me when I awoke. I knew I went way overboard on the drinks after talking to Varka last night... I mean seriously, how was I supposed to respond to that kind of question? An expedition to Nod-Krai... was that something I really wanted to do? Come to think of it, he didn't even tell me what the expedition was for! Whatever, he said I could let him know in a few days. I guess I had some time to think about it.
I stumbled to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was an absolute mess. Honestly after last night, everything about me looked an absolute mess. I needed to take a shower.
I undressed, leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor. I knew I'd pick them up later. I turned the water on and stepped in. I felt the water fall over my body like a gentle embrace; so warm, so relaxing, I almost wanted to fall back asleep right then and there. I never was a morning person. I took in a deep breath and thought about my life in Mondstadt: I loved living here, I loved the friends I'd made, and I loved being a knight. I thought to myself, "If I go with Varka on this expedition, how long will we be gone? Will everything be different when we come back? Will everything have changed without me, without us here?" I guess change isn't such a bad thing, though... after all, Mondstadt would change whether I left or not, and so would I. Besides, I did sometimes wish I could do something new and different... maybe this expedition was just the thing I'd been looking for?
I finished up in the shower and got dressed. I couldn't dawdle too much; I may not have been working today, but I still had errands to run. Hopefully I'd run into one of my friends and have an opportunity to ask for their opinion on this invitation...