A Breather

The night was gentle, its silence broken by subtle noises coming from a certain tavern in Mondstadt, where a handful of people had gathered to celebrate their victory. Mondstadt was safe, Dvalin returned to his former self, and the Fatui took a big blow when Mark managed to save Venti's Gnosis.

"All is good when it ends like this." Cheered Mark, raising a glass of wine, which he took a subtle sip from. He wasn't really into drinking, but he did fancy a glass of wine every now and then.

"That's right, it sure is nice," said Ras, twirling his glass of wine around. They sat together at a table, discussing their next steps.

"So, where are we going now?" asked Ras, glancing over at Mark.

"Liyue, that's where. Surprisingly, the true timeline here seems to follow a different pattern."

He put his glass on the table, half full, and he looked at it somewhat confused.

"That big festival in Liyue happens in a month, whereas in the game it happened the next day after Aether talked with Venti at Windrise. It seems to me that it's the time between updates, or something."

Ras nodded, drinking his wine as he scanned the room. Everyone was talking with each other, discussing things of their own.

"Right, before I forget. Did you have any luck with your powers?"

Ras shook his head, lifting his wrist, and this time he made it light up at will.

"During that hilichurl invasion, I figured out some things about it, but Lisa still found no written records of such a thing."

The light subsided, but Ras still looked at that spot.

"I can absorb elemental energy and transform it, or something like that. I made myself stronger and faster."

"So it's like buffing yourself. Seems similar to this new power of mine. I can create crystals and increase my strength significantly."

Mark leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Boy, we sure are in deep this time."

Ras opened his mouth, but Mark shushed him before he could make any bad jokes.

"Not now, my dude, not now. Just look." 

Amber approached their table, smiling warmly at the two of them.

"Come on, guys, you're the stars this time. How about you come along and have some fun together with us?"

  Mark chuckled, and Ras felt himself fancy the idea, but part of him still held back. It would take more than a one-time war cry to make him fit better in crowds. 

Before Ras could protest, Amber grabbed him by the arm, blushing faintly as she pulled him along. Mark laughed out loud, motioning for Ras to go.

"Heh, son of a... Dude still doesn't feel like his body is his." 

Mark grabbed his glass once more, resting his hand on the chair's backrest, leaning back as he downed the thing in one gulp.

"You know," said Jean as she took a seat beside him. "I expected you to be a bit more; how should I put it, 'into this' when you suggested a party." 

Mark chuckled, pouring himself one more glass, emptying the bottle for good.

"My not being really social doesn't mean others shouldn't enjoy themselves. It's always good to boost people's morale with an event such as this."

Jean chuckled, resting her arms on the table as she looked at Mark.

"You sure are an interesting one; I'll give you that. Time and time again, ever since I met you, you just kept doing one insane thing after another."

Mark scoffed, a smirk painted on his face.

"I like being crazy at times; it adds a bit of... flavor to life."

He leaned closer to Jean, speaking in a bit of a softer tone, feeling as the wine untangled his tongue, something he found rather difficult to do when entirely sober.

"You know, I always wondered what kept you working so hard for Mondstadt. Sure, responsibility is a thing, but truly, you have quite the power of will. I find that to be quite admirable."

Jean crossed her arms, looking at Mark with a bit of an intrigued look.

"It is my duty as Acting Grand Master, yes, and I do it for the people. There's a certain type of happiness that one feels when noticing others enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Mark took another sip, resting his arm on the table, looking at Jean.

"That I do understand. It's a feeling that makes your heart jump with joy."

With a faint blush on his face, Mark leaned a bit closer, resting his head on his left arm, his elbow held against the table.

"You know, now that I take a closer look, you're quite the beauty, Jean."

Jean's face turned red, and it took her a minute to actually process what Mark had said.

"Just what are you playing at, Mark?"

He shrugged, seemingly unphased.

"Nothing. I just felt like speaking my mind. It's not everyday one gets to talk with Jean, not as the Acting Grand Master, but as herself."

She glanced away, a rose blush still lingering on her pale skin. Mark glanced around the room, noticing Ras sitting together with Amber and Lisa, all of them laughing as Kaeya tried to beat his drinking record.

"You're such a tease," said Jean, her arms crossed as she pouted, a sight that made Mark's heart skip a beat.

"Only because you get teased easily. My lines don't always work like this, you know? But hey, it's not like I tried using them before."

He watched as Kaeya nearly threw up on the floor, Venti by his side, still chugging down a bottle of wine. Diluc had a certain fire in his eyes that nearly made him reach for his claymore, but he decided to leave it there, resting on the wall.

"Those guys sure are having fun, at least the ones who are watching."

Jean looked at them, giggling softly, her chin resting on her palm. Mark's gaze seemed to drift toward her, which she noticed, turning to him with a warm smile.

"You sure seem interested in me. Is there something on my face?" 

Inside Mark's mind, thousands of thoughts rushed in all directions, but he decided to screw it all, consequences alike, and say what he felt like saying.

"That's the issue. My lips should be there."

He could feel his body heat up as he said that, watching as Jean's face turned bright red. From the other side of the room, Lisa was watching, winking at Mark as she chuckled softly, noticing a flustered Jean next to him.

Jean got up, walking beside Mark, who felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest. She glanced to the side, arms crossed, looming over him.

"You did play a huge role in this entire ordeal, so I guess you've earned it."

She bowed down, kissing him softly before turning away, her face a scarlet red.

Mark sat there, blinking, smiling like an idiot, as he heard Paimon shout, pointing at them.

"Jean kissed Mark! On the lips!"

Mark nearly felt the need to run outside and scream at the top of his lungs, but he held back. He felt his heart beat loudly, enjoying each and every thump it made.

Kaeya, who had thrown up in a bucket Diluc gave him, somehow stood up on his feet, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's our Honorary Knight!" 

Venti stumbled beside him, standing up as they leaned on one another for support.

"The greatest heroes get the girl in the end! Huray to Mark!"

They both grabbed a bottle of wine each, gulping down and cheering on. Paimon floated all the way between Mark and Jean, who had sat back down, trying to act composed, but Mark could notice that she was biting her lower lip.

"Mark, you sure are a ladies' man," teased Paimon, to which Mark laughed.

"Nope, I suck when it comes to women."

He leaned back in his chair, switching back to his carefree self.

"Well, all in all, we managed to divert quite the crisis, and I think we also have one more month to spend in Mondstadt before heading to Liyue."

"You're leaving for Liyue?" asked Amber, seemingly unaware of their choice.

"Yes, we are going there," said Ras, nodding at Mark.

"We have some things to take care of here and there. I also think it's time I come clean with something."

He put down his drink, speaking sternly.

"We didn't arrive here when our boat crashed. I'm sorry for lying, but we still can't talk about our past. Perhaps somewhere in the future, we'll discuss it, but until then, please know that the Ras and Mark you've met are the true ones. Don't think we pretended."

Everyone fell silent until Diluc spoke up.

"I expected that much. Consider it done. I can always respect someone who does the right thing despite their situation."

Everyone else nodded at his word, which relaxed Mark, who reached for his pocket, taking out his phone, turning it on—something that attracted everyone's gaze.

"What is that device?" asked Lisa, her scholary attitude kicking it. Mark turned on the camera, lifting the phone up, ready to take a selfie.

"Come on, everyone, I want to take a picture. Gather around now."

They all gathered together, and Mark snapped the perfect memory. Venti and Kaeya with their bottles of booze, Diluc sitting seriously like his usual self, Amber and Lisa grabbing on to Ras, while Jean held a gentle hand on Mark's shoulder.

He showed it to everyone before turning off his phone, placing it back in his pocket.

"I'll make sure to always treasure this memory, no matter what," whispered Mark, a genuine smile on his face.