[Baz sends her another return letter with a time (7:00) and a place (idk some restaurant in town im lazy. It's a nice one bc its baz) There is also a very small cat head, so rough that he could plausibly deny it being one if pressed. Don't perceive it.
Anyway, right on the dot, Baz will already be at the restaurant with a glass of wine. Hope Amber is on time!]
( She is on time! And she's wearing an outfit that isn't her usual scouting gear. His eyes are saved from her butt. Amber makes her way through the restaurant and greets him with a smile and a wave. )
Hello! Thank you so much for inviting me here this evening!
[Since it's fall, Baz is back to wearing his full jacket + waistcoat combo, though he's still forgoing his full prosecutor getup with the sash and badge and all.]
The pleasure is all mine, I felt it was long overdue, I have been... preoccupied. [He's being going through drama and also some poor life choices.]
Do you drink? This restaurant has a well curated selection of vintages, I've found.
( Once the glass is poured, Amber smiles and takes it into her hand. )
Yeah, you're probably right! All the wine in Mondstadt comes from Master Diluc's winery. ( Look at her, addressing him by his fancy title. ) That's my favourite. Dandelion wine just tastes like home. Although ... you might've tried his wine since you've been here, right?
Yeah, using grapes is pretty normal! But that's what makes the Dawn Winery's Dandelion Wine so special. The brewing process is something of a mystery! So many travellers from far away lands visit Mondstadt just to get their hands on a bottle. It's incredibly hard to imitate, I've heard!
About the validity of extrajudicial killing, essentially. [So you know. Fun stuff.]
That is.. interesting, I suppose. I cannot say to know much about dandelions and how it would turn out, I'm only familiar with winemaking when it comes to grapes. I wonder how much terroir would have an effect on a plant that seems capable of growing almost anywhere.
I see ... you and Diluc must've gotten off on the wrong foot, huh?
( Amber glances down at the menu again, before her mouth crumples into a very prominent smile. She giggles, cups one of her cheeks, and blushes. Completely normal reaction to have at the mention of his name. )
That's a shame. He's pretty great once you get to know him. But things are what they are.
[... Hm. On the one hand, he could ask about that. On the other hand he can't imagine anything he could say about that potential relationship that would be helpful or not overreaching.]
Indeed. What made you choose to become a knight, miss Amber? [Lets just change the subject.]
( Oh - a question for her heart. And her answer's going to come pouring straight out of it. While Amber has a naturally playful demeanour, she falls quite serious all of a sudden. Her voice softens while she prepares to give her answer. )
That would be my Grandfather. He was a Knight himself. Long ago before I was born, he was a mercenary from the neighbouring country of Liyue. He ran into trouble one day, but luckily, several members of the Knights of Favonius were there. A doctor in the Knights healed his wounds and he travelled back with them, offering his skills to the organisation.
And that's exactly what he did. He used his experience as a travelling mercenary to start a platoon called the Outriders: Knights who travel out on foot to specialise in scouting, tracking and combat. When I was a little girl, I watched him train so many men and women in the Outrider division ... it was his biggest passion. I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to pour my everything into learning to be like him so I could protect the city of Mondstadt the very same way he did.
( She takes in a deep breath, and exhales a sigh. )
... Sadly, he disappeared several years ago. Even today, I have no idea where he is. In his absence, the Outriders fell apart. What's worse is that the Knights of Favonius slandered my Grandpa and accused him of abandoning his post. But I know he'd never. Even though I'm without answers now, I know I'll have them one day. I feel this very strongly.
In his absence, I revived the Outriders. I didn't want my Grandpa's final legacy to be reduced to nothing. And that's what I'll continue to do.
[The usual frown that seems to be van Zieks' resting expression falls away as Amber speaks, if only for a few moments, surprised and almost crestfallen. The images she conjures up so familiar, even if the details are different. He'd gotten a sense from talking to her before that despite... some perhaps slightly questionable decision making, Amber was a respectable person at her core. She could speak well not because she was a smooth talker, but because she was earnest and well intentioned. This only further suggests that impression was correct.]
I... I see. [He pauses for a moment, hesitant as always to give away any of himself on instinct. He takes a sip from his wine to hopefully mask the hesitance.]
My older brother Klint was a paragon of a man even before he became the Director of the Prosecutor's office. He was ten years older than me, so I grew up watching him as well. I wanted to be just like him, not just because of who he was, but because of his passion for taking on the hardest fight of prosecuting those in power who would use their money and status to attempt to evade the law. It was something as nobility ourselves, we could uniquely afford to do.
[He stops in a way that suggests he might continue. There's so much he could say, having found answers for himself. But he has no information about Amber's situation, about her grandfather, and to make any suggestion as to potential outcomes would be reckless.]
... He was murdered ten years ago. It was a case that had repercussions that continue to this day.
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crescentview2023-02-02 06:03 am
no subject
Anyway, right on the dot, Baz will already be at the restaurant with a glass of wine. Hope Amber is on time!]
no subject
Hello! Thank you so much for inviting me here this evening!
no subject
The pleasure is all mine, I felt it was long overdue, I have been... preoccupied.
[He's being going through drama and also some poor life choices.]
Do you drink? This restaurant has a well curated selection of vintages, I've found.
no subject
( And all the rucking, but, u know-- )
I do! I love wine. I'll have whatever you're having! Gives me a chance to try what you like.
no subject
[Still more physical labor than he's used to doing, though.
Anyway of course Baz ordered an entire bottle so it's a simple matter for him to pour a glass for Amber.]
I'd ask if you have a favorite varietal but I imagine the grapes grown in your world differ from mine.
no subject
Yeah, you're probably right! All the wine in Mondstadt comes from Master Diluc's winery. ( Look at her, addressing him by his fancy title. ) That's my favourite. Dandelion wine just tastes like home. Although ... you might've tried his wine since you've been here, right?
no subject
... I have not, mostly out of the fact that we have a relatively public feud.
[That said.]
I am also used to wine being made from grapes, not dandelions.
no subject
( Excuse her for being a bit nosy. )
Yeah, using grapes is pretty normal! But that's what makes the Dawn Winery's Dandelion Wine so special. The brewing process is something of a mystery! So many travellers from far away lands visit Mondstadt just to get their hands on a bottle. It's incredibly hard to imitate, I've heard!
no subject
[So you know. Fun stuff.]
That is.. interesting, I suppose. I cannot say to know much about dandelions and how it would turn out, I'm only familiar with winemaking when it comes to grapes. I wonder how much terroir would have an effect on a plant that seems capable of growing almost anywhere.
no subject
Only way to know is to try some, right?
no subject
[Hm....]
I do not think I have any interest in doing so.
[Not if Diluc is making it.]
no subject
Is it because you think it sounds gross?
no subject
[HE'S REALLY JUST THAT PETTY.]
no subject
( Amber glances down at the menu again, before her mouth crumples into a very prominent smile. She giggles, cups one of her cheeks, and blushes. Completely normal reaction to have at the mention of his name. )
That's a shame. He's pretty great once you get to know him. But things are what they are.
no subject
Indeed. What made you choose to become a knight, miss Amber?
[Lets just change the subject.]
no subject
That would be my Grandfather. He was a Knight himself. Long ago before I was born, he was a mercenary from the neighbouring country of Liyue. He ran into trouble one day, but luckily, several members of the Knights of Favonius were there. A doctor in the Knights healed his wounds and he travelled back with them, offering his skills to the organisation.
And that's exactly what he did. He used his experience as a travelling mercenary to start a platoon called the Outriders: Knights who travel out on foot to specialise in scouting, tracking and combat. When I was a little girl, I watched him train so many men and women in the Outrider division ... it was his biggest passion. I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to pour my everything into learning to be like him so I could protect the city of Mondstadt the very same way he did.
( She takes in a deep breath, and exhales a sigh. )
... Sadly, he disappeared several years ago. Even today, I have no idea where he is. In his absence, the Outriders fell apart. What's worse is that the Knights of Favonius slandered my Grandpa and accused him of abandoning his post. But I know he'd never. Even though I'm without answers now, I know I'll have them one day. I feel this very strongly.
In his absence, I revived the Outriders. I didn't want my Grandpa's final legacy to be reduced to nothing. And that's what I'll continue to do.
no subject
I... I see. [He pauses for a moment, hesitant as always to give away any of himself on instinct. He takes a sip from his wine to hopefully mask the hesitance.]
My older brother Klint was a paragon of a man even before he became the Director of the Prosecutor's office. He was ten years older than me, so I grew up watching him as well. I wanted to be just like him, not just because of who he was, but because of his passion for taking on the hardest fight of prosecuting those in power who would use their money and status to attempt to evade the law. It was something as nobility ourselves, we could uniquely afford to do.
[He stops in a way that suggests he might continue. There's so much he could say, having found answers for himself. But he has no information about Amber's situation, about her grandfather, and to make any suggestion as to potential outcomes would be reckless.]
... He was murdered ten years ago. It was a case that had repercussions that continue to this day.