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Lohen had been stationed in Nod Krai for quite some time now, and during his many battles against the wild hunt, assisting the Lightkeepers, Lohen had found himself giving reports to people who are most certainly not his employers far too often. Sat in office chairs, interrogated by rugged women and men, all burly in some capacity, all equally stupid.
On top of being interrogated like some criminal instead of a knight who had— In Lohen’s opinion— Most graciously assisted in battle (even when he had not been ordered to do so by the Grandmaster), he often found himself getting scolded for his recklessness! By people who aren’t even in charge of him! It’s ridiculous, truly. And so he sits cross-legged, crossed-armed, waiting for another muscle-brained idiot to collect his testimony and scold him for ‘almost getting himself killed’. Lohen justifies it to himself— It’s his job, after all. However, instead of a jacked, middle-aged meathead, he is greeted by a young man of a stature not dissimilar to his own, with dusty greyish hair fading into muted carmine at the tips, dressed in a tight compression vest and a jacket that is at the very least 2 sizes too big for him. His eyes lock onto him. They aren’t judgemental, rather curious. Lohen doesn’t move. Doesn’t sit upright to exchange pleasantries with a forced eagerness.
The young man walks to the chair at the desk, extending his hand to shake Lohen’s.
Lohen hums softly, reaching to take his hand, gripping it firmly and shaking it. The man’s hands felt warm, even through his leather gloves. Lohen should have brought thicker gloves, honestly. The cold of Mondstadt doesn’t even hold a candle to that of Nod Krai’s.
Illuga’s eyes land on the mole on his face, before he blinks and looks down at their hands, pulling away.
“Hello there. My name is Illuga. I’m the squad leader of Nightmare Orioles,” He said with a polite nod of his head, sitting down in the chair behind him.
Lohen raised a brow curiously, sitting more upright, intrigued. He leaned in slightly, crossing his hands over the wooden table.
“Nightmare Orioles? Am I being investigated?” He asked, tilting his head at Illuga.
“No. I’m only here to collect your report. You have nothing to be worried about,” Illuga reassured, which made Lohen smile and nod at him. Illuga’s brain helpfully began to think about how endearing Lohen’s eyes were, before he cleared his throat to try and force himself back into reality.
“You’ve had quite a few..Um, endeavors, that clash with the Lightkeepers, from what I’ve seen. Grandmaster Varka has also released an order to all Knights of Favonius to cooperate with us, for which we’re very grateful,” He starts, and Lohen is immediately interested, though a little bit confused. He can’t quite tell if Illuga is about to scold him or praise him.
“Oftentimes you show up unannounced during Lightkeeper patrols, very recklessly at that,” Illuga says, carding through files and documents. Ah, so it’ll be scolding, then. Lohen quirks his brow at the sheer amount of papers.
Lohen brought a gloved hand to his lips, appearing surprised,
“Do I cause you trouble?” He asked, voice almost upset.
Illuga frowned a bit, biting his lip and inspecting the documents.
“Well.. I wouldn’t put it that way. You are a very big help and, frankly, you’ve probably saved a life or two.. Your methods are.. Just unconventional. Do you patrol alone?” He asked, trying to seem more understanding.
Lohen pursed his lips.
“No, sir. I’m the vice captain of the Fifth Company,” He explained, leaning back in his chair. “As you can see in your reports, we specialize in ranged weaponry, and as such often come as a surprise even to Lightkeepers.” He crossed his legs again, maintaining eye contact.
Illuga felt unsettled by the jet-black eyes boring into him. Lohen had red pupils, making his eyes feel somehow intense.
Lohen tilted his head a bit and cleared his throat, “Sir Illuga,” He called with an amused sort of grin on his face. Illuga jumped, face flushing.
“M-my apologies. Ahem. Just call me Illuga, there’s no need for formalities.” He said. “Most of these reports include the entirety of the Fifth Company, those are coordinated, so there’s no problem. The problem arrises when you abandon your squadron in favor of running headfirst into battle, with no warning, no less.” Illuga’s eyes glossed over the papers, eventually setting them down. He looked back up to Lohen, whose eyes followed Illuga’s, from the paper, up to look at the other.
“I get carried away..” Lohen said a bit sheepishly, looking away with a shrug.
“I’m not your boss. But, as a person.. Who, considers himself to be rational, what you’re doing is extremely reckless and endangers both yourself and the people around you.” Illuga’s brows furrowed, seemingly.. Angry?
Ah, had Lohen misinterpreted the situation..?
“Right.. My apologies, Illuga.” He bowed his head.
“Does Grandmaster Varka know about this?” Illuga questioned.. No wonder he was squad leader of an investigation team, he sure knew how to.. Well, investigate. He felt like a criminal..
“..About?” Lohen asked quietly.
“Your tendencies to run into battle head on?” Illuga said it almost as if it were supposed to be obvious. Lohen blinked at him. He sounded more curious than anything..
“I.. Well, yes, he does.. Pardon, but is this part of your report? Or are you asking out of personal curiosity?” Lohen asked politely, his arms rested on his lap.
“Oh, uh. That was just curiosity, I’m sorry. I’m mainly here to write a more extensive report on our relationship.” Illuga said, picking up a quill-pen, dipping it in ink. He begins writing. Lohen watches, intrigued by the smooth way the pen glides over the paper.
“As you’ve said, you have a tendency to get carried away and abandon your squadron..” Illuga’s voice strained, and again, Lohen couldn’t help but feel like he was trying to suppress some kind of anger. Illuga seems like a man who takes personal responsibility for the wellbeing of his squadron, so Lohen surmises that the other probably thinks he’s shallow and uncaring for endangering his team like that. And, on some level, he can agree with that. He just can’t help himself from staying away from the thrill of battle for too long.
“And I know you’ve been scolded by my colleagues countless times. But they’re all right. You need to either stop or fall back completely.”
Lohen tensed slightly, feeling strangely giddy under Illuga’s harsh gaze.
“Yes, Illuga,” He said almost immediately, breathlessly.
Illuga quirked a brow at him.
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” He bowed his head in a princely manner,
“You have my deepest apologies, from the bottom of my heart.”
Voice kept smooth, he forced a regret he didn’t quite feel. He had been trained to interact in an almost diplomatic fashion, so he was an expert at conveying emotions he didn’t quite feel. It wasn’t that Lohen didn’t value Illuga’s opinion or respect him as a leader, rather, he couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty for the danger he caused.
Illuga’s face flushed, dusted pink and he shook his hands,
“I-.. There’s really no need for that!” He squeaked nervously,
“Please, sit up—“
Lohen kept his head down, a solemn, sad expression on his face.
“I’m truly sorry.” He echoed, voice lilting, full of faux remorse. Really, he was just teasing at this point.
Illuga huffed, embarrassed, looking to the side, the door, and back at Lohen,
“Sir Lohen, please. Sit up.”
He did. Almost on command. A soft, polite, near royal smile on his face. He adjusted his position, crossing his legs, his hands in his lap.
“You’re quite easy to embarrass.” He noted, just an observation. Illuga tensed, pausing, faltering. He made some sort of noise, another kind of squeak.
“I’m being serious—!” Illuga exclaimed, before sighing, making an exasperated huff,
“Ugh, you’re just teasing me, aren’t you..?” He asked, crossing his arms, rolling his eyes.
“My, I’d never. I truly am sorry.” He frowned, tilting his head like a confused puppy. “I was just making a simple observation.“
Illuga stared at him. His greyish reddish eyes boring into him,
“You—..” Illuga pinched his sinuses, huffing. A moment of silence, A interrupted by a knock on his office door.
“Come in..” Illuga sighed, leaning back in his chair impatiently. Lohen turned to look at the door.
A man with long purple hair and dull yellow eyes slid through the small crack to peek his head in.
“Master Illuga,” The man said fondly. Illuga’s mouth upturned into a soft smile. “Ah, are you busy?”
Illuga chuckled. “Hello, Flins. I’ll be with you in a few moments to collect your report,” He nodded his head at him politely, and ‘Flins’ hummed, sliding the door shut.
Lohen turned back to Illuga, eyebrows raised in mild surprise. Illuga began organizing the documents into one big batch, tapping them on the table to level them,
“My apologies. I’ll be able to finish this on my own, you’re free to go.” He said, nodding his head at him. Lohen stood up, bowing in an elegant, knightly manner.
“I’ll be on my way, then. Hau rein, ‘Master’ Illuga.” He stood upright, bidding him farewell as he would anyone in Mondstadt.
“Like I said. Just Illuga is fine,” He huffed, standing up from his chair, leading Lohen to the door. He slid it open for him, making the knight smile at him. Something about Lohen’s smile felt almost artificial in a way, but it was somehow adorable nonetheless. He had dimples, and his eyes typically closed. “I’ll lead you out,”
“My, you’re so polite.” Lohen commented, following him. Everything about the man, from his attire to his personality to his mannerisms to even his gait seemed almost princely. Regal, like he was royalty. “I think Master Illuga suits you better.”
Illuga’s eyes widened and he choked on his spit, coughing into the sleeve of his thick coat, making Lohen chuckle behind his thinly gloved hand.
“You really are a huge tease.” Illuga grumbled, hiding his face in the collar of his coat.
“I only said I thought the title was befitting. You’re the one who overthought it,” He grinned this time, teeth showing. Illuga’s eyes practically gravitated towards his lips before coming back to his eyes. He turned around and continued walking.
Illuga lead him through halls and corridors, until finally reaching the entrance to the headquarters.
“Master Illuga.” Lohen started.
“Illuga,” The dirty blond corrected.
“..Sir Illuga,” He tried,
“Just Illuga. Please.” Illuga’s voice cracked.
“Will you join me for a drink tonight?” He asked politely, and it made Illuga turn around to face him. There was no way he was asking him on a date.. Not now, not yet— They’d just met!
But Illuga felt impish. He wanted to get back at Lohen.
“Are you sure you can handle your alcohol?” He asked, trying to laugh smugly. It hardly worked, Lohen seemed almost unphased, but he did stare at him blankly.
“Master Illuga—“
“Illuga,”
“Master Illuga, I’m from Mondstadt, in case you’ve forgotten, so really, I should be asking you,” Lohen continued to force the ‘master’ part.
Illuga sighed and rubbed his eyes.
He was horrible at teasing..
“Well?” Lohen asked sweetly.
“Well what, Lohen?”
“Well, can you handle your alcohol, Sir?”
Illuga stood dumbfounded. Hell, they were still at the entrance to the Lightkeepers base of operations, just standing there like two bumbling idiots. But Lohen had to be flirting with him, right? He was too close, voice too soft, almost sultry.
“I can.” He nodded.
“Then? Will you join me?” Lohen sounded hopeful. Expectant. “Let me make my blunders up to you.”
“If you drop the ‘Master’ then I’ll consider it.” Illuga crossed his arms over his chest. Lohen’s eyes shifted down, looking at the way his arms pressed against his compression shirt before coming back to meet his gaze.
“You’ve got a deal.” He leaned down, taking his hand gently, holding it gingerly, carefully. He kissed the back of it. Illuga could feel his lips even through the expensive, thick leather of his gloves. It made his face flush. “I’ll see you tonight at The Flagship. Be there by 10.” He stood upright, hand on his shoulder, bowing politely.
“Farewell, Sir Illuga,” He saluted jokingly, snapping the aforementioned back into reality from his dumbfounded state as he watched Lohen walk away contently.
“I— You said we had a deal!!” He shouted in frustration, balling his fists and pouting.
“You only said to stop using the term Master! You should have been more specific!” Lohen didn’t so much as turn around to look at him, though he did wave his hand goodbye. His voice was almost sing-song, a reminder.
“Ugh..!” Illuga stomped, annoyed, clicking his tongue. “Stupid.. I already have Flins on my back with the titles.. Now this man as well..” Illuga rubbed his temples before straightening up.
“Wait—! Flins, right!” He gasped, running back inside the base to look for the fae.
Flins was already waiting in his office, sat in the same seat Lohen was in, his legs and arms crossed.
“I must say, I’m surpised, Young Master Illuga..” He chuckled. “Seems someone has finally caught your interest.”
Illuga glared at the man,
“If you’d rather submit the report through the usual means, then you can just say so.” He gritted.
“Heavens, no. That would take years.” He laughed lightly, waving his hand.
“Then zip it.”
“As you wish, Young Master Illuga.”
“Ughhh!”