Waking up, you recognised the room that Kaeya had previously taken you to within the Knights' HQ. You hadn't fully adjusted, but could make out multiple voices. As you opened your eyes and took a deep breath, the talking paused. Crowded around your bed were three people, one of whom was familiar and a pleasant sight. Barbara smiled at you, shaking her head slightly.

"Thank the Anemo Archon! Y/N, I do wonder what you do get up to...it has not completed a week, yet you've needed my care many times!" Barbara chuckled kindly; you laughed weakly in response before your gaze shifted to the two unfamiliar figures, and you shuddered. One of them was a tall, slender figure with light-blonde hair and sapphire eyes. Upon seeing those blue eyes, the events of...last night...returned, with the threat of the mysterious figure. Ignoring the three women surrounding you, you pushed your covers away and rose from your bed.

"Y/N, what are you doing? You need to sit down, now." the tall woman stated. You noted that her voice was not that of the dark figure from yesterday, but you continued to stumble out of bed.

"Where's Kaeya?" you worriedly asked. The tall woman and another woman, dressed in scarlet with long, silky brown hair, both glanced at each other in confusion.

"Kaeya is at his usual place," the cheery brunette replied. To this, the tall woman rolled her eyes.

"That man, honestly. I need to give him an earful sometime," she grumbled in annoyance. You sat at the edge of the bed, confused and slightly irritated at the ambiguity. Feeling like you wanted to scream, you took a deep breath a second time.

"Where is his usual place?" you enquired again, taking care with your tone. Both of them glanced at you, before the brunette smiled.

"Of course, Kaeya is at the tavern!" she answered, giggling slightly. Hearing this, you  immediately stood up and pushed your way out of the room, ignoring the questions and worries of the three women behind you. Your mind swirled with red fumes; why did Kaeya leave you, only to continue with his life, as if nothing had even happened? Was he not worried at all, because you were absolutely going crazy being worried sick for him! Your steps became heavy with more power, and your breathing deepened, preparing for the confrontation. Heat danced on your cheeks as the image of Kaeya cackling away over a pint of beer was conjured in your mind. Suddenly, you recalled the memory of last night - the explosion that you had experienced. Your fury dissipated and instead, the deep, empty feeling of sadness arrived - why did Kaeya leave you?

Arriving at the tavern, the hanging lanterns at the entrance were unlit; nevertheless the clanking and crashing of pint glasses could be heard. He may be in there, you ruminated, and a large, overwhelming feeling urged you to not enter; you did not want to face reality at all...Summoning all the strength that you could muster, you placed your hand on the wooden tavern door, and entered.

Despite the bright afternoon light outside, the tavern was dark, the only lighting came from golden lanterns that hung at the bar, as well as candles that flickered at each wooden, chocolate-brown table. Empty was the tavern apart from the bartender, who was lazily wiping glasses, and bellowing laughter that shattered the silence. You turned your head towards a dark corner of the tavern, where a group of men sat cackling. The smell of alcohol was extremely strong, but it also contained a sweet dandelion scent - it was familiar...it was present at the fireplace and when you were semi-unconscious from the explosion.

"Oh? I am rather intrigued, surely that did not happen?" slurred a familiar, silky voice, that utterly stung your chest.

You dragged your heavy legs over to the table, every step was agony for you. Every sound from that corner resonated betrayal.
"...Kaeya?" you anxiously asked, breaking the atmosphere as the men fell silent, all eyes on you, narrowed. You shivered as you both made eye contact; you had once felt safe around this man, but now the atmosphere was simply...cold. His expression bore no emotion - it was still and lifeless, like the deathly night. Horror struck your chest as a smirk slowly and painfully formed on his lips, welcoming a sneer.

"What do you want, Y/N?" Kaeya asked in a stony manner. This was a complete change from the light-hearted interactions from before. 

"K-Kaeya...I just wanted to find out how you were doing...I didn't see you last night..." your voice trailed off, words weak. The other men cackled at this, one of them even knocking over their pint glass, which toppled over and shattered. 

"Ay!!" the men hollered in response. A particularly wily man taunted, "Well well Alberich, wonder what you were getting up to last night with this beauty!" Throwing back his head, his blue hair bouncing along, Kaeya howled with laughter, before abruptly slamming down his wine glass - he had resumed his cold expression. He glared at you, his eye piercing your chest, silencing you.

"As if I would ever look at her. What could I possibly want with such a weak, inferior person, who has nothing going for her and constantly requires care? There's plenty of better women out there," Kaeya coolly spoke. "Y/N, leave me alone."

And with that, Kaeya turned away and resumed his conversations with the group, leaving you standing there, stunned by the bold statements; they flew like knives, stabbing all positive feelings and memories that the two of you had shared. You couldn't digest this at all. Where did this come from? 

"Kaeya, why the change? You disappeared last night, is everything o-" you began, before Kaeya snapped and yelled. 

"LEAVE Y/N. GET OUT!!" 

The raised voice instilled fear inside you, as tears sprung to your e/c eyes. It was futile to converse further, it would only embarrass you, and you knew that him seeing your tears would only worsen things. With a heavy heart and head down, you limped away out of the tavern, feeling something inside you break, just like the candle and lantern lights were too.

Reaching the comfort of your room, your mind was blank as you dropped onto your bed. What had just happened? 

As the deceiving light of the day eventually disappeared into the empty abyss of the night, you had mostly gathered your senses again, and concluded that you would not know what ahppened. The thought of the sapphire-haired Captain reminded you of the person who was hunting him, as well as the threat that you had received. He had warned you of Kaeya's betrayal, and this was clear by how you had been tossed away...once you had become a burden for him to deal with. "I guess he was right," you whispered to yourself, barely having the strength to speak. The figure had also threatened you to not speak of this hunt at all to anyone. At least after this, you had no reason to worry about that being an issue.

Dropping your head in your hands, you sighed. Kaeya had provided you with this room himself, but now you no longer wanted any form of care from him. "It's probably best if I pack, ask Jean about any jobs I could take up, and to find a place elsewhere. It was selfish of me to even allow myself to accept this room, and to spend time with him," you defeatedly said.

Tomorrow will be better, you assured yourself. You will move past this, and forget about Kaeya Alberich. It was best for both of you to stay away from each other, to avoid anymore trouble. You promised yourself that you would take care, before trusting someone again.