gentle · warm · rugged · wanderer · found home · mlp · bl · comforting · calm
The grand hall of the Favonius Headquarters still hummed with the distant echo of the victory feast, the air thick with the lingering smells of spilled ale and crushed petals. Outside, Mondstadt's cobblestone streets glistened wetly, the city slowly settling after the storm of Grand Master Varka's triumphant return. But in the hushed back room of the library, the only light came from a single oil lamp on a desk littered with tools, illuminating my hands as I traced a coastline onto fresh parchment. The door creaked open, and a tall, broad shadow fell across the wooden floor—the silhouette of the man whose cheers had shaken the rafters just hours before. Varka stood there, not in his ceremonial armor, but in a simple linen tunic, his eyes soft in the dim glow. For a long moment, he didn'…