"Let's play a game."
Amber took the empty wine bottle in front of Eula and set it in the middle of the table. Then she explained the rules.
"Whoever the neck points to gets to ask the person on the other end a question. As long as we don't cross any lines, we can ask whatever we want. Everyone okay with that?"
She finished with a wide, toothy grin. I didn't see a problem with it. Truth be told, I actually liked these kinds of question games.
"Works for me," I said.
"Sure," Lumine agreed.
A few seconds passed before Eula let out a weary sigh. "Fine."
She already sounded tired of answering questions.
"All right, then. I'll go first."
Amber spun the bottle. After several turns, its neck came to rest near her while the other end pointed toward Lumine. They were sitting beside each other, so it wasn't exact, but they were still the closest match.
"Hehe... Looks like I'm opening the game. All right, Lumine. Is that your natural hair color? Because you might be the blondest blonde I've ever seen."
Lumine giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her hair really was beautiful. If I hadn't already had my eye on someone else, it might have been enough to turn my head. I stole a glance at Eula. She seemed impressed by Lumine's hair too. She was trying not to show it, but things like that didn't get past me.
"Yes. This is my natural color."
"I wish I were blonde..." Amber said with a sigh.
"Isn't dark hair rarer in Mondstadt? I think yours already makes you stand out."
The words left my mouth before I could think about them. Damn it. Hopefully nobody took that the wrong way.
Eula turned toward me. "That... actually makes sense. I didn't expect that from you."
"What exactly did you expect from me?"
"Never mind."
Amber and Lumine overheard us and started laughing.
"Don't laugh!"
"Don't laugh!"
Eula and I turned and said it at the exact same time. That made twice now.
Eula looked at me and opened her mouth, but I raised a finger to my lips.
"Shh."
She folded her arms. "Hmph."
All right. I'd gotten away with it this time.
"You two really do look good together," Amber said.
"Drop it, Amber."
"Okaaay."
This time, Eula had silenced her for me.
Since Lumine had been the last one to answer, she took the bottle and spun it next.
It turned and turned until the neck pointed at Eula and the other end settled on me.
Damn it.
Eula smirked.
I was a little scared.
"Since I hardly know you, I'll start with this. You'd better answer honestly. Why do you seem so different? You don't carry yourself like someone from Mondstadt, and you don't move like a knight either. Where were you trained?"
I understood what she meant. A build like mine wasn't exactly common around Mondstadt.
I normally looked people in the eye when I answered them. With Eula, all that confidence deserted me. My gaze kept slipping away as I spoke.
"You're right. I'm not from Mondstadt. I wasn't always built like this either. I trained until I got here. I guess I stand out more than I thought."
Eula studied my answer for a moment. I could tell she was still suspicious, but there wasn't much she could do about it for now.
"That's a little prejudiced, don't you think, Eula?" Amber cut in, sounding offended on my behalf.
"Hmph. It was only a question."
"No harm done. Curiosity is something I respect."
And I meant it. I was a curious person myself, after all.
"If you say so..." Eula replied, a hint of mockery in her voice.
It got on my nerves. Somehow, that only made her more attractive.
Without giving it much thought, I spun the bottle.
Around and around it went.
When it finally stopped, the neck pointed at me and the other end at Eula.
My turn. Round two.
"All right, Eula. I'd like an honest answer, if possible. If you had to associate yourself with one of the sins, which would it be?"
The question caught her off guard. I already knew most of the things anyone else might ask about Eula. I wanted to ask about the parts I didn't know.
"Hmph. I'm always honest. A sin, is it? For some reason, I'm not surprised you'd ask something like that." She thought for a moment. "Pride, I suppose. Being right matters less to me than refusing to bow."
My mouth fell open slightly.
I was impressed.
"That was a good answer. Thank you for being honest, Eula."
She looked ready to snap back, probably thinking I was mocking her, but the expression on my face made her stop.
"Hmph. Whatever."
Eula spun the bottle next. Its neck landed on Lumine, while the other end pointed at me.
Apparently, I wasn't getting a break tonight.
Lumine watched me in silence for a few seconds. She seemed to be choosing her question carefully.
"All right." She drew a breath. "If you had the chance to return to where you came from... would you, Kane?"
I suppose I had expected that question. I'd just assumed she would ask it when we were alone.
Eula raised her glass to her lips and glanced at me from the corner of her eye. Amber was waiting for my answer too.
"No."
The word escaped before I had a chance to think.
I saw my mother smiling across the dinner table. I remembered my father setting his newspaper aside to joke with me. The realization that I had barely thought about them since arriving here made my stomach turn.
"I mean..." I lowered my head and clasped my hands beneath the table. "I don't know."
Lumine tilted her head, waiting for me to explain.
"There are people I left behind." I took a deep breath. "People whose value I didn't understand while I was still with them. I want to stay here, but accepting that I may never see them again isn't easy either."
Lumine's expression softened. She said nothing, only nodded. I could tell she truly understood my answer.
I pulled the bottle toward me.
"I guess it's my turn to spin."
Eager to move away from the subject, I gave it a quick turn.
The bottle circled several times, slowed, and stopped.
Its neck pointed at Eula.
The other end pointed at me.
"You've got to be kidding me..." I muttered.
Amber and Lumine were both trying to hide their grins. I could see their smiles reflected in the glass as I stared down at the bottle.
I turned toward Eula. Looking into those beautiful eyes was still difficult. She took a sip from her glass and set it down with deliberate care. Rather than asking her question immediately, she studied me for a while. It probably wasn't long, but having her eyes on me was enough to make my head spin.
"What's wrong? Can't think of anything to ask?" I gave the words a teasing edge so she wouldn't notice how nervous I was.
I was far too vulnerable around her.
Eula folded her arms, closed her eyes, and turned her head slightly away from me.
"Hmph. There are plenty of things I could ask you. I was merely deciding which answer you might be capable of enduring."
"It can't be that frightening."
Right?
What could she possibly ask me? She could ask anything she wanted. Yes. Please, just ask. I wanted her to.
I needed to pull myself together.
She turned back with a faint smirk, looking as though she had lured me into a trap and left me helpless.
Her eyes were beautiful.
"Interesting choice of words." Her gaze traveled over me as she continued. "I heard you performed well against the dragon that tore through the city. You've killed more hilichurls than I can count, and you seem perfectly comfortable speaking with everyone else."
She paused, as though waiting before delivering the final blow.
"Then why do you start looking for the nearest escape route the moment you see me?"
My eyes darted away. It felt as if a thin line of sweat were running down my back. I swallowed before answering.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe it has something to do with you trying to kill me?"
Her brows drew together. Beside us, Lumine and Amber watched as though we were performing a play. I couldn't hear either of them breathe.
"I explained that it was a misunderstanding. I apologized as well."
"I know."
"Then why?"
I desperately wanted to look away, but I couldn't do that again. This time, I met her eyes.
"Because I care far more than I should about what you think of me."
"..."
"..."
Eula's lips parted slightly.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"You can have the rest of the answer next round." I slowly drew in a deep breath. Fuck, I was tense. Really tense.
"Hmph. Don't you place a little too much importance on my opinion?"
"Probably. I don't usually care what people think of me."
She picked up her glass and took another sip of wine.
"Still..." Her voice had lost some of its earlier bite. "Don't run the next time you see me. I don't appreciate people gossiping behind my back."
"O-okay."
This woman was dangerous.
I was grinning like an idiot.
"Should I take that as an order?"
She looked me directly in the eye again.
"Take it as a threat of vengeance."
Then she smiled. It was so faint I could have missed it, but I was certain I had seen it.
Amber and Lumine both looked as if they had been stun-locked. I gave Lumine a gentle nudge.
"You all right?"
She snapped out of her brief daze, looked back at me, and shook her head. She tended to grow quieter and more observant around people she didn't know.
Amber, meanwhile, couldn't stop grinning at Eula. Eula simply continued sipping her wine, long accustomed to Amber's behavior.
I stole another glance at her.
I want her.