Chapter Text
Skyla nervously adjusted her brand new red skirt adorned with all sorts of golden tricklets and embroidery. The maids had chosen to pair it up with her usual white blouse and sleek red suit.
Then there was the hat the servants insisted that she wear to protect her from the sun.
She fidgeted with its light blue flower ornaments a bit before finally settling her gloved hands onto her lap.
“Do we really have to do this?” Skyla sighed heavily, looking out through the carriage window.
“It’s a performance, remember? Until things settle down.” Diluc reassured from the seat across from her.
“I hate performances…” Skyla pouted slightly, grumbling underneath her breath.
Diluc turned back to her, his voice apologetic as his lips pressed into a small frown. “I’m sorry…that things turned out this way.”
Skyla stiffened slightly, turning away from the window to Diluc with a scrunched face. “Don’t be like that. I told you already, it’s not you or Kaeya’s fault that things turned out this way.”
“It’s my fault that you caught up in everything…and…”
The unspoken words lingered in the air, creating a heavy atmosphere.
Skyla exhaled out a long breath in exasperation, leaning forward from her seat and flicking Diluc’s forehead.
Diluc let out a quiet ‘ouch’, displaying some annoyance on his facial expression and then returned to his usual stoic face.
Skyla laughed at the sight. It was then that they heard a quiet set of knocks on the carriage door, drawing their attention to the carriage door.
“Master Diluc, Lady Skyla, we’re here.” The coachman said gently, subsequently opening the carriage door in full and bowing in front of them in the doorway.
Out of instinct, she got up at the coachman’s directions but was immediately stopped by Luc.
“Let me guide you down,” Diluc stepped forward and once he reached out the carriage he extended his hand out as a gesture to help her down from the carriage.
As she started to stand up from her seat, she noticed a small group of people that started to crowd near the carriage with curiosity brimming in their eyes.
She gulped nervously, her palms becoming sweaty with all this new attention and anxiety slowly bubbling up from within.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” Diluc’s eyes softened as he extended his hand out some more, palms upward in an open invitation.
She hesitated slightly, feeling even more pairs of eyes on her as she took his hand and stepped down from the carriage.
Silently she recalled the instructions her etiquette teacher gave:
“Shoulders back, head high and let yourself relax when you step out. Those with scrutinizing eyes will recognize even the smallest of stiff muscles.”
Which in turn made her tense up even more unfortunately during their practice runs.
And now?
It was the real thing.
“Don’t worry about anything. You’re always been a good actress, I’m sure you’ll do well.”
“But I feel like a fraud…an imposter.”
“You are our sister, a Ragnvindr, and no one can tell you otherwise.”
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, throwing her off balance as she frantically tried to keep her skirt down.
Diluc was immediately at her side, steadying her at once and calling for one of the servants to give chase to the hat that had flown off of her head.
With the headpiece now gone, she could see the crowd more clearly, sending her into a panic spiral as she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment at her blunder.
Her stomach curled as she internally chastised herself, she had only officially taken one step into the city and already she messed up.
Whispers in the crowd arose as Skyla slowly raised her face to continue with the ‘performance.’
Shoulders rolled back, head high-
“Is that Skyla?”
“It seems like it, I wasn’t sure with the hat, but now that it’s gone…”
“She looks so different!”
“She’s not dead! See, I was right!”
“Of course she isn’t dead, Master Diluc and Captain Kaeya already said that.”
“And the drunkards too!”
“But who knows! They could have just been covering things up, just like the whole memory loss thing-”
“BIG SISTER SKY!”
A chorus of high pitched voices made Skyla jump up before she nearly flew backwards, getting tackled at the knees and waist level.
Looking down, she found her face to face with several children of Mondstadt that she had become familiar with after returning home from her Teyvat travels.
Will and Jill bounced up and down as they clung to her skirt. “Big Sis, Big Sis! You’re back! We’re glad you’re okay. When can you go fishing and crab hunting with us at Falcon Coast again?”
“No! Big Sister Skyla is going to try my newest dishes! I made her Liyue food to celebrate her recovery,” Xi'er tugged Skyla’s right arm in admonition.
“Um, Skyla, how are you feeling? I heard mommy praying to Papa Toes so that you would get better quickly.” Lily shyly followed up from Skyla’s left side.
“If you’re all better, you can watch me pull that big sword out of the ground! I’m sure of it! I’ll get it out this time.” Young Arthur insisted, booming his voice amongst the group of children.
Skyla couldn’t help but chuckle at their enthusiasm to interact with her.
Eyes crinkled, she enveloped them in a big bear hug. “I missed you guys.”
The children snuggled up to her embrace, replying in their own way about how much they missed her as well.
“Are you back for real this time?” They called out, hope in their eyes.
She chuckled at their enthusiasm as she pulled back, staring at the group in front of her. “Yes, I’m back for real this time.”
“Milady, would you still like your hat? Or prefer to keep it off for the duration of your stay in the city?” Ada stepped up next to her master’s side.
“I think I’m good, but thank you Ada.” Skyla responded politely back.
“Understood, Milady.” The maid did a short bow, before stepping backwards with the hat neatly tucked into her arms.
At this gesture, a set of whispers blew through parts of the crowd.
“So it’s really true that she’s become a Ragnvindr now…”
“Hearing it was one thing, but seeing it really is another thing.”
“To be the younger sibling of the Captain and Dawn Winery Master, how lucky-”
“Um hmph!” An elder’s voice pierced through the chorus of voices, settling down the conversations in the crowd. “Come now dear, tis a joyous occasion for you to have fully recovered.”
Grandpa Opa stepped forward with his cane in hand, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled over. “Hi Sky, how’s our little girl doing?”
“I’m doing great, thank you all for the get-well gifts. I’m feeling much better now. The Church as well as the family doctor gave me the go to freely roam around.” Skyla smiled warmly, giving him a hug in return.
Grandpa Opa chuckled, pinching her lightly on the cheek and stepping back. “Welcome back, dear. You don’t know how many of us were awaiting your return.”
Some of the children gave way for the elder to loop his arm around Skyla’s, but chose to stay close by her presence.
For the next hour or two as they walked through the town, it was a rush of emotions and adrenaline.
“Skyla darling! You’re here! I’ve got some of your favorite snacks ready to go.”
“Floral Wreaths always looked good on you darling. Take one, actually two.”
“Ah, take this nearly made sword. Your brothers coordinated with me on its weight distribution. This claymore, bow and shield as well. All custom made.”
“Sky, sky! Here are some candies my parents and I made for you!”
“Take these butterflies dearie, I’m sure they’ve been great for your greenhouse garden.”
“A carrier pigeon! This one is the prettiest, for a pretty lady such as you.”
“Smoothies on the house! And in a to-go reusable container for future uses!”
To say Skyla was overwhelmed was an understatement. She watched the Dawn Winery servants help carry the steady increase of gifts that landed in her arms.
Trinkets, jewelry, clothes, food, household items, ornaments, room decorations, etc.
To be honest, it felt like she was part of a moving banquet with how the city folks were guiding her on a specific path while showering her with all sorts of gifts.
She looked at Diluc in disbelief, wondering how much of this was planned by him and Kaeya.
As soon as their eyes met in the sea of people, his eyes softened and he gave a small smile as he silently mouthed a set of words.
‘You are loved.’
And it took all of her willpower to not crumble into a million pieces right then and there.
“Milady, please keep walking, there are others waiting for you.” Ada quietly whispered, gently nudging her master along.
“O-Of course,” Skyla hurriedly sped up her pace with the folks around her so that they wouldn’t notice anything was off.
S-She was most definitely not tearing up.
Nope.
Not at all.
Skyal took a sharp breath in, trying to hold in all the rolling emotions swirling around her chest as countless others kept piling on with the gifts.
What did she do to deserve them and their kindness?
Swallowing hard, she put up a bright smile while being ushered from place to place within the walls of Mondstadt.
That is until…
“Ah, there you are. Took you long enough.”
Skyla’s eyes went wide as they arrived at a familiar looking Knights Headquarters and its patio was all set up for an outdoor party. The people that trailed behind her didn’t seem to be phrased by this development, seamlessly transitioning from the mini parade to the lively party setting.
“What is all this?” She turned to Kaeya for an explanation with a raised eyebrow. “You told me today was just going to be a normal outing. This is definitely not normal…”
Kaeya smirked slightly, placing his hand on top of her head. “A welcome back to Mondstadt and…”
“BIG SISTER!”
Skyla nearly got knocked back as Klee practically leaped into her arms out of nowhere.
“Whoa there, Klee. She may be fully recovered, but we should still be careful and treat her as gently as possible.” Albedo warned as he offered to take his sister from Skyla’s arms.
The little youngster whined as she buried herself further into Skyla’s arms and clung on even harder.
“Klee, you might want to be on the gentler side. I’m happy that Sky’s back as well, but we must take caution too.” Sucrose followed up, her forehead crinkled up in worry alongside Albedo.
“Lupical still not okay?”
Skyla nearly jumped in place to suddenly see Razor at her side, which sent the boy into a panic the moment he saw her in distress.
“Oh my dear little wolfie,” Lisa chipped in and gave him a reassuring head pat. “Skyla’s all better now, don’t you worry. We just want to have her take it easy for now.”
“Really?” Razor’s eyes shone with worry and hesitance, leaving Skyla at an impasse before ultimately deciding to pull him into a hug as well.
“What’s with all the commotion and teary eyes here? With the way that things currently stand, it looks as though we’re doing a farewell party instead of a welcome ceremony.” Eula curtly said as she walked up to the group with a frown.
“Eula, I think Klee and Razor just need a little bit of reassurance.” Amber said with her hands on her hips. “And honestly, I think I need one too. The last month was so chaotic and I barely got to see you.”
“Sky, I’m going to hug you after those two are done. And don’t you dare run away from it!” Amber pouted a bit.
“And I would like to be the third if that’s alright.”
“Jean!” Skyla smiled brightly at the Acting Grandmaster and the deaconess walking up together. “It’s been a while since I last saw you.”
“Barbara’s told me a great deal about the progress of your health, but it is good to see it with my own eyes.” Jean scanned the young adventurer from head to toe in search of injuries before letting out a sigh of relief.
“Barbara’s done an amazing job taking care of me,” Skyla gave one last quick hug to Razor and handed over Klee to Albedo. “You’re incredibly lucky to have such an amazing and talented sister.”
“Awww, you don’t need to say such a thing.” Barbara stole a quick hug from the adventurer, the deaconess melting the moment she was able to relax into her friend’s arms. “I’m just glad you were able to recover and get back on your feet.”
Skyla chuckled. “With the way you and Rosaria were constantly hovering over me? How could I not recover? Speaking of Rosie, is she here too?”
“Yeah, she’s just getting scolded by Sister Victoria at the moment.” Barbara directed their attention to a table on the outskirts of the patio.
Rosaria seemed to notice their stares, looking back momentarily and for a split second locked eyes with the young adventurer. She grunted briefly, then threw a small wave at Skyla as Sister Victoria continued on with the scolding session.
Noelle seemed to have noticed the commotion and joined into the conversation, trying to placate Sister Victoria to no avail.
“Looks like they are a bit occupied at the moment,” Lisa tilted her head to the side.
It was at that moment that they heard someone clear their throat and found that Diluc had joined the conversation.
“Pardon for the interruption, but we’ll need to do the announcement soon while we still have everyone here.” Diluc politely intervened, offering his right arm for Skyla to loop around.
She looked confusingly at the gesture, but did so nevertheless and seamlessly linked up her left arm with his right.
“Ah, so it's finally time.” Kaeya giggled brightly with anticipation brimming in his eyes as he walked alongside them to the stone staircase leading up to the Knights Headquarters front doors.
Like the esteemed gentlemen he presented to the public, he offered out his left hand to her.
Wordlessly, she placed her right hand on top of his, not knowing what was fully in store but going along with whatever plan seemed to have been formulated by the boys.
Some people in the crowd seemed to have noticed their movement though, her eyes hot on her back as Kaeya held their hands relatively high enough for everyone to see as they traversed the patio and up to the top of the stairs.
Skyla did a quick glance of the crowd and found that there were also some nobility invited to this party as well, particularly scrutinizing the trio’s movements.
Though she supposed that was normal.
Diluc and Kaeya were brilliant…dazzling…
They shone as the brightest and most coveted jewels of Mondstadt.
Jewels that now placed their entire focus on her.
Jewels that picked up a mere orphan and tried everything to shield her from harm.
Jewels that picked up a mere glass pebble to join them.
Sure, she had become polished by the sands of time and rough water currents of life.
But she was still just a pebble at the end of the day
A
Shiny.
Glassy.
Pebble.
How could she stand next to them? Proud and tall?
Suddenly, a small squeeze on her right hand brought her back to reality.
Kaeya was no longer holding it high for the world to see, but their hands were still linked as they stood on the top of the stairs.
He shone a bright and encouraging smile to her.
Ah, shoot. Were my thoughts too transparent? Did anyone else in the crowd notice?
As panic started to settle in, she felt Kaeya squeeze their hands two times in succession.
‘It is ok’
‘It is alright’
‘We will take care of everything’
‘You can count on us’
Diluc was then given a wine glass and spoon from a nearby Dawn Winery servant, gently tapping the spoon to the wine glass to gain everyone’s attention.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming to this get-together celebrating Skyla’s full recovery.” Diluc’s voice reverberated throughout the patio.
Kaeya then stepped forward, “I’m sure the majority of you all have already heard of the following announcement by word of mouth, but we’ll like to make an official announcement today in light of Skyla’s full recovery.”
“Years ago, Skyla’s adoptive older sister, Petra Silva, the other half of the once widely known ‘Forest Sisters’ amongst Mondstadt’s Adventurer Guild, sadly passed away due to illness.” Diluc solemnly voiced out. “Unbeknownst to the public and Skyla, prior to Petra’s passing, it was amicably decided that she would entrust her younger sister’s safety to Kaeya and me.”
“It was a painful time, we were simply acquaintances to Sky. So back then we had simply decided to help you from afar.” Diluc turned to Skyla with a heavy expression. “Before we knew it, you had already decided to go beyond the walls of Mondstadt. On a journey to help others and prevent similar tragedies that were bestowed on your elder sister.”
Diluc looked at Skyla with remorse. “We should have been more forward and forthcoming about the circumstances. By the time we realized our mistake and you had returned to Mondstadt, you were already grown up.”
“And you ended up being the one helping us all the time,” Kaeya tagged in while chuckling awkwardly. “In the Cathedral, in the Orphanage and in the Knights of Favonius.”
“Before we knew it, you were intertwined with our lives - whether or not it was paperwork, monster subjugation or regular everyday mundane stuff like hanging out for lunch.” Kaeya’ eye twinkled as he began swinging their linked hands a bit.
Diluc followed up with his own quote. “And the same can be said for my end, your assistance in the Dawn Winery, your brilliance at Angel Share with customers and your paperwork help at the Wine Guild. You have become an irreplaceable person in our lives.”
“I think your sister knew even back then, that as much as we would protect you in her stead, you would be able to help us just as much.” Diluc raised his glass slightly. “And I’m grateful to have met you in this lifetime.”
“From this day forward, with everyone here as a witness, let it be known that Skyla Rowan is the newest member of the Ragnvindr Clan.” Diluc raised his glass to the air. “A toast to Kaeya and I’s newest adopted family member, our dear younger sister, Skyla Rowan! Cheers!”
“Prost!”
“Cheers!”
“As I mentioned to you before, as the current head of this household, I grant you the surname of Ragnvindr.” Diluc linked his free hand with Skyla, giving a reassuring squeeze. “But I also respect your decision of retaining your birth name and honoring Petra, who has been a dear friend of mine.”
“But know this - from this moment onward you have the freedom to utilize that surname at any point of time. Because in my heart, the surname does not matter, at the end of the day - you are family . And you are my precious younger sister and I’ll make sure to treasure you as much as Petra did.” Diluc declared loudly and proudly.
Cheers and clapping were heard from the crowd, some of their friends tearing up at the heartfelt speech.
“To the new Lady of the Dawn Winery!” Kaeya raised his glass as well, spurring the crowd onward. “And the newest sister of the Cavalry Captain!”
“To Lady Skyla!”
Abruptly, all the wind chimes in the area chimed a new melody into the already festive atmosphere and a sea of dandelion seeds floated onto the patio area.
“It’s the Anemo Archon!”
“They must approve the new arrangement!”
“Wow! To have our Archon’s blessings! This is a historic day!”
“Bravo! To the newest Ragnvindr!”
“To the newest Ragnvindr! Prost!”
Skyla couldn’t help but smile at the people’s newfound enthusiasm, even the nobles that looked unsure before were now fascinated by the turn of events.
Her eyes trailed over to a certain bard happily kicking his feet in the air while sitting on the concrete railings that overlooked the rest of the city.
Kaeya grinned widely as well, happily ruffling his sister’s neatly made hair. “Venti, would you mind kicking off this celebration with your brand new song to thank our dear Anemo Archon?”
“But of course! Only the finest music for our dear Skyla!” Venti summoned his harp and winked at the girl before singing in tune with the wind chimes and taking center stage at the event. “To the newest Ragnvindr! Prost!”
Skyla sighed at the sight, nervous chills running all over her body.
Ah, so it's really started huh? This grand performance of being a Ragnvindr.
Well…shit.
Foodcrumbs/Author Note:
So one thing of note I want to say is to pay close attention to Skyla’s dressing style throughout the entire act 2 especially ^-^ there will be a lot of symbolism tied to that and how it changes over time, reflecting her state of mind and the various influences on her.
But basically from act 2 onward I’m hoping you’ll be able to see her growth parallel her outfit style.
In this chapter, I chose the rose template and a generally red outfit, but fits/tinges of blue as hair accessories.
I’m not sure if what I’m saying makes sense 😅 but basically for this chapter it's almost like she’s “painted red” or rather her own personal self is being ‘overwritten’ by the signature red of the Ragnvindr clan - seeing how their signature red hair is passed down from generation to generation.
As for why there are only spots of blue, I personally see it as spots of Kaeya’s influence, because he’s still an Alberich. But they decided to bestow her the Ragnvindr name because of the significance of the clan in Mondstadt’s history and to utilize it as a means of protection for her.
But yes, something to consider is, in their(Diluc & Kaeya’s) attempt to bring her under their wings of protection & under the Ragnvindr Clan’s protection - her previous self image is completely overwritten/overshadowing what she once had/was.
You can see that her previous color palette of white & black -> referencing Ch76 character wiki:
For example, if you looked at her original outfit. Skyla had a tendency to wear a white blouse that allowed for lots of arm movement and then a loose coat/hoodie over it.
In my opinion, as an adventurer, she wanted an outfit that was fit for combat and allowed her as much movement as possible.
Chapter 12 - The girl wore a sleeveless white blouse, black workout hoodie, knee-high boots and brown shorts accompanied by black leggings.
Chapter 6 - Half of the Tarven seemed to be surprised at the arrival of the young adventurer, perhaps because her height made her appear as if she was a young teenager in a bar. She was wearing her casual adventurer get up: Knee-high boots, brown shorts accompanied by black leggings, and a hooded jacket over a pale blouse.
Her knee-high boots were inspired by Amber’s outfit. Brown shorts were inspired from Bennet’s outfit. And I gave her leggings because I figured she wanted something that covered her legs in the wilderness for her adventuring lifestyle. But also because I thought it would look good 😅
The hooded jacket originated from the first OC template, but later I decided to incorporate it as a means of showing that Skyla’s dream abilities and witnessing other worlds influenced her clothing style. Specifically, it introduced ‘modern-like’ clothing to her fashion style because she was used to seeing it in her dreams. If you notice, this hooded jacket does not really match the rest of Mondstadt’s fashion style.
Interviewer: Interesting, was there any additional reasoning to her outfit choice? Like often at school we learn that coloring in a book scene is important. For example, ‘the curtains are blue because the character is feeling sad.’
Author: Yes. Originally I did think of giving her a red outfit because back in 1.2 update when genshin was still young, a lot of the Pyro characters had splashes of red in some kind on them. Diluc with his hair and gem, Amber with the entire outfit, Xiangling’s red highlights on her outfit. I had originally planned on following this pattern, but ultimately decided against it when reading commentary on it 😅
Also Bennet did not have as much red on his outfit, he was the exception at the time.
But ultimately I decided to go with color schemes that had symbolic meaning. If you read the manga (https://genshin.hoyoverse.com/en/manga) and also walk around the city of Mondstadt, you notice that the NPC characters of Mondstadt had a general ‘format’ of sorts.
For example, a lot of them had light brown hair and monotone clothing. Often black and white. I believe this was done for simplicity's sake for the most part, but also for general plot reasons.
If you think about our stories or anime or comics, a lot of times the protagonists had color schemes that are bright or they stand out in some sort of way. We the audience know who the protagonists are automatically by how their colors stand out against everyone else.
When we step into Mondstadt, Diluc has bright red hair & a noble outfit, Kaeya has blue hair and a flashy peacock outfit, Amber’s outfit is bright red from head to toe, Jean has turquoise palettes on her outfit as does Venti. We the audience know who are playable characters judging by their fashion colors, style, hair and being a Vision bearer.
But when we are introduced to Skyla in this story. She is the complete opposite. She has a dull Vision that she conceals. Her hair color is light brown , very much like the NPCs of Mondstadt, her colors are monochrome for the most part. She has a white blouse, a black hoodie jacket, black leggings, brown shorts, brown/black knee high boots. Her feather hair clip is white and hair ties are black.
She is meant to blend in with the background and the background characters . She was designed to look like a NPC . I did this deliberately. This is a reflection of her nature, her personality and her way of thinking.
On a side note the black and white layering in her outfit also reflects her philosophy - No one is truly just black or white, only shades of gray.
‘No one is truly just good or bad.’
There is not just right or wrong, everyone’s morals are shades of gray.
Even with an outfit change, we see once again that it's the colors of white or dull brown . (White Poncho during Dragonspine and Brown sweater when she meets Lumine after the Dragonspine incident) As if she was blending in with nature .
We see continuously throughout the story that other characters have noted this as well, that Skyla has a lack of self-identity, as though she is being eroded by everything or everyone else. She doesn’t think of herself as important and tries to help others through ‘behind the scenes.’ Never fully taking credit for her work.
But here is another thing to note. As the story progresses, colors start appearing on her. Her Vision is now Pyro red, her hair now has multiple color streaks of red, turquoise, gold. As she interacts with our main characters more, Diluc, Kaeya, Lumine -> she is slowly and steadily gaining a sense of self identity. Because these people are pushing to get to know the ‘real her.’
She is no longer ‘just a character’ in the story anymore. She is now ‘a character’ in the story. One that is forging her own future.
Alrighty! Back to regular foodcrumbs!
(Foodcrumb#1)
“Do we really have to do this?” Skyla sighed heavily, looking out through the carriage window.
“It’s a performance, remember? Until things settle down.” Diluc reassured from the seat across from her.
“I hate performances…” Skyla pouted slightly, grumbling underneath her breath.
….
Skyla laughed at the sight. It was then that they heard a quiet set of knocks on the carriage door, drawing their attention to the carriage door.
“Master Diluc, Lady Skyla, we’re here.” The coachman said gently, subsequently opening the carriage door in full and bowing in front of them in the doorway.
Out of instinct, she got up at the coachman’s directions but was immediately stopped by Luc.
“Let me guide you down,” Diluc stepped forward and once he reached out the carriage he extended his hand out as a gesture to help her down from the carriage.
As she started to stand up from her seat, she noticed a small group of people that started to crowd near the carriage with curiosity brimming in their eyes.
She gulped nervously, her palms becoming sweaty with all this new attention and anxiety slowly bubbling up from within.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” Diluc’s eyes softened as he extended his hand out some more, palms upward in an open invitation.
She hesitated slightly, feeling even more pairs of eyes on her as she took his hand and stepped down from the carriage.
This is an important part of the performance the trio are putting up here. Skyla is not used to the noble life and certainly not as one of the 3 big families of Mondstadt. We see here that she’s used to just scrolling into Mondstadt, she isn’t used to riding a carriage into Mondstadt.
The carriage is a symbol of status, power, wealth.
And we see that out of instinct she just wants to leave the carriage regularly. But Diluc reminds her subtly that to establish her position as a Ragnvindr and as a noble lady, she’s to be escorted down from a carriage.
Not to mention it is DILUC that is doing it, not just a regular servant or worker. This places the power and status onto her as someone that makes the head of the family work FOR HER and is a show of affection/doting on her.
“Don’t worry about anything. You’re always been a good actress, I’m sure you’ll do well.”
“But I feel like a fraud…an imposter.”
“You are our sister, a Ragnvindr, and no one can tell you otherwise.”
I think it’s pretty obvious which of the brothers said the first sentence, but its hinted here by the tone that it’s Kaeya saying this to her. Skyla’s replying to him. And then Diluc is the one that replying to Skyla as in my belief Kaeya doesn’t fully see himself as a Ragnvindr.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, throwing her off balance as she frantically tried to keep her skirt down.
Diluc was immediately at her side, steadying her at once and calling for one of the servants to give chase to the hat that had flown off of her head.
With the headpiece now gone, she could see the crowd more clearly, sending her into a panic spiral as she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment at her blunder.
Her stomach curled as she internally chastised herself, she had only officially taken one step into the city and already she messed up.
Whispers in the crowd arose as Skyla slowly raised her face to continue with the ‘performance.’
Shoulders rolled back, head high-
“Is that Skyla?”
“It seems like it, I wasn’t sure with the hat, but now that it’s gone…”
“She looks so different!”
“She’s not dead! See, I was right!”
“Of course she isn’t dead, Master Diluc and Captain Kaeya already said that.”
“And the drunkards too!”
“But who knows! They could have just been covering things up, just like the whole memory loss thing-”
“BIG SISTER SKY!”
A chorus of high pitched voices made Skyla jump up before she nearly flew backwards, getting tackled at the knees and waist level.
So I’m not sure if its obvious here, but the one who blew her hat away was Venti LOLLLLL
There are two reasons why this happens. One is that Venti was trying to make it easier for the crowd to recognize Skyla, by taking away her hat.
The second reason is due to the Pratfall Effect, it’s something psychologists found out a while back:
https://www.einsteinmarketer.com/pratfall-effect-marketing/#What_is_the_Pratfall_Effect
What is the Pratfall Effect?
The pratfall effect explains that when we see somebody that we hold in high esteem make a mistake or error, they appear even more likeable.
Equally, when we see somebody that we don’t hold in high esteem make an error or mistake, we like them even less.
The pratfall effect can be transferred over into brands who occasionally make mistakes, or sell products that aren’t deemed perfect.
Skyla was someone who was already held in high regard by the populace of Mondstadt, and suddenly she’s elevated even further up by her new status as a Ragnvindr. This makes her appear even farther away, distant from the average person compared to before.
But the moment she makes this mistake/blunder and trips on the way down, she appears more humane, more human like, more like them and someone relatable and someone’s their familiar with.
It’s like, oh she’s a Ragnvindr, but she’s stll the same Skyla we known all along.
And her blunder is instead seen as something cute, adorable and someone they want to protect instead of someone to reverend.
(Foodcrumb#2)
“BIG SISTER SKY!”
A chorus of high pitched voices made Skyla jump up before she nearly flew backwards, getting tackled at the knees and waist level.
Looking down, she found her face to face with several children of Mondstadt that she had become familiar with after returning home from her Teyvat travels.
Will and Jill bounced up and down as they clung to her skirt. “Big Sis, Big Sis! You’re back! We’re glad you’re okay. When can you go fishing and crab hunting with us at Falcon Coast again?”
“No! Big Sister Skyla is going to try my newest dishes! I made her Liyue food to celebrate her recovery,” Xi'er tugged Skyla’s right arm in admonition.
“Um, Skyla, how are you feeling? I heard mommy praying to Papa Toes so that you would get better quickly.” Lily shyly followed up from Skyla’s left side.
“If you’re all better, you can watch me pull that big sword out of the ground! I’m sure of it! I’ll get it out this time.” Young Arthur insisted, booming his voice amongst the group of children.
The NPC Children of Mondstadt:
https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Lily
Lily is an open-world NPC in the City of Mondstadt. She can be found with her father Rudolf inside the Favonius Cathedral while her mother Jilliana is praying at another part of the room (06:00 – 19:00).
https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Arthur
Arthur is an open-world kid NPC located outside the north exit of the City of Mondstadt. He is always staring at a sword stuck into the ground.
https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Xi%27er
Xi'er is an open-world kid NPC in the City of Mondstadt.Following a certain dialogue branch for the first time gives the player four Black-Back Perch Stews.
https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Will
Will is an open-world NPC kid in Mondstadt. He can be found with Jill at Falcon Coast during daytime (06:00 – 19:00). They want to play with Dr. Edith at Windrise but are trying to get away from Mack, a Knight of Favonius who is keeping watch over them wherever they go. Following a certain dialogue branch for the first time gives the player four Fish.
(Foodcrumb#3)
“Are you back for real this time?” They called out, hope in their eyes.
She chuckled at their enthusiasm as she pulled back, staring at the group in front of her. “Yes, I’m back for real this time.”
“Milady, would you still like your hat? Or prefer to keep it off for the duration of your stay in the city?” Ada stepped up next to her master’s side.
“I think I’m good, but thank you Ada.” Skyla responded politely back.
“Understood, Milady.” The maid did a short bow, before stepping backwards with the hat neatly tucked into her arms.
At this gesture, a set of whispers blew through parts of the crowd.
“So it’s really true that she’s become a Ragnvindr now…”
“Hearing it was one thing, but seeing it really is another thing.”
“To be the younger sibling of the Captain and Dawn Winery Master, how lucky-”
This was a deliberate move on Ada’s part, reestablishing Skyla’s new status again
“Um hmph!” An elder’s voice pierced through the chorus of voices, settling down the conversations in the crowd. “Come now dear, tis a joyous occasion for you to have fully recovered.”
Grandpa Opa stepped forward with his cane in hand, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere that had settled over. “Hi Sky, how’s our little girl doing?”
“I’m doing great, thank you all for the get-well gifts. I’m feeling much better now. The Church as well as the family doctor gave me the go to freely roam around.” Skyla smiled warmly, giving him a hug in return.
Grandpa Opa chuckled, pinching her lightly on the cheek and stepping back. “Welcome back, dear. You don’t know how many of us were awaiting your return.”
Grandpa Opa is an OC from Ch70 that comforted Kaeya over Skyla’s death and coma status (https://archiveofourown.info/works/31631882/chapters/128934073)
He’s here to remind them that even though she’s a noble now, she’s still the person they’ve knew and to treat her with respect as a person instead of a spectacle
(Foodcrumb#4)
For the patio scene, I tried to include as many playable Mondstadt characters as possible but also tried to keep it realistic because it felt weird if everyone was there.
Also there are some relationships we don’t fully know the extent of. For example DIona and Fischl, we haven’t really seen in this story interact with Skyla yet. I do have some voicelines in mind for Skyla’s About Fischl, and they are aware of each other and are friends. But since it’s not in the story yet any official interactions between them to the audience, I thought it would be better if I left their interaction for a future onscreen
(Foodcrumb#5)
I think overall the last scene was the most difficult part of this chapter
Mostly because it was a lot of ‘performing’. For example the way that Diluc and Kaeya linked themselves up with Skyla while walking up to the staircase, they side by side with her in order to establish that THEY are the ones giving her authority, her status, her position in society.
And that if anyone tries to harm her, they will have to go through THEM in the future.
With the hand squeezes part, I always imagined it as a sibling thing where I’ve heard a lot of times that with small gestures, particularly repeated ones, its almost like a secret messaging system between siblings. Like a glance or a specific action tends to mean or generally mean a certain phrase or it could just be their way of reassuring each other silently when under the gaze of others.
XD I’ve heard it happens often between siblings when being scolded under parents
In this case, it’s more like silently reassuring Skyla while under the gazes of the population
And finally the speeches that Diluc and Kaeya say are very carefully worded, it took me a couple of times to decide what should be said. Ultimately it was a way of establishing the ‘public story’ on why they were so close with Skyla, how their relationship formed, is it platonic or romantic relationship. Why did they care so much about her? And why is she ‘part’ of the family but didn’t have a last name change? B
But they had to do all of the above in a positive, professional controlled fashion to not stir up more rumors and to properly establish her position in Mondstadt society now
so some of you guys may have noticed that their speeches were a little incorrect or 'embellished' or 'flowery' - yes, that is true, comparing act 1 to this chapter will reveal that. but it was part of the trio's plan in putting up a good public image. not to say they dont care about skyla, they do, but XD knowing the boys, they usually aren't this forthcoming with their feelings
(Foodcrumb#5)
“Prost!”
https://blog.fluent-forever.com/cheers-in-german/
Easily the most common way of saying cheers in German, prost is an expression that means “to life” or “to health.” (It also rhymes with toast!)