Chapter Text
The air in Mondstadt, Thoma mused, was always somehow sweeter.
It wasn’t home. Not anymore. But taking a lungful of that crisp air – air that reminded him so much of the early morning dew that clung to the maple leaves in Inazuma – the scent eased his troubled heart. Even if for only a moment.
It had only been a week since Thoma got himself stranded here. He'd been standing on the docks of Liyue Harbor, travel bag in hand and staring across the ocean that separated him from the land he now thought of as home as Kazuha and Bediou explained the situation in Inazuma. It had been two weeks since he’d been convinced not to cut his vacation short when he came across the Traveler and Paimon just outside of Good Hunter, right before the two of them were to travel back to Watasumi Island in order to help the legendary General Gorou with some trouble back home. And it had been three weeks since he’d returned home to the Kamisato estate to find his things already packed for him and a very concerned Lord Ayato and Lady Ayaka discussing his recent bout of homesickness.
Homesickness that they surely had only heard of through the grapevine. Or, more specifically, through Aether.
Thoma had never planned on taking this vacation so soon.
Sure, he’d longed to visit Mondstadt ever since the strange Traveler fumbled his way into Ritou with tales of his homeland on his tongue and the scent of dandelions and windwheel asters still clinging to his bizarre clothing. But it was a discomfort he was willing to shoulder at least until the turmoil within Inazuma had been resolved. Until the disquiet amongst the Tri Commission had calmed itself.
He had not, of course, accounted for his Lord and Lady to be displeased with this selflessness. Or perhaps he had. But he’d always trusted that they’d not be privy to his longing to revisit his homeland until he was prepared to tell them.
He had not – as usual – been at all prepared for the consequences of Aether’s involvement.
The strange Traveler and his floating companion had a track record of getting involved where they didn’t need to and things working out for the better as a result. A track record that Lady Ayaka and himself had relied upon when pleading for the adventurer’s assistance in fighting the Vision Hunt Decree.
It was never a generosity the housekeeper had expected to be extended to the lengths of his own well-being. Certainly not insofar as to go behind his back and discuss his desires of visiting his homeland with the head of the Kamisato Clan.
He had, upon seeing the Traveler on the streets of Mondstadt in the middle of his vacation, felt momentarily grateful. The betrayal had melted away in lieu of his lightened heart, and he’d thanked the two he’d grown to think of as friends profusely for requesting of his Lord and Lady what he would never have been prepared to ask.
Even now, he couldn’t find it in his heart to blame the two; They did for him what they thought was best. There was no way for either Aether nor Paimon to know how things would play out before they did.
But now….
“Mister Thoma!” a voice called from behind the blond, lost as he was in thought with his broom motionless in hand.
“Oh!” Thoma eeked, turning in his place to watch as Hillie approached him from the entrance. “Yes?”
“Have you forgotten the time?” she huffs with a half smile. “It’s nearly time for breakfast! Were you wanting to prepare it yourself or were you planning on leaving it to us?”
“No, no, no!” Thoma laughs, tugging his broom along as he makes to re-enter the estate. “I’m on my way. Leave breakfast to me! It’s the least I can do.”
Right. Far be it for Thoma to forget that he was once again imbibing on the graciousness of another.
It wasn’t a turn of events he’d expected. When Kazuha and Bediou halted him on his attempts to return to Inazuma from Liyue Harbor, he thought he was stuck. With no Mora left to his name after two weeks of underprepared vacationing, the blonde housekeeper had stared out across the sea, feeling just as he had ten years ago when he’d washed up on Inazuma’s shores. Captain Bediou had explained to him what little she knew about the contraband and illegal trading that had been taking place in Inazuma. Illegal activities that they had only become aware of within the last week, according to her.
“They’ve got some hot-shot detective on it, so I wouldn’t worry about it,” Bediou had tried to console him as Thoma sulked on the docks.
“You’re talking about Detective Heziou?” Thoma clarified, eyes unwavering from the distance as he spoke. “He should be able to figure it out fast. But, if it’s been deemed a big enough issue to block all travel to and from the islands, then surely there will be more to it than figuring out who’s in charge of the trade. And with Watasumi island involved, it’s likely going to require more than just the Tenryou Commission’s efforts to get the nation opened up again….”
Which was the truth, Thoma thinks. Even now, as he shuffles his way back into the mansion, he wonders how he could have assisted the Kamisato Clan during this crisis, were he there. How his help would have been a great asset, if only just in helping ease their stress.
“If you suspect it’s going to take some time,” Kazuha had offered, attempting to comfort the stranded man, “perhaps you should simply return to Mondstadt. At least there you may know of someone who can help you find a place to stay.”
Thoma hadn’t. Not really. Prior to these last few weeks, it had been ten years since he’d been in Mondstadt. He hadn’t even reached adulthood yet when he was there last. The only person he’d managed to reconnect with had been the now Acting Grand Master. And even then, Jean was always so busy. Even in youth, she was so diligent with any task appointed to her, she barely had time to spare for socializing. So, it had been awkwardly that Thoma had approached the official of Mondstadt, asking if she remembered him.
The two had shared a few nice meals during his visit, recounting stories of times long gone. But when Thoma returned to the city a second time, it wasn’t with the childhood friend that he found help from, but instead a simple bard.
“So you’re stuck here, huh?” Venti had pouted after Thoma had explained – at length – over his glass of dandelion wine his woes. A single glass had been about all he’d felt comfortable splurging on with his limited Mora, but the empathetic bard exclaimed with a saddened expression that he’d be covering the long-lost local’s tab for the night.
“Guess so,” Thoma had sighed, swirling the bright liquid in the glass. He’d never been much of a drinker, but even he had to admit that his father’s favorite beverage was something of a treat to the senses. And – if the drunken bard had anything to say about it – it looked like Thoma was to treat his senses especially well that night. “It could be just a few weeks or it could be a few months before the ban is lifted. But, until it is, I should probably find a way to take care of myself until I can return to Inazuma.”
Thoma hadn’t really thought to bring much with him on his trip. Honestly, Thoma hadn’t had to think about much of anything regarding his trip. The head of the Kamisato Clan had basically planned the whole thing out for him behind his back. Thoma had plenty of Mora set aside from his job as head housekeeper, but when worry finally gave way to excitement, packing enough Mora for more than two week’s stay had been the last thing on the blond’s mind.
“Well,” Venti had chirped, in light of Thoma’s despondency, “luckily for you, I happen to know of a certain stingy bartender with a lot of connections!” The bard’s sly grin slowly shifted over towards the bartender that Thoma had not spent much time acknowledging. “What do you say, Master Diluc? Got any ideas of where our stranded friend might make some Mora?”
The bartender hadn’t struck Thoma as particularly familiar. The name sounded like something he’d heard in years past, but through the haze of wine, he fumbled to recall where from.
“That depends,” Diluc eventually relented from the other side of the bar table. “What is it that you normally do for work?”
Thoma had found himself hesitating at the question. Having never thought he’d have to pitch himself for a job ever again, he struggled to find a way to explain his skill set. “Well,” he started, “I can do just about anything. I’m a fighter and a quick learner. But, in Inazuma, I work as a housekeeper for the Kamisato Clan.”
Diluc’s eyebrows raised. “A housekeeper?”
“Head… housekeeper….”
The words had fallen from his lips with a strange sense of nervousness. As if, here in the land of freedom, the title he had always been so proud of could mean less than nothing.
But the man on the other side of the counter didn’t seem to share those same concerns. Eyes wide and fist pressed to his chin, the redhead let out a low hum. “What a coincidence….”
That night, after the tavern had closed, Thoma – admittedly too drunk and desperate to think better of it – followed the red headed bartender down a familiar path. With the promise of explanation at the end of it.
Thoma hadn’t really predicted it would lead to where he now stands, cooking breakfast in the middle of Dawn Winery's kitchen.
“Oooh,” a now familiar voice chirped from the doorway. “What smells so good in here?”
“One of the merchants in Liyue had tofu in stock, so I decided a classic Inazuman breakfast of miso and omelet rice would be a good start to Master Diluc’s day off,” Thoma proudly announced.
“Is there enough for us?” Moco hesitantly asked, peering around his shoulder at the still simmering soup.
“Of course!”
That’s right. It had been nearly a week since Master Diluc had offered him a temporary job, filling in for his head housemaid during her maternity leave. And today marked the second morning since he’d fully taken on the position after Adelinde reluctantly admitted he was qualified to take her place.
It had been a… challenging training regime to say the least. Thoma was and still is confident in the skills he’d acquired while looking after the Kamisato estate. Cleaning and tending to the duties of a household were basically second nature to him at this point. But on top of Adelinde’s high standards, she also had a very particular way of doing things.
And a lot of additional responsibilities she’d taken on herself.
Thoma himself had handled many duties in the Kamisato house, but much of them he had taken on of his own accord. Behind the scenes. His Lord and Lady had been more than pleased even back when he stuck strictly to matters pertaining to housekeeping. It was of his own volition and sense of loyalty that he chose to start taking up additional duties to help the Kamisato Clan and Yashiro Commission.
Thoma had wondered, distantly as he'd watched Adelinde accept yet another letter from one of Diluc’s “sources” on the day before she was meant to leave, if Adelinde’s additional responsibilities are borne out of a similar sense of loyalty.
“Unless given permission directly from Master Diluc, you are not permitted to open or look through any of his documents. Do you understand?” Adelinde had warned him in a low tone. And Thoma nodded. “You place important documents on his desk and other than informing him of their presence, you are to forget they ever existed.”
The message had been clear enough. That even though he was taking her place, an outsider could not be trusted to fulfill every role she played within the household.
But Thoma was nothing if not determined. He refused to let the job offered to him feel like it was charitably earned from unfortunate circumstances alone. When offered the job, Diluc had stressed that he needed to find a replacement soon. Adelinde was close to giving birth, and the pressure she’d put on the other maids to learn to take on her duties had already caused one to hand in her resignation.
“If Adelinde has her way, I will either lose my entire staff from the pressure she’s putting them under or this winery will become that child’s birthplace,” Diluc had confessed through a frustrated sigh. Making it clear how quickly the role needed to be filled.
And Thoma refused to let the absence of his trusted head housemaid cause the master of the house stress. Not when he was the one filling the role.
Even if he had to earn that trust before he could help any more than he was.
Thoma had never been the type to hold back in returning the favor of another. He hadn’t when Lord Ayato offered him the position of head housekeeper of the Kamisato estate. And now – in a situation so very similar to the kindness he’d been shown then – how could Thoma be expected to do anything other than give it his all for the short time he’d be in the Dawn Winery’s care?
Even as his heart yearns for home, and even as he hopes every night to hear word that Inazuma’s borders have been reopened and he can finally return to the family he’d been taking care of, Thoma has committed to giving his temporary home and the temporary life he was given in Mondstadt his everything.
“Thoma,” Hillie catches his attention just as he’s pulling the food off the stove. “The table’s been set. Everything is ready.”
“Alright,” Thoma sighs, taking his apron off. “I’ll get everything to the table. Would you retrieve Master Diluc for me?” he asks with a nervous smile. The kind, he’s noticed, gives the young maid pause.
“Of course!” she chirps with a small bow. “I’ll bring the master right away. Excuse me.”
Thoma smiles after her, watching as she rushes out the door of the kitchen area, presumably to complete the task she was given. She, too, reminds Thoma of home in a way. Of the young housekeepers who he’d worked alongside over the years. They could be so hesitant at the start. But bonds form eventually, especially when everyone’s common goal is to take care of another.
“Okay! Let’s get breakfast to the table. Can’t start the day off without it!” Thoma narrates to himself, plucking up the energy in spite of his heavy heart and setting about the start of another day as head housemaid of Dawn Winery.