Catch

Catch

Apologies for the big wall of text. I don’t think cuts can be done in mobile…?

Scenario: You are the game champion of Ludi Harpastum and as per tradition, you will throw the titular Harpastum which grants the catcher a year of fortune and happiness.

Characters: Aether, Kaeya, and Bennett, (I don’t have enough confidence to write for the other guys at the moment, even though I literally wrote for Scaramouche. I might include Childe and Razor… Maybe. ?)

Enjoy!

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Aether

• He had gone to the 15-day festival on Venti’s recommendation. He had been feeling tired after parting ways with Zhongli and finding out that passage to Inazuma was not an option at the moment.
• So really, the festival was the best place to be at for now, even if it was putting his search for Lumine on hold.
• Honestly, Aether had been so frantic; so desperate to find his sister that he threw himself to every task and mission there was. But now he was tired; he seemed to have forgotten that even though he was from a different world and is, technically, a deity in his own right, he still had limits. He still needed to lay back and have some fun.
• Catching the Harpastum had been a complete accident. He was not even looking at the ball you threw. No, he was looking at the child who was crying because she had lost her mother. The Harpastum was, for some reason, flying towards his general direction and he had to catch it to protect the crying girl.
• To his surprise the crowd cheered when he caught the ball. Even the little girl, with her tear-stained face and shoulders wracked with sobs, found it in herself to clap for him. Venti, out of nowhere clapped his shoulder and mentioned something about how it was a catch fit for a song.
• The entire time, he was confused. If Paimon had not been lured away by food then he would have asked what the fuss was about.
• Thankfully, you climbed down the tall tower and met up with him as the last day of the Harpastum was about to come to a close. “You caught the Harpastum!”
• “Seems I did. Did you purposefully throw it to my general direction, though?”
• You chuckled. “Maybe… Maybe not.”
• “Why?”
• “Well… They say that whoever catches the Harpastum gets good luck the entire year. I thought you might need all the help you could get to find your sister.”
• Aether stopped. He had been to many worlds with Lumine, and the twins were, in their own rights, deities. He had met several kinds of people in the different worlds he had been to; some were good, some were bad, some were downright evil, and others were champions of justice.
• Every now and then he would meet a person like you; someone whose kindness made his heart melt. Putting the ball aside, he took your hands in his. His throat closed up and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was about to cry.

“Thank you. This means the world to me.”

Kaeya

• This year was like any other year; as per usual, the Knights of Favonius were keeping order in the festivities. It was a formality, of course. No Grand Master had ever imposed work on the days of Ludi Harpastum. For Kaeya though, the line between work and play was blurred and thin.
• He was fake-patrolling Mondstadt, passing by stalls with trinkets, food, flowers, wine, game, weapons, minerals, and other specialties of the City of Freedom. All of a sudden he received word that a certain treasure hoarder executive he had his eye on was last seen sneaking into the city a week ago. As much as he would have wanted to stay and watch the Harpastum be thrown, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
• The crowd was thick and densely packed, with some eager participants of the festival at the front, anticipating the moment you would throw the ball. Kaeya had his work cut out for him, but he easily spotted the treasure hoarder in the throng of people.
• So did you, actually. Given your high vantage point and Kaeya’s ostentatious garb, you could make the connection that he was fixing his gaze on one particular person. Perhaps you were spending too much time with Captain Alberich that you knew exactly what he was thinking?
• “Jean?” You called to the Acting Grand Master. “I might be doing a crime…”
• Before Jean could react, you had wound up your arm and threw the ball at the suspicious man. The crowd flocked to him as expected, making reaching him difficult but also confining him there.
• Kaeya let out a little chuckle to himself before, with all the grace of a cat, jumped into the crowd, caught the Harpastum and kicked his target in the face. It was such a beautiful display of skill and grace that the crowd forgave the fact that he had kicked a guy to unconsciousness.
• Once the man had been apprehended and you had climbed down the tower, you met up with him just as the decorative lanterns were lit up for the last time.
• “That was some scary ball-throwing. Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
• You laughed nervously. “I honestly didn’t think I’d make the throw.” Clearing your throat to gain some form of calm, you asked “Why go after the Harpastum though? It was mostly just… Crowd control.”
• Vulnerability was never something Captain Kaeya Alberich of the Knights of Favonius liked showing. He kept his heart under numerous layers, trying to keep it down.
• There were times however, when it just comes out. He tilts your chin upwards to meet his eye: the color of ice, but warm as the sun.

“Well… I wasn’t about to hand over your blessing to some bandit.”

Bennett

• He was not planning on actually participating in the ball-throwing. It had always been enough for him to watch from afar since something was bound to happen if he actually participated.
• As it was with previous celebrations of Ludi Harpastum’s last day, Bennett had planned on going on a mission out of the city just in case. Unfortunately for this year, the Guild was closed and all commissions would be resuming in the morning. When he tried to leave the premises via teleporter or the gates, the guards simply stopped him, saying that there was a suspected felon within the city, so all entry and exit was prohibited.
• Well, at least his famous unluckiness was still there.
• Ever the optimist, Bennett just tried to enjoy himself as much as he could, despite the mishaps that seemed to center around him.
• At the wine stall, Bennett accidentally knocked a tapper off when a running kid bumped into him. At one of the game stalls, he had missed his target, sent the toy arrow flying, and punched a hole in the tent’s roof. At a food stall, the stick of his meat and mushroom skewer was incredibly hot for some reason, and he dropped it on the ground.
• Bennett was used to these unfortunate events, but it always made him feel guilty when other people were affected by it. The subject of Benny’s Adventure Team was still a sore spot and he regrets it everyday. He had new friends now, yes, but that didn’t really change the fact that unfortunate things happened around him.
• Not wanting to affect the most important part of the Ludi Harpastum, Bennett climbed atop one of Mondstadt’s many windmills and watched the events unfold from there. He failed to notice that the streamer attached to the windmill’s awning was now loose from all the wind that buffeted it and all it took was Bennett’s outstretched arm to snap it.
• Now, had he been on one of the wooden upper balconies then there would have been no problem, but he had counted on it as purchase as he tried climbing onto the roof itself. The lack of sure footing and his sudden panic made Bennett hold onto the streamer, which he now realized was connected to the Barbatos statue where the throwing of the Harpastum would be, and in the next moment he was swinging towards the statue; right in the middle of the festivity.
• You were just about to throw the ball when a terrified scream reached your ears and the people on the ground started panicking, pointing, and gawking at Bennett who was holding onto a loose streamer for dear life. He had told you that he would be adventuring for the last day of Ludi Harpastum, but it seemed like that was not the case.
• Jean, who was beside you, immediately sprung to action as she cast her Anemo protection on Bennett and the Knights on the ground began dispersing the crowd.
• It took all of five minutes for Bennett to land safely and for you to meet up with him on the ground.
• “I’m sorry for ruining the Harpastum-throwing.”
• It broke your heart how defeated he looked right now. You have had your share of adventures with Bennett, and they never felt more dangerous than any regular adventure you had.
• Without waiting for anything else from Jean or the other Knights, you shoved the Harpastum to Bennett’s hands.
• The moment his fingers touched the ball, something lit up in his eyes and eventually died down until they shone with tears. You knew how seriously he took his… Predicament, but it was no reason for you to view it the same way.
• “There,” you beamed. “Now you’re lucky for a year.”
• Bennett’s smile went and exceeded the brightness of yours.

“What are you talking about? I’ve been lucky enough to meet you. And that’s good enough.”