crash against the barrier above the crowd

[ragnvindr]

[perhaps this mess was a long time in the making.

had it been an issue of a few resources that couldn't be accounted for during inventory, then it would have been a simple thing to pass over the matter. as it stands, diluc knows now that there have been things afoot in ragnvindr industries for years. his late father's death merely hastened things along.

previously, despite having the security clearance, he hadn't seen a need to review past quarter budgets. that was something his father delegated to others, and he'd taken after him in learning about other facets of the company. but now that he's seen the reports for himself and cross-referenced everything thoroughly, it's become extraordinarily clear that some of the spend for the science arm isn't adding up. diluc already didn't see eye to eye with the biotech branch. now, it seems, there's even more to pore over.

his own inexperience is a thorn in his side, an obstacle in negotiations and internal politics alike. if not for that, other board members and other executives wouldn't be breathing down his neck—wouldn't be striving to manipulate him for their own ends and prod the company in directions of their choosing. the list of people he can truly trust can be numbered with just one hand; if not for adelinde and elzer, his father's most trusted aides, he would have been outmaneuvered, consumed, and tossed aside long ago. in mondstadt, the city of freedom, a glittering metropolis with architecture rivaling even those of other technological powerhouses in teyvat, the list of possibilities is nigh uncountable.

all the more reason for something foul to be unfurling right under his nose. but he'd be damned if he simply allowed it to happen.

if it were simply about the money, it would be a non-issue. ragnvindr industries has a foothold in countless fields. a dip in the revenue would be something they could earn back with adjusted strategies and a close eye on the markets. but he's always known his father wasn't fond of the biotech branch, despite allowing it to expand. one or two throwaway incidents would be one thing, but a consistent pattern makes everything all the more questionable.

most of all, diluc remembers the day he'd ventured into the biotech wing of headquarters for the first time as a child. the glass doors, the sterile rooms. the boy he'd met in the isolated room at the farthest end of the winding corridors—the distinct hues of his eyes and the star-shaped pupils therein. his visits to kaeya over the years had always been a secret between the two of them. even after he was discovered and expressly forbidden from stepping foot there again by both his father and the research team head, it was simply an inevitability that diluc kept returning to see him.

back then, he hadn't had the authority to change things. but now, as the new ceo of ragnvindr industries, perhaps he holds enough sway that even the intractable executives overseeing the biotech branch will be forced to listen.

it's nearly two in the morning by the time he heads back to his room, tablet in hand, printed reports tucked under another arm. even the latest cup of coffee is wearing off when he arrives. all he can think to do is drop the reports on his desk, fling his tablet onto the foot of his bed, and move to deposit himself on the mattress as well, blazer be damned—

—only to realize there is, in fact, a familiar figure sprawled out on his bed.]

...Kaeya? What are you doing here?

[it's rare for kaeya to leave the biotech wing, much less sneak all the way to the residential building and into the penthouse.]