Order up!

[A man with fiery crimson hair tied up high and away from his neck calls out and slides a glass down the bar into a patron's waiting hand. They share a nod, and Diluc picks up a dishtowel from the bar top and flips it lightly over his shoulder, collecting a few glasses from the bar and setting them back for someone from the kitchen to collect.

It was busy earlier but now, near to the end of this shift, the bar is far quieter. Diluc has been keeping people entertained at various points in the last few hours, demonstrating tricks when making cocktails and recommending beverages based on the particular personal tastes of the customers. He hasn't been wrong yet.

He leans on the bar for a minute, taking a small break between one task and the next.

Fancy taking a moment to talk?

[The climb up had been... taxing, at best. Diluc had not enjoyed it and the spikes he had strapped around the soles of his boots for the ascent had only barely taken the edge off the constant threat of slipping. But there does come a point where, when you have pushed your way through chill that feels like it's going to freeze the skin off your face and half a flight of stairs that make your thighs burn with the effort of maintaining your balance, that a stubborn nature wins out.

He's determined to see this through, now.

Though he isn't really here to fight, Diluc is (as always) entirely prepared to do so. He stops at the top of the flight of stairs and turns a quick glance to his companion, puffing out a sharp exhale of air that mists in front of him.]

The next time I say something like this sounds like a good idea, remind me about those stairs. [Diluc straightens up with a grunt and rolls his shoulders, finally putting his full attention on their surroundings. Beyond the entrance at the top of the stairs, there's a...

Something that looks like a...

Diluc frowns.]

That looks like some kind of regisvine...

[Exploration gets him into trouble again, naturally, but thankfully what emerges out of the castle is not a mimic of Diluc that is intent on causing harm. In fact, the mimic looks a great deal like Diluc himself, with the same pale skin and crimson eyes, but there are... differences.

His hair is still bright red, but rather than being tied back it falls down to his mid-back in thick, loose curls. Instead of a mostly black outfit his clothing choice is accented with lighter shades. But it's the general aura about the man most of all. He seems less stern, less like he feels as if he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders - something that Diluc has never quite shaken entirely even for all the progress he has made through his time in Nippon.

One thing gives him away as a phantom without a doubt. A Pyro Vision in a Mondstadt setting hangs at his hip, but the glass is coloured ice blue.

He makes his way through the Hokkaido streets, occasionally pausing to peek into shop windows. Now and then he taps someone lightly on the elbow and asks them in a bright, polite tone.]

I'm looking for someone, do you have a moment to help me?

[Wildcard! Hit me up with something else or contact me to plot something out.]