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Chapter Text

  “This will never work.”

  It had to work. 

  “You can’t pull the wool over their eyes forever. You’re going to get your head cut off!”

  That was a shame since Lumine liked having a head. She’d look funny without it on her shoulders. “I don’t need to disguise myself forever, it just has to be long enough to find information about Aether,” she explained. 

  Paimon huffed, “And how long will that take?”

  It was a race with no visible finish line. Lumine watched her reflection in the mirror, noting the nonconscious flash of uncertainty over her face. She, nor Paimon, nor any of their allies, had any idea how long it would take to find her brother. 

  Yet, with Inazuma closed and absolutely no leads and nothing to do, Lumine was grateful for what help she could get, though it had begun to feel as if she had to fix everybody else’s problems before tackling her own. She didn’t mind saving Liyue Harbor from a slimy snake-God, she was in the area anyway, but it did nothing to bring her closer to Aether. Several months had passed since the Jade Chamber was dropped on Osial, and Ningguang was allowing the Fatui back into the city. 

  When asked why, all Ningguang had to offer was, “Snezhnayan technology advances the economic growth of Liyue. Plus, they’re in massive amounts of debt for the floor repairs at the Golden House.”

  Lumine was simply happy they weren’t making her help pay that back. She had contributed to the interior destruction of the Golden House a bit, though if Tartaglia had not dropped a whale on her perhaps she wouldn’t have broken that large column in retaliation. It was all his fault in the end. 

  With Ningguang allowing the Fatui to return to the Harbor— albeit on a short leash— Lumine knew this was her golden opportunity. 

  Keqing stepped away and tapped her lips in thought. Their eyes met in the reflection of the mirror, yet Paimon was the one to break the uncertain silence. “Lumi, you look…”

  She looked like a Snezhnayan. A Fatuu.

  “The jacket’s a bit big on you,” Keqing murmured, “but it’ll work. How’s the uniform feel?”

  Like betrayal - though the material felt nice, no matter how tightly the purple skirt clung to her hips. Lumine rarely wore anything this form-fitting, she imagined that it was difficult to fight in; not that she would be fighting in the first place. This was espionage, not a declaration of war.

  She ran her hands along the fur lining of her stolen coat and caught another glance at herself in the mirror. Anxiety settled itself further in her chest as she frowned, “It’s all fine, hopefully I won’t have to wear this for very long.”

  “Paimon still doesn’t think this will work!” She buzzed around her head with a huff, “What if someone recognizes you?”

  Keqing rolled her eyes, “Oh, shush. These hair extensions really change her look.”

  The extensions. It had been hundreds of years since Lumine’s hair was long like this. Keqing had somehow managed to find hair inserts that matched her exact color, they blended in as if they were real. Aside from the hair, the Fatui mask covered the color of her eyes, the hood of her coat covered her hair, and the mask covered half her face. Once in her full disguise, nobody would be able to recognize her. 

  “Nobody’s going to care about some random recruit,” Lumine shot Paimon a reassuring smile, “I’ll just blend into the background for a while.”

  It was impossible to not blend in where it concerned the Fatui. She would be just another masked face in the crowd of outsiders, underestimated, and unconcerned. Whatever Harbinger she ended up working under would hardly pay her mind; Lumine could already see how this mission would go. 

  Perhaps one or two weeks undercover at the Fatui, some rumors, some lines cast, and the information about her brother would flow in like gold. She knew the Fatui had something to do with him, they had their dirty fingers dipped in everything. She simply had to be among their ranks to learn what she needed. 

  Lumine stood in front of the mirror, taking in the sight of long golden hair. While she had yet to put the mask on over her eyes, she truly did look different. Keqing and Paimon picked and prodded at her costume with the utmost attention to detail, “Remember, if you can fake a Snezhnayan accent, you should.”

  She couldn’t. She just sounded stupid if she did. Paimon interrupted with a gasp, “And if you can drink that nasty fire water all the time too, that would be great!”

  “I can’t just be a stereotype, they’d see right through me,” she said.

  Keqing ignored her, “How’s your plyaska?”

  “My what?”

  At the back of the room, Ganyu leaned silently over a desk. She glanced up to send her a smile, “Your dancing. Didn’t I give you a book on Snezhnayan culture last week?”

  Lumine paused, “…I didn’t read it.”

  Keqing, Ganyu, and Paimon all groaned. Lumine had been busy with the Lantern Rite, she had no time to read books about the ins and outs of Snezhnaya. All she needed to know was snow, soup, and Fatui. She would make up the rest as she went along. 

  Lumine watched Ganyu straighten the pile of forged documents Kaeya had obtained just for this mission. Her heart dropped once more, “Are those my papers?”

  “Yes,” Ganyu spoke as she wrote something down, “they are. Captain Kaeya is really quite... thorough.”

  Keqing lifted her chin, “You shouldn’t have to refer back to your papers, though. You should have memorized who you are by now.”

  “I did!” She straightened to attention, “My name is Ying, I’m from Sortavala in Snezhnaya, and the Motherland sent me here to replace the employee who died in that incredibly mysterious rock-slide last week!”

  “...Perhaps leave out the rock-slide part. It’s incredibly mysterious for a reason, Lumine.”

  “Right,” she corrected herself with a sigh, “I’ll just keep it short and sweet. Do you know which Harbinger I’m serving under?”

  Liyue had been free of Harbingers for a lovely several months. It was just last week that one of them returned and set themselves up in the bank. Yet, considering the general view from the people of Liyue, it was best for them to lay low for a bit. The Fatui had been uncharacteristically quiet since Tartaglia destroyed the Golden House and summoned Osial. 

  “I’m not sure,” Keqing pursed her lips, “Lady Ningguang is biding her time on diplomatic meetings with whoever it is. I doubt it’s Childe, though, they’d be insane to send him back here.”

  “You’re right, it’ll probably be someone I’ve never met.” She smiled at her reflection, “There’s 11 of them, what’s the chance of me meeting one I already know?”

  Paimon gripped her arm with a worried frown, “It could be Mr. More Mora Than Sense! What if he recognizes you?”

  “Even if it is Tartaglia, it’s not like we were friends or anything.” She huffed, “Plus, it’s been months since then, enough time has passed.”

  Besides, if Keqing was sure that the Fatui would not send him back to Liyue, as was Lumine. Behind them, Ganyu gripped her bundle of papers close to her chest and rounded the corner of the desk, approaching with a spring in her step. “Okay, it’s all here. Your travel papers, your background information, Captain Kaeya even managed to forge a birth certificate for you.”

  She obviously admired how endearingly detailed Kaeya was. Lumine wasn’t sure if she should break it to Ganyu that he most likely bribed some backwoods criminal to make these. She took the papers and flipped through each one, “Ying, age 20… Uh, Ganyu?”

  “Yes, traveler?”

  “What’s this?”

  She blinked widely at the paper. With a sudden smile and nod, she folded her hands in front of her, “That’s your occupation.”

  “My occupation in the Fatui?”

  “Yes.”

  The position she was filling for the employee who died in an incredibly mysterious landslide. Kaeya had covered all the bases, even intercepting the letter to Zapolyarny asking for a replacement, and sending a forged letter of his own. The bank was aware that they were getting a new girl today, but the new girl was entirely unaware of what job she was stepping into. 

  “I thought…” Lumine’s mouth felt dry, her heart skipping a beat at the words on the page, “I thought I was just going to be a receptionist, or a lackey or something?”

  “Oh, no,” Ganyu closed her eyes and shook her head somberly, “You’re the Harbinger’s new secretary.”

  A beat of heavy silence. 

  “...Ganyu?”

  “Yes?”

  “How could I possibly blend in and stay out of the Harbinger’s sight if I’m their lapdog?”

  A blank stare, and a processed thought. Exactly three seconds passed before she gasped in harsh realization. Putting a hand to her chest, her cheeks reddened as Keqing and Paimon stifled a shared laugh. “I-I’m sorry! I thought that perhaps you would gain more information this way…”

  Besides, the Qixing assassin couldn’t exactly control the direction of an incredibly mysterious landslide. 

  “It’s fine,” Keqing laid an awkward hand on the secretary’s shoulder, “Lumine’s smart, she’ll manage. And like I said, it’s probably someone you’ve never met.”

  Her confidence was reassuring, no matter how misguided it was placed. She had avoided researching Snezhnayan culture because she thought she wouldn’t need it, she wouldn’t even be in the Harbinger’s general vicinity. Lumine could only sigh, “Well, at least my disguise is good.”

  It was Keqing’s hair styling and uniform-stealing that had made it so. Once Lumine put on the mask, she would be indistinguishable from any other Fatuu. And perhaps being the Harbinger’s secretary would bring her closer to any important information - Kaeya had forged her papers well enough to convince the officials that she was rather high ranking in the Fatui. 

  Now, she just had to act the part. 

  Paimon snuggled closer to her arm, glaring at her clothes as if she could save her from their innate evil, “If Lumi starts eating really good food without Paimon…”

  “I’ll come back to the hotel room every night,” she yanked at the pixie’s hair, “stay out of sight and I’ll bring you food.”

  Ganyu and Keqing sent her reassuring smiles. Lumine gripped the papers closer to her chest and heaved a great sigh, attempting to ready herself for the mission that might possibly mean her demise. 

  “Ready?” Keqing held up the black mask. 

  She was simply ready to get this over with.

   “I’m ready!”

   Lumine was not ready.

   “Hey, what squadron were you before?”

   Nadia was kind, she always had been. She was the perfect counterpart to the offstandish and melancholy Vlad, who guarded the doors to the Northland bank during the daytime. Lumine half wished that she’d gotten there earlier in order to avoid the amiable questioning. 

  What squadron was she? She wasn’t even sure how many squadrons there were in the Fatui, or what a squadron even was. Lumine faked a smile and laughed, “Oh well, uh… the first one?”

  “Wow!” Nadia clasped her gloved hands together, “That’s so cool! I’ve heard Lord Pedrelino is very admirable.”

  Lumine nodded along as if she knew who Lord Pedrelino was. “Yep, he’s super admirable. A great guy, really, bought me a present every holiday.”

  “Oh, you’re so lucky!”

  Lumine needed a moment to praise herself for her cunning. Pedrelino could’ve been the nastiest man in existence, yet Nadia seemed to believe her. Seeing the genuine smile on the door guard’s face was enough to calm her shaken nerves, “I should probably get inside. It’s getting late in the evening. That boat ride took forever...”

  “Of course, you must be exhausted,” she stepped aside and bowed her head politely, “We’ve all been a bit stir crazy lately from having to lay low, but don’t worry, someone with your experience will do great.”

  Stir crazy. Whatever that meant. And ‘with her experience’. Lumine wondered just what these Fatui were expecting from the new secretary. Nadia had returned her anxiety in a half second’s time, gift wrapped with a pretty bow on top and all. 

  Lumine opened up the doors to reveal the gold and red bank lobby shining with the light of torches and lanterns. Lumine’s heart dropped into her stomach as she realized just how real this was becoming. It was only a month ago that she’d even had this idea. Ningguang had accepted it immediately, though Lumine only felt the sheer impact of this decision once fidgeting under the eyes of her new workmates. 

  Everybody stared. The bank was quiet with the peace of closing time. Receptionists looked up at her entrance, guards glanced over, and pens were stopped mid-paperwork. 

  Lumine locked her feet in place. “Hello.”

  One word, and the chaos began. 

  A hidden door opened so harshly that it banged against the wall. Lumine jumped at the sudden noise though she had no time to react before her eyes were drawn to the frantic descent of a field agent. He stumbled his way down the staircase at the head of the room, until he tripped over himself on the very last step. The receptionists and guards all flinched once his face hit the ground. 

  And behind him, came Tartaglia. Slow, predatory, and staring down at the agent as if he pitied his very existence. 

  “I don’t know why you’re stalling,” he spoke cooly, looking down at the fallen agent, “don’t you have a job to correct?”

  Lumine’s heart stopped. Her legs ached to run away. Her fingers began to shake as she held her papers close. It was not fear, nor was it cowardice, but anger. 

  Out of all the Harbingers to come to Liyue, it had to be him. 

  It was too late to turn around. Everybody had seen her enter, heard her greeting. She had the proper documents in hand and her disguise in place. She could not let Tartaglia’s presence mess this mission up, it was far too important. 

  If only he didn’t piss her off at first sight. 

  The agent stuttered as he pushed himself up, “Y-Yes sir! I apologize for my mistakes!”

  “Get up, hurry. Those debts won’t wait forever.”

  The agent looked terrified. Despite the anger, Lumine felt a flicker of pity for the poor soldier. It looked as if Childe had literally kicked him out of his office and down the stairs. Every eye in the room was on the scene. 

  The Harbinger looked up to scan the bank lobby, curious. The ice in his expression disappeared, replaced by a tight smile. “What’re we staring at? I thought there was overtime work.”

   Overtime work. The very phrase made Lumine scowl. Each person flinched while the agent shuffled towards the exit, and Lumine found herself standing in the middle of the lobby. 

  As badly as she wanted to smack that fake smile and the amiable tone he clearly practiced off his face, that did not excuse the sudden break of character. The words spilled from her lips like a burst pipe, “Don’t try to act all nice. What kind of boss throws someone down the stairs?”

  Every soul in the room froze. That was exactly why Lumine always had Paimon speak for her.

  She wasn’t aware that her heart could drop even lower into her chest, yet it felt like it was settling into her stomach in the worst way. Childe’s eyes landed on her, dim despite the seemingly pleasant raise of his brow. Gasps resounded, the air temperature seemed to drop. 

  Lumine took a deep breath and forced herself to smile, “That’s what Lord Pedrelino said, at least. I suppose I shouldn’t have repeated that.”

  Silence. 

  She’d failed this mission in only two minutes, it was a new record. 

  Until, of course, Childe turned the tables entirely. 

  He started laughing, covering his mouth and stifling his giggles as if Lumine’s badly disguised insult was hilarious - almost as hilarious as the cocogoat occurence. Yet, his tone still held that lacing of poison, that venom that ran a shiver down her spine. The other Fatui in the room only tensed more as he walked down the stairs and approached Lumine. 

  “Well,” he opened his eyes and let out another chuckle, “I could have you discharged for that, you know.”

  Or beheaded. Or put on a pike. Or hung from the ceiling. Whatever he was in the mood for. Lumine was glad the mask covered half her face as he drew closer. With a flicker of panic, she tightened the hood covering her hair and sent him a nervous smile, “If you discharge me, then you’d have to find someone else to do all your paperwork, sir.”

  He took yet another step forward, smiling all the while, “I can find anyone to do that.”

  She was a rabbit cornered by a fox. The receptionists looked on in silent pity. Lumine sent him another smile, “But I was sent here by the Tsaritsa herself,” she pulled an envelope off the top of her stack of now crinkled paperwork, “She assigned me personally to you.”

  Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice how the letter could apply to literally any of the Harbingers. Kaeya had a talented forger, yet the Fatui had been laying so low in Liyue that he wasn’t sure who the current Harbinger even was. If Lumine had known it would be Childe, she wouldn’t have even bothered. It was far too risky. 

  Yet, here she was, watching him rip open the letter and scan over its contents. Before Childe could even finish, she spoke up, trying her best to sound confident, “I sailed a whole week to get here, so if you’re going to discharge me, at least give me time to get a boat back.”

  She thought she did a good impression of a Snezhnayan - rude and flippant. Most of them would insult everybody to their face, at least in Lumine’s experience. Besides, she had a feeling Childe could smell fear. 

  He glanced up from the letter, “Why’d she send you specifically?”

  Good question. She straightened to attention, “Because I’m good at what I do.”

  “And what is it that you do? Make coffee?”

  He was just a bully. Another flame lit in her chest at the sound of his mocking laugh, copied by several of the nervous guards and receptionists in the room. They were like puppets pulled by his strings. 

  Lumine never did like Childe. When he saved her from the Millelith with that fake smile and those dim eyes and his stupid nicknames, she instantly distrusted him. He couldn’t even lie about being a bad guy without backtracking on his own words— absurdly machiavellian. She didn’t have much time to warm up to him before it was obvious what he wanted from her. 

  And the way he looked at her; It was as if he hadn’t seen her as a person, but rather a mission.

  The fight at the Golden House only put her dislike in concrete terms. The day she kicked his smug little ass was the day she felt true satisfaction. 

  “I’m not sure if Her Majesty wants me to tell you this…” Lumine acted coy, putting a hand on her cheek in fake anxiety, “But I’m here for a reason…”

  He stiffened. Gloriously, his eyes widened for half a second before he recovered himself and pulled back. “Oh really?”

  “Really,” she rocked back and forth on her heels, “but it’s kind of embarrassing for you.”

  Not as if Tartaglia had ever cared what others thought of him, though Lumine was correct to assume that he’d not want to show weakness in front of the bank staff. Childe put his hands in his pockets and jerked his head towards the staircase, casual as if he was catching up with an old friend, “Let’s talk up here, okay?”

  She glanced at the curious eyes of her new workmates. To them, she was yet another nameless mask, one that was about to be thrown out a window for sassing a Harbinger, “Fine, if you insist, My Lord.”

  The Fatui called him that, right? She surely hoped so, otherwise she’d have thrown up a little in her mouth for no reason. 

  Even if her mission might end immediately, she would still take in as much information about the bank as she could. Lumine attempted to avoid their pitying looks as she followed Childe up the staircase and to his office. As he opened the door and stepped aside to let her come by, she eyed the papers and documents littering his desk. 

  He closed the doors behind him. She resisted the urge to flinch at the sound of a lock turning— Childe could smell fear, and while this was unconfirmed, she had faith in her instincts. Lumine kept her gaze at the wall ahead while listening to him sigh. 

  Nadia had said they were all going a bit stir crazy. And Ningguang had mentioned that the Harbinger was laying low, Childe was most likely holding back a bad case of cabin fever. It would explain the dark circles under his eyes.

  No matter how casually he tried to hold himself, he circled her like a vulture circling a corpse. Lumine refused to look at him as he leaned on his desk, “So, the Tsaritsa doesn’t want you to tell me something. And why should I believe that?”

  Of course, he was smart enough to know that she might be covering her ass with this excuse. Lumine watched him leisurely fold his arms over his chest and cross his ankles. A beat of silence passed while she processed every possible branch to hang from before finally taking a deep breath, “Well, she told me what happened with the traveler at the Golden House.”

  Abruptly, Childe tensed. 

  Lumine could have laughed at how shockingly easy it was if she could. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize that a normal recruit had no idea what truly happened with the traveler. 

  “My name is Ying,” she went on, now confident, “the Tsaritsa has sent me to keep an eye on you. She doesn’t want to get even more in debt to Liyue, now. Don’t you know how much that golden flooring costs?”

  Lumine watched with glee as he tensed again. “So… She thinks I need a babysitter?” Childe asked.

  “No. Just an assistant, really. Someone to clean up the messes.”

  Why the Tsaritsa had even sent the most destructive Harbinger back to Liyue was a mystery in the first place. Lumine received her answer as Childe ran an exasperated hand through his hair and murmured, “So this is part of my punishment…”

  The fact that Childe was getting punished for what he’d done made Lumine all warm and fuzzy inside. 

  “Alright,” Childe deadpanned, “work starts tomorrow. Hand me your paperwork.”

  He accepted it rather easily. She had a feeling using the Tsaritsa’s name would exert the right amount of power over him. Feeling the slightest bit smug, Lumine handed him the stack of papers, to which he immediately tossed onto his desk. She watched as they slid and fell, bringing an entire other stack of papers and folders down with it. Everything landed with a series of sharp slaps on the ground that made her flinch. 

  All Childe did was jerk his head, “Pick it up.”

   Pick it up, with a tight smile and dim eyes. She stared at him. Their gazes refused to break. Lumine took a deep breath and reminded herself what she was here for— she could not let him get to her within the first five minutes. She had to last as long as she possibly could. Besides, he was challenging her, and an outburst was exactly what he wanted. 

  Huffing, she walked around to the side of the desk and knelt down to begin gathering papers. After several seconds, yet another stack slapped down beside her. 

  Childe laughed, “Whoops! My hand slipped. Pick those up too, won’t you?”

   Asshole. This complete asshole, this pimple on the butt of the world. Lumine slammed a messy stack of papers down onto his desk, before glaring and leaning down to pick up the rest. 

  And like a very rude cat, he only smiled and knocked down yet another stack. The flurry of papers around her head was like snow itself, now covering half of his office floor. 

  Lumine stood up straight to glare at him. His smile continued, innocent and tense as ever. Slowly, without an ounce of hesitation, he grabbed the cup holding different types of pens, lifted it, and turned it upside down. 

  They clattered at her feet. 

  Patience. She had to have patience. Despite her internal monologue about how desperately she wanted to punch him, Lumine reminded herself why she was doing the mission. However, that did not stop her tongue from it’s immediate wagging, “This might be the worst job I’ve ever had.”

  Childe had the audacity to laugh, “I’ll make sure of that! And if you don’t quit by the end of the month, then I’ll admit I’ve failed.”

  Lumine could only hope he’d accept that failure with grace. 

Chapter Text

  Lumine had never been the type to get up in the morning and go to work. On every planet she’d ever lived in, she did what she wanted, talked to who she wished, and spent her hours living however she liked. 

  Yet, she put on her uniform. She went to her paid job, and she would be doing each and every little thing her new boss asked of her. She understood, now, why so many announced that they hated their jobs. 

  Besides, Liyue was far too hot for these heavy coats that the Fatui wore.

  “When does Lord Tartaglia even come in?” Lumine asked.

  Ekaterina shot her a curious glance. Her set of keys jingled in her hand as she twisted the lock to the bank door, “I would assume you’d know that, since you were sent here specially and all.”

  Very true. One would think the Tsaritsa prepared her well enough. Lumine simply shrugged and tried her best to look apathetic beneath the black Fatui mask and hood, “They like us to just figure it out as we go.”

  “Makes sense,” she murmured, “you should’ve seen my orientation to the bank, it was hell.”

  She didn’t want to ask. Beside her stood Vlad, who put up a hand to cover his small smile as if he understood perfectly. Ekaterina pushed the doors open and stepped inside with a heavy sigh, Lumine following at her heels, “Do we even get customers this early in the morning?”

  “You’d be surprised.” It was all she offered in explanation. 6:00 a.m. was not a good time for anyone, let alone those dealing with finances and numbers. Lumine only sighed and watched as the receptionist made her way to the counter and unlocked her desk. 

  The bank was open for business. It was only her, the head receptionist, and the somber door guard. Lumine was already bored. Childe hadn’t even told her what she should do upon arrival, other than to simply show up at six in the morning— she half assumed he’d be there with some asinine mission for her. 

  Ekaterina never had answered her question. Lumine put her hands behind her back and sauntered up, a saccharine smile on her face, “Soooo… When does Lord Tartaglia get here again?”

  “Anytime he wants.” She didn’t even glance up from her papers, “He has the freedom to create his own schedule. Sometimes he doesn’t show up at all.”

  He didn’t show up to his own assigned bank from the Tsaritsa? He probably spent his days doing something dangerously stupid. From what little she knew of him he liked a good battle, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was often found half dead in the wilderness. 

  Lumine rolled her eyes, unable to stop her tongue, “He makes us come in early, but he can sleep in as long as he wants?”

  Ekaterina’s eyes shot up in shock, “W-What?”

  “He’s a jerk,” Lumine leaned over the counter, whispering now, “come on, admit it. You think he’s terrible too, don’t you?”

  Her lips parted and she put a hand to her chest. If she had pearls, she would’ve clutched them, “Well, I mean… I respect Lord Ta-”

  “Admit it, you hate him,” Lumine intoned.

  Ekaterina huffed, “I don’t! He’s just very privileged, is all!”

  “Why are you defending him?” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, “Are you in love with him? You can always tell me, I’ll keep your secrets.”

  Despite not bothering to research Snezhnayan culture, Lumine did know one very important thing about the Fatui. 

  They adored gossip. 

  She wasn’t sure why. Yet, she knew if she approached Ivanovich in the marketplace, he would always have something interesting to tell her about the other vendors. She knew if she saw Andrei down by the harbor, he would always tell her a new story about his customers. And she knew Childe himself could not resist a bit of gossip— months ago, he gave her the sigil of permission, and went on a full ramble about the adepti of Liyue, citing sources she’d never heard of before. Snezhnayans adored gossip nearly as much as the people of Fontaine. 

  Ekaterina could not possibly resist. Lumine’s smile was tempting, a fox-like grin that pushed her closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. 

  “Fine,” she broke with a heavy gasp, “I don’t like him, but a few of the girls do! Lord Childe isn’t usually this grumpy, you know, he’s just antsy. Usually, he’s much…”

  Nicer? More playful? Less of a jerk? She wouldn’t believe it even if she saw it. 

  “He’s a bit more fun,” Ekaterina finished with a sigh, “he lets us have more freedom, usually. But with the tension between us and the Qixing, we have to be on our best behavior right now.”

  Understandable. He did almost destroy all of Liyue Harbor by summoning some very slimy snake god from the depths. She had seen firsthand the animosity the citizens held towards the Fatui, it didn’t surprise her that Childe was getting antsy from being holed up in this little bank. 

  Lumine leaned further across Ekaterina’s desk, “So, any new info on what he’s even doing here?”

  “Uh, no?” She tilted her head in confusion, “His division is here because Liyue is the land of contracts, we have the most debts and money flow here.”

  So, nothing interesting. He wasn’t experimenting on sigils of permission, nor was he planning to raise something horrid from beneath the ground. He was just doing boring old Harbinger stuff— she could have rolled her eyes at how mundane it all seemed. 

  Yet, it was still early in the morning. Childe had not arrived yet, and Lumine was his secretary. It wouldn’t be odd at all for her to be in his office alone. 

  “Well, nice chat,” Lumine pulled back and faked her best polite smile, “I’m going to do something nice for Lord Tartaglia and go dust his office, maybe he’ll feel better when everything’s clean.”

  Ekaterina lit up, “Maybe! And perhaps we’ll stop having to work overtime!”

  Anything for the justice of the working man/woman. Lumine found herself hating this job, despite it only having been one day. She couldn’t imagine working here for years as Ekaterina had. Dealing with customers, paperwork, mundane tasks that would eventually drive her insane. 

  Lumine felt that she was not only here to gather information on Aether, she could also free the poor employees from their capitalism induced misery. A hero to the people, that’s exactly what she was. She sent the receptionist a smile, “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

   Upstairs, in Childe’s office, ‘dusting’. With the bank still empty, she ran up the steps and to the double doors of his office. One pull on the knobs, and it was open. He was a fool to keep it unlocked - or, he didn’t suspect anything of her, which also was foolish on his part. Truthfully, Lumine hadn’t expected her subterfuge to last longer than a day. 

  She shut the doors behind her and took in the room. While it wasn’t decorated in any specific way, it was neat in a manner that resembled a model in a decorating magazine. Lumine locked the door behind her and made her way to his large chair. 

  She plopped down in it and leaned back. “Let’s see,” a murmur, a whisper as she pulled on each drawer. “Locked, locked… full of snacks.”

  Sour candies, to be exact. She never suspected Tartaglia as someone to like candy. 

  Moving on from the desk, she rummaged around the papers. There was debt collection after debt collection, and the papers that were not about debt collection were simply about the going-ons of Liyue. A report from an agent that Qingce Village was still boring. And a sloppily written report from a group of skirmishers about the traveler attacking them and stealing all of their insignias last week— Lumine was proud of that one, she’d never been described as a tiny ball of anger before, it fit quite well. 

  Reports, debt collection. More reports, more debt collection. Nothing about another plan towards a gnosis, and nothing about Aether. 

  With several new papercuts, Lumine abandoned the desk and approached the filing cabinets. They, too, were locked. She rummaged behind each candle, each knick knack, each picture frame. Nothing but dust. 

  After an hour of fruitless attempts, Lumine buried her face in her hands and groaned. Everything of value had to be in those locked drawers. Childe most likely kept the key on himself, or perhaps she could pick them if she brought the right tools. She drew closer to inspect them, yet stiffened at the sound of heavy boots approaching from the stairs. 

  The doors to the office were still locked. With her heart catching in her throat, she darted around the desk to reach the knobs in time. Whoever was approaching was right outside the doors, opening them the very second Lumine managed to unlock them. 

  She was fortunate that Childe had glanced away for a moment before stepping inside. He didn’t catch her stumbling over herself as she yanked back and made a spot on the edge of his desk. When he finally turned to face his office, he was greeted by the sight of Ying with her legs crossed, taking up a corner as if she was born to be there. 

  A nervous smile spread across her lips, “My Lord, good morning! What can I do for you today?”

  Lumine was out of breath and shaken from her nerves. She tried her best to act casual, though Childe continued to stare with that blank, questioning look. 

 Until, of course, he also broke out into a mildly threatening smile. “Goodmorning, Ying. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Why not?” She tried her best to look innocent, “I’m your secretary, I think it’s perfectly normal for me to be in your office.”

  He met her gaze with a pleasant nod, “For your work today, you can start by…” There was the pause for anticipation. The accursed Fatui skirt was running up her thigh and her hand itched to yank it down before he looked again. “Getting me breakfast.” Childe nodded and held up a finger, “I would like five scrambled eggs from brown chickens, only brown chickens. The yokes have to be this very specific shade of orange, no lighter and no darker. I, also, would like six slices of bacon, cut to exactly one inch thick.”

  He really was keeping up his promise of torturing her. Lumine’s fake smile increased in stiffness, “Anything else, My Lord?”

  “Yes,” he put a hand to his chin in thought, “I want the milk of an adeptibeast-“

  “Those don’t exist and you know it.”

  She was fortunate he didn’t question that. With a pout, he went on, “Fine. I want fresh spring water from the top of a mountain, a perfectly ripe sunsettia, and a noctilucous jade for a table setting.”

  “Would you like me to steal an angel from Celestia and have it season your eggs with its tears as well, My Lord?”

   He remained unphased by her sarcasm, “If you have time, then sure! I’d like this all in the next 20 minutes.”

  20 minutes for this trash heap of an order. She hopped off his desk and brushed past him, chin lifted in arrogant denial, “I’ll get it to you in 15.”

  “You better.” He smiled.

  Lumine was increasingly glad for the mask on her face and the hood covering her hair, so he could not see her glares as well as he usually would. Lumine stomped down the stairs and left his amused, asinine chuckling behind. 

  “I’ll be back,” she snapped to Ekaterina, “his Lordship wants breakfast.”

  She nodded solemnly, “He does this to every secretary. The last one was the only one who could get the color of the egg yolks right… too bad about the incredibly mysterious rock slide.”

  “Yes, too bad!” Lumine waved a nonchalant hand, “May he and his exceptional egg yolk skills rest in peace.”

  “Yes, may he rest in peace. Be careful of rockslides out there, Miss Ying.”

  She’d try her best. 

  And while Lumine did not have exceptional egg yolk skills, she knew someone who did.

  “Xiangling, I need bacon exactly one inch thick, water that tastes like it’s been from a mountain stream, and egg yolks in a very specific shade of orange.”

  She blinked. Lumine stared, leaning tensely over the counter. Several seconds of silence passed before she gasped in realization, “It’s Lumine, by the way! Don’t mind the disguise.”

  The good thing about Xiangling was her ability to go with the flow. She melted in realization, “Oh! Hey, you look so different! Can I ask about the ugly mask?”

  Perhaps at a time when she did not only have 10 minutes left to deliver breakfast to her boss, “Xiangling, I will give you 500 mora in tips if you cook everything I just asked.”

  She lit up with a gasp. Patting Gouba’s head, her smile was like sunshine itself, “Comin’ right up!”

    One thing Lumine had yet to realize was just how ardently Childe was determined to mess with her. He was bored, stir-crazy, and she was the perfect entertainment. 

  She burst into his office with the water and plate of steaming food. She only had 30 seconds left, but she’d made it. Papers flew and pens rolled as she shoved it onto his desk with a squeal, “Breakfast!”

  He blinked. Leaning back into his chair with his feet up on the desk, he held an apple in one hand, and his elbow in the other. He was far too comfortable-looking for the panting, exhausted recruit who’d just run all the way across Liyue to bring him food. 

  Another crunch into his apple, another thoughtful pause. He swallowed, then smiled with all the innocence in the world, “I’m not hungry anymore. You can go get me a cup of coffee, though, if you want.”

  She could’ve killed him. She could’ve ended his life right then and there. It would be so easy to summon a geo construct sharp enough to impale his entire body - and he wouldn’t expect it. She didn’t have a vision visible anywhere. 

  Except if she did that, she’d be further from finding information about Aether. Lumine faked her most polite smile, “Fine, any specific kind?”

  “I’m glad you asked!” She wasn’t, “I’d like a Sumerian blend, with a hint of cream in it, and stirred counterclockwise for exactly 17 seconds.”

  Lumine wasn’t even sure what to say to that. Furious, she yanked the plate of uneaten food from his desk and whirled on her heels. She stomped down the stairs and slammed it onto Ekaterina’s counter. “I brought you breakfast.” Lumine didn’t mean for it to come out as a growl, but Ekaterina flinched nevertheless. 

  She looked as if she’d seen this song and dance before. With a sigh, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a comforting whisper, “Miss Ying, let me tell you a secret... Lord Tartaglia’s not picky in the least, he’s just messing with you.”

  “Oh really? I couldn’t tell!”

  Her gaze fell deadpan at the sarcasm, “Chill out. He wants you to be pissed. Give him normal coffee and he won’t even notice the difference.”

  “So you’re saying if I just do it all with a smile, he’ll get bored and stop?”

  “Exactly.” 

  Of course. A bully needed a reaction, and while Lumine didn’t have enough self control to never yell at him, she could smile her way through each annoying task. Besides, she was the traveler, nothing he gave her would be too hard. 

  Touched, she leaned towards Ekaterina and put her hands on her shoulders, “You are my only ally in this hell hole.”

  “...I’m really not, Miss Ying. I just pity you.”

   Everybody did, apparently. Even several of the bank customers were shooting her pitying looks. Yet, Lumine was not one to crumble beneath pressure. The only effect the looks, the asinine commands, and the frustration would have is make her stronger, more polished.

  Several minutes later, Lumine sauntered into Childe’s office, coffee in hand. She did not dare break eye contact as she placed it on his desk. “As you requested, sir.”

  He folded his arms and raised a brow, “That’s not a Sumerian blend.”

  “How do you know?”

  “We don’t have any in the break room.” He narrowed his eyes, “Are you ignoring my direct command?”

  She was, but that was beside the point. Lumine put her hands behind her back innocently, “How do you know I didn’t go out and buy some? Besides, what are you going to do, complain to the Tsaritsa that the secretary she specially sent you brought the wrong coffee? She’d laugh in your face.”

  Despite rumor having it that the Tsaritsa never actually smiled or laughed, Lumine knew she’d hit the marker. She watched him tense and sit up straight in his chair, pulling his feet off the desk to glare at her, “I hate how right you are.”

  “Aw, thanks for admitting it!”

  Childe wouldn’t dare miss a beat in this newfound game between them, “Next assignment, go fight the Oceanid solo. After that, pick every glaze lily in Qingce Village, and after that I want you to come back here and sharpen every single weapon I own.”

 Little did he know, Lumine was instilled with a new wave of spite. She would not dare to falter either. All she did was smile, a mirror image to his tightly wound politeness. Childe had no idea that the traveler did that kind of stuff literally every day.

   “As you wish, My Lord!”

  Childe was aware that he was being punished, but it didn’t mean he had to accept it. Even when he was grounded as a kid, he’d still find a way to entertain himself. 

  Now, as he was grounded to the Northland Bank, he found entertainment in the incredibly fiery Ying. He couldn’t see most of her face due to the mask, but how he wished to soak up that obvious glare that she had to be wearing. 

  After the unfortunate incident with Osial, the Tsaritsa had called him to Zapolyarny Palace to give him a much-needed lecture on the importance of diplomacy. If the only Plan B he could find for getting the gnosis was to summon an ancient God and nearly destroy the city, then he needed work on planning. Childe was mildly offended, as he thought his plan was spectacular. Even though it failed, it was certainly fun for everyone involved. 

  After three months to allow Ningguang and the Qixing to calm down, Childe was sent back to Liyue as punishment. He had to be peaceful, and docile, and diplomatic. He couldn’t simply wreak havoc everywhere - which was exactly the point. The Tsaritsa knew that he’d go insane from the boredom. 

  Then, along came Ying, announcing his assholery in the middle of the bank, challenging him, glaring like that. She would be fun, not nearly as much as a good battle, but she would have to do. 

   And if she quit after a month's work, a statement would be made. Her refusal to work with him would be a stark testament to just how little Childe truly needed a babysitter.

  If only she would stop flipping the table at every chance she got. 

  It was the evening of her second day. The bank was minutes from closing, and Childe had spent the day forcing himself to finish paperwork. His hiatus in the bank would end soon, though the days continued to drag on. The only highlight of it all was Ying stepping into his office with a bag of glaze lilies, and the cleansing heart of an oceanid. 

  She had to have cheated. Childe eyed her, noting with displeasure how utterly casual she seemed. Silence fell between them as he searched her body for any sign of a struggle. 

  Her uniform was not ripped, the hood covering her hair was perfectly intact, and she didn’t look the least bit exhausted. 

  “I’m ready to sharpen the weapons now.”

  Of course she was. He really thought the oceanid and lily picking would frustrate her beyond a new degree. If that wouldn’t do that trick, his vast collection of weaponry would.

  “Great!” Smiling, he put his palms together, “Let me just summon everything…”

  There had to be 20 of them just from one pocket universe. Ying flinched satisfyingly as they appeared around her before dropping to the ground in a series of harsh clatters. Bows, swords, lances, a few catalysts and claymores. They were all mixed in, and all very well loved. “For the catalysts, if you could just rebind those then that would be great.”

  She looked as if she was trying her best to hide her frustration. She had to be exhausted from the journey to Qingce and back, even without having fought Oceanid. He still found himself suspicious of how a Fatui Secretary without a vision could get a hold of a cleansing heart. 

  Nevertheless, like a good little secretary, Ying lowered herself to the ground, and picked up the smallest dagger she could find to begin with. She was going to do it, despite her obvious anger. Childe couldn’t help but frown as she began to sharpen the weapon. 

  She was wordless. She couldn’t not even give him a few seconds for an insult. He sighed and casually pushed a stack of papers off his desk to scatter amongst the weapons on the floor.

  “What the hell?” Her head shot up. She was gripping that dagger as if she contemplated stabbing him - he wished she would, it’d be the most exciting thing to happen in the last week 

   Childe looked at the mess with wide eyes, “Oh, my bad! You don’t mind picking that up, do you?”

  “Are you trying to piss me off?”

  His gaze went blank, “I thought that was obvious. Are you just now realizing it?”

  She couldn’t possibly be that stupid. He had flatly told her the night before that he wanted her to quit. Ying looked back down at the dagger and sharpened it even harder, as if it had done her a personal wrong. “Is there anything else I can do for you tonight, Lord Tartaglia?”

  He would offer a bit of mercy, as a treat. A cat never immediately killed its mouse, it played for a bit. As badly as he didn’t want a babysitter from the Tsaritsa, he wanted something entertaining even more. 

  “Nope!” Cheerful, he stepped carefully over the weapons and papers, “Me and few of the guards are going to grab food. Do you want anything, Miss Ying?”

  “No, you’ll probably just spit in it.” She huffed.

  “That’s unsanitary,” he frowned, “why would I do something so mean to my lovely new secretary?”

   Finally, he could see the exhaustion hanging over her shoulders. She looked up at him and sighed, silent and frustrated. Childe didn’t bother hiding how his smile only grew at the sight. 

  She did not dare retaliate. She seemed to be out of energy for the day, what a shame. 

  “Goodnight, Miss Ying. See you tomorrow!”

  Or not, if she never showed up again he wouldn’t blame her. 

  Fortunately, she did. The next morning, once again she was sitting on his desk, legs crossed, and wearing her awkward smile that hid a million secrets underneath. 

  “Breakfast,” he snapped his fingers, “you know the drill.”

  She had to know the drill. Without another word, Ying was off, darting away to do yet another useless task. 

  This went on for days. 

  “Ying, I want you to wade through the ponds at the pavilions and find this mora piece I dropped in there the other day.”

  So she did, with a smile on her face the entire time. Childe’s displeasure only deepened. 

  And the next day: “Ying, I want you to fight three ruin guards at once and bring me the chaos devices.”

  As he wished. Hours later, she dumped the devices on his desk with a tight smile. 

  The day after that: “Ying, I want you to go buy lunch for everybody at the bank and carry it all back here on your own.”

  Thus, she did, somehow holding 10 plates of takeout in her hands when she stumbled back into the building. She persevered wonderfully, and Childe was only finding his frustration grow. 

  He didn’t usually mess with his employees like this. He cared very little for what they did, as long as they fulfilled their duties. He had yet to give Ying any actual Fatui-related assignments, mainly because there were none. By the Tsaritsa’s orders, he must lay low until the citizens of Liyue got used to Fatui presence once again. 

  Childe despised every second of it. 

  “Ying!” 

  His voice echoed out from his office doors and down the hallway. He smiled as distant footsteps rushed along the hardwood flooring, coming closer and closer until she rounded the corner and appeared in the doorframe. Her hood was still up, her mask still in place, and her obviously fake smile plastered onto her lips. “Yes, your Lordliness?”

  Childe leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He wasn’t supposed to leave the bank unless he was getting food, or going back to his hotel. Yet, the boredom itched at him endlessly. It had been two weeks, now, and the cabin-fever was worse than ever.

  Even torturing Ying didn’t help. She wasn’t at her breaking point quite yet, but sending her on another useless mission didn’t sound as fulfilling today. 

  “I think…” he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling in thought, clicking his tongue for a moment before going on, “that I’d like to actually work today.”

  She visibly lit up, “I thought you couldn’t for another week.”

  True, but nobody at the bank would care enough to tattle on him besides her. It was exactly why he wanted to get rid of her. “As long as you pinkie promise to not tell on me, I’ll let you come along. I know you’re dying to do some real work.”

  She stiffened at how easily he read her mind. Childe analyzed her body language for a moment, it was always near unreadable. She leaned on the doorframe and bit her lip in thought, while he watched her knee bounce. She was nervous, she usually was. He’d discovered as of late that Ying liked to take her time to process things. 

  “Fine,” she raised her head and pulled the fluffy coat hood closer around her face, an absent habit that she seemed to have, “I’ll do whatever you need.”

  It was the calmest acquiesce he’d ever gotten from her. Childe couldn’t help but smile, “Alright, great. Let’s go see if we can find any information on the traveler.”

  “...The traveler?”

  How odd that she seemed to tense so sharply. How odd that she took a step back in shock, quickly recovering herself before he could question it any further. Childe stood from his chair and sent her a glance, “Her name is Lumine, I’m sure from having worked with the first squadron you’d have at least heard of her.”

  “I have!” She corrected, frantic, “I just didn’t think you’d want anything else to do with her.”

  What an odd assumption. Just because he nearly broke all the bones in her body by throwing her through the floor at the Golden House didn’t mean he hated her. She’d given him one of the best fights he’d ever had. Confused, he walked around his desk to approach Ying, “Why wouldn’t I? We’re friends, me and Lumine.”

  Immediately, Ying scoffed, “You are not friends with her.”

  “What?” 

  She stiffened, “I mean that she’s the enemy, you shouldn’t grow soft for someone just because they beat you.”

   Just because they beat you. The very sentence clenched at his heart in anger. He looked away, scowling at the wall, “I’ll be friends with whoever I please, recruit. And I’m not going soft on anyone, either.”

  “Fine,” wisely dropping the subject, she huffed and met his eyes once more, remaining starkly unafraid, “I’m here to help with whatever you need, your Lordishness.”

  The titles just kept getting weirder and weirder. She was not at all intimidated by him, though Childe would loathe to admit that it was a breath of fresh air - he quite liked being intimidating, it felt nice. Ying’s unabashed irritation with him was as frustrating as it was relieving. 

  She’d persevered this entire week. She’d put up with each and every one of his stupid commands, and followed through on them perfectly. She was not lying when she said that she was good at what she does. 

  Childe could easily believe that she was sent by the Tsaritsa herself to babysit him. Hardly any of the lower ranking subordinates knew that the traveler had beaten him at the Golden House. Yet, Ying seemed to be privy to information that only Harbingers knew. There had to be more to this secretary than meets the eye. 

  He wondered if there was a secret rank of ‘specialty secretary’ for Harbingers. Did La Signora have one? Did the Tsaritsa pick Ying out because she thought Childe needed help? That, in itself, was insulting. 

  Perhaps he could throw her to the traveler and let her struggle in an epic battle, that might be enough to make Ying quit. 

  “Alrighty!” He patted her hood down playfully, “Grab a map! We’re going to go bother Lumine and Paimon.”

Chapter Text

 “Grab a map! We’re going to go bother Lumine and Paimon.”

 If Lumine had been Lumine at that moment, she would have punched him straight in the nose. She would have cursed him for even thinking that he could bother her. She was an incredibly busy woman, saving this world from its own problems and all. She had zero interest in giving Childe even a second of her time. 

  Unfortunately, Ying had no choice in the matter. 

  Lord Tartaglia was going to have a bit of trouble finding the traveler and her pixie companion. Paimon was currently with Xiangling eating her little heart out, most likely having the time of her life by avoiding ginger-haired annoyances. Lumine, on the other hand, was hiking up a Liyue mountain in full winter gear. 

  Just how did the Fatui wear these things? She felt as if she might faint beneath the Liyue sun, as if she was enclosed in a wearable oven. With a map in her hand, she fanned herself and watched the sway of Childe’s scarf as she followed him through the mountain path, “How much longer are we going to go?”

  “What?” He glanced over his shoulder and raised an unamused brow, “do you secretaries never get exercise? It’s good to take walks, you know.”

  She was aware of that fact, the receptionists had invited her on several walks over the last week in their attempts to show pity. Lumine could not go on any of them, as she was up to her neck in useless, asinine work. It was not that she needed to shape up, either, she could most likely beat Childe in a fight despite not having fought anything for a week or so now. 

  Thus, it was not the exercise, but the heat. “I just wish I could take this coat off.”

  That was enough to catch the Harbinger’s attention. He paused, glancing at her curiously, “You can, I don’t particularly care.”

  She couldn’t. As much as he irritated her, Lumine knew to not underestimate Tartaglia’s perception. He was clever enough to recall the travelers face, no matter how much time had passed between their last meeting. She only frowned and adjusted her mask, “I can’t do that.”

  “Why? Your secret league of incredibly annoying secretaries will kick you out?”

   She wasn’t the incredibly annoying one here. “No, just a personal preference.”

  “Why?” He raised a brow. 

  So nosy, most Snezhnayans were. Lumine wracked her brain for a proper answer. It had to be enough to dissuade his curiosity. 

  “I’m… I’m bald.”

  Bald. The word hung in the air between them. 

  A pregnant pause. A staring contest. Bald. 

  “Really?” Expressionless, Childe stretched out a hand to yank at the tendril of hair waterfalling down her shoulder. “I can see your hair right now.”

  As Lumine noted earlier: She would not dare underestimate Tartaglia’s skill of perception - and she’d start wearing her hair in a braid to keep it more out of sight, just for good measure. 

 “E-Excuse you!” She stumbled away with a fake gasp of horror, “I’m bald on the top of my head!”

  He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “Put down your hood and show me, then.”

  “No! I’ll get a sunburn on my scalp!”

  “Just for one second, come on.”

  “No!” She stomped her foot without thought, glaring beneath her mask. Frantic, she pulled her hood closer to her head and tucked the tendrils of blonde hair behind her shoulder, “I’m shy about it! You should respect a lady’s boundaries!”

  Unfortunately, the subject of boundaries was not nearly enough for Childe to lose interest in the mystery of her scalp.

  He stared down at her, his hands on his hips and his face blank, innocent. Lumine had noticed how tall he was when they had first met at the harbor, though at that time she was far too distracted with the all-consuming suspicion about Tartaglia to truly pay attention to how he looked. 

  Now, she could properly analyze him. He stared, she stared. He forced a smile, she did not have to force a frown. 

  After several seconds of mildly awkward eye contact, Childe dropped the subject like a discarded chopstick, “Fine, whatever. I’m just curious, I’ve never seen a bald woman before.”

  Asshole. He turned around to continue walking up the mountain path. Lumine kept at his heels, feeling very much like a yapping dog all the while. “Well, perhaps you should meet more people. There’s plenty of bald women in the world.”

  “Oh? Do they have a club?”

  “Shut up.”

  His laugh caught her off guard. It wasn’t as if Lumine had never heard him laugh - in fact, she’d heard him laugh a bit too much with the cocogoat incident. Lumine had spent that moment hiding behind Zhongli, and allowing Paimon to speak for her. If she were to respond to his heckling the Tsaritsa would surely have her arrested for punching a Harbinger. 

  For all Lumine knew, she could be wanted for arrest right now. She’d nearly stabbed a Harbinger just a few days after that. 

  In her defense, though, he tried to stab her first. 

  That was the oddity of this entire situation. Childe, Tartaglia, the Devouring Deep - whatever the hell that meant. He laughed at her much like an older brother would, amused at his sister’s antics, “You’ve got some courage, I’ll give you that. None of my other recruits have ever told me to shut up before.”

  “I’m sure they have, you just couldn’t hear them.” 

 Lumine’s mouth moved of its own accord. He looked at her again. The amusement was still palpable on his face, though she could not identify the look in his eyes. Something inside of her crumpled up like a wad of paper, until she recalled just who she was and smoothed it out once more. She stepped forward and lifted her chin to meet his inexplicably dark gaze. 

  How odd that she had taken mora from this man. How odd that she, unmasked, had met him in the Golden House and fought nearly to the death. He said he wouldn’t kill her, but judging by how desperate his movements became towards the end, Lumine was sure she’d be dead if she was a lesser warrior. 

  And he had no idea that the woman who beat him at the Golden House was now looking him in the eye. Lumine could only wonder how he would respond to that knowledge. 

  “Just because you’re in a higher position than the others,” Childe began, voice low and ominously soft, “doesn’t mean you can say whatever you feel like.”

  He was trying to put her in her place, and perhaps she should allow that. Lumine would be intimidated if she had not met him before - if only she had not seen him struggle with chopsticks during their business meeting with Zhongli. No amount of low tones or venom lacing would affect her the way he wished, simply because she was not a real Fatui recruit. 

  Besides, she knew that she could defeat him. It was at the risk of breaking her cover and disappointing Ningguang and her plans, but it would certainly be satisfying. 

  Of course, all of this was unknown to Childe. Lumine’s inner spiteful bitch was just begging to come out. 

  “Master Tartaglia,” she began, “just because you’re in a higher position than the others, doesn’t mean you can say whatever you like.”

  Silence. And tension. A set in his jaw that told her all she needed to know. 

  He was irritated. As dangerous as that was for Ying, Lumine found herself a bit satisfied with her results. 

  “If I fired you, what exactly would happen?” He began, breaking the silence between them. Birds chirped above, merchants passed by on the road at the bottom of the hill, the wind blew the weeds and wildflowers. Lumine would remain as unmoving and impassible as the mountains of Liyue. 

  If he fired her, absolutely nothing would happen. She wasn’t a real member of the Fatui. And frankly, she was shocked that nobody had noticed it yet. 

  “The Tsaritsa would think you’re pathetic,” Lumine - Ying - stood up for herself, “you’d look as if you couldn’t follow orders, unable to handle your own punishment for what happened with Osial. It wouldn’t be a good look.”

  Childe narrowed his eyes. Lumine was sweltering beneath her heavy coat, desperately wishing to take it off and toss it aside. He was still pseudo-glaring. He expected a challenge, a battle of intimidation and wits. Yet, Ying had not given him more than five seconds of her time. It was as if she deemed him unworthy - which was not exactly intended on her part, but it most certainly was a wonderful side effect of her demeanor.

  He liked to get a rise out of people, poke the beast until it bit back. Lumine hadn’t noticed that before - though he’d never given her a chance to see his true colors before now. He had always been business-like with the traveler, amiable and blank, joking where it was necessary. At the time of Rex Lapis’s death, Childe had nudged her along his tight-rope until she revealed the information he needed. 

  Once that was revealed, she was simply in his way. Lumine understood that, and recognized that her position was entirely the same now. Ying was in his way. Ying was a small source of entertainment while he dealt with his cabin-fever and punishment. Ying was getting a bit frustrating now. 

  Nevertheless, Lumine needed to stick around. Much like how Childe gave her the sigil of permission and all of that mora with the intent of information seeking behind it, Ying must persevere through his snappiness and torture with her own intents. 

  Lumine forced herself to give her fake-boss the attention he probably didn’t deserve. She broke the silence with a sigh, “Listen, fire me if you want, I really don’t care. But I promise that I’m helping you right now. It’s not like any of those receptionists would ever care to organize your files like I did.”

  Or bring him breakfast. Or deliver messages. Or dust his shelves. Or refill his ink. The list could go on. 

  But it wasn’t as if she’d done anything truly helpful. She’d just been his entertainment thus far, this was the first moment that she’d actually been involved in Fatui business. He pursed his lips in thought as if he knew this fact, as if he was considering the pros and cons of firing his new secretary. 

  Ying had to defend her position before it was too late. “And, it’s only been two weeks so far. We’re just now starting to commence Fatui activity in Liyue. I haven’t shown you how much of a help I can be quite yet.”

  He shot her a curious glance. Lumine had never noticed how his eyes matched the Sea of Clouds beyond the mountains. He had such long eyelashes, coupled with the analytical intelligence that hid behind his constant, blank mask. Lumine had hardly noticed such pretty eyes before. It was a shame they belonged to a Fatui Harbinger. 

  Childe turned to face her head on. He reached out a hand, putting two fingers beneath her chin and forcing her head to raise. Lumine tried her best to resist his strength, yet he managed to lift her face and look her in the eyes. She scowled as he kept his fingers on her skin. 

  “If you’re such a good secretary,” Childe murmured, “then find the traveler and her imp for me.”

  She was sure Paimon didn’t even want to see him, she was most likely eating the Wanmin restaurant out of business right now. Ying could only scowl openly in response to his cold gaze. She yanked her chin from his grasp and glared at the wildflowers at her feet, “Why would you want to find the traveler anyway?”

  “I’m bored,” he shrugged, nonchalant, “she’s fun. And it’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”

  “Why do you think she’d want to see you?”

  Childe put a hand to his chest and nodded, “We bonded. You should’ve seen our fight, it was beautiful.”

  Beautiful, he called it. Those cracks in the floor and the nearly crushed throats. The electro rushing between them as Lumine tried desperately to keep up with his attacks. The blood, the smell of rust in the air, the threats. ‘Die here’, he had said. Lumine had stayed alive out of pure spite. 

  She resisted the urge to inform him just how unbeautiful that fight truly was. There was nothing bonding about his Foul Legacy form breaking the very expensive gold flooring of the Golden House. There was nothing beautiful in Lumine’s several broken ribs and new scar. As much as she enjoyed a good fight, she had no patience for Childe and his antics in that moment. Perhaps if he fought her again, under different circumstances, she would be more fond of that memory. 

  Lumine simply wanted to wipe that satisfied smile off his face. She put her hands on her hips, sighing as if she was speaking to a little kid. “The traveler isn’t in the area, she’s gone to Inazuma to find someone.”

  He faltered immediately, seeming to deflate, “What?”

  “The traveler isn’t in Liyue anymore, or Mondstadt,” Ying continued, “she's in Inazuma, and with the recent travel ban it’s been difficult to keep an eye on her.”

  “But I thought we got into Inazuma on diplomatic immunity?” 

  Good point. The Fatui could be anywhere they wanted to be. Lumine rolled her eyes as if he was stupid, searching for the confidence to lie without fault. “Really? Because I’ve not gotten a thing about the situation there, it’s like she disappeared the second she came under the electro Archon’s rule.”

  Childe could only grimace, “Perhaps she was captured, I’ve heard it’s tense over there.”

  “Who knows?” She shrugged, “I followed you out here because you obviously needed to get out of the bank, but I highly doubt that you’ll find the traveler.”

  He turned away to look at the expanse of mountains and valleys below. In the distance, Qingxu Pool shimmered. The ruins were like fingers stretching out from the ground, desperate to escape. 

  Lumine had always found Liyue beautiful. She was pleased that Childe seemed to as well, though he did not seem like the type to admire the scenery. He tilted his head to watch the low flying birds and the passing clouds, silent in some sort of odd comfort that neither of them wanted to acknowledge. 

  Until he broke the silence with his annoying voice once more, “How do you know all of that?”

  That the traveler was in Inazuma? Lumine tensed, “Every secretary knows that.”

  “I highly doubt it, I’ve never met a secretary with so much information.”

  If only she’d researched the Fatui a bit more closely before this entire ordeal, Lumine’s heart would not race as it did. She pulled her heavy coat closer around her body as if she could hide herself from his curious glances. “I’m a special secretary, only sent to the wildest of Harbingers.”

  That certainly hit the mark. Childe even shrugged in defeat, as if he knew exactly what he was. “Understandable, but weird nevertheless.”

  “Lots of things in the world are weird.”

  He grinned over his shoulder, “Like your baldness?”

  “Yes,” Lumine sighed, “like my shiny bald head. Really, you should shave your head as well, it helps the hot summers go by a lot easier.”

  He turned away once again, “There are no hot summers in Snezhnaya.”

  Lumine was glad that he didn’t ask where she was from in Snezhnaya, she didn’t quite remember the name of her supposed home village anymore. She’d spent the last two weeks racing around town in her attempts to appease the beast, she’d not had much time to study her own backstory. Fortunately, he seemed entirely disinterested. The Fatui was made up of all different nationalities, anyhow, though the majority was Snezhnayan. 

  She was aware that he was a native to his military’s country. Yet, he made himself look like a blank slate, wearing an amiable smile that each nation could trust. In this moment, he only stared at the expanse below him, lost in thought. 

  “You’re sure the traveler is in Inazuma?” He asked. 

  Ying only sighed, “Yes, that’s what I’ve been told.”

  “What a shame,” Childe murmured, “I was looking forward to seeing her again.”

  Why he would do such a thing was an absolute mystery. Lumine certainly was not looking forward to seeing him. “Why would you do that?”

  “Do what, baldy?”

  She decided to ignore the baldy comment for his sake. “Want to see the traveler?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Childe cast her a questioning look, his brows raised. Lumine could only stare in confusion at his utter obliviousness. 

  She could name a million reasons why. At the top of the list would be the very fact that Lumine didn’t like him. Not in the least.

  She stared. He smiled. He tended to do that, to smile in the face of confusion and frustration. “I don’t know, probably because you’re enemies?”

  “We are?” He tilted his head, “I thought we were friends.”

  Lumine scoffed, “Why would you think that?”

  “Because our fight was amazing?”

  He posed it like a question, as if the answer was entirely obvious. Their fight was amazing. Amazing, not destructive or terrifying. Not something that got him into more trouble than he’d ever been. Not something that pushed her to the brink. 

  Lumine had enjoyed some parts of it, but that battle was anything but amazing.

  She eyed him closely. With her body still sweltering under the heavy coat, and sweat trailing down her neck, Lumine found herself far too irritable to put up with him. The amused smile, the dim eyes, the traces of pink across his cheeks. Undercover or not, she wanted something to frustrate him with as much as he frustrated her. 

  Two could play at this game. If she were to be his secretary, she would have to establish that Ying would not be played with as he so pleased. 

  “You’re attracted to the traveler, aren’t you?’

  Childe stiffened like a statue. She did not dare to look at him, to meet his eyes and see the emotions on his face. Lumine’s retort was entirely made-up, a guess pulled from thin air, yet he froze in tense silence as if he’d been shot by an arrow. 

   He broke it as easily as one shattered glass, “I don’t care that the Tsaritsa assigned you, I could push you off this cliff and she wouldn’t bat an eye.”

  True enough, but anyone with an ounce of strength could do that if Lumine weren’t watching her back. She’d die before she let someone like Tartaglia end her life in such an asinine way. 

  “Will you?” She asked, finally looking up to watch his profile against the afternoon sky, “If you’re planning to, I’d really prefer to get it over with. A threat is nothing if not carried out.”

  A beat of silence. His brows furrowed as he frowned, “You’re acting like you’re not afraid of me.”

  She might be if she had not defeated his Foul Legacy form while nursing two broken ribs at the time. 

  Lumine was aware that Ying stood out like a sore thumb. Only two weeks into her undercover mission, and she was already gaining attention for simply being herself. Inwardly, Lumine cursed her sharp tongue and her inability to keep her sarcasm at bay. If she had just stayed quiet, he wouldn’t be staring at her in that way - as if she held the secrets to something he didn’t know. 

  There was no possible way to break character now. To step back and cower in fear of the mighty Harbinger would only gain his attention more, a mood swing like that would be incredibly suspicious. 

  So, through the mask and the hood and the disguise she applied every morning, Lumine looked up at him and forced a smile, “Do you want me to be afraid?”

  “Sometimes it’s nice to be feared.”

  That said more about Tartaglia’s ideology than she wanted to think about. “You have an entire city of people who are terrified of you, I think one less person won’t hurt your feelings.”

  “Oh, it will,” he put a hand to his chest playfully, “my heart is breaking as we speak.”

  “There’s nothing I can do about that. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Lumine turned away and unfurled her map, “I thought you said you wanted to do actual work today, so I will be doing just that.”

  With the return of the Fatui in Liyue for sheer economic reasons, the distribution of skirmishers and agents had to be re-written. Agents had a bit more freedom, as they took care of debts and were granted traveler’s immunity for that, but the skirmishers were an entirely different matter. Having small camps of super-suited military soldiers tended to unnerve the local governments - thus, as Tartaglia was currently the only Harbinger in Liyue, it was up to him to relocate the camps to spots that would not bother the Qixing too much. 

  He had been procrastinating on this for days now. Lumine was eager to get along on this job, hopeful that she might discover some new information about the Fatui. 

  Instead, Childe just wanted to fight the traveler. It was a total waste of time. 

  Watching her map, Lumine walked down the mountain path. She created some distance between her and Childe before he set off after her with a sigh, “Well, there’s nothing better to do.”

  The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, “Other than pine after some girl who doesn’t even like you.”

  “Who said I was pining?” He scoffed. Offense laced his tone, and Lumine could only hope he didn’t notice how she flinched at herself. 

  She truly needed to work on her sharp tongue. It would get into her trouble one day, and she could not use her anemo or geo powers to protect herself. She’d even forgone her best sword just to avoid suspicion while working for the Fatui. 

  All she wanted was to get away from Childe for half of a glorious second. Stopping in her tracks, she whirled around to face him, “Your Lordliness, with all due respect, I don’t need your help.”

  Without missing a beat, he put his hands on his hips, “Why don’t you want me to come along?”

  Yet another bout of suspicion, yet another oblivious staring contest. Lumine truly was not made for undercover jobs. She couldn’t lie to save her life. 

  Fortunately, she could be mean until the end of time if she truly wanted to. “You’re distracting, and you’ll probably freak out the skirmishers. You know they’re not very smart.”

  “Yeah,” he shrugged, “but there’s nothing for me to do back at the office-”

  “-I left an entire stack of letters on your desk that you need to reply to.”

  Childe grimaced, “I don’t really feel like dealing with that, to be honest.”

  Lumine didn’t really feel like dealing with him. She’d spent the last two weeks doing his chores and running his errands. He’d knocked his pens off his desk at least five times every day for her to clean up. Ying had been his torture victim, it wasn’t asking too much to have a bit of time away from him. 

  Yet, there was enough suspicion hanging over her head already. Lumine couldn’t possibly push the boundaries even further than she already had. 

  “Fine,” she sighed, “whatever you want to do, I can’t stop you.”

  She turned and began walking once more. Childe watched her retreating form, his hands on his hips as he melted into a self-satisfied smile. “That’s the spirit! It seems you’re finally learning how things work around here.”

  How desperately she wanted to tell him to shut up. “Are you just pissed that I’m not terrified of you, is that what it is?”

  “Not particularly,” Tartaglia answered as he followed her, several feet between their footsteps, “I’m not like Signora, I don’t torture my subordinates.”

  “Oh really? Because I think making me sharpen every single one of your weapons can be classified as a form of torture.”

  “You’re different,” he corrected, “your very presence here is a message from the Tsaritsa about what kind of Harbinger I am. If she thinks I need a babysitter, then she’s entirely wrong.”

  So it was a matter of pride. No matter how she acted, he would still be offended by her existence. Lumine cast him a look, raising a brow beneath the hood and mask that covered her face, “I’ve never heard a Harbinger say something like that so openly.”

  “What? That Her Majesty is wrong?”

  “Yeah, it’s a bit unexpected, really.”

  He shrugged, nonchalant, “I don’t say it lightly. She is wrong, though, I don’t need someone like you watching my every move.”

  “Who says I’m watching your every move?” Lumine challenged, “I’m just here to make sure things go smoothly between Snezhnaya and Liyue.”

  “And you’re doing that by trying to collar me up and drag me around?”

  Once again, the mouth moves and the brain remains stagnant. A curse, a terrible curse born from immortality and years of different cultures. Lumine couldn’t stop herself despite how ardently she wanted to. 

  “Truthfully, I prefer to be the collared one.”

  Tartaglia stopped in his tracks. Lumine, in her desperation to retreat from her own self, kept walking, casual as ever. 

  (She was screaming on the inside.)

  “Ying?”

  No response. She couldn’t respond. She couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge that she just said that. As true as it was, she could not let something as awkward and obscure as that hang between her and her fake boss. 

  So, Lumine did the adult thing. She ran. 

  “Ying!” Childe called out after her. She shot through the boulders and trees like a dart, taking twists and turns as she went in her desperate attempts to get away from him. While she ran, she thought she heard Childe laughing to himself like he could hardly believe what was happening. It echoed around her as a reminder of her own mistakes. 

  She made a joke about collars. A dirty joke - a result of spending too much time with Kaeya and Lisa. While Lumine was entirely aware of the implications of her retort, she didn’t want Childe to be aware that she was aware - whether that was about Ying, or Lumine, it didn’t matter. 

  She ran. She ran very quickly. She sprinted out of his sight, to the right, away from the trail, jumping over a small creek and ignoring his questions. With the heat of the sun and the suffocation of her coat, her eyesight was quickly becoming blurred. 

  Childe wasn’t following her at any fast speeds. He seemed to walk leisurely in her general direction, though enough room was made between them for Lumine to stop and catch her breath. She huffed and rested her hands on her knees, squeezing her eyes shut. 

  Could she get anymore stupid? This is exactly why she didn’t talk when she was adventuring, Paimon somehow managed to say far less embarrassing things. Somehow, the floating pixie had more social intelligence than the very old traveler who had visited countless worlds. 

  Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Lumine continued to breathlessly bemoan her own awkwardness, hardly noticing the crunch of dead leaves beneath heavy boots coming in towards her. 

  She assumed it was simply Childe catching up with her abrupt retreat. Lumine didn’t bother to look up, only rolling her eyes, “I told you that I can handle this job on my own, I don’t need your supervision, my Lord.”

  “My Lord,” unfamiliar voices, a grating laugh that she’d never heard before, “I think I could get used to that.”

  Immediately, Lumine was on high alert. The hair on her arms raised, and despite the sweat beneath her coat, she felt a chill crawl down her spine. Reflexively, her fingers itched to summon a sword, though to do so would reveal that she had a vision - she didn’t, but it would seem as much to any onlookers. 

  She straightened to find a crowd of five treasure hoarders surrounding her. They’d snuck up through her heavy breathing, and Tartaglia was nowhere to be seen. While she was not at all worried for his safety, she would like to know if he was watching her, if he would see her rip these intruders to shreds. Yet another annoying concomitant of working under-cover. 

  “Are you lost, Fatui?”

   Fatui. Despite literally being a Fatuu at the moment, Lumine still scowled at the title. “I’m not, but thank you.”

  The clear leader of the group stepped forward. The malice was clear in his eyes, with a fake, approachable smile marring his face. The group shuffled with high strung heckles, and all Lumine wanted to do was get this over with. They surrounded her like she was a mouse in a trap. It was a feeling she despised. 

   “You know,” he went on, “when your kind left Liyue, we all celebrated. No more skirmishers stealing our spots, no more agents to hunt us down. It was pure bliss. So… May I ask, why’d you come back?”

  Lumine tried her best to look disinterested. She wracked her addled brain to recall just how Ekaterina usually dealt with annoyed customers at the bank. 

  “I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been inconvenienced, unfortunately that entire matter is out of my hands. If you like, I can direct you to the Harbinger currently presiding over our division, I’m sure he’d love to send a personal complaint on your behalf to the higher ups.”

   Or he’d simply make Ying do it. And Ying would promptly rip up any letters of complaint and burn them with much satisfaction. That sounded nice too. 

  The leader scowled down at her. Childe was nowhere to be found, Lumine could only hope that he’d gotten lost or given up on chasing after her. Once she knew he was nowhere near, she could summon her sword and end this matter as quickly as possible. 

  “Or,” he suggested, “we could kill you and hang your body outside of our camp as a warning.”

  So edgy. She could hardly handle it. “Well, I’d start to smell after a while, I can’t imagine that would be very pleasant.”

  None of these men seemed to enjoy her logic. In fact, they seemed to despise it. They despised it so much that they pulled out their swords and their shovels and their comically large hammers. 

  Childe was a fast runner, Lumine had fought him well enough to know that. If he was following her, he would have arrived by then. The coast was clear enough. 

  And it wasn’t as if she had any other options. It was five against one. 

  She flexed her fingers and summoned her sword. It had been two whole weeks since she’d had a battle, every inch of her body ached to move as it was used to. As the first man charged towards her with a hammer, Lumine moved in her reflexive, instinctual dance. 

  Even if this sword was a simple and rusty silver piece that wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention - her usual sword would be far too familiar and eye catching - she still managed to cut a swift mark across her assailant’s chest. Without wasting a second, she twisted to block the attack of another man’s dagger, and return the favor by knocking him to the ground with her hilt. 

  Normal Fatui subordinates were usually easy targets, it was the agents and skirmishers that one had to watch out for. Lumine wondered just how many innocent people like Nadia or Ekaterina had been targeted for simply wearing this uniform. They had no way to defend themselves, not like she did. 

  Two minutes later, Lumine stood in the middle of the treasure hoarder’s bodies. The tip of her sword dug into the soft ground, a careless extension of her arm. She surveyed the bloodied scene before her. 

  These men didn’t even know who she was, yet they attacked her for the uniform she wore. Lumine disliked the Fatui as much as anyone, but it was obvious that she was not a debt collector. She was a secretary, she was carrying a map and pen, not a weapon. 

  At least she’d gotten some exercise, as short lived as it was. With a sigh, Lumine ran her fingers through her hair, noticing that her hood had fallen down during the battle. If not for the mask on her face and the disguise of her long hair, she would be entirely exposed. Yet, no harm done, Childe had most likely gotten bored and wandered off to fight something.

  She supposed that it was time to head back to the bank if she was not going to do actual Fatui work. Lumine turned on her heel to leave, sword in hand and hood down, blonde hair blowing against the afternoon breeze. 

  A pair of blue eyes and a shit-eating grin stopped her in her tracks. 

  Silence. The moaning of one treasure hoarder in pain at her feet. Her sword in her palm, a weapon that could only have been summoned by a vision bearer. 

  Childe’s eyes were half lidded in what was either amusement, or danger - Lumine couldn’t quite tell. 

  “So, you’re not bald?”

Chapter Text

  “How’d you get your vision?”

  It was the fifth question Childe had asked within the last two minutes. Two minutes, that was all he needed to drive her up a wall. 

  She had no idea how to answer any of them, either. Where did she get her vision? She didn’t have one. Yet to tell him that would only link her to the traveler, who Childe knew did not have a vision either. 

  Or, he would assume that Ying was lying to get him to shut up. Either way, Lumine wasn’t much in the mood to answer his questions. 

  “And you still haven’t explained why you told me that you’re bald,” Childe kept at her heels, watching as she stomped through the trail and towards the road nearby, “Or the collar comment.”

  The collar comment. The implications. “Mainly because I want to erase the fact that I said that out of existence entirely.”

  “You can’t erase it,” Childe shook his head, “it’s forever burned into my memory.”

  Of course it was. Lumine just couldn’t win. 

  She was desperate to get away from him. She pulled the hood of her coat closer to her face and hurried along, though his much longer legs made it no problem for him to keep up. Lumine just wanted to do actual Fatui work and possibly get some intel, not make dirty jokes with a man who frustrated her beyond all degrees.

  And the way he looked at her when she turned to see him watching. The way his eyes flickered to her sword, to the bodies of the treasure hoarders, to her hair. Lumine couldn’t get it off her mind. He had been analyzing her.

  All she wanted was to restart this entire undercover mission, and blend into the background. To have a Harbinger following at her heels so ardently, now, only meant trouble. She’d yet to give him a response, but that did not seem to dissuade his curiosity. 

  “Come on, Ying, pretty girl?”

  She scoffed and whirled around to face him, “It sounds like you’re trying to call a dog.”

  “Well, you do like being collared.”

  Lumine needed to wipe that smug grin off his face. How satisfying it would have been to punch him in the nose. “Not like that, don’t get any weird ideas.”

  Childe only raised a brow, “If you told me more, perhaps I wouldn’t have to make up ideas.”

  If she told him more. Right. “Okay sure, let’s just have a sleepover as secretary and boss, we can discuss our love lives and eat chocolate!”

  “That actually sounds fun,” thoughtful, he put a hand to his chin, “When I was a kid my older sister and her friends would force me to stay during their sleepovers so they could practice hairstyles on me.”

  That was not at all the response Lumine had expected. She was being sarcastic. She was obviously trying to discourage him from whatever game he was playing. And instead, she ended up with this image of Tartaglia in pigtails. 

  Lumine could only stare, “You have an older sister?”

  “Yep,” he nodded, looking oddly proud to answer her inquiry, “I have six siblings, four brothers and two sisters. I’m the middle child.”

  Seven kids in total. Seven. 

  She supposed that one had to keep warm in Snezhnaya somehow. 

  “That explains it.”

  Childe blinked obliviously, “Explains what?”

  “Why you’re… I don’t know, yourself,” she gestured towards him, “it’s middle child syndrome. You feel like you have to summon ancient tentacle gods to be seen.”

  “I’d agree with you, but my parents don’t actually know about the whole Osial thing,” he smiled, “I’ve just let them think it was another Harbinger.”

  Lumine gaped in horror, “You have parents too?”

  “...Ying, did you think I was grown from some lab experiment?”

  “No, I thought you formed from a patch of mold in someone’s old shoe.”

  His smile was unbreakable. Lumine liked it better when she had the upper hand, when she could watch him tense and threaten to no avail. Now, she felt like a mouse trying to escape a cat’s paw. 

  “That’s cute, printsessa, it really is. You’re a real charmer.”

  Lumine felt a flicker of irritation in her chest, “Why’re you calling me that?”

  While she didn’t know any Snezhnayan, there was only one possibility of what that word meant. Childe only reached out a hand to twirl a tendril of her hair around his finger, “You look like a princess, if you would just put your hood down and take off your mask, I bet-“

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Lumine interrupted, “don’t you have better things to do than follow me around?”

  “Not particularly.”

  He had an entire pile of things to do on his desk. She would know, she was the one who put them there. 

  “Why don’t you go pine after the traveler or something, I’m sure that’s what you’d rather be doing right now.” 

  It was the perfect strike. This mouse was freed, and rearing back to return the favor. Satisfied, Lumine watched as he stiffened, his smile dropping into an immediate glare. Even then, it was half hearted, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with her. 

  A moment of silence. A glare, a self-satisfied smile. Childe had the obvious intention of recapturing his power over the conversation, something Lumine wanted to avoid. 

  “How did you get your vision?” He asked, innocent. 

  She could only frown, “Don’t try to change the subject.”

   “You’re the one changing the subject,” he retorted, “and I asked you about your vision first. What kind is it?”

  His eyes flickered to her waist. Her body was engulfed in the jacket, making her look shapeless, revealing nothing beneath. If she kept her vision anywhere on her person, it would naturally be hidden from a simple glance. Yet, Lumine wasn’t worried about him finding it as there was literally nothing to find. For good measure, she pulled her coat closer and turned away, “It's none of your business.”

  This wasn’t ever a problem, usually. Visions were always worn proudly. Childe kept his own in the most auspicious, eye catching spot possible. 

  Lumine walked on. She was heading towards a skirmisher camp to give them relocation instructions, as Childe was supposed to do days ago. He followed in his relentless pursuit for answers. 

  “Let me guess, pyro?”

  She glanced over her shoulder, “What makes you think that?”

  “You’re fiery!”

  True enough. That earned a laugh, albeit a little one. “It’s not pyro. Remember last week when you had me fight the oceanid by myself?”

  “I assumed you just bought those cleansing hearts,” Childe admitted, “So it’s not pyro, and I doubt it’s hydro.”

  Still true. “Am I not hydro material?”

  “You’re not really the hydro Archon’s type.”

  Another laugh, another flicker of amusement at this oddly entertaining new round of banter, “Am I not dramatic enough?”

  “Not in the least,” he laughed, “I bet it’s cryo, it would fit your icy heart.”

  Her icy heart. Little did he know, Lumine’s heart was only icy towards him. That was the result of watching him summon an ancient god on a city of innocent people. 

  Yet, she liked the idea of cryo. She’d let him think that, no matter how untrue it was. Stopping in her tracks and turning around, Lumine took one step towards him and smiled as innocently as she possibly could. 

  “If I had cryo, wouldn’t that give me the upper hand?” Her finger brushed over the exposed skin just above his vision, “You should be afraid of what I could do to you.”

  He tensed beneath her touch. One small brush of a finger and he reacted like she’d jumped his bones. While his face did not betray anything, the flicker through his eyes did. Something she did not recognize on his face, something that reminded her of the sea before a storm. 

  There was a feeling Lumine despised, and it was anticipation. She didn’t mind causing it, but to have it happen to her was utter torture. The dark clouds and the crack of thunder and lightning, the smell of rain in the air, it was all a form of anticipation. The silence Tartaglia wrapped her in was the worst kind she’d experienced in a long while. 

  Lumine decided, then, to pointedly ignore the quiver of heated emotion in her stomach. The body could be treacherous, she despised it sometimes 

  Until, of course, Tartaglia did what Tartaglia does best - turn the tables in the worst of ways possible.

   “You’re the one that wants to be collared, princess.”

  If only she could punch him. If only she wasn’t undercover, she would kick him in the stomach so hard his children’s children would feel it. Lumine would have to daydream about that scenario later when she had more time. 

  The glare that painted her face could easily kill if it was possible. “I wish I had cryo so I could freeze you and get five seconds of silence.”

  Again, commence the stomping through the trees and rocks. Lumine couldn’t wait to get away from him, and was only frustrated further by the fact that he still followed her. “Hey, you’re the one who was coming onto me.”

   The audacity. She resisted the urge to step on his toes as her heart leapt into her throat - that heated quiver was back, like some parasitic worm living inside of her. “I wasn’t coming onto you! I was trying to be intimidating so you’d stop asking questions and leave me alone!”

  “Intimidating? You?”

  “Yes! Some people are incredibly intimidated by me, I’ll have you know!”

  He scoffed in amusement, “Have you seen yourself? You’re 5’2, you have to weigh about 100 pounds at the most-“

  “-I have muscles, Tartaglia! Huge ones!”

  “You sound like a chipmunk when you yell-“

  “No I don’t!”

  “You did it just now, you did your chipmunk voice!”

  “Shut up!”

  “Listen,” he put his hands up in surrender, though the sheer amusement was still palpable on his face, “I’m just letting you know that you’re not intimidating at all. And that’s what’s interesting about this whole thing - how could someone like you defeat five men at once?”

  Good question. She should’ve been more careful. If she had simply taken note of her surroundings before she summoned her sword, she would have seen Tartaglia watching. And his attention would not be entirely on her right now. 

  She truly thought going with the ‘I'll freeze you with my cryo’ intimidation would work - it usually did on other hydro users. Yet, that seemed to have only interested him more - perhaps the touching of his bare skin was the unnecessary part, now that she thought about it. 

  As much as Lumine wanted to run, she knew she couldn’t. To avoid suspicion, she simply had to come up with a quick and believable answer. If only that was easy. 

  “Well,” awkward, she rolled on the balls of her feet and stared at the ground, “is it truly so odd that I know how to fight? I am still a part of the Snezhnayan military after all.”

  He stared, “But you’re a desk jockey. Ekaterina doesn’t even know how to make a proper fist.”

  Did the Fatui not teach everybody how to fight? It seemed odd to think so, though Lumine had a feeling that most of the lower subordinates were simply normal people supporting their families. 

  Onto plan B. “It’s just my hobby, and it’s good exercise.”

  “Your hobby?”

   Childe emphasized the word as if it could unlock boundless treasures. It took every ounce of Lumine’s self control to not admit that she’d beaten him before. 

  “Yes,” she faked a smile - though she had a feeling that he could see right through those fake smiles she wore - and turned away, “every vision bearer knows how to fight to an extent, don’t they?”

  There was a good reason why they got the vision in the first place. Lumine had simply asked for hers, though, she supposed that made her the outlier. Childe had no idea of these circumstances as he followed her down the path, “So it’s not hydro, cryo, or pyro. You’re a bit too high strung for dendro… I think it’s electro.”

  She was also too high strung for geo, apparently. Lumine surely thought that her infamous stubbornness would earn her a mountain-like quality. 

  Electro users were generally eclectic. There never seemed to be rhyme or reason as to why one was given, not like with the other elements. Hydro users were fantastical, show offs, creative in their own ways. Pyro users were determined, burning down the world around them to reach their goals. And so on, and so forth. The personality of the archon showed through the vision bearers. 

  Lumine only wished she had electro. “I might as well just tell you, since you’re floundering so terribly.”

  “It’s anemo, isn’t it?”

  She smiled at him over her shoulder, “Why was that your last guess?”

  “Process of elimination, printsessa. Freedom and wind,” Childe mused, “it doesn’t seem to fit. Barbatos is known to irritate types like you.”

  “Perhaps that’s why he gave me his vision, as a reminder of my disappointments.”

  Surprisingly, he laughed. The sound took her off guard, almost making her jump in response. It was the kind of laugh that could catch a girls attention, filling a room with some kind of mirth that nobody could quite explain. She stopped to stare at him. 

  “You’re not a disappointment,” he began, “in fact, you’re more of a surprise.”

  A surprise. If only he knew. “I thought I was an annoyance, Lord Harbinger?”

  “You’re that too, just a surprising one.”

  “How nice, do you always speak so charmingly?”

  “Not at all, I just can’t help myself with you.”

  He couldn’t help himself, the passive aggressiveness and the sarcasm. Whatever humor had been between them melted away as Lumine met his gaze. He was challenging her, and she was rising to meet said challenge. She could only assume that he disliked that about her. He wasn’t used to this treatment from a recruit. 

  As wonderful as it felt to frustrate Tartaglia, Lumine knew that she had to act realistically. A real recruit would not be so completely disrespectful, so she would draw her line right here. 

  She held up the map as if to remind him of why they came out here - other than to find the traveler, “Would you like to get to work?”

  “Sure,” Childe perked up, the challenging glimmer in his eyes disappearing, “just don’t let those skirmishers get the wrong idea.”

  That was enough to catch her attention. The wrong idea - could there be a line of corruption in the Fatui she might uncover? Whatever it was, Ningguang could take any crumb and turn into a full course meal. “What do you mean?”

  Childe eyed her as if he wanted to read her mind, “Have you been in the Motherland for so long that you don’t know what it’s like out in the field?”

  “Yes,” she managed an affirmative nod, “it’s been a long time. I’m more used to desks.”

  “Typical. Well, don’t be surprised when they start drooling.”

  She stopped to allow his words to process. He continued walking ahead of her, towards the first camp that he could see beyond the hills. Lumine had fought plenty of Fatui skirmishers, they had never once drooled. Unless in her three month absence from Liyue the Tsaritsa had squeezed their minds of all intelligence they had left. 

  As macabre as the super suits and enhancements were, they were normal people. She didn’t like the idea of even more experiments sweeping through each region. 

  Dropping back down to earth, Lumine raced to keep up with Childe’s long-legged pace, “W-What do you mean?”

  “They’re camps of only men out here in the wild,” he shrugged, “how would you feel if some beautiful girl in a short skirt walked up?”

  By the Archons, he had a point. She’d smelled the Fatui skirmishers before, they rarely bathed, they fended for themselves in these little camps in the mountains, and seemed to be going mad by spending days on end with the same three people. 

   And her skirt was quite short, though she found it a huge exaggeration to imply that they would drool. Lumine’s legs were nothing compared to Jean or Ningguang’s. 

  Aside from those facts; Tartaglia, 11th of the Fatui Harbingers, just called her beautiful.

  “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that.”

  He grinned over his shoulder. Lumine glared in return. Childe had a nice smile, even if it bordered on a smirk at times.  

  Their walk continued. It would be the first time Lumine had actually spoken to a skirmisher in a non-violent confrontation - she didn’t count the instance with Ganyu as nonviolent. She followed Tartaglia over the hills and off the road, to the camp in the distance. 

  A comfortable sort of silence fell between them. She was grateful that it was no longer tense, though she would not call it friendly. It was more professional, business-like, than anything else. The word ‘ beautiful’ hung between them in a barely acknowledged slip of the tongue. As the seconds passed, Lumine’s discomfort only grew into something suffocating. 

  “Sir?” She waited for Childe to hum in response before going on, “If I may ask, since you were being so nosy with me, how did you get your vision?”

  He paused, with Lumine nearly running into his back as he did. She stopped herself in time to watch the chaotic flips of his hair silhouetted against the blue sky. It was criminal how tall this man was - or perhaps she was simply too short. 

  “Why do you ask?” He did not even look at her when he spoke. 

  She asked because she wanted to know every secret the Fatui held and use said secrets to find her brother. 

  Of course, she could not tell Tartaglia that. “I think it’s only fair after your 20 questions.”

  “True enough,” he shrugged and turned around, “but I was curious because you hid your vision. I wear mine openly, so it’s not nearly as interesting.”

  “I think it’s interesting!”

  “Do you?” Childe raised a brow, “And why is that?”

  She grinned wickedly, “I’m just wondering who you killed to get that thing.”

  “It’s more so what I killed.”

  A fallen smile, a flat gaze. As Lumine tensed, Childe only sighed and turned away. He continued towards the skirmisher camp in awkward, suppressed silence.

  Visions and monsters and skirmishers who desperately needed civilization. Rock slides and Harbingers and smiles that are more threatening than they should be. Lumine, Ying, whoever she was, could hardly get that trip off her mind. 

  There were several points of interest that stood out:

   1. Tartaglia has a family, this could be possible blackmail material.

   2. Fatui Skirmishers needed to be spoken to very slowly, and very simply.

   3. Tartaglia was very good at avoiding questions.

  He couldn’t know who she is, it would be foolish to keep her around if so. And while he was annoying, he was anything but foolish. He simply side stepped every attempt to dig further. By the end of the day, Lumine hadn’t learned anything besides those three points. The only other thing she learned was that Childe considered Lumine a friend, which was so incredibly untrue. Where he got that idea, she had no clue. 

  Friends. What was friendly about throwing her through the floor? 

  And whether or not he was truly attracted to her also went unanswered. Lumine found herself laying awake that night, Paimon snuggled up in her arm and snoring blissfully as she stared at the ceiling in horror. Was he attracted to the traveler? If not, why didn’t he simply say so?

  Every single bit of it was odd. Yet, then again, Tartaglia as an entity was odd. 

  The next day at work, he was uncharacteristically quiet. 

  “Your breakfast,” Lumine’s voice was a whisper as she pushed through the doors and into his office. The tray of food jingled and clattered lightly, it was far too much noise for this early in the morning. 

  While Childe usually came in whenever he wanted, he oftentimes chose to show up at 7:00 a.m. Lumine never would have pegged him for an early riser. As she set the tray of food down, he looked up from the document in his hands, “Thank you.”

  “You’re… actually thanking me today?”

  He’d never thanked her for something like this before. Childe only blinked in utter blankness, “Would you prefer I insult you?”

  Childe rarely insulted her, he would just make life much more difficult than it should have been. Lumine only shook her head and pulled the furry hood closer to cover her hair, “No, no. You’re welcome, My Lord.”

  “Come look at this.” He laid the paper down and leaned back in his chair. Lumine walked around his desk to peer over his shoulder as he spoke, “A report came in last night of the traveler.”

  Lumine shouldn’t be shocked that the Fatui have eyes and ears on her. Yet, with his quiet demeanor and lack of mischief, she could not help but feel the importance of this moment weighing down upon her. Childe frowned at the document, it was the most serious she’d seen him since the gnosis incident. 

  If this was how he revealed her schemes and ended her mission, Lumine simply wanted to get it over with. Her heart began to race. 

  When she did not respond, Childe only glanced at her, “The traveler has disappeared completely. I guess you were right about her being in Inazuma.”

  Relief. Sweet waves of relief like cold water on a hot day. She wanted to collapse and thank the Gods.

  “O-Oh,” Lumine pulled away and sighed, “well, don’t look so grumpy about it.”

  “...I’m not grumpy.”

  He was grumbling like a scorned toddler. Lumine resisted the urge to snort, “What’s wrong, if I may ask?”

  Childe sat back and folded his arms over his chest. He was the fidgety type, she’d noticed. If he was focused on something, he would bounce his knee or rock in his chair, tap his fingers and his feet. The only time he seemed to stay still was in the heat of battle. 

  Now, his chair was rocking with unbridled energy. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts, but Ying would wait patiently, even if she was mildly annoyed at how he ignored the breakfast she hauled up four flights of stairs just for him. 

  “I… I need to fight something.” A scowl, the distant stare of dark blue eyes, “I thought I’d see the traveler yesterday and fight her, but she’s gone. And after that battle there’s hardly anyone who…”

  It was rare for Tartaglia to be at a loss for words. “Who, what?”

  “Who satisfies me anymore.” 

  Lumine despised how sexual that sounded. 

  She stared. He fidgeted. He was antsy and pale, as he’d been all week. He was like a cooped up, sick dog that desperately needed to run outside. She knew all of this, but she’d never seen it so pent up. 

  It’s not as if she could help him anyhow. 

  “Well, hope you feel better!” Lumine turned to take her leave, “I’m going to deliver today’s mail down to the harbor, and then I’ll do a perimeter check of the lookouts, and-”

  “Ying?”

  She froze in his doorway, “Y-Yes?”

  “Will you fight me?”

  Her answer was immediate, “No.”

  “Let me rephrase it, then,” Childe sat back in the chair and put his feet up on the desk, taking the position of obvious power despite being the one sitting down, “Ying, as your superior, I command you to fight me.”

  Lumine now understood those stories about people quitting on the spot. 

  “And what happens if I refuse?”

  “Then you’ll be dishonorably discharged for disobeying my command, and I can attack you as an enemy rather than as a sparring partner.”

  She had her choices, and it was obvious what the intelligent one would be. And it was obvious that Tartaglia needed something after being cooped up in the bank for two weeks. 

  She could simply change her style, only use anemo rather than both of her elements. She would make sure to misstep, to go more slowly, to be as convincingly bad as she could possibly be. Ying was a fighter, but not like Lumine. She would not let Childe see any similarities. 

  “As you wish, My Lord.”

Chapter Text

 
  Everytime Lumine had to call Tartaglia ‘My Lord’ she wanted to rip her hair out. 

  She wanted to grip the ends of her disguise and yank until something satisfying happened. She wanted to scream and stomp and hit something. If the consistent lying and Fatui-based work didn’t drive her mad, Childe’s self satisfied smirk would. 

  Even now, as he twisted a lance around his waist and took a step forward, he looked arrogant. He lifted his chin and tilted his head, wrapping the weapon around himself as smoothly as one would a blanket.

  Lumine knew how to fight the Harbinger. He was fast, he could create distance between them within seconds. If she got too close for too long then he would create a shield of hydro to block her out. Despite this knowledge, Lumine had to act as if she knew none of it. 

  With a flex of her fingers, she summoned her sword. Lumine had tightened the elastic keeping her mask in place for fear of it coming off, though she hoped to be evasive enough to avoid that possibility. The sun sparked off her blade. The end of Childe’s scarf whipped in the wind. The battle was due to begin. 

  “Please go easy on me,” Lumine forced herself to sound pleasant, flippant. She analyzed his body language as he appraised her in return.

  “Don’t worry,” a smile and a twist of his lance, “I’ll be gentle.”

   That’s exactly what he said last time. He was anything but gentle then, and Lumine couldn’t possibly believe a word he said. 

  It was with that lie that he decided to strike. He dug his foot into the grass and lunged towards her. Lumine’s body moved of its own accord as she dodged. 

  She wanted to fumble and go slow, but it was difficult to do so when the tip of a lance was aimed for her chest. While Lumine could only hope that he would stop himself before hurting her seriously, she could not help but move. In response, Childe spun his polearm to strike again. 

  Lumine thought that this might be her moment to act convincingly. She could let him have the first hit, satisfy that inner need for trouble and chaos he seemed to have. Yet, instead of obeying her own orders, Lumine found herself parrying his attack.

  The sharp clash of blades. The spark of hydro and sunlight, almost blinding in its brilliance. Lumine used all her strength to push him back and deliver a kick to his stomach.

  Despite how he stumbled away, Childe was grinning. Lumine froze as she noticed the utter lack of sarcasm or tightness in that smile. There was only one second allowed for her to let the sight soak in before he was lunging once more. 

  Another dodge, another parry. That expression never faltered, “I haven’t managed to even touch you yet, printsessa.”

  Which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. Lumine frowned and forced herself to falter, as if distracted. A second later, his lance swept beneath her feet and brought her down into the grass.

  How easy it would be for him to point the end of his polearm at her throat and end the battle. Yet, Childe seemed reluctant to end his fun, he was nearly pouting, “Don’t let me get any pity shots in.”

  Lumine lifted her head, “I’m just being gentle.”

  Oddly enough, Childe rolled his eyes and held out a hand. Lumine took it, and he yanked her up with a surprising amount of strength. She tripped over her feet as his arm snaked around her waist to keep her upright, pulling her to his chest in the process. Every ounce of air in her lungs seemed to escape her as one hand dug into the side of her coat, and the other gripped her wrist. 

  He was nearly dipping her. Childe smiled innocently. Each and every one of Lumine’s brain cells dissipated into nonexistence.

  Until the moment his fingers squeezed a certain spot on her wrist, and she could not help but flinch and drop her sword to the ground. That smile did not seem so innocent any longer. 

  “You’re trying to get me to use my vision, aren't you?”

  “You know me so well, miss Ying.”

  Could Tartaglia get any more self satisfied? If he truly wanted to see her use her vision, then she could provide. At least a little. 

  Careful to not use her wind blade without thought, Lumine summoned a burst of anemo that pushed him back. Water swirled among the wind and misted her face, a pleasant relief from the heat of her coat. As he stumbled away, Lumine lunged for her discarded sword. 

  Childe was already summoning his hydro blades when she picked up her weapon and slashed towards him, barely missing his chest by an inch. Lumine planned to misstep and reveal her left side for him to take advantage of, simply so he would not grow suspicious of her fighting skills. Yet, as she did so, and as Childe took the opportunity, her natural reflexes kicked in once more. 

  His attack was parried. His blades splashed back into puddles of water that fell to his feet. Without thought, not even a second of consideration, Lumine delivered an elbow to his ribs and knocked the air from his lungs, making him falter in response. The tip of her blade dug into his neck. 

  She didn’t mean for this to happen, she really didn’t. He looked up with wide eyes, and Lumine only grimaced. “Sorry, I, uh…” 

  She meant to let him win. 

  “That was too obvious of a move,” Childe shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, now leaving lingering water droplets that pushed a section of his bangs back, “I should’ve seen that coming.”

  The battle was over, it seemed. And Ying had won by pure instinct alone. “I actually was meaning to let you get a hit on me, but I just kinda moved without thought.”

  Instantly, the thoughtfulness on his face switched into a cold glare that threatened to freeze her on the spot. The change in his demeanor was like the snap of a finger, the pop of a balloon. Childe took a step back as if he needed more room between them just to breathe.

  “Let me get this straight…” He put his hands up, “You were going to let me win?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess?” Lumine wasn’t entirely sure why he looked so serious about the matter. 

  “Why?”

  Because she didn’t want his attention on her anymore. Childe liked a challenge, and if Ying proved easy to defeat then he would lose interest. Besides that, she didn’t want him becoming suspicious over her unique fighting style. 

  Fortunately, Lumine changed her moves a bit, and forced herself to go slower. But even then she still had her natural reflexes in the moments she needed them, despite the trouble they seemed to put her in. 

  Childe was staring at her as if she’d just kicked a puppy. He waited for an answer that his secretary could hardly find the strength to give. 

  “I… I don’t know.” She shrugged.

  His brows furrowed even deeper, “Is it because I’m your boss? Did you think I would be angry if I lost?”

  That possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind. Childe wasn’t angry when Lumine beat him at the Golden House, though now that she considered this situation, it might be rather different where it concerns his subordinates.

  Lying through her teeth, she gave a nod and a hum, “Yes, I didn’t want to make you mad. Really, you took the opening I gave you and I just reacted without thought, I’m sorry.”

  Normally, she’d wonder what she’s even sorry for. Little did Childe know, she was more so apologizing to herself for the trouble than to him. 

  Instead of doing what she assumed he’d do - act incredibly arrogant - he, rather, locked her in place with a serious look. “I don’t want you to let me win. I’d rather you fight me as an equal, and I know you can.”

  His voice was so tender, as if he was expressing concern for a loved one. The very sound took Lumine off guard.

  “But we’re not equals.” She reminded. It was a lie, sort of. (She considered herself on a much higher plane than him.)

  Childe only melted into a loose, pleasant smile, “I know another warrior when I see one. I’ve been able to tell that you’ve had something up your sleeve since the day we met.”

   As if. He’d just tortured her with menial tasks out of boredom and resentment, there was no respect between warriors there. Lumine felt the stark urge to knock him out of the clouds and back down to Teyvat where he belonged. If he wanted to fight on equal terms, warrior to warrior, she could do that. She would happily do that. 

  As quickly as she could, Lumine ducked down and kicked Childe’s ankles out from under him. He lost his footing and stumbled back, the surprise evident in his eyes as he fell to the ground. It happened in exactly three seconds. Lumine’s cheap sword was leveled at his neck once again, before he could even blink. 

  Tartaglia could be faster than her when he wanted to be, but he obviously was not expecting his grumpy, short secretary to move this quickly. Not when she displayed a significantly slower speed of movement during their sparring earlier. He blinked, looked up at her, and stiffened upon seeing her smile. 

  “I actually didn’t think that would work,” she admitted, “you should keep your guard up a bit better.”

  It wouldn’t have worked any other time. As dangerous as this was, Lumine found herself satisfied from the look of amused shock on his face. It would have been nicer to revel in it a bit longer.

  But of course, Childe had to regain his dignity somehow. Lumine knew that. It was exactly why she didn’t blame him for lunging up towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and tackling her into the soft grass. 

  While the sudden attack caught her by surprise, Lumine quickly recovered by digging her knee into his stomach, and pushing him onto his back. With one knee on him, and the other on the ground, she re-summoned her sword. Childe only grinned wickedly. 

  His hydro sword stopped her attack. She was aiming for his neck with the intent to stop before she hit his skin, yet he blocked her instantly. With a grimace, Lumine pushed against his sword with all her strength. But he was stronger than her physically, easily keeping her assault at bay. Desperate to get into a better position, she slid her leg from his stomach and onto the other side of his hip, now straddling him.

  Yet, that seemed to be exactly what Childe needed. With a final push against her blade, she had no choice but to let it disappear in a puff of constellations, lest she drop it and take off a finger. Before Lumine could even think, the Harbinger was gripping her waist and pushing her over. Her back hit the grass as a pair of gloved hands pinned her wrists on either side of her head. 

  Childe was now hovering over her with a victorious smile. Smug bastard.

  “I win,” he teased, “so I get to choose the prize.”

  Lumine despised that her mask covered her glare. She’d like for him to see it. “I wasn’t aware there were prizes. Besides, didn’t I technically win first?”

  “No, you would have won, but you chose to continue the battle, leaving me the winner.”

  Damn him and his logic. “Alright, what do you want then?”

  “To spar with you every day.” Childe’s smile grew into something almost genuine. He was like an excited kid that was about to get a new toy. 

  Lumine could only wonder what this meant for her undercover mission. Perhaps she could knock him into a short coma on a daily basis and take that time to snoop through his belongings. That would surely be more productive than bringing him breakfast.

  “...Fine. But don’t get angry if I beat you.”

  “I wouldn’t,” his voice fell into that tender tone from earlier, “I respect your battle prowess.”

  Sure he did. She wasn’t entirely sure what to believe beneath that tone of his. Her wrists were beginning to go numb beneath his hand, and the grass was beginning to itch the undersides of her thighs. Childe kept her pinned with one hand as his hair fell around his face in ginger flips and waves. Under the sunlight, he almost looked like a brunette, if not for the utterly random lock of blond hair hanging from his forehead. 

  And Lumine despised what she realized in that moment. She despised the shift in the air between them, the inner plates of their combined worlds stretching and colliding and shaking until her stomach began to ache in despair. 

  Lumine hated it, how his eyes were half lidded - how they were so blue that they were almost a dark purple. She hated his high cheekbones and straight nose, the smattering of freckles in a pale pattern across his cheeks. His face, she hated his face.

  That hatred came with a disgusting realization. What dawned upon the traveler in disguise is this:

  Childe is incredibly attractive.

  Lumine wanted to barf.

  He stared at her in silence, and she at him. A sudden realization seemed to dawn on his face, Oh.”

  Oh. “What?” 

 Instantly, Childe released her wrists and sat up, shifting away so she could make her escape. Lumine scrambled to her feet with a series of huffs, “I-I’m heading back to the bank now, are we done here?”

 Childe sat in the grass and folded his legs over each other as if he was about to meditate, though the frown on his face was anything but peaceful, “Go ahead. I’m going to stay here and…”

  “And what?” She asked, uncomfortable with the feeling of his fingers lingering on her skin. 

  “Think.” Was his simple answer. 

  About what, she had no assumptions. She was simply desperate to run from her own treacherous thoughts. “Okay, well, uh, be back soon please. We’ve got to talk about the receptionists overtime pay, then gather the collection records. And you’ve got a meeting with a diplomat-“

  “-Are you married, Miss Ying?”

  The interruption stole Lumine’s path of thought and tossed it to the side. Her mind was scrambled like an egg, and her body tensing in automatic disgust at the question. There was no ring on her finger, and the fact that it was Tartaglia, of all people, asking that only made it worse. She was already nauseous enough.

  “No, would you think that?” Lumine snapped.

  Childe only blinked innocently, “You remind me of a naggy wife sometimes.”

  “I’m just trying to do my job!” 

  The audacity of this man. Lumine took back every thought she had of him being attractive - he couldn’t be, there was no way. She turned away to take her leave, but not before sending him another glare over her shoulder. 

  He was still attractive. Damn it all. 

  And the look she caught him wearing; that curiosity, that tilted head. He looked at her as if she was a puzzle, but the stupid jigsaw ones made for children. He was confused and bewildered and amused all at once. Lumine tried to convince herself, once again, that he was ugly. 

  “I’m going back now.” She reminded.

  “So you said, printsessa.” He also reminded. 

  “Well, I really mean it this time.”

  “I never once doubted you.”

  “Good, you shouldn’t!”

  “You’ve never given me reason to.”

  “And don’t you forget it!” She waved a wild hand before starting down the hill, “Don’t die out here all alone, Lord Tartaglia. And don’t have an aneurysm from all your thinking!”

  He did not respond with anything but a light laugh. He could laugh at almost everything, Lumine had discovered, it was a trait she didn’t quite understand. 

  Childe was left behind in a matter of minutes. Lumine made her way towards Liyue Harbor, following its familiar streets until she reached the staircase that led to the bank above. As always, the city was bustling, but she didn’t mind much today. It was nice to be surrounded by other peoples voices sometimes, it made it easier to drown out the inner replays of her spar with Childe.

  And how his expression shifted when he had her pinned. That silence between them. That realization in his eyes as he stared down at her. What it meant, Lumine had no idea.

  “Ugly, stupid, arrogant bastard.” 

  No amount of muttered reminders was helping. She could not forget the unexplainable look in his eyes, no matter how hard she tried.

  At least he was away from his office. By this time of day the bank was usually empty, it was the perfect environment for Lumine to finally snoop around. She passed Ekaterina and the other receptionists with a quick greeting, and the excuse that she would be doing some organizing in Lord Tartaglia’s office. They hardly paid her any mind as she took the steps two at a time and pushed open the sliding doors with gusto.

  It was spotless as always. Carefully, Lumine closed the door behind her and locked it, just for good measure.

  Childe tended to keep his papers locked away, but he hadn’t been in the bank hardly at all for the day. Lumine rifled through the mail sitting atop his desk. Bills, collections, communication from the Qixing. Nothing that would help her thus far.

  Until, of course, she noticed the edge of a paper sticking from a locked desk drawer. Lumine froze at the sight, reminding herself that she could not dare get her hopes up. It could be another bill. It could be a personal letter, or just a scribble.

  Nevertheless, Lumine shimmied it carefully out of the crack. With a pleased sigh, she plopped down into his chair and worked at releasing the letter. It was in the biggest drawer in the desk, and the one he locked the most tightly - everybody knew those kinds of drawers held the best secrets. 

  The letter was crinkling and ripping at the edges, but she was determined to yank it out. A big, sharp signature began to appear at the bottom of the parchment. From what Lumine could see, it was not written in the common tongue of Teyvat. The letters were familiar, but in the wrong order, some of them flipped around or drawn differently than what she was used to. Finally, after yet another gentle yank, the now wrinkled paper was fully in her grasp.

  And she couldn’t read a word of it.

  “What language is this?” Lumine whispered as her eyes scanned the page. Most of her attention was drawn to the harsh signature at the bottom, and while she could not tell what it said, the symbol of the Fatui was stamped in red ink beneath it. 

  This had to be important. Lumine folded it and stuffed it in her pocket just as she heard footsteps coming up the staircase outside. She scrambled out of Childe’s chair to reach the door in time, unlocking it and swinging it open with wide eyes.

  “Goodness,” Ekaterina gasped, “Are you okay?”

  Lumine must look like she’d seen a ghost. She was simply out of breath from having bounded across the room so frantically. She wasn’t talented at sneaking around. Pulling letters from locked drawers and keeping secrets was not her speciality. 

  But she had something. Evidence, information, blackmail. Hopefully. Hopefully it was something. “I’m okay, just got a little hot in here.”

  Ekaterina nodded in understanding, “Liyue is quite hot, don’t you think? A big difference from the Motherland.”

  “Right, it’s so different.” As if Lumine knew, she wouldn’t touch Snezhnaya with a 10 foot pole, “So, what do you need?”

  Rarely did anyone come up the stairs for nothing. Lumine was glad she heard her approaching footsteps before she could try the door and see that it was locked. That surely would have raised suspicion. 

  Yet, Ekaterina seemed as oblivious as ever. She smiled as she spoke, “There’s an agent giving his field report downstairs, he wishes to speak to Lord Tartaglia directly. I was hoping you knew where he was?”

  “I know where I last saw him,” Lumine offered, “by the spring outside of town.”

  “Oh, well, the agent is very tired, you know…”

  “...So?”

  She played with her fingers absently, “I was hoping that you would be willing to fetch Lord Tartaglia personally?”

  She would not. Lumine knew what was happening here, one of the receptionists wanted to flirt with the agent and Ekaterina was covering for her. Or he’d recalled what it was like to be indoors and found himself hesitant to leave. Whatever it was, it was not enough to get Lumine to crawl back to Childe. Especially not when the unexplainable look in his eyes still lingered in the back of her mind. 

  Ekaterina must have seen the hesitance on her face, for she spoke before Lumine could argue, “You’re his secretary, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be willing to deliver these kinds of messages to him?”

  The agent was a subordinate, shouldn’t he be willing to go find Tartaglia himself? Lumine wanted to argue, but the stolen letter was burning a hole in her pocket. She’d only become more nervous the longer she stood here and spoke. 

  “Fine, I’ll go find him, but don’t blame me if he doesn’t come back right away,” She offered an obviously fake smile. It earned a laugh from Ekaterina. 

  “Of course, we all know how Lord Tartaglia is.”

  Lumine wasn’t sure about that. He was much worse than the bank staff thought.

  Tartaglia was arrogant and unpredictable, a wild card. Lumine had always known this, but after working for him it only became clearer. Childe could not be trusted. 

  She thought of this as she left the bank and headed towards the spot where they had fought only an hour ago. It did not take her very long to come back to him, she was sure he’d give her that shit eating grin once he saw her approaching through the wildflowers. He’d say something that would raise her blood pressure, and she would hold herself back from the full extent of her snarkiness. All the while, the letter would burn a hole in her pocket, desperate to be translated and understood. 

  If it had been anybody besides Tartaglia, this mission would go much better. She might have discovered something of use by now, instead of running around doing mundane tasks for his entertainment. If she’d had known it would be him that she’d work for, Lumine would have never agreed to go undercover in the first place. 

  Childe was in the same spot as earlier. He sat in the grass, legs crossed and back leaning against a tree. Lumine saw him from a distance as she trudged up the steep mountain trail. He had to know that she was approaching, though he did not spare her a glance. 

  This man was sadistic, confusing, incalculable, and untrustworthy. He could be rude with a smile, he could be annoying like a little kid, and he could be so dangerously intelligent that Lumine wasn’t sure what he was ever thinking. It put her on edge. She was sure that in the last several weeks of being his assistant, she’d begun to sprout grey hairs from the stress of it all. For good measure, she tightened the hood around her head and adjusted her mask.

  Finally, he glanced at her approaching form. There was no smirk, no expression of satisfaction or victory. He was simply blank, like a sheet of paper. Lumine slowed down five feet away, and kept the thick tree he was leaning against as a wall between them. Childe, oddly enough, said nothing in greeting. 

  “There’s an agent back at the bank that wishes to speak to you,” Lumine informed matter-of-factly, “I believe he’s using this opportunity to slack off.”

  Childe only looked away and shrugged, “Well, so am I. Though I’d much rather be doing something, a warrior must always stay busy.”

  “Then do something.” 

  All he gave was a humorless laugh, “I find myself a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

  “I see you’re very busy decomposing beneath this tree, sorry I bothered you.”

  Lumine was surprised to hear genuine amusement in his next chuckle, though it did not dare to last long. It was followed with a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair, “Hardly anyone jokes around with me like that.”

  So she’d noticed. Lumine had seen the stiff demeanors and nervous looks of the other Fatui when Childe was around. Even the bank staff was cautious to never say the wrong thing in front of him. She wished that she’d followed suit so she never would have caught his attention in the first place. 

  “I’ll stop if you command me to,” she offered, “but I find it a bit more stress relieving to say what’s on my mind. I never usually get to speak this much.”

  He cast her a glance, “Why not?”

  Because Paimon was a chatterbox and it was far easier to just let her speak instead. It was one reason why Childe had not recognized her voice yet, he’d probably only heard the traveler speak once or twice during the rite of parting situation. 

  Of course, she could not tell him about her chatty pixie friend. That would be a dead giveaway. “I just don’t. I, uh, come from a big family.”

  Childe seemed to light up instantly, “You do? So do I, though I guess I already told you that the other day.”

  Six siblings, with him in the middle. She recalled the surprise of it. “Are they very loud?”

  “Incredibly so. You have to yell to be heard when we’re all together.”

  “Sounds terrible.”

  “Sometimes it is, yeah,” he gave a pleasant sigh, “but I’m used to it… Ying?”

  Lumine was watching the metal pieces on the end of his scarf drag through the grass with every breeze. He made no move to get up and go to work, seeming perfectly content as he sat in front of the water, surrounded by tiny yellow flowers. Lumine wanted to pick one and put it behind her ear, if only he wasn’t here to see her do so. 

  “Yes?”

  Childe sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. He was doing that a lot today - he was probably incredibly sad at having lost to her, no matter how much he insisted upon his victory. She watched as he leaned the back of his head against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes to the sun above. It didn’t look as if he enjoyed the warmth on his cheeks as much as one usually would. He frowned instead. 

  “Do you ever…” a pause. Childe furrowed his brows as if he was confused that he was even asking this, “Do you ever miss home? Snezhnaya, I mean.”

  How could she miss a country she’d never even been to? “Yes, I do.” Lumine lied. 

  “It’s so… warm here.”

  It was quite warm, though Lumine was not usually in such a heavy coat. How desperately she wished to roll around in the snow on Dragonspine just to see how much sweat under her arms would freeze. “You could always visit Dragonspine, that’s quite a bit like some parts of Snezhnaya, I’ve heard.”

  Childe perked up and turned around to face her, “Dragonspine?”

   “That mountain over ther-”

  “I know what it is,” he frowned, “but I’ve never heard that it’s like Snezhnaya.”

  Lumine wouldn’t know. Continuing to lie, she forced her stutter away, “Yeah, it’s got, uh, snow. And it’s got wind and mountains and very cold rocks.”

  The cold rocks aspect must have convinced him, for Childe instantly broke into a grin. He pushed himself up from the ground and dusted his legs off, smiling all the while. It was only a second later that he approached Lumine to suddenly grab her hands and tangle his fingers into her own. 

  Pause. A moment to process exactly what was happening.

  They were holding hands. They were holding hands, and Childe was standing very close and looming over her with a very nice smile. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say that it was genuine. 

  “That’s genius, Ying. We’ll set off for Dragonspine first thing tomorrow, you and I. We can visit some Skirmishers while we’re there and get some work done as well.”

   You and I. Him and her. Dragonspine. Setting off. Childe’s fingers were warm against hers. 

  “...Excuse me, what?”

  “Since we can’t go home right now, then we’ll just go somewhere like home. It’ll be nice.” He explained.

  Not if he was there. “Why do I have to go with you?”

  “Because you’re my secretary.”

  “But you’ll be fine if you go alone.”

  “Come on,” his knee bounced with excitement, his eyes widening, “I can’t stand being followed around by those yes-men. And I’m homesick, I want to see snow again.”

  Snow, and yes-men, and secretaries. Dragonspine, his excuse for not working on paperwork. 

  Tartaglia, Childe, 11th of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, was homesick. 

  And Lumine, infamous traveler and local idiot, was far too empathetic for her own good. 

  “A-Alright, fine. Whatever.” She yanked her hands away from his and wiped the potential germs off on her coat, “but you have to do your work today. Promise?”

  Before Dragonspine, she had to take that letter to Paimon. If anyone could decipher what language it was written in, it would be her. 

  Childe smiled like the sun. “I promise.”

Chapter Text

 “Paimon thinks what this letter says is: Lumine, you’re a terrible spy!”

  “...You can’t read it, can you?”

  “Paimon can read it!”

  Paimon could not read it. At least, not the parts that mattered. She was able to squint closely and recognize that the language was a dialect of Snezhnayan, but the rest seemed to escape her. Lumine wondered if she should get her friend some reading glasses with how close she stuffed the paper to her face. 

  “It’s okay if you can’t read it, really-”

  “Paimon can read it,” she nearly growled, “just give Paimon a minute…”

  Lumine had given Paimon several minutes by now. It was nice to be out of her heavy coat and disguise, the mask strewn aside in the corner of this dinky hotel room, but Lumine desperately wanted to sleep. Secretary work, for some reason, proved infinitely more tiring than normal adventuring. 

  After Childe promised to do his work in exchange for a brief day-trip to Dragonspine, Lumine spent the rest of the day dutily following him around. He spoke to agents, he signed papers, he met with a diplomat, and he did so with an amiable, professional smile on his face. The letter in her pocket was making her more and more antsy with every passing hour. 

  Finally, at the end of the day, he announced that he was returning to his quarters, sent Ying a knowing smile, and left. She was finally free of him, and promptly went to her own hotel room on the other side of the city to convene with Paimon. 

  So far, her quest for answers remained unfruitful. 

  “Do you even know how to read Snezhnayan?”

  “A little bit, but Paimon hasn’t had to use Snezhnayan since that incident with the giant squid…” Paimon shuddered, “lets just say Paimon is never going on a winter themed cruise again.”

  Lumine did not want to know. “Can you at least tell who signed it at the bottom?”

  “Oh, yes! That’s no problem. Look here,” she tapped a small finger on the signature, “Paimon isn’t sure what it all says, but this word is easy.”

  ‘Царица’

   “Nothing about that word looks easy.”

   Paimon rolled her eyes, “That’s the Tsaritsa’s signature!”

   It was surrounded by several other unfamiliar words. If Lumine were to assume, they would most likely be something like ‘Her Majesty’ or ‘Sincerely’, something to signify the end of this letter. While the bulk of the writing looked like neat, average handwriting, the signature itself was sharp and harsh. 

  In the very few times that Childe responded to letters, he would have Ying write them and hand them over to him to sign. That’s most likely what happened in these circumstances as well. Lumine’s heart skipped a beat as she realized what exactly she was looking at. 

  This was a letter from the Tsaritsa herself. “We need to get this whole thing translated. Paimon, is there anything else you can read from it?”

  “Not really,” her answer was flippant and bored, coupled with a sigh as she plopped onto the hotel pillows and stared at the ceiling, “there’s a few words Paimon knows, but they wouldn’t make much sense.”

  Nothing really made sense in this world, but Lumine was used to that. She often unraveled mysteries with the tiniest crumbs of information possible. “Tell me anyway.”

  “Fine,” she huffed and sat up, snatching the paper back into her hands and pulling it closer to her face once again, “there’s the word run, and the word mountain. There’s…”

  Lumine allowed her to read in peace. Paimon had been increasingly grumpy since this undercover mission started, though she spent her days eating and lounging around like she most definitely wanted to. Lumine wasn’t entirely sure why Paimon was even complaining - perhaps she missed her, that would be nice. 

  Every night when Lumine came back to the hotel room, she tossed aside her disguise and fell asleep almost instantly. Paimon sometimes acted like a bruised housewife with a workaholic husband. Being asked to read this letter was the first job the pixie had been given in weeks. 

  “Ah, Paimon knows!”

  Lumine’s heart sped up in anticipation, “What is it?”

  “It says…” a pause, a squint, “Look, it’s this one.”

  ‘Принца Бездны’

  “What does that mean?’

  She sighed as if that question was below her, “Printsa Bezdny! Abyss Prince, you dummy!”

  Abyss Prince. Abyss. Prince. Prince of the Abyss? 

  Lumine wasn’t aware the Abyss had a form of government. All she could imagine was a hilichurl in a fancy suit. 

  “Well, it’s not going to make sense until we can translate the entire letter.” Lumine took the parchment and carefully folded it, getting off the bed to tuck it safely in the dresser drawer, “Do you know of anyone that might speak Snezhnayan?”

  Paimon shuddered once again - most likely recalling the giant squid. “Nope. But Paimon’ll keep an ear out while you’re galavanting around playing Fatooey.”

  “It’s really not galavanting, it’s more like suffering.”

  “Sure!” She glared, “You get to do fun stuff all day! You get to have adventures!”

  Tired from the days events, Lumine laid on the bed and hugged a pillow close. She closed her eyes and yawned as Paimon went on. 

  “And what does Paimon get? Nothing! Seclusion, abandonment! Boredom! That’s what Paimon gets!”

  Tomorrow, she would go to Dragonspine and freeze her ass off. But Childe would see snow, and perhaps that would put him in a better mood. Perhaps he’d stop giving her incredibly picky breakfast orders that he never even ate. 

  “Hey, don’t fall asleep while Paimon’s talking to you!”

  She fell asleep in that very instant, dreaming of the letter, and the Abyss.

   Dragonspine. 

  Snow, wind, and overgrown ruin guards. The entire area felt haunted. Perhaps this would be where Lumine finally snapped and lost her mind.

  If she did as much, she would like Lord Tartaglia to be her first victim.

  “It’s beautiful, so clear and pure. The perfect backdrop for bloodshed.”

  All Lumine could think was: What the absolute hell? 

  “You… sound especially bloodthirsty today, My Lord. Are you in a good mood?”

  “Very much so, yes.” Childe’s voice was breathy and excited, filled to the brim with barely contained happiness. Lumine was considering the possibilities of naming Childe’s mood swings, the cheerful demeanor he wore right now would be called his Woodland Princess mood. He looked as if he might start singing to the birds any second then.

  There was, of course, the danger hidden beneath that smile. Lumine would have to be dumb to miss it. No matter how cheerful Childe seemed, he still looked at Dragonspine as if it was his new murder themed playground. Joy and bloodlust made for an interesting combination.

  “It’s good to get out of the office, don’t you think, Ying?” He led the way to the snow capped mountain. They’d passed through Mingyun Village, which was only slightly less creepy than Dragonspine itself.

  And to answer his question, yes, it was very nice to get out of the office. Just not with him.

  He was getting on her nerves more than usual today. Perhaps it was the fact that he insisted upon watching her fight a frost armed lawachurl once they arrived in Dragonspine, or perhaps it was how his new black coat fit perfectly, while hers was loose and baggy. But most likely, it was due to him dragging her along on a day-trip when she would much rather be finding a translator for that letter. 

  “How long are you planning on staying, My Lord?” She asked, unnerved and antsy.

  Childe was watching the mountain peak in the distance, standing in front of her at the edge of Mingyun Village. He seemed to do that a lot - stop and stare, process, analyze. Lumine could almost see the gears turning behind his eyes. 

  The ends of his scarf fluttered against the breeze. And he’d even fully buttoned up his outfit today, a fact Lumine was grateful for. She never wanted to see the sharp lines of his hip ever again, or think about her fingers trailing down said line, and-

  “Ying?”

  “Y-Yes?” She stood to attention, only to find that Childe was now staring at her curiously. 

  “I said that we should probably stay the night, and asked if you brought the tent I keep in my office.” He grinned, “Were you zoned out, or something?”

  Or something. Definitely something. Beneath the mask, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath to steady her jolted nerves. “My apologies. And no, I didn’t grab the tent, you didn’t ask me to.”

  Childe frowned, “I didn’t, but you should’ve known.”

  Every thought about the wonderful line of his hips was now banished. They were gone, wiped away, blown into the wind like dust. Instead of such disgusting things, Lumine’s mind reverted back to its natural state: Despising every word he said.

  She had to take a pause before she blurted out something stupid, not like that helped anything. “Do you think I’m a mind reader, or are you just trying to get on my nerves?”

  “I’m trying to get on your nerves,” he informed matter-of-factly, “despite how much I enjoyed fighting you, I’d still like you to quit. I prefer not being tailed by naggy women all the time.”

  “I told you that you could go to Dragonspine without me! You had that option!”

  Childe rolled his eyes and sighed, “The more I torture you, the closer you’ll get to quitting. And I’ve heard Dragonspine is pretty torturous. Seeing snow is just a plus of it all.”

  It was as if he hadn’t figured out just how spiteful his secretary could really be. Anytime he made it clear that he didn’t want an assistant as part of his punishment, Lumine’s angry determination was only deepened. He, obviously, despised being held down like this. And she despised being told what to do. 

  Lumine could only think that if he hated this punishment so much, then perhaps he shouldn’t have tried to flood Liyue by summoning ancient gods.

  “I love the snow,” she lied, brushing past him and stomping towards the edge of Dragonspine, “I am Snezhnayan, after all. I live in the snow.”

  He was at her heels instantly, “Your name doesn’t sound very Snezhnayan, though.”

  “Neither does yours.”

  “Childe‘s not my real name, nor is Tartaglia.”

  That thought hadn’t occurred to Lumine before. She didn’t know his real name, there were most likely very few who did. “It’s probably something weird, like Olegavicha.”

  “Olegavicha?” His nose scrunched in confusion, “Where’d you come up with that?”

  It was a lovely mixture of Snezhnayan names she’d heard before, not that she knew many from the country of ice. 

  Lumine didn’t answer. She kept trudging through the snow, thinking of Snezhnaya and her cover story. How little she knew of the place. The Fatui accepted non-Snezhnayans, she could have passed as someone from Mondstadt. Yet, the only papers Kaeya had been able to get ahold of were from a Snezhnayan agent he’d captured.

  It would be best if she could distract Childe from asking any more questions about Ying. She couldn’t even recall which village she was supposed to be from. “I thought this was supposed to be a day-trip.”

  “I changed my mind,” he announced, “I want to stay the night. But someone didn’t grab the tent.”

  “You didn’t tell me to!”

  “It’s fine, there’s a lot of mages and skirmishers around here, we’ll just use one of theirs.”

  So the poor subordinates would have to sleep in the snow. Lumine found herself speaking before she could stop herself, “Typical.”

  “Excuse me?” He walked faster to be at her side, smiling down at her with his hands behind his back. 

  Lumine refused to meet his gaze, “You higher ups think you can just bully everyone lower than you. I bet you’re planning to use the entire tent and make the rest of us sleep outside.”

  “No,” Childe put on a facade of innocence, “I was going to let you sleep in there too.”

  The horror of it all. The absolute dread that those words put into her stomach. She could’ve barfed in the snow. “I do not want to sleep near you.”

  “That’s fine by me, sleep outside then.”

  That sounded just %2 worse. Only a little. “How about we just not stay the night at all?”

  “Come on,” Childe turned around, walking backwards and spreading his arms to gesture at the now white expanse surrounding him. He was a spot of black and red and grey against the backdrop. “Dragonspine is huge! Let’s explore!”

  She had already explored it as Lumine once before. She’d already run away from overgrown ruin guards and hid from skirmishers. She’d already frozen her toes off by getting lost in the snow drifts, only to be saved by Bennett - who was also lost. 

  He hadn’t even told her to pack the tent. He was just messing with her, as always. Lumine felt her irritation grow as she followed him through the snow drifts. They grew deeper and more difficult to traverse as the minutes went on. Lumine felt as if she was following Childe straight into a blizzard - but he remained cheerful and calm nevertheless.

  “I don’t want to explore, I’d rather not freeze to death”

  “I did think to bring flint, you know. We’ll be fine, Ying.”

  Fine, whatever. She’d just abandon him when hypothermia began to set in anyway.

  Childe chose to follow a path around the mountain, gawked at the peak for a moment, and continued on. He expertly trudged through the snow drifts. He pointed out familiar animals in the barren trees. And he seemed happy, comfortable. Lumine’s suspicion only grew.

  Childe rarely was quiet for very long. Lumine did not dare to speak first, that would feel like shouting in the cold stillness of Dragonspine. Yet, her hackles began to rise as Childe slowed in his pace.

  The path they had been walking for the last hour dropped off suddenly. Splintered wood poked out from the snow, it had to be the remnants of what was once a bridge. With a curious look, he peered down into the gap. 

  “It’s not that far, I think I can jump down and follow the side path out.”

  Hesitant, Lumine approached the gap as well. She frowned instantly, “That’s way too dangerous, we should find another way.”

   “What do you mean?”

  That curious, innocent look was almost convincing. Lumine only scoffed, “What do you mean what do I mean? You’ll hurt yourself if you jump down there!”

  “Come on, don’t be dramatic.” Childe rolled his eyes and readied himself to make the leap. Lumine could not help how her heart skipped a beat, and her body moved without thought. Instantly, she gripped his arm and yanked him away from the edge.

  “You’re going to get hurt!” She released him and stumbled back, clamping her hands over her mouth in horror, “And I can’t carry you back! It would take forever for me to find help!”

  A pause. She squeezed her eyes shut. Childe stared - he had the audacity to smile. 

  “Ying, are you worried for me?”

  Lumine ignored his obvious amusement, “I’m worried about leaving you here to die with two broken legs!”

  “Ying, I really can’t tell if you’re joking or not right now.”

  “I’m not joking!”

  His amusement fell into wariness. He pointed at a tendril of smoke rising in the distance, “I think the path down there will take us to whoever’s camp that is. And I believe it’s most likely a Fatui camp, that’s usually the only people ever out here. It’s the easiest way to get there.”

  “It won’t be so easy if I have to drag your body through the snow.”

  “Ying, I’ve fallen from worse heights. I’ll be fine.”

  “If you say so,” she put her hands on her hips and glared, “But I’m not going down that way. I need a rope or something.”

  And she didn’t have her gliders either. Gliding was not a common practice in Snezhnaya, it would make sense for a Fatui subordinate from the Motherland to not own a glider. Childe didn’t seem to either - when one could change their physical structure into a ball of water and fly away into the night, why bother with a glider?

  Of course, if he did that here then he would simply freeze to death - though Lumine would’ve liked to see that.

 They could simply turn left on the path they were on now, but the trail turned extremely steep and rocky. The trail leading from the bottom of the chasm looked far safer - besides the whole chasm part. Childe turned to look down into the gap once more.

   After a moment of thoughtful silence, he finally spoke, “I'll just catch you.”

  He’ll just catch her. He’ll jump down and catch her. Childe, catching her. Lumine wasn’t sure if she was hearing that correctly.

  “That’s stupid.” She began her argument. Yet, before she could go on, Childe bent his knees and leapt off the edge. Every ounce of air was stolen from her lungs as she watched him disappear from sight.

  Lumine scrambled to the edge and looked down. Childe was still on his feet, steady himself with a hand against the rock wall. He smiled up at her innocently, “It’s not that far down! My ankle only broke in one place!”

  “I’m not healing that!”

  “I’m kidding,” Childe pouted and spread out his arms, “Just jump, I’ll catch you.”

  Jump into his arms. Childe’s arms, which she knew were strong enough to squeeze her to death - though that didn’t quite seem like his style. He could just not catch her, watch her break both legs upon impact, and then leave her to die in the snow.

  Lumine could only frown down at him. Childe’s smile faltered as he noticed her suspicion, “Ying, do you think I have ulterior motives?”

  If he knew that she was really Lumine, there would be plenty of reason for him to want to kill her. This was Tartaglia, he could be playing with her like a cat does to a mouse. 

  It drove Lumine insane with the possibilities of it all. 

  “I don’t want to jump. You’ve said you don’t want a secretary before, this could be how you get rid of me.”

  “I promise I’ll catch you,” Childe grinned, amused, “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead by now. I wouldn’t bother beating around the bush like this.”

  She hated how true that was.

  “Fine,” Lumine grumbled and took a step back, her knees shaking, “But if I die then I’ll haunt you forever.”

  “You won’t die, Ying.”

  She could easily die. She would probably die. But she also wanted to keep an eye on Tartaglia and the skirmishers, there might be an important piece of information she would miss if she turned back now.

  Or she’d die. Whatever happens, happens.

  Lumine held her breath. She moved forward, squeezed her eyes shut, and gasped as if she was diving into cold water. 

  And she jumped.

  The rushing of wind. The sound of her own scream. The feeling of ice cutting through her coat like knives. It all happened in 0.02 seconds.

  Childe’s arms were strong and warm. One wrapped around her thighs, the other around her back. She could hear something in her right ear as she rested her head against his chest and let the world around her settle into stillness once more. 

  “See?” A low voice, his familiar chuckle, “I told you I’d catch you.”

  He caught her. She wasn’t dead.

  Lumine instantly recognized what it was that she heard. His heartbeat, Childe’s pulse. It was racing. 

  “...Lord Tartaglia?” 

  He stared down at her in his arms, eyes wide as Lumine looked up at him. Out of breath and looking dazed, he answered, Yes?”

  “I’m going to strangle you if you ever make me do anything like that again.”

  She thought she heard another skip of his heart - but she was probably just imagining things. Childe broke into a grin, “You don’t like being in my arms?”

  “Not at all,” she watched his smile fall instantly, “Let me down, please.”

  Almost gingerly, Childe shifted to let her down. The second Lumine’s feet touched the ground, she yanked herself back from him and clutched her chest, eyes wide beneath her mask. She half expected him to tease her for her fear, but he simply brushed past her in absolute silence instead.

  As he continued down the path, Lumine tightened her mask and pulled her hood back up over her hair. Holding it down, she chased after the Harbinger, “Thank you, by the way!”

  “What?” Childe glanced at her over his shoulder. Lumine kept at his heels as she trudged through the snow, feeling a twinge of something unfamiliar in her stomach. It was difficult to look him in the eye.

  “For catching me. So, uh, thank you.”

  Childe only smiled, “You should trust me more.”

  “How could I?” Lumine was running out of breath while hiking and talking at once, her knees still shaken from the jump, “Harbingers don’t usually care for the well-being of their subordinates.”

  She recalled her conversations with the remaining Fatui in Mondstadt. Signora was known to treat her recruits harshly, and Pantalone - while Lumine had never met him - worked his own recruits to the bone. 

  Aside from that, the amount of times Childe had forced Ying to do some useless, asinine job only proved her theory more. Harbingers were so up their own butts that they couldn’t possibly care for recruits.

  Childe didn’t look as if he wanted to argue with her. The amusement was now gone, replaced with a flat grimace and a glare into the distance. “Yep, that’s how it should be. I’m no Signora, but it would be unsightly of a Harbinger to show more respect than necessary to a subordinate. I’m sure you know that, though.”

  She did not. If he assumed that Ying knew that then it must be something commonly taught among the Fatui. And she could easily understand why - they were all sharks in the water, waiting for just one drop of blood to signal that prey was near. If a Harbinger bared his neck for the world to see, it was only a matter of time until someone would try to slit it.

  Lumine despised that mindset. She couldn’t imagine any Knights of Favonius acting that way, Jean was respected and unchallenged. She didn’t need to rule with fear, not like Childe did. 

  Lumine wasn’t sure why she decided to say this, but it came out anyway. She was not at all used to having censor herself - she’d never had a boss before.

  “Lord Tartaglia, I promise that I’m not after your job. I honestly could care less about your title as Harbinger, I’m just here to do your chores and clean up your diplomatic messes.”

  And to infiltrate the Fatui and learn all of its secrets, but he didn’t need to know that.

  Childe stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at her, making Lumine stop as well. They stared at each other in a rather loud, awkward silence.

  “Ying?”

  She tensed, “Yes, My Lord?”

  “Are you trying to reassure me?”

  She supposed that she was, in some odd way. She’d simply noticed how displeased he seemed at his own actions - being far too familiar with a subordinate, catching her, acting so un-Harbinger-like. It was like he regretted how playful he’d been so far.

  She recalled hearing his heart race. She wondered if that truly was just her imagination.

  Lumine, once again, felt far too empathetic. So much so that she questioned her own intelligence.

  “I just want you to know that I don’t care for climbing up the ladder,” she explained, going for the first words that came to mind, “I just want to do my job. I’m not going to look for signs of weakness in you, or stab you in the back. I prefer to not partake in the underhanded schemes that characterize the rest of our organization.”

  Lumine was, sort of, kind of, bullshitting her way through this little speech. While it was true, she also recalled what Childe had said before their fight at the Golden House. He did not care for subterfuge as his colleagues did. 

  Childe stared. Lumine stared. His sudden, wicked grin, jolted her awake. 

  “You’re cute when you suck up, you know that?”

  Did he really just say that?

  (He thought she was cute?)

  Wordlessly, Childe turned around and continued down the path. Lumine was at his heels like a yapping, tiny dog, “As if! I’d rather be bound and gagged than ever suck up to you!”

  “Bound and gagged? I could make that happen if you really wanted to.”

  Horror, absolute horror. Curse her thoughtless words. “That’s not what I meant! I’d die before I let you ever touch m-“

  “Who said anything about touching you?” Childe whirled around. He caught her off guard with a strategic step towards her, and his hand moving to rest lightly on her hip. It was too sudden, how close his body was to hers.

  When she did not answer, he continued on, “Ying, you’re like a tiny little kitten trying to stand up to a lion. It’s funny to watch, actually.”

  That had to be the stupidest thing he’d ever said. And he had to be lying to himself. Lumine’s energy and anger returned full force as she lifted her chin and glared at him.

  “If that’s what makes you feel better about yourself, then I’ll let you think that. It must be difficult to know that your secretary can beat you in battle, that I won’t submit to you like everybody else... It just drives you mad, doesn’t it?”

  His smirk faltered. The mask broke for half a second, revealing the truth underneath. 

  She knew she was right.

  Childe was stiff and tense as he turned away. He stomped down the trail, with Lumine leisurely following from a distance. She could almost see the dark cloud of utter frustration and gloom hanging over his head.

  It felt good to win, at least this once.

Chapter Text

  Lumine remained victorious in their constant battle of wits for about five minutes. 

 “Lord Tartaglia! It’s great to see you!”

  It was not great to see him, that much was obvious. The three skirmishers dropped to their knees as if they were avoiding a swinging ax. Lumine took her preferred position, standing behind Childe and peaking out around his arm. 

  The Harbinger was as casual as he could possibly be, “Hey! Just thought I’d drop in and see how things are going around here!”

  His amiable smile and friendly waving hand was not nearly enough to quell the skirmisher’s nerves. When a Harbinger ‘just dropped in’, that usually meant someone was about to be fired. Or executed. Or threatened. Something absolutely terrible was bound to happen. Lumine almost felt bad for them, almost. 

  An awkward pause settled in. Childe shifted and glanced at Lumine over his shoulder, who only frowned in return. He looked back at the kneeling skirmishers and cleared his throat, “So… how are things going?”

  “Good, Master Childe!”

  Good. Just good. A very stiff and tense kind of ‘good’. He frowned at the sight, before twisting around to nudge Lumine up in front of him, “Have you met my secretary, Miss Ying? If you have any field reports, just give them to her.”

  She didn’t want their field reports. She felt like a little kid being forced to speak to some creepy older relative. The second she stumbled into view, the three skirmishers tensed even further. One of the soldiers glanced between her and Childe rather frantically. The other gave a soft gasp. The third simply whispered, “Girl…”

  These poor men truly were isolated out here. She shot them a quick wave, then gripped Childe’s arm and yanked him away, hissing under her breath, “Why’re you bothering these guys? They weren’t expecting us at all!!”

  “Come on,” he leaned down to whisper back, “just play it cool. They have tents and a fire, and the sun will start setting soon. We need a place to stay.”

  “I don’t want their dirty, body odor smelling tents!”

  “But I know something you might want instead.”

  She frowned at the mischievous tone he carried, “What?”

  “Food,” Childe whispered even more lowly, leaning in and brushing his lips against her ear, “smells like chicken and mushroom skewers. They couldn’t possibly deny a Harbinger and his secretary a meal.”

  She felt as if she was on fire with how close he was. Every inch of herself wanted to back away, but she could hardly bring herself to. All Lumine could do was lift her head to look up at him, “I don’t want to take their food, who knows how much they have left?”

  “Yeah, who cares?”

  “I care!” She stomped her foot into the snow, “I know you have to act like this big and bad Harbinger all the time, but that doesn’t mean you can just steal their food and run!”

  “I wasn’t going to run, I was going to eat it in front of them.”

  “That’s even worse!” She gripped his scarf and pushed lightly against his chest, “Send them extra supplies, and like, uh, some chocolate or something.”

  A pause. His smile, Lumine’s stiff fingers as she yanked her hand away from his scarf. One second passing, two, and three. Finally, Childe laughed, “Your puppy eyes would work better if you weren’t wearing your mask.”

  Lumine hadn’t even realized that she was trying to use her puppy eyes, it must have been evident by the furrow of her brows. She’d grown used to the mask over her face, forgetting that it was there oftentimes. She turned away, as if the action could erase that very thought from his mind. 

  The Fatui often would take off their masks when in private. She’d seen Ekaterina pull hers off and rub her eyes in the breakroom, then put it back on as if nothing had ever happened. Yet, Lumine felt as if the only Fatui she’d ever seen without a mask on 24/7 was Childe himself. Even La Signora wore a mask each time they had met.

  “I-I can’t take it off, I have, uh, scars.”

  She thought she’d been getting better at lying. Apparently not. 

  Childe’s brows raised, “Over your eyes?”

  “...Yep. They’re super ugly. It’s why I joined the Fatui, so I’d have an excuse to cover them.”

  Childe didn’t miss a beat, “That sounds cool, I have scars too. I’ve got this one…” he gripped the red collar of his undershirt and yanked it down, tilting his head to showcase the nasty looking cut running along his collarbone, to the bottom of his neck. Lumine gasped at the sight, but that only seemed to make him smile even wider, “Oh, and this one-”

  The second his hands went to the bottom of his undershirt, Lumine knew what was about to happen. She nearly screamed, “Stop! I get it! You don’t need to flash me!”

  An innocent gaze, his crooked grin. He obviously enjoyed the sight of a flustered secretary, “All I’m saying, printesessa, is that I don’t mind your scars.”

  “Well,” she sent him a wary look, “I mind them. So I’ll keep my mask on, thanks.”

  Nearby, the skirmishers watched with wide, curious eyes. Childe seemed to forget their presence entirely, only remembering them as he glanced over and saw them staring. “Oh, you’re still here.”

  The obvious leader, a pyro gunner, perked up and gave a salute, “Yes sir! We’re assigned to be here!”

  “Do you have food?”

  He seemed to deflate like a balloon, “Yes, but…”

  But they probably didn’t have enough. Lumine knew that tone of voice, she’d been in those situations many times as an adventurer. Before Childe could answer, she brushed past him to approach the camp, “I’ll go hunt some boars! We can make a big feast and all eat together, and Lord Tartaglia will send you some extra supplies!”

  Every skirmisher perked up. They stared at her like she was their Goddess, coming out of the clouds to save their rumbling stomachs. 

  “M-Miss secretary…” the distorted voice of the cryo healer was shaken and weak, “How could we ever repay you?”

  “-By letting us use your tent!” Childe interrupted, “And giving us extra blankets. And letting us drink that bottle of fire water I see over there.”

  Fire water? Lumine didn’t recognize the name, or how Childe even noticed something like that. They had a campfire, and they were near a body of water, but she wasn’t entirely sure what he was referring to. The skirmishers tensed as they shot glances to their supply crates, eyes falling solely on a bottle of clear liquid sticking out from the top. 

  The leader hung his head, “Yes sir…”

  Before Lumine could question it, Childe gripped her arm and grinned, “Alrighty, let’s hold down our end of the deal and hunt some stuff. Oh, and we can fight a lawachurl while we’re out. I want to see you do that.”

  She gasped, “You want to see me fight a lawachurl?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

  She could name so many reasons why. As much as Lumine enjoyed fighting lawachurls - it was purely out of spite, anything that hit that hard made her undeniably bloodthirsty - to have Childe watching her fight one seemed risky. She’d have to be careful about using anemo. She’d have to cover up her fighting style again. She’d have to be on her toes for whatever suspicions he may grow. 

  Fortunately for Lumine, Childe was easily tricked. 

  She did, indeed, fight a lawachurl. But she didn’t use her vision even once. And she did her best ‘damsel in distress’ impression. Childe, promptly, jumped in to save the day, and Lumine even clapped for him. He seemed to enjoy that part especially.

  After that incident, she discovered the shocking fact that Childe had very little idea of how to use a bow. She’d seen him use one in a battle against her, though most of his shots were powered with hydro, and had missed. Lumine hadn’t thought much of that until she saw him trying to shoot a boar down. He was so incredibly bad that he summoned a single arrow, and threw it by hand. It was the only arrow to make its mark. 

  She, of course, ignored how much she giggled at the entire incident. And he, of course, sent her a smile as if he was soaking in every second of her laughter. 

  Their evening in Dragonspine ended around a campfire, with food skewered and cooked over it’s flames. It felt like it had been forever since she’d eaten like this. Despite the lack of Paimon, it was nostalgic nevertheless. 

  Until, of course, Childe brought out the fire water. 

  “What’s that?”

  Every eye in the camp stopped to land on her. Lumine wanted to shrink beneath the gazes, yet she forced herself to stay upright as she spoke to the Harbinger. He held the clear liquid in one hand, and a shot glass in the other. 

  “It’s…” he glanced at the label on the bottle just to make sure, “Snezhnayan fire water?”

  She wasn’t sure if he meant that to sound like a question. The curious stares burrowing into her were enough of a sign that she should begin lying to cover her ass, “Oh, yeah of course, I’ve just never seen that brand.”

  Childe glanced at it again. The pyro archer was staring at her across the flames, the shadows dancing ominously over his face. She did her best to avoid looking him in the eye. 

  Fortunately, all the Harbinger did was shrug, and continue pouring the liquid. He handed the shot to Lumine. Instead of acknowledging the harsh scent of the liquor, she simply watched as the skirmishers accepted their own drinks, as comfortable as they possibly could be when sitting with their boss in a snowy wasteland. 

  The cryo gunner began to speak of what he’d seen in Dragonspine thus far, “There’s this huge boar, and I thought animals in the Motherland were big! And you wouldn’t believe how many people come out here to die, My Lord.”

  “Really?” Childe asked, “This is more like home than I thought, then.”

  Just what kind of place was Snezhnaya anyway? Lumine found herself shuddering at the thought - an entire country like Dragonspine, the cold secrets it could hold. Childe leaned back in his spot. He rested against the trunk of a tree and folded his legs over each other, unbothered by the piles of snow around him. Lumine wasn’t sure she’d seen him this at peace since they met.

  It was nice, in a way. Good for him. Lumine only hoped to find that somewhere, once Aether was found.

  There was something calming about the campfire and darkening sky. She kept the shot in one hand, while listening to the idle conversation between Childe and the skirmishers. The cryo gunner began telling a story of an adventurer he’d seen recently - it sounded a lot like Bennett.

  While they spoke, she felt the hair on her arms raise. Glancing up, she met the gaze of the pyro archer. He seemed to be the smarter one of the group. And he was analyzing every inch of her.

  “Miss Ying, was it?”

  His voice was not as distorted as the others, but it was enough to halt all other conversation between the group. Every eye landed on the secretary sitting in the corner. 

  She tensed immediately, “Yes, and you are?”

  “That’s not important,” he waved a nonchalant hand, “What I want to know is all about you. Where’re you from?”

  He was digging. Childe smiled and leaned back against the tree, as if he was getting comfortable in anticipation for a bedtime story. Lumine tried her best to keep a steady, confident gaze. 

  “I’m from the Motherland, you’ll have to excuse my lack of accent though, I didn’t grow up speaking our language,” she was lying beautifully, “My father was from Mondstadt. We mainly spoke the common tongue.”

  Even Childe had an accent at times. It was difficult to catch, but it was there. Lumine had noticed it the most when he murmured to himself in thought. Interested, he now looked straight at her, “You haven’t drank your fire water, if you don’t like it then I’ll take it.”

  “No, it’s fine!” She shot the liquid down as quickly as she could. While she could not taste it on her tongue, it burned as it slithered down her pipe and to her stomach. Lumine put a fist over her mouth to cover up her sudden, strained cough, “Tastes great. Super awesome.”

  “Okay then, take some more!”

  She watched him top off her glass, feeling grim. Whatever the hell that drink was, it tasted like poison.

  “I want to know more about you,” the pyro archer leaned forward, “What’re you doing in Liyue?”

   Persistent asshole. “I was assigned here like everybody else.”

  “Fine then, what part of Snezhnaya are you from?”

  Quick lies and spit fire questions. Lumine took another quick shot in an attempt to gain courage. She held out the cup to Childe for a refill as she answered, “The coast.”

  “I’m from the coast too,” Childe poured her another drink, smiling all the while, “I miss the beaches there, the coastline in Liyue is too sunny.”

  Lumine wasn’t sure what else a coastline should be. She couldn’t imagine an unsunny beach. At least she knew one interesting tidbit about Childe, now. He liked the beach.

  Well, he was a hydro user. He should like the beach.

  The pyro archer went on, obviously determined with his suspicion, “Who’s your favorite Harbinger?”

  None of them. Lumine pointed to Childe nevertheless.

  (And ignored his victorious, mildly wicked expression at the sight.)

  “Fine, Miss Ying. What’s your favorite Snezhnayan folktale?”

  Folktales. Stories, legends. Lumine wracked her mind for what little she knew of Snezhnayan culture. 

  “I… I like the one about,” she knew Viktor in Mondstadt had big furry dogs at home, “the wolves, and the…” she knew Ivanovich in Liyue sold fluffy hats, “very big hat. The one where they all died, you know?”

  Immediately, the other two skirmishers made hums of agreement, nodding along and reminiscing about that wonderful story about the wolf with the big hat - where everyone dies in the end. That one. Everybody knew that one.

  Relieved, Lumine cast Childe a glance, only to find him staring right through her. It was as if he looked at something entirely beyond her physical form, his eyes far more dim than usual. He rested his chin in his palm.

  Lumine stared back. Exactly two seconds later, he seemed to crash back down to the ground. His usual tight and blankly pleasant smile replaced the zoned out look, “Another drink, printsessa?”

  She hadn’t even noticed how she’d thrown back her drink between lies. The suspicious eyes of the archer would not leave her, even as Lumine took another shot.

  The alcohol hit her like a punch to the face. 

  “Yes, please My Lord, I…” she had no choice but to pause and think very deeply, very dizzily, over her next word. Despite the rather heavy processing she did over said word, all that came out was, “Would like another drink, yes.”

  He seemed to eye her oddly for a moment. Lumine couldn’t quite tell if he was suspicious, or amused. Perhaps both. Nevertheless, he poured her another shot.

   Nobody seemed to notice her tipsiness quite yet. And for this, Lumine was grateful.

  “Do you have any news from the Motherland, My Lord?” A skirmisher asked from across the fire, having no awareness of the sudden cloudiness hanging over the secretary. The pyro archer continued his suspicious glances all the while. 

  Childe threw his shot back expertly before answering, “Not much. Scaramouche is stationed in Inazuma, and the Zapolyarny staff is working hard to keep things diplomatic over there. You know how it is.”

  Lumine knew that she should be listening. This was important information that she could report back to Ningguang with. But her eyes were so damn heavy. She fought against her clouded mind to stay focused on the conversation at hand.

  “Well, thank you for visiting us,” a skirmisher bowed his head respectfully, “it’s not often we are honored with a visit from a Harbinger.”

  Childe only grinned, “Oh don’t think I’m just here to visit, I’ve actually been getting reports on how the collections are going. I thought I might kill three birds with one stone.”

  “S-Sir?”

  “You know, frustrate Miss Ying into quitting,” he cast her a glance, only to find her staring off into space, “uh, and get your asses in gear on those debt collections, and also have a little vacation from the Liyue heat while I’m at it.”

  Lumine so desperately wanted to hear the conversation better. Collections, here in Dragonspine. What could they possibly care to collect here? Hardly anybody but adventurers came through this way. 

  The skirmishers began their stuttered apologies and excuses for the lack of hard work. Lumine watched as Childe raised the shot glass to his lips, staring down the soldiers over the rim, eyes half lidded. There was something in his expression that she could not quite place, it was not amusement, but boredom. 

  He was tired of these yes-men, because Childe liked to be challenged. It was like seeing the Harbinger in completely new lighting, and she could not stop her mind from registering little features about him that she’d not noticed before. He had nice hands, even when covered by gloves. He had a smattering of freckles across his nose. He had unfairly long eyelashes. 

  Lumine looked at her own hands. They were small and plain, calloused from years of swordplay. She thought of her rather uninteresting face, pale with too big eyes the color of muddy water. While she knew she was passably attractive, it was a sin that a Fatui Harbinger be that pretty when compared to her. 

  Lumine, of course, needed to have an existential crisis over this fact.

  “I don’t want to look at your gross face anymore,” she stumbled to her feet, the sound of her voice cutting through the conversation, “I’m going to go find my own camp, and it’ll be so much better than this camp.”

  (Lumine was not entirely aware of what she said, she hoped it wasn’t too bad.)

  Childe glanced at the half empty bottle of fire water, then grimaced, “Ying, how many did you have?”

  Did it matter? She had plans to fulfill, thoughts to think. “I don’t fucking know!”

  “Ying,” he was biting back an obvious smile now, the amusement evident in his voice. The face he wore now remained starkly different than the earlier look of apathy, “I think you drank too much. You should stay here where we can keep an eye on you.”

  “No way! I don’t want to be mocked by you anymore!” She stomped a foot into the snow - and nearly tipped over in the process.

  “How am I mocking you? I haven’t said anything.”

  “With your face! Your face is mocking me!”

  He glanced at the skirmishers for any sort of explanation. All he received was a series of shrugs, and a muttered, “I kinda agree with her…” that he decided to ignore. 

  Childe pressed his lips together in a grimace and cast them a look, “Get out of here, go do your jobs for once. And report back to me when you’re done.”

  The three of them scrambled to their feet. Lumine scowled as the pyro archer sent her yet another glance, to which she only stuck her tongue out to. With several Yes Sirs and salutes, they scurried down the snow covered path. 

  “I don’t think he likes me.” 

  Childe pushed himself up with a sigh, “Who?”

  “That guy,” she pointed at the archer’s retreating figure, “he thinks I’m suspicious. I should kick his ass like I kicked yours.”

  “I look forward to seeing it.” 

  “No you don’t, shut up.”

  “I really do, I think I like watching you fight,” he approached her, smiling all the while, “even if you had me finish off that lawachurl for you earlier.”

  That was a strategic maneuver in order to make herself look like a bad fighter. Besides, Childe seemed to enjoy himself at the time. With a laugh, he leaned down to snake one arm behind her thighs, and the other behind her back.

  Lumine gasped, “What’re you-“ Her feet were suddenly lifted off the ground, and Childe’s shoulder dug into her stomach. She was nearly upside down over his back with how easily he picked her up.

  If she had the energy, she’d hit him. Instead, all Lumine could notice was how nice his jacket smelled. 

  “You should get some sleep, Ying.” Childe carried her to the wide opening of the tent, “I shouldn’t of just kept handing you refills, but I didn’t think you’d be such a lightweight.”

  “That’s rude!” A swift, messy punch against his shoulder blades, and she began her attempts to wiggle free from his hands, “I’m not a lightweight! I’m strong, super strong!”

  “Sure. You should sleep that stuff off.”

  Lumine frowned into the fabric of his coat, “I can’t sleep here, that guy will get suspicious and try to kill me.”

  “What guy? You don’t need to worry about anyone, I won’t let anything happen.” Childe knelt down in front of the tent and gingerly set her on a blanket. The symbol of the Fatui printed on the cloth wall looked her straight in the face, like a reminder of what crowd she’d started running in. 

  Through her clouded mind, all she could think about was how stupid she’d been. Drinking some unknown liquor with a group of Fatui - if there was a knife in her back tonight, she wouldn’t be shocked. 

  “Oh, how generous,” Lumine’s tone was laced with sarcasm, “the all powerful, mighty Tartaglia will protect this poor damsel in distress! I’m honored!”

  “You’re super drunk.” He informed, voice flat.

  She gasped in fake horror, “Am I going to get fired?”

  “I could do that,” Childe put a thoughtful finger to his chin, “but then you’d get unemployment, and I don’t feel like having to explain to the Tsaritsa why it happened. Or doing the paperwork.”

  Of course. In his defense, there was a lot of paperwork involved, and without his secretary to do it then he’d have to take care of that himself. It would be a total bummer. 

  She sighed and rolled over on the blanket, hugging the pillow closer to her face. Lumine felt far too cloudy to actually care about the stench of the tent or who it belonged to. “That stupid archer, not even being polite with his suspicion like a normal person.”

  Childe smiled, “He isn’t suspicious, he just thinks you’re cute.”

  “I’m not cute, I’m very ferocious.”

  “You could be both.”

  “I disagree, it’s one or the other.”

  “I disagree with your disagreement.”

  He was still mocking her - his face and his words and his smiles, they were all meant to worm their ways into her brain and take up residence. She hated every second of it. 

  Lumine waved a dismissive hand, though Childe ignored her. “What?”

   “Gooo,” she moaned, “let me die of alcohol poisoning in peace.”

  “You didn’t really drink that much, actually.”

  No, Lumine was about 72% sure that she was dying. When she did not respond, Childe allowed silence to fill the air around them. Lumine closed her eyes and took a deep breath, while he watched from the spot at her side. It was cold, but she was far too gone to care. 

  “You don’t have to keep your mask on around me, Miss Ying.”

  The Harbinger’s sudden words were enough to sober her up for two whole seconds. She lifted her head from the pillow, “Why do you want me to take it off so bad?”

  “Why are you so desperate to keep it on?” Childe asked.

  Lumine thought she told him a wonderful excuse with the scar thing earlier. Her senses began to clear as she forced herself to focus, hoping that she wouldn’t say the wrong excuse involuntarily. “I’m self conscious. Besides, I asked my question first.”

  He only frowned, “I’m not willing to answer that question.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t really want to.”

  She paused in thought, before sitting up in the makeshift bed, “Lord Tartaglia, is there a reason you’re so ardent about seeing my face? I’ve never seen you bother anyone else about this.”

  As far as she knew, at least. He seemed to never care about the other subordinates' faces. Lumine watched as his lips twisted into a light scowl.

  A moment of silence. Childe’s analytical eyes searching her face, as if she was a calculus equation he wanted to crack. 

  Without another word, he pushed himself up and left the entrance of the tent. If it had a door, it would have slammed.

  Lumine wasn’t sure how she managed to fall asleep. If it wasn’t for the alcohol, she’d have lied awake all night, thinking of the odd conversation with Childe.

  And despite the liquor, she had enough wits to lay a few weapons on the ground around her. If anyone came into her tent, they would make enough noise to wake her up. She slept with her mask tightly secured on her face. 

  It was the sound of voices outside that finally jolted Lumine awake.

  “Sir, can I speak to you?”

  Distorted tones, footsteps approaching from a distance. She had no idea what time it was, but it was still dark. The light of the campfire flickered as it began dying out. It could’ve been minutes, or hours, she wasn’t entire sure. 

  “That’s fine, what do you need?” Childe was speaking lowly, his voice was the closest that Lumine could make out. 

  She sort of wanted to barf, but held it back for the sake of whatever conversation was about to happen. “Is she asleep?” Asked the skirmisher - only solidifying how Lumine could not barf right now.

  A flash of orange shined into the confines of her tent. Childe paused for a moment, before letting the flap fall back down, covering the light and bringing back the darkness. “She’s asleep, that fire water knocked her out.”

  “Okay…” the sound of boots shuffling in the snow, until he spoke again, “Sir, about Miss Ying…”

  “What about her?”

  “Well, I’ve been beaten up many times by the traveler, so I’ve come to know her figure. I-I’ve had nightmares about her. And… Miss Ying looks exactly like her.”

  Damn it all. Damn this pyro archer and his observance, damn her terrifying-ness. 

  Childe’s voice was emotionless as he spoke, “The traveler is in Inazuma.”

  “B-But sir, she's the same height, the same build, they have the same hair color!”

  “I disagree,” Childe’s response made her nearly sigh in relief, “I noticed the similarities at first as well, but the traveler has short hair, and she’s much more tall and muscular than Ying.”

  A pause. A stiffening of her muscles as she processed his words. Tall and muscular? How exactly did he see her?

  “Sir, they’re very similar-“

  “Besides,” Childe went on, “The traveler is very quiet, and kind of dumb. Ying is much cuter.”

   Dumb? Cuter? Lumine was plenty cute when she was not in disguise. And she was most certainly not dumb. She was anything but dumb. If she were not eavesdropping, she’d lunge out of the tent and punch him in the nose.

  “My Lord-“

  “Listen, put away those worries. I’ve already done my own investigating, and I’m going to talk to a friend in Liyue who will be able to tell me for sure. Besides…” he paused in thought, “you notice the differences after you get to know her.”

  Like how apparently Lumine was tall, muscular and much less cute than Ying. She wondered if Childe had seen her as some bulky warrior during their fight - she thought she was passably attractive even when swinging a sword. 

  She listened to the skirmisher sigh in obvious resignation, “Please be careful, at least.”

  “...And who are you to tell me what to do?”

  “N-Nobody!” The panic in his voice was evident. She listened as he took a step in the snow, his uniform making noise. She imagined that he was bowing, judging by Childe’s tense silence.

  “Go. Now.”

  “Yes sir!”

  What an interesting conversation. How enlightening, how wonderfully spectacular to eavesdrop on.

  He had considered that Ying might be a spy. At whatever point he’d considered that, she wasn’t sure. Yet, since it had even crossed his mind once, Lumine knew that she must eradicate every remaining inkling of suspicion he might still hold. 

  She could go to the Liyue Qixing and have Ganyu forge some important documents. Once she turned in those documents, Childe would see that she was just another sucking up, Tsaritsa-loving, Fatui subordinate. 

  And even if he did think the traveler was tall and muscular and not cute, it was still nice of him to defend his secretary. It would only solidify her persona more if she treated him respectfully.

  She gave it about 10 minutes. No other skirmishers approached, and the campfire had dimmed to a low crackle. Lumine faked a big yawn and a stretch just for good measure.

  “Master Childe?” Innocent tones, laced with still tipsy sleepiness. Lumine pushed aside the flap and stuck her head out, “Are you not cold, sitting out here by yourself? I can give you the tent-“

  “-No,” he interrupted, “I’m fine, I prefer you have it.”

  That was kind of him, charming even. She watched the shadows flicker and dance across his profile, and faked her best adoring smile. She tried to look at him how Bennett looked at Fischl - nearly melting on the spot.

  Childe made the mistake of casting her a glance. He stiffened at the sight instantly. Lumine took it as her opportunity to sink her teeth in deep. 

  “I think I’d like the honor of sparring with you again, Master Childe. If that’s okay with you.”

  Lumine knew that he’d like that. It would sit in his mind, stew and take root. She’d like to fight him again because it’s an obvious honor to fight a Harbinger, and Ying was a very good subordinate who was not suspicious in the least. 

  Childe would be so incredibly disappointed by the end of it all, simply because she planned to lose this next fight. She would prove herself a non-threat, and he would grow bored. 

  And Ying would finally melt into the background.

  “Mister Zhongli, I need your help.”

  It had to be surprising to get a sudden lunch invitation from a Fatui Harbinger. Especially one that had tried to drown the entire city. But here Tartaglia was, wide eyes, shaky fingers and all.

  He still hadn’t learned how to use chopsticks, the disrespectful ass that he was. 

  “Why are you dressed like that, if I may ask?” Zhongli was polite as ever, standing up to Childe’s huffy glare and antsy attitude. Nothing about the Harbinger seemed to intimidate him, though Childe supposed being a 6,000 year old God would give someone nerves of steel.

  It was not his intention to intimidate Zhongli, anyhow, he just could not help but look visibly dead inside at the moment. “I just came back from Dragonspine. I haven’t even gone back to my hotel room yet.”

  “And… Why?” 

  “I have questions, and I need answers.”

  Childe was wearing a very thick coat, a fluffy hat, and heavy boots. He looked like a true Snezhnayan then, though his ensemble was a bit too warm for Liyue. Upon arriving in the harbor, he gave a job to his secretary to keep her busy, and marched right up to Wangsheng funeral parlor. Several minutes later, Zhongli sat next to him at a table outside of Third Round Knockout.

  And Childe would not stop staring at the aforementioned secretary. Zhongli followed his eyes, until he noticed the girl that was the focus of his acquaintance’s attention. “Ah, I see.”

  “Do you, though? Do you really?”

  He did not. Grumpy, Childe discarded the chopsticks and popped a radish ball into his mouth with his fingers. He glared as he chewed. 

  Zhongli could only stare in confusion, “You’ve not given me any explanation, Tartaglia.”

  “Her,” he murmured, “my secretary. Does she look familiar?”

  The consultant narrowed his eyes to stare down the secretary. Childe joined him, though he already knew what Ying looked like, she always seemed to be in the corner of his eye these days.

  Childe had woken up in Dragonspine this morning, and dragged a very hungover Ying back to Liyue Harbor. She was not amused. Not in the least.

  “Why is she talking to the owner?” Zhongli asked.

  “I’m having her barter over the price of our lunch.”

  “I’ve never once seen him barter peacefully.”

  “Right,” Childe forced a tight smile, “So she’ll be busy for a bit, and in eye shot. Now, answer the question for me, does Miss Ying look at all familiar to you?”

  Zhongli frowned, “Why do you ask? Who are you comparing her to?”

  He rested his elbow on the table and sighed. Ying tried her best to barter with the restaurant owner, but he’d gone into a long winded story about his family or something. He watched her give a polite nod, then shoot Tartaglia a frown across the restaurant tables.

  Childe had not thought much of the similarities between Lumine and Ying, but after that conversation with the skirmisher last night, he couldn’t get it off his mind. 

  “Does she look like the traveler?”

  Zhongli blinked. He squinted and leaned in, analyzing the waves of blonde hair hanging down from her hood. The mask covered most of her face, but their cheeks were a similar shape. And their physical builds, and even their voices. 

  Zhongli had spoken to the traveler far more than Childe had. She was a bit more talkative with him, as opposed to the Harbinger. Yet, Zhongli had to look closer. He put his hand to his chin and narrowed his eyes in thought. 

  Lumine, Ying, short blonde girls who could beat the 11th Harbinger in a fight.

  “Tartaglia, to be honest… I think you just have a type.”

  He froze. The world could have stopped spinning with how frozen Childe felt. 

  “...What?”

  “You have a type,” Zhongli looked at him over the rim of his tea cup, “the only reason you think Ying is similar to Lumine is because that’s the type of woman you’re generally attracted to.”

  Childe could not believe the bullshit coming from this man's mouth. “Okay, but I’m not attracted to either of those women.”

  “You aren’t?” Zhongli’s eyes widened with shock, “I apologize, then, I thought you had feelings for Lumine.”

  Admiring a fellow warrior for her prowess and having feelings for her were two different things. He scoffed at the very thought, since he barely even knew Lumine. They’d spoken about three times while in large groups, and it was all business. Battling her was the most time they’d ever spent together.

  And while she did dazzle him a bit, he was not attracted to the woman. 

  Childe buried his face into his palm and rubbed at his eyes, “Why would you think that?”

  “I heard about your battle… I don’t want to give credit to rumors, but I heard that it was quite…”

  “Quite what?”

  “Nothing,” he closed his eyes and sipped on his tea, “Nothing at all. If you say that you’re not attracted to the traveler, then I believe you.”

  Good. He should believe him, because it was absolutely true. Childe sighed and returned his attention to Ying. She’d shimmied her heavy coat off, for once, and was fanning herself with a piece of paper as she listened to the owner ramble. 

  It had to be the first time Childe had seen her without that coat on. He’d never noticed how tight the women’s uniforms were, that skirt on those hips had to be a sin. And while Tartaglia was not the type to check out women unabashedly, he could not help but trail his eyes down her shoulders, to the curve of her figure. A tendril of wavy blonde hair hung at the small of her back perfectly. 

  “You’re frowning, Tartaglia, are you okay?”

  Zhongli’s words yanked him from his observations. He sat up in his chair and looked at everything besides Ying. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

  The consultant pressed his lips together and hummed, “There’s nothing wrong with having feelings for your subordinate, you know.”

  Once again, Childe couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His tone was almost a growl as he replied, “I asked you to tell me if she looked like Lumine, not whether we should date or not. I’m not interested in being with someone like her.”

  “Someone like her?”

  Truthfully, there was something very much wrong with having feelings for a subordinate. “First of all, it’s not allowed in the Fatui. She’d be discharged.”

  Zhongli raised a brow, “And you?”

  “I’d be fine, double standards and all.” Childe grimaced, “But other than that, she’s frustrating as hell.”

   “...She’s frustrating, or are you simply frustrated because she’s a challenge you haven’t been able to win yet?”

  Childe stared him down. Zhongli took another calm sip of his tea. Tense, heavy silence settled in between the men.

  How could someone with so little street-smarts be so observant? He wasn’t even a mortal, yet he understood Childe’s very mortal feelings as if they were his own.

  Annoying dragon-rock man. 

  Childe pushed himself up from the seat and quickly paid the bill. “I’ll see you later, Zhongli, I don’t think I’m quite in the mood to have girl talk today.”

  Zhongli only gave a hesitant smile, “Miss Lumine and Paimon are in Inazuma, you needn’t worry about courting Miss Ying. She looks like a nice girl,”

  Courting. It’s like he couldn’t get it through his head that Childe did not like this girl. He cast him a quick glare, before slipping past the tables and approaching his secretary. 

  The owner of the restaurant was still on a tangent about why he didn’t barter on his prices when Childe arrived. He took her jacket from her arm and ignored her questions, draping it back over her shoulders.

  “That’s better.” A murmur, a nod of satisfaction. Ying looked shapeless again, just the way she needed to be for his sanity.

  “My Lord?” She gripped the sides of the coat and looked up at him, “What’re you doing?”

  It was starting to drive Childe crazy, how she called him My Lord, or Master, or Lord Tartaglia. He’d have to command her to stop using those titles. His responsibility as a Harbinger depended on it. 

  “Let’s go,” Childe ignored her questions and steered her away from the restaurant, “let’s get back to work.”

  Zhongli finished off his tea with a sigh. It was always rather tiring when Childe invited him to lunch, but he didn’t mind. Free food was free food, he couldn’t complain.

  “Hey,” a voice from the table next to him caught his attention. Zhongli looked up to see a worker from the docks speaking, surrounded by other citizens, “Sir, was that just now the Harbinger guy from a while back?”

  Zhongli sent a polite smile, “Yes, it was. He’s here to fix diplomatic relations.”

  “And… Was that the traveler, Miss Lumine that was with him?”

  It didn’t surprise him that the locals knew Lumine. She was quite popular, and quite helpful. But sadly, they were wrong. “No, that’s Miss Ying of the Fatui.”

  “Sir… uh, that’s Lumine.”

  “No, I assure you, it’s Miss Ying. I would recognize Lumine.”

  The workers sent him odd looks. Zhongli only began eating in his serene way, confident in his senses.

  That, most definitely, was not Lumine.

Chapter Text

  It seemed that blending into the background was not going to happen anytime soon. Especially with how odd the Harbinger had been acting lately. It was as if he knew that Lumine had decided to be a normal recruit, and only upped the ante in return. 

  She lost the next battle they had, but won the battle after that. Childe had given her a very long lecture on how he expected her to give it her all, and never let him win on purpose. He always could tell when she was faking. Besides, her natural reflexes would hardly let her lose. She was prevented from being the boring, normal, drab recruit that she wanted to be. 

  “He has to be planning something nefarious. I just know it.” 

  Ekaterina stared at the secretary with her lips twisted into a grimace. Lumine leaned against her desk and propped her elbow up as she turned to watch the nonsense unfolding nearby. Childe had his back to her, and waved a hand to the workers as they shimmied the large piece of furniture through the doorway. 

  Something nefarious was afoot. Something absolutely horrible. Lumine simply couldn’t put her finger on it. 

  “Miss Ying?” Ekaterina spoke hesitantly, “Lord Childe is simply buying you a desk, that’s all.”

  But that was exactly it. That was the source of all her frustrations. She whirled upon the receptionist and glared, “But why is he buying me one? What does he want from me? Is this a bribe, some complex plot to torture me?”

  “...Most secretaries have their own desks, Miss Ying.”

  While that was true, Ekaterina did not know the context of such matters. “Listen, he’s been weird lately. Yesterday he bought me lunch, I mean, who does that?”

  “That sounds perfectly normal to me.”

  “It was a very expensive lunch! And the day before that, he bought me new gloves since he noticed how mine were getting worn out. And the day before that, he bought me shoes. And the day before th-”

  “Miss Ying?”

  The interruption caught her off guard, “Y-Yes?”

  “Since when has he been acting like this?” Interested, Ekaterina leaned forward. Her voice dropped to a whisper, her brows furrowed, “Since you two came back from Dragonspine?”

  Lumine knew that face, Ekaterina was getting ready to gossip. She’d seen her wear it in the break room with Nadia many times, and while gossip was always fun, to be the subject of it was not nearly as exciting. Lumine was hesitant to give an honest answer, yet found herself whispering in return, “Yeah, since we came back.”

  “I see…” she put a finger to her chin in thought, “Did you two… Well, do anything?”

  She furrowed her brows, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, did you huddle for warmth? Did you kiss? Hold hands? Share a bed? Take off your clothes?”

  Each and every one of those options sounded like the kind of situation Lumine would read about in a trashy romance novel. The very thought put a rock of nausea in her stomach, catching her off guard like a slap to the face. Her mind went blank as she glanced at Childe at the other end of the bank. 

  Her new desk was stuck in the doorway. Several of the subordinates were beneath it, trying to lift and carry it through the bank lobby. Childe held one side of it, glanced over his shoulder and kept an eye on where he was walking. He gave instructions to the sweating recruits that were assisting him all the while. 

  Lord Tartaglia bought her this beautiful desk. He had a little spot in the corner of his office all sectioned off for just her, separated by a thin paper wall that could easily slide out of the way. If Lumine was an actual secretary, she’d probably be touched right now. 

  Instead, she was simply paranoid. And disgusted. Ekaterina’s words made her stomach hurt. 

  “We didn’t do anything,” her answer came out more snappy than she intended, “he caught me once when we had to jump down from something, but nothing else.”

  Ekaterina nodded gravely, “I see, I see. But don’t you and Master Childe spar every day as well?”

  “Well, you know how Lord Tartaglia is. He bores so easily, our daily battles help him to feel a bit less restless.” Lumine explained, keeping her eyes on the Harbinger. The desk had finally found its way through the door and was now being hauled towards the stairs. She did not envy the poor recruits asked to assist. 

  “You seem to know him well…”

  Lumine caught the implication in those words, they were enough to set her ablaze. “I don’t know him outside of work, and he doesn’t know me. Don’t get any ideas.”

  Ekaterina remained unphased, “Do you enjoy your battles?”

  “I… I do, yes.”

  While Lumine loathed to admit it, she truly did. It was nice to get out of the bank and get some exercise. And each time she knocked Childe down, the look of shock on his face was undeniably satisfying. There was some sort of sick pleasure in seeing one of Snezhnaya’s strongest warriors be beaten by a tiny girl.

  That was, of course, the only reason. 

  “I think you two should just have an honest conversation,” Ekaterina advised, “sit down with each other and ask him why he’s being so weirdly nice.”

  Weirdly nice was a good way to put it. Childe seemed to be having mood swings, making her do stupid tasks one minute, and then buying her expensive food the next. He couldn’t make up his mind on how to treat Ying. 

  She nodded, “That’s exactly what I’ll do, thank you.”

  “Oh, make sure you do it within earshot, Nadia and I have a bet going right now, so-”

  Lumine silenced the receptionist with a frown. She most certainly would not be having this conversation within earshot. 

  The desk was nearly to the stairs, the hardest part of the moving process. It must have been extremely heavy, judging by the sweat on the recruits brows. She approached the side of it and waved a hand to catch Childe’s attention, “My Lord, can we talk for a minute?”

  Immediately, his side of the desk slammed down. The rest of the recruits struggled to keep it upright as Childe stepped around the edge, smiling all the while, “Of course, let’s go get some lunch.”

  That would be perfect, and far enough away from Nadia and Ekaterina’s gossiping minds. One recruit’s arms were beginning to shake as he tried to keep his best grip on the furniture, “M-My Lord, uh, we really still need help!”

  “You’ll be fine, put your back into it.”

  “Sir, please!”

  He ignored their desperation and put a hand on the small of Lumine’s back, the heavy material of her coat separating the feeling of his fingers from her skin. For half of a disgusting second, she wondered what it would feel like to know his hands. They were most likely calloused and scarred, and would not be soft at all. But neither were hers. 

  As of late, Lumine had begun to notice similarities between her and Childe. As annoying as he could be, he was determined. He was meticulous to a degree she never thought she’d see from someone like him, and surprisingly mature. In Dragonspine, once Lumine had sobered up, she regretted having gotten drunk in front of four strange men - Paimon also lectured her heavily about it upon return. Yet, Childe had made sure she was safe, and rested, and he’d even called her cute. 

  That was, of course, in comparison to Lumine. So it didn’t quite count. 

  Nevertheless, he was full of surprises. That very fact made her uneasy. She glanced over her shoulder to watch the struggling recruits as they attempted to carry her new desk upstairs, “You can finish up with them, it’s really not urgent.”

  “It’s fine, they’ll be okay.” He assured, his hand still resting on the small of her back. Lumine only shrugged and allowed him to lead her out the doors and down the stairs, into the bustling street below. 

  She was finally getting used to the odd stares and glares of the Liyue locals. When first going out in public in her Fatui uniform, the reputation it carried had bothered her. She did not blame the people, but wondered if they had any idea who she truly was beneath the mask and the coat. 

  Ekaterina was a kind person. She avoided questions about the Fatui like it was a competition, but she was obviously part of them. Yet, she was good, and genuine. Lumine knew that she had a family she helped support, and she adored puppies and felt bad for anyone who’d gotten themselves into a terrible investment. She was a human being, yet she received the glares on the street as much as any other Fatui did. The very fact made Lumine uncomfortable. 

  Yet, none of her colleagues seemed to care. Vlad was the most affected by it, but that was more so from his own homesickness than the ostracization of the locals. Childe, on the other hand, was the absolute best at remaining unphased. It was, perhaps, why Lumine had grown more comfortable walking the streets of Liyue in her uniform. 

  She glanced up at him. And he glanced down at her. He smiled as if he was not walking through the streets of a city he’d tried to flood. 

  “My Lord?”

  Lumine watched his shoulders tense for half a second, she would not have caught the movement if she were not watching him so closely. “Yes, what?”

  “Are you not bothered by how the people of Liyue look at you?”

  Childe only sighed, “Why would I care? I don’t have any business with them, only the Qixing. And even then, diplomatic niceties don’t require friendship, or even having to like someone.”

  Yet, he still could be found in restaurants and theaters across the city. This only furthered her curiosity, “But aren’t you afraid of how they see you?”

  “I know how they see me, Ying. I broke the Golden House and forced the Jade Chamber out of the sky,” he grinned confidently and glanced down at her - his hand was still resting on her back, he’d not seemed to notice it yet, “they know my strength, and I prefer it that way.”

   Show off. “But don’t you want friends?”

  “...Why would I want that?”

  Why wouldn’t he? Lumine always had friends, wherever she went. Even while undercover in the Fatui. “It’s nice to build relationships with people, the other subordinates would be less intimidated by you if you became their friend.”

   “Or they’d try to stab me in the back and take my position,” Childe smiled innocently, “not that it would work, but it’d be annoying to clean up. Besides, I’ve got you, don’t I?”

  He had her. Lumine found herself entirely too confused, “What?”

  “I can spar with you, I can boss you around, I can eat lunch with you. I don’t really need anybody else while I’m here working in Liyue.”

  “You don’t… need anyone else?”

  “You take care of it all for me, Ying. You’re like my little toy.”

  His toy. Because Ying, somehow, filled every tiny entertainment-based need of his. She helped him work out energy, she let him chew her up until he got bored, she gave him something to laugh at. Most of all, she did whatever he told her to, no matter how asinine or useless. Lumine froze mid-step as anger bubbled up in her chest. 

  She should not be so affected by this. A normal Fatui recruit would be honored to have a Harbinger consider them, but she could not help her frustration. She tried her best to hold her tongue and keep herself from mouthing off, but his hand on her back became far too stimulating and uncomfortable for her to allow it any longer. 

  She stepped away and glared up at him. He stopped, the people bustling in a wide circle around the Harbinger and the lesser Fatui, as if they would catch a disease from walking too closely. The rest of the world went ignored as Lumine looked at the amusement on his face. 

  “Am I just a play-thing to you?” She could hardly stop herself, and it would have ruined her day entirely to keep it bottled up, “Am I simply your entertainment? You haven’t let me do hardly anything that matters so far, I’ve not gotten to hold meetings with the Qixing, I’ve not gotten to meet diplomats. I’m like your court jester!”

  And a court jester was not usually privy to private, important information. She’d had to steal what little scraps she could find, and she could not even translate it. The letter about the Abyss Prince remained unread in her hotel room as the days had passed. 

  Childe stared at her. Locals cast the pair odd looks as they passed. Lumine had put her hands on her hips and was half tempted to stomp her foot into the ground if it would not look so childish. “You only keep me around to laugh at me, don’t you?”

  She hated how he was fighting back an obvious smile. 

  “Ying…” Childe put up one gloved hand to cover his mouth, then furrowed his brows, “Are you mad because you think I don’t see you as a real secretary?”

  She gave a furious nod, “You’re just playing this weird game with me by buying me stuff and trying to confuse me. It’s like you have no respect for me!”

  A beat of silence. Two seconds pass, and Lumine watches for his reaction. 

  Childe’s smile dropped instantly. He crossed his arms and tilted his head. The normality was gone, and replaced by a predatory look in his eyes. Childe, oftentimes, reminded her of a snake about to strike. Lumine tensed as she registered how he was staring at her. 

  “I don’t have to respect you, Ying.”

  And he was correct.

  As a Harbinger, he did not. They were not really friends, nor family. They weren’t truly anything to each other, besides boss and employee. 

  She wasn’t sure if she’d stepped over a line or not. Childe looked amused, but dangerously so, as if he couldn’t make up his mind on whether to laugh, or execute her. Lumine was not afraid, but she most certainly did not want to lose her proximity to his files and information. Court jester or not, she was still closer than an average receptionist. 

  “You’re right, I apologize. I stepped out of line.” She lowered her head and took a step back, hoping to turn the tension around - no matter how difficult it was to apologize. She would not meet his gaze, but could feel his eyes lingering on her. 

  Exactly 10 seconds of silence passed. 

  Lumine finally glanced up, finally, only to stiffen at the sight she discovered.

  Childe’s eyes were wide, and he was obviously zoned out. As she looked at him, he quickly turned to the left and stared at a stone in the road, hands moving to his hair to brush back the wild locks. It stuck up, revealing half his forehead, and making him instantly look more crazed and stressed than he should have been. 

  Anxiety was not a very good look for Tartaglia. Not in the least. He wore it like the world’s most uncomfortable, itchy sweater. 

  Before she could ask why he had this sudden change of demeanor, he opened his mouth to speak, “I have two sisters.”

  “...Okay?”

  He went on, “And usually when I say something like that, they just punch me. I… I expected you to punch me.”

  He expected her to punch him. Instead, she backed down, and showed her forced submission. 

  Could it be that Childe felt bad for that?

 “I-I mean, I can punch you if you want me to. But I’m, uh, not one of your sisters.”

  “That’s becoming obvious, yes,” he put his hand to his chin, looking incredibly deep in thought, “and I shouldn’t care about how you feel anyway, you’re just a subordinate.”

   Asshole. Lumine wasn’t sure if he realized how this sounded, like a rich person telling a beggar just how lowly they considered them. Usually, she would punch him, but she wished desperately to start blending in with her colleagues more. 

  “No, sir,” she forced a smile, “you shouldn’t care. I don’t care either, I know my place.”

  It pained Lumine’s inner prideful, petty bitch to say such a thing. She did know her place, which was truly a far better place than his in the world. But right now, she was Ying. She was a secretary who tended to mouth off inappropriately to her boss. 

  Childe only stared. His hair still stuck up wildly, and his brows were furrowed as if he was unraveling a complex murder mystery. 

  “I bought you a desk…” He murmured. 

  Lumine wondered what kind of weird existential crisis he was going through. “Yes, actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “The desk?”

  “Everything,” she corrected, “you’ve bought me quite a few things, and I don’t think you do that for anyone else. May I ask why?”

  Still wide-eyed, Childe thought for a moment. His existential crisis turned far more confusing as he stared at the wall over her shoulder. A long beat of silence passed before he could finally answer her, “You’re my secretary, you should have nice things to be able to do your job.”

  Relief seemed to wash over him instantly, as if that answer was all he was looking for. Lumine grimaced at the thought, “But as we just talked about, I’m only a subordinate, and you shouldn’t treat me any different from the others.”

  Childe stared. Lumine stared. He blinked. She frowned. She’d forgotten that they were standing in the middle of a bustling street, trapped within this conversation that consumed her attention. 

  “...Why don’t you just take the next few days off?”

  She froze, “What?”

  “You’re going on vacation, yay!” Childe did a fake, unenthusiastic cheer, even balling up his hands and shaking them in front of his chest, “I think you deserve some time off, Miss Ying.”

  He hadn’t answered her question at all. He hadn’t even given her a hint as to why he was buying her all these things. “You’re just trying to get me out of the picture so you don’t have to have this conversation, right?”

  “No, no,” Childe lied, obviously and terribly, “you just deserve a vacation.”

  She put her hands on her hips and frowned, “Do you even know your upcoming schedule? I bet it would be utter chaos without me.”

  “I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself.” Childe put his hands on her shoulders and steered her down the road, in the direction of the dinky hotel she was staying in, “there’s nothing you need to worry about.”

  She wasn’t worried, she was suspicious. Before he could nudge her any further along, she whirled around to press a finger into his chest, “You’re trying to get rid of me! What’s wrong? You can’t admit that your cute secretary deserves respect?”

  “I thought you knew your place, Ying.” He reminded, covering up his irritation with a tight smile, “And who said you were cute?”

   “I’m adorable,” she hissed, “and you respect me, don’t you?”

  He was all forced niceness and fake smiles, “What makes you think that?”

  She lifted her chin, “It’s obvious that you felt bad for snapping at me.”

  She was challenging him once again. The facade fell, revealing his irritation underneath. She’d hit the target with perfect precision.

  When Childe didn’t answer, Lumine went on, “You wanna be my friend, you wanna have lunch with me, you want to tell me all your secrets so we can be besties forever, right? Right?”

  Childe did not miss a beat. He rolled his eyes and sighed, “That is the furthest thing from the truth, I promise you.”

  “You totally respect me because I can beat you in a fight, huh?” Lumine’s voice dropped to a mocking whisper, “And it drives you crazy, because I’m just a subordinate, and you’re in such a higher position than me. It’s making you question everything you knew, right?”

  “I think I liked you better when you were apologizing for overstepping the line.”

  “You’re denying it all,” she leaned back and crossed her arms with a grin, “I bet you’ll spend my days off trying to convince yourself that you’re still a scary Harbinger.”

  Childe narrowed his eyes, “That’s really not the issue here, Ying.”

  Her arrogant laugh obviously grated on his nerves, a fact she enjoyed greatly, “I’ll love my time off, and I won’t even think of you once. I’ll have a blast. I’ll get drunk on fruity drinks and I’ll have shenanigans and spend tons of money.”

  Childe wore his blank, apathetic face, “I really don’t care what you do. Just stay away for the weekend.”

  “You care so much. You’re so concerned, because you like me. We’re friends. You care about my well-being.”

  “You’re more like an annoying, yappy dog that I can’t get rid of, but take empathy on because it’s so small and helpless.”

  He knew for a fact that she was not helpless. “You’re lying to yourself, but if that’s what makes you feel better, then go ahead. I’ll enjoy my vacation.”

  Childe spread out his arms and gave a polite, utterly fake smile, “I hope you do. I hope you meet the love of your life and get married and quit your job.”

  “Oh, I just might!”

  “Fine, great. Best of luck to you, Ying.”

  “Yeah,” she scoffed, “good luck denying your obvious desire to be my best friend ever.”

  Childe was not usually passive aggressive, the emotion fit him as badly as anxiety did. Yet, he scrunched his nose and smiled all cheerily, not even bothering to hide the frustration, “I’ll be okay, don’t you worry about me.”

  Such a jerk. As if she’d ever worry. He would worry about her, obviously. Lumine turned to take her leave, but not before turning around to stick her tongue out at him, while he waved innocently. She huffed, glanced again, and stomped off. 

  He would have a terrible next several days, that much as obvious. He needed her. He would totally regret sending her away, all just to avoid an awkward conversation. 

  What a baby. What a coward. 

   But at least she’d have a few days to find someone to translate the letter from the Tsaritsa. And while she was at it, she’d carry out her plan to solidify her fake loyalty to the Fatui. She could meet with Ganyu, and together they could create an entire cover story where she attacked a Millelith or something. She’d look like a total suck up, and Childe would never question her identity again. 

  It was perfect, actually. A few days off was exactly what she needed. 

  “I feel like a baby and a coward.”

  Zhongli froze. He glanced up from his food, eyes wide, “A baby and a coward? I don’t believe babies have the ability to distinguish betw-”

  “Zhongli. No.”

  Well, it was true. But as the geo Archon noticed Childe’s flat, irritated expression, he thought it best to not go on. Childe wasn’t here to listen to facts and science, he was simply angry. And he didn’t have anybody else. 

  This was the third time this week. The Harbinger was far more emotionally needy than Zhongli would have assumed. It was as if he’d never had a friend before, never been in a relationship, never spoken in length to anyone besides clients and family. And every problem Childe was having revolved strictly around Miss Ying. 

  It had been a very long time since Zhongli was in a relationship, so he wasn’t entirely sure how to advise the younger man. But he did read a lot of books, and he did observe the actions of the mortals around him. He could try his best to make Childe feel less like a baby, or a coward. 

  “What happened?”

  The Harbinger cast him an emotionless glance. He had his elbow on the table, and cheek in his palm. “Ying started asking me why I gave her so much special treatment, and I couldn’t answer her.”

  “Do you know why you couldn’t answer her?” Zhongli asked. 

  “Not at all, I don’t even really know why I’m giving her this treatment.”

  “Have you been bossing her about as well as buying her things?”

  He had. Just the other day he made Ying deliver letters to every Fatui camp in Liyue, and the letters weren’t even important. “Yes, I have. I’ve been feeling like she needs to quit even more lately, but I can’t bring myself to fire her. I want her to leave first.” 

  Which explained why he also made her cook for the subordinates, dropped books just to make her pick them up, and put in intricate and unreasonable orders for food. If she had just quit long ago, then he wouldn’t be having this problem. 

  Ying needed to go. 

  Zhongli took a serene sip of his tea before going on, “Yet, you’ve been buying her gifts lately. Isn’t that a bit contradictory?”

  Incredibly so. “I don’t know why I’m doing that. I just feel like it.”

  “You want her to quit, but you’re spoiling her at the same time… If I were Miss Ying, I’d be very confused right now.”

  Childe forced a tight smile, “Good, I want her to be confused. Maybe she’ll quit, and I can finally be at peace.”

  “Because she’s exactly your type?”

  He cast the Archon a glare, only to find Zhongli sipping his tea as if he hadn’t just stabbed Childe in the brain with the most annoying kernel of truth he’d ever heard. 

  Lord Tartaglia, Childe, Ajax Matvey Alekseev, had a type. 

  He absolutely despised admitting that, even if it was only to himself. He hated every inch of it. 

  “I sent her away because I need a few days to sort myself out,” he began to explain, more so to himself rather than his lunch partner, “I’m going to come to my senses eventually.”

  Zhongli raised a skeptical brow, “And how will you do that?”

  “I’ll…” bang his head against a wall, or fight the Oceanid with his fists, or find a very tall waterfall to jump off. Perhaps a fighting spree through Liyue would do the trick as well, he probably just needed to burn off energy. 

  When Childe did not finish his thought, Zhongli cut in for him, “If you truly do not want to see Miss Ying in that light, why not try to focus on her bad qualities?”

  A thoughtful pause, “...You’re right, that might just help.”

  “Try it right now,” he urged, “see what happens.”

  “Okay,” he sat back in his chair and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he thought, “Ying is… bossy. And arrogant. And presumptuous. And weird, too. She never takes off her mask.”

  “Yes, good, now dwell on these things. Meditate upon them whenever you think of her.”

  Meditate. Okay. He was good at meditating, he often did so while fishing. Childe closed his eyes and took a deep breath; Ying whatever-her-last-name-is. Bossy. Arrogant. Presumptuous. Weird. Hiding something. 

  Bossy. (She was cute when she got all huffy about something.)

  Arrogant. (It was nice to be challenged, a woman with confidence was always good.)

  Presumptuous. (And the rare times when she did submit to him were some of the most satisfying.)

  Weird. (Or interesting, unique, as a kinder mind would call it.)

  Hiding something. (But that did really matter? If she had scars over her eyes, that would just serve as proof of the kind of warrior she was.)

  Childe scowled.

  “I want to throw her over a table and hold her down and-” He stopped the instant he noticed Zhongli’s expression of confusion. 

  Yet another awkward pause.

  “...Tartaglia, it’s not nice to throw people. I don’t understand why you feel the need to do that.”

  Of course he didn’t. He clapped a friendly hand on the Archon’s shoulder and stood from his chair, “Nevermind, buddy. Never change.”

  Zhongli watched him stand with the concern evident on his face, “I can physically change, but my inner nature is rather unmovable, so I don’t believe I will any time soon.”

  Childe promptly ignored that. “I think I’m just going to go with my first plan of action, and bang my head against a wall until I have a concussion.”

  “Oh, well, have fun, then.”

  He would not. 

Chapter Text

  “Excuse me, do you sell the moon here?”

  It had to be shocking, so Lumine didn’t blame Bu’yun for how he stared. She understood it entirely.

  A girl in a Fatui uniform using the Yuheng’s code for the destroyed Jade Chamber, it would be a good bar story for the future. She could almost see the gears of thought turning behind his eyes. 

  “Bu’yun,” Lumine glanced around to make sure they were alone, before slipping the mask off her eyes, “it’s me, I’m here to see Ganyu.”

  “Oh,” he sighed in relief as she fit the mask back on, “traveler, you don’t need to use the code any longer. The Jade Chamber is gone.”

  As if she was not the one who made it drop in the first place. “Well, I thought it might be a hint as to who I am.”

  He laughed, “I did think this was some sort of subterfuge by that idiot Harbinger. But Lady Ningguang has informed me of the situation. You may enter.”

  Instead of traveling by the plaustrite platform as she used to, he simply stepped aside, and opened the door. It was a far less exciting ordeal. 

  Lumine stepped inside and walked down the golden and red halls. Paimon twirled back into existence at her shoulder with the twinkling of constellations, and a yawn. She cast Lumine a heavy glare - that seemed to be all the pixie could do as of late. “It’s nice to be out of that stuffy hotel room, Paimon was starting to get cabin fever!”

  She wasn’t even in a cabin. “You could always go see Xiangling, or come here.” Lumine reminded softly. 

  “Even if Paimon did, she’d still be stuck in hiding!” She huffed and put her hands on her hips, “Paimon can’t even show her face on the streets! Like she’s some sort of unwanted freak!”

  “You’re not an unwanted freak, Pai… You’re just, uh, eye catching.”

  “Like a freak!”

  She was a floating pixie, and those were not exactly common. “It’s what’s necessary right now, okay? We’re supposed to be in Inazuma.” 

  “No! Paimon’s in Liyue, going insane!”

  How could there be so much drama and anger in such a tiny body? She’d been acting like a scorned wife as of late, and nagging her just as badly. Lumine had a feeling that Paimon was simply jealous that she didn’t get to join in the adventures. It was understandable, they usually did everything together. 

  At least Paimon was at her side for this moment. She continued down the hallway and to the large conference room where Keqing and Ganyu could usually be found. Upon arriving, Paimon left the spot at her shoulder and nearly tackled Ganyu in a tight, incredibly dramatic hug.

  The qilin gasped, but returned the pixie’s affection. With wide eyes, she glanced up to see Lumine, and broke into a soft smile, “You’re still alive, how wonderful.”

  How wonderful. How absolutely splendid. “...Why wouldn’t I be alive?” 

  “Oh, you know… It’s the Fatui and all…”

  That, oddly enough, was a rather descriptive explanation in itself.

  Keqing had not turned around to greet the traveler quite yet, and was instead fidgeting with something that Lumine could not see. She watched her for a moment, until she noticed the smell of fried food in the air. Paimon took notice of it at the exact same moment, “Shrimp balls! Oh, Paimon’s favorite, how did you know?”

  As expected, the pixie darted like an arrow towards the source of the glorious smell - and was very nearly impaled on a chopstick by the Yuheng in return. Keqing could wield a utensil just as well as her sword. 

  Lumine ignored the abrupt chaos and slid the door shut behind her. Safely alone, she could take off her mask and coat, able to feel comfortable for once. 

  “It’s good to see you.” Ganyu stood up from her desk and gave a polite, formal bow, as it was custom in Liyue. Before Lumine could return it, she froze at the sight. 

  Her desk. Her very neat, rather large and pretty desk. Lumine’s heart skipped an annoying beat, “G-Ganyu?”

  “Yes?” She looked up with a tilt of her head. 

  “Did Ningguang buy you that desk?”

  “Well, the funds really came out of the budget, but… yes, I suppose so.”

  Delicately, Lumine put a hand over her mouth, “But did she… you know, buy you that desk?”

  A pause. Even Keqing and Paimon had stopped eating/fighting to glance at the wide eyed, anxious look on the traveler’s face. Ganyu only blinked softly. 

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand the implication.”

  Of course she didn’t. Lumine didn’t quite understand either, but she knew the difference in her heart. Childe bought her a desk. He bought her a desk. He was spoiling her. It was quite different than simply providing necessary materials to a secretary. 

  Even if it was just to confuse her/bribe her/lure her into a false sense of security. She wasn’t sure which one it was. 

  “Sorry, I’m off subject,” Lumine laughed the odd question away, “So, listen, I need some forged documents or something. I need to make Tartaglia truly believe that I’m loyal to the Fatui.”

  “I see…” Ganyu mused, “I’m not sure if that would be easy to provide. What kind are you thinking?”

  Lumine wasn’t entirely sure. Whether she should report something small, or something incredibly significant, she didn’t know. It simply had to be enough to prove that she was no friend of Liyue, and they had to be convincing enough to trick the Harbinger. 

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged, “I was going to leave that up to you.”

  Ganyu put the end of a pen to her lips in thought. She fluttered her eyelashes, glanced at Keqing, and the girls shared a shrug. 

  Lumine broke the silence with a scoff, “You two are really not being helpful right now.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ganyu nearly melted with embarrassment, “but there’s really not been anything happening as of late. I could give you the schedules to the guard routes, but I’m sure he already knows those.”

  He did. There was a small group of agents dedicated to watching the Millelith routes of Liyue, she had delivered all the agents food once when Childe sent her on yet another asinine mission. 

  “Can you not make up something?”

  She sighed, “But would he not be even more suspicious if what I make up doesn’t happen?”

  Lumine supposed as much, and setting up a significant incident was far too much work. As the ideas slipped out of her mind, she crossed her arms and sighed in defeat, “I had just heard him speaking with a skirmisher about how he considered the similarities between Ying and I at one time.”

  “And you want to abolish those thoughts, I understand.” Ganyu hummed in thought for a moment, before clapping her hands together in a sharp sound that made the utterly distracted Keqing jump in shock. She ignored the Yuheng and went on, “We could dress someone up like you, and have him see Ying and Lumine in the same area at once!”

  Which would be entirely irrefutable. It would be fool-proof. Some precautions would have to be taken, but if done correctly, it would solidify her station as a Fatui-loving secretary from Snezhnaya. 

  Lumine gazed at Ganyu as if she was the sun coming out from behind the clouds. “You’re a genius, and you and I are the same height, you could even do it.”

   “I could, but…” pink dusted across her cheeks, “my hips are too wide.”

  “Come off it, no they’re not!”

  “They are,” she closed her eyes and sighed sadly, “I was actually thinking…” a soft, wide eyed glance at the purple haired girl in the corner of the room, “perhaps if we get a padded bra… or some napkins.”

  Keqing looked up from her plate, as if she knew Ganyu and Lumine were talking about her. In one cheek, she chewed a golden shrimp ball, and was now frantically wiping away the grease on her fingertips as if she could wipe away the sins of how many she’d eaten. Swallowing hard, she asked, “What?”

  Lumine ignored the question, “I think she could work. We’re about the same height and build, as long as she doesn’t turn around and show her face.”

  “We could do this in the evening as well, so he can’t see her clearly.” Ganyu suggested. Keqing continued to stare from across the room, slipping another shrimp ball into her mouth all the while. 

  “That’s a great idea,” Lumine clasped her hands together, “I’ll lend her my dress and shoes. Do you know anyone who does wigs?”

  “Can someone please explain to me what you’re gabbing on about?” Keqing asked. She was promptly ignored by a rather excited Ganyu. 

  “I do! And Paimon can be at her side, too, just to make it more realistic!”

  Paimon popped up from the other end of the shrimp pile, “Huh?”

  Ignored, once again. Lumine put her hands into Ganyu’s, and the two girls squeezed each others fingers in hopeful, optimistic glee. “Keqing can just teleport away before he’s able to speak to her. But he’ll never question your identity again!”

  As fool-proof as Lumine considered the plan, she found herself faltering in excitement. The downside was having to spend the first day of her three day weekend dragging Childe out into the mountains. And it was for a simple glimpse at the traveler. She was sure he’d want to see Lumine, herself, the traveler, but there was a certain nervousness settling into her stomach. 

  She was not keen to put Keqing into a dangerous situation, no matter how much she trusted her battle prowess. Harbingers were some of the most dangerous, ruthless, bloodthirsty people in the world. And Lumine didn’t want Keqing to get an arrow in the back simply because of some plan. 

  If Childe ended up attacking her, Lumine would simply have to break character. That was all. The game would be over. 

  Hopefully, it would not come to that. 

   Ying burst into Childe’s office at exactly 7:20 p.m. Just to make it realistic, as if she had spent the day lounging about, she had a half drank fruity drink in her hand, and wildly unbrushed hair. 

  She still wore her uniform and mask, but that's besides the point. 

  “My Lord! I have news!”

  Childe glanced up from the book in his hands. He had his feet up on the desk, and chair leaning back. His office door had been open, as if he was hoping someone would come in and speak with him. 

  Lumine thought, for half a second, that he looked nice today. Until he grinned wickedly, “Oh, Miss Ying, you’re back.”

  “Not really, but I do have news.” For good measure, she took a sip of her very fruity, vacation-esque drink. Props were necessary when acting on this level, “I bet you’re very jealous of all the fun I’m having, though.”

  “Not particularly. I’m just surprised you’re crawling back to your Master so soon after our fight.” 

  Her master. Master. Dear Lord, it’s like he knew exactly what buttons to push. Lumine nearly dropped her drink in absolute horror, especially upon seeing the victorious gleam in his eye. He was smug, and arrogant - and that crooked, boyish smile made her want to punch him in the face. Her stomach and chest both complained at the sight. 

  “Listen,” Lumine set her glass down and closed the door behind her, sighing heavily to create more atmosphere for her ploy, “I’m only here because I wanted to inform you of something I know you’d want to hear about.”

  Childe ignored her completely, “You’re off the clock, but you’re still wearing your mask. Why is that?”

  “Because I’m incredibly ugly and I don’t want to make you barf,” Lumine deadpanned, “Now stop interrupting, I’m serious.”

  “And your uniform… Miss Ying, you really can’t be comfortable in that, can you?”

  She huffed, “I’m fine! I came here to tell you that I saw the traveler!”

  He froze, she froze. Lumine was half tempted to call him an idiot, but judging by the look on his face, he’d hardly hear her.

  The traveler had returned to Liyue. Childe needed a second to find his tongue, “And… you’re sure it’s her?”

  “I’m entirely sure,” Lumine answered, “if we leave now we might be able to catch up with her.”

  His feet were off the surface of the desk immediately. He rushed around the corner and followed Ying out of the office and down the stairs. As always, the watchful eyes of the receptionists and guards followed their retreat. Lumine knew what gossip would arise from her arrival at the bank during her three day weekend, but she couldn’t care at the moment. She simply wanted this plan to work. 

  “I saw her outside the city, in the mountains,” she explained, leading him through the streets. Liyue Harbor was beginning to light up for the night in rich golds and decorated lanterns. The bustle did not stop, even after dark.

  Towards the Pavilion, she went. Yet, halfway up the stairs, she made a sharp right and led him down a mountain path. Glaze lilies stood on the edges, open and brilliant as they stared at the darkening sky. Night time was quickly stealing away the light. The less Childe could see, the better.

  Keqing was most likely complaining right now. And Paimon was most likely talking her ear off. Childe kept silent as he followed Ying down the path, to the decided clearing ahead.

  “I saw her near here.” She spoke loudly enough to be heard by her cohorts. It was all according to plan thus far. Each step forward calmed her nervous heart. 

  Childe squinted through the grey of the evening, “What was she doing?”

  “Oh, just standing around I think…”

  “Odd,” he murmured, “I wonder if she’s okay.”

   He seemed so desperate to get to the traveler. It could not simply be for a fight, the distress coming off him was palpable. As they neared the clearing, Childe brushed past Lumine’s shoulder to take the lead.

  And standing there, with Paimon floating at her side, was the traveler.

  Or at least someone who looked like her from behind. 

  “Hey!” Paimon gasped and jerked back through the air, following the script she had been given, “It’s Mister Moneybags! And some beautiful, spectacular, intelligent looking woman…”

  That part was not on the script. Lumine appreciated it nevertheless.

  Keqing did not turn around. She was too far away to be seen clearly, but only glanced very slightly at the pair behind her. Childe sent Ying a questioning look, only receiving a shrug in return. 

  He seemed far too distracted to care about the oddities of the situation. He took a step towards the fake Lumine, who had yet to turn around. “Traveler, I know you probably don’t want to see me, but I have something to tell you.”

  This was not at all what she expected. There were no drawn weapons, and no arrogant grins. He seemed utterly, deathly serious.

  Keqing tilted her head as if she was listening.

  “Be careful in Inazuma,” Childe went on, “That’s Scaramouche’s territory, and he’s far worse than me. He won’t hesitate to put a knife in your back.”

  Even Paimon seemed confused. She put her hands on her hips and glared, “Is that all? You just wanted to warn us?”

  “I’m serious,” his expression darkened, “Scaramouche is ruthless.”

  Keqing, fortunately, kept her cool. The wig she wore wasn’t the best, but as long as she resembled Lumine, that was enough. She cast a subtle glance towards Paimon, who returned the look with a grimace. Then, the pixie frowned at Childe, “Is that all, Mister Moneybags?”

  “Yeah,” he perked up, “I mean unless you want to figh-“

  An interruption in the form of a flash of purple electro. It lit up the trees and path around their bodies with light. While Ying knew exactly what it was, Childe’s expression changed to excitement. “Wait!”

  When the light dissipated, the ‘traveler’ and Paimon were gone. 

  His face fell into a pout, “I guess she doesn’t want to fight.”

  Thankfully so. Keqing had played her part wonderfully, equally mysterious and equally subtle. It only took a minute or so longer than she’d expected. 

  Lumine turned to take her leave, ready to return to the Pavilion and report the mission to Ganyu, “At least you got to warn her. I was a bit surprised too, I didn’t expect that to be your motive.”

  “You’re surprised that I’d warn a fairly innocent girl about someone as ruthless as Scaramouche?” He raised a brow, “You should know how the other Harbingers are.”

  She did not. “I don’t pay much attention to gossip, so I’m not very familiar with anyone I’ve never worked under.”

  Childe looked as if he envied her, as if not knowing the other Harbingers was a blessing. Lumine was simply eager to take her leave. She faked a smile and began down the path, but paused as she realized that Childe was not following. 

  “Hey, check this out.” His voice echoed from around the corner. Lumine’s heart skipped an immediate beat in renewed anxiety.

  “Uh, what?”

  Childe stood where Keqing just was, yet he held something white and crumpled in his hand. “She left something behind. I think it’s a… tissue.”

  Lumine didn’t know whether to laugh, or cry. It had to be one of the tissues Ganyu had stuffed in Keqing’s bodice in order to fill out her dress. Childe was holding bra stuffing, of all things.

  “Maybe she was crying,” Lumine lied, her voice high pitched and barely containing her amusement, “maybe your warning moved her to tears.”

  Childe only squinted closer at the napkin, “It looks unused.”

  “There could be boogers in there, you don’t know.”

  He grimaced and pushed it into her open palm, “Well, whatever’s on it, it’s yours now.”

  “Oh thanks,” sarcasm laced her tone, “a snot rag, it’s what I’ve always dreamt of getting. You’re too kind.”

  “I know, I know. I’m the best boss.”

  Tartaglia was many things, but the best boss was not one of them. He turned to take his leave down the path Ying had led him. “Let’s get back, I’m sure you’re eager to get back to your weekend.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.”

  Ganyu, Keqing, and Paimon were waiting on her return. The plan had worked, and Childe had evidence that Lumine and Ying were two different people. With no notice of her surroundings, she followed him, grinning all the while. 

  Yet, the sky had darkened significantly in the few moments they spent in the clearing. Lumine could hardly see the rocks and dirt beneath her feet.

  It did not help that it was a fingernail moon tonight. There was hardly any light available, and the tall mountains and boulders shielded the lights of the Harbor from view. Minutes turned into even more minutes, as she followed Childe silently through the trail.

  10 minutes. 20 minutes. Keqing had probably teleported somewhere nearby and was currently complaining about the absurdity of it all, Lumine hoped that she and Childe would not stumble upon her. 

  30 minutes passed. She didn’t recall it taking this long to arrive at that spot, why was it taking so long to get back?

  “Ying?”

  Childe’s voice jolted her from her own thoughts, “Yes?”

  “Am I going blind, or can you not see the city lights either?”

  “You’re not going blind,” she tsked and glanced around, “there’s too many rocks and foliage. I hate to say it, but-“

  “-Then don’t say it.”

  She ignored his obvious frustration, “You, somehow, have gotten us lost.”

  “That’s impossible, comrade, I’ve traveled to every region in Teyvat and I have never once gotten lost.”

  “Oh really? Because we’re lost right now.”

  “No we’re not, I know exactly where I’m going.”

  A scoff, “Typical man, too arrogant to admit when you’re wrong.”

  “I can admit when I’m wrong,” Childe retorted, “but if you keep nagging me like an old wife, I’ll leave you out here alone.”

  Like an old wife. She was far from an old wife, and especially when speaking to him. There was nothing wifely about her feelings towards the Harbinger. “You’re being an ass, I just wanted to help you.”

  Childe snorted bitterly, “I would have found the traveler on my own, anyway.”

  Though the darkness was thick, she could make out the silhouette of his body. He crossed his arms over his chest, while Lumine only squinted through the shadows. She hoped that he saw her gesture to their surroundings, “Okay then, if you’re so wise and powerful, then take me back to town.”

 “...We’re going in that direction right now, actually.”

  “The spot we were in was only five minutes away from Yeuhai Pavilion, yet we’ve been walking for 30 minutes now… I wonder why.”

  He huffed through the shadows, “Why don’t you just trust me? I’ll get us back to the bank eventually.”

  “Oh yes, I’ll trust you to take me on a midnight hike, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing right now.” She said flatly.

  Childe only gave a bitter laugh, “You’re the one who came crawling back to me while on vacation. You missed me, didn’t you?”

  “You’d like it if I missed you, I bet,” She put her hands on her hips and leaned into what she assumed was him, though it might’ve been a thin tree, “Because you liiiike me! You want to be my bestie.”

  “Don’t get back on this again.” Childe groaned. He had to know that Ying wouldn’t forget her own teasing from the day before. It was somehow worse now.

  He knew exactly what buttons to push. She could only return the favor. 

  “Why not? Is it embarrassing for you?” Lumine watched his silhouette turn away and continue down the path, she tried her best to keep up, “You can’t admit that you’re an actual human being with feelings?”

  “Can you not admit that you’re anything but an angry tease that uses sarcasm to cover up real emotions?”

  Lumine gasped. He’d stopped in his tracks, making her nearly run into his back, “I am not a tease!”

  “Oh please, you prance around my office in your tiny little skirt all day, challenging everything I do-“

  She gasped, interrupting him, “I’m just wearing my uniform! I can't help the skirt length!”

  “You make all these jokes about collars and you call me your Lord, and-“

  “Ohhh,” Lumine interrupted once again. She spouted the first words on her mind, no matter how odd or untrue. There was not even an ounce of discretion involved, “I get it. You’re angry because you’re attracted to me, and I’m so beneath you, right?”

  It was a stretch, but it was enough.

  Childe faltered. Several seconds of tension, before the venom became evident in his voice, “I am not attracted to you.”

  She’d successfully gotten him riled up. If only he could see the mocking grin she wore. 

  “You want to kiss me,” Lumine teased. With her confidence rising, she let every assumption spill out, “You want to date me, and hold my hand. You want to touch me and dominate me and-“

  “Oh be quiet,” Childe snapped, “Don’t think I don’t notice how you look at me.”

  Her cheeks turned hot and red, but she wouldn’t dare miss a beat, “Like you're the ugliest creature I’ve ever seen? Good, I’m glad you don’t miss it.”

  He took a step closer and immediately stole away the air from her lungs. In the dark, his hand found her chin, and lifted her face, “Admit it, you like messing with me just as much as I like messing with you.”

  And that she looked at him a certain way. In the same way he looked at her. Drawn out stares and glares, that constant electricity that neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

  It was like a balloon slowly being filled with too much air. Soon, the pressure would rise, and it would pop.

  “Maybe I do,” she whispered, hoping to challenge him, “what’re you going to do about it?”

  A prolonged anticipation. Heavy breathes and the crackle of something unexplainable between them. Lumine’s mind was scrambled like an egg - there were no discernible, clear thoughts to be had. 

  “Nothing,” Childe finally pulled back. The moment ended as quickly as it began, while he turned to take his leave. Lumine, mildly dazed, did her best to keep up with him.

  Her feet crunched down leaves and gravel as she followed, “So I guess I was wrong, you don’t want to be my bestie. You want to be my boyfie.”

  Childe laughed humorlessly, “You sound like my 11 year old sister. And no, I don’t want to be either of those.”

  “Playing hard to get, hm? How cute!”

  He whipped around, catching her entirely off guard. Before Lumine could react, her back was pushed against a tree, and Childe pinned her shoulders. “You are far more frustrating and confusing than you are attractive. You’re a distraction. I have the goal of becoming the strongest in the world, and I don’t have time to deal with someone like you.”

  Archons. Heavens above - Lumine was learning something about herself. 

  It was amazing when he got all riled up because of her. Right now, with his hands on her shoulders, and that venom in his voice, she felt like she’d finally stepped into the constant hurricane of chaos surrounding Tartaglia. And she was perfectly comfortable here.

  That was not okay. Solely because Lumine, in that moment, wondered what it would be like to kiss him. For him to kiss her; would it be rough? Would he hold her close and bite her lip and remind her what it felt like to be wanted? 

  She wanted Lord Tartaglia to kiss her. 

  And she couldn’t take it anymore.

  “First thing Monday, I’m asking to be reassigned.”

    “Good,” Childe grumbled, pulling back and turning away, “that’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”

  Of course it was. He didn’t want to kiss her, he just wanted her out of the way. Lumine despised the sinking feeling that overwhelmed her heart, “Well, you’re finally getting it.”

 “Don’t sound so sad,” he snapped, “it’s for the best.”

  “Yeah, so you can brush all your problems under the rug like the emotionally constipated brick that you are. I can’t believe I thought you had a nice side.”

  There was no answer for that. Lumine wished that she could see his face. With his back to her, he continued walking in heavy, irritable silence. She kept as close as she possibly could, despite how desperately she just wanted to escape. 

 The quiet of the night, the tension of words unsaid. Childe could be nice, but it was obvious to Lumine now who he truly was. 

  Of course, she did egg him on. But she ignored that fact. 

  “Where’re we going?”

  “I see a light up ahead,” Childe grumbled. He was obviously frustrated, a fact that made her smile. Sweet victory.

  “So,” Lumine would not allow a minute of silence between them, “you don’t have time to deal with someone like me? Didn’t I beat you in our last battle?”

  He clicked his tongue derisively, “Don’t remind me.”

  “You’re pretty funny when you’re angry, my Lord.”

  Lumine was having absolutely too much fun. The light through the trees grew, a flickering orange from the front porch of a familiar inn. To be here, they’d have to have gone West, instead of South, and were further out from the Harbor than she realized. She began to see Childe more clearly as the shadows of the trees and boulders waned away.

  “Be honest with me, Ying, did one of the other Harbingers send you here to mess with my mind?”

  He looked defeated for half a sweet second. She resisted the urge to laugh, “Nope, I’m just being me. Sorry to frustrate you.”

  It was nice to be in control. It felt spectacular, like she could finally prove her superior strength. Childe shot her a flat glance as they approached the front porch of the mountainside inn.

  An old man, who could only be the owner, stood on the edge. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he recognized that they were Fatui, “I could hear you two a ways down the valley, need a room?”

  Childe’s frustration was wiped away like a stain on glass. He perked up, that tight smile and the dim eyes returning. “Yes sir! Sorry for all the commotion, we got lost a bit ago.”

  “Or, we could just get directions back to the city,” Lumine whispered, yanking at his jacket sleeve. Childe promptly ignored her.

  “Well,” the old man thought for a moment, “I’ve only got one room left, which means one bed-“

   “No.”

  She and Childe spoke at once. They shared a flat look, before she took the lead to speak, “No, thank you sir. Could we just get directions back to Liyue?”

  “Yea, of course, but eh… it’s such a dark night, I couldn’t quite tell ya…”

  Childe sighed, though it sounded more like a groan, “I’m tired. I’m going to take the room. Ying, you’re welcome to suffer through this trashy novel trope with me if you want, but I wouldn’t touch you with a 10 foot pole anyway.”

  She scowled, “I’d rather sleep on the floor then be anywhere near you.”

  “Sleep on the floor, then. I couldn’t care less.”

  “That’s the spirit!” The old man gave them both a cheeky thumbs up, then turned around and opened his front door. He ushered them inside and grabbed a lantern to light the dark hallway, “I don’t usually serve your kind, but I can see you two are a bit stressed. Just don’t break anything, and don’t do any, uh, Snezhnayan witchcraft, or whatever it is you do.”

  Lumine thought she heard Childe whisper something along the lines of ‘I’ll show you Snezhnayan witchcraft’ under his breath, which gave her quite a lot to envision. It was always when he was muttering or angry that his accent came out the most. Lumine hadn’t hardly realized just how much it had shown through in their argument tonight, it reminded her of exactly who she was dealing with. Exactly who she had imagined kissing her. 

  A Fatui Harbinger. Lumine was spending the night in a hotel room with one bed alongside one of the most dangerous people in Teyvat. 

  Fortunately, she was also one of those people. 

  The hotel owner opened the door and shuffled the pair in. The decor was a bit dated, but simple, and lit up by one golden lamp beside the bed. Childe thanked the owner and handed him an invoice to fill out that would be sent directly to the bank, while Lumine explored her options for the floor. 

  There were no rugs. There was not a couch or a chair, and there was only one pillow on the bed. The bed itself was shockingly small, a twin size that would hardly fit two people anyhow. As the owner shut the door and left them alone, Childe wasted no time plopping down onto the mattress. 

  The second he pulled his jacket off to reveal his red undershirt, Lumine panicked, “What’re you doing?”

  “Getting ready for bed,” he spoke as if he was not about to pull down his pants in front of her, “I’m tired. I need to sleep.”

  “A-At least keep your pants on!”

  Childe narrowed his eyes, “Why? Afraid of what you’ll see?”

  She couldn’t believe that a Fatui Harbinger could be this childish. She couldn’t believe that she thought him mature at one time. And she couldn’t believe that she considered kissing him. Every positive thought she’d ever had about Childe rushed out the window. 

  “Keep your pants on,” she raised a hand and turned away, “be a normal person for like five seconds.”

  “I wasn’t really going to take them off, I was just messing with you.” He murmured. She listened as the mattress creaked under his weight, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. Once she was sure he’d had enough time to cover up, Lumine turned around to see him laying on his side, his back to her. 

  He could just curl up in bed and sleep while his subordinate had nowhere to lay down. What a charmer. She couldn’t believe that she thought he was nice for trying to warn the fake Lumine about Scaramouche. 

  Murmuring curses under her breath, she blew a trickle of anemo over the lantern to put it out, and found a spot on the ground that seemed relatively warm. It was on the other side of the room, and as far away from Childe as she could possibly be. She shimmied her jacket off and used it as a pillow, then curled up into a ball to conserve warmth. 

  This had to be one of the worst nights of her life. All she wanted was to trick Childe, then return to Liyue and have drinks and junk food with Keqing. That’s all she wanted. 

  But of course, Childe just had to get lost in the woods, and drag her along all the while. 

  She shut her eyes and forced her mind to clear of all frustration. She couldn’t get any sleep if she kept harping on how terrible the night had been. And come Monday, she’d disappear completely. She’d take the one letter she found, and find some other avenue of locating her brother. The Fatui could not be the only ones to have noticed someone as odd as her walking around. 

  Lumine wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It could have been an hour, it could have been seconds. She was awoken by something very smooth running up her arm, beneath her coat. Her eyes shot open, ready to yell at Childe for pranking her, until she realized that it was not human skin touching her. 

  Lumine screamed without realizing.

  And threw the snake right into Childe’s bed. 

  He, immediately, shot up and rolled away. He landed on his hands and knees with a sharp thud, breathing heavily and wide eyed at the sudden commotion. “Ying? Gods, what happ-”

  A sudden burst of anemo. It nearly cut right through him, and managed to pick up the blankets and pillows and slam them against the wall. She screamed again, “There’s a snake! Get it!”

  “Archons,” he cursed, scurrying to his feet and searching the crumpled blankets for any sign of the reptile. 

  Lumine let out a whimper, “Don’t get bit, I don’t want to be blamed for your murder.”

  “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Once his fingers brushed against something rather slimy and smooth, he gripped both ends and lifted it into the air, “Turn on the lantern.”

  He could hear her scrambling to strike a match beside the bed. As she did so, he shuffled towards the window, until the room was lit up with a small, golden flame. His panicked expression dropped the second he noticed exactly what he was holding. 

  “...Miss Ying?”

  A pause. A glance towards the secretary, who was curled up on the mattress and gripping the discarded pillow to her chest, “What?”

  “It’s just a garden snake, they’re completely harmless.”

  “I don’t care, it’s an intruder, and it shall be punished for its crimes!”

  He grinned, while Lumine only scowled in return. Childe let the snake wrap itself around his arm like a very thick, green bracelet, “He’s completely innocent, he just wanted cuddles.”

  “Then you cuddle with him! I’m taking the bed!”

  He rolled his eyes as if she were the world’s biggest drama queen. Opening the window with one hand, and stretching out his arm to shake the snake loose, he calmly discarded the terrified thing into the grass outside. Lumine only felt relief once the window was closed and the curtains were drawn. 

  She should have said thank you, but she just didn’t want to. 

  Childe gathered up the blankets into his arms, “I haven’t seen you use your anemo vision that much before, you must’ve really been scared.”

  “Well it’s really quite distressing to wake up with a snake slithering across you.”

  “I’ve had worse,” he shrugged and snapped out the blanket over the bed. Before Lumine could protest, Childe had taken what was left of the other side of the mattress, and lain back down. Lumine, still in her balled up position with the pillow against her chest, could only stare at him. 

  The argument was about to begin again. That familiar electricity and tension filled the room.

  “What’re you doing?”

  Childe glanced up, using his arm as a pillow, “Trying to sleep, because some screaming girl woke me up earlier.”

  “Yeah, but you’re sleeping in my bed.”

  “It was my bed first.”

  “I think I should get it, I was traumatized.”

  He scoffed, “Don’t be so dramatic, you aren’t hurt.”

  “No, traumatized by your stinky ass all night. It’s really tiring, I don’t think I’ll ever recover from how you spoke to me.”

  “Then maybe you should’ve watched your tongue, Miss Ying.”

  He was always so cavalier, it set her ablaze. She nudged him so hard he nearly fell off the side, “You’re the one who got us lost! I was going to meet friends tonight and have fun! But now I’m stuck here with you!”

  “I’m so sorry I ruined your night!” Childe shot up and glared at her, his hair a wild mess and one half of his red collared shirt sticking up, “You didn’t have to come get me to see the traveler, you know!”

  “I was trying to do something nice.” She hissed. 

  “Oh thanks,” he rolled his eyes sarcastically, “and then you decided to nag me all night about stuff you have no idea about!”

  She crossed her arms and glared, though the mask covered the anger in her eyes, “Oh so you can dish out the teasing, but you can’t take it, huh?”

  He had gotten so defensive when she accused him of being attracted to her. In Lumine’s defense, he had brought up her short skirt and confusing-ness first. He had no right to get angry when she called him out for something he said. 

  “Oh please,” Childe snapped, “that wasn’t teasing, that was you trying to get me angry. If you want to fight me, just say so. I’d rather not beat around to bush.”

  Of course he’d jump to that conclusion. Lumine knew exactly what to say to piss him off. She smiled, letting silence fall between them. One second passed, and two, then three. She smiled like a cat cornering a mouse, “I’m never going to fight you again.”

  Childe gasped, obviously offended, “You are the most confusing, naggy, arrogant woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Good,” she laughed, “I’m glad I’m confusing. Then you know how it feels, with you being terrible one minute and then buying me all these nice things the next. Now you understand how frustrating that is!”

  His hand went to her waist, “You're the frustrating one.”

   Her hand gripped the front of his shirt, “You’re the one that’s attracted to me.”

  “I’m not attracted to you.” Childe leaned in. 

  Lumine leaned closer. Her heart settled into her throat and decided to do a drum solo in her ears. “And I’m not attracted to you.”

  “Good, then it’s decided that we officially hate each other.” His breath smelled like mints, his hair like the sea. Even when he glared, his eyes were so wonderfully blue. 

  “I hate you.” A whisper. Lumine’s arm snaked up around his neck. 

  Childe only smiled, “I can’t wait for you to get out of my life.”

  “I can’t wait to get out of it.”

  “I can’t wait until the day I never see your face again.”

  “Good. Neither can I.”

  “Great. I hate you.”

  Her fingers gripped his hair. He leaned in, nose brushing against hers. 

  “I hate you too.”

  That was the exact moment in history, the moment Lumine would never forget. 

  When Childe kissed her. When he pressed his mouth against hers, and the world stopped spinning. When nearly growled into her mouth, Lumine melted entirely. 

  She liked it. 

  It was short, but not at all sweet. It was rough, with teeth and biting and his arms pushing down against hers to pin her into the mattress. The room suddenly became 10 degrees hotter, even as he pulled away to hover over her with parted lips. 

  Lumine stared, though he could not quite see it under the mask. 

  And Childe stared, looking incredibly confused. 

  Lumine was the first to break the insufferably awkward silence, “We will never speak of this.”

  “Agreed.” He nodded. 

  Yet, instead of unpinning her, he only leaned in to kiss her again. This time was even more heated and rough, causing Lumine to thrust her body upwards in some desperate attempt to make contact with him. In response, he pushed her further down and bit her lip. The blood that came out shouldn’t have been exciting, but it was. It really, truly was. 

  “Turn off the light,” she commanded in between heavy breaths, “I’ll take my mask off. But don’t you dare look.”

  Unable to give a verbal answer, Childe only shot a small spurt of hydro at the flickering lantern. The room was immediately engulfed into darkness, and Lumine discarded the mask over her eyes. The second it clattered upon the floor, she felt Childe’s hands on her face. She tasted iron and rust on her tongue.

  The world slowed down. 

  Her wrists ached where had pinned her,, but she ignored the pain in order to find his hair in the darkness. Quickly, he yanked off his gloves, and ran his bare fingers over her cheeks, her nose, under her eyes and over her brows. Lumine could not see a thing, she knew that he could not either. 

  Childe’s fingers were as calloused and rough as she assumed. It set her ablaze in a way nothing ever had. 

  He was devastatingly tender. Lumine’s heart raced. The world could have been destroyed in that moment, and nothing outside of this cheap hotel room would matter. 

  “I think you’re beautiful.” He whispered.

  It only made her smile, “You don’t even know what I really look like.”

  “I don’t have to.”

  As Childe went back to kissing her, running his bare hands across her arms and pushing the tight skirt up her thighs, Lumine realized one very important aspect of this entire disaster. 

  She was in trouble. She was in very deep trouble. 

  (Nevertheless, she kept kissing him. It was too nice to stop.)

  “I think,” Lumine forced words out between gasps and kisses, “that this is exactly what we need. Just this once, and then we never speak of it again.”

  “Right,” his lips ran down her neck and to the upper part of her collarbone, where he bit down harshly, “just get this out of the way, and everything’ll go back to normal.”

  “Mhm,” she moaned, “totally normal.”

  He sat up to grip the ends of her skirt, “This is in the way.” With no hesitation, he ripped the fabric apart. She watched his silhouette glance up at her almost apologetically, “I’ll buy you another one, I promise.”

  “With a longer skirt?”

  He laughed, “No way.”

  Her shoes were already off, and her fishnet stockings were already torn at the thigh. Childe must have thought ‘well while I’m at it’ and immediately went for her bodice, which he also gripped with two hands and tore apart. Lumine hated how much she enjoyed it. 

  With her uniform torn in several places, and her hands working frantically at his belt, Lumine could hardly think. She simply repeated the words ‘oh shit’ in her mind over and over and over. It was the only thing she could focus on besides the warmth coursing through her body. 

  Childe sat up and pressed his hands into the head of the bed. As Lumine finally released his belt from it’s confines, she heard a sharp crack beside her ear. “What was that?”

  “I, uh,” she watched his silhouette glance up, “I squeezed too hard and broke the furniture.”

  “Childe! We’ll have to pay for that, you know!”

  “It’s fine,” his mouth was at her neck again, “it’s worth it.”

  She was worth it. Lumine nearly melted, before she realized that he’d been on top this entire time. He would hardly expect her strength, as she gripped his shoulders and flipped him over, immediately slinging a leg over his waist. 

  Now, she was in control. She pinned his wrists down, “Just because you’re my boss doesn’t mean you get to be the dominant one.”

  “Oh come on,” he laughed, the sound made her heart skip, “we both know I’m the dom here.”

  “That’s stupid, I’m the dom, obviously.”

  “Stop lying to yourself, Ying.”

  Just to prove her point, she pushed him down further. Yet, the second she did so, another crack resounded through the room. 

  Both Childe and Lumine froze. 

  The bed began to creak. The world began to tilt backwards. The very end of the bed groaned in complaint, until it crashed into the wooden floor with an ominous, destructive thud. 

  Silence. 

  “Broke the bed…” Lumine muttered, her hands still on Childe’s wrists.

  Just what exactly was this cheap-ass furniture made of?

  “The wall,” he nearly growled, as he pushed against her wrists and overpowered her. Lumine had no time to react, until his hands were on her waist and lifting her up against his body. One or two steps across the room, and her back was pressed against the thin paper wall as he wrapped her thighs around his hips. 

  As nice as that was, Lumine was already taken out of the moment. “Uh, Lord Tartaglia?”

  He’d had to have left several marks on her neck by now, with how desperately he was attacking it, “What?”

  “I do appreciate this, I really do,” she swore she heard the tearing of paper, “But these walls aren’t exactly thick.”

  “It’ll be fine.” 

  He spoke so confidently, so lustily. Lumine was half tempted to believe him. 

  If only the wall did not literally break, sending both Lumine and Childe to the ground in a scrambled, jumbled mess. The floor hit her back like a punch, and her vision went black as she groaned, laying underneath Childe. 

  Silence. Half dressed, steamy silence. 

  Childe groaned into her shoulder, though the sound was more of annoyance than hurt. The old hotel owner stood over them with a dim lantern, frowning as if he’d just discovered a murder scene. 

  “You two need to leave, now.”

  Lumine’s heart could have shot out of her chest - she realized that she was not wearing her mask. Immediately, she pushed Childe off and scrambled to her feet, jumping through the hole in the ruined paper wall and feeling around for her mask. He couldn’t have seen her, he had his face buried in her. Not even with the owner’s light shining over their bodies. 

  Once her fingers grazed against the cool leather of her disguise, she stuck it on, wrapping the elastic over her head. She hardly heard the owner speaking to Childe in the hallway, “You Fatui are always destructive! You’ll pay for this, and the bed, and the floors, and the mental damage you’ve caused me and the other guests.”

  The other guests. Gods, they had to have heard the bickering and the ripping and the light moans. Lumine wanted to barf. 

  Frantic, she pulled on her boots as she hopped towards the door. From the corner of her eye, she saw Childe sitting up to reach towards her, completely ignoring the owner’s tirade, “Wait, Ying, don’t go.”

  A forced, bitter smile. Her hair was an absolute mess and her uniform was ripped in several places, revealing a significant amount of her shoulder and thigh. The shame hanging over her head was immeasurable, like she was some sort of hormone-driven floozy. 

  “We will never speak of this,” she informed, “if you ever bring this up, I will kill you where you stand.”

  “Ying, stop-”

  She held up a silencing hand, “I’m waiting until marriage, so you’re getting nothing tonight!”

  Childe’s eyes widened, “Then marry me!”

  “No, this never happened!”

  Ying left in a rush down the hall. She had her boots unzipped and her uniform ripped in several places. And the shame in the air was palpable. 

  Silence. It felt like there’d been a lot of awkward, heavy silences tonight. 

  Childe only glanced up at the hotel owner, who grimaced in absolute pity. 

  “You really want to marry her just so you can get laid? Man…”

  Childe had never felt more pathetic in his entire life.  

Chapter Text

  Lumine had never done a walk of shame before. It was worse than the words implied. 

  “Sweetie, you look like you’ve been chewed up and spit out by a bear. What happened?”

  Lisa’s concern was perfectly understandable. Lumine certainly did look rough, with her ripped skirt, her torn bodice, her messy hair - and the multitude of dark marks on her neck. She did not dwell on exactly what those were, or who made them. She simply stared. 

  Silence passed between the honorary knight and the librarian. Slowly, Lisa closed her book, and lit another candle. It was almost two in the morning, and Lumine could not thank the existence of teleport waypoints enough. 

  Fortunately, Lumine knew Lisa’s schedule. She stayed up on Friday nights to get in some leisure reading time, so Lumine ran to the library the first second she arrived in Mondstadt. Hopefully, no one saw the half dressed Fatui scaling the wall of the Knights of Favonius HQ.

  As enough silence passed, Lumine finally found the answer she’d been looking for. 

  “Walk of shame.”

  “I see,” Lisa’s eyes narrowed, though she was fighting back an obvious smile, “Well, did you have fun, at least?”

  Yes, and no. It was the most thrilling, exhilarating, exciting thing in the world - until she recalled that she was not Ying, and that she almost slept with the 11th Fatui Harbinger. 

  Anxiety tended to shadow any positive aspects of the situation. “Not at all. Could you guess who it was with, Lisa?”

  She blinked in wide eyed thought and rested her chin on the back of her hand, “Let’s see… One of those anemo boxer fellows? They’re quite-“

  “What the hell? No. No, it wasn’t a skirmisher.”

  She pursed her lips, “You’re no fun. Fine, one of your fake colleagues?”

  “Close,” Lumine felt like collapsing under the weight of it all, “but not quite. Lisa, I…”

  How to even say it? How to tell the librarian that she couldn’t do this anymore, and they needed to find another girl. Lisa’s smile fell as she realized just how exhausted Lumine was. She walked around her desk and shuffled her into a cushy chair, “Hey, it can’t be that bad, can it?”

  It could. “I’m sorry to let Mondstadt and Liyue down. Both Jean and Ningguang are relying on me to report information about the Fatui, but I’ve got nothing.”

  “It's okay,” she soothed, brushing a lock of hair behind Lumine’s ear, “sometimes these things take time. You can’t beat yourself up, cutie.”

  “I-I have to quit.” She hated the sound of her own voice. That weakness, that stutter, as if she was balancing on a tightrope and knew she would not be caught if she fell. 

  Lisa remained calm, though grimaced, “Why?”

  “I… I almost slept with a Harbinger.”

  The world paused. Lisa stared a hole into the traveler. 

  “...Which one?”

  “Tartaglia,” she wrinkled her nose in disgust, “the 11th. He’s why I look like this.”

  Lisa watched her gesture to the rips in her clothing. Her expression fell dark, “Did you want to do anything with him?”

  “It was entirely consensual,” Lumine sighed heavily, “if we hadn't broken through the wall I’d probably still be there. And I just… I’m just so mad at myself for that.”

  “For… Breaking a wall?”

  Yes, actually. That was very rude. But it could not possibly overshadow the rest of the evening’s events, “No, for failing at my mission. I can’t go back after that, there’s absolutely no way.”

  It was rare that Lumine failed. Some would call her a perfectionist where it concerned travels and battle, and she supposed it was true. She absolutely despised having to back off from a plan and give up. Lisa, from having traveled with Lumine for a bit, knew just how deeply this diligence ran. 

  She took the seat across from her and scooted closer. The library was empty and dark, the only light being the flicker of a candle. All Lumine wanted to do was melt into the shadows and disappear. 

  It wasn’t as if she’d never had a romantic encounter. They were rare, but not unfamiliar. Men who she’d met while traveling, who gave her flowers and an inkling of joy. It had never become more than that - who was she to create those relationships while her brother was lost, and possibly hurt?

  Childe was the first person in Teyvat who she had kissed. He was the first person she’d even come close to sleeping with. And his touch, by far, was the most exciting she’d ever felt. 

  There was something dangerous in that touch. 

  “Sweetie,” Lisa’s voice broke her from her thoughts, “you don’t have to continue doing this if you’re uncomfortable. Your safety and well-being come first.”

 Lumine couldn’t hardly express how nice those words made her feel. Her safety and well-being, two things that often went ignored. Despite how guilty it made her feel, sometimes it was nice to be taken care of. 

  Yet, Mondstadt and Liyue were both relying on her to get an upper hand over the Fatui. And so far she’d gotten nothing besides some untranslated letter, and an unexpected romantic encounter that had nothing to do with the mission at hand. 

  At least the letter was something. “Lisa?”

  “Yes, cutie?”

  “Have you ever heard of anyone called the Abyss Prince?”

  She tensed in sudden familiarity. The words themselves felt ominous and unknown, and the librarian’s eyes widened ever so slightly. Lisa was not one to lose her cool, ever, but something about that name had affected her. 

  “I have. I’ve never met him, though, nobody has.” She shrugged and turned away, leaning back in her seat and crossing her legs. Lumine watched the shadows of the candle flame flicker and dance across her face. 

  “But you’ve heard of him?”

  “Yes…” she chewed on the thought for a moment, “only in passing, really. Do you recall when Mondstadt had those threats from the Abyss Order?”

  She did, yes. She assisted Diluc in fighting off the monsters, though the attacks seemed weak and unorganized. “Was the Abyss Prince behind that?”

  Lisa shrugged, “I don’t know, but I’d say he’s not. I’ve only heard whispers about the Prince from what seemed to be higher ranking mages, but even then the information is few and far between.”

  Excitement rose in her chest. She wished she’d brought the letter along, but she’d not expected to get lost in the woods with Childe. “I stole a letter from Tartaglia’s desk, it’s written in Snezhnayan but I know it’s from the Tsaritsa herself.”

  “Oh? Do tell.” Lisa’s eyes lit up. 

  “Paimon made out a few words, like Liyue, mountain, run, and Abyss Prince. I don’t know what the connection between any of them are, but it caught my attention.”

  “I see…” She tapped a finger to her cheek, “I know a little Snezhnayan, I may be able to help you. But if I were to take a guess, then the Fatui would also have their eyes on the Abyss Prince. They would be far more equipped to track him down than the Knights would be.”

  With their huge military and their finances, they were certainly in a better position. She could hardly imagine the intel they must have. “Do you think this guy might know where my brother is?”

  “There’s a chance, yes. I would not underestimate the reach of the Abyss.” Lisa grimaced at the thought, as if it disgusted her to admit it. But Lumine knew that she was correct, there were mages and monsters in all corners of Teyvat, and they had some form of intelligence. 

  “Okay, I’ve made a decision.”

  “Yes, cutie?”

  “I’m going to keep being his secretary.” Lumine sighed heavily at the thought, “I’ll just put up with the awkwardness long enough for me to find more information on this Abyss Prince guy.”

  She and Childe did promise to never speak of that again. Perhaps it would not be so bad, perhaps they would go back to normal, and the weirdness of tonight would be forever erased. Lumine wasn’t sure if she even wanted to go back to normal, she wanted to simply be nonexistent to him. 

  Lisa bit her lip. She stared, squeezed Lumine’s hands, fluttered her eyes. The flames flickered on the walls, and Lumine’s confidence began to wane as she noticed her friend’s hesitation. 

  Until, of course, Lisa dropped her bomb. “Have you considered seducing the Harbinger?”

   “No.”

  “Are you saying no as in you haven’t considered it, or no as in-”

  “I will not seduce him,” Lumine’s voice shook as she desperately tried to erase the thought, “First of all, he’s disgusting and I hate his face. Secondly, I would rather seduce a hilichurl. Thirdly, I have no idea how!”

  Lisa nudged her playfully, “Of course you do! That’s what you did tonight, wasn’t it? You said it was consensual, so you must have been doing something right.”

  It was entirely consensual, but that did not mean she seduced him. “Frankly, I have no idea how we started kissing. It just, I don’t know, began. I was going with the flow.”

  “But look at you…” she clicked her tongue and glanced at her ripped skirt, with the expanse of stocking covered thigh exposed to the world, “how could he not be seduced? You’re super cute, kind of in a feisty submissive way. Why, if I was still in my domme years, I would-”

  “Lisa, please.”

  “Sorry,” she cracked a smile, “all I’m saying is that perhaps you should just be yourself, and see what happens? Maybe sit on his desk and cross your legs, brush your chest against his arm. You could even trade out the stockings for thigh high socks and then you’ll be ready for war.”

  Ready for war, Lisa had a funny way of saying things. Lumine felt a tingle in her stomach, and thought she might be sick. “What would seducing him even do?”

  “Everything!” Lisa gasped, excited, “You could get the keys to his desk, or distract him from work, or earn his trust so thoroughly that he tells you everything. Oh goodness, the possibilities…”

  The possibilities vs. her dignity. Her integrity. Her sanity. 

  Noticing Lumine’s silence, Lisa went on, “I’m really not trying to pressure you into anything, you need to do what you’re comfortable with. But I’m just throwing this idea out there. And you don’t even have to sleep with him, just… I don’t know, play with him a little.”

  “...Play with him?”

  She held up her thumb and index finger, “Just a little.”

  Lumine had never tried to seduce anyone before. In her opinion, she lacked the proper assets. She was a fighter, not a lover. Yet, Lisa seemed to have full confidence in this idea - and perhaps that was for a good reason. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

  Besides, it’s not like any of it would be real on her end. What could go wrong?

  “Fine, I’ll do it.”

  “Just be careful,” Lisa squeezed her hands again, “and don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable. And I’m always here if you need to teach him a lesson. I know a wonderful recipe for phallic pickling.”

  Lumine stared. Lisa put her palms on her cheeks and sighed dreamily at the thought.

  She had a feeling that she’d regret this decision.

  Teleporting back to Liyue and taking back alleys to her hotel room had to be one of the most embarrassing trials of Lumine’s life. 

  As she entered the front doors of the dingy hotel lobby, she felt the eyes of the owner lingering on her ripped bodice. And she’d left her coat at the mountainside inn, leaving large parts of her body exposed. At least she still had her mask. 

  “Hey,” Lumine snapped, “eyes up here.”

  He ignored her entirely,  “You have a delivery, Miss Ying. In fact, you have several deliveries. I left them in the hallway,”

  She never got deliveries, nor did she ever order anything. Without another word, she darted towards the stairs and took them two at a time, until she came to the floor her room was on. There, sitting on the floor and taking up most of the hallway, were at least five vases of flowers. 

  She approached them as if they were explosives. There were glaze lilies and asters, cecilias and qingxins, even silk flowers and violet grass. As Lumine knelt down to inspect a vase, the door to her room swung open. 

  “Do you know how worried Paimon has been?!”

  Lumine glanced up. The pixie’s eyes widened in horror. She was floating mid air with chocolate in both of her hands, and food smeared across her face. Silence blanketed the hallway while Lumine inspected the damage.

  “...You got a delivery.” Paimon answered, before shoving more chocolate into her mouth, “Paimon was just making sure they weren’t poisoned.”

  She could see a half destroyed box of sweets on the bed. On the top of it, was a stamped and sealed letter. Ignoring the pixie, Lumine scrambled to the parchment.  “Did you see who delivered these?”

  Paimon sucked the chocolate off her fingers apathetically, “Just some tired looking courier, looked like he was woken up just to bring you this stuff.”

  Odd. It was about three in the morning now, nobody in their right mind would deliver flowers and sweets past midnight. She squinted and pulled the paper closer to read the messy, but familiar, handwriting.

  Ying, 

Sorry about tonight, I’m an idiot.

-Childe 

  The chocolates, the copious amount of flowers. He probably bribed a courier to deliver it all, and it was only hours ago that they’d done what they did. 

  And he was apologizing. If he was an idiot, then she was too. 

  “Archons,” Paimon gasped in horror, “what happened? Did you get attacked by a wolf or something?”

  Or something. “I’m fine, I’m sorry to have worried you.”

  Lumine had an extra uniform in her drawers that she could wear, and she would just order another coat. Lumine fingered the rip in her skirt, then glanced back at the letter. Sorry about tonight. I’m an idiot. 

   Paimon was diving into her lecture at that very moment, “Keqing and Ganyu were so worried about you! Paimon had no idea where you’d gone! Paimon thought you died!”

  She died on the inside, so it wasn’t that far off the mark. Lumine stared at the letter, the implications, the obvious nervousness in his handwriting. 

  Ignoring Paimon, she whirled towards the dresser and put her leg up, revealing a significant amount of thigh. “Do you think this looks seductive?”

  Paimon blinked. The room went still and silent. Lumine tried to arch her back in an attempt to look sexier. 

  “...Paimon feels uncomfortable.”  

  Lumine groaned and stepped away, “Fine, jeez. I’ll figure it out myself.”

  As she began dragging the flower vases into the room and setting them in various spots, Paimon buzzed at her shoulder like a very angry wasp, “Figure what out yourself? Don’t tell Paimon that you’re planning something crazy!”

  “I’m just taking an extra measure to assure our success,” she answered, closing the door and carefully pulling off her ruined uniform. “Childe, obviously, wants my hot body - stop laughing, I’m going to make you sleep outside tonight.”

  She wheezed with laughter, “L-Lumine, why? Why? J-Just why?”

  “To help the mission!”

  “But he’s gross!”

   He was. But he also wasn’t. She couldn’t get the feeling of his hands on her skin out of her head. 

   ‘I think you’re beautiful.’ That’s what he told her. She wanted to dissolve into mist and let the wind take her away, just so she’d never have to think of him again. 

  And upon returning to work, she’d commence the seduction. 

  She was doomed. 

  Coming back to work was difficult. 

  Mainly because she hated her job/capitalism, but that wasn’t the only reason. Coming back to work meant facing Childe. 

  But fortunately for Lumine, he was not in his office. Instead, she found her newly installed desk, and all of her favorite pens placed upon it neatly. The rest of the office was quiet with the Harbinger’s absence, leaving Lumine alone to stare down at the piece of furniture. 

  There were several papers on it that looked like they were from Ekaterina, judging by the handwriting. It was natural that right after her weekend she would be given work, but she took a moment to observe her surroundings. The neatness of Childe’s office, the organization of his own desk, how she could see his chair perfectly when she sat at hers. She almost wanted to frame his letter and put it up on the wall like a degree. I’m sorry, I’m an idiot. Just looking at the letter made her smile. 

  There was one lonesome item on the desk that proved the most damning of all. A single glaze lily, laying across the middle of it. If Lumine looked closely, she could see the dirt still attached to the roots. Why it was here, she had no idea. And who had left it, she also had no idea. There were a lot of things Lumine had absolutely zero idea about, including what she was supposed to do when Childe returned. 

  Behind her, the door to the office slid open. She turned around to see Ekaterina standing in the frame, holding a stack of papers and giving her the most awkward smile possible. Everybody else had looked at her in that exact same way earlier. 

 She brushed past Lumine to set the papers on her desk, “I trust you’re well rested, it’s not often one of us gets a three day weekend.”

  “Oh, it was just because Lord Tartaglia wanted to avoid a certain conversation. It wasn’t anything special.” Lumine leaned against a bookshelf and forced a smile. She hoped that Ekaterina would connect the dots on exactly what kind of conversation he avoided. She was the one who encouraged Lumine to speak to Childe, after all. 

  After setting the papers down, the receptionist only analyzed her for a moment. She pursed her lips, then sighed, as if building up courage, “We got a bill just yesterday for something Lord Tartaglia did. Something about a bed set and a wall for an inn outside of the Harbor, might you know anything about that?”

  Childe had given the innkeeper an invoice to fill out. It would be sent right to the bank, into the eager hands of the receptionists. The incredibly gossip-mongering receptionists. She tensed, and desperately hoped that Ekaterina did not notice the sudden caution in her voice. 

  “I’m not sure, maybe he had a fight with some furniture? Who knows?”

  “Who knows, indeed.” She clicked her tongue and turned away, “I’m not sure if you’re aware, Miss Ying, but that is not something Lord Tartaglia does often.”

  “What? Break furniture?”

  “No, no, that happens more often than you think. But I mean… you know,” she cast her a sly glance, “he doesn’t usually fraternize with his subordinates.”

   Fraternize. Lumine felt as if she wore her heart on her sleeve, “We didn’t do anything, if that’s what you’re implying.”

  “I’m not implying anything, I’m just letting you know.”

  A flicker of anger in her chest, “And why do you feel like I need to know this?”

  Ekaterina turned to her, frowning all the while. “Because of the way he looks at you. And trust me, I’ve heard everything from some of the other girls, they’ve noticed it too. Some of them have been vying for years just to get his attention like you have.”

  “Then those girls must be dumb, because he’s really not that great.”

  Ekaterina sighed as if speaking to a child, “Lord Tartaglia is one of the best Harbingers to work under. He’s not unnecessarily cruel like Scaramouche or La Signora, he doesn’t do human experiments like Il Dottore-”

  “Human experiments?” Lumine sputtered. Ekaterina ignored her entirely. 

  “-He’s not a good person, believe me, you cannot be a good person and be a Fatui Harbinger. But he’s not bad, either. He’s not evil, he’s not cruel, he isn’t the type to sleep around with his subordinates and toss them aside like ragdolls.”

  “Well, good for him,” Lumine rolled her eyes, “he’s reaching the standards of basic human decency, someone give him a prize.”

  “I know you two slept together.”

  Her words were like a slap to the face. Every muscle in Lumine’s body stiffened, and she found herself unable to meet Ekaterina’s gaze. Instead, she could only stare at the patterns in the wood flooring as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. 

  If only the accusation was correct. “We didn’t sleep together.”

  “I saw the invoice, the owner had a lot to say about what you two did.” She challenged, though she was not glaring or angry at all. She was simply calm, it had to be the scariest kind of confrontation there was. 

  “Well, he’s wrong,” Lumine snapped, “we didn’t sleep together. We never got that far, I ran away before any clothes came off.” Sort off. Hers were ripped, but she didn’t count that, “I don’t even understand why you’re trying to have this conversation with me. What’s the point?”

  A sigh, “I’ve worked for Lord Childe for a long time, many of us in the collections division have been here since he was appointed as a Harbinger five years ago. Never once have I heard of him sleeping around, flirting with subordinates, or abusing his position carelessly.”

  Her words began to click in Lumine’s head. A sickening kind of realization, one that gave her both butterflies, and anxiety. She couldn’t hardly tell the difference between the two. 

  This was not a common occurrence for Childe. Ying was an exception - special, in a way. It was… sweet. 

  Ekaterina went on, “Don’t break his heart, please. I know he’s my boss, and very, very powerful, but he’s still younger than most of us here. He writes letters to his mom like every week, he buys toys just for the kids on the streets, he can’t even use chopsticks correctly. Ying, do not break his heart.”

  And with that, the receptionist left, leaving Ying alone to her thoughts. 

  Do not break his heart. Do not break his heart. 

  Feeling dazed, she approached his desk and sat on the edge, crossing her legs and peering at the letters and papers he’d written on. There was a long letter in Snezhnayan that looked newly written, as if he’d spent all night writing it. She couldn’t read any of it, but Childe’s penmanship was familiar nevertheless. 

  Do not break his heart. This man, a Fatui Harbinger who nearly drowned all of Liyue. A man who didn’t sleep around with his subordinates, except for Ying. And why? She couldn’t help but wonder why he cared so much about Ying. 

  Footsteps outside of the room caught her attention. She sat up, right as the door slid open to reveal the Harbinger himself. He froze the second he saw her sitting on the edge of his desk. 

  “...Hey.”

  It was as awkward as a greeting could possibly be, a sound so rare from Childe. He looked as if he’d not slept a wink. 

  “My Lord,” she bowed her head lightly and slipped off his desk, trying to act casual, “I’ll start on making your schedule for the day.”

  He watched her walk across the room and towards her own desk in the corner. She could feel his eyes lingering on her. Until, finally, he made his way to his chair and sat down, continuing his letter in absolute silence. 

  She was totally going to have to break his heart. 

Chapter Text

 The things Lumine was willing to do for Aether. The speeches she shall sit through, the jobs she shall take, the men she shall seduce. All for her brother. 

  “You will carry the will of the Tsaritsa across this land like the icy winds of Zapolyarny Palace! Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Lord Harbinger sir!”

  “While in Liyue you shall do everything I say! If you refuse, I will dishonorably discharge you, and you’ll be walking back to Snezhnaya with your tail between your legs!”

  “Yes, Lord Harbinger sir!”

  “Lastly of all…” Childe’s eyes narrowed. His expression was fierce, stern, with his hands behind his back as he watched the line of new recruits, “I command an utter lack of mercy for our enemies. We cannot afford pity here in th-“

  “-Master, the lemonade is done!”

  Lumine called him master. To reiterate, the things she did for her brother. 

  Childe froze. Each and every one of the recruits froze. Ice clinked refreshingly in the glasses Lumine carried on a tray, smiling all the while. “And I put a silly straw in yours, it’s right here.”

  Immediately, Childe darted to Ying’s side. He put a hand on her back and nudged her away from the eyes of the recruits, “Ying,” a hissed whisper, “I’m giving a speech right now.”

  “But it’s super hot out here, I thought you might like a drink!” 

  Her smile was entirely too innocent. Quickly, Childe glanced over his shoulder at the recruits, then took a quick drink of the glass with the blue silly straw sticking out from it. “Thanks, malyshka. You’re the best.”

  Whatever a malyshka was, she had no idea. She only forced a smile and watched as Childe returned to his speech giving. The differences in his many demeanors would never fail to surprise her. And no matter what she did, he was never truly phased. Not even the silly straw could embarrass him. 

  In fact, Childe seemed impossible to affect emotionally. She was adept at frustrating him, but that wasn’t her goal. She wanted to seduce him, to earn his trust and learn all of his secrets. This was war. 

  And Childe was simply too good at controlling the battleground. 

  Three weeks ago, Lumine sat on his desk and made sure to let her skirt ride up her thigh. She was sure Lisa would approve of this method of seduction. It was nerve wracking at the time, but Childe just smiled, sat back, and admired. Lumine gave up after a minute of ostentatious ogling from her boss. 

  Two weeks ago, Lumine unbuttoned the top of her uniform to show a bit of strategically placed cleavage. She was blessed in that particular area, and found herself rather confident in this strategy. Unfortunately, Childe simply dropped an ice cube down her shirt. (She nearly punched him for that one.)

  One week ago, Lumine leaned over his papers and very gently brushed her chest against his arm. This was considered the heavy weaponry, and made her extremely embarrassed as she did it. Childe, though, remained unaffected, and let her rub herself against him like some demented cat. She could not tell if he liked it or not. 

   He was playing with her just as much as she was playing with him. They simply had different rules, and entirely different motives. He thought it was fun. She considered it work.

  And neither of them, under any circumstances, brought up the incident from that night. No matter how often they teased each other, it was never spoken about.

  Lumine sighed and sat on her picnic blanket near the recruits. They were lined up with their nervous faces and shuffling feet, having just arrived from Snezhnaya. Childe and Ying met them outside of the Harbor so he could give them their welcome speech, though it didn’t sound very welcoming at all. 

  “We cannot afford to pity our enemies!” He walked past the line of soldiers with his hands behind his back, “The Tsaritsa’s will can only be done by the strong, and I expect you all to reach your ultimate potential.”

  “Yes Harbinger sir!”

  She rolled her eyes and took a long drink from Childe’s straw. As she did so, the gaze of a recruit lingered on her, though Lumine didn’t notice. She kept her attention entirely on the Harbinger. 

  Childe, on the other hand, noticed immediately. “Recruit.” His sharp tone made him jump, “Your attention needs to be on me, not Miss Ying.”

  Lumine almost felt bad for the poor boy. It was a bit odd for a Harbinger to bring their secretary along with them everywhere, though Lumine wouldn’t complain. She was happy to see the inner workings of the Fatui - even if the ‘welcome’ speeches were a bit boring. 

  What she truly needed was to get into his desk. Childe received letters from the Tsaritsa every week, and she was sure they were important. They were always delivered to him specifically, never her, and never revealed to anyone but the Harbinger. Yet, every drawer in his desk was locked, and she had no idea where he kept the keys. 

  Lumine watched as he summoned two heavy swords and handed them to the recruit. He was made to hold them both up at his sides as punishment for his lack of attention. Lumine had a feeling, though, that the harsh punishment was for more than just not listening. 

  She wasn’t entirely sure what was stuck up Childe’s butt. He was simply an asshole lately, but specifically to other men who spoke to her. Or looked at her. Or dared to be near her. Lumine didn’t notice this epidemic of possession until she caught him glaring daggers at a courier that was flirting with her. 

  She wasn’t sure what that meant. If that was a side effect of seduction, then she was doing something right. 

  Or perhaps he was just a weirdo. She couldn’t quite tell anymore.

  “I’m tired of looking at you all, go run laps around that mountain.” Childe commanded. Instantly, the recruits were in motion, as if he’d flipped a switch with just a few words. 

  Lumine smiled up at him as he approached through the grass and wildflowers. She particularly enjoyed watching his scarf whip in the breeze, it always made her wonder why he wore it so often. It was ripped in several places, though she preferred the assumption that it was well loved. Childe took the spot beside her and laid on the picnic blanket, holding himself up by his elbows. 

   “You must be exhausted, huh?” Sarcasm laced her tone, even as she offered him a condensating glass of lemonade, “Yelling at people is so hard.”

  As he took the drink, he craned his neck to lift his face to the sun. Lumine despised how his eyes nearly matched the color of the sky today. “I think this is one of the hottest days of the year.”

  “...It’s only 82 degrees.”

  “Yeah,” he fanned himself, “sweltering.”

  Not in the least. It felt beautiful, and she finally became comfortable enough to discard her heavy coat. She even went without the fishnet tights, leaving her in a short skirt and her leather boots. Lumine stretched her arms over her head and laid down beside Childe, “Why don’t you go down to the beach today? Yaoguang Shoal is pretty.”

  Childe rolled onto his side and put his cheek in his hand, “Are you asking me on a beach date?”

  She scoffed, “I was making a suggestion, not asking. And I wasn’t planning on accompanying you.”

  “I demand you accompany me.”

   His shit-eating grin, her glare. Childe was kidding, she knew that, but her heart fluttered nevertheless. “You just want me to go because we haven’t fought there yet, and you’re still angry about how I beat you in our last fight.”

  Childe put up a hand and closed his eyes, “A warrior never holds resentment for battles lost, he only works hard to do better in the next one.”

  “So you’re going to battle me on a beach surrounded by water, which will give you a natural elemental boost. I see how you are.”

  “I do what a must,” he then grinned wickedly, “but you know I don’t need to be by the water to beat you.”

  It certainly did help. “Judging by how our last battle went, I’d say you would.”

  Childe ignored her entirely, “And I’ll bring my fishing poles so we can relax afterwards.”

  His words caught her attention, making Lumine send him a sharp glance. He remained unaffected as he watched the jogging, exhausted recruits in the distance. Lumine had never once heard him mention fishing - what an old man hobby. 

  She took a moment to imagine Childe in ugly brown waders and a hat with hooks all over it. The image was oddly picturesque. 

  “You want to go fishing?”

  “I love to fish,” he smiled, looking almost serene, “though there’s not much to catch here in Liyue, not like back home.”

  Lumine had lied to that skirmisher in Dragonspine that Ying was from the coast, and in that moment had learned that Childe was from the Snezhnayan coast as well. As much as she wondered what he meant, she knew that only asking would raise questions. Instead, she only glanced away.

 “I didn’t fish much back home in, uh,” Lumine racked her brain for the village Ying was supposed to be from, “Sortavala.”

  Something like that. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully.

  Childe’s eyes lightened in excitement, “You’re from Sortavala? I’m from Morepesok, who knew our homes were so close to each other?”

   Shit. Dammit. She could’ve just said ‘back home’, she didn’t need to mention a specific village. Lumine forced a smile, “Oh, I never would’ve guessed.”

  What Morepesok or Sortavala were even like, she had no idea. She only knew that they were coastline towns, and Childe had a rare sparkle in his eye when he spoke of his village. 

  His silhouette, especially when he smiled like that, had always encapsulated her. The straight nose, the high cheekbones, the analytical eyes. His adam’s apple bobbed as he craned his neck once again and soaked up the too-hot sun. It was so open to her, now, so easy to 1. Kiss, or 2. Slit. Lumine wasn’t sure which one was more tempting. 

  “When we’re reassigned back to the Motherland, I’ll take you to meet my family.” Childe spoke as he put his hands behind his head and laid back. He closed his eyes to the sky, leaving Lumine to stare at him in uninterrupted peace. 

   I’ll take you to meet my family. 

  Ekaterina’s words rushed back like the waters of a broken dam. Don’t break his heart. 

  “Do you usually invite your subordinates to meet your family, My Lord?” She asked, feeling as if there was a rock in her throat. 

  Childe only opened one eye and grinned, “I don’t, but you’re Ying, so it doesn’t count. Plus, we’re practically neighbors.”

  She was Ying, so no inappropriate actions were taken between boss and subordinate, really. Nearly sleeping with her once didn’t count either. Neither did the times she caught his eyes grazing over her legs. Nor these moments where they sat on a picnic blanket together, the air around them feeling very much like a date. 

   Don’t break his heart. 

  Alternatively, she could break his heart, and take the Fatui apart from the inside. Start with Tartaglia, send him into absolute despair, and pit him against the other Harbingers. The sadism of it all was glorious. 

  Childe opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. He broke out into a calm smile, though his eyes were dim as always. He looked calm, at peace for once in his life. “Ying, have a beach date with me? I promise I won’t push you in the water.”

  Lumine knew how he was, he’d totally push her in the water. 

  And damn it all, she couldn’t possibly be sadistic to that blue gaze.

  “Fine, I’ll go. But don’t blame me if I break your heart.”

  Childe raised a brow, “Break my heart?”

  “Well…” she shrugged, coy, “you may slip into a deep depression if I beat you in another fight. You cannot blame me if that happens.”

  True enough, he could not. But, really, she was a fool for saying so. Every jest reveals the true state of mind.

  Lumine should have known that he’d tackle her into the grass and try to tickle her until she took it back. She should’ve known that the recruits would stop and watch from a distance, whispering about how cute Lord Harbinger and his secretary were. She should’ve known that she’d accidentally punch him in the stomach, and then resist her own laughter as he recovered. 

  And she should know, especially so, that she would break his heart no matter what direction her plans took. 

  But tragedy always had a hindsight of 20/20. 

  It was shortly after the recruits were sent off to train that Childe and Lumine ditched them. The walk to Yaoguang Shoal was not long, and even a bit pleasant. She found herself looking forward to this day at the beach. 

  And, also, dreading it entirely. 

  Lumine planned to take a significant, effective, and terrifying step towards her seduction. She wished to get into his desk at the bank, and he most likely kept the keys on him somewhere. It was a lewd thought, but if she could get his pants off...

  She despised that that was even an option. 

  But it was so wonderfully set up. The beach, the sunset, the two of them soaked and covered in sand. What could be more romantic? This was not mere flirting in his office, this was an actual, solidified move. Lumine was entirely prepared to lock lips with the Harbinger tonight. 

  Until, of course, she heard that voice. 

  “Childe! Hello!”

  The Harbinger stared. He froze in place, boots sinking into the sand, and stared. 

  “Childe. Tartaglia? Tartaglia, hello!”

  He was like a statue on the shoreline. Perhaps if he stayed still for long enough, Zhongli would not see him. 

  “Tartaglia!”

  Lumine resisted the urge to laugh. The very beginning of this hesitant game of mildly seductive chess, and Childe already had his moves blocked by a pawn. Or perhaps the consulent was more of a rook, he was coming straight for him. 

  “My Lord, aren’t you going to acknowledge that very suspicious looking old man over there?” Lumine whispered, glancing up at him. She felt a tingle of pity for the sudden dimming of his eyes. 

  Childe’s gaze narrowed, “Not in the least, let’s go.”

  He put a hand on the small of her back and turned her around. Zhongli’s voice echoed out behind her as Childe led her further and further down the seaside bank, “Tartaglia! Can you not hear me? Do I need to yell louder?”

  He proceeded to yell louder. Childe only cringed. 

  “Sir,” she glanced over her shoulder at the consultant, “he’s really trying to get your attention.”

  “Of all the places for Zhongli to be. Here. Why here? Does the universe despise me? Does it want me to suffer?” 

  “Sir, you’re muttering, I can’t hear you.”

  Lumine truly couldn’t. He was grumbling under his breath, though his shoulders were tensed as if he was about to explode. All the while, Zhongli continued to call for his attention like a lost preschooler. 

  Lumine thought that she should feel the same way as he did about Zhongli’s interruption. She was, after all, planning something incredibly nefarious. And this plan  required for Ying and Childe to be alone. Nevertheless, a sense of relief washed over her the second she noticed Zhongli, who was staring out at the water like a newly divorced man going through a midlife crisis. 

  She chalked this up to the possibility of not having to kiss Childe - the disgust of it was far too great. So great that it gave her a stomach-ache, and possibly some gas. 

  Despite the awkward speed-walking, Zhongli was incredibly determined to get the Harbinger’s attention. 

  “Tartaglia! You must have gone deaf, I can teach you sign language!”

  “What a generous offer,” Lumine gasped dramatically, “why don’t you take him up on it?”

  Childe frowned, “Ignore the old man, we’ll lose him eventually.”

  She stopped in her tracks. He attempted to pull her along, but she dug her feet into the sand and resisted his pulling. “Why don’t you just see what he wants? It may not take that long. And then we can return to…” A pause, a skip of her heart as she raised a hand and placed it on his cheek. Now whispering, she leaned towards him, “Whatever it was you were planning to do to me tonight.”

  The details of her response would not dare to be missed. His eyes widened. His lips parted. She swore he sucked in a tiny breath of air, needing a moment to process her words. It was so utterly smooth that Lisa would be proud. (And Lumine tried to ignore the sharp stab of guilt in her stomach.)

  Finally, Childe melted into the most shit-eating grin she’d ever seen him wear. “Fine, I’ll run the old man off. But I am curious what you have in mind for tonight.”

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” She smiled. As if there was truly anything in particular she had in mind. (She did not.)

  Lumine would be complimenting herself if she thought him excited, though he did look excited. She watched as he turned away to approach Zhongli, meeting him halfway on the sandbank. She could hardly make out what they were saying, except for Zhongli’s partially embarrassed smile. He began to explain something with flips of his hands and raised brows. 

  With Childe’s back turned, and the anxiety of her own words began swirling in her stomach, Lumine had a feeling that she would not have the strength to go through with whatever happened. She was eaten up by guilt just after brushing her hand against his several days ago. And most importantly: What if he refused her advances? 

  What if he knew they were fake? 

  The thought of that humiliation was all-consuming. Before she could stop herself, she was taking the necessary actions to backtrack on her plan entirely. 

  Lumine pushed up the mask over her eyes, and immediately caught Zhongli’s attention. As Childe spoke, she watched the ex-Archon stiffen in surprise, his eyes widening, and his shoulders tensing. Childe had yet to turn around. 

  Lumine tried her best to mouth the words ‘please stay’ and ‘don’t go’. Along with a myriad of frantic head shakes, and big puppy dog eyes. He seemed to understand the message. For once. For once in his life, he seemed to understand the subtext. 

  Childe noticed Zhongli’s odd behavior, but Lumine noticed him noticing before he could turn to see her unmasked. She yanked it back down over her eyes and grinned innocently, right as he twisted around to look at her. Zhongli gave a very dramatic, and very out of character laugh simply to grab Childe’s attention once more, “Oh, Tartaglia, you’re a riot.”

  “I… didn’t say anything funny.”

  How a man who hid his God-hood for so long could be so terrible an actor, she had no clue. Perhaps he felt as under-pressure as she did in that moment. Zhongli was doing his best to keep the distraction with Childe on-going, while Lumine trudged through the sand to join the incredibly awkward conversation.

  “Oh, sir?” She tried her best to sound polite and unfamiliar, “Aren’t you the funeral parlor consultant?”

  Zhongli gave a curt nod and a smile, “I am, and you’re Miss Ying.”

  “I am! It’s nice to meet you.” 

  Lumine knew Zhongli well enough by now to know his fake smiles. During the gnosis incident, he’d flashed the same look at her many times. She’d only recently learned to distinguish his true joy from the masked kind. 

  She extended a hand, and he brought her knuckles up to his lips to deliver an amiable kiss. Lumine pretended to not notice Childe bristling with displeasure from the corner of her eye. 

  “I hate to impose…” he began. 

  Fortunately, Lumine finished, “You must fish with us! I brought enough food for three, spend the evening with us.”

  Childe tensed in shock, “But Ying, I thought, uh…”

  “You thought what?” She tilted her head innocently. He, obviously, thought he was going to do some smooching tonight. Unfortunately for him, Ying was far too nervous. “Do you not like making friends, my Lord? Zhongli seems like a very kind man, I’m glad to finally meet him in person.”

  A pause from the Harbinger, “...In person?”

  “In person!” She clasped her hands together and sighed, “Mister Zhongli is planning my dear father’s funeral!”

  Yet another pause. The waves crashed on the sand relaxingly, birds chirped overhead. And some Hilichurls did a lovely dance in the distance. 

  Until, finally, Zhongli connected the dots. He lit up into a much needed demure smile, “Yes. Yes, I am. We’ve been passing letters since the poor gentleman died of, uh…”

  “He choked on the pit of a sunsettia, you know it is.” She finished. 

  “Yes,” Zhongli nodded along, “dangerous things, those sunsettias.”

  Childe only crossed his arms and glared, “I admit, I’m having trouble believing this.”

  Another strike of fear. It hit her like a bolt of lightning. She gasped, her tongue and mind sprinting at top speed in an attempt to cover the damage. “Are you questioning my father’s death, my Lord? I-I cannot believe-”

  He interrupted with wide eyes, “Wait, I didn’t really mean to question i-”

  “My poor father, who died so suddenly?” She was yelling now, while Zhongli shook his head and tsked his tongue, “I-I cannot believe I was planning on… o-on…” 

  She had no idea what she was planning on. Simply for effect, Lumine clasped a hand over her mouth as if she was about to cry, whirled around, and ran into the line of trees and thick greenery nearby. Childe stood where he was as he watched her go with furrowed brows. 

  “...Wait,” he called out weakly, “at least tell me what were you planning on?”

  Lumine would not answer him. Zhongli, fortunately, took this as his cue to leave as well. He only cleared his throat in the most awkward way possible, and patted Childe’s shoulder like a father consoling his son, “Give her time. I’ll go speak to her, and inform her that you meant well.”

  “I don’t need your help.” Childe shot him a look that the ex-Archon ignored. 

  “Her father died so suddenly…” he cleared his throat and turned away, “it would be best to just have sympathy for the poor girl.”

  And for her dear father, who choked on the pit of sunsettia. A tragedy. With that, he followed Ying into the greenery ahead. Childe was left standing in the sand, fishing poles swung over his shoulders, and mind racing with the possibilities of her words. 

 Lumine was entirely aware of how suspicious hiding in the bushes was, especially when Zhongli joined her. She only made sure that Childe was out of ear and eyeshot before beginning the owed explanation. Zhongli had to be reeling - very politely, as he usually did - at the revelation. 

   She started with pushing up her mask over her hair, and letting Zhongli take in the sight. 

  “You’re… not Ying.”

  He truly seemed surprised. “Did you just figure that out a moment ago?”

  “Yes, actually.”

  Lumine buried her face into her palm, “Okay, listen, Childe doesn’t know that-”

  “I know,” he interrupted, “he asked me if I thought you were anything like Lumine, or yourself, really, and I couldn’t tell the difference at all.”

  Zhongli sounded so utterly amazed. But then again, this was the man who told her the entire history of Liyue and then acted as if he was not an immortal dragon who had seen it happen before his eyes. He’d even fixed the ballista, and expected Lumine to think that he just simply knew how to do such a thing by coincidence. 

  So of course he’d think the blonde, tiny, angry secretary was nothing like the blonde, tiny, angry traveler. 

  “You cannot tell him anything,” she hissed, gripping his coat and pulling him closer, “do you hear me? Childe cannot know my true identity.”

  Both Zhongli and Lumine glanced at Childe to make sure he was not listening. Sure enough, he had his back to them, and was standing at the edge of the water, tying a worm to a fishing line. 

  They were supposed to fight, but he was obviously sulking. Lumine felt yet another tinge of guilt at the sight. Zhongli caught the look on her face, “Why are you doing this?”

  “It’s…” how to describe such a thing that seemed so terrible in retrospect? “It’s for the Qixing, and Mondstadt too. But I’m also looking for information on my brother, and I think the Fatui might have the best resources to find him.”

  “So you’re seducing Tartaglia?”

  Yes. Nevertheless, she shot him a glare, “Who said I was seducing him?”

  “The boy is obviously smitten with you.” He raised his brows as if this was completely obvious, “he looks at you like a glaze lily looks at the moon. I would be shocked if that was not your intent.”

  It was her intent. Sort of. It also was not, as she looked for any excuse to not take it past light flirting. Each time she thought of it, something struck her insides like a jolt of electro. 

  It was terrifying. 

   Don’t break his heart. 

  Zhongli caught her attention with a serious, utterly capturing look, “Traveler, if you stop now, he will not suffer forever.”

  “I…” Lumine could not find her words. She could not find her breath, or her mind itself. She could not see anything in the darkness of her own scrambled brain, “I need to find my brother.”

  “At the risk of destroying him?”

  Everything became clear, like the snap of a finger. She wasn’t sure whether it was spite, or realization, or some sort of mind-boggling revelation. But it was clear, and her decision flipped like a switch. 

  Lumine glared, “I cannot get to any other Harbinger right now, he is the easiest and clearest route. Besides, he nearly killed your people, aren’t you happy I’m doing this?”

  “He didn’t want to,” Zhongli’s eyes softened, his whispers growing lighter, “It pained him greatly, anyone with eyes could see that. He is one of the only Snezhnayan warriors left to have anything resembling a heart, and it would be a shame to blacken it further.”

  As if it was not already half blackened as it was. What more damage could a one night fling with a secretary be?

  Lumine stood to take her leave. She pushed her mask back down in silence, before Zhongli gripped her wrist. “Traveler, you’re going to create something you cannot handle. Please trust me, I know of these things well.”

  This man, this adepti of rock and contracts, who knew the ending of this story like the back of his hand. Black dust and the empty eyes of a goddess. Lumine knew that he never meant it, she’d heard it straight from Zhongli himself that nobody ever meant the ending they received. To have an ending in the first place was a travesty, but a necessary one. 

  Lumine saw this as a necessity. “Aether needs me.”

  “I…” Zhongli opened his mouth, then closed it. He backed off from the subject like a someone backs away from a gruesome murder, knowing that it was not his responsibility to investigate, “I understand. Family comes first. All I ask is that you think of his family as well.”

  His family. Childe’s family, his millions of brothers and sisters. His parents. Morepesok. The fishing in Snezhnaya and the snow and the ice. In the distance, he stood in the sand with his boots off and his pant legs rolled up. The water lapped around his legs almost affectionately. 

  Damn her sudden heart tremors. Damn her weakness. And damn Zhongli’s words. 

  “He’ll be fine,” she forced a smile, “he’ll bounce back.”

  With that, Lumine left. She rustled around in the bushes for a moment, then stepped back into the sand. Behind her, Zhongli stayed quiet as a mouse. 

  The sound of her feet against the sand was barely audible, but Childe turned as she approached. With a smile, she pulled off her boots and took the spot beside him. 

  “Where’s Zhongli?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder. The consultant was gone. 

  “I convinced him to go elsewhere,” she offered a smile, “so we can fight and fish by ourselves.”

  He let out a breath of relief, “That’s why you’re Ying, you’re good at stuff like that.”

  “I wasn’t aware that my name was a descriptor. Care to explain?” 

  “Well...” Childe raised his face to the sun above, just as it was beginning to lower behind the water-line in the distance. He closed his eyes as if he could soak in the sun and the water and the sand, all at once. “A Ying, that type of person, you know. She’s good at reading my mind, messing with me like a puppet on a string, she has mood swings like the ocean itself.”

  Lumine snorted, “I don’t think being a secretary involves any resemblance to the ocean.”

  “But you’re more than a secretary.”

  “Oh, am I?’

  “You’re…” he gasped dramatically, “an annoyance!”

  Of course. She only rolled her eyes, “Just shut up and teach me how to fish like they do in Morepesok, okay?”

  Nobody could miss Childe’s smile. It could be seen a mile away. Wherever Zhongli was, Lumine only hoped that he didn’t see it. 

  “Whatever my dear printsessa wants.”

  Lumine had a feeling that her sanity was more in danger than she originally thought. 

Chapter Text

“Traveler, you’re going to create something you cannot handle.”

   Zhongli’s words now joined Ekaterina’s in the chorus of her mind. If one more person were to warn her, she might just have a full blown choir. Yet, as it was, Lumine could hardly take it. 

  “My Lord?”

  “Hm?”

  He glanced up from the firepit. Lumine had never noticed before how ethereal he looked at night, with the flames casting shadows across his face. His eyes were not exactly ocean blue, as she once thought, but more like the sea before a storm. Dark and dim and a bit dangerous. 

  He sat cross legged in front of a small campfire. The waves were gentle tonight, and the shoals empty. Lumine was covered in sand, and exhausted after a day of fighting and fishing. It was refreshing. And terrifying. And Lumine couldn’t get Zhongli’s warning off her mind. It was this constant push and pull of what she should or should not do. 

  Tired of it all, she decided, then, to take the first step towards the finish line.

  “Do you know what the traveler’s true motives might be?”

  Absently, Childe poked at a log and hummed to himself. The sunset was quickly disappearing, blanketing the shoal in darkness as he spoke, “True motives towards what?”

  “I mean, why did she get involved in the gnosis incident in the first place?”

  He thought for a moment, “I’ve always assumed that she was just a busy body with nothing better to do.”

  Of course he did. She couldn’t quite tell if he was joking or not, but it was actually a very intuitive answer. And half true, as well. She was totally a busy body. 

  Yet, his assumption would not help her at all. Lumine decided to push a bit further, “I’ve heard rumor that she’s trying to find someone.”

  “So have I,” surprisingly, his expression darkened, “she’s put up missing person posters, but nobody has any idea who that man is.”

  Of course the Fatui would take note of her posters, she never made her search much of a secret. By this point, she would accept even a Fatui informant’s help. “So the Harbingers know nothing about this missing person?”

  Childe shrugged, “I don’t, but I’m not sure about the others. We’re not exactly on secret sharing terms.”

  She just had to get stuck with the most out of touch Harbinger, didn’t she?

  So, Childe claimed that he knew nothing about Aether. That route was closed, taking her one step closer to finally ending this tiring charade. The next order of business would be to find something big enough to give the Qixing and Knights of Favonius an upper hand over the Fatui.

  She could get in his pants and steal his keys. That was always an option. Unfortunately, Zhongli and Ekaterina’s words still lingered in her mind like a bad smell. Don’t break his heart, ect. It was really rather annoying.

  Yet, why shouldn’t she use him and toss him aside? It was not as if he was a saint who had done no wrong. This was Tartaglia, a feared name on the battlefield, and the man who summoned Osial. There had to be a million terrible crimes he’d committed.

  Lumine laid back in the sand and frowned up at him. He returned her look with an innocent smile, still tending to the low flames. She watched him for a moment as she attempted to find some hint of evil in his face. 

  Childe just looked like a normal 20-something year old. He had brothers and sisters. He had hobbies, as old man-esque as they were. Despite the lack of light in his eyes, he was still a human. 

  Lumine felt the first twinge of anxiety in her chest. It took her breath away. A crack in the dam, a fissure in her wall. 

 “My Lord, do you think you’re a good person?”

  He pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. There was a beat of silence, followed by a thoughtful hum. The crackle of the fire was a nice filler to the quiet, though it was barely heard over the crash of waves on the sand. Despite the wave of sickening anxiety, Lumine made a mental note to spend more nights on the beach after this. Perhaps not this particular beach, though, not this spot. 

  Finally, Childe answered with a shrug, “I don’t think about that stuff. I just do what I have to do for the Tsaritsa.”

  “What about when you’re not working?” She asked, hoping to soothe her own conscience. 

  “What do you mean?” He cast her a glance, “I’m always working.”

  That much was true. But he had to have some downtime, she recalled him speaking of his last visit to Morepesok and his family. What kind of person was he when he was not a Fatui Harbinger? Surely, he could not be a saint. Nobody in this line of work could live two lives like that. 

  “Do you ever do anything for yourself?” Lumine asked, “Something that’s not for the Tsaritsa?”

  Childe grinned wickedly, “Of course, I’m doing that right now.”

  “Stoking a campfire?”

  “Spending the night here,” he corrected, “with you. Or when I’m battling with you, or when I’m fighting in general. Usually it’s just for my personal training.”

  She would ignore the ‘spending the night with you’ part, as true as it was. Lumine sat up and shook the sand from her hair, “Okay, so, do you think you’re a good person when you’re doing this kind of stuff?”

  Childe only shrugged, “I don’t know, I don’t think in terms of good or bad like that.”

  He really was not helping. Lumine’s conscience was only tangling in confusion further. This man was a Fatui Harbinger, he was a bad person, obviously. He worked for a bad organization. Thus, Childe was bad. Evil. He deserved this betrayal.

  Yet, Lumine still found herself wondering, “Do you think about the people you’ve killed?”

  “Nope.” He popped the P sound at the end. 

  That answered that. 

  “But,” Childe went on, interrupting her judgement, “I don’t hurt innocent people. It’s not like I jump every person I see on the road. Besides, I really prefer monsters, they’re a lot more fun.”

  The second she begins to have a clear picture, he muddles it up again. Lumine could have kicked him. “But do you consider yourself a bad person?”

  He cast her a look. His brows were furrowed, his nose scrunched up in confusion. There was a beat of silence as he seemed to gather his thoughts, “We’re in the Fatui, Ying. No matter what our personal intentions are, we’re villains to the rest of the world because they don’t understand that it’s all a means to an end. You can’t think too hard about it, just trust the process.”

  Trust the process. A means to an end. 

  What did that even mean? 

  A shiver ran up her spine. Another beat of anxiety, another stifling of the air in her lungs. This might be something she could actually use. 

  Lumine whispered, “What end?”

  He was implying that there was a reason the Fatui were international bullies. If there was an explanation for why they were targeting the Archons, she wanted to know. It would be the perfect piece of intelligence to give to Ningguang and Jean, and she could finally be free from this hell-hole called ‘work’ and ‘emotions’. Disgusting things. 

  Yet, Childe closed his eyes and turned away, “Classified.”

  Of course it was, what else did she expect? Lumine glared, “Excuse you! You can’t just tease me with something huge like that and then refuse to tell me!”

  “I can’t?”

  “No!” She moved closer, half tempted to punch him in the arm for being an ass, “I demand you tell me!”

  Childe kept his wicked grin and fakely coy demeanor. He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger. The leather was cool on her skin, making her gasp and tense as he lifted her face to meet his gaze, “I’m the one that makes the demands here.”

  But Lumine needed to know. This may be her ticket, the information that the Qixing and the Knights would use against the Fatui. If she could not find her brother through Childe, she could at least assist in the Fatui’s downfall. 

  A means to an end. A process. 

  That’s all this was. If he could be so cavalier about being in the Fatui, she could do the same with her information seeking. 

  “Please tell me?” Lumine whispered, inching closer until she could smell the saltwater on his skin, “I really want to know, Master.”

  Annoyed, Childe rolled his eyes and released her chin, “You always flirt with me when you want something.”

  Very true. But if he was going to be difficult, then she’d have to up the ante. 

  No matter what Zhongli had warned her of, Lumine knew this route would take her to the finish line. If she could somehow get the keys to his desk, she could steal all of his letters and learn the secrets of the Fatui. This was a necessity. 

  She shifted closer, now picking up his arm and wrapping it around her waist, then slinging a leg over his thighs. Now straddling him, with her knees buried in the sand, Lumine pressed a soft kiss against his exposed collarbone, “Yes, but does my flirting ever work?”

  She felt him shrug carelessly, “Sometimes, yes. It really depends on my mood.”

  If that was the case, then it seemed to be working right now. He abandoned the campfire and placed both hands on her hips, pressing her down into his lap. She ran her lips up his neck and to his jawline, “Well, stop me anytime, or I’ll just keep going. I’m all yours tonight anyway.”

  His fingers tightened. It was most definitely working. He craned his neck to give her more access, “I’m still not going to tell you anything, Ying. It really is classified.”

  Lumine knew that if she pushed any further, it would look suspicious. Light nosiness was normal, but literally making her plans to seduce him for information openly known was far too dangerous. She had to act playful, as if she was kissing his neck because she wanted to, not just for personal gain. 

  Besides, she kind of did want to. The hitches in his breath and the feeling of his hands on her hips was far too tantalizing to stop now. 

  “Maybe I just like teasing you.” She murmured, pressing a kiss beneath his ear. 

  Childe, in response, ran two fingers up her spine, and to the zipper at the top of her dress. He played with it absently, only making the anticipation boiling in her stomach grow as he spoke, “You’re just a sadist. It’s not very nice to play with someone’s feelings like this, you know.”

  “Who said I was playing with you?”

  “I know how you are, Ying.”

  Once again, very true. He pulled the zipper down an inch. She felt a shimmer of heat in her stomach, making her jump and dig her teeth into his skin. He only seemed to like that more. 

  Doing adult things on the beach would be nice, yes, and goodness knows every inch of her was screaming to let him have her. But it wouldn’t bring her any closer to figuring out the meaning of his words. The process, the ultimate goal of the Fatui. 

  Besides, it was just hormones. Dangerous hormones, the kind that made her want to throw aside everything and just lose herself for a night. Self control was a virtue she desperately needed. 

  She also needed to get the keys to his desk.

  “Childe,” Lumine pulled away to look at him, “I don’t want to stay here. Can we go back to your room?”

  Surprisingly, a serious expression took over his face. He brushed a gloved hand across her cheek, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

 Yes. And no. She wasn’t truly sure of anything anymore. “I am, if we keep it a secret then nobody gets hurt, right?”

  “You might get fired.”

  Lumine grinned wickedly, “Worth it.”

  “You flatter me,” Childe laughed, the sound made her stomach twinge with guilt. She’d always loved his laugh, “But have you thought about what we might be afterwards?”

  Enemies, definitely. He’d still make her do stupid stuff around his office, he’d still complain about her having to babysit him. She’d still nag him and begrudgingly bow to his every whim. That was if she even stuck around after this, it would be the smartest course of action to just disappear. 

  Lumine rolled her eyes and groaned, “You’re such a girl, we can talk about it in the morning.”

  “Listen,” he caught her chin once again, leveling her with a serious look, “if we do this, you’re mine. Nobody else can ever touch you, do you understand?”

  He knew how to unravel her. He knew exactly what to say to pull at the strings on her heart like an old sweater. She’d be a clump of useless yarn on the floor if he kept this up. 

  Lumine ignored the heat in her stomach and ran her fingers through his hair. Her nose brushed against his as she spoke, “I don’t want anyone else, I just want you.”

  She wasn’t sure why the possessiveness did it for her. She wasn’t sure why being gripped in a way that was almost painful sent a shiver down her spine. And she especially wasn’t sure why she genuinely wanted to push him into the sand and kiss him, then. Lumine was learning a lot about herself with this little charade. 

  “Good,” he nearly purred. Suddenly, the world moved around her, and his hands were keeping her pushed against him as he sat up, her legs still wrapped around his waist. One arm snaked beneath her thighs, “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

   Lumine could only wonder if this made her a bad person. She was basically leading him on, and that was generally a very bad thing to do to someone. But was it truly leading him on when she wanted this just as much as he did? 

  Together, hand in hand, the Harbinger and the secretary stumbled back to Liyue Harbor. There was quite a lot of rough kissing and laughter in the alleyways, but Childe was careful to not be seen. He led her to his hotel, a beautiful building near Yuehai Pavilion.

  He kicked the front doors open. Without another thought, Childe leaned down to pick Ying up, carrying her bridal style through the entrance. The front desk receptionist and several Fatui gawked in shock and mild horror at the intrusion.

  “She hurt her ankle,” Childe explained flatly, “I’m just making sure Miss Ying doesn’t have to walk on it.”

  Would that also explain why her cheeks were flushed, why his hair was sticking up several different places, and why he was speed walking towards the elevator? It would not. Lumine just nodded along and waved at the recruits, “Isn’t he sweet? I’m in so much pain, you know.”

  “Yep, so…” he turned around to face the front desk manager, “bring us up some wine. For the pain. It’ll help her feel better.”

  It most definitely would. Into the elevator he went, placing Lumine down just as the doors closed and it lifted them up. It was reminiscent of the elevator at Wangshu inn, though far more fancy and golden. This entire hotel was fancier than what she was used to. 

  Childe pressed her back against the wall. She could feel the world moving outside of the lift, the crank of the pulleys and moaning of gears. “You should take off your mask tonight.” He murmured beneath the noises. 

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She lifted her chin, challenging him, “But you’d find me terribly ugly, so I’m afraid I cannot.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  Lumine revelled in how his finger trailed down her jawline. He could be so rough - just earlier he’d pinned her to a brick wall right outside of the hotel - but he could also be soft, affectionate. Those hands that have killed so many, now cradling her face as if she was precious. 

  She did wish she could take her mask off. But once again, that was a dangerous thought. A plan-threatening thought. Lumine reminded herself to have self control, “It’s very possible, trust me. You don’t want to see me with it off.”

  “You’re just building up my anticipation,” he sighed, “and you’ll have to take it off sometime. You can’t meet my parents with that mask on.”

  Meet his parents. She needed a moment to process that. Meet his parents? 

  The elevator doors opened. The hallway was empty, allowing Childe to lean down and scoop her up into his arms once again. Lumine wrapped an arm over his shoulders as he carried her to his room. She couldn’t focus on anything else besides her utter confusion. 

  “You’re joking, right?”

  Innocently, Childe glanced down at her, “About what? Meeting my parents?”

  “Yeah,” she grimaced, “you’re… not really serious, are you?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  A shock of anxiety. She’d been feeling these twinges all night, this lack of air and this nervous feeling in her chest. 

  Her emotional wall cracked again. The dam felt like it was about to break. 

  As always, Childe was so cavalier, so casual. He acted as if he was not the most romantic villain in the entire world, as if his words did not burrow their way into her chest and take up space in her mind.

   “Why would you want me to meet your parents?”

  He shrugged as if the answer was obvious, “If I like someone, I like them a lot. I don’t sleep around for fun, and I don’t let anything distract me from working or growing stronger unless it’s important. And you,” he unlocked his door and pushed it open with his foot, “are a major distraction.”

  Damn it all.

  “You don’t even really know me.”

  “Sure I do,” he answered, casual as could be, “you’re Ying. You’re stubborn and petty, your favorite color is yellow, your favorite flowers are wind wheel asters, you love fried food, especially meat. You take your coffee half milk with three spoonfuls of sugar.”

  All true. The next crack in the wall had begun to form.

  “That still doesn’t mean you know me.” She huffed.

  “You’re too empathetic for your own good. You stare out the window and make this cute face when you think nobody’s looking,” he scrunched up his nose as an example, making her laugh and hit his shoulder, “you get cold easily, you always fall asleep around three p.m. and you know how beautiful you are. In fact, you try to use that to get what you want all the time.”

  A skip of her heart. Lumine wrapped her arms around his neck, “And is it effective?”

  “Like I said earlier, it depends on my mood. But most of the time, yes.” 

  A million things raced through her mind. He carried her through the doorway and shut the door with his foot. She was his. He made that very clear. 

  “Are you sure you want me to meet your parents?” She whispered.

  He nodded and hummed, setting her down on the bed. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted in this way.”

  Shit. 

  He was the only man she’d ever felt this way around. This rush, this electricity and excitement. He kissed her jaw and ran his lips down her neck, making her feel very much like a melted popsicle on the sidewalk. 

  Out of all the millions of things rushing across the path of her mind, she could only focus on the most disgusting, most devastating, most world-destruction-bringing fact. 

  “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  Lumine hadn’t even realized that she’d said it outloud. 

  The world stopped. The air grew stiff. Slowly, as if handling glass, Childe’s hands wiped at her cheeks, “Ying, are you okay?”

  It was the last blow, the last twinge of anxiety that she could handle. The entire night had been leading up to this moment. 

  ‘Don’t break his heart.’

  ‘You’re going to create something you cannot handle.’

   The dam broke. 

  She was crying, and she didn’t even notice. Her cheeks were wet with hot tears, and her eyes stung beneath her mask. Childe began to push the disguise up over her eyes, but was stopped her hand on his, “No, no. I mean, yes,” she forced the words out through a choked throat, “I’m okay. I just remembered something.”

  Way to ruin a fun night. He gets just a little sweet and she starts sobbing for no reason. Her mind was far too addled to figure out why, but she knew it was his fault. It was all his fault, every bit of it. Her heart clenched and her stomach ached and the world was pressing in on her with the threat of a panic attack. 

  She nudged his hand away from her mask and stood up, “I need a minute, just a minute. I-I’ll be right back.”

  Childe grabbed her arm before she could leave, “Is it something I said? I understand if we’re moving too fast, I’m not used to this kind of stuff so I don’t-”

  “No, you’re fine,” she interrupted, wiping frantically at her cheeks, “I just need a minute.”

  He released her arm. She hardly registered the look on his face, but she knew it was beautiful. He was always beautiful, even when doing something terrible. “Ying, if it helps, I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

  It did not help. 

  She was out of the room, slamming the door behind her in a matter of seconds. 

  Once, months ago, Childe had told his secretary about the Tsaritsa. It was on a lazy afternoon, one of many that they shared, when she lounged around his office and did paperwork as slowly as possible. 

   ‘She had to harden her heart, you see,’ he had explained, ‘to be able to do what she needed, it required for her to become cold, like ice.’

  Lumine despised that she and Tsaritsa had something in common, now. 

  Childe had been left behind in his room. She didn’t see his face before she left, she hoped it wasn’t broken hearted. She was not lying when she said she’d be right back. 

  She stomped down the stairs. Her cheeks were still wet and red, cool against the air of the fancy hotel. Fortunately, she didn’t see any other Fatui recruits on her way to the kitchen area. The hotel staff glanced up in surprise as the kitchen doors swung open. Lumine entered the area as if looking for a fight, determined and angry - though it was only at herself. Ever since this hotel had been rented out solely for Fatui, they’d probably gotten much worse treatment than what she was about to do. 

  Fortunately for her, she knew a Qixing spy when she saw one. 

  “You,” she pointed at a server, who jumped beneath her attention, “the moon is only sold among stars, do you not agree?”

  His face contorted in sudden realization, “Y-Yes ma’am, I’ve seen it for myself.”

  “Good.” She approached him, grabbing his arm and yanking him into a corner. She began to whisper so the curious onlookers could not hear. Once they realized that they would not be hearing juicy Fatui gossip, the cooks and the room service workers returned to their respective jobs. 

  “Ma’am,” he whispered, “how do you know our code?”

  “How do you think?” She hissed, “I need you to do something for me. Go to BuBu pharmacy, buy a heavy sedative, the Qixing will pay for it. Once you get back, put it in your strongest bottle of dandelion wine, and bring it to room 305.”

  “Uh, wh-”

  “No questions,” she snapped, “just go. And hurry it up, you shouldn’t be gone for more than 10 minutes.”

  “Y-Yes ma’am!”

  He bowed, and brushed past her. The other staff watched her with suspicious, curious eyes, but Lumine ignored their stares as she headed to the exit. Step one was done, and now all that’s left was to watch it all crumble. 

  Lumine was falling in love. Lumine was falling in love with one of the most dangerous persons in Teyvat. Lumine was falling in love with the one person she would have to betray in the end. 

  And he, too, was falling in love. He didn’t even know her. 

  Once away from the kitchen and alone in the stairwell, she took a moment to press her back against a wall and squat down. She pulled at her hair and gasped for any air she could find, “Shit, shit, shit. What am I going to do?”

  She had no choice but to harden her heart. She had to become cold as ice. Time would heal every wound, she just had to trust the process. 

  If only her mind did not want to suffer an existential crisis all the while. 

  “He’s a Harbinger,” she whispered to herself, “he’s not a good person. If the adepti hadn’t stepped in, he would have killed thousands. He nearly killed me. He deserves as much pain as I can possibly bring him.”

  She repeated this over and over. She repeated it until her brain spoke it back to her like a catchy song. He deserves this. He’s a bad person. She was a good person for what she was about to do. 

  Lumine was good. He was bad. Lumine was taking down the Fatui. Childe was getting what he deserved. 

  With that, she stood. Her cheeks were dry, and her heart had calmed. Several minutes had passed since she commanded the server to go to BuBu pharmacy, he was probably already there. And Baizhu wouldn’t ask questions, he never did. 

  Slowly, holding herself together by a single string, she walked back to Childe’s room. 

   I think I’m falling in love with you. 

  She scowled to herself. Hormones do not equal love, Lumine. 

  Besides, she’d get over it. This was for Aether, this was all for her brother. Once she found him, all would be well, and she could leave Childe behind as a gross, half-second memory. 

  It was time to begin her constant charade of lies once again. She was a better actress than she thought.

  “My Lord,” Lumine leaned into the door and turned the handle, stepping inside as she spoke, “I’m sorry to have run away like that.”

  He sat on the end of his bed, legs folded over each other and a sword laying across his lap. He continued to sharpen his weapon as he answered, “It’s okay, you just confused me for a minute.”

  “Yeah, I just, uh, I really needed to think.” Lumine shut the door behind her and clasped her hands behind her back. She wasn’t sure what to do next - it would be easiest if she had the strength to just start kissing him until the wine came. 

  Yet, Childe continued to sharpen his sword. The sound of the whetstone against steel was calming, repetitive. Lumine watched him across the room. 

  Finally, he broke the silence, “We don’t have to do anything if you’re feeling pressured.”

  Internally, she groaned. “You need to stop being so good to me all the time. Be mean, be rude, do something terrible.”

  “I mean, I can tie you up if you wan-”

  “Not like that!” She snapped, “Do something really terrible, like uh. Kill someone, or torture someone, or whatever.”

  Childe cast her a flat glance, “The opportunity to do so is not quite presenting itself to me right now.”

  Very true. She frowned heavily and darted across the room towards him, taking a seat on the bed at his side, “But what if I ask you to do something for me?”

  Childe tilted his head in thought, as if truly considering it. “I’d do whatever you want, if you need someone knocked off their perch then I wouldn’t hesitate to do it for you.”

  “So... you’d kill for me?”

  He shrugged, “If you needed me to, yes.”

  Lumine felt as if she’d cursed her existence a million times tonight already. Yet, here she was again, feeling that flutter in her stomach and that lurching of her heart. She covered her face and groaned into her palms, “I shouldn’t find that attractive, that’s terrible.”

  “Oh come on,” she felt Childe wrap an arm around her waist and pull her closer, “You know I’m a bad guy, why are you getting all worked up over it now?”

  At least he admitted it. Her conscience felt at least two percent better. 

  She glanced up at him, he smiled down at her. There was that spark of tension, of electricity. All she wanted to do was be held by him - even if she knew it was wrong. Even if she knew she would be hurting herself by giving into the feelings she wished she never had. 

  But the wine wasn’t here yet. Lumine needed to stall for just a bit longer. 

  “Tell me something absolutely terrible about yourself, and I’ll tell you the same about me.”

  Childe grinned widely. He pushed the sword off his lap and turned to face her, yanking her by the waist into his arms. Her heart skipped as she moved closer and adjusted into a more comfortable position, her head now resting on his chest. 

  She’d never felt so at home. 

  “Alright, but you have to promise not to lie,” Childe murmured into her hair - he just had to do the most affectionate, sweetest thing possible, didn’t he?

  “I won’t lie.” She lied. 

  “Fine,” a murmur, a pause and a sigh, “when I was 14 I ran away from home, I was looking for an adventure. And in the woods around my house, I fell into the abyss.”

  The abyss. The Abyss Prince, the very word cleared her mind of every lingering doubt. She perked up, “You fell into the abyss?”

  “Yep, apparently that just happens sometimes. I haven’t figured out if it was an accident, or if it was looking for me specifically.” He grimaced at the thought, then buried his face into her hair and closed his eyes, “I don’t regret it, though, the experience helped shape me into who I am today.”

  “...Did you meet anyone there?”

  “My master, Skirk, she taught me as much as she could in the three months I spent down there.”

  A 14 year old, bright eyed and bushy tailed, trapezing off into the woods for adventure. She imagined a freckled little kid falling into what she could only assume was infinite darkness. And to spend three whole months down there. 

  Lumine hated that she was pitying him. Compassion and empathy were the enemy at the moment. “How is that something terrible about yourself? I mean, it is terrible, but it doesn’t make you terrible.”

  He laughed and ran an affectionate hand up and down her back, “That’s not the bad part.”

  “It’s not?”

  “Nope,” another laugh, “Skirk granted me some weird abyssal power called the Foul Legacy, I hear it every night in my dreams, or when I’m alone, like something buzzing in the background. As happy as I am to have this power, sometimes I believe it should have stayed down there.”

  She knew of the Foul Legacy. But he didn’t know that she knew. Lumine glanced up at him, “Why so?”

  Childe paused. He looked mischievous, wearing a boyish and crooked smile. Lumine’s heart skipped another beat when he began his explanation, “Well… When the abyss opens up, you shouldn’t be afraid of what goes in, you should be more afraid of what comes out.”

  Such a damn drama queen. 

  “Can you change into the Foul Legacy right now?”

  He squinted in confusion, “No, I’d probably break all your bones.”

  “That’s actually kind of hot.”

  “Ying, no.”

  “Ying, yes.”

  His grip tightened around her waist. Before she could think, her back was pushed down against the bed, with Childe hovering over her, “Stop stalling. It’s your turn to tell me something terrible about you.”

  She blinked. He stared. Silence filled the space between them. 

  Until, of course, it was interrupted by a knock at the door. They both turned their heads to the source of the noise. A wave of relief washed over Lumine as she realized she had several more seconds to figure out her lie. 

  “Come in,” Childe called as he pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed. The door opened to reveal the nervous looking Qixing agent pushing a cart of food and wine through the entrance. He mumbled something about room service, avoiding Lumine’s gaze all the while. 

  “Took them long enough,” she huffed and stood up from the bed, “you can just leave the cart, we’ll serve ourselves. Thank you.”

  Another mumble, a shaken and polite bow. Lumine and Childe both stood by the cart as the server stumbled out of the room and closed the door behind him. While Lumine poured the spiked wine, Childe locked the door. 

  He turned towards her. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation. 

  “Here,” she handed him the glass, then poured her own, “to us.”

  Lumine waited for him to drink. Instead, he first leaned down, and lifted her chin. Slowly, with a smile on his lips, he pressed a kiss against her mouth. 

  She leaned up on her tiptoes to deepen it, and ignored the flutter in her chest. 

  “I like you,” he murmured against her lips. Leaning back, he pulled Lumine closer and wrapped an arm around her. She took the opportunity to snake her arms around his chest and bury her face into his scarf, earning a laugh from him. 

  With Ying in one arm, and his wine glass in the other, he pressed a kiss atop her head. He had no idea what he did to her. 

  “To us,” a murmur, and a smile. With that, he tipped back the wine, and drank. 

Chapter Text

  Step one: wait for the sedatives to kick in. 

  Childe blinked once, then twice. A third time, but it was far slower than usual. He sat on the edge of the bed with the stem of the wine glass between his fingers. Apparently, there was something incredibly interesting on the wall. 

  Lumine, on the other hand, had been pouring her wine out into the sink when he was not looking. 

  “Ying?”

  She was playing with the fingers on his left hand, having pulled his glove off once the delayed blinking began. Slowly entangling her hand with his, Lumine hummed in response, “Yes, my dear?”

  “Ying…” he murmured, “I’ve… I’ve been poisoned. I know it. Harbingers are all trained in poisons. I-I’ve…”

  Yes, he had most definitely been poisoned. She pressed a soft kiss against the inside of his wrist, right on top of his pulse, “Do you want me to get you some water?”

  “Yes, that would be good.”

  It wouldn’t help. Lumine wasn’t sure what sedative Baizhu had given the Qixing agent, but it was obviously heavy. Childe would be a groggy mess in the morning. 

  The second Lumine sat up from the bed and approached the bathroom faucet, she heard a soft plop behind her. Childe had fallen backwards, into the pillows and blankets, and was fast asleep beneath the electro-powered lights above. 

  Perfect. 

  Step two: give it a few minutes, and make sure he’s asleep. 

  Lumine poked his cheek. 

  Nothing. 

  She jostled his shoulder. 

  Nothing. 

  She checked his pulse. 

  Something, but it was very slow. A twinge of worry ate away at her chest, reminding her of the danger of this particular method. She had to make sure nothing woke Childe up too quickly, or he might possibly go into shock. 

  If he just slept this through naturally, he should be fine. 

  Step three: rifle through his pockets. 

  This was one of the more unpleasant parts, though every part was rather unpleasant. Lumine found his keys in his front left pocket. 

  Step four: leave out the window, shimmy down the fire escape, and run to Yuehai Pavilion. 

  She handed the keys to the doorguard, “Give these to Keqing, tell her to get a man into the Harbinger’s office at Northland bank now, and take every single piece of paper he can find.”

  The guard nodded and handed off the keys to a servant, who raced down the hallway. As Lumine watched the door slide shut, the visage of the frantic servant disappeared. This was really happening, relief was finally in view. 

  Step five: climb back up the fire escape, through the open window - then live with the consequences of her lies. 

  This was, by far, the worst step. It was more unpleasant than having to dig through his pockets or poison him. Quietly, Lumine shut the window behind her and pulled the curtains. She’d left the light on dim so it would not wake Childe up, but she could see enough to not step on the discarded leather boots and scarf strewn across the floor. 

  With a heavy sigh, she collapsed into the bed. Childe shifted only an inch, sighed, and continued to lightly snore. 

  “I’m sorry,” Lumine whispered as she turned towards him, “I’m so sorry. But this is what happens to bad people, you should know that.”

  She repeated those words to herself, imagining him nodding in agreement. This is what happens to bad people.

  Her chest hurt. Everything hurt, actually. Lumine closed her eyes, readjusted her mask so it was secure, and rested her forehead against his arm. 

  In the morning, she would begin her last day of work. 

  There was something wrong. Something world shiftingly, chaotically, destructively wrong.

  Childe awoke with a pounding migraine and limbs that felt as if they’d been encased in concrete. The second he opened his eyes, the light from the windows blinded and stabbed his brain. 

  This was not a normal hangover. He’s had hangovers before, and this was not normal in the least. It was like a primo geovishap had trampled him and used him as a chair all night.

  Besides, he didn’t even drink that much. Slowly, painfully, Childe sat up and squinted at the nearby table where the wine sat. 

  The bottle was empty. But he’d only had three glasses, and he was not this much of a lightweight. A hangover like this required at least 3/4th a bottle of fire water. 

  A soft sigh caught his attention. Bearing through the stabs of pain, Childe grimaced and turned his head to investigate whoever it was that he shared a bed with. He was pleasantly surprised to find Ying, even if she still had her mask on.

  How she slept in that thing, he’d never know. 

  He heaved a great sigh and lowered his head back to the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut. There was some nausea, and a tingle in his fingers and toes. His heart skipped a beat, and his head followed with a much more painful pulse. It hurt to even breathe.

  This was not a normal hangover.

  At his arm, Ying sighed in her sleep and shifted closer. She had one limb stuffed beneath a pillow, and the other wrapped around his bicep. Her knee brushed against his thigh, as if she wanted to wrap a leg around him but stopped halfway. Perhaps being trapped in her confines would make this morning better. 

  All of his life, Childe had listened to his parents affectionately complain about each other. Papa would wake up early and groan about how mama drooled on the pillow again, or how he woke up with her hair in his mouth, or how she took forever in the bathroom. And mama would laugh and point out his little annoyances in return. 

  Nothing about it was supposed to be romantic, but Ajax had never been one for conventional tastes. He found it wonderful that two people could bicker and argue over stupid things, but remain desperately in love at the end.

  Now, he felt like bickering.

  He had a migraine, Ying was taking up most of their Queen sized bed, her hair was spread out like a halo and itchy against his neck. Aside from those things, she was like a walking heater, she stole all of the blankets, and she’d even drooled.

  Childe had never seen such a beautiful sight in his life.

  “Ying,” he whispered, “wake up.”

  She did not wake up. Concern began to eat at his chest.

  Ignoring the pain and exhaustion, Childe rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the empty wine bottle. One of the glasses was left on the floor, while the other was placed neatly on a table. He smelled the rim of the bottle and cringed at the scent that wafted out.

  That was pungent, and most definitely not just wine.

  “Ying, you need to wake up. Come on lyubimaya,” he leaned over her body and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge, “someone spiked our drink last night, we’ve been poisoned.”

  It was not at all uncommon for a Harbinger to be poisoned. In fact, some other Harbingers often poisoned their colleagues for fun - they were just a lovely group of people like that. Ever since the fourth death in a row from these antics, the Tsaritsa had implanted intense poison identification and resistance training. It was not fool-proof, but it was enough to keep her best soldiers alive.

  The loophole to this training happened to be the dumbest thing Childe had ever realized. 

  He could withstand most deadly poisons, but he was not versed in normal sedatives and tranquilizers.

  He wasn’t dying, none of the signs were there. Ying was breathing perfectly normal. His heart was beating steadily. He just felt very, very hungover. 

  Outside, the sun was high in the sky. It had to be almost lunch time by now. 

  Someone had wanted him and Ying to fall asleep, and stay that way for a good while.

  He ran his fingers through Ying’s hair and leaned down to shake her awake, moving gently so she didn’t startle, “Printsessa, are you hurt?”

  She frowned in her sleep and swatted at his hand. Childe wished he had more time to think about how cute that was.

  “Get up,” he nudged her again, “there was something in our drinks last night, we need to get to the bank as soon as possible.”

  Ying groaned in annoyance. She probably felt just as bad as he did, but he couldn’t leave her alone. Whoever had spiked their wine might come back. 

  So, Childe did the thing he knew would piss her off beyond all degrees.

  “I’m going to take your mask off if you don’t get up.”

  As if sensing his intentions, Ying frowned sleepily. He slid part of the elastic band out from behind her ear, loosening the leather around her eyes. Then, slipping one finger beneath the bottom of it, he began to push-

  “I’ll slit your throat if you keep going.”

  “There’s my girl,” Childe grinned, “are you hurt?”

  Groggily, she shook her head. He breathed a sigh of relief, and sat up to investigate the room. 

  It didn’t look as if there was a break-in. The window was closed and unbothered, everything remained intact. Neither he, nor Ying, were hurt at all. The sword he’d dropped on the floor yesterday and never bothered to pick up was still there, and any thief worth the time would know it was expensive. Yet, nothing was stolen. Not even his wallet, not the checks and invoices for Northland Bank. Nothing. 

  Except for a noticeable lack of weight in his front pocket. Childe patted his wrinkled pant legs, and frowned. “Ying, my keys are gone.”

  All the secretary could manage was a tired, “Huh?” He turned to face her, watching her fall back into the pillows with a groan. She was most likely feeling the effects of poison as well. 

  If his keys were gone, that meant one of two things. One, they wanted to get into the bank vaults. Yet, that didn’t make much sense. They could target Ekaterina or Andrei, those two would be far easier to steal from. 

  Second option, they stole his keys so they could get into his desk. There were confidential Fatui papers in there. And while they were written in Snezhnayan and code, an intelligent person would crack the information within a day. 

  The Tsaritsa would have his head for this. 

  Ying’s sigh caught his attention, he wished he could lay there next to her and have their first morning together as a… Whatever they were. But he would not dare to leave her alone in this room, “Come on, we’ve got to go back to the bank.”

  She pushed herself up. Blonde tendrils of matted and tangled hair hung off her sides while she stretched, then winced from the pain in her temples. Childe had the exact same headache. 

  The fact that they were targeting him, but poisoned Ying in the process, only made him furious. He would find whoever did this, and he would offer no mercy. 

  “Goodmorning,” she yawned, then stiffened and smiled, “Or, really, bad morning, I guess. Because of the uh, poisoning.”

  Indeed, very bad morning. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on over his slacks, “How do you feel?”

  “Like I’ve been stepped on by a lawachurl.”

  Same. Sighing, Childe ran his fingers through his hair, racking his brain for anything of last night. “I think it was in the wine, definitely. And that server looked nervous.”

  He felt Ying tense behind him, “Y-Yeah… He did look pretty nervous. But it could’ve just been because he was delivering something to a Harbinger’s room.”

  “But they all know me here,” he turned to face her, brows furrowed, “this is where the Fatui always stay when we’re in Liyue. And trust me, our division is a bit nicer than Pantalone’s in Mondstadt.”

  She laughed lightly and glanced away, “Yeah, who knows? I wonder why they just took your keys, though.”

  “For what’s in my desk drawers, of course.”

  Another glance, her brows raising under her bangs, “So, information? It could be an enemy of the Fatui.”

  She was too cute. If he didn’t feel like vomiting, he would have leaned in and kissed her. “So, the entire world? Everybody’s an enemy of ours, printsessa.”

  “O-Oh, yeah, you’re right.”

  Sighing, he turned away again and ran his fingers through his hair. His left glove had been taken off, discarded onto the floor. Before he could search for it, Ying slid up next to him and dangled her legs off the side of the bed. His heart skipped a beat as she took his hand into her own. 

  “We’ll find them,” she murmured, stretching out his fingers and kissing the inside of his wrist, then his palm, and each finger, “I’m just happy the poison was just a sedative, and not deadly.”

  He was too. If it was deadly then he’d have woken up next to a corpse. His body could handle these things, but he had a feeling that Ying’s could not. 

  And would he ever get used to the feeling of her touching him? They’d only begun this thing last night, and he already knew he wanted it to last forever. Generally, Childe was not terribly invested in romance, but this was addictive. The feeling of her lips against his skin, the gentle way she handled him, kissing each and every scar across his fingers. 

  To have something other than himself to protect, that was wonderful. And to have someone to show off to 24/7 and earn praise from, that was also wonderful. He could just imagine their blooming relationship now. He’d kill a powerful monster, she’d find it very attractive, they would make love near it’s corpse. Rinse, repeat. Life is amazing. 

  Childe just didn’t have time to soak it all in right now. 

  “Come on, let’s get to the bank.”

  Ying sent him an odd smile. It was obviously fake, there was something on her mind, he could always tell. But he wasn’t one to pry. “Of course, My Lord. I’ll bring you breakfast and medicine as well so you’ll feel better.”

  She really is amazing. 

  The two hurried out of the hotel and to the street. Childe could not help but send glares to the man behind the front desk, but he’d deal with the staff much later. For now, he just needed to get back to Northland Bank. 

  Ying accompanied him up the stairs. He knew she’d be irritated by the sudden gossip of him and his secretary entering together, but there was no time to dwell on that. She’d get over it, and they could gossip as much as they wished, he didn’t particularly care. 

  She tensed the second she stepped inside the bank. Childe let go of her hand and glanced over his shoulder, finding her frowning in response to Vlad’s awkward staring, and Ekaterina’s nervous murmurs from behind her desk. Snezhnayans really did love to gossip - there wasn’t much else to do here. 

  “Hey,” he murmured, moving closer to her and lifting her chin, “it’s fine, they can’t tell on us if they don’t have real proof.”

  She faked another smile. She’d been doing that a lot lately, but only in between the real ones. “What if they get proof?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  He’d destroy it. The kamera or the photos or the letters, whatever it was. He wouldn’t let Ying be taken from his side. 

  “Come on,” Childe rested his hand on her back and nudged her across the lobby. She relented after a moment of nervousness, finally deciding to accompany him up the stairs and to his office. The second the two were at the top, Childe heard a chorus of whispers erupt from the lobby below. 

  Of course, his and Ying’s hair was messy, they were wearing wrinkled clothing that was obviously a day old, and they walked in together. What else would they think? 

  But it wasn’t as if the higher ups would believe their word over his. 

  Childe pushed the door to the office open. The frame rattled against the impact, remaining the only noise in the room. He froze the second he saw the state of things.

  Everything was in place. Everything besides the opened, empty drawers of his desk and locked safe.

  “Check yours, see if anything’s missing from there too.” He commanded Ying. Without a word, she nodded and scrambled to her spot in the corner. As she opened her drawers and shuffled through the papers, Childe approached the destruction.

  Everything was gone. Every single paper, every letter he’d received, every letter he planned to send. Gone. Cleaned out.

  So, whoever had spiked the wine had done so with the intention of getting Fatui intel. Childe would find them, and slit their throats with no remorse.

  But first, he had to secure what other possible assets he might lose, “Ying.”

  She popped up from behind her chair, “Yes?”

  “I want you to stay in my room from now on, whoever did this might target you next.”

  Her brows furrowed, and she frowned. Childe wished she’d just take off that mask already so he could tell what she was thinking. 

  Silence filled the space between them. She shut a drawer and stepped around the edge of the table, approaching across the room, “Is everything gone?”

  “Yep, everything.”

  Ying stood at his side and put her hand on her chin, “There isn’t anything else they might come back for?”

  He shrugged, “Unless they want to capture and torture me personally, then nope. They’ve gotten everything concerning our relations to Liyue.”

  “Nobody’s going to torture you.” Ying scoffed.

  “You’d be surprised.” There was that time in Fontaine, that time in Sumeru, and that brief instance in Mondstadt - Lisa the Librarian was the only one who managed to truly terrify him.

  Ying only frowned. She stared at the empty drawer as if they disappointed her, until she broke the silence with a sigh, “What did you say about staying in your room?”

  “You should stay with me, or at least near me,” Childe wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his cheek in her hair, “They might come after you next.”

  A pause, “...I don’t think anyone will come after me.” Ying murmured into his chest.

  He begged to differ. If they knew anything about him, it was that Ying was his brand new weakness. And while he didn’t mind that at all, he preferred his enemies not gain that upper hand.

  Childe pressed a kiss into her hair and sighed, ”It would make me feel better to have you near.”

  She pulled back to grin up at him, “Sounds like you have a crush on me.”

  “And what if I do?”

  “Then I pity you.”

  Childe frowned playfully, “And if I kissed you?”

  “I’d pity you even more, because it would only prove how much you like me.”

  A sigh, “Then I guess I have no choice but to kiss you, and keep you at my side forever, if only out of pity.”

  “Oh, really?” She raised a brow.

  “Really.”

  Childe most definitely was about to kiss her. He planned on it, hoping it would lift his spirits after the frustration of being poisoned and robbed. Yet, as he leaned in, brushing his nose against Ying’s, her fingers slid up between their faces.

  “Later,” she whispered, hand against his lips, “let me go get my stuff from my room, then I’m all yours.”

  Childe smiled as she pulled her hand back. The second it was gone, he pressed a swift, affectionate kiss against the side of her mouth.

  “I’ll see you soon?” 

  Gently, she pulled back and buried her face into his shoulder, “Yeah… Yeah.”

  With that, Ying retreated out the door as if the room was on fire. Childe could only assume that she was overwhelmed, or scared, or all of these things at once.

  He only shrugged; Whatever. Women are weird.

  “Paimon, holy crap.”

  The pixie glanced up from her brunch of eggs, bacon, more eggs, more bacon, and half a jug of orange juice. She seemed to have some of her brunch on her face, as well as her clothes, and the top of the bed. 

  Lumine was glad she hadn’t slept there last night, she’d woken up with Paimon eating a buffet atop her too many times. 

  “Oh,” Paimon swallowed her bite and closed her eyes, now grinning in the most arrogant way possible, “look who finally comes back! Look who finally graces Paimon with her presence!”

  “I know I’ve been out all night, but really-”

  “-Look who finally decides to show some consideration!” Paimon stretched out her tiny little arms, knocking the food over onto the blanket - this really was a gross scene. “Paimon had to dress up in a big coat and act like Paimon was huge sized just so she could get breakfast from downstairs! It was terrible!”

  Lumine sighed, “Listen, I understand that that sucks, but I was working.”

  “On this stupid mission that’s taking forever and leaves Paimon out of all the action? Yes, Paimon knows!”

  Of course Paimon knows. Because Paimon has been suffering for the last several months, stuck in tiny rooms, while Lumine ran around with a Fatui Harbinger. Nevermind the fact that Paimon was fed well and given leave to go wherever she wanted as long as it was not in public. Don’t mind the fact that Paimon spent three days with Ningguang once and had an entire damn spa day while Lumine slaved away at cleaning up the Harbinger’s messes. 

  But Lumine did not want to get into that right now. 

  “Today’s my last day,” she faked a smile, her heart clenching, “I’m disappearing.”

  Paimon glanced at her suspiciously, “...You are?”

  “Yep! In fact…” she stalked towards her drawers and began clearing out the random objects and clothes, “I’m disappearing right now, actually.”

  “R-Right now?”

  “Right now! We’re leaving, Pai, it’s over! I’ve said my goodbyes.”

  Or something like that. 

  The pixie cheered. Food scattered across the floor when she floated up and twirled around mid-air. Lumine laughed at her friend’s sudden joy. 

  If only she could feel the same. All she’d said to Childe was ‘yeah’. It felt slimy, unsatisfying. 

  Yet, in some odd way, she felt a bit relieved. It was nice to not have to lie anymore. Keqing had sent someone to take everything from his desk, that should be enough to please Ningguang and the Qixing. There was nothing more she could do, and she was tired of playing this part. 

  He kissed her. He liked her, wanted her at his side, wanted to protect her.

  For once, Lumine felt that someone was caring for her, rather than her caring for the world with no return.

  Slowly, with shaking fingers, she took off her mask and placed it on the table. Despite the hesitance, she would be glad to get rid of this coat, even if it was new - she just ordered it after leaving her last one at the mountain inn. She would be happy to be rid of these boots, these stockings, this tight purple outfit. She would be glad to be rid of Ying. 

  She’d said her goodbyes. Childe didn’t know they were goodbyes, but he’d figure it out soon enough. 

  Lumine wanted to drop to her knees and pull out of her hair, scream, cry, something to encompass the inner build up she was feeling. Yet, all she would allow herself to do was summon a sharp, simple dagger. 

  Paimon stopped her celebrations immediately, “L-Lumine?”

  “Don’t worry,” a fake smile, a sigh, “I’m just… I guess I’m just severing ties.”

  With that, she gripped the end of her fake hair. Fake, all of it was fake. Staring at herself in the mirror, she ignored the sudden red rim around her eyes. It could not be acknowledged right now, not when she was finally at the finish line. 

  Lumine took the edge of the knife against the blonde extensions, and sawed off a chunk. Then another, then the next. 

  Her hair was a choppy mess at the top of her shoulders. Lumine was Lumine, once again. 

  Paimon watched the ordeal with wide eyes, “Paimon thought your hair was nice like that…”

  “But it isn’t me,” her heart skipped, her throat felt as if it was closing up. She took another shuddering sigh to clear her mind, “I cut my hair when Aether and I got here 500 years ago, I want to look the same for when I find him again.” Like nothing’s changed at all. It was a comfort. 

  Paimon nodded in understanding, though her smile was hesitant. Slowly, she floated towards Lumine’s shoulder and looked in the mirror alongside her. “You can finally be free of that annoying Harbinger.”

  That annoying Harbinger. That was exactly the problem. 

  “Pai…”

  “Yes?”

  How to even begin? “I… You know, Tartaglia isn’t that bad. I mean, he’s bad, but he’s not that bad.”

  Her eyes narrowed, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that he can be sweet,” she shrugged, embarrassed for herself, “sometimes, I guess. And he isn’t good, but he isn’t bad. He’s like this weird grey area that I can’t really pin down, and I’ve tried making it black and white, but he’s given me no help in that area.”

  Paimon groaned and rolled her eyes, “He’s the enemy, Lumine, he can’t be a grey area!”

  Usually, she would agree. Life was so much more simple when she saw it in black and whites. Yet, she’d begun to realize something as of late. 

  There were a million shades of colors. A million shades of right and wrong. There was no such thing as simple black and white. 

  “I think I could fall in love with him, if I really let myself.”

  Paimon stopped. She could have fallen from mid-air with how stiffly she tensed. “W-What?”

  Lumine ignored her shock, “And I think he’s falling in love with Ying, too. He said it last night. And you should have seen his face this morning, like he was genuinely concerned for my well-being. It’s not just attraction, Pai, it’s something more. It’s something he holds for Ying personally.”

  “But,” she faked a laugh, “what it is about Ying that he likes so much?”

  “Frankly… I have no idea.”

  “Wait, so…” 

  A pause. A beat of heavy silence. Lumine wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, cutting her hair off with a dull knife didn’t really do it for her. She needed something bigger, something to punch. Preferably, Childe’s face. 

  She was so damn lonely in this world that it hurt. But hormones and loneliness didn’t equal love. That was the thing, though, it felt like it was more. It felt like her attraction had gone beyond those simple factors. 

  It was exactly why Ying needed to disappear. 

  Especially since she recognized the softness of his touch, and that look in his eyes. 

  Paimon broke the silence with a very intelligent sounding ‘uhhh’. “So, let Paimon get this straight. You think Mister Moneybags is falling in love with you?”

  “Well, he’s not falling in love with me, he’s falling in love with Ying.”

  Ying, her alias, the 11th Harbinger's beloved secretary, and an entirely fake persona created by Lumine as she attempted to infiltrate the Fatui. Childe was falling in love with a woman who didn't even exist.

  She’d never pitied someone so much before. 

  Suddenly frantic, Lumine pushed off her coat and boots. She rifled around her drawers for her old white dress, “We just need to get out of here, now.”

  “What’re you gonna do?” Paimon asked delicately.

  And that was the million mora question, wasn’t it? Lumine had no idea, the only answer she could give was a strangled, repressed, “I don’t know. Break his heart? He’ll get over it, he’s young. It’s not like he was married to Ying or anything.”

  But he did want her to meet his parents. 

  Damn it all. Damn every inch of this entire charade. It just had to become this complicated, this painful, this stupid. Lumine yanked her dress over her head and began to tie and knot the corset on her back, all while Paimon stared at the floor. 

  “...Paimon can’t help but feel a bit bad…”

  “It’s fine,” she snapped, “he’s 23, he’ll find another girl.”

  A beat of silence. The pixie raised her eyes, “Lumine, do you like him too?”

  Did she? 

  “He pisses me off.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t like him.” She murmured. 

  “He’s arrogant,” she spat, feeling as if she had stepped into a bonfire and was going up in flames, “he’s a show-off. He’s obsessed with battle and getting stronger, to the point where he’ll hurt himself just to do so. He’s stupid because he uses a bow when he’s obviously better at swordplay, but he’s so damn determined that it’s funny to watch. He can argue until the sun comes up, and when he argues with me his eyes finally shine and I don’t know whether it’s from anger or happiness, I can never tell. I can’t read him at all. He smiles like it’s his last day on Teyvat, and it makes me want to scream.”

  Paimon stared. Lumine took a deep breath. 

  She had more to say, somehow. “He never brushes his hair, he wears that stupid scarf even though it’s ripped and torn. I hate his perfect eyes, and I hate his perfect nose. I hate his perfect lips and the stupid things he says. The second I think he’ll say something rude, he says something nice. He’s protective and responsible and surprisingly meticulous, and he has these moments where it’s jus-”

  “Lumine?”

  She faltered at the interruption, “H-Huh?”

  “...You’re in love with him too, aren’t you?”

  Lumine would rather Paimon lie to her. That would be much easier to swallow. 

  Was she in love with him?

  “...I don’t even know his real name.”

  Paimon grimaced. Silence fell between the traveler and pixie, a heavy sort of melancholy that lingered in the air. It was beginning to suffocate them both. 

  All Lumine could manage to do was force a smile, gulp down her feelings, and stare at the ground. “Are you ready to leave?”

  “Yes,” Paimon whispered, “let’s just go. T-That… That would be best.”

  For the best. That was all Lumine ever did: whatever was for the best. 

  She gathered her coat and uniform, slipping the mask into her pocket. Soon enough, the maids would arrive to clean the room, and there would be no traces of Ying left. She could imagine Childe discovering her sudden disappearance with that stupid, shocked look on his face. And whether or not he’d be sad, she had no idea. She tried not to think about it. 

  This was all business, and her mission was finally over. Lumine could be Lumine again. Ying no longer existed.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered to the room, before teleporting as far away as she possibly could.

Chapter Text

  “I’m sorry, Lord Tartaglia, but I don’t accept bribes.”

  Baizhu did not accept bribes, apparently. That was new.

  “You can’t help an old friend out?”

  The doctor squinted behind his glasses as if to question the virility of their ‘friendship’. Not many in Liyue Harbor, or anywhere for that matter, would claim a friendship with a Fatui Harbinger.

  “I’m sorry,” he sighed heavily, “but if I started outing my customers for silly things like tranquilizers, then I’d be out of business. Anonymity is a very important part of my practice.”

  And while Childe understood that completely, it did not erase the fact that someone had stolen every bit of confidential information in his desk with one of Baizhu’s concoctions. Frowning, he leaned against the pharmacy counter and murmured, “Every man’s got a price, doctor.”

  “And every man’s got a line that he will not cross,” Baizhu responded, “becoming involved in political warfare is mine.”

  “So you admit this is political?”

  He frowned heavily, “That is all you shall get from me. Unless you want a remedy for the side effects you must be feeling, there is nothing left for me to offer.”

  Childe thought for a moment. Ying was probably feeling just as bad as him right about now. “Fine, I’ll take the remedy.”

   And he’ll have someone sneak into the pharmacy that night to look at the ledgers. Whoever had bought the sedatives had to be written down there, even if they were working beneath a much bigger power.

  Childe, naturally, assumed it was the Qixing. He knew that he was most likely right, but the Tsaritsa would not appreciate civil unrest caused by unproven accusations. And he would be in hot water soon enough anyway, accusations or not.

  It was also quite funny to him that they’d stolen every piece of paper in his desk. He hoped they enjoyed translating his grocery list. 

  After Baizhu handed him a vial of what literally just looked like water, Childe took his leave. Due to the headache that was pounding with each and every step, he considered letting the bank staff have the rest of the day off. It would be nice to just lay in bed and take a nap, he so rarely ever did that. 

  He and Ying could get dinner. She would get settled into his room, and they could begin this… thing between them. Childe still wasn’t sure what to call it, if it even needed to be called anything. 

  As he walked through the streets of Liyue, back to Northland bank, he imagined taking Ying back to meet his family. His mom would find her hilarious, his dad would be reminded of his own wife when she was younger. Childe recalled the incredibly chaotic stories of how his parents met so long ago - he always thought they were sweet. Even as a tumultuous teenager that was obsessed with fighting, he considered his parents cute. 

  Despite that, Childe had never expected to develop feelings for anyone personally. He could appreciate the relationships of others, and root for his siblings in their own relationships, but he always thought himself the exception to all of that. He was not one to search for peace. 

  But Ying wasn’t peaceful. Ying would travel beside him during his work as a Harbinger. She would battle with him, keep him trained and ready for anything. And he could get used to waking up next to her every morning. It was easy, it was perfectly set up, and the exact kind of relationship that he would thrive in. 

  Northland Bank was in a tizzy this morning, partly due to the Harbinger’s own stress. Yet, as he entered the lobby, every receptionist and guard seemed to calm down from their current crisis. The only oddity of it all was the presence of two subordinates Childe was sure he’d given orders to. 

  They refused to make eye contact with him. That was always irritating. “I thought I told you to assist Ying in moving her things.”

  The subordinates shared a look. The receptionists, along with Ekaterina, had their own chorus of whispers and wide eyes. There were no customers today, thankfully, the people of Liyue did not need to see the Fatui this frazzled. 

  The subordinates shifted and procrastinated. Childe took a step forward, letting the doors shut harshly behind him. The bank was always dimly lit, red and golden and oozing of unfair wealth, but the tension was not usually this thick. There were not usually this many stares cast upon the Harbinger. 

  His eyes scanned the staff. Even Andrei looked scared. How odd. 

  “What happened?”

  The first subordinate took a deep breath. His sigh was the only sound in the lobby as the chorus of whispers and gossip died down. He had commanded this Fatuu to assist Ying with her luggage, he should be doing so this very minute. 

  Yet, here he stood, building up the courage to say something. 

  “...Sir, we went to the room you told us to visit, but Lady Ying was not there.”

  The other subordinate spoke up frantically, “Then we checked your own room, and she wasn’t there either. We searched the streets, and even asked the hotel manager, but nobody had seen her.”

  She very well could be seeing a friend, or taking the long way through the city streets. They could have missed her, she could be refusing their help. The possibilities were endless. 

  But Childe’s mind instantly latched itself onto one dreadful conclusion: Something happened to Ying. 

  His heart skipped a painful beat. He forced the feeling down, sighing and ignoring the sudden shock of anger and anxiety in his stomach. There was only one thing he could do to calm himself, “I want four of you to stand by the exits and watch everybody leaving the city. I want another team to scan the streets, and two of you to stay by the hotels. I’ll be questioning the people myself.”

  The bank staffed erupted into nervous murmurs once again. Andrei stepped up to speak, “Sir, are we closing the bank for the day?”

  Childe glared as if the answer was obvious, “Yes, we are. We cannot let one of our own be hurt like this. She may very well be alive, and I’d like to find her before that isn’t the case.”

  Nothing like this had ever happened before. The Fatui were murdered sometimes, or caught up in terrible accidents, but never once had someone close to a Harbinger been kidnapped. That was a rather dangerous game to play. Only the most bold of their enemies would dare do something like this. 

  From now on, he would have each person in the debt collection division be on high alert. He wasn’t sure if it was just Ying, or if she was only the beginning. And he was not about to let others be taken just to send him a message. 

  There was a chance that his enemies had simply chosen the subordinate he obviously had the most affection for, which only made things even worse. 

  “I’m going to go check her room myself.” He announced. Heads bowed to him, lips whispered good fortunes in Snezhnayan. Everybody else was scared in their own way, whether it be from the circumstances, or from the look in the Harbinger’s eyes. 

  He didn’t even want to think about the possibilities of what might be happening to her right now. Childe had never felt so furious, as if he was standing in the middle of a raging fire, prepared to burn down the world. 

  And he would do just that if he needed to. 

July, One Month Later

   Mama,

   I haven’t found her yet, I’m sorry. I know you were excited to meet her. She would have loved to meet you too. I think you’ll be great friends when I manage to find her. 

  I cannot get her mind off my mind. If Ying has been murdered because of her proximity to me, I don’t know what I’ll do. You know how little I care for making friends, or even for having relationships, I just find it ironic that the first person I become close to has disappeared completely. I know it’s a bit silly, but sometimes I wonder if she was even real in the first place. 

  I know I’m not the most morally clean person, but Ying is innocent, and the world needs someone like her in it. She doesn’t deserve to lose her life for the sake of a threat against me.

  Sorry to be so pessimistic, I know you prefer I stay optimistic. Anyway, keep me up to date on Anthon’s schooling, he never includes that in his letters. And don’t nag Tonia too much about the polearm, you have to understand my paranoia after all of this.

   I’ll be home in January.

  Your Ajax

August

Papa, 

  I’ve checked the swamps and drained a few ponds, nothing yet. Thanks for the suggestion though. I just find it odd that whoever’s done this hasn’t come forward yet, I’ve found absolutely no sign or hint as to where she might be.  Who knew it would be so hard to find one girl? And the Tsaritsa won’t let me leave Liyue either, so I’m going a bit crazy here. She doesn’t believe a secretary is worth all of this trouble. But it’s fine, I’ll find her no matter what. 

 Tell Teucer I love him, and I’ll be home soon.

Ajax

September

   “How’s the translation work going?”

  That was the worst possible question anyone could have asked Lisa. Why the knights or the Qixing didn’t just hire someone who spoke fluent Snezhnayan, she’d never know. 

  “I don’t know, dear, how do you think it’s going?” Frustrated, she shoved a paper into Lumine’s face. The honorary knight cringed, but took the parchment to read.

  “...Chicken... Carrots… Potatoes…” she pressed the grocery list to her chest and sighed, “Childe always did make wonderful stew. If we stayed out too late with the recruits he’d cook for everybody.”

 Lisa cast her an unamused glance, “I’m so happy you enjoyed the Harbinger’s cooking. So far, I’ve only translated lists and personal letters, absolutely nothing of interest!”

  And there was so much to translate, too. Lisa had separated the finished letters into one pile, which was much smaller than the other. Lumine leaned over the desk and inspected the librarian’s work, “What do you mean by personal letters?”

  “To his family,” she grumbled, “he somehow filled two pages just talking about medicine for his father’s headaches.”

  Medicine for his father, dear Archons. Even after three months, she was weak.

  “So, nothing about the abyss prince?”

  “So far, no. Besides the letter you found, which as we know is a dead end.”

  It was the first translation project that Lisa had been given. It turns out that Paimon had already gotten the gist of it - some scouts saw who the Tsaritsa believes to be the abyss prince. He was in Liyue, and this news was only relayed to Childe as a warning to not try to fight the guy. There was nothing about who he might be, where to find him, or what his intentions were.

  Other than that, it was all personal letters, grocery lists, and debt ledgers. 

  Lumine snatched up the pile and began to sift through Lisa’s annotations. There were mentions of his siblings, half translated instructions for toys, and pages full of affectionate well wishes. He took careful time to assure his family that he was doing just fine.

  “I’ve only found one or two official documents so far,” Lisa mused, her pen scratching on the paper, “but they weren’t very interesting, and mainly filled with lectures on how to not cause trouble.”

  Of course they were. Lumine grinned, though she tried her best to ignore the sudden wave of affection - why that did it for her, she had no idea. Her taste in men was more odd than she would have guessed.

  “But judging by how he reacted when he saw that it was all stolen,” Lumine began, “then there has to be something of importance in there.”

  Lisa yawned and wiped at her eyes, “I believe there is, but I’ve just yet to find it. I’m not fluent in Snezhnayan, and we haven’t been able to find someone who is, someone that isn’t loyal to the Tsaritsa, at least. This is just moving along very slowly.”

  It had been three boring, mind numbing months. Lumine’s urge to scream at the clouds only grew with each passing day.

  “Most of its just letters,” Lisa continued, “there’ll be some good stuff the deeper I get into the pile though.”

  Letters. His family, who he wanted Ying to meet. Lumine felt her heart clench. “Are there any mentions of Ying?”

  A pause, a grin. There was that emerald sparkle in her eye, that gleam of mischief. Her clenching heart was instantly replaced with anxious dread. 

  “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Lisa’s wicked grin did not bode well. Lumine huffed, “I would like to know, yes.”

  “And I’d love to tell you, cutie, but I’m under strict orders from Paimon to keep you clean of any Harbingers.”

  And Paimon was under strict orders by Lumine herself to keep said orders. She was a good friend like that. One did not allow an alcoholic to step into a bar.

  But Lumine really wanted to know. “Well, it’s been three months, and I’ve been very good. I haven’t stepped one foot into Liyue.”

  “And you’ve been avoiding the Fatui, and laying low in your heroic duties, I know.” She rolled her eyes and sighed, “I also know about how you were caught lurking around Diluc’s bar last night with a glass of wine in hand, ranting to the nameless bard about how you never guessed you’d be into the whole bad boy trope!”

  In her defense, she was tipsy, and angry. She thought she saw Childe in the streets of Mondstadt earlier, and wasted 10 minutes of her life hiding from him. It just turned out to be a training dummy.

  And the week before that, she walked along the coastline in Mondstadt, became very angry at the feeling of sand beneath her feet, and accidentally summoned a geo construct that had to be removed by a team of 10 knights.

  And the week before that was the incident involving the Snezhnayan merchant. Then before that was the man who sounded vaguely like him. Then before that was the drunken brawl. 

  The list could go on. Three months was a long time to pine. 

  “Come on!” Lumine whined, leaning over Lisa’s desk and interrupting her work, “I’m just curious! It’s natural to want to know!”

  She tsked, “They’re relatively positive things, I’ll let you know that.”

  “...Only relatively positive?”

  “I did find an account about when you first arrived,” she mused boredly, “he called Ying something along the lines of a ‘life-sucking harpy woman’. I think he was frustrated.”

  That was one of the more interesting descriptions Lumine had heard, she’d take it. 

  “I was pretty frustrating. But what are the positive things?”

  Lisa hummed innocently as she shuffled papers. A moment of drawn-out anticipation passed, before she finally quirked a smile, “He really does seem like a sweet kid, if not a bit macabre at times, but that’s just how his type is.”

  Lumine stiffened, “What?”

  “Did I once tell you about the affair I had with the 2nd Harbinger?” Lisa went on, “It was only one night, and it was far before I became part of the knights. But, goodness, that man, that type of man, they can really-“

  “-Lisa?”

  She faltered at the interruption, “Y-Yes?”

  “What did Childe say about Ying?”

  Lumine was determined to know. And while she was genuinely interested in the story of Lisa’s one night stand, that was a conversation for a girls night out, not translation work in the library. 

  Besides, her mind had been entirely elsewhere for the last three months. She’d tried her best to ignore the worry eating away at her chest, but it was persistent. She could not help but feel guilty for what had happened.

  Yet, that’s what happens to bad people. That’s what happens when you’re a Fatui Harbinger. That’s what happens when you let someone through your emotional walls. 

  It’s his own fault, really. 

  Lisa sighed before flipping through several more sheets of paper, “If I tell you, then you’ll just pine some more. It’s not healthy.”

  “I’m not pining,” Lumine grumbled.

  “I beg to differ.”

  “He’s probably moved on already, it doesn’t matter.”

  Lisa raised her eyes, and stared. Lumine tried her best to focus on a nearly stacked pile of books, but her mind wandered to the constant questions she was plagued with. What was Childe doing? Was he eating right? Did he find a new secretary? Did he absolutely despise her?

  Finally, Lisa shattered the silence like glass, “You haven’t heard?”

  She had not. “What?”

  “I guess it’s natural that you haven’t,” she murmured, “you’ve been avoiding any news about the Fatui like the plague. Your boy, Tartaglia, he’s been tearing Liyue apart in search of someone. He confronted Ningguang and demanded to know where she was, but got nowhere with that, obviously.”

  Lumine ignored the sickening skip of her heart. The butterflies always came at the wrong time. “He tried to accuse the Qixing of Ying’s disappearance? That would be diplomatic suicide.”

  “Ningguang let him off the hook out of pity, she’s been watching him work himself and his division to the bone in search of one girl.” Lisa informed. She tapped the end of her pen on the desk absently, the noise seeming far too loud in the empty library. Lumine felt as if she might collapse.

  “H-He’s been looking for Ying all this time?” She gasped, “But we weren’t even together for more than a day!”

  “Does that matter?” 

  “I would think so, yes!”

  Lisa shook her head as if she was preparing to reprimand a child, “You’re still so inexperienced in the ways of love. You’re a beautiful, charming woman who can kick his butt without even the use of a vision. Just because you weren’t officially together for very long doesn’t mean he wasn’t head over heels for you.”

  Impossible. He was an aggravating, evil, wicked kind of man. He dragged Ying around everywhere just to frustrate her into quitting. He would knock stuff off his desk just to make her pick it up. He would give her the dumbest jobs possible just to see her angry.

  Lumine shook her head, “You're wrong. He’s probably just looking for a reason to start a war.”

  “Darling,” Lisa sighed heavily, “you dug your claws into him far more deeply than you think. Trust me, I’ve seen the letters.”

  “...Show me the letters.”

 She huffed, “No! You’ll just feel worse than you already do.”

  Lisa could read her like a book. Lumine hated that she wore her expressions on her face so easily, sometimes she wished she could still hide behind that mask. “I don’t feel bad, it was just business.”

  A lie, a rather obvious one. Lisa cast her a skeptical, pitying smile, “I thought I taught you the rules of seduction better; Never fall in love with the poor man you’re seducing.”

  Easier said than done. 

  However Childe felt, whatever he was doing, Lumine knew there was some point where she’d have to face him again. She’d have to look him in the eye and tell him the truth, because he was just as wound up in this web with the gnoses and Fatui as she was.

  It was going to hurt. She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart, “Should I… Maybe go see him again? You know, just rip the bandage off and get it over with?”

  “You could,” Lisa mused, “Or you could pretend to be Ying again, break up with him the correct way, and give the poor guy some closure. Just let him think Ying doesn’t like him anymore.”

  “...Are there any options that don’t hurt his feelings?”

  “Tell him the truth and pray to all the archons that he forgives you?”

  That would still hurt. And only a fool would think he’d forgive her, especially after the lying and fake seductions and literal poisonings. Childe was not a merciful man.

  Lumine could only grimace at the thought. She was so busy trying to figure out how to not hurt him, that she could not think of her own feelings in the process. Frankly, the best option for them both would be for her to stay away until he forgot about her, and she about him.

  And that sounded terrible. She’d already endured 90 terrible days of this, “Maybe I could just see him, like a little? If I disguise myself and sneak into his office… I could scope out how he’s feeling, then be totally reassured when I see that he’s over Ying.”

  Lisa smiled demurely, “Grasping for justification, are we?”

  “I am not.” She most definitely was.

  Lumine thought for a moment. She’d missed out on a lot of important commissions in Liyue because of this. She’d been afraid to step foot near the region and hadn’t seen her friends for so long. She’d avoided gossip and news and even doing heroic deeds, just so she would not alert Childe to her presence.

  He had to be over Ying by now. Lisa was wrong, she had not dug her claws in deep at all.

  “You know what?”

  The librarian continued writing on her paper, boredly clicking her pen as she went, “What?”

  “I’m not going to run anymore!” Lumine announced, “It really was just business, so I shouldn’t be afraid of running into him! If he gets his heart broken, then that’s not my problem.”

  She glanced up, “Oh?”

  “Because he’s a bad guy, and… A-And it’s not my fault that he was stupid enough to fall in love! If he even was, which I don’t think is true at all!”

   “Sure, dear.”

  “And furthermore,” Lumine slammed her fist into her palm, “I do not like him. Every day I am reminded of how terrible, backstabbing, and evil he is. I will be returning to Liyue, and once I meet him again, we will be mortal enemies!”

  “Alrighty, whatever you say!” Lisa grinned and winked, “But if I hear about you and the Harbinger getting together, then I get to say I told you so.”

  She glared, gathering her bags and weapons with newfound determination, “That won’t happen, trust me.”

  “Yes, of course, for sure.”

  Lumine ignored the sarcasm, “I heard of a commission about some ruin guard activity in Lisha, so I’ll be heading there. And if I see Childe, I’ll most definitely be business-like and professional.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “I hope you do!”

  That was a lie. Lumine hoped she didn’t, she hated it when Lisa was right - which was all the time.

  She turned to take her leave, but not before freezing mid-step. Lisa’s eyes lingered on her back.

  “...Miss Lisa?”

  “Yes, my love?”

  Lumine could not believe that she was anxious enough to even think of this.

  “Should I wear the Fatui uniform and mask, just in case?”

  “No.” Lisa’s answer was immediate. 

  And it made perfect sense why she refused her so quickly. Lumine grimaced nevertheless, “But if I do see Childe again, it might be less messy if I look like Ying…”

  Or perhaps that would be even messier. She couldn’t quite tell anymore.

  “I think I’ll wear it,” Lumine nodded to herself, “just so I can ease back into being in Liyue, you know?” 

  The librarian sighed, “Cutie, that makes absolutely no sense. You just want to go kiss that Harbinger again, don’t you?”

  She did, but she was not about to admit that.

   Tonia, moya printsessa,

   I’m okay, don’t worry about me! I know you don’t like hearing much about my work, but since you were wondering in your last letter, I thought I’d tell you what I’ve been up to. 

  The Fatui’s debt collection division has been rather busy lately. We’ve been getting a bit more active with our collecting, and I’ve been joining the agents in their work personally, but I’m staying safe, so don’t worry! I find that it’s a good distraction to stay busy, I can’t really focus on paperwork much these days - but have I ever been able to focus on that? You know how easily I bore. 

 I’ve still been on the search for Ying. There have been no leads quite yet, and if she left on her own then she obviously isn’t interested in coming back. The first girl I start liking, and she disappears. I can’t help but think that Ying isn’t like this. She had her secrets, but she wasn’t the type to leave without a word. It’s all just odd. And I think about her every single day, I spend my time turning up every rock in Liyue in the hopes of seeing any sign of her. 

  One day, hopefully, you’ll get to meet her. Update me on how school is going, and if that polearm I sent you is too heavy or not. Ignore mama’s complaints about how a girl of your age should not have a weapon, she’s just worried. Try not to stab Anthon’s eye out with it. 

  Your knight will be okay, please don’t worry! 

  Love, Ajax

  “I wish he’d given us a place to start. Just saying ‘Liyue’ in general doesn’t really help much.”

  “Yeah… This country’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.”

  Tonia sighed and shook her head, braids framing her face as she frowned, “At least Teucer seems happy. But maybe we shouldn’t let him so close to the mister cyclopses.”

  “He’s fine,” Anthon rolled his eyes, “they’re deactivated anyway. Let him have fun.”

  Teucer was most definitely having fun. The youngest was to thank for his odd resourcefulness in getting his siblings on a boat to Liyue in the first place. He was rather sneaky when he wanted to be - though Tonia had to wonder if that was on purpose, or just coincidence. How Teucer knew which specific boat was going to Liyue was a mystery, she assumed he just guessed. 

  Nevertheless, the three Alekseev children had arrived at the land of Geo this morning, and promptly began their search. 

  “Do you have any idea what part of the region we’re in?” Anthon asked. 

  Tonia reached into her backpack and dug around for the wrinkled map she’d found. Fortunately, mama and papa kept relics of their own traveling days, and had visited Liyue long ago. She pulled out the scroll and unrolled it to look, “I… uh… Do you know how to read a map?”

  He snorted, “Nope.”

  “Maybe we should ask someone…”

  Anthon gestured to the empty ruins around him, “Do you see anyone to ask?”

  She hated it when he acted like that. She knew that there was no one around to ask, he didn’t need to point out the obvious. As much as Tonia wanted to kick him in the shins, a fight between siblings would not help the search for Miss Ying come along any faster. 

  Anthon, being the eldest, was in charge. Tonia thought this was rather dumb, though, because he still thought the people of Liyue ate rocks. They obviously did not - but she supposed all boys were kind of dumb, no matter their age. 

  “This is so cool!” Teucer yelled from the distance. He continued his poking and prodding at the ruin guards, his voice echoing off the abandoned ruin walls. Neither of the siblings had any idea what they would do if one of the machines came to life, possibly just grab their little brother and run for the hills. Liyue was filled with a lot of wonderful rocks to hide behind, it seemed, so Anthon wasn’t too worried about it. But then again, he was rarely concerned about anything. Tonia did all the thinking in this family. 

  After giving up on map-reading, she put the paper away and replaced it with Ajax’s latest letter. She’d carried it all the way from Snezhnaya, keeping it as a reminder of the current situation at hand. It was this very letter that inspired the three siblings to catch a boat to Liyue in the first place. 

  Anthon ignored the youngest’s obvious glee, “It’s getting dark, I think we should camp out here. It doesn’t look like there are any hilichurl camps nearby either.”

  “I can take first watch for the night, if you want.” Tonia suggested. The eldest nodded along to the idea. 

  As he began laying out the blankets and dusting away spider webs, Tonia stared down at the letter once again. One line kept catching her eye, making her heart skip as she imagined her knight’s feelings towards this unknown woman. 

   And I think about her every single day, I spend my time turning up every rock in Liyue in the hopes of seeing any sign of her. 

   It was like a fairytale romance. He was so in love, she just knew it. She could see it in the shape of his words, and how often he rambled on about Ying. The entire family felt as if they already knew her from his previous letters. 

  Despite having never met the woman, Ying’s disappearance hit Ajax’s family hard. 

   Tonia stared out at the mountains in the distance, craggy and jagged shapes against the darkening sky. Liyue was rather beautiful in fall. She never thought the world could be so colorful. And her brother’s dearest love was out here somewhere. 

  She pressed the letter against her chest and turned to face the horizon, lifting her cheeks to feel the cool breeze. She was so far away from home, and mama and papa were probably going insane right about now, but Tonia had no time to care for such things. This was her priority now. 

  “Miss Ying, where are you?”

Chapter Text

  When Tonia awoke, she was shocked to find just how warm and comfortable the Liyue air was in the morning. Almost as if it wasn’t mid-autumn, nearing winter. 

  This was a far cry from Snezhnaya. Usually, Tonia would be awoken around seven in the morning by either Teucer’s shouting, mama ripping the blankets off her, or from papa banging pots and pans together. She would proceed to shiver, wrap herself in blankets, and shuffle to the fireplace downstairs. 

  The lack of noise and frost was surprising to her. For once, in her 10 years of life, she’d woken up rather peacefully.

  Until the sound of a high pitched voice cut through the air. All she could hear from the intruder was a sharp, “Oh hello!” 

  She sat up, her hand shaking Anthon awake in frantic panic, “Someone’s coming!”

  The eldest swatted her away, “Shut up.”

  “Idiot, there’s someone nearby!” Tonia took to kicking him, which only increased his annoyed grunts. Teucer, on her left, remained unconscious.

  Outside of the ruins, down the hill and on the road, the voice continued. She couldn’t make out the details of the conversation, but the pitch was obviously from a woman. It was accompanied by a softer, quieter tone, then surprisingly a man’s voice.

  Tonia elbowed Anthon in the ribcage, “Get up! If an adult finds us then we’re in trouble!”

  It was Anthon’s own idea to avoid adults that were not Miss Ying. Usually, grown ups were incredibly nosy, and would be concerned for three children traveling alone in the wilderness. While understandable, it did not bode well for their plans. The whole point of this endeavour was to show up in front of Ajax with his one true love in tow, and they could not do that if he sent them home early. 

  Anthon rubbed at his eyes and groaned once more. “I’m up, I’m up. Help me get Teucer.”

  Without another word, the two of them began to shake the youngest awake. It was usually a struggle, like waking up a corpse, and they didn’t have the pots and wooden spoons available to make the proper ruckus required. 

  Tonia heard the man’s voice again, but it sounded further away. She didn’t have much time to be relieved, though, as the sound of dead leaves crunching beneath footsteps began to approach. They drew closer, Teucer stayed asleep, and the high pitched voice increased in volume. The conversation quickly became clear. 

  “Paimon thinks that Millelith was kind of cute… Rebound, maybe?”

  “Oh my archons,” a laugh from the softer voice, “I didn’t think I’d ever hear that from you. Besides, there’s nothing to rebound from.”

  Tonia had no idea what a rebound was, but at least Teucer was awakening. The second his eyes cracked open, Anthon scooped him up and threw him on his back. Tonia made sure the youngest was safe, before the siblings made their escape deeper into the ruins. 

  The approaching footsteps continued. “Paimon wonders why the ruin guards have been acting up lately, that’s kinda weird,”

  “Maybe they’re restless, I’d be bored if I was one of them too.”

  “Yeah, seems kinda boring, just sitting around all day. But you’ve already been doing that for the last three months anyway.”

  “I could eat you, you know.”

  Tonia, Anthon, and the very startled, still drowsy Teucer, made their way down a half crumbled wall, then up a small flight of ruined stairs. Tonia shushed Teucer’s questions until the moment Anthon could find a good hiding spot.

  He chose a secluded corner that was hidden by falling stones. Sitting in the corner was a ruin guard, it’s legs stretched out and it’s hands loosely laying on the ground. Anthon dropped Teucer on his feet and clamped a sweaty hand over his mouth, “We can’t get caught yet, Ajax is going to send us home if we’re taken to him!”

  And they would have stowed away on a boat for absolutely nothing. Miss Ying had yet to be found. 

  Teucer nodded in wide eyed understanding. He huddled closer against Tonia, who huddled against Anthon, who huddled against the ruin guard. She thought she heard the click of machinery and rust, but was soon distracted by the approaching pair of women. Her heart raced as she realized that the intruders were just around the corner of their hiding spot. 

  “I could’ve sworn I heard someone, it sounded like a couple of kids.”

  “Paimon thinks you’re just going crazy.”

  “It’s possible, I do spend my days with you.”

  “Hey!”

  It was sudden, the shift in the air. Fear personified was the groan of ancient gears, and the snapping of metal. Anthon was nearly pushed to his knees by the harsh movement behind him. 

  “Mister cyclops,” Teucer whispered, “he… He can stand!”

  He certainly could. Tonia, frozen with fear, watched as the ruin guard shambled to its feet. The garbled language coming from its head sent a shiver down her spine. Every inch of her body wanted to run, but her legs felt glued to the ground. 

  “We need to move, now.” Anthon commanded. It was one of the rare times Tonia would defer leadership to him, no matter how stupid he was. He gripped her wrist and yanked in an attempt to drag both her and Teucer away. She stumbled out of the shadows, but collapsed onto her hands and knees against the dusty stones. There was nothing in her mind besides petrifying fear. 

  Tonia Alekseev and her two silly brothers were going to die today, weren’t they? It was a shame, really. Teucer hadn’t grown up yet. Anthon hadn’t lost his pre-teen stink or grown into his gangly limbs. Tonia hadn’t even kissed a boy yet. And besides all that, there was that unfinished jigsaw puzzle the trio were working on together. Now, that would never get finished. 

  Life truly was cruel, wasn’t it? She tries to do good by coming to Liyue and locating Ajax’s lost love, but instead she is crushed to death by the dirty foot of a ruin guard. Teucer remained unbearably excited all the while, somehow making the entire situation worse.

  Yet, a white and blue dress covered her line of sight. Tonia snapped back down to Teyvat. There was the flash of a sword, and a cloud of dust beneath the pair of white boots in front of her. As Tonia watched her savior lunge at the ruin guard, the world slowly came back into focus.

  “Come on,” Anthon finally succeeded in pulling his siblings further away. The youngest was about to have a heart attack with the sudden assault of the Mister cyclops, watching in horror as the woman in white cut through its inner circuitry like butter.

  “She’s killing him!” Teucer cried, “Why’s she doing that?”

  Teucer had always been like this. He never truly understood, but then again he was only seven. He hadn’t even reached double digits yet, and he rarely left the house without supervision - none of them did, really - so of course he didn’t understand that his favorite toy was a killing machine. Tonia didn’t even understand it fully. This ruin guard looked exactly like the one Ajax had brought home with a sunshiny smile. 

  She could tell that Teucer’s immaturity was getting on Anthon’s nerves, but it was a strict rule in their household to keep the youngest as innocent as possible. At least until he became old enough to comprehend the true dangers of the world, and how his favorite brother was one of them. Tonia, fortunately, was far more patient with him.

  “Hey, she’s just taking him apart so someone can come fix him, okay? He was broken.” She assured. This was exaggerated by the harsh clang of its metal body hitting the ground, cracking the stones with its downfall.

  Teucer stared up at her, “R-Really?”

  “Really!”

  The ruin guard lay face down on the ground. The woman in white stood over its body, poking it with the end of her sword as if it was a dead fish by the lake. She seemed to be satisfied after a blanket of silence settled over the abandoned ruins. 

  “Well, that wasn’t too bad,” she murmured, “are any of you hurt?”

  Not at all, thanks to her. They might have a few nightmares, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Teucer’s attention shifted entirely to their savior, “Miss! Thank you for helping to fix Mister cyclops!”

  “Mister…” she stared down at the ruin guard, before turning to face the children. Tonia felt Anthon tense in shock. His cheeks turned a bright, splotchy red. “Mister cyclops?”

  The confusion on her face was obvious. She was pretty, so it was no wonder Anthon froze entirely. He always did that when a girl caught his attention. To quote Ajax, ‘being 12 is hard’. She wouldn’t know, she wasn’t quite there yet. 

  As her heart calmed from the fear, Tonia stepped up to speak, “That’s what we call these. They’re my brother’s favorite, uh… toy, I guess.”

  His favorite toy that just tried to kill them. The woman raised a brow, “You guys shouldn’t be out here with these things, where’re your parents?”

  Millions of miles away, probably searching high and low for their three youngest children, planning their funerals and/or subsequent grounding. As per usual. 

  Before anybody could answer, something whirled into appearance at the woman’s shoulder. White hair and an odd dress, a sparkle of constellations and a childish glare, Tonia couldn’t quite figure out what she was supposed to be. Yet, it immediately began speaking, “Paimon thinks these kids are lookin’ for trouble! Maybe it’s a trap from some treasure hoarders…”

  “That’s a cool toy!” Teucer gasped. 

  “Paimon’s not a toy!”

  And this Paimon was the other voice Tonia had heard earlier. They didn’t seem like rude or evil people, but she and Anthon knew to avoid the discussion of their parents at all costs.

  Anthon decided to get straight to point - despite his blush and nervous stutter, “L-Lady, uh, we’re looking for someone. Maybe you’ve seen her?”

  The woman and the floating pixie shared a look before answering, “What’s she look like?”

  “W-We don’t know, we've never met her. We just know that she’s blonde and about your height.”

  “So you’re looking for someone that you never met?” She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, “That’s odd. Why’re you looking for her?”

  Anthon cast Tonia a rare glance that screamed of ‘help me’. He never asked her for help unless a pretty girl was involved. It was as if every point of intelligence in his brain dropped to zero. 

  She cleared her throat to take over, “So, basically, our big brother works here as a… toy seller,” Teucer nodded along obliviously. Tonia ignored him and continued, “And he fell in love with his secretary, but she went missing about three months ago! And he’s been super sad, so we came here to Liyue to look for her!”

  A pause. A blanket of thick, heavy silence.

  “That sounds a lot like yours and Childe’s situation…” Paimon muttered. 

  Anthon stared up at her, “How do you know my brother’s alias?”

  Silence, again. Teucer whispered, “What’s an alias?” Though nobody would answer him.

  “...But Childe isn’t a toy seller, Paimon,” she informed, “so obviously it’s not him.”

  The pixie gave a nod, “You're right. It’s just another Childe who had his heart shattered by you.”

  “Why’s it have to be me? I’m not the only secretary in Liyue. And I’m not even a real secretary.”

  “Paimon was being sarcastic!”

  She huffed, “Well you’re not very good at it.”

  There was obviously a connection there. With Teucer being entirely oblivious, and Anthon too nervous about the presence of a cute girl, it was left up to Tonia to put the pieces together.

  “Miss?”

  Both her and the pixie stopped mid-argument.

  This was a stretch, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. She gulped down her nervousness and anticipation, “Are you… Ying?”

  A pregnant pause.

  It felt as if there had been a lot of drawn out, awkward silences within the last several minutes. The woman froze, Paimon stared, trees whispered against the warm breeze. And the silence continued.

  Until finally, Paimon shattered it, “Don’t you dare even think about it.”

  The pixie glared heavily at the woman who was very-possibly-most-likely Ying. Whatever Paimon was warning her about, it was obvious that it had no effect. She was thinking about it. 

  “I mean…” she began, whispering, “It wouldn’t hurt, would it? I could escort them to the harbor and pass on a message, and then it’s all over and done with.”

  “You know that’s not what’ll happen! You’re too weak against the stupid ginger idiot to stay away!”

  “Well, someone’s got to escort them back!” She defended.

  Paimon glared, then zipped in closer to her face, trying her best to seem threatening, “You can escort them, but don’t go into Liyue, and don’t even think of talking to Childe.”

  “It’ll be fine, I have more self control than you think.” The maybe-perhaps Ying swatted at her like a buzzing bee. 

  While Tonia didn’t understand half of the conversation, she was able to gather that the flying pixie didn’t like her brother. Unless they were mistaken and it truly was a different ‘Childe’ that they were speaking of. She watched the pixie huff, glare, then twirl away in a flurry of constellations, thoroughly amazing Teucer in the process. 

  Relieved of the nagging, the blonde girl sighed and smiled. She knelt down in front of the trio, “I’m Ying, your brother’s ex-secretary. And you three are… If I remember correctly, Anthon, Tonia, and Teucer, right?”

  Her smile was like the sun behind the clouds, like the smell of wet grass after a heavy downpour. Three months of reading Ajax’s letters, three months of wondering if Ying was even alive anymore, and here she was. 

  Tonia was about ready to squeeze her until she couldn’t breathe. Yet, Anthon spoke before she could, “So you’re already taken? Dammit.”

  “Hey, you can’t swear,” Teucer reprimanded, “I’m telling big brother when we see him.”

  “Oh yeah? Dammit, dammit, dammit.”

  “Stop it!”

  Tonia proceeded to ignore her brother’s bickering. She stepped forward to shake Ying’s hand, “I-I’m Tonia, but I guess you already knew that. You have no idea how much we’ve heard about you!”

  “I… have some idea…” She faltered, before smiling again, “But what’re you doing in Liyue? Does Childe know you’re here?”

  “Not at all! We came to find you.”

  She blinked, face paling, “Why?”

  Because she was all Ajax ever wrote about anymore. Because it was obvious in his letters that he thought she was dead, and had turned over every rock in Liyue just to find her. Because Tonia believed in true love and it’s power, and she wanted her brother to be happy. There were plenty of reasons, so much so that Ying’s fear and confusion was shocking. 

  Tonia and Anthon shared a look. Ying did not seem as happy to be found as they thought she’d be. 

  “My big brother loves you.” Teucer broke the silence with a smart nod, “He’s super sad. So we came to find you. So… Come on, let’s go see him already!”

  As if it could be that easy. Ying offered a nervous, hesitant smile, “Well, like I told Paimon, I can escort you guys to Liyue Harbor, but I don’t think I should go see your brother.”

  Tonia’s heart skipped a sickening beat, “Why not?”

  “Because…” she sighed, “Just because. It’s a bit hard to explain, but he’ll understand it one day.”

  This sounded familiar. The fear, the confusion and hesitation, Tonia had seen it all before. She nodded in understanding, interrupting her brother's counter arguments as she stepped forward and took Miss Ying’s hands into her own. 

  “You’re afraid, aren’t you? The reason is obvious.”

  “...Oh?”

  “Because of your status as a commoner.” She informed. 

  Ying blinked. Anthon snorted. Tonia stared heavily, confident in her assumptions. 

  “Uh, yeah. Sure, let's go with that.”

  She went on, “It’s okay, so was Cinderella, you know. She ran out of the ball because she didn’t want to be seen as the commoner she truly was, but the prince loved her anyway. And I know our family is super rich and that may be intimidating, but our big brother really does love you.”

  It was the truth, and quite a good moral lesson, in her opinion. Ying grinned and ruffled her hair before standing up, “That’s really sweet, but I don’t think he loves me.”

  “But he does! I know he does!” Teucer defended. He clenched his hands and stomped his foot, “And we came all the way here just to bring you back to him!”

  She sighed, “Again, that’s really sweet, but there are big reasons why we can’t be together.”

  “Miss Ying, why did you disappear?” Anthon asked, “Was there even a good reason for it? Were you really kidnapped?”

  “I… I can’t really explain that easily either.”

  Adults never could. It was always too complicated, or it would take too long. The background was muddled and unclear and complex. Tonia was tired of it. She huffed and glared, “I think it’s fate that we found each other! We could have searched all over and never known it was you, but here you are! So please, please! At least give our brother a chance?”

  Ying thought for a moment. The hesitation was clear on her face, in the twiddle of her thumbs, in the bouncing of her knee. She sighed from her head to her toes before answering, “I’ll take you back to the harbor, but I truly cannot see your brother, I’m sorry.”

  And that was that. The decision was final, completely made. Tonia thought of her storybooks where the princes and princesses could not be together for one reason or another. But they always made it in the end, why couldn’t Ajax and Ying? 

  Disappointment was bitter. It made her stomach hurt. 

  “Lets go,” Ying forced a smile, “I want to get you guys back to safety as soon as possible.”

  Before Tonia and Teucer could argue, Anthon gripped their hands. He silenced them both with a look. As Ying brushed past them and led the way out of the ruins, he took the opportunity to whisper to his siblings, “Once we get into town, we’ll just act super lost until she has to take us to big brother personally. Then, we can keep her there, and reunite them.”

  It was terribly manipulative, and one of the few intelligent things to ever cross Anthon’s mind. The trio high fived, right as Ying called out from nearby, “Are you coming?”

  “Y-Yes Miss Ying!” 

   Paimon was angry, and Lumine did not blame her in the least. It was natural to huddle close to a fire when cold, but if you got burned, that was your own damn fault. 

  Lumine was, most likely, about to be burned. 

  “Wow,” Anthon and Teucer both ran ahead to inspect the long bridge spanning across the waters. She listened to their excited shouts from a distance, “This is so cool!”

  Liyue was pretty cool, and she imagined that the children didn’t have much time to explore the city itself upon arrival. From what Tonia told her, they stepped off the boat and immediately ran into the wilderness. 

  How they were expecting to find Ying in this huge region, though, she’d never know. They were fortunate that Lumine was passing through at the time. Perhaps it was fate as Tonia had said, or insane coincidence. She simply knew that she could not, in good conscience, leave three kids alone in the wilderness. 

  The giant golden and red gates loomed ahead of her. She could see the towering staircases and wooden buildings that made up the harbor, coupled with the ever-bustling port. Liyue Harbor looked the same as ever, and Lumine felt her heart clench the second she stepped onto the bridge. 

  Tonia stopped to watch her. The little girl was sweet, with brown hair in a pair of messy braids, and blue eyes that were just as analytical as Childe’s. And she was obviously concerned for her brother. It was exactly what Lumine would do if Aether’s heart had been broken; She’d find the girl and drag her back where she belonged no matter what she had to do. Lumine could respect that, and felt bad for keeping so much from her. Yet, it truly was more complicated than simple fear. It was betrayal, it was lies, it was good versus evil and morally grey areas that Lumine, even as a 500 year old, didn’t quite comprehend. 

  Fortunately, this charade would not last for much longer. 

  “So, you’ll be safe here, there’s Millelith everywhere. If anyone grabs you, just scream.” Lumine informed. Tonia nodded along, while her brothers leaned over the railing of the bridge and pointed at the blue waters below. 

  “So you’re really not coming with us?” She asked. 

  “I’m really not.” A grimace, then a forced smile, “But trust me, it’s all for the best.” As everything in her life was. 

  Tonia put her hands behind her back and swayed in place for a minute, “Okay… So, how do we get to this bank he’s at?”

  Surely, the three of them would be okay making it Northland bank on their own. They’d sailed from one end of Teyvat to the other by themselves, and from what she knew of Snezhnaya, it was even more crowded than Liyue. They should be just fine. Lumine reminded herself that these were Childe’s siblings, they were a bit more resourceful and worldly than other kids. 

  If only she was that courageous. Lumine couldn’t imagine facing Childe, especially as herself. She couldn’t imagine looking him in the eye, seeing realization flash across his face. How he’d react, she had no idea, she didn’t quite want to know. 

  She missed being brave and bold. She missed the lack of romance and affection, attached to the days of her and Aether and the uncomplicated relationship between the two of them. The second someone else enters the picture, and Lumine collapses like rotten wood. It was pitiful. 

  Ignoring this, she led Tonia to her brothers taking a moment to make sure all three were listening, “Alright, so you go straight, and then you turn left until you pass by the souvenir shop, then you go right up the stairs and all the way to the top. There, you should see a big guy guarding a big set of doors. He should be wearing a black coat. Just tell him you’re there to see Childe.”

  Teucer gripped both hands in excitement, “Is that where big brother’s toy offices are?”

  Lumine didn’t quite understand the toy seller thing either, but Tonia and Anthon played along with the youngest rather naturally - she could take a hint, “That’s where his office is, yes. Just tell the guard that you’re from Snezhnaya, and you shouldn’t have any problems.”

  “Yes ma’am!”

  “And when you see your brother…” 

  And when they saw him, then what? When Ying was not at their sides, what could they possibly say that would ease whatever he was feeling? She knew that he could not be nearly as heartbroken as the children described. It was most likely his pride that was hurt, having lost a secretary from right under his nose. 

  Nevertheless, Lumine found herself forming the closest thing to a conclusion she could think of. Paimon would have her head for this, but the anxious pull in her chest was irresistible. 

  “Tell him that Ying said she’s sorry, and that he can stop looking for her. Tell him… T-That I’m okay.”

  That was all he’d ever get. And that was all Lumine could truly give. I’m sorry, I’m okay, you can stop looking. She didn’t want to face the cruelty of it all.

  Whether the cruelty was born of her own actions, or the situation at hand. She refused to face that question either. 

  Tonia gave her hand a comforting squeeze, yet Anthon only snorted, “Women are complicated and weird.”

  Teucer nodded along as if he understood. His joke was enough to lift Lumine’s spirits, if only for a second, “Yes, we really are. Now get going, and don’t get kidnapped.”

  “Yes ma’am!”

  Tonia and Teucer both squeezed her tight. Anthon looked as if he wanted to hug her, but couldn’t muster up the courage through his red-hot cheeks. After a series of back pats and hair ruffles, the trio set off into the crowds of Liyue. 

  Lumine watched them go with a heavy heart. She’d met his family, at least half of it. And that would have to be good enough. 

  She leaned against the railing and watched the water below. It was calming to keep an eye on the waves for a bit. She would give the kids about five minutes before she left. Leaving them in the Millelith’s care would be perfectly safe. 

  Yet, only two minutes later, Anthon came rushing back towards her. 

  His arms flailed wildly, his eyes were wide. Teucer and Tonia followed from a distance. “Miss Ying! Miss Ying!” He screeched, yanking her from her thoughts, “We can’t find it!”

  They couldn’t find it. She supposed that was normal, Liyue could be a bit overwhelming at first glance. She pushed away from the railing and sighed, “I’ll repeat the directions. Okay? Listen carefully.”

  Tonia and Teucer caught up. They rested their hands on their knees and breathed heavily for a moment, while Lumine waited until they could listen. Finally, she spoke, “Go straight down this bridge, and then you turn left until you pass by the souvenir shop. Then, go right up the stairs and all the way to the top. Talk to the guy with the black coat and tell him you’re there to see Childe.”

  “Yes ma’am!” Little salutes and confident smiles. Her heart clenched again as she watched them leave.  

  Anthon held Tonia’s hand, who held Teucer’s, who was promptly dragged along the bridge. She waited until they reached the street, then noticed that the trio proceeded to turn in the complete opposite direction. 

  She would give it another two minutes. 

  This time, it only took one minute and 15 seconds for the children to come running back. “Miss Ying! Miss Ying! We can’t find the man in the black coat!”

  She had not left her spot at all, only shifting to glance at Anthon’s frantic arrival, “That’s because you went right, when I told you to go left.”

  He gasped, “O-Okay! We’ll try going left!”

  She watched as the trio took their leave. This time, they went left. 

  Lumine would give it another five minutes, just in case. 

  And two minutes later: “Miss Ying! Miss Ying! What did you say about a staircase? We can’t remember!”

  They were sneaky, truly related to Childe. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Anthon, who only grinned back innocently. His expression was clear; He could do this all day. 

  It seemed as if this was really happening. Lumine had been prepared for the chance of seeing Childe, and what she might do. She imagined crying, or perhaps fighting, or perhaps both. Maybe apologizing, but she didn’t quite feel like doing that. She was simply conducting business. 

  Even if that business made her heart clench and stole all her breath away in the sickest of ways. 

  Yet, just for this kind of circumstance, she had brought along her old uniform. Just in case. Lumine sighed heavily and ignored the sudden churn of anxiety in her stomach, “Fine, I’ll take you there myself. Just give me a minute to get into uniform.”

  The kids let out a unified cheer. Lumine rolled her eyes and walked to the end of the bridge, towards the general foods shop where she could use the back room to change, “Wait here.”

  Another, “Yes ma’am!”

  They really were like little soldiers. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was how all Snezhnayan children were, though these three were certainly far happier than any Snezhnayan adult she’d ever met. They were sweet, and the least she could do was see them to the bank safely. 

  Lumine said her hellos to the owner before asking to use the restroom. As she slid the door shut to give herself some privacy, she could only sigh at how truly easily she’d given in. She could just ask a guard to escort them, or have Paimon do it, or just go as herself and avoid any more secrets and lies. 

  Yet, Lumine had grown quite accustomed to secrets and lies. They were comfortable. 

  “I’m weak,” she murmured as her Fatui uniform was summoned from her pocket universe. Frantic, she unlaced her white dress and slipped out of the familiar clothes. 

  It couldn’t possibly be that bad, though, not at all. She would wear her mask and put her hood up, escort the children to Vlad, and then take her leave. And even if the doors to the bank did open, what were the chances that Childe was even there? He was probably up in his office, or even absent from the city entirely. 

  The chance was slim. Lumine would be just fine. Adjusting her stockings, she stepped out of the back room and into the street, “Okay, lets go.”

   “Miss Ying,” Tonia spoke up, “why did you need to change outfits?”

  Precautions. And because as far as Childe knew, the traveler was in Inazuma. But of course she couldn’t tell Tonia that. 

  “We’ll be safer this way.” It was all she could say. 

  Truthfully, she just didn’t want to look at Childe’s face as he realized Ying was Lumine. She didn’t want to deal with that right now - and that was only on the off chance that she even saw him. 

  Which, of course, she won’t. He won’t be there, and she’ll have nothing to worry about. 

  Slipping the leather mask back over her eyes was both a comfort, and a pain. Lumine did her best to cover the distress on her face in front of the kids, but Tonia squeezed her hand affectionately nevertheless. She’d only known this little girl for an hour or two now, and she already adored her. 

  Anthon seemed oblivious to Ying’s struggle. He held Teucer’s hand, then took Tonia’s, “Let’s go tell big brother the good news! Even if Miss Ying won’t see him.”

  She forced a smile, “He’ll be fine, I’m sure he’s not nearly as sad as you think.”

  “Oh no, he’s sad.” Teucer nodded, “Heartbroken.”

  “Crushed.” Anthon finished.

  “Shattered, torn apart,” Tonia went on, “but I understand that you’re afraid. Just show us the way, Miss Ying!”

  Childe couldn’t possibly be all of those things. Childe wasn’t even the type to dwell on the past, his losses, or melancholy. He was a one track minded optimist who wasted no time sulking over a secretary he kissed once or twice.

  The kids were obviously exaggerating. Nevertheless, Lumine led them through the streets and to the stairs that rose up to the bank. They passed the tea shop, and as Vlad came into view, Lumine put the hood of her coat up over her hair.

  She truly did not miss this uniform. Yet, if she’d shown up as the traveler, it would cause too much of a ruckus for her tastes. If any Fatui saw her, they’d just assume she was a field agent who had found a couple of kids.

  Yet, Vlad’s gaze lingered on her approach. Lumine refused to look at him, shifting uncomfortably beneath his stare. With the kids in tow, she stopped in front of the double doors of the bank. 

  “Okay, we’re here. So stay out of trouble and-“

  Anthon rammed the doors open. 

  A beat of silence. A halted conversation. Teucer’s wide eyes and his sunshine smile. 

  Lumine was glued to the spot. Her heart fell out of her chest and to the floor, suddenly shattering into thousands of irretrievable pieces. 

  “Big brother!” 

  Teucer shot past her waist. He was like an arrow let loose, aimed right for the Harbinger standing in the lobby. Instantly, he had nearly tackled Childe to the ground.

  He was right there. 

  Lumine, first, could only stare at his boots. After a moment, she was able to move up his legs, and to the familiar red scarf at his back. She watched his waist shift, a gloved hand burying itself into a head of ginger hair. The clenching in her chest, the memory of something from months ago. She thought these words were locked away in the inner recesses of her mind, never to be thought of again. 

   I think I’m falling in love with you.

   Lumine could hardly register Tonia’s arm linking with hers, nor the voices echoing through the room. There was Ekaterina, gawking and stuttering. There was Anthon, sauntering up to the Harbinger and punching him in the arm. Tonia, at her side and begging her to stay. Teucer latching himself to his brother like a leech. It was all a garbled, inaudible mess. 

  Childe was, unfortunately, in the lobby. And the second the doors had opened, his eyes landed on her.

  And they stayed there, lingering on the tendrils of blonde sticking out from beneath her hood. The curve of her jaw and her lips. The mask, the uniform, the shoes. 

  She forced herself to look him in the eye across the room.

  And she’d never seen a man so… 

  Lumine couldn’t even place it. Wide eyes, parted lips, a heaving chest as if someone had stolen his oxygen. 

  She was frozen in place.

  Teucer craned his neck to look up at him, “Aren't you going to say hi?”

  “Now’s not the time, Teuc!” Tonia’s reprimand tore Lumine out of her own world, “Let him see Ying first!”

  Ying. Ying. Ying.

  Childe took one step towards her, “Ying?”

  And Lumine ran.

Chapter Text

Running away from one of Teyvat’s most powerful individuals was, typically, not wise. Rather, one might be expected to curl into a ball and await their imminent, and very painful, demise. 

 However, running away from an ex-boyfriend was an entirely different matter.

  Lumine chose to view the circumstances through a subjective lense. Childe wasn’t a Fatui Harbinger (he was), he was her ex-boyfriend - whom she had only dated for one day, and hardly even a whole one (he was also that). Somehow, that made the decision to escape much easier. Her legs felt lighter as she rushed down the stairs of the Northland Bank and jumped from the railing. 

  She shouldn’t have escorted the kids there personally. Fatui crawled all over the city, she could have grabbed one and forced them to be their escort. Obvious though it was, in hindsight, it seemed as though anything involving Childe made Lumine just a notch dumber. Her choices, that much less well-thought out. She cursed herself as she slipped through the bustling crowd, glancing over her shoulder to check if she was followed. 

   The wonderful thing about Liyue is the constantly busy streets. The shock of a girl jumping from the high railing only lasted several seconds before they moved on - they had places to be, after all. Even when Osial was summoned, several stalls had still been open. 

  She used the throng to her advantage, disappearing behind the sea of people just as Childe appeared outside of Northland Bank. Her immediate target was an alleyway filled with crates to take cover behind. Luckily, there was also no shortage of those. There was too much distance to see his expression clearly, but it was obvious that he wasn’t happy. Teucer hung off his arm, oblivious to his brother’s distress. His innocence was enviable. 

  The longer she stared, however, the more her will wavered. It wouldn’t be wise to linger.

  Under normal circumstances, Lumine would feel bad for leaving three children alone in a den of Fatui - or anywhere, for that matter. Childe was a good big brother, Harbinger or not, and she’d just have to trust that.

   Circling back to the subject of running away from one of Teyvat’s most powerful, ruthless men, Lumine was getting the feeling that Liyue’s sudden Sneznhayan infestation was his work. Maybe, in her absence, he’d grown out of the habit of taking his sweet time to deliver orders to his subordinates, not unless it was urgent. 

  Or, perhaps, he’d simply found a faster secretary. That’d be great, and not at all bitter or sour-tasting on her tongue. Good for him. 

  The pestilence was black and red and grey, clusters of men and women meandering down the road and stopping each passerby. Lumine watched from the cliff above as a merchant begrudgingly answered each question.

  It was the same situation further North. A cicin mage was seen actually trying to be normal for once. She didn’t shock the poor man she cornered, she asked him a few questions and let him go without any problems. Like, actually spoke . Weird.

   And the skirmishers to the East, too. Just yesterday, Paimon reported that she saw something odd while picking berries; A hydro gunner speaking to a traveling historian, once again just asking questions . Nobody died. Very suspicious. 

   It was the Snezhnayan Inquisition, though a lot less violent than any number of other inquisitions Lumine could list. 

  “I just need to hear what they’re saying,” she scooted closer to the edge and craned her neck, ignoring Paimon’s hands pulling at her hair as if that was enough to keep her from falling.

  “They’re gonna see you!” The pixie screeched, which was definitely loud enough to catch the Fatui’s attention. She held her breath for one second, two seconds... Safe.

  Lumine sat up with a sigh, “The Fatui all think I’m in Inazuma, and they’ve stopped hunting me in Liyue, so I doubt they’d even recognize me anymore.”

  “Right, because you’re so easy to forget.” Paimon scoffed and yanked at the traveler’s hair once again, coaxing her back into a hiding spot behind a tree. Below, the group of Fatui were still questioning the frustrated merchant.

  Once settled, the traveler swatted gently at her friend, “Apparently I am easy to forget, Childe hasn’t noticed any similarities between Ying and I. It’s like his memory of Lumine is completely blank.”

  “That’s because he was too busy staring at your boobs in that white dress of yours!”

  She gasped in horror, her arms automatically shooting up to cover the aforementioned cleavage, “No he wasn’t!”

  “Yes he was! Paimon saw him stealing glances when you were doing all the Rex Lapis funeral stuff!”

  “T-That pervert! And at a funeral ?”

  “He’s nasty!”

  Lumine wasn’t sure why she was surprised. She’d pseudo-dated the man for several months, and officially dated him for about, less-than, approximately one day. She wasn’t at all unfamiliar with his affections or enjoyment of her body. 

  However, to imply that he didn’t recognize that Ying was Lumine because he was too busy staring at Lumine’s breasts was not what she wanted to hear.

   “He was focused on the mission,” she insisted in his defense, “and we barely interacted, the most we spoke was during the battle and I was covered in blood and dust the entire time, and I didn’t see him for months after all that happened. Of course he didn’t recognize me, we didn’t know each other.”

   Paimon huffed and crossed her arms, floating languidly before her companion, like a drifting cloud. “Yeah… He probably blocked your face out of his mind because you kicked his ass so thoroughly.”

   “Sounds about right.”

   Silence fell between them. The Fatui inquisitors remained inaudible below, their tantalizing conversation disguised by the sound of rustling leaves in the tree above her. Lumine twisted over her shoulder to watch them.

   “It’s just so weird,” she whispered, “What’s going on?”

   “Maybe... they’re taking surveys?”

   A scoff, “Surveys?”

   “Like customer satisfaction surveys.” Paimon nodded sagely, as if pleased with herself. 

   Lumine highly doubted that the Fatui took surveys, let alone cared about “customer service”. They didn’t even provide dental insurance, she knew because new recruits bothered Ying about sending letters to higher-ups about it all the time. She had to constantly remind them that she wasn't HR, nor did she think there was even an HR department in the first place. 

  The sound of the merchant hitching up his cart recaptured her attention. The group of Fatui were gathering their findings, murmuring amongst themselves as they prepared to take their leave. Lumine expected them to turn East and head back to Liyue Harbor, yet they continued West towards the Chasm. 

  Like the skirmishers and the cicins, they were doing something she’d never seen their type do. These Fatui were the pencil-pushers and guards, they brought diplomats their drinks and manned the front counters of the banks. It was rare to find them traveling in groups on the roads, it was rare to see them outside the city at all.

  Lumine pushed herself up to creep along the tree line, “It’s been like this for the last three days. I need to figure out what’s going on.”

  “Yeah, ever since you saw Mister Moneybags…” Paimon trailed off in thought. Pursing her lips, she floated at Lumine’s shoulder before plopping down, using her scarf as a handle, “Do you think it's all connected to that?”

  Lumine frowned, “I don’t think so. If he was looking for Ying he would’ve already been trying over the last several months. This is… different, I haven’t seen anything like this .”

  “But didn’t Lisa say that he’s been ‘tearing apart Liyue to find you’?”

  Lumine tensed in irritation. She despised it when her pixie friend caught her off guard with that snotty, know-it-all tone. They bickered like siblings in a way she never did with Aether. 

  “Well, Lisa has a tendency to dramatize.”

  “... Didn’t he confront Ningguang and demand to know where Ying was?”

  “He was just looking for a fight, obviously.”

  “Sure,” Paimon’s gaze (and tone) fell flat, “You can think that if you want.”

   She did want to. The truth hurt, and Lumine wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to face it yet.

   How funny that, just last week, she was determined to be authentic while in Liyue. She promised Lisa that she would be Lumine, genuinely, and if she encountered Childe? Well, he would just have to “deal with it”. Whatever that meant. 

   She had encountered Childe, however, it had been while wearing a Fatui uniform. The kids called her Ying right in front of him. It was one giant step backwards (or many more) when all she wanted was to move forwards. 

   Right now, though, she had to figure out why the Fatui were crawling across Liyue like a colony of roaches. Ignoring Paimon’s pointed gaze, Lumine continued stalking the desk-folk through the trees. The group began heading towards the inn in the mountains. She could only hope that the old man had repaired the paper wall she’d fallen through ages ago - and the bed Childe broke, and the door, and whatever other damage their constant hurricane of a relationship had inflicted on his establishment. Perhaps that was a topic best avoided. 

  Once she ran out of cliff, Lumine jumped down to use the forest as her cover instead. This particular group of, admittedly, clerks was not trained well for reconnaissance and had yet to show any sign of awareness of their surroundings. She caught the tail end of a conversation about how annoying it was to work under Tartaglia. A smile played at her lips, Ying had her fair share of those discussions, mostly over drinks and hushed whispers. It was one particular aspect she missed. 

  Paimon lingered behind her shoulder, “Paimon still can’t hear them.”

  “Do you think you could float closer without being seen?” 

   She gasped in horror, “And get skewered? No way!”

   While Lumine had full assurance that Paimon would not be skewered - those pencil pushers couldn’t aim for anything - she wouldn’t dare put her friend in an uncomfortable situation. Sighing in thought, she peaked at the group from behind the tree line, “I just need to make contact somehow…”

  “Paimon’s pretty sure they’re harmless,” a light tug at her hair, “You said that Childe saw Ying, right? And the kids probably told him about meeting you.”

  Lumine grimaced at the memory. She stood in the doorway of the Northland bank, the familiar tightness of the Fatui uniform hugging her waist. Blue eyes, wild hair that stuck out more than she remembered - it looked as if he’d been running his hands through it from stress. He stared at her. She stared at him. The world shattered like thin ice.

  Nonetheless, just because he looked at a blonde girl in a Fatui uniform does not mean it’s connected to the recent movements of the Liyuean Fatui division. 

  “I don’t think it’s connected.”

  “You’re stubborn.” Paimon grumbled.

   She knew that, though she couldn’t work up the energy to care. Lumine was already racking her brain for whatever disguises were held in her pocket storage, “Maybe if I dress like a commoner they’ll stop to question me as well.”

   “That’s a good idea! Maybe it really is a survey!”

    ‘How would you rate your satisfaction with the summoning of Osial on a scale of 1-10?’ Lumine could see it now. 

   After a moment of thought, the bitter truth settled in. Her stomach flipped in anxiety, “The only other outfit I have is my Fatui uniform. I guess I could just go in my usual dress, like I said earlier they probably won’t recognize me-“

   “Even if they won’t they’ll still know that you’re not a normal civilian!” Paimon interjected, “and Paimon still thinks it’s too risky. Your clothes are too unusual.”

  True enough, her dress earned unwanted attention far too often. That left the Fatui uniform as her only option.

  “I might be able to blend in better with this anyway,” she summoned the coat and dress, bundling them in her arms with a grimace. She’d been hoping to never have to wear them again. The shadows of the forest concealed her hasty costume change. 

  After several minutes of fumbling with zippers - Paimon helped - and bemoaning potential blisters from those dreaded leather boots, Lumine was ready. Ying had returned until further notice.

  The group of Fatui were resting on the side of the road as she stumbled out of the trees. Every masked eye turned to lock onto her. And Lumine, being herself, chose that very moment to nearly trip over a pothole in the road while attempting to pull leaves out of her hair - like chewing bubblegum and walking at the same time, a bad idea. 

  There were only five of them, thankfully, but they all rose with guarded posture at her arrival. The obvious leader of the group stepped forward just as she lifted a hand to wave, attempting to recover from nearly tripping in front of them all, “Hey, uh, what’s up?”

  What’s up? She's undercover, investigating this anomaly concerning her enemy and she says what’s up. Lumine wondered if she’d lost her touch over the last three months. 

  The leader raised a brow above his mask. Silence ensued. 

  “Uh, so anyway,” She went on, “I’m on patrol around here and I saw you guys coming through so I thought I’d see what you were doing. Unless it’s confidential then I totally get it.”

  It was official, she’d lost her touch.

  “Sir,” one of the younger recruits whispered to the leader and shimmied closer to his shoulder, “look at the picture, it’s her. It looks just like her.”

  Lumine hadn’t even noticed the man holding a kamera photo. She could hardly see it from her angle, but it looked like one of the hundreds that Childe had taken of her in his many attempts to be as annoying as humanly possible.

  Wonderful. Paimon’s intuition was on a roll. 

  “So, how about Tartaglia?” She snorted and faked a laugh, “He’s terrible to work under, right? Such a slave driver.”

   The captain glanced between her and the picture several times more. Lumine caught a glimpse of the familiar blonde hair, her hand blurred in the image. She recalled that day. Childe kept taking pictures and she kept trying to break his kamera.

  Damn it all. 

  “Her hair is shorter, but it’s definitely her.” The leader appraised Lumine. His eyes ran up and down her body before he raised a hand to test her height, “Yeah, she fits the measurements.”

  Paimon was right. She hates it when Paimon’s right. 

  All the traveler could do in this type of situation was exactly the thing she did best: run. 

    “Lord Tartaglia said she’s a runner! Catch her immediately!”

   She was fast, but she was also in mildly uncomfortable shoes. The heavy coat and the humidity of Liyue were no help either. Somehow, in some manner unknown to her, the sound of heavy breathing and racing feet approached from behind. Lumine continued pushing her legs as quickly as they could move.