Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Drowning madly in deep blue seas 

Waves of sadness swallow me 

No soul can hear me beneath the weight 

No gods or saviors, no hands of fate 

I want to be saved

[The Pretty Reckless - Only Love Can Save Me Now ]

Freedom. Furina had often fantasized, over those long and lonely five centuries, about what freedom would feel like if she was ever truly granted it. She had imagined exhilaration, immense relief, overwhelming joy… perhaps a bit of directionless melancholy as she found herself. 

As she turns the Vision over in her hands, it forms the perfect metaphor to the freedom she has finally gained. She does indeed feel all of those things, but what she didn't expect was the sheer terror of it. Of not knowing her role, or who she truly was beneath the layered masks she wore. Not “Furina de Fontaine, Focalors, (false) Archon of Hydro, Regina of all Waters, Kindreds, Peoples and Laws” and not “Furina, powerless citizen fallen from grace” either. Just… Furina, free to be whoever she chooses for herself. An exhilarating, terrifying thing, isn't it. The right to choose. 

She closes her fingers around the Vision, feeling the clamshell-texture of the metal setting beneath the pads of her fingertips. Some small part of her had expected, when it descended from the shadowed ceiling of the Opera Epiclese, that she would stumble onto a direction naturally, like a disordered pathway suddenly lining up. But in the weeks that followed, it was growing more and more obvious that living her normal day to day life- even if that life now included some time set aside for combat and Vision training in the woods- was not going to suddenly shine a stagelight on the direction she wanted her life to go. A return to the stage was all well and good, but building the future of her life around it? She had done that once, and though she found herself enjoying acting again, she had no idea of making it her purpose in life again. No, it seemed more and more apparent that whatever direction she wanted her life to take, whatever sign she was subconsciously looking for, she would have to go find it herself. 

A journey of self discovery, isn't that the term? Of course… Furina is about as far from acquainted with ‘self discovery’ as a person can get, and her rare wanderings as (fake) Archon never took her that far afield from the safer, more populated parts of Fontaine. She clips the Vision back into its place in her ribbon and settles her face into her hands, internally cursing herself as she's thinking herself into circles. 

Thankfully, her chaotic, spiraling reverie is broken by a painful growl in her stomach, reminding her that it's well past time for lunch. With a sigh, she sets a pot of water on the heat to prepare her Macaroni, and goes about searching through her sauce reserves for tonight's accompaniment. 

~

Macaroni bolognese was the special of the day at Salon Solitaire this time. Somehow, she learned that imagining every meal was being served by a fancy restaurant really did make things taste better, even if she made them herself. And even if, as hard as it was to admit out loud when the Traveler and Paimon so rudely teased her about it, it would never actually be served in a fancy restaurant. 

Right. The Traveler and Paimon. If anyone knew anything about a ‘journey of self-discovery’, it was the Traveler. At least, if the reports she gathered leading up to the blonde cannonball of chaos’ arrival in Fontaine were anything to go by. The many, many reports. It's not like she was obsessed or anything; the Traveler was an unknown quantity at first, and then a potential danger who caused chaos and calamity in her wake- it was important for her, as Archon, to keep track of what that kind of troublemaker had accomplished in other nations. 

Of course, then she met her for real, faced with that steely resolution and unstoppable force of will. The face-off at the docks was one thing, but the humiliation she suffered at the subsequent trial was another. And then the Traveler came to her rescue when facing the Knave across her table, a woman who sent chills down her spine and occupied some of her coldest, most dreadful nightmares. Then that brief connection, that belief that maybe, just maybe, she might have found someone who could relieve her pain just the slightest bit… and then it was dashed onto the rocks right in front of her, stabbed in the back and left reeling, humiliated and utterly, terrifyingly broken as everything seemed to crash down around her. 

Suffice to say, her feelings about the blonde are complicated. She still remembers the sheer terror when faced with the primordial seawater test, weighing her curse against the water's effects and yet fully expecting she might dissolve on the spot. The thought sickened her now, but the worst part, in her mind, is that at the time… all she thought was “will I… finally be free?”

She shakes her head. Best not to dwell on such things. She still had to reconcile her feelings about the Traveler before setting off to find them. Where was she… ah, yes. The trial. It really did break her, necessary though it was for Fontaine's future. And, though Lumine had helped guide her back to the stage and to some semblance of happiness… she never apologized, either. Which shouldn't eat at her so much, surely! And yet, she wanted so badly to hear those words, a simple “I'm sorry” from the Traveler's lips would go very far in lightening her mood. 

She buries her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated whine and kicking her feet against the legs of her chair. Thinking about the Traveler always brought up some feelings she really wasn't ready to confront. Maybe she shouldn't try to solve every single emotion she couldn't put to name right off the bat. And, as much as she hates to admit it, perhaps it would be easier to figure out the root cause beneath these murky, nameless feelings if she actually spoke to the blonde heroine once again. 

“Right!” She says to herself, lifting her head from her hands and glancing at the windows, curtains cracked just enough to let in the light- She wasn't exactly looking for people to ogle the living state of the former Archon fallen from grace. 

“The Adventurer's Guild! I'm sure that I'll find them there. And even if they aren't, Katheryne will surely take a message to them! Truly, Furina, your genius knows no bounds!” She half-shouts, hips cocked with her hands resting on them dramatically. Then she breaks down giggling. Sometimes, she found, it helped to poke fun at herself. Kept her from getting too wound up about a problem like this. So with that out of her system she smoothes out her shirt, retrieves her hat and tailcoat from the entrance rack, and sets out to walk the sunny streets of Fontaine. 

~

She had signed no less than four autographs by the time she made the circling trek to the Adventurer's Guild. Her return to stardom has done wonders for her reputation after her final trial, but sometimes she would still much prefer anonymity, especially when expediency is involved. Ah well. Perhaps she could catch up with the Traveler at her camp, if worst comes to worst. 

She's just beginning to enter the spiral of overthinking when the Adventurer's Guild kiosk seems to rise up from nowhere in front of her (almost as if she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking) and she pulls up short with a squeak of surprise that she really hopes nobody overheard. She quickly sorts herself out and turns to Katheryne, taking a deep breath and putting any anxiety aside. 

“Kaaatheryyyyne!” She puts on a sing-song voice, leaning over the counter and mustering all the false confidence she could- which is rather a lot, mind you. “I have a question only you can answer, mon amie.” 

Katheryne, presumably used to every kind of conduct under the sun, doesn't seem to react in the slightest to her playful tones. “Of course, Miss Furina. I am happy to answer any questions or post any commissions that you have for the Adventurer's Guild.” 

Furina doesn't miss a beat externally, but internally her will begins to buckle as the actual point of her visit starts coming to light. No, no Furina, get it together. This is for your own good, says a supportive voice in her head. She anxiously smooths out her coat and clears her throat before forcing her words out, a little faster and more stilted than she meant to, but if Katheryne notices she doesn't comment. 

“Yes, thank you. I was hoping you could tell me where I can find the Traveler? It's… rather important.”

Katheryne tilts her head and sighs softly. “I'm afraid I can't give out information about our members like that to just anyone. I could take a message for you but, hm… I believe I heard her mention that she planned to ‘retrace the steps of her old adventures before moving forward anywhere.’ This is a bit of a pickle, isn't it…” 

She goes quiet for a long moment, hand on her chin and eyes closed in contemplation. Furina shifts back and forth, anxiously. The Traveler is leaving? Tomorrow? Just when she was finally ready… she's just about to say something when Katheryne's eyes practically fly open. 

“Well, I suppose in the circumstances, and considering your identity and relationship with the Traveler, I can make an exception in this case- just don't tell anyone, okay?” She winks, and Furina mimes zipping up her mouth. “She mentioned staying the night at Hotel Debord, something about meeting with good friends before she leaves. Perhaps if you're quick, you can catch her before she turns in for the night?” 

Furina doesn't waste time, already walking before Katheryne has finished and hurriedly calling back a “thank you!” only as an afterthought. The sun is already starting to touch the horizon after the walk and conversation(if it could be called that), and she has a sinking feeling the walk to the hotel would certainly not be a quick one if passersby were as interested in her as before. 

~

Night has most certainly set in when she finally pushes through the hotel doors in a huff, and she can only hope the Traveler hasn't gone to bed yet. Another, pleading voice fills her head. Please, world, if you give me one more gift…  

She's thankful to find there isn't a line at this hour, power-walking as fast as she can to the front desk and leaning across it with her most winning smile. “Good evening, miss. Could you, perhaps, tell me what room is currently occupied by ‘The Traveler and Paimon’? You could say it's a matter of emergency.” 

The woman behind the counter gives her perhaps the most unimpressed look she's seen on the face of someone besides Neuvillette during certain trials. “Ma'am, with all due respect, we don't give out our guests room numbers unless they've specifically granted permission. Besides,” she looks Furina up and down, “you don't look like you're in an emergency.” 

Furina practically stomps her foot, huffing. She's had quite enough of this treatment today, thank you. “Don't you know who I am? Everyone knows the Traveler and I are good friends! A-and besides, who are you to decide what someone in an emergency looks like!”

The woman's stare only gets icier, and Furina wilts a bit as she all but feels a Cryo reaction in her bloodstream. “Ma'am, you may have a reputation, but so do we, and I intend to uphold it. May I remind you, you are not the ruler of this nation any more.”

Furina's mouth gapes, words stolen away in the rush of flustered humiliation flooding her brain. Her hands ball into fists and she turns away to hide the tears beading at the corners of her eyes. She's immediately faced with soft purple eyes staring into hers with an unreadable but seemingly friendly expression. The rest of the face became clear as she blinked the tears away; blonde hair, but far paler than the golden flax color she sought, and somewhat more masculine features. The most identifying traits though are the teardrop mark under his eye and the distinctive black top hat upon his head. 

“Ah.” She sighs, glancing towards the floor and moving to sidestep him as words tumble from her mouth. “The magician who so artfully caught me like some common rodent. I suppose you must have heard all that too. Well. No matter, I was just on the way out, if you'll excuse me.” 

Lyney gives her an almost cheshire grin, hands clasped behind his back as he matches her steps, blocking her escape at every turn. “Oh, come now Miss Furina! I don't have any nefarious intentions this time. Not that I did back then, either, but I'm sure it looked a bit different from your side of the courtroom.” She flinches at the reminder, wincing. He steps in a bit closer. “Actually, I wanted to offer an apology for that very thing, and as much as I always hate to eavesdrop, overhearing has provided me with the perfect opportunity to do so!” Before she can really react he's reached across, seeming to pull something out of the space behind her ear and then holding it out to her with a dramatic bow. A small, tightly folded piece of paper. 

She hesitantly reaches for it, half expecting him to pull his hand away and laugh at her expense, but nothing of the sort comes. When the paper is held in her fingers he bows dramatically. “And with that I must take my leave. Do take care now, Miss Furina. I hope you find what it is you're looking for.”

She doesn't notice the look he flashes to the desk clerk, a look that says ‘leave her be’, as she unfolds the colorful piece of paper. To little surprise, it's a note shaped like the silhouette of a cat's face, upon which is written a room number and an approximation of a winking face. She can't help the slight smile on her own face as she clutches the note to her chest and, without giving the clerk a second glance, makes her way to the elevator. Apology accepted.

~

She's spent at least a minute hesitating in front of the door. She knows logically the longer she waits the higher the chance they'll have gone to sleep, but her nerves disagree. What if she turns me away? Could I really take it? Maybe I shouldn't… says one voice, while another says don't you dare back down now, Furina. Finally pushing them aside, she knocks on the door a few times, and immediately hears voices inside. 

“Paimon, did you order room service again? I thought you said you were stuffed.” Definitely the right room then. “Wha-! That was only one- uh, two- okay, three times! But it definitely wasn't this time!” Furina couldn't help but giggle. Paimon could certainly get on her nerves more than slightly, but her dynamic with the Traveler never failed to amuse. 

“Wait, you don't think… this is a Fatui building, but surely Lyney and Lynette wouldn't let that happen, right?” Uh oh. Perhaps she's given the wrong impression. “I'm sure it's nothing like that, Paimon; they probably would have drugged the food first. …But, just in case.” She has just enough time to raise her hands in surrender before the door unlocks and she's faced with a thoroughly armed Traveler, eyes and hair shining gold as they reflect the hallway lights. Her face softens a bit into a mix of surprise and relief. 

“Furina? What are you doing here at this hour?” Paimon floats into view from her hiding spot behind the door, her own voice still seeming a bit suspicious. The Traveler only raises her eyebrows a bit. Immediately she finds herself on the back foot, flustering a bit. Surely a natural reaction, after these two humiliated her so thoroughly. 

“A-ah, well, you see, it's a bit of a funny story! But also a… somewhat… embarrassing one. Could I, perhaps, come in to talk?” 

The pair look at eachother, some silent communication passing between them. Finally the Traveler steps back, gesturing for her to enter, and Paimon floats back a few feet. “Um, Paimon will go make some tea. Why don't you and Lumine get comfortable and you can tell her all about it.” And with that she's floating off into the suite's kitchenette- she's beginning to realize they were probably given one of the best rooms in the hotel. 

After that thought processes, she realizes that Paimon didn't call the Traveler “the Traveler” like she always does in public. So… is Lumine her real name, then? …It's befittingly pretty. She silently traces the word with her lips, striking it into her memory while some deeper, suppressed side of her wonders how it tastes. Not that she's ready to admit that thought to herself.

Once settled into the sitting room, she spends a moment gathering herself, takes a deep breath, and launches into the sequence of thoughts and anxieties that had led to her knocking on their door at what was likely moments before bedtime. 

~

“And there you have it. I know you probably find it… annoying, having me come hounding you about all this so late at night, especially after, well, everything. But I… I hope you can understand why it was so urgent that I find you before you leave, right?” She glances between the Traveler- Lumine- and Paimon for any hint of understanding, and finds Lumine focused in thought and Paimon glancing between Lumine and Furina. 

Paimon responds first. “Well, it is a little inconvenient, but… Paimon guesses she understands. It's not like you chose to think about all that the day before we go on vacation after all.” 

Furina is just about to respond when Lumine finally speaks up for the first time since the door opened. “You want to go on a journey to find yourself, right?” Furina nods a sharp affirmative. “And… you aren't involved in Fontaine's governance anymore, right?” Furina winces, but nods again. “Why don't you come with us, then? You'll get to see all sorts of places, and meet people from all kinds of cultures. And besides, it could be fun to have a fresh face along for the ride for a little while.” 

Paimon turns to her with her mouth agape. “Wha-! You've never just invited someone along with us like that. You aren't planning to turn Paimon in for some sweet younger model are you?!” Lumine looks at her and just bursts into laughter, which is good because it helps keep the pink dusting of a blush visible on Furina's face out of the limelight. 

She huffs, shaking her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. It was surely normal to be this easily flustered when teased by people who publicly humiliated her so thoroughly. Right?

Lumine seems to take this the wrong way, a frown coming over her features- and not one of disappointment or irritation like Furina had often seen, but a sad frown. Furina doesn't even give her time to voice her disappointment before rushing to correct the mistake, hands raised. “O-oh, no, that sounds lovely! Worry not, for I, Furina, will happily grace your campfire and-” She catches the exhausted smirks shared by Lumine and Paimon and her train of drama immediately derails. “That is, I- I would be honored, really, to accompany you. But is it… really okay? I mean, I've been practicing with my Vision, a-and with my sword too, but… I'll probably just slow you down… I mean, those visits to Poisson were really the furthest I've ever been as far as wandering the wilderness goes…” She finds her eyes drawn back to the floor. 

Suddenly she feels a warm hand over hers, giving it a small squeeze that sends a shiver through her spine as she looks up right into the Traveler's golden eyes, her face quite a bit closer than before. Once again she feels her cheeks warm, and once again smothers any further look at why. 

“Paimon and I often get too focused on the destination. I want to focus on the journey this time, so having an excuse to slow down and show you around doesn't sound so bad.” Her other hand comes to clasp on the other side of Furina's, so her dainty gloved hand is held in both of Lumine's as the legendary Traveler looks into her eyes and offers her everything she's wanted for five hundred long, lonely years. How could she say anything but yes?

So that's exactly what she says. “Then… yes. Yes, I would love to accompany you on your… vacation? You know, only you would call ‘walking across most of Teyvat’ a vacation.” She says, the humor returning to her voice just as a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “So shall I just… expect to see you at my apartment at some horrible hour of the morning, or are we meeting somewhere?”

Lumine considers for a moment, then looks over at Paimon, another unreadable series of expressions passing between the two before Paimon rolls her eyes and huffs. Lumine turns back to Furina. “Why don't you just stay here for the night? We'll be leaving early, so it's probably easiest if you wake up with us.” 

And just like that she's back to flustered. How does Lumine do it? It's like she's on the back foot no matter how hard she tries. “W-well, I suppose if we must, but I really ought to pack a few things and I wouldn't want to put you out of your way having let me back in so late, so m-maybe it's best if-” 

Lumine cuts her off with a hand on her shoulder and a gentle smile. “Truth be told, I'm not that tired yet. Why don't we let Paimon get a headstart on sleep, and I'll accompany you?”

~

For quite a while their walk is silent, not quite awkward but certainly full of… something. Some unspoken thing hanging between them. She sighs softly, the silent proximity letting her brain run in circles as she's started to contemplate why, exactly, the Traveler causes her emotions such clamor. She left Furina humiliated on more than one occasion, and utterly broken on another. She outstretched a hand so kindly it nearly made Furina risk everything and then tore it all away, and then came back to drag her onto the path to her place in the world again- and that's not mentioning the small things, like the way her heart fluttered when Lumine stared her down so resolutely and challenged her to a duel in their first meeting. Suffice it to say, her feelings on the matter are complicated, and her proximity makes everything worse. 

Just when Furina is beginning to question if this is a good idea after all, Lumine breaks the silence, her voice uncharacteristically tentative- at least in Furina's limited experience. “So, Furina… I heard you played in another opera since everything that happened during The Little Oceanid. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come see at the time, I was busy with a commission...”

“A-ah, yes, well! You could say I was inspired. Still… I think I shall leave it as a hobby, and let my performances be lovely treats for the people from time to time. But I… hope you'll be able to make it for the next one.” She finds, despite everything, that hope is very genuine. Seeing Lumine in the audience after her surprise role as Clio felt… far more soothing than any other audience had. 

She glances over to find Lumine looking away from her, up at the stars, with her hands clasped behind her back. “I hope I'll be here to watch…” She half-murmurs, before turning to look at Furina properly again. “Listen, Furina, I… I wanted to apologize. I know everything that happened at the trial was necessary, but… I never meant for it to go so far, and I certainly never meant to hurt you so badly. Whenever I think of your tears at the very end, I…” There's a haunted edge to her voice as she trails off into a sigh before continuing, skipping over whatever directly followed. “If there's anything I can do to earn your forgiveness, I will.”

Furina finds herself furtively glancing between Lumine and any direction that isn't Lumine. In truth, though she hadn't fully realized it until Lumine's apology just now, she had already forgiven her. Maybe it hadn't been earned, like Lumine said, and maybe some of it was because without her actions, things could have been so much worse, but it was forgiveness nonetheless. Sure, she wasn't just over the things Lumine had done, but they didn't sting like betrayal. 

“How about this, Traveler- no, Lumine.” She reaches a hand out across the distance between them to take Lumine's in hers, giving it a squeeze. “If you show me the best time you can on this little vacation of ours, you can consider everything water under the bridge!” 

Lumine flashes her a warm, soft smile, though she doesn't look completely reassured. She squeezes Furina’s hand once before disentangling them just as they reach Furina's house. “Well, in that case let's make sure we're all nice and stocked up, right?”

~

Packing up goes quickly, especially as it becomes clear that Lumine's bag seems to have infinite storage space (maybe one of those Adepti spacial arts she's heard about? Of course with the Traveler, it could come from any number of sources) and they're back on the street by the time the clock strikes midnight. This time the quiet that settles between them is far less heavy, easily broken for brief jokes and remarks or an ‘oh-look-at-that’. She barely notices the time passing and then suddenly they're back at the hotel, and she feels her nerves starting to settle in again. 

Those nerves are significantly worsened when they step into the bedroom of Lumine and Paimon's suite. Furina had never slept in the same room as someone else, not once in her cursed five hundred year masquerade, which would be a vast hurdle on its own if not for the other problem; of the room’s two beds, Paimon has fallen asleep sprawled with every limb splayed out across one of them, apparently having passed out in the middle of enjoying all the space. Honestly, Furina is impressed at just how much of the bed space is rendered unusable considering how tiny Paimon really is- or she would be were she not presently agonizing over the situation.

Lumine, for her part, is giving Paimon the fond-yet-strained smile of a loving older sibling. Finally she turns back to Furina, an apology on her face as she whispers at a level Furina almost has trouble processing- she really was impressive in the strangest of ways. “Sorry about this. I don't mind taking the floor if you're uncomfortable sharing a bed.”

Furina is very grateful for the lack of light to obscure her face. She knows the Traveler meant nothing by it- she'd heard in plenty of societies, particularly in social classes below the high echelons she once belonged to, sharing a bed is common practice among friends or even passing companions- but for a girl who's exposure to friendship and intimacy both came mostly from storybooks, it still sends her mind spiraling. 

Before Lumine can start wondering too much she quietly blurts out “N-no, that's a normal thing to do isn't it? A-and I'm a normal person now, so it's fine.” The blonde stares at her, golden eyes lingering in a way that makes her feel seen in a way she's not totally comfortable with. “Are you sure?” is the soft response that comes, perfectly even in tone. 

Furina's response, however, is not all that even, getting just a little bit too loud as she whispers “Y-yes, I'm sure!” at a rising pitch. 

They both look to the occupied bed, where Paimon shifts slowly, kicking at something with a tiny foot before mumbling something that sounded like a series of shrimp recipes and trailing back off into quiet snores. Furina and Lumine breathe a shared sigh of relief and with that the discussion is over, any room for second-guessing having passed. 

As Furina gets changed into her silk sleepwear, one phrase repeats passively beneath the rest of her swirling thoughts. That woman is going to be the death of me.

Lumine is actually an extremely conscientious person to be stuck sharing a bed with as it turns out, giving her a separate blanket and folding her own partway beneath her such that there was a solid wall of blanket between them. She's barely even moved since settling in on her side with her back towards Furina, though the dreamy murmurings and whispers tell her that Lumine is probably asleep. That luxury, however, is not coming so easily to Furina herself. 

No matter how polite Lumine is, it doesn't change the fact that she's in laying in bed with a very pretty woman beside her, and it's bad enough that the Traveler can fluster her so easily as it is- how is she ever supposed to survive whatever teasing is to come her way in the future after she's spent tonight trying in vain to ignore the radiant warmth so close to her, let alone the soothing, floral scent that wafts from Lumine's golden hair. 

Furina has never been so equal parts joyful and mortified to be attracted to other women, and suffice to say this was not doing any favors to the volatile cocktail of feelings swirling about in her heart when it came to Lumine. 

But eventually, as it always does, exhaustion and a comfortable bed wins out over anxious overthinking, and she eventually drifts off to sleep. 

~

When her eyes open, she's back at the Opera Epiclese listening to the clamor of observers from the stands- not as a performer, nor watching from the lofty seat of Focalors, but back in the defenses box, alone. Ever alone, with nobody to defend her but herself. She steels herself to face the prosecution and her heart turns to ice at the face she sees. Familiar blue, mismatched eyes, the same mirror she stared into for so many days, but an outfit she had seen only once; her Mirror-Me, who she knew now to be Focalors… and standing radiant and gold beside her is the Traveler, steel and sadness both reflected in her eyes. She hurries to look away, searching for the familiar, comforting safety of Neuvillette, but he stares impassively forward at the crowd. 

“Furina de Fontaine, the false Focalors, has been found guilty of deceiving all citizens of Fontaine, failing to act against the prophecy, and pretending to be divinity. To be sentenced to death.” He delivers her sentence with the same passive but stern voice that brooks no argument or continuation, and she feels her legs buckle beneath her. 

“Not again…” she whispers. “Please, not again…” but nothing changes the sentence, and nobody is coming to save her. She hears harsh whispers and feels hands belonging to faceless figures grabbing at her, dragging her out of the stand, and she finds herself screaming as she tries to struggle away from them before a gentle voice and a light comes through, the grasping hands darting away as if burned by the light. 

“Furina, it's okay, I've got you. Wake up now, you're safe.”

~

She wakes up with a gasp, eyes locking on worried pools of gold. Slowly, the rest of Lumine's features blur into focus, and eventually Furina processes that they're still in the Hotel, and that the sun has yet to shine its earliest rays into the room. She processes her clammy skin second, and Lumine's warm hands clasping both of hers, and cringes internally at the knowledge the Traveler has seen her like this, and day one no less. 

All the mortification of the moment and lingering terror of the dream is put on stuttering hold, however, when Lumine pulls her in for a hug. Against the stability of Lumine’s arms, she can feel how intensely she’s shaking, and she squeezes her eyes shut tight lest she catch a glimpse of whatever pitying look Lumine's giving her. Yet despite the sense of shame, she can't stop herself from burying herself closer in Lumine's strong arms. 

She doesn't mean to fall asleep in that comforting embrace, but it's so warm and Lumine's body is so soft held against hers, and she smells so nice and soothing. Suffice to say, it's the best sleep she's ever had. 

~

Furina awakens to an empty bed, which would make her anxious if not for the sound of banter coming from the suite's kitchenette, and a smell that she can only describe as divine. The lingering effects of her nightmare are long forgotten, smothered by the kindness and warmth shown by Lumine in the middle of the night. Of course, with that memory also comes a flood of embarrassment as she also remembers the rest; Lumine's soft body pressed against hers, her warmth and scent permeating Furina's space. She could still faintly smell Lumine's floral perfume lingering on her silk nightgown. 

She rolls herself over in bed to bury her face in her pillow to quiet down her newly awakened train of thought regarding the Traveler. Luckily the plush, comfortable mattress- really, she's pretty sure the beds here are better than her room when she was still (pretending to be) the Hydro Archon- serves as a way to ground her. Truly escaping from the blankets here is a battle of willpower all its own- a perfect start to her journey!

“Come on, Furina. Step one of any good adventure is getting out of bed. Hop to it!”

She takes a deep breath, giving herself one last moment of lazy enjoyment before heaving herself up into a sitting position. 

She takes the chance to get dressed- the thin silk sleepwear still reminding her a bit too much of Lumine's comforting warmth- and freshens up a bit while the other two are distracted, before making her appearance in the kitchen. 

“Well well, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that the legendary Traveler knows how to cook, but I must admit, even to my refined palette that does smell truly captivating!”

Paimon whirls on her with a shriek, hands out as if defending herself. “Ahhh! Furina!? Why does everyone always sneak up on Paimon!” 

Lumine meanwhile just giggles, faintly covering her mouth with her hand. The sound sends something in Furina's stomach lurching, which she promptly tamps down before any feelings can bubble out in any tangible way. Just as she's about to defend herself, Lumine comes to her aid once again. “Paimon, did you forget that she was going to stay the night?” 

Paimon looks sheepish, rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah… well… Paimon fell asleep early and you know Paimon isn't really awake first thing in the morning! Hmph!”

That sends Lumine into a proper laugh, and Furina really can't help the giggle that bursts from her lips in response. Perhaps she could get used to this after all. Deciding to take mercy on the poor little creature, Furina cuts in to change the subject. “N-not to interrupt or anything, but… what is for breakfast, anyway?” 

Lumine practically beams at her in response, glowing like the sun warming a cozy beach- Furina almost has to squint to look at her. “Well, since I know you like sweet things, and this vacation is sort of a commemoration of my journey so far, I figured I'd make one of the first recipes I learned after coming to Teyvat!” She gestures to three plates piled with thick, fluffy Mondstat-style pancakes separated by whipped cream, and two more currently frying in the pan. Berries and chocolate sauce sit conspicuously on the countertop. “When I first became an Honorary Knight of Favonius, a very sweet lady named Noelle taught me her personal recipe. I wonder if she's officially been made a Knight yet…” 

Furina can't help but watch Lumine out of the corner of her eye as the woman's voice turns wistful. The earliest parts of the Traveler's journey are the least reliably recorded, but it's Lumine's particular tone that catches her attention. She opens her mouth to ask about it, but stops herself. It's not your place to ask those kinds of things, you barely know her. Another part of herself, quieter and more hopeful, whispers something else in her mind; You'll have plenty of chances to become closer soon enough.

So she redirects, an easy thing for her to do; it is the nature of water, after all. “You're a knight, are you? I've heard the famous Knights of Mondstat all have some unique and glorious epithet- did they stick you with one?” 

Lumine turns to her with a smirk, whatever wistful thoughts were raining in her head either hidden away or cleared up by the teasing question. “Yes, they did. Honorary Knight.” 

Furina actually gasps, affronted on Lumine's behalf. “But! That's terrible, you're clearly the most impressive Knight of Favonius, honorary or not! You deserve a proper title!” It isn't until the words have thoroughly left her mouth that her brain quite catches up to them, and she watches Lumine and Paimon share another of their silent communications. “I mean, that is, um…” making a fool out of herself in front of the Traveler is apparently her new favorite pastime. For better or worse, she's cut off by a humiliating smirk from Lumine. “Tell you what, milady . Since you're an expert, why don't you pick out a title that suits me, won't you?” 

“Wha-! I don't-” Her floundering is cut off again as Lumine turns back to the pan, still giggling even as she flips the pancakes onto two plates. “Aaaand that's breakfast made! C'mon you two, eat up! We'll be taking the Aquabus out as soon as we finish eating.”

“Oooh, Paimon calls that plate!” Teyvat's foremost travel guide finally pipes up again, snatching up a plate stacked almost as tall as she is, leaving Furina flustered and fuming in her own little world. The more time Furina spends around them in private like this, she starts to wonder if perhaps Lumine simply doesn't like talking to strangers, and that's why she lets Paimon speak for her in public so often- since she's clearly quite gregarious and playful in private. It's only after they all settle down that she realizes; in her flustered state, she had let Paimon claim the plate piled highest with whipped cream and berries.  

~

It's not quite as early in the day as Furina expects by the time they reach the elevator tower. Between the time it took to make breakfast, the time it took to properly savor breakfast- because it deserved no less- and the time to walk the busy streets as a group of more than slightly famous individuals in a city that thrives on gossip. 

It isn't until they've all settled into the elevator that a question occurs to her that she suddenly realizes she should have asked a while ago. “What's the travel plan for this vacation, anyway?” 

Paimon pipes up, adding further evidence that Lumine is just shy in public. “Well, the Traveler's plan was to take the Clementine line and really savor our last look at Fontaine for awhile, then take our waverider straight across to the Girdle of the Sands. Then, knowing her, we'll probably amble our way around the desert, seeing the sights for awhile until we reach Aaru Village. Oh! And we should skirt around the sandstorm in Hadramaveth and show Furina the giant ruins machine we piloted!” 

Lumine interrupts, jumping into the conversation as if she hadn't been entirely checked out before. “I want to spend a night in the Tanit camp too, if possible. There's some things I want to look for.”

“Right, right, Paimon's been wondering how Jeht is doing anyway! Maybe she left some clues out there… Well, um, I think from there we go right through Caravan Ribat into the jungle and wind our way up north to Sumeru city! That sound about right for the first leg of our journey, Traveler?”

Lumine just nods with a hum, going back to studying the designs on the walls with a fierce intensity that Furina can't help but find a bit cute. 

“Well, I'm sure she has a plan in her head after that, but that's the first leg! I guess if we're lucky we'll discuss part two over dinner at Lambad's tavern!”

Furina nods along with the most fascinated expression she can manage. Which isn't to say she's not actually fascinated, but that fascination is undercut with thoughts that go something like: Aren't they just saying random words at this point? They don't really expect me to know all these places, right? Wait, they aren't just teasing me by saying names I wouldn't recognize, are they!?

Thankfully, her teetering spiral is broken when the elevator doors open, the muffled sounds of chatter at the aquabus station echoing into the chamber. 

“Aeval should be setting off in about five minutes. Best get to our seats, wouldn't you say?” Lumine's voice cuts through the ambient noise, helping stir Furina back to her senses. 

“How do you know? I don't recall seeing any timekeeping devices on your person…” Furina furrows her brows, peering at Lumine curiously. Paimon pops up behind her shoulder with a smirk. “Paimon knows this one! The Traveler has a freakish sense of time. In fact, one time, she accurately told the time over the course of three days underground! To. The. Minute! ”

“Uh, not to question a good story, but how did you know the time was accurate if you were underground?” Furina can't help but poke holes, perhaps out of some semblance of pettiness. Maybe. 

“Oh, well, back in Mondstat Paimon saw a pocket clock and it was really pretty and Paimon thought ‘oh, we'll get so much use out of this baby!’ And then the Traveler here turned out to be a weirdo.” 

By this time, they've made their way well into the docks. In fact, even as Paimon is playfully disparaging her, the Traveler is helping Furina into the boat with all the chivalry she pictured from the knights in the stories. Paimon and the Traveler seem to be in their own little world, either unaware or uncaring of the stares their antics are drawing. Furina, however, isn't so lucky. She's acutely aware of every pair of eyes on her, just as she has been for the past five hundred years. She can hear the whispers, just barely loud enough to make out snippets- gossiping and theorizing about what manner of relationship they had, what they were doing out together, all those inane things. Frustrating, bothersome, but little more. But there was also the others. The people whispering about their deception at her hands. She even heard one barely-whispered comment about how perhaps the execution should have been carried out, and she can't help the cold shiver that runs down her body. Lumine seems to take notice, and without comment she finds that Lumine has circled a bit, putting herself bodily between Furina and the crowd. She doesn't say anything, or even offer any indication the move was intentional, but Furina has little doubt, nor does the flutter in her heart. 

When they step onto the aquabus, Furina can't help but notice that nobody else seems to be getting on with them. Are they afraid of upsetting famous people or something? That's almost offensive! …Not that you'll complain about more time alone with Lumine though, will you Furina? She chastises herself, but also doesn't stop herself from sitting down beside Lumine as the adorable Melusine guide, Aeval, greets them. “Ah, hello Traveler and- ah, Lady Furina! What can I do for such illustrious passengers such as yourselves?”

She sighs softly. It was getting tiresome correcting people on her title every other conversation. “It's just Miss Furina now, please and thank you. I'm as normal a citizen these days as any other. And we're just here to travel your route, please.” 

“O-oh, yes, it is that time isn't it! My apologies, since you're seated… and it seems like nobody else is getting on board right now… I suppose we should be off! My name's Aeval and I'll, um, be your tour guide on the Clementine line!”

She knows it's rude of her, but she can't help but tune Aeval out after that, her thoughts growing too loud to ignore. The last time she traveled to Romaritime Harbor like this, it was because the Traveler was rumored to be on her way- and now here she was, at the Traveler's side, getting ready to leave Fontaine for who knows how long. Last chance to turn back, Furina. You know she won't judge you if you decide to turn right back around at the end of the aquabus ride. She shakes her head, clearing the thought aside. She might not judge me, but I would. I can do this. With her at my side, I'm sure I can do it.

Suddenly she feels a warm hand on her shoulder as Lumine leans in a little, lowering her voice so only Furina can hear. “Hey, don't overthink things, okay? Just sit back and enjoy the view. We won't be seeing Fontaine for a few months, and it really is a beautiful place.” 

Furina startles a little bit at the contact, turning to look at the Traveler out of the corner of her eye, who's taking her own advice and gazing out across the wide expanse of Fontaine's waterways and islands. She takes a deep breath, following Lumine's gaze out to gaze at Elynas in the distance. She has to admit, the blonde is right: Fontaine really is gorgeous. After five hundred years, she began to take the sights for granted, barely noticing them anymore. But recontextualized as the last time she'll see them for awhile… something about it makes her unexpectedly wistful. She turns, slowly, trying to take in all of Fontaine and commit it to memory lest she lose track on her journey, slightly overhearing Paimon and Aeval discussing being travel guides, and finding a smile growing, unbidden, upon her lips. 

~

“-inally, even if you are really good with a wind glider, please do not just jump straight down! Using the lift is much safer!” Furina watches a grin emerge on Lumine's face at Aeval's parting line as they step off the aquabus and she suddenly wonders exactly when that reminder was added to the guide's repertoire. “...Traveler, please tell me you plan to use the lift.” 

“Huh? W-well, yeah, of course. I wouldn't even consider anything else.” Lumine can't seem to meet her eyes, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. 

“Y'know, Paimon can fly and Paimon still thinks you're too reckless with that glider, Traveler.” Paimon floats in between the two, fixing Lumine with a look that Furina can't see but can assume is withering.

As the lift reaches the lower floor with a slight squeal of machinery, Lumine fixes them both with a smirk. “This would have been a lot more fun if you had let me race you down.”

“And miss your stellar company on the way? I could never.” Furina tosses back, a teasing smirk on her face. Somewhere in the back of her head she realizes this is very possibly the most fun she's had interacting with another person in her whole life. 

“Awh, can't get enough of me, can you princess?” She feels her cheeks suddenly heating up, glancing away in the hopes it won't show too badly- of course, as they wind down the end of the stairs the sun shines bright down, lighting her up like a beacon. 

Thankfully she's saved by their other companion. “ Paimon will have had enough of you by tomorrow at this rate.”

“Ah, Traveler, Paimon. I saw to it that your Waverider was brought around as requested, and had a gnawing suspicion that you intended to leave without saying goodbye.”

Their teasing conversation is brought to a halt by a familiar voice- one that, truth be told, she wasn't sure if she was ready to say goodbye to, especially after spending so much time avoiding him as best she can. Not that it's difficult to avoid Neuvillette, with how busy he is and how little their lives overlap anymore. Beyond a few brief conversations after her performances, they've not really spoken.

Suddenly his eyes find her, even as she's all but instinctively hidden herself behind Lumine. “Ah- Lady Furina. I did not expect to see you here. Are you also seeing the Traveler off?”

“It's just Miss Furina now, remember?” She says, a tear settling at the corner of her eye. “A-and actually, I intend to join the Traveler on her trip.”

Neuvillette's eyebrows raise in surprise, but he smiles warmly and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, bringing a few more tears to her eyes. “I will be sad to see you go, but proud to see you finding your own path. And you will always be my Lady, but if that is your preferred title, I will respect it.”

Well, what was she supposed to do at that point? Not give him a hug? So before he can react she's wrapped her arms around him as tight as she can, hiding the tears starting to stream down her face by burying her head against his chest as she feels a strong arm squeeze around her shoulders. “I-I'm sorry for planning to leave without saying goodbye…”

She feels the smallest chuckle rumbling through his chest. “It may have saddened me slightly, but I could never hold it against you. Perhaps, if you would like to make it up to me, we can have tea and pastries again when you return. I would very much like to get to know the real Furina.”

She squeezes him a little tighter, just nodding since she doesn’t trust herself to speak without bursting into tears in front of the entire Romaritime Harbor. Finally she pulls away, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and glancing around for Lumine. 

At first she can't find her, but finally her eyes pick out golden hair through the crowd, settled on a bench and talking to Paimon- presumably to give her and Neuvillette some space. She brushes herself off slightly and offers him an arm. “Well, you wished to see the Traveler and Paimon off as well, right? We shouldn't keep them waiting.”

“Ah, Monsieur Neuvillette!” Paimon's the first to notice them approaching, waving with a sunny smile on her face. “Paimon's glad we get to say goodbye, even if we are coming back before we leave for Natlan.” 

Lumine nods an affirmative, but doesn't say anything. Another point for the ‘Lumine is shy in public’ theory. 

“I am glad as well, though I must point out that we could have said our farewells when you came to me about the Waverider.” There's something in his voice that sounds almost teasing. 

“W-well, if we had, you probably wouldn't have come out here today, and then you'd have missed Furina.” Paimon's voice is sheepish and she slightly hides behind Lumine's shoulder. 

“Hey, don't use me as an excuse! You didn't know I'd be tagging along until last night.” Furina puts all her old dramatic flair into her pose, hip cocked, hands on her hips, sticking her tongue out at the pair. 

Lumine raises an eyebrow, seeming content to simply enjoy the show as Paimon wilts further and further. “W-well, yeah, that's true, but that just means it's fate or something, right?”

“Sure Paimon, let's go with that.” Lumine finally pipes up, holding a straight face but Furina can see the way a smile is trying to poke through at the corners of her eyes. “Anyway, I'm glad you came to see us off, Monsieur Neuvillette. I did have a feeling you might.” She flashes a cheeky smile and Furina suddenly feels that Neuvillette may have fallen victim to a dastardly plot to get him out of the office and under some natural sunlight. 

“Hmm. Well, in that case, I appreciate the foresight.” Neuvillette glances between the three of them, then turns to stare out at the far shores of Sumeru's desert. “I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer. Good luck and safe travels on your journey, Traveler. And Furina- I'll be looking forward to getting tea together, so do come back safe and sound, won't you?”

“Don't worry, Monsieur Neuvillette! We'll bring her back home just fine!” Paimon's shrill voice pipes in even as Lumine is waving, already halfway turned to walk to the Waverider. Furina can't help but wonder if, for someone as nomadic as she is, staying in any one place for too long might make her feel homesick. 

With the last of their farewells finally said, Lumine leads Furina to the small, magically propelled ship. She steps onto the back deck and turns, offering a reassuring smile to Furina and outstretching a steadying hand to help her aboard, which probably shouldn't make Furina's heart skip as much as it does- she sets that thought aside for further examination in the future, when she isn't staring right into Lumine's observant golden eyes. “Well, last chance to turn back.”

Furina simply fixes her with the best icy look she can manage in the moment and takes her hand, stepping on board and- humiliatingly- stumbling a bit and having to catch herself on Lumine's shoulders, sending the girl into a fit of giggles. “Yeah, I figured that's what you'd say.” The way musical laughter permeates Lumine's voice as she leads her into the cramped cabin steals away any semblance of irritation- faux or otherwise- that she might have felt at the teasing. 

The interior of the Waverider isn't quite as cramped as she expected it to be, but it's very clear that it's not meant for long voyages. Furina suspects that most of the space goes towards whatever mystical art gives the vessel motive force- not that it was a spacious hull to begin with.

As if reading her thoughts, Paimon conspiratorially floats by next to her ear, voice kept low. “Don't worry, we won't be going as far as most ships going out of Romaritime. Lumine's gonna take us straight across to the deepest, most untouched place in Sumeru's desert… The Girdle of the Sands!”

That sounds… ominous. And dangerous. “O-oh! Well, surely as Teyvat's foremost travel guide, you can get me up to speed on everything I need to know, right?”

Immediately, as if she had said a magic phrase, Paimon strikes a pose and a grin forms on her face, and even Furina can't help but find it cute. “Well duh! You can count on Paimon! So, first thing you should know…” and with that, Paimon launches into a dramatic retelling of what the pair first found there, and Furina feels the ship lurch free from the harbor as the Traveler takes the wheel. At last, it's time for their journey, their grand joint performance on the stage that is Teyvat, to commence in earnest.

Chapter Text

There′s a sickness bubbling up

I need a cure, prescribe a drug

Cut it out before it's love

Oh-oh-oh

My brilliance turned to dust

Fever chills each time we touch

The big C, oh, here it comes

A crush

[Rise of the Pink Ladies - Crushing Me ]

By the time the Waverider shudders to a stop, now resting against the far sandy shores, Paimon has only made it maybe a third of the way through her tale. This is partly due to her own tendency to ramble, and partly due to Furina's excessive number of questions. Lumine occasionally calling back to correct Paimon's mistakes and exaggerations didn't help either- nor did her frequent tendency to poke fun at both Paimon and herself, and Furina for that matter. 

As soon as Lumine is no longer steering the ship she starts stretching out her arms from their workout, and Furina is certain that there must be some law against the way her open-backed dress accentuates the muscles shifting along her back and shoulders, sending the numerous scars rippling like the light across a moonlit sea. If anything, it would be criminal for Furina not to stare. 

“Alright everyone, we're here! The Waverider will now be disembarking onto Sumeru.” Lumine leads the charge, but stops short of the door, dropping onto a knee and prying open a compartment that seemed to contain a tiny nest of bedding. In it, curled up as if asleep, is… something . Somewhere between a flower, a bird, and a mythical pixie, with a cream colored body that fades to soft purples and bright reds, along with a crimson headdress. Lumine gently nudges it and it uncurls with what's indisputably a tiny yawn. 

“Mm. I sense much more Khvarena here. Has my Yasnapati finally deigned to bring us home to recharge, White Floater?” She wasn't sure what voice she expected out of the creature as it's orange eyes open and it proceeds to speak with no mouth, but ‘snooty aristocrat’ wasn't quite it. 

Lumine giggles as Paimon rolls her eyes, but answers anyway. “Yes, Sorush, we're back for now. Paimon won't lie and say we'll be staying for long, though…”

The creature flutters into the air, settling into place alongside Lumine, such that Paimon was floating behind one shoulder, and this ‘Sorush’ is fluttering behind the other. It's an ultimately comical look. “Hmm. That's alright, I think. I just need some time to recharge here and then all will be well again.”

Just then, it seems to notice Furina for the first time, eyes narrowing as they focus on her. “Yasnapati. What is this that is accompanying you now?” 

Lumine stifles a giggle behind her hand before outstretching the other hand in presentation. “This is Furina, a friend from Fontaine who will be adventuring with us for a while.” 

Furina actually feels her stomach do a flip, being introduced so simply. No unwanted titles, no posturing, no roles … just herself. She almost misses it when the Traveler turns to gesture towards their new floating companion. Just how many floating creatures accompany this girl, anyway?

“Furina, this is Sorush. She's a Pari of the Vourukasha Oasis, and the Purifier of the Harvisptokhm. She's also my friend. Unfortunately, the more time she spends distant from the source of Khvarena the more time she needs to spend resting. Oh, but, don't worry too much, it's a slow process and she's a tough girl.”

“I… see. Um. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I didn't realize it was more than just you and Paimon.” She does her best to swallow down the jealous part of her that feels just a little less special for it, as if hoping that darkness and stomach acid will dissolve the thought itself.

“Sorush was a new addition, and she only joins us for actual adventures when she's in the mood for it. We were sort of bound together and I was tasked with teaching her about the world. So here we are.”

There is some reassurance there. After all, the Traveler offered her a spot on their journey, and even Paimon herself said that was new. 

Sorush floats forwards a bit, settling at eye-level with Furina before nodding sharply, as if satisfied with whatever she found. “Very well. My Yasnapati has proven herself a good judge of character, so if she believes you are fit to join us, then I suppose you may have my blessing as well.” 

~

As they step out of the boat, Furina does take some amusement in that there are now two travelers and two floating companions together- even if all three of them are technically companions of the Traveler herself. 

That amusement dissipates almost immediately in favor of an almost childlike wonder as she takes in her first real look at Sumeru. The cliff walls rise up in front of her, layered as if slashed with jagged lines of paint, obscuring anything in front of them beyond a winding path taking them ever upwards and she already found herself eager to crest that cliff and see what wonders lie in the desert before them.

She practically darts around the beach, taking in the subtly different ocean scent from that of Fontaine and, for now at least, enjoying the warmth of the sun here- though she already suspects that, were this the peak of afternoon instead of early evening and without the cooling ocean breeze at her back, it would quickly become far less pleasant. 

Just then, she notices a decently sized- if oddly shaped- boulder resting in the sand. Consumed in the moment as she is, she simply cannot withstand the desire to climb it and strike the pose of a grand explorer peering out from atop a mountain peak- even if she can't actually see anything because of the cliff walls rising up before her. She's just managed to strike her pose when she feels the boulder moving underneath her, lifting up and then shaking from side to side as if to dislodge her- which it does. Her pose wasn't exactly balanced for riding a moving object, after all. 

She's entirely resigned to fall flat on her ass in the sand and suffer the humiliating laughter of her companions when she feels strong arms catch her, and Lumine's chest against her back. “Careful there, oh brave explorer. Tent Tortoises might be docile enough to let you climb them for a minute, but most Sumeru fauna aren't quite so tolerant as Fontaine's.”

On the one hand, Furina is quickly tiring of making a fool of herself in the Traveler's presence and giving the idea that she's some clumsy fool, but at the moment she can't stop herself from enjoying the way Lumine always seems to catch her when she stumbles, physically or otherwise. A conundrum indeed. 

Still, she pulls away quickly- with difficulty- lest she seem too clingy. She may be desperate for comforting human touch after five centuries being treated like a godly celebrity, but she doesn't dare overstep the bounds of their relationship- with how many friends and acquaintances the Traveler must have made over her journey, she surely doesn't see Furina as all that dear to her after only a few days of knowing her as anything but the nation's Archon- especially after Furina's less than stellar handling of their interactions when still masking herself. She can still picture the aggravated, utterly finished expressions on Lumine and Paimon's face almost every time they spoke before that final trial. 

Quickly extricating herself from Lumine's arms, she smooths out her coat and turns to face the blonde with a sheepish look on her face. “W-well, thank you for the catch, but surely you could have warned me before I unknowingly climbed atop a giant creature?”

Lumine only smirks, folding her arms in front of her chest. “But you looked like you were having so much fun, what kind of companion would I be if I stopped you?” She shakes her head slightly. “But don't worry, I'd have warned you if you were going near something dangerous.” 

Furina halfway stamps her foot in mock-outrage as she turns her back on the source of her troubles. “Hmph! I'll be holding you to that!” 

Looking around, it seems Paimon and Sorush have moved a ways off and are furtively, almost conspiratorially muttering back and forth. “Well, we should gather those two up and be off, surely?”

She chances a look back and finds Lumine watching the sky. “Mm, yeah, I think it's late enough in the day to get started.” Seeming to sense that Furina doesn't understand her meaning, she looks down, meeting her eyes, and continues. “We don't want to travel in the afternoons when we’re in the desert. It's not quite so bad here thanks to the coast and the natural cooling effect of the Harvisptokhm, but the deeper we get into the desert, the more unbearable that heat will be. Even people who can wield Hydro like us should be careful.”

Furina nods, trying to note down the information in a mental guidebook as the group reunites and they start walking down the trail- Lumine first, with Sorush at her left shoulder, Furina walking to her right, and Paimon lazily floating around between the three of them, like a rogue moon caught in warring gravity fields. 

“So…” She begins, waiting until she's sure Lumine's attention is on her. “What is this, um, harvi- harvis- t-that is, you know what I mean!” She suddenly finds herself regretting the question, turning to hide the flush of shame growing on her features, especially when she hears the sound of Lumine's stifled giggles. 

“Don't worry, Paimon can't pronounce it right either. Maybe it's because of all the other worlds I've been to, but language comes easily to me.” She slowly turns back to face Lumine as the blonde talks, watching out of the corner of her eye as she shrugs slightly. “Regardless, the Harvisptokhm is… hard to describe.” 

“How is a really big tree hard to describe…?” The shrill voice of Paimon interrupts, earning an eyeroll from Lumine. “Because it's a little bit more complicated than ‘a really big tree.’ You'll understand when you see it, Furina.”

~

It's not an insignificant trek, as it turns out. The path winds back and forth up the sloping cliff- where there's a path at all- and the sand is even more difficult than on Fontaine's beaches, seeming to slip and slide under their feet at the most inopportune moments. Then, as if that wasn't enough, the Traveler led her into a long-disused mining cave of all places. Surely this is a hazard, right? Don't these kinds of places have a habit of collapsing? 

But despite her anxieties, the worst they come to face in the cave are a few roving slimes, which Lumine dispatched before she even had a chance to try. It's actually a pretty quick jaunt, if anything, and then she's faced with the dwindling light of sunset instead of the soft blue glow of Lumine's lantern. The first thing she notices is a massive tree, twisted and gnarled but beautiful with branches ending in huge feathery pink flowers that lend them the appearance of some sea dwelling filter-feeder. It was, without a doubt, breathtaking. Paimon said a really big tree, right?

“Is… is that it?” She asks, turning cautiously to face Lumine and quickly finding the blonde's hand on her wrist, leading her forward. “That is a very beautiful giant tree, but no. That's the Elder Pine of Barsom.” She walks them just a bit further, and as the canyon wall to her left falls away she physically feels the air leave her lungs in a gasp, because Lumine was right; now that she sees it, she understands. Taller than any building in Fontaine, towering above everything else in the landscape like a glowing beacon of water held firm in the shape of a monumental tree. She barely notices the awestruck tear tracing a line down her cheek as she takes in the sight. This… this alone is worth the price of admission. If this is the start, what other wonders will she be showing me? She dares a glance at Lumine, feeling a slight shiver at the way the angelic woman is smiling at her, so open and warm, and immediately looks away again.

She isn't quite sure how long she spends staring at the unforgettable sight, but by the time she drags her gaze away the last of the sunset has faded into night- albeit not so dark of one, between the brightly glittering stars above and the soft glow of the Harvisptokhm. 

“You can thank the brave Sorush for that sight, by the way.” Seemingly sensing that she's broken out of her reverie, Lumine's voice pipes up behind her, reminding her that she's not in fact alone out here. “Paimon thinks that's oversimplifying things a little. And also we did most of the work, didn't we?” 

“Well… it's quite breathtaking. So all three of you should feel proud of that.” Immediately Furina starts to second guess herself- too familiar? Too formal? She's so used to performing a role, the absence or one leaves her floundering. The soft smile she receives from Lumine sets her heart at ease, and she finds herself idly worrying at another thought like one might work over a smooth stone with their fingertips: Do I have a crush on the Traveler?

“Hmph. It's good that someone recognizes our achievements, don't you think, Lumine?” Sorush’ haughty voice carves through her thoughts, sending her careening into a giggle at the realization that this tiny little bird fairy reminds her somewhat of the mask she built up. She doesn't quite catch what Lumine and Paimon say in the aftermath, too caught up in her own amusement. 

“I think we should make camp here under the Barsom tree for tonight. The path to Vourukasha Oasis can be treacherous, so I'd rather not risk it at night since Furina's never been here before. We can take our time with it in the morning, and then shelter there through the afternoon heat.”

Admittedly, Furina is getting a little tired of being constantly treated like she needs protecting. Sure, that might have been the case not too long ago, but she's halfway decent with her Vision now, and Clorinde has been quietly giving her sword lessons since she was bestowed with elemental power. Granted, this instance is probably one in which she's best off following the Traveler's advice, but she resolves to have a frank discussion about it if this keeps up. 

“Um, Paimon wonders if Zurvan will be okay with letting Furina into the oasis…” Paimon's voice brings her back to the moment, refocusing on whatever discussion is taking place. “Zurvan is soft deep down, and she trusts my Yasnapati- perhaps more than she trusts me. Hmph.”

“Yeah, I'm not too worried. And even if she does turn us away, at least Furina will have gotten to see it. There's other ways to get around, even if they're a bit tougher.” She turns at the sound of Lumine's voice, a little further away, and finds her already building a shelter within the natural hollow created by the tree's wide roots, pulling more and more pieces out of her bag before lashing cloth to branches and tentpoles, and looking far too good while doing so.

Lumine turns and catches her watching, smiling pleasantly. “We're pretty isolated from threats out here, and with how beautiful the sights are I figured a shelter like this, one where we can still look out and see the stars in the night sky, would probably be more comfortable. Sorush and I will trade off keeping watch, anyway.”

“Ah- I can help keep watch! I don't mind losing a few hours of sleep for the cause.” The offer rings hollow in her own ears, tired as she is, but Lumine seems to genuinely brighten. “I really appreciate the offer, but neither Sorush or I need as much sleep as a normal person- now that she's mostly recharged, at least. You should try and get a full night's sleep since you aren't used to long distance travel.”

Well. Not much she can argue with there. “At least let me help you put the shelter up? I want to learn.” Lumine raises an eyebrow but motions her over. “Sure. It's mostly done already, but I can teach you the basics for next time.”

~

It turns out, with a few blankets above it, the soft desert sand here makes a surprisingly comfortable bed. It's more like a large nest, really, designed to fit all of them together since the desert gets ‘so miserably cold at night’ according to Paimon- and if the rapidly cooling air is anything to go off of, she's probably right.

Lumine and Sorush are a little ways away, probably discussing who's going to take first watch while Furina and Paimon try to fall asleep. Unfortunately, sleep isn't coming to her so easily. A thought tickles at her brain, keeping her awake. “Paimon? Um… are you… really okay with having me along for this trip? I worry I may have interjected myself in a… less than thrilling fashion…” 

“Huh? Well… Okay, Paimon was a little annoyed when Lumine offered without asking Paimon first. But, after thinking about it, she's right that it will be nice having company. We always take a trip like this back through the places we've explored to mark the anniversary of our first meeting, so the change is nice. Besides, maybe having someone to show around will get her to finally go back to Inazuma…” The last part of the sentence is murmured, and Furina suspects she wasn't entirely meant to hear it, so she doesn't press for now. Just makes a note to ask about it when they've spent more time around eachother. 

Eventually Lumine settles in to rest first and wake early, and Furina finally finds sleep catch hold of her in the other woman's presence. 

~

It's still dark when Furina wakes- or at least as dark as it gets out here, bathed in the light of a glowing tree and brighter stars than she's ever really seen, what with Fontaine's city lights always dulling the night sky. She doesn't feel tired anymore though, and the Traveler's place in the bed is empty and cold while Sorush has curled up along with Paimon at the base of Furina's shoulders, providing a surprising amount of warmth. 

Glancing around as quietly and softly as she can to avoid disturbing the others, she searches for Lumine in the low silver-blue light. Eventually she finds the Traveler's silhouette outlined against the glowing tree, sitting statue-still as she stares out towards it. She knows it's rude to stare, but she can't help the way her gaze is drawn to her, like a guiding star. So, fine, maybe I have a crush on the Traveler. It doesn't change anything. I can just… admire her from afar. Right?  

Of course, it's never going to be that simple, is it?

Eventually she finds herself drifting back into a light sleep, her swirling thoughts receding to a surprising stillness under the watchful stars. 

~

Lumine wakes everyone as the very first dawn rays are brightening up the sky, a steaming plate of mondstat hashbrowns ready for everyone to dig in- Furina can't help but wonder where and how she made them, considering the campfire shows no signs of recent use. But whatever magic was used in their creation, there's no denying they taste amazing. 

It turns our Lumine wasn't kidding about the trail being treacherous. In fact, Furina thinks she might have been underselling it. The path is all but completely worn away, and any bridges or artificial stairways have long since collapsed in disrepair- they're practically rock-climbing at certain points, and Lumine ends up giving her a bit of an impromptu crash-course on climbing steep, often sheer stone walls and cliffs, Traveler-style. Suffice to say, even with climbs landing only a short distance down in soft sand, it's a thoroughly harrowing experience every second, and by the end she has a new respect for both the Traveler's capabilities and sheer stupid bravery- or, perhaps, insanity. 

~

They're most of the way through another, somewhat more stable looking cave, the exit visible before them, when Lumine stops and raises her hand to signal the others to do the same. She glances around, summoning her sword into her hand, so Furina draws her own weapon as well. Whatever's coming, she intends to face it together; she refuses to be a bystander in her own story anymore. 

Two shapes drop down from above the cavern exit, tall and hunched and fur-covered, with angular, rune-marked masks. Hilichurls, without a doubt, but far taller and more intimidating looking than any she had seen. One had fur tinted deep blue and held a wicked looking scythe, while the other was light green with a comically oversized throwing star. 

“Hilichurl rogues? Dammit, did you really have to get in our way now? Fine. I'll take the blue one, Furina, hold off the green one. Sorush, help her however you can, okay?” Lumine's voice is more intense than she's heard before, low and ridden with something between anger and grief. Furina feels more than sees the immense elemental power the girl contains in her slender frame- even without actively using her powers, wind begins to whistle through the cavern, the humidity in the air grows tenfold and sparks of electricity run through it, the ground vibrates beneath her feet and the tiniest hints of green begin to sprout from cracks in the walls. It's beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. 

But she doesn't have time to admire. The Hilichurls don't give her that privilege, charging them both, and Lumine leaps forward to meet one of them as the other rushes past. Instinct and training take over as Furina raises her own sword to block an incoming strike, gritting her teeth as she feels her shoulder nearly buckle under its overgrown strength- but something reinforces her, as if cushioning the hit. Okay, dodge. Don't block. She hears her own thoughts in Clorinde’s voice, giving her a surprising burst of confidence.

She drops low, taking advantage of the creature's height to duck beneath the next swing, and drives her sword upward through the side of its torso, taking advantage of the opening to focus on her Vision. Dodging the creature's wild strikes takes too much focus to summon the members of her Salon Solitaire for aid, so instead she uses water to distract and misdirect, jabbing at it with spears and blades to keep it off-balance as she attacks. 

But as the creature finds itself on the back foot, she feels the wind pick up around it. A breeze rapidly becomes a wild gale, lashing at her like a tangle of bladed whips and forcing her back even with that strange green energy cushioning the blows. She has little time to react as the creature throws its weapon, boosted by Anemo power to nigh-unstoppable speeds. She tries to pull up a water curtain to deflect it, but it's moving too fast for her to form anything nearly solid enough, even as she sees a wall of pale green particles begin to conjoin with it. 

As the blade flies towards her, every barrier shattered, and she just about feels her life start flashing before her eyes, she processes a flash of white and silver, then the clash of metal and a cry of pain- in the seconds after, she processes that Lumine deflected the weapon, but it still glanced enough to leave a deep line of red across her right shoulder.

“Dammit.” Her voice is quiet and icy as she swaps her sword to her other hand, and Furina has just about enough time to process the crackle of lightning and the sound of thunder as she watches the Traveler- and this truly felt like the legendary Traveler, not her sweet and gentle friend Lumine- shoot forward like a bullet. 

It's over before she has the time to process, the Anemo-empowered Hilichurl falling to the ground alongside the other that the Traveler had already slain. Lumine is dead silent, but she watches the blonde close her eyes, place her hand on the ground, and channel Geo to form two large graves, letting the creatures sink into them before re-sealing the rock over them- but not without a barely noticeable rune above each, identical to their masks. Then, still silently, she turns and begins walking to the exit. 

Furina hesitates for a moment, looking to Paimon, who's also uncharacteristically quiet, looking almost sheepish. When she doesn't find answers in Paimon's star-filled eyes, she half-jogs to catch up with Lumine. “Um, Lumine, shouldn't we take care of your shoulder?”

Lumine shakes her head, her eyes still hard. “It's not as bad as it looks. We can fix it up when we reach the Oasis.”

“O-okay, if you're sure…” She hesitates, another question burning on the tip of her tongue. “Lumine…” She starts before hesitating. You're going to overstep, Furina. “...Are you okay?” She finishes instead. Asking about the graves just feels too personal, for now. Even if she really, really wants to know. 

The Traveler takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and nods. When she opens them, they're Lumine's kind, resolute eyes again. Furina can't help but breathe a sigh of relief, even if it's clear that Lumine is still quite burdened by something she's not yet willing to show. 

Sensing that Lumine is still probably not ready to talk, she falls back a little to where Paimon and Sorush are following. “So, um, Sorush, was that your power I felt aiding me back there?”

“Mhm. The power of Khvarena is most potent when used to protect, but unfortunately it seems I wasn't yet at full strength…” The Pari sounds far more glum than she's heard before, and she races to reassure her. “Oh, no, it's okay! You really helped a lot, even Lumine wasn't able to fully deflect that attack.” 

“Hm. I suppose you're right. Thank you, blue one.” Sorush is already floating off towards Lumine as she speaks. 

“Hey! I have a name you know!” Furina calls after her, then hears Paimon whispering(loudly) in her ear. “Don't worry about it, that's just how Sorush shows affection.”

~

The air rapidly cools to a perfectly pleasant temperature as they cross the bridge leading to the Oasis. Furina takes a deep breath, inhaling the scent of fresh rain- despite the lack of any such thing. It's surprisingly comforting, considering how many centuries she spent terrified of rain. 

Another Pari waits for them at the end of the bridge, pale white fading to purple with a crest like a pair of horns. Her voice is that of an old, stern grandmotherly woman. 

“Lumine, Sorush, Paimon. It is good to see you return here as you said you would.” She then turns to Furina, floating closer and squinting at her slightly. “This one, it's faint, but she carries the scent of Amrita.” She floats back to Lumine, a silent question visible on her features. 

“It's complicated, but you could say she's a very distant relative. I… can't say more than that.” Lumine shrugs apologetically, and the Pari nods. “Very well. If you vouch for her I see no reason to deny her entry.” She turns to Furina again. “I am Zurvan, the First Pari. You are welcome to rest in our Oasis for as long as you need.”

The Oasis is perhaps the most calming place she's ever been to, but it doesn't ease the fact that Lumine's shoulder is still injured. Before the Traveler can protest, she plops down on a rock beside the blonde and gathers Hydro particles in her hand. She doesn't need the Singer for this much. 

“Don't move, okay? I don't know if this will sting or not.” She places her hand lightly against Lumine's shoulder, watching as motes of blue light drift from her palm and coalesce around the wound, suffusing themselves into it until all that remains is a faint blue glow beneath freshly healed skin, and then even that is gone, replaced by unblemished skin- not even a scar remains. Which is almost a shame- she has to admit she finds the scars all over Lumine's visible skin more than slightly attractive.

“Thanks.” Lumine's voice is quiet and worn out, but warm, and Furina feels her hand being lightly squeezed in Lumine's calloused one. “...You did good back there, you know. Hilichurls like those ones are on par with many trained vision-wielders.”

Furina brightens at the compliment, even if she doesn't entirely feel like she deserves it. “Well, thank you. Maybe you can teach me some of your tricks sometime? I don't think I've ever seen anyone fight quite like you do.”

Lumine shrugs. “My brother and I taught ourselves together. He was always the better teacher, but I can still do my best to teach you some things.”

Furina nods, giving the Traveler's hand a reassuring squeeze this time. “Only if you'd like to, of course.” Lumine smiles softly, turning to look directly at Furina for the first time since the fight. “I'd be happy to teach you. Some other day, though.”

~

They spend another few hours at the Oasis, Lumine and Paimon both choosing to take a nap after a lunch of pita pockets the Traveler had prepared earlier, while Sorush went off to talk with the other Pari and Furina takes the time to explore the incredible sights of the Oasis as thoroughly as she can- it's a once in a lifetime experience, after all. She even makes some friends amongst the Pari, though of course nothing like whatever Lumine and Sorush have. 

But nothing good lasts forever, and so their time at the Vourukasha Oasis must also come to an end. Lumine wakes on her own as the sun is beginning to dip lower in the sky, shaking Paimon awake over the course of at least a minute and a half. “Awww, is it time to go already? But Paimon's still sleepy…”

“I know, Paimon. But we've gotta get a move on if we want to make it to the edge of Hadramaveth before nightfall. We're already going to be cutting across the cliffs.” This is of course the moment that Furina has to interject. “We're going to be doing what now?” 

“Oh, right. Well, first we have to glide across that gap-” She points to a yawning chasm that makes Furina's stomach drop just to look at. “And then I'm gonna climb up that cliff, drop you down a rope, hoist you up, and then we glide from the top of that to the road out of here.” She makes it sound so very simple. 

“Do you, perhaps, forget that I do not know how to fly a wind glider, Lumine?” She stands with her hands on her hips, glowering. Lumine waves it off with a smile. “Don't worry, I'll carry you across. I promise, I'll keep you safe.” 

Dammit, how dare that work on me. “Fine, just… you better be extra damn careful, miss honorary knight!” Lumine just giggles, squeezing her shoulder before walking towards the cliff edge.

“You're safe with me, princess.” Furina's quite glad Lumine is busying herself with her wind glider so she has time to cool the furious blush forming on her face. Keep it together, Furina.  “Shall we um, be off then?”

~

Flying wasn't quite as terrifying as she expected it to be, but that doesn't make it pleasant, especially as she has no control over the situation. Lumine tied them together for extra safety, since she has to use her arms to guide the glider, but Furina clings to her for dear life anyway, refusing to look down at the drop below her. 

The climb was only slightly better, and watching Lumine scrabble up the rock face like some kind of spider with no safeties was a nerve-wracking experience in its own right. 

Now they're slowly gliding a descent, and she gazes out at what Lumine called Tunigi Hollow behind them, admiring the beautiful feather-flowers that grow from the wooden spikes, just like those on the Barsom tree. It's a beautiful sight, especially illuminated by the sunset, and it helps keep her mind off just how high up they still are. 

Every now and then she steals a glance behind her, in the direction Lumine is taking them. The fact they're headed directly for a massive, swirling tornado of sand reflecting and magnifying some unnatural glow within it doesn't do wonders for her confidence, but the sight is certainly awe-inspiring- in a very different way from the great tree at the Oasis, which made her feel connected to the universe in a way she never felt before. The massive sandstorm before her however is a reminder of just how small she is, even empowered by a Vision. Humbling, striking, and terrifying. 

They hit the ground just around when the sun disappears below the horizon, stumbling a bit due to the awkward rigging set up. Furina extricates herself as quickly as she can, trying very hard not to think about having Lumine pressed against her like that for very different reasons. 

She fidgets with the Vision at her hip to clear her head, letting the cool pulse of Hydro energy run through her fingertips and takes a deep breath before refocusing. 

Lumine and Paimon are having a discussion a little ways away. “Paimon just thinks it might be a little dangerous to have an open camp here! More people than the order of skeptics wander in here, you know. We have that teapot for a reason!”

“Yeah, you're probably right. I just wanted to give Furina the full adventurer experience though, y'know?” Furina tunes in more directly at the sound of her name. 

“Paimon gets it, but wouldn't you rather her be safe?” She sees Lumine slouch a bit, as if all the energy has left her. “...Yeah. You're right, Paimon. Thanks for talking me out of it.” 

Lumine turns to Furina, retrieving an ornate teapot that looks like it probably came from Liyue. She says a word and places it in the empty air, where it proceeds to rest unaided. “C'mon, grab my hand. We're going to rest somewhere a bit more comfortable from now on.”

Furina hesitates for a half second before following her instructions. She feels the Traveler's fingers tighten around hers, and then there's an incredibly strange- and strangely painless- feeling of being pulled through a tube as they're pulled bodily into the spout of the teapot. 

~

Furina doesn't dare open her eyes until she feels herself actually standing still again, and when she does she immediately finds her breath stolen away. The horizon is a vast sea of clouds, broken by titanic flowering vines that erupt from the endless clouds. She automatically takes a hurried step back, feeling Lumine's hand on her shoulder. “Maybe I should have warned you first. Sorry. But uh, this is home. Don't mind the heights too much, you can't actually fall in here.”

“You- you have a- a- what, a pocket dimension? And you made us sleep in a flimsy little shelter in the cold desert? You are a fiend , Traveler!” She sticks her tongue out, pulling her most dramatic pose. Lumine laughs it off, not even hiding her amusement. “You deserve the full experience! If anything, I was doing you a favor. ”

“Paimon, were you in on this?! Could you have saved me from this clear hazing the Traveler has put me through?” Now even Sorush is giggling, and Furina can't hold back her own laughter either- so hard it brings tears to the corners of her eyes and her cheeks hurt by the time it dies down.

Was joking around with a friend always this fun? One voice whispers in her head, balanced out immediately by a more hostile one. Would you even know?

As quickly as the thought hits, so does the spiral. If the Traveler is my only friend, can I really trust any of what I feel about her? Am I projecting? Have I put her on a pedestal for it? What if I make a mistake and lose my first real friend? She's sure the others must have noticed, with the way her laughter died off so suddenly and any smile left her face, but she can't bring herself to face their surely pitying looks. 

But there's that steadying hand on her shoulder and oh, she wants to lean into that warmth- but not now. Not with the thoughts swirling through her head right now. 

So she pulls away after the first squeeze, letting the touch ground her and no more than that. “I'm okay. Just tired. Show me to my room?” She asks, putting on her best fake smile(which is a very believable one, mind you!) and gesturing the Traveler forward. She can't help but notice Sorush and Paimon have both already disappeared. 

Lumine doesn't entirely look like she buys it, but she doesn't press, just motions for Furina to follow her inside what she's realizing is a mansion held aloft by a giant plant- or perhaps the plants are normal sized, and they've all shrunk. Strangely, that thought helps ground her somewhat. 

The central room of the mansion seems to have been decorated like a Sumeru-style café. There was even a menu of drinks and baked goods. “Who… runs the café?” she finds herself asking without thinking. 

Lumine just flashes her a wry smile. “Who do you think? I happen to know several ways to make good coffee, and you've already tasted my cooking. Oh, on that note, I'll bring you dinner in an hour or so, try to stay awake until then, okay?”

Furina just nods, already wanting to at least rest in some comfortable furniture. Some part of her registers how the building is far larger inside than its exterior implies, but she's in no mood to pull on that thread right now. 

Lumine leads her upstairs and into a cozy bedroom off the side of the hall. It was well-furnished, and she finds herself wondering how Lumine got everything- magic, or is she just that much wealthier than anyone realizes? She wouldn't be surprised if the answer is both. 

She spares a soft goodbye to Lumine, who hesitates for a moment before bidding her goodnight and leaving, letting the door shut with a soft click. 

The moment Furina has privacy, she practically collapses onto the bed, finding it plush enough for royalty and wondering, idly, if the Traveler's own room is also this comfortable, before reeling that line of thought back in like a particularly unruly fish on a line. Instead, she tries to focus on all the incredible things she's seen today alone, letting her thoughts drift to the tree, and the sandstorm they were now heading towards. 

She's woken by the sound of a knock on her door, unsure of exactly when she dozed off. Taking one glance at her rumpled clothes and considering her dour mood, she has no desire to be observed right now. If the Traveler is bringing her dinner, she'll leave it outside the room. Probably. 

She gives it a good five minutes to be sure and her patience is rewarded- for better or worse. A covered platter sits outside her door, along with a note that simply says ‘Rest well.’ Even in her current state it warms her heart a little, and she quickly retreats back into the room to enjoy whatever meal the Traveler has cooked for her, which turns out to be Fontainian onion soup- a familiar comfort food. 

Truly, this just isn't fair, and even she isn't sure whether the tears that stream down her cheeks when she takes a bite are from happiness or sorrow.

~

Furina wakes to the sound of voices outside her door, muffled and speaking low but still audible. “Paimon just isn't sure… you saw how she looked last night. Shouldn't we just let her rest?”

“I know, but… we've already lost an hour. We only have so much time before the heat makes it impossible to progress and we have to come right back here.” It stings somewhat that the Traveler is rebuffing the idea of letting her rest, even if she's right. 

“Paimon knows that, but… well, what if we started journeying, and let Furina spend the day resting in the teapot? It's not like we can't move it with her inside…” Even Paimon doesn't sound too sure about that one. 

“Do you want to be the one to explain why she wakes up in here, alone, without knowing how to get out?” She can practically hear the way the Traveler's raised her eyebrow. “Yeah, you're right… oh! Maybe Paimon can stay with Furina! …wait, no, you always get into some kind of world-changing trouble when Paimon has to leave you alone…”

Furina decides enough is enough, and it's time to solve the problem for them. Pulling the door open with perhaps too much force and feeling just a bit too amused when she sees Lumine- who had apparently been leaning on it- stumble and catch herself with a burst of Anemo energy. 

“Well? What are we waiting for? Off we get, right?” She crosses her arms, a rough night and stormy thoughts leaving her mock irritation only half-fake. An unreadable expression passes over Lumine's features, and Paimon looks entirely too sheepish, but Lumine just nods and turns to lead them out. 

Whatever Furina was expecting to be the key out of here, a giant bird in a teapot wasn't it. Somehow, it feels entirely too fitting, especially when Lumine calls what's clearly a powerful magical being, ‘Tubby’. Doubly so that it- she? Doesn't seem to mind. 

Regardless, leaving is a very different experience than entering. Tubby just gestures with her beak and a door of golden light splits the air open in front of them, which Lumine opens like it's the most normal thing in the world. Which it probably is to her. This time there's no feeling of being stretched through a tube, they just step through the door and find themselves immediately back in the desert. It's only then that Furina realizes they're missing someone. “Where's Sorush?”

“Oh, she's seen this place with us a lot. She said she'd rather just sit in the teapot and relax until we leave Sumeru. Sometimes I think I spoil her too much.” Lumine giggles at her own remark, already leading them onwards through the canyon pass out of the Girdle of the Sands. “Yeah, Paimon thinks you spoil her too much, too…” 

~

Just as they're about to leave the pass, Lumine stops them and retrieves something from her bag- a set of lightly tinted goggles and red satin bandanas, each bearing an inverted pyramid mark- one set being sized down for Paimon. She hands one set to Furina, and secures her own, covering her nose and mouth with the bandana. “An Eremite friend gave me these for our desert travels. You'll want to keep the sand out of your eyes and, well, the rest of your face too. Especially around the eternal sandstorm.”

Paimon nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Dehya taught us a lot about desert survival. These were graduation presents!”

Furina takes them with a soft sigh, trying not to think about how silly she probably looks and how much the face protection probably clashes horrendously with the rest of her outfit. Really, she probably should have thought through her wardrobe choices more thoroughly for this trip, instead of just taking her favorites. Maybe one of the towns Lumine and Paimon mentioned would have a clothing store she could raid…

High-fashion or not, the gear makes a noticeable difference. As they leave the cover of the canyon walls and the winds pick up at the edge of the sandstorm, she feels herself pelted by fine sand- and a nice dose of regret- with every gust. 

Lumine is largely silent as they progress, leading the way with that same implacable fortitude she displayed during the primordial seawater crisis. Even Paimon’s mood seems stifled by the howling wind and sand. 

At some point Furina realizes that even though she can feel the brutal heat of the desert sun, she can't actually see it through the vast sandstorm before them. She trudges her way up to Lumine, having to shout to be heard over the winds. “Traveler! Where are we going? How much longer do we have to spend around this storm?” 

Lumine stops, glancing around before speaking. “As long as we keep the sandstorm on our right, we’ll come to a fallen ruin machine, and eventually circle around through the canyon ruins and reach the old Tanit camps. There's something I'm hoping to find there, so that's our goal for the night.” 

Furina nods her understanding before turning her attention forward again, focusing on trudging one foot after the other through the slippery sand dunes. She's more than ready to put this sandstorm behind her. 

After that, they keep mostly quiet. Conversation is difficult over the sandstorm anyway, and there's just not much to talk about when sand is swirling through the howling wind around you at all times, either. But eventually their path takes them further from the storm, and Furina gets her first proper look at the machine Lumine had described. 

She's seen ruins machines, of course. They may not be as common in Fontaine, but she's encountered empty husks that were being researched, and even seen one in the far distance once- before it was handily dealt with by the guards. This one… was a bit different. 

“They… they made them that big? I never thought…” She shakes her head, looking to Lumine and Paimon for any sort of explanation as her famed tour guides. 

Lumine just nods, whatever amused expression she's making hidden under the mask, while Paimon takes over. “Yep! We've found a few of them. The Traveler actually controlled this one! It's broken now, though. Probably for the best…”

It's just then that Lumine stops them, peering forward at the gigantic machine. Furina follows her gaze and notices what looks like a group of people clambering around the metal behemoth, and some kind of expedition camp set up in the canyon that it now rested within. “I take it there weren't people there before?”

Lumine shakes her head, watching for a few more seconds. “...Yeah. It looks like an expedition from someone in the Akademiya. I guess it's no surprise someone came after it by now… just a bit of a shame. I hoped we could show Furina around.”

Paimon cocks her head and starts floating forward. “Well, we could just go ask them! I mean, you're pretty famous, they might just let us take a tour if we ask!”

Lumine shakes her head, reaching out to grasp Paimon's cape and stop her forward movement. “I can't explain it, but I have a gut feeling.” She shifts back and forth, as if weighing several options. Finally she shakes her head. “No, I think we should skirt around. If Furina really wants to see the inner workings of one of the giant machines, we can make a detour for one of the others.” 

Furina can't help but notice that she's still watching the camp with interest, and when she tries to follow where the Traveler is looking, she notices a single figure standing out, a pale-skinned woman dressed in far more expensive fineries than the workers and guards around her. “Do you recognize her, Traveler?” 

Lumine shakes her head, finally starting to move again. “No, but I want to memorize her face. Something doesn't quite sit right to me...” 

“Do you want to investigate? If something is worrying you…” She starts, but Lumine cuts her off gently, shaking her head. “No, I don't think they're doing anything dangerous. I'm just keeping track in case I ever run into her later.”

There's not much more room for argument after that, even if Paimon seems a little surprised by the interaction. One after the other they hurry to follow Lumine, sparing occasional hasty glances at the titanic machine behind them. 

~

It's well after nightfall when Lumine finally stops them for the night. Furina isn't quite sure what makes this long-dead ruin in a canyon different from the one they just spent hours trudging through, but if it means they're done for the night, that's good by her. They may have taken a short break in the teapot during the heat of the afternoon, but most of that was spent cleaning sand out of her hair and clothes- not exactly a restful time. 

She's decided without a doubt that the desert is not her favorite place. Perhaps it should be unsurprising considering her alignment to the element of Hydro, but the place simply does not agree with her. 

Glancing around, something occurs to her. “Lumine, didn't you call this place a camp? Where are all the people?”

Lumine doesn't answer. In fact, at some point during her musings, Lumine seems to have disappeared. Paimon, however, answers for her- which must mean she's not too far away. “Well, it used to be a camp. One of our friends used to live here, but, well… a lot happened.” She gets quiet for a second, drifting closer to Furina and speaking at something closer to a whisper. “That friend went on a different journey than us, though. Paimon thinks Lumine was hoping to find some clue or something here. Well, Paimon did too, really…”

Furina feels her heart wilt at the sadness in Paimon's voice- she hadn't really ever heard Paimon speak with so much grief behind her words. “Can you tell me about them?”

“Eh? Well, sure, if you'd like. Her name was Jeht, and honestly she was pretty scary… but really cool, too. She was an incredible warrior, even without a Vision! Paimon thinks she'd be pretty unstoppable if she ever got one. And um-” She leans in a bit, whispering properly. “don't tell anyone this, but Paimon thinks she was at least a little bit in love with Lumine.” 

She might have spit out her drink if she was drinking something, so she's very thankful that she can pass off the strangled noise she makes as a cough instead- there's plenty of sand she could have inhaled around here, after all. “W-well, she sounds… lovely. I hope you all meet up with her again, someday.” It's a testament to her willpower that she doesn't ask the question burning on the tip of her tongue. Does Lumine have women falling for her in every corner of Teyvat?  

Of course, she can only assume the answer is yes. 

Eventually Lumine reappears with a look of disappointment worn blatantly on her face. Furina opens her mouth to speak but hesitates, choking on her own anxieties. Ultimately, Paimon beats her to the punch. “No luck?” 

Lumine just nods, already pulling the teapot out of her bag. “Yeah, Paimon thought so… it was a long shot after all, but even so, Paimon can't help being disappointed..”

“Me too, Paimon. But we’ll see her again, eventually. I'm sure of it.” There's a reassuring smile on Lumine’s face, but Furina has worn enough fake smiles to see through it. Finally, thinking about what the Traveler always does for her, she rests a reassuring hand on Lumine’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze, which seems to at least shake a surprised reaction out of the girl, and then a more genuine smile. 

When they go to sleep that night, that smile is the last thing she pictures before sleep takes hold of her, and only pleasant dreams find their way to her unconscious mind. 

~

If there was one thing she had to admit about the desert, the sunrise is always gorgeous. Now that they're across the canyon from the swirling eternal sandstorm, especially. Of course, without the sandstorm constantly stealing her attention, the massive, clearly arcane pyramid rising out of the desert center is… difficult to miss. 

Equally so is the fact that Lumine barely seems to acknowledge it. “Lumine… what is that thing?” 

“Huh? Oh, you mean the Mausoleum of King Deshret? Well, it's a tomb. And a legacy. But mostly a tomb.” Lumine shrugs, as if that answers everything perfectly. 

“Even for a king, that seems a bit excessive, don't you think? How did they even build it?” Furina practically wonders aloud, eliciting an eruption of chuckles from Paimon, and a giggle from Lumine. “Well, when the king is a God, these things can happen.”

“Oh. Then… Did he force people to build him some oppressive monument? Because it sort of looks that way…”

Lumine giggles again, shaking her head with a grin on her face. As much as it's a bit embarrassing, Furina has to admit it's a significant step up from Lumine's dour mood yesterday. “I wondered that at first, too. But no. It's a long story, with a lot of players, and it's not quite mine to tell.”

Furina glances at the monument again. It certainly doesn't look like a friendly sight, but then again, she was never a real God- maybe their ideas of gentle aesthetics just don't quite match up with hers. After a moment she realizes Lumine and Paimon are still moving, and jogs to catch up with them. 

Furina very quickly finds that this stretch of the desert is just as miserable as the Hadramaveth, just in a totally different way. Where Hadramaveth's sandstorm lashed her with sand that scratched and scraped her sensitive skin and wind that lashed and howled across her ears, that same wind also kept the worst of the desert heat off her back. Here, though there's more life and less actively hostile weather, there’s also far less protection from the blistering heat. 

“I don't mean to complain, but… how much longer before we're free of this desert? I think I'm literally starting to melt!” She manages her most stricken voice as she performatively bumps into Lumine's shoulders as if collapsing. 

“Yeah, Paimon too! How did you talk Paimon into doing this again, anyway…” Says the floating fairy, immediately hopping on the bandwagon. 

“Okay, okay you two. We'll take a break soon enough. In about another hour we should be able to see Abdju Pit- if we spend our rest hours there, we should make it to Aaru Village by nightfall. After that, we're just about home free. Think you can make it that far, princess?”

Furina huffs. It'd be easier to deal with her affection for Lumine if the girl would stop using nicknames that make her heart flutter. “Fine! But if all that's left of me is a Hydro slime in a hat, you'd better take responsibility for it!”

They end up taking their rest stop a little before reaching the edge of the pit, Lumine eventually giving in to Furina and Paimon's misery lest they get some variety of heat-sickness. Furina spends most of her time in a conveniently mystically-heated bathtub, taking a much-needed soak to clear her head and cleanse her skin. Afterwards, Lumine sits everyone down with a pot of gilded tajine and, afterwards, a plate of candied ajilenakh nuts- apparently trying to slowly inundate Furina into the flavor profiles of Sumeru's cuisine as they travel through it. The meal isn't completely to her taste, but she could see herself developing a fondness for Sumeru's sweets. 

After that, they're on the road again- at least now they're winding through a shaded canyon, keeping the worst of the already-fading heat off them. Lumine and Paimon are more excitable and talkative as they walk, discussing what they'll do about dinner when they arrive- they seem to have settled on visiting a friend for dinner, but are still building up a list of backups. Or at least, Paimon is- Lumine seems to mostly just be entertaining her ideas.

Truth be told, Furina wants to join in, but she just doesn't know how to interject herself; she doesn't feel nearly close enough with either of them yet; Even if they consider me a friend, they probably don't think of me that dearly, right?

So she simply walks a little ways behind them, listening in with an anxious ear. 

~

It's evening when they turn a corner in the canyon pass and Aaru Village comes into view, the orange sunset light casting the town into a striking silhouette with its structures climbing up the sides of a massive stone pillar. It's a far more subtle sight than the incredibly grandiose landmarks she's become oddly used to within the desert, but a beautiful sight nonetheless- and one she doesn't have quite as much time to take in as she'd like, as Lumine and Paimon are already halfway across the bridge, and she has to jog to catch up. 

As they finish crossing the bridge, Lumine spins on her heel- still competently walking backwards- and spreads her arms out wide, gesturing to the town. “Welcome to Aaru Village- the friendliest place in the desert. C'mon, we have someone to meet up with before bedtime. She'll probably insist on feeding us and finding nice accommodations. I've told her I can just use the teapot, but she always insists anyway…” Lumine shakes her head with a smile. 

Just then, the sound of two feminine voices drifts down from a level above them. “C'mon Candace, how long have you been at this? You deserve a break! You know I can handle things around here for a few days while you go visit the big city. I even know a girl who would be perfect for showing you around! It's a win-win.” The first voice is energetic, but backed with an obvious maturity. 

The second is softer, gentle but stubborn. “Oh Dehya, of course I believe you can handle things, but I would still worry… I mean, what if something happened to you while I was gone? That would hurt me as much as anyone in the village coming to harm.” 

Immediately Paimon half-screeches, as if to alert the whole town to their arrival. “Hang on, Paimon recognizes those voices! Dehya’s here too!” 

“Hey, I know that voice!” Comes a response from the first voice. There's a sound of someone running above them, boots clicking against stone, and she looks up just in time to see an absolutely stunning woman peering down- dark skinned with piercing blue eyes that reminded her of the sun, and a wild mane of dark brown and gold hair that gives her a truly lion-like appearance. And for Furina's poor, repressed gay heart, her looks combined with her outfit was just too much to handle, showing off more of her incredibly muscular body than Furina thinks she's ever seen before. Thank the stars for nightfall hiding the crimson that has creeped across her face- even if she feels like it must be so bright as to glow with pink light. “Traveler! Paimon! Fate brings us together again, huh? C'mon up, Candace and I were just about to settle in for dinner.” 

Furina finally looks back down to see Lumine smirking at her knowingly- she's been caught staring. Luckily, the blonde doesn't draw attention to it, just motions her along as she takes the stairs two at a time- Furina has no choice but to follow, slightly more careful on the worn steps. 

The other woman, unfortunately, turns out to also be gorgeous- it's rare she sees someone else with heterochromia, and she can't help but find Candace's a bit prettier than her own, to her embarrassment- and her outfit shows off just as much of her scarred body. She also can't help but notice they both wear Visions on one hip. 

Unintentionally, Furina finds herself halfway hiding behind the Traveler. This, of course, does not go unnoticed, as Dehya immediately catches her eyes, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. “Well now, who's the cutie? I didn't know you were expanding your little crew!”

Lumine, ever-helpful, steps out of the way and gestures to Furina as if presenting her. It's Paimon, however, who actually speaks. “This is Furina, a friend of ours from Fontaine. Things just happened to line up, so she's coming with us on vacation.”

Dehya smiles, genuine and warm, and offers her hand- luckily not the one with the clawed gauntlet- to Furina to shake. Her grip is strong and Furina's pretty sure the woman could toss her around with just the one arm- which shouldn't make her heart pound as much as it does. “You made it through the desert dressed like that? I'll be honest, I'm impressed. Maybe you should get a somewhat more befitting outfit for the trip back, though.”

“Y-yeah, that sounds like a… good idea. I'm sure I'll figure something out!” It does not sound like a good idea to her at all. Furina cannot imagine putting that much of her skin on display- she may, theoretically, have the body of a goddess, but that doesn't make her nearly as confident in it as one might think. Especially when looking at people like Dehya and Candace. 

“Oh, right, I'm Dehya, and this is Candace. I should have introduced myself sooner, sorry about that.” Dehya actually sounds a bit sheepish, which helps Furina feel the slightest bit less intimidated. Candace steps forward with a bow, speaking up for the first time since the group got together. “Perhaps this isn't the right place for a reunion of friends. Shall we retire to my home? There's plenty of space for guests, and I was already planning to make some mixed rice for myself and Dehya- it's not hard to increase the size of the recipe.”

This immediately perks up both Paimon and Lumine. “Yes! Paimon agrees! And the Traveler does too, right?” Lumine doesn't even seem to be humoring her when she nods, looking far more excited for food than she has this entire trip- Furina supposes it probably helps that she's not the one cooking, for once. 

~

Candace's home isn't quite as spacious as her description made it sound- though perhaps Furina still has a skewed understanding of living space- but there's still enough room for the five of them to squeeze around a dinner table with reasonable comfort.

At first, when Candace serves dinner, Furina isn't quite sure about it- it doesn't look that special or appealing. But when she takes her first bite, it's like understanding a bit more of the universe. Suddenly Lumine and Paimon's excitement makes perfect sense, and before she knows it she's finished her entire plate. Luckily, there's seconds. 

Honestly, she isn't sure when the last time she was this satisfied by a meal was. As much as she utterly adores sweets, the traditional, home-cooked meal left her feeling something she hasn't really felt in a long, long time- a feeling she can't quite put a name to. Even though the beds are little more than (surprisingly comfortable) mattresses laid out on the floor, she can't find it in herself to complain, finding sleep takes her easily- especially with Lumine sleeping just one bed away and Paimon's surprisingly comforting, and surprisingly quiet, snoring providing white noise to the background. 

Chapter Text

I know what’s best and I confess

That I want her

Forbidden love, my head’s a mess

And I want her

I see it pay out on TV

I love her femininity

I just can't shake this fantasy

That I want her

[Blind Truth(Feat. Georgia Harris) - I Want Her ]

Furina wakes up slowly, consciousness inching back into her grasp. At some point in the night it seems Paimon migrated from being curled up against Lumine's shoulders to being curled up against Furina's chest, sending a flood of warmth through her heart. 

As she slowly opens her eyelids though, she finds Lumine's bed empty under a morning sunbeam- which is about when she processes the sound of the Traveler's distinct, musical laughter from the dining room. She tries to listen in but only makes out murmurings, though she does recognize Lumine and Dehya's voices. 

Sighing to herself, she tries to gently shake Paimon awake, and receives a surprisingly forceful kick to her sternum for the effort. “Ow! Paimon! What was that for?” 

But Paimon doesn't seem to have awoken from her shout either, instead just wriggling away and burying herself under blankets like a mole. Furina can just barely hear her whispering something about fisherman's toast as she scurries somnolently out of Furina's grasp. Fine then. 

When she comes into the dining room both Dehya and Lumine stop and turn to her as if they've been busted in the middle of something, and Furina can't help but notice the way Lumine's cheeks are dusted with a light pink blush and the way Dehya's lips are curled up in a smirk. Don't be jealous, Furina. It's unbecoming.

“Are you hungry, Furina? We can heat up breakfast for you.” Lumine starts, a smile on her face that puts Furina off, what with her current train of thought. Dehya raises an eyebrow, conjuring flames like candlelights at her fingertips. “Careful with those promises, Traveler- last time I checked, I've still got the only fire-power in this house. And you know we mercs always have a price.” 

Her voice is playful, and Lumine's fond eyeroll tells her she's probably being teased, but it still puts her on the back foot. “O-oh. And um, what is the asking price these days?”

Dehya grins, looking to Lumine for a second before turning her attention back to Furina. “How about the same thing I charged the Traveler: a smile from a pretty girl.”

With that, Furina is thoroughly flustered, an undisguisable blush brightening her cheeks. “I- but- I-I mean, that's a bit… that is to say-” Dehya cuts her off with a laugh, grinning ear to ear. “I'm just kiddin’ cutie, I'll get right on it. ‘Course, I'd love to see you smile before we have to go our separate ways- I bet you've got a real gorgeous one.” She flashes a wink to punctuate the sentence, turning to ignite the wood-stove and reheat breakfast. 

Furina just looks to the Traveler, aghast, as if begging for an explanation. Lumine, of course, simply rests her chin on her hands and gives Furina one of the most indecipherable smiles she's ever seen on the blonde. 

Breakfast is leftover mixed rice with scented meatballs, the latter of which she tries mostly out of politeness and only eats one of- which seems to be fine, as Lumine and Paimon finish off most of the plate themselves, and Dehya seems happy to enjoy the few they don't snatch up. 

With breakfast in her stomach, Furina decides it's time to address the elephant in the room. “By the way, where's Candace?”

Dehya grimaces, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. “She rose at the break of dawn saying she had some chores to take care of around town, and not to wait up for her. I swear, that woman needs to take a break before she breaks.”

Furina winces, knowing that feeling all too well. Dehya sighs and continues. “Not much we can do about it now, though. I've been trying to convince her to let me take over for a week, but she just won't bite. Ah well. I'll get through to her eventually.”

“I see… that is a shame. But in that case, now that we've had breakfast, what's the travel plan for the day?” Furina turns to Lumine as she speaks, waiting for her to elaborate. 

Lumine tilts her head slightly, tapping on her chin thoughtfully. “Dehya's gonna come with us to Caravan Ribat, but after that Paimon thinks we're headed in different directions. But you browse the markets while we're there, Furina. There's lots of really cool, overpriced stuff.”

“And I can offer some tips to tell which merchants are trying to scam you.” Dehya offers with an easy smile, earning a giggle from Lumine, who immediately takes the chance to tease her. “I think she could use those lessons either way, actually.”

“Hey! I'm perfectly reasonable with my spending habits! …Usually…” She shakes her head to clear the embarrassment. “A-anyway, shouldn't we be leaving soon?” 

Lumine considers for a second, glancing at Dehya as if silently communicating something, before nodding sharply. “Yeah, I'll go wake up Paimon.” 

And then Furina is alone with a lioness, feeling an awful lot like a cornered mouse with the way Dehya is looking at her. “So, the Traveler must really have a soft spot for you, to bring you along like this.” 

That sends a flutter to Furina's heart. “R-really? Is it that unusual of her? I… didn't think she considered me that close…” She glances away, finding the most interesting spot on the floor and zeroing in on it. 

“Well, I may not have known her the longest time, but it's the first I've heard of it.” The lioness shrugs, nonchalant. “Take that as you will.”

Furina doesn't even realize that she's given Dehya that requested smile, too distracted by the butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the concept. 

It's well past sunrise by the time they're all out the door, but Dehya assures her that, while traveling the jungle has plenty of its own dangers, they'll be able to spend more of the daylight traveling. “Besides,” she adds, “it's only about two hours travel to Caravan Ribat from here. We'll be out of the desert sun before you know it.”

Furina breathes a loud sigh of relief, falling into place beside Paimon, just a little behind Lumine and Dehya. She can already feel the desert heat upon her back, even with the canyon walls rising up around them, and she's more than ready to be free of it. 

~

She takes note as the path begins to turn from sand to soil, and dull-colored grass begins to sprout here and there, slowly growing ever more vibrant and lush as they continue. She hadn't realized just how much she missed green grass, even if this stuff is very noticeably different from the grass in Fontaine. 

Along the way, Dehya ended up taking it upon herself to give Furina a crash-course on the Eremites and their situation I'm Sumeru, and now her head is practically spinning trying to process all the information and not-always-happy history- Dehya claimed not to be much of a historian, but she sure knows a lot of it, regardless. 

Now Lumine and Dehya are reminiscing about old adventures, laughing and bumping shoulders as they walk, while Furina and Paimon trail a little ways behind. 

In the end, she finds herself humming a tune as they walk; one of the many songs she sang during opera performances, though she's forgotten the words in the two-hundred and seventy odd years since she last performed that particular number. Up ahead, Lumine seems to perk up just slightly, but it could just as easily be from something Dehya said, so Furina tries not to read into it too much. She still hums a little bit louder, though. Just in case. 

She's just about starting to feel the heat getting to her- though she toughs it out rather than admit weakness in front of both Lumine and Dehya- when they finally take their first steps through the vast hardwood slabs of the Wall of Samliel into Caravan Ribat. 

The sensory overload is immediate. Brightly colored market stalls line the streets, merchants shouting a half dozen different types of wares at once. Across the way, past the far gates, she can see the vast jungle ahead of them, and all through the air the smells of piping-hot street foods and fresh produce combine with perfumes and incense, all mingling with the dry desert winds and far less pleasant scent of a packed market square in the heat. Combined with the way the heat's been getting to her, and she's feeling a tiny bit woozy.

Immediately she crowds a little closer to Lumine. She's not exactly bad with crowds- the opposite, if anything- but this is still a strange and unfamiliar town and the Traveler is the only person here she really knows. Still, she can't help but be drawn towards the market stalls. Perhaps it's one of her flaws, but she can't help her fascination with interesting gizmos, gadgets, and knickknacks of all kinds. She could absolutely see herself losing a lot of money here, left to her own devices. 

Luckily, Lumine and Dehya are there to keep her on a proverbial leash. 

Furina and Paimon have gotten distracted by a food cart specializing in sweets when Dehya announces her departure. “Well, time for me to go meet up with my new prospective employer. Good catching up, Traveler! And lovely meeting you, Miss Furina.” She says the latter with a soft smirk, taking a bit of a bow. Lumine waves her off.

“Ahhh, and now it's just the three of us again. C'mon, I know the stalls here are fascinating, but you'll have more variety and better pricing in the city.” Lumine gestures them along with a smile, and then offers an arm for Furina to walk with her. 

Still feeling worn down by the heat, she takes the proffered arm and tries not to think about how much they must look like a couple. Like a princess and her knight. She flushes a bit at the thought, Lumine's nickname for her flashing to mind, and is for once thankful for the heat to disguise it. 

They've barely been walking five minutes when Paimon speaks up loudly, shocking Furina back into the moment. “Hey! Tighnari! What are you doing here?”

Furina follows her gaze to a man with towering fox ears and a colorful outfit, who seems to be perusing a stall full of leather pouches. One of his ears immediately swivels when Paimon calls out, and his head follows the motion a second after. It's honestly kind of cute. 

“Oh! Hello Traveler and Paimon. I was just picking up some medicinal herbs that can only be found in the desert, but I got distracted by these very fine herb pouches along the way.” He speaks as he approaches, a gentle smile on his face. Then he looks to Furina and a worried expression passes over his features. “Your new companion here seems to be suffering from minor heatstroke. Come with me, there's a café we can rest in and help her recover.”

“I’m fine, I promise! I'm just tired is… all…” She trails off as she sees the stern but worried expressions shared by Lumine and Tighnari, and the purely worried one on Paimon’s face. “A-alright, fine, I suppose a short stop couldn't hurt…”

“Good.” Tighnari nods sharply, turning to lead them along. “It's important not to force yourself to push through when you're not feeling well, even if it were something as simple as exhaustion. Especially when actively traveling, it's only going to put you in a worse situation than taking the time to rest.”

She nods, glumly, following along with Lumine behind her, keeping a watchful eye on her back. “Yes… I understand…”

The café is small, but with few patrons at this time of day it feels cozy rather than claustrophobic. It's also thankfully kept cool by a machine from Snezhnaya- she's only a tiny bit sour that it's not a Fontaine model- which, along with the energy from her Hydro vision, is already doing wonders to restore her vitality. 

Tighnari has also supplied her with a half dozen herbs, ointments for the aftereffects, and the sunburn she's certain to get. 

When he's left to retrieve one of those pouches, Lumine puts a gentle hand on her forearm. “Next time, tell me when you're not feeling well, okay? I won't think less of you for needing to rest, and I'd much prefer you safe than getting injured trying to push through for my sake.”

“It wasn't about that! I just… didn't realize how poorly I was feeling in the moment, that's all.” She lies through her teeth, but she's good at it, and if Lumine notices she doesn't show it. “Okay. Just… take care of yourself, then.” 

They sit in silence for awhile, Paimon and Lumine perusing the menu while Furina slowly downs a cup of iced coffee, feeling herself waking up by the minute, before Tighnari returns. 

He sits down at their table and slides a deep brown leather pouch with river-blue and white accents across to Furina- a traditional Forest Ranger style, not that she would know that- and gestures for her to take it. “I took the liberty of filling that with the same herbs and ointments I gave you, and a few others, to treat sunburn and heatsickness, as well as some generally useful medicinal herbs in case you catch anything in the jungle. Here, let me go over them with you.”

About two hours later, the worst of Furina's overheating has passed. However now her head is spinning for an entirely different reason: trying to remember all the names and usages of the plants in her new pouch.

It's hanging proudly on her hip, opposite her Vision, as her first real souvenir- and something actually useful, unlike so many of her impulsive purchases in Fontaine since stepping down from her role. She can't help but fiddle with it as they leave the small market town, enjoying the texture of the treated leather against her fingertips. 

Tighnari walks a little ways ahead of them, having left alongside their little group on his way to a place called Pardis Dhyai, which apparently they would be briefly passing by along their way. He also insisted on staying to keep an eye on Furina for a day or two, much to her chagrin. 

She can't help but feel as though she's unable to give the jungle quite the appreciation it deserves- it's only so easy to muster wonderment in her relatively beaten down state- but even in her state there are things she can't help but stop and stare at in awe. 

The sheer scale of the trees is incredible in its own right, but the vibrancy, the immense blue flowers, and then they pass beneath a rocky arch and merge onto a cliffside path above a vast, verdant valley with trees that tower from the bottom of the valley and still reach immeasurably high above her head. Most curious though is the beam of blue light ascending from a spot deeper in the valley. 

“What is that?” She asks, pointing towards the light. Lumine turns and pauses, staring at the light for a long moment, while Paimon speaks up in her stead. “That's the Varuna Contraption! It's hard for Paimon to explain, but it makes rain happen! It was broken when we came here, but we helped fix it.” 

“You're the reason that the region stabilized? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.” Tighnari pats Lumine on the shoulder, a bit like a proud sibling. Lumine just smiles and nods before eventually leading the group onwards once again. 

It's late evening when they finally crest around the north side of the valley, and Furina is feeling far more tired than she would prefer. Both Lumine and Tighnari seem to have noticed, as she overhears drifts of a low conversation between them- something about whether they should rest in the teapot. 

They seem to come to a concession pretty quickly, as she sees Lumine produce the teapot from her bag, and moments after she announces they'll be staying the night in the safe confines of the teapot realm. 

It's certainly a welcome change to feel the perfectly comfortable climate of the teapot again after the harsh dry heat of the desert and the softer but no less oppressive humid heat of the jungle.

Tighnari retires to prepare some medicines, and just before Furina can disappear to relax in her own room she hears Lumine's voice, softer than usual- almost hesitant. “Hey, Furina. Come help me cook dinner, won't you?” 

As if I could ever refuse you, is what she thinks but doesn't say. Instead she smiles and nods. “I must admit my culinary skills are currently somewhat limited, but I will, of course, do my absolute best nonetheless!” 

Lumine giggles, openly, letting Furina see her bright smile and tugging on her heartstrings, making it immediately worth it. “Don't worry, princess. The only way to get better is to learn, right?”

Furina nods, pulling as much determination as she can from her relatively exhausted state. “Right! Um, what are you cooking?”

Lumine leads her along into what is, unsurprisingly, one of the most well-adorned kitchens she's ever seen. Truly, is there anything about reality the teapot realm doesn't improve on? 

“ We are gonna be making buttered chicken for dinner, and padisarah pudding for dessert.” Lumine says with a smile audible in her voice. “How's your knife-work these days, Miss Furina?” 

Cooking with Lumine is informative, instructive, and mildly terrifying. The woman seems to approach the process with a similar sort of ordered chaos to how she approaches rock-climbing, but she's a surprisingly good teacher despite the chaos- in terms of technique if nothing else. But most importantly, she's just fun to watch; chaotic as she may be, there's a clear joy behind her work that makes her truly shine, and Furina can't help but enjoy the chance to see that light so brightly. 

It's almost saddening when they finish plating the dishes and the moment has to come to an end, but then again, she's already resigned herself to fleeting glimpses of the Lumine she has growing feelings for. 

Dinner, of course, tastes amazing. Over the course of the meal Tighnari teaches her- and Sorush, despite her lack of a need to eat- about the different mushroom species in Sumeru, and the edibility of each. He's just started moving on to the lecture on berries when Paimon starts drifting off mid-air and Lumine suggests everyone get some sleep before the next leg of their trip- which Furina appreciates, as her head is beginning to overflow with information. 

~

She feels chains digging into her wrists and ankles, and her eyes fly open to the sight of a vast crowd of Fontainian citizens, Neuvillette at their head, with Lumine beside him. She realizes she's chained to a towering post, and when she glances upwards she's greeted with the sight of a massive, elegant executioner's sword that shimmers blue in the drizzling rain. 

She opens her mouth to speak, to plead her innocence or beg for mercy but nothing comes out, as if the voice she spent so long cultivating has been stolen from her. 

She pleads with her eyes, looking to Neuvillette- but he is busy reading from a slate of her supposed crimes. She looks to Lumine, but finds the woman she idolizes looking away, as if she knows what's wrong but won't lift a finger to help. 

She feels a torrent of rain pour from the skies as Neuvillette finishes reading out the charges, before raising his hand, and clenching it into a fist. 

She feels a rush of air, the sound of something heavy falling, and then-

She screams awake, though it comes out as a choked, shuddering gasp. At first she panics, finding herself no longer in her Fontaine apartment, before she slowly remembers what's happened over the past few days. Deep breaths, she reminds herself as her faculties return, before slowly rising from the bed and draping a warm blue overcoat above her white silk nightgown. 

The mansion looks different by night, with even the lanterns darkened. Not exactly ominous or unfriendly, but not so welcoming, either. It gives her pause, and sets her tiptoeing as quietly as she can. 

She's made it about halfway down the stairs, not quite sure where she's going beyond a need to be somewhere other than her bedroom, when her racing, adrenaline-stricken thoughts are interrupted by soft singing. She halts, freezing in place for a moment. She waits for about a minute for any threat before her curiosity gets the better of her and she begins to follow the sound, stepping with all the quiet poise of a dancer on stage- which she has been, not so long ago. 

The noise leads past the front door, and so, as quietly as she can, she slowly pulls the door open, thanking the stars that the furniture here is so perfectly maintained. She keeps following the sound down the spiraling ramp, and as it becomes clearer she begins to process that the words being sung are not from a language she's familiar with. Finally, her eyes catch on the sight of Lumine, bathed in fake moonlight, facing away from her in front of a shallow pool, hands outstretched to the skies. She stops, freezing in place and barely allowing herself to breathe lest she disturb the sight, let alone the perhaps-literally unearthly, beautiful song.

She's not sure how long she watches before losing her balance in the wind, and accidentally crunching a leaf underneath her slipper. Lumine immediately startles, the singing cut off as her hands go to her face for a moment before she turns to look at Furina. 

At a glance, she's smiling gently, but Furina has seen and worn enough fake smiles to see through even the best facade, and Lumine isn't putting on her best fake smile at the moment. Which is probably explained by the remnants of tear-streaks shimmering like rivers carved down her cheeks, hastily rubbed away. “Furina! Trouble sleeping?” She asks, her voice calm in a way that implies concerted effort, not natural state of mind. 

She finds it hard to talk, for a moment. Searching for the right words to say without crossing too many boundaries. “Yes, you could say that. Did you fancy yourself a midnight walk, or is something bothering you?”

Lumine forces a giggle, shaking her head. “No, I'm alright. Just clearing my head.” Her voice still shakes slightly and Furina wants, desperately, to hold her. Not for her own sake this time, but as if she can hold together whatever seams are so clearly fraying in Lumine's heart. A plan begins to form in her mind. 

She nods, biting her lip slightly as she continues to carefully plot out her words. “I had a really… really awful nightmare, and I… Ugh, this is embarrassing… I was hoping you might be willing to, um, sh-share a bed with me tonight? It was, well, very comforting, when I had a nightmare that one time and you, um, held me afterwards…”

It's all true, as painful as it is for her to admit out loud, but her real reason is the opposite: this time, she wants to be there for Lumine. If the girl won't admit vulnerability outright, she'll just have to do it another way. 

Lumine eyes her for a long moment, and Furina can practically see the war going on behind her eyes. Finally she nods, a bit sharper than might be necessary. “Okay. Paimon's still asleep in my room though, so let's use yours.”

Well. Furina may be doing this for selfless reasons, but she won't complain if her sheets end up smelling like her crush afterwards, either. 

She doesn't realize quite what she signed herself up for until she actually has Lumine in her bed, sharing her body heat, pressed against her side in ways that are entirely comforting and unfortunately also paint a vivid picture of the curves the Traveler hides under her dress. Cool it, Furina. This isn't the time to think like that. She reprimands herself, and continues to search for a place to put her hands that is both comfortable and also couldn't be perceived as the slightest bit suggestive. 

She's almost through reciting every line of The Little Oceanid in her head to distract herself when Lumine speaks up, her voice quiet, as if trying to trap her words in the box that is this room. “I'm scared…”

Furina waits a beat for her to continue, then two more. When no more words come, she takes a shaky, steadying breath. “Scared of what?”

Lumine takes long enough to respond that Furina is afraid she's overstepped, that she wasn't meant to ask. But then her voice comes back, unsteady. “The truth, I think. The more I learn along this journey, I…” Lumine trails off, and Furina can just barely see her looking at the back of her own hand in the darkness. “The less it feels like I ever knew.”

Furina can't help but wonder if the Traveler has ever spoken this way to someone before. Surely at least Paimon, right? …But then, why would she have been out there alone, crying as she sang a song nobody here could understand? Why would she say these things to Furina, concealed under the darkness like this? So she just wraps her arms around Lumine's shoulders and holds her, as tight as she'll allow. “I can't offer much…” She whispers. “I'm not a god, or a magical being, or even a hero… but I'm here for you. If you ever want.” 

She hears Lumine sigh, softly, and sees her nod twice. “Thank you… I'll think about it.” Her voice is noncommittal, but the relief sounds genuine. It's good enough, for now at least. 

She waits a long moment, a question stinging the tip of her tongue, before- bravery buoyed by the late night- she finally takes the plunge. “Is it… okay if I ask what you were singing?”

Lumine hums softly and holds her tighter, but that's the only response Furina gets. 

~

As ever, Lumine is gone when she wakes. The comforting flowery scent she wears still suffuses Furina's blankets, pillows, and even her nightgown. 

It takes her longer than she'd like to admit to drag herself away from the comfort of her bed- and she really has already begun to think of it as hers- but she manages. Eventually.

When she reaches the dining room, she finds Tighnari and Paimon playing some kind of board game that she doesn't recognize, and Paimon seems to be playing surprisingly well. She supposes it's not always wise to judge a book by its cover- at least not in every situation.

The sound of humming alerts her to Lumine working in the kitchen- a thoroughly different tune from last night, from Mondstat if she's not mistaken- and she spends a long moment shifting on her feet, unsure whether it would be presumptuous of her to check on the blonde that occupies so many of her thoughts these days. 

Luckily Lumine makes the decision for her, coming out with two trays of food, one balanced on each hand with seemingly effortless poise. She at least looks back to normal. 

Both trays contain two bowls of lotus seed and egg soup, and Furina can't help but note that it's a recipe from Liyue, not Sumeru. Comfort food for the Traveler, perhaps? She doesn't make any comment on it, either way. It is, of course, delicious. And, according to Lumine, it's great for keeping your strength up when traveling. 

There's not much time to hold a conversation while actively eating, and when they're all finished Lumine and Tighnari are both blatantly itching to get back on the road, so there's little time for a sit-down chat to gauge Lumine's state of mind. She resigns herself to simply keep an eye on the woman as they travel- if she's not allowed to push herself too hard, she won't let Lumine do it either. 

With her vitality restored from the night's rest and good food, she finds it far more in her capacity to wonder at the beautiful sights of Sumeru's jungle. She has immediately determined she likes this place better than the desert, humidity be damned. If anything, the humidity simply makes the use of her Vision easier, as there are more latent Hydro particles in the air to draw from. Plus, the humidity makes it possible for her to slightly cool the air around her when she gets too hot. 

Their journey is quieter today, more focused. Which makes sense, as the terrain is more challenging- especially as they have to clamber around a collapsed bridge right away, which involves far more climbing than she'd like. At least none of it is quite as deranged as the cliff-climbing in the desert. 

At least after that the difficulty mostly comes from the uphill climb through muddy soil, freshly dampened by a light morning rain- which becomes even less pleasant when the jungle canopy opens up and the rain begins to drizzle right upon her head. Aside from that, the only challenge comes from a few hostile monsters, which are easily dispatched between two capable Vision-wielders and the Traveler. 

Luckily the clouds dissipate by the time they reach Pardis Dhyai, and she's immediately struck by just how different the architecture here is compared to the structures in the desert. 

Second, of course, is just how gorgeous the gardens here are, colorful and filled with so many different plants it would probably take decades to memorize them all. Flowers may not be the greatest of Furina's interests, but she can certainly appreciate beauty when she sees it. Which, of course, has her turning to check on Lumine. 

The Traveler is quietly picking a few flowers, and Furina can't quite tell if she's allowed to or not. Tighnari, at least, doesn't seem to mind- in fact he seems to be pointing out a few in particular. She once again can't help but find Lumine's antics endearing and cute, before realizing she's staring with perhaps too-blatant fondness and looks away as fast as she can. 

But all good things come to an end, and their time in Pardis Dhyai is rather short, barely half an hour of rest and exploration before Lumine leads them back out of the huge garden. She seems to be in a good mood, albeit a very driven one. “So,” Furina begins, catching up to their leader. “Where are we going next?”

“We're heading north, curving around the west side of this mountain. It's a more roundabout way to get to the city, but we can pass by Vanarana while we travel, and it's worth the extra walking. If only we had time to introduce you to the Aranara properly…” 

Tactlessly, Paimon adds on that “Paimon isn't sure they'd even show up… Furina can be kinda loud, after all.” 

“Hey! I am perfectly capable of controlling my volume when I want to!” She says, intentionally projecting her voice a bit more than normal. 

“Careful there you two, keep shouting and you're gonna attract some rishboland tigers and Paimon will become a snack.” Lumine calls back to them, a hint of laughter in her voice. Paimon sputters angrily in the background.  

“W-what’s a rishboland tiger? Are they that dangerous…?” Furina asks, a hint of actual nerves creeping into her voice. “Well…” Lumine begins, and launches into an explanation of Sumeru’s jungle wildlife. 

~

They've finally circled around to the north side of the mountain when Lumine points across to the east, and Furina gets her very first look at Sumeru City in the far distance, across a wide river, and she kind of feels like, at this point, she should have known it would be built around an utterly immense tree- but the sight takes her by surprise nonetheless. 

However, grand as the distant city is, her attention is drawn by something far more important closer by, in the lowlands where the mountain starts to flatten out. “Are those things Sumpter Beasts?” She grabs Lumine by the shoulder, all but shaking her as she gestures excitedly to the small herd of shaggy quadrupeds grazing in the field. 

Lumine and Paimon both break out into laughter, louder than she's heard either of them laugh before. “I take it we should add ‘cute animals’ to the list of sightseeing destinations, huh? Yes, those are Sumpter Beasts. They are not quite as tolerant as they look, so please don't get too close.”

Furina pouts, both from the teasing and the disappointment. “I do have self control, you know!”

Lumine has the gall to giggle at that, too. “You held up an act that fooled an entire country for five hundred years, so I don't think you have anything to prove in that department.” It's the first time someone has complimented her on that- not as an apology for being forced to endure, or a consolation prize for making it without breaking completely, just a genuine compliment. And it brings her up short, a half dozen conflicting emotions swirling up at once.  

Luckily, Lumine seems to sense she's lost for words and picks the teasing right back up. “Don't worry, I can grease some palms in the city and make sure you get to pet one before we leave.” Truly, this girl is bad for her heart.

After that it's straight north, and they follow the path less and less as Lumine leads them across a ravine and then up a mountain, skirting carefully around a Hilichurl camp on the ascent- Furina wants more and more to know why she seems to dislike fighting Hilichurls when she doesn't seem to have any hangups around other monsters, but it still seems too personal- and then finally, as her legs are beginning to feel like pudding, they crest the hill. 

Vanarana isn't as spectacular as many of the other sights she's seen along the way, but there's a vibrancy to the place, with its towering forest that looks like a field of immense waterlilies swaying in the air, somehow staying aloft without toppling under the weight of their massive leaf-pad. Most curious though is the way that Lumine looks as if all the stress upon her shoulders is lightened here, yet she looks… almost sad, at the same time. She smiles as she looks upon the place, and it's genuine, but Furina can't help but feel there's something bittersweet tugging at her heart. She hopes, one day perhaps, Lumine will tell her why. Perhaps, someday, she'll be brave enough to ask. 

They don't take a break at the hilltop, at least beyond a few long minutes to gaze at the beautiful sight; Lumine insists they'll run out of daylight, and if they keep moving they'll reach Sumeru City by nightfall. 

For her part, Furina can't really deny the appeal of spending a few days in an actual city again, after five days spent largely in the wilderness and seeing nothing more populous than a couple very small towns- and spending little time in either of them.

Her legs complain, of course, but they'll benefit from time relaxing in the city, too. Some part of her relishes the idea she might end up with lean muscles like the Traveler herself. 

As it turns out, they're approaching the city before she knows it. They faced off with a small group of monstrous fungi along the way, but nothing that posed a threat to them together- and she can't help but notice that Lumine seems to be trusting her more in combat situations, which gives her a nice boost of pride. 

It takes her by surprise, really, just how fast the giant tree snuck up on her without her realizing. They were traveling and then at a certain point she looked up and… there it was, looming above them like a titan of nature, cast in the amber glow of the setting sun.

When she looks back down, Lumine is leading them across a natural wooden bridge into Sumeru's farmlands. They're briefly held up by the guards, but when they recognize Lumine as the Traveler, their passage is granted immediately, and Furina can't help but wonder just what Lumine did here. 

“C'mon,” Lumine begins, taking Furina by the wrist to gently lead her along, “I know a nice inn just up the street from Puspa Café; we can get settled there for the night, and go to the café in the morning for some coffee before I give you the grand tour. Sound good?”

Furina nods a tired agreement, making sure to keep Lumine in her sight lest she get lost in the twisting spiral pathways leading up and down the tree. Rest sounds very good right now, especially with the way her legs feel like they could give out at any time. 

Their path is pretty direct, and she gets the sense Lumine is intentionally taking her on a path that avoids the most impressive sights of the city to save for tomorrow's ‘grand tour.’ Not that she minds- she'd rather experience it for the first time when she isn't quite so tired for a full day's journey through the jungle, often off the beaten path. 

The hotel is small, and Lumine only orders them one room, which Furina finds worrisome right until she pulls the magic teapot out with a smirk. “The inn is just so people don't find a floating teapot out in the city, and so that friends know where to find me if they need to.”

They get dinner from the inn- it's not as good as what Lumine makes, but it's worth it to see the woman not have to do the extra work- and they retire to bed soon after. Swaddling herself in a blanket still suffused with Lumine's comforting scent, she manages a sleep free of nightmares. 

~

This time, Lumine allows her to sleep in, and Furina wakes with the teapot realm's false sun shining bright. She feels a little bad for holding them up, but she definitely needed the sleep; aside from the soreness in her legs- really, suffusing her whole body, but the legs are the worst- she's just about recovered. At the very least, enough to be bright and something resembling cheerful again. When she opens the door, she finds a covered platter of mondstat pancakes, kept perfectly warm in the platter. She can only assume it's more Adepti arts. 

After eating, she finds Lumine outside, practicing her archery while Sorush and Paimon argue over something that sounds like it's probably entirely inconsequential. Sorush notices her first. “Ah, the blue one has finally joined us.”

“Sorush! Don't be rude!” Paimon lightly bops Sorush on the head, and Furina can't help but find it ironic considering Paimon hasn't exactly always been the nicest to her in her own past experience. Lumine fires a last arrow, and as her eyes follow to the target she sees there's about five arrows, clustered so tight within the target's center that most of them are brushing against eachother. Is she frighteningly competent with every weapon she picks up?  

“Good morning, Furina. It's a bit late, do you still want that coffee, or do you want the tour right away?” Lumine also looks to be her normal self again, at least as far as Furina can tell at a glance. 

“In fact, I'm raring to go! Come, Honorary Knight, lead me along to see the wonders of this city!” She offers an arm to Lumine as she speaks, who takes it with a smirk. “Still haven't come up with a better title for me, huh?” She teases, lightly bumping shoulders with Furina as she takes her arm. “Ah- that's neither here nor there! Perhaps it's upon you to do some grand, heroic act before my gaze and earn a title, how about that!” 

The first place Lumine takes her is Treasures Street, as an apology for dragging her away from the market stalls in Caravan Ribat. She still insists on wrangling Furina away from certain stalls that, at least according to Lumine, are run by “grifters and thieves who will take you for all you're worth”, but for the most part she lets Furina have her fun, flitting between stalls and picking out far more than what she probably should- and abandoning half of it. 

She ends up with a new, beautiful sky blue and midnight black quilted blanket for her bed in the teapot realm, as well as a simple, goofy looking green plush that Lumine claims to be an attempt at representing an Aranara. Furina thinks it's utterly adorable. She's also bought a pair of shoes that are a bit more suited to long hiking trips without clashing with her aesthetics- she already has ideas on how to customize them a bit, with some jewelry from other backup outfits she brought- and a silver hairpiece designed to look like a twisting branch, bearing three azure flowers- silk recreations, at least- and a single, green-tipped, teal-blue Dusk Bird feather as the showpiece of the ornament. Not something to wear often, but there were some days on which she tired of her favorite hat. 

Lumine, meanwhile, bought a fresh Zaytun peach for herself and two for Paimon. Furina turned her down because the concept of sticky juice all over her hands and face while walking in public didn't sound appealing, but now they're making it look so good and she's reminded she has a Hydro vision to clean her hands with and the regret has thoroughly set in such that she really wants to turn around and ask for one herself, but her pride simply won't allow it. She resigns herself to getting one tomorrow, before they leave. 

Instead, she allows herself to be captured by a stand selling jewelry- nothing so stand-out as to have made it anywhere near her jewelry box as an Archon, but in truth she just enjoys a good blue sparkle, expense be damned. Besides, it's not like she has the Mora to shell out for Archon-worthy jewelry anymore. 

Either way, this isn't just for her- she wants to pick out something for Lumine, too. Ideally something relatively matching, to help commemorate their trip together. To that end she has to look surreptitiously, glancing to make sure Lumine isn't looking when she examines anything that might suit the object of her affections. 

In the end, she settles on bracelets. Hers is made of faceted glass beads that swirl and sparkle with a dozen shades of blue, while the one she picks out for Lumine is a white cord from which dangles a small, shimmering moonstone, with another loop design to fit around the middle finger so the stone rests on the back of the hand. 

She considers giving it here and now, but ends up deciding to wait until an opportune moment- and, specifically, one without Paimon or any other watchful eyes around. The people here may not recognize her like everyone in Fontaine, but a decent few seem to recognize the Traveler.

Her thoughts are broken by a new arrival with an adorable, tentative voice. “Traveler, is that you? Ah! It really is! It's good to see you!”

“Huh? Oh, it's Collei! What are you doing in the city? Is everything okay?!” As usual Paimon is the one to respond, Lumine simply waving with a smile. Furina turns to follow their gaze to a green haired girl with purple eyes and a bright smile. 

“Yeah! My reading is getting better, and since I've recovered I've been doing well enough that Master Tighnari allows me to go on errands to the city alone sometimes!” The girl absolutely beams, and Furina senses a story she probably shouldn't ask about. 

“That's really great, Collei!” Paimon grins wide as well, and Furina finds herself wearing a nervous smile, caught up with the others. 

“Oh!” Collei looks to her and half-bows apologetically. “Please forgive my rudeness! Collei, novice Forest Ranger, at your service!” She offers a salute, and looks to just slightly fumble it. 

Furina's smile grows more self-assured at the friendly introduction, and she offers her hand to shake. “Furina, star actress of Fontaine. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Collei.”

She notices Collei hesitates- nervously- to take her hand, but then looks to reassure herself and gives her a surprisingly firm handshake. She has enough tact not to comment, though. “So, how are you three? Did you travel all the way from Fontaine?”

Paimon nods, hard enough she bobs up and down in the air slightly. “Yep! We took Furina on a walk through the desert, and then hiked out here!” 

Lumine finally speaks up for the first time since Collei arrived. “I think we’ll stay here through tomorrow afternoon, at the latest, and then take a river boat to Port Ormos. You know I can't stay in one place for long…” She sounds a bit sheepish, almost regretful, and Furina isn't quite sure who’s sake it's for. 

“I understand. I'll be heading back to Gandharva Ville tomorrow, anyway!” Collei reassures with a smile. 

“By the way Collei, how are you doing these days?” Paimon adds, curiously, and Collei shifts back and forth on her feet. “Well… better, certainly. I think- I think I'm coming to terms with the fact that sometimes, the past marks us, irrevocably. Oh, that sounds much more depressing than I meant, what I mean is… I know my past has made a mark on me that won't go away, but I'm learning that it doesn't have to define who I am now.”

Furina suddenly finds herself identifying with this girl substantially more. Lumine, meanwhile, gives the girl's shoulder a gentle squeeze and says “I'm proud of you, Collei.” And Gods, Furina wants to hear her say those four words with her own name at the end of them. 

They spend a little longer conversing with Collei, and Furina begins to piece together at least a few vague hints at what the Traveler did while she was in Sumeru- it already sounds as if she was more instrumental in Sumeru's current fate than she was in Fontaine. 

Not too long after, though, they bid the novice Forest Ranger farewell. Once they're alone again- at least insofar as being in a city crowd is concerned- Lumine stretches her arms above her head for a moment before sighing, satisfied, and Furina really wishes she could legitimately say she didn't memorize the sound immediately. “Alright. Next stop: the Grand Bazaar!”

“Another market? I won't complain, but I thought you had tired of shopping? Furina questions, eyebrow raised, and Lumine giggles behind her hand. “It is a market, but that's not what we're going there for.” Paimon's eyes widen. “Oh! You want to show her the Zubayr Theater!” 

“A theater? What kind of performances do they have?” She cocks her head, curiosity admittedly piqued. “All kinds, from dance performances to plays. It's not exactly the Opera Epiclese, but that's not really their fault. Sumeru's government wasn't exactly supportive of the arts until quite recently.”

Well. That sounds just miserable. “Well, in that case, I hope they're able to expand soon.” 

She wasn't expecting the Grand Bazaar to be inside the tree, but she supposes she should have expected that the city didn't just exist externally. 

Lumine certainly wasn't lying when she implied it to be small, though the Zubayr Theater has a certain grandiosity despite its small stage, and the local ambiance gives it an almost dreamlike air. The performers seem to be in the midst of a rehearsal when they arrive, and Lumine settles herself down unobtrusively at the sidelines, gesturing for Furina to join her and quietly observe. 

The performance is beautiful, she admits easily. Seeing new styles is always fascinating, and she can't tear her eyes away until the performance ends. If that was a rehearsal, she can only imagine what they're like during a full performance. 

The lead dancer, a beautiful, red haired woman with a horned headdress and beautiful outfit that shows off her toned stomach, immediately begins moving towards them, a sense of grace and poise suffusing her movements even as she practically power-walks over. Just how many people is she going to meet today? It feels like one of her meet-and-greet events back home, before… everything.

“Traveler! Paimon! Oh, you have perfect timing!” She beams adorably, hands behind her back as she gracefully approaches. Paimon and Lumine wave at the same time and as usual Paimon speaks. “Good to see you, Nilou! Paimon is glad we got to see a little bit of your rehearsal! Oh, this is Furina, a friend from Fontaine! She's a performer, too!”

Nilou turns to her with a sparkle in her eyes. “Oh? What kind of performances do you do, Miss Furina?” 

Furina puts on her best dramatic pose. “Why, I am the very star actor of Fontaine's opera!” A moment later she realizes that might come across a bit egotistical and hastens to add on “Your performance today was really gorgeous, by the way! Someday I would love to see you on a performance day, or perhaps we can set up a joint performance! I do believe you'd be a hit at the Opera Epiclese back home.”

Nilou looks a tiny bit overwhelmed, her mouth parted in an ‘o’ shape before coming to her senses. “Wow, that sounds amazing! I- I'd love to see your performances some day as well!” Then, as if spontaneously remembering something, she turns to Lumine. “Oh, right, Traveler! We didn't have time to make a costume for you when you were in Sumeru last, but I've been preparing for when you came back! You won't escape me this time.” She giggles at the end, taking Lumine by the wrist. “Now come along and get in costume, you're getting a bellydancing lesson.”

Furina and Paimon are left looking between eachother and the rapidly retreating backs of Nilou and Lumine. “Well… I guess we just sit back and watch the show?” 

It's about ten minutes before Lumine and Nilou emerge again, and Furina is more or less slain on the spot. Lumine wears a long, iridescent white skirt that fades to gold and is designed to leave the sides of her hips visible, connected to a belt made of hundreds of shimmering beads, all nearly white but shimmering pink and blue and purple when they catch the light. Her top leaves remarkably little to the imagination- probably less than her usual underclothes do, Furina imagines. It's barely a bra, more like lingerie, crafted out of similar beads with a completely sheer white cloth hanging along each side and framing the lines of her ribcage, and a single line of hanging beads running down the center to rest just above her bellybutton, drawing the eye. Instead of a headdress, she wears a white veil over her nose and mouth, and a beaded necklace with several trails that hang down to frame the swell of her breasts. It looks like it was specifically designed to leave Furina absolutely besotted- she's pretty sure her face probably looks like a tomato, and yet she can't even bring herself to look away.

There's no way Lumine doesn't notice, either, because she has the audacity to catch Furina's eye and smirk at her. But oh, it gets worse. 

Nilou proceeds to lead them to a more secluded rehearsal area indoors- Furina is internally beyond thankful that she's invited to watch- and proceeds to walk Lumine through a dance style that is, quite simply, too much for Furina's poor gay heart to handle. Especially as Lumine picks it up quickly . 

Furina is practically transfixed, eyes flashing between Nilou's perfect form and Lumine's swiftly improving motions, battle-scars catching the light and glinting like whitecaps on calm seas as she twirls and gyrates. Suffice to say, she's entranced. 

She actually loses track of time between when they started and when the impromptu lesson ended, as if a spell had been cast and suddenly broken when Nilou and Lumine offer eachother a bow and Lumine disappears back to the changing room. Furina is strongly tempted to ask if she's keeping the costume, but figures she's made enough of a fool of herself just by her flustered gawking. 

She's thankful that Lumine doesn't seem to comment on her reactions, even after having quite obviously taken note of them. She hopes she can simply excuse it as being unused to the sensuality displayed in the costumes and dance style here compared to Fontaine's comparatively prudish stylings, if she's called out on the matter. 

It's early evening when they leave the Grand Bazaar for open air, and Lumine decides they should finish off the day with a brief tour of the Akademiya- the publicly available parts, at least. Ultimately, as grand and beautiful of an institution as it is, Furina doesn't take much of it in, her thoughts thoroughly occupied by the vision of her crush dancing so sensually. 

That night, she eats dinner quickly, and retires to her room for the night with as little fanfare as possible. 

~

Furina lies awake, her brain whirring too fast to let sleep claim her. The object of her thoughts is, of course, the Traveler herself. She thinks of the outfit Lumine wore, and absentmindedly trails her fingertips along her stomach over the thin silk of her nightgown. 

It doesn't help, of course, that her bedding still smells faintly like Lumine, and if Furina tilts her head just to the side she can bury her face in that comforting scent- so she does, at the same time as her hand slides beneath her waistband. After several days of nonstop travel, often sleeping beside or even in the arms of the woman she's crushing on, she's not in much mood to wait. 

Every performance requires a setting, of course. She imagines Lumine, after her practice with Nilou, tugging Furina by the wrist into the changing room along with her, wearing that same sultry smirk as when she caught Furina staring. 

She imagines Lumine pinning her against the door, using her slight height advantage to gaze down at her with a consuming hunger, claiming her lips with a volcanic passion. Almost instinctively her hips buck upwards as her fingers dip lower, parting her folds with ease- she's so wet that she'd be almost embarrassed about it, if she weren't so caught up in the moment. 

“Lumine…” She gasps out, immediately moving her free hand to cover her mouth. Of course, the concept of Lumine overhearing her sends a wave of excitement running down her spine, feeling herself clench around nothing as images come to mind all but unbidden- Lumine sashaying into her room, nightgown askew down one shoulder, climbing into Furina's bed and kneeling between her legs, hands on her knees- and she can't take it any longer, sliding a finger inside herself and immediately finding it isn't enough. 

She bites back a throaty moan as she adds a second finger, building to a pleasurable rhythm as the Lumine of her fantasies kisses her with a fiery desperation, taking Furina to the skies with her ever-skillful hands. She finds herself wondering, needily, what kind of face Lumine would make while fucking her- would it be that familiar cool-headed, determined look she wore when slaying monsters and saving lives? Or would that stoic demeanor crack, and show a primal passion for Furina's eyes alone? She catches another gasp in the palm of her hand as the thought sends a shock of pleasure through her- which in turn makes her fingers twitch in just the right way, and there's no hiding the moan that pulls from her. 

She imagines the way Lumine would giggle, tease her at how easy it is to get a reaction from her. “Lumine…” She gasps again, losing herself in her fantasy. “Don't just play with me…” She imagines how that would only egg Lumine on, and time begins to stretch as she imagines, in snapshots, all the ways Lumine would tease her until she unravels completely before, finally, taking her apart entirely- this time, her imagination runs back to that costume changing room, with her back pressed to the wall, legs spread shamelessly, having Lumine on her knees before her, tongue buried in her folds and hands gripping her thighs lest Furina collapse entirely.

She curls onto her side, burying her face in her extra pillow to muffle her growing cries, which has the added effect of flooding her senses with Lumine's scent, and she goes, suddenly and violently, from riding the edge of an orgasm to falling, swept up in mind-numbing pleasure as she spasms, curling in on herself and crying out a string of gibberish into the pillow. 

A half-hour later, finally spent and thoroughly ruined, she collapses into a euphoric, restful sleep, and dreams of warm, strong arms around her.

~

The following morning, of course, she can't even look Lumine in the eye over breakfast. Thankfully this behavior is left unremarked upon, although that might be due to Paimon and Lumine having an animated, laughter-filled conversation about the plans for their next destination, which Furina was only half paying attention to thanks to the mix of shame and general sleep inertia dragging her down. 

They really do go for coffee at Puspa Café this time, Lumine insisting it's a requirement before they leave Sumeru. After spending so many years used to her particular order of Fontainian coffee, the drinks here are definitely different from what she's used to- she likes it, and it helps draw her out of her head again, at least a little bit. The caffeine also helps wake her up, which further pushes her free of the mires she awoke in. The baklava Lumine ordered for the three to share helps, too.

Lumine seems to recognize her recovery, and no sooner have they finished with their order is Lumine dragging them up the spiraling pathways towards the farmland outskirts, an easygoing smile on her lips. 

She really does take Furina to visit a ranch as promised, where a friendly- albeit very amused- rancher does indeed allow her to pet a Sumpter beast. It's not as soft as she expected, but so fluffy she doesnt mind. If she could she would absolutely shove her face in its fur, though. 

After that, Lumine looks as if she's getting a bit antsy, so she decides it’s probably time to leave. Lumine seems thankful for the suggestion, and without further ado they start making their way back down the spiral towards the docks. 

About halfway down, Lumine stops in her tracks- so suddenly Furina almost walks into her back- and looks as if she's zoning out.

Furina looks at Paimon, gesturing at Lumine, and Paimon just shrugs. Furina is about to poke the girl when she huffs, shaking her head with a bit of a chuckle. “I should have known she wouldn't let us go that easily… come on, Furina. There's one last person you're going to meet before we leave.”

Lumine leads them back up the spiraling, root-lined pathways of Treasures Street, up again to the Akademiya building. Furina finds herself idly wondering what kind of sage could draw Lumine up here after she was ready to leave, and how they had contacted her in the first place. 

Then Lumine leads them through a side door, and they continue ascending, entering a beautiful, garden-lined pathway that twists in and out of tree hollows as if they're traversing the veins of some unimaginably vast, wooden leviathan. Up and up and up they go and Furina is wondering already how she's going to fare when they keep moving- she's barely had any time for her sore legs to recover to begin with. 

Finally they crest the top, and Furina feels the breath leave her lungs in a gasp as she's faced with the view- an expansive, all-encompassing view of Sumeru from the uppermost branches of the great tree. It feels at once like she's smaller than ever before, and yet has the world in her grasp- not in the way she did as Archon of Fontaine, not a form of power, but a feeling of connection, as if she feels through the roots of this tree, for just the tiniest moment. 

Then she turns, at Lumine's direction, to a building, or rather the entryway to a building- one with a similar but drastically more ethereal and otherworldly architectural style to the rest of Sumeru, with green stained-glass walls that look almost like layered leaves glowing from within, and sheer white, perfectly smooth walls. The two guards motion to stop them, but then immediately relax, as if told to stand down by an unheard advisor. Furina still glances nervously between the two as they pass, but they're not hassled. 

Of course, she has a strong guess who they're meeting with, at this point. A part of her hopes it's just a particularly noteworthy sage, but the more resigned part of her is wondering, idly, what the Dendro Archon would look like. Her mental picture has settled on someone about halfway between motherly and librarian by the time they cross a threshold and a child's voice shatters her daydream like a crashing airship. “Traveler, Paimon! You really kept me waiting! Did you plan to leave Sumeru without introducing me to your friend from Fontaine? She came all this way, the least she deserves is to be congratulated in person!” 

Standing at a full height that put her barely as high as Furina's abdomen, looking for all intents and purposes like an overdressed grade schooler, is who she can only hope isn't the Dendro Archon- but she's growing more and more sure that it is. As if reading her thoughts, the child smiles and offers a hand, which Furina has to practically kneel to shake. “That's right, I'm Lesser Lord Kusanali, the Dendro Archon! But I'd rather you just call me Nahida, okay?” She says, giggling softly as if making some inside joke. “Oh! Sorry, I don't mean to read your thoughts, it's just, you think very loudly…” Nahida offers a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head. 

They both turn to Lumine, as if pleading for the Traveler's conversational aid, but both Lumine and Paimon seem content to watch the trainwreck unfold, mirroring eachother's poses with arms crossed and matching smirks, opposite eyebrows raised. It's mildly infuriating, but also kind of adorable. 

“W-well!” Furina begins, trying to regain a hold of the situation, “I am Furina, star actress of Fontaine!” She supposes Nahida will probably know that, along with the part she's been so unsubtly leaving out this whole time, but it helps to stabilize her. Then, for some reason- perhaps so that she would be the one to speak it aloud first- she finds herself blurting out “A-and I am also, technically, the former Archon of Fontaine. In role, at least…”

Nahida appraises her with those unnatural green eyes that should have been an immediate clue to her identity, and Furina feels more exposed than when the tiny Archon outright admitted to reading her thoughts. “Under your leadership, Fontaine enjoyed five centuries of genuine peace and prosperity. You may have lacked the powers of an Archon, but you rise above the rest of us like the tallest blade of grass in the field- regardless of your true nature.”

Furina, honestly, feels her knees grow weak at the compliment, a slight tunnel vision taking hold as if her heart has slowed the flow of blood to her brain. No matter how kind and gentle it is, it's an incredibly overwhelming experience, in more ways than one, to be complimented by an actual, in-the-flesh God. Of course, there's more to it than just that. “I- I let everyone down in the end, though. In the end, it was everyone else who saved Fontaine from the prophecy…”

Nahida hums, shaking her head. “That prophecy was carved into Irminsul, the Tree of Knowledge, the day Celestia discovered Egeria's sin- it was supposed to be an immutable fact of the world. It was your grand act that made such a miracle possible; to change the fate of the world itself. Please don't downplay your role in that- I think we all know you're too clever for self-deprecation.”

Furina glances around, finding warm, supportive expressions on both Lumine and Paimon's features. She feels a lump in her throat join the tunnel vision and weakness. “Oh.” is all she manages for a long moment, the others kindly allowing her to process until she's calmed down at least a little bit. 

After a long time she speaks up again. “If- if I was such a great Archon, is it… bad, that I stepped down?” She asks, warily, not entirely sure she wants the answer. Nahida offers a warm smile and squeezes her hand. “There's a species of butterfly that lives in the Apam Woods. As a caterpillar, it lives for years on fallen leaves, and it's a beautiful shiny blue, with purple spines that glow in the dark. The poison in its spines can be used to manufacture painkillers, and when properly cooked, they can even be quite delicious.” Furina is beginning to wonder where she's going with this.”When it becomes a butterfly, it can no longer be used to make medicine, and it tastes quite foul, but its wings allow it to be free and true to itself for the first time, instead of sacrificing its own life and happiness for everyone else. Hehe, you remind me of that butterfly. After five centuries of letting everyone make medicine from your spines, I think you deserve to spread your wings and fly, don't you?”

She has to sit down, after that. Nahida and Lumine both seem to respect that without pressing- she supposes you don't need to read minds to read a room. They spend awhile in another corner of the room, discussing something she can't make out more than snippets of, even if she were to pay full attention. Something or other about the Traveler's journey. 

In the meantime, Furina slumps against one of the walls, one hand going to her Vision and fidgeting with it a bit, letting the comforting Hydro energy wash over her. 

After a few moments, as clarity begins to return to her thoughts and senses, she hears Nahida's voice- in her head this time, as the tiny God is still talking with Lumine. “I wouldn't think to tell you what to do, but just like a river finds its lake, if you keep on this path, I think you'll find what you're looking for. So don't fret too much, okay?”

They don't end up leaving for quite some time- apparently Nahida and Lumine both have a fondness for stories, and Lumine has a lot to tell. For Furina's part, she's mostly content to listen in, and sometimes embellish parts of Lumine's tales of Fontaine, much to Paimon's chagrin and Lumine's delight. But eventually they exchange farewells, and Nahida gives her a tiny leaf-shaped silver charm, supposedly to ward off nightmares, which she ends up attaching to the ornamentation of her Vision. 

Once they're back outside, and out of earshot of the guards, Lumine turns to her with a searching expression. “Are you okay?” 

Furina nods, biting her lip as she considers her words. “Yeah, I think so. I… It was nice, to hear the things she had to say, but it was also… I don't know how to put it.” She shakes her head dismissively. 

Lumine just nods sagely, a small, weary smile on her lips. “Yeah, I think I sort of understand.” She stretches a bit as they walk, slowly descending back down the immense tree. “We'll be taking a riverboat to Port Ormos, and after that we'll be hitching a ride on a proper ship to Inazuma. So you'll finally have a chance to rest those weary legs of yours.” 

Furina does notice Paimon perks up a bit when Lumine mentions traveling to Inazuma, but she tries not to draw attention to it. “Oh thank all the gods, I think they're only a day or two from falling off at this rate!” 

Slowly, the comfortable mood returns as they spiral all the way down the mind-bogglingly tall tree of Sumeru to the river-docks at the roots, and the next leg of their journey. 

Chapter Text

I've gone too far inside my mind

It's already ruined

In my head, I've crossed that line

So I'm going for it

'Cause what's the point of holding back?

I want you like that

[The Aces - New Emotion ]

The riverboat is smaller than the Waverider, with a shallow hull and no cabin- just a cloth roof over the back half held up by struts to ward off the direct sun. It's also controlled by oar and sail, and when Furina realizes it will be just the three of them on board, it seems likely that Lumine intends to propel it largely with her elemental powers, and perhaps a bit of physical strength- which Furina wouldn’t be opposed to seeing. 

Indeed, she wastes little time in using an oar to push them free from the docks and then plants her feet with her sword held to her chest, blade pointed to the sky as if in salute, and the wind picks up behind them, trailing green Anemo particles and billowing out the sail as they pick up speed. It’s a beautiful display, but Furina can’t help but wonder if she plans to keep it up the whole time. 

Lumine doesn’t seem to be in a very talkative mood now that she’s on the boat- even during the lighter conversation as they headed down from Sumeru’s high branches she seemed a little withdrawn- and since she hasn’t asked for any help, Furina decides to sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungle while she rests her oh-so-weary legs. She also finds herself, absentmindedly, enjoying the sight of Lumine’s back and shoulders in front of her. 

Eventually the river current and natural wind in the sails begins to direct them, and so Lumine only uses her elemental powers to maneuver the ship more easily, allowing her to sit down with her back against the mast- despite the perfectly good bench towards the bow. She retrieves some candies that Furina never noticed her buy at Treasures Street- probably while she was furtively searching for Lumine’s gift, which she still hasn’t found a good moment to give to her. She passes them out, nibbling on one herself, but remains silent as if her mind is elsewhere, drawn away to some other place the way she sometimes seems to get. 

Eventually Paimon seems to get antsy in the silence, her shrill voice breaking the tentative peace in the air- at least beside the ambient sounds of the jungle. “So, Furina! What did you think of Sumeru city?”

“Well, it’s no Fontaine, of course.” She begins, putting on her best bratty grin. “But it was… different, and quite beautiful. Perhaps I shall return some day, and spend more time perusing the libraries. And maybe the shops, and the restaurants, and the cafés as well… r-regardless, I found the experience quite enjoyable. Although they really ought to invest more heavily in the performing arts!” 

Lumine giggles, and Paimon snorts. “Paimon thinks Nahida would probably agree with you.” She feels a little bit of a smile tug the corners of her mouth up at that. The Dendro Archon had certainly set an example that would be hard to follow- though truth be told, she’s not sure how much she wants to meet the other Archons. Somehow, she finds it doubtful they’re all as kind and thoughtful as Nahida. 

On that note- “You said we’re going to Inazuma next, right? Anything I should know ahead of time?” She asks innocuously, but she can’t help but notice the way Lumine’s face twitches, as if some shadow was about to pass over her features before being forcibly held back. Whatever that expression could have been though, Furina hasn’t a guess. 

“Well, let’s see… Oh, you should probably know some of the ways etiquette differs there, huh… oh, and the Tri-Commission! Hmm, what else…” Paimon trails off for a long moment- long enough that Furina is about to ask if she’s okay- before continuing. “Do you know about the war?” Furina shakes her head. “I know one happened, but no real details...” Paimon nods thoughtfully, making little hums of consideration before, finally, launching into an explanation of the most important aspects. 

~

They left late, so it’s already sunset when they reach a quaint little village built on either side of the river bank, connected by bridges that hang high above so as not to impede the passage of boats even larger than theirs. “Welcome to Vimara Village!’” Lumine announces, picking up the oars to row them into place- much to Furina’s visual enjoyment, as she gets to watch Lumine’s back and shoulders. “We’ll be staying here for the night.”

Furina can’t say she minds. Even knowing that only people to whom Lumine has granted access can actually enter the teapot realm, she always feels just the slightest bit unsafe when it’s out in the open wilds. What’s more interesting though is how Lumine is practically swarmed by several children the moment she comes ashore, all prancing excitedly around her and demanding stories from their “big sis Lumine” which Furina realizes is the first time she’s heard the Traveler’s real name spoken by someone other than herself or Paimon. Regardless of the interesting fact, it makes her smile to see the kids fawning over her, and Lumine handing out gifts- simple clockwork toys from Fontaine- for them all. 

After the kids have finally scattered back to their homes, Lumine turns back to her with a much more genuine smile than she’s seen on the blonde in a while. “C’mon, let’s go and get the teapot set up.”

Lumine convinces her to help out in the kitchen again, and she can already feel the difference from last time. It's an empowering feeling, knowing that no matter what else happens on this adventure, she’s going to have a tangible skill to help in her daily life. No longer will she be restricted to a life of macaroni! 

They eat fairly quietly that night, though Furina can see Lumine and Paimon making faces at each other, doing that silent communication they somehow seem to manage. 

Shortly after dinner, Paimon excuses herself and floats her way off to the room she shares with Lumine. When Furina motions to follow suit and head to her own room, Lumine shakes her head, stopping her. “Come outside with me. I still owe you a swordfighting lesson and, well… there’s a good chance it will come up when we visit Inazuma.” Furina follows behind, of course, though the phrasing does make her a bit nervous. “Is Inazuma really that dangerous?”

Lumine chuckles, though there’s a distinct lack of humor behind it. “We might not run into anything that dangerous, but it’s better to be prepared. Not every threat is a monster operating on instinct, and Inazuma is still healing from a war.” 

Furina nods knowingly. She doesn’t really understand the Traveler’s meaning- Fontaine never struggled with a war during her stint as Archon, let alone a recent one- but the gist is clear, and perhaps, just a little bit, she doesn’t want to admit to not quite getting it. 

Lumine leads them back outside, into a grassy field atop an immense leaf, so vast it doesn’t even slightly spring underneath their feet. Then she pulls a pair of identical, simple swords from her bag, both wrapped in thick cloth to keep the blades contained. She hands one to Furina, keeping the other held tight. “We’ll start by going through some basic moves, stances, and forms, and depending on how you’re performing after all that, maybe we’ll do a mock sparring session.” 

Lumine’s training regimen, it turns out, is even more intense than Clorinde’s- and that woman can be quite the drill sergeant when it comes to weapons training, nice as she is otherwise. Lumine’s style is acrobatic and dynamic, often involving switching grip styles or even switching her sword to a different hand due to her ambidextrousness. It’s elegant and beautiful and also easily lethal, and she can see the way it’s designed to throw an opponent off balance with feints and tricks, almost but not quite fighting dirty. 

It’s also very hard for her to follow, and harder to perform. Eventually Lumine seems to recognize this and slows down, focusing on the less advanced styles and moves for now and offering a sheepish grin and an apology, and soon after they decide to take a break for the night. 

Lumine drops down onto the grass, legs crossed and hands planted behind her as she leans back to gaze at the teapot realm’s brilliant night sky. Furina looks at the grassy ground for a long moment before using her Vision to create a bubble to sit on beside her. 

They sit in silence for a few minutes, stargazing, Furina trying to come up with names in her head for the constellations in the teapot realm, which don’t match those of Teyvat. Finally Lumine speaks up, her eyes still trained on the sky. “Sorry I’m not a very good teacher. I can get a bit too focused when I have a sword in my hands…” 

Furina shakes her head, a wry smile on her face. “Not everyone is made for teaching, and I still learned a thing or two, anyway.” After a beat, she asks the question that’s been burning her tongue the whole time. “You said your brother is a better teacher… all the stories I’ve heard say that you’re searching Teyvat to find him.” She chews on her bottom lip slightly as she carefully plots out her words. “What was he like? If it’s okay for me to ask…”

Lumine is silent for long enough that Furina begins to get quite anxious that she may have overstepped. Just as she’s about to backtrack hard, Lumine finally speaks up again. “When we were adventuring together, he was always better with people than I was, so I would usually let him do the talking. A bit like Paimon does now. He was also much more emotional than I am- such a crybaby when something tugged his heartstrings wrong.” There’s a bit of amusement to her voice at that. “But… he was also kinder than me, and always ready to jump into a fight to protect people, even if he barely knew them. To tell you the truth, I’ve… always had a hard time relating to most people, but he didn’t. I swear, he could get along with a total stranger without sharing a single language in common.” She shakes her head, a fond but brief chuckle escaping her lungs. “But it’s been at least five centuries since I last saw him. Probably more. All I know now is that when I looked into his eyes, I didn’t recognize them anymore.” She takes a shuddering breath, and Furina gets the sense she’s biting back something more, but she doesn’t feel a need to push- these slow glimpses of the Lumine behind the Traveler mask are more than enough for her- for now, at least.

After a few more moments it becomes clear that Lumine isn’t going to say anything further, and Furina can see the faint, shining pinpricks of held-back tears at the corners of her eyes. “I think I had best be retiring for the night now. But… thank you for sharing that with me. I hope you sleep well.” 

She stands slowly, just in case Lumine decides to stop her, but in the end she returns inside alone, quietly settling into her room and settling into bed to stare at the ceiling, thinking about everything she just heard and letting her thoughts race in a storm of incoherence until, finally, she drifts asleep. 

~

They wake up fairly early the next morning- slightly earlier than Furina would like, but after the amount of rest she’s gotten over the past few days, she’s not too fussed. She’s even noticed, to her delight, the tone on her muscles growing more defined from the amount of exercise. A part of her wonders, idly, if Lumine finds muscular women more attractive, thinking back to her interactions with Dehya. 

After a hasty breakfast of fried foods that can’t be all that healthy, but taste too good to pass up, and a fond farewell to the children, they return to the riverboat and continue to sail south from Vimara Village. 

The discussion is brighter this time, the quiet regularly broken by laughter and sometimes even song- it turns out Lumine knows a surprising number of sea-shanties from across Teyvat, and oddly, though her singing voice in that other language was almost angelic, when singing in the language of Teyvat it takes on a somewhat huskier quality- still bright and clear, but there’s a different tone to it. Furina wonders if she’s the only Teyvat native to have heard her other singing voice, and feels a slight stab of guilt that she heard it by accident, and not by Lumine's own choice. She can’t help but still feel a little privileged to have heard it, though. 

They’re in the middle of a conversation comparing Fontaine and Sumeru’s cuisine when they turn around a bend in the river and Furina can see, in the distance, a massive split tree trunk that must have been at least as grand as the one in Sumeru City at its peak of life. She can just barely make out structures built within it, and a canal leading through the split stump towards the sea. “Is that it?” She asks, leaning forward and squinting just slightly as if that will provide her with a better view. 

“Yep! That’s Port Ormos! Paimon prefers Sumeru City, but Lumine prefers Ormos.” Paimon says, floating up to whisper almost conspiratorially. “Paimon thinks it’s because she’s always on the move, and there are so many boats here.”

Furina giggles, as does Lumine, who apparently overheard. “I just prefer the atmosphere here, that’s all. Sumeru City can get so… stuffy.” She shakes her head, a small smile on her face that Furina can’t help but match- though she can’t help but tease, either. “I guess you’ll just have to prove it by showing me around, Miss Honorary Knight.”

She doesn’t mean for the nickname to come out as flirtatious as it does, but the moment it leaves her lips, almost sultry, she feels her cheeks warming with a blush that she hopes Lumine won’t notice. “Sounds like a date. We’ll get there by noon, so we should have plenty of time for you to explore to your liking, Princess .” Lumine says, a slight grin on her face. Almost immediately Paimon’s shrill voice rings out, a reminder that she’s still here. “Hey, look over there! That was the first of those giant ruin machines we found!”

In fairness, Furina does turn to look. It looks to be the same design as the one in the desert, though this one is thoroughly overgrown as the jungle works possessively to reclaim it. “This one is a lot more broken.” Paimon admits, scratching the back of her head and refusing to meet Furina’s eyes. Lumine also looks a bit sheepish, and once again Furina feels like there’s a story there- one she fully intends to tease out of them during their trip across the sea.

But there’s only a little time to admire before they’re pulling into Port Ormos proper, coming to rest along the riverside docks. The salty smell of the ocean- different from that of Fontaine’s towering inland sea- combines with that of fresh foods and the sound of lives being lived; workers, tradesmen, sailors, and guards whirling into a smaller but far more chaotic city than Sumeru proper. 

The first place they go is the oceanside docks, where the huge seagoing ships are moored, some far more vast than any that sail Fontaine’s ocean. Lumine and Paimon are, apparently, well known by a number of captains- something about their relationship with a thing or maybe person called the Crux- and within the hour she’s got them passage on a ship that leaves the very next morning, traveling from here straight on to Inazuma. 

But first, they have almost half the day to kill, and Furina is eager to explore while she still has the chance, seeing as this will likely be the last she sees of Sumeru for quite some time- but she does intend to return, she’s decided that much. First things first: gotta make a last stop at the markets, hiked-up prices be damned. 

One thing she has to give to Port Ormos over Sumeru City is the usage of actual elevators, rather than purely relying on the spiraling ramps that so thoroughly killed her legs when they met with Nahida. It’s a slower and more simplistic rope-and-pulley based system rather than the powered elevators of Fontaine, but it still does the trick. 

Lumine ends up leading her on a bit of a loop around the shops on the upper level, mostly just watching and chatting quietly with Paimon as Furina flits and darts between stalls, examining anything that catches her eye- and then, inevitably, almost immediately grimacing and putting it back when she sees the price tag. She does still have a second Aranara plushie by the end though. To keep the first one company, of course. Not because she needs more plushies to squeeze when she has nightmares.

After their shopping trip, as the sky is slowly beginning to darken as they pass from late afternoon to early evening, Paimon suggests they get dinner at a local restaurant with outdoor seating and a lovely view of the bay. It doesn’t take much to convince her- even if she weren’t beginning to tire out, Lumine looks like she’s been run a little bit ragged after single-handedly running a riverboat for two days. I suppose even the Traveler gets tired.

The ‘restaurant’ turns out to be a place called Djafar’s Tavern, and it’s closer to a bar than a restaurant- even if they do serve food. The part about the view of the bay from the outdoor seating was entirely accurate, though. 

They’ve just settled in with their food- and a glass of wine for Furina- and taken the first few bites when there’s an audible commotion nearby, and Lumine immediately perks up, glancing at Paimon. There’s a hint of recognition in her eyes, and they both nod, Lumine standing suddenly out of her chair and half-jogging to catch a glimpse of what’s happening before returning with a grin on her face. “Well, looks like we have one more person for you to meet before we leave. I was kinda hoping he’d show up…”

Furina glances between Lumine and Paimon for any sort of hint about what she’s getting into, before being gently tugged away from her table to witness a procession of sorts winding around the bend in the road. Two people- an older man alongside a younger woman, both dressed in Akademiya robes- being escorted like prisoners by four others who also looked a bit more like scholars than priests. At the back of the procession, as if overseeing things, stands a man who looks like he’s barely taller than Furina, but his sheer presence makes him feel far taller and more imposing. His outfit looks ceremonial- even if it does leave more skin exposed than almost any she’s seen so far- with an intimidating canine headdress and red-amber eyes that convey a sense of predatory danger and imposing authority. The spear he carries like a staff does little to assuage the sense of danger surrounding him, but if Lumine and Paimon consider him a friend, she supposes she probably doesn’t have too much to worry about. 

“Cyno! Over here!” Shouts Paimon, seemingly oblivious of the obvious official business going on. For his part, the man perks up and looks their way- and all of a sudden the menace in his eyes is replaced completely by a kind warmth. It would be almost disconcerting, except it oddly reminds her of Neuvillette. “Traveler, Paimon. Give me just a moment, and then I’ll join you.” He gives a friendly nod before turning back to the prisoners and continuing to march them off as Lumine leads the trio back to their table. 

“So… who’s that? He seemed pretty scary right up until you called out to him.” Furina cocks her head, taking a slow sip of her wine. It’s different from Fontaine’s, but she likes it immediately, and after nine days of almost non-stop travel, she’s more than slightly looking forward to the buzz. She just has to be careful lest she overdo it and make a fool of herself in front of Lumine. 

“That was Cyno! He’s a little bit like Sumeru’s equivalent of Chief Justice! Except he tends to do a bit more, um, field work. U-um, no offense to Monsieur Neuvillette, of course! Fontaine’s justice system keeps him a lot more busy.” Furina giggles behind her hand at Paimon’s slight fluster, taking a bit of her dinner to keep up suspense. “I don’t think he’d be offended, and I’m certainly not! Truly, I think getting out more often would do him some good.” 

Lumine smirks, and looks like she’s about to say something before approaching footsteps alert them to their new guest. “Good evening, Traveler and Paimon. And I don’t believe I’m familiar with you.” The man called Cyno fixes her with a keen-eyed gaze, not exactly unkind but almost like he’s cataloging her appearance and scanning for something unseen. When he sees her Hydro vision, he gives an almost imperceptible nod of approval, and a moment later he seems to be satisfied, offering a stiff handshake. “My name is Cyno. General Mahamatra of Sumeru. It is my duty to ensure the rules are upheld by all in Sumeru, and that justice is swiftly brought to those who break them.” 

Furina gawks slightly, but shakes his hand. It feels oddly wrong to introduce herself without any title after such a formal introduction, so; “Furina, star actress of Fontaine! And also, um, former Archon of Justice. …sort of.” She adds on the last part as barely a murmur, part of her unsure what possessed her to say it aloud.

Cyno raises his eyebrows slightly, eyes widening just a little bit. “In that case, it is an honor to meet you, Lady Furina.” He offers a deep bow, and Furina quickly raises her hands in protest. “Just Furina, please. I already abdicated months ago. Besides, the one you should really be admiring is Neuvillette, our Chief Justice. Truly, you remind me of him.”

That actually earns her a smile from the stoic man, slight though it may be. “It is an honor to be compared to such a figure. You have my gratitude, Lady Furina.” He glances over to the setting sun, slightly souring his expression. “Unfortunately, the turning of time calls me away. I must see that these prisoners are safely secured for their trial back to Sumeru City, and we must leave in the early morning.”

Paimon pouts a bit, but Lumine nods, a warm smile on her face as she gives him a firm handshake. “We’ll be leaving early, too. Oceanbound, I’m afraid. But I’ll be back eventually, like always.”

After bidding goodbye to Cyno- who Furina desperately wants to somehow put in a room with Neuvillette and observe through some hidden kamera- they finish their meal fairly quickly, and Lumine purchases them a room at the tavern for the night. This time they go straight to bed right away, Lumine preferring to go get some immediate sleep rather than drag her out for some other excursion, since they’ll be leaving so early. 

~

Lumine wakes them all up at what must be barely the crack of dawn, if it’s even that far into morning, and there’s something halfway between excitement and nerves behind the almost manic glimmer in her eyes as she announces that it’s time to embark for their journey to Inazuma. Luckily she had the foresight to prepare a cup of coffee for Furina, knowing she wouldn’t functionally wake up for several more hours without it.

The ship they’re taking is actually one from Liyue, finishing up a stop here, picking up goods before traveling to Inazuma and then back to their port of call in Liyue, hold full of wares from other nations. Apparently it’s part of the Crux Fleet- which answers what the Crux is- and the captain has insisted on ferrying them free of charge, much to Lumine’s dismay and Paimon’s delight. 

It’s bigger than she expected, and as respected guests they’re actually afforded a room separate from the crew’s bunks. The beds are still hammocks, which she doesn’t think much of until Lumine explains that the Teapot doesn’t work on moving ships- something about its stationary nature making it function strangely on a moving object, and it might simply put a series of holes in the hull, remaining fixed in place as the ship leaves them behind. 

Sighing dramatically and thanking the gods for Lumine’s vast supply of books, she settles in for what is doubtless going to be an agonizingly monotonous week of travel. 

~

The first five days are just as monotonous as she expected, broken only by the occasional beautiful view or sighting of sea-life, some far vaster than anything she’d seen in Fontaine’s waters- more akin to the monster that nearly drowned Fontaine, though these ones are far less violent, it would seem. Furina is thankful they give the ship a wide berth nonetheless, the mere shape in the water setting her nerves on edge. The fifth night, however, is less so. 

She’s just awoken from another nightmare and instead of the slow rocking of the ship she’s grown used to, she finds that it’s tossing and turning just like she was, creaking under the duress of a storm. Still shaken from her nightmare but pumped up on adrenaline, she grasps her Vision in one hand, racing to dress herself before striding onto the deck, ready to put her elemental power into play to help press through the sudden storm. Immediately she’s greeted by chaos as the crew scrambles, everyone putting their all into running the ship- but it is not just a storm they face. 

At the bow of the ship, dancing atop the figurehead and whirling through the air upon self-made currents in a lethal dance, Lumine is locked in battle with a great sea monster, halfway between a serpent and an eel, with a spiny dorsal fin wreathed in crackling Electro energy. Furina watches in horror as it makes to snap its jaws shut around her, only for a pillar of Geo to grow and hold them apart as Lumine jumps backwards, catching her breath as the beast thrashes a moment, finally crushing the stone between monstrous fangs and engaging in battle once more.

Shaking off the shock of the moment, Furina rushes forward with her own sword drawn, ducking and dodging through the crew as they work and channeling energy into her Vision to manifest her Salon Solitaire to aid Lumine- Crabaletta appears particularly eager to aid the honorary knight, while the Gentilhomme requires a bit of urging. The trio seem to put the creature on the back foot enough for Lumine to recover and return to the fight, lashing at the creature with vines of Dendro energy as it pulls away to bite harmlessly at the watery forms of her Salon members. 

With the beast distracted, she grits her teeth and turns her attention to the other half of the problem- the raging storm thrashing at the ship. She takes a deep breath and plants the tip of her sword in the wood of the deck, much as she saw Lumine doing on the riverboat, and gathers from the vast amount of Hydro energy suffusing the rain and sea around them. Her eyes squeeze shut to focus, blocking out the anxiety-inducing sight of the Traveler fighting, which means she doesn’t see the way the raindrops freeze in place around the ship when she breathes out before rushing upwards to form a solid curtain above them like an umbrella, the way the waves are flattened around the hull like an iron blanket is pressing upon them, stopping the wilder waves around it like an invisible wall. She feels, perhaps, the way the movement of the ship calms somewhat, though in her focus she barely notices- just enough to know she should keep going. 

Her cue to open her eyes is the feeling of a warm hand on her shoulder- one she’s grown to recognize. She’s immediately faced with Lumine’s golden eyes, glinting in the moonlight- it seems the clouds cleared away when the monster did.

No sooner are her eyes open than she’s pulled into a tight hug, letting out an embarrassing squeak of surprise. “You were amazing, Furina! I’m so, so proud of you!” Lumine is practically beaming, and Furina can feel the praise going straight to her heart. “A-as expected of Fontaine’s brightest star, after all! Of course I’m just that incredible!” 

Her bravado is stopped in its tracks and her heart sent into her throat when she sees the way Lumine is looking at her- conflicted, but it’s hard for her not to see what she hopes is a glint of desire. “Yeah, you are.” Lumine’s voice is low as her eyes dip down, almost imperceptibly, for a bare moment before returning to Furina’s and shaking her head slightly as if to clear it, offering a cheery smile as she pulls away, to Furina’s great disappointment. 

But that’s not to say she doesn’t burn that look into her memory, the closest thing she’s seen to evidence that maybe, maybe she has a chance after all. 

~

The last two days of the trip are calm again, and Lumine is more and more closed off and thoughtful as they pass by Inazuma’s westernmost islands towards their destination. There’s been little hint of the spark that had flickered between them after the fight, though Furina doesn’t entirely mind- truth be told, if something happens between them, the deck of a ship full of strangers isn’t exactly the peak of where she would like to be when it does. 

They make port around mid-evening, though it takes another half hour before they’re clear to disembark into Ritou Village. Immediately, Furina can feel a difference in the air itself here, as if a lightning storm is permanently brewing no matter how clear the skies currently are. It sets her on edge. 

Even on the docks themselves she notices the strange looks she’s being given, though when people see she’s with the Traveler they seem to either quickly go back to what they were doing or their gaze suddenly turns to curious interest. She leans in to whisper to Paimon. “What did she do here, anyway?” Paimon startles slightly, squeaking before frowning at Furina. “Well… she may have, um, sort of ended a brutal regime and a civil war by defeating the Raiden Shogun in single combat? That’s the really, really short version, anyway.” All Furina can really manage as she processes that statement is a soft little “Oh.”

The general sense of discomfort she feels keeps her close to Lumine’s side- which is probably for the best, considering what she’s overheard Paimon say about the prices here. Though she can’t help but be a little bit curious and excited, especially at how completely different things are here from Fontaine, even compared to Sumeru. The beautiful red maple tree in the center of town particularly catches her eye, and indeed the trees in general here hold a fascinating vibrancy that’s distinctly different from those of Sumeru- and never, in five centuries of life, would she have thought she’d be learning to appreciate the aesthetic differences of trees but here she is. 

She notices as they walk though that Lumine seems… hurried, albeit not urgent- just as if she wants to be on the move already, which Furina supposes is fair after a week cooped up on a ship. Even if she did hope to stay the night in another town, rather than hike through the evening. “Don’t worry,” Lumine says as if reading her thoughts, “there’s a town just across the beach; we’ll be camping just outside it. I just… never really cared for Ritou, to be honest.” She sounds sheepish, a little apologetic, so Furina decides not to pry. 

They do make exactly one stop as they pass through what Furina is realizing is more of a market than a proper town, as Paimon insists that she can’t possibly continue without some taiyaki in her stomach and Lumine begrudgingly agrees that a particular food stand near the exit gate is actually worth eating at. Paimon orders a plate of dango, a plate of taiyaki, and a plate of sangayaki- all for herself, of course- while Lumine orders a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, and Furina follows her example. They eat mostly in silence, surrounded by the ambient sounds of the evening as the town slowly winds down for the night. The food is good, comforting and homey despite the unfamiliar cuisine, and it warms her bones for the last leg of travel in the cold oceanside evening. 

It really is just across a short span of beach like a natural bridge from Ritou to the main island, and by the time they cross it the outskirts of another, smaller village is already visible in the near distance. Settling in at an outcropping overlooking the beach, they retire to the teapot for the night. 

Lumine doesn’t cook that night since they already ate, which means she doesn’t get to spend the evening learning more of her maniacal cooking methods- and on top of that, Lumine leaves for her room alongside Paimon soon after they settle into the manor, leaving Furina to her own devices. Devices which end up being to make herself a pot of tea before bed, and subsequently retire to sleep herself- though not before spending her designated half hour cuddling her growing plush collection. 

~

Furina wakes with a start- she doesn’t remember the dream, but by the manner of her waking and the sense of panic in her heartbeat there’s little doubt it was a nightmare. She thrashes slightly, reaching blindly to retrieve one of her aranara plushies and pulling it close to her chest until her breathing calms enough that she can open her eyes to the darkness of her room. 

She lays in bed for a while, debating the concept of returning to sleep but dreading the return of whatever dream had awoken her. Finally she pulls on a coat and some warm socks and heads to the kitchen for another cup of tea. 

She’s barely surprised when she hears Lumine’s voice, talking too soft to make out the words, coming from just beyond the manor door- it almost feels like she has a sense that drags her awake when the Traveler is awoken in the night. She glances back and forth between the kitchen and the doorway, before her curiosity gets the better of her and she softly approaches the doorway until she can make out Lumine’s words. 

“I don’t know, Ruu. It feels strange to be back, doesn’t it?” She hears Lumine sigh softly, and listens for a second person. But it’s Lumine’s voice that continues. “Well, maybe not for you. I guess it’s just time to face the music... It really has been too long since I was last here, hasn’t it. I wonder if you’ll be there again if I visit Tsurumi…” There’s another pause, long enough that she starts to feel the guilt of listening in to what’s likely Lumine’s private thoughts settling in, but just as she’s about to tiptoe away to the kitchen and make the cup of tea she came here for, Lumine speaks up again and she can’t bring herself to leave. “I wonder if they’ll think less of me for spending so long away. What if everyone has moved on? I’m used to having doors shut in my face, but…” she sighs, a sense of finality to it. “Ah well, you probably don’t want to hear about all that gloomy stuff, anyway. I’ve got a few more stories to tell, how about it?” 

Furina takes that as her cue to retreat, mind buzzing as she thinks about everything she just heard. She notes the name down to ask Paimon about later, and does her best to settle her mind with calming tea, though she gets precious little sleep after that- just enough to function the following morning. 

~

They eat light, the next morning- a surprisingly filling plate of what Lumine calls bird-egg sushi- before gathering up with Sorush to properly begin their journey across the islands of Inazuma. She has somewhat mixed feelings on the fact Sorush will be joining them again; on the one hand, the Pari’s presence might help distract Paimon and offer her more chances to be alone with Lumine, but on the other, Sorush’s moodiness and tendency to favor Lumine might restrict them even further. 

This itself has spawned the trail of thought currently running through her head as they prepare to leave: The realization that she has, really, no idea how to go about wooing someone, let alone someone as outstanding and presumably widely desired as the Traveler. She’s read her fair share of books on the subject of romance of course, but none of those fantasy stories spent much time on the smaller things- and even to the minimal extent some of them had… after five hundred years denying herself her own desires- her own sense of self, really- she just hasn’t the slightest idea where to start. But she has, at least, made up her mind that she wants to pursue Lumine, and not just gaze at her longingly from afar. 

She tunes back into the conversation when she vaguely processes that Lumine has started discussing their route for the day. “I don’t think we’ll stay in Konda village for long. The people there are plenty nice- maybe too nice- but there’s only so much to do in a farm town with only a handful of families.” Paimon wags a finger at Lumine disapprovingly, interrupting her. “Paimon thinks you just want to avoid the hero treatment as long as you can.”

Furina giggles, and Lumine puts on a faux-scowl. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just want to show our fine guests to the Grand Narukami Shrine, and you know how long that climb can take.” This time it’s Sorush’s turn to interject- is life difficult with this many sidekicks? Furina begins to wonder if she’s among that number now. “My Yasnapati should be worshiped as a hero wherever she goes- which is accordingly worship for me- but I wish to see this Grand Shrine, and measure its magnificence myself. So, alas, I must concur in this instance.” 

Privately, as they step back into the world of Teyvat proper, Furina wonders if she can bribe Paimon to distract Sorush as they travel. 

It turns out Lumine wasn’t underselling Konda village- it really is a teeny tiny little farming town with little to stand out. Which, to be honest, she likes. It’s hard to find that kind of thing in her life. Meanwhile, Paimon was also right on the money in that the people here adore Lumine. 

She knew, of course, that the Traveler had a reputation of helping those in need, and she’d seen the way some people reacted to her in Sumeru, but here is the first she really, truly sees just how much her beloved Lumine is also beloved by the people of Teyvat. Just how many lives has the Traveler changed? How many people has she saved? She finds herself studying Lumine’s back as the girl tries to wave off yet another excited old woman. It puts a discomforting notion into her head; Do I even deserve to be at her side?

She tries to shake it free of course, stamp the thought out and bury it, but it’s as if the best she can do is throw a carpet over it. She idly twists at her Vision to help stifle the intrusive thought- and in the cooling Hydro energy, she finds the memory of that night on the ship, just after the fight, when Lumine, the Traveler herself, said she was amazing while looking at her like that . And just like that, the thought slips free, washed away in the ocean surf. 

True to her word, Lumine shakes off the affectionate- and curious- villagers not too long after, albeit not before a few of the bolder ones have had a chance to playfully(she hopes) interrogate her about her journey here and, apparently more importantly, her intentions with the Traveler, much to her embarrassment. 

Sorush also generated more than a bit of excitement, resulting in a surprisingly heated argument about whether she more closely resembles a sakura flower or a dendrobium. Privately, Lumine remarks that she’s in the Dendrobium camp, and Furina finds herself surprisingly excited to eventually compare the two. 

Now though, they're back on the trail heading northward, with Inazuma City distantly visible at their back. Ahead of them are a trio of vast mountain-spires, like the spikes on a crown- the tallest of which, apparently, they'll be climbing. She's less than thrilled by this prospect, especially since Lumine sheepishly described the pathway up as ‘worn’. Alas, there’s little time for complaints now, the better half of a month into their little excursion. 

The road takes them a decent ways north, enough that by the time they reach the first step on the trail up the mountain- marked by an innocuous, lacquer-red lantern post-  the sun has risen high in the sky, and as Furina gazes up the winding, spiraling staircase up the mountainside, she has a feeling they won't be reaching the city tonight. 

~

She's reduced to a panting, wobbly-legged mess by the time they ascend the mountain path, even after having been carried upon Lumine's back for awhile- almost effortlessly, at that. The sun is just beginning to slowly descend from its zenith, and Lumine stops the trio just before they crest the mountain, just so that they can be a bit more composed when they enter the shrine proper. It's mostly for Furina's sake, and if she were less exhausted she might be a little insulted. As it is, she'll take the win. At least Paimon seems equally winded, despite having floated the whole way up. 

“Well, what do we have here?” She's startled out of her thoughts by a mature, feminine voice and turns to the steps above them, where a tall, red-and-white robed woman with long pink hair- as pink the ever-falling sakura flowers that Lumine pointed out as they got closer to the shrine- is peering down at them from the top step, looming with something resembling predatory interest. Furina is pretty sure she can even see the woman's purple eyes glowing a little. “So, the Traveler has graced our little island once again. And what a cute guest you've brought along, too.”

Furina swallows thickly as she stares, not sure whether to be frightened or flustered and stuck halfway between the two, glancing to Lumine and Paimon for some sort of support. Paimon plays her knight in shining armor this time. Sort of. “Yae Miko!? What are you doing- wait no, that's a dumb question… But you don't usually hang out on the front steps just spooking people, do you?”

The stranger giggles, musically, behind her carefully manicured hand. “Hm, maybe I heard you were coming, and wanted to greet such an important person myself. Or perhaps I was just bored, and decided to take a stroll around the grounds. I suppose you'll never know, will you?” Paimon is in the midst of spluttering when the woman puts on a slightly more serious face. “ Also , perhaps you have forgotten over the last few years, but it's Guuji Yae around here, yes? Now, are you going to introduce me to this adorable little companion of yours, or not?”

Paimon's spluttering only grows more severe at that, so Lumine is forced to take over. “Well, Great Guuji Yae, this is Furina, our dear friend from Fontaine.” Furina gives a nervous wave, adding that “I needed to get out of the house for a few days, and all of a sudden these two were dragging me halfway across the world!” 

Lumine giggles a little before subsequently presenting Sorush. “And this is Sorush, a very heroic Pari from Sumeru, and another dear friend.” 

“My, my. What fascinating company you bring along with you, Traveler. I have heard of the Pari, in a very vague sense, but I never thought I'd get the chance to meet one.” Yae offers a delicate, careful smile, purple eyes glinting with delight, before clapping her hands twice. The motion gives Furina the chance to realize what she thought were fluffy tufts of her pink hair are, in fact, velvety pink fox ears, weighed down by ornamented jewelry- she already recognized the Electro Vision, but assumed it was part of a hair ornament. “Well, come along. I'm sure you didn't come all the way here just to chat with me on the front doorstep, and I suppose it must fall to me to watch over you all while you're here.” She winks at Furina as she says that, implying a joke hidden somewhere in the words, and Furina glances at Lumine, who shakes her head with a wry smile and whispers “She has to sound all official, don't worry.”

After just a few more steps, she's faced with her first view of the shrine proper, built above a natural basin in the mountaintop full of water that seems to faintly glow from the reflection of lightly luminescent plants growing around it, covered in gently-bobbing sakura petals- which seem to fall constantly atop this mountain, and Furina can't help but privately wonder how much time they have to spend sweeping flower-petals off the walkways. Still, its beauty can't be overstated, and as the mirror-shine of the red and black lacquer paints on the wood catches the lowering afternoon sunlight and sparkles in the cool blue waters she can't help but pause, taking in the sight for a long moment before hurrying to catch up with Lumine and the others. 

As they walk, they pass two young women, praying together with shoulders brushing and stealing glances at one another in a way that's hard not to interpret as a couple fresh in love praying for a good future, and she idly, without really noticing, finds herself drawn closer to Lumine, hand reaching for the Traveler's- until she notices her own movement and pulls away before Lumine can feel her presence, but in the process she fails to notice the way a pair of far-too-keen purple eyes catch the movement, and the way Yae Miko smirks all-too-knowingly. 

She does find, quite rapidly, that the Guuji is not particularly adept at giving tours. She seems far more interested in drawing out interesting gossip about Lumine's adventures from whoever is most eager to talk about them- usually Sorush- and mostly just gives a handwave and a bored, utilitarian description where necessary. It's actually Paimon and Lumine who do most of the explaining. Eventually though they curve around the grandest building in the shrine and enter a courtyard sand-garden, with walkways made from stone-slabs leading to two other, smaller buildings, and across to the latest in the line of incredible trees, rising up and curving into the unmistakable silhouette of a fox, streaked with veins of softly glowing blue resin. 

This particular sight seems enough to be worth the Guuji's attention. “And here she is; the Sacred Sakura. You could say she's sort of like the star of the show here at the Grand Narukami Shrine.” Furina cocks her head in curiosity, and before she considers the politeness of her question, asks; “Does it… grow that way naturally?” before her brain catches up to her mouth and she cringes, visibly sheepish. 

Miko giggles, musically. “Oh you are just adorable .” She shakes her head, and Furina tries not to stare at the way her furred ears wiggle. “There's nothing natural about the Sacred Sakura, but no, we didn't shape her growth, if that's what you mean. I think it's simply the nature of magic trees to grow in strange ways. Now then, darling Traveler, why don’t you and your guests enjoy the scenery to your liking, and then come meet me at the fortune slip box. As you are special guests, I will personally utilize my vast powers to ensure the accuracy of your fortunes.” Lumine squints at her, and Paimon mutters “aren't you laying it on a little thick?” but Furina is far too taken with all the pomp and circumstance to be anything but delighted, and Sorush is already starting off to explore.

Thankfully, Paimon chases after Sorush, leaving Lumine and Furina to explore at their own pace. Or really, at Furina's pace. The first thing she does is slowly circle the outer sections of the shrine, gazing out from atop the mountain peak from which all the islands of Inazuma can be seen, however faintly. It's a breathtaking view from every angle, and provides a unique preview, in a way, of the places she might go next at Lumine’s side. Secondly she takes it upon herself to try to grab a sakura petal out of the air- to her great disappointment when, no matter how hard she tries, they seem to be almost magnetically repelled from her hands. At least until Lumine releases a controlled burst of electricity at a fluttering group of petals, which seems to calm them enough to retrieve one- an intact flower, in fact. Lumine delicately takes it from her grasp, only to tuck it behind her ear, beneath her hat, sending Furina into a flustered fit. 

After that they flit about for a few more minutes before Furina's curiosity and impatience get the better of her. “Well, Traveler? Are you going to show me to this fortune slip box, or what?” Lumine rolls her eyes, faux-disapprovingly shaking her head with a playful smirk, before motioning Furina to follow her. 

True to her word, Yae Miko is waiting for them at the kiosk where fortune slips are drawn. “Ah, done exploring already? Well, I’m sure our dear traveler already knows the rules, but you go ahead and draw a bamboo stick from this box, turn it over to me, and I'll give you the according fortune slip. Don't forget, don't say your fortune out loud or it won't come true!” She says with a wink before sliding the box across towards them. 

Furina looks to Lumine to draw first, who rolls her eyes fondly but does so. She waits until Furina- with shaking hands- has drawn hers before turning their bamboo sticks over to Yae Miko together. It all seems a little silly, but at the same time, she can’t deny the way it draws out suspense is effective. 

The Guuji hands her fortune slip back first and she can't be bothered to wait as she eagerly unfolds it. 

Great Fortune!

Today your path will be unimpeded, and you will soar to reach the star holding your wish.

In your journey of desire, a direct path will always provide the best results. 

Seek to find purchase in that which your heart yearns for, and seize onto it as hard as you can. 

Remain vigilant for your opportunities, as they may come at any time.

Your lucky object for the day: Fluttering Windwheel Aster. 

Windwheel Aster are sustained by calm and soothing winds, ever spinning with joy from the wind's kiss. 

Find comfort in the support you have close at hand, and it will not steer you wrong.

Furina reads it once, glances at Lumine- now reading her own- out of the corner of her eye, reads it a second time, then, while trying to keep her reaction as well-hidden as possible, quietly folds it up and puts it within the most secure pocket of her coat. When she looks back up, Lumine has finished with hers, expression unreadable as she stares at Yae Miko, who is checking her manicure without a care in the world. Just when it looks as though Lumine might speak, Miko turns back to them and speaks up first. “Oh, Traveler, would you be a darling and go check on Paimon? I would hate if she's been putting that adorable Pari up to any mischief around my shrine.” Lumine opens her mouth as if to object before sighing. “I'll have to gather her up before we leave anyway.” 

Furina turns to follow her but she finds one of the Guuji's fingers holding her hand in place against the kiosk table. “That girl, always rushing off to the next destination. She's quite the hero around here, you know- always taking the world on her shoulders for those around her, yet so dogged in her pursuit of her own quest that she refuses to chase after her more personal desires. Do take care of her for me, won’t you?” The pink-haired fox says with an unreadable smile, and before Furina can respond she carries on. “Oh, by the way, you might be interested to know there are a wide variety of light novels tangentially about our dear Traveler- she’s been quite the fascination among Inazuman authors, lately. If you stop by the Yae Publishing House in the city, I’m sure you’ll find something suitably… stimulating to your curiosity.”

Furina stares blankly for a moment, wheels spinning as she stares into the woman's knowing purple eyes before a potential thought occurs to her and she blushes. Surely she doesn’t mean…

“Surely you don't mean-” she begins, before freezing at the sound of Lumine and Paimon's approaching voices. The Guuji gives her a knowing look, then turns to Lumine. “Well, I suppose, knowing you, you'll be absconding all the way back down the mountain now, won't you?” She shakes her head, clicking her tongue. “Well, don't be a stranger this time. Oh, and She's going to want to see you before you leave- hasn’t stopped talking about another sparring match since the last time. You'd think She didn't have options, or something.” 

Lumine looks vaguely sheepish, and something else that's harder to place, but nods. “Right. I'll make sure to visit her. And to come back more often. Until next time, Great Guuji Yae.” She bows, and turns to leave. Furina hastily bows and follows after, and she hears “Goodbye, Yae Miko! See you around!” from Paimon, and a similar- if far more formal- farewell from Sorush. 

About halfway down, in the midst of a conversation about what to have for dinner that night, Paimon, as if remembering one of the secrets of the universe, gasps and points to both Lumine and Furina. “Wait! You two drew fortunes, didn't you! Well? What did you get?! Paimon wants to know what our luck is gonna be like!” 

“It's a secret.” Lumine and Furina turn and lock eyes with eachother as the words leave their mouths in unison, immediately devolving into a fit of giggles that only serve to mildly enrage their curious, floating companion. 

~

It's definitively evening by the time they reach the bottom of the mountain, the sun already half-set and blanketing the clouds in pink and orange. She's not in quite as rough a state as she was upon cresting the mountain- partially because Lumine carried her on her back for half the way down- but her legs are certainly feeling the experience. Other than that, though, she's in an energetic mood after the fortune slip, thinking about how she might go about wooing Lumine. Should I go the proper, formal route? Oh, but her brother isn't available, so who do I get permission from? Perhaps Paimon?

“Well, there you are! When I heard you were visiting the shrine, I banked on finding you down here, and it seems my gut didn’t disappoint me.” All four of them startle at the sound of a masculine voice, as a man with ruddy-blonde hair and green eyes steps around a rock, leaning against a spear like it’s a walking stick. He has a cocky but kind smile, and is dressed in black and red traveling garb, with a Pyro vision on his hip. At a glance, he oozes conman.

Furina glances to Lumine, who looks conflicted but has her guard down. Paimon, meanwhile… “Thoma!? What are you doing ambushing us like some common bandit! Ugh, you almost scared Paimon to death!” 

The man raises his hands in mock surrender, laughing. “Sorry about that, Paimon. But I had a feeling you two might avoid me if you got the chance, and I know how good you can be at that.” Paimon huffs, and Lumine winces. “My Lady requested that you join us for dinner if at all possible, and since dinner won't be happening until I return anyway… would the four of you mind accompanying me to the Kamisato Estate for a dinner with the Shirasagi Himegimi? She’s dying to see you again.” 

Paimon opens her mouth to respond but for once, Lumine holds up a hand. “She really asked to see me?” Thoma nods, and as far as Furina can tell the warmth in his expression is genuine. Feeling the tension in the air, she finds herself wondering if this person has anything to do with Lumine's former reticence to return to Inazuma. Finally, after biting her lip thoughtfully, Lumine nods. “Very well. I… do want to see her, too. We'll accompany you, if that's really alright.” 

Thoma beams widely. “Of course! We’ve all missed you, Lady Lumine.” Furina feels a little twinge of something like anxiety or maybe jealousy at the fact that he knows the Traveler’s real name, something previously limited to her, Paimon, and some kids in a village in Sumeru. “Come on, you know I’m no Lady. Titles really don’t suit me.” Lumine protests, which does help pull Furina from her immediate malaise- if only so that she can add “Except for ‘Honorary Knight’ I’m sure.”

And so, with laughter and anxiety hand in hand, the group begins their journey to Kamisato Estate. 

Chapter Text

A look in somebody's eyes

To light up the skies

To open the world and send it reeling

A voice that says, I'll be here

And you'll be alright

I don't care if I know

Just where I will go

'Cause all that I need is this crazy feeling

A rat-tat-tat on my heart

[La-La Land - City of Stars]

They wind around the north of the mountain for about an hour, putting them under the moon’s silver light for the last portion of their journey. Conversation is light, mostly touching upon Lumine’s travels since leaving Inazuma the last time, sprinkled with jokes and good fun. Yet even so, she can’t help but notice the way Lumine gets quieter and quieter as they walk. When the others are occupied in a discussion, Furina gently takes Paimon aside, hopefully out of earshot. “So, um, Paimon… who exactly are we going to see? She seems… important.” 

“Oh! Well… there’s a lot of answers to that question, if Paimon’s being honest. She’s the main person in charge of organizing most of the festivals and celebrations in Inazuma, and she’s sort of considered the unattainable pinnacle of perfection by most Inazumans, and…” Paimon sighs, rolling her eyes before lowering her voice even softer. “She’s also Lumine’s former girlfriend. It’s… complicated.”

Furina feels her heart in her throat. She knows jealousy isn’t a good look, especially when it comes to a prospective lover’s former partners, but she can’t help but wonder, based on what both Thoma and Lumine said, if this is an attempt to reignite an old flame. She tries to shake off her reaction. “W-well! I didn’t realize Lumine had any romantic partners in Teyvat. I can certainly understand her hesitance now, though!”

Paimon gives her a funny look, squinting at her before her eyes open wide and she gasps, pointing at Furina and whispering. “Wait. You have a thing for the Traveler, don’t you! Don’t even try to hide it, Paimon’s on to you, missy!” 

Immediately Furina raises her hands in surrender, shaking her head as she feels a blush covering her face. “N-no, it’s not like that at all, I just, ah, that is- ugh, just promise you’ll keep this quiet, okay? If she hears about it, I want her to hear it from me.” 

Paimon raises an eyebrow. “Well, duh. Paimon’s not gonna rat you out over something like that. Just don’t make Paimon into a third wheel, okay?” There’s a hint of anxiety in Paimon’s voice and Furina feels a stab of guilt in her stomach. “Cross my heart and hope to die, I won’t drag your best friend away from you, Paimon.” 

With that, Paimon’s spark returns, and she wiggles joyfully. “Alright! In that case, you have Paimon’s blessing.” Then, she puts one hand on her hip and wags a finger disapprovingly. “But if you break her heart, Paimon’s gonna hunt you for sport!” 

Sharing a giggle, they reunite with the remainder of their party just as they climb the last part of the path to the estate- a beautiful, walled fortress-manor atop a seaside cliff. With the bright light of the full moon bathing the scene, it becomes akin to a dreamlike castle. It’s hauntingly breathtaking, to say the least. 

The guards let them pass without issue as soon as they see Thoma, though there’s clearly some surprise at Lumine’s presence, and curiosity at Furina’s appearance. Inside the walls, the gardens sparkle with faint glimmers of frost caught in the moonlight. 

They hurry indoors, Furina breathing a sigh of relief as the outdoor chill dissipates- though not as much as she would usually expect. Hard to say if it’s simply a difference in insulation and heating compared to Fontaine, or if the person who owns the place just prefers it cold. Seeming to sense her discomfort, Thoma gives her a warm smile and a wink, and his Vision lights up crimson, slowly heating the air around them to a far more comfortable level. “Well then, don’t want to keep a lady waiting.” he says, gesturing for them all to follow him. 

Thoma leads them to a sliding door, sliding it open and announcing “The Traveler and Paimon, and their guests Furina of Fontaine and Sorush of Sumeru!” as he leads them inside, seating them on the floor facing a gorgeous folding screen of a white heron flying across a frozen, moonlit lake. Once they’re seated, Thoma slowly pulls the screen aside as well, revealing a silver-haired young woman in a beautiful, elegant- but partially armored- blue dress, a folding hand-fan designed with a similar motif to the screen held open to obscure her face below the piercing gray eyes that peer over each of them, but always seem to return to the Traveler’s face. Furina finds she doesn’t want to know how Lumine is looking back at her, and keeps her eyes straight ahead. Thoma stands just behind the gray-eyed woman, hands behind his back and a look of pride on his face as he presents “The Shirasagi Himegimi, Kamisato Ayaka!”

As soon as the introductions are over, Furina feels a certain level of tension in the room drop as Thoma bends down a bit towards the woman. “Now if you’ll excuse me, milady, I should probably work my kitchen magic so you don’t all starve tonight.” Lumine and Ayaka giggle in unison, and both of them seem to get slightly embarrassed about it as Thoma excuses himself. 

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Paimon is the one who breaks it- even Sorush seems to recognize the atmosphere, for once. “Well, how have you been, Ayaka? It’s been forever since Paimon’s seen you!” Furina can see both Lumine and Ayaka twitch slightly at that, but Paimon seems oblivious. “I’ve been well, albeit very busy. Years may have already passed since the Vision Hunt Decree was ended, but the Tri-Commission’s work cleaning up the aftermath most certainly has not.” Ayaka’s soft voice is calm, collected, not betraying a slip of emotions as she speaks. “I was surprised to hear that you had returned so suddenly. Had we received word, I would have liked to give you a better welcome.” There’s the tiniest hint of accusation in her voice, eyes finding Lumine’s as she speaks. Lumine seems to wilt under her gaze, just slightly, glancing towards the floor. “That’s not-” she begins, before shaking her head slightly and starting over. “I never know when or how I’m going to arrive, my Lady. I didn’t wish to needlessly trouble anyone. You least of all.” The last part is quiet, almost whispered. 

Ayaka sighs softly, eyes still unreadable and face hidden by her fan. “I’m… just glad to see you well, Lumine.” Her eyes brighten after that as she glances around the room once more, folding her fan closed to reveal a face that falls halfway between ‘adorable’ and ‘drop-dead gorgeous.’ She can, admittedly, see why Lumine might have been attracted to this girl. “Now then, as my dear retainer Thoma introduced, I am Kamisato Ayaka. Though, as good friends of Lumine, you may simply call me Ayaka.” She offers a warm, bright smile, so bright Furina almost forgets about the palpable tension just moments ago. Sorush bows first, stealing the spotlight as ever. “I am Sorush, though it should fall to my Yasnapati to introduce me.” She looks pointedly at Lumine, who rolls her eyes but smiles. “Sorush is a Pari, and a particularly heroic one. She’s helped me do some pretty amazing things.” Sorush huffs, loudly. “I believe you mean to say that you have helped me do some pretty amazing things.”

After a brief span of giggles, it’s Furina’s turn. She takes a deep breath, turning to Ayaka. “And I am Furina, star actress of Fontaine, traveling companion of the Traveler, and retired Archon of Justice, at your service.” Perhaps she’s feeling jealous and wants to give herself a bit more presence and importance, or perhaps she’s just getting bolder and more used to her past. Maybe, probably, it’s a bit of both.

Either way it seems to work, as Ayaka’s eyes widen slightly. Then she shoots Lumine a glance, and Furina can sense the slightest hint of annoyance behind her sweetness. “Lumine! You at least should have told me someone so important was coming!” Lumine looks a bit sheepish and Furina immediately tries to jump to her rescue. “I-it’s fine, like I said, I’m retired! I was barely an Archon anyway, and now I’m just a simple citizen on a vacation with a very good friend.” This seems to at least mostly placate Ayaka, thankfully. “Very well, though I still would have liked some time to better prepare.” She shoots the Traveler one last look before relaxing once again. 

The tension is further severed by the door sliding open and Thoma marching in, at the head of a procession of a half dozen servants carrying trays of food. A table is pulled between their group and Ayaka, and subsequently all but buried beneath food dishes. It’s the grandest feast she’s seen since her tenure as Archon, and if this is what they get with no warning, she has to wonder what it would have been like if Ayaka was prepared for their arrival. Furina is surprised- but pleased- to see that Thoma takes a seat to Ayaka’s right when they begin the meal. 

They eat the first course largely in silence, the late hours and long travel leaving them all hungry enough to drop some decorum. Perhaps it’s just because she’s unused to the cuisine, but she still prefers Lumine’s cooking- not to say the feast isn’t delicious, because there’s certainly no doubt that the Kamisato family’s chef is quite skilled. By course two though, they’ve slowed down a bit- and in addition the second course has come with sake, which Furina is doing a very good job at pretending to enjoy. Oh well. Alcohol is alcohol, in the end- luckily she’s quite good at holding hers, enough to keep her composure under a buzz at least.

All this to say, conversation begins to pick up. Mostly small talk, the sort of things people ask when they’re getting to know eachother. Ayaka and Thoma teach her a bit about Inazuma’s culture and governance, and she speaks of Fontaine in turn. It’s nice, she finds, to be able to speak about Fontaine with all the pride it deserves as herself, and not as a make-believe Focalors.

That thought seems to be a herald in a way, as Ayaka finally, tentatively asks the question she’s sort of been waiting for this whole time, and somewhat dreading. “Please forgive my rudeness in asking this, Miss Furina, but I was under the impression that being an Archon wasn’t a job that one simply… steps down from. May I ask what happened?”

Immediately Lumine sits up, in an appreciated but unnecessary attempt to come to her rescue, her voice warning as she speaks. “I’m not sure that’s-” Furina puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her sentence altogether. “For five hundred years I put on an act, and lied to everyone around me- myself included! for every second of every day, all in the hopes that it would keep my people safe from a pre-ordained tragedy. Now, that tragedy has passed us by, and they no longer need me to dance upon thay stage. Time I let better leaders run things- they already were in a less official capacity, anyway. And thanks to the Traveler, I’ve begun to realize that, perhaps, I’ve earned my own life, in turn.” 

Her brain catches up to her mouth when she sees the way Ayaka is looking at her- a knowing look, full of recognition, but somewhat faraway. Not quite jealous, but longing. She immediately feels her face heating up at the admission and races to devour one of the spicier pieces of what’s turned out to be a course of a dozen varieties of sushi, hoping the spice will disguise her blush as discomfort. She glances at Lumine out of the corner of her eye- the blonde swordswoman isn’t looking at her, but staring down at her own plate with a deeply thoughtful look on her face, not quite present. 

“That sounds like it must have been a very lonely experience… five hundred years. I- I can only begin to imagine. It warms my heart to hear that you’ve managed to find joy at Lumine’s side.” Ayaka’s smile, and her comforting, soft voice, all seem genuine even to Furina’s well-honed ability to read a false smile. It certainly cements an understanding of why Lumine so readily fell for her- beautiful, and kind to a fault. Could I be so kind, in such a situation? she finds herself wondering, a worm in her mind. She hopes that she could be, at least.

After that, she speaks more openly of the Prophecy, and Lumine speaks more openly of her own adventure in Fontaine, filling in some details of her stay in Meropide that Furina was unaware of. Just what is Wriothesly teaching that darling Melusine, anyway? 

After that, much to Lumine’s chagrin, she becomes the focus of the conversation. Neither Ayaka nor Thoma or even Furina know much- if anything- about Lumine’s time in Sumeru, and Paimon is all-too-ready to provide the juicy details. By the end, after the tale of the insidious way Sumeru’s citizens and their Archon were both used like so much machinery, all three of them look haunted. “And I thought the Vision Hunt Decree was awful… those Sages sound like they were truly horrid people. I’m glad you were able to save the Dendro Archon in the end.” Ayaka looks like she has something more to say, the way she gazes at Lumine, but she doesn’t. So Furina takes the chance to ask. “So… forgive my lack of knowledge, but what was the Vision Hunt Decree? I know… admittedly little about Inazuma’s past, and Lumine’s time here.”

By the time dinner is finished, she knows far more about Lumine’s journey- and just how incredible she is- than she had even scratched the surface of before. She’s also stuffed, and the tiniest bit drunk. Luckily, everyone else seems to be running out of steam as well, and Thoma claps his hands together before speaking with far too much cheer. “Alright! I think it’s time to show you to the guest rooms. Shall we?”

~

She’s floating, suspended. She can feel chains around her ankles, weighing her down as though she would otherwise float away on the wind. But it’s not air she’s floating in, she slowly begins to realize. Her eyes fly open and she realizes she’s underwater, trapped in the open ocean, no sight of anything resembling the ground. Just endless blue, shades shifting and scintillating in the beams of light that filter through the surface. 

She’s been alone all her life, since she was left by herself in front of that mirror, cursed to dance like a puppet, but this is beyond loneliness. It’s emptiness, void crushing in on her from all sides- it’s not the water that’s suffocating, it’s the impossible weight of emptiness pressing in on her. 

Panic sets in as her breath begins to shorten. A familiar sensation, as if she’s back in the Opera Epiclese, hand submerged in a bowl of tainted seawater. As if the memory triggers something, the water begins to sparkle and shift into the hue of primordial seawater, and she watches in horror as her fingers begin to melt away, then her hands and feet, her limbs all disappearing into nothing more than bubbles in the ocean. Suffocating under it all as she is, she can’t even breathe to scream as she melts down, bubbling away into the water around her. 

~

She still can’t see when she wakes, sending her into a panic until she feels her limbs again. She forces her eyes open, slowly, to the sight of an unfamiliar room- which doesn’t help her calm down, especially as she finds none of her plushies to hold. Instead, in the midst of choked, gasping breaths, she pulls her knees up to her chest and hugs them tight, rocking herself back and forth slightly. Slowly, she convinces herself to breathe, recalling the last night. 

She doesn’t know how long it takes her to finally uncurl and climb out of bed, unsure exactly what she’s looking for- but fresh air and a change of scenery are an important part, so she winds her way to the garden. There’s an immediate chill in the air that sends a shiver from her shoulders down to her toes, and she wraps her coat tighter around herself. Faintly, she can hear the sound of someone exerting themselves around the back of the estate, along with the occasional thump of something falling to the ground. Hopeful she might find Lumine practicing, she hurries around to the back gardens, where she finds a number of training targets set up, glowing silver beneath the full moon. Stepping through them in a dance-like sword-style dramatically different from the one Lumine favors, is the lady of the estate. “Miss Kamisato…?” she finds herself half-whispering. 

Ayaka whirls, sword readied, but relaxes immediately when she sees Furina, sheathing her sword with almost ceremonial care before bowing her head just slightly. “Lady Furina. Are you well? Does your room need anything?” her voice is kind, and she offers a warm smile. Furina shakes her head slowly. “No, no, I just… couldn’t sleep.” 

Ayaka tilts her head just slightly, examining Furina’s face before nodding. “I understand. I often find myself lying awake in the night, as well. Practicing keeps my head clear.” She smiles and shakes her head slightly. “But I have a feeling you’re not here for that. You were looking for Lumine, weren’t you?” Alright, add ‘dangerously perceptive’ to Ayaka’s list of attractive traits. Furina doesn’t try to defend herself, just nodding. “N-not at first, I was just looking for fresh air, but when I heard you practicing, well… I did hope.”

Ayaka hums, still smiling, though there’s a sadness growing in it. “Hm. It’s a bit like looking in a mirror, you know. She’s your first real friend, right?” Furina nods, and Ayaka carries on. “I’m bound to my role here. My duty is to my family, and to abandon that duty would be to dishonor not only myself, but them as well. As you may imagine, it has not left me with many chances to form real friendships in my life. Lumine came into my lonely little world rather like a whirlwind, much as it sounds like she did for you, and, just like you, she became the first person I could truly call a friend of my own. And eventually, something more.” Ayaka locks eyes with her, a sad, resigned look on her face. “You love her too, don’t you?”

Furina opens her mouth to respond, closes it, takes a deep breath, and nods slowly. Ayaka closes her eyes, putting on an almost serene smile. “People sometimes call me the Frostflake Heron, but in truth I envy real herons- they can fly as free as they like, whereas my wings are clipped by duty. Lumine and I… our dalliance was brief. I was greedy, believing I could have my cake and eat it too, as I believe the expression goes. I thought I could wait for her, endure the growing silence between her ever-briefer visits, but as it turns out, I’m far too greedy. The silence between visits, never knowing how long she would be gone, never knowing when I should begin to worry, it was too much for me. I realized that I needed more from her than she could ever give, and I knew she would still be willing to try, to pluck more and more feathers from her own wings, even to her own detriment. So… I broke things off, shortly before she left for Sumeru. It’s better for the both of us.”

Ayaka sighs, gazing at the full moon as she slowly walks to a gentle water fountain. “To me, Lumine is much like that full moon. No matter how much I reach for her…” she stretches her hand out towards the sky for effect, before dropping her hand to trail through the fountain’s surface. “In the end, all I can touch is her reflection. Yet your wings have unfurled, whole and splendid. You can reach that full moon, and give her the happiness she deserves.” Ayaka offers a smile, and a hand- thankfully not the one that just trailed through frost-kissed water. 

After a brief moment of silence Furina takes her hand. “Thank you, but… are you… sure? You still love her, don’t you?” Ayaka nods, that same sad look on her face. “Yes, I do. But I cannot leave, and she cannot stay, no matter what. But she still deserves the joy I cannot give her, and you deserve happiness too. And do not worry,” Ayaka says, her smile growing warmer. “if you reach for her hand, I do not believe you will be turned away.” 

They talk a little more after that, mostly about Lumine, the things she does that they love, and the way she can also get on their nerves. But as the sky just slightly begins to brighten, promising daylight in another hour or two, they part so that Furina may get some rest- Ayaka promising to ensure she gets an extra few hours of sleep before Lumine drags everyone awake. By the end, they have eachother’s addresses, and a promise to write to one another when Furina has returned to Fontaine. It’s far more amicable than she was expecting, and it leaves her feeling a little befuddled, though hardly in a bad way- she just never would have expected to become pen-pals with her crush/hopefully-soon-to-be-girlfriend’s ex.

~

When they’re all awake, Thoma insists on making them breakfast before they depart, and she’s hardly going to complain. Ayaka takes the time to talk privately with Lumine, and Furina is proud to say- internally at least- that she doesn’t feel jealous about it. 

After that, they set off on the road south from the estate, a pleasant mood suffusing their traveling group. Even Lumine seems more contemplative than unhappy- Furina would be lying if she said she wasn’t a bit curious what Lumine and Ayaka talked about. 

Not long after leaving the estate, the road begins to grow thinner and more rugged, as if used more rarely, and soon after that the forest grows thicker around them. Then, as if walking through an invisible barrier, all the sunlight fades away as they enter the forest proper, revealing plants that glow blue and what she hopes are simply fireflies dancing through the air, casting the whole forest in eerie blue light, like something out of a ghost story. Lumine and Paimon seem unfazed, and Sorush is as unnervingly brave as ever, but she can’t help but step closer to Lumine, almost brushing shoulders. It’s only maybe a quarter an excuse to be closer. Lumine puts a steady hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Chinju Forest isn’t nearly as scary as it seems. It’s under an illusion of eternal night, but the inhabitants are mostly just pranksters these days. As long as you’re with me they won’t bother you.”

“Who does live here, anyway?” Furina asks, eyeing the surrounding forest warily as they pass under what she now knows is called a torii gate. Lumine hums, a note of amusement in her voice. “It’s a bit more of a ‘what’ lives here. This forest is the domain of the Bake-Danuki, even if most of them were sealed in stone a long time ago. I bet Kichiboushi is keeping an eye on us right now- assuming he’s not off training somewhere.” Immediately Paimon’s eyes light up at the thought and she glances around, circling above them with excitement before shouting, at the top of her lungs; “Hi Kichiboushi! Hi everybody! You better be taking good care of yourselves!” 

Furina is almost certain she hears a bell jingling from somewhere nearby, as if in response. Neither Lumine nor Paimon follow the sound, but it’s clear by the smiles on their faces that it’s brought back happy memories, and for that, Furina has to thank whoever this Kichiboushi is. 

Their journey goes smoothly after that, and they’re back to Konda Village before the afternoon. Thankfully the locals don’t occupy nearly as much of their time today, though there are a few who were unavailable yesterday who want to take the chance to greet the Traveler as well. Before long they’re back on the road south, Inazuma City visible rising up a winding hillside in the distance. 

As they walk, she looks between Lumine and Paimon, chewing her bottom lip slightly as she considers something for a moment before speaking up. “Lumine, do you think, perhaps, when we reach Inazuma city, you might show me around, just the two of us?” Paimon looks momentarily aghast before recognition hits her eyes and she gives Furina a thumbs-up from behind Lumine’s head. “Oh! That means Paimon can give a flying tour to Sorush! Paimon doesn’t get to give proper flying tours very often!”

Lumine looks between the two of them before shrugging, seeming oblivious to the mimplications. “Well, if Paimon’s fine with it, then I don’t see why not.” Furina can’t even stop the grin that spreads upon her face. It might not officially be a date- yet- but it’s a start. 

~

Their journey to the city ends up being surprisingly peaceful, even during the stretches where Lumine gets particularly wary of an ambush, as if used to such situations. Furina supposes she probably is- one side of the Traveler’s life she hopes to avoid during this excursion. Regardless, they make it to Inazuma City’s outskirts unhassled, just as the sun is beginning to dip below the horizon. 

The first thing that catches her eye is the huge, beautiful sakura tree in the center of the outskirts town- she notices as well that it’s a more purple-ish color than the ones at the shrine- and the way it’s been lovingly adorned by the people. The lovely, familiar hubbub of people living their daily lives fills her ears, backed by the soothing sound of a waterwheel spinning lazily in the river’s current that sets her at ease.

Gazing around at the town, it feels like she’s stepped back in time. Not that Inazuma feels more primitive than Fontaine or Sumeru, but it gives off a sense that things have looked much like this for a long, long time. She supposes it makes sense- Inazuma is the nation of Eternity, after all. She glances at Paimon, who gives her a nod before floating over to Lumine and Sorush, patting Lumine on the shoulder with a tiny hand. “Okay! Let’s go, Sorush! Paimon’s gonna show you the city from the best angle!” 

Lumine bids them farewell- after Paimon convinces Sorush to leave with her- and then turns to look at Furina. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think the Traveler almost looked nervous, as she offers Furina a hand. “Well, Princess? We might not have time for a formal tour tonight, but I can at least show you the nicest spots and take you out for dinner. There’s a lovely hotspring bathhouse too, if you’re interested.” Furina cannot put into words how ‘interested’ she is in the idea of ending their date at a bathhouse- and not solely to ogle her crush in what, she assumes, will be a bathrobe of some kind. After a long two days of travel, soaking in hot water sounds absolutely divine . 

So she nods, enthusiastically. “That sounds suitably lovely, Miss Honorary Knight. So, where to first?” Lumine gets an almost wicked look on her face. “First, we need to get dressed for the part. We’ll be going all the way up to the third level, because that’s where all of today’s spots are located. But tomorrow I’ll be sure to show you around the rest.” Furina nods, taking Lumine’s hand in hers- she feels the girl stiffen slightly, but nothing more. “One level sounds perfect for today. Well? Shall we?” She says, smiling warmly. Lumine hums, laughter hidden in the sound, and leads her forward. 

“Welcome to Ogura Textiles and Kimonos! I’m Ogura Mio, if you need any- Oh! Miss Traveler! I didn’t realize you were back! Is there anything I can do for you?” The shop’s proprietor, a young woman with a rather cute face, goes from store-clerk-brightness to a genuine, warm smile upon seeing Lumine. The Traveler smiles back at her, tipping her head in the slightest bow. “My friend and I are going to visit Uyuu Restaurant, and we wish to look the part. Do you have anything that would work?”

The woman brightens further at the realization that she’ll be making a sale, and nods vigorously. “As it happens, Lady Kamisato already had some things commissioned for you, Miss Traveler. As for your companion, I won’t exactly have time to hand-tailor something tonight, but I believe we have some fitting designs in your size. Come along, you two!” She says, clapping twice and leading them inside the building. 

They’re led to different rooms- Lumine is brought straight to the changing rooms with two designs in hand, and Furina is taken to a room absolutely full of kimono and yukata designs, where she’s thoroughly measured and examined as Mio determines the best options for her. It takes longer than Furina would really like, but in the end she walks out dressed in a cute, long-sleeved yukata colored a similar blue to her iconic coat, patterned with white and gold waves that rise up to her knees, and shorter waves on her sleeves. It’s tied with a similarly blue obi, patterned with a stylized ripple design she’s seen in a number of artpieces in Inazuma- conveniently matching the alternating colors in her eyes- and tied together with a shimmering gold string. The whole look is completed by a golden hairpin with a delicate white fan, a few blue raindrops patterned in at the edges. It’s certainly a different look than she’s accustomed to, but she likes it.

Lumine is already waiting for her when she’s done, looking a little distracted and gazing out the window, which perfectly casts her in the fading sunset light. She’s dressed in a short-sleeved, slightly lower cut yukata the color of fresh-fallen snow, the skirt designed to look like a cascade of shooting stars, blazing across in an arc of blue, purple, and gold, held closed by a midnight black obi with spiraling gold designs. The sleeves are patterned like the flowers she wears in her hair, tiny dots of blue, green, gold, and cyan in their centers, while the real flowers in her hair glow a sparking purple to round out her attuned elements. When the protagonists of Furina’s romance novels referred to their lovers as ‘radiant,’ she’s pretty sure this is what was being described. 

Lumine glances over at her, eyes widening slightly and opening her mouth as if to say something before firmly shutting it. She smiles and extends a hand to Furina. “You look… nice. I, um, already took care of Miss Ogura’s payment, so… I’m feeling famished, how about you?” Furina giggles at Lumine’s awkwardness, offering a graceful little bow before taking her hand. “Indeed, I’m feeling a bit peckish myself, Miss Honorary Knight. Lead on!” 

Thankfully, the restaurant is only one building down from the clothing store, so they’re not walking long- though that does mean she has to relinquish her grasp on Lumine’s hand sooner than she might have hoped. Luckily it’s not too crowded, and Lumine is able to get them seated at a private table. Appetizers are served quickly, which is good- they’ve both worked up an appetite after the day’s journey. 

After they’ve gotten a little food in their stomachs, Lumine speaks up, sounding a bit tentative. “So… what do you think, so far?” Furina cocks her head quizzically. “Well, I think your cooking is better, but this is only the appetizer…” to which Lumine giggles brightly. “Well, thank you. But I meant our little journey. Has the world of Teyvat stood up to your expectations?” 

“Oh!” Furina nods, sharply. “It’s been… amazing, really. I’ve seen things I truly never could have imagined- and I can imagine a lot! I could do without quite so much mountain climbing, though.” Lumine hums, a smirk on her face. “Well, after we finish in Inazuma, we’ll be headed to Liyue. So there’s still plenty of mountain climbing in your future, Princess. But there’s plenty of amazing things, too.” Furina looks into her eyes and bites her lip, thinking something like ‘ you might just be right.’

Dinner comes with sake, which her palette is still at best unsure of- but she’s slowly sipping at it anyway, knowing a slight buzz will keep her confidence from wavering when it matters most. “You’ve made a lot of unusual friends, you know. And do you just, like, attract people with Visions? Is that another of your powers?” She teases the Traveler, lightly poking her in the shoulder. Lumine huffs, rolling her eyes with a fond smile on her face. “Wouldn’t that make you one of my ‘unusual friends’ then, Princess?” Furina gasps, faking affront and clutching her chest. “How dare you! Watch what you’re implying, Miss Honorary Knight!” 

There’s a moment of silence as they stare at eachother, before both breaking into laughter at the same time, leaving them mutually indisposed for a long few minutes. After regaining her composure though, her voice takes on a slightly more somber note. “A-actually, on that note… just how many of the Seven are you friends with? I can only imagine your relationship with the Raiden Shogun is poor after what happened, but what about the others?”

“Actually, Ei and I are pretty close, even if she can be kind of… intense, sometimes. I’m sure she’d love to meet you too. As for Rex Lapis and Barbatos… We’re on good terms, but I’m not sure I’d be allowed to tell you if you meet them.” Lumine offers an apologetic shrug and smile. 

Furina is genuinely baffled. “ Ei? You’re on a first name basis? I thought you helped a rebellion defeat her?” Lumine just shrugs, speaking in a slightly less cheery tone. “And showed her the error of her ways, in the end. It’s a complicated story, and I don’t have the right to give you key details.”

As if trying to physically move the conversation to a different path, Lumine speaks up, voice back to her previous brightness. “By the way, at the pace we’ve been making, I think when we’re all done we can stop by Liyue for Lantern Rite on our way back to Fontaine. I know Fontaine has plenty of big parties and festivals, but, no offense, I’ve never seen anything as spectacular as Lantern Rite anywhere else on Teyvat, so far.” She teases, before a slightly tentative note edges into her tone, her smile going from teasing to genuine and soft. “And… it would be nice to watch the fireworks together. They’re always really pretty.” 

Furina feels her heart flutter, and she swallows thickly, nodding. “That- that sounds lovely! I mean, after all, I’ll have to judge for myself whether they measure up to any Fontainian festivities!” Lumine just smiles warmly, letting the conversation lull for a while as they’re brought dessert. 

They leave the restaurant satisfied and smiling, and when she takes Lumine’s hand on the way out she doesn’t even flinch, just smiles and hums softly. Lumine starts to walk across the street before pausing and turning to Furina with a warm, gentle, almost nervous smile on her face. “There’s a nice garden on one of the back roads here, why don’t we take a walk through there first?” 

Well, Furina is hardly one to argue the chance to walk hand in hand with Lumine through a garden illuminated by the bright silver moon, so they wind their way around. There’s a few store carts along the side of the street, but they’re all closed up and locked tight, and there’s almost nobody else walking the road back here- a drunk couple stumbles past at one point, and the occasional resident stepping out of their house for some brief moment, but little else. The garden is quaint, a cute little pond decorated by stones, bushes and small trees, but illuminated in the moonlight- especially as Lumine settles against one of the rocks, looking radiant as ever- the scene looks quite beautiful. In the other direction, past the residential houses, the other islands of Inazuma can be seen, distantly visible upon the moonlit ocean. 

Lumine watches her for a moment, golden eyes searching for something in Furina’s soul- or perhaps her heart- before opening her mouth to speak. Then she closes it, shaking her head slightly, and whatever she was going to say is lost in favor of “I’ve had a really nice time tonight, Furina. I'm glad you suggested this.”

But Furina- Furina has had enough waiting, watching for signs, hoping to be chased, and she’s been given enough support to reach out for her own desires. So she takes a deep breath, and a tentative step forward, pulling on all her bolstered confidence. Lumine looks up at her, eyes widening just slightly. “Lumine, I have a confession to make. After… after everything, from the first look you gave me in Fontaine way before you had any idea who I really was, to the way you pushed me forward at my lowest, and the way you’ve brought me along on this truly incredible journey, showing me sights I never would have imagined, and sides of yourself I never would have seen, I…” she huffs, looking away, hands balling into fists. “Ugh, it’s so embarrassing to say these things out loud! I- I think I’ve fallen for you. No, I know that I have.”

She takes a single, tentative step closer, reaching into her pouch- the very same one she was given in Sumeru- and tightens her fingers around the moonstone bracelet, pulling it out and, shakily, outstretches her hand, palm up in offering. “I love you, Lumine.”

Chapter Text

A whole new world (don’t you dare close your eyes)

A hundred thousand things to see (hold your breath it gets better)

I’m like a shooting star

I’ve come so far

I can’t go back to where I used to be

[Aladdin - A Whole New World ]

Lumine is silent, frozen, golden eyes wide and lips parted in surprise. Furina can feel every quickened heartbeat in her throat, hammering in her ears, and the bracelet in her hand feels like it weighs as much as the world and then some. It feels like time slows down as the seconds tick out in silence until at last that silence is sharply broken.

“I’m not-” Lumine begins, then cuts herself off, looking away and shaking her head, dissatisfied with her words, before, slowly, standing up and stepping in closer, placing her hand atop Furina’s- the cold moonstone slowly warming between their palms- and then Lumine’s golden eyes lock with hers. “It’s always been hard for me to put my thoughts into words, let alone my feelings- they never seem to come out exactly how I mean them. But they say actions speak louder than words, so… may I kiss you, instead?” 

Furina’s eyes widen and she can’t stop the soft gasp that escapes her lips- not trusting her own words, she settles for nodding enthusiastically, her free hand tentatively coming up to rest on Lumine’s shoulder, fingers just slightly gripping into the collar of her yukata. Slowly, Lumine presses in closer, rotating the hand that’s already settled against Furina’s until she can slot their fingers together, the moonstone bracelet still pressed between her palms. Her other arm comes to wrap around Furina’s waist and ever-so-gently tug her closer, bodies pressed flush, gently bumping their foreheads together with a soft giggle. 

Then, finally, finally, Lumine tilts her head just slightly, the tip of her nose brushing softly against the side of Furina’s before- fireworks, both literal ones set off in the distance and the metaphorical ones exploding in her heart as Lumine’s soft, supple lips slot between hers, speaking silently of gentle affection in their softness, of warmth and romance in the way they curl up ever-so-slightly in a smile, restrained desire in the way they gently, always gently, work against her lips, slowly parting them for the tip of Lumine’s tongue- she feels it, warm and wet, swipe over her bottom lip slowly, but intrudes no further, even when Furina presses closer, mouth parting wider with unexpected desire- in fact, at that very moment Lumine pulls away, eyes full of restraint, as if not trusting herself to stop any later. It’s the same considerate kindness that she’s grown accustomed to from the Traveler, and it warms her heart to see- and adds kindling to the needy fire building below her stomach. She knows, in theory of course, that one is supposed to play it coy on the first few dates, and certainly isn’t supposed to rush things after her first kiss, but… maybe it’s just boldness brought on by the light remainder of her buzz, or, more likely, it’s five hundred years worth of unsatisfied desire brought to the surface, but it makes her want to push that restraint until it snaps and Lumine gives her everything she’s been waiting five aching centuries to experience. 

Slowly she takes Lumine’s wrist, sliding the moonstone bracelet onto it- fingertips tracing along the smooth skin of her wrist and back down along her hand as she carefully settles it into place, the moonstone resting beautifully against the back of Lumine’s hand. Then her eyes trace back up to those pools of gold and she leans in to place a kiss against the corner of Lumine’s mouth before, slowly, softly shifting, her cheek lightly brushing against Lumine’s as her lips ghost along Lumine’s jaw just below her ear, and she whispers in the sultriest voice her inexperience can bring to bear. “I believe you mentioned a bathhouse, didn’t you, Miss Honorary Knight? Won’t you show me along?” 

With her cheek pressed lightly against Lumine’s, she can feel more than see the way the Traveler’s cheeks warm with a bright blush, jaw dropping just slightly- she can visualize the way Lumine’s mouth has fallen open in a cute look of surprise at her forwardness- before she regains her composure, trailing her fingers down the inside of Furina’s forearm to entwine their fingers together as she whispers, almost purring. “If that is your wish, my Princess…” which, suffice to say, leaves Furina with goosebumps, breath catching in her throat at the subtle note of possessiveness. She’s sure as Lumine leads her along that her face could be aptly compared to a tomato.

When they arrive at the bathhouse, Lumine strides up to the owner outside with the confidence of The Traveler, extending out a pouch of Mora and asking, nonchalantly. “Is there anyone else using the bathhouse tonight?” The man shakes his head, looking more than slightly intimidated by Lumine’s presence despite being significantly taller than her. “No ma’am, nobody else at the moment. You’ve, uh, managed to catch us on a slow day.” He offers a sheepish smile and Lumine nods sharply, producing a significantly larger bag of Mora and plopping it into his hand. “Good. Keep it that way. Ah- please?” She tacks on the sentence to the end as if the intent isn’t a clear order anyway. The man clearly understands as he nods nervously. “O-of course, Miss Traveler, anything for the Hero of Inazuma. Please, go right ahead, consider the place yours for the evening.” He offers a light bow as he steps aside, sliding open the door for them. She supposes being a world-renowned hero has some distinct benefits- benefits she certainly does not mind taking advantage of right now. 

The moment they’re inside, bare feet on the comfortable tatami floor and the door closed behind them, she feels Lumine take her hand, giving it a light squeeze, leading her across to a set of closed rooms. “Go ahead and rinse off in one of these- it’s fine to use Hydro powers for convenience. After that…” she gestures to a larger doorway on the side of the building, “the hotspring is in there, so, I’ll meet you.” Lumine offers her a slightly crooked, almost nervous smile, so she gives her brightest one, hoping her own nerves aren’t too visible. “Very well then! I shall follow tradition and see you shortly, um, d-darling.” She blushes bright as she trips over the pet-name, quickly shutting herself in the shower room to calm her racing heart. 

She emerges soon after, mildly damp and feeling thoroughly refreshed. Peeking out, there’s no sign of Lumine- presumably already at the bath, or maybe still changing. Either way, Furina slowly steps out, the anxiety beginning to set in as she wanders down the hall, towel in hand. She takes a long, calming breath, and slowly slides open the door, watching as trails of steam immediately begin to swirl around her feet. She blushes bright as she sees Lumine’s yukata empty on the floor beside her as she steps inside, sliding the door shut and ever-so-slowly turning around, preparing her heart for whatever sight awaits her. 

Lumine is facing away from her, sat on the edge with her legs trailing into the steam-covered water, a white towel wrapped around her torso below the arms, showing just enough of her bare back and and shoulders to make Furina shiver as indecent thoughts flood the back of her mind. Lumine doesn’t look back at her when she speaks, slowly unwrapping her towel and sliding into the obscuring water, where Furina can just make out tantalizing hints through the steaming, rippling water surface. “Don’t worry, I won’t peek and you don’t need to take off your towel if you’d prefer, anyway. But the water’s lovely, so won’t you come join me?” Now how’s a girl supposed to turn down an invitation like that? Not like she wants to, anway. 

So she, nervously, slips off her Yukata, and then with shaking hands her underclothes follow, quickly snatching up the towel for modesty- even if, despite Lumine’s offer of an escape, she does intend for it to come off almost immediately. She takes a deep breath, runs her hand over her Vision before placing it gently in the heap of her clothes, and then walks slow and purposeful steps to the edge of the water, sitting down with her legs soaking first- letting out an involuntary sigh as the warm water suffuses her still-aching calves- before taking a breath, gingerly unwrapping the towel, and sliding into the water beside Lumine.

Her breath hitches when she feels Lumine lean into her, bare shoulder bumping against hers, and she fights to keep her eyes from dipping down to gaze through the water’s surface, trying to take steady breaths- when this was just theory she could be as confident as her acting, but now that she’s here… she’s hyper-aware of everything, even the warm water isn’t enough to let her mind relax. Lumine’s head falls to the side slightly, coming to rest on her shoulder, soft blonde hair cascading down her skin, and the Traveler sighs softly. “Thank you, Furina.” It’s enough of a surprise to free her from her racing thoughts and building anxiety, turning to glance at Lumine from the corner of her eye. “W-what for?” 

Lumine opens her mouth to say something, before closing it and shaking her head in that way she does when she’s trying to rethink a response. “It’s… complicated.” There’s a long pause and she starts to think that’s all she’s getting, then Lumine’s voice starts up again. “I’m an outsider to this world. A witness, not a participant- no matter how much I get caught up in helping people, very few of those people see me as a person currently living in this world. I’m the Traveler, an otherworldly hero, or a threat from certain perspectives. And it’s not like they’re exactly wrong; I don’t fit in anywhere. I’m not from Teyvat- not even truly human, not like them, or you. So… it’s always really special to me when someone makes me feel like I fit in as a person, and not as… something else.”

Well. What’s Furina supposed to do after hearing something like that, besides kiss her? So she does, using one tentative hand to tilt Lumine’s chin up, locking eyes with her for a brief second’s hesitation- questioning, searching for consent in her eyes and finding it, eager and glassy- before leaning in. This kiss is different from the first one, in the garden. It’s softer, more hesitant- a message of warmth and support, with only a subtler aftertaste of desire. When they pull back for breath, they remain with their foreheads lightly pressed together, Lumine’s golden eyes closed and her breathing steady- there’s a faint smile on her lips that Furina wants to etch into her memory. “Lumine, I-”

The rest of her words are swallowed by another kiss, hungrier, like something in Lumine has woken up and demands satiation- and, words happily set aside for now, Furina is all too happy to give, lips parting for Lumine’s tongue with an eager whimper as the Traveler shifts, wrapping her arms around Furina and pulling her flush against the blonde’s bare chest. She has to force back an involuntary, shaking sigh at the soft feeling, which turns into a squeak of surprise- and delight, when one of Lumine’s hands runs along a sensitive spot on her hip. 

Immediately Lumine pulls back, a distressed, apologetic look on her face. “I- I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking and I got carried away, I-” Furina leans in, cutting her off by pressing a shushing finger to her lips. “I’m perfectly capable of voicing my discontent, Miss Knight. If I didn’t want this, you would know, alright? But if it makes you feel better… I do want this. I- I want you.” Lumine’s eyes widen slightly, and Furina can visibly see them dilate with desire as she nods, biting her lip slightly.

When Lumine kisses her this time, there’s little of that restraint left, teeth nipping at her lips and tongue exploring her mouth almost domineeringly, leaving her breathless and needy. She moans into the kiss- a far more lewd sound than she thought she could make- as one of Lumine’s hands traces up her ribcage to lightly palm one of her breasts, gently grinding the heel of her palm against Furina’s nipple before tracing down to lightly tease circles around it with her fingers, the softness of her ministrations at odds with the slight roughness of her calloused hands. It already has her involuntarily rubbing her thighs together, desperate for any sort of friction. Of course Lumine, ever perceptive, has to take notice of that .

“Already so eager are we, princess?” The blonde hums softly, laughter evident in the sound, and Furina feels her face flushing from far more than the heat. “Maybe we should take this to the teapot. I can take us right to your room.” Furina doesn’t trust her voice with the way Lumine is lazily tracing a fingertip in circles around her nipple, so she just nods, squeaking out something that sounds enough like “mhm!” to get the point across. 

Lumine giggles, rising from the water with nothing less than full confidence in her body, and oh, Furina cannot help but stare. Her pale skin almost glows after the hot water, rivulets of water tracing atop it, and she can see how the woman is covered in a tapestry of scars that tell a long and not always pleasant history- there’s very few places Furina can see that don’t have at least one or two scars visible- and knowing how potent healing magic can be, they surely account for only a fraction compared to those that have been fully healed. She’s lean, beautifully muscular in a way Furina was already acutely aware of, but with her body bared for examination Furina can see the lovely curves she hides under that dress. In the eyes of the former ruler of Fontaine, the steam rising off of Lumine’s body as she steps out, minimally drying herself before sauntering, almost sashaying, to their pile of clothes, must be from her sheer beauty vaporizing the water atop her skin, not the heat of the hotspring itself. 

Moments later they’re in Furina’s room in the teapot- idly, she notes that the structure has shifted to an Inazuman style, but that’s thoroughly unimportant right now- and Lumine is gently pulling her along into bed, stripping off her hastily-dressed yukata even as she moves. There’s an impatience evident in her every motion, yet still controlled by that iron-willed restraint that something deep in Furina’s heart- or perhaps somewhere a bit lower than that- dearly wants to break. 

Somehow, in the low light of the room, with her half-dressed yukata barely hanging off her shoulders, Lumine is even more attractive than when she was on display and steaming after the bath- Furina can swear she sees those golden eyes actually glowing with desire in the dim light as her gaze visibly maps over Furina’s body, taking in the sight with wonder and worship evident in her expression. It’s more than enough to add kindling to the fire burning in her heart- and in her core. 

“D-don’t just look at me…” the request comes out as more of a whine than she intended, earning a chuckle from Lumine, who settles herself straddling Furina’s thighs before leaning in close, one hand beside Furina’s head to prop herself up, the other wandering down the centerline of her stomach- fingertips just barely brushing her skin so that she has to arch upwards to get the contact she so desperately needs. 

Hot breath washes over her ear as Lumine whispers “if that is what my princess desires…” before gently kissing just below her earlobe, hand shifting to the side to brush across the edge of her hipbone and gliding down the inside of her thigh, careful to avoid touching her where she wants it most. As a sort of playful vengeance, and to satisfy her own desires, she reaches up to palm both of Lumine’s breasts, softly groping and reveling in the tiny moans and whines she can just barely hear Lumine trying to bite back. 

Lumine doesn’t give her much time in control though, softly biting and nipping at her neck- not quite enough to mark her skin, but enough to make her wish it was- as her hand finally, finally trails back up the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, pausing so close that if Furina just hiked her hips up enough she could close the distance.

She glances up, finding Lumine’s golden eyes on her, sharpened and inquisitive. Her voice is a breathy whisper, reminiscent of a gate holding back the tides. “Are you sure?” 

Furina nods sharply, biting back the needy impatience in her voice. “Lumine, I’ve been alone for centuries. Please don’t make me wait any longer.” And just like that, she can finally see some of that restraint slipping, like one of the ropes tying the Traveler’s desire back has been snapped. It’s certainly enough for now- enough to pull a choked gasp from her lungs as Lumine’s fingers finally find their mark, parting her folds and lazily gathering up her embarrassingly copious wetness, her movements unhurried but full of intent as she finally curls them enough to graze over Furina’s clit, sending any coherent thoughts out the window in favor of the electric feeling it sends through her spine, drawing a loud moan from her lungs- loud enough she immediately covers her face, throwing one arm over it in embarrassment. 

Lumine’s free hand gently takes her wrist, moving it aside so that she can see hungry golden eyes above her, watching as if studying her features. “Please don’t hide from me. I want to see and hear how good I make you feel.” Furina doesn’t know if it’s possible to blush harder than she already was, but if it is… well, she’s sure she must be absolutely glowing right now. She just nods and obeys, a whimper interrupting any words that slowly grows into a sweet, needy whine as Lumine’s fingers lazily draw circles around her clit. 

She’s sure now that Lumine’s eyes are faintly glowing as she gazes intently down upon Furina, a luminous gold spilling from within like the fallen star she is. It’s almost hypnotic, and Furina can’t help but stare into those hungry golden eyes, wanting more, more, everything that Lumine will give her. Mustering up a bit of boldness, she reaches a shaky hand down to lightly caress Lumine’s wrist, her voice coming out halfway to a whine. “I-inside… please…” 

She hears Lumine gasp softly before seeing her lover’s lips turn up in a smirk. “As you wish…” she says, a faint chuckle in her voice as she easily slips one finger inside Furina, burying it to the knuckle in one stroke before humming thoughtfully and immediately adding a second, curling them just enough to set Furina involuntarily arching upwards, a loud, shaking moan escaping her lungs only to be captured by Lumine’s hungry lips, kissing her with furious passion. No matter how vivid her imagination is, it never could have compared to this, not even slightly. 

As if somehow reading her mind, Lumine softly trails kisses down her neck to her chest- briefly capturing one of her sensitive nipples in her lips and gently rolling her tongue over it, just long enough to set Furina arching up against her, crying out and involuntarily rocking her hips against Lumine’s fingers- before pulling back just slightly and looking her in the eye. “Let me give you something you can’t get on your own…” she whispers softly, continuing her trailing kisses down Furina’s body- still maintaining a steady pace with her fingers that has Furina crying her name- until she reaches the crook of her hip, humming softly before picking out a spot and softly biting, sucking at her skin to draw out a mark and sending Furina’s hips bucking against her hand. 

Once she’s satisfied with the red mark that Furina can feel faintly throbbing just above her hip, she gives it a light kiss before slowly kissing and nipping her way inwards and planting her lips squarely on Furina’s clit, tongue swirling a lovingly attentive circle around the achingly sensitive bud that tears an embarrassingly loud moan from deep in her throat- which only serves to egg Lumine on, the blonde humming a soft, satisfied moan herself that sends light vibrations through her lips against Furina, right as she crooks her fingers up in just the right spot. It’s too much for the former Archon, touch-starved and needy and so pent-up as she is. Her moans become strangled gasps and cries as she hovers at a peek of pleasure, just starting to tip over the edge. “L-Lumine, I- Nnng… I lo- haah- love you…” 

If her eyes weren’t squeezed shut in pleasure, she might see the way Lumine’s eyes dilate. She feels, though, the loud moan Lumine can’t hold back, even muffled as it is as she softly suckles at Furina’s clit, and the way her fingers speed up their ministrations inside her. 

She might be ashamed of how easily Lumine brings her to orgasm, hips shaking so spasmodically that the Traveler has to hold them in place with her free hand as she eagerly laps up Furina’s wetness, and she would certainly be embarrassed about just how loud her cries of “Lumine” and “love you” and simple, uninhibited gasps and moans are- if she were capable of anything resembling coherent thought at the moment, a luxury Lumine’s skilled tongue and fingers have thoroughly stolen from her. 

Lumine doesn’t stop fucking her until Furina has fully ridden out her orgasm, leaving her barely lucid in the afterglow when Lumine sits back up, mouth still glistening as she gazes at Furina- eyes glossy and lustful, but gentle, searching. “Are you okay?” She whispers, enough to pull Furina from her barely-present state- for a moment at least. She nods eagerly, humming an affirmative, not trusting her voice to work right. Lumine gives her a relieved smile before shifting position to lay on her side facing Furina, pulling her into a tight, warm embrace. “You did so good for me, princess.” Furina feels a shiver run down her spine at the praise, even spent as she is- and can tell that Lumine recognizes the way she half-wriggles needily in her arms by the way the Traveler takes in a faint, sharp breath, then hums in satisfaction, tracing her fingers triumphantly around the mark she left on Furina’s hip. “Mmm… you were really good to me…” Furina half-mumbles, squishing herself closer to Lumine and reveling in the warmth and softness of her naked body. 

She doesn’t know exactly how long they stay there, just laying in eachother’s arms, but at some point Lumine kisses her again- just as much intimacy in the act, but gentle, soft, lacking the hunger but still speaking of a softer, loving desire in the way Lumine’s lips fit so perfectly between hers, soft and comforting. “Goodnight, princess. Sleep well.” 

~

Furina sleeps soundly that night, untouched by nightmares. In their place she dreams of laying in a beautiful field of flowers, a warm hand in hers, and a comforting voice whispering sweet nothings in a language she doesn’t understand- yet perfectly understands the underlying message of adoration. 

When she wakes, Lumine isn’t in her bed. There’s a slight hollow in the mattress beside her, an indentation left by her lover in the night, but no sign of the blonde herself. Furina takes a deep breath and then releases it. She will not allow her good mood to be ruined by this, of that she is most certainly determined. Still, the thoughts swirl in the back of her mind. Did she just want the night? Was she unsatisfied? What if she won’t be comfortable around me anymore? Did I ruin our friendship?

All is dispelled as the door opens to the sight of Lumine, dressed in silken pajamas, a radiant smile on her face and a jaunty tune humming on her lips, with a tray- or rather three, stacked atop pillars over eachother- balanced in one hand, each full of favorite breakfast foods, snacks, and light pastries. Today it seems Lumine isn’t sticking to the local Inazuman cuisine for her cooking, instead bearing a spread of more familiar favorites from Fontaine, Mondstat, and a few sweets from Sumeru and Inazuma.

“I know it’s a little silly,” Lumine begins, elegantly placing the trays at the foot of the bed, “but I wanted to treat you somehow, and this seemed… good. I- I hope.” Furina just smiles, scooting over enough that she can pull Lumine into a brief, gentle kiss- gods is it tempting to make it deeper now that she knows she can, but just being able to kiss Lumine when she wants is amazing enough right now- before settling at her side, the trays arranged before them. “It’s one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.”

Furina can’t help but just gaze at Lumine’s face; her delighted smile as she explains her choice of recipes, her piercing, ever-observant golden eyes, her adorable, rose-tinted cheeks whenever she catches Furina staring. It’s a unique feeling, for her- getting to be open about her attraction to someone. She’s met a few women and even the occasional man in her time as Archon that left her feeling weak in the knees with the right images in her mind, but letting them see that part of her would mean letting them in , and that, well. That was more or less an impossibility. Now that she has the option , she's almost more interested in smothering Lumine with soft affection than in actually eating breakfast. 

Still, they finish most of the food eventually, and before too long Lumine’s eternal wanderlust gets the better of her, slowly disentangling from Furina’s embrace and in turn encouraging her to rise as well. Even without Lumine’s arms around her, her mood is amongst the brightest it’s ever been, almost matching her former displays of faux-jubilance from her time as Hydro Archon- only this time the mood is genuine. 

In the daylight, Furina notices the interior of the Teapot’s mansion has definitely changed to an Inazuman style. As they walk downstairs she gives Lumine a quizzical look, jerking her head towards the decor. Lumine quirks her head for a moment quizzically before understanding hits her eyes. “Oh! Right, in the, um, heat of the moment I forgot to mention. The Teapot Realm can be changed into a variety of different layouts matching the themes of the places I’ve been so far. On these vacations, I like to cycle through them depending on where I am. Usually though… this one is my favorite.”

“Aww, not the one based upon Fontaine? Hmph, I am most disappointed in you, my darling knight.” Furina teases, the tip of her tongue stuck out in jest. Lumine just smiles and shakes her head in a fond way that sends a flutter of butterflies through her stomach. “I’m afraid so, princess. Besides,” she says, leaning in so her lips rest beside Furina’s ear and her voice sits at a whisper, “the most beautiful thing from Fontaine is already here, so it wouldn’t be fair to the rest to play favorites, would it?”

Furina spends the rest of the walk downstairs spluttering, face as bright red as a tomato. 

Paimon and Sorush are already waiting for them, playing with some clockwork puzzle. Paimon looks up and glances between them, a knowing smirk on her face that Lumine seems to be either oblivious to or ignoring. “Good morning sleepyheads. Paimon and Sorush have been busy talking about our route while you were busy .” Lumine just rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “Let me guess, you’ve decided we’re going to hop between all of Inazuma City’s restaurants today, right?” Paimon just splutters. “How dare you! Paimon put stops between! One or two, at least!” 

Lumine giggles, shaking her head. “I already have a plan for today. We’re going to start from the bottom and work our way to the top.” Paimon looks at her, slightly wide-eyed. “By the top, do you mean…”

Lumine nods. “Tenshukaku. I do owe Ei a sparring session, and… it was probably a bit unfair of me to stay away so long. I should probably apologize for that, or something…” the Traveler’s words trail off into a murmur towards the end, looking a bit sheepish. 

It takes Furina a moment to remember that Lumine mentioned Ei in the context of the Raiden Shogun and she feels an anxious tightness in her chest. Not enough to hold back her good mood, though. “Well, I suppose if I’m to meet another god, today is as good a day as any. Just… let me steel myself a bit in preparation…” Lumine gives her a sympathetic look and squeezes her hand. “Don’t worry, Ei isn’t nearly as intimidating as she sounds. Well, not… not anymore at least…” Despite Lumine’s words, Furina can see a sort of haunted look in the depths of her golden eyes, and Furina suspects that when she wants to, the Electro Archon can be very intimidating indeed. This time it’s her turn to give Lumine’s hand a slight squeeze, smiling at her comfortingly. 

Sorush speaks up next, the sound of sleepiness obvious in her voice. “I will sleep today. Perhaps tomorrow as well. Cities interest me little. My Yasnapati will know when things are going to be interesting enough to wake me.” She gives a sharp nod before floating off, to a chorus of farewells. Furina hopes she gets the rest she needs. 

When they step out of the mansion to return to reality, the sight she’s greeted with is exactly like stepping into a painting- specifically one of the stylized paintings she’s seen a few times now here in Inazuma. She can, perhaps, begin to see why Lumine might favor this particular layout; if she could step into a painting whenever she wanted, she probably wouldn’t say no. Well, depending on the painting, of course. 

When she exits, she’s not greeted with the bathhouse interior, but rather the outskirts town at the foot of Inazuma City. Noticing her bewilderment, Lumine gently bumps shoulders with her. “I was up in the night, so I figured I’d move the teapot to a… less awkward spot.” Furina quirks her head as another thought occurs to her. “Oh, is that when Paimon and Sorush rejoined us?” Which is right about when Paimon swoops back into the conversation herself. “Actually, Paimon has a special seal that opens a door to the teapot realm from anywhere! It’s really convenient.” So that’s why Lumine took us to my room and not hers…  

Lumine looks between Furina and Paimon a little sheepishly, retrieving an adepti seal and holding it out to Furina. “I was gonna give this to you anyway, but since Paimon has so graciously reminded me… here. This will let you come to the teapot realm when you’d like to. It has some limits in terms of range, but… the option will be open.” Furina takes it, looking it over in her hand. It feels heavier than it looks, weighing down her grip, but as soon as she puts it away it’s as if it was never there. “Well, you have my gratitude. Certainly, I shall take advantage of the offer whenever I need a place to stay that is actually worthy of my magnificence!” Lumine gives her an almost sultry smirk that immediately has her blushing, and Paimon is pointedly looking away. 

Their tour starts around the grand sakura tree in the center of the district, circling it while Lumine is accosted by fans- Furina notes a few with Visions on their person who have an almost godly reverence towards the Traveler- and offered all sorts of gifts, mostly fresh produce from the local farmland, which Paimon immediately sets about devouring as they travel.

Once the throng has dispersed a bit, Furina eagerly drags Lumine to the waterwheel. Even as simple as it is, mechanical devices do hold some interest for her, and they say the basics are the most important, after all. She probably spends longer examining the thing than is entirely normal, judging by the odd looks she’s starting to get- time to move on. 

“Right, next up, Naganohara Fireworks. We’ll get something to celebrate on our journey, and if we’re lucky, we might even get to see a friend of ours.” Lumine motions them along, up the first set of stairs. Luckily the fireworks store is pretty immediately accessible, and they’re greeted by an older man who Paimon practically shouts at, much to Furina’s initial consternation. “Hey Mister Naganohara! We want to buy some fireworks! Oh, and is Yoimiya here?!” The man seems entirely unfazed though, smiling brightly. She’s not quite sure what to make of that. “Oh, I’m sure I’ve got some fireworks for such good friends of my daughter. I’m afraid the girl herself is out camping to test some new fireworks at the moment, however. My apologies.” 

This time Lumine steps in, silent but gesturing- Furina can recognize sign language even if she can’t recognize what’s being said. Regardless, the man seems to brighten, glancing her way with a knowing glint in his eye before nodding at Lumine and going inside to retrieve something from the warehouse. Furina gives her an inquisitive look and Lumine raises her eyebrow, smirking in a way that says ‘you’ll know when it’s time for you to know.’ It’s mildly infuriating, made worse by the fact she finds it rather sexy. 

The old man returns a few minutes later, a bundle of fireworks in his arms. Lumine pays him what Furina is fairly sure is significantly higher than the asking price, based on their exchange over the matter, but he accepts it in the end. 

With the fireworks secured for whatever purpose Lumine has in mind- Furina is probably going to be kept up tonight guessing- they keep moving onwards and upwards, until the smell of food hits their nostrils and Paimon immediately flies in front of Lumine’s face, stars in her eyes. “Paimon wants a snack! Let’s stop at Kiminami Restaurant! Please, or Paimon’s gonna wither away!” Lumine giggles, but does divert their course. “You’ve been eating the snacks people gave us all day, Paimon. But, luckily for you, I suppose I could go for some skewers, now that you mention it. Come on, let’s go.” 

Lumine ends up eating almost half a dozen tri-skewers- really, how she manages that is as much of a mystery as how Paimon manages to eat twice as much, devouring dango, taiyaki, and even an odd-looking pizza all by herself. Furina gets a small platter of various types of sushi, and even then some of it ends up going to the Traveler and her bottomless pit of a companion. But in the end, despite her friends’ uncanny eating habits, good food and good company make for a good time. When they’re ready to leave, Furina’s energy is thoroughly restored, and Lumine and Paimon look like they feel much the same.

“Well,” Lumine begins, a hint of resignation in her voice, “I suppose we should visit Yae Publishing House next. I’m sure they’ll have something entertaining, and it is right on the way.” Furina perks up at that. Yae Miko had mentioned certain novels she might find there… of course, she would have to find them without Lumine’s notice. A plan will be needed.

The plan ends up being quite simple, in the end. “Well, dear Traveler, as you are better versed in the literature of this land, perhaps you can pick a few particularly good editions out for me?” She pleads, putting on a needy expression. Lumine rolls her eyes, but there’s an obvious fond smile on her face. “As you wish, princess.” She swaggers off in search of something fitting, Paimon following behind- leaving her free to pursue her actual goal. 

She manages to purchase three novels before Lumine returns; a most-likely-dirty novel titled ‘I woke up in another world and killed a dragon, now I have to marry the princess??’ which bears a protagonist design blatantly inspired by- which is to say almost identical to- Lumine’s iconic look on the cover, a many-winged green dragon behind her and a blue-haired woman in her arms, along with the first novel in an action-adventure story called ‘Vision Hunt War’ which also has an identical protagonist to Lumine on the cover, and lastly a more innocuous book called ‘The Miraculous Adventures of the Traveler’ which she almost ignored save for the fact it’s signed with the Yae Miko Mark of Approval and even positively reviewed by the woman herself. The name and the oddly serene art of Paimon on the cover adds to the selling point, despite the relative blandness it exudes. Soon after, Lumine finally returns with the first two volumes from a popular mystery thriller series. “It’s no Fontainian detective novel, but I think you might like it anyway.” 

Since they already visited Uyuu Restaurant and the bathhouse is firmly off-limits today- Furina can barely even look at the building without her face burning up with heat- they don’t spend much time on the third tier. They do stop at Ogura Textiles to get Furina’s yukata properly tailored for her, promising to return later. They also spend a bit of time shopping, which mostly consists of Furina picking out interesting sets of jewelry to match with her new outfit, and a few knick knacks and general memorabilia, such as a beautiful blue and white, wave-patterned tea set that she’ll surely be getting a lot of use out of. 

But they can’t put off meeting a God forever. Before too long Lumine is leading her up the imposing stairway to the towering fortress-castle, past the serene yet imposing winged statue that holds vigil over the city. There’s something about the set of Lumine’s shoulders as she passes through the castle’s outer gate that makes Furina want to hug her tight- so she does the second best thing and walks closer, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze. For all Lumine’s readiness and bravado when she believed Furina, as the Hydro Archon, had challenged her to a battle, something tells her that facing a god like the Raiden Shogun in battle was probably not a heartening experience. Lumine squeezes her hand in return and offers a confident smile with only a little waver as they pass by a beautiful garden courtyard.

Soon enough they’re faced with the grand palace doors of Tenshukaku, a number of guards watching them like hawks, ready to pounce- not that they would have a chance against Lumine, she suspects. Their passage is immediately blocked by spears as a tall man dressed in more armor approaches, looking them over. “Ah, Traveler, of course. Her Excellency informed us you were expected, but we were never given a time. Fortunately for you, Her Excellency is not busy at the moment. Please, follow me.” At the man’s beckoning, the guards step aside, opening the door for their passage into the grand palace. 

The throne room isn’t too much of a walk from the entrance, but it’s immense- nearly the size of the Opera Epiclese’s grand stage- and almost completely empty, save for a solitary figure atop a raised, grandiose dais, kneeling serenely with her back to them and facing an immense statue of Inazuma’s elemental symbol. There’s an intense pressure in the air, as if a storm could break out at any moment- strong enough even to feel as though the very gravity is stronger here, the world itself telling her to kneel. The figure raises a single hand, robed in an elaborate sleeve, flicking two fingers without looking back or even moving any other part of her body, and the man who guided them steps out of the room- backwards so that he never faces away from her, shutting the door after he leaves. 

It’s only then that the figure stands, turning to look at them. An icy blue light pierces from the center of her cold, purple eyes as they gaze across the three visitors and Furina feels a shiver run down her spine as that pressure seems to increase sheerly from the woman’s imperious gaze. “It has been some time since you graced my court, Traveler from afar. This one you have brought with you… she is the former Hydro Archon, no?” Furina swallows thickly, nodding. “Interesting. I have heard the public version of your story, but looking upon you, I believe there is more to it.” Then she sighs, looking almost the tiniest bit put out. “No matter. She wishes to speak with you. You will tell Her , I’m certain.” 

Furina glances between Lumine- who looks like she’s bracing for something- and the Archon before them. All at once there’s a sound like distant thunder as the woman’s eyes begin to glow bright, sparks of Electro leaking out of them, and the pressure in the air grows so intense it really does force her to her knees- and then all at once it’s gone, contained, and the Shogun’s features have relaxed to an almost unrecognizable degree- from an imposing, otherworldly goddess to a gentle-faced woman. It’s more than slightly jarring, especially since her eyes still glow and spark. “Lumine,” the woman begins in a voice almost unrecognizable from before, “It is… good. To see you again. You will surely be pleased to hear that Inazuma has been making rapid progress since you helped bring the Shogun around to our way of thinking.” She half-chuckles, though it sounds more morose than amused. “And of course, since bringing me around to that very same way of thinking.” 

Furina glances between them quizzically. “Um, am I… missing something? Aren’t you the Raiden Shogun?” She sees Lumine wince slightly out of the corner of her eye, and the God of Thunder looks her in the eye, sending a chill down her spine. “Yes and no. The details are… unimportant, but the short version is that I created the Shogun to be my autonomous representative in this world while I sought what I believed to be Eternity. After my meeting with the Traveler, our views diverged for some time, but we have found an alignment once more. For the sake of simplicity, you may, in private, call her the Shogun, and me by my chosen name, Ei.”

Ei bows her head ever-so-slightly, and Furina instinctually bows significantly lower in reply as the imperious woman approaches her. “Please, raise your head. I find myself quite curious about you; I can easily recognize that you are, physically, an Archon’s Vessel, and yet you have no traces of housing a divine presence within you- nor of ever having done so. I wish to hear your story.”

Furina glances at Lumine, who nods encouragingly. So, haltingly, she starts from the beginning. 

Ei listens in solemn silence for the whole duration of her tale, not interrupting once, just nodding along, with her ever-piercing eyes seeming to stare a hole into Furina’s soul. When she finishes speaking, Ei just hums softly, finally closing her eyes. There’s a long beat of silence before the Archon speaks, voice soft but resolute. “When I created the Shogun to rule in my stead, I locked myself away out of a fear of Erosion- that constant wear of time that makes us lose who we are, who we love, all that we hold dear, turns us to callous monsters with no love of life. You, a simple, frail human, thanklessly played the part of a god for five hundred years and yet here you stand, so full of love that even I can sense it bursting from you. You may not have been invested with the powers of an Archon, but you have most certainly forged a willpower to match that of any god.”

Furina is pretty sure she’s going to cry. Her fear of meeting the Archons and being compared to them is rapidly being replaced with a fear of meeting the other Archons and being heaped with praise she can hardly bear. Luckily, Ei seems to recognize that Furina is a little bit overwhelmed as she quickly steps back, clearing her throat and turning to Lumine. “A-anyway, Traveler, I was hoping you might have time for a sparring session.” The goddess sighs in an almost childish manner. “Even if anyone here could spar with me, they would never go all out- despite knowing full well they could never land a hit on me. My only sparring partners are you and the Shogun, and our duels in the Plane of Euthymia grow staler the more we practice against one another.” 

Lumine brightens, nodding. “I’d be happy to. I’ll warn you though, I’ve learned more than a few things since last time.” Ei, in turn, gets a cocky look on her face. “Then perhaps this time you will land a hit unaided, hm?” Furina and Paimon look at eachother, eyebrows raised, until Lumine giggles. “I guess we’ll see. Here, or in the dojo?” The Archon considers for a moment before humming. “The dojo. There’s something I wish to gift to Miss Furina before you leave.” 

The dojo amounts to a vast, open practice space, even larger than the throne room’s stage. Every wall is lined with weapon racks displaying swords, polearms, and bows in every Inazuman style- there must be hundreds of them, if not thousands. It’s almost dizzying to look at. 

Paimon and Furina stay with their backs pressed to the door, watching as Lumine picks out a simple, dulled practice sword not too dissimilar from her usual blade, though closer to the common Inazuman styling- the one that stands out least at Furina’s immediate glance. Ei, meanwhile, chooses an elegant but minimally-adorned practice katana, and the two duelists take their places. “We’ll be limiting it to a purely physical duel, without the usage of elemental power. This isn’t the Plane of Euthymia, after all- I would prefer we don’t bring the palace down around us.” Ei says with a light chuckle, before the pair bow, and the duel begins. 

There’s a long moment where they simply circle eachother, eyes scanning as they stare eachother down. Furina isn’t sure who closes the distance first- both of them move fast enough she can barely make out the fight, a whirling dance of blades as they trade blows, neither duelist giving any ground. Lumine is nimble and cunning, darting around in her unconventional style to strike from every direction, while Ei is perfectly controlled in her overwhelming speed, her blade seeming to be everywhere at once in Furina’s eyes. She is suddenly very aware that she has probably seen only a fraction of Lumine’s fighting ability during their journey.

As quick as it started, the fight is over. Lumine’s blade is pressed against Ei’s shoulder- what would surely be a grevious wound in an actual combat- but Ei’s sword is held diagonal against Lumine’s chest, and Furina is uncomfortably certain that even with a dull practice blade, the Archon could probably bisect her beloved then and there if she exerted a bit of force. Despite the loss, Lumine has a grin on her face, and Ei looks more delighted by the sword against her shoulder than her own victory. “Well! You landed a hit after all. I suppose you really have learned some things.” Both duelists step back, closing their bout with a bow. 

“Now then,” Ei begins, turning to Furina and striding towards her before holding her practice sword out. “I would like to observe your style for a moment. Please, go through your preferred sword forms for me.” She keeps the sword profferred until Furina nervously takes it before stepping away, hands behind her back, and giving a nod for Furina to go ahead. She senses Lumine’s eyes upon her as well, and tries not to let herself overthink it as she goes through the moves Clorinde has taught her, and the handful she’s picked up from Lumine. Ei hums every now and then, cataloguing her moves before holding a hand up to stop her. “Interesting. I think I have a solid idea now. Come with me.” 

Furina looks between Ei and Lumine, who gives her a shrug and a nod of encouragement, so Furina acquieses, falling in a few steps behind the Archon as Ei leads her to a wall of swords- not practice swords like the ones used in the duel, but real blades, as ornate and deadly as a warrior goddess deserves in her collection. Ei spends a long time examining them before taking down a minimally-curved katana of dark blue metal, a wave-like pattern seeming to flow along the blade in the light and a guard that resembles a spiny seashell. “The bladesmithing techniques of Inazuma can more or less all be traced back to my own works. Of those techniques, the Futsu family focused on one of the more elegant ones that, at the time, I discarded in favor of blades that best suited my personal style- two of their blades are amongst the most legendary swords of Inazuma. This one is their predecessor; the blade of my making that would inspire the Futsu family technique. I believe it will serve you well, if you ever have need of it.” Furina watches, wide-eyed, as the very goddess of Inazuma presents the blade to her, along with an equally beautiful sheath. Furina starts to raise her hands in protestation, but barely gets as far as “I couldn’t possibly-” before Ei cuts her off with a sharp look. “Yes, you can, and you will. A gift from a goddess is not one to be turned down.” The tone of her voice is not unkind, but it brooks no argument. Furina just nods, gingerly taking the sword. “Y-yes ma’am.”

Ei doesn’t keep them for too long after that- though she does insist Furina leave with a few books she wrote on swordplay, containing diagrams and notes she made while refining the Inazuman sword arts. It’s all more than a little overwhelming. 

Ei walks with them back to the throne room, pace steady and elegant, and seats herself again atop the raised dais. “I have kept you for long enough, I’m sure. I know the Traveler must make like the wind and keep traveling. I do have one last request, however: my favored general, Kujou Sara, has been rather listless since the war, regularly visiting the battlegrounds on Nazuchi Beach. I… do not wish to meddle in the matters of her personal atonement, especially as I must attend to my own, but I believe from experience that she may benefit from a friendly ear, and I understand that she considers you one of her few friends. Would you terribly mind traveling with her? I believe she intends to take an evening ferry from Amakane Island.”

Lumine nods, giving her a bow. “Of course. It’s been awhile, so it would be good to see her again anyway. And… Thank you for the sparring session, by the way.” Ei gives a small smile and a nod before the glow fades from her eyes and she once again takes on that unreachable, imperious countenance, the face of the Raiden Shogun again glowering down at them. “Very well. Begone, Traveler and companions. Your visit has been a pleasant distraction for us both, but a distraction nonetheless.” 

They’re ushered out after that, their allotted time seemingly up- at least for now. They’re all rather quiet, everyone caught up in their own thoughts as they walk. Paimon does insist they stop for another snack at Kiminami Restaurant on the way to Amakane Isle, which does wonders for everyone after their long time spent in the palace. During the meal, Lumine gently bumps their shoulders together. “She doesn’t just go around giving swords, you know. You must have made a real impression on her.”

Furina smiles, a sense of pride on her features. “I suppose I must be good at that, considering where I am now.” She means it as a slight tease, but Lumine is looking at her in a painfully loving way. She starts to say something, then traps whatever it was behind her teeth, reaching out to gently place her hand upon Furina’s for a moment and instead saying “you most certainly are.” 

The moment can’t last, though. They have a time limit before the ferry leaves, so there’s little choice but to move on.

~

When they finally clamber down to the ferry dock- lights in the distant water showing the ferry not far off- there is already a tall, well-dressed woman waiting there, a beaklike mask askew on her head, gazing out at the water. Her pose is serene, but her expression is less so, as if a tempest of thoughts are raging behind her yellow eyes. There’s a look of surprise and maybe embarrassment when she notices Lumine sidle up beside her. “Ah, Traveler. Are you also taking this ferry, then?” Lumine hums, nodding. “I was told I might find you down here. We’re heading the same way, so…” 

The woman raises an eyebrow, finally turning back to see Furina and Paimon. “I see. I suppose I can’t turn down your company. I am Kujou Sara, General of the Tenryou Commission. It is an honor to meet more friends of the Traveler.” Furina bows awkwardly, not sure exactly what to make of the woman before her. “Furina, star actress of Fontaine, and… companion… of the Traveler.” 

Sara nods, her face no less dour. “Forgive me, you’ve caught me at a poor time. But I will not turn down friendly company. Shall we share some sake while we wait for the boat? Her Excellency once informed me that reminiscing with good company is an important tool when battling morosity.” As much as sake has not yet begun to appeal to her senses, that’s a hard offer to turn down. 

Alcohol does little to loosen the Tenryou General up, it turns out. But it does at least get her talking- speaking of the Vision Hunt Decree, and her role in it. Furina suspects that, as an outsider, she isn’t being shown the woman’s full emotions, but even so… the mix of guilt and righteousness she seems to feel would probably drive Furina mad- though she can’t say she would have ever put herself in the situation of willingly stripping people of their Visions, either, so maybe Sara’s earned some of that guilt. Still, between what she’s learned of Ei and now from Sara, it would seem the worst ills often come from people with genuine goodness in their heart, who have become blindingly convinced of their righteousness. 

She can’t help but look fondly at Lumine, the thought giving her an almost prideful feeling as she gazes quietly upon her lover- a woman fueled by righteous goodness, yet fully aware of her shortcomings. A worthy hero for such a story; Her beloved knight- one for whom she really is going to have to think up a proper title. Something flowery, perhaps.

She feels like she’s got a much better handle on Inazuma’s situation by the time the ferry arrives- at least the Shogunate perspective of things. She’s more than slightly curious to see the other side, which Lumine has promised her- a concept that seemed, surprisingly, to make Sara brighten up a bit, muttering something about how she should visit Sangonomiya soon herself. Lumine and Paimon share a knowing look that she doesn’t quite understand and Sara doesn’t even seem to notice as she gazes out to sea, an almost glassy look in her eyes. 

The ferry is barely twice as large as the Waverider, but with more of an open deck plan for passengers to stand and watch the scenery, or lack thereof. Most likely it’s more to try and spot any particularly majestic sea-creatures that breach the surface during the overnight voyage. 

With space at a premium, she falls asleep in a pile atop an oversized hammock, Lumine curled up in her arms and Paimon laying across them. It’s a welcome position, and one that leads her into a comfortable, dreamless sleep for the voyage to Inazuma’s next island.

Chapter Text

She wakes in the early morning hours to the sound of seabirds, and gentle fingers stroking through her hair, dragging comfortingly along her scalp. It’s so comfortable she almost forgets she’s slept the past night in a hammock. When her eyes flutter open, she sees Lumine reading a book with one hand, a precise thumb carefully turning pages. She has to suppress a note of arousal as she watches Lumine gently parting the pages, thinking back to what those same fingers did to her just the night before last.

The Traveler seems to notice her stirring from slumber though, turning to look into her eyes- Furina will never tire of staring into those beautiful golden pools- and greeting her with a bright smile to rival the sun. “Good morning, Furina! We’re just about to make landfall in twenty minutes or so. I made you coffee.” She retrieves what Furina recognizes as a Fontainian-made bottle designed to maintain a drink’s temperature, the top designed to look like a Blubberbeast poking its head above the water. The smell of her favorite coffee radiates faintly from it, sending a fuzzy feeling through her chest at how much Lumine has quietly taken note of her preferences. 

She sighs in delight at the first sip, letting the warmth suffuse her. “Good morning, ma chérie .” She takes a bit of satisfaction at the way Lumine blushes at the nickname- just a faint dusting of pink, but still visible on her features in the early morning light, all for Furina’s enjoyment. “Where is Paimon?” she fakes a dramatic gasp. “Did you bribe her so as to get time alone with me, Furina, the great star of Fontaine? How deviously underhanded of you, Traveler! You’re lucky I’m not the Archon of Justice anymore.” 

Lumine giggles, a bright and musical sound that makes every bit of dramatic silliness worth it, especially coupled with the adorable dimples in her cheeks as she laughs, and the joy in her expression. It’s always a wonderful thing, seeing Lumine looking as though the weight of all Teyvat resting upon her shoulders has been lightened even slightly. “Paimon’s above deck, pestering Sara. I really can’t tell if she’s trying to be a good friend in her way, or just wants to tease her for being so uptight.” Furina gives her a devious look, taking a slow sip of her coffee before leaning in close. “So I have you all to myself down here, you mean?” 

When they emerge some ten minutes later, Furina proudly bears several hickeys hidden beneath the collar of her shirt, ranging in tone from cherry red to deep purple. 

The boat makes landfall within minutes, giving them little time to join Sara and Paimon’s largely one-sided conversation beyond a short exchange of greetings- Sara looks as though she’s just been rescued from a terrible fate as Paimon quiets down just slightly. 

They’re urged rather ungently to exit the ferry as quickly as possible so that the captain can return to Narukami Island without delay- Furina doesn’t ask whether he has more trips to make or wants to get home, suspecting that he probably doesn’t want to answer a random stranger either way. 

When they’re on the beach, Furina takes the chance to get her bearings, glancing around the thin shoreline. She can smell stove-smoke from the nearby hill, and behind her she can still distantly see Inazuma City across the relatively thin span of ocean separating Narukami Island from its nearest sibling, Kannazuka. She turns back to her trio of companions. “So, what’s the plan today?” 

Paimon gets a glint in her eye. “Today we’re gonna hike out to Nazuchi Beach and back! Up there on that hill is an old outpost the Shogunate military established in the war! Now it’s used to store supplies being sent to the villagers who rebelled, so it won’t be like a town. We’ll just rest the night there and then Sara is gonna take us to Watatsumi Island! Ohhhhh Paimon can’t wait to introduce you to our old war buddies…”

Lumine giggles softly, a sound not quite as humorous as it should be. “You’re making it sound like we were a lot more involved than we actually were…” she teases, though Furina can see the melancholy on her face. So she offers her brightest smile in the hopes that, maybe, it will help cheer her love up. “Well, I am certainly looking forward to encountering these old friends of yours,” she begins, then catches sight of Sara, already a ways ahead of them on the trail. “But ah- it seems our companion is already ahead of us. Perhaps we should be off?”

Furina quickly finds that half the ‘road’ they’re following is just the beach on the southern side of the island. She doesn’t really mind, per se- the view of the ocean is eternally beautiful, and the land holds the pleasant scent of fresh-fallen rain- but the sand isn’t entirely the easiest surface to walk on. Nothing compared to the dry, slippery sands of Sumeru’s dune sea, but still a slog. 

The incident occurs when she sees an odd looking tree in the near distance, glowing with purple energy. Were she a bit more versed in the ways of the land she might notice the way Lumine and Sara’s path curves away from it just a bit, but she is not so aware, and her curiosity remains rather untamed- so she takes a few curious steps towards it to get a better look. She makes it about five steps towards the tree before she feels Lumine’s hand on her wrist, pulling her back firmly into a surprisingly tight embrace. 

At first she’s full of confusion, until the spot she was just standing ignites in a flash of white and purple light, accompanied by the terrifying crack of thunder practically on top of them. When she opens her eyes she sees the sand where she had just been stepping has turned to glass from the heat of the lightning strike. Immediately Lumine pulls back and starts anxiously checking her over. “Are you okay? Those trees are dangerous, you need to be more careful!” 

Furina winces at the harsh words, but the worry in Lumine’s eyes tells her that they’re born out of fear, not fury. “Y-yeah, I’m okay, you pulled me out in time.” That seems to put Lumine enough at ease to relax, though Furina can still see her shoulders shaking slightly. “I’ll make sure to warn you sooner, next time…” Lumine says, a bit sheepishly after her anxious outburst, as they step to rejoin the others. Paimon gives her a worried look, but for once doesn’t say anything- Sara, meanwhile, honestly looks like she might not have even noticed. 

Their little troupe is a little dour after that- though the mood is brought on as much by the drizzle of rain that begins soon after the lightning strike, which Lumine assures her is unrelated to her mistake setting off the tree. She shudders instinctively every time a particularly heavy droplet strikes her hat, the feeling of rain putting her ill-at-ease even now, this far from Fontaine and with the prophecy averted. Lumine seems to take notice almost immediately, settling beside her and taking one of Furina’s hands in her own, lacing their fingers together. Paimon soon falls back to flank Furina’s other side, falling into a somewhat one-sided conversation as she points out some of Inazuma’s natural flora and fauna- such as her first look at an Electro Crystalfly. It’s hard to tell if it’s an intentional distraction, but it helps either way. Luckily Sara seems content to simply lead the way in silence. 

Eventually they pass by a hollow mountain, within which she can partially see what appears to be a rather fanciful structure, visible through a passageway that forks off from the beachside trail. When she asks about it, Lumine reactively grimaces, shuddering, and Paimon fills in for her instead, weaving a tale about Lumine braving electrical hazards to explore an ancient metal-smelting facility, primarily just for the sake of curiosity. Paimon speaks of it as “simpler times” with a certain fondness, but Furina can’t help but notice the unpleasant way Lumine looks at the structure. She doesn’t get a chance to probe deeper though, as the general’s inexorable pace drives them on.

It’s not much longer after that before they reach the point that Sara has been taking them to- a section where the beach swirls like a spiral, forming an odd, semicircle bridge between this island and its neighbor. Most striking though is the huge warship, shattered in two and resting on the single largest portion of solid sandy ground like the broken body of a leviathan. Sara begins to hurry her pace towards it, and Paimon pipes up in Furina’s ear when the flying menace catches her staring. “Nazuchi Beach has a history as Inazuma’s most prevalent battleground, including several between the Shogunate and the rebels from Watatsumi. We even fought in one! Or at least, Lumine did. It was, um… really, really scary.” Despite her rapid shift from tour-guide tone to a more personal anecdote, the fear and trauma is still very evident in Paimon’s voice, even years later. It makes Furina want to hug the little gremlin, despite their oft-antagonistic friendship. She glances at Lumine as well, wondering how the Traveler feels about it, and sees a faraway look in those golden eyes, as if she’s seeing ghosts all around them. In a way, she might very well be, Furina supposes. 

They catch up with Sara as she approaches the boat. The woman is halfway in the process of kneeling down to pluck a beautiful red flower- Dendrobium, Lumine mentions as they approach- when they’re alerted to the presence of others, several hefty footsteps in the sand, reminiscent of several people standing up behind the beached shipwreck. 

Immediately, Sara and Lumine are on guard, weapons in hand. Furina quickly follows suit, drawing her new sword and marveling at how light it feels in her hand, and how easily it seems to move at her command, as though made for her hand. Sara seems to take note of the blade, but doesn’t comment- or at least saves her commentary for later, as a small gang of swordsmen trudge out from hiding behind the shipwreck- four that looked like little more than common bandits (those hats must obscure their eyesight, right?) and two hulking, heavily armored individuals who look like they’re probably the ringleaders, one in lacquered purple armor and the other in scarlet. 

“Kairagi? Oh no, what are they doing here?” Paimon gasps, fluttering behind Furina for cover even as Lumine moves to step between their potential aggressors and Furina herself, silver-shining sword held in a protective stance, while Sara already has an arrow nocked and a second- and third- held between her fingertips, stalking back just a few steps to make some distance. The red-armored giant speaks up first, voice menacing and cold, like the cracking of a glacier. “So it’s true, the great Tengu General herself comes here regularly. Do you think it’s fun for her, brother? Traipsing about the place she killed so many? Why else would she come here, after all?”

The purple-armored warrior sounds more focused, but seething like a boiling geyser about to blow. “Doesn’t matter. You took our eldest brother’s Vision from him! Tore it from him without even allowing him a fight! You think handing out visions that you stole in the first place absolves you? Our brother never got his back! You know why, Kujou scum? With his ambition stolen from him, he lost all will to live. And yet yours was never taken from you. Well, we’re going to fix that. I don’t care who you brought with you, we will make you suffer for your crimes.”

Furina spares a glance to Sara- she looks guilt-stricken, but steely-eyed and focused. “I regret your brother's fate, but I do not wish to send you to join him. Back off now, and this can end peacefully.”

The red one laughs, an almost manic sound. “You disgust me, coward. Death is not something we fear- that is for people like you, clinging to your power. If we die, we die in pursuit of pure justice! That is not a fate so disappointing, is it brother?” The purple one just nods, drawing a sword in unison with his brother- their little gang following suit immediately after. There’s a few heartbeats where everyone is still before, like a sudden storm, Nazuchi Beach once again becomes a battlefield in miniature. 

The gigantic brothers are immediately focused almost single-mindedly upon Sara, rushing forward even as they draw paper seals along their gigantic swords, engulfing them in fire and lightning. The others move in to keep Lumine and Furina- mostly Lumine- away from the other fight. Lumine is a whirl, parrying and dodging, but even she is on the back foot against several well-trained swordsmen attacking in unison- and they are definitely better trained than the average bandit. Furina intercepts one of them, catching him off-guard with her Fontainian fighting style and forcing him away from Lumine, lessening her load a little bit- but as soon as Furina’s opponent recovers from his surprise, they’re locked in a duel of their own, and her unfamiliarity with his fighting style is just as much of a hindrance, putting them on something closer to even footing. The bandit is still the better pure swordfighter though, clearly trained for years in sword-arts- and not against fighting dirty, as Furina learns when firecrackers go off in her face and she just barely blocks a strike that threatened a deeply wounding blow- it still knocks her off balance, forcing her to roll through the sand to avoid a ruthless downwards cut that sends sand spraying across her. Luckily, she doesn’t just have a sword. 

Hydro particles, heavily ambient in the light rain and surrounding ocean, drift into her Vision as she summons a blast of water to knock him off balance and disarm him, following it through with a strike that puts her blade at his throat- and she pauses, thinking the fight won, not yet understanding the commitment to death of a disgraced Inazuman warrior. 

She feels a leg kick out her own and she stumbles into the sand as her opponent pulls her into a grapple, kicking her sword away and getting his hands around her neck and starting to squeeze - and then his grip goes fully lax as all the air leaves his lungs and he tumbles off to the side, giving way to the sight of Lumine standing above her, eyes cold and deadened, blood pooled on the sword in her hand- a splash of it marring her perfect cheek. 

She isn’t faced with the chilling sight for long, as Lumine is drawn back into the fight, two of the bandits remaining, though Furina doubts they’ll be a challenge for her. Instead she tries to push down the panic building in her chest, looking around and forcing herself to stand up. Sara is on the back foot- though the brothers have been wounded by several arrows each, they barely seem to care, attacking synchronously with deadly force and precision, and Sara seems to be spending most of her time dodging and blocking their powerful strikes. She takes a breath, trying not to look at the bodies around her, and focuses on summoning her Salon Solitaire, directing them to aid Sara against the brothers before collapsing onto her knees in the sand, panting and gasping for air as the panic sets in, sight flooding with flashbacks to the Fatui Harbinger’s aborted attack on her back in Fontaine, when she was still posing as the Hydro Archon. 

When she comes down from her panic attack enough to process the world around her again, she feels the warmth of a hand on her shoulder- but she recognizes it’s not Lumine’s hand, being far too small. When she opens her eyes- she hadn’t realized she was squeezing them shut- she’s faced with Paimon’s worried eyes, face twisted in an anxious expression. “Oh thank goodness! Paimon was so worried when you just collapsed like that!” Furina blinks slowly, unused to this level of affection, or at least something like it, coming from Paimon. So instead of thanking her, she automatically says “Y-you were?” 

Paimon huffs. “Of course Paimon was! You’re important to Lumine! A-and you’re important to Paimon, too. A-and anyone would be scared, seeing their friend faint in the middle of a battle. So don’t go scaring Paimon like that again!” 

Furina can only giggle softly, the sound more relieved than amused, patting Paimon’s head and getting a disgruntled sound in return. “Thank you for worrying about me. I’m okay now, I think. What… what happened? Why were they…?” Paimon shakes her head, looking melancholy. “It’s not uncommon for the Nobushi and Kairagi- the bandits like those guys- to prefer to um, not run away in a fight, no matter what… Paimon always hates it, n-not just because of… that… but Lumine always just shuts down because of it. Sometimes it takes days before Paimon can get her back to normal…”

Furina can understand that- fighting humans to the death is very different from monsters or even treasure hoarders who flee at the first sign of real danger. But she offers Paimon a small smile as she stands up, looking around to find Lumine and Sara discussing something a ways away- she notices, thankfully, there’s no sign of the bodies, save for faint bloodstains soaked into the sand, already being washed out by the gentle waves. “Well, you have me with you this time! I’m sure we’ll cheer her back up in no time, right?” Paimon nods, putting on a bright smile- though Furina can see it’s somewhat forced. With that, they set out to rejoin the others. 

Whatever Lumine and Sara were talking about, they quiet down when Furina and Paimon approach, Lumine offering a weak smile, though her eyes still have that deadened quality to them. There isn’t much idle conversation after that- Lumine and Sara both pick a few of the Dendrobium flowers that grow around here, leaving them at the base of the shipwreck- though Lumine pockets one. Whether for herself or someone else, Furina doesn’t know. 

After that, Sara and Lumine end up staring off into the ocean for awhile, discussing something privately, while Furina and Paimon wait a ways away, staring at them. Furina recognizes the melancholy set of Lumine’s shoulders from the rare times she’s really seen Lumine’s mask slip, but she senses this isn’t the right time to ask, or offer comforts. That will come later, when Lumine comes to her.

The march back to the outpost is a solemn affair. Paimon and Furina halfheartedly try to raise spirits with the occasional joke or idle chatter, but after everything that happened on the beach, Furina’s heart just isn’t in it- as much as she wants to help Lumine cheer up, she’s still haunted by the feelings of hands around her neck, and Lumine’s cold eyes and blood-spattered features. At least the return journey is free of further attack, and they’re able to arrive at the not-exactly-bustling outpost encampment just after sunset. 

Sara has permanent quarters arranged here due to her frequent visits, so she splits off from the other trio as soon as they arrive, giving a clipped- but not quite impolite- farewell for the night. Lumine takes a deep breath, seeming to shed at least a bit of her cold shell, before suggesting they find a place for the Teapot and leading them to a storage shed- Furina isn’t entirely sure they’re supposed to use it, but Lumine insists it’s fine, so it’s probably okay. 

~

Furina’s plan begins to form when they step into the teapot and Paimon’s stomach growls, which elicits a weary sigh from Lumine. Furina doesn’t give the Traveler time to complain though, eagerly grabbing her wrist and pulling her along towards the kitchen, forcing the legitimate excitement in her heart through to the surface to smother the lingering anxiety of the day’s events. Once they’re in the kitchen she gives Lumine a sweet smile. “It’s been a while since you’ve given me any cooking lessons, you know. I know today has been, um, difficult, but cooking is one of life’s greatest distractions! S-so, let’s make something nice and complicated this time, properly worthy of the Traveler and Fontaine's brightest star!” 

Lumine raises an eyebrow, her expression something approaching wryly amused. It’s a start. “Right. Well, in that case, butter crab it is! Let me get the ingredients, and then you can help me prepare them.” Furina nods, offering a bright, excited smile. “Of course, you can count on me! Just, um, show me the techniques first.”

It turns out to be both simpler and more of a chore than she expected. The large, long-legged crabs of Inazuma offer the best leg meats, but breaking them off is… a less than appealing prospect. She catches Lumine out of the corner of her eye, watching her reticence with a wry smirk and giving her a thumbs up. At least her antics seem to be having some effect towards cheering her love up. That said, Lumine shows little interest in idle chatter as they cook, only giving out instructions as they work. It’s unusual, and despite the relatively comfortable atmosphere, Furina can’t help but regard the absence with some sorrow, always enjoying their kitchen conversations. 

After dinner- another somewhat awkward, melancholy affair, with mostly Furina and Paimon filling the silence- Furina decides that enough is enough and takes Lumine by the hand, insistently pulling her along outside the mansion, into the painting-like exterior world of the teapot realm, not stopping until they’ve found a comfortable beach a ways away from the mansion lit only by the almost pearlescent pink-and-blue moon. Finally, when Furina plops down into the sand- heedless of getting her outfit dirty- and pulls Lumine down alongside her, the Traveler speaks up. “Um… why did you bring me all the way out here? Is something wrong?”

Furina huffs. “Of course something’s wrong! You’re clearly upset, and you’re locking it all up!” Lumine raises her eyebrows, lips parting in surprise for a moment before the mask slips back on and she sighs. “You really don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine soon enough, okay?” Furina would find that a lot more believable if the fake smile on the Traveler’s face weren’t so easy to see through, as if she can’t even be bothered to put effort into her mask. “You know that I… h-how I feel about you. Of course I’m going to worry when you’re upset and you won’t let me help! S-so just tell me how I can help, because I’m not going to take no for an answer!” 

Lumine swallows thickly, mask visibly cracking, just a little bit, as her eyes turn glossy as if holding back tears. Furina softly takes both of Lumine’s hands in hers, thumbs lightly rubbing circles over her skin. Lumine opens her mouth, catches her words, goes silent again for a moment- a pattern Furina is familiar with by now. So she stays patient, just gently caressing Lumine’s hands until she speaks. “I- I’ve been to a lot of worlds, and there’s always some people like that who… who won’t back down no matter what. And I… I don’t like what I have to become to- to deal with them. I’m afraid one day it’ll be too much, and I’ll just get… stuck like that.” Her voice drops to a mutter, and Furina barely makes out the words “a monster who could swallow the world.” They sound like someone else's words in Lumine’s mouth, but this isn’t the time to ponder such things. 

“You have far too much love in you to become a monster, Lumine.” Furina smiles, gently shaking her head and leaning in to rest her forehead against Lumine’s. “You have me, and Paimon, and so many people across Teyvat who love you. And if you’ve been to so many worlds, and done so much, and still here you are, heroically saving people everywhere you wander despite having a deeply important goal of your own… No, if anything you’re like a grand storybook hero, too selfless for her own good.”

Lumine’s smile is weak, troubled, but genuine, which is alone enough to warm Furina’s heart a little. The Traveler reaches out, lacing their fingers together and leaning in to rest her head on Furina’s shoulder, breath shaking as if holding back tears- the most vulnerable she’s really been since they started on this journey. Furina turns her head enough to gently kiss the top of Lumine’s scalp, inhaling a deep breath of her comforting scent in the process. “Thank you,” says the blonde, her voice soft and almost shaking, “I… really needed to hear that.”

They sit in silence for a long time, after that. Furina isn’t quite sure how long, since the moon here doesn’t change position in the sky. But eventually Lumine stands, reaching to help Furina up, and they take the not-insignificant walk back to the mansion- where Furina insists that Lumine spend the night in her room, where they can keep eachother company if they have bad dreams. Lumine doesn’t really argue- Furina gets the sense she wants the comfort just as much as Furina does. 

That night, Furina dreams of suffocating, midnight-colored waters filling her lungs and invisible hands around her throat, squeezing until she finally wakes up. This time, though, when she wakes up gasping for air and terrified, she simply rolls over and nestles into Lumine’s waiting arms, and finds a gentle sleep soon after.

~

The boat to take them to the next island, which her companions call Watatsumi- and Lumine claims is her favorite island in the entirety of Inazuma, her voice at a low whisper as if to avoid offending the land itself- is significantly larger than the ferry they took from Narukami island, though not nearly as large as the vessel that took them from Sumeru. It’s also a somewhat different style, smaller but otherwise nearly identical to the vessel she saw broken and beached at Nazuchi. 

Lumine seems to be in higher spirits today, to Furina’s great relief. She’s still obviously battling a sense of melancholy, but the fact she’s battling it at all is a win in Furina’s eyes- she knows just how difficult it can be, when one is viewing themself with distaste. So she does her best to keep Lumine’s spirits up, leaning into the more dramatic side of her personality when they join Paimon or Sara for conversation, and all-but doting on her darling Traveler when they have a bit of privacy. For the most part it seems to work. 

The trip to Watatsumi is significantly longer than the short jaunt between Narukami and Kannazuka, though they stick close to the coastline, giving her a consistent view of Kannazuka and, later on, its sister island, Yashiori. Lumine points out the sheer cliffs of Musoujin Gorge, chillingly explaining it was made by Ei doing battle with a titanic serpent god- and later on she sees a small portion of its vast skeleton. Nothing like the immensity of Elynas, but a mind-bogglingly gigantic creature nonetheless. Along the way, Lumine tells her the tragic tale of the serpent god- Orobashi, she calls it- and how it brought the people of Watatsumi up to the surface from a deep underwater home- but together they found knowledge that Celestia wanted buried, and so to keep the people of Watatsumi from being punished, it chose to sacrifice itself in a hopeless battle with Ei. Though the specifics are dramatically different, she can’t help but draw comparisons between the fate of Orobashi and Focalors, both sacrificing themselves to cleanse their people of a sin judged by Celestia. She can’t help but eye the distant, skybound island far above them with a renewed wariness, after that. 

But their journey to Watatsumi is unharried by any dangers- though they do sight another of those sea-monsters they fought while initially traveling to Inazuma, it doesn’t come close enough to be a threat- and they arrive mid afternoon on the second day of travel- she’s finally getting used to sleeping on hammocks, for better or worse. 

The ship anchors a little ways off shore, and they take a smaller boat to land- just Lumine, Paimon, Furina, and Sara, as the general insists on eschewing guards during her visit- which they beach in a small cove on the western side of the island. The moment they’re on solid land, Furina spends at least five minutes stretching and stabilizing after the rocking of the cramped ship. She may have half-decent sea-legs by now, but that doesn’t make the transition back to land that much easier. Once she actually puts some effort into examining her surroundings she breathes in a deep, oceanic scent- almost stronger than the scent of the actual ocean, yet without the unpleasantness that often accompanies it ashore. She also feels the way her Vision practically hums here, the land resonating so thoroughly with Hydro energy that she can even see iridescent bubbles form from the ground and drift lazily skyward. It’s refreshing, and the closest to home she’s felt since they left Fontaine, and truth be told she feels as though she could spend a long while just sitting here, taking in the atmosphere- which is an unusual feeling for her, even in her periods of melancholy. 

Of course, even if she really could sit still for that long, her companions are already starting onto the dirt road, marked by regularly spaced lamp-posts bearing round paper lanterns. Truth be told, as beautiful and serene as this stretch of beach is, she’s too excited by the prospect of seeing more of this island to particularly care about being rushed along. 

Soon enough they pass through a natural stone archway and Furina is afforded her first view of Watatsumi Island; the beautiful concentric rings, spiraling downwards in a whimsical descent towards the deepest point of the island, where all the water from the surrounding ocean seems to drain. It makes her think of Fontaine yet again, seeming almost like the inverse of her homeland, rising high above the surrounding oceans with the water constantly rushing down around the edges. Huge coral plates, bigger even than most Fontainian corals, stick out of the sides of the spiraling cliffs, and she immediately races out atop one to get a better view of the island, earning a fond giggle from Lumine, who makes no effort to stop her- meaning it must be mostly safe, at least. 

Indeed, the gigantic coral, iridescent as pearl, holds her weight without even flexing beneath her feet. It affords her a perfect view of the beautiful estate- or perhaps it’s a castle or palace- which sits on a natural stone tower overlooking the island center in the far distance. Nestled within a cradle of utterly immense coral plates and, even at this distance, gold and pearl decoration shining in the sun, it is truly a beautiful and grandiose sight. Frankly, in her eyes, far moreso than the imposing, harsh towering walls of Tenshukaku or the otherworldly, flower-covered Narukami shrine. But perhaps she’s a little biased towards the oceanic. 

Their pace as they walk the dirt road is leisurely but constant, Sara seeming to simultaneously want to reach her destination as quickly as possible and yet also put off whatever waits for as long as possible. Furina can sort of understand the feeling. 

It’s barely ten more minutes of travel before they reach a rickety looking- but surprisingly sturdy- wooden bridge, marked by carved, rope-bound stones- she’s seen a few around Inazuma, but has yet to learn their purpose. Regardless, at the end of the bridge she can see a red-armored guard, leaning on the stone wall with a spear jammed in the earth beside him, and seeming far more interested in sorting through Genius Invocation cards than watching the bridge. Still, he looks up and scrambles to his post when he notices approaching visitors. 

The first person he sees is Sara, and she can immediately see the restrained distrust on his features. “General Kujou. I wasn’t informed of your arrival. What business do you have on Watatsumi Island?” 

Rather than Sara, it’s Lumine who responds, pushing her way to the front. “She’s with me. We’re just here to sightsee, and maybe visit some old friends while we’re here.” The guard immediately straightens up, his tone turning to one of deference. “Captain! I didn’t see you there. I suppose if she’s with you, there shouldn’t be any problems. Just keep an eye on the old crow, alright?” Lumine nods, but Furina gets the sense it’s mostly to placate the man. 

The moment they’ve moved on, Furina focuses all her starry-eyed attention on Lumine, ignoring the beautiful village they’re approaching- for now, at least. “That guard called you captain! There’s a story there, right? You’re gonna tell me, right?” She puts on her best puppy-dog expression, blinking her eyelashes sweetly. Lumine rolls her eyes, but there’s an affectionate smile on her face that sends butterflies fluttering through her stomach. “When I joined the rebellion, I was made captain of one of the Watatsumi army’s special forces units. In the end I wasn’t involved in fighting the Shogunate forces that much- I was mostly dealing with a Fatui plot on the island, until… well, never mind that. But I like to think I was at least an annoyance , right Sara?” 

The general huffs, shaking her head. “You may have been at one time or another, yes. But the real thorn in my side was never one of her individual units or soldiers.” Lumine hums, a knowing sound, clasping her hands behind her back. “Still haven’t beat her in Genius Invocation yet, huh?” Sara just shoots her a look and stalks ahead of them, red to the tips of her ears. Lumine shakes her head, barely suppressing a giggle. “I wonder how long it’ll take before she figures it out.” 

Paimon, finally finding an opening in the conversation, immediately swoops in to fill it. “I bet a hundred Mora that Kokomi has to pin her to a wall to get through to her.” Lumine actually giggles this time, unable to hold it back. “No bet, I don’t think she’d figure it out even then- that girl is gonna need a signed confession in writing before she makes a move. And anyway, you’d just be betting against me with my own money.” 

As Lumine and Paimon get into a teasing, playful argument, Furina tunes it out a little bit- amusing as it is- to examine the village around her. The architecture is similar to the style she’s seen elsewhere on Inazuma’s islands, but there’s distinctions to it that she might be able to comment on if she were an architect- but she’s not, so mostly she just takes note of the subtlety of it, and the most distinct difference; the pearlescent blue and pink of the roof tiles. She has to find out what they’re made of, and then have it imported to Fontaine en-masse- the Opera Epiclese could use a bit more sparkle, after all.

Still, she notes the complete lack of any Shogunate personnel- aside from Sara, here for personal reasons- milling about the area. All of the work is instead done by the red-armored militia members, who all show significant respect and deference to Lumine as she passes, much to the Traveler’s obvious embarrassment, and Furina and Paimon’s mutual delight. Sara holds herself at once separate from their little group, and yet also close enough that people will focus on Lumine’s presence over her own- Furina can’t help but take amusement at the carefully-calculated shyness. 

They don’t linger in the village long. It’s clearly more a place of living than a market like many of the other small towns she’s visited on this journey, so there’s little in the way of trinkets to stop and ogle or purchase. On top of that, it’s not a particularly huge town- truth be told, she’s seriously surprised that these people posed such a threat to the Shogunate forces. 

Soon enough they’re spiraling up the half-natural pathway of intermingled coral plates and manmade stone stairs that lead to what she’s been informed is not in fact a palace, but rather Sangonomiya Shrine. It’s somewhat mind-boggling that the shrine here, on the island of rebels, is easily ten times as grandiose as the Grand Narukami Shrine- the one made to revere Inazuma’s sovereign deity on the main island. Still, the building is too gorgeous to care too much about such things- far more important is the breathtaking view, both of the palatial shrine itself and the sight of the island from atop this central spire. 

Lumine has a quick chat with one of the shrine maidens, asking her to let ‘her excellency’ know they were here- a title Furina has become slightly wary of. Luckily she has time to prepare this time- Lumine returns with news that the person they’re here to meet will be unavailable until well into the evening, leaving them all with a few hours as the sun begins to slowly droop towards its descent. Sara decides to wait- apparently she’s somewhat more trusted by the shrine maidens here- but Lumine states she has someone to see, and Furina is too good at reading her by now not to notice the solemnity and unease within her tone of voice- especially when combined with the almost distraught look on Paimon’s face. So of course she has no intention of leaving them to their lonesome, whoever it is they plan to meet- and if it comes to it, she’ll do whatever she can to protect them from whatever reaction they fear from this person. 

What she isn’t expecting- though she realizes, in retrospect, that she should have been- is for Lumine’s path to lead into a simple graveyard. She starts to lag behind Lumine and Paimon as she begins to understand what Lumine was talking about, letting them have a bit of space as they find one specific gravestone. She watches, hands clasped awkwardly, as Lumine kneels before it and produces the flower she saved from Nazuchi Beach, placing it at the foot of the gravestone- alongside a small bottle of sake. Furina tries not to eavesdrop, but it’s hard not to overhear when there’s little but the sound of calm waves to quiet Lumine’s words. 

“Hey, Teppei. Sorry it’s been so long since I last visited. I, um. I wish you were still here. We would be sharing a drink together and reminiscing about the good old days, right?” She hears the sounds of shaky breaths, Lumine’s voice breaking as she holds back tears. “But they weren’t very good in the end, were they? If they were, we wouldn’t-” she hears Lumine choke down a sob and decides it’s time to retreat out of earshot, giving the pair privacy and finding a spot to sit just outside the graveyard- busying herself with the least trashy of the light novels now in her possession; the mystery one, which she soon finds to her displeasure is a ghost mystery. Grieving or not, Lumine will atone for her recommendation by cuddling Furina to sleep tonight. 

She’s just gotten into the good bits when Lumine and Paimon return. Lumine has done a good job covering up her grief- Furina can barely see the tear-stains on her cheeks and the redness in her eyes- but Paimon has barely done anything at all. Her grief though is dull-eyed and silent, a combination that feel so antithetical to Paimon’s nature that Furina feels a visceral need to comfort the poor creature. So she pulls Paimon into a too-tight hug, earning a noise that sounds like a tiny dog yipping. Paimon rants about it the entire time they walk back to the shrine, but it’s a far more comfortable feeling than her silent distress. 

They return to the shrine just as the sun is beginning to set over the horizon, and find that Sara is pacing back and forth in front of the entrance, a nervousness at odds with her general countenance visible in her mannerisms. She immediately stops, straightening up and settling into a pose of military attention when she realizes the others have returned, which earns a giggle from them all- Furina is grateful to hear laughter from Lumine and Paimon already, a soft sense of relief settling in her heart- though she’s beginning to get the sense there may be more to Lumine’s prior reticence to return to Inazuma than just a broken love story.

They aren’t really given time to strike up conversation again before the shrine doors open to reveal a sublimely elegant woman- despite her small and frail-looking stature- whose dress makes her look like a mythical mermaid, even on land. The fact her pupils look like solid pearls does little to dispel the assumption that she isn’t quite human. Her voice, however, rather than being pristine or elegant, is unbearably adorable. Furina hopes her surprise doesn’t show on her face as the woman speaks. 

“Traveler, Paimon! I did not expect you would be among my guests this evening. It is a most pleasant surprise to see you back on Watatsumi island. And General Kujou as well- it remains surprisingly pleasant to share your company.” Sara just nods, giving a grunt of agreement and refusing to meet the shorter woman’s eyes. Finally the pearl-eyed woman looks at Furina and offers a smile that Furina can tell is more for business than genuine excitement. “And you’ve brought a stranger, as well? Please do introduce us.” 

Lumine bows her head slightly before nodding. “Of course. This is Furina, a… a good friend from Fontaine. She’s been joining us on our vacation. Furina, this is Sangonomiya Kokomi, Watatsumi’s Divine Priestess and the leader of the rebellion.” 

Kokomi offers a slight, respectful nod of her head to Furina, who returns it with only slight awkwardness. “A friend of the Traveler is a friend of Watatsumi- I am very pleased to meet you, miss Furina.” The priestess sighs, an expression of exhaustion briefly slipping through her mask- all too familiar. “Actually, I intended to relax after today’s work by spending a few hours diving. Watching the fish at night, with the ocean cast in moonlight… ahh, there are few better ways to recharge my energy. Perhaps you would be willing to join me?” 

Both Lumine and Sara perk up at that- the former like she had a lightbulb go off in her head, the latter from either nerves or excitement, or very probably both. Before anyone else can, Lumine speaks up, nodding an enthusiastic affirmative. “Yeah! Furina’s never dived outside Fontaine before, I’m sure she’d love it. And since we’re all going, I’m sure it would be best for you to tag along, right Sara?” The General looks between Lumine and Kokomi, frozen like a deer in a spotlight, before nodding silently, already defeated. Whatever plan Lumine seems to be forming, the bait seems to have been taken. 

It’s only when they’re out at the beach that Furina remembers most oceans don’t quite work the same way as Fontaine’s breathable waterways, and the question of apparatus begins to form in her mind. When she asks, Kokomi giggles musically. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll just make a nice big bubble around us! It’ll be just like a slumber party from the stories.” 

This is where Lumine interjects, and her plan becomes clear. “Actually, since I’ve attuned to the power of Hydro and I’ve got Furina with me, I can make a separate bubble for us, take some of the load off you. Sara will still need a ride though- you can take care of her, right?” Sara looks at Lumine with daggers in her eyes, but doesn’t actually protest, to Furina’s amusement. Kokomi hums. “That does seem reasonable. Hmm… I suppose we’ll have an undersea slumber party next time, instead. Well, Sara? Shall we?” The priestess says, smirking and offering an arm to the taller woman even as Lumine gently guides Furina and Paimon a little further down the beach. 

“Actually, Paimon would rather stay above the water… Paimon’s had enough of being stuck beneath the ocean since Lumine fished Paimon out…” The floating fairy’s voice wavers slightly, and Furina can sense a genuine fear there. But she can also see the way Paimon gives her a conspiratorial wink behind Lumine’s back, so she doesn’t feel too bad leaving Paimon alone to go diving with her lover. Lumine, however, looks genuinely guilty- but before she can say anything, Paimon shushes her. “Go enjoy your dive! Gods know Paimon could use some alone time after so long… just hand over a bunch of those candies from Sumeru and Paimon won’t even notice you’re gone!” 

That gets a giggle out of Lumine, and settles matters. 

It takes them a few minutes to figure out how to manifest a bubble in the way Kokomi described. Furina isn’t confident in her own, to be honest, but Lumine seems to get the technique down pretty quick. She really wonders what it’s like, for the Traveler. How does she channel the elements with seemingly minimal effort or training?

Unfortunately, it’s hard to ponder such major thoughts when resting, half-curled up in the arms of your lover, slowly drifting downwards in the nighttime oceans, with moonlight shining on the nocturnal fish and casting them in silvery light that makes the sight all the more otherworldly, as if silver statues were flitting through the water.

As they sink, Lumine tentatively speaks up. “So, um, what do you plan to do, when we finish up this little trip? Figured anything out?” Furina cocks her head slightly, thinking. “Hmm… I do think I’ll continue acting, for certain. But in addition I’ve been considering trying my hand as a director, after how well The Little Oceanid turned out. Perhaps, if any projects particularly strike my fancy at the next Fontinalia Film Festival, I’ll make my break-out debut and go from Fontaine’s star actress to Fontaine’s star director!”

Lumine nods slowly, her expression hard to read. “I’m glad you’ve found something, then. I think you’ll be really good at it, too. I look forward to hearing all about your films whenever I visit Fontaine.” Furina can tell there’s something she isn’t saying, but she doesn’t press- not yet, anyway. “They’ll all be dedicated to you, don’t worry ma chérie .”

Lumine stiffens slightly at the pet name, and looks away- refusing to meet Furina eyes as she turns to look for the Traveler’s golden stare. There’s a long moment of silence before Lumine speaks, her voice shaking ever-so-slightly as they drift deeper below the water, silvery light growing dimmer. “I have to keep moving, you know. I- I have to find my brother, to… to at least know we’re on the same page again. I don’t- I don’t know what happens after that, anymore, but… I might leave Teyvat. There might be a day where I’m just- just gone . Maybe I leave with him the moment we find eachother, or maybe I- maybe I die on the journey, and you never find the truth of my fate. I don’t want to put anyone through that, let alone someone who I- who’s so important to me.”

Furina huffs, shaking her head. “If you’re worried about me getting attached, it’s a bit late for that, darling.” Lumine winces, curling into herself a bit, and so Furina leans in to rest their foreheads together, speaking barely above a whisper in the ocean darkness. “I love you. I told you that already, didn’t I? I’ll care about you and worry about you whether we’re together or not. Most stories in our world end in tragedy, Lumine. Isn’t it better to enjoy this love while we can?”  

Lumine finally looks up at her, lips parted just slightly and gods if the situation weren’t so emotionally charged she would kiss the girl then and there, but she has some self-control, even if she stares just a bit longer than she should. Finally Lumine speaks, voice nervous but hopeful. “You say that now, but-” Furina silences her, planting a finger against Lumine’s lips and gently shushing her. “I say that because I love you. Maybe someday that will change! Five hundred years pretending to be someone else has taught me of the relative fragility of feelings- but it’s also taught me that they can just as often endure the deepest of hardships. You aren’t ridding yourself of me any time soon. I-I mean, as long as you’ll have me, too.”

Lumine finally smiles at that, planting a kiss on the corner of Furina’s mouth with a cheeky smile playing over her features. “Furina… will you come traveling with me again, sometime? I can show you all the places we’ve missed, and we can visit the greatest festivals of the world together.” The woman who once stood in the place of an Archon feels her heartbeat thumping in her chest. Somehow, this feels more like a confession than when Lumine had kissed her in the garden, back in the main city. Around them, curious, bioluminescent squid flit through the water, lighting it up in greens and blues like otherworldly stars flickering in an aquatic sky. She expected, after her nightmares, to be frightened, trapped in a bubble and sinking beneath the night-darkened waves- yet she’s found it nothing but calming with Lumine by her side. That alone speaks to the truth of her answer. “I would love that, Lumine. I… I want to see it all, as long as you’re with me.”

She watches with great satisfaction as Lumine blushes to her ears, illuminated by the golden glow of her magic lantern. “Th-then I suppose I’ll have to leave some places for next time, huh?” Her face goes a bit more serious, then. “I… I don’t want you to come with me when I’m pursuing my brother, though. It’s just too dangerous and I… I can’t bear to lose you to someone trying to hurt me. I wish- I really do wish I could have you by my side when I face him, but… it’s best that I do it alone. And when the dust has settled, I’ll take you to see whatever I’ve found, okay? Maybe you’ll even get to meet him.”

Furina isn’t quite satisfied with that answer- it’s her right to protect her beloved in turn, right? But she doesn’t protest, not in this situation when Lumine is being so vulnerable. She just pulls the girl into a tight hug, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Okay. I’ll hold you to it, so you’d better not keep me waiting. I am the greatest star of Fontaine, you know.” 

Lumine smiles, tilting her head to gently capture Furina’s lips in a far less chaste kiss. “I wouldn’t dream of it, princess.” She recognizes the hungry desire beneath those sweet words- she’s suddenly very aware that she’s become prey of a sort, and is trapped in a bubble with her hunter. Fortunately, that happens to be exactly where she wants to be, pulling Lumine in close and wrapping a leg around her lover’s hip as they settle on the ocean floor, kicking up a cloud of silt and dirt, obscuring their heated affections. 

Suffice to say, Furina’s first experience diving outside of Fontaine’s borders is a thrilling success.

Chapter Text

All those days watching from the windows

All those years outside looking in

All that time never even knowing

Just how blind I've been

Now I'm here blinking in the starlight

Now I'm here suddenly I see

Standing here it's all so clear

I'm where I'm meant to be

[Tangled - I See the Light ]

When they surface, there’s no sign of Kokomi and Sara yet- probably still taking their time together beneath the waves. Furina can’t say she minds having the beach to herself for now- she’s sure she looks a little disheveled, hair and makeup in disarray, and doesn’t particularly desire the others to immediately recognized that she was just getting absolutely fucked out of her mind mere moments ago. 

Fortunately as well, Paimon seems to have turned in for the night; the teapot hovers just above a surprisingly impressive sand-castle, signed with a goofy little drawing of Paimon’s face in the sand, sticking her tongue out. 

Still basking in the afterglow somewhat, she collapses onto the beach, sitting to face the ocean and the moon hanging above it, enjoying the feeling of cool ocean air on her face and the soothing chill against her skin. 

Lumine stays standing, stretching in a way that feels rather provocative before simply opting to stand beside Furina in silence in that almost-statue-still manner she sometimes takes when lost in thought- it should be unsettling, but it’s Lumine , so it’s mostly just endearing, albeit in a slightly off-putting way. Eventually she finds herself yawning, starting to succumb to the day’s weariness, which elicits a fond chuckle from Lumine. “If you want to head inside and go to sleep, I can wait up for them.”

Furina huffs in amusement. “Are you sure that you should wait up for them? They might prefer a bit of quiet relaxation after their… whatever might be taking them so long.” Lumine giggles softly, reaching down to ruffle her fingers through Furina’s silvery hair. “You might be right, but I’ll take the risk. If they’re not back in an hour or so I’ll call it a rest, I promise.”

Furina sighs softly, standing up and dusting the sand off her clothes as best she can. “Oh very well, I suppose I can grant you a bit of patience. Just so long as you get some rest before tomorrow morning.” Lumine hums acknowledgement, then, just before Furina turns to the teapot, catches her wrist and gently pulls her close. “Oh, one last thing…” she says, a smooth smirk on her face as she draws Furina into a deep, discombobulating kiss, before finally releasing her with a wink. “Goodnight, princess.”

~

When Furina wakes the next morning, sandwiched between her Aranara plushies, there’s no sign of Lumine in her room- or having been in her room since she went to sleep. She tries to stifle down a sullen feeling, knowing that waking up without Lumine beside her will likely be the norm most of the time, with how often the woman travels at a moment’s notice, but that only makes the sullen feeling drearier. So she does the next best thing: distracting herself getting ready for the day.

Lumine turns out to be downstairs, right where Furina suspected she might be- in the kitchen, making breakfast. To her credit, it smells as wonderful as ever. She takes a deep breath, straightens her shoulders, and shuffles into the kitchen, knocking on the doorframe to announce her presence. The way Lumine looks at her- focused features fading to bright, open excitement and warmth- is enough to thoroughly smother the sullen feeling taking root in her chest for now. 

Lumine appears to be in the process of plating no less than six plates full of taiyaki, each plate labeled with a single letter. She looks a bit sheepish as Furina’s eye wanders across the veritable sea of fish-shaped pastries. “Paimon was feeling a little bit lonely, and I may have agreed to make her a feast of taiyaki as atonement for my sins. But you see, I’ve filled them with actual breakfast foods to ensure she doesn’t just fill up on sugar and spend the rest of the day melting down. But, uh, that does mean that we’re having a bunch of Taiyaki for breakfast. Sorry.” 

Furina raises an eyebrow, a soft giggle escaping her lips. “I suppose I’ll find a way to survive anyway. It’s cute how much you take care of her, you know. You’re almost like her big sister or something.” There’s a beat of silence as Furina processes her own words, clenching her jaw as she realizes her own faux pas and tries to come up with a way to walk it back before Lumine- Lumine giggles, lacking a hint of discomfort or melancholy. 

“I think she’s more like my adorable baby cousin, or maybe a niece. Way too cute to be my little sister.” Catching Furina’s apparently poorly disguised expression of anxiety, she shakes her head slightly and smiles. “Don’t worry. It’s an apt comparison, and you’re far from the first person to notice- even when it did bother me it wasn’t very much.” She nods, still not feeling entirely reassured but knowing that she has a habit of worrying overmuch, so perhaps it’s best to take the Traveler at her word for this. 

“Come on,” Lumine says, handing her two plates of taiyaki, “help me get these to the table so we can eat- I’ve certainly worked up an appetite making them.”

The breakfast taiyaki turns out to be a surprising hit- the top two fillings being ham-and-cheese and tomato omelet. Paimon in particular looks entirely satisfied, and Furina finds herself wondering once again how she can eat much. 

With breakfast finished, they turn to their typical after-food conversation, Lumine beginning things off. “So, Kokomi requested that we visit her before leaving Watatsumi. Said she wanted to be properly introduced to you, since she was low on energy yesterday.” Paimon claps, a bright smile on her face. “Yay! Paimon felt like we didn’t really get to properly say hi. And maybe Gorou will be there too!” 

When Furina gives a questioning look, Paimon grins. “Gorou was Kokomi’s top general during the war! He’s a bit straightforward, but one of the most good-hearted people we’ve met so far! He would always share his snacks with Paimon when things got tough.” This elicits a barely-stifled chuckle from Lumine. “Of course your brain goes straight to the snacks, huh.” Paimon just huffs, not dignifying it with a response. Lumine shakes her head, gathering up the empty plates in a stack. “Alright, let’s go. Time to say our farewells and get moving to our next destination- I have something picked out especially for you, Furina.”

~

They make good time back to the town- where Furina insists they stop at one of the rare shop stalls as she sees a small, hand-sized plush jellyfish that she absolutely must add to her slowly growing collection- and soon enough they’re back in the courtyard of Sangonomiya Shrine. 

This time, Kokomi is already waiting for them, pacing back and forth as if lost for thought. She startles a bit when Paimon calls out to her, but smiles warmly when she sees them, and walks to meet them halfway, despite the fact her rank would encourage otherwise. “Ah, Traveler, Paimon, and Miss Furina as well. It’s very good to see you all again.” Furina doesn’t remark on the fact it’s only been one night since their last conversation. 

Lumine bows her head slightly, as does Paimon, so Furina figures she should do the same, raising it when she hears Lumine speaking. “It is. I apologize for taking so long to return. I did bring you a few things, though! A couple first-hand writings of military strategy from the Eremites of Sumeru, and I even managed to get my hands on an obscure book detailing some of Fontaine’s ancient historical wars. Figured you might be interested.”

Kokomi’s face immediately brightens further and Furina can swear she sees a hint of an excited wiggle akin to Paimon. “Thank you, Traveler! I will most certainly cherish these in a place of pride in my- ah, my library.” Lumine smirks knowingly and Kokomi looks a little embarrassed as Furina looks between the two. She’s polite enough not to ask. 

After that, Furina finds herself mostly on the edge of the conversation, as Lumine and Kokomi talk about memories from a time she was thoroughly uninvolved with. Still, she enjoys the chance to hear about some of Lumine’s exploits from the woman herself, and is happy to mostly share jokes with Paimon in the background. 

The sun is nearing its zenith when Kokomi’s obligations finally drag her away. “I took the liberty of having a Waverider prepared for you on the south side of the island- I figured that you would likely be leaving along the southern coast, so I thought to save you some trouble.” The priestess bows as she speaks, already beginning to turn as Lumine offers a smile and bow of her own. “Thank you for that, I’ll make good use of it. Goodbye, Kokomi. I’ll see you again.” Paimon waves, bouncing in the air with the motion, and calls out, “bye for now! Say hi to Gorou for us!” Then, quieter, sounding just a bit pouty; “Just a shame he was so busy today…”

~

Furina takes a deep breath as Lumine starts preparing the Waverider, taking in the comforting feeling of Hydro energy so heavily infusing Watatsumi Island for what’s likely to be the last time- for a little while, at least. She finds she isn’t sure how long she spends, just enjoying the scenery, but eventually she feels Lumine’s hand on her shoulder and looks up to see the blonde smiling down at her, a warm look on her face. As if reading Furina’s mind, she draws in a bit closer and says “I can take you back here some time, if you’d like. There’s more to see- there always is, I’ve found.” 

Furina hums an ascent. “I think I would like that very much, yes. Perhaps we can make it an annual trip? I think I rather like it here. Maybe I should see about getting a vacation home in the village…” she says, the last only being half a joke. Lumine chuckles warmly, a sound that Furina is sure she’ll never get tired of hearing. “That sounds nice. Ah, but, that said, and as much as I hate to drag you away, I’ve got the Waverider ready to go, so… shall we?” 

She looks at the way Lumine is sheepishly grinning at her like a puppy that’s just knowingly done something it’s not supposed to, and finds that the effect, unfortunately, works on her with great success, unable to disguise the affection on her face.

~

Being stuck in the cramped confines of the Waverider for several days between two islands- on opposite sides of the chain- is not nearly as thrilling as riding it for less than a mere day to cross from Fontaine to Sumeru. The point she realized they’re heading towards the massive, perpetual vortex of lightning-filled clouds- and are those entire suspended islands in that storm?- she just about had an aneurysm. In all the relative comfort of their explorations of Inazuma, and being so caught up in her feelings for Lumine, she had forgotten just how much the Traveler looks at terrifying, spectacular forces of destructive nature tearing apart the landscape and decides she wants to climb them. Afterwards she would admit, privately, that this too is endearing in its own way- even if it does feed her anxiety a bit. 

Her agitation is relieved somewhat when Lumine explains that they won’t be delving into the main island where the storm resides- at least not on this trip- but rather making a fairly brief stop at a place called Asase Shrine, which Lumine and Paimon both refuse to tell her anything about beyond cryptically warning that she “wouldn’t want to miss it.” It’s a bit of an exercise in patience, but still, she can’t help feeling a bit excited to find out what they want to surprise her with. 

When the Waverider finally settles against a sandbar, she’s relieved to find that the small island- cut off from the larger, storm covered one by a tiny stretch of water- looks relatively normal, even vibrant like Sumeru’s grassy mountains. She can still feel the charge in the air from the nearby storm of course, but it doesn’t feel like a prickle of danger, only a faint static around her. 

She starts to understand why Lumine brought her here when her eyes- finely tuned to spot adorable creatures- zero in on a fluffy, gray cat with swirling black stripes and a white underbelly watching them from atop a torii gate that rises above the pathway deeper into the island. When she locks eyes with it, the cat tilts its head before hopping down and sauntering deeper into the island, as if saying ‘come on, follow me!’ Now who is she to deny a request like that?

Lumine, too, seems perfectly delighted to follow the creature, grinning smugly and tilting her head in the direction the cat went as she starts to walk, as if she needed any more encouragement. 

It’s only a short walk on the rather neglected pathway before they reach an open space, dipping inwards just slightly like a bowl, with a shallow pool of luminescent water- faint glow visible in the fading evening light- sitting at its center. On the other side of the pool is a shrine, far more humble than the great shrines on Narukami and Watatsumi islands, but beautiful in its own right, the simplicity only adding to the otherworldly, fantastical nature of the place. 

Far more important than any of that though, are the cats. The abundance of cats. Probably an entire village’s worth of cats, all gathered up and lazing about the clearing, some of them keeping watch as if tending to the shrine- one even stands within the shrine like a priestess, to Furina’s delight. Immediately, she wants to pet every single cat in the area- but she knows her luck with cute animals, some of the excitement leaving her as she remembers their tendency to flee- or fight- when she approaches. It would be simply too heartbreaking to rudely disturb this gathering. 

Paimon immediately floats ahead, glancing around as if searching for someone. Finally she returns, looking a little put-out. “There’s no sign of Etsuko or Taisuke anywhere. They must be resupplying back in the city or something… Figures they’d disappear the first time we’ve been back in so long.” She huffs, but Lumine just hums, a carefree sound. “I think that’s alright. We didn’t exactly come for a social visit. Well, not with them at least.” She turns to Furina, offering a hand. “C’mon, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

She doesn’t see anyone around as Lumine leads her around the shallow pond towards the main shrine building, but a voice speaks up anyway. “Mm, another new human smell… oh, and a familiar one, too.” Of course, there’s nobody there except for the cat- which watches them carefully but seems perfectly relaxed around her, to her growing internal delight- so she makes the logical assumption; “W-w-was that a ghost?!”

Lumine and Paimon share a look before they both mutually burst out laughing, to Furina’s great chagrin, while the mystery voice sighs with resignation. “I’m not a ghost, I’m a cat. That should be obvious, should it not?” Furina freezes in place, eyes zeroing in on the midnight black cat regarding her with a look of vague disinterest. “W-wait, you can talk?” 

The cat blinks slowly, turning to look at Lumine for a moment before nodding. This time she can see its mouth move when it talks, which is more disconcerting than cute. “Of course I can talk. You humans are always so surprised by this.” The cat turns to Lumine, an almost accusatory- but not unfriendly- note to her voice. “Who is she? Why is she here?”

Lumine shifts awkwardly from foot to foot and suddenly all of Furina’s attention is on her as well. The Traveler seems to feel this because a faint blush spreads to her cheeks. “Well, um, this is Furina, she’s been traveling with me from Fontaine.” Furina raises an eyebrow but opts to let it slide in this instance- they’re talking to a cat, after all. The surreal moment takes precedence over her desire to be called Lumine’s girlfriend.  

The cat bobs its head in some sort of understanding. “I see. I am Neko, provisional head priestess of the Asase shrine. It is good to meet you, traveler from Fontaine.” Furina tries not to stare too hard at the talking cat. “R-right, it’s good to meet you too.” She says, bowing awkwardly- how does one properly express manners to a cat, anyway? 

Luckily, Lumine swoops in to save her. “I actually made a bunch of food for everyone, so I figured we could have a picnic before the three of us get moving again. Sounds good?” There’s a chorus of meows as at least a dozen other cats make their agreement known, and even Neko has a bright gleam in her eye at the concept. “Yes,” the void-black cat begins, “a picnic would be acceptable. I will require you to retrieve the bowls, of course. Pesky lack of opposable thumbs…” 

Furina bites back a giggle, and Lumine gives a bow that she can tell is intentionally overplayed for effect. “Of course, your excellency. We’ll go ahead and get everything set up for you and the others.”

The picnic turns out to be rather more elaborate than planned, and she wonders when exactly Lumine has had time to set this up- perhaps her insistence that she doesn’t require much sleep is true after all. For their own meal she lays out a beautifully patterned blanket- blue with a cherry tree in full bloom sewn into the design- but she also retrieves three stacks of carefully packaged meals for the cats, each one as elaborate in design as any of the meals she makes for other humans- they’re even designed to look a bit like cats themselves, which feels a bit odd to feed to cats, but they’re adorable nonetheless. 

Their own meal is a spread of every nation Lumine has been to so far- serving as a bit of a preview as their time in Inazuma approaches a close. Steak tartare from Fontaine, Biryani from Sumeru, Sakura shrimp crackers from Inazuma, almond tofu from Liyue, and- to Paimon’s utter glee- a sticky honey roast from Mondstat. It’s not exactly a tea-party, but Furina can’t find space to complain about a veritable feast with something for everyone- especially when the whole meal results in a small horde of cats descending on their position, all unusually well-mannered and brave, and every single one already affectionate towards Lumine, who remembers all their names and can tell even the ones that seem identical in Furina apart from one another. 

The food is delicious, and Furina is hit with a pang at the realization she’s grown so very used to Lumine’s cooking- a complex, bittersweet feeling. She thinks, while absentmindedly nibbling at her food and stealing glances at her girlfriend, that if Lumine were to be exemplified in candy form, the innermost layer would be bittersweet chocolate. 

After they eat, the cats- ever vigilant, deadly hunters as they all are- immediately prey upon Lumine’s relaxation, three of them trotting over to nestle in beside and on top of her, a smaller one in a state halfway between kitten and cat follows soon after, jumping daintily and landing atop Lumine’s shoulder, momentarily scrabbling before settling in and nuzzling the side of her jaw. She’s never been more jealous of her partner. 

Neko maintains a healthy, dignified distance, but even her subtle fondness for Lumine is obvious in the trust she displays, content to doze in the sun after her meal. It’s as she’s distracted watching Neko out of the corner of her eye that one of the braver, more curious cats- the one that had perched atop Lumine’s shoulder- tentatively trots over, gently bumping its head against her knee. She’s pretty sure she could die happy then and there, and then the cat climbs into her lap and curls up. Refusing to move anything below her neck lest she disturb the cat and ruin the moment, she freezes up, locking eyes with Lumine with an unabashed grin on her face and delighted tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Lumine, for her part, is looking at her with a soft sort of adoration she really sees, only serving to melt her heart further. 

In the end, they decide to stay at Asase Shrine overnight, and for once, with the tiny island’s isolated safety, Lumine suggests they bed down for the night under Teyvat’s own sky once again. 

There’s less cover here than the convenient hollow in the roots of the Barsom tree, but Lumine sets up a tent of sorts- more of a fancy lean-to if anything, but comfortable enough with the thorough layer of pillows and blankets she lays to separate them from the ground- between the stump of a huge tree and a delightfully oversized statue of a cat. 

Accompanied by the restful purring of the cats that slowly gather around them and Lumine’s hand in her own, sleep claims Furina’s mind faster than she would have expected- not that she would ever complain about the extra rest, especially in her lover’s arms and surrounded by cats. 

~

The next morning moves quicker than she would entirely like- Lumine seems to be in a hurry for some reason, like there’s something they might be in danger of missing if they wait too long. Whatever it is though, she keeps it to herself, to Furina’s disappointment. She supposes getting the notoriously quiet Traveler to open up to her over all the smaller things is perhaps a more distant prospect. 

Still, even rushed, it’s quite lovely to wake up in the early morning light with cool winds faintly brushing on her face, Lumine’s arm draped over her, and a pair of cats nestled up in the curve of her torso. Peaceful happiness is largely unfamiliar to her- at least until recently- but she could definitely get used to the concept. 

After saying their goodbyes to Neko and the other cats, and walking a short lap around the island, it takes a rather boring trip over most of the remaining day for them to reach Ritou Village again and, after the cramped journey in the Waverider they’re all eager to take the financial hit of Ritou’s pricing and settle in at a restaurant for dinner rather than exhaust themselves further making their own meal. Of course, Furina should have known she would only get so much in the way of peaceful dining here, walking around with Inazuma’s biggest guest celebrity- and apparently best friend to half the greatest movers and shakers in the nation- on her arm. 

Lumine notices something first, and Furina just catches the blonde slightly rolling her eyes, a fond smirk on her face at whatever- or whoever- is about to approach them. Just after that she hears the voice, masculine, cocky but not in a condescending way, and full to bursting with latent melodrama after her own heart. “Whaat? I’m just going to say hi to my two very good friends! You know they love me.” As she braces herself, another voice- feminine, strained and a bit rough, but rather pretty to Furina’s ears- reprimands the first. “Boss, you’re obviously going to be interrupting something! What if she’s on a date or something?” Immediately the first voice retorts, “huh? That doesn’t make any sense, if it was a date why would Paimon be there with them? C’mon, it’s fine!” 

And that’s as much warning as she gets before a man that somehow makes ‘doesn’t look like he can dress himself’ work for him sets himself down in the seat next to Lumine, who’s clearly trying to suppress a wry smile lest her reaction be too delighted. As her eyes wander upwards from the wall of exposed abs- not as good as Dehya’s, but perhaps that’s her own preferences talking- she takes stock of the crimson horns on his head, marking him as not exactly human. “Traveler, Paimon! You shoulda told me you were coming to visit, I’d have brought the whole gang to meet ya! Oh, hey, look at me forgetting all my manners, who’s your friend?” 

Lumine huffs, though there’s only amusement in the sound. “Itto, this is Furina, my girlfriend.” She says it with the most casual air, as if she hadn’t struggled to say the same thing to a cat less than a day prior. It still makes Furina’s heart race, and she’s sure she’s blushing far harder than she should from something so seemingly simple. She almost misses Lumine introducing her other friend, but luckily the gears in her head start turning again quick enough. “Furina, this is Arataki Itto, leader of the Arataki Gang and Inazuma’s favorite Oni delinquent. Ah, and right on cue, this is-” “Kuki Shinobu.” The other voice from earlier cuts in, and Furina turns to see a green-haired woman with vibrant purple eyes and a fanged black mask over her mouth. “Sorry for the Boss, he gets easily excited, and we haven’t seen the Traveler in awhile.” 

“Psh, c’mon, I wasn’t that excited, I just miss my old buddies! Is that really so wrong?” Itto responds, visibly shutting down Paimon, who seems to be having unusual trouble getting a word in edgewise. Shinobu sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, shaking her head slightly. “Alright, calm down, at least let them get a word in edgewise.” Itto seems to deflate just slightly at that. 

“Yeah, Bull-Chucker! Paimon hasn’t even said hi yet!” The tiny being floats over to Itto and flicks him on the forehead lightly and Lumine faintly giggles behind her hand. “Aw c’mon, at least give me a chance to congratulate the Traveler!” Taking no heed of anyone else, the Oni and his infinite energy barrel on as he turns to Furina. “And as for you, any friend of hers is an honorary member of the Arataki gang, so welcome to the family! Aaaand congratulations on claiming Teyvat’s most wanted bachelorette.” He flashes a wink and a grin- Furina finds even she has trouble keeping up with his pace. 

“I like to imagine I won her over with my sheer charm and utterly unchallenged charisma, but I do find myself feeling remarkably lucky nonetheless.” She hears Lumine make an amused noise behind her, but the woman makes no effort to disagree on either count.

The conversation carries on like that- high energy and frenetic- for a little while before Itto gets a sparkle in his eyes like a lightbulb went off in his head. “Hang on now, I just realized, you’re an honorary member of the gang now, so we gotta find you an Onikabuto!” 

Furina quirks her head, the question evident on her face, and she faintly hears Lumine mutter “oh boy, here we go” under her breath as Itto puffs up his chest a bit, excitement dancing over his features. “Oh man, this is great! Onikabuto are fierce shelled warriors, gods amongst beetlekind! Beetle fights are a long and storied tradition of the Arataki Gang, stretching back generations! We’ve gotta find you a good Onikabuto and show you the ropes before the Traveler here spirits you away somewhere, right Shinobu?”

Shinobu just shakes her head with resignation in her eyes. “Boss, I’m sure these three are way too busy to come gallivanting through the hills until we find a beetle that you like.” Furina looks between Itto, Shinobu, and Lumine, hoping the Traveler will take the escape Shinobu has offered, even sweetening the deal. “I- I mean, bugs aren’t really…” she trails off as she sees the wicked gleam in Lumine’s golden eyes, and realizes she’s just made a terrible mistake. “Tell you what, if we can find a good one without leaving Ritou, then we’re game.” Paimon and Shinobu sigh in unison as Itto’s grin widens. “Alright! Then there’s no time to waste, we’ve gotta get searching high and low! You never know where one of the sneaky little buggers will be hiding, and the sneakiest ones are often the best kind!"

Furina quickly learns that Lumine and Paimon make a good team when searching for well-hidden objects- she supposes with how much exploring and treasure hunting they do, it’s a necessary skill. Despite this tiny islet being an understandably mediocre habitat to find what Itto refers to as ‘the best Onikabuto’ they still find a few within the first two hours of searching, albeit none that pass the Arataki Itto Onikabuto Power Level Spot Check, which she’s pretty sure is just him staring at the beetles really, really hard. 

Furina is just about to insist that they pack it in for the night when she hears a loud shout of excitement, undeniably in Itto’s voice. Rolling her eyes, she jogs to the direction of the sound, where Lumine and Itto are attempting to corral a distinct-looking Onikabuto that seems to have been half-buried in the sand of the upper shoreline: a bit larger than the others they’d found, and mottled with jagged patterns of dark blue and white over a glossy black carapace. Well, at least it fits her sense of aesthetics. 

By the time she reaches the pair, they’ve managed to successfully calm the beetle down enough for Itto to examine it with visibly growing excitement. Finally, he leaps to his feet. “Alright! We’ve really got a good one this time. I mean, it’s no Crimson Staff, but with a good training regimen and a proper diet, it could get there!” Furina just nods slowly, resigning herself to being a beetle-owner. As if reading her mind, Lumine leans in to whisper in her ear. “Don’t worry, Itto will keep the bug for you. You don’t have to go back to Fontaine with a new pet beetle.”

After that, the Traveler walks over to Itto, patting him on the back. “Alright boss, we’ve got places to be tomorrow, so I’m afraid there won’t be time to give Furina a crash course in beetle-fighting this time. I promise I’ll bring her back though, so you take care of that bug for us, alright?”

Itto looks a bit disappointed, but sighs when he sees how late in the night it’s become. “Alright, that’s fair. But, you at least gotta come up with a name for her first, alright?” Furina sighs, tapping Paimon on the shoulder. “I hand this duty off to you, oh greatest travel guide of Teyvat. I know your nicknaming skills won’t let me down!” 

Paimon squints at her before floating in closer to the surprisingly docile beetle. “Hmmm… alright… then Paimon shall dub thee… Aqua Crusher!” 

Furina’s regret is immediate, but is easily outmatched by her amusement at the entire, surreal situation. 

~

The next morning Lumine wakes them earlier than she’d prefer, rushing breakfast so they can be out of the teapot realm within the hour- she can’t tell if whatever captain they’re meeting has a really strict schedule, or Lumine is just antsy to set foot on a different land again, but either way, she’s entirely more willing to acquiesce to her lover’s demands than she ever would have expected in her five centuries of life. 

When they leave, there’s already someone waiting for them- a young man in lightly armored, maple-leaf patterned Inazuman traveler’s clothes, with pale off-white hair tied back in a ponytail and a vivid red streak through his bangs. He has his eyes closed, humming a tune as a lazy breeze swirls around him, carrying fallen leaves from the nearby trees. There’s a soft fondness on Lumine’s face as she looks at him, different from the look she gets when gazing at Furina, but still enough to give her a mild, knee-jerk twinge of jealousy. 

When his eyes flutter open, revealing crimson-orange irises, he smiles slightly at the trio. “Good morning Lumine, Paimon. And this must be the one you mentioned earlier.” He bows formally to Furina, before extending a hand which she lightly shakes. “I am Kaedehara Kazuha. It’s a pleasure to meet someone that Lumine has spoken of so highly.” 

Furina raises an eyebrow, standing as tall as her short stature allows her to. “Oh? Well, you may call me Furina, but I’m afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage, as she hasn’t spoken to me about you.” Out of the corner of her eyes she can see Lumine rolling her eyes with a soft huff of amusement, reaching over to gently squeeze Furina’s shoulder. Kazuha just hums softly, breezy laughter underlying the sound. “That’s alright; I’m just a fellow wanderer, I’d say you seem to have a somewhat more important role in her life, no?” She can’t help the slight smile that curls at the corners of her lips, hearing that.

Seemingly determining that the introductions are finished, he stands up and stretches his arms a bit. “Well, I suppose it’s time to go. We’d best not keep the Captain waiting, after all. She’s been looking forward to hearing about your latest adventures, and sharing some of hers of course.” Kazuha laughs softly, shaking his head. “Well, come along. Let’s be off.”

Lumine takes Furina’s hand, interlacing their fingers and setting Furina’s heart pounding- somehow, despite how far they’ve already gone, these simple things make her feel just as flustered as when Lumine’s… significant appetite… takes over. She subconsciously leans in closer, basking in the Traveler’s warm presence. Behind them, though she cannot see, Paimon rolls her eyes, fond affection brightly visible on her tiny face. 

They take a small rowboat out from the Ritou docks, and as Kazuha points out the ship they’ll be traveling on, she understands why. It’s hard to properly gauge scale, but the vessel is visibly immense, towering above the waterline with oars that outsize the rowboat; she estimates that some small villages might have less building space. “That’s the Alcor,” Kazuha explains, “flagship of the Crux Fleet. Lumine told me you sailed on one of ours from Sumeru?” Furina nods, though the vessel wasn’t exactly comparable to the immensity of the Alcor, only seeming to become more vast as they approach. Lumine looks bright and excited, moreso than she has for most of their travels through Inazuma. Furina wonders if she’s simply excited to travel again, excited to put Inazuma behind her, or excited to go to Liyue. Perhaps all three. 

The rowboat comes to a rest beside the ship, an uncomfortable tall rope ladder unfurling over the Alcor’s side for them to ascend. It looks unsteady, and with the height it reaches, more than slightly terrifying, until she feels Lumine’s hand on her shoulder, warm and comforting, and that soft voice whispers in her ear: “Don’t worry, love. I’ll be right behind you to catch you if you fall.” Somehow, she immediately believes that- the tension melting away a bit as she nods, a resolute feeling taking hold in her chest, and starts to climb. 

Chapter Text

When the sun loves the moon

Even the ocean feels her pull

Oh, and the stars align every night

To spell out their love in tiny bright lights

Oh, when the sun loves the moon

Never touching but never far

Oh, at the break of day

A summer's ray

A moonlit night that casts away

Their love remains, their love remains

[Reinaeiry - When the Sun loves the Moon ]

When Furina finally climbs over the ship’s railing, panting from the exertion- did they really have to make the damn thing so tall?- her sightline is immediately full of a number of sailors who seem to have been waiting for Lumine, based on their looks of surprise. She’s not quite sure how she should introduce herself, but fortunately Lumine ascends soon after her, clambering on board and looking as if she’s barely exerted herself. Furina decides to chock it up to her powers and not to feel too jealous. Besides, she gets to feel up those muscles later, anyway. 

The sailors immediately cheer for Lumine’s arrival, which, Furina can’t exactly fault them for. She certainly knows how much Lumine deserves to be cheered on everywhere she goes, even if she’d prefer to be the one leading it. 

After a scant moment though, a commanding voice cuts through the cheers. “Alright, alright, you lot give the girls some space.” The voice’s owner appears moments after, pushing through the crowd of crewmembers. Her long brown hair frames a stern face, one half obscured by a crimson eyepatch- though truth be told Furina’s eyes were immediately drawn in by the rest of her luxurious, enticing outfit. Her eyes snap back up as the woman steps in close, looking her up and down before pulling both Furina and Lumine into a rib-cracking hug, one girl constricted in each arm. “It’s good to see you, Traveler! It’s been far too long. As for you…” she turns towards Furina, and a chill goes down her spine. “My boys told me what you did for one of our ships on the way over, so between that and your relationship with my very good friend here, you’re good in my books.” 

Finally she releases them, but continues before Furina can really respond. “I’m Beidou, the captain of this ship, the Alcor . I more or less run the Crux Fleet, and though we usually sail together for dangerous passages, every once in awhile one of our lone ships gets caught by something unexpected. So you have my sincere gratitude for protecting my people and ensuring they arrived safely.” 

Catching her breath, Furina smiles as gracefully as she can after having the air squeezed from her lungs. “Well, your gratitude is of course appreciated, though I would be remiss not to point out that we did it to save our own skins as well.” Lumine chuckles off to the side, and Furina can faintly hear her whispering to Paimon- something about honesty and overcompensation that she pretends she didn’t overhear, for their sake. So what if she’d rather not lie to people her girlfriend likes, after spending five centuries unable to tell the truth no matter how much she wanted to?

Beidou just laughs and gives Furina a hearty pat on the shoulder. “Self-interest from kindhearted people often leads to the most selfless actions from the perspective of those around them. Take the compliment, you earned it.” 

Furina huffs a bit, but it’s mostly just for show. “Very well, very well. Your gratitude is most certainly appreciated, as is your willingness to allow us passage aboard your ship.” Beidou smiles warmly but waves it off. “No need to be so formal. You’re close with the Traveler, right? Any friend of hers is a friend of mine, and friends are always welcome aboard the Alcor . Now come along, we’ll make introductions and I’ll find someone to show you to your quarters for the journey.”

After that begins the long process of introducing Furina to a dizzying number of crewmembers whose names she is most certainly not going to be able to remember after just a single day, and showing her just as many rooms and decks of the absolutely vast ship itself. Despite Fontaine’s title as the Nation of Hydro, she’s never seen a ship quite as mind-bogglingly massive as the Alcor is. She wonders if Beidou has a different flagship for inland voyages, because she can’t imagine this behemoth making any of the river passages to Fontaine’s waters. 

They’re about halfway done with the tour when Furina feels the ship lurching under her feet as it begins to move, signaling their final farewell to Inazuma- for this trip, anyway. Furina is already looking forward to the next one, which she never would have imagined when she first set foot on this voyage. She silently reaches out and takes Lumine’s hand in hers, an unspoken word of gratitude to the girl who made it all possible. Lumine says nothing, but gently squeezes her hand. 

It’s almost evening by the time they’re settled in the room given to them. The Alcor has plenty of space, so for once it’s not cramped. In fact, Furina is pretty sure the bedroom in her apartment is smaller than this. It also, to her delight, has actual beds instead of hammocks, even equipped with a bit of safety netting in case the ship rocks too far. Which is unlikely for a vessel of its scale, but she appreciates the thought spared for safety. 

She finds herself looking between the two beds in the room, unsure for the first time where she should sleep. She wonders, quietly, if Paimon would be averse to trading places every night, so they could have equal time sleeping next to the comforting presence of the Traveler. Not that she can get it together to ask, though. 

As if reading her thoughts and choosing to make her life worse, Lumine suddenly stands up and stretches, saying “I’m going to work off some extra energy helping the crew. Why don’t you two get settled in here without me?” and doesn’t wait for them to answer. Paimon huffs and shakes her head, looking to Furina with a bemused expression. “Paimon thought she might get easier to handle once you two got together, but she still just does whatever she feels like, huh?” 

Furina huffs, blushing a little. “I didn’t think you expected me to tame her. As though anyone can do that.” After a brief moment of silence, in a slightly more anxious voice, she asks, “She, um, wasn’t any more relaxed or anything when she was with Ayaka, was she?” 

Paimon fixes her with one of those strangely knowing looks that seems altogether out of place on her. “Hmmm…. Nope! Paimon thinks she was just about the same. Then again, Lumine is always just Lumine.” She just shrugs while floating over to one of the beds and starting to build a nest in the pillows. Furina isn’t quite sure whether that’s heartening or not. 

Paimon’s somehow-charmingly-shrill voice pipes back up, cutting through her growing morosity like a particularly saccharine knife. “She smiles a lot now that you’re here, though. Not the friendly hero smiles she puts on for everyone else’s sake, either… Paimon knows what a real, happy Lumine smile looks like, and it’s happened a lot more often on this trip than usual!”

She has to turn away to hide her own little satisfied smile at that, chasing off the worst- or at least most immediate- of her doubts. 

There’s a long moment of silence as she begins to make up the bed opposite from where Paimon has settled before she hears that charmingly grating voice sigh heavily and speak up again. “Hey, what are you doing over there anyway? You don’t have to sleep separately, you know. Paimon doesn’t mind. But no funny business around Paimon, got it?!” 

Furina glances between the empty bed at which she sits and Paimon, patting the mattress beside her, and thinks about getting to sleep beside Lumine’s comforting warmth every night on this trip across the sea. It doesn’t take much thought for her to decide. “R-right, well, if it’s alright with you then surely it would be rude not to, right?”

She can practically hear Paimon rolling her eyes, but it’s fine. She already feels like she’s winning enough right now, as it is. 

~

She quickly finds, despite its size, the Alcor is actually faster than the merchant ship that took them from Sumeru to Inazuma. Between that and the shorter distance to reach Liyue, the trip only takes about three days. She can’t say she’s particularly disappointed- Fontaine’s disaster may be averted, and she may have a deep tie to the Hydro element, but something about the wide-open sea with nothing rising above the waves- it leaves an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she spends too long thinking about it, even despite the normally comforting presence of so much ambient Hydro energy.

Luckily, through those three days, she has good distractions from the melancholy and dread that sometimes threaten to overwhelm her. Lumine, especially- to the surprise of nobody- is of particular aid, always seeming to know what she needs; a gentle touch, a kind word, relaxed conversation, an… intimate distraction… It’s easy to forget, around Lumine. Easy to feel like just Furina, the human who caught the hand of a seemingly unattainable girl from another world. It’s a title she could get used to. Certainly, she finds it a far preferable one to those she used to bear. 

The crew are friendly and easy to get along with- especially since Lumine’s name seems to hold a lot of weight amongst them. Yet another reminder just how many hearts her Traveler has touched, in some way or another. They’re always eager to share stories and teach her Liyuen games to pass the time when Lumine is otherwise occupied- Furina soon learns that Lumine has a habit of fishing when she seeks solitude, and as much as she wishes to believe that she would be welcome even when the Traveler wants to be alone, she prefers not to risk the comfort they have in the now. Not yet, while things are still so fresh. 

One night, when Lumine has padded off in search of a quiet corner on the huge boat and Furina has found herself unable to sleep as Paimon kicks and wriggles around in search of a warm body to latch onto, she finds herself above decks herself. She can see Lumine, sitting atop one of the railings in as tucked-away a spot as she can manage, fishing pole in hand. She can’t see it from this distance in the dim moonlight, but she can tell by the set of her shoulders that Lumine is making that slightly-scrunched-up face she does when focusing a bit too hard. It brings an affectionate smile to her lips despite the distance, and she finds herself distracted, staring, when she hears a familiar voice behind her. 

“So, you and the Traveler, huh? There’s gotta be a story there.” The captain’s voice startles her enough to let out a faint squeak, and she whirls around to find Beidou leaning against the railing, her hawkish eye trained on Furina- and Lumine past her. “Relax, I’m not here to pry out your secrets, no matter how curious I may, admittedly, be. I consider the Traveler a very dear friend, so as long as you keep putting a smile on her face, you’re good in my book.” The captain gets a sly grin on her face, leaning in just slightly. “But if you ever do feel like sharing, well, I’ve always got an ear for some good gossip.” 

Furina glances between Lumine in the distance and the captain beside her- who she notes is looking out towards the sea, not at her. “You could say she helped me find my place in this world. Truth be told, I don’t completely understand what she sees in me…” Furina finds herself admitting aloud- despite her progress, self-doubt is still an eminent foe she must often face. 

The captain, to her surprise, actually scoffs. She’s taken aback, just about to remark in offense, when Beidou says “Anyone who spends a half day around you two can tell how happy you make her.” She sighs, folding her arms over her chest and glancing towards the bow of the ship, towards their distant destination. “The Traveler and I have a lot in common, so I can say this with some confidence; to a wanderer without a place to call their own, a person is often home. Someone around whom you can let your heart be unguarded.” Furina finds herself staring at Beidou, the sudden insightfulness coming as a surprise to her, and the captain turns to flash her a grin. “You make her feel safe and warm, like a familiar port of call. You can’t be too surprised she’s fallen for you.” 

Furina doesn’t quite know what to say to that, admittedly. She looks out to the vast ocean, trying to formulate her thoughts. 

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” It’s not quite a question, just in case Beidou doesn’t want to give a straight answer, but the captain just laughs softly- a wistful, not-quite-melancholy sound. “Yeah, you could say that.” Out of nowhere Beidou puts a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Living the life of a wanderer like we do… it’s hard on the people we love. The Traveler is a close friend of mine, so I hope you’ll think long and hard about whether you can handle it, lest she get her heart broken again.” Furina shrinks down a little bit, eyes finding her feet, before Beidou continues, “But it’s hard on us wanderers too, being away from the ones we love. If you’re willing to wait for her, she’ll always come back to you. Try to remember that, whenever it gets too hard.” The hand on her shoulder gives a light squeeze before retreating and, before Furina can respond, Beidou’s voice comes back, a bit more lighthearted- but with an undertone of seriousness still present. “But don’t worry, you two seem to have things on the right foot. Just make sure to talk to her when problems come up. Take it from me, communication is always the key.”

Soon after that, the captain leaves her alone with her thoughts. Every now and again she finds herself glancing over to Lumine, but she still can’t find it in herself to interrupt the woman’s meditative moment of quiet fishing. 

~

It’s early morning when they pull into what is apparently the Alcor ’s standard anchorage- a bit off the coast of Liyue Harbor, beside a miniature archipelago that seems to be formed from the collapsed and disintegrated remains of fallen stone pillars. She can even see the remnants of some, titanic and jagged, still rising out of the island. Lumine tells her of Rex Lapis’ battle with the sea-god Osial and how the pillars were once the vast stone lances wielded by the great god of contracts. She tells it as a grand story, aided in places by Beidou- and sometimes Kazuha weighs in through the form of a poem- and then she speaks in far less grandiose words of Osial’s return, and Furina can’t quite help but notice that Lumine’s version of the tale places far less importance on her own deeds and embellishes the deeds of others more than the version Beidou corrects her with. In fact, when she speaks of the subsequent battle with Osial’s wife, Beisht, Lumine leaves off her own importance almost entirely- it’s only Beidou’s additions that tell her about how Lumine dove into the sea after the titanic monster, accompanied only by one other, and still emerged victorious. It’s too public a setting for Furina to admonish her lover for so thoroughly downplaying her own importance, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to. 

By the time the rising sun has burned away most of the morning fog that rested upon the ocean and obscured Liyue Harbor from view, the crew have prepared the various smaller transport ships to dock at the harbor proper. Beidou insists that, as her honored guests, the trio should join her for the brief travel from ship to shore. 

Mostly, Furina watches the city grow larger as they approach, trying to take in the wide view as the fog lifts before she can’t see it from this angle anymore. She can hear Lumine talking with Beidou and Kazuha behind her- or rather, Paimon talking and Lumine sometimes adding things on. Now that the floating fairy has finally awakened, the pair have settled back into their habit of letting Paimon do most of the talking. Furina feels a little bit smug about the fact that Lumine still defaults to speaking with her directly- even if that’s sort of to be expected in their relationship by now. 

Liyue Harbor is definitely beautiful, though she quietly thinks that Fontaine and Sumeru are more spectacular. Still, after spending so much time in the wilds and then at sea, it’s nice to see a big city again, and it is certainly spectacular in its own right. She has to wonder what it looks like during Liyue’s famous lantern rite festival, especially after Lumine’s comment some time ago about it being the most incredible festival she’s so far witnessed on Teyvat. 

She can already feel the pre-festival energy, familiar from her time watching Fontaine set up for its various festivals. Everyone looks like they have something to do, someone to see, or something to make, and she loves it. Loves both the familiarity and the visceral sense of excitement in the air. It reminds her of her favorite times as the Hydro Archon, when festivals struck and she could pretend, in the moments that nobody was looking, that she was just a regular human enjoying the events. She wonders what it will be like, one of these days, getting to do just that.

“Paimon is hungry,” Paimon’s voice shatters her quiet thoughts, and Lumine can’t help but giggle in a knowing way at Furina’s reaction. She pouts and can tell the effect it has on her love, as Lumine’s hand immediately reaches for hers, their fingers slotting perfectly between eachother. “Can we go to Wanmin Restaurant first?” Paimon continues, her voice taking on a not-quite pleading quality that Furina can’t help but compare to a whining puppy. 

Lumine makes a thoughtful face with the faint undercurrent of a grimace. “I… think they still have some traditional recipes on the menu… Depends on if Xiangling is cooking, I guess.” She turns to Furina with a sigh and a shrug, whispering “Hopefully there’s something to your taste, otherwise I’ll cook you something later.” She gives Furina’s hand a half-apologetic squeeze before leading them onwards through Liyue’s lantern-lined streets, leaving Furina wondering what that means. 

Furina doesn’t exactly get the full guided tour experience as they meander their way to the restaurant, but Paimon does constantly point out stores and venues as they walk in a rapid-fire tirade that makes Furina wonder if she actually needs to take a breath, and does little to actually give her any sense of where anything is. It’s endearing, if a little bit grating on her ears. She can see why Lumine sees Paimon the way she does, like a little cousin. Furina still thinks they act more like siblings, though. 

By the time they reach the restaurant, Furina has begun to feel a bit peckish herself, and the smell of sizzling, fresh fried food is only making it worse. She can hear, over the din of merchants peddling their wares, the sound of excited conversation from the restaurant. Well, one of the voices sounds excited, at least. The other sounds halfway between reprimanding and placating, seemingly trying to discourage… something. It’s hard for Furina to make out what they’re actually saying. Lumine has a growing look of dreadful resignation, and Furina finds her heart sinking as she wonders why, if Lumine doesn’t like it here, they’re actually going. 

As if reading her mind, Lumine threads her fingers through Furina’s and gives her hand a squeeze. “Wanmin is a great restaurant, but their star chef specializes in… shall we say, experimental cooking. I know you aren’t the biggest fan of that, so, maybe try to stick with what chef Mao makes.” Furina is still a bit lost as to what she's implying, but the Traveler isn’t wrong about her taste in meals, and she trusts Lumine’s opinion a great deal. 

When they pull up to the restaurant, which is somewhere between a food stall and a hole-in-the-wall building, she finds the two voices look just as different as they sound. One is a not-quite-tall man with bushy black hair, dressed in a nice but plain outfit and looking emotionally exhausted as he stares down a much shorter woman- or, no, getting a closer look she can’t be older than her late teens, Furina is pretty certain- who is dressed in a brightly colored outfit and resting her weight on a spear. Furina also can’t help but notice the Pyro Vision strapped to her hip. She’s pretty sure she can tell who the experimental chef is, among these two. 

“C’mon dad, Guoba and I already tried it and it won’t make people sick or anything, I promise!” The girl is saying with a pout on her face before glancing over and immediately perking up as if the entire conversation has been forgotten. “Traveler! It’s been awhile! I just finished perfecting a new recipe! You’ll try it, won’t you?” She has the most delightfully innocent, enthusiastic grin and, for once, Furina can’t tell for the life of her whether this girl is faking it or not. 

Lumine, for her part, doesn’t seem to be particularly turned off by the idea, so maybe her reactions really were out of worry for Furina’s palette. Perhaps it shouldn’t be enough to make her heart swoon, but it does nonetheless. “Tell me what it is first, and then maybe I’ll try it. And of course Paimon will, too.” There’s a sly grin on Lumine’s face as she says the latter part, and Paimon sputters. “H-hey, Paimon reserves the right to say no, okay!” 

Lumine just shakes her head, smiling, before continuing. “That said, Furina here is new to town. Maybe she can start with one of your dad’s dishes before she tries one of your, uh, masterpieces?” 

The girl glances up, seeming to notice Furina for the first time, as if she was too caught up in the hope of having Lumine try her food. “Oh! Sure, that’s fine! Dad makes great food too!” The girl gives a grin, seemingly too excited to introduce herself until her father gives her a pat on the shoulder. “Oh, right, I’m Xiangling! It’s nice to meet you!” Now Furina is absolutely sure the excited grin is genuine, and it’s almost a little overwhelming. But she’s good at keeping herself pleasant and civil and hiding her true reactions. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss Xiangling. I’m Furina, an actor from Fontaine, and…” She turns to Lumine with an expectant smile, and Lumine blushes, glancing away but still muttering “and also my girlfriend” just loud enough to be heard, putting a self-satisfied smile on Furina’s face. 

After a brief moment of excited celebration (and subdued celebration from chef Mao) Xiangling steers back to Lumine’s earlier question. “Anyway, the new dish is a vishap and slime omelet! I finally managed to get ahold of enough Vishap eggs, and even got some fresh Vishap bacon! The slime makes the omelet extra fluffy, and I even managed to source some fungi from Sumeru!” 

Furina’s face pales- an impressive feat to begin with. So that’s what Lumine meant by ‘experimental.’ Is that even safe to eat? She supposes Lumine isn’t exactly human, if her story is to be believed, but still… and yet Lumine is just nodding along, as if it’s a totally reasonable recipe. Paimon looks a little less enthusiastic, but… “Paimon supposes she can try a bite off the Traveler’s plate… but Paimon wants regular mora meat, too! And some chili chicken!” Lumine just giggles and says “Sure, sure” before turning to Furina and actually pointing out some options on a menu. Finally Furina settles on a seafood dish called a ‘come and get it’ that just sounded too interesting not to try. 

There isn’t a lot of actual eating space at the restaurant, so Lumine ends up taking their food to go- after promising to return and give feedback on the monster omelet- and leads them to a little out of the way balcony by the bridge leading out of the city, overlooking the river below. There’s nowhere to sit or rest their food, but Lumine quickly fixes that by creating a small table and chairs out of Geo energy. Innocuous looking if not for the faint cracks that glow a gentle gold, signifying the structures’ impermanence. 

The food is actually quite wonderful, thankfully, though Lumine seems to find the omelet not entirely to her taste, as she only gets through about half of it before starting to steal from Paimon’s plate- and one or two bites from Furina’s meal, too. After they finish the meal they sit for awhile, enjoying the shade and some light conversation to wait out the worst of the afternoon sun. It’s nice, and domestic, and it fills Furina both with a wonderful, warm fuzziness, and a dread for when they return to Fontaine and Lumine goes back to traveling the world without her. It makes her think about Ayaka, about the way loneliness had sundered their relationship and left both women with obviously unresolved, painful feelings. 

She feels Lumine’s hand grasp her own, giving a slight squeeze as the Traveler lays her head gently on Furina’s shoulder, and only then does she notice the way she was worrying at her bottom lip with a sharp canine tooth, threatening to break skin. “If we’re all finished eating, shall we show you around?” Lumine offers a warm smile and most of Furina’s worries vanish in the radiance of it- though they remain somewhere, gnawing faintly. Still, she gives a smile of her own and squeezes Lumine’s hand in an affirmative. “I’d love that! I’ve heard Liyue’s markets are the best in Teyvat, and as quite the aficionado, I think it’s only right that I confirm that for myself!”

It quickly becomes clear that both Lumine and Paimon have been holding on to some extra mora for this very purpose- Paimon for her own purchases, and Lumine seemingly knowing Furina would find more of interest to her than she could reasonably afford- at least while being able to keep her apartment when she returns home without relying on Neuvillette’s charity. She knows he’s more than willing to give her anything she needs, but… she hates relying on it, and Lumine seems to want nothing more than to shower her with gifts- the Traveler repeatedly stating that she has no financial needs herself beyond food and weapon maintenance, and would much prefer to spend her copious piles of mora on her girlfriend instead. It’s a bit embarrassing, and maybe a bit too much, but Furina can’t help but bask in her lover’s attention a bit- nobody had truly given her a gift just because they liked her before Lumine. Certainly not Furina , as she is without her status, and certainly not out of romantic affection. 

Still, too much is too much, even for her. But just as she’s reaching to give Lumine’s shoulder a squeeze to get her attention, she hears a feminine voice calling out to them, and Lumine visibly brightens. Turning to follow her girlfriend’s gaze, Furina is greeted with the sight of a short woman with pale, pinkish-orange hair and shimmering jade green eyes- but the most distinct thing about her, aside from her clearly custom tailored red-and-black outfit, are the horns sweeping back and out from her head and the faint, sparse patches of scales that are just barely visible on the exposed parts of her skin. Furina has heard of the adepti before, of course, and finds herself wondering if she’s in the company of one such illustrious figure. It seems a bit rude to ask outright, though- she’ll save the question for a private moment with Lumine. 

“Yanfei!” Paimon calls out with the same level of enthusiasm she seems to use for every single one of her friends. “Are you busy working a case right now?” There’s a gleam in Paimon’s eyes as she asks the question, and the woman Furina assumes to be Yanfei just giggled brightly. “Actually, I just finished one. As ever, a resounding success! I was actually just getting ready to go have a celebratory dinner at Liuli pavilion, but perhaps you three would like to join me?” 

Paimon’s eyes sparkle as she turns to Lumine with an adorable, excited wiggle and grin on her face. “Can we? Can we? Paimon is starving after all that shopping!” Truth be told, Furina has started feeling pangs in her stomach as well- it’s already early evening, time flying by in their shopping spree. Lumine just shakes her head slightly, a wry smile on her face. “Sure, but- first of all, let me introduce you two. Yanfei, this is my girlfriend, Furina, an actress from Fontaine. Furina, this is Yanfei, the world’s greatest lawyer.” Furina smiles and gives a slight wave. She has to admit, she’s still slightly nervous around lawyers these days- which is entirely Lumine’s fault. She makes a note to get recompense for that the next time they’re in private. Yanfei, for her part, beams a friendly smile and offers a firm but warm and gentle handshake. Then she leans in with a sly grin on her face. “Just so you know, it’s not my specialty, but if you need someone to write you up a marriage contract…” and then she’s being pulled away by a sputtering, adorably pink-faced Lumine. To be fair, Furina is absolutely certain she’s beet-red in the face herself. She knows it’s far too early to think about something like that- and some part of her knows Lumine might leave this world someday, without her, which she tries very hard not to think about- but it’s hard not to let the image form. Lumine, standing across from her, in a beautiful wedding dress, Furina sliding a ring onto her finger… 

She shakes her head vigorously to scatter the wayward thoughts- the happy ones, and the lurking, unhappy ones. Instead she chimes into the conversation, trying to keep her expression relatively natural. “I am feeling a bit peckish by now. It would be nice to get to know one of your friends over a relatively normal dinner, wouldn’t it?” Lumine looks at her with a slightly raised eyebrow for a half-second, and Furina wonders just how well the girl can actually read her. But she just nods and smiles. “Alright then, I guess we’ll be taking you up on that dinner, Yanfei.”

It’s been awhile, Furina realizes as they take their seats in Liuli pavilion, since she’s had dinner at a fancy restaurant. Sure, she’s eaten at a number of places in their journey across Teyvat so far, and Lumine has cooked her plenty of dishes that easily match the fanciest places in Fontaine, but there’s an experience to dining at an expensive restaurant like this that just doesn’t compare. The atmosphere, the presentation, the service, it all adds just as much to the mix as the quality of food. It’s a bit exciting, and part of her wishes it would have been on a proper date with Lumine, instead of an outing with her friend. She feels the Traveler’s fingers interlace with hers, giving her hand a squeeze, and she can’t help but wonder if Lumine is thinking the same thing. 

Yanfei is good at making conversation. She talks about some of the more interesting cases she’s worked on- the parts she can talk about, at least- and Furina even learns that she’s only half Adeptus without even needing to ask anything more than a slightly leading question. At the same time, she’s an eager audience, listening to Paimon tell the tales of their recent adventures- with Lumine and Furina occasionally correcting some detail- and chiming in with questions or clever comments at just the right times. When dinner arrives they’re all loath to quiet the conversation, but hunger wins out soon enough- and oh is it worth it. The food is delicious, and it really settles in for Furina how much she’s missed all this. Perhaps there were some aspects of her time as Fontaine’s Archon that aren’t so bad to look back on. 

By the time they’re ready to leave, the stars are shining in the night sky, and Furina is greeted by the beautiful, sparkling sight of lantern-lit Liyue- and if this is just how it looks on the day to day, she can see why Lumine finds the Lantern Rite festival so impressive.

They bid Yanfei goodnight and farewell soon after dinner, Lumine promising to visit sooner rather than later while still keeping it noncommittal. Furina tries to tamp down the thoughts as she wonders if Lumine will act the same when they bid farewell at the end of this little voyage. A gentle squeeze on her hand helps quiet the anxiety though, as Lumine always seems to read her worries like an open book and find a way to quietly comfort her. She tightens her own grip and doesn’t let go even as Lumine leads them to a comfortable place to set up the teapot. 

Furina stares at the ceiling above her. The Teapot had changed to a fantastical design evocative of some beautiful Adepti castle in the sky but she has been too preoccupied with her thoughts to pay much attention to the change in scenery, even if it might deserve it. Paimon had dragged Lumine off to their room and Furina hadn't quite felt right following them, so instead she found her own- marked by the plushies she had slowly been hoarding over the course of the trip- and went through the half-automated motions of getting ready for bed. 

But now that she's here, sleep eludes her. Too many thoughts swirling in her mind, both good and bad. Worries, about her future with Lumine and her future in Fontaine, whirl together with joyous memories from the journey so far and the way that Lumine has managed, without even trying, to shine a positive light on memories that she thought held nothing but pain for her anymore. It's an overflowing sort of feeling, painful yet pleasant, bubbling up in her chest and pricking tears at the corners of her eyes. 

Just as she reaches up to rub away the tears blurring at the edges of her vision, she hears the door sliding open and quiet footsteps, familiar to her by now, pad their way towards the bed. She glances over to find Lumine, wearing a pretty white nightgown and shifting on her feet almost anxiously. 

Immediately Furina sits up, and Lumine settles down a bit- though Furina isn't sure how much is genuine and how much she's just hiding her anxieties. She opens her mouth to say something and then closes it, and Furina just smiles softly and pats the bed beside her. She knows it can take Lumine some time to formulate what she wants to say and how she wants to say it. She may not have any right to claim that she's a patient woman, but for Lumine… for the girl she loves, she can manage. 

Lumine half-smiles, fidgeting with her hands beneath her chest, but sits down right where Furina requested, and immediately she can't help but wrap the Traveler- her Traveler- in a gentle embrace.

They're both silent for a little while after that- Furina doesn't care to check how long it takes before Lumine speaks up. “I'm not usually much good with words, but, well.” The blonde takes a deep breath and then rests her head on Furina's shoulder. “I’m sorry. I wish I could just… settle down with you and never again have to think about leaving eachother, I really do.” Furina's breath catches in her throat. “I wish we could have a normal relationship. One where I would cook for you every morning and night, and always be there to kiss you to sleep. But I can't settle down. Even- even if I do find my brother, I don't know if I can ever stop traveling. I don't know. But… I do know that I want to be with you, if you’ll have me despite it all. I love you, after all.” Lumine finishes her statement with a weak smile and Furina realizes then and there that Lumine had never directly spoken those three words, even upon accepting her confession. And in that moment, nothing else matters- all the worries, the discussions, it could all wait. 

Her lips find Lumine’s like crashing waves, moving just a bit too quickly to the displeasure of her teeth, but Lumine just giggles and brushes the enthusiasm aside, pulling her in close and kissing her as if her life depended on it, as if Lumine were drowning and Furina were the only source of oxygen around. “You'll come back to me?” She whispers when they pull away just slightly, her lips still brushing against Lumine's. The Traveler nods, quickly, giving Furina a slight squeeze in their embrace. “Always. As long as we both live, as long as you still want me, I promise to find my way back to your side.”

Furina giggles shakily, though she can't hide the faint tears that still slowly drip down her cheeks- sad tears and happy tears intermingling in the trails left on her skin. “And you say you're bad with words,” she teases, “yet you're so wonderfully cheesy at times like this.” Lumine just huffs in faux-offense, leaning in for another kiss, and Furina can feel the smile on her lips. It brings one to her own, in turn. 

It doesn't take long for the kiss to heat up after that, Lumine's hands wandering over Furina's back even as Furina finds herself more boldly grasping and teasing along Lumine’s hips and thighs. Steadily she feels Lumine steering her down to the bed on her back and she knows what's coming, but she wants- she wants- 

With a surge she didn’t quite know she had in her, Furina takes Lumine by the wrists and flips their positions, pushing her down. Not roughly, but forceful enough to take the Traveler by surprise, her back hitting the mattress and leaving her huffing out a slight giggle. “What's gotten into you, Princess?” She asks with a teasing glint in her eye, but Furina has plans. “I want to touch you this time. I-if that's alright, of course. Is that alright?” her fingertips still graze over the outsides of Lumine's thighs, up and down from the curve of her hips to the edge of her knee, and she can feel Lumine shivering slightly against her touch. 

The blonde looks away, biting her lip and fidgeting even with her hands pinned. “I don't usually… like to let people touch me. I much prefer to be the one giving pleasure than receiving it- that's more than enough for me to get my fill.” Furina feels herself deflate slightly, looking away, but Lumine leans over to kiss her wrist where her hand is pinning Lumine’s own. “But if it's you… I don't mind. Just once in awhile. A-and-” Lumine blushes, an adorable mixture of fluster and embarrassment, “just not… inside, okay?” She finishes, unable to meet her lover's gaze. Furina gives the most reassuring smile she can manage, and tries to say the sort of thing Lumine would tell her. “Don't worry, love. I'll be gentle.” 

Lumine relaxes a bit after that, arching up beautifully when Furina bites at her neck or collarbone or palms one of her cute, perky little breasts, rolling her cute, already-hardened nipple between her fingers in the way she knows Lumine likes to touch her. It's exhilarating, being able to touch the untouchable Traveler like this. Being the only one able to touch the Traveler like this. She wants more, wants to feel Lumine writhe under her, hear the moans that she's holding in, and she starts to understand just why Lumine enjoys this so much. 

One of Lumine's hands tangles in her silver hair and pulls her into a kiss, needy and desperate in a way she rarely has the privilege of seeing, letting Furina set the pace as she slips her tongue past Lumine's soft lips. It's barely anything new- she's used to kissing Lumine by now- but Lumine's willing submission feels wonderfully strange at the same time- and powerfully erotic. She wants more. She needs more. She doesn't know how often Lumine will let her do this, after all, and she wants to enjoy it to the fullest extent possible. 

Finally, she breaks the kiss, pulling back to stare down at her lover and admire her work; Lumine is breathing heavily below her, gold eyes dilated with growing need and red marks already beginning to darken on her pale skin, chest heaving as she all-but pants, and gods Furina could get used to this. Finally she goes back to attacking Lumine's bare neck with kisses, bites and hickeys before slowly kissing down, pulling her nightgown down over a shoulder and kissing all the way to the base of her breast before leaning down to gently, ever-so-gently bite at her nipple through the fabric, eliciting the tiniest, bit-back whine from Lumine's lips- it's barely audible and yet one of the most erotic sounds Furina has ever heard. She needs more. 

She doesn't stop gently kissing and biting at Lumine's breasts through her nightgown, but she does begin to drag her fingers down Lumine's side, propping herself up on the other arm and biting her lip at the breathy sound Lumine makes when Furina’s fingers brush against the edge of her hip- so of course Furina goes back and forth over that spot a few times, feeling Lumine gently writhing beneath her, before continuing to drag her fingers downwards until they pass the edge of Lumine's nightgown, brushing against bare skin and beginning to slowly circle to the smooth stretch of her inner thigh just above the knee. 

Lumine whimpers gently at the passage of her fingertips, slowly moving back upwards along the silky expanse of Lumine's inner thigh and slowly pushing the hem of her gown higher and higher up her legs until she feels a slight dampness on Lumine's thigh, and raises an eyebrow as her love wriggles under her, hips arching up in a needy way and pushing Furina's hand higher. Furina gasps as her fingers reach the apex of Lumine's thigh, brushing softly against the crease of her hips and eliciting a low, quiet moan that Lumine quickly covers with her hand, to Furina's disappointment. “I love you,” She whispers against Lumine's neck, giving a gentle bite to punctuate the remark and earning a breathy sound from Lumine. “I, hah, love you too,” She gasps out- or starts to. The sentence is cut off by a loud gasp that turns into a whine as Furina's fingers brush over her, and Furina can't suppress a sharp intake of breath at the feeling of hot, slick wetness against her fingers- and she's barely getting started. 

“You're already so wet for me…” She leans back up Lumine's body to whisper in her ear, still trying to follow the example Lumine has set in their numerous encounters since the bathhouse. It seems to work, earning her a groan from behind Lumine's hand even before she shifts her own hand to press her fingers into Lumine's wet heat- she can't help the shaky breath she releases at the feeling- and gather it up at her fingertips to brush back up against Lumine's already-hardened clit. The reaction is immediate, Lumine's hips lifting off the mattress as she presses a thumb beneath her teeth, biting down even as she fails to suppress the loving whimpers emerging around it. It's far too erotic a sight- and certainly too erotic a feeling as Lumine's wetness all but soaks her fingers- and Furina can feel the growing ache between her own thighs growing insistently needy. 

She shifts to press Lumine's leg between her thighs, rocking her hips against it- it's not enough, but it's well-needed friction and it drives her even wilder, coherency rapidly devolving into a desperate need to make Lumine cum against her fingers, even as her newly freed hand all-but dives between her own legs, teasing herself at the same pace she's set for her lover. All that she can think about is Lumine's skin against her lips, the slick arousal against her fingers, and making them both cum together as hard as she possibly can. 

“ Mnn, Furina, please…” Lumine's voice is high and shaky, breath stuttering, and Furina can tell she's close. It's exhilarating, having Lumine in the palm of her hand like this. “Okay,” She whispers softly, picking up the pace a bit, “Anything for you…”

That seems to be the trigger, as moments later Lumine is arching up against her and Furina can only watch in awe as her lover cums against her hand, covering her face with an arm as a broken moan tears itself from her throat and her hips twitch needily against Furina's fingers, locked into place arching up to seek contact, and Furina feels a rush of wetness flow down her hand that elicits a low moan from her own throat. It's enough to make her cum too, eyesight going white and hips rapidly stuttering against her other hand as she practically falls forward, face buried in Lumine's chest and panting heavily, finally nuzzling against her lover's chest as she starts to come down. 

When she looks up, Lumine is staring at her with one of the softest expressions she's ever seen, chest still rising and falling with heavy breaths. “I love you.” Her voice is barely a whisper as her hands tangle in Furina's hair, not tugging or pulling just seeking comfort. “I love you too, my sweet knight.” Furina speaks into the crook of Lumine's neck, pressing close against her even as Lumine struggles to pull the blanket over them. Furina makes no attempt to help- she's much too busy cuddling the woman she loves, after all. 

She knows that soon things will change. She must return to her life in Fontaine, and Lumine must continue her quest and satisfy her wandering spirit. But she knows too that Lumine will find a way back to her. It's a promise she's more than willing to believe- after all, Lumine is the Traveler, and she always finds a way forward. After all, she certainly found one for Furina.

Chapter Text

You're the sweetness in a warm cup of tea

When the world around us quiets and it's just you and me

You're like autumn, my dear, so simple and divine

How could we have been so lucky

To exist and find each other at this time?

[Reinaeiry - Autumn]

When Furina wakes, the first thing she feels is a gentle massaging on her scalp, like fingertips lightly tracing through her soft hair. Blinking her groggy eyes open, she's greeted with the sight of Lumine, just slightly propped up on the pillow beside her. Sometime in their sleep, Furina seems to have ended up nestled into Lumine’s side, head on her shoulder with Lumine's arm wrapped around her. The Traveler holds a book in her other hand, leisurely thumbing through the pages. It's wonderfully domestic, and Furina can't help the flood of warm fuzziness in her chest as she watches for a moment. 

At least until she realizes, with horrified embarrassment, that the book is one of her light novels from Inazuma- one of the racier ones about a character suspiciously similar to her Lumine. As if she’s been aware all along of Furina's state of wakefulness, Lumine chooses that moment- likely sensing Furina’s embarrassment- to get a sly grin on her face and speak with a chuckle evident in her voice. “It's a good book, I can see why you'd like it. For the plot.” 

Furina flushes scarlet to the tips of her ears, half-flailing as she grasps for the book to pull it free of Lumine's hands. “D-don't read that! I mean, I, um, haven't read it! So I wouldn't know.” Lumine raises an eyebrow, grin settling into an easygoing smirk. “Right, of course. And I'm sure this book about…” She glances at the current page, before turning back to Furina, “some knightly blonde traveler ravishing her way through Inazuma… it must have ended up here by accident?” 

Furina turns away, hiding her face in her hands with an embarrassed whine. “Lumiiiine… don’t be mean to me…” she pouts, wrapping the blanket around herself more tightly as if for emphasis. Lumine just giggles and rolls over to spoon her, pulling Furina into her arms and amorously kissing the back of her neck-

“Hey! Paimon knows you're awake in there! Paimon is starving!” 

The exclamation is punctuated by a sharp tapping on the door, presumably Paimon knocking with her tiny little fist. Immediately Furina feels herself go from a blush of arousal to one of sheer embarrassment, even as Lumine cackles at the situation, calling back through the door amidst a fit of laughter. “Alright, be there in a moment Paimon!” Furina can just barely hear the fairy muttering “You better make something really tasty…” through the door. 

“Well,” Lumine says as she sits up, “I guess it's breakfast time.”

~

The sun is bright and shining in a near-cloudless sky when they finally leave the teapot, later than Lumine usually allows. The city is already bustling, crowds rushing through the streets towards their destinations. It's packed and chaotic and so very alive . It reminds her of home in a way the other cities have not, and she can't help but feel a pleasant warmth at the sight. Lumine seems to notice, because their walking pace seems to slow down, just a little bit. 

For the most part they just walk, meandering towards the city exit, but there is a moment where Lumine darts away into the market square, mysteriously returning a few moments later and handing Furina a pendant with a pale blue Noctilucous Jade shaped like a star set in the center. She doesn't say anything, doesn't even meet Furina's eyes as she hands it to her, but Furina can see the cute dusting of pink on her cheeks nonetheless, and wastes no time in putting it on such that the star-shaped stone sits at the base of her neck, between her collarbones. It's warm from sitting in the sunlight, and her heart feels just the same. 

She realizes they've been retracing yesterday's steps as they set foot on a familiar, downward-sloping wooden bridge, framed by twisting orange-leafed trees on the far side- the bridge leading towards the smaller market square near which Wanmin Restaurant lurks. Now that she's thinking about it, she can actually smell what very well might be Wanmin's fresh cooking. It's nice, but not the direction she was expecting them to leave in. When she says as much, Lumine looks a bit sheepish. “I prefer this route out of the city, even though it's not so famous. And I figured we could swing by the Chasm so you can at least see it. We'll have to go spelunking next time.” Furina doesn't think she'd ever have been interested in spelunking before her time with Lumine. 

As they step into the square, the conversation dies down as Lumine looks up and says “Huh?” right as Paimon says “Do you think he actually likes Tian's stories, or just uses them as an excuse to appear whenever we're in town?”

Furina follows their gaze across the way to a man in a beautifully embroidered, gold-patterned brown coat, currently sitting at a table and sipping something- maybe tea- while staring at a man who seems to be telling a story, based on his gesticulations to the (rather small) crowd. It's hard to say what's so special about him at a glance, but Furina can recognize the teasing tone that, somehow, denotes Paimon's respect and fondness for a person. “Who's that?” She asks, glancing between her companions.

Lumine's flickering smile and the tone of her voice all-but-confirm the man's status as someone the pair respect. “He's… complicated , but he's a good friend. Taught us a lot about Teyvat and the history here, among other things. Helped us out a few times, too.” Furina raises an eyebrow,  glancing at Paimon with a smirk spreading across her features. “Oh? And here I thought Paimon was Teyvat's number one travel guide. But it would seem you were outdone in the very second nation you two visited…” 

Paimon’s splutters are immediate, and loud enough that Furina can see the man they pointed out perk up slightly in recognition. “Why you! Paimon is a tour guide, not a historian! Trivia! Food facts! The best spots to visit on a trip! Paimon knows all the important things, so stop bullying her!” 

The conversation- if it can be called that- rapidly devolves into a fit of giggles. They could almost be mistaken for a group of normal friends, were Lumine and Paimon not quite so unique. Furina supposes she stands out a bit, too. Luckily, she doesn't have much time to let the thought of a world like that flesh itself out in her head, as Paimon insistently drifts her way towards the little teahouse and the storyteller, or rather the man in the audience. 

He looks up at them after a serene-looking sip of tea, and a kind smile curls at the corners of his lips. “Good day to you, Traveler- and company.” His piercing, amber eyes turn to Furina with an appraising glance, and she shifts back and forth as she finds his expression unreadable, though the smile remains. He just seems to have a very good poker face. “It's always a pleasure to meet a friend of the Traveler. You can call me Zhongli.” He reaches out a hand for Furina to shake, and she finds him to have a sturdy but not overly-tight grip. It reminds her a bit of Neuvillette.

She responds with a slight bow, and can just barely hear Lumine’s well-stifled giggle at the formality. “Furina, at your service. The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure. Lumine speaks quite highly of you, after all.” She says, shooting a sly glance to the Traveler beside her, who's looking a tiny bit embarrassed. Victory.  

Zhongli raises an eyebrow, and then the corner of his mouth twitches up into a gentle smile. “Ah, I thought you looked familiar,” he says with a note in his voice that makes Furina think he may have known who she was the whole time, “I am familiar with some of Fontaine’s artworks, and though I have never had the pleasure of personally witnessing you on the stage, the Archon of Fontaine is a rather striking figure in the portrait’s I’ve seen.” Surprisingly, Furina doesn’t find herself feeling all that unsettled by his preexisting knowledge of her- though perhaps that’s due to Lumine’s comforting presence beside her. 

“I had heard that you’ve stepped down as Fontaine’s Archon- I don’t mean to offend, but it is… a very pleasant thing to see a former god able to be so carefree.” Zhongli closes his eyes and takes a long, thoughtful sip of his tea after that, and Furina can’t help but feel there’s hidden layers to his words. Still, she feels no malice or deceit behind them. “No offense taken, Mr. Zhongli. If anything, it’s nice to know this vacation has elicited such changes in me.” He simply smiles, brighter than she’s yet seen, and finishes his cup of tea. Furina can’t help but glance out of the corner of her eye, and sees Lumine looking at her with a heart-meltingly warm expression in her golden eyes. Furina quickly looks away, feeling her cheeks warming. 

Zhongli, for his part, either doesn’t notice or is kind enough to pretend as he stands to his full, somewhat imposing height. Furina sees him exchange a wordless, unreadable glance with Lumine before nodding to himself. “Knowing the Traveler, I assume you three are in the process of leaving the city already. If you wouldn't mind company for some portion of your journey, I intended to travel to Jueyun Karst today.” He shakes his head solemnly. “That troublesome kid managed to talk me into retrieving some things for her.” 

Lumine smiles and nods once, and Paimon takes the chance to insert herself into the conversation. “Paimon guesses that’s fine, but you better provide us with some stories for the road! Paimon’s throat will get all dry and dusty if she has to provide commentary the whole time!” 

Zhongli smiles, and there's laughter in his voice when he speaks. “Of course, Paimon. That seems like an entirely fair contract; I accept.” It seems an odd turn of phrase to Furina, but she's unused to Liyue customs and sayings and this guy seems on the flowery and eccentric side anyway, so… it's probably nothing. 

“Well, that’s settled then! Let's grab a snack and then we can leave!” Paimon says, a tiny bit of drool at the corner of her mouth, and Lumine huffs in amusement. “You just ate like, an hour ago. Where do you fit all that food, anyway?” to which Paimon gasp, aghast. “Hey! Paimon just has a high met… meta… metabolism!” She says, sounding out the last word one syllable at a time. “At least, Paimon thinks that's what Sigewinne said…”

Lumine just rolls her eyes, already heading in the direction of Wanmin restaurant.

~

Fortunately- or unfortunately, as Furina does enjoy the time in civilization- they get on the road soon after that, Paimon and Furina both happily munching on some fried food they can eat on the go. It’s always a unique pleasure, for being so used to fancy meals, to enjoy something so well-made and at the same time so homey, she thinks. 

Lumine, for her part, seems to quietly enjoy Furina's own enjoyment of the snack. 

In front of her, Lumine and Zhongli are discussing their itinerary for the day, while beside her Paimon is busy stuffing her face with her own snack, leaving Furina free to watch the landscape as they pass by. They're not too far out of the city yet, so she doesn't expect anything too spectacular, but she has to admit the mountains of Liyue are even more awe-inspiring than in the pictures. 

As they pass by a pair of titanic stone statues, holding spears as if guarding the road they don't take, Lumine slows her pace a little until she's beside Furina again, the backs of their hands sometimes brushing against eachother with unspoken affection. “We're gonna follow the road to the Chasm, but after that we'll be swinging north- which means we're back to hiking. I know you aren't that fond of going off the roads, sorry.” Furina huffs. She isn't wrong , but at the same time, she's come a long way since they left Fontaine, even in such a brief time span. “I don't mind!” She says, with unexpected resolution, “I can do it!” 

Lumine turns to look at her, eyes just slightly widened, before her face melts into an expression of pride. Furina's heart thuds in her chest, and she quickly looks away, a blush on her cheeks. 

“Alright, alright, break it up lovebirds! It's story time!” Paimon's shrill voice breaks the moment, and she huffs- but can't keep up any real semblance of annoyance. “My apologies,” Zhongli begins, “I merely suggested I had a story about the Chasm for Miss Furina, I didn't mean for Paimon to ruin your moment.” There's a slightly sly look in Zhongli's eyes that makes her think he’s not being entirely truthful, but she is intrigued. “Fine, fine, I suppose I am a bit curious to learn more about this place, since Lumine has told me so little.” This time it’s Lumine’s turn to scoff- not that she has any right to. It’s the truth, after all. Zhongli raises an eyebrow, a smile playing on his features. “It’s good to see you, too, being so relaxed, Traveler.” He says, a hint of playfulness in his voice. Lumine blushes and glances away. “Yeah yeah, tell your story, old man.” It strikes Furina as a little odd; Zhongli looks like a man in his prime, as far as she can tell. “Very well,” he says, his voice warm. “Though I’m afraid Lumine and Paimon may be familiar with the specifics of this story. It's about the sacrifice of brave heroes, both Human, and Adeptus.” He briefly clears his throat and turns to Furina. “Miss Furina, do you know what, or who, the title ‘Yaksha’ refers to?”

~

Not much of interest happens on the way. They pass a part of the road that's flooded, and Furina smugly uses her Vision to walk atop it, sticking her tongue out at Lumine as she walks around the edge. Her amusement doesn’t last long, however, as an Abyss Mage pops up in the center, spooking her so badly she falls straight into the water, and reminding her that the area is, in fact, still dangerous. 

The Mage has only a moment to loom over her, a sadistic note in its unsettling cackle, before Lumine is upon it with a fury evident in her eyes, even before Furina herself can react. It's been awhile since she’s seen Lumine fighting, and it doesn't last long. The creature surrounds itself in a barrier of Hydro energy, but it's immediately wrapped in glowing green vines that constrict until the barrier cracks and shatters, and seconds later the creature is crushed under a meteoric Geo construct, becoming little more than a burst of elemental particles- Furina glances over and sees Zhongli with his arms crossed, an impassive, stony expression on his face. She hadn't thought much about the Geo vision on his hip, but she supposes he must be well-trained with it. 

Lumine fusses over her for longer than she'd like after that, but soon enough they're back on the road. Lumine is quieter now, her head on a swivel, but eventually Zhongli continues his story and the group slowly begins to relax- though everyone still keeps a wary eye on their surroundings. 

~

It’s almost evening when they reach the edge of the Chasm, the sun just nearly touching the distant horizon, but not yet setting. It makes for a truly breathtaking view, staring across the titanic, spiraling crater. It’s a little bit dizzying to stare at, and the rust-red vegetation only makes it feel more ominous- Zhongli’s bittersweet tale only adds to the dreariness, though none of it makes the sight any less awe-inspiring. Lumine has told her, too, a few of the things that the Traveler has seen in the underground mines and even deeper, though Furina can tell there's a lot that Lumine is still keeping her in the dark about. A part of her wonders if Lumine will ever fully let her in, and another wonders if she'll be content if Lumine never does. 

“It's hard to see from here,” says Paimon's voice, easily cutting through her quiet, internal thoughts, and Furina follows her pointing finger to a distant spot in the northern edge of the crater, “but right about there is a path- Paimon won't even call it a road- into Lumberpick Valley! That's where we're going! After that Paimon thinks we'll probably go northeast until we get back on the road near Jueyun Karst. But you know Lumine, there’s really no knowing where she'll go once there's no longer a road in sight.” Furina stifles a giggle, knowing that Paimon isn’t entirely wrong. Lumine has certainly earned her title as ‘The Traveler’. Up ahead, Furina can tell by the way Lumine’s head is half-cocked in their direction that she can probably hear them, so she is of course required to double down on the teasing. It’s required by law. One that she’ll get Neuvillette to pass as soon as she gets back. “It’s true, sometimes I wonder if we should get her a leash, lest she run off…”

She realizes her mistake too late, when she looks back to see Lumine’s eyes squarely on her, and an hellishly dangerous glint in her eye- Furina feels a slight shiver run down her spine as Lumine briefly slows her pace until she’s shoulder to shoulder with Furina and whisper in her ear, “If one of us is ever wearing a leash, Princess, it won’t be me.” She doesn’t even give Furina a moment to recover, let alone rebuff, before returning to her position at the front of the group with Zhongli. Furina is left sputtering, and Paimon very quickly goes from “What did she even say?” to “Ew! Nevermind! Paimon doesn't wanna know anymore!” as she sees Furina’s face go from pale to crimson in record time. 

It quickly turns out that, heavily guarded as the Chasm is, the main danger this far from the mine entrances is the terrain itself; Furina sees little evidence of most of the monsters that typically harry them in their off-road excursions, beyond the very occasional geo slimes that they either sneak around or surreptitiously dispatch. But unstable rock formations can be just as deadly as they sound, and though the Chasm's unnatural formations remain surprisingly sturdy, fragments of them are nonetheless prone to collapse- and where a skull is considered, being crushed by a thirty pound rock falling at high speed is little different than being crushed by a titanic boulder. It's only thanks to Zhongli’s attunement to the Geo element that they avoid putting that to the test. 

But aside from that harrowing aspect and a newfound respect for some of Fontaine’s more eccentric geological features, their journey around the edge of the Chasm is surprisingly brief. Soon enough they’re at the base of what Paimon refused to call a road, and Furina sees why. The path is so steep she suspects she’ll be grasping for handholds in some places, and it looks like it may not have seen maintenance once in the last century- idly, she finds herself wishing she had thought to buy hiking boots in one of the cities. Still, she's come a long way since their early days in Sumeru's desert- which she maintains was a terrible place to start her adventure- so she resolves herself to only complain a little bit, no matter how sore her legs are by the time they make camp. 

~

They make a bit more progress by the time dusk has truly fallen, the light low and gray; at the edge of Tianqiu Valley is a long-shattered watchpoint, the stone walkway that once stretched above the road broken so long ago that no sign of the fragments still impede the road. On either side though, covered towers still remain, perhaps for signal fires- regardless, they now serve well enough to shield the Teapot from the sight of passersby. 

Inside, Lumine is preparing dinner- she refuses to tell anyone what it will be, locking herself in the kitchen and leaving no hints beyond the agonizingly enticing scents wafting out of the kitchen doors. Fortunately, Zhongli suggests retiring to the front porch with a cup of tea he prepared before Lumine could take over- now Furina, Paimon, and Zhongli all sit on the front steps of a beautiful mansion, gazing down at jagged, cloud-piercing peaks akin to Liyue's famous karsts. In the teapot, the temperature is never uncomfortable, but even still it feels somehow chillier here- when she can see the clouds so far below her- than in the much more terrestrial teapot realms she's been familiar with so far. 

“So, Miss Furina. Forgive my rudeness, but what brings you out here? Surely a former Archon has better things to do than wander Teyvat alongside Lumine of all people.” There’s a warmth in her voice that makes her feel like the dig at her lover is entirely faked, but it still makes her feel a little bit slighted on Lumine's behalf. “It seems to me like Lumine's adventures are far more exciting and important than the duties of an Archon, let alone what came afterwards. Everything is so much simpler out here, with her. I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not, or act like I'm doing perfectly fine at all times, or-!” 

She catches herself and turns away, taking a sip of tea and clearing her throat. “Sorry, I didn't mean to get so heated.” It's a murmur, but loud enough to hear. Zhongli hums slightly. “Not at all, Miss Furina. It is I who should apologize for treading on unpleasant subjects. I'm afraid my curiosity got the better of me; my deepest apologies.” Furina sighs, the warmth and comforting scent of the tea helping calm her. “I suppose it’s fine. That time of my life is simply not one I fondly look back upon.” 

Zhongli looks up, at the false stars that decorate the sky of this teapot dimension. 

“The past is a fickle, complicated beast, and doubly so for beings as long-lived as Gods and Adepti. I have seen and heard some of what you did for the nation of Fontaine; If I were the Geo Archon, I would surely be proud to have had you among our number… but doubly so to see you now living for yourself. I hope that, if nothing else, you're able to feel some of that well-earned pride, now.” 

Furina's eyes shoot up to look at Zhongli with a squint, processing his words with a thudding heart, but- “... Are you the Geo Archon?” She asks, finally, with a squint- her curiosity getting the better of her. Zhongli smiles and shakes his head, but there’s a certain mirthfulness on his features as he denies it. “Rex Lapis perished years ago, didn't you hear? I'm sure Lumine could tell you plenty of things about the funeral that was held in his honor- she was quite briefly accused of murdering him, after all.”

Furina is absolutely certain he's hiding something, but she's equally certain that nothing she asks will pull the truth out of him- whether that truth is what she now slightly suspects or not. 

Not too long afterwards, they're all sat around the teapot’s dining table, with a spread of Liyue cuisine to choose from- Full-moon eggs, stir fried shrimp, tea-soaked squab, Qingce stir-fry, jadevein tea eggs... Furina almost wonders if Lumine secretly has an army of cooking minions for times like this. It's way more than any one person can eat- or even most groups of four- but Lumine and Paimon's bottomless stomachs win out in the end, and Furina does get to learn the details of Lumine's brief time on the run from Liyue's Millelith, and her subsequent time working with Zhongli on Rex Lapis’ funeral- which only further raises her suspicions. 

They retire for the night soon after, and Furina falls asleep with Lumine's arm around her and Paimon's quiet snoring in the background. 

~

The next morning greets them with a delicious smell, and after dragging themselves out of bed the trio are greeted by Zhongli with a bowl of soup for each of them. Lumine and Paimon's reactions tell her everything she needs to know; that she's about to eat an absolutely mindblowing meal. Paimon actually pumps her fist in excitement. “Yes! Zhongli cooked for us! Best morning ever!” The man in question, meanwhile, just smiles, remaining quiet even as the trio savor the meal- and indeed, even Paimon, who so often scarfs her food like a starving hound, takes her time with every bite. Furina can tell premium ingredients were sourced from the subtle but beautiful flavors intertwining in her mouth, and wonders where Zhongli got them- or if Lumine's kitchen is even more well-stocked than she realized  

The meal certainly starts the day off with high spirits, Furina and Paimon joking and laughing together as they often do, while Lumine and Zhongli occasionally poke in with their similar styles of dry humor. 

~

It's still early morning when they set out properly, and Furina still wears a pleasant smile on her face as they set out into the valley. Up ahead, Paimon, Lumine, and Zhongli are discussing their travel plan for the day, giving Furina a chance to lag behind and take in some of the sights of Tianqiu Valley- which mostly consists of ancient, long-ruined stone structures collapsed into the floodplain. It's beautiful in a slightly eerie, mournful way, and she can't help but notice how much of Liyue is dotted by ruins like this. She has to wonder what it would have looked like before, when these structures stood strong and tall all across Liyue's landscape- she supposes it must have been during the Archon War, long before even her time. 

They turn to the west as they near the northern pass out of the valley, instead heading towards a flooded canyon with what looks to be an ancient bridge, now broken into many pieces at various elevations. At the end of the canyon is a sheer cliff wall, too steep and tall she suspects for even Lumine to climb. “W-wait, how are we getting up there?” She asks, pointing towards the edge of the cliff that towers above them. “Oh! That's easy, don't worry- Zhongli and I have it handled, isn't that right old man?” Lumine says with a smirk- Zhongli just sighs, but an affectionate look passes over his face. “My skills are yours, of course.”

She still isn’t quite sure what they have in mind until the pair begin channeling their Geo powers, and wide stone pillars begin to stretch between the first few bridge segments to provide a ramp to each. “Oh,” she says, looking between them, “that is much simpler than I had imagined.” 

Lumine just smirks and offers Furina her hand to hold. 

Once they've ascended, Furina immediately casts a glance back where they came- the valley looks rather different from this high up, after all, and she can see the ruin-strewn canyon stretching behind them for what feels like a much further distance than they’ve actually traveled- though perhaps she's just developing better stamina for these hikes. She wonders if perhaps she should keep up the habit when she returns home and take the occasional hiking trip around Fontaine. Perhaps Lumine would be willing to join her once in a while.

After that it’s simply a matter of following the stream that winds roughly northwards, and the sun is just approaching its apex when they come around the bend and Furina is faced with the sight of another beautiful, clearly unnatural tree- this one reminds her somewhat of the Sacred Sakura with the deep blue energy that suffuses and shines through the rough bark, but besides that it looks much more like a natural, if vast, tree. Golden leaves flutter to the ground around them, seeming to dissolve into Geo energy as they settle upon the ground and fresh leaves- or are they stones?- begin to grow upon the branches again. All she can manage to say as she gazes at it is a quiet “Oh.” Lumine still takes notice, of course, and grasps her hand gently. 

Zhongli gazes at the tree with a wistfulness she saw glimpses of when he told the story on their way to the Chasm, and Furina is once again struck by the mystery the man radiates. “The Dragon-Queller,” he eventually says, gesturing grandly to the tree, before launching into a story of a dragon, an Archon, their bittersweet friendship, the dangers of time and Erosion on the immortal, and the grief a god held in their heart. She can't help but feel like there's a part of the story left untold, especially in the way Lumine looks between the tree and the storyteller with a knowing gaze. But she doesn't ask.  

After that it's almost a straight shot east through the marshland around the Dragon Queller, towards a thin passageway between the towering mountains that surround it. There's a brief moment of nervousness when she sees large Hilichurl structures before realizing they look to be dilapidated and ruined, like they were scoured in a recent battle. Furina needs only to glance at Lumine- surveying the scene with a hard expression and yet a hint of guilt behind her eyes- to guess what happened here. She reaches out and clasps Lumine’s hand in hers, and feels the Traveler briefly tense up before allowing herself a shaky, barely-audible sigh and relaxing ever-so-slightly.

They continue past without stopping, and the group is quiet for most of it- between Zhongli's story and Lumine's quiet internal struggle, the mood for banal chatter is lessened. It's not a particularly long trip, but quiet and somewhat claustrophobic as the path narrows between the encroaching cliffs on either side.

Eventually it opens up to the sight of an almost circular valley below them, with a spiraling pathway descending around the edge. Unfortunately, that pathway is a significant drop below them- more than enough to have her stomach lurching a bit when she looks down at it. “W-wait wait wait, how are we getting down there?” 

Lumine looks to her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow as she holds up her wing glider. Zhongli, meanwhile, gently clears his throat. “This, I believe, is where we must part ways. I am headed up the mountain, while the Traveler tells me you are bound northeast, to Wangshu Inn.”

Playing up the drama- and a legitimate anxiety over flying again- Furina turns to Zhongli with a look of horror on her face. “Wait! Don't leave me alone with this crazy woman and her flying contraption!” 

Zhongli chuckles, shaking his head softly and looking at her with a surprising amount of fondness. “It has been my pleasure to travel with you, miss Furina, but I am afraid your fate is in the Traveler’s hands, now. Perhaps the grace of time will allow us to meet once again, but no matter what I will carry these memories with a gladness in my heart.” 

Furina’s dramatic flair recedes at the genuine warmth in the statement, not quite sure how to respond. As if giving her time, Lumine and Paimon make their goodbyes first; “It was good seeing you again, old man. Until next time, alright?” and “Paimon will be awaiting the next time she can eat Zhongli’s cooking!” 

Finally, giving a bow, Furina offers her own farewell. “Your stories were very enlightening, Mr Zhongli. I hope I have another opportunity to listen in the future.”

As if taking that as her cue, Lumine gives Furina a wicked grin. “Now, about that crazy lady and her flying contraption…” before allowing herself to fall backwards off the cliff edge, laughing the whole time even as Furina lets out a wild shriek. Within seconds, the glider wings are out and a gentle updraft of Anemo energy slows their fall to a gentle descent, allowing Furina to catch her breath, gasping. 

When they land, Furina glowers at Lumine and immediately beats her fists against the Traveler's chest- gently, so as not to hurt, but enough to make her displeasure known. “Lumiiiiiine! You can be so mean sometimes!” Of course, the Traveler still looks like she's holding back laughter. “Sorry, sorry, I didn't scare you too badly, did I?” 

Furina pouts, hands on her hips as she escapes Lumine's grasp. “No… not too much. But don't do it again!” Lumine giggles, just a little bit, but nods. “Alright, alright. I promise.” 

“You better.” Furina says, intensifying her pout for the drama. Just about then, Paimon catches up to them. “You guys! Don't just leave Paimon behind like that! You scared Paimon!” Furina, seeing her opportunity, nods intently with a scowl almost unbroken by the laughter bubbling underneath. “Yeah! What she said!”

Finally, Lumine raises her hands in surrender, still laughing. 

“So, was that guy the Geo Archon?” She asks, some ten minutes later as they trek downhill, finally along a road this time. Lumine shakes her head, and Paimon speaks for her. “Of course not! Rex Lapis stepped down, remem- Uh, died! Definitely died! You didn't hear Paimon say anything but that!”

Lumine has a look of both consternation and relief, rubbing her temples as Furina looks between them. “Oh.” Then, putting two and two together, “ Oh!” Lumine just lets out a resigned chuckle. “Well, at least I don't have to keep pretending.”

It takes another few minutes of processing for Furina to speak up again. “...He's not what I expected.” Lumine nods, and Paimon huffs. “Ugh, tell Paimon about it! He's supposed to be the god of Mora, why is he always making us pay for things?! He even has a job!”

~

After that, the rest of the day is spent hiking along the dusty trail amidst broken conversation- mostly Paimon, or sometimes Lumine herself, pointing out places on the roadside where they've seen interesting sights, or fought interesting fights. 

The only thing that really stands out is, not too long after leaving Zhongli behind, they find a small building on the roadside. It's hard to tell what the purpose is exactly, whether it's a rest stop, or an oddly-placed restaurant, a warehouse, or perhaps even someone's home, but outside she can see an absolutely ancient looking man nodding sagely as he watches a younger, somewhat goofy-looking mustachioed man shouting noises of exertion as though going through a rigorous martial-arts bout, save for the fact that he's standing almost stock-still, only his shoulders shaking slightly. Furina finds herself subconsciously leaning away from them, closer to Lumine, and shoots the Traveler a questioning, dumbfounded glance. Lumine just sighs and shakes her head. “It's best if you just leave them to it. I don't think I have enough sense left in me this evening to deal with those two…”

They make camp for the evening some two hours later, on the edge of Guili Plains, within the ruined circle of what was once surely a structure, but is now little more than a scattering of stacked slabs below a large natural outcropping of stone, just off the roadside.

~

The next morning sees them back on the road early, as if Lumine is growing impatient with their progress- or perhaps is just feeling moody. Some part of Furina wonders if Lumine is feeling uneasy about their looming separation just like she is, but the rest of her is too focused on not letting those worries interfere with a good day to think on it for too long. 

Furina can't really complain about the pace anyway though, not when when the floodplain is so beautiful in the early morning light, dewdrops still resting lazily on the leaves and the last remnants of the sunrise reflecting in the ponds and streams. It's clear too that this part of Liyue is less wild; there are the occasional monsters, but they keep well clear of the roads, only wandering in the distance, but the wooden bridges and covered rest stops and even the dirt road itself are all far more well-maintained than in the mountains farther west. 

It doesn't take long for her to see why, of course; what at first looked like a particularly massive tree in the distance comes into better view the closer they get, and she can see it's actually towering stone pillar with a grand, orange-leafed tree atop it, but more notable is the bulbous-yet-elegant structure wrapping around the natural stone spire. She grabs onto Lumine's arm, pointing it out. “Woah, what is that place?” 

Paimon's the one who answers though, ignorant to Furina's clinginess. “That's Wangshu Inn! It's one of the most critically acclaimed travel destinations in all seven nations of Teyvat! We can get lunch there, and catch up with Xiao! I mean, I guess we could catch up with him anywhere, but he'd probably get all grumpy if we did that…” 

That piques Furina's curiosity a bit. “Who's that? What does Paimon mean you could meet him anywhere?” She asks more pointedly in Lumine's direction this time, and can practically hear Paimon fuming about it. It works, though. 

“He's a friend, and he's saved our lives a few times at this point. He um, promised if I call his name, he'll appear to get me out of any trouble…” The way Lumine's blushing and bashfully playing with her hair has Furina both biting her tongue and repeatedly reminding herself that Lumine is hers. “A-anyway, I try not to take advantage of that. But if worst comes to worst I can always call him out for introductions, I'm sure he'd want to meet the person I love.” Furina tries to pretend she doesn't hear the way Paimon says “Oh brother, Paimon’s not so sure about that…”

After that, their journey to the inn goes about as smooth as it could. They’re briefly stopped by a trio of patrolling Millelith, but the moment the soldiers realize who Lumine is they back off with no further questions asked. It's almost a little eerie, the amount of weight that Lumine's presence holds, now that she's spent so long getting to know the woman beneath all the stoic grandeur of The Traveler. But it would be a lie to say it isn't useful at times like this.

After that it's just a jaunt across a refreshingly sturdy wooden bridge before they're at the base of the inn. It's almost well developed enough to seem like a small town, despite their being only the one structure; she's never seen this much effort put into what amounts to a rest stop. As if reading her mind, Paimon pipes up. “Wangshu Inn isn't just a place for weary travelers to rest up, it's also a well-regarded meeting place for high profile merchants and other wealthy people, and a strategic point for the Millelith’s defenses and monster-hunting missions, so there's a surprising amount of importance placed on it. Ooh, Paimon can't wait to get a full-course dinner for lunch…” Furina has to admit, the thought is hardly unappealing. 

“It is a bit of a shame that we couldn't make it here last night, though… I wouldn't have minded staying the night here again. It would’ve been kinda nostalgic, since this is one of the last places we stayed before we were given the teapot.” Lumine’s voice is a bit wistful, likely reminiscing about some moment from the early days of her journey through Teyvat. She's told Furina a lot about her journey- from the way she spoke when trying to convince Furina to confess before the trial, probably more than the vast majority of people- but she still wants to know more. She hopes someday Lumine will regale her with tales of all her adventures, maybe while cuddled up in front of a cozy fireplace. 

Not long later, they’re all sat around one of the bamboo tables on the inn’s base platform, emptied plates crowding together as they all take a moment to relax after their meal. It's a well-needed moment of peace after the constant hiking yesterday. 

Stretching, Lumine spares a glance to the road, and then up to the top of the inn. “Alright, come on. We've got someone to meet before we leave, after all.” She stands, reaching a hand to help Furina to her feet with a warm smile. Furina takes it, but glances at the towering spire of stairs with a weary look. “Don’t tell me we have to climb all those stairs right after eating all that…” 

Lumine chuckles, and pats her on the shoulder. “Don't worry love, there's an elevator over this way.” 

“Oh thank the gods…” Furina sighs before catching up beside the Traveler, followed along by Paimon’s teasing giggle that she pointedly ignores. 

The mechanically simple yet surprisingly simple and elegant wooden, water-powered elevator drops them off near the top of the inn, on a wide-open viewing platform that gives an expansive of Liyue’s landscape, all the way south to the mountain range that encircles Liyue Harbor in a protective embrace, and all the way north to what she assumes is the edges of Mondstat in the north, and an absolutely immense, towering snowcapped mountain to the east, a pillar-like shape faintly visible floating above the very peak. She may not be intimately aware of Teyvat’s history and geography- it would be unbefitting of a God to spend too long in a library or build a mortal information network, after all- but she knows enough to guess that this is Dragonspine, the most impressive mountain on this side of Teyvat. A part of her is curious what it looks like close up, but she starts feeling chilly just thinking about it. 

“C’mon, we’ve still got a bit higher to go.” Lumine gently tugs at her wrist, though the fond look in her eyes tells Furina that the Traveler would probably let her get away with anything, right now. Instead, she lets Lumine lead her through the inside of the inn, up a short, two-sided staircase and onto a smaller observation platform, facing the opposite direction of the first one. In front of her the gentle, wide river stretches out for miles to the northwest before curving around the mountain and out of sight. To the south of it, a beautiful forest of orange and red-leafed trees rises up a gentle slope in the direction of her homeland, and on the north side of the river it quickly rises into a stone spire covered in beautifully verdant green undergrowth. The observation deck is decorated with contained gardens in large, lightly decorated ceramic pots, giving the spot a much cozier atmosphere than the lower level. 

After giving Furina a moment to take in the view, Lumine steps into the center, glancing up at the roof above. “Hey, Xiao? I know you don’t like seeing people, but I have someone here who I’d really like if you came out to meet.” 

There’s a long moment of silence, and Furina begins to think that it didn’t work, before she hears a cold, but not entirely unfriendly, voice directly behind her. “I thought I told you only to call me in emergencies… but fine then, let's get this over with.”

Furina yelps and spins around, stumbling backwards only to be caught by one of Lumine's steadying arms. The Traveler giggles lightly and Furina can't tell if it's directed at her mishap or the new arrival. “Aww, Xiao, you're gonna make me start thinking you actually like being around me.” 

Her momentary instant of panic now subsided, Furina's able to get a good luck at the man. He's shorter than her, which probably shouldn't give her as much of an ego boost as it does, and he has a wild mess of greenish-black hair framing his sharp, angular features. Golden eyes that look almost reptilian examine her with wariness as he looks her up and down, briefly, before turning his gaze to glower at Lumine. 

“Whatever. Are you going to introduce her to me or not?” Xiao huffs, shaking his head slightly. Lumine just smiles, reaching over to take Furina’s hand in her own. “This is Furina, former Archon of Justice, esteemed actress, and… my girlfriend. She’s been my traveling companion for a while. And a little longer.”

There’s an undercurrent of bitter remorse in her last sentence, and Furina wonders if it's because their journey is nearing the end, or because she never got to experience something like this with Ayaka. Perhaps both; either way, Furina is happy that she's so important to Lumine.

Xiao just nods, turning to Furina with an unreadable expression. “I have devoted my life to bringing monsters to justice, so I suppose I'm honored to meet you. Lumine already said it, but you can call me Xiao.”

Furina nods, curtsying as best she can without a skirt. “It's my pleasure to meet you, Xiao. Lumine seems to be quite fond of you, so that makes you a friend in my book.” Xiao just nods, turning back to Lumine. “Is that all?” 

There's no malice in his voice, despite the curt words, so Furina tries to tamp down the insulted feeling in her chest. Lumine, however, just chuckles a bit before taking three quick steps forward and pulling Xiao into a tight hug, to his great protest- though he doesn't struggle, just stays stiff in her arms. “You're a good friend, Xiao. I'm glad I met you so early in my travels, and that you're one of my dearest friends in this world.” 

The Traveler releases him from her embrace and he huffs, folding his arms across his chest and looking more embarrassed than upset. “I'll allow you to do that this once, but don't try it again.” Lumine just rolls her eyes, a smile on her face. “Yeah, yeah. I promise.” Then she sighs softly, looking back out at the river. “But in exchange, will you promise me that whenever she's in Liyue, you'll look out for Furina like you look out for me?”

Xiao narrows his eyes, but nods after a moment of silence. “You realize I don't have that much free time, don't you?” He sighs. “Fine, I'll keep an eye out. But only when I have time.”

Lumine flashes a beaming smile at him, looking like she wants to pull him into another hug. “Thanks, Xiao. We’ll get out of your hair now, but I promise I'll bring you some almond tofu next time, as a treat.”

Xiao rolls his eyes again, but nods, stepping out to the edge of the railing. “You had better.” Is all he says, before there's a gentle rush of wind, and when Furina turns to look, he's already gone.

“That was a strange encounter,” Furina says when they're back at the base of the stone spire. “But not unwelcome.”

Lumine chuckles, nodding. “That's kinda just how he is. But he has a lot of bad history, so I can't blame him for being a little weird. For us who live centuries at minimum, I think it's impossible for us not to end up a little strange. Wouldn't you say?” She flashes Furina a teasing wink that shouldn't make her heart beat as fast as it does. “You might be right, but I think that's for the best. It's important to have a little character!. I would know, after all.” 

Lumine hums an amused sound and takes Furina's hand in hers as they step onto the road again, passing by some patrolling Millelith and exchanging a wave of greeting. “Yeah, I know you would.”

~

With a satisfyingly full stomach and another encounter with one of Lumine's many unusual friends under her belt, Furina is actually fairly excited to be back on the road again. It helps that this road is clearly a well-traveled one, paved with cobblestones and dirt worn all but smooth by who-knows how many years of foot- and cart- travel between Mondstat and Liyue. 

Dihua marsh is undeniably beautiful, and she can feel the Hydro energy particles here stronger than anywhere else in Liyue- though nothing like in Watatsumi Island or back home in Fontaine. Still, it makes for a pleasant final leg of their journey through Liyue. 

There's not a lot to do on the road as they travel. A roadside shop selling beautiful glazed pottery and a few other goods, probably taking advantage of travelers heading south from Mondstat- and Lumine practically has to drag her away from a particularly beautiful flower vase, glazed with a beautiful deep blue and decorated with white, blooming flowers. Ultimately though the Traveler ends up sighing affectionately and buying the vase herself, placing it in whatever space allows her to hold so much until they’re in a better place to store it- Furina can't decide if she wants to put it in the Teapot, or take it home as a souvenir to remember this journey by. 

As they travel northward, the road seems to grow more and more well-kept, and she sees another few roadside traders, though these ones don't have anything for sale that she might be interested in, to her dissatisfaction. Soon enough they cross a grand bridge crafted all of stone, and Furina sees a much larger structure of wood and stone ahead of them, rising up the sides of the small mountains that flank either side of the path here, marking the border between Liyue and Mondstat. 

A few Millelith patrol the wooden pathways, paying them little heed after recognizing the Traveler, but it's clear by their small number that the relationship between the two nations is a relaxed one. Lumine protectively takes her hand anyway as they climb the wooden ramps and walk the wooden platforms. Even knowing how well-supported they are, Furina can't help but feel a little anxious walking on simple wooden structures that are essentially just sticking off the side of a mountain. 

Soon enough she’s back on solid ground, taking her first few footsteps into Mondstat. There's a feeling of finality to it, even though their journey is not yet over, and it sets her a bit on edge. She feels Lumine squeezing her hand in comfort as they stare out at her first glimpse of Mondstat, dusted with the pinkish orange light of sunset.