Chapter Text
"...I still do not understand why my presence here was described as being 'absolutely necessary', Lumine," Xiao says.
He warily eyes the mountain made out of every variation of Almond Tofu known to mankind sitting on the table in front of him, a mountain that grows bigger and bigger every time Xiangling steps out of the kitchen with at least three different plates in her hands.
How she's still coming up with new spins on the dish, he has no idea.
"It's like I said." The Traveler leans back in her chair, handing a very excited Paimon her own plate of powder pink tofu. "Ningguang is hosting a banquet with some merchants from Sumeru, and she hired Wanmin Restaurant for catering."
"Because we're friends with you and Paimon!" Xiangling shouts from the kitchen, making Lumine chuckle.
"It's not because we're friends with you," she shouts back. "She asked for recommendations, and we - two unbiased bystanders - think your food is amazing."
"Aww!"
"So," She turns to Xiao again, "since Xiangling is a perfectionist and because it's a big opportunity for the restaurant, she's been making every version possible of every dish they're going to serve, and then she has us decide which ones we like best - and we take these to Ningguang so she can pick the final version." She pauses to take a bite of her tofu before continuing. "However, this time there's too many things for just two people to eat, so we needed a third. Hence, your presence here being absolutely necessary."
"Ooh, Paimon hasn't eaten this much in ages! We should do this more often!"
"You'd cost us half our travel funds in food-related expenses if I let you, Paimon," Lumine tuts, but her eyes have that playful glint that betrays her fondness for her companion.
Xiao stays quiet, but a faint smile blooms on his lips. Paimon notices and starts pouting, muttering something about how even Xiao makes fun of her now. Lumine catches it too, and smiles softly at him in return.
A few seconds later, it's his turn to be handed his very own plate of tofu, colored a soft pastel teal and decorated with small pieces of candied Berries. He thanks Lumine with a nod and takes a bite.
He's instantly impressed by the precise balancing of flavours - he tastes a refreshing touch of mint, but just enough to bring out the sweetness of the tofu, not overpower it. The Berries also melt on his tongue, as if made entirely of sugar. He takes a second bite.
"Xiangling said that this one is supposed to have mint in there. Can you taste it?" The Traveler asks, watching him analyse the dish. "I might steal some, it looks good."
Xiao nods, pensive. "It's good. The mint isn't overwhelming."
"Sweet." Lumine reaches out to take a spoonful out of the yaksha's plate, but he places a hand over hers to stop her.
She looks at him, confused. Instead of answering, he gently takes the spoon from her, selects a pristine part of the dish, and holds the spoon towards her.
"May I... Would you mind me feeding you?" He asks, the tip of his ears turning pink. He doesn't know where he's finding this sudden burst of confidence, but judging at how Lumine's cheeks go cherry pink, she doesn't seem to mind it.
Slightly taken aback, she nods nervously and opens her mouth with a "aaaaah". Before long, the spoonful of tofu disappears inside it.
At first, Lumine doesn't say anything, chewing on the tofu and avoiding Xiao's gaze. Then, she suddenly looks back up and her eyes twinkle with what the yashka recognises as excitement.
"Oh, wow, you were right- the mint is so fresh, but it doesn't hide the taste of the rest of the dish! Oh, and the little Berry pieces, archons above..."
She does a little happy dance wiggling on her chair, and Xiao can't help but smile fondly at the sight. That is, until he notices a stray crumb of tofu on Lumine's cheek. He gently takes her chin in one hand, stopping her in her tracks.
"Don't move," he says. "You have something on your cheek."
He swiftly wipes away the stain with his thumb and looks back at her, intending to apologize for handling her face without permission - but Lumine stops him, waving her hand.
"Thank you, Xiao," she almost stutters. Her cheeks are now bright pink. She cannot seem to meet his eyes but she's smiling, a particular soft smile that he's only ever seen her make at him. Something in his chest tightens.
From afar, Paimon and Xiangling - who finally ran out of ideas - look at each other with a mischievous smile. "Ooh... I almost feel like we're intruding. Maybe we should leave them alone, Paimon," the taller girl teases.
"Really? Why?" Paimon tilts her head, confused, before noticing the scene happening next to her. She gasps. "Oh! Oh, uh, Paimon agrees. The Traveler did always say that too much sweetness is not good for Paimon's health..." The white-haired girl crosses her arms and nods, satisfied with her save. The two of them exchange another look and start snickering. Lumine sighs and shakes her head, still smiling.
"Alright, seems you're full if you're talking this much and not eating. Guess you don't need your plate anymore, then." She reaches out and grabs Paimon's plate out of her hand before her companion can react.
"Hey! Give that back! Paimon's far from done!"
Xiao closes his eyes and listens to the bickering and laughter overtaking the room again. Despite the noise, it feels... warm. Peaceful. He smiles again.
He grabs another plate.
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Xiao wakes up.
This, in itself, is not a rare occurrence. But the yaksha doesn't remember falling asleep.
And normally, when he wakes up, it is because he passed out, and his body usually is in pain somewhere. But strangely enough, right now, Xiao feels completely fine.
After a few more seconds, he also recognises he isn't in his bed at Wangshu Inn. He's fallen asleep on the table, still sitting in his chair, which he curses himself for. He is about to stand up and apologise for the disrespect when he realises a hand is gently playing with his hair. He opens his eyes.
"Hey," a voice says. Lumine's blond hair glows with the same warmth as the chandelier above them. She takes her hand off of his head. "Sleep well?"
His earlier boldness has seemingly left him, otherwise he would've asked her to continue - but the request is stuck in the back of his throat.
"...My apologies," he says instead, sitting up properly in his chair - maybe a bit too fast. She smiles teasingly at him. "I don't know what came over me."
Lumine chuckles. "You're okay, Xiao," she says. "If all my time travelling with Paimon taught me one thing, it's what a food coma looks like. I just stayed here so you wouldn't wake up to an empty room."
The yashka tilts his head. The term is unfamiliar to him.
"It's when you keep eating after you feel full, and end up falling asleep to digest everything," she explains, most likely noticing the confusion on his face. "It never happened to you?"
He shakes his head. "I've never felt the need to eat once I'm satiated. It's... unnecessary."
Lumine laughs. "I wish Paimon thought like you," she sighs dramatically. "I might actually save money if she didn't eat like a starving rifthound."
Her gaze then settles back on him, and her expression grows fonder.
"I'm glad you felt safe enough to fall asleep," she smiles.
"...Me too," he says after a moment, smiling gently back, a light pink warming his cheeks.
He doesn't feel the need to look away. In her eyes, specks of gold are shining with the light, like fireflies dancing around a lantern.
His firefly.