Chapter Text
“Do you know why we call the Fatui, Fatui?” asked Venti, smiling mischievously, as if readying to drop a good joke. “Fa-tu-i-ty. In our language, it means idiocy!”
“And by that, I mean that that was idiotic,” he continued, holding his hands up in proactive warning. He cast a glance around the tavern to double-check that no one was nearby before continuing in a hushed tone. “I know you know, but it must be said again! I am the first proponent of personal freedom, but why would you make a deal with the Fatui considering your bad blood with them?”
“Well, I figured that I’d have to get their help with finding my brother once I reach Snezhnaya anyway. Are they evil then?” said Lumine, her brows furrowed as she put her hands on her hips, though she couldn’t help but bite her lips lightly. She had told Venti the whole story of how she had got herself into this mess. “They’ve made an awful impression on me as an organisation, but after that whole Rex Lapis debacle, I feel like there’s something—”
“Bigger?” finished Venti, his tone level. He shook his head, closing his eyes with a resigned aura. “You may be right to think that. Hm. I wouldn’t say they’re evil. The Fatui think they’re doing the right thing for our world. I don’t agree, but everyone is free to think differently.” He looked at Lumine with a solemn look that didn’t befit his youthful face. “You still like to think in black and white because of your upbringing. But our world is not so simple.”
“You know the reason,” said Lumine, though her tone was not accusing. “The reason the Cryo Archon is trying to take down everyone else.” Her brows furrowed.
Venti’s large, supernaturally green eyes flickered as he lowered his gaze, his long lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. He brightened, smiling up at her. “Well, what do I know? These are only a simple bard’s blind guesses. Maybe she’s still angry at that one prank I played on her aeons ago! But it was such a marvellous idea. I even sing about it to her delegates in Mondstadt, you know?”
“Tch,” said Lumine, shaking her head knowingly. An Archon must have his reasons for staying mum. “I’m not getting anything out of you, am I? What about Il Dottore? Ever heard of him?”
The bard’s shoddy veneer of a cheery mood seemed to shatter as fast as it had formed. His eyes narrowed. “He’s a really bad guy, with no regard for fry.”
“That notorious, huh? You even had a line prepared for him.”
“I’ll have you know that I came up with that on the spot!” said Venti, smiling triumphantly as he raised a finger. “But—just so you know, that’s The Doctor. He’s known to do twisted experiments on people. You can say he is quite the expert at creating monsters.” Venti put his chin in his hands, his lips slightly downturned. “No care for human life. Even the dead is not spared from his whims. You should stay in Mondstadt for now, Lumine. It’ll be safer for you.” He caught Lumine’s skeptical look, and pressed on, smiling cheekily. “I know what happened last time, but at least in Mondstadt they need to be careful of witnesses.”
“It might just be an illusion of safety. In fact, I’ll probably have trouble sleeping at night,” said Lumine, smiling wryly. “Plus, I’ll feel antsy staying cooped up here. I love to travel! I’m not going to hide here forever.”
“You’ll know best,” said Venti, winking. His eyes turned contemplative as he stared at her for the longest time, until Lumine gave him a questioning look. He stirred, shaking his head apologetically. “I still can’t help but wonder why you sound like you trust Childe after this. I’ve always gotten the impression that you were reluctant to trust; a skeptic, in short.”
“Oh?” said Lumine, her brows rising slightly. The unexpected question caught her off guard. Her knee-jerk reaction would be to say no, she absolutely didn’t trust Childe. Yet, some part of her did. “Did I sound like I did?”
Venti made a face. “Absolutely.”
“Oh,” said Lumine again. She scratched her head lightly as she considered his words. “I just get the feeling that he doesn’t mean me any harm.” She paused, thinking. “Even—even when he lost his temper at the Golden House, there was no intent to kill. After seeing him really try when protecting his brother, I realised that he was going very easy on me indeed. I didn’t realise it in the heat of battle. But when he used his Foul Legacy Transformation, he literally stood there after every swing, giving me time to recover!” She laughed quietly, crossing her fingers and placing her chin on top of them. “So, I guess that’s why.”
“He would kill you if he really had to,” pointed out Venti. “That’s what I think. The Harbingers have a fearsome reputation for a good reason.”
“He would,” said Lumine, nodding earnestly. “But for now, I think we’re good. He had every opportunity to do it, otherwise. I’m not happy being the subject of his plots, but there’s just something different with this one…” She placed her hand to her heart and closed her eyes, leaving the rest unsaid. “And if my judgment turns out to be wrong, may it be a lesson to me.”
Venti patted her shoulder sympathetically, his expression caught between surprise and amusement. “You’ve really got it bad, Lumine.” He stood up and gestured for Lumine to follow him. “Consider talking to the Knights about staying here, at least?”
They could see Jean waiting at the stairs to the town square when they pushed open the door of the Cat’s Tail tavern, her clear blue eyes brightening as she noticed them. She uncrossed her arms as she walked over with large strides, giving them a relieved smile. "Traveller, Venti,” she greeted in turn. “I knew you were in the area when I saw Amber and Paimon having lunch. I’m truly glad to see you two safe and sound, especially after what happened in Liyue.”
“Does everyone know?” asked Lumine, looking around at the residents. “It’s been a few weeks already.”
“Not yet. Maybe some rumours,” Jean said, a hard expression crossing her features. “We’ll have to get a statement out before the rumours spread like wildfire. But this is bad." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Rex Lapis…he was one of the strongest of the Seven.” She sighed as she placed her palm across her forehead. Jean looked exhausted. She shook her head, pursing her lips before giving them a stout smile. “At least the Qixing are keeping things as normal as can be.”
They joined Amber and Paimon at the Good Hunter, the hands and the rickety wood table filled to the brim with Sticky Honey Roasts. To their surprise, Kaeya was there as well, his arms crossed in a confident pose.
“Oh, you’re back, Lumi!” called Paimon, waving a piece of her half-devoured honey roast cheerfully. She pointedly ignored the bard beside them, who was waving just as cheerfully back. Amber looked around at the greeting, her eyes lighting up.
“Honorary Knight! Grandmaster Jean! And Venti!” Amber cried, frantically trying to find a napkin to wipe her hands down on. “It’s wonderful to see you again. It’s been ages.”
“Nice to see you all back,” said Kaeya, raising two fingers to his head in greeting. His eyes narrowed. “What’s with the new flower pin?”
“Huh? Oh,” said Lumine, her eyes widening with recognition. Her hand flew towards the new addition on her head, touching the curling crystal petals and fluttering stamens. “It’s a tiger-lily. Native to Liyue, Inazuma, and parts of Snezhnaya.”
“Doesn’t suit you,” said Kaeya, his eyes narrowing as he leant forwards in his seat, accidentally bumping his sleeve on a sticky honey roast.
Amber and Jean opened their mouths immediately, with the former looking ready to tell him off, but they were cut off by Kaeya’s next proclamation.
“So, are you by any chance dating Diluc?”
There was a short, stunned silence before Venti and Amber started sniggering,
“Your brother isn’t the only redhead in the world,” said Venti, winking as he put a finger to his lips. “Though many a maiden would love to take him for a whirl.”
“Amber is the reddest of them all. Paimon wishes Lumine would date Amber instead, so we can have honey roast. Every day!”
“That’s not how it works,” said Lumine, suddenly feeling very tired.
“Diluc is dating me,” added Jean as she flicked her blonde ponytail back, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to say.
The group burst into an animated squabble. In the end, the six had settled into a warm circle around two of the shop’s tables. With bellies full and the outrageous statements corrected, people started leaving to the call of duty. Jean was the first, citing a citizen’s desperate call for help with finding a lost pet bird. Kaeya was next, claiming he had to investigate reports on a nearby Hilichurl camp, though no one seemed to believe him. Shortly afterwards, Venti had quickly left for the tavern, citing a critical need for wine.
“What about you, Lumine? Will you be in Mondstadt for long?” asked Amber, turning to face her. Paimon was clinging onto her shoulder with her eyes closed like a cub to its mother, her lips stained with honey sauce, looking content.
“I’m not sure,” said Lumine, frowning slightly. “Maybe I should. Is there somewhere I can stay, though? The hotel was fully booked out by the Fatui.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Amber, her large brown eyes widening. “You’re actually staying! I’m really happy, but what’s the occasion?”
“Well,” Lumine laughed awkwardly, gesturing noncommittedly. “Just taking a short break. Exploring Liyue was pretty tiring.”
Amber made a sound of approval. “We all need breaks. Leave it to me, Lumine; I’ll have a room cleared out for you at the Knights’ headquarters right away.”
And Amber made good on her word. Lumine and Paimon lived like this for a few days, fulfilling townspeople requests and taking down local bounties. It was starting to bore her. Thus, she jumped to offer her help when Amber mentioned a few nearby Hilichurl camps that needed clearing out, eager to have a companion in battle. Amber pointed out the three distinct camps when they arrived, the two squinting against the bright afternoon sun. The first camp was over a short cliff, while the third was near a river. The second camp was on a meadow, and the three camps formed a triangular formation. “They shouldn’t be too strong, and you’re a very capable adventurer; let’s split up for the two furthest camps and meet back here later for the last.”
“Alright. Let’s go!” said Lumine, flashing her a rare smile. She stood up straighter, stretching her arms.
It was supposed to be a very routine Hilichurl camp clearing—one that she had done countless times—until it wasn’t, because as fate would have it, lightning bolts flew from the sky mid-battle, striking the ground where she had stood. The tail end of a bolt caught her calf. “Ow!” cried Lumine, jerking around to stare at where it came from. There was no one there. The Hilichurls themselves had paused their onslaught, eyeing the sky in the same manner as Lumine.
She ran. The bolts were relentless. While she was very good at dodging, it was barely a match for the furious flurry of elemental energy nipping at her heels, which seemed to have only increased in intensity. Her chest felt tense, as this was surely no natural occurrence.
A young, boyish voice sounded behind her. “Can’t run anymore, can you?”
She grimaced, as she realised she was at the foot of the cliff Amber had pointed out earlier. But this also meant that Amber was close by, surely—she didn’t bother looking back as she activated her wind catcher, deftly using her glider to catch the updraft. Her fingers found purchase on the rough stone and she scrambled up the cliff. In the distance, she spotted the familiar figure of her Outrider friend.
The sound of thunder and lightning ceased. Then Lumine finally looked back, but there was no one.
“Lumine?” asked Amber, her brows raised in surprise. Amber put down her bow, frowning, as she took a few hesitant steps towards her. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
It had already been a pretty bad day for Lumine. Yet, it managed to get worse only a few hours after dinner. She had stepped outside the city gates for a split second to pick a dandelion, only to come face-to-face with large, metallic beasts that were neither human nor machine. The wind carried their stench, tainted with a note of stale, unrotting meat---yet their movements were purposeful and unerring.
“Well…” muttered Lumine, slowly bending down into a fighting stance. They were blocking the gate she had left from. She drew her sword in a flash, swinging it downwards in a harsh strike onto the nearest one. It staggered slightly but recovered for a counterstrike quickly, lunging in her general direction. Lumine dodged out of the way, blasting it with Anemo. But it was not enough, as she was surrounded and outnumbered—brute force was probably not the way to go here. There were many other gates into Mondstadt. But there weren’t many guards on duty at night, and these creatures might not stop for witnesses. Her mind was made up—she sprinted into the forest.
Their looks belied their incredible speed. The disturbing, half-dead looking creatures were nearing her flanks. She cursed as she blasted one away with a gust of Anemo, almost throwing it down the hill. Though they looked clunky, they moved with the speed of powerful predators. Lumine was finding her bag of tricks starting to lack.
There was a loud, wet squelching and the screech of metal on metal as the pattering footsteps behind her intensified. Though she dodged by instinct, the beast was abnormally large and still managed to crash into her. The collision knocked the air out of her lungs, and she was pushed onto the damp forest floor. A jolt of pain rushed through her wrist, and she almost dropped her sword. “Specimen secured,” the beast seemed to say, though its speech was stiff and stilted.
Two of the closest beasts wasted no time and lunged to bite her, though the teeth were fortunately blunt enough and human-like. Lumine tapped into the powers she borrowed from the Geo Archon, and separated the ravenous creatures from her by summoning an earth-splitting meteorite. She scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could, back in the direction of Mondstadt. Lumine could guess by now who those half-dead things belonged to after Venti’s description, and she was not staying around for it.
“Gah…!” she exclaimed as a metallic, clawed hand crashed against her back, clawing at her armour. She swung backwards, casting the ultimate burst—spikes of rock burst through the ground, stopping her pursuers in their tracks. For good measure, she sent a tornado spiralling after them before sprinting off in the opposite direction.
She was panting heavily when her pace finally slowed, her stamina reaching its limits. The forest was difficult to navigate at night, with the only light available coming from the waning moon and the fireflies speckling the forest. Yet she had no time to recover, as the creatures were untiring, staying hot on her heels. It wasn’t long before they caught up with her, and she once again found herself in combat.
Lumine gritted her teeth. She was doing damage, but not nearly enough. Every swing was starting to make her muscles feel like they were on fire. It would be best to retreat. Panting, she caught her breath before running to the edge of the cliff. She jumped off, extending the wings of her glider. She spied a look back as she glid, hoping dearly that these creatures didn’t actually have the ability to fly as well. Thankfully, they seemed to be taking the land route.
She landed softly on grass. Lumine was on high alert, and based on the sound of her relatively loud pursuers, they were still a distance away for now. She exhaled, and decided to find a safe place to recover her strength before she would have to start running again. Yet, no sooner after she had put her sword down to drink a gulp of water, the world in front of her swirled into white—wait, was she being teleported?
As Lumine’s feet touched the ground once more, someone dragged her to the side and covered her mouth unceremoniously. She stiffened.
“Shh…you’re in Fatui territory, so don’t attract attention.”
Lumine could recognise that voice anywhere. “Oey! Lemmfh—gerh—” she said as she attempted to struggle free, rapidly blinking away the aftereffects of teleporting. But while she was strong, she was no match for Childe’s iron grip.
“Only if you promise to stay quiet,” he said. “Don’t worry, there are no threats here.”
“Ymfou are!” she said. Her efforts were straining the cuts and bruises on her body, but she wasn't giving up just yet. Childe didn’t reply, but merely increased the strength of his grip. Lumine was pressed firmly against him, and she could feel the hard expanse of his coiled muscles behind her—he was not even close to exerting his full strength. Lumine frowned, before she let her shoulders sag. “Fmine.”
He released her, and she twisted out and away from him.
“What is this about, exactly? And how did you do that?” asked Lumine, crossing her arms as she glared at Childe. They didn’t exactly end off at the right note the last time they met, and Lumine was entirely on edge after a long day of battle.
Childe bent over slightly, reaching out to take something from her hair—he showed Lumine the hairpin he had given her, spinning it around his fingers deftly. He smiled innocently as if unaffected by Lumine’s tense aura and offered it to her, in person this time. “You fought very well. But you looked like you needed a break.”
She put two and two together. “This is—a portable teleporter?”
“Indeed. Complete with oculi,” he replied, pointing at the delicate stamens of the lily.
“You were spying on me all this time?” said Lumine as her eyes widened, her voice going higher with incredulity.
“Aha—did you want me to?” he said, smiling. “Not all the time, of course. Just enough to make sure you were fine. I have a job, you know.”
Despite wanting to stay angry, Lumine felt the heat of her indignation fade to nothingness. The muscles of her jaw unclenched, and she snatched the offered hairpin out of his hands. She looked away. “Hm. And I almost thought you forgot about your promise.”
“I assure you that my word is my bond,” he said, and his eyes crinkled with amusement. “I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but all the Harbingers go to great pains to honour their promises.”
Lumine gave him a hard look, and tilted her head as she regarded him. “Somehow, I think I’m starting to understand what you’re trying to do. Well. I suppose I’ll have to thank you for your help,” she muttered, before pausing. “Or not. Since you were the one who made them go after my head, after all. But I’d like some answers. Why am I here?”
“I thought I just told you. You looked like you needed a break,” he said, waving flippantly. “Anyway, that’s not really my fault. They already were on your case ever since your interference in Mondstadt. And especially Liyue. I’m just speeding up the process so that everything is resolved faster. Now, sit,” he said, gesturing to the foot of the bed. “Let me help you with your injuries.”
A small smirk played on Lumine’s lips as she moved over. “Heh. You were the one who got entirely played by your colleague; they’re pinning it on me?”
Lumine thought her remark would irk Childe, but he only hummed lightly, unoffended by the reminder. “Not really. It’s just that your actions made some big waves.” He took her hand gently, and examined it. “But it wasn’t quite big enough for the Tsaritsa to care.”
“What, you really want me to get into trouble with your Archon?” Lumine held her breath as the searing, stinging sensation of Childe’s healing magic ran through the places his hand lingered on. She had experienced it a few more times ever since the first time they met on Mt. Hulao, here and there during their short adventures out—but while familiar, she doubted she could ever get used to the sensation.
“Only so she notices your strength,” he said, as he checked her over for any remaining injuries. “I told her you beat me at the Golden House, but she thought I was playing around. Even though I’m probably the strongest of the Harbingers, combat-wise.” He paused, tilting his head in thought. “Her assumption isn’t entirely wrong, but it’s probably because Signora gave you a middling rating. The Tsaritsa really trusts that woman’s judgment.” There was a scornful note to his tone, and Lumine could tell that he wasn't entirely over the Liyue incident.
There was a quiet look of concentration on his face that Lumine found irresistibly cute, and she reached out with a finger to lightly poke his cheek. Childe looked up, his eyes widening for a split second before melting into his practiced, confident smile. “Hm?”
“You’re being surprisingly straightforward today,” she said, quickly removing her hand as she met his gaze.
“And you’re calmer today.”
“Because,” said Lumine, pausing as she chose her words for the hypothesis that had been brewing in her head the past days. “While I still fail to understand the reason behind some of your actions, I think I’ve figured your goal out. Let me air my hypothesis—you’re trying to get me to join the Fatui?”
“Oh! Good catch, firefly. Not exactly join,” said Childe, his tone as light as before, though his expression took on a tinge of guardedness. “But it’s just like I said from the start. I’d like for you to become our ally.”
Lumine snorted. “Funnily enough, I already am.”
“A heartfelt ally,” he explained, giving her a serious look. “I have the utmost confidence that once the Tsaritsa herself shows you the reasons behind our actions, the ideals we fight for, and the goals we’re trying to achieve…” He straightened up, putting his hand to his chin. “Then you’d be happy to work with us, because our goals align.”
She raised a brow. “Care to elaborate?”
“It’s not my place to tell you. Not right now. You are free to not believe me. In fact, I would expect that to happen,” said Childe placidly. Then he raised his arms in a shrug. “But when the Tsaritsa extends her invitation to you one day, I’m sure you’ll accept.”
He sounded very confident. Yet, Lumine knew it to be very far from the truth. Her truth. “I doubt it. You all have done some terrible things. What ends could be worth such means? To need such means?” she said, shaking her head. She gave him a level glance, tilting her chin up defiantly. “I’m afraid of no god. She can ask all she wants; I won’t be accepting.”
“Let’s see what you decide in the end, then,” said Childe, who still appeared unperturbed. “I wonder how long it’ll take to move the Tsaritsa. And in turn, how long it’ll take to move you?”
“You could’ve at least asked if I were interested.”
“I did, and you accepted. Remember?” said Childe, smirking.
Lumine put her free hand to her head. “Right. But that was a—”
“And a promise is a promise,” he said. A small smile reached his lips. “Dottore’s minions should be reporting back with failure by now, and ah—I’m sure they have information that’ll send him hopping mad.”
“Mad with what?”
“Heh. What do you think? Anger,” replied Childe, and his eyes were glinting mischievously, like the cat that got the cream.
“For someone always complaining about his colleagues’ plots and schemes,” said Lumine, crossing her arms. “You’re pretty adept at scheming yourself.”
“It’s not my forte. Can’t help getting influenced, can I?” he said, laughing as he ran a hand through his hair. “Still, I’d prefer some straightforward, hand-to-hand combat. Wouldn’t it be easier if all problems were solved that way?”
“Easier, but not at all fair,” said Lumine. She sighed as she fell back onto the bed, leaving her knees hanging off its edge. “Ah—I’m exhausted.”
“So am I,” said Childe, and he definitely looked the part. Yet, he stood up. “But I still have things to do. Do get some rest while you can.” He pulled on his leather gloves and straightened his coat as he headed for the door.
“At this time?” asked Lumine, her eyes following him. She didn’t know what time it was, but it had to be quite late—certainly it was at least the dead of the night.
“Yep.”
He closed the door behind him, leaving Lumine alone in the room. There were a lot of questions lingering in her mind, but she felt too tired to care. It had been a long day. And so she threw caution to the wind, as she often did when it came to him. Kicking off her boots and curling up under the covers, Lumine easily fell into slumber. She woke just as easily when the space next to her sagged. Her eyes flew open, scanning her surroundings. Everything was as before, with the sole addition of Childe beside her. Lumine sat up, feeling wide awake. She had slept much better in those short few hours than the previous few tense nights in Mondstadt.
“Why are you here?”
He barely spared her a glance as he lay back, stretching the span of his arms. “It’s my room, and I want to sleep.” With a flick of his hand, jets of water fanned where he willed them, striking the switches controlling the lights and extinguishing the oil lamps where they sat. The room fell into darkness.
“It’s really your room?”, said Lumine, her eyes widening. “Weren’t you afraid that I might snoop around?”
“You always like to ask such weird questions, even that time in the ruin guard research lab,” sighed Childe, turning to face away from her.
“Childe,” said Lumine, persevering in her quest for answers. She prodded his shoulder. “Childe?”
“You’re really noisy.” He flipped around to face her, quick as a serpent. His eyes throbbed with a dull undercurrent of an otherworldly shade; one that she had seen colouring the material of his transformed armour. She had always found the colour mesmerising ever since she first saw it. It filled the space of his irises, dyeing his blue eyes with an ethereal roil of dark energy; Lumine wondered what he had been up to while she was asleep. Though it was dark, she could make out the edges of a scowl set on his face. He sighed again. “Energetic, aren’t you?” Childe reached out, curling his arm around Lumine’s waist and pushing her back down into the bed. She gasped, squirming slightly.
“Questions tomorrow, please; and don’t leave the room. I’ll know.”
Though she still had many questions to ask, she held her tongue. He seemed like he was in a foul mood. And so Lumine acquiesced—but even as she closed her eyes, the fluttering of her heart was enough for her to know she wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep.