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“Paimon thinks it’s a weird idea! What if some creepy guy asks for you?” the little pixie screeched as Lumine submitted her commission papers to Katheryne. One of the members of the Adventurer’s Guild took one look at it and spat their drink out, frantically apologizing afterwards.
“Rent-a-Date?” the poor member read out loud, garnering the attention of some passers-by. “...’customers must be vetted by Lan, the Liyuen Branch Master of the Adventurer’s Guild.’”
Lumine wasn’t one to capitalize on loneliness, but they had been paying her for mundane stuff such as food deliveries and escorting hilichurl translators to camps. It wouldn’t hurt to try this idea out, would it?
“The date would last for roughly an hour,” she explained to the member and Paimon. Both of them had equally horrified and intrigued expressions on their faces. “Mr. Lan has approved of it already, so Katheryne just needs to sign the posters to put them up around Liyue.”
“Does Paimon have to go with your dates?” Paimon asked, already preparing her puppy eyes just so she wouldn’t go. The traveler only laughed, counting a bag of mora from her previous commission and giving it to the pixie.
“Stay at the Wanmin Restaurant or go with Xiangling. I’ll pick you up at 8 PM, but I might even see you before then,” she said, poking her small friend in the stomach. Paimon swatted Lumine’s finger away from her, but the pixie was already drooling at the mention of food.
“mora! I’ll go save some food for you, Lumine!” she said, zipping off to Chihu Rock before the blonde girl could point out the impossible. The traveler shook her head and smiled fondly at the sight. The pixie was concerningly easy to bribe, and she worried that one day, Paimon could get in trouble for exactly that.
But first, she had to deal with her own commission. Katheryne was finished with the stamping and the only thing left to do was to put the posters up. Lumine gathered the papers, almost missing the shadow looming over her. The familiar scent of spice and sandalwood was what caught her attention instead.
Childe’s smile was empty as he read the posters over her shoulder. The chill she felt caused her to shudder involuntarily. She glanced back at him, just in time for the man to take one of the posters.
“Good morning, Childe,” Lumine greeted, shuffling the papers in her hand. “If you’re not too busy, do you want to help me put these up?”
“A thousand mora per date doesn’t sound too fair,” he commented. Shame flared up in the girl. Was it too much? “I’m willing to pay 10,000 mora per date. For the whole day.”
“Huh?”
Childe was willing to pay her 10,000 mora per date for the whole day. The traveler would call him nuts if she didn’t know how serious he was. She mentally tried to compute it: 10 AM to 8 PM, one hour per date. That would make for 10 dates, or —
The grin he wore was teasing. He spoke with a playful lilt, angling his body closer to her. “For you, I’d be willing to pay 100,000 mora, not that the time I spend with you isn’t priceless.”
“That’s —wait, Childe!” Lumine shoved him off her. His presence was expected, but his offer was not. Blood rushed up to her cheeks and she felt lightheaded and hot and confused, all thanks to him. “You have to be vetted by Sir Lan first. Talk to him inside the Guild, if you want.”
Lan would be her only saving grace at this point. Spending time with the Harbinger wasn’t bad, per se, but it was still embarrassing to be kept occupied for the whole day—by just one man. Paimon and her spent so much time on the advertisements, too. Pyro Whopperflower nectar was hard to use as paint.
Childe shrugged, flashing her a wink as he stepped inside the building. Lumine sighed, hiding her face with the rest of the posters.
“Were you expecting for your date to choose the place or activity?”
Childe said the word ‘date’ with such distaste that made Lumine wonder what the heck was his problem. Lan had happily accepted the commission for her (and in turn, betrayed her) and even wished them a lovely day as the Harbinger took her hand in his.
She was used to spending time with him after their sparring sessions. This shouldn’t have been as embarrassing as it was, but here they were.
“Yes, kind of,” she mumbled. It actually felt very pleasant, but that was also why she was contemplating on kicking his ass harder next week. “I’m sorry. I don’t have an itinerary prepared.”
“I can’t believe you’ll let some random men use you as their arm candy for only 1,000 mora,” he grunted.
“Were you worried about me?” a smile bloomed on Lumine’s face. Childe gripped her hand tighter, pulling her close to him as they walked. Looking at his face now, it was obvious that he was sporting the faintest of blushes. “Paimon was, too. That’s why Lan agreed to check first.”
“And he caved in the moment I raised the price,” he replied, pausing in front of a stall that was selling lotus flowers. They were more colorful than usual, and that contributed to its price hike. “Do you want some? We could at least eat while we walk, ojou-chan.”
Lumine nodded in agreement, happily munching on the pastry. “Since you’re the client, where would you like to go?”
“Where would you like to go?” he shot back. “You’re more than someone I paid to be with, ojou-chan.”
She was taken aback by his straightforward statement. The traveler hadn’t thought about the day in detail, only letting herself be taken to wherever the client would want to. Unless it was shady or dangerous. In that case, she’d just have to take up her sword.
With Childe, it seemed like she didn’t have to wait for any scenario like that. Lumine finished her snack, tugging him towards the outskirts of the city. If there was anything both of them liked and enjoyed, it was fighting. Maybe him more than her, but the sentiment remained.
“Have you checked out Tianqiu Valley yet?”
The Primo Geovishap was a formidable opponent, knocking them down if they didn’t have shields ready. The Electro shield fizzled slightly, shocking Lumine as she brought down another meteorite on the Geovishap.
Combined with the daggers Childe fashioned out of water, the Geovishap finally fell. Or perhaps it would recover, and they’d just have to beat it again later.
“That’s your… idea of a date?” he tried to steady his breathing, leaning on the nearby ruin wall. The Harbinger didn’t sound too disappointed, Lumine noted. In fact, it sounded like he was actually happy. She laughed, a thorough and genuine sound right after an adrenaline rush.
“Did you like it?” she asked excitedly. It took them a few hours, and they still had more together, but she already felt spent. Childe looked up from his position, joining in the laughter. Realization dawned upon her as she realized it was the first time she heard him laugh just like that. She wondered if his genuine smiles had always been that infectious.
“Of course I do. It’s the best one I’ve heard of,” he hummed in agreement, finally calming down. “I might just get down on my knees and propose to you.”
“Oh? What’s stopping you then?” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. Maybe the adrenaline hadn’t fully receded yet after all. Childe moved closer to her, all sweaty and bruised but still smiling.
“Hm, I don’t know. I don’t exactly need a ring now, do I?” he said, removing the strands stuck to her skin. Their bodies were so close to each other, and even the traveler could feel the heat radiating off him. “But we both need a bath.”
He pulled away, causing her to whine as he chuckled. “Why did you even buy me for the whole day? Just because you’ve got some mora to spend doesn’t mean you should.”
“What? Is it wrong for me to dislike the idea of someone else paying to be with you?” Childe replied. A blush spread across her cheeks as she giggled.
“So you were jealous?” Lumine blurted out. She'd been curious ever since he paid 100,000 mora for her, and the spike of courage was exactly what she needed. The man's eyes widened in surprise before cupping her cheek in his hand.
"Maybe, ojou-chan," he cooed, pinching her cheek before letting go. The girl was stunned into silence, only realizing that her companion was already walking when he called out to her. "Come on! The bathhouse might close, and we'd have to share the private one back at my inn."
"Stop," she groaned. One of her hands covered her face, while one snaked around his arm. Childe automatically laced his fingers with hers. "Pervert."
"You're holding hands with this pervert," he quipped in amusement. Lumine tried to escape from his grasp, but he only held on tighter. "No backing out now."
"...I wouldn't dream of it."