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"Come oooon! Hurry up, Paimon's hungry!"
Lumine sighs, fuzzing with the ends of her dress for the 100th time. She pouts and twirls, looking at herself in the mirror in one of the secluded room in the Luili Pavilion. Her dress was unique, something she's never seen before. It was blue, blue like the ice, and form fitting. It hung loosely from her waist, and pooled around her feet like a glacier tail. She loved it, but it really was hard to walk in it.
Meanwhile, Paimon was getting hungry.
"You look fine! Hurry up before the food gets cold!" She whines, rubbing her hands together and twirling around mid-air.
She's just finished completing the last of the requests in the Qingce village for lantern rite, and had headed towards the places marked on her map for the treasures in the illumiscreen. Although she'd gotten the first two without zero difficulty, Lumine really wasn't prepared to fight a bunch of geovishap hatchlings, along with a ruin hunter surrounding the treasure in one of the islands surrounding the stone forest.
The battle had left her quiet dirty and tattered. Luckily, after she'd reported back to Brother Qian, Xiangling had insisted to change her into one of 'Liyue's finest clothing' for tonight's festivities.
And so, here she was, standing atop one of the many dock railings, overlooking the night sky filled with bright lanterns, sounds of people chattering and Paimon's obsessive chewing noises, and she allows herself to smile. This was nice, she decided.
"Enjoying yourself, Ojou-chan?"
She turned around, and immediately schooled her features back into her normal, indifferent one. Right in front of her stood Childe in all his glory. She quickly scanned her eyes over his attire, noticing that he too, had changed into something more festival fitting. It unknowingly brought a slight blush to her cheeks; damn him and his good looks.
"Aaack! It's you, stay away, stupid harbinger!" Paimon had finally noticed him, and had immediately placed herself right between them both, as if protecting Lumine.
Childe laughed. That same, airy laugh she's first heard from him, back then...
"Ahahaha! Don't worry, don't worry! I'm not here to pick a fight!" Seeing their obvious unimpressed gazes, he repeated himself, a bit softly this time. "I promise."
He looked right at her, and Lumine sucked in a breath. His eyes, had they always been that deep? It almost felt as if he was looking right into her, but then again, that's always how it has been between them, hasn't it?
She turned around, back towards him, facing the endless night sky once again. She felt a slight breeze blow past her, and saw him settle himself beside her. She sighed.
"What are you doing here, Childe? I haven't seen you since..." She trailed off. They both knew she shouldn't finish that sentence. Not today, not now.
"The fatui had some last minute business to take care of, I suppose. I decided to stay the night, its not often you get to see this." He threw his hands out, right at the sky, and smiled. His eyes twinkling with joy.
She's seen this look on him a couple times before, with Teucer, when he thought she wasn't looking. It made her wonder what exactly he's gone through, to become what he is now. How could somebody so cruel be so innocent? He completely had his guard down. She could kill him if she wanted. Right here, right now.
Why...does he trust her so much?
The thought brought an uneasiness in her, and she squirmed. She didn't know if he noticed, but she was glad for the distraction he brought with his next question.
"Have you ever participated in such a tradition before?" He asked.
She shook her head no. She'd not even known what a lantern was until a few days ago, and she never thought she'd find it so breathtaking. She only wishes Aether was here with her. He'd have loved something like this. She sighed, and looked down.
Maybe Childe sensed something, because he reached out, lightly touching her hand with his own. "Hey, you'll find him. I know it." She looked up at him, and he smiled.
His smile was so genuine, so real, so...him. It brought a smile on her own face. Perking up, she pointed towards one of the many stalls. They both weren't good with arrows, or taking aimed shots in general, which is why she suggested what she did.
"First one to shoot a prized item wins!" She laughed breezily, tugging at his hand and dragging him towards the stall before he could protest.
Not that he was going to. How could he refuse her when she looked like that? He'd just be insane if he did.
______________
So, turns out Lumine is just naturally talented; that, or he just sucks at aiming. Regardless, she got her plushie, and he might have been blushing for a long while seeing her choose a whale one.
Although that might've just been his brain making up scenarios. There's no way she'd choose that because of him, right?
So anyways, there she was, hugging the plushie and talking with her little floating companion about things he didn't care to listen in. Instead, he focused on her. The first time he'd seen her, he knew she was something special. Then she'd kicked his ass at the Golden House and his admiration for her just grew.
She's just...so badass. She's not a girl who has to be shielded from all evil in the world, no, she's a girl who had grown amongst the evil in the world, she thrives off of it, and she'll go through great lengths to get her brother back, even if it meant turning the whole world upside down.
They really were somewhat similar, weren't they? The things he'd do for this own family...
He chuckled.
Lumine looked up from Paimon as she noticed the harbinger inching closer to her. Regardless of her initial reluctance, she really was having fun.
"I'm afraid I have to go now, Ojou-chan. Duty calls." He laughs, looking down at her with the same gaze he'd been giving her all evening. Without even thinking, she blurted out,
"Please don't go."
Realizing what she's said, she immediately turned beet red. "I-I mean-!" She tried to correct herself hastily.
Childe got even closer to her, bringing up his hand to her hair, ruffling it light. He drew close to her face, so, so, close. She could see the faint blush on his cheek and it just intensifed on her own. She could barely hear Paimon utter out a faint 'gross', before popping back in her dimensional space.
All she could focus on was Childe. His eyes, his face, his...lips. She found herself drawn to him, and a part of her was horrified to find out that she didn't want it to end.
"...engaging with enemies is really bad, Ojou-chan..." He whispers, getting closer with each breath. She stands up on her tiptoes, tugging at his shirt, bringing him even closer.
"You of all people should know this..." He tries once more, but she keeps pulling him closer.
His hand slips from her hair to her chin, tracing light circles on her jaw, before pulling her close, and placing a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth, right besides her lips.
He pulled away just as quick, and immediately started speedwalking down the docks, too embarrassed to let her see his flaming face. Before he was far too gone, however, he shot out a quick, 'Happy lantern rite'; and then he disappeared.
Lumine stood rooted in her spot for a good while, before she brought up her finger to the place where the boy had kissed her not too long ago, and let out a giddy smile.
She looked down at the whale plushie in her hands, and kissed it smackdab on it's face.
"Happy Lantern rite to you too, Childe."