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Snow was cracking under her heel as she was advancing through the cold of Snezhnaya. In front of her, not too far, was Tartaglia, leading the way. Despite all they went through together now, she was just realising how little she knew of him. How little she really knew. But, as her eyes were fixed on his back, she remembered one thing she could be certain of. When he was not wearing his mask, she could trust him wholeheartedly.
As if he was sensing her eyes on him, he turned around and grinned at her. He looked so young and childish like that, with a smile on his face, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink thanks to the hard cold surrounding them… That she could almost forget how dangerous he actually was. Almost. Maybe it was part of the main reason why she never grew tired of his company, he who somehow managed to show up in front of her every step of her journey through Teyvat.
The sound of a branch cracking under her boot caught her attention and she looked up. They had reached the forest.
“What are we doing here again?”
Now, he had fully turned around to face her, his hand on his hips.
“Adventuring of course! What else?”
His happy tone was only met by silence, as she slowly tilted her head. She should have known he was planning something, with how far this forest actually was from Morepesok, his hometown, but that kind of sentences was more something she would have expected out of Bennett’s mouth. She sighed, loud enough that he could actually hear it. His eternal smile was still on his face, but it looked like the tone of his voice had changed.
“Could it be that the Traveler no longer cares for exploration?”
Her golden eyes shot up at that, instantly meeting his deep blue ones staring at her petite silhouette in an almost challenging way.
“No.”
It was simple curiosity. She was not like him. Not yet, anyway. She still hasn’t grown tired of traveling.
“And what about fighting?”
At that, Lumine raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously going to ask her for a fight here of all places, in the middle of a forest… Which, now that she was thinking about it, felt familiar to her for a reason she couldn’t really put her finger on. Not the forest in itself, but more… The atmosphere of it. Like the wind that was caressing her cheeks from time to time was not only cold but charged with a familiar feeling of… Uncomfort? She honestly was not able to put a word on this feeling, but she knew this place was not right. Alone, she would not have set foot in this forest if she had any other choice. Her instinct never betrayed her.
“This forest…”
If it was possible, Tartaglia’s satisfied grin grew even larger.
“You’re able to feel it by observation only, uh? I was not expecting any less from you, comrade!”
So she was right. If she had to bet, not all of Snezhnaya’s snow covered forest felt like this one. Her golden gaze narrowed in his direction, encouraging him silently to continue talking but only in order to give her some much needed explanation of what exactly was that they were both apparently feeling.
“Well, you see… It’s going to be Teucer’s birthday very soon. Well, not very soon. But because I won’t get to be around to celebrate with him, I have to get his gift while I still can so I can have the rest of my family offer it to him while i’m on duty.” He was always sent on duty far from home, because of his… tendencies to attract trouble, he told her once. But that did not explain anything about their current situation. Maybe the simple mention of Teucer should have given her a clue though. Ignoring her hardened stare, Tartaglia continued.
“I already gifted him so many things related to his beloved Mr. Cyclops, how can I up the game with a new gift then? By gifting him an entire Mr. Cyclops that is able to fly!”
No need for a more imaged description, she already knew what he was referring to.
“You want to gift him a Ruin Hunter?”
The young Fatui Harbinger shook his head positively.
“Exactly.”
She actually facepalmed, and he had the audacity to laugh. “Why does it look like you’re surprised? Didn’t you see our garden?” Oh, of course she saw it. How could she have missed it. So many lifeless silhouettes, resting on the snow. All for his precious little brother to enjoy. “So you want my help to find and fight a Ruin Hunter?”
He flashed her one of his signature grin, like a cheshire cat. That damn smile…
“Not exactly, I need your help to bring it back home actually.”
Of course he did…
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t!”
She hated that he was right. Seeing her sigh once again, he continued.
“Don’t worry, it won’t take long to find one.”
He sounded awfully confident. When she did need to find one, she had to wander amongst the many mountains piercing the sea of cloud. The fact that these creatures of old could fly really did not help. Tracking them was harder than tracking a simple Ruin Guard when there was not a trace of huge footsteps left behind.
“It turns out this forest is the place in all of Snezhnaya with the highest concentration of abyssal activity.”
This explained the odd feeling she could feel around them… That invisible danger. Not as concentrated as what she felt in these ruins back then, but still similar. It seemed that Tartaglia was well used to this feeling, she wondered if he came here often.
“There are usually more Ruin Guards than Ruin Hunter around here, but that will just mean more fight for us.”
“Maybe if we separate we co…?”
He did not let her finish. “No, let’s not.” Once again, he interrupted her by shaking his head… "It is easier to get lost in these woods than it seems, trust me."
...And once again, she wondered what it was about him and this specific forest he was trying to keep secret. Whatever it was, he must have a reason. Sometimes, she really was unable to properly read him. And it was not like his eyes could help.
"Plus, I would actually prefer if I could keep an eye on you. Most of the time, only Fatui members are adventuring around here, you know."
Another question that would most likely be left unanswered blossomed in her mind, but Lumine decided to hold unto it for the time being. For now, she followed in his footsteps, straight into the unknown.
"So…"
The familiar sound of a machine falling silent for the last time accompanied the start of her sentence, as she carelessly threw her sword behind her, letting it vanish in her back.
"...What now?"
In front of her, Tartaglia was sitting on the newly deactivated body of the now masterless weapon of war. His spear of hydro was piercing the ground next to it, and it vanished immediately just as he was beginning to stand up.
"Well, I think it is time for us to cut it into pieces."
Wait what.
So, this is how he was planning on bringing it home? When she noticed they had nothing but their own weapons on them, she had started to wonder how in Celestia will they be able to carry something that large all the way back to Morepesok… And even farther from there, if it was meant to be kept hidden away from Teucer's curious eyes until his special day finally came.
"I will take care of the big slices."
She walked towards him in order to stand next to him, her eyes going from their freshly deactivated opponent to him in succession.
"You sound like you know what you're doing."
He hummed, maybe a bit too enthusiastically due to the context.
"Let's say I did my research on the subject beforehand."
A sign he was going to keep talking but still stay vague on said subject… Their relationship was like that from the beginning: getting along perfectly well and even more than well one second, but it only needed their conversation to jump on a subject situated at the dangerous frontier between her traveler business and his fatui secrets for the mood between them to change. But she grew used to it, and Tartaglia never lost his smile… Which at first she found really unsettling. But in the end, that's what drew her to him in the first place.
"I told you already: one of my fellow Harbinger loves old machines such as this one as much as I love fighting."
He crouched down, his hand on the machine, patting it lightly in order to illustrate his next point.
"I consulted him… More or less getting him to agree to secure the part I need for Teucer's gift in exchange with allowing him to keep the rest of what's inside of that old thing."
So, only the outside was of interest for him.
"I'm going to take care of the main part, leaving you mainly the limbs."
He was standing up again, an hydro blade materializing in his left hand (she had learned it was the one he favored).
"Wait-"
His face only slightly turned towards her, allowing at least their eyes to meet, allowing her to notice his raised eyebrows.
"Does that mean all of this is me indirectly helping with Fatui business?"
"Is that a problem…?"
She hated how his eyes were screaming do it for Teucer.
"Well if it reassures you this won't be the first of these things that ends up in that guy's hands." He chuckled. "And it probably won't be the last."
He turned completely and walked toward her, caressing her hair with his hand, revealing an iced leaf, probably having fallen from one of the trees above them. "The only Fatui you're helping today is me, and it is for personal business… Is this ok with you?"
She swore those puppy eyes of them must run in the family. Her sword found her way back inside her hand once more and he smiled maybe a bit too happily. Somehow, she was still on the defensive, not really knowing why. Maybe because she wished he would trust her enough to share with her the real reason why he did not wish for her to wander alone in this forest.
“Of course it is.”
“After all these travels, you still have to meet again with your brother, right?”
They were on their way back when Tartaglia decided to open his mouth. On their back were attached the severed part of Teucer’s future gift, Tartaglia carrying on his back the larger one.
Her fist clenched, she could not control it. She was glad he was the one leading the way so he could not notice that. Suddenly, the trace of his feet on the snow got her whole attention as they both stopped walking. Aether’s face appears in her mind, his eyes shining a different light she used to remember him with.
She hasn't spoken of it with him yet. And she is planning to delay it as much as she possibly can. Aether is her brother, her concern. He has yet to openly appear as the enemy of this world. And while Tartaglia now holds an important place in her heart she...
“There is one last place I would like to take you to, one day.”
Her eyes shot up and she noticed just now that he had actually turned around, his gaze unreadable as always. When their eyes finally properly met, somehow, she already knew exactly what was the place he was talking about. The way he was looking back inside the forest they just exited, with this expression of his filled with nostalgia.
“I could guide you to it, but this is a place I wouldn’t like you to visit without me.”
She did not have the heart to tell him someone already brought her there. But when he talks and talks about that one crazy beast he once came face to face with and how even though he is not able to find his way back there just yet, for her, he will find a way because she just has to be there... her lips actually morph into a sincere smile when she takes his gloved hand in hers, interrupting him gently.
“Don’t say that, silly.”
He looked confused.
“Don’t say what?”
Oh, right. She did interrupt him. She can’t help but laugh at the way he is curiously staring at her.
“Don’t say the last.”
Confusion still has yet to leave his face. Silence surrounds them once more as he is slowly starting to connect her last two words.
My brother said that he would gladly quit his job if it meant being able to go travel with you!
Teucer’s words that one time can’t help but keep echoing inside her mind as their eyes gazed into one another.
“When Aether and I are finally reunited, and my ability to leave this world has come back to me… I would love for you to tag along, from times to times.”
Just like he did in Teyvat. Hesitation does not suit her, but rejection always hurts. This pain may never last but she never wished to get to know it coming from him.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to leave everything behind…” She knows how attached he is to this place, his home country. This is where his family lives. This is where his loyalty lies, despite everything. “...But there are many more places I would love to take you, too.”
They’re still holding hands, she noticed it when his hand started holding hers a bit tighter. A sincere smile blossoms on his lips as he takes a step towards her, cupping her cheek with his free hand, making her heart skip a beat at the same time. Only he could trouble her like that.
“I would love to.”
Their foreheads softly touch, and she can distinctly feel his breath on her face as she instinctively closes her eyes.
“More places to see means more competent foes to battle right? I really can’t wait, haha.”
She sighed, clearly expecting something else and he laughed. But despite her annoyed expression at first, she can’t help but smile.
To all their other travels to come.