Chapter Text
It was a day, just as another any day. Warm weather, chill winds, flash rains far from appearing without warning. Nothing much happens in city town of contracts. Calm traffic on the roads, small pockets of neighbourhoods and its community secured by active patrolling police offices; having something out of the ordinary happen is infrequent. That was until a new resident moved into Liyue Harbour.
Lumine bought a small house close to the edge of the town, facing the sea. She was friendly, kind, and lively. Her blonde hair, lighter skin and fashion style all pointed signs that she is a foreigner. The surrounding neighbours, young and old, instantly grew fond of her. The young woman was eager to learn the history of Liyue, its traditions and its people. The elderly women taught her how to use the chopsticks, how to cook their traditional food. The elderly men told her of ancient folktales and history. They loved how attentive she was, how her eyes sparkled with joy. Eventually, they affectionately nicknamed her ‘Ying’.
Lumine was a little nervous around the little ones at first as she claimed she was not good with kids. However, the children liked her almost instantly upon meeting her. From a tip by one of the elders, she bought candies ahead of time for them as gifts. The smiles on their faces made her soul soar with delight.
They played games and toys with her like the yoyos, kicking the shuttlecock and musical chairs. The blonde lady was quick to learn the region’s nursery rhythms, and thus able to sing along with them.
Her heart arched for the ones who are orphaned and were currently living in the community’s orphanage. She made sure to give them hope that they will find a family and encourage them to pursue their dreams.
The few young adults and teenagers in the small nearby neighbourhood were happy to have a new person in the community around their age. They shared their favourite shows and exchanged tips on learning Liyue’s complex language. Lumine was easy to talk to due to her opened mind, and she gave her own life experiences for the younger ones to learn from.
Soon, almost all the locals in Liyue harbour had known of Lumine and welcomed her with warm open arms.
…
…
The more Lumine interacted with her neighbours, the more they learned snippets of her life. The curious locals exchange information among each other to better understand her better.
A group of young ladies gossip quietly among each other. One of them named Xiangling whispered, “Lumine told me she travelled all over the world, including Inazuma of all places!” A few gasped in surprise, while others let a sound of admiration in awe.
“No wonder her clothes are something even I haven’t seen before… I wonder if she gives me some fashion tips.” Another woman with purple hair, named Keqing muttered in thought. An older sliver haired woman, Ningguang covered her mouth with a handheld fan and leaned in towards the girls. “I heard from a little bird… the reason she came here is to settle down. Do you think she is married?” She spoke with a hint of excitement. Those in the group who are fan of romance wildly gasp with ohs and ahs.
“Oh Oh!” A sparky young woman with long brownish hair jumped up a little enthusiastically and sputtered out, “Do you seen any rings on her fingers then?” The others collectively shook their heads in disappointment. “Maybe just a boyfriend then? Or a girlfriend… I don’t judge.” A fair lady with short blue hair shared a thought, and the rest seem to agree.
A smaller group of young men nearby were having their own discussion. A man with pale blue hair was eating his popsicle in peace, before uttering out a random thought, “Do you think she has a boyfriend?” Another man with blue hair, looked up with his doubtful eyes from his book. “With a beautiful fair lady such as her, I would be a surprise if she doesn’t have one, Chongyun.” Chongyun took a few seconds to think before humming in agreement. “Yeah, you are right Xingqiu. She’s way out of my league…”
An older man with glasses and long green hair, chuckled and said, “When she came to buy medicine from my pharmacy, we had a small talk. She had mentioned having a brother. A twin brother.” The duo looked at him in surprise, interested by this new piece of Lumine’s background. They kept on talking about Lumine for a few more minutes, mostly about her looks and her attitude. Strangely, they could not help but feel a threatening stare from behind their backs, far from their line of sight. Or perhaps it is just their imagination…?
In a teahouse, a gathering of the elders was drinking tea in peace, while looking after a small group of children playing nearby. The next generation was a handful to babysit but their laughter and smiles were always a delight to listen to. However, the topic of discussion was not the children but ‘Ying’ instead. “Ying is a wonderful lady to have around, don’t you think?” An elderly woman spoke as she placed gently down her teacup on the table. The others hummed and nodded collectively in agreement. The elderly man next to her softly laughed, “Ping, this is not the first time you said that.” Madam Ping giggled in response before retorting back, “But it is true though, Maocai.” He shook his head with a small smile, before sipping the warm tea from his cup.
Upon hearing the mention of Lumine, the children came over to the table. A tiny young girl with short purple short hair tugged gently on the selves of old man Maocai, “Uncle Liu, whenever we ask miss Ying if she is married, her face turns red. Is she sick?” Liu laughed happily for the second time of the day. “Ah children these days are so curious… No, she isn’t sick, little Qiqi.” He answered as he patted on the young girl’s head. “She is just… embarrassed. No need to worry.”
A young boy next to Madam Ping tilted his head in confusion, “emm-bear-razed? What does it mean?” Madam Ping smiled placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, “It means she is just a little shy, Little Ming.” The other children let out an understanding ohs in response upon learning a new word. Ming blinked and looked up at the elderly for wisdom once again. “Mama and Papa always tell me married people are always happy. Do you think she is married?”
The elder lady adjusted her glasses and stared off into the distance. Silence was brought upon around the table as a soft wind direct them to the beautiful scenery outside. Madam Ping was trying to recall a small detail that many youngsters may have missed. It was then the memory hit her.
“…The butterfly pendant that she wears.” She remarked softly. “I don’t know if she is married, but what I do know… she is indeed loved by someone important to her.” Some of the elders noticed the same detail that she recalled, nodding in agreement. A young girl stepped up with a curious expression. “What does the butterfly mean?” Liu smiled upon hearing the question. He looked to another elderly man next to him, who was half asleep from reading a book. “Oi Liusu.” He nudged the sleepy old man. “I think this is more of your expertise.”
Old man Liusu awoke with a startle, then scrambled to find his eyeglasses before looking around with a bewildered face. All he saw was the group of children staring at him expectantly. He sighed along with an amused smile. After giving a short glare at a grinning Maocai, he cleared his throat. “Gather around young children. The meaning of the butterfly runs deep from our culture. It came from this famous folktale of two star crossed lovers…” Liusu stood up from his seat, straightened his back and maneuverer his hands to express the story being told.
“Once upon a time… before our forefathers were born, among the ancient mountains of jueyun karst lives an immortal illuminated beast.” He spoke with just the right amount of exaggeration and flair. “The beast took a form of a beautiful young woman. While trying to understand the realm of mankind, she falls in love with a mortal man. This, was their story….” Liusu continues to tell the story to the young ones till they must go back home.
Lumine made the lives of the locals that much sweeter. The days can only get better from here, right?
Right?
…
…
Strangely, these past few weeks only became weirder. While the presence of Lumine made everyone happy, there was also another hidden presence among the community. One who disappears in a blink of an eye. One who could be mistaken as the passing wind. Rumours of a certain dark silhouette roaming among the streets in the earliest of mornings and darkest of nights.
This presence was felt rather than seen. Someone or something which did not want to be detected. Whenever anyone was interacting with Lumine, the presence felt like it was calmly judging them from afar. The locals talked among each other, sharing their thoughts and theories of who or what this is.
“An alien perhaps?” A young child claimed.
“A wild beast?” A teenager randomly questioned.
“Maybe just a natural phenomenon…” An adult insisted.
Whatever it was, it was attached to Lumine. Those who knew her fondly, especially her new friends, grew concerned for her safety. A request was brought upon to the local police station. Two young patrolling police officers, Chongyun and Xingqiu, took up the case and investigated into the matter.
The next morning arrives. The patrolling duo walked around the empty streets of the nearby neighbourhood, watchful eyes carefully scanning every corner and every alleyway. This stretch of road led to the house which homes the new resident, Lumine. Xingqiu yawned loudly while stretching his arms, then letting out an exasperated sigh from his lips. “Do you think we arrived too early?”
Chongyun took a small pause from licking his stick of plain blue popsicle. He hummed in thought for a few moments before shaking his head in disagreement. “I personally think we may not be early enough. Whoever or whatever this is may be already gone.” He added. Xingqiu groaned softly with his eyes watching the area around him with more focus than before. He really wanted to get this case done and over with soon.
They walked till the end of the street, with no success in obtain any evidence. Chongyun looked down at his empty popsicle stick with disappointment, while Xingqiu was feeling more irritated. The pale blue-haired man was about to report back their findings to HQ until…. Suddenly…
Vroom~~! Vrommmm!
A loud noise coming from ahead of them, shocking the two young officers. “Do you hear that, my friend? Driving recklessly in this time of day? Outrageous!” Xingqiu commented in disbelief. Chongyun blinked, taking a second to regain his composure. “That sounds like motorcycles… near the entrance of this town?” He swiftly identified. Exchanging worrying gazes, the duo scurried towards the source of the noise.
As they approached near the gateway, the duo slowed down their steps. They kept a low profile, sneaking through the cover of shadows and walls. When the large overhanging gate of Liyue Harbour was in sight, Xingqiu and Chongyun peaked out from the closest hiding spot. “Is that…?” Chongyun whispered fearfully.
Two masculine male figures were spotted under the shade of the gate. Their motorcycles were parked at the sides close by. One of them was tall and had a bulky silhouette, wearing a dull brown shirt and pants… with a bright white apron around his waist? A black surgical mask blocked the bottom half of his facial features. The other figure was shorter, wearing all black and purple clothing with a bike helmet on his head to hide his face.
They were facing towards each other, looking directly where their eyes would be behind their masks. The intense tension emitting from the two mysterious men could be felt all the way to the hiding police officers. Their legs shook with fear and worry. What were they going to do?
“Did you bring… the goods?” The shorter man spoke with a strong muffed voice. It sounded calm, too calm. It was almost as if he had hidden intentions behind his words.
The taller man gave a quick but firm nod. He slowly brought out a heavy looking briefcase from the side of his body, then placed it down on the space between them with a loud thump. The requester tilted his head down a little to spot the object of interest.
“May I inspect its quality?” He spoke again with a calm stoic voice. The taller man seemed to flinch a little at his words, feeling a mildly offended. “…But I always bring the best. You know that.” He commented dejectedly. Ignoring his words, the supposed client let out a soft huff before going down on one knee to handle the briefcase.
Chongyun and Xingqiu shared a look of extreme anxiety. This was clearly a gathering of two suspicious people making a deal of potentially illegal goods. They heard of such stories of gangsters such operations outside of Liyue Harbour, but they never had any happened within the peaceful town. As such, they had zero experience of handling such situations. Both minds rang out the same thought, W-What should we do?
Neither of them dared to report to HQ with their findings via their walkie talkies. It would give away their position. All the rookie officers could do now was to just observe and watch silently.
Thud, thud as the client knocked the outer shell of the briefcase with his knuckles, carefully hearing the sound emitted. It was to confirm that it was not empty, and it passed the test. With a satisfied hum, the shorter man began to open it.
Click, click went the bulky metal clasps as they were flipped up to be unlocked. A small additional effort was made to push the briefcase wide open. The duo officers tried to peek what was inside. However, at the worst possible time, the sun was rising from the horizon. Its bright rays shined upon the shiny inner and outer parts of the briefcase, casing a blinding glare upon anyone observing. The contents were hidden by natural means, what a cunning scheme… whether they could never confirm nor deny that it contained any illegal content.
At this point, Xingqiu just had enough of fate’s nonsense. His patience was wearing thin for the past few hours. Consequences be damned! I am a police officer darn it! He screamed internally in frustration. Ignoring his partner’s cries for him to reconsider, the short blue-haired man stomped towards the two suspicious figures to confront them.
He held his position in front of the two face-covered men “Stop right there!” Xingqiu shouted. He showed his badge at the strangers and pointed his finger accusingly at the briefcase. “You are suspected to be involved in trading illegal goods. Confiscate your items and hand yourselves over without resistance!”
The two men flinched at the sudden intrusion. Slowly turning their heads around, both spotted the lone officer. The one with the mask observed the intruder from head to toe, noting the shaking legs that contrast his still upper body. Despite the admirable bravery, Xinqiu was unfortunately still afraid. He crossed his huge arms across his chest, showing no fear or worry in his stance. “I am not sure that this… counts as ‘illegal’, officer.” He said with mild amusement.
The man wearing the bike helmet sighed from below, shifting the case just a little so that the police officer could also inspect it. As the blue-haired officer danced his eyes between the two strangers before trailing down towards the ground, he felt a sudden chill on his feet.
So Xingqiu inspected, here was what he saw.
He saw visible steam, but this steam was cold. He then saw ice, lots, and lots of ice.
Finally, he saw packages on top of packages of…
“A-Almond tofu?!” He exclaimed in surprise. At this moment, Chongyun gathered his own courage to join the spot beside his partner. His curious eyes landed on see what Xingqiu was seeing and the became just as dumbfounded.
“See? Nothing suspicious happen, officer. Ha-!” The man with the mask wanted to laugh heartily at their faces, only to be interrupted by a coughing fit. His client quickly closed the briefcase and locked it firmly. Even though the duo could not see his eyes, they could just feel the silent judgement from the other stranger.
“E-Explain yourselves!” Xingqiu demanded, pointing at them with red hue of embarrassment on his cheeks. “Y-Yeah, what’s with the whole get up!” Chongyun added, still confused on what was going on. The two masked men look at each other for a moment, before shrugging nonchalantly. The whole setting of the meeting was entirely unnecessary. However, no matter how strange it seemed to be, it was just-
“To be fair, it was his idea. And- *cough* I am sick today. As of him…” One of them started.
“I prefer my face not to be seen. …For personal reasons.”
“Ex-gangsters?” Chongyun asked hesitantly. Both nodded with low hum.
“It was just… um…”
“A bad habit. It seemed to make sense at the time…” The other finished.
The two police officers were in denial that they were so anxious for nothing. The four of the men stood there in awkward silence. Woosh goes the wind as it blew over the uncomfortable situation. It continued for several more seconds until the man wearing bike helmet spoke up.
“If there is nothing else, I would like to move on.” His head looked at the police officers who looked so defeated, or perhaps humiliated. He looked past them, towing the motorcycle along.
“That man is crazy for almond tofu. Please forgive him.” The muscular masked man commented with a chuckle.
….
….
Step, Step, Step was the sound it made from his heavy boots, walking down the smooth concrete pavement towards home. Despite him being alone, the bike helmet stayed on his head. He did not want to be seen, for he had not trusted the locals in this town yet. He did not want to be recognized, if there were anyone still around who knew his face.
Just a few steps more, a little more until he reached his new home. The home that he found with her.
Soon, a small and simple looking house, surrounded by dull stone walls was presented in front of him. Peering through the gate, he noticed that the curtains on its windows were closed; whomever inside might be still asleep. The rider carefully parked his motorcycle near the gate, brought out his keys and proceed to make his way in.
The gate made no resistance, swinging wide open and welcoming its new resident into its premises. Closing the gate behind him, he walked quickly towards the door with the briefcase in hand. There was a sign that says, “Please knock gently.”
There it was. The reason he tried his hardest to settle things back at his old master. The reason of his ‘retirement’. He just had to-
Ring, Ring, Ring~
A soft playful sound emitted from the young man’s pocket. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he dug into his pocket with his remaining free hand. An old phone was fished out, with its screen radiating the name of its caller. Thumb hovering just above the cancel call icon. However, it showed a familiar name. A frightening familiar name.
Just before his hands deciding to act on its own, his bike helmet was casted aside. In his haste, dark lustrous fair hair and his tinted green finch were arranged messily. The terrified young man quickly picked up the call.
Di- “G-Good morning, M-Master Morax?”
“….” No reply came, except the sound of a distant sigh.
“L-Lord Rex Lapis?”
“….” He could barely hear it, but it was indeed another softer sigh. Of disapproval?
*Ahem* “Sir Zhongli…” A chuckle emitted from the other side, loud and clear.
“Close enough. I assume you reached Liyue Harbour safely, Xiao?” A deep and wise-sounding voice asked kindly. Xiao gulped down his nervousness, took in a quick breath to calm his nerves.
“Yes, Master Mor-Um… Sir Zhongli. I arrived just on time to settle the deal with Yanxiao. I… Thank you for the delivery.” His usual calmness returned into his posture and voice. He felt odd speaking to the older man in such a casual way. As Xiao waited for a reply, he wandered a short distance away from the door.
“Good… Good…” Zhongli could be heard nodding in approval. He started humming a little over the phone, as if he were thinking of what to say next. Anxious amber eyes periodically glanced at the door of the house and outside. He tried to be patient, especially in front of an elder who he respected highly. It was then a memory played back in the back of his mind.
I will always be here waiting. Don’t keep me waiting too long…
Even I have limits, silly.
“Is there anything else you need to talk to me about, Sir Zhongli? If there isn’t, then…” Xiao asked hesitantly.
“Oh?” The older man commented curiously. “Are you trying to shoo me away?” A soft chuckle was added. It seemed this was the first time he had done this. A risky move, but Xiao’s emotions are taunting him to quickly go back to her. Now.
“I… I-I didn’t mean to be rude, Master- Um no, Sir. She was waiting for me all this time. I don’t want to delay any longer.” Xiao answered honestly, his heart beating rapidly in anticipation.
“…” Silence came through between them. Xiao assumes Zhongli was judging him… as he always did back then. It was painful, yet soothing. Guidance was what he looked up to him for. But now is different. Now is…
“You always knew what you wanted, and I trust you. Even till now.” Zhongli commented with a calm and fatherly tone. “Our contract, ended by your own hands. And it seems I am no longer needed, Alatus.”
“It’s Xiao.” The young man corrected him with a small smile. A hearty laugh emitted from the other side. “Yes, you are Xiao now.” After those words, comes follows a silence of appreciation shared between the two men. Xiao was breathing easy from now onwards. His shoulders felt lighter.
“Before you go…” Zhongli spoke up. “I want to hear this from you. What does she mean to you?” He asked.
“She is…” Xiao slowly thought, coming up with the right words. “…my light.”
Just as he spoke those words, the door creaked opened. A woman with blonde hair poked her head out. Her golden eyes spotted the man she was waiting for.
“X-Xiao?” Lumine gasped. Without hesitation, she stepped out barefooted and rushed towards her lover, ignoring the pain on her feet. Xiao finally ended the call after saying a quick goodbye, joined to close the distance between the two. The two embraced in each other’s arms tightly. A hug so tight that they felt like they could almost suffocate.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home. I miss you.”
….