Chapter Text
Ever since Lumine had discovered the entrance to the Spiral Abyss off the coast of Mondstadt, she had made it her personal mission to procure the riches that lay within. However, word of the mysterious treasure trove had spread far and wide, and all sorts of creatures had descended to try and claim them. Every floor was filled with hostile enemies, but she was determined to defeat them all with a team of trusty adventurers by her side. She had helped defeat a dragon, she could do this.
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Waxing Moon, xx21/3
Yesterday, Miss Lumine said I was going to be one of the team leaders to battle the Abyss. I was really excited, but considering my track record, wouldn’t someone with better luck be more optimal? "Bennett," she said, gripping me by the shoulders and staring me in the eyes. "You can heal, you can tank, you can do damage and buff. I'm sorry we couldn't find an hourglass accessory to make you stronger, but we're all unlucky sometimes."
The hourglass is really pretty, though I can’t tell if the sand inside is actually sand or fire. In fact, I’m
“What are you doing?”
“Razor! You scared me!” the blond-haired boy exclaimed, picking up the notebook he had dropped in surprise at the other suddenly joining him under a large tree. “This is a diary, for me to record the things I see every day. I heard a lot of adventurers like to write down their experiences so they can see how far they’ve come. And if you become famous, sometimes people will want to read them too!”
“I see… what does it say?” Razor took ahold of the notebook and looked at the scribbles on the page. While Bennett’s handwriting was not the best, it would have been perfectly legible if Razor was fully literate. Lisa had encouraged him to work on his speech before focusing on reading and writing, because it was an easier way to communicate in most situations. He must have been making good progress, because the shopkeepers in Mondstadt had stopped giving him strange looks every time he tried to purchase something. Would be nice to read soon, he thought. Can understand others more.
The young adventurer took a quick glance at his latest entry. “I’m going to lead a team of adventurers into the Abyss soon! Finally, I won’t be the only member of my adventure team.”
“Are you happy?” Bennett nodded enthusiastically. “That’s… good. If you are happy, I am also... happy.” It was good to see a genuine smile on Bennett, as opposed to one covering up pain or disappointment at himself for causing an unlucky situation.
“Will you be on my team?”
“Oh, um…” Razor rubbed the back of his neck as he now sometimes did when he was nervous - a habit he had picked up from the boy sitting beside him. “That’s why… I came to find you. Wanted to tell you. Going... to be a team leader too. Lumine said that.”
The wide grin faltered for a moment before coming back even brighter. “That’s great! We can train together and eat meat in-between. After all, we’re still one big team~”
“One big team… one big family,” Razor mumbled. “That’s what Lumine always says.”
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“Chongyun. Chongyun! Hmm… Yunyun?” Xiangling was getting bored of wandering around near Wangshu Inn, as all they had done for the past hour was gather silk flowers. At first it had been a fun expedition, and she had thought up a couple of new dishes that she wanted to try, enhanced by the fragrant aroma of the flowers. But now she was just trailing behind Chongyun, who was very determined to strip every bush of silken petals.
At the sound of that nickname, the young exorcist whipped around to face her. “Please don’t call me that.”
Xiangling giggled. “But Xingqiu calls you that aaaaall the time. Why can’t I?”
A shake of his mop of pale blue hair was followed by a sigh. “Because you listen to reason, unlike him.”
“And yet you rarely try to stop him. Maybe...” Xiangling’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Maybe you like it?”
“No! It doesn’t- It doesn’t mean I like it… so please don’t.” Chongyun was usually on the more stoic side, so it was fascinating to watch as he went through a wide range of expressions within seconds, from surprise to annoyance to embarrassment. The tinge of red on his ears was definitely from the afternoon sun. Being a good friend, Xiangling decided not to push it. He deserved a reprieve from being teased once in a while, plus she would prefer it if he did not have a heat-induced episode in the middle of the stone pathways surrounding the inn.
“So,” Xiangling said, quickly changing the topic. “What are we picking all these flowers for anyway?”
Sticking a hand into the pouch at his hip, Chongyun absent-mindedly thumbed the petals of the flower sitting on top of the pile. “Miss Lumine said to give them to Xingqiu later, something about developing his power. I know they can be used to make perfume, but surely that doesn’t require dozens of them… is that why he always smells nice?”
Xiangling snorted.
“Is that it? Does his power increase the nicer he smells?”
The residents of Wangshu Inn were startled by the amused shrieks of Liyue Harbour’s rising star chef.
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Waning Moon, xx21/3
It feels like we’ve already been going down forever, but the bottom of the Abyss is still nowhere in sight. I’m sure we’ll see it soon if we just keep working hard though! I forgot to mention this previously, but around the 5th floor we started needing to split our team into two, because the doors wouldn’t open unless we activated two keys at the same time. Heh, that kind of puzzle is pretty common in ruins. A solo adventurer would never be able to progress beyond a certain point.
…I’m really, really thankful that Miss Lumine lets me go adventuring with her sometimes.