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He breathed in and out. The saltiness of the ocean and the scent of water coated his nose. The sun was up and a few clouds overhead but no scent of rain from up above. It was just like any regular old day for him.
That was until he saw her...sparkling gold eyes curious about the ship. Gold hair that was beautiful and so shiny that it reflected the sun and complemented her hair further. If anyone asked about her appearance he would tell them that she looked like a star that descended from the heavens. Having even though it was still in the middle of the day, she shone so bright as the reason.
Her eyes it was so beautiful. Although he relied mainly on his nose to feel and sense the world around him. His eyes overtook his other senses. He couldn't comprehend the girl he was seeing from up above the crow's nest.
She was accompanied by Beidou. A surprise guest that she knows well he assumes. She didn't tell them beforehand after all and the two were talking like old friends. Beidou was happily guiding her and telling her about the ship.
"Kazuha!", Beidou shouted calling attention to her and the girl beside her.
He didn't notice them looking straight at him as he was too captured by the starlight of a girl on the deck. He should have noticed as he was observing her eyes the most. But then again his very own eyes wasn't his best sensor out of all his sensors. He was better at hearing and smelling things.
He gave a nod to Beidou and came down from the nest. Her scent of flora coming to his sense of smell as soon as he was nearly down. It was lovely, and he couldn't tell what flower it was exactly but he could tell it was from the nations from the seven he hasn't seen yet. It gave a gentle aura around her. Beidou then gladly introduced him to her. And her to him. Much to his excitement in knowing the girl infront of him.
"Traveler, this is Kazuha. A ronin that has been with us since last year. He came from Inazuma as you can probably tell. A runaway stray of a boy that has been a good weather predictor for us since the vision hunt decree." She said with a hearty infectious laugh. Making the traveler laugh too. And ah... did the sweet melody enter Kazuha's ears and make him more entranced of her.
"And Kazuha this is.... uh", she said with confusion as if trying to make up something suddenly. "Artemis" she continued.
"She's the legendary traveler that sucessfully challenged Stormterror and defeated Osial."
She said with an almost proud smile for her friend. Or more like another daughter figure that belongs to her crew.
That traveler huh.... He thought with even more curiosity than before. The name Artemis suits her. As much as she looked like a star, she also looked like a goddess. Like the ones in myths. She exuded an aura of mystery like the moon that Artemis wields, and that of a hunter that came from her practiced stance.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a glowing bright smile that made his heart skip a beat.
"Nice to meet you too," he said with liveliness that matched the butterflies coming from his stomach. She was really beautiful he thought.
She smiled brighter. And he felt the butterflies dance in his stomach furthermore. He felt his smile that came from awhile ago cramp even more.
"Kazuha want to show the traveler around? And perhaps answer some questions she has of Inazuma? She is heading there soon and every fact she can get about it could be useful", Beidou asked and stated. Inazuma.. he thought. I guess she really is a traveler. To want to know about it and head there even though she knows that there is currently a civil war there. He chuckled inside.
"Sure, why not?", he said with a boyish smile and a small nod. A slight blush came across the traveler's cheeks.
"Good," Beidou said. The traveler soon smiled even more brightly. As if it could even get any brighter from last time. But it did. She paid more attention to him. He could feel her curious eyes and her waiting on him to say something.
"Come then traveler, I'll show you around. And feel free to ask any questions about Inazuma while I'm doing so." He said with complete attention to her, turning away from Beidou completely.
Beidou silently watched as the two figures roam around the ship. Both of them had warm smiles and eyes curious eyeing up each other. In her eyes it seemed that the two fell for eachother at first sight.
And if one were to listen to Degui from Third-Round Knockout about his story in the future. The storyteller would say:
That was the day he met her. The girl soon to be his bride, light and savior.