Work Text:
As the sun filtered in through the window, shining high in the sky, Ayaka carefully signed another document. She’d been working since it first peeked over the horizon, preparing for a large upcoming festival. This was one she wouldn’t be able to attend, as she was responsible for supervising the event. That was unfortunate; ever since her first festival she’d longed to go to another.
The thought of inviting Lumine hovered in the back of her mind as well, of sharing the festival with her if she could. She’d seen the traveler a few times since then, bustling up and down the hills with Paimon in tow. Lumine was always helping someone, always smiling, selfless, and kind; that was what Ayaka liked about her. The way she stepped up for others was inspiring.
Ayaka hadn’t read a single word in the last few minutes, lost in her own thoughts, so she shook her head to snap herself out of it. Those were musings for another time, when she didn’t have work to do. She went back to the top of the form, re-reading it to make sure it was correct.
It would reflect poorly on the Kamisato name if the festival went badly. It was important to get this right. They would need to source lumber for building stalls, which this document would arrange. She just needed to check the numbers.
As Ayaka continued to read though, she was soon again distracted by a beam of light cast from the window. It moved slowly throughout the day, and now cast its light directly on her desk. Again, she found herself pausing in her work, this time to raise her hand into the beam.
Ayaka stopped herself; this wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing. The longer she worked, the more easily distracted she became.
Perhaps it was time to take a break.
She’d worked hard all morning, after all. It wouldn’t hurt to take time for lunch and besides, she’d be more focused later. That was what Ayaka told herself as she pushed her chair back and stood, stretching out her back in the process.
It would be nice to get out, to do more ordinary things. Ever since the festival she’d been trying to go more often, to walk around town and interact with others. Maybe she could even make new friends. Ayaka wanted to do more and more normal things, along with her duties to the clan and the people. It was a balance she was still trying to find.
With the sun out today, and work that would be best done later, it was a good time to try. Ayaka stepped out around the curtain that divided her space, to where Thoma was working. He had his head down, hand moving quickly as he composed a document. His eyes came up as Ayaka approached.
“What can I do for you?” Thoma asked, pausing writing and setting his quill down.
“I will be stepping out for the next hour.” Ayaka declared smoothly, leaving no room for objection. Not that she thought Thoma would, of course. “Please continue preparing for the festival.” That would alleviate some of her guilt for delaying her work.
Thoma merely smiled up at her. “Alright, have fun out there.” He added a wink on the end, though Ayaka didn’t understand why. There wasn’t anything particularly fun happening in town today, just the regular running of businesses and movement of people.
Ayaka nodded back at him, deciding not to ask for clarification. If there was something amiss, she would find out when she left. She turned away from Thoma and walked out of her quarters, then through the Kamisato complex.
Within a minute she was out of the building and strolling down the path towards the center of town. There were a few people out today, but no more than usual. They moved up and down the paths along with her, passing by without incident. She wondered what Thoma had been talking about; everything seemed normal so far.
It was warmer out in the sun, but just slightly. The weather was mild, an ideal temperature for walking around town. It had been cold this morning, so Ayaka was glad to feel the change.
As Ayaka reached the merchant stalls, the crowd thickened slightly. At least ten people were gathered in the center of the path, watching something that Ayaka couldn’t see. They all had their backs to her, blocking her view. This was concerning, especially if there was a problem. She might need to step in, but first she had to find out what was happening.
When Ayaka reached their backs she could hear the sound of clashing metal, along with a very familiar voice. Immediately Ayaka relaxed. If she was here then that meant…
“He’s going up!” The high pitch voice called. “Don’t let him get away!” That voice could only belong to one individual. To the left side, over the heads of the bystanders, a treasure hunter had appeared. He was climbing one of the stalls, trying to quickly scurry up the fabric side of it.
“On it.” The reply, from a much calmer voice, sent a trill down Ayaka’s spine. She was here. A gust of wind swept under the treasure hunter, who yelped as he was dislodged from the stall.
Ayaka stepped to the side, trying to move around the still growing crowd. One of the people near the back seemed to notice her, which caused him to quickly apologize and step away so she could pass through.
On the other side, the fight had already ended. Lumine stood over the fallen treasure hunter, sheathing her sword. Paimon flew over to her, chattering about how well the fight had gone. A guard stepped forward to take the treasure hunter into custody.
Every time she saw Lumine, Ayaka felt something strange in her chest. It was something like warmth, or perhaps burning; despite all the words in her vocabulary she wasn’t sure how to describe it.
She felt it now, searing through her as Lumine looked over with slightly widening eyes, and then a stunning smile. Ayaka couldn’t help but smile back.
The crowd around her had started to disperse, with a few people stepping forward to talk with Lumine. They pulled her attention away from Ayaka, who stepped aside to wait for a chance to speak with the traveler.
The citizens shook Lumine’s hand profusely, before loading her arms with a pile of flowers. After a minute they left as well, clearing the road for passage once again. Lumine carefully tucked the flowers into her bag, where they somehow fit easily.
Ayaka closed the distance between them, extending a polite greeting despite her excitement. “Good afternoon.”
“Hi Ayaka! It’s good to see you!” Paimon returned the greeting loudly, while Lumine nodded back. A small smile was present on her lips.
“You as well.” Ayaka looked between the pair as she stopped in front of them, eyes settling on Lumine. “What brings you to Inazuma city today?” It had been a while since she’d seen them.
“The usual, just out saving the world.” Paimon replied, drawing a chuckle from Lumine.
They certainly were, at least that’s how Ayaka viewed them. “You did a wonderful job with that treasure hunter.” Ayaka could’ve sworn that Lumine’s cheeks dusted pink at the compliment, but perhaps she imagined it.
“All in a day’s work.” Paimon spun in the air, flipping to Lumine’s other shoulder. “I think we’ve done enough for now, what do you think?”
“You’re right.” Lumine looked up at Paimon while she responded.
Oh, they were going to take a break. That was fitting, since Ayaka was doing the same. Maybe, and this was a stretch, maybe they could take their break together. Getting lunch in town was a normal thing to do, and doing it with a friend would be even more ordinary. Especially if that friend was Lumine.
“I, um.” Ayaka started to speak, then hesitated as Lumine’s eyes snapped to her. There was a weight to that stare, a question that Ayaka couldn’t fully understand. “Would you like to join me around the city? I do not need to be back at the complex for another hour.”
Lumine’s eyes softened, and Paimon answered for her as she often did. “That sounds great!” Lumine nodded, marking her agreement. “Where are you headed?” Paimon asked next.
There wasn’t really an answer to that. “Nowhere in particular.” Ayaka felt embarrassed for a moment, that she was out with no goal in mind, but reminded herself that this was Lumine. They had shared the journal and the festival together; she wouldn’t judge her for this. “Just getting some lunch and walking around.”
“How about dango, there’s a great stand down that way.” Lumine pointed down the hill, where the next area of stalls were set up.
“That sounds perfect.”
With that decided, the three turned to walk in that direction. Ayaka asked about the treasure hunter they apprehended earlier while they moved, and then listened as Paimon recounted the tale of how they caught him. Lumine cut in occasionally, providing corrections to Paimon’s exaggerations. They were a funny duo, playing off each other in this way.
It was a long story, that was just wrapping up as they reached the dango shop. “And then, he tried to run. That’s when you arrived!”
“He didn’t get far.” Lumine added dryly as they stopped in front of the dango shop. There were a few different choices today.
Each of the three ordered a different type of dango, which they received after a few minutes. They turned to walk back up the path while they ate, back up the hills towards the complex.
Paimon flew slightly ahead, quiet as she was engrossed in her meal. Ayaka and Lumine walked side by side behind her, each carrying their stick of dango.
“How’s it been going, doing ordinary things?” Lumine asked, the side of her right arm brushing Ayaka’s left one slightly. She carried her dango in her left hand.
“I am enjoying them, especially when you are here.” Ayaka responded honestly, before taking another bite of her dango. She had the stick in her right hand, where it was easier to eat from. She was distinctly aware of how their two empty hands nearly touched with each step.
Lumine only had a couple dango left. “Where should we go next?” They still had about half an hour until she needed to be back at the complex.
“Let’s just walk. That is a normal thing to do, right?”
“It is.” Lumine nodded, smiling over at Ayaka. Her eyes carried a welcoming warmth, the kindness Ayaka adored.
As they reached the stalls where Lumine had fought earlier, again there seemed to be a crowd gathered. This time they were watching some kind of a magic show, being performed in front of a stall. The crowd filled most of the path ahead.
When Ayaka felt a gentle touch on her left hand, she nearly froze everything three feet around her. Only the knowledge that Lumine was next to her prevented her from doing so. When she looked down, she saw that Lumine’s hand had carefully grasped hers, gently encompassing her fingers.
“It’ll be easier to stick together this way.” Lumine said, tugging softly to guide Ayaka around the crowd. She called once after Paimon, who was drifting towards the show.
Ayaka allowed herself to be pulled, still too surprised to so much as protest.
It was just hand holding, something friends did. Ayaka knew this, but it didn’t feel normal, the thundering of her heart so loud she was sure Lumine could hear it. The pulse of heat up her neck urging her to both pull away and hold on as tight as she could.
They quickly weaved around the crowd and back onto the path, but Lumine didn’t let go. Instead, she readjusted her hand so that their fingers were more closely intertwined. Lumine turned to her with a smile. “I’m glad I didn’t lose you.” Paimon, who had fallen behind, shouted at them to wait for her.
This was a perfectly ordinary behavior, and yet Ayaka’s heart was racing.
“That makes two of us.” She tightened her hand without thinking about it.
The two continued up the path, finishing their dango as they walked. It felt different than before, but Ayaka could get used to this. Her heart had largely settled, leaving a steady thrum of electricity under her skin. Lumine’s hand was pleasantly warm in hers.
When they reached the complex, it was time to part ways. About an hour had passed and Ayaka promised to be back by then. She reluctantly released Lumine’s hand so she could address the pair.
“We should be back by next week.” Paimon said, no longer angry about having been left behind.
“Please do come by when you are, we must do this again.” Ayaka’s eyes were locked onto Lumine’s as she spoke, hoping to convey her genuine feelings.
“We will, I promise.” Lumine asserted firmly, eyes steady and certain. She held eye contact for a moment, and Ayaka wondered if she had something else to say. Then, as if breaking a spell, Lumine turned away. “Let’s go, I think I heard a rumor at the dango shop.”
“Aye aye!”
For a few seconds, Ayaka watched them go. Her hand felt empty now, after all that time.
As she went back inside, she wondered if she should keep a journal. It wouldn't be like the one her mother wrote, but instead would capture the incredible things she experienced. These ordinary things she’d been doing were certainly turning out to be quite extraordinary.
Especially if she kept doing them with Lumine.