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Lumine was a relatively new face in Teyvat, but despite how little time had passed since her arrival she had become a minor celebrity in Mondstadt, Liyue, and even Inazuma. The mysterious traveler who could wield the elements without a Vision, who came and went from people’s lives like a phantom, getting into trouble and just as easily getting out all while aiding in the greater good.
Few people knew her well, even those who occasionally graced her side on missions and adventures. More often than not she traveled alone, as those whom she trusted to have her back had their own lives and duties to attend to. Generally she did well on her own, but there were times where even she knew she was in over her head, and would seek out help.
This was one of those times, the afternoon sun beating down on her as she scaled the steps of the Wangshu inn, seeking out the man she desired to recruit. Finding him was simple enough, even if she had to lure him out with a plate of almond tofu. Sure, she could just call his name and he would be there in an instant, but it felt better on her heart to offer something in return.
That and she’d have been lying if she said seeing the minuscule shift of Xiao’s expression when presented with his favorite treat was unwelcome.
Xiao sat at a secluded table, Lumine sitting across from him as they spoke quietly while the Yaksha ate. Paimon had decided that pestering Smiley Yanxiao for free samples was a better use of her time for the evening, and was in the process of doing just that.
“The commission says there are an unknown number of Abyss mages north of Mingun village, and they tend to have hilichurls under their thrall.” Lumine would explain to an attentive Xiao. “I can probably handle it, but I don’t want to take any chances, you know?”
“Hm… They’re too close to the village for my liking.” Xiao agreed, standing as he finished the last bite. “Let’s go, then.”
Lumine was to her feet and at his heels in an instant, easily keeping up with the strides of the youthful warrior as they left the inn.
The sounds of people quieted as they walked along the road, until only the sound of their footsteps on dirt road and the faint bubble of the stream could be heard. This was normal, as Xiao wasn’t one to talk a lot.
So when he asked his question, it took Lumine a second to parse it.
“What?”
“Your clothes; they glowed golden the last I saw you. Now it’s purple.” Xiao repeated.
“Oh! They change color based on the element I’m attuned to.”
Xiao walked silently for a second as he took in the information. “So you are attuned to Electro now?” He asked.
Lumine nodded. “Yeah, I managed to make it to Inazuma thanks to the Crux fleet, on board the Alcor. I was able to attune while I was there.”
“I see.” Xiao mumbled softly, and said no more as they continued along the path.
They traveled in a companionable silence, coming to a stop a while later as they reached the downed bridge.
Xiao’s eyes followed Lumine as she reached into her bag and withdrew a strange jar. A quirked eyebrow was enough for her to understand his question.
“Oh, it’s called a ‘Wind Catcher’, you can keep Anemograna inside and create an updraft wherever you want.” She explained, reaching for the mechanism. “I use it to get around when Venti isn’t here to make an updraft.”
“You need not trouble yourself.” Xiao said, taking two long strides towards the swordswoman. “Pardon me.”
Lumine could only let out a small yelp of surprise as Xiao simply picked her up bridal style and leapt. High into the air, even higher than Venti’s winds, and Lumine felt her chest flutter by the sensation of weightlessness.
It was the sensation, that was all. Nothing else.
Despite their height and their descent, she didn’t find herself scared at all. Her faith was well founded as Xiao landed on the other side of the bridge without so much as a stumble, politely depositing Lumine back on her feet.
“That works too.” She said, putting the Wind Catcher back in her bag for later use and fixing her hair.
Once more a comfortable silence fell between them as they walked along the road, following the coast as they slowly made their way to their destination.
As they got closer their footfalls became quieter, both focusing more on stealth as the sounds of hilichurl cries grew audible.
Hugging a rock, they peered around the corner and were able to take stock. At least a dozen hilichurls, two Mitachurls, and four abyss mages. Two Pyro and two Hydro. Lumine glanced at her companion, and the young Yaksha met her gaze, nodding softly.
In a blink of black smoke he was gone, only to reappear a second later almost fifty feet in the air, plunging down upon the center mass like a meteor of judgment. A swirl of Anemo scooped most of them together, shredding into their ranks and throwing them into disarray.
Lumine joined the fight, Electro crackling from her sword as she began targeting the shields of the Pyro mages first, luring them closer to their hydro compatriots just in time for another burst of Anemo, which swirled with hydro and absolutely tore through their shields.
The two Pyro mages grounded, Lumine began focusing her attacks to hit more of the group, watching another violent swirl of Anemo suck them in.
The battle was both long and short, the Mitachurls evading the worst of Xiao’s crowd control and leaving Lumine to contend with them while also whittling away at the Hydro Mage’s shields. Xiao did not leave her alone, of course, assisting her while finishing off the last of the small-fry.
Eventually the last of their opponents, a Mitachurl, collapsed to the ground with a death gurgle, plunging the area into silence. The pair stood, catching their breath, Lumine feeling her entire body ache as her leg sent stings of discomfort. A beat passed, and slowly she began to laugh; a giggle at first, but slowly it grew into fullness, echoing pleasantly across the plains.
Xiao could only look at her with bafflement, tilting his head at the queer display.
“What’s so funny?” He finally asked.
“Sorry, it’s just… this was a lot of fun, you know?” Lumine smiled, waving her hands in reassurance. “It’s not often the two of us get to team up like this.”
Xiao only let out a small noise in reply, watching Lumine intently as the woman began to walk towards the road, a notable limp in her gait.
“You should rest.” Xiao spoke up again, making Lumine pause. “It’s dark out, it’s best we wait until morning light.”
“The inn isn’t that far, I’ll be fine.” Lumine could only protest, but one look into the sharp gaze of her companion and she knew she wasn’t going to win. “...Fine.”
With a nod, Xiao approached Lumine. For a moment she thought he was going to pick her up again, but instead simply offered his shoulder for her to lean on, assisting her in limping their way to a nearby tree, large and healthy, offering shelter from any would-be storms. The base of the trunk was warped in such a way that one could tuck themselves into it quite comfortably, and it was there that Xiao guided her to sit.
“I’ll find some herbs to ease the pain.” He declared, turning to walk away once she was settled.
“Ah, don’t-”
Xiao glanced back.
“I have some, it’s okay.” Lumine explained hesitantly, digging into her bag to reveal that she was telling the truth.
Xiao stood aside almost awkwardly and could only watch as Lumine pulled her boot off to inspect the injury, using the herbs to treat it before attempting to bandage it up.
Seeming to find his ability to move once more, Xiao approached and kneeled beside her. “Let me.” He said, holding his hand out for the roll.
A beat of hesitation, Lumine passed the clean white bandages to the Yaksha, and watched wordlessly as he deftly wrapped the wound, securing it once he was done. “There.”
One syllable and he stood, turning to walk several paces away to stand aside.
Lumine stared at his back for a while, silence passing once more between them. More tired than she let on, Lumine let herself relax a little and rest, allowing the herbs to do their work on her hurting leg. Though five minutes turned to fifteen and Xiao hadn’t moved an inch, only the breeze ruffling his clothes telling her he was more than a statue.
“Xiao?”
His head turned back to look at her, paying attention.
“Why don’t you sit down and relax too?”
“I’m keeping watch.”
“Don’t you sleep?” Lumine asked with a tinge of humor, teasing.
“No. I don’t.” A serious reply. “But you should, so you’re rested in the morning.”
With a faint frown, Lumine found herself displeased with that idea.
“Well I’m not tired yet. Why don’t you sit down and talk with me for a bit?”
Xiao turned slightly more towards Lumine, visibly apprehensive, before resigning himself. He approached a handful of steps and found a nearby rock, sitting himself upon it and facing her, though with more distance than she’d have preferred.
“Surely you can come closer?” She asked. “It’s hard to have a conversation at this distance.”
Xiao shuffled, but obliged, moving closer to sit cross-legged in the grass only a few feet away.
Lumine could only smile, pleased, as the Yaksha sat awkwardly.
“You aren’t used to talking much, are you?” She asked softly.
“I am… normally alone.” Xiao explained. “I rarely engage in idle chatter.” A pause. “Are you not often alone, as well?” There was an additional, hidden, question in his words.
“Ah, yes. I often am, aside from Paimon, and I have gotten used to it, but… It didn’t used to be this way.” Lumine explained. Xiao’s expression bade her to continue, and so she did. “I used to travel with my brother, Aether.”
“Until you were separated.” Xiao said.
This was the first time Lumine had shared this much information with him on this subject, and she could see the curiosity etched on his face. “Aether and I are twins, and we’ve spent… a very, very long time traveling together. We would go from world to world, place to place. Hundreds of years would pass in a blink sometimes, but it was okay because we were together…” She explained.
Xiao listened attentively, taking in the information without so much as a sound.
“Until we came here, anyway. We tried to leave, but we were attacked by a mysterious god. Long white hair and clad in gold, wielding dark magic.” Lumine continued, her voice dropping softly. “We were forcefully separated, and so I’m here, looking for him...”
She decided to, for now, omit the brief encounter they shared. There was so much she didn’t know, and bringing it up would only confuse the core of the issue.
“That is why I’m seeking the Archons. I’m trying to find a lead on this mysterious god.” She finished.
Xiao nodded. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you much information. I’m sorry.”
Lumine shook her head with a smile. “It’s alright… This is nostalgic, you know.”
Xiao tilted his head slightly.
“I would get hurt, and Aether would fuss over me just like you are; he’d make me rest and tend the injury. Of course I would do the same to him, so it was fair.~”
“Did you get hurt a lot?”
Lumine giggled. “Not terribly often, but it tended to be a big deal when we did. It took a lot to hurt us, you see. There was one world we visited that was covered almost entirely with water. The cities were all built on stilts and the roads were traversed by boats. Aether wound up getting hurt and we spent a lot of time there while he recovered.” She began to explain, Xiao leaning forward slightly as she spoke. “It was beautiful in it’s unique way. I used to be able to fly, before I came here, but I would take the boats anyway because of how fun it was.”
“You used to fly?”
“I had a lot of power before I came here, but my encounter with that god stripped me of most of them.” Lumine explained. “Ah… I must be chattering your ear off. I’m sorry.”
Xiao nodded, then gently shook his head. “I see… You can keep talking… I’m… interested...”
A bright smile flashed across Lumine’s expression, and she was quite happy to continue.
“There was one world we visited that was so peaceful, and it had the best fruit I’ve ever had!” She said, speaking of whatever came to mind as she fished a sunsettia out from her bag. “It was so good that I just had to try to make a pie from it, so Aether and I borrowed a kitchen to try, but it didn’t go so well. The ‘flour’ from that world was sort of different from what we were used to.”
Lumine laughed softly, staring at the fruit that rested in her hands.
The laughter faded into faint chuckles, until those chuckles turned into small hiccups as tears began to form at her eyes, obscuring the shape of the object in her grasp.
Xiao’s breath hitched at the sudden tonal shift, moving to his feet and approaching cautiously.
“Lumine? Are you okay? Are you in pain?” He asked, his voice fretful.
Letting the sunsettia rest in her lap, Lumine used both of her hands to try to scrub the tears away as she shook her head. “I… I’m okay. I just… I miss him so much.” She choked out. “I’ve met so many wonderful people, and seen so many wonderful things. I want to share it all with him. I want him back...”
A pause, and the tears refused to abate. “And I’m just sitting here feeling sorry for myself, doing random quests when I could be looking for him-”
Xiao felt his mind blank for a second, with only the desperate desire to soothe her pains rattling in his head. He latched onto the first thing he could think of and crouched beside her, just at arms length.
“Your prowess as a warrior is commendable, but I hardly believe that charging headfirst into this would be wise.” He began. “Every day you spend with these ‘random quests’, helping people and fighting, you grow stronger. You make allies… I hardly think you’re wasting time.”
Lumine looked up at him in silent awe as the realization dawned on her; he was trying to comfort her… And it worked, a little.
Xiao looked away, unable to maintain eye contact as he spoke. “You’re powerful; you’re one of the most powerful people I’ve ever met, and you can and will become even more so, I know it. But you won’t if you simply dive carelessly into danger.”
Teary golden eyes looked at the Yaksha and a trembling hand reached out, grasping his sleeve in a vicegrip. Xiao’s let out a small noise and tried to tug back on reflex, but Lumine’s grip didn’t loosen.
With a faint sigh, Xiao scooted closer so she didn’t need to stretch so far.
“I… Please tell me, am I a bad sister?” Lumine asked, her voice a warbling wisp.
With another, more restrained, sigh, Xiao moved even closer to sit beside her properly. “No, I don’t think so.” He answered honestly. “You should be proud of yourself and your accomplishments, and if he’s anything like you, I think he would be proud of you as well.”
“I hope so.” Lumine’s reply was faint, her grip still steadfast on his sleeve, though by this point Xiao was fairly certain she didn’t realize she was doing it. He said nothing, glancing aside.
Silence passed between them.
And then more.
Until finally;
“Thank you.” Her voice was strained from her crying, but filled with such sincerity that it sent chills up the Yaksha’s spine.
“...Sleep.” Xiao instructed. “I will watch over you.”
With a weak nod, Lumine finally gave in and curled up against the tree, allowing her eyes to close. Xiao remained by her side, watching her grip on his sleeve loosen as she dozed, until finally her hand dropped to her lap.
Shortly after her hand fell, the rest of her slid to the side until she was leaning against the Adeptus by her side, effectively pinning him.
Static ran over Xiao’s skin, though under it was a pleasant blooming warmth in his chest.
With a faint and fond sigh, Xiao looked away from the sleeping traveler and out to the stars.