Chapter Text
“Thoma!” he could hear the chilling calls of her own voice as he saw her slim figure approaching him with a wide smile. “There you are!” She giggled sweetly, as if his disappearance was nothing but a light-hearted joke.
It was the Inazuman tradition to dress formally and gather by the city’s entrances for it is the Festival of Eternity. His eyes lay on her and he can’t tear it away from the bright and vibrant smile she had on her face. Snowy white locks sway from side to side, a mask similar to the features of a cat’s face hangs delicately across her head, and a silk blue yukata trails a long path behind her as she walks over to his side.
Thoma feels a blush pulse in his cheeks because... dear archons, she was dazzling. Even with the lanterns lighting up the night sky from behind her just makes the whole landscape rather mesmerizing. He takes a brush or two from the cup and hurriedly tries to capture this wondrous illustration before his eyes.
“What are you doing?” she turns to look at him, ashen dim eyes examine his boyish, mature features. Alas they pause to the corners of his lips as she notices them rise into a grin. “May I see?” Thoma shakes his head at her request.
“Wait.”
Ayaka sighs with eagerness and continues to play with the children that gathered around her. There, a circle of citizens group together, melodic instruments of any kind they hold. And finally, they sang the native lullaby.
In this painted galaxy, there are things we never see
Thoma paints on his canvas the bright lanterns with the Inazuman crest.
In this world that is so blue. I will sing aloud for you...
He sketches the girl’s silhouette on the blank corners, eyes scanning from the unfinished painting to her. She held their hands in her delicate clasp and smiled down at the children.
To a you that's all alone, in a world that's all your own
He could hear their enthusiastic chattering as they walked from the aisle of the different food stalls, the two maintaining eye contact every now and then.
How much time has passed us by, since we met under the sky?
The midnight blue of the sky up above illuminates the brightness of the path of lanterns ahead.
All the words we write and say, just grow stronger everyday
Thoma reminisces about the regular times he and Ayaka would send letters to each other as means of communication. Since he was usually by the docks, and would take long to head back to the Kamisato Residence, he requests the Ritou registrars for a favor to send the notes he’ll give to her.
And I pray that they'll resound in our hearts and echo loud
Even if it brings us pain, stuck with sorrow we'll remain
The music then reaches the instrumental part, the tunes ascending and descending with cultural fashion. Noise was dying down, only the music and the girl with the children existed before Thoma. It was at this moment that he realized that Kamisato Ayaka was as perfect as the skies’ patterns, the leaves of the trees, and the ripples of the sea. Her beauty reaches the heavens of Celestia and beyond the land of Teyvat. Only her soft voice as she talked to the children and his relatively loud heartbeat hammering against his chest was what he and only he himself could listen to with ease. He finishes his painting and illustrates the lanterns that floated aglow. Stroke after stroke, sketch after sketch.
By the time her figure strolls toward him, the man sighs contentedly, drops his brushes and greets the girl with a smile.
“So?”
They will echo far away, to a new and distant place.
That this song of precious time could go on and change our lives.
And look,
“Hmm?” Thoma asks with concern, caught distracted with her shy and timid gaze.
The one you hold so dear, is standing by your side and will never let you go.
The music goes numb in his ears as he processes the previous lyrics he managed to hear. The girl comes closer to him, but does not focus on his openly revealed artwork and instead at him.
“Aren’t you going to show me?” she poked a finger toward the thick edges of the stand. Her eyes held firm towards his.
“Can you close your eyes, my lady?” he stands up from his seat and she nods her head.
Heads of the children turned to one another as they giggled between themselves. Ayaka had her hands covered to her face and he guided her to the seat beside his canvas. He placed his hands on top of hers, calloused fingertips met her silk-like skin and he pulled her hands off of her face ever so gently as his head hovered over her shoulder. A gasp escaped her lips. She looked from the illustration to Thoma, astounded.
On the oil canvas was a painting of herself with the golden lanterns shimmering in the sky and the bright, joyful faces of the Inazuman children surrounding her. The illustration captured every single expression the children had on their faces with Ayaka.
“Y-You made this?” she exclaims with astonishment. There was silence between them and they just smiled warmly at each other, sensing the loving and longing gaze they shared.
“You never told me you could paint,” she teases lightly, patting his shoulder. “It’s lovely, Thoma.”
“It’s for you, my lady, you may keep it.”
“W-What?” her face turns as pink as the sakura blossoms that flew above them. “N-No, I don't deserve-”
“It’s my call, you know?” he chuckled under his breath. “And I say that you could keep it.”
Ayaka attempts to formulate as many responses as possible to return his statement, but it falls on her empty tongue. She gives the painting one last glance.
“Thank you.”
It means a lot to me, Thoma.
A little girl hops over to Ayaka’s lap ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ as she inspects the painting with wonder.
For now, Thoma is content with keeping things this way.
Only this time, he may look after her from afar and silently love her with all his heart.
- Fin -