Chapter Text
i.
She ties up her hair, puts on her best outfit.
New city, new project, new workplace.
Call it a spring dream in September, call it anything but reality — Lumine gives her online pen pal one quick text and heads for the win she has spent years of her life building up to — this one afternoon of pure luck.
【starlight: going to meet the love of my life】
【starlight: wish me luck】
【sweet_tooth6: ??? ok】
【sweet_tooth6: remind him to text you back this time.】
【sweet_tooth6: and do not end up on the news.】
There is a lot to say about the recluse, mysterious Kuzushi. Too much, really.
He’s brilliant, rich with prose and she’s been his fan since she was seventeen despite him not showing his face ever. Which is a long time ago. Which is insane and everything about her sitting down with the faceless author of her dream — is perfect as can be.
Eyes, hair. Fingers, voice.
There leaves room for desire in the height department but this is as good as it gets, she thinks, if he can afford to shut up forever.
In hindsight, perhaps people who preach ‘not to meet your heroes’ all have a point.
He sits across from her, arms folded. Practically leering with opaque eyes.
“This book. Let’s say it will be similar to conceptual art, new, modern.” His tone is as sharp as the crescent line of a moon, and she hangs on by a thread of light. The air is thick, sludgy around this glass table when he continues his words prosaically. “It is quite... selective.”
Peasants like you wouldn’t get it, is implied, not spoken.
“I’m afraid the Jade Chamber publishing house does not have the tools (nor talents) to help perfect the craft to my liking, Miss—”
“Lumine.”
“Ah, but I don’t have the need to remember your name if this is our last conversation ever. Which it might be from the way your co-workers are sneaking glances behind the door as we speak.”
There is a silence. A silence that stretches around the way he refuses to touch his mug of water and she licks her lips. Fine, no one has ever said convincing your heroes would be easy, have they?
“So please, teach me then,” Lumine replies, soft. She’s obedient, having been trained to perfect her facade around men with giant egos, so the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes but it will reach his. A customer service skill, if one must. “Show me the things one can’t see, sir. And I’ll make sure we’ll land amongst the stars like you wish.”
Hardly ignoring the way Scaramouche — pen name Kuzushi — stands up with his eyes widened and dropping ten feet below this floor, she quickly follows when he heads out of their meeting room, insulted.
Maybe she will end up on the seven o’clock news with an axe and his body.
“The new editor is unbearable. Change this.”
The guy makes a loud complaint like she hasn’t been standing to his left with all the drafts one person can’t possibly go through. Tapping on the front counter with his chipped black nail, he groans, “Give me another.”
“Kuzushi, sir.”
Her senior smiles and god bless Ganyu for having the heart of gold to go through with these big egos on a daily basis. “Lumine is the best applicant for your writing styles right now as she’s well-versed in historical romance as both a reader and an editor. If there is anything you wish to improve with her service, I believe we can make adjustments accordingly and—”
“The poor creature hits on me.”
“Excuse me?”
“She sits there and makes a move when I told her that you guys were not— You know what? I’ll bring my writing elsewhere.” He puts down the contract, packs up his bag in haste.
“Sir—”
“I got this.” Lumine intercepts and Ganyu hesitates, but the woman gives her a nod either way.
So, her favourite writer is an ass, fine, she’s dealt with assholes before.
But she does not stand for slander on her refined customer service skills.
“Your written deal with our publishing company clearly states that it won’t be over until the first sale of your last book with us, which is what we need to go through every week to make the deadlines, sir.”
“And? What if I want to stop?” Oh for crying out loud isn’t he in his late 20?
“I’ll be honest: I won’t stop you. But do listen when I say that you can either suck it up, take this experience and write a character to take your frustration out... or you can pay us the fees for this breach and we’ll part ways forever. But it’s a big, hefty one, by the way.” She notes. “Much more than whatever you have parking outside of our company and much more than what you could have afforded, given that you are still working with the company today.”
It’s not the best tactic.
She’s sure his car is worth at least six to eighteen months of her current rent. But the number game has always been a good saving grace during times like this with authors like him, none that goes through the contract well enough to catch her bullshittings.
He flips a few pages, the crease between brows less deepened but still as troubled.
“Fine.” The guy says and she has a client.
It’s ten o’clock. Nightime. Quiet time. And okay, let’s face it:
She hates her writer and it’s not news. Well it is new because Lumine has never found herself disliking someone as much as she has within minutes of meeting Scaramouche — but that has more to do with him being the biggest ass in the entire world and her being his newly appointed playmate.
【starlight: today sucks. officially the worst day ever.】
She puts down her phone, rolls over the sheet. Her friend is always quick to respond around these hours of the night — a ritual if one must label it. So there’s a sense of comfort even on a bad day.
He’s the only constant for the past five years, faceless and it’s a comfort, still.
Ding, goes the notification and her screen is quickly filled up. The icon of a cat latte cup is taking over her plain wallpaper.
【sweet_tooth6: my my! punctuation marks!】
【sweet_tooth6: i take it that your date didn’t go well?】
【sweet_tooth6: what’s wrong? did he not pull out your chair or something?】
【sweet_tooth6: say one word and i’ll behead the fool. one more and i’ll take care of the funeral service this time, free of charge.】
She snorts.
The sentiment gets a laugh out of her lips, tension melting in a millisecond.
【starlight: no need to】
【starlight: he’s ugly and not even 6ft. can you believe this?】
【sweet_tooth6: no!】
【sweet_tooth6: i am truly shaking in my seat at the sheer audacity.】
The first thing one quickly notices about Scaramouche is:
The guy has multiple layers.
That’s code for, he has a different persona than the one he holds in front of her right now. That’s also a code for, no one is going to buy her that he almost made her spit in his coffee this afternoon.
Lumine doesn’t believe her eyes, or rather, she does.
It’s half past midnight and on his writing blog, the man has somehow drafted a long, very soulful post about the first fall leaf that settles by his windowsill. Mentions the skyline, the stars, the new project and the positive ideology of everything goes.
Greetings, world.
It has been a hectic week. I recently put down my pen only to realise that fall has rolled in these empty spaces of a poem yet finished. Truly, what is time?
I shouldn’t be surprised, really, but life happens and takes us by the wind sometimes.
Indefinitely, it flows, one knows.
I look up at the horizon and the city is still crowded.
Liyue has never been one for the standstill or tranquillity, but it is the same reason why people are drawn here, flying from nations to build a home in these streets. It’s another pause that I take, in between the constellations and old promises, to take in the very fact that it’s been nine years since I moved here at eighteen. The very first time I took interest in publishing my own work.
I wanted to change the world without knowing how vast it truly was;
I still do, on a smaller scale now.
I hope everyone has been well these days. I hope you all have been enjoying my trilogy: 《The Heavenly Crescent and The Bloodsoaked Oath》. There has been news on a new project and while I want to share with you all, it’s best kept as a secret, a surprise gift of sorts between us for now.
Much love and stay warm,
Kuzushi.
She gives the post a courtesy like.
He probably can’t tell it’s her account in the thousands anyway.
【Lumine: Are we still on schedule for this afternoon meeting, sir?】
【Kuzushi: What is this proposal?】
【Kuzushi: Do you wish to be blocked?】
【Kuzushi: Why are you asking me to confirm this on the same day?】
【Kuzushi: Is everyone at this level of incompetence in your company?】
【Kuzushi: If I hadn’t known this number, I would have thought it was spam.】
Kuzushi is typing …
Kuzushi is typing …
Kuzushi is typing …
And that’s enough of this guy, she thinks.
This is hell. Being alone with the world’s most insufferable man at a high-end apartment area and having her phone being so low on battery, she will have to jog home to the nearest bus stop — is hell.
Except hell smells like sandalwood and bamboo and clean linens, somehow.
And it has a dog — a big, happy, clueless looking thing but that is for later to explore.
“I believe you have gone through most of the novel?” Scaramouche states, voice steady and she wants to choke all the cockiness out of his throat. But that means touching him in proximity and, no thanks. Really. “There is little to no change, I hope?”
“Actually, sir.” She begins, shifting on his couch. “I think we can benefit a lot more if you were to make the book shorter, more concise.”
His face pained. Surprised. Angry.
“What?” The man groans and she is not paid well enough for this.
“I have notes.” Didn’t he read her notes? Or emails, anything? “It would be best for both companies if the novel has roughly one hundred thousand words cut out of the main plot and used later for a sequel. Actually, here is a copy of my adjustment for your better understanding.”
She places down the stack of paper and god does he know of only one emotion?
“For my better understanding?” Scaramouche repeats, rolling the sentence off his mouth.
The meeting is a shitty one but at least the cute dog smiles at her before his dad kicks her out, she guesses.
【starlight: i h8 men】
【starlight: never getting married to one】
【sweet_tooth6: ???】
【starlight: especially ones that have cute dogs! hate Them w a passion!!!】
【sweet_tooth6: ah. 】
【sweet_tooth6: brb.】
【starlight: ?】
【sweet_tooth6: getting rid of mine.】
She circles a big, red mark around one of his grammatical errors and “grow a second ass on your face,” Lumine mumbles. It takes her a second longer to erase the ink curse in case this jerk would sue her over verbal harassment or something.
When sweet_tooth6 texts her photos of a cafe’s red bean pancake, off-handedly stating this is a reward for them both for surviving the week — she gives him a sympathetic (ಥ _ ಥ)b kaomoji for a reply.
Greetings,
Sometimes I ponder in brackets and ellipses of why life can be so unforgiving to those who are trying their best. Isn’t human nature at the core is soft, tender and in need of love to grow — like soil and plants and the light that makes us whole?
We all would benefit more from kindness.
Much love,
Kuzushi.
Goes to bed, checks up on her client’s latest blog entry,
He’s still as poetic in his own ten thousand ways of storytelling and — “kill me.”
【starlight: hey, remind me again why i’m an editor in a shitty apartment for people with big houses who can afford fancy things like a big bonsai?】
sweet_tooth6 is typing …
【sweet_tooth6: because you love art.】
【sweet_tooth6: and people who love it so dearly could never give up this easily】