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“This is stupid!” Childe’s voice echoed throughout the lobby, the sound of needles clanging against each other as he threw them on the table.
“Master, we are still on our first stitch. With all due respect, how are you messing this up?” Ekaterina said, lowering her own set of knitting needles.
Childe’s glare pierced through Ekaterina, who continued to be unfazed by the murderous stare. She took the harbinger’s discarded needle and placed it back into his hands.
“If you are determined to learn how to do this, then get back on it. Otherwise, I’m clocking off for the day,” she said, “And I will be charging this on overtime, Master Childe.”
The receptionist took her needles again and for the sixth time since they started, she explained the process to her boss.
“Make a loop with your index finger. Yes, like that. Then, scoop the needle through to create a loop around the needle. Very good, repeat.”
“Ha! This is easy!” Childe, who was getting the hang of it, shouted in glee. “You were teaching me a different thing earlier!” Ekaterina had the audacity to scoff and roll her eyes, but Childe, in his excitement, merely ignored her.
“Now, take your other needle. Swoop it around the latest loop. And stick it up like this and loop it around… Pull and swoop again from this side, and pull again.” Ekaterina demonstrated to the focused harbinger, bewilderment slowly taking over his face. His knitting needles started to create weird loops and knots.
“Wait, what? What was that? Where did you loop that? Do it again! This is stupid!”
Ekaterina, now exasperated and tired from working whole day with irate Northland Bank customers and now an even more irate Harbinger, tightly closed her eyes and whispered a prayer for patience.
This wouldn't have happened if they hadn't taken that trip to Inazuma.
Although the Fatui were large in number, most of the deployed were burly soldiers clad in bulky uniforms and armed with weapons bursting with elemental energy. Most of the time, sending them for debt collection works well in the bank's favor. But for getting new clients? The Northland Bank almost suffered losses the first year as less and less clients entered the bank in fear of the Fatui harassing them during payment collections.
Thus, the bank, under Childe's management, tapped a few locals who could work with the bank as agents. For these people, new clients mean commissions.
One particular local agent, Pianqu, who was authorized only to transact for loan approvals in behalf of clients apparently collected payments from three oblivious people and failed to turn over the mora. When the Fatui soldiers knocked on his door after the discovery of the fraud, the man was already halfway to Inazuma.
Usually, the bank would merely write the mora off as bad debts. But he had taken with him land titles and mora from new prospective clients who were supposed to use them as loan collateral and processing fees.
With the bank's name on the line, Childe decided to have him followed. The news of Inazuma's slow reopening to the public was definitely the nail in the coffin. It would be easy to enter the region, even easier that they were going for what the Fatui classified as an official business trip. What the Fatui did not expect was for the Harbinger volunteering for the task.
"Master, this is such a trivial task. Delegate this to collection officers and send along a few soldiers. This does-," Ekaterina's distressed voice passed through deaf ears. Childe raised his hands to silence her and stared back.
"I'm done laying low. Besides, the Tsaritsa cleared me for the mission," he raised his legs and placed them on his desk. "I'll behave."
Ekaterina's doubt tripled at his insistence. Although Master Childe did easily get bored, going to another country to catch a rogue agent seemed an overkill. Besides, the pile of papers on his table and the long list of written agendas on his chalkboard were waiting to be cleared and ticked off. There were plenty to do in Liyue, and most of them were right in front of him.
The receptionist recalled if there was anything to note about Inazuma recently that would cause her master to act this way.
The end of the Vision Hunt Decree reverberated throughout Teyvat. Along with it was the end of the civil war that plagued the western islands of the country. What made Ekaterina curious were the whispers from sailors at the dock that someone dared to go against the Electro Archon at a ceremony. An outlander, they say.
Come to think of it, the last that she heard of the Traveler was a few months ago, aboard The Alcor toward the perilous islands.
It all fell into place.
Childe wanted to see the Traveler.
When Ekaterina went back to her desk in the lobby, she heaved a sigh and thanked the Archons that it was at least a few weeks without Childe's constant nagging and never-ending trivial commands. The relief didn't last long when he came out of his office a few minutes after, eyebrow raised and asking her why she wasn't leaving yet.
"I thought it was obvious that you were coming with me?" He said with a tilt of his head, brows scrunched.
And now, Ekaterina was on the edge of a ship, clutching the baluster as large waves rocked the vessel along with the entirety of what remained in her stomach after she puked all that she ate a few hours ago. Apparently, despite the reopening of the Inazuman borders and the ceasing of the everlasting electric storms, the large storm surges were apparently a natural phenomenon.
A day and a half of constant agony and sea sickness while Childe was perched near the tip of the ship, wind whipping his face and an excited glint glimmering in his eyes, looking as if he was in a summer vacation.
Harbingers are truly on another level.
Ekaterina nearly cried when she stepped on the docks of Ritou but had to no time to savor the steady ground as Childe dragged her towards the inspector for the travel permits.
Kanjou Commission was strict. They went from one officer to another, hauling their bulky belongings with them for two hours. All she wanted to do was to drop on the floor and sit to anchor herself and to stop the lingering feeling of the turbulent sea. When she stayed still, she could still feel as if she was swaying.
Meanwhile, Childe acted as if he was pressed for time. Even without proper rest from the travel, his energy was boundless. He was almost bouncing from one building to another, dragging his poor receptionist along. But even his charm didn’t get them far enough to secure travel permits.
If not for a tip from the International Trade Association, they would never have found out about the fixer from Mondstadt. Kris hooked them up with the guy, Thoma, and they were now waiting for him in front of the association's office. The Harbinger kept tapping his foot against the concrete, hands crossing and uncrossing repeatedly.
Ekaterina, who had been miserable for the past three days and was now left to absorb the Harbinger's impatience, let out a bewildered laughter as she saw who Kris was waving at. If Inazuma brought about amusing scenarios as much as this, then this trip would be worth all the hassle.
Standing in front of them was a man who was almost the exact spitting image of Childe.
Even Childe, who was the epitome of impatience a few seconds before, looked amused and let out a bark of laughter. Kris noticed their reaction and spent a few good seconds looking at both men back and forth.
"I knew there was something about you I couldn't place," Kris laughed, "You look like Thoma!"
The fixer, Thoma, laughed lightly and patted Kris on the back. He held out a hand towards the foreigners. Childe returned a firm shake and so did Ekaterina. After a brief summary of what happened, Kris wished them well and left.
“Welcome to Inazuma! I hope the trip wasn’t too awful,” Thoma said brightly. The Fatui agent stared at the man, completely amused. Even their personalities seemed to be similar. Ekaterina spent a few seconds looking at them back and forth. “So, how far did you get with the papers?”
“Not far. The commissioner doesn’t seem to be too happy having a Harbinger loose inside the country,” Tartaglia said with a whisper as he leaned towards Thoma, hand hiding his mouth. The fixer leaned away, a slight surprise evident on his face followed by hesitation.
Ekaterina almost panicked at his reaction but the man fixed his expression right away. Childe observed him carefully, eyes never leaving the fixer.
“Ah, of course. Your… colleagues weren’t exactly our most behaved visitors,” he said, motioning for them towards the Outlanders Affairs Agency. The receptionist swallowed a relieved sigh.
“So I’ve heard. But they are under a different jurisdiction. Definitely not mine. Besides, here on official business for the bank. Runaway partner agent took a lot from prospective clients,” Childe explained, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. Ekaterina, who was quietly listening to their conversation, gave him a pointed glance as he divulged the purpose of their visit.
“I hope it won’t cost trouble for the locals? People here have been through too much. We’d appreciate a little peace,” Thoma said with a wink.
“Of course,” Childe smiled.
Thoma, as they found out, was very charming and very convincing. The Fatui agent didn’t know if those words were enough to encapsulate the whole process of securing their permit. The man was borderline manipulative, but it seemed an insult to his good nature and bright personality. He was the kind of person who doesn’t seem to have any evil bones in his body.
She snuck a look at Childe and reminded herself that he existed. Charming, convincing, and manipulative. Tartaglia would surely fire her if he could hear her thoughts.
After receiving their permits, Thoma offered to go accompany them to the city where he had another meeting. Childe grabbed the opportunity to seek more information regarding the country and of course, it didn’t take long before he was asking those questions.
“I’ve heard an outsider played a large part in ending the Decree,” Childe said, almost too nonchalantly. Thoma slightly paused in his tracks, observing the Harbinger.
Carefully, he answered, “Yes, she got caught up with the situation.” He rummaged from his pouch and took out three triangle-shaped food and handed it to them. “Here, you must be hungry. I made these onigiri this morning.”
Both of them murmured thanks. Ekaterina observed how Childe seemed bothered by the lack of details, an almost pained look painting his face. He would be suspiciously fishing for details if he pushed the topic. So, she took it upon herself to ask instead.
“How did she get involved?”
Thoma, who was walking ahead, turned towards them and squinted, “One thing led to another. And she ended up saving me against the Shogun. She was forced to fight in a war that she had nothing to do with.” His brows scrunched as he ended his statement. His pursed lips showed his distaste for the outlander’s situation. "I wish she didn't have to."
“She saved you?” Childe’s brows raised in surprise. Thoma let out a chuckle upon seeing him but his entire demeanor slowly relaxed as he thought of the outlander.
Ekaterina saw how quickly the Harbinger’s face turned from surprise to confusion to an irritated scrunch of his brows and finally, to a masked facade. She shook her head slowly. This man was in too deep. If she were to guess, there would be insecurity in between those looks. The Traveler ended up fighting him to save Liyue. He was the bad guy in that story. Thoma, on the other hand, was someone she chose to save instead.
"Yeah, she did actually. She also helped me out a lot after things calmed down,” he said, a trace of fondness loud in his voice. He looked at them and smiled brightly, “We rescued a dog together and knitted clothes for stray animals. ” He laughed, seemingly reminiscing the memory.
Master Childe, on the other hand, was clutching his onigiri with too much force. Ekaterina carefully pried it from his hand before he fully crushed it. She was munching on her own food when an idea suddenly struck in her head and she asked Thoma.
“You seem close, this outsider and you,” she asked, sneaking a glance at Childe. Let’s push the right buttons. Thoma paused at the comment, a hand shyly rubbing the nape of his neck and a small smile playing on his lips.
“Ah well, as I said, she was around quite often. She helped me set up a housekeeping class one time and she sort of gotten into knitting because of it. Lumine-,” he paused, “That’s her name. We would spend my days off out on a picnic and knitting somewhere quiet.” Words poured out from him as he was recalling, voice soft and tender. A smile was still painted on his lips, his eyes bright and glowing. Ekaterina melted at the sight.
At this point, Tartaglia’s lips were pursed in distress, his thumb scratching the sides of his index finger. Tiny droplets of water started to materialize out of nowhere. Ekaterina almost regretted asking that question. But before Thoma could see what was happening, Childe's face morphed from irritation to a bright smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Lumine! Of course, it’s the Traveler,” he said brightly, his hands smacking together loudly.
“You know her?,” Thoma faced him, surprised.
“Yes, we worked together back in Liyue,” he replied smugly, trying to get the upper hand. “That woman is everywhere.”
“Oh, she would probably love to see you! She’s the one I’m meeting today,” Thoma exclaimed. The Harbingers smile dropped and Ekaterina swore he physically deflated at the statement. It took all she had to stop herself from laughing. Her boss was utterly defeated.
Ekaterina had to pull Childe away after reaching the borders of the city, insistently reminding him that he was here as Manager Tartaglia, on official Northland Bank business, when he insisted going with Thoma to see Lumine. It didn’t take long to convince him as three Fatui agents appeared, guiding them to their hotel.
They thanked Thoma, who was eyeing the agents with suspicion, and apologized for not being able to come to see the Traveler. Childe sent his regards. The receptionist knew it wouldn’t take long for him accidentally bump into the Traveler for the next few days.
After settling into their respective rooms, they met with the agents in a small room to discuss the steps they needed to take and the information they had about the runaway. Last he was heard of, he had settled north of Kannazuka.
It would be a half-day trip from the city and they would have to stay there the whole duration of the search. When the agent finished reporting, the room seemed to be more humid. It took one look at Master Childe to confirm the cause.
At least, it would return Master Childe’s focus on the mission. The faster they find him, the faster they could go home. And the more time he would have pestering the Traveler.
Kannazuka was war-torn. It was evident in the broken weapons and scratched rocks that can be found in the area. There were a few villages but most of them have been deserted. People were slow to come back to their homes after all the tragedy that blanketed the place. But it did make the search faster.
All they needed to do was to hand them a pouch of mora and in this time of need, people talked. They had no loyalty to outsiders.
A stranger apparently sought a room around the area a week ago, claiming that he was from the International Trade Association and had set up a store in the nearby village. He would charge the people quite the fortune for imported items from Liyue and Mondstadt.
When the village chief reported him to the ITA, a few guards were sent to investigate and he made quite the scene. It didn’t end well for him and they locked him up at the nearest precinct. For a runaway, he made quite a stir when he should have settled here quietly.
Upon checking the precinct, the group of Fatui found out that he was released after two days. That was the last they heard of him. They once again began scouring Kannazuka for him, prolonging their stay.
Ekaterina saw how Childe’s patience wore thin day by day. He was adamant to find him him fast. Although there was no exact deadline for this mission, their ship would leave after ten days. The captain warned them that although other ships were an option, it wasn’t a guarantee as most didn’t accept human cargoes. They were left with six days until then.
For three days, they went from one village to another and finally saw him, peddling foreign wares to passersby. Childe perked up at the scene. When Pianqu caught glimpse of the Fatui, he took off without a second thought.
The agents and Ekaterina chased after them just as Tartaglia vanished in a wave of water, leaving behind the scent of ocean. In a blink of an eye, he was in front of Pianqu, a murderous smile plastered on his face.
Pianqu shrieked and fell to the ground. The agents caught up and bound him. His continued shrieks scared the villagers but a few rushed in to check. Ekaterina took over, explaining the situation. Childe saw most of them nod in understanding as the receptionist produce a copy of his warrant from the Millelith.
“Well, that was… disappointing. He didn’t even put up a fight,” Childe said, a pout forming when Ekaterina returned.
Ekaterina scoffed, “Against a harbinger? I don’t think so.”
Recovering the titles was easy, the mora, not so much. The man had already used half of the money to enter the country. Most of it was squandered on gambling and high living expenses. The receptionist let out a heavy, knowing the bank will have to reimburse the victims.
Childe had the Fatui agents take care of him, ensuring his safe passage back to Liyue. He was adamant on having him until the last mora repaid. That man will be working with them until he has paid the missing amount. It will serve as a warning and a reminder to the other agents just who they signed up with.
With that fixed, they were all free until the ship leaves and there was no one more excited about it than the Harbinger. He gave Ekaterina a hefty pouch, reminding her to enjoy the food and immerse herself in the culture before leaving the lobby, whistling a happy tune.
Ekaterina accidentally found him after an hour at the Adventurer’s Guild, as if waiting for someone. Katheryne, who was always so bright and welcoming, seemed to have dark clouds hovering above her, shooting the Harbinger sharp looks.
She was about to leave towards the dango stall when she saw a familiar mop of blonde hair from afar. Her tiny companion seemed to be out of the frame at the moment. She let out a chuckle at how much fate seemed to work for the both of them. That or it’s Tartaglia’s persistence.
“Ojou-chan!” She heard Childe’s bright voice, much too bright in Ekaterina’s opinion. This man had no tact at all.
The Traveler froze. It was comical how slow she was turning her head towards his voice, as if wishing she didn’t have to face whoever's voice that was. Ekaterina saw the Traveler release a very heavy sigh. She didn’t seem surprised.
“Childe,” she said passively.
“I was waiting for you! Katheryne here wouldn’t tell me where you were but I figured you would have come here anyway. It’s around the time you finish your commissions.” Childe finished with a laugh.
Ekaterina was curious how this would play out. Hauling a small chair she saw earlier, she took a seat in a conspicuous area. She took out the snacks she brought and promptly munched on them as she waited for Lumine’s reply.
“You sure are observant. I take it you’re done with your business?” She asked, heading towards Katheryne who shook her head at her.
“Ad Astra Abyssosque! Thank you so much for your assistance, Lumine. Here’s today’s compensation,” she said before adding in a whisper, “Imagine my surprise when he suddenly waltzed here asking if you had been by.”
Lumine leaned in to whisper, sliding a look at Childe who was smiling brightly and pretending he can’t hear them, “I’d be more surprised not seeing him here. He’s everywhere! Awful luck, honestly.”
Katheryne nodded earnestly. Lumine said her good byes and proceeded towards the bridge.
“How’d you know I was he- Oh. Thoma,” he said, deflating lightly. Ekaterina, who was avidly listening, didn’t dare miss anything. She stood up and followed them discreetly.
“Yes, Thoma told me. I’m on my way to meet him. I won’t ask you to come since you’re already following me.” Oooh, cold, Ekaterina thought. One point to the Traveler. Tartaglia, zero.
“Huh,” he said softly, promptly stopping in his tracks. Lumine noticed he wasn’t following and looked back at him.
“You’re not coming?” She asked, head tilted. Childe looked at her earnestly, face passive. The Traveler, Ekaterina thought, looked heaven-blessed as the sun gently shone from behind her. With how intense Master Childe was looking at her, she guessed he was seeing the same thing as her from his angle.
“No. No, I’m not. I have a meeting in a while,” Tartaglia gave her a grin, “I’ll see you back in Liyue, ojou-chan!”
Lumine nodded and said, “I’ll be staying in Inazuma for a while.” Childe didn’t answer, merely nodding before he turned around. Ekaterina quickly ran behind a wall to hide, smacking her back against the wood. She groaned in pain as the windowsill dug at her back. The two people passing by gave her an odd look, suspicion much too evident in their eyes. Ekaterina merely gave them a small bow.
When she peaked at the scene, she saw Childe heading towards her direction but instead of continuing towards their hotel, he hid behind the wall on her other side.
What the heck?
Ekaterina pursed her lips in confusion. She moved a bit further away from the edge of the wall, just enough to see the Traveler, who was currently facing Thoma in front of some teahouse, and Master Childe was currently crouched behind tall barrels and boxes, also observing the couple.
She saw Lumine hand Thoma a box who received it with such a large smile and a blush visible all the way from where Ekaterina was. Thoma was rubbing the nape of his neck shyly as he mouthed thank you.
Ekaterina could feel the humidity rising and peaked at Childe, who was now clutching the plants on the flowerbed beside him tightly. If plants could talk, they’d be screaming in pain. The receptionist offered a silent apology to the plants and the homeowner.
Her eyes glued back to the couple when she saw Thoma opening the box and taking out a black and red… scarf? From where she was, it didn’t look well-made. Why would she gift him something shabby? But Thoma’s face lit up further, if that was even possible.
He raised the scarf, caressing the yarn before wrapping it around his neck. The humidity increased as the scene before them progressed. It was almost suffocating. Tartaglia’s hands were surrounded by water at this point.
She knew she had to intervene before Tartaglia, the 11th Harbinger, lost it and went wild in the middle of Inazuma City over a girl who seemed more interested in a nice guy version of him.
Ekaterina stood behind him, clearing her throat. The sound seemed to take Childe out of his reverie and looked behind him. He stood up promptly upon realizing how he looked like. He fixed his clothes and when he noticed his hands, he shook them before hiding them behind his back.
“Looks like it’s Thoma’s day off today,” she nodded towards them. Childe cleared his throat and sighed. He pouted before crossing his arms. Ekaterina looked at him in disgust.
“You know, Master Childe, with all due respect, sulking is unbecoming of you.”
Childe glared at her. “This isn’t exactly a happy occasion,” he pointed at the couple who are now walking towards the bridge on the way down. The Fatui subconsciously followed them. “I’m guessing she knitted that for him. Remember what he said about that- that knitting class or whatever?”
“Ahh,” Ekaterina replied, realizing the sentimentality behind the object.
“Ahh? That’s all you have to say?”
“Well, we both know you’re losing here. By a lot, too.” She raised both eyebrows at him.
Childe was deflated all throughout the day. Even when Ekaterina brought him a dango milk, a snack seemed he couldn’t get enough of ever since it was served when they arrived despite the stomachache that followed.
The next day, the hotel receptionist stopped Ekaterina when she came back after buying souvenirs. The Traveler stopped by earlier apparently. The hotel tried to reach Master Childe but he wasn’t answering their knocks.
Ekaterina wondered momentarily what could have happened. Or rather where he was. She asked for the receptionist if the Traveler left her contact details and Ekaterina immediately looked for Childe.
As she expected, he was sitting beside the dango milk stall as he was last night. Four bottles of dango milk were laid open and most likely empty on his table, another on his hand. Ekaterina clicked her tongue at the scene. A grown man sulking in a dango milk stall. A Harbinger. The strongest Harbinger at that. If the Tsaritsa or other Fatui agents ever saw his state right at this moment, it would be humiliating.
She turned around and went towards the direction of the “Komore Teahouse,” the place the Traveler left in the hotel. She waited outside as the shop assistant called Lumine.
“Oh, Ekaterina! I was actually looking for you,” Lumine exclaimed as she emerged outside.
“Yes, the receptionist informed me you were looking for Master Childe.”
“Yes, it’s about your ship,” Lumine began to explain but Ekaterina promptly answered, halting whatever explanation she had for her.
“I’ll bring you to Master Childe.” Lumine looked surprised at her firm statement. She only nodded and followed quietly.
When they reached the dango stall, Ekaterina moved to the stall in front of them to give them space and comfort to talk. But to also hear whatever they were about to say.
“Childe.”
The Harbinger sat straight and whipped his head towards Lumine’s voice. “Ojou-chan, what brings you here?”
“I have urgent matters to attend to in Liyue and I was told at the port that yours is the only ship that leaves within this week,” Childe’s smile grew bigger as she continued to explain. Lumine ignored the rising feeling of danger at his smile and asked, “Is it okay if Paimon and I hitched with you?”
Childe hummed and tilted his head. “You in a ship full of Fatui agents? I’m not sure, comrade.”
Lumine frowned, an incredulous look on her face. “You just said it. We’re comrades. Paimon and I won’t take up too much space. We’ll behave.” Tiny bouts of desperation were slowly filtering through her voice.
“What’s so important in Liyue that you’re rushing back?,” Childe asked. The Traveler hesitated, shooting Childe a look. He crossed his arms as he waited for her answer. Lumine sighed in defeat.
“Fine. Lady Ningguang sent me a letter saying there were reports that they spotted someone who looked like my brother. I’m rushing there hoping to catch up to him.”
Ekaterina raised her eyebrow at the confession. She was also a sister and she could never imagine if she lost any of her siblings, in a foreign world at that. The Traveler must be feeling distressed right now. But knowing Master Childe, he would even help her search wherever they spotted her twin.
“Let’s leave now, then. If it’s that urgent.” The surprise on Lumine’s face was mirrored in Ekaterina’s.
This isn’t some silly crush. Tartaglia is in love. Tartaglia, the 11th Harbinger, is in love with Fatui’s biggest threat. The Tsaritsa will have his head if she hears about this. Oh gods, Dottore will skin him alive.
“I-I’m fine with that only if it’s okay with you?” She answered, still taken aback. Childe nodded and stood up.
“Go get Paimon, then. Let’s meet at our hotel in an hour.”
If Childe left Liyue excited, he was now leaving Inazuma ecstatic. Paimon and Lumine were sitting beside him near the tip of the ship. Childe was creating water mimics to entertain the two. Even the ship crewmates went out to see his performance.
Three hounds made of water were running on the surface. Paimon exclaimed when Childe created ravens that pecked Paimon with their watery beaks. From afar, Childe summoned a large narwhal that rocked the ship even more.
At least, someone didn’t feel miserable on this blasted ship. Ekaterina was again clutching the baluster, feeling another heave coming. She swore never to travel to Inazuma again. It was different to the peaceful seas to Snezhnaya.
Ekaterina stayed at the baluster even when almost everyone settled down for the night. The air helped her sea sickness. When she heard Lumine’s voice say good night to Paimon, she knew she made the right decision.
She hoped Master Childe would finally make a move.
“Did you settle things back there, in Inazuma?” Childe asked.
“Hmm? Oh yes, I told them I was leaving, just not when. I left a letter at the Teahouse earlier,” Lumine breathed deeply. They were quiet for a while, only the sound of the waves and sail.
“For Thoma?”
Lumine stared at Childe who refused to return her gaze.
“Yes,” she answered with a sigh, still looking at him. “He had to go back to the Kamisato Estate. His boyfriend came home.”
Ekaterina’s eyes widened as Childe whipped his head to look at Lumine. The Traveler chuckled and looked at the expanse of the sea. Childe smiled, eyes softening as he watched her. Ekaterina watched them both fondly before leaving the deck, happy at how things turned out for the Harbinger.
And so, here they were, a knitting class after the bank closed after Childe and Lumine came back from looking for her twin, to no avail. Her brother seemed to leave no trails behind him. After a few days, three of the bank personnel joined their class. After a couple of weeks, Childe still showed no improvement in his knitting while the other three already made around three scarves each.
When winter came, Childe was finally able to make scarves with designs. He made a white scarf lined with gold and on the corners were the flowers the Traveler wears. Ekaterina raised two thumbs up when he showed her his masterpiece, tears filling her eyes in pride.
Ekaterina was standing outside the bank when she spotted the couple standing on the cobblestone. Master Childe handed Lumine a paper box. When Lumine took it out and spread it wide, wonder painted her face as she looked from the scarf to Childe repeatedly.
Ekaterina could hear her laughter followed by Childe’s who took the scarf from her hand and wrapped it snugly around her neck. He ruffled her hair before tucking stray strands behind her ear. Lumine frowned and swatted his hand before clutching the scarf.
She felt Nadia stand beside her, eyes also on the couple.
“So, that’s what all the yarns and knitting class were for.” Ekaterina returned her smile. “Looks like teaching a shoddy student like him was worth it.” They both laughed at Nadia’s remark. Totally worth it, Ekaterina thought as they saw Childe place a gentle kiss on Lumine’s forehead.