Chapter Text
Whenever there wasn’t any pressing matter for her to take care of, Lumine spent a few days in Mondstadt, in Amber’s house to be more specific.
During that period the house would become lively once again, illuminated and full of joy just as it had once been when the Outrider’s grandpa was around. It was a happy time all in all: many in the City of Freedom would nod and smile if they happened to spot the Traveler and Amber walking arm in arm through the busy streets, on their way to either meet some friends or get the best food possible for the occasion.
As evening fell they could be seen sitting on the bench closest to one of the fountains, talking about their latest adventures, wondering about what the future would bring to them.
Dreaming of another time in which they would be able to travel together, and to solve some mysteries around the vast world of Teyvat as the partners that they were.
Regardless of how much they planned and sometimes got very close to scoring a mission together—or being able to tag along in each other’s assignments as well—something always seemed to pull them apart.
Be it a last minute call from Acting Grand Master Jean, who needed Amber to go investigate some suspicious activities around the border, or Katheryne who had a new commission for Lumine in another corner of the world. From the first moment that the Traveler had left Mondstadt and made their way to Liyue, they hadn’t had even one of their adventure plans come to fruition. It didn’t stop them from dreaming about these, or from making up silly little schedules that could (and most probably wouldn’t) work in the near future.
The near future might be closer than they thought, however.
After working tirelessly to solve the mysteries of the Chasm and of a place called the Golden Apple Archipelago, Lumine had made their way back to the City of Freedom again. She had had the brightest smile for Amber, who rushed to meet them at the gates and embraced them fully, lifting the Traveler from the ground. It had been too long since the last time the two met and their letters to each other had reflected the need to be close once more.
To walk through the city, enjoy some nice food together and make some new plans as well.
The two promptly went to their preferred bench once evening fell, the setting sun coloring the horizon in pretty hues of orange, golden and pink. A few stars were already shining, weaving their stories just as the two lovers told their own tales underneath that sky. Some people passed by on their way home, a few knights in silver armor getting to their posts before night could truly fall around the city of Mondstadt.
It was the perfect time of the day for hopes and dreams, while song from the nearby taverns and carefree laughter from passersby surrounded them. It was a perfect time all in all, a rare moment of respite that made Amber and Lumine smile, relax, hold hands and lean in for a rather long kiss since they hadn’t seen each other in so, so long…
“U-uh, excuse me.”
The words made them jolt, Lumine pulling away while a small, surprised sound left Amber’s mouth. In front of them was a young person, eyes darting around nervously given the nature of what they had interrupted. They were clad in the usual uniform of mail deliverers, even though the garment was a bit too loose on them—a new recruit, perhaps, and one that had yet to learn a bit more about the trade.
“Is everything okay?” Amber asked, her cheeks redder than Lumine’s or the newcomer. It was probably nothing, but sometimes people came to her in the least convenient times to ask for aid in something or the other. Given how young they were… “Do you need to take your Gliding Certification Exam?”
“No, Miss. I eh, I did that last month and passed with flying colors.” They sighed at their own choice of words, shaking their head. “Ugh, I’m sorry.”
“Relax.” Lumine smiled as encouragingly as they could, even though they still wished the kiss hadn’t been interrupted. Instead they looked at the mailperson’s pouch and the envelope they held so tightly it seemed it was a few seconds away from being ripped by mistake. “Do you have something for us?”
“Right! Yeah, this is a letter for Outrider Amber. It arrived right before the post office closed and I was told to bring it straight to you since it could be urgent. H-here it is.”
They placed the paper on the bench beside the woman, then rushed out of their way while shouting apologies and pleading for them to not be mad. The two couldn’t help but stare at the person’s retreating figure, astounded at their speed.
“If they can run like that, they should try becoming an outrider or something,” Lumine commented, still impressed. They glanced at the letter that Amber had picked up and was turning in her hand, then the smile which blossomed in her face as she saw who it was from. “Want me to give you some privacy to read that?”
“Hm? Oh, no need!” The joy that danced in her eyes was bright enough to lighten even the Traveler’s mood. That was something they loved about Amber, though: the possibility to lift the spirits of those around her with nothing but a few gestures. “It’s from Collei! You know, the girl from Sumeru that I met a few years ago?”
Lumine nodded, still beaming, giggled to herself because of that scene. Because of how fast Amber tore through the envelope, eager to get at the letter and catch up with more updates from her pen pal. Because of how her eyes lit up the longer she read, the smile on her lips becoming brighter with each passing second.
“How has she been doing?” Lumine asked once the Outrider was done reading, started folding the letter back again.
“She's been doing great, though her disease was acting up a bit a few days ago.” Sadness flickered through her eyes, clouds in the moonlit sky. “Buuuut she’s feeling better already and says her training is going well!” Amber lit up once more, smiling at the letter “She said something or the other about me going, since a toy store that most kids adore has been having trouble coming up with designs for an Ara… Aranuhra or something.”
“Aranoora? I’ve never heard of it.” Lumine thought about the strange word for a few seconds, wondering if someone from another nation could have mentioned it. Nothing came to mind, both them and Amber shaking their heads in the process. “But hey, if you went to Sumeru you could find out more about what it means. And you could see Collei again, too.”
The Outrider frowned, a bit of her earlier excitement suddenly leaving her eyes. A glance at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, not too far away from where they were, was all the answer that Lumine needed.
“Truth is, I’ve been meaning to visit her for a very long time. But being a part of the Knights means I don’t have that much freedom to explore or go to new places whenever I would like to.” Amber sighed, looking visibly upset with the matter. “And what with Collei becoming a Forest Ranger, it’s not as if she can leave her post as well.”
“I see.” Lumine patted her shoulders, sitting closer to their girlfriend. They had known about it, as it had also stopped Amber from joining her excursions into the unknown, into the world of Teyvat as a whole. “I’m sorry your occupations have kept you two apart for a while.”
“Yeaaah… if only I had a reason to go to Sumeru with you, I’d join without thinking twice.” The Outrider gave a small smile, covered Lumine’s hand with her own. “I miss running around beside you, aiding in your travels and quests…”
Sometimes it seemed like another lifetime when Amber and Lumine had gotten to know each other and worked together to save the City of Freedom. A lot had happened after that as they had been forced to part ways, to turn their full days together into snippets of time in which they could afford to take a break from their missions and meet for lunch, dinner or a short chat by the fountain.
It would be an understatement to say that they missed that, the thrill of adventuring and fighting together. The little dares they would do along the way, like who could climb the tallest hill first or get rid of a hilichurl encampment faster than the other.
And oh, wouldn’t it be nice to experience the joy of gliding alongside the other once again…
Lumine made up their mind before the plan could be fully formed, though she would work on it during the night. Springing to their feet, she turned to look at Amber with a determined gaze and said, as if everything would be just that simple, “we’re going to Sumeru together.”
The Outrider beamed, nodded even though some lingering sadness remained in her eyes. It would be fun to dream, wouldn’t it? To pretend that everything was just up to them and that they didn’t have their own missions to tend to. Even so, it was nice to wholly believe in her partner for once, to let pleasant mental images of them exploring the beautiful landscapes of Sumeru cloud her mind, wash away the pain of not being able to go at all.
The more they talked about it, the more Amber was convinced they would be there in no time, however. At some point in the discussion Paimon joined them after a long nap at the Outrider’s house and was so excited at their discussion that they even opened up a map to point the way towards the land.
It was even more engaging to make plans while looking at the entirety of the region: how they could fetch a balloon to Liyue Harbor and see if any boats left from there to Port Ormos. Alternative routes included them walking all the way into the Chasm so Amber could see how amazing it was, and from the many tunnels around there into the Sumeru forests—though that was promptly seen as the least likely to happen since they didn’t have all the time in the world anyway.
All in all, once the three called that a night and went towards Amber’s house to rest, there were smiles on their faces and it did feel as if they had just planned not only their next, grandest adventures, but also what they would do during the Outrider’s vacation.
Which was exactly how one of them saw the entire matter, their golden eyes shining in anticipation of what they would do next.