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Lumine was laughing in Albedo’s lab when the first petal tumbled from between her lips.
A single gasp followed before she slapped her hands over her mouth. The pale petal of an Inteyvat fluttered onto the tabletop. Wide-eyed, Lumine peered up at Albedo, who appeared as caught off guard as she.
Within seconds, Albedo’s shock melted into his standard neutrality. He plucked the petal up, bringing it to eye level between them. “You also have it? Interesting.”
Lumine drew her shaking hands into her lap, hiding them beneath the table, hoping to cover up the writhing mess of nerves that she was. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the courage to ask, “It?”
Twirling the petal between his fingers, he scrutinized it with the calculating gaze of a man of science.
“Albedo, please.” Her voice broke at the end.
“Hanahaki disease.” His eyes flickered to her face for a moment before returning to the petal. “Don’t worry. It is not lethal.” He motioned for her hand.
Untangling her sweaty fingers, she brought her quivering limb to the center of the table.
Albedo gripped her wrist to steady the trembling and dropped the petal in her palm. “In fact, it is rather common in Teyvat. A common ailment that can be obtrusive in everyday activities but never the direct cause of death. Nothing to worry yourself over.”
Lumine let out an audible sigh of relief. “Is it really that common?”
“Very much so,” he said, releasing his hold. “It is as common as finding a Whopperflower in a triplet of mint plants. But, as ordinary as it is, there is no known cure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hanahaki stems from unrequited love; or, more accurately, from love that the person perceives to be unrequited, even if the truth is the opposite. ”
“But I’m not in love with anyone?”
“If what the researchers say is to be believed, love in any form can trigger it.”
She gazed down at her heart in her hands.
“Emotions are complex,” Albedo said. “The disease, equally so. Although, you may already have the cure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most are cured once they’re honest with themselves.” His gaze drifted to the shelves on the wall; specimen jars filled with star-shaped flowers lined the top row. “If that doesn’t solve it, then you’ll have to continue searching for the answer.”
Lumine was eating with Xiao on Wangshu Inn’s rooftop when the first full flower fell from her mouth.
Pausing with his spoonful of almond tofu in mid-air, Xiao’s amber eyes darted between Lumine and the flower.
She crouched to pick up the Inteyvat.
“You won’t perish from it,” he said. “One can’t truly die from heartbreak.”
“I know.” She clutched the flower to her chest. “I know, but it still hurts.”
He set his plate on the railing. “Do you know who?”
“I have an idea, but I’m not sure if I want to find him and hear how he feels.”
Xiao furrowed his brows. “Your brother?”
“He’s the only person I can think of.”
“I doubt your brother does not love you. You are family.”
“Does he? Family doesn’t push family away.” Lumine tilted her head back to look up at him. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. “I wouldn’t be hacking up flowers if he did.”
Xiao dropped into a crouch beside her. “The truth is not always as we believe it.”
“I—” Lumine was unable to finish her sentence, cut off by a sudden coughing fit racking her body. Another flowerhead fell near their feet.
He scooped up the flower before she could. “How many before this one?”
Wiping her mouth against the back of her hand, she gave a final wet cough. Lumine shoved her hands into her pockets; a multitude of petals and half-formed flowerheads poured out as she withdrew them.
Xiao frowned down at the field of flowers scattered across the wooden floor.
“These were the first whole ones, but…" Lumine laid the complete flower in the pile. “There’s a lot, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away.”
“Mm.” He set down the flower he held with her other ones.
In a flash of black and green light, Xiao disappeared, only to reappear a moment later with two urns, offering one to her.
Lumine removed the lid and peered into the emptiness. “What’s this for?”
Xiao shuffled in place before settling and prying the lid off the urn he held, unveiling a heap of flowers of many kinds and colors. “In war, emotions are hindrances, far better left behind. Connections are fragile, severed within a single moment in battle. They cause only pain and leave only longing.”
He sighed. “Still, one cannot help but come to care for others, especially during peacetime…even if the sentiment isn’t returned.”
“Xiao.” Lumine wrapped her hand around his forearm. “A lot of people care deeply for you. They love you. More than you know.”
“I understand that now.” Submerging his hand into his urn, he drew out a single Inteyvat from the pile and held it out to her.
Horror flashed across her face as she cradled the flower, his flower, in her palms.
“It is…comforting. Being around you. I don’t feel the need to hold back as much. It makes me forget about my karmic debt for a moment.” His hand skimmed over the surface of the urn’s pool of petals; flowers danced atop his fingers. “I didn’t know if you felt the same.”
“You’re one of my closest friends, too.” Lumine tightened her grip. “I love you a lot. You know that, right?”
Xiao took back his Inteyvat. Returning it to the urn, he shut the lid. “I do, but I didn’t believe you returned it to the same degree then. As I said before, the truth is not always as we believe it.”
“Do you still…cough?”
“Not anymore.” He picked up one of her flowers and guided it into her urn. “And you shouldn’t either.”