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Lumine couldn’t sleep it wasn’t completely surprising it happened more frequently as of late the stress of constantly fighting and saving people slowly building up. She didn’t have an outlet for all of it meaning it just sits there waiting for the time where she will just burst and the dams come crumbling down.
The dam is already crumbling the feelings slowly creeping out, she found herself getting more irritated with the people she was supposed to be helping out. Each time there is another dead end of leads with her brother she finds herself on the verge of tears, it never happened before but now it was apart of the process. Maybe some people would say it was normal for her to be upset or angry but not for Lumine.
Lumine was a natural at burying her feelings deep inside. Not letting the come out until she was at least alone, now they were spilling out for anyone to see. It bothered her because people are supposed to trust her to go into situations and not let emotions cloud her judgment if she did that the adventures guild will start giving her the small commissions that don’t really need anyone to do.
Which she could not let happen if that happened it would make it even harder to get any possible leads on her brother. Most of them came from the adventures guild due to his ties with the abyss and the fact their mages litter Teyvat causing issues for everyone. While it upset Lumine that her brother had these ties they were ties nonetheless and they were there whether she liked it or not.
Lumine could see some off in the distance as she walked up to the hill that over looked Luhua pool they were on the other side of the lake dancing around the fire. She always wondered if they ever stopped dancing she had never seen on just sit still or even sleep. Maybe one day she will get answers.
When Lumine couldn’t sleep she usually just sat in her bed and read a book but today she felt as if her room was suffocating her. So she decided to come to her favourite spot or more like second favourite spot. Her first favourite was the cliffs that over looked Liyue harbour but she needed proper quiet. Liyue harbour never slept there was always ships coming in and making a racket to the point you could still hear them so high up.
This spot though, apart from the water was pure silence. It was perfect, she could just close her eyes and let the voices in her head drown at the sound of the water. She loved how even at the dead of night the pool had a slight glow to it, even better if it was a clear light and the moon shone down on it.
As a slight breeze hit Lumine it sent a shiver down her spine, she was now regretting not bringing a blanket with her as the air had a slight chill to it. She brought her knees to her chest wrapping her arms around them trying to form some sort of warm bubble for herself but it wasn’t making much of a difference.
She sat with her own thoughts for a while. Until she felt a blanket fall over her startling her out of her thoughts, she spun around only to see Xiao giving her his usual disapproving frown. One she had become accustomed to over the years or so she had known him.
She gave him a small smile, “Hello Xiao”
Instantly realizing something was up he dropped the face as if he wasn’t even slightly angry in the first place, “Something’s wrong” He was as honest as ever, it was something Lumine liked about him. The honesty was rather rare in Teyvat everyone was secretly playing their own game even her but not Xiao. He was just him most people saw him as mysterious but Lumine had got to know him on a personal level so she no longer thought about that.
Lumine sighed looking away back to the lake in front of her, “I’m fine” She told him as she saw out the corner of her eye him come to sit next to her.
“I have known you long enough that is a lie” He told her, it was technically a white lie he could see through her from the very start she had never been able to lie to him about anything.
“I don’t wish to talk about it” She moved over slightly to lean on his shoulder he no longer tensed at her actions like he used to it made her happy that he trusts her.
“Then we wont” He reached out for her hand while taking it in his and kissing it gently making her smile again.
“How did you know I was here?” She changed the subject while closing her eyes just enjoying his company.
“I was on patrol and saw you here, shaking” He added on the end emphasising it making her laugh awkwardly, “You need to remember to bring a blanket or just something to keep you warm if you go out this late” She could tell even with her eyes closed he was most likely giving her a side glare.
“Maybe it was my plan to get you here” She teased turning her head slightly to kiss his cheek, “I do miss you when you aren’t around” Lumine expected him to either go silently flustered or run off into the dark of the night saying he should be patrolling but that wasn’t the case.
Instead he doubled down and flirted back, “I miss you to” He whispered into her ear kissing the spot behind it. Lumine nearly had a heart attack at the action she had prepared herself for all the possibilities of her actions and this was not one of them. Never once did she think Xiao would be that outwardly affectionate.
Lumine quickly regained composure though and decided to change the conversation again before she had a heart attack, “Aren’t you cold?” He didn’t have anything on to protect himself from the cold nights air.
“Adepti don’t feel the cold” Lumine should have expected that response after all it was the one he had given countless times just in different variations, Adepti don’t need food, Adepti don’t sleep, Adepti this Adepti that. Lumine wished she could just call bullshit on all of it but she didn’t instead she just does, gives him almond tofu randomly or ‘accidentally’ falls asleep on him so he can’t get up and eventually falls asleep himself. It works every time without fail and so far he hasn’t seemed to catch on to her plan.
Lumine this time just took the edge of the blanket that was closest to him and wrapped it around his shoulder it was a big enough blanket that could easily share to people. Xiao didn’t seem to care either he even helped wrap it around himself better.
Lumine looked up to the sky and smiled, the clouds were clearing off leaving the stars on full display, “Do you know constellations?” She asked him, he looked down at her seemingly confused.
“They are the pattern stars make in the sky” She pointed up at the sky trying to show him the dots that connect up in the sky but it was clear that he did not understand. She brought her hand back down, “Look here” She opened her palm showing the burst of stars that float around in nothingness.
Lumine watched as Xiao looked from the connected dots in her palm to the stars in the sky she could see him coming to understand what she was babbling on about, “How do you do that?” He asked her with wonder in his eyes.
“It’s the small part of my powers that I actually have left” She sighed she missed them dearly not only did she loose her brother which was already a big piece of her lost but the powers was the final blow. At least if she still had them it would have been a piece of cake to get her brothers back but the unknown god has no mercy.
“I’m sorry” He whispered bringing his arms to wrap around her, Lumine felt the damn start to break again at the action. Tears quickly started to fall eventually she was full blown crying into Xiao’s chest.
No matter how many times she changed the subject she could not ignore her feelings forever she was just glad it broke with him.