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Lumine’s eyes contemplatively matched their focus to the two flowers being presented to her.
In Ayaka’s hands was a sky blue flower, still glowing in the moonlight as if it had never left Chinju Forest. These flowers had borne witness to Ayaka’s fan dance. It was in that moment amidst the waters reflection and her ethereal beauty that Lumine first caught feelings for the princess. Inazuma was Nilou’s first adventure outside she city she had grown up in, and the flowers had been there for the twilight of that moment too. A well timed remark about wet socks had sent the three lovers into a giggling fit as they childishly kicked water at each other. They slept together in the forest that night, basking in each other’s company and enjoying the freedom of a peaceful Inazuma.
In Nilou’s hands rested a purple Padisarah. After thousands of years of being seen as extinct, the efforts of the trio had rediscovered the flower and brought it back from the brink. After the single purple Padisarah they had found produced seeds it fell to Nilou, Ayaka and Lumine to spread the flowers around Sumeru once more. It was an adventure fraught with hardship, love and camaraderie that saw Nilou mature from an innocent and sheltered dancer to a seasoned adventurer, developing her skill with her sword and her Vision. At the end of it all, Nilou found another way to express her devotion to the god she loved so much.
One flower the symbol of a promise to stay together, a plea for intimacy. The other a sign of adventure and fulfillment.
Lumine looked down at the Inteyvats resting in each palm. One rescued from the depths of the Chasm, the other plucked from her own hair.
What did these flowers mean?
Dainsleif had called them a symbol for a wanderer far from home. When taken out of Khaenri’ah their petals would turn hard, crumbling to dust when they returned home. For Lumine, they would likely crumble when she reached the end of her journey, discovered the truth of the world and reunited with her brother.
The more Lumine journeyed, the more conflicted she became. Aether was an essential half of her, her travelling partner for countless eons. They had witnessed everything together and overcame countless hardships together. No matter which hand she brandished her sword in, Lumine felt vulnerable without Aether to cover for her.
Yet she didn’t want to go back to how things were before. Ignoring the troubles of the worlds they passed through. Treating the people they met with indifference as they fought among themselves for the pair’s love, their recognition, their acknowledgement. Continuing to wander aimlessly, the true purpose of their journey still as lost as it was eons ago.
Besides, the space Lumine’s sword arm couldn’t cover was now protected by Ayaka and Nilou.
As Ayaka and Nilou extended their flowers forward, Lumine felt her shaky hands retreat.
She couldn’t give them flowers that symbolized separation.
While Nilou remained in place with a puzzled look on her face, Ayaka stepped forward, cupping her hands around one of Lumine’s. Her crystal blue eyes gave her a look of understanding and love, and as usual Lumine couldn’t bring herself to resist them.
Lumine watched Ayaka carefully lift the Inteyvat from her palm, affixing it snugly to her breastplate along the Padisarah and Chinju flower already in place above her heart. She did the same thing with the other flower, offering it to Nilou who nodded enthusiastically. The second flower was placed tenderly into her hair with a kiss that made Nilou bounce on the spot.
Ayaka pushed her chest out and framed the flowers with her hands. “How do I look?”
Lumine felt a smile return to her face. “You look wonderful. The white, blue and purple flowers go together really nicely.”
Ayaka returned a smile of her own before they both became aware of Nilou stepping forward. She moved slowly with her hands behind her back, wearing the puppy eyes that she used whenever she wanted something. “Lumine, can you do something for me?”
Lumine felt colour dust her cheeks under her pleading gaze. How could she say no?
“Take a deep breath, like you’re about to blow up a huge balloon.” After a few seconds of silence Lumine complied, filling her chest with air. “Alright! Now breathe out as hard as you can!” Lumine blew harshly until all the air was gone, her spluttering getting a chuckle out of Ayaka and Nilou.
Before Lumine could laugh alongside her Nilou pointed a stern finger at her. “Don’t drop the balloon! It contains all the worries and doubts you were just feeling!”
Lumine cupped an oval of space in front of her. Was she that obvious?
After a few moments of watching Lumine hold the ‘balloon’, Nilou pressed a pointed finger into the space. ‘Grabbing’ the ‘balloon’ from Lumine, she mimicked the sounds of it deflating as she ran circles around the pair. By the time Nilou ceremoniously threw the ‘balloon’ aside, Lumine and Ayaka were doubling over in laughter.
“All those worries and doubts have flown away! Are you feeling better now, Lumine?”
Lumine placed her hands over her heart, as if physically feeling how much lighter her chest felt. It was amazing how well Nilou’s anxiety relieving methods worked.
“I’m feeling a lot better now, thank you. I’m sorry for worrying you both.”
“Please don’t apologize, my love.” Ayaka reassured, tenderly taking Lumine’s hand into her own.
“Ayaka, shall we put these flowers in her hair?” Nilou asked.
“An excellent idea, darling.” With one hand brushing Nilou’s hair, Ayaka turned to Lumine. “Would you be ok with that?”
Lumine nodded, dropping to her knees and presenting the top of her head to her lovers. Ayaka and Nilou scrambled to her side. The only thing she heard was their excited whispers and mumbles as they worked to fix the flowers to her hair with the meticulousness of an artist arranging a bouquet.
Or perhaps they were coordinating something else. With one hand on each shoulder to keep Lumine on her knees, the pair moved down in sync to press a kiss to both of Lumine’s cheeks. As Lumine bloomed bright red and raised her hands up to her face, her girlfriends wrapped their arms around her.
They were so interested in their show of affection they forgot about the flowers they had so carefully fixed to her hair. When Ayaka finally brandished a mirror, Lumine saw a perfectly arranged trio of blue, purple and white on her hair. The pair had arranged the flowers in a triangle shape so that they would all touch each other. Looking again at Ayaka’s chest and Nilou’s hair, Lumine saw that they had repeated the pattern there too.
The new flowers in her hair were so much more colourful than the flowers she had before. Just like how Ayaka and Nilou brought life that Lumine hadn’t felt for eons, if at all.
Lumine found herself blushing again, burying herself in Nilou’s shoulder as her two lovers tightened their embraces with a chuckle.
After a few content moments of basking in the warmth of the two girls around her, Lumine felt confident enough to speak. “The Inteyvats I gave you… When I reach the end of this journey they will crumble into dust. Theres a chance that… I go on to leave this world with my brother.”
“I had a feeling you were worrying about that.” Ayaka started. “Even if you don’t agree with his actions, I know how much your brother means to you. I didn’t even remember that the flowers turn to dust until I saw your conflicted face. When I saw the Inteyvat, I saw that you were willing to trust me with something really important to you, not that you were going to shackle me with a promise that you weren’t going to keep.”
In comparison to Ayaka’s soothing reassurance, the tone Nilou pitched in with was more excitable. “I thought the same! You were trusting me with something really precious to you! Besides by the time that flower turns to dust, I’m sure we’ll have found more things to adorn your hair with.”
“Quite right, my love. We’ve decided that we are going to adorn your hair with all things that show how much we love you.” Nilou nodded along vigorously, not trying to hide the fact that this was her idea. Ayaka’s gaze moved to contemplate the night sky above them. “I’m sure it’ll be a collection tall enough and grand enough to reach Celestia.”
“I hope there aren’t any low ceilings or doorframes in Fountaine.” Lumine joked, drawing a laugh from the other two. “I’m not the only one doing this, am I?”
“Nope!” Nilou replied immediately. “We’re all going to do it for each other, too! By the time we reach your brother, we are going to convince him how much we love each other! Then he’ll have to stay in Teyvat!”
Lumine felt that if she was this easy to read, there was no reason to hold her tears back. She felt two pairs of lips kiss her tears away as they fell down her cheeks while sweet nothings and I love yous were whispered into her ears. After wiping her eyes clear Lumine gestured toward her lips, reciprocating some of the affection given to her by kissing her lovers deeply on the lips.
As the trio drifted off to sleep in each other’s embrace, Lumine’s final thoughts were how lucky she was to have Ayaka and Nilou by her side, how much she was looking forward to their adventures together, and how they were going to explain the events of the evening to Paimon.