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Lumine walks up the steps, each step heavier than the last.
“Whyyy do we have to see the Balladeer? He tried to kill us like 169 times!” Paimon voices out her frustrations shrilly.
Lumine sighs. She doesn’t particularly feel like meeting the former harbinger either.
However, Nahida had asked her for a favour.
She had met up with Nahida to catch up with her a bit. Ever since Nahida was freed, and got her position as an archon back, she had been so busy that they didn’t get to see each other that often anymore.
As they were chatting, Nahida asked Lumine to help the Balladeer, and get him on the right path.
“He doesn’t listen to me, because he sees me as cruel and unforgiving as the gods in his life. I was hoping he’ll listen to you instead, since you have quite a way with people.”
Lumine hesitated. As much as she liked to help people, Scaramouche had done many atrocious deeds, and something such as being defeated 168 times was not easy to forget.
Nahida looked at her understandingly, her eyes conveying much, much more than her silence.
Lumine agreed in the end. After all, Scaramouche wasn’t really a threat anymore, and it’d be better for her if he wasn’t doing villainous things.
She still didn’t really want to see him though, she never liked being around any of the harbingers, their scheming nature and ulterior motives made her feel very uncomfortable.
She reaches the Sanctuary of Surasthana, or Scaramouche’s prison. Scaramouche’s head snaps up as she takes a step in.
“Traveller.”
Scaramouche’s voice dripped with malice.
“Why are you here?”
“Come to relish in the sight of the defeated, weak me?”
Lumine steps closer to him.
“No. I’m here to bring you out for a walk.”
Scaramouche’s face loses its anger momentarily as it scrunches up in confusion.
“I’m stuck here, and I can’t go out. Buer would never allow that.”
“Well, she was the one that asked me to bring you out in fact.”
Lumine smiles at how Scaramouche’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“She was rather worried about you.”
Scaramouche scoffs, “I doubt that. I killed her 168 times and tried to take over her land.”
“Why bother caring about someone like that?”
“She should be worried about what I could do when I’m not stuck here.”
Lumine merely smiles. “Perhaps people aren’t as bad as you think. Besides, you’ll be going with me, so I don’t think Nahida has much to worry about.”
Scaramouche looked heavily sceptical.
“Well, I don’t really have much time, and my legs are going to get tired from standing around. Come on, let’s go.”
She offers her hand.
He scoffs and walks past her, ignoring her hand.
Lumine is unfazed and maintains that smile on her face.
That smile irks Scaramouche.
It is so daunting, so friendly, so indifferent to its surroundings.
Wasn’t she scared of him? Or at least, mad at him?
It really gets on his nerves.
“Where are we going?”
Scaramouche asks in an annoyed tone, as he follows the traveller.
“Oh, I’m bringing you along to join me in doing my usual activities.”
Paimon was miraculously silent the whole time, but silently shoots a death glare at Scaramouche.
He glares back.
Lumine sighs, “Paimon, I’m going to treat you later so stop glaring at our companion for today.”
At the mention of getting treated, Paimon’s eyes light up and she flies up close to Lumine, babbling on and squealing about food.
Scaramouche frowns as he tunes out her noisy, high-pitched chatter. Does she ever shut up?
As they walk through the bustling streets, everyone greets Lumine cheerfully and she greets them too, a warm smile on her face.
The traveller has always been very popular, she seems to be on good terms with everyone everywhere. Even Childe had mentioned her.
Scaramouche has to admit, he is kind of envious of her popularity, even if he never sought out such fame. After all, this is the road fate laid out for him, and there is no resisting fate unless he is powerful enough to challenge it.
He had long since lost that power.
The people also nod at Scaramouche, and he receives some curious gazes, as he was with the traveller.
If they know what he did to their god, he certainly would not be receiving such a polite welcome.
Well, it’s not like he cares what normal ordinary people thought of him. They are not important.
The opinions of frail, weak, human beings do not matter in the grander scale of things.
He follows Lumine as she walks into the Lambad’s Tavern for her lunch, Paimon trailing beside her gleefully.
Lumine sits at a table, as she pushes one of the two menus lying there to Scaramouche.
He looks at her incredulously.
“You know I don’t need to eat.”
“Yeah, well, do still try some of the dishes out. Maybe you’ll find something you enjoy.” Lumine replies, undeterred.
Scaramouche snorts. As if.
Yet he still looks through the menu, scanning the various dishes. If he is to be honest, some of them actually looked quite appealing.
The waiter comes. “Two Fisherman’s Toast and one Chicken-Mushroom Skewer...” The waiter nods as Lumine looks over at Scaramouche.
He shakes his head but her golden eyes glare back at him, insisting.
“Why are you so insistent on this? This mortal need to eat is absolutely unnecessary for me.” He hisses.
She looks back at him unblinkingly, “Look, if you are to accompany me, you might as well partake in my activities too.”
He glares menacingly at her, refusing to give in.
She sighs. Both the waiter and Paimon looked annoyed and her patience is fraying.
“Fine. Have it your way.”
Scaramouche smirks in triumph.
This one small victory of making the famed traveller give in to him feels so good.
A period of silence follows, with Paimon drooling at the thought of the incoming food.
“Why haven’t you just ditched me anyway?”
Scaramouche questions bitterly.
“Hmm?” Lumine replies with a hint of curiosity.
“I know Buer made you do this. You don’t have to drag me around, insisting on my company if you hate it so much, you know.” He spits out with an accusatory glare.
Lumine takes a deep breath.
“Well...it is true that Buer persuaded me to do this...however, I also had wanted to do this a bit out of the hope that well...you could change.” Lumine trails off a bit.
Scaramouche wants to laugh.
“Me? Change? You shouldn’t set yourself up for disappointment, you know.”
“Why will I become a goody-two-shoes, trapped by the moral codes of society? That sounds disgusting. I’d rather have freedom to do whatever I want, without caring about how others view me, without caring about morals or whatever shit.”
Lumine’s amused look angers Scaramouche but he hides it so as to deprive her of the satisfaction of getting under his skin.
“Free? Really?”
“How are you free when you are trapped by your own anger? Trapped by the vengeance you seek, trying to oppose life for being so cruel to you. Trying to make others' lives miserable just because you think they’re better off than you? Trying to seek power just so you can look down on everyone who has wronged you?”
She looks at him not quite with a pitiful look, or a sympathetic one, rather one she gives to an immature kid.
“You see, you’re trapped by your emotions, your defence mechanisms to the hurt you’ve experienced. You’re dwelling in the past, instead of focusing on the future, focusing on how to improve your life."Her gaze becomes more wistful as it slips past him to a bird in a cage behind him. "You’re trapped in a cage, but unlike the caged bird, you have the keys to your cage. You just refuse to use them. Your pain and anger have blinded you.”
Scaramouche blinks.
The sweet satisfaction he got from his little victory before dissolves as bitterness coats his tongue.
Lumine smiles at him serenely.
“No one is completely free.”
“But you are letting your emotions blind you and trap you into a cycle of vengeance, of trying to fill this hole inside you which isn't working because you're doing this with bitter hate."
Scaramouche doesn't want to think about her words. Doesn't want to admit that it quite resonated with him. Doesn't want to admit that she saw him crystal clear.
Lumine lets out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding as she lets her hand fall down from where it was muffling Paimon's mouth. Paimon may be a great companion but her big mouth isn't always helpful.
Paimon puts her hands on her hips and smirks at Scaramouche who is clearly quite shook.
It was really a good thing that she and Aether had studied quite some time with a philosopher on another world. The advantage of traversing through worlds for millenia was that she's picked up a lot of wise tidbits, whether or not she actually follows them.
But it helps when she wants to pretend to be wise and mature.
She still finds Scaramouche quite annoying and despicable, despite just unravelling his whole mindset.
Even if she does feel some sympathy for him, it does not excuse his actions.
One’s past can never serve as an excuse for what they’ve done because they still voluntarily chose to do those things, regardless of how much they’ve suffered.
Another thing she's picked up.
Also it's just not easy to erase those countless repeats of torture she and Nahida suffered at Scaramouche's hand.
Forgiveness is something easier said than done.
The waiter finally comes with the food, serving as a relieving end to the stifling silence.
Paimon’s attention is instantaneously captured by the Fisherman’s Toast, as the smell of the food permeates the air.
She giggles as Paimon instantly starts wolfing down her food, as though she hadn’t eaten in ages.
Paimon glares at her and says through mouthfuls of food. “ ‘ond laf ad Baimon .”
Lumine giggles even harder.
“I can’t understand what you’re saying. Don't you know not to talk with your mouth full?,” she says teasingly.
Scaramouche watches as the two of them tease each other in friendly banter.
Friend.
That was something buried deep in his past that deserves to be shelved in the part of his brain where he keeps things he doesn't want to think about, along with the traveller's words.
He has never had a friend since...
The well of bitterness, anger and hate that fuels him churns, splashing over the edges.
He doesn't want to remember.
So he shuts the painful past out.
After lunch, Lumine, Paimon and Scaramouche walk to the guild to collect commissions.
Or more like Scaramouche follows them to collect commissions.
The commission is absurd, he thinks as he watches the traveller, the hero of Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Sumeru bounce on mushrooms.
She had offered for him to join them, a bright dazzling smile shining on her face framed by golden curls.
She shined so brightly, like the sun, that it was hard to look her right in her face without getting blinded by her stupid positivity and happiness.
He had refused. Obviously.
What kind of person commissions someone to jump on mushrooms?!
It is just plain ridiculous.
Cheery laughter drifts over to where he is standing as Paimon and Lumine seem to be having fun while he watches on in disdain.
"It's such a shame you couldn't join us! It was really fun!" Lumine literally beams at him as she and Paimon make their way back.
"Yeah I can see how jumping on mushrooms is very fun." His sentence drips with sarcasm.
"That's just because you don't know how to have fun, big hat guy!" Paimon crosses her arms.
"No, that's because I can see that it's a ridiculous thing to do, but obviously you can't see that."
"H-Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!" Paimon protests.
Lumine rolls her eyes. "It's so like the two of you to get into a petty argument."
Both Paimon and Scaramouche scoff at her.
"Scaramouche", her tone turns more serious. "You're going to help me with the next commission since you have to do something, you know."
He turns to protest-
"Nope, you're not getting out of this one. I am the one who's bringing you out of your little prison, so you better listen." Lumine grins as she exerts her power over him.
Scaramouche scowls.
"Don't worry, it's just a simple commission with no bouncing on mushrooms."
That would have been somewhat comforting if not for the teasing glint in her eyes.
He trudges through the desert, sand pouring into his sandals, as the sun shines mercilessly down on him.
This is not a simple commission.
Sure, he didn't have to walk too far, with teleport waypoints, but this is still torture.
He is never coming back to the desert ever again.
Gritty sand is all over his feet with their uncomfortable warmth, and he longs for the smooth, hard rock of proper paths, instead of this soft sand that moves around like liquid, making each and every step so uncomfortable. His Inazuman clothes are more a curse here, trapping the already unbearable heat. His forehead is slick with sweat and he is so done with this hellhole. He feels as though he's going to get a permanent sunburn with the way the sun burns him with its unrelentless heat.
He wants to lash out at the traveller, to accuse her of purposely doing this so he could suffer but he knows she's just going to tell him that whether or not he takes this commission, he'd still have to walk through the desert.
Lumine and Paimon aren't much better off. Even though they have been here quite some times, Paimon huffed, tired of this place, her clothes also being quite unfit for this weather. Lumine seems fine if not for tiny beads of sweat that formed on her forehead.
They finally reach the little camp that's set up some distance from the village. It probably took only a few minutes, but with the sun beating down harshly, Scaramouche felt like it could have been forever.
There's a lone man beside a tent there. His face lights up as he sees them approaching with his food.
Something in Scaramouche just snaps as he sees the guy's expectant face.
Maybe he would have tolerated this better if the guy was sick and unable to move.
The man's grin faltered as he sees Scaramouche's murderous expression. He grabs the food, muttering a "Thank you" before attempting to retreat into his tent.
Scaramouche was about to do something when the traveller's hand reaches out, pulling him back, allowing the man to safely get into his tent.
"You scared him you kno-"
Scaramouche snarled, "He's a perfectly able man, he's able to get his own food, why must we do this for him? The village is literally so close, for archon's sake!"
Lumine frowns. "Well...it is a commission."
"Don't tell me you aren't angered by it! This is an absurd request that he could have just done on his own!"
"Okay...maybe I'm a bit uncomfortable by it but it's my means of getting mora and I'm not complaining."
"Well, I had to walk through this goddamn place just to get him FOOD that he could have easily gotten HIMSELF so yes, I am complaining!"
"When you constantly deal with this, it doesn't really matter anymore..." Lumine's eyes just look tired.
"It doesn't matter?! To constantly have to serve people that are so weak they can't do things themselves?! Weak people should be left to fend for themselves, instead of being coddled, that's the way they become independent and strong!"
"A society is interdependent, Scaramouche. I do agree that people should be independent and strong but they also deserve kindness and help."
"People who need to pay other people to do simple needs are not deserving of help!"
"Do the Fatui Harbingers not have agents of their own?" Lumine counters.
Scaramouche scowls so deeply that it must have been etched onto his face. "That's because they climbed their way up, through hard work and strength!"
"Everyone deserves a helping hand sometimes, you know. People may have commissioned other people to do things for them because they're busy doing other things, such as researching, advancing knowledge and science. It's a win-win because they save time and the people who fulfil these commissions get rewards too. It's a healthy interdependent relationship. People don't have to do everything themselves." Her eyes sparkled as Scaramouche settled uncomfortably into another loss.
No one had reached out a helping hand to him back then.
He still remembers the cruel, unfeeling face of his mother as she left him behind.
His friend who betrayed him after knowing of his nature.
The little kid that left him behind for the heavens above.
He was weak. Useless.
So he strived to be powerful enough to avenge the world, to mock it for hurting him when all it did was help him rise to power.
Human emotions were weak.
They made him hurt through each and every one of his betrayals.
He could never let his heart wrench as it did back then, or let that foreign liquid flow down his cheeks.
So he burned them away and left them behind in the flaming house of the kid.
His fists clench as he narrows his eyes, the recollections stinging with anger, hurt and pain.
Lumine looks over at him quizzically.
He wants to recoil from her gaze, from the glimmer of hope in her eyes that shine like the sun.
Hope that he can change.
He feels a bitter laugh building up inside him.
After all he’s done, she still hopes for him to change?
She probably just wishes for him to no longer be a nuisance, he tells himself.
Everyone just uses him.
No one actually cares.
He’s given up caring, after all, it’s not like he cared about other people either.
They proceed on with the rest of their commissions, which, thankfully, don’t require more walking in the desert.
He still isn’t in a good mood, and he’s pretty sure it showed up quite well on his face, because everyone just seems to deflate at the sight of him.
He was sure the traveller rolled her eyes at some point.
Lumine pinches the bridge of her nose. Scaramouche just has to go around sulking, with anger radiating off him in waves doesn’t he?
To be fair, that was what he’s like most of the time.
But still.
They were in a more secluded area of the marketplace when Paimon spots something that catches her eye and bursts into excited screeches.
Scaramouche dramatically rolls his eyes.
Paimon gasps, “How dare you! There is absolutely nothing wrong with Paimon talking!”
She stomps down on air.
“Pfft, like no one is fed up with you talking. You should mind your place, especially in front of an ex-god.”
“Well, at least Paimon has friends, unlike you! Even the Fatui have used and betrayed you! No one likes you, so what power do you have?!” Paimon shoots back, her lips curling in a satisfactory smirk.
Scaramouche practically seethes with anger.
He’s going to kill that faerie right this instant.
Lumine winces at Paimon’s words. As much as she agrees, they were too harsh, directly targeting Scaramouche’s weak points.
And under Scaramouche’s veil of anger, she sees a lost little kid that just wishes to be loved.
“Stop!”
Lumine pulls Scaramouche and Paimon apart just as Scaramouche lunges at Paimon, both their chests heaving as they glared at each other.
They both open their mouths to speak but Lumine silences them, “If you’re just going to argue, then don’t. I want to have some peace and quiet.”
Paimon huffs, crossing her arms and looking away from Scaramouche.
He does the same.
The annoying pest is right.
No one likes him.
Everyone really just uses him.
He remembers how Dottore treats him as something less than a human, just another one of his twisted experiments.
Perhaps he had ignored his treatment by the Fatui, since he was given the position of a Harbinger. After all, he had his own goals, and if the Fatui could help him reach them, does it really matter how he is treated?
He had never fit in anywhere, always straying from place to place.
First, he was the Electro Archon’s creation. He fit in, or at least he thought he did, until he was abandoned due to being imperfect and weak.
And then, he was a blacksmith’s apprentice. His new life wasn’t for long though, because he soon had to flee again.
His third and last attempt at a happy life ended abruptly as he came home to the unmoving child lying amidst the petals, his doll at his side.
Consumed by resentment for the world, he decides to give up his pursuit of folly, of something unattainable to him.
When he joined the Fatui, he had given up on trying to fit in, instead seeking to gain more power to challenge fate, seeking the gnosis to become a god. Or maybe he didn’t give up, and was instead trying to fit in by attempting to fulfil his original purpose, by fitting in with the gods instead.
So many lives, so many names. So many times he sought to erase his past, to rewrite his life into something meaningful. So many times he thought he had left the shackles of his past behind, and finally belonged.
But ultimately, he failed. He was not meant to be created it seems, and therefore he could not fit in with the ordinary citizens of Teyvat. He, who is neither mortal nor god, is doomed to a fate of never really belonging.
What then, is the meaning of his life?
Awkward silence trails behind them as Paimon and Scaramouche follow Lumine into the forest, where they’ve received a commission to clear the group of aggressive Fungi there.
Scaramouche found it ironic that after having to jump on mushrooms, they now had to fight them.
Lumine draws her sword, casting a wordless gaze at Scaramouche. Just one glance was sufficient to convey what she meant.
Scaramouche draws the blade that Lumine had lent him earlier that day, preparing for the attack.
It feels good to fight again, even if he didn’t have the power of any element anymore. It is refreshing to fully stretch his muscles after so long of being cooped up.
And to his surprise, he and Lumine work pretty well together. Their fighting is so in sync, it’s like they’re dancing together. The two of them made quick work of the fungi.
He pants slightly, adrenaline rushing through his body as Lumine turns to him, her sword disappearing, as she smiles at him, praising him for his performance just now.
He squirms under her warm gaze.
Just now, not only did it feel good because he could finally fight, it feels good because when he fought with Lumine, it felt like he was an irreplaceable part of their fighting dance. It feels so wrong that for a split second, he belonged.
He shakes the thought off.
The sky is coloured in hues of pinks, oranges, and yellows, as it begins its shift from pale blue to twilight blue and purple when they begin to make their way to the Adventurer’s guild again to collect the rewards for the commissions.
“The sky is so pretty, Paimon loves sunsets!” Paimon squeals as Lumine nodded in agreement, her head lifted up to look at the sky.
Scaramouche disagrees, “I think the sun is an arrogant show-off, having to flaunt its departure with such vibrant and showy colours. It’s sickening.”
Paimon mutters, “No wonder you don’t like it, you two are so alike!”
Lumine giggles and Scaramouche just rolls his eyes.
They head to another restaurant for their dinner, the world around them that was awash with pinks and oranges slowly dimming.
Lumine orders four dishes this time, pushing one towards Scaramouche.
“Eat”, she simply says.
He doesn’t know why he complies. Maybe he’s just tired.
He inspects the food carefully before just placing it in his mouth. It looks pretty safe, just 3 sticks of 3 balls of glutinous rice, each a different colour, one pink, one white, and one green. It’s probably an Inazuman dish.
The moment his tongue touches it, it was love at first sight. Or rather, love at first taste.
It is soft and chewy, with the delicate fragrance of lush flowers and branches mixed in. An absolute masterpiece.
If he had known mortal food could be so delicious, maybe he’d have swallowed his pride and tried them out earlier. He had eaten, a long, long time ago, the memories so faded that he doesn’t remember what it was like anymore.
He eyes the rest of the food hungrily, wanting to dig in, but aware that he is with the traveller and Paimon. He doesn’t want to show how much he actually likes the food.
He doesn’t question how the traveller knows he would like the food.
So he controls himself and eats slowly, each bite a moderate amount.
He notices the traveller looking at him, amused, and instinctively scowls. He wonders just how much of his true feelings are readable to the traveller.
“So, how was your day?” Lumine questions. “Was it different from your other days?”
Scaramouche frowns. “I guess…”
Today was different.
Today was numbing, meaningless, because he no longer had a purpose. He was just wandering around, following Lumine.
The barrier between him and the rest of the world was never so blindingly obvious. The couple realisations he’s come to don’t help.
“What are you going to do after today then?”
“What can I do? I’m stuck in the Sanctuary, am I not?” Scaramouche feels a bitter laugh bubbling up.
“What if I convince Nahida to let you go then? What will you do?” Lumine’s face wears an unreadable expression as her gaze pins Scaramouche in place.
“I...don’t know, I have no purpose anymore, and life has no meaning because I don’t know what to do! Maybe it would have been better if you ended it all back in our fight, then, I won’t have to suffer through another failure, and reset my life again. And now that you’ve denounced my ambition to seek revenge upon my creator, I don’t know what to do. And I’m stuck with this immortal body, so I must find something to do for a long time!” Scaramouche blurts out, his emotions all a mess.
“Have you ever thought of enjoying life, instead of going against it?”
“Well, I tried, and failed 3 times, I thought you knew from that glimpse into my past…”
“Doesn’t mean you should stop trying! Life has so many great aspects, it’s a pity you’ll miss out on them. Besides, now you’re 500 years older and wiser, you probably can deal with situations much better. You could go on a journey of self-discovery if you’re not sure, and have fun along the way! Teyvat has much to discover, as a traveller, I can attest to that, and I must say, I definitely haven’t had the time to see all of it. It certainly can take up a lot of time.” She proposes, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“You know, many people would give so much just to be immortal like you.” She adds.
He scoffs, “That’s because they don’t know what it’s like.”
“That’s true, but maybe that gives them a different perspective, one in which they see the value in immortality. Change your perspectives, Scaramouche, and you’ll find life has much to offer.” She smiles.
Her eyes land on a brown moth flitting about the lamp above their heads.
“What a pretty butterfly hmm?”
“It’s a moth, and it’s just plain brown.”
“But it’s still pretty, and if you look closely, you can see intricate patterns on its wings.” Lumine’s gaze follows the moth, captivated, as it flits about.
Scaramouche watches it too, as his mind wanders back to today's events.
Now that he thinks harder about them, they were meaningless, because he had lost his purpose, but they were also so...ordinary. Fun in a way he supposes.
It has been so long he has done anything ordinary, anything not done with intense anger.
He was still angry today...but he’s had his moments of fun.
“I guess I’ll take your suggestion. There’s not much I can do anyway...and I need to find a new purpose in my life. And I am looking forward to trying more foods.” He added the last bit tentatively.
Lumine’s smile stretches wider, “It was good, wasn’t it?”
Scaramouche squirms under her knowing look, “...it was fine.”
Suddenly, a bright light envelopes the space around them.
Scaramouche blinks and when he opens his eyes…
He sees a vision.
An anemo vision.
Glowing with energy.
Sitting right by his hand.
The traveller and Paimon are taken by surprise, their mouths dropping open.
“What is freedom when demanded of you by a god?” Lumine muses softly, her eyes glazed over, deep in her thoughts.
Paimon and Scaramouche stare blankly at her.
“Oh! Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” Her lips quirk up in a grin. “And I suppose, you’ve found your version of freedom, Scaramouche.”
“It’s...mine?” Scaramouche’s eyes widen in wonder as he cups the vision in his hands.
“Well, of course! Congratulations, I’m glad today has been of help to you.” The traveller’s warmth feels so infectious.
Paimon even offered Scaramouche a begrudging congratulations.
For once in a long time, Scaramouche feels hopeful for his future. And actually pretty excited about his travelling.
It is pitch black when they step outside, their surroundings illuminated only by street lamps.
The lamps cast a halo around the traveller’s golden hair, making it look like she’s some sort of angel.
“Soooo this day has finally come to an end. Paimon doesn’t want to admit this but Paimon might miss sulky big hat guy’s presence just a teensy tiny bit!”
Lumine laughs.
“Well, I’ll miss your company too, Scaramouche. Perhaps we’ll see each other soon on our travels!”
“Yeah I guess.” Scaramouche doesn’t know why he’s a bit reluctant to leave Lumine.
“Oomph!” Scaramouche trips over something in the darkness, and lands flat on his face.
Lumine and Paimon break out into a laughing fit, which they then attempt to smother but to no avail.
Scaramouche scowls, using his hands to get back up.
“Here”, Lumine offers her hand, still choking back laughs, but has a genuine smile on her face.
“Thanks”, Scaramouche mutters as he takes the hand, allowing it to pull himself back up.
The moon hangs in the night sky, its ethereal yet humble presence lingering in the air as they walk up the steps to the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Nahida greets them there, before leaving, presumably to wait for the traveller so they can discuss matters.
Scaramouche walks into the room, hands gripping his anemo vision tightly, his way of reminding himself that he won’t be stuck in this room much longer.
“Farewell Scaramouche. Good night.” The traveller says.
“Good night…”
As Scaramouche turns to the traveller to bid her farewell, he sees a scar peeking out from her gloves.
His sentence trails off as he freezes.
Lumine tilts her head, questioning.
He looks down, quietly saying, “I’m...sorry.”
Lumine flinches, and for that brief moment, he sees their fight illuminated in her wide eyes that are molten pools of gold. Her other hand subconsciously tugs on that glove.
“Apology taken.” A smile slides back onto her face, as she waves him goodbye and departs.