Chapter Text
"What are you doing here? Huh... we have new visitors?"
The "Water Droplet", as it was dubbed by the traveling group, stopped in front of the blue-haired woman, who looked seemingly caught off guard.
"Greetings, everyone. This is the Veluriyam Mirage, and I'm the caretaker, Idyia," she stuttered out.
She continued to apologize for the disarrayed state of the location, doubtfully reassuring that the domain would soon be fixed back to its original condition in due time.
Kaeya hadn’t really minded the strange occurrence of the domain, despite its blaring quirks and the fact that it materialized out of nowhere in the middle of a stranded desert. Strangely enough, his attention was completely diverted to the shorter woman standing next to Idyia. There are many things unexplainable about the situation at present, such as the streaming projectiles and the sentient droplets of water. But despite it all, his curiosity fell fully on the girl in front of him, and he wasted no second longer in observing her presence.
As if right on cue, she made brief eye contact with Kaeya, and all thoughts halted immediately.
The pale periwinkle blue faded into muted pink met with silver cornflower irises, radiating a natural beauty, one like the iridescent glow of a pearl soaked into the sunlight. However, once Kaeya regained his thoughts, he would discover that the irises belonging to the woman eclipsed the worldly beauty he had conjured for them. The lack of the human apparatus meant for adjusting to the exposure of light made her seem transcendental, as though she were too angelic to not have been called to this world by the Heavenly Principles. Where what should have been a pupil is just a pool of pinks and blues, curiously taking in her surroundings.
Noticing the taller man’s intense gaze, the woman gulped and diverted her eyes to the general direction of the whole group, tucking a strand of salmon pink hair behind her ear. This brought Kaeya back out of his swarming thoughts, reminding himself that she hasn’t even properly introduced herself yet.
"Greetings, everyone. I guess I should introduce myself, too," she said sweetly. The friendly and mellifluous tone of her voice felt like a lullaby to Kaeya, but had also elicited an embarrassed, and almost shameful reaction in Kaeya. Of course, he did not express this and internalized it, as he does with many of his genuine reactions.
"Goodness, what has gotten into me today?" Kaeya thought. He was mortified to have even been thinking the way he was, yet even he couldn’t deny that he felt strangely captivated by the woman’s calm aura.
Before she continued her greetings, she was cut off by the person next to her.
"It’s alright, just leave the introductions to me!" Idyia exclaimed. The woman in turn seemed as if she wanted to say something in return, but ultimately kept quiet.
Excitedly, Idyia went on to introduce her as a formidable military general who accomplished many great feats. She proceeded to describe and boast about an elite training academy for students in Inazuma practicing the art of Omnyoudou, who were split into four groups based on their understanding of the art, but was cut off by the shorter woman, who began to look startled.
"Ah…wait…" she said, her cheeks developing a rosy tint.
Idyia simply ignored her and continued on her rant. "This lady famously led the class D underdogs to victory against the class A favorites in the final mock-campaign before graduation, an astonishing feat that few in the history of the academy have ever achieved. Hence, ‘formidable general’ is no exaggeration!" She finished, pleased to show off her new friend.
"Isn’t that right, general? Uh…what’s wrong?" Idyia asked.
At this point, the general’s head was hanging down in embarrassment, refusing to look up to see the reactions of the visitors, especially because the Traveler would easily be able to tell it was a lie.
The whole group looked at the woman with a mixture of confusion, skepticism, and amusement. Kaeya raised his eyebrows and smiled at the very obviously exaggerated story Idyia narrated, letting Paimon and Klee verbally express the shared feelings.
Clearing her throat to spare herself from even more humiliation, the woman explained herself. "Some people call me a general, but it’s just their way of showing respect. My actual name is Sangonomiya Kokomi," she said with a warm smile. Kaeya felt his heart skip a beat, and was instantly reminded of those characters in the cheesy romance novels Jean liked to read in her (scarce) free time.
This was a very unusual moment for someone like Kaeya. He tended to be self-aware and thus acknowledged his character flaws (which he never gave much thought to "correcting"). One of these said flaws was going into denial in the face of his genuine feelings once confronted about such. So naturally, he should have felt more dubious towards the girl who reached the Bottleland before the rest of the group, seemingly all on her own, yet he didn’t. Instead, there was something delightful about her presence, and the man felt no desire to subject her to his usual discerning and snooping.
Klee, in her childlike nature, gasped loudly once she came to a realization.
"Oh, I get it now! It’s like that story that mom told me that time!" The water droplet gurgled in response, as it always did, although to Klee a clear indicator that it wanted her to elaborate.
She proceeded to summarize a story Alice told her about a group of people who went to Bottleland, and then began to elaborate on the tropes that the people around her fit into.
"So Miss Sangonomiya must be the super smart one who solves all the problems in the story!" Klee paused for a couple of seconds. "Uh…What’s that one called again?" She asked.
"Perhaps, a sage?" Suggested Eula.
"Indeed, wisdom is an important attribute found in military generals," Kaeya praised, looking right at Kokomi. She diverted her eyes away, flustered by the attention. Kaeya smiled at this, a newfound confirmation that she was the more timid type, and wanted to joke around a little with her.
"Yet why am I the one getting jittery?"
He discarded this thought as quickly as it came, refusing to dwell on his strange behavior towards the priestess but in lieu allow himself stay curious about her.
"Okay, well! I’ll just call you that! Miss General it is," Klee laughed.
"Fine by me; it sounds really cute, coming from you," Kokomi giggled. It was a brief, polite laugh, but it was like a beautifully short-lived melody to Kaeya’s ears.
"Well then, how should I address the rest of you?" Kokomi inquired.
"A dear old friend, I hope!" Declared the traveler.
"Hehe, of course you are! But what about these esteemed ladies and gentlemen accompanying you? I’d be delighted if you could introduce me to them, too," she responded as she observed the crowd.
Maybe it was tiredness and lack of rest up until now catching up to Kaeya, but he thought she looked at him for a hurried moment by the end of her sentence.
"Wait! Klee wants a title too!"
She then assigned everyone a role in her story that she thought fit best, and Kaeya had to admit he was pleased with the role she assigned him.
"Master Thief, huh? I did like playing pirates as a child, so I suppose this is an apt role for me. And I must admit, the ‘Master’ part is a nice touch," he said. He looked back at the woman in front of him and was surprised that she was already listening to him, and her eyes seemingly looked right through him, regarding his words.
"This will be a very interesting trip", Kaeya decided.
.….
At some point during the trip, Eula and Collei decided to split up to look for Eula’s cousin in the other direction of the Veluriyam Mirage. In the meantime, the remaining part of the group was making considerable progress with finding the missing components; the Choo-Choo Cart being a major help in fast transportation.
Klee was easily caught up in the excitement of the ride, and forgot the original objective of their trip. Thus, you can imagine her disappointment when Kaeya reminded her of their job to return the missing component to Idyia.
"Aww, do we really have to go?" Klee cried out. She sighed in disappointment.
"Okay…Even though I want to keep playing, I know Idyia is really important!" Klee stated.
"That’s our wise mage…haha…Don’t worry, tonight you’ll be able to see stars in the water and watch fish dance in the sky…" Kokomi muttered. Kaeya had been rather concerned for her after they got off the cart, seeing her half-lidded eyes and trembling lips as she spoke gibberish to Klee.
Paimon and the traveler also expressed their concern and told Kokomi to get some rest. She looked surprised.
"Ah? I thought I was keeping my composure pretty well," she wondered aloud.
"Don’t worry, my mind is always spinning, I’m used to this! We should head back to Idyia," she continued, the tremor in her voice only getting stronger.
"How about we hold hands, Miss General? Klee will give you energy!" The girl extended her hand out to Kokomi, and she took her smaller hands in hers without much thought.
"Huh, after holding Klee’s hand, the stars in the sky and the fish in the water have all disappeared. I must have been seeing things from riding the cart…" She thought as she exhaled. She felt relief as she held Klee’s hand, starting to recover from the nausea and dizziness she felt after the ride. Without realizing it, she was smiling, the corners of her lips moving upwards as she physically felt her system gaining more energy.
Watching all of this unfold, Kaeya a surge of fondness swell up in his chest. He always had a soft spot for the kid, and now was one of the many reasons as to why he adored Klee so much. The sight of Kokomi smiling to herself the longer she held Klee’s hand made butterflies flutter around in Kaeya’s stomach. When he had just seen Kokomi for the first time, he had the impression she was a seemingly ethereal, unearthly being from the air of mystery shrouding her, but now he also could appreciate the small traits of her personality that he gathered from the short time spent with her.
Opening her eyes, she glanced at the Traveler and Paimon before landing on Kaeya, who was staring at her with an indicipherable expression, yet just as attentive as all the other times she caught him staring.
However, the moment was short lived, as Paimon brought her back to the present moment.
"Hm? What are you smiling about, Kokomi?"
"Oh! Um…nothing. Nothing at all," she stuttered.
….
Things were finally headed in the right path—Zosimos was delighted to finally overcome his writers’ block and make his story come to life. The rehearsal of the show only managed to get him even more enthusiastic about the end results, and he felt grateful to Idyia for supporting him in his artistic journey.
Embarrassed by the attention and compliments, she ran off to the backstage, which left Zosimos a bit worried and concerned that he made her feel overwhelmed.
"Don’t worry, I’ll go make sure she’s okay. I’ll see you all later," Kokomi reassured. The director nodded at her in thanks and she made her way to the backstage.
Once she made it to the screen, she saw a hasty looking Idyia and a relaxed Kaeya, who simply looked amused at Idyia’s perfectionism. Noticing Kokomi’s presence, Kaeya gave her a smile and gestured in her direction for Idyia, who was currently arranging the accessories needed for Kaeya’s costume.
"Oh, Miss Sangonomiya! Perfect! I needed some help with all the details of this costume. Would you mind lending a hand?" Idyia requested.
"Please, let me handle it. Just tell me what to do," replied Kokomi. Idyia smiled in response.
"Alright! So for this character, you need to…" Idyia went on to specify the details of the character’s costume, directing Kokomi to the visual designs she had in mind and which accessories should go where.
"Alright, that’s all! Let me know if you need some help, I need to give Zosimos feedback as his self proclaimed professional critic!" She declared dramatically while taking her exit. Kokomi smiled at her and turned around to face the man who was situated in front of a vanity mirror, a large range of accessories and makeup scattered across the desk.
It had just occurred to Kokomi that this would be the first time during the whole trip that she would get the opportunity to talk to Kaeya in private.
Normally, Kokomi isn’t one for social interactions and bonding. She preferred to be holed up in her room, reading books about military strategies and war tactics, because in truth she would much prefer to work behind the scenes as an adviser. Having to face the people of Watatsumi Island upfront and take up the job as their representative forced Kokomi to adapt to many skills she wasn’t good at before—including socialization.
Yet, despite her practicing the the many techniques of weaving through a human conversation, and constantly being involved with the people of Watatsumi Island as their Divine Priestess, she still was no good at conversing. A long day’s worth of involving herself with other people only left her feeling completely exhausted in the end, wanting to shut herself away from the world completely and forever work in the shadows.
Usually there aren’t any exceptions to her reserved nature, which is why she found herself at a loss for any rational explanation as to why she felt so intrigued by the man she only recently met, and why she felt an urge to talk to him more.
Taking this opportunity to entertain herself and perceive Kaeya, she approached him as she eyed him up and down.
"Oho, is the heroine of tonight’s show going to give some of her generous time to little old me?" He teased. A small smile bloomed onto her face and she shook her head a little at his antics.
"Oh please, it’s nothing worth mentioning. I had nothing else to be doing anyway, so I thought I should ease the burden off of Idyia’s shoulders a bit," Kokomi reasoned. "Besides, you’re the hero. You deserve every bit of attention, if not more than me," she added on earnestly. Kaeya looked stumped for a bit, and averted his gaze away from her face. Through years of experience, Kokomi came to the interpretation that he was not expecting that sincere response from her.
Clearing his throat and putting a hand on the back of his neck, he remained silent for a couple of seconds before speaking once more.
"…Well if you ask me, you are just as important to today’s story as I am. I would be delighted if as much consideration and effort was put in for you," he said. Kokomi noticed the hesitant timbre to his words in the beginning, but chose not to scrutinize about it, and opted for a chuckle instead. Too much analyzation would only exhaust her, which would hinder her current involvement in the surprise for Zosimos.
"I’m playing the role of a brand new character, so I haven’t been given as much thought as you. You even have a costume to fit into—I don’t even have a proper concept design. My character can’t be held in the same regard as yours, I don’t look like any princess or rising star," she remarked. Not that she minded, as long as the writer was pleased with the direction his show was going through, then she would be happy with anything.
Noticing that he was not going to reply, she began to raise her hands and slowly brush through Kaeya’s hair with her gloves fingers. She would also notice the minuscule freeze to Kaeya’s movements, and the small intake of breath as she rested her head against his scalp, gently undoing any potential knots and tangles. She simply wouldn’t say anything about it verbally.
"His hair is so silky and smooth…" Her mind supplied unhelpfully. She fought back the urge to blush at her unprovoked thinking, and instead reached out to grab a hairbrush, combing through the man’s long locks. Starting from the tips, she held up his ends for her to brush them against her hand, and looked into the mirror for any potential signs of discomfort on his end.
Although, what she ended up seeing did less to reassure her. Head faintly tilted downwards away from the light source, he stared down at his lap. Even in its simplicity, the contemplative nature of his body language had probably been his most honest form of self expression this entire journey. Not wanting to disturb the man from his deep thinking despite her concern, all the general could do was carry on with the detangling.
Once she started to part his hair into three equal sections for the side braid his character was to adorn, Kaeya spoke up again, a more playful expression appearing on his face compared to his last.
"Do you really think that about yourself? If you were to ask me, I’d say you don’t need a costume to look the part of a princess," he teased—a small, charming smile adorning his face. Kokomi couldn’t help but notice how genuine it seemed, compared to his other smiles. Nonetheless, she felt her cheeks heating up from his cheesy compliment, and she paused her plaiting.
"I…you’re too kind, really…" she stuttered. Kaeya laughed at her conflicted facial expressions.
However, she learned she wanted to hear more of his genuine, happy laughter, even if at the price of her own embarrassment. The happiness of others always meant more to Kokomi than her own state of mind, and someone as secretive as Kaeya could do with some unwinding.
"Relax! I mean what I say, do I look like I’m just saying that for no real reason?" He challenged. She decided to muster up a rather bold response in return.
"Well if you insist, then what is your reasoning? Have I already made such an impression on you?" Kokomi confronted. It was really all just an attempt to keep conversation going, and she almost immediately caved in after responding so…coquettishly like that. At least, to her standards.
But the nonplus expression on the man’s face almost made her giggle—and she quickly didn’t feel as ashamed of her unabashed rebuttal as she did before, much to her surprise.
"Oh, uh…" he responded intelligently. He opened and closed his mouth continuously like a fish, making unfinished hand gestures as if trying to come up with something to say, but all he could assemble was a sheepish "Ah…well…it’s true," before falling completely silent.
She put a hand over her mouth as she tried her best not to laugh at his abrupt change in demeanor, and that only managed to make him seem even more embarrassed than before.
Finishing off the braid, she adorned the end with a peacock feather that Idyia had given her. Spinning Kaeya’s seat in her direction, she moved her head back to get a better look at her handiwork. She was satisfied with the way it turned out, but of course, it was not her opinion that would make the decision.
"Finished it. What do you think? Want to make any adjustments before we move on?" Kokomi asked considerately, tossing the braid over his shoulder. Kaeya took a moment to watch himself in the mirror, and turned back to her with a smile on his face.
"You did a wonderful job. It makes the whole look feel more complete already," he praised. Kokomi smiled, happy that he liked it.
"That’s good to hear, but we aren’t done yet. I still have to finish your makeup and nails." Kaeya nodded in response, and patiently waited for Kokomi to prepare the makeup brushes.
"Just so you know, I already did the base so Idyia could work on other things, like adjusting my costume," Kaeya noted.
"Alright then, so all that’s left to be done is your eyeshadow and eyeliner." Picking up the matte warm eyeshadow palette, she held it in Kaeya’s direction so he could choose which of the tones he liked best, and went for a reddish tinted one.
Kokomi dabbed the makeup brush in the powder a couple of times before settling the palette down.
"Tilt your head a little up, please."
He obliged without another word, and she hesitantly placed her hand on the crown of his head. She moved her other hand with the eyeshadow brush closer to his eye, her knuckle just barely grazing his cheekbone, causing his eye to go a little wide and his shoulders tense. The lack of personal space this time allowed for Kokomi to really look at the man in front of her, and she noticed the small, four pointed star that resided just in the center of his iris amidst his fluttering eyelashes.
Kokomi bit her lip to keep her composure, and decided to speak up.
"Um, could you just…" she attempted, her sentence falling flat. Kaeya paused before realizing what she meant.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," he stammered, closing his eye. Kokomi muttered a small "thanks" in response, and started to lightly apply the eyeshadow to his eyelid, pretending that she didn’t watch as his long and lavish eyelashes flickered against his skin. None of them spoke, only the chatting of the rest of the visitors outside the stage filling in the background noise. Once Kokomi merged the powder to blend better, she removed her hands from Kaeya’s face, which caused him to open his eye.
"Good, I think I’m done with that. Now I can move onto the eyeliner, then all that’s left is to paint your nails," she stated after a long while. Kaeya looked in the mirror.
"Hmm, I like it!" He declared with a grin. Kokomi exhaled in fulfillment, and grabbed the eyeliner pen from the vanity desk before uncapping it.
Without having to ask, he tilted his head upwards. She once again placed a gloved hand on his head for leverage, the other one resting gently on his cheek. This time to properly apply the wet eyeliner, he looked right at her. She felt her hand tremble a little at his intense gaze, but forced it to stay steady as she carefully swiped the pen above his lash line, winging it at the end. She lifted her hands off his face, and switched the pen for an eyeliner pencil to use on his waterline to add definition. Once she was done lightly applying the product on his face, she sighed and put the pencil down.
"All done!" She reported with the clap of her hands. The man in response fluttered his eye open, and Kokomi’s lips parted ever so slightly. The red-brown eyeshadow beautifully contrasted the shade of his eye, a pale indigo color that paired with the night sky. The smooth and sharp wing of his eyeliner made his eye pop even more, and it brought the entire look of the costume together to create the image of a striking, fashionable bandit, who embellished himself in the riches’ garb.
To say Kokomi felt proud of her work could possibly be an understatement—she only ever felt so accomplished once in a blue moon, such as whenever she brought victory to her comrades over their shared enemy, ensuring the protection of her people.
Kaeya saw his reflection in the mirror, admiring her craftwork as he tilted his head in different angles.
"Not only are you quick and efficient, but also professional in your work. It’s beautiful," he praised.
"Oh, really, please don’t mention it. It’s nothing much, I just listened to Idyia’s instructions," she said shyly.
"Nonsense, you did a fantastic job. I believe that now it is time for you to do my nails, you said?"
"Oh right!" Kokomi perked up. She walked across the room and brought a chair with her, before situating herself in front of Kaeya next to the table and opened the base coat nail polish bottle.
She noticed something out of her peripheral vision, and glanced up to see Kaeya’s hand extended towards her. Gingerly, she guided it to the table positioned in front of her. Quickly and carelessly applying the base coat to his nails, she took a fleeting glimpse at the man’s face and noticed Kaeya, once again, staring right at her with the same strange expression on his face.
A few seconds later, he suggested she takes off her gloves to not get any nail polish on them.
"Oh, good idea, I really like these gloves. It would be annoying to remove the stain," she said. Taking her gloves off, she put them aside on the table where they won’t get dirty.
Averting her gaze back to his slender yet strong hands, she placed her bare hand on his and delicately held his fingers for when she would apply a coat of black nail paint on his nails. A shock jolted through Kokomi’s whole body the moment she laid her hand on his, feeling it travel all the way up her arm to her head. She felt his graceful, long fingers against her smaller ones. His hands were calloused, evidence of an excellent soldier in battle and knight of his nation. They felt cold in a way that reminded her of the chill of lying in the seabed, the freezing waters wrapping around her like a blanket.
The woman wondered if Kaeya had felt a similar way, if he too found solace in the simplicity of hand-to-hand contact.
The two enjoyed a moment of silence for a couple of seconds, until Kaeya spoke up.
"So tell me, Miss Sangonomiya—how exactly did you come across the Veluriyam Mirage?" Kaeya inquired. Kokomi looked up at him in brief surprise before going back to work.
"Well…as the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, I should really be back at Inazuma. However, a long time ago, a relic known as the Shinrou Casket went missing. All of a sudden, there have been reports of an object with its matching description emitting a bright light, yet it’s whereabouts weren’t clear to me. All I knew was that it was in Sumeru, and somehow wound up in the desert. So, really I’m here to be looking for that relic," Kokomi explained.
"And it’s clear Idyia is hiding many secrets about this domain," went unspoken, yet Kaeya received that message.
"Interesting, although I have to admit I’m not here on a special mission like you are, dear general. I’m just here for a very well-appreciated vacation from work," Kaeya said. Jean was a national treasure, but dear god was she much too selfless.
Kokomi sighed after hearing his reasoning.
"I wish I was here purely to enjoy myself, but duty calls and I mustn’t stop protecting my people," she admits. The man didn’t miss the way the corner of her lips tugged down ever so slightly, and the tap of her fingers against his hand as she steadied herself.
"I understand."
Kokomi looked at Kaeya, locking their eyes together. She could discern a hint of empathy and truth behind his eye, although buried under the walls of secrecy and foreign emotions she had not yet seen of him. But that was enough for her to feel heard. So she simply smiled in return, and picked up his hands to examine the state of the nail paint and fix any blotches and excess paint.
Fanning at his nails a couple of times, she finally let go, suddenly feeling a bit awkward with the silence.
"This nail polish dries pretty quickly, so it should be completely dry soon enough," Kokomi explained. Kaeya was about to get up from his seat until Kokomi interrupted him.
"Oh, wait! Your hair clip isn’t fastened properly, just give me a second." She proceeded to take out the hair clip and pushed Kaeya’s bangs back, tightening the dagger clip so that it rested snuggly in his hair. Then, without much thought, she threaded her fingers through Kaeya’s bangs, brushing them out of his face and framing them till she deemed it as acceptable.
Then, as if right on cue, Idyia barged back into the backstage to check up on the hero and heroine, and yielded in her steps at the scene in front of her.
Kokomi’s face heated up in flames at the timing of Idyia’s interference. Surely the sight of her caressing the man’s bangs and brushing them out of his face while tucking some stray strands behind his ears would stir up questions to anyone who had become a witness…
Kokomi concluded that Kaeya arrived at a similar revelation, choosing to pretend to play with his rings, his lips slightly pursed. Kokomi just looked down at her lap, attempting to hide her face with her hair.
"Well…seems you two are doing some pre-performance bonding? That’s great to see!" Idyia stated sarcastically as she crossed her arms.
Kokomi attempted to hang her head even lower than it already was, and Kaeya suddenly gained a newfound interest in the feather tied into his hair.
Idyia cleared her throat dramatically before going back to her original objective, already having moved on from the events that occurred seconds ago.
"Do you two need help with anything? And Miss Sangonomiya, thank you so much for the help you’ve given me! Now, I’ll make some last minute adjustments and then we can finally head out and rehearse the performance one more time!" Idyia exclaimed as if nothing had happened prior to this. Though, Kokomi had to admit, she felt incredibly thankful for Idyia in this moment.
"Of course I wanted to help, you’ve been working so hard to bring this domain back to its original state. It was really the least I could do for you." She replied. Idyia looked started, but equally as grateful. She quickly shook her head and made her way towards Kaeya, double checking that everything was the way it was supposed to be.
"Alright, perfect! Miss Sangonomiya, gather everyone’s attention for me please!" Idyia urged. Kokomi nodded in response, and made her way through the stage.
"Excuse me everyone, do you have a moment? Especially you, Zosimos. Idyia wants to do a little something for you—she says it’ll be a dream come true," Kokomi declared.
"A dream come true?" Asked Zosimos. He seemingly had no clue that Idyia had something in store for him.
"Yes. She said that as useless as she is, she wants to do something for you as the first person to have heard of your dream of being a director." Kokomi noticed Idyia walking in from the corner of her eye.
"Her words, not mine. I have to disagree though. I have never thought of Idyia as a useless person," she continued on. Idyia scrunched her nose up at the uncalled for compliment.
"How is this suddenly about me…" she admonished to no one in particular. She gathered herself once again.
"If everybody is ready, then I’d like to invite tonight’s male lead to take the stage," she yelled out as she turned around with Kokomi to face the hero of the night.
"Ta-daa!"
Kokomi watched intently as Kaeya made his way to the stage, his walk elegant and serene, reminiscent of a peacock with open feathers. It was no wonder that he was able to bring this character to life—his aura was captivating even when not actively participating in his role.
Stopping right beside the two women, he put his hands to his waist and smirked to the crowd after making brief eye contact with Kokomi.
"Woooow!" Paimon cried out. Right beside her, Traveler had their eyes open wide in awe, Zosimos having a similar reaction.
"Cool! Kaeya turned into the real Dagger Bandit!" Klee squealed.
"Um, how is me changing outfits supposed to make the director’s day? It’s just a prototype costume…is he that easy to please?" He asked surprisedly.
"Don’t be silly! If I know our director, nothing will make him happier than to see his ideas brought to life by the right actor," Kokomi scolded as she shook her head.
Kaeya looked down at her in surprise, and she perceived a hint of another foreign emotion behind his eye as he regarded her words of praise.
He laughed before responding. "Well, then I’m happy to oblige. Who am I to argue with the star of the show?" The two looked at each other for maybe just a second too long, Kaeya’s gaze lingering on Kokomi before observing his surroundings.
If Idyia noticed this interaction she wouldn’t say anything about it, instead taking her time to explain the motivation that drove her to bring Zosimos’ creation to life.
A few heartfelt words later, the director brought his composure back together as he wiped away his tears.
Before heading out of the theater to fix the domain, Klee made a request to keep the outfits that she and Kaeya adorned.
"Please do, by all means. Both of you should keep your costumes, it only seems fair," Zosimos pressed.
"Yay! Kaeya, keep wearing yours too, it looks amazing!" Klee called out. Kokomi briefly glanced down at Klee before averting her eyes back to the man in question, who smiled at Klee’s insistence.
"I agree with our mage. I’m sure it’s not everyday you get to play such an unforgettable character," she commented. It was true in every sense—the costume was very intricately designed, almost as if it were made for him and him only.
"Sure, I think I can be a bandit for a little while longer," Kaeya replied with a wry smirk, crossing his arms.
….
The people of the Veluriyam Mirage had started to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the domain wheel dilemma, and Idyia seemed much more at ease now that the domain was fully functioning.
A short while after the inevitable reveal of Idyia’s prowess, Kaeya wound up thinking about what to do now that the trip was nearing its end.
Deciding now was as good of a time as any to wear his Sailwind Shadow costume, he headed out to find some company. Klee had run off the moment she spotted Eula and Collei with her cousin Lessig, so Kaeya hoped that others were available despite the busy schedules of the citizens in the Bottleland while reparations were ongoing.
He barely had time to brood over the loss of company, when he identified a salmon pink head of hair in the distance, seemingly mulling to herself about something.
"Hey, didn’t expect to see you here," he said as he walked up to her.
"Oh, well, I just came out here to think things over. This was a very eventful time spent in the domain, and it’s about time I returned to Watatsumi Island," Kokomi replied.
"So, you don’t plan on taking the shell back with you, Miss Sangonomiya?" After all, obtaining the artifact was the whole reason for her interference in the domain.
"No, I think it’s better if it stays here, with Idyia," she answered.
"Watatsumi Island has something new to treasure now, and slowly but surely, people are seeing progress in pursuing their aspirations," she said hopefully.
"It’ll be of more use here, where it can protect this bottle domain, and the dreams of all who journey through here," she continued, a beaming smile on her lips as she looked up at him. Kaeya looked down at her, the corner of his lips turning upwards at her contagious joy.
He chuckled to himself, and responded to her good mood in his own fashion.
"Ah, that’s my general, ever so thoughtful. Your satisfaction for being able to help the people in this realm is contagious you know—it’s enough to make me smile too," he said. She opened her eyes widely before she immediately jumped back at his comment, crossing her arms.
"I’m happy that you can agree with me. Seeing the genuine, endearing smile on your face is enough to make me confident in my decisions, too," She replied, looking him right in the eye with a warm smile.
"Oh, well…my smiles are always genuine," he said with a hand over his heart. "And uh, I’m honored that my reaction…means so much to you," he blabbered. Kokomi put a fist in front of her mouth to suppress any giggles threatening to come out. Perhaps her reactions are a bit too contagious, because her giddiness had managed to transfer to Kaeya, who was already in a somewhat speechless state.
But that was no problem. In fact, he was perfectly content to not say anything at all. He hoped that the woman shared the same sentiment, and instead of using words to weave his way through the conversation, he simply laughed. A breathy, hearty laugh that came straight from his chest, shaking his shoulders.
Kokomi grinned at his outburst, also joining in on the moment of mirth.
“I’ll have to make some visits to Inazuma in the future, it seems.”
….
"This doesn’t make sense. If the bottle truly granted my wish, then nobody should have been able to find me here," the girl said, her head drooping low.
"Maybe they shouldn’t. The desert is difficult and dangerous to navigate, but I was determined to make it, no matter what!"
The dagger bandit’s eye shone brightly at his words, a stark contrast to the gloomy, desolate sands that had surrounded him.
"Then take this bottle with you, for your trouble. It may be able to grant you your wish. Though sadly, only within the confines of the bottle itself," the girl in white lamented.
At her permission, the thief continued.
"All I wish for, is light."
Gripping the lamp in her hands, she echoed his wish to the invisible magic of the bottle with shut eyes, and in an instant, a bright, white light illuminated the moonless night.
As she fluttered her eyes open, she came to the realization that this luminescence could travel through the margins of the bottle, and bring light to the dark corners of the world.
Could this have been the very light that could have saved her people from their fate? Could this light have been the shining ray of hope that her people wished to follow in their darkest times? Could it have given them the same guidance as did their previous rulers?
A light gasp hauled her back from her storming thoughts.
"Even though it doesn’t burn as brightly as the light that shone before, this is still an extraordinary light," the Dagger Bandit uttered in awe. His eye never looking away from the bottle, he asked the girl a question.
"What will you do after I take the bottle?"
There was a few seconds of silence as the girl thought of how to respond to that.
"I dunno," she said as she exhaled dramatically. Though her intentions were clear and simple, she had never given much thought for what would happen if her current life was disrupted.
Tearing his eye away from the lamp, he looked right into the girl’s gaze, and stepped forward.
"Well then, maybe you should come back with me."
The girl’s lips parted as he put his hands over hers, yet did not find herself leaning away.
"Will you?" He asked. For the first time, she felt like she had seen a true light, residing in the bandit’s starry eye. His iris the color of the midnight sky, and the pupil residing in it a lone star, providing protection to those who venture through the darkness.
She didn’t need much mulling over for her answer to come quickly to her, though, and she chose to listen to her heart.
"Yes."
And they lived happily ever after.