Chapter Text
The longer Lumine spent in Aaru Village, the more she was convinced that Dehya was sick.
It had been two weeks now since Lumine had fled Sumeru City to escape the Fatui and the Akasha-controlled populace of Sumeru City. Two weeks of planning how to rescue Lesser Lord Kusanali and trying to discover the Akademiya’s plans. Two weeks of Cyno glowering at anyone he found suspicious and Alhaitham deliberately provoking him. At least Candace seemed to always know the perfect time to step in, before an argument escalated too far. For the first week, Dehya had been just as fiery as Alhaitham and Cyno, but now…
Something was wrong. At first, Lumine had noticed how tired Dehya looked, and how she had begun to slip up in sparring practices. Then, Dehya had started staying inside more, sometimes squinting or wincing at the sun. Lumine had asked if it was the heat to try to open a conversation and the desert-dweller had said, unconvincingly, “Hah! Yeah, it must be. I guess I’m going soft, huh? Don’t you worry about me, Traveler, I’ll be prepared by the time we’re ready to strike back at those arrogant uptight pricks.”
The only time Dehya seemed to have energy these days was at night. Shortly after the sun set, she would stretch like a cat waking up from a long nap, and then announce she was going out to patrol or to talk with members of her mercenary guild. Sometimes, instead, she would sneak out quietly and return only after everyone was asleep. That is, everyone but Lumine, who was growing ever more worried and observant.
Tonight, Dehya had snuck out half an hour ago, and Lumine was finally going to follow her and see what was wrong. Well, she probably would. Once she worked up her nerve. Paimon was sound asleep after the feast Candace had brought for them for dinner. Cyno was out in full force as the General Mahamatra, tracking down some Eremites that might have information or ties to the Forbidden Knowledge capsules. Alhaitham had been silent for hours, jotting down notes with his nose in a book. Candace was elsewhere, attending to villagers' needs and keeping an eye on things.
Lumine paced, feeling uncertain. Movement helped clear her head. If Paimon were awake, she would probably say something like “What are you waiting for, Traveler? Go talk to her!” But it wasn’t always that simple. She sighed to herself. There had to be some reason Dehya was hiding whatever it was that was bothering her, and Lumine didn’t want to press her if the woman wasn’t ready to talk. But it was obvious that whatever was affecting Dehya was getting worse, and Lumine was worried.
Alhaitham’s cold voice broke into her thoughts. “When are you going to go out after her?”
Lumine huffed and glowered at the scribe. “I was getting to it. You may not know this, Althaitham, but other people have to think about things before they make a decision.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with that. I simply plan out all of my actions far in advance.” Alhaitham stated, smugness seeping into his voice. Archons, this man was infuriating.
“Regardless, given her pivotal role in our plan, you need to fix her,” Alhaitham commanded. Lumine bristled at the implication. Dehya was her friend, not a torn sail on a windmill. Before she could speak up, the man continued, “You do know what’s going on, don’t you?”
Lumine blinked at him. “You mean that she’s sick?”
Alhaitham sighed wearily and stared at Lumine with annoyance. “Yes, she’s sick, in a sense.”
Lumine gritted her teeth and waited for him to continue, counting her breaths. It wouldn’t do any good for her to snap at him, no matter how much of an ass he was being.
“She’s a vampire.” Alhaitham stated definitively, his attention only half on Lumine. “A hungry one, based on how she’s acting, and likely turned fairly recently.”
“A… what?” Lumine wasn’t familiar with the word. It was probably some specific academic term, knowing Alhaitham.
Alhaitham leaned his head on his hand. “A hematophage.”
Lumine raised an eyebrow.
Alhaitham waved his hand in a dismissive manner. “You know, a blood drinker?”
Lumine raised the other eyebrow, still willing her frustration down. “Like a bat?”
Althaitham snapped the book shut and met Lumine’s gaze. “Like a monster.”
Lumine’s anger roiled, barely contained. “Don’t talk about her like that! Dehya’s our friend and teammate and you can’t act like she’s just, a slime or a ruin guardian. And what are you even talking about anyways? This sounds like nonsense.” she growled.
“Yes, yes, she’s your friend and you care about her. She’s also a hungry vampire. And a hungry vampire is a liability.” As Lumine started to respond, the academic cut her off. “We can’t afford liabilities. Our plan will be hard enough to pull off as it is. I’ve been waiting for you to handle it, but clearly you need a push. Either feed her or kill her, I don’t care. We can find a different Eremite to perform her role if need be. But either way. Remove. The. Liability.” Alhaitham enunciated.
Lumine’s control on her anger broke and her voice came out more snarl than words. “You’re a heartless asshole and I would never hurt Dehya.”
Alhaitham opened his book back up and turned away from Lumine’s anger, unconcerned. “Maybe I am. Now go after her.”
Lumine turned and shoved open the door, then ran out into the moonlit desert night. Alhaitham called after her, “Just don’t let her drain you dry, we don’t need two hungry vampires.”
Whatever nonsense Alhaitham was saying didn’t matter. It might just be something to get under her skin - he certainly seemed to delight in angering Cyno. What mattered right now was finding Dehya and helping her.
After a few minutes in the cool dry air and some deep breaths, Lumine opened her Elemental Sight. She had gotten better at using it to track things with elemental energy, and Dehya certainly contained more than enough of that. So, firmly shoving Alhaitham’s words out of her mind, Lumine followed the glowing red traces that would lead her to her companion.
It didn’t take Lumine long to follow the tracks to Dehya. As she shut her Elemental Sight and let her eyes readjust, Lumine noticed she was near the large enclosure where the village housed sumpter beasts. Dehya was in the stable somewhere.
Lumine opened the gate and entered the pen, then walked over to the stables. There, crouched in front of a sleeping sumpter beast with her back turned to Lumine, was Dehya.
“Dehya? It’s me, Lumine. Are you alright?” Lumine called softly.
Dehya whirled. She knocked over a bowl as she spun, spilling dark liquid over the straw of the pen. The woman’s eyes were wide with panic. They shimmered in the moonlight, reflecting the light like a cat’s. Dehya quickly tried to wipe something off her mouth, only succeeding in smearing it across her cheek and the back of her hand.
“S-shit Lumine, shit, you need to get out of here.” Dehya crouched low to the ground in a defensive position.
“Are we being attacked? Are you hurt?” Lumine moved forwards toward Dehya and started scanning for threats, her hand on her sword.
“No! Lumine, you can’t, I can’t be here!” Dehya shouted in frustration, then, to Lumine’s surprise, shouldered past her and ran out the stable doors. Lumine stumbled slightly, stepping in the red liquid that had spilled from the bowl. She could see it now, in the moonlight. The sumpter beast was dozing peacefully, but there was a shallow cut on its leg and a dribble of blood coming from the wound. Alhaitham’s words echoed. Blood drinker .
Lumine spinted out the stable door. “Dehya! Wait!”
The Flame-Mane had longer legs and a head start, and Lumine was certain the woman would normally have been able to outrun her. But the fatigue that had grown in the mercenary these past few weeks showed clearly. Her pace began to slow within just a few minutes. Lumine lashed herself towards a Four-Leaf Sigil and dropped down in front of Dehya and the woman skidded to a stop.
“Shit, Lumine, get away. I don’t want to hurt you!” Dehya started to back up.
Lumine looked at Dehya and took in many things at once. There was blood smeared across her mouth and on the front of her chest, and sharp fangs jutted past her lower lip. Her knife sheath was empty, the knife left next to the dozing sumpter beast by the bowl of its blood. Her claymore was nowhere to be seen. The woman’s eyes were reflecting light in a distinctly inhuman way.
But what stood out most to Lumine, more than anything about her appearance, was how terrified Dehya looked. It was an expression she didn’t know Dehya could have. As far as Lumine knew, the woman was fearless. The Flame-Mane, a mercenary who would lay her life on the line for the causes and people she believed in. A force of nature who would fight until the bitter end to protect the things that were important to her. But right now, that very same mercenary was backing up, trying to avoid meeting Lumine’s eyes. Her posture was coiled and anxious, like a rabbit about to bolt.
Lumine spoke softly, “Dehya, it’s ok, you won’t hurt me-”
Dehya cut her off, “No, you don’t get it, you need to leave!”
“I think I do get it, at least a little.” Lumine inwardly grimaced. Why did Alhaitham have to always be so cruel and smug and right? “You’re a vampire.”
Dehya looked up with a befuddled expresion. “Uh. Ok. I guess you do get it. But, that means you know that you need to leave!” She swallowed, a loud sound in the quiet night. “Traveler, I’m hungry. And hungry vampires hurt people.They… kill people. I think that’s what happened to me.”
Lumine took a step closer and Dehya shrunk back. Finally understanding why Dehya was so scared, Lumine smiled gently at Dehya and said, with assurance, “No, you won’t hurt me.” As she said it, she knew she was right. She trusted Dehya, perhaps more than she should for not knowing the woman that long. Lumine could examine those emotions later.
Dehya stopped scrambling back for a moment, stunned into silence. “I… What?” She sputtered.
“Dehya, I’ve sparred with you and fought beside you. You have the kind of control and willpower most fighters only dream of having. Even if,” Lumine paused for a moment, then continued, her voice stronger, “even if something is compelling you to hurt me, I know you won’t.”
Lumine bridged the gap as Dehya stared and stood firm in front of the mercenary. The traveler pulled Dehya’s hand into her own, then clutched it tight as Dehya tried to pull it back.
Dehya drew in a deep breath, and spoke, her words careful and restrained. “Lumine, you… you can’t know that. You… you smell so good , and I’m so hungry.” Lumine squeezed her hand, and Dehya continued. “No, it’s more than just hunger, it’s like, an emptiness. A sickness. I feel so nauseous and so tired and the sun burns and my body hurts all the time now. The sumpter beast’s blood barely helps. I can hardly keep it down.”
Lumine wrapped her other hand around the taller woman’s, holding her close.
Dehya sighed heavily. “But that’s not the worst part. Dunyarzad deals with that shit all the time, I know I could get used to it. It would suck, but I would be ok. The worst part is how… out of control I feel. I’m so, so scared that I’ll hurt you, or Candace, or Cyno.” Dehya chuckled weakly. “Alhaitham I could live with biting, if I could ever get the taste of stuck-up bastard out my mouth.”
A surprised laugh tumbled out of Lumine at the unexpected joke. “I’d help you hide the body,” she joked back. “Paimon could be our new tactician. She’d be less likely to pick a fight with every member of the team at the very least. Good for team morale and all that.”
Dehya turned away slightly and Lumine flinched. “I’m sorry,” Lumine hurriedly said, “That might have been too much.”
“Nah.” Dehya said, “You joking about this with me… It’s the only thing that feels normal about this whole thing.” But the mercenary woman still pulled back and Lumine let her.
With her eyes shut tight and her body turned away from Lumine, Dehya said “Sorry, you just smell so damn good. I…” she hesitated. “I want to bite you so badly. Can you back up a bit? I won’t run again and I think we can still talk, the smell is just too strong.” Dehya swallowed and Lumine was acutely aware of how sharp her teeth looked.
Lumine asked, hesitantly, “Would biting me be a bad thing?”
Dehya stared at Lumine. “What? Yes, obviously it would be a bad thing! Some bastard bit me and turned me into a fairytale blood bat, I’m not going to do the same thing to you!”
“I… I don’t think that you biting me will make me a vampire too.” Lumine said. She mentally cursed Alhaitham yet again for somehow providing helpful information in the most irritating way possible. He had said that she could feed Dehya. And he had said Just don’t let her drain you dry, we don’t need two hungry vampires. That meant that it would be safe, then, for Dehya to bite her. “As long as you don’t, uh, kill me, I’ll be fine.”
Dehya looked at her, uncertain and scared, and Lumine nodded. “I’m sure,” she said firmly. I hope Alhaitham is right one more time tonight, she thought, anxiously. But when she looked at Dehya standing in front of her, sick and scared and alone, Lumine’s doubts dissipated. This would help Dehya. She wanted that more than certainty right now.
Dehya shut her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you, Lumine. What if I bite too hard, or drink too much, or you’re wrong and I turn you into another blood sucker?”
Lumine moved closer to Dehya again. “When we spar, you don’t hurt me. We both get a few scrapes and bruises and are better for the experience.”
Dehya met Lumine’s gaze with intensity. The mercenary’s eyes were glowing pools of ice blue. Lumine watched her lips part slightly, revealing the glint of fangs. She pulled her eyes back up with an effort to meet Dehya’s gaze. She tried to chase away the thoughts of pressing her lips against the mercenary’s. This was far from the time for that.
“It’s not like sparring. It’s different.” Dehya kept her eyes locked on Lumine’s.
Lumine said softly, “Then let’s make it like sparring.” The traveler tucked her blond hair behind her ear, letting the moonlight settle onto the light skin of her neck. She saw Dehya’s eyes dart to her throat, then back up. Lumine pulled Dehya into a hug and pressed her hands into the small of the woman’s back. “I’ll tap out,” she whispered, “when I want you to stop.”
Dehya let out a stuttering breath. “Are you sure?” she asked, soft and scared. Lumine’s heart ached with the need to chase those fears away.
“I’m sure.” Lumine said firmly. Then gasped as she felt Dehya’s teeth pierce the soft skin of her neck.