Chapter Text
The day is sunny, the breeze feels nice against the skin of the adventurers all across Teyvat. Among them, in the mountains of Liyue, a blonde Adventurer with her Guide walks together, chatting as they're looking for a place to set their camp at.
"Lumine, maybe under that Sunsettia tree? The fruits look delicious and they make Paimon's stomach go crazy by just seeing them!"
The white-haired pixie says, floating around the girl. Lumine chuckles softly as she reaches to gently ruffle her friend's hair.
"Sure, let's do that. I'm going to prepare Almond Tofu today, so don't get too full with those sunsettias."
She responds, walking alongside her companion. After all, it was a long day filled to the brim with commissions, so they deserve a rest. The adventurer sets up a simple camp consisting of a campfire and a nearby blanket to sit on. She starts to prepare their lunch, while Paimon basically stuffs herself with wild fruits. Lumine just sighs with a light smile on her face since she knows that the pixie will still have room in her stomach for lunch.
The scenery around them is really peaceful. Light wind makes nearby leaves rustle, which are accompanied by soft sounds of singing birds. This beautiful scenery helps Lumine relax after a long day and she lets her mind wander to recent events.
Lantern Rite was just about two weeks ago, which brought a lot of new commissions for Lumine to fulfill. Cleaning up, looking for lost pets, defeating monsters that got too close to the cities and villages. The thought of fighting monsters made her mind wander and she thought about a certain someone... Someone, who devoted his life to fighting monsters and demons to ensure that Liyue is safe from danger... Someone, who saved her life on numerous occasions...
"...Xiao..." She mumbled under her breath, not quite realizing what she had just done. Her eyes widened as soon as she felt a familiar breeze against her back.
"...you called?"
A male voice was heard from behind her back, making Lumine turn around to face the owner of it. Her cheeks tint a light shade of pink as she now has to explain herself... or she could just make up a lie to maybe spend some more time with him.
"Um, I did, yeah... Sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to share a meal with you. I made a bit too much Almond Tofu and I know that you like it." Lumine chuckles with a hint of awkwardness, hoping that he'll buy her excuse.
She turns towards the makeshift cooking station she made above the campfire and puts a portion of food on a plate for him. As she does so, she spots Paimon surrounded by eaten Sunsettias on the blanket, napping with a happy expression on her face.
Lumine sighs quietly and holds out the portion of Almond Tofu towards Xiao.
"Here you go. Paimon seems to be full, so I can even give you some for later."
Adeptus stares at the plate for a moment, contemplating if he could take a break or not. He sighs and takes the food, nodding at Lumine's words - agreeing to take some with him later.
He won't ever admit it, but for him, Lumine's Almond Tofu tastes better than any other he ever had. He tried to convince himself that it's because she's a great cook with a lot of years of experience, but the truth was different... So simple, yet so complicated. But he'll never admit it - at least not yet.
Alatus sits down on the blanket with Lumine, just quietly eating in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Lumine looks at him from the corner of her eye, smiling softly as she does so. Maybe, just maybe, he's enjoying her cooking... At least that's what Lumine likes to think every time she shares food with him.
"So... How have you been recently? I didn't get to see you during the Lantern Rite this year..."
Lumine breaks the silence between them, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she smiles towards Xiao. The Adeptus finished his food with a last bite, before he set the empty plate on his lap.
"As always, protecting the people of Liyue from monsters... Verr Goldet told me about your recent adventures in Fontaine. I'm glad you've made it out alive."
Xiao responds, closing his eyes and crosses his arms around his chest. But it's not because he doesn't want to see Lumine - he's just afraid that he'll stare at her for too long if he gets a good look at her smile. It has always mesmerized him how beautiful Lumine looks when she smiles or laughs with her friends... Sometimes, but only sometimes, it made Xiao a bit jealous that he's not the one who often made her smile.
Lumine lets out a quiet chuckle, leaning back a bit to gaze at the mountains nearby, just admiring the view.
"Well, I'm not exactly proud of getting arrested - even if it was on purpose... But I made a lot of new, interesting friends. Especially Lyney and Lynette. I think they're one of the most fascinating people I've ever met."
The blonde adventurer says and reaches into her backpack that's nearby, pulling out a few photos. She gently pokes Xiao's arm, making him open one of his eyes and look at her from the corner of his eye.
"Look, I even got a few photos with most people from there. I can tell you a bit about them."
She offers, looking up at him with hopeful eyes. Xiao thinks for a moment, before he complies with a nod. He looks at the first photo and closes his eyes again, just to listen closely to Lumine's stories.
Is he interested in those people? Not at all, but he'd do anything to hear Lumine's voice for a while longer, especially when she's talking about something important to her - her friends.
The day goes by quite quickly as they spend time together. It was mostly Lumine yapping about her adventures to him, but Xiao enjoyed listening to her voice. When the evening came (and Paimon woke up from her nap), Lumine started to gather up their camp.
"...you know, I think it'll be for the best if I stay at the Wangshu Inn for a night or two. I have to prepare for my next adventure to Natlan soon."
Lumine says as she looks at Xiao over her shoulder, smiling gently as she packs a portion of Almond Tofu into a bamboo container and hands it to him. Alatus just nods, taking the food and starts to walk alongside Lumine and half-asleep Paimon. Unfortunately, he'll have to leave her to fulfill his duties as the Yaksha.
"Make sure to not hurt yourself, okay? Be safe!"
Lumine smiles widely, gently taking Xiao's hand in hers. His heart skips a beat, but he makes sure to not let it show. Even with calloused hands from hard work, her touch is soft and gentle...
Slowly, but surely, the Adeptus' heart starts to realize what's happening with him. The fluttering of the heart, not enough courage to look her way or even the sole reason why her food tastes better - it's all slowly making sense to him...