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"Oh, Lumine! I'm so glad I ran into you!"
That was what Yanfei said before practically dragging her off to her house, citing a mutual friend and Lumine being "the only person the both of them would trust with this". Which "this" turned out to be Shinobu, bed-ridden with a cast on her leg. And despite what Yanfei said, Shinobu went from surprised that Yanfei had come back so soon, to mortified the moment she saw Lumine in tow.
"Thank you so much. I really didn't want to leave Shinobu alone all day, but I just can't get out of this meeting with a client," Yanfei was saying over Shinobu's weak protests.
Lumine's eyes were fixed on Shinobu's leg. It was hard to imagine the diligent woman getting injured in any way. "What happened to your leg?"
Shinobu sunk back into the pillows propping her up. She looked as if she wanted to crawl into them, out of sight. "I told you when you left, Yanfei, it's fine. You didn't have to bring the Traveler over just for this. I'm just planning to spend the day reading some of your reference books; I won't really need to get up at all."
She conspicuously did not answer Lumine's question.
But Yanfei did. "A cat got itself stuck up in the eaves at the shipyard, and someone took it upon themselves to take care of it instead of leaving it to the professionals," she said, and then addressed Shinobu, saying, "I know you won't need help, but I feel bad leaving you alone, especially when you came all the way across the ocean just to see me."
As Yanfei spoke, Lumine saw the way she hovered about the bed. She touched Shinobu without reservation—her cheek, her shoulder, her arm—and her fingers lingered for a couple extra seconds before flitting elsewhere. And Shinobu did not flinch away from the touch. Rather, when Yanfei laid a hand upon her arm, Shinobu touched the back of her hand before it withdrew.
Keeping her eyes turned away from Lumine so as not to see her reaction to the explanation, Shinobu sighed. "If it makes you feel better, then…"
Yanfei beamed. "I knew you'd understand."
Then she surprised Lumine by pressing a swift peck to Shinobu's cheek. Before Lumine could fully process it, however, Yanfei returned to her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks again. And… you know how she is. Make sure she doesn't insist on walking around the house herself; she needs to rest her leg and elevate it." Yanfei kept her voice low, so that Shinobu couldn't hear her.
Then she brightened again, and bid the both of them farewell. She was out the front door before Lumine's lips could even consider forming the first syllable of "goodbye".
Once the door slammed shut, Shinobu dropped her head back in a laugh. "Like a hurricane."
They lapsed into an awkward silence. Now that they were alone, Lumine realized that she had never seen Shinobu without her mask. At the moment it lay on Yanfei's bedside table, beside a tall glass of water that would have been her excuse to do something—anything—to get out of that moment. And Shinobu seemed almost naked without it on.
It gave Lumine the sensation that she should look away to preserve her decency.
"You really don't have to stay." Shinobu evidently noticed how stiffly she remained at the bedroom entrance. "Whatever Yanfei said to get you over here, she was exaggerating. I'm fine with spending the day to myself; I was just going to take advantage of it with some reading."
There was an open book laying across her lap. She held it up to show Lumine the title—Data Analysis and You.
After meeting so many people interested in light novels and narrative storytelling, something on a topic that she knew nothing about, clearly for educational purposes, threw Lumine off. It must have shown on her face, because Shinobu's chuckle was nervous as she lowered the book.
"I know, not everyone's cup of tea. But I'm always learning new things, being a freelancer and all, and I enjoy it. That's why it's great to visit Yanfei whenever I make it to Liyue. She learns all sorts of things for the sake of her work, and we share that as an interest." Shinobu shrugged. "I don't mind if you think it's weird."
"I don't," Lumine said. "I can't really relate to wanting to read something like that but… I think it's really neat."
Shinobu's smile was small, but had a pretty charm that made Lumine's heart skip a beat. "Since you're an adventurer, I'll bet that you prefer something more hands on. Nothing wrong with that."
"And figuring out riddles and mechanisms behind the ruins."
"I can imagine the guys getting their hands on those and trying to brute force them," Shinobu said with a pained look on her face, and Lumine decided not to mention that she also brute forced some of those mechanism at times.
After some questions about the sort of ruins that Lumine had explored, in particular about the mechanisms behind them ("I wonder if setting up an obstacle course at home would keep them busy and out of trouble—nah, they'd probably find a way to cause even more using it"), their conversation drifted from Lumine's travels to the book Shinobu was reading. While Shinobu was reluctant at first, saying that she didn't want to bore Lumine with the details, after a bit of encouragement, she launched into an explanation.
"Well, you know how while you're traveling, you take in information on the ruins around you, using it to predict how mechanisms will interact with the environment to get you to the goal? Basically…"
Lumine drifted from the door to sit at the end of the bed. From there, as she listened to Shinobu speak, she gradually moved further and further along the mattress until the two women sat shoulder to shoulder. Shinobu's finger trailed along the page and Lumine followed it with her eyes.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched Shinobu's lips moving. It distracted her from fully listening to what she was saying.
Then they were both looking at each other, and Lumine didn't even recall when she'd turned her face. Shinobu's eyes, color striking in their beauty with a gaze so sharp that it lanced straight through Lumine's chest. Something fluttery tickled in her stomach; she held her breath.
Shinobu had stopped speaking. The air, between them was hot and electrifying; Lumine's head heavy as if magnetized by Shinobu's. It seemed like the appropriate moment to lean in and bring their lips together.
And then she remembered Yanfei and the kiss given to Shinobu before she'd left. Burning shame washed over Lumine; she turned her face away quickly enough to crack her neck.
She didn't see Shinobu's expression in response to it. The butterflies in her stomach became spiders with acidic feet. Lumine was too much of a coward to even look at her.
Eventually, Shinobu began speaking again with halting, uncertain tones. Only after she built up momentum did Lumine return her eyes to the book. She kept her head turned just enough to obscure Shinobu's face from her vision.
After some time like that, Shinobu yawned. Just once, at first. Then, as she continued, it became more frequent, until Lumine couldn't help her giggles in response. It felt inappropriate to laugh while the guilt still gnawed at her insides, but she couldn't help it.
"Sorry," Shinobu said, cheeks reddened. "Sitting in bed all day really is tiring somehow."
"You can take a nap if you want. I don't mind," Lumine said.
A heavy pause passed. It seemed Shinobu was about to refuse, but then another yawn choked off her protest before it could form.
"Yeah. I'll do that." Shinobu shifted to lay more comfortably. "Good night, Lumine."
"Good night," she replied without breath.
The time passed.
The front door opened.
"I'm back!" Yanfei called, a whirlwind of energy returning.
Shinobu roused, blinking sleepily as Yanfei flung herself at her side, opposite of Lumine. The mattress bounced, and a startled yelp jumped from Shinobu's throat.
"Careful!" she warned as Yanfei buried her head into her shoulder.
A deep, weary sigh blew out from deep within Yanfei's gut. "Finally. Today just couldn't end."
Shinobu worked her arm around Yanfei, giving her a "there, there" pet to the back of her head.
Suddenly, Lumine was a third wheel again. Worse, now she had the additional shame of wanting to kiss a friend's partner. The memory tasted bitter in her mouth.
She began to inch off of the bed. "I suppose I'll be going now."
"Wait."
Two voices, two hands stopped her. Both Shinobu and Yanfei had their mouths open, expressions thick with the desire to say something. When nothing came out, the two shared an almost pathetic look.
Yanfei hid her face against Shinobu's chest, with a muffled, "Oh, I can't, it's embarrassing."
Shinobu seemed not much better, her face a feverish hue.
It was nothing compared to how Lumine felt with their hands on her, however. Her heart was at war with itself, and her stomach tingled so much that she squirmed. She recalled the moment between her and Shinobu, and how adorable Yanfei looked now hiding her face away, and the heat bloomed fiercely in the apples of her cheeks.
Shinobu's other arm was still underneath Yanfei, but she strained it around enough to take Lumine's hand. Glancing up at her face, Shinobu slowly intertwined their fingers, palms pressed together.
Lumine's mouth opened. Nothing but a helpless "ah" dropped out.
"Do you want to stay?" Shinobu asked with great trepidation.
"Yes." Lumine's answer was immediate. She could hardly believe it.
And still holding her hand, Lumine fell in at her place on Shinobu's other side.