Chapter Text
The Traveler was the closest thing to a star that Lyney has ever seen. He had seemingly come out of nowhere, accompanied by the little fairy known as Paimon, and he carried himself with a smile that soothed the souls of any person he came across, and an amount of openness that Lyney could almost dream of. He was light incarnated.
And Lyney was the man whose face was eternally in shadows.
“I promise, I’m alright.” Every table of the Café Lutece was packed to the brim with people, chattering and laughing as they dined on food in which every flavor and calorie was meticulously crafted to fit the Café’s high standards. Lyney and Lynette sat at a table in the middle, where they were given a stand packed with every sweet that Lyney could possibly imagine.
Lynette eyed him doubtfully, taking an eclair from the stand in front of them. She took a prim bite of the pastry.
“Sure you are,” she muttered, taking another bite. Lyney let out an annoyed huff.
This could very well be the biggest show they had ever since… Well, ever since Lady Furina outed them as members of the Snehzhnayan (Check if it’s spelled correctly) group known as the Fatui. The day of the trial was still seared in Lyney’s mind, every glare, every pointed comment being a reminder of the day in which he lost the Traveler’s respect.
He still remembered the anger, the absolute betrayal in his eyes after he discovered the truth, and the worst part was that Lyney was entirely at fault because of that.
“I assure you, the upcoming show is the only thing I’m thinking about right now.” Lying always came naturally to Lyney, and even now he managed to paste that same easygoing grin on his face, the one that reassured everyone that everything was fine, even when it was not.
Lynette scoffed, finishing the eclair. She grabbed another sweet from the rack, something custard filled, as she glared at him.
Only two people could tell whenever Lyney was lying, and that was Lynette… and the Traveler.
Lynette let out a long-suffering sigh.
“You’re thinking about him right now.”
Lyney adjusted one of his braids and cleared his throat, his cheeks turning a bit pink under Lynette’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Well, I won’t any more.”
The people of The Court of Fontaine flitted and hurried away to wherever the issues of this day took them, from markets to post offices to restaurants, all while a lone traveler and his floating companion walked the streets. They stuck out like a sore thumb around the well-dressed and prim people around them, as their clothes were drab, and one of them had a sword on their back while the other floated high above the citizens. The fairy-like creature laughed as she spun around and took in the sights of the Court.
“Woo… It’s good to be back in Fontaine,” Paimon said, laughing. “Look, there’s Estelle, and there’s the Kathryne of this place. Hi Kathryne!” She waved towards the Head of the Adventurers Guild, who gave her a prim wave back. “Haha, Kathryne is a classic, right?”
The golden haired traveler gave a small nod in her direction. Paimon continued to chatter away about the sights that Fontaine had, but the traveler was only half-listening. His mind was occupied with other matters.
Suddenly the spinning around went to a stop and Paimon pointed at a poster.
“Look!”
The traveler froze in his tracks as he stared at the poster tacked to the suggestion board.
It showed the magicians Lyney and Lynette in their stage clothes, donning matching hats and standing on a stage with a spotlight shining down on them. Apparently they were having another show again after all the drama surrounding them died down, and it was at the Opera House. The Traveler’s eyes slowly flitted to the poster, then to Lyney’s wide, plastered, smile.
He faked everything about his practiced demeanor, and it seems that hasn’t changed in the months he spent in Natlan. He wasn’t sure whether it was some sort of defense mechanism, or he was so used to putting on a false show that he did it in his spare time. But it still stung when he learned that they were hiding such a secret from him and Paimon.
However the traveler had time to reflect, and he realized that he may have overreacted at the trial. Or maybe not, he wasn’t sure of the extent of their crimes. But he did know that he wanted to talk to the twins, to Lyney.
Maybe this was his chance.
He read the date, committing it to memory.
Sunday.
The day of their next show arrived. Backstage of hectic, as always. It was a hodgepodge of placing costumes on, preparing the set, putting on makeup, and mentally preparing yourself for what's to come. Lyney practically memorized his schedule by heart, as did Lynette.
Lyney tried making a basic outline of his teardrop makeup, his signature look and one he doesn’t go outside without, but his hands were shaking again and he kept trying to redo it. Lyney stared at his reflection in the mirror, staring at every detail of his face with a small frown. Since when did he get bags under his eyes?
“Nervous?”
The voice caused him to involuntarily jump and draw a streak of red across his cheek. His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he scrambled for a cloth to clean his mistake.
“Why, Freminet! You scared me!” He dabbed a wet cloth at the problem area. “Where did you even get that impression?!”
“Your hands were shaking,” he said, his voice barely higher than a whisper. Lyney shook his head lightly and gave him a small smile, trying again with his cloth. Once he got most of the red makeup off of his face, he tried again with a teardrop shape. He squinted at the reflection on the mirror, and decided that it was good enough.
“Well, it’s only natural to be nervous.” Lyney admitted, finishing his makeup. “But I’m sure me and Lynette would do quite alright.”
Freminet looked down silently and adjusted his diving helmet. Lyney couldn’t understand why he brought that thing everywhere with him, but he reasoned that it was like his makeup. A shield from the outside world.
“I know you will.”
His confidence was touching, but Lyney still couldn’t vanquish the thoughts of a golden haired traveler from his mind.
It was practically a full house, as the traveler expected. If the twins were still in their glory days, it would be entirely full. But since Furina outed them as Fatui, their popularity dropped rapidly. The drama might’ve mostly died down by now, but Furina’s revelation still affected their sales. Aether isn’t exactly helping since he’s using his discounted tickets he got from saving Fontaine, but he hoped the twins would understand. They weren’t exactly short on Mora, anyway. They’re too good for that.
Paimon has bought a mini version of Lyney’s hat as merch, and was now pretending to be the illustrious magician to impress a group of Fontainian children. They laughed and clapped as Paimon managed to sneak a flower in the hair of one of the children, and he couldn’t help but wonder where she learned that trick from.
From Lyney, or Lynette, perhaps.
He still wasn’t sure what he was trying to achieve by being here. He wasn’t sure whether they’d even accept his presence. It’s not like he could go backstage and ask for him. Savior or not, he’d probably be kicked out instantly.
So maybe he just wanted to see a glimpse of their world once more, a world full of wonder and magic, one so different from the mundane of his own, the same cycle of fighting monsters and saving the world and failing to find his sister. That’s why he had liked Lyney, he realized. He was a breath of fresh air in a world where everyone wants the same thing from him.
The lights dimmed and suddenly a spotlight dawned on Lyney. There he was, exactly like the traveler remembered him, same impish smile, and the same gleam in his eyes. He addressed the audience with a practiced cheerfulness.
“Hello, and thank you for seeing me and my…” His eyes went comically wide and he looked around. Paimon let out a gasp and looked around with Lyney, but his twin sister was nowhere in sight.
Then Lynette came from the back of the curtains with a deadpan expression.
“I’m here.” Lyney let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and faced the audience again. Lynette tilted her head. “Where’s Rosalyne?”
“Right here!” Lyney said, summoning the very grumpy cat from seemingly out of nowhere. Paimon squealed and gasped, making a small spin in the air. The traveler shook his head, trying to hide the small grin on his face.
He remembered the first time he had seen their show, watching as the twins enamored every single member of their audience with magical tricks that seemed to happen out of nowhere. He remembered when Paimon had asked how they did it, but Lyney just put a finger over his lips and gave her that impish grin of his.
“A magician never reveals his secrets.”
Lyney faced Lynette, the false grin he donned still on his face. Rosalyne felt cumbersome in his grip, so he placed her on a table. Since when did that cat get so heavy?
“Now that everyone’s here, shall we begin?” he asked his sister. The audience cheered at that, causing Lyney to let out a small laugh. He didn’t know all of those faces personally, but he could see their expressions. He saw the excitement in everyone’s expression’s, including those of the adults. It was what he does, after all. Enrapture and dazzle, make sure that not one person in the audience doesn’t feel excited after he’s done.
Then he noticed a flash of white, finding the traveler's floating companion in the large audience. And then he noticed the golden-haired man. He was sitting there exactly as he was two months ago, propping his chin up using his arm. Unlike the glee in the audiences’ faces, the traveler just pursed his lips and had an unreadable expression on his face.
Lyney froze. He was sure that the traveler didn’t want anything to do with him, but here he was, sitting here like nothing had happened. He tried to place a false smile on his face, but it felt like lead.
The audience was waiting, but Lyney couldn’t find the practiced words that he was supposed to say. He felt Lynette squeeze his hand, indicating for him to continue. He knew that she noticed the presence in the audience and she knew he did as well.
“Aah, right. Let’s start.”
Lyney didn’t want him here. The traveler wasn’t dumb. He saw the shock, the horror, in his eyes that lasted a split second, but then Lyney replaced it with another false smile and continued the show. He was so stupid, of course they didn’t want him here. He practically told them he never wanted to see them again after the trial ended. Of course they’d refuse his presence.
He gripped the sides of his seat and stood up, right in the middle of the show. He noticed weird looks, but he ignored it. He walked down the aisles, accidentally stepping on multiple people’s shoes as he left.
Soon, he was outside, the crisp night air nipping on his face as he still continued to walk. Paimon didn’t follow him, she was too enraptured in the show. Good. She deserved a break from all of this anyways. He ran a hand in his hair and cursed under his breath.
Just what he was trying to achieve? Did he expect them to greet him with open arms? He was cold, and stupid, and he probably hurt Lyney and the others while he was at it. He had noticed Lyney’s affection towards him, of course he had, though sometimes he wondered whether it was genuine or whether it was part of his act. And how did he repay him? By yelling at him, and saying that after the trial concludes, he wants him out of his life.
God, he’d hate himself too.
He found an abandoned alleyway and slumped down to the floor, holding his head in his hands. He tried to calm the inner turmoil in his heart, but nothing he would have done could have worked.
Freminet watched as the traveler slowly disappeared from the show. In all of his rush to leave, he didn’t notice the diver staring straight at him. Freminet wasn’t very noticeable anyways, which was an achievement considering that he was wearing a diver’s outfit in a sea of well-dressed Fontainian nobles.
Lyney had somehow summoned a flock of doves, causing cheers and excitement from the crowd, but the traveler wasn’t here in order to witness it any longer. Freminet wondered what was going through his mind. Did he join the show just to spite Lyney and Lynette? But that doesn’t really sound like something he would do…
Maybe he wanted to apologize? But why did he leave?
Freminet shook his head, and slowly stood up. He knew that Lyney and Lynette would forgive him anyways. Eliciting the notice of no one, he stood up and left the House, following the footsteps in which the traveler left behind.