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You wondered if they would banish you to the abyss if they found out you tricked Bennett into believing five was his lucky number. You would say you didn’t on purpose, but you knew that would be a flat out lie. It was premeditated, purposeful, and deliberate. You wouldn’t take it back even if you could.
You had been carrying on this facade for the past month. Every five days, you would drop hints to Bennett about a new place you just heard of. Coincidentally when he went, he would find treasure chests filled with slightly better gifts than usual. Money bags filled with a hundred mora instead of just one, ingredients from far off shores, an occasional artifact or two--anything your meager wage could afford. But it was worth it. The smile he'd have marching into Mondstadt those evenings filled your heart with warmth. Bennett deserved the world.
So it caught you by surprise on one such day that Bennett asked you to go adventuring with him. Before you could suggest the place you had set up, he offered one of his own. No matter how much you tried convincing him differently, he insisted on taking you to a few places that he could only describe as "awesome."
The first place was a bust. As he led you there, he described it as a beautiful waterfall that started up with the previous days’ rain. It fell down from the top of the cliff a hundred feet before crashing into the rocks below. What he brought you to was a bare cliff face with dried cracked earth at its base. Not even a little pond was left behind.
The next place was a small domain that popped up at the base of Dragonspine. He scoped it out the day before and promised it was safe. The architecture inside was beautiful and inspired by the remains of the old city that could be found on the mountain. But much to his dismay, you both only lasted a minute inside. Somehow in the brief time he was gone, it became filled with traps, hillichurls, and abyss mages.
Your heart began to sink by the time he started leading you to the third place. This time, it was the peak of Starsnatch Cliff. Apparently the view from there on a sunny day was absolutely marvelous. And the walk up there definitely was sunny, but by the time you both reached the top, the clouds crowded in and rain began to fall.
And by the fourth time, your heart sank even more. He led you to an interesting area in the Thousand Wind Temple, and not even five minutes there, you both ended up getting caught in a trap, apparently the same one that caught him once before during the Windblume Festival. He mumbled with an embarrassed groan that the trap was supposed to have been dismantled. By the time some adventurers found you both, the sun was just beginning to set.
You didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know what to say. As you followed him back down the road to Mondstadt, your heart sank lower and lower. You were too afraid to look at him. The magic you tried so hard to cast was finally gone. Would he figure out your hand in it? Would he continue to talk to you? Or would he avoid you out of embarrassment? He was too nice to take his anger out on you, after all.
Your heart caught in your throat when he started to speed up. Was he leaving you behind? Your heart broke. You needed to apologize!
“Bennett, wait–”
“Ah, I knew it would still be there!” He exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.
Your heart skipped a beat as he turned his gaze to you. Upon his lips was perhaps the sunniest smile you’ve ever seen him give. And when he took your hand, you could only follow along as he pulled you to the top of the hill.
There in the light of the setting sun was a sea of dandelions. The reds and oranges of the sky highlighted the seeds as they floated upon the breeze. And there past the cliff was the sun beginning its descent beneath the waters of the ocean. To call it beautiful was an understatement. It was a gift from the Anemo Archon. Was this something Bennett wanted to show you?
When he noticed your shocked expression, he gave a bashful laugh while scratching the back of his head.
“Sorry I made you wait. This was the real thing I wanted to show you,” he began.
Your eyes went from him, to the sea of dandelions, to the sunset, then back to him, all the while gaping like a fish. He planned this? But his luck was terrible! Nothing ever turned his way! How could he even–
As if reading your thoughts, he grinned.
“Whenever it’s with you, five becomes my lucky number!” He explained brightly.
And as you dwelled on it, he was right. Four failures and one success. This was the fifth place he showed you. The magic didn’t disappear. Rather, was it real all along?
He nodded as if to confirm your thoughts.
The real lucky charm was you.