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Really, at over five hundred years old, it shouldn’t have excited her as much as it did. She used to be the god of Fontaine, after all. She did many crazy and fascinating things in her lifetime. Not to mention the sheer amount of plays and operas she’s been in. Being before a crowd nearly every moment in her life gave her confidence she could handle anything life threw at her. So how embarrassing it was to admit that out of everything she experienced, nothing could prepare her for this.
“It’s not much longer now,” you encouraged as you led her by hand up the path, intertwining your fingers with hers.
As you looked back at her with that frankly adorable grin, your eyes sparkled in the light of the full moon. It was late out, much later to what she was used to. And the way you kept your voice low only added to the excitement of the moment. It felt forbidden, taboo, like she would be reprimanded if anyone found out. She knew it was dumb, but nothing could stop her heart from beating out of her chest.
You didn’t know her. At least, you only met her a few days ago. She was a newcomer to Liyue and you were the kind soul that took it upon yourself to show her around the harbor. You had no reason to. You weren’t hired to do so. But upon hitting it off with her at an outdoor eatery, you invited her to walk around with you to enjoy the festival atmosphere. And now here you were a few days later leading her to, what you considered to be, the best place to watch the Lantern Rite.
And dare she say it again, you didn’t know her. All you knew her as was “Furina.” To you, she wasn’t the ex-Hydro Archon. She wasn’t the famed actress and opera singer. She simply was Furina. And how addicting it was. Gone was the need for propriety. Hesitation and reverence were no longer hers to bear. Your smiles and warmth belonged solely to her. To Furina, just Furina.
The moment you reached the top of the hill overlooking all of Liyue Harbor, off in the distance, the first lantern took to the sky. Then one more, and another. And then soon the whole sky was full.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered before she knew it.
You laughed gently and squeezed her hand.
“Would you like to light one too?” You asked, gesturing to the side with your free hand.
There was a Mingxiao Lantern, beautiful and ornate. But she hesitated.
“But… Is it okay? I… I’m not from Liyue…” she mumbled.
You smiled reassuringly.
“Of course. No matter where we’re from, we all have people we’d like to honor and remember, right?”
If only you know how much she did. A part of her wished to ask if she had that right. Was it okay for her to pray for all the people she lost? All the people she failed? But when you gazed at her with that softness in your eyes, she remembered once more who she was to you. Who you allowed her to be. Perhaps not as Focalors, but as Furina, she was allowed to grieve.
So with unsteady hands, she lit the lantern. And with your hands over hers, she let it float up into the sky. And as it drifted off farther and farther away, there she stood with you by her side.