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“Hah! I win!”
Childe took his foot off her chest, and moved the blade of pure hydro away from Lumine’s neck.
Lumine pushed herself up from the ground, sweat dripping from the back of her neck as she accepted his offered hand. “All right. What do you want as your prize?”
Mischief glinted in his eyes. A grin crept up his fair face. “How about a rematch, comrade? But this time… we make it interesting.”
With that, he made a finger gun at her, and shot a bit of hydro from its tip. It splashed against her cheek.
“Hey!”
She wiped the water from her face. "You want interesting? Fine. I’ll give you interesting. But don't cry when I drench you completely."
“Oh, you’re so on.”
She formed her own finger gun in response, a playful smirk dancing on her lips as she mimicked his gesture. A beat of silence passed between them, then they both fired.
Streams of hydro collided mid-air, exploding into a spray of droplets. Lumine darted to the left as his follow-up shot whooshed past her ear.
Childe unleashed another hydro stream in her direction. She rolled forward, the water splashing behind her. She came up firing, her hydro shot catching him square in the chest, leaving a dark stain on his grey suit.
"Yes!" she pumped her fist in triumph, but her celebration was premature. Childe had already recovered, grinning wickedly as he charged up a larger blast. “Oh no…”
The massive jet of water hit her full force, knocking her backwards onto the floor of the Golden House. She lay there sputtering, completely soaked from head to toe, while Childe's laughter rang out across the room.
"I tried to warn you, comrade," he said, offering his hand again to help her up.
She squirted his face with a small burst of hydro, catching him right between the eyes. "That's for gloating."
“Oh come on! That’s playing dirty.”
“You started it,” Lumine shot back, wringing water from her dress. She’d been thoroughly doused with hydro, but she couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips.
He wiped his face with his sleeve. His own grin never faltered. “Want to do best two out of three?”
She glanced down at her drenched attire, then back up at him. "Only if you're ready to lose twice in a row."
"Big words from someone who's soaking wet," Childe teased, already forming another finger gun.
Before she could react, he fired. The stream arced through the air, but she was ready this time. She dodged the attack, before returning one of her own in a fluid motion. Her shot grazed his shoulder.
“Heh, not bad.” He circled around her. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
“Best believe I will.”
Across the room in the Golden House, water flew in every direction as the two warrior traded shots back and forth. She dove behind one of the massive pillars, catching her breath as a hydro blast splattered against the stone inches from her head. She peeked around the edge, spotted Childe, and seized her chance—firing three quick shots that forced him to duck and roll.
"Getting tired already?" she called out, her voice echoing through the chamber.
"You amuse me!" Childe's laugh echoed. "I'm just getting warmed up!"
He charged forward, unleashing a barrage of shots. She backpedaled, returning fire while water splashed around them. One of his blasts caught her arm, another her shoulder, but she managed to land a direct hit on his chest that sent him stumbling back with a surprised yelp.
"Lucky shot!" he declared.
"That's two for me." Lumine grinned, grinning as she shook water from her hair. "Ready to admit defeat?"
"Never," he replied, his eyes gleaming with competitive fire. He raised both hands this time, forming double finger guns. "But I will admit you're better than I expected."
The final showdown began with both of them firing at the same time, streams of hydro spraying up, crisscrossing through air.
Her movements became more fluid with each exchange. She feinted left, then fired right, her shot catching Childe in the side just as his blast soaked her leg. They were both drenched now, laughing as they circled each other one final time.
Childe fired one last powerful blast, but she was already moving. She slid beneath the stream, popping up right in front of him to deliver a point-blank shot that drenched his chest and face completely.
"I win," she declared.
He stood there, water dripping down his hair and suit, before breaking into a laugh. "All right, all right. You got me fair and square this time, comrade."
“For the last time, will you quit calling me comrade? Gods Childe, I’m your girlfriend!”
Childe's grin softened. "Old habits die hard," he said, stepping closer and gently brushing a wet strand of hair from her face. "But you're right. You deserve better than that."
Her cheeks warmed despite the cool water dribbling down her face. "Of course I do. You're such a dork."
"Maybe so." He ran a hand through his soaked hair, flinging droplets everywhere. "I have to say, I've never had this much fun losing before."
"That's because you're usually impossible to beat," she replied, wringing more water from her sleeve. "I had to take my chances while I could."
He laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Well, you certainly seized the opportunity." His blue eyes sparkled with affection. "So, what does the victor want as her prize?"
Lumine pretended to think by tapping her chin. "Hmm, let me see... How about you stop challenging me to rematches every time you win?"
"Absolutely not," he said without hesitation. "That's non-negotiable."
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress her smile. "Fine. Then how about you buy me dinner?"
"Deal." He extended his hand, still dripping with water. “Where do you want to go? Liuli Pavillion? Xinyue Kiosk?”
“Actually, I was thinking Wanmin Restaurant.”
“I’ll agree to that. It’s much nicer on my wallet,” he said, to which she chuckled at. "Though I should warn you, I'll be plotting my revenge the entire time."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." She shook his hand, then pulled him closer, standing on her toes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "But for now, can we please get out of here? I'm freezing."
Childe's competitive edge melted away. "Of course." He draped his wet jacket over her shoulders despite being just as soaked. "Come on, let's get you warmed up."
As they walked out of the Golden House together, leaving puddles in their wake, she glanced back at the chamber one last time.
"Same time next week?" she asked.
His laugh echoed through the halls. "You read my mind, comra—I mean, Lumine."
"Better," she said, with a squeeze of his hand. "Much better."