Chapter Text
Her bottom lip caught between her teeth — a nasty habit that had carried on from childhood — chewing at it to pick off dead skin. The familiar metallic tang of blood rested on her tongue as the piece of skin finally came loose.
She was hyperaware of her breathing, focusing on how the muscles surrounding her rib change expanded and contracted with each inhale and exhale. Sometimes the air wouldn’t fully reach her lungs, causing her to draw in a slightly longer breath afterwards which would leave Paimon glancing at her with worry.
He was breathtaking, painfully so.
His ashy blond hair looked soft. Her fingers twitched with the urge to run themselves through it. It was always so perfect. The lights of the stage reflected off his eyes, their color otherworldly. She almost snorted at the irony. An ache formed behind her eyes at the brightness of the lights, causing her to squint as she watched the pair of twins.
Even as the lights dimmed and the curtain closed, a smile remained etched on his lips. His twin, remaining impassive at his side as she dipped into a curtsey. To her left, Paimon floated above her seat, clapping enthusiastically. Lumine copied her movements, albeit not as eagerly. Applause echoed through her ears, her whole body tensing at the overwhelming noise which resounded like drums through the auditorium.
It didn’t feel real. Her body was moving without her meaning for it to.
At last, the velvet curtain had shut completely and the lights had started to fade back on. Taking this as their cue, Lumine stood from her seat, making her way to the exit, Paimon following in suit.
A sharp tug was felt around her neck as Paimon grabbed on the ends of her scarf when they reached the sea of people. It was a clamour to push their way through to the main foyer. Lumine’s chest felt heavy, a stone of grief weighing it down to the empty pits of her stomach. It was constricting her. The crowd soon became overwhelming, causing her breath to come out in shallow puffs of a pathetic attempt to draw air into her lungs. Faded perfume and dust singed her nose with each breath. Simultaneously she felt both too tall and too short next to everyone.
Someone’s shoulder made contact with her own, eliciting a wince from her as she moved to block anyone from bumping into Paimon. The word “hero” was thrown out by someone who had noticed her, so she halted in her movements to give them a smile.. It felt strained.
Lumine’s eyebrows furrowed, noticing a small circle of people gathered around someone in the main foyer.
A small sigh made its way past her lips, of course it was him.
“Traveler,” she froze at the familiar, detached voice. “We didn’t expect to see you at our show today.”
“Lynette! Hi!” Paimon had finally let go of her scarf as the pair turned to face her.
“Hello, Paimon,” a nod of acknowledgment was given from Lynette before her vacant stare was returned back to Lumine. “It was a pleasant surprise, seeing you two in the audience.” Against her will, a small smile tugged at the corners of Lumine’s lips as she, in turn, nodded in acknowledgment. She couldn’t help but feel some sort of amusing affection towards the feline esque girl. In a way, she reminded Lumine a lot of herself when she was still traveling with Aether. Her throat itched with the urge to scream.
“We just finished up everything in Natlan!” Paimon explained animatedly for them. It was a habit she had carried on from Mondstadt, speaking for her when she couldn’t yet understand Teyvat’s language well – a habit she was thankful for now more than ever. “We thought it’d be nice to visit all our friends and have a rest before we head off to Nod Krai.”
A flicker of annoyance sparked in Lumine’s chest before it was quickly snuffed out with a quiet, exasperated sigh. There was no point in hiding their plans from Lynette (who’s ear twitched when Lumine sighed, undoubtedly picking up on her annoyance) – the Fatui was probably already long aware of their plans. A bitter resentment settled in her stomach, one which she knew from experience would stay there until she found some way to let it out. A dull itch formed in her arms as her nails dug into her palms.
“That sounds lovely,” her tone had shifted into something softer. “Well, I’m glad you decided to come watch us. I know Lyney holds the same sentiment.” She was being sincere with the two of them, and Lumine was grateful for that. Lynette seemed to be making a conscious effort to be more honest with the duo after the trial, but she still was rather withdrawn.
“You two were amazing,” the words came out clumsy, and she winced internally, praying to every Archon that Lynette didn’t notice. “As usual.”
“Thank you,” another nod of acknowledgement as the corner of her lips tugged upwards. She had definitely noticed Lumine’s slight blunder. “Your praise means a lot to us.”
“Ah, is that my dear sister? Accompanied by the Traveler? What a welcome surprise!” An all too familiar voice sounded from behind Lumine, her shoulders tensing at the sound as it echoed off the walls of the foyer. It was nearly empty now, save for the lingering fans who remained to mingle amongst themselves.
“Hello, Lyney,” she had turned to face him, noticing that the crowd that had surrounded him seemed to have reluctantly dispersed, a few remaining to engage with one another. One would occasionally drift their gaze over to the group, only to avert their eyes once they caught sight of Lumine staring back at them.
At her right side, her fingers twitched, curling into her palm and unfurling as they ached to wrap around the hilt of her sword. The itch in her throat grew with every word that fell out of her mouth. “Your performance was amazing.”
“Mhm!” Paimon hummed, her head nodding up and down avidly. “Paimon was so amazed the whole time! You two were incredible – especially that part with the floating cards! Paimon still doesn’t get how you did it!”
He chuckled, titling his hat in mock humility. His hair was perfect under where the top hat sat. Again, her fingers twitched.
“A magician never reveals his secret,” he teased, his lips curving upwards into a coy smile before his gaze fixed on Lumine. His eyes are gorgeous. “Though, I’m sure I could make an exception for Fontaine’s hero.”
A small, polite smile forced its way to her face, her right hand moving up to adjust her scarf. Partly out of habit, partly just to have something to do with her hand. Her nails dragged down her throat in a valiant effort to ease the itch.
“You’ll have Paimon losing sleep for weeks,” the jest was light, unlike the ones she shared with Childe and Wanderer. But then again, most of her conversations with Lyney had been quiet, polite small talk ever since the Clervie debacle.
Beside her, she could see a faint outline of Paimon stomping her foot against the air as her words of rebuttal fell against deaf ears, but her eyes remained fixated just behind Lyney, refusing to actually look at him, praying he and his sister would magically vanish away from her.
“Well,” she finally focused her sight on him, forcing herself to smile once again. The act clawed at her skin, making her feel viscerally ill. “We best be off. Duty calls and whatnot.”
“I’m sure it does,” Lynette’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on Lumine, whose eye twitched in slight irritation. The foyer of the Opera House suddenly felt suffocating, the tiled white walls closing in on her as her chest began to cave in on itself.
“Goodbye Lyney! Goodbye Lynette!” A thought resembling some form of thanks formed in her head towards the tiny white pixie. Despite her complaining about her lack of respect for Lumine’s privacy, she truly understood when Lumine was beginning to become agitated.
A nod and slight raise of her left hand was all Lumine offered to them as they headed out, the echo of her footsteps drowning out the goodbyes that followed them.
With each step away from the twins, her chest slowly began to expand. Each breath flowed into her lungs easier than the last.
It was a bright and cold day, and the mundane chatter of Fontainians surrounding the pair as they left the Opera House. Lumine squinted her eyes in a valiant effort to shield them from the harsh summer sun, a stabbing pain forming behind them. No amount of time in Natlan or Sumeru could ever make her adjust to the jarring light of the sun.
Perhaps that was simply a result of being born from the vast, starry night sky.
As they continued away from the foyer, nausea pooled in the pit of her stomach, bile rising up her throat.
She missed her home.
What was her home?
She frowned. Normally, she would’ve answered in a heartbeat. “Home is wherever I am with Aether!” But does that still hold true?
He left her.
He left her for a nation he hardly knew.
A shaky inhale. Her hand clenched at her side. Paimon glanced over with worry.
“Are… you okay?” Lumine noticed that Paimon had been coming more and more worried for her as the days had passed since they left Natlan. Guilt tugged at her heart, causing the corner of her lips to twitch into a frown as she looked at her.
“I’m fine, Paimon,” she smiled as comfortingly as she could, praying it didn’t give anything away. “I promise.”