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It wasn't until they had finished their tea and he saw Sandrone walking away that Wanderer became aware of the traveler's presence.
He was approaching with a suspicious smile on his face and a mysterious box in his arms. Wanderer could have gotten up and left, but something in the traveler’s gaze told him that he wanted something specific from him and that he would follow him even if he fled. So, resigned, he stayed right where he was, waiting for the trouble magnet to come to him on his own and drag him into what could very well be the end of Teyvat.
To his surprise, there was no urgent matter to resolve nor any errand to run. However, the Traveler did admit to wanting something from him, something that, apparently, they would need to do at the Surasthana Sanctuary. So they made their way there, accompanied by that suspiciously sealed box and a Paimon who looked just as suspicious, trying to stifle her laughter.
They didn’t say much along the way. The Traveler mostly walked with his eyes fixed ahead, but every now and then he’d shoot a sidelong glance at Paimon to silence her and at the Wanderer, perhaps making sure he hadn’t suddenly flown off. He, however, simply continued on toward the Sanctuary, sensing Nahida’s presence growing closer.
It is only after greeting the guards and opening the doors that they see her saying goodbye to one of the sages in the center of the sanctuary. When she sees them, she wears a warmer smile and approaches, her footsteps echoing through the hallways, inviting them into the garden. It is there that the traveler, after the usual pleasantries of small talk, reveals the reason for his visit.
He announced with slightly tense shoulders that his next stop is Snezhnaya, and both Nahida and Wanderer frowned, the latter more so than the other. The traveler assured them he was fine and prepared after what seemed like an interrogatory by the archon and an extreme silence on the part of the puppet. Nahida has to pinch his knee to get him to stop sulking, and he flinches slightly (barely, of course), at that.
The traveler gives him a reassuring look, and Wanderer doesn’t like the fact that it worked on him, so he changes the subject, finally asking about the box the traveler is still carrying.
Paimon laughs, and the Traveler seems to hold back from doing the same. Carefully setting the box on the ground, he proceeds to open it without letting the goddess or the puppet see what’s inside. It’s only when he holds the object up in all its splendor that he explains:
“I was in Fontaine recently, and they gave me this machine that plays music. I’ve been wanting to try it out with someone.”
At first, Wanderer doesn’t understand why he needs someone to listen to music. But when he sets the music box down in a corner and runs towards him as if he wants to attack, he finally grasps the traveler’s idea.
“No, no, I don’t dance,” he says, backing away as fast as he can, but Traveler, having anticipated this, moves even faster and grabs him by the arms. Wanderer hears the tinkling laughter of Nahida and Paimon, but he’s too busy trying to break free from the traveler’s grip to even glance at them in annoyance.
“Oh, of course you can, you will,” the blond replies with a smile. “Come on! It’s just the two of us, and I want to make a nice memory before I go freeze my bones in all that snow.”
At that, Wanderer freezes for a moment, just long enough for the traveler to take advantage and pull him even closer, with one hand on his waist and the other holding his.
“I’ve been taught a little Fontaine-style dancing. Do you think you can keep up with me?” he said, obviously trying to tease him.
“Ha, you wish I couldn’t,” was all he replied before Paimon turned on the machine and a delicate, harmonious melody began to play.
They start by swaying slowly, still getting used to the song and being so close, but the traveler’s smile widens as he sees him following his lead, and Wanderer feels like he’s doing well. From the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of Paimon flying quickly over to take Nahida’s hands, both of them following the melody in a more childlike way, spinning around and giggling all over the place.
The melody is faster than they were moving, so they adjust to it, and with what little they know about dancing to this kind of song, the two find themselves moving in time with the music with clumsy steps. The song’s vocals are delicate and tell the story of an encounter between strangers who aren’t quite so unfamiliar. The Traveler winks at him, and he growls in response, pulling away to dance on his own. The blond-haired man follows him as he moves farther away, and they bring their bodies back together without much resistance.
He hears his laugh as he lets out a gasp during a sudden spin, and Wanderer returns it a moment later, grabbing him by the waist and tilting him backward. The Traveler just laughs even harder in his arms, and Wanderer finds himself laughing too.
In the end, when the music stops, they’re both out of breath and wearing huge, unyielding smiles.
When another, slower song begins, the Traveler gives him a signal, and he acknowledges it with a nod.
Moving away, the blond man pulls Paimon into a hug and sways back and forth with her, humming, as if she were just a stuffed animal. Wanderer snorts at the fairy’s fake whining as he turns to Nahida, who is already waiting for him with a smile. He offers her his hands and helps her lift her much smaller feet onto his own, and so they, too, begin to sway, without any grace, across the garden.
As the music picks up, all he can hear is Nahida’s laughter as he lifts her into his arms to spin them again and again. They pay no attention to anything else, and perhaps that’s why they end up bumping into a Traveler who was also spinning with Paimon in his arms.
They find themselves falling just as the melody fades, but their laughter echoes above it.
Whispers will rise from the flowers,
about laughter that dazzled
and lulled them like songs,
for carrying in them
so much joy.