[ lumine's expression falls, her eyes dropping to her hands, holding the pole steady. it's like a barb in her heart. she thinks of the chasm, of what she saw there in its depths, and one hand instinctively lifts to the flowers in her hair - only to find emptiness. ]
[ He knew it would be a sensitive question, one she may not like to answer, but...he wants to know. Their bonds with their siblings is something they both understand well about one another, something that unites them despite their incongruous allegiances. They would do anything for family.
So knowing that, and that she still hasn't found anything else...
[ she knows full well that he's being genuine - for all childe plays around, he's absolutely devoted to his family, so she knows that he of all people can understand. no doubt if anything happened to one of his family members, he would become absolutely unhinged. ]
Well.. I know he's likely still on Teyvat. But he doesn't want to be with me.
[ it hurts just to say those words. lumine never thought she would see the day that she would ever say them. ]
[ For all it's said softly, it's said with utter disbelief. How could her brother not want to be by her side? It didn't take Childe long at all to discern just how much Lumine cares for her brother, and he can only assume her brother loves her just as much in return. How could he not? How could he stay away, as strong and fearless and clever as she is?
But disbelief quickly grows into anger, like smoldering flames in his gut, his gaze narrowing. She's in so much pain, because of someone she loves. Someone who is supposed to be there for her. Family sticks together. They watch each other's backs. No one gets left behind.
He hasn't realized how tight his fist is clenched at his side. ]
[ she understands how it sounds, and despite everything, she wants to defend aether. he rejected her completely, he turned his back on her to walk through that portal, but she loved him enough to chase him, she loves him enough to want to take his side no matter what. ]
I-it's..
[ she's not accustomed to that tone of voice coming from childe, of all people, and when she flicks her gaze briefly toward him, he looks so tense. she's never seen him look this way before. ]
He just.. he has - he has other things he wants to do. I'm sure.. he'll change his mind eventually.
[ hot tears prick the corners of her eyes, but she blinks them away rapidly. it's still so difficult to talk about him. ]
[ Other things. Other things besides being with his sister. Childe tries to imagine it, circumstances where he wouldn't want to see his siblings, where he would want to keep distance between himself and his family, but he just...can't. Maybe if it were to keep them safe, but he himself is the most capable of keeping them safe. If Aether is anything like his sister, then he should have no trouble keeping the both of them safe, even if Lumine hardly needs protecting.
Her brother would know that.
He has to swallow it down, that simmering anger that someone she cares about so much would treat her like that, that family would treat her like that. He doesn't want to upset her further, even if the way she blinks her eyes has his chest tightening with a fiercely protective instinct. People don't hurt his comrades and get away with it. ]
If he has any idea how much you care about him, then I'm sure he will.
[ He'd be an utter fool otherwise, and will have the ire of one of the Harbingers to deal with as well. ]
But he's not your only family now, is he? You have Paimon, and all the people you've met during your travels. People whose lives wouldn't be the same without you in it. That won't change the fact that you miss him, but you're not alone, comrade.
[ the last thing she wants to do is cry, but childe's words are so.. kind, so gentle - her vision blurs, and she swipes at her eyes with one hand, inhaling sharply. ]
I know. You're right.
[ losing aether may be the single most painful thing that she has experienced, and she will do everything in her power to return to his side, but even lumine has to admit that what has come of it is extraordinary. she has never before bothered to grow close with the peoples she visited, to make friends with other-worlders - there was no reason, not when she had her brother, not when their stay was only temporary.
but things have changed. that foul goddess clipped her wings and teyvat has become her new home despite it all. teyvat, and paimon, and the people of the world.
overcome, lumine closes her eyes and briefly allows her head to come to rest on his shoulder. he's a better man than she ever gave him credit for, in some ways. but then she learned that on the day she met teucer. ]
[ He likes to think his words will help, but Lumine can be so hard to read sometimes that he isn't sure whether he's done more harm than good until she responds. Maybe he's getting better at understanding her, at seeing what she doesn't show so easily.
And then she leans against him, just enough that her hair falls over his shoulder, his stomach fluttering in a way that both excites and unnerves him. ]
Don't mention it. I just couldn't stand to see you cry.
[ Exhaling, he leans his head down so his cheek rests just on top of her hair. He isn't thinking. It's just...nice to be close to her like this. ]
[ couldn't stand to see her cry - and yet it was his kindness that ultimately brought the tears. funny, how man meets destiny on his road to avoid it.
but she does not weep openly. with her eyes closed, she can better hold them back, and as his head comes to rest against her own, she feels.. comforted. secure. he smells nice, familiar for how often they have been in close quarters, and she finds, with surprise, that he feels something like home. a similar feeling she has when she's with aether.
and for now, lumine is silent, allowing the salty sea breeze to caress her flushed face, her body beside him relaxing. ]
[ Peaceful moments are few and far between in the life he leads, and most of them do involve the sea and a fishing pole. Most of them don't involve another person - at least, not like this. Not leaning into someone who can take him down in a fight, who foiled his plans at every turn, someone who continues to challenge him and draw him in. They should be bitter enemies, and yet -
He exhales a long, slow breath, his free hand lifting so he can wind his arm around her, hand resting on her shoulder.
What a strange path theirs has been, but this feels right. At least...it does to him. Maybe he shouldn't -
Before he can decide one way or another, his fishing line gives a little tug. ]
[ his arm coils around her, and without thought lumine finds that she is sinking into him effortlessly, her body heavy, as if a great weight has been lifted. when was the last time she allowed herself physical comfort? not since before arriving in teyvat, surely. and with childe of all people -
but then the moment is broken by the tug of a fishing line, and lumine is quick to straighten up, her soft edges gone again. it was nice while it lasted. ]
[ He won't, though he needs both hands for the pole, and he gets to his feet for better leverage. ]
It's a big one!
[ One of those really annoying ones to catch where the marker thingy is really small and keeps wiggling back and forth!!! Man, I hate fishing minigames.
A moment later, though, he emerges triumphant, hauling up this. ]
even though she doesn't have to, lumine gets to her feet also because it seems like the right thing to do in the moment, and also because it's easier to cheer him on that way. ]
Wow! It is big. And terrifying. Aren't there any.. non-horrific fish in these waters?
That sounds perfect. I've certainly worked up an appetite.
[ between the fishing, and the unexpected feelings jam.. she could use some food. carefully, she begins reeling in her line, before setting the pole over her shoulder and lifting her bucket. ]
[ with a pang, she is reminded of his confession, of what he admitted to her so nonchalantly in the pool hall. that night may have ended in a drunken haze, but she did not forget. though she does not bring it up, either. ]
[ There is now a montage of them building a fire on the beach and cutting open the fish. They sure smell weird and look weird inside, but this is apparently not enough to convince Childe not to roast them over the fire. So they have a nice line of fishies hanging over the flames, cooking up nice while the sun begins to set on the water.
It's a warm, comfortable scene, and Childe wears a smile that reaches his eyes as he crouches in front of the flames. ]
It didn't look like any of them had any kind of venom in them, so we should be safe to eat them. Probably.
[ love to see a montage!! lumine is clearly not afraid to get her hands dirty with the fish, and she knows her way around it as well, slicing and gutting like a pro. she's lost count of how many times she's grilled fish in the wilds.
she sits in the sand beside the fire, and the fish smell surprisingly good as they slowly roast. his smile is contagious. ]
Probably. Well, I've certainly eaten strange looking things before.
He does look like he'll be rather...chewy, doesn't he?
[ They should be almost done by now! Childe begins the process of untying the fish so they can skewer the meat onto sticks they sharpened into kebabs. A little seasoning or some veggies would be nice, but it's not as though he came out here today expecting to be cooking on the beach. ]
At least if one of them is poisonous, as long as we both try all of them, we can die together.
I heard something to that effect as well...apparently in the last game, there were several deaths among the inmates, but they all came back. Difficult to wrap your mind around, isn't it?
[ It's something he hasn't really attempted to grapple with yet himself. He had a way of pursuing death like its his prey, a thing to outwit. What does it mean if you can just...come back? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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.. no, I haven't. Not really.
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So knowing that, and that she still hasn't found anything else...
He frowns. ]
I'm sorry to hear that. [ ... ] "Not really"?
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Well.. I know he's likely still on Teyvat. But he doesn't want to be with me.
[ it hurts just to say those words. lumine never thought she would see the day that she would ever say them. ]
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[ For all it's said softly, it's said with utter disbelief. How could her brother not want to be by her side? It didn't take Childe long at all to discern just how much Lumine cares for her brother, and he can only assume her brother loves her just as much in return. How could he not? How could he stay away, as strong and fearless and clever as she is?
But disbelief quickly grows into anger, like smoldering flames in his gut, his gaze narrowing. She's in so much pain, because of someone she loves. Someone who is supposed to be there for her. Family sticks together. They watch each other's backs. No one gets left behind.
He hasn't realized how tight his fist is clenched at his side. ]
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I-it's..
[ she's not accustomed to that tone of voice coming from childe, of all people, and when she flicks her gaze briefly toward him, he looks so tense. she's never seen him look this way before. ]
He just.. he has - he has other things he wants to do. I'm sure.. he'll change his mind eventually.
[ hot tears prick the corners of her eyes, but she blinks them away rapidly. it's still so difficult to talk about him. ]
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Her brother would know that.
He has to swallow it down, that simmering anger that someone she cares about so much would treat her like that, that family would treat her like that. He doesn't want to upset her further, even if the way she blinks her eyes has his chest tightening with a fiercely protective instinct. People don't hurt his comrades and get away with it. ]
If he has any idea how much you care about him, then I'm sure he will.
[ He'd be an utter fool otherwise, and will have the ire of one of the Harbingers to deal with as well. ]
But he's not your only family now, is he? You have Paimon, and all the people you've met during your travels. People whose lives wouldn't be the same without you in it. That won't change the fact that you miss him, but you're not alone, comrade.
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I know. You're right.
[ losing aether may be the single most painful thing that she has experienced, and she will do everything in her power to return to his side, but even lumine has to admit that what has come of it is extraordinary. she has never before bothered to grow close with the peoples she visited, to make friends with other-worlders - there was no reason, not when she had her brother, not when their stay was only temporary.
but things have changed. that foul goddess clipped her wings and teyvat has become her new home despite it all. teyvat, and paimon, and the people of the world.
overcome, lumine closes her eyes and briefly allows her head to come to rest on his shoulder. he's a better man than she ever gave him credit for, in some ways. but then she learned that on the day she met teucer. ]
.. thank you.
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And then she leans against him, just enough that her hair falls over his shoulder, his stomach fluttering in a way that both excites and unnerves him. ]
Don't mention it. I just couldn't stand to see you cry.
[ Exhaling, he leans his head down so his cheek rests just on top of her hair. He isn't thinking. It's just...nice to be close to her like this. ]
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but she does not weep openly. with her eyes closed, she can better hold them back, and as his head comes to rest against her own, she feels.. comforted. secure. he smells nice, familiar for how often they have been in close quarters, and she finds, with surprise, that he feels something like home. a similar feeling she has when she's with aether.
and for now, lumine is silent, allowing the salty sea breeze to caress her flushed face, her body beside him relaxing. ]
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He exhales a long, slow breath, his free hand lifting so he can wind his arm around her, hand resting on her shoulder.
What a strange path theirs has been, but this feels right. At least...it does to him. Maybe he shouldn't -
Before he can decide one way or another, his fishing line gives a little tug. ]
Oh! A bite!
[ He grabs his pole! Minigame time again. ]
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but then the moment is broken by the tug of a fishing line, and lumine is quick to straighten up, her soft edges gone again. it was nice while it lasted. ]
Don't let it get away!
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It's a big one!
[ One of those really annoying ones to catch where the marker thingy is really small and keeps wiggling back and forth!!! Man, I hate fishing minigames.
A moment later, though, he emerges triumphant, hauling up this. ]
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even though she doesn't have to, lumine gets to her feet also because it seems like the right thing to do in the moment, and also because it's easier to cheer him on that way. ]
Wow! It is big. And terrifying. Aren't there any.. non-horrific fish in these waters?
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[ Out comes another water blade so he can slash the fish. It immediately stops wriggling. ]
These should be enough to feed us and then some. That is, assuming they're actually edible. Only one way to find out!
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[ between the fishing, and the unexpected feelings jam.. she could use some food. carefully, she begins reeling in her line, before setting the pole over her shoulder and lifting her bucket. ]
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What do you say we do this the good, old-fashioned way and cook them up over a campfire? It'd almost be like we're real adventuring partners.
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Is there any better way to grill a fish?
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[ There is now a montage of them building a fire on the beach and cutting open the fish. They sure smell weird and look weird inside, but this is apparently not enough to convince Childe not to roast them over the fire. So they have a nice line of fishies hanging over the flames, cooking up nice while the sun begins to set on the water.
It's a warm, comfortable scene, and Childe wears a smile that reaches his eyes as he crouches in front of the flames. ]
It didn't look like any of them had any kind of venom in them, so we should be safe to eat them. Probably.
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she sits in the sand beside the fire, and the fish smell surprisingly good as they slowly roast. his smile is contagious. ]
Probably. Well, I've certainly eaten strange looking things before.
[ she's been to a lot of worlds.. ]
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[ He reaches over the fire to poke the big one with the teeth. ]
I'm considering this one myself. He was a fighter.
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That one. I'm really curious about the texture. Though I want to try them all.
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[ They should be almost done by now! Childe begins the process of untying the fish so they can skewer the meat onto sticks they sharpened into kebabs. A little seasoning or some veggies would be nice, but it's not as though he came out here today expecting to be cooking on the beach. ]
At least if one of them is poisonous, as long as we both try all of them, we can die together.
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Wow.
[ if only she had access to her protag bag of holding, full of so many delicious ingredients and spices.. ]
Well, I'm told it isn't permanent here, anyway. I can't really understand that.
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[ It's something he hasn't really attempted to grapple with yet himself. He had a way of pursuing death like its his prey, a thing to outwit. What does it mean if you can just...come back? ]
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[ maybe they aren't true deaths, but what could she possibly know about that? ]
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