#starconches and windwheel asters | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

illumeew · 3 months

Text

first dates | chaeya

cute chaeya art by @tecochet!

Summary: The stress that is making a good impression on a first date.

Tags: Fluff/Romantic Fluff, First Date, Goofy Tartaglia (a mess the entire time), Rarepair!1!, Ragbros have reconciled in this fic, Cute. Just cute.

A/N: this was written for a friend ! apologies to those who don't like rarepairs :( i do find their dynamic quite cute though (if we don't look at the Other side of this relationship). credits go to tecochet for this masterpiece found in the header picture!

From the other apartment’s window opposite the room owned by the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, the neighbor could sight the man—the said Cavalry Captain, Kaeya Alberich—buttoning a loose white, long-sleeved blouse with puffed sleeves. According to a certain librarian, he had a meeting scheduled with the Fatui.

Of course, those were the words that came from Kaeya’s mouth, but what Lisa the Librarian had interpreted was that the someone he had been daydreaming about during Ordo meetings was none other than the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, Tartaglia. High-ranking, seemingly but obviously very menacing. And even wild, as per Kaeya’s words.

Having only met, guessing from how Kaeya only started a small starconch collection on the shelf beside his desk two months earlier, they were already intimate. How inappropriate, thought Jean during one of her chats with Lisa regarding the subject of their Quarterback’s personal love life.

Kaeya messed with the cloth of the blouse, tousling it to make it seem loosely fitted, and it accentuated his waist perfectly. It combatted the black leggings he wore that were, in a way, tighter than what most of the other captains wear. Everything about what he had on, he did it in a calm manner, occasionally rummaging through his closet if the accessories he had on didn’t fit the theme of his clothing. Au naturale is what he called his outfit, yet nothing he put on seemed natural at all.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the land shared by Mondstadt and Liyue, a certain someone, dressed in the most proper—ranging haggard—outfit on, as he tried to pick between bunches of flowers exported from Mondstadt. Tartaglia has never been to Mondstadt despite his status as a Fatui Harbinger, which he lied about to Kaeya after the captain asked him if he’d ever traveled to his nation before.

“Of course I have!” That was an obvious lie. He was sweating. “I even picked up your favorite flower.”

Kaeya was surprised to see that Tartaglia knew what his favorite flower was the first time they met by the borders of Liyue. Whether it be a guess or Tartaglia was really too into him was what Kaeya asked not of—the moment those words were heard by him, he was in absolute bliss.

But really.

From the way Tartaglia was struggling to pick out which of the many Mondstadt specialty flowers were Kaeya’s favorite. Hell, he didn’t even know if his favorite flower was from Mondstadt. It could’ve been Liyuean flowers or Fontainian flowers. Whatever it was, he just needed to get a gift for his darling, sweet captain.

Windwheel Asters? Seemed too flashy. Kaeya’s always flashy, but never too much, he thought.

Lampgrasses? Too bright. It’s his brother’s signature flower, he rolled his eyes.

Cecilias? Mondstadt’s national flower. No, Tartaglia switched to the last bunch.

The moment Tartaglia’s eyes landed on the fourth bunch, it immediately screamed “Kaeya. Kaeya Alberich of the Knights of Favonius,” and he was sure he’d love them. He told the seller the fourth one and grabbed his wallet to pay, leaving the array of other regional flowers with a smile. It was as if he almost forgot he had a date to go to, to which he started sprinting to the other side of the harbor, clothes tattered and messy.

He just hoped Dandelions were Kaeya’s favorite flowers and not the forgotten Calla Lilies.

Kaeya held a flower between his fingertips. His favorite, a Calla Lily, and he’d already imagined what Tartaglia would look like holding out the bouquet for him to grab. A bouquet of Calla Lilies just for him? How endearing! He could already see the look on his brother’s face once he brags about the bouquet given to him by his lover, someone Diluc doesn’t have.

“What a shame, dear brother,” the captain snickered, hiding his smile behind his hand as he held a glass of wine with the other. “You said you’d find a suitor before I did. Where’s that now?”

Over the letters they’ve sent the past few weeks, they’d both agreed on a place to settle in with their first date, which was at Angel’s Share, somewhere not just Kaeya, but Tartaglia too, could flaunt their relationship to Master Diluc. Not that it was Tartaglia’s idea to do so, and had Kaeya not agreed to it, they would have simply walked the lands of Mondstadt, hand in hand.

“Watch him enter that door—” Kaeya pointed at the front door of the tavern. “holding a bouquet of my favorite flowers to give to me.”

Though, when Tartaglia did enter the tavern, not only was he holding a bouquet of the wrong flowers, but he also came in with a mess of an outfit. It was an improper suit, noticeable marks of dirt were on some spots on his pant legs, and his hand was scratched up.

Tartaglia heaves a pant, looking up from the ground, and smiles at the captain. “For you, milyy.”

Whether that pink-coated smile of Kaeya’s was a face of embarrassment or a face of love, Kaeya came to the manor with Tartaglia the next month for the Ragnvindrs’ monthly family dinners, and Diluc simply assumed that they were both still together, even after that messy first date.

19 notes · View notes

slimepuparibaba · 3 years

Text

Stars and Asters

This is a series of works that follow Childe and Lumine's relationship as it develops throughout the entire storyline of Genshin, including moments of jealousy, playful teasing, silly shenanigans, and also very heartfelt, touching, and potentially heartbreaking moments.

Hello, and welcome to my first ever attempt at writing a fanfic and then POSTING that said fanfic! Because, in truth, God has cursed me for my hubris, and my work is never finished. I plan on writing ChiLumi based on my experiences in Genshin, so hopefully, by the time the next update comes out, I'll be up to date with all the current events in this fanfic. It follows ChiLumi in tandem with the actual story, with a few differences. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Bet Sealed

Chapter 2: The "Not-Date"

Chapter 3: The "Date-Date"

Chapter 4: The Consultants

Chapter 5: The Battle at Golden House

Chapter 6: Departing Paths

Chapter 7: His Decision

You can also read the fanfic on AO3!

64 notes · View notes

4fahy · 3 years

Text

Places to buy food in Genshin Impact

Food + Ingredients. Some of these places sells recipes and other stuff too.

There's some character ascencion materials here. These are in bold and i tagged the characters.

Sara - Mondstadt

Teyvat Fried Egg Chicken Mushroom Skewer Fisherman's Toast Flour Cream Smoked Fowl Butter Ham Sugar Crab Roe Jam Cheese Bacon Sausage

Blanche - Mondstadt

Salt Pepper Onion Milk Cabbage Potato Wheat

Charles - Mondstadt

Wolfhook Juice Berry & Mint Burst Apple Cider

Flora - Mondstadt

Sweet Flower Windwheel Aster (Traveler, Sucrose, Bennett) Cecilia (Venti, Albedo) Small Lamp Grass (Amber, Diluc, Fischl) Calla Lily (Kaeya, Diona)

Draff - Springvale

Raw meat Fowl Bird Egg

Brook - Springvale

Steak Chicken Mushroom Skewer Northern Smoked Chicken

Chloris - Thousand Winds Temple Road

Snapdragon Mint Valberry (Lisa, Noelle, Rosaria) Philanemo Mushroom (Barbara, Klee, Mona) Wolfhook (Razor)

Harris - Camp next to Dragonspine

Radish Veggie Soup Steak Jewelry Soup

Pops Zhou - Stone Gate

Pops' Teas

Ms. Bai - Qince Village

Qingce Stir Fry Tofu Almond Silk Flower (Hu Tao, Xingqiu) Glaze Lily (Ningguang)

Pops Kai - Qince Village

Pops' Teas

Verr Goldet - Wangshu Inn

Almond Tofu Matsutake Meat Rolls Jueyun Chili Chicken Noodles with Mountain Delicacies Chicken Mushroom Skewer Matsutake Butter Sausage Silk Flower (Hu Tao, Xingqiu) Violetgrass (Qiqi, Xinyan)

Mr Zhu - Luhua Pool

Pops' Teas Mora Meat Stir Fried Filet

Herbalist Gui - Liyue Harbor

Qingxin (Ganyu, Xiao) Horsetail Lotus Head Mist Flower Corolla Flaming Flower Stamen Violetgrass (Qiqi, Xinyan)

Licai - Liyue Harbor

Stone Harbor Delicacies Noodles with Mountain Delicacies Cured Pork with Dry Hotpot Tianshu Meat

Yueshu - Liyue Harbor

Stir-Fried Fish Noodles Golden Shrimp Balls Fullmoon Egg Golden Crab

Changshun - Liyue Harbor

Potato Sugar Cheese Cor Lapis (Keqing, Zhongli, Chongyun) Electro Crystal

Dongsheng - Liyue Harbor

Salt Pepper Onion Milk Tomato Cabbage Potato Wheat Shrimp Meat Tofu Almond Rice

Chen the Sharp - Liyue Harbor

Delicious Grilled Tiger Fish Stir-Fried Filet

Chef Mao - Liyue Harbor

Teyvat Fried Egg Fisherman's Toast Chicken-Mushroom Skewer Sausage Lotus Head

Matsutake

Radish

Flour

Sugar

Ham

Fish

Crab Bamboo Shoot Mushroom Carrot Jueyun Chili (Xiangling)

Su Er'niang - Liyue Harbor

Delicious Zhongyuan Chop Suey Mora Meat

Uncle Sun - Liyue Harbor

Fish Crab Shrimp Meat

Uncle Gao - Liyue Harbor

Fish 3x Fish

Bolai - Liyue Harbor

Apple Sunsettia Fish Starconch (Childe)

Obata - Ritou

Fish Crab Shrimp Meat Sea Ganoderma (Kazuha)

Karpillia - Ritou

Dandelion Seed (Jean, Eula)

Ryouko - Ritou

Delicious Dry-Braised Salted Fish Egg Roll

Kiminami Anna - Inazuma City

Delicious Rice Cake Soup Mushroom Pizza Special Mushroom Pizza

Aoi - Inazuma City

Salt Pepper Onion Milk Tomato Cabbage Potato Wheat Rice Shrimp Meat Tofu Naku Weed (Yoimiya)

Shimura Kanbei - Inazuma City

Teyvat Fried Egg Chicken-Mushroom Skewer Fisherman's Toast Fish Crab Seagrass Lavender Melon Radish Sausage Bacon Flour Sugar

201 notes · View notes

ejjirodo · 3 years

Text

Guys we all know lumine gets starconches for childe but what if childe collects windwheel asters for lumine 🙏👀

#genshin impact #genshin childe #genshin lumine #lumine #childe #childe x lumine #chilumi #i have very big brain #i can believe these ideas comes out of nowhere

198 notes · View notes

heldvisionsarch · 2 years

Text

okay some ascension mats. ( part one )

MOND.

glory : anemo gems, hurricane seeds, dandelions, raven insignias.

selene : anemo gems, hurricane seeds, windwheel asters, whopperflower drops.

viktoriya : pyro gems, pyro regisvine drops, dandelions, fatui insignias.

salem : hydro gems, oceanid drops, windwheel asters, slime condensate.

andrius : cryo gems, hurricane seeds, wolfberries, ley line branches.

LIYUE.

hav : geo gems, liyue vishap drops, basalt pillars, glaze lilies, whopperflower pollen.

little yue : electro gems, electro triangle drops, starconches, raven insignias.

INAZUMA :

lyudochka : electro gems, enkamoiya vishap drops, sakura petals, fatui insignias.

yuko : electro gems, maguu kenki drops, naku weed, hand guards.

tomo : electro gems, thunderbird drops, sakura petals, hand guard.

teppei : hydro gems, hydro cube drops, sango pearls, fatui insignias.

emi : anemo gems, maguu kenki drops, sango pearls, raven ominous masks.

OTHER.

teucer : geo gems, basalt pillars, starconches, fatui insignias.

#˗ ˋ 🌠 out of ﹕ WELCOME TO THE CRINGE AND FAILZONE !#˗ ˋ 🌠 worldbuilding ﹕ I'M SPRUCING UP YOUR GACHA GAME !#long post /#˗ ˋ 📖 little yue ﹕ CYNGUS FLEET CAPTAIN !#˗ ˋ 📖 iwakura yuko ﹕ THE LAST BLADE OF IWAKURA !#˗ ˋ 📖 viktoriya passerine ﹕ THE NIGHTINGALE SONGSTRESS !#˗ ˋ 📖 lyudochka schneitzevna ﹕ REPLACEMENT SHRINE MAIDEN !#˗ ˋ 📖 yukimura emi ﹕ ONI DEFECTOR !#˗ ˋ 📖 teppei ﹕ CAPTAIN OF HERRING I !#˗ ˋ 📖 tomo ﹕ I WILL BRAVE THE LIGHTING’S GLOW !#˗ ˋ 📖 teucer ﹕ MY BIG BROTHER'S THE BESTEST !#˗ ˋ 📖 havria ﹕ LIKE THE SALT AND THE SEA !#˗ ˋ 📖 selene beaulieu ﹕ STARRY EYED LASTBORN !#˗ ˋ 📖 glory ﹕ MAY THE WINDS PROTECT YOU !#˗ ˋ 📖 andrius ﹕ LUPUS BOREAS !

4 notes · View notes

laputi · 3 years

Text

Five Flushes Of Fortune Event

Adventure Rank - 20+ NPC - Ji Tong Quest - “Kurious Kamera” Co-op Friendly - Yes

Each day you can take up to 10 pictures that fit the category of the day; category can be found on the event page. The pictures will randomly give you a colored photo(Crimson, Ultramarine, Pale Gold, Orcher, Purple Aster). You need one of each to trade in with Ji Tong for a reward. If you need a certain color photo you can try trading with friends.

There might be more but these are the ones I tested/were tested by someone else. If you want to hunt down Beasts this is a good guide to how to find them https://www.hoyolab.com/genshin/article/169525.

Day 1 Red Items (Windwheel Aster, Apple, Snapdragon, Flaming Flower, Silk Flower, Sunsettia, Jueyun Chili, Valberry, Carrot, Calla Lily)

Day 2 Blue Creatures (Cryo Regisvine, Anemo Hypostasis, Oceanid/Summons, Cyro Cicin Mage, Cyro/Hydro Cicin, Cyro Whopperflower, Cryo/Hyrdo Slime, Cyro/Hydro Abyss Mage, Unusual Hilichurl, Cyro Hilichurl Shooter/Grenadier, Cryo/Hyrdo Samachurl, Frostarm Lawachurl, Cyro/Hydro Gunner, Andrius, Cyro/Hydro Primo Geovishap, Blue Horned Lizard, Cyro/Anemo Crystalfly, Ocean Crab, Blue Frog)

Day 3 Red Creatures (Large Dendro Slime, Pyro slime, Pyro Hilichurl Shooter, Hillichurl Berserker/Grenadier, Pyro Whopperflower, Pyro Regisvine, Pyro Abyss Mage, Fatui Pyro Agent, Pyroslinger, Pryo Primo Geovishap, Crimson Fox, Squirrel, Red Horned Lizard, Red-Tailed Weasel, Sun Crab, Lapis Glede)

Day 4 Blue Items (Glaze Lily, Small Lamp Grass, Starconch, Starsilver Ore, Mint, Noctilucous Jade Ore, Dandelion, Crystal/Magical Crystal Ore, Mist Flower)

Day 5 Yellow Items (Snapdragon, Sunsettia, Sweet Flower, Mushroom, Berry, Cor Lapis Ore)

Day 6 Brown Creatures (Ruin Guard, Ruin Hunter, Ruin Grader, Geovishap Hatchling, Geovishap, (Any) Primo Geovishap, Geo Hypostasis, Geo Slime, Hilichurl, Hilichurl Fighter/Shooter, Wooden/Rock/Ice Shield Hilichurl Guard, Blazing Axe Mitachurl, Wooden/Rock/Ice Shieldwall Mitachurl, Stonehide Lawachurl, Geo Samachurl, Geochanter, Crimson Fox, Squirrel, Boot Weasel, Black-Back Hound, Forest/Snow Boar, Great Snowboar King, Graywing Pigeon, Brownwing/Umbertail Falcon)

Day 7 Purple Creatures (Electro Hypostasis, Electro Slime, Electro Hilichurl Shooter, Electro-Hammer, Electro Cicin Mage, Electro Cicin, Electro Primo Geovishap)

End Rewards Talk to Ji Tong after the event ends Special Kamera - Photos taken using the Special Kamera will have special colors.

#genshin impact #genshin impact event

45 notes · View notes

slimepuparibaba · 3 years

Text

Star Conches and Windwheel Asters: Chapter 2 out of context

I want you to guess what is happening here because it just gets funnier from here

#chilumi #childe #lumine #xiangling #genshin impact #genshin #tartaglia #ajax #genshin fanfic #fanfic preview #starconches and windwheel asters

20 notes · View notes

slimepuparibaba · 3 years

Text

ChiLumi | Hidden Meaning

Okay, so, basically, this takes place in between the Archon missions and before Golden House.

I'm gonna leave bullet points just cuz it's easier that way and I'm so bad at writing. I might make a fic of it later though if enough people want me to XD

There might be some additional parts to this too cuz I wanna put in detail how the Golden House fight went down, how Childe's story mission worked, and every other ChiLumi headcanon after that so yeah.

They may be a bit OOC but this is how I imagine it playing out

So we're clear, Childe has used his charms to woo over many to gain information for the Fatui. He sees Lumine slightly falling for him so he decides to use this to his advantage no one tell the boy he is in love yet, he refuses to believe it

Childe invites Lumine out to run some errands around Liyue. His excuse? The group is running out of food and needs to cook up some more stuff for their future adventures.

His conditions? Everyone else must stay behind, including Paimon. Paimon says no to this, obviously, since she hasn't left Lumine's side.

Lumine, however, says yes.

Most of the team is heavily against this outing, but Kaeya, Barbara, Chongyun, and Xiangling seem to be on Lumine's side, letting her go and convince the rest to let Childe and Lumine do as they please. (Side note: Kaeya and Barbara are huge playing factors in this entire ChiLumi saga)

Childe and Lumine start wandering around Liyue and stop by the beach, where Lumine starts picking up some starconches behind Childe's back

She hands it over and says it's a gift for him. When he asks why, she says she wants to try and convince Childe to join them on their adventure.

Lumine isn't dumb; she knew Childe did this to try and squeeze info out of her, hence why she accepted. However, she decided that she wants to try and convince Childe to leave the Fatui and switch sides.

Childe isn't convinced, obviously, and says that he is her enemy--she can't expect him to switch sides that easily, could she? Especially not when he's made it clear that he, Tartaglia, the 11th Harbinger, wants to conquer the world!

Lumine, however, begs to differ

"How about we make a deal?" She asks. "I'll take you sightseeing around Liyue Harbor while we run errands. I want you to take a good look this time and see the people of Liyue not as people you collect debt from, not as people you need to defeat, nor as people you need to conquer. I want you to see the as people with families and lives, living their days out peacefully... as your average human being, like you or me. If you can do that, at least consider leaving the Fatui, okay?"

Childe scoffs, saying that he'll only take the deal because he knows it won't work. Lumine shoves the starconch into his hands and pulls him along, smiling sweetly. His heart slightly flutters but this stupid idiot thinks the world is black and white and he can't be in love with the enemy so he ignores it.

Lumine starts heading to some stalls and buying some food, sharing it with Childe. He states that he's already done this before, but she wants him to experience it from a different point of view. She leads him to Wanmin Restaraunt and the two feast.

Childe doesn't know why, but for some reason, the food tastes a bit better than when he tasted it the first time he came to Liyue. He looks to Lumine, who's enjoying every bite, and softly smiles.

After paying, she continues dragging him everywhere. To drink tea, to hear stories, or to even watch kids fly kites (and even convince him to fly a kite with her)

Then, they get to the middle of Yujing Terrace

Childe was having a great time so far and was almost forgetting that he was supposed to be dragging out information from her, but when they got to the scene where the Exuvia was supposed to be, where the crime scene had taken place days earlier, he remembered that he was a Fatui. What was he doing, having fun without getting his job done? He needed to get that Gnosis, after all, from Rex Lapis' corpse.

Lumine leads him to one of the altars and says that even if the Rite of Decension is no more, she still wants to make a wish with him. Childe is amused that she would do such a thing and agrees.

She lights the incense stick and lights the altar, making her wish. Childe starts to question her.

"Y'know... I would like to know what you wished for, Oujo-chan. Convince me that the Tsaritsa is wrong about this whole thing... that the world shouldn't be our enemy and that there's still hope."

Childe was expecting Lumine to turn him down, but she answered with her wish.

"...I want to be reunited with someone special to me. We were always attached to the hip whenever we traveled together, and even if we parted ways, I knew where to meet him. I knew where to go. But I lost him... and I'm so scared. I wake up in the middle of the night because I keep seeing nightmares where he walks away from me and I can never reach him."

She has a sad look in her eyes as she keeps continuing.

"If anything, I just want to see him again and know he's safe... and, along the way, maybe gather up more friends. I want to have the people of Teyvat united and happy together... if I can gather more people together, I'd like that... we can go hunt for treasure, solve puzzles, discover ruins, fight ruins... all while trying to find our own goals, we can come together, as a family."

Childe smiled at her answer, and when Lumine asked what he wished for, he hesitantly answered. He began to murmur, searching for the right words, but all he could come up with was the answer he knew all around him expected from him.

"...to become stronger and... conquer the world...?"

He sounded unsure, because he was. Lumine didn't pick up on that and just laughed, saying that sounded so like him. But, truth was, he was conflicted on his wish.

In truth, he wanted a resolve like Lumine.

He wished someone would tell him that he doesn't need to constantly fight and bring chaos.

He wished someone would treat him as a friend, or even as family, unlike the Fatui, who either despised him with their entire being or feared him, whether out of respect or their sheer will to survive in the Fatui.

He wished someone would tell him it's okay to feel vulnerable--that the world was okay, and that he can live as a person. Not as a Harbinger, not as a Fatui...

He wished someone would tell him that he can protect those he loves without constantly destroying others who are loved by their own families.

He looked to Lumine, who started gazing at the stars above and realized one thing and one thing only:

He wished that Lumine would tell him that he isn't alone anymore.

The next day, when Lumine woke up, Childe handed her a bouquet of Windwheel Asters.

When Lumine asked why, Childe brushed it off as telling her to get stronger for their upcoming battle.

Deep inside, though, those weren't Childe's true intentions. In fact, what he meant to say was this:

"When that fateful day comes, beat me... make me change sides. Become so strong that I have no choice but to listen to you."

"Prove to me that I'm a monster worth saving."

my heart aches for these two, because childe in this entire storyline is literally trying to convince himself that he can't switch sides and he's already gone too far deep to be saved

honey plz lumine is trying to show u that you're just like anyone else. you don't need to conquer the world to protect those you love oh my gOD

#chilumi #genshin impact #headcanon #genshin childe #childe #lumine #genshin traveler #genshin #angst #genshin angst #just pure and utter angst #childe for fucks sake please switch sides lumine didn't say it verbally but she loves you #yes lumine loves childe #she didn't say it verbally but she loves him #childe goddammit why are you so stuBBORN #plz excuse my bad writing hahahahahahaha #tartaglia

112 notes · View notes

slimepuparibaba · 3 years

Text

Starconches and Windwheel Asters | Chapter 1: A Bet Sealed

In which Childe and Lumine have a talk on the beach and make a bet...

Okay, I am so sorry in advance, but this one is painstakingly long. I sincerely did not mean for it to be this long, but it's hopefully fluffy enough to make up for it. These first few chapters are going to need fluff. And... and I mean it. Seriously. Childe might seem a little OOC and all over the place, as will this chapter. Hopefully, I managed to capture how scattered Childe's thoughts are. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Full fic below the cut!

Masterlist -> Next

You can also read this fanfic on AO3!

"Hey, girlie, hold still!"

Those first four words made Lumine's heart thump in her chest.

She will never forget the day she met that Harbinger, the one she was supposed to call her enemy. His codename was Tartaglia, though he went by Childe. He was cunning, bold, and sly. The first day they met, Childe wasn't hesitant to reveal his intentions to her and Paimon. He was here on Fatui business, to fulfill the will of the Tsaritsa.

Even then, Lumine fell.

It wasn't a subtle type of thing, either. Everyone who traveled by Lumine's side noticed that, as soon as she returned to the inn they were staying in, she was giggling to herself... almost on cloud nine.

Kaeya was one of the first to notice it. He had left Mondstadt to ensure Lumine safe travels throughout Teyvat; and, since there was no calvary to be the captain of with the Knights, he wasn't exactly "needed", per se. Besides, Jean and Diluc were still there; surely, the Dandelion Knight and the Darknight Hero would be able to take care of any issues.

Kaeya could easily see through Lumine. He was there when the encounter between Lumine and Childe first occurred. As soon as the ginger gestured her to follow, the knight could tell how smitten Lumine was. And, while the one she happened to fall for was a Fatui, Kaeya wasn't entirely against it. He was glad to see her mind taken off the whereabouts of her brother, after all.

Barbara was the second. She was one of the members of the team to easily read the faces of everyone, whether they seem troubled or happy, or in this case, madly in love. She was hesitant that Childe was the one to sweep Lumine off her feet, but the nun shrugged it off and decided to support Lumine.

Whenever the young Harbinger was spotted nearby and approached Lumine, Barbara and Kaeya weren't hesitant to push her towards the object of her affections. They gave subtle tips, hoping the Traveler would catch on and at least attempt to make a move.

Of course, though, Lumine's comrades weren't the only ones to notice.

Childe was, of course, very aware of the Outlander's affection towards him. In fact, he somewhat formulated it. He heard of the "new girl" in Teyvat who saved Mondstadt and learned she was heading towards Liyue. Since he was already stationed there for the Rite of Descension, he decided that it was best to gain the trust of her and her acquaintances before pulling the rug out from underneath them when the time was right.

He had done this before. He would make many swoon for him and gain the information, or the Mora, that he needed. After all, he was Tartaglia, the 11th Harbinger. This kind of work was as natural to him as breathing was.

Thus, he decided to pull the strings on this strange yet powerful visitor...

"Running... errands?" Lumine asked.

"Yup! Exactly that." The ginger teen was leaning against the bar the inn had owned, his blue eyes filled with playfulness. "I've seen how your little tour group over here is faring, and I couldn't help but notice the lack of ingredients and materials you have in that inventory of yours." When he said that, he gestured towards Paimon, glancing at the floating being. Everyone else did the same, glaring at the mascot.

"Hey! What did Paimon do?!" She squealed.

"You ate most of the Sunsettias in the middle of the night?" Amber said.

"You also used our Mora to buy an entire feast for yourself..." Noelle added.

"Paimon, maybe Lumine was right... maybe it's time you become emergency food." Beidou finished chugging one of her jugs of alcohol, slamming it onto the table next to her, and smiling almost wickedly at Paimon.

Paimon was in the midst of a panic, waving her arms around. "No, no! P-Paimon meant to share it with everyone! Really! Honest! P-p-pinkie promise!" At that, Childe let out a hearty laugh.

"Well, as you can see, your team is desperate for some supplies." He looked back at Lumine, who was watching the fiasco take place directly in front of her. She was giggling at the scene, and the sound of that laughter slightly made the Harbinger's heart flutter.

I'm sorry, my heart did what? Childe tried to snap himself out of it. We're here on a mission. We have to find the Gnosis and hand it over to the Tsaritsa... this is just the usual seduction routine we've used before. Stay on track, Tartaglia!

He cleared his throat, continuing. "So, ojou-chan..." He leaned closer to the girl, flashing that signature smile that he always wore. He could tell Lumine was swooning just from the slight red that started spreading on the tips of her ears. "...how about it? You and I can round up some food. After all, I do have lots of Mora, and you are the team's leader. You should know what everyone wants." The blonde started to ponder on it, weighing her options carefully. "Oh, and you need to ditch the small child."

"HEY!"

Paimon let out a loud yelp, taking offense to the last-minute comment that Childe tacked on to his proposition. She angrily huffed, looking to Lumine and telling her to turn down Childe's offer, because it was "not fair to Paimon" and Childe was "super untrustworthy". The ginger reiterated his proposal, putting extra emphasis on the "ditch Paimon" condition, and Lumine had her mind made up.

"Alright. I should be fine around three."

"LUMINE!"

Paimon continued to throw a hissy fit, whining about how she has to come with Lumine because, without her help, Lumine wouldn't be able to hold the food. Even then, Lumine still confirmed that she made up her mind.

This was working smoothly for Childe. He would be able to get Lumine, the foolish girl, alone. No Paimon or teammate could get in between the two of them. He would easily be able to squeeze out all of the information he needed. And, if the time came, maybe the two of them could've even had a sparring match. Oh, how fired up he was just to cross blades with the Traveler.

However, he then realized that it wasn't up to just Lumine to make this decision...

"Alone? With a Fatui?" Amber spoke up, having an obvious opposition to this outing. "Traveler, with all due respect, you may be the Honorary Knight, but he's a Harbinger! You can't trust him that easily. Remember what happened with the Fatui in Mondstadt?"

Lumine looked up at the Pyro Archer and smiled nervously, correcting her statement. "I mean... if we are being technical here, it was mostly the Abyss that was involved with the Stormterror issue."

"And Venti?" The girl responded, crossing her arms. "You told me that La Signora harmed him pretty bad. Signora is also a Harbinger. I don't know what she did to Venti," Amber said, crossing her arms and standing firm, "but I know that it was bad. All Fatui are the same, especially when it comes to the Harbingers. You can't trust them--especially not one like this guy." She glared at Childe, who just flashed a smile her way.

Childe was used to this by now. When he first got promoted to being a Harbinger, everyone that used to be close to him stood far away. Not even his fellow Harbingers could trust them--in the Fatui, you had to learn to trust no one but yourself. Because the Fatui was a place for those who were used to scheming and lying for the sake of the Tsaritsa. That was what he signed up for, anyway.

The archer continued, suggesting that Lumine at least take someone with her, or let them tag along from behind. She claimed it was safer that way so that Childe wouldn't try any "funny business." "You can take Kaeya with you, or even Lisa," she suggested. "Anyone would be fine... just please, don't go on your own with him."

"Well..." The Traveler looked around at the people who were gathered near her. They all seemed to be nodding their heads in agreement, and she felt the atmosphere became much tenser than it was minutes before. "...um, if that's the case, then--"

"Actually!"

One person raised their hand from amidst the group. The Calvary Captain himself, Kaeya, stood up from his seat and approached Lumine from behind, patting her on the shoulder.

"Lumine is more capable than we would like to think. I think she'll be fine," the blue-haired man stated. He made it clear to Lumine that he was on her side--he already knew of her little "crush", anyway, and was willing to play the wingman. "She's strong enough to defeat Stormterror. Who's to say that she can't deal with one lousy Harbinger?" Kaeya chuckled, turning to the rest of his friends and teammates. From the crowd, another figure emerged, standing right beside Lumine.

"Mhm! I think she'll be fine, too!" Barbara clung onto Lumine's arm, backing up Kaeya's stance on the matter. "She's able to harness both Anemo and Geo now, and she's already proven how strong she is in Mondstadt! I know she'll be okay!" The two Mondstadt citizens glanced at each other, nodding their heads in mutual agreement. Truly, those two were on the same wavelength.

"But... but Paimon doesn't trust him!" Paimon shouted out, zooming across the room and staring Childe right in the eyes. "You can see it in his eyes... yeah, like Kaeya said! His eyes... they're suspicious!" Ironically enough, Kaeya pushed Paimon away from Childe, gesturing her to back down.

Kaeya and Barbara gave Lumine the thumbs up, almost as if to say that they would take care of the others and that it was best for the two of them to be on their way. So, catching onto their cue, Lumine coughed and looked up at Childe.

"W-well, n-now that I think of it," she stuttered, trying to smoothly change the topic. "I just realized that I am... not busy right now?" She tilted her head towards the exit to the inn, and Childe smiled softly. He understood clearly.

"Ah... then, shall we head out?" The ginger offered his arm to the girl, and she took it with glee. "Well, then, I'll be taking oujo-chan out now!"

"Bring her back home before dinner!" Beidou called out, gaining a chuckle from Childe. "Or else..."

"Yeah, yeah! I hear ya, Miss Pirate," he laughed. Looking down at the blonde, he smiled. "Now then, shall we get going, Miss?"

Oh, dear Archons, his smile was enough to make Lumine die and revive on the spot. Forget Mora Meat or Qingce Stir Fry--if Childe smiled at her like that, she would instantly have buffs and infinite health restoration!

Slowly melting from his charms, Lumine nodded.

"Yeah...! Let's go!"

Liyue Harbor is a beautiful place.

Childe knew this, considering he had been there for a while. And yet, for some reason, just walking along the beachside with Lumine made its beauty all the more noticeable.

He was able to finally get the Traveler all to himself, and seeing how easily she went with him, squeezing information out of her should be easy. He was slightly disappointed, though. Considering her title as the "Honorary Knight of Mondstadt", he was expecting her guard to be a bit higher. And yet, she came willingly without any additional convincing. How he so wished for her to put up more of a fight...

Lumine, however, noticed Childe's watchful eye on her. She ran ahead and bent down, digging into the sand beneath her. Her intentions weren't exactly clear until she gently cradled a small shell in her hands.

It was a starconch.

The blonde looked back up at her acquaintance and smiled. It was one of the goofiest grins anyone could ever have seen. She seemed almost proud of it like she needed praise for digging up such a small shell.

"Well, now," Childe teased, "must I give you a gold star for digging this up?" He was slightly amused at her actions and wasn't sure what she wanted to do with the shell. "What? Does this ojou-chan want to build a sandcastle?" Childe kneeled and leaned in closer, peeking over Lumine's shoulder. He's done this before--it's just the normal routine. He'll tease them with the possibility of a kiss and then treat them to dinner, before gaining every possible piece of information he co--

"It's for you, actually!"

...I'm sorry, it's for what now?

Lumine giggled, grabbing Childe's hand and placing the small starconch in his. Man, her hands are small, Childe realized. She's only two years younger and yet she's so tiny... so tiny that it's kind of cute...

Wait, cute? No. Not cute! Snap out of it, Childe! You're a Harbinger! What are you doing, falling for the one who's supposed to be doing the falling?!

In an attempt to ignore the feelings plaguing his heart, he cleared his throat and asked, "For me? Your enemy?" He held it up to the sunlight, inspecting it further. "Hm... and, what exactly is your intent with this, Traveler?"

Lumine brushed a stray hair behind her ear and smiled. "Well, I just wanted to give you a present. I can do that, can't I?" Once more did she flash that small grin of hers, piercing Childe through the heart. He even dropped the starconch into his lap when she did that, causing Lumine to giggle even more.

Okay, so maybe she's cute. Fine. She wins that.

"That, and..." The girl looked out to the seaside, watching the waves meet with the sand before retreating away. "...I'm not dumb, you know." Without looking Childe in the eye, she stated ever so calmly, "I know you want information."

Shit. I got caught.

So, this Outlander isn't as dumb as Childe initially believed. Good. That made the challenge all the more fun to him, after all. If it was to be easy, it practically felt wrong and would've been much more boring.

The ginger smirked, taking a seat right next to Lumine on the sand, gazing at the ocean as well.

"Well, well. So, you caught me red-handed," he laughed. "What? Did you pull me over just for that, ojou-chan? Hm?" He glanced at the girl beside him, who was enjoying the calm sea breeze.

She looked quite beautiful in the sunlight, now that Childe thought about it. The sun reflected off her golden hair at just the right angle, and the way she seemed so calm was just something else to him.

"Not exactly," Lumine answered, snapping Childe out of his trance.

Seriously, stop daydreaming and focus, dammit!

Lumine continued, "Actually... I only agreed to come with you because I feel like I can change your mind about some things."

Oh? Change his mind? That was new.

"Change my mind? Hah, on what, girlie?" He scoffed, intrigued. "Being part of the Fatui?" Surprisingly, however, Lumine nodded her head. Childe stared at her for a second, astonished. They... they only just met? Why would she care about him being in the Fatui? "You're... you're joking, right?"

"Nope," Lumine stated, bluntly. "Not joking."

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, suddenly, the ginger started to burst out in laughter, clutching his stomach and rocking back and forth. To him, such an idea was so outlandish that he didn't expect this Outlander to even admit such a thing! Him? Leave the Fatui? That was such a stupid thought that even Childe wouldn't dream of pursuing such a path.

"L-Leave the... hahaha...! L-Leave the Fatu... Hahahaha!" The boy was practically cracking up, still in disbelief. "M-Man...! When did you become so funny, huh, ojou-chan?" He attempted to catch his breath, and yet, he kept laughing. He was in hysterics.

In response, though, Lumine shook her head. She stared directly at the Harbinger, resting her head on her knees. The look in her eyes told Childe the truth.

Lumine was definitely not kidding.

Childe ceased his laughter, an eyebrow raised in confusion and intrigue. What was the purpose of this, he wondered. Was Lumine that smitten that she believed she could reform Childe? That kind of plot-twist was one that was unimaginable to him, so that couldn't be it at all. Did she think that having Childe out of the Fatui would be beneficial to her? Now that option seemed much more plausible.

He sighed, lying down on the sand and looking up at the sky. "Really, now... this is one of the first times I've heard that in years. But..." He turned his head to look at Lumine, a slight chuckle in his voice as he softly smiled, "...I never expected it to be from you."

The girl picked back up the starconch that Childe had dropped onto the sand and placed it back into his hand once more. She curled his fingers up so that the shell wouldn't fall out of his grasp, and she gripped his hand in hers, nodding.

"Well, guess I'm full of surprises." This Traveler was somewhat unlike anything that the Harbinger was able to grasp, but he found that it just made things more interesting. "I... want to make a bet with you, actually."

"Oho, a bet, you say?" Childe sat up, leaning in closer. "Continue... I'd like to see what's on the line. Our lives? Dignity?"

"How about..." The girl started to trail off, looking away before snapping her fingers and glancing back at Childe. "...your title as Harbinger?"

Oh, so we're playing that game now.

"My title? As the 11th Harbinger? No, no, no... see, even if I did take you up on that offer," the ginger stated, before hastily adding, "Which I'm not if I need to make that clear..." He sighed, closing his eyes before continuing with his reasoning. "...I had to go through a lot of stuff just to get that title. There's nothing, and I mean nothing, that you could bet on that would match up with that."

"Well," she trailed off, looking down at her feet and tapping her boots together as if stalling. "...you're right. I have nothing to offer." She looked back out to the horizon, watching the sun slowly start its descent. "You're a Harbinger, and asking you to leave the Fatui isn't something I can just ask you to do."

"Exactly."

"And... I'm sure that you're convinced that we're enemies and that you'd never want to leave in the first place."

"Mhm. Right on point."

"But...!" Lumine tried to continue persuading him, and finally decided to reiterate, "You don't have to give it up if you don't want to by the time this whole thing is over." Childe became even more curious. By the time what is over? "I want to take you sightseeing around Liyue Harbor while we run errands."

Ah, so a date...

...wait, hold up, a date--?

Aren't we moving too fast? We literally just met! Should I even be doing this on duty? Wait, what am I saying?! I'm her enemy! Why am I worried about moving too fast? It's not like I want to... or... d-do I? Damn it, Childe, get your act together!

"And... this time..." The girl, while Childe was in the middle of his own internal monologue, continued with her proposition. "I want you to take a good look and see the people as what they are--people." She emphasized this point, losing the light-heartedness that was once in her tone. "Not as people you need to collect debt from, need to defeat, or need to conquer. Just... as people with families, with lives!" She looked at him with the most sincere gaze. Her amber eyes were sparkling with a glow that was drawing Childe in, almost convincing him--hypnotizing him--to accepting the deal.

Her eyes are actually really pretty now that I have a good look at them...

"I want you to see them as an average human being, just like you and me. If you can do that... then... at least consider leaving the Fatui. I'm not forcing you to leave, but I just want you to keep it in mind, okay, Childe?" When Lumine was finished with her speech, she noticed Childe was just staring at her blankly. It was almost as if he was in a trance, which was uncharacteristic of him. "Um... Childe?"

Were her eyes always that pretty? It's like looking at the sun, but...

"Childe?"

...why can't I look away?

"Childe!" Lumine called out, snapping him out of it. He jolted, just realizing he was in a daze. "Were you even listening to me?" Childe was about to lie and say he totally did until he saw Lumine's pouting face. Her cheeks were slightly puffed, her eyebrows furrowed, and yet she was incredibly...

Adorable.

"U-uh..." Holy fuck, she's cute.

"Hello~?" Lumine started to call out to Childe, waving her hand in front of his face. "Teyvat to Childe. Can you hear me?" Little did the Traveler know the number of jumbled thoughts going through Childe's head.

It was a mess in there. Mountains of gushing ramblings about her were starting to pile on top of each other with some logical part of Childe's conscious trying to compress them and hide them far away into the back of his mind. Even then, the loud thoughts kept bleeding through. He was starting to lose focus.

She's just so cute.

In fact, he was so broken that all that left his mouth were broken words and jumbled up sentences. "Um... sorry, what? I was... um... uh..."

Come up with an excuse, you dimwit! Don't make a fool of yourself! You know better than this!

"I was looking at that... o-other starconch!" Childe stammered, trying to search desperately for some convenient starconch that was placed out in the open. Sadly, he couldn't find one, so he just pointed in a direction, hoping Lumine wouldn't catch on to his poor acting skills. "Y-yeah! That starconch, haha! Over there!" Lumine was about to check in that direction, but Childe immediately tugged on her arm in hopes he wouldn't be exposed.

...wow, he thought, mentally facepalming. This is... a complete and utter trainwreck. Good going, Childe. Good. Fucking. Going.

The Traveler, realizing how off track he was, decided to cut him some slack and summarize it in a few short phrases. She sighed, saying, "Look, I just think you're not as bad as everyone thinks you are." She hugged her knees tighter to her chest, seeming quite sincere about such a concern. "You're a lot nicer than a lot of people would think you would be, even if you're a Fatui Harbinger... you just... need to learn to put down the act, you know?"

How would you know how nice I am? Childe began to wonder. For all you know, I could be deceiving you and ready to kill you at any moment. So why... why are you letting down your guard for such a flimsy hypothesis? Are you choosing to believe that I'm nice just because you've fallen for me? He scoffed, deciding to scold her for such an unusual mindset.

Ojou-chan, that's truly sweet of you, but being smitten for me doesn't change the fact that I'm your enemy...

"Even if you are my enemy..." Lumine responded, stopping Childe from continuing his internal narration.

Shit, did I just say that out loud?!

"I think you're... way too humane for me to brush off as a totally bad person," she explained before turning her head and smiling at him.

Did she just gloss over the whole 'smitten' part? God, why can't I think straight today?!

While she was definitely very pretty whenever she smiled, Childe's thoughts were all over the place that he was just picking out things that he probably shouldn't have been paying attention to. Truly, the Harbinger was completely off his game.

"Haha... hah... humane, you say?" He nervously chuckled, trying to regather his thoughts (as well as what little left of logical thinking he had). "Girlie, with all due respect, I'm a Fatui Harbinger. You know that I'm not here for good reasons, and yet, you still want to deny that?" It was admirable, really, it was. The fact that Lumine was completely ignoring Childe's position as a Harbinger and seemingly not minding it at all was something he hadn't seen in a while, but it was dangerous for her. She was on a quest: a journey across all of Teyvat, fighting against the Abyss and the Fatui alike. So why was she disregarding Childe's position as Harbinger? Why was she denying it?

"Well... yeah," Lumine answered. "Of course I'm denying it."

"But why?"

"Because..." The blonde girl shifted her eyes away from Childe, murmuring something under her breath. Even though she tried to avoid him hearing it, the Harbinger could make out a few words: "...you keep looking lonely..."

Oh? Him? Childe? The 11th Harbinger? One of those appointed and trusted by the Tsaritsa? The one who always shows up wherever the chaos is? How could he be lonely? If anything, he was far from lonely. He was surrounded by colleagues who feared and respected him, who would listen to his every word! How was that lonely?

Lumine, still avoiding Childe's gaze, let out a sigh and said in such a small voice, "I... caught you alone once. You were... writing a letter to someone, if I remember correctly."

Oh.

…oh.

His letters.

The letters that Childe would write to his siblings back in Snezhnaya whenever he had the time; letters talking about the things he had seen, sent over with an abundance of gifts that he so wished he could give them in person but can't; the letters written with stories he wanted to tell by their fireplace back home, where they could all eat Calla Lily Soup together and laugh at the shenanigans Childe was up to.

Those letters.

The letters that he had to send from nations away because the Fatui didn't trust him to stay in Snezhnaya.

The letters that he sent constantly because he felt homesick and wanted to be with his family.

…yes, those were such letters.

How could he be so stupid to let his guard down and have Lumine, his enemy, of all people, see that?

Childe fell silent, not saying anything. His silence spoke volumes to Lumine, confirming her suspicions. She saw the look on his face and seemed to take pity on him, to which he didn't want from her. He was seen at one of his most vulnerable times--when he was homesick and hoping the best for his family. He didn't want the one he was to cross blades with one day see such a thing.

"...you seemed kind of sad writing it." Lumine looked up at the sky as if searching for someone. It was almost as if she knew the feeling Childe had felt when he was writing those letters. "...you must miss them, the person you were writing to." The atmosphere grew tense, with the girl continuing to gaze at the sky with such a sorrowful look in her eyes; the boy, remaining uncharacteristically silent. "...maybe you just joined the Fatui for the sake of that person..." She looked back at Childe, with what seemed to be a look of pain on her face. "Right?"

Why? Childe wondered. Why is she looking at me like that? Like she would know. And why would it matter to her why I joined the Fatui? I'm still her enemy in the end... He looked at the waves touching the sand gently before they moved away, back to the ocean. The waves would touch the sand, then part with it... touch it, then part... what a somber feeling he felt, just from this one conversation.

Was this her plan? The ginger kept pondering. Did she pry into my private life in hopes that she can let my guard down? In hopes that she can strike me down faster that way? Childe was slowly growing paranoid, not believing Lumine's intents to be pure. He kept searching for reasons to antagonize her, to make her the enemy. He kept grasping at straws.

The thumping of his heart, though, kept telling him otherwise.

This entire time on the seashore of Liyue Harbor, Childe was at war with his heart and his head. His thoughts were all over the place, he couldn't understand a thing, and he was making no sense. He was quite lost, though he hated to admit it. The only thing he could make out clearly was the sound of Lumine's voice and her ethereal figure as she sat there, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning.

So maybe that's why he accepted her offer. Maybe that's why he decided to let his guard down, just this once. Maybe... just maybe, that was the reason that he took up Lumine on her offer.

"...so," he quietly murmured, breaking the silence between them. "...you just want to take me on a date around Liyue and convince me to be... what? Merciful?" He had a slight smile on his face, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. Thankfully, to his benefit, it worked.

"Something like that--wait! Date?!" Lumine almost instantly regained that innocent glow she had before, giving in to Childe's antics. "D-da... it's not a date!" she screeched, turning to him and pounding her fists into the sand. The Harbinger covered his face to avoid the sand from flying into his face, starting to feel a bit giddier.

"Hahaha, yeah, sure! Okay, I totally believe you," he laughed, lowering his arm to catch a look at the flustered girl.

"I'm serious! It's not a date!"

"Oh, then what is it? A business outing? Hahaha!" Ah... she really is a bit cute.

The lighthearted atmosphere that was with them in the beginning returned. For now, Childe told himself, he'll let his guard down. Just this once, he'll try and let Lumine do as she pleases. Some part of him was telling him that it was alright to just be a human rather than a Harbinger around her...

...and for the first time, Childe listened.

43 notes · View notes