The trek returning to Inazuma was a long and arduous one, and silence reigned across the deck on a warm, humid night.
Unlike the last time Lumine had travelled upon the Alcor with her party, Beidou had foregone her usual bombastic commands in favour of simply staring at Lumine's party with a bemused expression. Although Beidou had agreed to let them upon her ship, she wasn't stupid, and she knew that their newest guest was quite a celebrity nowadays, and having that information omitted from her when Lumine was chatting about getting a ride to Inazuma didn't exactly make Beidou the happiest ever.
"The Traveller is as the Traveller does... Tch..."
"Though the lightning strikes, all that remains will be one's dreams and memories..."
And even if the crew was uninformed about who their newest guest was, Kazuha could already glean that they had some kind of extreme importance—if not because of deeds, then because he was strikingly similar in appearance to the Raiden Shogun. (Little did Kazuha know that this enigmatic wanderer was far more intertwined to his clan's past than he was aware.) Kazuha's feelings on the matter were irrelevant, however; his perspective on the Shogun was infinitely more complex, and should he have any ill feelings, he would divulge upon them another time.
Ichiban stood alone in quiet contemplation as he watched the waves bob to and fro, ephemeral in their short-lived crashing, crossing his arms and focusing on nothing in particular. Much like the waters, his mind was rough and unsteady, and he was incapable of doing much but ruminate upon the future as Ei was busy playing oicho-kabu with Xiangling and Paimon to pass the time.
Not one for reading the room, Lumine walked to Ichiban's side, leaning upon the railing and looking out to the sea as well.
"...I remember that the Shogun was doing the exact same thing you were doing now. Standing right there, just looking out at the waves on the whole way back to Liyue."
"She was...? It must run in the family, I suppose."
Ichiban didn't look her way, instead huffing in amusement as he tilted his head downward.
"It must have been quite the ride. When I left Inazuma shortly after the whole Vision Hunt Decree ordeal, I had the privilege of having a few Fatui soldiers keep me company during the boat ride back to the mainland. Those times seem so far away now..."
"...And I'm guessing you miss them?"
"About as much as one would miss a pest buzzing around their head. Mindless sycophants, the lot of them."
"Guess that rotten attitude of yours hasn't changed since Sumeru, huh?"
Ichiban laughed, turning fully to face her with a wicked sneer on his face.
"Were you expecting me to be fully domesticated like some dog or something? Come on, Traveller. We both know you can't stand the sight of me at all, so there's no point in trying to make small talk."
Lumine's brow furrowed as she instinctively went to retaliate, but she took in a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself down.
"...No, I've got to at least try. Noelle's the reason why I wanted to give you a chance for Ei and the Shogun's sake, after all."
"This might come as a surprise to you, Traveller, but some people just can't get along no matter what they do. I might be cordial with the others, but I don't have any incentive to extend that courtesy to you specifically."
"Well, you can do whatever you want, but I do what I do because I want to do it. That also means playing nice with you because you're Ei's son, so be grateful I didn't vaporise you when I had the chance."
"Hah! HahahaHAHAhahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
So the Balladeer cackled, putting his hands on his hips and leaning forward as he looked at Lumine with barely-disguised malice.
"As if you could even do that as I am now! Last I checked, as the God of Wisdom, I flung you to the side like a worthless insect! All that bluster and all of those rumours about you being some kind of hero, and you couldn't even save that worthless human friend of yours—"
Ichiban stopped. That grin on his face died, and he took a step back.
The look on Lumine's face had gone from mild annoyance to downright inhuman fury, bloodthirst etched into her features as she glacially turned around and looked deep into the puppet's soul. She looked as if she were practically snarling, ready to pounce upon Ichiban and maul him to shreds—and the only thing holding her back from destroying him was a promise that she made.
"...Don't you ever... ever... call him worthless. Do you understand me? You don't get to talk to me about him being worthless! You don't get to say ANYTHING like that about him!"
"...And just what are you going to do about it, Lumine?"
Ichiban bit back, regaining his confidence after being tripped up.
"You couldn't beat me back then in the Delusion Factory, and you won't do it now—!"
Lumine bellowed, causing everyone on deck to stare at them and Ichiban to shrink back slightly. Walking forward, she jabbed a finger into his chest and stared at him with a blazing, indignant fury in her eyes.
"Ask your mother what I was willing to do when I fought her in the Plane of Euthymia! Ask everyone who knows me what I did to La Signora in Tenshukaku! It's a shame you didn't ask Childe anything about me, because I'm sure he'd love to tell you which walls of the Golden House were splattered with his entrails when we fought! The only reason that you're standing here talking to me like you can even lift a finger against me is because the Shogun fought tooth and nail to save you. You wouldn't even be a faint whisper in the wind if I did what I should have done when I first saw you in Sumeru..."
Ichiban scoffed, spreading out his arms and exposing his middle to her.
"You may as well strike me down, in that case. I can see you hate the Fatui and want us all dead, so why not get it over with? There's no good from keeping me around, after all."
"...I want to. I already told Ei this, but my instincts tell me you should die for what you've done to everyone. Even still, I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it."
Lumine shook, clenching her fists.
"I hate you... so much. Less than Signora and less than Childe, yeah, but your posturing to me isn't even a candle in face of the burning hatred inside me for you at this very moment. I hate you so much... but I can't do anything about it."
"Because of that promise...?"
"...No. Not because of that promise. Once upon a time... I told myself I wanted to be just like my brother. I wanted to be just like him in every way I possibly could, but I can't. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to be anything like him."
Lumine hangs her head low, looking back towards the see and putting her hand against the railing.
"He told me so many stories about daring knights saving princesses or someone managing to save the day, and he'd tell me that we were heroes just like them—but I know those people don't exist at all in reality. The only thing that I can trust is my own judgment and the people I believe in. Everything else—eternity, wisdom, godhood—is just an excuse for people to abuse their power and act like they're better than every other person weaker than they are. You're no different in that regard... You just wanted power so you could get vengeance against the universe for making your life as miserable as it was."
"Don't speak as if you know me, you lowly cur!"
Ichiban stormed up to her, taking her by the collar and dragging her towards him so they were face-to-face. He looked haggard, shook by her words, desperately attempting to convince her (himself?) that she was speaking utter nonsense about his true motivations. His pupils dilated, his teeth chattering, he looked about ready to explode.
"My story is mine and mine alone to tell! You couldn't dare comprehend what I've been through—you don't know anything about me at all, you're just some stupid, vapid mutt who attacks everything in her sights like an unrestrained bloodhound—"
Lumine didn't even give him the chance to finish before she lifted up her elbow and whacked his arms out of her face, causing Ichiban to let go and yelp in surprise from how strong Lumine was. That, too, appeared to be restrained—and even still, Lumine was controlling her immeasurable anger.
"...The only reason I'm as cordial as I am right now with you is because you were just like me, once upon a time. You wanted to believe that there as good in the world, too, right? But time passed, and you found out that life was harder than you thought, and you just couldn't bear it anymore. You were a child just like I was, way back when... Weren't you?"
Ichiban suddenly found himself at a loss for words, unable to look her in the eyes or create any coherent rebuttal to her. All he could do was sputter indignantly, glance everywhere but her face, before looking down at the deck of the Alcor in a mixture of guilt and shame.
"...I... I have nothing to say to you...!"
Turning away, Lumine walked past Ichiban and glanced over her shoulder.
"Even if I do hate your guts, I made that promise with Ei and Noelle that I would at least try to see your point of view. And... I guess I already do, in a sense. Now you're one of us—and no matter what happens to me, and no matter what happens to you, I'll fight for your right to stay with Ei and see what tomorrow brings if that's what you want to work towards. At least you can trust in that much."
"...Don't expect me to thank you for that."
"Don't bother. Your thanks are worth less to me than the breath you wasted to say them."
And so Lumine left, opting to get fresher air elsewhere.
While that boy named Ichiban could only stand there, unsure of what to say or even think after what the Traveller had said to him.
...The shores of Inazuma were only getting closer and closer by the minute.