Crystalflies & Dandelions
Summary: Lumine is on her way to Liyue in search of the next archon where she meets a mysterious adeptus.
A/N: Hope you enjoy! I wonder when I'll get motivation to write chapter two?
Lumine panted wearily, struggling to lift her feet even just one more step forward. Who knew the trek to Liyue could be so tedious? It was mountains and monsters all the way, from dawn to dusk, for a whole 3 days. She yawned, stretching her arms out.
"Come on, Lumine! Just a little bit more... Ooh, look at that! That's Wangshu Inn, we can stay there for the night." Paimon encouraged cheerily, doing backflips and her cute little arm dance.
Still she was exhausted. She huffed, grumbling, "Easy for you to say. You floated the whole way."
"Floating is no easier than running, okay?!"
The 'Wangshu Inn' in question was a large tree house, beginning to grow clearer as she trudged closer. If it has a comfy bed...
She was oh so grateful that they had a lift. She had almost fainted after noticing the sheer amount of stairs they had to climb.
"I'll... need a room for the... night, please," she said to the receptionist. She rubbed her eyes to clear her blurring vision.
The lady, Verr Goldet, smiled. "That'll be 200 mora! Hope you get some rest, traveller."
It was a bright and cheery morning, the moment she awoke. A good night's rest certainly helped her. Liyue Harbor wasn't far... if they set off within the hour, they would arrive around noon!
As she went to give Verr Goldet a good bye, the woman in question had a task for her. It was fine... she loved helping others.
"Traveller!" Verr Goldet called, "Would you be so kind to do me a favor?"
"If there's a really good reward!" Paimon exclaimed, "We can't be late for Liyue, y'know!"
She glared at Paimon. "That's rude!" she hissed.
The woman only chuckled, before giving them a huge plate of almond tofu, requesting them to deliver it to the person staying in the inn upstairs. Shouldn't be too hard!
'Top floor of Wangshu Inn, there you will find a petite man waiting!' Verr Goldet had told her. This was one of the easiest commissions she had to... this lady must be really generous.
Reaching the top floor balcony, Lumine found no one. Odd, the bottom floors were packed! Why did this one feel so... desolate?
"State your business." The voice was soft and smooth.
Still, the sudden noise made her jump in shock. "Wha-" she yelped, whipping her head back to look.
The man- no boy in front of her was truly petite, as Verr Goldet as told her. He was nearly no taller than her! He was incredibly pale, his arm tattooed a green animal thing. He dressed oddly, as if he wasn't from this time. Dark green hair highlighted with a lighter one contrasted the his brilliant golden eyes. The oddest thing about him was a purple gemstone on his forehead, like a marking of sorts.
"I will never understand you mortals, getting scared of almost anything unexpected." The boy sighed, "State your business and leave."
So he was the recipient of this tofu. She held out the plate to him, "Verr Goldet asked me to give this to you."
The strange boy who was about six feet away suddenly disappeared, leaving small green particles not unlike his aesthetic floating in the air. Then, he appeared in front of her, causing her to take a step back. He wasn't an ordinary human. Maybe not even one at all!
"Leave." He instructed bluntly but not rudely, while taking the plate out of her hands.
"Ah, come on!" she tried one of her best pouts, "Let me stay for awhile! After all, I came all this way to bring you your food..."
He stifled a cough. Hm, seemed like a 'mortal' hasn't talked back to him in a while.
"Don't overstep your mortal authority."
She huffed, finally piecing together the pieces. One rude adeptus that's she's ever seen. Not that she had actually met one before but the others certainly weren't this rude, were they?
Just then, Lumine heard the twinkling presence of a crystal fly. Her eyes lit up, clasping her hand out to catch it. Alas, it fluttered away.
The adeptus scoffed. "Crystal flies are sensitive to movement. Grabbing your hand out to catch it will only drive it away."
"I barely see them, though. A rare sight now a days."
He sighed yet again, and reached out to a glowing blue orb near him. He didn't reach out to catch it, but waited for it to land in his hands. He looked at her. "You have to look for a long time before you can see the tiniest of them, then you'll be able to catch as many crystal flies as you want."
Lumine didn't know how to explain it, but all of a sudden, she began to respect the adpetus.
"Ah... I'll keep that in mind." she said, a small smile forming on her face, "I best be off."
But when she turned to look at him again -
She huffed. Liyue awaits.
