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"You're jealous." Buer said, looking up at him with wide green eyes, squeezing his hand earnestly.
He recoiled, looking down at her incredulously as people swirled around them in a dance in the Grand Bazaar. He regretted making her take his hand, not wanting to lose her tiny self in the crowd of festivities. If she had not done so much for him, he would be half tempted to stuff her into the nearby giant baskets of flour.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Buer. What do I have to be jealous of?" he asked with a sniff, turning his head so that his wide hat would shield him from her knowing gaze.
Without looking, he just knew she was smiling at him with her infuriatingly kind and patient smile.
"My mistake. Kaveh and Lumine look nice together, don't they? Happy?" Buer asked with a wry smile as he glared, watching the Traveler twirl around with the Light of Kshahrewar he only vaguely knew from the Interdarshan Championship.
The Traveler laughed and threw brightly colored flour at Kaveh as they celebrated the Goddess of Flower's Festival of Colors, smeared in an explosion of colors on their white dress and brightly colored flowers crushed in their golden hair.
He felt a pang of something that he refused to acknowledge as longing, course through him as she cast a smile up at himself and Buer.
"No. They look disgusting. What a mess. Besides, is he not your ex-Acting Grand Sage's?" He muttered.
Despite being irritated by Alhaitham's unflappability, he had begun to begrudgingly accept him, and couldn't stand the thought of cheating, of a romantic betrayal.
"Mmm... he is, he just hasn't realized it yet. Actually, the next time you visit Inazuma, will you go to Yae Publishing House and gather some romance novels? I am unfamiliar with the subject and the library is... lacking." She asked and he raised an eyebrow, giving a non-committal hum.
He certainly didn't want to be anywhere near his mother's fox, but he owed Buer, and it would be a good test to ensure his mother and her familiar's memories were wiped of him. Not to mention that he did need to dig up a few Inazuman relics for his newest paper.
"Nahida! Join me!" The Traveler exclaimed breathlessly, disrupting his planning as she appeared in front of him, covered in a myriad of colors, Sumeru Roses caught in her hair.
"Filthy." He found himself blurting out as she startled him.
"Stupid, mean Hat Guy! Paimon is going to kick you!" Her fairy screeched as the Traveler raised an eyebrow before smirking, a strange, mischievous look on her face that he had never encountered before.
He reared his head back but was not quick enough, as she grabbed a clump of golden flour from off her shoulder and smeared it on his cheek before flinging green into his hair.
She laughed at his astonished expression and for once, he was thankful for his doll body, for he surely would have had a red face.
She dared to?!?
He scowled, ignoring the lingering feeling of the Traveler's warm palm and thumb on his cheek.
"Gotcha." She whispered before taking Nahida's hand to drag her into the fray.
As he watched her retreating form, he scowled.
He wasn't jealous.
"That eager to be rid of me, Buer?" He couldn't help but tease the next day when Buer had summoned him, ignoring the Traveler and her annoying fairy in the corner.
"No, I want you to be my diplomat and go and represent myself and Sumeru. Lumine mentioned she was going to be visiting the Kamisato Estate next and I saw an opportunity to learn from the Yashiro Commission and expand our commerce." Buer said serenely and he grunted.
At least she had the foresight not to send him to deal with the Tenryou Commission of his mother's puppet.
Always ruining his fun.
"And you want the Traveler to keep watch on me while I am in Inazuma? From one jailer to another it seems. Have I not been useful and on my best behavior?" he asked sardonically.
Buer patted his hand, her smile growing.
"You are someone I trust the most to send and the Traveler is the one with the invitation to the Estate." She said before pushing him to leave.
"Have fun and don't forget my request from yesterday!" She called as he begrudgingly stood in front of the Traveler.
"Paimon thinks you should apologize to Lumine before we go!" the fairy said, stomping her little feet and crossing her arms as she glared at him.
He raised an eyebrow.
He did not apologize.
"I was merely stating the truth. She was filthy from the colored flour. Why should I apologize for that?" He drawled as Paimon groaned and screeched how rude he was.
He gazed at the Traveler, hoping to see her upset and flustered with indignation as well but was disappointed when she remained calm and appeared almost bored.
Tch. He'll have to work harder to rile her up.
"Come on. We'll use the waypoint outside the Sanctum." She said and Paimon blew a raspberry at him as she quickly floated behind the Traveler to catch up.
He turned to see Buer watching him with a strange interest, smiling and waving when he caught her. He scowled and trailed after the Traveler.
Whatever the Dendro Archon was thinking, she was wrong.
“Thoma!” Paimon cried out, flying over to greet the man as they approached the Estate.
“Traveler! Paimon! It’s good to see you! I was hoping you two would respond to Lady Ayaka’s invite. And you brought a friend! Hello, I am Thoma, the Kamisato Clan’s housekeeper, and you are?” Thoma said and the Wanderer hid his glare under his hat as he watched the Traveler warmly embrace the man.
A maid? She really greeted a maid as that much of a friend? So intimately?
“I am just a simple wanderer. Dendro Archon Lesser Lord Kusanali sent me here as a representative for a potential trade agreement between the Yashiro Commission and Sumeru.” he said and Thoma gave a nod before the fairy flew in his face.
“Thoma! Are you going to be cooking all the food for the festival tonight?” She asked and Thoma laughed.
“Well, not all of it. There are a few food vendors from the city coming, as it is meant to be a celebration between the Commissions.” Thoma said and the Wanderer crossed his arms.
Great. His mother’s puppets better not show up.
He looked over, seeing the Traveler staring at him with a thoughtful expression before she was twirled around by a woman with a long, icy blue ponytail.
“Lumi! I’m so happy you came! You’ll duel me tonight won’t you?” She asked and the Traveler grinned, leaning in close to her.
“Of course, Ayaka.” She said and the Wanderer watched with interest as the girl blushed slightly from their proximity.
Hmph. If he ever turned into a blushing, simpering maiden being that close to the Traveler, he’d find the Doctor or leap into the abyss.
He cleared his throat, nodding to the Kamisato girl and causing her and the Traveler to step apart.
“Lady Ayaka, I understand that while your brother is in charge of much of the affairs of the Commission, you also have significant knowledge. Might we discuss possible opportunities for a partnership with Sumeru given that the borders are now open? Perhaps over tea?” He drawled.
“Oh! Of course! Right this way. We certainly have time before the opening ceremony. Lumi, I had a kimono specially commissioned for you for tonight and new makeup to try.” She exclaimed, holding onto the elbow of the Traveler who shot him a look and sighed.
He hadn’t a clue why. It wasn’t as if he was being as rude as her pesky pixie pestering Thoma for food.
Whatever, he didn’t have time or energy to try and understand her.
“What do you think?” The Traveler asked as he leaned against the wall, wondering why she had summoned him. She held out her arms, showing off the white kimono with blue ombre at the bottom that was covered in golden stars and constellations.
“Paimon thinks you look really nice, Lumine! Ayaka did a good job on your makeup and making your hair all smooth and shiny with the brush and oil!” Paimon said and The Wanderer scowled as he thought of that woman carefully touching The Traveler’s face and how he could have done much better eyeliner and how her hair would feel as he brushed it and wait… what did he care?
“It’s fine. You smudged your eyeliner though and you are missing lipstick at the corner of your lip.” The Wanderer said with a critical eye.
“Ugh! Hat Guy!” Paimon said and The Traveler… The Traveler strangely smirked?
“Help me then?” She said, holding out an eyeliner brush as The Wanderer eyed her before taking it.
“Fine.” He muttered, carefully taking her chin and dipping the brush in the pot, fixing the smudge with precise, dark lines that accentuated the gold of her eyes.
Why was she so warm? And why was she looking at him like that, with eyes the same golden ichor that gods bled? That he should bleed?
He cocked his head, admiring his work before his gaze fell to her lips, putting the brush on the nearby table to grab the brush she had used for her lip, dipping it in the deep crimson pot. The Traveler parted her lips slightly and The Wanderer froze, hovering with the brush.
If he kissed her … Would she stain him? Mark him?
Claim him?
Stop. Why was he thinking of such foolish things? Even if he kissed her, how would it benefit him? She would simply leave as she always has, gone with the wind.
He clenched his jaw and fixed the corners of her lips before stepping back and turning away, tensing when she grabbed his hand.
“Thank you.” She whispered and he hid his face with the brim of his hat as he pulled away from her.
“Was this why you called me here?” He asked and The Traveler shrugged out of the corner of his eye.
“Maybe. Maybe I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the festival with me. I am responsible for you after all.” She said and he sighed.
“Suit yourself.” He said airily as she took his arm with a grin and they walked out to the front of the estate.
As they made their way down into the Chinju forest, he smiled faintly at the children running from booth to booth with a rueful smile before scowling when he spied a Yae Publishing House booth.
"Lumine! You made it! Oh, you look so pretty! I- ah!" The Kamisato Girl said as she ran towards them, tripping forward on a rock.
Faster than her Cryo vision could activate to prevent her fall, The Traveler was leaving his side to catch her in her arms, their faces pressed close together.
"Oh. I..." She trailed off looking up at the Traveler with wonder before The Wanderer turned, slipping into the crowd.
Everything was too sweet.
"I found you." The Traveler said from behind him as he fashioned another doll for a waiting child. He hadn't expected to be made into a toy workshop, but when a child had ripped the arm of another child's doll on accident, he would do anything to stop the crying.
"Look Traveler! Hat Guy fixed my doll!" The little girl said, holding up her doll high for The Traveler to see who bent down to look at it. The Wanderer was only glad that it had not been a doll of the Raiden Shogun.
"He does a good job, doesn't he?" The Traveler said with a smile that had him looking down at the simple felt doll in his lap, finishing off the stitch.
"Come play Temaria with us." The little girl said, grabbing the Traveler's hand and pulling her away.
The Wanderer watched her go, handing the doll to the boy that had been waiting patiently before nudging the boy to go and join them. He watched as they looked for the ball in the trees before he spied it behind a Tanuki statue, flicking a gust of Anemo to move it.
"Found it!" The Traveler cried with a bright grin, holding the ball aloft before urging the children to go run back to the festival so she could hide it.
She tossed the ball from side to side as she approached the Wanderer with a grin and he eyed her warily.
"I won't give you a lift to hide it. I am not your ride or elevator." He said and she grinned throwing the ball at him as he instinctively used a burst of Anemo to shoot it up into the air and behind them, landing in bushes before she sat next to him on the log, the eerie blue lights of the forest casting her in an otherworldly glow that made him tense.
"Where is your annoying little companion?" The Wanderer asked after a long moment of looking at her.
"Oh, Paimon is using all of my Mora to buy out all the food stalls." The Traveler said with a laugh and The Wanderer grunted, watching the fireflies dance on the stream across from them.
"It was nice. What you did for the children. Aether used to fix all of my dolls." She said with a melancholy smile, absentmindedly petting a cat that had wandered up to them. The Wanderer nodded, not knowing what to say before he stood.
"I still need to secure some supplies for Buer." He said simply before walking away, peering over his shoulder to see The Traveler looking down at the cat with a solemn, sad expression.
She was so strange.
"Oh! It's you. Have you seen Lumine? The fireworks are about to start. I was going to ask if she wanted to watch them with me." The Kamisato Girl said with a blush and the Wanderer gave her a long look before shaking his head, turning the new bag he had gotten that was filled with books for Buer and some leftover fabric scraps behind him. He didn’t know what possessed him to make a cat plush for The Traveler, but he definitely wasn’t going to let anyone see it.
Maybe he should just destroy it. He hasn't seen fireworks in a while, maybe he could even get the Pyro user to burn the plush. Actually, with his Anemo, it would be easy to get the best vantage point and simply toss the plush into the forest for the Yokai to destroy. He deserves to indulge in some simple pleasures like fireworks, no matter how much they may remind him of what he lost on Tatarasuna.
"No, I haven't. Try near the stream." He simply said before heading deeper into the forest where the tallest tree was.
As he reached the base, he was surprised to find The Traveler there, looking up at the branches.
There went his plan of tossing the plush.
“Still not giving you a lift.” The Wanderer said as he stepped forward and The Traveler grinned, slowly starting to climb up the Dendro vines she summoned.
Really? She would rather use a stolen power than beg him for help?
As he heard the first firework shoot into the night sky he sighed and put a burst of Anemo beneath his feet, propelling himself upward as he grabbed her around the waist with a smirk and shot up into the air.
“Wheee.” She deadpanned as she hung limply in his grasp until he touched the highest branch and set her on her feet, sitting cross legged with his back to the trunk, crossing his arms with a smirk.
“You’re welcome.” He said before making an indignant noise as the Traveler simply grinned and sat in his lap, her side pressed into his shoulder.
The absolute audacity! This was undignified and in no way comfortable at all… No matter how warm and soft she was, a constant, reassuring presence.
She tilted her head up to look at him and he ignored the way her hair brushed against his cheek invitingly and how she smelled of a deep and heady floral scent. How would her fingers feel brushing his cheeks? Her lips on his…
“Thank you for bringing me up here… and for coming with me. I’ve been… lonely.” She whispered after a charged moment and his brow furrowed as his chest ached with an unfamiliar emotion.
He bit his lip before sighing and uncrossing his arms to dig in his back, handing her the black cat plush that in no way resembled the cat like drawings Nahida made of him.
“Here. So you won’t be lonely. Although I don’t know why you feel that way. You have so many friends and that Paimon. I find it hard to believe you could ever be lonely. Everyone adores you.” He said, bitterness lacing his tone as she gave a lopsided smile.
“Yes… but not everyone understands me… or can relate… not like you. We will see them dead and gone and have been betrayed by those we hold dear and yet we still can’t seem to stop.” She said and he wanted to shove her away but also to hold her tight and never let go.
He did not want a mirror… yet… hasn’t he always longed for a companion? Someone to share his burdens with? To be loved? To be cared for? To belong?
Could he have that now?
“Traveler… you know I hate deceit. I won’t accept any games.” He said cautiously as she turned in his hold, wrapping her arms around his neck with the grand finale of the fireworks bursting in the background.
“Lumine. Call me Lumine. I promise, no deceit. No games. No tricks. No betrayals. Just us. I want you, ▊.” She said, leaning in close, lips hovering just apart from his as he plucked the leaves from her hair, fingers running through the golden strands, like he had been longing to do, finally giving in.
He wanted to have all of her, and enjoyed the sound of “just us” as the resin ignited in his veins at the mention of his name, the very one she gave him.
Closing the gap between them, he pressed his synthetic lips to hers as the last of the fireworks faded away. She smiled gently against his lips before deepening the kiss in a way that had him gasping and pulling her tight against him.
And when she pulled away to press her forehead to his, he was no longer green with envy and jealousy, only filled with a deep gold.