soulmates lovers and other useless human relations

xxiv

[a/n: I STARTED PLAYING GENSHIN AND WHEN I TELL YOU.... XIAO AND RAZOR????/8)3 UGH IM IN LOVE <3333]

After the whole kimono scenario you couldn't really say there was anything noteworthy during your week. Other than your constant whining to Vera, Patricia and Fiona about the embarrassment you felt for getting caught snooping in on Norton and Aesop - how you wanted to bury yourself into the dirt of the backyard and decompose.

They laughed, and you were grateful at least someone found something good out of the horrible situation, but you still hated yourself and wondered if it was too late to leave the manor and live half-way across the world. Never to be seen again by humans.

"Oh sugar, that wouldn't save you." Patricia shook her head. She quickly motioned to herself and the other two. "We would find you in the end somehow."

Fiona grinned and piped up, clapping her hands. "We can live together! In an abandoned castle or something!"

"I'm thinking more of a cottage." Came Vera's sweet reply.

You groaned, rolling on your side as you lay in bed. The window was wide open in the hot night but it didn't really do much to help your sweaty body - you'd probably go take a bath soon. "I just wish soulmates didn't exist. This whole situation would have gone much smoother without soulmates!" The three girls continued to listen to your vents and cries. "Not to mention; Norton had a match against Robbie today. You know I love my son but his fireballs hurt!"

"Ah yeah I forgot about that to be honest..." Vera hummed thoughtfully, carefully grabbing your left arm to look at a large bruise that had formed from the prospector's match. "Perks of not having soulmates I guess."

"Let's just murder Norton!" Fiona cheered enthusiastically. You and the two girls turned to her with wide eyes, and when she registered what she said, she shrunk back into herself. "Sorry..."

"Say, Patricia, Fiona, how come you two have never told us about your soulmates?" You asked, sitting back up on the bed.

The enchantress hummed and leaned into the backrest of your wooden chair. "My soulmate wants nothing to do with me and I want nothing to do with her. It was a mutual agreement." She shrugged.

Nodding, you turned to Fiona - the girl grinning. "I don't have a soulmate!"

"Huh?" Your eyes widened as you stared at the girl.

She giggled and nodded her head. "I've never once gotten an injury that I didn't cause myself. I was just born soulmate-less."

"That's a thing?" You gasped, turning to Vera who nodded.

"I've heard about it before. There's like a thirty percent of society that's born without soulmates."

"Woah, I never knew that."

Fiona nodded, quickly adding. "The whole soulmate concept is honestly not talked about enough. It's not as straightforward as being born and magically having someone perfect for you, there are a lot of different methods to getting soulmates and how you and your soulmate progress."

"Like what?" You asked, leaning toward her in curiosity.

"Well, since you're this upset over Norton being your soulmate, I think you should know that-"

The girl quickly stopped when a loud knock sounded out in the room - echoing through the walls. You groaned and rolled your eyes, rushing over to the door. "Yeah?"

Mary stood before you in a fancy looking silk nightgown - one that looked way more expensive than everything you owned combined. "Hey sweetheart, sorry to interrupt you four. It's just that Robbie is refusing to go to sleep without you wishing him sweet dreams." She laughed softly.

A sigh left your lips, but you smiled regardless, turning to your friends. "It's getting late, do you guys want to sleep here?"

Vera shook her head, standing from your bed. "Nah, we'll head to our rooms. Goodnight y/n."

"Goodnight!"

——————————

And so that's about the most exciting thing that happened. At least until Wednesday arrived and Fiona barged into your room with Mary and Michiko trailing behind her. "Wake up! You get to use your outfit today!"

You were grateful for the three - and Vera who had arrived to help after fixing herself up in her own outfit. In the end; you somehow looked even better than when they dressed you up on Sunday.

"Hey honeycomb! You look absolutely flawless!" Patricia winked one you met with her in the living room.

Michiko had been gushing about how good everyone looked in their traditional Japanese wear before rushing off to her room - definitely off to put on one of her special kimonos on herself.

"Thanks Pat." You smiled, whistling at her own outfit. Sure it was basically the same as her normal outfit (the only change being the white kimono shirt replacing her singlet top.) but the sakura patterns along with the hair clip they gave her looked amazing. "You're hot."

"I know." She laughed, hooking her arm around yours and Fiona's. Vera quickly hooked her own arm around your free one.

As the four of you chatted and walked towards the dining table to have breakfast before going to indulge yourselves in the lantern festival activities - you couldn't help but feel the pit of your stomach grow at the idea that you'd have to face both Norton and Aesop again.

Either for the embarrassing scenario where you got caught or because of the whole fiasco between you and Aesop - you hated the idea of having to see them. Still, Patricia's and Fiona's grips on your arms left you no room to turn and run away.

And so you sat on the table, looking only to your half of the table and refusing to look any further into the other half in fear that you'd catch the eyes of either male.

This plan went smoothly, and for once Lady Luck was on your side as you managed to eat and escape into the backyard to see the decorations with the three excited girls without much issue.

"Oh this is so pretty!" Fiona gasped.

It was true; the manor had always been surrounded by a dense forest with trees far too tall to look like a magical forest. Instead giving the idea of haunted woods. But right now, with the lanterns that hung from the branches of the trees - contradicting the dark green leaves with orange and yellow tones, it looked magical.

It was said by the newsletter that had appeared at the door of the manor that various stands would be found around the manor for the next week. Matches would be held off for the next week and the members of the manor would be able to indulge themselves in games, music and food. Everyday, a few new activities would appear as to not bore them.

Who even had the money to hold these types of events. Honestly.

Still, you allowed yourself to take a deep breath in - smelling the flowers, scents of foods and other welcoming aromas - and enjoy your first day with your friends.