A Handful of Moments

Introduction

"Hey, do you think they'll like it here?" a high-pitched voice of a teenage girl asked as she placed some beanbags on the hardwood floor.

"It'll probably take a while for them to appreciate it. They won't like being taken against their will," a young boy replied, stocking ingredients and placing menu options and recipes in the drawers.

"They'll come around," a middle-aged man answered, moving the couch in position. "The creator loves them after all."

"Probably more than us," a woman snorted as she placed the books on the coffee table. Then, they heard a beep.

The man sighed as both the boy and girl ran to the courtyard. "I suppose it's time."

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Lumine groaned as her vision adjusted to the light. One moment, she, Venti, and Paimon were running towards the Cathedral. The next, she's been thrown into a sudden limbo. Looking side-to-side, she saw 7 buildings that had about two levels. Four on the right, and three on the left. Each one has a different style that corresponds to the cultures of the seven different nations. Between those buildings, there was a modest house, though it looked more...modern and minimalistic compared to the others.

As she tried to pull herself together, she could see Venti also sitting up. Paimon was lying by his side. Looks like she landed on him, and still seems dizzy. Around her, she could hear multiple people's groans and turned to see that they weren't the only ones there. She spotted Jean and Barbara, already helping the others up. Noelle, Amber, and Sucrose are still rising. Albedo, Lisa, Kaeya, and Diluc were already on their feet, speaking with Jean.

There were a lot of unfamiliar faces that Lumine spotted as well.

"I was in the middle of a good book, too," a dark-blue-haired boy sighed, displeased that he was forced out of his immersion.

"And it's a bit warm here," another boy by his side replied with a frown, staring at his melting popsicle.

"Your Excellency, are you alright?" a man with dog-like features asked, as he helped a young lady up to her feet. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Gorou," she said with a smile.

"Collei, are you hurt?" Collei shook her head. "No, Master, I'm fine."

"Where...are we?" Lumine whispered, just enough for Venti to hear.

"Ah! Traveler! You're awake," Venti chirped as he stood up and handed her a very disoriented Paimon. "Honestly, I have no idea as well. Why don't we gather up with the knights?"

He pointed to Jean and the others. Lumine nodded as he helped her up, and they both headed towards the crowd.

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"Everyone, stay together. Make sure no one is lost!"

Jean gathered together her group of Mondstadters. Liyue was doing the same under the orders of the Tianquan. Inazuma reluctantly grouped, the lingering animosity is making the atmosphere heavy. Sumeru did the same, though some of them were too distracted by their new environment, muttering possible theories about the place.

Venti fell back as he spotted an old friend. His teal-blue eyes met piercing gold. He grinned like a child that's ready for mischief before turning to Lumine. "You can go ahead without me. I need to catch up with an old friend."

Lumine looked over to who he was referring to. "He's scowling like he had to put up with your drinking multiple times," Lumine deadpanned as soon as she saw Zhongli's annoyed expression. She understood well, however, seeing people pay him with wine after their conversation when she first saw his performance. "You can come back and find me when you're done."