FIFTEEN
THE FEELING OF rough hands gripping onto her arms, it frightened her. She'd be lying if she said it didn't haunt her at night once in a while. Tossing and turning, her eyes slightly ajar, it wasn't a pleasant experience.
The tassels she held in hand gave her peace of mind. The ornament that held it together—the thin rope, and the soft edges—they both made her feel a bit better.
Razor glanced over at the girl who sat next to him. His eyes watched as her fingertips rub against the small objects, her gaze falling over them tenderly.
"They are... yours?" He asked.
(Y/n) snapped out of her deep thoughts, turning her face towards him. "No, they're not mine," She peered down at the tassels, her hand gripping them tightly as if someone could snatch them away at any given moment. "...They were my friends'."
"They are... very shiny," He eyed the glint that flaunted when she'd twist them at an angle.
"They are, aren't they?" (Y/n) smiled warmly. "Especially in the sunlight."
The young woman peered over to the letter sitting wedged in the window over the wash basin, the vanilla envelope a bit crumbled from the journey between the two nations.
When Aether returned her belongings, he handed her the unexpected words from Zhongli. He didn't strike her as the type of man to linger on such ordeals but, perhaps he had come to have a shred of care for her, a thought that made her heart sting a bit.
"I miss them," (Y/n)'s lips formed the words that popped into her head without thought.
"I am here," Razor placed his hand over her hers, giving it a little squeeze to comfort and soothe her in the moment.
"I know," She smile. But it was a sad one.
The sudden sound of something shuffling from the depths of the house caused the both of them to stay alert.
"...A noise," Razor stood from the seat.
"...I haven't explored the rest of the house," (Y/n) admitted. "...I'm not sure if the other rooms are worse than the main one."
The two slowly made their way through the narrow hallway, three doors coming to light.
Razor gently pulled the first one open, revealing itself to be a rather small room, and from looks alone, most likely used to store things in. He moved on to the next one, the door a few inches from the first one. Upon opening it, dust and cobwebs were swept from the sudden gust of fresh air. There was old furniture covered with worn out cloth, old paintings, and even a small vanity.
The third door, the one at the end of the hall, was proving rather difficult for the boy to nudge open. As soon as the knob began fidgeting from the movement of his hand twisting it, more shuffling noises became audible.
Razor gathered what strength he had, the door finally giving in out of fear the boy would fracture its wooden structure with his grip.
The opened window across from them revealed a bed below it, an old trunk at the foot. As soon as they stepped in, the scampering of a little squirrel startled them as it hopped onto the bed. It then pounced towards the glass that was ajar, escaping through the narrow space.
"...So that's what it was," (Y/n) kept her eyes where it had once been, a bit satisfied it was nothing more than a small creature.
The boy took a few steps inside, eyes darting towards every corner, inspecting each area before looking over his shoulder and at the (h/c) haired girl standing behind the doorway.
"...Room safe," Razor assured her.
Walking inside, she placed one knee over the bed, her hand against the wall as she peered outside the window. Remains of what once was a small fenced area was now in tatters, the wood all but one more breath of life. Weeds and grass loitered the ground without reason, only with the sole purpose of purely existing.
In its place she imagined a variety of plants, an idea brewing in her head, one that would give her enough to be able to sustain herself with once grown.
"You know what'd not only look nice but also be beneficial?" She rhetorically asked.
"...Hm?" Razor followed her line of sight.
"A garden," She smiled.
❦
The white-haired girl found herself staring at Razor, whose arms were strewn over the table, fast asleep. The boy's chest rose and fell, paying no mind to the traveler and his companion who just arrived.
"Paimon's surprised Razor can sleep on such an uncomfortable surface..." She shook her head with disapproval.
"...You might end up waking him being that loud," Aether said in a hushed tone.
"...Enough about him!" Paimon barely whispered. "Where's (Y/n)?"
As if on cue, the (h/c) haired girl walked through the frame of the hallway, cloth folded in hand. Her hair was pulled back, a few specs of dust sitting atop her nose.
(Y/n) didn't seem to notice them at first. But then she did a double take with wide eyes. "...You two?" Her lips were slightly agape. "What are you doing here?"
Paimon immediately smiled. "There you are!" Her tone was cheerful. "We were wondering if-"
"If you'd want to come with us to Mondstadt," Aether interjected. His tone was softer, mindful and careful not to wake the sleeping boy.
(Y/n)'s pupils darted around the room in thought, returning to the blond's face when the image of the city dawned over her. "You mean... the Mondstadt?"
"Yeah!" Paimon clarified. "We were on our way there when we thought about you!"
"But if you're not up for it," Aether continued. "Don't feel as if you need to either."
"Oh, I don't know..." The girl nervously held the cloth closer to her chest. "There isn't really a need for me to be there."
" Unless..." She pressed a hand to her chin, remembering her idea from earlier.
Paimon raised a brow. "Unless?"
A smirk formed on her lips, leaving the curious fairy to anticipate her next words.
(Y/n)'s gaze became confident. "I'll go. But for one reason only."
"...Which is?" Aether beckoned her to continue.
"Planning for the future," The girl made her motive known. "I don't know how long I'll be here, but the mora I have won't last forever," She continued. "So I want to try to limit spending wherever necessary, which lead me to the idea of growing a garden."
"That sounds like a reasonable thing to do," Paimon agreed.
❦
Now in the city of Mondstadt, Aether and Paimon talked to a woman outside the adventures guild, all the while (Y/n) took the time to look around.
She could already the familiar, sick feeling in her stomach as she saw the floral garlands tied to each building on the opposite ends of the wide street.
The residents of Mondstadt were placing pots of flora outside the streets, making the place look more beautiful by use of natural arrangements.
(Y/n) watched as two cats played on the balcony of a building, not caring for the ceramic pot they were slowly pushing over the ledge.
She wouldn't have said anything, that was if not for the young boy who was about to step underneath the soon-to-be tragedy.
"Hey...!" Her voice called out towards the ashen-haired boy. "Lookout...!"
The boy looked over his shoulder, confusion written all over his face.
(Y/n) had never felt her legs move so fast. Her arm reached to grab him, pulling him by his wrist away from the incoming tragedy.
The planter shattered upon impact, a small swarm of dust engulfing the area. Its fragments scattered around, and the noise attracted a crowd to instigate questions.
(Y/n) peered towards the balcony, her brows furrowed upon realizing the felines left before any blame could be placed upon them.
"Woah, where'd that come from?" The boy massaged the back of his head with his free hand, his other still held by the girl.
"Doesn't matter," She responded, letting go and turning to face him completely. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Hurt me?" The boy seemed a bit confused. Then he glanced down at the hand she had held him by. "Oh! You mean my wrist?" He immediately shook his head. "Not at all! I'm perfectly fine, thanks to you!"
"That's a relief..." (Y/n) let out a sigh.
"You're not from around here, are you?" He cocked his head to the side.
"Is it that obvious...?" She raised a brow.
"You come to know all kinds of faces over the years," He began, "And yours is a first for me."
"So then you're a local?" (Y/n) crossed her arms.
"I am," He nodded, "Did you need something?"
"You think you could tell me where I can find a book house?" She asked, "Or any sort of place with books?"
"You mean the library?" He scratched just below his jaw. "Sure thing! You'll want to go all the way to the knights of Favonius headquarters and-"
"Bennett?" Aether's voice interjected their conversation.
"Traveler!" The ashen-haired boy's smile was twice as wide when he spotted the blond. "What a lucky day!"
"Bennett!" Paimon greeted him, "What are you doing here?"
"I was helping this lady with directions," He explained. "To the library."
"You want to go to the library?" Paimon hovered over the (h/c) haired girl's shoulder.
"It doesn't hurt to want to learn a few things," (Y/n) shrugged her shoulders. "I want to know what I'm doing before I start anything."
"That's a good call," The fairy wagged her finger at her.
"Care to join us?" Aether turned to the boy. "It won't take long."
"Aw man! I'd really like to stay and talk," Bennett sheepishly smiled. "But I really have to get going."
"See ya later, Bennett!" Paimon waved him goodbye, the traveler lifting a few fingers as well.
The three stood there, watching the young man pick up his pace as his figure disappeared from view.
"You two finished your errand?" (Y/n) turned her attention to them.
Aether nodded his head. "Want us to take you there now? It's not far from where we are."
"I'd like that," She said. "Though, I have a question."
"Say it!" Paimon encouraged her.
She took the opportunity to look around once more, a few petals drifting along the atmosphere.
"Alright then. What's with all the flowers and garlands?" (Y/n) motioned towards the decor with her hand, eyes following the strands from building to building.
"Ah, the Windblume festival," Aether began. "The people of Mondstadt offer windblumes to Barbatos and those they care about."
"Not to mention all the lovey-dovey undertones and poems!" Paimon placed her hands on her hips.
"Will you be partaking in the event as well?" The blond asked. "It'll be something to enjoy."
(Y/n) pursed her lips, picking a flower from nearby and twirling it between her fingertips as she remembered the fond memory of Zhongli placing one behind her own ear.
"I don't think so," She said, her hand placing it in Aether's hair. "But everyone deserves to feel special on a day like that, don't you think so?"
FIFTEEN