(Note:- This takes place before Chapter 3- A Not so new life, and after Ch-2, where Xiao decides to keep watch on Lumi. And uh haha this was supposed to be a 100 views special, but you might as well consider it a 200 views special lol. Thanks for the support!)
Lumine POV
As she was walking through the Whispering Woods of Mondstadt, worn out from helping the Acting Grand Master Jean, she kept hearing things. Did she? Unnatural rustling of leaves, an occasional crack of a twig. She was becoming extremely paranoid.
"LUMINE!!!"
"AAAAHHHH WHAT THE HOLY POSEIDON!!!" Lumine screamed, jumping a hundred feet into the air. Well, maybe not a 100 feet, but you get the idea. She was scared out of her skin.
That was until she saw a very familiar girl, the one and only Outrider of Mondstadt, dressed in red with her bunny hairband.
"AMBER!!!" She exclaimed. "Whatever did you do that for! It freaked me out so badly! Hang on, does that mean you were the one who made all those creaky and rustly noises too?" "Huh? Aww, I was trying to keep as quiet as possible." "Guess your stealth skills have decreased considerably. You did nothing except make me extremely paranoid."
But Amber was jumping excitedly, as though wanting to tell her something. "Oh go on, say what you want to, otherwise you'll keep jumping in the air." She huffed, exasperated, and slapped a hand to her forehead.
Xiao POV
Perhaps this was a waste of time? Watching Lumine from the shadows. She seemed to have a pretty boring and regular life. Right now, he was watching her go through the woods. But she kept looking back as though something was gonna pounce on her. Even he heard rustling and creaking, even though he was not the one who made them.
Suddenly someone yelled, "LUMINE!"
Xiao nearly fell out of the tree he was hiding in, he was so badly startled. Since when had he been so surprised, he didn't remember.
But what happened next actually made him chuckle, and stifle a laugh.
Lumine jumped right into the air and screamed, "AAAAAAAH WHAT THE HOLY POSEIDON!!!"
He slapped his hand over his mouth. He had no idea mortals could be so amusing. He was actually choking with laughter, which he hysterically tried to keep in, biting his cheek. Thank the Archons the mortals didn't notice him.
As she swiveled around, he saw a girl completely dressed in childish red. She was waving her hands and clapping. "AMBER!" Lumine exclaimed. So she knew this girl?
"Whatever did you do that for! It freaked me out so badly! Hang on, does that mean you were the one who made all those creaky and rustly noises too?" The Traveler said all of this in one breath. How, he didn't know. "Huh? Aww, I was trying to keep as quiet as possible." Amber said, pouting. "Guess your stealth skills have decreased considerably. You did nothing except make me extremely paranoid."Lumine grumbled under her breath.
Amber was jumping excitedly, which Lumine noticed, and asked her to tell what was on her mind. To which she obstinately refused, saying that she absolutely had to go to Mondstadt City ASAP. "What is this all about? Cant I have even an hour of rest?" Hmph. Typical mortals. "Oooh you will have rest, but first you have to see this!" "Oh alright, alright, I'm coming."
Lumine POV
Seriously, her BFF'S behaviour was making her suspicious. But as they neared the city gates, Swan, one of the guards, said hurriedly, "Oh Miss Lumine! Master Jean has called for you in the Angel's share immediately." Amber got a worried look on her face, and said, "I don't get it. Why would she, unless its something important. Come on, Lumi." So saying, she dragged Lumine all the way. Lumine frowned.
As she burst into the tavern, however, her frown was replaced by a look of absolute shock. It was... not was she expected. She had thought she would see a very grim looking Jean, perhaps accompanied by a frowning Diluc or Kaeya.
What she had not expected to see, was the place covered in balloons and streamers. All her Mondtadtian friends there, fancily dressed, with eager looks on their faces. Lumine's eyes widened.
Xiao POV
Right now, Lumine looked pretty nonplussed. Once again, it made him amused. He wondered how many more times would he smirk. This seemed like a party. For.... her?
His supicions were confirmed by another blonde dressed in formal clothes ran forward and hugged her. "A-Acting Grand Master, what is going on?" To which the blonde replied, "Ah, I am just here as Jean, so are Kaeya, Amber, Lisa, Barbara, and Diluc."
"No, don't count me in." The redhead, who seemed to have a pyro vision, muttered. "Does that mean you are here as the Darknight hero?" "Hmph, of course not. Firstly, please stop calling me by that name, it's totally stupid. Secondly, I am here as the bartender, who has very kindly agreed to rent this place out to you for a while." He said the last part a little threateningly.
The man with the weird blue star-shaped pupils raised pacifying hands, and said, "Now, now, Diluc, surely you can show some restraint, seeing as the Honorary Knight herself is here?" Honorary knight?
Till now, Lumine had been watching in silence. Now, she slapped her hand to her forehead, and laughed. "Seriously, thank you all so much for this kind gesture. But it really wasn't necessary." "Oh, but it was!" Everyone said together, the bartender, Diluc included. Scratching her nape, Jean said, "And, uhh, since you were the one who organized the party for me last time, it was only fitting that this time we did it for you, especially as you have been working for Mondstadt and its citizens' safety so hard." At this, she glared at the bluette, and said, ""Kaeyaaaaa! Why don't you just admit that you were the one who organised Jean's party." Kaeya averted his eyes.
Diluc interrupted them. "Now, if you all dont stop this quibbling right now, then I wont hesitate to kick you all out. But, as reluctant as I was to host yet another Knights' gathering, I must agree with Jean, that Lumi indeed has been working very hard for all of us, even though she is a Traveler, and is not obliged to do so."
Was Lumi her nickname? If so, it was pretty cute.
What on earth, Xiao? He shook his head.
The girl dressed in white pumped her hands, and said, "Hey, Lumine is supposed to rest! Can't you guys set your differences aside for a while, so that she enjoys herself!" The other girl, who he knew was a scholar from Sumeru, agreed "Yes, our sweetie certainly need her rest, doesn't she?" Lumine smiled. She seemed happy.
They were once again interrupted by the door bursting open. A kid, also dressed in full red, ran in, followed by a man . "Klee is here! She hopes she isn't too late!" The man spoke, "Ah, forgive us, we got caught up in some work on the way." "Albedo! And Klee!" Lumine exclaimed happily. She ran over to give the little girl a huge hug. "Well, now we all are here." Jean stated. And so the party began.
***
Paimon had huddled in a corner with Klee, talking about kid stuff. (Lol sorry I forgot you Paimon) Jean and Diluc were talking seriously about something. Lisa was discussing about sinners with Barbara, though her idea of sinners was... weird. According to her, someone who didn't return borrowed books on time were sinners. Pretty harsh.
And Lumine.... She was in what seemed to be a very serious competition with Amber. They had put their feet in a line, touching each other. Then they started pumping their hands and chorussing, 'Stone, Paper, Scissors!' again and again. The first time, Lumine kept her hands in a fist, and Amber had two fingers extended. As a result, Amber groaned, and stretched her first leg so that it was touching Lumine's again, who had taken her leg back by one step.
This really strange process continued, but Amber seemed to be winning now. Lumine kept stretching until she was in a near split. Then, she made a paper, and Amber had made a stone. This was a literal personification of 'tables turning.' Lumine drew her leg all the way back, and Amber's eyes widened. She was unable to stretch all the way. She grumbled, "Alright, you win. But this is the beginning of our tournament." Lumine agreed.
(P.S. This is a game we actually play in my country, and we call it Banana Splits. Its really fun.)
Once again, he slapped his hand on his forehead. Seriously, is this what mortals wasted their time on? Then he was more than happy to be an adeptus.
***
At the end of the night, Lumine was grinning contentedly, surrounded by her well-meaning friends. And somehow, that was enough to bring him peace for a while.
(1456 words. I hope this was good, and I have the next regular chapter planned out, I'll see if I can update it also today.... Toodles!)