From atop a mountain he saw the Lilypad-like, mushroomy or tree-like things that sprouted from anywhere to a mountain's side to the ground, with grass overgrowing and puddles in their centres. Fungi gathered on many of them near the pools of water.
His giant hat sunk over him as he his gaze travelled down to the path in which two adventurers who looked lost were on. They kept turning in awe to the glowing blue hanging foliage that stemmed from the mushroom trees, but then sharply swatted their faces away and buried their them into their map as they scratched their heads.
How idiotic, He scoffed. He turned to the sky, finding it much less irritating to look at.
'Wanderer!' A girl's voice called. Her gold cords of hair flapped in the wind as she drew up on the boy from the mountain's harsh slant. He already knew she was coming; he heard her footsteps.
She huffed a few times, and bended in and out into her chest as she stood behind him. He waited for her to catch her breath as he watched a forest ranger find the two adventurers and lead them to Sumeru city.
'You know, it would be nice if you could tell me where you're going!' she scolded, her voice not at all matching her words. She was happy, unlike what her disputes told.
'Yea, and why do you feel the right to know my everything move,' he disputed in a cocky manner as he rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out, for the first time facing her just to show her his mocking face.
The golden haired traveller was less than amused at his rude shenanigans.
'Hph!' she huffed, with a smile. She plopped next to him, not making a remark on his antics and childish taunt.
He gazed at her without turning his head. She wasn't facing him, so he observed her side. Her nose arched out and her chubby cheeks slanted outward, as her lips tugged at their corners as she stared upward toward the sky. Her long bits of hair beautifully flaying behind her as she propped her shoulders back and relaxed into her hands.
He relayed his knee up and propped his elbow on it as he grasped his cheek with his hand, watching more intently and hard as he relaxed into watching her hair sway with perfect rhyme. Stared at her as if she were the only thing in the world, his world perhaps.
'Nahida asked me to fetch you,' she suddenly commented, but she hadn't turned to look at him, instead basking in the sun with her eyes closed. He was fine with this, that meant he could *glare* longer without her knowing, yep that's it, glaring...
(he wasn't glaring).
(But he wouldn't admit that.)
Before he could react, she'd swiped sharply to the side to face him. 'Aren't you gonna respond,' she lectured as she gazed into his indigo eyes, her face unreadable, which seemed to happen a lot with her.
She had have a great range of expressions, but her most common one was the unreadable, and relaxed poker face, that seemed to find her more than she found it. He observed a lot of her expressions, yet found new ones each day.
He swiftly turned away, a heat assembling in his puppet parts. The area in his ribs where the Gnosis had been, was reverberating in a way he'd never know before he'd met her.
'I don't see the need to waste my voice on something clearly obvious. Heh, there's not a reason you -the glorious traveller- would come looking for me on your own free will.' He laughed off whatever just happened inside of him, as he switched the hand on his cheek to rest on his knee. His eyes flashed at her for a moment as he spoke.
She was unresponsive, staring blankly into him and his indigo eyes with her contrasting amber ones.
He tipped his head forward, not wanting to look at her as he drew his hat forthright with his fingers' loose grasp on it.
'That's not true. I'd come looking even if I knew where you were.'
...
You fool... He muttered in his head as his smile fell. A cold shadow had been cast over his entire face from the hat he'd so readily wear on every occasion.
His face sneered, twitched out a smile, and went back to acting normal, for him at least.
'I guess I should ask why. Why you've come to get me.' He locked eyes with her as he grinned while framing his chin on his palm.
His eye line curved up as they leered. 'But I don't think I will.' He foully stuck his nose to the sky as he veered away, shooting a sneer her way as he did.
Her cheeks puffed briefly, but then she went back to admiring the scenery quickly. He felt rather disappointed at that, had they really gotten so close that she doesn't even bat an eye or complain at his words. He pouted with disappointment, as he watched her turn away from him.
Come on He said in his head, Pay attention to me He also said in his head, as his already puffed out cheek grew puffier.
Ah. What had been going on with him? Wanting her to quarrel with him. Now that's just out of this world.
He flinched, at the thought of what he'd just thought of. A burning sensation lingered in his chest, this had to be pure rage he upheld to himself, not wanting to admit the real reason.
He gripped his chest, the chest, with no heart to harbour. The chest, which tore itself up inside as a replacement for a heart breaking. He grazed his gaze to his hand, a hand not of flesh, nor blood. It was cold, like his chest. Everything was cold, the wind, his limbs, and him.
But she wasn't, she was warm. Warmer than the sun, so warm, he thought he'd get burned if he went too close.
Too close, they were too close. He didn't like it, he thought. He knew he could as easily betray her as anyone else. But why did that notion hurt. Why did it pain him to think of.
Why didn't he betray her. He could gain freedom. But what freedom did he have outside of Nahida's care? Was there nothing. Was pitch darkness all there was. A void similar to that of his heart, perhaps?
He gritted his teeth, his gaze lowered and squinted with aggravation. He bit his tongue; his thoughts were overtaking him.
Why, why didn't he... Betray her, it was easy. Was it not?
Oh. I think someone noticed his change in demeanour.
'Let's go.'
'Huh?'
'I said let's go.'
'Wha- AH!'
She bolted off with his hand begrudgingly in her grasp. He tried his best to regain balance as he marched with at first sloppy steps but as he steadied, he turned to be in sync with her.
He had grown use to her spontaneously running off while dragging him along. That's why he didn't mind. Yep, that's why he didn't mind at all that his and her hand were together, in fact he felt rather content with that fact.
He didn't know where they were going, or what to say. He had not fought back, but back when they'd first met he would've, but I guess getting close means not wanting to hurt the other.
His bluish raven hair flew back in the wind, as the fragrance of syrupy fresh Sumeru roses radiated a strong scent of honeyed roses teeming with pollen, one could almost taste in the air a tinge of wine from them, it floated through the air drifting into them as they ran.
He released his grievances on being pulled and let her trudge him along the grassy floors. The breeze carried them yet also pushed back their hair.
It was like that, that he'd grown so accustomed with her presence. Her always barging into his business, pulling him along for commissions. Then the occasional nights where she'd dragged him into her teapot's adeptus realm.
And though he needn't sleep, she still made a room for him with a bed and all. She'd even included a tea set, and table for two near the window.
She also placed a large sewing kit in one of the shelfs, those of which were occupied with nothing but blank space. She said, he should be the one to fill them if he wanted, with whatever he wished.
He still hadn't, maybe... He should start filling those shelfs soon... He wandered into his thoughts, thinking of what he should put up first.
Maybe a picture, of them, or maybe a doll of her... he trailed through his mind on what to decorate it with first as he looked at her shoulder blades swing back and forth, running with great form.
Her dress was so perfectly swaying together with his sleeves. And her hair motioned through the air like waves of water through hidden waterlines.
Pretty, He found himself say with out much deliberation on what he was saying.
He shook away from those thoughts of actually taking her up on that ridiculous offer and the one on her appearance. He opted to focused on her, and how annoyingly insistent she was (yep totally, his thoughts definitely didn't derail after that).
She was pushy, determined, but constantly welcoming. No matter what, she was warm with care. Perhaps like love, caring was another form of sin.
The sin of letting your enemy into your home.
The sin of being overly trusting.
The sin that was him, to be by her side.
But when they arrived to where she'd taken them. He saw nothing but the same old sights of Sumeru, except at a much higher altitude.
He felt himself becoming calmer from the heightened breeze at which they stood, breathing in the clear air and feeling the wind brush against his fake skin.
Why'd she bring them here of all places? He deliberated over, as he savoured the high wind currents.
'What's this.' He scoffed out, and crossed his arms as she had finally let go. He stared at the hand she had held, his face growing warm. That's something she always made him do, made him radiate a warmth, inside and out.
He engrained the tenderness of her hand into his chest, as there was a visible smile on his face.
'A mountaintop. One much higher than the one before,' she flatly stated as she twirled then presented the view as if it were something of great interest. Her palms jazzed in the air as she stretched them to the turning yellow, sunsetting skies.
'And what does that have to do with... anything...?' He asked in a bit of a breathy tone, as he palmed his forehead and put his other hand on his hip, as he deflatingly casted his gaze down.
'Well, you looked annoyed. And since you seem to enjoy being high up, I brought you here,' She detailed, as she smiled brightly.
Her hair glowed in the light blending in with the yellow skies, perhaps even out brightening them with her sheen of gold locks. Her reminiscent of gold-leaf, spindles of hair embraced the zephyr of the sky and swiped back and forth across the scenery.
*Thud~* He sensed his chest move with something in it. He became silent with awe. Was this how she'd pulled at the heartstrings of others, those of which that weren't inside of him.
How does one, pull at a heart? When one does not have one?
He didn't know. But he was panicked and gripping tightly onto the Anemo vision on his chest. His face glowed red with sparks of light blending into his perfectly clear doll skin.
*Badump-badump* his chest resonated.
Perhaps, she'd been looking at him, much more than he'd been looking at her.
To think she knew, that he liked places high, and to actually care that he likes tea enough to put it into his room, and even caring enough to remember when he on one occasion mentioned liking sewing.
Was she really that invested in him, to care so much?
*Thump* He swallowed, turning away, flustered and frustrated with himself with his lack of answer, instead opting to scoff.
She giggled, her fingertips resting atop her rose tinted lips. It sounded out through his ears like a lullaby, and down to the mountain's slope. It echoed around and over the false skies, and he engraved its harmonious melody into his brain.
She drew closer, nearing him. He couldn't think of what to say, so instead of acting like a fool and looking away bashfully like some kind of schoolboy. He stood straight, facing her.
'Do you feel better now?' she asked as she took his hand again.
'Tch!' he clicked his tongue. 'Is this perhaps another scheme to garner my trust. If so, it isn't working...' He deviously smiled as he tipped his hat back as he pulled in his face near hers just far enough to where there was plenty of room between them.
He didn't break from her hand, instead recording a record in his head of its warm coating.
Her eyes flickered, and her cheeks flushed from their proximity. Then it looked like she had an idea as her eyes relaxed into a sinister stare.
'Hahaha~ you got me, I just wanted to do this!' she jumped at him, drawing the hand she was holding upward and locking their fingers together, as she used her other to frame his cheek in its curve.
For a moment she was standing a foot away from him, then in the same moment she was right next to his face.
Their lips collided, her sincerity on full show as her lips warmth conveyed over to his. He tumbled back a tad onto his stumbling foot. His eyes expanded in surprised as they wobbled through his skull.
It wasn't a long kiss, but it felt like eternity for him. He started reliving those previous thumps and badumps in his chest, except at exceedingly high frequency and louder than ever before, their sound rang throughout his ears.
Her ever-warm body collapsing into his oddly cold one. Her lips, soft, and warmer than her hand ever was. He felt himself falling into her, needing more, wanting the whole time to wrap his arms around her, too bad he was too surprised or more correct to say, too embarrassed to make a move.
He was warm, but not because she was embracing him. No, he was warm, because he was warm, he didn't need another to feel it, it was in him, inside and out. He was truly and uttering warm.
When they finally parted, she just smiled and said, 'Do you feel better now?' she asked again, with a more teasing tone, as she pushed her chest forward and swiped her arms behind her.
A devious smile plastered on her features.
'Ugh!' he covered his face with his forearm, jumping back like a feral cat when you get to close.
He thought back, to what he'd felt when they kissed, and grew ever more red.
*Thump. Thump~ Thump!* his chest rang out, growing louder with his head growing fuzzier.
She's must've gone mad... Why the hell would she- would she... ki- He stumbled over his words in his head, his arm slowly descending from defence mode, to defenceless mode. He hovered his fist over his lips, reminiscing of hers on his.
But seems, that her spark of courage soon ran thin, as her face suddenly lit up like a flare, into tomato red, steaming smoke came from her face.
'Huh,' She hummed, as she caressed her cheek then toured her fingers to her lips. A panicked smile plastered on.
They sat there, internally panicking for what felt like hours to them, but in reality, it had only been about a five-minutes.
Lumine bolted up, from where'd she'd collapsed into herself on the floor. 'Let's go,' she suddenly declared, as she put his hand into hers.
'Yea...' he put no fight up and agreed, though not without fail looking at her and his hands intertwined.
His eyes curved into a smile, and while his cheeks had diminished in warmth, his hand was back to where it belonged, in hers.
'Oh right! Nahida wanted me to get you so we could have dinner together!' She suddenly remembered as she gripped the side of her skull, messing up her hair in the process. They had snapped from place so fast Wanderer almost got whiplash.
Her strides became long and faster as she hurried them along to Sumeru city. Pulling Wanderer like he was a doll in a little girl's hand.
Wanderer who'd in turn laughed at her plight and forgetfulness, as they hastily traversed through the grassy plains of Sumeru.
In the end, she ended up finally snapping, and started yelling at him and hitting him for laughing at her. But he just kept on laughing as he dodged her every blow. Their trek to Sumeru city filled with mocking laughs and an angry, red-faced Lumine.
Their hands were intertwined the whole time they made their way back to Sumeru city.
Lumine's hand becoming cold from his, and Wanderer's hand becoming warm from hers.
And in time, they had become perfectly regulated to the other's temperature. They evened each other out, like Ying and Yang or curry and rice, hehe.
In each other's company, without fail their hearts would race and cheeks would flush.
And that would last forever, for both were long living, and near immortal beings. They would watch every sun set and moon rise together.
She was a star, he a puppet, but to be honest who cares about that. Because all that really mattered, was that they were a Traveller and a Wanderer, who journeyed together, that was all.
The end.
-Author's footnote.
Whoop! I just did that~ I'm pretty proud, I wrote this in one day (with another day of editing) Can you believe! Well anyway, I just want to thank CXomixc for giving me a list of ship suggestions and giving me the motivation, I needed to write this😊.
I think I'm going to continue to use that list for future ideas, some platonic and others not, since I just realized I haven't written anything platonic yet😅
And also I'm surprised at myself for not writing these two earlier (I've actually been shipping them for a while, so that's something🙃)
Anyway~
Author Shea signing off~