EN | An encounter she will never forget | ᴄʜɪʟᴜᴍɪ

14 - Rite of Descension

Lumine ran from the beach until Liyue Harbor was in her line of sight, discernible by the morning sunlight before she stopped.

Her breathing was ragged and her throat burned as much from running as from her tears. Her tears streamed down her cheeks, drawn inexorably to the ground without her being able to stop them like her thoughts still swirling in her mind. She leaned against a nearby tree, her back to the road so no one could see her face, and let herself slide to the ground.

She regretted running off and leaving Childe behind, especially after this intimate moment they had just shared, but she didn't want to cry in front of him. That, and she didn't want either to suffer the questioning that would have provoked her tears while her mind was still tangled between that something that she was still feeling toward him, and her deep desire to find her brother as quickly as possible. Her brother was what was counting, and what had always counted, so the choice was easy to make in theory. So why was it that hard to forget this sweet sensation of Childe's warm breath on her face, his fingers on her skin, his lips on hers?

She didn't know what to do anymore, what was right to do, and what she wanted to do. Everything was mixing up in her head, just like her tears intertwining and forming only one.

Taking a few minutes to regain her composure before going to find Paimon, she gathered her knees against her chest when she felt something soft and warm wrapped around her neck.

Damn it.

She was gone with Childe's scarf without her noticing it. Immediately, her thoughts raced through her mind to find a solution to this problem. She hesitated to turn around and give it back to him, but she wasn't ready to face him. Not yet. The idea of walking around with it and giving it back to him when she passed him crossed her mind, but she didn't want to confirm the suspicions of the Harbor's inhabitants.

We just kissed... It doesn't mean anything...

Double-locking in a box at the back of her mind this hint of contestation and indignation that her heart was letting know as she dared to think that it didn't mean anything, she continued to think of every possibility for the scarf's problem.

She couldn't ask Paimon to put that scarf in her private world either, without fearing countless questions and reproaches from her. That wasn't a possible solution. The young woman clung to the scarf with both hands then sighed.

The only option she had left to remain relatively unnoticed was to hand it over to the Northland Bank, the Fatui's front establishment in Liyue Harbor, which Childe ran as the Harbinger in charge of the Liyue region.

Lumine had never been there and didn't want to drag her feet there, but it was her only escape.

Gathering what courage and strength she had left, she wiped her eyes and rubbed her face, trying to restore her appearance. The golden-haired young woman took off the scarf she had around her neck to fold and keep it in her hand, before getting to her feet and setting off in the direction of the Harbor.

Unfortunately for her, dawn had broken, which meant that she hadn't come home in time. She knew Zhongli wouldn't give her too much grief for being late, but she was more worried about the reaction of the little fairy who was probably already on the street looking for her.

For fear of crossing the path of an acquaintance or the pixie, Lumine decided to go through the narrow alleys to the bank, not assuming what she had in her hand. Once she arrived at the bank, she took a deep breath before pushing open the door, watched by a member of the Fatui who was guarding the entrance. Inside the establishment, a sweet fragrance of exotic tea and spices wafted through the air. The lights were dim and the walls dark, as well as the dark-brown wooden furniture enlivened by gilding, exacerbating the impression of darkness that emanated from the premises.