It had been many days since the battle in Liyue, and Lumine couldn't bring herself to continue adventuring after the event. She had almost lost her life, and if it wasn't thanks to Xiao, she might have.
Despite pleas from both Amber and Paimon to go back to Mondstadt for the time being, Lumine chose to stay at Wangshu Inn. Between feeling comfort knowing the boss of the inn, and how populated the area was, she knew she was safe. At least, that's what she had said to convince everyone else. In reality, her faith and trust had been put in Xiao, and she found a sense of safety in his presence, even if she didn't think he'd pay any mind to hers.
Every night, she would wait for Paimon to fall asleep before she'd travel up to the roof of the inn and hope for Xiao to come and say hello. And every night he would ignore her and she was left to sit alone and watch over Liyue. Lumine didn't mind though, the peace and tranquility was enough for her.
This went on for almost a week before Xiao cracked and finally came to her. His grumpy demeanour was unchanging while he questioned her about her intentions with seeing him every night.
"I just wanted to thank you," Lumine told him. "You saved my life."
"You saved all of Liyue, these actions are incomparable," he stated.
And with that stale comment, he was gone. Lumine felt disheartened, but she knew not to take it personally.
"Maybe not to you," she sighed, leaning on the railings and looking out over the darkened valleys of Liyue. She understood that Xiao meant no harm, if anything, that was probably his way of thanking her for joining the fight. But she wished deep down that he would acknowledge his good deed and accept her gratitude.
Lumine pushed herself off the railing and walked back inside. She stopped at the stairs for a moment and closed her eyes as she recalled the way Xiao didn't hesitate to come to her aid. Be careful he had told her once her feet were firmly back on the ground. It brought a smile to her face, remembering the concern in his eyes as he let her lean on him. The way his hair felt as it tickled her face, and his arm strongly wrapped around her waist. She shook her head to try and subdue the blush forming on her cheeks as she headed back to her room.
Lumine slowly stopped spending every night on the balcony, but the nights that she did go up, she would talk to herself as though he was there. Slowly, she opened up as though she forgot that Xiao was still within ears reach. She spoke of her brother, her travels, her worries. It brought her a great level of comfort to pretend like she had someone to talk to and relieve her heart of the burdens she carried through this world. She didn't dare speak of these things with Paimon, as her travel companion would always get such a sad look on her face if she ever knew Lumine was troubled.
The two stayed at Wangshu Inn for a month without Lumine ever seeing Xiao again. She slowly began to realise that it would soon be time to leave and continue their adventures. She shouldn't waste so much time that could be used to find her brother. That night, she decided she wouldn't try to see Xiao after all, she didn't owe him a goodbye, and she didn't feel as though it would upset him if she went on her way. Maybe it would be a relief for him to not hear her on that balcony every other night.
Lumine changed into her nightgown early to deter herself from going to see Xiao one last time. She tucked Paimon in under her arm as the two laid down together. There was an abnormal amount of anxiety stirring in Lumine's stomach as she thought about her future travels. She shook off the feeling as she closed her eyes. She had gotten too comfortable in this bed that she forgot what it was like to fall asleep under the stars...
A few hours passed before Lumine woke up in a panic. She looked around frantically to study the room around her. Another nightmare she thought to herself. She wiped the cold sweat off the back of her neck and carefully left the bed, being sure to not wake Paimon as she snuck out. She slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.
