🇵‌🇺‌🇷‌🇪‌ 🇼‌🇦‌🇹‌🇪‌🇷‌ | Shenhe x Reader

3

It had been a few days since you last saw Shenhe, yet you hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. It was embarrassing, if you were being honest. You'd only spoken to her once, why were you making such a big deal out of it?

Still, you hoped she'd return to Luhua Pool sometime soon. You knew it was unlikely since humans like her had lives, other things to do, but that didn't stop you from wanting her to come back.

You remembered her pretty grey eyes, how they shined in the moonlight. You remembered how they were almost emotionless, yet still seemed to hold so many secrets. Sighing, you materialized on the water's surface after checking that no one was around.

It was near midnight now, meaning it was the best time for you to be out of the water. You hadn't gotten many chances to explore around the lake yet, but had been meaning to do so. Maybe it would give you a clue as to why you were here, both in Liyue and in the mortal realm.

Once your body had formed from the water, you felt something tap gently on your foot, which stood on the lake's surface. Glancing down, you saw an orange Betta fish, it's sharp nose gently tapping what would have been your skin. Smiling, you knelt down to see him better.

"What is it, Larry?" The Betta, whom you'd chosen to call Larry, tilted his head, pointing to somewhere across the lake. While you couldn't exactly communicate with the fish, they had become your closest companions, and you could usually understand what they generally meant. They also spent a lot of time listening to you talk, and seemed to gain their own kind of understanding about you. To you, it looked like Larry was trying to show you something.

"Is there something over there?" You asked quietly, unsure what it was trying to show you. The fish swam around in a circle, moving backwards towards the shore opposite you. "Okay, I'll follow you."

Keeping your eyes on the Betta, you treaded across the lake and over to the other shore, which you'd yet to explore much.

The closer you got to the shore, the more cautious you became. You weren't exactly a fighter, or at least, not since becoming a spirit, and if there was something lurking in the area you might not be able to defend yourself.

However, it didn't look like there was anyone nearby. Instead, your gaze fell upon a small pile of objects tucked against a rock. There were a few books, a bag, and a weapon of some sort. At least, it looked like a weapon to you. You couldn't be sure from this distance.

"Thanks, Larry." you smiled, turning to the fish that had led you here, "I'll take a look at these." Coming to the edge of the water, you paused.

You hadn't tried leaving the lake since taking this form, and you weren't sure what losing contact with its waters would do to you. Still, you wanted to look at the things that had been left onshore. Plus, this would be a good opportunity to test your new body's limits, if it survived the short trip.

"Here goes nothing." You whispered, stepping onto the sand. Nothing felt different, so you took another step, placing both feet out of the water.

Luckily, you held up just fine, and with a smile, went over to where the objects lay. Now that you were closer, you realized the weapon wasn't a weapon at all, but a small blue parasol. It was decorated with pictures of waves and the handle was painted a pretty silver.

Aside from that, a stack of books and journals had been left behind, along with a bag of what you assumed were travel supplies. Everything had gone bad now though, and it looked like whoever they belonged to was long gone.

What interested you most was the parasol. How had you never come to this side of the lake and seen it before? You were about to pick it up when something jumped out at you from behind a rock.