Genshin Impact | "The Last Night in Aaru Village" | Alhaitham x Lumine

Lovers, Part 3

"Why are you so angry?" Kaveh asked.

Alhaitham looked back at the mess he had made in the common room and realized what he just did. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, trying to control his breathing. This wasn't him. He wasn't himself all because of a woman.

Kaveh watched his friend calm himself down. After looking like he had collected himself, he glared at Kaveh and answered in a flat tone. "I got angry because you used up all my parchment again without replacing them."

"Huh?" Kaveh's face contorted in confusion and the Scribe strutted out of the kitchen to his bedroom, leaving his roommate dumbfounded.

Kaveh swallowed and yelled after his roommate. "That's the most ridiculous reason I have ever heard in my entire life. And now you're just going to walk out without cleaning up your mess?"

***

Lumine held the pouch containing dried henna berries Cyno had given her yesterday. She had forgotten to leave it at the inn where they were staying and found it in her pocket. She inserted the pouch back. Breathing in the Sumeru night air deeply, she thought about Cyno's request. He had asked her to give them to Tighnari whenever she drops by the Gandharva Ville.

She was fine running errands here and there as long as the pay was good but didn't ask for any payment from Cyno because he was a friend, though Paimon wanted him to treat them to a meal the next time they meet.

Katheryn cleared her throat as she stood in her usual spot in the Adventurer's guild. Paimon and Lumine paid close attention to her. "A request came in from a Mondstader who is stationed at Aaru village. The person is looking for someone to send after a team of researchers lost in the desert," she said.

Lumine nodded. "We'll take it," she said before Paimon could say anything.

Katheryn smiled. "Thank you. We will send a notification as soon as possible."

"Already?" Paimon said. "Traveler, aren't you being a little too hard on yourself? Paimon thinks you should take a break. You've been working day and night and not eating nor sleeping well."

"I'm fine, Paimon. We shouldn't be wasting our time while we're still in Sumeru. We'll be leaving for Fontaine soon, remember?" She looked around and saw a man wearing a dark green cape from afar walking towards them and her heart leapt. She grabbed Paimon and jumped inside the Guild's booth, ducking below Katheryn's desk. Katheryn seemed unfazed.

"It's not him," Katheryn told her amiably.

"Oh..." Lumine emerged from her spot and surveyed the area. The man she was avoiding wasn't there.

"Until when are you going to do this?" Paimon frowned at her and crossed her arms. "Paimon knows you are avoiding the Clumsy Nerd, but Paimon doesn't understand why." They both stepped out of the booth and thanked Katheryn.

"He did come here a few times in the past two weeks looking for you," Katheryn said.

"What did you tell him?" Lumine asked.

"I told him what you wanted me to say. That you're busy running errands, that I haven't seen you in a while, and that you may have taken a long quest."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'm just not ready to talk to him yet." Lumine had taken great lengths to avoid Alhaitham for the past two weeks. She had instructed Katheryn to not tell her whereabouts in case he dropped by looking for her and had told the innkeeper where they were staying to say she's not around in case he came. They had chosen routes and commission around the city where they did not need to enter the Akademiya.