Xiaolumi S5: Clair De Lune

To Those Who Pursue The Moon

A/N: Oh I have been ITCHING to do this one as an arc, you have no idea. Time has passed and the twins continue to grow rapidly as Lantern Rite approaches and the family are starting to prepare to leave Sumeru. They go to say their goodbyes only to discover the Balladeer is awake from his coma. Meanwhile something is lurking in the shadows. I hope you enjoy Ishtar's song for Scaramouche above that is also the song for this arc.

Twins Progress: Bit of a timeskip. The twins will be a month old(Feb 10th) after Lantern Rite(Jan 22 - Feb 5 in calendars).  So they are still pretty small at 9 days old(Jan 19th). They have the development of a two month old human child.  Mentally they are now 6-7 years old. They are starting to get much sharper senses and unlike human children they are about to hit a big growth spirt shortly.

Quick Translation Fact: Lumine addresses Xiao and their children as her "Oikos" this chapter. Oikos is an old Greek word that means roughly "Family & Home" which is very sweet I think. This is the word taught to her by her teacher.

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Spring was finally in the air, or the first signs of it as the warm breezes chased away the snow and ice. But also started to dry up the monsoon rains from the long rainy season. As the nights passed the moon had thinned and the children of the moon were feeling its effects. Tighnari was sleeping in as Cyno left after talking to Collei. Meanwhile back at Dahri Ruins Xiao and Lumine had just finished cleaning up and tidying up the campsite and the barrier was removed and destroyed.

All that remained was the dirt filled bonfire pit and holes where the stakes for the tent had been. Slight traces of talon marks scoured the earth and the rubble of the ruins from where Xiao had walked around in his true form or sharpened his talons or spear. The ascending yaksha was still not used to his new body and all the changes it had brought. But what worried Lumine most...last night he had suffered a fit from his karmic debt and it had been a bad one. His complexion still a bit pale and eyes dull with pain as his golden eyes flickered with a weak glow. What was worse, his usual medicine was not working and Lumine was not sure why.

As she looked over her journal as they sat at the cafe her attention turned to the whining and sobs and little Bakari. Poor Paimon failed as were Hermes and Aquila to try and calm the infant that evening. Xiao was still suffering a massive headache as he held little Nalini in his arms as she drank from her little bottle sleepily. The changes and even this Trial of Temperance...mixed in with everything he was exhausted and it showed as he was sitting back in the chair.

"Bakari what's wrong?"Xiao wondered with a sigh as Lumine bent down to take her son out of the cradle basket. Above overhead there was barely any trace of the moon in the sky, thin as a cat's sickle claw. Her son's pale blonde hair by the day grew darker and by now as black as the darkest corners of the abyssal void. The way he was crying and fussing these last few days, his appearance changing as his harvest moon honey amber eyes were losing their brightness. "Bakari...you're burning up."yelped Lumine in worry. That snapped Paimon and Xiao at full alert.

Not wasting a second, not caring of his own suffering Xiao steadied himself and hurried over. He did not like how pale and distressed his son was looking, Nalini huddled safe in her sling swaddle and looked confused. Her parents...why did she smell and see fear on their faces? Why was her brother crying and so cranky right now? She didn't understand why he looked different either. Xiao's brow furrowed as he whispered something, a loving hand resting on his son's head. Before their eyes Bakari began to calm down, appearing almost in a distant daze as Lumine held him protectively in her arms.

"What in the name of the Seven didja do?"Paimon wondered as she followed after them after gathering everything up back into their dimensional storages.