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

Windblume, Part 7

Windblume, Part 7

Alhaitham sat comfortably on a stool at the second floor of the Knights of Favonius headquarters. He had arrived early at the venue without bothering to comply with the dress code. The Knights stationed at the gates had eyed his non-conforming outfit but didn't ask intrusive question when he told them he had no mora to buy a new suit. It was a lie, of course. The fact of the matter was that he didn't care about conforming. He wasn't there to dance anyway and only came because he wanted to keep an eye on the Harbinger.

He flipped a page from the book on his one hand and occasionally looked over the scaffold to see the people below file in through the entrance and scramble around the ball room. Because he arrived early, he was able to scout the area and find a nice spot at the second floor corridor on the left side of the hall. A curtain was hanging from the ceiling at the end of the hallway which conveniently concealed him from the people below. Only those who bothered to walk upstairs would find him hiding behind it.

The Scribe closed the book, sighing. A dim place wasn't the best place to read. It would potentially damage his eyesight, so he stopped reading, picked up a glass of wine from one of the waiters and focused his energy on watching Lumine below.

She was wearing the lavender, off-shoulder gown that did nothing but rouse his lust. Why did she even let the Harbinger choose that gown? Was it to seduce Childe? He finished his wine in one gulp and plucked a new glass from another waiter passing by.

Lumine and the Harbinger joined Cyno's group and started conversing with them. The Scribe would occasionally catch her looking around the ball room, probably searching for him, and when her eyes traveled to the second floor, he would hide behind the curtain to conceal himself.

The Scribe imagined this as a social experiment to test her loyalty. Her feelings for him might've waned during the time he failed to recognize their relationship. He wanted to confirm if they were still true although the way she kissed him back at the inn already said so much. Still, he was curious to see how she would react to a potential suitor when he wasn't around.

A lady in a white tux clinked her glass with a spoon, calling everyone's attention. She introduced herself as the Acting Grand Master of the Knight of Favonius. After delivering a generic speech, music started to play and people partnered up to begin the dance. The Harbinger wasted no time, pulling Lumine to the dance floor.

His grip on the stem of the wine glass tightened when Childe took her one hand and clutched her waist with the other. The pair started swaying in rhythm with the music while he stood there, regretting his decision to hide and watch from afar when he should be down there stealing her from the Harbinger, holding her hand and dancing with her, kissing her.

After a few rounds of music. Childe lowered his head in an attempt to kiss the Traveler. The wine glass on Alhaitham's hand shattered after clenching it with unbridled strength. The wine spilled and shards cut his palms, shocking the waiter stationed close to him. He observed Lumine evade the Harbinger's attempt as she pointed to the luncheon table where Paimon was eating nonstop, and relief washed through him.

The waiter quickly helped and offered a napkin to wipe his hands. Sitting back on the stool behind the curtain, he smudged the cloth with blood while the waiter swept the area. The man later moved out, carrying the broken glass on a dustpan and a mop, leaving Alhaitham alone once again. Lumine and Childe had retreated to the luncheon table and started eating with Paimon. Nilou took up the center of the ball room and danced. Everybody kept their eyes to the theater dancer but the Scribe only had eyes for one person in this sea of mediocrity. Lumine. He wanted to dance with her and make her smile but mingling with all these people was too much of a challenge for him. Social interactions were something he naturally evaded unless he absolutely had to.