𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩 𝙑𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 | Various Genshin x Reader

3

Nilou took her final pose, finishing up the dance she'd been practicing nearly nonstop for the past few hours. It wasn't for any particular purpose though; there weren't any shows coming up soon, but she still wanted to improve on her skills anyway, so she made sure to practice every day.

The theater erupted into applause as she took a bow, smiling brightly at all the people that had gathered to watch her practice. The Grand Bazaar was always bustling with people, whether they were around to sell their wares, watch the performances, or just check out the more artistic scenes of Sumeru City.

Sometimes the presence of so many made it a little hard for her to rehearse without feeling like she also had to perform while doing so, but she loved the atmosphere anyway. Just one smile from someone watching her dance was enough to wash away her nerves, no matter how well practiced she was with that particular routine.

She made her way off the stage now, grabbing her water bottle from one of the tables nearby and taking a big sip.

"That was amazing, as always, Nilou!" Mr. Zubayr smiled as came over, "I cant wait until we get started on our next performance; it's sure to be amazing with you in it."

"Thank you," The red haired girl smiled brightly, "But I was just brushing up on some of my moves. Nothing too special." She shrugged, drinking some more water in an attempt to hide how hard she was panting. Dancing really worked up a sweat, she had to admit.

"I think all the people that gathered to watch you would say otherwise," The man smiled, "But anyway, you should take a break now. I know you've been up there practicing all morning." His suspicions were confirmed when she smiled sheepishly, lowering her water bottle.

"I do my best practicing when there are fewer people," she admitted, "That way I can perform even better when more show up!"

Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly, and her cheeks turned slightly pink from embarrassment. Mr. Zubayr just laughed.

"Well, either way, you should go have lunch now." He insisted, "If you're still planning to make that trip out to Gandharva Ville for us later, then you'd better rest up before you have to leave."

"Alright," she grinned, "I'll see you later, Mr. Zubayr!"

Nilou turned to leave, ready to go get something to eat, when the man suddenly called out to her.

"Oh, wait!" He shouted, going over to a nearby box she hadn't noticed before. It was just a simple wooden box, but she came over anyway, wondering what else he wanted. "I was cleaning out the prop closet the other day," he told her, searching through the box, "And I had something to give you."

Tilting her head in curiosity, Nilou went over to stand by him, glancing into the box. A moment later, he pulled out a small, light blue book and handed it to her.

"I think that belongs to you. Look familiar?"

She inspected the cover, seeing that her name was written on the back of it. On the front was a photo of herself and her parents back when she was little, and around it, she'd decorated with stickers of various animals and flowers.

"Oh, this is my old scrapbook!" She exclaimed with a grin, looking back up at the man, "I wonder how that ended up in the prop closet..."

Actually, she was pretty sure she vaguely remembered hiding out in there one day to look at her scrapbook when things had gotten particularly tough. It had always cheered her up, and at the time, she'd really needed it. She just must have forgotten to take it back out with her when she left...

"Well, either way, you can have it back now." Mr. Zubayr replied with a smile. "Now, you go have your lunch! No more stalling!" He gently pushed her back as she turned to leave, trying to get her to hurry up before anything else could stop her from going to eat.