Dark Secret

Chapter 2: Worries

Lumine landed on her feet with the grace of a cat and examined her blade as the four ruin guards and the one ruin hunter that she had been fighting, all fell to the ground.

"Wow! That was quick! You're getting a lot with your reaction and timing!" Paimon stated.

"Eh. It's only thirty-sixth of what I once was able to do." Lumine stated flatly.

"Really? Are you sure? Because you'd have to be a yaksha if you were that powerful."

Lumine half jumped and looked into the tree overlooking her that she was leaning against. "What the-"

" Scare you?" the ginger-haired Snezhnaya snickered from his tree position.

Lumine sighed. "Childe, you already used up your spare for this month. On top of that, I hope you can tell that I'm in no condition to fight."

Childe looked up and down at her. "You are pretty hurt. And no, I didn't come to ask for another spar, I know you're busy, like me. Well... busy most of the time."

"Mhm. So explain why you were spying on me just now?"

"I-!"

"Don't tell me you were 'just observing'." Childe didn't say anything. Lumine huffed. "Fine. Keep it to yourself for all I care. I'm going over to Liyue Harbor."

"Yes!!! Paimon's starving, and Paimon's not staying here another moment longer to hear you two bicker!"

"I'll come," Childe said abruptly.

Lumine turned to him, surprised. "Why?"

"This is not my command, so don't beat me up for it, but there have been even more fatui agents stationed at Liyue Harbor and Inazuma. I don't know where in Inazuma, because that's not my job. That's Scaramouches'."

"Not that I would beat you up for it. It's not like it's your fault. So... Scaramouche is the sixth fatui harbinger I assume?"

"Yes."

"Ah..." Lumine glanced worriedly at Paimon. "I see..."

"If you thought things were getting worse, you were wrong. I heard the Tsaritsa is also about to send in Signora, depending if you go to Inazuma or not."

"SIGNORA TOO?! This is getting too much for Paimon to handle..."

"Hey, hey. It's better than Her Majesty sending in Pedrelino. Apparently, his strength can rival gods." said Childe, trying to console freaked-out Lumine and Paimon.

"I suppose so..." Lumine's eyes looked cloudy.

"Something wrong? I thought you guys were going to be staying in Liyue for a bit before heading over to Mondstadt."

"Yes... that's true... I do need to continue trying to search for my brother after all..."

"So then why are you so worried?"

"I-it's nothing."

Then Childe remembers the conversation that they had over at the bank before Lumine had fallen into a coma.

What did Piamon tell Lumine? She said that "You've yet to gather the powers of all seven elements..." does that mean that she's going to be leaving to go to Inazuma?! It's too dangerous!

"Childe? Are you okay?"

Childe relaxed. "Huh?" snapping back to the present. "Uhhh, yeah!"

"Let's go back to Liyue Harbor then, since you're so hungry, Paimon. Oh wait, I forgot, you always are."

"HEY! Don't bully Paimon!"

"Childe, don't you agree with me? Because I'm certain that you think that Paimon's a pig~"

Childe grinned at what Lumine was picking up and started playing along. "I agree! One hundred percent!"

"STOP BULLYING PAIMON! PAIMON ISN'T A PIG!"

"If you're not a pig, then what are you? Oh yeah, that's right. Your nice chunk of emergency food."

"FoR tHe LaSt TiMe, PaImOn IsN't EmErGeNcY FoOd!!!"