Ascension of the Celestial Archon (Genshin Isekai AU)

Nightveil Unfolds

After shopping with Kaeya and Axo, we pass by a clothing shop displaying some strange outfits. Three mannequins stand in the window: a woman, a man, and a child. The male one is wrapped head-to-toe in bandages like a mummy. The female resembles an angel and is wearing a sparkling, off-the-shoulder dress that barely reaches mid-thigh, paired with knee-high white stilettos. Huge, fluffy angel wings are attached to her back, and a silver halo sits above her head. The child mannequin is dressed as a tomato.

I can't help but smile as I turn to Kaeya. "Do people dress up in these for Nightveil?"

He nods his usual smirk in place. " "Yes. It's one way of warding off evil spirits when vegetables aren't enough."

Axo presses his face against the glass, peering in with wide eyes. "Wow, so you guys really do celebrate Halloween here."

"You guys are going to the festival tonight, right? Do you want to buy something?" Kaeya asks.

Axo eagerly nods. I sigh and give him a playful shrug. "Sure, why not?"

The shop is small, reminding me of Spirit Halloween back on Earth as the women's costumes seem designed to be sexy: sexy waitress, sexy fairy, sexy maid —you name it. Meanwhile, the men's costumes lean toward scary or tough: gladiators, vampires, and even a Jason Voorhees look-alike labeled Gaston Moorheis. I smile to myself, noting how these costumes reflect so many pop culture references from Earth, blending in strangely with the world of Teyvat.

Axo immediately picks out his costume—an astronaut. "This one!" he says proudly, holding it up.

"That's cute, Axo. I'm sure you'll look great in it," I say, ruffling the fins where his ears.

Kaeya glances at me, amused. "So, what do you think you're going to be?"

"I don't know... this is all so overwhelming," I admit, browsing through the racks. "I'm thinking something edgy."

He raises an eyebrow. "You, edgy?"

"Yeah! Back on Earth, I usually dressed in all black, with chokers and fishnets. I may not look like it, but trust me, I'm one edgy woman."

Kaeya chuckles, clearly finding it hard to imagine. "I just can't picture you in that kind of outfit."

"It's true," Axo chimes in. "She's what people call... goff." The end of the word sounds like he made a raspberry.

"Goth," I correct him, rolling my eye.

"I said that," he insists.

"Too bad." Kaeya says, holding up a costume resembling Marilyn Monroe, labeled 'Mirabelle Moonrow.' "I'd say you'd look stunning in this."

I shake my head, amused by the suggestion and the Earth parallel. "Yeah, no thanks. I'm not about to channel my inner 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President.'"

He chuckles. "Well, just so you know, Mondstadt's more of a democracy run by the Knights..." He wraps an arm around me, suggestively. "But I wouldn't mind you singing to me."

I blush and roll my eye. "In your dreams."

Kaeya laughs and pulls out a tight leather catsuit, reminiscent of something from the old '90s Batman movies minus the cat ears. "How about this one? All black, edgy, and... well, form-fitting."

"I have more class than that." I cross my arms.

"But you said you wanted to be edgy?"

"I was thinking more like a pirate or a ninja. Not...dominatrix."

He smiles mischievously. "Pirate, huh?"

Axo shakes his head. "No pirates. I don't like them. What about an anime character? I like Tifa Lockheart."