At dinnertime, Lumine sat down, and looked at the dishes in surprise. Not only had Wanderer made Shimi Chazuke, he had also made a plate of Tricolored-dango, a tray of Taiyaki, and some Sakura Mochis. She knew that Wanderer despised sweet dishes that stuck to his teeth, so why would he make all of this?
"Wanderer, what's this?" Lumine gasped.
"Consider us even now. I burned you, and now I make-" he swallowed as if the word physically hurt him, "desserts for you."
Lumine beamed.
"Thank you, Wanderer!"
"I find words of appreciation to be useless. But whatever. Don't let the food get cold, I'm not making any more."
Lumine smiled as Wanderer looked away. He tried to pay attention to the birds outside the window, but couldn't help but steal glances at Lumine every now and then. It's the way her cheeks puff out whenever she chew on his desserts, it's just so-
-ahem. Don't get distracted.
At night, Lumine crawled into bed, her stomach warm, filled with treats. She rolled onto her side, smiling softly at the sight of Paimon sleeping soundly, snoring loudly. Her eyes grew heavier, and soon, she too fell into deep slumber.
Little did she know, deep into the night, a figure had come into her room, and shut the open windows for her, afraid it'd be too cold. He had also adjusted her bed sheet so that she was nice and cozy under them. He then left, only the scent of him lingering until dawn. But by then, it was too faint and indistinct to notice.
Lumine yawned, and got up groggily. She rubbed her eyes, and noticed how dim it was. Her gaze focused on the closed window, and without properly thinking, she got up and threw the wind shutters open. The air around her smelled like the winter breeze and autumn leaves, all mixed together into a pleasant aura.
"Ah, close the window...it's too bright..." Paimon mumbled.
Lumine chuckled
"Oh, but it's a special time right now!!"
Paimon's eyes immediately flew open.
"What is it? Your birthday? Nahida's birthday? Our anniversary?"
Lumine shook her head.
"Nope. Much more important that all of those."
"Paimon's birthday?"
"No, it's the time to get up! Nahida's probably waiting for us at the Sanctuary."
Paimon groaned, and sluggishly got up.
"Why would Nahida be waiting for us?"
"Because actually," Lumine paused for dramatic effect, "today is a special day! It's the first day of winter!"
Paimon leapt over to the window excitedly, as if expecting there to be pearly white snow covering the whole of Teyvat already. Lumine sighed, and dragged Paimon outside, the cool air immediately stung their lungs.
"Oh, brr, it's chilly!" Paimon exclaimed on their way to Nahida's.
"Heh, it sure is. It's a good sign! It means spring is going to come early."
"Psh, who actually believes those silly legends?"
A familiar voice came from behind. Lumine whirled around, and grinned when she saw who it was.
"Wanderer!" Lumine laughed, "it's a sure sign that we might get more snow this winter."
Wanderer rolled his eyes, and joined them on their walk.
"It's a sure sign that we'd see a lot of hats and scarves soon."
* * *
They reached the Sanctuary of Surasthana soon enough, and there Nahida was, sitting on her little bench. She was smiling cheerfully as they approached, her hands wrapped around a small box.
"Great! You're all here! I was just about to go over!" Nahida laughed, "I have a small present for you all."
Nahida handed the small box to Lumine. She was surprised at its weight, as it was surprisingly heavy. She shook the box slightly, and pressed her ear to the side of it. It sounded...solid. Nahida's eyes lit up, and she gave Wanderer a small controller with a button on it.
"Wanderer, you can press the button whenever you wish, and the box would explode, revealing the actual gift," Nahida explained, "but, you should only do it when you think that you and Lumine's missions are complete."
Wanderer nodded, his expression way too serious for this occasion. Paimon huffed.
"Why doesn't Paimon get a part in this?"
"Don't worry Paimon, I'm sure that you'll be satisfied with your part in the end," Nahida gave her a reassuring smile, "for now, I'll be treating you three to the marketplace."
"Shopping spree!" Paimon shouted happily.
Wanderer sighed, tire in his voice.
"Here we go..."
YOU ARE READING
Trust-Scaralumi fanfic
FanfictionWanderer has been through 3 betrayals in his life, so it's understandable why he's unsure of whether to trust Lumine or not. But now, he's given the choice to.
