Chapter Text
Sipping on tea, she relishes the warmth it provides her. Dragonspine's haunting, sheer cold is terrible.
" To be frank with you," Childe tells her once they finally find a torch after searching for a long, long time, "with those clothes you wear? I'm surprised you're not dead."
She raises an eyebrow at him. "And what about you?"
"I'm from Snezhnaya, pretty girl." He smirks at her.
Two hours later, he's just shaking as badly as she is. There’s something wrong about having a hydro vision and talking shit like that. But she’s nice so she doesn’t mention it to him. Not now at least.
"Your clothes," she tells him, "are not suited for this either."
He glares at her.
Her expression remains dull—and he sighs in annoyance.
“Not even a smirk?”
Lumine shrugs her shoulders, not bothering to indulge him with a reply.
They both turn upon hearing Zhongli sigh. He’s smiling in amusement at them. That man may be lacking in the department of keeping himself financially stable but he’s the one wearing a coat and gloves—a precise victory befitting a former archon such as him.
They aren't in Dragonspine currently and Childe's not even there, stuck somewhere else for some ambiguous Fatui work—a subject she just simply doesn't approach with him. No, instead they are back in Liyue, sitting in the abode which Zhongli possesses, reveling in a warm and delicious breakfast. It's been a while since they had time to enjoy a proper morning like this—Dragonspine has not been very kind to them. Zhongli may have prepared himself well for the situation but he is a dragon at heart—those cold temperatures are an unwanted vexation to him.
It's quiet but Lumine doesn't mind. She’s used to silence like this, one that is not awkward nor stifling. She's never been one to talk much, favoring to listen instead. That’s why she adores traveling with Zhongli. He has a lot of tales to tell and she can listen without having to utter a single word except reaffirmations. Of course, he’d ask her questions sometimes but he’s keen. He knows when to and when not.
Today though…
“It seems that the weather will stay this fine until the evening… Would you like to take a walk? I believe you suggested that earlier today.”
Sitting opposite her, Zhongli looks up and nods his head, a small smile gracing his face.
“I’d be more than glad to. It’s been a while since I had time to walk around and perceive my surroundings without rush,” he tells her before going back to his tea.
It’s odd. She’s sitting here eating breakfast with a deity. Lumine prefers the unique over the mundane though.
“Lumine?”
His eyes settle on her. They shine the color of cor lapis, the gems that decorate Liyue in their scarcity of gleaming elegance.
She smiles at him before reaching into the pocket of her bag. Grabbing his hand, she places a petite box into the palm of it.
“Happy Birthday, Zhongli—your presence in my life has brought me many delights. I hope we can continue to chatter about this world beneath the radiant stars for many more of your birthdays.”
It’s a sincere wish.
(She knows he can tell. It's the way his eyes shine with warmth and his smile seems even more gorgeous than before.)
She's sharing breakfast with a deity, yet she has no questions to ask, no favors to beg for, and no desires she needs to fulfill.
Lumine's sharing breakfast with someone so precious to her, that she would not lay any more burdens on his shoulders.