Chapter Text
Lyney grabs Freminet by the hand dragging him to the edge of the pier, Lynette keeping up at their side. “Come on you guys! We’re going to miss the performance!”
They reach the crowds and weave their way to the front to get a better view, grabbing the railing to secure their spot. Their eyes scour everywhere, the water, the sky, anywhere the performers might come out from. Freminet’s feet ached as he and his siblings have been seemingly walking nonstop from one event to another, only stopping to eat and drink, so he sits on the wooden floor boards, his feet dangling off the ledge and his arms resting on the railing. When his siblings asked him if he wanted to join them on a trip around Liyue, Freminet was a bit reluctant at first. Traveling across an entire nation is no easy feat, but having wanted to spend some more quality time with his siblings he talked himself into getting excited to join. If only his legs felt the same way as they did then.
It takes a while of searching before the lights around them begin to dim, causing confusion among the masses and making the warm golden lanterns seem like floating stars that descended from the starry night sky. Lyney and Lynette stand on either side of Freminet as they admire the lighting, their focus shifting to a bright light along the horizon.
Lyney rocks on his toes, his hands up to his chest in excitement like a little kid. “Ooh, it’s starting!” he sings.
Lynette and Freminet can’t help but chuckle at the sight of their brother, the “mature” one, getting excited over a simple light show. Yet, it is refreshing to see him not having to worry about others for once and be able to genuinely enjoy himself.
Drums boom across the harbor causing Freminet to jump. Another, and again. They slowly merge closer together forming a rhythm that echoes through the streets. The light out at sea brightens into a blinding intensity before burning out. In its place stands an illuminated vibrant red creature whose eyes flutter open.
“Is that a beast walking on water?” Freminet asks. Lynette tilts her head in confusion.
Lyney squints only for his eyes to widen in amazement. “No, that’s a person standing on water. How is that possible?”
With all eyes on the performer, he leaps into the air moving the beast’s head in a way that gives it life, landing back on the surface of the water with nothing but a calm ripple. With every jump he would reach higher and higher, pulling nearby lanterns to swirl around him with streaks of flames whizzing in trails. He flips and turns, kicking larger lanterns closer to the pier and uses them as stepping stones to ascend up, pausing in front of the crowd for a moment in the spotlight.
Freminet’s eyes light up and it seems like time freezes over. Impossible feats aside, he had never seen anything, much less anyone, so fierce yet so gentle. His eyes meet the performer’s as he lifts the beast head above his own, his amber eyes glossed with dedication, sweat trickles his forehead and his wild red flamed hair whips in the wind. Freminet can’t help but stare in awe at the dancer, and when he gives Freminet a quick melting smile before continuing up, the tips of his ears singe a tinge pink. There is no envy, just pure adoration for the artistry of emotions that make his heart soar like the beast as he leaps higher into the sky with delicate and calculated steps on each lantern he places. The beast reaches the rooftops of the city running freely, gathering more lanterns creating a staircase to the heavens. He flips and turns spraying sparks all around him as he climbs higher and higher, the drums building tension, until he reaches the highest lantern into one final pose.
The crowds roar in applause pulling Freminet out of his trance as he claps along. Lynette is smiling and Lyney grinning as the performer carefully makes his way down the lanterns, disappearing into the edge of the city.
“Did you see that?” Lyney exclaims. “Oh, I really want to know how he did that. That would be such an amazing addition to our shows!” He rambles on about the show and how it could have worked. He even jokingly suggests finding the performer to have a joint performance.
However Freminet finds it difficult to concentrate on the conversation as he can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment as people start to disperse signaling the end of the performance, the absence of the drums making his chest feel empty. He wants more. More of the passion, the fierceness, and the warmth. He wants to experience the sensation all over again or for it to never have ended in the first place.
Before getting up Freminet looks out to the water one last time where the dancer first appeared, hoping to see him there again, but he is long gone. Only the memory of flying embers remain. He sighs as yearning seeps in. Perhaps one day he will be able to find the same feeling again.