Chapter Text
A small whirring sound comes from my hotel room and then the sudden cluttering of wooden blinds brushing together. Strong, sunlight beams press their way in, heating the cloud like sheets of my silk bed. My eyes flit open to witness the brightest, bluest sky— so beautifully and mysteriously clear.
I toss the sheets aside and put on my usual white outlander dress. Feathers and flowers in my short blond hair, my sharp yellow eyes like the Mora of Liyue in the Golden House, and my boots that have trudged miles and faced too many foes to count. I hold a gaze with myself in the mirror with a puzzling smile. For the longest time, I’ve been traveling and by proxy, learned boundless information about Teyvat. However, everything seems to be in as much of a disarray as it has ever been— especially in this hotel room. I must’ve collapsed as soon as I reached the bed.
I grab my messenger bag hanging on the door, sling it over my shoulder, and hurry down the stairs with a grumble in my stomach. Opening the door, I marvel in the sight I entirely missed the night before. Gorgeous Inazuma: the stone streets, tall buildings, eye-catching dresses, and wonderful, busy market. The signature color is present everywhere— a representation of the electro archons old presence— in the purple flowers, neon purple hanging lights, purple fans and umbrellas. Beautiful curling vines on all the lampposts and sakura trees with pink, fluffy petals decorating the streets. Walking around it was not hard to be so readily engaged with the people, the smell of the food cooking, and the displays of lacquerware, kimonos, and the music— oh, the music! It was a blessing to the ear with every further step into the heart of Inazuma the music got louder, and it seemed to me as if I were stepping further into my own heart.
There was a symphony of different instruments: the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi. The strings of the koto so calming and whimsical, the twang of the shamisen giving life some kind of floating energy, and the shakuhachi: a flute with a dream like quality. Along with those is a flurry of other elegantly played instruments that distract me severely until I bump straight into a woman walking my way with a tall stack of fliers in her hands. They all fly up into the air and my instincts kick in. I call the wind to blow the fliers back into my hands, pebbles to launch themselves onto the fliers so they do not fly further, water to put out some fliers that fell into a cooking pot, and electro and pyro to dry those that had fallen into the river.
The lady looks at me with panicked eyes and one hand raised as if in protest. I hand her back what I managed to salvage.
“I’m very sorry; I’m an Outlander. Please, do let me know if there is anything else I can do to make it up to you.” I bow to her, and she bows in return and takes the fliers back.
“It is… quite alright. Thank you for your help. Outlander…” She runs off, clearly startled by seeing a multi-elemental user, and I couldn’t blame her. I read one of the fliers that fell from her hands in her rush.
“Inauzma’s Firework Festival.” And luckily, I’m just in time to see it.
Then I refocus, stuffing the flier in my always overstuffed bag, and found the entrance to a fancy restaurant I had never been to before. I highly doubt they’d let me in as I walked up the wooden steps, and with the look on the greeter’s face he seems to think so too.
“Hello. How may I help you?”
“I was invited to lunch here by a work partner.”
“Ah, your name?”
“Lumine.”
“Oh, yes. She’s already waiting for you.” Briskly nodding, he leads me inside. Sparkling chandeliers, classy and modern seating, expensive but grand dishes, and the smell of sakura tree blossoms. There were fountains twinkling, water falling like crystals, and tall windows with an extravagant view of the city. The atmosphere is so rich and classy… my dress feels a little too crinkled, my makeup a little too hasty, my skirt a little too small, and my messenger bag a little too worn. The greeter goes in front while I follow behind, and since the aisle is narrow, I can hardly see in front of me.
"Lumine, is it?" And simply those words were enough to electrocute my entire life apart.