Author's Note
I was going to say that I should get like a consistent time to post but then I remembered that I would literally never follow through with that promise so... enjoy this Saturday chapter. (Technically because hey I haven't slept yet so it's still Friday night)
Lumine
Lumine could have fallen asleep right there, on the train, but it had been stopping by that point anyway. Beidou had returned with a pitcher of water and a few washcloths, and gone about ensuring that the Snezhnayan was not at risk of bleeding out, which was reassuring. After the general called somebody and relayed what had happened, she had taken the siblings off the train.
Now, they had walked off the platform and onto the ground. The tracks stopped at an area horizontally in front of the school, but they were set down about 20 feet and the walls of the platform were lined with staircases leading to the top.
The general started up that way, and Aether followed quickly. Lumine went after them. On the town's side of the tracks, there was only a small lip, so once she had gotten up a few stairs she could see out over the river. The sections closest to the academy were more colorful than what she had seen before, they were a bit like Mondstadt itself. Those banners that had denoted different buildings in the lake city were scattered through the streets here too, and there were people milling around the market stalls set up closer to the water. The docks were built in the further reaches of the settlement, and there was a bright, sandy beach stretching down the side of the town up until they started. Lumine could see people running around in the water there and lounging in the sun on chairs arranged in the sand. It seemed very peaceful, despite what had just happened to her.
They got to the top of the stairs and entered a stone plaza. It stretched from the stairs about 100 feet or so to the walls, and it extended down in either direction for some distance. There were some raised medians in which fruit trees and flowering shrubs grew, and the stone edges of each were the right height and width to serve as benches as well. The plaza also had a number of ramped bridges that arched over the tracks, before they met staircases that led to the opposite side. Either side the plaza was met by rocky, open terrain where it end on the corners of the academy wall.
The wall itself, to the east, was about 30 feet in height. A number of stone statues were scattered over the top, but the open faces were also decorated with massive reliefs. On this side, there were four large pieces. A fairy-dragon sort of creature that was soaring between spindling ruins was depicted to the right of the gate, and a majestic, stone wolf stood on a carved outcropping to the left. The further two panels were hard to make out from that angle, as two modest towers pushed out a bit into the plaza and obscured their view. Atop those towers, and in the other pair on either immediate side of the gate, a few adults dressed in colorful uniforms were chatting. The closest group waved to the general.
General Gunnhildr waved back and led the siblings towards the open gates.
"Welcome to the Academy. Don't be alarmed if a few guards or field nurses come rushing out, they're coming for those two we left on the train. I don't actually know which students from the flower guild are currently on the grounds, you might meet a few of them today. I'm sure they'll want to give you a tour, but you seem like you need rest," the general told them, as she walked under the archway.
"Is the flower guild the one led by Beidou?" Aether asked.
"Yes. That was the former guild head's chosen name, though I strongly suspect Ms. Zhou has her own ideas for rebranding," General Gunnhildr responded.
Once they got within the walls, the whole campus opened up before them. While many buildings stretched far above the wall, the grounds actually climbed downwards towards the mountain in tiered sections. Closest to the outer wall, there were a number of low and large barracks and a cluster of larger buildings marked with a swirling water-like insignia. Currently, half a dozen people were emerging from these and making their way to the gates.
"Up here are the barracks for our guards and the housing for our instructors. The staff training grounds and offices are here, and the library and infirmary are actually here too. I'm sure you aren't very interested in that, but student housing is on the next level down. All the vision guilds are together, behind the dining hall there."
The general pointed out a large, wooden building on the southern part of the level surrounded by an unpaved park area. Behind it, close to the wall, there was a cluster of buildings that looked like large townhouses.
Lumine was fascinated by the campus, and it seemed like Aether was too. The buildings were adorned with flags and stained glass windows, and the winding pathways were beautifully colored by teeming plant life. There were so many statues and gorgeous buildings strewn throughout the levels, and there were even a few people in sight, most in uniform but many dressed casually.
For the moment, she was mostly tired. A lot had happened to her in a short span of time, and she really just need to sleep. The general lead the siblings down a long, gently-curving stairway to the second level and continued to the mini neighborhood-like arrangement of buildings.
There were six separate houses there, and each had a number of banners hanging from the sides. On every building, two larger versions of the first banner in the line draped beside the doors, and General Gunnhildr led them to a house that bore golden banners decorated with the navy blue outlines of three lily flowers arranged in a vertical line.
Each house was built in Mondstadtian style, or they at least matched the architecture of the two towns that Lumine had seen so far. They had two or three stories, and they were full of windows. Each one had a smattering of furnished balconies and a large frontal porch. They honestly seemed really nice, and they were very neat.
"There are enough tooms for ten people in every house. I'm sure you two can grab a suite together if you want, let's see if anyone is here."
The general stepped up onto the porch and knocked gently. After a brief pause, a girl walked straight through the wall down the porch. She was wearing black leggings and a plain scarlet T-shirt with some Liyuean writing in black down the front. Lumine only knew its origin because she had passed some shops with their names written out in the same language back in Mondstadt city.
She wasn't wearing a uniform, but Hu Tao was instantly recognizable. Lumine had realized earlier that her bright eyes must indicate a signature, and now she wondered what it was.
"Hi! Oh- hello General Gunnhildr!" the other girl exclaimed. "I thought Qiqi just got locked out again. You guys were super, like, dying! Before, I mean. But now you aren't and that's so great! What are your names? Most people just call me by my full name, Hu Tao. I'm glad to see you on your feet."
She seemed fascinated to have company and was very pretty, but Lumine was starting to feel unbelievably drained.
"I'm Aether, it's nice to meet you! Were you at the clearing?" her brother burst out.
"Yes! I actually healed you guys. I mean you healed yourselves mostly but I started it," Hu Tao answered, grinning broadly. "So where did you guys come from? That was a crazy signature, what's it called? Do you feel okay?"
"Ah, Ms. Hu, I think right now they just need rest. Ms. Zhou will come back soon, and she can fill you in a bit. It has been a long day, the siblings have just been attacked again, and they are suffering from severe amnesia," General Gunnhildr responded. "However, they're enrolling here in your house, so you will have all the time you want to make introductions." She held up a calming hand and smiled softly.
Hu Tao looked taken aback, and a little embarrassed. Lumine felt bad, she was really nice, and she had probably saved their lives, but right now was not the best time. She WAS pretty though. Her skin was so impossibly nice and her eyes had a funny way of drawing attention.
"Hey, thank you. I remember the clearing, you're not giving yourself enough credit. Can we talk later? I'm sorry, today has been a lot," Lumine apologized.
"Yeah, of course! I'm sorry, I can show them to a room, I'm the only one here right now."
The general smiled, "No apologies necessary, but thank you. I should handle the train aftermath, are you two all set?"
Aether glanced around, before asking, "Is the academy really secure?"
"It's warded, literally nobody can get in unless they're specifically allowed to bypass it and all," Hu Tao chirped, as she unlocked the front door.
"Yes, Ms. Hu is absolutely currect. I should have said so before," the general confirmed. She must have seen the confusion on their faces because she then added: "You could walk in because I ensured earlier that you were granted that ability. You're safe. "
Lumine relaxed a bit. She trusted the general, but something reliable to protect them was reassuring.
"Oh, that's awesome. How does that work?" Aether asked.
"That's actually a closely guarded secret, but know that the barrier has never failed since its inception," General Gunnhildr reassured them.
"Okay, thank you. I think we're okay then…?" Lumine paused and looked to Aether.
"Yes. Thank you so much," Aether verified.
"Okay, get some rest. I'll be back later. Well, how about this; let's just talk tomorrow morning. I'll be on campus in the meantime, but just get some rest and food for now."
"Thank you," Lumine said, fighting back a yawn.
Hu Tao let the siblings into the house. The front door opened into a tiled area set down lower than the rest of the floor and tucked to the side there was a low bench with shoes placed on or beneath it so the siblings quickly added theirs to the mix.
Past that room, there was a spacious dining room with a long wooden table and two cushioned window seats overlooking the porch. A few cute clothes were laid across the table and a pile of receipts and shopping bags had been pushed down to the end of it. The dining area was connected to a kitchen with spacious cabinets, marble countertops, and a large butcher-block island. It wasn't the neatest setup, there were plain-but-mismatched dishes placed haphazardly in the open dishwasher, a few apples had spilled out of a bag and rolled across the counter, and a pile of books had fallen over next to the fridge. However, it was clean and it was big. How much money had it taken to build these?
Aether walked into the room and looked around. "Wow, the guild just, lives by themselves here?" he asked.
"Yep! Most of us are a little older, people don't fully manifest their signatures until they're 15 or 16 so they won't wind up here for some time. I'm only 18 personally, but Beidou is about to be 23 and there's always a fourth year or two," Hu Tao answered, walking through the butcher block to restack the books.
"Oh, right, sorry. Upstairs, there are all the bedrooms. If you want to take the only one unclaimed one with a front-facing balcony, which I recommend, go all the way down and to the left. We can talk more when you wake up, that might be best," she continued, throwing a concerned look in Lumine's direction.
Oh-her name. "I'm Lumine, by the way. I don't think I said that before."
"It's wonderful to meet you both!" Hu Tao said, smiling genuinely.
Lumine knew for a fact that Aether was about to ask a million questions because she would have done the same if she had more energy, so she thanked Hu Tao again and started up the stairs. She wasn't trying to lead Aether away but she was grateful when he came after her. The stairs kept going up to a third floor, but they could explore later. Lumine opened the door Hu Tao had pointed out to find a spacious suite.
All the doors were open, and there was a comfortable space with a couch and TV in the central room that also held sliding, glass, balcony doors. To the left of the main doorway, there was a corner with a minifridge, some cabinets, and drawers under a small countertop. There were two separate bedrooms across from each other one other side of the living room area, each with its own bathroom.
"Do you want left or right?" Aether asked, undoing his braid as he shut the door behind them.
"Can I have the left?" Lumine said, not quite sure why she made the choice.
"Sure! Get some rest, okay? Goodnight Lumine," Aether said, turning for his room.
"Okay, goodnight. Thanks."
Lumine shut her door and looked around. There were a few bookshelves and a generously-sized desk on the inner wall, and a large bed was pushed up against the opposite side next to a wardrobe. To her left was the bathroom, was which bright and clean, and the shower was very nice. She considered taking advantage of that fact now, but she didn't have clean clothes to change into. Instead, she just took off her jacket and socks and left them folded on the desk.
Interestingly, for an empty room, there were plenty of books on the shelves. The closest one read "Deaths and Signatures of Ancient Yaksha", and while it was an intriguing title she didn't want to do anything but sleep right now. She drew the curtains, climbed under the sheets, and arranged a nest of pillows. She noted that the Aether had turned his shower on, and almost immediately, she fell asleep.
