The surrounding air was frigid as Lumine and her companions trudged through the treacherous terrain of Dragonspine. Each intake of breath was agonizing, as the dry, cold air seemed to suck any remaining moisture in Lumine's throat.
Her shoulders trembled, showing that the cold was starting to get to her. Her legs and fingertips were starting to become numb. The signs of sheer cold were eminent.
"What's wrong? Can't handle the cold?" came the cool yet annoying voice of the Calvary Captain.
Lumine cringed so hard she could swear she tasted iron in her mouth. "Sh-Shut up, Kaeya! Y-You're the one who'll p-probably pass out from sheer cold first!"
Kaeya stopped in his tracks, feigning hurt as he put a hand to his chest. "Well that's a terribly cruel thing to say. I was only asking a legitimate question out of pure concern for your well being."
Even though he was standing behind her, she could almost see his lips curve into an amused little smirk. It made her want to rip her hair out. "Ha ha..." she laughed sarcastically, barely able to keep her teeth from chattering like earlier.
A gust kicked up, and Lumine found herself feebly hugging herself to keep warm. If Paimon were here, she would have had to cradle the poor little fairy close so she wouldn't freeze to death. But thankfully, her floating companion was back in Mondstadt, lying comfortably in bed recovering from a food coma and could be spared from all this.
"This weather should be illegal," Yanfei muttered, followed by a sneeze as she tried to light the blazer (but kept missing). Somehow Xingqiu stood quietly, completely engrossed in the book he was carrying, seemingly oblivious to all the snow collecting atop his head. Lumine was currently screaming inside hers that she hasn't gone to a nation where she could've resonated with Pyro yet.
Kaeya sighed as he witnessed the Honorary Knight about ready to fall to her knees, curl up, and freeze to death. All jokes aside, he really did care for her well being. "Here."
Without warning, Lumine felt something draped over her shoulders. Kaeya had taken off the fur and cape that normally lined his shoulders and put it around her. It wasn't much, but her shoulders immediately quit trembling at the touch of warmth. "Th-Thanks...?" Lumine said, though clearly innotated in a questioning tone. "But-"
"Contrary to popular belief," he began, cutting her off. "I'll most likely be the last to die of sheer cold. It may be awhile before our lawyer over there can get the blazer going."
Lumine turned her head to see Yanfei still missing, despite standing right in front of it, and the blissfully unaware Xingqiu managing to continue his reading in a blizzard.
"I'll be fine." Kaeya added.
Lumine sighed. "If you say so..."
"Got it!" Yanfei shouted triumphantly, leaning in close and rubbing her hands near the fire. "Ohhh... Lord of Geo... thank you for not constructing in Liyue any mountains high enough to be draped in this awful, mysterious, freezing white fluff..."
"Oh my goodness, oh my gosh..." Xingqiu finally piped up, his eyes wide at whatever he was reading, and then his face faltered. "All will be revealed in the next volume...?" he closed the book with a loud thud. "Drat..."
"Well, I guess you can have this back now, Captain." Lumine was about to take it off, until Kaeya waved a hand dismissively.
"We're going to be up here for awhile..." he said. "You hold onto it for now."
"Oh... well... thanks, Kaeya."
"It's become very apparent you really can't handle the cold."
Lumine angrily stripped the fur collar off of her shoulders and threw it back at Kaeya's face, only to be met with his amused laughter.