good luck to everyone wishing for zhongli/ganyu!

Diluc was right—my third time teleporting was far more bearable than the first, so much so that I was able to hide any discomfort from Childe, though, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

"The docks are just down that way!" He pointed towards the ocean, pulling me along. "Let's go find a good spot."

Compared to last night, there weren't nearly as many people bustling around, at least, not for leisure. The sounds and smells of a working town were all around us, and I would be tempted to stop by the restaurant serving Teyvat's specialty dishes had it not been for the Goulash I had earlier.

The docks came into full view, and I wasn't surprised to see it was all business there, too. Fishermen were hauling nets full of their catch into their boats, while porters were running up and down the docks carrying boxes to be delivered for the day.

"Ah," Childe smiled. "Perfect weather for fishing! When there's rain, the sound scares them away, but once it stops, they're yours for the taking."

"Noted," I scanned the area for a spot to settle down, but then I realized one crucial detail. "What are we going to fish with? Did you bring any bait?"

"No."

I paused. "Did you bring any fishing rods?"

"I must confess, I planned this quite spontaneously," he laughed. "Don't look so shocked. There's a simple way to remedy our dilemma. See that shop over there?" He pointed to a small building where the boardwalk began. "That's the Fishing Association of this island. I'm sure they'll have what we need."

"I didn't bring any Mora," I said.

"Neither did I."

I couldn't believe this guy. "Then why are you still smiling?"

"Not everything is exchanged with Mora, girlie. Sometimes, all you need is a bit of bargaining."

"And what do we have to offer?"

He cleared his throat. "Allow me to handle that."

Childe confidently walked over to the Fishing Association, and I trailed behind him. Not too close, just far enough that I wouldn't be associated with him in the event that the shopkeeper chased him away for being ridiculous. There was a young woman running the shop, and she looked otherwise bored until she noticed Childe's approach.

I leaned back onto a post and watched them converse from afar. I couldn't make out the exact words of their exchange, but it seemed like things were going well. The shopkeeper's hesitant and slightly suspicious expression shifted into a welcoming smile as Childe leaned up against the counter and made animated hand gestures.

It was interesting to see how friendly he was with a stranger, yet it was rare to find him smiling at anyone at the Academy besides me or another possible challenger. At this rate, I was beginning to believe that we might actually get away with some free fishing supplies with his negotiation skills. She was laughing now, and so was Childe. Surely, the discussion was coming to an end soon. There was only so much bargaining one could do before a mutual decision was reached.

Feigning interest in a message board that was posted close to the Fishing Association, I tried to get closer in hopes of eavesdropping on them.

"Why haven't I seen you around here before?" She batted her eyes.

He shrugged. "Being a student keeps me busy. I do try to get away when I can, but I'm dedicated to becoming Teyvat's champion."

Yes, strong enough to conquer the world. I'm sure everyone but Childe would see that as an entirely unrealistic dream.

"Wow." Her lashes fluttered again, and I frowned. Was there something in her eye? "That's really cool."

"Isn't it?"

Okay, they were entirely off-topic from the initial fishing plan. I didn't mind that Childe was able to have a civil conversation with another person. I didn't mind that she wasn't terrified of him like many students were. I didn't mind at all that they were getting along so well. However, there was only so much pretending to scan the message board I could do.

"I'm well on my way, so it doesn't hurt to relax with some fishing every now and then," Childe went on.

"I totally agree." The shopkeeper nodded in earnest, twirling some of her hair. "You know, I'm on break soon. We could do some relaxing together. Have you tried the restaurant in town, yet?"

Alright, that's it.

"Hey," I entered the scene with a forced smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How's the deal going? Have you two worked something out?"

The shopkeeper looked at me. "Oh, are you a student, too?"

"Yeah, I am."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "Do you know her, Childe?"

She called him Childe. Did he not open up with Tartaglia? I felt like he shouldn't be giving his name out to just anyone he comes across.

"I—"

"We're friends," I interrupted. "Friends that plan on fishing together on this wonderful afternoon. I'm afraid there won't be any time for the restaurant."

"Just friends? Well then maybe when you're done, I can show him—"

I cleared my throat. "Partners. We're partners, too. It's Academy stuff, so I'm sure this might be a little confusing for you to understand."

She sniffed. "I see...well then. That will be twenty thousand Mora for two rods. Five thousand Mora for the bait."

Yikes. I thought he would have worked out a deal where we wouldn't need to pay upfront. Things were going well until...I may have messed it up in my haste to move things along.

"Twenty-five thousand Mora is nothing," Childe said, as easygoing as ever. "Unfortunately, I seemed to have misplaced my Mora pouch. How about I pay off my tab with dinner later? You can show me that restaurant."

She blushed, and I willed myself to stay silent. He had to be joking, right? "Okay! Here—I'll grab you our best rods and a quality sample of each bait."

He winked at her. "I appreciate it, girlie."

This time, I wasn't able to hold in my gasp. He did not .

The shopkeeper happily gathered our items and handed them over to Childe, who accepted them with another good-natured smile. Really, where was all this charisma coming from?

She giggled. "See you tonight."

Childe had navigated us to a bench on the docks facing the open water. There were all kinds of fish in the area, mostly bass, that were fairly easy to capture. The more exotic fishes were clustered together, and Childe taught me about the unique traits of each one. We were fishing for Medaka first, and those required fruit paste bait.

"You'll scare the fish away with that scowl on your face."

We had cast our lines in the water, and I hadn't been able to catch a single one while Childe threw back his sixth Medaka.

"Why aren't they biting?" I grumbled.

He sighed. "It's the hostility."

"What hostility?" I bit out. "We're relaxed. Fishing is supposed to be relaxing. That's what you said."

"Not if you have other thoughts interfering with concentration," he countered. "Tell me, girlie, what's got you upset?"

"Don't call me that."

"I thought you didn't mind."

"I didn't," I mumbled. "Until I realized that's what you call every girl."

"What do you—"

"Nevermind. Just call me Lumine."

I recast my line in hopes of drawing the medaka's attention.

Finally, a pink medaka came swimming over, taking interest in my bait. It swam up and nibbled just once before going all in, and I launched into action. The battle was brief, and my win was easy as I reeled the twitching medaka out of the water. I grinned at my first success and looked at Childe.

"I got one!" I held it up for him to see, but he was staring at me with a mischievous grin. "What is it?"

"Lumi, could you be jealous?"

"What?" Startled, my hold on the Medaka slipped, and it flopped back into the water. "Why would I be jealous? You've only been able to catch more than me because fishing is something you practically train at. I'm quite proud of my single fish, and there'll be more where that came from soon enough."

He laughed. "That's not what I'm referring to. Congratulations, by the way."

"I don't know what you mean." I avoided his gaze and recast my line with fresh bait.

"The Fishing Association girl."

My grip on the rod tightened. "What about her?"

"Lumi, don't be like that. I did what was necessary to get our fishing gear."

"And I appreciate that. Now, can we focus on the actual fishing?"

"I'm having fun with this, though. You're upset because I called her girlie, is that it?"

"No."

He laughed again. "You are. Or maybe...do you not want me to go to dinner with her?"

I fought the urge to use my fishing rod as a polearm against his antics. "You can do whatever you want. If you have dinner with her, that's fine with me. I'll just teleport back on my own."

"I won't be having dinner with her, Lumi."

"But you said—"

"What she wanted to hear. There was an opportunity to get what I wanted, which was the fishing equipment so I could spend time with you. I simply found her weakness and exploited it. When I ultimately don't show up at the restaurant tonight, what can she do? Nothing. And where will I be? Dining with you."

I stared intently at the medaka.

"I only called her girlie because I couldn't bother to remember the name she gave me," he added.

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for the rundown, but I really took no offense. It's...good to see you being friendly with others."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Let's fish."

Finally, he let the subject go, and we continued to catch our Medaka. Though we sat in silence, the tension from before dissipated with his explanation. Somehow, it did make me feel better knowing we would be heading back to campus together. Every now and then, I would catch him with a gloating grin that I suspect had nothing to do with his rising catch count.

The day went on, and we switched from medaka to bigger fish. The sticklebacks were slightly harder for me to catch, and the pufferfish were extremely stubborn. After I lost yet another bitter pufferfish, I gave up on the fake fly bait and went back to fruit paste bait for the easy medaka.

Childe suddenly spoke, "When I was a kid, I would fish with my father all the time. He told me stories of great adventurers, and soon I wished to become one myself."

I reeled in a glaze medaka, and its purple scales glittered in the sun. "A family tradition, then?"

"Ice fishing is superior to this." He smiled. "The cold tests your resolve. I like to use it as an opportunity to hone my endurance and contemplate combat techniques."

I snorted lightly. "That doesn't sound very relaxing."

"Things are different back in my homeland. What may seem jarring for you would be quite the norm for even the youngest of my siblings. Snezhnayan temperatures are so cold that you'd freeze to death by just standing still."

"You have younger siblings?" I perked up. "I wouldn't have guessed."

"Why? Does it not seem like I would make a good older brother?" Childe chuckled once more and pulled a golden koi from the water. "Rest assured, I care very deeply for each of my siblings. With as many gifts I send, they're terribly spoiled."

I smiled. "Family is important to you. Me too."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"One. Just one."

"Older or younger?"

"We're twins."

"Really?" Childe mused. "You must be the better twin, then. Were they not able to get accepted to Celestia?"

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.

"Lumi?"

"It's a long story," I said at last. "I haven't seen him in a while."

I could sense that Childe wanted to ask more questions, but thankfully, he didn't press any further.

I felt another fish nibble, but to my surprise, it was a medaka with a different coloring from the rest. It had predominantly black scales with an orange and green pattern that was strikingly beautiful.

"What is that?" I gasped.

Childe leaned forward to get a closer look. "Dawncatcher medaka. Those are rare and not easy to catch. You might not be able to get this one."

The medaka took the bait, and my challenge began. Childe wasn't kidding, this little guy was putting up a fight. Just when I thought it was secure, the medaka would suddenly gain a boost of energy, and it would almost get away from me. I grit my teeth and persevered, holding out just long enough to swing it out of the water.

Childe let out a whoop, and so did I.

"That's my girl. I knew you could do it."

A rush of heat flashed up my face. "You had your doubts."

"Nonsense," he denied. "I was cheering you on. I always do."

I reached into the bait bin beside me, only to find it was empty. "We're all out."

"Do you want me to go back and ask for more?" Childe offered.

I jumped. "No! No. That's alright."

He smirked. "Are you sure? I don't think the shopkeeper would mind."

I stood and took a step forward, motioning to push him off the dock. "I wonder if your Hydro Vision will save you from drowning?"

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "I must say, this shade of green looks good on you."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm leaving. Are you coming or not?"

Childe and I made our way back into town, and the sun cast glorious peachy tones across the sky as it was setting. We left the fishing supplies on the dock bench, and we were careful to sneak past the Fishing Association so they wouldn't notice our disappearance. It was probably unethical for us to do so, but I couldn't bring myself to feel bad at all.

We were close to the town square, passing by the blacksmith who was steadily hammering at his anvil. Suddenly, a loud clang interrupted the rhythm, and the burly man jogged over to us with a desperate look in his eyes.

"Excuse me." He wrung his hands. "Are you two students at Celestia Academy, by any chance?"

"Who's asking?" Childe frowned.

"Please, I need your help," he begged. "Yesterday, my son went to go play by the woods like he always does. We make sure he never goes too far, just by the forest line. This time though, he wasn't back by supper. He hasn't returned, at all. My wife and I were about to send a contact up to the Academy, but we townfolk aren't able to use the teleport waypoint. That trek would take half a day."

"You want us to look for him?" I guessed.

The blacksmith nodded. "We'll pay you, even. It'll be a commission."

Suddenly, an older woman came running out of the smithy with a thick bundle in her arms. "Oh honey, are these two going to help us find Timmie?"

"We accept," I offered after taking in her worried expression. "We'll look for your son."

"Thank the Archons," she cried. "Here's my little Timmie's jacket, please make sure he is warm when you find him. The temperatures have been dropping quite low with the seasons changing. I've been worried sick about him all day. I pray he's alright."

"Is the forest dangerous?"

Childe shook his head. "There are no monsters on this island. At least, none that aren't confined to the Academy."

"He's only six years old." The woman sniffled. "I'm afraid he might have tripped over a rock and hit his head. Or maybe he fell into a creek and...and..." She burst into tears, and her husband wrapped his arms around her in a consoling embrace.

The blacksmith looked to me once more. "Please hurry."