Timeline: Between Fontaine's archon quest acts 2 and 3, at the end of Lyney's story quest.

Summary: Following Lyney's story quest, Lumine makes an effort to sort through her conflicting feelings towards the twins.

Equilibrium

Lumine was not arrogant enough to believe herself so kind or so powerful as to be able to solve all of a world's problems, but if something was happening right in front of her and she had the ability to help right a wrong or prevent a crisis then at least eight times out of ten she would strive forward and intervene.

That drive was a large part of why she decided to help Lyney despite the way they parted - the way she shut him down and walked away - but if she truly hated him and Lynette then a ten-year-old criminal case really had nothing to do with her and she wouldn't have felt the need to stick her nose into things.

Lumine was self-aware enough to realise that the tension in the court had gotten to her more than she had expected it to. Heading out to see a show only to wind up confined inside the Opera for two days investigating a murder and having to defend someone in a trial? She hadn't been prepared for any of it. Despite her many run-ins with law enforcement - both in Teyvat and in previous worlds - however unintentional most of them may be, she'd never been put on trial for anything. Even then, there was a stark difference between being the accused and being the person in charge of their defence. Everything had hinged on her investigation: if she missed a single clue, misread a situation, fumbled an analysis, anything, then her defence would have crumbled and two people she had believed in and trusted would've been charged with a crime they didn't commit due to her own failures.

To have all that pressure riding on her shoulders - it didn't matter that she'd accepted Furina's heavy-handed suggestion she play attorney of her own free will - only to find out in the middle of the trial that Lyney and Lynette weren't exactly the people she'd assumed they were? It was like a collapsing house of cards. The worst time for the worst revelation, and Lumine had handled it the best she could in the heat of the moment - by focusing on the trial and nothing else.

Peering down at the Rainbow Rose tucked into her dress, listening to Paimon beg Lyney to explain his trick, Lumine acknowledged the other reason she had agreed to help investigate the Phantom Weasel: deep down she had wanted to let the siblings have a chance, outside of the tension of the court and with their allegiances no longer a secret, to show her who they were and help her settle her muddled feelings.

This investigation had eased the sharp sting of betrayal, but where things went from there was up to Lumine; Lyney had expressed numerous times that he didn't intend to pressure her into continuing an acquaintanceship she was uncomfortable with, so if she maintained her distance he wouldn't reach out any further than he already had.

Sensing their conversation drawing to a close, Lumine lifted her gaze to the man of the hour.

"Lyney, I think it's time that I told you a story."

The relocated to the hillside above the cemetery, seated side by side on the grass looking out at the water.

"You probably haven't met them, but you're aware of who all of the Harbingers are, right?"

To his credit, Lyney didn't so much as flinch as she dived straight into Fatui territory - he must have expected as much.

"Yes."

"I first met Childe in Liyue. After helping me with a situation with the Milileth, the first thing he told me was that he was a Fatui Harbinger. I guess everyone in the city who might care already knew and he had no intention of hiding his identity from anyone, even someone suddenly accused of murdering Rex Lapis."

"Wait, what? Surely you're not talking about yourself?"

While it was true that actual official accusations never arose, the guards definitely had it in their minds when she tried to sneak off like that. It was funny in retrospect, and made for an interesting bombshell to drop on people.

"Paimon, actually."

Paimon grumbled unhappily behind them but otherwise stayed quiet, sensing that this was an important conversation that she shouldn't insert herself into.

"Anyway, Childe was the second Harbinger I ever met. Signora left a bad impression, so running into another Harbinger so soon after was an unpleasant surprise. I couldn't bring myself to trust him, even when he was helping me. We fought in the end, but I wasn't surprised - it just felt like the natural order of things, in some ways. We had two very different goals in mind as we spent time together, and that fight was a clashing of our paths. I would've been hurt and angry if we'd been friends and he suddenly back-stabbed me, but since he was clear from the beginning all I really felt was disappointment. And anger as well, but for Liyue's sake and not my own, you know?"

"...But, I heard…" The words fell reluctantly, unfinished. Lumine glanced at Lyney. He was resolutely not looking her way.

"That Childe and I are on good terms? We are. But it took work and time, and grew from the knowledge that he was straight with me from the beginning. Looking back after, he clearly even warned me several times that people - in this case himself and his agents - might use us for information gathering if we weren't careful of our surroundings."

They had really been their own worst enemy back then, since organising a funeral just hadn't felt like it should have been sensitive information. Lesson learned.

"We have an understanding. If our goals are in opposition, we'll fight. If they're similar, maybe we might lend each other a hand. If we see each other in the streets, we're friends; on the battlefield, enemies. I'll babysit his siblings but I won't help him carry out his work - not unless he can explain it in minute detail and we can agree with the goal and the method. Not that he has ever or likely will ever ask that of us in the first place."

Lyney had seemed downtrodden and desperate at the Opera, but sitting here listening to Lumine talk felt like the smallest she had ever seen him. Even though as a performer he had immaculate control over his posture and body language, he was curling into himself in the tiniest of ways. He did want to know her thoughts, but that didn't mean listening wasn't painful.

"I owe you - and Lynette, and I guess Freminet too - an apology. Back then, I accused you of lying to me, and you did - but about the show, not your identities. I realise that not telling someone your life story when you first meet isn't the same as lying, the information simply came at a really bad time. Having Furina break the news didn't help."

Childe had power within the Fatui's ranks and some level of diplomatic immunity - as long as he wasn't doing anything too outlandish - so confessing his affiliation to anyone and everyone didn't come with any real level of danger. That didn't apply to Fatui further down the food chain.

Beside, Lumine didn't go around telling people who she really was willy-nilly without any consideration either. It would be hypocritical to call that lying if she wasn't willing to admit to also being a liar.

"We didn't expect Lady Furina to throw that in our faces like that, but maybe we should have. If I'd just had the guts to tell you myself we wouldn't have had to fight in the middle of the trial."

It was kinder not to admit that Lumine had no idea how she would have reacted at any other point in time. Looking back from their current reality it was easy to pretend things would have been fine, but it would still have been the first time she decided to befriend someone before knowing they were with the Fatui rather than after. Even though they were still Fatui at the end of the day, it was impossible to shake the difference between the two.

"Lyney, I don't enjoy holding on to negativity for long periods. I'd like to think we can be friends, but for right now that friendship will have conditions."

Lyney straightened at this potential olive branch, meeting her gaze.

"What conditions?"

"I trust you when you're being yourself, but as things stand I simply can't afford to blindly trust in you when you're doing work for your Father. I haven't met her, I don't know what she wants, and I cannot put faith in her intentions. So, my condition is this: if we happen to run into each other while you're working, I would like to know. Not the details, I don't need to know that, just that you're currently following orders. In those situations, if you ask for my cooperation with something, I'm far more likely to refuse."

"But you won't be angry with us?"

Lumine shook her head.

"I just don't want to risk getting tangled up in some greater scheme without understanding what I'm getting involved with."

Not that that didn't end up happening all of the time anyway, but she'd like to at least try to stay out of any more Harbinger plots - finding Signora around every corner had been seriously frustrating. If she was going to get dragged into something she'd like it to be of her own free will for once, or at least when she was a little better informed.

She sighed, shaking that thought away least she bring bad luck upon herself.

"Anyway, I think that's enough serious talk for one day." Lumine caressed one of the rose petals then levelled a friendly grin at Lyney. "I'm keeping this rose by the way."

Lyney blinked too quickly, the only visible sign of his surprise. Then he tipped his hat to her, slipping back into his showmanship act. "Why of course, my lady. What kind of magician demands his audience return the magic?"

He jumped to his feet and offered her a hand. Lumine hardly needed help getting up off the ground, but this was where she started putting her words into action. Small acknowledgements of trust, proving she wasn't all talk.

She took his hand. Lyney's smile was small, but realer than she'd ever seen it.

Lumine didn't enjoy hurting people's feelings. This was one small step towards rectifying one of those moments.