Disclaimer: I do not own Genshin Impact. That honor belongs to Mihoyo/Hoyoverse.
KingofBeasts Productions Present:
The Lioness and The Wildcat: A Genshin Impact Fanfiction
Chapter 1: Unfinished Business
"May we meet again under a lovelier sun."
Those were the last words Jeht said to Lumine before they parted ways after the events surrounding the end of the Tanit Tribe. Even if it has been weeks later, strolling through Caravan Ribat under the hot desert sun, the Traveller couldn't help but turn her thoughts to her wayward friend.
"Good ol' Caravan Ribat!" She was snapped out of her thoughts by her constant companion/emergency food, Paimon, who was floating behind her as they were walking through town. "Come to think of it, what were we doing the first time we came here? Oh yeah! Nahida was trapped by the Doctor, so we were following the clues she left us!"
"Good memory, Paimon." Lumine answered with a small smile. This led to a discussion of how much Sumeru has changed for the better since they've arrived, some of their usual light ribbing of each other, and their future plans for the next big stop of their journey.
"Anyway, for Nahida's sake, we better head to the next stop of our journey." Paimon finally said after ending an anecdote about how she mostly never gets into trouble.
"Yep. Next Stop, Fontaine!" Lumine nodded.
"Well, look who it is." They both turned to see a familiar face walking down the street towards them with a smile on their face. A fierce woman with long black hair, tanned skin that glistened in the sun, and clear blue eyes in a red and black top that exposed her sculpted abs, the Traveller and Paimon smiled as they recognized their friend and comrade-in-arms Dehya almost immediately. "Running into you two in a place like this, seems to me like you still like wandering around."
"Hey, it's Dehya!" Paimon greeted the merc before scoffing. "And we don't just "wander around"! We're usually taking care of important business...even if it doesn't have anything to do with our journey." Lumine couldn't help but laugh at how sheepish Paimon was as she ended her tangent. "But never mind that. What brings you here?"
"Just finished a commission in the desert for a usual client of mine." Dehya answered promptly. "Just escorting goods, nothing too interesting. I'm on my way to report back. That's when I saw you two all the way over there, chatting away. What were you two talking about, anyway?"
"We were talking about making preparations to leave Sumeru and head to Fontaine." Lumine felt her heart sink a little at the sight of one of her closest friends in the Nation of Wisdom frown upon hearing the news.
"Huh? You're serious? Can't say I saw THAT coming." Dehya let out a sad sigh. "But I you're travelers, after all. Can't expect expect you guys to settle in one place. Bumping into you like this will become a rarity now. Ah, it's making me sad just thinking about it."
"Dehya..." Lumine murmured, touched that her friend felt that way.
"Say, how about I gather some mercs to escort you two? Whaddya say?" Dehya offered.
"Thanks, but no need." Paimon waved her off politely. "Wow, Paimon had no clue you'd miss us so much. Don't worry, we'll come back to see everyone when we get a chance!"
"Sounds good!" Dehya went back to smiling once again. "All you have to do to get to Fontaine is cross this stretch of desert and navigate some waterways. Knowing you two, it shouldn't be anything you can't handle."
"We'll keep that in mind." Lumine nodded
"So, when are ya leaving?" Dehya asked.
"Soon as we're done making some preparations." Lumine answered. "Journeys should be spontaneous, but it never hurts to be prepared when things don't go as planned."
"Oh wait, there's a list of foods from Sumeru Paimon hasn't tried yet!" Lumine facepalmed as she watched her companion try to find that list.
"Guess you won't need a going away party or anything." Dehya said, smiling sadly once again. "It's sad enough to see you go like this. Though now that I think about it, Sumeru wouldn't be what it is today without you. I guess true heroes prefer leaving quietly." She added that last part with a chuckle.
"Should we say goodbye to Nahida?" Paimon asked Lumine, who shrugged.
"She'll find out via our dreams, anyway." Lumine answered as she looked fondly back at Caravan Ribat, making her feel nostalgic about her various adventures in the Land of Wisdom.
Which once again turned her thoughts back to Jeht. She wondered if the girl was alright, wandering alone in the sands while the Eremite tribes shunned her for the well-deserved massacre of the Tanit.
Now that she was speaking to Dehya, an idea popped in her head. One that she figured was worth a shot trying.
"Well, there is one thing I'd like to ask of you before we go." Lumine spoke up "But we can't talk here. Wanna walk with us for a bit?"
"Uhm, sure." Dehya nodded, her interest piqued as well as Paimon's. "There's a spot nearby we can talk."
"Got it."
Once they got to that spot Dehya mentioned, Lumine told the tale of her adventures with Jeht, summarizing it as briefly yet as concisely as possible so that the merc can understand. Once she was done, Dehya's brow was furrowed in thought, her hand on her chin.
"I heard about that girl." Dehya finally spoke after processing what she had just heard. "Mostly the nasty rumors you mentioned, but I didn't think there'd be more to it."
"We can blame Babel for that." Lumine scoffed, her narrowed eyes telling Dehya that the ex-matriarch was not the kind of person she can trust with her back. "Even in death, she made Jeht's life harder."
"Yeah, that jerk!" Paimon chimed in.
"Anways, back to the matter at hand." Dehya put the discussion back on track before it can go off the rails. "I can guess why you're telling me this, but I wanna hear it from you anyway. So...what is it?"
"Between us leaving Sumeru and most Eremites branding her a pariah, Jeht's not going to have many friends left." Lumine explained. "All I'm asking is that you keep an ear out for that wildcat and her pet robot. That way," The blonde traveler smiled. "She knows that she ain't alone in this world. And that someone other than me and Paimon's looking out for her."
"Lumine..." Paimon murmured.
"So, can you do that for me, Dehya?" Lumine requested. "I'll pay you as many smiles as you want~!"
"That won't be necessary." Dehya shook her head, then smiled at her friend. "Don't worry; I'll have the boys gather info on your wayward friend. Who knows? She might be a good fit for the Flame Manes."
"Thanks a ton, Dehya!" Lumine nodded gratefully.
"Anything for a friend." Dehya nodded back before turning to leave. "Then I guess this is goodbye. Whether as a friend or as a client, you're always welcome to find me."
With one last smile, Dehya left so that Lumine and Paimon can prepare for the next leg of their journey, the former relieved of her worry over her wayward friend that was weighing her down.
End Chapter 1
A/N: Welcome to this new fanfic I've decided to write because I just finished the Jeht questline and got Dehya in the general banner!
So yeah, I've wanted to try my hand at writing a pure Genshin fanfic and the stars seemed to align. Seeing as how Dehya doesn't seem to think like your conventional desert dweller and how Jeht could really use a friend after the Traveler leaves for Fontaine, it only made sense for me to write a story about Lumine asking Dehya to watch over the wild cat.
This opens up a lot of story beats to look forward to such as Dehya meeting Jeht, taking her on some of her jobs, hanging out in Aaru Village, and maybe bringing her over to her former employer/maybe girlfriend Dunyarzad. The possibilities are endless!
Anyways, enough rambling from me. If you like the story, please be sure to leave a review! Until next time, this has been the King of Beasts, signing off!
Next Time on The Lioness and the Wildcat: Picking up the Trail!