A/N: Warning. Spicy chapter ahead.
Sorry, this is short, but there's a reason for that. Someone rushed me. Please don't rush me when it comes to this story. I don't write well when rushed. I wish I could update this story every bloody day -and I would if I could!- but there are extenuating circumstances preventing me from doing so. I don't have as much time to play Genshin as I once did, to say nothing of the MASSIVE UPDATES consuming my data. It also means a lot of play time.
Walkthroughs just don't cover it; I have to play the game myself and ferret out everything to feel properly inspired, and there's a metric ton of quests to work through. Thanks for being patient with this old man and pologies once more for the delay. If by some miracle this chapter gets a ton of feedback-unlikely, but possible, given its well past 1,100 already-I'll do my best to update earlier, possibly even weekly, once I get caught up. Until then, I'll be updating other things.
No questions this time. We've got a lot of ground to cover! Once more, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or a one.
Nope. They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I.
Here comes best girl~!
"Power attracts power. Such is the way of the world.
I suspect we are not so different, you and I.
After all, we are...
~?
Scorch Me Softly (Interlude)
Warmth plus sunlight equals soft pillows.
Pillow? Error. Does not compute.
Critical system failure.
Migraine imminent!
Owww!
Naruto creaked an eye open to an abominable headache and a hangover besides-which spoke volumes to the amount of alcohol he'd consumed last night-closed said eye, groaned once, and buried his face into the first pillow he could find. A strange feeling of weightlessness encompassed him as he burrowed deeper into the bed -this pillow really was quite comfortable-but he paid it no heed.
Warm. Soft. Hot. But no desire to move.
So he didn't.
No siree.
Memories were slow to filter back, but return they did. He remembered the Sabzeruz festival, dancing with everyone he possibly could. And the drinking. By the sage, the drinking. He'd never drank so much in one night. He didn't think he ever would again, not after a headache like this. Kurama was out cold in the seal; for all intensive purposes he was dead to the world. Could a tailed beast even get a hangover if their host drank more than they should? One way or another, he'd known soon enough.
But not right now. Now was a time for sleep.
He buried his head into the pillow, reveling in the softness of it as the rest of last night caught up to him. His shadow clones must've been busy; because he recalled multiple, conflicitng versions of last night's festivities.
Singing and with Nahida, spinning the little goddess round and around.
An awkward, stumbling number with a red-faced Dehya.
Swaying softly with a smiling Nilou.
Dancing a slow waltz with Lisa.
A lively jig with Shenhe.
On and on the memories went, he'd drank and danced with so many peoeple he could scarcely recall them all.
There had been someone else, too, hadn't there? A girl in blue.
What was her name again?
Furina...?
Right, right. That eccentric girl. He remembered now. She'd claimed to be an Archon, but she wasn't. He'd humored her and granted her a dance, followed by two, three, four, yet still she'd asked for more.
And there at the end of it all, like a half-forgotten though or a distant dream, a muggy memory vanishing with the dawn, he recalled someone else.
Someone who looked like Nahida, but wasn't Nahida. Taller, older, laughing as she stood upon his feet and let him twirl her about.
"Thank you for the lovely night. You've made me so very happy. Take care of that little branch for me, won't you?"
Even her face had become something a misty memory, gone as he grasped at it.
His fingers fisted against the pillow in a rare moment of exasperation.
A woman's voice moaned into his right ear. "Naughty...
"...?!"
To his credit, Naruto froze, but only for a moment. Lisa and Beidou hadn't exactly inured him to waking up with a woman in his bed, but he at least had some tolerance to surprises like these for the most part.
'Alright, calm down, me!' he hissed at his hammering heart. 'This is nothing you haven't experienced before. We'll open our eyes on three. One, two, three...!
Azure orbs drifted open and belatedly, he realized he hadn't been using a pillow at all; rather, his head was nestled between someone's breasts. The owner of said bountiful bosom clung to him tightly in sleep, all but curled around him for warmth. Almost as if she were grasping at him…or trying to crush him. He wasn't sure which he preferred. Without warning she snuggled closer, shifted her hold, and began spooning him. He curve clinging to his. And what curves they were...
Yup, not Furina.
Definitely not Furina!
Furina wasn't built like this at all!
Belatedly he realized there was another problem: he had absolute no idea who this was. He couldn't see her face; she was presently burying her visage into his shoulder as she embraced him like some kind of giant teddy bear. Her full breasts pressed into his chest, while one of her legs twined with his, drawing him closer still, and he shivered a little despite himself.
Ashen hair tingled with black tickled his cheek. That didn't bother him.
What did bother him was the fact that he'd awoken with a stranger in his bed!
He wanted to know who she was, damnit! Preferably without making an arse of himself...
"Good morning...?" he tried valiantly.
His bed partner stirred a little at that and nuzzled her head into his chest. "Too early..."
He awkwardly patted her back. "It really isn't, ya know. Sun's up...
The as-of-yet nameless woman muttered a string of gibberish that sounded vaguely like a curse and stretched against him, yawning cutely. In doing so, she finally raised her head to look at him. Her eyes drifted open with lazy grace revealing black pupils bearing vivid red exes across them. Something about the sight of her gaze sent a shudder through him, and not one of fear.
His mind fizzled out regardless. 'Aw crapbaskets...
She stared at him for a long moment, eyes half-lidded with sleep, not quite comprehending him at first...until she finally did. A fiery flicker of confusion passed through her ravishing gaze, followed by comprehension, then embarrassment. A myriad of other emotions sparked back to life in her and he sensed each and every one of them before she stifled them, one by one.
"Well." she muttered in a low, raspy voice that set his very blood aflame. "This is unexpected."
Naruto met her gaze evenly in turn, unwilling to make the first move for fear of spooking her. "You're telling me."
Her brow furrowed as she tried and failed to recall how they'd fallen into bed together. "When did we...?"
"Dunno." he shrugged one shoulder. "I can't remember. Must've been last night."
She touched a hand to her forehead. "...we were drunk?"
His head bobbed. "That much seems obvious...
That seemed to annoy her, oddly enough. "There must be another reason."
Did there have to be? "Your guess is as good as mine."
"I came here seeking something. It was not you."
"And yet here we are."
Naruto settled for another shrug and laid back against the bed. Now that it had become clear that she wasn't going to attack him over something they both initiated, he wasn't terribly bothered. Truth be told, he had no true blue memory of this woman last night, none whatsoever, but then again, he'd been terribly drunk and everything had been a shambling blur by the end of the festival. Same for her, judging by the look on her face. Clearly, she was just as shocked as him; he half-expected this eerie wraith of lady to stalk off in a huff...
.
..
... which was why it came as something of a surprise -a very great surprise indeed!- when the mystery woman eased in and kissed him.
Slowly, softly, sweetly, her lips lingering on his own now as she pulled her body into his lap and planted her hips there with intent. Despite his better judgement he found himself responding in kind; arms moving to encircle her waist, holding her hips until she deigned to pull away, taking his very breath with her.
"Bwuh?" he managed rather-less-than-eloquently as the stranger pulled back.
"Hmm." she hummed after a moment's pause. "Satisfactory. I can see why I bothered to bed you."
Naruto sputtered, still finding himself at something of a loss. "Look, lady, I don't know who you are, but-
Her lips found his again, mouth muffling his initial protest until he bit her lip hard enough to draw a startled cry from her.
She drew back, mildly amused by the pain he'd caused her. "Some fight in you, I see...good. Don't bore me, now. I enjoy a partner with some fire."
"Then you're gonna love me...
Not the best line, but he wanted to get the last word in.
The mystery woman tilted her head anew, considering him. "We shall see."
This time when she closed with him, he was ready for her. She dragged her lips over his, tongue tangling with his own. Startled, but unwilling to simply let her have her way with him as she pleased, he seized her by the wrists and rolled over, momentarily pinning her beneath him. Her response was to tackle him in return, pinning him back to the bed, leaving them in the same position as before. Smiling ever so faintly, she planted one palm upon his chest and with the other, took ahold of his right hand and guided it up her breasts.
From there, she slammed her hips against his with intent and planted her legs on either side of him, simultaneously mounting him and pinning him in place.
"Prove yourself to me." Her gaze drilled into his, her words a demand as much as a command. "Remind me why I laid with you in the first place."
Cheeky little...fine. Two could could play at that game.
"Careful what you wish for...
What followed was a maddened frenzy of lovemaking; his free hand found her flank as she hastened him on, arching her neck back. He laid a series of fiery kisses on her neck and felt his Gnosis flare as he did. If she at all noticed, she didn't much seem to mind. They ravished one another like a pair of wild animals, such was their reckless abandon.
Once they'd had their fun, they lay spent and sated, but only for a time.
His mystery paramour rose suddenly stood, and padded about the room, retrieving her attire, and as she bent down, for a single spectacular moment, he was struck by her eerie beauty. Strange marks lined her pale skin, twining up her torso almost like ash. Even her fingers were affected in places. Almost as if she'd been burnt, but no, that wasn't quite right, it was almost as if she were...cursed or somesuch. Surely not, right...?
"Peruere," she said suddenly, as though that explained everything.
Naruto squinted her. "Pardon?"
"I go by many names." she looked over her shoulder at him. "Arlecchino is one of them. But you may call me Peruere."
...is that supposed to ring a bell?"
"If you really don't know who I am, then perhaps it's best you remain ignorant for the time being. " She dressed herself slowly, taking time to pull on every garment. "In any case, I failed to find what I came to Sumeru for, so I suppose a consolation prize will serve."
She kissed his cheek and sashayed away, hips swaying.
So speaking, she vanished in a rush of flame.
"I'll see you soon, Anemo Archon."
A/N: Aaaand scene. There we have it!
Hope you enjoyed this; its rare that I write a dialogue heavy chapter. Now then, should this be moved to a weekly update? Yay or nay! Really need to hear from you this time. I'm lucky to get one day off out of the week nowadays. Two? Unheard of. Got bills to pay and mouths to feed.
Right then, as ever, Reviews are love, Reviews are Life.
Reviews keep me safe from any and all strife.
So in the immortal words of Atlas...
...revieeeeew, would You Kindly?
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EDIT: Hope you enjoyed!
Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back from work tonight~!
Maybe you all have a good day, and may it be blessed with much luck;
~Nz.