Ajax idly spun a Hydro knife between his fingers. He was in the middle of running errands for the Fatui and his latest "errand" was taking a rather long time to start talking.
"I don't have all day here."
"B-but Master Tartaglia, I really don't know anything!"
He clicked his tongue. "That's not what I want to hear right now. What I want to know is where the fifteen million Mora that you owe us are."
"I already told you—"
The blade embedded itself into the wall behind the terrified man.
"Ah, it slipped. Let me make another one. I'm awfully bored, you know? This helps me pass the time while I wait for you to give me answers."
This time, Ajax manifested six knives which floated in a ring in front of him, all of them pointed at the man before him. He could almost taste the man's fear; it was so palpable. He knew that he just needed to push a little bit more. The man didn't seem like the kind to put up a fight. He was already quaking where he stood and Ajax had done nothing but talk to him while standing ten feet away. The knives were there to speed up the process. Slowly, the ring of knives began to spin in mid air and the man almost immediately began to stammer.
"N-no, stop! I'll pay you back! I'll do it right away! You'll have the money in two days, I swear!"
The knives dissipated into mist. "See, now, was that so hard? We could have sorted this out an hour ago."
He knew that the sudden lightness in his voice just added to the terror of it all. No one knew what to do with the volatile Harbinger who flipped between bloodthirst and cordiality in a snap. He turned to leave the room and the Fatui agents followed him. This was the last one for the week; the rest of his work mostly consisted of reading, approving, and writing reports. Being a Harbinger, and particularly one in charge of a place like Liyue involved a lot more paperwork than one would expect. It was his least favorite part of the job; he would much rather be out there crossing blades. Speaking of which, he was itching for a fight. He had been cooped up for too long and he had a lot of restless energy that he needed to work off. A quick round with the new recruits wasn't going to cut it this time—he needed something wilder.
"All of you can go ahead to the Bank. Henrik, let Ekaterina know that I'll be back later, and tell her to leave the reports on my desk. Dismissed."
He stretched his limbs as he walked, loosening up his cramped muscles. Once he was at the city gates, he broke into a brisk jog. He turned the trip into an improvised obstacle course. He sprinted up hills and vaulted over rocks, leaving dust clouds behind him. Whatever hapless Hillichurls he met on the way were sliced apart in moments. Thirty minutes later, he was standing at the edge of Cuijue Slope. The run had helped take the edge off his restlessness but he was still feeling very wound up.
If he remembered correctly, he should be somewhere near the lair of the Pyro Regisvine. A little bit of exploring confirmed it; he could see smoke rising high above the land. As he approached it, he had to suddenly jump back. A Pyro Whopperflower popped out of the ground in front of him and nearly smacked him in the face. As if on cue, another one popped up behind the first. He manifested his bow and shot an arrow at the first Whopperflower just as it began charging up. While it was stunned, he sliced it to pieces with his blades. One down, one to go. He stabbed the second flower with both blades and slashed an 'x' into the body. It was barely even a warm-up for him, so he hoped that the Regisvine would be more of a workout.
He entered the cavern. It was as stifling hot as he remembered; the Regisvine needed high temperatures to survive. It seemed to be dormant but he knew that it would flare to life the moment he went near it. He began charging up an arrow, aiming it where he knew the core would be. As soon as he stepped on to the platform around the monster, the Regisvine uncoiled itself. He immediately fired at the exposed core, the Hydro arrow causing an elemental reaction. The Regisvine was riled up and began spitting fire. He zipped around the platform, dodging the fireballs raining upon him and manifested his blades. Finding an opening, he ducked in close and stabbed the core with his blades, shattering it. The Regisvine went down. He began slashing at the body, the damage being augmented by his Riptide mark. He made a sizable dent in its health before it recovered. He jumped back to avoid the flames it spewed. This time, the monster's core had formed in its corolla and was out of reach of his blades. He tossed one of his blades like a javelin, hitting dead on target. As the Regisvine began to charge up, he too charged up arrows, loosing them upon it. This dance continued for a while, with him weaving through fire as he pelted the monster with Hydro attacks. Soon, the monster collapsed again and he finished it off.
It was not enough, he thought, as he left the cavern. The fight was good, but not good enough. He needed more. Then, he remembered something Lumine had once told him about. There was a monster in the area that had frustrated her and she had been ranting to him. It was apparently a descendant of the dragons of old and lived under Tianqiu Valley. The challenge was its thick armor and devastating attacks. She had called it a Primo Geovishap. From what he remembered, it lived under some ruined temple. He had a vague idea of where the ruins were and he could figure out the rest when he got there.
Two hours later, he stood in the middle of the underground cave, breathing hard from exertion. It had been a beautiful fight. The Primo Geovishap was one of the tougher monsters he had faced. Its hide was tough and his arrows were barely making scratches on it. He had had to use his Hydro blades, hacking away at the beast while avoiding its lumbering attacks. The ground was shaking from its earthquake-like attacks and he was constantly on his feet. He had even dropped his Hydro whale on it and the beast had survived it. The only problem was that it had gotten enraged after that and released a shockwave of what could only be described as pure elemental energy. He had been thrown back into the cave walls by the sheer force of it. It was horribly disorienting. The second time it happened, he had been better prepared but it hurt just the same. It was a long, drawn out fight but he had defeated the monster. (It was nothing compared to the All-Devouring Narwhal, but he didn't need a fight of that caliber just to blow off steam.)
As he trudged back to Liyue, he smiled to himself. He couldn't wait to tell Lumine about how he took down the Primo Geovishap solo—even she had needed a shielder. Speaking of which, he wondered how she was doing. He hadn't met her since he returned to Liyue. From what he knew, she was still in Snezhnaya and had probably been roped into some or the other quest or commissions. She was incorrigible when it came to helping people but her kindness was something he loved about her. He guessed that she was busy, considering that she hadn't even been able to show up at the Golden House. He missed their spars. He missed their dinners and the accompanying banter. At this point, he even missed Paimon.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. If she was too busy, he could take the initiative. It wasn't a competition to see who wrote first. He missed her and he would write to her. It was as simple as that. But before that, he had to take a small detour.
He hadn't sent her any gifts in a while. Nothing elaborate, but he liked to include something small, just to let her know that he put effort into it. She would probably appreciate some Starconches. They were small enough that he could add them to the package without too many problems. Besides, there was also the legend about the Starconches. Supposedly, if you put one to your ear, you could hear the ocean within it. There was also the version where you could hear the sound of your loved ones. (Privately, Ajax preferred the ocean version.)
Off to Yaoguang Shoal it was.
"… and I managed it without a shield. Ha!"
Lumine almost facepalmed in frustration. Of all the idiots in the world, she had to meet this one. Ajax had to be the only person who would fight a Primo Geovishap and be proud about almost dying due to recklessness. The man had no concept of self-preservation. Part of her was worried for him and part of her wanted to kill him herself. She could only be grateful that his family didn't know the details of his life, otherwise they would be living in constant fear of his death.
She had met his family once or twice again after the first time with Ajax. She hadn't stayed long—just dropping in for a quick hello. The warmth they exuded was addicting, especially since she couldn't remember having a family of her own. She had had Aether but he couldn't replicate what a bustling family felt like. She missed him, but lately the hurt had receded to a dull ache. She was still looking for him and she still wanted to be reunited with him. However, she had found friends who made life a little bit better. The thought of leaving them all behind hurt a little and she was torn between her original purpose and her current bonds.
It had been a while since she met them, though. She had been completely wrapped up in commissions and random quests. (For once, though, she wasn't running errands for an Archon.) She hadn't left Snezhnaya in a month, except for quick trips to gather materials.
On the spur of the moment, she decided to take a break; Snezhnaya and its problems could wait. Gathering her energy, she teleported to the first place she could think of. She immediately raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding light. The sun was high in the sky and shining brightly. It was fall and the ground was covered with gold and brown leaves. A few of them were carried on the cool breeze that blew through the trees. It pushed her bangs into her face and she brushed them away. It had been a long time since she had been to Mondstadt and she missed the nation of wind. It gave her a different sense of freedom from all the constraints and pressure that usually followed her everywhere.
"Hello there, Traveler! It has been long. On your adventures, shall I come along?"
The bard jumped down from the branch he was sitting on. She should have known that he'd be here. If you were looking for Venti, you'd be best off checking two places—Windrise and the Angel's Share. Considering that he wasn't drinking at the bar, there was a high chance that Diluc had firmly and borderline-rudely sent him out. It was surprising that he could tell off the Anemo Archon himself—but if anyone could do it, it had to be Diluc.
"Hello, Venti. Not at the Angel's share today?"
"Ah haha—about that… Let's just say the Knights of Favonius decided to hold one of their meetings at the tavern. The place is crammed full."
"The Knights of Favonius? How did that happen?"
Venti's eyes sparkled with mischief. "The Cavalry Captain has some fun ideas."
Of course it was Kaeya. No one else could come up with such a plan. Diluc was probably inches away from outright murder.
"Paimon wants to know if Diluc has attacked Kaeya yet."
"The last I know, Master Diluc left for Dawn Winery with explicit instructions to not let Kaeya anywhere near the wine cellar. So, no. I believe Kaeya should still be out and about."
Lumine shook her head. There was never a dull day in Mondstadt, what with the animated characters that lived there. She chatted with Venti as they both walked to the city. It was the same as she had last seen it. There was a hubbub of activity in Springvale and the hunters seemed to be engaged in something. Timmie was peacefully feeding his pigeons on the bridge. (She genuinely regretted disturbing them as she passed by.) The Knights stood guard outside the gates to the bustling city itself.
"Miss Honorary Knight!"
Lumine nearly doubled over as she was tackled by a speeding bundle of red. She brought her arms up around them on instinct, before looking down to see her assailant. The wide red eyes of the Spark Knight blinked at her.
"How are you, Klee?"
The little girl quickly disentangled herself from Lumine's arms and looked around. Once she deemed the area safe enough, she began speaking in a whisper.
"Klee is hiding from Master Jean. If she sees Klee, she'll send Klee to the room."
Lumine hid a smile as the girl tried to hide behind her. Apart from her explosive tendencies, Klee was an adorable child. It was just her habit of blowing things up that landed her in trouble. She would probably learn to be careful as she grew older but for now, she was a literal loose cannon.
"It's okay, Klee. We'll tell Master Jean that you were with us, alright? Just don't blow up anything else for a while."
"Okay, Miss Honorary Knight!"
She dashed off as fast as she had come, probably off to cause more mayhem. Shaking her head, Lumine moved on. Klee's outburst had caused people to look and news of the Honorary Knight being back was spreading fast. She barely made it past Good Hunter before she was ambushed by Lisa.
"Hello, cutie. I haven't seen you around in forever."
"Hello, Lisa. I've mostly been busy at Snezhnaya. Surprisingly, there are a ton of commissions there. The harsh weather led to a huge backlog of commissions with very few people willing to take them. I've been running around gathering stuff and clearing out enemies. Once in a while, it's something easy like deliveries."
Lisa chuckled and reached out to pat Lumine's head. "Sounds like they've got you occupied. Are you here on a commission too?"
"Oh, no no! I just decided to take a break. I haven't been to Mondstadt in a while so I thought I'd stop by."
"Well, you're in luck. I believe most of the Knights of Favonius are currently holed up in the Angel's Share. They should be getting out sometime soon." She stopped to look at something over Lumine's shoulder. "There they are."
An elbow came to rest on her shoulder. "Long time, no see, Traveler. What brings you to our humble abode?"
"Very funny, Kaeya."
The Cavalry Captain's mouth lifted into his signature smirk. "Oh, but I'm merely curious. It has to be something big that brought you to Mondstadt. After all, you're a busy person."
"Really, it's nothing. I just missed the city."
"And here I thought that it was me that you couldn't stay away from."
"I seem to remember that staying away from you was part of the reason I wasn't here."
Kaeya laughed out loud. "There's the bite. You never disappoint, Traveler."
The sarcastic lilt in his voice transported Lumine to another place. She could feel the warm Liyuean breeze and hear the sounds of the harbor. In front of her stood the tall Harbinger, laughing with her, with the same teasing drawl. Kaeya reminded her of Ajax's easy charm. They both knew how to wheedle their way in or out of almost anything.
A pang of hurt went through her. She hadn't seen Ajax in a very long time. She missed him. Despite being in his nation, she hadn't gotten the chance to meet him after that audience with the Tsaritsa. He had left for Liyue soon after, and she hadn't been able to come to Liyue since then. For crying out loud, she had met Arlecchino but not Ajax.
"Lost in thought, Traveler?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Just thinking about commissions."
She pulled herself back to the present. Kaeya would never let her hear the end of it if he knew where her head was at.
Ajax could barely sit still. Lumine had sent him a note saying that she was coming to Liyue and did he want to meet for a spar? Honestly, he was offended that she had to ask him. He was always up for a spar, especially if it was with her. She should know that by now. It had been ages since he met her, and even longer since he fought her. When she had first come to Snezhnaya, he had been too concerned about her meeting with the Tsaritsa to think of anything else. After that, he had to leave for Liyue and he barely had time to say goodbye. Since then, it was him, the walls of the Northland Bank, and the walls of papers that caged him in. He had managed to significantly reduce the amount of files but they kept coming in.
He was dying for a break and Lumine just gave him the perfect excuse for one. The minute the clock struck twelve, he was out of the door. He almost sprinted to the Golden House. Several people along the way must have wondered why the Eleventh Harbinger was running wildly through the streets. He couldn't care less about what they thought; he had an appointment to keep. Finally, he reached the Golden House, and all but threw the doors open.
There she was—standing off to the side and cleaning her blade while Paimon chattered on. They both turned to look at the intruder. He could see a smile form on Lumine's face but Paimon reacted first.
"Mr More-Money-Than-Sense! You're here!"
He raised one eyebrow as he smirked at her. "Isn't that a bit of a mouthful now? I thought we were beyond that."
"Oh no. Paimon never gives up on her nicknames. Besides, you do have more money than sense."
"Says the one who's responsible for draining my wallet."
"Ah-ha-ha-ha… Well… That doesn't matter!"
Lumine, who had been silent this whole time, walked up to him with a small smile. To his surprise, she reached out and hugged him. He was caught off guard for a moment, not expecting her to do that. On instinct, he brought his arms up around her, holding her close to him. Archons, she felt so small and delicate, even though he knew she was anything but. She had always brought out a protective instinct in him despite the fact that he knew she could handle herself. It was just the way things were.
She pulled back (too soon if you asked him) and looked up at him.
"How are you? What have you been up to?"
"Ah, the same old stuff… Collecting debts, writing reports. It's been rather dull around here."
"Dull enough that you decided to pick a fight with a Primo Geovishap?"
"I'll have you know that I beat it, and without major injuries. I even collected the materials for you. Here you go." He pulled the materials out of his subspace and handed them over.
"Thanks. But I still believe you should have taken a shielder with you."
"Come on, girlie. You know I can take care of myself. I can hold my own against you, can't I?"
He knew he had become much, much stronger since the first time they had fought. Now, he actually won some of their spars. At this point, they were equally matched. It was testament to how much his skills had improved. What's more, he was even more versatile than he used to be, and he was already pretty versatile. Lumine made him pull out every trick in his arsenal.
"We'll see about holding your own against me. Three elements and no Delusion. Foul Legacy is fine. Loser buys dinner?"
"Tight conditions but you're on."
A few hours later, both of them were lying on the floor, catching their breath. They were covered in cuts and bruises. Lumine had a gash on her thigh and a stab wound on her shoulder and Ajax had several angry-looking burns. Lumine pulled out two apples and some kind of flatbread from her subspace. She handed one to Ajax and placed the bread between them to share.
Ajax tilted his head quizzically. "What's this?"
"It's pizza. Don't tell me you've never had pizza before."
He shook his head. "Never heard of it."
The expression on her face could only be called aghast, before it settled into determination. "You don't know what you've missed, but you're in luck. Pizza is great anyway but this is even better. It's Jean's specialty, Invigorating Pizza. It works as a gradual recovery item and it's super tasty. Try it."
She picked a slice and handed it to him. He was unsure how to hold it and where to start eating it from. He figured that the soft part in the center was good enough, and he took a bite. Immediately, the rich saltiness of cheese exploded on his tongue, followed by the tart, full-bodied flavor of tomato sauce. There was some type of green vegetable that added a crunch to it and soft smoked mushrooms finished it all. Overall, the flavors balanced each other really well and he couldn't believe that he had been missing out on this deliciousness. Within minutes, he had polished off most of the pizza. Only then did he realize that he had left almost nothing for Lumine. He flushed in embarrassment when he found her looking at him, clearly amused.
"I'm really sorry. It was just so good and I…" He trailed off when she produced another pizza.
"Don't worry, I have extra. And it was good to see you enjoy the pizza. I was worried you might not like it because it's rather different from the food here."
"Are you kidding? This is one of the best things I've ever had! I didn't even know that you could put cheese and tomatoes together like this. Teucer would absolutely love this. You have to teach me how to make this."
She smiled at him. "Will do."
After they finished the pizza and apples, Ajax got up and offered his hand to Lumine. Both of them dusted themselves off and left the Golden House. They walked down to the city, chatting with each other. Paimon floated along beside them, offering up her own commentary. He had missed this easy camaraderie. He didn't have to think about what to say and how to behave. It was so easy to be with Lumine.
"So, Mr Harbinger, where are you treating Paimon today?"
"If I remember correctly, I won today's match. So, you should be the one treating me."
"Hey, Paimon wasn't the one fighting you. So you should be treating Paimon."
He rolled his eyes. The little fairy could never get enough food. Even so, he didn't mind treating her and Lumine. Suddenly, he stopped. An idea struck him.
"Hey, all okay? What happened?" Lumine stopped to turn and look at him.
"It's nothing. Let's keep going. I'm really hungry. Can't wait to get some food."
"But you just—never mind."
The three of them reached the city gates just as the sun was setting. In the twilight, lights began to flicker on all across the city. It looked like a hundred fireflies slowly coming to life.
"Come on, I know just the place to take you."
Ajax began walking, weaving through the city as Lumine and Paimon followed him. His height made it easier to find him among the crowd. Soon, he reached the street where Wanmin Restaurant was. He felt Lumine bump into his back when he stopped. He turned to face her with a smile playing on his lips.
"Like what you see, girlie?"
Lumine was looking around with wide eyes. There was a carnival laid before them, with colorful stalls lining both sides of the street. There was a hubbub in the crowd as people gathered at different stalls. There were kids running around with sweets or toys in their hands. Gaiety was in the air.
"It's beautiful!"
Ajax bit back his grin. 'So are you.'
"So, what do you want to try first?"
It felt good to have Lumine excitedly drag him to each stall. She wanted to see everything and try everything. It was made even more vibrant by the amount of people who recognised the savior of Liyue. They all wanted to meet her and wanted her to enjoy the festivities. Even the fact that she had the Eleventh Harbinger by her side could not temper their enthusiasm. Ajax let himself be pulled along by the excited girl as she sampled the wares. He was happy to be her wallet while she bought every single type of street food and collected souvenirs. Her amber eyes reflected the lights all around her, scattering them like a thousand stars.
A couple of hours later, the festival was drawing to a close. People were closing their stalls and wrapping up for the day. The strings of lanterns were being taken down, leaving the street lights to illuminate the area. Ajax and Lumine were sitting on the steps of Wanmin Restaurant, satisfied and full. Paimon had disappeared to her dimension, claiming that she ate too much and needed to sleep.
"Today was a good day. I'm glad I decided to come to Liyue today." The smile on her face could have lit up the street.
"I'm glad you had fun. I had almost forgotten there was a festival today. I figured that you'd enjoy the experience."
"I did. The only person who seems to have enjoyed it more is Paimon."
"I didn't think her bottomless stomach could actually be full."
She playfully shoved him, eliciting a grin from him. "Come on, she's not that bad."
"I'm surprised you're saying that considering that you're the one who mostly pays for her food."
"Even so."
They sat in silence for a while, looking at the street around them. Suddenly, Lumine got up and began dusting herself off. Ajax followed her lead.
"What happened, girlie?"
"I should leave. Wangshu Inn is a bit of a walk away and it's already getting late."
"I'll walk you there."
"You don't have to. It's not like you have to go a few streets away. I'll be fine."
"Nonsense. I know you can take care of yourself. I'm offering because I want to."
She sighed. "There's no arguing with you, is there?"
He grinned, victory clearly visible on his face. "Glad we're clear on that."
They set off towards Wangshu Inn. They didn't need idle chatter to fill the silence; they were long past that phase. A mild breeze was blowing and the weather was pleasant. Soon, they reached the inn. (Why were there so many stairs?) He walked her to the reception area. The owner smiled at Lumine, although her smile dropped when she saw the Harbinger.
"It's okay. He's not staying here."
"I have your usual room ready for you. You can go upstairs."
Lumine smiled at the owner. "Thank you!"
She turned to face Ajax. "Thanks for walking me here. I had a great time today. I'll see you soon."
"No problem, girlie. See you, then."
He turned to leave the inn. He could sense that the owner was not very happy about having him there. Contrary to popular opinion, he wasn't interested in causing a problem wherever he went. He stepped out onto the deck and began walking toward the edge. It would be easier to glide from there than walk down all those steps.
"Wait!"
He stopped in his tracks. He had barely turned when he felt a small body collide into his back. It was almost like Lumine was trying to crush him as she hugged him from behind.
"Thanks for today, Ajax."
He smiled softly. "Anything for you, Lumine."
