jikan_rpg | autumn... uh... WINTER catch-all. yeah. winter.

[ The twins' birthday had come and gone amidst a flurry of activity--secret missions and crossdressing comedy acts included. While their friends had been kind enough to throw them a (thankfully understated) dinner, it had left Lumine wanting her big brother's attention. They'd spent so many years celebrating with just the two of them that it feels nostalgic to revisit that tradition, hunkering down together under the stars with a meal and some stories shared between the two of them.

She's gotten him a gift as well, of course. Leaning over, she kisses his cheek and produces a powder blue cupcake and a little silk pouch filled with gold hairclips shaped like stars. ]

Happy birthday, Aether.

[Their actual birthday had been a little too chaotic to do much, but when they celebrated it hardly mattered. The important thing is they were together for it this year -- and really, what more could he possibly ask for? Which is no doubt why he's been sparkling all day. Thanks Kizuna.]

[He only sparkles more when he sees the cupcake, giving the frosting a quick lick before opening the little pouch.]

Ohh, it's like a little bag of stars! Thank you! [Gonna pop one out and put it on.... intentionally in a stupid way, because he's gotta.] How do I look?

[ Stupid or not, that's her brother. ]

You look beautiful. You need more cute accessories for your hair since you have so much more than I do.

[ Scooting in closer, she plucks little constellations from the bag and clips them into the locks of his long braid. It's way too many, they're not meant to be worn like this, but it makes her giggle. ]

I'm glad you like them.

[STRIKES A POSE...... and then laughs, settling back down with a smile.]

I love them! I should have you pick out my accessories more often. But first-- I still have to give you your gift, too!

[And he's gonna show off as he does so, seeing as he's had much more time to master Nippon's unique style of magic. Clearing his throat, he snaps his fingers -- and suddenly, a present appears out of nowhere!]

[Except it appears above him and falls, hitting him on the head, startling him.]

[H-His cat tail is all poofed up...]

Ow... okay, still working on that spell, but-- here! Happy birthday!

[Inside, she'll find a silver necklace with a glass marble-like pendant, which contains what looks like a tiny galaxy. It even seems to swirl around, though the "stars" are more obviously painted on the inside of the glass.]

[ Taking the little pendant in hand, she turns it this way and that in the starlight, marveling at the way it twinkles. ]

It's beautiful. I love it!

[ She puts the necklace on and rolls the little sphere between her fingers, enjoying the smooth cool sensation of the glass against her skin. Leaning against him, she rests her head on Aether's shoulder and turns her eyes to the stars. There were so many times when she'd wished for something this simple during her journey across Teyvat--just her brother's presence at her side, the one thing she knew she could always count on. ]

Do you have a birthday wish?

Well, you're already here. So what else could I possibly want?

[Someone's aiming for the SAPPIEST BIG BROTHER award.]

Oh my gosh, so corny!

[ She bumps him with her shoulder, but he knows her well enough to know that she eats up the attention. And besides... ]

Me too. You being here is all I need. [ Looks like sappiness runs in the family? ] But I guess if I had one wish, it'd be that... you find happiness here, or wherever your journey takes you, even if I'm not beside you.

[ Since they'd always taken it for granted that they'd be together forever, but Teyvat has proven the falseness of that assumption. ]

[He laughs when she bumps against him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to hug her closer. He's half tempted to pull her down for a headnoogie, but then she goes and says that-- oh, so she's trying to make him cry now!!]

[He doesn't. But he's also keenly aware of the fact that he has lost her twice before in this world alone.]

Now who's the corny one? [Said with a huff, but his voice is definitely a bit softer.] But come on, let's not jinx it. Unless you want me texting you every ten minutes again to make sure you're still here?

[He had a bad day once, probably.]

Maybe we're both corny. That would explain it, yeah?

[ Lumine immediately regrets giving him a reason to worry about whether or not she's goin to disappear from his life again. It's not impossible, and she can't swear to him that it'll never happen, regardless of how much she wants to stay there with him. ]

I'm with you no matter where we are. Don't forget that, okay? And text me as often as you need to.

Edited 2022-12-21 05:08 (UTC)

I won't forget it.

[Even if it's hard to feel that way with just how long they've been apart back in Teyvat. But today-- they're celebrating their birthdays, soon he'd rather not let the mood get gloomy.]

You know, I could be saying the same to you. But if anything, you should be texting me even more! I've been here a lot longer. So you should come to your big brother for advice more often.

[ Lumine lets the heavier topics drop and play along with his teasing. ]

So you're saying I should be texting you every... five minutes or so?

[ Holding her hands out in front of her, she wiggles her thumbs as if she's typing a message out to him. ]

'Dear wise and noble elder brother, please advise--is it normal for the kizuna to make your skin turn blue or should I go see a doctor?'

[ Finding out you've just casually been sleeping for months in one place while experiencing what you've come to accept is your normal life in another is... jarring? Disorienting?

Lumine still feels a little stiff in the shoulders from her long nap. She feels out of place again, as much now as before, recalling how everyone here recognizes her brother as their Traveler and not her.

It's fine, it's fine. She just needs to stretch her legs and clear her head. She's hungry, too, and she wonders, as she steps out onto the streets of Nippon, if her friends are still here or if they've disappeared, as she knows is liable to happen.

There's an easy way to test that. ]

... Xiao?

[ There's really little that could be said for the way he kept almost to a routine each and every day here, barring any unusual circumstances when they did occur. Such as holidays and the madness that seemed to go on here, familiar faces appearing while others vanished for either a short time or permanently.

He's been feeling a little restless, so he'd taken some time off today to practice using his spear in a safe space away from people.

It's about a half hour into this that he hears a familiar voice call his name, and in mere seconds is all it takes for him to dissipate his spear while appearing a bit behind Lumine with barely a noise. ]

You called?

[ His golden hues take in her appearance and she seems unhurt, but one can never be too sure. ]

Is everything alright?

[ She should really be expecting him to show up behind her like that, but she still nearly jumps out of her skin when he does. She turns to face him, looking a little flushed but with a smile on her face. ]

Xiao! Everything is fine--I just wanted to see you.

[ And, y'know, he gave her the green light once before, so she doesn't think twice this time before reaching out to pull him into a brief but tight hug. ]

I've been sleeping, I guess. For a few months now. How weird is that? But I'm awake now.

[ To be fair, most people would be a bit startled at his abrupt appearance but he doesn't even remotely seem phased for the most part. If anything, her smile is a welcome sight when he realizes he hasn't seen her for a while now. ]

Ah. I suppose that's alright.

[ Such speaks volumes for how much he's 'mellowed' out here if he's not really annoyed when someone summons him without it being a life or death situation honestly.

Then there's the hug which, naturally made him pause before trying to maybe offer something of one back in return. It's not as awkward as one might have expected, but then again it was also quite brief. ]

What matters is that you're okay. [ A pause. ] I had almost thought you may have gone home.

But I did, even though my body was here the whole time. I was in Teyvat with Paimon. We were in Sumeru, mostly, but we did make trips out to Mondstadt and Inazuma. I made friends with the Dendro Archon and a lot of other people out there. Have you ever been? It's beautiful.

[ Even having released him from the hug, Lumine takes hold of Xiao's hand just to maintain a point of contact with him. ]

Are you hungry? I'm starving. I bet we could find somewhere that serves almond tofu.

Have I... been to Sumeru?

[ He exhaled a soft hum in thought, then shook his head with something almost soft crossing his features. ]

I can't say I have. Though it doesn't quite surprise me that you made friends with the Dendro Archon.

[ As her hand took hold of his, he simply just shifted his hand to make this contact more comfortable but otherwise didn't seem intent on pulling away. ]

Yeah. There's a place I know of, that I go to when I so wish to have that and I believe you would like the food they serve there.

[ It's not exactly surprising that he's never been to Sumeru, given how dedicated he is to protecting Liyue, but she figured it was better to ask than to assume. The two nations are next-door neighbors, after all--he could have drifted through at some point, for all she knew. ]

Her name is Nahida. She's sweet. I'm sure you'd like her. We had to deal with the Fatui, of course--I feel like I can't go anywhere in Teyvat without running into those guys.

[ Sighing, she threads her fingers between Xiao's and follows his lead. ]

I'm sure if you like the food there then I will, too.

[ For him it was a mix of wishing to stay in Liyue to protect it, and not wishing to spread his karmic debt to anyone who could be tainted by him being near them.

He was just pleased to listen to Lumine speak fondly of the Dendro Archon and of course those people were involved. They really were everywhere. Xiao just exhaled a small scoff and nodded his head. ]

They remind me of troublesome insects at times.

[ This is a nice, pleasant warmth and he likes it. Perhaps that could explain the telltale quirk of his lips upwards into a small smile as they started down the street now. ]

...Lumine. [ Xiao paused a bit, brows knitting together slightly. ] Have you had the chance to try ice cream?

[ Comparing the Fatui to insects earns a chuckle from Lumine, and she nods. ]

They're pests, all right, and you just know when you see one of them that there are a dozen more nearby. I still don't know what their goals are; it'd be easier to deal with them if I did.

[ But she hadn't summoned a guardian deity just to complain about the Fatui to him. Goodness, no. That doesn't mean she can't appreciate the commiseration, but still.

His question is a little surprising, but it makes her grin wider. ]

I've had it before, yes. Are you an ice cream fan, Xiao? What's your favorite flavor? Almond?

[ The best example of such a thing was still best reflected during that confrontation with Osial with the Fatui coming in droves. Of course the ever valiant traveler was there to fight them off with adeptal blessings, and there just seemed to be a never ending number of them for a while.

Asides from that, they sure were practically everywhere all over Liyue though he hadn't the need to interact with them unless absolutely necessary. ]

I'm sure eventually you will find out about what they are.

[ That made him pause a bit, eyes turning ahead to the street as he considered his next words. His smile didn't quite dissipate, either. ]

Hm. Am I so easy to predict? [ Maybe for a second he almost seemed amused there. Possibly. ] I suppose I find ice cream palatable and smooth, which makes it easy to eat. [ That's about the time gold hues turned up to her, the light teal colors in his hair almost seeming to shift more blondish-gold now. ] As for my favorite flavor? You were close.

[ He shook his head. ]

I believe it was called Honey Almond.

autumn... uh... WINTER catch-all. yeah. winter.

sibling shenanigans - aether and lumine celebrate their birthday!

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for Xiao

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