#musings of sumeru

[flyingwargle]

flufftober day 14: "i hate it." / "no, you don't." / wanderer, nahida

there's only one word he has to describe it: atrocious.

nahida pouts. "that's a rather harsh word to say, don't you think?"

did he say that aloud? wanderer's scowl lessens to a frown, but his reply is, "it's the most horrendous thing i've ever laid my eyes on. do you really expect me to wear it?"

"i won't force you, but if you'd like..."

he didn't expect his return to sumeru city to include an overexcited archon proclaiming that she had a gift for him, supposedly handmade under the tutelage of a local hatmaker. it's a purple hat, the same color scheme of a certain cat that's been trailing him, with the same pathetic eyes, whiskers, ears, and a tiny tail at the back. it's utterly distasteful compared to his own.

"if i had to choose between fighting the fatui harbingers all at the same time or wearing that," he says, "i'd rather fight."

she lowers the hat. "is it really that bad? i worked so hard on it, too..."

wanderer folds his arms and looks away, stealing a glance out of the corner of his eye. it's only then that he notices the tiny bandages wrapped around her fingers, the largest one around her wrist. the sight is strangely familiar, and he feels the weight of his doll in his sleeve.

a mosaic of memories flood him, where he spent days and nights with a kind-hearted granny, patient voice carving a warm atmosphere as he pricked himself with his needle and thread. even his doll-like hands weren't immune to the scars of unpracticed finesse.

his thoughts scatter at a curious meow. scara has jumped on the table to paw at the hat, tail waving in front of wanderer. nahida reaches forward to put the hat on his head. "he looks cute!"

"it's too big." the hat's brim falls over the cat's eyes, making him meow and spin to shake it off, sending it across the floor. wanderer stands to retrieve it, scowl aimed at the furball. "watch it."

he puts it on the table, swipes it over his head when scara stretches his paws toward it. at an angle, he can see the crooked seams and uneven stitching. he wouldn't call himself an expert, but after learning how to craft his own companion, he's amassed a few tricks. "why'd you choose the furball for the hat design?"

nahida takes the last piece of baklava. "it was easier. i hadn't seen you in a while and i didn't want to get the colors wrong. there's nothing wrong with having a fun design for a hat, is there?"

"who is going to wear it?" he scoffs.

"if you don't, i will!" she snatches the hat back to put on her head. with her ponytail in the way, it sits unevenly, a dark contrast to her light hair and floral accessories. "how do i look?"

"awful." he reaches over to flip it onto his own head, only mildly surprised that it fits. he tucks his hair behind his ears and adjusts the brim. it doesn't have the same comfort as his regular hat, but it feels familiar.

nahida, on the other hand, giggles. "you look good with it!"

there's a mirror in the corner of the room. he twists around toward it, eyes narrowed at his own reflection. "i hate it."

"no, you don't."

"truly atrocious."

"i'm sure lots of people don't think so."

he rolls his eyes. "they have bad taste." and yet, he keeps it on until the tea runs out and their snacks are reduced to crumbs.

[silkjade]

my favorite view in the game ♡

[fenkko]

cant believe i reached 30 tags in prev post rambling about homestuck i didnt even know there was a limit

[orphic-musings]

Welcome home! dear…fungus?

Characters: Dehya, Tighnari, Cyno, Alhaitham, Nilou x gn! reader (separately, established relationships)

Genre: Fluff, crack

Warnings: None I think? I kept switching between fungus and fungi bc idk what’s correct, (does cyno’s humour count as a warning?)

Summary: Sumeru characters react to you bringing home a new pet… fungus?

Notes: Got this idea after playing the fungus event and thought it would be a good chance to write some Sumeru characters! I’m sorry if it seems rushed I just wanted to get this out there since I haven’t been posting regularly. ㅠㅠ Inspired by my slime fics which you can find here: Part 1 — Part 2 (pls forgive me im so bad at naming slimes and fungi)

Dehya:

“Ah there you are!” Dehya sports a warm grin the moment she sees you. She stands at ease, not on high alert like she normally is. You are more interesting than anything in the background, and she prefers giving you her undivided attention. Of course, should any threat arrive she would be ready again before you could blink.

“I was looking for you everywhere- Is that fungi following you?” In an instant her tone drops into pure confusion. If the two of you were in any situation she would be springing into action, smiting the poor fungi before you even knew it was there. But this isn’t just any situation. The small capped creature is spinning around you, and your face is bright and content as you stand in the middle of Sumeru city.

“Yes! He’s my new companion. I called him Zest! There was an event down in Port Ormos where I trained him for a week, but the little guy didn’t want to leave my side at the end!”

“So… now we have to take care of a fungi.” Her expression is unimpressed, but her voice indicates that she’s intrigued, a little amused even.

“I can take care of it myself if you don’t want to-“

“No! I mean, you don’t have to do everything yourself. We do things together, yeah?” Her sudden interruption makes you giggle, and when she sees your face scrunched up in glee warmth rushes to her cheeks.

“At least it’s not a spectre.” She shakes her head, but your smile is contagious, and she can’t help the twitch of her lips. “Well we’d better go show lil’ Zesty his new home,” she says. With a delighted smile, you link your arm with hers and affectionately push into her side, while your fungi bounces along beside you. Dehya glances at the fungi one more time, before looking at your smiling face. She shakes her head again, but her smile only grows wider. The things love makes you do.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Tighnari:

Tighnari steps into his hut while rubbing his neck, his eyes almost drooping to the floor. He had an insanely busy day, and all he can think to do is have some well deserved quality time with you. He looks up expecting to see you all settled into bed, but instead he finds an electro fungi in his spot and you giving it cuddles. Subconsciously his tail flicks with irritation, but he’s more curious than upset.

“Am I in the right house?” He asks, and though it’s intended to be a joke, his stress seeps into his tone. So much so that it jolts you, and you sit up alert on the bed. The fungi also stops its wiggling, as if mimicking you. He notes that, somewhere in the back of his mind.

“Tighnari! I um… this is, well I found… no I mean I got her from Port Ormos. There was an event and they let me keep her.” Your body is stiff as you attempt to explain the situation. Your words get all tied together, as if you were caught red-handed and were reaching for an excuse.

“I’m sorry if I startled you. Just relax and, well, let’s find this little fungi somewhere else to sit other than my side of the bed.” His tone is no longer taut, only tired, but he still gives you a gentle smile. You get up from the bed and walk over to where he is, the fungi following you. The two of you sit together on the couch, while the fungi twirls merrily on the rug.

“I think I understand the situation, but I’m sure you’re aware of the danger it poses. While it seems very tame now, it’s still a wild creature and can be unpredictable.” He glances between your gentle face and the energetic fungi while talking.

“I know… you’re right. Maybe we can watch it for a few days, and if it seems too unsafe or it’s unhappy we can release it.” You give him a hopeful smile, and since your argument is fairly sound, and he’s too tired to discuss it further, he agrees.

“We can spend more time with it tomorrow but for now, let’s get to bed.” You take Tighnari’s hand and lead him to bed, but he stops and looks at the fungi. It wiggles expectantly and he sighs. “Alright Jitterbug, I suppose you can come too.” He turns to follow you, but you just stand there in shock. Now it’s you being pulled along to bed as you laugh at the nickname and sudden fondness for the fungi. He smiles to himself seeing your joyful face, and he already feels all his stress melt away.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Cyno:

“Cynooo! I’m hoooome!” You call into the empty entryway. Your voice is full of energy, but doubt creeps into your heart as your voice echos off the walls. It’s not unusual for you to arrive to an empty house, but you always call out just in case. You walk further in, a small dendro fungus hovering behind you. As you step into the living area you immediately freeze.

Cyno lays on his back, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm with an utterly peacful look on his face. Your heart dances at the adorable sight, but only for a moment as he seems to stir from your presence. He pushes himself up a bit and rubs a hand across his face. When he turns to you he smiles, and it fills you with warmth. With how early he gets up in the mornings, his sleepy face is a rare sight, but a beautiful one indeed.

“Oh hello dear, I guess I must have dozed off… and hello there fungus.” He sits himself fully upright on the couch, still waking up it seems. But he soon becomes fully alert.

“Wait… what am I saying?” His gaze drifts from your face to over your shoulder. “Wait! Behind you!” You just stand there and sigh.

“Are you awake now?” You giggle a bit when you see his baffled face.

“I- What?”

“This is our new pet! I got the little guy from an event in Port Ormos! If he behaves well we’ll keep him!” You beam at him while the fungus slowly emerges from behind your shoulder, curiously floating towards Cyno. He blinks at it.

“I’ve never given much thought to keeping pets, but if it’s with you I’m sure it will be fun.” You smile wider and do a little jump with joy, as if having won a prize. In all honesty, and it might only be because of his sleepy daze, you had expected him to deny the creature to even enter your home. When you refocus out of your thoughts you find him slightly poking the fungi, who doesn’t seem to mind, with a slight smile.

“We’re calling it Bud. Get it? Because it’s like a flower bud, but also a companion.” He grins and pats the fungus on the head. And while you’re glad they’re already getting along, you can’t help but sigh at your partner’s blunt humour.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Alhaitham:

The sun casts a peach glow over the city and you walk hand in hand with the Akademiya’s scribe. A cool breeze blows, a sign on the oncoming night. You had surprised Alhaitham at his office just as his work ended, ready to walk him home.

“I have a surprise for you when we get home!” You grin, nearly unable to contain your excitment. You remind him of a pot about to boil over, but he refrains from pointing that out. He merely raises an eyebrow at you, ever the cynic.

“If it’s that Kaveh has finally moved out I’ll be over the moon,” he jokes. You lightly hit him, a slight pout on your face, which quickly changes into a devious grin.

“I suppose it does have something to do with roomates.” To this he finds a slight concern wash over him, but also you lean into him playfully he decides to trust you.

The sun is about to disappear beyond the horizon when you arrive home, and Alhaitham nervously unlocks the door. He instantly notices the lack of signs of Kaveh, and relaxes a little. Until you stand in front of him and call out ‘surprise!’ He shuts the door behind him then looks up, and is met face to face with a floating hydro fungi.

“Is this fungus.. the surprise?” His voice is questioning, reasonably so he would argue. But your grin doesn’t falter.

“Yes! I got her from an event in Port Ormos, so I suppose you can consider her your new roomate!” He stands and watches the fungi float around him, like it was checking him out. It strangely makes him feel out of place in his own home. A part of him wants to lecture you on the nature of fungi, and how they wouldn’t be suitable for keeping as housepets. But truthfully, he can’t think of much evidence to support that, seeing as there hasn’t been much, if any, research done on the subject. He looks back at you.

“Well?” You pry. Alhaitham perceives the slight falter of your smile, the way you seem to be holding together your enthusiasm, and he can’t help but feel his heart swell at your passion for this creature, and your desire for him to accept it into his home.

“I suppose it’s much favourable to that nosy architect. Say, maybe we should train it to pester Kaveh.” Suddenly he finds the idea of keeping a fungi quite intriguing.

“Hey! You can’t just use it for nefarious purposes!” You pout at him again, and he has to raise his hands in defeat. As he does, the hydro fungus nuzzles into his cheek and you laugh at his suddenly flustered expression. He pats it awkwardly before it floats back over to you, and you welcome it with a nuzzle and a warm smile. Maybe it’s not such a terrible idea after all.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Nilou:

The lights at the Grand Bazaar just begin to turn on as the sky darkens. Their soft glow illuminates the stage, making it seem even more magical. Although evening has fallen, a crowd steadily forms, filling the Bazaar with chatter and life. Some people browse, while others just stand and chat, but your focus is solely on the graceful and lithe movements of Nilou’s dance.

It’s merely a practice, but since you finished your errands early you had to come see her. There was nowhere you’d rather be. The moment her dance ends time seems to stop, as she holds her elegant pose in the soft lights, looking ethereal. Then she relaxes, and her eyes find you. Her cheeks heat up and she appears ready to burst with both glee and fluster.

“You’re absolutely stunning, as always. I think I fell in love all over again! Craig loved it too!” You gush with rapture in your voice when she comes down to greet you. Her heart soars at your praises.

“Thank yo- who’s Craig? Did I miss something?” Her glee falters a little, replaced by puzzlement. You swallow, realizing your slip-up. Her gaze follows yours as you cast it to the ground, where a small geo fungus stands.

“Um, Nilou, meet Craig!” You smile sheepishly, finally bringing your eyes back to her. But she keeps staring at the lithic creature, watching curiously as it begins to roll around her feet before settling back beside you.

“A fungi?” She questions, and you begin to fear that this was a bad idea. With bated breath you wait as she intently observes it. Suddenly a smile spills across her face.

“He’s adorable! I didn’t know fungi could be so well behaved!” She giggles, and you feel your whole being relax at her enthusiasm. The creature begins to jump around too, excited by her positive tone.

“I was hoping we could look after him together, if you’d be alright with that.” She meets your gaze and beams brightly, her face nearly glowing.

“Of course! Ooh, maybe I can teach it to dance! It could join the theater!” She giggles again and latches onto your arm, settling herself into your embrace. The fungi leans itself into your leg too.

“It seems I might need to compete for your attention,” she says, noticing the fungi. You smile between the both of them, enjoying being surrounding by their affections. Nilou laughs as you struggle to give them exactly equal attention all the way home.

“Home sweet home,” you say once you finally arrive. The fungi and Nilou enter together, and it warms your heart seeing them already adjust to each other. But what warms it even more is how they both cuddle into you once you’ve settled into bed, and you can’t help but feel that this moment is the definition of contentment.

[romaritimeharbor]

i know i should probably explore sumeru for arlecchino primogems. but i do not like the desert 😔

[berryblooo]

The Sumeru Akademiya, Astrology, and Mona's mysterious origins

(Originally posted on my Twitter on August 27 and 28, 2022.)

Sumeru is exciting for a multitude of reasons, but a major point for me is learning more about astrology from astrologist characters other than our beloved Mona Megistus!

One of the six Darshans of the Akademiya is Rtawahist, a department dedicated to Illuminationism, the study of the stars that includes astronomy and astrology.

The ex-Grand Sage of the Akademiya was the sage of Rtawahist, Azar. This means that an astrologist was leading the school. You would think this means astrology is a well-respected subject in not just the Akademiya, but Sumeru as a whole. However, it seems that isn't the case.

The elderly researcher (who refers to himself as an astrologist) implies that they are not being funded well, but that may be a recent thing. There's lots of talk of a secret project (that we now know was the Fatui working with the sages to make a god out of Scaramouche) diverting much attention and money away from other research projects.

Notably, Qushji mentions Hydromancy, the art of divining fate from the stars' reflection in water, which was developed by none other than Mona's master herself! In the 3.x Archon Quests thus far there's been no mention of Mona's master or Mona.

To my current in game knowledge, it's unclear how much, if at all, Mona and her master are affiliated with the Akademiya and astrologists in Rtawahist.

The newly released character, Layla, an Akademiya student from the Rtawahist Darshan and specializing in theoretical astrology, has this to say about Mona:

Mona Megistus, the Astrologist... Her astrology column in The Steambird is well-known among Rtawahist scholars. Her articles always cover super specialized topics, but can still be appreciated by non-academics. That's no easy feat... Huh? Her name seems to just roll off my tongue? Uh, that's just because... I have a lot of respect for... amazing people.

This seems to imply that Mona (and by extension her master) are independent of Rtawahist and the Akademiya.

Another researcher, Ashk, has a very interesting conversation with the Traveler. He implies that due to human ignorance and therefore error, the truth divined from the stars may be incorrect or misleading. When he asks the Traveler what they think, you receive a reward for choosing the second dialogue option, "Things might not be as they seem..."

What stuck out to me is the talk of ignorance in the nation of wisdom. Mona's cinematic from her mirage in Summer Fantasia described the crystal bird as, "born in wisdom, but trapped in ignorance".

Given that this event directly preceded Sumeru, I don't believe the choice in words is a coincidence.

The same researcher goes on to speak about research into constellation. It seems that in order to study those, one must have a Vision. It's still a bit unclear whether only Allogenes have constellations, or everyone does regardless.

Mona's line about constellations implies the former. This exchange is important because it plants the idea that destiny - the past in this instance - can be altered if someone is the one deciding it in the first place.

This is a reoccurring theme in the game - rewriting fate, challenging destiny. I'm very curious to see if Mona will make an appearance in the Sumeru storyline at some point, and if we'll finally learn more about her master and Hexenzirkel in turn. The set-up is there!

At the beginning of the Sumeru Archon Quest, Haypasia gives us our first introduction to the Rtawahist Darshan. She describes its goals as studing astrology, astronomy and the stars’ link to destiny, who then also try to connect with Irminsul to deepen their knowledge.

That sounds a lot like Hexenzirkel.

I've speculated about Mona's master and/or Hexenzirkel possibly being affiliated with the Akademiya. If her master were to have that connection, I wonder why Mona doesn't? We know next to nothing about Mona's origins or past.

We don't even know why she's studying astrology, how she met her master, and how Mona came to study under her. Mona is steeped in mystery, and that's how she's meant to be. Her character introduction on the Genshin Impact website describes her as "a mysterious astrologist".

Many people assume Mona is from Fontaine because she writes the column "All Things Astrological" for its famed newspaper, The Steambird, but we have no indication of where she came from. Is it Sumeru? Is that where she met her master and studied astrology?

Time will tell!

[protect-namine]

surely hoyoverse is aware that they already used nereides twice ("nereid's ascension" for kokomi's burst, where she dons the ceremonial garment, and "nereides" as the constellation name for sigewinne)

sigewinne "wondrous dragonheir" is going to have a promising story quest, but then again... that's also what I said about divine priestess sangonomiya "dracaena somnolenta" kokomi

ugh wait actually I'm kinda excited for sigewinne if she ends up expanding on the elynas lore and connect it back to ancient civilizations. enkanomiya part two, maybe?

but if sigewinne gets the nice dragon related backstory, that'll just make me even more disappointed with kokomi. a never ending cycle... kokomi I will always love you. I will always believe you're meant to be a better character

[ultradespairboyz]

Aranara sona! An arasona, if you will!

His name is Arasethi. he is pink and friends with Rishboland tigers. His bell and cape were given by a Nara friend! He's less leaf and more flower, hence the pink

[yeonban]

Speaking of Heizou and "plotholes", you cannot tear my hc that the case Heizou was talking about during the Akitsu festival was the one connected to Scaramouche from my cold dead hands... bc while "Scaramouche" got deleted from the Irminsul and everyone's memory of him/the real events got altered, the reality Remained the same... which definitely invited certain plotholes that Heizou would catch onto if he ever happened to learn of the case or revisit it

[scarletooyoroi]

"I don't think I'll ever get quite use to the feeling of water just having a.." Makes hand motions. "A stopping point."

"Am I making sense? How you can just be swimming around and actually fall from on high? How it's not spilling over as if there's some law keeping it in place?? I've crashed around about three times cause of that.."

Not that he's proud of that per say, but, he is someone who recognizes his mistakes.

[flyingwargle]

lumine is irritated as all hell, and she doesn’t know why.

lambad’s tavern is lively. alcohol moves from one cup to another, glasses raised for a toast. there are shouts, laughter, friendly shoves on the shoulder, not so friendly gestures between friends, regulars, strangers. servers maneuver through the maze of tables and chairs to deliver dishes, collect cutlery, wipe down tables for the next party to occupy. even though she’s on the second floor, she can hear lambad greet guests and offer free drinks to rowdy customers.

she dips her charcoal-baked ajilenakh cake in jam and pops it into her mouth. her head rests on her hand, elbow propped on the table, partially to block out her companion’s pitched voice as she tries to advocate for slime condensate as a viable cooking ingredient. paimon has no chance of winning against wanderer, calm and collected across the table, sipping the bitterest tea that the tavern could mix.

this is not how lumine imagined her last night in sumeru to be. honestly, she doesn’t know what it would’ve looked like, but it could’ve been more…lavish. after all, she’s made so many connections – from the acting grand sage of the akademiya, general mahamatra, guardian of aaru village, to numerous others who greeted her with open arms. and now, it’s time to leave them behind.

it’s time to visit a new region, get tangled in new politics, fraternize new characters who won't hesitate to invite her back from time to time to celebrate holidays and festivals. since she's already known in fontaine, her journey might be easier...or not. it depends on the archon.

she sighs, eats the rest of her cake, picks up her glass to swirl the liquid around. when she takes a sip, a pair of emerald eyes watch her. she glances back. “what?”

nahida has her hands together on the table, seemingly unaffected by the heated debate on the other side. “your mind is troubled. your thoughts remind me of a sandstorm – you keep moving, but you’ve lost sight of where to go, and there doesn’t seem to be any other path but forward.”

lumine takes a sip, puts the glass down, waves at a server for a refill. when it’s filled to the brim, she picks it up again, stares at the glass. “you described it exactly.”

“do you know what can clear sandstorms?”

“some kind of jinni that i picked up in the desert?”

nahida shakes her head. “time. when the wind clears and the sun returns, so will your path.” she picks up a piece of baklava to crumble into smaller pieces. “a journey is never without detours; if you continue on a singular path, you’d never know what you could’ve discovered if you walked down another. it may lead you far from your objective, but it could also bring you closer to where you need to go.”

she offers her some baklava. lumine takes it. “you’re always welcome in sumeru. i’ll never forget what you’ve done for my people…and me. and he won’t admit it, but hat guy is also thankful, too.”

“don’t put words in my mouth.” he transitions from the debate to the conversation seamlessly, as if he were listening the entire time. lumine watches him fold his arms and scowl. “you’re finally leaving. it’s about time.”

“what, you’ll miss me?”

“are you kidding me? when you’re gone, i can finally commit atrocities. it’s been far too long.”

“he’s joking,” nahida quips.

“i figured.” lumine puts her glass down and leans forward. “what’s in fontaine?”

he becomes thoughtful, an unusual expression on his face. “it’s the nation of hydro. the archon is a brat, or so i heard, and their philosophies about justice are twisted. lots of open land and underwater ruins. they have their own problems, but what nation doesn’t?”

“perhaps you could focus on fontaine politics during your studies,” nahida says.

“gross. i already wrote enough papers.” he makes a face at her, but when he turns back to lumine, his eyes are serious. “their justice system is the best in teyvat. you won’t be able to pull off stunts like you did in inazuma or here and get away with it. the best you’ll be called is a criminal; the worst you’ll be called is dead.”

that sends a shiver down her spine, but she remains expressionless. “i’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

“let’s stop being so gloomy!” paimon cuts in. “we gotta finish eating everything before it gets cold!”

wanderer shoves the rest of the unfinished food toward her, which she gladly accepts. lumine takes another sip of her drink, lets her gaze drift toward the window. the moon rests in a cradle of stars, radiant in the darkness. will the sky have the same comfort in fontaine, as it does in sumeru? how easy will it be to get the information she wants?

all will be answered come morning light.

[immobiliter]

dehya, i know your character kit is Bad but you are hot and also everything i enjoy in a female character, pls continue being you 🙏

[diverse-hearts-ocs]

@crownshattered continued from [X]

"Those were dark days for us all - I'm glad that you did not have to witness such times". Of course, it had been much more complex than simply Gods fighting one another to survive. Some nations, such as her own, had been more to do with protection, with defending the lands against the changes that such wars were causing to happen. If she had been forced to fight, she wondered at times how she may have been - in her eyes King Deshret would have been victorious, if an all out battle had to occur. Not that she enjoyed thinking too much about fighting against her friends - but there was no denying that he was the better warrior between the three God's to rule over Sumeru currently.

"But those days have long since passed - you've risen to stand amongst us all, and we've more than welcomed the warmth and love we have received since. It is always such a scary prospect, when the tide of power is changing, but if all future tides come with such gentle waves as your own, I believe that Teyvat will be well protected". She smiled softly, leaning over to give Mila a quick kiss, hoping that her words hadn't bought too much discomfort. The important thing was to look to the future, to protect these lands for those that would come after them, that is what she truly believed.

"How are you feeling? These lands can become quite humid. We can head indoors if the sun is becoming too much for you".

[orphic-musings]

All the glowing lights sparkle so delicately in your eyes

Characters: Cyno x reader, Tighnari x reader (platonic) (NOTE: this is when they are still students at the Akademiya!)

Genre: Fluff!

Warnings: None. Except one Cyno joke.

Summary: As students of the Akademiya, your friend Tighnari invites you out to the winter festival along with his friend Cyno…. who definitely has a crush on you.

Notes: I wrote this for a Secret Santa event by @2022gisecretsanta ! I was @yostresswritinggirl ‘s secret santa so I HOPE YOU ENJOYYY! 🫶🫶🫶 And Happy Holidays everyone! ❤️

Cyno stares up at the stars twirling and shimmering above his head. The student’s event council had been tirelessly working to make the Akademiya look festive, and these paper stars were some of the finishing touches. As the student decends the tall ladder he pushes out a sigh. The whole school, even the whole town, is in the spirit for the winter holidays, except him.

“C’mon Cyno, we’re almost done studying before the break, can’t you at least pretend you’re looking forward to it?” His amber eyes peer up at his fuzzy-eared friend, who’s staring at him with a dubious grin. “Or were you too busy thinking up bad puns to pay attention.” Cyno merely grumbles.

“I wish school would keep going instead, I just wanna get the year over with.” He plops his cheek against his palm, face ever stoic.

“But it’s the holidays! You can take the time to just nap and eat festive snacks if nothing else, what’s got you in such a sour mood?”

Tighnari notices Cyno suddenly stiffen, and he follows his friend’s gaze right over his shoulder and towards…

“I just finished my last final!” Another of Tighnari’s colleagues thumps their books against the table and slumps into the seat across from Tighnari and beside… Tighnari shoots a grin and an eyebrow wiggle at Cyno.

But Cyno doesn’t notice, he’s too busy trying to resist the flush that threatens to ignore him. Luckily, or unluckily, you pay no attention to him as your grumble to your good friend Tighnari.

“Well, since you’re all done why don’t you come to the festival with me and Cyno?” He offers, putting on a friendly smile to hide his mischevious intent. You glance between him and Cyno, before an excited grin takes over your tired features.

“I would love to! I didn’t have anyone to go with so I wasn’t going to go, but now…. ooh I’m so excited!”

Your pure elation cracks Tighnari’s calm demeanor, lighting his face up with a bright smile to match your own. The two of you are meanwhile oblivious to Cyno’s apparent suffocation.

“I have to return these library books, but I’ll see you two tomorrow?” You say, getting up from your seat.

“Yes, let’s meet at 6:30 in front of the library.” Tighnari says. You smile in reply, scooping up your heavy books and scampering off. Turning to Cyno, he shoots him a smirk, which, humoursly, Cyno could only describe as foxy.

»»————-　♡　-————««

The next day you wake up refreshed, enjoying being free from the stress of finals at last. You spend the day relaxing mostly, but you can’t help the excitement bubbling away. As half past six approaches you get ready, making sure to wear warm clothes. Although the days in Sumeru are quite warm, the nights quickly get cold.

“Oh, hi Cyno! Is Tighnari with you?” You call out, seeing the white haired boy standing alone. He whips his head around hearing your voice, you worry you may have given him whiplash.

“Hi um. Tighnari’s not here yet, hopefully he won’t be much longer.” He mumbles, looking away. His aloof nature doesn’t surprise you, you’ve heard he’s a rather stoic guy from other students. You watch his gaze, fixed at nothing in particular, and he appears in deep contemplation of something. Absentmindedly, you muse as to what it could be, unaware of your staring. Until Tighnari clears his throat, causing the two of you to startle.

“At ease soldiers,” he jokes, noting your riged statures. “Ready to go?” He asks, and you and Cyno both nod. Tighnari leads the conversation, effortlessly weaving both you and Cyno into the conversation. It makes you wonder if it tires him to be the middleman, but when you reach the festival you all have something in common.

The three of you stand in awe of the beautiful decorations. The Grand Bazaar radiates warmth with the lit-up stalls, the buzzing chatter and the joyful performances on stage.

“This is so amazing! I’m glad I came out here,” you say, eyes sparkling with wonder. Tighnari scans the wonderful scene too.

“I’m glad I came too,” Cyno concurrs, but his eyes are instead focused on your face, brighter than all the lights of Sumeru combined.

“Hey look, they have a tea stand! Let’s go get some!” You say, already dragging the other two along. You sip tea while observing all the various stalls and displays, the jubilent atmosphere filling your body and soul with warmth.

»»————-　♡　-————««

As the night goes on you find yourself standing beside Cyno, with Tighnari lost somewhere in the masses, claiming he wanted to go back to buy something.

“Do you think he’s coming back?” You ask, trying to break the silence. He merely shrugs. You notice his faraway gaze returns.

“What’s on your mind?” Your question surprises him a little, but he cracks a small smile, you would call it almost michevious.

“Y/N.” He turns to face you, and you look at him with anticipation.

“Why should you always invite mushrooms to a party?” He asks. Your mouth opens and you blink, taken aback. Taking a moment to recover from the sudden query, you begin to shake your head, dumbfounded.

“Because they’re fun guys,” he states plainly. You blink once more, before a wide smile splits your face and you burst out in laughter.

“That was the stupidest joke I’ve ever heard,” you says, features still scrunched up in amusement. His victorious smile fades a little, unsure if you are insulting or complimenting him. “But it did make me laugh so, I guess it worked.” You look at him with a smile still on your face.

“I’m glad,” he says, his grin returning, “you’re cute when you laugh.” He freezes. You freeze too. He didn’t mean to say that, he opens his mouth to stutter out an apology, but you interrupt him.

“You’re cuter,” you reply. He can’t tell which of you is more flustered in this moment. From within the crowd Tighnari emerges, but seeing your burning faces he ducks away without a sound, smiling to himself. Cyno inhales, trying to grab a hold of any confidence or courage in his bashfulness.

“Well, then in that case would you maybe like to hang out with me… sometime. A-as like a date, only if you want of cours-“

“I would love to.” You quiet his ramblings with your sound reply, and a hand placed on his. He maneuvers his hand so his fingers are slotted between yours, and he squeezes gently.

“I already say this but… I’m glad I came out here,” you whisper, and put your head on his shoulder. The warmth from his hand, the tickle of his long hair and the scent of oranges, earth and amber provide you with an overwhelming sense of comfort. Suddenly a tingly warmth and restful heaviness fall over you.

“Me too,” he says, and he gently rests his head over yours, staring up at the glow of the festival illuminating the navy sky. He smiles.

[romaritimeharbor]

how did i go from 11 to 68 in less than two weeks? sheer Force Of Will.

[daybreakrising]

@apocryphis: ❝ push yourself too hard and you become your own worst enemy. ❞ oooh and from al-haitham to baizhu!

With a smile, the doctor lowers the book in his hands, abandoning his perusal of the text to instead meet the rather stoic gaze of the man now hovering at his table. He marks his place with a piece of cloth tucked gently between pages and sets the book down, offering the scribe his full attention, as is polite.

A quick glance around the library tells him the hour is much later than he had anticipated. The House of Daena is virtually empty, with only a few scholars hunched over tomes at the scattered tables. He has, apparently, outlasted even the most overworked, sleep-deprived academics stressing over their latest research projects.

"Is that spoken from experience, perhaps?" He turns his pleasant smile upon the scribe, reptilian eyes studying his face, searching for all those little micro-expressions most people are unaware of making. A habit of his - reading people, their body language; discerning their emotions, their motives.

Now that it has been pointed out to him, however, he does feel the lingering effects of sitting in the same position for long periods of time. He ought to stand, stretch his legs, but he's not sure they'd hold him immediately, and he doesn't want to stumble in new, still somewhat strange, company.

So, he settles instead for a light stretching of the spine, a roll of the shoulders. "I assure you, good sir, I am very aware of the dangers of pushing oneself too hard."

"Hm." Upon his shoulder, Changsheng huffs. "He says this, yet still he ignores his own wisdom."

Baizhu utters a soft chuckle, gives a little shake of his head. "Ah, well, it is an established fact that doctors make the worst patients, no?" He is quick to change the subject - there is no need to linger upon the hard truth that he does avoid following the advice he will happily dole out to others. Another habit of his. Do as I say, and not as I do-

"Was there something you needed, Alhaitham?" It occurs to him then that perhaps he is only permitted within this library for a set time - he doubts the library itself ever closes, but he is a stranger here. The rules may be different for him. "I hope I am not outstaying my welcome in these halls."