High Stakes! A daring plan to escape
"You!" a voice she didn’t recognize pulled Lumine out of her morning drowsiness. Right next to the bed, a pale man was looking down at her. His body glowed with an unnatural light. His eyes burned with rage.
On instinct, Lumine jumped off the bed, throwing Paimon upwards. She landed on her feet, away from the stranger, and materialized her sword in her hand. Meanwhile, Paimon fell back on the bed, bouncing and spinning to a stop in the air.
"Uuuh...what’s happening?" Paimon rubbed her eyes, her still half-asleep mind taking a moment to notice the glowing figure in the room. But when she assimilated it, she left out a scream. "Uwaaah! A ghost!?"
The ghost pointed at the Traveler. "Leave now! If you value your lives...if you value each other! You shouldn’t be here!"
"Who are you?" asked Lumine.
The mysterious man kept talking, as if he hadn’t heard her. "Your happiness will not last in this island! Look at what he did to me! Look at what he did to us!"
"What are you talking about?" wondered Paimon.
"Leave! Now!" The body lit up brighter as he screamed louder. Paimon flinched her body backwards, covering her face with her hands instinctively. Lumine got ready to strike with her sword; however, the ghost simply vanished suddenly, leaving just the sound of his voice echoing.
They waited in silence for a moment, expecting something more, but that was all.
"...(Traveler), is Paimon dreaming?"
"Pinch my cheeks."
"You mean Paimon should pinch her own cheeks. If this is Paimon’s dream, pinching you won’t help Paimon wake up." She shook her head. "Anyway, that’s not important. Whoever that guy was, he looked like a ghost, and if it wasn’t a dream, then our room is haunted!"
"He didn’t attack us, maybe he’s a friendly ghost," said Lumine, half serious and half joking.
"Paimon wouldn’t call him friendly with the way he woke up Paimon. And the way he said "Leave this island", too. Hmph! As if we wanted to stay in here!" She crossed her arms. "Either way, Paimon’s not afraid of a ghost, and she’s leaving this island today with you and Charlotte."
She looked at Lumine. The Traveler’s hair was in need of a comb, and it made her bring a hand to her own hair. "It’s still early in the morning. Paimon thinks we should take a bath before meeting with Charlotte."
They went to the restroom together to start the day clean and fresh. The bathtub filled quickly, Lumine’s Pyro powers heated the water up to just the right temperature, and with the different products they soon had it bubbling with the scent of fruits and flowers.
Due to Paimon’s smaller body, she couldn’t get in the water without a floaty or hanging on to something, but luckily there was an adjustable stool inside that allowed her to sit without sinking her entire body, letting her comfortably share the bathtub with the Traveler. They took off their clothes and accessories, with Lumine untying her hair to let it flow freely, and Paimon taking off her pin but not her halo.
Resting her head against the tub, Paimon sighed. "This is so relaxing, Paimon could fall asleep again in here."
"If you stay too long in the water, you’ll get wrinkles. Charlotte would see you and write an article about it. "Breaking News. A magical bathwater that turns young girls into grannies!"."
"But you’d take Paimon out of the water before that happens, right? That’s what best buddies do."
Lumine put a hand over her chin, feigning to be in deep thought. "But then, Paimon, if I have to make sure you don’t fall asleep while bathing, how am I going to fall asleep while bathing?"
"Uuh...what are we talking about? How about we don’t fall asleep in the water?"
"You’re right, that’d be dumb," replied Lumine. However, she closed her eyes and laid back in silence.
"Hey! You can’t fall asleep like that! What did Paimon say?"
Lumine kept her eyes closed, but her smile grew as she muttered. "Warm bed...fluffy pillow."
"Oh yeah? You’re going to see now." Paimon put her hands together with fingers intertwined and sunk them partially inside the water. "Paimon Beam!" She closed her hands, squirting the water out and splashing Lumine.
The Traveler opened her eyes. "Not bad, but you still haven’t mastered the Hydro element." She pointed at her and shot bubbles out of her fingertip, splashing Paimon with no harm caused.
Smiling as well, Paimon got ready to shoot again. "Take this! Super! Paimon! Beaaam!" but the water didn’t come out as strong, falling back into the tub before reaching the Traveler. "That one doesn’t count! Super Paimon Beam!" she shot again, her hands squeezing harder and making the water come out as a pressurized cone that hit her companion.
They continued splashing each other for a while, laughing, enjoying their play fighting, and when they were done fighting and both were soaked in water, they actually washed themselves. Lumine helped apply gel on Paimon’s back and she helped apply it on hers. After rinsing themselves, drying their bodies, and putting on most of their clothes, they helped dry each other’s hair, and for Paimon, her halo as well.
"Your hair’s all clean and dry. Paimon’s done it pretty fast, hasn’t she?"
"Yes, you’re doing much better than the first time."
"Hee hee," Paimon grinned, lifting her chin. "Am I as good as your brother, already?" Lumine got lost in thought. Paimon looked in silence, her smile vanishing and changing to a saddened expression. "Sorry, Paimon didn’t want to make you sad thinking about him."
"Don’t worry," she replied with a comforting voice. She began combing Paimon’s hair. There were some knots, but they came undone without harm with a little pull. "I miss him. It’s been already so long since we separated, but I’m glad I can remember him. As long as I don’t forget our memories together, then I can still feel him by my side and I will keep searching for him. I know one day we’ll be together again."
Paimon nodded and her grin returned. It was brighter, shining with confidence. "Right. And Paimon will stay by your side the whole way, too!" Lumine finished combing her hair, and she looked herself in the mirror.
"Paimon looks good as new, and her hair feels so fresh and soft. Thank you, (Traveler)!" She turned around to face Lumine again. While the Traveler put her star-shaped pin back on her head, Paimon saw the bittersweet look in her eyes. "(Traveler)...Paimon likes to joke that she’s your big sister, but...even if Paimon’s a girl, do you think of your brother when you are with her?"
"No," she answered immediately. "Sometimes, traveling with you I remember her, but I don’t want to compare you. I care about you as you are, not as a replacement for my brother. I wouldn’t change you for anybody."
Paimon was briefly left speechless, and when she talked she couldn’t look her in the eyes. "Ehehehe...why do you say something so nice all of a sudden? You’re making Paimon blush." She put a hand on her chest. "You’re also very special to Paimon. No, you’re the most special. You are Paimon’s "truth", remember?"
Paimon took her turn combing the Traveler’s hair. It was easy and quick to do, but tying the flower back to her head was more complicated, and she only managed to do it with Lumine guiding her hand and doing most of the work.
They were finally clean, dressed and ready for another day. "Charlotte said to meet her in the tea room on the first floor. Maybe she’s already there, so let’s not make her wait," said Paimon.
Outside their room, they crossed nobody and heard no one. Lumine didn’t think too much of that by itself, but the quiet let her mind wander, and she thought about that ghost that visited them before.
"(What did he mean? Is the hotel haunted? Or maybe the whole island?)"
They took the elevator to the first floor. There were no rooms to sleep in there, the floor instead hosted other accommodations, such as the tea room Charlotte had told them about.
On the way, they also saw the laundry. Several machines to wash clothes were inside, but none that could dry them. Instead, clothes lines were set at the balcony outside the room to let the air and the sun deal with it. Charlotte’s clothes were not among the ones hanging.
The tea room was small, but with a cozy ambiance. Small, circular tables and cushioned chairs filled the room, most of them empty at the time. On one side a pair of meks with tuxedos painted on worked behind the bar to serve drink and foods, and on the other side a single one stood guard, ready to attack any troublemaker.
The windows were tall like the ones at Lisa’s library, and same as in that library there were large shelves with nothing but books in them. The room smelled of fresh wood and tea, and every step taken echoed.
"Look, Charlotte’s already there. She must’ve gotten up very early." Paimon looked at one of the tables, from which Charlotte waved at them to come sit with her. She was still wearing the dress she had rented yesterday.
Lumine and Paimon bought their breakfast first. A cup of tea and Conch Madeleines for each was not much, but it helped fill their stomach and gave them some energy to start the morning. It was also surprisingly cheap.
As Lumine sat down, the journalist greeted both of them. "Good morning, you two!"
"Good morning!" replied Paimon.
Charlotte smiled. "You’ve slept well, haven’t you? It’s been a long time since I had a hotel with a bed so soft."
"Right? Paimon could sink into the pillows!" Though, as she remembered the morning after, Paimon’s expression turned serious. "Actually, it wasn’t all good. There was a ghost in our room."
"A ghost?"
"Yes! He appeared this morning and woke us up. He was blue, and glowing, and said "get out of here!" before going "poof!" and disappearing."
"Hmm...that does sound like a ghost, but we can’t do much with that. We already knew something was odd about this island, a ghost only adds more mysteries without solving anything." However, despite what she said, she looked excited to hear about it. "But if any new mystery appears, big or small, I’m thrilled to investigate it. And, if we look from another angle, the questions this new mystery raises could reveal a trail that takes us to the truth about the island!"
"But how are we going to follow the hint? He appeared and left without a trace."
"We’ll have to find out a way. We still have a lot of the island to investigate." Charlotte began explaining something else, but got distracted looking at Paimon float in place. "Paimon, why don’t you sit down? There’s four chairs"
"She’s too high-class to sit," said Lumine.
"Was that a joke?" replied Paimon, flatly. Turning back to Charlotte, she answered in earnest. "Because Paimon is too small. If Paimon sits on a chair, then she can’t reach the table and eat."
"You can sit on my lap."
"Sitting on your lap...?" She looked at her, pensive. Lumine’s joking smile turned into a curious stare as Paimon failed to respond to her joke. Flustered by the stare, Paimon shouted out. "Paimon’s not a kid! And even if she sat on your lap, she still reaches the table better while flying."
"But this table isn’t that tall. It’s actually pretty short," argued Charlotte.
"Oh, you’re right. Paimon is so used to eating in the air, that she didn’t notice."
She sat on the chair next to Lumine. She looked even smaller like that, but given how soft the cushions were she didn’t mind it, and the Traveler held herself from teasing her seeing how pleased she looked.
"What were you going to tell us?" asked Lumine to Charlotte.
"I remembered why that man looked so familiar to me. He was on the newspapers years ago, before I met you. An adventurer named Moliere who traveled to Mondstadt and went missing. He used to write to his family, but after reaching Springvale he stopped sending letters, and after two months without news his friends went to search for him. Of course, they never found him."
"Are you sure it’s him?" asked Paimon. "He didn’t look like an adventurer. And if it’s the same guy, why did he change his name?"
"I’m sure. I wasn’t involved in any of the articles about it, but I read them and that man looks just like the photos I saw. He’s only a bit older, now. That compass he wears matches the description his mother gave, too."
"That only makes things more confusing...why did it look like he runs this place, then?"
"I wish I could ask him, but he doesn’t come out much from what I could gather. I don’t think he’d like it if he knew I’m a journalist, either."
Lumine finished her breakfast. "It’s like you said. Let’s focus on what we can do."
"Exactly!" Charlotte said getting up. "We’ve spent enough time sitting around. Let’s go see what we can find outside!"
At the same time, Paimon finished drinking her tea and got up as well with a stretch. "Alright, Paimon’s had a refill of energy and now she’s ready for another investigation!"
The three of them went down to the main hall. The door to the entrance was still open, and the receptionist mek spoke as they crossed it. "Goodbye. Goodbye, and have nice day. We hope you enjoyed Hotel Les Mémoires."
Outside the confines of the hotel and casino, there were several directions they could go and explore. With neither of them standing out over the others, Lumine chose one on a whim and they followed the path. Though the roads were different, they were interchangeable. The same Fontainian nature, with beaches and forests devoid of any animal life. This repeated itself with every path they took. There were no other buildings, not even a dock to receive people and take them back home.
Charlotte’s photos consisted mostly of trees, with the hotel hanging in the background of many of them like a beacon. The tall building was, unfortunately, the most interesting thing they got to see, and the journalist took the chance to photograph it from the sides and from behind to have a better record of it.
After one more photo of the island, Paimon asked "why don’t we take a photo of us? We haven’t taken any today."
"We don’t need to pretend while we’re outside," explained Lumine.
"But taking so many photos got Paimon in the mood. Just because we’re trapped, doesn’t mean we can’t have good memories. When we escape this island, we can look at the photos and remember them."
"Okay, but make sure you take my good side."
Paimon took out her own kamera. "Charlotte, you too."
"You have a kamera too?" Charlotte asked with clear interest.
"That’s right. It’s custom-made for and bought by Paimon. Paimon uses it sometimes to take photos when (Traveler) can’t."
"The design of the casing really suits you. And the lens is really good. This isn’t your average kamera, I didn’t think you knew this much about photography."
The fairy girl giggled, bashful. "It’s not that impressive. Paimon learned from taking photos and working on movies with (Traveler), but Paimon’s not as good as her or you."
"You make me want to see your photos more when you say that."
"Paimon doesn’t have that many to show."
"Not yet?" asked Lumine.
"Don’t look at Paimon that way. Paimon’s taken more of you and her during our adventures, just not that many to fill the album." She flew to a rock nearby and placed her kamera there. "Anyway, Paimon will put the timer, let’s pose together for a picture."
Charlotte and Lumine stood together in front of the rock while Paimon made the last adjustments. She started the timer, quickly placed herself between the two, and they waited for the sound of the kamera going off.
"Let’s see," Paimon picked the new photo up. At first, she looked satisfied with the result. "Alright! Paimon’s done a good jo...uwaaaaah!" After her long scream, she turned around to look at her friends, then back at the photo. It was just the three of them together in the forest, but that wasn’t what the picture showed. In it, a fourth person was standing right behind them. She looked at them with grief, and her body and dress glowed like the man in the hotel room. "That’s definitely another ghost! There is more than one, and they’re haunting the island!"
Charlotte gave the photo a thorough checking. "It looks like one of those hoaxes people would make about Rex Lapis." Noticing Paimon’s inquisitive look, she explained. "After Rex Lapis died, people would make stories about seeing the Lord of Geo in other parts of Teyvat. Some of them even sent edited photos to the Steambird, and they looked like this. But this one isn’t a hoax, of course."
"Paimon wishes it was faked. Even if they haven’t done anything, just thinking there are ghosts following us gives Paimon the creeps."
"We should take another photo to lure her out and talk with her," suggested Lumine.
"Now’s not the time to make those kinds of jokes."
Charlotte agreed, however. "That’s a good idea. What better source to solve the mystery of the ghosts than the ghosts themselves?"
"W-what? You too?"
"Exactly. To find the truth, sometimes you need to take risks."
Paimon brought a hand to her head. "Well, if n-nobody is afraid, then Paimon will set the kamera’s timer again."
The two stood together just as they had on the first shot. They posed the exact same, in the very same spot, and then Paimon rushed in time to place herself in front before the kamera went of, just like before. The resulting photograph was very similar to, but far from an exact duplicate of, the first one. Paimon had gotten too impatient and had been caught while turning her head to see the ghostly woman, whom was missing from the photo this time. Instead, with her face and body blurred by the sudden movement, it was Paimon who looked like a phantom.
"Oh no! A scary lady has appeared!" exclaimed the Traveler in a joking manner.
"What do you mean "scary"!? Paimon’s not a scary lady, she’s a cute and pretty lady!" The floating lady sighed. "Looks like she won’t talk to us, but Paimon still feels like we’re being watched. How about we go to...uh...where do we go next?"
It had been some hours since they left the hotel. The paths they wandered were much too alike, the forests were too dense, and their stops to take photos had kept their attention occupied. Based on their memories and comparing the hotel building in the different photos, they had gone all over the island, but they couldn’t be sure they hadn’t left some part yet to be explored.
"Maybe we should go back for now," said Paimon.
Although Charlotte looked conflicted about it, she agreed. "I’d love to keep looking for clues, but it’s best to return and look over what we found so far."
"Cheer up, there’s still a lot to investigate inside. What if we find a secret door in one of the floors, or that Moliere guy comes out again?"
Paimon picked her kamera up and the three of them walked back to the hotel. While it would’ve been convenient for something like what she had suggested to happen, their next surprise was something far different. Right as they returned to the main hall, they saw, and heard as well, a man they knew already. He was in front of the counter, arguing with the receptionist.
"Who do you think you’re talking to, huh!?"
"Your behavior is a violation of rule 2. You are too loud, too immature, and too unrefined for this establishment," explained the mek. "Additionally. Rule 7.1.4: It is forbidden to enter the casino wearing fake horns. This rule applies to the hotel as well."
"Fake!?" he spread his arms to the sides, hands open, and puffed his chest, daring the machine to come at him. "You looking for a fight? These horns are the real deal! The pride of any oni! I’m Arataki "The Pride of Oni" Itto!"
"It can’t be," said Paimon. "What is he doing here, too?"
"Arataki "The one and oni" Itto?" asked Lumine, walking up to the oni’s side.
"Huh?" Itto turned to the Traveler, his mood improving instantly. "If it isn’t my compadre, (Traveler)! What are you doing here?"
"We should be the ones asking you that," replied Paimon.
"It’s a long story," his voice turned more serious. "I was doing some work at the sea, you know, to make money for the gang, but lightning hit the boat and I fell off the ship. Next thing you know, I was here."
"That’s not that long," said Lumine.
"Yeah, Paimon expected more."
"So the lil’ lavender melon’s seen too much to be impressed anymore." He then noticed the girl next to the Traveler. "Hey, who’s that with the pink hair?"
"Hi there. I’m Charlotte, a...friend of (Traveler) and Paimon from Fontaine."
"A friend of my buds is a friend of mine, too! The name’s Arataki "Oni Extraordinaire" Itto."
"Just Itto is fine," added Paimon.
"What’s with that attitude? Ya sound like you’re trying to be Shinobu."
"I’ve heard that name before," said Charlotte, "you were one of the stars of the Arataki Rocking Tour, weren’t you?"
"Ahahaha! That’s right!" He brought out his comb and arranged his hair. His teeth twinkled as he smiled. "You’ve got yourself a real rockstar in front of you. But the full name is Iridescent Arataki Rockin’ for Life Tour de Force of Awesomeness, don’t you forget it."
"But there’s a bigger star in here," said Lumine.
"Of course, I read all about it on the news," Charlotte looked at Paimon. "You sang on stage too, the newspapers talked about the surprise duet that captivated the hearts of the people in Inazuma."
"Yeah, Mini Melon didn’t do half-bad in that concert."
The Traveler shook her head. "Who? I was talking about me."
"Don’t play dumb, he’s talking about Paimon," replied her flying companion, who then turned to Itto. "And don’t call Paimon that, Bull-Chucker!"
However, Bull-Chucker was already focusing on something else.
"You know, you look familiar to me, too. You’ve been to inazuma before, haven’t ya?"
"Yes, I like to go there on vacation. You must’ve seen me then."
"I knew it. Ha! Nothing escapes my memory."
"(I thought he was going to reveal her identity,)" thought Lumine. "(But would they even believe him if he said it?)" She looked at the receptionist mek. It was motionless and made a low humming sound, as if on standby, but soon noticed the Traveler’s eyes on it and began speaking.
"Welcome. Welcome to Hotel Les Mémoires," and so on. "Please ensure your kid behaves while inside the casino, and we will allow. Him. To stay under your supervision."
"Kid?" Itto’s eyes narrowed. "You talking about me? Oh, this guy’s looking for a fight, alright!"
Lumine looked at Itto and smiled with her eyes closed. "Let’s go eat something."
A cold sweat run down the oni’s neck. Quivering, but just a little bit, he nodded. "That’s a good idea, compadre. This tin can is beneath me."
Even Paimon was scared by the Traveler’s intimidating aura.
The whole group went to the Mondstadt-style bar. Itto attempted to mooch off the others, promising to pay his debt later, but in the end he paid with what mora he had on him.
While he ate a late breakfast, the others told him the story so far.
"I see...so you you’re saying we’re trapped in this island with no way out? Well, you’re lucky to have me here, because I already have an escape plan in mind."
"You do?" asked Paimon.
"Ha! Of course I do. If you lost your boat," he said, looking at Paimon and Lumine, "and you fell of your boat," he said, looking at Charlotte, "we’ll just make our own. I’ll cut the logs and you build it. How does that sound?"
"How do we tie the logs?" asked Lumine.
"Why are you asking that? With ropes."
"And were do we get the ropes?"
Itto went silent, his expression frozen in his confident smile until, soon after, it dropped instantly. "Uh...that’s...y’know...dang it." Frustrated, he got off his stool. "Doesn’t matter, I’m already coming up with an even better plan. All I need is a round of TCG."
Paimon rolled her eyes. "That sounds like you’re making excuses."
"Excuses? As if! I never back down from a challenge, but I saw people play cards at that table while going to the bar, and Arataki "Master of TCG" Itto won’t miss the chance to try the Arataki New and Improved Deck." He pulled out his Casket of Tomes. "You must be tired from being outside, so why don’tcha watch me win while you take a rest." He walked out of the bar at a hastened pace, almost running.
Lumine, Paimon and Charlotte looked at each other. They had no reason to stay in there anymore, so for lack of a better idea they followed him for the moment. However, Arataki Itto had already finished playing Genius Invokation before he could start, since, as he found the hard way, none of the card games being played in the casino was it. As the others reached him, he let his thoughts out loud.
"What is this? You’re telling me nobody is playing TCG here? You’ve got to be kidding me."
"You really thought people went to this kind of place to play Genius Invokation?" Paimon sighed.
"Did you say..."Genius Invokation"?" the voice of an unknown man butted in on the conversation.
"Uh? Who said that?" Paimon turned around. "Hey! You’re that man who got married yesterday!"
It was, indeed, him. His hair was a bit looser, and he was wearing more humble Fontainian clothes compared to the other gentlemen at the casino or his outfit from yesterday, but there wasn’t any real difference.
"Theo...something. What was your name?"
The man’s wife, by his side, held her laughter while he answered. "My name is Théophraste. Don’t worry, people outside Fontaine often have trouble remembering it right. But anyways, I’ve heard you talk about Genius Invokation. Is your friend with the long hair interested in a match?"
There was a glint in Itto’s eyes. "Exactamundo. So, you want to have a go?"
The man took a step back. "What? No, I was simply curious." But his wife put a hand on his back, stopping him from backing away further.
"Oh, Théophraste is a bit shy, but he loves Genius Invokation. It’s his favorite game. He’s always excited to find new people to play with."
"Shy? Not at all, don’t say that, honey. Ha ha ha..."
The wife’s smile grew wider. "My name is Germaine, and what is yours?" Her outfit, like her husband’s, was less extravagant than the other people, while still fitting the aesthetic of the place.
"Her name’s Paimon," said Lumine.
"And she’s (Traveler)," continued Paimon. "These are Itto and Charlotte."
"Nice to meet you," said the latter.
Germaine nodded. "The pleasure is mine."
Meanwhile, Itto took the cards out of his Casket. "You ready for a match, then?"
"Eh, y-yes," Théophraste held his own deck with shaking hands. Itto’s unabashed attitude was too much to handle all of a sudden for him. "Let’s do it."
A Suppression Mek stepped next to them, putting a hand forward. "Unauthorized games must be played inside a hotel room or outside the resort."
"Oh, right," answered Théophraste. Itto crossed his arms and grimaced, though the kept himself from talking back.
Everyone went outside and set up a mat somewhere far from the buildings, where they would all sit down except for Paimon.
"Now, for real," Itto picked the duel back up the moment he sat. "Get ready to be crushed by Arataki Itto’s Almighty Brand New and Improved Deck."
"He already changed its name?" asked Charlotte.
Paimon gave her a shrug and shook her head, "he just likes making up new dumb names." Lumine looked at her with amusement, which she noticed. She answered with an annoyed, but also sheepish, look. "It’s not the same, Paimon doesn’t use as many as that Bull-Chucker."
"I can’t say I’m surprised, by now," replied Charlotte. "You’ve made all type of friends."
They turned their attention to the game, and the duel officially began.
Itto started very well, dominating the first round with a bit of luck. However, his bragging stopped as the tides turned on the second round, and he was defeated on the third before he could attack.
"Wait, I lost? I can’t believe this! You must be cheating!"
"That’s my hubby! Hooray!" Germaine clapped in celebration. Her husband, however, was left staring dumbfounded.
"That was so easy...why was a champion using those cards?"
"You mocking my cards? Grr...let’s see how you laugh on a rematch!"
"He’s actually right," said Charlotte. "Your deck lacks synergy and the support cards don’t play to the strength of your characters."
"Uh?" he looked at her, surprised, "you’re an expert too?"
"Oh no, I play it sometimes for fun."
The oni looked dissatisfied, but quickly regained his usual mood as he looked the other way. Crossing his arms, he smirked.
"I was just going easy on you, Théo. I was holding myself back on the first match to test your skills, but you’re still years behind me. You’ll have to defeat my right hand woman first!" He pointed to Lumine.
Lumine thought to simply agree and enjoy a game of cards, but instead said something else. "He’s not strong enough to challenge me, first he must first defeat my disciple, Paimon"
And Paimon said "he’s not ready to fight Paimon, first he must defeat Kichibou...wait, what are you saying? Don’t rope Paimon into it, you’re making her say dumb things."
"Careful, that blonde girl looks like a strong player," warned Germaine to her husband.
"Yes, I can feel it, dear. It’s as if you could sense her skill by just looking into her eyes." Théophraste picked his cards back up and began shuffling them, ready for a new game.
"It’s on!" Itto shuffled his deck and handed it to Lumine. "She’ll show you the real Arataki TCG Technique."
"You know I already have my own deck."
"Come on, compadre, I spent a long time building it. Don’t waste my hard work like that."
"Fine, let me see."
Compared to the first time she played using Itto’s cards, it was slightly better. There were less useless duplicates, and it looked like he had taken some hints from Kuki, but the improvements weren’t enough to save it. It was a subpar combination of cards that was more new than improved. With the right strategy, however, she should have a chance to win.
They tossed the coin and the match began. Her opponent got the first move, but it didn’t make much of a difference in the long run. The battle was prolonged, the tides shifting constantly as both contestants seemed to gain an edge over the other.
The high intensity excited the small audience. With every turn, every burst and every character defeated or revived, Itto, Charlotte and Paimon cheered for Lumine, and Germaine cheered for her husband.
Unknown to them, something bad was coming not too far away.
_____
"I can’t stand water..." groaned an Abyss Mage lying face-down on the wet sand. Balling its hands into fists, it hit the ground and struggled to get on its feet. Still weakened, it looked at all the beached hilichurls next to it. "I should never have gotten in that boat with you. You can stay here until you turn into vegetables, I’m not going to help you get out of...wait a minute."
Behind the trees in the distance, the Abyss Mage saw the hotel.
"That old building looks empty. It doesn’t belong here. I can sense it, it must hide secrets worth discovering." A circle with arcane symbols formed under its feet and it took flight as a bubble of Pyro energy surrounded its body. "If we find something worth His Highness’ interest, maybe I’ll help you after all. Now move."
-----
The battle between the Traveler and the married man reached the point of dragging. Charlotte, though still rooting for Lumine, stopped cheering loudly to instead give support more quietly. Meanwhile, Arataki Itto watched impatiently yet mostly silent after a bad coughing fit from shouting too hard.
The only two supporters left cheer-leading were Germaine and Paimon, each right next to her husband and best friend, respectively. Their loud, energetic encouragement, seemed to come as a response of one another, as if they were having their own competition to see who was the biggest supporter.
The fight finally ended, after many rounds, with Lumine’s last remaining card defeating Théophraste’s. Paimon shouted in celebration and gave the Traveler a high-five, while the defeated husband fell on his hands and knees, getting just a consolation tap on the shoulder from his wife.
"Hahaha!" Itto laughed from the bottom of his belly. "That’s what I’m talking about! That’s the power of Arataki "Champion of the Seven Regions" Itto’s right hand! Ahahahaha!" He broke into laughter again, but it quickly turned into another coughing fit.
While the oni was busy coughing, Théophraste sat back up and began picking up his cards again. "You played really well, (Traveler). I really enjoyed our game."
"You played well, too," replied Lumine.
"It was nice to meet you, you’re not like all the other people here. This place is beautiful, but everyone is too formal or too rude."
"You don’t look or act like you’re from here," Germaine said, "it’s refreshing. "What brought you to this island?"
Paimon explained in Lumine’s stead. "We didn’t choose to come here, we lost our ships and ended here by accident."
"Then you can’t return home? Oh, goodness!" she put her hands on her chest, one over the other. "How long has it been? No, forget it, that doesn’t matter. We were planning to leave soon; you can board our boat, even if it’s small there is space for all of us."
"You still have a boat?"
"Of course, we docked it in this island. We wanted to get married in Mondstadt at first, but we got lost in the fog and ended here by accident. It looked so nice, and the prices were great, who could say no to spending some days in here?"
Théophraste chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "Maybe we got too caught up in the moment. When I saw the chapel at the top floor, I couldn’t wait any longer to get married."
Germaine put a hand around his shoulder and pulled him closer. "Always so shy. You know you had more patience than I did. I wanted to do it as soon as you told me about the chapel."
They laughed at each other’s comment, temporarily getting distracted before Charlotte pulled them back.
"Where did you dock your boat, precisely?"
"We didn’t do it ourselves. One of the clockwork meka took it to the docks while my Théophraste and I moved our luggage."
"But did you see were they took it?"
They stopped a moment to think about it. "...no. There is a dockyard somewhere else in the island, isn’t there?"
Théophraste nodded. "Yes. Well, I haven’t seen it, but there has to be one, right?"
"We have explored the entire island and we haven’t seen any boat. The hotel and the casino are the only places."
Suddenly, the conversation died. In silence, the married couple got up and, just as suddenly, they began to scream.
"AAAAAHHH! They stole our boat!" Théophraste put his hands on the sides of his head, shaking it left and right in a panic.
Germaine was clutching at his arm, rocking him back and forth violently. "They tricked us! They trapped us here and now there’s no way out!"
"H-hey! Calm down!" Paimon tried to soothe them. It didn’t work, and they continued screaming in a panic.
Further attempts to calm them by her or Charlotte failed as well. Lumine created a great ball of water and threw it at them to soak them, but even when they got hit they continued screaming.
"Paimon can’t believe this, it’s like they’re lost in their own world!"
"Try freezing them," asked Lumine to Charlotte.
The journalist looked at her with doubt, but went through with it. With a snap of the kamera shutter, a little explosion of Cryo energy left the husband and wife covered in a layer of ice which took only some seconds to thaw.
Théophraste shivered. "Apologies, I lost my cool there. I shouldn’t have reacted like...Achoo!"
Shivering as well, Germaine huddled with him. "I should apologize too, for not doing anything to help. We’re the kind of couple that keep going despite the trouble, but hearing we could be trapped here forever was a bit too much."
"You helped enough," said Charlotte. "We now know there might be a boat hidden somewhere."
Paimon nodded. "That’s right. If we find it we could use it to escape, but that fog that surrounds the island worries Paimon."
The fog still circled around the island from afar. It hadn’t changed since yesterday.
"Huh? You scared of it?" asked Itto. "It’s just fog, if you don’t go through it you won’t escape."
"Did you forget?" she said, annoyed. "We all ended here after crossing fog. Who knows where it will take us?"
"Paimon’s right," agreed Charlotte. "There is something magical about the fog. But it’s not like we can go leave unless we find that boat, even without fog."
Itto wasn’t convinced, though he didn’t have the chance for a rebuttal. An Annihilation Mek’s head fell from the sky and landed next to his feet, interrupting the conversation. As everyone stopped talking, they could hear explosions and gunshots in the distance.
"It sounds like a fight," said Paimon, "and it comes from the hotel!"
"I’m going there!" Charlotte began running, but was stopped by Germaine screaming.
"Wait, that’s too dangerous, we should stay far until it stops!"
"Don’t worry, it’s not the first time I’m in danger. The closer to the action, the better."
"Man, I never woulda thought she liked fighting so much," Itto looked at her run away towards the trouble.
"Eh...yeah," replied Paimon, "fighting."
"I’m not staying here, either." He cracked his knuckles, and turned to the husband and wife duo. "Get behind me. I’m gonna trash whoever’s making all that noise!"
Though they looked afraid, they followed behind Lumine and him without complaint. Everyone hurried back to the hotel, the noises of a battle becoming louder and clearer as they reached the buildings and then run around them to get to the entrance.
The area in front of the hotel had turned into a battlefield. A horde of hilichurls that came from the side opposite of them were assaulting it, charging against the clockwork meka that had set up a defensive line in front. Arrows, missiles and bullets flew across the field while mitachurls and hilichurls clashed against the meks at the front.
A Stonehide lawachurl took the lead of the attack, while an abyss mage stood behind, surrounded by crossbows shooters, casting fire and commanding the horde.
Arataki Itto jumped into the battle. "Make way!" His war cry echoed as he threw a fist with such strength to make the lawachurl’s rock armor crack. The force made the giant hilichurl reel back, and Itto pulled out his claymore to keep attacking it.
Lumine gathered Geo energy in her foot and stomped the ground with it. Rock spikes burst from the earth and trapped the closest hilichurls between them, then she infused her sword with the Hydro element and cut through the ones still free. The enemies she didn’t strike down were kept occupied by the combined attacks of the meks and the sudden strikes of Cryo slowing them down. At a short distance from the action, Charlotte was covering the Traveler and Paimon’s push while taking photos of the battle.
Lumine reached the abyss mage, but it teleported out of the way of her sword as she swung, slaying all the hilichurl shooters that had been surrounding the mage, yet missing their leader.
The abyss mage raised its staff, however it stopped itself upon seeing more meks come out of the hotel. It screamed what sounded like orders to the hilichurls and fled to the nearest forest, followed by the majority of the horde.
Those who stayed behind lasted only enough for the mage to disappear into the trees. As Itto finished the lawachurl he had been fighting, the meks lowered their weapons and returned to their positions inside the hotel.
"What was all of this about?" wondered Paimon. "Now the abyss is here, too?" she looked to the forest and the hotel, and she saw the battalion making a line to walk back in. "Wow, that’s a lotta meks. Just how many are in there?"
Lumine’s eyes were fixing on something else. Among the machines, there were a few outsiders that had run into the fight. Their dark coats and masks identified them as Fatui. "(I should find out more about them, but we have to follow the abyss mage first.)" She turned to the couple. "You should return to the hotel."
"You’re not coming?" asked Théophraste.
"I’m chasing them down."
He looked at Lumine as if he had heard something crazy. "That’s..." but he refrained from objecting. "No. Thank you for helping my wife and I."
Germaine nodded her head. "Good luck."
Itto rested his sword on his shoulder and pointed at himself with his thumb. "She won’t need luck, she’s got me by her side."
"I’m going with her too," said Charlotte.
Paimon flew in front of Lumine. "And even if Paimon can’t fight, she’ll go too!"
The married couple smiled at them and returned to the hotel while Lumine and her team went to the forest that the hilichurls had gone into to escape. The hasty getaway had left easy to follow tracks, and the elemental trace of the abyss mage was easily detected by Lumine’s Elemental Sight. Following those hints, they reached a beach they had missed earlier that day.
Pieces of a wooden boat were scattered on the sand and floating in the water, broken beyond repair, but nobody was there. The elemental trace took them further, turning around some rocks to find a smaller beach leading into a cave.
The abyss mage and the hilichurls were outside, moving toward the cave. They had slowed down compared to last time Lumine saw them, possibly thinking they wouldn’t be found anymore.
While they all hid behind the rocks, Charlotte whispered. "When you’re ready."
Lumine counted down and they all ran to battle. The hilichurls were taken by surprise, many of them unable to react in time to put any fight, and they were all quickly overwhelmed.
The only one who lasted was the mage itself, and even it couldn’t do much once all the others were taken out. Its attacks missed their mark and its attempts to teleport and flee yet again were intercepted by Lumine’s Hydro powers. A powerful water jet vaporized the Pyro shield, and the mage fell on its back.
It lifted its head as it could while supporting itself on its elbow and look at the Traveler in the eyes. "Curse you! Of all people, it had to be you! Do you think you’re a hero for protecting the secrets of this island?"
"What secret?" asked Paimon.
The abyss mage looked at the flying companion, then to the oni and the journalist, and finally back to the Traveler. They looked like none of them had any idea about it. In a squeaky little voice, it said "I don’t know. I just assumed there’d be something worth discovering here and you’d know of it." It put a hand in front of its face. "It was all a big misunderstanding, so let me go and we’ll do like none of this happened...okay?"
Lumine glared at it. Without a word, she created a small tornado that lifted it into the air and sent it far to drop into the bottom of the sea.
"I thought he’d reveal something big." Charlotte sighed. "At least we’ve found a place we hadn’t explored yet. I’ll go see what’s inside that cave."
While she was talking, however, another visitor walked in front of the group. Waving and jumping to get their attention.
"A walking rabbit doll?"
Paimon recognized that doll. "It’s Baron Bunny!"
It wasn’t just any Baron Bunny. He dressed better than any other, wearing a white fur cape over his bodysuit and a crown around one ear, while also lacking the goggles that the others wore on their heads. On his belly, he had a golden crest made of five overlapping rings
"(Traveler) and Paimon! I finally found you." A young woman came gliding from the rocks above, landing next to the Baron Bunny and turning on her heel to face them.
"Amber! You’re here too?"
"You know this girl?" asked Itto.
"She’s a good friend of ours. She was the first person we met on our journey."
The outrider performed the salute of the Knights of Favonius "I am Amber, Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, reporting for duty!"
"Nice knowing ya, the name’s Arataki Itto. Me and (Traveler) are bros since way back."
"Hi, I’m Charlotte."
Amber looked like she recognized her, but she only remembered when she noticed the kamera hanging from her belt. "Oh, hi, Charlotte. I didn’t expect to see you here, too."
"Wait, you know each other?" asked Paimon.
"Yep, I met her during the King of Invocations Grand Prix. She only asked me some questions for an article on a card snatcher. However, she was having fun visiting Mondstadt."
"How couldn’t I? The city lives up to its reputation. But I’m surprised you remember all that. It was long ago."
"That’s our Amber." said Lumine.
"So you’re a journalist?" asked Itto.
"Yes, I am, but don’t say it out loud. It’s best not to let the guards know about it."
"That’s right," Paimon gestured while she spoke, using her hand with her pointing finger out, "we have to keep it a secret. But we’re getting distracted. Amber, how did you get here?" She held her chin with her thumb and finger. "Let Paimon guess...you fell off Starsnatch Cliff and were taken by the fog."
"It’s not that exciting, actually. I woke up here," she began to explain. "Yesterday I got a very strange letter. It had a very pretty drawing of a building I had never seen in it, but there were no words. Well, other than the signature, but it was too smudged to read it. Then, when I woke up today, I was inside a hotel room I had never seen before."
The fancy Baron Bunny crossed his arms and began to nod with every thing Amber said, confirming her story.
"That’s when I met Baron Bunny the Illustrious. He knocked on my door and gave me this letter when I let him in." She took it out of her pocket and gave it to Lumine.
"What is this writing? Paimon can’t understand anything?"
The letter’s handwriting was rough, nearly illegible, but looking it over a second time they managed to decipher it. "Hello, I am Baron Bunny the Illustrious. I’m here to help you find your friends. Look for them, they are somewhere in this island with no escape, and they look like this." Under the message there was a simplified drawing of two heads. They were just small circles with beady eyes, one had a flower up on one side and the other had a circle floating over it.
"It was hard to believe, but when I saw the hotel from outside, it was just like the drawing I saw yesterday. So I knew it was real, and I’ve been searching for you since."
"You knew it was us with this drawing?"
"Of course, it looks just like you. When I heard the fight and saw the trail left by the hilichurls, I knew it had to be you, so I followed your tracks."
"It’s like we have a guardian angel, (Traveler). Who could have done this?"
At Paimon’s question, Lumine shrugged. She returned the letter to Amber and said "I’m sorry you were dragged here."
"Yeah, I wish you weren’t trapped here, either, but at least we’re together and safe, so that’s a silver lining. Besides, I wouldn’t let a friend without help. "
"Thank you, Amber."
Baron Bunny jumped and waved for attention. "Thank you, too, Baron Bunny," Paimon added
"And how did you end in here?" asked Amber.
They gave a brief explanation of their story so far, including the mysteries of the island.
"So now you’re all looking for a boat?" Amber summed up their current situation.
"That’s right," Charlotte confirmed it. "If we’re lucky, it might be inside that cave." At the same time, Baron Bunny the Illustrious tugged at Amber’s sleeve and pointed at that same cave, urging the team to go.
The cave’s entrance was wide but had little ground to walk on, letting the water of the sea flow inside of it. As they entered, Baron Bunny the Illustrious stepped to the front of the group, and his eyes turned on to illuminate the dark path ahead.
Everyone looked at it, surprised. "Man, you’ve got a cool partner," said Itto. "I can sense he’s a hard-boiled master of exploration."
"Hard-boiled? Where are you getting that from?" asked Amber
"Look at how prepared he is, and the way he walks." The doll did a little hop with every step he took, and covered a long stride for his size. "But most important, my gut tells me he’s a man among men, and my gut has never failed me."
Although Baron Bunny’s face kept the same determined smile as any other of his kin, he raised his head and rubbed the back of it with one of his stumpy arms, looking bashful.
"It looks like he liked your comment. Maybe I judged you wrong, I thought you’d be a troublemaker, since you dress like a delinquent."
"That’s because I am a delinquent. The real deal. Strongest member and leader of the greatest gang of delinquents in Inazuma!"
"She didn’t mean it as a compliment, Bull-Chucker," said Paimon, though he didn’t pay attention to her words.
"That’s not what the Tenryou Commission’s official statement says," objected Charlotte.
"Pff! That’s a lie. The Shogun sent her strongest warrior just to deal with me during the Vision Hunt Decree. You should write an article about it and call it "Arataki Itto and his true duel against the Shogun". Or write one about me and my boys, call it "The Unstoppable Arataki Gang rocking the world"."
"...Uhhh, I’ll think about it."
Going further into the cave, reaching the end of it quickly, they found what made it all worth it. Partially in the water, though mostly out of it, was a small boat of fontainian design. It was almost in one piece, but its prow had a hole in it with its edges already rusting.
"Could this be the boat we were looking for?" wondered Paimon.
"Those are just details," Itto dismissed her question. "A boat’s a boat. I can push it to the water with my hands and we’ll be sailing back home in a minute."
Lumine looked to the damaged hull. "We need to fix it first."
"I leave that to you, bro."
Paimon sighed. "Looks like nothing’s changed, then."
"That’s not really true," replied Amber. "We’re one step closer to getting out, now."
"Amber’s right," said Charlotte, "fixing it will be easier than making one from scratch." She grabbed Monsieur Verite and adjusted the lens. "For now let’s do a full investigation of the boat, and then…"
"Aaaaaaaaahh!" Arataki Itto’s undignified scream interrupted the conversation. They all turned their attention to him, and saw what he had seen. A pale woman was standing in front of her, and her body had that glow that the other ghosts had.
"Uwaaah! Another ghost!" Paimon hid behind Lumine.
It wasn’t the same woman from the photo. Her hair was longer, combed straight, but with two curled strands at the sides of her face and two strands behind them tied at the back of the head in a ponytail. Her clothes were simple, just a torn shirt and a pair of trousers.
"Why?" Her voice was weak, almost a whisper, but the dejection in it was still clear. "Why did you leave me? Why do you ignore me?"
"H-hey, are you alright?" asked Amber. She took a few steps closer, slowly. However, the ghost didn’t react, as if she didn’t acknowledge the group.
"Please...come back. I miss you." Her body glowed brighter, then she vanished. A long silence took over the group, but finally, Paimon broke it.
"Phew...Paimon thought something worse was going to happen. But it’s the third ghost we find today. Paimon’s getting worried."
"Ha, afraid of ghosts?" Arataki Itto smiled, mocking her.
"Hmph! You were the first to scream, and your legs are still shaking."
His legs were, indeed, trembling. As he felt everyone’s eyes on him, he retorted. "Uuuh...That’s because my body’s tired from running and fighting, not like you. I gotta go eat something to stay strong."
"You can hold a little longer," said Charlotte. "Let’s check the boat first."
They split to investigate it faster. Lumine, Paimon and Amber boarded the boat, while the others looked outside of it. There was nothing strange or of interest on it. It seemed to be in good shape overall, and should they fix the hole they could turn it on and sail away, as they had thought.
While investigating, Amber seemed distracted by something on her mind.
Paimon noticed it. "What’s wrong, Amber?"
"Oh? It’s nothing, I was thinking about that woman. So it really was a ghost, wasn’t it?"
"Oh, right. You’re not used to these sort of things, are you? (Traveler) and Paimon have been in so many places, Itto’s a youkai from Inazuma, and Charlotte probably saw many weird things doing her job."
"Amber has seen plenty of weird things, too," said Lumine.
"Ahaha, yes. I don’t see ghosts that often, but I’ve seen some other things you don’t see every day. I was thinking, why is there a ghost here? Maybe she’s stuck."
"Stuck? Like us?" asked Paimon.
"Kind of, but I was thinking she could be trapped in this cave." Amber crossed her arms. "Hmm...and why did she say what she said?"
"Paimon would like to know, too. Paimon hopes we can find an answer in the end."
Finishing their side of the investigation, they got off the boat and reunited with the others.
"Did you find anything?" asked Amber. Baron Bunny the Illustrious put his arms in front in the shape of an X. "Neither did we."
"I thought so," said Charlotte. She took a photo of the boat and put her kamera back in place. "We can go back to the hotel."
Everyone agreed, and they walked back on their steps to return there. When the buildings were already close by, Baron Bunny the Illustrious jumped into Amber’s arms and let himself be carried like a regular plush toy would.
Paimon, who saw this, said "(Traveler), Paimon’s getting tired. Would you carry Paimon too?"
Although Lumine thought to make another comment on her flying, she instead nodded. "I’d love to, Paimon." Her voice was overly sweet, turned to an almost cutesy, pitch. "Anything for the best traveling companion."
"W-what’s with that answer? When you say it like that, Paimon feels like you’re going to pull a prank on her. Paimon was just joking"
Soon after, they reached the hotel. The receptionist gave them the same greeting as always, and they went into the elevator up to the first floor. It was tight for the whole group, but they all fit inside.
Like the laundry, the tea room was available even for those who didn’t have a room, and fortunately for them, despite being more full than in the morning, there were enough chairs available for all of them.
Charlotte sat at the table with Amber and Baron Bunny, and took note of what they had seen so far. Meanwhile, Itto went straight for the food.
He groaned. "It looks good. Why do I have to be running out of mora, I’m going to go hungry, here."
Lumine and Paimon were at the shelves. There were all kind of books, even including light novels from Inazuma, but Paimon was looking particularly for a detective novel she hadn’t read.
"It’s not the moment to be reading novels," Lumine pointed out.
"It doesn’t have to be for now. Maybe we can borrow it, so Paimon can read it later. Paimon will return it before we escape, of course." Finally, she found something. "This one looks good. "The Hilihound of the Baskervilles"...wait, what’s this?"
Although on the outside it looked like a normal novel, on the inside something was wrong.
"The words..." said Lumine.
Like the sign at the entrance, everything was written in an incomprehensible alien language. It appeared similar to the common script, but the more they looked at it, the more clear the differences became.
"Ugh, trying to read this is giving Paimon a headache." She flipped through the pages quickly. "The whole book’s like this, too."
The other books, no matter the genre or shelf, were all the same. On the outside they looked normal, but the words inside were impossible to read.
They returned fast to the rest of the group with some novels and put them at the table.
"You look serious. Did you find something?" asked Charlotte.
Paimon opened one of the novels. "Yes, look at this. There’s something wrong with all the books in the library.”
She took it and gave it a look, as did the others, Baron Bunny exempt. "Yes, just like the sign at the entrance. It’s not as bad as the ghosts or the empty forests, but it’s more evidence that something isn’t right with this island."
"You think that’s bad?" Itto interjected. "If we stay here longer, we’ll run out of cash. What’s going to happen then, huh? I’m not starvin’ in this island."
"Where does the food come from, anyway?" wondered Amber.
Itto got distracted for a moment thinking about it, then he clenched his fists as he continued speaking. "We have to leave this island, or things are going to get worse. I can feel it. Flying Lavender Melon, instead of fixing the boat, just fly out and see if we can cross the fog!"
"No way! Paimon would get tired and lost, and Paimon doesn’t want to leave (Traveler) behind.
"You’re not leaving us, just go find help and come back with a ship."
"Why don’t you go swimming, instead?"
"Then, Charlotte, freeze the water so we can walk on it."
Lumine agreed. "It’s not a bad idea."
"You think so?" "I knew that was a good one when I thought of it"
"But," she continued, "Charlotte would get tired before she reaches land. The ice would melt and we would fall into the sea."
"Besides, it wouldn’t solve the problem with the fog," added Charlotte.
"Then what about the host? The guy running this place must know something, right? And if he doesn’t talk, I can make him." He cracked his knuckles as he said that.
"I was thinking about something like that," admitted Charlotte, "without the part where we beat him. But I don’t know where we’d find him."
"Chasing him down maybe isn’t the right strategy," argued Amber. "If we can’t find him, we can instead lure him out instead."
Baron Bunny, subtly, pointed at himself.
"I don’t think dancing will work with him."
"Leave it to me," said Itto. "I’ll cause trouble to the guards until he has to come out."
"No you won’t," Paimon told him. "If you get into a fight here, innocent people could get hurt."
While the group discussed what to do among themselves, Lumine contemplated on her own.
"(If we want to make the host come out, we need something that gets his attention. The host should be the same man we saw yesterday, Racine. Or actually, Moliere. Then we already know a method that works.)" She let them finish, and then spoke up. "Paimon, I need to see something at the laundry room quick, come with me."
"Of course. Paimon’s right by your side (Traveler)."
As soon as they crossed the door and walked some steps away, Lumine stopped and turned to face Paimon.
"Why are we stopping? The laundry is over there."
"We saw that man yesterday celebrating a wedding," she began to explain. "That’s why I know if I get married he’ll come out again to go to the restaurant."
"You’re going to get married? But with who?"
The Traveler looked at her, smiling. Paimon’s confusion and curiosity gave way to a slow realization. "Why are you looking at Paimon like that? Wait...you can’t mean..."
"Paimon, will you marry me?"
"Whaaaaaat!?"