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Faint snickering draws The Knave’s attention as she notices Lyney and a couple of her children are watching Lumine approach, with each step barely hiding her nervousness.
“Ah, hello… Arlecchino,” Lumine says with a tense smile and a scratch on her neck. Arlecchino stares, thoughts tussling as to why the Traveler is seemingly afraid of her, as from her knowledge the House has been treating its guests well recently.
With a small hum, The Knave returns Lumine’s greetings with a curt nod. “Traveler.”
“I, um. I just returned from Natlan recently.”
“I have received news of that, yes.”, the Knave bluntly responded whilst signaling her nosy children away to give the Traveler some reprieve, of which they immediately comply.
The Knave returns her attention to the Traveler, who had just taken a deep breath and was fidgeting with her hair and scarf. Paimon appears from behind Lumine and floats close to her ear, as Paimon whispers conspicuously Lumine relaxes slightly and Paimon gives a thumbs up before floating away.
“Do you have something you wish to say? You have my attention and time for now.” the Knave says.
“O-oh, well I don’t have anything important to say, I think.
I just wanted to give you some souvenirs and…” Lumine fumbles the last few words which makes Arlecchino raise an eyebrow with a questioning hum.
With another deep breath, Lumine looks Arlecchino in the eyes, and a small bouquet of flowers, predominantly made of Rainbow Roses along with some Natlanese flora appears on her hands, Lumine holds it out along with a barely noticeable tremble to her hands as Arlecchino eyes the bouquet with a soft expression.
“I found some Rainbow Roses on the way here and I thought I’d give you some along with some flowers I’ve found on Natlan as well.”, Arlecchino holds the delicate stems in her hand. How long has it been since she held anything as mundane and precious?
Arlecchino looked at Lumine once more, she looked uncomfortable, restless and seemingly ready to turn tail at any sight of perceived danger. With a small smile, Arlecchino finds the sight very endearing.
As Arlecchino continued to be quiet, Lumine seemed more nervous by the second, her right thumb digging slightly into her pointer finger while her left hand was clenching her skirt, She also noticed a very conspicuous Paimon alongside Lyney, Lynette and Freminet watching them both from afar, adding more pyre to her nervousness.
“I just,” Lumine, unable to bear the silence any longer, suddenly speaks out, “I thought you would like them.”
“I thank you for the gift… Lumine. I have not received a token I have liked this well in a long time.” Arlecchino gently pulls the flowers closer to her chest, looking directly at Lumine’s scintillating golden eyes.
Lumine visibly relaxed at Arlecchino’s response, but she still felt restless, still ready for a quick exit whenever possible.
“Walk with me,” Arlecchino abruptly says while turning around, expecting Lumine to immediately follow, not quite a request, but not quite a command.
Lumine was aghast and pointed to herself, “Walk with me - you? You want me to walk with you?”
Arlecchino gives a more noticeable smile, “I want you to tell me about your travels in Natlan, and these flowers of yours.” Paimon cheers in the distance, along with the children, Arlecchino sighs yet maintains a gentle smile. Lumine gingerly walks closer to Arlecchino and she offers her free hand expectantly. Lumine looks at it, takes a deep breath and begins to quickly clench and unclench her own hand as if to loosen up before clasping Arlecchino’s hand.
Lumine’s hand is too small to fully cover up Arlecchino’s, but she enjoys the pleasant warmth it had brought, a nice contrast to the morning sea breeze of Fontaine.