the absence of harsh quip in his kindness made her weaker, a fragility that threatened to collapse utterly and dissolve in his arms, just like when the Traveler had been captured and she made to face the reminder that Lumine weren't invincible. knowing how compassionate Kaveh was knotted Paimon's stomach with guilt for crumbling in front of him, allowing herself to fold into his security and relinquish the lead to him. she was getting them nowhere... some guide.
her secondary concern quickly became that of any injury Kaveh risked sustaining by his methods of checking rooms without sacrificing too much momentum, head tilting upwards to observe the flickers of preparation when his form came into contact with each door. the words to dissuade him from the tact lodged in her swollen throat and unable to loose themselves before his grievances were aired.
the combination of such poor planning and inattentive navigation made it a miracle that they would make it back to the eatery before the struggle reached its conclusion β it might spare Kaveh the extra trouble of being roped into a fight, but it also deprived Lumine of any back-up she might be hoping for. flooded with dread, the voice above heralding the other initially made her jump, apprehensive to get her hopes up too soon when Kaveh's tone held strong without alarm.
for ahead the Traveler stood, her back to the threshold through which they'd burst, with no sign of her assailant. though she weren't alone β a mirror of Paimon hung in place.
recognising the scene to be trouble, the Paimon in her arms wrested loose and floated overhead, improvising an escape, pursued by the voice of her duplicate.
β¦hey! get back here you cheat!β¦
however, there was no physical effort to apprehend her, allowing the other Paimon to escape through the kitchen door and weave deeper into The Inn. things hadn't gone to plan, but they worked out anyway. with the space unoccupied, Lumine's arms slackened and dropped to her sides while turning attention back to the pair standing bewildered.
