A gentle breeze, carrying the scent of home

"You seem stressed."

The Wanderer barely kept himself from startling as Sethos leaned over his shoulder, staring down at the paper the Wanderer was currently trying to write.

Key word being try.

With everything that had happened recently, from giving his core to Sandrone in Nod Krai to dealing with a Dottore corrupted Irminsul, it was significantly harder to focus on his studies. One would think that Dottore being gone would make it easier to think, but no, his mind just kept spinning back to it, replaying everything over and over.

Not to mention the fact that Dottore had figured out who he was, without the help of being connected to Irminsul. Could the other Fatui Harbingers do the same? He was trying not to be too concerned about it, but if his presence in Sumeru made it a target…

"Hey hey hey, don't space out on me." Sethos waved a hand in front of the Wanderer's face, and the Wanderer batted him away with a glare.

"Try be interesting enough to keep my attention." When Sethos' expression didn't change, the Wanderer let out a sigh. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what's got you so stressed. More so than usual, I mean." Sethos lightly tapped the paper on the table, "I've never seen you struggle to write something before."

The Wanderer huffed, leaning back in his chair with precisely zero intention to tell Sethos about any of his internal thoughts. Sethos, thankfully, seemed to pick up on his unwillingness to talk about it.

"Or, if you don't want to talk about it…" He trailed off for a moment, clearly debating something. "I uh, I have some things in my apartment that I use to help me relax, if you wanna try them."

"…Are you propositioning me?" The Wanderer was pretty sure he wasn't, but still, it was fun to watch the way Sethos' expression change to one of nervous fluster.

"Wha- I- No! No, no, I just meant, like, essential oils and stuff." Sethos let out a slightly nervous laugh, "They're not always effective for everyone, but they help me relax a bit. I thought it might help you a little bit."

….Essential oils, huh.

Just thinking about them made him itchy… but.

He was well aware of the way Sethos… liked it when he sneezed. He was more subtle about it than the Traveler, but he wasn't that subtle. Not to mention the fact that the Wanderer had been subjected to the Traveler and Sethos' scheming multiple times already…

But Sethos didn't have that look in his eyes that he normally did when planning to mess with Wanderer in this way. Did he truly not even consider the possibility? Then again, he was pretty sure Sethos had only ever been witness to him sneezing from pollen, elemental energy or, ugh, sympathy. He can't remember a time he's sneezed from perfume in front of Sethos…

So… did that mean…

Hm.

He supposed… Sethos had been incredibly helpful during the most recent incident… and it wasn't like the Wanderer had ever specifically thanked him for his aid…

(Not to mention, Sethos had seemed plenty stressed recently too).

"…Fine." Wanderer grabbed his paper and roughly shoved it into the book he'd been using for references (which the Akademiya had recently started demanding he use), fully intending on returning for it later. He dutifully ignored the pleased-with-himself expression on Sethos' face as the other started yapping about some random subject or other as he started leading the way to his place, the Wanderer silently following behind him.

He'd better not regret this.

~

Sethos slid a box out from underneath his bed, and the Wanderer barely kept himself from cringing as a strong scent filled the air as soon as it opened.

He was maybe starting to regret this. Just a little.

"C'mon, sit down!" Sethos said, and the Wanderer, not wanting to draw any suspicion, quietly and obediently sat down on the floor beside him. "Now, where did I put the lavender…"

His nose itched. The scent… wasn't really fading. If anything, it was getting stronger even. The Wanderer could only hope his eyes weren't glowing already, he'd left his hat over in Sethos' entryway. He had nothing to hide his face with.

He was so focused on Not Showing Any Reaction that he got startled, again, when Sethos suddenly held his hand out to him.

"Jeez, you're jumpy today…" Sethos said, staring at him questionably, "…I guess that's just more evidence to how much you need this. Give me your wrist."

"…Why?" Despite asking, the Wanderer still held out his wrist to him.

"There's specific points where the oils get absorbed into the skin better-"

(Would that even work on his false puppet skin?).

Sethos let a few drops of oil fall onto the Wanderer's wrist, using his thumb to rub it into the Wanderer's skin, continuing his explanation, but the Wanderer was no longer listening.

Fuck that stuff was strong. Much stronger than he had anticipated.

His eyes were definitely glowing now. Thankfully, Sethos didn't seem to notice, moving to do the Wanderer's other wrist.

Still, the Wanderer wanted to hold out for just a little longer.

He wasn't going to just give in that easily.

And yet, he couldn't stop himself from rubbing his nose against his wrist- his wrist with the lavender oil already on it.

"HihhH-" The Wanderer hurridly shut off his breathing, but it was too late, Sethos' eyes had already snapped up to him.

"Oh, your eyes are- uh. Is the scent bothering you?"

The Wanderer waited until he was absolutely certain that letting out his breath wouldn't instantly trigger a sneeze before answering.

"What do you th-think?" …Okay. The small waver in his voice was… managable.

Sethos, though, suddenly looked hesitant.

"Um." He started setting the bottle down. "I can get a washcloth and wash it off of you-"

"It's fine." The Wanderer answered before he could even think about it. Sethos seemed like he was caught off guard, so Wanderer hurried to add- "I'm fine."

"Are you… sure?" Sethos asked- and the Wanderer would've sassed him had his breath not abruptly caught.

"Hh- hiIH—" The Wanderer pinched his nose shut, stifling a sneeze into silence. "Ggh… Just- just hurry up and finish putting it o-onnHhihh- hh-hH—"

"Uh- Okay, okay. Okay. If, if you say so." Sethos had that look to him again, and the Wanderer had to supress a smirk at the slight hint of nervousness in the other's voice. At least going through with this was actually getting him some fun results.

The Wanderer ended up stifling three more sneezes into complete silence before suddenly Sethos was shoving a pillow at him.

"Here just- muffle into this." He said, when he caught the bewildered look Wanderer gave him before he was snapping forwards with yet another silent stifle. "If you're going to… get worse when I add more then… you probably shouldn't stifle with your hands."

…Sethos was probably right. Keeping his hands, with the oil on his wrists, so close to his face definitely wasn't helping. And he did decide to do this to indulge Sethos specifically, so it would be best to follow along with what he wanted…

Still though, it took more effort than he wanted to admit to bring his hands down and grab the pillow- an audible "Hiih'NXTtii!" slipping out as he did so.

"Cute."

The Wanderer shot Sethos a glare, before his head ducked down into the pillow with another stifle. At the very least the pillow would hide his own blush…

"Hh'nXTiu!!"

Even though it didn't really seem to muffle the sound very well.

"Hm, well, I can't exactly get to your temples when you're like that…" Sethos mumbled… "I guess I should just-"

The Wanderer could hear Sethos moving, but chose not to pay attention to it, instead deciding to attempt to hold back his next sneeze.

"Hh… hih- hh-… hEH-… hhH…"

Sethos' fingers lightly touched the back of Wanderer's neck.

The Wanderer jolted, a noise inbetween a squeak and a- a moan slipping out of him before-

"hEH'xNtiu!!!"

…Fuck.

He shoved his face deeper into the pillow, hoping that the sneeze had been enough to distract Sethos from-

"Did you just- just moan?"

Damn it.

When the Wanderer didn't respond, Sethos hesitantly reached out to touch the symbol on the Wanderer's neck again.

Half expecting it, the Wanderer nearly bit down on his tongue trying to prevent himself from repeating the humiliating noise.

He failed.

"Holy shit, you did!" Sethos laughed- and the Wanderer briefly abandoned the idea of hiding his face in order to twist around and whack Sethos with the pillow, knocking him over. "Ahk-"

Unfortunately, doing so was enough of a distraction that-

"HehH'KShiu!!" A gust of anemo blew through Sethos' room, and the Wanderer in just the slightest bit of a panic dropped the pillow to pinch his nose shut again. "Hh'NXttii!! 'nXt- 'NTtii! —!!"

It took him a second to get ahold back on stifling silently, but when he did it- it almost seemed like his body didn't really want to stop sneezing. He snapped forwards with must've been about seven or eight more silent stifles before he felt Sethos grab hold of his arms.

"Woah woah woah, you're going to make yourself dizzy."

Not really, the Wanderer was pretty sure he'd survived worse fits than this without any of the telltale dizziness humans seemed to get. Not needing to breathe was incredibly useful on that front.

Still though, that didn't stop Sethos from trying to forcibly pull the Wanderer's hands away from his face. The Wanderer resisted for a moment, before once again remembering that he had indeed decided to do this to indulge Sethos.

He didn't resist the second time Sethos pulled- which unfortunately meant that Sethos tugged with just a little too much strength-

And the Wanderer's next stifled sneeze was muffled against Sethos' shoulder.

Which, of course, Wanderer would've found mortifying- if it weren't for the shudder that racked through Sethos' body.

Oh. Right. Okay. He could work with this.

He freed his hands from Sethos' grip, and before Sethos could process or react, the Wanderer adjusted his position, grabbing hold of the back of Sethos' clothes-

-and lightly positioning his knee in between Sethos' legs.

If he hadn't already been aware that Sethos' was aroused by what was going on, this would've confirmed it.

"Hh-h'XnTtiu!!" The Wanderer jolted forwards with another sneeze, his knee lightly nudging against Sethos and-

Oh. The sound the other made was-

(Wanderer wanted to hear it again).

He jerked forwards with another sneeze, and was rewarded with another one of those sounds-

Sethos' hand touched the back of Wanderer's neck, and the Wanderer's next hitching gasp was abruptly cut off by a moan of his own. Still though, he didn't protest as Sethos started lightly tracing the symbol on the back of his neck.

It felt… good. Really good.

The sounds it drew out of him were significantly more embarrassing than the sneezes though, but it wasn't like he could swallow those noises down when his nose was so i- ihh- itchy-

"hH'KShhii!!" Fuck, he was too caught up in how good he felt to stifle, a burst of anemo filling the room. Sethos paused in his tracing, and the Wanderer was silently thankful for it, as it made it so there was nothing to interrupt him from- "hH’IShKiiu!! Hh-heHH'IShiu!! hih-h- hH- haH'Kshiuu!! 'Ksh-'shh- hH'SHkii-'ksh!! hEH'KSHhiiu!!"

Sethos let out a cry, shuddering much more intensely than before, and it took the Wanderer a moment of post-sneeze fit haze to figure out that Sethos had actually came.

"…Tch. Pathetic." Wanderer pulled back a bit, letting go of Sethos' clothes. "Hh- 'KShiu!!"

Dammit. His nose still itched a bit. That lavender oil sure was effective…

"Gyah?!" The Wanderer jolted with surprise as Sethos suddenly pulled him back closer to him, returning to softly tracing the back of the Wanderer's neck.

"What, did you think I wouldn't return the favour?" Sethos asked, sounding slightly breathless. The Wanderer squirmed slightly, the pleasure from before returning immediately, and Sethos let out an inquisitive noise. "Hm, I wonder what would happen if I-"

A jolt of electricity sparked against the back of the Wanderer's neck, and abruptly he was biting down on his lip hard, the markings on his body glowing brightly for a completely different reason this time.

Sethos let out a light chuckle as the glow died down.

"Guess that was effective."

"Shut up." The Wanderer was tempted to smack him on the arm, and the only reason he didn't was because- "Hh'Nxtii!!"

"Alright alright alright. We should get that oil washed off of you… among other things."

Gathering fruit, Lauma determines, is the best option. There’s not many people out where the best fruits grow, so she can sneeze as much as she’d like, and being out in nature should help her cold.

So she’d think, anyway.

She’s trembling as she picks the fruits, her arms aching from holding the basket and from reaching over her head. The frigid winds send goosebumps all over her skin, and when she sneezes, some of her fruits fall from the basket, slowing her progress immensely.

She slowly fills two baskets, and is halfway through the third when she remembers that today she was supposed to go and check on Kuutar, and make sure her Moon Maiden had everything she needs.

She takes her half filled basket with her, too tired to put it with the others or to go and fetch other foods for Kuutar. These apples are fresh and ripe and sweet; they will make a fine treat for her.

Lauma is shivering uncontrollably by the time she reaches Silvermoon hall, sneezing every few steps. She catches each sneeze with one hand, but her antlers make her almost lose her balance each time.

“Kuutar?” She calls softly, stepping onto the lush carpet of flowers. Her voice scrapes over her throat and she coughs.

There is no answer, which is not uncommon, so she continues walking. Her nose tickles as she makes her way through the cavern, and as much as she tries to hold it back, a sneeze bursts out of her, echoing off the walls.

“HhhHH’ehtcHUUU!”

“Bless you.” The musical voice speaks from beside her, Columbina appearing at her side.

“Oh!” Lauma jumps a bit, nearly stumbling as her head tips to the side once more. “Kuutar. You startled me.”

“I’m sorry.” Columbina tilts her head to the side a bit. “Is that not what one says when another sneezes?”

“No, it is.” Lauma sniffles into the back of her wrist. “I just… didn’t see you co— Aaeshuu!“

“Bless you again.” Columbina hesitates. “Are you alright, Lauma?”

“Thank you. I am fine.” Lauma tries not to sniffle again. She holds out her offering for Columbina to take. “I brought you some fruit. It is freshly picked, and should be delicious.”

“Hm…” Columbina’s brows furrowed slightly. Her expressions are hard to read with her eyes closed and behind that blindfold, but she appears to be thinking deeply.

“Thank you,” she says at last, one hand roving slowly over the basket to choose an apple. “Everything you have brought me so far has been quite a novel experience. I only…”

She trails off, and Lauma’s heart leaps. Was Kuutar about to make a request?

The reborn Moon goddess has been withdrawn and quiet this whole time, thanking Lauma for the things she brings, but never saying anything when asked if there is anything else she could want. She will only hum thoughtfully, a meloncholic look on her face that tells Lauma there is much she longs for, but nothing she feels comfortable to say.

“If there’s something else I could bring you, Kuutar,” she says encouragingly. “I would be more than happy to… hheh… hhEHH— Hhhe’shtuu! … to fetch it.”

Columbia shakes her head slightly. “It’s… less of something to get, and more something to do.” She holds out one hand, extending her fingers in an open gesture. “Would you stay and keep me company for a bit, Lauma? The khuehenki are friendly, but even they come and go like the wind.”

Lauma actually hesitates for a moment, worrying about all her other chores and duties. But, when it comes down to it, is she not the leader of the Moon’s religion, the head priestess of Kuutar herself?

“Of course, Kuutar,” she says sincerely. She places her hand in the moon goddess’s.

Columbina smiles.

As Lauma steps forward, the weight on her head suddenly increases, her antlers growing in the light of the moon goddess’s khuvaki. Tired as she is, Lauma can’t hold her chin up.

Lauma brings one hand up to try to balance herself, holding her head up. The sudden motion has made her so, so dizzy.

Then, a cool touch settles on her shoulder. “Lauma?”

“I— I’m alright,” Lauma says, embarrassed. “It’s just… the khuuvaki… my antlers are quite heavy today.”

“Oh.” Columbina is silent for a moment. Then, she stretches up on her tiptoes, touching a fingertip to Lauma’s antlers.

There’s a soft hum, and slowly the overwhelming sense of energy fades, Lauma’s antlers settling back into their usual size.

Lauma lets her head rest in her hands a moment longer, letting out a sigh of relief. “How…? eeH’shh! …How did you do that?”

“Bless you.” Columbina withdraws her hand, taking the moonlight with her. “I simply drew the khuuvaki towards myself, instead of letting it flow around you. Just as I can focus it to go out, I can also bring it back in.”

As if to demonstrate, she holds up a small, swirling orb of silver-blue energy. Even with it contained in the palm of her hand, Lauma can feel the khuuvaki energy radiating from it.

“Snf… Amazing, Kuutar.”

Columbina does not answer, occupied by guiding the khuuvaki with a wave of her hand. Swirling trails spread from her palm, the moon’s energy fading off into the fathermost corners of Silvermoon hall.

“There,” she says softly. “That should keep your antlers from growing too much while you are here. Provided you stay towards the center, anyway.”

“You have my thanks.” Lauma risks lifting her head again, and is punished for it with another wave of dizziness and a splitting headache. “Oh… I…”

Columbina catches her arm as she stumbles, slowly guiding her across the flowery field. “If your head is still too heavy, why not lay it down for a while?”

She leads Lauma to the silver moon carvings she likes to sit on, and kneels with her back on the stone. “While I don’t have any need for pillows here besides the grass, my lap is one that I can offer to you.”

Who is Lauma, really, to deny the wishes of her goddess?

And the idea of laying down sounds so, so good right now…

“If you are sure you’re alright with it,” she says slowly, lowering herself into the soft grass. “Then I suppose that for a short while…”

Columbina nods once as Lauma lays down. She shifts so that the sharp tips of her antlers hang in the wait, Lauma’s head cushioned in her lap. One hand rests beside Lauma’s antlers, sitting still yet comforting over her hair.

Perhaps it isn’t entirely selfish to choose to stay here, where the cold wind only howls outside, as if nothing but a lullaby.

Or, perhaps, even if it is, it’s alright.

Despite telling herself that it’s only for a moment, within minutes, Lauma drifts off to sleep in Columbina’s lap.

Columbina smiles, listening to Lauma’s quiet breathing, slow and even as she rests at last.

Lauma has no choice other than to admit it now.

She’s catching a cold.

It started sometime yesterday evening, when the chill of Nod Krai’s evening winds got to her, making her shiver even though she usually withstood them just fine. She was more tired than usual too, having had a long week of running around and fulfilling her duties as Moonchanter, as well as keeping watch over her animal friends. She was starting to feel a bit achy in her antlers and… well, everywhere.

Despite her exhausted state, and her desire to just fall into bed and stay there, she’d been up until almost midnight helping one of the scions find a lost family heirloom. On her way back, she’d been stopped by a lost adventurer, two different squirrels, and a perturbed puffin. At last, she finally did manage to reach her hit and crawl under the covers, only to be awoken mere hours later by arguing birds.

Lauma sniffles, her nose twitching and tickling. She sits up slowly, pulling the covers with her. She’s freezing, even with the thick, handwoven blanket she made herself. There’s a dull ache in the back of her head, her throat feels like sandpaper, and her nose is… so… itchy…

“Hh- hhhH— aaahh’shooo!”

The birds on her windowsill scatter, startled by the sudden sneeze. Lauma sniffles, then pitches forward into her blankets once more.

“Hhhh—! Heh’shishhh! Ahhhe’ESHhh! hhHih’iiish!”

A chill runs through her and she shudders, hugging herself. Her head rests on her knees, her antlers suddenly three times as heavy as usual.

With her natural alignment with kuuhvahki, Lauma rarely falls ill. Each time, she forgets just how cold and exhausted it makes her feel.

Normally, she delights in helping her flock, finding joy and purpose in their smiles and their thanks. But today, she feels groggy and lethargic, not wanting to get up at all.

Lauma instantly feels guilty. Her people depend on her for so much. How can she stop for a stuffy nose?

“Ah… aahheH’chu! Hhh’shiew!”

… A very stuffy nose.

After taking several minutes to sniffle and sneeze, the guilt finally outweighs her desire to sleep, and Lauma drags herself out of bed. She makes herself a cup of warm herbal tea, and stares at her clothes, debating what to wear.

That fur-lined cloak Sir Flins once brought her is beyond tempting, it looks so soft and warm… but it is certainly out of place with her moonchanter’s robes, and people would notice.

She settles for a compromise and wraps herself in a dress that isn’t as exposed to the cold air as her usual robes, but still is elegant enough that no questions will be raised.

She steps outside, shivering as the cold air hits her skin. Perhaps even this dress isn’t warm enough, but it’s too late now. There’s already a little fox scampering up to her, complaining about a pesky seagull.

Lauma crouches down to meet it, setting one hand on the ground to steady herself when it makes her head spin. “What seems to be the trouble, little one?”

After a lengthy back-and-forth, she finally settles their spat, and the two creatures depart. One of the seagull’s feathers spirals down as it flies away, landing on the tip of Lauma’s already sensitive nose.

“Ahh… ahH— AH—! AAASHHHOO!”

Lauma sniffles and rubs her nose, blinking tiredly. She pushes on, heading to begin the morning prayers.

She manages to only sneeze twice while leading the worship, although the tickle in her throat has grown into a bit of a cough by the time she finishes. She’s relieved when it’s over, the Frostmoon Scions dispersing to go about their days.

Most of them, anyway. Several head right for the Lady Moonchanter; there is no shortage of tasks for her today.

Lauma listens to each of them the best she can, trying hard to pay attention and store the information in her soupy brain. It gets more and more difficult as the itch in her nose returns, growing stronger by the second.

“Hhheh… hhh….”

Lauma tries to hold it back, but it’s too strong. Her breath catches, chest hitching as one of the scions speaks.

“My lady?” They pause. “Is everything alright?”

“hhhhHHH— Yeh— yes, ever-reehH—! heh! hheverything is f-fi— Ih! fine—! hhEH— hhHuH’choo!”

Lauma cups her hands to catch her sneeze, trying not to poke anyone’s eyes with her antlers. The tickle doesn’t dissipate, but she’s already made quite a fuss, so she wrinkles her nose and wills it not to act up again.

“My… Hh… my apologies.” She places one hand on her chest to regain her composure, smiling apologetically at those watching. She sniffles softly, trying not to make it very loud. “I seem to have lost my composure. Where were we?”

By some miracle, she manages not to sneeze again through the rest of the conversation. It’s only after she has received every grievance that she slips behind the statue and lets out the fit that’s been tormenting her.

“Ahh! Aahhh’choo! Eh’shhhu! Hh’chuu! H’CHuu! Ehp’tchu!”

Lauma stumbles, steadying herself with one hand on the statue. Her antlers tip, and she follows the gravity, resting her forehead on the cool stone.

If only she could just sit down… rest here…. That would be nice… despite the chills wracking her body, the smooth, cold surface of the statue feels nice on her too-warm skin.

But she is a Moonchanter. She has duties to attend to.

Lauma decides to give herself three minutes leaning on the statue, during which she will plan out what order to do her tasks. Then, she will actually do them.

To start, she could either gather fruit, deliver a correspondence to the Ratniki about Wild Hunt movements, or settle a dispute between the Scions who give out meals in Nasha Town and some rowdy merchants.

All relationships in the endings are open to interpretation!

"Hh- 'hd'ISCHhh-!"

Kaeya eyed him critically as they sat together beneath the great tree, then smiled again, that same cocksure smile that put Aether off as much as it drew him to him. That sense of something hidden, something beneath, something more Aether wanted to uncover. It was a game both of them were playing, and he knew it- but that made it only more of a thrill.

Besides... maybe he just liked the Calvary Captain. Liked what was real between the lies. Even if the lies sent him on wild chases for imaginary treasure- it kept life interesting.

Aether wasn't sure how much he liked Kaeya right now, though.

"Oho, seems our glimmering little Traveler is feeling a little itchy~ that's what now, three? Four?" That smirk. It was aggravating.

He glared at him, then watched his own gaze turn hazy, whatever itch plaguing him teasing him now, just like Kaeya. He sniffled, rubbing, and for whatever reason that seemed to make it worse- but that at least meant he chhould- could clear iIHH--

"Ah- ahDTJSHhh... hdhh... hH?- adTJSHIH-!!"

"Goodness," the cursed captain crooned. "That was a rough one."

Aether's glare was rendered less biting by the itchy tears in his eyes. He rubbed at them, and Kaeya tsked, gently pushing his wrist back down.

"Now, now, that'll just make it worse. I would ask what's causing you such trouble, but I'm certain I already know." He glanced down at Aether's other hand, and the traveler followed his gaze, finding the small collection of windwheel asters he was holding. He'd been in the middle of a commission for them when he'd spotted Kaeya beneath the tree at Windrise, opting to sit and rest with him for a bit, not wanting to miss the opportunity... but the flowers being the cause of this? He scoffed, and Kaeya's brows raised. "Oh? You're not allergic to them, then?"

Sure, maybe he sometimes got a little itchy when he stopped to watch them- he loved these flowers. The way they idly turned with the wind... but that didn't mean he was allergic, did it? It was just a human thing that happened sometimes.

Which in itself was contradictory, given he wasn't human... but whatever the goddess that stole his sister had done to him, to his power, seemed to have rendered him human enough for a sneeze on occasion. That still didn't mean he was allergic, because just human enough or not, he didn't have those. He couldn't be allergic to the flora of this planet, it just wasn't feasible. He couldn't exactly explain that, though, so he just huffed, shaking his head. No.

"Are you sure? You do still look rather tickly."

Sometimes Aether hated him. He felt his nostrils flare, rubbing at his nose with distaste. Stars above... "...hh.. h- hhHH..?"

Oh.

"snf- hhah-- hhADHT- mmnhff..."

Oh, this had to be some sort of torture.

"Hmm," Kaeya hummed, sympathetic. He watched the blonde scrub at his nose like a child, almost trying to paw it off his face, and couldn't help but chuckle. Hitch. Hitch- gasp-! Nothing. It was making his own nose tickle. "Good grief, here- why not try one of those flowers you're so certainly not allergic to, Traveler?"

Aether side-eyed him, then hitched, gearing up... for nothing. He whined softly and decided he had nothing to lose, he just- he had. He had to sneeze. At this point he even wanted to sneeze! He couldn't think for the itch, just removing an aster from the bunch, slowly bringing it to his nose. One of the pretty orange petals brushed beneath it, and-

"hhAH-! haDTSH-!! ahDTJSHhh-'TTSH!! 'TDSHOO!!!" Oh, gods, as the locals might say- what a relief. Aether groaned, slumping back against the tree, sniffling thickly. Oh, he hated this part... Kaeya held out a handkerchief, and he accepted it, blowing his nose, rubbing at it through the cloth.

"So," the other said, too smug for Aether's liking. "Shall we revisit my-" He was cut off by the traveler's glare, and laughed in disbelief. "What? Traveler, surely you can't still think you aren't allergic to the asters?"

He stubbornly shook his head.

"I didn't know our dear little visitor was a fool! What more evidence do you need??"

Aether rolled his eyes, which annoyingly still itched. It probably wasn't the flower that had finally made him sneeze. The contact against the tickly appendage had been enough to tip him over the edge, that was all! This hadn't proved anything, and he didn't have to worry about any reaction to these beloved flowers.

Kaeya couldn't believe the lengths of his stupidity. He'd have to make note of this. "Look," he said, some sincerity finding its way into his words. "As amusing as it is to watch you be your own undoing, I must insist that you very much are allergic to the windwheel asters, and should set them aside for now before this gets worse for you."

A shake of the head.

"Traveler."

Glare.

"Goodness, what do I have to do! Shove one up your nose to prove my point?"

Actually... that was a thought. Aether looked down at the asters. If he could sniff these and not sneeze, then it would be his point proven instead! He could have something to finally hold over Kaeya's head, and get the man off his back about his silly idea. The captain in question seemed to realize where his thought process was going, opening his mouth to try and warn him off it, but Aether was lifting the little bouquet long before then. He stuck his nose right into the center of it, taking a long, deep sniff.

And it was fine-

"hhHHH-!!"

Oh, no.

"ahDTJSHhh-!! t'ZTCHIEW!! TSCHH-tsch-tch-hHH-!! h'ADTJSHOO!!!"

Aether had never felt anything like this before- this all-consuming, burning itch that just made him want to sneeze, and sneeze, and sneeze. He gasped, completely overtaken by this, head snapping down once, twice, three times more- right back into the flowers, which only made him do it again- again! He felt the sensation of Kaeya taking the flowers from his hands, but couldn't do much in the way of reacting, because-

"KTSZH!! Hh- H'kttssh-'ktsh-'tsczh-"

"Trav-"

"AkTCHOO!!"

"Oh, dear." He was being pulled to his feet now, led to.. he had no idea, he couldn't very well see. Away, probably. Where he'd wanted to sneeze before, now he just wanted to stop. But no matter how often he sneezed, it just tickled, and burned-- maybe if he-

Kaeya, leading him to the little creek, glanced down at him as he pinched his nose shut. "No, no, wait--"

"NGT-! Knnxt- ngxt- nxGNT--"

"Traveler!" Oh, his hand was being pulled away from his face. Good, because Aether found that hadn't helped at all, it just pushed the tickling farther up, where it made things rapid and useless and ohh fuck he needed to-

"ahDTJSHhh- 'dtjshh- tdshh-tsh-tch-tch-hhAH-!! Nksh-ksh-ktch-kTCHOO!! Hh... hh-? Hahhh..." Kaeya sat him down by the sound of running water, supporting him for the final, grating "AhDTJSHhhOOOO!!!!"

That finally seemed to scratch at the horrible itching sensation, and Aether groaned, just complying as Kaeya directed him to wash his face. He was panting, stunned by the intensity, slumping against him as he recovered his ability to breathe. Never before had he felt anything like that, and he hoped he never would again. Kaeya nudged him to blow his nose, so he did, finally deciding maybe it was a good idea to listen to him.

"Well!" Kaeya said, once it seemed he'd recovered enough to prove the sneezing wouldn't start up again. "Do you believe me now, dear Traveler? Not only are you allergic to them, you're very allergic. I haven't seen anything like that since Master Diluc's incident last Windblume." Aether whined softly, and Kaeya sighed, gently patting his head. He didn't mind the blonde leaning into him for support after all that.

"...fine," Aether whispered hoarsely. "You were right."

"Oh, I do love those words."

Finally given a free afternoon together, Albedo and Kaeya elect to spend it relaxing. For Albedo, this means painting, and for Kaeya, this means bothering Albedo while he paints. He’s not sure which of them is more pleased with this arrangement.

“You know,” Albedo tells him, tracing green paint over his canvas to form stems for a bouquet of calla lilies. “If you could sit still for a few moments longer, you’d make an excellent model.”

“Do I not already make the perfect muse?” Kaeya feigns an offended gasp, clutching one hand to his chest. “My dear, you wound me!”

Albedo rolls his eyes, stirring two colors together on his pallet. “You’re so dramatic.”

“That’s why you love me~”

Albedo pauses, looking the slightest bit thoughtful. “Hm…. I suppose so.”

Kaeya gasps loudly again. “You hesitated! Does this mean you don’t love me?!”

“Yes,” Albedo says flatly, his lips quirked in amusement. “That’s exactly why I’ve been courting you for all this time. Because I don’t love you.”

“Pfft~ You jerk.” Chuckling softly, Kaeya reaches out and boops Albedo’s nose.

To his surprise, Albedo’s nose twitches. His expression turns almost quizzical, eyelids fluttering.

“Ihh… chiu!”

Albedo cups his hands to cover what is perhaps the most polite sneeze Kaeya has ever heard. His hair floats in the air a moment as his head ducks sharply.

“Oh,” he murmurs. “Please, excuse me.”

“Awww,” Kaeya coos. “You have such a cute sneeze~”

Cuter still, if the reason why he sneezed is what Kaeya thinks it is. Curious, he smiles playfully at Albedo and taps the tip of his nose once more.

“UhhH…?” Albedo hitches, his nose scrunching as his gaze grows distant again. He shudders quietly before his head bobs with another sneeze. “Hh…! hHi’chiuu!”

“Oh, bless you!” Kaeya can’t help chuckling softly at the way Albedo blinks in surprise after his sneeze. “I had no idea your nose was so sensitive, darling.”

“Is it?” Albedo sniffles softly. “I didn’t know this was irregular.”

His nose twitches again, and Kaeya has an idea.

He takes the end of his fur collar in one hand and brushes it under Albedo’s nose, watching his eyes glaze over once more.

“Kaehhyahh…” Albedo protests, but he’s smiling even as his nose twitches like a bunny, so Kaeya knows he’s not upset by this. “I… hhah… hHHhh… I’m… going to… sneehh— snee-! HhhEH’szchuw!! hAH’TChIEWW!”

He stumbles a bit from the force of the sneezes, grasping Kaeya’s wrist to steady himself. He shoots Kaeya a fondly exasperated look. “At least let me put down my paintbrush first.”

“Sorry.” Kaeya gives him one of his dashing grins with a touch of apology. Albedo just rolls his eyes and sets his brush in the cup of water next to his pallet and the little jar of other brushes.

Hmm…

With a cheeky smile, Kaeya reaches past Albedo and deftly scoops up one of the clean brushes. He flicks his wrist in a circle, pretending to paint in the air and wiggles the brush under Albedo’s chin.

“Kae— Kahahaeyaha!” Albedo laughs, batting at Kaeya’s hand— though he puts no significant force behind it. “Thahhahaht tickles!”

“Oh~? Does it now?” Kaeya hums cheerfully, enjoying the sight of Albedo’s smile staying even after he composes himself. He leans closer, this time using the brush to tickle the tip of Albedo’s nose.

Albedo freezes. “Ihh—!”

Kaeya “draws” little circles on Albedo’s nose, watching as Albedo’s eyes blink shut. Then his whole body shudders, breath hitching sharply.

“Ihh… ihHH— iihH—!”

“Does that tickle?” Kaeya teases, tracing the brush against the underside of Albedo’s now-pink nose.

Albedo tries to nod, although it’s lost in his desperate, breathy hitches. “Yyehhh— ehh… yyehhhs— hi’H—!”

Kaeya gives the brush one last little wiggle and pulls it away.

“AhHhh… hHhhH…! IihH—! iihhHA! hEh—! hiihH… hhHEH’EH’shIEWW!! hhhHEhSH’iew!!! HhAA’ESSSHhooo! ehH’chIEW!”

“Bless you!” Kaeya coos softly. He reaches into his pocket for a handkerchief, but Albedo’s nose is still quivering with an unreleased sneeze, making Albedo hitch helplessly, hands still hovering.

“hhHH-? hhehhh—! hIH— iHhH—! h’iH-!”

Oh, that looks torturous. Looking to help, Kaeya swipes the brush under Albedo’s nose, inducing a rapid triple.

“hhHI— hI’Tchiew! AAESSHOoo! HHH’ihSHiEWW!”

Albedo’s head bobs sharply into his hands with every sneeze. He sniffles, barely getting a sharp breath in before— “hhHE’TChoo!! hhEH’SSHOOO! IiiiSSSShIEW! hhhH…! HATchoo!!”

Kaeya rests both hands on Albedo’s shoulders, steadying him through the sneezing fit. Albedo leans into him when it’s over, slumping on his chest with a little sigh.

“That was more intense than I expected,” Kaeya says, finally drawing the handkerchief out of his pocket for him.

Albedo accepts it, burying his pink nose in the fabric as his shoulders hitch and tremble. “IhhH… I’mhH— I’m nohHt done yehHt—! hAH— hhIH’chuh!! iiiIIH’SSshhH!!!!”

Kaeya holds him close against his chest, rubbing his back soothingly.

“hEehhH—!” Albedo’s head tips back, almost facing the ceiling with his eyes squeezed shut, then pitches forward into the handkerchief with a “hEH’SSSHIEEW!”

Kaeya waits a moment, still running one hand up and down his back. Albedo is panting quietly in his chest, but several seconds pass without any sneezes. Kaeya smooths back his hair for him, tucking a blond lock behind his ear. “Got it all out?”

Albedo nods, sniffling. “Y-yes, I think so.”

He sighs, turning his head to lean on Kaeya. “I think I’m too tired to paint now…”

“How about some sweets?” Kaeya suggests. “I’ll buy you a slice of cake at Good Hunter.”

Albedo sniffles into the handkerchief. “That sounds nice.”

“Alright, then.” Kaeya laces their fingers together, bending down to press an apology kiss to the tip of Albedo’s valberry-pink nose.

He doesn’t really think about what that action might do to Albedo’s sensitive nose until he hears a sharp intake of breath.

Only vision bearers can catch them, and they’re passed through exposure to an infected vision’s elemental power. Keeping vision usage to a minimum helps reduce spreading, but-

A symptom of the sickeness is loss of control over a vision’s power.

It varies depending on the person and the severity of the illness; sometimes they lose control completely, sometimes they simply can’t use it, but most commonly, their control is weakened and the powers flare when they sneeze. And they sneeze a lot during this time because they’re sick

Pyro users sneezing flames. Cryo users sneezing little flurries of snow. Geo constructs sprouting from nearby surfaces when geo users sneeze. Plants popping up for dendro users, gusts of wind sweeping in around anemo. Lightning crackling around electro and sudden waterworks for hydro users.

Other symptoms include

- fatigue

- dizziness

- light (sometimes) fever

- cough

- headache

And then specific symptoms for different elements as the vision works against them

Pyro: much higher fever. Most vision colds are not a medical emergency unless they fester too long, but pyro users have the most danger because of how fast and how high their temperature can rise

Cryo: chills, but like really bad chills. A lot of shaking, and probably the sneeziest element

Anemo: an even worse cough, sometimes trouble breathing

Geo: fatigue is worse, as well as getting stiffness and soreness all over. Many afflicted have described it as feeling like they’ve been turned to stone

Dendro: brain fog and dizziness. Everyone is a little out of it when they’re sick, but dendro users become delirious very quickly when coming down with vision colds, even if their fever isn’t very high. Also, the headache is probably a lot worse

Electro: hmm I’m not really sure. Maybe a horrible sore throat? Cough could be worse too, although not as bad as anemo. Maybe vision colds cause most electro users to lose their voices for a while

Hydro: sweating? I dunno

"Remind me to never go into a magic bubble ever again." Diluc muttered, and received sounds of agreement from most of the other individuals in the room.

"Wait… where did Venti go?" Jean asked, fully pushing herself off of the floor and looking around her office (currently destroyed), "Did he-"

"Ah, it would appear our beloved bard went for a little swim~<3!" Alice picked Venti's hat up off of the broken window edge, looking out down into the lake below. The others quickly (with a few small pained noises) joined her and Nicole at the window. They could easily see Dvalin climbing out of the other side of the lake and shaking the water out of his wings, but there was no sign of-

"Looking for someone?"

Paimon let out a little squeak of surprise as they turned around and, sure enough, Venti was sitting cross-legged on top of Jean's desk, looking quite frankly unimpressed.

He was also, quite frankly, soaking wet.

Varka and Paimon immediately burst into laughter. Venti let out a sigh, though the look in his eyes shifted to being somewhat amused as he hopped off the desk and held his hand out toward Alice.

"Miss Mage, my hat if you'd please."

"Oh, but of course~!" Alice said, skipping over Venti's hand entirely and placing his hat back onto his head herself. Venti's arm fell back down to rest by his side as she brushed his bangs out of his eyes as well. She paused for a moment, fingers hovering in front of his forehead, opening her mouth to ask something-

"Bard." Diluc said, drawing both of their attentions, "…Are you alright?"

"Oh, don't worry about lil ol' me!" Venti did a small twirl and a bow as a gust of wind surrounded him, drying his clothes and ruffling everyone's hair. "I was intending on a swim later anyways."

"Were you now…" Diluc crossed his arms, "Somehow, I doubt that…"

"Ehe, does this seem like a face you should doubt?"

Before Diluc could answer, Alice suddenly clapped her hands together.

"Well if everyone is alright- go on now, shoo!" She said, waving them out of the room, "It's time for my darling Klee to have a little play time!~<3"

~

"Hh'Nnt—chiew!" Venti doubled over a little, his hand pinching his nose shut. Slowly, he blinked, and rubbed at his nose with his sleeve, letting out a quiet groan.

He barely kept himself from startling as a mug lightly bumped against the side of his head.

"You alright there, Barbatos?" Varka asked, "You've barely touched your drink."

The 'that's not like you' went unsaid, but Venti still heard it loud and clear. Offering Varka a smile he hoped passed as normal, Venti immediately made the decision to down his entire drink in one go.

Said decision, as bad decisions tend to go, immediately rewarded him with a coughing fit.

If Varka hadn't been concerned before, he certainly was now, taking Venti's mug out of his hands and setting his own down on the floor beside it. He hovered his hands near Venti, unsure of what to do.

Eventually he settled on just resting his hand on Venti's shoulder until the fit passed.

"Venti… are you alright?" He asked again, though much more seriously than before. Venti glanced at him, then gently laughed, placing his hand overtop of the Grandmaster's.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine." He said, "Just went down the wrong pipe I guess."

Varka raised an eyebrow, for one, because Venti had never choked on a drink in all the time that he had known him, and two, he was fairly certain Venti didn't actually have 'pipes'. Oh, the other's human body was enough to fool most people who were unaware, but once you knew, once you paid attention… well, suffice to say that there was many things missing.

Seeing that Varka looked unconvinced, Venti looked around for a moment, before settling his eyes on Diluc.

"Oh Master Diluc!" He called for his attention, standing up and slipping out of Varka's grip to head over in Diluc's direction. "Would you mind getting me a refill?"

Varka watched him go, suspicion in his gaze. But well, who was he to question the word of the god of freedom?

…He'd still keep an eye on him though. Just in case.

~

Venti wasn't sure why Alice had suddenly called for him to meet her within the magic bubble. Wasn't she supposed to still be in solitary confinement anyways? Just how had she managed to get permission from Jean to arrange a meetup?

Well, actually, knowing Alice, it was entirely likely that Jean didn't know.

Still though, stepping into the magic bubble and being unable to sense anyone other than himself and Alice? That was slightly concerning. That meant she must've either purposefully selected a time when no-one would be in here, or had forced everyone else to vacate, which did not leave him with a good feeling.

Ugh. He really hoped she wasn't about to test another magic spell on him. He wasn't really sure he could handle that in his condi-condition-

"HhH'NTt—iew…" Venti paused, fingers still pinching his nose shut, waiting to see if there was another one coming. His nose still itched…

His vision was suddenly obscured as a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who~<3!"

"Alice, we're the only ones in here."

"Hm, I suppose we are!" Alice's hands removed themselves from his eyes, sliding up to his forehead. Venti stiffened as Alice clicked her tongue. "Tut tut. That's no good~:(. You could really do to take better care of yourself Barbatos."

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's Venti?"

"Oh, until it stops being fun of course~:)." Alice finally removed her hands from him, leaving his hair slightly messed up. He didn't bother to fix it as Alice moved around to stand in front of him. "Still, the point stands. You're worrying your people you know~<3."

Worrying? People were worried about him?

"Why?"

"Do you really think you're that good at hiding it?" Alice asked, summoning a pair of chairs for herself and Venti to sit down on. She crossed her legs as she sat down, a teapot pouring tea into a cup that appeared floating beside her. "Practically everyone in Mondstadt has figured out that you're sick."

She held the cup of tea out to him. Venti didn't take it. She leaned back and sipped from the cup herself.

"…Did Varka put you up to this?" Venti finally asked, deciding there was no harm in sitting down in the chair Alice had provided. Alice hummed.

"I suppose he might have. Jean may have also played a hand in it. And Diluc. And Kaeya. The Traveler too, left me a note and everything. Albedo, Durin-"

"Okay, okay." Venti was quick to cut her off, "It's really not that bad, they don't need to be so w-worried…"

He trailed off, and a small spark lit up in Alice's eyes.

"Ah, going to sneeze, are we?"

Ugh, for some reason Venti hated when she specifically called him out on it.

"Hh… hihH…" He tried to swallow it back, but the itch was just not going to take that laying down. "Hhh- hH'NNntT-chiew!"

"My my… that sounded like it hurt." Alice said, "Are you sure you don't want some tea?"

"Snf… ugh. I'm good, thanks." Venti sighed, "Anything else I should know about this intervention?"

"Well, for one, people want you to stop doing that. Oh, and here comes an example!"

"Doing whha- hhH'NTX-chiew!"

"Stifling of course~<3!"

Venti stared at her with incredulity.

"Alice you know I can't just-"

"Ah ah ah!" Alice waved a finger in front of his face, "Have you forgotten where we are?"

Oh. So that's why there was no other people around. But still-

"I'm not sure that'd be exactly… safe." He said, "For the bubble, I mean."

And for her, but he didn't want to risk offending her by saying that out loud. She probably knew that's what he meant all the same.

"Oh, please." Alice waved a hand, "You doubt our capabilities! We made this bubble strong enough to withstand anything I'll have you know!"

For some reason, Venti suddenly had the odd feeling that Alice might have purposefully planned to use the bubble for this at some point, but still…

"Oh, there you go again!"

"HihH'NTT-iew!!"

"Oh dear, Barbatos, surely you're not developing memory issues! I've heard those can happen when one gets older, but we really did just discuss the stifling thing, did we not~:(?"

Venti glared at her.

"It's not that easy-"

"Well then!" Alice suddenly stood up, her chair vanishing from underneath of her, "Let's make it easy!"

"Wh-" Venti startled as a pair of ropes suddenly appeared around his wrists, tying them down to the arms of the chair. "Alice-"

"Now all we have to do is wait." Alice sipped from her teacup, glancing up and raising an eyebrow when Venti's body suddenly flickered. "Don't try to teleport away now. Nicole helped with those ropes~."

Venti squirmed a little. Sure, he was reasonably sure that Alice was correct on it being safe for him to not stifle here, but, but still!

His nose twitched.

The itch in his nose was growing stronger again.

Venti glanced up at Alice, who had, at the moment, turned to pour herself another cup of tea, adding in two sugars. She would be sure to somehow notice that he had to sneeze again, like she always did, and-

He summoned his wings.

"Oh?" Alice turned back towards him, finding that her view of him was now completely obscured as his wings folded in front of himself to hide him from her view. "What's this? Is Barbatos, Anemo Archon, God of Freedom, feeling shy?"

He was not feeling shy, thank you very much.

Though he was certain if he tried to voice that, his voice would tremble with the hitching breaths he was now desperately trying to hold back, so instead he remained silent.

"Hmmm~" Alice paced around him, trying to find a way to look at his face. "Now now, how to get you to come out of hiding… Ah~!"

She reached out and gently plucked out a wayward feather from Venti's wings, and the itch in Venti's nose suddenly flared.

Ah, fuck-

"HhEH’ETSHchiew!!" His wings flared out, and Alice had to jump back to dodge them, a gleefull laugh escaping her as a galeforce wind swept through the area, knocking down some of the trees. Venti didn't even get a second to feel upset about it, because now that the itch in his nose had found it's way to freedom, it was not going to let up until all of it was out. "hH-hiHhh'EtSHhieww!! hH'ITsHhiiew!! hh-hhH'EIShhiew- hH'ESH-ieww!! 'TSHh-iew! Hh… hihh- hEH'TtSHhiew!!"

"There we go~<3!" Alice exclaimed, and Venti managed to open one eye enough to see that her body was glowing with what he could only assume was some sort of protective spell. She laughed again. "Doesn't that feel so much better?!"

"hH'ISHhhiew!!"

Beidou had a sneaking suspicion that there was something wrong.

Kazuha was, normally, one of the early risers on the ship. Typically, Beidou could find him in the early morning hours sitting on top of some crates and watching the sunrise, or helping out with some of the early tasks around the ship.

Not finding him up and about that morning hadn't necessairly rang any alarm bells. Not everyone stuck to the same routine daily after all, she might have just not passed through any areas that he was in, or maybe he had decided to spend the early morning hours in his cabin for once.

And yet, hours continued to tick by, and she hadn't spotted him up and about anywhere around the ship even once. Not even in the kitchen to pick up his usually small amount of breakfast.

By the time the sun had reached it's highest point in the sky, there had still been no sign of Kazuha, and Beidou was officially worried.

…She did have a theory though.

There had been quite the nasty cold going around the ship the past couple of weeks… it seemed like everyone had taken turns getting sick.

Everyone except for Kazuha.

He had helped deal with the sick crewmates despite some of their protests, insisting that he had a strong immune system and that this wasn't likely to impact him. Some had doubted him a little bit, but most had accepted that it was unlikely that he would get ill.

Well, Beidou liked to think that she had a strong immune system as well.

And considering she had just recovered from her own bout of illness a few days ago…

Beidou knocked on the door to Kazuha's cabin. There was no response other than what seemed to be the sound of startled shuffling… as well as a few quietly muffled coughs, which she definitely would not have heard had she not been attentively listening for exactly that.

Well, that proved that theory then.

For one thing, normally Kazuha could tell when she was approaching long before she actually knocked on his door. The number of times he'd opened the door before her knuckles could touch the wood was, in fact, higher than the number of times she had actually managed to knock. So for him to have presumably not noticed her approach? That definitely pointed to something being wrong, and in this case; Kazuha had most certainly gotten sick.

She gave one more knock, just to see if he'd let her in on his own, but when yet again no response came, she sighed and opened the door anyways.

The first thing she noticed was Kazuha standing in the middle of the room, looking a bit like he'd frozen mid-step. Ah, so he had been on his way to the door, she'd just been too impatient. Oh well, it didn't really matter now.

The second thing she noticed was that he was only partially dressed. It was like he had woken up, started getting ready, and then just given up midway through. Not even his hair was tied up the way it usually was.

The third thing she noticed was how absolutely miserable he looked.

"Jeez, you look like death warmed over." She said, and before Kazuha could protest, "Sit back down, I don't want you collapsing on me."

Kazuha, thankfully, listened to her and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"My apologies for worrying you." He said, and man, he sounded even worse than he looked. "I only intended to lay back down for a short while before helping…"

…And evidently as soon as he had, he had fallen asleep again until she had woken him up.

"The ship can survive a day or two without you." Beidou said, "I figured you might've gotten sick, it seems like this one could take down a vishap if it tried."

Kazuha let out a breathy chuckle- that quickly devolved into a series of rough sounding coughs. Beidou winced. She should've thought ahead a bit more and brought some soup and tea with her… Oh well. She'd just have to make sure he got a healthy portion of food later in the day. Many of the others had mostly lost their appetite while sick, and Kazuha didn't tend to eat much in the first place, so Beidou would have to personally ensure it.

Still though, she wasn't going to just stand there while a member of her crew sounded so miserable, so she sat down beside him and gently rubbed at his back until the coughing fit came to an end.

"S-sorry…" Kazuha wheezed out, his voice sounding rough and almost breathless. Beidou patted his back gently, but didn't try and argue against his apologizing. She would never get anywhere with that.

"How about you lay back down again." She said, and Kazuha was either compliant enough or exhausted enough to follow her instructions. "I'm going to go get you some soup."

~

By the time Beidou had returned, Kazuha was sitting back up again, and, for some reason, the room was significantly more of a mess than it had been when she left. She raised an eyebrow at that, stepping overtop of some objects strewn across the floor that had definitely not been there previously. She was certain the ship hadn't hit any sort of sudden swell… He better not have been straining himself, though she couldn't imagine what reason he could possibly have for throwing some of the various knicknacks that were usually on his shelves all over the floor.

"Ready to eat?" She asked, setting the tray she had brought with her down on the table. Kazuha glanced at her, then the bowl, then glanced away for a second, before he silently nodded. Odd. Maybe his throat was hurting him more than he had let on earlier.

The bowl of soup was gently placed into Kazuha's hands, and Beidou sat down on the edge of the bed, intending just to make sure he ate at least enough of it to meet her standards of a healthy amount.

Only, somewhere between the 10th and the 11th spoonfull, Kazuha suddenly paused. And put his spoon down. And suddenly, rather hurriedly, held the bowl out towards Beidou.

"Please h-hold this for a moment." He said, and yeesh, his voice did sound rougher than before. Out of curiosity more than anything, Beidou took the bowl out of his hands, and as soon as she did-

"Hhh…hK'TShh!" Kazuha doubled over, sneezing into his elbow. "HhiH'SHhi! 'Ttsh! hhAH'KShh!!"

A rather strong breeze swept through the room, rolling the objects on the floor around (Beidou supposed this explained why they were even there in the first place), and blowing her hair about. She had to quickly adjust her grip on the bowl to prevent any soup from spilling over, and she was suddenly very glad Kazuha had had the forethought to hand it over to her.

(It was somewhat worrying that he didn't seem to be attempting to stifle… usually he would try to keep his sneezing as contained as possible, even when ill. She was glad she wouldn't have to force him to stop making himself more miserable, but it did also imply that this illness was hitting him much harder than she had previously thought).

Unfortunately, it didn't seem as though Kazuha was going to stop sneezing any time soon.

"Hh… hihH… hH-" Unless one happened to get stuck, of course. Beidou watched patiently for a moment, waiting for him to either finally sneeze or for the hitching breaths to cease, only for neither to occur. After a second, a memory came to the forefront of her mind, of Kazuha once claiming that his nose occassionally got 'stagefright'. She had assumed it was just him making a silly excuse as for why he tended to leave the room to sneeze by himself (due to what she'd concluded was a mixture of politeness and embarrassment), but…

Beidou looked away from him.

"haH'SHhhi!" One sneeze quickly devolved into another. "Hhh'TSHhh- 'tsh 'SHh- hH'SHhhi! hAhH'KSHh!!"

Beidou stared silently at a wall, waiting patiently until all that was left was the sound of Kazuha sniffling, at which point she silently held out the soup bowl back towards him. It was only after he carefully took it out of her hands that she stood up.

She figured he wouldn't want her commenting on it, so instead she silently went and hunted down the tissue box that had ended up on the floor on the other side of the room, bringing it back over to him.

He only lightly dabbed at his nose, which Beidou thought was fairly useless, and at one point stifled another sneeze handful of sneezes into a handful of tissues, but other than that, the rest of the impromptu lunch went without incident.

"How're you feeling?" She asked, gently placing the back of her hand against Kazuha's forehead as he set the bowl off to the side. He didn't seem to have that strong of a fever, though he clearly did have one. "Any dizziness?"

"…I don't believe so." Not very confident a response, but Beidou would choose to accept this answer until he deliberately told her otherwise.