@bursterasure ✧ Liyue Harbor, Liyue
✦Paimon will help you find him, and we'll spend the next Lantern Rite together.✦
it had been an earnest pledge, but one impossible, with the grand scale of their journey making itself clear as weeks turned into months and they years. twice since the vow had the Traveler returned to Liyue's heartfelt festival, hand empty of her brother's. from the clifftop from which they watched the sea of lanterns that first year, the spot in which Paimon promised, she hovered by herself, undoubtedly feeling what Lumine had as her expression crumpled into sorrow.
upon reflection, it was probably always a heartwrenching sight — each year, they marvelled the majesty of hundreds xiao lanterns setting sail upon the night skies together, resembling a galaxy of stars. a beautiful scene, no doubt. but when asked about what journeying with Aether was like, Lumine had spoken of their gaze upon the stars, pointing to where they wanted to go next. and...
those lanterns must have been the first time she looked upon that kind of cluster alone. and Paimon had had no idea. ultimately, as much as she kept the Traveler company, she wasn't the girl's brother and could never fill the void he left in her. it did bother her, and maybe that contributed to her lashing out during the most recent Lantern Rite (though that wasn't an excuse. she'd realised later just how horribly she had treated everyone, Xiao especially, and still needed to make it right).
even though the thing about wishes was never to tell when you write them, Paimon knew each year what Lumine's deepest wish was — to find her brother. ✦Paimon doesn't know what to do...✦ she sighed. it was frustrating — how she wanted to grant that wish after so long, but having no idea how.
