#lightcffireflies

The blonde Traveller sat crouched down while motioning with one hand for the younger girl to move closer.

"Say, how about the two of us sneak out together for a bit? I found a great fish blasting spot." Perhaps it was somewhat irresponsible of her to condone the youngest Knight's potentially dangerous behavior, but Lumine would be there to keep a close eye on her and to ensure that nobody got hurt.

Unlike Mondstadt where most lakes are surrounded by grass and the fire caused by explosions could easily turn into a catastrophy, she knew a few bodies of water in Liyue which were secluded and with not a lot of shrubbery around - lessening the risks.

"Oh. But don't tell your big brother Albedo or Grandmaster Jean, okay? It'll be our little secret!"

her pointed ears could not help but twitch, easily responsive to the sound of lumine's voice; recognizable even from far away!

klee turned in a complete circle, attempting to spot the golden ━ haired traveler as she swayed from side to side as a habit of excitement. and when rosy eyes caught sight of lumine waving her over, she was quick to rush over. her rucksack jostled dangerously on her back as she hurried in quick, hop ━ like steps. laughter fell easily from her lips, though it was muffled by the gloves she pressed over her mouth once she met with the traveler; after all, lumine was being secretive by crouching so surely she had to be secretive too!

but how was klee supposed to be quiet when lumine had just revealed the best news she heard all day?! ( well, that and that albedo would finally let her see the recent sketches he had been working on. oh oh!! or that and that AND that jean being busy in her office for a day or two because of some important adult things! )

"really?! i can't believe you've found a spot that great!" despite her not being told, exactly, where said fish ━ blasting spot was. but that hardly mattered since anything lumine found was usually perfect! "i finished all my research today, plus i haven't seen jean anywhere so yes, i can go! absolutely! klee would love to go!"

klee nodded her head, almost fast enough to make it ache, before pressing her finger against her lips to make a small, shushing noise. she was such a great spy that not even the bestest ( greatest? most secretest? ) spies would be able to find out where lumine and her were! especially if this new fishing location wasn't as eager to light up as every other lake had.

"I hope you enjoy this small, but delicious gift. Paimon and I worked very hard to make them!" - The word 'Paimon and' were clearly added by the pixie in question herself in pink marker, when in reality, it was the Traveler herself who did most of the work.

Inside the small box were a handful of homemade sugar cookies - with a hint of cinnamon added for extra holiday flavor. The cookies had different colors of icing on them - from yellow to orange and red - to resemble maple leaves. She also mixed in a little bit of maple syrup with the dough to add that iconic taste.

Note: This is UNRELATED to the Secret Santa event, I simply want to spread the holiday love. <3

“What is this?” The white haired boy asked. He wasn’t expecting anything today or captain Beidou tasked him to deliver a parcel.

“I don’t know. They just hand it over to me and told me to give it to you,” Xu said, waving his hand as he walked away to return to his post.

"I hope you enjoy this small, but delicious gift. Paimon and I worked very hard to make them!" - The word 'Paimon and' were clearly added by the pixie in question herself in pink marker, when in reality, it was the Traveler herself who did most of the work.

Inside the small box were a handful of homemade sugar cookies - with a hint of cinnamon added for extra holiday flavor. The cookies are shaped like little otters since the Iudex seems to have taken a special liking to those cute critters.

Note: This is UNRELATED to the Secret Santa event, I simply want to spread the holiday love. <3

"Monsieur Neuvillette, a private delivery has just arrived for you. I'll leave it over here..."

The Iudex merely nods in agreement as a way of response, his face betraying none of the confusion awoken by the announcement. He had not been anticipating any packages coming to him, so what could this be?

Once the report he had been working on is dealt with, his hand next reaches for the newly arrived small box to resolve the mystery; and indeed it does not take very long. As soon as his eyes land on the message written in colorful letters, the corners of his lips curl upwards into a light smile.

Maybe he does need to look out the window more often. Knowing the current date only from official documents has evidently resulted in him remembering the day, but not the time of year. He has usually paid no attention to human holidays, his involvement beginning and ending on approving and knowing when the Palais staff has days off - for his part, he often still works through that period, seeing as it means little to him. He has never sent any gifts, nor received them; he would exchange small trinkets with the Melusines, but this is a regular occurrence not bound to any special occasion, so he does not associate it with the festivities.

And yet this time... perhaps it was the recent events, or maybe the nice feeling of being remembered, that awoke within him a small, faint sensation of connection to the world around him.

"I hope you enjoy this small, but delicious gift. Paimon and I worked very hard to make them!" - The word 'Paimon and' were clearly added by the pixie in question herself in pink marker, when in reality, it was the Traveler herself who did most of the work.

Inside the small box were a handful of homemade sugar cookies - with a hint of cinnamon added for extra holiday flavor. What truly stands out is the shape of the cookies, resembling wolves.

Note: This is UNRELATED to the Secret Santa event, I simply want to spread the holiday love. <3

"From the Traveler and her flying friend," Wriothesley announced, and punctuated it with the clatter of the plate onto the table in the center of the break room, audible enough to turn the heads of his guards but not rough enough to jostle the cookies too far out of their arrangement. He put his hands on his hips and stepped back as a crowd flocked around the holiday gift, soon filling the little room with warm chatter. Almost all of them knew Lumine and Paimon, if not by name, then by their reputation: first as the Duke's new favorites, second as heroes. Questions floated about their whereabouts now, how their sentence had finished, where the holiday would take them, and then became unanimous praise over the flavor of the cookies.

"It's first come, first served," Wriothesley added, eyes flickering to a young man still fastening the buttons of his coat in the back corner, then flashed the rest a sly smile. "Just don't tell morning shift."

Laughter, some more bitter than others. The guard from the back finally joined the rest, weaving a thin arm deftly between two of his colleagues to snag a wolf-shaped treat and realizing there were only a few left.

"Will Your Grace have one?" he asked, still holding the cookie over the plate like he wasn't sure if he should take it. Wriothesley chuckled.

"Already had one." And he'd set aside a second for Sigewinne, too. He had a feeling the Traveler hadn't intended for him to share the gift with his entire staff, but if asked he'd just say that he was being practical about it: that the cookies were best fresh and it would take him three days at least to finish them off on his own. But more than a gift, or a thank-you, or a reward for good work, they were a sign to ease the minds of anyone who wondered (of Wriothesley, who worried despite himself) that their baker was doing alright out there in the wide open world.

"They're delicious! Tell her we said thanks."

"I hope you enjoy this small, but delicious gift. Paimon and I worked very hard to make them!" - The word 'Paimon and' were clearly added by the pixie in question herself in pink marker, when in reality, it was the Traveler herself who did most of the work.

Inside the small box were a handful of homemade sugar cookies - with a hint of cinnamon added for extra holiday flavor. The cookies had a simple layer of white icing on them, with a little punny message. (and yes, it did hurt her soul to write those puns)

Note: This is UNRELATED to the Secret Santa event, I simply want to spread the holiday love. <3

Starter for @lightcffireflies

Allan, a local ranger and trader, is having some issues with his transport balloon. It appears to have been intentionally sabotaged. Pieces of rope have been burnt, holes have been pierced, and wooden boards are just missing all together. Whether done by a band of lost hilichurls or a tactful saboteur, this is malicious to say the least! Please help Allan repair his balloon and if possible, find the source of what caused this heinous crime.

Burnt rope end sat in his palm, trailing off onto the ground as he stood back up. Xingqiu frowned as he examined the sabotaged remains of the balloon. It seemed to him that it couldn't have been random. The culprit was still at large, so more merchants' balloons may be in danger.

First, tending to the victim before seeking justice.

"There should be most of the materials needed to replace the basket and rope of the balloon." Xingqiu calculated how much he'd need as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "As for the balloon itself, hmm..."

He looked up, brightening as he saw someone coming his and Allan's way.

Amongst many acquaintances and friends, there were also quite a few people at the beach whom Lumine had never met before. Having gone on many travels before, she was definitely not shy in regards to socializing with strangers.

However, there was something about this one grey-haired guy in particular which caught her attention. His appearance was nothing special - he was one of the more normal-looking people in fact. Yet, the aura coming from him was oddly...familiar.

Perhaps she should go say hello to him? They might get along quite well.

...Actually, scratch that. Simply going up to someone and saying 'hi' is so boring. The blonde had a much better idea.

Grabbing one of the foam noodles she found laying around earlier, Lumine swiftly snuck up on the other, hitting him right on the head.

"...Surprise attack!"

If Caelus had a ticket for every time he had been surprise smacked by a foam noodle, lad would have two tickets--- which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice for now. The first time the silver was whacked it was from an ally he was already familiar with. Though this "assault" was from one Caelus absolutely did not recognize, even if the essence he felt coming from the blonde lass gave a startling familiar feeling.

But that is for another time to think about- Lad is quite simply pleased that he found a planet where locals aren't afraid of him, or actively trying to throw him ( or his companions ) in jail- so having an unknown individual come at him is welcomed. He's known for making quick friends, and what better way to introduce yourself and break the ice than with a friendly noodle war?

Roll: 6 | A HIT! Though just barely...

Thankfully, prior battle experience comes in handy even if you're just goofing around. Well, it would if his foot hadn't slipped last second in the sand as he made his spin to turn around, his own "weapon" not landing nearly as firm against his "opponent's" form as their attack had hit him ( not that Caelus would actually whap anyone with intent, or with near enough strength, to harm ). Even so, he couldn't help but laugh at his own "failure" and find the amusement in it- even proceeding to fall completely on his bum due to his lack of balance. Cursed sand!

❛ My, my-- what a sneak attack! I didn't even hear you approach! Any way I can convince you to teach me your stealth skills? ❜

╰ ✧ ˖  @lightcffireflies asked:

[S'MORES]

"Aaah...!! It's burning! Burning...!!" Lumine quickly withdrew her stick from the fire, blowing a few times in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flame. "...Phew. Seems like I managed to save it just in time. While these do need a bit of a char on them, I definitely wouldn't want to eat a marshmallow which is burnt to a crisp..." Before it cooled off again, she placed the roasted treat on top of the cracker and chocolate before topping it with another cookie, completing her little 's mores sandwich. "Ta-dah! When you look at it like this, they almost resemble macarons a little, don't you think? Perhaps you should make 's mores flavored macarons someday!"

"Mm, but that's when they're the best!" Navia giggles, pulling her own marshmallow from the fire. She twirls the stick to investigate the thing, which has been quite thoroughly charred. An interesting taste, certainly.

With a flourish, she sandwiches it between two crackers and pries it from the stick. An utter mess, of course, as still bubbling fluff oozes onto her fingers. She pays it no mind, sinking her teeth into the thing hardly a moment later with a satisfied hum and watching as the traveler presents her own.

A nod of eager agreement. "Sounds absolutely delicious, you're right! I should expect no less from the mind of my most favorite partner."

She'll have to draft up a recipe before tonight so as not to forget. In fact, she may just be able to whip some up before they've even returned home...