#moonlitdamselette

She’s not too sure how she got roped into this game, but she is beyond delighted for it. A combination between tag and hide and seek is what this particular group had come up with, as she’d come to learn. In no part thanks to the children that had come out of nowhere and declared her ‘it’ before scurrying off never to be seen again with no explanation, but she doesn’t particularly mind. It wasn’t too difficult to pick up on the context clues, anyway.

It’s a unique game; innovative, and fun. Everything she’d always wished to have the chance to be apart of since her birth. Though perhaps a bit on the difficult side, when in a city you’ve never properly visited before…

“Hmm…” Columbina hummed softly to herself as she glided through the streets. Where would someone playing the ‘hider’ go…? Perhaps near the outskirts of the city, rather than the heart. Away from bright lights that could illuminate their spot, or people that could give away their position by trying to talk to them. Just like…

…Ah. It’s that guy she gave a candy to before.

She can’t quite tell if he’s playing or not. He’s standing in a similarly appropriate position, though he’s not exactly hiding… Perhaps he’s like her from a moment ago, and simply doesn’t know the rules yet. Or perhaps he really isn’t part of the game. Yet, at least. He certainly is now.

Columbina sneaks up behind the semi-stranger as quietly as she can, just as she learned to do from all her times playing with Arlecchino in the Fatui — exposing herself with a light tap to his shoulder. “Tag. You’re it.”

And with that, she takes off again without waiting for a response.

The sound of laughter and footsteps echoed through the streets of Liyue Harbor. Xiao stood, albeit a bit awkwardly, concealed behind the side of a building. There was a game of hide-and-seek tag going on, but despite his position, he was not actually playing.

He had happened to actually be in the harbor, rather than silently observing it from above, for the purpose of making a Xiao lantern. Then the spontaneous decision to visit Wanmin Restaurant arose, and he had ended up walking right into the middle of the game.

The adepti did not play very many games, and Xiao was no exception; therefore, feeling rather awkward about the prospect of joining the game of hide-and-seek tag, he had instead decided to simply observe the state of the game. Then, if he at some point desired to join—highly unlikely, but possible—he could do so without any trouble.

He had not accounted for the possibility of being tagged against his will.

Xiao stared in surprise as the foreign goddess he had once met before tapped him on the shoulder—“Tag, you’re it”—and skipped away. It was strange to be approached so casually. Different. But it was not bad.

In his momentary confusion, she had slipped away. It was no matter. He was supposed to chase after her, as per the rules of the game. 

‘Drinking is a social activity.’ Or at least, so she’s been told — and so the second drink slid across the counter to her hands reinforces. ‘If you are to drink, you must do so with friends.’ Even in a situation like this, where she is not exactly sure what she is supposed to be drinking, nor what is in the second cup she brings along with her. That too, is part of the social activity, she’s pretty sure. All that’s left is someone to socialize with…

Thankfully for her, it doesn’t take too long to pick out a familiar face. It would’ve been rather awkward if she’d have ended up needing to hand the mystery drink off to a stranger. Not that she would have particularly minded the chance to meet a stranger, but… the number of times she’s been described as ‘unsettling’ in the past gives her the feeling an interaction like that would not be one taken as positively as she would have meant it.

“Hello,” Columbina smiles up at the similarly head-winged man with a polite bow of the head, careful to ensure the movement doesn’t disturb the cups in her hands. “It’s nice to see you again. I hope your day is going better than our first meeting.”

Funny… She can’t remember much of how that day went besides the start right now. Ah, well. It hardly matters — any day, no matter how great, can always be upstaged by something greater. Such is the nature of a life without endings, and the beauty of it.

“Would you like a drink? The ‘roulette’ table gave me an extra.” With the greetings complete and no drink-related tragedies come to pass (that she could feel, at least) Columbina raises both cups; an offer to let him choose, should he wish. “I will warn you, though: I can’t say if it’s any good. I have yet to try it for myself. I thought it would be nice if we tried together.”

Sunday smiles at the approach of his moonlit-winged friend. It's heartening to see a familiar face amongst those celebrating Lantern Rite, and it reminds him of when he once also partook of such festivities while living on Penacony. Robin would probably like this holiday, if he's perfectly honest, and he'll have to see if he can get some treats to send her along with his next letter. He chuckles at the lady's offer and accepts one of the cups. "Thank you, I appreciate it. Don't worry, I quite like tea, and Liyue is renowned for producing some excellent varieties, so you can count on it being good quality, at the very least."

Raising the cup, he inhales a good whiff of the steam wafting from the tea. Notes of florals and delicate, roasty sweetness outline the aroma, encouraging him to move on to take a sip. Hmmm, based on the lightness and smoothness of the body and roast, this must be a green tea. That floral flavor... I think it's a match for those flower cakes I tried a few days ago. If I recall correctly, the species is colloquially known as "qingxin." What an interesting pairing, and very refreshing! The green tea allows for the subtle qingxin to shine through, with neither overpowering the other. It's good! I'll have to see where I can buy some of this to add to my stash.

"This is a pretty delicious tea, if you're curious," he tells her. "From what I can tell, it's a green tea flavored with qingxin—it tastes very gentle and delightful if you like such types of tea." He wonders what tea she ended up with; the idea of a "tea roulette" sounds like a lot of fun, but he doesn't know that many people who might be interested in such a thing. Mr. Yang, maybe, or Mr. Dan Heng. They seem like they enjoy tea enough to not mind tasting mystery teas and guessing what they are. Perhaps he can bring up the idea sometime, ideally during their next trip to the Luofu in case they want to invite more like-minded people to join in.

Sunday gazes out at the festival around him, his attention drawn to the myriad Xiao Lanterns floating in the night sky. They make for a dazzling sight, and there's something uniquely beautiful about it existing here in reality. Sure, the Dreamweavers could no doubt replicate it in the Dreamscape, on a far greater scale to be honest, but would it truly compare to seeing it here and now? The lanterns in the sky, the company physically by his side, tea in his cup and in his belly...

It's tangible. Warm. Warming him inside and out the way the temperature-bereft Dreamscape never quite could.

“I believe you should be quite familiar with this sort of atmosphere, right?” Columbina tilts her head with a smile, gesturing a hand towards the supposedly ‘spooky’ trail beforehand — though if she were to be honest, it feels more to her senses like a very normal trail, more than anything. Though far be it from her to ruin the festive atmosphere by saying so aloud.

Regardless, real or not, it presents her the opportunity to spend more time with a friend. So it does hold its worth in that way, even if she doesn’t quite understand the desire to be scared. Or what’s so scary about it to begin with.

“Would you be willing to guide me? I’m afraid I don’t know much in the ways of ghosts and spirits. Perhaps you could point them out to me if you see some.”

Lantern Rite 2026 | accepting

"This graveyard is a little livelier than I am accustomed to." In that this graveyard, staged as it is for the festival, is stocked full of those who are still alive. Nevertheless, Flins notes the couples wandering the trail ahead and behind them with good humor and a wry smile. The flickering glow of lamplight at their feet, the altars with their curls of incense rising skyward in lazy twists, and the occasional specter or undead moaning from among the sets decorating the path share some similarities to a lonely, faraway lighthouse, but only superficially. Still, though, that is not the point, and when it comes to good company, there's little difference the stage dressing could make.

And few things in the world that did not dull in the moon goddess' radiance, besides.

"But of course, my dear lady, I would be honored to be your guide this evening," Flins adds with a customary bow, one hand placed over his heart. He offers it then in polite gesture to ease her over the rocky steps marking the trailhead, even as she seems to drift and glide over the uneven path without his help. Side by side, they walk along like the moon and its shadow.

“Hello.” The moon goddess approaches the stranger with a gentle bow of her head; the polite thing to do when meeting someone for the first time, or so she’s been told. Though then again, there are many different greetings as she’s come to learn, all polite in their own ways. Hopefully she guessed the right one for this instance. “My name is Columbina Hyposelenia. Would you like a candy?”

Strange… the energy surrounding him is not one of kuuvakhi, instead something far too dark to possibly be mistaken so light, but it’s strong enough to sense as though it was. It’s an almost… painful feeling. Something she can’t imagine must be any more pleasant for him. Perhaps a lighter candy would be best to help counteract that?

Columbina sticks her hand into her box of treats, feeling around for a moment before finally returning with a candy covered in a white paper labeled ‘Pine Amber’, which she then holds out to him. It was one of the few the candy maker she commissioned had been more hesitant on… but in the wild, they tend to glow rather nicely under the moon. That means the candy version should do the trick just as well, right? “Here. I hope it helps.”

Xiao had sensed the goddess’s approach before he saw her. 

An ancient energy, one far older than he, radiated from within her. For a moment, he tensed, muscles ready for battle; but he waited, watching intently, as the goddess approached him, bowed, introduced herself, and politely offered him a candy—to help?

Xiao stared. Was she… trying to be friendly? A foreign goddess, offering a gesture of goodwill, for him? 

Perhaps some gods were as strange as humans, he thought, but he bowed in return and accepted the gift. It would be rude to refuse. “It is nice to meet you, Columbina Hyposelenia. Sugar will not help me, but the gesture is appreciated.”

He unwrapped the candy and held it up curiously. It was shaped like something he did not recognize—perhaps something from her homeland. Hesitantly, he put it in his mouth. The mild, sweet taste of honey coated his tongue; yet underneath it, there was something sharp and woodsy. Not unpleasant.