#ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ scarletooyoroi

[wanderlcst-princxss]

continued from [ here ] // @scarletooyoroi

She feels dizzy.

Lumine had gone through post-battle rituals as best she could on her own, but the deep ache of her muscles were like lead in her limbs. It had been enough to just drag herself back to the teapot without collapsing. Thoma's worries and fretting were a warmth that had begun to thaw the ice of her dazed state, but she was still just going through the motions.

It isn't until the sting of potions and palms are being applied that the blurry haze begins to sharpen, everything falling back into place slowly but surely. She picks at the fabric of her gloves– she had refused to take them off– and breathes in long and slow.

Thoma's words cut through the silence, yet it still takes an embarrassing amount of time for Lumine to process the words.

"I did," she says. It's an attempt at reassurance at best, the words feeling hollow as they seep into the open air.

..At least she isn't worried about passing out anymore.

[wanderlcst-princxss]

The look that he sends her way isn't acknowledged beyond just the slightest shrug of her shoulders. She may have had the slightest hand in opening up a lot of the temples– but it was all just a favor to a friend and basically acting as a glorified bodyguard than anything else.

"I think it's something about the proximity to leylines," Lumine muses– leylines in this world caused a lot of oddities with the creatures and mechs that inhabited it. "Clearing out the most dangerous models is a must: any of the ones that can turn invisible should be higher priority, since they'll catch other adventurers off guard..."

When asked for her opinion, Lumine feels her brain stall just the slightest bit. She scrambles to thinks of which ones had caught her eye-- she tended to follow Paimon's lead lately...

"There's been rumours of strange lights popping up around the desert," Lumine says. "It could be nice to do some of those: a little but of rumor-chasing for some mora? Doesn't sound like too bad of a deal."

Underneath the sanctity of Sumeru's nightlights, dimming with the oncoming rise of dawn that breaches through the wave of night, a lot of planning was to be had. Thoma easily found himself adjusting as a more vibrant energy currently sang within his body. A desire to create action and for the goal to allow other travelers to have times a touch safer was a noble pursuit he could get behind.

Luck often had an element of involving the efforts of others, from what he learned.

"Take a direction to the flats of the desert. From what I've learned with the uptick of activity, a lot more folks compelled by the art of archaeology wanted to try traversing a lot of hidden pathways that mysteriously opened." Giving Lumine a knowing look, there's no doubt in his mind that her solitary and their shared adventures had a thing or two to do with that.

"How about we take the time clearing the particularly stronger models that are armed by the temples? In a way.. and weird as it sounds, it feels like those pyramids serve as zones to initiate some brand of self repair."

Exactly how were they even able to create such miraculous structures? That level of technology, it rings familiar to ancient architecture that inhabits Liyue's eroded garrisons or the more well refined artifacts rightfully held by their Adepti. While he didn't have any firsthand accounts, there has been no shortage of stories in the more private strings of his information network. It was food for thought as they made a casual walk down the rolling slope walkways.

"So, a lil attention from us would go a long way. ..Beyond that, which commissions have caught your eye by the way? Much as you do lend a hand, I never knew if you had a particular favorite you gravitate towards."

[lumnius-a]

ℒ  ╱  𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙏 ,  ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫   THOMA ✐― @scarletooyoroi​ ♥༻           [  SPANK  ] "You always make the sweetest sounds whenever I do that. Is it all for me?" He couldn't resist that instance of teasing her.

Lumine SQUEAKS, attempting to muffle the sound as she jumps at the sudden smack, && as cheeks burn a bright red she turns around with furrowed brows and a firmly pouted lip; she was cross, she was trying to glare daggers but it’s such a weak display even she has to drop the façade; it wasn’t working in her favour. Thoma’s teasing causes the Outlander to huff, hands resting against her hips as she stares him down instead. 

❝  Who knows. You’re the only one-  ❞  A pause, ignoring how her ears also turn red.  ❝  That doesn’t meet the other end of my sword.  You know, if you surprise me like that again, I’m not responsible for what happens.  ❞

Despite Lumine’s bravo, it’s harmless words; her own way of teasing, and a way of cooling the flustered expression from her features. It’s Thoma’s fault for being so bold and taking her by surprise like that. One wouldn’t think he was the type to get so rowdy, but looks were deceiving, that’s something she’d come to realise quite frequently during her time in Teyvat. 

Eyes flicker open, lips parting, && quickly she glances over her shoulder with a sharp, accusatory stare. Wait a second-   ❝  && I don’t make a sound.  ❞

[wanderlcst-princxss]

[ takeout ] "Hey! Figured whipping up some Inazuman ramen would be good for a nice sit down meal."

Her head lifts slightly at the sound of Thoma's voice, but it's the word 'ramen' that properly pulls her attention from the scrolls in her hands. Honey-gold eyes glimmer, and Lumine discards what she's reading.

"Ramen sound amazing," she says, reaching her hands out and making excited grabbing-motions with her hands. "I was literally thinking about exactly that this morning."

[wanderlcst-princxss]

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ continued from [ here ] // @scarletooyoroi

Lumine's brow stays knitted together in her concentration until she slowly pulls her hands away– and grins, amused, at her handiwork. "There we go-- stay tight."

She produces a small mirror, turning it to show Thoma a small, faintly confused yellow bird that is now... perching in his hair.

[wanderlcst-princxss]

❛ working together again, it’s just like old times. ❜

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ [ DIALOGUE PROMPTS ]

A look is thrown over her shoulder at the wayward comment, her back bumping against Thoma's as she hops back– narrowly missing the swipe of a rifthound's claws.

"Working together is a way to put it," Lumine muses, adjusting the grip on her sword before she swings upward, catching the monstrous mutt in the jaw and knocking it backwards in a way that makes her arms ache. Most of the commissions that they two of them had taken on in their time journeying together consisted of collection and puzzle-solving— and the current situation of clearing out a pack of rifthounds was just coincidental.

"Although, 'working together' makes it sound a lot less dangerous– heads up!"

Lumine ducks out from behind Thoma just in time to send razor-sharp leaves cutting across the muzzle of another teleporting mutt. She shoots Thoma a grin as she twirls out of the way of his polearm, refocusing her attention on the situation at hand.

[wanderlcst-princxss]

💓, 💥, 🪤

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ 💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

The immediate thought is someone she trusts being stronger than her in a situation, and standing up for her. The follow-up to that is someone looking at her and really seeing her– being stared at really intently (especially by someone she finds attractive in some way) can fluster her fast because she never expects it. The third big one that I can think of is just.. being treated gently.

A lot of these are just treating her with care in a way that she isn't used to, really– while acknowledging she's capable and not diminishing her abilities in the process.

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ 💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Anger! Lumine has a short temper and gets frustrated easily, sure, but it takes a lot for her to really get angry. She's competitive, but it's in good faith; she can be jealous, but it doesn't cloud her vision or the way that she interacts with others.

Anger, on the other hand, is something that has always made her feel like she's burning from the inside out– and because she doesn't typically get angry (she defaults to distress, frustration, or grief) she doesn't know what to do with it or how to cope with it at all! It makes her more reckless while simultaneously isolating herself without realizing it.

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ 🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

For Lumine, the immediate answer would be Aether.

On a broader (and more honest) scale, it would be family and her connections.

Lumine's fatal flaw is often provoked because of how deeply she loves. She has a heart that's too big for her– not quite a bleeding heart, but she is someone who loves others easily and wants to protect the people that she cares for. If the people that she loves are put into serious peril, or if she could prevent any harm from coming to them, she would throw herself into the fray with reckless abandon in an attempt to save them.

ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹ [ CHARACTER ] EMOJI ASKS ! !

[wanderlcst-princxss]

🌷 !

send  🌷  for  a  soft  starter . ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫ ▹

"You're awake late."

Lumine taps down carefully next to where Thoma is sitting, offering him a smile– the slightest quirk of the lips on one side, the scrunch of her eyes at the corners. She drops down to sit next to him, elbows resting on her knees and palms raised so she can rest her head in her hands.

She carefully leans over, nudges one elbow right below Thoma's ribs, and smiles.

"Mora for your thoughts?"

[lumitris]

There was no use getting FLUSTERED now, but ah, that may have caught her off-guard a little; did they really? No, more like, was it that obvious? Lumine clears her throat ...

❝ You noticed ? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you'd pick up on that stuff. ❞ He was the well-known 'fixer' of Inazuma, he was bound to have a sharp eye for ... well, certain things anyway.

Hey, hold on a moment ...

❝ Thoma, were you paying that much attention to me during those encounters? ❞ Yes, throw it back his way; she tries not to show smugness, but resting fists against her hips does help to push that notion across.

"Hm, so is that how it works.." Someone who reveled in the chaos of life and limb. A test of power.. wait a second.

Oh.

"So is that why your hair gets so particularly shiny during certain encounters of our scrimmages? I noticed your electro levels get a little.." Makes the hand gestures.

[wanderlcst-princxss]

The way that smile lightens Thoma's face is contagious– Lumine's own smile broadens in return. She thinks that it's like watching the sunrise in a way, and the minute tension in her shoulders fades away. Whatever it was she had done, her companion seems reinvigorated, so she'll go ahead and take that as a win and not think too hard about it.

"Either lending a hand or giving you a shove," Lumine agrees, laughter flickering through her voice. "I guess it moves you forward either way!"

The tap of a fingertip against her forehead is unexpected, eyes crossing just the slightest bit. She blinks, shakes her head, and smiles slightly. "That's a good starting point," she agrees. She produces her map of Teyvat with a flourish. "Katheryn gave me a good list for what we were look for, so maybe we should.."

Her voice fills the space between them, quiet enough to not disturb Paimon as she verbalizes her thoughts for their next course of action, her own energy renewed.

"!!" Of all the things he expected, the soft approach of her fingers against his skin hadn't been in the cars. It's as if he's snapped from a haze, leading to his jade gaze to draw back towards her, the arm wielding the Vision lowering down until it comfortably rests within his lap.

What she says feels like such a simple answer in essence. A lot of his life, from the bruised knuckles, scraped knees and burgeoning resolve did so many perceptions view it as complicated. How there's some abstract, great totality that had to be reached when it comes to refining the spirit. His days in the Swiftshatter School in particular loved delving into those particulars.

Purpose found in the essence of the polearm, how in order to bridge the gap between humanity and the divine, some formulaic stance of being had to be reached. Unsurprisingly, for those days he stomped upon his unbeaten path into manhood, a lot had to be gleaned and a truth only he could form became the golden standard. So to hear this?

That working the natural road his experiences had woven would lead to where he needs to be, by the Seven could he not help but smile.

A dramatized huff couldn't help but be released, steam and all puffing from the Allogene. "Learning to sound it out, to weave it together.. To understand. If anything, a lot more time spent upon braving this, the unknown of Teyvat is here to lend a hand.. Unintentionally or not." The thoughts spurred a rightful heat to course through his veins.

So why not make good on the time they have? After all, due to how long it's been, wasn't it time to get the daily grind out the way? Responding in kind, a harmless tap of a finger would be made upon her forehead.

"Then one starting mark to that is these Commissions. If I may, how about we tackle the ones that have to do with knocking out King Deshret's automatons?"

[wanderlcst-princxss]

Despite the way that her nose wrinkles at the title, Lumine listens and closes her eyes, letting the image form in her mind's eye. A language all it's own... for her, she thinks of a script written in stardust, or the smudge of soot after her comet scrapes across a new planet for the first time. She thinks of the whisper she hears from Viatrix that guided her away from her home and into a new world– the mother star always shining as a beacon, no matter where the star-kissed traveler finds herself.

"My stars call to me like that," she muses. "So I'm sort of familiar."

One hand raises to prop up her head as she watches Thoma's face. There's something that shines beneath his expression– resolve, maybe, or maybe it's just the warmth of him as a person that leads her to think that Pyro fits him quite well.

Rubeum Scutum. She parses the parts of the words before nodding along, tucking it all into the folder of knowledge she has flagged with Thoma's name. Thoma does well when he's helping others– she's noticed that he's comfortable like that and falls into being a pillar of support with an ease that she's almost jealous of at times. Seeing the way that it manifests in him, seeing the way his Vision responds as if it agrees with his words...

Lumine sighs, fond and amused and understanding all at once.

Her hand reaches up, fingers gently pinching Thoma's cheek. She smiles at him with a glimmer of mirth on the honey-wine of her gaze. "The mist'll clear eventually, as frustrating as it is to wade through right now," she promises.

She lets go of his cheek and folds her arm across her knees. "If your refinement is learning a language: then you're learning the basics of a sentence right now. Eventually it'll all start to string together and be able to hear it calling."

He wasn't going to knock that possibility. If there was some vigor added to Lumine's step for a completely off-charted goal, then naturally, the proper course of action was to become an unmoving pillar of support for such an endeavor. From the larger than life to the small, somehow adventure with this starfaring traveler always had its means to be excited for! Just momentarily witnessing the way she shimmers on such a matter says more than enough.

Even right now, how there was a glow of.. more, a familiar luminescence that his recent days made him familiar with that dance with her chosen element. Embarrassing as it may be to just look at her with such little shame, part of him couldn't help it.

Interest was simply inevitable once he was a witness of the ways her powers play. Canting his gaze higher as he lifts the Vision up a touch higher, he draws more of his hand over it, keeping it safely clutched within his grip as they danced on the ideas of a Vision's intricacy. "And if I were to take your advice prior, teacher." Oh did he enjoy adding that in there. "Picking the particular way to brute force this would be the trickiest.. The wisdom comes in learning well-- how would I say it."

"To me, it'd be like learning a one of a kind language. One that is undeniably yours.. Even if some things can match up with others."

Thoma had a certain feeling that Lumine's conjecture was right on the money. From what he learned in balancing his might with one of the Almighty Seven, somehow, imagination and ingenuity plays one of the biggest parts. ..Could that serve as a similar foundation for expanding his mastery? "Even now, there's a few details I can offer you from what I learned. A 'calling' you could say.."

"My stars find pride in calling themselves the Rubeum Scutum. To dance within flames, to let it consciously discern.. To either being decimation to my foes, or protective warmth to my friends. And even this feels like a beginning of sorts." A low chuckle follows as he could feel the supernatural heat stir within the heavenly eye. As if that part of his being resonated with all he said, creating a brighter aura to gleam within the jewel itself.

"Now trying to find what each star calls itself? So far I can only discern one.. The rest, well." He cast his gaze to the side, a touch embarrassed.

"It's like trying to find the sight of someone while locked in a steam room. Just hellish!"

[wanderlcst-princxss]

"A physical punishment is an effective one," Lumine says, laughter in her voice. "You're a big boy, you can handle a whack or two."

The challenge in the look that he throws her way makes Lumine's grin widen a smidge further. Instead of really responding, though, she just laughs– entirely in good humor and deeply pleased with the sentiment given. The idea of 'teacher' being permanently added to the rapidly-growing list of accolades she's gathered– it was funny to her. She never considered herself patient enough for that, and if words spread around of that little tidbit– she could only imagine how many people she would have to fend off.

"Stars– that's funny. We'll just have to wait and see how everything goes, then– maybe I'll turn out to be a better teacher than I thought!"

Her laughter finally begins to putter out, relaxing back into a smile. Thoma adjusts his posture, and Lumine tucks her legs up slightly to peer at his vision again. The reflection of their gazes catches her attention; she notes the changes, how jade and honey-wine are washed out in a sea of ruby red. She tilts her head towards Thoma, listening intently.

"I think you're right."

Lumine sits back, lacing her fingers on top of her knees and watching the green light wash out her skin faintly. She thinks of Kazuha, of the flash of lightning he had turned to: of his friend's empty vision that the samurai's determination had awakened, even if only briefly.

"It takes a lot to awaken that divinity," she muses. "And I think the worst part is trying to figure out how to refine it– especially if it manifests a little bit differently for everyone. For some people it's like blowing glass-- taking potential and turning it into something usable... and for others it's learning the forms over and over until it's muscle memory..."

To the drawn way that she envisions this future, it naturally compels him to don a mantle of confidence, prideful almost to the way he brazenly crosses his arms while seeing the playfulness ride high in her disposition. "A physical punishment--!" A mock gasp escapes within that instance, mirth dancing bright within his expression while giving the Traveler a challenging stare.

"Then we'll have to test that mettle at some point. Otherwise, how can we sharpen your improvements for the infamous teacher Lumine as a future moniker?"

Just the envisioned idea of seeing her keeping sharp eyes upon him, a firm flick upon the forehead or watching a flourish of determination in enlightening him to lessons anew made for quite the sight. Knowing Lumine's professional nature of being dangerously well apt for things she enjoys partaking in, Thoma has a gut feeling that fanning the coals in this scenario..

Oh, it'd lead to a wonderful result somewhere down the line.

Thus as those prods make their mark upon him, as the distance dwindles, there's a companionable brand of comfort he takes from this. In many ways, it reminds him of those envisioned fairy tales of how a long journey would go with his trusted. If only she knew she was making a part of that dream come true.

"In my eyes, words are a fine substitute, but as you've mentioned before, the wealth of experience I believe is worth more than any gold or mora. Who knows, might even need a small wardrobe change if this pans out too well for ya."

As a lively gleam settles within his eyes, that's when he'd retract one of those folded arms, allowing for the heavenly eye to be revealed once again, peering deep against any who dare look into it. Thoma would take a moment to angle it to where from their adjacent sight, it'd cover one of each other's eyes in the distance held between them.

"But not to keep the suspense up, Lumine. I always believed that these are a symbol of the divinity tucked with a human soul. ..Something that needs to be awakened."

[wanderlcst-princxss]

Thoma's voice breaking the quiet washes away the embarrassment that had tried to creep up on her and replaces it with a mixture of relief and indignation. Her cheeks puff out and the arguing words rush out of her without hesitation– but also lacking any heat. "Wha— hey! Just because you've managed to familiarize yourself with everything doesn't mean I can't find.. something to teach you…"

Her words trail off as she watches Thoma's gaze become determined. It takes her a moment to really process what he's saying to her— even Thoma has a side like this to him, does he? It's… well, it's not entirely unsurprising, but it's refreshing to see that sort of resolve in him.

Lumine hums, casting her gaze to the sky and searching for her mother star— the peak of her constellation that calls and calls and calls, regardless of if she's listening. She moves her hands, unlacing her fingers and setting them on her knees to drum a nonsensical rhythm.

"I know something like that," she says. "I've always been… particularly connected to the stars, so calling to them feels like second nature to me now…" She pauses.

"I don't know if I'm the best for advice for this," she admits, the slightest bit sheepish. "When I hit those kinds of barriers, I just… try to brute-force my way through them to get what I want. But traveling has always helped— learning helps- about yourself or about the world around you because that helps you grow without needing to force it- or, something like that…" she trails off, and winces a little bit at her own rambling response. "…I don't know if that's even slightly useful to you."

Somewhere in the honesty of that answer was a pause firmly grasped. Truthfully, it was a response that he hadn't come to expect, a desire to introduce an edge of wisdom being drawn and shared in a mentor/mentee like fashion. Initially, the sentiment stuns him from the quiet wonder of how long Lumine harbored such thoughts before. ..In a way, was their current lifestyle feeling a touch uneven for her taste?

He wasn't ignorant to the fact that his means of preparation often left the board clear. Having the menial curves, the difficulty boundaries, bringing so much of this under the metaphorical umbrella so people could focus on their present challenges. It was a lifestyle he adopted to truly become a pillar for the Kamisatos during their darker days.

Soon that wonder melts into firmness as an idea does come to mind. "To introduce a position of where you can leave new strength. Heheh, sorry to say but in a lot of regards you'd have your work cut out for you.."

Yet as he says this, the vibrancy of the moment doesn't dwindle, a look of focus settles within his eyes as the 'Eternal Student' within did have a desire to foster new might, to let a new skill flourish in the aid of helping himself.

"But, you want to know something lost and stumbling in learning?"

Bringing his visage from the sight of her radiance towards dark skies above, those jade eyes were briefly lost within the countless stars that shimmered and sparked above, a boundless expanse that.. didn't quite feel like space, no, Thoma genuinely didn't know what kind of feelings he had when it came to the sky of Teyvat.

Unconsciously, one of his hands began a steady ascent to the heavens, clutching it down into a resolute fist.

"There's a bottomless wellspring in what you've endured here. Did you ever call upon the strength of the stars here? Recently.. A special flame has been igniting to an extent where I feel lost within it.. Like a side of myself I'm not ready to fully take. A realm where I see armor ablaze in stars."

"Do you know how to familiarize with such a side, Lumine..?"

[wanderlcst-princxss]

As Thoma's hand moves to his Vision, Lumine allows herself the briefest moment to admire it. It's a conduit, from what she's managed to see so far– the jewels almost sing with the respective elements that they conduct, glowing in the light and when they resonate with their use. The light that glows off of her– at her ribs, at her knees, even her scarf– is similar, she thinks. Ever since she resonated with the statues in Sumeru, the light had faded from purple to green.

She discards that train of thought in favor of listening to Thoma, taking in his words, and she silently agrees. The strength and sheer tenacity that people have is an inspiration, so it's what leads to both rewards and downfalls.

When Thoma trails off, Lumine bites back the urge to chase the words that had died in his throat, to poke and prod. Makes him what?

She's caught his attention again, though, interrupted his words herself even if unintentionally. A snort escapes her, an unladylike and undignified sound, and she scoots just the slightest bit across the ground to close some of the distance between herself and her companion. Lithe fingers prod into Thoma's side, but the smile on Lumine's face is amused and comfortable.

"An eager student is a good student, I guess," she says. "If you try and bully me too much, I'll just whack you with the flat side of my sword." Her eyes glimmer teasingly. "I have a reputation to maintain, my good sir."

Watching the way she directs attention towards his Vision makes him unconsciously reach for it, briefly drawing it from the latch that contains it, allowing for the symbol of divine nature to be better held within his hand. Even now, a sensation, alien but all too familiar runs across the golden steel raiment that adorns the ruby jewel. There was a certain weight that found itself being locked into place whenever he studies it.

This strength carries a price. One that is often being paid to this day. While the onset of such thoughts sound bitter, shouldering this duty was by no means an issue to the Warrior of Flame.

"Enduring and pressing through the unknown. Humanity, for all it's weakness, I believe holds a strength that inspires." Thoma openly muses. It reminds him of the old tomes he's come to learn such thoughts, how the aged parchment held vigorous words that intend to put a fierce wind into the sails of the future. Such thoughts never failed to inspire him to grasp and pull beyond those limits.

"For an instant.. It always made me.."

There's a pause as in the midst of his ramblings, that puffed cheek, outright stubborn look of Lumine's sears clear into his sight. It draws an elated sensation that made the smile reflecting those pearly whites be fully shown. The blonde certainly isn't ignorant that he's just ruffling the feathers. "Haha! Nothing in the least, honestly put. ..If anything, seeing you go for it earnestly is a nice sight. Guess you really will need a curious student for that, huh?"

"Which I certainly wouldn't mind remedying myself. That said, are you willing to risk this said student bullying ya if he catches an endearing moment or ten?"

[wanderlcst-princxss]

Lumine wonders how obvious her otherness is to the people she interacts with. It isn't something she chooses to ruminate on for very long– in reality it makes her a bit embarrassed– but she supposes that being an outlier is inherent to the journey that she's faced in Teyvat.

Thoma's words have her humming a soft, considerate note. She mirrors his movements subconsciously, raising one hand and pressing a curled finger to her lips as she mulls over his comparison. It's not a bad point at all– everyone she's spoken to that has a Vision has some inherent ambition that fuels their connection to their elemental powers.

"I think there's something divine about the way that human beings persevere," she says in reply. "And that stubborn perseverance on top of really not liking to lose really catches the attention of... something."

She gestures vaguely at Thoma's Vision as if making her own point.

Whatever she was going to say next is swept cleanly from her mind at the prod of a finger against the softness of her cheek, indenting the skin just so.

Puffing out her cheeks again, Lumine wrinkles her nose and makes a face at Thoma's teasing. "What's the harm in me wanting to be a good teacher?" she responds, her expression falling away into a smile that she can't really fight back. "I'm not asked things like that very often, I guess."

Hearing that she had such a high regard for his repertoire almost scratches his pride, almost. The matter at hand was a genuine pearl of thought he wanted to dive deeper into. Throughout history, those who found a connection with the stars beyond, those who found themselves fashioned with Visions.. At times, they managed to tap into a form of potential the mythic eye was simply a catalyst to truly perceiving.

In truth, it served as another reason upon the many sacrifices, skills gained and lessons learned that he survived the worst of Inazuma's war. Being an active force on the run meant dealing with the Shogunate elite, which meant either limits are shattered or his searing blood upon the earth serves as payment.

Somewhere deep down, Thoma knew he was going to need this form of strength if he was going to continue forward. Teyvat.. Something was changing within it.

Watching the way her features twist into thoughtfulness, his eyes never stirred away, rapt attention being offered in return for seeking her wisdom. "A connection.. In many ways, I can't find that surprising.."

Even by Teyvat's natural standards she was an anomaly. A human like soul who managed to have all the Seven respond to her call, to unite with her skill set in ways that were more prone to elemental wildlife than any human. It was different from the grim ways the Fatui managed to make a gambit of wielding multiple elements through Delusion.

As he drinks in Lumine's approach on the matter. It happens to be part of the conclusion that compelled him to step beyond Inazuma's borders once again. He gently brushes at his chin while considering it all.

"No.. no no, what you provided me right now in fact was a sense of confirmation." Thoma reasons. "From what I learned.. Teyvat has a penchant for those who hold a fighting spirit, almost as if the land is wishing for it. I've even heard word of how Liyue's Tianquan managed to unearth a treasure trove of that same potential in the grand battle you two shared against Osial."

Reaching forth, he couldn't help but pervade into those doubts by giving a spontaneous prod to her warm cheek.

"Getting bashful now? What's the harm in me learning a bit more about my teacher to be?"

[wanderlcst-princxss]

"I didn't mean to worry you," she replies– it's quick and simple reasoning. She knows it's silly, too– who wouldn't be worried about someone they care about showing up so badly injured?

She doesn't know how to explain or where to begin, either. That she'd chased after some pointless rumors into a hideout that there was maybe some abyss activity? That she'd briefly forgotten herself in her hunt to find her brother? That she went into something over her head because she thought she could fight her way through it?

'I never will.'

Lumine can't help the chuckle that escapes her– tired and maybe a bit weary from all of the physical exhaustion finally weighing on her– but the sound is fond amidst it all.

She reaches out with one hand to find his, her slender fingers curling against his wrist and the base of his palm. She gently squeezes, taking in the warmth that radiates where their skin touches, resolves herself that he's here and that she'll be fine with just some more rest.

She tilts her head to look Thoma in the face, and a smile tilts up the corners of her mouth just-so. "Well– if you believe in me, then I'll make it though anything."

It's an attempt at reassurance, for the both of them, but the sentiment behind her words is clearly genuine.

A very expected reaction. It reflects all too vividly of a time where he'd be set with the exact same look in kind. It was a gentle flourish of nostalgia that succeeds in being a more spiritual balm. Thoma knows that within the current, he was doing a piss poor job in actually letting a more professional face be kept. Such a mask was always leagues more difficult to maintain when it involved those in his inner circle.

To people who he wants to be bare with from onset.

"Hah, what for?" Any attempt to lead the energy of the room be covered with medicinal facts have been snuffed. Right now, it's that difficult to witness the look upon the Traveler's face that only makes his heart clutch. It's more searing ache than he'd ever come to anticipate. Yet, one idea manages to shine through as to why this is needed, privacy, pure and simple.

A life like her's would be a host to many secrets. This is a matter he resolved to respect as a boundary no matter the situation. Initially, Thoma never believed that one of those situations would be for her to return with worrisome injuries at this scale. It rattled his inner framework involving the matter. Through the spiritual darkness of a weighted situation, he wades cautiously, leading his mind to find the appropriate means to rationalize all of this.

Naturally, he didn't put himself in a position where anything could be even. There's a pause as the last of the powdered mixture was applied.

"Everyone is meant to have their battles. This I've come to accept myself in the territory of being a warrior. As someone who resolved themselves to join you as a companion.. I think the logic and the heart needs its time to adjust nonetheless." A bone of certainty was solidifying in his words, leading to his gaze to face Lumine more willingly.

"Don't let this give the idea that I doubt your strength. I never will."