We’re going to do this sneaky-beaky like

The scent of breakfast being made wafted through the air as I languidly sat at the dining table, reading one of the many books I bought while waiting for the two girls to complete their morning routine in the kitchen as per usual.

As I enjoy the sounds of hurried footsteps and muted discussion coming from the kitchen, I briefly recalled what happened during the tail end of yesterday's night.

During the walk back home through the comparatively deserted streets, Lumine made a rough plan as to what to do for the day after, which eventually boils down to testing some of her suggestions and doing some last minute observation on the targets before the real thing happens later at night..

Not nearly as much as I thought it would be, considering what we're about to do. But Lumine reassured me that everything else that we might need, she already has; something that I should no longer be surprised about at this point.

Shoving that thought back to the back of my mind, I focused my gaze back to the book in my hand. As I flip to the next page, I once again immersed myself in the world of fiction, temporarily forgetting all the problems that come with simply existing in this new reality.

"Good morning."

At least that was the case, until a tired voice suddenly greeted me in the middle of my reading, bursting the comfortable bubble I locked myself in.

Raising my head towards the source of the voice, I saw the tired visage of Yun Jin as she slowly walked towards the seat across from me. On her hand, she carried the equally exhausted looking Paimon, who was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Morning." Giving her a short reply, I put half of my focus towards the book as I continued conversing with the opera singer. "Didn't get enough sleep?"

"Not really." Letting out a big yawn, the opera singer suddenly cleared her throat as a hint of blush appeared on her face.

Ignoring her attempt at covering her embarrassment, I watched her collapse on the chair while hugging the half-dead fairy on her lap. Seeing her like this, I couldn't help the smile forming behind the mask. "I see that you've taken a liking to Paimon."

"How can I not?" Glancing towards the lightly snoring Paimon, Yun Jin buried her face into Paimon's white hair, throwing her crown slightly out of orbit. "She's just so adorable."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you're the one that has to feed her every day."

Letting out a muffled hum, Yun Jin raised her head and rested it on top of the table. "If it means being able to have her company for the rest of my life, I wouldn't mind. Not like I'm short on Mora anyway."

"Well, I'm sorry to say that you'll have to fight over Paimon's custody with Lumine if that's the case."

"No thanks. I'm sure Paimon wouldn't want to be separated from you guys anyway."

"If you offer her enough food to last her a lifetime, she might just change her mind."

"Fufu, I can see that happening."

Covering her mouth with one hand, Yun Jin let out a laugh, exuding a certain elegance in her simple action even without trying to.

Once her laughter stopped, Yun Jin raised her head from the table before resting it on top of her palms, focusing her gaze towards me. "I heard a lot about you from Xinyan, Yuu. Ah, is it okay if I call you that?"

"It's fine. Go ahead."

Nodding her head, Yun Jin cleared her throat before continuing. "As I was saying, Xinyan told me a lot about you, all three of you, rather. And I must say, hearing about the stories of her adventures with you makes me feel relieved."

"How so?"

"Because I couldn't have entrusted my matters to someone better." Yun Jin said, with a smile on her face. "Really, I'm so lucky to have run into you guys."

Seeing her saying something like that so earnestly reminds me of that Millelith soldier, Kun. Though this time, with me as the target of such sincerity, I'm honestly not quite sure how to respond.

"Oh. Uh… thanks, I guess?"

"You're very welcome."

Hearing a sudden groan coming from below the table, Yun Jin sat upright with a start, picking up the still half-dead fairy into a cradle as she hums a tune while gently rocking her from side to side, like a mother would to a baby.

Seeing no sign of Yun Jin wanting to continue the conversation, I sighed in relief before returning towards the book in my hand.

Not even several minutes later, however, my immersion was broken by the sound of Yun Jin's voice.

"Are you perhaps injured, Yuu?"

"Hmm?" Looking up at her question, I notice a hint of worry on her face. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, hearing all those stories about your group and the adversaries you face in Mondstadt, I couldn't help but wonder if that's the reason you cover your face all the time." Yun Jin explained. "If that's the case, then I'd recommend you to visit Dr. Baizhu over at Bubu Pharmacy. His skill in medicine is quite well known."

"While I appreciate your concern," setting the book aside, I leaned into the table, "I can assure you that the reason I wear this mask is not because of any injury."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm."

"Then why do you wear it?" As soon as she finishes her question, Yun Jin suddenly raises her hands in a placating manner. "Ah, you don't have to answer if you don't want to of course. I understand that it's probably none of my business."

"It's fine, Yun Jin, calm down."

Seeing that Yun Jin has settled down, I continued answering her question.

"As for why I wear this, it's simple really. There are people out there that, should they know what I look like, would be very interested in having an in depth 'conversation' with me by any means necessary."

"Aha! So my theory is correct!"

A shout suddenly interrupted our conversation.

Looking towards the source, I saw both Lumine and Xinyan each carrying trays of food towards the table, with the latter hurriedly setting hers down as she grabbed me by the shoulder. "So you're a wanted man? What did you do? Who's looking for you?"

"That's a secret, Xinyan." Exercising my control over the surrounding anemo, I lifted her off the floor before putting her down on the chair next to Yun Jin. "Besides, what's with the theories anyway? I thought I told you about this already."

"What are you talking about? No you didn't."

"I didn't?"

"Nope."

"I could've sworn I did. Then again, I didn't really remember much." Thinking of that week spent roaming around Liyue, I dug through my memory for a bit before quickly giving up. "Out of curiosity, what were the other theories that you have?"

"One is that you have a large scar on your face, and the other is because you're ugly."

"Huh. Well you can throw that last one out the window because that's just wrong." I replied, before pointing my thumb towards Lumine "She can vouch for me."

"Of course she'll vouch for you, you blockhead, she's your girlfriend."

"In that case, Paimon can also vouch for me." Seeing her lost for words, I couldn't help but smile as I shrugged my shoulders. "That's just how it is, Xinyan. The sooner you accept reality, the better."

"I'll reject your reality as many times as I want until I see that damned face of yours for myself."

"Alright, break it up you two, it's time for breakfast." Lumine said with a laugh as she set down all the plates to the table in an orderly manner.

Huffing in annoyance, Xinyan looks away as her mouth curls into a pout, causing Yun Jin, who was holding the now awake Paimon, to laugh.

Once breakfast started, the girls started talking with each other as time went by, joined by the now very much awake Paimon as Yun Jin helped feed her. And while they're busy with their own conversation, I held up the book I was reading in the air as I silently consumed the food on my plate, enjoying the idle chatter in the background.

After breakfast was over, both Lumine and I left the house towards the bridge we went to yesterday.

"Are you sure we don't need to buy anything?" Maneuvering through the dense crowd, I held Lumine's hand as I led the way forward.

"Nope." Already buried deep into the scribbles on her open notebook, I can see Lumine reviewing the contents of yesterday's observation carefully. "All that's left is to do one final check of their patrol schedule and we're good to go for tonight."

As I tugged her away from the oncoming crowd, she suddenly raised her head and turned her attention towards me. "How about you? Do you think you can get used to silencing both of our footsteps by nightfall?"

"I'm doing it right now," as I said that, I raised my feet slightly and tried stomping hard towards the ground, "but it's not exactly easy to check the result with all these people making a ruckus. Might have to wait for a bit if you want a better answer."

"But the barrier itself is wrapping around your feet as you move, right?"

"Yup. That much I can answer you."

"That's good."

Rubbing the base of her chin, Lumine fell into contemplation for a bit. "Hmm… we're not going to stay that much longer on the bridge, so it might be good for us to just walk around the harbor as you practice. Not that I'm doubting you, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure."

"By all means, doubt me some more. It's always nice to see you take things seriously, though I couldn't exactly praise you for it that much, considering your ulterior motives."

"Ulterior motive? What ulterior motive?" With a smile on her face, she tilted her head in a questioning manner. "We're doing this to help Yun Jin, Yuu, not for anything else. We're certainly not going to wander around the place for anything other than what we're looking for."

"Just get back to your notebook, princess."

Letting out a laugh, she focused her attention on her notes once more as I led her towards our destination by hand.

___________________________________

"You sure you have everything, leader?"

"This is the third time you've asked me this, Xinyan."

As the clock strikes somewhere past midnight, every occupants of the house are currently gathered near the front door as both Lumine and I perform one last check to make sure nothing is missing.

I say 'we' but really, it's not like I can actually peek into whatever items she has stored away.

And right now, as opposed to our usual clothes, both of us are dressed in all black clothing, each of which covers most of our skin alongside a similar colored cloak on top of that. And in my case, since the mask is a dead giveaway to anyone, Lumine helped cover most of it with a matching fabric, though the area around the eyes remains open for obvious reasons.

Which is why I'm currently looking away from the others as they continue talking among themselves.

"Can't a girl be worried for a friend?"

"Of course you can." Glancing at the blonde traveler next to me, I saw her tipping the hood over her face, before proceeding to fasten the strings holding the cloak together. "But you're starting to sound like Yuu right now, and god knows one is already too much."

"If you have time to badmouth me, then perhaps it's in our best interest to leave right now, hmm?"

As I was standing up, Paimon suddenly appeared right in front of me.

"White mask, white mask!"

"What is it, Paimon?"

"Make sure you keep an eye on Lumine, okay?" WIth her hands on her hips, Paimon gave a side glance towards the blonde traveler. "If she does something stupid like back at the cathedral, you have Paimon's permission to knock some sense into her!"

"Don't worry." Reaching my hand onto Paimon's face, I gave her cheek a quick pinch. "I'll make sure both of us return safe and sound."

With that, Paimon nodded her head happily, letting out a yawn as she rubs her eyes before flying back towards the other two.

"I can't thank you enough for this."

Off to the side, I barely saw Yun Jin's figure by the cover of my hood, stepping forward towards Lumine as she clasped her hand. "I know you offered your help, but I couldn't help but feel like I just dumped all my problems on you two."

"It's fine, Yun Jin." Lumine smiles, rubbing the opera singer's hand in an attempt to console her. "Like I said before, we don't mind lending a hand, you know? So just sit tight, and hopefully, by the time we're finished, you'll be able to solve this problem of yours once and for all. Okay?"

Seeing Yun Jin nodding her head rapidly in return, Lumine brushed off a stray tear that threatened to escape from the opera singer before giving her a hug. Seeing the two, Xinyan, and by extension Paimon, joined in, leaving little old me twiddling my thumbs by the front door.

'Take your time. It's not like we're in a hurry or anything. And it's not like the ceremony is happening tomorrow too for that matter. Or was it today? God, I could really use some sleep right about now.'

"We'll be on our way then." Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I glanced at Lumine before standing up and opening the door, standing to the side as I made way for her to go first.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind made its way inside. Thankfully, I reacted just in time to hold my hood in place.

"Tch, that was so close." To my left, I could hear the disappointment in Xinyan's voice as she clicked her tongue.

Ignoring her words, the two of us bade farewell one last time before stepping out into the night.

Even in the wee hours of the morning, there are still some people lingering around the streets. Not too much to be a hindrance, but enough for them to be an annoyance. The Millelith soldiers, on the other hand, were less of a problem since their route was pretty much memorized by Lumine.

With her leading the way, it didn't take long for us to end up in a deserted alleyway near where the targets live.

At this hour, just like our observation the previous night, other than the lanterns lighting up the outskirts of the mansions alongside a couple of moving lights on the inside of the buildings barely visible from where we are, everything else should be shrouded in darkness, which we would take advantage of.

"So which one first?"

"Which one do you want to tackle first?"

"Hmm… well I like blue more than red, so…."

"Lan Family it is then."

Once our decision was made, just like I practiced, I covered both of our feet with anemo and slowly but surely bypassed the guards patrolling near the wall until we reached the back area of the mansion.

After making sure the coast was clear, I carried both of us over the tiled walls and immediately hugged ourselves against it, slowly moving under the cover of darkness until we ended up on a particularly dark corner of the wall close to the mansion.

"How long?" Keeping an eye on the lone guard standing right next to the backdoor, I whispered quietly towards Lumine.

I thought about simply using a silencing barrier, but that thing works both ways, and I'd rather us not get caught off guard should something unexpected happen.

"There should be one coming up any second."

Immediately after she said that, the previously dark area suddenly lit up just a bit as a guard carrying a single lantern walked along the wooden terrace, his eyes sweeping around the courtyard for a bit before he continued on his way, giving a slight nod towards the other guard.

"And… now."

The moment the guard turned the corner, the two of us carefully made our way into the terrace towards the door. Once we're close, Lumine pulled out a set of lockpicking tools and handed me a stone which I threw towards a bush far enough away from us to buy some time.

Hearing a rustle coming from the courtyard, the guard became more alert as he raised the spear on his hand and slowly made his way towards the source.

"Do your thing, princess."

"Gladly."

After picking on the lock for a bit, a faint clicking sound finally came from the mechanism within.

"Come on, let's go."

Once we're inside and Lumine made sure that the door was locked again, both of us crouched down to avoid our silhouette from being seen from the outside before taking stock of our surroundings.

A long line of countertops, numerous woks hung on one of the walls, alongside several cabinets placed all around the room with the unmistakable smell of spices. It seems we've entered through the kitchen area.

"I reckon the stuff we're looking for is probably in some study near the house head's room or maybe even in the room itself." I said, as I carefully peek into the inner courtyard with not a hint of guards in sight. "So, second floor, perhaps? What do you think, princess?"

"Sounds about right. But before that." Grabbing my hand, she glanced towards the outside for a bit before dragging me outside towards the inner area. "Let's take a quick stroll around the area, shall we? Who knows, maybe we might find what we're looking for down here?"

"And if we don't?"

"We move on to the next floor." Despite her seemingly carefree tone, she never once let down her guard. "And if things just happen to go missing along the way? Well, we can only offer our condolences to the owner, don't you think? Not that they'll be able to enjoy even that bit of reprieve by the time we're done anyway."

"As expected, the color black really does suit you, princess. It matches your personality perfectly."

"Hmph, you're one to talk."

Compared to the heavily guarded outside, the inside of the mansion itself is relatively devoid of people, minus one or two maidservant that occasionally passes by, lantern on hand.

As for the interior itself? It is as extravagant as one would expect from a noble family.

Numerous large paintings mounted on the walls, each of which presumably come from famous artists whose name is written on a plaque underneath it; luxurious furniture placed in all corners of the room; intricately decorated chinaware placed neatly on top of the tables; truly, nobles are simply a different breed.

While I was content with simply looking around and rummaging through some scattered documents, Lumine was having the time of her life. If not for the fact that her footsteps were silenced, everyone in the mansion would've been wide awake right now.

And as we walked up the stairs towards the second floor, Lumine had the brightest smile I've seen on her face. So bright, in fact, that it would've lit up the entire mansion if it could.

"Someone's happy."

"Of course!" She replied, still having the awareness to keep her voice down despite her excitement. "Oh, I almost want to thank that Fontaine guy myself for setting his eyes in Yun Jin of all people!"

"That's not very nice of you."

"I know, and I'll make it up to her by making sure all the ones responsible are locked away behind bars."

Seeing her skipping her way up the stairs, I couldn't help but sigh as I kept a watchful eye on our surroundings to make sure that nobody would come and inspect a silhouette of someone jumping around giddily.

'Or her falling down the stairs. That too, I guess.'

"Since you've had your fun, then how about we go and search what we're here for in the first place, hmm?"

"No need to remind me, Yuu. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for anything incriminating. And if we just so happen to find something else along the way? Ehehehe~" Barely restraining her laugh, a malevolent smile appears on Lumine's face as she rubs her hand together.

"Sigh. This is going to take a while."