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Mornings on Hiisi Island were nothing but peaceful. Everything fell into a peaceful quietness that glided along the moonlight. The now true Frost Moon staring down at them - offering the FrostMoon Scions a sense of familiarity and peace. The Kuuvahki spread across the island like a gentle layer or wrap to keep their home safe. It was often gentle to the touch and felt light - as if you where to be on the moon yourself. It was a beautiful thing and it often allowed the Scions to live peacefully after everything that had happened in Nod-Krai. So much has happened in the past few months that if anyone were to mention it, they would have to sit you down for a long chat. Yet, everything finally came to an end. One they wished would last forever. Their Moon Goddess had arrived once more, blessing them with a deity they had always believed in, but the truth came out about her and how the moon in the sky happened to be fake. It left many of the Scions clueless, but if they had their Goddess, they would be ok - even if it meant they had to get rid of their old habits. The sames one that had driven her away before.
The Moon Goddess, Columbina, did however, return to her home on the Frost Moon. Something she wanted and needed to do. Leaving them once again without a physical Goddess - yet, they respected her decision to return to her home. Anyone would want to return home after being away from it for so long. No one blamed her. They could always look up to the sky to see her, to feel her. Even using the Kuuvahki to feel her as Columbina was the Kuuvahki. Their Goddess may not be there physically, but she would always be there wherever they looked. That knowledge left them with a feeling they haven't had in a very long time, but it was a feeling that was long overdue. After everything they have went through, everyone could go back to being how they once were - just with a little change in their beliefs. Even if the elders took their time to come to terms with it.
Hence why, Hiisi Island would now settle down, and why they would pray for their home to stay in tact no matter the cost.
Being the Moonchanter from a very young age was never easy for Lauma. She would even describe it as something fate had already set out for her with all the expectations she was given. It was never easy to grow up knowing you had to relay the messages of your own Goddess to your people. It was something she still did, however. At first, especially when she was young, she believed that her Goddess, Kuutar, would come back some day and bless their land and her people with the powers of the Moon. She was naive to think that, but she was a child after all, nothing could ever beat a child's imagination and beliefs. It was drilled into her that she needed to do this, and she did so for many years - never ever meeting Kuutar. As she grew older, her religion began to waver. What if the Moon they were praying to didn't even exist? What if the Moon that shined so brightly over them was nothing more than a fake? That the Moon Goddess didn't exist and never had existed. It was hard to go against all that she knew, often leaving her with guilt she could not handle. Yet, it was bound to happen when she prayed and prayed but heard nothing.
She had to be strong for her people, especially as their leader, but she did not feel strong to the years leading up to the truth. It was hard to continue on when your entire life felt like it was so far away.
At last, the truth finally came out a few months ago. Kuutar, also now known as Columbina, had returned to Silvermoon Hall to hopefully return her strength after leaving the Fatui. It came to a shock to Lauma as it did everyone else, but it felt as if her entire belief had been shattered in one night. Learning about what the past Frostmoon Scions did when Columbina was first born, to how her power was fading away after being rejected by Teyvat, to the fake moon, and lastly, to know that her very own Goddess had went to the Fatui. The same people who had tried to colonise their land with brute force and aggression. It all hit Lauma hard. Her belief had taught her lies. It was a hard pill to swallow, but swallow she did. It was reality and she would had to get used to it. Telling her people happened to be the hardest. Many were unwilling to listen at first, Lauma could not blame them. But finally, they listened - after many tries.
Still, with her wavering beliefs and Kuutar being back; she stood by Columbina's side through it all. Dark times began to appear across Nod-Krai, along with Columbina herself. The Wild Hunt, which had cause many fatalities and destruction to their land over the many months it was there. It was something Lauma herself had went into when the Moon Marrow had been stolen from them. It was not a nice sight to see, but she still pushed through with Lumine and the others - fighting to get it back. If that wasn't enough, Rerir, Rächer of Solnari, had emerged once again from the Abyss and Wild Hunt - stealing Kuuvahki across all of Nod-Krai to gain power to kill her Goddess. It was a long battle to fight for the safety of Columbina, but also of Nod-Krai itself. Thankfully, it ended in victory with him being sent to the Moon's reflection. A cost came from Nefer, casting her blind when she did everything she could to stop and stall him. It was a tense moment, but Lauma was there just in time to save her eyesight.
Then, after that, Columbina disappeared from them - the rejection becoming too much that she would cease to exist. It was a huge problem with the Moon-Prayer night just days away. It was the same night that the Moon Goddess would go back to the Moon. Just a perfect time to go missing. It took everyone they knew to try everything to get her back. In the end, being successful to bring her back after finding out her true name. It was a lovey name. Columbina Hyposelenia. Then, they celebrated the Moon-Prayer festival before sending her off to her home. Where catastrophe hit. The Doctor, Dottore II, had stolen the Moon Marrows to become a God and ascend the powers of this world. Columbina opened the Moon Gate and entered it to save every one of her friends. It was a battle and half to do everything to save her and Lumine, who had been taken by Dottore himself. It was a tough couple of days, saving Lumine, Columbina sacrificing herself and gaining the powers of the three moons, to fighting Dottore and eventually defeating him.
Not without the cost of Sandrone. But due to her sacrifice, Nod-Krai and the whole of Teyvat could live in peace, even if she would no longer be alive.
They went through all of this to ensure the safety and peace of all of Teyvat, and Lauma was grateful to be there every step of the day - offering her support to everyone who was on the battlefield. It was why Hiisi Island was now in peace. No other forces or powers coming to take control. Just silence and the sound of the Frostmoon children laughing and being cheerful. There was finally nothing that could destroy their home. It was a beautiful thing to see.
Lauma sighed as she poured some hot tea she was boiling into a teacup. Thinking about all that happened left a heavy weight on her heart. She survived it all, but there was still so much that needed to be repaired, along with Columbina, who she finally came to terms with being friends with, was no longer here. It was hard just to forget that Columbina was her Goddess. It would take a little while for things to fall into place, but she would just have to wait patiently. It wasn't like she wouldn't see Columbina anyway. She did state she would come back down to Teyvat every now and then to visit, and that was more than enough for Lauma.
The Moonchanter had met a lot of new faces throughout these past few months and made new connections she would never thought could happen. From the obvious making friends with Lumine and Paimon, the growing closer to those in the Curatorium of Secrets, making connections to those from the nation of Mondstadt, to even making amends and connections with some Fatui harbingers - something she would have never guessed would ever happened, but she doesn't regret ever doing so. They provided a lot of help throughout each crisis they had. Though, there were a few specific new faces she met that came to her as a surprise. For one, Alice. A member of The Hexenzirkel, and protector of Teyvat, as well as Klee's mother of course. And last but not least, Nicole.
Nicole was an interesting case to Lauma, especially being one of the last standing Angels on Teyvat. Lauma had heard about stories of Angels through the elders of the Frostmoon Scions when she was younger, assuming they learnt it from the people in the past, as well as the records they kept. They were often depicted as divine beings with powers and stories to last thousands of years. They have always fascinated her, but it was sad to say that their species had been wiped out thousands of years ago, now being turned into Seelies that guide people in need. Not Nicole, though. She somehow managed to retain her power, memories and form - living to see Teyvat grow and humanities wiped away only to be rebuilt again. It was safe to assume she had stories upon stories to tell.
In which she did.
A rustle pulled Lauma out of her thoughts, turning her head to see the culprit of the noise. There, laid gently in her bed, was Nicole. Her bare back facing Lauma as her orangy-yellow wings falling flat down her back - lifting ever so slightly whenever she breathed. Lauma just assumed she must have moved to get comfortable. It was way too early for the Mage to be awake anyway. The Moonchanter finished stirring her tea as she walked over to her table, pulling out a chair to sit on it. The table was full of records and books from the Frostmoon library as well as Nicole's personal books that she brought. She learnt a lot about her people and what they were like in the past thanks to Nicole - giving her information she would never have known.
It gave peace to Lauma, knowing she learnt a bit more about Columbina as well as the people in the past and the three Moon Goddesses. It was nice to know stuff that she could relay to her people.
She took a book from one of the piles, opening it up as she took a sip of her tea. There, on the front pages, was Nicole's name written neatly. This prompted Lauma to look away towards her bed - back at the Angel, who once again moved in her sleep. The blanket falling off her shoulders to reveal her bare body. This time, Lauma could get a good view of her calm and gentle face. She was very beautiful. There was no doubt about it, and Lauma would be sinning if she lied. Her eyes couldn't pull away. They never did when it came to Nicole. Even when they first met, Lauma couldn't take her eyes off the Angel, even when she went on and on about stuff.
That still lasted till today. Even when Nicole would talk for hours on end, Lauma would never ever get bored of it. In fact, it became normal for them to fall into a rhythm of where Nicole would say, more so through the head, about stories she had while Lauma would go about doing work. The rhythm also caused them to do things people wouldn't exactly deem "as just friends." Lauma couldn't pinpoint if they were lovers or not. They never really talked about it. Everything was mostly done in actions rather than words. But either way, Lauma didn't regret ever getting mingled in with Nicole.
A gentle breeze flew through the air with one mission only - to spread the seeds from the flowers that covered the entire island. The cold never bothered Lauma. In fact, she was quite used to it. She had to because Hiisi Island was often surrounded by water and long gushes of wind. It has all she's ever known. Plus, being half-deer, it allowed her to stay warm despite how cold it got - which was always an advantage for her and others. So, having the feeling of the coldness didn't bring her any dread - it brought her comfort; especially walking up the hill towards the big tree that swayed gently in the wind. One where leaves were guided through the air.
A quiet huff escaped the Moonchanter's lips as she made the final step over edge, finally coming to a stop over a flat piece of land on top of the hill. Her basket, filled with food, hitting her leg as she fixed herself. Her eyes gazing over the sight in front of her - flicking from one place to another before landing down the center. There, in all her glory, was Nicole, who was sat against the base of the tree - book in hand. She looked peaceful from what Lauma could see. Lost in her own world as she flipped through the calm look on her face - eyebrows popping up when she finds something interesting with a hand coming to mess with her hair. It was a cute habit that Lauma found herself cherishing because she, too, had also had her hair messed with by Nicole.
Taking a breath in, Lauma began to walk towards the Angel. The grass underneath her hiding her steps. The whole reason they were up here was because it was a part of their routine they liked to come up to the tree every few days and have some lunch. It had been the week after everything began to settle down in Nod-Krai that Lauma invited Nicole for some lunch so they could discuss things - more like Nicole just telling her about her stories, which the Angel was more than happy to do so. This is how they have gotten here - having lunch. Other things came from the first time they had done this. Nicole came back to Lauma's quarters and stayed there for a little longer.
After that it came a common thing to visit the Frostmoon Scions and Lauma. Having falling into a pattern of them doing many things together. From just talking, to taking walks together, to going out to do tasks together, and to do many household things together. Neither of them would admit they liked having the presence of each other. Lauma couldn't admit that she could be falling for Nicole - she was too afraid of the other woman not feeling the same way, and she had way too much on her plate to think about it. Nicole on the other hand, didn't quite understand what she was feeling. She knew what love was and knew that people could experience it - she just didn't know whether she was capable of doing so.
"Nicole?" Lauma finally spoke out as she came up close to the other woman, giving Nicole a little bit of a scare. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's ok, Lauma," Nicole responded in her mind with a giggle, letting out a deep breath as she looked up at the other woman. She had to say, it was a sight to see her like this - towering over her like it was nothing. "Would you like to sit next to me?"
"Wouldn't mind if I do," Lauma answered, placing the basket on the ground before slotting herself right next to the Angel. Their legs and arms touching each other.
She leant over to the basket, opening it to reveal some plain food she had brought with her. She made an effort to bring Nicole's favourite sweet treat from the sweet shop in Nasha town, in which Nicole instantly went to go grab it - taking a bite out of it.
"What would you like to talk about?" Nicole was grateful at that moment that she was mute. It was a struggle being mute sometimes because her only way of communicating tended to hurt people's heads, but they had to put up with it. She was just grateful because she was able to talk and eat at the same time.
Lauma sat there in silence for a little bit. Her eyes watching over the slight flap of the bottom of Nicole's outfit. There was one thing she was curious about. "Can you tell me a little more about you and Alice?"
That left off with Nicole giving Lauma a huge head full of stories about her and Alice. The Moonchanter sat there and listened to them all. She always found Nicole's story telling to be the most interesting of all the stories she has been told. Not like the other people who told her stories were uninteresting, no. She did find them interesting and was often left disappointed when she couldn't hear more off them. But there was something about the way Nicole said hers' that kept Lauma interested throughout it all. The Angel always had so much to say, and would probably stay there for eternity talking about whatever interested her. Lauma couldn't help but find it adorable.
Though, her eyes never left sight of Nicole no matter what she did - whether it be to grab a piece of food from the basket or to adjust her sitting position. Her eyes never left the sight of the beautiful woman in front of her. There was no denying that Nicole was beautiful. Everything about her seemed divine. No matter what she said or what she did, Lauma always watched her with a gentle but firm look. Not that Nicole minded. She was just glad to have someone who was interested in what she had to say.
Time flew by, and before they both knew it. The Sun had began to set and the Moon, once again, rose to shiny her beauty across all of Teyvat. Nicole stopped her rambling. The flush of her red cheeks making itself known on her face no matter how hard she tried to hide it - which brought out a smile on Lauma's face. That caused the Angel to get even more shy and quickly stand up, hoping that Lauma couldn't see how red she got. Although, with just her luck, as soon as she stood up, her legs gave way and she came crashing down. Her eyes closed the second she came falling down, expecting to hit something hard, but that never came. Instead she felt something some as she fell down, and a pair of warm hands holding onto her arms.
She opened her eyes, only to be met with Lauma's face extremely up close. "Are you ok?" Lauma asked so softly, almost like a whisper, and Nicole could feel herself sinking into the Moonchanter's body. Her eyes, once looking into Lauma's very own, moved down towards those plump lips.
Nicole had no idea what she was doing. She's been out of these field for so long - yet, something was calling for her to do this. So, instead of giving the lovely woman a response, she leant in and pressed her lips into Lauma's own. The action took Lauma by surprise - almost pulling away due to shock. She couldn't. This was something she had been waiting for, and she didn't want to miss out on it. So, she leant into the kiss, reciprocating the kiss. One of her hands slithered up the back of Nicole's back all the way to the back of her head, pulling her down deeper into that kiss.
It lasted for a few seconds more before Lauma pulled away - her breath heavy as she filled her lungs with oxygen. "Do you want to come back home with me?" She asked, moving her hand from the back of Nicole's head to her cheek - feeling Nicole nudge into it. "It's getting late."
With a chuckle, Nicole responded. " I would love to."
The knock of a teacup rang through the large room as Lauma placed it down on the counter, now having moved away from the table to the little kitchen setup she had. She didn't mean for it to be so loud or to place the cup down harshly. Sometimes she can underestimate her strength when the Kuuvahki was high, which for some reason that she could not explain, it was slightly high over here where her house stood. This is what caused her to slam the teacup down as it caused a spike of sensitivity running through her body. She didn't mind being different from her other Frostmoon Scions, but it was sort of a struggle being high sensitive to high levels of Kuuvahki because it meant that her whole body would react to it, especially her horns. Her horns were her pride and joy. They were a gift to her, but they could also be a curse. They often grew quite large whenever her body was exposed to high levels of Kuuvahki - causing them to be quite heavy for her. They were already heavy due to the fact they were so large, so when they grew, it felt like an extra two sets of horns were placed on top of her head.
Luckily, this time, the Kuuvaki didn't cause her horns to grow because the spike left as soon as it came. Lauma let out a sigh of relief when she felt it. She really didn't need to have something like that to happen at this moment in time. It was too early for that. However, speaking of early - she turned her head to look over at Nicole, who was still sleeping away. It was getting close to the time she should be waking up. Lauma knew that. She knew the Mage had to leave again to help out at the Teyvat borders. A heavy feeling settling on her heart as she stared at the peaceful Angel in front of her. This happened every now and then where Nicole would have to go back to do work along with Alice. The days that she did would often leave a sad feeling in Lauma's heart. She never wished for the other to go, but just like how she had a job to do - she knew that Nicole had a job to do too. With a sigh, Lauma turned her body towards her bed and made the trek over to there. If the Angel had to go, the least she could do was to spend some more time with her.
Pulling the covers up, she slipped herself under them, feeling the mattress dip beneath her. Her eyes glued to Nicole. The light blonde hair falling on her face, but in such a way that the star on her forehead was revealed - this prompted Lauma's gaze to move downwards, glossing over every mark and star that Nicole had. Her body, while not fully completed in some way, was just as gorgeous. Lauma couldn't help but have her eyes worship the light glow of said marks. They all came to show in a pattern - fitting right into place with one another. Nicole's body was often covered up from head to toe with her outfits - something she just felt comfortable with, and Lauma would never push her to look any different. But when she was able to see her bare with no clothes, she took as a sign to be grateful.
Her hand moved without warning and she brushed a piece of hair that fell across Nicole's face behind her ear - seeing her wings flap in response to her body being touched. Lauma smiled at the sight. She loved the wings, just as much as the Angel loved her horns. Her eyes once again fell to Nicole's face - mainly her lips. Lauma hasn't felt those lips on her own in a long time, and she was beginning to yearn for the warm feeling of them once more.
"Good morning, Lauma," Nicole's voice rang out in Lauma's head, her eyes opening. "I can feel you staring."
Lauma just softly giggled as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. She hadn't expected to be caught out like that. Not that she minded. Deep down she knew that Nicole was pointing out the obvious.
"My apologies-" She began to say - not before being cut off by a pair of soft lips on hers'. Sadly, the feeling left as quickly as it came, causing her to pout.
"No need for apologies," she responded with, pulling herself closer. "I have felt you stare at me for quite some time."
A bashful look appeared on Lauma's face as she leaned in - connecting their lips together once more. There was no reason as to why Nicole wanted to kiss the deer woman next to her other than she wanted to. She has always had found it hard to know what she wanted to do with humans. Love and feelings as such that often filled the body and soul of humans never came naturally to her, which often made it hard to form any bonds with those who didn't have the same interest as her. Yet, when it came to Lauma, it was like she was experiencing love and everything all at once. She never forgets the rushing feeling she gets through her heart whenever she is away after a long and has to come back to her. A feeling that consumes her and makes her feel like she's flying through the sky with her wings.
She will never forget the feeling of pain whenever she needed to leave - much like she is having now, but that is being taken over and thrown out with the amount of love Lauma was putting into the kiss. These feelings made no sense to Nicole. She usually much rather do the things she loved without having to bother with worldly feelings. It was something she didn't quite understand, but for Lauma? She would do her best to understand.
A gentle, scarred hand came up to Nicole's face, placing itself on her cheek as Lauma deepened the kiss before she moved om top. Their bodies moulded together as Lauma pushed her body on top of Nicole's - making sure that her wings did not get squashed under the weight. She quickly pulled away - missing the feeling of Nicole's lips on hers. Her eyes stared down as Nicole beneath her, making the Angel blush as she realised what was happening, and from that deep, hungry look in Lauma's eyes. Lauma usually had a lot of self control when it came to herself, but for some reason, in this moment in time, having Nicole look so beautiful underneath her - she lost control.
Moving down her face, Lauma began to plant soft kisses along Nicole's neck - leaving a few deep ones as she gently moved along and moved downwards. She pressed her kisses into the markings that spread from down the Angels neck to her shoulders - once reaching them, sinking her teeth slightly into the soft skin before pulling away. Nicole had no reason to make any noise. She simply couldn't. But a part of her wanted to in some way. She allowed her mind to let out a sound only for Lauma to hear. Only she would allow Lauma to hear anything. The sound only made Lauma feel more determined to kiss all over these markings.
Markings. The one think that covered Nicole's entire body. Usually, her body happened to be covered up a majority of the time, so no one knew about these markings - except for Lauma. Lauma was the only one and will be the only one to ever see her like this. Although, it still didn't mean that Nicole didn't feel a slight bit of insecurity due to her body. After Angels were wiped out and forced to turn into Seelies, she, among a few others were the only ones to keep their memories, powers and forms. However, her form was a little off when she began to reconstruct her body once more. It was shorter than it used to be, and her markings, ones she has had since forever, were mostly intact, but some where in places they shouldn't be, and some happened to be wonky or not right.
It made her feel worried that someone would point them out if she were ever to show off, yet, Lauma didn't.
Lauma never made her feel weird for having wonky or 'weird' looking markings. Instead, she cherished them and loved them with everything she had. Often saying how beautiful they were and how beautiful Nicole happened to be. It felt a strange feeling through Nicole's body whenever Lauma would cherish her and her body like her life depended on it. It was a feeling she has yet to get used to. Though, having the Moonchanter, someone who should be devoted to the Moon Goddess, being devoted to her and showing her devotion like no other really did wonders for the feelings she harboured for the woman. Lauma moved down from her shoulders to her collarbone - kissing so gently that Nicole assumed she would break if she went even harder.
Feeling those soft lips on her body made her entire being shiver. To have someone so devoted to her felt wrong but right in so many ways. She allowed herself to let out another noise through her mind as Lauma moved from her collarbone down to her chest - giving the markings that resembled stars the softest kisses she ever felt. A moan forcing its way into Lauma's mind as one of her hands came to press against Nicole's side before softly gliding her fingers along the Angel's stomach - a smirk appearing on her face as she did so. This is one of the very few times she felt proud of herself. She moved her hand to lightly touch the big mark that went down the middle of Nicole's stomach - making the Angel lift up her hips.
"Lauma.." It came out as a whisper and moan something that she didn't need to do but wanted to. "Can you come up for me?"
And that is exactly what the Moonchanter did. She pushed herself up to be face to face with Nicole once more. Her rich, blues eyes staring deeply into Nicole's own blue eyes as her hands rested at the side of the Angel's head. Seeing the flush look on Nicole's was worth it all. She was divine. A being worth worshipping, and Lauma did everything she could to make sure that the woman beneath her was worshipped. Nicole's arms reached for Lauma's neck, wrapping them around the taller woman, pulling her down so their bodies were pressed against each other. Her hands coming down to Lauma's back. She leant in to give her lover a quick peck on the lips.
"I'll miss you," she said, her tone having a hint of melancholy in it. The feeling of sadness hitting her like it always did whenever she had to leave. She knew it's because she had stuff to do, but it never made it any easier.
"I will miss you too, Nicole," Lauma responded with, sadness filling her voice as she pressed a soft kiss into Nicole's chin before leaning her chin on her chest. "But we will see each other again."
That brought a smile to Nicole's face because she knew it was true. They will see each other again once she is done with her work. That's if Alice didn't bombard her with more, which will most likely happen but she would deal with it. Nothing will stop her from seeing that beautiful face of her Moonchanter.
"I love you, Nicole," Lauma blirted out in a whisper, leaning closer to Nicole's lips once more.
Nicole pressed another kiss into Lauma's lips - leaving it there for a few seconds while one hand came to cup her lover's cheek. She never knew anything about love, but she knew one thing - she loved Lauma.
"I love you too, Lauma."