Chapter Text
Part 1: New Moon
Ever since I graduated from the Academy, and began working as an officer of Public Security, I've lived alone. That never really bothered me. I’m mostly the kind of person that likes having things nice and orderly. I like when my house is clean when I come home from work, I like the quiet, and the consistency of my apartment truly being my own.
But now a nearly naked woman, clad in the nicest blanket I have (a fuzzy, soft, plush number, colored a deep blue), shivers on my couch. Her hair is still drenched, and the chill of the frozen air outside still hasn't left her bones.
The dress she'd been wearing when I found her, curled up in that alleyway tumbles away in the washer. I hope the agitator doesn't tear the delicate looking thing apart as it scours the dirt and dust from the white fiber.
It's all she has with her, I think. Besides the thin, nearly sheer underwear I saw for the briefest of moments as I helped her undress, and gave her the blanket she’s now holding onto for dear life.
She is, in my utterly and completely unprofessional and impolite opinion, the spitting image of a wet kitten. The kind that gets abandoned in a box by someone allergic to responsibility to a helpless, living thing.
The kind that, hopefully, gets adopted by someone who will care for her with all their might.
She shudders, and fights back whimpers and mewls of misery. Her lips trembles, as tears threaten to spill from her eyes all over again. Red, raw tear tracks cover so much of her porcelain cheeks.
It’s a sight that almost makes me angry. She’d had to have been out there all day. Who? Why?
She hasn’t spoken much. My knowledge of her, her situation, is pretty much nothing. All I know, is that her name is-
“Columbina.” I say, taking a step closer, ”I'm going to get some clothes for you. I don't know if they'll fit you- They're all mine, but they should help you keep warm. It'll only be a minute. Is that okay?”
The girl gives a silent nod. A strip of lacy fabric covers her eyes, eyes I've never seen open completely. I don't think she actually needs them to see. Outside of the unsteadiness brought on by being out in freezing rain for hours, terrified and disoriented, she functioned perfectly fine with them closed.
I suspect she's some kind of Thiren. That's the only way I can rationalize the two pairs of white, feathered wings that sprout from the sides of her head. I don’t really know birds. Like, at all, but maybe they’re from a dove? Doves are white, right?
The snowy white of those very soft looking feathers is a stark contrast to the deep chocolate/maroon of her long, straight hair. She had parts of it tied up when I first found her, but I'd helped her remove those so it could dry better.
I don’t have a whole lot of clothes. I’ve never been one for fashion- Mostly because I have absolutely no clue how to navigate it. I usually don’t even put on makeup. So the only stuff I really have for Columbina are an old pair of blue exercise shorts, that I think are actually from when I first entered the academy- And a ratty, oversized Starlight Knight T-Shirt that… I genuinely do not know the origin of.
It wasn’t much. I honestly felt bad that this was the best I had to offer Columbina. But it was better than being naked. We’d have to go clothes shopping tomorrow, get her something that actually fit her. What about food? My apartment was stocked okay, but if she is a Thiren, she might have specific Dietary restrictions. Allergies, too. And long term, can she even stay with me? This is a one-bedroom apartment, and cramped enough when I have a couple of people over during the day. Would I really just damn her to my couch?
It was better than nothing, but it still didn’t feel right. A shelter, then? Couldn’t be soon. Despite my being very unqualified for this situation, it wouldn’t be a good idea to foist her off on someone else so soon- She was clearly shaken. Maybe I’d have to find a new place that could properly fit both her and me.
It strikes me, a moment after that thought, that I’m already making plans. Plans regarding a girl that I found freezing to death in an alleyway, half catatonic in between sobs and pained, strangled cries. She’d murmured random words, words that were probably names that I couldn’t quite catch. They’d been said with such longing, like the people the names belonged to had been ripped away from her cruelly, and without warning.
I hadn’t had the time to ask. I’d actually carried her back to my apartment.
And now that I had time to think, short as it was, I questioned that decision. Why did I take her back to my apartment? I could have taken her to the hospital, back to the precinct, anywhere would have made more sense than here.
So, why?
“Later.” I decide, gathering the clothes, and leaving the room, back towards my guest.
Columbina perks up a bit as I re-enter the room.
I approach her, clothes bundled in hand. I set them on the cushion next to her.
“Let me know when you’re ready to put them on, I’ll step out for a second.”
“Thank you.”
Columbina’s voice barely rises above a whisper, her lips only just parting enough to get the word out. Some color has returned to her face, but her skin is naturally pale. Her lips are a subtle, petal pink.
…Have I mentioned yet that she is absolutely beautiful?
I’ve been trying not to think about it. But it is an immutable fact, Columbina is absolutely, drop dead gorgeous. And I’m saying that as someone who works with several people who are also incredibly attractive.
“Can I…” She speaks again, louder this time, but still quiet. Still reserved. Scared, I realise.
Probably because she’d been picked up and carried away by a strange woman who she didn’t know, and barely explained why she was picking her up. I can get carried away sometimes. I admit that.
“Yes?” I say, as she trails off. I try to keep my voice gentle, and refrain from talking out of turn. I’m… Really, really not great at dealing with the public. As much as I try, and as much training as I’ve received, I really just tend to stress them out. Seth wouldn’t have this problem. Qingyi would probably do better. Would’ve offered her tea.
…Actually, that’s a good idea.
Columbina draws a breath, and I get the impression she’s drawing her thighs closer to her chest underneath the blanket.
“...Can I stay here tonight?”
I wasn’t expecting that question. I wasn’t expecting any questions really, she’d been nearly silent since I found her in that alley.
“Of course.” I say,”I’ll get you back home tomorrow.”
“I don’t think you can.” She says. Her response is sudden, dejected, but matter-of-fact.
“Do you not have a place in the city?” I ask.
She hesitates, lips pursing, before saying,“I’m not… from here.”
The Outer Ring, then? There aren’t many Human Civilizations outside of New Eridu.
“Where are you from?” I ask.
She goes silent at that. I don’t get the sense that she doesn’t want answer, just that she doesn’t know how to.
I let it lie.
It’s not my business. She’s not obligated to tell me just because I’m letting her stay here. It’s my duty as a Public Security Officer to protect and serve the public. And as far as I can tell, she hasn’t committed any crimes to warrant an interrogation.
So I try a different question,”Do you want something to drink? I have tea, water, some juice in the fridge I think-”
“...Tea sounds nice.” She says, softly, but less strained. More calm, less afraid. I smile. Progress.
I rise from the couch,”Do you want me to let you get changed first?” I ask.
Columbina shivers, casting a quick look at the clothes beside her.
“Yes please.” She says, bunching the blanket around herself a little tighter. Cute. Like a bird settling down in its nest. The small fluttering of the wings on her head only contributes to that mental image.
Cute. Seriously, stupidly cute.
…Is it wrong that I want to see her smile? No, that’s normal- Of course I want her to be happy. That is a perfectly normal reaction. People want other people to be happy. I also really want to touch her wings. They look incredibly soft.
Bad, Zhu Yuan.
I nod, trying to focus up and away from Columbina’s face and soft, downy feathers,,”I’ll turn the heat up, thermostat’s in the hallway, so just let me know when you’re done.”
“Okay.” She says, quiet again
I turn, heading back towards the hallway again. I do not swivel my head back around when I hear cloth shifting, nor when I hear her delicate soles touching the carpeting. No. I keep my eyes forward, and find the thermostat, like I promised.
I punch it up a few degrees, and I hear the vents come to life, pumping new, warm air in. I honestly won’t mind it either. My Patrol outfit’s soaked through, and clinging hard to my skin. It’s really been irritating me in more ways than one. I’d be freezing if the strain from carrying her all the way here hadn’t heated up my body so much.
I should probably change.
“Columbina.” I say, projecting, but not really raising my voice.
“Yes?” Her voice is muffled. She’s pulling the shirt, my shirt over her head.
“I’m going to go get changed. I’ll be back out in a minute.”
“Okay.” Not muffled anymore,”I’m dressed now.”
I hear a little more movement, which I interpret as her climbing back under the blanket. Good. She should stay warm. Should probably get some rest, too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was asleep by the time I got back out there.
I hoped the couch was comfortable enough for her. It was kind of lumpy in places. The actual upholstery was cheaply made, and kind of scratch. It’d come with the apartment, and I’d never really thought to change it. It’s not like I took time off very often, and on the rare occasion I did, I usually had other things going on.
Miyabi didn’t mind. Neither did Qingyi, or Seth, or Jane. But they were all seasoned fighters. Columbina seemed… Delicate. It might be unfair to assume that she'd been freezing all day- Most people would seem rather fragile after that, but she just seemed so profoundly… Ethereal. Maybe it was the way she was dressed when I found her, the gauzy, gossamer dress that probably wasn’t machine safe what the hell was I thinking-
Clothes, Zhu Yuan. You need to put on clothes. One’s that aren’t soaked through, or clinging to your skin, halfway vacuum sealed and showing off something you don’t want her to see, and seriously hope she didn’t see.
I strip off the skin tight undersuit of my patrol outfit, having already quickly doffed my jacket. This is quite possibly the worst part of any rainy day, when I have to peel the latex-like fabric off my limbs. Sometimes, I seriously wonder if the freedom of movement it gives me in combat is worth it. Ditto the inbuilt body army. And the fire resistance. And the near immunity to any form of electric attack- Okay it was absolutely worth it. Despite my reservations.
I unclasp my bra, tossing the damp thing along with the rest of my clothes into the hamper. I do the same with my panties, and…
Ugh.
How do I just not notice an erection? Probably because I’ve been so focused on her. She didn’t notice, right? I know she can see through having her eyes closed, but can she actually see well? Maybe it’s small enough that she didn’t notice? Did her gaze ever go down? Did she ever part her lips in a silent, disgusted gasp?
I’m definitely overthinking this. She probably didn’t notice, and if she did, she’s too polite to point it out. I can live with that. It’s just biology, unfortunate, intrusive biology, but biology nonetheless. Biology I wish I had taken care of this morning. Or… Any other time this week.
Has it really been that long?
I think back, trying to remember a time where I took the damn thing in my hand and gave it what it wants, and honestly, I can’t remember. It’s at least been a week. Probably longer. Should I rub one out now? All I've really got pajama-wise are sweatpants, and those are notorious for hiding very little.
No, I’ll just wear one of my oversized t-shirts. That should probably hide it. I don’t want to keep her waiting any longer than necessary. Even if this would only take a minute or two. Later. I can do it later. When she’s comfortable and asleep, and won’t hear me moaning like a bitch in heat while I hump my pillow like the pathetic-
Do not spiral. You are currently responsible for the well being of a very scared, very vulnerable woman. You need to focus on that, Zhu Yuan. You can worry about your traitorous hormones later.
I leave the room, and already my apartment feels a tinge warmer. That is one of the things i really like about my place, the temperature control is great.
Columbina’s still comfortably on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket, still sitting upright. She’s not shivering anymore, though, that’s a good sign. She also looks a little more relaxed, like some of the tension has leaked from her body. Also good.
I cross my living room, walking past the T.V., and to the raised, attached kitchen. The brown carpet bleeds into gray faux-wood. My kitchen’s clean, untouched from use this morning. I’d overslept for the first time in forever, and had needed to rush to get to work on time. Ended up grabbing food on the way, which I rarely did.
It weirdly worked out okay, because I would not have had the energy to clean tonight.
I go to make tea, filling the kettle and setting it to boil on my stove. I reach for my cabinet, opening it and staring at the modest few varieties of tea I actually have. Black tea’s probably out of the question, it’s already getting late, caffeine wouldn’t do either of us any good. Ditto for green tea. So… Lavender or Chamomile.
One of the downsides of living alone is that you really only buy things that are to your particular taste. Which means caring for guests is rather difficult. If she ended up staying here for any length of time (And why would she? Surely she had somewhere to go…), I’d need to get used to shopping for two.
“I… Only really have Lavender and Chamomile. Any preference?” I ask Columbina, without looking over. I hoped she liked one of them, at least.
“Lavender sounds nice.” She responds, her voice still quiet, still apprehensive, but a little less of the reserved whisper from only a minute or two before. I nod, taking two lavender teabags from the cardboard container.
The kettle’s on its way to boiling, so I grab a couple of mugs from the cabinet above my sink. Both are plain white ceramic, their only adornment being the Pubsec logo on the side. I think they were a gift from… An office Christmas party? I want to say they came from Seth, but I’m not sure.
Either way, they were the only mugs that didn’t have a chip or a scratch in them. So, naturally, the best option.
“How do you like it? Lemon, milk, sugar?”
“Just a bit of sugar, please.”
“Copy.”
Two cups of steaming tea accompany me on my way back to the couch. Columbina’s no longer fully cocooned in the blanket, instead, it sits double-folded on her lap, hiding her legs from view. She looks markedly more comfortable now, and much less cold.
The shirt sits… Awkwardly on her. It’s much too big for her, barely hanging onto her shoulders to stop from falling off. I grimace.
“I’m sorry the clothes are so shabby, they really are the closest I’ve got to your size…”
“It’s perfectly fine.” She says suddenly, half-cutting me off. She then almost… Shrinks back the moment after, saying,”It’s… Thank you.”
I don’t really know how to respond to that. It’s just an altogether odd reaction. But she’s probably coming down from shock. Expecting her to be a conversationalist is a little presumptuous.
“Besides…” She says, wrapping her arms around herself,”They’re rather comfortable.”
Her head-wings flutter a little, like how a cat’s ear twitches when you touch it.
“I’m glad.” I say, sitting down next to her. I set my own mug down on the coffee table, before gingerly handing Columbina hers. She gingerly takes it in two hands, and takes a long, drawn out breath of the warm steam wafting off the top.
“Thank you, Zhu Yuan.” She says.
I realize that that’s the first time she’s said my name. And it… It sounds very nice in her voice.
“You’re welcome.” I say, on instinct,”And…”
I trail off. I don’t really know what I want to say. I worry about any promise I can make her. I don’t know if I can keep it. If she is from one of those fringe settlements…
Regardless of what she lost there, she’s better off here. Safe. Safe-er at least, from the threat of the Hollows. But can I tell her that? That the people, or, rather, I’m almost certain- The person she’s calling for, is beyond my power to return her to?
“...I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”
Columbina frowns at that, but it feels less like she’s unhappy, and more like she’s… Disappointed?
“You found me just in time.” She says.
And like I said, it’s not a smile, but the look on her face is… Radiant. Grateful. She looks at me like I’m her savior.
Heat flashes across my cheeks, and something else makes itself known again. I grit my teeth, but try not to show the sudden discomfort I feel.
“O-Okay.” I say, suddenly taking a much too big sip of my tea. I try to pretend I didn’t just completely scorch my tongue.
A stifled laugh proves I very much failed. My cheeks only grow hotter.
Yes, very eloquent Zhu Yuan, did you even pass PR training?
“I’m sorry.” She says, eyebrows furrowed,”I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“It’s okay.” I say immediately,”I can take a joke.”
I am one, apparently, so-
“Still, it’s rude. Especially after you…”
She trails off again. We both have a tendency to do that, apparently. The awkwardness of the situation, I’m sure. Neither of us have dealt with something like this before.
“It really is okay.” I say, feeling a smile tug at my lips,”Laughter is the best medicine, after all.”
“Healing magic is probably preferred, but yes, laughter is very important.”
Odd sense of humor, this one, but I’d heard odder. I’d take it over Jane’s esoteric and often terrifying pranks.
Our conversation falls away into a calm, companionable silence. A moment of calm. One that I hoped wasn’t a prelude to another storm.
And so, I finally let myself relax for that moment. She’s safe. She’s okay. I’ll try to have her eat something soon, maybe just some toast, but for now, she’s alright. And I can worry about what we’ll do tomorrow tomorrow.
So. Relax. How do I do that with someone I barely know in my house.
I eye the stack of videotapes sitting on top of the tape player, sitting just under my television.
I had already planned to watch a couple tonight, so I could return them tomorrow, on my day off. Maybe she’d like to watch something with me?
“Do you mind if I put something on the TV?” I ask. I know it’s my house, but I’d still feel weird just throwing something on without asking.
“I… Don’t know what that means, but I don’t mind.”
…She doesn’t know what a TV is? Okay, definitely, absolutely, not from anywhere in New Eridu. Or the Outer Ring. It pretty much has to be a fringe society, deep out in the Hollows.
Should I just ask again? She seems to have calmed down a lot since the last time I asked.
Yeah, okay, I’ll just ask.
“Columbina…” I say, and I notice the way she stiffens at the sudden seriousness of my tone. Not what I wanted to happen, but it’s fine.
“...You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. But if I know what your situation is, I think I can help you better.”
No response. I continue.
“If you don’t want to talk, I won’t push it. But I do want to help. I want you to be safe. And…”
I look her over, tracing the faint tear tracks on her porcelain skin,”Something happened. That led to you being in that alley. If someone hurt you, I want to know who, so I can bring them to justice.”
Columbina’s face stays stone still, her lips pursed. Then her expression shifts, her eyebrows raise (along with her wings) and her lips part, revealing a hint of pearl-white teeth. She wants to say something.
But she doesn’t.
Her lips close, and she shrinks in on herself again. I fight back a sigh. I don’t want her to think I’m disappointed. I am, but not really in her. I thought she would trust me enough to tell me. I was wrong. I’m disappointed in myself, really. Maybe if I had taken her to the station instead…
“Zhu Yuan…” She says, quiet, reproachful, anxious- Like she’s about to confess to murder.
I hope to the Gods she doesn’t. That would make this whole thing incredibly awkward.
“I lost someone.”
The room gets colder. Am I sure I turned the heater on? Also, good fucking gods, she’d just calmed down, but you couldn’t keep your obsession with your work in your pants, you complete and utter idiot.
Her fists are balled, tight against the blanket, bunching it in her hands, like she’s trying to crush it, or maybe she’s trying to keep herself here. Anchored to this couch, where it’s warm, and safe, and-
“And- And now I’m here.” She says, voice breathy,”I don’t know how, or why, or what happened there now that I’m gone, and they needed me, and she died to protect me and I-”
She draws in a deep, shuddering breath. My mind races. How do I handle this? I’m terrible at this. Comforting people. What was I thinking? Why did I bring her here?
“...I’m scared.” She admits, a tiny sniffle punctuating her words.
Think, Zhu Yuan, think- And fucking say something.
“It’s okay.”
Except it isn’t, because someone she clearly cared about died, and then she half froze to death, and ended up here with me.
“Or-” I shift closer to her, reaching out, before stopping myself. Would she be okay with that?
I err on the side of caution, letting my arms fall to my side, before continuing,”...It will be. I don’t know what happened, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you. And to bring the one who hurt you, who… killed that person- To justice.”
I curse myself. I mean my words, I do- But I can’t shake the earlier shame. I can barely control my own body, and here I am, promising her justice.
Columbina just shudders.
“You can’t.” She says, her voice half-choked into a violent sob.
And she sounds so sure. Like I could never hope to stand up against the force that had wronged her in a million years.
And I believe her.
Gods, I believe her.
Because I’ve never heard anyone more certain. So hopelessly convinced of their own words.
“It’s not your fault.” She says, shaking her head. The wings on her head droop, and she lets out a sound halfway between a laugh and another sob,”It’s just… I don’t think I can ever go back there. I don’t even know how I got here.”
“...Where?” I say, a last ditch effort, to do something, to find a clue, to possibly do something for her.
“Teyvat. My home.”
…
I’ve never heard that word before.
Then she does laugh. Not with amusement, but sheer, bitter resignation,”You don’t know what I’m talking about. I didn’t think you would. This place… It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. An entire different branch on the Imaginary Tree. Even the Traveler…”
And she trails off into silent, frigid tears.
“...It doesn't matter.” She whispers, voice thin as a reed. Her lips curl into a furious, rueful smile, the kind of look you give your worst enemy before slashing their throat out.
“It's gone. All of it.” She says.
The rain pours down outside, drowning out the world outside the apartment. In that moment, I don’t care about whatever’s out there. My job. The regulations. The rules I must uphold, the decorum of a Public Security officer.
None of it matters.
I crawl forward, and I wrap my arms around the poor, hurting girl in front of me.
She lets me. Lets me hold her. She buries her face in my chest and cries, sobbing, half screaming curses, and pleas, and promises into my body. I take it all. Accept her sorrow.
I don’t know what she spoke of. Maybe, in the future, I can get her to explain. But not now. Now, I let her cry as long as she needs. And then I get her to eat something, and then to rest.
Yes. Focus on that. Focus on tonight.
Columbina cries for a long time. I don’t time it, because only a complete psychopath would. When it lets up, she doesn’t push me away. If anything, she only leans in closer. I hold her tighter, until our warmth is shared.
I’ve never been shy about physical affection. My parents were huggers, and, really, I was one too.
I speak again,”Whatever you need…” My voice is low, and it's truly mine for the first time tonight. None of The Officer's authoritative tone finds its way into my voice. Just pure, unfiltered Zhu Yuan.
“I'm here.” I promise.
Columbina looks up at me, a wreck. Her nose runs, tears stain her face red, and…
I see her eyes.
Deep pools of Lilac and purple, I can't even see defined pupils. Pool isn't the right word- Those are oceans, all pouring into a bright, white star in the center.
“Thank you.” She says.
Ba-dump.
XxX
A few minutes later, she sits at my dining table. The blanket joins her like an old friend, keeping her comfy as she nurses her tea. Meanwhile, I stare daggers at the toaster as it drags its feet in preparing her food.
She was hungry, that much was clear when, in the midst of our very emotional hug, her stomach let out the loudest growl I've ever heard. Even beat out Cissia.
So- Toast. I didn't want to upset her stomach, so bland food would be best. She didn't complain. Though, I suspect she wouldn't complain even if I fed her her least favorite food ever.
…It was taking too damn long.
I was possessed by an uncharacteristic urge to hit the damn thing. Hard.
The silence was making me antsy, which I knew was ridiculous. It was completely reasonable for her to be quiet after that.
I don't look back at her. Don't want her to catch me staring- But I don't need to, anyway. I know she still looks the same way. Lost. Adrift in a sea of emotions she doesn't know how to handle.
I've seen it before. Countless times, in countless cases. On victims. And, given what she had said- That wasn't an unfair classification to give her. Maybe I should try getting her in to see a therapist-
Ding!
The toast pops up, and I cringe at the sharpness of the sound.
I spread on a bit of butter, partially for nutritional value, partially because this bread is really cheap and basically inedible without it. I’ll have to spring for some of the better stuff, non-store brand, at least.
Columbina sets her tea down as she sees me approaching, folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes have closed since she opened them last, and she hasn’t seen fit to open them again. I don’t know if I should read into that or not. Maybe she just keeps them closed because her natural eyesight is bad, and she gets by better just using her other senses? Perhaps they were just considered offputting where she was from…
No. That was ludicrous. Columbina’s eyes were beautiful, how could anyone think them upsetting?
If so, then her opening them to me… That meant something, right?
I set the toast down in front of her, and she thanks me again before staring at the food in front of her for a second.
I’m about to ask if this is okay, if she wants something else, or-
Then she moves.
Columbina eats… I won’t say ravenously. It’s not messy, in fact, it’s incredibly clean and almost graceful, but it’s so quick and…
Oh. It’s like she’s pecking at it. Like a bird would. Except she’s taking massive bites, chewing maybe once, and then swallowing. That cannot be good for her, right? Regardless, the toast vanishes in all of fifteen seconds.
Her head half-shifts forward again, mouth open poised for another bite- Before finding only empty air. Her teeth clack as she mimes biting.
Then a deep, crimson blush spreads across her cheek, as she once again sets her hands in my lap.
“...May I have some more, please?” Thump.
I go and make her more toast.
A couple more slices pass in the same way as the first- But I cut her off at three. Want to wait for the food to settle, at least. She doesn’t protest when I explain my reasoning, and I catch her blushing again the moment after.
I make the observation, officially, now.
Columbina is cute. Columbina is very cute, and that is something of a problem. I… have something of a penchant for girls like her. And she is alone in my house, with no connections, and no safety measures to speak of. And I am insanely horny.
Now, would I ever do something to her? No. I’m not a monster. I would sooner kill myself than lay a finger on her.
But regardless, all of those things are still a problem. Regardless of my confidence in my own moral fiber, she may not be. And, in the utterly insane and reality-breaking event that I did something to her, she would have no one to turn to. I believe she is aware of that fact, and I cannot imagine it is a comforting one.
Tomorrow, I’m going to float the idea of going into the city to her. There are shelters there, that can help her just as I can. If she wants to stay…
I’ll let her. If this place, if I make her feel safe, then she can stay here as long as she likes. I’ll make that clear.
I think of this as I sit beside her on the couch. I have a tape playing- One of my old favorites. Columbina had been mystified by the technology itself, (Teyvat- What kind of place was it?) but had found herself feeling rather comfortable with the actual contents of the tape. She likened it to Live Dramas she’s seen back in her old home. It was apparently, staggeringly similar to something she’d seen before.
I wondered if Hot Buzz was one of those archetypal stories that exist in all civilization. If so, I give them all credit. It’s a good one.
As the movie continues, Columbina sinks more and more into the couch. Her eyes are always closed, so it’s hard to gauge exhaustion by those, but every other part of her screams just how tired she is. And after the day she’s had, I’d say she very much deserves it. Still, it seems she’s not quite drifting off yet, when some scenes still draw quiet laughter from her, but even that wanes with time.
She makes it to the end of the movie before passing out.
I stand up then, gesturing to my spot on the couch,”Here, you can lay down. I’ll grab you a pillow.”
“Thank you.” She says again. My heart thumps again. I wish it’d stop doing that.
I see Columbina lay down in my peripheral, stretching her legs across the cushions, and folding the blanket out to better cover her body. I stalk back to my room, aware, again, of the problem between my thighs. I’ll have to deal with it tonight, and just pray she doesn’t need me in the middle of the night.
I grab a pillow. Notably not one I’ve ever… Used. Even thinking about that makes me cringe. I wonder, despite barely knowing this girl, what she would think of me, if she knew what kind of person I was.
I return to her, and she lifts her head for me to put the pillow in its place. We don’t share a word then, as her head settles down onto the pillow, wings fluttering softly. I still really wanna touch them. But I don’t. And I don’t ask either, because of many aforementioned reasons. I actually think she’s fallen asleep immediately for a second, because she goes so still, but then she speaks.
“Zhu Yuan… Would you…Take off my blindfold?”
Blindfold? What- Oh, the lace across her eyes. Of course. Not that it really “blinded” anything, it was more of mostly see-through lattice that looked absolutely wonderful on her, and lacked any practical function.
“S-Sure.” I say, and I know exactly why I stutter.
She’s asking me to touch her. Something I was generally trying very hard not to do. Outside of… The super long hug we shared earlier- But still, this felt more intimate. I’d helped her undress before, but that was because her dress was a complicated garment and really needed two people, she could absolutely take the blindfold off herself, but she was asking me.
Was this a test? If so, then for what?
I decide that it doesn’t matter. I need to stop overthinking every little thing. Maybe it’s just a pain for her to get off by herself. I probably have to untie it, (will she ask me to re-tie it in the morning?) That's all.
I reach down past her face, my hands barely brushing the sides of her head, rubbing against a few loose strands of her hair. Silky, smooth, even after being soaked in New Eridu’s freezing rain.
Her wings gave the slightest flutter as I reached behind her head, deep into the smooth, soft tresses of Columbina’s long dark hair. I reach the back of her head, feeling for a knot in the lace ribbon.
I find it. Untie it quickly, it wasn’t a bad knot, but I was good at undoing them. PubSec training.
The blindfold falls off her like water, and I see her face, fully unadorned for the first time.
Truthfully?
There’s not that much of a difference. Again, the blindfold is almost fully sheer. It’s entirely an accessory.
But she does seem just the slightest bit less… Guarded, like this. I wonder if that was a rare sight. How many other people had seen Columbina’s true face? Perhaps that wasn’t a special thing at all. Perhaps her eyes were a treasure everyone in Teyvat had bore witness too.
…Something told me that this did mean something. That she didn’t show this face to just anyone.
It felt good. To be trusted like that.
“Good Night, Columbina.” I say, my voice so soft, I barely hear it.
“Good Night, Zhu Yuan. Sweet dreams.” She replies.
And that’s it. She drifts off to sleep. Peaceful. Rest.
Finally.