It Wasn't the Dress I Was Complimenting [4k] (Revised)

"I'm the real Anemo Archon. Send me 50 Mora, and once I defeat Stormterror, I'll make you Grand General of the Realm."

"...?"

"Not interested? Oh... then how about a saintess?"

Watching the angel wink at her, Sister Gotelinde's mouth twitched. She left them with an "I have things to do" and fled as though her life depended on it.

This time, she didn't even return to her prayers. She ran straight into the cathedral's basement, leaving the girl behind trying to call her back.

After Mondstadt's finest bard and the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius, Her Flügel Highness "I'm the Real Anemo Archon" had failed too.

"I told you ages ago, Barbatos. This wouldn't work." Gabrielina folded her arms, her wings beating the air twice in irritation.

"Huh? Are you talking to me?"

Gabrielina first looked around, then lowered her head, seemingly very "surprised" to discover Venti standing in front of her.

"Oh my God, there you are... but you just said you were the Anemo Archon!"

"Hehe. Should I give you 50 Mora, then, Your Archonship?"

Gabrielina met Venti's faintly provocative gaze, then suddenly sighed, her voice growing sorrowful.

"...Please don't swear to do things you're incapable of."

"?"

"Enough, you two!" Paimon flew over and immediately scolded them. "You shouldn't spout nonsense! You even drove that nice sister away!"

"Ugh, what a pain."

"Ehe~"

Watching Gabrielina and Venti, Lumine had no idea when the beautiful, kindhearted Gabrielina had started hanging around with this unreliable bard.

"She even turned you down, Traveler!" Venti looked helpless, scratching his head through his green hat. "Impossible. Just impossible... isn't it perfectly natural for a hero to help themselves to the village's best sword?"

"Exactly, exactly. Without the village's best sword, our party of heroes is doomed, meow."

We're not doomed! Wait... what's with that verbal tic?

Lumine looked away from Gabrielina's swaying wings and pretended to ponder. "What do we do now?"

"That leaves just one option~" Venti winked.

"You're not planning to..."

Venti raised a finger to his lips, stopping Paimon's attempt to plot at full volume.

"Venti, are you going to steal the Holy Lyre der Himmel?"

"Hey! We're going to 'borrow' it. And... I won't be the one going."

Looking utterly confused, Lumine pointed at herself.

"So clever. Just what I'd expect from you." Under the angel's thoroughly contemptuous gaze, Venti nodded to himself. "You're the perfect person for the job. After all, I'm useless at everything except singing~"

"Besides, I have no one to turn to in Mondstadt. If I get caught, they'll definitely beat me to death."

"B-but Lumine has no one to turn to either... wait, stealing is wrong in the first place!" Paimon stamped her feet in midair, anxiously trying to stand up for Lumine.

"No, no. The Traveler is different."

Venti turned to Lumine, gently placing one hand over his chest while elegantly extending the other toward her. "You've done great things for the Knights of Favonius and Mondstadt. You're the Knights' rising talent, Mondstadt's star of tomorrow."

"Even if you slip up and get caught, surely you can offer some explanation and talk your way out of it?"

The string of compliments left Lumine feeling dizzy. "Hmm... then wouldn't sending Gabrielina work just as well?"

"She's precisely the person you can 'turn to'!"

Lumine's cheeks reddened a little, while Gabrielina merely nodded her agreement.

"Then... all right. We'll help you."

"Yay!"

After arranging to meet Venti that night, Gabrielina and Lumine began wandering around Mondstadt.

This was another world, not a game. She couldn't freely change the time the way she used to, so she had to find something to do.

"So... hic, haven't we been here a little too long?"

While Lumine wasn't looking, Paimon wiped the grease from her mouth, then tilted sideways and leaned against a nearby clothes rack.

Gabrielina tilted her head slightly. "Paimon... has a point."

"Stop moving! Raise your wings a little higher."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The girl immediately went rigid.

Without Lumine even needing to ask, the wings behind her had already stretched high enough to nearly poke through the ceiling.

When Lumine finally finished tying the complicated bow, wiped the fine sweat from her brow, and turned Gabrielina around, even her breathing involuntarily softened.

The lavish, pure-white princess dress had a skirt spread out like an umbrella, its embroidered lace trim layered upon layer, fluttering like dancing gauze whenever the girl moved. Crystals of every size and bright color adorned the entire dress.

Even her little face had been forcibly given light makeup and shimmer powder, as though ground crystals had been brushed onto it.

Oh~ You're blushing~

Gabrielina couldn't be bothered to respond to the system's teasing.

Honestly, not only was the dress squeezing her chest, the weight of this whole blinged-out outfit was practically crushing her.

She couldn't count on Paimon to rescue her, nor did she dare interrupt the enthusiastic Lumine, so she could only cast a resentful look at the shop assistant.

Was this even meant for people to wear? No wonder it had been left hanging in the shop unsold.

Ptooey!

"Her hair, her hair! We still need to do her hair!" The shop assistant excitedly handed Lumine a hair ornament.

"Thank you. I almost forgot..." Lumine accepted the ornament and gently patted Gabrielina's shoulder. "Turn around again."

"..."

"Over here."

Seemingly resigned to her fate, Gabrielina obediently approached the dressing table. The tall shop assistant pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down.

"Miss Gabrielina, we'll need to put your hair up first-"

Before the assistant finished speaking, Lumine had already picked up the comb. "Let me. I usually only get to practice on myself, but I'm quite good at this."

Warm softness gently pressed against her back, and a faint floral fragrance drifted from behind her into Gabrielina's nose.

She blinked and looked into the mirror before her.

Candlelight flickered in the glass, mingling with her faintly luminous pupils into a hazy glow. Standing behind her, Lumine looked like someone out of a painting, her skin flawless and fair.

Her face brimmed with anticipation, yet her movements held a hint of restraint. She gently lifted her slender hands, working over Gabrielina's head stroke by stroke as she carefully combed the long, cherry-pink hair.

A faint tugging sensation spread across her scalp, a little tingly, but very pleasant.

Now and then, she could feel Lumine's fingertips lightly brushing past.

"Gabrielina, your hair... is so beautiful."

At Lumine's praise, Gabrielina couldn't help curling her lips into a smile and lifting her chin slightly.

"Of course it is~"

Hehe.

As if you needed to tell me my hair was beautiful!

The system had copied Jibril's appearance outright. Back in the day, our little Jibril had been a famously good-looking youngster in Avant Heim.

"Don't move~"

Lumine raised her palm and gently patted Gabrielina's head. Her other hand reached beside her face, picking up a lock of hair and curling it around her fingers. In the candlelight, the strands refracted an iridescent sheen in her hand.

System, it's only been a few days. I feel like she's getting more and more casual with me.

How pitiful... but what does that have to do with me?

From now on, you need to count this kind of thing as a quest and give me... um... something to compensate for my emotional distress!

Gabrielina tipped her head back in comfort. Even her ear feathers trembled from time to time, affectionately winding around Lumine's fingers, with no sign whatsoever of emotional distress.

"Hehe... don't..."

The feathers seemed to tickle the girl's ears, making her laugh softly.

"Mm, I'm not finished yet."

Lumine began pulling the strands in her hands, twisting them into cords one lock at a time.

The cords were soon woven into small braids and coiled atop the girl's head. Lumine worked with great care, her amber eyes fixed intently on the back of Gabrielina's head, her warm, orchid-sweet breath brushing her neck.

"Gabrielina."

"Hmm?"

Lumine paused, then ventured, "Do you still remember what your homeland looked like?"

"Hmm... no, but it was probably pretty high up."

"High up... I see. That does suit you, Gabrielina." Lumine smiled gently, her voice growing very, very soft.

"Once I find my brother, would you like to visit our homeland?"

"Sure. It's a promise~"

Click-

The dazzling gold-and-enamel hair ornament secured the coiled braid firmly atop her head.

"When everything's settled, when you... remember your past, I'd like to visit your homeland too."

Gabrielina's heart gave a jolt. She abruptly turned around and looked at Lumine in surprise.

Lumine seemed startled too. "What's wrong... did it catch your hair?"

"N-no."

It would be pretty nice if Lumine could really visit my home... even if that wasn't very likely. But, but why did those words sound a little strange?

"All done."

Gabrielina came back to her senses and instinctively turned her head, finding Lumine's face mere inches away, her eyes slightly dreamy.

"...Go take a look in the mirror!" Lumine said, smiling and clapping her hands.

And so Gabrielina twisted around to look at the girl in the mirror.

Her faintly moist eyes were clear and bright, shining like stars. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the pink hair that usually flowed like drifting cherry blossoms had been artfully coiled atop her head, leaving glimpses of the ornament's edges. A faint blush tinted the flawless white skin behind her ears.

Candlelight gilded her outline with a soft glow, complementing the shifting halo above her head and making her look divine.

My God...

How could anyone look this good!

"Wow! Gabrielina looks like, like... a princess from a fairy tale!" Paimon flew a circle around Gabrielina as she spoke excitedly.

"Absolutely beautiful! It's as though it was made just for you." The shop assistant clasped her hands and joined in the praise.

Lumine simply smiled gently at the angel, just as she had before.

She softly took the hand of the girl before her, warmth spreading from her palm. "Really beautiful."

"Well, this dress really does look lovely~"

"Mm... you know it wasn't the dress I was complimenting..." Lumine turned her face slightly aside, the tips of her ears flushing crimson. She looked utterly adorable.

Looking down at the fluffy crown of Lumine's head, Gabrielina had just reached out to ruffle it when the blushing girl gently slapped her hand away with a smack.

Hmm, the heels were probably six... no, seven centimeters high. Just enough to make me about a head taller than Lumine...

"Satisfied now?"

"Hmm?"

Gabrielina lifted one wing and quickly poked Lumine's forehead. "You're not actually thinking of buying it, are you? We really won't be able to afford food after that."

As the saying went, a full belly bred lust... a full belly bred lust... sure, she could go without eating, but lust wasn't exactly something one person could take care of alone. ()

"Besides, it's not as though my usual clothes look bad."

Covering her forehead while peeking at Gabrielina through the gaps between her fingers, Lumine spoke in a voice so soft it could melt. "All right... but you went out to have fun by yourself last night."

You snuck out without me. (⩺_⩹)

"...You stayed out so long, Gabrielina, and came back smelling of alcohol... Mondstadt must be beautiful at night. Thanks for remembering to get some snacks for Paimon and me, at least..."

You can't bear to buy yourself a pretty dress, but you're awfully eager to go carousing. (〜￣△￣)〜

"Ah... if you don't want to buy it, then don't. I suppose your little sister was in the wrong."

I. Am. Not. Happy. (╯3╰)

Gabrielina was sweating bullets.

Since last night's incident hadn't come up for so long, she'd thought it was probably behind them. She hadn't expected Lumine to be waiting for her here.

Luckily, there was still an outsider present. If Lumine started dredging up old grievances when they were alone, she might even bring up how Gabrielina had held her while they went back to sleep that morning. Then she really would be...

"Lumine, actually, I... huh?"

Gabrielina stared blankly at her hands, now gently cupped in the girl's own, and felt a sudden pang of guilt.

"You don't have to."

Looking straight into the angel's eyes, Lumine spoke slowly but firmly. "You don't need to... do so much just to indulge my whims, Gabrielina. If I really made you do all this, wouldn't that be terribly selfish? I, I just..."

Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she rose onto her toes and leaned toward Gabrielina's ear.

"...Mm... take me with you next time you go out."

She's not... she's not being passive-aggressive, is she?

You deserve to be single, you walking red flag.

*???*

Despite the jumble in her head, Gabrielina nodded at once, almost shaking her head fast enough to leave afterimages.

Lumine chuckled as though her scheme had succeeded, casually smoothing the ruffled feathers beside the girl's ears.

"Ahem!"

The abrupt cough made them both turn. The shop assistant was looking at their still tightly clasped hands with an odd expression, the corners of her mouth rising in a smile she could barely suppress.

Lumine immediately pulled her hands back as though shocked by electricity. Gabrielina turned toward the fitting room with an expressionless face, her wings snapping open behind her.

After a flurry of activity, Gabrielina finally changed back into her original, signature outfit.

...Granted, this one still looked overdramatic and revealing, but at least it was much easier to move in.

The shop assistant accepted the dress, still warm from her body, but didn't immediately hang it back up. "Actually... you two can take it for now."

"Huh?"

"Actually, everyone has already heard of the Honorary Knight. As the heroes who drove back the dragon and defended Mondstadt... surely anyone would feel honored to serve you?" The shop assistant's voice carried sincere respect.

"...Thank you for recognizing what we did, but that's enough. We didn't fight to receive anything in return," Lumine firmly declined.

"L-Lumine's right!" Paimon nodded as well.

"But... hmm..." The shop assistant pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised her head. "How about this? Could we ask Miss Gabrielina to help promote the shop? Someone as beautiful as you would surely help more people discover our designs."

"Um... I-"

Just as Gabrielina tried to find a way to decline, the sound of wind chimes came from the Front Courtyard, and a girl clad in silver armor appeared before them.