"Lothari-, Kenshin, are your parents alright?" Paimon asked nervously, making Lumine facepalm.
"It's okay" sighed Kenshin. He was still angry, but there was nothing he could do about it now. "What we need to do now is to tell everyone that things went well".
"Uhmm, yeah" Barbatos awkwardly nodded. "I will go to get the wine for the celebration".
And he disappeared. Kenshin's anger was making his hair stand on end.
"Are you okay?" asked timidly Lumine. She lost her brother, and she didn't know what losing his parents was making Kenshin feel.
"..." meanwhile, Kenshin was having a dilemma. He knew how worried Lumine was about her disappeared brother, but he didn't want to tell her that her brother was a 'baddie' now.
"Lothario, Paimon sensed that there is something you want to say" Paimon's pea-sized brain sometimes was correct.
"Is there something I can help with?" Lumine asked, unknowingly using the lethal 'upward gaze'.
"Fuck" Kenshin rubbed his forehead. How could he keep making her worry now? "Listen Lumine, I met your brother a few hours ago".
"Where?!!" Lumine grabbed Kenshin's hakama with frenzied eyes.
"It doesn't matter, he left" Kenshin explained, and saw Lumine fall from 100 to 0 in an instant. "But he is alive". 'I think'.
Lumine's eyes opened wide, and she let out a sigh of relief, falling to the floor on her knees with some tears of relief threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Lumine!" Paimon approached in worry, but there was not much she could do.
"Up" Kenshin put his hands on Lumine's armpits and raised her again. "He is doing his own thing and will wait for you, so focus on your travel".
"I want to reunite with him as soon as possible" Lumine shook her head. She wanted to find her brother and leave this planet.
"He won't appear" Kenshin knew that just like he knew Sara's breasts were soft. "He is in a place you can't reach, and before you ask, me neither. I don't even know where is he. So focus on experiencing this world, and try to comprehend it. That way you will understand where is your brother and what he is trying to do".
"Do you know something?" asked Lumine with a hopeful tone.
"No" lied Kenshin. "But I may be able to see him in the future. I can't force him to go and see you, but I can tell him a message".
"Can you tell him?" Lumine thought for a few seconds. "That I love him?".
"Of course" Kenshin laughed and ruffled Lumine's hair. "Even better yet, why don't you write some letters? I will give them to your brother".
"Really?" Lumine's beautiful eyes shone in excitement.
"Of course" repeated Kenshin while nodding. "I will double up. I will tell him to write some".
Lumine hugged Kenshin, her happiness at knowing her brother was alive and that she may interact with him, even if it was by letters, overwhelmed her shyness.
"Kenshin, are you okay?" Jean arrived at this moment, and Lumine wasn't able to react in time.
"No, wait!" Paimon shouted, trying to hide Lumine with her body. "It's not what it looks like!!".
Jean looked curiously at Paimon but focused on Kenshin again.
"I didn't see you yesterday, and the guards told me that you didn't come back".
"I had to....unwind," said cautiously Kenshin. He knew how much Jean loved his parents, and there was no need to worry her right now about this.
"Yeah, his parents got kidnapped" Paimon nodded. It was her job as a guide to tell everything she knew.
Kenshin and Lumine glared at Paimon, and Jean looked scandalized at Kenshin.
"Is that true!!?" she grabbed Kenshin's shoulders. Kenshin was a bit taller, so she had to look up to him.
Kenshin sensed Jean's worry and sighed tiredly.
"Yes," he nodded, making Jean want to cry. "But they should be already on their way back".
Jean felt a bit calmer, but now anger was replacing the worry in her soul.
"Who did it" she demanded an answer. During the years, she had come to consider Yahiko and Mio's family.
"It doesn't matter anym-"
"It was the Fatuis!!" shouted Paimon with a proud smile of knowing so much.
"Dammit Paimon" Lumine said while clenching her teeth. She felt Kenshin was the only light in this world, the one who could take her to her brother someday, and Paimon was pissing him off.
"Fatuis?" asked a livid Jean.
"Yes, he blackmailed them!" shouted Paimon, who was avoiding Lumine's tries to grab her with an unexpected agility. "After they stole Barbatos' Gnosis!".
"They did what?" now Jean was beyond livid. Not only kidnapping her 'parents-in-law', but even attacking the Anemo Archon. In his own city? "I will kill them all right now".
"Jean, calm down" Kenshin grabbed her shoulder before she could leave. "Barbatos is drinking now, and he intended for that to happen".
"They still dared to attack him" Jean refused to budge. "We allowed them in the city, we tolerated their bad habits, solved the problems they caused, tried to let their offensive remarks and plans pass, and this is what we got".
"I know" Kenshin had even more reasons to be pissed off.
"And you are in an even worse situation" Jean obviously knew it. "You helped that Arlecchino girl, gave them the Electro Gnosis, taught her a lot, and helped them".
"You did that?!" asked a shocked Lumine, whose impression of the Fatuis were 'bad guys'. But Kenshin and Jean ignored her.
"I don't want to say 'I told you'" Jean continued with a scowl. "But that girl is also in the contract. And even despite her relation with you, they still kidnapped them. How can you be sure that they won't use that connection to do something even worse? Or force her to do something to harm you?".
"They won't" Kenshin's calm voice relayed his confidence in his statement. "Because I'm taking them to Inazuma".
Jean opened her mouth and sadly sighed. She didn't want Mio and Yahiko to leave Mondstadt as she loved them, but she was aware that they weren't safe here. Ei and Yae, and to a lesser degree Sara, were there to protect them, while here only she and maybe a few more could try to protect them. But they were already swamped with work, and they are going to be even more busy with the reconstruction now.
Meanwhile, Lumine was caught in something else.
"What contract?"
""Nothing"" Jean and Kenshin replied at the same time.
"Hmmmm, Paimon senses something fishy...." Paimon muttered with a hand on her chin.
"It will be you after I use you as a lure" said Kenshin with a dark face.
"Hiiiiihhhh!" Paimon hid behind Lumine, who was also angry at her. "Lumine will protect me!"
Kenshin sighed and looked around. People were already moving the remains of destroyed houses.
"Jean, we need to tell the people that the problem with the dragon is solved" Kenshin said, but Jean was too worried about Yahiko and Mio. "Jean, they are on their way back, and your mother would slap you if she saw you now. What was your family's motto?".
"For Mondstadt, as always" she sighed.
"Wait for a bit, I will get some help" said Kenshin, and left, Lumine following him. She didn't want to stay with the obviously worried Jean, as she didn't know what to say to her and the mood would turn awkward pretty quickly.
"Where are we going to?" Lumine asked. She had visited the whole town yesterday, so she had an idea of where to find people.
"To see Miss Sister" replied Kenshin. "I wasn't able to see her as Lewd Nun interrupted me, but now I will".
"Who are you calling 'Lewd Nun'" said Rosaria with her deadpan voice.
"The woman in fishnets" unhesitantly answered Kenshin under Lumine's awkward look. "And with an open skit on the sides".
Rosaria just looked at him blandly.
"They are comfy" she replied
"And I don't doubt it, but it doesn't make it any less lewd" Kenshin insisted in defending the truth. "I know! I will make a new character in my book. or better, a new volume based on this! 'The Radiant Knight and the Ditzy Succubus'".
"Who are you calling ditzy?" said Rosaria with a dark face, and seeing Kenshin's raised eyebrow and Lumine's stunned look, she realized what she said.
"Lumine!! Save Paimon from the succubus" Paimon hid behind Lumine with fear etched on her face.
"Ignore the retarded child" Kenshin wasn't willing to lose more time on the big baby. "You are the Ditzy Succubus from now on, and I am going to see Miss Sister now".
"You are not leaving until you promise not to do that" Rosaria said in a bland yet determined voice.
Kenshin sighed and prepared to use the invincible weapon.
"Hey!" He held a cup of wine to Rosaria's mouth, whose instinct was to drink it.
Plof
Lumine looked wryly at the downed woman.
"What are you thinking?" scoffed Kenshin. "You did the same, I had to stop you from dying from dehydration from too much crying"
Lumine looked at the floor in embarrassment. Aether usually told her that when she cried, she screamed. And that she was extremely annoying.
"'Oh brother, may my eyes be able to witness your silhouette once again. May your vali-"
"Okay!" Lumine shouted and tried to cover Kenshin's mouth, but he just leaned back. Lumine was too short after all.
"What was Paimon doing?" Paimon curiusly.
Kenshin looked at her with disdain. He didn't know what kind of entity was behind Paimon, but the sight of Paimon drowning in a puddle was too lamentable.
"MISS SISTER!!" Kenshin shouted again, ignoring the glares sent his way, while Lumine tried to make herself look smaller.
"Kenshin?" Barbara heard the shouts and recognized the voice. "Kenshin!"
"Miss Sister!" Kenshin opened her arms to receive Barbara's hug.
"What are you doing?" but Barbara approached calmly.
"You lack enthusiasm" complained Kenshin. "How are you? We haven't seen each other in 6 years".
"I'm great" Barbara said with a smile. Growing up she realized that Kenshin wasn't THAT kind, and the letter he made her read was just to tease her dear sister. "Everything is good, my sister is busy as always, and oh!"
"What happened Miss Sister?" asked Kenshin, sensing Barbara's sudden enthusiasm.
"When is the wedding?!" asked an excited Barbara. She was obviously aware of the letters her sister and Kenshin had started sending each other a few years ago, and knowing that they were 'married', she wanted to be in the proper ceremony. "I know that you were busy in Inazuma, but you have no more excuses now".
"Marry?" asked Lumine with a shocked gaze at Kenshin. She knew he and Jean were together, but she didn't know they were that advanced in the relationship.
"Marry?" asked a scared Kenshin. She couldn't sense any kind of doubt or teasing intention in Barbara's soul, and that meant that she considered it the truth. When did he promise to marry this early?
"Don't tell me you are not going to marry my sister" said Barbara with a dark face, someone that didn't fit her sunny disposition. "Were you playing with her all these years?".
"You lothario!!" shouted Paimon, fanning the fire. "You played with the innocent feelings of a woman for years, and now that she has dedicated her best years to you, you are ditching her for some hussy?!".
Kenshin softly slapped Paimon, and she went limp in Lumine's arms. He didn't know if the being behind her was going to murder the whole world, but she was too annoying.
"Miss Sister, think for a bit, or I will write a letter about your hidden hobby" threatened Kenshin. Barbara liked the same kind of books as her sister, but she was even more hardcore.
"W-What are you talking about?" she nervously asked.
"I wrote some of those books" revealed Kenshin with a smile. "As you know, I was blind for a few years so the ink I used was special. I can see them even from here, and yesterday I saw your soul next to the book".
"Oh....."
"Oh indeed" Kenshin nodded with a teasing smirk. "Mondstadt's idol, the Deaconess Barbara Pegg, reading 'With Ropes and Candles'. I wonder what would Mondstadt think".
"N-No please...."
"Or even worse" Kenshin grinned. "Your mother".
"No please!" Barbara fell to her knees, not caring about the people watching them. "Not my mother! Or my sister at that!"
"Ropes and Candles?" asked a confused Lumine. Kenshin took away one from his Plane and gave it to her. He always kept a copy of each of his books.
Lumine curiously opened it and blushed seeing an illustration made with Kenshin's godly faithfulness to reality.
"But why would I tell your sister?" asked Kenshin with a calm face. "She also reads it".
"My-my sister reads it?" asked Barbara, who couldn't believe her strict sister would read these kinds of books.
"Jean reads....this?" asked a shocked Lumine, thinking the same.
"Yes" nodded Kenshin, who thought that if Jean was distracted with these innocent things, she wouldn't worry about his parents while they were packed back here. "Anyway Miss Sister, I need you to call everyone to the plaza again, just like all those years ago".
Barbara nodded with a smile, but inwardly she was thinking about how to make Kenshin marry her dear sister. And she had an idea.
"Miss Sister" Kenshin said with a frown. "I don't think that whatever you are planning is a good idea".
Barbara only smiled and pushed them out of the cathedral.
She was going to write a letter.