I try to write a thing

{Like Bitter, Like Sweet} - Ch 1

The rap of knuckles on wood shot Furina out of the shallows of sleep, to great delirium. Her apartment swam by in the blur of her vision as she stumbled to the front door. At its threshold she paused, leaning against the wall beside it as a great yawn tipped her hazy head back, peeks of the cavity of her mouth visible even behind her open palm.

Another knock rattled through the hollows of her ribcage; her head buzzed at the edge of a headache from too-little sleep. She wipe the crust of spittle that had dried at the corner of her mouth, silently grumbling at the earliness of an hour, though a glance at the clock would tell her how she had missed afternoon tea - if she could even see as she blearily blinked, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Still caught between wakefulness and sleep, Furina grasped the handle and yanked the door open with hardly a thought.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she groused, remarkably coherent despite the exhausted slur of her words.

It was mere moments before she got her answer that she recognized the professional, collected dress of the man before her.

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{A song for the ocean, a song only for me}

When it came time for the Seven to make their meeting "official", Makoto offered to find Rukkhadevata herself. Egeria's soft voice rose in offer to accompany her, quieted by Barbatos' insistence she stay. He "had need of her", so she must remain, and when Makoto departed on her own, they shared a secret look - his of knowing, hers of gratitude.

Makoto found her by the shores across from Liyue Harbor. Cloudy day though it was, and despite the chill that rolled in over the ocean, Rukkhadevata stood barefoot, just within the tide as each wave rushed up the sandy bank, and past her soles. The Lord of Dendro stood tall, head tipped up to the sky. The salty wind whipped back her hair like delicate ribbons dancing in the air.

As Makoto came to the boundary between sand and soil, the sun found brief escape through the cloud cover, landing upon Rukkhadevata's tall, slender form. At that very moment, Makoto was in range to hear her song, as if the sunbeams were a spotlight to make the beginning of the goddess's solo performance. Makoto paused, lingering as if beyond a physical barrier to listen.

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{To share in the budding of spring}

Spring warmed the air in their lungs and sang in their ears - the seronade of birds, chatter of little critters just out of view. Each breath filled Makoto with the fragrance of numerous blooms, and the sights dazzled her with new growth as they dove deeper into the wilderness.

Rukkhadevata picked a careful path through the humid forest, and Makoto tried to match her precisely. Unfortunately, she was unused to such uneven paths; a massive tree root twisted her step. She pitched forward with a choked cry, grasping at the air to catch herself.

Rukkhadevata grasped her elbow. Before she could fall to the ground, she steadied Makoto with a firm grip.

"Careful! There's all sorts of things hidden beneath the debris."

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{Regardless of Duty}

Clorinde ushered Furina over to a rock to sit, kneeling before her to examine the scrape on her knee. Seeing the woman on her knees, in such subservient pose, Furina couldn't help but avert her eyes. Guilt boiled in her gut.

"There's no need, really. It's barely a scrape; it doesn't even hurt that much." Furina's breath came fluttering. Try as she might to project her usual confidence, she couldn't quite disguise the waver of her voice.

Clorinde didn't respond, only pulled a tissue from her pack.

"And besides!" Furina leaned back onto her hands, poised as if to claw herself away from this embarrassing position. Even when she'd pretended to be the Hydro Archon, she would never let someone - even Clorinde - see her injured. It would ruin the godly facade. "You don't have to protect me anymore, that's no longer your jo--ouch!"

She hissed, stunned into silence by the sting as Clorinde pressed the tissue against her knee, dabbing away the ooze of blood.

And then Clorinde finally spoke.

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{Beneath moonlight, sweet peace sung}

Moon and stars shone upon the beach, replacing the day's harsh spotlight to cast Furina in a soft silver glow. Her cheek pressed against the wet skin of the blubberbeast's belly, idle hand gently slapping a rhythm into its patient side.

As the sun fell away, Furina's voice rose in a hum. Without the projection required for an audience, her song, yet sweet, maintained its fragility. With only those who expected nothing, these Fontemer Aberrants that lined Fontaine's shores, Furina's guard fell away in pieces.

Though her eyes remained closed for some time, she felt a presence prickle the back of her neck. Thick lashes fluttered open, and as she raised her head from the creature, her gaze met another's and her humming faded into silence.

She cleared a lump from her throat, lowering her eyes with a faint smile. This wasn't her first encounter with the other, after all.

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{A little sand in the hair, peace in the air}

The moment they'd stepped foot near the village, as if Kokomi's foot pressed a secret switch, a small group of children ambushed them. They swarmed about her legs, eyes bright and mouths full of a thousand questions for their Divine Priestess.

He didn't care for children, and so the Wanderer move off to the side until they would disperse and the two could continue their walk. Unfortunately, as the children's interest waned, an older woman noticed Kokomi, and pulled her grandson over to make their greetings as well.

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what if i just made this month: finishing the rest of femslash february september lol

{A Meet Between Happiness and Jubilation}

“Those two get along well, don’t they?” Elesa mused, watching her togetic flutter around Skyla’s perched togekiss. Whenever togetic hovered in front of the other, their faces briefly nuzzled, before she went back to her hopping flight. “Do you think they know they’re related somehow? Even though they hatched separately.”

“Maybe. Wouldn’t that be precious, if they recognized each other?” More likely, Skyla thought, they only enjoyed each other’s company as two of the same species, knowing that they both enjoyed spreading love and joy, but she liked the idea nonetheless. “You really raised Togetic well.”

“Of course!” After all, Elesa had received her egg from Skyla herself. Although she preferred electric types, she still took good care of the togepi after it had hatched, and eventually she had evolved into togetic. “I think my emolga have rubbed off on her, though. She gets into so much mischief. I told you about the time, when she was still a togepi, she started fake-crying to get my attention, and the emolga got into the treats I keep for them.”

Skyla laughed, jubilant. “Well, it’s good they get along, too, right?”

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{Shining a light on secrets between them}

“There’s something I want to show you. I trust you to keep a secret.”

Although Skyla’s body sat frozen in her chair, her heart raced in her chest. Elesa stood before her, every inch as gorgeous in her casual clothing as she was in the elaborate costumes she wore on stage. She emanated grace and beauty from every curve and each pose, her fingers threaded over her chest, her weight favoring one foot. Her head tipped to one side, slightly turned away, her cool blue eyes nonetheless remained fixed upon Skyla’s face.

It took great effort for Skyla to respond. She unglued her tongue from the dry roof of her mouth and fumbled her words around its clumsy thickness, nodding as she affirmed, “Of course. Any secret is safe with me.”

Elesa closed her eyes, bowing her head. A smile that had not a twitch of doubt touched her lips. “Yes, I know.”

She inhaled deeply and lowered her hands to her sides on the exhale. Tension that Skyla had barely noticed before drained from Elesa’s shoulders, and she lifted her face to gaze at the roof of Skyla’s cabin. As she prepared herself, Skyla watched with anticipation, waiting for her to begin speaking about whatever this secret was that weighed on Elesa’s mind.

But Elesa did not speak.

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{Fairy (of the) Rose}

Flowers had long since choked out any semblance of a path through them, and so Jean chose each step with care as she picked her way through to the center. The mysterious caretakers of this field would doubtlessly forgive her for trampling one or two, but she still hated the thought of stamping even one blemish upon this beautiful place.

A rosebush grew in the middle of it all, unremarkable aside from the fact that it towered over the low flowers in comparison. The air tingled over Jean’s scalp as she drew closer, near imperceptible save for the fact that she anticipated it. Hands on her knees, Jean leaned closer to address one of the buds, softly calling, “Good afternoon, Miss Lisa, are you home?”

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{Reunited beneath the sun and the moon}

One foot in front of the other, Lillie watched her sneakers trace the old nostalgic paths on her way to Professor Kukui’s lab. She linked her hands behind her back, humming a little tune to herself. As always, the aimless melody found the familiar shape of a lullaby her mother once sang to her, so long ago. Before everything happened, before Lillie found herself, strong and independent despite what she’d once believed. Remembering that tune used to stab pain through her heart, at what used to be, and what she had once longed to be again, but no longer. Now it was just a distant memory, fitting for the region that, after three years, Lillie finally returned to.

Although she could go stay at the Aether Foundation, Professor Kukui suggested she stay the night in her old loft, just like old times. He’d left her little space alone, though it may have significantly more feathers from a naughty Chatot that had managed to break into it. Moon’s house, too, was a hop, skip, jump away, and she’d surely be excited to see Lillie again. She was ashamed to admit that the prospect of seeing Moon again enticed her more than anything else.

Sorry, Professor Kukui. He and his wife had done so much for Lillie, and still she wanted to see that one person above them both.

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{Tangled Limbs, Entwined Hearts}

Cozy in bed they lay entangled, Mimin’s head resting on Meloli’s chest, the rhythm of her heart playing against her ear. She smiled, tipping her head to gaze adoringly up at her lovely Melolin. Giggles bubbled to her lips.

Meloli hummed, “What’s funny?”

Mimin traced the curves of Meloli’s face with the backs of her fingers. Another chortle. “Nothing,” she said, nuzzling closer into her warmth. “I’m just so so happy. I love you so much.”

“I see.” She paused, holding Mimin’s gaze with thoughtful eyes. “You know, I think I am, too—so so happy, just like you.”

{The struggle of an entire island as a workplace}

Lumine hated to be the third wheel on a stroll with her own girlfriend. Or rather, this made her tenth wheel, with the small crowd that had gathered about Kokomi, vying for the attention of their Divine Priestess. She maintained composure well, her face as still as the mirrored surface of a quiet lake, answering each question with the same thoughtful gravity.

All the while, Lumine watched the tension in her shoulders slowly grow. Her fingers twitched as she carefully clasped them in front of her—one of Kokomi’s tells of her growing stress. Kokomi’s eyes flickered around the area, seeking an escape, before briefly meeting Lumine’s gaze.

She turned her attention back to a woman, probably herself several years Kokomi’s senior. If her exhaustion was already evident to Lumine, this was as good a time as any to help her get a break.

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{Happy Birthday, Akane}

Akane had barely cracked open the door before someone had burst in through.

“Happy birthday!” Shinoa chimed, arms wrapped around Akane’s neck, with the entirety of her weight hanging from it.

Mitsuba knocked her shoulder with a light backhand, stepping inside after her. “Hey, quit it, you’re going to strangle her like that.”

Akane giggled, patting Shinoa’s back. As if taking that as a cue, Shinoa released her and hopped back, clasping her hands behind her. “It’s ok, I was totally ready this time,” Akane said.

Shinoa shot Mitsuba a smug grin, who refused to meet her gaze. Instead, she exaggerated a roll of her eyes, a fist resting on her cocked hip. The other held two wrapped parcels, tucked up under her arm. “Don’t encourage her or she’s just going to get worse.” She held the gifts out to Akane, a rosy hue tinging her cheeks. “She even made me hold her gift to you. Happy birthday, Akane.”

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{Shopping}

“Here! I’ve found the perfect outfit for you!” Skyla chirped, holding out a dress best described as carpeting a kaleidoscope vomited upon.

Incredulous, Elesa took it, rubbing her thumbs over its coarseness. Granted, it was one of Skyla’s more normal choices. She hummed. “It’s very…”

“Retro, right?”

Elesa chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”

Skyla constantly strove to find the most eccentric piece that Elesa could still pull off; Elesa never bored of their shopping excursions.

“Let me try this on, I’m sure it’ll dazzle you.”

Skyla’s cheeks glowed with the warmth of her smile. “You always do.”