SEP. 2022 REWARD (Lineart) (Patreon)

Festival Frolics in Inazuma City (Part 1/2)

By Skaea and WernchOfTheTeam 

Based on characters from Genshin Impact by Hoyoverse

The archipelago of Inazuma. Just one of the many colorful and vibrant nations of Teyvat, its recent liberation from the misguided rule of the Raiden Shogun was a cause for celebration. Little did its people know however that there was another threat now on the loose within its borders, one that no one could have possibly expected…

“Paimon wants lunch, and Paimon wants it now!” the little fairy griped, floating next to the blonde woman clad in a short dress of purest white. “There’s gotta be somewhere that sells one of those Sweet Madames around here, right?”

Lumine replied with a sigh then giggled a bit, poking Paimon in the tummy. "Don't worry, hehe! I'll be on the lookout."

Paimon was still giggling as the Traveler began, well, looking out. "So, what do you plan to do while we're here?" the fairy asked, looking around at all the wonderful sights of the festival. "Surely, there's gotta be some excitement waiting for us just around the corner, right?"

"Well… I suppose there could be. But I was thinking…" Lumine flashed a very impish look. "What would happen if instead of waiting for the excitement to come to us, I could make things exciting myself?"

Paimon’s eyes narrowed, apprehension and annoyance already building up within her. She knew that look, having seen it many times before. That could mean only one thing: trouble.

The two wandered the streets of Inazuma City, looking around at the celebration being set up. Paimon remained silent, but felt her heart sink as she mentally calculated a grim prediction for what was about to happen.

It didn’t seem like the kind of place where anyone could stir up trouble, but in the capital of Inazuma, anything could happen. Still, there was definitely a sense of festivity in the air. The traditional flourishes such as tanabata and lanterns were already being put up in full force, and most of the locals were sporting their finest robes of multicolored silk and satin. Many people from Liyure and Monstead had visited too, since the lifting of the Vision Hunt Decree meant that Inazuma was open for all.

There were so many visitors, in fact, that Lumine was spoiled for choice with regards to who she could get the jump on first. She always loved putting smiles on the faces of everyone she met, but some ways in which she did that were a little… less selfless than others. She was planning now to get a laugh out of as many festival-goers as she could, albeit at their expense.

The two of them were now on their way towards the statue of the Raiden Shogun, where they had twice before confronted the Archon in person, and Lumine noticed two familiar faces as she wandered with Paimon in tow. One of the two women had short blue hair, the other long brown locks with a hairband sporting two red ribbon tails on it. Both Eula and Amber were walking not too far from her, dressed up in matching yukatas for the festival: Eula wore a blue one and Amber sported a red one. However, what stuck out to the traveler the most was their getas. Seeing both Eula and Amber's feet as they passed her by made Lumine feel quite funny, and without changing her expression, or letting anyone else notice, the traveler began hatching a plan.

The two girls soon sat at a bench, just chatting with each other. They never noticed Lumine slipping into the bushes behind them, Paimon going into invisible hiding only after giving her a very hesitant look.

Lumine prowled through the bushes until she was right behind the bench, the other girls’ backsides in view. However, her eyes trailed downward to their feet, now in a heel pop position as they went into a lively discussion about the festival decor (well, Amber was, anyway). Eula had long slender feet that were slightly bigger then Amber's, but both pairs were pale and smooth. Amber had wider, more meaty feet, which were currently blushing red and probably warm to the touch.

Eula and Amber seemed warped up in their conversation as Lumine continued thinking to herself. She was just about to reach out and start with a single investigative poke when—

“HEY! PAIMON IS HUNGRY!”

Lumine snapped out of her thoughts, backing up as fast as she could. Before either of her would-be victims could figure out what that noise was, she’d slipped away and hid behind the corner of a nearby stall.

“Oh! Sorry about that…” She let out a nervous chuckle. “Just got a little distracted, that’s all.”

“Paimon can see why,” Paimon replied, glancing over at the two Mondstadt girls. "Amber and Eula are here, aren’t they?" Lumine noded. "Let's give them a little surprise. You distract them until I make my move. Then when I’ve had my fun, we'll eat. So, what do you say?" Lumine smirked, blushing a little.

Paimon pouted. "Hmph, fine. But only for the food!"

Eula and Amber had resumed their conversation about Inazuma in general, having already forgotten about the noise that had startled them a minute ago. They never noticed Lumine sneaking into the bushes again, this time without Paimon.

“Eula! Amber! Hello!” Paimon flew up to the girls with a cheerful wave. “Paimon wonders what you two are doing here at the festival! Enjoying the sights, huh?”

“I suppose we are,” Eula replied as coolly as ever. “You’re looking quite excited yourself.”

“Yep! I’m sure they’ve got a lotta sweet treats here! Ohhh, I can’t wait to try the stuff they’ve just brought in from Sumeru…”

“Where’s Lumine?” asked Amber, looking around. Little did the outrider know that Lumine had quickly thrown herself into the bushes again, the Traveler already once again sneaking in ever closer.

“Oh! Uh… She’s, uh… She had to take care of something, aheheheh…” Paimon rubbed the back of her head nervously, trying to think of a suitable excuse.

Amber shrugged. “Kinda odd that you’d be here without her — I swear, you two are practically joined at the hip!”

“She can’t be far,” Eula reasoned. “Perhaps she’s getting you a snack?”

“Errrr… Yes! Yes, she… kinda sorta promised me she’d get me one, heheh…” Paimon glanced around nervously.

Amber’s eyes narrowed, and she was about to ask what particular stall Lumine was at, which would’ve forced Paimon to build upon the lie more and more, when it happened.

The Outrider jumped as she felt a well-manicured nail poke her sole. "Hahaha hey what the!?" the outrider exclaimed as she looked back to try and see whomever was poking her feet. She couldn't make out the source of the poking, but she didn't get the chance to try and make sense of it before two long nails began stroking up and down her arches, making her squeal and wriggle in place.

Eula looked back too, surprised at Amber's sudden fit of laughter, only to notice that Paimon had darted out of view. Turning her head about to try and spot her, she completely missed the fairy diving under the bench to strike at Eula's foot.

"This better be worth it!" she whispered to herself before her tiny hands skittered across Eula's soles. "Brrrr, why are your feet so cold Eula?"

Amber jumped around a little in place, realizing only too late what Paimon and Lumine’s plan had been all along. She kicked a bit to try and dissuade her attacker, but this might have made things worse as her sandals began to slip off their feet.  "Ahahahaha Lumine! Lumine, not theheheh- GAHHHHAHAHAHA!!!" The brunette shouted in laughter, clutching her ribs as she struggled not to fall off the bench altogether.

Paimon, meanwhile, kept up the action with her small but effective tickling fingers. "Eula's feet are cold," she muttered, "but maybe Paimon's tickles can warm them up!"

Paimon smiled to herself when she remembered that she was doing this for the food, and an idea came to her.

Eula's sandals began to slip off as Paimon tickled between her toes "Coochie coo!" Paimon teased as her fingers tickled from the undersides of the blue-haired girl toes to her long slender arches.

"AHAHAHHAHHAHAH P-PAIMOHOHOHN-! GET OHOHOUT OF THEHEHEHERE!" Eula cried, her toes planted firmly on the ground as she struggled in vain to handle the tickling without losing her trademark composure. Her heels in the air, her arches were stretched taut and powerless to escape.

Floating just a little closer to Eula's trapped heels, Paimon began putting her idea into action, her tongue beginning to trace its tip up and down each arch in turn.

Eula shrieked at an incongruously high pitch, flushing hard and struggling to hide her total embarrassment at the public display. "AAIIIEEEEE! EHEHEHEHEEEE! PAHAHAHAHAIIIMOOHOHOHOHOHONNN! STOP IT! STOHOHOHOHOHAHAHAP!"

Amber meanwhile was having troubles of her own, her creamy arches being stroked by two fingers each now as she giggled and laughed helplessly. "HAHAHAHAHAHA LUMIIIIINE!!! YOU HAVE A L-LOT OF AHAHAHA-EXPLAINING TO DOOOO! AHAHAHAH!" She shook her feet side to side as she clenched her Yukata. "HAHAHA YOU GOING TO MAKE ME RUIN THIIIIS! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Paimon, meanwhile, kept wiggling her fingers against the cold feet of her own victim, softening her up for her actual plan. A smug expression briefly crossed her face before she floated forward a little, sticking her small tongue out before gently running it on Eula's foot. "Mmm, Paimon thinks this is just like ice cream," she said to herself before she licked up Eula's foot again.

“WAHAHAHA YOU REALLY T-THIHIHIHINK SOHOHOHO?!” Eula shouted, trying to slide her feet backward to dissuade Paimon with a well-placed kick, but her toes were planted against the soles of her geta which, in turn, were firmly on the ground and unable to move further back than they already were.

“What’s going on here?”

A few of the security guards posted around the festival were now coming over, a little annoyed by the public disturbance.

Uh-oh! Busted! Paimon began to panic, and decided to beat a swift retreat, but not before giving Eula’s right arch one last lick which made her squeal at an oddly high pitch.

Sensing danger, Lumine also backed off, leaving a giggling Amber and her friend to their fate.

“What was that screaming I heard just now?” asked one of the guards. “You two should know that starting a riot here of all places isn’t the best idea…”

Amber and Eula exchanged nervous glances. If they told the truth, nobody would believe them. And that was exactly what Lumine was counting on as she slipped out of the bushes and out of sight.

**********

“Ugggh! Paimon wants a snack right this instant! Paimon can’t believe you put us through that!” The fairy leveled a furious glare at the traveler, her stomach grumbling just a little.

“Well, I needed someone to distract the girls before I made my move…” Lumine smirked, which did nothing to placate her guide. “Come on then, let’s see who else we can have some fun with.”

“WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD?!”

“I’ll get it to you, promise! Just give me a minute…”

The two of them were making their way towards the coastline now, Paimon looking for a food stall and Lumine surreptitiously looking out for something else entirely. Once they arrived, the two of them paused to take in the sight of the beautiful beach, its white sand glistening in the afternoon sun and the gently lapping waves of the azure sea stirring up the division between land and water.

“Now Paimon wants ice cream,” Paimon grumbled. “There’s gotta be an ice cream stall around here, right? Or shaved ice? Do they even sell that here in Inazuma?”

Lumine stopped, and held a finger to her lips as she turned to face Paimon.

“Don’t you shush Paimon!” the fairy cried. “That’s just rude!”

“No no, seriously, be quiet!” Lumine whispered, glancing around. “We’re not alone here, are we?”

Paimon peeked over the traveler’s shoulder, and her heart sank. Lumine had found what she was looking for: a certain librarian with long brown hair and an oversized purple pointed hat. Lisa was on the coast laying on a towel in the warm sand.

Lumine giggled to herself, now thinking of something she'd always wanted to do to her for a while. As Paimon hung back, folding her arms with a scowl, she slowly walked over making sure she wasn't making so much noise. As she expected, Lisa had her eyes closed with a relaxed posture and expression, seemingly oblivious to the traveler now sitting next to her.

Then the witch stirred a little, and then sat up, turning to stare the traveler right in the face. “Oh! Hello there, cutie~”

Lumine jumped, caught off guard. “Lisa! Uh… Can I help you?”

“Heh, surprised to see me here? Well, don’t be. Commander Jean said the Knights of Favonius decided to attend the festival here in Inazuma because we were interested in reaching out to other nations, so here I am! And as for why I’m here on this beach? Well, let’s just say I figured I’d catch some rays while the chance was there.”

“Ah, well, that’s good news to hear,” Lumine replied, rubbing the back of her head. Then she paused. “Wait, Jean is here as well?”

“Yes, but I’m not obliged to tell you her location. She’s… relaxing, as she should be.”

Lumine’s eyes narrowed. “So you know where Jean is?”

“If I did, I’d rather not say. Don’t want to ruin the surprise, Cutie~”

Lumine snorted in amusement, and decided to use her ‘attack’ right then and there.

“EHHHH hahah hey~!” Lisa was caught off guard when she felt Lumine quickly poke her belly, fully exposed for tickles. However Lumine was caught off guard as well, as instead of struggling Lisa sat there hardly fighting back. She stayed the course, though, trying to wring an answer out of the Mondstadt wizard.

“Go on, spill it. Is Jean around and can I get her, too?”

“Hahahaha if you wanted to ahahaha tickle me, you ahahaha you could’ve just asked, ahaha!” Lisa said between her soft giggles biting her lip a bit before resuming her giggles. “Stihihill not tehehellihihing, thohohough~!”

Lumine blushed, still poking Lisa. “You like to be tickled?”

Lisa nodded in affirmation, though Lumine’s insistence at trying to track down her commander did seem… intriguing to her. “Hahaha, of course! Though — ahahahaha — I know you can do better, cutie~” Lisa winked, urging Lumine to try harder.

Lumine blushed, but then smirked. “On it!” Before Lisa could respond, she then leaned down and blew a raspberry right into her navel. The results were instant as Lisa kicked her feet around. “AHAHAHAHAHA OOOH, THAT’S MORE AHAHAHAHA LIKE IIIIT!! AHAHA!”

Lumine smiled at the librarian, giving her an expectant glance as though hoping she’d divulge the needed information, before going to blow another raspberry and another as Lisa kicked her feet around.

“AACK!”

Paimon had just floated over when one of Lisa’s movements flung sand right at her, much to her annoyance. “Pfft! Ptah! Can you stop kicking that in Paimon’s face!?”

Lumine looked up with a nervous smile. “Hehe, sorry! Just trying to get some intel out of this woman.”

Lisa let out a few giggles looking down at her feet. “Oh, why don’t you tickle me here, cutie? Perhaps you could get me to spill the beans just a little bit that way…”

“You’re tempting me on purpose, aren’t you?” Lumine laughed, unable to believe the words that came from Lisa’s mouth. Still, the traveler gave a big smile and moved down to the Mondstadt mage’s feet. Without hesitation, Lumine began to poke at her soft slender sole. “Just tell me where Jean is, and I’ll stooooop~”

“OOOH hehe! I-it appears I’m quite ticklish there! Ahahahahahaha!” Lisa giggled, wiggling her sandy toes in Lumine’s face. “Ahahahahah, but I love it! Keep going, ahahahahaha!”

Lumine couldn’t help but chuckle herself, realizing that this was going nowhere, but she spidered her fingers around Lisa’s pampered feet anyway.

As Paimon observed all of this, she grew more frustrated, and not just due to wondering where her food was. Lumine didn’t even notice the floating ‘imp’, being too invested in the tickling action.

Lisa let out a series of soft seductive giggles. “Hehehe, a-all I can say — ahahaha — is that Jean c-came wihihiith me~ Ahahaha, you are skilled at this~ Ahahaha!”

Lumine slowed her fingers a bit to hear Lisa out, but still kept her fingers dragging up and down. “Of course she would, but you’d have to do better than thaaaaat~”

“Ahahahah, she can use some tickles, heheh,” Lisa replied, before biting her lip in thought. “But I’ll l-leave you to figure the rest ohohout yourself~”

Lumine pouted playfully, looking away. Only then did she notice that there were two sets of footprints on the beach, one leading to Lisa’s beach towel and the other in a different direction.

“Bingo.”

Lumine stopped tickling the witch at that point. “Come on, Paimon, let's go say hello to Jean!” she exclaimed.

Paimon placed her fists on her hips and huffed. “WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD?!’ she shouted.

Lumine giggled before replying, “In a bit, Paimon!” With that, she began to go down the coast line to look for her next victim.

“Get back here, you rascal! WHY YOU—!!” Paimon angrily flew off after her, leaving the still-giggling witch to watch them go.

“Hmm…” Lisa rubbed her chin. “So, Cutie’s coming for Jean? If she’s planning what I think she is, I’d never forgive myself if I missed it…”

**********

The Dandelion Knight gazed up at the sky with a forlorn expression, laying down on a towel of her own with only the gentle lapping of the waves beyond breaking the silence after she grew quiet again. She had been worked to the bone recently with too many crises to count — and they hadn’t stopped at Stormterror. The Abyss Order, the Fatui, the increase in raids by treasure hunters… For a nation of freedom, it seemed Mondstadt was only barely holding itself together. At least Diluc was keeping the worst of the lot at bay while she was out.

Lumine had single-handedly taken care of most if not all of the crises plaguing the nation while she had visited, but her absence had only made things even worse. She was now tired and incredibly footsore seven days a week, and she and Lisa both knew it.

“…I’m getting too old for this,” Jean grumbled.

The prospect of relieving stress at work was why the witch had dragged her here to take a load off her shoulders, which had helped somewhat — though the stated reason was a promise to meet the legendary Electro Archon, which Jean had honestly looked forward to for some time. She had had too much experience with the Anemo Archon and his frequent drunken antics, and the Geo Archon being somewhat absent-minded chafed on her as well, but the Raiden Shogun seemed more like a kindred spirit from what she had heard. Most of all, she had a lot more years to practice keeping an entire nation safe and sound, and Jean had considered consulting her for advice for a while now…

She would of course have to regain some measure of inner composure before even thinking about giving the Shogun a single glance, and that was how she’d found herself here, catching some rays at Lisa’s suggestion.

Still, the Favonius commander just couldn’t stop thinking about how things were back home, even while out of her armor and with nothing but sand and sea for company. And she had a sinking feeling that even though things were at their calmest in weeks, they’d only get much more exciting later. Regardless, though… she really did need a break.

There was nothing else to do — she’d just finished the romance novel she’d brought with her, and for all her attention to her duties back home, the fact that all the tension had gone from her body was nevertheless welcome. With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and drifted and drifted and soon fell into a much-needed deep sleep… unaware of a certain someone sneaking up on her at this very moment.

If she had to be honest with herself, Jean had no idea how long she had been unconscious, but the next time she came to, she felt a strange weight pressing down on her that hadn’t been there before. Her eyes snapped open, and in an instant she became aware of her current state: her waist was bent at a right angle and her entire body was immersed in the sand, save of course for her head and her bare feet. And who else would be seated in front of the latter but—

“LUMINE!!!”

Lumine jumped a bit when she heard the shout of her name, but a moment later she gave Jean a devious smirk. “Heh, hello.”

Jean's eyes narrowed. "What is the meaning of this? Can't I take even one day off without you getting into some kind of trouble?"

Lumine shrugged. "Hey now, trouble finds me all the time. I might as well save it the effort, right?"

"If you don't unearth me within the next five minutes, I'll have you deported back to Mondstadt and tried for holding the captain of the Knights of Favonius hostage," Jean said dangerously, not that it mattered by this point.

"Go on, keep talking," Lumine taunted smugly. "No amount of attempted browbeating is going to save you now." She raised her fingers and wiggled them with a teasing grin.

“W-what are you doing?!” Jean asked, looking suddenly fearful.

The Traveler gave a small giggle in response. “Maybe it’s better to show you,” she said with a playful wink.

Jean put two and two together at that moment with a look of abject horror. "No! Lumine, NO!"

Undeterred, Lumine began wiggling her fingers as she inched them closer to Jean’s long sandy soles. The trapped knight felt the sensation though her whole body even before her captor's nails made contact, and was already giggling even at this point. Jean would’ve jumped if she could if it wasn’t for all that sand.

Her laughter spiked in pitch as all ten fingernails started digging into her soft soles. Lumine wiggled her fingers up and down and up and down again with constant and precise motions. Jean was howling loudly enough now to scare gulls into the air, and as her head lolled to the side, she could only stare in horror at the blonde who was now tormenting her.

Her fingers were so skillful at tickling! How does she do it?! Jean thought to herself as she laughed so hard she felt light-headed. “HAHAHAHAHA WHAT IS THIS?! AHAHAHAHA!!!” the luckless knight cried out, half-blinded by anguished tears and stray locks of her hair.

Lumine couldn’t help but giggle at the knight's sensitivity. “Wow, who knew such a stoic woman had such soft sensitive feet?” Her fingers gilded so easily along the surface of Jean’s smooth feet, almost like stroking silk. “Coochie coochie coo, hehe!” she teased

There was nothing Jean could do — her strength had been instantly sapped, so there was no hope of exhuming herself any time soon. Even through her laughter, though, she tried to impose whatever threatening command she could think of in a bid to deter the deceptively vicious little torturer. “EEEHEHEHEHEE YOU BETTER STHAHAHAP THIS OR ELSEHEHEH AHAHAH OR ELSE! AHAHAHAH!”

Lumine began to laugh harder herself. “Or else what, Jean? You’ll deport me to Mondstadt? Ahahah, I could just find and tickle you again when you get back!” With that, her fingers found themselves attacking Jean’s long toe stems as her victim screamed helplessly.

“AIIEEEEEEEEHEHEHEEEE! NO NO NAHAHAHAT THE TOOOOEHEHEHEEHEHEES! EHEHEHE GET ME OHOHOHOUT OF HEEEEHEHEHEHEHEEEERE!” Jean cried as her eyes began to get watery and her face red.

Ignoring Jean’s protests, Lumine continued to run her fingers up and down and all around her soft, helpless soles. She even leaned in and started licking the general’s toes while she was at it, and was about to start sucking upon them when—

“HEY! WHERE'S PAIMON’S FOOD?!”

A very angry, frustrated Paimon had floated up right behind Lumine and shouted right in her ear, startling her so much that she nearly beaned the fairy upside the head when she whirled to face her.

“AHHHH! Paimon, don’t scare me like that!” Lumine yelled.

“Paimon doesn’t care! Aren’t you forgetting someone?!”

“Oh, right! Sorry!” Lumine said as she got up dusting the sand off her dress. “Let’s go get you a snack, shall we?” she said hastily as the two ran off, leaving Jean still stuck in the sand.

“Hey! Can’t you guys let me out?! GET BACK HERE!” she shouted, but it was too late. They were gone. “Ugggh… That girl is always causing trouble. She didn’t even care that I’m still trapped like this! For Barbatos’ sake, could this get any worse?!”

“Oh, my~”

Jean started and turned her head around. “Lisa? Oh, thank goodness… You should’ve arrived five minutes ago!”

The witch sat down upon the sand next to her, taking note of the look on her face. “So I noticed. What’s your story, hmm?”

“What do you think?” Jean glowered at her sweat-drenched feet, the residual tingling still making her giggle sporadically.

“Ooh… Cutie got you too, huh? Don’t worry, though — I saw the whole thing. You have a cute laugh, you know that?”

“You didn’t tell her where I was, didn’t you?!” Jean sputtered indignantly, still firmly embedded in the sand with only her head and feet sticking out.

“Oh, no no, she figured it out herself. I tried to distract her, I really did, but—”

“Spare me the excuses, Lisa. We need to stop that girl before she gets herself in serious trouble. This wouldn’t look good on our record if she makes a scene in public!”

“Heh, I can imagine.”

“Lisa, could you at least do me a favor and kindly unbury me?” the general grumbled, wiggling her feet a bit. “Then after that, come with me. I would like a word with the organizer of the festival.”

“Oh, I’ll get to that,” Lisa replied with a chuckle, taking note of Jean’s bare feet with their cute bubble-like toes. “But before I do, am I allowed to have some fun for a few minutes? Yes? Thank you~”

Jean’s eyes widened, remembering that she was still right where any conniving troublemaker would’ve wanted her. A moment later, she flinched as Lisa passed her hand over her sole, letting a little purple spark jump to the ball of her foot, making the spot tingle maddeningly. Panic overtook her as she realized what Lisa was planning, and she swallowed hard, shaking her head with a flicker of mortal, hysterical terror.

“OH, NOT YOU TOOOHOHOHOHOHOOO! GAHAHAHAHAHAH, NAHAHAHAT AGAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAIIIN!”

It was going to be a long while before she’d get to free herself to go and speak with the high leader of Inazuma. And to top it off, even as the sparks began to fly in earnest — along with Jean’s helpless, renewed laughter — Lumine, that meddlesome stranger who’d gotten her into this mess, was already long gone.

**********

“Now, who shall we target next?” Lumine asked herself, getting lost in her thoughts as she wandered through the shopping precinct with the irritated fairy in tow. “I’m sure there’s plenty of people worth paying a visit — Yoimiya, Yae Miko, Ayaka…”

“STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT! Paimon wants food, and you’ve been stringing Paimon along all day without buying any!” The fairy whapped Lumine on the back of the head. “How dare you put your own happiness over your friends’ well-being?!”

“I told you, I promise, I’ll get you something to eat! We just need to see if there’s any other friends of ours visiting the festival—”

“What did Paimon just tell you?! Stop that right now! We’re going to a food stall, and that’s final!”

“Alright, alright, snacks it is! But where—”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. With a startled yelp, she bumped right into someone familiar… and noticeably taller.

“Lumine?” the woman asked in astonishment, her long light blue hair and matching robe fluttering in the slight breeze. She glanced over at a woman next to her with shorter, dark purple hair and a black and pink yukata, as though pleading for her help in defusing how awkward the situation was.

“Oh! Sorry about that—!” Lumine looked up to see that the woman she had bumped into was no other than Shenhe, and not only that but Yun Jin had appeared to be tagging along with her as well.

"Oh, it’s you, Traveler,” Shenhe replied with a soft smile. “I was worried for a moment, and almost smashed your head on the ground.”

“Shenhe!” Yun Jin scolded. She gave the Traveler an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. We should’ve looked where we were going, but there’s just a lot to see around here! I’m sure the festival will be lovely once it starts…”

Lumine smiled nervously. “It’s okay, no need to worry,” she said as she nodded. “Sorry to be in your way.” She looked down instinctively out of slight guilt, and then she saw them. Shenhe’s toes.

“Oh, no…” Paimon quietly groaned, pinching the bridge of her cute little nose.

Lumine, for her part, smiled at the idea that came to her at that moment. “How about I make it up to you? I was thinking of a quick massage, since you two must be tired walking around the city all day.”

The two Liyue-native women thought for a moment, and then Yun Jin responded. “Sure, we'd love to!”

“That would be nice as well,” added Shenhe.

Paimon held back, folding her arms with a very sour expression, watching as the other three girls made their way to the nearest bench. “Paimon knew it…” she grumbled.

Thankfully for Lumine, not a lot of people were around which made her feel at ease for what she was about to do. She started by massaging the shoulders of the two other women — Shenhe’s right and Yun Jin’s left. The effect was almost instantaneous, the others relaxing and letting the tension out of their bodies.

“Mmmm, that feels good…” Yun Jin sighed dreamily.

“Perhaps you could do the other ones, too?” added Shenhe.

Lumine promptly did so, stretching her arms a bit to either side. Her eyes were still on the feet of the pair from Liyue, though…

“Alright, for the next step, I’d like to massage your feet,” she said after a few more minutes.

The other two looked at her in surprise.

“A foot massage?” asked Yun Jin. “That’s… unexpected, to say the least.”

“Come on, it can’t hurt! Certainly not more than having to walk all around the city… riiiiight?”

Yun Jin still looked disbelieving, while Shenhe seemed thoughtful. But ultimately, the latter looked up again.

“Alright, let’s give it a try.”

Yun Jin still felt a bit suspicious, but nodded as well.

With that, the two women began to remove their footwear. Adjusting their positions, they now sat on opposite sides of the bench with Lumine in the middle, and placed their feet up on the traveler's lap.

Shenhe had longer, pale feet with a perfectly round heel and ball and long arch for each of them. Yun Jin had quite the opposite, but Lumine found her feet still quite cute in appearance, with small toes and a wide sole with some lovely wrinkles forming on her arch each time she curled said toes.

Lumine decided to begin by giving what she promised, namely rubbing the other girls’ feet methodically and with proper pressure applied to the balls and arches as appropriate. Once again, the other two let out a sigh in unison. Lumine blushed and smiled as she watched the girls relax, closing their eyes, but then her eyes narrowed and a smirk formed on her lips. The secret to a tickle attack, as she had learned by way of extensive practice, was to strike when the target least expected it.

She started off subtly, her thumb digging into one arch for each victim, and she began to rotate the digits in teasing circles. Her two friends began to twitch a bit in place, their lips quivering, but neither of them reacted much. Undeterred, the Traveler smirked as she then began to move her  thumbs up and down the Liyue girls’ soft feet.

"Hehehehe-hey, what gives?! Hahahahaah—!" Yun Jin finally spoke up through a flurry of bubbly giggles.

Shenhe, for her part, still kept her usually stoic tone even though her giggles. "Ehehehehe my my, this is a v-very interesting massahahage~ Ahahahaha…!"

Lumine mischievously smiled at both of them. The other girls realized her true intent only too late, as she suddenly wiggled her fingers upon both of their captive feet.

Yun Jin’s eyes widened. "W-WAHAHAHAIT! THIS ISN'T A MASSAGE! HAHAHA, THIS IS TICKLING AHAHAHA!!" She kicked her meaty feet lightly as Lumine's well manicured fingers danced upon them.

Shenhe, however had a different reaction. She kept her slender feet still as Lumine tickled them. "HAHAHAHA, THIS IS AHAHA Q-QUIHIHITE ENJOYABLE! AHAHAHAHA!"

Yun Jin was confused by what Shenhe had said as she cried out, "HAHAHHA WHAHAHAT YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THIS AHAHAHAHA!?"

Shenhe nodded as Lumine's fingers attacked her toes. "AHAHAHAHA, IT'S A PLEASANT FEELING, AHAHAHAHA!"

Lumine blushed a bit, but continued to skitter her fingers up and down both girls’ arches and toes, enjoying their respective reactions.

“YEEEEEEK! NONONOHAHAHAHA!” Yun Jin yelped, now feeling her own soft toes being prodded and scritched. She tried to curl her toes, but Lumine wiggled her nails under the pads to get at the vulnerable stems, forcing her to spread her toes and offering access to the spaces between.

“WAHAHAH GET BETWEEN MY TOHOHOES AS WEHEHEHELL!” Shenhe chortled, spreading them accordingly so Lumine could continue her work.

This continued back and forth for several more minutes, Lumine taking her sweet time to give each girl ticklish attention in turn, switching between them regularly. Finally, however, Yun Jin was the first to give, pulling her feet away, and Shenhe, a bit reluctantly, did the same a second later.

Lumine chuckled. “Looks like you two couldn’t take it, huh?”

“Oh, I enjoyed it as I’ve said,” Shenhe replied, shrugging. “But I just didn’t want to disrespect my friend…”

Lumine thought about it a bit, but decided that they’d had enough for now. “Can I at least rub your feet again? I won’t tickle you anymore, promise!”

Yun Jin looked a bit skeptical, but put her feet in Lumine’s lap after a moment, with Shenhe promptly imitating her.

The foot rub lasted another minute, both girls looking more content once Lumine was done. As soon as she pushed their feet away to clue them in that it was time to put their footwear back on, she stood up and dusted herself off. “So, maybe we can do it again some time?”

“I’d certainly like that,” Shenhe replied with a soft smile.

Yun Jin laid back a little, catching her breath. "You two have fun," she said with a faint smile of her own.

"Oh we will! But I better get going," Lumine replied, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish look. "Don't want Paimon to yell at me again," the blonde added under her breath as she headed off.

As it happened, Paimon had been sticking to the shadows and glaring at her the whole time, impatient and still hungry. She was about to yell at her again for sidelining her but as Lumine was already looking for her next target, she gave up on trying to convince her to look for snacks. Her motive now was to rein in the rampaging Traveler before she could spot her next target. But thankfully for Lumine — and unfortunately for Paimon — she didn't have to look for much longer…

**********

In a move meant only to annoy a certain uptight Mondstadt general, Lumine had left her Favonius uniform and her sandals further along the beach. Lisa had kept her footwear with her, but she was sadly incapable of carrying her, so poor Jean had no recourse but to cross the path barefooted. At least the grassy ground next to the beach wasn’t scorching hot, but to her annoyance and mild discomfort, Jean was forced to go barefooted until she got her sandals back.

“Yeesh, I never thought I’d regard Cutie as a public menace,” Lisa muttered, shaking her head in a mix of disappointment and amusement.

“We need to find someone who can stop her, and I think I know just the person,” replied Jean, glancing up at the large statue nearby. “I think an audience with the Raiden Shogun would be appropriate.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow. “I thought the Raiden Shogun was busy with political affairs.”

“She’s in charge of the festival, and it was all her idea to start with. If there’s anyone who can deal with the problem of the Traveler running loose, it’s definitely her.”

“Fair enough. But how do we find her, exactly? For all I know, she could be anywhere in this city — it’s pretty big, and I’d rather not risk having to walk all the way from one end of it to the other. How Cutie manages it every other day, I’ll never know…”

Jean ignored that last comment, thinking hard. “The Raiden Shogun’s not going to be out and about all the time, though. She’s most likely at the Tenshukaku compound in the southern half of the city, since that’s where both she and the Tenryou Commission are stationed. They’d have to manage general affairs at least some of the time, so they’re bound to be there at some point.”

“We can certainly start there, but we may need to get the Yashiro Commission to do the searching for us instead, since they’re the ones managing events like the festival,” Lisa replied, taking a seat on a nearby bench with a slightly discomfited look. “It’d be easier on my poor feet for sure, and in any case I’m sure they’d be able to help cover a lot more ground than just the two of us.”

“I can imagine,” Jean replied, leaning against a nearby tree. “I know I wanted to meet the Raiden Shogun myself, but I wish it wasn’t for this reason. Still, she’s probably the one who can best deal with the situation. Lisa, perhaps you could pass the word to the Yashiro Commission and let them know that I would be interested in a private audience with her.”

“You called, Miss Gunnhildr?”

That soft and elegant yet commanding voice belonged to neither of the two. They got to their feet and turned to see two more people striding up to them from behind, one with long purple hair and a lavender-and-white kimono, the other pink-haired with canine ears, a golden partly circular headdress, and a white-and-red robe exposing most of her shapely legs.

Jean was completely lost for words. “Uh…”

“Ah, so you must be the Raiden Shogun!” Lisa beamed, offering a hand to shake. “What brings you out here where the fun is, hmm~?”

“We were overseeing the preparations for the festival tonight, and were on our way to investigate a disturbance in Tenshukaku when we overheard your mention of us,” the pink-haired fox-woman replied, gripping Lisa’s hand as a token of greeting. “I’m Yae Miko, and I presume you must be Miss Minci. We did receive your message concerning your plans to visit, just so you know…”

“It is an honor to meet you in person, Shogun,” Jean replied a little faster than usual, remembering the Inazuman customs and making a respectful bow (though she was slightly miffed that Lisa, carefree as she was, didn’t do the same). “It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t have met under better circumstances. Be that as it may, though, I think I might have some information related to that disturbance you mentioned.”

The Raiden Shogun raised an eyebrow. “So, you’ve found the culprit?”

“She found me, to be precise,” Jean grumbled, her sandal-clad toes curling instinctively. “And then buried me in the sand with only my head and feet sticking out, and—”

“Yes, yes, we get it, Miss Gunnhildr,” Yae Miko began.

“Jean is fine.”

“Fair enough. Anyway, the Yashiro Commission actually gave us some information that they in turn received from two young women visiting from Mondstadt. Supposedly, they’d been ambushed by a young woman with blonde hair and a white dress and a floating child with white hair, both of whom had tickled them upon their bare feet and caused quite a stir in the process.”

Jean’s eyes widened, and then narrowed. “Let me guess…”

“Lumine,” all four of them deadpanned.

Lisa did a small double-take and raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you know Cutie, too?”

“Who wouldn’t?” Raiden replied, shrugging. “She helped me reconnect with Inazuma’s people. As much as I appreciate her help, though… she can be quite the pest half the time. I assume you have a score to settle with her yourselves?”

“Well, I for one enjoyed the tickles Miss Lumine dished out, but I can see why Jean wants to stop her. The captain’s own feet are far too ticklish for their own good~”

“Not helping,” Jean snapped.

“In that case, we may as well cooperate in our efforts to intercept her,” replied Yae Miko. “This way, we can cover more ground and consolidate our resources.”

“You read my mind, old friend,” Raiden added coolly. “We can have the private chat Jean requested afterward, but our first priority is making sure the cause of the disturbances is thwarted. What say you, Favonius Captain?” She extended a hand with a small smile.

Jean was all too eager to grasp and shake it despite herself. “It’s a deal. So, how do we find her?”

“Simple,” Yae replied with a smirk. “Just follow the laughter.”

This story will be concluded when the final version of this piece is posted on Friday, October 7!