#⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe!

[feliscus]

sleep paralysis demon lynette jumpscare (the next time lyney happens to turn his head she is just Right There)

lyney likes to think he's more observant than most. even as gloved hands shuffle his deck of cards, his gaze is always wandering: drifting over buildings, catching on passing faces, memorizing alleyways. in their line of business, staying too idle is an easy way to failure— for both his missions and his shows. the stage might be his second home, but the shadows were his first, with plenty of secrets hidden within them too.

of course, lynette takes to them more easily than he.

“GAH?!?!”

he doesn't always startle so easily— especially not when faced with his sister of all people. but lyney has been on edge all day, and the sudden movement in the corner of his eye has him jumping and stumbling away, the steady rhythm of his shuffling stuttering and sending the cards flying. a hand almost calls for his bow— but then there's those familiar violet eyes, the star that mirrors the tear on his cheek, and instead he's fumbling for her name in his surprise: “lyn— lynette!”

smile slightly abashed, the magician turns to his sister properly. it's not like he has anything to be guilty about at the moment, but sometimes when lynette appears out of nowhere without warning, it feels like he's been hiding something from her.

...not that he can ever really hide anything from her for long anyway. “uh...when did you get here? nothing's wrong, is it?”

#phantomiaou #⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe! #SISTER...... #excited to see senette 🫳 #pspspspsps freminet writers if youre out there #i want da hearth sibs blease..

[feliscus]

-> Rare item obtained: Lumine's Valentine's Day chocolates

An exterior of milk chocolate with a strawberry filling. Homemade by none other than the famous Traveler herself.

with an amused uptilt of his lip does the magician accept the traveler's offering. he's sure he isn't the only recipient of her homemade chocolates, but it's nice to be thought of. he makes a show of picking one out to take a bite, humming as the milk chocolate shell breaks and floods his mouth with the taste of strawberry.

“delicious as always,” lyney says with a grin. “you really must teach me sometime. though perhaps a master chef doesn't reveal their tricks either?” he leans over to press a brief kiss to her cheek before winking. “i can be convincing.”

but— and this time more genuine than his teasings— lyney's expression warms back into a small smile, head bowing. “thank you, lumine. truly, you honor this humble magician. i'll really have to return the favor now!”

#lightcffireflies #⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe! #let’s pretend i can answer asks on time wahaha #thank you for sending vee!! v cute im aways pleased to see her in my inbox

[feliscus]

Lyney gege, happy Lantern Rite. Qingxin for cat. Lantern for you and sister. Put candle inside and make a wish. Let go at night. It will come true.

only halfway through following the directions given to him for bubu pharmacy does the little pharmacist find him first instead. a smile warms the magician’s expression, hand raising to wave as he draws closer.

“well, if it isn’t little qiqi!” is the fond exclamation that escapes him once lyney is close enough to deliver a gentle pat to her head. “happy lantern rite to you too! i was hoping to surprise you, but it seems you’ve done the surprising all on your own.”

the offering is accepted with open arms, a hand raising his hat just high enough for rosseland to grab the stem between his grinning teeth and vanish back into a shadow. “i tried making some tea like you suggested.” an embarrassed laugh punctuates the sentence as he shakes his head. “my sister was always better with the pot, but i did earn a hum of approval from her— and from lynette, that’s all the praise in the world bundled into one!”

“i’m afraid she isn’t with me today, though.” but the lantern is still accepted with gentle hands, head dipping in acknowledgement. he’s too old for wishes— and the world has been too cruel to them both for lyney to still believe in the power of them. but he should know better than anyone that seeing is believing. the magic is in what you believe, not what truly is. head tilts, the corners of his eyes creasing. “but i’m sure she would appreciate it all the same. i certainly do.”

“want to see a magic trick before you go?” but the magician doesn’t wait for further prompting from his audience, hands held palms out. “watch closely now,” he murmurs, rubbing them together. when he draws them apart again, there’s a red envelope in one, offered to qiqi with a smile. “i heard it’s customary to give these little red packets to kids around this time of year. i’m afraid i don’t have all that much in my pockets— magic or otherwise!— so pray forgive the meager amount, but i hope you’ll accept it all the same.”

#qihuaque #⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe! #i was going to make this lead into your other ask #and then i forgot i was gonna do that LMAO so anyway #GHLanternRite2024

[feliscus]

lyney gege. happy birthday. qiqi brought you... qingxin flowers, freshly picked. good for your health. here is a recipe to make qingxin tea.

“hm?”

a half-turn from where he'd been standing by the bulletin boards with posters in hand, hat slipping slightly from his head with the downward incline of his head— lyney meets qiqi with a smile, the corners of his eyes creasing as he crosses the remaining distance between them.

“why, if it isn't dear qiqi!” a hand goes to pat her head without thinking, as though she were one of his siblings sccurying up to him in the house of hearth. “what are you doing here? charmed by fontaine's magnificent sights, were you?” smile warms as the hat shifts atop his head, and lyney picks it and flips it over so its inhabitant, too, can say hello. “it seems rosseland missed you”— he quickly raises the hat higher in the air, out of reach of the qingxin rosseland tries to nip at— “but let's not have him eat my gift, now shall we?”

“i'll be sure to drink up.” a pause, then a spark lights in his eyes, as only the thought of her can. “you know, my sister lynette is quite the skilled teamaker. she knows much more about tea than i do.” perhaps he'll try to make her a cup, though, to see if she likes it. gloved hands press a poster into qiqi's hands as he exchanges it for the flowers and recipe. “come to our next show, all right? with you in the audience, i'm certain to do my best. and then i can introduce you to lynette! i think you might like her.”

#qihuaque #⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe! #WAH #ke qiqi the world she’s so cute #never mind lyney’s birthday gift it’s my birthday gift now

[feliscus]

ー You have received a gift from Santa Lumine.

"I hope you enjoy this small, but delicious gift. Paimon and I worked very hard to make them!" - The word 'Paimon and' were clearly added by the pixie in question herself in pink marker, when in reality, it was the Traveler herself who did most of the work.

Inside the small box were a handful of homemade sugar cookies - with a hint of cinnamon added for extra holiday flavor. An impressive amount of effort had been put into carving a specific shape into the cookies' design, resembling the Magician's feline partner Rosseland.

Note: This is UNRELATED to the Secret Santa event, I simply want to spread the holiday love. <3

how sweet.

not just literally— though he hums, pleased, as the cookie snaps between his teeth, the taste of sugar and cinnamon flooding his mouth. to think that the traveler (and paimon!) would spare a thought for a magician such as he this holiday season. it is nice to be the giftee rather than the gifter, lyney must admit.

“now, how about that, rosseland?” the cat peers at him from over the brim of his hat, head slanted inquisitively. he tips the box of cookies in its direction, a smile alighting upon the magician's lips. “doesn't it look just like you?”

his feline companion blinks once, then, quite unperturbed by its owner's words, only burrows deeper into the hat. lyney laughs, the box set aside in favor of picking the hat from where it lays on the sofa next to him to set instead on the table before him, dusting off its sides.

“don't be like that,” he chides half-heartedly. “i'm sure the traveler put her heart into baking these for us. now!” the magician stands with a flourish, sweeping both hat and cat into his arms and bending to grab the box of cookies too. “come on, then! let's see if lynette and freminet want some cookies too.”

rosseland meows in protest, but lyney simply nudges the door to his room open and sets off to find his siblings.

later, a letter will be entrusted to the adventurer's guild, along with a magician's humble request to pass it along to a blonde-haired traveler and her flying companion should they come that way. it reads,

imagine my surprise when i found a holiday gift from the traveler herself addressed to me! i'm afraid to say i couldn't prepare anything in time to pass along to you myself, so i'll hope you accept these tickets to our next show instead. front row seats, of course! nothing less for you. if you're still in the court of fontaine by the new year, you'll stop by, won't you? i'll show you something special after the show's over, so don't forget to say hello! ever yours, lyney ♥︎ p.s. the cookies were delicious! you must teach me your baking secrets some time.

#lightcffireflies #⋮ ❛ 𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒙 › we'll be a traveling magic troupe! #wah cute! :3 #thank you for sending!