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Lumine had just managed to push herself to her feet as the wave of fire was shot at her. She too flinched, eyes closed, as the inferno engulfed her, melting her sword and sending her flying once again. As the skies cleared, Lumine could be seen laying face-first on the ground, unmoving. Her body looked limp.

Just then, Lumine sat up onto her knees, shaking her head side to side and shaking excess dirt and soot off her hair.

"HEY! That hurt, ya jerk!" Lumine stood again, patting more soot from her clothes. She took a moment to look for her sword, only to find it had become a puddle of somewhat cooling metal nearby. She grimaced again; "Aw maaan, Maemi's gonna be angry at me..." The Celestial folded her arms again and stomped her foot, making her displeasure clear. "FINE! Keep your stupid treasure, you big dumb Oni! I bet it's useless and and... and stupid anyway! Hrmph!"

"Make me a--WAH!" Lumine yelped as she was picked up. She struggled and flailed her limbs about, but eventually gave up and hung there, unable to break free from the Oni's greater strength.

"I don't need nobody's charity!" She boasted, pumping a fist. "I'm a hero! And a Celestial, at that! I have pride, ya'know!" Too much pride, one might say. However, Lumine quickly resigned to her fate, and hung in Shen's grip limply as he took her inside.

"...So, what's your name anyway? You never introduced yourself. That's poor manners!" Arms folded under her chest, she nodded matter-of-fact-ly; Lumine's demeanor seemed to have lightened a little.

Lumine stared blankly, first at the cup, then back to Shen. What mockery of hospitality was this?! "Ah... Sword, I guess?" she answered, still a bit confused. Tugging at her shirt, she added, "I guess you did put a few holes... But at least I'm still covered!" a humble thumbs-up punctuated her affirmation.

"So, your name is Shen, huh..." Lumine took the much-too-big-for-her cup, and stared down into its contents. It smelled very, very strong. "My name is Lumine! Lumine Mayflower! ... Have you ever heard of someone named Tenshi? She's a Celestial too, just like me! Bet'cha can't tell us apart!" Lumine mused, flipping her hair that was many, many shades lighter and much shorter than a certain infamous Celestial's. "She's my idol! But you can forget all about her, 'cause someday, I'm gonna be bigger than her! I'll be Gensokyo's hero, you'll see!" She took a hearty swig from her cup, barely managing to choke down her mouthful of the indeed-too-strong sake. She wasn't very good with alcohol.

Lumine set her cup down and took a moment to regain her composure. "Hey... you said somethin' about, 'people who are human-looking'... what'cha mean by that? Well, I mean, what's wrong with looking human?"

"E...Eh??" Lumine stopped and stared for a moment, then reached behind to pat her rear. Well then.

Her otherwise pale complexion turned red momentarily, but she laughed off her embarrassment regardless. "Ha! Haha-- w-well, um... Guess I need the clothes after all!" She laughed into her drink, taking a sip from it as Shen went on. Lumine nearly slammed her cup down.
"WHAT?! You've never heard of Tenshi?! She's like, the coolest person ever!" Lumine paused, then folded her arms as she leaned back into the chair. "Well, not as cool as me of course, but still!"

Honestly, the nerve of some people!

"Trouble with humans?" she leaned forward on the table, propping her head on the table with an arm. It was obvious that she was an energetic person, given how she stirred so much even sitting down. "How could a big guy like you have trouble with humans? Humans are weak and... well, kinda stupid, really. I bet you could squish one if you tried! ... Not that you should! I mean, that'd make you a bad guy and I'd have to get really mad and slay you again."

"Again." Doesn't she know that for an "again" to take place, a first time has to happen?

Just like...?

"Just like who?" Lumine asked, mirroring her thoughts. She tilted her head, puzzled by the Oni's strange mannerisms.

"--Oh! So you wanna hear about Tenshi, huh?" Lumine would have bounced out of her chair had her bottom been covered properly! "She's a Celestial, like me! I... well, I've never actually seen her, or met her, but I've heard lots and lots of stories about her! She used to be someone very important in Bhavagra, the daughter of someone special! But see, she decided to leave, because it was boring... and really, it was." Lumine's own thoughts turned somewhat inwardly.

"See, Bhavagra is like... Perfect. Too perfect, ya'know? Everyone's always happy, always feasting on delicious food and having festivals and things like that... That's fine once in a while, but all the time doesn't mean anything." She poked her cup, tipping it slightly, then let it tilt back into place. "Pleasure without pain doesn't mean anything, ya'know? What point is being happy if you don't have a reason to be happy? If you're sad sometimes, then that makes the happy moments even better! See?"

Lumine slammed her fist onto the table, making her cup bounce. "SO! That's why I left, too! And why Tenshi is my hero! She gave up paradise and perfection to seek something better, and that's what I want too! Someday, I want to meet her, and who knows, maybe she'll even be proud of me...!"

She smiled smugly, then folded her arms, reclining into her chair once more. "So, that was my story, now you tell me yours! Who am I like, huh? You mumbled that earlier!"

"Kasumi, huh? She sounds pretty cool!"

Lumine watched as Shen pour her more of the strong beverage. Her stomach turned slightly; "A-Ah, thanks, but I think I've had enough for now!"

The thought of the bath made her laugh. "Hah! You want me to take a bath in your house?! I knew you were a pervert!" She huffed, puffing up her chest with pride. "Just fork over the outfit, please! ...And turn away while I change!"

Lumine's face turned red again, though this time from indignation. "Why you--! I am not flat! AND I'M NOT LITTLE! Hmph!"

Annoyed, Lumine swiped the dress from Shen's hands and stuck out her tongue. As he turned, she took note of the surprising amount of scars the Oni had collected. Weird, she hadn't noticed them before... guess there weren't any on his front.

Temporarily dismissing the matter, Lumine made her way towards the screen (once confident that Shen's attention was elsewhere) and ducked behind it. Lumine then began to change out of her outfit (again, Maemi was going to be upset!), stripping to her underwear. Thankfully that was all still in tact!

As she changed into the new set of clothes, the image of Shen's scars floated to Lumine's mind again. Naturally, her mouth followed suit.

"So where'd all those marks come from, huh? Looks like ya ran from trouble or something!" Geez, these clothes felt a little heavier. Not that a strong, beautiful Celestial like herself couldn't handle it, mind you! "I guess a big guy like you must scare a lot of people, am I right? I guess it's only natural that some would try to attack you!"

Finished dressing, Lumine exited from behind the screen, fully enrobed in Shen's custom tailoring. How did he get her measurements without...well, measuring?? A skilled craftsman indeed! The clothes fit her frame quite nicely without being too snug or too loose. She might just have to thank him. Someday.

Lumine clasped both hands together and stretched side to side, earning a short series of cracks and pops from her joints. In her mind, one question kept resurfacing:

"You talk a lot about this Kasumi girl - so where is she? She sounds kinda like a troublemaker, if she needs protecting all the time! ...Not that I would know anything about that, of course--!"