hearthwarming | inbox 🌙 songerein

[ Well, now that Thoma has woken up after his month-long nap and been appraised of everything he missed, there’s nothing for it but to go back to business as usual and wait for he and Diluc’s wayward paramour to make her return.

The house suffered a bit from a lack of Thoma’s trademark love and care while he was unconscious, but that suits him fine. It gives him something to do while Diluc is away, tending to matters at the winery.

Currently, he can be found up on a ladder with his trusty duster, clearing away cobwebs from the rafters of the common room, humming a bit to himself as he does. As usual, little motes of light hover around the room, following him while he works. ]

[ As far as Ori is concerned, it's been eight months since she chose to depart from Reverein to see things through in the waking world of her realm.

The worry and fretting over how things were playing out there - spurred on by a vision she saw in her dream petal during the Flower Festival and conversations with friends who saw their own respective stories reach some kind of conclusion (for better or worse) - only grew while Thoma lay asleep for a month. Without his continually reassuring presence and words, the unknown ate away at her until finally, Diluc urged her to return to get closure with a promise that he would watch over their dormant sunshine. It broke her heart to leave them, but she knew that she couldn't be her best for her loves with her fears weighing her down and dimming her light.

And so eight months pass. When she wakes to find herself in Reverein once more, she knows things might have changed. She's changed, too, although she'd like to think that it's for the better. She also knows that the passage of time can be incredibly strange between different planes, let alone different realms entirely... But there's no way for her to be sure until she talks to someone, preferably her two favorite someones.

But still, what if eight months did pass here, too— or even more? Or - what if Thoma still hasn't awoken? What would that have done to Diluc? Freed as Ori may now be from the troubles that wore her down, and though she's more sure of herself than she was back then, she remains a worrier at heart, especially when it comes to her loves. That is in her very nature.

So when she returns home— her true home, now, the one that she shares with her sun and moon, she returns in the familiar form of a large, fluffy dog. She intends to perhaps keep a modest distance to begin with, to get a lay of the land and observe how things might or might not have changed, but when the flora that covers their house both inside and out begin to brighten and bloom the closer she gets, carrying with it all of her excitement at the thought of being reunited with the two people whom she loves the most, she realizes the effort is futile.

Flowers and plants full of life, her arrival is eventually punctuated by a familiar thud against the door as Ori all but crashes into it in her excitement and clumsiness. ]

[ It comes as quite a shock to Thoma when the vines he’s dusting around in the rafters suddenly perk up, their leaves unfurling to soak up his sunshine. For a second he’s stuck wondering if there was something he did to wake them or if he can dare to hope that it means that Ori is back.

Thoma is never one to avoid hope, but he does treat it cautiously when the situation calls for it. His duster stills as he takes a curious glance around the house, noticing that the various flowers and potted plants teeming with bright new life and he realizes that it really must be Ori – there’s no way he could do all that on his own just by cleaning, no matter how much he enjoys it.

And then something slams into the door, nearly startling him from his perch.

Could it be?

He jumps down, duster forgotten, and bolts for the door, flinging it wide. ]

Ori? [ And the instant his eyes land on an all too familiar canine form, he literally lights up, sunshine beaming from his skin. ] Ori!

[ Ori would have understood if she arrived to an empty house. Both of her partners could be out at this time of day, running errands or working or whatever else. And that’s assuming they’re even both still here— and what if they’re not? But the moment that the door swings open and her eyes meet a spring green that she hasn’t seen for eight months, plus another during which Thoma had been asleep, it really hits her.

She’s back.

She’s home.

And most of all, Thoma is here and awake and of course he knows it’s her. How could he not?

In her canine form, she gives an excited whine, one that’s certainly characteristic of a dog whose been reunited with their owner after a long time, but she doesn’t stay a dog for long. With a powerful leap, she launches herself into his arms the instant that he calls for her, turning back into her tiefling self with a colorful burst of vibrant flowers as they topple over onto the floor of their home.

The first sound out of her mouth is a sweet, light laugh. The second, she offers as she angles her head as it rests against his chest so that she can look up into his wonderful, green eyes that she missed so much— even if she couldn’t remember them as she lived out those eight months in her waking world. ]

Hello, sunshine…

[ Whatever joyous thing he was about to say next is cut off with a soft "oof" as Ori barrels into him, changing mid-leap into the gorgeous, perfect woman he knows and loves so very much. They fall back into the house, a bed of flowers springing up to cushion their fall.

Thoma hadn't even been aware of the fact that she was gone until a few days ago, but those few days have felt so terribly long as he and Diluc have struggled to settle into some sense of normalcy without her. It has felt like a part of them was missing.

But now she's here, warm in his arms and laughing in a way that makes his heart do a flip in his chest. Just like that, things slot back into place, as easy as anything. ]

Hey there, starlight.

[ He smiles back at her, bright and full of joy. He brushes her hair away from her face, if only so he can tilt her chin up for a kiss. ]

I missed you.

[ When their lips press together, she realizes with utmost clarity once more - for the first time in months - that she never wants to be without this again. And, hopefully, she’ll never have to be. Ori has been through a lot in her time away, and yet leaving her lovers in this realm and losing her memories of them while she sought a resolution in her waking world remains one of the hardest thing she’s ever done; she knows this now more than ever.

But she kisses Thoma back duly, as though she never thought she’d be able to kiss him again, her hands coming up to frame his face. Once they pull away, she nuzzles him with a contented hum and presses another soft kiss to a corner of his eye. ]

I missed you too. I’m so happy to see you like this - and I’m sorry that I couldn’t come back in time to be there when you woke up.

[ She leans away a little bit, then, if only so she can see more of his lovely face and smile down at him. ]

Have you and our moonlight been good while I’ve been away?

[ Ori doesn’t quite realize that it’s only been a matter of days since she left, and fewer days still since Thoma has woken up to experience her absence. ]

[ There are a lot of feelings in that kiss, and Thoma has to wonder just how long Ori has been away by her reckoning. Thoma himself woke up with memories of having gone back to Inazuma for some time, but it seemed a little less jarring when he realized he’d been asleep for a whole month.

Ori has been gone for days, a week and some change, but she acts like she thought she’d never see them again. ]

Ori…

[ Have you and our moonlight been good while I’ve been away? Well, whatever he was going to say flies right out of his head. In true Ori fashion, she seems unaware of the power she holds, because that simple question does things to him, color instantly rising to his cheeks.

Archons, this woman will be the death of him. ]

W-well, as good as can be expected. [ He clears his throat, trying again. Focus, Thoma. ] I’ve only been awake for a few days. If I remember right, you’ve only been gone for a little over a week.

How… how long has it been for you?

[ If this had happened a week ago, before Ori had gone home, Thoma's reaction might have stirred some confusion. All she had earnestly been asking was if her lovers had managed to avoid the sort of trouble that this place often pulls its residents into in her absence. But now, with a little more perceptiveness around how her partners react to things she does, a little less obliviousness, and a bit more self-assuredness, she knows exactly what of what she's said caused her sunshine to fluster.

She's so relieved to find that he's just as sweet and adorable as when she'd left.

The thoughts are lost to the ether of the next revelation facing Oriphi, however, which is that the amount of time that had passed here is much, much less than what's passed for her. ]

A little over a week?

[ She repeats it, in disbelief, as she props herself up on her arms and looks around at what she can see of the house. In the corner of her eye she spots a vase full of the flowers she had left for Diluc when they had said their goodbyes - still alive, blooming and well. Surely, dreamotion has played a part in keeping them fresh - but only by so much. And most everything else is almost exactly as she'd left things, with the exception of a few things that Thoma has most certainly tidied up and organized since waking up, Ori suspects.

Her brow furrows as she contemplates the meaning of it all, but perhaps it's all for the best. That means Diluc was only alone for a few days before Thoma woke up, and that both of them have only had to be without her for a few days - and on her end, even if eight months had passed… she didn't remember them. And she didn’t know that she didn’t remember them, didn’t know how much she missed them, until now.

If she had actually returned here eight days after she woke up from her first time in Reverein... well, she would be in much worse shape. Thank goodness that Thoma and Diluc didn't have to see her in such a state. Hopefully they never have to. Misalignments in the passage of time surely don't make things any easier to grapple with, but in a way, it's a small blessing.

At length, she looks back down at Thoma, and there’s no small measure of bittersweetness in her eyes as she answers, ]

It’s been eight months for me.

[ Thoma props himself up on his elbows, concern plain on his face as he watches Ori sort through the new information she's been given, trying to slot it into whatever reality she's just lived. He understands that feeling well. He'd plopped down for what he thought was a single night's sleep and then woke up a whole month later. It's... jarring, to say the very least. ]

Eight months?

[ He doesn't quite manage to mask his surprise. And he thought the short bit of time he spent at home in his dreams was hard to reconcile. For Ori, it's been over half a year since she left. Over half a year since she last saw them. ]

Oh, starlight. You must have been through so much... I can't even imagine.

[ It's then that he flings his arms around her, letting gravity take them back down to the bed of flowers as he holds her tight. His fingers curl into the fabric of her dress - something he has yet to realize he's never seen her in before. ]

I'm so glad you're back.

[ Eight months out from everything that’s happened, Ori has at least had some time to reckon with the aftermath of it all. But returning to Reverein feels like a current pulling the memories back to the surface, reminding her of just how much has transpired in those months that she was awake.

When Thoma puts those feelings to words, the wave hits her again. But where she might have been pulled into the undertow by worries and regrets and what ifs before, the look that Thoma would find on her is instead one of relief, of peace.

She has been through so much - but it’s done and over and she feels herself at a place, in her heart, where she can truly live a life in this dream realm free of what bound her to her old home. It will always be home for the Oriphi who is awake and celebrating Cibark’s marriage with her friends, who is seeing the world with Colin; but the Oriphi who resides in this dream realm is truly home, now, and even more so in Thoma’s arms as he pulls her into an embrace, loose petals blowing up into the air from the soft impact of their falling back into the flowers.

She hums, her own arms wrapping around him, as she kisses his cheek. ]

So much has happened… But everything’s going to be alright. [ Words that would have been rare for her to have said in the past, emphasized by the falling petals glowing in her own warm light. ] The me who’s still awake is well and happy, and she has so much to look forward to, but… I’m home now, my sweet.

[ She presses in to catch his lips in another kiss, and behind her, a gentle breeze (dreamotion) pushes their front door shut. ]

[ The light of his own joy has since dimmed, leaving only a few floating motes of sunshine bobbing around. He’s concerned, certainly, but even the weight of the truth of Ori’s absence cannot completely extinguish his happiness. When he searches her face for some sign of how she might be feeling, of how that time might have changed her, he finds a different sort of light there.

There’s a distinct sort of peace in her expression. Closure. Hope.

He’s spent so long trying to help Ori find her place, to help her build some confidence, and now here she is, blooming beautifully. It’s not often that joy gives way to tears, at least not for him, but in that moment, his heart is so full he can’t help it. Tears prick the corners of his eyes and though he tries to blink them away, some still spill over. ]

Welcome home, Ori.

[ And of course he kisses her back gladly, his arms winding tighter around her in a massive bear-hug. He’s happy to stay like this for a long while, wrapped up in her warmth and the soft glow of flowers and sunshine both. ]

[ Although all that stayed with Ori when she awoke was a fleeting feeling of having had the most wonderful, happy dream, as she lays there with him, she wants to believe— no, she knows that in the absence of memories of Diluc and Thoma, she still carried their love, their encouragement, their support with her in her heart. Perhaps it was that which pushed her to survive, to fight with all of her power in the face of despair. They were, are her hope, and she knows it.

When she breaks their kiss for air, she smiles sweetly at him as her hand comes up to gently wipe tears away from his cheek. She won't tell him not to cry when she knows it's out of happiness, though seeing him makes her eyes well up with joyous tears, too. ]

There’s nowhere else I would rather be, in this realm or any other.

[ She kisses him one more time before she simply settles in against him, similarly happy to stay like this for as long as they can. The only way this homecoming could be any more perfect would be their moonlight, but she knows by now that he’s likely doing Important Diluc Things, and she’s not in a hurry to disrupt his daily activities. They have all the time in the world now, after all. ]

[ They can both lay there for a bit and be weepy messes, then, but the happy kind. He’s yet to get the full details of what happened from Ori, but he knows just by looking at her that it was good for her. He could sincerely not be happier. He will have to get the whole story out of her sometime, perhaps when Diluc is here. ]

I’m glad to hear it.

[ As she settles against him, he stops squeezing her quite so tight, and moves one his hands to brush through her hair instead. ]

I went home too, while I was sleeping. It was confusing at first, but I’m sure it wasn’t a dream and that I was really there.

[ Ori's hair is, as ever, full of flowers, although it's a little neater and more braided up than usual, a consequence of having dressed up for a special occasion. But she doesn't mind Thoma's fingers carding through her hair and perhaps loosening a few of those braids inadvertently - how could she mind, when her own fingers are preoccupied with toying with the tail end of his ponytail, as she's come to be so fond of doing?

At what he says, she pauses to look up at him. ]

Is that so?

[ She studies his face, briefly, searching for the same kind of signs that he had been searching for in hers. ]

What was it like? Did you get to see your Lord and your Lady?

[ He might be idly working some of those braids loose, though certainly not intentionally. Touching her is a comfort, and they both love toying with each other's hair. It just comes naturally. ]

I did.

[ He smiles at her, his expression one of warmth. ]

Everyone was doing well. We got to attend a festival together, which is quite the occasion since Lord Ayato is usually so busy. Oh! That reminds me. I have something for you. Can you sit up?

[ The inquisitive look on Ori's face gives way to a warm one as Thoma tells her of his own time at home. She loves hearing her boys talk about Teyvat and the people who've had the absolute honor of knowing the both of them; that hasn't changed in the time that she's been away and then came back. Soon, though, he manages to surprise her. ]

Hmm? Something for me?

[ But of course, she does as he asks of her and pulls away to sit up in his lap, her head tilting to one side curiously. ]

[ Thoma doesn’t want to totally let Ori go, so it’s a little awkward as he wiggles around and digs into his pocket. Finally he pulls something out, hidden by curled fingers. ]

I wasn’t home for months and months like you were, but a lot still happened in that short amount of time.

The festival we attended? It was a celebration. The Raiden Shogun finally lifted the Sakokou Decree. Inazuma’s borders are finally open again!

[ He takes Ori by the hands, pressing a small object into her palm. ]

This is a lucky omamori. My mom gave it to me when I left Mondstadt. I really believe this is what guided me all the way to Inazuma, even through the storm.

But the storm’s gone now, so I don’t need it anymore. I want you to have it, so that one day, you can find your way to Inazuma too.

[ Thoma's enthusiasm and happiness has always been a contagious force of nature on their own, and this time is no different. As he continues to recount his memories from home, she smiles more and more. She can somewhat imagine the elation that must have accompanied the news of Inazuma's borders being open again, its people finally free to come and go as they please and free from a stifling oppression, having seen what that sort of isolation did to the people of Duskvale in her own realm.

Still, she can't guess at where Thoma is headed, so she listens to him carefully, even as she peers down at the small, red charm in her hand. And with every word, her heart and soul are moved, filled with no small measure of gratefulness, awe, and complete adoration for the incredible man before her. ]

Oh, Thoma...

[ He's so endlessly thoughtful and kind, and for just a second Ori almost slips back into an old habit, to think herself undeserving of such a gesture. But instead her fingers close around this small, but utterly precious gift, and she closes her eyes and holds it to her chest. She wants to remember this moment and his words forever. ]

I... Thank you, my sweet sun. This is an incredible gift, and I promise to keep it forever. I... I'll find my way to Inazuma, to you, [ with her free hand, she reaches over to cup his cheek, ] and then we'll find Diluc in Mondstadt. And then we can give this back to your mother together, and thank her for keeping you safe and leading us back to each other.

[ He knows that while he was back home, he had no memory of Reverein or the people he had met, but true to his words – his heart remembered. Though he went about his business as usual, there was some small feeling nagging at the back of his mind that he’d left something precious. Try as he might, he couldn’t just grab onto that thread to tug it and see what unraveled.

But if any of them could do it, surely Ori can. Her heart is the biggest of them all.

So he chooses to have faith that one day, all of them will be reunited in the waking world, no matter what it takes. ]

I really like the sound of that. My mom would love you guys.

[ Thoma's faith is well-placed; Ori only seems to be getting more powerful with her magic, her connection to both nature and dreams strengthening with her experiences from the waking world and a nourishing confidence in herself. It stands to reason that her grasp on dreamotion would grow stronger, too.

Now, as she resolves to do whatever she can to protect this gift, and to fulfill this promise when the time comes, the bed of flowers around them grows and flourishes even more, even as she offers Thoma another smile. ]

Ah, I'll do my best to impress her.

[ As if her crossing over literal worlds to be there in the first place wouldn't be impressive enough. Her lighthearted tone suggests that she's joking, at least. ]

[ With more flowers springing up around them - something Thoma figures is a sign of happiness on Ori's part - he loops his arms around her again to flop back into the bed of blooms. Sure, they're on the floor in the middle of the entryway, but he can't quite bring himself to move. ]

Trust me, you're gonna endear her immediately.

[ With that, he angles his head to catch Ori's lips again. Even if it has only been a few days by his reckoning, that's an awful long time to go without getting to kiss Ori. He has some lost time to make up for! ]

[ Ori is more than happy to be pulled back down onto the beflowered bed to kiss her sunshine. After all, it had been nearly a month since he had been awake before she left, and now she's been without him for eight more months on top of that. She'll be spending a lot of time making up for all of that in the days to come, too.

So of course she kisses him back gladly, her fingers curled against his chest - omamori grasped tightly within and all. It's not until they absolutely must break the kiss for air that she pulls away just barely, just to mutter against his lips: ]

Spirits, I love you so much.

[ In a lot of ways, kissing Ori feels more like coming home than actually going home did, and he hopes that she feels the same. A part of his heart and his loyalty will always remain in Inazuma, and another part still in Mondstadt, but this is where he truly belongs.

He smiles against her, breathing out a soft laugh. ]

I love you, too, starlight. Always.

[ Another kiss, this one shorter than the last but just as sweet. ]

But I should probably stop keeping you all to myself and let Diluc know you're back, huh?

[ Home has never really been about any particular place for her. "Home" is about the people she's with. Growing up, home was wherever her she and Valphi could be together. Home is with her friends, through thick and thin. And now home is in Thoma and Diluc's hearts, across the boundaries of realms and now across time, too.

She hums thoughtfully, casting her gaze idly out the nearest window and seeing that it seems to be a bit late in the afternoon. ]

Hmm... Is he at the winery? I think I'd like to surprise him.

[ She sits up, although her free hand goes right back to playing with his hair. ]

I could go get him and bring him back for dinner here. What do you think? I... I have a lot to tell you two about everything that happened at home.

You sure surprised me, and I don't see why I should get to have all the fun.

[ This time when she sits up, he does the same for a few moments, letting her toy with his hair before finally easing her from his lap so he can get to his feet.

He offers her a hand up. ]

I think that sounds like a great idea! I'll get dinner ready. Any requests? I'll make whatever you want. It'll be like a little celebration.

Early June, whenever Ori gets back!

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