The late afternoon sun hung low over Mondstadt, its golden rays slanting through the narrow alley leading to Galehaven Comics, casting long shadows across the cobblestone path and bathing the shop's weathered sign in a warm glow. Inside, the air thrummed with a quiet vitality—aged paper mingling with the faint floral steam of dandelion tea simmering on Harlan Flint's stove, a subtle contrast to the vibrant chaos of the shelves. The hardwood floor gleamed faintly underfoot, scuffed by countless boots, while the walls—lined with teetering stacks of colorful comics and adorned with curling posters of dragons and duels—vibrated with an energy that felt alive, a heartbeat pulsing through the shop's cozy confines. Harlan leaned against the counter, his dark jacket slung over his chair, a cooling teacup cradled in his hands as he watched his customers weave their tales into the shop's fabric.
Jean stood near the counter, her blonde ponytail swaying as she clutched her newly conjured reward—a pair of four-leaf clover pendants, their silver chains glinting softly, their green gems humming with a subtle warmth. Her blue eyes flickered with a rare fluster, her knightly calm cracking as Wendy's voice broke the stillness. "Hey—what's that? Looks fancy," he called, his green cape swirling as he leaned forward from his sofa, Yu-Gi-Oh! forgotten in his lap, his bardic curiosity alight. Jean's cheeks flushed, her hands fumbling as she shoved the pendants into her pouch, their clovers vanishing from sight. "Just—a trinket, nothing special," she stammered, her voice tight as she avoided his gaze, her fingers brushing the Anemo Vision at her hip for steadiness.
Wendy tilted his head, his green eyes narrowing with a playful skepticism, but Jean barreled on, her words a hasty shield. "Klee—might've sparked trouble today. I should check in," she said, her tone clipped as she turned to Harlan, her blush deepening. "Boss—I'll… be back tomorrow," she added, her voice faltering as she darted for the door, her cape fluttering like a storm-tossed banner. The shop fell silent, Diluc's stern glance lifting from One Piece, Wendy's puzzled hum echoing as Harlan raised a brow, his grin faltering into a curious tilt. "Huh—ran like a hilichurl on fire," he muttered, sipping his tea as Jean's footsteps faded into the alley, her exit a whirlwind of unspoken thoughts.
Outside, the alley's cool air hit Jean like a balm, its narrow walls framing a slice of Mondstadt's bustling heart—merchants haggling, kids chasing dusk's last light. She paused, her breath steadying as she leaned against a weathered crate, her hand slipping into her pouch to retrieve the pendants. The sun caught their clovers, casting flecks of green across her palm, their delicate beauty a quiet siren that snagged her gaze. "So lovely," she murmured, her voice a whisper as she traced their edges, her knightly resolve yielding to a dreamer's awe. No duty-bound blade or Anemo surge could match this—a fragile promise of love, a thread from her novels made real.
A shout snapped her reverie, her head jerking up as a familiar figure stumbled into view—blond hair tousled beneath green goggles, leather vest dusty from the wilds. "Captain Jean—you're really here!" Bennett exclaimed, his green eyes wide with awe as he skidded to a halt, his boots scuffing the cobblestones. Jean's hand flashed behind her back, the pendants vanishing as she straightened, her blush fading into a knight's poise. "Bennett—yes, it's me," she said, her voice calm as she recognized the adventurer, his unlucky fame a whisper among the Knights' ranks—caves collapsing, treasures lost, a walking storm of mishap.
Bennett grinned, rubbing his neck as he stepped closer, his goggles slipping slightly. "Didn't think I'd catch you—Paimon said this place is magic. Is it true?" he asked, his voice trembling with hope, his adventurer's heart laid bare. Jean's blue eyes softened, her mind tracing his tale—daily woes of sold-out stalls, adventures unraveling in chaos, his "Benny's Adventure Group" a ghost of its former zeal. "He's after luck," she thought, her knightly empathy stirring as she weighed her words, her own reward a quiet weight in her pouch.
"It's real—rewards range from trinkets to powers," she said, her tone steady as she met his gaze, her hands clasped behind her back. Bennett's face lit up, a grin breaking through his dust-streaked features, but Jean raised a hand, her voice shifting. "But—it's tied to luck. Good draws need fortune, so… be ready," she added, her words a gentle warning, her doubt a shadow cast by his infamous streak. Bennett froze, his grin faltering as her meaning sank in—luck, the very thing he lacked, the key to Galehaven's gifts. "Luck… right," he muttered, his green eyes dimming as he stared at the cobblestones, his hope snagged in an endless loop—unlucky to seek luck, a cruel jest of fate.
Jean watched him, her heart tightening as his shoulders slumped, his adventurer's grit tested by a truth she couldn't soften. But Bennett's gaze hardened, his fists clenching as he lifted his head, a spark flaring in his green eyes. "Doesn't matter—it's my shot. Once, twice—however long it takes, I'll beat the odds," he said, his voice firm with a resolve forged in countless falls, his unlucky heart a furnace of defiance. Jean nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Good—may it change your path," she said, her tone warm as he turned, his boots echoing as he strode toward Galehaven, his figure a silhouette of stubborn hope against the alley's gloom.
Alone again, Jean's hand drifted to her pouch, the pendants' warmth seeping through the leather as she drew them out, their clovers glinting in the fading sun. "If it's Harlan…" she murmured, her voice a whisper as a smile bloomed, her blush returning as she pictured his easy grin, his hazel eyes a quiet enigma. "Seems good too," she added, her knightly mask slipping as she tucked the pendants away, her steps light as she headed for the Knights' headquarters, a clover dream nestled against her heart.
Inside Galehaven Comics, the shop hummed with its own rhythm, the lantern light casting playful shadows across the shelves as Harlan watched Bennett stumble through the door, his goggles askew, his leather vest trailing dust. "This the place Paimon raved about?" Bennett muttered, his green eyes wide as he took in the chaos—shelves groaning with comics, a Digimon poster curling at the edges, a faint shimmer in the air he couldn't place. Diluc glanced up from One Piece, his crimson coat still as his dark eyes assessed the newcomer, while Wendy waved lazily from his sofa, his Yu-Gi-Oh! duel paused mid-flip. "Hey—new blood! Grab a book, kid," he called, his green cape swaying as he grinned, his cat woes forgotten in the moment.
Harlan straightened, his grin widening as he met Bennett's stare. "Welcome, adventurer—Bennett, right?" he said, his voice warm with a knowing edge that made Bennett blink, his goggles slipping further. "You know me?" he asked, his tone a mix of awe and confusion as he stepped closer, his boots scuffing the hardwood. Harlan chuckled, his hazel eyes glinting as he leaned forward, his tea cooling on the counter. "Heard of you—Mondstadt's unluckiest soul, still kicking. That's a feat," he said, his tone light but sharp, his mind tracing Bennett's legend—caves collapsing, quests unraveling, yet here he stood, alive and defiant.
Bennett's grin faltered, a sheepish laugh escaping as he rubbed his neck. "Guess my rep's loud—yeah, that's me," he said, his voice carrying a grit that belied his stumbles, his green eyes flickering with a quiet hope. "100,000 Mora, one book a day—want in?" Harlan asked, gesturing at the shelves, his grin a lure to chaos. Bennett nodded, his hand dipping into his pouch with a wince, the coins clinking faintly as he fished out his hoard—years of scraps, a meager pile that stung as he handed it over. "Hurts, but—gotta try," he muttered, his resolve a flame against his empty pockets.
Harlan pocketed the Mora, pointing at the bookshelf with a nod. "Pick your poison—good luck, kid," he said, his voice a casual blessing as Bennett shuffled over, his green eyes scanning the titles—Cardcaptor Sakura's Magic, Digimon: First Frontier, Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, Little Master. "Digimon—Wendy's pitch in the square," he murmured, recalling the bard's tales of digital quests, a spark of adventurer's hunger flaring as he plucked it, its cover a promise of worlds beyond his wilds. He sank into a chair, the wood creaking under his weight, and cracked it open, his breath catching as Tai's goggles gleamed on the page.
"Huh—comics? Weird, but cool," he muttered, his voice a whisper as he flipped, the Digital World unfolding—kids whisked to alien lands, Digimon roaring at their sides. "Another world—real adventure!" he gasped, his green eyes widening as Agumon's flames lit the page, his heart racing with a thrill his luck couldn't dim. "Partners like that—I'd take one!" he said, his voice rising as he sank deeper, the shop's hum—Wendy's chuckles, Diluc's quiet focus—fading into a backdrop for his escape, Galehaven's magic a spark in his unlucky soul.
Harlan watched, his grin softening as the system pinged—[22/30 customers]—another thread in his shop's chaos, Bennett's dive a gamble against fate. "Luck or not, he's in—let's see what it deals him," he mused, his hazel eyes glinting with mischief as Mondstadt's night deepened, Galehaven Comics a crucible of dreams and defiance.
***
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