Amon_Arcana

The next day was... ordinary. Too ordinary. I was on my way to grab a bite when, out of nowhere, I felt the familiar presence behind me.

"You're still here?" I turned around, raising an eyebrow, finding Ying Yue standing there. Of course, she was dressed in that same cold and aloof way, like the rest of the world barely mattered.

"Do I need a reason to be here?" she asked, her usual blunt tone cutting through the air.

I shrugged, looking at her with a lazy grin. "Well, you kind of just appeared out of nowhere. Again."

She didn't reply, just gave me one of those stares that made you feel like you'd said something completely ridiculous except this time, there was a flicker of something else in her eyes. Something almost like... amusement? Nah it was just me.

"Got nothing better to do, huh?" I asked, crossing my arms and leaning against the nearby wall. "Don't tell me you're following me now."

Ying Yue scoffed, but there was a slight blush to her cheeks. "I'm not following you," she snapped. "You just happen to be where I'm going."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure, whatever you say."

There was a long, awkward pause, where neither of us knew exactly how to fill the silence. That's the thing about being around her—there was always this weird push and pull. It was like she was the moon, pulling at me in strange ways I didn't quite understand.

"So..." I started, the words just coming out of my mouth without thinking. "Wanna go sightseeing or something?"

She blinked at me. "Sightseeing?"

I smirked, leaning in a little closer. "Yeah, you know. You don't seem like the type to care about anything outside of your perfect little world. Figured I'd show you there's more to life than... whatever it is you do all the time."

Her face twitched, like she was about to argue but couldn't think of a reason not to. "Fine," she muttered, clearly not thrilled but willing to humor me. "Lead the way."

It wasn't like I had some grand plan, but I'd figured there was no harm in showing her around. We walked through the city streets in comfortable silence, the usual bustling noise of the crowd around us making everything feel like it was moving in slow motion.

"So, what's so special about this place?" she asked, her voice a little softer than usual, though she quickly masked it with her usual cold tone.

"Nothing, really," I said, glancing over at her. "But it's nice to get away from the usual nonsense. Thought you could use a break from the constant pressure of being perfect."

She shot me a look, her eyes narrowing. "I don't need breaks."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Right. You're too busy being the best at everything. My bad."

Ying Yue glared at me, but there was something in her eyes that made her look... less annoyed than before. Almost like she was considering something, but she wouldn't admit it out loud.

We ended up near the riverbank, where a few boats were floating lazily on the water. I leaned over the railing, watching the ripples on the surface.

"You know," I said casually, glancing at her, "you don't really act like someone who's got it all together."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I smirked, watching her reactions. "You always act like you're above everything, like you're untouchable. But you're just hiding something, aren't you? You can't really be as perfect as you seem."

Her expression shifted for a moment, just a hint of something unguarded flickering before her walls slammed back into place. "I don't need you to understand me," she said, her voice low.

 She stared out at the water for a moment, her face unreadable. I wondered what was going on inside her head.

After a while, we walked past a street vendor selling little trinkets. I could feel Ying Yue's eyes on the display, but when I noticed her staring, she quickly looked away, pretending like it didn't interest her.

"Lets buy these souvenirs" I said, nudging her playfully.

She shot me a glance, irritated. "I'm not interested in cheap souvenirs."

"Yeah, right," I said with a grin.

She huffed, clearly trying to hide the faintest blush. "I'm not interested," she repeated, though her eyes betrayed her.

I grinned. "Sure. Whatever you say, Shadow Lotus."

Her eyes narrowed at the nickname. "Stop calling me that."

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow. "You don't like it? I think it suits you. You are just as if not prettier than a black lotus"

"Don't push it, Amon," she warned, though the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

We continued wandering, with her pretending to be annoyed while I casually poked fun at her. I was starting to get the feeling she didn't mind it as much as she liked to pretend. The more we spent time together, the more she seemed to let her guard down just a little bit.

It was funny, actually. The girl who tried so hard to appear untouchable wasn't as immune to teasing as she thought.

When the day started winding down and the sun dipped lower in the sky, Ying Yue sighed and glanced at me. "I'm leaving now," she said, her tone still cool, but not quite as cold as before.

I raised an eyebrow, half-smiling. "Yeah? Already?"

She nodded, turning to walk away. But before she disappeared into the crowd, she shot me a glance over her shoulder.

"Thanks for wasting my time," she said, a hint of something softer in her voice. Then, she was gone, melting into the crowd.

I stood there for a moment, watching the spot where she had vanished, a small smile tugging at my lips.