Frostflower Dew

	Name	Frostflower Dew
	Family	Costume
	Rarity
	Item Source (Ingame)	Purchased from the Shop
	Description	This Lantern Rite gift that Shenhe received is a set of elegant formal attire that her master, Cloud Retainer had commissioned for her. Red ropes still adorn her arms, but the bitter cold in Shenhe's heart has faded.

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Item Story

"All children love toys." This was the conclusion Shenhe came to after observing Granny Shan's toy store.
Kites, Xiao Lanterns, and window decorations made from cut colored paper... Children in Liyue could not help but stare fixedly at them as they passed.
And should the adults beside them cotton on to their desire and buy that toy for them, those children would smile.
Shenhe possessed no such childhood memories of the sort, so she could not understand their feelings in that moment from experience. But seeing how their eyes sparkled, she believed that these toys must be related to some wondrous emotion.
Though she had not figured out just what this emotion might be, this beautiful possibility did soften her heart a little.

"Shenhe seems very interested in toys." This was the conclusion Xianyun came to from observing Shenhe gazing at the toy store as if in a daze.
Her disciple, she knew, had lost her family when young, and had trained under her wing ever since, and thus opportunities to access toys had been few and far between.
Now that Shenhe had returned to live amongst humans, and she herself had taken their form to do so, she found as she grew more accustomed to the lives of mortals that Shenhe had indeed lacked many opportunities for joy compared to human children.
And was it not her responsibility as master and elder, she thought, to accompany her disciple for a jaunt at the toy store?

"Master seems very fond of toys," Shenhe reflected as she and her master Xianyun, at the latter's insistence, spoke to Granny Shan for the sixth time.
In truth, she did not quite understand the charm of these little window decorations or firecrackers.
Her master would often use sigils to create various colorful birds to decorate her abode. They were more vivid and lifelike than these decorations, and lovelier by far. And as for the crackling and popping of the firecrackers, they were quite crude compared to the adeptal melodies she was used to.
In truth, the toys themselves had but limited appeal to her, for what she actually liked was the smiles on the children's faces as they looked upon them.
But her master seemed very interested indeed, asking about all manner of details regarding the toys, from the crafting methods to the tricks behind releasing firecrackers. Finally, her master asked her what sort of toys she liked.
She believed that her master's interest must have some meaning behind it, and so she answered honestly. Then, she looked upon her master's calm, thoughtful, but silent face.

"Shenhe does not, in fact, like toys," Xianyun realized at last, after several visits to the toy stores.
If not, that gentle expression she saw on Shenhe's face as she stood in front of the toy store should have appeared at least once as she spoke with Granny Shan at length about the little imperfections in the latter's use of paper in window decorations, about improvements to firecracker casings to improve child safety, to the point she had completely earned the old lady's admiration.
What her disciple needed was perhaps not toys themselves.
A human's childhood and youth pass by in but the blink of an eye, and those who pass on shall never return. What, then, should she do as an elder?
Lantern Rite was fast approaching, and human custom dictated that festivals were a good opportunity to accept gifts. After all, had she not accepted just such from the Qixing in years prior...?
A gift... Yes, that might do.

Shenhe did not realize her master's intent until she and Ganyu had received their Lantern Rite gifts from her.
She had felt no sense of regret about standing in front of the toy store, but her master's kindness was surprising all the same.
It was at that moment, when she took the long dress from the gift box her master handed to her and caressed its smooth hem that she understood how those children felt upon seeing those toys.
Both she and her master had changed much upon coming to the mortal realm — perhaps the future held still more pleasant surprises of this sort.
Her future would be full of opportunities to make up for all the laughter lost and joy she had missed out on in the past. She would keep all the warmth she received in her heart, to melt the ice within her bones.