Chapter Text
Xiao didn’t give the man any forewarning. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to at least give Aether and the boy beside him some kind of head’s up, but the sight of the obnoxious redhead strutting across the field unchallenged sent such a wave of irritation through him that he found himself teleporting before he even realized that he had fully committed to the idea of interfering.
He slammed his polearm into the ground in front of Childe, causing everyone but the man himself to let out a cry of alarm. “What are you doing here, Harbinger?”
The man laughed, putting a hand to his chest. “My oh my, Adeptus, there is no need for such dramatics! You’ll frighten the children!”
“Xiao!” Aether looked much more disapproving, his arm flung out in an effort to keep a smaller redhaired kid behind him.
The frown on his face made Xiao feel a bit more guilty but not enough to keep him from yanking his weapon out of the ground and leveling the blade at Childe’s throat. “I said, what are you doing here?”
“I’m in the market to scope out more toys of course! Make sure the Schnezayan toy trade game is going strong here in Liyue.” Was it just him or was the Fatui harbinger looking a little desperate for him to play along with whatever nonsense was coming out of his mouth?
“Yeah,” Aether chimed in, stepping forward and grabbing hold of the shaft of the polearm, trying to pull it down and away from the other man’s throat.
Xiao resisted for a moment, but the traveler tipped his head pointedly towards the actual child who was still watching him, half in fear, half in something that looked faintly like admiration. He grimaced and jerked the weapon away, making it disapparate, but crossing his arms in a way that showed he still deeply disapproved of whatever scheme the Schneznayan was trying to employ.
“I wasn’t aware that you were in the business of entertainment marketing, though with your skill of omission, I could understand why you’d be successful in such endeavors.”
Childe’s smile tightened ever so slightly. “Yes, well, anyone in marketing will tell you that you occasionally have to stretch the truth, but of course only in extreme circumstances.”
“Either way, it would be best to inform people of your impending arrival - you wouldn’t want misunderstandings like this to happen, now would you? I can only imagine if someone like Zhongli came across you in your travels. I’ve heard he doesn’t take kindly to unexpected mercenarial enterprises.” He tried to at least make his words a little less suspect to the presence of the small boy, as it was obvious that his two companions were determined to keep Childe’s true activities a secret from him.
Maddeningly, the harbinger seemed smugly superior as he mentioned, “Oh Mr. Zhongli knows I’m here. He’s perfectly fine with my business here. We had a whole chat over lunch one day about it.”
Xiao didn’t like being caught off guard or made a fool of - he lived by the mantra of staying one step ahead of his enemies. To know that Morax had not only already met with the man who nearly destroyed Liyue, but also had apparently given him leeway to be able to wander around at his leisure gave him deep discomfort. His unease made him want to lash out at the smirking face of the redhead, but he already looked unprepared, so he settled for responding, “Very well, but if I catch you breaking any of Liyue’s rules, you can guarantee I will not be as lenient as its citizens can be.”
He was about to vanish away, when Aether grabbed his wrist to prevent him from doing so. “Why don’t you join us? We were just showing Teucer around the countryside. We could always use more company.”
Maybe this was Aether’s way of apologizing - if so, it left something to be desired. Didn’t the boy know by now that he wasn’t overly fond of company or being companionable?
But he couldn’t very well say no now, not with the blond giving him the soulfully pleading eyes and the child next to him a shy, but excited smile. “Please join us, Mr. Adeptus, please?”
“Yes, Mr. Adeptus, won’t you?” Childe echoed in a much more irritating manner.
Xiao shot him a warning glance, but he already knew there was no resisting. Besides, at least this way he could keep a closer eye on the troublesome harbinger. “I can tarry a little while longer.”
Aether and the boy’s smiles were almost enough to make up for the way that the Fatui agent snickered, “So glad that you can tarry for us.”
The boy lost all of his inhibitions and pushed past the Traveller to stick out his hand. “I’m Teucer!”
Feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the gesture, Xiao hesitantly shook the hand proffered to him. “You can call me Xiao.”
“Okay, Mr. Adeptus Xiao!”
“Just Xiao is fine.”
“We’re going to find Mr. Cyclops’s friends in the Institute for Toy Research! I’m so glad you get to join us!” The boy rushed on ahead to what Xiao could now see was a domain entrance.
“The…what?” Of all the ridiculous names to give a dangerous place…
Aether and Childe had the decency to look a little sheepish. The Traveller murmured softly enough not to be overheard by Teucer, “Just…play along with it, will you?”
“Only as long as no one is endangered. I do not trust that man.” His gaze followed the Harbinger as he jogged to catch up with his brother.
Aether laughed. “Most people don’t, but I don’t think he means any harm this time.”
Xiao lifted a pointed eyebrow at the words “this time,” but the Traveler just shrugged with a rueful smile.
He would keep his polearm close by just in case “this time” was not as innocuous as the harbinger claimed.
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This time was decidedly not innocuous. Xiao kept a close watch on Aether and Paimon as they knelt next to the panting Fatui agent explaining his ridiculous commitment to keep up the delusions he had orchestrated on the behalf of his brother. He grudgingly had to admit that his love for his sibling at least was admirable. But to go this far…well, it was clear that Childe wasn’t the best at making the wise decisions.
Aether didn’t want to leave the man, but they could still hear Teucer in the distance, getting closer to their hiding place. Xiao sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand on the traveler’s shoulder. “You should go and take care of Teucer. I will make sure that Tartaglia gets out of here safely.”
The surprised look on everyone’s faces was almost insulting, but he couldn’t really blame them when he had made his distaste for the harbinger so clear.
Childe huffed a laugh - a sight made more disturbing as blood flecked his lips. “Have I won you over at last, Mr. Adeptus Xiao?”
“Do not flatter yourself. I am merely doing what is best for the present company since you insist on maintaining this unseemly farce.”
Aether smiled as he stood up. “Thank you, Xiao. If you can, try to get him some medical care.”
“I don’t work miracles” Xiao said at the same time as Childe commented, “I’ll be fine in a few hours!”
The blond rolled his eyes and left to go find his young charge.
Xiao turned his attention to the man. “Do you think you can stand?”
Tartaglia winced. “Maybe…give me a few more minutes.”
“We shouldn’t linger here for too long.”
“Why? You don’t think I did a rather thorough job?”
“In my experience, any place touched by such evil is never a safe place to dwell.”
“I suppose you of all people would know, wouldn’t you?” Though the tone was not combative in any way, the implication was and the adeptus found himself bristling. The man raised his hands in surrender. “I don’t mean any harm. I mean, between the two of us, surely I have done much darker things than you.”
Xiao snorted. “Again, you think too highly of yourself. You are merely a mortal; the harm you can do is shortened by your lifespan.”
“Didn’t realize we were having a competition for ‘worst being on the planet,’” Childe snorted as he started to shift his weight in preparation to move. “Even if we were, I’d still say you’ve more than made up for your sins while I’m still…fumbling through mine.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Xiao helped him up the rest of the way and wrapped a sturdy arm around the man’s waist, trying not to sulk at how much taller the man was.
“You’ve made it your life’s mission to destroy monsters and save those who call your name for like…hundreds of years. If that doesn’t outweigh at least some of your sins, then I don’t think the rest of us have any hope at all.”
They staggered forward together, the exit seeming terribly out of reach as Xiao tried to think of a way to respond. “I am afraid the gods disagree as it is their karma I bear.”
“Well…” huffed Childe, “it’s a…changing world. Perhaps even…punishments….can change in this…brave new world of ours.”
“And maybe the Abyss will vanish on its own too?” Xiao asked with a wry smile.
Childe remained undeterred. “Who knows? Maybe. I’m inclined to believe anything is possible at this point.”
“Then the more the fool you.”
“I’m just saying, if even we two sinners can get trusted companions and friends like Aether and Zhongli on our side, perhaps all is not lost after all.”
That at least, Xiao could not argue with. In fact, as he started to think over the past few weeks of reinventing his role and his place in the world, he came to the sudden realization that he had seen and interacted with more people in the past two weeks than he had in the last few hundred years. Not since the other yakshas were still alive had he felt like he had not only regular acquaintances, but - dare he say it - friends?
Childe nudged him and the adeptus was annoyed to find that he had a rather smug look on his face. “I can see that depressed little brain of yours making connections. You’re welcome.”
“You have done absolutely nothing,” Xiao huffed as they shuffled their way out of the door to the domain.
“I beg to differ - if Teucer and I weren’t here to cause trouble, you wouldn’t be having the revelation that you are now.”
“I am willing to acknowledge that the boy and Aether may have had some sort of impact on me, but you have only contributed to the weight that I have to carry around.”
“So cold, I’m surprised you weren’t blessed with a cryo vision.”
“We haven’t gone so far that I can’t turn around and leave you behind.”
“Back to threats already? I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”
Morax help him.