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Xiao looked to him, engrossed in a series of jokes and banters with the Geo Archon, eyes brighter than a million stars. The person who saved him, who rescued him from an endless chasm of darkness and suffering.
As the Vigilant Yaksha, the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao so rarely displayed any outwardly emotions, but at that moment he could feel something wet threatening to spill from the brim of his eyes. Years of untold emotions urging to make their presence known. Instead, he shifted his focus away from the face that often appeared at his times of despair like a blinding beam of light breaking through the cold gloomy clouds and trailed the rest of his body.
The delicate little green beret he wore, the two ombre plaits peeking out underneath, the graceful chestnut coloured lyre he carried around nowawdys to secure his apparent status of a ‘bard’... Xiao drank it all in, with a certain forceful hunger and craving, like a thirsty person gulping down their first drink of water after days of drought. Xiao was a traveller long lost on the desert, the hot sands burnt his feet until all his senses were numb, yet he had found the hint of green, his own oasis amidst the long stretches of scorching Sahara.
It had been, how long now? Since their last encounter? 200? No, 500 years? Or maybe much, much longer than that. Time had long ago ceased to contain any meaning, as immortal beings, what was time but a mere construct and a laughable attempt really, at keeping track of their lives?
The soft dainty rings of laughter vibrated through Xiao’s ears, like the clashing of silver wind chimes, or the chirps of perching nightingales, sweet and pure with innocence. Xiao could still remember the first time he had heard those heavenly sounds, he was momentarily stunned, he had never seen anyone laugh so boisterously, so openly, yet still carry not a single hint of arrogance but only comfort and bliss. He found himself lost in the upwards curves of the Anemo Archon’s lips, the sound resonated in him like a lost treasure, something he had been searching for his whole life.
He really hasn’t changed much, Xiao mused to himself, if at all. Of course, long gone was the traditional Archon style fighting robes now replaced by the more typical everyday bard get-up.
Yet, the way he excitedly waved his hands during a conversation, the way he slightly bounced up and down when talking about a topic of his interests, and the little eye smiles he adopted whenever they briefly made eye contact until Xiao would hastily break the gaze, it was as if nothing had changed. As if it was just like all those years ago, when he was the almighty Archon of the wind, the merciless fighter despite his contrastingly gentle appearance, and Xiao the loyal soldier of the Geo Archon, newly freed yet still fresh with the wounds of his past.
Even though now he only played the lyre, Xiao could never forget how skilful he was on the flute, the melodious tune that once graced him hope. To the young Xiao then, even if he perhaps didn’t realise it, the god with the gleaming emerald eyes was his salvation. Morax was the one who saved him from the shackles of his past, and for that Xiao would be eternally grateful. Yet Barbatos, Barbatos with his Dihua flute and his gentle winds, Barbatos with his dazzling smile and his striking sea-green eyes, lifted Xiao out of his misery, his self-loathing and self-doubt, he was the one taught Xiao what it meant to truly love.
-
“Venti.” the name left his lips like a mere whisper, a wisp of wind, a lost prayer that longed to be heard, and indeed it was.
“Xiao.”
Their eyes met, golden to viridescent glows, and all around them, the world halted, the busy chatters of their friends, the rowdy conversations on the streets of Liyue, all faded away into nothingness. Shiny eyes and bright smile filled Xiao’s entire vision; he could hear his heart thumping against his eardrums, it was deafening.
“Come now, I want to show you a really pretty lantern I saw earlier!”
Before Xiao could even respond, Venti had grabbed his hand and they were suddenly running. Free and careless like the wind, they dodged through the busy clusters of people gathered at the stalls.
While Xiao mechanically muttered quick apologies to every passer-by they bumped into, all his mind could focus on was the warmth of Venti’s hand on his, the way it completed something deep inside him he never even knew was missing.
For so long, Xiao thought this was all life would be, him watching over Liyue alone, fulfilling the lifelong contract formed with the Lord of Geo. And he was content, he had grown accustomed to the quietness and solitude of his daily ventures, occasionally indulging himself in a taste of his favourite tofu dessert was the highlight of his days.
Yet when Xiao saw Venti again, a newfound desire blossomed within him, his heart yearned for something more, he wanted, he needed something more, yet he had no clue what it was.
Xiao was so tired, so tired of fighting, it had been his entire life, it was all he knew to do, all he was good at. He often wondered, while people-watching on the roof of Wangshu Inn, as he saw couples and families wander by, engrossed in a comfortable familiarity of their daily routines Xiao was so foreign to. Who was he without the anger, without the hatred, and without the deep-rooted violence?
Who was Xiao, if not the Conqueror of Demons, the merciless adeptus trained to be an indestructible weapon? So he continued to fight, continued to serve and protect Liyue with his life and blood, like the only purpose ingrained in his existence.
Yet, in this very moment, as Xiao stumbled after the lyre carrying bard, his vision obstructed by his cerulean braids and his senses overwhelmed by the faint scent of freshly cut grass and cecilias, he wished nothing more than to drop everything and stay in this moment forever. Venti was a dangerous existence to him, Xiao half-heartedly thought, if he requested Xiao to jump off a cliff at this very moment, he would not hesitate a second. It was impossible for Xiao for physically refuse Venti of anything.
They pulled to a stop, and Xiao’s gaze followed Venti’s outstretched arm to the exquisitely designed lantern shaped as a blooming flower, an engineering feat, the skilfulness of Liyue artisans truly never disappointed. Slowly, his gaze then shifted to the luminous beam on his companion’s face, Venti was in staring in awe at the lantern which is now flourishing, mimicking the actions of real lily petals. Beautiful, he thought.
“I know, right!” It was only then Xiao realised he had accidentally said those words out loud. Oh god, he groaned internally, at least Venti didn’t seem to pick up on his moment of embarrassment, why was he always so unnecessarily awkward aroud Venti?
Sudden sounds of explosion pulled Xiao out of his thoughts, splashes of gold and silver exploded in the sky, fireworks of various shapes and sizes lit up the dark blue canvas, framing the bard like a perfect backdrop. Mesmerised, Xiao watched as the fractured lights danced on Venti’s face, casting a warm ethereal glow to his features. Venti lightly chuckled and suddenly his face was looming over Xiao’s, too close.
“Wha-“
Venti pulled him into a tight embrace. Xiao’s breath hitched in his throat, his body reacted before his brain could process the situation and his arms were already gingerly placed over Venti’s back.
“I’ve missed you.” Venti murmured next to his ear. A warmth rose rapidly in Xiao's cheeks, he felt his spine shiver at the sensation of Venti's breath so close to him.
“Stupid.” he added.
A second later, they both burst out laughing, the pair’s happiness rippled into the warm summer night, and nothing else mattered anymore. Xiao could feel bit by bit the walls around him shattering down as he wholeheartedly leaned into the hug. He wanted this, he thought, for one of the first times in his life, he had not a single remnant of hesitation. It would be this, always, for as long as he’d let him.
-
The wind was always embracing, healing, non-judgemental, it encompassed all within the world, yet bearing none of the heaviness and weight of the mundane life. The wind was also temperamental, prone to changes in its environment, unpredictable with its own quirks. Tonight, the winds at Liyue Harbour felt particularly serene.