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The stars above Teyvat twinkled in the still night; nothing but small murmurs and the rustling of wind could be heard. One of these murmurs came from a room in the Wangshu Inn, where a weary traveler was fast asleep. Aether's dreams, though, were not nearly as calm as the night around him. He writhed around in the bamboo bedsheets, his long golden hair rustled and bunched up. All he could see was the realm his sister and him were traveling in, having to watch her be taken again by that mysterious being. He could do nothing but cry out, trying to fight back in whatever way he could. "Please... no..." murmurs came from the still sleeping boy, as his eyebrows furrowed. "Lumine... help..!" he calls desperately, a few tears beginning to detach themselves from his blonde eyelashes that they were caught in.
The ears of the Vigilant Yaksha twitched, having caught the faint 'help' that the traveler had mumbled. He had been staring at the moon from his balcony, having no need for sleep. He quickly vanished though, reappearing in the room of the source of the noise within an instant and a plume of black and green smoke. He had his polearm at the ready, hand hovering over the mask at his hip, prepared to attack whatever was causing this person to distress. The Wangshu Inn was his territory, and he protected anyone under its roof. He seemed confused as he saw no monsters, no demons, but simply a glimmer of light off of the traveler's face from the pale moonlight that gleamed through their window. He hesitantly walked forward, bringing his polearm to the side as he looked over the person in their bed.
Only in that moment had he realized that the call he heard was from Aether, a very distressed one at that. The blonde continued to call out, his voice strained and his cheeks already stained with tears. Xiao looked over him, unsure of what to do. He had never quite dealt with this before in all his years of living. He looked around the room once more to check for demons before fixing his gaze back on the other. "Aether, wake up. It's a dream," he says in a normal speaking tone, the traveler not budging or seeming to hear him at all. "Aether, wake up..." he calls again, and yet again, no noticeable response. He sighed, grabbing the shoulder of the other that was closest to him and shaking him. "Aether, wake up already!"
The traveler jolted awake, sitting up with one swift movement. His eyes were wide, his expression frightened and his cheeks stained with tears. Xiao pulled away immediately, making his polearm vanish with a flick of his hand. Aether took a moment to gather his surroundings, looking at the other with a confused gaze. “Xiao? Why are you here…?” he questions, still taking in the sights around him. He realized that he had been crying right in front of the adeptus, a small blush dusting his cheeks as he turned his face away. “You called out for help. What else was I supposed to do?” the yaksha questions defensively, turning his eyes to the window. He sighed, looking back over to the traveler. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” he questions, eyeing the other to check for any physical injuries. “No, no, I’m fine. It was just… uh, a bad dream…” the traveler murmurs, clasping his hands in his lap as he stares down at them.
“Are you sure? You sounded hurt,” Xiao protests, continuing to scan intently. Aether sighs, running a hand through his silky blonde hair that cascaded down his shoulders and back. “It was a dream about my sister,” he says, cutting himself off short. He stands, brushing his hair off of his shoulders as he walks to the window and leans on the windowsill. Xiao follows him, standing near but not quite next to him. “It should have been me,” Aether mumbled to himself, the near-dried shimmers of his tears gleaming in the pale moonlight. The adeptus sighs, nudging the traveler over slightly so he can lean in the window as well.
“No, it should not have been. I watched all my friends die or disappear, and I’ve thought like that too. There’s a reason I was spared, and there’s a reason it was your sister and not you. You will find her,” he says, in an uncharacteristically soft tone. Aether gives a little blush, moving to his bag and grabbing a small case. He pulls out two dandelions, the same color as Anemo energy, that he had saved from his time in Mondstadt. He handed one to Xiao, keeping the other in his own hand. “In Mondstadt, people would whisper their wishes to dandelions and blow the seeds off, trusting that the wind would carry them to where they needed to go. I kept a few so maybe Paimon and I could do that, but…” he explains, looking over to Xiao. The yaksha grumbles, turning the dandelion in his hand. “I don’t partake in mortal traditions. They are pointless to me,” he says in his typical gruff voice, earning a frown from Aether. “...But, I can make an exception if it will put you at ease. Make it quick,” he groans, moving and opening the window.
Aether smiled, leaning and whispering lightly to the dandelion. He waits for Xiao to do his, motioning for him to whisper as well. Xiao just makes whisper-esc noises to play along, but sadly the traveler isn’t that easily fooled. “You need to wish for something or the wind won’t carry your voice away,” he says, earning a grumble from the adeptus. Xiao whispers as quietly as he can to the flower, closing his eyes as he does so. Aether gives a nod, and lightly blows on the tuft at the end of his own dandelion. The seeds scatter, their white fluff catching on the light wind of Liyue and drifting out the window and into the night. Xiao copies the other’s motions, watching the seeds fly off into the night.
“Get some sleep, Aether. You’ve had a long night,” he says, standing back up and stepping away from the windowsill. “But… I’m still scared. Can you maybe… well, can you stay here with me?” Aether partially lies, giving puppy dog eyes. He was still nervous, but he also never got to spend time with the adeptus, seldom their occasional serious talks. Xiao grumbles once again, looking around the room. He pulls a wooden stool from the corner of the room, setting it down next to the bed before sitting himself down on it. “Fine. Now sleep,” he huffs, crossing his arms. Aether smiles, laying down in bed. Soon enough he was asleep again, and the rest of the night was peaceful. All there was was the rustle of the wind, carrying their wishes all the way to where they needed to be.