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As the leaves from the sandbearer trees flutter down amidst a strong gust of wind, word carries the busy city of Liyue all the way to the calm countryside terrain of Wangshu Inn. A traveller who once stepped foot into this inn to help with various menial tasks appears in the doorway.
With a sword by his waist and a couple other goods from a long journey out, the traveller approached the reception desk. He smiled brightly at the receptionist, Verr Goldet.
“Good evening… I was wondering if I could possibly stay the night here?” he awkwardly asked. It had been quite a while since he’d returned to Liyue. Since he’d finish most of what must be done in Inazuma, it’s good to visit every once in a while to accept commissions…
“Ah!” the woman gasped, her golden hair cascaded down her back quite eye-catching to whoever passed by, much like the inn she ran by herself with her husband. “Traveller, so you finally decided to come back and visit us?”
Her tone in a teasing manner, with - what was it? A fake hint of disappointment in her voice as well? Feigning ignorance in the eyes of one of the best helpers around the inn, not at the expense of chiding her own staff, of course. Aether had seen how she worked things around there, straightforward and firm, not accepting an answer that wasn't valid; no excuses being allowed in their workplace.
The blonde laughed. The best he could, feeling a bit awkward at the sudden confrontation. It was true that he hadn’t been able to come back in a while despite his promises to visit often. Teyvat was just such a big stretch of land spanning across multiple nations. All with their own people, culture and problems that he must solve because the people can’t solve it themselves apparently. Really, he thought, they must stop needing to rely on a random traveller passing by...
Shaking his head at his own thoughts, unbeknownst to the receptionist who was busy counting the expenses needed for the month to come - thank goodness for that, otherwise she’ll have to tease him more about his little tics and mannerisms.”I brought back some souvenirs for you, Goldet.” he smiled, gingerly placing an enclosed basket onto the table. Items from Inazuma, a closed nation, should most probably be very valuable in the eyes of those from other nations.
And, as expected, the raised eyebrow the maiden had offered him at first immediately turned into her eyes being full of wonder and sparkle. Glancing down at the naku weeds and melons he had brought along, as well as a couple of well-shaped clear amethyst ore. The receptionist gasped at the sight, looking towards Aether fondly, like one would do their own child. “Aww, Aether, you didn’t have to bring so much…”
You didn’t have to, why does Aether feel like this phrase has been used a lot with him? You didn’t have to… But I wanted to, would be the answer he would send back. I wanted to. I wanted to collect all these goods just to give them to you. Just for you.
However, there are many people who are on the receiving end of his charity work. And he so desperately wants to change the ‘I wanted to do it’s to ‘It’s fine, I do it for everyone’ or even an ‘I’m used to it by now’. However, words such as these are bound to make the other party feel guilty, feel like they're the bad guy even, for putting him through so much already. It’s the least he could do to protect their own feelings.
A man of great charity.
“Ah, right, Aether, how about you spend the night? It must’ve been a tiring journey to traverse from Inazuma all the way back to Liyue. Not to mention… with the state of the closed nation as it is, with how the Raiden Shogun has decided to reign over her land with an iron fist and firmly acclaimed goals, I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been…” she sighed, turning about a small piece of amethyst in her hand, one of the many tics she had. And yet she still had the audacity to chide him about his. Projection at its greatest, or something like that.
The blonde wanted to rebut her claim. It wasn’t all that bad. I’m used to it. It wasn’t that hard. My stay was quite comfortable. The people there were really nice actually. There was so much that he had wanted to say, so much to talk about and rant about. Despite that, despite wanting to let it all out like a balloon that was the closest to exploding on itself, he knew better than to say anything to assure her, anything to refuse what she had said, like any other person.
“It was alright… Some rough paths here and there, but it was fine…” he smiled the best he could, a facade he hoped nobody could easily see through.
A soft laugh greeted him back, “That’s good to hear, then. Ah! Yes, your room for the night… Hm, how about you go up to the roof and enjoy yourself a little while I arrange some staff members to prepare things for you..”
Not like I’m in the right to refuse. With a bright grin on his face, the male nodded, not wanting to say much more as he walked towards the stairs. Did he look too eager to get away? Was he moving too quickly away from the situation? Did she notice how he tried to control his strides?
Even if she did, Verr Goldet didn’t say anything at the time.
What would she be doing? Calling for the staff members to arrange a comfortable room to stay in? Observing the local specialties from Inazuma? Ordering for their resident cook, Smiley Yanxiao, to bring the melons down and store them in cryo slime storage perhaps? Whatever it was, it was better than her paying attention to him any longer.
Aether let out a sigh he didn’t know had gotten caught in his throat, leaning against the railing. He took in a deep inhale of the air, feeling it to be cooler, possibly because it had rained not too long ago. The air entered his lungs, letting him relax and soak into the surroundings. The temperature, the smells around him, it seemed so familiar yet not so much all at the same time. Unlike the extreme weather which plagued Inazuma, this place was warmer; unlike the vibrant colours of the surroundings, this place was softer; unlike the intense and overpowering smells of the flowering bushes, or the salty air of the sea surrounding the nation, Liyue was much more mellow, much more forgiving.
With an archon who is often reminiscing about the past, desiring to share and cherish what valuable memories he would have, it was only reasonable for the nation he ruled to be recreated in his likeness. From the beautiful colour palette which dotted the land, to the folks who live there in peace and harmony, the land of contracts was a big existing land of contradistinction to another big piece of land.
I have worked hard, day in and day out, just to find you, dear sister. I’ll go along with whatever games you have in mind for me. Appearing out of nowhere in the midst of my journey provides me with an aching sliver of false hope only for you to disappear once again into the abyss in this game of cat and mouse. The question is, am I the only one actively involving myself in this game you have created for us, while you just watch from the sidelines?
The blonde lamented a bit, in sorrow, in disappointment, maybe even in a bit of anger at the situation his sister presented him with.
And, while having an internal storm of conflicts brew within him, he hadn’t sensed the brand new presence from behind.
Standing on the roof awning of the inn, a certain adeptus, with a polearm by his side, watched idly at the blonde who was oblivious to his presence. He wanted to sneer and scoff, what a naive human, even after all this time he doesn’t make sure to watch his back. Even with this thought in mind, Xiao stayed at his spot for a while, preventing himself from going down to greet the boy, for whatever reason he had made up for himself.
And thus he watched for a while longer. Watched, as the gentle breeze blew the traveller’s long blonde hair through the wind, watched as the other had longingly faced the setting sun. Wondering what he was thinking about to be so absorbed in it. Not as if Xiao could really blame him for that either. The view from up here, truly, was a spectacle. Marvellous, beautiful, stunning. The warm tones which paint the sky and reflect onto the landscape, seemingly reminding the adeptus of someone familiar.
Eventually, the sky had turned dark, with the faint luminance of the sun rays being gone behind the horizon. The adeptus hesitated for a moment, before finally, jumping down from the awning, landing on his feet with a soft thud, loud enough for the blonde to hear and turn his attention towards him. Still, as oblivious as ever, only to cause Xiao to silently scold him again inside, Idiot, what if I was an attacker? What would happen if your reflexes are this bad, your guard so low?
Upon seeing his arrival, the initial shock on his face was a given. His eyes had widened in surprise, mouth slightly agape as he looked at the adeptus. Xiao, at the same time, felt the same way of stupefaction just as the other had smiled at him. He stared dumbfoundedly at the blonde for a moment, waiting and processing his thoughts before continuing, oblivious to the world around him. How hypocritical.
What was this feeling?
The thumping of his heart right against his ribcage, or was it the heat that rushed to his face when finally acknowledging his thoughts. His thoughts towards the one standing in front of him. Oh, how I missed your smile, like you had done as you grabbed my hand and led me through the crowds of the Lantern Rite. Your warm hand on top of mine, holding onto me tightly as you guided me. When will come the time where you’ll hold my hand like that again?
“Xiao?”
The warm voice had descended onto him, his breath tickling against his skin. Since when did they get so close? The adeptus shivered involuntarily, jolting backwards as his grip tightened on the primordial jade winged-spear. He cleared his throat, “What? For what reason did you utter my name?”
Again, that smile. That stupid, idiotic, beautiful smile. Directed towards him of all people, he who has vanquished as many demons as humans who walk this realm. He who has seen the deepest depths of darkness, tormented by an endless cycle of karmic retribution so long as he is alive and guards this land. “Nothing, it’s just that, you were a little out of it for a moment even after I asked you something…” he paused for a moment before continuing, “I was scared that I had offended you….”
Offended me? Xiao thought. Would you still think that after all this time, you would do something to offend me? Even though you have already gone as far as to drag me out of the slums to join the mortals in their festivities…
The adeptus hid his spear, took a few steps and leaned his back against the railing, arms crossed over his chest as he kept up a pensive expression, eyes closed. “Speak. What is it that you wish to ask me? Best get it over with now lest you come to regret later on...”
“Ah, well…” Aether hesitated, leaning forwards against the pine wood, staring down at the night view below. “I didn’t know I’d see you here tonight… What brings you here?”
“That’s all?”
“Ahaha… I shouldn’t have asked. Though, isn’t it just a basic formality to ask these things before moving onto something else?”
The other scoffed, “I don’t understand the need for these impermanent ‘formalities’. Why not just get straight to the point of the conversation? What’s the point of dwelling on one thing more than a person should?”
“I don’t know… Guess I was expecting you here?” the question dwelled in the air for a bit, like the lingering scent of perfume that wafted throughout the inn. It felt comforting, in a way, to be expected, to be waited for -- if that was what Aether had meant when he said that. What was even more comforting and downright bad for his soul was probably when the blonde had looked away at that moment, looked anywhere but at him, leaving him only the red tips of his ears visible, as how a potential romantic pursuit would leave a small of their door open in invitation, a telltale sign of saying, Come here, I want you here, come in and slip under the covers gently as to not wake me, come and embrace me tightly and not let go as if I’ll die if you did.
Or maybe he was misreading the situation.
Xiao, conflicted, decided against confronting the other directly, instead opting to draw out the conversation, try and find more clues which entail the possible sentiment the other had wanted to convey to him. Or rather, perhaps he had simply wanted to talk more, he had simply needed to hear Aether’s voice more after they hadn’t seen one another for so long.
Tragically, however, the ‘Why would you expect me here?’ and ‘Why me?’ turned into a ‘How was your trip in Inazuma?’
It could be possible that the sentence had come out rather awkward, or there was even a possibility that the words that came out of his mouth didn’t sound like things he would say, Aether had stayed silent before shaking his head. The blonde let out a lighthearted laugh, “Did you worry about me?”
How did words come to him so naturally? Xiao wished for a minute that he had that kind of confidence. Was Aether in a way teasing him for what he said earlier about ‘getting to the point’? If so, how sinister. Not like Xiao was going to hold that against him.
“I merely asked how your trip went. Where in Teyvat get that premonition from?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Seems like something a worried person would ask. Normally that kind of question would lead to the answer of ‘I fared well during my journey’ or ‘It was terrible’, maybe even an ‘I wish I’d never have to go back there again…”
“And, which was it for you?”
“For me? I guess that would have to be…” he sighed, revealing a feeble smile. “It would have to be ‘I wish you had come with me’...”
A disastrous silence hung in the air. With Xiao just staring at the blonde in part disbelief, part confusion. He was unsure about how humans were to express their emotions. All the time he was alive -- if that was what one could call his way of living, being alive -- he hadn’t felt this way towards anyone before. Not until he met the traveller, the cute and gentle blonde boy who stood beside him at this moment. The one person who would go out of their way to hang out with him despite how disinterested he seemed.
“Xiao? -- Huh?! Hey-”
The adeptus didn’t know what had come over him to suddenly decide at the last minute, surging forward to trap the latter against the railing. Xiao’s hands caged Aether in place, preventing him from moving effectively.
“Run.”
“Huh?”
“Run from me now if you don’t want this.” Xiao said, his tone strict and maybe even just a bit shaky. Deep inside, he chided himself, unsure of what came over him. Stop it, why can’t you have a little more self-restraint? If you’re like this, wouldn’t you be similar to any normal human?
The male wanted for Aether to push him away, tell him to get away from him, and claim that the signals were being mixed in a total discombobulation of communication problems. Why would he want to be denied so badly? Was it a secret fantasy he had? He wouldn’t mind it since he could just acquaint it to being an after effect of being dormant for years, simply watching over the world around him without any proper contact.
So maybe he knew just how high-maintenance he could be at times, how tiring that must be for the traveller to deal with each time. The lantern rite was once, doing it twice or more, in his mind, the adeptus would assume that it would make it look like they actually like him. But did they? Was this a thing that friends did? Tell each other how much they miss one another, but send those sentiments in poorly described affectatious affirmations?
Contrary to his expectations -- luckily for him, in this case -- the blonde simply accepted him in an embrace, arms wrapped around him as he slowly inhaled a breath of air, shakily, at that. “Why would I ever run away from you?” Xiao, speechless for a moment, hesitated before returning the embrace in earnest. With how close they were to one another -- physically speaking -- there was no way Xiao could mistake that loud hammering of the other’s heartbeat, making him wonder briefly if he was the same.
After a bit, the two pulled away from one another, Xiao’s hands resting on the blonde’s hips; Aether’s hands softly cupping the adeptus’ face. An unlikely scenario for the two. However, as the moment and atmosphere prepared itself -- for some reason there weren’t many people around at the time, coincidental or were they just lucky? -- they couldn’t help it.
“Xiao,” Aether started. A small giggle escaped his lips when met with the burning and meaningful gaze the other offered him. Something about it just seemed comical at the time -- the serious demon-vanquishing adeptus can make this type of expression. Despite the usual intense stare, there was also something soft in it, like a vulnerability. Similar to that one time where Aether caught him looking up in awe at the wide expanse of Xiao Lanterns.
“What’s so funny?” the latter pouted, though he couldn't help but smile as well.
“Xiao,” the blonde repeated.
“What is it?”
“I just wanted to say your name. To know that you’re here with me right now. You told me before, right. Whenever I need you, just call your name...” he said, eyes looking fixedly at the other’s face, studying every small expression change he would make.
“You still remember that?”
A laugh, “How could I forget when you’re the only thing on my mind every day?”
Xiao gulped. He didn’t know the traveller could be so bold, most importantly, so… “Cute,” he muttered under his breath, not loud enough for the other to make out what he said, loud nonetheless to make him realize he said something. “What was that-- mmh-”
The adeptus leaned in, connecting their lips in a tender kiss. As cliche as it might have sounded, it felt like the feeling of witnessing the yearly fireworks festival hosted in Inazuma before they became a closed nation. Or even like that day at the lantern rite. It was like bliss, a heaven and escapism from the past, relinquishing his karmic binds as if he had finally paid back his eternal debt. How good would that be, to live a normal life in peace. Then again, what a very mortal way of thinking...
Well, perhaps being human wasn’t that bad after all…