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One year on the eve of the Lantern Rite, Beidou remembers seeing Xiao for the first time. Her and her crew had found themselves in the middle of a storm near Liyue Harbor when returning from an expedition. When they made it safely into port, Beidou looked out over the ocean towards Guyun Stone Forest. A figure floated in the air above the rocks with boy like features and a glowing mask. Beidou immediately knew it was an adeptus, but was unsure of who. She looked away for only a second, and he was gone.
It seemed as if none of her crew had seen the boy except for her—they were busy celebrating their safe return. But Beidou didn’t mind. She was grateful to know that the adepti held true to their promise to Liyue, watching over it protectively. Was this adeptus the reason she and her crew had made it to Liyue Harbor safely through the storm? Beidou pushed the thought away, desperately in want of food and sleep.
At the time, Beidou didn’t need to know the adeptus’ name. Unless you knew one of the adepti personally, they were hard to get in touch with.
Later on, Paimon had told Beidou of a certain Xiao, a grumpy adeptus who likes anyone who gives him a good plate of almond tofu. The Traveller refused to say the name out loud—something about him coming when they called— but when Beidou asked about his appearance, they told her the basics. Small frame, blue and black hair, and a mask. The mask wasn’t always on, Paimon had added in. She was now sure that the adeptus she had seen on the eve of Lantern Rite was Xiao.
Beidou soon came to realize that she needed to meet with Xiao. And perhaps thank him for saving her crew, if he was responsible.
So Beidou got in contact with the Traveller. Xiao would come if they called, right?
Paimon confirmed this.
“Xiao and the Traveller are like best buddies!” Paimon explained to Beidou. “He promised them that if they were to shout his name he’d appear!”
The Traveller shrugged. “Are you both ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Beidou said. She was slightly nervous. She had seen Xiao before, yes. But she had never talked to him.
The Traveller knew of her intentions with Xiao and was fully willing to help. They said that they had done the same thing for Xiangling. But, they also warned Beidou that Xiao might not fulfill her wishes. As long as she tried, Beidou would be okay with any outcome.
The Traveller took in a deep breath.
“Xiao.”
“You called?” The voice came from behind. All three turned around to look at him. Xiao had his arms crossed, staring deeply at the Traveller. Paimon and the Traveller looked unphased at his sudden appearance.
“Hi, Xiao!” Paimon exclaimed, twirling in the air. “Beidou wants to talk to you!”
“Nice to meet you, Xiao. I have a really big favor to ask of you.” Beidou then smiled, and pointed to the box in her hand. “I also brought some almond tofu.”
After the Traveller and Paimon had given them some privacy, Beidou explained everything to Xiao while he ate. It was Ningguang’s birthday today, and she wanted access to Jueyun Karst for their date. It would be nothing big—a simple picnic while the sun sets in the sky.
Since Jueyun Karst was known as the home of the adepti, Beidou knew it would be rude to intrude on their land without asking an adeptus for permission first. It would have been less trouble to ask Ganyu, given that her and Beidou were close friends, but Ganyu was much busier than usual lately. Beidou didn’t want to interrupt her work just to ask for permission to go on a date.
“You are a close friend to the Traveller. I will help.”
Xiao explained a special route to take for the location of their date—it would be on top of a short mountain, but had view of the sunset with enough room to lay out their picnic. The trail leading up would only take minutes. Other locations would be nearly impossible to reach for mortals without help from an adeptus.
“This route requires no help from any of the adepti,” Xiao explained to Beidou. “You two will have your privacy.”
“Thank you, Xiao. I do have a question for you.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“Have we seen each other before?”
“No.”
“No?” Beidou raised an eyebrow. Hadn’t it been Xiao? “Well, if you happen to know an adeptus who saved me and my crew on the night of a bad storm, tell them I say thank you. Adepti aren’t easy to get in touch with, you know.”
Beidou, for only a second, saw the smallest of smiles on his lips. It was gone just as quickly as it had come.
So it had been him!
“I can manage that.” He looked toward the Traveller, who was in the distance talking to a local restaurant owner. “I need to say my goodbyes to the Traveller. Farewell, Beidou. May you and your crew be granted safety during your travels.”
“Goodbye, Xi—“
He had already disappeared into the air.
—
On the blanket they had spread out, Beidou and Ningguang laid down facing each other. The sun was going to set soon. The hot August air and winds had calmed. Beidou found her hand in Ningguangs hair, lovingly running her fingers through its soft strands. Ningguang closed her eyes.
“Beidou.”
“Ningguang.”
“Did you ask for permission from Xiao to bring me here?”
“How’d you know?” She teased. There were no secrets in Liyue that could be kept from Ningguang. “And who spoiled my surprise?”
“No one told me the specifics of your conversation with the adeptus,” Ningguang admitted. She opened her eyes to gaze at Beidou. “But we are on Jueyun Karst, and only a fool would step foot on these mountains without permission.”
“And if we were here without permission?”
“You are no fool. You break every rule in the book, yes. But you know to not anger the adepti.”
The sky around them was beginning to turn to shades of orange and pink. Beidou sat up, grabbing the bouquet of glaze lillies she had gotten for Ningguang. They weren’t the best, not like the ones so beautifully tended to inside the city. But by the Archons had they been expensive. Plucking the best one out, Beidou turned to Ningguang and delicately placed it behind her ear. They both smiled. Like idiots.
“This is truly beautiful, Beidou.”
When the sun was gone behind the sky line and the stars came out, Beidou and Ningguang packed up their blanket and spare food into a backpack one of them had brought. They walked home together, holding hands. Some citizens stared as they passed—what was the Tianquan doing with the Captain of the Crux Fleet, and why were they holding hands? It didn’t matter to either of them. Ningguang was open to let rumors spread about her. Beidou didn’t mind if everyone knew her and the Tianquan shared each other’s beds.
In front of the door of their shared home, Beidou stopped to pull Ningguang closer.
“We aren’t even inside yet,” Ningguang joked.
“Let them watch. Happy Birthday, darling.” With fingers resting lightly on Ningguang’s chin, Beidou kissed her softly.
“Do we have extra cake?”
“Archons, Ningguang. You’re thinking about cake?”
“It was delightful. Did Xiangling make it?”
“Yes, she did. There’s three or four slices left in my bag.” Beidou unlocked the front door, and held it open for her lover. “After you, honey.”