Chapter Text
The word friendship could not even begin to describe the relationship Albedo had with that strange green haired adeptus from Liyue. During his many visits down to Liyue Harbor and back, either with the knights on a mission or just for some special “Liyue specific” alchemy supplies, Albedo always found himself sitting in the bustling kitchen of Wangshu Inn, listening to the clatter of plates and conversations float around him; and just like anyone else, he had heard the rumors surrounding the place. Anyone from Liyue could tell you some super exaggerated story about the young looking green haired fellow who lived on the top floor of the inn, and how he’s supposedly lived there since the inn opened decades ago. While the average passerby paid these tales no mind, not even believing such a person could exist, let alone magically avoiding the human eye for hundreds of years, the inn staff each had their own stories about the almond tofu loving young man who lived on the top floor.
He hadn’t planned on listening in on the conversation the table next to him was having, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re a table for one. Not surprising to him at all, they were talking about the young man who lived on the top floor. “I heard from this old woman last night...” One of the women started, quickly lowering her voice and looking around to make sure no one could hear what she was about to say, ”I heard he often goes out for days at a time, and comes back drenched in blood.” In response to that, everyone at the table groaned, some pushing their plates away while others looked outright disgusted.
“Blood? That’s it?” Albedo wondered. “They’d never make good knights, or good alchemists for that matter.” While alchemy itself wasn't necessarily a bloody practice, the accidents very much could be. He’d lost count of how many times he’s had to jump in front of Sucrose to protect her from an explosion, or had to patch himself up from a shattered beaker; which also happened to be from an explosion.
“One order of almond tofu!” Quickly snapped Albedo out of his thoughts and back to reality. He’d visited the inn enough that he even considered some of the staff his acquaintances, the inn’s chef, “Smiley” Yanxiao had often stopped to speak to him about his trip to Liyue, since his attire clearly told everyone he was a citizen of Mondstadt. Small talk had never really been Albedo’s cup of tea, as someone who spends most of his days hidden away on a snowy mountain, only speaks to other humans if he’s forced to (with the exception of Sucrose and Timaeus), and enjoys his solitude, Albedo found himself wishing he had taken his meal and snuck away to the top floor of the inn. That way, no one could bother him and even if the rumors about that green haired man were true, what are the odds that he’d come back while so many people were visiting? Pushing his introvertedness aside, he flashed a small smile at Smiley Yanxiao and told him some minor and boring details about his trip down the mountain and through Liyue thus far. Throughout their whole conversation, Albedo would occasionally shoot a glance over to the lone plate of almond tofu, which had been sitting out for nearly fifteen minutes, not a bite out of place.
“If I may ask.” Albedo prompted. “Has someone forgotten to get their food?” Motioning towards the plate with his eyes. Smiley Yanxiao, who was currently in the middle of a tangent about the prices of ingredients and how they had skyrocketed within the recent months, paid the plate no mind.
“Don’t worry about it, it’ll be eaten by tonight.”
“Tonight?” Albedo inquired. “Why make it now if whoever ordered it won’t be able to eat it until this evening? The molecules won’t be as compact since it’s gotten cold.”
Smiley Yanxiao scoffed, leaning back on the folded room divider that stood in the corner, “I’m tellin you, the guy who eats these won’t care about it’s genetic makeup, or it’s molecules.”
“Tofu loses its composition if it sits out at room temperature for too long. It slowly becomes soft and slimy, and increasingly less appetizing.” Albedo said, taking a bite of his salad that had long gotten cold. At that point Smiley Yanxiao had given up and walked away, back into the kitchen. It seemed that most of the crowd had slowly disappeared, the table next to him that was once full of life was finally empty, and the only other person in the kitchen was a table of two, clearly on a date. Knowing he still had a while to go until he reached Liyue Harbor, Albedo decided to stay at the Inn for the night, he had arrived later than originally planned; thanks to an error on Timaeus’s part, and there’s nothing more dangerous than wondering around at night, especially alone. Monsters and treasure hoarders alike ran amok at night, and despite being a respected and qualified member of the Knights of Favonius, he decided to play it safe, and rather than losing a limb, he rather be well rested.
“Thank you for the meal!” Albedo exclaimed, already halfway up the stairs before Smiley Yanxiao could even turn around and reprimand him about not paying for his meal. He knew that he’d pay in the morning before he left, but for now all he wanted was some rest. Upon reaching the first floor where the reception is, Albedo explained with tired eyes that he’d like a room and that he’ll be staying the night, and he’ll pay for his meal in the morning before he leaves. The receptionist gave him a sympathetic smile and handed him a small golden key.
“Rest well!”
Key in hand, Albedo turned to go up his final flight of stairs for the evening, but before he could even lift his foot off the ground, someone slammed into him, hard. He stumbled forward, watching as the individual who practically body slammed him sped down the stairs, not even sparing him a glance, nor apology. But with exhaustion quickly creeping over him, he decided to pay it no mind and head for his room.
He wasn’t sure why, but every time he visited Wangshu Inn Albedo always had the same dream. He was atop a mountain somewhere in Liyue, and he was positive it was Liyue because nowhere in Mondstadt has a view like this, and a man in a horned mask sat next to him. Neither of them spoke, they stared up at the starry night sky. The first time Albedo had this dream he didn’t think much of it, the second time he found it a bit odd, and the third time he was starting to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Who was this masked man? Why, no matter how hard he tried, can’t he call out and speak to that man? Was that truly just a dream?
The next morning Albedo rose early, the sky was still a dark blue when he strolled down the stairs and into the lobby, his cool silver vision sitting right under his neck. The receptionist greeted him with a smile. “I hope you slept well. Smiley Yanxiao is working on breakfast if you’d like to eat before you depart.”
“I’m not much of a breakfast person.” Albedo grinned, placing his room key on the desk. “But I suppose I owe Smiley Yanxiao just this once.”
“Please enjoy your meal.”
Walking down into the kitchen, Albedo bid Smiley Yanxiao a good morning before he sat down at the same table he had eaten dinner at nine hours prior.
“I’m not serving you a single thing until you pay up for last night.” The stubborn chef said, cleaning a cup at the sink.
“The meal was paid for. The receptionist can confirm it for you, if you don’t believe me.” Albedo grinned. He wasn’t sure how he’d classify the relationship he had with the man standing in front of him. They’re not friends, friends see each other more than five or six times a year. They’re not coworkers, Yanxiao doesn’t address him as “Sir Albedo,” like the majority of the knights do, or “Mr. Albedo,” like Sucrose usually does. But he was intelligent enough to know that this was just some “friendly” banter, he knew Yanxiao would happily cook him anything he requested, however…
“Thank you.. for the tofu.”
“Just doing my job. Why don’t you stay for breakfast?”
“I… I shouldn-“
“Nonsense. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, even for guys like you.”
Albedo was so deep in thought that the conversation going on right in front of him didn’t even register until Smiley Yanxiao called out to him.
“Alchemist!! I asked what you wanted for breakfast?”
“Tofu…”
“What? Did you say tofu? You want tofu for breakfast?”
“Huh? No, I’m sorry. I got a bit too lost in thought, I’ll have whatever is easiest for you. I need to get to the harbor soon.”
“Alright…” Smiley Yanxiao said, stealing concerned glances over at Albedo. “You two just be patient, it’ll be done in about seven minutes.”
You two…?
Albedo glanced left and saw nothing but empty tables, an empty glass or two sitting on the tables, the staff clearly preparing for the breakfast rush, but he swore no one else was in the kitchen with him except for Smiley Yanxiao. He quickly looked right, his eyes scanning the empty tables and still not seeing anyone. He was about to ask Yanxiao if he was seeing ghosts again, when he heard a faint creak to his right. Not even trying to hide his curiosity, Albedo whipped around to see a man leaned up against the wall, his head lowered and arms crossed against his chest.
“Is that an anemo vision?” He thought, his eye landing on the small shiny green circle on the man’s purple glove. Normally, other people find Albedo quite hard to read, he isn’t very expressive by nature, and he tends to go unnoticed by most people due to how little he speaks. He would never admit it, but he often uses this factor in his favor, easily finding ways to slip away from parties he didn’t wish to attend or uncomfortable conversations with the townspeople. While the knights, of course, could all very easily spot him in a crowd, and always made sure to ask him his opinion on certain knightly matters. If those same people were here now, Albedo wondered, would they even notice this guy?
Albedo wasn’t a very big fan of fables, or rumors for that matter, which is why he hated talking with the townspeople of Mondstadt. How their jaws dropped or eyes lit up when someone would mention the fact that that one drunkard bard has a crazy amount of similarities to the anemo archon. But it hadn’t gone unnoticed how many similarities the man standing behind him had to that man from the many stories Albedo had heard. Though he would say the man's hair is more on the bluer side, he has the same tattoo from the stories, the same necklace, and the overall disheveled look that many people spoke about.
He had no idea how long he had been staring, he was still in disbelief that the rumors about this man were true, and that he even existed. Albedo was well aware that there were many beings that roamed Teyvat that were over hundreds of years old, himself included, but what he couldn’t wrap his brain around is why an immortal would want to settle down at an inn, and what was so special about this one in particular? Albedo thought himself to be a decently composed person, but when that man eventually lifted his head, he wasn’t sure what to do. He had been staring for far too long, his lips and his brain seemed to be focused on completely different things. Just as he was about to attempt to speak with the man, assuming his brain and lips had finally seen eye to eye, the man pushed off the wall and walked right past him, acting as if he didn’t even exist, and straight over to where Smiley Yanxiao was standing with two plates in hand.
“Hope you like eggs.” He smiled, patting the man on the back a little too hard. His smile faltering for a split second when the man staggered forward slightly. Shifting his attention over to Albedo, he lifted up the other plate and asked, “You not hungry anymore, Alchemist?”
This was starting to be too much human interaction for Albedo. Barely managing to nod, he rose to his feet and took the plate from Yanxiao.
“So.” Smiley Yanxiao asked, his back turned to the two men in his dining room. “What are you going to Liyue for this time? Anything fancy?”
“Not particularly, I’ve heard that an Inazuman is selling some beakers made out of some dragon bone marrow. I wanted to see them for myself.” Albedo said, taking a bite of his breakfast.
“Made out of bone marrow? You’re into stuff like that?”
“Bone marrow is more stable than a normal glass beaker, it’s makeup is much more compact than that of the average glass beakers I’ve used in the past. Additionally if I can spare myself a glass shard to the eye, I’d take the chance, wouldn’t you?”
By the time Albedo headed to the elevator to leave, the sun was high in the sky and people slowly started to fill in the tables that sat directly below the inn. He had a very full day ahead of him, and still had a decent way to go until he got to Liyue Harbor, yet he was unable to find himself thinking about anything else other than the strange man he encountered that morning. He’s not sure what it was, but the blue-green haired man just wouldn’t let his mind be. Should he conduct an experiment? That was what he was best at after all, but seeing as how that man didn’t even so much as spare him a glance earlier, he doubted that he’d be willing to participate.
In reality, the walk from Wangshu Inn to Liyue Harbor was about the same length as walking from the knights headquarters to Dawn Winery. He’s walked this route numerous times over the years, waving at the occasional passerby, kneeling down and studying the local flowers and fruits, but somehow even after all these years the Liyue scenery always managed to leave him speechless. If only the trees could talk, he’d stop and listen to their stories for hours. As much as he loves Mondstadt —and Dragonspine— Liyue had a much more ancient feeling that he was fascinated by. Mondstadt had its own fair share of ruins that were abandoned long ago and Albedo wasn’t embarrassed to admit that he’s explored each one, but with the exception of Liyue Harbor, Liyue itself was covered in ancient ruins. If it were possible, he’d love to explore each one, learning about its history and what life was like hundreds of years ago. He’d of course heard about the Archon war, and how the Archon of Geo, Morax, the man who had given him his own vision, fought alongside the five yakshas; it was truly a shame that none of them lived to see the Liyue Harbor of today.
Lost in thought, Albedo had arrived at the one of many Statues of the Seven that were scattered across Liyue sooner than he anticipated. Not really paying his surroundings any mind, which back home Amber would’ve one hundred percent scolded him for, he tripped over a rogue tree root that belonged to the tree a few feet away. He knew it was too late to try and catch himself despite feeling like he was falling in slow motion, and just braced himself for the fall that never came.
“Be careful.”
Albedo opened his eyes, fully expecting to have a mouthful of dirt, but was pleasantly surprised to find himself standing on his own two feet, as if nothing had happened. He knew for a fact that no one else was around when he tripped, so where could this person have come from? Wishing to relay his thanks, Albedo turned around to greet the person who had managed to catch him, only to be met with a pair of piercing golden eyes staring back at him.
It was the man from the inn.
Xiao was truly exhausted when he got back to the Inn that night. For some unknown reason, tonight his karma had decided to put him through the ringer. He was beat. His polearm, which was usually as light as a feather, now felt like a ten thousand pound boulder in his hands. He’s not sure how he’s managed to use the same weapon all these years, ever since Morax handed it to him. It truly came as a surprise to him that a small gust of wind hadn’t snapped it in half. His body was covered in wounds from the numerous monsters and treasure hoarders he had dealt with in the previous days, he knew people were staring at him as he crossed the bridge at the inn, but after being alive for so long and having suffered much more agonizing wounds than these, he paid it no mind. Normally he wouldn’t stroll into the inn like this, where mortal eyes could see him, but there didn’t seem to be many people around in the first place, and he couldn’t bother sneaking in through the roof as he usually would.
Walking into the lobby, he disregarded his polearm in the corner and made a beeline for the kitchen. His body moved before his mind had time to react, and he accidentally slammed into the shoulder of the man at the receptionist desk. Normally he would’ve muttered a small apology or bowed, but it seemed that the man he bumped into wasn’t of his right mind either, so Xiao continued on.
He noticed the morning after that the man he bumped into last night was a vision bearer, a small silver geo vision dangled around his neck. Was that a Mondstadt vision? Xiao hadn't visited Mondstadt in centuries, nor had he spoken to their God in roughly the same amount of time. How had the city changed? He wondered, knowing that humans are always changing and evolving, he doubts Mondstadt looks anything like he remembered. But why did that man have a geo vision? Xiao pondered. He’s known for as long as he can remember that Archons don’t give out visions, so what did Celestia see in him? He had also noticed a small golden star right above his vision, it didn’t look like a tattoo, so what could it have been? Xiao could probably count the human encounters he’s had over the last century on one hand, so one could say he’s rather out of touch with human emotions, and he himself wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed to admit this. But on that day, without even realizing it, Xiao experienced curiosity for the first time in centuries.