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'Thud '
The sound seemingly made its way towards the peaceful qilin's ear, she shuffled to make space, already aware of what or who just arrived. Almost lulled by the quiet surroundings, him arriving served as perfect timing to jolt her awake. She's been expecting that sound to arrive for quite a while now; Too long even...
Agitated as she wants to be, she can't help but soften up whenever they finally make eye-contact. A vice of her that she has to fix one day, no matter what.
"Late." she mumbled, feigning dejection.
The yaksha raised his brow, yet continued to sit himself by the now gently smiling secretary. "Is it that absurd to fathom?" he queried, shifting even closer, cozying himself. "Would it be disgraceful to say yes?" Ganyu grinned, closing the distance as well. It was amusing really, the opposite usually happens; Xiao being the one to arrive early, meanwhile Ganyu is running late due to her hectic schedule. It sure is a nice change of pace, finally giving the pale blue-haired adeptus the chance to make a nice quick jab at her companion.
"It somehow feels as if I've won for a change." She continued, tilting her head to the side mockingly "Having the upper hand, as they call it?"
He frowned, facing her way. "And I feel strangely defeated... Ah seriously—Should I just cancel all future meetings from now then? Your ego seems to have rose notches upon notches."
The female adeptus gasped, shocked by her company's unwavering desire to always come out on top. "You tease!"
It she wasn't so aware of how Xiao often phrases his words, she was so sure she would have been very crestfallen right now, head laying low exactly like how she would have been 2 years prior.
"I jest, I jest" he quietly laughed. Xiao, as much as he aggressively denies it, gets very competitive at the most trivial of things; However, he isn't very expressive and open about admitting his small quirks, so being able to experience first-hand is always such a delight. "You find it embarrassing, but I find these moments very endearing." Ganyu hummed, sending a slight grin to Xiao. The latter smirked at her playful attitude. "And I very much enjoy seeing you feast on Qingxin flowers like a small plump child, rolling down the mountains—a very fond quip of yours I hold extremely near to my heart."
"A very fond quip of yours seems to be embarrassing that of your colleague?" She huffs at his retort, being reminded of when she was but a small child under Cloud Retainer's guidance. Beet red whenever the ancient adeptus tells her past tales, Ganyu could never escape her fate. Xiao rolled his eyes, moving his gaze to capture the scene.
Where they sat, the whole festival could be seen—bustling and noisy, with energetic crowds. Despite the dark night sky, the amount of lanterns and lights they have cooped up in the same area overpower the pitch-black sky, rivaling the sun. As impressive as that were, they originally only came for the fireworks that had yet to start, so they sat in wait.
Staying patient, Ganyu mulled over how she got to this point with her fellow adeptus... A few measly years had already passed ever since they finally started to really acquaint themselves with one another, with the Cloud Retainer kickstarting their now rebuilt relationship. In all honesty, they had known of each other prior to when they became teacher-student. They had history, just very lost in time. The two remember fondly when they both met privately in the most secretive of places in order to not get caught. Often times, finding themselves playing together with Guizhong in her study, being reprimanded later on for disturbing her work. Being the most rambunctious of the bunch surprisingly. It was just that as decades passed, and after the war they had become so invested in their own tasks that they never had the chance to converse properly after some time—save for the few necessary greetings here and there—that they realized they had lost touch.
Neither of them bothered enough to rekindle it due to multiple facets that included just being busy overall, the over-looming griefs of the war, and the biggest reason—fear. Fear of each other. Fear of not being enough. Fear that the other had already forgotten about them and discarded their memories of each other.
And know, she has the honor of being able to call Xiao her friend. Even more honorable is the fact that Xiao can comfortably ask her anything without feeling burdened in doing so. Just the fact that Xiao knows he can lean on her when he needs help, lets a smile spread out on the secretary's face.
Ganyu would be lying is she said she loathed Cloud Retainer's habit of just randomly spouting out backstories from time to time to close acquaintances. She felt as if that had a contributing factor as to Xiao accepting the premise of acting as the qilin's master in training for a short period of time. That event becoming one of the most prominent reason of their blooming relationship. It's something she thanks her for—despite not mentioning it out loud.
The moment the older adeptus hears about her sheepish 'thank you's' Ganyu knows Cloud Retainer wont stop bugging her about this for centuries on end. Even giving the adeptus even more incentive to recklessly share her history.
The two—Ganyu and Xiao—now spend as much time as possible huddled up in a small area relatively near Liyue Harbor. A spot suggested by the traveler, mentioning this is where he typically rests whenever he feel tired due to the very calming atmosphere and beautiful view. And they both have to admit, the traveler has a very keen eye for picking which areas to relax at. It's a high mountain near the gates of Liyue Harbor. Hardly anyone comes near the cliffs partly because of how dangerous it is.
None of them will complain though, some peace and quiet does them wonders especially with how minuscule time they have allotted for a break.
How they got into the routine of coddling together does make Ganyu question... She can't remember how they fell into this routine. All she remembers was accidentally falling aseep during one of their hangouts... Then all of that somehow added up and equaled to this. It somehow makes her feel all shy and giddy inside. Its a bit embarassing, the qilin smiles sheepishly.
"Only now, really? You're feeling bashful?" Xiao commented, eyes still glued to the Harbor. How'd he even catch sight of her in that case?
"What do you mean?" Ganyu asked coyly, grazing her hand over the yaksha's.
"I wonder... What do I mean?" he dryly responded back, tightly grasping at the now chuckling lady's fingertips.
"I really should just leave you here alone, shouldn't I?" he mused, slowly facing Ganyu. Standing up slightly, only to be locked back down to position by the qilin's strong grip. For someone with such a small frame, she sure held a lot of strength. Not that he could proclaim otherwise, they practically had the same build. "It is a bit of a shame though, I might as well not have brought these." He returned to the conversation, bringing out a bouquet of Qingxin Flowers, much to Ganyu's surprise.
"You shouldn't have!" she yelped completely letting go of her iron grip, awestruck by the man's sweet sentiment. No wonder he was late! QInqxin Flowers had just ran out of stock in nearby pharmacies and floral shops. The yaksha must have went searching all over the place to be able to get this much of them in such great condition. "There's no way I can refuse such a thing after you went such a long way... I'd love to repay you." she panicked, not knowing how to pay him back. "You really made today hard for me, didn't you?" she sighed, massaging her temple.
"I'm not asking for anything in return—" he leans back, resting himself against the tree, trying to assure her. "—honestly, I'm just very happy where I am with you now." confessing, he turns red, quickly averting his gaze in skittishness.
Suddenly, everything fell silent. A few minutes had already passed and he knew he had to somehow bring his companion back to consciousness again. The reason they came to this area after all was to watch the fireworks. It would all be for naught if she doesn't manage to watch it just because of something thoughtful he did.
"The fireworks are about to start." Xiao informed the still agape and spaced-out Ganyu, squeezing her hands in an attempt to recover her. What she says next baffles him.
"A small gift wont hurt, right?" Ganyu quizzed, eyes squinting.
"I doubt you have enough time to get me something by the moment the fireworks reach the sky."
"I'm much more capable than you think, Xiao."
"You sound as if you are out of your mind, Ganyu."
"It's nothing of that sort, trust me!"
"Oh?"
"So...?"
"Go on. Amuse me."
"I can at least do that much."
Everything abruptly felt asphyxiating.
Dizzying.
Xiao blinks, rapidly. Ten times now. Twenty? He isn't sure. He's blocked everything off including the fireworks in lieu of what was in front of him right now. All they heard was the loud, racing heartbeats they each had. Pounding against their own chest, making the fireworks trivial compared to what they were feeling. The atmosphere gradually became warmer and warmer. He wasn't sure if it was because of the boisterous fireworks or their insane lack of distance from one another. He prefers the latter concept. After much thought, missing the fireworks didn't seem like that bad of a choice after all.
He hummed in approval, finding her gift much more astounding than he initially thought. Not that Ganyu has ever let him down, though. They held tightly onto each other, feeling extremely unstable to the point that they might fall off the cliff. Exasperated, but eyes filled with fondness. As she pulled back from their moment, he quietly mumbled in between sharp breaths.
"I can do you much better." he smiles softly, pulling her back.