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The sky melted into orange, dark clouds looming above as the trees sway uneasily. The air smelt distinctly of rain, yet even so Xiao leaned against the cold stone. He swept his gaze over the outskirts of Liyue, seemingly awaiting the presence of another. Loud footsteps alerted him of the arrival of a guest, familiar calls echoing in the air.
“Xiao!” A particular bard spoke loudly, his bright green eyes glittering.
The claimed Xiao narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms with a furious snort, “You’re late.”
Venti merely giggled, only offering a wink as a reply, “Even a bard as myself can find himself buried in duties.”
He raised a brow, “Those being?”
“That’s enough talking! I want to visit the Liyue shops!” Venti beamed brightly with a wide grin. Such an enthusiastic expression yet only for a topic change.
Xiao huffed, “Fine.” He grabbed Venti’s hand, the warmth taking him aback before darkness shrouded over their forms. Their environment shifted from the lake waters lapping at the cool stone to Liyue Harbor. Bright lights reflected off the face of the water as stars splashed in the sky, a breathtaking sight for the ex-archon to see. Xiao squeezed Venti’s hand slightly, catching his gaze studying the latter’s beautiful face. Venti’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, green eyes meeting golden in an odd scene of comfort. Xiao looked away immediately, red rising to his face upon realizing their exchange. “You look nice,” Xiao blurted, squeezing his eyes shut in sheer embarrassment. Archons! An Adeptus just called another man, who is an ex-archon at that, nice! Luckily for his pride, it wouldn’t pack as much of a punch compared to other words.
Pink arose to Venti’s face, “You do too.”
“This is as far as I’ll take you,” Xiao muttered as he let go of Venti’s hand. “Call my name if you ever need me again.”
“Xiao,” Venti began, “Why don’t you join me?” Xiao’s gaze flickered over to Venti, his lips pursed before slowly nodding. Perhaps bonding further was dangerous, especially since they were so close as of now. Xiao’s breath quivered slightly as he watched Venti skip past him, his gorgeous smile was enough to make even the most acclaimed beautiful women seem ugly. Yet it seemed awkward, considering that Barbatos was known to be a friend of Morax’s. Xiao shook the thought from his head profusely, tailing after the bard with a faint smile. Maybe things won’t turn out so bad.
Venti turned around suddenly, "Something the matter?"
Xiao simply stood, mouth agape as he treaded through the endless plane of his thoughts. His soft voice was enough to cradle the Yaksha to a peaceful slumber, the peaceful part being shocking. The grief of the karmic debt felt lighter on his shoulders whenever the bard would play soothing melodies for him. Venti's gaze alone was so beautiful that it struck a certain feeling in him. But what? His face knitted into a perplexed expression, glaring at the stone as he thought harder. The anemo archon's grace and beauty were incomprehensible, the fact that he took the heart of an Adeptus was enough. That's it.
I'm in love, Xiao realized with a shocked expression. He turned toward Venti, "I'm fine. Let's keep going." This was unacceptable to Xiao's standards, to which he dubbed this feeling.
It was only a fleeting feeling.