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The life of an Adeptus wasn't something that mortals normally thought about. The life of a Yaksha was even less thought about when their history had turned into something of a folktale. Yet Xiao continues to keep the people of Liyue safe even if they don't know his motives or morals. He never cared, not once, people could think what they think and he'd continue to keep them safe.
It had been rather quiet around Dihua Marsh lately. Xiao found that most of his nights were spent on the highest branches that Wangshu Inn could provide. He would stand there, alert, but he wouldn't do much until the early hours of the morning. This was honestly the closest thing to relaxing he could get.
One particularly uneventful afternoon, he overheard the people in the inn talking about a mysterious tonic seller around the ruins between the base of Wuwang Hill and Stone Gate. Every time he heard something about this mysterious figure, he pieced together that they were not in fact human. The exaggerated details the people staying in the inn would always describe the animalistic features this figure adorned, and it came to a point where the people questioned if they were an Adeptus. This got a scoff out of Xiao, surely he would know this mysterious being if they were Adepti, but he wondered if these rumors were true. So, for the safety of Liyue, Xiao decided to investigate.
Xiao searched the area where this thing was said to reside one night. He knew of these ruins, Hilichurls and slimes loved to accumulate here, but he hadn't been here in a while. He expected to clear out the full expanse of the ruins, but to his surprise, there were no enemies to clear.
With the emptiness of the ruins, Xiao was about to dismiss his pole-arm, but a hum stopped him. He quickly covered his face with his mask before investigating further. Past the ruins was a fairly wooded area. In Liyue, you don't get many forests rather you'll find mountain ranges, but this was closer to being the former. Xiao scanned between the trees, trying to find the source of the voice. That's when he spotted a hunched figure sitting on the ground.
Despite it being dark, Xiao was still able to make them out pretty well. With pole-arm in hand, he got closer. He knew his steps could not be heard, he walks with precision as to not alert the thing that could be his enemy.
"I know you're there."
Xiao froze. How could they? "Reveal yourself to me." He demanded.
You laughed before standing up, you did not turn to him.
He pointed the tip of his spear in your direction. "Turn around."
Another giggle sounded through the trees. You turned around and your eyes lit up at the sight of Xiao. "Oh my, a Yaksha has come to see me?"
"What?" Xiao hissed as he observed your carefree body language. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, darted around but stopped when he spotted your eyes. They glowed brightly in contrast to the dark of night. "Who are you?"
Your lips curled into a taunting smile as you bit back a laugh. "I think that's for you to find out."
Xiao blinked with irritation behind his mask, you were already a headache. When he opened his eyes, not even a split second later, you weren't in front of him anymore. He turned his face to see your head leaning over his shoulder. From there, he could tell how much taller you were than him.
He kept himself frozen, waiting to see what your next move will be, but all you did was continued to grin.
"Why don't I invite you inside, it's rude of me to keep you out here."
Hesitant, Xiao thought it over. You definitely weren't human, but he didn't know what you were. You were able to manage your way behind him within milliseconds, he needed to know what he was up against. So, he nodded his head and let his mask dissipate. "Where are you taking me?"
You stopped towering over him and stood straight, walking over to the entrance of the ruins. "My abode, of course."
Xiao turned to see a skip in your step, you were a little too carefree for his liking. You weren't the only thing he spotted though, just past you was a hut constructed of things the earth provided. Sticks, leaves, dirt, and moss, you name it. The hut itself was built in the corner between the cliff behind it and a wall to the ruins. It was small but still had a chimney, Xiao could see smoke rising out of it as well as light through the window.
The door wasn't a door, rather a tattered curtain of cloth that blew against the light wind. Xiao followed you to the curtain, which you hold open for him. You gestured for him to walk inside, but it took him a second before he did so. Xiao had to tilt his head down slightly to walk through the small doorway, when he lifted his face he was surprised to find this place bigger than it looked on the outside. There was a small second-story foyer he could spot, and a chandler hanging on the ceiling.
He turned around to the doorway, questioning if he had walked into the right place, but he watched as you bent down to enter as well. From the light inside, he was able to make out your features. He'll admit, he was shocked when the humans' rumors were true. You had downturned ears, and a long tail that twitched behind you that he almost mistook for your flowy clothing. You wore a pretty large earring on one of your ears that he couldn't get a good look at before you started walking further inside.
"You're lucky I had the pot going." You went to what looked to be a fireplace, where a pot hung over the fire.
Xiao refused to take another step further. "What is this place?"
Your chuckles were on the brink of driving him crazy. "A curious being, aren't you?"
"Answer me."
You opened the pot and carefully dumped in the flowers you had brought from outside. "My answer hasn't changed, this is my abode, made it myself."
"How are you capable of creating something like this?"
Your ear twitched at his tone. After covering the pot again, you stood and walked to the center of the large space.
Xiao was about to repeat his question, but you spoke before he could open his mouth.
"Adeptus Xiao, the last remaining of the five Yaksha, and loyal to Rex Lapis." You smiled, a bit condescendingly. "I'm one of the few that knows your story in great detail. I'm aware of the burden you carry, the karmic debt that pains your every waking moment."
He eyed you carefully. "How do you happen to know so much about me?"
You sighed. "Have you been cursed to only speak in questions? Come closer, I have a gift I'd like to give you on behalf of all you've done for Liyue."
Xiao hadn't even considered walking closer when you pulled a small, decorative table cloth from your sleeve. You flattened it out and draped it over nothing, but yet it fell like over a table he couldn't see. When Xiao looked below the fabric, he didn't see any table legs either. Still, you smoothed out the cloth on the surface in front of you.
He couldn't even question the unbelievability before you started pulling various items from various places of your clothing. It was like you were putting on a show, lining up bottles and ingredients in a performing way. When you had accidentally knocked over a bottle full of liquid, your tail caught it and placed it back on the table without as much as a reaction from you.
When it seemed as though you were done, your finger traced over the corks that kept the bottles full of liquid closed. You chose one that looked like water but it had a slightly murky, white trace of color. You looked at Xiao who was still across the room and smiled.
"Come on, I promise I won't bite." Your sharp canines would disagree as they revealed themself with every smile you make.
Xiao finally walked further into your home, now just on the other side of your tablecloth.
You shook the glass bottle in your hand, the murkiness swirling. "Now, I can't do anything without your permission, but this only works when massaged into the skin."
"What does it do?" Xiao tilted his head to look at the bottle, he was curious.
A rumble of a laugh sounded from your throat. "That would ruin the surprise, but I promise that it won't do you any harm."
Xiao thought about the offer. There were remedies he knew of that could come close to, if not actually killing an Adeptus, but the ingredients for them went extinct after the Archon War. He wasn't sure what you were capable of, but that's why he was here. He needed to make sure you were no threat to Liyue and its citizens.
He nodded at your gift offer, to which your eyes lit up at.
"Oh, wonderful. Now if you could please take your shirt off, it would be more effective if I rubbed this onto your back." You practically purred as you made your way around the tablecloth.
Holding back a scoff, Xiao did as told, stripping his top half of all clothing and placing it on the 'table.'
You asked him to sit on the floor, and he did so, his legs crisscrossed. You kneeled behind him with a hum before Xiao could hear you take the cork out of the bottle with a loud pop. Xiao half-acknowledged your warning about how cold the liquid could be until he felt it against his skin. He forced himself to stay still, not wanting you to know just how much it caught him by surprise.
Xiao could tell how delicate you were against his back. He could feel the tip of your sharp nails graze over his skin but never scratch. Xiao found himself loosening up and relaxing as you continued. The feeling of you gently caressing his skin was almost intoxicating, and Xiao soon let his eyes close.
His concept of time vanished by the time you finished. What felt like two minutes was actually closer to ten. "Alright, that should be enough. I do recommend letting it sit for a bit longer before putting your shirt back on."
Xiao blinked, secretly he wanted you to keep going, but he wouldn't admit that, not even to himself. "Okay."
You had gotten up from the floor, heading over to the fireplace and taking the pot. Xiao watched you carry the scalding hot thing to what looked to be a small kitchen. You placed the pot on the table and glanced over to his spot on the floor. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
Scoffing, he stood up. "I can't stomach most things you mortals call food." It was a slip of the tongue, a bad habit of his. He had been asked to dinner many times before and that is what he's always said. He didn't even realize until he heard your giggles.
"You think I'm mortal?" Your smile looked genuine, but the aura it gave off made it feel more like a teasing grin. "I thought I had been obvious, but I guess not."
You raised your arms and clapped your hands twice. Xiao watched as the floating tablecloth came to life and spit his shirt in his face. Your laughter rang throughout the room as he peeled his shirt from his eyes. When he did, he saw the tablecloth scoop up all the bottles and ingredients that had been placed on it and then quickly flew to you as if it was being pulled by an invisible string. You outstretched your arm to give access to your large sleeve, the cloth, as well as all the stuff it was carrying, vanished into your clothing.
"I think that about proves myself." You hummed and turned to dig through the cabinets.
Xiao plucked his shoulder guard and jewelry from the floor, the table cloth dropped those instead of throwing them at him. "Well, if you aren't mortal, what exactly are you?"
You sighed as you brought out two bowls, your ear twitched at the sound they made when they hit the table. "Would you believe me if I said I was an Adeptus?"
He was about to open his mouth to say a string of reasons why you weren't. You were obnoxious, inconsiderate, and condescending, but Xiao realized that those words wouldn't help his case. Not when you've created an abode that's bigger on the inside than the outside, be able to move faster than Xiao, a Yaksha could keep track of, or when you have an item that can create a surface out of seemingly nothing. It wasn't as unbelievable as Xiao made it out to be, and it irritated him.
"How come I've never heard of you until now?" Xiao furrowed his eyebrows.
You poured the soup from the pot into the bowls. "Well, I'm quite younger than you. I was brought into this world a while after the Archon War." You sighed as you pushed a bowl to one side of the table. "My story is quite the boring one, I'll spare you the details. I was just very reserved, but I grew up on the tales of what the Adepti accomplished during the war."
Xiao shook his head. "I would've thought that I would've known at least the slightest thing about you."
"But you don't, so why don't we talk about it over dinner? I've already prepared you a bowl, I promise it will be something you'll enjoy." You took a seat at the table.
Begrudgingly, he took a step towards you.
"Oh, you can put your clothes back on now."
He rolled his eyes at your giggles as he clothed himself.
When he eventually sat down in front of you, you gestured to the bowl in front of him. Briefly, you listed the ingredients in the soup, and to Xiao's surprise, it was full of herbs that could all be found in Jueyun Karst. He watched you pick the bowel up with your hands and brought the rim to your lips. You slowly sipped on the meal even though the both of you know that you didn't need the sustenance.
Xiao mimicked you and drank the warm broth. The bitterness of violet grass and qingxin swirled in his mouth as he spared a glance at you. He was finally able to get a good look at your earring, but he didn't expect to see what he did. A blue diamond encased in gold, it was a hydro vision.
The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. You barely spoke over dinner, and when he finished his meal, Xiao thanked you and left. It was when he pushed through the curtain of a door did he realize he felt numb. It wasn't a bad feeling, no it was great. The pain caused by Xiao's karmic debt had lessened. He wondered if this was your doing, but he had been kept away from his nightly duties for long enough. He gave your hut one last glance before running off to keep Liyue safe.
***
It had been a few weeks since Xiao had been in your presence. It was funny how much you plagued his mind, but he found it a nuisance. He always questioned if you were truly an Adeptus, but there was no way to prove it. He would just have to rely on your word and abilities. Xiao also wondered if you were old enough to have signed the contract Rex Lapis gave the Adepti all those centuries ago. To keep Liyue safe.
All Xiao could do was shake his head each time these thoughts came back. He couldn't let himself get distracted from his work, but for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking of you tonight.
He had just finished clearing out a camp of hilichurls that had been creating a ruckus lately. When he sheathed his polearm, ready to move on to the next objective, he noticed that he was hurting more than usual. Xiao gave it some more thought and came to the conclusion that no, he was not hurting more than usual, he was hurting the same amount before he came into contact with you. He supposed that the effects that you put on him wore off.
Xiao caught himself considering to go visit you once more, but he quickly stopped himself from going. He didn't want to rely on your tonics. He's lived with the pain this long, why suddenly now could he not? Grumbling, he decided not to go, or at least wait a bit longer before he did. So, Xiao waited another two weeks, but the urge to visit you never had left. It frustrated him to the point of surrender, and eventually, he visited you again that night.
The moon was full and its light shinned on the slightly wooded area. When he arrived, Xiao was already regretting his impulsive decision. He was about to turn on his heels and leave, but your voice stopped him.
"I didn't expect to see you again so soon." He could already hear the grin in your voice.
Xiao turned around and found you mere inches away, he could have sworn your voice was farther. "Hello." He thought that if he didn't feed into your mischief, you'd be less of a headache.
You sniffed around him. "Seems the tonic has completely worn off. Have you come to get another dose?"
His brows furrowed. The tonic had been scentless to him. How could you tell by sniffing once or twice? "I considered it."
Your smile only widened to show your small fangs. "Oh good, I was hoping that you would."
Xiao was dragged into your abode by his wrist. He almost hit his head on the low doorframe with how eager you were. Once inside and in the middle of the main room, you let go of him.
"Your shirt off, please." It wasn't a question this time.
Xiao scoffed slightly but did as you demanded.
When you saw that he had stripped everything from his top half, you dove your hand into one of the many folds of your clothing. "I'll be honest, I only pull out my entire set with first-time-costumers. I can pull out the desired tonic at any time."
He rolled his eyes at the sound of your giggling. Of course, you had only been showing off earlier. How could he never guess?
The two of you got comfortable on the floor, the cool liquid being rubbed into his back by your hand. He was just about to let himself relax until you started speaking softly.
"As much as I want to help you, I'm worried that you'll be crawling to me one day asking for more." You sighed. "There's nothing wrong with wanting pain to go away, it's natural, but it could be dangerous and lead to addiction."
Xiao huffed a little. "Do you not think I have a strong enough will?"
"I'm not doubting you, I'm just warning you." Your hands came up to work at the knots in his shoulders. "No matter how hard I try, I just can't make your karmic debt disappear. I don't think anyone could."
You were silent for the rest of the treatment, massaging Xiao as his mind drifted. You offered dinner when you were done, just like the last time, and just like the last time, Xiao hesitated before agreeing.
Xiao left once again before it got too far into the night. He had felt the pain start to fade to how it was before the tonic wore off, and he went on with his duties.
He didn't expect to see you for another two months, a pattern he was content with. It was about midday as Xiao hung around the third-story balcony of Wangshu Inn. He was giving himself a moment of peace before he went off doing what he always did. He knew the tonic was going to wear off during the next couple of days, but he'd wait just a bit longer before seeing you.
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw someone walk onto the balcony. He knew he was out of sight, so he didn't worry but there was something about this person that seemed a bit off. Xiao continued to stare at them but it seems they noticed. Their head had turned to where he was, but he moved just before they could spot him. Now Xiao was able to get a good look at their face.
There was nothing particular about their face as his eyes trailed, that was until he landed on their eyes. He recognized that piercing gaze, how could he forget such an obnoxious look. Quickly, his eyes darted to their ear for confirmation, and sure enough, a hydro vision hung like an earring.
It was you, Xiao came to the conclusion pretty fast, but you looked different. If it weren't for your eyes, he didn't think he would've been able to see through your disguise. Xiao made his way to your side, silently. You had become shorter with this human appearance.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, annoyance laced in his tone.
You turned your head to him with a wide smile, like you had been expecting him to be there. "I could ask you the same question. Saw through my illusion, didn't you?"
Xiao cringed at the sound of your voice coming from a face that didn't look like yours. It was uncomfortable. "I did, but you didn't answer my question."
You take a second to let your eyes dart around his expression before looking around. With a sigh, you step back and a spiral of water surrounds you. You couldn't have been hidden from his sight for more than two seconds, but when the waves evaporated you were back to your normal self, spite the clothes.
"Is this better?" You asked rhetorically with a smirk.
Xiao did prefer you to keep your normal appearance but seeing you in clothing that didn't have unnecessary length and folds still threw him off. Regardless, he nodded.
You smiled and although you were capable of towering over him now, you leaned against the railing, gaze focused on the landscape. "I could always see this building from where I created my abode. I was curious."
He watched your tail sway slowly before joining you against the railing. "Traveling humans often stay here for a night or two before continuing on their way."
"Then I'm guessing you first heard of me here?"
He blinked at you. You have a strange intuition.
You laughed. "I could smell the faintest scent of my tonics here, and when you first visited me you had a look in your eye that said you were seeking something out. I didn't think you were looking for me until just now."
Xiao hummed. "When they said that you were an Adeptus, I needed to see for myself. I've had a run-in with a human pretending to be an Adeptus. They caused a lot of trouble."
"Well, I hope you believe me when I say I'm one."
He sighed. "I think I believe you now, that human disguise was the last thing I needed."
Xiao heard your soft giggles. "I don't usually change my appearance, I just didn't want to draw any attention while I was visiting." You turned your head to him. "Now why are you here? You don't seem too fond of bustling places like this."
Rolling his eyes, he turned to look over the balcony railings to avoid eye contact. "The owners give me a room to stay in if I ever need it, but I've been here since the inn was first built so I don't really know anymore."
"Maybe it's the familiarity this place holds in a nation that keeps changing."
He saw your head turn back to the scenery from the corner of his eye. The two of you were left in comfortable silence until some residents came up to the balcony. You both retreated to the roof in a split second, and that's where you took your leave. Xiao watched you jump off the roof after saying your goodbyes.
Xiao wondered if your curiosity was your true intention for coming here. He didn't understand you, but he'll admit, you were less irritating during this encounter. He thought about what you had said and wondered if you spoke from experience. Were you seeking familiarity?
He couldn't give it much thought, like most things he ever thought about. His duties were to blame for that, but even so, he still visited you every two months. Xiao kept telling himself that it was just for the tonic but the border began to blur and he started wondering if that was all he wanted from you.
Each time he would come over, you got to work immediately. It came to the point where he would strip his top off before he even walked through the door. After the massage, you would ask if he'd stay for dinner, and every time he would agree. The two of you would talk about whatever you wanted to talk about. Xiao had become more open to you.
It was late winter by now, and although the Liyue climate didn't make room for snow, the humidity in the wind slashed at your skin. Xiao didn't mind, in fact, he was taking his shirt off to enter your hut. He pushed through the curtain and the warmth inside the abode was comforting.
Xiao walked in and realized it was unusually quiet, you'd be all over him by now.
"[Name]?" He called out for you, peering into the kitchen.
"Xiao?" He heard his name be called from the second floor.
He looked up to the foyer and saw you emerge out of a doorway. A smile curled on your lips before Xiao blinked. When his eyes opened you were in front of him, the same smile on your face.
"I thought you wouldn't show up for another week." You bent down and moved a strand of hair behind his ear. "You're here earlier than normal."
"I didn't think that it would be an issue."
You sighed. "Actually it is." You straightened up and rummaged through your clothes.
"Oh? Well, I can always just leave."
"It's not as bad as I make it out to be." You pulled out a recognizable bottle, the only thing that could be different about it is the emptiness. "I've run out of your tonic, I was planning to get the ingredients tomorrow."
Xiao stared at it for a second. "I can go get them for you."
A chuckle rumbled from your throat. "Well, normally that's how my customers pay. I don't accept mora, I would rather people provide me with the ingredients they need, but I don't want to do that with you."
"It's no trouble, you know this."
"Yeah I do, that's why I rather you come with me than just one of us going by ourselves. I think we could have some fun." You dropped the bottle into your sleeve.
Xiao nodded and got his clothes back on.
You muffled your giggles with your hand before leading the way to the doorway. From there, you continued to lead the way as the two of you walked around Liyue. Every once in a while, you'd bend down and pluck the wild herb you found. When Xiao question whether or not his tonic required so many ingredients, you said that you were restocking in general.
Much time had passed and by now you were starting to head back to your hut. You ended up taking a different turn though, now looking out to some rocks in the middle of some water. Xiao could see anything of value around here and wondered why you took this turn.
"You can follow me if you'd like. It shouldn't take me too long."
Before he could ask what you meant, Xiao watched you jump high into the air and land on one of the rocks. You did it again and landed on another, but you stayed put and bent down. Curious, Xiao followed you in a cloud of black and teal smoke that disappeared as fast as he suddenly made it to your side.
He peered over your shoulder, wondering what kind of herb you were picking from this time. Instead of observing the leaves like he thought you would be doing, you were digging around in the small amount of dirt that had grown on this rock.
"What are you doing?" He finally asked.
You continued to dig. "This is a qingxin flower, but it doesn't bloom during this season." Sighing, you cupped the roots. "I need the petals for your tonic."
Xiao hummed, watching you pull it out of the ground. "How are you going to get the petals then?"
"I can simulate the weather it needs from inside my abode."
You turned to him, hands darkened with dirt and holding the delicate flower in your hands. The sight before him made him feel a certain type of warmth. He felt heat in his chest and when he looked at your face, your eyes were blown wide.
"What?"
"You were smiling." Your ears rose in interest. "I never thought I would see you smile."
Quickly, Xiao turned away, his only response a hum.
"It was small, but I know I saw it." You giggled and shook your head. "Come on, I need to replant this soon."
Deciding he should just forget about this whole encounter, he nodded. Luckily, you didn't bring up his smile for the rest of the time he decided to stay. He would come back in a few days when the petals had already been used.
Xiao didn't understand how you easily plagued his mind. You were all he could think about, more so than before, and it was driving him crazy. A part of him wanted to say this was a side-effect of the tonic, but he knew you had his best interest at heart.
It was getting around the time when he would go and visit you again but his duties have been keeping him at bay. There has been a surge of hostility for reasons he's unsure of. Right now, he was patrolling an area that wasn't too far from your hut and he wondered if he could just go to your place. He wasn't given any more time to consider when a surge of unbearable pain coursed through his body.
Xiao staggered, eventually falling to his knees and using his polearm to keep steady. He groaned and grabbed at his chest, it felt like he couldn't breathe. Was his karmic debt finally catching up to him, that was the fear that soon filled his mind. He panicked but couldn't bring himself to stand, instead his polearm dropped to the ground with a clang and he followed. As he wheezed into the grass that tickled his skin, he found himself fearing the fact that he wouldn't be able to explain what had happened to him to you.
He didn't want to leave you behind, he didn't want you to think that he just decided to never show his face again. He was scared to hurt you. Xiao whimpered a pathetic, small plea. Hoping that there would be someone around to tell you what had happened if he didn't make it out of this. It was a fruitless effort, there was no one to be seen during the dead of night, so Xiao soon saw black with no reassurance.
In a wave, Xiao became overwhelmed. He heard a small scream, followed by a shining blue light. Soon following that, he heard soft singing and he could faintly see you before him. You looked like you were in pain, but Xiao heard the scream again before he could find out what happened.
He jolted, sitting up and panting. Sweat clung to his skin as he tried to get a good look at his surroundings. He's in a room that he's never seen before, in a bed he never knew existed. His body ached as he tried to calm down, but his adrenaline wasn't giving in.
The door opened, and out of instinct he jumped out of bed and drew his polearm. He never expected you to be standing in the doorway.
"Xiao? Hey, hey calm down. It's just me." You pushed the polearm to the side. "I'm glad that you're awake."
Swallowing hard and dry, he dismissed his weapon and sat down on the bed. He was still trying to catch his breath and being this tense wasn't helping. "What happened?"
You sighed, sitting on the opposite end of the bed. "You've been out cold for four days."
He refused to look at you any higher than your arms. From there he noticed something strange under your sleeve. "How did you find me?"
"Well...You came here yourself."
His brows furrowed. "How?" He didn't expect you to answer, he knew you were probably just as clueless.
You shrugged which caused your sleeve to ride up. You had bandages wrapped around your arm.
"I didn't do that, did I?"
You immediately went to cover it. "Don't worry about that, it's just a small cut."
"Answer me." Xiao looked you in the face.
Almost ashamed, you nodded. "You were hanging around my hut, I didn't think much of it. I approached you behind and you attacked me. I didn't expect you to react so violently so I didn't have time to move out of the way." You turned away. "You were wearing your mask so I couldn't see your expression, but you didn't attack again even when I continued to approach you."
It was as he feared, he had lost himself to the effects of his karmic debt. He even managed to hurt you, something he wished would have never happened.
"I could tell something was wrong, but you didn't say a word." You continued. "I pieced as much as I could together and decided to use this on you." You pulled out a bottle that Xiao had never seen before. It was half empty. "Its main ingredient is Glaze Lilies, so it glows a bright blue and its effects are amplified when someone sings near it."
He eyed the bottle before you put it away, "And that tonic snapped me out of it?"
"I guess so, you became more compliant when I started singing."
Xiao finally relaxed, his shoulders dropping at the loss of tension. Someone was able to tame the beast inside of him, he couldn't really believe it, but yet it happened.
He decided that now was a good time to give you a full explanation of his situation. Xiao knew that there were some things you already knew, but he gave it to you in full. When he finished, he flinched at the feeling of your arms wrapping around his waist. When he turned to you, wanting to question why you were doing this, you dove your face into his shoulder. With your height, you were pretty hunched over, but it didn't seem uncomfortable.
"I didn't know how serious this was. I'm glad you're okay..."
He noticed your ears were more to the back of your head. You were sulking. Xiao didn't understand why though, none of this was your fault. He only sighed silently before letting his hands wrap around your back, although hesitantly.
Xiao left shortly after that exchange, but not before you massaged some tonic into his skin. There wasn't anything else to be discussed but for some unknown reason, Xiao didn't want to leave as quickly as he did.
This bothered him the whole time he was away from you, it was extremely out of character for him. This created more of a problem because the more he thought about it the more he thought about you. You had become part of his daily daydreams.
At first, they were normal. Just picturing what you could've been doing during that moment after he wondered how you were doing, but then they escalated to something more domestic. He continued to embarrass himself day after day each time he replayed the tender way you held him, or how your eyes shimmered when you spotted his smile. He had scoffed at himself more times than he could count on his hands.
Spring had sprung by the time Xiao decided it was time to pay you a visit. Flowers were blooming, and he was sure you were getting ingredients a lot easier now. When he arrived at your abode, he found the outside area had been almost completely covered in flowers. Everywhere he looked he could spot something he could name. Qingxin, violetgrass, and even some small bushes of silk flowers. He was careful not to step on any of them.
A melody of giggles caused his head to turn. You were sitting in a patch of flowers with your back turned to him. He couldn't see what you were doing and started to approach you.
"It's great to see you again, during my favorite season even." You spoke sweetly before Xiao could even get a couple of feet away from you.
Xiao hummed and continued to walk to your side. He watched as your tag wagged faster as he got closer, and soon enough you pounced. He could barely process that he ended up on the ground, but he wasn't too surprised. He knew how fast you could be, and with your personality, this was bound to happen at some point.
You were giggling above him, your canines poking out mischievously.
"Why all the excitement?" Xiao surprised himself with how unbothered he was with this situation. Typically, he wasn't fond of being so close to someone else. You were...different, he supposed.
You backed off of him and let him sit up. "No particular reason." You plucked away the flower petals that had ended up in his hair. "Hmm." You stared at the petal between your fingers before turning back to the patch of flowers. "How have you been recently?"
Xiao watched you pick flowers from the base of their stems. "The same, performing my duty as always."
"Sounds eventful."
Shrugging, he looked around the area. "Why are there so many flowers here?"
"I planted seeds when winter was starting to end, it makes things more convenient for me." You continued to mess around with the flowers you picked. "Now I don't have to go too far when I need to restock."
After your answer, he closed his eyes and felt the way the wind blew through his hair. The two of you didn't talk, just sitting in the flowers in comfortable silence. Minutes passed before Xiao felt you moving closer to him, he opened his eye to get a peak.
"Just hold still." You were hovering above him, messing with his hair. When you backed off, you dug around in the fabric of your clothes for something. Soon you pulled out a mirror and faced it towards him. "Look," you said with a wide smile.
Xiao looked at his reflection to find a crown of qingxin flowers on his head. He reached up to touch it delicately.
"Do you like it?" You asked.
Xiao thought for a second before nodding. He would never get over the way your face lit up.
Quickly, you shoved the mirror back into your clothes and went to embrace him in a big hug that ended up with the two of you falling against the grass. Xiao didn't understand why he didn't move out of the way until he gave it some thought.
You had turned out to be pleasant, generous, and lively, but Xiao realized that he couldn't find a way to tell you. Instead, he listened to your laughter that he could easily recognize by now, and relaxed into the soft grass. He found familiarity in your presence.