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Even before she stepped into the borders of Dragonspine, Eula could already feel the sheer cold that blew her way, brushing against her face and legs. Only a fool would unknowingly come here.
Dragonspine was not for the faint of heart or unprepared or inexperienced. The temperature was enough to give one hypothermia and the identical, snow-covered paths that lay throughout the harsh terrain could make anyone prone to getting lost.
Eula brushed a lock of her sky blue hair over her shoulder, holding her head high. She was far from inexperienced and unprepared. And as a Cryo wielder, the cold did not bother her as much either. With a towel and some spare clothes in hand, she made her way to her lake.
With her heels sounding against the familiar path she always took, she looked at the sky. There was no snowfall today, but there was a breeze. She sighed. It had been a while since she last danced in Dragonspine. The light fall of snow would have added a very nice touch.
Eula was nearing her lake, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a voice. Her trained ears were able to detect the slightest noise, even if it was through howling wind.
She drew her blade. Hillichurls, Abyss mages, and Fatui agents were always something to lookout for when in Dragonspine. And by the sound of the voice, which kept repeating the same lines, whoever was going to ruin her ice bath today was either right by her lake or already in the water. Eula furrowed her eyebrows at the thought.
She slowly crept around some jagged rocks, elegance continuing to fall into each of her steps. She peeked her head around the corner, ready to strike, but found herself widening her eyes.
There in the center of the lake was not a hilichurl or an Abyss mage or a Fatui agent, but a young, blue-haired male, which, to Eula's surprise, greatly resembled her. It was almost like looking at a mirror.
"H-heart be pure, evil be e-erased, mind be-" the small voice repeated.
Eula quietly crept closer and closer until she was peeking behind a thin bush. She took a quick scan of the shore and found a hoodie on the ground, folded neatly. Upon recognizing the familiar designs on them, Eula came to the conclusion that this male must have hailed from Liyue, the neighboring nation.
She looked back at the lake. The boy, with his eyes tightly shut in concentration, had his head barely above the surface of the water, just enough for him to repeat his mantra.
"H-heart be pure, evil b-be e-erased, m-mind be purged, w-world be... world b-be..."
Eula sighed in exasperation. The poor boy was too cold to even finish himself. She was concerned, but at the same time, she was also a little vexed. Who in their right mind would jump into a sub-zero lake in Dragonspine? And what could possibly be the reason for this boy from Liyue to come all the way to Dragonspine to jump in said freezing lake?
Eula rose from her hiding spot and made her way to the edge of the lake, freezing the water to make a small ice bridge until she reached the shivering boy.
"Excuse me, young man, but what do you think you're doing?" she asked in her naturally stern voice. Eula widened her eyes once again in the surprise when the male gave a yelp and began flapping his arms around like a struggling duckling.
"I- I'm looking f-for evil s-spirits," Chongyun managed after collecting himself.
"Get out of the water now."
Chongyun couldn't really argue. He was shivering to the point where he was stuttering, and the voice, not to mention posture, of the knight who was looking down at him, was enough to get him to listen. He heaved himself onto the ice bridge and followed behind the taller woman, hugging his arms around his shaking body.
Eula led Chongyun to a laying log, but after they both sat, silence quickly filled the air. Eula didn't really know what to say. She wasn't the most talkative person nor did she open easily. It wasn't until she heard a shaky exhale next to her that she was snapped from her thoughts.
Of course. She had to warm the boy up. "...I'll start a fire," she began.
"No!" Chongyun suddenly interrupted.
Eula raised an eyebrow accusingly. "You're shivering."
"I know, but I don't do so well around hot things. It messes up the balance of my yang energy, and I'll get too hot and I might have to jump back into that lake, so it's best that you don't start a fire, please."
Eula didn't understand half of what the blue-haired boy just said, but judging by the rambling tone of his voice, maybe it was best that she listened and didn't make a fire. But she couldn't stand the thought of doing nothing. Her eyes then landed on her spare towel that she had placed on the ground earlier. Perfect.
"Here," she said, placing it over the other's shoulders.
Chongyun was not expecting the action, but he eagerly held the towel close and looked away. He was embarrassed. Chongyun had thought he came prepared and would be fine jumping into a lake in Dragonspine, but here he was, getting rescued by a knight. Maybe he still had a thing or two to learn about being a professional exorcist.
"Thank you..." Chongyun began, but he realized that he didn't know the knight's name. Was it weird to ask for someone's name from a different nation? What should he address her by? Madam? Sister? Ma'am? Maybe 'My liege'? That's what Xingqiu often called others.
"Eula." She spoke briefly upon seeing the hesitant look on the other's face. Eula, too, thought that it would have been too complicated to discuss how to refer to each other.
"Eula," Chongyun echoed before sighing. "Thank you, Eula."
Eula only hummed in reply. She wasn't one to be sappy. "And who might you be?"
"I'm Chongyun."
Eula nodded firmly before looking away. She wasn't getting comfortable. Not a all. As a knight, she had to be knowledgeable of poeple from other nations, right?
After all, this Chongyun was the reason why she couldn't take her ice bath. Eula would remember his name for the rest of her life because, mark her words, she will have vengeance.
And perhaps she will remember his name just in case she needs to pull Chongyun out of another icy lake in the future.