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Qingxin.
The first time he saw him, he was sketching some Qingxin flowers on top of Mt. Aocang. It was a rare sight, to see some mortal so high in the mountains as relaxed as if they were taking a stroll. So Xiao stopped in the middle of his duties to stare at him for just a moment, though it was long enough to be noticed by the stranger.
“Are you perhaps an Adeptus?” he inquired with a soft voice, barely rising his eyes from his sketch to look at him.
“Hmpt.”
Xiao didn’t answer, but he seemed unaffected by that. He just went back to his drawing, his teal eyes landing on the flowers once again.
“A pure heart…” he muttered. “They say these flowers are adeptus’ favorites, I was curious about them.”
He then turned around to face him, but Xiao vanished into thin air in front of him.
Silk flowers.
The second time he saw him, it was at Wangshu Inn. Xiao was peering down from his usual spot in the balcony, when he noticed the familiar figure sitting on one of the tables. He was sketching again. And by the direction of his gaze, Xiao could guess he was drawing some of the Silk flowers that bloomed around the inn. He wore the same relaxed expression he saw before that same day, but his eyes were sparkling with interest.
And as Xiao watched him, he could see how easily his traces reproduced the image on the white page. His stare didn’t go unnoticed, and while he was like in a trance, he felt those teal eyes looking up to where he was. He couldn’t possibly see him from there, but he still felt agitated for a moment before vanishing once again.
Lotus Heads.
The next day, he saw him around Luhua Pool. Xiao first caught sight of him as he was painting the landscape on a big canvas, the colors coming to life with every stroke of his brush, his ashy hair messed up with the wind. He was about to approach him when his duty called, so he had to leave before being noticed.
But for some reason, he felt the urge to come back afterwards. And then he found him with his sketchbook in hand once again, drawing some Lotus heads this time. He detected Xiao’s presence at once, and looked up at him, a slight smile in his face.
“So you are Xiao, the Guardian Yaksha?” he asked, though he seemed to know the answer already.
“Hmpt.”
“They told me about you at the inn” he explained. “Never thought I’d get to see you again.”
There wasn’t fear or admiration, not even self-conceit in his gaze, just plain curiosity. And Xiao felt he was about to let his guard down for a moment.
“Want to share some?” as if sensing he could leave again at any second, the stranger pointed at some freshly cut lotus heads on his side. But Xiao turned his back on him.
“Don’t need to.”
And he left.
Violetgrass.
A few days later, Xiao was sitting on a peak on Huaguang Stone Forest. He had been avoiding the inn for a while, because he didn’t want to bother with that stranger again. The day had been peaceful so far, and the sun was already starting to sink within the clouds. He pulled out his flute and started playing a soft melody, his thoughts drifting away.
He felt somehow relaxed, but still didn’t let his guard down. So he was able to tell when someone stood behind him, although he was surprised by that fact. He turned around, pulling the flute away from his lips, and stared directly at those teal eyes.
“I was just picking some flowers when I heard the flute” he excused himself, presenting a pouch full of violetgrass before him. Xiao’s eyes wandered from the flowers to the geo vision hanging on his neck, absently thinking on how he was up there looking so undisturbed as ever.
“You really like flowers.” He simply said, it wasn’t even a question. The other smiled.
“I’m on a trip to do some research on Liyue’s flora, in fact. And maybe to indulge a little on a hobby of mine.” He rose slightly his other hand, and Xiao could see he was holding his sketchbook, the violetgrass beautifully drawn on the first page.
“Hmpt. You should see the Glaze Lilies at Qingce Village, then” he suggested, before disappearing once more.
Glaze Lilies and a Cecilia.
When he had mentioned the Glaze Lilies, he wasn’t planning on showing up at Qingce Village. It just happened to be an abnormal hilichurl activity near there, and he finished cleansing the zone just after sunset, when the lilies would be on full bloom. He thought on take a look at them before going back, but he wasn’t surprised when he found that man sitting there sketching in the dim light. He didn’t approach though, as he didn’t want to be noticed, and he just watched him for a moment before leaving.
When he returned to Wangshu Inn later that night, he found a single white flower resting on the balcony railing, along with a note.
Thank you for telling me about the lilies, they were truly beautiful.
This is a flower from Mondstadt, it’s called Cecilia. Take it as a sign of my gratitude.
I hope we have the chance to meet again someday, Adeptus Xiao.
Albedo.
Xiao took the flower close to his face and smelled the sweet fragrance. He didn’t see Albedo again after that day.
+1. Fallen petals.
A few month passed, his solitary routine remained unchanged. The sun was already rising on the horizon after a particularly cold spring night when he arrived once again at the inn. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming, as if he was really capable of that. However, Albedo was there, standing in front of a wide canvas as he painted the sunrise with the same unaltered expression he remembered. Some Qingxin flowers were spread at his feet, their pure white tainted in red. And when he sensed his presence and turned around, he could see the deep longing in his eyes.
“I was waiting for you” he said, and Xiao felt a clutch on his chest.
“What business would a mortal have with me?” his voice came out harsher than intended, but Albedo didn’t seem to mind. Instead, a wry smiled tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked down at his feet.
“Well, it seems I’ve caught the most distraughtful disease out there.” He uttered, holding a Qingxin petal between his fingers. “And just wanted to see the beautiful Yaksha that has caught his spell on me, before indulging in the bittersweet cure...”
Xiao held his breath, and took a step forward, his eyes locked on Albedo’s. He then extended his hand and let something drop. Slowly, swayed by the breeze, they come to join the flowers on the floor; a handful of pure white Cecilia petals.