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“Lumine! Are you okay?!”
Lumine shakily stood, her knees nearly buckling as she did. Paimon had to fly under her, and though it didn’t do much to hold her up, it gave her enough strength to not immediately pass out. Even so, her vision was fuzzy. It was hard to tell where the ground was, if she even was on the ground. But the way that her blood clattered and stained the gravel beneath her, she figured she was.
“I’m fine,” she said, turning to Paimon with a breathy laugh.
“Fine my butt!” Paimon huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re about to collapse! We should get you to Baizhu’s straight away!”
She looked down at her state, and internally frowned. Yeah, she looked like shit. Claw marks and arrow wounds pulled crimson from her, staining her white dress. It’d be a pain to wash out later, that was for sure. Bruises from where geo shields had been bashed into her, some of them turning a shade of purple that was probably not good. Her whole body stung, turning more into a constant drone, rather than near death. She was hardier than a normal person. There was no way she shouldn’t be able to handle this.
She managed to take a breath, and straighten herself. But, it wasn’t without her swaying, and forcing her sword into the dirt to keep her aloft. Damn it. She could maybe pass it off as “it’s not that bad” if she wasn’t swinging around like a piñata. Around her, the golden fields of Liyue gave off warmth that contradicted the scene. Upon the ground were hillichurls she’d slain. But, there were others that’d gotten away.
“It’s alright,” Lumine said with a grit of her teeth. “I need to stop those other monsters. They’re just going to become a danger for everyone else.”
“But… You’re never going to get them looking like that!” Paimon’s face turned more towards worry, brow furrowed. “Keep going like this, and you’ll just become a mushroom skewer, but… but… more person-y! Maybe we should call for Xiao, he’d be able to handle them!”
“No.”
“What?! Why?!” Paimon’s cheeks puffed out. “He knows this place like the back of his hand! He’d know where they went, and could beat them e-z peezy!”
Lumine sighed, shaking her head, but she quickly decided against getting vertigo. “I just… I don’t know. I don’t want to become another problem for him, I guess? He already has enough to deal with. And…” She shrugged. “Whenever I see him, I just feel like I’m being a bother.”
As well as her growing feelings. That was something she didn’t want to face. They’d been nothing more than acquaintances for a while now, but any woman in her right mind would feel humbled in his presence. There was no secret that he was gorgeous, and once she heard that adepti could take any form, she’d wondered if he knew this. Was it intentional, making himself enough of an eyecatcher to sometimes distract her from conversation? Thankfully, he’d never seemed too annoyed by it, though it was clear that he’d noticed it.
Besides, it wasn’t like she’d be able to do anything with her feelings. He was a legendary adeptus who fought tooth and nail in a war, and subjected himself to protect the land for millenia more, even if he was never to know the names of any mortals that resided within it. He was a man of drive and devotion, and she was an alien from the stars. What did they have in common?
Except for the immortality… and the loss of people they loved. And how they instinctively looked out for others—protector types, as some would say. How they could understand each other on a different level than anyone else that Lumine has talked to, so much so that it felt relieving to have a conversation with him. How he could relate to her struggles and plights, and how she’d occasionally surprise him with her insights. How she’d always see a droop in his shoulders when they were out of danger, and had a moment to themselves. Almost as if she was just as much of a comfort to him as he was to her…
Lumine shook her head again, only this time to stumble, catching herself with her blade again. This was only a fraction of what Xiao could handle. And here she was hoping to help with his burden, instead of becoming another problem on his plate. Paimon pouted, and guided Lumine to a rock to sit on.
“Jeeze, why must you always be so stubborn,” she sighed. “Paimon doesn’t think you bother him at all.”
“Still,” Lumine said through a cough. “I don’t want to summon him.”
Paimon studied her for a moment, then sighed once more. “Fiiiine. But, if Paimon sees that you’re not okay, Paimon’s calling him, whether you like it or not.”
Lumine groaned. “Paimon—”
“It’s either that, or we’re getting you to Dr. Baizhu’s, ASAP!”
She pursed her lips, then hung her head in defeat. “Fine. Let’s get a move on before we lose their trail.”
Lumine stood before there were any more comments. Despite Paimon’s pleas for Lumine to rest, she didn’t listen. There were a couple of times that she had to sit on a rock, but when she felt that she wasn’t going to get back up if she sat there longer, she’d grit her teeth and stand back up. Paimon flew around her like a gnat, constantly making sure that she was alright.
The tracks weren’t hard to follow, thankfully. The two lawachurls and the leader metachurl had found their victory. As such, there were deep claw marks from within the earth as they plucked whatever helpless beast came across their path. Between that and their heavy-set feet, they were an easy follow.
But, they were faster than Lumine was. She’d finally pushed her body to the limits as the sun turned into dusk, and she fell to the ground.
“Lumine!”
She didn’t faceplant, thankfully. She wasn’t that ungraceful. But her knee hit the dirt, and her lungs stung with fire. That familiar iron taste hadn’t left her mouth, and she’d feared that, if she went on any more, her wounds would never get better. She snarled at herself, spitting out some of the blood onto the ground.
“Damn it,” she hissed. “I guess we’re going to have to make camp…”
“No!” Paimon screeched, busily flying around her. “Legendary Traveler or not, you need to get help!”
“I’m fine—”
“You are not fine! Xiao! XIAOOOO!”
Lumine groaned and hung her head. Sure, the sides of her vision were blurry. Yeah, it hurt to move, and yeah, it almost felt like her arm was about to fall off. But so what? She’d gone through worse, with her and Aether. Near-death wasn’t a biggie for her, she’d skirted that line plenty of times before. But… perhaps that pride was making that near-death into dying .
“Paimon, please—”
“ NO ! We made a deal, and you’ll keep your promise! XIAO!”
There was no response, not even a gust of wind. Paimon scoffed at the air. “Oh, c’mon! How can you be a protector if you don’t even come to our aid!?” She took in a deep breath, and called out across the valley:
“IS THERE ANY SUPER COOL ADEPTUS OUT THERE THAT’D SAVE OUR AMAZING TRAVELER, LUMINE?!”
It took less than a second, and suddenly, a harsh wind blew Lumine’s hair into her face. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking at the feet of a lithe, agile man. Oh, great. Lumine reluctantly cast her gaze upwards, expecting to see a scowl. Instead, she was greeted with a worried furrow of his brow as he scanned her wounds.
“Oh so you come for her and not Paimon .” She huffed, and crossed her arms. “Anyways, can you please convince her to get some help? She needs to rest, but she won’t listen to Paimon! Hey, are you even listening to me?!”
Xiao was still looking her over, the crease of his brow getting worse and worse. Lumine tried her best to remedy the situation. “She’s overreacting,” she sighed, pushing herself up. “I’ll be alright—”
She immediately ate her words as her ankle gave out, and she was forced to kneel into the floor again. A sudden spike shot up her leg, and she couldn’t hold back the yelp of pain, much to her dismay. How embarrassing. There was no use. She hung her head in defeat, blonde hair falling as she closed her eyes. She wouldn’t be surprised if he reprimanded her. Grumbled about her ignorance and her carelessness.
Lumine felt a hand on her chin, and she was guided up to see Xiao’s eyes. He’d kneeled in front of her, and studied her face. Just acquaintances , she reminded herself. But it didn’t feel like it. Not when his glove traced over a scratch on her cheek, observing the scabs that met his thumb. Not when the Conqueror of Demons, Adeptus Xiao looked upon her with the worry of a lover.
“…Who did this to you?”
His voice was quiet, but underneath, a silent rage seethed. It almost took away her breath, if she had any left to spare.
“Ah… s-some lawachurls, and a metachurl. A big camp of them. I-I got most of them, but the big ones got away…” She averted her eyes from his intense stare. “I was trying to track them down again…”
“Why didn’t you call my name?”
Lumine ignored a quiet grumble from Paimon, saying something like Paimon just did… She heavily swallowed, and sighed. “I… didn’t want to be a bother.”
Xiao clicked his tongue. “You’re never a bother.”
He said nothing more, instead lifting Lumine into his arms in one quick movement. She hadn’t even blinked when the air was taken from her. It’d be almost romantic if not for the circumstances. Paimon had been put into her arms, and Lumine’s head rested against his chest. There were no words from Xiao as he leaped across the vast expanse of Liyue. Paimon nestled into Lumine, whimpering and closing her eyes so that her hair didn’t whip into her face. Lumine was already in too much pain to care.
Xiao was warm. Even in the biting cold of the wind, he was warm. It almost felt right, being in his embrace. She didn’t know if she’d ever get this again, so Lumine decided to indulge. She cuddled into him as much as she could, and closed her eyes. It took her less than a minute to pass out.
——
Xiao didn’t know what he was feeling. Why there was a rage beneath his heart, and why, seeing her cuddle close to him, made him feel relieved. But, the moment she closed her eyes, he felt a pang of panic. What if they never opened again? It’d been a long time since he’d… connected with anyone. What if he was to lose another he cared for?
He silently cursed himself that he ignored Paimon’s calls. He’d heard them, but that privilege was Lumine’s, not hers. His worry for this woman confused him. They’d worked together some, talked some more, and she was one of the few people that consistently came to see him. But he’d never thought he had anything more than a passing curiosity for her.
He’d have to talk to Zhongli later. This was very befuddling.
It was all a blur. He appeared within Bubu Pharmacy, and Baizhu, for all his candor, wasted no time in taking Lumine in. Qiqi was summoned, Lumine was placed into a bed, and a concoction was immediately prepared. Xiao lingered for a second. Then another. Until he knew that she was safe, and in good hands. Baizhu eventually sighed in relief.
“She’ll be alright. But, it’s a good thing that Paimon called you when she did. Any more pushing, and she’d be completely debilitated.” Baizhu motioned to a heavy, malformed bruise on her leg that Qiqi was looking after.
Xiao stayed silent for a moment. “…Why would she not ask for aid?”
Baizhu raised an eyebrow to him, but didn’t press for information. In truth, Xiao was trying to understand why he felt betrayed . He gave her a privilege that no one else in recent lifetimes had. Why didn’t she use it? …Had she been doing this for a while? Baizhu hummed, eyes locking back on Lumine and Paimon’s slumbering figures. Then, he shrugged.
“Perhaps she’s so used to pain that she didn’t notice. It was just another day for her, nothing to write home about.”
“Used to pain?”
Baizhu nodded. “Well, when you’re the shoulders that several nations rely on, wouldn’t you become numb to anything inconveniencing you, too?”
Xiao’s jaw grit, and he turned for the door. Baizhu looked back at him, nonchalant. “Wherever you’re going, be careful. You wouldn’t want to worry our dearest Traveler, would you? And I’d rather not have another bed be bloodied.”
Xiao huffed, summoning his spear. “…I’ll be back,” he snarled. He vanished before he could catch sight of Baizhu’s sly grin.
He knew where the monsters were. They weren’t hard to follow. In fact, he’d spotted them upon taking Lumine to Baizhu’s. Xiao appeared maybe 500 feet away, standing upon a rock to survey the land. They were feasting happily on a series of elk and boar. They didn’t seem to miss their kin, as the massive metachurl could be heard laughing, the lawachurls following suit. Other hilichurls had joined the fray, perhaps seeking protection from obviously stronger leaders. It didn’t matter. Xiao donned his mask, and leaped.
The ground stuttered as he plunged down, the ethereal polarms spiking out of the ground, skewering some of the outside hilichurls into dust. A dash here, another lot of them, destroying the fencing in the half-made campgrounds. Another plunge, and a dash here, and one of the towers came crashing down. And in a final, sweeping dash, his polearm slashed through the forms of the last straggling hilichurls. Sometimes the small swarms could be as formidable as the leaders. In just a couple of seconds, they were rendered into black mist.
It was then that the leader took notice. He looked up from a bloodied deer, growling as he stood to meet their guest. The other lawachurls on the side joined him, taking a moment to observe the one who accosted their base. Xiao stood there, awaiting their moves, jaw tight.
“You may have been men of an age long past…” he snarled.
One of the lawachurls on the side pounded his chest.
“And I have vowed to never harm any mortals.”
The other beat his geo shield into the ground.
“But if you were ever men, then you’d be meeting my blade just the same.”
The metachurl roared into the night, his muscles rippling with geo energy as a shield coated his body. All three beasts charged him at the same time, leaving streaks of geo in their path. Xiao pounced into the air, targeting the one on the left first. He plunged straight into his shield, cracking the hard rock. The lawachurl laughed at him, but was soon silenced, as Xiao used that momentum to vault off the shield and jump behind, spearing him in his back.
As the shield clattered to the ground, the monster falling into dust, the metachurl punched the ground, sending spikes of geo in Xiao’s direction. He deftly dodged, and though a few stray pieces nicked his skin, it was negligible at most. Upon the lingering spires, he dashed across. Through the metachurl’s legs, he gave a wide sweep to the lawachrul behind, dancing in a way that slipped through his shield. In a quick upper slash, the arm was severed, and Xiao sunk his spear deep into the lawachurl’s chest.
He didn’t have much time for rest, as he and the metachurl twirled around at the same time. With a deafening roar, the metachurl brought both of his arms up, smashing the ground, sending a giant spike of geo right in Xiao’s direction. He had to jump back to avoid it, but the momentum had thrown the shield into the air. Xiao grit his teeth, managing to jump on the rapidly approaching amber spikes, then dashing to the shield flung high into the air. With a final jump, and a twirl of his spear, he plunged the deep green jade into the metachurl’s mask. There was a moment. Then another, before the beast disintegrated into dust.
Xiao fell back down to the earth, daftly landing. He sighed heavily. Simple for him, but he couldn’t deny their power. Even for Lumine, this was too much to chew off for a normal person. The dark energy evaporated into the night, but watching them perish wasn’t enough to pull away his anger. He forced himself to breathe, closing his eyes. There was a difference between man and monster. Something told Xiao that, even when these beasts were humans, they weren’t any kinder than they were now.
Even with Xiao’s quiet steps, nothing got past Baizhu’s ears. He looked up to see Xiao, and smiled.
“Welcome back. Were you successful?”
Xiao simply nodded, crossing his arms.
“Good. Very good. She’s stable, but try not to wake her up. She needs her beauty sleep.”
Baizhu stood from his chair, bowing to Xiao as he slipped past him and into the doorway. The silence of the room was nearly deafening. At least he could still hear his heart. And the small snores from Paimon, who’d managed to somehow meander to the other side of Lumine. Xiao took the opportunity to sit upon the bed, next to Lumine.
She looked peaceful. She’d adjusted so that she was cradling her blanket, set on her side. A lock of her hair had fallen into her face, and Xiao reached out to move it. But, he stopped, pulling back and staring at his glove. Would he taint her, when she was like this? After he’d just killed the very beasts that clung to him? But there was a small stain of blood on his thumb, and somehow, that was enough to sway him.
He pulled the hair behind her ear, and she shifted. Xiao froze, but she only let out a happy breath and held her blanket closer. He breathed a sigh of relief, and allowed his muscles to relax. For all his years, he still didn’t know how to interact with a person. Bosacius would’ve teased him to no end, no doubt. Xiao’s hand met his lap, and he clicked his tongue.
“Always so stubborn…”
He didn’t know what possessed him to do it, but he leaned down. It was alien to him, to do this, so he hoped she didn’t feel the kiss he placed on her head. He just felt that he needed to do it. Maybe to assure himself that she was still alive? But then, why did his heart flutter like that when she smiled and gave a happy laugh? She didn’t wake up, only clung closer to her blanket.
Xiao took a moment to stay with her, but the moment she showed signs of waking, he was gone. Upon the balcony of Wangshu Inn, he looked across the wide expanse of Dihya Marsh. He pursed his lips, thinking something over. Perhaps he could get Smiley to teach him how to make a dish. Something to… break the ice, as they said. To ask her why she wouldn’t say his name.
But, he’d have to ask Zhongli for recommendations.
He could hear Bosacius laughing in his ear, and with a scoff, he turned and headed back to his room, ignoring his pink cheeks in the meantime.