Chapter Text
“Xiao,” the Traveler asks, “have you ever been in love before?”
Liyue falls silent at the Lumine’s words, the once-constant breeze now coming to a halt as the rustling yellow leaves decorating Wangshu Inn become still. The Traveler’s lips form a thin line, her hand coming to scratch the back of her head awkwardly as she shares an anxious glance with her floating companion.
The man in question stiffens at her words, his gloved hands coming to a halt as he holds his plate of almond tofu with a startled expression. His lemon eyes widen slightly, his pinkish lips parting as his mouth hangs agape.
With one hand forming a fist (clasping tightly around the spoon used for his tofu), Xiao coughs awkwardly into his knuckles, his face beginning to flush. The traveler—Lumine—notices that the tips of his ears are especially red, strands of his turquoise hair doing nothing to mask its color.
“Impudent mortal…” he mumbles. “Daring to ask the adepti such a question…”
Lumine observes Xiao intently, her amber eyes scrutinizing the way the Yaksha furrows his brows, the purple rhombus on his forehead crinkling as a result. She takes note of the way Xiao clutches onto the plate of tofu with a deathly grip, his knuckles flexing against the fabric of his gloves.
Paimon, who has somehow managed to remain silent this entire time, exchanges a smug look with the traveler. She wiggles her eyebrows at Lumine, who offers a quiet nod in return.
Bingo, they both think.
“So?” Paimon asks, urging the Yaksha to speak. “Have you, have you?”
She floats around him like a court jester, her galactic cape emitting stars with each of her movements. Xiao says nothing in response, opting to ignore the pixie as she stomps the air violently.
“Come on, answer me!”
“How rude,” Xiao reprimands. “To demand such a thing of an adeptus.”
He takes a bite out of his almond tofu after recovering from momentary shock, his gaze belonging wholly to the dessert as Lumine and Paimon, once more, exchange a glance.
“You’ve been in love before,” Lumine says simply, gaze flickering from the tips of the Yaksha’s ears back to his face. “Right?”
The adeptus says nothing in response, yet the traveler notices the tremble of his lips and the maddening red that engulfs his skin.
“What does it even matter?” he states blandly, his tone giving nothing away. But oh, it’s so obvious that Xiao’s in love. It’s in the softening of his eyes, his usual hardened, steeled irises now resembling that of sweet honey. It’s in the way his lips curl up, ever so slightly, and the way serenity begins to ease his features. From the way his eyebrows unknit, and the way his posture relaxes, both Lumine and Paimon can tell: this is a man in love.
As if on cue, Lumine pulls out a notepad. Both her and Paimon don detective hats and monocles, their expressions becoming serious within an instant. Paimon pulls out a bubble pipe (which she stole from some unfortunate kid back in Fontaine), her face becoming unreadable as she begins to blow bubbles at unfathomable speeds.
Xiao swats away the soapy spheres, taking a step back from the pixie who glares at him with an offended expression.
“We want—no, need to know,” Lumine states, clicking the top of her pen. She taps the paper impatiently, staring at the Yaksha through her monocle. “For research purposes, of course.”
Xiao wrinkles his nose. “Research?”
Paimon pauses her bubble blowing. “Yeah, research! Surely you adepti know what ‘research’ is, right?”
The Yaksha scoffs. “Do not look down on the adepti.”
Still, with the eager, hopeful eyes that burn holes into the side of his head, Xiao relents. He puts the plate of almond tofu down on a nearby table, the vibrant red of his ears beginning to calm as he stares beyond the Traveler and her companion. His lemon eyes trace over the horizon, fondness beginning to overwhelm his expression.
So in love, both Paimon and Lumine think.
Whatever he has to say, Lumine’s sure that it’s going to be juicy. The publishers at the Steambird are definitely going to eat it up.
“Start with the beginning!” Paimon exclaims. “How long ago was it?”