Chapter Text
The big ship sailed across the water, its sails filled with wind. The voyage had been pleasant, so far; as had been the young girl's trip across the globe. Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort, formerly known as simply little Amy from Mondstadt, had agreed with her parents to go on a simple trip to Inazuma, hoping to meet the archoness of the land, for she had been blessed with an electro vision, a rare sight to common human beings.
Said vision had granted her friendship and fantasy, and had guided her through some tough periods in her life. it had helped her join the Adventurer's Guild and stood by her side in every exploration quest. It had been four years that she had gained it, 14 years old she had been; now, freshly turned 18, she was ready to take on her first adventure, sponsored by her parents.
♡
Leaving the walls of Mondstadt behind, it was almost as if they were waving her goodbye. Was the girl's imagination running free again, or had the walls actually changed? Every day, she had left the city, out to explore or complete a bounty, earning money to spend on books to expand her already limitless fantasies, and every day, the walls had looked the same: old, grey, strong. On the day she had left, however, the walls seemed to look back on her; their grey-ness shining too brightly in the sun, blinding her, causing her to cry.
Sitting in the back of the carriage, her small suitcase next to her, the purple raven sitting on her shoulder, her black boots clacking into one another clickity-clack clickity-clack , she was ready for the adventure. The first hours had been boring; the carriage had driven along the main road, and then through the canyon. it had later driven past the Ragnvindr mansion; the way would have been way shorter, hadn't most roads been closed by blockades of monsters. Fischl feared not; the driver she was driving with was a seasoned man, who knew the roads of Mondstadt and Liyue like the back of his hand. Another plus was that he was quiet, never disturbing her quiet storytelling to the big bird that had nestled next to her. They had driven past Windrise, past the broken down statue, which had been out of use in ages, and now stood, broken and decayed, and her eyes chased after the crystal flies that flew around here and there. elemental monuments stood unused in the river; many times she had tried to light them, but to no avail. she hadn't had the elements needed for it, and noone considered treasure hunting to be a fun day-passing activity.
making up stories as she went, she had reached her first destination for the week-long trip. She was to stay at Wangshu inn, and as she neared it, amazed by its beauty and the stark contrast with the sunset, so did the sun near its own destination, the other end of the sky. The driver helped her carry her stuff and book her room, and resigned for the night, to eat, rest and get ready for the next day, when he'd have to make sure Fischl reached the harbour and got on the ship.
fischl was on her own now. She had stayed at the Wangshu Inn two times before, each time with her parents; it seemed strange now that she could run around freely, eat whatever she wanted, go to sleep whenever. She liked the freedom she had, but she also couldn’t forget that she was an actual lady then: she was no longer a little girl, running around everywhere, looking for friendship. She, Fischl von Luftschloss Nafidort, was a young lady with manners, who definitely wouldn't run around like a little gremlin. She would, however, slide down the staircase from the top floor, where she was staying, down to the second floor, hidden from the guests' faces.
but it's not like she wasn't caught; at the same time she flew off the railing, and was ready to land perfectly, the way she always did when flying with oz, her eyes locked with the amber eyes of another person, who had suddenly appeared on the balcony, near a plate with food, and seemed ready to disappear. he halted for a little; just enough to look her up and down, which caused her to lose self-control and land on her hands and knees, wounding them slightly, hissing from the pain that was caused when she roughly came in contact with the -thankfully carpeted- floor. a low, hearty chuckle was heard from the upper floor.
lowly cursing but at the same time laughing at herself, Fischl decided then to follow the sound of the chuckle, ready to confront the not-at-all gentleman and tell him it's rude to stare.
as stated, her room was on the third floor; that had been arranged, even though the third floor wasn't really used. However, Fischl's parents had paid quite a fortune to make sure that Fischl would rest far away from all harm, and, in case of fire she would have the ability to use her windglider and glide to safety. all other heights had been deemed inappropriate, in fear the windglider wouldn't manage to open in time. Due to said floor not being used, the third floor balcony hadn't been divided; the two lonely rooms on it shared its big balcony, hidden under a cover of rich leaves. right over it, flew a yellow gem, in the shape of the geo element; oculus , it was called, and couldn't be collected. It shared a nice light and created a sound that sounded like home, for the blue oculi that were strewn all across Mondstad's map emitted the same sound, the melody of home.
She quickly bolted out of her room into the balcony, where the boy from before sat the light he was bathed in making his age clear; he seemed no older than Fischl herself. (because to me, that man looks like he's 18 years old, m'kay?) the chuckles soon stopped, as he had been startled by her sudden appearance, the plate in his hands falling. with a woosh, he was by it, catching it just before it fell, and in another second, it was on the railing, and he was gone. However, Fischl could still feel his presence lingering, and guessed he just stood somewhere close; perhaps he hid in the branches.
"thou need to come out and apologise to thee quickly" she started a little speech, the way she usually did "for it is unkind of a person such as yourself to laugh at a lady's misstep, especially when taken into consideration the status of thee". silence followed; she couldn't hear the interested chuckle that hid in the branches, eyes glued to her back, watching her every move.
“Oz, reveal thyself!” Fischl had grown impatient. You know what they say: if the mountain won't go to Muhammed, then Muhammed must go to it. Flying together with the raven, the way Fischl used to, was freeing, and she was inclined to leave, go on a short trip around the mountains, on the back of her trusted companion.
(/an: as a fischl lover, i often re-watch her character demo and am fascinated by her ability to fly with oz. therefore, I would like to implement it into my work; it's such a cool ability to have)
Her vision was far better when she shared it with the raven; night vision, almost, that immediately saw the cyan glow that emitted from the branches. With a gracious swing, the raven flew around the tree once, perching down, ready to land on the branch the boy was. Just seconds later, the fearsome raven had disappeared, and in its place stood the proud girl, hands on her hips, a proud face on, purple, electro-charged feathers flying all around her. To say that Xiao was startled and amazed wasn't enough to describe what he was thinking.
“I'm sorry for laughing at you.” his mouth stayed hung open after that statement, just a little, as he looked at the girl standing in front of him.
“Oh.” Suddenly all childishness was gone from her, the need to use elevated language seeming,,, unripe when met with the eyes of the boy she was, now sitting, next to.
"What's your name?" he asked her then, looking at her face, visibly interested in its characteristics, her nice nose, her shining, emerald green eyes, her smiling mouth, her nicely defined face structure and her crimson cheeks- oh. he was staring. They both chuckled then, as if caught in a crime; Fischl took her time to push a strand of hair back behind her ear; it had fallen out of her pigtails on the fly.
"Amy. my name's Amy" she said, quietly. a sad streak covered her mouth, but before the adeptus could ask, it was gone. "Friends call me Fischl, though!" she wanted to slap herself in the face for that. How silly!
"Fischl? like the book?" the young man asked then. " flowers for prinzessin Fischl ?"
"You know it?" her eyes lit up for a little; not many people knew of it.
"Of course I do! My fath- uh, a friend of mine brought it back to me after a trip to Inazuma! I read all the volumes in, like, a week!" How nice, they had found one common interest!
"That's so cool! I randomly found the book in the library one day, I mustn't have been much older than 14.." His gaze was too captivating; she looked away, down; below the branches, sunken deep into the night, was Liyue's magnificent landscape. ruins of older civilisations, statues growing moss inside the water, bridges connecting the two shores, birds still flying, and the magnificent waters mirroring the full moon.
"What leads you here? i take it you're not local; I haven't seen you around"
"I'm from Mondstadt, actually.. the city of the moon. however, looking at the moon you have here, I think my capital should be ashamed... we call ourselves children of the moon, for we are a free folk, and we dream, and we have our archon that watches over us,, yet a scene as magnificent as this is rare... but yeah, I'm visiting Inazuma! you see I have this.. Edelstein der Dunkelheit ,, well, for a Mondstater perhaps a little better known, seeing as it is based in our ancient tongue.. it's.. well, this." she held up her vision, which was glowing contently, bathing her hand and her face in a sweet purple light. "I would like to meet the archoness of eternity. she saw me at my lowest, and she offered me this.. gem, and it helped me so much.. I met Oz, for example, you saw Oz, the raven? and I made many friends and I became an Investigator and then it helped me climb the ranks... I would have made it, though, I think, I am the Prinzessin , after all, but still. I would like to meet the archoness who bestowed such an honour on me, and if I can't meet her, that's alright, too."
"You've got a vision? So do i!" Xiao held up his anemo vision, which glowed contently in his hand.
"It's so different from mine, though. different shapes.. Its power is definitely something you'd receive from our archon, Barbatos.. However, I haven't ever seen this... shape.. may I?" her fingers lightly traced the outline of his vision, and he held his breath, scared that they'd touch and that a thunderous lightning bolt would be released from him.
"It's because I'm from Liyue. the visions... they differentiate based on the country you're from. archons don't really have a say in who gets them, either way. visions... they depict the bravery and the strength of the vision-holder." The look on Fischl's face said it all; she was just a girl, after all, stepping foot out of her hometown, completely on her own, without a mission to attend to. She didn't know much about visions, and the quest she had set out to was a noble one, so Xiao dared not talk more. "However, in some cases, archons have actually decided who was going to get a vision." silence conquered for a little while, but Fischl shockingly broke the ice first.
"I haven't yet asked your name, I'm sorry. What's your name?"
"Whatever you want it to be." Xiao smiled sheepishly, and she couldn't contain her laughter for a little while; he couldn't help but chuckle along. "I'm sorry. my name's xiao, adeptus xiao, and-" he couldn't get far past that; his palms started glowing in a cyan, yet, at the same time, black colour, and around his head swirled a black cloud of karma. "and, shit, i'm late." he looked a little distressed now, unable to comprehend how that much time had passed.
"Late to where?" Fischl enquired, as the young man stood up and patted his knees, swiping away invisible dust.
"Duty." was all he said. "Believe me, you wouldn't want to know. It's way too boring a shift, however, I can't be late. Will I see you again?" he asked, hope in his voice.
"Perhaps I'll drop back in on my way back? other than that, no, I'm leaving tomorrow to get to the ship in time." Fischl said, sorrow in her voice.
" Well, then. Face this false world with pride, my daughter. Enact the 'truth' within your heart." said the adeptus at last, breaking the silence they had found themselves in. "Visit me when you come back, won't you?" and he disappeared after Fischl nodded, returning after a minute. "I'm sorry. may I- may I kiss you?"
fischl's breath halted, if only for a second. never in her wildest dreams had she thought of kissing a beautiful stranger, with whom she'd spent a good deal of time talking to, whilst standing on a wide branch on top of a big tree, the moon gently showering them with sweet silver light. and yet, it had happened.
After her consent, his hands found their way around her neck, to its back, and nested there for a little, as he took time to look into her eyes. Was it obvious that she was nervous? It worried fischl. Did her breath stink? Did she have to close her eyes? Did she have to kiss first? all her thoughts were wiped away when his lips softly met hers, closing the gap between them. it was sweet, tender; all her thoughts had been wiped away and all she could think of was how good that felt. their lips slowly moved in their own rhythm, as if they were creating a melody of their own. Xiao's hands finally started moving, at first caressing the back of her neck, until they moved a little and started playing with her hair. At the same time, they broke away, gasping for breath, smiling, their eyes shining, looking at one another longingly, lovingly. Xiao moved some strands of hair that had fallen into her face away, and gently pulled her face towards his, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Good luck on your journey, Fischl. I'll wait for you here, if you come back. I'd love to see you again."
fischl was out of both breath and words to say; for the first time ever, she was speechless.
"Bye, xiao. I- I'll come back. just you wait for me."
A soft smile decorated both their faces, and they looked at each other one last time, before the adeptus disappeared in a cyan flash, away to fight off the monsters that littered the area, seemingly getting more and more. The night was uneventful; just in two people's minds was the other, whilst fighting off monsters or sleeping, thinking of the kiss, the night before that, the want to see each other again.
Liyue was uneventful. Corpses of ruin guards littered the dry ground, and the yellow leaves only added to the sense of withering that hung lowly in the valleys. Villages emptied, filled with monsters, just a stone's throw away from the busy road; it seemed as if everything god-like had left the country to fend off on its own. Hadn't a failed lantern rite taken place some months ago, when the archons' of the land of contract corpse had fallen down from the sky?
The transition from Mondstadt to Liyue was obvious; Mondstadt's streets were clean and neat, the grass cut properly so it didn't interfere with the road. The trees were pruned once a year, as to be kept healthy, and not just adventurers roamed the forests, "cleaning them out", but also knights, who ensured everything was safe. wildlife roamed around, and villages such as Springvale, which depended entirely on hunting and the forest, made sure all was safe. Besides, citizens of all ages were urged to visit mother nature more often. Even though it was left to humans, Mondstadt thrived, as the land of freedom, in which said element ruled. freedom of everything, accompanied by the soft breeze gifted to its citizens by the archon Barbatos, who sometimes even visited the city under disguise, kept the people in touch with nature.
Liyue, however, seemed to tell a different tale: here, the nation had just been handed over to the people. and yes, trade was blooming, as was all that happened inside the harbour, and the economy had started stabilising, yet, as the humans took over, and built machines, they slowly lost contact with nature. the only people ever seen as far away from the city were either adventurers, or bandits, who had been banned from the cities due to their illegal activities; the state of decay was obvious, when viewed from a carriage that had left the beautiful land that was Mondstadt to enter the chaos-induced Liyue. Given that its citizens only now learned to navigate the newest contract between its archon and itself, it was normal that all attention was drawn to the capital, yet Fischl dearly hoped that the attention would die off and people would return back to their roots.
But once inside the city, all changed; flowers decorated the sidewalks, shops ran, people walked around and gossiped; this city belonged to the humans, it seemed. All was well; Fischl looked around, partly admiring the new sight of the city she had only once visited before, under seemingly a different rule, but mostly thinking if the young adeptus, their sweet conversation, their fleeting kiss as the moon conquered the night sky, and his duty called.
It took some time, arranging everything, navigating through the city, searching to find the correct dock, getting her luggage on the ship, making sure they knew where her cabin was, saying goodbye, getting to know the ship and the crew. fees were paid and off the driver was, back to Mondstadt, leaving Fischl alone to explore the environment she would find herself in the next three days.
The ship was moderate in size; big enough to fend off the big storms it often encountered, and store the cargo it transported, yet as small as to be able to manoeuvre, not needing many people to row and able to withstand all things thrown at it. Besides, the crew was seasoned, knew all the phases of the sea, had even faced the wrath of a god, and were nice, sharing jokes, stories, and wine with Fischl, who was thrilled at the start of her adventure.