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Lumine learns with time that her heart yearns for Liyue. And this, like many of the circumstances of this world, puzzles her.
She doesn’t quite remember when the feeling had started to crystallise, nor when it solidified enough for it to feel like a clot in her chest, or perhaps like lapis core she would later ironise with a scoff.
It does, however, dawn on her, a revelation fluttering along sunrays on her nose and lashes when she settles under the grace of a sandbearer tree, basking in the gentle afternoon haze, that she is completely, outrageously at peace.
It could almost feel like a dreaded confirmation when Paimon, snoozing next to her, snuggles closer to her lap with a complacent sigh.
There is an urge to deny the feeling at first - in any possible way, in fact.
Obstinate as ever, Lumine starts by avoiding any commission in the region. Often questioned by her confused companion, the tacit decision is shortly followed by another: camping near the Stone Gate instead of walking a few more miles to find the comfort of a bed, and at this point Paimon's irritation is already hard to ignore.
So, when Lumine even finds herself willing to postpone the urgent need to replenish her resources of liyuean food and materials alike, it is Paimon's high pitched nagging (How dare she leave Paimon starving?) that gnaws at her nerves just enough to make her yield.
Fortunately, her stubbornness is soon swept away by a stark longing for the smell of qingxin, or is it the colour of grass? Greenish yellows, unevened by one or two horsetails, tempting her body to throw itself amid and nap into blissful oblivion.
When Lumine finds herself exhaling a deep breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding upon finally crossing the familiar border, there is no lie left to tell.
However, Lumine has never kept any mysteries unsolved. As if understanding of the phenomenon could exorcise it from her body, she religiously sets herself to pick apart the turns and twists of her own mind, somehow bothered that she let an emotion so contrary to her one and only purpose - finding Aether - settle in the crook of her heart.
Thus she begins roaming the land of contracts, fervently, in search of clues on how she could have allowed that to happen. And this time, no amount of Paimon rolling her eyes at her antics would deter her.
She soon discovers through her endeavour, that she favours the tall, rounded at the top mountains that gaze upon mortals, the hollow of their valleys both welcoming in their embrace and at times stern, towering over her puny figure, mocking her overly ambitious ascension projects.
She wonders one day, as she sits atop a comfortable rock down Mount Aocang, if Rex Lapis had unconsciously sprinkled something akin to rigid, fatherly love when he reforged the nation in a downpour of spears upon evil. A blacksmith enamoured with his craft, the streams of Liyue his blood, and its peaks his bones.
Lumine also finds pleasure in the way the chirp of riverbeds, flows of jade like waters, accompanies her morning strolls, then pools with fresh fish she happily struggles to catch when lunch comes, and sometimes offers, as the sun sets, the perfect spot for a well deserved bath. Luxurious, organic… Comforting.
And amid the ripples, she can feel something ricochet. A sense of belonging, like the yearning has been satiated by mere waves on her bare skin. Lumine doesn’t allow the sigh, - of frustration or satisfaction, she refuses to inquire - hanging at the edge of her lips to fall, and sinks further into the calm waters of Liyue.
-
The world changes. The world is still. Droplets upon an ocean are not felt by the beasts in the deep.
The land of contracts spreads far and wide before his eyes.
Once barren and cold, he remembers. Bones and blood had fertilised its land, nourished its tales; a rich tapestry of gold and greens, of war and life, and love, now blooming at the seams. Xiao guards, it’s all he’s ever known. Not to reach, not to touch. Or else the threads would crumble in his grasp, or worse, get coloured crimson and wither away.
In a single breath, he rises to his feet, weapon in hand as his falcon gaze slides from marsh, to peak, to bay. A millenia old routine, painfully embed muscle memory as he takes off, cutting through the wind.
He knows, as darkness sets, engulfing Liyue in its baleful promise of revenge, that another night of tremor, bloodshed and hissing murmurs awaits him.
It doesn’t matter, hasn’t for centuries.
Xiao has come to accept his existence as a simple cog in the grand scheme of things. Much like bodies decompose and feed the lands in turn, like summits erode into dust only to sediment and rise again, Xiao fights, and fights till the end.
Should he bow his head to karma and fate, his mind finds respite in the thought of Nature replacing him with just another fancy gear of its making.
All things are impermanent. [*]
So once more, the perpetual movements of his demon subjugation fade into a cycle, like clouds passing, days after days, tirelessly. Xiao tacitly swears himself to Liyue as his spear slices through the air.
Somehow, something is amiss.
Xiao feels it. A skipped heartbeat in the heat of battle, a glance upon the harbour that lingers a second too long, mist over an otherwise clear mind. Like becoming painfully aware of his breathing, time starts to tick in his ears, and Xiao feels like he’s running out of it.
He wonders when centuries that stretched nonchalantly into infinity started rationing into months, weeks, days, moments.
Lately, and the concept itself is novelty to him, his senses remain on alert, so much at times that his hair bristles, and he would summon his spear in the middle of Wangshu Inn, if reason didn’t win over panic. Something is electric ; his mind buzzes, responding to it.
Although a miniscule crack in the pattern of his ordinary days, Xiao cannot overlook it and sets himself to look for this silent threat, hidden to his eyes but crawling under his skin.
-
Somewhat done with her frantic scouring of Liyue’s topographies, Lumine resumes her daily routine.
With a newfound interest for the peculiarities of the region, comes a serenity she had deprived herself of acknowledging, let alone savouring.
As she goes about her day and errands, she now relishes in it, and pays heed to the satisfied smile that creeps up her features every now and then.
When she hops from rock to rock, playing like a carefree child, Paimon the wailing victim of splashed fresh waters from the marsh. When she breathes in the mountain’s pure yet cold and sharp air, contrasting with the heat of her body exerted from a long climb. When the humid air picks up upon the Sea of Clouds, led by a colony of gulls, the melody of their squawks reverberating around the bay Lumine has settled on for her most expected afternoon snooze.
When Lumine looks upon Liyue, her heart is fond. She collects moments just the same as she would collect stones, flowers, loot, except far more precious than any mere treasure she’s come across on her adventures and yet impossible to bottle or store if not by engraving them in her memory.
It comes with a certain kind of nostalgia, of times not yet passed, she realises.
Most importantly, Lumine notes - along her endless bustle on foreign yet familiar land - a strange feeling of security anywhere she sets foot on, in the land of Geo (as surprising as it should be, in the midst of her adventures), this time not bothering to question it.
And somehow, the answer comes on its own, the first of many, one afternoon in the vicinity of Jueyun Karst.
The sun’s scorching might prickles her neck enough for her to seek shelter beneath the generous shadows of swaying leaves for a time, Paimon - the traitor - having already retreated into her pocket space before her brain could melt away.
The atmosphere is heavy, but Lumine brushes it off, imputing it to the zenith heat mixed with the Millennial reign of adepti over the area giving it a solemn flair.
From a distance, she spots a secluded tree, surrounded by rocks just about tall enough to have it protected from any light rays.
There, instead of lone birds and squirrels she expects to shoo away, sits the Conqueror of Demons.
Or rather, he levitates slightly above the natural seat of stone beneath him, legs crossed, hands turned upwards on his knees, index and thumbs pressed together, eyes closed.
The sight is so unforeseen and unique, Lumine finds her steps halting entirely and her mouth falling agape in admiration.
It takes a moment to collect herself again and realise the vigilant yaksha is meditating. Wondering if her presence went unnoticed or ignored, Lumine debates making the slightest movement as to not disturb the Adeptus, focused in his endeavour and considers turning on her heels.
“Pay no mind to my presence, I shall leave soon anyway.”
Lumine startles, like a child caught red handed snooping around where she shouldn’t, and faces him, ready to apologise for breaking his concentration, only to find he hasn’t moved an inch, nor so much as batted an eyelash.
“Is it… alright if I sit next to you?” she tries, not sure an answer should be expected.
After a few seconds of contemplation, a low hum rises, his silhouette ever so still. Lumine senses hesitation and knows Xiao’s condition just enough to understand its underlying meaning.
And so, barely withstanding the heat anymore, she takes the invitation, and steps - cursing every crunch of bent grass beneath her sole far too loud for her liking - under the veil of relieving shadows, making sure to keep a reasonable distance with Xiao.
Now protected from the overbearing sun, it dawns on Lumine that the earlier heaviness could not be attributed to it. Lumine can tell, so close to the last bearer of his fateful curse, that Xiao’s karma, though visibly kept at bay and dormant, silently swirls around his form. The sudden notice of an unusual absence of Treasure Hoarders and hilichurls in the area achieves bringing comprehension into her senses.
“Did you chase away monsters and bandits?”
“The latter were sensible enough to leave the area upon noticing my presence.”
She chuckles at the thought that she, on the other hand, wasn't as sensible, a tingle of relief running along her back upon seeing the Adeptus entertaining conversation, with no hint of disturbing him. Or perhaps is it a mere chill of the air?
Lumine has had the chance to run into Xiao on a few occasions, each meeting somehow providential in their occurrence, yet terribly brief, leaving her interest for the illuminated beast gaping a little more each time. In such an inconsequential setting, she cannot help the slight thumping of her heart, of excitement and sheer curiosity that threatens to show if not for fear of hindering his activity (or lack thereof) enough to have him cut it short.
“Finding you meditating in the middle of nowhere is the last thing I expected for a regular afternoon” Lumine admits, pushing any luck to keep the conversation going.
Xiao remains silent.
For a brief moment, she thinks he decides to leave her remark unacknowledged, as he often does, she noticed, when unsure of its meaning. As she readies herself to turn her attention back to the tame rustling of the fields around, his voice rises again, muted, as if pondering to himself.
“My senses have been restless as of late. I am merely reflecting on it so as to not let it get out of hand, or hinder my duty.”
For the first time, his expression shifts, so subtly a blink could be enough to miss it, as a slight crease of his brows breaks the picture perfect stillness of his features.
Lumine is mesmerised.
Before she realises, her momentum for an answer is gone, and Xiao’s expression is immaculately even again. While she indulges her desire to keep admiring the length of his self control for a few more seconds, a butterfly slides into her vision and flutters dangerously close to Xiao’s nose. It anxiously flaps its fragile wings away when he speaks again, though frolicking not too far from the two of them.
“I assume you hoped to spend that regular afternoon recklessly napping in the fields again?”
Lumine blinks a few times, confused by his question - and mostly the faint tone of reprimand etched in it. Xiao, sharp in his focus, must notice because he adds, face imperturbable :
“Your agitated activities have relented lately. You may have left no stone unturned in Liyue, there is still danger that could arise. I advise you return to a safer place, should you need rest next time.”
Lumine wonders why, in that instant, the inside of her chest constricts, and sends a belligerent impulse to her heartbeat. Her hand almost clenches over her sternum to hush the incoming stir within.
There is no explanation for the sudden turning of gears and subsequent denial her brain decides to muster, but Lumine has never left any mysteries unsolved, and her adventurous spirit this time, chooses to inquire, a part of her hoping the answer would somehow close the dam of her flooding thoughts.
“Have you been watching over me this whole time?”
“The lands of Liyue are mine to protect - as soon as you walk them, naturally that protection extends to you.”
Lumine remains speechless. Somehow she cannot bear to look at the adeptus next to her any longer and brings her gaze to the horizon, strangely feeling all too exposed to the warmth of the sun over her body again.
She isn’t sure what’s more shattering, the simplicity of his acknowledgement, or the implacable certitude she gains from it. As if a minuscule thread placed right where it belongs had unravelled an intricate series of simple truths from the larger fabric of questions she’d been beholding.
Although he had made a promise to come at the call of his name - a promise she never intended to take advantage of -, the Vigilant Yaksha had still been doing what he did best regardless, steadfast, unwavering.
Thankless.
Xiao had been guarding her - among the countless other souls nestled under his sheltering wing - on her blithe strolls, in her dreamless rest, at all times.
It’s only under his watchful eye that Liyue and Lumine sleep peacefully at night, she finds herself thinking. How foolish of her, that despite all her digging for answers she couldn't have unearthed this barely concealed one. A chuckle escapes her lips.
“What’s so funny?” Xiao’s voice cuts through her musing.
It’s only then that she looks at him once more, right when the courageous butterfly is back like a charging lancer. She reaches for it, meaning to drive it away. But this time, it settles on the adeptus’ shoulder.
Her fingers, almost catching it before it flies away, bump on Xiao’s skin, right where the elegant curves of his jade tattoo shimmer under the sun.
His eyes snap open.
A piercing gaze shoots up to her hand, which she would have been quick to remove, if not for the tension that scraps at her skin, struggling against it, before retreating completely. Understanding dawns on her and Lumine is instantly moved by a raw desire to reach out, against all logic, and somewhat repay what’s been given, and thus steadies her hand right where it had fallen.
“What are you-”
“Please allow me…How does this feel?”
No imaginable amount of meditation could have prepared Xiao to the touch of the traveler.
Or rather, to the sudden subsiding of karma from the skin beneath her fingertips. Torn between the indescribable, numbing relief it brings and the urge to push her away - what if it were to corrupt her, what if she gets hurt - he can only squeeze his eyes shut again as an uncontrollable shiver races from where she touches, where she sears, up to the back of his neck.
Soothing yet so foreign. Both the contact of her skin against his and… the stark absence.
Pitiful yet necessary, Xiao rules his self control, and steps away from her palm, mourning the incoming backwash of pain.
It doesn’t come.
It’s only then he realises there is no hiss ringing in his ear either, and that butterfly, unrelenting, rustling in his hair.
“You… what’s the meaning of this?” his voice comes out strained, hours of meditation scattered to the winds.
There it goes again, the low rumbling of unease nudging at his senses. Xiao fights the urge to jump to his feet and disappear in a flash of green, only for the nagging need to know.
Lumine is studying him, he can tell, when her gaze is so sharp, and seemingly searching for an answer to her own question he left hanging, her hand still hovering next to his shoulder, though not showing any signs of closing the distance again. She seems perfectly unbothered by her actions, careless and dangerous.
Xiao swallows a string of reprimands, hoping for an explanation to her inconceivable venture.
After a while, her inquisitive focus relents, replaced by something Xiao cannot name, not quite concern, and thankfully not pity, though an apologetic grin soon accompanies it.
“I’m sorry if this made you uncomfortable. It seems your karma won’t come in contact with me,” she starts, finally retracting her hand, moving it to hold her face, elbows resting on her knees - and xiao wants to yank it away before it taints more of her skin - “Did you feel that too? I was wondering if touching you would dissipate it and I think I was right, what do you say?”
Xiao is in disbelief.
“Reckless,” he hisses. “You shouldn’t act upon mere curiosity when you know nothing of the risks.”
“I doubt a few seconds would matter. Your karma hasn’t reached me.”
“Perhaps it hasn’t now, but it could,” he retorts, more curt than he should be when the contact had brought him relief, as short lived as it was. Relief he is thankful for but cannot allow when the price is immeasurable, and potentially disastrous.
Lumine’s eyes meet his, and the serenity he reads in them surely aims to appease his worry, but it spikes instead.
If Xiao has learnt one thing from the traveler and her recent escapades, it is that there is no peril she isn’t ready to face. Out of curiosity, insouciance or mere foolishness, there is only one thing he is sure of: he has no intention of indulging her in this newfound interest of hers.
When he meets her gaze once more, he hopes no hint of warmth remains in it. Although he notices the brief slumping of her shoulders when he stands, and summons his mask ready to leave, Lumine gives a wistful smile. He doesn’t understand it, and doesn’t try to. Sooner than he can slip her a final warning, her hand extends and stops a mere inch away from his, before retracting.
He wonders how he didn’t flinch.
“If you ever change your mind, I hope you’ll come to accept this one thing I can give.” she says finally, her voice more hushed than he has ever heard it.
His chest tightens, perhaps the karma’s nails closing themselves on him anew, as he leaps into the scorching air and disappears.
-
The sun is a curse of its own.
To many mortals, its silent course represents the ultimate tool of measure for the passing of time.
To Xiao, each stolidly slow ascent of the star when the darkness is raging and unkind seems to stretch out into centuries of torture. And if dawn brings some short respite, the rising of the blade of light feels like a mere blink before it starts its cutting descent again, every ray swallowed by the skyline, a minute lost to the looming death sentence.
From this everlasting revolution, Xiao gets no certainty to see the blade rise again. There is only its blinding brightness.
Daybreak has come at long last.
The sun, though, is suffocating. Not for an excess of warmth, it’s in fact a brisk morning, mist covering the rosy horizons of Liyue under its tender blankets until the early souls leave the comfort of their bed.
But for the lone adeptus who crawls out of a cleansed cave, having purged its miasmas all through the dead of night and almost into cockcrow, light is overwhelming and he would have fled its lacerating touch in a wisp of wind, had his energy allowed it. Instead, he drags himself under the weight of sunlight, barely fighting the strains it brings to his eyes, half lidded.
It’s a laborious distance before his vigour returns almost completely, replenished by the natural flow of elemental energy that runs beneath his feet and by then, although tinted with his remaining lassitude, the fields he now dares to look upon, are cast in gold and aglow with life.
Xiao, a second shy from riding the winds back to the inn, cannot tell what leads his weary gaze to wander around, before it stutters on the sight of a vibrant batch of flowers, fully bloomed and dazzling, drinking in the sunshine that lazily spills itself over… and the billowy figure throning amongst them.
White, pure, blinding. Such a different light from the one he currently loathes.
Xiao feels like a trespasser on sacred ground.
It isn’t so much as the little silhouette floating around or the crown of blond hair, but that sublime aura he feels, battling his own, tainted and dirty, and triumphing in an instant that brings acknowledgement into his senses dulled by the scenery.
“How trustful must you be to let your guard down so openly in the wild?”
The words slip before he can gauge them, evaluate how faithful to the currents and whirlwind of his mind they are, and only as Lumine lifts her head in surprise to meet the origin of this sudden intrusion into the haven of her tranquillity, does Xiao realise this is not what he meant to say.
He expects to be met with a much deserved exasperation at his abrupt tone, yet the only sound that breaks the silence of the fields around and the sweet whistle of dancing leaves is the crystalline laugh of the woman on the ground. His judgement still fogged with exhaustion, Xiao frowns in confusion.
The traveler somehow never works in ways he can fathom, comprehension far beyond any reach and the distance between them seems to expand endlessly, even when she stands a few mere feet away.
Her voice tears him from his reverie, though the thumping of his heart grows noisier, so much he barely hears her over it:
“Hello, Xiao. I’m sure there wasn’t a threat to begin with, since you’re around.”
“We’re just gathering flowers, wanna join?” adds Paimon in a careless chirp ( pretending she hadn’t yelped upon his arrival), without bothering to look up from the grass she’s plucking, as if to confirm her friend’s words.
Xiao, means to scoff, wants to chastise their laid back behaviour but is left tongue tied, incapable of tearing his eyes from the few stray petals that contrast against swaying golden locks as the traveler brings her attention back to the earth, peaceful and content. Perhaps the wind had felt too compelled to kiss her skin and had settled for merely grazing it with puny floral dust.
His silence raising a question, Lumine tilts her head again, sunset eyes meeting his once more, and a heartfelt smile tugging at her lips.
Xiao’s insides twitch.
Something must have come over him, because he kneels, and never has mere grass felt softer, never has it seemed more welcoming to his battered limbs.
Is it the curious phenomenon of his karma running away from her proximity? Or perhaps a scheme of those voices, dressing themselves as the sweet temptation of companionship to snake past his defences?
Xiao’s hands surely hold a will of their own, for in that instant, they move fast - and yet, somehow gentler than he thinks himself capable of - enough that he has no time to process the buzzing of his mind or come to an answer.
How unbecoming of an Illuminated Beast… to fall prey to one’s own body, he would think, had his wits not escaped him entirely.
Instead Xiao is left to watch the inevitable transgression of his fingers slipping between strands of gold and moonshine, trapping between them the remaining presumptious flower that lingered where it shouldn’t.
It takes a quiver from Lumine when leather meets skin, to bring the Adeptus back to his senses.
And to her own surprise, she trembles, faintly. Not enough to escape his scrutiny, she realises as he retreats instantly, like burnt by a fire he ignited himself, eyes narrowing into a slight frown. She curses her body for betraying her, and she doesn’t doubt that he curses his own, for so much as reaching.
To think that by some miracle she couldn’t have conjured no matter the tries, Xiao had tossed away caution and karma to finally shrink the distance, yet she, the adventurous and fearless traveler, had recoiled from the danger of a simple, innocent touch.
The irony quickly turns bitter when she finds too late, the remnants of his warmth fading, that she had been craving more, so much more.
Though her mouth falls agape, no word makes its way out.
In her eyes, it’s a painful eternity that elapses as she watches his hand return to his side, without any tease or witty comment to cushion its fall, the flower he retrieved dropped unceremoniously.
This time, when he parts in a gust of teal - not before slipping a subdued warning to stay careful - the trail of wind he leaves behind bears the weight of melancholy.
As she floats behind her, Paimon mutters to herself of how bewildering this particular adeptus’s behaviour is. Lumine curses again.
-
The moon is high on a quiet night when Lumine, wide awake and heavy with one too many of Xiangling's meals - liyuean hospitality, she insisted -, abandons the cocoon of her and Paimon's bed at Wangshu Inn, to set on a lazy walk around the Marsh.
Her trajectory is dictated by nothing but the arbitrary bounce of pebbles she kicks into.
When her gaze falls onto the infinity above her head, Lumine cannot help but think the occasional flicker of splashed specks on the clear sky begs her wings to spread again, for her to remember the times she was one with them.
Her once celestial body chained to the ground with gravity and a heavy mind, all she is left with is the company she finds in the grunts and whistles of the wilderness,
So lost in wanderings of both thoughts and steps, Lumine only notices the grass's chants slowly coming to a stop when the veil of night gets so thick it submits her breathing to a halt.
An ominous feeling rises with the drum in her chest, the only sound roaring in her ears amidst unnatural lethargy.
Corruption.
Quick to discipline her senses on high alert, Lumine readies her sword, and braces herself to the sudden darkness that surrounds her.
Dense, sticky, suffocating… petroleum threatening to catch fire at the faintest spark.
And a spark comes.
A jade bolt, followed by another, and another.
Blinding whiplashes printing themselves on her retina, their movement so fast she can barely catch up. No blaze ignites, instead, the heaviness subsides, and it takes less than an instant for Lumine to come to a realisation, when a blustering wind spreads through the march and her clearing sight falls on a tensed form in the distance.
Any strain in her body forgotten, her legs scurry through the weeds and puddles, paying no heed to the prickle of nettles scratching at her skin, and the unrecognisable remains of slain monsters growing in number, as she swallows the space between her and Xiao.
"Don't come any closer."
The voice that cuts through the night barely sounds like his, sharp but worn out, a knife too abraded to cut, yet it pierces right through her.
He must think his warning enough because no other word tears the silence that befalls them. And if it should be, if reason screams to stay away, the frailty of his slender form amid towering pampas reeds only makes the urge of her limbs to reach out unbearable.
Foolishly, she closes the distance a little more, her extended hand almost grazing his buzzing skin, the pressure that swirls around it rough, unpolished, devouring any air at its mercy, yet never meeting her own.
As if picking up on her hardly repressed intention, Xiao turns, merely enough to break the contact not yet made and for Lumine to see the exertion on his features without revealing the light of his eye, his voice above a whisper:
"You will get tainted."
Lumine wants to scream.
Scream that her safety shouldn't be his priority when she can tell he's on the verge of collapsing, remind him that karma has no debt to claim on the flesh of a fallen star.
Her mouth remains tightly shut though, capturing within her lungs the fuel ready to combust.
Foolishly still, she reaches for his sleeve, evaluating his reaction.
He doesn’t move. Whether too weak or expectant, his inaction gives her enough impulse to ask, tentatively :
“Didn’t you hold me… back then, when you saved me on the Jade Chamber ? You kept me steady, until I regained enough strength to stand by myself. How is that any different?”
“It was survival. A necessity”, he states, each syllable laboured yet finite, as if he had already pondered her question and found his answer long before it was asked.
Somehow her hand finds the hem of his cloth. Against her best judgement, it doesn’t stop there.
Desperately wishing to connect, to touch, to feel him real under her palm, her fingers hover over his arm, before locking around it.
And yet this time, the adeptus doesn't move away, nor shiver, he stands perfectly still. In fact, Lumine could believe she’s observing a painting if it wasn’t for the faint sound of his breath hitching, or the failed attempt at hiding the quick glance to her hand his uncooperating body undoubtedly forced out of him.
How silly, she thinks that the mere contact of skin against skin would send her ancient heart in a frenzy? She would scold herself over misplaced nervousness but the liminal space between yearning and reaching burns on her fingertips.
Little does the traveler know, Xiao is burning in her hold, the glassy surface of his composure breaking, ripples of a moon’s tidal tug like shockwaves through his whole body.
As she speaks again, the ghost of a vibration runs on his arm, and he almost flinches at the feeling, but the haunting voices of karma shrink, shadows retreating at the advance of light, her voice gentle yet the words would echo in his ears for eons to come.
“This too, is survival.”
If he manages to suppress the whimper of relief brought by her touch, when her arms brush over his and cage him in her embrace, Xiao thinks he could crumble apart.
But Lumine is holding him firm, unafraid as his own vigour betrays him, drained out of him in less time than he has to fight it. In that instance, he almost believes that if he shattered into too many shards to piece back together, Lumine - patient, resilient, unwarrantedly kind Lumine - would pick them up one by one, and stick them again, no matter how ugly or unworthy the final mosaic.
Poised as she is, he feels her strengthen her grip around him, leading his heavy body towards a nearby pond and the rock that sits at its shore. His awareness and duty to protest lost somewhere on the way, the last thing he remembers is his back gently meeting the cold stone, and the unexpected sound of fabric ripping. Mind too weary to operate any logic, Xiao declares defeat on consciousness as his eyes close, lulled by the rustle of breeze against wave, and a healing melody that rises with it.
Lumine's fingers are light on the already clearing bruises covering his skin. At some point through her thorough act of cleaning Xiao’s wounds, Lumine forgets time, forgets night or danger, grounded only by the tune she hums.
The sounds of the marsh wane, water stills, no cricket sings. No bird flies by as the world around fades into a greyed blur, a bubble that will not pop no matter how many winds blow against it.
All that remains in this peculiar moment of quiet is a heartbeat she cannot claim as hers with certitude.
As she begins to wonder where she starts and where he ends, whether the limb that rubs off dried blood is her own or Xiao’s, some mudded tab of her consciousness warns her that this is what it costs, to be burdened with Karma. And at that thought, it is - that, she can tell - her chest that squeezes.
Like piloted by an otherworldly force, she diligently brings the slumbering adeptus to the only place where she knows a semblance of peace can find him.
She exchanges a wordless salutation with the owner as she passes her by at this ungodly hour, grateful of her overlooking the unconscious Adeptus on her back, and lays his head softly between newly washed bed sheets, lingering a while to watch his face, momentarily free of pain and alertness.
She soon finds her own room again, mindful of the clearing of her thoughts and the haze that had covered them as she puts distance between her and Xiao. Lumine knows he would want nothing more than solitude and tranquillity upon waking, and offers just that.
But, as she slides in between her covers next to a snoring Paimon, the dance of her heart cannot help missing a step whenever her worries trail back to him.
The following morning, there is no trace of the marsh’s guardian anywhere near Wangshu Inn, but the breeze that kisses Lumine’s cheek as she steps into the sunlit balcony unmistakably whispers grateful words to her sleepy ears.
_
Lumine doesn't get a chance to meet Xiao for a time after.
Arms and schedule packed full, she spends most of her days running around the harbour preparing for her departure into the land of Inazuma, this trip promising to be lengthier than the ones before. With no valid reason to visit the Inn, or scour the northern parts of the region at the call of a simple whim like she did over the past few months, encountering the adeptus is a fluke she knows better than to expect.
Though some part of her unruly brain tingles at the thought, Lumine is well aware that Xiao would not seek her out of his own accord, even less so amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.
She wonders at times, though, if during restful watches over the evergreen lands, the trajectory of the Yaksha's musings trail back to her the way hers always find him, before scolding herself into brushing the foolish notion off.
She has made peace with the idea that her chance meetings with the yaksha - regardless of the thrill they bring - are no more than that.
And so, as she creates a mental note to properly visit him when her remaining business has been taken care of, her hand mindlessly wanders on the countertop of Wanmin Restaurant only to stumble upon a bunch of apricot kernels, surely discarded by her cheffe friend (before she had left in a hurry to pick up a rare package from a travelling supplier, Paimon trailing behind her hoping for a treat).
The insidious image of the minute sparkles in Xiao's eyes as he bites on almond tofu obtrudes on her mind without warning, and sweeps away all her swarming concerns to the far corners of it.
Her heart sinks a little.
Before she can even register the actions her limbs make, she finds herself snooping around the kitchen, gathering milk and osmanthus syrup, all coincidentally ready somewhere on the overly stacked shelves.
Fascinated by the miracle properties of cryo slime condensate and the time they save her, it isn't long before Lumine is dressing the sweet, perfectly cut, jelly-like blocks, her thoughts muted in favour of an automated focus. After leaving moras and a note to Xiangling on the countertop, apologising for the unauthorised use of her holy atelier, Lumine heads out, hurriedly, the fruit of her labour gently cradled in a box against her chest, as if to hide from herself even.
Only when a Crux crew member whom she definitely should have been paying a visit calls out her name as she reaches the outskirts of the city, does Lumine snap back into her senses and hesitates.
Considering, on one hand, the mountain of remaining tasks for a brief instant, she thinks to herself with a tinge of disappointment, that the fresh almond tofu, the treasure, she holds could survive a few more hours of cryo slime refrigeration.
On another hand, a glance back at the dents of the Liyue peaks on the cyan horizon and the early afternoon haze that lazily covers them is enough to make her falter irreversibly.
So, apologetic and bowing, she yells out:
"Urgent delivery, I promise to be back this evening!", before turning on her heels and taking to the fields of Tianheng, paying no mind to the pirate's protest.
It doesn't take so much as half an hour of walking, the brimming noises of the city replaced with the chirps of wild birds and cicadas, for Lumine to feel the crushing peace she's grown accustomed to, creeping up her limbs, the feeling bringing a shiver to her skin.
Soon, she crosses the southeastern bridge of Lisha, the outline of Pervase’s Temple peeking over the surrounding landform.
A gentle breeze dances around her, before picking up.
Her eyes flutter shut as she feels the caress, leading her around, a little left, spiralling up, and up into the sky.
And when she opens them, Lumine is met with a gentle gaze instead.
Only for a split instant, she’s scared to blink; the familiar silhouette, perched on a nearby mound, stands steady. But the sun leaves no respite and when her eyes prick and close for less than a second, the adeptus’ expression has already faded back into neutrality.
Before she can collect the scattered drum in her chest into its usual harmonious rhythm, that same wind gathers at her sides and Xiao is next to her.
“It’s you.”
“Xiao… Were you visiting Pervases?”
“I was merely passing by, when I felt you approaching. You haven’t left the harbour in a while.”
Lumine almost slips.
Almost admits that a stark desire to meet him in the golden fields of Liyue by pure stroke of serendipity, is the reason she stands before him. Almost thanks him for granting her silent, whimsy wish. Instead, she decides to bring her focus on the natural sway of his teal locks, the glint of his arm guard, committing even the smallest details of his garments to memory, keenly aware that this is her last chance to do so before a while.
Or ever, she thinks before enclosing the cold wave of anxiety that washes over her within the deepest chamber of her heart.
“What is it?” he says, a tinge of bashfulness slipping in his voice.
Resisting the desire to capture a photo of him in this exact moment, Lumine smiles instead (and wishes the indescribable fondness she feels doesn’t transpire).
“Is the mighty Conqueror of Demons perhaps hungry?”
Xiao’s face contorts in a baffled wince, and sends Lumine into a fit of laughter.
She can tell, from the rapid succession of emotions on his face, that Xiao was about to scold her, before he realises she’s teasing him. Not waiting for him to voice it in the way she has come to enjoy prying out of him - she can clearly picture his mild annoyance and the click of his tongue as he chides her about respect to the Adepti - she extends her precious offering.
“Almond tofu, for you.”
For a second, Xiao’s gaze hops from the box to her face, expression blank, but hardly hiding the sparkle in his eyes at the mention of his favoured delicacy.
“Weren’t you busy, in the harbour?”
“I was.”
“And you came looking for me… for this reason only?”
Lumine chuckles. After all this time, the language of the Adeptus is one she’s learnt to decipher. Some would find it lacking any regard for cues or subtlety.
It is that very honesty, simple and almost innocent - though she’s sure the description would earn her a scowl - that gives Xiao’s words their unique ability to bring her ease. She thinks, perhaps, she could reciprocate for once.
“I guess my steps led me to you.”
She presents the box again, and Xiao’s fingers, hesitant, brush hers as he finally accepts her gift, grateful words far too formal and barely above a whisper escaping his lips. Strangely enough, he doesn’t break the contact, the gold of his iris soon meeting hers. What she reads in them, Lumine isn’t confident she can investigate without her chest playing a creative beat.
The almond tofu now resting against him, Xiao starts, his usual poise faltering :
“Do you… Plan to return to your affairs now? If not then…”
His breath catches, the waver in his impulse clear, and Lumine almost surges in place before he can retract.
“I dont! I-” she blurts out, and quickly scrambles to find any excuse that wouldn’t let him believe she’s merely indulging his desire - her desire in fact - to spend some time together. “I actually have a few materials to gather for uh… Baizhu, yeah some flowers! Violetgrass and Qingxin…”
Lumine feels her cheeks grow warm as he observes her, slight confusion and something akin to amusement shining on his features, and it’s in times like this that Lumine thanks his perplexity towards human behavior.
“All this to say, I don’t intend to go back to the harbour just yet, if you’d like to keep me company for a bit.”
Xiao remains silent for a moment, seemingly in thought, long enough to have Lumine doubtful of her understanding of the situation. But then, he turns to point towards far away mountains, somewhere in the direction of Jueyun Karst.
“Violetgrasses are fairly widespread, we can collect those as we go. For Qingxin however, we should probably head north. They’re far more numerous and fresh, up high. I can take us there quickly, if you wish.”
Xiao extends his free hand towards Lumine, his eyes glinting with something she’s sure she hasn’t seen before - anticipation.
She wraps her fingers around his and her vision blurs.
Somehow Lumine's body gets no time to register the speed at which they ride the wind before Xiao's arm wraps around her waist to secure her landing, nor does it process fast enough to stop her cheeks from warming at the gesture. Xiao is quick to release her though and promptly notices the redness extending to her neck.
“Are you feeling unwell? I'm sorry, I forgot human bodies don't handle this…”
“No, no I was just surprised by the speed, is all!” she lies, once again grateful for his misunderstanding.
Avoiding his worried scrutiny, Lumine casts her gaze to the ground and is met with a glistening batch of blooming white.
“Oh, there's really so many of them here!”
Strangely, Lumine notices no flaring of the characteristic fragrance of qingxin despite their number, and only then does she manage to pinpoint what had long been an interrogation of hers: the origin of Xiao’s scent that had been accompanying her for a while now, sweet and yet sharp was nothing other than the flower that grew on lonesome peaks.
Holding back a chuckle at the sudden realisation, she cannot help but stare at the puzzled adeptus, now seeing him in a new light - that would surely drag another baffled expression out of him.
Before he can ask, Lumine bends and caresses the fragile petals, humid with mist.
“It feels unfair plucking these now, the mountains are all they've known.”
And selfish, she thinks to herself, knowing they were merely used as a pretense to remain with him a while longer.
“They’ll grow back, if you don't uproot them. Qingxin are far more resilient than humans believe.”
Lumine hardly refrains the temptation to observe him as he speaks, wondering how far the droll similarity goes. Instead, she gently cuts a flower at the node, and then another. Before she can get to the next, Xiao hands her a few of his own, severed by a small blade of wind.
Agreeing to leave the rest intact for locals brave or desperate enough to pick, they decide to head for another one of the peaks that pierce the dense sea of clouds surrounding them.
Xiao reaches out again, and this time as the winds seize them, his hold is much closer to an embrace, both his arms quick to surround her entire form, not only to secure her landing but to relieve her body from the wind’s pressure.
Lumine’s breathing halts. So terribly kind, and caring.
If it weren’t for reason screaming at her to behave, she would return the embrace. She has contemplated the adeptus’ workings enough to know he would recoil like a frightened bird and retract those protective wings in self accusation, when his action is nothing more than the show of his genuine consideration.
I wish he could see it.
Instead, she rules her composure so that he can allow his gentle hands to guide her, and leave her side as soon as she’s steady, with no unnecessary afterthought.
She mourns the distance still.
Urging her mind to get over her offbeat musings, the traveler decides to return to the role she knows best: an adventurer.
After making sure Xiao ate the entirety of his offering, it isn’t long before Lumine’s enthusiasm and gentle coaxing to stray from the initial plans shift the nature of their stroll, the numerous flowers assembled no more than an accessory at their side.
The adeptus doesn’t seem to mind, remaining frugal with words though Lumine’s chat manages to pull out more trivial words out of him than she’s heard him speak so far. He still points to every Violetgrass they encounter, and frowns in confusion when Lumine decides to walk past - claiming it’s Jueyun chilies she needs now - yet doesn’t protest once.
Instead, she leads him down the path of Qingyun Peak, brushing off his offer to teleport elsewhere, the effort in his company a much more pleasant perspective than returning to their respective duties.
So long as he indulges, so will Lumine, and if she pulls him by the hand, it’s only to show where their next step will lead them.
As they stand midway to the bottom, Xiao insists they take a break so she can drink, visibly ready to scold her for disregarding her needs, and thus she yields.
Lumine, sweaty and respiration slightly laboured - a stark contrast to his breathing, perfectly even-, looks up at the stern mountains that surround them, surprised by how intimidating they seemed when she had beheld them a few months prior, and yet not so much anymore.
She glances at Xiao, his gaze fixated on the horizon, apparently lost in thought, though Lumine knows it to be a facade meant to let her catch her breath.
The Liyue that spreads before him is the same he knows better than most, and Lumine doubts that its sight feels any special to him.
Yet in that instant it does, to her.
She ponders, then, and when they finally continue their way down and onto the path to Cuijue Slope, the reason for the peculiar glow that daylight casts on the harsh rock walls, the rustling sound of leaves and tinkling of adepti amulets clearer than usual, and the serenity that settles in her heart. The nearby gathering of treasure hoarders and their loud banter usually rattling to the ears, or the roaring of waterfalls as they pass them by sound utterly insignificant next to the gracing gift of Xiao’s voice, and she isn’t sure what catches her attention more between the endless blue of Luhua Pool peeking on the distance or the strands of hair brushing the yaksha’s nape as he walks ahead of her.
When they finally stop to look at the view, Lumine’s now bare feet playing in the mild waves to appease their exertion, the sun has already made its way down, soon to fall beyond their reach and end their eventful outing. The Liyue she’s come to appreciate spreads ahead and it gleams, made unbelievably more comfortable by the simple presence of a friend next to her.
By Xiao next to her, she corrects.
She comes to understand, Xiao communicates in ways other than words.
Where he goes, a safe wind always follows, like a pledge of his ever loyal, steadfast allegiance, not only to the land of Geo but to kindness itself. Firm, and yet gentle.
When her eyes wander to his side, hoping to observe the soft glow of sunset on his features, Lumine finds she already has his attention. Perhaps it is the golden hour that gives his expression this tender edge she’s never seen before. Or her own projection, she’s not so sure, and before she can inquire, Xiao breaks the silence.
“What are you going to do with the flowers we picked?
Lumine blinks, her eyes round with surprise at the obvious insinuation. And bursts out laughing. Her harmless white lie hadn’t been taken all too seriously, after all.
Before he can chide her about not making light of the adepti, her reaction a clear confirmation of his doubts, Lumine extends the flowers she had already gathered into a bouquet and tied with a make-do ribbon on their way.
“An offering to the Vigilant Yaksha of course, to show my gratitude.”
Xiao doesn’t even seem to fight the amused scoff that slips past his lips. He raises an eyebrow.
“An offering for helping you make an offering? You truly have no respect for the adepti.”
Lumine smiles apologetically, though he shows no hint of the smallest annoyance.
Xiao’s eyes drop to her hands, accepting yet another gift, but his gaze lingers downward.
“So you really had no need for those afterall… Is it really okay for you to be spending your time like this?”
The slow dip of light in the sky reminding her of what’s to come, Lumine decides to offer the little time they have left all the honesty she can muster.
“I’m glad I did. Thank you for spending time with me, Xiao. I really am grateful.”
Xiao exhales a tremorous sigh, and though he doesn’t voice an answer, Lumine understands. They both remain silent for a moment more, the last rays of the sun swallowed by the horizon.
“I should take you back to the harbour now. It’s late, and you’re exhausted.”
“We’ve walked all this way, it would be a shame to stop now, wouldn’t it?”
Xiao shakes his head, but the corner of his lip curves.
“Fine, I’ll walk with you to the outskirts.”
For the final part of their journey, the stars hanging high on the dimming sky bear witness to their occasional chatter, whispering between themselves as if to keep out from the onlookers, an intimacy perhaps novel to him.
If Lumine knows the night will go on for Xiao, no doubt cruel and painful, at least she can leave him with a few enjoyable memories of companionship before he must inevitably face the darkness alone.
But to her dismay, time seems to constrict and before she has braced herself for it Xiao’s steps halt, the light of the harbour already feeling too close for comfort.
When the adeptus' gaze meets her once more, she presents him with the gentlest of smiles, her last offering of the day, and though she isn’t presumptuous enough to believe the words he decides to leave unsaid are the same that resonate in her mind, she can still hold onto her silly wistful wish. I’ll miss you, please stay safe.
“Well, see you soon then?”
He simply nods.
It’s only when the distance between them barely allows her to hear it, Lumine now surrounded by the city lights and hubbub, that Xiao speaks, his words carried by the breeze.
“Stay safe, Traveler.”
When she turns, his silhouette is gone, fading teal particles the only proof he ever stood there.
Lumine does not make it in time to meet the Crux member that evening, and suffers Paimon’s nagging for disappearing without her long into the night.
But when she plops on her bed, paying no mind to her feet and all kinds of muscle soreness, she slides off to the land of dreams with a heart ready to fly away and a sense of fulfilment that not a single thought spared to the horde of remaining tasks awaiting her - or Paimon’s pout - could taint.
-
“The scent you bring is unknown to my senses."
Oftentimes, Lumine realises, the sudden melody of Xiao's voice rising when she least expects it, calms her heart rather than startle it.
It's ridiculous, she thinks, how muted any siren of danger is, around him.
Like serenity in the middle of a storm, when despite raging thunder, nothing remains than the howling of the wind and the conviction of a clear sky to come.
"Traveler?"
Blinking a few times to recenter herself in the moment, Lumine meets Xiao's perplexed expression, the delay of her answer undoubtedly translating the musing of her mind.
She sits on a jagged log in the middle of the Marsh, only realising how far she’s walked now that its guardian stands before her, and with that thought, comes the guilt of having left Paimon at the Harbour alone again - but at least she’d be in good hands with Xiangling, her savings not so much.
Right as she expects Xiao’s confusion to turn into concern, she arms herself with a warm smile and cuts any bubbling question with an answer of her own:
"Sakura blooms, mostly and a hint of Aralian wood, but you'd have to trust my judgement on that last one." She pauses, admiring the slow, curious furrow of his brow, holds back a chuckle, before satisfying his unadmitted interest. "A gift from a dear friend, made of these inazuman local specialties. I'm sure she made the fragrance herself, but didn’t mention it so as to not embarrass me. These petals grow from a celebrated tree, you can see it from anywhere on the main Island. It's quite a refined scent, don't you think?"
Lumine rummages through her bag, grabbing the carved bottle, as elegant as the gifter, the memory tugging at her features for a smile.
Unscrewing the lid, she waves the flowery scented applicator beneath his nose, teasing.
To her surprise, after a few seconds of visible hesitation, Xiao indulges her whim, closes his eyes and breathes in. Lumine, a throb of her heart rising to her throat, wallows in the sight offered, and the trust the adeptus puts into her.
“It’s a pleasant smell but… how do they make it?” he asks, a mild pout of confusion curving his mouth and Lumine can only laugh. She pats the log right next to her, in an invitation to sit.
“I think I have much to tell you about the Land of Thunder. And Inazuman perfume.”
Something sparkles in his eye, passing like a flash.
Lumine notices and she wonders if Xiao has ever dreamt of elsewhere. Of dropping his polearm and taking the winds to horizons he’s never sailed before. The thought comes with a sting.
Surprisingly, Xiao doesn’t protest the proximity, gives in and takes a seat. But when his keen gaze meets hers, she can feel it probing her features for any discomfort. Before the sudden inspection, a little too insistent, manages to gnaw at her composure, Xiao nods and closes his eyes in expectation.
“Tell me about your time in the Land of Thunder”.
She cannot help but give a cheeky grin.
And thus she begins.
Lumine tells Xiao about Inazuma and its eerie, galvanic atmosphere, its flora, honourable people and yokai, its art of blacksmithing and Ikebana, all rewarded with occasional appreciative hums or single contemplative words. He hardly hides the unease on his face when she tells him of the affliction of Yashiori Island, and has no answer to give to his unique question: Who purges it?
Lumine pointedly avoids mentioning her own experience with tatarigami, and how she had failed to purify it when her emotions had gotten to the best of her. She also omits the darkest aspects of her tribulations, her nearly fatal encounter with the God of Thunder, the ozonic smell, metallic taste, blinding lightning of her merciless blade, whether out of shame or to not cause unnecessary concern, she’s not too sure.
When the flow of her tale relents, Xiao has been silent for a while. Keeping the slight dejection at bay, at the idea of having lost his interest and possibly wasting his precious leisurely time with futile prattle, she turns, only to find she has his undivided attention, his eyes boring into hers. This time, thrown off balance by the intensity of his gaze, she tentatively tries to pry his opinion out of his silence, with a feigned puff of her cheeks, hoping to hide any treacherous nervousness.
“So, what do you say? Did I sell the Islands of Thunder and Eternity for you, do you think I could give Paimon a run for her money as the best guide?”
A faint sound escapes Xiao’s lips, something akin to a stifled laugh she realises too late, and Lumine finds herself awestruck by the soft curve that now adorns them.
Her cheeks feel strangely warm.
“If the depiction you paint is faithful, and I trust it is, Inazuma is indeed a place full of remarkable wonders.”
She releases a self sufficient hmph at the approval, a real feeling of pride bubbling in her insides.
Somehow, looking at his content expression - from exchanging mundane conversation, or satisfying his visibly growing curiosity of the unknown, Lumine cannot tell -, she finds herself indulging in the idea of taking him on a new stroll with her.
From Narukami to Sangonomiya Shrine, showing him fireworks of a different kind, admiring the roaring skies of Seirai, shaking paws with Neko and challenging Xudong to find a recipe worthy of Xiao’s palate, Lumine thinks with a tinge of regret that she would have appreciated Inazuma infinitely more with him by her side, and surely she would have enjoyed the cold foggy night of Tsurumi with a sounder sleep.
Before she can seal her lips, a sigh escapes them.
“How I wish I could have seen them with you.”
Xiao’s expression stills. Something unknown shines in his eyes.
“My duty remains to protect these lands,” he states after a moment, simply. A suggestion, however, lingers in his tone, faded, shameful.
Lumine decides to let it flutter away with the wind that twirls around them.
Not that she lacks curiosity, in fact Lumine’s fingers tingle with the need to grasp it before it’s gone, settle it delicately in her palms like a wounded bird and study it, but rather for fear of shaking an already crumbling foundation.
Though she recently has been put to face with core reevaluations of her own, Lumine knows some immovable beliefs should not be fiddled with.
Not with Xiao, not with what’s at stake.
As the tip of her shoe scraps at the ground beneath her, Lumine means to bury with it the burning questions she keeps in the Liyuean soil…
But a finger trails down her shoulder, onto her back, disrupting the ebb and flow of her contemplation much too abruptly. An unexpected, featherlight touch yet it feels like both fire and ice on her skin.
So swiftly she could get dizzy, Lumine turns to face the uncharacteristically daring adeptus only to be met with gold dipped arrows, his gaze piercing, yet innocuous, as the finger is met with an another when she doesn’t protest, and another, until his palm spreads on her bare scapula.
Somehow the scalding touch on her back doesn’t begin to compare to the weight of his stare when honesty slips past his lips’s defences and sets, once again, Lumine’s chest ablaze.
“If anything, my only desire would be for my protection to spread beyond the reach of this land, since you cannot seem to keep yourself from harm”.
Xiao’s thumb traces the light breaches of skin, imperceptible to many eyes but his own, and swears he could feel a tingle on his pad, though whether attributed to any electricity captured within or the contact itself, he cannot tell.
Something pangs on his chest when he lingers on a rather patent and swollen scar.
As soon as he had laid his eyes on Lumine earlier, Xiao knew her travels had been gruesome. She didn’t say, and he didnt ask but there’s no need to further inquire where her steps in Inazuma led her when manifestations of pure thundering rage run so deeply.
He grits his teeth.
As he continues his rigorous exploration of her skin, conscious of the traveler’s scrutiny and perhaps of the breath she’s been holding, Xiao tames the voices of uncertainty, and decides there is no shame to be had, except being a mere witness to telltale signs of her journey’s perils, with no means to dull them, if not for a giving back what she had once presented as survival.
A comforting touch.
His suspicions turn true when he hears a light sigh he recognises as relief escaping the traveler’s quivering lips, and dares lift his gaze from his hand to observe her face, an expression he cannot read painted on her features. Before he can retract, suddenly doubtful of his action, Lumine nuzzles closer and leans into his palm.
The growing unease doesn’t relent.
Xiao wants to ask, wants to know, but habit rather than cowardice chains him and his mouth remains sealed. Though the questions scream in his head, louder than any vengeful hiss he’s suffered before, they both revel in silence for a while longer, with no more words spoken other than the ones his hand hopes to engrave on her flesh, overwriting the few remaining traces of lightning that should never have kissed this blessed skin.
The memory of her jaded figure haunts him long after they part that day.
-
While the skies are clear over Liyue, Xiao’s mind is clouded. It is a trivial encounter with the traveler on a peaceful day that leads his thoughts to spiral.
Their paths haven't met for a while, and Xiao has come to terms with the calm her absence has left in Liyue’s scenery, the blank space in the sea of souls hedged by his careful watch.
Yet, when Xiao feels the air grow heavier with the familiar presence, the halt of his breathing doesn’t surprise, nor worry him. The bent blades of grass under soft footsteps only alleviates his shoulders of their millennial burden.
So, as Lumine steps into his sight, Paimon prancing behind her, Xiao plainly acknowledges the selfish urge that overcomes him, to bask in her presence, if only for a sinful second.
The time they spend together that day, although always a peculiar kind of comfort, passes by too fast.
The traveler wears her mantle this time, he thinks, a certain urgency leading the rhythm at which she moves, another thing Xiao has come to accept since her first, and then numerous departures to and from Inazuma, although she is soon to head for the Chasm now, and Sumeru next. She was always meant to be a sojourner in Liyue, and unlike her, Xiao is no master at persuasion. Hence, he doesn’t ask her to keep him company, but remains so long as she permits.
He uses every moment he can, her attention away, to study her demeanor, and is relieved to see the weariness from their previous encounter is nothing but a memory he is bound to bear.
The tumble and stammer of his thoughts relay the sight of sunshine on her face, freckled with a tree's shade, the wind caressing her hair, and the snippets of her adventures she honours him with, to nothing but the aftertaste of a delicacy devoured far too quickly to enjoy.
When the sun finally initiates its descent, and the danger horns signal to put meaningless concerns to rest and brace his spear, when it's time to part with the Traveler and the ever so calming expression she graces him with, Xiao's fingers ache to touch her skin, this time not to soothe but be soothed, reassure the growing beat of his heart that this will come again, that the night will see them fine and lead his steps to her again.
He rules his hand to remain firmly by his side, though.
As Xiao makes his way back into the falling darkness of the Marsh, no sound surrounding him manages to silence the overwhelming din of his pondering.
It’s all too sudden a realisation. He no longer denies the stir of his senses in her proximity, nor does he fight it. In fact, he yearns for it. If his reason manages to come to an answer, too many new questions spring.
Frustration overcomes him as he rattles his mind with clumsy reflections, the maze of emotions so foreign to him he mostly runs in circles.
Xiao is no adventurer. He simply has no idea how to arm himself against harmless, yet concrete obstacles of the mind, or how to pick locked doors he has never bothered opening before, all hiding answers that unbelievably, appear crucial to him now.
Uncovering enigmas has never been an activity he had time nor interest in. Even so, he has a newfound desire and it consumes him.
I want to understand.
Perhaps it is all just an ordinary step of the Traveler’s unrelenting advance in this world too puny to hold her? Setting yet another complex mechanism in motion.
Xiao has observed her - more times in fact than he would dare count - amid ruins of long lost civilisations, carefully inspecting, dissecting and drilling through forgotten and untouched apparatus.
Had he known the temple of his heart would be subject to the same painstaking exploration, surely the adeptus would have paid more attention to Cloud Retainer’s intricate engineering and would have known better than to leave the confines of his ribcage unguarded.
Now he longs.
A low hiss rings in his ear, tearing him out of his self inflicted torpor.
It isn’t late into the night and he has already scoured half of Wuwang Hill in his fixation, eradicating any budding danger with ruthless precision. He hasn’t been met with any enlightening conclusion though, and the deepest grudges of evil begin escaping their slumber.
The Yaksha closes his eyes. Exhales.
Hushing any other thought than the one to call for his spear, Xiao returns to the only thing he knows best.
-
It is the mellow sound of foliage whispering to the wind that tingles the adeptus’ senses into awareness.
Although it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sun’s unsparing shine, its warmth is a welcomed caress on his skin - which he vaguely recalls as the culprit that put him to sleep in the first place.
Xiao’s dazed gaze, disoriented at first, slowly idles along the shivering leaves above him, occasionally casting their merciful shadows on his face, or the clouds’ gradual shift in the immovable - and terribly blue - sky, to the luminous dust trail of a crystal fly dancing at his vision’s periphery, all lulling him into full consciousness.
The pain is barely a bitter afterthought that Xiao has no desire to dwell on, when his mind has found such unforeseen tranquility on an ordinary afternoon.
It isn’t completely unusual for Xiao to lay in the fields of Liyue, exhausted by a long night of purging evil.
On rare occasions even, his limbs had been far too lethargic to allow fleeing back to the inn, and rest would be forced upon his mind and body alike, leading him to awake with no recollection of being given a chance to decide.
For once however, Xiao remembers picking a tree to sit under and push his hesitant weight against with the ambition of indulging in an activity he has little to no experience in: relaxing.
And, unsure what's more baffling, he soon had fallen into a peaceful slumber that not a single monster had dared disturb, despite it slipping his mind to check the area beforehand.
He, at least, had the decency to remain on guard, spear in hand while his consciousness drifted to a dreamless rest.
A nap, in the wilderness. How absurd it all sounded now, to Xiao’s clearing wits.
Oh.
There was a time, he remembers now, long ago when he had admonished someone for such ludicrous behavior. Little did he know then, that the infamous Traveler would get beyond so many of his defences that her recklessness would rub off on him, too.
He huffs in irony, his chest stings. So long ago.
Xiao assumes the traveler has found many new places to find respite, some undoubtedly more comfortable than even the softest grass of Liyue, other more precarious than the fluffy sheets of Wangshu Inn, though she probably would toss and turn the same way she had under his tacit watch. Except now, he can only wonder.
The remnants of any temptation to fall back into sleep gone in an instant, Xiao rises to his feet, dusting any lingering hints of his endeavor off of him. He stands east of Lumberpick Valley, the sound of nature around him stilling as his thoughts wander west, to the Chasm, and Sumeru beyond it.
Where she is.
If she were to call, would he hear?
On their last encounter, when he had accompanied her to Liyue’s borders, his limits, some days after what had transpired in the Underground Mines’ depth, Lumine had squeezed his hand before parting and her eyes had shone with perhaps the first of her emotions he had ever pinpointed with ease : concern. The subtle layers etched in it he decided to disregard, uncertain he was ready to investigate.
He had promised then, to her urging, that he would keep a certain bull’s words to mind. The request had somewhat amused him, but Xiao always kept his promises.
There will always be someone willing to be by your side.
There is none but him around, now standing on the cutting edges of Cinnabar Cliff, overlooking the lush tangle of greenery she had once disappeared into with her floating companion, yet Xiao almost feels exposed in shame at the thought that crosses his mind.
If he only could, by some odds of fate, catch a glimpse of her silhouette and silence the pestering of his heartbeat.
His lips purse. It is unbefitting of him to hope, beyond any of his allotment.
And yet.
The movement at the corner of his eye almost startles him.
Unmistakable, a trail of white fabric, golden accents shimmering under the afternoon sun. For a second his mouth falls agape, a throb echoing through his ribcage. By the time he collects his spirits, Lumine’s figure is real and approaching, intently walking up the steep rocks beneath him.
Xiao doesn’t think. The next second, the wind brings him to her.
Though her eyes widen at the sudden rush that tousles her hair, and the subsequent touch at her fingers that help her regain her footing, Xiao reads no surprise on the familiar face.
“Traveler.”
She had hoped for this, after all. From the moment she had woken that morning, Lumine had been afflicted with an unshakable yearning for the smells of Liyue.
No matter the subterfuges she had tried to deceit her brain with - spraying herself with one of Ying’er’s perfumes, playing a local tune on her floral zither at the Grand Bazaar or studying a collection of Liyuean poetry dropped somewhere in the Akademiya - the ache had remained.
When Xudong had offered to prepare a meal to cheer her up from her unexplainable (but visible) frustration, only to serve a revisited version of Almond Tofu, Lumine had stormed out of Puspa Café with a groan, decided to make the shortest trip to Gandarva, if only to get a whiff of the object of her obsession - Paimon oblivious to her entreprise, nonchalantly remained to feast.
The walk there had cooled her head though, and by the time the sharp outline of the Chasm had peeked beneath the dense branches, Lumine had come to terms with the fact she was yearning for a person and not a place.
It felt reasonable, when she noticed a silhouette, barely a dot in the distance, to hope. The serendipity in her steps somehow always leads to him.
Isn’t it a natural conclusion that Xiao stands before her now, although looking astonished as if he wasn't the one to surge at her side?
She takes a moment to observe him, his complexion and the dip of his ribs, checking for any changes, any suggestion of his well-being - knowing his adeptus pride would brush off outright questioning.
“It’s been a while Xiao. Were you out on a patrol?” she asks, the answer trivial, a simple deceit to hear the melody of his voice again.
“No, the chasm doesn’t require me guarding it.” The answer comes hastily, as if Xiao would rather avoid misunderstandings.
“I was hoping to see you,” he adds and the honesty that shines in his eyes and resonates in his words never fails to rob Lumine’s heart of its steady flow.
A myriad of feelings dance in his gaze as it bores into hers, all too quick for Lumine to grasp. Xiao takes a moment to weigh his words.
His hand, that he had retracted soon after it had left a tingling trail on hers, curls into an uneasy fist at his side and before Lumine can reach for it, he speaks again, somehow determined to outbid, glancing at the Rainforest behind her.
“It’s a strange thing. I have not once felt a need to turn my vigilance beyond my reach. My loyalty remains tied to Liyue, but…” She feels a contact, a brief nudge of leather against her skin, quick to recede, golden irises probing for any minuscule change of her expression.
“Lately… my thoughts keep trailing after you. Wherever you go on your journey. I can no longer take my eyes away from the horizons you chase.”
He pauses. Lumine’s breath stills, her quickening pulse pounding against her thorax.
“It…puzzles me.”
Something unbearably soft washes over her at his resigned confession, any growing tension in her body gone. Forgotten knots of her mind untangling, clarity settles. Answers to questions she had raised forever ago instantly fall into their righteous place.
We’re just the same.
Xiao’s hand remains impossibly close to her knuckles, untouching. She decides to overcome the distance and take a hold of it.
Fills that space between his fingers, always meant to be completed with another’s. The bend of his eyebrows and the quiver of his breathing, the budding interrogations all hushed when she squeezes.
And then gently pulls, urging his step to follow hers. Not towards new horizons, her journey can always wait.
“I don’t have the answers... but we can look for them on our way, don't you think?”
The tight and trembling grasp at her palm is all the answer Lumine needs.
(A curious yet soothing breeze follows them that day, on their impromptu stroll on the Land of Contracts, meandering between their brushing shoulders, as if to witness the outlander who once caught the wind, halting flight to catch a bird in its wake.)