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Wangshu Inn, Liyue
Yelan stood on the top balcony of Wangshu Inn, arms crossed as she stared at the figure sitting cross-legged on the floor, his back resting against the wall.
“You need to rest,” she stated.
The Conqueror of Demons, one of the most powerful Adepti in Liyue, and currently so exhausted that he hadn’t even bothered moving since they had arrived, gave her a brief look before closing his eyes.
But at least he was conscious, which was an improvement from the state she had found him, one hour earlier.
“There is no need for your concern. I will be fine.”
Yelan couldn’t say that she knew Adeptus Xiao well, but they had met several times since the Chasm, and even more since he had helped them during Lantern Rite. She was familiar enough with him to know that he was almost as stubborn as herself.
And she very much doubted that he intended to take half the rest he needed.
She hardened her voice. “Who says I’m concerned about you? Maybe I just don’t want to tell the Traveler that you passed out in the middle of the Guili Plains.”
This managed to get Xiao’s attention.
“Don’t you dare bother the Traveler with such menial matters,” he said, opening his eyes again to glare at her.
“I wouldn’t call it menial. What if someone ill-intentioned had found you in this state?”
“They wouldn’t have managed to hurt me.”
There was no doubt in Xiao’s voice, and Yelan had no reason to question his words. She didn’t know what kind of defenses Xiao had in place for situations like this, but she didn’t like the fact it seemed business as usual for him.
“Has such a thing happened before?”
Xiao turned his head to the side, which was as good as an admission.
Yelan bit back her anger. Xiao’s mindset was not something she alone could change, and it wouldn’t help to yell at him.
Probably not.
She decided to try another approach.
“And what if a civil had found you? Don’t you always say that your karma his dangerous to humans?”
Xiao grimaced and lowered his eyes. Yelan knew she was being mean, that she was using one of Xiao’s biggest fears against him, but she couldn’t find it in herself to feel remorse.
“You’re right,” he said.
Yelan experienced a brief feeling of triumph.
“I should have chosen a more secluded place,” he added.
She sighed. Sometimes it felt like she was talking to a rock, despite Xiao wearing an Anemo vision.
She glanced at the untouched plate of Almond Tofu that the staff of Wangshu Inn had brought for Xiao. He had no energy left to eat his favorite dish, which said a lot about his current state.
“You do not need to exhaust yourself. We humans are able to handle ourselves. We would have dealt with the monsters,” she said, doing her best to speak with a low, reasonable voice.
Her efforts were not rewarded.
“Hmpf.”
Yelan took a deep breath. As someone who took long periods of rest in-between missions, to the point some had called her lazy, she knew she was not the best person to convince someone as suicidally hard-working as Xiao.
But she had come to care about him, about this stubborn, powerful, stupid, kind yaksha, who was way less closed to the human world than he pretended to be.
(Not only did he try to sacrifice himself in order to allow humans to live through desperate circumstances, but he also took the care to bring lost dolls back to their owners. Although the little girl Yelan had talked to had no idea which Adeptus she had met, her description left little room for doubt.)
Yelan was looking for something else to say when the music started. It was stunning, both light and melancholic, and she had to come closer to the railing to take a look at the artist.
Down below, a green-clad bard was singing to an awed audience. She couldn’t see his face, but she only knew one person with such an outfit.
His name was Venti. He was a bard from Mondstadt whose talent was as great as his love for alcoholic beverages.
She leaned against the railing and waited until the end of the song. It had a calming effect on her mind, and she closed her eyes to better enjoy it.
When the music ended, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
Behind her, Xiao gave a small sigh. She turned to him, and realized that his face looked more at peace than a few minutes before. Did he like music?
She stored this new piece of information in her mind for later use.
She was about to resume their conversation where they had left it, even though she wasn’t very optimistic about the outcome, when she heard footsteps in the stairs. She turned, curious to know who would come to this balcony when she had made sure to let Verr Goldet know Xiao needed some space.
It had probably been obvious, considering she had climbed the steps with him in her arms. This had been easier than it sounded, as Xiao was the lightest person she had ever carried.
Xiao didn’t seem concerned by the newcomer’s arrival, or maybe he was too out of it to have heard.
“And carried by the wind, along with the music and the songs, comes the delicious smell of a perfectly well cooked Almond Tofu,” a cheerful voice said. “May I come in?”
She recognized Venti’s voice.
“Do as you wish,” Xiao answered, his voice soft.
Yelan knew that Venti had met Xiao at a dinner organized by Hu Tao a few years ago, and that Hu Tao kept ties with both Xiao and Venti, but she was still surprised to see him welcoming the bard that warmly. He must enjoy Venti’s music even more than she had thought.
“That’s what I like to hear!”
Venti jumped from the stairs to the balcony, a plate of Almond Tofu in precarious balance on one hand. The other was holding his lyre.
“I ordered it in the hope that one of my favorite audience would be here to enjoy it,” Venti said. “Although I see that someone already had the same idea.”
He put the plate of Almond Tofu next to the first one.
“And which new friend do I have the honor to meet today?” he asked Yelan.
His smile was so bright that it would have instantly won over someone less cautious than Yelan. No wonder Venti had become such good friends with Hu Tao.
She gave him one of her mysterious smiles.
“My name is Yelan. I don’t think we’ve already met, although I was listening to your music just now and I must say it’s amazing. What’s your name?”
There was no reason for this bard to know that she was an intelligence agent in charge of all of Ningguang’s most delicate business, which meant she had access to all sort of classified and non-classified information, and they had never been officially introduced.
Venti’s smile brightened even more, which Yelan could have sworn should not have been possible.
“My name is Venti, and I’m the best bard in Mondstadt! I go where the wind pushes me, and right now it happens to be this fine inn.” He winked at Yelan. “If you order me wine, I will be happy to play for you.” He turned towards Xiao. “Or for you, Adeptus Xiao, even without the wine.”
“That looks like an excellent idea,” Yelan said, keeping a wary eye on Xiao’s reactions.
“I have no objection,” Xiao said.
His voice sounded way too exhausted for Yelan’s comfort, and he had made no move to seize either of the Almond Tofu plates.
Venti didn’t seem to have realized. He started playing again, singing in a language that Yelan had never heard before. The tune was so captivating that she almost forgot to order the promised wine.
Somehow, Venti managed to drink it in-between the choral parts.
When he was done, night had fallen over Wangshu Inn.
“Thank you for listening,” Venti said. “You’ve been an excellent audience, I must say.” He waved his hands, and the lyre disappeared. “I have to go now. If you’re willing to hear more, Mondstadt’s Windblume Festival starts in two days. You’re more than welcome to attend.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Yelan said. “Sadly, I have business to attend to in Liyue Harbor.”
“I must decline too,” Xiao said.
Yelan crossed her arms. “I’m sure nobody would mind if you took a few days of vacation.”
She knew that Cloud Retainer, now living in Liyue Harbor under the name Xianyun, was very satisfied with her recent journey through Mondstadt.
To her disappointment, although quite unsurprisingly, Xiao shook his head.
“I wish to stay in Liyue.”
“If you change your mind, we’ll be more than happy to have you,” Venti said. “Farewell for now, my friends! The wind is calling me elsewhere. Such is the fate of a wandering bard like me.”
With a last wave of his hand, he vanished in the stairs, leaving Yelan alone with Xiao.
The Conqueror of Demons seemed a bit better, but Yelan didn’t like the expression on his face as he looked at her.
“Thank you for your help today,” Xiao said. “I will take my leave now.”
Before Yelan had the time to reply, he had teleported away.
With a sigh, she took the untouched plates of Almond Tofu. They were way too sweet for her taste, but it would have been a shame to let them go to waste. She knew a few children that would be more than happy to have them.
Wangshu Inn Tree
Xiao was focusing on his breathing. It always helped to keep the pain below the point where he would faint, which was something that he could not afford twice today.
Without Venti’s help earlier, he would never have managed for so long.
Today’s fight had been longer and more taxing than usual. His headache would become worse before he got better, and Xiao was not looking forward to that.
He sighed. It was unfortunate that Yelan had found him in this state, and not only because she didn’t mince her words. He was supposed to protect humans, not the other way around.
The brushing of Anemo next to him attracted his attention.
“There you are,” Venti said softly.
“Venti,” Xiao stated.
The Anemo Archon sat next to him on the branch.
“Your friend is right. You need to rest.”
“She’s not my friend,” Xiao said defensively. “And I am resting.”
“That’s good to know.” Venti stroked the strings of his lyre. “And I have nothing against this fine branch, but how about you choose a more comfortable place for once?” He grinned. “Mondstadt is full of comfortable places, I’ll have you know. And it has the most soothing breezes, too. Your crane colleague was delighted by her stay.”
“Cloud Retainer can go wherever she pleases. I am duty-bound to watch over Liyue.”
Venti tilted his head. “Isn’t your contract null and void now that Rex Lapis is dead?”
Xiao closed his eyes. This one still hurt years later.
“This is the duty I’m choosing for myself.”
“Alright, alright. Far be it from me to interfere with your chosen duty.” Venti let out a melancholic trill. “I wish you a peaceful night, Adeptus Xiao. My offer stands, should you change your mind.”
“I won’t. But thank you.”
With one last smile, Venti vanished from the branch.
Xiao let out an almost disappointed sigh. He enjoyed Venti’s company, and without distraction, the pain in his body was once more flaring up.
He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his temples, trying to massage the ache out. Maybe he should find another spot to hide. In his current state, there was a real possibility he would fall from the tree.
Should he go to the room Verr Goldet always kept for him? But what if Yelan was waiting for him here, ready to deliver another lecture?
Humans and their strange ideas. As if he couldn’t power through this by sheer will…
Although Barbatos seemed in agreement with her, too…
“Xiao! You’re not going to believe it!”
Xiao opened his eyes.
Venti was grinning up at him, and behind him…
Xiao bowed his head in greeting for his lord, or former lord, depending whom you were asking.
“I met an old friend along the way! What a coincidence!” Venti clapped his hands in pure delight.
Xiao gave him a deadpan stare. Venti’s grin didn’t lessen one bit.
“Sooo.” Venti gave an exaggerated wave of his arm. “I was just telling him, ‘Mondstadt is so beautiful this season! How about visiting for a while? And it’s even better with travel companions, of course.’ And do you know what he said?”
Xiao glanced questioningly at Zhongli, and averted his eyes at once under the intensity of the gaze scrutinizing him.
Him and his less than stellar state.
How shameful.
“It sounds like an excellent idea,” Zhongli said lightly. “And indeed, I would enjoy the company of an old friend for this travel. What do you say, Xiao?”
Xiao swallowed hard. He didn’t want to refuse Zhongli’s request, not when such requests had become so rare.
Next to Zhongli, Venti was trying–and failing–to look innocent.
“Fine,” Xiao relented. “If you insist.”
Zhongli nodded solemnly. “I insist.”
Starsnatch Cliff, Mondstadt
On the finest cliff of the Anemo Archon’s home, under the soft light of the stars, three immortals sat in the grass.
Away from the prying gazes of humans, one tired Adeptus was dozing, his body tucked against the side of a dragon in disguise while the soft and heavenly notes of the lyre played by a wind spirit turned bard lulled him to keep resting.
If they had known, the other bards in the country would have marveled that it took two of the Seven to calm a single bird.
If she had known, one intelligence agent from Liyue would have added many a note to her secret files.
But those who knew wouldn’t tell, as they wouldn’t tell the secrets that the millennia had taught them.
And so, for one fleeting moment, Adeptus Xiao slept.
Hush now, leave him be. After all, you wouldn’t want to risk waking him up.
Or else.