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genshin-scenarios · 8 months

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Reunion: The End of the Night [Part 7]

Read the first series (Adopt a Wanderer) here! An AU where Scaramouche/Wanderer gets isekaied to your world - a found-family series.

Summary: The last chapter of the sequel is here! Featuring the Lantern Rite, you and Kuni are now traveling around Liyue.

Wordcount: 2758

Part 1

Part 6 <-

Initially, you weren’t sure if Kuni would agree to stay at Wangshu Inn until the both of you stepped out on its highest balcony, and the bustle of people below immediately dissolved into a jaw-dropping view.

No wonder Xiao frequents this place. You can’t imagine any other sight that would soothe the mind such as this. It almost made you a little jealous of those that lived in Teyvat, for being witness to sceneries so beautiful as part of their everyday lives.

Needless to say, you’ve since acquired neighboring single rooms at Wangshu Inn and started to traverse Liyue at your leisure. It was only a week or two before the Lantern Rite, so there were many commissions available to help local businesses prepare for the event.

Kuni was not as enthusiastic about working as a delivery-person, but at your reminder it’s a two-in-one of exploring and earning mora, he relented.

You’re actually kind of impressed at how fast he’s able to fly around. Meanwhile, you were simply trying to act natural when meeting people like Xiangling and Hu Tao at the harbor. You knew they lived here, but you really underestimated how fast your heart would beat when faced with characters you’ve only seen on screens!

Kuni likes to make fun of you for that, saying you’ll spontaneously combust at this rate since there were many more recognisable figures that you’d run into - and while it was true, you can’t help but feel a little excited every time. You definitely almost tripped and fell off the stairs when you realized Xiao was on the rooftop one night. But you digress.

Right now however, such things were at the back of your mind as you and Kuni were in the Minlin area - more specifically, to explore Jueyun Karst and the Hanguang Stone Forest, after Verr Goldet asked if you’d be willing to drop off supplies to crafters that frequent there for inspiration.

“Making crafts and weaponry in honor of the adepti is quite common during this season, especially in terms of commissions from high-profile customers. Normally we send our messengers there, but since I noticed one of you has a vision and is quite adept with flying around…”

You’d be getting paid a high sum for this after all. And, well… You did want to get Kuni some qingxin flowers to replace the ones you gave him in Sumeru, seeing as you did say as much with so much confidence before. He says you’re ridiculous for going to such dangerous places when you could just buy some from a shop, but you also wanted to share the tranquil view with him (despite how Kuni said otherwise, you find that his cat-like characteristics extend to lounging on tall vantage points. Perhaps he liked being able to see everything that was going on in this way).

“We should’ve turned this into a picnic.” You muse, tucking your feet carefully under your legs as you look around. Kuni managed to fly you up to one of the more spacious peaks in Hanguang Stone Forest. The weather is nice, and you’re taking a break from deliveries. “I can see myself having quite a nice nap out here.”

“The more you talk, the more I wonder if you’d survive alone.” Kuni’s words hold no malice, but you’re a little surprised that he’s chatting now, seeing as he’d opted to let you do the talking with the craftsmen earlier. “What if you roll over too much and plummet down?”

“Well… you wouldn’t let me die in such a lame way, right?”

“...”

“...Right? Hey—”

“You two up there! Might you be adventurers?” A stranger’s voice echoes from the bridge below, effectively stealing away both of your attention.

“Um, yeah!” You yell back. “Is there something we can help you with?”

“There’s a swordsmith stuck on Mount Hulao! He’s gotten trapped in the amber.” The person holds her head in exasperation. You feel a little bad for the lady; it seems like this isn’t the first time trouble has found this mysterious swordsmith. “If the two of you are able to rescue him, I’ll pay you for your services. Mora is no problem.”

When Kuni meets your gaze, he can only heave out a sigh. “Fine, fine. Let’s get this loser.”

“We’ll do it!” You give the lady a thumbs up. Without a moment to waste, she gives you instructions on the swordsmith’s location once you descend the stone spire.

She marks another spot on your map. “And this is where our lodges are located. Once that idiot is rescued, please return him here. I told him not to rush to the mountains so early in the morning, but he kept insisting he could collect the amber from Mount Hulao as a finishing touch to his creation…”

“No problem, we’ll be back as soon as we can.” You assure her. “Um… may I ask if you’re his co-worker, or…?”

“Oh, I’m a painter.” She raises a hand to her heart, giving you a proper introduction. “My name is Lian. Both me and Yichen were commissioned to create works for this year’s Lantern Rite, as part of a larger collection to be on display at Liyue Harbour.”

“So this sword he’s putting finishing touches to is for that?”

“...Not exactly.” Lian purses her lips. “You can ask him more about it later on, if you wish.”

You manage to find Yichen quite easily, seeing as he’s only made it halfway up the mountain before getting caught by the clever defenses of Mount Hulao. With a bit of brute force, Kuni manages to break the poor guy out of his amber cocoon.

Thankfully Yichen gives up on the idea of continuing his search for amber - after an hour or so of being stuck inside it, he says it’s lost the original charm he envisioned - and you make it back to their lodges in one piece.

“Why use amber from that place anyways?” Kuni raises a brow. “You could simply buy any jewels you need as part of your budget.”

“It’s not about that,” Yichen explains, “One night, while we were out here to gain inspiration from our surroundings, I fell asleep while sketching decorative designs for the blade. I had a dream of the most beautiful sword, crafted from a gemstone of wonderful, rich origins… but it’s too last minute to order some from the city, where everyone else has already booked out materials.”

“And it doesn’t feel the same to get mass-produced gems.” Lian adds, reading his expression with ease. “You’ve been wanting to leave a sword here as an offering to the adepti, right?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Well, you made an extra blade. And talk in your sleep.” She shrugs. After handing you the payment for rescuing Yichen, Lian gives him a pat on the shoulder. “Maybe next time you’ll be able to finish it and deliver it to the mountains. There’s no need to rush.”

“By wonderful, rich stones… would noctilucous jade from the Chasm work?” You speak up.

“The Chasm?” Yichen’s gaze lights up. “Have you been there?”

“We passed through it.” Fishing out some samples you took with you from your backpack, you show them to Yichen. “I don’t know if these are enough - we sold the rest on the way to the harbor.”

The only reason you still had them on-hand was as emergency funds. Who would’ve thought they might be able to contribute to this man’s wish?

Almost in a daze, Yichen’s expression melts into a smile. “Yes… These would work splendidly! What is your price? I can pay a bit over market rates, since these are of a better quality, and—”

“You can do all that after you finish crafting your blade.” Kuni interrupts him. At your surprised look, Kuni tilts his head. “What? It’s already midday. If he wants to deliver that thing soon, he might as well get started.”

“I’ll be sure to return this favor! Please give me a few hours - it shouldn’t take too long for me to shape the jade!”

You never would’ve expected yourself to be dazzled by weapons of all things, but the finished product truly was a sight to behold.

As a sword fashioned for ceremonial purposes rather than an adventurer’s use, its hilt is engraved with small stones of noctilucous jade. The entire edge of the blade is plated with the gemstone as if coated in sky-blue paint, sharpened with masterful precision. You’re not sure how he’s managed such a thing, but it leaves the sword twinkling in a deadly manner. It’d look absolutely stunning under the sunlight.

“And now to test it.” Yichen looks down at the sword in his hands, before bowing his head and offering it to Kuni. “If you would… I’d like you to do the honors.”

“Me?” Kuni looks like he’s about to decline, but hesitates. “Why?”

Yichen straightens, giving Kuni a smile. “Well, aside from the impressive display you put up while rescuing me, the way you observed my workspace when we first arrived gave me the impression you were a little familiar with sword making.” He pauses. “But, you can also call it intuition. Between the four of us, I simply believe you’d wield this sword the best.”

“Hmph. Human reasoning really is nonsensical.”

Something in the air changes as Kuni picks up the sheathed blade, adjusting to its weight and equipping the scabbard so that the sword would rest by his hips. His gaze lowers as if recalling a ritual from long ago, making his way to an open area surrounded by amber trees.

There is no music, but you, Lian, and Yichen all fall silent. The wind picks up, twirling through the air while carrying gold and orange leaves.

Kuni takes a step forward, his hands shifting with graceful movements. He does not have a fan as one normally would with a sword dance, but in place he conjures anemo to take its form. Teal and ochre swirl around the timeless wanderer, and in the middle of it all is sapphire that unmistakably draws the eye.

It is blue in the richness of the sky and sea, harnessed into a blade that flirts with the light as Kuni flourishes it, guiding it through the air.

He cuts through the falling leaves, slicing them clean in half. It’s like time has stopped to witness his actions, preserving the fall of orange just a second more.

Suffice to say, Yichen absolutely begs Kuni to follow him up to the mountains to place the offering. (“It wouldn’t be right otherwise!”) The entire group treks up Mount Aocang, which you identified as the safest option for visit.

Lian gives you a painting of Kuni’s sword dance before you leave, along with another drawing of the both of you walking together at the front with a flabbergasted Yichen. Kuni doesn’t say much about this outwardly, but you notice the way he keeps an eye on where you keep it - safely tucked within your backpack.

“After the death of Rex Lapis, the adepti showed up at Liyue Harbour during a time of great need.

“They’ve since retreated to their abodes, but I just wanted to leave something as a sign of gratitude. Liyue Harbour is my home, after all. I’ll always thank those that help protect it - and to the two of you, for helping me accomplish this much.

“If you two ever need help while in the city, feel free to look for us. We’ll do what we can!”

On the day of the Lantern Rite celebration, where the giant mingxiao lantern would come to life and soar above the harbor at night - you find yourself wandering through the city to take full advantage of its offerings.

With delicious food, riddles, and shadow puppet shows to watch, there’s never a dull moment. At some point Kuni got roped into helping children mend their dolls, but he much prefers to get some relative quiet from the crowds; you end up in a shop that makes their own mingxiao lanterns, and allows you to customize yours before sending it off to the sky.

Instead of writing your wishes on the paper slip as instructed by Master Lou however, you place an additional slip on the table between you and Kuni, silently willing him to take it and read its contents.

Like school-children passing notes, Kuni raises a brow at the way you’re pretending you’ve been on-task the entire time. You stand up and chase after one of the staff members to ask a question, leaving him alone at the desk.

He would’ve expected your handwriting to struggle fitting onto a paper so small, but the words stand out in tiny, tentative letters.

‘Did you ever regret meeting me?’

Kuni silently pockets the note and finishes off his wish, tying it to his mingxiao lantern and exiting the shop. The lantern looks like it could be the stage of a shadow puppet show. Or perhaps, more optimistically, a page where the wishes written on paper could be brought to life. With how unpredictable the shape of a flickering fire can be, Kuni doesn’t doubt that a drunk man could witness a dream simply by watching the lanterns up close.

He joins you at the docks, where children and adults alike crowd around the harbor and balconies, awaiting the start of the fireworks show. Once the musicians begin playing, the lanterns in your hands start to glow, raising themselves into the air.

They gather against the night sky like a sea of fireflies, and as much as Kuni wants to say it’s simply an ocean of floating trash… the sight is something that brings him to pause.

“I’m not particularly mad or bitter about the past.” Kuni says quietly. It might’ve gone unheard beneath the music of the streets if he wasn’t standing next to you. “Even if you’re a bit of a liability, traveling around with you and making sure you don’t run into trouble aren’t such bad memories to have.”

The music swells, and something in your chest twinges with it. The melody goes tentative, tentative, before marching into a crescendo you recognise by heart.

“In that case, I have to thank you.” You reply, eyes on the lanterns that’re so far away now. “I never would’ve thought that offering shelter to a lost person would bring me to this day. But I don’t regret any of it.”

A whistle shoots through the air, drawing your line of sight up, and higher, to where the first firework blooms. It’s followed by a chorus of more multicolored lights, delivered from Naganohara Fireworks across the ocean. Perhaps one day, you and Kuni could visit Inazuma, or Mondstadt, or wherever else the wind blows. For now though, this sight is more than enough to captivate you.

The fireworks are fleeting, yet as you drink in the display of explosive lights, the moment seems to hang just a second longer for you to savor it.

Eternal, yet not. A long time ago, in a different place, Kuni had witnessed fireworks from your apartment window for the first time. Against the tempered glass, both of your reflections could be seen in tandem with the fireworks far away.

You’d asked him if he wanted to go outside for a better view, but Kuni had said this much was enough. Perhaps there was something about its beauty that deserved being admired from a distance - or, he might’ve seen similar sights from a beach in Inazuma, far from where the main city stood proud.

“...You know what? If we ever get separated, or if you’re the one who loses their memory - I’d fight to hell and back to make you remember again.”

“You say that as if I would forget.” Kuni replies, stating the loud implication as if it were fact. Maybe with his will, it might as well be.

“I’ll take that as a promise.” You lean against the balcony of the harbor, fireworks still going off around you. No one would know any better about an outlander being in their midst. “I’d have to annoy you day and night otherwise.”

Humans are horrible at keeping promises. “You’re lucky I know you.”

“And I’m glad that you do.” You smile, and it’s like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Whatever happens now will be up to the both of you; destination, purpose, or dream.

The last firework explodes before the moon, larger than life and resounding against the darkness.

Happy Lantern Rite.

(End.)

Ending notes: thank you so much for reading this far! It’s certainly been a journey while writing ‘Adopt a Wanderer’, and I hope ‘Reunion’ was a fun sequel to read!

My initial concept for the series was just this feel-good, comfy fic with Wanderer (who at the time was still called Scaramouche quite often, time flies…) Now that it’s officially ended, I’m allowing requests to be made with this series as its context! So if you want a more romantic spin on it, or certain moments/alternate timelines, feel free to drop it in my inbox and I’ll write them when I have time!

Following that, I’m also working on a fanbook version of ‘Adopt a Wanderer’! It’ll essentially be a compilation of the og series and this sequel, but more properly edited and featuring bonus content (plus some spot arts and a cover!)

If you’re interested in getting the PDF copy of the book, just check my pinned post for more info!

That should be all from me for now, and uh… to those that follow me for other characters, I swear I’ll get back to my normal posts soon. You can also drop requests for them if you’d like, according to my pinned post rules and etc. Hope you’ll all have a good day/night!

#genshin scaramouche x reader #genshin wanderer x reader #genshin impact balladeer #kunikuzushi x reader #wanderer x you #genshin reader insert #genshin impact writing #genshin x reader

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chickenkupo · 3 months

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Treasure Hoard

Summary: As Neuvillette returns from his spontaneous trip from Liyue and delivers some gifts to Wriothesley, the duke starts to notice odd things happening around their shared living space. More objects keep appearing in their bedroom, treasures that don't make sense to Wriothesley such as shells, trinkets, gemstones and even various different type of tea cups. He swears up and down he hasn't been the one to purchase any of these goods, and when questioning Sigewinne about it, she's just as lost as he is.

What exactly is going on, and why does Neuvillette seem so pleased with himself?

Recommendations before reading: This little short story is a continuation of I Promise and Now For the Next Act. But, if you don't feel like really reading those, just know that Wriothesley and Neuvillette are mates, and they live together in a little sanctuary in Fontaine that was created for Neuvillette specifically by the Focalors.

Also, I'd highly suggest playing through the Lantern Rite event. I did most of it tonight and it was amazing and the adorableness of Neuv and Wrio was just MMMMM.

Warnings: This is a tame work, a little cute fluff treat. I told ya'll I'd be keeping you fed the week of Valentine's, and I meant it, so take this as a little sweet treat for you all. A Tumblr exclusive, if you will. You all have been wonderful to me here, and I'm glad to bring some entertainment to your days.

NOTE: This has not been beta-read, and I'm literally just typing this up on the Tumblr page thingie so it's gonna be a mess, but we are going to have some fun.

Wriothesley scratched his head as he took in the sight before him. In their shared bed lied a copious amount of seashells, scattered in every direction. Some were small, others almost comically large, but all of them unique in their vast differences in coloration and patterns. In fact, a lot of these shells were ones that he had never seen along the shores of Fontaine before, so he began to wonder just where exactly did this come from, and who would have done this.

Okay, let's be real. Neuvillette would have torn up anyone that had dared crossed into their chambers that wasn't himself or Sigewinne. Wriothesley had already confronted the Melusine about this, thinking that this must have been some sort of prank against him after he told her about how much tea Neuvillette had brought back, as well as the stone slate that contained a legal codex. It confused the man at first, but taking into account how loyal Neuvillette was to his position and status, it took a moment or two for him to realize that such a gift from Neuvillette was a great thing. Hence, why he did make a little section of his office in the Fortress of Meropide to house it, something that he could stare at everyday to remind himself that he was always on Neuvillette's mind.

So, Wriothesley concluded the only logical answer was that for some reason, Neuvillette had began to hoard all sorts of trinkets he must have found on his now random outings. The duke and the traveler made sure to convince him to take more breaks and to go out and see the world as much as he can, and it looks like the mighty dragon took their words to heart and had started doing just that. Only, it seems that for some reason, Neuvillette had begun to bring back all sorts of things he found during his outings. The young man only prayed that Neuvillette would break out of this mood soon, but didn't mind allowing it for now, just as long as the dragon was happy on his adventures and seeing Teyvat for what it really was, in all of it's mysteries and splendors.

As much as he wanted to daydream about how his man would look during different locations, such as the grassy hills of Mondstadt, the electrifying peaks of Inazuma, or even how the Sumeru sun would reflect beautifully off of the elegance that was entirely Neuvillette, he had to bring himself back to reality.

This was all getting ridiculous. The shells on the bed covered it almost completely, and he had no real room to put them in, maybe some storage containers they had from where Wriothesley's belongings had to be moved once he began residing there. The duke sighed as he grabbed an empty container, getting to work and putting the myriad of shells into it, tired from the work of the day and just wanting to relax in bed for a bit for a quick nap. He made sure to keep the box of shells close by, knowing that it would crush the dragon if he had tossed whatever he had decided to collect.

Yawning, Wriothesley removed his coat and clothing, stripping down and getting dressed in a pair of simple black boxers, before he snuggled underneath the soft sheets of their bed. He had been craving a nap all day, no amount of tea drinking seemed to deliver enough caffeine into his body to keep him awake. Surely a small nap wouldn't harm anyone, right? Besides, if he slept in too late, he knew that Neuvillette would wake him up and demand attention from him in one form or another.

Yeah, a nap sounded pretty good right now.

As the young man started to awaken from his slumber, he began to stretch out his limbs with a loud yawn as he normally did, until both hands and legs seemed to crash into something, the sounds of various things falling off the bed as he continued to stretch out his limbs. This startled the duke who immediately woke up in a state of confusion, causing his limbs to turn and twist more, causing even more items to fall, crashing into the floor.

What the hell was going on?!

The man arose, being careful not to make anymore sudden movements until he could gather exactly what was happening. His eyes widened in further confusion and panic as he saw just how stuffed the room was now. Sure, the area where the water surrounded the bed was clear, but the pathway out of the bedroom and around the bed itself felt like some sort of ancient loot hall from a temple of old. Dozens of gold and silver trinkets littered the floor, statues and plates, necklaces and gemstones of various colors and details. There seemed to also be random boxes of tea scattered around, as well. Some were new boxes that Wriothesley had become recently familiar of since the Steambird's articles began releasing after the Lantern Rite event. Others seemed like old brews that were, at this point, probably more for show than for actual consumption.

There were other goodies laying about as well. Books that dealt with true crime or laws of old, scrolls that were in languages that Wriothesley was very unfamiliar with, but there was one thing that seemed to stand out to the duke. It appeared that the bigger gold and silver pieces were placed near or on the bed, as if he were the one that was sleeping in a treasure vault and taking joy in all of the splendors, the further away the goods were from Wriothesley, the less vividness and preciousness the items seemed to hold. It was as if Neuvillette kept his closest valuables towards Wriothesley, with the duke himself seemingly being the most valuable one.

As Wriothesley was about to get up and try to figure out what to do with all of this, he heard the door connecting the bedroom to the living room open, Neuvillette walking through with even more goods in his arms. This time, it appeared to be various fruits and wrapped baked goods, a large smile appearing on his face as Wriothesley took in the scene, a slight glare in his eyes.

"Neuvillette, what the hell are you doing?!" the young man growled out, still stuck in place as he was afraid to move and make anymore of a mess.

The dragon put the items down in one of the few free spaces still left, his eyes never leaving his mate, as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Oh? What do you mean? I saw how happy you were when you received those gifts from Clorinde and I, and I couldn't resist. I was awful before, never thinking to shower you in actual physical possessions, because of my ignorance and fear of leaving my position for any sort of leave. Now, however, I have all of the time in the world to make up for it. See, here even, I ventured out all the way to this bakery on the outskirts of Fontaine, the breads appear to be truly delectable, at least that is what Furina told me. Here, you can see-"

"Neuv! Honey, you don't need to do this you know!" Wriothesley uttered out as he shoved away the trinkets and treasures near him, so that he could create a path for himself to reach his ridiculous lover. Neuvillette merely paused, blinking in confusion as the duke wrapped his muscular arms around his dragon, hugging him tightly and sighing.

"W-Wriothesley?" the dragon questioned, obviously welcoming the hug as he began to return the favor, wrapping his own arms around the broad chest of the man, as best as he could.

"You can be such a big idiot sometimes, you know that? You know every law of the land, every crime with every punishment to match it, laws old and new never forgotten by you. But you just don't get the simple stuff sometimes, do you?" the young man asked, kissing Neuvillette on the cheek, which made the dragon blush, still blinking with questioning eyes.

"Listen, Neuv, love, I don't need all of these things. Sure a gift here or there is nice for anyone, but I never held it against you that you didn't really do that before. We're both busy men with schedules that drive us insane sometimes. Look, just being able to come home to you and spend time with you and being able to look into those eyes of yours every night before I drift off to sleep, and waking up to look into them too, that's the best gift I could ask for, okay?" Wriothesley relayed to his mate, in such a calm manner that it almost seemed like a whisper.

The dragon's eyes widened as he listened to his lover, holding him tightly as his mate continued explaining. In a shocking show, small droplets of tears started to form at the edges of his eyes, before a few started to roll down his cheek, which Wriothesley wiped away, smiling softly and understandably at his mate. As much as Neuvillette was such a stoic and strict man, Wriothesley knew that he was starved for genuine love and appreciation, and even though his life was forever changed by this man and his want to keep him at his side forever, it was now more of a blessing to him than a curse would ever be. If he now had an eternity to live, then he would spend every waking moment of it showing that Neuvillette is appreciated and loved dearly, in return.

"Now, let's try to clean up this mess so one of us doesn't trip and break our necks just trying to get out the door, okay?" Wriothesley chuckled, planting a few more kisses on Neuvillette's cheeks, loving the way that his man's blush would deepen with every kiss received.

Neuvillette merely chuckled as he smiled a most gorgeous, heartfelt smile that he had ever mustered, in all of his centuries of existence.

"Of course, my most precious treasure."

#genshin impact #wriothesley #neuvillette #wriolette #ao3 writer #ao3 #neuvillette x wriothesley #writing #tumblr exclusive #genshin fluff #genshin drabbles

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allovertheplace-writing · 1 year

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hi rosie!! its good to see your requests r open!! i would like to request some kazuha headcanons with a little kid reader, if possible, y'know, reader is a kid who's part of beidous crew, and they took a liking to kazuha ever since he became a part of that crew, and because of that, they always follow him around even when he leaves the boat to go on his own adventures and trips, y'know, just a fluff all around, i need a father figure in my life </3 thanks again, rosie! feel free to deny and remember to take care of yourself

Genshin Impact

Character(s): Kazuha

Genre: Fluff + Comfort

Type: Headcanon

Description: Father figure Kazuha? More likely than you think-

Warning(s): Gender-Neutral Reader, Child Reader, Familial, Minor Injuries(Scraped Hands)

Hi, hi, anon!! Thank you so, so much for sending this in it's literally so cute sslxndk (and the need for a father figure is very much felt-)

I hope you like it! Remember to take care of yourself too <33

You became his shadow for a short while, stepping in the shoe prints he left in the sand whenever he ventured from the Crux and bumping into the back of his legs when he stopped walking. Kazuha always knew you were following him so he'd purposely choose the safest paths - well, inherently safe paths. He hadn't thought you'd trip trying to catch up to him after getting distracted by a bird

He was by your side in an instant, however, reaching you before a tear even had the chance to fall. His hands were careful in holding your wrists and lifting your palms from the ground

"Hey...it's alright." The softness of his voice as he guided you to a nearby body of water soothed you and hushed your wails. He dipped a handkerchief in the cold water and dabbed it against your hands, washing the small pebbles and dirt from the throbbing scrapes

He carried you back after that, telling stories in an attempt to occupy your mind. Which worked to an extent. Tears still fell and the stinging of your skin remained present, but you were able to ask questions about each story without sobbing

After that, he began telling you stories to ease you into the gentle arms of sleep. Kazuha would visit every few nights and before, as well as after, his personal travels. Most of the time, the stories he told were made up, but he would still sprinkle some true events in every once in a while without telling you. Like how the protagonist in his Starborne Traveler tale played the zither with a man who followed the breezing wind and how another protag fled from his home to be free

Speaking of his travels...he always made sure to bring something back for you. Whether that was a flower he hand pressed or a book that could only be found in the region he went to. He'd bring back new bedtime stories too! Like this one about a group of new friends and three islands

During celebrations, he tends to be by your side or taking you ashore to experience it all. When it's the lantern rite, both him and Beidou head into Liyue city with you holding their hands between them! If it's a feast aboard the Crux, he'll eat near, and with, you and play some games as well

Over time, he genuinely feels like your caretaker; your father

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h0ney-mochi · 1 year

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MASTERLIST- things I've written

Current works/drabbles/scenarios/ect I've written! Also fyi, I've probably left some scenarios/ect in my tags, but they're not on the masterlist so

Some of my writing gets a community label WHICH FUCKING SUCKS ASS.. but I can't do anything about it ):

Smut/nsfw/suggestive (🍵) ;; fluff/sfw works (🍒)

— SCARAMOUCHE / WANDERER ⤵

"Admit it, it's jealousy." 🍵 → ao3 (sub scara, begging, praise, making out) Chapter 2 yet to release

7 minutes in heaven (unfinished) 🍵 (sub scara, suggestive, start of handjob, making out)

"Reward for good work." 🍵 (dom scara, oral (m!receiving), dacryphilia, reader gets called princess)

Scenario written while listening to Oxytocin 🍵 (dom scara, making out, degrading, biting, small mention of blood)

Random scenario in a bathroom 🍵 (making out, handjob)

Small snippet of Admit It, It's Jealousy 🍵 (sub scara, making out)

Giving hickeys to Scara /thirst/random drabble or less 🍵 (sub scara, biting, marking)

Missing your touch 🍒 — Scaramouche, Xiao (req)

Jerk off drabble, more or less 🍵 (sub scara, making out, handjob)

Fed up with scara /thirst 🍵 (sub scara, making out, choking)

Kuni comes across a scene in a book? 🍵 (making out, suggestive at the end)

You work in the fatui at a pharmacy, yet your assistants always end up bad, and he sees you throw them out! 🍒 (mention of readers' assistant making out with someone)

Reassuring Scara during it 🍵 (sub trans!scara, gn!reader, reader has a dick/strap-on, soft?) (req/from ask box)

He gets jealous when you spend sm time with Kaeya, so you fuck it outta him 🍵 (sub scara, gn!reader, reader has a dick/strap-on, degradation) (req)

He knows you're staring again 🍒 (req/from ask box)

Kitty Scara in heat and needs your help? 🍵 (slight somno, jerking off, 'kitty' nickname) (req)

Scara begs you to fuck him because you finished first? 🍵 (sub scara, biting, grinding, slight begging) (req)

Overstimulation as punishment! 🍵 — Wanderer, Xiao (overstimulation, marking/biting, blindfold, begging, dacryphilia sorta on wanderer's, reader shoves fingers in xiao's mouth lol, rather short scenarios) (req)

Scaramouche coming home from a 2month long mission to meet you humping a pillow, huh? 🍵 (soft dom!scaramouche, fem!reader/afab!reader, reader humping a pillow, some praise, fingering, riding, reader gets called good girl) (req/from ask box)

Supporting him from under the desk! ♡ 🍵 (all characters mentioned here are streamers lol, gamer!scaramouche / streamer!scaramouche, oral sex (m!receiving) / blowjob, semi-public (?) well he is streaming and also in a call, soooo—) (from ask box/req)

Jerking them off and praising them 🍵 — Scaramouche, Childe (dom!reader, sub!scaramouche, sub!childe, praise, jerking off ofc, short scenarios aaahhh) (req)

Oh, Dear Valentine of mine. 🍵 (sort of soft? scaramouche, top!scaramouche, bottom!reader, too long intro, it's just seggs bro) (entry for mutuals' collab event)

bratty!Scaramouche x soft dom reader 🍵 (bratty!sub!scaramouche, afab!scara, soft dom!reader, fingering, praise, mirror involved ig) (req)

Hc's/scenario of how Scara would treat you when you have your period 🍒 (fem!reader / afab!reader, reader is on their period, Scara's a little confused) (req)

Scaramouche finds you on the bottom floor, hiding from him bc you're experiencing brainrot sort of 🍵 (modern ?, not fatui, scara spits in your mouth, reader is down bad)

— ALBEDO ⤵

Edging/denial scenario 🍵 (sub albedo, edging, begging)

You wake him up, but he wants to help /idea 🍵 (slight somno (?), making out)

Calling Albedo for help in one of your experiments.. with a toy dick? 🍵 (sub albedo, toy usage, slight praise and degradation) (req)

—KAEDEHARA KAZUHA ⤵

Short Scenario 🍵 (implied sub kazuha, handjob)

— XIAO ⤵

You moan his name and he appears..? 🍵 (fem!reader/afab, masturbation, eating out)

Missing your touch 🍒 (req) — Scaramouche, Xiao

Sucking him off during lantern rite~ 🍵 (oral seggs (m!receiving) / blowjob, praise, semi-public (?)) (req)

You summon him on purpose while touching yourself 🍵 (afab reader, touching yourself/masturbation, Xiao goes down on you) (req/from ask box)

You give him a little gift for being so supportive of you! 🍵 (fem!reader/afab, idol!reader, sub!fanboy!xiao, soft dom!reader, praise, pegging, not too much nsfw tbh) (req)

Bodyguard!Xiao x reader 🍵 (sub!bodyguard!xiao, dom!reader, fingering (m!receiving), praise, dacryphilia ? well he kinda tears up ig) (req)

— TIGHNARI ⤵

He helps u relax after a long day! 🍵 (making out, soft sorta, biting)

— TARTAGLIA/CHILDE ⤵

Jerking them off and praising them 🍵 — Scaramouche, Childe (dom!reader, sub!scaramouche, sub!childe, praise, jerking off ofc, short scenarios aaahhh) (req)

— MULTIPLE CHARACTERS (in one)

Missing your touch 🍒 (req) — Scaramouche, Xiao

Jerking them off and praising them 🍵 — Scaramouche, Childe (dom!reader, sub!scaramouche, sub!childe, praise, jerking off ofc, short scenarios aaahhh) (req)

— IMAGINE WHOEVER?

Drabble, more or less 🍵 (sub character, dom reader, suggestive. Character in mind: scara)

Drabble, more or less [2] 🍵 (dom character, sub reader, nsfw. Character in mind: kazuha)

—> Others are yet to appear !

#☆°• ☆ writings #☆°• ☆ navigation

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ridl · 8 months

Note

Gen question what made u ship ganqing so much?

Great question! Prepare for an essay tho hhhh

I played Genshin at launch but got bored quickly and stopped before I even met Keqing or Ganyu. I learned abt their existence thru fanfics, while looking for some wlw fiction to read. “Cornerstone” in particular is a fantastic fic that was being updated at the time. The author put a lot of care and effort into treating those characters seriously, and fleshing them and their dynamic out, which the game generally fails at.

Their dynamic just instantly captivated me. The way they went from being at odds, with their clashing beliefs, to reaching a mutual understanding. To caring abt each other. And it was never just pure hate, but something much more complicated and nuanced.

Back then it was just voicelines abt each other, and both characters had barely any screentime in general, but it was interesting enough of a basis. I started playing again, missed Ganyu's og banner but was lucky to win my 50/50 on Keqing's once-in-a-lifetime limited banner lmao. And the more I learned about them, the more I liked them.

I not only love ganqing, but I also love both characters individually, their personality, story, design, gameplay, they somehow just have everything that’s interesting and appeals to me.

Keqing is the Yuheng of the Qixing, meaning one of the leaders of the country, approved by Rex Lapis. She’s very pro humanity and believes that humans should fare for themselves, rather than rely on the archon. Not many ppl dare to think this, much less say it to Morax's dragon-adeptus face during the rite of descension. So she’s seen as controversial and disrespectful, and Ganyu as a devoted follower who worked closely with Rex Lapis for thousands of years just doesn’t understand Keqing. Rex Lapis absolutely approves of Keqing’s belief, and Ganyu cannot comprehend it no matter how much she respects and trusts him. It’s a very interesting conflict, that eventually gets resolved, giving us the basis of their potential romantic relationship.

Keqing and Ganyu are both very devoted to Liyue, so they’re both similar but also different. They complement each other. Keqing with her modern approach, quick and efficient, straightforward and bold. Ganyu with her old approach, with her opinions and strength hidden, not very straightforward. A confident human who knows what she’s about, and half-qilin that feels lost between the two worlds. But after Morax’s passing, they manage to find understanding, they go thru character development now just in terms of their relationship, but also them individually, and in relation to Morax. They can change each other too. They can learn so much together, from each other. Keqing how to be more patient and deal with uncertainities, while Ganyu how to be bolder, voice her opinions more and just live more for herself.

Ganyu is no longer bound by her contract, but she remains with the humans. She’s working alongside Keqing, in this new human era of Liyue. And while their limited screentime is locked behind time-limited events, it really shows that change, it shows how they care about each other. It shows Keqing’s relations with the adepti and how interesting it is considering her beliefs, and especially with Ganyu’s mother figure.

You could technically just sum them up in popular tropes like “enemies to friends to lovers”, "mortal x immortal" or “opposites attract”, but I think it’s so much deeper than that. I find ganqing's relationship very interesting and unique bc of their personalities, relations with each other and other ppl as well as their country, the setting, their stories, their identities, the conflict and character development they go through.

The game only gives us crumbs, but it also gives so much space and potential for this pairing. It’s never fully explained how it all changed between Ganyu’s voiceline how she started understanding Keqing a little, and their interactions in moonchase/lantern rites, where they’re clearly on very good terms. But I think that’s fine. It gives us freedom to truly flesh them out. Genshin’s storytelling is pretty crappy in the first place lol, so I think it’s cool to just take the interesting ideas, and make something much greater out of it.

And if you’re interested, ganqing related links:

Some fic recs (limited to canon setting): - (Chuminder has written 4 fics that are technically seperate, but they work very well as a series so i recommend this order) Blue the Color of a Goodnight, Cornerstone, Taproot, Passage - Heartbeat of the world - In the wake of - She, with the scent of flowers and lightning - A Better, Brighter Light

My chaotic compilation of bigger and smaller crumbs, including some stuff abt those characters individually:

It’s just things I find interesting, or that could be used in describing their dynamic and relationship, or just official images. They’re underrated characters, both by the fandom and the game itself imo.

Also an excellent thread, with similar idea and better screenshots (lol) i saw on twitter: https://twitter.com/gqlovebot/status/1672183539973111808

#ask #ganqing #imma be real i don't think i'm very good at expressing my thoughts but hopefully this is good enough lol #i forgot to say this but ganqing likers feel free to add to this post in a reblog or tags if u want

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that-foul-legacy-lover · 1 year

Note

OMG YOU FOUND HIM IN THE VIDEO?!?

I was afraid they didn’t put him in at all! :O

I guess it makes sense though? He’s not part of this event, but he’s still a prominent character in the game, so I was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t chilling with anyone. :/

BUT THEN I REMEMBERED (no offense, Childe my love) he literally doesn’t have any friends 😭 Like all the harbingers lowkey hate him and he lowkey hates them back. He’s only really interacted with Yoimiya, Xinyan, and Zhongli?

Like Yoimiya and Xinyan definitely aren’t that close to him. They kinda just hung around him because he was in an event with them? Then he’s only friends with Zhongli, but it doesn’t make sense for them to hang out because Zhongli was hanging with the other archons.

But then I tried thinking about who he COULDVE hung out with and???

It’s not like with Albedo and Tighnari, they were clearly hanging out because they’re both intelligent and we’re probably talking. Or like with Itto and Cyno, they both share the common interest of playing Genius Invokation TCG.

Like no one who was there would really wanna talk to him? 😭 Even though he seems so easygoing, he has NO friends :(

Sorry, Childe brain rot. I love this funky ginger man. I’m sad that he has no friends 😭 He needs a hug and maybe a kiss… AND MAYBE A PARTNER WHO WANTS TO CUDDLE HIS FLUFFY LEGACY

Okay sorry again, brainrot over XD

okay place your bets everyone, which Pyro lady will Childe befriend next? my bet's on Yanfei because she's cool

oh oh oh but this is making me remember a brainrot i had a couple days ago- reuniting with Childe during Lantern Rite

hear me out, you're from Liyue and met him when he was stationed to do Harbinger duties, and you ended up spending a lot of time together, eventually falling in love. Childe adores you so much and wants to spend the rest of his life with you, but after the Liyue incident and Osial getting summoned he’s shipped off to Inazuma so he doesn’t cause more unrest- the other Harbingers don’t particularly like him, except maybe Pulcinella, and you can’t exactly go with him since the Harbor is your home

so tearfully you say goodbye to Childe and Foul Legacy, because you love them both and they love you, too

Childe sends you letters as often as he can, but it’s difficult since he’s trying to keep you a secret- people knowing you’re the Eleventh Harbinger’s lover could very well put you in danger. it hurts missing him this much, your heart breaking into pieces whenever you’re alone, but you have to stay strong because you know he’ll return eventually, when work permits him to

he promised to return by Lantern Rite. he promised

Childe’s gaze trails across the Harbor, seemingly admiring the lights and ribbons that decorate every door, but in truth he’s only looking for one person- you. it’s been so long since he’s seen you in person- Archons, how long has it been, exactly? too long, and both he and Foul Legacy know that. his heart thumps erratically in his chest, strangely nervous- would you be angry with him? worried about his time oversees? he couldn’t deny that he didn’t love when you fussed over him, but your fretting and fear broke his heart

or perhaps you’ve just forgotten him by this point- he wouldn’t blame you for it

“Childe!”

and there you are, standing a few feet away and staring in awe, like you didn’t truly expect him to show up. the Harbinger simply smiles, a soft, gentle smile reserved only for you, and opens his arms. in a few moments you’ve dashed over into his embrace, squeezing him tightly and fighting back joyful tears as he chuckles, hand already petting your hair

he’s back- he’s back and he’s with you, and you’re reunited

you drag him away somewhere quieter, out of the crowd in case anyone recognizes him but also because Foul Legacy is chirping insistently in the back of his head, wanting nothing more than to take control and wrap his claws around you for the first time in months- the Abyssal monster is even clingier than Childe, and the moment you’re alone there’s a burst of Electro, Foul Legacy towering over you

to anyone else it’d be terrifying, but you simply beam and press your cheek into his gentle palm, reveling in the happy croons and purrs that slip from his mouth. with a quick sweep Foul Legacy holds you in his arms, head pressed against his chest so you can still admire the fireworks. your hands wind into his lilac fluff, idly petting and combing it with your fingers as you stare up at the sky, happy and content

and Childe and Foul Legacy are finally home

#genshin impact #childe #tartaglia #foul legacy #foul legacy childe #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #chit chat #anon #sorry this got super long i just have so many thoughts #running up to childe and jumping into his arms after months.... yeah #and foul legacy holding you so gently and just eating up the affection #the night definitely ends with you snuggling on your bed #foul legacy wrapped around you and your ear pressed against his chest #aaaaaaaaheheheh #short scenario #other's stuff #FAVE

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violetsareblue-selfships · 5 months

Text

good morning!! :3

#more companion quests ^^#though with the banner's ending soon i doubt I'll get blade this go around #unless i get very lucky #aside from that #i started working on the xiao fic i wanna have done by the end of the month! :3 #preferably at the start of the lantern rite event for this year but so long as i post it during lantern rite I'll be fine #also i'm considering a few new f/os to add #i'd need to come up with tags (and/or a backstory for some) but yeah #but literally one of them i've been considering since may so i need to just do it lol #especially since he's starting to have the same amount of photos saved on Pinterest as one of my actual f/os #like i feel that's a sign lol #anyways #i hope you have a good day/night! <3 #morning rambles

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kiliinstinct · 10 months

Text

Of Rumors and Almond Tofu

Series: Genshin Impact Pairing: Aether/Xiao ( m/m ) Rating: T for Teen - slight spice at the end but its super minor Setting: Canon Setting - During Lantern Rite 2023 A03: [ link ] Connected to This Art: [ Tumblr Post ]

I said I was going to Post for Genshin and now I finally am! I have literally been on and off working on this one-shot since February. @genavere beta'd it for me. (Bless her confused soul, she's never played the game and had no idea what was going on.)

Enjoy! - fingers crossed tumblr doesn't make the text goofy

---

The multitude of colors and decorations that collectively dressed all of Liyue Harbor during the Lantern Rite never failed to fill Aether with a childish excitement that thrummed inside his chest. Even being his third year visiting for the Rite didn’t diminish the wonder he felt each time he took a glance at the MingXiao lanterns.

Unfortunately, with circumstances as they were, the Traveler from another world found himself blind to the world around him—face buzzing in an embarrassed heat—distracted by his thoughts for most of the afternoon. The Funeral Parlor was his destination, but heavy footsteps took him in the opposite direction. In his absentminded haze, he moved towards the fishmongers instead, struggling to process the morning’s events.

He could hear Paimon titter behind him. Commenting on the details of the City decorations, waving towards the denizens who excitedly welcomed them back. Aether paid them no mind. Not deliberately, but the citizens of the harbor were used to Paimon speaking for him by now.

“Is he doing okay?” Aether vaguely recognized a voice that might have belonged to a Millellith guard as they passed. Rather than respond, he trusted Paimon to wave the man off, chirping her eager reply. “Oh, he’s fine!”

His shoulders relaxed. Yes, he could leave it all to her while he mulled over his actions at Mt. Aocang. How could he have assumed his time at the Rite wouldn’t end in complications one way or another?

His clung to him like a second skin, still damp from the cool waters of the morning. The face of disappointment Xiao had fixed upon him affixed itself in his mind like a blaring sign. How humiliating … Aether bit back a whine of shame. How was he going to face the Vigilant Yaksha again?

He briefly wondered if he could offer Paimon up as a sacrifice. A silly thought he knew wouldn’t pan out. Not only would Xiao refuse, but it would only serve to tease his floating companion. A terrible, vindictive part of his mind thought the prank would do wonders for his mood. Was he feeling petty that Paimon’s dubious plan to feign drowning had turned out so horrible? Yes. Yes, he was, but he knew better than to place all blame on her small shoulders.

After all, he could have said no.

“It’s really not a big deal.” He heard Paimon speak to one of the kids who often played Pirates with her friends, and caught the tone of mischief too late to interrupt, “He’s just upset because his crush had to save him from drowning, that’s all!”

What.

Aether stopped mid-step. Finally registering just how far from their targeted destination they were. In the course of five seconds his heart sank to the pit of his stomach and bounced right back into the back of his throat, choking him of any and all words.

“Oh, Mister Traveler has a special someone?" Little Lulu’s eyes glistened in wonder. "That’s so nice!” “Yup!” Paimon laughed, eyes twinkling, appearing unaware of the danger lurking behind her as Aether gawked, fingers twitching at his side. “But don’t go telling anyone else. He gets really embarrassed about it.”

He sprang into action, grasping the back of her clothes and yanked her back to his side. Mind working overtime to form the words that spilled from him too fast for his mind to keep up. “Paimon! What are you doing?”

If she was put out by suddenly losing her free flight, Paimon made no comment, opting to laugh behind her hand instead. Her eyes glinted in amusement, “Just fielding questions. You weren’t responding to anyone so Paimon did it for you. Like the best traveling companion should, you know!” Aether couldn’t be bothered to respond, frantically looking back to Little Lulu, but it was too late. The girl had already run off to join the two boys she played with, shouting enthusiastically at them without a care in the world. His earlier humiliation bloomed again and he noticed the surprised expressions of her friends as they glanced in his direction. He rounded on Paimon in consternation. “Who else?” He demanded. Paimon had the audacity to look confused, “Hm?” “Who else,” he asked again, teeth gnashing together. Aether desperately wanted to stay calm, but was failing, “did you say that to?”

“... not that many.”

“How. Many?”

Rubbing her chin, Paimon hummed in thought, eyes glancing to the sky and all around them as if taking careful stock of every interaction she’d held within the past hour or so. “Including Little Lulu, just a couple more? Maybe three? I’m not sure, Traveler, you’ve been ignoring people quite a lot today.”

His expression was anything but amused. How distracted had he been? The morning was full of conversations, planning, and the gentle hope they could solve the mystery behind a mystical savior. Not only had they learned more about the old Adepti of the Past and the relations between them, he had also visited Madam Ping with Cloud Retainer, hoping to breach the subject of her music without touching on the old wounds of the past. All in all: he was exhausted and still had much to do before the concert that night.

Ignoring the embarrassment of Xiao dragging his body out of a lake with Shenhe worriedly looming over the two of them, Aether felt the day had been full of social interactions. Could Paimon really blame him for being lost in thought?

Though, now that he had a better look of his surroundings, he couldn’t help feeling sheepish. “Zhongli has been waiting an awful while.”

“Oh, yeah. Paimon tried to get your attention about that, but you were so lost in thought that you paid no attention when Paimon tugged at you!” She circled his head, lips pursed in the tiniest of pouts, huffing. “If Paimon wasn’t so understanding, Paimon would demand you make it up with a grilled Tiger Fish!” Aether blinked, mystified. Was his thoughts on Quizhong’s life and Xiao’s expression of worry that distracting? Clearing his throat, he turned his back to the gentle, harbor waters, quietly hoping he could claim the heat of the sun was the culprit for his flustered face. “We should go then, before I make you into Tiger Fish, instead.”

“H-Hey! Why would you say that to Paimon?” “I can think of a few reasons,” He muttered, patting the top of her head, “Telling people I have a crush is certainly at the top of the list.” “Please- It’s not as if anyone is going to remember” She scoffed, dismissing him, “the Lantern Rite is tonight!”

Aether made a mental wish to the stars that Paimon was right.

She wasn’t.

Not by a long shot.

In fact, Paimon had been so wrong that by the very next day, with the sun barely rising and the lantern rite winding to a close, Aether thought he had misheard the local gossip. During the time he spent with Ningguang in the Jade Chamber, he was made all too aware of how fast rumors spread from the citizens of Liyue. Even Beidou’s warnings of the Qixing keeping watch on his comings and goings rang in the back of his mind like a siren.

Despite this knowledge, he wasn’t prepared for the offhanded statements that followed his every move. They flew about him in all directions well into the afternoon.

“That’s the traveler, isn’t it?”

“It is!”

“Didn’t you hear?”

“He almost drowned yesterday.”

Aether never considered spending his attention on the background noise, all too accustomed to it after the last few years. He felt a stutter in his heart when that embarrassing reminder came back to snipe at him.

So, they heard of his fake drowning attempt after all, albeit a little inaccurately.

“Doesn’t he know how to swim?”

“Of course he does, but things are strange at the Karst…”

“Is that why he was saved?” “By who?” “His lover!”

If he had been paying less attention, he would have toppled right off the pier and into the sea. Instead, he choked loudly on his own spit, face flaming a brilliant red as Paimon tittered around his head, fingers covering her mouth to hide her surprised squeal.

“Um, P-Paimon never said you had one of those!” She squeaked incredulously when Aether fixed her with his horrified gaze. “Wow, they really goofed it up, didn’t they?”

He couldn’t manage a reply. The words were gone, frozen in the back of his throat while fingers twitched and apprehension spread through all his nerves. Shut them out. It’ll blow over in a day or two. It had to. Right? Resisting the urge to throttle Paimon for the cough she faked to hide her laughter, he made a hasty retreat to Wanmin Restaurant for breakfast.

An impossible task with whispered rumors and curious, mystified expressions following his every move. The rumors grew more exaggerated from person to person and Paimon failed to dissuade a few onlookers from spreading their overdramatized versions.

It was too late.

The world loved its gossip too much to be convinced of the misunderstanding. He could only quietly thank Chef Mao for allowing him to eat his breakfast in peace inside the kitchen, rather than stand among the crowd that couldn’t shut up about his non-existent love life.

Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from hearing tidbits each time a customer called upon the Chef for a tasty order..

Paimon had to choke back peels of laughter when they heard the list of ‘suspects.’ No one received a name, thankfully, but that left each new gossiper a question with no answers.

Who was the traveler with? Ningguang? (“Can’t be, she wouldn’t be in Jueyan Karst during the Lantern Rite, would she?”)

Perhaps the Yuheng, Keqing? (“She never left the harbor either!”)

No, obviously Ganyu. (Aether hid his face in the palm of his hands at this one, quietly distressed.) Yes, Ganyu had become the popular choice among the many and Aether desperately hoped she’d be far too busy to catch wind of it.

How could he explain this to her? Let alone anyone else? And keep Paimon from eating her foot any further than she already had while he was at it.

“Well, at least they were smart enough to realize Ganyu had been with us yesterday,” Paimon interjected between bites of her mostly finished breakfast. “Those other options were so far from the truth though. Talk about crazy. Paimon wonders what they’d do if they knew it was Shenhe and Xiao who-”

“Paimon.” His voice pierced through her rambling, far more intense than the roiling, desperate emotions simmering inside. The desperate stare he gave his floating friend was enough to snap her mouth shut, effectively cutting her off..

“Sorry,” she amended, voice lowering a few notches as she floated beside him. “But, you have to admit, it’s crazy. They’re not even getting the gender right…”

Aether said nothing, letting his expression do the talking for him.

He would thank his lucky stars that Chef Mao knew to be discreet, despite being a bystander to this conversation. When they left, the Chef sent them off with a cheery wave and a box full of jade parcels and lotus crisps to snack on.

Paimon was ecstatic with the gift and Aether wouldn’t be surprised if they were all consumed before lunch.

Leaving the Harbor until the evening was the best way to save Aether from the crowd and it’s ever growing rumor mongering. By the time they’d escaped to Pervases’ temple, the gossip had grown so out of hand that Aether wasn’t sure what it would evolve to upon his return. Paimon continued to chitter her apologies, claiming time and time again that she never expected her jab towards his ‘crush’ to explode as it had.

“It’s not even a crush,” he groused, setting incense at the temple while laying out a freshly grilled Tiger Fish in honor of the long-gone Yakshas. He treasured the peaceful quiet of the hall Wang Ping’an happily kept his distance, keeping watch at the door for more visitors. (Aether doubted more would come. The temple was always depressingly empty when he visited.) He ignored Paimon’s dramatic roll of her eyes and clasped his hands together in a customary prayer pose.

Oh, whatever well wishes I give you now, Pervases, he thought dismally, please find a way to swallow Paimon up with me when these rumors take me out.

Paimon barely took the time to perform her own prayer, swirling about Aether’s head in agitation. “Oh sure, not a crush, you say, as if Paimon would believe that!”

Tune her out, tune her out!

“You were practically tripping over your feet when he pulled you out of the pond yesterday and don’t think Paimon didn’t notice you pouting when he left.”

It was getting harder to ignore her.

“You looked like a kicked puppy who was denied a treat-”

“I did not!”

Paimon’s expression was smug, staring at him through her lashes as she floated superiority over him. “And the blush on your cheeks is because…?”

His blasted body betrayed him by growing hotter at the question. He cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the Adepti monument, shoulders slack as he gave up. What use was there in lying to Paimon, anyway? She’d been by his side for so long, she was bound to pick up his tells. Almost as much as Lumine could rat him out…

Aether sighed, defeated. “It doesn’t matter, anyhow,” he muttered. “That’s a road better left empty.”

A crush? Certainly not. Whatever feelings he’d bottled up inside his heart for the last three years had grown far deeper than that. In the expanse of his own mind that twisted and turned around every possible mystery of Teyvat, all in his attempt to reunite with his sister, even Aether couldn’t lie to himself for too long.

Xiao had certainly slotted into a place in Aether’s heart that he never knew existed. And in time, he couldn’t pretend it wasn’t there. A strange relationship that teetered back and forth along a thin wire. There was a tension between him and the Conqueror of Demons. A tension Aether couldn’t put a name to. Whether he fell or not, there was no knowing what falling off that wire would do to him.

In fact, he was determined not to find out.

“Is it because you don’t think he feels the same?” Paimon cut through his reverie, slowly drifting to his side rather than staring down her nose at him. “Because Paimon thinks he looked really worried and upset yesterday so maybe he -”

“Paimon.” Aether’s stare was pleading. “Please, stop.”

“Oh- ok.” Her voice dropped to a tiny, disappointed whine. “Sorry.”

He knew she meant well. In fact, the thought of him holding feelings for another must have sparked an idea into her head well over a year ago. What reason would he have to leave Teyvat in the end, if he fell into a relationship, after all? She must have taken his broiling emotions as a sign of weakness. A sign he could be persuaded to stay, but it was better not to hold onto false hope.

That’s what he told himself.

Besides… muttering a final prayer to Pervases, Aether turned to leave, content to enjoy the outdoors until dinner with Hu Tao. He wasn’t certain how many the Director had invited, but the prospect of seeing old friends at a - hopefully - peaceful supper, helped ease his worries.

It wasn’t as if Xiao would try and keep him here. The Yaksha had his own duty and that didn’t include convincing otherworldly beings into staying once their own was completed.

That thought was enough to sober Aether from the many rumors of the Harbor. He took in the air, smelling the sweat flowers and mints in the area as they soothed his aching heart.

This world was beautiful. He would never stop thinking that. Even when it was nothing more than a memory. With that thought in mind, Aether was positive he could tour the harbor once more, enjoying its festivities no matter what rumor trailed behind him.

A lover? Pfft, let them talk. Let them wonder. He knew the truth of it and that’s all that mattered. Even if the truth sank into the pit of Aether’s stomach like a pile of cor lapis.

Aether would begin questioning all his decisions the moment he set foot in Xinyue Kiosk for Hu Tao’s big dinner plans..

Meeting all his friends in one place for a free dinner was more than enough to bring Aether joy and Paimon’s own squeal of delight. To sit alongside Xiangling, Chongyun and Xingqiu brought a light feeling to his chest and the sight of Hu Tao and Zhongli strengthened it. While they had seen the latter two only a day before, the prospect of a friendly dinner was enough to ease most of his worries.

It didn’t matter what rumors still spread through the harbor. Earlier, he overheard a couple mention him ‘slipping’ into the water with his supposed ‘lover’ for a moment of intimacy. A mental image that made his face grow redder than the tomatoes sold nearby.

How much crazier were these rumors going to grow before the townsfolk became bored?

Aether’s friends, young and old, seemed none the wiser, or at the very least, saw fit not to bring it up over dinner. A fact Aether would forever be grateful for. At least, that’s how it should have gone, but the appearance of Xiao sent Aether’s mind into overdrive. Hu Tao’s mysteriously proud grin was the precursor to a meal he never expected. After refusing to enter the Harbor the previous Lantern Rites, seeing him a day after the traveler’s poorly executed ‘drowning’ attempt, set his heart thudding against his ribcage. Not only was the Yaksha willingly in the harbor during Festival Season, but he’d been ushered to sit beside the other as if that had been the plan all along.

The assumption wasn’t too far off. If Hu Tao’s knowing smirk was anything to go off of.

He felt his body turn to stone, heat rising along his neck at the proximity between them and he desperately hoped that Xiao’s penchant to ignore mortal matters would keep him far away from those embarrassing rumors. The adeptus always had a strong presence, not just from his inhuman energy, his intense gaze and stance always drew Aether’s attention. Now, however, it was difficult to keep himself from watching Xiao through his peripheral vision. The strong want to study his profile left Aether struggling to swallow, forcing his gaze ahead of him to keep his calm facade. “... is this, okay?” He was surprised, stunned out of his thoughts when Xiao’s pointed question struck him down with the faintest hint of insecurity. His confusion must have been obvious as Xiao, eyes averting back to the table, made a grumble of frustration toward repeating himself. “You are tense. I wondered if my presence was bothering you.”

Oh.

“No-!” Aether snapped, voice far louder than he intended. Gulping down as much water as he could manage, he ignored the raised brows of his peers and shook his head enough to feel dizzy. “It’s not that. I’m actually really-” Really what? Pleased? Excited? Flustered over nothing? Aether looked to Paimon for help as the words became sludge in his mouth. Her answering grin was sinister and he knew he made another mistake.

“The traveler is actually really happy you’re here, Xiao!” She hid her mischief behind her hand and giggled, “It’s almost like one of his wishes had been granted-”

Oh, if he wasn’t going to turn her into food yesterday, he certainly was now. The glare he shot her was seen around the table, and he could feel the knowing, if perplexed expressions of the others who witnessed the scene. Zhongli, ever the silent observer, sipped his tea and turned his golden gaze towards Xiao instead, but Aether noticed the slight curve of the former Archon’s lips; and felt his lungs constrict further. Oh stars above, he knows. Maybe he should have skipped out on today's dinner and called it an early night. Maybe he should have taken on an extra commission or a-

Xiao’s pointed stare froze him. The golden glow of the Yaksha’s eyes filled his shoes with cement before the gaze turned towards Paimon, and gave the briefest nods in acknowledgement to her.

If Aether hadn’t been lost in his horror, he might have noticed the slightest hint of red dusting the tip of Xiao’s ears, but he couldn’t attend to that. Instead, he swallowed thickly, watching as Xiao considered his companions' words and resumed his stare at the table. “Hmm,” The non-committal grunt said so much and so little at once. It made him want to scream. “I see.”

The awkward tension in the room shattered like glass and chatter erupted around the table once more. Aether spared Paimon of a rueful glare in lieu of sighing in relief. It was easier to fall silent and listen, all while buzzing from the very presence of Xiao by his side. Talking was difficult and observing the other’s conversation removed all pressure from his soul. The respite was welcomed. Though it did not last long as chaos incarnate, the winds of Barbatos himself, saw fit to crash the party. If Aether had known he’d be in the presence of not one, but two Archons that evening, he would have mentally prepared himself better.

Venti was a whirlwind of trickery and slid himself into the gathering with ease, as if he’d always been there. Upon his windy entrance, blowing open the doors with a giggle, the sudden tick at Zhongli’s jaw spoke of a quiet irritation. Hu Tao’s sudden interest in the new arrival gave Aether the strange feeling that the funeral parlor’s director was all too aware of the true identities of the feigning mortals at the table. A matter Aether tucked away to explore later. Much later. When there wasn’t the Lord of Anemo and Geo vying for most passive aggressive compliments the world of Teyvat had ever seen flying over his head. If Aether hadn’t known any better, he would have sworn Venti and Zhongli were divorced lovers.

The mere thought made him cough back an amused snort that was waved away when Paimon sent him a questioning glance. The ‘I’ll tell you later’ went without saying. He’d rather enjoy the chaotic chatter while it lasted, enjoying his meal and observing the others around him. If his eyes happened to stray one too many times towards Xiao, he pretended not to notice.

“Uhh-“ Though, noticing the stiff poise of the Yaksha beside him, perhaps it was a good thing he kept his attention on him. Xiao kept his hands under the table, fingers fidgeting at each new barb the Archons threw across the table. Each lie to cover up their identity made his body tense, as if becoming petrified wood would save him from the conversation.

“I- uhh..” Xiao struggled to interrupt the onslaught of passive aggression, shoulders tensing by the second.

Aether frowned, and realized Xiao was not enjoying this. Brows furrowed together before he made a decision. It wouldn’t do to chase Xiao off from functions like this in the future. Anything to help the Yaksha relax and settle into the banter.

With a careful glide of his hand beneath the table, he grasped Xiao’s twitching fingers with his own. The speed in which Xiao’s eyes flickered to him made the Traveler wonder if he’d made a mistake, an apology already formed upon his lips.

But Xiao didn’t withdraw. Citrine eyes stared intently for a moment, as if looking for Aether’s inner thoughts. Coming up with nothing, he glanced to their adjoined hands before giving Aether’s an experimental squeeze, fingers sliding between his own. Aether had to bite back the surprised exhale that ran through him.

‘Are you okay?’ He wanted to ask, but that would garner everyone’s attention, breaking the spell weaved between them. Instead, Aether smiled and resumed eating. Almost like a child, Xiao’s grip tightened, ignoring the meal in favor of watching the others.

Like Aether, Xiao observed, but unfortunately, Aether’s actions were nothing more than a bandage for an issue far deeper than nerves. Venti and Zhongli were still in the limelight, spreading their flowery language from person to person. Even Hu Tao joined in, eyes glittering in mischief.

“Ah such lovely compliments my guests have for each other on this fine day.” The director curled her lips as she eyed everyone over the rim of her glass. “It’s so nice to see everyone getting along.”

Something in her tone spoke a different language to Aether. A niggling instinct that pricked the back of his neck, whispering tiny assumptions about Hu Tao. There was always something about her and the way she looked around the room that hinted to a knowledge vastly greater than she let on. Alarm bells rang as he witnessed her excited eyes glance from Zhongli to Venti, enjoying their banter like an afternoon play. It was a wild thought, Aether realized, but maybe the only ones unaware of the Archon’s identities were the other three guests, watching the spectacle in stunned silence.

Paimon’s excited squeal and Xiao’s grip becoming tighter yanked Aether from his reverie. His flying companion had received seconds in the form of Xiao nudging his plate to the side and spared no second to curb her enthusiasm. The interruption gave way to more chatter along the table, pulling the attention off the archons for a short period.

“While I’m not partial to it, one could almost feel elated enough to have a glass of wine,” Zhongli said, taking it as a chance to once more explain how he was truly the one honored by everyone’s presence that day.

Venti jumped upon the self-indulgence without a second thought. Sitting straighter in her seat to hold his cup in the air, ignoring how tea splashed from the cup. “This MUST be a great occasion, indeed, for one as esteemed as yourself, huh?”

Aether held back the urge to roll his eyes. Paimon didn’t.

He registered a shift in the man next to him. The tension was back and the Yaksha’s grip was crushing. Xiao had reached his limit.

“I- I uh, I think-" It felt wrong, Aether decided, watching as Xiao struggled to put words into sentences. Words were difficult. He understood on a deeper level than most, but this was new territory. Attempting diplomacy when forthright honesty was more his style. Before Xiao could finally put his thoughts into verbal communication, Aether struck.

“Wow, I have eaten WAY too much,” he chirped, glancing at Paimon as he made a show of patting his stomach. The action released his hand from Xiao’s, causing the Yaksha’s eyes to widen and arm jerk from the motion. Ignoring Paimon’s confused hum, mouth still full of fish, he turned back to Xiao, “I think I need fresh air. Come with me?”

If anyone needed it. It was Xiao. Who eagerly accepted the out, eyes worriedly searching Aether for any further sign of discomfort. Convincing Paimon to stay behind was a harder task. Her shock and betrayal garnered everyone's attention, making his face grow heated. He couldn’t blame her. After what happened in Sumeru, how could he? The Sabzeruz Festival was not so easily forgotten. Not half as easy as what was erased from Irminsul at least.

With a few well thought out words, and some added help from the others, she relented with a threat to eat his food along with her own if he took too long. He smiled fondly at her, patting her head as he left the table. A lost meal was a consequence he was willing to take.

Now that the opportunity was made available, Xiao was too oblivious to his ruse. The Yaksha stood by the double doors, arms crossed and shoulders so tense, Aether feared he’d turn to stone. His fingers tapped against his vision as barely contained impatience brimmed in the bright gleam of his eyes. He all but ran out the door the moment Aether swung it open, reveling in the fresh air and sunlight that greeted them.

“Are you all right?” Xiao demanded as soon as he was paced away from the building, posture far more relaxed now that they were free of everyone's gazes. “I should be the one asking that,” Aether replied, an eyebrow raised in concern. Somehow, words were easier when it was just the two of them. Simple. Upfront.

Xiao’s eyes couldn’t stay focused, glancing from Aether’s face, before they swept around the street, eyeing every passerby as if a demon hid amongst them. When he deemed their location private enough, Aether witnessed the tension slowly bleed away as the seconds passed. Not to the extent the Traveler would have preferred, but it was something. He sighed in relief and was content to wait as Xiao answered, opening a line of conversation that was more relaxing than the cacophony inside.

When it came to conversation. Xiao was often short lipped, but time after the Chasm incident must have changed him. With his willingness to speak of matters of the past and his own discomfort, it was clear their previous meetings had opened Xiao’s heart more than anticipated. A welcome surprise that created a gentle smile to cross his face.

Unfortunately, relishing in the light conversation Xiao provided was not an easy task when beside one of the busiest roads in Liyue Harbor.

“Who's that with the Traveler right now?”

“That can’t be the one, can it?”

Aether cursed as a couple passing by whispered far too loud to keep their conversations secret and a mortified heat began to creep along the back of his neck. Oh no. No. No. No. Not now.

He trailed off lamely, distracted from their conversation. He assumed Xiao would notice and think something was wrong, possibly assume the worst, but curiously, the adeptus tilted his head, eyes gleaming in confusion. Something had caught his attention. Enough for his eyes to rove over the crowd on the streets before fixating back on what was now a very disgruntled traveler.

“... What is- “ Xiao tested the words on his tongue as if his question was foreign to him. “Traveler, what is dating?”

At that moment, Aether wished he could curse in all the languages he’d heard in his travels, but he didn’t have the time to recall them all. Or the energy to speak them. What had Xiao heard to ask that? Aether worked through the palpitations of his own heart to consider the question, mouth running dry as the words jammed in his throat.

“Why-?”

No, dumb question. Xiao didn’t ask about human customs much, questioning it now may cause him to withdraw entirely. Aether didn’t want that, did he? “You don’t-,” a moment of insanity passed through him as he wished Paimon had followed along after all. She could handle this question better than him, right?

Then again, catching the stares of a Millellith soldier across the road made him grimace. Never mind. Paimon would definitely have made everything worse. “You haven’t heard the term before?”

That.. was a safe response.

He hoped.

Xiao considered the question, nose scrunching in a way that made Aether’s heart twist. The curiosity the Adeptus held for humans despite his claims otherwise endeared Aether to him each time he was blessed to witness it. Despite the embarrassing context of the question, he clung to the visual to hold in his memories for later. Just as he had with all previous interactions he had in the past.

“Mortals talk incessantly,” Xiao said after a few beats of silence. “Perhaps I have heard it before, but I never bothered to pay it any mind. The customs of mortals are… odd… to me.”

Somehow, that answer was very… Xiao.

Aether grinned, “Have you heard of courting then? Suitors?” What other words could he think of that may ring a bell… Aether was about to explain in further detail when recollection lit up in Xiao's eyes.

“How uninformed do you think I am?” He snapped, clicking his tongue derisively.

Once upon a time, Aether would have suspected annoyance, but the hint of red he spied at the tip of Xiao’s ears spoke more to the truth than any words the Yaksha could say.

“A mortal passtime to find a lover and pass on their legacy through their progeny. Of course, I know what that is-" He paused blinking. “Ah, so that is dating.”

“Words change over time,” Aether stated, still amused by his obvious discomfort.

“Ridiculous.” The retort came swift like a gust of wind before Xiao’s attention pulled back to the crowds behind them. His silence became a palpable curiosity that filtered through in muted measures. Aether wondered what was going through his mind in that moment, but chose not to ask. Whatever it was, Xiao would ask if he wanted. Something spurred the Yaksha to grumble, words muttering under his breath that Aether couldn’t catch. Watching him through his lashes, Xiao frowned, a strange irritation filling him. “So, then you -"

After a few seconds of no follow up, Aether broke his silence. “So, I…what?”

Xiao shook his head. “Nothing. Just forget it.”

Silence befell them. When Aether realized Xiao wasn’t going to continue, he cleared his throat, thinking back on their earlier conversation. Steering the topic back a few paces would be ideal and the more he looked down the street, witnessing the onlookers slowly grow in number, the more Aether regretted his decision to escape the others in the first place.

But something was bothering Xiao now, he could tell. Xiao’s gaze flickered from the street and back to him, brows furled together in thoughts that he refused to verbalize. Had he heard something else? The Traveler couldn’t be sure, but just when he had a mind to ask, the door to the kiosk swung open and both their gazes met Xiangling’s as she approached, lips bitten insecurely.. “Sorry!” She said swiftly, her smile felt out of place, far too timid for the cook’s usual expressions. “Am I interrupting anything?” “Not at all,” Aether answered in reflex, barely catching the quiet ‘tsk’ that escaped Xiao. This was the perfect change of topic. Already the tension from before bled away as if it never existed. “Were we taking too long?”

And off the conversation went with Xiangling beckoning the two back inside. Though, Aether made sure Xiao gave his due thanks for Xiangling’s efforts in bringing him an almond tofu, and winced when Paimon’s despondent waiting was brought up. As irritated as he was over the whole rumor debacle, he truly hadn’t meant to leave her alone for so long. Not since the Sabzeruz. He still remembered her terror at being left behind. It was a horror he felt in his bones and understood all too well.

Perhaps now was the best time to end their conversation, either way. They’d been invited to dinner. It wouldn't do to avoid the whole thing now, would it? Aether was certain Xiao would fare better a second time around and with the night still young, he wanted to bask in the social atmosphere a little longer before finally considering the years Lantern Rite officially over.

When all was said and done, Aether could honestly say he never expected Xiao to invite him back to visit at Wangshuu Inn. “If you have need of me, call my name, but-…come to the inn, if you’d like to talk more.”

Somehow, it truly felt as if Xiao had changed. The events in the Chasm had opened the Adeptus in ways Aether could only dream to witness. Not obviously to most people, but just enough for Aether to feel as if he’d stepped through many doors that had been locked tight before.

“Maybe those rumors will get it right now.” Paimon huffed that evening, stuffed full from the dinner and finally alone with Aether once again. “You two stayed out and away from Paimon for so long, everyone should have a good guess at this rate.” Aether cleared his throat, facing Paimon with a deadpan stare. “You get a pass. Just this once.”

Eyes lighting up in mischief, Paimon giggled, ecstatic, “Really? What’s the occasion?”

“It’s my apology for making you wait so long.” He ruffled her hair as he teased her. “I couldn’t believe it when Xiangling said you’d hardly touched your food. Maybe you’re sick? Is something wrong with my emergency food?”

“Oooh! Paimon’s had it to here with you! Paimon deserves more than one pass for that, mister!”

He laughed. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could put the gossip behind him. They were bound to die out the further from the festival it became after all, and he didn’t have the energy to stress over it further.

With the sun fading below the horizon, Aether decided that after all was said and done, it was an almost perfect night. This world may not be his, but in that moment, he felt just a little bit closer to home.

Xiao’s offer wouldn’t be taken for another two days when Aether found himself in the area, exhausted from a day of commissions and curiosity burning in his veins. Would Xiao be there waiting? Or would he come to chat if called? It was enough for him to decide to stay for the night before making his way back to Sumeru. There was some time yet before he would travel to the region Fontaine, so there was no reason he couldn’t make a few more detours, right?

“Three Hundred… Four Hundred… Five- “ Counting his recent payments, Aether’s eyes lit up, “Five hundred mora! Add that to the rest of our funds and we should have more than enough to stay at the inn. No camping tonight!”

“Didn’t we already have enough before you were paid? You’re practically a workaholic, you know,” Paimon said.

He shrugged, smiling unapologetically, “And I never hear you complain each time another bag of mora comes our way, do I?”

Paimon didn’t bother denying it and pouted instead. Their back and forth would continue all the way to the Inn, with Aether falling silent partially through their conversation, settling into their usual pattern.. If he were honest with himself, the Lantern Rite had burned his ability to socialize to an almost non-existent flame, and he relished Paimon filling the air with her chatter. On days like this, he could forgive her of the embarrassment days prior.

After all, rumors from Liyue Harbor wouldn’t spread this far out into the Dihua Marshes. Of that, he was as certain as he was of the sun rising each morning.

Skipping the elevator of the Inn, Aether prolonged Paimon’s prattling by climbing the stairs; enjoying the wind as it whistled through his braid, the view as the sun gleamed across sparkling waters, and the sounds of chatter from the many guests chattering throughout. Second to Mondstadt only, the locals of Wangshuu Inn never failed to fill Aether with a calm peace.

It was a source of security, anchored down by the presence sheltered at the rooftop. A fact Aether refused to admit outloud, and certainly not in front of Paimon.

Lantern Rite had been good to the Inn. Approaching the main Lobby, they spied Verr Goldett surrounded by a line of customers. Catching the gleam of Aether’s golden hair and Paimon’s crown, she waved pleasantly to them; her smile crinkled the edge of her eyes before she turned her attention back to her waiting guests. There would be no conversation just yet, but that was okay. Aether wasn’t worried about finding a place to sleep. The Boss Lady of Wangshuu Inn always had a room available to him when asked. It was a mystery he never quite understood how she managed to do it. “Okay!” Paimon’s voice shrieked closer to Aether’s ear than intended, pulling him from the unsolved riddles of the inn.. He flinched, ears ringing, but Paimon paid that no mind. Sadly, he knew it wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last. “Paimon is going to see Yanxiao for some food, you go on without me.”

Aether blinked, one foot on the stairs to the upper balcony and the other grounded in place. Raising one brow, he observed his Fairy companion silently, uncertain of her motive. Hadn’t she been angry at him for leaving her behind just a day ago?

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at Paimon like that. You wanted more time to talk to Xiao, right? Paimon will join you later.”

Something about her tone raised alarm bells in his mind, but he couldn’t put words to it before she held out her tiny hand, expectant.

“But-”

“Bag please!” Her smile was devious. “Paimon has to pay for our meals somehow and you keep all the mora on you.”

“Is this your way of sneaking yourself an extra helping without supervision?” Regardless, the small bag he’d saved from the day was snatched from him as soon as it was offered.

“Paimon will make sure there’s still enough for a room, don’t worry.”

Aether couldn’t resist. “Too late.”

“Oooh,” she seethed, opalescent eyes sparked in anger. “Go up and see your Adeptus boyfriend already!”

With her loud exclamation, Paimon shot her way to the kitchens, leaving Aether flustered and frozen in place as every eye in the lobby turned towards him.

Oh no. Not again! Paimon, I swear to all Archons who hear me and beyond, I am going to EAT you one day!

Noticing the all-knowing eyes of Verr Goldett on him, Aether attempted to wave off the eyes with a sheepish smile. Already he could hear the quiet murmurs spreading through the crowd.The Boss Lady of Wangshu Inn understood his quiet plea, lips curving in comradery.

“Come now, who's next? My husband won't be back for a few more minutes, so allow me to assist you.” Beckoning for the line to move on, her voice rose above the chatter, calling attention towards herself as she laughed. “As if an Adeptus would be at my inn of all places. Could you imagine?”

And that was enough to break through what Aether could see as an all-new rumor spreading. Verr Goldett was true to her job, keeping the mystery of the rooftop—and who lived upon it, as secret as the day she’d met Aether. The ‘gentleman’ of the balcony would not be named and she made sure all visitors knew better than to ask. Feeling ashamed of their eavesdropping, the nearby guests cleared their throats and looked away, keeping their chatter to themselves. Relieved, Aether mouthed a tiny ‘thank you’ from the stairs and resumed his trip up, two steps at a time. He didn’t miss the glitter in her eye. No doubt, she’d expect a return favor in the future. That was a problem for the future, he decided, and quietly he vowed to make Paimon help when the time came.

The highest balcony of the inn never failed to leave Aether breathless. The view of the marsh and distant mountains gleamed with the waning sunlight with stars already beginning to sparkle above. The skyline of the towering peaks of Jueyan Karst and the lonely mountain, Dragonspine, framed the view from left to right. Ginko leaves scattered about the wooden deck, flowing with the wind around the lone figure watching the land below him. Aether gawked, stunned by the silhouette, illuminating Xiao’s outline, as flecks of teal reflected the light in his hair.

For the first time in months, Xiao had waited for him. Aether’s mouth became dry as he struggled to greet the other, but there was no need. Even with his back turned, Xiao knew who had come to join him.

“So,” he began, head barely tilting to acknowledge the other, “you came afterall.”

Words tumbled off Aether’s tongue in a rush, “Didn’t you invite me?”

Xiao hummed in confirmation, gaze still piercing the clouds above them, watching as another star began to shine. Aether took the opening for what it was and crossed the deck to stand by Xiao’s side. His own gaze struggled to choose between watching the scenery or admit the profile of his companion.

“Then, why wouldn’t I come?” he asked when the wind ceased and the rustling of the tree above them came to a halt. Xiao answering blink gave Aether all he needed to know, cracking a grin as the Adeptus slowly accepted his reply. “You come when I call, don’t you?”

“That’s-!” Xiao paused, catching himself before his tone resumed its careful, quiet timbre. “That’s different. I promised to protect you.”

His smile grew. “And we agreed that it was time to let friends take care of their friends.” He chuckled as Xiao broke his gaze to stare towards the trees, the hint of an ear tip dusted in pink peeked from behind his hair. “What sort of friend would I be if I ignored your invitation?”

“I-” He cut himself off.

“Yes…?”

Xiao sighed, the barest hint of a smile curving at the edges. “I still don’t understand you.”

Mirroring him, Aether leaned against the railing, enjoying the gentle breeze that weaved through his braid. “Then I’ll just have to keep visiting until you do.”

It was easy to talk or fall into companionable silence, after that, something Aether always appreciated. Words weren’t easy, especially in Teyvat. The language had proven difficult and confusing when he’d first began his journey. Xiao’s ability to listen and enjoy the moment without words was a small reprieve. Once upon a time, Aether knew the Adeptus would have disagreed with the sentiment, but he wasn’t so good at hiding his true emotions anymore. That or Aether had learned to read him easier. The slight hint of a smile, the soft tone of his voice as he wistfully encouraged him to speak or be silent. It was a small comfort. One Aether relished. He could only hope Paimon would stay in the kitchens, bothering the cook for all the food she could muster. Perhaps, she’d eat until she was too tired to join them, dozing blissfully in a corner by the innkeepers.

Just the thought made Aether giggle, catching Xiao’s attention and breaking the silence between them. He recalled a time when the Adeptus admitted to wanting to know all of Aether’s experiences in an attempt to learn and understand more about himself and mortals. This thought could be added to countless others as their conversations often began anew and moved on to so many topics he could hardly remember them all. But just when he was about to settle in to speak of his recent adventures in Sumeru, Aether finally noticed the small two-tiered box to the side, sitting beside one of the potted plants. “What's that?” He interrupted his own thoughts, head tilting to point out the curiosity. Xiao didn’t bother to look, already aware of what was around them. “Almond tofu,” he said, voice monotone as he raised a brow. Aether considered this and scrunched his nose. “That’s like.. Two servings more than you usually eat.” He pointed out. Xiao hummed noncommittally. “I .. still hadn’t finished what Xiangling made for me,” he admitted, glancing to his feet in a way that brought to mind a guilty child. “But then Yanxiao made my usual amount and I… I couldn’t eat it.”

The mention of the chef made it all clear. Of course. Yanxiao wouldn’t have known that a different cook all the way from the harbor had made the Adeptus an offering. Following routine explained the extra portions and the traveler made a decision. Breaking away from Xiao’s presence, he brought the tiered box to him. “Well, it’s only going to go bad if you keep leaving it out here so-”

“You should have some too.”

Aether froze. “What?”

There was a careful expression on Xiao’s face. Jaw tense, head tilted just enough to keep the shine of his citrine eyes from revealing any thoughts in his mind. If it were any other person, Aether would have sworn they were nervous, but Xiao.. nervous?

“You don’t have to,” he said a beat later. “I just…Thought we could share. You can tell me more of your travels. I’ll listen.”

Nothing else needed to be said. It was an offer that Aether was more than happy to take.

Opening the tiers, he found spare chopsticks inside—silently noting the extra pair, but spared Xiao the embarrassment of being called out, and pulled them out. Handing one tier to Xiao, Aether sat his own share against the bannister and hummed pleasantly when he popped a piece of the textured pudding into his mouth. Sweet, but not overly so- with a sticky syrup that clung to his tongue. …with a…bit of spice? “Xiangling made this one, didn’t she?”

Xiao nodded, absentmindedly eating his own. “I didn’t dislike it. But it is different.”

“Not bad.” Aether agreed, but mischief seized him a second later as he added, “I like the one you make best though.”

Xiao uncharacteristically choked, grunting as he looked away again. He was doing that a lot lately, Aether noted. And he thought he caught the phrase ‘yours is better’ pass the Adepti’s lips, but couldn’t be sure. Laughing at his successful mission to fluster the mighty Yaksha of Dihua Marsh, he popped another piece into his mouth.

“You grow less timid each time we meet,” Xiao stated, keeping a careful gaze on Aether as they enjoyed the dessert together. “Do you speak to your lover like this, as well?”

And just like that, Aether felt the entire world drop out from under him. His own bite of almond tofu lodged itself in his throat as his heart threatened to burst from his chest and attempt to fly off to worlds unknown. Coughing, he thumped his chest a few times to calibrate himself, not noticing when Xiao stepped closer, setting his own plate aside in concern. “Lover?” He gasped through another bout of coughing, eyes wildly searching Xiao’s for an explanation. “When have I ever- what…why would I-”

Somehow, Aether just knew, this was all Paimon’s fault.

“Traveler, are you-” With a hand raised, intent to possibly slap Aether’s back to help stave off his choking, Xiao reconsidered the action and watched the coughing subsided, his brows knitted together, perplexed. “Did I hear wrong, then?”

“Hear what?” Aether pressed, covering his face to hide the assured blush splashing across his cheeks and burning down his neck. He couldn’t face Xiao, not like this. Shame filled him. So smooth a second ago, only to have it torn from him by an almond tofu assassination attempt. “Please. Explain.”

“It…” Xiao paused, considering his next words, eyes whirling in quiet anticipation. “At the harbor. I heard… many things. The people there are convinced you have a lover. Are they mistaken?”

“Yes!” The embarrassed groan that escaped Aether could be heard across the marsh, hand smacking into the almond tofu, knocking it from the railing as it clattered to the balcony below. He’d have to apologize to Goldett later. “So…you...you heard all that?”

Xiao blinked, head tilting in a curious way that Aether had to ignore lest he be distracted by the cute action. “They were very loud about it. Did you not?”

Aether nodded, too flustered to voice the words in that moment. Of course he had. He’d hoped a silly Adeptus wouldn’t pay it any mind! “Ugh, I did, but- it was Paimon’s fault. She said something and rumors began to spread and I just-”

“Ah.” Realization gave Xiao pause as Aether trailed off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Anxiety gripped him, uncertainty filled his lungs and he felt, in that moment, that he needed to leave. To hide. Camp outside. Anything other than feel Xiao’s gaze as he processed this development.

But he couldn’t. Not now. Not like this. Not while Xiao stared at him with a molten gaze that glued his feet to the deck.

The tension in Xiao’s brow relaxed by the second as a sudden curiosity gripped him. His own plate was set aside, much more elegantly than Aether’s and he approached the traveler with a caution befitting an animal observing its surroundings. Once within the other's proximity, Aether’s mind shut down when Xiao’s gloved hand gripped his own, tugging it gently from his face.

“If I’m not mistaken,” he began, voice low and considering, “while often false, rumors also grow through seeds of truth.”

Jaw slack, Aether gaped, the words whirling through his mind struck greater than a hurricane, but not a sound escaped. Nodding vaguely, he nervously gazed from Xiao to the potted plant behind him, examining the giant green leaves and the intricate designs along its holder.

“Then…did you…” Conflict flickered in Xiao’s eyes and Aether noticed the signs before the Yaksha would often deny his own questions and leave. Despite the fast rate of his heart and mental shrieking, Aether felt the panic rise in his throat, the impending urge to ask him to stay boiling on the tip of his tongue. The flicker of doubt passed and Xiao pressed on, unaware of how it continued to rob Aether of his voice, “Feign drowning again, despite my reprimand?”

A second passed. Then another. Aether blinked in time with his own heart, puzzled. “Why would I have—I didn’t.” Had he missed a step somewhere? Xiao’s train of thought was moving quicker than his own, unable to focus. “Why-”

“If you hadn’t, Traveler,” Xiao continued, voice darkening with an edge Aether only heard when he was serious. “Then one could only assume the so-called lover that saved you was not, in fact, a mystery person, but myself. Correct?”

Aether’s mouth went completely dry and what blush he had quickly faded as the blood rushed from his face. He felt a chill down his spine, crawling along his arms down to the very tips of his gloved fingers. Another nod and he felt foolish. Why wouldn’t the words come, now when he needed them?

And why was his hand still firmly grasped by Xiao’s? He couldn’t think straight. And the intensity of Xiao’s narrowed eyes, glowing from the low-light of the sunset, made his skin crawl in ways he couldn’t begin to explain.

“What is the truth?” Xiao spoke again, pulling Aether from his derailed and panicked thoughts with a gentle squeeze of his hand to ground him. “What did Paimon say to cause such bold claims?”

The dam in Aether’s lungs burst and before he could control himself, he answered. “I-I know it’s ridiculous to consider us together like that, but don’t be too angry with Paimon. She’s just full of mischief.”

His eyes stung, but he blinked it away, pressing on in hopes to ease whatever wrinkles Xiao foresaw. “It was my fault anyway, I was so ashamed from worrying you that I left her to talk to everyone for me and she told only a few people that my crush had-”

He paused, eyes widening as he looked to Xiao, whose expression turned blank through his ramble. Aether couldn’t read it. Not this time. Wait, did Xiao understand what a crush was? “I’m sorry, I’m not making much sense-”

“You’re right. The thought of us together in a romantic capacity is ridiculous.” His voice was sharp, measured, but Aether felt as if acid had been flung at his face. He winced as Xiao’s grip tightened. “What an unnecessary passtime, spreading falsities over mere hearsay.”

Everything shattered. Aether’s bones. His very heart. He felt it cracking into millions of pieces. It wasn’t difficult to damage an already broken heart, desperately searching for the one person who could patch it back together again. Lumine’s absence always felt like knives when he stopped to think, to consider the implications throughout his journey and now… his throat felt swollen, robbed of breath: broken all over again. Xiao was always harsh when he wanted to be. His words sharper than daggers when he made a point.

Don’t cry, Aether. Not here. Not now. He smiled a watery, broken grin, eyes blinking repetitively as his arm hung limply between them. Calm down. Don’t act as if you’ve been rejected when you weren’t even going to ask-

There was no masking Aether’s reaction. No time. His emotions were out on his sleeve, dangerously hanging over the edge. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d allowed himself to be so close to others until this world, and now every reason he and Lumine agreed not to in their younger days came spiraling back to the surface, screaming ‘I told you so’ repetitively in his mind. “Hah, y-yeah…Well, it’s just how we are.”

His voice was hollow, hoarse even, struggling to mask the tumultuous tsunami encompassing his entire being. Inside, he was tumbling down and further down, but his body didn’t move. Neither did his hand. Xiao’s grip was still strong.

Xiao’s grip… Aether focused on it, blankly recognizing that despite the Yaksha’s words, his actions spoke differently. No longer meeting Aether’s eyes, his attention grew fixated on the bits of syrup clinging to his glove. In a moment of insanity, he realized Xiao must not have seen his obvious change in tone, a chance to bar his heart again. Lock it away and mask himself as he’d done before. Smile. Smile, Aether. Everything will be fine if you just smile.

Contradicting the storm brewing in the traveler’s heart, the wind gently pressed against the two: soft and strong as it whistled through the branches above. The view of the night sky was a brilliant kaleidoscope atop the Wangshu Inn, but Aether couldn’t attend to it. Not now, when his gaze fixed firmly behind Xiao’s shoulder, desperately blinking back the emotions that threatened to drip. If he could manage to look unaffected, perhaps everything could revert to normal, but Aether wondered, amidst his mental struggle, what was normal?

To stand back. Keep his distance. Treat Xiao as a weapon? No. The mere thought elicited an immediate rejection. Aether could never, not even when they had first met. Even then, he was in awe of the adeptus. Xiao was the perfect mixture of belonging to the world, yet standing outside of it. Untouched by the world's changes as he valiantly struggled nightly to defend it. How could he see him as anything less?

“Fascinating,” Xiao’s voice broke through Aether’s spiraling thoughts, his grip tugging and lifting his hand towards him. Swiftly, Xiao shattered Aether all over again as his tongue swiped a patch of syrup from his glove, tasting the syrup. “You should remove this before it stains.”

What. Aether couldn’t keep up, face blooming a brilliant red before he could catch himself. Covering his face, he met Xiao’s golden gaze, piercing into his own and struggling to breathe.

“X-Xiao,” He choked, wrenching away his hand before another rug could be swept out from under him, “You really sh-shouldn’t -”

“Hm? Shouldn’t what?” The Yaksha blinked, considering his prior actions, and his own ears dusted a light pink. “Ah. Am I making you uncomfortable?” The space between them grew and for a wild second, Aether almost pulled him right back, but grasped the railing instead, grounding himself.

Yes, he had to admit, he was very uncomfortable, but not for the reasons Xiao would think. “I’m fine! You just, can’t… well, if anyone saw, then those rumors would …”

Aether glanced towards the balcony entrance, relieved that no set of eyes could be found looking on upon them. Paimon was keeping her word, giving Aether space and the inn residents down below off to their rooms to prepare for sleep. They were as alone as they could be and Aether wondered if he preferred that over the alternative. His body was hot and broken, a confused combination that struck a headache behind his eyes.

“Are you ill?”

Aether cursed as his broken movements were finally observed by the other. Shaking his head furiously, Aether turned his back on the other, leaning over the railing to judge the distance of the deck below, carefully considering a route to escape. He couldn’t go far, not without Paimon, but if he moved quick enough he could-

Xiao was beside him before he could move further, hands hovering over his shoulder with eyes wide in alarm. Aether could see the way his hands wavered, questioning his own next move and, once upon a time, he would have found the action endearing, but now guilt settled in his gut and he swallowed back an embarrassed whine. “Traveler are you trying to-”

No. No. Don’t ask. Don’t-

“Aether.”

He froze, the earlier panic settling in his bones melted away at the sound of his name. Unspoken in the world for so long, unsaid by voices he desperately wanted to hear. The memory of the chasm, the desperation he felt at Xiao’s sacrifice and…A whisper of his true name to a world that would never know it.

Xiao kept his promise to hold Aether’s name in secret, to allow just one person to recognize who he truly was. Funny, how hearing it sent his heart soaring and crashing down all at the same time. He was frozen in place far better than any elemental reaction could achieve, glancing back at Xiao in earnest.

Xiao had called for him by name. Xiao had..

“Xiao?”

The Yaksha looked upon him in trepidation, eyes glancing to the rail and back to Aether again. His expression was near unreadable as he crossed his arms: creating a barrier between them. Aether knew the action, something Xiao would never admit, but often used to keep the space. Recognizing this obvious sign of Xiao’s pushing him away, he swallowed the desperate whine that threatened to escape him. Despite the multitude of emotions broiling through him, Aether read the Adeptus loud and clear: Xiao was conflicted.

The Yaksha in question considered his words carefully, striking eyes never leaving Aether’s as they wavered between unspoken words, fingers clenched tightly as he sighed, frustrated. “I told you. Speak my name, Adeptus Xiao, and I will be there for you.”

Aether blinked. What was Xiao getting at?

“Likewise,” he continued, brows furrowing. “You said that heroes can take care of each other…that I can rely on my friends.” Realization slowly came to Aether, sensing the direction Xiao was taking them. “So then… if something is wrong. You can tell me…unless you are trying to spare my feelings?”

“It’s not like-” Words died in his throat as Aether tried to explain himself, but what could he say? He was stuck, lost in the murk of his own, confused, tired emotions.

“If my Karma is affecting you then just say so.” Xiao finished and everything exploded. Aether couldn’t take it any longer, biting back a humorless laugh as he shook his head, wildly flinging his braid behind him as he went.

“You think that’s- Xiao, no. I’m fine. Really.” He pushed, urged the Yaksha to look beyond his Karma. It was slow progress, one he had seen with each visit, but he couldn’t let Xiao believe his actions had anything to do with the darkness that threatened the Yaksha’s sanity every day. At Xiao’s disbelieving expression, he pressed on, “I was embarrassed, Xiao. You really shouldn’t just lick syrup off of anyone like that-”

Xiao’s retort was as swift as his polearm, “Why would I ever do that to just anyone? Is this another mortal thing I’m unaware of?”

Aether was dying inside. The awkwardness was too much. Far too much. “It’s not something casual friends would do, Xiao. People - not just mortals- can and will take it the wrong way.”

At Xiao’s deafening silence, he felt the nerves crawl up his back and he shivered, unable to stop himself now that he started. “You know the rumors? If it’s so ridiculous for us to be together, isn’t performing something that could be misinterpreted as intimate going to muddle things up?”

Something lit in Xiao’s eyes and the Yaksha looked away, throat clearing as he gazed at the stars as if looking for some answer to a mystery that couldn’t be solved. “Humans believing a Yaksha deserving of a mate… a significant other, is ridiculous. Much less with a traveler who must journey onward and leave them behind.”

How many times could one have their breath stolen from them? Ice cold, metaphorical water, dumped itself over his shoulders, eyes widening at Xiao’s reply. Too many words wanted to sail through him all at once, but the winner came out, ringing clear as a sunny day and forceful. “Karma or no Karma, Xiao, you are more deserving than you give yourself credit.”

Like going in circles. How often had Aether thought the same thing about himself? He was on a journey, his sister and the mysteries of the abyss his top priority. How could he have time to romance? What happened after his journey? There were too many unknowns, too many questions, but to hear those same worries from another was surreal. He’d given too much of himself to Teyvat already. His time. His care. His strength, and to Xiao, he gave his name. A part of him would always be here, there was no escaping it, but Aether would be damned if he let Xiao continue to think himself unworthy of anything.

Ignoring the broken pieces of his heart, he breached the barrier of Xiao’s crossed arms, pulling them apart despite the Yaksha’s confused grunt. There was a brief second where Xiao tensed, refusing to move, before giving in and letting him close the distance, almost furious in his attempt to hammer the self-doubt away. “Yan Fei is half Adeptus,” He rambled, thinking about the harbor's legal consultant, “She’s proof that a non-human can be with another."

Xiao attempted to interrupt, but Aether shook his head, pressing on. “A Yaksha is different. I know. Believe me, I know, but…isn’t she still proof that it’s possible? Those with visions can be around you, Xiao...you don’t…You don’t have to be alone. You can be with someone. Anyone.”

He laughed, hollowly, knowing he was pushing through so many barriers, and it was crazy how his earlier feelings of rejection came second place to ensuring Xiao understood his own worth. Distantly, he realized his fingers were squeezing into Xiao’s forearms with a force strong enough to bruise a normal person, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. Not just yet. Not now.

“And Xiao…” He continued, voice filling in with a tone of finality, “Anyone-and I do mean anyone- would be honored to be chosen to stay by your side…if you wanted it.”

He clenched his eyes shut. Waiting for the scoff. For Xiao to push him back, to disperse into the anemo particles he controlled and leave him there, empty and alone.

Yet, none of that happened. Xiao’s earlier grip returned, mirroring Aether’s hold. A blush of heat and warmth spread over his cheeks, realizing the Adeptus had closed the distance, stepping closer as a soft press of lips brushed along his skin. Not wanting to break the spell, to open his eyes and see reality, Aether held in a breath and waited.

Seconds ticked by, but the presence never left and Xiao shifted, muttering against Aether’s ear, “...Am I allowed to want, Aether?”

Aether recalled a time when Xiao had claimed to have no desires, no aspirations, nothing. This question wrapped the pieces of his heart together and shattered them all over again. So many things about Xiao caused Aether a pain he couldn’t describe, often pushed back in response to other, pressing concerns. And yet those simple words left him weightless, arms wrapping around Xiao to hold him close, to bury his nose into the Yaksha’s shoulder, shaking from the force of his emotions. Was he allowed? How cruel this world could be, to leave someone so afraid of their own wants that they must ask to receive them. “I can’t give you permission. No one can. It’s your choice, Xiao. It always has been.”

Xiao was tense, uncertain where to place his arms, hesitantly they rested against his waist, allowing Aether to pull him tighter in, unaware of the way Xiao melted against him.

A monumental shift had begun between them, one that left Aether breathless and unsure, but there were many things he didn’t know. That didn’t matter. As a traveler, he loved to explore the unknowns and this, this was as unknown as anything else in the world. To him and Xiao both. But the way Xiao’s next question put another piece of his heart back into place made Aether almost lose his footing. “Am I allowed to want you?”

Perhaps those rumors wouldn’t fade away, after all. Perhaps they were about to find a new addition to stoke the flames instead. Aether expelled the air he was holding inside himself and knew the question for what it really was. They both knew the end of his journey was full of unknowns, they both knew he might choose to leave one day and yet - he tightened his hold and laughed through the tears welling in his eyes.

“I thought I was the one who asked dumb questions. He sniffled and blinked back the moisture, refusing to cry into Xiao’s shirt. “You can want anyone, but, is it okay for me to want, as well? I still haven’t brought Lumine back, and my journey is far from over, but-”

A shock of pain shot through Aether’s neck and he belatedly realized Xiao had nipped him with a sharp fang, effectively silencing him. The action was so strange and new that he couldn’t figure out where to begin.

Satisfied by his silence, Xiao withdrew, eyes blinking owlishly as he examined Aether’s red-rimmed eyes. “Your questions are just as ridiculous as always, Traveler. Are humans not allowed to love, even if their goals lead them far away?”

Aether wanted to argue that he wasn’t half as human as many thought, but the argument was cut short, interrupted by the Yaksha pressing their foreheads together, eyes closed. “You can’t promise you’ll stay, just as I can’t promise my karma won't take me eventually. This is… fair enough.”

And it was, Aether realized. It really was. It would take time to process the whirlwind of a conversation they’d just gone through, but in Xiao’s arms, that didn’t seem too daunting a task. For now, they had the time, and the night was still young, with rumors still freshly spreading throughout the inn as Paimon finished her meal and blabbered on to Verr Goldett about one thing or another.

Looking back to the night sky, he sighed, feeling a secure safety wrap itself around his heart, a certainty that despite all the unknowns of the world, he could at least have this. Xiao, just as silent, but comfortable, joined his gaze upward and sighed. “Perhaps,” he said after a time, voice breaking through the atmosphere of their shared emotions, “we can continue our earlier conversation. You said you had many stories about Sumeru. Could you tell me?”

Aether’s answering smile made his cheeks sore, but his eyes glittered in the starlight. And if their conversation continued well into the night, to be spotted by a few onlookers from the decks below for more gossiping rumors to spread along the harbor and beyond…

So be it. Aether couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

#Genshin Impact #Xiaother #Aexiao #xiaoae #Xiao #Aether #Traveler Genshin Impact #Lantern Rite #Lantern Rite 2023 #Paimon #Paimon is a lil shit in this and I'm not sorry #Xiao (General Alatus)#Genshin Impact Fanfiction #Fanfiction #My Writing

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yuniemaki · 1 year

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Character Study: Ningguang, the Eclipsing Star Part I

The biggest secret in Liyue, is not a secret in of itself, but Ningguang, who herself knows all the secrets of Liyue.

Liyue knows her by many names: the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, the Lady of the Jade Chamber, socialite, ruthless businesswoman whose wealth is unsurpassed in all of Teyvat, Liyue's most beautiful and unsolvable enigma.

Fast-forward two years of Genshin, however, and while the titles still remain, we as her friends have witnessed her being more often than not simply "Ningguang". In this essay we'll attempt to chart her character arc over the last two years in chronological order, her relationships with her inner circle (most notable is Beidou, who brings out a lot of her character), and where this puts her now before the beginning of 2023 and our third Lantern Rite in Liyue.

A/N: Events will feature both EN and CN dialogue due to translation nuances. The Archon Quests, for the most part, were translated accurately.

Archon Quest Chapter I: Act I - III

When we first meet Ninggguang, she appears aloof, mysterious and cordial. Traveler observes that she certainly doesn't lack in ambition.

We also get a sense of her power in Liyue - from the Jade Chamber to the intelligence network of the Liyue Qixing, and this is further reinforced by the way the scenes frame her face and body. Typically, high camera shots are used in film to evoke a sense of authority, danger, fear and tension, which is a good allusion to how the traveler feels about meeting someone whom they've heard only whispers about.

Ningguang is the only character who uses a lot of idioms and metaphors in her Chinese lines - even Zhongli is more direct than her. In CN, she comes across as a very indirect person because of this, and one whose true motives are not clear from the start.

During the battle against Osial, we see a slightly different side of Ningguang - the side of her that is willing to sacrifice her life's work to protect Liyue Harbour. But Tianquan or no, there is a severity in her expressions after the Jade Chamber is destroyed, and a curtness in her tone that wasn't there before. She's clearly carrying on her duty and compartmentalizing what she's lost.

The way this particular shot is framed (bottom) as Madame Ping speaks of how the Jade Chamber was constructed, Ningguang's eyes are not shown on purpose, although you do see the rather polite smile she still wears.

We're left to guess what kind of emotions danced across those eyes when Madame Ping was speaking, referring to her not just as a businesswoman but the "backbone of the Liyue Qixing". Through it all, Ningguang still wears that cordial smile - the mask that she has learned to wear through years of practice in Liyue's marketplace.

We'll also see that although she still holds that smile, her eyes don't seem as vibrant as they were in her introduction to the Traveler (top - post-Osial, bottom - pre-Osial). Clearly the loss of the Jade Chamber has hit hard, but she has duties to a nation and to the people.

We don't get to realise the significance of this loss until much later during her hangout, which we'll get to later. But notice how after this quest, Ningguang never speaks of the Jade Chamber or Osial ever again to us, even during Moonchase, not until it rises once more and survives Beisht.

Chapter II: Act I

After the events of Osial, we finally meet Beidou before we head to Inazuma, after seeing 10293890321 voicelines about her in Ningguang's profile and vice versa.

We are given our first look at a person Ningguang seems to trust, more so than the traveler, because she's told Beidou all about Osial. This is significant as we, as the traveler, are turned away by Bu'yun post-Osial when we inquire about Ningguang - who is "tied up with administrative tedium".

As far as we know, Ningguang shut herself away after Osial, disappearing from public view - until Chapter II Act I, where Beidou mentions that she spoke with Ningguang about Osial. This is at odds with what we know of her in her introduction - the Liyue Qixing's primary focus is to lay low. But of all the Tianquans who have governed Liyue's laws, Ningguang is an exception.

Ningguang is a socialite; she revels in being the talk of the town, and yet after Osial and losing her Jade Chamber, she all but disappeared from the public limelight.

The loss of the Jade Chamber hit her harder than we know, especially when we remember that she values the Jade Chamber more than anything else in her life - it was her life's work, it was designed to be infinite, it was a symbol of her wealth and power, but she gave it all up in a fleeting moment.

To have her world views shattered by a single decision - this was most likely one of Ningguang's lowest moments. Zhongli describes her as someone who "always presses on" in his voiceline about her.

And yet, despite her relative seclusion post-Osial, she allowed Beidou to meet with her.

The Crux Fleet wasn't home to protect Liyue once, and it's likely that they set sail for home after hearing the news. We also know Beidou immediately went into Liyue Harbour from Guyun and didn't return for a long time - and the next time we see her, she has already spoken with Ningguang about Osial.

Ningguang doesn't trust easily, nor is she a direct person, but despite her disagreements with Beidou, the captain is someone she definitely trusts and confides in. We can only imagine the kind of conversations they would have had about what happened but it certainly plays a part in how Ningguang behaves later during Moonchase, when we next see her.

It's also the first time in-game that we know for sure Beidou and Ningguang do converse about other things apart from Beidou's unending list of fines to the Qixing. The severe expression on Beidou's face throughout this is up for contention of course, but I like to think it's because Ningguang confided in her about the pain of losing the Jade Chamber.

Character Voicelines: Ningguang & Beidou

Before we move into the events that eventually shape Ningguang's growth as a character, let's first talk about the stories and two voicelines she has about Beidou, and vice versa. These tell us the history they share before the current events of Genshin Impact, before the traveler wakes up.

They view each other as opposites, agreeing to disagree - however, as we do know, Beidou and Ningguang are also a reflection of yin/yang (deep-dive here!).

And yin/yang is not about forces that complement each other: yin/yang is about opposing forces that balance each other. They will never complement each other like missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They only balance each other, like a scale in equilibrium.

Beidou admits to this off-handedly in Moonchase when Paimon observes that she seems to have a good relationship with Ningguang, especially in CN:

派蒙Paimon: 可上次看你们聊天，总觉得你们关系很好呢。 When we saw you talking the other day, it felt like you had a really good relationship.

北斗Beidou: 势均力敌也算是一种平衡吧。虽然我对她的开水白菜实在无话可说。 I suppose being evenly-matched is also a form of balance. Although I have no words for her plain cabbage soup.

The EN translation opted for "evenly-matched" as a translation for the word 平衡 Pínghéng. But it's also commonly used to mean "balance". The idiom for "evenly-matched" (势均力敌 Shìjūnlìdí) is usually used in context of a game/polls/tournament/etc. If you break down the etymology, it literally means "power/influence are equal (in a situation), (so our) strengths match".

Also worth noting is the fact that Beidou knows Ningguang's favourite food. From Ningguang's voicelines and Teyvat's Food Guide, a series of Chinese posts on HYV's official site, not many people know her culinary preferences, and would wrongly presume that she enjoys food befitting of her station.

In Teyvat's Food Guide (linked above!), the writer mentions this about Ningguang, having made Golden Crab (her least favourite food) for her:

I thought that a businesswoman like Ningguang would prefer some expensive cuisine, but Ningguang didn't eat that, and simply said: "I've seen people order "golden crab" at every banquet, but I have no desire for such frivolousness. If you want to treat me to such a dish, you might as well just give me the Mora. People sometimes have an inexplicable stubbornness. Though I think Ningguang will not change her opinions because of me, I'm confident that Ningguang will not think negatively of my craft because of this. My betting dice has been tossed down.

With Ningguang generally being a distrusting person, who keeps her suitors at arm's length to take advantage of them - there is someone she trusts implicitly after all, someone who just happened to be absent during the Archon Quest.

Moonchase: Moonlight Merriment

The next time we see Ningguang again is much later, during the Moonchase celebration in Liyue. And lo and behold, Beidou is back, too! Seems like she's stopping over at Liyue a lot more than she did before Osial.

We get our first glimpse of the dynamics between Beidou, a member of Ningguang's inner circle, and Ningguang herself here, when Keqing asks if there are any objections to her taking control of figuring out this big rock.

The conversation that follows gives us a first look into what Ningguang is like when she is among people she can trust, and also how she now behaves post-Osial. Enough time has passed, as well, that the shadow of Osial no longer hangs as heavy as it used to over Liyue.

She has let down her guard considerably more by the time of Moonchase, electing to engage in playful banter instead of remaining cordial and formal. Her somber mood from before seems to be gone and she's appearing in public once again. Clearly she has come to terms (on some degree) with her loss, although we're not privvy to what happened. But based on timeline and inference, we can assume she certainly did not manage to do this on her own.

Ningguang's playful side is most clearly defined in the original CN lines of this banter scene (my comments are in indents):

北斗Beidou: 刻晴办事向来雷厉风行，交给你我就放心了。 Handing this to you, I can be at ease.

Of note here is how Beidou describes Keqing’s work ethic with this idiom: 雷厉风行 léi lì fēng xíng, lit. “strict/strong as thunder, moves fast like the wind” — they are swift to enforce policies and are decisive.

凝光Ningguang: 这话说的，是不放心我的手腕？ That said, does that mean you don’t trust in my skills/abilities?

北斗Beidou：哈？刻晴不管风吹雨打都在外面跑，跟你大不一样吧。再说，你又不在乎这事，计较什么呀！ Keqing runs around whether it’s windy or raining, she’s very different from you. Also, you don’t mind these things, what are you fussing about?

Personally I think “not giving a wooden Mora about this whole thing” is a little too harsh a translation for 不在乎 bùzàihū, it's more akin to "don't mind" or "don't quite care". Similarly, 计较 jìjiào is typically used to say someone is "kicking up a fuss".

凝光Ningguang：开个玩笑而已，你倒是打蛇随棍上，数落起我来了，把人家旅行者都给晾在一边。 I was merely joking. You often seize the opportunity to criticise my flaws while leaving others like the Traveler hanging.

Ningguang describes "seize the opportunity" with a Chinese idiom, of which there is no EN equivalent. This idiom is 打蛇随棍 dǎ shé suí gùn or lit. “hit the snake with a stick”, which is a modern version of the full phrase 木棍打蛇，蛇随棍上 Mù gùn dǎ shé, shé suí gùn shàng. i.e. “hit the snake with a wooden stick, and the snake will follow/creep around the stick.” This idiom was born from ancient times where a snake was very dangerous, but you could hit with a stick (bamboo at that time), and it would see the stick as a danger and follow it. It’s used to indicate a person who is able to act at a good moment (stick) to attack another person’s (the snake) weaknesses, making the situation very difficult for the other person. TLDR; Ningguang is telling Beidou: "You attacked my weakness and made it difficult for me here."

Let's go back to analysis for a bit - this whole section reflects how close they are on several levels:

Beidou has no issues "criticising" Ningguang, Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, in public. This is of course in part due to her nature as a law-breaking pirate, but HYV took great pains to show us the level of power and authority that Ningguang held in Liyue during her introduction in the Archon Quest.

Ningguang indirectly tells her, in Ningguang-terms, that Beidou has hurt her feelings. Beidou keeps quiet after this and doesn't push the issue, indicating she understands.

We know from Ningguang's way of speaking, and from Beidou's voice lines, that she is a very indirect person. So it does speak volumes that Beidou can grasp her hidden meanings quite quickly - a nod to Beidou's ability to easily understand people.

Fast-forward a bit, to where Ningguang asks the "great sea-faring Captain Beidou" to explain how this rock came about:

北斗Beidou：这女人。。。哼，也好。Zhè nǚrén... Hēng, yě hǎo。 This woman… hmph, very well.

也好 yě hǎo is used to indicate that although this person’s request was not what you had in mind, you’re OK with it.

Fast-forward again, to after Ningguang describes her ideal food as precise, pure, and sophisticated, Beidou immediately retorts:

北斗Beidou：到海上待几个星期，保证治了你这身富贵病。Dào hǎishàng dài jǐ gè xīngqí, bǎozhèng zhìle nǐ zhè shēn fùguìbìng。 Stay at sea for a few weeks, and you’ll be cured of your wealth disease.

I call 富贵病 fùguìbìng "wealth disease" for easy reference, but it's actually termed "diseases of affluence", and is commonly used to refer to illnesses that result from increasing wealth in society, such as poor digestion, obesity and bad posture.

This is the first look we have at anyone giving a damn about Ningguang as a person - before this, our eyes were on her as Tianquan, as the backbone of the Qixing, as a powerful businesswoman, but never quite as simply "Ningguang" until Beidou comes along.

Finally, we get to spy on them a while longer after this cutscene ends, where Ningguang addresses Beidou's little "wealth disease" jab - a relatively different line in CN than what was shown in EN:

凝光Ningguang: 你方才那番话有欠妥当。就算是我，每天也会在玉京台来回散步，道理月港内走走看看的。 What you said just now was inappropriate. I take walks along Yujing Terrace everyday and walk around Liyue Harbour.

北斗Beidou: 哈，只是不想发胖而已吧。 Haha, you just don't want to get fat.

Ningguang takes more offense at Beidou accusing her of not having good taste than "attacking her weakness" - the latter is something she's used to in Liyue's marketplace, while the former is more of a jab at what she likes.

Lastly, the ending of Moonchase Merriment - where Ningguang narrates a line of the cutscene speech (bolded):

风雨犹祝，山海同欢，是承天地之佑。斗转星移，沧海桑田，烟火人间依旧。功名在我，百岁千秋，毋忘秉烛夜游。今古诸事，激荡中流，宏图待看新秀。

Zeroing on what she says as she looks out to the Alcor: 功名在我，百岁千秋，毋忘秉烛夜游。

"My glory will be remembered for thousands of years, but (what's important) is to cherish the time (I have)." Italicised line can actually be translated as simply "carpe diem" in English - to enjoy life while one can.

This is a stark contrast from Ningguang's original views that she will not be bound by anything finite. Seizing the day, living in the now - this is something new, something that is finite, that she cannot quantify in terms of Mora.

She has lost what was infinite - the Jade Chamber - and in turn, gained a legacy. She will be remembered for her actions for centuries to come, and her name will make it into the annals of Liyue's history.

That is infinite.

So, what now? It seems everything she loves can be lost at the whim of gods. If so, then there is only one way for her to stand strong - she must savour every moment of her life, lacking for nothing.

What's truly important, then, is not what comes after, but what comes now - to live every moment, to live in the now.

Ningguang says this while looking out at the Alcor in the ending cutscene (screw this 30-image-per-post-limit!!) - a small nod to the person who taught her to understand this.

Seeing Ningguang as a human instead of an enigma

So what does all of this mean? Moonchase tells us a few things about Ningguang's growth:

Ningguang has a sensitive and delicate side, which Beidou seems to know about.

Ningguang appears less guarded by the time of this event, likely because she now trusts the traveler, Beidou, Keqing and the others.

Beidou has access to the Jade Chamber any time she wants - she mentions she can go up any time for a game of chess during this event.

Ningguang appears to be quite enamoured by Beidou, what with her "great sea-faring captain" flattery and attempting to be direct (which is not in her nature).

Time has healed the wounds of losing the Jade Chamber somewhat, though she still does not appear much in public (not as often as implied in her introduction at least), instead sending guards to summon Keqing and only showing up in her capacity as a judge for the cooking competition.

There has been a shift in Ningguang's beliefs, now that the Jade Chamber, which she believed infinite, has been lost. Now she realises that she has left a legacy, that she will be remembered for ages to come, but what's truly important is to live.

This event is the start of what appears to be relationship developments in Ningguang's character growth. She is beginning to display attachment to Beidou, likely because of what happened in the Archon Quest, and is also displaying more trust in the traveler and by extension, the traveler's friends.

In other words, she is descending from the heavens - becoming less of an icon and an enigma, and becoming more human.

Part II will come soon because I hit the 30 image-per-post limit... 😭😭

Preview: We'll cover the following events in Part II, along with how they show Ningguang's exponential growth leading up to the last event she appears in:

Interlude Chapter: The Crane Returns On The Wind

Lantern Rite: Fleeting Colors in Flight

Orchid evening gown

Hangout: The Jade Chamber's Returning Guest

Event: Of-Drink-A-Dreaming

Links:

Beiguang masterlist LyurGG: Moonchase ss | AQ Chapter II ss Bluemeat: AQ Chapter I ss

#ningguang #character study #character analysis #ningguang analysis #beiguang #beidou x ningguang #genshin analysis #genshin impact #genshin characters #genshin imapct #原神 #北斗 #凝光 #genshin fandom #yuniewrites #ningguang x beidou

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genshinemblem564 · 10 months

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Intermission I: Festival

Occasionally in my stories there will be chapters called intermissions, where the focus will be on interactions between characters and are used to move the story along, as to not linger too long at a certain point. As a rule, intermissions hold no plot points, but that doesn't mean that the points brought up won't be touched upon later. Essentially, these can be seen as filler. Intermissions are formatted like headcanons for the sake of efficiency.

Hilda x Marianne ship hinted at

Childe and Tartaglia used interchangeably

Not proofread

• Once Xinyan started playing, everyone was in awe. You had tried to explain rock to them before but could never find the right words, and it was made abundantly clear why from this performance.

• Hu Tao spent a great deal of time listening to Mercedes's ghost stories, enamored by the feeling of a chill running down her spine from words alone.

• Xiangling was having the time of her life. Not only was Raphael willing to taste test almost anything, but Dedue was more than willing to share some Duscur recipes.

• Ashe and Xingqiu hit it off almost immediately. How could they not while they both hold a burning passion for literature, chivalry, and justice? They've both commented on how the other seems like a hero from a story they read, one of noble birth and one of humble origins.

• You already know but I'm going to say it anyway. Felix and Childe got into a fight. It was actually closer than you'd think, Childe still won but he was so impressed that someone without a vision could do so well against him. Offered to be Felix's sparring partner again in the future.

• Beidou, Catherine, Jeralt, and Alois are now drinking buddies.

• You shared your reward money with the others, not having much use for the sheer amount and also knowing you wouldn't regret it as Ningguang has already discussed a meeting schedule with Alfonse and Sharena to discuss a currency exchange rate.

• Dorothea, Manuela, and Yun Jin discuss how operas of their respective worlds differ, the two divas hoping to give the current opera singer any pointers they can. She likely doesn't need any, but she's so curious that she wouldn't say that out loud.

• Hilda, finally having some mora thanks to you, decided to try on some fancy Liyue dresses, and Hilda's fashion choice combined with Liyue's style of clothing left Marianne a blushing, stuttering mess.

• Ferdinand was enthralled by Teyvat's many weapons. Even just the polearms had a variety of designs and it sparked his collector's flame, and when he heard some people had signature weapons unique to them, without being sacred artifacts or heirlooms, he wanted to explore all of Teyvat at that point just to see these weapons.

• Seteth, Flayn, and Rhea were interested in Liyue's religion and history, but not wanting a glorified children's tale they asked around and were led to Ganyu, who was surprised but thrilled that someone outside of Liyue's devoted was so interested in its history to the point of wanting the facts without the fluff.

• If you thought Shamir and Yelan would get along, you were wrong. They don't hate each other, but Yelan can't stand how blunt and work focused Shamir is. It's more of a one-sided thing as Shamir actually doesn't mind Yelan's "outgoing" attitude. (I had to close the game because I was not expecting this woman to whisper in my/Aether's ear during the last Lantern Rite event.) However, they both have mutual respect for each other's efficiency. Their interaction was brief, so they didn't really get to know each other.

• Dimitri, Edelgard, and Yuri wished not to offend any Liyue citizens and to not be cheated like the tourists they are, leading them to Yanfei, who was more than willing to teach someone about Liyue's laws and how to avoid scam artists.

• Claude wants to learn about Liyue's culture. Being the idealist that he is, he hopes it'll help him find a way to convince Almyra and Fodlan to stop fighting. This leads him to ask around, starting conversations with countless familiar faces.

• The two Byleths were keen to bring Sothis to a food stall, as the goddess has only recently attained a physical form thanks to being summoned. The two were met with a fist to the gut each after commenting on how cute she looked while eating.

• Arval, being in a similar position as Sothis, is also accompanied by the two Shez's. However, they seem more interested in physical activity like dancing or making their own lantern.

• Hubert, while keeping an eye on Edelgard from the shadows, was scared half to death when he realized he was being watched by a masked spearman. While their face was covered, he could feel a glare that threatened to pierce his entire being. Truly, none can escape the eye of The Vigilant Yaksha.

• Lorenz could be found trading poems with Xingqiu or Hu Tao.

• Jeritza was accompanying Mercedes and was practically being harassed by Tartaglia's requests to spar after hearing about him from Felix.

• The Traveler and Paimon met Constance and Hapi. They were kind of put off by Hapi's seemingly uncaring tone, but it was cute how her tone would shift when talking about her Coco. Constance was bosting about house Nuvelle as usual. When the two groups parted, Paimon couldn't help but comment on how familiar Constance's behavior was, but she couldn't explain why.

• Ingrid had lost sight of Sylvain, and when she found him, he was talking to Shenhe. Assuming the usual was taking place, she grabs Sylvain by the ear, apologizes, and drags him off, leaving Shenhe confused, as they were just talking about flowers.

• Monica is attached to Edelgard at the hip, constantly trying to get her to wear some accessories she thought would look nice on her.

• Bernadetta, still on the boat, decides to paint the harbor as the lanterns lit up the city enough for her to see it, and her window gave her the perfect view.

• Linhardt tried getting books from Wanwen bookhouse, but he couldn't tell fact from fiction, as in he couldn't read Teyvat's writing. Due to language not being a topic of interest for him, he gives up.

• Caspar and Ignatz had left the city. Caspar had too much energy to stay in the harbor, and Ignatz wanted to paint Liyue from a good angle. Both had a chance encounter with Kazuha, who complimented their respective qualities.

• Balthus had told everyone about Genius Invokation and suggested it to them as well

_______________________________________

If someone is absent from this, it means I couldn't think of anything involving them. My knowledge of certain characters is limited( I had to dig for Lorenz's poetry bit. ). Also, I know Yelan isn't really like that, but I put that in because I thought it might get a chuckle out of some people.

#genshin impact #sagau #fire emblem heroes #feh #crossover #headcanon

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intogenshin · 9 months

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The Symbol of the City

I’ve noticed some interesting things in Fontaine that I want to share, but I haven’t had time to play any quests besides the main storyline so I’m doing it with the understanding that some of it might fall through. All corrections are welcome though.

This post will cover:

Fontaine history

The relationship between music and technology

The meaning of technology according to German philosopher Martin Heidegger

The influence of the 1927 silent film Metropolis in Fontaine’s narrative

How the Bible plays into all of it

Music & Technology

Firstly, the Fontaine symbol looks like 2 things:

A fountain and a retro futuristic city design.

At the same time, the design of the fountains in the city resemble a musical organ. The melusine named Blathine outside Opera Eclipse mentions that the pillars of water formed in the fountains are “like the music that plays in the background during an opera”, most likely referring to an organ.

On the other hand, a city works as a high expression of technological advance.

These two elements are closely tied to the history of the region. Remuria’s empire centered its development around the arts and intellectual fields (especially music), while Fontaine does it around machinery and engineering.

Music and technology are thus introduced as companion concepts.

It’s not the first time Genshin relates the two though: back in last year’s Lantern Rite event, it was revealed that madam Ping (alias Streetward Rambler) used to have a rivalry with Guizhong over the authenticity of music that is composed and played on an instrument and that which is produced by a mechanical invention.

In Guizhong’s opinion, while mechanisms were no substitute for human composers, they were yet capable of producing simple but fine melodies. But Streetward Rambler believed music to be an expression of the soul, an emotional enterprise that could never hope to be replicated by machinery. —Story Teaser: Echoes of the Heart

Eventually, Madam Ping changes her mind: Guizhong’s memory lived on through her invention, and madam Ping was able to express her feelings of grief accompanied by the tune in the bell she left behind.

But Streetward Rambler did not acquire [Guizhong’s bell] from Rex Lapis for the purpose of producing further funerary tunes. No, each time she rang it, it was to play the tune that Guizhong composed on it. The two once clashed over their beliefs about the meaning of music, who would have thought that with Guizhong’s passing and Streetward Rambler’s mourning, two tunes composed in discord would eventually become one harmonious composition?

That which is expressed through an instrument is not that different from that which is produced by a machine. While the musician uses their instrument to project their emotions as an extension of the soul, an engineer uses machinery to project their intellect as an extension of the mind.

Estelle: Truth be told, letting someone as feeble in body as I serve as a blacksmith is the main point of this machine. Estelle: Humans can use tools, and exquisitely-designed tools can make the impossible, possible. Estelle: Some say that all automated forgings are hollow and soulless. But if you ask me, the machine is just as much of a tool as a regular smith's hammer. Really, I would love to see those smiths knock metal into shape with their bare hands... —Semi-Automatic Forging quest

Music was the defining trait of Remuria’s identity as a nation, and technology is one of Fontaine’s.

Technology & Domination

King Remus built multiple fairways (perhaps like the pipes of an organ?) that he used to rule his nation, either literally or metaphorically with music, and conquered neighboring tribes in order to have full control of Remuria and avoid its prophesied demise:

The King, resting peacefully at the heart of the palace, listened closely to every melody and every note coming from every corner of the empire. Upon hearing any discord, the God King would correct it immediately with a pluck of his strings, bringing perfection to the symphony of his empire. To spread the harmonious symphony throughout the world, he built far-reaching fairways, which conveyed the melodies as never ending ripples from Capitolium to every corner that sat above the high waters.With his immortal fleet, Remus conquered all the islands on the high waters. Even the great dragon beneath the abyssal depths submitted to his power. Those were the best days since the end of earliest peoples, and eternal prosperity seemed so near at hand. He believed that as long as all the cities echoed with this greatest of songs, they would escape the judgment of fate and at last reach the land of eternal bliss. —The history of the decline and fall of Remuria

Fontaine is currently doing something similar, just that instead of conquering other people through the symbolic force of music, they’re asserting control over the land through first - the allegorical climate change they’re not preventing, and second - the developing of technology at the expense of the integrity, health and life of their own people:

Sir Arthur: Disaster! Disaster! At a recent public exhibition, the Babich Automated Analysis Engine suddenly exploded in a shower of gears, causing great injury and death to onlookers! Sir Arthur: Mr. Babich himself was severely injured and remains unconscious! Sir Arthur: Analysts' Guild President Marco Borja has opined that this tragedy was nonetheless an inevitable step on the path to progress, and that the Guild expresses its deep sympathies and condolences.

Musical instruments in Remuria function the same way machinery does in Fontaine, they are technology developed with the purpose to control by forcing the enemy tribes into submission or as a justification to exploit their workers.

Allegorical (or not so much) imperialism and capitalism, if you will.

These are precisely the dangers that German philosopher Martin Heidegger warned about technology in 1954 with his essay The Question Concerning Technology.

The Question Concerning Technology

Heidegger centered his work around the concept of “being” not as isolated sentience, but as a result of the relationship between a subject and its surrounding environment. He thought, for instance, that the term “ousia” (known as “essence” in philosophy) had been misinterpreted by previous philosophers and lost its real meaning, which he attributed to the conflicts of the modern era due to forgetting what it meant “to be”.

To put it simply, the phrase “I think, therefore I am” proposes the act of thinking is the essence of what it means to be, but Heidegger believed there had to be a state prior to the generation of that thought for the thought to be generated in the first place. A being exists with its environment, and that relationship between the subject and object is the essence of what it means “to be”.

However, it is hard to realize this reality of “being”. For example, when you’re doing an activity for long periods of time like writing or hammering a nail on the wall, you will eventually forget the existence of the pen or the hammer in your hand. At that point, it is not part of your reality even though it very much exists. Life in the modern era is the same, we become blind to certain parts of our existence in doing routinary tasks to survive until we interact with those parts.

So everything we perceive or interact with becomes “unconcealed”, but it’s a reality that’s defined by our own individuality, not an objective truth.

In this sense, the “essence” of technology is not anything technological, it’s not the machines or what’s produced with them, but something that goes deeper into its relationship with humanity.

Heidegger thought the essence of technology was neither a means to an end nor a human activity, but a way to reveal (or “unconceal”) reality.

Technology embodies a specific way of revealing the world, a revealing in which humans take power over reality. While the ancient Greeks experienced the ‘making’ of something as ‘helping something to come into being’ – as Heidegger explains by analysing classical texts and words – modern technology is rather a ‘forcing into being’. Technology reveals the world as raw material, available for production and manipulation. —Future Learn, The Technological View of the World of Martin Heidegger

Heidegger draws attention to technology’s place in bringing about our decline by constricting our experience of things as they are. He argues that we now view nature, and increasingly human beings too, only technologically — that is, we see nature and people only as raw material for technical operations. Heidegger seeks to illuminate this phenomenon and to find a way of thinking by which we might be saved from its controlling power —The New Atlantis, Understanding Heidegger on Technology

Machine-like People

The danger Heidegger warned about had to do with becoming a society that understands all aspects of reality through the technological lens: that both nature and people would be treated as nothing but resources to be used, like pieces of a machine.

All things increasingly present themselves to us as technological: we see them and treat them as what Heidegger calls a “standing reserve,” supplies in a storeroom, as it were, pieces of inventory to be ordered and conscripted, assembled and disassembled, set up and set aside. Everything approaches us merely as a source of energy or as something we must organize. We treat even human capabilities as though they were only means for technological procedures, as when a worker becomes nothing but an instrument for production. Leaders and planners, along with the rest of us, are mere human resources to be arranged, rearranged, and disposed of. Each and every thing that presents itself technologically thereby loses its distinctive independence and form. We push aside, obscure, or simply cannot see, other possibilities. —The New Atlantis, Understanding Heidegger on Technology

Fontaine has adopted this general worldview not only in relation to the workers, but also in the way they treat court cases as spectacles.

If Sumeru explored the question of what it means to be or what can be accepted as a living being (through stories like that of Karkata, Benben and Wanderer), Fontaine on the other hand seems to be asking what separates a living being from a machine when interpreted through the lens of technology, where workers are exploited as disposable objects and people’s tragedy is commodified for entertainment.

For King Remus also, those within his borders had to be controlled, and those outside had to be conquered.

Both Fontaine and Remuria are cities whose culture has become technologically driven.

When society adopts the technological lens —whether technology itself is involved or not— to understand themselves, their humanity is stripped from them. And do they not become just like a machine?

Gontharet: Those who always work and work will find themselves little different from clockwork machines. It is only through constant questioning and asking that we can forge a new path! Gontharet: Our history and present are all proof of this.

"All I have to do is put on my helmet, shut out the background noise, and carry out my orders." Freminet began to see himself as an unfeeling clockwork toy. —Freminet’s Official Introduction

Freminet, alongside Lyney and Lynette, is a member of the House of the Hearth, a secret Fatui organization composed of orphans who work for the Harbinger Arlecchino, who they call “father”, doing missions of espionage and other not so legal activities that more often than not risk their safety. It is unclear what exactly is Freminet’s role, but by the looks of it, he seems to feel less like a human and more like an automaton when carrying out his missions.

The City As A Symbol

(or: let’s get biblicaI)

There is no doubt that Remuria is based on the Roman Empire, but there’s another aspect to Fontaine that’s very intrinsically influenced by the Bible: the city as the epitome of human virtue and decadence.

God’s kingdom is represented as a garden. Adam and Eve are said to have wandered in the wilderness after they were kicked out. When their son Cain became jealous of his brother Abel, who was receiving God’s favor, he murdered him and was marked as a sinner.

Cain further isolated himself from God by running away and establishing the first city. A city in ancient times was just a group of homes, but what characterized it was the tall walls Cain erected as a means to protect himself from retaliation for his crime.

Cain’s city, much like Jerusalem and Babylon later, breeds a culture of violence and abuse, but also of man-made inventions like animal domestication, arts, and metalwork —aka, technology.

Those in power (starting with King David) always end up succumbing to their lowly desires, impulses and vices in Jerusalem. Babylon (which enslaved the Israelites) goes on to become not just a single city in its historical period, but the metaphorical and almost cyclical condition in which humanity condemns itself over and over again through the symbol of the city.

There are two main ways to deal with humanity becoming corrupt in the Bible: a flood or a messiah (mr Jesus The Christ for the Christians). The flood reboots everything and the messiah solution is more about accepting the city for its virtues and defeating sin through death and reincarnation, then God brings his garden into the world, so it’s like a Hannah Montana situation with the best of both worlds.

Anyway, let’s go back to Genshin:

After the first civilization was nuked with a flood, the survivors lived in the wilderness:

When the tide receded and the earth was revealed again, no cities nor civilizations now stood above the high waters. Survivors and the newborn alike lived amidst the forests and rivers, shorn of all knowledge and wisdom. Human lives were no different from those of wild animals on the earth or in the sea, driven on by the laws of nature — muddling through time with neither beginning nor end. Civilization and order were finally restored to the land named Fontaine the day the great king Remus descended upon Meropis in his golden Fortuna. He taught people how to farm and raise crops in the land, and built temples and cities with giant rocks to house the people. Most importantly, it was he who spread the beauty of music and art, which differentiated humans from other living things, causing them to see themselves as masters of all things. —The History of the Decline and Fall Remuria

Remus taught the people of what would become Remuria good things, but also reintroduced arrogance. And the cycle of Cain’s city was fulfilled again, with the nation causing their own destruction.

Remuria also is described with some kind of tower at its center, just like Babylon. And from the story of the Tower of Babel, this tower can be understood as the symbol of the city itself, the expression of human ingenuity.

I want this to be understood not as a direct reference to the biblical stories, but as a narrative parallel to an ancient story about the dangers of technology.

A city is an isolated concentration of humanity’s sins and virtues, surrounded by tall, imposing walls. A city gives rise to arts and technology, and it also breeds hedonistic desires and dangerous machinery.

I’d say the tall walls of Fontaine aren’t just to make the city look like a dam and annoy players who want to climb. And its technology seems on the right track for devastation.

Technology is not the enemy though

I said in the beginning that Fontaine’s symbol resembles a retro futuristic city. More specifically, both the symbol and the design of the city itself remind me of the futuristic envisioned city in Metropolis, a 1927 silent film by director Fritz Lang that has influenced the sci-fi genre to this day.

Metropolis is divided into two classes: the elite that lives on the surface, and the workers who live underground and produce the energy that powers the city.

(Sound familiar?)

The movie makes a point of depicting the workers moving mechanically, in a zombie like state, when they walk towards the machine they operate and while they work on them, as if they were parts of the machine themselves.

The son of the city’s master, Freder, ventures into the underground tunnels and discovers this reality for the first time. When a worker fails to operate the machine correctly, it suffers a malfunction that causes an explosion, leaving many victims behind. Freder is hit by the explosion and has a hallucination where the machine turns into Moloch, a pagan god in the Old Testament that had to be fed human sacrifices, while a group of slaves is being forced into its mouth, and then the workers behind them walk into it voluntarily.

A woman called Maria promises the underground workers that a mediator will eventually help them, as Maria believes the “head” (upper class) and “hands” (workers) just need a “heart” to communicate with each other. This mediator turns out to be Freder, who voluntarily takes the place of one of the workers and suffers the horrors of working in the machines in the flesh.

When Freder’s father finds out, he asks his local mad scientist —who has been working on a robot with human faculties— to give his creation the appearance of Maria, and orders this robot-Maria to twist the beliefs of the workers so they’ll antagonize the real Maria. Robot-Maria also shows up in the city as the figure of the Whore of Babylon, and inspires the upper class men to give in to their desires and vices.

Meanwhile, the workers are encouraged to revolt and destroy the very machines they’re enslaved by, against Maria’s ideology of unity. This destruction causes a flood that almost kills the workers’ children, but they’re saved by Maria and Freder.

The workers burn robot-Maria in the stake and later realize it was just a machine. Freder also fights the mad scientist at the top of a building from where the latter falls and dies.

At the end, Freder acts as a mediator between his father and a representative of the workers.

Ok but why was that whole summary necessary?

In essence, Metropolis is both a dystopian cautionary tale about the dangers of technology that we’ve discussed in this post, and also an allegory for the Bible (yes fr).

Maria is a Virgin Mary expy and Freder is the figure of the messiah (the “mediator”), Jesus Christ. He descends from the paradise above and suffers the pains of the people in the flesh. The mad scientist is a stand in for the devil, and Freder’s father represents the kings that continuously become corrupted in the history of Jerusalem.

Maria is who preaches true belief, while robot-Maria represents an idol of false belief that the workers are fooled by and also the sins and desires the upper class are enslaved by.

The flood that’s caused by the workers’ revolt is pretty much self explanatory in the biblical sense, you know what that is.

In the context of the industrial revolution, the narrative of the false belief aligns with what Heidegger would later address as the danger of technology, the inhuman lens through which the reality of the modern man is interpreted. The desire and sins the upper class is seduced by are of course capitalist interests.

Maria doesn’t condemn technology itself, she even tells the workers an altered version of the story of the Tower of Babel in which the tower couldn’t be finished because the intellectuals who designed it and the slaves who were building it just didn’t understand each other. The tower itself was an accomplishment of human ingenuity in her version.

Likewise, the movie closes with the hopes that this new understanding between head and hands will lead into a better, more fair society.

The figure of the messiah is not what’s important, but the ability to conciliate the power of governance and the working power in order to redirect the course of the city into an enterprise that serves humanity instead of using them like a machine.

Now, in the context of Fontaine, the energy that fuels the city and belief are more closely intertwined than in Metropolis.

The city is powered by Indemnitium, a form of energy which is produced by the belief in justice extracted from trials. We’d have to wonder, then, whether the integrity of this belief remains truthful, or if it has been replaced by the false idol of spectacle.

We know that at least one person in the city harbors discontent for the work, the spectacle and the Indemnitium energy:

Message in Cafe Lucerne’s board:

”For future generations, for our descendants, we must refuse work, refuse the trials, and oppose Indemnitium!”

King Remus in Remuria attempted to avoid the fate of their destruction, Fortuna, by conquering other tribes and establishing control over his people through a shared government, yet he ended up fulfilling the prophecy and condemning himself with those very decisions.

So I wonder if Fontaine might be in danger of self fulfilling their own prophecy should the workers of the city revolt against Indemnitium, since the members of the Narzissenkreuz Institute came up with it as a means to avoid their impending fate. And whether the people of Fontaine will survive their prophesied flood just like the children of the workers in Metropolis survived the flood the workers themselves caused.

#Genshin lore #genshin impact lore #Fontaine #long post #analysis #Fontaine lore #Remuria

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