ミ☆

"so you think the fatui are forging sigils of permission?"

"i don't think, i know," (y/n) tugged at her hair slightly in frustration. "i saw the intel in the jade chamber and was investigating it when i got ambushed. why would they need such a thing? and where did they get such important information from?"

xiao swung his leg over the side of the balcony railing, letting his limb sway gently with the breeze. his fingers brushed against his chin as he made internal speculations, studying the crimson-colored railing as if it would give him all the answers he needed.

rising from her splayed position on the bed, (y/n) joined him on the balcony, allowing her forearms to hold her weight against the railing. the view from the inn made her feel like a bird in a nest high up in a tree. she wished she could feel the same liberation because surely, a bird's most troublesome thoughts were about when its next meal would appear from the ground.

"from the beginning, sigils of permission have been powerful tokens. rex lapis created them himself by infusing them with adeptal energy powerful enough to give mortals an advantage in the archon war. it's what helped our troops keep their edge while protecting our land, so its power is not be undermined," xiao kept a pensive look on his face as he recited this back to her. her head tilted as she listened, intrigued by the amount of information he knew and never expressed.

he was always so thoughtful about choosing his words, as if he weighed every outcome before letting them leave his tongue.

"is it even possible to forge something that rex lapis made with his own hands? or... claws, i guess," (y/n) added, remembering the dragon that had fallen from the sky. a shiver ran through her body upon recalling.

"i'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "while i am an adeptus, there were things he never shared even to his closest confidants."

"so theoretically, if someone got their hands on more than one, they could become a very powerful individual?"

"i suppose that's correct."

as far as she knew, the fatui were subordinating to the eleven harbingers who carried out the tsaritsa's will. the only harbinger she was aware of in liyue was...

the girl pushed herself off the railing, suddenly extremely worried for her friends back in liyue. xiao must have sensed the abrupt change because his brows furrowed in concern.

"tell me what's bothering you." while it was meant to be empathetic, it came out sounding more like a demand. he frowned inwardly.

"well, my original plan when i saw you was to ask if you wanted to come with me to the rite of parting," as she said this, xiao's expression softened slightly. "but i think i'll need your company for something else."

he liked to think he was a little harder to convince, especially since he hated interacting with mortals, but his heart got the best of him. "that being?"

"we have to find the harbinger responsible before liyue is in bigger trouble than it already is."

‑ˋˏ◈ˎˊ‑

just as she feared, there was a commotion at the gates of the city as soon as they arrived. millelith were scattered with anxious looks on their faces, gripping their spears tightly enough to be noticeable to the naked eye. particular fellows dressed in coats too heavy for the warmth of liyue grabbed her attention. the masks over their eyes made her warier than before, knowing that these were the infamous fatui she came to dislike.

"what's going on?" she mumbled, more to herself than xiao. he took initiative and slid his hand into hers, giving a reassuring squeeze, which she gladly returned.

while scanning the gates for any clue as to what the fuss was about, a familiar tailcoat came into view, belonging to a man in conversation with one of the fatui soldiers.

"zhongli!" the name left her lips as an anxious whisper. with a quick glance towards xiao, they made a brisk pace over to where he stood. she was only able to catch the tail end of their conversation once she arrived.

"they've come to an impasse. thanks to the qixing's hard-headedness and the searching for revenge for rex lapis, we're all caught in this mess now," the fatui soldier was clearly exasperated. even with only half of his face visible, it was easy to spot the grimace turning down the corners of his mouth.

"what happened here exactly?" (y/n) butted in while she had the chance. zhongli's arms unfolded from his chest in surprise, eyes widening even more when he spotted who was at her side.

xiao said nothing but gave a curt nod.

"well, it seems the adepti intend to use force on liyue harbor, thus leading to the qixing's predictable interference," zhongli explained calmly. how was he able to keep such a cool head right now?

"the adepti are seeking revenge on the city after all?" the girl whipped her head to the guilty party next to her, who simply averted his gaze to the grass. "xiao?"

crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes shut in turn. "this is what they wished to speak about after we parted ways on mount hulao. i refused to take part, as my contract with rex lapis is to protect."

without looking, he could feel the hurt painting her features. call it a sixth sense. without acknowledging the other two, he met her gaze straight on.

"i was not aware that they planned on going through with it without everyone's consent. i am not involved in this matter," he justified quietly.

why didn't you tell me? (y/n) thought, swiping a rough hand across her cheek as if to magically make everything better. clearing her throat, she continued her investigation.

"if this is between the adepti and the qixing, then why have the millelith rounded up the fatui?"

the stranger scoffed, head falling to the side as if he rolled his eyes under the mask. "you can thank ningguang for that one. instead of sending the millelith to help the qixing, she told them to keep us under tabs instead. this woman's priorities..."

"enough," (y/n) snapped, surprising her male counterparts. "she has every reason to make sure things don't go awry while she's away. i've seen firsthand what your group is capable of and the tianquan is more than rationalized through all this."

earning a blank stare, the girl sighed. zhongli's amusement was ever-present in the glimmer of his golden irises. "it is clear that you have your path in mind already set. as someone who's close to you, i feel you already know this journey will prove to be a difficult one. i don't plan on losing you a second time, so please," zhongli said. "don't bite off more than you can chew."

while she nodded solemnly in response, xiao's suspicions rose at zhongli's words. as far as he knew, they were only coworkers at the parlor, but lose her a second time?

"oh... mr. zhongli, we heard that the wangsheng funeral parlor has also gotten involved in this and is currently squaring off near the gates on the other side of the city," the fatui man spoke again begrudgingly but seemed to view zhongli in a respectful light. perhaps because he was a close associate of childe.

"i must make haste, then," the man replied. "i can only hope that director hu can hold out until i get there."

zhongli was quick to turn away. she could feel his nonexistent hackles had risen at the way his eyebrows slanted. reaching out as he began to step away, her fingers grasped his wrist.

"wait!" his pupils shifted towards hers as she lowered her voice. "how can i help?"

"do you remember our conversation that day we prepared for the rite of parting?"

(y/n) scanned each occurrence that came to mind, frantic for any semblance of an answer hidden in her memories. it must have been before her visit with madam ping, but...

the lightbulb turned on.

"the exuvia?"

her answer was met with a nod. she was sure she knew where they needed to go now, it was just a matter of getting there in time to protect it. zhongli took his leave and (y/n) turned back to xiao, unsure of how to feel about his involvement in the matter.

he simply watched as she waged internal conflict, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. fed up with her indecisiveness, he grabbed her chin and turned it in his direction.

xiao hesitated as her anticipatory eyes focused on him. "i... apologize for not telling you sooner. the last thing i want is to watch liyue suffer after everything we've done to keep it alive, nor do i want you to be upset with me for such a misunderstanding."

the way he said "we've" made her heart flip in place. it reminded her of her role in her so-called past life. her former determination slowly came back to her as she remembered he was a part of this too; they were in it together.

the girl sighed and squeezed his hand tightly. in the distance, lightning rumbled, echoing between the valleys nestled between the surrounding mountains. fear dashed across her face for a fleeting moment.

"alright. let's go."

the golden house was settled in the far northwest of liyue harbor's reach. (y/n) had stumbled across its gates a few weeks prior when she first began exploring the city. millelith guarded its contents, stopping anyone from entering unless they had the proper paperwork to provide identification. typically, the only ones entering and exiting were the liyue qixing exclusively.

but now, as she and xiao stood at its gates, there was no one in sight. the whole place was open for anyone to enter as they pleased. she took cautious steps forward, sword materializing in her hand instinctively. xiao looked just as skeptical as she felt.

"something's wrong here."

"i can sense it too," he replied. "watch your back."

they met no resistance as they meandered towards the entrance of the building. the doors were grand in size and lined with golden accents, as expected of its title. while it looked like it would only open with the force of an army, xiao simply pressed his palm to the door and it swung open like nothing.

it was only when he pushed the handle of his spear into her chest that she noticed he was armed as well. even though he hid it well, there was a worrisome glimmer in his amber irises that told her to wait.

"i'm going to check it out first."

"what?" her brows furrowed and she pushed his spear to the side. "not happening. i'm going in with you."

"no, you aren't. not until i give the word," xiao argued, muscles tensing as she tried to come closer. she wasn't about to back down just like that.

"look, i'm not some helpless child, xiao. i know i joke around about you coming to my rescue sometimes but i can handle myself!" the tip of her sword came close enough to his throat that he had to tilt his chin up to avoid the blade. if it were anyone else, they would have been put down immediately.

he looked down his perfectly sculpted nose with a stern expression that went from angry, to conflicted, to reluctant. "i am not the one you should be threatening right now. put it away before i do it for you."

abiding by his words, the girl lowered her sword to her side, feeling slightly guilty for her actions. perhaps it was the vexation that laced his tone. gritting his teeth, he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his back to her.

before he stepped forward, he continued without facing her. "you can't blame me for wanting to keep you safe. i already lost you once and there's no way in hell i'm going to lose you a second time. you can be upset at me all you want, i don't care. maybe it's simply selfish desire, but i won't allow myself to stop breathing until i know you're out of harm's way for good."

the adeptus didn't wait for a response before parading inside. she knew that if childe was inside after all, that he had one hell of a storm coming his way. even though xiao was currently angry at her, she couldn't help but feel affection at the way he vouched for her protection so fiercely. he was an enigma for reasons she couldn't even begin to dream of.

when it came down to it, she would do the same for him in a heartbeat.

★彡