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"Do you want to accompany me?" the blue-haired girl asks him after he's done with her dish-tasting for the day. Xiao nods, it's not the first time they go out together, and most of the time, he doesn't find her company unpleasant despite her constant ramble about anything and everything. Besides, it's the only way he knows to thank her for the delicious dishes she gives him every once in a while.
"Okay! I'm looking for Jueyun Chillis today. Do you think we should go to Jueyun Karst?" Xiangling asks him, eyes liting up just like any other time when she talks about cooking. He gives her a frown in return, rather confused by the suggestion of the place. Everyone in Liyue knows that Jueyun Karst is not for anybody to enter, yet here she is, saying it so lightly in front of an Adeptus.
"I don't understand why you'd want to go there for Jueyun Chillis. You said they mostly grow in Qingce, no?" He asks back as he stands up, following her going down the stairs.
"They're not named Jueyun Chilli for nothing, you know! It's true that Qingce Village has many of them, but it tastes completely different from the ones in Jueyun Karst. While the chillis from Qingce tastes kind of sweet and juicy, the ones from Jueyun Karst is spicier, a little saltier and has better aroma. Though it's quite hard to find them, it's worth the result! Maybe I can make you a spicy almond tofu some other time," she babbles on, turning her head and grins at him at the last sentence.
"I'll pass for that one, you know I like them light," he huffs a breath. The girl just laughs airily as they reach the ground floor. The inn is not very packed today, spring had just arrived and there are no events in the harbor that attracts foreigners yet. Xiao likes it, he can walk freely with her without any strange look from the guests.
"Ma'am, are you okay!?" He hears a loud crash, and the next thing he knows, Xiangling had rushed to an old woman with her belongings scattered on the wooden floor. He walks over towards her that crouches to help the woman.
"Oh, oh my. What a careless old woman. I'm sorry for troubling you, dear," she stammers, steadying herself with the help of Xiangling's arms.
"No, it's no trouble at all. Are you hurt anywhere? Can you stand?" She asks worriedly, supporting the old woman's body with hers. "Xiao, can you please pick up her things?" she pointed her gaze at the things on the floor, then looks up at him.
He frowns slightly. "You said we're going to Jueyun Karst? It's noon already. When are we going to arrive?" He scoffs, and immediately meets her harsh gaze.
"Is that important right now?" Xiao has to supress a flinch at her sharp tone. She has never, ever spoke to him in that manner before. "If that's your reason then we're cancelling it."
"No, no, don't fight, both of you," the old woman speaks. "This old woman is fine, you can continue your journey. Though I would like to give you something as a token of gratitude. May I know if you two are going back here tonight?" She asks while gathering her belongings, Xiangling helping with her nimble hands.
"Yes, we'll be back tonight. But there's no need for you to give us anything, Ma'am," she answers, then helps her stand up.
"Oh, please don't refuse. It's the least thing I can do to repay your kindness. Now, go, both of you. I don't want to hinder you any further." The old woman taps her back lightly, and she bids her goodbye with a bow.
They walk side by side in silence, still feeling awkward from her sudden anger burst earlier. In the end, Xiangling is the one who speaks first, she has always been.
"I'm sorry," she sighs. "I was too harsh and emotional earlier." Xiao glances sideways at her, finding her eyes staring back at him, obviously expecting him to say something.
"I apologize too," he says, though he isn't sure what he's apologizing for. There was nothing wrong with what he said earlier, but he knows it'll only get troublesome if he argue further.
She knits her eyebrows together, somehow knowing that he's not being sincere about it. But she supposes it's understandable, considering that Xiao is a completely different being from her, and he doesnt often blend in with humans like Ganyu. So she decides to let it go, stretching her arms up before merrily drags him along towards a bush of Jueyun Chillis.
---
When they arrive back at Wangshu Inn, the sun had sunk down completely, leaving the sky painted in dark navy blue with few lighter hues on the west. The lanterns of the inn shines brightly, and they can see the old woman they helped earlier smiling at them.
"Hello, Ma'am," Xiangling greets, walking towards the table she's seated on with her hand grabbing Xiao's tightly, as though she knows he's gonna leave them as soon as he had the chance.
"I am glad the two of you came back safe and sound. Here, these are the gifts I promised you. This old woman can only give this much, and though it's nothing compared to your kindness, I hope you both like it." she smiles warmly, handing her two dolls, exactly dressed as the two of them.
"Archons, these are so cute! Are you sure we can have this for free?" she exclaims, eyes twinkling brightly as she stares at the dolls in amazement. Xiao silently observes them from the side, looking at how everything is practically the same as how he appears to be right now. The lighter shade of his hair, the beads of necklace that hangs on his neck, it's so similiar and somehow unsetlling.
"Yes, yes, of course. I hope my gift will make you both happy," the old woman said with a laugh. It's strange, he thinks, how she was able to recreate their complicated outfits just by seeing them for a few minutes. Humans are weak at memories especially at the later age, but then again he doesn't know much about humans and their possibilities.
"Thank you very much! We promise we'll treasure them!" Xiangling bows quickly, then drags Xiao to the upper balcony.
"Here, this one is yours." She hands the Xiao doll to him, but his unimpressed face already tells her that he's going to refuse.
"I don't need it." He says curtly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Xiangling smiles amusedly at him, then steps closer.
"Hmm... Are you sure? This Xiao plushie is really cute, you know? See, it's literally the mini version of you!" She holds the doll right beside his face, then giggles a lot at the uncanny resemblance.
"This mini-Xiao can help you banish monsters too! Hyah!" She pushes its tiny leg with her finger, making the same pose as Xiao's anemo dashes. "Or maybe if you're lonely, he can comfort you with a kiss or two!" She taps its face on his cheek lightly, then moves to the other.
"Xiangling." He stresses out every syllable, closing his eyes in annoyance. She immediately retreats her hand from his cheek, then huffs with a pout.
"Fine, fine! If you dont want it, then I'll just keep the both of them. Mini-Ling and mini-Xiao would get along in my room together! Is that okay?" she asks, and when she looks up at him, she swears she can see the corner of his lips raising a bit before dropping back.
"Do whatever you want with it," he replies.
"Okay, then I'm off to bed now. Come on, mini-Ling, mini-Xiao, say goodnight to Xiao!" she whispers audibly at the two dolls on her hands. "Goodnight, Mister Xiao!" she continues in a falsetto voice, and Xiao can't hold back an amused snort at her antics.
---
"Goodnight, Baba!" Xiangling closes the door of her room, then she lights up a lamp on the table, right next to the dolls she got not long ago. She plops herself on the floor, an old pillow cushioning her fall.
"Today was so tiring," she sighs, undoing her braids and combing them apart by her fingers. She looks out the window and it's completely dark out there, save for the moon and stars that adorns the sky of the sleeping harbor. When she opens it, she can feel the humid air, signaling that rain will come pouring soon. She supposes tomorrow wont be a busier day than today.
"Come to think of it, it's been two weeks since I went to Wangshu last time," she muses, her index finger absently nudging the cheek of mini-Xiao on her table. Usually, she would go there once or twice a month, but it seems that she can't do that this time. The restaurant has been very busy due to the new recipe she came up with, leaving her with little free time, much less to go as far as Wangshu Inn.
Then she remembers her first meeting with Xiao, where he first tasted her dish a day before the Moonchase Festival. He had promised the traveler that he'll come whenever they call, and if not for them, Xiangling would've never met him. They are quite close, she thinks, because it's clearly not everyday Xiao offers someone such a special treatment. Silently, she wonders if she somewhat had gotten closer to their closeness level.
A silly thought passed her mind, to call out his name just to satisfy her curiosity, to see whether he will come or not. Though it's just for fun, she cant hide the little hope and fear in her heart, a little bit afraid of the dissapointment. But then she pushes those feelings aside, ensuring herself that this is merely a random thought, just like any other silly thing she's done whenever he's near.
She takes a deep breath, looking up at the night sky.
"Xiao." she held her breath for a moment, "Can you hear me?"
One second, two seconds, and a few more pass, and nothing changes. The cold wind blows the curtains, the view outside completely the same. There's no answer, no Xiao, only a gust of wind that tells her that he's indeed not coming.
She tries to laugh it away, what a silly attempt, but the dissapointment stings in her heart nonetheless. Then she decides to close the window and go to bed, burying the ashamed feeling at her naive thought, without knowing someone had landed on her roof, looking as confused as he can be.
---
Lately, something had been bothering Xiao. His consentration and efficiency in banishing demons dropped significantly, and sometimes he wonders if he had finally gone crazy. At first, it starts with faint voices, like someone is yelling but the sound is really far. It doesnt happen often, so Xiao just ignores it, but as time passes, it gets more frequent and the voice becomes clearer in his ears.
At one point, he recognizes the voice when it's clear enough for him to hear. It's Xiangling's, he realizes, her typical energetic tone of speaking immediately tells him so. It's a little different from when she talks to him, calmer and low, but he's sure that it's her. Xiao still isn't sure what does this mean, if it's just a fraction of his imaginations or it's real. If it's indeed real, then why is this happenning?
Xiao can't confirm anything with her, because she's not coming here this week either. Besides, if it turns out to be his own imagination there would be nothing to confirm and he'll just receive her endless teasing instead. So he just listens to the voices that mostly show up at night, a brief thought of her day or maybe her hopes for the next day.
There's a time when she slams her door hard, startling Xiao from whatever thing he's doing, then the loud sound of stomping enters his ears. Then it's silent for a moment, before he hears a hitch of breath followed by quiet sobs afterward. The sound is so sad and Xiao can't help but worry for her. At times like this, he often wonders if she can hear him like how he does. He assumes she doesnt, because if she does, she would've come running here and told him about the strange occurence with wonder in her eyes.
But still, he hopes to be able to comfort her. Experimentally, he calls out her name quietly.
"Dont cry, Xiangling."
But of course that does nothing to stop her sobs. Then, after five minutes or so, she blows her snot away and gives herself a hard slap at the cheek while mutterring words of encouragement for herself. Xiao smiles at this, remembering that she's indeed a strong, confident and an amazing person. How he wished he could be like her just a little bit.
As the days pass, he gets more comfortable to the sounds and eventually memorize the timings. At those times, he would stop hunting demons for a moment and chooses to stay in Wangshu Inn or the big tree at Nantianmen to listen to her rants. He wonders why she talks so much even when she's by herself, but sometimes he feels as if she's actually talking to him. Maybe she's talking to her beloved mini-Xiao, imagining it's him.
Speaking of it, he realizes this happens after they got those dolls from that old woman. Could it be the reason why he can hear her voice? Is that doll of him the one connecting him and Xiangling? If so, it would answer why he's the only one hearing voices. The connection doesnt go both ways because he doesnt have mini-Ling with him.
But is this even possible? Xiao didnt sense anything from the old woman the other day. She's just like any other human he has encountered, there was no divine aura or anything. His only suspicion was how precise and quick she made the dolls, and now that he thinks about it, it's enough reason for him to check them first before Xiangling went back to the harbor.
He supposes all he can do right now is to wait for her to come and confirm the fact himself. Until then, he might as well enjoy her nonexistent company.
"Goodnight, Baba!" Ah, there she is. He looks up at the sky, looking at the moon. Isn't it quite late already? Usually she would go to bed earlier.
"Today was so tiring," he hears her sigh. The restaurant must be quite busy today. He listens to the faint rustling sounds of her unbraiding her hair, along with an 'ouch' and a hiss of pain.
"Come to think of it, it's been two weeks since I went to Wangshu last time." Xiao can feel a faint touch on his right cheek, and when he reaches up with his hand, it still wont go away. It's getting stronger, he realizes, not only voices, he now can feel her touches, although it's very faint. He starts to worry again, are those dolls dangerous or not? Should he take them away from Xiangling? But that would mean going to Liyue Harbor and barge into her room, into her life that he doesnt know outside of her occasional visits, and the thought scares him so much.
The truth is, Xiao knows that he shouldn't get too close with anyone, especially humans. He knows the inevitable end, whether they leave him or him leaving them first. Nothing stays the same, he learned this from thousand years of living, yet everytime it happens it broke him all the same.
But really, what can he do when he's faced with such warmth that wont go away no matter how cold he returns it? And the way she always gives and asks nothing in return except for simple things, makes him feel like she actually wants to be friends with him, not as an Adeptus or anything, but as Xiao himself. These feelings are dangerous, but he's drawn into her nonetheless.
"Xiao,"
Out of the blue, her voice rings very clear in his ears, as though she's whispering his name right beside him. He snaps out from his thought as he feel his body becomes lighter and in a second or less, he finds himself not in the same place as he was a moment ago. The scenery that greets him is not the green of Dihua Marsh, instead it's filled with buildings here and there, completely dark except for the moonlight shining on him.
It takes him a few seconds to realize that he's in the harbor, and the awkward laugh from below immediately tells him that he's on the roof of Xiangling's house. She closes the window and curtains, leaving Xiao dumbfounded at what just happened. His brain still can't comprehend how did this happen, but he's sure the last thing he heard was her voice calling his name.
Xiao scoffs in disbelief. Voices, touches, and now he teleports right away when she calls his name? He's lucky it's midnight and there's no one to witness him appearing out of nowhere on top of her house. Then he's reminded of how often she talks to that mini-Xiao, treating it like she's actually talking to him, and the possibility that this will happen again, many times.
He mentally slaps himself, and there's nothing he can do except to brace himself for it. At the very least, he should make sure no one sees him, not even Xiangling.
---
Xiao thought that it will be troublesome and annoying to get teleported everytime she says his name, but it turns out that he actually enjoys it. Just like the first time he hears her voices, he eventually get used to her musings every night. Listening to her on the top of her house, only parted by a thin roof, certainly feels better than doing it in Wangshu Inn or other places. This way, he can sneak a peek whenever he wants to see her face.
Xiangling always calls his name every morning and night. A short quick good morning as she dresses up in her usual attire, followed by a pat on his head before she leaves. It has become a routine for him too, waiting for dawn to come, get teleported, and after he gets a soft, nonexistent pat on his head, he heads off to do his job as usual. He's thankful for her early time of waking up, no one is barely awake at the time he flies off.
At night, she tells him how her day was, sometimes laughing too loud when she finds something funny. More than once her father checks up on her because of her loud laughter, and she babbles embarrasedly, trying to get him out of her room. Xiao almost laugh at this, her father must've thought that she had gone crazy, talking to a doll.
Lately, when he's listening to her rambles as usual, he can picture her exact expression if he closes his eyes. A smile joyful and full of glee when she's happy about something, or a frustrated frown with lips slightly turned downwards everytime she's confused and annoyed. And it only worries him further.
As much as he enjoys the thing going on between them right now, Xiao has to make sure just how far is the extent of this power. At first he ignored it, but now that it has escalated to seeing her even with his eyes opened, he's worried that it would harm her. So when Xiangling starts with her job in the restaurant, Xiao flies back to look for clues.
The first thing he does is to look for that old woman who gave them the dolls, because he's very sure those are the main cause of this weird connection between him and Xiangling. He looks around the inn, the ground floor, balconies, he even checks the rooms stealthly with his anemo powers.
Verr Goldet notices the unusual actions of the Adeptus, yet chooses not to say anything as she observes him with amused eyes. When his search proves to be unfruitful, he approaches her and asks about the old woman.
She blinks at this, as if remembering something. "Do you mean Mrs. Qing?" she confirms, and Xiao only replies with a shrug. "I dont know. Just an old woman with a big suitcase, making dolls at the tables down there." His eyes flicks to the ground floor of the inn.
"Yes, that's certainly Mrs. Qing. I remember she left me a message when she left, that if you were looking for her, she asked me to give you this." she rummages through the drawers, then pulls out a red envelope. Xiao receives it with a nod and a small thank you, then proceeds to open it.
His eyes widen when flowers bloom, popping out of the letter. She isnt a mere human, now he's sure of it. His face scrunches as he reads the contents.
Good day, Mr. Grumpy Adeptus.
If you have received this letter, then I am sure you have seen how magical my dolls are. I gave them to you in hope that they can help you to be honest with each other, so that the two of you would make up and stop arguing because of me. And if you're looking for me now, I'm sure they have served their purpose. No need to thank me, I'm doing this on my own accord.
P.S. : If you wish to rid of the connection, simply destroy one of the dolls. You can do it however you want, but I suggest you to burn it, just in case someone found it and misuse it. You dont want any other to see what you see, right?
-The Old Witch, Qing.
Xiao furrows his brows distastefully at the magical winking form of her face on the paper before closing the letter. "She's a witch?" He asks to Verr Goldet, and she nods, like it's only natural to know. "I thought you would be able to tell," she tells him, and he sighs. Yes, he should have, but Xiangling's antics really occupied his mind that night.
"Alright. Thank you for your help," he says curtly, then teleports to the upper balcony. There, he thinks about what he should do now that he knows exactly what's going on. Should he go to Xiangling and take the doll without explaining anything? He isnt sure if he should explain all this to her, but he probably has to take the doll as soon as possible.
Yet he can't help but notice that unwilling feeling in his heart, the desire to continue what they have right now just for a while longer. After all, if not for her calls, Xiao would never have a reason to go to the harbor, and going there on his own accord just because he misses her is out of the question.
"Let's just wait until she comes here again," He sighs and leans back against the rails, closing his eyes as he once again makes a poor excuse to postpone their goodbyes.
---
Xiao thrusts his spear violently at the Mitachurl on his side, trying to not focus on the sensation connected by his doll self. He strikes again on the poor creature, then moves to deal with the smaller ones. No matter how much he tries to focus his mind on his job, the feeling of the plush surface of a pillow is so vivid, cushioning his head even though he's not leaning down.
He loses a moment of focus, and now he can hear her soft breaths, even and somewhat rhythmic. He groans when he realizes that all the monsters are dead, and that means that his distractions are gone. He doesnt know what came over her , but tonight she decides to sleep together on her bed with his doll. And it drives him crazy, being so close yet so far from her, he can even practically feel her body heat emanating from her.
He walks away to approach another camp of monsters, but stops dead in his tracks when he feels a hand snakes around his torso and hugs him around the waist. He can feel her warm breath fanning his forehead, and if he can feel her body heat earlier, now his skin is touching her directly and oh, she's so warm and he's so warm and Xiao cant even differentiate reality from the other.
And curse—or bless— that old witch, because not only he can feel her touch, he also has the front row seat to see her face, sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of Xiao's inner turmoil. Whether he closes his eyes or not doesnt matter, because the image is so clear in his mind, and as he runs to a group of hilichurls, her face is still the only thing he can see.
Fighting monsters has never been this thrilling, as he relies completely on instincts to fight them when his mind is busy remembering every detail of her face. The faint line of her eyelids, dark brown lashes, slightly parted lips, even a small mole on her side of neck he never knew she has.
He holds down his spear when he's done, panting heavily as he forces his mind to work again. This wont do. He really will go crazy if he experience this once more. Never mind about not wanting to disturb her life, he doesnt know what will he do if this happens again. And certainly, he cant take any chances and let his doll be on her side for a day longer. With that in mind, he teleports right away to the roof of Wanmin Restaurant.
---
The moment Xiangling gets up from her bed, she's greeted by a knock on her window. It's still dark outside, the sun had barely risen, but she's sure there's someone outside. Who could that be, this early in the morning? And more importantly, her room is on the second floor of the building, how did they manage to—
She sucks in a breath when her eyes meet amber ones, so familiar, and she scurries towards the window once she realized whose are they. When she opens the window, she comes face to face with a rather flushed Xiao, even though the cold air stings on her skin.
"Xiao!" she exclaims loudly, completely surprised by his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here? How did you—" she leans outside the window, and finds his legs settled on a tiny space of roof tiles below her window.
"Give the doll back to me," he speaks, and his voice contains a hint of urgency and relief at the same time. When she only gives him an confused look, he sighs and elaborates. "The doll that old woman had given you at the inn. The one that ridiculously looks like me."
"Mini-Xiao?" She asks, and he immediately nods. "But why? Didnt you say that you dont want it? Why are you suddenly asking for it back?" he frowns tiredly at her train of questions. Not that he hadnt expected this, of course.
"Because on a second thought, it's indeed very cute." he blurts out whatever thing that came up in his mind.
"You just called it ridiculous, Xiao."
"Please, Xiangling. It was supposed to be mine. Is it so bad if I want it now?" the way he calls his name makes her hard to refuse.
"Alright, fine. But it's kind of a pity because I'm so used having him with me," she reaches for the doll and rubs its cheek gently, and Xiao flinches at the touch. "He's a good listener, you know."
"Then talk to me instead." he tells her, without any hint of joke in his eyes. "Call for my name and I'll be right there, no matter what time and purpose. You can go and talk for hours, or just for a single good night, I wont mind." he's completely serious, Xiangling notes as she swallows a lump in her throat. She definitely didnt expect this.
"Really?" she speaks hesitantly after a moment of silence. Xiao nods, the movement firm and sincere. "Okay then. Here you go. Take care of him, alright?" she hands him the doll, and he nods fervently.
"Thank you, Xiangling." he tells her, a faint smile on his lips.
"It's no problem. Anyways, I'm planning to go to Wangshu Inn today. Do you want me to bring you almond tofu?" she asks happily, and he nods at her.
"Yes, please. It's been a long time since I had it, after all."
"Okay! Then, you better get going now. The sun is already high on the sky, people would freak out if they see you," she waves him goodbye, and he nods back before disappearing in a burst of anemo. When he's gone, Xiangling slapped herself hard on her cheeks to make sure that this isnt a dream, because what just happened was just too good to be true.
---
The red, flaming flame is reflected on his eyes as he observed quietly the doll she had given to him this morning, burned amongst dead leaves. Once it turns into ashes completely, Xiao puts out the fire with the right pressure of anemo power.
As soon as he's done, he hears her voice calling out to him, and when he turns back, he finds her waving her hand at the inn's entrance. For the first time, Xiao raises his hand and quickly waves back, and he can see the way her eyes lights up just from the gesture.
She runs towards him excitedly, then the two of them walk together inside as she keeps rambling on about the almond tofu she brought today. Then they fall into the same routine as her other visits, and finally, everything just feels so right for him.