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Dearest Albedo,
I wish I could say that I am surprised the latest chapter’s illustrations only took an evening of your week, but you and I both know that is not the case. I will always admire the swift pace of your work when you are inspired. I, regrettably, work slowly in return, even at the peak of my motivation.
Nevertheless, I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing the latest illustrations in person in Inazuma*. Others may have been nervous about having their work published alongside artwork they have not yet seen, but I hold no doubts about the quality of your work, nor your grasp of what I had in mind. Surely, the organizers of the Irodori Festival must feel the same; I cannot think of anyone qualified to take charge of the Five Kasen portraits. Once again, I am sending you my utmost congratulations.
Seeing as there is currently no pending work for the Legend of Sword, I suppose I could tell you about my day. Currently, Liyue is as busy as ever. The port has always been busy, but Inazuma opening its borders has made the merchants double, if not triple, in numbers. As you can imagine, the Guild is affected as well. I barely see my Father or Brother these days—not that I have any complaints. I love them dearly, but it is nice to be independent. (I make it sound as if I have been idle, but that is hardly the case. My tasks have doubled in numbers too, unfortunately.)
The other day, my friend Xiangling—she is a chef—entertained a group of adventurers from Mondstadt. A few familiar names came up, like that of the Grandmaster and the Cavalry Captain, and even the so-called “Spark Knight.”** It made me think of you. Mondstadt sounds nice. I ought to visit, sometime.
Ah, look at me, rambling again.
I will wrap up now, as I wish to send this letter today, as early as possible. The sun is barely up, but I must get ahead of the day—as I said, I find myself extremely busy these days. I also need to write another letter to the Yae Publishing House regarding my
I cannot wait
I am so excited
Truly, it is most fortunate that our paths will finally
I am looking forward to finally seeing you in person. Until then, please take care.
Very sincerely yours,
Xingqiu
P.S.
* As you have probably guessed by my letter, my plans to attend the Irodori Festival have been solidified. Of course, Father is still unaware of the true nature of my visit. I will be, supposedly, overseeing Theater Mechanicus and representing the Feiyun Commerce Guild. To tell you the truth, I am partially nervous about my cover being… blown, is the best way to put it. On the other hand, my excitement is immense. I find myself smiling whenever Inazuma’s scenery passes my mind. I wonder what it will be like.
** Speaking of, how is little Klee? Did I mention I placed her drawing on my desk? I could not find it in me to archive it with my letters. Hopefully, she does not feel too lonely while you are away—although, you have mentioned you go on trips often with your position in the Knights. What I am most worried about is her getting jealous.
“You seem a little drowsy.”
He is.
Though in fairness, ‘drowsy’ is an underestimation. Xingqiu can barely keep his eyes open, a familiar weight that’s only ever-present when he stays up reading past his bedtime pulling them down. In fact, that is the exact excuse he gives the Traveler and their little companion Paimon; a captivating novel kept him up at night on the boat here.
For better or worse, the Traveler does not pry the matter any further. They offer to accompany Xingqiu to the city, completely unaware of him already having familiarized himself with Inazuma’s elegance—as much as he has been able, at least. Xingqiu has seen his signature more in the past few days than he has in his entire life.
He shakes his head. He would be the most embarrassed should the truth behind his fatigue come out, especially in the eyes of someone as esteemed as the Traveler.
Paimon is rambling about poems? Stories? Xingqiu is not sure. She is going far too fast for his tired brain to be able to keep up. There is one thing she says, however, that catches his attention and simultaneously shakes him awake from his slumber.
“A friend of ours is on Ritou to paint the portraits of the Five Kasen!”
Xingqiu prays to Rex Lapis that the way he loses his balance goes unnoticed by the pair, but at the same time, he cannot afford to think about it any further. There are more important matters at hand.
“Wait a moment,” he interrupts, keeping his fingers busy as they rub on his chin, “Are you saying that Albe… Calx has already arrived in Inazuma?”
“Oh! Are you and Albedo friends?” Paimon asks, floating excitedly—and suddenly, Xingqiu feels much better about the shake in his hands that won’t go away.
Before Xingqiu has the time to explain, the Traveler intervenes, “Remember Xingqiu’s book, Paimon?”
It is almost as if Xingqiu can see the gears in Paimon’s head click together. “Oh, that’s right! Paimon remembers! He illustrated your A Legend of Sword novel, didn’t he?”
Xingqiu nods, a bit faster than he would have liked, and pretends he does not see the Traveler’s grin widen—pretends he does not feel the heat in his cheeks rise. “Calx—well, Albedo,” he says more confidently now, seeing as the Traveler also seems to be on a first-name basis with their common friend, “has been the illustrator of our novel ever since it made its way to Inazuma. It was not a particular success in Liyue, prior to that.”
The Traveler and Paimon nod, letting Xingqiu continue. He goes on to talk about Albedo’s work—his speed, his accuracy, his composition. He is still in awe about the latest chapter’s illustrations and how seemingly easy it was for Albedo to capture Xingqiu’s thoughts on paper. Surely, A Legend of Sword wouldn’t be nearly as popular if it weren’t for Albedo’s skillset.
“Ah…” Xingqiu exclaims, realising he has been rambling for quite some time, “A-Anyway. I was under the impression he would be arriving tomorrow.”
“Hmmm, nope!” Paimon says, snapping her fingers. “He and his little sister and another tone-deaf friend of ours arrived two days ago!”
“Klee is here?” Xingqiu finds himself asking. “In Inazuma?”
“Oh, you’ve met Klee?” Paimon asks. “No wonder! From the way you are describing the situation, Paimon bets you and Albedo are close!”
Xingqiu laughs nervously. “I—well…” He scratches the back of his head. “I haven’t actually met her in person before…”
Or Albedo, for that matter.
“Really?!” Paimon is practically yelling from excitement by now. “Oh, Paimon is sure you will love her! You must meet her while you are here! You should ask Albedo!”
“C-Certainly,” Xingqiu says. “As soon as I see him. Ah… do you know where I can find him, then?”
“We ran into him a few minutes ago just up ahead,” says the Traveler. “We could show you around. Paimon and I still need to talk to him about the…”
“The Poem Hunt!”
“The Poem Hunt.”
The Poem Hunt. Yes. The one Xingqiu was definitely paying attention to.
He should probably ask for clarification soon, but currently, the only thought that occupies his brain is that Albedo is only a few meters away from him.
“Yes,” Xingqiu agrees and starts walking away from the docks immediately. “Let us depart, quickly now.”
He hears the Traveler and Paimon mutter something behind him, and it’s only then that Xingqiu realises he has no real idea of where he is going. He may be familiar with the scenery of Ritou by now, but that does not tell him anything about Albedo’s whereabouts.
Xingqiu does not stop. His heart is pounding in his chest, and the heat behind his ears will not go away.
It all comes to a halt when he spots a blond man at the center of Ritou.
“Albeeedooooo!”
In their correspondence, Albedo gave no real hints to his appearance—and yet somehow, Xingqiu knows that it is him even before Paimon calls out his name.
The Traveler and their companion catch up to Xingqiu and for the first time since they took off, Xingqiu actually lets himself fall behind them. He tugs at his sleeves, trying his best to uphold a proper posture. He fixes his hair. He swallows hard. He presses his lips together.
Albedo perks up, the tiniest hint of a smile decorating his face. He only spares the Traveler half a wave, but the gesture, Xingqiu thinks, is as well-kempt and proper as his handwriting.
“Traveler, Paimon.”
Albedo’s voice is quiet. Soothing. It fits him.
“And…”
It takes a second for Xingqiu to notice that Albedo’s eyes are on him now.
“Oh.”
There is curiosity in Albedo’s voice, but no hint of confusion. There is no doubt in Xingqiu’s mind; Albedo knows who he is.
It feels like hours that they stay there, staring at each other. It is the first time Xingqiu finds himself at such a loss for words—the first time he is at such a loss for words when it comes to Albedo. When he sits in front of his desk to write to his friend, he often lets his pen run for hours on end, and now…
“Uhh… what is going on—?”
“Shh, Paimon.”
Despite the Traveler seemingly hushing Paimon to spare them both the embarrassment, Xingqiu finds that the little guide’s question is precisely what he needed to be snapped out of his thoughts.
He clears his throat. Alright. Here it goes. “A—”
“Xingqiu.”
His name is novel in Albedo’s foreign accent. It does not remind him of Mondstadt, Xingqiu realises—then again, it should not be a surprise to him. Albedo mentioned in his letters that he and his Master used to travel before he settled.
Unlike the way Albedo holds himself, Xingqiu hears the uncertainty in his tongue. He can barely believe it, that the person behind illustrations admired by the entirety of Teyvat could sound so small.
“Albedo,” Xingqiu returns, finally remembering to speak. “I-It is a great pleasure to finally meet you. I…”
“Please,” Albedo interjects. “There is no need to be so formal.”
Almost as an afterthought, he offers Xingqiu his hand.
Xingqiu takes it.
A handshake should be brief and polite. However, theirs seems to last ages. They shake their hands—then neither of them moves. It is as if time has been frozen.
“Can’t you just hug it out already?!”
“Paimon.” Xingqiu and the Traveler exclaim at the same time.
Xingqiu wants to apologise, to back away, to offer to come back later—but to his surprise, Albedo takes a step closer, and gently wraps his arms around him.
It’s… warm. Xingqiu does not know why he was expecting it not to be.
“I must admit… that I am not particularly good at hugs.”
Albedo’s quiet tone comes as a surprise at first, but soon enough, Xingqiu is able to process his words.
He knows about Albedo’s difficulty with socializing—in his letters, he describes himself as the polar opposite of Xingqiu, always straying away from crowds and failing to read the situation. While that may be the case—and really, Xingqiu should not be one to speak, not after how awkward he’s been since they spotted each other—he finds himself disagreeing with his dear friend.
He is great at hugs.
For the first time since he arrived in Inazuma, Xingqiu lets himself relax.
Xingqiu,
You mentioned, in your letter, that I tend to work swiftly. While I cannot deny that claim, it seems the same cannot be said for my response to you this time around. As I told you in Inazuma, the atmosphere in Mondstadt before my departure was also hectic and busy. It is only now that I find the time to respond—Grandmaster Jean has deemed it necessary that I take the day off, seeing as we arrived home late last night.
I must again apologise for deceiving you upon our first meeting. Truth be told, I am quite ashamed of it. It would have been simple enough to ask you about the reason behind your knowledge of Inazuman restaurants, but… let’s just say the Traveler and I make quite the roguish duo. (At least, according to Paimon. I find myself agreeing. I also happen to have been told that teasing a friend is a good way to)
It truly is a shame you had to leave after the festival ended. I am sure you would have enjoyed the rest of Inazuma.* Tatarasuna, especially, had scenery straight out of your novels. I made sure to sketch part of it for you. I am including it in this envelope.
Unfortunately, I cannot yet tell you the details of our adventures.
When we arrived in Liyue’s port earlier today, Klee kept asking if we could visit “Big Brother Xingqiu.” I told her you were busy and that we would visit another time. Though, truth be told, I would have also quite liked to see you again. She knows that we correspond and she demanded I write in this letter that we would be returning to Liyue as soon as possible. She also forbade me from writing to you about the rest of our trip, as she wants to do it herself.
Klee likes you. She was the sleepiest I have ever seen her when we returned to Mondstadt, but somehow, the Knights have already heard all about you, Miss Yoimiya, and the other kids.**
I will not hide from you that I was anxious about meeting you. I have trouble getting close to people. It has gotten better over the years, but social interaction continues to be one of my weakest qualities. That said, I hold my encounters in Inazuma close to my heart. As an artist, it was an honor to work with you. This time around, however, I find my experiences as a friend to be far more valuable.
I feel confident in saying that I consider you a friend; a close one, in fact.
It seems I am also rambling.
In the end, I must agree with Klee. Let’s not wait till another trip across the ocean to meet again.
Speak to you soon,
Albedo
P.S.
Thank you, for the congratulations on the illustrations. Please know, however, that they could not have been done without you. Your work, and you, are of great inspiration to me.
And thank you, for Klee’s drawing. She will be ecstatic when she hears about it.
* Also, I hope you did not get into too much trouble with your Father for staying an extra day in Inazuma. It was lovely getting to see more of the island with you after the festival. Klee enjoyed it too.
** I overheard her mumble to Sir Kaeya as he carried her to her room: “Yoimiya and I made a book like Big Brothers Albedo and Xingqiu.” I have more details of their conversation, but Sir Kaeya’s eye is also on me, currently. I am afraid that if I do not put my pen down, he will carry me to my room as well.
If my guess is correct, you are probably awake at the moment too. It brings me comfort to know a friend is also
I should not be encouraging staying past one’s bedtime, but discussing with you under Mondstadt’s moonlight
I think you would enjoy Mondstadt’s nights. Although the taverns are filled with chatter, the other half of the city is quiet. Admittedly, I do not get to see either side as often as one would think. My research in the lab takes up my attention, most of the time. However, should you ever visit Mondstadt, I think I would enjoy going on a stroll with you.