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Xiao gazed at the blue horizon from the roof of Wangshu Inn. A cool spring breeze rustled the leaves of the old tree surrounding him, dappled sunlight dancing across the tiles.
It was a remarkably calm morning. No rowdy guests, no chattering Hilichurls, not even a whisper of corruption from the plains, only the melodic chirping of birds hiding among the leaves or scouring the deck for food crumbs. Objectively, it was a beautiful morning.
Which was what he wished for, truly. It was no secret to the inn owners that he liked peace and quiet. Once he had overheard Huai’an commission the traveler to clear out some Hilichurls nearby before ‘a certain young gentleman’ got so annoyed by their presence that he’d ‘upset all of Dihua Marsh’. A preposterous exaggeration in Xiao’s opinion. He’d also heard Lumine giggle, because of course she knew exactly which ‘young gentleman’ the innkeeper referred to. The embarrassment Xiao had felt that moment saved Huai’an from hearing his opinion on the matter.
But for as much as he loved the tranquility, Xiao’s legs were beginning to twitch with restlessness. He often claimed to be constantly busy, but the truth of the matter was that he didn’t know what to do with his free time. It was a foreign concept to a lifelong servant, to do something simply because he wanted to.
And still, there was one thing that he wanted. Something that prevented him from enjoying the lovely atmosphere. He knew that a part of him was scanning the horizon not for threats, but for some company to come by. If he were honest with himself, he was even hoping for that company to be a certain someone, however improbable. It wasn’t the first time he was sitting here with that very sentiment after all.
Xiao’s wandering thoughts came to a stop when he spotted a familiar silhouette crossing one of the bridges. He unconsciously straightened his back. Slowly it came closer, and soon he could make out the Traveler’s golden hair and white dress.
Warmth bloomed in his chest, and he finally felt that it was a beautiful morning.
---
An hour later familiar footsteps sounded from below. Xiao looked down from his perch and saw Lumine step out on the balcony, a bag slung across her shoulder and the usual plate of almond tofu in her hands. No, he corrected himself, the dish was a bit different today. He tilted his head. Did it look more… Extravagant than usual? And she had two of them. Curiosity piqued, Xiao laid down on his stomach on the tiles, elbows propped up at the edge, and leaned forward.
Lumine was facing the marsh, but he could see the moment she inhaled before opening her mouth.
“X-”
“Hi.”
She spun around with a surprised yelp that quickly turned into loud laughter.
“I should know to check up there first by now!”
Xiao hummed and allowed himself a small smile. “But it’s more fun like this.”
She shot him a glare, but it didn’t even last for a second before bright laughter took over once more. “Oh Xiao,” she gasped for air. “It’s impossible to be mad at you when you look like that.”
“Huh?” His head tilted the other way in confusion. “Like what?”
“Peeking over the edge like a cute little bird,” she replied with a teasing glint in her eyes. Xiao sputtered and fumbled back up into a seated position, but she continued, undeterred and soft. “… Like you’re happy.”
Xiao felt his cheeks heat and cleared his throat. “Stop spouting nonsense and get up here already.”
“Oh, excited for today, are we?”
And once again he was confused. Lumine picked up on it immediately and grinned.
“The seventeenth day of the fourth month?”
“… Oh.”
“Oh indeed!” And before he had collected himself, Lumine jumped up on the roof while expertly balancing the platters. “In honor of this special occasion, Smiley and I arranged something special!” They continued to the topmost balcony surrounding the tower, inaccessible to guests, where she arranged the plates and cutlery between them.
His suspicions proved correct; this was indeed more extravagant than usual. Several smaller pieces of almond tofu were cut into perfect cubes and arranged in a colorful display of pastels and white. Lumine preened at his curiosity and eagerly gestured toward the different pieces.
“These green ones have green tea powder added to them, and the pink ones with petals on top have a hint of cherry. These purple ones have a little bit of berry juice in them for coloring, the main event is the fruit topping. And in case they’re all too weird for you, this one in the middle is regular almond tofu, but it’s made with Sucrose’s special Sweet Flowers!”
Xiao couldn’t help but be amazed by the amount of effort put into this. Green tea could be found in Liyue, but the cherry and blossom petals had to come from Inazuma, and he was fairly sure the fruits were from Sumeru. Sucrose, if he remembered correctly, lived in Mondstadt.
“It’s a record of your travels,” he breathed in realization and looked up at Lumine, who looked back at him with surprising fondness.
“You really always make it worth the effort. Yes, you’re absolutely right, it’s one flavor from each region I’ve been in.” He thought he saw a hint of sadness in her smile. “I wish I could show it all to you in person, but for now this will be my way of sharing my travels with you.”
The words left a bittersweet sting in his heart. More than ever before, Xiao felt the wish, no, the desire to no longer be bound to these lands, but to her instead. He wanted to follow her wherever she went, without waiting for her to call his name. He wanted to be there for her.
She leaned back and opened her arms in a grand gesture as if to dispel the sudden gloom. “Now, let’s dig in, birthday boy!” He cringed a little at the nickname and she giggled, but he needed no further convincing and picked up the plate and spoon.
He took a moment to simply admire the aesthetics of the dish when he heard a distinct clicking noise next to him. Indeed, there Lumine was sitting with her kamera in hand and not the slightest ounce of remorse. He chose not to comment on it, most definitely not forgiving her just because of her dazzling bright smile, and took a spoonful of the green almond tofu, feeling her eyes following his every move as if she had forgotten about her own plate.
It was different. Very different.
He let the slightly bitter dessert melt on his tongue, giving himself the chance to get used to the unfamiliar flavor, then took another spoonful.
It was different, but… Good.
He tried the next one, the cherry one, and repeated the same procedure. This one was sweeter and more similar to his usual almond tofu, but the touch of berry gave it just enough character. He concluded that this one also was good.
Similarly, the purple Sumerian variant proved refreshing with its abundance of fruits. He had been doubtful, due to his very limited palate, but somehow the Traveler and Smiley made it work.
The final one, the classic almond tofu with a Mondstadtian twist did indeed taste familiar, but there was a certain refinement to it which he attributed to the special Sweet Flower she’d mentioned.
“… And?” Oh, Lumine was still looking at him. He hadn’t noticed how engrossed he’d become.
“They’re good.” He nodded. “All of them.”
And she positively beamed at him.
--
Not much later they had both cleared their plates and set them aside, now leaning against the wall of the tower and gazing across the marsh. Xiao looked at Lumine before finally speaking again.
“Thank you. For letting me take part in your travels.”
She hummed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She turned towards him with an air of mischief about her. “Now for the main event.”
“How was that not the-” He cut himself short when her grin widened. She knew he had trouble accepting so much positive attention thrown his way, and she had made it her personal mission to ‘increase his tolerance’, as she had put it. He watched as she reached into her bag and pulled out a rather small wooden box, which she in spite of her grin handed to him rather shyly. Sheer curiosity overrode most of his hesitance, and he gently took it and placed it in his lap. He thought he felt a certain energy humming about it. He glanced at her, and she nodded, so he carefully lifted the clasp and opened the lid.
Inside lay what looked like an amulet, slightly smaller than the size of his palm. Golden filigree encased a shimmering prism, the pattern reminding him of something that escaped him at the moment. He gently picked it up in his hand, and that was when he felt it.
A soothing calm washed through him, spreading from the hand that held the amulet through his arm to the rest of his body like the gentlest breeze. Pain he had forgotten that he felt lifted from his bones. He took a deep breath, and his lungs seemed to fill with more air than ever before.
He was awestruck.
“What… Is this?”
“You… Remember how you said that your karmic debt had lessened recently? Because… Of me?” Lumine looked almost bashful. He nodded, still not quite sure where this was going. “Well, way back I helped Albedo purify some cursed dragon stuff on Dragonspine, which didn’t feel all too different from your karmic debt. I thought that your idea had some merit, so I went back to Mondstadt and talked to Albedo about it.”
Xiao’s eyes widened as he slowly realized what he was holding in his hand.
“He immediately got interested in the prospect of studying both me and a different sort of corruption at the same time. Long story short, we tested things on and off for a few months, eventually finding that my powers likely do help and that I can enchant an object to have similar properties.” She paused, clearly nervous. “I couldn’t know for sure until now though… So… Does it help at all?”
It was a lot to take in, but he did his best to put all the thoughts that flooded his brain aside for the moment. They mattered little next to one indisputable fact.
“Lumine - This is incredible.” Xiao’s voice nearly broke in sheer disbelief. “I cannot remember the last time the karmic debt was this light.”
He blinked the suddenly blurry vision away. Could he really have this? Something this good? It felt like it bordered on blasphemy to escape the constant burden, but the sheer relief was so strong that he found that he didn’t care.
Their golden eyes met, both filled with unshed tears and speaking volumes for them.
At that moment, Xiao knew in his heart that he’d follow her to the ends of Teyvat.
His brain hadn’t quite caught up to that sentiment just yet, but he had no doubt that it eventually would agree. He no longer was content to let the guilt of watching Lumine leave the inn all alone simmer beneath the surface day and night. He was tired of the constant worry about her well-being when weeks passed by without receiving a single letter in reply.
He’d find a way to make it happen.
Xiao felt a different kind of calm upon this realization, one that settled deep in his chest. It simply felt right, like he no longer had to fight against himself. Perhaps he’d have to fight someone else to make it happen, but that was far simpler for someone like him.
She was worth it.
He brushed his thumb across the smooth surface of the amulet, watching the polished prism catch the sunlight and scatter it into a rainbow. It was a crystal core, just like the ones he had given her two years earlier. He suddenly felt exceedingly embarrassed remembering that letter. How absolutely shameless of him to suggest Lumine put them in her hair because he thought it’d look prett-
He pushed that thought firmly into the back of his mind.
But still, she must not have minded too much if she used that of all things as the centerpiece…
Xiao heard a shuffling noise and looked up. He caught Lumine looking at the crystal just before turning away, hiding her face behind her bangs and fidgeting in place.
“Albedo said that using something with, um, ‘emotional significance’ would make it easier to enchant… But he may just have been pulling my leg, you can’t always tell with him.” She laughed nervously, and Xiao felt warm at the implications of her words.
Okay, maybe giving her those crystal cores hadn’t been that bad of an idea.
“Lumine.” She looked up at his soft call, and her wide eyes met his, cheeks slightly flushed. A small smile tugged at his lips. “Thank you.”
In response, a smile bright like the sun itself lit up her face and he basked in its warmth. Once again, they looked at each other, lost in thought, before her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said and pulled out a velvet pouch from her bag and handed it to him. “Just a little something to go with it, I wasn’t sure how you’d want to wear it, so it wouldn’t get caught in anything or be in the way during combat, or if you’d want to wear it at all-”
All too familiar with her tendency to talk herself into nervousness, Xiao stopped her derailing train of thought with a raised hand. “Of course I want to wear it.” He gave her a little smirk. “Silly traveler.” She huffed and lightly smacked his shoulder.
“Go on, look inside.”
He bit back another teasing remark and did as he was told. Inside the soft pouch was a collection of different chains and fastenings matching the loop on the amulet. They seemed quite sturdy, despite their decorative qualities. He picked out a short chain with a hook at one end and faltered for a second as he realized something.
It was nearly identical to the one at his hip.
He looked back at the amulet and finally realized what it resembled. The filigree of the setting matched his censer perfectly in both design and color. He turned it over, and his breath hitched. Inlaid with jade on the back was a detail of his tattoo – his true form.
Xiao was at a complete loss for words.
Not only had Lumine given him a gift that was something only she could give, something that was made specifically for him, and given him all these options to go with it to accommodate his preferences. She had also paid attention to the smallest detail of the designs on his clothing, his whole appearance, his very person.
He felt dizzy and warm and light at the same time and didn’t know what to do with all these feelings.
That someone would do all of this for him… That Lumine would do this for him…
He looked up at her. She must have seen the internal turmoil reflected in his face because she smiled calmly and spoke with the utmost tenderness.
“You’re welcome, Xiao.”
He relaxed, and his features softened. The feeling of someone unconditionally caring for him without being bound by obligation, duty, or contracts was still somewhat foreign to him, but he was learning to accept it. It felt nice.
Xiao hooked the amulet on the chain and fastened it near the censer at his hip. Lumine absolutely beamed with pride, as if she had been blessed by the universe itself. He couldn’t help but feel humbled by the whole experience.
“I… Don’t know how to thank you.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
She just shook her head. “Seeing you wear it is more than enough. And don’t you dare think you’re not deserving.” She raised a knowing eyebrow at him, and he suppressed a scoff. “I know how you think by now, but trust me when I say this. You deserve this, and you deserve so much more.” She scooted closer, almost tentatively despite having done so hundreds of times before, and just like all those hundreds of times before, he neither recoiled nor moved away. Taking this as the permission for closeness that it was, she sat down next to him. Without a second thought Xiao leaned against her steady shoulder, feeling her soft hair tickle his skin. She giggled, a sound that reminded him of a summer breeze, and wrapped her arm around his waist.
“Happy birthday, Xiao.”