It took several minutes of nagging before Goldet finally relented and let me go about my ways. At least I think it was, because it honestly felt like hours had gone by since she opened her mouth to talk about how not to offend the great Vigilant Yaksha.
Thankfully, the little ball of fluff resting on my lap made for a great distraction.
And now, after placing the sleeping cat back onto Goldet's table and having reassured her that yes, I won't be doing anything that would potentially set the adeptus off, I took the plate from Yanxiao and made my way towards the top of the inn.
There were noticeably less decorations adorning the walls the further I went up, leaving only a single painting as the sole piece occupying the empty walls of the top floor. A painting of Liyue Harbor, I noted, the skies of which are dotted by a different kind of star, its orange light illuminating the land beneath as it carried with them the wishes of the people.
'How very thoughtful of them.'
Taking a second to admire the piece, I finally stepped towards the terrace, a plateful of fake tofu floating right next to me. The scenery I was greeted with is nothing short of picturesque. The verdant green of the many uniquely shaped trees growing in between the tall grasses of the marsh directly contrasted with the isolating whiteness of the Dragonspine Mountain next to them.
A winter wonderland that doesn't quite fit the liveliness of the neighboring Mondstadt, and instead, a place much more familiar to those Snezhnayan Fatui with how much snow blankets the landscape, not to mention the freezing temperature.
'Snow, huh?' As I leaned my body against the railing, I couldn't help but reminisce as I stared into the tall mountain in front of me. 'When's the last time I experienced proper winter?'
There was a time during my childhood, back when everything was so much easier than it had become. Of idyllic days spent cooped up inside a small apartment warmed by the crackling flames within the fireplace as my younger self begged to be let out, to experience something that I would never be able to back on our homeland.
And experience things I did.
Snow angels, snowball fights, snowman building; every single thing the little me could think of at the time, he does it all. An entire season spent on the outside, marveling at the beauty of the magical white clump they call snow.
Perhaps I should consider paying Dragonspine a visit once everything blows over and our business in Liyue concludes, if only to satisfy my childlike curiosity. Though I can imagine Lumine's staunch refusal given her dislike of the cold, I'm sure she'd be more inclined to go now that we have someone like Xinyan in our group.
That would be a nice little getaway.
'But first….'
I pulled my gaze away from the mountain, bringing an end to the pleasant daydream as I directed my attention towards the looming presence behind me. I took a second to mentally prepare myself before I turned around, finally being face to face with the person I was dreading to meet.
The Conqueror of Demons himself stood center stage, the eyes of his demonic mask gave a sinister glow as it focused its predatory gaze towards me. The black aura that surrounded his figure caused alarm bells to ring inside my head, and despite the warmth of the midday sun, I couldn't help but shiver at the sight of it.
Strangely enough, despite his rather intimidating appearance, he made no move whatsoever after making his presence known. Xiao simply stood there in silence, seemingly content with observing the person that disturbed his rest. For the time being, at least.
The suffocating silence persisted for some time, before the adeptus finally made a move.
Xiao raised his hand towards his mask, and with a single sweeping motion, caused the demonic face he's wearing to disappear into nothingness.
I was expecting several things, honestly. Annoyance, displeasure, or perhaps rage to be the expression hidden behind his mask. But contrary to my expectation, I was met with a blank face instead. Even as I tried to peer through his yellow eyes, there's not a trace of emotion to be seen. It's like starting into the waters of a calm pond with naught a ripple to be seen.
It's a bit unsettling, really, even more so when he remained as still as a statue the entire time.
Still, I shook off the jitters running through my body and once again observed the inexpressive adeptus in front of me.
Now that I've calmed down somewhat, I noticed that the dark energy that surrounded Xiao's body seems to slowly dissipate little by little, no longer inducing a feeling of danger I've been experiencing this entire time, while the burning temperature of the sun that was covered by an unknown cold gradually made its presence known.
Is it perhaps the mask? If so, what correlation could there be between the two?
Before I could get too into it, I shook the thought out of my head. Now's not the time for needless thinking. This is an opportunity. Whether one he created purposefully or something he did unconsciously, it doesn't really matter. Now that the invisible barrier separating the two of us has disappeared, I gingerly took a step forward.
Seeing no visible reaction, I took yet another step. And another one, before my pace slowly settling into a comfortable rhythm after knowing that he wouldn't do anything towards me even now. Still, that doesn't mean I let my guard down. Not after having to deal with an angry adeptus before this one.
The moment I was a few steps shy of being right in front of his face, I stopped. Placing the floating plate into my hand, I offered the Almond Tofu the cook gave me towards Xiao.
The adeptus stared at the food silently, before his gaze moved back towards me, only for it to fall back towards the pile of tofus resting atop the plate. This back and forth continued for a bit before he eventually took the plate from my hand.
As the ground almonds settled into his mouth after scooping them with his gloved hand, there was a ripple in the previously undisturbed waters that was his eyes, something akin to nostalgia, I reckon. Unwilling to interrupt this moment, I silently watch the illustrious Conqueror of Demons gorging his food like a child would, hoping that this would be enough to get the conversation going.
Thankfully, it did.
"You don't have a Sigil of Permission with you," Xiao spoke, his words less of a question and more of a statement.
"I don't," I answered honestly.
The adeptus hummed in response, his hand continued to feed his mouth with the steadily dwindling tofu, "Too much contact between our world is against the rules. And without the sigil, there's nothing stopping me from hurting you, if only to uphold that rule."
"Then why didn't you?"
Xiao didn't answer, instead letting the silence take over once more. Not knowing what to do, I simply waited once again, keeping my gaze at the impassive stare the adeptus directed at me while trying my absolute best to not laugh at the comical sight of him eating so nonchalantly despite the gravity of our conversation.
"Why are you here?"
"To fulfill my end of the bargain." Seeing that he had no intention of answering my previous question, I didn't bother pushing for an answer. "I'm well aware of the danger this meeting could cause me, sigil or otherwise, but there's no helping it when I'm bound by a contract to do so. You of all people should understand."
"A contract?" Xiao asked incredulously. For the first time since our meeting, something resembling a proper expression came upon the adeptus' face. "With who?"
"Cloud Retainer."
My answer only seemed to add to his confusion, as Xiao suddenly broke eye contact and moved his gaze towards the door.
"Hmm, so that's how it is," he finally said, having come to a realization. "I was wondering why someone like Cloud Retainer would willingly meet a mortal in the first place. Was it Ganyu? Did she set everything up for you?"
"She did, yes."
Xiao nodded in understanding, before his expression once again morphed into a blank one as he crossed his arms together, "So you've signed a contract with Cloud Retainer, what does that have to do with me?"
"One of the clauses stated that I had to relay a message to you."
"A message?" The adeptus tilted his head, his voice tinged with curiosity. "She couldn't have come here herself?"
"She's currently preoccupied with something else."
My eyes moved in the direction of Jueyun Karst. Right now, I imagine she was having a very hard time convincing two other adepti who are no less stubborn than she was. I wonder what kind of lengths she had to go through to get them to agree?
"Is that so?" Despite raising an eyebrow at my answer, he didn't press any further. "What is it then?"
I paused at his question as my mind drifted back towards Goldet's many warnings.
As expected, after having talked to him myself, Goldet's push for sugarcoating things wouldn't work that well. Someone as blunt and direct as Xiao wouldn't appreciate having his time wasted by roundabout explanations and flowery words.
'Then again, being straightforward about it has its own downside.'
"Rex Lapis has been assassinated." I once again assumed the role of the bearer of bad news as I uttered those words. Hopefully, for the last time.
'Personally though, I'd prefer to trust my own experience when it comes to dealing with people.'
___________________________________
Despite the honorary knight's repeated assurance, Ganyu couldn't help but be worried.
Among the adepti, Xiao held the most respect and was the most loyal towards Rex Lapis. Of course, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, it's not like Ganyu herself didn't hold the same admiration towards him. The problem comes from the fact that she was afraid of what he might do should he come to know about what happened to their god.
He already struggled to deal with his ever increasing karmic debt, what would happen to the people around him if he lost control of himself even for a moment?
Just the thought of it was enough to make Ganyu shudder.
So in a bid to make absolutely sure that nothing of the sort would happen, she excused herself from their rowdy table, claiming that she had to deal with Qixing related matters with Goldet. Both Xinyan and Paimon didn't seem to mind and wished her good luck. Lumine, on the other hand….
There's something about the way her gaze lingered on Ganyu for a second longer that unsettled her, even as she smiled and gave her words of encouragement.
Regardless, now that she's excused, she quickly made her way inside, only to see that the honorary knight was nowhere to be seen. Goldet, noticing her confusion, points towards the stairs, to which Ganyu nodded in thanks and began climbing the steps all while trying her best to remain calm.
"...preoccupied with something else."
Thankfully, it seems that things are going well. Although the atmosphere seems quite tense, the fact that the two of them are talking in a cordial manner is a good sign all around.
"Is that so? What is it then?"
Ganyu allowed herself a quiet sigh of relief. Looks like she arrived just in time. She then took a peek through the wall she hid behind, noticing that the conversation seemed to have come to a pause as the honorary knight pondered over Xiao's question.
It seems that Goldet's caution paid off. Even without it, Ganyu believes that the honorary knight wouldn't do anything to potentially compromise this delicate situation. Surely, after having successfully dealt with an angry Cloud Retainer, he would know exactly what to do.
"Rex Lapis has been assassinated."
…or maybe not.
Then again, she practically said the exact same thing to Cloud Retainer just earlier today, so maybe he's taking a page out of her book?
Ganyu shook the thought out of her head. Whatever the case was, now is not the time to be thinking of such things.
The silence that came from the honorary knight's blunt statement caused Ganyu's body to visibly tense. Her hand nervously clutched her sleeves as she debated on whether or not to pull out her weapon just in case, even if she knew it wouldn't do much of anything against the last surviving yaksha.
'Still, I can't just sit around and do nothing.'
Hardening her resolve, Ganyu prayed to the recently departed Rex Lapis for strength before she strained her ear towards the upcoming conversation, hoping beyond hope that things wouldn't escalate beyond control.
Just as she was prepared to intervene at any moment, the event that transpired after was not something she expected to happen.
"Explain."
Rather than being beset by fury, or even something remotely similar, Xiao was surprisingly docile. There wasn't a trace of anger in his voice, nor was there any sort of change on his neutral face that would denote something similar as she took a quick peek.
Despite that however, Ganyu remained vigilant. Xiao's reclusive personality and his inexpressive nature was something she and the others are aware of, and this could very well be the calm before the storm. So she bided her time, patiently waiting for the inevitable to happen.
But even after the honorary knight explained things in great detail, there was no change in Xiao's demeanor. He remained strangely calm all throughout, even when it was made known to him that the Qixing had failed to uphold their duty.
"You seem to be taking this quite well," the honorary knight said after finishing his explanation. "I was expecting you to be a lot more… vocal about it. More agitated."
Even as Ganyu found herself agreeing to that sentiment, she had to resist the urge to bang her head against the wall in frustration at the honorary knight's reply. Xiao, thank the archons, seems to have taken it in stride. She hopes so at least.
"Is that the impression you have on me?"
"Well, Cloud Retainer was certainly much more willing to shoot the messenger, I'd assume you'd be the same. Doubly so, given the kind of person Goldet describes you to be."
…at this point, Ganyu was very tempted to reveal herself, if only to prevent the honorary knight from adding more fuel to the fire.
"There's a time and place for everything, traveler." She heard Xiao sigh. "And with Liyue in its current state, I cannot afford to mourn Rex Lapis' death. Duty came before anything else. Even if our contract with Rex Lapis no longer applies, that fact would not change for me." The sound of footsteps moving away from her prompted Ganyu to take a peek. "Perhaps when everything has been dealt with, I'd allow myself the privilege of indulging in my own feelings."
"...you're unexpectedly harsh on yourself, aren't you?"
"I have to be, if only to remind myself exactly the kind of person I am." Xiao's gaze, which was focused on the glowing eyes of the honorary knight's white mask, moved towards the sprawling scene ahead of them. "There's no rest for the wicked, traveler. I, more than anyone else, are not exempt from that."
With those words, silence reigned the atmosphere once again, causing a lull in the conversation that gave Ganyu time to think about things.
Having seen the glimpse behind the callous exterior of the Vigilant Yaksha, she couldn't help but be embarrassed at her behavior towards him. All those fears she held against him seem much more trivial now that she knows more about him, however little that might be.
She's not that close with him to begin with, and already Ganyu made her own preconceived notion regarding him without ever trying to get close to him. In her defense, everyone that was close or has ever teamed up with him ended up dead, so that doesn't really inspire her to think about Xiao in a more positive light.
But still…
Such a dangerous thing, prejudice is.
She couldn't help but feel sick, knowing that she acted just how she imagined others would should they ever find out she's not what they thought her to be.
"Is there anything else you have for me?" Burying those thoughts for later introspection, Ganyu instead continued to focus on the two's conversation. Knowing that her fears are for naught, she's noticeably a lot more relaxed in her endeavor. "Or perhaps Cloud Retainer had entrusted you with something else?"
The honorary shook his head as he answered, "Other than to tell you that she awaits your presence in Jueyun Karst? None."
Xiao nodded in response. Despite the seeming end to their conversation however, the yaksha made no move to leave. Instead, he seems to be inching closer towards the honorary knight, his eyes squinted as if inspecting something.
"...is there something wrong?"
The yaksha remained in his position for a bit longer, before he eventually pulled back, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Have you visited Mondstadt recently?"
The silence coming from the honorary knight was a clear indication of his surprise, though he did end up answering not long after, "I was staying in Mondstadt for several weeks before coming here for the Rite of Descension. Why do you ask?"
"The winds around you are quite peculiar. Divine in nature, even." Unbefitting of his usual blank faced expression, the thoughtful look on the yaksha's face persisted, even as he tilted his head curiously. "Have you perhaps met with the Anemo Archon?"
"Barbatos? I have," the honorary knight nodded.
"I see. No wonder." The moment Xiao uttered those words, Ganyu swore she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. "How has he been faring?"
"Pretty well, especially now that Dvalin has been cured of his poison. I imagine he's probably spending his time drinking the day away inside the local bar, maybe occasionally playing that lyre of his if he felt like it."
In response, Xiao muttered something she couldn't quite hear. Though she did note the slightly perplexed look on his face.
"Can you express my gratitude to him?" Xiao slightly shook his head, his expression returning to how it always was. "I never did get the chance to meet him back then."
"Sure, I guess?" Though the slightly questioning tone gave away his curiosity, the honorary knight didn't press for a reason. "I probably won't be returning there anytime soon though, so it might take a while."
"That's fine, it's nothing urgent anyway."
"If you say so," the honorary knight shrugged.
With that, the long conversation finally came to an end. Without a word, Xiao turned away from the honorary knight and began to walk away. Before he got far however, he suddenly stopped.
"By the way," Xiao's head turned slightly, his eyes once again meeting the honorary knight's mask, "You really shouldn't be meeting with an adeptus too frequently, traveler. A mortal's soul is not as robust as ours are, and at some point, yours will collapse if you keep this up."
"...is that concern, I hear?" the honorary knight asked after a bit of pause. "Are you perhaps worried about me?"
Xiao merely scoffed before he turned away once again. This time, his figure quickly disappeared into nothingness, a small gust of wind being the only indication that he was ever there in the first place.
With the yaksha's departure, the atmosphere became noticeably more relaxed. Even with Xiao being calm throughout the conversation, there was a slight stifling sensation in the air, most likely a byproduct of his karma-ridden constitution.
"Oh my god, I'm still alive."
The honorary knight, who seemed undaunted throughout their meeting, nearly collapsed as he held himself steady against the railing, a notion Ganyu could relate to as her own body slowly slid off the wall she hid behind until she found herself sitting on the floor.
"Who would've thought that Xiao would be one of the more reasonable of the bunch," she heard the honorary knight wondering aloud. "A surprise, sure, but a very welcomed one. God knows one angry adeptus a day is already too much for me."
Ganyu found herself nodding in agreement at his statement.
'Today has been such a hectic one.'
As her gaze was fixed towards the ceiling, the thoughts inside her head began to wander towards the day's events and the things that led to it.
It was all so sudden, honestly. Being told to meet a bunch of outlanders and to guide them towards the place of the adepti first thing in the morning, not to mention the fact that the secret she kept from others for so long had been so readily disclosed to them without her knowing.
The fact that she hadn't collapsed from being overwhelmed is honestly kind of a miracle.
Though Ganyu had expected the worst, the whole situation turned out to be not so bad after all. Sure, the whole thing with Cloud Retainer could've gone better, but other than that, having managed to befriend someone that doesn't care what she is is such a breath of fresh air.
But most of all, she was beyond ecstatic when she found out that there was someone among the outlanders that shared her circumstances.
Granted, not everything has been confirmed, and this might simply be her projecting, but the prospect alone was enough to excite her.
And now, with the two of them being the only ones here, there was no better opportunity for her to finally ask him the questions that's been seared into her mind.
'Still, is it right for me to suddenly ask something like that?'
Even when faced with everything she could've possibly asked for, Ganyu couldn't help but hesitate. On one hand, judging by Lumine's previous explanation, he probably wouldn't mind, but on the other, she felt it was quite rude for her to pry into what was essentially his private life.
'What should I do?'
Unfortunately for Ganyu, the world didn't give her the luxury of time to ponder her choices.
The wind suddenly began to pick up as she felt something invisible wrapping itself around her waist and legs. Before she could even let out so much as a noise, Ganyu suddenly found herself hoisted into the air and began floating straight towards the outdoor terrace.
"I didn't think you're the type to do something like this, Miss Ganyu."
Sitting atop the fence with his leg dangling over the edge was the Honorary Knight Kamiyama Yuu, his body facing away from her as he addressed her in a voice tinged with amusement. He craned his neck, and the moment her eyes met his mask, the man laughed at the predicament she found herself in.
"Eavesdropping on someone else's conversation is such a rude thing to do, you know?"