Philosophical

Chapter 19

"May I ask a question?" Xiao asked while they walked through the starry, peaceful night. Not exactly peaceful for Xiao, he could sense the demons. He ignored it for once.

Feiya cocked her head, looking at him with her green eyes. "Ask the question rather than asking to ask it."

"Your... Father. I know him," Xiao started.

"I know."

The adeptus immediately turned his head to look at her. The grey haired girl had her eyes on the sky. "You do? How?"

"He once came back all bloody, well, not really 'came back'. We found him on the bed one morning. It had been a few weeks after he had set out for battle, so we were worried. We... really thought he died." Her eyes glimmered. Xiao couldn't tell if it was because she was happy or sad. "And then the next morning, poof! He was suddenly safe at home. He said that an adeptus saved him from the battlefield." She turned to look at Xiao and softly smiled. "That adeptus was you." She continued to look at the sky again, the smile still present on her face. "I told my mother and father that I would thank you for that when I found you. I still need to properly do that."

Xiao's heart felt warm. He looked down at the ground. "Saying that is thank you enough. I don't believe I deserve that thank you, though. I was only doing my job."

Feiya chuckled. "Don't say that. Had you not been there, Father would have been gone even earlier."

Xiao's heart immediately felt a pang of sorrow. "Sorry," he muttered. "It was foolish of me to bring that up in such a manner." They neared the crumbled bridge.

Feiya shrugged lightly and then touched the cryo vision in her pocket. "Please don't worry about it," she said while making a platform of ice on the broken bridge. They walked across.

"You're looking at the sky a lot."

Feiya shrugged. "The stars are pretty. Celestia is up there too. I hope Mother and Father are somewhere pretty, where they can have the life they deserve." Her eyes then widened. "Ah! I'm sorry for saying all these personal things."

He ignored her apology. "May I ask another question?"

"Please do stop asking to ask questions."

Xiao rolled his eyes. "I shall comprehend that as a yes. Your father... I grew fond of him after rescuing him. He was a general in battle. I can imagine he makes quite the amount of money. So how did your family settle as a poor family?"

"We... my father was actually an immigrant from Inazuma. The rest of his family is there. I'm not sure why he left, he never told me. I don't feel the need to know, so I never asked. Anyway, they were poor there and needed money desperately. My father had talent in fighting, especially with katanas. But Inazuma's military... My father didn't like it. So he came here, where he liked the military. He found my mother here. She wanted to be a scholar, alas, women are discriminated against. Her family wouldn't support her, they wanted her to do a weaving business. She refused, and then they sent her out to live on her own." Feiya paused to watch a squirrel scurry up a tree, then continued walking. "My mother was very smart. She had made up a new style of sword art. She wrote it all down, drew pictures of it. She wanted to sell it, but nobody would buy such a thing from a woman. My father did, though, and after he realized how effective it was, he started spending more time with her, trying to help her achieve..." Feiya stopped talking in realization that she had gone off track. "Ah! I'm terribly sorry! I shouldn't have gone off rambling!"

"It's fine. How could I blame you," Xiao said, though he was secretly enjoying her story. "It's good to open up more for your mental wellbeing, I'm sure Baizhu would agree."

"Ahaha..." Feiya awkwardly chuckled, suddenly remembering yesterday where Xiao found her having a mental breakdown next to the pond. "Anyway, he had to provide for his family, so part of his money went to them. He also wanted to pay for my mother in order for her to go to college, and that took away some. They got married somewhere in between, and moved into Mingyun. My mother said they chose that place because of the nature and quietness there. It was peaceful. They sent money to my mother's side, too. So that left a bit for food, and when I appeared, for school. So we ended up poor, but none of us mind, even now I'm sure," she ended. Her eyes parted from the dark skies and focused on Xiao's face. She pointed to a nearby hill. "We can watch the lanterns there."

The two sat next to each other and waited for the show. Feiya fiddled with some pieces of grass while Xiao looked at a flower, thinking. I am an adeptus, I shouldn't be interacting with mortals this much, he thought. Xiao looked up at the sky, his eyebrows furrowed. Why am I here, celebrating a mortal tradition? Why am I here when there is a job to do, things to kill? I need to leave, I should leave right now-

"Xiao," Feiya said softly, interrupting his thoughts. The adeptus jumped, startled by the sound. His amber eyes met the girl's green ones. "Xiao, you know, everybody is thankful for all you have done for us. Everybody is so thankful. Everybody pities you, too. For having lived such a terrifying life, for being so lonely, working tirelessly, all your previous comrades gone. Trying to keep up with the contract. You need rest. Relax, please. Even if it lasts for just one night, just a few hours." Suddenly she thought about her parents and softly grabbed his gloved hand. "Please."

Xiao looked down at the green eyed girl and sighed. "Should you enjoy today as well, then I shall stay."

He took her hand in his.

Not including this A/N, exactly 1,000 words ahahah

Idk what this chapter was for, plot building I guess