( genshin various x fem! reader )
─── 𝙏𝙊 𝘽𝙀 𝘼𝙎 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀 𝘼𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙀𝘼, 𝙎𝙃𝙀 𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎. the ocean calls for freedom, and you wish to grasp it; yet something holds you down, anchors you to the sea bed you so desperately want to esca...
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C H A P T E R V . ᵘⁿᵉˣᵖᵉᶜᵗᵉᵈ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳˢ
【✧】
"YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'VE BEEN FLATTENED BY A GEOVISHAP HATCHLING."
You snorted in half-hearted agreement to Huangshan's remark, peering at yourself judgmentally through a handheld mirror nestled in your palm. "Gee, thanks. How self-evident of you."
Huangshan grinned, a teasing glint in her eyes as her fingers gathered her soft brown locks into a loose ponytail. "Someone's grumpy. I really hope you aren't always like this when you don't get enough sleep."
"Consider your hopes dashed," You grumbled as you pushed your hair back, grimacing at your haggard appearance, "By the Seven, I'm a hot mess."
You were certain that the mirror didn't do your sleep-deprived appearance justice. Your entire face seemed to sag off your bones, burdened by the lack of rest you failed to provide. A pallid gray tint hung over your skin balefully as wispy strands of hair clung to your forehead, slick with residual sweat from the arduous night you suffered through. The bruised bags that sat underneath your eyes looked like they were mocking you, jeering at the drowsy monster of a face you had managed to create in a single night.
Huangshan's playful laughter sounded distant in your ears. "You could say that again. What were you even doing last night, having a midnight tryst with a special someone?"
You huffed begrudgingly. Fine, you'd humor her. "So what if I was?"
"Oh? Do tell me more. It's not often that I get to hear rumors come to life."
"Rumors?" You sluggishly asked, tired eyes never drifting from the gaunt reflection before you.
You felt the side of your mattress crease under the weight of the brunette, who had gotten herself situated against your shoulder, tucking in stray hairs with the help of the pocket mirror. "They say that Wangshu Inn's a haven for lovers' moonlit rendezvous, and some folk stories even state that adepti sometimes come to bask in the twilight radiance. Magical, right?"
"Yeah..."
You felt your control over your mind slip with the words that died on your tongue, fragments of recollections from the night before bubbling to the top of your head. The wilted Violetgrass within your grasp, the effulgent moonlight, the unearthly presence of company, those idiosyncratic amber eyes. They fit together like puzzle pieces, slowly forming a memory through jagged edges and warped images.
Your fingers twitched vaguely. They wanted to form the patterns of flower crowns, mimic the movements dipped in gentle luminescence. The feeling of wrinkled petals beneath your digits lingered intensely, begging for you to find that distinctive touch once again.
