𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗔 𝗚𝗢 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 ✦ 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 [OLD]

𝗼𝗵, 𝗢𝗛 𝗡𝗢

It may have not looked like it but the gears were turning in y/n's brain.

Y/n, much to her dismay, was like a magnet when it came to non-human beings...

From these encounters, she learned that non-human beings have a certain sound to them. It was a slight difference from the noise y/n heard from other human beings but easy to pick up on if she was searching for it.

A difference in their breathing.

A unique tone to their heartbeat.

Y/n was able to recognize it by now.

And she was sure she'd heard it earlier...

"Here we are!" y/n exclaimed once they got to Yujing Terrace, "And there's Madame Ping over there!"

"You really know your way around, y/n." Paimon commented and y/n shrugged.

"Like I've said before. I need to if I wanna do my job properly." y/n chuckled then paused, "Ahem... you know where to find Zhongli once you get the bell."

Aether frowned, "You're running off again. What is it this time?"

Y/n huffed, "I'm not running off! I just need to check something, that's all!"

"Well, make sure you come back when you finish! Don't get caught up flirting with someone!" Paimon reminded the young woman who frowned.

"Is that the type of person you think I am?" y/n questioned then sighed, "I'm hurt."

And with that, she strolled away on a mission. The Golden House was within walking distance and she had plenty of time so y/n didn't bother rushing.

The young lady wasn't too eager to see if her suspicions were actually correct...

"Good afternoon Miss Y/n." a couple of Millelith greeted as she passed by.

"Good afternoon." y/n replied, still deep in thought as she entered the Golden House, her body practically on autopilot as her brain tried to come up with excuses as to why she may be incorrect.

She stopped in front of the Exuvia, staring at it with a thoughtful expression.

Ah... it did resemble the lizard.

A single tear fell from y/n's right eye as the truth finally hit her like a geovishap.

Oh. Oh no.

Okay so the lizard was Rex Lapis the entire time, that's fine. It wasn't all that bad.

Y/n shook her head, "Okay, that's fine. That's perfectly fine. So Rex Lapis isn't dead at all. That's not too bad, haha..."

She was actually crying now, thinking about how that'd actually been Rex Lapis watching her cry about being single and how she just wanted to go home.

She'd had emotional breakdowns in front of an archon, that's perfectly fine...

"OH WHO AM I KIDDING, THAT'S SO EMBARRASSING...!" y/n cried, flopping on the ground and sobbing.

She'd just noticed something else but she was going to ignore it for the time being.

~~~ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ•°*

"Woah, you look terrible." Paimon stated when y/n met up with them at Yujing Terrace, "What happened? Did you get rejected?"

"No, I wish..." y/n sighed, rubbing her eyes, "Alright, got the Cleansing Bell?"

Aether gave her a thumbs up, "Yep."

"What comes next?" Paimon inquired, turning to the man who y/n was definitely not avoiding.

"Ahhh, kites if I remember correctly..." y/n murmured then glanced at Zhongli, "Kites, right?"

"That is correct." Zhongli confirmed with a nod and y/n immediately realized her poker face wasn't poker enough.

'Crap.'

"Kites? Paimon loves kites!" Paimon exclaimed, excited, "Are we finally getting a break?"

"No." y/n stated, her expression cold.

"What? Seriously?" Paimon cried.

"In this case, we're using the for the Rite of Parting. They're symbolic and are often used in Liyue's rituals." y/n explained, "Zhongli knows more about it so he can explain it to you better."

Y/n noticed how Zhongli had given her that adorable, precious, im-so-proud-of-you-smile and immediately felt part of her sanity just crumble.

'DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, YOU'RE MAKING IT HARD TO BE ANGRY AT YOU...!' y/n screamed internally before turning away to hide her flustered expression, "AHEM. Let's get going..."

And with that, she hurried away.

She could hear Paimon, Aether and Zhongli behind her. Ahh, the disadvantages of having excellent hearing.

"Y/n is acting odd... did something happen?" Zhongli asked and y/n nearly cried when she heard concern in his voice.

"I'm not sure. She did run off somewhere when we were getting the bell..." Aether murmured.

"Meh, we'll find out soon enough!" Paimon chirped, "C'mon, let's go!"

'aha... I'm bad at keeping a straight face...' y/n thought, on the verge of crying again.

:)