Alatus's Tear

2 / non-acceptance

2 weeks. She found out that the teal haired man named Xiao hunted demons, loved almond tofu, and couldn't handle spicy food.

How he managed to survive in Liyue all these years was a mystery. Although, considering the fact that he was immortal, a little spice wouldn't kill him. She just loved watching the inner conflict that he went through when he was faced with a plate of flaming red noodles. Xiao was too polite for his own good. Not that she'd be so cruel to force the spicy noodles down his throat, she did it merely to tease him, wanting to spur a reaction out of him. He was an enigma, rarely letting any emotion show. The exact opposite of her, who wore her heart on her sleeve. Perhaps that was why she felt compelled to find out why the said man was so unexpressive.

Machi sighed, as she watched the contents of the pot simmer, emitting a sweet fragrance that left her nose tingling.

Almost done, I hope he's back soon.

Her thoughts drifted to Xiao who had left earlier this morning. She didn't want to pry, but she couldn't help being curious. Once, she had asked where he was headed to, and his answer only served to increase the questions she had. "To those who call out" he said.

What was that even supposed to mean?

She willed herself to forget about Xiao, thoughts shifting to the assailant that attempted to steal the amulet that now hung from her neck. Considering her current state, she was surprised that the demon hadn't come running back to the shrine. It must have been due to the presence of the adeptus who lingered around her. She figured that despite leaving every once in a while to attend to the "calls", Xiao did not really venture out too far away from the village.

Xiao had mentioned to her that he was in the midst of investigating the attack, and that she should just focus on recovering. With the help of multiple stitches, the gash at the side of her abdomen had slowly start to close, and she could now walk around without much difficulty. Seriously, it was something she never wanted to experience again. She swore to herself that she would find the ass that did this and pay him back tenfold.

"Human." The low baritone voice brought her back to the present.

"It's Machi. How many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name?" she grunted.

"You should be in bed" the man chided, as he walked across the kitchen towards Machi.

No, please anything but that. Anymore bed rest and she'd go insane from the boredom. Putting on a look of defiance, she turned to face Xiao. "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt anymore and I'm about to go insane from doing absolutely nothing"

Unconvinced, he inched closer to her, his hand reaching towards her waist.

Machi cursed herself when she felt herself flinch at his touch, as she knew what was to come.

"You're still in pain."

"Okay, yes it still hurts like a bitch, but I'm starving and the tofu's ready, so can we save the nagging for later?" She said, backing away from Xiao to tend to the food. 

Unphased, he beat her to picking up the scoop and gestured to the dining table while he plated the tofu. "I'll do it."

Well, she could settle for this much.

At this point, whatever that occured was soon becoming a routine. Bored out of her mind, the moment she could get herself out of bed, Machi brought it upon herself to cook her meals. And of course, the adeptus would arrive home and catch her out of bed rest. He has since given up on convincing her to stay in bed. Instead, he tried to ensure that she didn't overexert herself by minimizing her movement.

Machi couldn't help but feel touched at the small things he did, even though they'd just met. It amazed her how such a seemingly unfeeling and unexpressive man could actually be so tender. It made her wonder if he was always this nice to everyone. A tiny part of her wished that this treatment was specially reserved for her, but she knew that it was wishful thinking and quickly brushed the thought off.

"So, any leads?" Machi asked as she made herself comfortable at the table.

"There has been an increase in the number of demons in the vicinity" he said whilst eyeing the gem that hung from Machi's neck. "Many of them are low ranking fodder who can't even conceal their presence well, which is very different from what we had encountered on that day."

What Xiao said was right. The demon that had inflicted the wound on her had managed to get right to the heart of the shrine undetected. It had also managed to escape without a trace, further cementing the fact that it was on a different level compared to the demons Xiao had encountered.

"Judging from how the demon from that day has yet to strike, I'd say it's using the low ranking demons to keep an eye on us"

She watched as he placed the bowls infront of her and gestured at her to eat as he took a seat across her.

"We should strike first then, since they wouldn't be expecting much from an injured person"

"No"

Machi sighed. "I've been inactive for about 2 weeks, that's a long time for them to get some plotting done," she reasoned. "They'll be back here in no time, I'm calling it."

He paused, appearing to consider her words. After taking a few seconds to mull it over, he shifted his gaze from the tofu to her eyes and stated, "Just focus on your recovery. I will protect you."

Her eyes widened as she heard him loud and clear. Her heart couldn't help but to skip a beat, as she mentally chided herself for being swayed by a mere statement.

Why am I so affected by those words? He probably says that to everyone. Snap out of it!

She cleared her throat, averting her eyes away from his gaze. "Well - Thanks."

That came out awkward.

| Xiao |

He couldn't help but notice the red tint on Machi's cheeks as she avoided eye contact. He found himself shocked at the first thought that popped up in his mind.

This human is rather cute.

Cute? Cute was definitely not a word he used to describe the mortals that he interacted with.

The girl infront of him was stirring something within him and he didn't like it. The adepti just didn't have the pleasure and time for this thing called feelings - they were strictly reserved for mortals.

Brows furrowed, he stood up abruptly, earning a squeak from Machi who was startled by his sudden movement.

"Where are you going? You barely touched your tofu!"

"Take care and call me only if you require my assistance."

"Hey! The least you could do is finish your food before you leave!" Machi grumbled.

"The adepti have no need for food, I will be taking my leave, human."

That said, the adeptus vanished from Machi's sight, teleporting to god-knows-where.

"He just had to emphasize that fact, huh. What's with this guy? One moment he's sweet and the next moment he's a total jerk!"

Before she realised it, her plate was decorated with tofu mush, mirroring the frustration she felt regarding the complicated man. Wait. Adeptus. And she thought they were getting a teeny bit closer, after all the meals they had shared together over the past 2 weeks.

"This is the last time I'm making almond tofu!" she declared, of course, with the hope that she could spite the adeptus. Obviously, he was far from hearing her complaints, but a girl could dream.

She was met with silence.

It took awhile to sink in. With the departure of a companion, the house suddenly felt all too quiet once again. It was lonely, being alone in this big space. She didn't realise it before, but the presence of the adeptus had slowly crept its way in, that it amplified the silence when she was alone.

Slightly downcast, she lowered her gaze back onto the pile of mush on her plate and murmured, "I guess that's about as far as this friendship will get."