Freedom

Part 34

"Pause. Pause!" You call, pressing your fingers into your red cheeks. "Xiao, this means you also?..."

The Yaksha blinks at you, cheeks growing darker by the second. He looks bashful as he turns away from you.

"Was that not... evident?"

You blink several times, the information sinking in. You're pretty sure that... this is... wow...

"Really?" You whisper.

"Must I repeat myself?" Xiao asks, turning away.

"Is it really repeating yourself if you haven't really said anything." You grumble, looking away from the adeptus.

"Outlander... There is no one, aside from you, that I would be willing to occupy my time with."

You sink your teeth into your bottom lip. It's not the most elegant of confessions, but it is a confession from the Guardian Yaksha of Liyue. You didn't think you'd ever get to hear something like this.

"I didn't—why are you crying?" Xiao looks nervous as he wipes tears from under your eyes. "I didn't think I'd make you sad."

"I'm not sad, Xiao." You say, smile on your lips as tears continue to fall. "I've never been happier."

0_0_0_0

You're chatting with Xiao when Aether plops down on the branch you're sitting on. It's been a couple days since your altercation with Scaramouche, but you're still a little put off by it. Though you've had time to simmer, you can still feel your hackles rising as Aether sits beside you.

"Uh... Hi." Aether's smile is tight, stressed.

He looks uncomfortable, but you can't find it within you to feel bad or to put him out of his misery. You continue to stare at him, waiting for him to put his words together.

"So... that was not how I planned for that meeting to go..." He admits, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Oh, really? You didn't plan for the Fatui Harbinger to try and murder me? Because that seems so out of character for him." You state.

Xiao taps your lower back with his knuckle. You can't tell if he's trying to offer you support or to tell you to tone it down a notch. Nonetheless, Aether looks really uncomfortable as he sits beside you.

"I didn't... You weren't supposed to remember he existed... He wiped it from Irminsul—that's not the issue here. Listen. I'm really sorry. He panicked and it's not an excuse. I've spoken with him and he's agreed to reign it in. He won't attack you again."

You blink at Aether incredulously. What the hell was this influx of information that he was dumping on you? Not supposed to remember?..

"What are you talking about?" You grumble, rubbing at your temples.

You can feel a headache starting. This was getting to be too much. It was enough that Aether seemed to be teaming up with Fatui Harbingers, but Scaramouche? Really?

"It's really complicated..." Aether sighs, spiking your irritation.

"Well you better get started because I've got nothing but time." You ground out.

~

It's a lot of information to take it. Trauma is a scary thing, but it doesn't excuse the Harbinger's actions. You don't write off the fact that he tried to kill you. You don't open your arms to him and tell him that there's no hard feelings, because there are. You'd barely breathed a word and he'd tried to kill you. Though you understand his response, you don't condone it. Xiao is even less forthcoming with the Harbinger. Though you agree to meet him again, the adeptus refuses to let you go near him without an escort. You'd like to say it irritated you to have a guard at your side, but it offered you a sense of ease that you wouldn't have being along with the man.