You looked at yourself and examined your clothes. Every detail, the fabric, the pattern, everything.
"Say, Xiangling." You broke the silence as Xiangling hummed in question.
"Can you tell where I'm from based on my clothes alone?" You asked with the sudden despair in your eyes. You were hoping she knew, you prayed to the Archons for that.
"Hmm. I don't know since I'm not the type who travels lengths away from my own hometown. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, really. I thought you knew everything about me since the moment you saw my life threatening situation." Xiangling chuckled at the end of your sentence.
"Since when did eating a Jueyun Chilli became a life threatening situation?" She asks, the chuckle dragging on for as long as it peeved you.
"Because it's spicy, of course! And I took a massive ass bight! It's specially deadly when paired with some clueless villagers who don't know what to do when you're in the verge of death!" You argued as she chuckled harder, wiping the tears escaping out of her eyes.
"You're quite the comedian, [F/N]." Xiangling says and patted your back. You looked at her with dead eyes playfully.
"Anyways, it's getting late already. We should head home now." The indigo head continues and you agree.
"I'll see you next week alright?" She asks, as you bob your head in agreement. Waving your hands at each other, bidding your farewells, you flashed a bittersweet grin at her as you took your leave. It's a shame that good days had to end, you thought from the back of your mind.
You took a swift turn around and hopped in one of the carts about to head off from Liyue Harbor all the way to Mingyun Village. You sat in the back and wrapped yourself with a thin yet big fabric to avoid getting looks from your fellow passengers because of the peculiar clothing you worn.
Several hours passed and a waft of exhale slips out. Your eyes become a bit watery from feeling drowsy, you've been wanting to doze off but you need to fight the urge to for safety. Only the Archons know what something unpleasant might happen to the cart, or rather, the trip itself. You need to make sure everyone is safe and sound somehow until you reach your destination. Your eyes were groggy already but the little girl beside you is still energetic from the looks of it.
"Hi!" She called to you with a low tone and poked you. You whip your head to her, "Where are you heading off to?" she asks next as you felt even dizzier than before.
Lazily replying, "Oh, just at the Wangshu Inn. How about you?"
"We're visiting the Mingyun Village!" She answered enthusiastically. You admired kids for having such energy even though it is nighttime already. You nodded and turned your eyes back to the road but the little girl nudged you again.
"Last time I saw a handsome adeptus there, just looking at the stars. But he doesn't seem to be happy about his life because he doesn't smile." She told a short story out of the blue, catching your attention.
"W-What? An adeptus? Handsome?" You widened your eyes from what you heard. Sure Xiangling told you that the chance of mortals encountering adepti are very low, hearing a story from a little girl wouldn't hurt at all. You thought. She nodded at your question, making you grow curious even more.
Adepti are mystical, beast creatures. How would a kid find one that's apparently attractive to her eyes? Especially that kids are always blunt and straightforward. How is a mystical creature taking a form of an animal handsome in any way?
"How can you tell that he's an adeptus?"
"He had powers."
"But. . . Anyone gifted with the vision of the Archons have powers too. . ." You spoke with a hint of disappointment from the girl's answer. You learned a few things from Xiangling, you gotta give her credit for that.
"But he also looked unique! He had a mask too!" She added and it felt like she redeemed herself to you. You looked at her again with lit up eyes. This is the type of story that would keep you awake at night.
Unique? Interesting.
"I wonder if I'll meet him again.." The girl asked herself with a slight pout. "What's your name by the way? I'm Luo." She proceeds to ask,
"Oh, that's a cute name. I'm [F/N]."
"I hope I meet him again soon."
"Worry about your sleep first, Little Luo."
The moment you uttered those words, you only noticed she already fell into a deep sleep resting on your right shoulder. That's... quick.
You looked back on the road, focusing your sight on the familiar surroundings. From the vast shades of trees by the roadside and the silhouettes of mountain peaks around, it's no doubt you're nearing to Mingyun Village already. You sighed in relief since the trip is safe and sound but also quiet fun in its simple way because you learned something about the adeptus.
Just as when your eyes are about to close shut, you heard a loud grumble and the cart was shaking. The other passengers woke up from the commotion and were clueless about what was happening. After a brief moment of silence, the cart stumbled upon a large boulder and the next thing you knew is you were suddenly far away from the others.
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