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"Dainsleif?"
'Wait where have I heard that from?'
"Are you an adventurer?" The man, "Dainsleif" asked first.
Y/N turned to look at the taller man and nodded curtly. "Yeah. But I just can't stay still." She rolled her sleeves up, and checked everything in place.
Dainsleif just stayed in his spot, a little awkwardly. Maybe he was just shy? And didn't talk much like Y/N did. But currently she's the one speaking more here.
"Do you want to join me? In traveling a bit?"
He was in thought.
"I'll take you up on that offer."
"That over there is Wangshu Inn. The innkeeper and boss there is really nice."
"Quite the structure." Dainsleif complimented. Or was it a compliment? This man is hard to understand at all.
"The boss told me that I shouldn't be scared if there's a boy on the very top of the place where it's secluded. I saw him once with a lady. I don't think she was a mortal."
"Not a mortal?"
"As in like you know, not a normal human. But they had quite the lovely atmosphere."
"Peeping are we?" Dainsleif gave a soft tease, but his monotone voice made him sound intimidating.
"Don't poke fun." Y/N gently elbowed him in his stomach. And continued to walk past the area. "Would you find it weird if I said this is my first time traveling with somebody else?"
"No. If you like being alone then that is greatly respected."
"But I learned to be able to rely and act a little open with other people more. Someone I know in Mondstadt told me."
"Not all changes are good, but some are not bad." Dainsleif sounded like he could talk for quite a while. And felt the same sense of company, traveling with someone again.
"It's odd. You know I've just met you, but I could talk comfortably for once." Y/N admitted. As she glanced at the sweet flowers and mints, while passing by.
"That's quite comforting in its own way."
Y/N make a quick glance at his face while he wasn't looking, and he was just as good looking. Should she dare say as good looking as Albedo. But she knew for a fact.
"You'd look better with a smile."
"You shouldn't frown so much Daisnleif. It'll make you look old."
"It's just how I normally look."
"No it's not. I've seen you smile before mister. See, you think you're so slick, but you're not."
"Amerie I'll increase your work hours if you continue."
"But I'm just saying, you'd look more better with a smile."
"I— is that so..." Dainsleif'a hair tussled with the wind. And all that was heard during the silence was the water trickling in the nearby river.
"Was that rude? Sorry. I'm just used to saying what's on my mind." Y/N jumped over passing squirrel.
"It's alright. You remind me of an old acquaintance I once had." Dainsleif looked as if he was looking far away somewhere.
'Had?'
"Was it the same 'Amerie', you said earlier?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"Does she resemble me that much?"
"A little too much, it frightens me." He chuckled. And Y/N did the same. "She liked to point out my bad parts, and good parts. And she was good at her work. And skilled in fighting."
Y/N hummed in response.
"You're the curious kind of person aren't you? Just like a few other people I know." Y/N said right after, immediately to follow up on his previous statement. "And if you're curious about something, you'd investigate it on your own, accordingly."
Why was it that, that was the first thing that came to her mind all too quickly about a man she didn't even know for more than a day?
"Possibly. I do find myself interested in things that I find unusual. And I can't help but want to know about such." He answered truthfully. There was no reason to hide anything, anyway.
"But that's a part of human nature." Y/N said again.
"Would that apply to people who are not, humans then?" Y/N stopped her walking, wandering.
"Would you like my honest answer?"
"Please, go ahead."
"If anything had a mind of its own, wouldn't you think they would have their own sense of habits and their own way of thinking? That's also a part of human nature. Be it demons, or monsters. Most livings things have the same thing as humans do. A mind of its own. And maybe even their own perspective of justice?" Dainsleif found himself in front of the girl. And her talk sounded like a lecture.
"A mind is what connects all of these living things. Let's say, you're a demon. What's your own thought of Khaenri'ah?"
Dainsleif had no delay in his answer. But had felt a slight disturbance from the sudden question.
"Khaenri'ah was a nation without a god — not because it had a god that died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with. It was a powerful nation, built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization — it was the pride of humankind."
"Well look at that. You had your own opinion. Feeling. And a behavioral trait of mankind. People are just bound to words and think that they're always right." Y/N tapped his shoulder with the back of her hand, with her own smile.
"You're not that different. So don't feel the need to change. But I guess you shouldn't be the same as everyone else just because it's like some sort of law to act and be the same."
"You're quite knowledgeable. And have a strong opinion on what you think is right." Dainsleif acknowledged.
"I think we could make a stop at Liyue Harbor."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Dainsleif didn't refuse. Nor did he really accept. And was more or less just going with the flow of things.
"Wanmin Restaurant has good food." Y/N pulled Dainsleif by his wrist, and just ordered whatever. And went by the railings where it separated the small water stream and the stone platform.
"Try the Jueyun Chilli Chicken."
Dainsleif looked at the spicy food with an emotionless facial expression. He didn't know how to react to it. It looked a little too spicy for his own standards. But he just couldn't fight down his curiosity.
After taking a bite and a couple of munches, he covered his mouth with how spicy it was.
Partly because Y/N requested it to be the most spicy, and Xiangling accepted the request.
"Oh. I gave you the 'wrong one.'" She didn't really give him the "wrong one." More like she handed the "right one."
She's a lot meaner than she's ought to be.
But she felt bad after seeing Dainsleif suffering for 3 minutes and shoved a Crystal Shrimp dumpling into his mouth, and she felt like a firefighter trying to put out the flames of the spiciness.
She also felt bad about laughing in his face about it, so she tried her best to hold it in, while Dain turned around and coughed into his fist as he fought the food down, and almost choking.
"Is the amount of the spice normal in Liyue?"
"I'm not sure, maybe because it's Xiangling."
"That was distressful."
"Sorry about that." But I think we all know she wasn't sorry at all.
A/N: Holy moly I posted a chapter the day after a new chapter! Rarely ever do that. But probably because I was bored while waiting for the maintenance to end for patch 1.6.
Yeah yeah yeah. Dainsleif moment
Deep moment
Liyue moment
Xiao momeeeeeent
Other fanfic moment
And I'll be back after like 6-8 days because I posted early today, and my mind needs rest.