you were walking along the rough path sketched out before you, nearing the bridge located in jueyen karst. the sky was grey, clouds flocking the area. it's gonna rain right now? seriously, you thought. you'd been travelling over liyue, only just now on your way to pass through jueyen karst as a shortcut.
you continued on, now closer to the bridge than before. however, you'd been feeling the same pair of beady eyes on your back for hours. did they want money? you'd been mainly undercover, working not in secret but just on the down low. not many people knew of your travels every now and then, only your past achievements taking place in liyue itself.
your hunch was correct, rain started pelting down. you cursed yourself, you hadn't brought anything to cover yourself up, and shelter was a thinning chance out in the wild like this.
you frantically searched, anxious eyes scanning the area in search for forms of shelter or warmth. all of a sudden, out of the corner of your eye, you watched as a small man pounced out of the bushes headed your direction.
was he the "stalker" you asked yourself. as he rushed over to you, he hurriedly took his coat off, throwing it over you. "what are you doing in this rain" he questioned you aggressively.
you were speechless honestly, at a loss for words on what he wanted to hear. he must've took notice of your state, pointing towards a sheltered seating area, connecting the two bridges. "we can reach shelter over there now, come" his tone was sharp.
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this one ^^^
he grabbed your wrist, now being pulled along by him scampering towards shelter. the bridge was unstable by just a little, making you cautious with your own steps for a while.
once the two of you had reached the shelter, you sat down on one of the seating areas, the man sat beside you too but, well his personal bubble was quite big you could say.
you pulled his jacket over your head a little more, covering your damp hair, radio silence mutually shared between the two you. you had to say something, but what? "thanks for letting me borrow this." you pointed towards his jacket.
his face was expressionless simply staring at you. what was wrong with him? he turned back to his original position, leaning his head on the wood beside him. "sorry for the inconvenience?" you said again. you really didn't know what to say, and he wasn't exactly the easiest to read either.
"it's fine" he murmured "i don't mind." he quietly said. they were cutting with how sharp he was being yet his words made your face light up, you didn't show it but he finally spoke to you. it felt like a milestone in the new-found friendship you'd sown.
the rain lightened a little, the two of you had been sitting here for around 10 minutes unsure of what to do next. he stood up, turning his head in all sorts of directions searching for god knows what.
he eventually locked them on something, squinting to make sure his vision wasn't playing tricks. "what are you?-" he pointed at something. you were confused, but stood up following this finger in search of whatever he wanted you to look at.
your eyes eventually set place on a small brown building, only a few miles away.
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^^^
you looked at him in delight, he was quick-witted and strong-willed, those were the things you'd picked up on just by watching him.
the two of you scampered across the other bridge, headed desperately towards the little cabin. the rain had lightened for sure, yet it definitely was not stopped, still heavy enough to soak the mans coat you still had swung over your head.
the pavement was stony and rough, almost tripping yourself up as you ran. eventually, you both reached the residence, only to find two men standing outside bickering.
hesitating for a second you called out to them, asking in the politest manner possible if you two could stay the night at their place. you were met with a grimace from the two men, "what? just go home a little rain won't hurt ya' now will it." the older one said.
he was firm and strict, quite stubborn too. the man you'd been accompanied by stepped in, "sir we're asking this in the kindest way possible, don't you think you could cut us some slack? idiots." he said, voice straight monotone.
the older mans brow furrowed, the younger one stepping in to hold him back. suddenly, a huge strike of lightening crashed just a few metres away from where you and your accompanist were standing.
electro bounced off the grass, fire almost springing into action, yet the pelting rain keeping it down. the outdoor lanterns had smashed, glass flying into the void. you faced the two men once more, now having surprise painting their expressions. "o-on second thought.." the older man said.
