arcane. (genshin impact x reader)

- red -

  "Thanks for the Mora, losers!"

  You cackled as you ran from a Treasure Hoarder camp, a pouch of coins clinking around by your hip. The men in the camp shouted and tried to chase after you, waving their weapons around violently in a futile attempt to attack you. A bottle of electro potion whizzed past and crashed about a foot away from you, making you look back at your pursuers and laugh tauntingly at them. "Man, you guys are really bad at aiming!"

  The Treasure Hoarders roared in protest, hurling all of their potions at you as you sprinted away. You let out a whoop and dived off of the edge of a cliff, tugging on the string of your glider and letting yourself soar across the ravine. The shouts of the angry men gradually began to fade, wind brushing your face and ruffling the wings of your glider as you flew. Your chest puffed out as you exhaled deeply, discarding all of your senses and letting the wind guide you. 

  You had always had an affinity towards the wind, which is why you prided yourself on being gifted with an Anemo vision. You grinned, tugging on your string again and stopping the glider from moving forward, letting yourself float down to the ground like a maple leaf. The heels of your boots clacked against the stone that you had landed on, the wings of your glider closing elegantly as you pulled at the string twice. Pigeons scattered throughout the air with your arrival, cooing frantically.

  The scent of lake water and fragrant plants lingered in the air, the breeze gently pushing past your H/L H/C hair. You inhaled the earthy scents and closed your eyes, spreading your arms out and tilting your head back to feel the soft glow of the sun kiss your face. It was strange. You had never been to this place before in your life, but you got the feeling that you would always get whenever you would come home. It was enchanting.

  "Hey! You chased away the pigeons! What're you doing?!" A boy on the bridge shouted with protest, making you snap out of your daydreams and turn your head turn towards him. You shrugged, then opened the bag of Mora you had just stolen and tossed a couple coins at him, hitting his forehead. "Ow!"

  "Compensation for your diseased sky rat friends. You know you can get the bird flu, right?" You lazily replied to him as he clutched his forehead, waving your hand dismissively and walking towards what seemed to be the entrance to a city. 

  "Stop right there!" A girl with long brown hair and a red bow jumped in front of you, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed. You stopped in your tracks but didn't flinch, instead choosing to raise your brows and raise your hands up defensively. 

  "Can I help you, Red?"

  "I am Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius! I noticed that you were causing some trouble with that boy, so explain yourself!" The girl exclaimed, standing stiffly. You eyed her up and down, a smirk growing on your face and your eyes glinting mischievously.

"There's no need to get so worked up, sweetheart, I was just compensating the kid for scaring away his friends. I mean, I should've made fun of him for being friends with pigeons, really, but I decided not to."

  Amber's eyebrow twitched slightly and she huffed, folding her arms and eyeing you with scrutiny. "Didn't seem like it to me. What's your business in Mondstadt, stranger?"

  "Mondstadt, huh?" You hummed and ignored her question, staring up at the city walls dreamily. Taken aback, Amber pushed at your shoulder lightly, obvious indignation in her expression.

  "Please look at me when I'm talking to you!"

  "Ah- my shoulder-" You dramatically clutched your shoulder, feigning a pained expression and buckling your knees. Amber looked at you with surprise, stepping back slightly. You swooned and gasped, putting a hand up to your forehead. "How could you assault me? You're lucky I don't tell those guards positioned at the front about this..."

  "But I barely-"

  "Oh, the pain, the pain!"

  Amber bit her lip with worry and looked behind her warily, then sighed and stepped aside. "If you quiet down, I'll let you into Mondstadt."

  You immediately stopped wailing, standing up to your full height and smiling slyly. "Lips are zipped, little lady."

  The brown haired girl pursed her lips and turned around, striding towards the city gates. You followed close behind her, looking around at the scenery. Fluffy aquamarine dandelions swayed serenely, the pappi of the plants occasionally getting blown away. The lake underneath the bridge glimmered with the slowly setting sun, washed in the vibrant colors of the sky and rippling with the wind. You couldn't help but get entranced once again by this ethereal place, a soft smile settling on your lips.

  "Stop getting distracted, traveler. We're here." Amber grumbled. You snapped out of your trance and looked north, realizing that you were now inside the city. Your eyes scanned the area and you whistled lowly, taking in the features. Giant windmills were positioned around the place, their gargantuan blades rotating slowly. Rustic looking shops and houses filled up the space inside the city walls, and you could faintly see a cathedral in the distance, along with another large building.  

  "Wow, this place is awesome."

  "Hmph. Well, you're inside now, so goodbye." Amber turned around and huffed, her bow seeming to almost bristle up. You laughed jovially and rested a hand on the top of her head, patting it with a friendly tenderness. She stiffened up and turned a faint shade of red, uttering a noise of surprise. You leaned down slightly to murmur in her ear, taking your hand off of her head.

  "Thanks for taking a stranger like me into this city, Miss Amber. You're really good at your job."

  You chuckled with Amber's obvious fluster, stepping away and raising a hand up to wave as you walked away. "I hope I'll be able to see you around, Red."

  Amber turned around and tried desperately to rub the red off of her cheeks, watching as you disappeared around a corner. She pursed her lips and lightly smacked her face with both of her hands, knitting her brows together.

  "Who is that person...?"