Before I Go ~ A XiaoLumi Story

Chapter 7

XIAO DIDN'T KNOW how to feel. He should have immediately sentanced her to punishments unimaginable, fried her with a stroke of lightning, should have despised her for speaking to him like that. She had just disrespected him, a damn Adeptus, for Archons' sake.

The only thing he really felt now was . . . guilt. Xiao felt bad for hurting Lumine. He felt odd about it, knowing that he shouldn't care this much for a mere human. He shook his head desperately, shoving down that feeling that made his stomach churn.

"Meat rolls . . . ." Paimon muttered in her sleep. She flopped over and snored loudly.

Xiao gritted his teeth and started walking aimlessly into the forest. He stopped upon reaching a tree stump in a clearing and sat down. "Stupid, emotional mortal. Acting like we could have been friends."

And yet . . . Xiao still felt a longing to be with her. He knew that she was right. The two of them were friends . . . 'hanging out.' He sighed. Xiao knew better than to intervene with the lives and paths of mortals -- a path that, no matter how hard he wished, he would never be able to walk on.

No one had ever voluntarily gotten close to him as Lumine had. Even Morax was often distant, especially after his separation with Liyue -- although Xiao knew he could trust the old Archon.

The young Adeptus sighed. Maybe I could get her a gift . . . as an apology, Xiao thought to himself. But what to give the traveler?

Xiao got up and started pacing around the clearing until a gentle breeze blew across his face. He looked up. An Anemo crystalfly? What's it doing so far from Mondstadt? Xiao reached up and snatched it out of the air. He felt the wings disintegrate until all that was left in his palm was a shiny teal crystal.

Xiao scoffed and reached back to toss the crystal into the forest, but thought twice. He looked back at the crystal and smiled slightly to himself. Perfect.

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IT WAS LATE that night when Lumine returned to the birch tree at which Paimon slept. Lumine carried a few pieces of meat to be cooked for dinner that night.

Lumine looked around for Paimon until she caught her friend staring into the waters of a nearby pond. Lumine found herself grinning.

Lumine stepped carefully, not wanting to trip over the shadowy roots of the trees, until . . . .

"Umph!" someone exclaimed. "Lumine? Is that you?"

Lumine looked closer. Xiao? She was sure he'd have left by now, but here he was, tending to the embers of a now-quenched fire. "Xiao? What are you still doing here?" Lumine set her catch down on a nearby stone and crossed her arms, adjusting her tone to be more hostile.

The Yaksha stood up and reached into his pocket. "Um . . . after you stormed off . . . I . . ." Xiao cleared his throat awkwardly and pulled his hand out of his pocket.

Lumine let out a small gasp. They were gorgeous. Ten, maybe fifteen pale crystals, glinting in the moonlight.

Xiao cleared his throat. "I forget your mortal phrase, er . . . I'm . . . sorry?" he managed.

Lumine pulled back slightly, staring into Xiao's eyes, searching for any feeling of sincerity. Xiao's gleaming yellow eyes reflected only regret and sadness. The traveler grabbed a few crystals and turned them over in her own hand.

"What do you think?" Xiao asked quietly.

"They're beautiful, but why did you get them for me?" Lumine said, still a little defensive.

Xiao managed to swallow his pride. Never in his life had he felt so embarrassed. "I'm . . . sorry," he grumbled. "And I'm also grateful to you." Xiao looked into Lumine's eyes. "So a thank-you-sorry, I suppose." To his surprise, Lumine laughed softly.

"I like that," she said. "Well, you're welcome, and I forgive you."

The corner of Xiao's mouth turned up so that it looked as though he was almost smiling. He held Lumine's gaze for a bit longer than he should have before clearing his throat and turning away. "If you need to make food, I can get the fire started again," he offered.

Lumine nodded stiffly. "Sure," she said, fishing some materials out of her backpack.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them as they worked together, doing something as simple as making a meal, neither of them knowing what to say or how to say it.