𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨 ―𝐠. 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

3 || Almond Tofu

"What is this?" were the first words of the Adeptus when seeing the food laid on the table before him. 

"Personalized Almond Tofu," you replied, spooning a bit of the tofu and holding it near his mouth. "I added some herbs but made sure the texture remained the same so you can eat it."

Moving his face away from the spoon, Xiao took the utensil from your outreached hand and reluctantly took a bite. With a sigh, you rested your chin on your hand and watched for any change in expression on the boy's stoic face. When there was none, you decided to directly ask for his opinion instead.

"So?" you hummed. "How does it taste, little Xiao? Do you think you can digest it?"

"...It's edible," Xiao mumbled, taking another spoonful of tofu. He couldn't explain the difference in taste, but it slid down his throat much easier than other mortal foods. He felt no disgust whatsoever; on the contrary, he found himself eating more of the appetizing dish. Smiling, you remained sitting at the table until the Adeptus finished his food.

"I added some herbs from Sumuru and Fontaine," you explained, feeling the need to describe what you fed him. "The herbs there are dense with pain-killing essence and help with the inflammation within your body--I felt a lot of stiffness that needs to loosen when I examined you. As for nutritional supplements, some grinded roots of..." Your voice drifted when you saw the furrowed eyebrows of the boy sitting across from you. 

"What's wrong?" you asked.

"Sumuru?" the boy murmured. "Fontaine? Herbs from such a far place must be expensive. To put them in a mere dish I could've refused to eat...How strange you are."

"Oh?" you uttered, surprised by the apathetic boy's worries. "Save your troubles for bigger matters and focus on healing like a good little patient."

"Watch your words," growled Xiao as he stood up from the table, his gentle demeanor disappearing in an instant. "I am Adeptus Xiao, not "good little patient." I will respond only to my true name."

"Adeptus Xiao," you said, your lips curving upward. Looking away, the boy vanished from the deck in a smoke of green and black without warning.

His plate was empty.

You, unperturbed by his abrupt nature, rose from the seat and walked toward the edge of the balcony, placing your arms on the wooden railing. The night was cool, and the breath of fresh air was enticing. Just as you were about to close your eyes and rest, you felt a familiar presence by your side. The two of you admired the night sky together before you decided to break the silence.

"That boy is hard to work with. Stubborn and iron-walled. I aged a decade just from today. How did you deal with him for so long?"

Zhongli, leaning his back against the railing, answered, "The Conquerer of Demons is loyal. He has watched over Liyue without rest and protected the citizens from evil. It is to no surprise that he is hardened from all those years of slaughter."

"Well," you sighed, "I hope it gets easier. This was just the first day, after all. By the way, it seems you forgot to mention to Adeptus Xiao that I'm--" Noticing a figure sitting silently in the darkness on the top of Wangshu Inn, you paused "--an old friend that you owe many favors to," you decided to say.

"Yes, Liyue would not be as it is without your help," Zhongli replied honestly. "Although, I have never assumed that I owe you any favors. Life-long companions help each other like this, do they not?"

When Xiao's presence disappeared once more, you chuckled and pat your friend's shoulder. 

"It looks like I was being spied on," you said. "Did he think I would try to stab you? He's very protective. It's a good thing you didn't say anything bad about me."

"...So that was your plan. It seems I fell right into your trap," the God of Contracts remarked, thinning his lips into a frown. Frankly, he was right; your purpose of changing your words was to get Zhongli to affirm in front of Xiao that you are friends. You needed your patient to trust you, and earning that trust was hard without the Geo Archon at your back.

"I simply wish to tease your Adeptus for a while. But you did forget to tell him that I'm the God of Medicine. He doubts everything I do."

"I see," Zhongli hummed, rubbing his chin. "I suppose verifying your identity would've helped with his compliance. I simply told him that I entrusted his health to a friend of mine, as I wasn't sure if you wished to keep your identity a secret."

Looking up at the starry night sky, you murmured, "I do now that I'm given a choice. Who knows what Celestia would do if I go around exposing my identity." You grit your teeth at the thought.

"Calm yourself," your companion whispered after a moment, his expressionless face crinkling at the sight of you. "Your miasma is seeping out. Your hatred for Celestia is still as strong as ever."

"The only thing that I hate more than terribly cooked rice is Celestia," you huffed as you restrained yourself. Then, you transformed your body into that of a peacock, spreading your large wings to get a feel for the breeze. 

"Are you leaving?" Zhongli asked upon seeing your form. "The night is indeed fresh."

"And I look nice. Look at my tail feathers," you laughed jokingly. Peacocks were males with vibrant blue colors and enchantingly large tail feathers. You, as a god, changed the colors to suit your preferences, giving your body a (f/c) hue and adding charming details here and there. Although you preferred a gender-neutral human vessel, you liked being beautiful in your animal form. 

"Well, I'm off to treat some others. Have a good night, old friend." With that, you flew away into the darkness of night, letting the wind carry you to a village far away.

You did this every day. Even if you decided to look after Xiao, you refused to be tied down to one patient. There were thousands of prayers from the people to help the sick, and hearing them every second made you antsy enough to head out the moment you had time to yourself. Perhaps the reason why you didn't see Xiao the first three days wasn't because of him but rather because you were out for a majority of the day for other patients.

Closing in on a house, you swapped back to your human form midair and dropped to the ground gracefully.

"Please," you heard a young child pray. "I wish my mom would feel better."

"And that she will," you thought. 

Taking off your straw hat to look more friendly in the presence of a small child, you knocked on the door and said loudly, "I'm a traveling doctor. I offer my medicine for a token of food. Is there anything I can do for this trade?"

From within the darkness of the house peeked out the face of a young girl. Her eyes were shimmering with hope.

"Can you really help my mom?" she whispered, prompting you to crouch down to match her height.

"Of course," you smiled as you gently ruffled her hair. A twinge of pain hit your heart when you noticed that no other adult was present, and you concluded that the girl was left alone to take care of her mother. Alas, that didn't matter anymore. You were here to help. 

"I am a doctor, after all."