xiaolumi lumixiao brainrot

haha i like ducks arent they cute

hey guess what, you'll never believe it. i'm sick again. i don't know how or why. might be the same thing i had all those other times, just off and on for three whole months which is a stupidly long time. or well. i suppose it's closer to half a year at this point. i don't really remember, but mother dearest said i was sick in november in addition to all the other times. my immune system really do be failing. but dw fellas it aint covid, i've dodged it this far, i aint gettin it now, would really mess up the grind so thats a no from me. i do not identify as a covid victim. anyway let me just... yeah.

 this idea has lived in my head for a while, but now i'm kicking it out for your enjoyment. may not be polished and incredibly literate because i don't feel like putting in a ton of work. c'mon im sick again gimme a break. haha anyway uh

you should listen to studio ghibli ost while reading it'll be cool trust me

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Time sits still, and tranquility flows peacefully. The space is small, but not restricting. Rather, it only has comfort, its sole purpose as a shield from the world outside. Providing a rest from the chaos, calm amidst the storms of life. The world could shatter, the sun could explode, a million years could pass, and the calm would remain unchanged. The bubble has no room for havoc, only soft lashes resting on closed eyelids and quiet, slow breaths. In... Out... In... Out... In... Out...

Until something brushes against Xiao's leg, and the bubble pops.

He's on his feet instantly, spear in hand and senses alert, searching for whatever had dared to disturb him-

The Vigilant Yaksha finds a duckling standing next to him, looking up at him with its round black eyes. Several others waddle across the grass after it, tiny chirps exploding out of their beaks. Their yellow fluff is downy and soft, sticking up in several places along their short, stubby bodies. They can't be very old, then. Maybe a week or two at most.

He stares at them for a long moment, unsure of how to react. Did a flock of ducklings really just startle him out of a nap like that? Perhaps he should be thankful for his sharp reflexes; if there was any real danger, he would've been able to evade it. The birds draw in close, stepping on the edges of Xiao's boots and quacking. Strange. Most animals tended to avoid him, frightened away by the aura of karma that always clung to him with an iron grip. Perhaps these ones were especially courageous... Or stupid.

Xiao huffs, scraping them off of his boots and shooing them away. They complain with little chirps, immediately swarming him again. He tries again, picking them up and wandering a couple paces away. His steps are brisk, quickly depositing them on the ground before they have a chance to fall from his grip. Xiao walks back to the tree he had been leaning against before, only to pause when he hears a chorus of chirps behind him. He looks over his shoulder and sure enough, several loud yellow fluff balls follow him. Again, he pushes them away.

Xiao looks around, but doesn't see any sign of an adult duck. Did their mother abandon them? Was she killed? Were they just separated somehow? Regardless, it is not a yaksha's responsibility to care for some lost birds. Irritation creeps under Xiao's skin as the ducklings approach again. Why are they so insistent? Can he not get any rest after spending countless days slaughtering demons? Is he destined to be interrupted any time he tries to close his eyes?

No matter, Xiao thinks. There are other places in Liyue to rest that have not been invaded by ducklings. He rolls his eyes and turns away as the birds begin to pool around his feet again, prepared to teleport away. But then his eyes catch the dark shape of a hawk circling among the clouds...

Something shifts in his heart, watching the larger predator soar, its gaze trained for any sign of prey. He looks down at the fluffy ducklings around his feet. Any animal unintelligent enough to approach a karma-stained yaksha would not last a second in the wild. He is familiar with the feeling of danger; it whispers in the background of many memories. However insignificant this flock of ducklings is, their fleeting lives are too new and too precious to be bathed in blood.