The Spark [Xiao x Aether]

Arrival ||

Lesser lord Kusanali excused herself and dragged Aether to a room nearby to have a chat alone. She was so confused on what was going on and figured he would maybe tell her what was going on in a more private area. There were also questions she wished to ask him alone, one on one.

Xiao was left all alone in the huge room that was made from emeralds, he understood that the dendro archon had to question the boy before letting him do anything. Earning a god's trust wasn't easy, but the traveler could definitely get her approval soon enough.

It was so quiet. A bit too quiet. Did Nahida and the Wanderer really live here all alone? It was a huge space for just two people. But it was reasonable. An archon couldn't live with multiple people, even the boy seemed like too much. Every ruler of a nation needed a lot of peace, the Yaksha wondered how a god like her managed to cooperate with a mortal.

The Adeptus started to get quite curious as to why such smart God kept a mortal so close to heart. He noticed how the door the boy with the hat went through was left open, it seemed to lead to a small balcony.

Since he didn't know how to waste time until the two came back, he decided to do something he usually dosen't do. Talk to a stranger unnecessarily. The traveler would often encourage him to do so but he never understood why. Since his curiosity got the best of him, he got up and walked over to the opened doors.

He peeked to see the boy sitting on the edge of the balcony staring at the sky. He seemed so lost in thought, the Yaksha thought he shouldn't bother him but right as he turned away that strange voice spoke.

"Staring without saying anything is rude you know? Besides, shouldn't you be with the traveler and Buer?" Scaramouche questioned as his head turned to Xiao's direction.

The Adeptus was surprised, it was not often that mortals had such good sense of presence. He turned towards the door again and entered the balcony, he leaned on the left side of the fence since Wanderer was sitting on the right, the boy wasn't planning to get close to him.

"She took him to a private room, I assume she wishes to discuss things with him before accepting our request." He responded.

"So Instead of waiting alone you came here to bother me? I'm flattered."

"Before leaving you left me with many questions. Normally I don't get interested in mortals but you seem different..."

The guy with the hat started laughing, it wasn't a small giggle but an insanley hard laugh where he had to wipe tears away when he was done.

"Me? A mortal? Come on now, don't tell me you are that dumb."

"Have some respect, how come somebody like you gets to live with one of the smartest gods?"

Suddenly the boy got quiet and his smirk quickly got wiped away from his face. He looked away from Xiao and started staring back at the sky.

"It's not like I chose to live here. She decided to pick me up when I was at my lowest, the least I can do is whatever she tells me to. Nobody else would accept me, nobody else I trusted at least." His tone sounded careless but at the same time, it softened.

"..Why are you telling me this?"

"Aether trusts you. I don't see a reason as to why I shouldn't."

"What exactly are you? You mentioned you weren't a mortal."

"A puppet. I was supposed to be a lifeless doll meant to work for an archon. Unfortunately I was too useless and she tossed me away, leaving nothing but regret and hatred."

The Adeptus wasn't sure how to respond, not many people opened up to him like this. Scaramouche was well aware of who the boy next to him was, so he didn't need to introduce himself.

"We're very alike when you think about it. Both of us are immortal machines made to fight for mortals, but yet again you're very different from me. It's making me a little jealous..."

"You described us as familiars yet say we're different? You confuse me." Xiao for the first time met somebody so similar to him, the feelings he sensed within the boy were the same ones he felt before meeting the blonde.

"Ah forget it. This conversation is useless."

It was confusing as to why the boy with the hat was revealing all these things to the other, but the Yaksha didn't mind. He knew what keeping so many feelings bottled up felt like. He gave tge boy next to him a quick look in the eye and then started looking at the sky together with him.

They both stayed silent for a while after that, the Wanderer felt quite embarrassed letting his feelings spill like that, he wished Xiao would just leave. But he didn't.

"...you know..." he started after letting the embarrassment fade away. "The traveler really cares a lot about you."

The Adeptus blushed a bit, but wasn't too shocked to hear so, the blonde's actions often proved that.

"I've noticed. I care about him just as much." A faint smile appeared.

"He'd probably hate me if he heard me say this but...I could sense he often feels lonely despite having so many friends from all over the world. Ever since he started mentioning you to Buer or Paimon, I can see his eyes light up when your name escapes his lips. I really don't understand what you're doing but keep it up, that guy deserves some happiness in his life."

Xiao's eyes widened, he never expected a jerk like Scaramouche to say anything like that. But he was glad that the boy cared so much about his partner. It seemed like Aether was right about Wanderer not being as bad as he seemed.

"...I will. I'm trying to make him happy every chance I get."

"I'm glad."

And just like that, the two boys started to stare at the sky in silence waiting for Buer and the blonde to return. They seemed to be getting along surprisingly well.