DECATHECT | HSR x F!Reader

04 ~ 496 Days Before

Dreams. 

[Y/N] always had strange dreams, ever since she was a child, and they have gotten only stranger after she met Merciful Medicus. 

This night, she dreamt of a burning city. Everything was on fire. In the background, she could hear children screaming for help while their mothers wailed in despair. In the distant, the sound of blades clashing could be heard. Looking up, she saw a tall male with dark skin and golden eyes. Ichor slowly oozed out of the gashes in his body. 

"Crumble, burn, and return to dust." He said, golden eyes boring into her. 

A burning sensation. [Y/N] looked down, [e/c] eyes wide as she saw her legs beginning to disintegrate. A scorching heat was pressed against the left side of her face. As she felt the rest of her body disappear, the man glared at her, opening his mouth one last time. "Such, is the Path of Destruction." 

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[Y/N]'s eyes shot wide open as she gasped for air. Her skin tingled, but her body was very much, still intact. She grimaced as the light filtering through her curtains shined directly into her eyes. Groaning, the artisan got dressed and went downstairs to get ready for another day. 

Customers came and went. Some bought items on display, while others gave her their specific requests. Not too busy, and nothing unusual. 

Humming, [Y/N] doodled in her journal where she recorded anything special; ranging from her strange dreams, to unique encounters. She idly flipped through her notebook and scanned everything she had written in the past. Her encounter with Yingxing and Dan Feng (with a little doodle of said men), an entry on her lunch with Yingxing, along with detailed drawings of Merciful Medicus, and other beings who have appeared in her dreams.

The chimes tinkled once more as a customer stepped in. [Y/N] looked up from her notebook to see a familiar visitor. "Madam Li! It's good to see you." She bowed at the elderly woman, "I'll go make some tea real quick." The elderly woman would often visit her once or twice a week, and during her visit, the two would often chat over a cup of jasmine tea.

The elderly lady shook her head, "No need to rush, little [Y/N]." 

[Y/N] smiled as she set two steaming cups of jasmine tea down. "It's fine Madam." 

"So, how have you been lately?" Madam Li asked, blowing on her tea before sipping it. 

"I made a friend!" [Y/N] said excitedly, "He's really nice, and he's a craftsman!" 

"A friend?" The old woman asked, eyebrows furrowing. [Y/N] nodded in confirmation, and the woman scoffed. "Girls your age should be engaged or getting married for Aeons sake! My daughter is getting married this weekend!" 

"Congrats on your daughters marriage!" [Y/N] ignored her comment on the engaged part. She had served many couples in her time working as her master's assistant and also while running the shop. Heck, her first official commission was to make a set of wedding rings. 

Madam Li sighed, "Any boys caught your eye recently? The craftsman perhaps?" 

"Caught my eye....? I mean he's nice, yes." 

"Nice as he's got good looks? Nice as in personality? What kind of 'nice'?" 

"Both.... I suppose." [Y/N] blushed slightly at the thought of the silver haired craftsman. "I mean there are a lot of good-looking people on the Luofu though." 

"Nonsense!" Madam Li set her cup down, "You can't just judge from their appearance! Looks are a second priority. Love is precious, you only have so much time to find someone who will treat you well and stick with you regardless of whatever situation you're going through! You have even less time since you're not a Xianzhou native!" 

[Y/N] frowned, "But the first thing you asked was whether or not he had good looks-" 

The old lady scoffed as she poured herself another cup of tea. "My girl, you're too thickheaded to understand these things, aren't you? Hmph, well I'll take it upon myself you educate you a bit." 

"I...uh...." 

"Tell me [Y/N], what do you want in a partner?" 

The [h/c]-ette frowned. She usually would just watch from the sidelines whether or not the relationship will bloom and blossom, or if it would wilt and crumble. Were these relationships the same as having friends? Then does that mean she and Yingxing were partners?

Some women she had conversed with sometimes bragged about their husbands riches, often purchasing excessive amounts of jewelry and needlessly spending money on luxury items. Others would talk about their spouse's appearance, or temperament. 

"I...don't know." 

"You sure, not even one bit?" Madam Li pressed, "Looks? Riches? Personality? Do you want them to be taller than you? Shorter? Do you care if they have more money than you?"

She thought hard, thoughts drifting towards her years before arriving on the Luofu with her master. "I don't think height matters, they can be shorter or taller I don't really care..."

"At least you're being inclusive, most girls nowadays want men who are sky high." Madam Li huffed, sipping her tea to calm herself down. 

"I just want someone who will always care about me and take care of me, regardless of my personal background and status as a citizen of the Luofu." [Y/N] declared, "And.... I think that's it." 

Madam Li hummed, nodding her head. "I see, that's a good start. Well, I'll have to get going anyways. We're having a family dinner with the in-laws. I'll take the comb, by the way. Red is my daughter's favorite color." She gestured towards the decorative hair comb decorated with red, orange, and yellow gemstones, lying on a nearby shelf inside a display case. 

"Of course," [Y/N] got up and gently took out the comb from the case and carefully placed it inside a box before wrapping it up. "I hope your daughter likes it." 

The old woman chortled as she took the box from her hands and handed her the appropriate amount of credits. "You better believe she will. I don't know how many pieces of jewelry she's got from your place." 

[Y/N] smiled, "It was good seeing you, Madam. I hope we can talk again." 

Humming in response, the elderly lady made her way out of the shop, the door closing shut behind her. 

After clearing the table and washing the cups, [Y/N] began to place the cups onto their respective places on the shelf before hearing laughter resonating outside the shop. Curiously, she peered outside and saw a young couple walking down the street, the girl giggling a joke her boyfriend had just told her. The boyfriend then leaned down and kissed the girl on the lips, causing her to giggle even more. 

[Y/N] frowned at the sight. Is this the 'love' that Madam Li mentioned? She watched as the two disappeared, laughing as they kissed once more. Pursing her lips, she turned away and went back to work, but not before pulling out her notebook and jotting down a quick entry. 

Love: What is it? 

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A/N:

New chapter! (yay) Tysm for all the reads and votes, I really appreciate it! Once again, I'll try my best to pump out as many chapters as possible before school starts again lol [not proofread]

Have a nice day!