Eleutheromania (Various Genshin x Reader)

The Qixing -39-

"Ooh! Look at that slime! It looks crystal clear... and very delicious! That's the one!" Paimon sang out excitedly as you and Aether dug through the gooey remains of the recently defeated Anemo slime, trying to find a decently sized chunk of goo in order to make a sugar frosted slime as a greeting gift for Lady Ningguang.

Aether flicked some slime from his hand and gagged. "This feels... wrong," he muttered, continuing to dig through the innards of the slime - which, of course, was just more slime. You lifted out meaty piece of goop and grimaced as it nearly slipped from your hands. "Eh... I think this'll do. We can refine it later."

Also wanting to be done digging through slime goop, your blonde companion quickly agreed and stashed the chunk away while wiping off any remaining bits from his outfit and body. You shook yourself like a duck trying to remove water from its feathers after a dip in a pond, small turquoise chucks flying off you in the process and hitting Paimon.

When you finished, you looked back up and noticed Aether still working to remove some bits from his pants. When you spied slime still stuck across his braid, you moved forwards and reached out, stopping right before actually touching him. "May I?" You asked softly.

Aether blinked in confusion before glancing back at his messed up hair and quickly nodding. "Huh? Oh! Y-Yeah! Yeah, of course!" He quickly agreed, turning his back to you as you took his braid.

His face flushed as he felt the gentle, almost barely there tugs of your hands working to remove the slime. It was oddly intimate, creating a warm, fluffy feeling inside his chest at your soft touch and care. "I think I got 'em all. But you might want to brush it out later on," you concluded upon finishing, quietly stepping away with the blonde's thanks.

Satisfied with her henchmen's compliance, Paimon pointed her chin upwards proudly. "Ah, now all we need is a proper garnish to pull it all together. Huh?" She suddenly paused, sniffing the air around her like a hound dog before furrowing her eyebrows, "Is it just Paimon, or is there a sweet fragrance in the air...? And... Did you hear that?"

Though your nose seemed to neglect whatever Paimon's seemed to have expertly picked up, you certainly heard the familiar sounds of cries for help. Aether appeared to heard it too, picking his head up slightly and with his eyes widening in surprise. Although, he was a bit confused. "Sounds like someone's singing...!"

"Uh, no!" Paimon exclaimed at him with a glare while you sweat dropped, "That was definitely someone in trouble! It came from those ruins over there," she exclaimed while pointing northward.

You gestured them forwards, creeping around the nearby flora to get a closer look. Honestly, you heard him before you saw him - your eyes rolling back into your head with an internal groan of annoyance at the sound of Freckle Huang. "Great..." you grumbled under your breath as Aether peeked out from over your head.

Paimon's lips turned downwards into a frown, "Uh oh, it looks like the Treasure Hoarders have locked someone inside." Within an old stone ruin sat a large cage with a middle aged man crouched meekly in the middle of it as the Treasure Hoarders around them taunted him. "Help! Help me!" The man pleaded of whoever would listen.

"Y/N, this is your area of expertise. What's the plan?" Aether whispered to you softly, the two of you agreeing to help him without needing words of confirmation.

You scanned the small crowd of five. All of them had basic weapons like shovels, knives, and even a crossbow but thankfully none with any type of magical element. At the moment, Freckle Huang was doing what he did best - making a show of himself. All attention was on him.

"I'll caught them off guard. Then you swoop in and use your Geo, okay?" You plotted, the traveler quickly agreeing to your plan. You used your fast flying to appear behind the group, or more accurately behind Freckle Huang whose right eye was still bruised over from your previous punch.