Eleutheromania (Various Genshin x Reader)

Glaze Lilies and Sweet Flowers -40-

Paimon held the precious map from the Jade Chamber within her tiny hands before exclaiming, "There really were Fatui at the location written down on this piece of paper!" She yelled in surprise as you wiped the excess snow from off the sole of your heel. When the three of you had arrived to investigate the area, two Fatui Skirmishers lay in wait.

The one you took on was a Cryogunner whose coat could've fit five of you inside it. Thankfully he was slower than molasses so you were able to fly circles around him. He did manage to graze your foot with his Cryo blaster but it was fine.

Aether, on the other hand, dealt with an Electrohammer Vanguard who was also slow despite his strong attacks. Still, the blonde was victorious even if he suffered from static electricity in his hair as a result. "You look like a blonde sea urchin," you commented with an amused smile while letting your sword disappear into the wind.

Your traveling companion's eyes widened as he quickly moved to try and push down the loose strands. "D-Does it? Ah...!" He muttered with slightly flushed cheeks and a sheepish smile.

Deciding to bite the bullet, you reached out and touched his arm, quickly retracting your hand as a small spark of electricity appeared between you two. Aether yelped slightly and rubbed his arm while his hair began to settle.

In a random burst of confidence, Aether sent you a... flirty(?) look. "I-I guess you c-could say there's a spark between us... hehe..." his smile dropped as sudden devastation took over his face. Did he... did he really just say that!? It sounded better in his head. Suddenly he wished the Unknown God had taken him instead...

And while Paimon gave him an unimpressed look, you took a moment to process his words before letting an indulgent smile cross your face. "Was that... were you trying to flirt...?" You laughed slightly as Aether seemed to wish himself away. "No... a-anyways..." he murmured, quickly turning away to the crate turned workbench in front of him.

"There are so many talismans here! And some stacks of blank paper, too! Hmm, what are they for?" Paimon wondered aloud before quickly answering her own question, "It looks like they're copying the pattern on the talisman. Maybe they're trying to reproduce a talisman."

You leaned in closer, observing the hastily drawn talismans in front of you. Its symbols glowed a faint red color but regardless of their abilities, the magic was too weak to be useful at all. "Paimon's seen this pattern before! But where..." mumbled the chibi fairy in thought.

"That's the talisman Childe gave us," you informed, "that Sigil of Permission." That one, however, seemed to be authentic unlike these ones. "Oh! Paimon remembers! Hmm, but how did a relic of the adepti end up in the hands of someone like Childe? Suspicious..." she grumbled with narrowed eyes.

Aether merely shrugged. "He must've used his Fatui connection," theorized the blonde. The pixie nodded. "Talismans like that were once used in the Archon War to channel divine powers. Maybe the Fatui are copying the Sigil of Permission in hopes of achieving a similar effect? Being able to channel divine power in battle... Whew, that sounds pretty dangerous," she sweat dropped.

The traveler's gaze hardened over the sigils. "Seems the Fatui are definitely up to something..." he spoke lowly with mistrust. You shook your head and let out a small scoff. "When are they not..." you murmured.

Aether gently took the map from within Paimon's hands and trailed his eyes over it once more. "Maybe this paper is only a snippet of a much bigger plan."

"And the plot thickens..." Paimon disclosed while drumming her fingers against each other, an almost excited glint within her eyes, "We'll need to keep an eye on Childe, that's for sure. Hmm, alright, that's enough sticking around here. We gotta go meet up with Zhongli soon," she reminded, "The last stop on our Rite of Parting preparations tour is... Dihua Marsh!"