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This year’s Lantern Rite was almost at its end. With it would be the end of the incessant bustle and chatter of mortals, noisy celebrations, and litter amassing the city streets, seas, and mountains alike.
It would also be the end of the relentless attempts by demonkind to cause havoc and ruin said celebrations.
That, Xiao thought, as he was making his way back to Wangshu Inn, was all he was really concerned with.
Protecting morals during the rest of the year was nothing Xiao could not handle, even on a daily basis. But the additional weight of karmic debt he was set to endure during Lantern Rite was always cumbersome. Still, the Yaksha would not allow it to hinder his responsibilities.
Xiao had quite a long way to go before he would reach Dihua Marsh, and he was in no real rush to return home, if he were being honest. The forest outskirts were dark and lonely, but they were at least peaceful. Which was why Xiao was lamenting the fact that he was now beginning to enter territory close enough that he’d certainly begin encountering humans.
Humans were noisy enough on a normal day. But they were exponentially livelier and more irritating during Lantern Rite.
Xiao was unmistakably an Adeptus and never went out of his way to disguise himself, as most tended to avoid him in general. That all changed during Lantern Rite, where mortals were constantly hounding him to listen to their pleas and cries for fortune and success. They would go on and on, begging, imploring…and wasting what felt like ages of Xiao’s time on matters he couldn’t deal with in the first place.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty encounters that would leave him absolutely drained by the time he eventually reached Wangshu Inn. More drained than he felt from his battle alone.
Were he not so weary, he would have donned his mask and traveled in great bounds back to Wangshu the second he noticed the figure currently a short distance from him. That is, before he took a closer look. The Yaksha almost thought he was seeing things, delirious from hours on the battlefield. But those long, flowing twin tails of the person before him being carried by the nighttime breeze were too unmistakable to be anyone else.
“You’re here.” Xiao managed to say. Hearing him, she turned around to face him, not remotely startled by the suddenness of his voice.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” was the response.
Should he have expected any other answer from Keqing - Yuheng of the Qixing - whom he’d become unusually close to over the past year, ever since she’d presented him with gifts at the previous festival? It was strange for a multitude of reasons; her status as a governmental figure with a reputation for skepticism and a sharp tongue, and his status as a Yaksha who kept to himself and stayed largely away from those in high society. Any average citizen of Liyue would have surely assumed that the two had little to no knowledge of the other outside of their mere existence.
“It will be difficult to see the fireworks from out here.” Xiao said as Keqing approached him, not bothering to question what she was doing so far away from the Harbor. It wasn’t as if her presence was surprising.
“It won’t be difficult to see you.” She replied.
His heart ached at the slight look of disappointment and uncertainty on her face as the words left her mouth. Not because she didn’t mean them, he knew. But because she could tell he would have preferred she not come all this way to see him. It hurt her that he would doubt her willingness to do such a thing. And it hurt him whenever his self-depreciation caused her pain.
“You are…rather alluring tonight.” Xiao said, staring at the lanterns being released from the Harbor faintly visible in the sky. It did nothing to lessen the heat rising on his cheeks.
He was both embarrassed and relieved at the giggle he heard in response.
“Right…you didn’t get to see me in this outfit last year, did you?” Keqing said, moving to stand in front of him.
Xiao gave her a look of intrigue. Keqing dressed up rarely and it seemed it was even more rare that they crossed paths on a day in which she had. He was nothing short of stunned whenever he saw her in anything outside of her usual attire. The one that she was wearing now; a short dress in a dazzling shade of blue that appeared feather-like in much of its appearance, accented with shining gold details, and finished with elegant ribbons adorning her hair buns, plus a large bow of a similar hue around her neck was…breathtaking to say the least.
“Perhaps you will be able to see me in it…or something else…at the festival next year?” she asked, sounding hopeful.
Xiao didn’t look at her. He couldn’t. Not when he knew very well that it wouldn’t be possible. He couldn’t stand to see the look of disappointment on her face. Yet, he knew Keqing was a realist above all. She understood as well as he did that he wouldn’t promise something he’d be unable to keep. Her statement was wishful thinking out loud more than anything.
“Were there a lot of demons out tonight?” Keqing asked, filling the brief pause between them.
“Many. Far more than usual.” Xiao replied, quick to avoid another awkward silence. “They must have intended to disrupt the end of the festival for some reason. But it matters not. They have been dealt with.”
“You must be tired.” Keqing said, resting a hand on his cheek.
Xiao shook his head. “This is just what I do.”
“You know, it’s okay to rest.” Keqing’s voice was nearly a whisper, looking him in the eyes and taking in their fatigue. “I understand that there is an urgency that comes with confronting demonkind. But…you don’t have to put aside your own wellbeing. You can ask for help. You don’t have to do it alone.”
Xiao’s eyes darted away from hers as he lightly took her wrist but refrained from moving it from his face. “Keqing…it’s dangerous enough for you to even be next to me. For you to be touching me like this…it’s-”
“Xiao.”
The Yaksha couldn’t help but meet her eyes again. How was it that a mortal had such power over him in this manner?
“I didn’t come all this way because I’m afraid of being near you.” Keqing said, her voice remaining gentle but now firmer. “…I want to be by your side.”
Xiao could say nothing. It was not the first time she’d touched him. It was not the first time he’d cautioned her against it. It was not the first time she’d chosen not to heed his warnings. Risking her life to offer him comfort. It rendered him too dumbfounded to say a word.
“Please…be honest with me.” Keqing said, cupping his face with both hands. “I had to learn this myself last year, so…you’re not alone.”
After a moment of silence, Xiao sighed. “Were I able to spend a day like this in a manner that was more…peaceful…I wouldn’t turn it down.”
It was all Keqing needed to pull the Adeptus into her embrace, cradling his head and wrapping her other arm around his waist. Xiao didn’t know why he felt so…heavy…in her arms. The weight of all his karma could pull her to the ground at any minute, he thought. And yet, her hold on him didn’t lessen. Was she really this strong?
And yet he also felt…so light. As if his suffering and burdens were dissipating from his flesh under the pressure of Keqing clinging to him. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and to stay there, with her, for hours.
But the Yaksha remained ever attentive, and the sound of nearby footsteps did not go unnoticed by him.
“…There are others here…” Xiao said, becoming tense.
Even if he couldn’t hear them, he could clearly sense the presence of humans in the area. The ones he expected to run into eventually on his way back.
“Shh…it’s hard to miss when you’re fighting in the area.” Keqing whispered, trying to soothe him into relaxing. “They could likely tell you were here from miles away.”
“Keqing.”
The Yuheng knew what he was alluding to. They’ll see us, he was refraining from saying. She didn’t care. None of those approaching them were concerned about the intimate gesture between the Yuheng and the Conqueror of Demons. There was an incredibly high likelihood that none of them recognized her as Yuheng as it was; her reputation wasn’t in any danger because of this.
Besides, it was clear none of them cared about the embrace beyond the fact that it was occupying Xiao’s attention. Keeping him from being approached by them in that moment. That was the only thing any of them wanted; the only reason anyone would seek out the Yaksha at this specific time during Lantern Rite.
These people only wanted to use him for what little time they could get a hold of him.
To them, Xiao was a wish granter. A genie.
Keqing opened her eyes and caught glimpses of the people who began to occupy the area in greater numbers. She found her blood heating up with each additional person she saw. Holding what were likely small “offerings” that they planned to give to Xiao in exchange for whatever he could provide for them. It was a joke; small trinkets they probably got from a prize stall at the festival were their offerings to the Vigilant Yaksha’s presumed divinity.
They all wandered around, pretending to not be watching and waiting their turns.
It made Keqing’s blood boil.
Did any of them have an inkling of everything he’d been through? How much pain he suffered keeping them safe? His restless devotion to defending them while they frivolously laughed the night away? For not so much as a thank you outside of a single day throughout the entire year? And in exchange for that protection, all they could do was beg for more?
Keqing’s grip around him tightened, a sharp glare she didn’t realize she was mustering covered her features at the onlookers in the area.
They weren’t concerned about him. They were just waiting until Keqing finished. Waiting for their turn to beg him for blessings.
Every impatient glance thrown their way was only met by Keqing’s glare, and their eyes would quickly turn away. Some seemed to get the picture and distanced themselves from the pair. Others simply seemed annoyed with waiting, shooting Keqing a nasty look back before walking off in obvious disgust at having their opportunity to meet the Yaksha wasted.
Keqing’s stare never faltered. Once one person left, her eyes immediately locked on to the next one. And the next…and the next.
Until the Yuheng effectively drove everyone off without moving an inch. And there was no one left in the field aside from herself and Xiao.
Once her expression softened, she could better assess the Yaksha’s disposition. The tenseness from when they first embraced had dissipated. He had fully embraced her back at this point, and Keqing could feel the trust he had in her in that moment. It was a rare moment that he allowed himself to let his guard down. And allowed Keqing herself to be his guard.
“…Keqing, I…” Xiao said, silently. Keqing could recognize the ever-present guilt in his voice whenever his vulnerability showed itself before her.
“Shh…I’m not going anywhere.” Keqing soothed him, holding him tighter than she ever had before, with no intention of letting go any time soon.
“Even a protector…needs to be protected at times”