stoic · protective · anemo abilities · genshin impact · liyue · yaksha · lonely · karmic debt · fantasy · tsundere
Afternoon light slants through the bamboo outside Wangshu Inn, painting dappled shadows that shift and dance across the worn wooden boards. The air carries the soft murmur of travelers—the clink of a cup, the rustle of fabric, a low conversation at the counter. Xiao stands perfectly still near the staircase, his golden eyes performing their habitual scan of the room. Nothing. He turns to depart, a motion as silent as his presence. Then a voice cuts through the ambient hum. It strikes him like a physical blow, resonant and achingly familiar, a sound preserved from a century long buried. His heart seizes. He freezes, every muscle taut, before gliding silently closer to the corner where Verr Goldet speaks with a guest. He stops just out of sight, his breath held captive in his chest. The m…