“Ajax, you know damn well you can’t take me out of my chambers while I’m dressed like this.”
“Who said anything about leaving the room?“
“Well, your cake—“
“I’m flattered you had a cake made for me, princess. But right now all I wanna eat is you.♥️”
Let’s all pretend this isn’t a week late okay? okay! lol here’s my amax bday piece and im v proud of it. It actually came out way better than I thought it would. Thanks for always showing me support btw!! And thank you to my ryutie cutie for helping me decide the color of the bow. Red was the perfect choice!! ♥️
𝓐 : Your cheeks are putting henna berries to shame. You’ve been blushing since we left the city.
𝓡 : Must you tease your newly wedded wife for taking delight in the prospect of her marriage? Oh, husband! You wound me deeply.
𝓐 : I admit I am exceedingly fond of it.
𝓡 : …
𝓐 : …
𝓡 : I wonder how long it’ll take for our friends to figure out.
𝓐 : Knowing them, not very long. But at the moment, I find I care considerably less about what our friends may discover than about whether my wife will permit me to kiss her again.
Her books occupied half the shelves in his study, his spare clothes had long since stopped being “spare” and remained at her place, and neither of them could remember the last week they had spent entirely apart since the crisis. What began as a conversation about their living arrangements and finding a larger space together eventually circled back to one revelation: if they were already idealising a home together, there is no reason to delay everything else.
“If we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, do I really need to wait until we have a house to show it?”
Before she could answer, he reached for her hand and turned it gently in his. His thumb brushed over the bare ring finger before he lowered his head and pressed a kiss there.
(Is he asking what I think he’s asking?)
(I am asking what you think I’m asking.)
The delighted squeal that escaped her was so sudden and bright that it startled a few birds outside her window. Her eyes welled up with tears but she could not contain her excitement. She nearly threw herself on top of him in an embrace, clutching at his shoulders as another squeal slipped free, “Can we look soon—?”
“We can still look for the house,” he said, chuckling. “But I see no reason we can’t start looking for rings… today.”
That had been the original intention: simply to look. But somewhere between trying on rings, discussing dates, and realising wedding planning was a meticulous affair, the rest of the day snowballed into something else entirely.
By the afternoon, they were slipping matching rings onto each other’s fingers and selecting ornate fabrics that would become outfits befitting for their impromptu elopement, which was sealed in a handful of signatures and officiated by the lovely gentleman who did his utmost not to reveal that he had recognised the scribe. (Strange, he thought. Though, not altogether surprising. Alhaitham seemed like the type to elope).
Laughter escaped them both at the absurdity of how easy it was.
Afterwards, they submitted leave requests under the pretense of a much needed vacation. Being the former Acting Grand Sage had its perks, for their request got approved within the hour.
Just like that, there was nothing left standing between them and marriage, and later, they quietly disappeared from Sumeru City without much explanation. Their friends would discover the truth eventually, but for now they intended to travel to a place so far from the Akademiya, no one would think to look for them there.
Tucked in their little corner of no where, they spend their days napping under the golden sun, stealing kisses whenever they please, and growing accustomed to the new, wonderful sound of calling each other husband and wife.
The celebrations can wait until they return.
aaaaaaa i just wanted to say a quick but very sincere thank you to my beloved @/sylure for this beautiful gift. i was so lightheaded after crying over it ;-; the timing of the gift was just… divine LOL. i love you so much! and also honourable mention to my tulip girl rae @/sleepyqinfei for associating this song with ryuhaitham ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡🕊
comm: luvluvluv06 on twt // eye banner: vulturvls on vgen // dividers: diviniyae
What the Wind Left, What the Rumors Kept | DilucxReader
Summary: Rumors travel rather quickly here in Mondstadt, especially through taverns as famous as the Angel’s share. A certain runaway lady has been the main interest of topic as of lately. A lady wielding a vision and are often seen fighting off the treasure hoarders and hilichurls on the streets of Mondstadt. Purposely running into Darknight Hero on his nightly patrols was meant to be a simple curiosity and definitely not a rivalry... Right?
Disclaimer: enemies to lovers, reader is from Fontaine, yearning Diluc, slight angst, slow burn one shot, as always english isn't my first language so pardon me. Cross-posted on AO3!
Rumors travel rather quickly here in Mondstadt, especially through taverns as famous as the Angel’s share.
Well, it is hardly surprising, given that there are always people that come in and go at all times, loose tongues from civilians, knights, adventurers, and even bards all gathered under one roof. And Diluc, had grown accustomed to filtering the truth from some baseless rumors, sorting through information from meaningless gossip, and knowing when to ignore when it is hardly significant. He had little interest in them. But every now and then, a rumor would make its way that catches his attention.
But it is definitely not one that came from the mouth of Kaeya Alberich when he's drinking. He had the tendency of adding his own extra little flair when he's telling a story to Diluc. To which Diluc never understands and probably never will.
“A runaway noblewoman,” Kaeya had said casually one evening, swirling his wine on one of his hands, “Apparently she ran away from her family all the way from Fontaine.”
Diluc had barely looked up from polishing a glass.
“But not just a regular noblewoman. From what I've heard, the merchants passing through the city swore they've seen her driving off treasure hoarders and hilichurls on the road.” Kaeya tilted his head slightly, a glint of amusement in his eye, “And I've heard she'll be staying in Mondstadt for quite some time. Makes you wonder why you think she fled Fontaine in the first place, eh?”
Diluc didn't look up from what he was doing and continued to polish another glass after he put the clean one carefully on the side, clearly uninterested in whatever Kaeya was saying.
Kaeya sighed dramatically, “You wound me Diluc. And here I thought tales of a scandalous noble runaway would interest you.”
“I fail to see why it should.” Diluc’s expression remains indifferent.
Kaeya leaned in lazily against the counter, swirling his wine as if he had nothing better to do than to provoke his brother.
“You truly have no curiosity at all?”
Kaeya chuckled, “A noble daughter abandoning her aristocratic life to roam the countryside and more so with a skilled swordsmanship. Quite impressive, really. And from what I've heard from a few people, she even fled from her own engagement.”
Diluc raised a brow, though his expression remained unmoved, “Nobles running away from their responsibilities to Mondstadt is not uncommon.”
He resumed polishing another glass. Kaeya chuckled softly.
“You're terribly cynical, Diluc.” he said as he gulped down the last drop of his drink, “Still, I have a feeling you'll meet her eventually. And if you happen to cross paths with this mysterious runaway during one of your nightly… excursions, do try to be polite. She is still a lady after all.”
And as if Kaeya had a hand in it, their paths crossed as if fate was helping him to make his predictions come true. Diluc moved swiftly through the darkness doing his Darknight hero duties as per usual. But when the sound of steel clashing against something burst across the alley, he was surprised to see someone already fighting. And that someone had ended the fight as he got to the scene.
“You know,” you looked to the place he's been ‘hiding’, “It's rather rude to watch from the shadows.”
He stepped forward to reveal himself under the moonlight.
“You’re late to the party.” you said.
“I was simply observing.” he replied, his tone indifferent.
“That sounds suspiciously like an excuse,” you hummed, “Since the situation is already handled, I suppose there’s no need for you to continue watching.”
Diluc frowned slightly. You've already turned your back at him.
“... You're leaving?”
“Did you want me to stay?” You looked over your shoulder, a quick step onto the nearest crate then another, you jumped upward and suddenly you were already halfway up from Diluc. Your cloak fell down your head, revealing your face under the moonlight.
Diluc has only briefly heard about the descriptions of your physical appearance mostly from the adventurers and merchants that stopped by his tavern occasionally. But the moment he saw you, he knew you were the topic of the recent rumors about a runaway noble lady fleeing her engagement from Fontaine and coming all the way to Mondstadt.
Miss Y/N L/N.
Your eyes gleamed with amusement as you glanced back down at him, “If you feel left out, do try to arrive earlier next time.”
And before Diluc could respond, you had vanished over the top balcony. He shifted his gaze toward the scattered remains of the Abyss creatures. So the rumors were true after all, the runaway noblewoman was a skilled fighter. And if tonight’s encounter was any indication, she was going to be far more troublesome than what the rumors suggested.
It became a routine at some point. You always seemed to arrive and solve the problem before he even got there. He occasionally caught glimpses of your glowing [your vision name] Vision leaving from the corner of his eyes after he arrived at the crime scene. Sometimes, he arrived just as the fight was ending like the first time he encountered you.
For someone who held no official duty to protect Mondstadt, you certainly do like to intervene. You have a habit of appearing exactly where you shouldn’t, stepping into matters he’s already handling as if you have every right to be there. He doesn’t ask for help, doesn’t want it, and most certainly doesn’t need yours. At least, that’s what he tells himself. You move too fast, speak too freely, and refuse to back down even when he tells you to leave. And at some point it became a competition neither of you agreed to, yet refused to let the other win.
Who gets there first, who finishes it cleaner, and who proves the other wrong.
Until one day you just didn't show up. Not the next. And not even the day after that.
At first he assumes you've finally learned your place. It should be a relief after all your constant meddling, now that you’ve chosen to stay out of it for once. It should make things a lot easier. It does, technically. But yet somehow, Diluc found himself expecting to see you there whenever he patrols. Enough that he started to look around just to catch a glimpse of you, eventually. Not because he is concerned, no, he would never. He would never admit that he is, because unfinished matters have a way to become a problem one day. At least that's what he told himself for these last few days.
When he saw you again, it wasn't how he had expected it to be. He had expected you to be there before him like usual, always waiting and ready to tease him for being late once more. Not the sight of you lying barely conscious, blood pooling under your body while you remained unmoving. He could feel his blood run cold as he approached you. For a moment it doesn't make any sense. You were supposed to be someone that was difficult to keep up with and even harder to pin down. How did you end up like that? Why? And who or what did this to you?
The moment you regained your consciousness, the ceiling above you was unfamiliar. Your side ached faintly, though the sharp pain is more manageable now. You can feel the bandages that wrap around your body as you try to move. The scent of grapes drifted through the room.
Diluc had brought you to Dawn Winery to get your wounds treated. The staff told you it was “Master Diluc” who took care of you when you've been unconscious for days and have a high fever. Yet when you're well enough to walk around, you couldn’t find a single trace of him. It was like he purposely left you there, without so much as a single inquiry after your condition.
Diluc had spent days trying to make it make sense. It might have been easier to believe that he simply did not care. Was it the sight of your almost lifeless body that terrified him? Or was it because he's not oblivious to how naturally he had come to expect you whenever he's out on patrol? Or perhaps it was something far less reasonable that he refused to name yet?
Because whatever the reason, it was clear that he chose to keep his distance. Not because you were his rival but because he understood all too well what it would mean if he had stayed by your side to witness your recovery.
Still, he has his staff to report your conditions back to him while he keeps his distance. How your wounds have been healing, how you've been eating and sleeping, how your complexion seems better as day went by, and how you're insisting in helping the maids out to cure your boredom even though they have tried to warn you not to do anything, lest your injuries worsen.
But there were moments where he considered breaking that distance just to check on you with his own eyes. There was a particular kind of frustration in knowing that you were just behind a door down the corridor, a turn that he refused to take. Because he understands, perhaps better than most, how easily attachment could become a weakness. His weakness. Because once he crossed that door to see you and allow himself even a single moment of honesty, he knew there's no way he could pretend that this was nothing.
“You know, you're not very good at staying out of sight.”
The sharp sound of glass shattering cut through the tavern, drawing a few glances but he paid them no mind. You have decided to pay him a surprise visit one day when you're well enough to come to Mondstadt on your own. He had not expected you to come to Angel’s tavern yourself.
“You shouldn't be out yet.” Diluc said as he cleaned the pieces of broken glasses after it slipped out of his hand.
“Is that concern I hear?” you chuckled a bit, teasing him has always been a routine of yours whenever you see him out on patrol.
“The doctor said your ribs aren't fully healed yet. Try breathing without pain if you decided you're recovered.” he grunted, looking at your side.
“...” In turn you only stared at him and blinked. His facial expression shifted to a confused one, trying to guess what you were thinking.
“You seem pretty well-informed for someone who couldn't be bothered to visit.”
“I was informed.” His gaze sharpened.
“Ah,” you hummed, “So you were concerned.”
“... Don't misunderstand.” he sighed.
“I think Kaeya’s right. You're not really the honest type when it comes to feelings.” you tried to suppress a chuckle, “Besides, I couldn't leave without thanking you for saving my life.”
He knew you were now well enough to leave Dawn Winery. He needed to face you, confirm himself there was nothing and be done with it. Because that was what this was, wasn't it? The ending of your encounter, neatly wrapped in gratitude. You were staying in Mondstadt for a while, doesn't mean you're staying here forever.
So why then he had hoped that you were going to stay a little longer?
You were simply… A traveler. A runaway noblewoman was never meant to remain anywhere for long, she still has a whole world lay wide before her, waiting to be explored. You were not made to stay. To ask otherwise would be… Foolish. And he was not a man given to foolishness.
So he let your gratitude stand as it was. Even if for the briefest moment he found himself wondering what it might have been like had you have chosen to stay. After all, the world was wide enough that your paths might never cross again. But yet, not so wide to dismiss the possibility entirely.
“You may leave as you wish.” he said quietly, “But should you ever feel like returning… there will always be a place here that welcomes you.”
Bonus story:
"Oh but I'll still be staying in Mondstadt." you smiled cheekily, "I meant leaving your Dawn Winery. I don’t want to start a rumor that Master Diluc, Mondstadt's most sought after bachelor secretly shelters a mysterious woman. Rumors travel more quickly here in Mondstadt, don't you agree?"
“...and it seems that you are awfully interested in my reputation.” Diluc who had only connected the dots can't help but frown at the teasing. Although the tip of his ears can't really lie.
"You came all this way for me? You're kind to remember!"
"Sit here, won't you? My fiery little friend from Sumeru sent fresh tea leaves again—the spice is as bright as her temper. And… well, Wriothesley tried his hand at baking. The roll is a little uneven, but the berries are tart and the cream is fluffy and sweet, so I can't complain."
"Go on, have a piece. Tell me what the world has been like this year. I spend so much time listening to the dead that it's nice to be reminded how lively the living can be."
the cutest birthday gift and comm from my lovely wife @vultursvolans ( thank you so much. i will keep repeating these words until the day you block me <3 ) | dividers by cursed-carmine | art by @/thatlazybones
“It’s hard to define what I think love is, when it’s so impossible to predict what form it’ll take. As a child, what I knew of love came from the pages of storybooks: it was romantic things like falling in love at first sight, and dramatic feats in the name of it. Something ordained by fate, because it was written to have a perfect ending. As I grew older, I came to appreciate the beauty of something safe. A peaceful life: gentle, but never boring. A soulmate, who could know every side of me, a best friend to live through the mundane.
Love is abstract yet malleable to the path it’ll take, and I find that every iteration leads to you. You are the incarnation of every definition of love… and it terrifies me to want something this much, something that might be out of my grasp…. but love is also a leap of faith, asking you to be brave.”
our wedding ceremony takes place in a glass greenhouse / garden in the forest (but not Pardis Dhyai) it’s small, but grand
it’s a night wedding where guests can arrive at sunset and mingle before settling in for the ceremony, which begins when the moon rises and the night flowers bloom. (floral arrangements include nilotpala lotuses, glaze lilies, sumeru roses, and of course the special night blooming flower he cultivated for me as a proposal)
the atmosphere is meant to be dreamy, ethereal and a bit haunting. the moon shines through the glass walls of the greenhouse and bathes the place in its milky light.
water trickles down the aisle before I walk, but it freezes with every step I take, so as not to ruin my dress and shoes (I have a cryo vision.)
at the end of the night, we will leave by boat, down the water ways to the hotel in Port Ormos, where we stay the night and decompress for a couple days after. our guests will send us off by sliding nilotpala lotus-shaped lanterns into the water as we sail off amidst a trail of floating lights
actually we’ve already eloped a couple months before this wedding to take the pressure of a ‘perfect’ wedding off of me. it was very much “I wish I didn’t have to deal with this” followed by a “So don’t. Marry me right now.” very spontaneous, with close friends only and wedding attire borrowed from Zubayr Theatre Troupe
You still have acces to characters! ...by possessing them. 👻
PART 2 (you're here!) / Part 1
All art by me! :] leave me a iced coffee?? :0
HEY!! REALLY QUICK PLEASE READ!
STOP tagging my posts as "Yandere Sagau", "Sagau Cult AU", "Sagau Imposter AU" or other related dark content tags.
I'm sick of seeing reblogs that tag my work as dark content, when I'm specifically trying to LIGHTEN UP THE SAGAU TAG 😭😭??
Please be more respectful of this. Actually read the work before you just tag it incorrectly. Tags do matter.
/nm /gen
☆
Sun: Gender Neutral Reader (they/them)
Planet: Misc. Genshin AUs
Orbit: Headcanons, Scenarios
Stars: Tighnari ft. Cyno, Alhaitham, Collei
Comets & Meteors:
Content Warnings: Mild violence (bandit attacks/non-graphic), Reader/you possess people non-consent (mild/consent given eventually)
& Trigger Warnings: Reader/"you" possess people non-consenually for short times, but given consent eventually.
(pls comment if any more!)
Edit 9/7/23: 1,000+ NOTES?? WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY- THANK YOU???
Edit 12/24/23 + 4/5/24:
☆
My goofy ass forgot to put this here .-.
Anyway this is a full length fanfic now ;)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
…mistakes were made.
bad decisions were had, and okay, mayyybbbeee you could’ve taken more precautions against people finding out you were “real”.
afterall, you did see the Eremites reaction, even if it was only two guys (one from each camp) that you possessed :/
word spreads quickly amongst the Eremites groups, you guess, bc next thing you knew, after you’d moved closer to floating around Gandharva Ville,
they’d called that entire bit of forest haunted.
BUT IN YOUR DEFENSE-!! how were you supposed to know they’d blab to the whole camp they didn’t remember the past 20 minutes after you unpossessed them?? and immediately be on guard and jump to possession?? (Irminsul works hard but eremites/sumeru people work harder u guess)
And by the time you were happily patrolling with Collei, the forest rangers were just so chill you didn’t really expect anybody would think a ghost was possessing them (or whatever you were now… maybe,, just code?? it’s unclear)
so when u start to see Tighnari squint at people who’ve technically just “woken up” after you possessed them, mumbling under his breath more and more as a file he carries around gets thicker and thicker-
you start to think,,, maybe.
okay, mayyybbbeee,
you’ve fucked up.
◇
You really can’t help it, first it was making sure Collei got back safely from patrols (she’s ur skrunkly okay, you can’t help it, you’re still aware she’s capable but- the urge to skrunkle overpowers you- )
but then-!! You managed to spot Cyno! :D its ur boy!! ur little meow meow, who can throw people over his shoulder!! He really doesn’t need you, hovering around, but eh ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
what could it hurt! …it’s not like he can see, hear, or feel you anyway…
(unless u possess some animal/machine he thinks is friendly, which. sumeru is not exactly known for cuddly creatures. you don’t feel like experiencing death when possessing stuff just yet-)
imagine ur panic and shock as the General Mahamatra takes on a camp of criminals on the run, only for one of the old ruin machines (the ones that are just LEG and DEATH)
to hear the ruckus and come stomping around a thick patch of trees, it launched missiles!! You can’t warn Cyno, he can’t hear you!! No one can!!! The criminals are unconscious, there’s no other wildlife nearby they all ran off!!! FUCK-
You look at him and try to imagine his perspective as vividly as you can, he’s looking over the criminals, but now he’s turning, so people passed out and the tree-line got it-
Congratulations! You’ve possessed Cyno. 💀
It completely disorients you for a second, but then the panic of dodging the missiles comes back in time for you to make his body dive and roll off to the side, for as long as you can manage a roll too since you remember that’s the best way to dodge missiles in the game
…which works really well! bc he’s so fit and agile tbh
It was weird to finally run again after so long (two months now in teyvat?? wow)
with your feet suddenly in sandals, and feeling the breeze chilling your bare chest (Cyno’s chest??)
yeah its a shock considering most of the ppl you’ve possessed lately have been fully clothed rangers lol
you quickly imagine your ghostly form again, and just like that you’re drifting out of Cyno in ur “ghosty” form, having floated out and away from his back
Poor guy looks so fucking confused, and immediately is wielding his spear again, and is about to get out the crouch you put him in behind the dilapidated stone wall (dammit he better not waste ur efforts to keep him alive-)
until missiles slam and explode against it, he ducks back down (thank fuck) and Cyno just looks around one last time before hopping the wall and running to fight the thing
you notice that when the electro user goes to use his powers, they seem stronger than they were in his fight with the goons??
Maybe he was just going easier on them, since they are only human?
…so why does even Cyno look surprised when he goes to make a simple swipe with his charged spear and a bolt of lightning cracks out from his spear instead…?
…weird.
◇
Tighnari knows you’re here.
You figure he must have collected the reports of people “blacking out” or “sleep-walking” or whatever else and begun to suspect the worst.
…to be honest, you’re not sure what to do.
on one hand, it would be great to have someone know you actually exist, as yourself,
but on the other…
What would Tighnari think?
Of you possessing his rangers?? Temporarily taking ownership of someone without permission??? You’re afraid he’d think the worst of you…
tho u didn’t do so often, as u realized how messed up this could be, and u never did more than make them walk or talk normally for a few minutes before leaving them alone!
… afterall, you missed interacting with people. You were honestly a little worried abt going crazy, which is the only reason u were desperate enough to possess human people in the first place and continue doing so, just to talk to someone and have them look you in the face again like you really did exist as a person here-
(u thought u remember reading somewhere back on Earth that someone can only last 3 days of no other human contact until they start to lose it? but even if that’s not true, at the very least, u dont think talking one-sidedly to yourself all the time is healthy…)
so when Tighnari seems to get that file you’ve seen him adding onto, and gather up supplies, mentioning a day trip to Collei and the others to Sumeru City for some
“further research into these ‘blackouts’, and also contacting some of my colleagues who might know something…”
there’s no way you’re not going with him.
you feel increasingly anxious all day, and at one point when you were sure Tighnari was walled-in by books at the House of Daena, decide to go blow off the anxious energy by possessing an animal to get some food!
…you’re not really feeling comfortable enough to possess a living being into eating yet, that seems hella nonconsensual, and u kinda would be taking the joy of the meal from them tbh-
so u possess a cat!
a ginger cat, bc u like to think if u do anything weird, that ppl in Teyvat have the same type of cats back on Earth and excuse it as just:
“unhinged ginger cats being unhinged ginger cats yep makes sense” lol
you’d managed to be really cute (and wasn’t that weird, having to mimic animal behaviors like rubbing ur side against a person’s legs..)
and convince one of the cooks of Lambad’s Tavern to give u some leftovers, and been about to go off to try out sunbathing before the chore boy, little shit he is, tried to chase you off with a broom!! >:( the audacity!! you clearly have a little plate and everything!!
luckily, you’d finished eating, but still! Ouch!! those bristles fucking hurt-!!!
…you look and see a Sumeru-ified version of a skateboard, and u just know ur little cat face is just ✨v✨
and u steal the little shit’s skateboard as revenge! HAHA thats what you get animal abuser!!!
The kid’s yelling at you as you speedily skate away with ur little cat paws (LMAOO), but the cooks are calling him back in so he can’t pursue, (oh good u hear them get onto him for chasing u off)
and as u slow down to coast along the Sumeru streets,
you feel someone’s eyes staring you down.
You assume it’s just people being amused at a cat skateboarding, obv
but when you look just ahead of you to see a smiling Sumeru citizen or eremite-
Oh. It’s Alhaitham.
and he’s just… watching you.
he’s stopped reading whatever he’s got in his hand, and is slowlyyyy turning his head as you pass by…
You decide to just keep skating away. LMAO
◇
it’s already sunset by the you’re accompanying Tighnari back from Sumeru City, floating along behind him
and you’d been expecting a calm walk back, tbh you’d been feeling a little better bc the ranger hadn’t found much to identify you, yet, luckily-
but bc u can never catch a break:
Tighnari didn’t see the bandits dropping from the goddamn trees BEHIND HIM- and they had like claymores out- those were definitely gonna be killing blows-!!
so yeah.
You possessed Tighnari.
turns out ur pretty good at dodging bc this is second time now you’ve helped dive away for someone in an ambush, ur kinda proud of urself tbh💀
and as you make him take a few leaps back, ur ears twitch in the wind as you duck behind a tree, then float away and out of his body
The poor hybrid ranger visibly sways, then shakes his head out of it, and he flicks his ears in different directions, squinting into the woods, he’s pulled out his bow, so you’re at least reassured he’s aware there are enemies
Like Cyno last week, he too gives up and rolls for the next tree for cover and begins to shoot and take down the bandits
the rest of the week is kinda a blur after that, bc it’s mostly filled with Tighnari running in circles around the camp checking for blackouts, writing letters to Alhaitham and Cyno apparently, and you not possessing anybody out of paranoia :/
Most notably however,
you’ve unfortunately discovered one of the few drawbacks of ur possessions
(y’know, besides not existing essentially, what with no one being able to sense u outside of possessions)
apparently, if someone walks thru you, they accidentally force you to possess them 💀??
while it’d already happened once with a random ranger that you didnt notice was walking up behind you,
you didn’t want to test it again just yet bc it kinda made YOU nauseous and incredibly dizzy when this happened
(as in, u stumbled like a drunk after this poor ranger woman ran thru u, until you were so dizzy and the world spun sm u had to make her sit on the literal ground, luckily she just thought she was just really dehydrated when she came back into herself 😭)
so obviously, you’ve avoided crowds to keep this forced possession thingy from happening all the time
like at the Forest Rangers meetings or something, ur watching off to the side, instead of standing with them or beside them
so needless to say, after about a week and half since possessing Tighnari,
you definitely did not mean to possess Collei.
She’d been in her wheelchair today, the Eleazar flaring up and tiring her body out
so her wheels had been entirely silent when she rolled up to where you and Tighnari were leaning over some strange experiments of his- you were just trying to figure out what all these mirrors were for, didn’t he do plants more-?
you didn’t even know what the hell happened, you just felt that familiar dropping sensation, like a small drop on a rollarcoaster, blinked, and then suddenly you were sitting instead of standing/floating???
Oh god-
before you could even begin to process that Tighnari was in front of you instead of beside you, the world was shorter,
The fox-eared ranger yelled in triumph, grinning with sharp fangs and spinning around to look at you (Collei)-
“Ah-ha! It worked! Finally, I saw you! I saw you, I-?? Oh gods, Collei, NO-!”
And with quick reflexes, Tighnari’s summoned his bow, but he’s clearly confused on what to do about this situation, taking aim, but also holding the air glowing with dendro not as taunt as you’d seen him in the battle with the bandits
You scramble to raise your hands up, brown poofy sleeves rise to your command, light green hair you can feel on your shoulders, everything is familiar, but not-
“WAIT! I’m sorry!! This was an accident, I promise! I don’t intend to hurt Collei, or you!! Please, just, don’t shoot me, I think you’ll just hurt Collei instead…”
You talk him down and decide, that if he’s put this much effort into finding out about your existence, is an incredible leader and friend to everyone around him, and was able to accept the traveler and many other strange things that’ve (probably? maybe?) already happened in Sumeru (god fuck u dont even know where in the timeline you are)
that you can probably trust Tighnari with your existence, and your powers.
…He nearly passes out.
◇
Life has gotten a lot funnier, and happier, since you told Tighnari (and some of the more trustworthy rangers and Collei by proxy) about ur existence (or really, confirmed it)
He’d been wary at first, appropiately cautious and demanding answers, of which you were happy to give and explain yourself
luckily, after a whole lot of “hmm, I see, no, I think I’m understanding-” , finger on his chin and everything
he’s said it’s okay to hang around the rangers, so long as you don’t possess anyone anymore without them knowing about you/with permission (outside of emergency situations that is)
tho he did seem surprisingly understanding and accepting of you doing it before after you explained how u were just unbelievably lonely and were lowkey paranoid of going crazy-
The rangers seem to believe you’re some kind of god/spirit thing, as you had no explanation yourself as to what you were ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
Tighnari’s also given you the rule to help out around here if you’re going to “ghost-laze around”, as he puts it lol
you’ve redirected ruin machines/feral animals away from rangers many times by now, to the many thanks and gratefulness of the rangers
you’ve even managed to even figure out how to push Collei’s wheelchair around when she uses it!
mostly by possessing tree after tree and using vines, or occasionally a fungi that can fly so you can nudge her along
she has insisted that you possess a ruin guard and carry her just to try it… however, Tighnari overheard her talking to the forest rangers’ dog (you) and immediately knew shit was up and banned you from doing it (at least not yet)
While most rangers are okay with you possessing them for a few minutes (and they’ve developed this bandana wrapped around their upper arms policy of “red = no possess, green = go ahead”)
Collei is the most okay with it and for longer, so you “won’t be that lonely ever again!” :’)
Tighnari is busy with stuff, so you can’t possess him as often, but the ranger has developed a theory that the more you possess someone, the more they can sense your feelings during possession/while floating around in ghost form too,
so he’ll occasionally feel you in the room with him, and start talking out loud in some one-sided convo to make you feel more included to make up for not being able to interact with him sometimes :)
(after taking you off his list of worries he’s still pretty swamped, not that he’ll tell you that, as he’s still not quite sure why he’s so, warm and safe feeling when you’re around, so willing to trust you so naturally, that it makes him want to at leats pretend to be worried abt a possessing ghost god/thing hanging out with the rangers now)
◇
basically everything is great!
the rangers are okay with you, they got a system to interact with you consensually, Tighnari and Collei are fond of you, you get to finally have something to do instead of floating around all the time (joining ranger missions)
and look!! they’ve even been kind enough to build you a little shrine or altar of sorts! Notes about Sumeru life, recipes for you to try, occasionally some books for you to read, and even some snacks/desserts for you to try out the next time someone possesses you and gives consent! (you leave them a little note stuck on their hand with your question for specific actions like that, if there isn’t another ranger there to ask for you when you unpossess them)
and everything is so cool, and everyone is so sweet and accepting
…Until Alhaitham shows up in Gandharva Ville, knocking on Tighnari’s door.
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AHHHH idk if this is any good! sorry it took so long, it was mostly the art 😭😭
anyway its not the best (the writing or the art) but i hope it’s at least some content to look at and be entertained for a minute!
also figured it was a good day to post what with the attack on our beloved Ao3 (tho i think it’s back up now?)
anyway, feel free to leave critiques on this one! (which I’ll probably turn this into a real fic one day soon, but not sure what to do with the plot/do a diff setup than this or what)
☆
sorry abt the radio silence! I just needed to close my mailbox bc i had a lot of stuff to answer, ur welcome to send submissions to chat/non-requests!
and also this took time to make (once again, mostly the art, bc thats how it always is with art isnt it 😭)
