𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄...
synopsis. "today, i walked alone on the beaches of the guyun stone forest and picked up several starconches along the way. i heard that they contain secrets and can be used to send messages. but when i put them to my ear, i heard no voice, just the hollow sound of the wind. no matter. the wrath of evil spirits, omens of calamity… and your voice. that's all i need to hear. when you're free, come talk to me about what you've heard from the starconches."
✧ ┊ How long had you known him to know when a letter was implying to be an invitation to somewhere? Long enough, apparently. Well, it had been a bit over a year since you met him originally. But besides knowing him so well, the fact he sent a letter was already saying something loud and clear; it was the equivalent to a modern day text saying “come over!”
And of course, you did listen to his call.
Why not? It took you forever to get to this point with him. In fact, you practically mastered forty different ways how to make Almond Tofu. Those countless amount of days you've spent trying to perfect the recipe... You hoped it would work out in the end. They always say food is the way to someone's heart, right? Although that saying was directed at those who weren't human, surely it had to work on someone that wasn't... Right?
Nevertheless, your theory played out… Somewhat well. It was never a surprise when he was absolutely ruthless towards you, sometimes even bringing you to tears. But instead of backing off, you continued to try cracking open his shell. As short as the conversations were, you always managed to see the good in him. You had to stay optimistic! Just because he called you a foolish human didn't mean you had to stop bringing him Almond Tofu everyday. He was just stubborn! And thankfully, you were very patient. It was only within months you noticed his behavior changing around you. Soon enough, your conversations lasted more than a sentence! It was amazing progress all around, and that only motivated you to keep going. You had to get to know this adepti no matter what. You couldn't help yourself- Something about him just screamed 'I must learn more!'
“Xiao~!” You called out his name only once, kicking your feet along the sand of the Guyun Stone Forests beaches. It was no surprise that he wasn't there- It did take you a long time to prepare a treat and arrive via waverider- and there was no way he was going to allow you to catch him waiting for you to get there!
Seconds after calling out his name, you could feel a small breeze of wind ruffle through your clothing. It was a familiar feeling- Almost comforting. With a slight turn, you immediately recognized where it came from; it was a certain green haired adepti finally arriving, "You called?" He questioned you, the expression on his face seemed to be one of annoyance.
Without wasting time, you quickly nodded, a small smile creeping its way up to your features. "Mhm, I got your invitation. Now sit, sit! I have something for you.~" You hummed, motioning your head to the rock beside him, your hands hiding something behind your back. If he wasn't annoyed already, he definitely seemed so now.
A small fit of bickering began. But what did you expect? A yaksha? Sitting on a rock? He definitely wasn't the one that favored surprises either. He threw multiple retorts, and thankfully after so long, he sat himself down with a grumble. "There is no need for adepti to-" He cut himself off short by surprise, his eyes widening as a moderately sized plate of Almond Tofu was presented to his face.
“I know you don’t celebrate birthdays, and that you think they're redundant, but I wanted to celebrate you.” You spoke with a rather dominant tone, ready to argue against whatever retorts he happened to bring up next. He was going to take this plate whether he liked it or not.... But things took a turn and to your surprise, he stayed unusually quiet. Instead, silently taking the plate from your hand, which only made you raise a brow. Was something on his mind? What did you possibly do to make him so quiet?
“Is there something wrong, Xiao?” You questioned, your once stern voice turning into one of worry. You didn't mess up, right?
Rather than using words like you preferred, he only shook his head in reply, keeping his head down to the plate in front of him. “...Thank you.” He muttered after a few moments of silence, which seemed to wash your worries away immediately. It wasn't that you messed up- He was just embarrassed! Those bangs of his were definitely hiding a small tint of pink on his cheeks.
With this realization, you were upbeat once again, plopping yourself onto the rock he also sat on. While your temptation was to tease him, you strayed away from the action. Instead, you took the moment to admire the scenery- And the atmosphere itself. It was warm, comfortable. The waves across the sand and breeze on your skin brought you to pure relaxation. You hoped it was the same case for Xiao.
One second became minutes and eventually you had to break the silence between the two. You came here with multiple intentions, after all.
“So… About those starconches… Wanna hear about the creatures they’ve told me about?”
“... Sure… I’d enjoy that.”