artfully/FatedWait: Thank you!
AndyKurosaki98: It is always important to have friends you can talk to...
As soon as they rejoin Chongyun at the base of the stone steps, it becomes clear that the trio is one conversation away from being on the move again. Baizhu has also rejoined the party, and after a smirk of acknowledgement to Aether, all four await a certain zombie child to finish crossing the path.
Which she eventually does…wearing an unhappy expression. Aether tries to hope that it's just her memory doing that, but the hairs on his neck stand alert.
"Well Qiqi?" Baizhu asks. "What did you see?"
"Um…across the wooden bridge…Qiqi found…this…." A flash and familiar sound makes the girl suddenly hold something extremely familiar. All three guests react, none of them positively. Chongyun breaks into a cold sweat, Xingqiu is taken aback and rendered speechless, and Aether mentally slaps himself as he looks down in shame. How did I miss this?!
A brilliant red polearm lies across Qiqi's palms, contrasting her clammy undead skin. The orange decorative jewel still lies just before the actual tip, as all weapons of this make do.
"Xiangling's polearm?!" Chongyun points out the obvious. "But…how?! Wasn't it with her?"
"That's what we assumed." Xingqiu corrects him. "Incorrectly, from the looks of it…"
Aether crunches up some of his hair. "This, this is all my fault! I struck it out of her hands, but forgot all about it after! How could I be so stupid?!"
"Aether, it's not your fault…" Before that thought is finished, the blonde Traveler switches elements from Anemo to the crisp violet of Electro. "What are you-"
"I'm going to look in that area too-"
"Aether, stop." The calm voice of an adult makes it obvious who spoke, and Baizhu blocks the path behind him as well.
"Baizhu! Xiangling's been without her weapon all this time-"
"I am aware." He speaks sternly to Aether, frown not moving. "But do you have any leads as to where Ms. Xiangling might have gone?"
…..
"As I thought. Qiqi, if you could please continue?" Like magic, suddenly he faces the child with an encouraging smile.
"Um…Qiqi did…what she was told…called for the Conquerer…of…of Demons…"
What? Xiao? Aether thinks, being much better at keeping quiet than Chongyun in this instance- who yells out the yaksha's proper title in disbelief. "How?!"
"Dr. Baizhu…said to remind him of a favor…"
"Hm? …Oh Qiqi~ You make it like I was somehow exerting pressure on the man." He's very amused by the triple stares the others are giving him; Aether's especially. "Well, rest easy. We simply healed the Conquerer of Demons one time when QIqi found him hurt. That's it, but you know him~ Always feels like he owes somebody a debt."
Aether doesn't like to admit this, but Baizhu's absolutely right…
"Qiqi…asked him to find…your friend…" She says slowly, weak memory erasing Xiangling's name already. "Grumbled that this wasn't his…strength, but did it anyway… Qiqi doesn't understand…"
"What we witnessed at Lantern Rite." Xingqiu ponders aloud with a slight grin. "I do not think we will be seeing that Conquer of Demons anytime soon."
"He came back eventually….told Qiqi…"
"Um…said…."
Oh no…! Did she forget?! Aether looks back at Baizhu furiously- why did he send the person with the broken memory?! But- the doctor remains very unconcerned, with an almost teasing grin.
"Qiqi, your notebook~"
"Ah…thanks…." Xiangling's polearm is passed around like a hot potato here, as Qiqi absentmindedly gives it to Baizhu, who then gives it to Chongyun, then Aether, who puts it away. After that, the walking contradiction herself pulls out a small brown book and flips to the latest entry. "He said…'her presence was…north of Mt. Tianheng'. Ye…ah…"
"That is located over there." Xingqiu informs all present, pointing towards the horizon. Indeed, to the east of where they are currently lies a huge shadow thanks to the darkness of night. "Still, the north? Did she cross the mountain without a weapon? That is impressive if nothing else, the south side is badly maintained…"
It's clear that there is nothing further Qiqi can add, so Baizhu interjects. "Not bad, mm~? A dash of patience has just saved you three valuable time."
The two Liyue boys are quick to thank the doctor, Aether follows after a bit of hesitating, Baizhu clearly singling him out. "Can I trust you with Paimon?"
"Absolutely."
"Thanks a lot." Blonde hair turns back to the others, who have finished taking stock of how unexpected this day has become. "We good to go?"
He didn't even need to ask, as two quick nods come.
-0-
"Dr. Baizhu…what are you laughing about…?"
"…Ah forgive me Qiqi. It's just seeing our young friends go out there, ready to find their companion…It's quite a spirited sight, wouldn't you agree?"
"Umm...Qiqi doesn't know…"
"Fufufu, well it's none of our concern. All we can do is continue to care for Paimon and Chef Mao. And, of course, hope for good news."
"Baizhu is still smiling weirdly though…"
"Me? Why I never…I'm simply impressed by your abilities~"
"Qiqi's….abilities…?"
"Of course! Why, you tripled the number of favors people owe us. Having the Conquerer of Demons intent on paying a debt is one thing, but getting one from Xingqiu, Chongyun, and Aether? Perhaps you should follow a career in marketing…"
Qiqi is a bit- ok, more than a bit- confused by what she's hearing. But she understands enough. "Dr. Baizhu….that's not nice…."
"Oh fine, fine~ In any case, let's get back to work."
-0-
Aether….p-please…give me seconds….it's sho…goooo-
….H-Huh…..? What the…? Ah- "Ow!"
The consciousness of one Xiangling Mao begins to bubble back to the surface, finally stirring awake from her mini food coma. But instead of bolting awake, fresh-faced, ready and eager to start another exciting day, the young adult here is hit with a bolt of pain directly to her spine. The culprit for this is immediately known as she winces and looks down. A stone floor completely surrounds her person. Clearly she was sleeping sitting up- and her body did not appreciate that even at her young age- but the more pressing contradiction takes priority.
"Huh? This is…not where I was…right?"
With mild concern, her half-open golden eyes look around the area. The process is slow, being strangely unable to shake off the haze of exhaustion, but Xiangling is able to gleam a few things. There are a bunch of wooden boxes right next to her with their top cover off. These crates seem to be filled with useless junk, rocks and wood only… not that she pays particular attention to them though. She's also makes out three bamboo poles forming the corners of a rectangle…meaning she probably has her back to the fourth one…
And if she looks up… yes, there's a traditional sheet of fabric that is being propped up by the mentioned four corners, providing her cover from any rain.
There's a mountain to her left, sheer cliff unclimbable from this side…
And to the right, a fair distance away…lies a cooking pot over a dead pile of branches… and the corner of a house.
Xiangling knows where she is, even if she can't pinpoint the specific location
Treasure Hoarders..this is a group's hut…
There's no doubt in her mind. Even discounting tonight's events, these man-made houses are known to everyone in Liyue for how common they are, providing dangers to travelers and merchants alike. As uninformed in the legal and political world as Xiangling was, she always thought this was weird…bad people do bad things, ok, but Liyue had the Millelith, the adepti, and Beidou's pirates protecting them! Who would even want to commit a crime with them around?! It made no sense…!
Just because she was inexperienced with the situation though, it didn't mean she was oblivious to reality. So when she realized that she hadn't seen her hands yet and tried to move them, it wasn't a surprise to be met with some incredibly firm resistance- obviously tied to the pole behind her back.
Not that it made this any less worrying though.
"….Help…me…! Someone….!" She calls into the night. "Ugh, why I am so tired…this is an emergency…"
"HM?!" Piercing the quiet outside, a gruff voice suddenly lets loose that disturbing sound, setting all the hairs on Xiangling's body on high alert. It's clearly not Aether or Xingqiu or Chongyun, or any of her other friends who heard her plea.
…If she's lucky, it's a random passerby who is about to untie her or alert the closest authorities. If she's not, then…this is going to be trouble.
Footsteps begin to approach….they stomp on dirt, then the wood nearby…but also the soil too? Is that a door opening too?
Xiangling looks right.
Oh, she is unlucky.
She is… really unlucky. There isn't just one Treasure Hoarder looking at her, there's five.
Two skinny guys…they look like they could knocked over if Aether blew on them with Ameno…Xiangling remembers that people like them typically attack by throwing potions at their "test subject". Behind them, two disgruntled 'farmers', they're wearing straw hats, white tees, one has an oar, and the other a shovel. And last but certainly not least, a muscular guy in a blue vest, trusty hammer of twenty years by his hip. He's the only one Xiangling would say looks fine (intimidating aura notwithstanding), so he's probably the leader…
"Well, well, well…" Her suspicions are confirmed as this man is the first to speak, going to the front of his pack, looking at Xiangling, and turning back. "This is the lass what stole our pot?"
"Y-Yes Boss! We found her snoozin` right next to it!"
"Y-ya see Boss?! It wasn't our fault, it was hers! As quick as lightning, she swiped teh thing!"
Hm, now that Xiangling looks closer at the two scrawny men that just spoke, she notices that one is wearing a red cloth around their mouth, and the other is wearing a blue one. Yuck…just think of the germs! She'll dub them Red and Blue for now….cause that's all her not-quite-there mind can come up with…
"Can it you two! Speed or not, I know ya both were playing that TCG game - instead of, oh I don't know- scouting the area!"
"Purple" clams up simultaneously…and the "Boss" crouches down to meet Xiangling at eye level. She notices that he and the two "farmers" behind are wearing bandanas as well, though black instead. Instinctively, she tries to squirm free of the rope binding her…but is quickly met with failure. Her captor smiles.
"Well now lass, that some mighty fine charges against ya. Have anything to say for yourself?"
"Don't call me that. My name's-"
"Hm?"
Sleepy mind be damned, she stops herself in the nick of time. No, no. Don't tell these guys anything about you…they could go after my friends or….Dad! …Not Aether though, heheh. "Um, nothing." She quickly looks away from the five men, at the floor. If only I had my weapon!
"Aw look at her! Playing the silent treatment~" Four distinct chuckles occur behind the leader, with Red and Blue obviously forcing theirs.
"…Can you just let me go, please?" Xiangling mutters just loud enough to hear.
"Please?! When you haven't even apologized for stealin` our shit? That pot was our lifeblood, our baby, our most prized possession, and you just took it like it was a free lunch!" He's obviously exaggerating…but Xiangling knows he's not entirely wrong either… She stole their stuff, and now she's paying for it. Would Rex Lapis himself have any mercy?
Ahh, stupid delicious Mint!
"I'm sorry! It was an accident, and I didn't mean to-" She pauses uncomfortably when she's realizes this is the exact same thing she said to Aether…
"Eh? What was that lass? A little more 'oomph' if you will~!" Boss snickers, clearly amused by Xiangling losing her voice.
"F-Fine! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"See, was that really so hard~?"
If I didn't know any better, I think this was a nightmare….ouch! Xiangling winces as her bound together arms pinch one another. "Now can I go?"
Xiangling, that's a dumb question. They're not going to let you go! You're going to be held here for random, they're Treasure Hoarders for crying out loud! They'll take everything you own, sell those, and then sell you to who-knows-where! And this is all because I feel asleep….!-
"Sure, lass."
"Wha-what?!" Her eyes widen at the boss, who has stood back up to tower over her again. The laughter from the other four have completely stopped, but the stupid grin their leader has carried on him hasn't moved an inch.
"I said, you can go. Boys! Untie her!" Evidently that is referring to Red and Blue, who respond with a 'Yes Boss!' in unison…completely unfazed by the objectively weird order. Regardless, Red quickly goes to work on the annoying ropes….and shortly after, Xiangling's arms flop to her side, free again. She has no time to stretch though, as Blue reaches down, and "helps" the young chef to her feet. She staggers back, limbs having fallen asleep, but remains standing.
"H…huh? But…I don't understand…?" Xiangling puts a hand to her temple and tries to shake the persistent cobwebs from her head. It doesn't work. What is happen-
"There's nothing to get, lass. You stole our stuff, we got it back, and you apologized. Now just don't do it again and we won't have issues, understand?" The man might have been intimidating to anyone who doesn't fight, but Xiangling is less concerned by what he threatened her with then this unsettled feeling she has… She starts to pat herself down, unconvinced.
Gloves and shoes? Yup.
Hairpin? Check.
Matching arm and leg bands? Both present and secure…
"This gonna take much longer?" The "Boss" inquires, interest in the girl fading.
"Um, one second…" He turns around with a 'tch' at her answer.
Cute Gouba strap around her waist that can actually double as food storage, but one she actually hasn't used in years since getting her Vision? Still there.
And finally, speaking of-
…..Oh.
….Ohhhh…..
"My…my Vision…" She croaks. "Where is it?"
"….." A simple question, but one that freezes the whole area. A sense of foreboding hits…
"Hey…! I said, where's my Vision?"
Xiangling's looking at his back, but she's able to see the man clearly exhale. "So close. You were so close, lass. Boys!"
"You took it didn't you?! Give it b-agh!" As soon as Xiangling takes one step towards the criminal, Red and Blue pounce on her, each forcing an arm behind her back and together pushing her to the ground. As her bare knees collide with stone, she is force to wince.
"S-Stop moving!"
"Stop struggling!"
"No, my Visio- …ah." Xiangling is rendered speechless as an extremely familiar symbol is flashed in front of her. The striking red sphere with an image of a lone flame- a Pyro Vision.
Her Pyro Vision.
"Is this what you're looking for?!" Two ugly fingers pinch the top and bottom of the orb, keeping it securely contained in the man's grip. In the back of Xiangling's vision, his smile grows wider as he talks. "You…are really an idiot, aren't you lass?"
"W-What…"
"My boys found you sure, but they were going to leave well enough alone once they took the pot. After all, a plain teen like yourself- we don't need ya, your kind is more trouble than you're worth! But then….ya glowed lass!"
"Ulp!"
"It was the most amazin` thing! In my life! But of course- it wasn't you. It was this!" His handling of the Vision changes right here, as he displays it on an open palm…right underneath Xiangling's nose. "A Vision! The power of the gods themselves! How does an idiot get one of these?!"
Keep cool Xiangling…keep cool…don't lose your head in an attempt to sock this guy right in his dumb stealing face! Well, despite Xiangling's thoughts, her arms still remain firmly out of commission, pressed against her back.
"Boss!" Surprisingly enough, Blue shouts that from her left. "What should we do with her? Shall we, y'know-" He proceeds to make a strange series of choking noises right here, trying to act it out…Xiangling wants to roll her eyes, but sweat starts to form as she gulps….
And then really starts to form as the Boss reaches for his hammer!
"Ya…absolute idiot." He plainly states, delivering a calm blow to Blue's shoulder…but clearly holding back, as his subordinate just yelps in pain.
"What was that for?! I-I'm sorry Boss!"
"LISTEN UP MEN!" He shouts, despite everyone being close enough to hear already. "We do NOT harm the lass, no matter what! Anyone who tries will have to face me! Is that clear?"
Murmurs from the other four…then Red squeaks out a "W…Why….?"
As if he was expecting this, the leader produces a toothy grin, slowly turning back to Xiangling as he does so…
"Why don't you tell them lass?! Firsthand experience and all that! Tell them why we shouldn't touch a Vision holder."
Wait, what? H-How am I supposed to know that-
But then…like a flash of lightning, something in her mind clicks. Two people spring to life in her mind- Captain Beidou and her Master.
Right, She knows this…
"If…If a Vision holder dies, the light in their Vision will vanish…" Xiangling repeats robotically, in time with her memory. Meanwhile, the head honcho hears this and viciously claps his hands, howling with laughter as he does so.
"Exactly right! Exactly! Good show lass!" He wipes a tear away. "Isn't it ironic? Your Vision got you here, but it's the only thing keeping you safe~"
"….Um…so Boss?" Blue wearily asks, sense regained. "What should we do then?"
In response, he fakes thinking for a minute. "Hmm….got it! You two! Take the lass far, faaaar to the north! Abandon her there and come back! We should still be here, packing our shit- but if not, go to Point C and rejoin us there!"
Confusion is evident on the two grunt's face, but Xiangling opens her mouth in horror.
They're going to leave this place….so when I come back, my Vision will be-!
No!
"Hold on Boss." An unknown voice rings out, and it's actually the shovel equipped 'farmer' who hasn't spoken yet. "I'll go too. Keep everything in line. With those two slackers alone, there's no guarantee this will work."
"Hey!" 'Purple' cries in unison….but their boss takes a moment before agreeing.
"Please! Don't do this!" Xiangling screams out- but attracting nothing but sick grins.
"Up and at em, lass!" Soon after, the chef is forced to her feet by her now-three guardians.
"No! NO! Stop!"
A sharp push to her back is her only answer. And when she doesn't move after that, the flat head of a shovel collides with her spine.
"S-Stop! Please!"
"Walk, girl, walk! Or else!"
"Please…don't make us drag you…"
"Just cooperate…!"
"Farewell, lass~" The leader of this whole damn group says lightly…mocking her! "This will be the last time we talk, but hey! Your Vision just brought five whole people out of the slums! Take heart!"
…N-No…THAT'S all I have left!
"…GIVE ME MY VISION BACK! GIVE. IT. BAAACK!" The cook tries to break free from the Treasure Hoarders grasp, she tries to run up to the Boss, and she tries to get herself out of this nightmare.
…But she can't.
And so, the chef from Liyue is just taken away, with absolutely nothing.