AndyKurosaki98: It'll all be fine~ Adventure awaits!
Xiangling felt funny. In a very strange, very unsettling kind of way.
A weird kind of bubbling- no, sizzling sensation in her stomach… kind of like a hot pot five seconds before getting to that perfect temperature. Or like when she cooking something so spicy, even her father couldn't handle it. Something so vicious, so violent, that its mere creation scared her a little…imagine Chongyun losing control of his pure yang energy? Um, it was something like that.
Her chest also felt this way, with the added heave every time she inhaled, like it was being pressed down by something invisible. Her vision narrowed slightly, as if her brain was cutting off unnecessary sight in order to keep the oxygen flowing…and speaking of her brain, it felt like she could feel her blood flowing directly to her head, almost tasting it on her teeth and tongue. Every step she was forced to take thanks to a push to the back reinvigorated this feeling in full. Her hands felt clammy, and slowly bundled themselves into strained fists, an extremely unnatural sight for such a happy-go-lucky person.
But unlike her attempts at understanding what she felt when talking about Aether however, Xiangling knew what this boiling feeling was. It was uncomfortable, sure, but however rare she actually experienced this, the feeling of anger was anything but unknown.
A broken plate thanks to a literal childish prank from Xingqiu and Chongyun.
The first (and only) time she had snapped at Hu Tao growing up.
Defending Gouba from a swarm of hilichurls on one occasion.
All past times that paled in comparison to how heated she was feeling now.
But…of course she was angry! Angry at 'Red' and 'Blue', for being the ones to have stopped her when trying to get her Vision back. If only they hadn't reacted when they did, maybe she could've done…something! Like, oh, kick the Vision out of the "Boss' hands"! Even without my Vision, I would've done that…I could have done that! Irrational hope as it was, she clung to that fantasy like a drunk, muttering while being forced across Liyue. And that was something else! Why did they have to have such a strong grip on her?! Strength was never Xiangling's forte- she fought with athleticism and Pyro - but she couldn't do anything like this! Her arms ached, her back protested, and yet, no matter how much she squirmed, their grip remained ironclad!
That left her with only option, trying to talk her way out of this. But…that didn't work thanks to the third Hoarder and the target of most of her hatred!
"H-Hey, can we stop? I'm hungry…!
*GROWL*
"S-See?!"
"No, keep her moving boys."
"Can I…um, go to the bathroom?"
"?! U-Uh, hey man, maybe we should let her do her-"
"Hold it in."
"My legs are cramping-"
"OH, Shut the hell up! If you talk again, I'll BURY you!"
And that was her last attempt. It's not that the threat held any water- after all, she couldn't be harmed according to their Boss- but it was clear they were just wasting air. Still though, it was really annoying…she thought she felt the two grunts lighten up for just a moment on the 'bathroom' try, but then it passed thanks to the "smart" guy and she was stuck again…
I need to come up with a nickname for this guy! Maybe like….oh "Spotfull Farmer!" Because white shirts are supposed to be spotless, but this guy is a huge mean nasty JERK! So Spotfull it is!
…I'm bad at this. Poimon is much better.
But the mention of the companion's name only reminded her of who she was a companion to….Aether. And that brought the third group of people she was mad at!
Her friends! Where were they?! They should've been here by now! They could've recused her already- there was no way they had missed her right?! It had been several hours at this point! So why was she still in the hands of Treasure Hoarders, forced across Liyue like she was in a funeral march? C'mon guys, help her out…!
She decided! When she gets back home, Vision or not, she's going right up to Xingqiu and Chongyun, looking at them dead in the eyes, and…!
…
And…..and….
Giving them a big hug.
…..She misses them…..
She misses them so much!
She wants to go home, she wants to sleep and forget this day ever happened! She's desperate to cook something fun again, desperate to see Guoba and her dad, desperate to do what she loves with the people she loves!
She wants that more than anything…
But… it's not happening- nor right now And there's only one person to blame for that. One person she should actually be angry at.
"…I'm a failure."
And as soon as she speaks that into the air, it's over. The young adult's misguided rage feels like it gets drowned by the very Liyue Harbor itself. She stops even trying to squirm in the Treasure Hoarder's hands and just stares blankly ahead. Why even bother right?
Countless marked paths, fields of grass and plants, and tall stone cliffs pass by with no more commentary, no more resistance, nothing from the chef anymore.
"Should've just… served the soup…"
-0-
"This is it, right?" Aether asks the question to the pair behind him, craning his neck up as he does so. "Mount Tianheng?"
"Correct." Comes the expected Xingqiu reply. "Quite impressive wouldn't you say? Both the mountain itself, and Xiangling apparently scaling it from the south~"
"Xiao told us- well, told Qiqi that she was north of us now though, so?" Chongyun lightly jogs right up next to them.
"Yes I heard that." Aether replies, still trying to see the mountain's peak. "But we can't just hope to get lucky and wander into her, just like that. All these cliffs and stone pillars? Yeah, not happening… In my opinion, we need to use Liyue's terrain to our advantage."
"Ah I understand. If we climb up, we could cover all of the surrounding area easily. Not a bad plan, except for one thing."
"What Xingqiu?" Man, if only I could still fly, or had Paimon! Go figure, the one time I need her…"
The Hydro-user coughs into his fist and looks away sheepishly. "You and Chongyun may be able to make realize quick work of this challenge, but I doubt I would be able to match your speed. Shall I wait down here?"
"Heh, no need~" The hand, shoulder guard, and ear piece of Aether all switch from the violet he never used with Baizhu back to the brilliant gold he had before. Not wasting any time after, he immediately flings his arm forward in a throwing motion towards the mountain. Seconds later and defying all natural laws, a stone of significant size appears from the literal ether and slams into the landscape, in around the same place Aether was motioning. This 'stone' seems to resemble a barrel, and remains securely attached to Tianheng like a new tumor.
Or a pimple.
"D-Did you just…terraform?!" Chongyun sputters, disbelief plain on both young men.
"Pretty helpful, hm? Oh but don't worry, it causes no damage to the mountain- in fact, it will all be gone in minutes. This way though, we'll all have an easier time climbing, it's a solid foothold trust me. Now let's mov-"
"A-apologies Aether." Xingqiu interrupts. "But surely you can allow a moment for Chongyun and I to recover from this sight. Your abilities are quite…otherworldly."
"Hm, y-yeah I guess so…" Aether puts a hand to his head and smiles bashfully. He's been doing this for so long, he didn't even think about how wild this looks to anyone not named Paimon.
"In fact, can I ask a strange question?" The bookworm continues after a pause. "Who are you?"
Now that, that produces a knowing grin from the traveler.
"Me? I'm just…a normal guy, wanting to help out the person they love…"
Chongyun's face grows pink and excuses himself to start climbing. Meanwhile Xingqiu remains speechless, until eventually Aether's own pleased face is reflected right back at him."
"Understood~"
-0-
"Stop men. This is perfect."
At those simple words said by 'Spotful', Xiangling's captors stop dragging her along, giving her the opportunity to dimly blink at the environment around them. ...And what do you know, it's exactly the same as everywhere else in the middle of Liyue. Short trees nearby, fields of green grass, walls of stone loosely surrounding the somewhat open area they're in- so basically, nothing distinct. The only thing of any note is the elevated "plateau" in front of them, one that Xiangling could picture a child standing at the edge and shouting "I'm king of the world!" to friends below them.
If she really strained herself, she maybe could pinpoint where they are, knowledge of her home still present despite everything…but that would require motivation that has vanished half a kidnapping ago.
"Hm? But this isn't terribly far north…" One of her "guards" mutters, from her right side. Was that Blue? Or was it Red? She doesn't remember and she doesn't care to look.
"You'll see. Now, hand me the girl."
Again for the brief nanosecond the transfer is being made, Xiangling has unrestricted movement, perfect for at least attempting an escape. But that thought barely reaches her worn-down mind before her wrists are fiercely clamped by the defacto new leader here. Xiangling already feels jostled in the man's grip- he's treating her rough, much worse than the two before…so what is he planning?
'Spotful' drags her around the aforementioned plateau and the two start going up. As said before, the elevation isn't anything noteworthy, ten feet into the air at most, but still… Getting to see Red and Blue from this angle, kind of like how she imagines Rex Lapis speaking to his subjects would be… it's quite strange. Which is a feeling that only intensifies as she's steered in front of the Treasure Hoarder instead, now one misstep away from falling off the makeshift cliff.
"What are you doing?" One scrawny voice comes from below. "You look like you're about to push her off…"
A sneer in her ear. Yuck, his breath stinks. "You're smarter than you look. Read my mind."
"W-what?! But the Boss said-"
"The Boss forgot one important thing! We're just gonna walk this girl-" Xiangling gets pushed right to the white rocky edge, forced to stand on her toes. "Somewhere and expect her not to cause trouble after leaving? She'll follow us home for sure- and we don't need a loose end, do we?"
"B-But this is direct disobedience!"
"Only if you tell him. But we would never betray our fellow members. Isn't that right?."
Silence from all three.. Red and Blue are too cowardly to argue with the implied threat- shown by the pair gulping- and as for Xiangling… She only vaguely recognizes the new danger. A little too late unfortunately.
A second into her thought of Wait, isn't this bad-?, the Treasure Hoarder pushes her off the rocks.
Right to the hard ground below.
And she really doesn't care.
After all, this was all her fault.
She's not as smart as Xingqiu. Not as strong as Chongyun. Not as heroic as Aether. She's just a cook…an average young adult, with absolutely nothing special about her.
And so, with those thoughts dominating her mind, Xiangling doesn't even try to stick her hands out or anything else to break the incoming fall. She just lets the air rush up…and waits for the inevitable crash down.
An ugly, dull, splat is the only evidence of what just happened.
It lasts for a moment, rings in the mind of three criminals, before dying completely.
…..
…..
"Holy sh-! Wasn't that a little much?!"
"Did you j-just…. k-k-kill-?!"
"Calm yourself, wimps. Look- she's still breathing."
"…..F-Fine…"
"Wh…..what now?"
"We return to the Boss. Tell him we won't have to worry. Pack up, move out, sell the goods, get rich."
"B-but….the girl…..?"
"If she perishes from that, this plan stood no chance in the first place. Now come, both of you. We're going back."
Footsteps, and the crunches of grass underneath them slowly fade away, taking the last bit of the world with it.
And in its' place, there is only the sound of the victim's name.
"Xiangling….."
"Xiannngling?"
"Xiangling!"
Her consciousness flicks out like a light.
-0-
"Xiangling! Where's the soup to table eight?!" Over the multitude of familiar people discussing who-knows-what, the head chef's voice is heard.
"C-Coming Dad! C'mon Guoba…got it, thanks!" Using her honed instincts and trained footwork, the chef in question emerges from the back doors. She sees the obstacles laid of before her and smirks. Her destination is on the far side of the restaurant, so after taking a deep breath, she's off like a rocket, nimbly avoiding legs- both table and man- while holding a bowl of steaming hot soup that strongly smells of fish- the catch of the day as it were. Now, everyone present would believe who was responsible for the actual gathering of the ingredients- a sentient small bear who used to be a fellow god. But it is of little concern tonight, especially as Xiangling was the one who actually cooked the dinner.
"Table Eight…tabbbble eiiiight~ ….there it is…"
"…..Ah!"
Now within sight of her destination, Xiangling looks ahead, smirk fading into a gentle smile. She's proud of her "moves" when it comes to transporting food, not a drop was spilled! But even more that…she knows what's ahead of her. Or, in this case, 'who'.
Golden hair, golden eyes that make her weak in the knees…. Sitting completely alone, next to the wall, under an almost-literal spotlight that she swear wasn't there before…
Aether. Her Aether.
Just from the sight of him makes Xiangling feel like she can fly- and fly she does. Metaphorically, of course. But each table she passes along the way over only fills her with more confidence and warmth- thanks to all her friends being there.
She can feel them all- their soft gazes, their pleased expressions, their somehow equally quiet and loud encouragement. The table with the blue-haired bookworm and his exorcist best friend, another with an eccentric funeral parlor director and a pink-haired adeptus lawyer, and yet another with Liyue's own rock-and-roll legend and fantastic star of the opera. And this still isn't everyone! Ranging from Liyue legends to ordinary folk, they all inspire her to move forward!
And although she doesn't look back, the faces of her dad and Gouba flash in her mind, each with crisp smiles.
She is ready. Xiangling Mao is ready.
"Hey Aether~! Here's your food!"
As for the man in question, he's absentmindedly twiddling his hair, which makes Xiangling pretty jealous. But all is forgiven as he notices what's going on and flashes another one of his award-winning smiles, making her blush madly.
"Oh, hey Xiangling! Thanks so much!" The soup is delicately plopped down in front, making the scent waft over. "Mmm, smells good~"
"R-really?! Oh wait-" Xiangling panics before producing some glasses out of nowhere. "Drinks! Water, juice, milk! Since you know, it is a bit spicy, eheheh…."
"Right. But it's no problem, anything you make has to be great!"
'H-he said that with total confidence…' she thinks in awe. "Hey, can I sit down for a second?"
"Sure~" Aether responds, feeling that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the chef taking a break to watch her customer eat, too focused on the soup in front of him to care. As for Xiangling, she tries to tell her not to watch too closely for fears of seeming creepy - but a second later, she's glued to the ordinary spoon on the table. The way Aether strongly grabs it with such vigor, its' gradual decent below the soup's surface, coming up with a small pool of tasty goodness contained…and the painstakingly slow ascension to Aether's mouth.
Is this love? Pride? Anticipation? More jealousy? A combo of the above? Xiangling doesn't know the reason for the bubble in her chest, and she literally can't think about it- every second feels like an eternity as she stares daggers.
The utensil approaches the blonde's lips….they gently part ways, allowing for sweet unfiltered access to his mouth…. Taking initiative, Aether doesn't wait anymore, covering the spoon and slurping its' contents in one fluid motion. His throat pops out just a tad, showing that the transfer of food from bowl to gut was an easy one.
Xiangling almost forgets to breathe...
"Wow…..this is wonderful!" Aether reports a second later, with an almost-literal twinkle in his eyes. "Absolutely amazing!"
"…..R-R-really?" The chef herself is in disbelief. "It's not too spicy?"
"Are you kidding? That just adds to the flavor." He informs her in a matter-of-fact way, unknowingly pushing hitting all of her interest points before going back in for another helping. He really can eat his fill, no wonder he's with P…..P-pa….someone else! Xiangling shakes her head and dismisses that, focusing only on the cute guy wolfing down her hard work.
This is perfect…
"Seriously, what do you use to make this? It's just too good!"
"Ah, sorry Aether, trade secret."
"Oh, come on~"
"I c-can't…"
For some reason, the blonde traveler seems to find this topic interesting enough to stop eating, quickly putting the soup down aside to face Xiangling directly.
"How about this then? I'll guess what's in it. And if I'm right, then you have to confirm it, ok?"
"Um…"
"Trust me, it'll be fun~" He makes a gesture like he wants her to approach him and leans forward.
Xiangling….can't resist. The mere idea of Aether whispering something to her sends pleasurable shivers down her spine- ones that only magnify when it turns out that's EXACTLY what he's doing.
'Wait what happened to the table-'
"Xiangling." Aether lips move tantalizingly close to her ear…
"Why are you giving up?"
….
"…What?" She pulls back, confusion clear. "Um, what did you say Aether?"
"You heard me." He's still wearing his alluring smil- concerning frown. "You shouldn't be giving up Xiangling. Your friends aren't giving up on you- it's not right."
"H-Huh? Wait, b-but I'm serving you food….at…Wan….mi-?" She trails off, because she looks around and sees- nothing.
No friends, no comfy atmosphere, only her and…
"Wha- …Aether?"
No one. Just her. There's no amazing blonde present, and there's nothing to indicate he was ever there in the first place.
And for the second time tonight, a bolt of lightning hits her consciousness. That makes her remember- losing her Vision, getting kidnapped across Liyue, and falling…
This is all fake. Every last bit of it.
"…A…AGHH…!"
She slowly pulls her knees to her chest, reddened face and all, gradually feeling the "seat" she was on melt into the darkness below. The last bit of the restaurant, gone.
"'You shouldn't be giving up' He says, huh?!" Her voice is hoarse, squeaking out her sarcasm. "Y-yeah, easy to say that when you can do anything and everything, Aether…! But…I can't!" She sighs, knowing she was criticizing a made-up quote her brain had concocted. But also, because to say what she wants, here and now, would be the ultimate betrayal of her friends.
But who cares anymore, right?! They were wrong anyway- wrong about her, about her potential!
"I mean- I'm just a….just a boring chef-"
"Piiiii!"
"Eh…?!"
That pitched voice is so high, it stops anymore of her self-loathing. And then it's followed up with an equally strange sensation. One that tugs at her mind, filling it with nostalgia. Wait- it originating on her head? A familiar comfort to be sure, like how her dad would embrace her as a child. She pulls away from tear-ridden knees and sees-
"Gouba!"
The orange bear, Wanmin's unofficial mascot and hidden god, appears right before Xiangling, as cute and cuddly as ever.
"What are you doing here, buddy!? No, that doesn't matter, I'm just so glad-" But when Xiangling attempts to reach out for him, she grabs the void instead. Her face promptly crumbles. "R-Right, I guess this isn't real after all…"
"Piii~?" Gouba's head tilts in a questioning manner.
"N-nothing. Um, hey Gouba, what should I do? I….I have no idea."
Silence from the secret god. A secret so well maintained, even he forgot his own identity.
"…Yeah, figures. I-I mean, you aren't Xingqiu or Aether, so I must be really stuck, h-heheh….no offense." But unlike her, the fire-spewing Stove God does raise an objection…in the form of a literal raised hand that goes back to stroking her hair.
"Huh…? G-Gouba…what are you-"
"Pii." Xiangling registers that grunt as a 'please be quiet', and does so. For an unknown amount of time after, she just sits and is comforted like this…it feels welcome after everything, no matter how fake it may be. Gouba looks so happy too…so proud of her.
"Is this my way of encouraging myself…?" She wonders aloud.
"Pi~!"
-0-
A rumbling stomach is the first thing to signal she's back in Liyue. The taste of grass on her lips and tongue in the second. And the third, the obvious vomiting that occurs right after inhaling said grass.
"Pfffaah! Ptwooo! Blaergh!"
Satisfied after that her mouth isn't a mini-meadow, Xiangling attempts to stand up…only for her body to crumple back down. Everything hurts, everything's in pain. Her head feels like it's about to spilt open, her vision is blurry, there's ringing in her ears, and she can taste blood and bile in her mouth.
Yet despite that, or maybe because of that…there's an urge to move. Do something. Get rescued. She holds on to the view of Gouba smiling at her like it's her very life.
"C-can't, think on an empty stomach." She mutters to herself, crawling over to a nearby tree. Fighting the urge to drool is tough, but she needs to imagine something happy while putting the fire together.
What about, ooh starting in the middle of town, then everyone comes and adds their own ingredients! Yeah…!
Weakly grabbing the small branches, every individual tug and snap of wood makes her flinch. Doing anything physical without her Vision after so many years makes this harder than usual, but she tries her absolute hardest to think happy thoughts.
Cooking is fun, cooking brings smiles and joy to my friends and family, smiles that make me happy too! Think of that~
…Then again, last time I cooked, I got captured by those Hoarders. And it was the smoke of the dish that told them about-
…..
"WAIT A MINUTE! T-That's it!- Gh-!.O-oooow, my head…." She exclaims excitedly, then recoils in pain at the sound of her voice. Desperately thrashing in her head, she holds onto this sudden idea for all she's worth.
Did I just..?!
C'mon Xiangling, c'mon!
Being a chef got you into this, and it will get you out!
-0-
"The problem is that while we could get more ground covered with the three of us, we have no way to easily alert each other."
"I hear you Aether. As we all know, Liyue can be extremely labyrinth-like. And if it turns out she is underground to provide shelter, there is very little we could do from this position. Which, incidentally, is the theory that only becomes increasingly likelier the longer we go with no hints."
"Ugh…"
Aether's trying to keep a cool head as he and Xingqiu resume looking for signs of life from Mount Tianheng's peak. With every minute that goes by with no notable happenings, the invisible pressure builds up inside him. Did anything happen to her? She should be able to keep out of danger, but… ugh, please be safe Xiangling. He's just about to begin whispering threats to Zhongli when-
"H-Hey guys? Do you feel that?" Chongyun calls, assigned to the north-most facing side.
"You see something?!" Xingqiu asks, hope evident.
But the optimism is dashed in short order, as the exorcist shakes his head. "No, there's nothing… B-but I feel…odd."
"Oh, really?" Aether ponders. "I feel normal."
"Same here- are you alright my friend?" Xingqiu's brow furrows. "Maybe you should take a breather, without any popsicles left-"
"That's not it Qiu, it's just…"
He takes a deep breath before facing Aether. "You might've known this already, but whenever Xiangling would come up with a new 'recipe', I'm the one who would try most of it, especially since a certain someone would toss me his portion when she wasn't looking."
"A-ahah….." The very same someone laughs awkwardly. "Let us move pass that, shall we?"
"The point is." Chongyun continues after a rare smug face vanishes. "My pure yang energy already heightens my senses- and I know how Xiangling's presence would "feel" I guess."
"And that's how you feel now?!"
"Well, I feel warmth over there-ish." He gestures north, towards the Dunyu Ruins. "But it's not her warmth. It's something…fiercer? Similar, but dangerous? I don't- ugh, you know what? It's probably nothing, never mind, I'm sorry-"
"Chongyun, it's alright." Aether puts a hand on the shoulder of the Cryo boy. "We should check that out then."
"A-Are you sure Aether? But what about what we're doing? Finding Xiangling is-"
"More important? Look, I trust your judgment, and Xingqiu does too right?"
"Absolutely Chongyun." Aether smiles a bit at catching the composed boy off-guard. "If you say there is something strange, then it's our duty as Liyue citizens to solve it."
The exorcist nods, appreciative of the faith his companions have- and seconds later, there is nobody touching the mountain.
-0-
A wild boar runs for its' life, blinded by emotions, never stopping. A group of birds immediately senses something is extremely wrong before taking off for the south. Squirrels and other rodents are forced to abandon their homes, their food, their lives.
The Liyue ecosystem has gone to absolute shit in a matter of minutes.
And Xiangling is absolutely sick to her stomach. She clearly sees all of the panic, confusion, and terror, feeling it creep down her spine, rattle her will- however she doesn't stop ruining things.
No matter how ugly this is, no matter how much of a monster she feels like- she won't stop. Not until her friends find her- the unfounded belief, the new unshakeable confidence, is the fuel. Still with tree branches in hands, she walks a few feet away from the latest chaos and repeats a process all over again. A process so uniquely her…
The tip of the flammable stick is held over a single blade of grass.
The blade of glass turns into one burning blade of grass. And the spark transfers easily without interference.
One blade becomes two blades.
Two blades become four bundles.
Four bundles become eight patches.
Unrestricted by Vision properties and enabled by clear weather, it isn't long before the tiny dot of orange reflected in Xiangling's eye grows into a mini-blaze. One that is ever-so-quickly losing the qualification of "mini" from its' description.
Yes, Liyue is catching on fire right before the young adult- With Xiangling fulfilling the role of arsonist excellently. It has never been so easy to ruin everything.
…Rex Lapis will truly never forgive her.