THE "RELATIVELY" YOUNGER
ADEPTI ASSEMBLY
By the banks surrounding the great river which flows throughout the nation of Liyue, laid the sight of an inn that which employed a large tree as a foundation for its design. Housed within said establishment for wandering travelers and locals seeking refreshments alike, behold a table, with three peculiar individuals seated upon its chairs.
"A toast!" Cheered the voice of a pink-haired girl with scales stuck on her skin, raising merrily the glass of juice she was holding. "To the very first ever meeting of the "Relatively" Younger Adepti Assembly!"
One of her peers, a woman sprouting horns on her head had done likewise, to commemorate the joyous celebration of the their new found association – or "club" in layman's terms. "A toast!"
The sounds of two cups colliding lightly at each other resonated, prior to their contents being gulped by their respective bearers.
As the half-qilin took a sip from her beverage, she then drew her purple irises to cast her gaze at their third compatriot.
"And thank you once again Conqueror of Demons." Ganyu spoke. "I know this isn't your thing. But we still appreciate of you joining us for this silly little thing we thought of."
"Yeah." Agreed the law consultant, Yanfei. "We really thought it was just going to be us till you came along. In fact, to be honest, we only thought of inviting you because we didn't want you to feel left out. Never have we expected that the 'Conqueror of Demons' would find interest in joining a fun little club." However, as soon she said that, her smile gradually transformed to morph into an outlook reading curiosity and bafflement. "Although…"
"Why did you accept our invitation, anyway?" Finished Ganyu, looking equally as puzzled. As she was aware on how much of a recluse her fellow follower of Rex Lapis can be. "If you don't mind us prying, that is."
Alatus engulfed a small portion of his own drink, his memories drifting him back to an incident which occurred not too long ago.
At Jueyun Karst, by the round-carved stone table near Cloud Retainer's abode, the three illuminated animals, alongside an elderly lady, the Lord of Geo, as well as himself, had all congregated in for a meal.
"Ah." Expressed a creature who took the appearance of the most majestic of quadrupedal woodling beasts. "It has been many a moon since we have last gathered in order to share a simple banquette together. One cannot help but invoke the same feelings of moments long gone. For it is almost as if One has been transported to One's more youthful of days."
"Indeed." Spoken the god who sat amongst those who called him master. "And we must thank Cloud Retainer for preparing the food and setting us up on the invitations. To be met with all of you for a mere afternoon lunch with no looming catastrophe or crisis in mind. To sit with friends for some idle conversations as well as exchanging in some gossip. *Sigh*As mundane as it may seem on the surface, these miniscule things are the memories worth cherishing of most."
"One must concur to the wise words of the respected Rex Lapis." Nodded Mountain Shaper "For truly his words ring truth. One had grown this thought as well over the millenia. At times, when One soars himself through the heavens and peers his eyes below the mortal realm, One could not help but conjure envy in his chest for the humans who live such blissful lives. Indeed, One must certainly express his gratitude as well." He turned to his fellow crane.
"Hmph. It is futile for all thee to be commending One for such trivial gestures. One would have rather to sit in isolation with merely one's own mind as company again if not for those most recent adepti seekers who has brought with them such an extensive amount of ingredients as an offering. One merely did not desire to consume all this human food alone is all."
"Oh! Calm yourself Cloud Retainer." Chastised the elderly figure. "No need to get all flustered. Everyone merely wishes to express their gratitude towards you. Now come, let us not waste this food on our plates. Although, saying that, I am afraid that I might not be able to finish them all on my own, you know? This old frail bones of mine could barely carry me whenever I walk. Who knows what could happen to this old fool if she suddenly didn't watch what she was eating. Hahaha!
Meanwhile, as they all chatted away, Xiao stayed at his corner of the table, watching them as they all spoke.
"Xiao? Xiao?"
"Conqueror of Demons?"
He was dragged out from his own mental plain. Shaking his head vigorously upon returning to the world of the present.
"Well?"
The yaksha took a bite from his favorite almond tofu, replying their question with a casual tone. "You guy's talk normally."
Author's Note:
Yeah. This was short. Just a random idea that once popped into my head and then I thought of using its concept to make this oneshot. It was basically inspired during the ending parts of the latest Lantern Rite. Where Zhongli briefly acknowledges that Xiao and Ganyu are of the younger variants in terms of adepti. So, I thought throw in Yanfei and they all surprisingly would make an unlikely yet surprisingly fitting trio. I mean, I know that Yanfei doesn't possess a contract with Rex Lapis as she was born somewhere after the Archon War (thus making the youngest of the three), but hey, who says she has too.
This, and it also somewhat doesn't help that all this three could be considered as "workaholics" in one sense or another. Every each one of them could be observed with a strong sense of duty to their respective roles. Sometimes I could even imagine their seniors looking at them and saying something along the lines of "Hmph. Young folks this days. They could never seem to stop having their hands tied." Get it, like its the opposite of how our own elders would sometimes say "Young folk this days, they never do anything!" Corny, yes. But I still find it funny.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this story. See ya.
Genshin Impact is a property of Hoyoverse. I own nothing but this story.