❛ by wind / and snow.

PENTHEUS.

you are pentheus from the bacchae by euripides, and you hold yourself so tightly wound together and so perfectly in place that even the slightest push will make you shatter. you are determined, you are headstrong, and you are addicted to pushing yourself to your farthest limits just to see when you'll snap. you find comfort in tradition, order, and authority, because that's where you are allowed to be blind to the darkness inside you. once in a while, give into the temptation and the chaos you keep denying yourself. it's the only way to not be afraid anymore.

    “ —  only fools rely on luck. ”  they rebuke, twirling their spear before allowing it to disappear to the air whence it came. xiao is no fool,  &  they are also no traveller. such menial tasks as defeating monsters should not be left to him.  (  this person should be capable of fending for themselves  /  are archons not all powerful ?  )  word travels fast among adepti;  the loss of gnosis is not unknown to him.

    THEY STARTLE,  albeit almost indiscernibly. xiao had attempted to travel the quieter parts of liyue specifically so as to not be approached by others. they suppose that to expect such a thing was overly-optimistic to the point of being foolish.  ‘ this girl ...  isn’t she the chef at wanmin restaurant ? ’  keeping these thoughts to himself, the adeptus turns his attention to the heart-shaped goods she carries. 

    the corner of their lips curl slightly, expressing something between embarrassment and discomfort. they aren’t sure what’s worse:  the fact that they,  an adeptus,  are expected to accept cookie hearts, or the insinuation that he is liked. for a moment, xiao simply watches her with arms folded across his chest. there is no reason why  /  nor obligation to accept this gift from a mortal, never mind one he does not know.

    “ i’m aware of valentine’s day,  &  how it came to be. ”  their words are blunt, but hold no particular malice. the look on her face has something twisting in his chest;  something which coaxes,  ‘ you enjoy sweet food, ’  and  ‘ she will not harm you. ’  tentative, the adeptus reaches out. they take the cookies  /  ignore the glimmer of warmth in their chest. don’t try to make sense of it, lest they dwell on it.

    THEY KEEP SILENT,  allowing ganyu to approach... albeit cautiously. although he doesn’t partake in it, xiao is aware that many mortals celebrate an event referred to as  ‘ valentines’ day ’  on this day each year.  (  it’s difficult for them to see the appeal from a personal standpoint, but they understand the concept.  )  for all his years on this planet, he would be lying if he were to say her gift didn’t surprise him.

    “ ... ”  he hesitates, given barely any time to take hold of the boxed gift before having a swift kiss pressed to his cheek. xiao fumbles with the box for a moment,  not quite sure  how to react. they take a step back,  &  fix their uncharacteristically rattled gaze on the gift. away from ganyu. he doesn’t need to open the box to discern its contents.  ‘  almond tofu ...  why did she go through the trouble ? ’  he pauses.

🤞  what’s the most impulsive thing you can picture your muse doing  ?

xiao is really quite a reserved adepti, so the only things i can think that they would do that could be considered  ‘ impulsive ’  are things that would already be expected of them, e.g. not hesitating to jump into the heat of battle  /  engage an enemy that would perhaps frighten or at least cause another person  (  or adepti ?  )  to falter. something else that came to mind which, in retrospect, might seem a bit comedic, is xiao jumping from cliffs or mountains knowing full-well that his spear will take the brunt of the impact  &  he won’t get hurt. although this isn’t something they do often, it is something they have done and will probably do again, if the situation calls for it.

🤜  is your muse overprotective ?  in-between ?  or not protective/concerned enough ?

GOOD TRAITS.