#lyreplayed

   “n-no, i’ll...get blood on you,” aether warned, one hand pressed to a weeping wound on his side. he tried to keep moving on his own (stubborn thing that he was) - only to stumble a few steps and sink to his knees. “i’m... i’m fine...” insistent against the evidence suggesting otherwise; aether was far from fine. 

   he had been hurt before, but this- this was bad. aether couldn’t recall a time worse - oh, yes he could, but hell if he’d talk about that anyway, and it was a memory, compared to the pain in the moment, the red staining pale, exposed skin, the fabric of his pants and gloves. even his scarf suffered splotches of red. 

   “i’m... fine,” repeated once more, his free hand bracing against the ground to keep himself up right as he felt the edges of his vision go fuzzy. 

“Nice of you to finally wake up.” Ekaggata greeted, as if he wasn’t the one to kick the chair out from underneath the bard, leaving him to fall to the ground for a very rude awakening. At the very least he offered a hand to help him up, though once the deed is done he pulls it back as if he’d been burned - but it was mostly just to hide how he was cold to the touch even through the fabric of his gloves.

aether didn’t pout, exactly... kinda. he huffed through his nose and practically threw himself down next to venti, crashing into him without grace. “you’re going to keep me company,” instead of answering the question, the Traveler sat there, shoulder-to-shoulder with venti. 

    naturally, who could expect him to pass it up? gloved hands cup venti’s cheeks as though he’s going to squish them; aether’s got a shy smile on his face- he leans in, and presses his lips to venti’s without question. 

  it’s a small thing, a gentle meeting of lips, a lingering feeling of thrill that runs down the spine. but as quickly as it started, it’s over; aether withdraws, releasing his friend. 

kently !: nope jokes on you

@lyreplayed​ said: “listen, i know you don’t want to, but.. maybe you should rest for a while. you’re not going to get anywhere like this.” @ Xiao

“I cannot rest. I do not have that luxury.”

Though the protection of Liyue had largely landed in the lap of the Qixing after recent events, that was no excuse to shirk his duties. He was not one of the adepti whom watched over Liyue from far away, but rather one of the few who stayed closer to mortals than the others. It was ironic, all things considered, but he tried to be more careful in recent centuries. He was closer, but still isolated from the locus of the land’s prosperity. Guili Plains was a safer base for him—for the mortals’ sake, anyway.

His official contract with Rex Lapis may have ended, but the end of a contract could never sever his personal bond with Liyue, nor the ongoing obligation he felt to do his duty. Arms crossed, he shook his head, mentally trying to quell the sheer volume of the cries ringing in his ears. Golden eyes fluttered closed, just for a moment, and he forced them open again.