#panacaeus

                   the sprig of foliage above them smells odd, but not bad. a new smell. mistletoe. razor sounds out the word in his head to recall it later, only realizing then the shift in the other’s scent. the change in stance. he knew ice boy could get warm sometimes, sometimes for no reason. but why now? is it because of the plant? or what it’s supposed to mean? a confused glance is given in return, though one that shows razor is trying to understand, as he always is. 

‘   most in your field now make a mockery of exorcism.   ’   this was most definitely not the first time xiao had started a rant, and essentially reduced the entirety of the boy’s profession to a few fanatics reading off lost scrolls ( who were, more prone to inciting damage than any real banishing of demons. ) maybe he’d once respected the art, once upon a time xiao had relied upon skilled exorcists to extract the essence of corruption from the innocents in which they latched on for life, after all, xiao could only kill demons before they’d chosen a human host, beyond that it was simple murder.   ‘   many a time i’ve gone in search of authentic fangxiangshi and witnessed fool after fool pilfer mora off someone wailing because their windows make too much noise at nigh ...   ’   the adeptus trailed off, expression of disdain pausing and widening into an almost childlike look of wonder as a merchant’s cart wheeled past, syrup and mechanisms to store shaved ice passing by. he had to shake his head to regain his attention, suddenly at a loss as to what he’d been ranting about. spending too much time near liyue harbour tended to distract him from his duties.

‘   death after noon.   ’

famous though he might be for his charm and whimsy, kaeya was no idiot. he’d done his homework, as well as his fair share of sampling famous liyue beverage to determine what could stand in as the most appropriate gift. that he’d somehow stumbled upon the famous ( infamous ? ) queen of the crux fleet herself wasn’t lost on the knight. if anything it had made what was supposed to be a normal raid on an elusive treasure hoarder’s escape far more interesting than anticipated. this was fine, he was adaptive.

the bottle’s mottled gold flake’s stirred as he set it down, an explosive way to start trading intel on enemy loot locations.

‘   will you be taking that straight up or over ice   ?   ’   velveteen tonality purred, glacial hue intense as lips curled up into a suggestive smirk. it was the wrong terminology, but kaeya knew exactly what he meant.