𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 / xiao x f!reader

[𝟑]. dutiful

"So, where will you stay?" Xiao said blankly, sitting atop one of the many cliffs of Jueyun Karst.

"Eh...?" You sweatdropped. Ah, yes, the mortal drawback of having to pay to live. You never had to worry about this before, considering Adepti did not need sleep and usually you'd sleep under the tree at Windrise with Venti watching over.

Venti. The windborne bard was currently finding pleasure in Inazuma as he experienced the world of haikus. Before you had left, the archon-in-disguise sent you off with a bright smile, eyes flickering with an unreadable expression.

Strange.

"I don't know. Maybe Cloud Retainer will let me crash," you spoke half-heartedly, eliciting a deadpan from Xiao as he questioned the minimal intelligence you seemed to have.

You paused for a moment, taking actual time to reevaluate what you were doing. Ah, right!

You should meet up with your archon!

"I see you've thought of something," Xiao interrupted you mid-teleport, his arms crossed and eyebrows knitted.

"Yes, my brain is just that large."

"Your jokes are becoming more and more frequent, I suppose this is the aftereffect of spending time with mortals."

You elbowed Xiao roughly in between his ribs before teleporting away for your life.

☆

You knocked three times on the oak doors of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Ah, what a beautiful day. With the scent of cremated corpses and ashes of some random kid's great grandfather, the chirps of the birds and the rustle of the trees— nature truly was beautiful.

"Hmm, who— oh, [Name]~!" The same, infamous, Director Hu Tao opened the door. If she was shocked about your sudden appearance, she only showed it for a split moment before opening the door wide enough for you to enter.

"Come in! Aiyaaa, it really sucks that you're still alive!"

"Thanks?"

You stepped in regardless of the numerous red flags that came with the 'it sucks that you're still alive!'

Sigh... kids these days! Always so ungrateful for the little they have! And then they resort to pixelated people to cope with the fact that they have no 3d ones to rely on when things get tough and then creators of games become rich, fast, because of something called a gacha—

"I'll call Mr. Zhongli for you!" Director Hu winked, rushing to a random room in the office before, very blatantly, yelling:

"HEY!!!! MISS [NAME] IS HERE!!!"

"Lying is bad, Director Hu—"

"I'M NOT LYING!!!"

You winced once something sounded like it was falling. Then, the door opened, very, very slowly.

"Ah, [Name]. Welcome." Zhongli closed the door to his office coolly, eyes closed as if he were trying to erase a memory.

"Um, hello. I'm just... visiting..." You sweatdropped, realizing how much you should've prepared your words before meeting the former archon.

"Is that so?" A ghost of a smile dusts the consultant's face. "Where are Aether and Venti?"

You flinch.

He knows.

Zhongli was playing with his food right now— and you did not appreciate that.