I'll Be Here

Alone, but Not Lonely, Part 2

Xiao was sitting on Rex Lapis's stone seat at the table when the Traveler finally approached him, skipping from rock to rock to get to the island of the lake with the box still swinging in her hand. She looked mad, and he raised one eyebrow quizzically. "Hello, Traveler."

"The bastard," she muttered under her breath. "If I knew he was just going to come here to see you anyway, I would have told him to just bring this stuff by himself! He didn't need me to carry the damn box." She plopped the white paper package on the table and pointed at Xiao. "I saw him, too, so don't try to tell me Zhongli wasn't here."

"He was here," Xiao answered. "Is this all from him?"

The Traveler nodded, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "It's hot, and he made me come all the way up here with that." She wrinkled her nose as she started to open the box, still muttering under her breath. "Whatever, Zhongli, Rex Lapis, Morax, all-powerful god or whatever out here making me do his work..."

"Hey." Xiao frowned. "What do you know about Morax?"

The Traveler's hands stilled, and she frowned back. "What do you know about Morax?"

There was a short, tense moment where they just stared at each other across the table, both clearly thinking the same thing: Do you know? Do you know?

"Morax is my Savior," Xiao said slowly, watching for any reaction on her face. "Don't speak against him."

The Traveler cocked her head to the side, and her lips slowly turned up in a smile. "You said 'is,'" she said. "You know. You know he's Zhongli."

Xiao folded his arms, suddenly defensive. "You knew? When did he tell you?"

"Yikes." The Traveler thought for a moment. "I found out right after the battle with Osial, right after you left last night. I wasn't technically supposed to be there, but I watched him give his gnosis to the Fatui Harbingers."

"Ahhh, that." Xiao blew out a sigh, oddly relieved that she hadn't been told directly, as if her knowledge of the matter was more important than his own.

"Yeah, I don't really know what he was doing with that either, but I guess in the end, it was his choice." She looked down, breaking their prolonged eye contact, and finished opening the box. "He told me to bring you this medicine, and..." She blinked a couple of times, and her eyelashes tapped her cheekbones. "... and what looks like twelve servings of almond tofu."

"Ha." Xiao took up the metal bottle, unscrewing the cap and pouring himself a cup, sighing in relief as the bittersweet smell of zhenxinsan filled his nose. He took a sip, taking a moment to relish in the feeling of the hot liquid soothing any remaining anxiety from his mind. "Thank you for bringing it, Traveler."

The Traveler smiled, placing a covered gold and blue china dish of shining almond tofu on the table. "I'm glad that Zhongli told you in person instead of in a dream like everyone else. You deserved it. I hope you feel better soon from your illness!" She turned to go.

Wait.

Xiao's heart jumped in alarm, and he stood a little too quickly, bumping his hip against the side of the table. "Wait. Traveler." The words came out way more aggressive and rude than he intended, and he cursed under his breath.

"Huh?" She turned back, eyes wide.

He swallowed the awkward lump in his throat. "I'm not sick, Traveler. Or, I'm not contagious. The medicine is... for something else. You can stay. If you want to."

Wow. He cursed himself inwardly for not being used to talking to people, not being used to this kind of interaction, certain that she was going to leave for the sole purpose of avoiding his awkwardness...