Xiao hunts Childe for sport

15

"Oh! Look! A slime!" Paimon points out. Indeed, there is a small water slime near a pond. It doesn't look threatening, it's mostly just chilling.

Xiao can practically feel Teucer vibrating next to him. Oh boy. This isn't going to end well, huh?

"Okay, let us handle this-" Aether starts but Teucer already started running, leaving a little dust cloud behind. Xiao facepalms.

Aether is already running but Xiao decides it's amusing to see a child whack the poor little slime with a stick.

It looks incredibly funny. The poor slime isn't even defending itself, only staring at Teucer with wide eyes- Oh.

Oh, hello there, big papa slime.

Xiao has never seen a bigger slime before - and it looks pissed.

Well, time to save the child while Aether beats the shit out of the slime- oh it split in half. Xiao didn't know Teyvat slimes can do that.

With a huff, Xiao jumps in front of Teucer and stabs the slime that split off, and ads some wind for good measure. The slime explodes, sending particles everywhere. Yuck. He then turns around, gathers a wide-eyed but unharmed Teucer in his arms, and jumps onto a nearby tree.

"Stay right here." Xiao makes Teucer sit on the sturdiest branch he can find. "I'll get you when there are no more monsters."

"O-okay!" Teucer nods, still shook as he clutches his stick.  Hopefully, the kid doesn't have trauma or something. Childe is going to KILL Xiao when they get back.

Clearing up the remaining slimes that popped up is an easy task. It takes them less than a minute. Fighting with Aether by his side is a nice experience - it's unlike fighting with Zhongli as his partner, but Xiao can't explain how.

After the fight, Xiao jumps up the tree again. Teucer hasn't moved at all. That's probably bad. Xiao decides to get the kid off the tree first.

On the ground, Teucer is staring at him with wide, bright eyes. Hm. Then he yells, "That was so COOL!"

Oh. Oh no.

"You hit it and it went SWOOSH! SPLAT!" Teucer is gesturing widely with his arms, almost falling over. "You're so strong! I was super wrong!" There are stars in Teucer's eyes as he jumps around. "Can you show me how to do that!? I wanna cool and strong too!"

Aether shakes their head and chuckles. "Didn't your brother promise you to show some fighting?" They don't seem harmed either.

Would be pathetic to lose against slimes.

Teucer nods but deflates. "Yeah, but our parents never let us... Something about how it's dangerous and I'm too young."

"Well, they would be right." Xiao doesn't want to be responsible for Teucer poking his eye out with a stick. He crouches down and ruffles Teucer's hair - he saw Childe do it before. "You're too young to begin training just yet," wrong, Xiao had started training when he was much younger, "and I wouldn't it be... more interesting if you learned some secret techniques from your brother?"

Teucer deflates for a moment, but then nods, excited again. "You're right! My brother is stronger than you too! I'll get better with his teaching!" Ouch. "But! Please! Show me that cool attack again! When you made the slime go SPLAT"

Ho boy. "...Fine, but get back."

And that's how Xiao got roped into showing off cool moves and hunting monsters for a little child until dinner. At least Aether helps out, drawing some spotlight as well.

Childe is holding the book on Liyue's traditions tightly in his hand, in his room once again. He made his decision. Zhongli seems serious about his feelings - he just wants Ajax, the real Ajax. Not the one that went missing years ago.