𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨;; 𝐑𝐞𝐱 𝐋𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞

"Stalking?" Zhongli chuckled. "That's quite the notion."

He's not even denying it, this bastard. Innamorati peered up at him, his mask obscuring his frustrated expression. Then he glanced down at Xue, still unconscious. "Did you do this?" he questioned.

"Do... what, exactly?"

"Knock him out."

"How could I? I just got here."

A very logical response. Still, a pebble falling from the sky and hitting Xue right in his pressure point was an illogical event, so said logic meant little to begin with. Unfortunately, Innamorati didn't have enough energy to properly grill Zhongli, so he dropped the subject. "Fine. Help me get the child up."

"What?"

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" Innamorati grunted softly from the effort of lifting Xue's unconscious body onto the cart. "For us to travel with you. I don't know why, but I'm not lugging his unconscious body all the way to Liyue Harbor." And not to mention, the longer Innamorati traveled it became increasingly obvious he had no idea where he was going. Once Zhongli pulled Xue onto the cart, Innamorati glanced over to the driver. "Do you have an issue with this, sir?"

"Eh. So long as you pay me a little more."

"Mora is no issue." With the driver's blessing, Innamorati lifted himself over the sides of the cart with the grace of a gazelle before walking over to the corner farthest from Zhongli. "If you don't mind, could you quote the price when we arrive?"

"Sure, kid," the driver said casually, but Innamorati's lips quirked to the side. Him, a kid? He'd lived for at least five hundred years, excluding the ones he no longer remembered, and yet the elderly still saw him as a child. 

Speaking of the elderly... Kustensov.

He looked over to Zhongli. "That Dr. Baizhu you mentioned... does he take walk-ins or do you have to make an appointment?"

Concern flashed in his eyes, and he leaned forward enough to make Innamorati lean back in the small cart. "Are you injured? Ill?"

"I am perfectly fine." Innamorati scoffed. "But the child has fallen unconscious twice in the past two days, so I'd like to get a proper diagnosis for that. Of course, I believe just a result of malnutrition. Still, I'd prefer to get it checked. Speaking of, do you have any food?"

"Some rice buns. Are you hungry?"

"No, for the child."

Zhongli nodded. "I'll give it to him when he wakes up."

"Hm." Innamorati rested his back against the side of the cart. Both of his knees were bent, but one laid flat on the side of his leg while the other was held upright, and used to prop his arm up - and his hand, in turn, was used to rest his head. Xue was curled into a fetal position next to Zhongli, who sat with his legs stretched out. All the bundles and pots of vegetables had been pushed to the front, and while hay was scattered throughout the cart, it made for comfortable cushioning to lay on. However, with the little available space, Zhongli's feet were uncomfortably close to Innamorati's hips.