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- To change mains, the new must dance beside the old. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━◢
- This is NOT a ship.
To switch mains, there is a rite of passage that absolutely must be completed for your adventure companion to step down. In simpler terms, Xiao likes to dance with newcomers.
In a field of wavering flowers, their blossoms a colorful, pink hue, you stood beside an adeptus. His eyes of petrifying amber shifted onto you as the golden sunset rained upon him. As of then, his tattoos shone dimly beneath the gold lights of sunset. You nodded briefly as you met his gaze. You then backed away, hurrying to summon a lyre that Venti had gifted you. The smooth, wooden instrument fit perfectly in the palms of your hands as the crisp, comfortable wind rolled through your clothes. As soon as you strummed the first chord required for the song you had in mind, several other instruments began crying out in response. These invisible instruments resumed following in your footsteps as you strummed your lyre.
With that, Xiao faced forwards and advanced. The meadows of Fontaine danced around his feet, his eyes meeting with a famed magician's. "Ready?" Said Xiao as he held his hand out to Lyney. Lyney accepted Xiao's hand in an elegant manner, "Ready when you are, Adeptus Xiao." He replied, though you could hear his nerves rocketing haywire beneath his calm-exterior. Xiao cast his barbed gaze over his shoulder, "Thank you, Traveler." He briefly said.
From there, Xiao tugged Lyney forth, his fingers interlocking with the magician's. The sound of a melodic flute harmonized with your lyre as you observed the two. Xiao's hand slowly lifted as he brought Lyney into the proper position for such a dance. With a hesitant sigh, Lyney stepped forth. He then eyed Xiao, praying he'd find some sort of approval behind the yaksha's barbed stare. A gust of wind accompanied Xiao's movements as he began to step backward, then forwards. He then rotated he and Lyney in a neat circle, swaying all the while. The bows along Lyney's attire swished to and fro as he attempted to mirror Xiao's every move. Although he had done incredibly, his every action was quite stiff. Xiao then began to nod his head to the rhythm, shutting his eyes as he swayed with Lyney. Lyney's hands found Xiao's shoulders as he awkwardly resumed the gentle, classical dance with the adeptus.
For you and Xiao, this was average procedure. Prior to accepting anyone in your adventure team, this was done. They would have to dance with Xiao. No matter how hard they may beg to be spared the classical dance maneuvers, you'd never cease the tradition. While your new companions might feel unnerved or weirded out by Xiao's eagerness to accompany them, you know that it means the world to him. To Xiao, this dance ensures trustworthiness and safety. He is requesting of your new partners to care for you in a way he no longer can once he has returned to Liyue. With the blades of gorgeous, blue-green toned grass swaying under and around his feet, Xiao briefly spun Lyney in an elegant twirl. The magician burst out into giggles, happily resuming his dance with Xiao. Xiao craned his head towards you whilst he gingerly swayed once more, sighing with relief as he did so. Something about his typically barbed expression had softened.
As your lyre vanished, the music of various instruments resumed crying out. You folded your arms over your chest, watching the two with a satisfied smile. It is not that Xiao would ever tell a potential companion to fuck off if he disliked how they danced. The situation better reflected Xiao's hopes and dreams for your new companions. Once a main has retired, they may be gone, but they will never forget the times where you fought with them, lost, then immediately bounced back. Xiao will never forget how many times you stormed the Fatui base, lost, and then returned minutes later. He'll never lose the feeling of immense gratitude when his birthday rolled around and you shared an almond tofu cake with him. He always remembers the times where you both fell, but quickly felt the support of Bennett's flame, only to reignite with brighter passions. Mid-battle, he will never forget the times where you quickly shielded him to prevent him from fainting. Every day reflects an experience, a memory which you share. Whether it be sitting around a campfire, cooking tofu for your best friend, or holding his gloved hand as you surpassed a year of being partners, these memories raised Xiao into what he is now. He may be rough around the edges, but he truly is a kind and understanding individual. His selflessness has brought you so far, and it must feel so fulfilling to give someone else a chance to do the same. To haul ass and receive immense praise later, or to not crit and cost that abyss run— it all means something. If life were to flash before his eyes, Xiao is certain that he'd see thousands of glittering memories with you.
As the sun disappeared along the horizon, illuminating butterflies of soft, turquoise hues dancing throughout the sky, Xiao released Lyney's hands. He heaved a massive sigh, afterwards melting into a gentle smile. A rare sight for a character like himself. In utter shock, Lyney withdrew from the yaksha. "You.. smiled." Said the astonished magician. A nod of his head was Xiao's only acknowledgment of Lyney's words. He then craned his head down, "With me." He gently commanded. As he kicked one foot out, Lyney was quick to invert and mirror it. From there, they switched sides. Xiao lifted his arm up, his elbow pointed towards Lyney's chest. The yaksha briefly nudged Lyney to summon his attention. Lyney's head perked as he wrapped his arms around Xiao's, hysterically laughing as the adeptus eagerly began prancing around in a full circle.
As a steel pan's echo-y voice sang, you thundered an immense amount of applause. "Haha! Great job!" You called out to the two. With an exhilarated laugh, Xiao hoisted Lyney high over his head without much warning. To the adeptus, the magician weighed practically nothing. Lyney cried out in surprise, afterwards placing his hands on Xiao's shoulders. Xiao then briefly spun about on his heels, afterwards placing Lyney back onto his feet. With a giant and unusual grin, Xiao nodded his head several times. Lyney offered the Anemo-yaksha his hands, to which Xiao happily accepted. As they met gazes, Xiao's eyes lit up with thousands of glistens. Beneath a sea of stars, he spoke. "Welcome to the team, Lyney." Lyney then sank to one knee in the form of a respectful, yet unnecessary, bow. "Thank you, dear Adeptus—" "Ah," Xiao hurried to hoist Lyney back onto his feet by his upper arms. He then awkwardly hissed through his teeth, dusting off the magician. "Heaven forbid, no, no bowing to me. Please." Lyney visibly flushed with humiliation as he realized he'd made a fool of himself, "Wha— I'm sorry, Adeptus Xiao."
Xiao's hands remained on Lyney's shoulders as he gazed into the boy's eyes, "Thank you." Said he as he brought the magician into a gentle, comforting embrace. Lyney hesitantly returned Xiao's hug, burying his face into the yaksha's shoulder. "I should be thanking you." He confessed. "Haha," laughed Xiao as he pat the back of Lyney's head as though this were his offspring. "Please take good care of them." "I will," Lyney replied with his chin upon Xiao's shoulder. "Your dance was lovely." Xiao snorted a bit, "Pfft, not really. You made it sound like it was anything special." He then released Lyney. A gentle grin crossed Lyney's features. "It was!" He argued playfully.
Xiao turned his body towards you, approaching you with a gentle expression. He broke into a soft smile as he tugged you into a tight hug. "I'll see you soon, all right?" You began to lightly tear up as your arms snaked over Xiao's sides, "Of course, Bud. Say hello to Zhongli for me, please." You said. Xiao briefly squeezed you before giving Lyney one last nod of approval, "Then goodbye. I hope to see you again soon, Lyney. Do not let me down." With yet another brief smile, the yaksha vanished in a cloud of green.
