Winter In Snezhnaya

Winter in Snezhnaya

Scaramouche x Reader

Scenario: You accompanied him to Snezhnaya, but much to Scaramouche's dismay, a certain ginger harbinger has come along as well. And the familiarity between him and you is testing Scaramouche's last nerves.

The Zapolyarny Palace towers behind you in all its imposing might, radiating glory and power. Somewhere within its walls, Scaramouche is trapped in yet another assembly with the other harbingers, while you are out here, walking along the edge of the winter forest.

Though you’ve accompanied Scara down to Snezhnaya and are a welcomed guest in the Tsaritsa’s palace during your stay, you find yourself turning restless rather quickly.

It’s obviously cold as shit up here, and darkness falls early, but as you stroll along the icy path, the moonlight reflects off the snow, making your surroundings shimmer like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Suddenly, a fox approaches you, showing no signs of fear or reserve. That’s another curious thing you’ve noticed around here, just how unusually amiable the animals are.

You rummage through the pockets of your coat, pulling out some nuts you’ve been carrying for that exact reason. You toss them into the snow in front of the fox.

The snow crunches as you kneel down to watch the animal feed on its newfound food in delight. Like it is used being fed in this city and knows exactly where to get what it wants.

“You’re going to spoil the wildlife if you keep on feeding every stray you come across!”

At the sound of his voice, you rise back from the ground, turning to see Scaramouche approaching. He stops a few feet in front of you, hands stuffed into his winter coat, the harbinger sigil prominently displayed.

“You’re already done for today?” You ask, giving him a subtle once-over.

Scaramouche crosses his arms and clicks his tongue in disapproval. “Fortunately, that was the last assembly for a while. One more day with these morons, and I promise, heads will be rolling.”

His eyes shift to the fox on the ground before they settle back on you. He raises an eyebrow. “Are you really so keen on catching a cold for the sake of some mutt?”

“It’s a fox, first of all,” you defend both yourself and the animal, unfazed by his demeanor. “And second, don’t pretend like you weren’t making eyes at that stray cat on our balcony last night.”

He scoffs, disdain evident on his face. “Yeah, of course. Seems like the cold ist really getting to your head.”

Not feeling particularly defeatist today, you decide to drop the subject (because you know exactly what you saw) and change the topic. “When will we go back home, then?”

But before Scara even opens his mouth, another jolly voice joins you. “Home already? What a shame!”

You can practically feel Scaramouche's whole demeanor dropping with irritation, rivaling the frigid temperatures. “Someone, have mercy on me,” he mutters darkly under his breath as Childe approaches you both.

Childe is wearing a suspiciously wide grin on his face as he deliberately ignores Scaramouche and puts his entire attention on you instead. “You should stay a few more days and enjoy Her Majesty’s hospitality to the fullest. I promise, you’ll love it.”

Scara’s jaw tightens at the familiarity between the both of you and if he weren’t bundled in his coat, you would be able to see a pulsing vein on his neck. “Shouldn't you be busy mopping the Tsarita’s ballroom or something, Childe?”

The 11th harbinger shoots him a grin. “Why, and miss all the fun of bidding you guys goodbye? You wound me.”

Then the ginger’s focus shifts back to you, making Scramouche’s eyebrow successfully twitch. “Truly, y/n, your absence will be felt not only by the hungry animals around here but I too will miss your lovely presence. What a joy it is to witness you making our balladeer here hot and bothered in a way I’m not quite used to seeing.”

You frown, but amusement twinkles in your eyes nevertheless, being used to his antics. “Thanks, Childe. It was very nice to see Snezhnaya for myself.”

“You’re welcome here anytime, my dear.” Childe chuckles, placing a friendly hand on your shoulder, but that’s when whatever little patience Scaramouche had left drains away for good. He steps in between you, his gaze deadly and fixed. “Touch her again, and I’ll end you.”

A bold, delighted laugh escapes Childe, clearly aware of the effect his words and actions have on his comrade. He lifts his hands in defeat. “Ahh, finally! I’d love a good fight with you, my friend.”

Scaramouche lets out a dry chuckle, but there’s no humor in his eyes. His fingers twitch, ready for some action. “It’s on then. I’ve been waiting for this day for long enough.”

Meanwhile, you have to suppress a groan. This has been going on all week, them breathing down each other’s neck the whole bloody time. How do these people even get any work done with the way they hate each other’s guts?

You step to the side, Scara’s eyes immediately following you. But you put on a mock-serious face, clasping your hands together. “What a fabulous idea, boys! We can finally settle this like the big grown adults we are, right? You do that - but if you’ll excuse me, I'm heading back to my warm, comfy bed.”

“Don’t you worry.” Childe laughs, amusement dancing in his eyes. “We’re just messing around, isn’t that right, Scaramouche?”

A cold smile spreads across your lover’s face as he regards Childe with a deadly look. “No, please, go on. Keep testing me. See how far it gets you.”

“Now, don’t sound so detesting; I might start to think you don’t like me.”

“Sucks to be you, then, doesn’t it.”

Childe responds to that with nothing more than a shit-eating grin. He turns to you, his face smug, and you can basically feel the headache forming.

“Write to me, alright? And keep me updated on what Mr. Sunshine over here is up to. I barely get to see him these days.” He begins to step back towards the city entrance, but not without shooting you one last wink. “Too occupied with his honeymoon phase, huh?”

“I’m gonna murder you.”

You gently grab Scara’s hand, in an attempt to ground him - or to stop him from causing the Tsaritsa to lose yet another Harbinger.

And he does stay by your side. His fingers soothingly tracing along your wrist before slipping between your own. He turns to you, his anger still radiating from him, but upon seeing your amused look, he scoffs and looks away.

“You’re in way over your head.”

“Am I?” You muse. “Or is someone a bit possessive because of Childe as of now?”

He locks eyes with you, daring you to continue.

“What? Now i can’t tease you after having to suffer through your constant bickering with each other our entire time here?”

“We weren’t-” he starts, but clearly thinks better of it and sighs, a hand running through his hair in annoyance.

“You were saying something about a bed?”

“Mhm. Want to share?”

“You better.”

Thank you so much for reading! Comments and reblogs are so appreciated

XIANGLI YAO ── ✧ Story Cinematic: Eve of Celebration

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD

The wanderer dreams of Irminsul and he dreams of you.

Both of which are but murmurs, relentlessly summing like bitter melodies in the back of his mind.

In daylight he hears the echoes. And comes nightfall all starts over again.

He dreams of falling way down below.

He dreams of you. The wanderer dreams of Irminsul and he dreams of you.

Carry The Moon / Part 2

Xiangli Yao x Reader

Part 1 ~~~ Part 2 ~~~ Part 3

Synopsis: From first meetings to searching your voice in every room, how very intriguing you’ve become to him.

As a spirited adventurer, you’re used to a life of action and impulse, having little interest left for the world of data and deduction. But when you stumble upon a rare mineral, you find yourself drawn to the unexpected warm soul that resides within the logic-stricken researcher Xiangli Yao. And as your practical instincts clash with his world of science, sparks fly in more ways than one.

You have been in luck.

More so with the blooming of this strange mineral, despite how short its life span may be.

Yet, your luck has been less generous with the amount of people swarming the halls of the Academy.

It is crowded as hell, with people literally everywhere. Students, scholars, researchers, scientists and who knows who else, all buzzing like bees in a hive. Really makes you miss the TDs you’ve just encountered on your way back.

Good thing of this, people don’t even bother to look at you, too engrossed in their own work or conversations.

Aside from that, finding Xiangli Yao’s work office was still surprisingly easy, conveniently near the archives. And against your presumptions of a typical researcher, you find his workshop to be less… chaotic than you previously imagined.

Perhaps not deserving the label “tidy” quite yet, but enough to discern his care for structure. You guess that’s probably down to his title as the principal investigator.

You step into the room, greeted by the soft hum of various devices and flickering holograms. The man himself is hunched over a stack of books; several loose sheets of paper are scattered across the desk and some even on the floor.

You notice how Yao is standing, rather than sitting on the chair right next to him. Not wanting to startle him, you tap a quick knock on the open door.

At the sound, Yao looks up and you’re caught off guard by how genuine the smile is he greets you with. “Y/N, good afternoon. I hope your trip to the Sea of Flames wasn’t too much trouble.” He places a bookmark between the pages of his book, averting his full attention to you.

You arch an eyebrow, faintly surprised. “So, you found out my name, then.”

“Of course, you’re among the most frequent task-takers of the Pioneer Association.” He nods and tilts his head slightly. “And you’ve handled several commissions and requests for the Academy itself.”

You offer a dry bow. “At your service.”

“Please, come in,” he makes an inviting gesture. “I have some time to spare, before a meeting with some colleagues.”

As you walk further into his super high-tech workshop, you come to realise how surprisingly endearing the décor is, despite the clear cyber-style design.

“So… this is where you tinker away all day then, huh?” You murmur as you catch sight of the several plants and flowers adorning the room and is this… a plushie of a Gulfpuff on the top of that shelf?

Xiangli Yao gives a quick laugh and rubs the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. “Ah, well, yes. It is sort of my second home. Can I offer you some coffee, or we also have juice here if you prefer that?”

“Coffee would be nice, thank you.”

While Yao moves to another table and starts preparing two cups of coffee, you slip off your backpack and take out the collected Ardores Lapis. You move some newspaper and strange-looking trinkets aside - carefully of course – before arranging the minerals along the counter.

“You have my greatest gratitude and also my deepest respect for this, y/n.”

You raise your head to meet Yao inspecting the stones before his eyes settle back on you.

The guy is practically glowing with excitement at whatever possibilities these rocks are sparking in his head. “The chances of finding Ardores Lapis in the wild, let alone in full bloom are remarkably low, bordering on the extraordinary.”

“So, what I’m hearing, these rocks are basically my retirement plan?” you quip, tilting your head.

Yao lets out a soft, amused huff and pushes himself off the counter to hand you your cup of coffee. You accept with a quiet, ‘Thanks’.

“Only if your retirement plan isn’t scheduled in the near future. Otherwise, let’s just say my theories still need to be proven before I can guarantee the stones’ effects and potential. But as of now, they’re definitely priceless – at least scientifically speaking.”

“Great.” You reply dryly as you follow him to his desk, with tons and tons of books and loose paper sheets gathered around. “So, in other words, this might end up being some pile of plain ol’ vanilla rocks?”

“The worst-case scenario will be that your retirement might end up a rock garden.”

Yao’s attempt of consolations makes you snort in return. “At least they’re pretty rocks,” you sigh, tracing your finger along the warm mug in your hand.

“Don’t misunderstand. I fully intend to hold onto my word and compensate you adequately. Here, let me show you.”  He nods towards a hologram on his desk, adorned by barely legible scribbles and sketches.

He points to one of those sketches. “This shows one of the initial discoveries of Ardores Lapis, such as you’ve encountered. Out of all the essays and data logs I’ve studied, only three other researchers have encountered Ardores Lapis in person. To have these samples here in the academy could revolutionise technology.”

Even though Yao maintains a calm voice while explaining, his inner turmoil and excitement are as clear as the day. You skim over the lines of words projected in the hologram, trying to make sense of the information as well as the significance of it. “Have you informed Mortefi already? See if he’s still in a foul mood because of me?”

“Don’t worry. As soon as he lays eyes on these minerals, all will be long forgotten. I will bring them to him later today.”

“But you’ll keep the ones from yesterday, right?”

He smiles. “I will. Definitely. Mostly because I already started working on them.”

Yao gestures toward the giant cubic on his desk, now glowing as its claw clearly contains the shards of one of the Adores Lapis you’ve brought, along with some other materials you couldn’t name.

“I’ve made you copies of the books, along with my conclusions and comments,” he says, tapping on the hologram. “I’ll send the data to your Pangu Terminal. “

“For Me?” You ask, a bit incredulous, as your terminal pings with the incoming information. “Listen, I respect science but like… from a healthy distance. I’m not much of use for this, trust me.”

He chuckles softly in a way that fills his blue eye with warmth. “Don’t worry. I’ve written it in a way that’s easy to understand, even for non-scientists. I simply want you to be able to determine your own pricing for the minerals. Once word gets out about your find, Mortefi and I won’t be the only ones interested.”

As you open the log file and skim through his summaries, you can’t help but be touched by his thoughtful gesture. He could have easily dismissed your limited knowledge on this topic and offered a low price for the stones or even written them off as worthless. You’ve dealt with enough customers like that in your career to know well how rare this kind of consideration is. Still, you are also aware, not to end up on the loose end of a deal.

So, looking at him, the genuine “Thank you” flows with an uncommon ease from your lips.  

After a few moments of silence, you clear your throat, trying to shake the feeling of vulnerability that threatens to rise within you. “You did all that…this morning?”

“I can prioritise my research,” Yao explains matter-of-factly, “especially when it’s such a unique experience, I can indulge myself in.”

“So, you really are a full-on nerd, huh.”

He laughs. “Indeed. I find joy in scientific research. Immersing myself in data and theories, exploring various possibilities… It’s a blissful experience.”

“Alright, Iron Man,” you tease, “I find myself more on the hands-on side of the experience.”

“And thanks to those experience and skills, we’ve uncovered this miracle. Ardores Lapis should not even be able to exist.”

“Isn’t that what all the fuss about science is?” you counter, surprising yourself by how engaged you suddenly feel in the topic. “Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and knowledge that seemed limited suddenly expands?”

“Science is life's questioning of truth,” Yao replies simply, his voice carrying a touch of melancholy that seems to hold its own story.

It pushes you to treat into dangerous territory as your next words escape you, “Is that why you’ve become one? A scientist, I mean?”

“In a way,” he says with a reflective smile. “I’ve become a researcher to follow my parents’ footsteps, but in a way, I’ve also strayed away somehow.”

“In a bad way?”

“I’m not certain. There is a balance between exceeding people’s expectations of me and meeting the standards I set for myself, based on my parents’ example. Yet there’s also the human side of them I do not want to lose touch with either.”

As you zip up your backpack again, your gaze drifts to the newspaper you’d pushed aside earlier to make room for the stones. The date was several years old, with headlines about scientific breakthroughs. Your focus shifts to the printed pictures of the article.

Oh.

“What kind of humans were they?” you murmur softly.

“They were kind,” Yao replies, a hint of nostalgia in his voice but filled with a warmth that tightens your heart. “The magazines and papers always spoked of them in the highest regard. But most of what I know about my parents comes from reading about them.”

“That must have been lonely.”

At your words, his expression shifts to one of mild surprise. “Please don’t misunderstand. They were wonderful parents; I have an abundance of happy childhood memories.”

You don’t reply. Not wanting to risk upsetting him further, no matter what you think about that topic. Instead, you take a closer look at the picture on the paper. “You have your father’s eyes.”

Yao looks momentarily taken aback, but then his expression softens again. “That’s… oddly comforting. Thank you.”

“Hey, given your parents were top-tier scientists, the resemblance is pretty suspicious. Are you sure you’re not a clone?” You tease, trying to lighten the mood.

And as he genuinely laughs, you feel something stir inside you. How nice it feels to make a science guy actually laugh so freely. Maybe this could turn into your own personal challenge - how many times could you make Xiangli Yao crack up?

It was true what people said about this science prodigy. Despite his young age, Xiangli Yao lived up to his reputation and even exceeded it. You didn’t expect to have enjoyed the time spent here as much as you did. He carried an air of eloquence and poise, yet remained genuinely kind and inviting in a way that makes him impossible to dislike – even for a science guy.

“Well… thanks again,” you say after some comfortable moments of silence and lift your terminal with his papers to demonstrate your point. “I’ll be off then to tackle my homework.”

But Yao shakes his head. “With the amount of sleep you’ve been missing these days, it would not be futile if you tried to digest the information properly. The mind works best when it’s well-rested and nourished. Please, get some rest – you’ve been running around Huanglong the past few days.”

When you leave the academy later that day, you do so with mixed feelings. An unknown surge of curiosity urges you to dive into Yao’s written summaries and learn what he wrote specifically for you, so you would not suffer any potential losses in your job. Commission. Whatever the hell this whole project is turning into right now.

You genuinely want to understand the way he ticks. You want to understand his nature, his story.

Suddenly, you can’t wait to return to the academy, if only to understand more about the world and the impact of small discoveries like yours. And let’s be honest, having a certain light-haired Resonator as a bonus company certainly doesn’t hurt.

Part 1 ~~~Part 2 ~~~ Part 3

Thank you so much for reading! Comments and reblogs are so appreciated

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