Dang, you buy your snow from carts?
Warnings: Mild voiceline spoiler for Xiao!
Other weekend shorts here!
In which you find out one day that… Xiao eats snow? Apparently they’re quite refreshing when taken from the mountaintops…
Ahem - anyways, the two of you are now in the city of Liyue! There’s a shaved ice vendor that’s set up stall recently since it was almost time for the Lantern Festival (the owner calls it practice for when he’ll be open all night on the day itself). It’s located by the harbour in plain sight since children did like their icy treats, but also just to take advantage of the traffic in the area.
Knowing how Xiao preferred to keep to his own, you’ve decided that a morning-weekday date would suffice! It’s quieter now with the city just waking up, but the man managing this stall would set up early because he liked the scenery at this time of day, or so he’s said.
“…This is what you wanted to show me?” Xiao looks down at the bowl of shaved ice, while you can almost see the mental image of plain snow floating in the air next to it. A part of you wanted to laugh at the look on his face - he clearly was unsure of the flavours added to the dessert, even if you’ve ordered the most minimalistic one from the menu.
You use your own spoon to taste it, taking a moment to savor its sweetness. “Do you want to try?”
Xiao experimentally takes his own bite, before pausing for a moment. You almost ask him how he found it, before a smile grows on your lips as he reaches out for a second, expression unchanging.
Mission accomplished.