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asoundofdrop · 3 days

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Coolness

A/N: Trying to write Aventurine on top of a very energetic OC for the first time was... an experience LMAO. If you happen to enjoy this work, thank you very much. CW: Xiwu gets hit by a car but it's all dandy, brief mentions of alcohol, OOC-ness and not beta read, pre-2.2 release

Before coming to Penacony, Xiwu had no idea that price tags could be so long. But then again, a lot of these clothes and accessories were shinier and fancier than what she normally saw. Such a thing couldn’t be helped, she supposed, though it did make her think about how many centuries of saving credits it would take before she could afford a piece.

What was it that March said? Something like, if it was made completely from scratch, it was bound to be expensive because it means they were… they were… “hot culture”? Sounded close enough. But aren’t all things made from scratch? What’s the difference?

She couldn’t remember how the conversation continued from there.

“Ms. Xiwu?”

“Hm? This voice…” She turned around, and was met with a blonde man wearing a fancy blue-green suit and a pair of gold-rimmed shades. With a cheery grin, she greeted, “Mr. Jinkou!”

The man blinked and awkwardly laughed.

“Ah… pardon?”

Xiwu hadn’t intended to blurt that out. She corrected herself, “Um… Mr. Aventurine!”

With how purposefully she said it, he wondered if “Mr. Jinkou” was his designated nickname… Perhaps he should ask later how she came upon it.

“I didn’t think I would run into you here,” she remarked.

“Neither did I, my friend.” Aventurine then noticed the mess of ice cream at the corner of her mouth. “Maybe I should have expected that even a doctor cannot resist Penacony’s finest treats.”

Seeing her confusion, he tapped his own face with a finger.

“Ah…!” Xiwu hurriedly swiped off the mess with a thumb and cleared her throat, pretending her face wasn’t flushed with embarrassment. “Ahem… so, what brings you here?”

“It seems, after completing my mission, the IPC saw fit to give me the next few weeks off as vacation. I thought I’d start off by visiting the boutiques here. The watches they sell here are one-of-a-kind, or so I’ve been told by many.”

She gasped. With a hand to her mouth, she panicked, “Watches? Is yours broken? We didn’t break it earlier, did we—?”

Aventurine chuckled and waved it off.

“You’re working yourself up over nothing, my friend. It’s still perfectly fine, which is rather lucky with all things considered. But… it doesn’t hurt to add to my collection.”

“Ohh, I see.”

Xiwu sighed in relief.

Her relaxed cheeriness immediately came back, as if their “fight to the death” in the plaza never happened. Aventurine approached her with the expectation that she would warily watch every move he made. Even if she wasn’t the particularly cautious type, she knew nothing about him.

So to be proven wrong like this… was a strange surprise.

“Say, how about you join me for today?” he suggested.

“Hmm…” Xiwu tilted her head as she contemplated the choice. “I’m happy with the offer, but I don’t really know how to… what’s the word… appraise? I don’t really know how to appraise these things. Maybe someone else from the Express could make better company for this.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” he assured her. “I wanted to invite you specifically to relax and chat with me. Such opportunities are rare in this line of work anyway, especially in my position.”

“When you put it that way, sure! I’ll come along.”

With her hands tucked behind her back and large exaggerated steps, Xiwu followed beside him. Her head constantly turned as she looked at the displays. On the other hand, Aventurine seemed much more accustomed to the scenery.

She began to wonder if he was bored already.

“You’re staring at me,” he playfully said. “What’s on your mind, dear Nameless?”

“Oh, well, it’s just that you don’t seem very impressed. I guess when you’re so high up with a company like the IPC, you see these kinds of sparkly things everyday.”

“Perhaps. It’s certainly important to be knowledgable and well-acquainted with the finer things in life to establish relations with the wealthy,” he agreed. “But it’s not like this is all I surround myself with. I did agree to a friendship with you and the Express, didn’t I?”

“That’s true, even if it’s difficult to imagine you… well, somewhere else.”

“Haha! I suppose that’s a compliment.”

Before Aventurine could continue, Xiwu suddenly stopped in her tracks and pointed past him: “Ah! Look at that!”

“Huh?”

She approached the display, hovering so close that her breath left a light fog on the glass. The Stoneheart stood beside her to take a closer look.

“I suppose the craftsmanship is decent… Though I’m surprised something like this caught your eye,” he said.

“Cause it looks like the one you wore when we first met.”

Aventurine inspected it again. It was a dark blue top hat, most likely made of satin—he assumes. The black band was decorated with a matching half-ribbon, a buckle embedded with a bright blue jewel, and two overtly large feathers. Goose feathers? He couldn’t help but wonder if Xiwu rarely saw such hats before to immediately compare this to his.

“Doesn’t it?” she pressed, her eyes large and expectant.

“Ah. I’m… flattered.”

And certainly, there was… some respect, if that was the word he had to use, to be had for how Xiwu could turn conversations as she pleased.

“Why don’t we look inside this one?” she suggested. “Maybe we’ll find a good watch for you!”

She was already running into the boutique, not that Aventurine had a particular reason to refuse. As soon as the store worker noticed the Stoneheart, he quickly bowed low and eagerly greeted, “Welcome, esteemed guest! Please feel free to ask for assistance!”

Of course, Aventurine saw how the worker eyed his accessories so closely. No one could miss such a flagrant flash of gold.

“Certainly,” he said as he nonchalantly handed over a wad of credits.

He didn’t keep exact count, but it was somewhere around ten thousand credits. That was the amount he usually passed out as goodwill.

“Mr. Aventurine, look at this!”

Xiwu gestured at him from the back of the store, where they kept the array of watches for sale in a glass case. Her eyes were focused on a pale yellow watch with green-tipped feathers—thankfully not too bright to look at for a long time. Though if Aventurine had to comment, he was beginning to think that she had come to associate him with all birds regardless of the kind or color.

“An ordinary watch, it seems. Or rather…”

The store worker from before shuffled over to assist: “The madam has a wonderful eye! You see, our Dreamscape watchmakers took inspiration from the Origami birds that helped build Penacony. This watch can be folded and tucked into any place for safekeeping.”

He was watching them like a hawk.

Aventurine redirected his attention to the watch. It wasn’t cheaply made, to be sure, and Xiwu seemed so proud of her find.

He eventually settled with: “A kind suggestion, Ms. Xiwu, but I’m not particularly concerned about misplacing my things.”

She took it well in stride and nodded. She then furrowed her brows as she continued looking over the display, while Aventurine kept her in his peripherals.

The Stoneheart definitely had his fair share of people kissing up to him, hoping for a chance to borrow or even take some of his influence. With those years of observation, he could only say… Xiwu’s attempts, if it could be called that, are comparably… earnest. Why? What was the point of it?

“What about this one, Mr. Aventurine?”

“Which one?”

The store worker realized which one Xiwu had been pointing at and spoke up, “Ah, another excellent suggestion from the madam! It is made to reflect the wearer’s mood, you see. This is a feat that only Penacony’s finest watchmakers can achieve!”

“That sounds cool, doesn’t it!” Xiwu asked, rather giddy.

“Why don’t you try it on for yourself?” the store worker suggested. “Perhaps the madam can go first?”

“Sure!”

The store worker took the watch from the case and adeptly tied the band around Xiwu’s wrist. Within seconds, the case changed colors and the band became sparkling gold.

“It appears that the madam is quite happy,” he announced.

“Whoaa! Mr. Aventurine, look, look! I wonder how they did that… C’mon, you should try it too.”

“Well, I can’t possibly refuse such enthusiasm. If you don’t mind, sir.”

Aventurine himself was becoming curious what the watch would sense in him. He held out his own wrist and the store worker quickly transferred it over. Suddenly, the seconds felt like minutes as he stared at the case intensely. Surely it would say the same thing as it did for Xiwu…?

The case grew dark and the band became a dull silver. As if that wasn’t enough, it felt as though the small clock hands were trembling within the case.

“Ah, um… it appears the esteemed guest is feeling anxious,” the store worker announced after checking several times.

“Hm? Anxious…?” Xiwu repeated.

Laughter filled the corner of the boutique as Aventurine swiftly took off the watch and returned it to the store worker’s hands.

“Perhaps there might be a manufacturing error,” he said. “Either way, it would be much more easier if I were to just switch out my watches.”

“That can’t possibly—.”

Aventurine placed a stack of twenty thousand credits in the store worker’s hands. Yes, that had to be the explanation, he was sure of it. What could he be anxious about in this moment? There was nothing at stake, nothing to be gambled for. The watch had to have been broken someway somehow.

“Thank you for your service. Hopefully, you will re-examine the watch in a timely manner, and I just might return to this lovely establishment another day.” He then faced Xiwu and gestured towards the door. “I’m feeling a bit parched at the moment. Why don’t we go for some refreshments before we continue?”

Xiwu blinked, confused at the change of pace.

“Oh um, okay.”

Aventurine was quiet as they stepped out. His face hadn’t changed at all, but Xiwu couldn’t shake off the possibility that he was displeased.

Could it be…? That she wasn’t a good enough shopping partner?! That had to be it, it must be because her choices were so awful that his mood had been horribly soured beyond repair! He was only saying all those things to be polite! This wouldn’t have happened if it was Mr. Yang or Ms. Himeko! Quick, how would they help him feel better?

“Um… uh, so where did you want to go for refreshments, Mr. Aventurine?” she sheepishly asked.

He must have been deep in thought. It took a while for him to answer.

“There’s a small bar in Aideen Park. I’m sure you’ll enjoy their selections.”

“Oh… bleh, beer.” Xiwu realized what she had said aloud and backtracked, “I mean! Um… it sounds like a… very sophisticated place to be…?”

Aventurine chuckled. It was still difficult to gauge his mood, but maybe he wasn’t as angry as she initially thought.

“You have no need to worry, my friend. Bars don’t only serve alcohol, especially the ones here in Penacony. They’ll hardly mind serving you SoulGlad straight from the bottle.”

He caught onto the way she tried to tiptoe around him. She must still be wary from earlier as expected, and she was only trying to stay in his good graces out of caution.

“Wait, Mr. Aventurine.”

But then again, as he thought back on it, she didn’t look that terrified during the confrontation… How much did it really weigh on her mind?

“Mr. Aventurine?”

Understanding each Express member will help in future collaborations, certainly, but two of the members thus far have proven to be slightly more difficult than Aventurine anticipated.

“Mr. Aventurine, move over!”

He was jarred out of his head when he was pushed forward. He quickly regained balance, but he heard a loud yelp and honking from just behind him.

“M-Ms. Xiwu??”

By the time he turned around, Xiwu was already on the floor. The vehicle swerved around her fallen body and drove off without losing speed. Before he could reach a hand out, she sat up with large tears welling up in her eyes.

“Owww!! That hurts a lot!!” she cried.

“Apologies, my friend. I was… preoccupied and…”

Xiwu gingerly rubbed at her hip for a few moments. She then blinked and slowly stood up, her tears disappearing just as quickly.

“Oh, right… They said things don’t really hurt in this dream world. Phew, but that was a bit scary. At least it wasn’t that big of a car.” She looked into Aventurine’s eyes, so directly he was nearly startled, and asked, “What about you? I didn’t push you too hard, did I?”

“No...? You didn’t.”

“Okay, back to Aideen Park then!”

A genuine burst of laughter unexpectedly left Aventurine’s mouth, earning a stare of bewilderment.

“You’re too funny, Ms. Xiwu! I wasn’t expecting your concern was… for me, I suppose. And I must say… how should I put it? You certainly have a talent for brushing things off.”

Xiwu puffed up her chest as if she was rather proud. Mr. Aventurine wasn’t angry with her after all! Or if he was, he certainly isn’t right now. This made her quite relieved.

“Hehe! I’m very mature like Ms. Himeko and Mr. Yang, right? You see, with age comes wisdom!” she said. “ ‘You mustn’t let grudges ruin the beauty of flowers’! Or… uh, wait… that line didn’t come out right. How did they say it in the drama… Mrgh… I can’t remember…”

Wait... with age? Aventurine repeated to himself. He had no time to properly ponder this new piece of information.

She grew embarrassed again as she struggled with her memory. To fill the suddenly unbearable silence, Xiwu started tugging on his sleeves forward—which he had to note, was not in the direction of Aideen Park.

“Anyways! Let’s go, Mr. Aventurine! Some ice cream will make anyone feel better and then we can go back to shopping until you find something you like! And then your trip won’t be a waste and you won’t regret hanging out with me!”

“Wait, wait, Ms. Xiwu! You’re stretching the sleeve!”

#drop rambles to the void #drop writes... sometimes #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr oc #honkai star rail oc #hsr aventurine

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