You were too quiet.

Quieter than usual; at least, that’s what Xiao noticed. You usually radiated this bright attitude, always showing a kindness he never thought he’d ever deserve towards him.

He picked up on how recently you would draw the conversation away from yourself, how sometimes you would overexert yourself, and sometimes he couldn’t help but think it was his fault. His karmic debt would eventually affect you, despite how he blissfully thought it wouldn’t.

Maybe you’ve made him soft. But as the two of you stand at the railing of Wangshu Inn, he wants to reach out and cure whatever’s bothering you. His desire to help, to make things right, was overwhelming.

“So… How have you been?” Xiao mentally cursed himself for the simple words. He really doesn’t know how to talk to mortals, let alone comfort one.