??? ??????? ?????? | Various Genshin x Reader

"Thanks again for picking up those herbs for us, Nilou!" Mr. Zubayr smiled as he finished packing away everything she'd gathered. The redhead waved a hand dismissively.

"It was no problem, really! Plus, it gave me the chance to spend more time with my friend now that they're back in Sumeru." She ignored the slight aching in her heart every time she thought of you. Though she'd only been gone for a day or two now, she was already missing you and wished she could come back soon. "How have things been here?" She asked in an attempt to distract herself, "I'm sorry I took longer than expected; the rangers were so busy and I didn't want to make their jobs any harder by rushing them."

"It's not a problem." The brown haired man replied, "Everything here has been just fine. In fact; we were able to choose our next performance already, so in about a week or so we can get started on it."

"That's great!" Nilou smiled. It had only been a couple weeks since their last show had finished up, but she was still itching to get back into performing. "I look forward to working on it." The man in front of her smiled.

"Well, until then, I suggest you take some time to rest, and maybe spend some more time with that friend of yours." He suggested, "We'll be a lot busier once the show is in production." She nodded, and then he quickly excused himself to deal with some of the theater's other affairs.

Hopefully that mean she'd be able to get back to you sooner, since she wouldn't be needed in the city for another week. She made a note to reach out to Tighnari soon and let him know she'd be returning.

She hadn't run into Cyno on the way back, or even heard from him at all. Even though he was very strong and probably even more capable than she was when it came to taking care of himself, she was still beginning to grow worried. After all, he seemed to care about you a lot, just like her, so it was odd for him to lose contact like that.

Now that she had some time to herself, she decided it would be a good idea to head up to the Akademiya and see if he was there. If not, then she could at least ask if anyone had seen him recently.

So, after making sure she wasn't needed for anything else in the Grand Bazaar, she headed out into the city and towards the Akademiya.

It felt like she'd been coming up there more this last week than in her whole life, considering how she normally avoided the area. The judging stares and looks she received from the students there always made her feel unwelcome, but if it was for you, than she was willing to ignore them.

The closer she got to the Akademiya's entrance, the more of a commotion seemed to be going on in the area. Frowning, she made her way a little further up the stairs, only to be stopped by one of the students, who'd gathered around to watch whatever was going on.

"Oh, they're not allowing anyone upstairs right now." He explained, "There's a fire they're trying to put out."

"A fire?" Nilou repeated, eyes widening in worry.

"Yes, it's just by the entrance." The man replied, "Apparently it's been raging since the middle of the night, and they've been having trouble getting it to extinguish. It's not safe to pass by right now."

"What do you mean they can't extinguish it?" Nilou asked, but the student just sighed.

"See for yourself," he gestured for her to move closer, and she went up to the edge of the stairs where they met the balcony. A line of tape had been drawn between the two areas to prevent anyone from entering.

She turned her gaze further up the balcony now, seeing a group of matra from the Akademiya standing by a raging fire. She wasn't sure what exactly was burning though, since it seemed to just be sitting on top of the marble floor.