#「ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡᴀs sᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ sᴋɪɴ║ʙᴜᴛ sᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ⸝ sᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ」[Nettle🎔Baizhu;viisiond]

[mementofloreo-archived]

@viisiond || cont. from this ask || sir. please.

Nettle doesn't react with any sort of shock or awe. Rather, a wry smirk works its way onto his face as Baizhu approaches, and he quirks a brow.

"Who says I only just noticed?" he chirps lightly, "That's a silly thing to assume, don't you think? It's not exactly a question you ask over afternoon tea the moment it strikes you."

Baizhu isn't a great deal taller than him. But he's standing...rather close(which is making it hard to breathe...) so Nettle has to tilt his head up more to look at him than he would otherwise.

Still, though the proximity has him a touch flushed, he sets his hands on his hips and forges ahead.

"I'd already heard plenty from my sister in law before meeting you," he says, "And the folks who gave me directions to the pharmacy once I got into town were more than a little eager to relay the juiciest rumors, as it were."

He pauses and takes half a step back. He's too close and it's making Nettle's throat tight. (He's just so pretty, damn him, and he's got that weird look on his face that Nettle can't read, the one that still gets butterflies swarming in his stomach,)

"Anyway," He continues, clearing his throat briefly when his voice cracks, "...You know by now that I find that kind of gossip idly entertaining at most."

"But I knew the second I saw you, really." he says, "Not even just from your eyes or anything like that. The way you carried yourself, the way the air felt different around you. It was so tangible I felt it in my fingertips. ...Honestly, it kinda knocked the wind out of me."

He finally has to avert his eyes, and he feels the flush burning in the tips of his ears despite his efforts to stay calm. That feeling in the air is the heaviest right now that it's ever been, and Baizhu seems to be piercing holes in him with such a direct gaze. The look alone is enough to have his pulse racing.

"...But it's not something you bring up over tea. And certainly not while you're still just a customer who asks too many tedious questions about herb quality and growing conditions, and...anyway, I wasn't going to make any conclusions based on rumors. And I wasn't going to go asking someone else behind your back either. You can be a little insufferable sometimes, but you're still my friend. I trust you enough to at least take me seriously when I ask that kind of question. I tried not to make any guesses or expect anything as far as how you'd answer, but..."

He's looking intently to the side and at the ground now. He can't get another word out. His throat's so tight that it hurts and his pulse is so quick he's getting woozy. He hates it, hates how intense his physical reaction to being flustered is, how obvious it makes his thoughts. Not that he's ever been really good at keeping strong emotions off of his face or even out of his body language.

Finally, straining to get the words out, he says in a tiny voice, "...Thank you though, for answering honestly."

[mementofloreo-archived]

@viisiond || plotted starter || nettle stop bein cute. fucker

[it's lengthy so I gave it a cut as a courtesy to the dash!]

He's wrapped up the last of his work- finally. He's sent a letter back home to let his family know he's taking the rest of the day to rest and will be packing up and setting out tomorrow. They can expect him within two weeks, though his travel time will depend on road conditions, weather, and the whims of his health(as always).

Liyue Harbor has been very kind and welcoming to Nettle, of course, but he hasn't seen his family in over three months. He's never been on his own this long and it's worn him down horribly. Still, he's managed to soldier through it, and that gives him a little hope, at least in terms of being able to look after himself more often in the future.

He'll be happy to go back to his temporary room at the Guild and have some quiet, decompress, hopefully sleep for a while. But there's one last errand he wants to take care of.

Bubu Pharmacy is in all likelihood on its noon break period, a time for having a meal, catching a breather, restocking things and checking inventory- which means it's a good time for Nettle to drop by for a social visit.

Baizhu is already out front when Nettle ambles in, to his relief. No need to ask for him. He's looking at some notes, so Nettle clears his throat and offers a polite wave and a small smile when he looks up.

"Hullo," he says, "Sorry to intrude during an off hour- I won't take up too much time."

"What do you need today, then, Nettle?" Baizhu marks and closes his notebook and offers a polite smile in turn.

"Nothing, actually," Nettle laughs a little, "I finished the last of my liasion work this morning, so tomorrow I'll be packing up and heading home to Monstadt."

Baizhu is quiet for just a few beats longer than Nettle expects, but then he says, "...Ah, I see. I hadn't realized you were so close to finishing."

There's something in his tone that feels a little thoughtful, but Nettle isn't here to try and read his mind.

"Honestly, after the first fortnight I stopped knowing how much was left to do or how long it would take myself." He says, but then he holds out a parcel. Baizhu looks at it blankly.

"Ah," Nettle coughs, "I'm sorry, let me-" He fumbles and flushes as he excuses himself and explains. "...I...well, of course I know that everything you've done for me has just been part of your job. And I understand that you'd offer the same help and courtesy to anyone who pays for it, but..."

He exhales. "...Even so...It's mundane to you, but for me it made all the difference. More than once. The supplies I've gotten here, as well as the suggestions and tips, they've helped me take care of myself while I've been here...and they've helped me save a few lives out in the field as well. I can't...really effectively express how significant that is to me."

He takes another breath. "Anyway, all my carrying on aside, I wanted to do something to thank you. So, uh, here. It's a gift...care package? I don't know, call it what you like, but it's for you."

Baizhu is very quiet as he takes the parcel- it's actually three small packages bound together with twine.

"The one on top is yours," Nettle says, "But I...I've labeled the others- I brought things for Qiqi and mister Gui as well."

Baizhu nods, still silent, removes the packet on top and unwraps it. Nettle immediately feels his face heat, begins fidgeting and fiddling with his hands. He hadn't expected him to open it right away.

"I...er, I know it's...really not anything special," he sputters, "...It may not even do you any good, or you may not even like the taste, but...maybe you'll at least like the teacup?"

Wrapped in the parcel is a small wooden cup, the same shape as most used for hot tea in Liyue. It's been sanded smooth and given a few coats of safe varnish for durability, and detailed, painstakingly carved wildflowers and fiddleheads add character to it. There is a simple lid on top.

"There's uh, there's some loose leaf tea inside. In a paper container." Nettle says, "It's designed to uh, to help treat inflammation and regulate heartrate. Amaranth did most of the research for making it originally, but I put this batch together myself. I uh, I also made the cup."

"I know that your health isn't good, so I just..." he's still fidgeting, "...Well I mean you know more about medicine and all that than I ever could, so it's likely this is something you've already tried, or that wouldn't work for you, or...well, like I said, you might not even like the flavor, but..."

He finishes very quietly, lamely, voice cracking, "...to be honest, I just...kind of worry about you a little, and I wanted to...try and offer what little I can, you know?"

Baizhu nods absently and remains quiet.

"Um...the...the one for Gui is a leatherbound notebook? Or more accurately a cover. The inside can be switched out if he fills it up. I figure he can keep notes on orders and other things in there. The one for Qiqi..."

He purses his lips. Qiqi is a sweet kid, really. Not very expressive, and her working memory is honestly awful. She's a literal zombie, so Nettle isn't entirely surprised by that- being undead coming with physical or cognitive issues makes a lot of sense to him.

Still, she really tries very hard. And he may not know what the ethical thing to do is concerning whether she should be laid to rest or allowed to keep going as is- but for as long as she does keep going, he feels she should be treated with love and care, just like any other child. He's spent quite a few hours helping her find her way after finding her lost, and while they walk he plays games and sings songs with her. Ones he does with his nephew- ones that he was taught to help manage his own working memory problems as a child.

...He doesn't know if any of that has helped Qiqi improve on the whole, but...he's noticed in the last few weeks that she recognizes him when he comes in and remembers his name(well...the shortening of it- Ned.)

"Qiqi's is, um...it's more of a memento, or keepsake, or something. There's a little notepad inside, not...not for writing, I've just...catalogued some of the songs and games I taught her, in case she wants to keep playing them. And there's a little...charm, I guess? It's just a little felted toy with a string she can use to attach it to a bag or belt. It's um..."

He mutters in embarrassment, "...............it's a dendro slime. With my uh, my coloring...well, a lot of people compare me to one, and...she seems to sort of recognize me now, and I know how much work that must have taken her...Anyway, I filled it up with the same scent I think she recognizes me by, it's...sweetened cinnamon. It's the fragrance I use for my hygeine supplies, so I always smell like it. I've found um...for me at least, some of my strongest memory reactions are to scents, so...I kind of...tried to get her to use sensory input to help her, and...well I don't know if it worked, but...I can hope."

"God I really did just go on and on, I'm so sorry." Nettle laughs, "...please continue looking after her well, though, Baizhu. She's a really, really good kid."

With another sigh, he finally drops his hands to his sides again. "Anyway, I'm sure you still have some things to get to during your break, so I'll wrap it up and get out of your way but...well, I hope you'll also...take good care of yourself. I know it can be pretty touch and go for you some days, but...well, I'd like it if you're still here the next time I'm able to make it out here. So, so I can see you again. And maybe get your opinion on that tea? Haha..."

He knows he must be going from pink to red by now. Baizhu has still said....all but nothing. He doesn't seem upset, more like...perhaps he's having trouble processing the gift. Regardless, Nettle is getting too embarrassed to handle this any longer- so he excuses himself and scampers out of the pharmacy. He'll get dinner to go on his way back to the guild.

[mementofloreo-archived]

@viisiond​ || 50 ways to kiss someone || 26- as an apology

(cut for length!)

The work he’s found himself doing in Liyue has been dragging on for weeks now and Nettle still hasn’t the foggiest idea of when he’ll be able to wrap up and return to Monstadt.

He’s providing service as a field medic and tracker right now, mostly, though there have been plenty of times where he’s had to do heavy combat as well. Liyue Harbor is ‘home base’ right now, but he’s been crawling all over the countryside with other adventurers and sometimes a few members of the Millelith.

The bulk of the primo geovishaps that have been causing tremors all around the country have been defeated, calmed- whatever needed doing to quiet them, it’s been done. But there’s a lot of cleanup and investigative work still underway, along with a much higher number of hatchlings roaming about than before. Nettle was dispatched alongside a few other members of the Monstadt Adventurer’s guild with specialized knowledge to help speed the process up.

...That said, it’s still taking ages. He’s never been away from his family this long in his life, and it’s got his nerves frayed. Even when he’s physically exhausted from working all day he has trouble sleeping.

He misses home horribly. Being shy as he is makes for a lonely time in Liyue. Though of course it’s not all bad- everyone has been kind and accommodating at the Guild and the locals are generally friendly as well. And Nettle is at least familiar with all the routes he needs to take through town regularly by now.

Seeing as he has several regular prescriptions he needs to manage for his own health in addition to keeping first aid supplies on hand for fieldwork, it’s only natural that Nettle has needed to make regular visits to a pharmacy. And, at his sister-in-law’s recommendation, he’s been going to one in particular.

Amaranth was completely serious when she mentioned the lofty prices at Bubu Pharmacy. Nettle was a little shocked by them at his first visit- still, she had also said that everything sold there was very high quality and worth every mora. So Nettle had buckled down and brought out his ‘grocery list’.

The questions and concerns he had surrounding all the supplies he needed were thorough and educated enough that the poor clerk had to fetch the pharmacy’s owner. There were plenty of medical students studying in Liyue Harbor, of course, but it seemed that their needs and requirements tended to be more basic than Nettle’s.

And that was his first meeting with Baizhu.

He’s heard all kinds of rumors about the man, of course. Many of them paint him as seedy and unsavory, or as a cheat. A man who cares about money and nothing else. And while Nettle doesn’t completely disregard rumors, he also doesn’t put much stock in them.

If he trusts any word about Baizhu, it’s what he’s heard from his sister. Amaranth hasn’t been to Liyue in several years now- not since shortly after Nettle met her, and before that she hadn’t been since she was still a medical student. Even so, she had apparently been a very regular customer there. Enough that when Nettle idly mentions her during his meeting with Baizhu he recognizes her name.

Baizhu of course is still gunning for as high a profit as he can- but he does come out from behind the counter and answer all Nettle’s questions, helping him select the herbs and other supplies he needs, offering alternatives that may be more effective when used properly, making sure to ask about Nettle’s experience level with processing medicine to assure he doesn’t offer anything beyond Nettle’s ability to work with.

That in mind, Nettle doesn’t haggle much. As it turns out the prices are much more manageable when simply buying components than when purchasing a full prescription. ...Of course, they’re still very high prices comparatively, but Nettle is able to stay within his budget. Barely.

He’s a docile and well mannered person by nature, so as far as he can tell Baizhu’s first impression of him is at the very least not bad. And as he becomes a bit of a ‘regular’ he finds himself encountering him more often. He always seems to be ‘in’ whenever Nettle happens by to pick something up.

The most reaction Nettle has gotten out of the pharmacist so far has been when he introduced himself. The moment he had seen the snake curled around Baizhu’s shoulders, Nettle had perked up and proceeded to properly greet it and introduce himself to it.

He knows that most animals don’t understand very much human language, if any...but even the smallest and most mundane creatures can be full of personality. And that’s reason enough to treat them as he would any other person, isn’t it?

...The bewildered look he gets from Baizhu makes him feel a little silly though.

As he approaches the end of his third month in Liyue, time is dragging on as slowly as ever. Nettle is feeling more mentally and physically fatigued by the day. People are making note of the dark circles under his eyes, of how he’s looking a little pallid. And when he catches sight of himself in the mirror he sees his face has gotten a bit thinner.

It takes all his strength to focus on his field notes now, so he’s completely unaware of his surroundings that afternoon, crouched over his notebook and muttering to himself. And so when a hand lightly touches his shoulder, his reaction is far from what it should be.

His heart leaps into his throat and he fumbles his notes, squeaks, flies up from his seat-

-And proceeds to headbutt Baizhu right in the face.

He stumbles back a step or two and though Nettle is heaving for breath, pulse through the roof from the anxiety of the start, he is already apologizing.

“Oh my gods-” he stutters, “Mr. Baizhu I- I’m so sorry, I was so concentrated I didn’t- I mean, I-”

“Nice shot,” Baizhu says quietly, and more than a little sardonically.

Nettle tosses his things down onto the bench, sputtering ‘sorry, I’m so sorry’ over and over again, reaching up to take Baizhu’s hands from his face and examine it for any damage.

“I should be paying more attention to my surroundings,” he says absently, fingers ghosting over Baizhu’s cheeks and jaw looking for any sign that he might bruise. At the very least there doesn’t seem to be any bleeding.

He thinks Baizhu says something but he’s so very tired, so very frantic, the momentum of his panic has him on autopilot. When he sees the redness and irritation near the corner of Baizhu’s mouth blotching to his jaw, Nettle reacts instinctively, using dendro energy to soothe the area so that if it does swell or bruise, it won’t be nearly as bad or painful.

...What he does not really register is that he passes the energy along in the same way he would if he were treating a scraped knee on his nephew. Which is to say he presses a kiss to the skin.

It’s soft, sweet, just a few seconds of contact, and then Nettle pulls away, sighs, and says “There, that should keep it from hurting too much- again, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to-”

He blinks. Baizhu’s expression is a bit hard to read but the way his body is tense and rigid is enough to tell Nettle he’s a bit shocked. And it takes him another moment, but he realizes why- and begins babbling apologies again.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” he knows his face is red as a tomato, “I’m so sorry, that’s- I’m running on empty and moving on reflex and that- that’s how I fix scraps and bruises for my nephew, uh. I’m- I’m sincerely sorry if I upset you or- I just- I...I’m going to go,”

He grabs his things from the bench, completely missing that he drops his pen, and scurries away. Maybe if he hides under the blankets in his room at the Guild for long enough he can fuse with them and disappear.

[mementofloreo-archived]

@viisiond || TENDER MOTHERFUCKERS

Nettle is barely conscious and not very coherent, so he hasn't the foggiest idea what Baizhu is talking about. Or if he's even addressing him. “Wassat?” he slurs deliriously, blinking his eyes open to squint at the doctor.

Baizhu looks up and his pensive expression changes to something more tender(or maybe that's Nettle's fever talking).

Still, sick as he is, it's impossible to miss the softness in the way Baizhu gently brushes sweaty hair out of Nettle's face and applies a fresh cold compress to his forehead. And in the way he traces his fingers over his cheekbones, his lips, his jaw.

“Shh,” Baizhu hushes him, “don't you worry, I was just reading a book.” he lifts one of Nettle's hands, kisses his knuckles. If he weren't already dizzy, Ned is sure he would be absolutely reeling now. His heartrate has skyrocketed for sure.

His face screws up, though. He doesn't remember much about how he got here. He's not sure where he is. He got caught in the rain overnight while traveling and got sick, he knows that, but...the last thing he reallyremembers is stumbling his way underneath a rest area awning at the edge of town, intending to catch his breath...

This isn't his usual temporary room at the Liyue guild, so...perhaps he's in an infirmary somewhere?

“Whatever you're fussing over in your head, it can wait,” Baizhu speaks up again, “You're safe here, so be a good patient and focus on resting. That's something I'll give a reward of my own, how's that sound?”

“Y'really sure y'wanna tease someone with a 102 degree fever?” Nettle's laugh is weak and hoarse. Still, he lets his eyes drift closed again, hand reaching out to grasp weakly and blindly around for Baizhu's until he feels the doctor take it, squeeze it gently, hold it.

This may just be work for him, or perhaps just doing a favor for a friend, but even so Nettle is grateful to have him here.

He thinks he feels some pressure on his cheek as he's slipping away into sleep. A kiss, maybe...? and they sound distant, but he hears someone speaking...

“Just rest now. It's all right. I won't leave your side.”