A passing encounter, one that may bring an air of familiarity.
(aka i thought these two would be Neat to see interact w each other pls indulge me)
“Hello~!”
Albedo looked up from his sketchpad, only to be met with bright red eyes and a big smile. It almost reminded him of the passing expression he’d see on Xinqiu, especially when that other blue-haired boy was in sight, but he never paid it much mind.
“Hello,” he said, then turned back down to his drawing. He had been sketching out a few pose ideas against the bright Liyue sun, leaning against the railing as the storyteller a couple feet away droned on. He had managed to tune everything out around him-- even found the white noise to be helpful for getting into the drawing mindset. Albedo was one to dislike leaving work to the last minute, but his latest experiment had taken him longer than planned due to a few unexpected factors (Read: Klee), so he decided to use the energy of Liyue Harbor itself as the inspiration he needed to get his last few drawings done.
The girl didn’t seem to like that, reaching over and tapping him on the shoulder. “Mister? I need to tell you something im por tant! Look up! Looooook!”
If it wasn’t for his older brother practice, then he’d be sporting a look of annoyance by now. He tucked his pencil away, giving her his attention. “Yes?”
She didn’t say anything, merely pointing behind him. Turning around, he was met with a sizable, round looking ghost, which was lightly smacked into his face.
The girl began to cackle, nearly doubling over with laughter as she pulled the ghost away. Suddenly, her strange pose made much more sense, having been leaning over for their conversation. “Gotcha! C’mon, I gotta see…”
She trailed off, gazed fixed on Albedo’s unperturbed expression. “Wait. You aren’t scared? Boooo! Boo I say! That was a real ghost, and you don’t look like you care at all!”
“I admit, I didn’t think ghosts could be carried around in a semi-corporeal form such as that. It’s impressive.” He couldn’t help the small smile forming, as he was beginning to get the feeling that she was upset he didn’t give her the scared reaction she wanted.
He thought that she might back down after hid display of indifference, but it only seemed to rile her up more. A spark of inspiration entered her eyes, grin growing wider. “Impressive? I bet you mean...impressively terrifying! Bleugh! I’ll have to think of something even worse next time.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing what else you’re capable of.” It was an earnest wish-- Visions weren’t his primary area of interest, but if someone was capable of something particularly spectacular or eyebrow-raising, then he wouldn’t mind seeing more, especially if it might bring him closer to an answer. “May I have your name?”
The girl had already begun to skip away as if nothing happened, but turned around to offer him a few last words. “Hu Tao! Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! If you ever have any unexpected losses, you know who to talk to!”
“I’ll remember that. My name is Albedo, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius.” If she was going to offer her full title, then he might as well.
She remained silent for a few moments, utterly straight-faced. Then, she burst back into laughter, turning back around. “Ha! What a nerd! See ya later, neeerd!”
If she couldn’t earn his fear, the small sigh of annoyance he let out would have to do for now. Hu Tao was satisfied, even with the tiniest steps.