#crossover: genshin x starfield

[rosenongrata]

weewoo

[rosenongrata]

🌠🌸

[rosenongrata]

wishes for another day – 2/11

summary: A collection of birthday fics for Genshin Impact characters, feat. a variety of OCs from a private fic – Divine Spark.

a/n: yes this is OC-related yes you will enjoy it– anyway... this was meant to be finished on Alhaitham's birthday, but i didn't get around to it until this month >.< OC's name is Dextra Corvi! they're from my original story, The Great Rift/Starfield ~

c.w/s: OC x Canon, OC-insert, Crossover. fluff!!! there's an elderly cat. cyno makes a single pun. kaveh is sleep-deprived (no surprise there). birthday celebrations :3

w.c: 2k

After Alhaitham left the house for the day - off to work as he always does - Dextra visits his home. Well, his shared home - with Kaveh, of course. Dextra - as observant as ever - took mental notes about Alhaitham's schedule throughout the day. Not that they're stalking him, but they noticed after knowing him for long enough. And why did they choose to arrive once he left? Well…

Knock, knock.

Two taps against the wooden door of the home are all Kaveh needs to drag himself to the door. He had been up all night again because he was slaving away at refining his blueprints. He desires nothing more than sleep right now, wishing this headache he calls "work" would disappear for a little while.

"Oh. Dextra." As the other holds the heavy door open, Kaveh yawns behind his free hand, "…Alhaitham has already gone to work if that's who you're looking for."

Dextra shakes their head, which is still covered by their trusty masked helmet. The digital expression on their mask, though, clearly signifies their upset mood with the sad face it shows. Kaveh plants both of his hands on his hips, waiting for them to use their words instead of having himself guess away at what could be wrong.

"Dextra. Words, please—" Kaveh sighs.

"Sorry…" Dextra finally speaks up, their voice raspy and low - like always. "Humans celebrate their date of birth, yes? And today is Alhaitham's birthday…?" They ask quietly.

"Oh." Kaveh blinks, his arms immediately dropping to his sides, "Do…Starlings not celebrate birthdays?" Dextra shakes their head in response, "Well, then. But you want to try getting him something, I guess. I wouldn't bother, though. He doesn't care about his birthday at all." He explains with a bit of bitterness in his tone.

The expression on Dextra's mask somehow seems sadder than before, but their tone gives no hint to their disappointed mood.

"Alright, then. I will leave you be, then, Mr. Kaveh." Dextra bows a little before turning on their heel.

"Wait a second—" Kaveh sighs, reaching out to them but never touching. "I'll help you, okay?" He retracts his hand before Dextra turns around, "Even if he doesn't celebrate his birthday that much… I think he'd somehow appreciate you the most if someone were to give him something for his birthday." And finally, their mask's expression turns neutral.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaveh." Dextra nods, "Please…teach me how to celebrate a human's birthday."

Sigh.

That's what Kaveh and Dextra do in unison.

"All he likes is books and…more books." Kaveh groans, dragging his hands down his face as he flops back against the couch rather dramatically.

"I do not believe he'd…be able to translate Starling books, my apologies. I suppose I could translate them - as Starlings are omnilingual—" Dextra begins.

"…You're omnilingual? What is that even like?" His hands drift to his lap, pinkish eyes firmly locked onto Dextra - giving them a mild spook mentally.

"Oh, uhm… I am unsure how to explain it as it is an evolutionary trait of my species…" They twiddle their thumbs.

"An evolutionary trait?! You've got it all, huh…" He exclaims in wonder.

"…Oh." They mumble as their stellar heart sinks at his insensitivity, but they are so quiet and withdrawn that he doesn't notice.

"I'm - uh - sure he'd be fascinated by those books you have, though. Give it a shot. I'm still certain he'd appreciate anything from you of all people." He recommends; crossing his arms across his chest.

"I will…try. Thank you, Mr. Kaveh." They abruptly rise to their feet, "I will leave you be now. I apologize if I was a poor guest." They bow before turning and walk to the door, "Goodbye. Do have a good rest of your day." They leave.

"Hey—!" He jumps to his feet moments too late, "Ugh… They're about as careless as him sometimes…" He sighs, "…I need more sleep."

Dextra wanders the sunlit city of Sumeru - feeling a bit hopeless after their discussion with Kaveh. They meander - walking from shop to shop, eyes failing to catch onto anything of interest. As they mosey through the city, they fail to notice a stray cat tailing behind them - and then the elderly cat meows. Dextra jumps in surprise.

"Huh?" The Starling whirls around and looks down, immediately spotting the greying face of an old cat. "Oh… One of those…felines." They crouch down, rubbing a hand over the animal's back.

The cat then promptly crawls up onto them, clawing their way up to rest comfortably against the stranger's shoulder.

"Oh—" Dextra laughs lightly, "Alright… I guess I've been adopted." They smile beneath their mask. "…Perhaps Alhaitham will enjoy you, too. He could use a cat to take care of instead of reading all the time. A nice furry friend for both of us…."

Standing upright once more, they cradle the cat in one hand - holding them firm against their chest and shoulder. As they return to cruising the streets, they find themself in the Grand Bazaar, a newfound hope rustling in their chest. They stop at several shops in the bazaar - still failing to find anything that would make a good birthday gift.

They sigh a little.

And then something small - maybe even cute - catches the corner of their eye. Their head pivots in the direction of the object of their desire, spotting little plants in equally little painted pots. They stalk up to the vendor - accidentally spooking the owner, causing them to gasp and clutch their chest. Dextra's mask's eyes slant upward to take the shape of quiet remorse.

"Oh!" The owner pieces the puzzle together with ease, "My bad. I didn't mean to offend." They smile wearily.

"Hardly. It is my bad - I did not mean to scare you. I—" They go to speak more but are interrupted by the cat meowing at them - as if being told to not overexplain. "Alright, kitty…" They sigh under their breath.

"Hehe, I like your friend here." The vendor smiles a bit brighter. "Anyway, you interested in these succulents? I grew them myself!"

"Ah… Succulents…" Dextra nods as if they understand what those are - they don't, though. "Would they…make an appropriate birthday gift? It is my friend's birthday today, he is a wielder of a Dendro Vision. So, I was thinking he might like it…"

"Haha," The owner giggles, "Sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. You kinda talk like you've never gotten a gift for someone before," She shrugs, "But that's not my business. My business is to know if you'd like to purchase one or not!"

"That's quite alright." They nod, "Ah… Let me…look over each one."

They observe each one, finding their designs rather colorful and - above all - fascinating.

But one in particular stands out the most…

The deep red one has a bright green center - the red almost appears black in most lighting. Dextra stares long and hard at it before pointing to it.

"This one, please." They murmur.

"Of course! That'll be 500 Mora." She nods.

"Ah, right, money…" They fold their spare hand behind their back, manifesting falsified Mora from thin air - and double the amount required. They hand the bag over to the vendor. "Here. Keep the change. I…imagine having to buy and grow your own plants can be costly."

"W-Wow! Thanks, stranger!" She sputters out, having to hold the heavy bag of gold with both hands. And when she glances up to speak once more, her mouth hangs agape - they had already disappeared, all with the red and green succulent in hand.

"No cats allowed, Dextra."

Cyno says firmly to the lonely Starling that stands before him, his hands firmly placed on his narrow hips. The eyes of their mask turn upward and blue, depicting their sadness.

"Do not give me that face." He retorts.

"But it is Alhaitham's birthday." Dextra mumbles. "This elderly cat and the succulent are his gifts."

"…You got him a cat and a plant." He echoes, putting a hand to his chin. "I am not certain how he would feel about that… But…this is Alhaitham we're talking about."

"Yes, these are my presents. I understand he finds solace in my presence, so I would like to leave him with something that is not book-related and a reminder of my…affections for him." They explain softly.

"You sound like you're about to leave him forever…" He murmurs, "Are you?"

"I must return home to The Great Rift for a while - which is very far and quite dangerous to get to from here." They nod, "I do not wish to leave Teyvat for good yet, but my matriarch requires my presence." They sigh.

"…Alright." He nods, "You may drop the cat and plant off at Alhaitham's office." His arms drop to his sides.

"Thank you, General."

"Call me Cyno, please. And I will…C-ya." He mentally grins before striding off, feeling rather proud of himself for that joke.

Unfortunately, the joke goes right over Dextra's head.

After sneakily stumbling around the Akademiya for a while, they finally find themself at the Grand Sage’s office – quickly spotting Alhaitham at the grandiose desk, packing things away to return to his former place of work as the Grand Scribe. The career he finds most comfortable – something that doesn’t require and beg for his attention at every turn.

He hasn’t spotted Dextra yet, though. He appears to be quite engrossed in packing his things. When they approach the desk with hesitant and silent steps, he barely manages to spot them from the corner of his eye – and not without his shoulders jolting in slight surprise.

“Dex.” He greets them with a nod, straightening his posture and turning toward them from behind the desk, “…What’s with the cat and plant?” He asks, dual-toned eyes glancing from one to the other. For once, someone’s intentions fly right over his head.

“I have…recently come to learn that humans celebrate their birthdays and that…today is your birthday.” They inform him, “So, uhm… Happy birthday, Alhaitham.” They mutter, shyness overflowing from them.

“Hmm… So you…picked up a cat and a plant for me? I can’t say I expected this, but I’ve come to learn that you have your own special ways of doing things.” He smiles softly, walking away from the desk to approach them.

His hand hovers above their shoulder – they can see a slight tremble in his fingers – before grasping it with tender strength, giving them a reassuring squeeze. He’s not adept at physical affection, but he concluded a while back that even the stars need a healthy dose of it – or, at the very least, desire it from time to time.

“…Thank you, Dex.” He smirks a little more, his free hand running over the elderly feline’s head – eliciting loud purrs. “Quite the noisy one…” He chuckles.

“Oh… Is it unusual?” They ask wearily.

“Hardly, some simply happen to be quieter.” He answers, “Let me guess… The cat found you first?” He teases lightly.

“Uhm…” They turn their head away, flustered at being caught, “Yes…” They sigh.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Dex,” His head tilts, “I’ve come to notice that Starlings attract a lot of wildlife – I suspect it’s due to your elemental presence that lures diurnal creatures… Including humans…such as myself.”

“Ah—” They clear their throat, it had suddenly tightened and dried up from the sudden onset of embarrassment. “Is this what humans call…flirting?” They whisper.

“Hmhm, perhaps.” He teases, “You know… I’d like to request one more present.”

“Like what…?”

“Even if this is not the last time I get to see you – let me see your face.”

“I…” They trail off, their whole face burning, “Alright…” They nod – their helmet dissipating with faint flurries of sparkles and colorful dust, “A-Are you happy?” They look away from him until he grabs their chin between two fingers and tilts them toward his gaze, “Ah – what…”

“You’re beautiful, Dextra,” He mutters, leaning toward them until they’re mere centimeters apart, “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, alright? And honestly…” He whispers hotly against their ear, “Your scars are pretty attractive to me.” He smirks before pressing a loving kiss to their hot cheek.

“I-I—” They sputter out, eyes blinking on repeat and their head filled with a dizzy type of confusion.

“You know what,” He whispers against their skin – letting the heat burn his lips until they tingle, “I’ll be more than happy to take care of both of them – the cat and plant. I will treasure them to the very end.” He sighs, “Thank you, Dextra.”

[rosenongrata]

Ethereal — Character Story Malachy

a/n: so. this is for Malachy's genshin crossover self. it replaces the vision/gnosis character stories that exist for other canon characters. im just proud of it... dont mind me...

Every full-blooded Starling is naturally imbued with the powers of Ether, the element of Order. It is one of the two dichotomies of the Ethereal. While Constellations and Galaxies can control both polar elements of Ether and Nether, your average Starling is bound to Ether.

What is Ether?

Some say it's the very thing that makes up the Heavens. Others may say it's the clear sky that looms above the clouds. Everyone has their own definition of the intangible element.

In reality, it's the element behind the living side of the universe. It is the very essence of existence.

While all full-blooded Starlings are born with the capabilities to use Ether, not all of them learn how to use it properly at an early age. Many may struggle and become stragglers in their long lifetimes. It's not uncommon for Starlings to develop medical issues that can interfere with this elemental growth.

Malachy, born as Hadar Centauri, is one such case.

When they were quite young, Hadar's Matriarch, Centaurus, left abruptly. This nearly shattered the small family of Centauri, leaving the young Rigil to inherit the duties of the now-missing Matriarch. This also ended up stifling Hadar's ability to adjust to the new world around them in many ways. One such way was not learning at a similar pace as other Starlings around them.

They grew very slow mentally. It wasn't something they could simply stop, though. Even after numerous visits to Leporis, the medical capital, Hadar was continually written off as being only a bit strange rather than ill in any way.

It was only until Rigil and Hadar's older sister, Lucy, had employed the help of a Senior to help out Hadar before the damage from abandonment became irreparable. This specific Senior is infamous among all Starlings, even Constellations. He's known by many monikers, but he instead has his fellow Starlings simply call him "Methuselah."

Despite Via Lactea being the cornerstone in the world of the Great Rift, as she is the embodiment of the galaxy itself, Methuselah is a bit older. He's occasionally called "the Progenitor" by some fanatics.

This is why Lucy called upon him. The Progenitor would certainly have a solution for her little sibling, wouldn't he?

And he does.

But he confirms the family's suspicions that he will have to take Hadar away for an indeterminable amount of time. While this hurt Lucy and Rigil deep down inside, they entrusted their baby sibling to him in the end. Rigil held a small farewell party for Hadar, giving them many toys and love in hopes they would never forget their family.

Regardless of Hadar's far and wide travels with their new mentor, they never once forgot their family. While they had never sent letters or souvenirs on their travels with Methuselah, they kept Rigil and Lucy in their thoughts.

When Hadar returned many centuries later, now with a headful of blue hair and bright blue eyes, something was off. Despite Hadar now being completely capable of combat and using Ether, their identity felt distant. Rigil and Lucy ignored this strange quirk, instead favoring the occasion to welcome Hadar back home into warm arms.