valyria

• Reserved ─ Xiao's overall demeanor is a reserved one, he does not put on grand displays or speak too much, and he is to the point and his movements incredibly measured. He does not act without cause and won't ever be caught doing something like a backflip for no other reason than he can.
• Distant ─ He comes off as incredibly distant to others, having no desire to engage with the humans he works tirelessly to protect nor any of their customs. Nor is he interested in engaging with socialite norms, finding them strange, childish, and even pointless.
• Intimidating ─ This almost makes him come off as a bit intimidating as well, he has an intensity that rarely seems to diminish even with those he has grown comfortable around. By the way that he dresses, the way he speaks, and how he chooses to appear, Xiao lives up to his name; the Conquerer of Demons.
• Loyal ─ Xiao is immensely loyal to those he has grown close to, the best example being Zhongli who was the one to free Xiao from the clutches of the god who had used him for countless years. It was Zhongli who gave Xiao his new name, who Xiao dedicated his to protecting Liyue for. He will stand for anyone speaking ill of the Geo Archon in front of him and would do anything Zhongli asked of him. The same can be said for the Travel, who Xiao promised would always appear if they call his name should they ever need him. As of current canon, Xiao has appeared each time the Travel called for him, minus the only time he could not physically move through domain space.
• Resilient ─ Xiao has lived for a very long time, defending Liyue and fighting creatures poisoned by the lingering anger of dead gods. This is stacked up a large amount of karmic debt that his fellow Yaksha's either succumbed or died too. Yet despite that, Xiao has remained impressively resistant to alluring corruption. One might even say... he is a little stubborn.
• Loner ─ It is because of that karmic debt that Xiao prefers to be alone, very rarely getting involved in human affairs. In his eyes, it is safer this way, for both himself and the people who try to interact with him. When he is forced into interaction he will ask they get to the point as quickly as possible for their own sake. Human souls are not as robust as that of an adepti, thus he fears prolonged time in his presence may very well hurt them.
• Socially awkward ─ Both due to his disinterest in engaging socially with humans and his self-imposed isolation, Xiao is... very awkward. While able to engage in conversation he can't really do small talk even with those that he has grown closer to. The Traveler even warned him off randomly disappearing on them during a dinner that Hu Tao organized last lantern rite, fearing that the number of people might overwhelm him. Xiao doesn't do crowds very well.
• Strict ─ He has also proven himself to be quite the strict teacher in his dealings with Ganyu, though he can be quite strict he is also quite effective in how blunt he is with her.
• Self Doubting ─ That being sad Xiao doesn't believe someone like him is best suited to mentor her, as he is little more than a yaksha whose hands are coated in blood and whose soul is tainted by debt. He does not believe he is capable of fitting in with others due to his bloody past, even if there was not the threat of his karmic debt always pressing his mind, he has done too much in his life for anyone to wish to stand beside him.
• Curious & Gentle ─ Despite his outward callous and rather intimidating nature, Xiao is a gentle soul who is curious about humanity despite how much they perplex and sometimes annoy him. However, he refuses to let others see that side of him due to past experiences the ever-present threat of his karmic debt.

Xiao was born in China during a rather tense period of history, to a family that was, unfortunately, unable to care for him. They tried, truly, seeing him through infancy until the strain became too much and they were forced to abandon him at a very young age. This forced Xiao to have to quickly learn how to fend for himself in any way necessary. He stole food, fought for shelter, and defended himself from people and whatever predators thought of him as easy pickings. however when you're having to fight and steal in order to survive you ultimately make yourself some enemies, or at the very least a lot of people start to get angry at your existence. This is exactly what caused Xiao to awaken to his supernatural powers; after stealing from the wrong people he was cornered and taken to a nearby cliff with the intent of throwing him off it. Panicked and terrified something snapped inside of him and a gust of violent wind tore through his attackers, leaving one dead and the other two injured.

This incident was witnessed by an agent of the Imperial Dynasty at the time who, upon watching this young boy display such power, decided to take Xiao under his wing. He was taken from his home then, cleaned up, and spent the next few years being trained in the art of combat and clandestine activities. Xiao became the blade in the dark, a shadow, the whispered demon shackled to the divine, used to bloody its own hands instead of theirs. Xiao does not know how many years he spent in the service of the man who collected him off the street, nor how many years passed since he began his service. Xiao didn't care, he felt indebted to the man and thus allowed himself to be used.

However things do not last forever, dynasties fall and lords are often killed, and with his master's death, Xiao was left abandoned once again. A drift in a world he knew very little about outside of its shadows. He had been a weapon, a tool, first before a person, and he learned very little of simply living. Xiao fell to the streets once more aimless and uncertain until he was happened upon by a man who recognized him for who, and what, he was. Xiao's whole world shifted upon meeting this man, Zhongli, who gifted him a name and, unintentionally, a new purpose in life; he would remain at his side and protect him from whatever dangers dared approach him.

Through this relationship, Xiao began to learn how to live simply as himself, not as a tool or a weapon, but as Xiao. He was encouraged to be curious about the world around him, about people, about all the things deemed unnecessary for him to know about during this time with his now-dead master. For many long, long years his life revolved around this, around Zhongli and their travels, around learning and discovering new things as the world around them shifted and changed. But even that was not destined to remain forever. Xiao bore witness to the change in Zhongli's friend, the fractures that formed, and the madness that threatened to consume him.

It was around this time that Xiao noticed Azhdaha's disappearance and his adoptive father's subsequent distancing, something was wrong, and while Zhongli's explanation satisfied his curiosity something did not sit right. He struggled to understand both Azhdaha's sealing and the reason behind his adoptive father growing more and more distant. Xiao continued as he was, trying his best to stay at Zhongli's side all the while learning everything he could about the world around him as they moved through it. Eventually, Xiao and Zhongli would be forced to part ways, something that Xiao did not like but agreed to under the urging of his adoptive father ─ not that Xiao stuck with it for very long, as Xiao would follow Zhongli to Kaisou to watch over him from the shadows and discover what new things await him in the city.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

While still socially awkward growing up without a shit load of karmic debt trying to mentally rip him apart at any given moment, as well as bearing witness to the downfall of his fellow Yakshas, Xiao is actually a lot more open to new experiences as well as interested in engaging with other people. Never mind that he doesn't exactly understand how to interact with people these days, he is old and has spent at least a good chunk of years of his life with Zhongli of all people.

It is important to note he is outwardly friendly, unlike his counterpart, though can easily come off as very blunt and abrasive. He genuinely wants that connection he did not get in his younger years.

• Immortality. ( 4 points. )
• Jump noticeably higher than normal. ( 2 points. )