There's a flicker of something like amusement that veils behind his pleased smile when he hears Hermione's name: he thought so.

"She knows you all quite well, it seems. I've met her, she's a clever girl." As for the heartbreak of leaving Sizhui behind, should anyone happen to vanish before another, he hums as he gratefully sips his tea, "Should you find your heart's song in a cloud, it would be best to at least try your luck flying toward it. If the connection is sincere, the joy of its warmth will outlast any initial fear of falling."

If not, then they will become Xichen.

"When we return," because they will, he brooks no argument on that score, "I would prefer Sizhui felt fond echoes of memories from his time away from home, especially any lost ones."