Chapter Text
Let me take you to Liyue, Tartaglia had said, eyes shining. It’ll be fun. You can even use trade as an excuse.
“It’ll be fun,” Huffman mutters to himself, sitting in the shade of a covered walkway and halfheartedly fanning himself. “Right. So fun.”
It is so much hotter in Liyue.
He hears footsteps behind him. “Hey, you alright?” Tartaglia hands him a bamboo fan and a cold glass.
Huffman doesn’t know what’s in the glass. He doesn't care. The important part is that it’s cold. He downs it in a matter of seconds and hands it back to Tartaglia, seeing his concerned expression. “I’m fine,” he manages, angling the fan towards his face.
Tartaglia studies him. “I was going to suggest we walk around, but I think it might be a bit warm for that.” He pauses to think. “How about going up the mountain? It’ll be colder at the top.”
“Anything other than here,” Huffman sighs. Thankfully he’s not wearing his full armor, or he’d feel like a cooked golden crab dish. He looks wistfully at the pond in between the stone walkways, envying the fish that swim around under the bridges. Then he looks regretfully at the “No Swimming” sign. He stands up.
Tartaglia smiles. “There’s a path just up this way,” he says, tilting his head the opposite direction of Bubu Pharmacy. It’s a place Huffman would like to see, after doing business with them before, but it can wait. He readily follows Tartaglia into the shade of the rock face, feeling the soft moss under his boots.
The path winds back on itself slightly, large steps that seem naturally carved leading the way up. Huffman pauses in a particularly deep patch of shade to look at a flower. “It’s closed,” he observes.
“Ah, those are the glaze lilies. They bloom at night,” Tartaglia explains. “It’s one of the special native flowers. I wouldn’t pick it, though; these are the Tianquan’s personal gardens.”
Huffman raises an eyebrow. “You’re advocating for following the rules? Do I have heatstroke? Am I hallucinating?”
Tartaglia laughs sheepishly. “No, you’re not hallucinating. Last time I was in Liyue Harbor, though, I got into… a bit of trouble, so I don’t want to risk getting on the Qixing’s bad side again.”
“It must have been a hefty bit of trouble to catch the Qixing’s notice,” Huffman guesses, and observes the way Tartaglia winces.
“Let’s keep going,” the Harbinger says. “The flowers will still be there on the way back.”
True to his promise, the path does keep going up the mountain, although on a few occasions they have to pause to fend off small bands of hilichurls and the odd whopperflower. Eventually they reach the top: a flat, abandoned stretch of rock, with some old ruins. Huffman steps around the corner of the crumbling wall, and swears.
He backtracks quickly, but it’s too late. He’s disturbed a Ruin Hunter.
Tartaglia hisses quietly. “Find cover,” he says sharply. “I’ll handle this.”
Huffman almost surprises himself by stepping forward. “We’ll handle this,” he corrects.
He almost regrets the impulsive decision as the Ruin Hunter whirs to life, staring at them with its glowing mechanical eye. He draws his sword, channeling his Vision into the blade until it sparks dangerously. He glances over at Tartaglia, who draws his bow, and they exchange a look. A plan is silently agreed upon.
Huffman steps forward, crouches, and lunges, hitting the Ruin hunter with an arc of Electro energy. He rolls out of the way, and hears the twang of a bowstring as Tartaglia shoots an arrow straight into its eye. The machine drops to the ground and goes silent, twitching from the reaction of Hydro and Electro. It quickly crumbles into nothing.
They both let out a deep breath. Huffman starts laughing. “Never a dull day, is it?”
Tartaglia takes his hand and kisses it. “Never,” he agrees. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”