Chapter Text
It has been a few days since he has last met up with her, it is unfair to see her as Guizhong yet. . . He can't help but both feel excitement and dread walking up the stairs of northland bank
" My lady seems to have overslept, "
Ekaterina smiles from her place behind the desk, " She has been rather busy with modifying her machines for use in the chasm "
" My apologies , Mr. Zhongli. " Sandrone is carried down by an automata which then turns itself into a wheeled chair, she is buttoning her frilled blouse, similar to Katheryne's and fastening her collar closed as she speaks " I was not feeling well today "
And she does look sick, pale as stone, barely alert but eager enough to keep her word
" We can postpone. There is no rush "
" Oh but there is, " And she's already moving towards the door whilst applying her concealer, her white gloves powdered with the flesh coloured makeup " Her Majesty has sent her youngest to help out with the business in the chasm and i dont want that brat picking a fight with every hillichurl in the countryside "
" Do you not trust him? "
" No "
" And why not "
" Though he's smart, his youth makes him all the more stupid "
" Youth gives him a pride and exuberance he lives up to and matches well. He's a performer through and through. " He walks with her automatically moving chair, she eats a light hand held breakfast as they walk
" We're off to some plains right? I'd prefer to avoid the monsters there "
" If there are monsters in the wilds, I think your strength is adequate enough to take them down, lady Sandrone "
" Fair enough. Lead the way to Guili Plains. "
As they walk, he begins by describing the history and different sites in the plains as he would any client. In depth and detail. She seems to listen well enough. But as he looks back he can't help but feel bringing her here will only hurt him, it will only bring him more pain
He really shouldn't have brought her here
" Ah, I forgot the flower. My apologies Mr. Zhongli"
" That's alright, there are plenty of flowers in the wilds to see "
They move through the plains together, breathing in the fresh air and basking in the pleasant warmth of the sun. He continues speaking of the past, of long gone history and he finds himself slipping into more personal stories, things he would never do with other clients.
He really shouldn't have brought her here
They stand in the middle of the flooded plains, in shallow muddy waters, she looks upwards at him as he walks by her though the fields, he can’t help but think of Guizhong.
" It's flooded, I'm sorry it's flooded. I couldn't stop the storm " .
" It is useless to apologise. "
What had happened has passed. The past is passed, and the healthiest thing is to move on
" But my lady, is it not difficult to traverse the flooded plains in your chair "
" It is. It's fine " Is she listening to him? Her gaze is distant.
" Is everything alright, Lady Sandrone ? "
" Look , " She points. And there a wild glaze lily, a patch of multiple flowers growing all around
She moves towards it and places herself on the grass beside them gently touching the petals " So these are wild glaze lilies. Far more pungent aren't they "
" I believe the word is fragrant "
He can't help but see Guizhong with her sitting on the grass by the wild flowers. He sees her soft hair flowing in the wind and misses the bright smile that reaches her blue eyes.
But this is not her. This is a cruel woman with far too much love and joy from staining her hands red. This is a cruel woman whose hands hold him so gently and yet he can’t help but find comfort his stupid lizard brain gives with her soft smile.
" Would you like one? It is customary to sing a song to the glaze lily before picking it. "
" Sing to it, " She commands.
Why would he not follow?
He sits on the ground by her side, she stares at the flower he begins to unearth and pick,
He offers it to her and with soft hands she gently holds it, she looks upon it almost sadly, Zhongli thinks.
" It smells good. "
" It's better quality, as it's wild "
" It was good you sang to it. Though the hum of machinery is song enough to me " She places the flower in his hair, " Sadness doesn't fit your beautiful face. "
He allows himself to lean into the touch of her hand on his cheek
" If I could bake you in porcelain and keep your pretty head on my desk . . . " she smiles " you’d be perfect in my room "
Is this how she flirts??
Why does his stupid lizard brain like it– he wishes he could stay like this but . . . " We should move on to Mingyun Village "
And they do, he teaches her about the mining deposits and such, how this was once a thriving village now haunted, he takes her to the mountain’s mine shafts as perhaps like a prelude to the visit within the chasm itself
Zhongli stomps on the earth, the ground shakes and he unearths a large chunk of blue
He hands her the large cut of noctiloucus jade, very vibrant and high quality. And very large
Her small hands seem to buckle at the weight but she picks it up with a smile
" Jade ore. "
" Ah, um.. my apologies, should i carry that for you ? "
" No no. No need " She places it on her lap. " It's very heavy "
" I am aware you prefer things for your research and for your consumption rather than just for show of symbolism. Which is the reason for why you return the flowers. I thought a stone of good quality would be a more appropriate gift than flowers for a lady such as yourself, who can doubtless find many uses for it "
" Of course. Thank you. "
" There is no need for thanks, lady Sandrone " he continues, " Stone is . . . they are akin to my sisters and daughters " He begins to do a more professional statement on stones as he catches himself being more and more personal.
She looks away, is she even listening?
When he returns home he places the flower along with the others, hoping they feel the better parts of his nostalgia for Guizhong and far less of how lonely thoughts of the past make him.
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Bright orange hair and deep yet dull blue eyes greet him as he runs down the steps of the docks. As part of his duties as their consultant, he was to greet the young man so eagerly disembarking from the boat.
Childe seems eager to touch him yet he hesitates.
He awkwardly pats his shoulder
" Mr Zhongli! Care for some drinks tonight? "
" I thought drinks together were to be expected "
" Of course! My treat ! "
Later that very night, Childe still full of energy as if unaffected by tiredness from travel, greets him in more casual attire. Official business he said, but it seems his intention is friendlier. They drink where they usually would
" It's been a while since we had a meeting like this " he sits by him " good thing she didn’t want to tag along "
" Why isn't Lady Sandrone with us ? "
" She goes to bed rather early "
" She does ? "
" Well no. She's antisocial- and easily gets tired. "
Antisocial he had said, the more modern and sensitive term for people once called psychopaths or sociopaths. Perhaps he means asocial, she always stays cooped up indoors as much as she can. Zhongli drinks slowly, enjoying the taste of their alcohol. Sandrone had never seemed too exhausted on their trips
" If you must know, she's playing you like a fiddle. She may be a pretty face but she's rotten inside."
" Rotten hm?"
" Dottore likes his swoosh swoosh swirl swirl but she straight up will just cut off legs to keep people with her. " ah so he means the correct term. Tartaglia looks at the menu, and miraculously doesn't have to squint or bring the paper close to his face,
" Your eyesight was corrected? "
" Oh no, it wasn't corrected but there's this new invention from Fontaine Sandrone told me to put on before i left the bank, " He blinks and points to his eyes " Its glass on a dextrose solution, but i have to be careful not to get punched in the face this time around! "
" How do you like it? "
" Honestly it's a little weird. When I put my mask on I realise how little I can actually see. And when i . . . " He looks at him " Well it- " He looks away, already flushed " -it-it's a little weird "
" Don't you like it? "
" Well of course I like it! I can see how beautiful you are "
" I see, human advancement is incredible "
" Times have been changing , i hate glasses so Sandrone made me wear this as a compromise " He leans over to him, resting his head on his shoulder and dramatising " She tortures me Mr. Zhongli! "
" Why do you think so? "
He perks back up and continues reading the menu " She wants to murder me i think, she always looks like she wants to kill me. Maybe it's because I'm the youngest? "
" Who is she "
" I don't know. Or rather, I don't know what she would be comfortable to have me sharing around. "
Zhongli takes another sip of his drink,
" But that's enough about her. Let's order and drink! "
They order their drinks, their food and catch up, Childe speaks so fondly of his family, of his older siblings, of his father's newest catch. He claims he's tried weaving on a loom while on vacation, his eldest sister teaching him. He says he's made a shawl for him, it is being sent from Snezhnaya.
" You do enjoy giving gifts to others don't you "
" Of course I do. It’s nice to get things most people my age normally couldn’t. Even if my childhood was full of traditional toys why shouldn’t I buy my little siblings the best ones out there? "
Drink after drink, late into the night, Childe seems all too enthusiastic to throw back whatever they're served, all on his money, not a problem until the boy has the longing to pick a fight with him, Zhongli would prefer not to fight .
" I think you've had enough " He takes the glass away and pours water into it
" Mr. Zhongli , you're forgetting i'm born and bred Snezhnayan! " He takes the shot glass and drinks the water
" And where are you staying? "
" Bank! Top floor. Special made harbimge—hambinger— Harbinger room! " He giggles at his own word stumbling " Sandrone makes me sleep on the floor " He pouts, leaning himself closer to where their arms are linked
" We ought to make the floor comfortable for you then "
" But the floor is cold ! "
" You are Snezhnayan. "
.
Childe runs up the stairs, acrobatics and a flourish, he twirls on the railings with skill and precision
" You might fall " Zhongli tugs at his arm and Childe thankfully, gracefully lands on his feet and into his arms
" You made me fall! " He giggles and shamelessly presses himself into those arms
" Childe. "
" A little longer Mr. Zhongli. " This poor kid just wants a hug " I-i think you're very warm. I expected you to be colder but this is nice "
Poor Nadia has to witness this as Zhongli inches closer to the door, she tries to open it for him but Tartaglia all but bursts in, slamming the door open. Ekaterina patiently smiles behind her front desk,
" Lord Harbinger Sandrone will be down shortly " She must have called her hearing all the ruckus outside
And there she stands in her nightclothes at the top of the stairs, looking unamused. She holds her cane tight
" Tartaglia. " She says flatly.
" Sandrone do-don't be angry " He manages to softly slur out
" You're over 18 why would i be— " She sighs " Why are you here, there's a perfectly good hotel nearby— "
" You're angry! "
" — you're sleeping on the floor. "
" You're so mean "
" You keep insisting on staying in the top floor of the bank despite there being only a single room."
Sandrone, with her cane, ascends the stairs as graceful as she can, almost mechanical like an automaton. He can see a contraption connected to her back, into her nightclothes and around her legs, she almost seems like one of the ruin automata she so happily plays with.
" Come on Childe, up "
" See Mr. Zhongli, she likes to make me sleep on the floor "
" It seems you have a room prepared at a nearby hotel, why not stay there "
" It's the principle of being a harbinger in Liyue! Signora and il Dottor may prefer their weird nerd haunts but i like the bank "
" You classify as a 'nerd' as well, if you're forgetting "
He helps him up the stairs but it seems Tartaglia has all his mobility, the help is keeping him on track to the room
Sandrone opens the door at the top of the stairs and Zhongli can see it's changed significantly from when Childe had stayed there
The harbinger's VIP room, situated on the bank's top floor above the offices is the room the harbinger assigned in Liyue normally stays at, as it's a convenient location and Pantalone's, investments demands it be used.
The room is the entire top floor, akin to a luxury room at a hotel, with a work desk, a large bed, a personal bath, a kitchenette, with some spiral stairs leading to a deck above where he notes, has an amazing view of Yiyan Temple.
Under Sandrone's care, the room looks completely different. A mess. A mess further messed up by Tartaglia stumbling towards the desk
Her robot is by the bedside, machinery in every corner, boxes of different automata parts scattered about. Different sorts of marionettes hung on the railings of the stairs, wind up dolls on the desk in the form of dancers,
He steps forward
Crunch !
Guizhong looks at him with an unamused expression, a broken machine at his feet,
The light shines through her large circular window, as usual her home is a mess.
" You blockhead ! You killed my cat! "
It was barely a cat
" I know it's not exactly like a cat, I don't know how those Khaenriahn people do it "
She lifts the broken machine
" But i'll find out " , she smiles at him " Look ! I even figured out it's joint mechanics by observing kitties ! "
A wide grin on her face as she holds a different contraption towards him, " Come in , have a look at my new frog "
He takes another step,
Crunch.
" I'm sorry "
" What are you sorry for? " Sandrone asks,
Zhongli stands on clean but messy floors, the lamplight warms the room, highlighting the intricate latticework of the bank's rectangular windows.
He is not stepping on any machines.
Sandrone is in front of him, small in her frilly nightclothes. A cane in her hands and some steel contraption on her legs he can see from her feet , it's keeping her standing upright. She almost looks like the dancing wind up dolls on her desk.
" For intruding, " Composure, prim and perfect
" Tartaglia isn't a toddler, you could leave him in the snow and he'll survive fine. If anything we should be thanking you for bringing him home "
" I don't want him robbed or hurt "
An orange cat lays asleep atop the bed. Sandrone sits beside it , unfastening the contraption from her back, the cat rubs up onto the cold metal as it stretches
" Robbed" She scoffs, as if any normal treasure hoarder could rob him, Tartaglia was so practiced in the dance of bloodshed he could kill in his sleep.
" You have a point. "
" Could you open the window on the deck above? The cat is going to scream in the middle of the night if he's not let out "
" Of course "
" Feel free to take a flower "
Stepping carefully up the spiral staircase to the small deck above he opens the locked sliding windows and breathes in the night air. You can clearly see a wonderful view to Yiyan on the left, and the city to the right. Glaze lilies in a vase in full bloom.
A small notebook is on the table, sketches of Liyuen architecture and technology, mostly sketches of technology from Khaenriah's machinery, but a few well detailed works from Liyue. A detail of a glaze lily hairpin alongside an illustration of him with a flower in his hair. He takes a glaze lily from the nearby vase
He walks down the spiral staircase, careful not to step on what she has set on there to hang and display
" Do keep him hydrated " he tells her about the squirming drunk young man on her floor
" But I am! "
Said Tartaglia crashes into the floor as hydro then back into himself like a failed alternate sprint, he makes himself cozy on the floor next to her bed
" Must admit i've never seen him like this "
" He's enjoying his youth, while hangovers aren't as bad yet "
" Thank you for bringing him home , goodnight Mr Zhongli "
" Get some rest, goodnight. "
He can hear her through the door as he quietly closes it,
" Tartaglia! Take your lenses out"
CLANG!
" Ow!! Why do you have to hit me! "
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Zhongli is called to the director's office, Hu Tao looks to be in good spirits as she smiles up at him
" Look " She holds up two letters. " You are quite popular "
" How so? " Zhongli is aware he had made his form flattering, he was beautiful and he likes being beautiful. If those are love letters he must reject them
" These two are the highest bidders for your time "
" I did not know you've put me up for auction. " He sits across her, the usual familiar tone between them " Director, here i thought you cared for my wellbeing "
" It's precisely because I care for your wellbeing that I'm taking as high a bid as I can! " She opens the letters quickly, " These two harbingers want you so bad~ "
She hands them to him. One signed Tartaglia, the other signed Sandrone.
" Director Hu, they intend to hire me for the same reason. " All he can honestly ask; " Why "
" Power play? " She shrugs " They want you to take them around the chasm. For business of course. "
" Of course. "
" Lady Sandrone pays higher than that kid— "
" You are not too many years older "
"— so you're going to meet with her to discuss the details of your chasm trip. Childe can cry into a pillow "
" They intend to take me to the chasm? "
" Honestly i think they intend to take you to bed " she jokes, " to put you to sleep of course~ "