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This was the first time she heard of a celebration called 'Christmas.'
"No peeking."
Keqing huffed. "I find this highly unnecessary, Aether. I just got back from Mondstadt; I'm tired, yet there's still some paperwork I need to finish before midnight. I don't have the time to be goofing around right now."
Or so she says. No doubt Aether was chuckling at the way she was still obeying him as he dragged her through the harbor. Frankly, she was curious. She was a curious person, albeit an impatient one.
"It'll be quick, I promise," Aether said.
Paimon, his lovely companion, chirped up behind them, sounding far too pleased with herself. "Yep. You're gonna enjoy it. Even Paimon helped out this time!"
This time? As far as Keqing was aware, she had been helping Aether from the start, and, apparently enough, this happened to be her idea. Suffice to say, that revelation didn't instill much confidence.
"This better not be one of your schemes…" Keqing said.
"Would it help if I told you it was?"
She sighed. "Yes, because then I would know what to expect. If this ends up being a waste of my time, Aether, I swear…"
"I know. I know."
A few minutes of blindly walking passed and she started to get annoyed. What was this all about already?
"Okay." Holding her shoulder, Aether turned her around so that she was facing what sounded like Feiyun Slope. "On three, open your eyes."
"Aether…"
He counted down. "One…"
She heard Paimon nod excitedly and float high in the air. In an instant, silence filled the harbor.
"Two!" Paimon shouted.
Keqing's brow creased in irritation. Patience snapping like a twig, she turned around to yell, but her words muffled partway through. Now, she couldn't say anything at all— not with how suddenly busy her mouth was. Aether kissed her deeper and she crumbled at the exhilaration, the passion, he expressed with his lips.
Dumbstruck, Keqing closed her eyes again. Just as she was about to kiss him back, Aether pulled away and nudged her forward.
"Three."
Her entire world exploded with color.
Red, blue, mint-green, and yellow. Like a kaleidoscope of fireflies, these lights danced all throughout Feiyun Slope in rhythm. They were everywhere, in all shapes and sizes— from the walls of the shops to the various stalls aspiring merchants used to peddle their wares. Some of the lights encircled the streetlamps while others hung from the snow-covered trees dotting the landscape.
Keqing gaped. Her eyes followed the trail of lights— tried to. As far as she could tell, the lights decorated the harbor from the entrance bridge all the way up to Yujing Terrace. Every turn of her head was accompanied by a change in hue. Blue, then to her favorite shade of purple. Then to lilac, the same as her hair.
She only noticed then that the citizens— her citizens— were staring at her expectantly. They all had cheerful smiles on their faces as if welcoming her back home.
Back to Liyue.
A hand clasped hers, and she turned to see Aether beaming at her.
"Merry Christmas, Keqing."
She struggled to form the words. "H-how?"
How was this possible? How did he make it possible? Was this really her Liyue, glimmering like the brightest star she's ever seen?
In response, Aether held out something for her. A small lantern, flickering a subtle glow. Keqing recognized it immediately. She was the one that made it for him, after all.
Aether poked the lantern and disassembled it with careful precision. "It's a bit more grand-scale than this, but it uses the same principle— just with a bit of modification."
"What?"
Producing something from his pocket, Aether tossed the vivid purple rock into the air. It crackled with Electro. "Powersource," he said. "Honestly, I'm glad I got tons of these Electro Crystals laying around. I can't seem to find any use for them, otherwise."
"No, no, it can't be that simple," Keqing argued, shaking her head. "I'm aware it's possible to harness Electro from the crystals, but how were you able to get them to do THAT."
As if on cue, the lights changed colors to an embarrassed pink.
"Pretty gems give off pretty lights," Paimon answered, floating down to their level. "The lamps light up in a different color depending on which gemstone we put inside. Paimon gathered the gems together with friends while Aether bought most from the Lady Tianquan's personal collection."
Keqing blinked. "...And the price?"
Aether looked away.
"Okay, nevermind the price," Keqing said. "There's still no way…"
The underlying principle seemed sound, but there was still one major problem. She was able to make the lantern because it was tiny. Using conventional wirings to connect raw Electro Crystals would overload the mechanisms. Fires would start randomly, and, not wanting to risk the safety of the citizens, she quickly scrapped that idea. Copper simply wasn't suitable for conducting massive amounts of Electro energy. Comparing her little handicraft to the light show she was witnessing now…
The extraordinary traveling duo nodded to each other in understanding.
"As for connecting them all…" Aether explained, scratching his cheek. "Well, let's just say we have a friend that knows a few tricks when it comes to Mora."
"Huh?"
Paimon raised her hand and spoke next. "Yup. Using copper wires as the base, we coated everything in smelted Mora. The Mora absorbs the excess elemental energy, and the resulting product is able to conduct the electricity safely and efficiently to all the lamps."
...
That was…
"...ingenious…"
The concept was incredible. Brilliant. Mora? Something she had literal coffers full of? Maybe that was the reason she hadn't thought about it. It was so mundane that she had taken for granted how it could be used for all sorts of things.
Keqing looked at them both with amused expressions on their faces. They grinned from ear to ear— as if no matter how skeptical she was, no matter how many questions or doubts she threw their way, they'd be able to convince her and turn her around.
"Somehow, that's just like you, Keqing," Aether said. "You got all these pretty lights all around you and the first thing you think about is how they work."
Paimon scoffed into her fist. "Pfft. What a nerd~"
She'd take offense to that last bit— but they were right. Her gaze wandered to the lights again. They had changed to amber, lighting up the streets as if it was daytime. The bustle was back, louder than ever, and she realized the marketplace was more crowded than usual— more so in all her years of patrolling the city. Bargain papers flew in every direction as both merchants and consumers haggled for the last bits of their Mora. A cold breeze blew past, and it carried with it the savory aroma of dinner as well as the excited clamor of her people. The home she held dear shone as bright as the stars above— like in her dreams.
All because of one person.
She felt her heart skip a beat, and as she squeezed Aether's hand, he smiled back. The lights reflected from his eyes dazzled like the stars in the night sky.
"'Merry Christmas,' huh?" Keqing asked, amazement easing her voice. "I assume 'Christmas' is something you experienced in your otherworldly travels, hmm?"
Aether merely laughed.
Keqing giggled too. That's right. This wasn't the time to be thinking about logistics, engineering, or other boring stuff. No, no. It was Christmas. She'd be damn sure to enjoy it.
And for starters...
"Mphff—"
Tugging on his collar, she kissed him again. Aether struggled in vain to resist but had soon melted into her embrace.
Paimon shook her head and politely turned around. "Dear, oh dear."
"MmmmPpHhFF— !"
...Perhaps 'kissed' was too light of a term. By the time Keqing pulled away, they were both panting for air. A crimson blush seared both their cheeks, and Aether wiped the drool off his chin.
"C' mon, Aether!" Keqing exclaimed, excitement radiating from her smile. "I wanna take a closer look at the lights!"
She yanked on his arm, and as ever, Aether complied, nodding and holding his elbow out for her to cling on. As one, they strolled down the lantern streets, enjoying their time taking in the sights while cuddled in each other's arms.
If she could have one more wish, she wished to remember this day forever. How the first snowflakes fell atop their heads. How the amber lights gradually shifted to lilac. How their lips met each other's all throughout the night, and how sweet it tasted each time.
How in that blissful moment in her life, she felt her dreams had become a reality.
She wished to remember all of it. The memory of her very first Christmas.