Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Good Morning, Ms. Yu, how is my reputation in Liyue?" Lumine asks upon seeing the ponytailed brunette in her usual post near the stairs leading to the seafood stalls near the dock.

It was quite admirable how dedicated and responsible the administrative members of the Adventurer's Guild are. Everyone seems to be in position (she saw Lan and Katheryne already in their posts as she passed by as well), even before dawn broke, standing with friendly smiles that ease people into freely spilling any, and all, troubles plaguing them at the moment.

"Paimon has a good feeling it sho~t right through the roof after helping Clerk Zhao!" Paimon pipes in as she pops into existence, radiating excitement.

Ms. Yu chuckles and pats Paimon on the head, the latter easing into it like an affectionate kitten.

"I don't know about shooting through the roof, but Clerk Zhao did swing by to give her thanks for your help last night, so thank you, you two."

"Awwww." The fairy glides out of the touch of slightly deflated Ms. Yu, who quickly straightens her posture.

No, she did not just show such a look due to the loss of a pleasant ball of fluff to sink her hands in. That is just your imagination. The sudden longing for a cat cafe to open in Liyue Harbor? Same as before, it is part of your imagination.

"Cheer up Paimon, we'll get there soon enough!" the Traveler gives her travel companion a smile. "We did become Mondstadt's heroes pretty quickly, right?"

"Ohhhh yeah~"

Lumine then focuses her attention on the brunette once more after seeing her emergency food supply is in good spirits again. You never know when an emergency will come... and a sad food ration is not a tasty food ration.

"What I do know is, the citizens are more at ease letting you two handle their requests," Ms. Yu says as she hands two envelopes she had prepared beforehand on the Traveler's waiting hands. "These first two are the usual requests. While this..."

She fishes out a cream colored envelope that seems to be touch bulkier than the first two, and upon closer inspection, had some strands of White Iron and Cor Lapis artfully running across its length.

"This is a special request. The requestor specifically asked for you two to handle this."

"A special request?!" Paimon blurts out. "Open it! Quickly!"

Lumine says nothing as the last envelope was placed neatly on top of the two previously given to her. Her companion whines as she slides them all in her travel bag.

"As per usual, these requests are meant to be finished within the week. Please do take care in your ventures."

"Thank you, Ms Yu."

"Ad astra abyssosque!"

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

It’s not the gentle voice of Madame Ping that brought Zhongli back to reality, but the slight sway of his earring forwards as it flows with a gust of wind. He blinks as the chirping of the birds, the sound of water hitting the rocks, and the sounds of bustling people come back to him. He puts down the cold tea in his hands, and prepares an apology, but stops short upon seeing his adeptus friend bearing a knowing smile.

"It is fascinating how people have advanced to the point where they have found a way to snatch a moment in time and preserve it on a piece of paper, isn't it, dear friend?" Madame Ping nods towards a young man holding a Kamera, taking the photograph of a young Liyuen maiden.

"Oh, yes, that is true." The funeral parlor consultant's eyes go back to the scene he lost himself in only moments ago.

"For beings with such sharp, and clear memory, it must be puzzling to see the need for such devices and products," the old lady starts as she fixes another cup of tea to replace the stale tea in front of her guest. "Yet, one must understand that the memory is one of the human's weaknesses. It wears on with age, the same as with their bodies—a trait of mortals. But, it's more than that. Certain emotions—some simple, some more complex—comes from a photograph."

She places the tea cup filled with a brew from a fresh batch, and encourages the former Rex Lapis to take a sip with gestures of her hand. A fresh batch is best enjoyed steaming hot after all.

"I know you don't need me to tell you all this. You have most likely observed it yourself." The woman enjoys a cup of tea herself. "Don't take it as an offence, but you always seem to have something on your mind whenever you come to visit."

She gives a hearty laugh, a few wheezes in between, given the age of the vessel she chose to manifest in.

"I simply said what I did to jump into the page your mind had wandered off too."

Zhongli finds himself hesitating in putting down his empty cup of tea. The taste of the special blend of Dragonspire mint, Huaguang Stone Forest violetgrass, and Liyuen berries was exceptional, but more than that, he believes the pink tint on his features would be seen, lest he put down the said tea cup. He slowly places it down once he feels the flush disappear, his usual schooled face having returned.

The glint in the old woman's eyes told him she already knows.

"It's that Fatui boy, isn't it?" Madame Ping pours them both another round. "That 'rascal from Snezhnaya' filling in that gnosis-less gap with something akin to a human heart."

Zhongli's eyes widen with her words, and the flush on his features intensify, so much it climbs up to the tips of his ears. He decides it wise to keep his mouth shut, lest he sputters something in disgrace in front of his old friend. He finds it hard to face his tea companion, so he looks away, back to the spot where the fair maiden had her picture taken.

Enhanced hearing allowed him to pick up the conversation between the Kamera-man and the maiden.

"Oh, I cannot thank you enough. With this, dear Wu wouldn't be so lonely during his trip in Inazuma." The maiden smiles and bids the Kamera-man goodbye.

He sees the Kamera-man promptly tuck his equipment away before dashing to his next appointment, a different location perhaps. Then, he studies the maiden whose photograph was taken, as she walked at a leisurely pace. That smile on her lips never left. Her eyes did not seem to hold a sadness that is usually accompanied by a departure of a loved one. How curious.

He felt a tug—no, not a tug, but rather… a dropping motion(?) somewhere in his chest cavity.

Madame Ping sees her tea companion's eyes widen for a moment and then glaze over. She could already see those new thoughts ultimately land on a ginger-haired lad. She wonders what makes her homely spot by the stairs a good thinking spot for his fellow. He sought her presence, yet left her out to dry. How incredibly rude it is... yet undeniably forgivable because of who this person is. She finds herself laughing.

"Alright, alright, I won't pry any deeper. What you do with your retirement is yours to do as you please."

The funeral parlor consultant snapped his attention towards her, catching her wipe a tear brought upon by laughter. An unreadable look is set upon his features.

"Don't take my teasing to heart; these moments are a rarity. Let this old woman savor it for a brief moment."

To the untrained eye, there are no changes in the dark haired man. But in Madame Ping's eyes, his expression and body language seems to have softened.

"No… I do not take any offence from your actions. I-I am simply taken aback by your observations and the straightforwardness you have presented your thoughts to me." His gaze lowers to the slowly dissipating steam over his tea; his gloved hands fidget near the vicinity of the tea cup.

Madame Ping sits in silence, taking in the former archon before her. She knows he was venturing into the sudden storm of thoughts raging in his mind. She speaks before he sinks in too deep.

"Really, old friend, you can be very particular with the way you handle daily life and strategize how you handle unprecedented situations." Madame Ping's voice draws him back to reality. "Yet you could be so blind with the details that concern yourself."

The funeral parlor consultant blinks, then drinks the tea offered to him, despite having cooled off considerably, then places his hand to his chin—his usual demeanor when deep in thought. He began to organize his thoughts as the Madame simply watches, taking a bite of a tea snack once in a while.

"I... suppose you are correct in saying that." Zhongli begins after what seems to him to be 'a few moments'. "Do you suppose it has something to do with age?"

Madame Ping chuckles. Is this the conclusion the six thousand year old Rex Lapis has come up with?

"You may certainly put it that way, if you so wish."

The former Geo Archon furrows his brows.

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Oh, would you look at the time, shouldn't you be meeting up that rascal in Third Round Knock Out?" The old woman urges him out of his seat.

"How do you—?"

"Go on now, off with you. It was a pleasure having you cater to this old woman's needs. I will see you again soon, won't I?"

Zhongli doesn't resist after hearing her words.

"Of course, Madame Ping. I will see you soon." He stands up, straightens up his attire, making adjustments until he finds it acceptable before seeing himself to the staircase nearby.

His eyes catches a glimpse of a Glaze Lily before he descends the steps. He fondly thinks of how its shade resembles Childe's eyes.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

"Why won't you open it already?!" Paimon whines as she stomps on air, tempted to pull her hair in frustration but soon enough deciding against it.

By mid of the afternoon, they had finished gathering the items required by the first two requests. All that is left to be done for those requests is to hand the requested items over to their respective request writers.

Most of the day's assigned commissions have been taken care of as well. They simply had to remove the road obstructions some Hilichurls built. Which... is something they could do on the way home.

But for now, they need a quick lunch.

Lumine shoots her a meaningful look as they head towards a Geo Archon statue for a moment of rest. Whether the location was a good picnic spot or not is debatable, but the healing aura the statue gives off is always welcomed.

Though, if her hunch is right on the money, maybe that wasn't the only thing debatable about their location.

"I think I know who sent this 'special request'." She made quotation mark hand signs in the air.

"You do?" Paimon gasps and peeks over the Traveler's shoulder as she begins to open her travel bag, eyeing the mysterious letter.

She makes grabby hands at it when the traveler shoves some Mora Meat and Grilled Salmon into her hands.

"Lunch first," Lumine says as she grabs her own share.

Paimon made an annoyed sound but began munching on the Mora Meat, anyway. Her curiosity made her forget her hunger. A few bites in, she realizes that Lumine was probably hungry too. And a hungry traveler with a thinning patience could lead to her being a snack.

Paimon swallows deeply at the thought.

Lumine offers her some water upon catching her expression. Paimon refuses with hands waving 'no' and a strained smile.

The Traveler tilts her head in confusion for a moment, and shrugged lightly before drinking the water she was offering the fairy.

With lunch finished and all cleaned up, Lumine brings out the elegant envelope.

"FINALLY, Paimon thought we'd be back to our room in Liyue Harbor before we rip open that letter."

Lumine rolled her eyes.

She flips the letter to see its front, and the wax seal with the geo symbol adds another point to her suspicions on the request sender. She carefully lifts the envelope flap, in hopes of preserving the wax seal's shape, but fails. The wax seal cracks, causing her to frown, but she quickly moved on from her disappointment in favor of fishing out the letter.

She could feel something else besides the paper, but decides to put it aside, in favor of the letter itself.

Paimon moved to snatch the envelope but her sneaky hands were swatted away.

"Letter first."

Paimon grumbles and crosses her arms. Lumine eyes the displeased fairy floating by her shoulder before unfolding the two(!) paged request letter. The papers' front side has a glossy feel on it, even the backside felt a tinge softer than the usual fare sold in the stationery section of Wanwen Bookhouse.

It was as if... silk flower threads were incorporated into the paper making process.

"Good Day, my friend

"I hope this letter finds you well..."

 

Seeing the wall of text right below that greeting, Paimon scrunches her nose in distaste and backs away.

"You go read that on your own. Paimon's head will just hurt from reading. Just give Paimon the short version later!"

Poof!

The fairy disappears, and Lumine is left alone to read through what she will later summarize as a brief history of the Kamera, a vignette of a Liyuen maiden having her picture taken, and a reflection paper of sorts on the experience before, which led to the actual request.

After reaching the end of the letter, Lumine didn't have to glance at who the sender was.

Not when the luxurious quality paper, blocks of elegant calligraphy, the wax seal with the geo symbol, ludicrous amount of promised payment, and the Geo Archon Statue behind her answers her unasked question.

Yes, this is an awkward place to read such a letter. It isn't as debatable as expected.

Lumine's palm meets her face. She peeks at the hooded statue behind her, and then at the contents inside the envelope. Her eyes do the counting, and there really are twenty geo sigils inside. She buries her face in both hands and proceeds to scream internally.

How could Rex Lapis be such a sap? Just how lovesick can a person be when you see the person every single day? [1] Did this man just offer his life savings [2] for two—O Sevens, two!—photographs of Childe?

Four hundred thousand Mora, a total of one hundred geo sigils—twenty of which are enclosed with the letter as promised [3], five interlaced fates, and 10 Hero's Wits is simply overkill for two photographs of the 11th Fatui Harbinger—even if one of them needs to be taken in the midst of a battle. That battle photo seems like the easier one to fulfil, if someone asked her.

And... aren't they together already? Wouldn't a picture of them together be better? Is this something that needs to be super top secret? Is it okay to accept the request?

What would Childe do to her if he knew she and Zhongli had a secret?

Lumine's blood drops a few degrees at the thought. She knew Childe was possessive—even more so with the funeral parlor consultant. The slightest of errors in wording can bring a prompt end to her and Paimon. She won't get to see her brother ever again.

The Fatui have eyes and ears everywhere, and this is the reason she decided to open this letter in the wilderness in the first place. In the likelihood her inkling of the sender's letter was true, and the contents of the letter were something very personal, it is best to stay away from the bustling harbor.

"The maiden, dressed in the finest clothing that she could find in her wardrobe, turned her attention to the Kamera. Her face was framed by the careful and artful arrangement of her hair, put up with an assortment of jewel-shaped ornamentation. Her face, touched lightly by powder; her bright eyes accented by kohl.

 

"Ah, yes, that smile. It was full of warmth and fondness. It was not overshadowed by the intricacies of the ensemble she had created.

 

"This was the visage she wanted her beloved to remember her by. It was her way of fighting for him—her way of keeping the impending loneliness at bay.

 

"I found her strength endearing. An unfamiliar tug in my chest caught me by surprise, and a wave uneasiness ebbed in.

 

"Why do I feel the need to have a tangible record of someone I was about to meet come sunset?"

Zhongli's words describing the events of the vignette made her groan in frustration.

Just how could she refuse when told something like that?

The traveler takes a deep breath, exhales and repeats the process until she has calmed herself. If Childe Tartaglia finds out before she finishes the request, she'll figure it out then.

She'll take the job, and pray to any of the other five Archons [4] that she comes out of it alive. And for that to happen, they'll need a game plan. Time to call the key to this operation.

"Hey, Paimon, I finished the letter." Lumine calls to the air.

Paimon materializes in the air, her curiosity brimming again.

"Oh? So what does it say? WHO sent it?"

Lumine scratches her cheek.

"About that…"

Paimon tilts her head in confusion, then places her hands behind her back.

Why does the Traveler look so hesitant?

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

It was night time, and the streets of the city center were quieting down. The funeral parlor consultant could be seen seated at the inner seating of Wanmin Restaurant, carefully sipping the house tea. An empty seat beside him reminds him of the message Nadia had told him as he came in for his shift. Apparently, the 'Boss' couldn't make it for dinner. Business matters kept him burning the midnight oil.

His mind lazily drifts to the request he made of his traveler friend. He hoped it wasn't too much of a burden…

If he asked her personally with this, outside the help of the Adventurer's Guild, would she have accepted it?

She would have, wouldn't she?

"Dining alone, Mr. Zhongli? Your companion, running late?" Chef Mao asks as he brings over his regular's usual meals, his voice snapping the gentleman out of his thoughts.

"I'm afraid so. His job keeps him tied to his desk for tonight."

"That's too bad then." Chef Mao places a bowl of Black-Back Perch Stew in front of the funeral parlor consultant. "I'll wrap this one up to go, and for the bill..."

The restaurant owner gives his customer a once-over, and determines the other didn't bring Mora with him that night, not unlike any other night. Zhongli stares at the man as he wondered what he was doing, his curiosity didn't reflect on his face.

"I'll put it on Childe's tab."

Ah, so that's what it was.

"Oh, no, allow me..." The brunette turns to his suit, and brings out in the open his bag of Mora. "I remembered to bring some this time around."

Chef Mao's eyebrows raise in surprise as he places the untouched Calla Lily Seafood Soup on the counter. He watched in fascination as the usually Mora-less man began to count the contents of the bag.

"How much would it be in total?" Zhongli asks sheepishly. Prices of meals usually go over his head when he dines with Childe.

The chef tells him [5].

The brunette stills for a moment. While it is true that it had been a while since he had peeked into his personal money bag, he sees it also true that the amount he is finding inside looks about one half of said total amount short.

"How come he hasn't starved to death yet?"

The sound of a certain little fairy's shrill voice plays in his mind in full clarity. He feels some heat rising from his cheeks as he slowly turns to lock eyes with the restaurant owner who has finished packing the Calla Lily Seafood Soup.

Eyes stare back at him in understanding. He could feel his throat run dry as the need to apologize makes itself apparent.

The loud guffaw that immediately followed catches him off-guard.

"It's fine, it's fine! I'll settle for whatever amount you have in that little bag of yours!"

More laughter erupted from the cook. Zhongli was forever grateful for Chef Mao's generosity, and the fact that they were the only ones in the restaurant at the time.

"You've supported this little restaurant for as long as I remember. This isn't the first time you've not had enough to cover a meal, and surely it won't be the last!"

"I do humbly apo—"

"None of that now." The restaurant owner quickly cuts in. "There are three things I'm sure of. One, you're an upstanding fellow who pays his dues in a timely manner. Two, you've been more carefree than I have ever seen you starting that day you brought that Snezhnayan to our doorstep."

The flush on Zhongli's face burns hotter at the comment.

Had Tartaglia brought such a change, for people to bring him up whenever he isn't around? He could imagine a smirk on the said man's face if he learned of this. Embarrassment quickly melted into frustration. He does not wish to see that self-satisfied smirk—no matter how beautiful it was on his features, especially accompanied by that melodical chuckle—if it was at his own expense. It is simply unfair. No mortal should have a hold on him like this.

"And three..." Chef Mao prompts to draw his attention back to him, seeing that the young man was fighting some imaginary battle. "You'll find yourself back here time and again, no matter who you bring along, always asking for our delicious dishes to go along with the memories you make here."

Golden eyes widen slightly, and all the pesky irritating thoughts he had previously vanished. A soft, warm and cloud-like feeling enveloped him.

"I- I, er," Zhongli stutters. His amazement at the generous words directed at him makes it hard for him to string a proper sentence.

"Thank you," was all he could manage for now.

"Ah... ahah," the restaurant owner scratches the back of his neck. He finds it (redacted) [6] hard to believe he said something so cheesy to a customer. "Just don't tell anyone I said that, especially Xiangling!"

The consultant straightens his posture, his face schooled into that familiar unreadable expression.

"Of course," He says and nods towards the older-looking man.

"Just know you're welcome here any time, alright? Now eat up! We don't want that Black-Back Perch Stew to grow cold!"

In the corner of his eyes, Chef Mao sees the curt nod from his last customer of the night, as he began the prep work for the next day's orders.

Zhongli takes a taste of the broth and finds its heat, in both spice and temperature, to be just right. He eats his meal while he (mentally) digests the scene that unfolded.

Acceptance, what a glorious feeling it was to feel accepted as he was. He didn't know he longed for it, but having it given to him this way warmed him up inside.

This night is turning out to be significantly less cold than he imagined a few hours ago.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Three measured knocks brings Childe back to the world of living, breathing people.

He looks out the window, and a blanket of stars twinkle back at him in greeting. Oh, when did it get so dark?

The world of numbers he just left didn't seem to have the concept of time. Line upon line of balances, yet no notice for how 12 noon had turned into 9 in the evening? How ironic. It was a good idea to have Nadia inform his 'usual meal companion' (as his staff would call Mr. Zhongli) how he couldn't make it to dinner tonight.

There was no way he was going to make the older man wait for him indefinitely or let him starve. They were supposed to eat at Wanmin tonight… Was there still a running tab?

"Sir, Mr. Zhongli has brought you your supper. Permission to enter?" The person at the door voices out, since she didn't receive any acknowledgement from her boss.

"Ah, is that you, Ekaterina?" Tartaglia asks, coming back to reality. "Sure, come on in."

The silence in the room is as such that it accentuates the sound of a twisting door knob, the click of the door shutting, and the footsteps that followed shortly, thereafter. There were only three people on duty tonight: he, Ekaterina and Nadia. The other personnel have retired since the bank's closing hour, unwilling to start on the growing pile of paperwork that came with the end of the fiscal year.

The end of the fiscal year is always hellish. Financial statements, and documentation on loans make up the majority of the piles, on top of the usual fare of withdrawal and deposit documents. These had to be sorted, checked, and rechecked before they were sent to wherever they needed to be. And, being a Fatui Harbinger, another pile of intel (that he reviews whenever the numbers get too much) is somewhere in Childe's office.

"Tough night, huh? I didn't think you would be the type to work overtime," Childe asks when she was close enough.

"Nothing good comes from delaying the inevitable," Ekaterina says as she sets the 'approved' stack of documents to a different portion of the desk to create space for the metal take-away container, which holds a piping hot bowl of Calla Lily Seafood Soup. "And, I enjoy the generous compensation for such work, sir."

"Aha, so that's how it is," The Harbinger chuckles lightly as he bent his body to the left, still seated, with fingers interlaced, and arms forming a semi-circle.

"Easy to persuade to do more work, huh?" He bends to the right.

"I enjoy the silence that comes with it," She says as she brings out the bowl with caution.

Ekaterina's words felt like a warning, and a flat statement at the same time. Childe avoids any more attempts at small talk (he was about to ask if she ate, like a good, caring boss, but never mind then) and as soon as he feels his upper torso all loosened up, he brings out the spoon and fork he kept inside one of the drawers of his desk.

"Thank you for bringing this here." He moves the document he had been rechecking to a safe distance away from the bowl of soup. Getting official documents stained will result in more work, after all. "I'm sure you've already extended my gratitude to Mr. Zhongli. I'll thank him personally later."

He paused, trying to remember if he missed anything.

"Ah, remind me to send the payment to Wanmin later. If that is all, you may leave."

"It is my pleasure, sir." The bank clerk lowers the metal container to the floor, making sure not to knock down any of the piles on and around the desk. "There are two other matters I would like to address, sir."

Although Childe was very much eager to quell this newfound pang of hunger, he wished to look professional in front of a subordinate. He puts down his utensils and turns to look at the masked lady by his desk.

"Go on," he urged.

Ekaterina clears her throat, and adjusts her posture.

"I would wish to inform you, sir, that Barbatos has left Mondstadt, and he seems to be making his way to Liyue."

Childe cups his chin in thought. He frowns.

Ekaterina thinks it’s because of the bard causing some sort of mayhem in Liyue. Childe thinks he's been around Zhongli too much that he's picking up that old man's habits now.

Never mind that, he needs to evaluate the harm this new development presented. He gives it some thought and after a few minutes, he sighs.

He finds the probability of the bard causing serious damage to the Fatui to be close to none; not in his current state, at least.

The problems of Liyuen restaurants and tavern owners, however, aren't his concerns. The bard is sure to cause some commotion in those parts.

"I had an old friend who had brought me some exquisite Dandelion Wine. I must say, it would be a pleasure to taste it once more."

Oh, there was that to consider too. Amending his assessment from a few moments ago, in case it does become his problem…

He could already see the furrow on the consultant's brows, and the hand placed on his forehead as a way to nurse an incoming headache.

The Harbinger chuckled at the imagined visage.

Well, there's nothing that a little bit of Mora can't solve.

"I have a feeling he's just coming over to see a friend. But not to err on the side of caution… keep an eye out for him and an ear close to the ground," Tartaglia addresses his subordinate as he leaned back on his chair.

"Understood, sir," Ekaterina answers, mentally noting the people to tap for the job. "As for the second matter, I was informed of an unusual event. Mr. Zhongli had been seen putting on a request at the Adventurer's Guild this morning. The details of the request are unknown as the request letter had been premade, and it had been handed to its intended before we could intercept."

Childe's eyebrows raise in surprise for a moment. Well, that Barbatos problem seems to have been taken care of. Seems like Mr Rex Lapis is quick on his feet. There was no need for concern after all.

There really is a little reunion between close friends happening, and Mr. Zhongli has taken precautions to minimize the damage that free spirited bard will cause. He should have expected nothing less of the former Geo Archon who had guided Liyue for generations through the annual predictions he gave during the Rite of Descension.

"There is nothing to worry about on that front." Childe makes little fanning motions with his left hand as he shakes his head. "He probably just needs some help from the Traveler."

Ekaterina was taken slightly aback by the reaction. Only moments ago, she was ready to tackle her superior onto the floor in the moment he would fly into a fit of rage. The long-time staff knew how touchy the Boss is when it came to a certain funeral parlor consultant. She finds it puzzling how relaxed the man before her was after reporting highly suspicious activity. Was this the extent of how much the Boss trusts the gentleman of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?

"Is that all?"

"Ye-yessir. That is all," the woman replies shakily after snapping out of it. "Have a pleasant evening."

After seeing her superior nod, Ekaterina sees herself outside the office. She still has some forms she planned to review, but she decides those could wait until the morning. She was far too unnerved to get anything productive done.

Childe, in his office, could finally enjoy his meal in peace. It warms his heart that Zhongli sent something for him. He would've preferred if the older man came and delivered it himself. Perhaps he could've had his dessert early if the consultant came to his office. He licked his lips at the thought.

Too bad there was no dessert for tonight… or any of the following nights until the piles of paperwork have been dealt with.

He scoops a spoonful and brings it to his mouth. Ah, it had gone cold, a pity, really.

He'll have to settle with the warmth he feels inside.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

FOOTNOTES:

[1] That is... as far as she gathers from bits of information from her conversations with the love birds, and rightly placed assumptions [back]

[2] The Traveler and Paimon still hold the opinion that the funeral consultant is not as financially stable as he thinks he is. With his actual expertise being Adepti burials, and the latest and only one he had overseen himself... is his own burial... They believe Hu Tao would probably pay him minimum wage and would even cut it a bit lower whenever she played it too far in her pranks and had incurred some kind of debt. The reason he probably haven't starved himself to death (aside from being an adepti, especially being the Exuvia, and needing less or no human-sustaining nutrients to thrive) is because Childe is there to happily provide anything he needs, from the basic necessities down to keeping up with the former archon's luxurious tastes. [back]

[3] While Zhongli couldn't mint new Mora coins without a gnosis, it seems he can still produce geo sigils with ease. [back]

[4] Yes, Five, including the Cryo Archon. With the Tsarista being the god of love, she'll surely have mercy on a person who's trying to soothe a lovesick former archon. No, she did not pray to Barbatos. It will end up in two ways: nothing or trouble. They did say gossip is carried by the wind. But wait... rumors spread by wildfire too. Should she have not prayed to the Pyro Archon too? Ah, well, it's too late now. She'll ask for all the Celestial protection she can get. [back]

[5] "That would be 2,770 Mora for the Black-Back Perch Stew and 2,260 Mora for the Calla Lily Seafood Soup. This brings the total to 5,030 Mora," says the chef. Quality food comes in quality prices! [back]

[6] The thought process that was originally placed had been removed for the safety of both Chef Mao, and the author. For the curious, the passage is as follows:

"...finds it cute that the man who embodies the very definition of composure had lost control of it for  a second because of his words." [back]

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Head Canons applied to the fic (in no particular order)

1) Zhongli needs to be loved had never felt to have truly "fit in" with the mortals whenever he went on his excursions in the "Rex Incognito” series. In his disguises in the past, he gave himself a part and played it perfectly. Those parts aren't "him-him"; they were someone else. He had some quirks that made the normal folk instinctively know that he was someone different, which led to polite distancing. As Zhongli, he is himself. Hearing Chef Mao's words made him feel the acceptance he didn't know he longed for, which made his composure crumble for a second. Take note: this effect is meaningful mostly because Chef Mao can be considered as normal folk—someone whose status isn't exactly on par with the playable characters. And in this mindset: normal folk = his people. So, it comes off as "My people can accept me as I am, not because of my stature or species. I can belong here."

2) While Childe Tartaglia is known to be a force to be reckoned with in the battlefield, it does not take a genius to figure out that he was more like a fish out of water when he was first handed his position in Northland Bank.

But just like any weapon, he strived to polish his business, banking, and to some extent, political skills. In his new mission to bring the Liyue Qixing to their knees, just as he promised the Tsaritsa, he will use this position as a weapon to make it happen.

With such a long term goal, it wasn't a surprise that his stay in Liyue had become more indefinite, and his employees are becoming something similar to a family.

Sure, the clerks may change frequently, since they are mostly new recruits fulfilling some job experience requirement that will help determine which branch of the Fatui they could contribute to the most, but there were also the permanent staff.

The permanent staff is becoming less like subordinates, and more like siblings to Childe. He supposes it's the effect of homesickness, but really, they're not too bad to be around outside of work. He won't admit it, unless pressed.

But, as far as they know, he's just trying to be a good Boss to them.

Chapter Text

"At this rate, we're not getting either requests done," Paimon groans as her entire form slumps in mid air.

"Tell me about it," the Traveler sighs, and groans as well, burying her face into her hands.

It has been four days since they have received, and accepted, Zhongli's request. It had been four days since she explained to Paimon the situation, got her to calm down, and made her swear to keep the details of the project to herself.

Two cover up stories have been created in case they were acting too suspicious.

There were two specific shots Zhongli had asked for. First, he wanted a shot of Childe working or at work. The reason given for this shot request was:

"It is a side of him that I rarely have the chance to indulge in."

Lumine agrees with this wholeheartedly. She’d only had a glimpse of Childe working when they entered Northland Bank in search of a certain little boy's brother.

Does Childe even have a "work mode"? Or a "work face"?

Actually, scratch that.

The fact they couldn't fulfil this shot request is because "Childe in work mode" exists. Another groan escapes her as she remembers getting turned away just a few minutes earlier because “the Boss is still taking a breather".

On the first day of their quest, they went to Northland bank to research and take complimentary photographs "for a young boy who wanted to be a banker someday".

They asked Ekaterina's and Vlad's permission to photograph the main floor since they couldn't go straight to Childe since he was out for business meetings, and it was a trivial request that they needn't trouble the Boss. By following Ekaterina's strict instructions [7], and a few snack bribes for the day-shift guard and his pen pal, they were able to get photographs of each job position there is in the bank...

...except for the one they came for.

Since they were informed that the meetings would take all day, and Lumine and her party still had commissions to do for the day, they decided to come back the next day.

The next day came; yet, no progress. For that day, Ekaterina told them that it wasn't the best time to bother the Boss.

Lumine wanted to insist on trying to take at least one shot, but decided it wasn't worth it. She and Paimon then took to the roofs [8], and saw an opportunity.

She brought out her Kamera, and then... ran.

She ran as fast as she could away from what seemed to be a rain of water arrows aimed at her. She didn't even see Childe look in her direction when the first arrow was shot. Heck, he hadn't taken his eyes away from the document he was reading!

Day 2 was definitely a bust.

Day 3 was even worse.

"What do you mean he's taking a breather?!" Paimon exclaimed upon being stopped by Ekaterina by the entrance of Northland Bank.

Their lack of luck in this quest was stressing her out as much as it did the Traveler. Being so close to turning into a Paimon Kebab the day before made her lose any calm she had when they made what they thought was a "foolproof" plan of doing this request.

Ekaterina crossed her arms, ready to interrogate them. It didn't feel right that the Traveler had been so insistent on having a photograph of the Boss working, especially when they had a photograph of Andrei, their official Bank Manager, for this little project of theirs. But she didn't even get a word out as she watched the Traveler sigh dejectedly, and pull back a fuming Paimon by the back collar of her outfit. The Traveler flashed an apologetic smile her way before turning to her companion.

"Let's give up for today. There's still that Eye of the Storm we have to take care of..."

Paimon stopped struggling from the Traveler's grip and sighed as well. "Fine..."

And now, on Day 4, the duo feels so exhausted even if they haven't tackled any of the day's commissions yet.

Lumine has the urge to run to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and ask the older man more details about this "at work" description. She assumed he meant "at work in the bank". Thinking about it now opens up another possibility such as "at work as a Fatui Harbinger".

That seemed like a whole new ball park entirely. And if this is the case, it is becoming more like a spy mission than a favor for a lovesick friend. She didn't exactly find that thought fun.

Having enough of the pity party, Lumine stands up from her seat in the plaza to do some light stretching. Then, she gets the list of commissions for the day. Paimon seems to have gotten over their failure too when she looks over her shoulder.

The fairy frowns upon seeing "Ruin Guard" in one of them.

The sound of children's laughter filled the air, accompanied by the loud pitter-patter of clumsy feet on the paved road. At first, Lumine and Paimon think nothing of it. It was common for a group of children to play on the streets. Their ears perk up at the sound of a familiar stringed instrument being played, and the bright, clearly amused, chuckle that soon follows.

"Play that song again, Mister!"

"What do you call that instrument? It makes a pretty sound!"

A flash of green makes an appearance from behind the toy stall, and only one name pops up in the duo's minds: Venti.

Lumine wonders if she had accidentally sent one of her prayers to the Seven his way. She isn't even sure if she should be glad he noticed them, waving excitedly as he moves towards them, despite the children corralling him with questions and requests.

"Hello, Traveler! How do you do? It seems good fortune led me straight to you~"

Lumine's eyes widen for a fraction of a second. Did he know? She puts on a smile.

"Hi, Venti, it's been a while hasn't it? Fancy seeing you here in Liyue."

"Paimon's surprised to see you too!"

"Well you can't be a wandering bard if you don't get around now, can you?"

"Fair point."

"Are you sure it's not ‘cuz you pissed off Acting Grand Master Jean or Mater Diluc?" Paimon teases, her hands on her waist, leaning in towards him.

The two bottles of Dandelion Wine somewhere on Venti's person suddenly feels heavier. A nervous laugh escapes from his lips as he takes a step back.

"Aha! Paimon knew it!" She points an accusing finger at him.

"Don't talk as if you haven't pilfered some vegetables yourself!" The bard retorts.

"Eek, how'd you know?" Paimon quickly flies behind the Traveler's back.

"But, that's nothing close to the wine on the shelf!" Lumine smiles mischievously.

"Aha...ha...ha..." The bard's nervous laugh was back again.

"Ohhhh, good one!" Paimon coos as she hovers around her companion. "And it rhymes too!"

"Anyways, let's forget about all that." Venti makes a "no" gesture with his hands. "What's with the gloom around here? Did someone die?"

Lumine throws him an unamused look. This bard... He has no tact, hitting everything and nothing all at once.

It may have already been a little over half a year since the passing of Rex Lapis and that bit about Osial, but the people are still touchy about it. He should already know about it; they relayed that tale when they met again some months ago. Though, she also knew he was asking about them too. But how did he see that?

"I jest, I jest! Sheesh, can't you take a joke?"

Lumine was about to respond when an oblivious Paimon went on with her venting.

"Ughhhh, we have this quest where we need to take photographs of ahhhhhmmmm—"

Lumine is quick to cover the fairy's mouth. Seeing that she isn't struggling, she releases her hold. But the fairy goes on, undeterred.

"But we're not making any progress! How did it become so hard to catch—?"

"Ruin guards," the Traveler butts in. "It's hard to photograph Ruin Guards. Getting too close to them for a clear shot would activate them... and uhhh running makes the photo blurry so the timing is tricky!"

"What she said!" Paimon chimes in support, finally realizing her mistake. She looks left and right to see if there were any Fatui lurking around.

Venti tilts his head in confusion, but decides to accept it.

"Well, how about you, Venti? What brings you to Liyue?"

"Like I said before, just wandering around, like a good bard should."

Oh, right, we're back to this.

"But I do plan to catch up with a friend on the side."

The trio notices a little boy run up to the bard and begins tugging on his cape. When eyes train on him, the little boy points to the group of not so happy little kids being kept waiting.

"Ah, right, go on, I'll be there in a minute," Venti tells the boy and urges him to go back to the mini crowd. "Alright, since I'm a nice guy, I'll help you on the matter that is your bane, but for now, I have a little audience to entertain!" Venti proclaims with a bright smile.

Again, Lumine is unsure whether to feel assured or worried by that statement. She chooses to smile anyway.

"Thanks, Venti," she says before setting off in the direction of the first commission. But then she feels a hand on her shoulder. She sees a twinkle in those aqua eyes.

"It's not about what I may or may know; I simply go to where the winds lead and blow."

The hand lets go and gives her a light push.

She looks back, and sees the bard already treating the children to the beginnings of a song.

What does that bard know?

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Lumine and Paimon find themselves in Guyun Stone Forest. Some hilichurl towers, abyss mages trying to influence hilichurls to join their cause, and a flying cargo carrying explosive slime had already been taken care of.

This leaves them with the final commission of the day: their meeting with a Ruin Guard.

They hate running into Ruin Guards, and that little adventure to the "Mr. Cyclops" toy museum made this whole experience miserable.

Actually, they should be hearing that big mechanical voice booming by now, even if it's farther down the road. They walk around a little and find nothing but a few Starconches and some ore. They decided that Paimon should scout the skies, as climbing would just tire the Traveler out too much, especially before a show down against a Ruin Guard.

Paimon floats high above, hand protecting her eyes from the glare of the sun, for a better view of the islands. She turns around clockwise to survey the area, her eyes squinting, but there’s no giant hulking piece of machinery to be found. She floats down and sighs, shaking her head no.

"Paimon sees no active ruin guards around."

"Do you think some other team got to it first?"

"Mostly likely~ Wait, does that mean we're done for the day?" Paimon asks giddily, as she didn't want to deal with ruin guards as much as the Traveler did. "But will Katheryne still give us a reward since we only finished three commissions?"

The Traveler ponders on this too. On one hand, the threat has been dealt with, and on the other, whoever did deal with it might be getting more rewards for doing an extra commission. She frowns at the thought of having less of a reward for the day. It's been tough trying to pull resources outside of the guild's commission rewards. Having a commission stolen from them and getting even less resources left a sour taste in her mouth. Isn't stealing another group's commission against the rules? Would it affect their reputation in Liyue—branding them as incompetents?

But wait... something feels a bit off.

"Did you see anything strange up there?" she asks the fairy, hoping it really is just her imagination. "It's just like... it's a little too quiet around here, peaceful even."

"Uhhh," Paimons provides insightfully with a finger under her chin in thought. "There were pretty big smoke pillars dotting the islands, well, bigger than usual."

"Uh...smoke? But, isn't that—?"

They look at each other, eyes wide in realization.

"AHHH," they exclaim in unison. "Hilichurls!"

That's right! They haven't encountered the welcoming crew of Hilichurls, swinging their blazing torches, along with their archer buddies. No Mitachurls came running in, hoping to slam their bodies onto some tree or fence. There were no Samachurls trying to drench them in water, turn them into plants, make them more combustible, or sweep them off in mini tornadoes.

The Traveler sprints to the nearest village and finds it deserted. There are vegetables on the ground that are halfway from being peeled; shields with too much lacquer spilled onto them; and the meat on the spit roast was way past charred and is straight up turning into a lump of coal.

But that isn't the only thing burning. It took a while, but their sense of smell finally catches up. An acrid smell surrounds the area. Unsure if locating the source was the best of ideas, the Traveler goes ahead to search for it anyway.

Paimon decides to pop out of existence for the time being as she couldn't endure the stench the closer they got to it. It does not take too long to find the source. Near the shore stands a pile of what the Traveler assumed to be burning Hilichurl bodies. No wonder the smell was so offending to the senses. She gags at both the thought, and the intensity of the smell. She dashes off after spotting the nearby islands having the same smoke pillars coming from them.

Lumine supposes that solves the mystery of how this part of Liyue became so quiet all of a sudden.

She runs towards the domain on one of the farthest islands of Guyun Stone Forest where the air was nice and clean. Along the way, she finds broken apart pieces of a ruin guard. Seems like whoever did this was out to slaughter everything that moved.

While the thought sounds horrendous, it gave her a little hope. Maybe she was getting desperate, but she hoped that the 11th Harbinger was still somewhere in the area, still "taking a breather".

Upon reaching the Temple Domain, she places her forearm on the stone arch to act as support, panting from overexertion.

Breathe in... Breathe out... Breathe in.. Breathe out...

"Paimon, you can come out now. We're not in the deserted Hilichurl camp anymore," she calls for her companion once her breathing was stable, lungs refreshed.

"So what was that all about? Paimon didn't think she was gonna last a second longer!"

"Let's just say you'll thank me for not telling you." Lumine averts her eyes for a moment.

"Awww, no fair. Tell Paimon what it was!"

"Trust me. You don't," the Traveler says with a bite, hoping the little fairy won't press the issue any further.

"Stingy," says Paimon with a huff, her arms crossing on her chest.

"And besides, that's not important. Cause if my gut feeling's right... we might get ourselves one of those photographs." Lumine ignores the insult completely, and changes her tone to something softer. Her voice was close to a whisper.

"Wait, what? REALLY?" Paimon gushes out in excitement. "So he's here?! Where?!"

"If you're talking about your mechanical friend, well, sorry to burst your bubble, but he seems to be... not in the best of shapes. Hahaha..."

The duo turned around in surprise. Lumine draws her sword out, ready to fight. They sigh a relief upon laying their eyes on a bard clad in green.

"Whoa, easy there. I did say I'll head over to help, right? Sorry for giving you two such a fright." Venti smiles apologetically as he scratched the back of his head. "So, what do you do now with the Ruin Guard laying in a heap of its body parts along the shore? You need to photograph it alive and healthy, is what I gathered from before."

"Oh, uh, yes... a pity." Lumine tries to sound disappointed. She isn't going to bother asking how exactly Venti knew where they were or the means he used to get to them, but one thing did bother her.

Did that bard really buy that excuse?

A maniacal laugh suddenly fills their ears, along with high pitched laughter of what sounded like... abyss mages?!

"Is that all you've got? It's three against one after all! No matter, brace yourself, this is gonna hurt!"

Lumine's and Paimon's eyes widen in recognition and excitement. This was their chance! Miss it and they weren't getting Zhongli's request done on time. The second request shot was of Childe in the middle of a fight. They thought this was the easy part as they could invite the Harbinger to help with their commissions, and they'd have all the opportunities to get that perfect shot. Yet, that "easy part" turned out to be the exact opposite.

"Oh, wow, d'you know who's that nutjob—? Hey?! Where are you two going?" Venti asks as the duo run past him, ready to climb up the opening above the Temple Domain.

"Just getting some photos! We'll be back in a bit."

Venti rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers, and a wind current blows up from where he was standing.

"Generous help is offered to you by a former Anemo Archon, yet you leave him hanging as you venture on?" the bard tuts at them as he uses the wind current to glide out of the dome opening and into the open air above.

The Traveler looks up and sees the cheeky smirk on Venti's face. She laughs and lets go of the rock face and unleashes her glider. The descent down turns into an upward thrust as the wings of her glider picks up the direction of the wind current. She makes her landing beside the bard, who was now pouting.

"No fair trying to leave me behind," he says with that pout, but quickly tugs the corner of his lip into a cheeky grin. "But, that's fair since it seems there's more to that Ruin Guard photo story you haven't told me."

Lumine tries to channel Zhongli's calm demeanor. She just isn't sure if it worked.

"Look, it's happening up there!"

Paimon points out to the three bubbles encircling a person. The battle rages not too far from where they are, but the rapidly shifting water could barely be seen.

Venti squints, trying to make out the shape of this nut job trying to handle three abyss mages all on his own. He could make out fiery orange hair… Is this person wearing grey? He's kind of blending in with the mountain's rock face.

"Let's go!" Paimon encourages, but doesn't move when she sees the look that the Traveler was giving her.

"He'll notice if we all go," Lumine stage whispers with her hands cup around her mouth. She really hopes Paimon knows how to read lips.

"Or better yet, I go... alone?"

The Traveler nods exaggeratedly and she slightly deflates in relief.

Good, she read it right. In the corner of her eye, she sees the bard give her a slightly disbelieving look with an eyebrow raised.

Not good, that looked very suspicious. Sending a noncombatant to a dangerous situation like that.

"I won't pry, but at least let me give some support."

"Huh?" Paimon finds herself inside a cocoon of wind.

"Alright, that should do. Off you go, you're in a hurry right? Shoo shoo!"

"No need to send Paimon off like that, tone-deaf bard!" The fairy sticks her tongue out in his direction before moving closer to battle on higher ground.

"What does that wind shield do?" Lumine asks out of curiosity, relieved that she already handed the Kamera to the fairy before getting to Guyun Stone Forest.

"Weeeeell, since it's a shield, it'll deflect any stray elemental energy that she encounters. It can conceal her presence just a smidge bit too." Venti has his hands on his hips, the air of confidence and 'praise me' radiating from him.

"Wow," she says, impressed, but still curious. "How about direct attacks or physical damage?"

"Urp, I... well, it's a spy mission right?" The bard says a bit weakly, now twiddling his thumbs. "She'll be fine, as long as she's not dragged into the fight."

The Traveler's eyes dart back and forth between the fairy's slowly diminishing figure and the bard. She bites her lip, hoping Paimon knows what she's doing and that Childe won't just indiscriminately hack at any living thing in the vicinity.

The little fairy really might end up as a Paimon Kebab if things go south.

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

Paimon holds the Kamera with shaky hands. It is the first time in a very long while since Paimon has ventured alone, not to mention right into a dangerous situation. She makes a beeline to the ruin just below the fight. Good thing the edges have these scalloped edges, just big enough to allow her to be hidden.

She almost screams when a Cryo Abyss Mage stumbled back, almost falling back right to where she was. Her form crumples into a ball as she feels the chilly air reach her.

"You can run, but you can't hide!"

Upon hearing the Fatui Harbinger's voice, she snaps out of it. The chill is gone, and she isn't in pain. She takes a peek and sees that the Cryo Abyss Mage had managed to go back into the fray, aiming icicles at the Snezhnayan and had successfully frozen the man in place. Its shrill laugh fills the air. The Pyro- and Hydro- Abyss Mages join in as the Hydro Mage reinforces the wet status and the Cryo one drops another one.

The Pyro mage dances a bit.

"Paimon can do this! Don't let that tone-deaf bard make fun of Paimon by messing this up!" She whispers as pep talk, her hands more steady now. "This a job only Paimon can do!"

She brings up the Kamera to her face and paces a bit closer to look for a good angle. She has practiced with the Traveler before. The pointers Ekaterina had given them during the Northland Bank pictorial were also good.

While she couldn't remember the terms, their names all sound so difficult! But, her hands knew which dial to fiddle with to get the results she wanted.

Even when frozen, the Harbinger seems happy with how things were going.

Crack, crack, crack—

The ice shatters, and the Cryo Abyss Mage misses its mark. By the time it realizes its mistake, the Harbinger was already behind him, dealing heavy, consecutive blows with his water polearm.

Click!

The Pyro Mage acts as support, sending a flamethrower-like strike to activate a Vaporize effect, but it was too late. Cryo Mage's shield has shattered.

The Hydro Abyss mage watches in horror as its comrade was continuously hacked to pieces.

Click!

"Aw, c'mon, I already gave you the advantage by just using my bow earlier!" His disappointment drips out of every word, but a hearty laugh follows quickly.

Enraged at the condescending tone, the Pyro Mage sends its three fire-breathing familiars to incinerate this cheeky bastard. Childe laughs even harder, and jumps out of the way with a swift turn, and he heads towards the Pyro Mage.

Paimon finds it easy to get immersed with the battle. Getting into the groove of things, she finds chasing shots and even finding places to hide behind from in the process. The hands expertly press the capture button at the right moment, which usually happens when she sees Childe's face light up at the struggling Mages' attempts at cornering him.

Paimon is thankful that Harbinger was seemingly trying to draw out the fight. In hindsight, she understands that there is no way she could've taken any pictures had the man decided to use his Electro Delusion rather than his Hydro Vision.

He is even switching to his bow from time to time. No giant whales were unleashed, not even mini ones (if such an attack exists in the Fatui's arsenal).

But that is fine with Paimon; he did look cool using that.

Just before the battle ends, with the Hydro Abyss Mage screeching in agony, Paimon decides to head back to the group before Childe notices her.

Paimon most certainly doesn't want to be flayed, or turned into a scratch post. No, thank you, it's an easy pass.

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

"Um, Traveler, what are you doing?" Venti hesitantly asks since he isn't so sure if he is just imagining this.

"Hm?" Lumine asks absentmindedly, completely immersed in her mining activity. "Oh this? Just prying off some Cor Lapis out of its stone. This would've been easier with a claymore, but I couldn't lift one up myself."

"I can see that, but..."

"Well, when you see an opportunity, just grab it, you know?"

"Uh...huh…" he sighs in defeat after seeing that joyful expression on the girl as she managed to finally coax the Cor Lapis out of its stone. "If you say so."

"Relax, she won't be mad by getting some readily available resources." Lumine tucks the precious stone into her bag, right beside another Cor Lapis chunk she mined a few minutes earlier. "Oh, here she comes!"

Venti's eyes drift to the ball of wind heading their way.

"Paimon's got the shots!" Paimon announces happily. "There's a lot, just in case there are blurry ones."

Venti snaps his fingers to release the condensed wind around the fairy.

"Good job, Paimon! I'll make you some pancakes with these freshly picked berries as a reward." Lumine reaches for the fairy's head to give her a pat.

Paimon eases into the touch, very happy to learn she is rewarded without having to bring it up herself. The Traveler knows her well. She hands over the Kamera while she was at it.

"Glad to see the little miss made it back in one piece~ I was worried you'd be forever resting in peace! Hahaha!"

"Shut it, tone-deaf bard! Grrr… you ruined Paimon's good mood! Hmph!" Paimon removes herself from the Traveler's touch and crosses her arms, refusing to look at the idiot bard.

Venti laughs, and Lumine is quick to join. He laughs harder at that. This is a hoot. If he sounded like he had no regard for Paimon's wellbeing, she should've seen the Traveler—switching gears not even a minute had passed, happily scavenging for food as she waited! These two are so fascinating! Oh sevens, he could feel the beginnings of a bellyache starting. The laughter grew in volume, and it took a few moments to realize why it did.

A third person had joined in, and it wasn't Paimon.

"Greetings, comrade! Glad to see you in good spirits~" The Snezhnayan man greets with a cheeky smile and a friendly wave. "Well, except for Paimon, I see."

Lumine wants nothing more than to use Teleport or have the Earth swallow her whole. No, scratch that part, she didn't. It was a figure of speech; she does not want to die in the hands of a possessive Fatui Harbinger.

They should've run the moment Paimon came back. She forgot the Fatui Harbinger moves so fast it was as if he could teleport.

"Fancy seeing you here, Childe," Lumine greets as she tries to smile, hoping it didn't look forced.

Venti said not a word as he watched his friend struggle to act composed. Then, he eyed the ginger haired man. He was smiling, but his eyes weren't as happy as his smile suggested. Oh, the man really was clad in grey, wasn't he? There was something here—oh, his name is Childe?

"Well, I just… needed to take a breather, is all," Childe says, nonchalant, as he stretches his arms. "The paperwork and back-to-back meetings are just getting to me. And you?"

"Oh, uh, just here on a commission about a stray Ruin Guard, is all," she says, trying to match his nonchalance. "Though, it was down by the time we got here."

"Oh, that was your target?"

Venti sees the happiness in that smile finally reach the other man's eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, I took him down myself. Got a little bit of pent up feelings with those guys, if you catch my drift," Childe says, a bit apologetic, and takes something out of his pocket. "Well, with these, you can probably pass it off as your party's work."

He takes Lumine's hands and places a Chaos Circuit and a Chaos Device onto them.

"Actually…" The harbinger starts taking out items from various parts of his outfit, as Venti and Lumine stare at mute disbelief. Just how much storage can you fit in there? "Take all of these. You have more use for them than I do. Hahaha, it's a token of apology."

A pile of Hilichurl masks, horns, scrolls, Dead Ley Line branches and leaves, and even slime samples now sat on Lumine's arms.

"Pai—," she begins to call her companion for help, but sees the Fairy had already hidden herself while everyone else was preoccupied. She turns to Childe. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, and it's kinda my fault you didn't finish all of your commissions today."

"While, this is all good, and compensation is generous, don't get me wrong… But, what do we do about the Ruin Guard photo?"

Lumine's eyes slowly widen as she turns to the bard. She sees the mostly confused look on the bard's face, except there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes. Her teeth clench tight as she tries to rein in the curses she wanted to hurl towards this man-child and keep them safely within the confines of her panicking mind.

"There's… there's always a next time," she says as calmly and friendly as she could; her smile most definitely crooked.

"A photograph of Ruin Guards, eh?" Childe muses, and gives a chuckle. "Whoever requested a photo of that was a bit too late, huh? We had so many opportunities to get one, just the other day!" [9]

The Harbinger laughs heartily as if he didn't get torn to pieces by a horde of them, once upon a time. Maybe dismantling the roaming one in the most gruesome way—as anyone could with machines—qualified as a satisfactory revenge

"Weren't you and Paimon just complaining earlier about how you've been trying to photograph Ruin Guards for days now?" Venti asks with a finger near his cheek.

He is the picture of innocence.

The Traveler shot a glare towards the bard.

"What? Did I say something wrong? Unless Abyss Mage photos were part of the request, we might be going at this all wrong." Venti shrugs exaggeratedly.

If her hands weren't full, she would've strangled the bard and committed deicide. It was going so well! She even thought that green was today's lucky color [10]! She knew it; letting him tag along spelt disaster.

"I see, I see, I really screwed you over, didn't I?" Childe chuckles. "Anyways, I think I can manage giving you one. Just drop by the bank in the following days, and I'll get it to you."

The Fatui Harbinger thinks he can get his hands on Dottore's files, the latter seems bored with the project anyway.

"Oh, isn't that great news, Traveler?" Venti gives Lumine—who looked like she was ready to crumple in relief—a cheeky smile, and turns to the Harbinger. The bard turns to the taller man, and gives a little bow. "A pleasure making your acquaintance, my name is Venti, a simple bard who has traveled quite a distance."

Childe blinks then examines the bard from head to toe. An image sketch—that was starting to become very familiar—from one of the Fatui intel reports flashes in his mind. He mentally sighs in relief as dots connect in his mind. Sevens, how outdated are those files on Barbatos? When he got to them, he wondered if the file was enough for the Millelith to arrest him [11], Fatui Harbinger or not.

Other than that, he's glad to see things check out alright. The Traveler is with the former Anemo Archon, meaning, the babysitting has started.

"Oh, right, introductions. You two haven't met," Lumine says quickly, omitting the word 'officially' at the end. Just as the next few words tumble out of her mouth, she realizes how uncomfortable this is outside the context of Zhongli's request.

"This is my friend, Venti, a travelling bard I met in Mondstadt." She turns to the bard's direction the best she could with the pile of items in her hands. Then, she turns to the taller man. "And Venti, this is Childe Tartaglia, a Bank Manager from Northland Bank. He's a very experienced fighter who helps me from time to time."

Alright, that sounds harmless enough. Lumine gives herself a pat on the back.

The two men began to laugh. There was a tear forming on Venti's eyes.

"You left out the '11th Harbinger of the Fatui' part," Childe says in between laughs.

"And you left out the 'former Anemo Archon' part for my introduction," Venti says the wheezes. "Signora wasn't very gentle, though complaining is not my intention."

So much for avoiding tension… But, they seem like they're getting along(?), if you call this getting along.

"I appreciate the gesture, comrade, but there is no need to hide my identity. I told you straight up who I was when we met, remember?" Childe explains and ruffles the girl's hair. He turns to the bard. "I have to apologize for Signora, that's just how she does things. Don't think everyone in the Fatui operates the same way she does, even if most of the members are the scheming type."

"So I have heard," Venti says as he wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. "I'd say you've had your hand in the scheming too, a tad bit on the shallower side. But summoning Osial? I doubt that courted Lady Luck to your side. Hehe"

"Touché," Childe shrugs, knowing when to let things be. "I'm not too interested in courting Lady Luck, you see."

"Oh?" Venti asks with a challenging grin on his face.

"Well, not when I have a couple of admirers right here. You were taking pictures of me and not the Abyss Mages, weren't you?"

Venti whistles, low and prolonged in surprise. So, this is the secret? So this is the Traveler's type?

"Uh," Lumine's throat ran dry, and a flush rose up her cheeks.

So they're caught… but, not completely. This plays nicely to prepared excuse #2. Her cheeks were already burning in embarrassment, might as well play the role well.

"Who are you calling an admirer?!" Paimon pops into existence, seemingly angry yet she sports the same flush her companion does.

"Eh? Did I get it wrong? I overhead Ekaterina mumbling about how insistent you were to take a photograph of me at work."

"Tha-that's—!" Lumine's cheeks burn brighter, so bright she turns away from everyone.

Did it look like that to everyone who didn't get the context? Gosh, how embarrassing. Maybe she should have considered incurring the Wrath of the Rock with this excuse too.

"You even climbed some roof to take a peek into my office, right?" Childe says with a fist fitting under his chin in thought.

Oh archons, this again. If he meets up with the consultant again soon, would he stop picking up his habits? He sees the watchful eye of the former Anemo Archon on him, which makes him put the fist down.

"I-it's not like that!" Paimon exclaims, equally embarrassed. "You-your fighting stances are just cool, okay?"

"Like that changes anything!" Venti laughs once more.

Childe joins in with the bard. Their laughter resound throughout the whole island. There really is not a dull moment with this lot; his funny bones are getting abused.

"Stop laughing so much," Lumine whines as she crouches down. "And, don't tell anyone else."

Can't this part of the plan just pass already? She's just glad there isn't a Geo Archon Statue around here, receiving immediate divine retribution for Childe suggesting she had anything close to romantic feelings for him, and the fact Paimon's big mouth didn't let the cat out of the bag.

Speaking of bags, might as well start stuffing all these materials into her bag. Paimon notices and helps her pack.

"Joking, just joking." Childe wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. "But, just in case some part of that was true, I'm sorry, okay? To make it up to you, just tell Ekaterina that whatever request you have, within my capacity, is all good."

"Thank you." Lumine looks at the Harbinger and throws him a smile with some pink still tinting her cheeks. "You better make good with that promise."

"You know I will," Childe says confidently, a cheeky smile in place.

Venti calms himself when he notices a couple of drops of rain staining his clothes.

"I guess we're all done with our business here," Venti says as he stretches out his hand to catch some rain drops.

"Yup, we're all good here." Lumine stands up, patting her travel bag.

"You go on ahead, I still have some unfinished business here." Childe points behind him with a thumb.

Right. The Abyss Mage bodies still need to be taken care of. Lumine doesn't think too much about what will happen with the piles on the shore now that it has started raining.

Venti was about to say some witty rhyme goodbye to the Snezhnayan when a gust of wind blew right through them, making his eyes grow wide. Ah, no wonder the tone of that last apology seemed out of place…

The Fatui boy had already been claimed.

He smiles to himself as the Traveler teleports them back to Liyue Harbor.

And as for the one who claimed him? It's someone who was very familiar; in fact, someone he was visiting soon.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

FOOTNOTES:

[7] "No, not at that spot. That's against the light. And by Tasarita's grace, not that angle. You'll make the people in the shot look more plump than they are. Are you sure you know what you're doing with a Kamera?" [back]

"Move further away; make sure any words in there are undecipherable. That is... unless you want a lawsuit for attempting to ruin the Fatui's reputation by causing a Privacy Leak."

[8] "Just what is with that noise?! Do you have rats up there?" A customer asks, annoyed that his supposedly pleasant and peaceful lunch is disturbed by the loud clacking of tiles above.

"It's just the Traveler," a waitress answers the customer, seemingly unphased, while refilling his tea cup. "We're used to it."

The customer grumbles something about foreigners and their lack of manners, but stops upon seeing a small plate of cold almond tofu slide close to his meal. He looks up to see the chef wink. [back]

[9] And oh, what a day it was! Hordes upon hordes of Ruin Guards, ready to snuff the living daylights of whoever dared to challenge them (not that they would understand anything beyond what command is programmed into them, but still). The adrenaline and the rush in his blood was amazing. The mangled flesh, and the week and half bedrest wasn't so much… then again, he did hear of Zhongli's immense worry for him (the whole 'retirement plan scheme' with Signora was still a sore spot for Childe at the time, so he refused the consultant's audience, but took much pride in having a former archon stubbornly try to see him—with every intention to nurse him back to health). Back to the topic, Childe was sure that Ruin Guard Requester would've been thrilled at the sight of that chaos so many specimens to examine via photo. [back]

[10] The Traveler was slowly becoming accustomed to the superstitious part of Liyuen culture. And admittedly, it had started to grow on her. There was something so intriguing about the way people would determine, and even follow the ever changing symbols of good fortune. She wasn't able to hear of the day's lucky anything, but she was almost sure it was green![back]

[11] The image sketch in question was of the Lord Barbatos at the time he presented himself to the valiant Vanessa in her battle with the ferocious dragon. While the Anemo Archon had the same set of clothes to disguise himself as Venti even then, the artists of the time found it only just to portray the god in his "holier" form. [back]

Chapter Text

The trio arrives at Liyue Harbor plaza. Unlike the forest they just left, there are no signs of rain here. There are also no signs of clouds about to roll in.

The Millelith stationed nearby paid them no mind; he was getting used to the quirks that come with the Traveler. This was Liyue after all. If the undead can be receptionists at a pharmacy, then what's surprising about a Traveler who can pop out from nowhere?

The streets have started getting crowded as the work day nears its end, the sun very close to setting.

In contrast to the booming voices of hawkers, the usually chatty bard remains quiet.

"Hello~ Anyone there?" Paimon floats close to Venti's face, ignoring personal space as she waves a hand in front of his eyes.

"Oh, what was that?" Venti asks, then jumps back after realizing how close the fairy was.

"We were asking what your plans are for today and if you have a place in mind where you could sleep at," Lumine says gently, the sudden change in the bard's mood making her worried. Did something happen between Venti and Childe when she wasn't looking?

"We'd offer you to bunk with us, buuuut we're just bunking with Xiangling in Wanmin Restaurant. It'd be super cramped..." Paimon laughs weakly, and then brightens up. "Oh! Paimon's got a great idea~ You can always camp out in the outskirts of town if you've used up all your money on alcohol! Or have Childe—"

Lumine quickly drags Paimon lower and covers her mouth. She was the very picture of a parent who has a calm, friendly smile on her face, to cover up the fact a scolding is to happen behind closed doors. [12]

Venti feels a chill down his spine.

Maybe the stress is getting to the Traveler. Did it have to do with the man they 'ran into' earlier?

"Don't mind her. She's still probably still pissed about the teasing earlier." Lumine's grip on the fairy was unrelenting, even when the latter is struggling for air. "Isn't that right, Paimon?"

The fairy is released.

"But we really don't have space and it shouldn't be a problem for Childe to—"

And, just as quickly, Paimon feels a hand quickly slap its way back to her mouth.

No, Lumine does not want to invite more trouble. They certainly could not have another former archon draining the 11th Fatui Harbinger's bank account. The man already had Zhongli and her team to do the honors. Surely there isn't much room for another leech.

And if this drunkard does somehow find a way to latch on, the idea shouldn't come from them.

"Paimon wants those pancakes, right? Go ask Chef Mao if we could borrow a part of his kitchen for a bit," Lumine suggests sweetly, then she lets go of the fairy who was twice as drained now than she was a few minutes ago.

"We'll put lots and lots of whipped cream and syrup on them, you hear!" Paimon emphasizes the 'o', making each iteration of the word longer as her spirits jump back right up.

"As much as you want. Now, off you go." Lumine ruffles her head before the fairy sets off to the direction of the restaurant nearby.

"Sorry about that," she turns back to Venti, who was curious about what was that all about. Well, at least the Traveler's mood has lifted up too, he observes. There is an apologetic look on her face. "Paimon can be a little mean without knowing it. But, yes, I'm not so sure we could squish another person in the guest room we're staying in."

"No worries," the bard laughs weakly; a bead of sweat running down his cheek. He feels that there is more to that than what she was letting on. It is simply wiser not to dig too much.

Lumine crowds the bard, her hand cupping her mouth as she whispers.

"Did anything happen with you and Childe when we weren't looking? I can give him a piece of my mind if he did anything stupid."

Ohhhhh, she noticed.

"Aha, don't you worry about little ol' me." He steps back and wags a finger at her, then smiles with his hands on his hips. "I'll manage, and about that Fatui? Didn't you see how we got along splendidly?"

Lumine blinks, seeing that the bard was back to his old self. Hm, maybe it wasn't much of a big deal.

"Lumine~ Chef Mao says we can cook NOW as in NOW!" Paimon comes flying as quickly as the air resistance would allow her. "The rush hours' coming up so we can only cook NOW!"

Paimon grabs the Traveler's hand and tugs at it insistently.

"Uh," Lumine says graciously before getting pulled towards the direction of Wanmin.

"I'll be fine, geez," Venti calls out.

"Come on!" The strength of a fairy who is in dire need of a sweet snack is terrifying.

"Just come find us if you're troubled by something!" Lumine calls out, unconcerned by the looks the passersby were giving them. "And absolutely NO ALCOHOL without proper supervision."

Eyes are definitely on Venti now as people were gauging his age. This causes Venti to laugh for the upteenth time of the day. The girl had guts trying to lecture him about his drinking habits. He brings out a bottle of unopened Ragnvindr Dandelion Wine and waves it around.

Nearby Gentry De'an's and Degui's eyes widen in immediate recognition.

"Don't worry, folks, this bard's way older than the rest of you~ Now for a taste of this sweet concoction, don't mind if I do!"

The bard breaks the seal and takes off the cork, bringing it to his lips, yet the Mondstadt's brand of ambrosia never touches his lips as armed men surround him. The elderly quickly, as though rheumatism and creaky old bones weren't even an issue, make sure the heavenly brew is safe as the bard lets go of it in surprise.

This is definitely not part of his visit to Liyue.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Venti sighs as the last rays of the sunlight disappear under the waves of the vast sea the harbor overlooks. The lanterns flicker to life, and the streets fill up with people. The children loitering the streets are now safe inside their homes.

He would play a song or two to pass the time if he were in the mood, but seeing two elderly acting as his "guardians" bicker about how to run a business and, later on, who should claim ownership of the prized Ragnvindr Dandelion Wine, aged for a decade, once the bard's claimed age—a young man in his early 20s—is disproved, made his motivation hit the rocks.

The Millelith had 'arrested' him for the crime of 'public underaged drinking'.

"Kids nowadays, wanting to act like an adult when you've got nothing to prove," Gentry De'an turns to insult the bard when he reaches an impasse with his argument with old Degui.

"Now, now, you can't blame the kid. Anyone would've wanted a taste of Mondstadt Dandelion Wine," Degui says rather smugly, still drunk on his little victory against the old business giant.

"Says the person with skin as thick Geovishap hatchling," Gentry De'an mutters under his breath.

"Don't worry, sonny, I'm sure your guardian will come soon."

"Thanks," Venti replies with a forced smile that looks authentic enough for the restaurant owner to accept happily.

No one here takes him seriously. Is this why Lumine told him not to drink without 'supervision'. He got raised eyebrows from pub owners in Mondstadt but still served him his brew, but here in Liyue… This is a whole new level of discrimination! He wasn't even asking to be served alcohol. It was his wine that they took. This is beyond unfair.

"Where is this person who claims to have some connection with me?"

Venti perks up at the sound of a familiar voice, and he turns his head way towards it. His hands stop plucking at Der Frühling lazily. His savior has arrived!

"We have kept him under surveillance by the Maple tree in the plaza. Ah, here we are," Fengyan, the Millelith Sergeant explains. "It is this young, foreign bard clad in green."

It didn't take long for serious Cor Lapis eyes to meet playful Aquamarine ones. Zhongli crosses his arms, eyebrows furrowing slightly before releasing an amused huff.

"I see you have gotten yourself into quite a predicament… Venti."

Venti flashes him a bright smile. Shame, what shame? This is better than having the Traveler see him arrested for underaged public drinking after just being told not to (not a minute before). Zhongli regards him coldly and turns to the elderly and Millelith around him.

"Sir, do you know this travelling bard? He claims to be of age, yet looks not a year over 14. He decides to drink alcohol in the very eyes of the public!" Gentry De'an points an accusatory finger at the bard.

"Greetings, old friend, I believe there is a misunderstanding you might be able to mend?" Venti greets his former archon friend, paying no mind to elderly man who had quite enough of him. He even accompanies the greeting with a little tune.

"Yes, in fact, I do know of this gentleman. He is a wandering bard hailing from Mondstadt that I have met some time ago," The consultant states, matter-of-factly to those involved, and bows slightly. "Please do accept my sincerest apologies for his undignified behaviour. His free-spirited nature and penchant for alcohol has made him forget about propriety and the confusion he sows with his appearance. For clarification, yes, Venti here is of drinking age."

Sharp eyes make Venti straighten up, tucking his hands and his lyre to his sides, and bow with his friend.

"Especially so that he forgets he is in a different country." Zhongli turns his attention back to his little audience. He raises his head, and straightens his posture. "If there are reparations needed to be fulfilled—"

"Oh, no, Mr. Zhongli, your explanation is quite enough." Degui says, tone sickly sweet.

Fengyan and his troops nod in agreement, but frowns slightly at the old man's follow up.

"But, if you do so insist… this fine bottle of Dandelion Wine should suffice, no?"

"How could a bottle of wine be enough to pay for moral corruption of the children? Even if he is an adult inside, his appearance suggests otherwise, and therefore, became a bad influence on the children!" Gentry De'an argues.

"Yes, you do make a point," Zhongli assumes his signature contemplative look. "Let me mull it over so we could come to an agreeable payment."

Venti gulps and sides a bit closer to his friend. Just how serious had this situation become?

"We… I wouldn't go that far in describing the incident," One of the subordinate Millelith voices out, albeit a bit nervously. "There were only a few who had witnessed the scene, myself included, and the children; none of them were children."

"Yes, Mr. Zhongli, we believe reparations are not needed as this is a civil matter. Only these gentlemen have filed a complaint… that is, under the wrong assumption." Fengyun steps in, giving his subordinate a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "As the offender had been proven truthful in stating his age, and that he is a foreigner, who is not very familiar with Liyuen customs, we, the Millelith, are only obliged to give him a warning."

"Thank you for your insight on the matter, Sergeant Fengyun." The consultant nods his acknowledgement to the Millelith.

"What do you say?" He turns to the shorter man beside him.

Venti steps away from his friend's shadow, and bows in apology.

"My humblest apologies for my uncouth behavior. I shall recall the lessons from this incident with much fervor, the next time I find myself in this very harbor. To show my sincerity, I offer the Dandelion Wine for them to savor."

"Well said, young man," Dengui smiles and rubs his cheek on the bottle's surface.

Venti turns to see the expression on Zhongli's face, and the faintest of smiles spreads across it. He'll take it. He checked on the Millelith, and they seemed pleased. Gentry De'an has a scowl on his face, though.

"Come on, De'an, I'm willing to share!" Dengui gestures to his restaurant nearby.

"No, keep it. I don't want your pity." Gentry De'an turns to Venti. "And you, boy, keep yourself out of trouble."

He makes a move towards the bridge but then stops after a couple of steps. He turns around and looks at the funeral consultant.

"You are an outstanding man, Mr. Zhongli, but do yourself a favor and stop surrounding yourself with such troublesome people. You may take it with a grain of salt, but don't come crying to me if it gets you into trouble you can't talk your way out of."

"If it does come to that," the consultant chuckles at the implications. It sounded like a challenge to him. "I'm sure I am capable of using… various means to handle it."

Gentry De'an huffs, but is satisfied with that answer. He turns to the bridge to make his way to the pharmacy.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be at Bubu Pharmacy. I'll need some headache medication on top of the usual ones now."

"Good evening to you, Gentry De'an, and do take care of yourself." Zhongli says before turning to the Millelith. "I believe all is settled?"

"Yes, thank you for your cooperation on the matter, gentlemen. Have a pleasant evening," Fengyun affirms and has the rest of his men go to their original posts, relieving the temporary soldiers of their extended duties.

"If you gentlemen would like to share a drink with me, you are welcome to dine in my restaurant." Dengui gestures to the Third Round Knock Out again with his thumb. A cheshire grin spreads across his wrinkled face. "I won't pay for your meals, but the drinks are on me."

Venti was quick to accept the generous offer. Lucky~ It seems he really won't be missing out on that bottle's contents after all. He happily strides over to the restaurant, saying, “Don’t mind if I—” only to be stopped in his tracks when he feels the tug on his cape. He turns around to pout at the older man. "Hey, what gives?"

"Forgive us for we cannot accept your kind invitation." The funeral consultant places a hand on the bard's shoulder—who gulps and slightly pales, dreading what is to come. Zhongli's lectures never end. "I believe Venti here needs to acquaint himself with some of Liyue's social practices. I would be happy to provide him a sufficient background on the topic. We can't have him getting into trouble so soon right after getting him out, can we?"

Zhingli chuckles, flashing a knowing smile at the bard. Said bard feels a shudder rake down his spine.

"Suit yourselves, gentlemen." Dengui shrugs, he didn't care either way. He just wants to look good to anyone who's looking. He practically grins at the thought of how much he could do with this generous sample of Dandelion wine. It was sure to be enough to satisfy his palate, and his recipe experimentation needs. "If you change your minds, you know where to find me."

"Have a pleasant evening." Zhongli bids farewell to the restaurant owner who was finding difficulty in getting to his destination with his rheumatism acting up again.

"Are you really going to give me a lecture on Liyuen customs?" Venti asks a bit petulantly. He had quite enough of being treated like a child.

Zhongli eyes the pouting former Anemo Archon, finally getting a good look at his friend. To him, the bard is as youthful and flighty as ever. Having Barbatos's Gnosis forcibly taken from him made the consultant expect to feel some lingering negativity to radiate from the bard. He’s happy to be proven wrong. 'Venti' looks happier—there is more lightness in the way he moves now, even his smiles were somehow wider— albeit more irresponsible than before.

"Seeing that you haven't changed a bit, with you and trouble still joined by the hip, I believe a discussion of it will definitely make an appearance in our talk tonight."

"Tch, you're no fun, you know that?" Venti mutters, kicking a stray pebble on the ground.

"You must agree that it is necessary if you wish to stay in Liyue for an extended period of time." The former Geo Archon greatly enjoys teasing the bard. "Walk with me. It is a shame I could not provide a proper tour of Liyue Harbor, given the circumstances. We shall see tomorrow if it is possible. I would need to have a word with my employer."

"Eh he he he, sorry about that." Venti looks away for a bit, scratching his cheek with an index finger.

"I should assume you have arrived only today?"

"How'd you guess?" Venti asks, truly curious.

"I would have been called earlier, if that were the case," Zhongli snorts and chuckles.

"Ha ha, very funny," the bard says, looking a little sullen at the teasing.

"Is this how you intend our first meeting in centuries to play out?" Zhongli asks as he starts his leisurely pace towards the bridge Gentry De'an crossed sometime ago. "With me sorting out a mess you put yourself in due to an act of mischief or fancy?"

"No, no, no, nothing of the sort!" The bard catches up. "I swear, nothing that would've made you end up short!"

Zhongli hums. 'Ending up short', huh? It means to be burdened with an unfavorable task or situation. Associating with Barbatos does make him feel this way in the past. His past encounters with his fellow former archon would always involve some sort of chaos—a chaos he does not understand.

It was not the same sort of chaos that could be experienced in war where convictions clashed, where blows connect or are countered, where strategies are put to the test, or where bloodlust and hatred lays thick in the air.

The chaos Barbatos brought him those found in short moments of peace where human emotions are concerned. And in that chaos, he always found himself to be too confused to 'properly' react or give it some thought. He remembers the Yakshas getting flustered and Guizhong laughing. Even long past those days, he sows seeds of it by getting deeply involved with human affairs. He wonders if he will begin to understand now that he is retired and has chosen to walk alongside his people.

"Oh, you know how I hate the silent treatment. I apologize for the trouble, okay?" Venti stands in front of Zhongli, on his tiptoes, to flick on the furrow forming on the older man's brow. "The original plan was to wait in front of the funeral parlor, fiddling with Der Frühling, 'til you've finished with your day."

"Oh," The consultant says as he tends to the spot the bard flicked a finger at. He didn't notice that he’d stopped in the middle of a busy intersection. "It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable."

"I know, I know," Venti says as he let the heels of his feet touch the ground, then began to sway in place like a blade of grass swaying in the breeze. "I see you still get lost in thought in the middle of a show." [13]

"Some habits never die, I suppose." The consultant scans the area they find themselves in. He spots an antique shop and spots an opportunity for a lecture on Liyuen customs. "While I may be unable to provide an adequate tour of the harbor, it would be a waste to dally your learning of Liyuen customs when the opportunity presents itself."

Venti could see the sparkle on Zhongli's eyes as he said that. And that only meant two things: one, that there is a jewellery or antique shop somewhere nearby and two, that Rex Lapis is going to talk Venti's ears off about the artistry and cultural aspect of each item that catches his fancy. He sighs, and slumps a little, but gives in with a tired but happy smile.

"Do your worst," the bard says as he follows the taller man to the antique shop.

"Whatever do you mean?" Zhongli asks as he lifts up a cup with an embossed pattern of a lampgrass with some Cor Lapis-treated cracks to examine. "You may not be aware of this, but each region has established and fine-tuned their laws on alcohol consumption. Here in Liyue, the legal public drinking age is 18. It is also considered the accepted age for public drinking by most regions, with the exception of Mondstadt at 16 years of age."

Venti's mouth formed a small 'o' shape at the new information. He could now see why the old timers were not so pleased with his little display earlier. He watches his friend inspect the other parts of the ensemble on the shelf.

"This is quite an exceptional Inazuman drinking set. Inazuman craftsmen had prided themselves in the quality of their ceramics—one could see it in the meticulous sculpting, lustrous shine, and its durability. In this case, cracks could be seen on each piece…"

After that sentence, the words stopped making sense to Venti. Nevermind the fact the consultant wasn't even going on and on about Liyuen cultural customs, stuff like this really doesn't stick to him. His mind flew to other places until he remembered the burning question he had at the back of his mind, ever since setting foot on Liyue Harbor this afternoon.

What is going on between Zhongli and that Fatui Harbinger nutjob?

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Tartaglia sneezes as he prepares to put his signature on a document. Thank Archons, he hasn't placed his pen on the parchment yet or he'll have to rewrite that particular page. He definitely doesn't want any more unnecessary work. Having to make up for the time he took while 'taking a breather' is bad enough.

Was he coming down with a cold? Sure, he was drenched from the rain earlier… No, that won't do. He couldn't afford adding another week being away from xiansheng—not because of a common cold.

Well, this could be an opportunity to experience what he missed out on with the aftermath from his adventure with Teucer. No, he should get this sorted out quickly. Making Zhongli worry isn't very becoming of him. Maybe he should call it a night already. A good night's rest should do the trick.

He signs the document in front of him, then places it on the approved pile. He moves to take the last document he would like to review when the familiar three measured knocks resound throughout his office.

"Is that you, Ekaterina, come in," he calls from his seat as his eyes read the document.

"Yessir," Ekaterina answers as she enters the room. "I have come to give a report on our… guest."

Tartaglia nods, and the bank teller takes that as a sign to come closer.

"We have seen the former Anemo Archon make contact with the Traveler, but he had stayed in the Harbor's plaza to provide entertainment for Liyuen citizens. We lost track of him some time in the mid of the afternoon, then he came back to the plaza with the Traveler." Ekaterina reads the compiled report the scouts have given her. She frowns at the next part. Unable to truly believe what she was seeing, she reads the next few lines of the report slowly. "Barbatos… was then arrested for underaged public drinking, and asked for Mr. Zhongli to bail him out. They were seen going around shops, and were last seen heading out to the residential area of Yujing Terrace." [14]

The Fatui Harbinger tried to keep a straight face when the bank teller started reading about the bard's arrest. He bit on the inner part of his lower lip so hard that he drew blood. The grip on his pen was so hard it almost snapped in two.

When the report finished, the dam that held in his amusement cracked and let his laughter burst right out. The pen snapped in two, but thankfully didn't stain the current document he was parsing through.

"Shrimpy's been arrested for underaged drinking?! In public?" He wheezed, and doubled over in laughter. "And then gets bailed out by who? Oh, this is rich!"

Childe could already picture the funeral parlor consultant boring the bard to death with explanations of artifacts as some sort of unintended punishment.

"Sir? Shri… shrimpy?" Ekaterina asks, clearly confused by the delight in her Boss's tone and posture. The man was practically doubling over in laughter. "And, regarding Mr. Zhongli's involvement…?"

"Ah, sorry." Tartaglia wipes a tear from his eye while composing himself. "I saw him myself tagging along with the Traveler this afternoon while I was taking a breather."

While he couldn't see it under her mask, he was sure Ekaterina's eyes widened in surprise.

"Now that I think about it, he does look like a kid, for someone who has been around since the Archon War."

"I… I see," the bank teller replies, completely confused. She didn't dare comment about the strange connection between the former Anemo Archon and Mr. Zhongli for a second time, but her Boss seemed to sense her uneasiness.

"In our little chat earlier, he said he wanted to know about the Geo Archon's Rite of Parting," the Harbinger lies with such practiced grace, it easily fools his attentive assistant. "As the former Anemo- and Geo- archons were thought to be close friends, I see that it was only just to give him the name of the one responsible for the arrangements of the ceremony. Who would've thought he'd call Mr. Zhongli to bail him out of trouble? What a way to make a first impression!"

Tartaglia shrugs and gives a hearty laugh. This action, following the explanation, makes Ekaterina snorts before she reins in the laughter threatening to escape from her lips. She was practically vibrating.

Good, that excuse was believable enough. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back. Now, to put the icing on the cake, a topic change.

"Oh, I almost forgot, would you be able to retrieve a copy of Dottore's research on Ruin Guards any time soon? I need a photograph of a Ruin Guard."

Ekaterina froze, and quickly composed herself in under a second. She adjusted her mask's placement.

"I believe I have brought you a copy of it a few months prior…" The woman pauses for a while. "As for photographs of it, I am sure you, sir, have placed some as targets on your dartboard—from the time you were still recovering from serious injuries."

Oh, yeah, he had those. Frustrated with the fact mere Ruin Guards were able to overpower him, he took it out on those photos.

"I could fetch an undamaged photograph and have it ready by tomorrow."

"That's great!" Tartaglia says cheerfully. "Hand it over to the Traveler when she comes over. Also, she'll probably ask about taking any photograph while I work; just let her."

"But, sir—" Ekaterina protests as her brows furrow under her mask.

"No, buts. I already promised her that she can."

The bank teller sighs openly and proceeds to massage her temples with her dominant hand. She wasn't very happy with how low the Boss's guard has been this past week. It stresses her to no end how this could blow up somehow and that she'll be the one in charge of fixing it.

"And besides, the meetings for tomorrow are nothing to worry about."

She drops her hand to look at her Boss's face. He was trying to soothe her worries with that smooth smile he used to get business magnates to sign new loans. She stops herself giving him an eye roll.

"Just don't let any of our guests know she's snapping photos with her Kamera. I trust you have given her instructions prior to this?"

"Yes, I have, sir."

"Then that settles it." Tartaglia claps his hands together, very pleased to have things going smoothly.

"Just don't come crying to me if something goes awry, sir. The Traveler is not exactly an ally," Ekaterina warns as she heads to the door.

"I know, doesn't that make it exciting?"

"Have a pleasant evening, Master Childe." The assistant immediately makes her exit.

"Geez, lighten up a little!"

Ekaterina hears the Harbinger call out before she has heard the 'click!' of the door's lock.

She sighs at the comment. She's plenty 'lightened up' behind the receptionist's desk. It is only when dealing with Master Childe in private and unsavory debtors that this strict exterior comes out. If only Master Childe cared about what his impulses do to his subordinates...

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

By the time the two former archons had started the trek up Yujing Terrace's residential area on Mt. Tiangheng, the moon was high above the horizon. It was bright enough to overshadow the blanket of stars above.

Venti wasn't sure how he hadn't died of boredom throughout the 'antique-store-window-shopping-complete-with-explanations' event, but he did come out wiser. He now knows what gifts to give a Liyuen citizen for each life stage—from name-giving to coming of age, from courtship to wedding anniversaries, and even to those grieving some poor man's death. He learned about the different varieties of Liyuen Specialty flowers, and even Ore grading.

He just wasn't sure how handy or memorable the new information is.

They walk in companionable silence, both just soaking up the other's presence.

It was then that Venti notices the gentlest of smiles, full of fondness, grace his friend's face as they pass by a couple of Glaze Lilies by the rock formations framing the unpaved stairways.

"I see you can smile at the sight of Glaze Lilies now. I'm sure Guizhong would be proud of you," the bard comments with a smile full of cheer as he pats his friend's back with some force—a congratulatory gesture. His smile drops when his friend stops in his tracks, wearing a troubled face. He sees the worried expression he wore reflected on troubled Cor Lapis eyes. "Wait, what's wrong?"

Zhongli opens his mouth in an attempt to reply, then decides best to close it. He shakes his head, and continues to forge ahead to his current residence.

Venti decides not to pry just yet, and easily falls back into step with the older man's pace. This is not the place for this conversation. They continue climbing in silence—although, less companionable as before—until they reach a quaint three-story house. [15]

The older man reaches for his keys and begins to fumble with them. He sighs at his inability to finish a three-second task.

The bard reaches out for the consultant's hands, cupping them to prevent further fumbling. His grip was mostly gentle, but firm. The former Geo Archon wore his usual blank expression, yet Venti could unearth bits and pieces of distress and shame in the elder's eyes. His grip tightens a bit, silently telling the elder that he wasn't letting go until he spills.

"I… Guizhong wasn't the first thought that came to me upon gazing at the Glaze Lilies earlier," Zhongli begins his little confession as he turns away from determined yet worried eyes. "For a moment, I feared I was disrespecting her memory by being reminded... of another. I-it bothers me how her memory escapes me in the midst of her most cherished flowers."

And the fact that Zhongli thought he was glowing with happiness at the time makes him burn with shame. He takes his hands out of Venti's grasp and fishes out a key. He slots it in and a satisfying click echoes between them. He is angry with himself, but he makes it so that he doesn't break the knob in his hold with how hard he was clutching it.

"Pffft, i-di-ot~" Venti stands on tiptoes to get within the strike zone of the older man's forehead, and flicks his fingers.

"It is rude to call people names." Zhongli says as he tends at the new spot on his forehead that Venti flicked at. There was some more force in it, as if he was trying to drive a point straight into him, physically. "And, how does that make me an idiot?"

"Silly Morax, did you not hear what I said before? She'd be happy; there's no room for your doubts anymore." Venti simply pushes right past him into the house, giggling like an imp, as if he owned the place. "No wonder she said you're the 'brawns' of the operation! Morax, you feel—not think—when it comes to emotions."

The actual owner of the house sighs as he watches his guest round the corner to climb the stairs. He closes the door shut and locks it.

Honestly, how could this bard use his words recklessly? He said them with such confidence that Zhongli almost thought of them as truth. But even if this is the truth, how does one feel in the way he suggests—the way she understands?

Trying not to dwell on it too much now (he was sure they would revisit this later), he looked at the hall to see its state.

At least, his energetic guest had the mind to remove his shoes, just not enough to put them to the side. He picks up the discarded shoes and arranges them neatly on the shoe rack. His own footwear is placed beside them.

While Zhongli was sure he kept his abode spotless, he is sure that the accumulation of dust is inevitable. Hence, it was imperative to have some indoor slippers.

He slips on his indoor slippers, and frowns at the empty spot where Childe's slippers usually sat. Venti must have put them on despite clearly being a few sizes too big.

THUD!

"I'm okay!"

Zhongli hears a small laugh after that, and he shakes his head. The former Anemo Archon probably thought he was light enough to flit across the staircase—only to be disproven by a pair of oversized ballet flats and an impeccably polished wooden surface. He pulls at one of the low drawers of his shoe rack and fishes out a relatively smaller size of ballet flats.

Would you look at that, this spare pair of ballet flats is dyed in green.

The consultant heads over quickly to the second floor before Venti accidentally breaks an artifact or two in his absence. He sees the younger man lounging on the couch. "I see you have already made yourself home."

"Uh huh~ You have lovely furniture in here, if I do say so myself!" Venti proceeds to melt into the softness of the couch's padding. It is doing wonders for his spine. Tree branches aren't getting medals for 'best back support' or 'best bed in the wilderness' any time soon.

The bard had time to take in the sight of the living quarters of the man called 'Zhongli' as he waited obediently for the older man to come over. The living room has a long couch with two matching one-seater couches on each side that surround a wooden coffee table. There were bookshelves along the walls full of a variety of books, scrolls, ore samples and artifacts. Some shelves, such as the one in the dining area (adjacent to the living area) are used purely for decoration purposes. They held delicate bone china and ceramics in the form of plates and tea sets. The furniture of the dining table was meant for four people as there were four intricately carved chairs around a similarly intricately carved wooden table with glass on top. The area adjacent to the dining area was the kitchen. There were also two rooms on this floor (quite possibly the study and the powder room). A stairway leading to another floor could be spotted right beside the stairs that led to the first floor.

"Here, wear these, lest you slip again." The older man lays down a pair of smaller size slippers by the couch where he estimates Venti's feet lay (as they were currently covered in pillows) and puts the bigger ones at the side of the couch. Satisfied with the slipper switch, he goes to a wall with a wooden hanger perched on a hook and undoes his outer coat's buttons.

"So those are his slippers?"

"His?" Zhongli asks as he hangs the garment onto the hanger and places it in its rightful place.

"Your boyfriend's."

The consultant feels the grin on his friend's face before he sees it. He froze in the middle of patting down some lint and creases.

"Come again?" Zhongli asks as he continues his task. He might have heard the word wrong.

Venti positions himself in a proper sitting position, rearranging the pillows to their proper positions—save one that he was using to contain his excitement. "Maybe the term 'boyfriend' is too colloquial for you. Hmmm, how about 'lover'? Wait, that sounds too crude. 'Mate', perhaps? While I assume you've been quite intimate—how else would your scent be on him? I don't think the bond's at that level yet. It might be bold to ask, but are you—?"

While Venti was off spouting his assumptions, Zhongli had completely forwent the task of making his coat presentable in favor of physically shutting the bard's mouth with his hand. What a poor host he is, he hadn't served tea yet. Is this why his guest is trying to get his attention in the most grating manner? He knew Barbatos was not partial to tea, hence he did not bring it up, yet he concedes to his mistake of neglecting proper manners.

"Cease your ramblings, Barbatos," the consultant hisses the order as red covers his face and rises up to his ears.

The scene was looking familiar, except he wasn't in the audience—he was on the receiving end of someone's death grip on the face. Venti now knows what Paimon was feeling under Lumine's iron grip. He just doesn't know if his friend's grip was stronger. It is getting harder to breathe, so he clamps up his mouth, hoping it was enough to relay the message 'I'll shut up now, please let me go'.

While this topic is a rather new development, it piqued Venti's curiosity immensely. Not even a god is immune to gossip on another's love life, especially if this development led to his old friend's retirement.

"Is this what you have come here for—mindless gossip?" The consultant releases the bard and looks at him critically. The redness of his face had subsided into a light flush.

"N-not particularly," the bard answers after catching his breath. He's a bit disappointed to let go of the topic, but it seems he won't be getting a proper answer right now, judging by that non-answer. Time for a little distraction. "T'is not good enough a reason to share, some delicacies this bard has to spare?"

Removing the pillow from his lap, he takes a bottle of vintage Dandelion Wine out from his little pocket dimension.

"I believe there is no need for tea with this baby around," the bard says in delight as he rubs the 25-yr aged wine bottle's surface to his cheek, not unlike how Dengui has done earlier. "T'was supposed to be a gift, while the other serves as our choice drink for the night. But as you can see, the other was confiscated, and then served as remuneration in our plight."

"Your plight," Zhongli corrects as he saves the wine from being smothered by a drunkard. "And, I see no problem with the original plan. I shall keep this as a token of gratitude for assisting in your misunderstanding with the Millelith and the townsfolk, and we shall partake in a soothing brew of sweet flower, dandelion and violetgrass tea."

Zhongli smirks as he watches the bard's face contort from crestfallen to disgust and then to straight up pleading as he goes on his little speech. The small sounds of protest that came with each expression was delightful. He walks to the kitchen counter and chuckles, sparing a glance at the very defeated and deflated bard. He couldn't see the head or the top of the bard's cap from where he was standing, and took it that Venti had literally deflated and had slumped over the coffee table or the couch. He takes two wine glasses from his cabinets, and places the prized wine into an ice chamber.

"I jest, I jest," Zhongli says to bring his alcohol-loving friend out of his misery. He didn't see it fair to be the only one made fun of. "I see you don't take being the butt of a joke very well."

Venti felt another wave of deja vu, but brushed it off in favor of shuffling to peak over the couch.

Zhongli sees not a former archon on his couch, but a very excited dog. He only lacked the ears and the tail to complete the look. He could practically see the stars in those aqua eyes.

"So you mean we'll be drinking it?" Venti asks as he feels a drop of drool slide down from the corner of his mouth. He wipes it away quickly before Zhongli could see him.

He hadn't had alcohol for more than a week now to make this visit more special.

"Yes, we will. They will need to be chilled first." Zhongli says, then asks as he polished the wine glasses, "But where have you procured such fine wine?"

Venti giggles, impish as ever. "A bard shouldn't tell of his ways, but I know someone who won't mind the songs one plays."

The older man places the wiped wine glasses onto the kitchen counter surface with a smidge more force than necessary.

"I doubt anyone would be so willing to spare two bottles of aged Ragnvindr Dandelion Wine for a few ballads, no matter how angelic your voice may be." He crosses his arms and gives the younger man a stern look. "Did you pilfer those bottles from Dawn Winery?"

Zhongli could almost see the imaginary dog ears and dog tail droop on his friend. He sighs as he puts the cleaned glasses to a side, and begins setting up his cooking utensils. It may very well be past dinner time, but the human habit of eating a meal at night was ingrained in his routine at this point.

"I didn't pilfer them. I promised to offer my services in return for them when I come back," [16] Venti mumbles as he positions his body back into a sitting position. Not a second later, he lets the couch eat him. He buried his form with pillows when his stomach growled.

Who has ever heard of a starving (former) archon?

"A contract cannot be established if one of the parties is ill-informed. But, what is done is done. I'm sure you will do this person right upon your return," Zhongli lightly scolds as he takes the necessary ingredients for a few recipes in mind. "For now, come here. Help with the cooking; take it as your punishment and a means to ease your growing appetite faster."

"Two birds, one stone. I like the way you think." Venti's lips curled into a smile as his feet tried to locate his new slippers for him to put on. He jumps to his feet, quickly neatens the couch (lest he gets scolded again), and hurries over to the kitchen.

When Venti heard his friend was given the title 'God of the Stove', he didn't quite have this sight in mind. There were four stoves in this man's kitchen. Two are wooden stoves and two charcoal stoves. Actually, those charcoal stoves already have a clay pot each on them.

"Here, slice these Matsutake in half, all the way across," Zhongli instructs while handing the younger man a bowl of Matsutake and a knife. He taps the square ceramic plate with a finger for emphasis. "Then set the finished ones aside on this plate. Once you're done with the task, place it in the wooden bowl on your right and start separating the mushroom caps from the stem. Slice the lotus head crosswise and the chilis need to be diced."

Venti's eyes follow Zhongli's hand as it taps the wooden bowl with Mushrooms, Lotus Heads, Jueyun Chilis and a Cabbage. He notices that the consultant's other hand was busy massaging flavor into the meat.

"So, what are we making tonight?" Venti asks as washed his hand before testing the heaviness of the knife in his hands. He finds it not as light as he wanted it to be, but begins slicing some Matsutake with it anyway.

"I had Qingce Stir Fry, Matsutake Meat Roll, Crystal Shrimp, and Lotus Seed & Bird Egg Soup in mind for tonight dinner." Zhongli replies as he sets aside his seasoned meat. He washes his hands before proceeding to check up on the clay pots. "Though, I wouldn't mind adding an extra dish in our menu in the event we get a little bit more peckish."

"Leave that one to me!" Venti happily volunteers as he forgoes the knife and condenses anemo into a shape of a small blade. He slices the Matsutake lengthwise, in swift clean strikes. He hums a tune happily as he uses a more familiar utensil in his hands.

Zhongli takes out some premade Crystal Shrimp from another compartment of the ice chamber and lets it sit on a cover with small holes in them, in preparation for when the rice just needs some more drying time. He gets the small cauldron for the soup when he catches Venti toss mushrooms into the air and quickly work his way beheading the mushroom as they stay suspended in the air. He chuckles at the sight.

"It seems you have a knack for showing off while cooking too," the older man comments as he begins removing Lotus Seeds from a Lotus Head.

"Too?" Venti has an impish grin on his face as he snaps his fingers to let the mushroom pieces fall into his chopping board.

"Too," the older man mimics as he smiles fondly at a memory [17] that came to him. His hands stop moving, and he sees the mischievous glint in those eyes and the grin that matches it.

"Hmmm, I'll go with 'lover' then. That Fatui boy's scary, isn't he?" Venti starts as he arranges the Matsutake neatly into rows.

"Excuse me." Seeing that the older man was frozen still, he reaches out for the seasoned meat on the other's work station. Zhongli, at least, had some sense in him to step back.

"Your lover, Childe Tarta—what's his name?" The bard continues as he begins to wrap some meat slices around a Matsutake.

"Tartaglia," Zhongli helpfully supplies as he slowly finds that his hands are able to move again, fishing out the seeds from a Lotus Head once more.

"Oh yes, Tartaglia, him, he's kind of a nutjob, huh? Met him while I helped out the Traveler."

"Oh, how curious," the consultant comments, slowly taking things in stride seeing as there is no way out of this conversation. "I hope you're not giving our little friend some trouble?"

"Me? Trouble her?" Venti fakes hurt in his tone as he rolls meat around the other Matsutake halves. "How bold of you to say that when you yourself have put her through the wringer."

Zhongli finds himself stopping yet again. "What do you mean?"

"Like I said, your lover's a scary man.

"To receive a request from you,

"Dear Traveler tries with all she can

"To fulfil what most cannot fathom to do."

Zhongli puts down the empty lotus head, and reaches for another. "Did she tell you?" His voice dripped with concern.

"Kind trav'ler dare not disclose the situation; simply deduction from a Bard's Intuition." [18] Venti smiles at him. "Oh, come on, don't sound so glum. I was only teasing. Your lover's not that much of a bad guy too. I can tell he's an honest guy, for one thing."

The bard moves in to do another flick on the forehead but the consultant moves out of the way. Feeling especially playful today, Venti tries again but his attempt has been evaded again. It would've evolved into some kind of weird chase, but some invisible timer in Zhongli made him go to the pot of rice and place the holed cover and Crystal Shrimp on top of it before putting back the lid.

By the time that action was done, the need to chase and be chased had died already. There was silence between them as they worked to bring the dishes to completion. The Matsutakes were nicely stuffed; the other vegetables for the Qingce Stir Fry were cut and fried, now laying on a bed of cabbage; the Lotus Seed and Bird Egg Soup was completed with no complications; and, the Crystal Shrimp were steamed to perfection.

"But you know, what are the other two things I noticed about your lover? Number 1, he has your scent on him, a little faint now, but I assume it's because you haven't seen him lately. Aaand number 2, he's fallen deeply for you." Venti says as he put the finishing touches to his specialty, 'A Buoyant Breeze', before placing it in the oven.

It took a while for Zhongli to find the words to address his concerns.

"Please don't call Childe my 'lover'," he couldn't face his friend as he made that request with a handle on the ladle, ready to scoop their portions of the soup. "You make our relationship sound so scandalous."

Venti tries to rein in his laughter. "Oh? So what is the proper way to address Mr. Tartaglia? Hmmm?"

Zhongli doesn't answer and brings their bowls of soup to the coffee table instead of the dining table. Venti raises a brow but doesn't comment on the other's dining location choice. He simply transfers the cooked Crystal Shrimp onto a different serving platter and follows. With the rest of the food brought in, and the wine chilled to the optimal temperature, they begin to eat.

Zhongli pours them both a glass, but swats Venti's hand as the bard tries to down it before he has taken a bite out of anything.

"You will upset your stomach further. Without a gnosis, your vessel is in need of a stricter time table for food consumption," Zhongli explains as he kept both wine filled glasses by his side. "I do understand I had a part in our missing proper dinner time. I do apologize for that. But you must be patient; eat first."

Venti nurses his swatted hand while grumbling, but relents. He takes a piece of every dish and takes Zhongli's offer of rice. While he’s not so proficient with chopsticks he manages quite well, despite last having used them centuries ago. He could feel the older man's gaze on him from time to time, and figured that it was not him, but his hands that were being stared at. It was when Venti was picking up a Crystal Shrimp that a thought hit him.

No, make that two thoughts.

"He's bad at this, huh?" Venti catches his friend's attention by clicking the two ends of his chopsticks together repeatedly.

"Yes, yes he is," Zhongli replies coolly. "I have gifted him dragon-and-phoenix patterned chopsticks for him to practice on."

Venti nods and sips on his soup bowl when he nearly gags. He brings down the soup bowl to the table, as he hacks violently. Zhongli offers him a conveniently present wash towel and pats his back, while giving words of encouragement.

Having cleared whatever it was that went into the wrong pipe, he slumps against soft padding of the cushion. What an incredibly ironic way to die; imagine the headlines: 'Former Anemo Archon Passes Away from Asphyxiation due to Choking (on soup)'.

"Morax, let's not talk about how I almost died, but why I almost did." Venti sits right back up with hands on his waist, giving him the sternest look his vessel could ever give without being cold. He takes a hand off to motion for his wine glass.

The former Geo Archon wordlessly gives it to him, then sits as primly as possible.

The former Anemo Archon downs it and lets out a satisfied sound before returning to his 'serious mood'. By the Sevens, he needed that. If he was going to talk some sense into this millenia old dragon, he'll need all the liquid courage he could get his hands on.

"Answer me honestly. No non-answers. Did you two talk about what it is that you have going on? Because judging from your reactions so far, I feel a big, fat 'NO' coming."

Zhongli doesn't respond immediately, his eyes darting across the room. There were so many items he could set his eyes to stare at, yet he couldn't. He finds himself unable to stay completely still under the intense gaze the younger man was giving him. He looked sheepishly towards the bard's direction, and drank some of the Dandelion Wine himself.

Oh, how nostalgic. This smooth, rich taste of the wine was slowly melting down his defenses. That was the story Zhongli wanted to believe as he downed the contents of his glass. He sighs in content.

"No, we haven't," he confesses, asking for the other's glass so that he could refill both of them.

Venti rolls his eyes. He knew it. He couldn't believe that someone who was supposedly the 'God of Contracts' is able to let vagueness go on for so long.

"Then, let's start with you. You have given him a pair of chopsticks that screams 'marriage'. And when was this? Let me guess—before your retirement?"

The older man nods.

"And now after that mess—oh, you will have to tell me your version of this, did anything change?"

"There has… when I saw how angry he was when I handed my Gnosis to Signora, I had doubts." Zhongli looks away. "And as the days melted into weeks, they grew into fears. But, even then, if he would let me, I would want to be by his side."

Venti's look softens. He knew it must be hard for his friend to lay these thoughts out in the open. This wasn't a case of a man not realizing his feelings; it was a case of a man choosing to be blind to them—he just didn't know how to deal with them because he had never recognized them before. It was almost heartbreaking to see his friend look so lost and vulnerable. He scoots closer to the former Geo Archon, and gives him a hug.

Zhongli's eyes widen at his friend's embrace. He feels soft pats on his back.

"Barbatos…"

"It's okay. I think I'm getting it now." Venti withdraws and gives him a strained smile. "You want to go at this the 'human' way—with all its uncertainness and all its inefficiencies."

Zhongli smiles back.

"Yes, I… I want what I have with Childe to be undefined by a contract. Something that is free of expectations and responsibilities." The older man curls a corner of his lip upwards and huffs fondly. "You might say I'm taking a page out of your book."

"Unconditional…" Venti's eyes widen, excitement running in his veins. His friend has truly fallen, and what a plunge it is to have the God of Contracts thinking outside of one!

Zhongli simply nods, and takes a sip of his wine. He glances at his plate and resigns to the fact dinner will have to wait.

"Oh geez, Morax, I didn't think you were such a sap!" Venti laughs, and downs his refilled wine glass in two gulps, then goes back to laughing.

Zhongli frowns at the way the bard treated the wine. Surely, Venti remembered this wasn't the usual fare that was served in the pubs and taverns he frequests.

"Then, how about Childe? How does he see things between you two?"

"I would prefer not to assume," Zhongli dismisses the question with another sip of his wine.

"Do you really have so little faith in yourself?" Venti looks at his friend with sad eyes. "So little faith in him too, now that I think about it, since you were compelled to mark him with your scent."

It is Zhongli's turn to choke on liquid. A deep flush colors his face. He finds another conveniently placed towel and cleans himself, trying not to think about the topic. He takes a peek at his companion and sees him eating again. He is proven wrong again, apparently.

"What? The food's getting cold and I am starving." Venti takes a bite of a Matsutake Meat roll to prove his point. "Don't worry, we have all night [19] to get through every troublesome luggage you wish to unpack, if you're willing."

Zhongli sighs, seeing that there really isn't getting out of this one. He picks up his chopsticks and eats as well. This will at least give him time to savor whatever composure he has left.

"By the way, have you told your adepti buddies that you're alive?" Venti asks before bringing the bowl of rice up and proceeding to shovel the grains to his mouth.

"No, I haven't."

"While I have no say in how you manage your Liyuen social links, don't you think it would be wise to tell them sooner, rather than later?"

"Is there a reason for such haste?" Zhongli asks as he ponders when and how he should reveal himself to be very much alive and kicking. "I do plan on informing them, as my test for them and the Liyue Qixing has already been finished. Though, I do not see the urgency of doing so. Please, do enlighten me on the matter, dear friend."

Venti places the bowl onto the coffee table along with the chopsticks, and turns his attention to the older man.

"Consider this," he says, holding up his index finger and letting it move accordingly. "Childe goes off to 'take a breather' or maybe help our Traveler friend gather some materials in Jueyun Karst—as there is a rich deposit of Cor Lapis in Mt. Hulao where Mountain Shaper happens to reside in. Assuming you mark him with a scent strong enough, wouldn't be the adepti living there be alarmed? Needless to say, they'd freak out that they are smelling someone who should've been dead, and maybe turn a little hostile when they see it is coming from a human." He giggled.

Zhongli's eyes widen with realization, and then turns away from playful eyes. The flush was returning to his cheeks.

"The scenting… it was not intentional." Zhongli reaches for the bottle of dandelion wine. "I was having some trouble a few months prior, and I found that being in close proximity to Childe gave me a sense of contentment. It was about a week after that I realized that I have masked his scent with my own."

"My, my, aren't we possessive?" Venti coos with a smirk on his face and a hand outstretched—wine glass in hand for Zhongli to refill.

"Ye-yes, it appears to be so." Zhongli concedes as he poured some wine into Venti's glass. "With regards to your example… I believe Childe knows better than to hang around Jueyun Karst, especially after the incident."

"Oh true, good thing he decided to do his killing spree in Guyun Stone Forest this time around, huh?" Venti says with sarcasm dripping from every word. "But, he seems to be the type to chase trouble. Maybe you should evaluate the 'no expectations and responsibilities' part of your speech earlier."

Zhongli's brow furrows. Should he ask Childe to stay away from Jueyun Karst? Or is it better to reveal himself to the adepti in order to give Childe some protection in case a fight does break out between them?

"How about that angsty Yaksha? I don't think he is the type to make friends, so I doubt any of the adepti in the mountains would take him in long term."

"Perhaps, you mean Xiao?" Zhongli looks at the bard with mild disbelief. "I believe you were rather fond of him. You teased him immensely whenever you came to visit. How could you forget his name?"

"Oh wait, I still have a dish in the oven!" Venti stands quickly, places the wine glass on the coffee table and rushes to the kitchen.

Curse that old man's sharp memory. He… he was just trying to make friends with the loner kid! As a fellow Anemo user, it was his duty to make the kid feel more at ease. That was all, nothing more, nothing less.

So if Venti came back with flushed cheeks, it was because of the heat from the oven.

It was good timing too. He almost burnt his signature dish by not truly paying attention to the time.

"I trust all is well with your Ratatouille?" Zhongli inquires when the bard returns with two slices of 'A Buoyant Breeze'. [20]

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Venti hands Zhongli his share and sits on the couch while holding his. Both plates had a fork on it.

The older man uses the fork to take a piece, blows on it lightly, and eats it. A smile appears as he prepares for the next bite. Venti admired the cuteness in front of him. The old man had a cat's tongue whenever it came to food like this. Was it some conditional response? He was sure Morax could drink tea without cooling it down, yet he couldn't help blowing on freshly baked goods.

Wait, cat?

Venti sneezed.

"Are you alright?" Zhongli asks, already halfway through the slice.

"Yeah, 'm fine. Just thought of a big cat," Venti answers nonchalantly then sneezes again. He uses the wash towel from earlier to clean himself before eating.

The consultant remembers about Venti's cat allergy. He supposes that even the thought of cats is enough to trigger that allergy. He wondered if sneezing at the thought of cats was some sort of conditioned response. He doesn't dwell on it too long.

"About Xiao, he lives in Wangshu Inn these days. He occupies the top floor, and is usually in an unsociable demeanor. That was what the Traveler said when she recounted her encounter with the Yaksha."

Venti hums in reply, looking disinterested, as he gobbled up his own creation. It is as good as he remembers it, which is a good thing.

"I do worry about that boy. Only he and Ganyu have decided to uphold their contracts to Liyue. He always did put his responsibilities above all else. I suppose he had suffered much because of it, and it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that he is 'lonely'. He would deny it, but mostly out of his inability to recognize it as such." The older man looks at his friend with a sad smile. "Would you check up on him? I will give you a bottle of painkillers before you set off, so please give it to him. I couldn't do it myself; I would be grateful for your assistance."

"Oh, alright, I'll go check up on him," Venti crosses his arms and tries to look as put off as he could. "I'll just drop off the medicine, ask him how he is, and that's it. He'll just none too gently ask me to scram anyways."

"That will do," the former Geo Archon smiles and starts on clearing the empty plates. "Help me with these too?"

Venti quickly finishes his share of the ratatouille, and helps with bringing the dishes over to the kitchen. He was assigned to drying duty as the consultant did the actual washing. He starts humming a tune, when the consultant suddenly frowned.

"Out of all the adepti… I suppose Xiao would certainly be the most unhappy encountering Childe," Zhongli muses as he slowly scrubs off the residue on a plate. "The nature of Childe's work would possibly bring him to Wangshu Inn, may it be due to his Harbinger status or as one of Northland Bank's managers. That is troublesome indeed."

"Sooo, do you want me to tell that pissy Yaksha to not murder your significant other—calling Childe this is more agreeable, no?— right on the spot? Got it."

"Yes, that term is indeed more agreeable." Zhongli sighs; his pace in cleaning the dishes slows down. "But wouldn't that be equivalent to revealing my true identity impersonally? I find the method distasteful, yet I cannot say he would care so much about the mortal known as 'Zhongli' to accept the request."

"Hehe, let me take care of that part. I could always be that Fatui boy's my friend, and that I wouldn't be fine with my friend getting murdered in cold blood." Venti places the dish he was wiping onto the rack.

"That… works on some degree, yes… yet the implications such a statement proves to make things complicated, to say the least." Zhongli hands a rinsed plate to Venti as a pensive look settles on his face. "I know you are allergic to politics as much as you are to cats, but trust when I say that the results of such a statement leaves much to be desired."

Venti sneezes at the word 'cats', but he catches himself in time to sneeze on his elbow instead out in the open air of the kitchen.

"I suppose it is wiser to keep my mouth shut then. This is a matter for you to resolve by who knows when?" Venti does the best shrugging impression he could with his hands busy with drying another dish. He then leans in closer to the consultant with a twinkle in his eyes. "Since you brought him up again, at least tell me Childe's reaction to the chopsticks? He does know what those mean, right?"

Zhongli looks at his guest without saying anything and hands him two rinsed bowls. He chuckles as he works on the remaining dirty dishes.

"You are correct in saying I must revisit the 'no expectations and responsibilities' part of my speech."

"Oh?" Venti raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"By now, I expect Childe to have researched Liyuen cultural practices. He did court Rex Lapis, the God who ruled over Liyue, both unknowingly and knowingly."

"Pfft," Venti tries to stifle his laughter, but the snort and hearty laughter that he hears from his friend made him laugh along just as noisily. "What's… what's with that? Ahahahaha Morax, aren't—hahaha—aren't you just being mean?"

"I understood his confusion when I gave the chopsticks to him that day." Zhongli explains, his tone steady as if he hadn't just guffawed a second ago. "It has been more than a year since then, and he has yet to give a satisfactory answer for either acceptance or rejection."

"Oh, what were those again?" Venti asks as he wipes a tear from his eye. How many times has he laughed today?

"Acceptance is shown through gifting an item which uses Luminous Spine in its make, and a vial or balm of the perfume the admirer uses. Guessing the correct scent the admirer uses would prove that the courted individual has the admirer in their sights and has been attentive enough to form a deep bond with them."

"And for rejection? How do you properly reject an admirer?" Venti asks as he places the last of the wiped dishes onto the drying rack.

They both head back into the living area to polish off the wine as their conversation continues. Zhongli stays a while longer inside the kitchen to check up on the Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup. He takes the clay pot with the food off the charcoal stove. He adds a few pieces of new charcoal into the burner and fans them to light up the new additions before placing the clay pot over the heat again.

"As for rejection," Zhongli starts as he joins the bard onto the couch. "The courted individual will give back the chopsticks along with a pressed Gaze Lily bookmark, and another gift to act as an apology gift. The pressed Glaze Lily bookmark symbolizes that the intention of the admirer had been recognized, but is decided to be unwelcome after a long consideration. The apology gift will depend on what the courted individual wishes their relationship to be."

"Interesting…" Venti says as scooted over to give his friend a place to sit, and then scoots closer after the other has seated himself. "So Childe hasn't given you any of these gifts.”

"No, he hasn't. I begin to worry that the event truly slipped past him." Zhongli confesses with a concerned look.

Venti gets his fingers ready for the multiple head flicks he will inflict this idiot. Zhongli leans away slowly, but finds the former Anemo God hovering over him.

"You really are a blockhead."

Flick!

"Of course it did slip past him."

Flick!

"Knowing you, you probably gave it during some ordinary lunch date."

Flick!

"Hold on, how could you afford such a pair?" Venti asks, genuinely curious, as he remembers the number of zeros trailing the first three non-zero digits on the pair from their little 'window-shopping-with-lectures' spree. He is making it quite clear with the look he is giving his friend that he was not comprehending the situation. They are supposedly the sole members of the 'broke-former-archon-alliance'. "While sure, you have a relatively stable job… your spending habits should make such a feat impossible."

"Childe covered the expenses for it, along with our lunch."

Three consecutive head flicks immediately followed that response.

"You made him do what?"

Zhongli looks away, remaining silent. Venti could feel his temple pounding and it wasn't coming from a hangover. The amount of wine he has drunk so far is nowhere near his limit.

"Childe offers to pay for all of our meals together as payment for my acting as guide for him when he just arrived here in Liyue. The arrangement… simply went on. He even graciously indulges my whims."

Venti's head whipped up to look at the displays inside the house. Which of these are purchased simply because of a 'whim' of the former God of Geo? He looks down on his friend.

"Some of the furniture and fixtures around the house are gifts from him, including this couch," Zhongli admits as though he could read the other's mind. "He insisted I should try softer-feeling furnishings for a change."

The older man closes his eyes and sighs.

"Rather than a 'change', I believe he did this in consideration of my age."

Venti snorts after hearing his friend grit out the last two words of the sentence. While the form Zhongli takes isn't as youthful as his own, it was way too early to consider creaky joints and constant back pain. Leave it to this moron to find someone who is both a mother hen and a Mora bag.

"Some people say that 'the way through a man's heart is through his stomach', yet for you… it seems to be through your wallet—how disgraceful." Venti flick on the other's forehead yet again.

"I did get him through good food from the restaurants I recommended to him." Zhongli mutters as he opens his eyes again, only receiving an unamused stare and an especially hard head flick.

"They meant home cooking by that bit," Venti explains as he shook the hand he was using to flick on the other's forehead. Man, that's one thick skull he's been flicking at.

"Why are you so intent on abusing my forehead this way? Be grateful I haven't retaliated in any way in mind of the safety of the state of my abode."

"I normally would keep this to myself, but you have rocks for brains." Venti huffed, a smug smile curling on his lips. "I figured they needed some external force to agitate them to work as I try to get things across."

In one swift motion, Zhongli grabbed onto the bard's neck and changed their positions, with the bard now caged under the looming figure of the consultant. Venti's breath hitched due to the action. Death by asphyxiation might not just be a harmless joke after all.

"My, my, what a rude guest we have here." The consultant says with a smirk as he adds some pressure in his hold on the other's neck. "Would you mind taking this outside? You would be breathing much freer there rather than this stuffy room."

"Such… a brute… as always," Venti manages to say in between attempts to bring some air into his system.

Zhongli sighs and lets go. He also seats himself at the other end of the sofa. He looks unperturbed by the hacking and heaving his guest was doing at the time. Feeling slight guilt, he gets up to fetch a glass of water for the bard.

Venti sits up and graciously accepts it. He drinks it all in three gulps, letting out a refreshed and satisfied sound afterwards. He eyes the wine sitting in an ice bucket—which he didn't notice was there until now—at the other side of the couch near his friend with such want his friend had to instinctively cover his view of it by leaning a bit to the side. He definitely needed a drink.

"Barbatos, my patience does not spring eternal. Be mindful of that the next time you insult me in my own home."

Venti opens his mouth to say that he was only stating the truth, but decides it was wiser to consider his reply more thoughtfully and closes it. He makes grabby hands at the wine bottle and hears his friend huff before his request was fulfilled. With wine now in his hands, he takes a sip before sidling up to the pissy former Geo Archon.

"I apologize for the teasing. I suppose it went a little too far." Venti leans into the other's shoulder as he receives a curt nod of approval. "It's nice seeing you like this. You've become easier to interact with. Time has eroded your defenses in just the right places where you could succeed in achieving what you desire for your retirement. Believe when I say you're much more fun to be around now compared to two millennia before."

Zhongli is taken aback by his friend's words and lets it sink in for a moment before carefully fixing himself a drink. With his back against the soft couch padding and a friend leaning onto him, he could feel the rigidity of his posture crumble into something much more comfortable.

"I'm glad to hear that," he says with relief and takes a sip. The sweetness of the wine acted as a reward of sorts.

"Don't take my teasing to heart. I believe you need a little help to steer you in the right direction. I'm not forcing you to listen to me, but take it all in as suggestions," Venti says and sips at his wine before clearing his throat. "All good things come to those who wait, but it's not good practice to leave everything to fate."

The bard sits up to have a good look at his friend. Seeing the usually guarded man acting so soft warms his heart.

"Yes, you may have time, and you may understand how fleeting the existence of mortals are in this world, but there are things that you must play an active role in. Just as you have put effort in grasping your retirement, put some effort into your verbal communication with those you find dear. You may hate labels or you want to stay away from contracts, but at least make them understand what you feel with words, Morax."

Venti reaches out for his friend's free hand and gives it a squeeze. Zhongli nods wordlessly, urging him to continue.

"I know that you may still have regrets about Guizhong—that you are moving on, and that you're afraid that letting yourself free from the responsibility you inherited from her will make her disappointed in you." Venti smiles and pokes at a certain part of the older man's chest. "She won't be, I'm sure of it. She'll be happy to see you chase after the things you yourself have decided are important to you. Don't see a moment of forgetfulness as a bad thing. It's a step towards the future; let your heart sing!"

Zhongli looks at the finger on his chest and then at the bard's face and smiles as well. The look on his friend was infectious, and the other's words were making him feel much lighter.

"So look at those Glaze Lilies and be reminded of Childe's eyes to your heart's content!" Venti laughs as he collapses onto the couch's backrest. He spares a look at the man beside him and feels content at the sight of pink spreading across the other's face. "The Glaze Lilies would like that too, wouldn't they? Hehe, I'm sure any flower would like to inspire joy rather than misery."

"Indeed, I'm sure they would," Zhongli agrees. He tries to lean in, the same way Venti does, but gives up when he finds it difficult due to their height difference.

They both chuckle at that.

"And, that's it for the admonishments from a millennial old former archon who has years of experience dabbling into the affairs of humans," Venti declares with flourish, then switches his tone to a gentler one. "Now tell me that story about your journey to retirement. I'm surprised to hear about it for the first time from the Traveler. I'm just not sure which is more surprising, to be honest—the fact that you were able to think of retirement at all or the fact it took you almost three millennia to think about it."

The bard laughs uproariously.

Zhongli flick's on the bard's forehead.

"Hey!" The younger yelps as he shielded the spot from further assault. He is greeted by a justified smirk when he searches the older man's face. He rolls his eyes and settles back onto the other's arm.

"As you wish," Zhongli says as he started from the very start when he recounted the moment his eyes caught onto the scene of a merchant and his worker.

Venti listened attentively to each sentence, and lived out those moments in his friend's shoes with the aid of his imagination. He snickered lightly when a ginger-haired man entered the tale. It was as he thought, this story and that need not be told separately for it was all in one giant mess. He didn't know at which part he started to drift off, but sleep found him defenseless enough to encroach his mind.

Zhongli knew which part of his story where his little friend had drifted off. But even if the increased weight on his shoulder was enough of a signal to stop, he just went on. Maybe the bard would dream based on his words. By the time he finished, he could feel sleep tugging at his eyelids. He had enough mind to take out the glass of wine from his friend's grap and placed it beside his own on the coffee table. It didn't take long for him to succumb to it.

When morning came, a pot of perfectly cooked Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup laid in wait as breakfast for two old friends.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

FOOTNOTES:

[12] "Now, Paimon, we need to talk," Lumine says as she closes the door of their borrowed room. [12.1] "Do you know why you shouldn't put 'Mora' and 'Childe' together in the same sentence in Venti's presence?"

"Huh?" Paimon sleepily asks with her form slumped onto the bed, just a few moments away from dream land. Couldn't they do this another time? She just crashed from too much sugar and helped out in the restaurant. "But… Paimon—yawn—didn't?"

Lumine rolls her eyes and sits beside the fairy. She grunts a little as she lifts her companion's child-like body to gently place her head to where the pillow is.

"You know what I mean," Lumine says as she tucks the fairy in with the blanket. "For someone with only food and Mora in her mind, I'm surprised you don't get it."

"Heeeey," Paimon whines as she tries to rub sleep out from her eyes so that she could still keep talking to her friend.

"I guess we can talk about it in the morning." Lumine starts carding through her little guide's white locks. "Just think of it this way. In a family with one child, and another on the way, what would the soon-to-be big brother or sister fear other than less love and less attention?"

The gears on Paimon's mind start to turn, but at a sluggish pace. If she already finds it hard to keep her eyes open, how more processing words?

"It's fine. Paimon can give me her answer tomorrow, just—"

"Allowance!" Paimon sits up suddenly when the answer comes to her. She slumps back down to the pillow afterwards.

"Yeah, you got it." Lumine giggles. This fairy's mind is really just full of thoughts of food and Mora.

"Oh… so that's…" Paimon isn't able to finish her sentence as sleep takes hold of her the moment she could feel the Traveler's shuffling to tuck her back in.

Lumine smiles at the lightly snoring Paimon, and begins preparing to go to sleep as well. So much for a scolding session, but what can you do?

[12.1] Upon Xiangling's insistence, and the approval of Chef Mao, Lumine and Paimon were given the spare room above the restaurant to do as they pleased while they stayed in Liyue. The Traveler and Paimon were confused at first, but both father and daughter were happy to explain that it's their thanks for being Xiangling's friends, food scavengers, and ultimately their temporary wait staff (time in hours are flexible!) and food taste-testers.

So far, food experiments haven't made them ill or gag outright. They were happy to help around the restaurant whenever commissions and requests weren't keeping them on their toes. All is well.[back]

[13] Back in the day, during the Archon War, Barbatos marveled at how Morax is able to have time to stay still as a rock to ponder on something (most likely a stray thought from one of Guizhong's stories or riddles), and would remain mostly unscathed in the midst of a bout. [back]

[14] The report stops here, as Childe particularly instructed them to cease all scouting activity within a hundred meter radius of Mr. Zhongli's abode. Anyone, new recruit or not, who dares violate the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant's (and in extension, Childe's) privacy in his home [14.1] is to be subjected to a week of harsh training under Childe himself.

And that always led to physical injury, bad enough to leave the Fatui. (In a fatal sense, depending on the gravity of the offense).

[14.1] Privacy under the watchful eye of the public is fair game, though. [back]

[15] The residents of Yujing Terrace are a bit confused about Mr. Zhongli's house. The style looks like an ancestral house that was plucked from some plot of land in Qingce Village and was transplanted to its current location. It looked poor in Yujing Terrace standards, yet knowing the context of a bachelor living there alone seemed to fit in the brand of luxury that this part of town boasts. (Yes, we will assume that this residential area exists, and ignore the fact that only Gentry Mocai's house and Madame Ping's teapot are the only actual 'houses' here, in Yujing Terrace, in-game).

As for the interior, the author would have liked to present a somewhat accurate description of it, but said author had noped out after seeing that the walled section of the first floor of the in-game model house (in Qingce village) can't even fit a decent staircase, let alone a living room.

Just how can the model be free from plumbing when the kitchen and the bathroom are seemingly placed on the 2nd floor? Unless running water isn't a thing here (yet you know it is because there are sewers here).

But, the author will try to make it work somehow. [back]

[16] Diluc grits his teeth as he glares angrily at the crumpled note in his hands. The latest inventory check had confirmed there were two bottles of aged Dandelion wine missing from the warehouse. The glare is so intense Ernest and Connor are convinced the paper would catch fire.

"Did you give him permission after reading this note?" The Dawn Winery head asks his warehouse manager.

"N-no, sir! I didn't give him my permission! I didn't even see him come by!" Ernest blurts out of fear "Forgive me, Master Diluc, for my incompetence!"

"Did anyone see that bard snooping around?" Diluc asks everyone in the staff meeting's vicinity.

The maids started whispering around, and the workers simply shook their heads 'no'. To tell the truth, it was easier to say 'no' than knowing the difference between 'snooping' and 'idly lazing around' when it came to the bard in green. He was always breezing in and out of Dawn Winery, no one bats an eye anymore; no one keeps tabs anymore.

Diluc sighs and throws the note to the ground. More wine wouldn't nurse his headache, but life and business must go on.

"Connor, show me the newest batch of that experimental Mist Flower Corolla recipe you have." The red haired man says as he begins to walk to the distillery. "Elzer, if you're headed to Angel's Share, inform Charles to have Venti on stage for at least six times a week starting when he comes back to Mondstadt. For a year. For everyone else, once you see that bard, seize him and confine him to my office. You are all dismissed."

"Yes, Master Diluc!" All personnel answers at once.

Connor immediately breaks free from the crowd to accompany the young master to the distillery.

Once the coast was mostly clear, one of the maids picked up the crumpled letter and read its contents.

"Greetings and salutations, Dear Wine Master~

"I've taken hold of some of your finest brews. I hope you won't mind in exchange for song and laughter. I shall perform on your stage for a month or two! If it's not enough, we can negotiate later~"

"-Venti" [back]

 

[17] It was as a fairly sunny day one weekend that Zhongli asked Childe to peel some apples for him as he found himself too engrossed in a book he was reading. Inazuman contemporary literature was very imaginative.

Childe complies without much of a fuss, simply placing a light peck on his temple before leaving the couch.

It was then that Zhongli felt how parched he was. He didn't want ro trouble Childe any more than he had, so he stood up to fetch a glass of water when he saw the ginger haired man's apple peeling show.

First, Childe goes about it ordinarily. He removes the skin of the apple, save for some triangular edges all around the apple. Second, he carefully passes the water blade (thinner than before) through the immediate surroundings of the apple core. Now here comes the fun part; third, he tosses the apple up in the air, and a narwhal with an abnormally long tusk gouges out the apple core and somehow slices it in six neat wedges. Fourth, Childe would catch the core in one hand and the other hold a plate where the apple pieces are caught. Lastly, he raises the triangular parts of the apple wedges to make them have a semblance to bunny.

Childe nearly drops the plate when he hears clapping behind him.

"Wonderful performance, Childe," The consultant praises as he gives the other a few more claps.

"Wait! I can explain. It's my siblings— They—" Childe starts rambling then stops. "You're not scolding me for playing with food?"

Zhongli furrows his brow in thought, and brings an apple slice to his mouth. "It is not considered playing if nothing goes to waste, is it?"

"I… I suppose not," Childe hesitantly agrees.

"And you do this to entertain your siblings at home, do you not?" Zhongli finishes the slice in one motion.

"Yes, yes I do." Childe agrees yet again, unsure where this is going.

"Then we have no problem here. In any case, I am not the Dendro God. Therefore I have no authority to scold you for mishandling the fruit of the land." Zhongli takes another apple before he quickly prepares the glass of water he came for. "Besides, I find it cute."

The funeral parlor consultant heads to the living room couch to continue where he left off, unknowingly he almost made a client out of the Fatui Harbinger thanks to (what felt like) a mini heart attack (on Childe's part). [back]

[18] Lumine wakes up with a start. She feels sweat trickle down her cheek. She catches her breath as she takes in her surroundings.

It is dark. Paimon has her legs on Lumine's lap. The sound of cricket and Paimon's snoring resound throughout the room.

Lumine sighs in relief. That was all a dream. She isn't in some post-asteroid-hit crater in who knows where. The stress is really getting to her.

Chongyun's tale of another failed exorcism really got to her.

According to Chongyun, some time ago, he saved a maiden from certain death by catching her when she was free-falling from a cliff. The maiden says she wasn't suicidal and was simply praying to the Geo Archon Statue when a light earth-shaking happened.

She said that the statue glowed yellow for a moment before said earthshaking happened. This was how she found herself falling off the cliff.

When asked what she prayed for, she would say it was about her love life.

Chongyun didn't know how to connect the dots, and thought that maybe with the Geo Archon's passing, the evil spirits were becoming active again. And as expected, when he stood guard at the statue for three days, nothing happened.

Lumine knew better. She could already guess what the prayer was about. There were rumors of the Geo Statues reacting 'oddly' when prayers that were said in their presence had a certain Fatui's name mixed into it.

This phenomenon lasted a month.

Lumine shakes her head. Nope, there's no divine retribution for her. She did nothing wrong. Time to go back to sleep. [back] [back to ch4 story]

[19] Archons do not necessarily need sleep, the way humans do. Though, with the loss of their Gnosis, sleep had become a need more than a luxury (not in the same sense that humans need it everyday).

But really, what's the harm in one all nighter? Especially when you're with a friend you haven't seen in centuries? [back]

[20] Venti usually prepares A Buoyant Breeze in single servings, hence cooking it in a bowl, making it look like some kind of soup. This time around, he made multiple servings in a rectangular pan for sharing purposes. [back]

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Head Canons applied to the fic

1) Zhongli had been the epitome of composure, but the number of times it had crumbled had greatly increased since Childe came into his life. At the start, only Childe could chip away at it. But with so many chips accumulating over time, combined with the sentimentality that comes with old age (this grandpa dragon is six thousand years old and counting, come on), when something catches him off guard, his true feelings will show. And in turn, everyone who witnesses it goes soft. Who wouldn't?

In my mind, Zhongli and Childe are already together. But they never addressed it properly, and so it has no labels. Vagueness and much intrigue for everyone! Zhongli has never been this intimate with a mortal before. It is, personally, unfamiliar territory, and drawing any past observations with other couples would be moot. It was something to be explored, slowly. Yes, they do have a physical relationship, and an emotional one too, but mostly muddled up right now.

2) Zhongli, being an adeptus who transforms into a dragon, has found that Childe brings out some traits of his out in the open, namely his possessive nature. This makes his instincts go haywire. The incident stated in Footnote 18 is the cause for his need to ‘scent’ Childe. The scent cannot be perceived by humans (the Traveler being an outlander/alien, allows her to instinctually not get between these two), so the act is useless in itself (as it is the humans who simp are vying for Childe). It becomes troublesome because it is the adepti and other non-humans who could pick up these scent markers.

Chapter Text

Like clockwork, Zhongli rouses from his sleep at six in the morning. He needn't need to look for a clock to confirm the time. The light that has begun to creep from the bottom edge of the oiled paper windows, painting them a light orange, is enough to tell him it was sunrise. But even without the visual clue, he could tell the time is because of the way routine had been ingrained into him for years. [21]

As sensations started coming back to him, Zhongli could feel some pressure on his arm from the sleeping bard using it as a pillow. The pressure isn't uncomfortable, per se. Unfortunately, the small pool of something cold and wet came on his arm is a sensation he could live without. He frowns and feels a shiver run through his spine at a memory.

He will be staying away from anything seafood for the rest of the day, at least.

Zhongli gently pries off the still sleeping Venti when he feels the other's arms and hands try to keep him still. It seems that this drunkard is not happy with his pillow running away from him.

"Barbatos, let go, I have places to be."

"Give me… an hour… more," Venti slurs in reply, snuggling the arm he had latched onto.

Zhongli concludes from the unapologetic, greedy request that this sleepy head was already cognizant of speech.

"You're drooling on me, you disgraceful drunkard of an archon," Zhongli hisses as he tries to shake the younger man off. "Release me at once."

"Not drunk… didn't even… get through the… Huh?" Venti's eyes fly open as he lets go of his pillow the consultant's arm, and he gently prods over the corner of his mouth. Feeling a sticky wetness on his fingers, he quickly wipes it away. He flashes a sheepish smile at his friend. "Whoops, sorry."

"No matter," Zhongli brushes off the topic as he stands. He wasn't truly mad at the sleepy bard, but he was on a somewhat tight schedule, should things not go as planned. "Now that you're awake, would you be so kind to check on our breakfast? It is in the clay pot on a coal stove."

"Where are you going?" Venti stretches in his seat.

"I will need to appear presentable before I meet up with my employer. I suggest you freshen up yourself using the powder room—the first door on the left of the kitchen." Zhongli paused to give Venti some time to eye where the said door is located. He continues when he sees the other's gaze lock onto the correct door. "I am still unsure if I would be granted leave for today. On one hand, your visit was unexpected, and on the other, the director is… quite a handful, so to speak."

The bard could see a flash of irritation cross the consultant's face. He could feel restraint on the other's word choice too. That 'so to speak' was more like 'to put it gently', in his ears. Interesting, there is a human who could get on Zhongli's nerves at the mere thought of them. That is a topic for later.

"It's fine, no need to trouble yourself." Venti waves a hand, then flashes a cheeky smile. "It's not like it's my first time to visit; I can sightsee on my own."

"While that may be true, your last visit had been centuries ago. You may get lost; the terrain has changed a fair amount," the consultant muses. "I know from experience that I am quite the capable Liyuen tour guide."

"Oh, I'll be fine, old man. Don't worry about li'l ol' me. I'm not going for an 'efficient and by the book tour', anyway." Venti stands and pushes his friend towards the stairs to the third floor. "Getting lost is part of the experience, I say! And, I won't be truly lost since I have my trusty wind to show me the way. But, I'll be back here before you know it!"

Venti beams with a bright smile and happy closed crescent eyes. Zhongli sighs and faces the other. There is no arguing with that look.

"Very well then, I shall proceed to work as usual. But do tell me, would you be staying over tonight?"

"Hmmm," the bard taps his chin a few times. "Not tonight, but I'll most likely be back by tomorrow evening."

Zhongli gives him a curt nod and heads for the stairs when an appealing idea strikes him. He turns back to the bard with a smirk.

"I'll have you share your tale tomorrow night then. I'll be expecting quite a performance from you, in return for my hospitality last night."

"With pleasure," Venti bows theatrically. as if the consultant was part of his audience on a performance he was about to start.

Satisfied, the consultant makes his way upstairs to take a shower and dress himself in a fresh set of clothes. Showing up in his workplace dressed in yesterday's clothes, especially ones that had been drooled on, would simply not do. It would be inappropriate and unhygienic.

Would the dearly departed mind? No, but he and the living who accompany them would.

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

Venti does what he was asked moments ago, and heads to the kitchen to see how breakfast is coming along. He finds the clay pot on the charcoal stove. He sees a couple of mitts and wears one before peeking inside. The soup was simmering and smelled absolutely amazing. His mouth was watering in a very literal sense that he had to close the lid to keep the contents safe.

It seems that his friend is also trying to show off with his own specialty dish. If this were a contest, he would have probably lost, in taste that is. But if the contest was about flavor and practicality, he'd win for sure. No ordinary person would be able to indulge and replicate Zhongli's dish on a regular basis, unlike his. But enough of that; there was one more thing to appreciate in the cooking of this dish. You have to hand it to the God of the Stove, it seems that the coals are timed to be completely cooled off by the time they both look presentable—judging from the state of the coals inside when he lifted the pot off the coal stove for a look.

Venti places the clay pot back onto the stove and places the mitt where he found it. After some begins to take some bowls over to the dining table for table setting purposes. Once he was happy with the arrangement,—that he hoped he wouldn't get scolded for since it's been years since he had seen a table set in the proper Liyuen way—he went over to the powder room.

He was happy to discover a bathing area (with a pail and a water dipper), along with a complete set of bathing paraphernalia and a fresh towel on a shelf. With this, he could manage.

He almost panics when he doesn't spot Der Frühling amongst his scattered clothes and stockpile of apples.

He calms down when he realizes that his dear lyre must have been buried underneath the pillows of the couch. Satisfied with that conclusion, he wills the mystical storage space to close, and got to work on 'freshening up', just as his friend suggested.

After all, there is a scrumptious meal that'll grow cold if he dallied and fretted!

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

By the time Venti emerges from the powder room, he finds Zhongli busying around the kitchen. Seeing his friend's hair cascading down his back like this makes him a bit nostalgic. So much so, that he doesn't notice the towel in his arms getting taken, until he feels it getting ruffled on his head.

"Hey!" He protests at the rough way his hair was getting dried.

"Dry your hair properly. You will catch a cold at this rate." Zhongli lets go when his hands on the towel are replaced by Venti's. "The last thing you'd want is to be shackled to one spot as you wait for the fever to subside."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Venti quirks the corner of his lip upward. "I have you to nurse me back to health."

Zhongli raises a perfectly made brow in question.

"You're honing your homemaker skills, I see," Venti comments as he sniffs the aroma of newly cooked food that he notices just now. "And if I do get sick, you can practice on me."

Venti received a head chop for that. Zhongli returns to the kitchen to fish out the last of the fried lotus root discs from the wok.

"What? Wasn't that a compliment?" The bard asks as his hand tries to rub the soreness away.

Zhongli remains silent as he plates the freshly cooked side dish and places the Lotus Flower Crips that he had on hand [22] into two wooden food containers.

Venti tried to run, hoping he would sneak a peek at the secret dish, but both containers had been closed and when he got there. He feels his friend eye him, to which he responds by pretending to help get the food on the table. He grabs a wooden slab of wood near the charcoal stove and places it under his arm. He wears the mitts sitting on the counter nearby to lift the clay pot that houses the prized Slow-Cooked Bamboo Shoot Soup and brings it to the table.

Zhongli follows him with a tray that held two bowls of fried lotus root and the leftover rice from last night. After setting the tray down, he goes back to the kitchen to prepare morning tea. A mix of Qingce Black Tea with Liyuen Berries, Snapdragon, and dried Apples seems like the perfect pick-me-up. Maybe he could get Barbatos to drink it. With the preparations complete, he turns the little hourglass upside down before bringing it over to the dining table. He was pleased to see that the bard has taken the initiative to scoop their portions of soup and piled rice in both of their bowls. But he wasn't all too pleased with where the other hung the set towel.

"Barbatos, would you be so kind as to hang the towel on a hanger near my overcoat. You're going to ruin the varnish on the dining chair." Zhongli gently instructs as he places the tray of tea onto the dining table.

"Oh," Venti snags the towel from the backrest of the chair, and stands to do as he is told. "I never knew wooden chairs can be so delicate."

"This particular dining set was ordered from Fontaine, give or take three centuries ago. One of the few specimens left of an outstanding artisan of the time." Zhongli explains as he removes the strainer that holds the loose tea mix from the tea pot. "I make it a point to take good care of my belongings. I expect you to give it the same respect as you are a guest of this household."

"Fiiiine," Venti replies non committedly as he seats himself back to his chosen seat.

Zhongli exhales in defeat. That was most likely the best he could get from the bard, given that he spends a good fraction of his time in forests. He pours them both a cup of freshly brewed tea hands and gently places one on Venti's side.

Venti makes a face, but decides to take a little sip upon catching the faint scent of apples coming from it. Bad idea, it is piping hot and it burnt the tip of his tongue. He glares at the stoneware in front of him. It took a moment too long before his fingers registered the heat and reported it to his brain.

Zhongli chuckles as he effortlessly and leisurely drinks from his own handleless tea cup. He is about to start explaining the differences of porcelain and stoneware when he sees a hand placed in front of him.

"Save it," Venti says rather sulkily and tries to lift the tea cup again. He blows off the steam and takes another sip.

The consultant simply takes another sip, keeping a watchful eye on the bard's reaction. He smiled when those aqua eyes grew wide and sparkled.

Breakfast starts off as a mostly quiet affair, save for the moans of delight that would come from the bard. The pork belly melted in his mouth, the ham was so savory, and those bamboo shoots exploded with flavor in each bite, given that it had hours to soak up all that richness those luxurious ingredients had to offer. Although they used the leftover rice from the night before, it was no problem with the way the soup softened up any hardened grains in the mix. The simplicity and crunch of the lotus root side was a great compliment to the soup, filling in what it lacked and not overpowering it. With some tea that he finds agreeable to wash it down before repeating the process of getting lost in the flavors and textures, he is very content.

"Why is it that I could find some inspiration to write a song about your cooking?"

Zhongli laughs at the silly notion and finds himself saying, "Please don't. I am content with the sight of your enjoyment with this humble meal."

Venti snorts. What is 'humble' about this dish? From top grade meat to choice crops, from the meticulous preparation to the length of time spent to bring it to perfection, the commoner in him couldn't see this as 'humble'.

"I suppose this is humble for your bougie tastes."

Zhongli continues with his meal unphased. Admittedly, the slang is lost to him, but he doesn't dwell on it too much. He had an idea of what it means, more or less. There was a smile in his eyes.

"But, I take that it is to your liking?"

Venti takes a sip of tea and replies, "Most definitely."

"If you do make a song about this, do so after you have composed the Hilichurlian Ballads you said you will get to soon."

They both knew that meant never. Zhongli chuckles again after seeing the bard's cheeks dust with pink.

"I'll… I'll get to that, promise," Venti says meekly as he turns away for a bit, putting down his chopsticks on the table. His longer hair at the front almost dips into the food bowls in the process.

The older man catches the action and furrows his brows a smidge. It is nothing to fret over, and so he decides it best to simply continue eating. But, with each near brush of those aqua tinged locks onto the small plate that held the bard's share of fried lotus root or the rice or the soup bowl, Zhongli finds it hard to ignore. He places his chopsticks on its holder before gesturing to the bard's hair.

The bard doesn't seem to get it, and the consultant watches with a bit of anxiety the way Venti tilted his head in confusion with his hair barely missing the soup bowl by an ironic hair.

"Your hair, come here. Let me fix that for you."

Realization strikes Venti and he chuckles.

"I won't get food on my hair, I'm not a kid, you know."

"Your appearance suggests otherwise," the consultant counters and moves out of his seat to go to where the bard is.

"Eh, it's not even dry yet!"

"A matter you can resolve with ease, I'm sure." [23]

Venti sighs in defeat as he stands and heads over to the living room couch.

"I'll tie up your hair too, now that we're at it. It's only fair, don't cha think?" Venti giggles, getting out his hair ties from a pocket and handing them over to Zhongli.

"Very well, please be gentle." The older man follows and accepts the hair ties. He fishes for his own, one that has a diamond shaped ornament on it, and drops it onto an outstretched hand.

Venti sits on the one seater couch and concentrates on producing the gentlest breeze he could on the tip of his index fingers. He first stations his self-produced anemo blowers under each lock that made up his braid. After a couple of minutes, he feels his right hand get tugged to a different area, to which he whines in protest. He almost unleashed a big gust of wind due to the sudden disturbance.

"Hey! Didn't you just want to braid my hair?" the bard whines as his other hand is positioned elsewhere, more towards the back of his head.

"Would it not be logical to attend to your hair in its entirety? Wouldn't it be a nice break from your usually wind-tousled hairstyle?"

Venti rolls his eyes and grumbles, his posture slumping slightly forward; he forgot that the old man was very particular with details. It just didn't occur to him that even his hair was worth fussing over. He just wants to get back to eating.

Once his friend releases the hold on his hands, he stops producing anemo and rests them on his lap. He hears a soft chuckle come from the consultant to which he looks up at the older man in curiosity.

"Straighten your posture so that you may get back to your beloved meal." Zhongli answers as he places two hands on the other's shoulders. "Your hair has fluffed up considerably, if I may add."

"Hm, I usually let it dry on its own," Venti shrugs before doing what he is told. He winces a little at the first few passes of the fine toothed comb, his shoulders raising a little, and then they lower as he gets used to the sensation. "Never mind that, tell me about mundane life so far. How does working in a funeral parlor feel?"

"It is interesting—for I find it educational, to an extent—and fulfilling—work. Liyue Harbor has always been an intersection where people arrive and depart. It is in people's departures that I learn how they lived their lives. You would see in the state they are brought in, and the fashion they are regarded by their loved ones or the flow of tales and gossip that acquaintances would talk amongst themselves. You may say it is also humbling as this work entails a sense of intimacy that is usually reserved only for the family and friends they have left behind. To play a part in a final parting of a loved one, and to have played it well feels special."

Venti falls silent. Knowing the morbid nature of his friend's work, he thought he could joke on how the former Geo Archon had done his fair share of burying bodies during the Archon War. It was the truth, and if played right, they could have a laugh at that. Yet, he finds himself unable to proceed with that sincere answer.

"So you like it?" Venti says instead as he tries to see the look on the other's face, to the annoyance of the elder.

"Hold still," says the consultant in a harsh whisper as he tilts the bard's head at the correct angle and he started parting the hair for the braiding to start. He answers the question with fondness in his tone. "Very much so, even if it invites a touch of discrimination—as the living are adverse to exposing themselves to matters, including people, heavily involved with death."

"I'm sure it comes with perks too, you did get to organize your own funeral!" Venti giggles. "Though, I take it that you find your boss annoying?"

"I mentioned nothing of the sort." Zhongli pulls at the finished braid hard before starting on the next one.

"Ow," the bard winces but doesn't learn his lesson. "Are they one of those troublesome people that the cranky old man was talking about last night?"

"You are not exempt from Gentry De'an's imaginary list, mind you." Zhongli finishes and gives it a good tug. "The director is simply a child—regretfully an unruly and incorrigible person at that. She does not carry the grace expected of her position and has only mischief in her mind. Their being a Pyro Vision holder makes the situation more dismaying as she uses it as a tool for her mischief."

Venti laughs weakly. He is slowly understanding what that classy old timer was getting at. Having a lover significant other that is part of the Fatui—and a Harbinger at that(!)—an employer who's probably a part time arsonist, and an underaged-looking drunkard as a friend does sound like a terrible group of people to be associated with.

"That gentleman is quite the traditionalist. He seems to disagree with some of the youths who had ventured outside the norm in search of innovation in their fields. Ah, but that talk is for another time. Here, have a look." Zhongli hands his friend a hand sized mirror with the backing of a sanded and polished starconch.

"That sounds like a future outing to me, with the way you're speaking . You are going to introduce me to these other friends-in-the-making? Right, old pal?" Venti snags the mirror from the other's hands with glee and then inspects the other's handiwork. "Yup, that looks about right!"

The younger man puts on his signature green beret and jumps out of the seat. He moves aside and outstretches his arm, politely encouraging the consultant to take a seat. "My good sir, I believe it is your turn!"

Zhongli huffs in amusement as he takes his seat. He hands over the intricately carved Fossilized Bone Shard fine toothed comb to the bard.

Venti wonders if the comb was an antique; it had floral carvings on it, some of the flowers inlaid with Noctilucous Jade. He pockets it gently and moves behind the one seater couch, then gently scoops the hair on the elder's back to drape over the couch's backrest. He couldn't help notice how fine and delicate Zhongli's hair is; he almost mistook it as silk flower thread.

"Is something the matter?" The consultant inquires as he senses the other stay completely still for a few moments.

"Oh nothing, just thought we could make a fine pillow case with this." Venti snickers as he summons a ball of anemo in one hand, while the other hand holds the parts that were still damp.

"And yours is suitable to be made into a carpet," the consultant retorts without missing a beat.

"Hey," whines Venti with a pout as he disperses the ball and takes out the fine toothed comb. "Mine was a compliment, you know."

"It did not come across as one."

"Fair point," the bard concedes as he gently combs the long dark hair. He wondered if Childe had the chance to do this himself. Would the Harbinger sulk if he told him he got to comb Zhongli's hair? Oooh, would they be meeting later?

Venti's eyes twinkle as a brilliant idea comes into mind—just a harmless prank, nothing too grand to get him blown away for sure.

He sets the hair down as he fishes out the hair tie given to him and a few extra things. He giggles quietly as he begins to gather the fine silk-like threads into his hand and ties it. He arranges his little extras in a way that a small hand mirror shouldn't catch it.

"And, done. I did a good job, if I do say so myself," Venti looks very much smug at his accomplishment as he handed over the mirror and the comb back to their owner.

Zhongli's expectations are on the lower side of the spectrum, if he were to be honest. Allowing his friend's request to do his hair is similar to giving into a child's whims. Seeing that his hair is pulled up neatly with no loose strands was enough for him. He takes the smug look on the bard's face as a cue to proceed to praising him, the same way he would a child.

"I agree, you did a splendid job." The consultant stands and stops himself before he starts ruffling the bard's hair.

"I know that tone," Venti sighs, and crosses his arms. "You're treating me like a kid, aren't you?"

"I did no such thing," Zhongli says smoothly as he heads back to his seat in the dining area. He bites the inside of his lip to contain an amused huff.

"You're laughing inside, I just know it!" Venti follows, but smiles regardless. He believes he'll get the last laugh anyway. [25]

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

With breakfast over and being quite pressed for time, the dishes were left in the sink for cleaning later. After further preparations, they stand in front of Zhongli's house.

The consultant hands over a bottle of the Yaksha's medicine, and two food containers. He specifically instructed the bard to give one food container to the Traveler, along with one of Wangsheng Funeral crests, saying that he feels responsible for giving her a rough time with his request. The other was for Venti himself to enjoy, and share if he so wishes.

Venti places the items in his little pocket dimension and thanks his friend. He glimpses the vibrant red, golds and greens to his right and fully turns. He takes in the view of the Harbor from his spot. He found the city beautiful last night, illuminated by the soft orange glows of the numerous lanterns that lined its streets and roofs, but its vivid colors in the day made the view fresh. No wonder artists, poets, and other creative types go to Liyue in search of inspiration!

"We have forgotten nothing this time, correct?" [26] Zhongli asks, ticking off some items in his mental checklist.

"Nothing that I can think of," Venti replies absentmindedly. His thoughts were preoccupied by the view in front of him. Liyue Harbor looks quite romantic to him. Romance, huh?

Just how far have those two come in their relationship? No scratch that, with the way they are, they probably messed up the order of what is acceptable as "proper courtship" elsewhere. Not that it matters.

"Does that 'significant other' of yours live with you?" Venti asks, completely out of the blue as they started the trek down the mountainous path. "He has his own pair of slippers, for one thing. I think I spotted a few items here and there that are a bit out of place."

The bard's mind drifts to a set of bathroom essentials tucked in a corner of the shelf with Snezhnayan script on the labels in the powder room, the extra untouched mug by the kitchen sink, and the red mask—that screamed 'Fatui'—hanging beside his friend's overcoat. He bet he'd find more if he snooped around more.

"No," Zhongli says, considering his words carefully, as he lets the bard take the lead. "He comes over from time to time."

Venti makes a sound that says he wasn't truly convinced.

"Do thank him for sponsoring our meals so far, if you chance upon him again."

"Huh?" Venti stops walking and spins around, not really sure how the Harbinger was involved in their bonding time, aside from being gossip fodder.

"Despite his busy schedule, he found time to instruct a subordinate to bring groceries to the parlor." The consultant chuckles. "He correctly guessed the food items that had run out and were critically low in stock."

Zhongli makes a mental note to throw out the 8-legged abomination soon. His eyes drift to the expression on the bard's face. Venti looked exhausted all of a sudden. Did he say something wrong? Or, should he have let his friend sleep in for that extra hour?

"Are you sure he doesn't live with you? No, scratch that, are you sure you two aren't married yet?" Venti asks, his tone bordering on exasperation. He belatedly realizes he probably should be looking at it from a different perspective. Maybe it was Zhongli who didn't know they were married yet because of some Snezhnayan tradition that escaped him.

Is that even possible?

"That much, I am certain." Zhongli says coolly, omitting the fact that the Snezhnayan rascal does, in fact, tend to stay over on weekends.

"If you say so." Venti lets it go for now and spins back to the direction they were headed. "Oh, but tell me. Who's doing who? I’m putting two Mora on that Fatui lover boy. Don't get me wrong, based on—ugh!"

In one moment, Venti had his feet on the ground, the next, he was up in the air. Did the earth just rise up?

"What a vulgar mouth you have, dear bard—truly a disgrace to the arts, as always."

"What—"

Disoriented by the change in scenery and altitude, the bard doesn't get the chance to deploy his wings or the air glider.

"Safe travels, my foul-mouthed friend."

That sentence was the last he heard before he felt a solid object—a foot, his mind helpfully supplied—connect to his backside and he is kicked towards Liyue Harbor. The feeling was not unlike being a pebble someone who had a terrible day would irritably kick off the street. He struggles to crane his neck behind him, and he swears he could make out the smirk on Zhongli's face as he stood there on top of a tall, glowing geo construct.

He swears, hoping the former Geo Archon hears him, and swears again when he realizes he was going at a fast enough velocity that he could only hope he lands on something soft.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Venti doesn't land on something soft. Before he could do anything else, he’s met with the Traveller, and he does not like the look she is giving him. It’s a look that tells him that she has lost all respect for him as an adult. The crossed arms just hammered it in.

It makes him squirm. Well, make the physical pain more apparent to him, at least.

Damn, the old man is still powerful enough to blow him away this far.

There wasn't even time for him to prepare for a less painful landing, let alone a graceful one. He couldn't just let his wings sprout from his back for all of Liyue Harbor to see. Scratch that, wasn't this going too far for a joke? The old man didn't even provide him with a shield for a safe landing, how rude!

And here he is now, on some random person's roof, feeling pain on his lower back and hips as if he were feeling the pains brought upon by his real age. When the pain in his hips had subsided, he looks up at the Traveler and her little fairy friend and chuckles nervously.

"I… take it you've heard?" the bard asks with a strained smile and a finger uselessly scratching his cheek.

"So you admit it," Lumine asks as her foot taps impatiently on the tiled roof. "But before that, were you gliding everywhere drunk? I swear, Venti—"

"Oi, who's that on my—O, Rex Lapis, don't tell me you scoundrels broke my roof?!"

"Sorry! We'll help patch it up later!" Lumine shouts automatically as she takes the bard's hand from his cheek and begins pulling him up to make their escape when the angry Liyuen man starts climbing up his roof to make the scoundrels pay.

Paimon slowly approaches the man who was hurling insults at the runaways and hands him a note.

"Paimon and her sidekicks are very sorry. Just send the repair costs to this address [24]. We gotta go now, but we'll come back, okay?"

After the house owner falls silent and snatches the paper from her hands, Paimon tries her best to catch up to her companions, already a few blocks away. Paimon notes that the Traveler had gotten better at roof hopping; somehow, she feels some pride in that.

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

Having made it as far as the rooftop of Liuli Pavilion [27], the Traveler decides that was far enough and stops dragging the battered bard.

Lumine was—yes, was—having a good day. She felt oddly refreshed despite having her sleep disturbed by a nightmare where she and Paimon were flattened like a pancake due to a meteor. They had a good breakfast, and she had a feeling things were going to go splendidly today.

That all changed after hearing Lan and Katheryne gossip about an underaged boy drinking in public, only to be bailed out by Mr. Zhongli. And not too long after receiving instructions on the day's commissions, she heard a crash above them. She volunteered to check it out, only to find a silently moaning bard, sprawled on the roof he had just crashed on.

Lumine decides to reevaluate when she should trust her gut feeling, and when should she doubt it.

The following words that come from her were parts of a sentence, not a question. "You tried to drink alcohol without supervision in public."

Venti drops eye contact, unable to hold the gaze of a strict parent on an unruly child (him). The tips of his index fingers started tapping against each other.

"I just didn't want to be told off like that, especially when I'm way past the age of any drinking restrictions. And the wine wasn't offered to me! I brought my own!"

"Stole," Lumine corrects, and sighs. "Actually, didn't you say you had a vintage you could dig up from Windrise? What happened to that?"

Venti falls silent, still avoiding the harsh gaze the Traveler is giving him. He tucks his hands behind his back.

Surely, he couldn't tell her that the vintage wine was buried over eight centuries ago, and that over time, some other drunkards had their own fill of it to that point there were only two cups worth left when he dug it up… and that he drank it all in one swig, got a stomach ache so bad that he had to wedge himself in between the roots of Vanessa's tree for days, and still felt like shit the week after that. No healer could help him anyway; there wasn't much he could do. Nope, he couldn't tell her that.

"It wasn't there anymore when I dug up the spot," he lies with a grin, bouncing back to his usual jovial self. "A condolence gift it was, but sadly, now is not."

Lumine raises an eyebrow. She doesn't comment, but simply accepts deep inside that this man is a lost cause. The bard probably downed the whole bottle on the spot.

"More importantly, I need you to help me with something." Venti quickly brings up as he didn't want to squirm under the Traveler's questioning gaze. "Just let me get that bottle."

Venti opens his handy dandy pocket dimension, and rumages inside. While he busies himself, Lumine takes a look around them and spots a figure in white and rose gold coming towards them.

"Phew, saaaafe~" Paimon floats in, wiping her brow. "It's a good thing Paimon prepared those 'IOU' notes in advance, huh?"

"We are going to pay back Childe for those, you know." Lumine starts massaging her temples as another expense appears in her imaginary ledger.

"Something tells Paimon that he'll let us off the hook with this one," Paimon whispers in her ear as she looked deviously at the bard who was still rummaging through his belongings. "Besides, we're not the ones who broke the roof. He did."

Sparing a glance at the bard's direction, making sure he's still preoccupied, Paimon hovers closer to Lumine and whispers how they could come on top with this situation. [28]

Lumine's eyes widen. That plan wasn't bad at all. It was playing a little dirty, but there isn't really much of a drawback, except maybe having a guilty conscience for a while.

No… actually, wait, maybe they shouldn't. The more Lumine thinks it over, the more dread she could feel pooling into her stomach.

"Hey, Paimon, maybe we should—"

"Hey, Venti, listen. We're not helping you out for free, you know." Paimon floats towards Venti, her hands on her hips. She put on the sternest look she could muster, but to anyone else looking, she looked like a child about to burst into a temper tantrum. "You better pitch in with the repair costs!"

Venti, who has finally found the bottle he was looking for, hums in delight. He turns to look at the floating mascot and bites his lip to stop himself from chortling. What was this pixie getting angry about, the broken roof? She looked adorable like this; he couldn't help poking fun at her. He could see the Traveler doing the same from the corner of his eye. He slides the bottle in his right pocket; he figures his request can wait.

"Hey, are you listening, Tone-Deaf Bard?"

"Oh, sorry, I missed that." Venti manages to keep the chortling inside and laces his tone with playfulness instead. "Could you repeat that for me, ehe~"

"What do you mean 'ehe~'? You should apologize for dragging us into trouble first thing in the morning. You shouldn't always count on people to bail you out!" Paimon scolds, her arms now crossed over her chest. "As Paimon was saying, you should help in covering the repair costs."

Venti makes a show of seriously considering the matter with his hand propped under his chin, brows pinched together. Lumine rolls her eyes, knowing where this is going.

"Well?" Paimon asks impatiently.

"Would a couple of performances do as compensation?" The bard lifts his chin up to grin at the fairy, then closes one eye and puts together his hands as one would when asking for a favor. "Having no Mora to my name, I ask for your kind consideration."

To any other person on the receiving side of this look, his charm—aided by his weaponized cuteness and youth—would let him off the hook with only a huff of fond resignation and a light scolding. Sadly, this technique doesn't really fly with the travelling duo.

"Then earn some through your performances! We demand Mora!" Paimon screeches, her true intentions spilling freely. The shrillness of her voice makes both the bard and the Traveler wince in pain.

After the ringing in her ears subsides, Lumine crosses her arms and gives the bard a pointed look.

"You don't sound so apologetic for someone who's so drunk he crashed into someone's roof."

"Yeah, it's a bad case of drinking and gliding!" Paimon adds. "If Acting Grand Master Jean were here, she'd revoke your gliding licence!"

"He doesn't have one."

"I don't have one."

Lumine and Venti say in unison. They look at each other and blink before looking away.

"Oh…" Paimon slightly deflates at her mistake, and then looks at Lumine, confusion swimming in her eyes. "Wait, how do you know?"

"Venti has wings, Paimon. I doubt you'd need a license for something that is attached to you." Lumine gestures to the bard with her thumb.

Venti looks at the Traveler incredulously. He sees the Traveler look at him with her head tilted to the side in question. He blinks again, his mouth opening then closing shut. He was pretty sure that wasn't how it works. Don't you get a license so that you are legally given the right to use the ability of flight within the city? Maybe she's talking about the equipment? Sure, the Knights can't exactly seize his wings if he were caught breaking the rules, but it isn't as if he would use his wings to glide around in the eyes of the common folk; he'd use a wind glider. He doesn't bother correcting them as the fairy finds the explanation good enough and somehow did wonders for that foul mood. He chooses to answer the question.

"That's because I'm not drunk. We didn't even get through the whole bottle. I'm not slurring my words, am I?" Venti sighs and mutters the next part. "And besides... it's not my fault."

"Okay, fair. You don't smell like alcohol." Paimon concedes as she rubs her chin, looking dead serious, and then smiles sweetly as she adds, "And your voice isn't a pitch higher!"

"Huh? My voice gets higher when I'm drunk?" Venti asks, pointing at himself.

"Yup! It's actually really cute hea—"

"Well, go on. What do you mean it's not your fault?" Lumine steers the conversation back to its tracks as she slaps a hand on Paimon's mouth.

"I got blown away by that prude of a blockhead."

"Mr. Zhongli…" Lumine lets her hand slip off her mascot's mouth, taken aback by the violent implications of the statement.

"...blew you away?" Paimon finishes, equally shocked.

Sure, they had heard stories of Rex Lapis being the God of War, and they have seen the man's battle prowess in the flesh whenever they asked him for help in their quests, but they couldn't exactly picture Zhongli losing that sophisticated calm demeanor with a friend. They'd reckoned he had the patience of a saint.

"Could you believe that brute? He literally kicked me off Mt. Tianheng as we were going down, enjoying a conversation!" Venti rants, clearly annoyed how his morning got ruined. "Called me a disgrace to the arts, to boot!"

"That can't be right…" Lumine really found this hard to believe.

"What did you tell him?"

"Well," Venti starts by building some intrigue with the prolongation of his first word. Satisfied with eyes brimming with anticipation locked on him, he continues. "I did ask him if the Fatui boy is 'the dominant' one under the sheets. Personally, I—"

The bard finds a hand covering his mouth mid-rant of his analysis. He looks at his companions and sees their faces are blossoming with pretty shades of red. The Traveler's grip on his mouth tightens with each passing second, even though she couldn't bear to look at him. (He also notes the grip couldn't compare to Morax's). Paimon looks like she was about to explode.

"P–P… PERVERT!"

The fairy's shrill accusation drew many eyes of passersby from the road on them, including the Milleliths' posted nearby. Even the Liuli Pavilion waitress who was climbing the roof to tell them off pauses.

"Oh no, this isn't good. We gotta get out of here!" Paimon floats closer to the Traveler as she panics in a frantic whisper.

Lumine nods and teleports them out of the scene before the Millelith moves to oversee the commotion, and before the restaurant personnel could regain their composure.

She should've done this in the first place instead of flexing her parkour skills across the rooftops of Liyue Harbor. She sort of knew now why the former Geo Archon wanted to rid of the former Anemo Archon with such haste that kicking him off the mountain was deemed to be the proper way of getting the job done.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Lumine didn't have a particular place in mind when she got them out of Liyue Harbor. Seeing a familiar quaint house with a cart of Sunsettia in front of it nearby and the abundant patches of orange wildflowers gave her some relief.

At least she had half the mind to transport them to somewhere convenient. Dihua Marsh was one of the places listed in their daily commissions. Her head snaps to her right when Venti pries off her hand on his face.

"Oh come now, you can't tell me you aren't burning with curiosity too!" The bard laughs, his eyes twinkling. "You've known about them longer; I say they're smitten. So, Trav'ler, what say you?"

Paimon and Lumine look at each other and sigh.

"They're in love with each other," was Lumine's immediate answer.

"They're definitely together with how lovey-dovey they are!" Paimon happily adds.

Venti is surprised when he sees the Traveler bury her face into her hands.

"But recently, I just realized that they're still pining for each other."

"Eh, really? I thought they were doing pretty swell. Soooo, you mean, it's like the both of them have a mutual one-sided love?" Paimon asks.

"Unfortunately, yes." Lumine groans a bit before taking her face out of her hands. If she's right, Zhongli asking her to secretly take Childe's pics and the Childe's words from yesterday would make so much sense.

Venti winces at that. So that vagueness happening between those two wasn't as romantic as it sounded last night. Morax sounded like he had a handle on the situation too—that his admonishments were like tiny pats on the back rather than real advice. Then again, with that deadpan default of a face the old man has, who would've thought? Of course, the deadly cocktail of miscommunication and rose-tinted glasses makes things look like it's fine… until you dig a little bit deeper. Eh, human emotions are messy, and if the old man says he's willing to navigate through it the human way, well, he'll get there. It'll take time, sure, but he believes in Morax's stubbornness. For one thing, he bet he still has that dumb bell somewhere in that house, still trying to unlock it even though the owner herself told that blockhead to forget it.

"Must've been hard to have a front row seat to that," he offers as consolation to the long-suffering look on Lumine's face.

"It's not exactly a front row seat," Lumine says, staring at him in the eye. She knows at least one person with a better and closer view after all. "What they do in private is their own business."

She gets closer to the bard and uses her hands to pinch away at his cheeks. "That is why there are certains things you talk about at certain places and at certains times with certain people. You don't just stick your nose on very personal information whenever, wherever."

"Ahhhh, I get it, I get it!" Venti grabs both of her hands in an attempt to stop the assault. "I'm sorry, okay. I'll apologize next time we meet, so please stop?"

Lumine lets go of reddened cheeks and dusts off her hands. She looks behind her for a second and her blood runs cold. She curses inside, realizing that there is a Geo Archon statue right there. Was it too late to take back her words? [29]

"A-anyway, that's… that's just the opinion of an outsider. Ta-take it with a grain of salt." Lumine laughs weakly. She could, at least manage damage control, right?

Venti tilts his head, seeing some color drain from his companion's face.

"Is everything alright?" Paimon asks, noticing the stutter in her partner's speech.

"Yeah." Lumine takes a breath and turns to the bard, looking much better. "So what was that request you had for us?"

Venti fishes the bottle from his pocket as he mutters an 'oh yeah'. He brings it near his face with a grin.

"I was tasked with a delivery! I'm supposed to give it to someone in Wangshu Inn."

"Ohhh, could that be for Xiao?" Paimon floats closer to the bard, the drool slowly escaping the corner of her mouth giving away her intentions. She almost gags when a hand reins her in by the back of her outfit's collar.

"Venti, put that away before Paimon eats it."

"Eh, no fair! You didn't let Paimon taste it last time!" The fairy flails as the bard hastily puts it back into his pocket. "Stingy, stingy, stingy!"

Paimon crosses her arms and turns away with her nose high—the picture of a snobbish child making sure you know she's ignoring you.

"I was told these are painkillers, but just how bad are they."

Lumine coughs into her hand to clear her throat for an upcoming deep voice impersonation.

"'Be sure not to let Paimon eat them. Nothing in this world can withstand the power of this medicine' are Mr. Zhongli's exact words."

"Good one, that sounds just like him." Venti chuckles then sneers at the fairy. "Ha, he knows you so well."

The pissy fairy turns away from him too with a 'hmph'.

"Well, you're in luck. We're pretty close by." Lumine points to the magnificent structure they could see from where they're standing.

"So, that's Wangshu Inn… I was wondering what that giant treehouse was. I knew I could count on the Traveler and her fairy friend for help with this." He places his hand on his hips with a smile on his lips.

"We'll escort you there, but we have some business to take care of along the way. That's fine with you, right?"

"I'm in no hurry, so lead the way!"

Lumine smiles and does just that. Venti is quick to follow, poking Paimon's cheek as he passes by. A few minutes later, Paimon cracks open an eye and sees that her companions were already a ways off.

"Eh? Are you really leaving Paimon behind?!"

"You better hurry up or I'll take over your position as the Traveler's guide!" She hears the bard shout.

"Bu-but you don't even know the way to Wangshu Inn!"

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Childe pretty much just wanted this ordeal with the bank over and done with. He hadn't seen Zhongli for days now. It was agonizing. It was as if he were having a withdrawal from one of Dottore's concoctions—not that he'd experienced it himself, but there were clinical trial notes on some experimental potions mixed along with the Ruin Guard research he received. The notes were highly detailed for one thing.

Hearing little reports on the older man had soothed him, but the effect doesn't last very long. [30] He finds his behavior pathetic and undeserving of his Harbinger title, but he was never like his colleagues. He just mentally shrugs it off as another bullet point on the list they could probably bully him for (if and when they find out).

He is a patient man when it comes to certain things, but he just couldn't muster much self-restraint right now, even though all the time he could spare for lunch is a quick take out from a food kiosk near the bank. Which is exactly what he was about to do: get a meal he could take back to his office from the nearest kiosk—just somewhere on the same floor because he couldn't trust his feet not to lead him to Wangsheng's giant double doors if he ventures as far as the ground floor.

He knew he should be a little bit more patient.

With the rate things are going, the Fiscal Year End rush should come to a breaking point today or tomorrow. Truly, he couldn't stand another hectic work day without seeing his xiansheng's face, but the look of disappointment on the older man's face—that his mind quickly conjures—when he learns he abandoned his subordinates to deal with the workload on their own (for the second time this week) isn't worth it.

With a sigh, he reaches out for the handle of the bank's door, resigning himself to the fate of not seeing that beautiful face for the fifth day in a row, when the door opens on its own. Rather, it was opened from the outside. He stands there like the idiot he is as it opens fully, letting the man of his dreams and daydreams inside.

A voice that dripped with honey reaches Childe's ears. "Well, hello, Childe. I didn't expect you to greet me at the door. Are you perhaps heading out for lunch?" The small, low chuckle that followed was like rain water seeping into the cracks of earth after a long drought. "I seem to have come at an opportune moment. To 'have hit the mark', as they say, with my timing today."

Childe couldn't find his voice. Would speaking break the illusion in front of him? Yet the bright eyes trained on him told him the opposite. His imagination could never compare to the real thing after all. His heart sinks as he sees those eyes dim a little with worry seeping in and the small tug of a smile on Zhongli's lips disappear, a small frown taking its place. A gloved hand was raised to cup his cheek, warm and gentle, more so when the thumb caressed the spot just under his eyes.

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

The ginger melts into the touch, rubbing his cheek onto it but the worry on the older man's voice made him panic inside, prompting him to find his voice fast.

"I am, I am, xiansheng. Who knew dealing with paperwork and cordially addressing clients would be more life-draining than my other duties," Childe explains with a chuckle, delighted by his smooth delivery as if he wasn't panicking about the loss in his ability to speak just a few moments ago. He takes the hand on his cheek with both hands and places a peck on it before lowering it. He takes two steps forward, and encircles his arms around the slightly flustered man before him.

Pride swelled in his chest at the sight of the slightest dust of pink on the older man's face. The same composed look he wore, but Childe knew better. He tightens his hold and pulls the older man even closer so that he could bury his face into the consultant's chest.

The smell of Zhongli's silk flowers blend, Cecilias, petrichor and incense hits him. Childe sighs in contentment; had his vocal cords allowed it, he would've purred. Oh Archons, he needed this.

"Childe?"

"Indulge me for a bit, xiansheng. Let's stay like this for a little while, okay?" The Harbinger lifts his head up to whisper in his ear before dropping it to that inviting chest. The words 'I miss you so much' were left unsaid, but his actions should speak for itself.

"Compose yourself. We are becoming a nuisance."

"Just a bit more," the Bank Manager lazily replies, feeling the stresses of the week fade and lifting his spirits up. His escapade in Guyun Stone Forest simply couldn't compare to the healing he was getting from this.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brings him out of his daydream and drags him rather forcefully into reality.

Except he wasn't in a daydream, and the dragging sensation was from Ekaterina expertly removing him from Zhongli's person, by the scarf.

"Master Childe, please have your lunch break in your office as Mr. Zhongli here has generously brought you your meals." The bank teller smiles with the same professionalism as she would use on a particularly trying client.

Tartaglia didn't notice when the noise coming from the lower rank bank tellers entertaining prospective clients, as well as the clanking of coins as Mora was passed around, faded to the background but he is aware of the sounds coming back now. He could hear the strain in his subordinates' voices as they tried to keep their client's attention on them, and not on the rather intimate display of affection between their boss and his lover at the front of the bank lobby.

Bank Manager Childe scans the room and the clients' eyes snap back to the respective tellers, explaining whatever business it was that they came for. Some had given him an eye roll before going back to their business, and some tried their best not to glance back as the flush on their faces remained.

"Right this way, please." Ekaterina gestures to the stairs and guides Zhongli to the second floor.

And just when Childe thinks he has fully snapped out of his neediness, his eyes find themselves on Zhongli's Cecilia flower-adorned ponytail. He stands there, his mouth agape as all thought processes come to a halt.

What had he done to deserve such a divine creature in his life?

He does a light jog up winding stairs to avoid lagging behind the pair—his eyes fearing it would lose sight of his beloved should he stand there for too long with his mouth open like a gaping fish. When he catches up, the consultant has entered his office, walking over to his desk. He gives his assistant an apologetic look before he slips inside, only to be pulled back, again, by the scarf.

"I will take the liberty to reschedule your meeting with Gentry Sy meant to take place in two hours. Please don't complain about the new schedule once it is set. I will come back after an hour with the new documents and the new schedule. With all that said, please enjoy a pleasant meal with Mr. Zhongli."

"Awww, so you do care~" Tartaglia gives her a smile. His assistant always seems so distant but it felt nice knowing she has his back, even outside of work.

The Ekaterina's eyes grow wide at the gesture.

"I owe you one. I'll treat you to a nice meal sometime. But for now… if you will excuse me, I have a very special guest to entertain. Best not to make him wait." Tartaglia winks before taking a glance at the consultant who was already busying himself with the table setting, as this is hardly the first or the last time they would dine in Childe's office.

The bank teller nods in understanding, waits for the door to close before moving closer to the stairs. That was dangerous; her heart skipped a beat back there. She reminds herself of the extra work she had to organize to make her boss's lunch date fit into a packed schedule as she took a few deep breaths. Poof! The feeling of momentary attraction is gone.

Her boss did possess the looks, a gifted tongue to make sweet lies and witty comebacks roll off smoothly and the charisma to put it all together to make people swoon, herself included. It was the familiarity of the darkness that hides underneath it all that allows her to keep her feet grounded in reality. Some unfortunate souls are debatably not as lucky (they even formed a fan club of sorts; some have even, reportedly, fallen to their deaths for some unknown phenomena [31]).

Thinking about it now, she found it odd when Master Childe decided to avoid Mr. Zhongli for most of the week to the point where ridding a group of islands of Hilichurls was a better idea than to go out for the usual meal with the gentleman of Wangsheng. But judging from the display from earlier, it became clear to her how utterly mindless the Harbinger became at the sight of Mr. Zhongli. Is this why he refrained from interacting with the consultant this week? Or, was that display the result of some kind of withdrawal?

Well, that doesn't matter. For Ekaterina, as long as the Bank Manager can get his mind into a functional state to deal with everything that needs dealing with, then it's all good. She takes one last look at the door and hopes there won't be any vulgar noises coming from it, lest she cut that one hour grace period unceremoniously short. She could count on her boss that much, right?

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

Childe pushes his back against the door and pays attention to the click it makes. Once it clicks into place, he immediately turns the lock, making sure no distractions come their way… without knocking first, at least.

"What do we have here?" He asks with an easy smile, eyeing the table spread, as he stalks to his office table and sidles up to the consultant. "Did you make this yourself, Zhongli-xiansheng?"

"I did," Zhongli answers, very much aware of the hand snaking up his waist which pulls him closer to the Snezhnayan. He allows the younger man to rest his head on his shoulder. He finds the younger man's clinginess endearing. "Chef Mao was kind enough to lend me his stove to reheat the soup and was gracious enough to provide us some freshly cooked rice."

Childe hums in acknowledgement but doesn't budge one bit. Zhongli decides to indulge him for a minute or two in honor of that request from the bank lobby earlier.

More than a minute or two passes. Childe still hasn’t let go.

"If you understand, it is best we eat lest it gets cold," the older man tries to reason with his obviously touch-starved significant other.

"How could I be so lucky?" Childe shifts his position so that he could stand in front of this immaculately dressed gentleman with his hands on the other's hips. He angles his mouth to press a kiss on unsuspecting lips. "For you to bring me a home-cooked meal…"

Another assault follows, this time bit longer, and with Zhongli expecting it, he responds in kind, looping his arms around Childe's neck and adding a little tongue into the mix—something that his lover appreciates very much. Their actions push Zhongli back, backing him into Childe's office desk, almost spilling their lunch.

Zhongli, for his part, isn't particularly thrilled about the thought of spilling any food on the work surface—with all the complications such an event would bring. And honestly, there was no room for it, not when this rascal selfishly invades his thoughts with every swipe of tongue inside his cheeks, every nibble on his lips, and the heat building up between them. Childe's advances may have caught him by surprise, but they are definitely not unwelcome.

In fact, he believes he was catering to a craving, soothing an itch, as they would say. An itch that he had failed—or possibly, denied of himself—to recognize. Zhongli may tell himself he was just here for an innocent meal with someone he hadn't seen for a while; he may carry himself with an air of dignity with all those people watching them in the lobby, but he was just as bad as Childe. No, he may even be worse. Not only is he touch-starved, and affection-starved, but he felt absolutely possessive of the man in front of him. He finds himself coating the other in his scent again. He wanted to leave marks too, to show everyone that Childe is taken.

(Goodness, he almost broke a pair of wooden chopsticks when he felt that there was something going on with that subordinate at the door and Childe.)

Zhongli doesn't dwell in it and focuses on making sure Childe understands that he wants this as much as the other does, despite the lack of words.

Once Childe decides he needs to come up for some air, he breaks their make out session and takes his much needed lungfuls of air.

Archons, that felt nice. He was relieved that xiansheng seemed as eager as he was.

He doesn't dive into it again and prefers to drape himself all over the older man. He doesn't move for a while, still not quite done recharging.

"And even get all dolled up for me. I swear, you'll be the death of me, Zhongli." Childe lifts his head and gently butts his forehead onto Zhongli's, staring into those Cor Lapis eyes, as if challenging the elder to do something about it.

"My, aren't we needy today, Childe?" Zhongli breaks eye contact to whisper into the shell of the younger man's ear, earning him a delectable shiver from the rascal. Childe couldn't get a word in edgewise, keeping his mouth shut lest he let mortifyingly embarrassing sounds escape, the honeyed words continue to tumble into his ears. "If you are able to hold out until you've finished your duties in the bank, like a good boy, then I wouldn't mind rewarding you for your efforts. Don't cause too much trouble for your subordinates, like that woman from earlier."

Childe's knees were ready to buckle, should Zhongli do something as simple as blow air into his ear, but he wills himself to stay upright. O Sevens, that voice... Why does it render him useless like putty in Zhongli's hands? He knows that the older man would meet him head on, yet the Liyuen has the gall to ask him for something before taking responsibility.

Deep inside, he is slightly pissed at how easily the former archon can make him dance right into the palm of his hand—his pride wounded once more. And yet here he is, willing to do anything to be Zhongli's good boy.

"What's the reward?" Childe asks as he buries his face into the crook of Zhongli's neck, peppering the exposed skin with fluttering kisses. He isn't interested in giving in so easily.

"Do you have an aversion to surprises?" Zhongli huffs in amusement and teases the unruly ginger locks. "No biting."

"Hm, I don't have fond memories of your surprises." Childe gives up and just lets his chin rest on the older man's shoulder quite sulkily. He couldn't even coax a hitch in breath or a stutter out of the man, so he relents. "But I'm willing to give it a shot."

"Thank you, I'm sure you'll like what I have in store for you." He presses a light kiss on those locks and he could feel rather than see Childe's mood lighten up.

"I'll do it even without a reward, you know."

"Yes, I know. Think of it as motivation rather than bribery."

Childe laughs at that and tightens his embrace a bit more. "You're spoiling me. And since you're in a generous mood, won't you have dinner with me and let me come over tonight?"

"Alright, you have my permission." Zhongli pauses as he felt the arms around him tighten their hold on him for a second and he hears a small, heartfelt 'yes!' coming from the younger man. It makes him smile. "But, I must say, you've put me in quite a predicament. While I find it humbling that you are willing to pass on by my hand, the purpose of my visit is to bring back life to your withered, overworked body."

Oh, what a way to ruin the mood. We're going back to that, now?

"Who are you calling 'withered'? Age-wise, shouldn't that be you?" Childe pulls back, his eyebrows knitting, clearly offended by the remark. Surely a few nights worth of overtime hasn't made his looks comparable to the consultant's clients, lying peacefully in their caskets. "And you're right. I can't go dying when we haven't had that battle you've promised me."

Childe notes that they should really set a definite date for that.

"But I see you're trying other ways to defeat me. You're already very handsome, Zhongli-xiansheng, but I see you're trying to weaponize it even more. It would be a lie to say it isn't the least bit effective."

Zhongli chuckles fondly. Of course Tartaglia would bring up a battle and strategy in the midst of flirting.

"Hm, I don't see how bringing you a home cooked meal could be considered a battle strategy, but I'm afraid I don't understand the second part." Zhongli cups his chin as he reviewed the looks of passersby and even the Ferrylady's when he came past them. "What do you mean by 'all dolled up'? I do not remember dressing myself outside of my usual attire."

Childe owlishly blinks at him. Is he being played again? Zhongli cutely tilts his head in confusion, dealing further damage to his already beaten up mind.

"Wait, you really don't know?"

"No… I'm afraid not."

Childe sighs, ruffling his already unruly hair even more. The red mask strapped on the side of his head bobbed up and down. A fond but long-suffering smile graces his face.

"And here I thought you're finally putting the flowers I send you everyday this week to good use—other than becoming part of the display for Wangsheng's reception area."

Zhongli watches as Childe approaches him, a hand disappearing from sight as it reaches from behind him. The ginger haired man brings up a Cecilia to his face. He looks at the younger man completely perplexed and starts patting the back of his head and feels another sitting there above his ponytail; he doesn't take it out. The events of the morning replays in the theater of his mind and pauses, and zooms in, at that smug look on the bard's face, that imp.

"Let me guess, it's your guest's doing." Childe heartily laughs as he tries to place the Cecilia flower back from where he had plucked it. "He goes by the name 'Venti' now, if I remember correctly."

Zhongli stiffens for a second, relaxes and sighs. He positions himself comfortably on one of the chairs in front of Childe's desk. He decides to play it off for now, especially when there has been no mentions of his request to the Adventurers' Guild. Casting a line now would only lead into suspicion.

"Yes, it was him. This prank is not beyond him—payback for pulling his braids a little too roughly and likening his hair to a carpet."

Childe snorts before chortling as he seats himself in his office chair, taking out the well polished box that held the chopsticks Zhongli had gifted him from an inner pocket of his uniform. "You did what?"

The younger man doesn't miss the sparkle in Zhongli's eyes and the brief smile that graces those handsome features as the older man recognized the chopsticks in Childe's hands.

"I see your sharp hearing hasn't dulled in the slightest," Zhongli comments first before continuing with the conversation. "Venti is quite inquisitive and perceptive; thus, he has made a bad habit out of asking ill-mannered questions. I take it upon myself to give him both verbal and non-verbal cues on when it is wise for him to keep his mouth shut."

"Of course, I couldn't let my guard down after what happened last time," Childe says a bit pointedly but tries to brush the topic off. He takes a sip from the soup spoon and a hums in delight. "And besides, there's been a bit of talk about a young-looking foreign bard, clad in green, arrested by the Millelith for public underaged drinking that you happened to bail out. You can count on me to figure things out up to that point."

Childe pauses as he struggled to lift up the pork belly with his chopsticks. The strip would fall apart from his messy attempts at getting it in between the two sticks. Sighing, he opts to try for the Bamboo Shoot instead and successfully lifts it up, slowly putting it in the older man's line of sight before swiftly shoving it in his mouth. He chews on it with relish and pure happiness. "But more importantly, why a carpet?"

A smile settles on the consultant's face at the look of euphoria on the rascal's face. He stares at the view magnificent before him, engraving the sight in his superb memory.

Memories… intangible fragments of the past that can be kept close to one's heart and something that can slip past, buried and forgotten under the sands of time. He asked himself numerous times if a photograph, a crystallization of a moment in time, could really compare to the memory of an ancient being such as he. No matter the quality, the image is preserved in paper—a flimsy material. Paper could burn, get waterlogged, and be torn; it can be destroyed in so, so many ways.

And yet Zhongli still requested for some.

Perhaps, it isn't about its ability to withstand time. Perhaps, it was simply the fact that it was tangible, something he could hold in his hands. Perhaps, it was simply curiosity on how an object could provoke strong emotions, something to make him understand humans more as he strived to live as one.

Unfortunately, those reasons do not explain why he needs Childe to be the subject of his requested photographs. Or do they, and that he has not yet grasped the connection between them.

Would he know then by the time he has them in his hands and gazes upon them?

He'll just have to wait and see. The end of the week is upon them, and surely, the Traveler is capable of completing the task in a punctual manner, surely a week should be ample time.

"Very good, Childe. I am happy to see you practice those chopsticks in earnest. Keep it up." Zhongli comes back from his thoughts to compliment the man. His heart swells at the sight of a beaming Childe, such an adorable creature indeed—always hungry for praise. He effortlessly picks up a slice of pork belly with his own chopsticks, partly in demonstration, and consumes it. "That is true; the elderly waiting in the Parlor had brought in that piece of gossip this morning."

He watches Childe try a second attempt on another piece of pork belly, before giving up and trying for the ham this time. He takes a sip from his tea before continuing.

"He said my hair would make a fine pillow case cover."

Childe is grateful he wasn't slurping the soup. He is sure some of it would pass through his nose or choke him at the bit of information. He bites the bottom of his lip so hard he almost drew blood.

"Was that... supposed to be a compliment?" The ginger haired man asks in between stifling his laughter.

"He said that it was."

Childe then wonders if he would be given a chance to style Zhongli's hair or let him put the rouge under his eyes. He knows it is petty but some jealousy flares up within him at the thought of Venti being allowed to do xiansheng's hair when he hasn't had the chance to do so.

Sensing Childe's mood sour, Zhongli changes the topic, to which the younger man easily latches on.

Time flew and the next thing they knew, their bowls were empty and a series of knocks signaled the end of their little bubble of happiness detached from the outside world.

"I'll see you later in Liuli Pavilion at 6pm. There should be a reservation there under my name."

"Alright, I'll be there at the appointed time. But first," Zhongli says as he takes out a small food container from inside his overcoat's inner pocket. "Here, I hope this will help in alleviating stress. I must take my leave now. Do try your best to stay out of trouble."

"Will do, xiansheng!" Childe replies cheerfully, his eyes turning into upward crescents.

Zhongli takes the delivery heat-insulator box and the borrowed dinnerware in hand then makes his way to the exit. Mission accomplished, and Childe doesn't seem to have caught onto his request for the Traveler, based on the conversation he replays in his mind.

The older man almost trips by the door as Childe's words from earlier slotted in, with their full meaning.

Childe thought Zhongli was seducing him with a good meal and a pretty view.

"You okay there?" Childe asked, unsure how anyone could trip on a flat surface.

A light blush creeps up his cheeks. He coughs into his hand before responding, not turning back to make sure the Harbinger doesn't see it.

"Y-yes, I'm fine thank you."

Childe hums in acknowledgement, just as Zhongli catches sight of the masked woman from before peering at him curiously. He makes a quick shift to the left and hastened his pace out of the bank and back to the funeral parlor with a much calmer expression; he hopes.

Ekaterina watches the fleeing figure with her head tilted to the side. What happened in there?

Well, it's none of her business, so she shrugs and goes over the documents in her hands to make sure they were complete.

Childe opens the food container that had been left on his desk and sees two Lotus Flower Crisps in it with a small note attached under the lid.

"Some sugary treats should help in the reduction of cortisol levels, stress hormones, to a manageable amount for a short period of time. Have one when the need arises."

He picks one up and admires the pretty dessert in his hands. He could imagine how the older man would meticulously stuff the almond-butter mixture into the lotus flower and straighten out the edge of each petal before lowering it into the wok filled with hot oil.

Xiansheng is so cute.

Ekaterina, having finished her checks, promptly enters the office with a stack of paperwork and three memos: 1) Reservations at Liuli Pavilion for the Harbinger has been confirmed, 2) Meeting with Gentry Sy is rescheduled later tonight to be held in Liuli Pavilion as a dinner meeting, right after the prior reservation meant for his dinner date with Mr. Zhongli, and 3) a Liyuen man is demanding compensation for his broken roof after being referred to the Bank by 'a floating child with white hair'.

Childe eats both Lotus Flower Crisps on the spot.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Venti finds himself laughing weakly as he launches an arrow to take down the last Hilichurl from the particular islet they were standing on. He did say he wasn't pressed for time with this request, and he did have faith in the Traveler, but why does it seem like they were circling Wangshu Inn rather than going straight into the building itself. Was he getting played?

"O fair Trav'ler, I'm sure your business has been settled smoothly with my aid," Venti materializes his lyre to let a few notes accompany his question. "Surely with my services the debt for my request has been duly paid?"

Lumine looks at him and tilts her head in confusion.

"Oh! Paimon forgot to tell you something!" The fairy materializes now that the battle is over. "We're going to see Xiao, right?"

Venti nods, as he dematerialized his bow. He is still unsure how this and that are related, though.

"While we've dealt with the commissions in this area... Paimon and I made it a habit to clear out any signs of danger around the Inn when we go visit Xiao," Lumine continues from where the fairy left off (finally getting what the bard was getting at).

"It's our way of helping him out, you know! Fighting to protect Liyue day and night must be exhausting! Paimon's head hurts just from trying to imagine how it's like..." Paimon cups both her hands on the side of her head, making her point.

"Awww, aren't you two the sweetest things? I didn't know you were all chummy like that!" Venti coos then ends it with a healthy amount of teasing. "Hm, for a second there, I thought you were just going around collecting drops or that you're becoming like that Fatui nutjob from yesterday!"

"Hey!" Paimon scolds, hands on her waist. "That's enough out of you, you Tone-Deaf Bard!"

"Like I said before, when there's an opportunity, we grab it. Nothing wrong with that, right?" Lumine also has her hands on her waist. "And isn't it nice we're hitting more than two birds with a stone?"

"That's true," Venti concedes with a giggle. "But we are going to Wangshu Inn soon, right?"

"Hm, I think we missed an islet over there," The Traveler says as she gave Paimon a knowing look.

Paimon gets the message and pops out of existence. Lumine was really about to call it a day with the Hilichurl clearing out operation and teleport them to Wangshu Inn after clearing this islet, but… Venti did say something annoying. It was only right to pay him back with a little prank of her own.

The 'ehe' that came from the Traveler's mouth as she lightly bonked her head after reaching the deserted islet sounded utterly grating in Venti's ears. Well played, Traveler, well played.

When they reached the base of the tree holding up the Inn, Venti was quick to challenge them to a race. Using his Anemo powers and wind glider to raise himself up in the air, he had a pretty good start.

Lumine grumbles as she runs to the lift. Her own Anemo powers don't allow her to flit gracefully into the air like the former archon can. This is a losing battle, she knows, but it doesn't lessen the urgency to get up there as fast as she could. Who knows what kind of trouble that bard could get into without her acting as damage control?

Venti takes his time gliding around the coiling structure. (Come on, he wasn't that cruel; he'd give the Traveler some time to catch up.) He was trying to remember if he'd been at this spot before. During the Archon war, the view was pretty much the same anywhere you looked with earth spears littering the terrain. He wouldn't be surprised if the solid stone that the inn and this magnificent tree is clinging onto used to be one of those weapons of war.

He lands on one of the overhanging balconies where he spotted what looked like a receptionist desk inside.

Glancing to the side, he sees that his entrance had amazed a little girl nearby, her eyes shining in anticipation of another magic trick. It wasn't everyday that someone would just fly to get up to this level.

"Well, hello there, little miss," Venti greets his singular audience member. "What are you up to on a fine day like this?"

"Just playing by myself as papa's busy with his job. Mister, could you do more tricks?"

"Hmmm, I'm not a magician but a bard by trade," he smiles but decides to indulge her. "But this little lady sure knows how to persuade~ Come and put your hands out."

The girl lays out her hands with her palms up, side by side. Her eyes widen when the bard gives her a ball of condensed air.

"Now try blowing on it." Venti winks.

The girl takes in a deep breath and blows on the ball. The ball disperses into small dandelion seed shapes being blown by the wind and when the girl looks down, there lay a Cecilia flower on her hands. She squeals in delight.

"That's soooo cool!"

Ventli chuckles and picks up the flower to tuck it into her right ear.

"See, now we match." The bard points at the Cecilia on his hat. "I gotta go now, little missy. May the winds blow you bright future~"

Lumine and Paimon smile at the scene before them as they hid on the sidelines.

"Awww, that's so sweet! How come he's nothing but a troublemaker when he's with us?" Paimon pouts.

Lumine just shrugs; she didn't know either. Their attention was brought back when a cheerful voice began asking Verr Goldet about a certain guest. They ran.

"Top of the morning to you, Boss Lady."

"And to you too, my, aren't you in great spirits, sir? Welcome to Wangshu Inn. How may I assist you?" Verr Goldet smiles the same way she did to all guests.

"I'm here for a delivery. Would you know if The Conqueror of Demons, the Lone Survivor of the Great Five, The Vigilant Yaksha Adeptus Xiao is around?"

Verr Goldet's right eyebrow twitches. She hasn't encountered an individual who would ask for the Young Master with such audacity before. She closes in on him and hushes him. She glances at the side and her eyes catches sight of a familiar duo and chooses to address them instead.

"Is this young man here a friend of yours?" The lady owner of the inn asks coolly.

"Yes, he's a friend. Sorry for the trouble," Lumine laughs weakly and turns to the bard she was manhandling into a bowing pose, gritting out: "Now apologize."

"Sorry," Venti mumbles and feels the pressure on his head disappear. He looks up and sees Paimon smirk.

"Is Xiao around? We have something to give him," Lumine asks the Boss in with a small voice, curling a hand around her mouth to avoid anyone else watching from lip reading.

"Yes, he's upstairs. Though, he doesn't seem to be in a good mood these days." Verr Goldet notes as she taps a finger to her cheek. "I'm not sure if he'll entertain any guests, but if it's you, maybe he will. Go ask Smiley for an extra large serving of Delicious Almond Tofu. And if you're taking the young man, keep him on a leash."

"Will do, Boss!" Paimon singsongs, saluting and heads straight to the kitchen a flight of stairs below them, excited to request the bowl of Almond Tofu as if it's for her and not for the Adeptus they're trying to get an audience with.

Venti's brows raise in amusement at the info they just received and bites his cheek to reign in a chuckle. He and Lumine follow the fairy down,

"So what's this I hear? Xiao has a sweet tooth and you need to bribe him with dessert for an audience?" Venti whispers as they set foot on the first landing if the way down. "Very unbecoming of an 'Illuminated Adeptus', if you ask me."

"When you put it like that…'' Lumine stifles a laugh. "But hey, we had to offer food for Cloud Retainer too to get an audience. Isn't it normal for mortals to present food as offerings if they're asking a favor from the Gods they worship?"

"Then?" Venti's eyes sparkle with expectation.

"I'm an otherworlder; get a devotee to treat you to lunch."

"Stingy, hmph." He huffs with puffed cheeks and arms crossed.

"Are you turning into Paimon?"

"Huh, what are you two talking about behind Paimon's back? Paimon heard her name." The fairy in question floats to them, eyes squinting with suspicion.

"It's nothing," Lumine says nonchalantly, waving her hand. "We just thought that you seemed so eager to go ahead of us that you probably…"

Lumine trails off when spotted two big bowls on the table instead of one. She turned to the fairy who was doing her best to look cute and apologetic, one eye closed and a bit of her tongue sticking out.

"You ordered two." Lumine gives her floating companion an unamused look.

"Ehe, oops." Paimon completes the look by bonking her head lightly.

"Hey, are you copying me?" Venti points an accusing finger at the mascot, pretending to be offended.

Lumine laughs and thought maybe they did swap personalities for a moment when she wasn't looking. The other two follow her lead, laughing merrily.

"I'd appreciate it if you stayed quiet back there. Making the perfect Almond Tofu requires a steady hand and sharp concentration," Smiley Yangxiao lightly scolds, craning his neck to look at the trio behind him, looking none too smiley himself. "Could you wait over there and keep it down... please?" [32]

"Oh, right, sorry." Lumine was the first to recover from their fit and regards the request with a smile before heading over to the small dining area behind the screen.

Her companions soon follow in clamping their mouths shut and head occupy the other available seats.

They make no attempt at idle chatter. Only the sound of the syrup boiling and the slow drag of the knife across the chopping board hung in the air and the sound of the bard munching on an apple that he pulled out from who knows where.

Paimon looks at it with such interest that she had gravitated towards the bard with some drool escaping from the corner of her mouth. Lumine's hand and disapproving look keeps her grounded to her seat.

It didn't take much longer for Smiley to bring the two big servings of Almond Tofu to them.

With stars in her eyes, Paimon was more than ready to dig in when Lumine stopped her.

"We should go see Xiao first."

"But… but the best time to eat this delicacy is when it's just been served!"

"All the more reason to get it to Mr. Sweet Tooth Yaksha as soon as possible, right?" Venti giggles, savoring the despair hanging over the fairy; she had dug her own grave.

"Gi-give Paimon a minute!" Paimon exclaims as she picks up her spoon and begins shoving the dessert into the blackhole that is her mouth.

Lumine's mouth hung agape, unable to stop or scold her fairy companion in time. She sits back down and buries her face into her hand. "I better not hear you complaining of a stomach ache or about not getting a taste of those painkillers."

Venti simply watches in awe at how such a small being could shove so much dessert in her body at record-breaking speed until the bowl was spotless.

Paimon places bowl back onto the table and taps Lumine to signal that she's done. She thanks Smiley for the delicious as they head upstairs.

Venti notes the hawk-like gaze the Boss had on them as they ascend up the next flight of stairs.

"What's up with that Boss Lady?" Venti whispers to the Traveler when they were high enough.

"Hm, I heard she has ties with the Liyue Qixing and that she originally came from Mondstadt," Lumine provides with an equally hushed tone. "Rumor has it that no one in Mondstadt knows her personally."

"Interesting…" Venti resisted the urge to cup his chin as he held onto a tray that held their bribe. "But if she really hails from Mond, what a rude devotee, ignoring me when I asked a question."

"You did blurt out loud about the possibility of a Yaksha staying here. It's her biggest secret, you know," She points out. "And besides, did any of the common folk believe you whenever you let it slip that you're Barbatos?"

"Nope, zilch, not one. I would frequently get dragged to the Church for blasphemy," Venti cheerfully informs her. "Sister Victoria's always ready to rip me a new one with her lectures. Oh, but the disappointed look on Deaconess Barbara's face is priceless, I tell you. Her fans would definitely want to be in my shoes."

He laughs as Lumine could feel another wave of headaches coming in.

"And then Acting Grandmaster Jean bails you out every single time?"

"Yep, you got it!"

Lumine scoffs and notices that they've arrived at the last landing. She motions for the bard to stay put for now. She looks at Paimon and they both head outside.

Venti keeps himself hidden by the wall divider. Yes, the view up here was magnificent—a perfect vantage point to monitor the ongoings in the area; he could see why a Guardian Yaksha would idle around here. But the view is not what gets his attention; it was the lithe figure of a young warrior with his back turned towards them that his eyes zero in on. To the former Archon, he looks the same as before, maybe just a few centimeters taller. The young Adeptus is as unapproachable as ever, the air of superiority and a certain heaviness still hangs around him.

Worry washes over Venti as his gaze goes lower. The Yaksha's knuckles are white from the way he clenches on his outfit's sleeve.

Xiao is in pain.

No one from the balcony's entrance could have seen if his face was twisted in agony. The painkillers may have run out just now, and they've made it in time to deliver a new batch.

The bard notes how well Xiao hid all traces of his suffering, releasing his hold on the sleeve, as he turns in response to the Traveler and Paimon's cautious yet cheerful call. He is like an undisturbed puddle on the road after a downpour.

"Oh, it's you two," Xiao regards them with a huff, crossing his arms. "What sort of trouble brings you here to seek the assistance of an Adeptus?"

"Actually, we brought you a guest!" Paimon announces as she sways in the air.

"A guest?" Xiao furrows his brow, his tone changing in annoyance. "You don't mean the insolent fool who was making a ruckus downstairs?"

That sounds like the perfect entrance cue. Venti decides that if the Yaksha really is in pain at this very moment, then the best he could do is serve as a distraction. And so he gears himself to be the most grating person ever Xiao will meet in a long while, he pokes his head out with one of his biggest smiles plastered on his face.

After all, discomfort can pull one out in the midst of joy, but one can be easily blinded by anger and revel in it for hours before it dies down. A perfect distraction, wouldn't you say?

"Ya-ho~" Venti jumps out from his hiding spot the best he could with a tray of Almond Tofu in his hands, arranging it so he could do a little wave. "Yup, that's me, alright! Hm, do you, by chance, remember me?"

Xiao looks at the bard in disgust. He makes sure this fool knows exactly how he sees him.

"You dare to seek an audience with an Adeptus despite your display of complete disrespect to a being such as I? Hmph, and you even have the gall to imply that we are acquaintances? Such audacity… This is a waste of time." Xiao's eyes narrow at the sight of an approaching Venti, then turns his back on them, scowling. "Thank the Traveler for her presence for I would not have appeared before you at all."

"Aw, that's a crying shame." Venti places the tray with the bowl of Almond Tofu by the tea table beside Xiao and peers at his face. "Not that it matters, but you're still the same."

Their eyes meet—aqua on gold—and linger for a moment or two. Xiao's scowl drops, as he feels a tickle at his memory. The moment is over when Venti closes his eyes with a laugh and withdraws.

"You should eat this first to put yourself in a better mood, don't you think?" The bard presents the dessert, looking at gold eyes again.

He doesn't get a reply, so he continues.

"I must apologize for my prior actions, O Most Honored Guardian." Venti bows before the Yaksha. "I am but a humble bard by the name of Venti; at the moment, I play the part of a temporary custodian."

Paimon and Lumine look at each other and decide to make themselves scarce.

Xiao turns to the bard, his scathing tone lessening in venom.

"State your business, and be quick about it."

"I bring to you a bottle of medication. I know not what afflictions they treat as I was only tasked to deliver to you." Venti brings out the aforementioned bottle and presents them with both hands, head still bowed.

Xiao's eyes widen at the sight of the bottle. He slowly picks it up from the bard's hands, still unsure if it was real. [33] He was sure… No, there must be an explanation. He looks at Venti and the bard, probably sensing his uneasiness, winks at him.

Perplexed, Xiao looks at the bottle in his hands and hurriedly opens it to see very familiar tablets. He screws back the cork into the bottle and sets it on the table beside the Almond Tofu. He hears a giggle come from the young man in front of him. Doing another once over the man, something in his mind clicks in place.

"With our business done here, I think it is best we leave. What do you say, O Exalted Guardian of Liyue?"

This young man is no ordinary mortal.

"Hm? Cat got your tongue? Oh wait, I should stop bringing Adeptal Wrath upon me." The young man sneezes afterwards.

This man is carefree, coarse, troublesome.

"You're making me blush with the way you're staring at me like that. Say, are you falling for my youthful charm?" The man giggles, teasingly. "Well, if you don't mind, we'll be on our way now. I am grateful for your generous reception of us. Farewell."

He is one of the Seven, the Anemo Archon, Barbatos.

Xiao feels both burning embarrassment and cold dread clashing inside him. He doesn't know which weighed on him more. These emotions force him to do one thing and it was to kneel on one knee with his head down and his opposite knuckle planted on the wooden floor.

"Wait!" Xiao manages to get out before the party of three start their way down.

"Hm?" Venti asks, skipping merrily back in front of the kneeling figure, and smiles knowingly.

The air of superiority was completely gone from the young warrior's vicinity. How impudent was he not to have recognized the Anemo Archon… and even address him in the manner in which he did. He would also ask for the forgiveness of his Lord, Rex Lapis, if he were here.

"Lord Barbatos, forgive me for the transgressions and impudence I have shown in your presence."

"Xiao?" Lumine asks worriedly as she also draws close.

"Oh don't worry about him, he's just dealing with a little mental breakdown after realizing who I really am." Venti laughs and he tries to get Xiao to stand.

"Eeek, isn't that bad?!" Paimon exclaims, reeling back with knuckles obscuring her mouth from view.

"As for you, good job on remembering! That's my favorite Anemo user!" Venti ruffles Xiao's hair when he realizes the Yaksha's glued onto the ground like until he gets the 'forgiveness' he is asking for. "And, it's Venti now. There's no need for that 'asking for forgiveness' thing or formalities with me."

"I beseech you, let me atone—"

"Then call me Venti." The bard cuts him off quickly.

"But, Lord Barba—"

"Ven-ti," the bard repeats his name with his finger wagging at each syllable. "If you're not satisfied with just that, I'll think of something else next time. Now, call me 'Venti' and relax. Could you do that much to curry my favor?"

Xiao takes a breath and does what he is told: to relax. He catches himself before he loses balance, only realizing then how high-strung he had been.

"You okay now?" Venti asks with a smile.

The Yaksha nods and stands up. The bard joins him and looks at him with glimmering expectant aqua eyes. Those eyes were like jewels, he realizes. The more he looks at them, the more captivated he becomes. Just like jewels that tempt the human mind, those eyes make him feel an inexplicable need to heed the request. He tears his gaze away before he falls in too deep.

"Ve-Venti…" He tests the name on his tongue hesitantly. It rolls smoothly, and realizes it is not as odd as he first thought. It is not uncommon for Archons to use aliases while staying incognito.

"There we go! Now, what is it that you want to tell me?" Venti asks, happy that the Yaksha was loosening up, and getting more comfortable with the situation.

"Why are you here? If my assumptions are correct… then…" Xiao looks at the former archon with melancholy, all traces of panic and meekness gone.

Venti's smile drops. Oh, right, there was that issue. He tries to match his expression and mood to the level of solemnity Xiao was exuding.

"Yes, news got to me of his passing. I had the Traveler take me to the one who officiated his Rite of Parting ceremony to offer my gratitude." Venti glances sideways to see if the Traveler was in board with the excuse.

"We took Venti to where Rex Lapis was last seen alive afterwards," Traveler follows up smoothly, tone checking out.

Venti wanted to flash her a thumbs up.

"Then Venti asked us to go sightseeing around Liyue," Paimon adds, sounding a bit down herself.

"I wanted to see the present Liyue that Morax left. But that funeral consultant had said that there was something Morax wanted me to deliver to someone. It is your medicine."

There was a silence that fell upon them.

"I see…" Xiao says as his eyes glaze over, and heads to the tea table where the bottle lay. "I would like to request to be left alone."

"We'll take our leave now. If you need us, just call for us, okay?" Venti says as he pats the Yaksha's shoulder before heading to the exit. Lumine and Paimon follow the bard's lead. They cast one worried glance at their friend before heading down the stairs themselves.

There came no reply. There was only the soft sound of breathing as a thumb grazed over the smooth surface of the bottle.

Thoughts race in Xiao's mind as he reflects on the event that just took place and that peculiar encounter from earlier this week. Something told him they are connected somehow, he just couldn't put a finger as to how. He'll have to put his thoughts in order later. The clawing sensation of hatred, anguish, revenge and a plethora of other negative emotions from the defeated Gods of Old was back again. He takes a tablet from the bottle and pops it into his mouth. The painkiller will take time for its effect to manifest; he needs a distraction.

His eyes fall onto the big serving of Almond Tofu. A tentative taste tells him it had warmed up too much, but he eats it anyway. The cloud-like sensation in his mouth does its job, and separates his mind from the pain but perhaps, a bit too much.

Each bite lets him remember the twinkle of mischief in those aqua pools and the words he had missed earlier. His cheeks dust with pink at two particular lines.

Just what in Teyvat could make an Archon spout such a cheeky come on like that to a doomed Yaksha such as himself?

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

The trio had reached the dining area at the foot of Wangshu Inn when they stopped walking. They park themselves in front of the nearest unoccupied table.

"Phew, that was a close one, wasn't it?" Venti wipes his forehead more for the meaning of the action rather than the actual act of removing sweat. "Nice follow ups too."

"Well, we try," Paimon says meekly, swaying from side to side.

"Mr. Zhongli did want to keep his identity secret to live a fully human life for now…" Lumine trails off. She ponders whether telling half-truths, mixed with some lies like this, is truly okay.

"Well, with the mission done, of course it's the rewards that are the next to come!" Venti takes out the food container meant for the Traveler and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor crest from his pocket dimension and transfers them onto the table. "Zhongli says to use this if you get into trouble." He taps on the crest.

Lumine nods; her companion was obviously distracted.

Paimon slowly approaches the food container and unceremoniously lifts the lid. Her eyes take on the same appearance as the lotus flower shaped treats inside. Lumine was quick to swipe the box of treats off the table to the vehement protests of her gluttonous companion.

"You've already had that big serving of Almond Tofu. Don't go ruining your appetite for lunch any further."

"Fine," Paimon sulkily replies as she hands over the cover of the food container.

Venti chuckles at the display. Watching these two never gets old.

"You're still doing that stalker picture taking request, right? Give me your Kamera."

"Hey, don't call it that!" Paimon whines in embarrassment.

"Well, I guess you put it that way," Lumine chuckles as she took out the Kamera from her bag.

"What will you do to it?" Paimon inquires as she floats closer to the bard. He recites a chant under his breath while holding the device in two hands. The Kamera emitted a flash of green light to signal the completion of the ritual.

"Here, I made it so any sound coming from the device is silenced. This thing has a loud click and fiddling with the settings makes faint noises too, if I remember correctly. Now you can snoop around more efficiently with a silent Kamera!"

"Oh cool!" Paimon gushes, taking the Kamera excitedly from Venti's hands. "So how long does that mumbo-jumbo last?"

"Hmmm, I'd say half a day."

"That's plenty of time. Thanks," Lumine says with a smile.

"Well then, with the day's good deeds done; t'is time for this bard to have some fun~"

A harsh gust of wind passes by, making both Lumine and Paimon close their eyes and shield their faces. By the time it settled, Venti was out of sight.

"Aw man, he left just like that! We didn't even get to agree on how he's going to pay us for the roof!" Paimon complains as she passes the Kamera back to Lumine.

"About that… Let's just pay Childe like we should."

"Huh?"

"I just don't want to know what happens when a person breaks a business contract in Liyue."

Paimon thinks about it for a moment.

"You mean, Ka-boom! Splat!?"

"Exactly," Lumine agrees, nodding, as she takes a look at the menu.

They might as well have lunch there.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Ekaterina has just finished an Mora conversion transaction, storing away the exchanged coins when she sees the bank’s doors open to welcome the Traveler and her floating companion. She opens a drawer to retrieve the photograph Master Childe had asked her to pass on before leaving her station to receive the two.

“Welcome to Northland Bank,” Ekaterina greets, then hands over the photograph. “I believe you are here for this?”

The Traveler’s expression is… interesting to say the least. It wasn’t just one emotion on her face as she took a look at the photograph. It was a sequence where if you blinked (which the receptionist did not), you would have missed it. It started with confusion, then disappointment, and then finally settled on joy.

“Thank you for this photograph. I’m sure the requester will be thrilled!” Lumine says with a smile she badly hopes doesn’t look strained or unnatural.

Ekaterina decides that the Traveler is indeed suspicious. She clicks her tongue none too discreetly in frustration; interrogation would be the efficient option here. An hour in one of the back rooms would be plenty, yet that was forbidden.

“Is something wrong, Ms. Ekaterina?” Paimon asks with her head tilted, her hands hiding behind her back.

The Fatui bank employee makes a quick sweep of the situation across the room and spots an irritable client being entertained by one of the trainees. There it is, the perfect cover up, and if she’s lucky, maybe...

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking how we might lose another account,” she chuckles and shrugs. She comes closer to the Traveler to not-too-softly whisper: “There are still some idiots who still believe in those baseless rumors about the Fatui in Liyue after all.”

“Huh? Are you, perhaps, referring to me?” The irritable man stands up and makes his way over to them. “Move out of the way, lady, I need to give this disgusting Fatui trash a piece of my mind!”

"Lumine, look out!" Paimon exclaims a little too late.

The man roughly shoves Lumine to the side, making her lose balance and letting the contents of her travel bag spill onto the floor. Ekaterina takes this opportunity to quickly scan the items on the floor and finds a certain item of interestーthe Wangsheng Funeral Crest. Before the client has the chance to grab her by the collar, she steps to the side. Using his surprise from her dodging to her advantage, she proceeds to grab him by the arm, twists it behind him and pins him down to the floor with her knee.

“Sir, please calm down!” The bank teller he was transacting with runs over to them.

“Get off of me!” the man says as he struggles in Ekaterina’s hold, throwing obscenities and insults into the air. The other bank clients’ eyes were on them, watching them with mixed curiosity and irritation.

“Go get Vlad,” the bank receptionist says to the trainee, nodding to the door.

“Yes, ma’am!” The newbie rushes out to get the guard by the entrance.

“Are you okay?” Ekaterina asks the Traveler who has finished restashing her belongings into her bag and was dusting herself off.

"Yup, all good."

Vlad comes in with the trainee to haul the man, who was complaining about his unfinished business about his foreclosed properties, outside, respectfully. Ekaterina apologizes to the other clients and thanks them for their understanding. Some nodded, offering a commiserating nod in return. Some just grumbled and rolled their eyes before returning to their respective businesses.

"Now that that's all settled, may I know what other business you have here? The boss says you could ask for anything, as long as he's able."

"One serving of Childe's work mode photographs, please!" Paimon happily supplies as Lumine nods.

"Oh yes, how could I forget? Right this way." Ekaterina leads them up to the second floor where she unlocks Childe's office door. "Master Childe has gone out for a meeting but will be back shortly. [34]"

Lumine and Paimon step into the office, taking a good look around. There was the expected office table with its matching chair. Two more chairs were in front of it for entertaining guests. Near it were two drawer chests. And by the door were two book shelves.

There didn't look like any good hiding spots in the office, Lumine notes with a frown.

"I believe you two remember the pointers I've given in taking your photographs, correct?" the masked woman asks after giving them some time to look around.

Paimon and Lumine nod.

"Good, now I'll leave you be as I have other duties to attend to. Good luck with your quest." Ekaterina heads for the door and locks it on her way out.

She doesn't immediately leave, stomping in place to replicate footsteps going away, and then placing an ear to eavesdrop for a few minutes. Having heard enough of the two squabbling about their limited hiding place options, she heads back to her station at the receptionist's desk.

The lack of clients Ekaterina needs to personally cater to allowed her mind to drift far enough to entertain her suspicions on the Traveler's photo requests.

She already knew that asking for photos of the bank personnel for a young aspiring banker was a lie, and that the main goal is to get a photograph of Master Childe. It didn't take that much to figure out, especially with how persistent they were being about it.

And the Ruin Guard photo from earlier? Clearly, it was just an excuse to ensure the success of taking a picture of the Harbinger.

Now, the burning question is 'Who?' Who asked for a candid photograph of the Boss? The request came from the Adventurers' Guild who caters any request from anyone. The possibilities for suspects were endless… unless a motive is properly identified. Pinpointing an accurate motive will need some further evidence-gathering, but a simple, general motive is easy enough to conjure.

It was 'interest'. Whoever they are, they have an interest in the 11th Fatui Harbinger.

This narrows down the list if suspects to a manageable size. The requester could be one of those hopelessly infatuated fan girls… or it could be the gentleman from Wangsheng who was recently spotted to have made a request from the Adventurer's Guild.

Ekaterina has to admit that she has a bias on the latter. This biased suspicion was only strengthened by the presence of the Wangsheng funeral crest and an elegant-looking envelope amongst the Traveler's belongings.

With a definite suspect in mind and a general motive, it would only be fair to try guessing the real motive for such a request.

Wait. From her musings this morning about finding it uncharacteristic of Master Childe to avoid Mr. Zhongli, it is possible that the consultant thought it weird as well? And then ask for the Traveler's help to investigate?

Did the consultant have doubts about his place in Master Childe's life?

If this were some cheap novel, Mr, Zhingli would've suspected Master Childe of two-timing, a silly notion indeed.

However… If that were the case, then that means he wasn't satisfied with the Traveler's reports (understandable, given that the Traveler's methods were very lacking and poorly thought out). That explains the visit during lunch time!

Mr. Zhongli wanted to ascertain if there was someone else himself!

Oh Tsaritsa, should she relay her findings to Master Childe? She bit at her lip. No, she shouldn't. She didn't have the evidence to back this claim. And how would the Harbinger take the report? Would he be amused? Enraged seems to fit the bill more. This notion she has does sound quite slanderous.

And in his rage, she could lose her job (not that she had a strong attachment to it or found it fun updating the ledger with ludicrous sums of spent money for sake of Master Childe's expensive love life).

No.

She could lose her life. (Actually, she may be the first to go—blind rage and all, right?)

No.

Her family could be involved. (Okay, now that's a huge problem right there.)

Oh Tsaritsza, NO!

"What do you mean by 'no'? I'm pretty sure you want these documents signed by Gentry Go Kongwei." A familiar teasing voice pulls Ekaterina back down to reality. His chuckling wasn't doing any favors to her hyper-active imagination as it supplements her image of Harbinger sending out some troops to kill off her family. "I won't scold you for daydreaming; it's been a taxing week. Just don't scream 'No!' at a potential client's face when they come up to you, okay?"

"Oh… Yes, Master Childe." Ekaterina finds herself replying, trying to keep her voice steady. Why is the last person she wanted to see right now the one to catch her like this?

"I'm heading up. Is there anything else I should know?" Tartaglia hands her the documents.

"Gentry Tan may come for a short visit later to hand over some documents he forgot to sign from last Tuesday's meeting." Ekaterina looks over the documents and stashes them away after deeming them complete.

"Alright, just let him in if he does." The bank manager heads over to the stairs. "I need to get started on those stacks of paperwork. I don't want to be late for dinner tonight."

There was this stupidly obvious sweetness and excitement in that last sentence that made the assistant gag internally. He acts as if he hadn't seen his sweetheart just a few hours ago. Unbelievable.

"That's all on you, sir," Ekaterina calls out from her station.

"I know, I know. Wish me luck!" the lovesick puppy replies as he jogs up the stairs.

Ekaterina couldn't help smiling, even if only a few moments ago she was imagining how she and her family were about to be killed in cold blood just because of a silly, unconfirmed notion.

Oh, she forgot about informing the Boss about the Traveler. Well, it's not like those two could find anything in there that would suggest two-timing. Her Boss was in too deep with that consultant.

Wait a bit… Didn't the Boss and the consultant have some terrible fight that brought out the worst of moods from the Boss?

It was something about keeping secrets, wasn’t it?

She gulps dryly. Maybe she should worry about herself more. What mess did she get into?

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

"Uh-oh, Paimon thinks we have a problem here." Paimon cups her chin with a hand

"There isn't anywhere to hide, I know," Lumine groans as she slowly walks around, trying to see if she missed a perfect hiding spot anywhere. "Maybe we should've expected this. It is an office after all, and not the wilderness."

"Maybe we don't need to hide? Childe did agree to do anything we asked of him… Or we could go back to the roofs again."

Lumine stops to ponder on it, but shakes her head and sighs. That just won't do.

This is probably what wildlife photographers meant when they said the work can be frustrating. They've met a handful of start ups before as they explored Liyue's landscapes. They've moaned about the hard work that goes into finding the perfect spot where they could take their shots with clarity but far enough not to alarm the subject. Lumine and Paimon showed sympathy then but the Traveler has new found respect for them.

"We're going for the candid shots, right? And it'll be awkward for all of us, don't you think? Oh, the roof idea is out 'cause we'll only get shots of his back on us if we're unlucky."

"Well… maybe for us. Knowing Childe…" Paimon trails off, and Lumine gets it. They both laugh amusedly as they imagine the Harbinger eagerly posing for them, his smugness clear on his features.

The man was a show-off after all.

"I guess there's no choice. Let's break a rule." Lumine starts touching the displays and books on the shelves facing the office table.

Paimon looks at her with fear, but then thinks they'll prolly be forgiven as long as they don't find anything too shady. She just isn't sure what good can come out going through all these items.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Kind of, this is a Fatui establishment. I was hoping there's a secret hiding place some—Oh!"

Just as Lumine takes out a book, Rex Incognito, from the shelf, and then a soft series of clicks follows. Paimon takes a good look at the bookshelf and floats to see its side. Nothing out of the ordinary...except for a thin slot in the middle of it. Her curiosity made her draw closer to it, placing a hesitant hand into the slot. She makes a sound of contemplation when she tries to slide it to the left. She gasps when it does slide; smoothly, even.

"What's up?" Lumine asks as she comes over to see what Paimon was gasping about.

"It opened! Lumine, it—"

"Shhhh, keep it down. They'll know we've broken a rule." The Traveler covers the fairy's mouth softly, putting an index finger in front of her lips to get the message across even more.

"Oh, oh, right. Hehe, Paimon forgot," the fairy whispers after she is released, smiling apologetically.

Lumine walks over to the newly exposed gap from where the side of the bookshelf had been. Apparently, there was more space at the back as the wall behind the bookshelf is pushed further back, compared to the rest of the wall. She slides in and sees that it was no secret room, but it can comfortably fit two people in there. She also notes that she can see the office desk from her spot. She takes the Kamera out and looks through its lens, and wouldn't you know it, it works well.

"Hey Paimon, could you check the front of the bookcase? Tell me if you see me from there."

"Okay~" Paimon floats in front of the bookshelf. She squints, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friend. "Woah! Lumine, are you really in there? I don't see any sign of you. It's all wood from here."

So this is Fatui concealment technology… amazing, and terrifying at the same time. But for now, especially with how convenient this is for their purposes, she'll settle with amazement.

She calls Paimon over so that they could lie in wait there. She asks if the fairy could slide shut the bookshelf's side and feels relieved when her companion seals off the gap. It wasn't very cramped since Paimon's bite size, but it was quite stuffy there, making the wait uncomfortable. The fairy was about to air a complaint when the lock on the door clicked open.

Paimon clamps her mouth shut and places her two hands over it. Lumine gets into position with the Kamera held up on her face.

Childe sighs as he nears his desk. He does a little stretching before he settles on his seat and picks the first document from a stack to get it over it.

An hour and a half passes.

Goodness, that was the most boring hour and a half of their lives. Childe looked absolutely dead, robotic even as he went through the stack of papers on his left. Whatever scant light there was in those eyes when he started was all gone by now. Lumine felt that she'd wear the same expression if she had to deal with the same things for hours on end, everyday. She can now somehow understand why he needed to 'take a breather'.

Good thing her occupation makes for a terribly exciting (and perilous) life.

She has taken a shot of that 'dead to the world' look of concentration, and whenever there is a shift in his mood (confusion, disappointment, or the elusive look of amusement), she clicks. At the end of the hour, a visitor came in bearing a gift and a document. This change of pace gave her some great material to choose from later.

Bank Manager Childe was smooth.

The smile on his face was practiced to feel sincere; his tone was cordial, and his words crafted to butter up the client yet flowed as though they were true praises; his movements were graceful, as seen in the way he shows the guest to his seat, and the way he maintains a polite distance between them.

For a moment, Lumine thought she was watching two Liyuens deal with business, completely forgetting that the man was Fatui.

Once the visitor left, Childe put aside the gift and the document before he slumped onto his desk, head on the hard surface. A pitiful whine escaped from him.

"Xiansheng…"

Lumine definitely got a shot of that.

After a couple of minutes, the bank manager picks himself up to go back to parsing the documents.

After fifteen minutes of the same thing, Lumine thought she had just about enough watching. She tucks the Kamera into her bag, to Paimon's silent delight. The fairy slides open the bookself's 'door' and zoomed out. Lumine tails behind after she was sure she looked presentable enough.

"Oh, so that's where you two were hiding," Childe says, as he puts down his pen and leans back, chuckling. "I knew you were here somewhere, yet strangely, I couldn't pinpoint where exactly."

Lumine replaces Rex Incognito into its slot on the shelf, and a series of soft clicks follows.

"Must be cause of that bard friend of yours... eh, not that it matters." Childe shrugs. "But Ekaterina will be mad that you broke her rules."

"This is your office, right? Why aren't you the one who's mad?" Paimon sways from side to side.

"I don't really mind, but for her, it's the principle of it."

Paimon and Lumine stare at each other then turn to Childe.

"I won't tattle, but tell me, were you around any broken roofs lately?" He leans closer to the desk with his elbows resting on the desk, fingers intertwined with his chin on them. "I received a request for compensation earlier."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Lumine scratches the back of her head, smiling in apology.

"We'll pay it off, promise! So don't tell Ms. Ekaterina." Paimon finishes and mumbles: "She looks scary when mad."

Childe laughs at that. His assistant scares the travelling duo, yet the Harbinger in front of them doesn't?

"Yeah, sure, I won't tell," he says after he calms down. "So, are you satisfied? Got what you came for?"

"Yup!" Paimon and Lumine answer in unison.

"Thanks for listening to our request." Lumine flashes him a smile.

And this is why Childe ends up spoiling this little miss. Not only is she a rival worthy of his time, she's also one of very few people here in Liyue who has a genuine smile ready for him.

"I did promise. Now off you go. I've got boring work to finish. I won't forgive you if I need to do overtime for this. So shoo!"

Lumine and Paimon are almost at the door when the Traveler's head whips up for a final question.

"See you Monday?"

"Yeah, same place, as always. Don't make me wait the whole day, you hear me?"

"Hmmmm, we'll see."

With that, the travelling duo leaves the bank and goes off to Shitou, the final commision of the day, to see what's up before they go to the usual shop where they get their photographs developed. [35]

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

"Good thing we won on our first try at Shitou's guessing game, huh? Paimon was surprised to hear about the rise in photo paper prices." Paimon hangs a film reel to dry.

"The price didn't rise that much, but you're right. Every little bit of Mora counts here in Teyvat," Lumine replies as she mentally starts a countdown on the last few seconds needed before she could lift the last reel from the wetting mixture.

"If all goes well, we could probably deliver these photos by tonight, right?" the fairy asks, a bit of drool dribbling down her lip. "Four-hundred-thousand Mora is just right around the corner… and the geo sigils should fetch a bit more on top of that, hehe."

"We haven't even picked which ones we're submitting," Lumine lightly scolds, keeping quiet about her own plans when it comes to the reward.

"For the fighting one, Paimon recommends the shot where all three Abyss Mages are around. It was the best shot, if it doesn't turn out blurry." The fairy starts on the clean up after Lumine hangs up the last film reel. "But for the work mode photo…"

"I've got three candidates for that one. First is when Childe looked absolutely dead, like a zombie, deep in his work; second is when he was entertaining a guest; and lastly, the one where he just slumps over his desk while calling out for Mr. Zhongli." Lumine giggles as she helps out with the clean up.

"Is that rude to Qiqi? She looks way better than how Childe did earlier. But, Paimon thinks the last one is the cutest, so that one has my vote!"

"Right, but that's kind of lacking on it's own. It would've been nice if we could record the whole event—with sound!—instead of taking one shot of it," Lumine muses out loud as she heads for the dark room's exit.

"That's true… Paimon believes in the people of Teyvat to make a gadget that can do that!" Paimon declares as she follows the Traveler out the door.

They bid goodbye to the owner of the shop and promise to come back by midnight to check up on the films. The owner simply nods and shoos them away.

They still have time before dinner so they decided to go to Wanwen Bookhouse to see some of their stationery supplies. First, they had to purchase a nice looking envelope to place the pictures in; and second, they still need to work on the descriptions of the bank personnel for their cover story about the young boy who wanted to be a banker one day.

Lumine has devised some sort of mind game-y approach on this. She just wants to play it safe. To be honest, she wanted some sort of insurance. She just doesn't know what or how to obtain it. She just wants to live long enough to find her brother.

Not wanting to expend more energy worrying about the consequences of a possible Fatui assassination plot against her, Lumine mentally lays out her plan. She expects the Fatui to look up her request and find that there is no such prospective young banker in the picture (pun intended). But what if she lets them know that that bit is a lie? After all, there is a certain little boy she knows who'd like to know more about his big brother's job. She plans to expand on that toymaker lie Childe had been keeping up for who knows how long.

Now, if the Fatui dig deeper, they'll find Teucer, and it will be chalked up as a heart-warming tale of a younger brother asking about his cool older brother via their mutual friend, the Traveler.

If Lumine could pull it off, it'll be a win for everyone. She'll have her excuse, Teucer can be happy knowing a bit more about his older brother (well, from the bits and pieces of the truth in there somewhere), and Childe will have a rock solid alibi if his younger siblings ask about his job.

The only minor setback here is that Lumine is no writer and will have a hard time making her setup believable. Another trouble will present itself when Childe himself finds out, but she'll cross that bridge when she gets there. If only she could just get her hands on some sort of insurance… it would be counted as a blessing, for sure.

Lumine snaps back to reality when Paimon greets someone on the road with her shrill voice.

"Mr. Zhongli! Long time, no see!"

Lumine walks over to the consultant who was talking to Paimon while ruffling the fairy's hair. She takes a look farther up Feiyun slope and spots Childe at the entrance of Liuli Pavilion.

Her eyes widen in realization. This is it, her golden ticket, her long-awaited insurance. She just has to play it right once Lady Luck grants her the chance.

"It's good to see you too, my friends. And, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the little treat I asked Venti to bring you," Zhongli starts as he removes his hand from Paimon's white locks. "If I may be bold, may I inquire about the progress of my request?"

"Oh, it's going well! Paimon thinks we could deliver it by—"

"Tomorrow," Lumine finishes for her companion with her hand clasped on the fairy's mouth. "We could deliver the photographs to your house by tomorrow, Mr. Zhongli."

"Excellent, would seven in the morning be agreeable to you?" Zhongli smiles warmly at them; a glimmer of excitement glitters in his eyes.

"Yes, we'll be there on time," Lumine says confidently.

"Wonderful, thank you for your hard work."

A rather loud stomach rumble causes Zhongli to pause. Lumine releases her hold on Paimon, revealing the fairy’s pink tinted cheeks.

"Sorry," the fairy apologizes sheepishly, her hands behind her back as she swayed in the air. "Paimon's hungry from running around all day."

"There is no need to apologize, Paimon," Zhongli chuckles. "As it happens, I am about to meet with Childe for dinner. If you have no prior appointments, then might I ask you to join us for dinner?"

And there it is; Mr. Zhongli's invitation sounded like music to Lumine's ears.

"Is it okay? We don't want to impose…" Lumine asks before Paimon does (and adds something completely unnecessary such as 'we don't want to suddenly barge in on your date with Childe').

"Of course, it would be no trouble at all. I heard you've had quite the difficulty in fulfilling my request; consider this as recompense."

"We couldn't turn down an invitation like that, right, Lumine?" Paimon giggles as she does a happy little twirl in the air, and then goes back to being sheepish when her stomach growls again. "Hehe, oops."

"There is no time to spare then. Let us make haste in appeasing dear Paimon's dilemma. Follow me." Zhongli starts leading the way to where Lumine presumes to be Liuli Pavilion. "Stick close to me so that the crowd does not wash you away."

"Yes, thank you," Lumine calls out before quickly snatching the fairy from the air for a group huddle for two people. She has to make this briefing quick.

"Why did you stop Paimon earlier?"

"Sorry about that; you got the facts right but there's a slight change of plans," Lumine says as hurriedly as she could then looks up to see if the older man noticed them not following yet. Not yet, good. "Let's start walking, just so we don't look too suspicious."

The travelling duo almost catches up to Zhongli but maintained a certain distance so that Lumine could inform Paimon about the change in plans and the job she wanted the fairy to do for her. Making sure her companion understands the job was crucial.

Once satisfied, Lumine searches for the consultant and catches sight of him about two meters away. The distance only grew as she felt momentarily rooted in place. With her mind preoccupied with scheming, she hadn’t noticed how beautiful Zhongli was with the Cecilias on his hair.

They better get those flowers in frame for the shots.

When Paimon hovers over to her to ask what was wrong, Lumine relays exactly what she has in mind. Paimon agrees wholeheartedly. It would be a waste not to get proper photos when Zhongli looks this pretty.

Lumine stops once more when she sees Childe greet the consultant. She quickly retrieves her Kamera from her bag and takes a shot before the moment is gone.

Now she only hopes that this wasn't a blurry shot. She plans to send this one to Teucer, thinking Tonia would love to see the prized catch (pun intended) her big brother had caught for himself.

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

Lumine knows she and Paimon are the third and fourth wheels on this date. It was a fact she had readied herself for, but being seated beside Childe at that moment was just plain awkward.

Sure, it was fun seeing Childe deflate upon hearing Zhongli invite two more people for dinner and then catch himself in time before the older man caught on. And yes, it was completely expected to be mostly ignored for the night. That was more than okay, especially with an operation of her own in the works.

Paimon had already excused herself, claiming to watch the chef make the ludicrous number of desserts she ordered after eating her fill of delicious dishes at record-breaking speeds. Zhongli vocalizes his worry about the fairy becoming a nuisance but both Lumine and Childe (thank goodness!) tell him not to worry. It was all going according to plan.

But a person can only take so much before they have the urge to run and give a couple their privacy. Lumine could only make herself as scarce as possible and steel her nerves to make this all worth it. The fact that Childe rented the whole first floor for themselves made it worse. There was no background conversation she could tune into while the couple did as they pleased. The silence only made her internal suffering (from guilt and awkwardness) palpable.

To be honest, the display was really cute and endearing. Zhongli fussed over Childe by piling on the food on a plate for him, wiping a small streak of sauce from a Jade parcel from his cheek, and even took it upon himself to feed the Harbinger from his own chopsticks when Childe would fail in picking up a food item. They discussed mundane topics such as grocery shopping and cooking, and some other, more personal things such as how Childe would be coming home late because of a meeting after this and some whispers she was glad she didn't have the listening strength to pick up on.

It just feels so wrong intruding like this. The sin of date crashing was really hammered in when Lumine caught sight of the tenderness in Zhongli's eyes that was meant for the person beside her. When the consultant caught her staring, at him, needless to say they both turned away from embarrassment.

Childe must have caught onto that and decided that some payback is only appropriate.

"Say, Comrade, you alright there? I haven't heard a peep from you since we've started eating." Childe turns to the Traveler with a friendly-looking smile, but Lumine knew better; she knew those eyes weren't smiling. "Why don't you tell us about your photograph requests, hm?"

Lumine almost chokes on the Jade Parcel she was chewing on. That's good old Childe for you, he goes right in for the kill.

"Oh, yes, about that…" Lumine starts after she lightly presses the table napkin along her mouth as a way to compose herself.

"Go on, I'm all ears. It sounds like there's a good story here."

"Childe, don't you see you are making our guest uncomfortable?" Zhongli scolds lightly as he places a hand on the Harbinger's forearm.

Lumine tries to show the consultant her gratitude for the save with her eyes.

"Aw, Zhongli-xiansheng, what's the harm in asking her to slip a bit of info out?" Childe half turns to look at the consultant, trying to convince him to let him have his fun. "I bet she's just taking photos of me to sell to some secret admirer somewhere."

Lumine knows that Childe meant the statement as a joke—a bit of friendly teasing (most likely one that pokes fun at her and Paimon's money-making schemes), but she found that to be a little too close for comfort. She visibly flinches, but manages to keep her swearing to herself. She thanks her lucky stars that the Harbinger has his attention on the king of straight faces. She looks at the consultant's face and mentally takes a sigh of relief.

As expected, Mr. Zhongli, the man hailed as the embodiment of composure in Liyue, shows no change in his expression. There were no traces of distress or guilt to be found there.

Childe does note the grip on his arm tightens for a fraction of a second. He takes it as a serious warning to drop the topic.

"I'm sure Lumine here would like to keep the privacy and confidence entrusted to her intact." Zhongli lets go of Childe and then turns to his conspirator. "Isn't that right, dear Traveler?"

Distrustful of her words, Lumine nods vigorously.

"Okay, okay, fine. I won't ask about that anymore," Childe sighs and leans back on his chair, his attention back to the Traveler. "But I'm sure we could talk more about that roof incident, right?"

Lumine wishes Paimon was there beside her. The Harbinger's attacks are unrelentless. Seeing that the consultant's interest was piqued by the proposed topic—from the way his eyes glowed and the way he straightened his posture before leaning towards her direction—wasn't very comforting at all.

"You see, there was a man claiming quite a pretty sum of Mora as reparation for his broken roof. According to him, he had been asked by a floating white haired kid to come looking for me to pay for it," Childe explains the context to Zhongli with the aid of some hand gestures. "I've sent some of my men to investigate and found that he had inflated the price on his quote. We gave him the appropriate amount and helped him with the purchases of the materials needed to fix it."

Lumine could tell that the consultant was enraptured by Childe's storytelling by the way his eyes were trained onto the ginger haired man. But, she felt that it was a bit unfair; she shouldn't get the blame for this.

"Before you continue, no, that wasn't my fault," Lumine pipes in, with her hand raised up. "Venti crashed into the roof, and I just happened to find him like that."

"Oh, so it was that bard friend of yours?" Childe chuckles as he shakes his head. This was rich. "What sort of trouble did he get into this time?"

"Says the fellow troublemaker himself," Lumine mutters as she scoffs at him.

Childe turns to Zhongli and finds him making a sound of agreement while nodding solemnly.

"Hey, are you two ganging up on me? No fair," Childe whines at first then chuckles at the sight of shared smirks between the two beside him. "I didn't even do anything this time. We're talking about Venti, right? How did he end up on a roof anyway?"

"Hmmm," Lumine tries her best to look like she was contemplating hard about something. "He said he was kicked off from a mountain."

She gave Zhongli a knowing look.

"Interesting," The older man comments unabashedly as he reaches for his tea to take a sip.

Lumine's stare continues to try boring holes into that façade. Oh, she had the utmost respect for Mr. Zhongli, but to be presented with an opportunity to poke fun at the usually regal and stoic funeral parlor consultant on a silver platter was rare and one that was too hard to pass up.

"Kicked off a mountain?" Childe looks at the Traveler with a face full of incredulity, then at Zhongli who seems to be enjoying his tea for too long. He straightens up his posture before leaning in to whisper: "Do you know why he got his butt kicked off a mountain?"

Lumine turns her attention to him with a smirk.

"Apparently, he asked someone an inappropriate question on the way down," she answers the inquisitive Childe without whispering back.

The Traveler looks at Mr. Zhongli again and is delighted at the sight of a frozen statue of a man drinking tea. Narrowed Cor Lapis eyes focus on her. With her eyes, she tries to communicate that 'of course, she knows; Venti's lips are quite loose, you know'. She is also delighted seeing that Childe was catching up quickly.

"Pffft, Zhongli-xiansheng," the ginger haired man tries his hardest not to burst into laughter. One of his hands quickly finds its way to his mouth. This man is simply adorable. "Don't tell me that was you? Pffft, you literally kicked, pfft, Venti off a mountain?"

Zhongli unfreezes at the question, and he slowly sets his cup down onto the table. He glances to his left to see Childe nearly bursting at the seams with laughter and Lumine biting her bottom lip in anticipation for his reaction to the little bit of chaos she had sown. He thinks that Venti is truly a bad example to this sweet young girl.

"As I have said to you before, Childe," the consultant begins, his face schooled with utmost severity as if he were giving a terminal patient his diagnosis. "I take it upon myself to give him verbal and non-verbal cues on when it is appropriate for him to keep his mouth shut."

Like a dam that had finally given up from the pressure on a wide crack, the room was filled with two bursts of laughter. Lumine, who knew the exact question that sent the former Anemo Archon flying, almost fell out of her chair as she curled her body to hold her belly.

Zhongli is confused. Were his previous actions that hilarious? He does recall Childe laughing about the carpet hair retort, but surely, this shouldn't warrant a great bout of laughter from these two. He could scold them for acting inappropriately in a fine dining establishment, yet he couldn't find it within himself to do so. He supposes that it is alright to be made the subject of laughter once in a while if it made those he held dear look so happy.

"Hey, what are you two laughing about? Don't leave Paimon out!" Paimon flits in, looking absolutely indignant. Her hands are on her hips and her face, all scrunched up.

This time, all three of Paimon's table companions laugh at her outburst. She zooms straight at the Traveler and lightly pounds her shoulder.

"Don't‐don't be so angry Paimon. We were just talking about how Venti got kicked off Mt. Tianheng," Lumine informs her as she starts to calm down.

"Wait, so you're telling me that it was true?! That Mr. Zhongli did literally kick Tone-Deaf Bard off Mt. Tianheng?"

"Yeah." Lumine wipes a tear from her eye.

Paimon started her own bout of laughter, and it was so infectious it brought everyone down with her. Sadly, it was cut short by the appearance of the wait staff who started bringing in the desserts Paimon ordered.

Everyone ate their chosen desserts (Lumine and Zhongli each take a refreshing bowl of Almond Tofu; Childe settles for Sesame Seed Balls and Paimon was somehow able to request a non-seasonal Eight Treasures Rice Pudding, and ate in comfortable silence. Their little bubble of happiness is broken when a lower rank Fatui member comes in to whisper in Childe's ear.

"I'm afraid our little dinner party's up. I still have work to attend to upstairs."

"Paimon gets to take home the leftover desserts, right?" she asks, with such sweetness it was hard to say no to her, except the Traveler who pinches her cheek.

"That will be fine, am I right, Childe?" Zhongli asks as he pats himself clean.

"Yes, Paimon can bring home the desserts," Childe agrees with a chuckle, to the Traveler's begrudgement. The amount of sugar this fairy had been consuming these past few days is worrying. Would Paimon turn into a dessert-type emergency at the rate she's going?

The travelling duo says their goodbyes first and they retrieve the Kamera from Hongru who took a group shot of them. Lumine was about to ask Childe when and how much they owed him for the roof when she catches the sight of the man kissing Zhongli's hand. She turns a full 180 degrees and simply marches out into the cold street of Feiyun slope.

Paimon comes up to her with a paper bag of goodies from Licai to ask her how it went.

"I didn't get to ask, but let's find a way to get these developed and printed in time [36], okay?"

"Okay~"

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

At 6 am, on the dot, Zhongli awakens from his peaceful slumber. He finds an arm draped across his chest, its owner still fast asleep. Childe wasn't snuggling him and was, instead, sprawled across the bed. He unearths his free hand from the blanket to rest right above his stomach. He doesn't feel an urgent need to get up yet, so he delicately traces over some faded battle scars and marvels at the side profile of his beloved's sleeping face.

He looks peaceful. A peaceful rest and happy dreams are luxuries for those who have a background in slaying countless lives, be it in someone’s name or a belief. Zhongli takes pride in being able to provide an environment for such luxuries for this man beside him. He himself relies on dreamless sleep for comfort.

Slowly, Zhongli takes the arm into his hands and maneuvers it to rest on the side of the other's body. He lifts himself into an upright sitting position then slowly gathers the blanket to tuck it into the ginger haired man's side as he removes himself from the bed.

Childe mumbles something about the beauty of something (or someone), and Zhongli smiles as he turns his attention to his nightstand. The bottles meant for last night are still on the table.

He clicks his tongue, and decides it best to clear the nightstand from any traces of his preparations. Perhaps he had misunderstood Childe's intentions when he said he was coming over. Bold even, given he had assumed that there would be any extracurricular activities that evening.

Childe had come home, as promised. They had some light chatter over a glass or two of Dandelion Wine (sponsored by a certain former Anemo God). He was certain the atmosphere was leading towards a very lively and intimate evening. Interest was there for sure, the longing glances, teasing but fleeting touches on his hand and his knee and that tone Childe used when he mentioned continuing upstairs, but not to the point of being driven to a lust-clouded frenzy.

They took turns with the Snezhnayan going in the bath first and, by the time Zhongli was out, he found the tired bank manager out like a light on the bed—snoring loudly as a testament to his fatigue.

Zhongli couldn't say he wasn't the least bit disappointed when he had to settle with turning in for the night.

His head turns to the sound of groaning, readying a greeting when ocean blue eyes decide to make an appearance. They don't. The ginger haired man on the bed just did a light stretch before settling down once more.

He sighs as he finds himself sitting by the edge of the bed on Childe's side. Upon closer inspection, he notes how the dark bags under those eyes seem to have lightened, excellent. Last night's activities may not have been as exciting as he had hoped, but this may be for the best. A good night's sleep is detrimental for recovering health after all.

Yet, Zhongli still wants Childe to wake up feeling refreshed somehow. He finds an answer as his gaze drifts downwards. It is an utterly licentious proposition; it suits his purposes, temptingly so.

His hand wants to travel southward, yet he wills it to touch to the top of the sleeping man's head instead. He begins stroking the unruly locks and chuckles at his gauche and juvenile, bordering on crude, desires from just moments ago. [37] It was fascinating to Zhongli how the millennia of self-discipline and sophistication that he carefully cultivated, could crumble oh-so-quickly to dust before this human sleeping soundly in his bed. Perhaps, he could consider this as a step towards becoming more human.

After having his fill of gently petting those sunset-colored locks, he grabs and slips on his silk robe—a treasured old bronze weave with dancing patterns of blacks and golds—that hung loosely onto the frame of the bed to stave off the morning chill. He heads to his closet where his concealed stash of Mora and knick-knacks were held, in preparation for the Traveler's request reward. Then, he went to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast options.

When he hears a few knocks on his door, he hastens to answer it before the noise could wake up his sleeping partner.

"Good morning!" Paimon greets immediately, voice brimming with positive energy, after he swings the door open.

"Good morning to you too, my friends," he returns. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Oh, no need, Mr. Zhongli. It won't take long. We came to deliver the requested items, as promised." Lumine offers a cream colored envelope with gold running along its edges. She reaches for another sack from her bag. "We've also included the optional craft items you've requested."

Zhongli takes the items from Lumine's hands and gives them a smile. He peers into the sack and is satisfied with the quality of the raw materials within. It seems that the Traveler has a good eye for minerals, and a good eye for detail as well. He appreciates the way Lumine put her heart into this request, from the care she put into choosing the packaging for the requested photographs to fulfilling a materials-gathering request that was completely optional. She is such a wonderful child.

"Go on, open the envelope!" Paimon urges, eyes round like a praise-starved puppy. "We did a pretty good job, and you should trust Paimon's judgement."

Zhongli chuckles and sets the sack of materials atop the shoe rack. He carefully pries off the adhesive from the envelope flap. He takes out three photos. Confused, he looks at the travelling duo, head tilted in silent questioning.

"We just thought you'd like that last photo the most." Lumine looks at Paimon first to see if she's enjoying the reaction as much as she is before turning to the older man in front of them with a giggle. "Go on, have a look."

Zhongli tucks the envelope behind the photographs, and with one last glance at the two by his door, he focuses on the first photograph. The corner of his lip curls upwards; the Snezhnayan rascal is at it again.

It is a photograph of Childe battling three Abyss Mages, each one a different element—Hydro, Cryo and Pyro. He had his Hydro-infused bow out, aiming at the Cryo Abyss Mage as the other two mages were summoning their own elemental attacks against him.

Zhongli studies the photo more closely, bringing it closer to his eyes. The more he looks at it, the more engrossed he is at the scene.

He notices that there was even an icicle caught in the frame about to hit the Hydro vision holder, yet Childe was completely unbothered by it. Childe's clothes weren't in the best of shapes—a few cuts and tears could be seen on the flaps of his unbuttoned jacket and sleeves, and there were tiny specks of blood staining his grey pants—yet he knew no ordinary person could keep their clothing as clean as this if they were to replicate the circumstances that the battle-hungry Fatui had gone through.

But, those weren't the details that caught his attention. It was the smugness on Childe's face; those starconch blue eyes shining with the self-righteousness of a predator playing with its prey, and the shit-eating grin on that handsome face that had him completely rapt.

The supposedly familiar sight feels new to him as he notes the dark circles under those shining eyes. The angle at which he held the bow was a smidge off; a side effect of having stiff muscles from staying at the same position in the office, perhaps?

Zhongli switches to the second photograph. His immediate reaction is a huff of laughter. Perhaps his teasing wasn't off the mark after all.

The Childe sitting behind his work desk looked as though his life force was slowly being sucked away by the piles of paperwork before him. The way his brow creased as he parsed through a document was endearing. The impatient way he seemed to be tapping the pen onto the hard surface of the table was adorable.

He feels a bubbling sensation looking at this photograph. Fondness is there, for sure. Is he finding joy in Childe's bureaucratic misery?

Yes, that could be it. He is happy to witness (could you call this witnessing?) a side of Childe he has not seen before. And with the convenience of having a photograph, he wouldn't need to burn this image into his memory to enjoy it.

Zhongli feels he is getting some answers to his questions from before.

Yes, it wasn't about the durability of this tangible piece of memory. It is indeed about the emotions they evoke, and the practicality they possess. Having a practical experience of such allowed him to understand that much.

But it was when he took a look at the third photograph that realization slams into Zhongli. His hold onto the photo tightens with every second he pours into staring, analysing, burning the image into his memory. He only stops the increasing pressure when he realizes he could leave lasting damage to these fragile crystallizations of time.

Zhongli admits that his preconceptions on what a photograph is might be too narrow-minded and lacking. Perhaps it was old age that led him to forget or be blind to a certain aspect of photographs.

Photographs are vehicles of storytelling. Like a painting, it is the subject of a thousand words. They portray an event, as it is, with no biases involved.

That is where they are superior to a memory. They tell a moment as it is, raw and untainted. It is unblemished by preconceived notions on its own.

One cannot remember an event they are not there to witness.

One can misremember an event in their life based on one's feelings and preconceptions.

One cannot remember an event the same way another person does, for it is seen through different lenses.

Zhongli realizes this as he sees himself in the photo, wearing the fondest of smiles, a smile that he could not remember making at that moment. He only remembers his slight irritation at all the laughter filling the room and the confusion for such a strong response to his non-answer of drinking tea.

And as his eyes linger on the sight of Childe laughing, having the time of his life at his expense, he could only feel a mess forming, an ugly, indiscernible tangled ball of emotions. The positive and the negative emotions clump up together in that ball. He couldn't properly identify any of them at all, not a single one. He will have the time to process this at a later time.

Zhongli rips his gaze from the photograph, when he hears the two hesitantly ask if he were alright. He feels guilty for making Lumine and Paimon worry about him like this. He gives them a smile. It doesn't ease their worry for him, yet he couldn't give them more reassurances as his thoughts pull him away again.

All he was certain of is that it brought pain, deep inside himself. Is this what the Traveler meant by the feeling of longing? Did Childe feel this way too?

Childe, oh Childe. Yes, it had to be him.

It had to be Childe Tartaglia. It had to be his Ajax, the subject of his requested photographs. Not only is the Snezhnayan sinfully attractive, but he held all of Zhongli's interest and more affection than he has had towards any other mortal. That and more—he gives him new experiences to cherish and makes him feel things he thought he never would again (deadly possessiveness and the craving for the thrill of adventure and danger). That, he was sure.

Zhongli doesn't want to use the word 'love' lightly, but by Celestia, he loves that man.

"Thank you," Zhongli says as he slides the photographs back into the envelope. His expression was neutral, unreadable. "You've been a tremendous help. You have my sincerest gratitude, and as agreed upon when you accepted my request, I will bestow upon you your reward."

"But…" Paimon trails off, looking at her partner—who wears an equally worried look on her features—and then back to the consultant.

The gentleman chuckles. Oh how he had worried these young'uns, indeed.

"Worry not. You may not understand the degree of importance your work has served me, but do know you are worthy of the rewards." Zhongli offers a wooden box and a Mora bag to them.

Lumine shakes her head and puts a hand up, gently pushing the rewards back. She sees that the older man was perplexed and slightly offended. He may beg to differ, when asked, but she's pretty confident that's what a God of Wealth would feel when a mortal would refuse his gifts.

"We're your friends, Mr. Zhongli. We would've done it even if you didn't go to the Guild to ask for us." She giggles and gives him a hug. "Maybe I was wrong about the last photograph, but I thought you'd be glad to see how well you fit each other."

Lumine lets go of him and laughs at how wide Zhongli's eyes had become and at the small 'o' his mouth had transformed into.

Paimon takes the opportunity, the little money-grabber that she is.

"But if you insist, we'll take the reward~"

She yelps as she receives a head chop for that.

"Don't mind her." Lumine manhandles the fairy into a bow.

"Paimon is right," Zhongli begins when he comes back to himself. "Please take some. Consider it as a gift from a friend."

Lumine is, admittedly, weak and is only slightly better than Paimon. She agreed to take the box and a fourth of the total Mora bounty—just enough to cover roof repair costs, low-end market prices for the mineral costs and enough leftover for a nice dinner and then some.

Zhongli bids his friends goodbye and waits by the door until they have disappeared from view.

He places the envelope in his robe's breast pocket (a place he realizes is the most comfortable place to store them; he is considering sewing an inner pocket at that spot in his overcoat). He takes the bag of craft materials to his sundry shelf on his porch before heading back inside the house. He'll get to them later in the day.

For now, he goes back to the kitchen to check on the food items he was thawing and sees that they should be ready for reheating any time soon. He heads back upstairs with a bag of Mora he didn't expect to be holding and stores them back into his secret stash.

The sound of clanging coins seems to have roused the sleeping Childe on his bed.

"Hm, what's with the sound of Mora?" the younger man asks, still drowsy. He rubs an eye before turning sideways, propping himself up with an elbow. "I thought I would never hear the sound of you handling Mora."

"The Traveler swung by earlier, asking for her reward."

Childe makes a sound of acknowledgement. Payment for babysitting a drunkard former Anemo Archon that has come for a vacation, got it.

Or maybe not.

Zhongli steps out of his closet with the intention of sitting by Childe's feet, when he sees the other's brows furrow.

"What did they do? Have they gone far? I'm sure I could hunt them for sport."

Zhongli opens his mouth but closes it when he couldn't decide on where to start asking. He finds himself pinned onto the mattress, turbulent blue eyes begging him with answers. Childe's face was so close he could feel the other's breath tickle his cheeks

"Zhongli, tell me. Did they hurt you? You know I wouldn't hesitate to—"

"Childe, Ajax," Zhongli whispers, feeling a heaviness in his chest as he cups the other's cheek. "What are you on about? Lumine and Paimon had done nothing wrong. Why do you bear such hostility?"

"Why, you ask?" Childe asks, clearly exasperated. One of his hands cups Zhongli as he rubs his cheek affectionately on it before kissing his palm. His next words were soft yet full of hurt. "Let me ask you that, Zhongli. Why do you look as though you're about to cry?"

Zhongli's breath hitched. Did he? Did he look like he was about to cry? He stares deep into blue eyes and sees what is meant to be his reflection. He does not recognize that man. The man has a frown on him, his brows only slightly drawn together as it frames the deep sadness in his eyes. There was a glassy wall of unshed tears.

He slowly closes his own eyes and felt wet trails falling down his temples. Ah, so that man in Childe's eyes is him. He didn't know how or why words slipped from his mouth, when truly, he didn't know what to say.

"You. It's you."

Zhongli lunges up to meet unsuspecting lips, pressing two long kisses before he buries his head into the crook of Childe's neck.

Childe is lost. He had never seen Zhongli act this way. He hugs the older man back. He had never seen this man so vulnerable. He is both anxious and grateful (he knows, he's an awful human being) to see Zhongli like this. He didn't know what—

Oh… OH. Shit, this is definitely his fault.

"I'm sorry. You're right, it's my fault. Shit, I shouldn't have dozed off last night. I'm sorry, okay? Shit, fuck, you're crying. Please don't cry. I'll do anything to make it up to you. Zhongli please—"

Listening to Childe ramble off made all those confusing emotions take a back seat, making way for loud, boisterous laughter. Truly, what is this man on about now?

Childe stops and rubs circles on his beloved's back, despite the laughter.

"Has anyone ever called you an idiot, Childe?" Zhongli asks when he withdraws and lets his back fall onto the mattress.

"Hey…" Childe puffs one cheek with a pout and grumbles. "More than enough times by the other Harbingers."

Zhongli's laughter resumed.

"Wait, did I get it wrong? It wasn't about last night?"

"Hm, let us say that the narrative does flow that way." Zhongli kisses Childe's forehead as he cupped two puffed cheeks in his hands before he slips out of his lover's hold. "Do you require breakfast?"

"Hm, if you're on the menu, then yes." Childe holds the end of the sash of the robe Zhongli was wearing, slowly pulling it loose. "I'm a bit ravenous, so count on me asking for seconds."

Childe gets a head chop for that.

"While I could go on about the nutritional value that my essence could provide, I believe you have better use of your time by eating a proper meal and getting yourself ready for the work day ahead." Zhongli pulls the sash harshly enough to haul Childe out of the bed. "I'll heat up Bar—Venti's thank you meal for you while you change clothes. I'll be expecting you downstairs."

"But, Zhongli…" Childe whines, putting on his puppy eyes.

Zhongli opens the door to the adjoining bathroom.

"In you go."

Childe exaggeratedly sighs and slumps his way to the closet, gets his spare Harbinger outfit before entering the bathroom.

"Good boy," Zhongli praises with a drawl and a knowing look.

Seeing Childe perk up, he closes the door on him and makes his way downstairs. He ponders on the episode earlier as he strokes the envelope through the silk pocket.

It scared him. Learning of the intensity human emotions photographs could bring firsthand was quite the experience. He knows the road to understanding them is long, and ardorous. Yet, he feels the fear subside, knowing there is someone to help him navigate through it, through all its pitfalls and roadblocks.

"Zhongli, it's still early. I could probably still file a—"

And there he is now.

"I see you're not concerned about your reward after all." The consultant turns around with two servings of a Buoyant Breeze in his hands.

"Xiansheng…" Childe sits himself by the dining table and slumps over his portion of the table, puppy dog eyes out again.

"Will you be a good boy for me and go finish up in the office?" Zhongli asks as he sets the plates on the table.

"Yes," Childe grumbles in defeat as he pulls his plate over to his side. "Just tell me you'll be alright with me out there? Tell me more about what happened earlier when you can, okay?"

"I'll be alright." Zhongli chuckles and gives him a kiss on the cheek before settling down his seat across him. "And I will."

"Hey, this is pretty good. Hm, you think I'll eventually get to eat all of the Sevens' cooking as long as we're together?" Childe asks out of the blue then proceeds to stuff his mouth with the ratatouille until his cheeks bulge like a squirrel's.

Zhongli snorts and finds himself laughing boisterously once more that morning.

It will be alright since he has the real article by his side, even if he's an idiot.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Three months, it has been three months since the travelling duo have last set foot on Liyue Harbor. [38]

"Paimon thinks it's okay now."

Lumine doesn't realize she has been holding in her breath. Was it really okay now? She has fussed about how she and Paimon will be coming back to the Harbor for a few days now, to the point she thinks Albedo was more than happy to kick them out of his hole in the mountain from all the inefficiencies—almost burning a sketch, almost dropping and breaking vials and flasks that held all rare elemental specimens, and bringing a bit more disorder into the shelves she was meant to bring order to, all of these blunders due to absent mindedness—she displayed in those last few days in Dragonspire. She apologized profusely, of course.

Her eyes scan the area and it really does seem okay now. The Millelith standing by looks unperturbed by their entrance, the passersby are strolling leisurely as their eyes gaze on wares or on the scenery of this lively city. None of those eyes are on them.

Yes, it's okay now. The three month expiration of a rumor is true.

Now, they'll just have to talk to Katheryne, Lan, and mostly importantly, Ms. Yu to get her work in this branch of the guild set up and check in on Wanmin Restaurant to see if Xiangling needs the service of her willing guinea pigs back in exchange for accommodation again.

"Long time, no see, Comrade!" A very familiar voice reaches the Traveler's ears, and she feels a hand on her shoulder.

Damn the Fatui Harbinger for having teleportation-like skills, and damn his subordinates for reporting her location this fast. She and Paimon haven't even been standing there for ten minutes. She didn't want to see or be seen with Childe just yet.

She wanted to scream, really, and to turn while swatting the hand away. But, shrieking will only bring unwanted attention on them, which is something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Unwanted attention was the reason she left all those months ago. So she opted to just proceed with the swatting and the turning.

And oh goody, Paimon does the screaming for her. It is nice to have someone you can be so emotionally attuned to that they express emotions you couldn't. Sadly, this isn't one of those times that she can be happy about that.

Thankfully, the citizens look like they're used to this floating child shrieking that only a couple of eyes fly to them for a brief moment.

"Woah there, calm down. I haven't done anything yet." Childe raises his hands to chest level as a sign of surrender.

The words 'yeah, except ruin my reputation in Liyue' were left unsaid, but the unamused, half-droopy eyelid, stare and her crossed arms should get the message across.

"It isn't my fault, you know. The people around here are just vultures!" Childe laughs and teases. "Don't tell me the little miss is unnerved by a few pesky rumors."

There is truth in there. Lumine knows, yet being caught up in a rumor that kind of rumor really did hurt her and her reputation.

A few sharp glares turn at the Fatui Harbinger's direction. He brushes them off.

"Easy for you to say! You've already got an irredeemably bad reputation! Don't lump us up with the likes of you!" Paimon scolds him, her face scrunched all up with her hands on her waist. Lumine follows suit, placing her hands on her hips as well.

Childe just laughed some more. These two are just precious.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop with the teasing." The corner of his lips quirks upwards. "Let's talk business instead."

"Oh?" Lumine's brows raise. "Go on, we're all ears."

"Mm-hm," Paimon agrees and floats towards Childe. If anything, a request with a sure overpriced payment is always welcome.

"I'm glad you're interested." Childe beckons them to huddle together. "Now, tell me, do you have photos of xiansheng?"

Oh, he knows, and he seems to want some of his own. Lumine looks at Paimon. The fairy shakes her head. That's a 'no' then. Childe sighs.

"I'll pay double the price Zhongli offered you. You up for a round 2?"

Lumine and Paimon's eyes grow wide with the prospect of having an additional 800,000 Mora in their hands.

"We do have more of your photos. Would you want to add them into the mix?" Lumine asks, her greed getting a bit better of her.

Childe breaks their huddle circle and gives her a questioning look. The smirk on Lumine's face allowed him to connect a few dots faster.

"I like how you think, Comrade." Childe fondly wags a finger at her direction. Offering him pictures of himself to use as a bargaining chip against Zhongli was a smart proposition on the Traveler's part.

"I'm glad you caught on quickly." Lumine chuckles.

"Wait, what's going on? Paimon's confused," the fairy asks, touching her head.

"How about we talk more about it in my office?" Childe steps aside with an arm outstretched gesturing for the travelling duo to go ahead of him on the way to Northland Bank. "After you."

Lumine winks at Paimon as she begins to walk towards the bridge connecting to Feiyun Slope. The fairy was still confused but followed her companion anyway. Childe keeps up with them with a fair distance between them, humming a little tune happily.

Just before the two climb the stairs up to the bank, he drapes an arm around each of their backs—his long arms, encompassing both shoulders.

"Oh, I almost forgot…" the Snezhnayan begins, his voice low yet menacing in the way it sounded too friendly. "Would you be so kind to fill me in with whatever it was that you sent to Teucer? Tonia's last letter tells me everyone in the family's gotten excited for one reason or another [39]. I'm finding it hard to write a reply; I'm sure they're worried about the lack of response."

Lumine gulps. The way the Harbinger was tightening his hold on them and the way his eyes turned into happy-looking crescents—to conceal the lack of a smile in them—meant there was no escaping this. Not even the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Crest Mr. Zhongli gave her could save from this. She looks at the hand on her shoulder and notices a new piece of jewelry on the gloved hand.

It lay on his ring finger.

It was an onyx ring with diamond-shaped bands of copper. In the center lay a Lily Cut Cor Lapis. It was hard to notice at first, with the way it blends into the glove, yet once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.

Lumine beamed, to the total confusion of her fairy friend who was shaking a little with fear.

The silence Childe received made him open his eyes and see that adorable wide smile on the Traveler's face.

"Congratulations," Lumine offers sincerely, forgetting all about the trouble that lay ahead with her supposed over-cautiousness from months ago.

Whatever snarky provocation Childe had on the tip of his tongue just died. A shade of pink blossoms on the Harbinger's cheeks as he turns his head away from the little miss's bright smile.

"Xiansheng has turned out to have a possessive side," he begins rather sheepishly, but finishes with that familiar smug look on his face. "But don't think I haven't left my mark on him too."

"Hey! Don't leave Paimon out!" The fairy struggles to get out of Childe's hold and crowds them with that adorable angry face of hers. "I never knew you were the best of friends!"

The other two laugh heartily, making Paimon bristle even more by crossing her arms and looking away.

"We'll fill you in, promise." Lumine wipes a tear from her eye. "Let's go get this over with!"

She removes Childe's arm from hers and runs up the stairs, looking back on the first landing to see the other two catching up fairly well.

Ah, into another rabbit hole she goes. But hey, if it does help her friends in the long run, why not?

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Omake 1 - One Last Delivery (Insurance)

Childe had to blink in surprise when he saw a certain fairy humming and swaying all alone by Northland Bank's entrance. Alone; a rare occurrence indeed.

"Hey, Not Emergency Food, did you get lost and decided to come here?"

"Paimon is not—" Paimon begins shouting when realizes that she wasn't being called by that nickname. She recovers the rest of her sentence with a huff. "—lost. Paimon is the Traveler's guide, you know!"

"Oh? Then what brings the very wise and learned Paimon to Northland Bank this early in the morning?"

"Here." Paimon floats over to Childe to hand over a cream envelope with gold trim on its edges. "It's for in...viting us for dinner last night."

She giggles, hiding the fact she almost tripped and said 'insurance'.

"How kind of you. But, I think it's a little too thin to contain what you owe me for that roof." Childe waves the envelope to prove his point with a chuckle.

"Uh, I gotta get going. We'll come back to talk about that, promise! Bye!" Paimon makes her hasty escape by zooming past Childe and into the open street below.

Childe looks out the balcony and sees the fairy meet up with the Traveler on the street, right under the connecting bridge. Lumine catches his eyes but quickly runs off in the direction of the Adventurers' Guild. He huffs in laughter, scratching his head. It's fine if they run off now; knowing them, they'll come back. And if they don't, well, he could always hunt them for sport like he said earlier.

He decides to take a look at the little gift they gave him. He lifts the flap and sees that a photograph is inside. If he remembers correctly, there should be at least two of them in here, yet there is only one. He finds the gesture a bit rude (he did want to, at least, see if he looked good in those shots before they get shipped out to wherever they were headed to), but tries to dismiss the petty feelings as he takes it out. At least they were generous enough to let him have one of them.

He thinks it wouldn't be anything special—it was just his handsome face after all—until he takes a good look at it that he finds himself rooted in place, unable to look away.

It’s a photo from last night of him and Zhongli. It was probably taken from the time they were discussing Venti's antics, based on how hard he was laughing, bent over the table in the photo.

But Zhongli-xianshieng, that beautiful creature… he was adorable. There was the very slight furrow to his eyebrows, the little 'o' shape of his mouth, and the conflict in his eyes. To Childe, it was a very dopey look on Zhongli, the king of composure.

He'll say it again: Zhongli is so adorable, looking like he has no idea why everyone was laughing, and the best part is… He probably was clueless about what to do. Simply precious, and if possible, Childe would like to see that look in person again… and maybe he could teach the former archon a thing or two in how he could express more in these kinds of situations.

If he were like his fangirls, he would have been squealing at this photo without a second thought.

"Sir, please stop blocking the entrance. The clients will have trouble entering if you stay here," Ekaterina deadpans as she hauls her Boss in by the scarf with Vlad and Andrei keeping the double doors open for her.

Tartaglia, 11th of the Fatui Harbingers, code name: Childe, did not mind having his secretary drag him through the stairs up to his office as he wondered what kind of frame would suit this photograph best.

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

Omake 2 - Ruin Guard Photos

Lumine couldn't believe what she was hearing from this doomed history student. She and Paimon came to look for Arlani after being tipped off that the scholar from Sumeru was looking for them. She thought they were being called for another round of elemental skill demonstrations, as a person who could use the elements without a Vision, and yet...

"I know that Soraya told me to stay away from research on hidden treasures—as it had been a topic of countless theses in academia—and to instead, focus on the elements. But I couldn't find it within myself to completely drop it," Arlani explains with enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling. "So instead I thought I could take a step back and try researching their protectors: Ruin Guards, Ruin Hunters and Ruin Graders!"

Lumine did not share her enthusiasm, but politely nods to show that she is following. Are those detestable Ruin Guards a constant part of her life now?

"You're not one to shy away from danger, huh?" Paimon comments flatly before turning to Lumine to complain. "And I thought she learned her lesson already when she got caged up by the Treasure Hoarders!"

Alrani coughs into her hand to remind them that she is indeed very present and that she could hear them. She looks calm and collected when the two look her way.

"I did learn my lesson. That's why I came to look for you." There was a knowing look in her eye. "I'll have you take a close up photograph of a Ruin Guard for me. Don't worry, I'll offer compensation for the trouble."

Lumine and Paimon share a look of mute disbelief and then turn their gazes on the travel bag. The Traveler opens her bag and navigates carefully through the mess to produce the notebook where she slipped a certain photo almost a week ago.

"Will this do?" Lumine turns back to the researcher, the photo in hand.

"Oh, yes! This will do splendidly! The patterns and sigils are captured clearly!" Arlani gushes as she takes the photo from Lumine's hands. "I won't ask how come you have one ready, but I'm glad to have put my faith in you!"

Lumine chuckles rather lifelessly.

"Here's your reward." Arlani hands them a medium sized sack that probably contains some Mora and Teachings. "Thank you so much for your help. I must be going now. That paper won't write itself, you know! I'll enlist your help again when I need more photographs."

"You're welcome~" Paimon replies, feeling more cheerful now.

They watch the researcher scramble up her room, possibly to start on this new research endeavor. She did say that the deadline was fast approaching. It probably isn't for the best to start in a new topic this late in the game, but they couldn't advise her when she had that fire burning in her with this topic. Maybe her passion and will power would be enough to see her through?

"Who knew that Ruin Guard photo would be useful, huh?" Paimon sways in the contentment of an easy job completion, and then stops when she notices Lumine's grip on the rewards sack tighten.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The fairy hovers closer to her friend's face, worry etched on her features.

"I feel like I lost to Childe and Venti somehow," Lumine says quietly, a simmering anger almost making itself known in her tone. "Like I owe them for this."

Was the world playing with her? Just how could her pathetic excuse from last week be useful now?

"Huh?"

"Paimon, we've got work to do!" Lumine turns to the fairy, determination burning in her eyes as she grabs her small hand and drags her away from the Harbor.

"Where are we going now?" Paimon asks, a bit alarmed as she tries her best to shake her hand out of the Traveler's grip.

"We're gonna take photos, Ruin Guard photos."

"But didn't we just settle that matter just now?!"

Seems like Ruin Guards are going to be part of her daily life now until she could prove herself to those two. Lumine will make sure that she gets the last laugh.

•○●○• ◇ •○●○•

"Hm, what's that you've got there, xiansheng..."

Childe's voice is heavy with sleep, his arms around Zhongli's perfectly trimmed waist and pulling him close from behind. One of his hands finds its way to willowy fingers where his thumb gently caresses a ring—his own claim on Zhongli. He might not be able to craft one by his own hand, unlike the God of Geo here, he made sure to find the perfect one, the best that Mora can buy. It was a platinum ring with rare dark, orange-like Cor Lapis intertwined loops on it. In its center lay a sizable chunk of Radiant Cut Noctilucous Jade—AAA grade, of course.

His chin rests on the older man's shoulder as he takes a peek at the envelopes his beloved was inspecting.

"Is my presence so terribly missed to the point of you being awakened by its loss?" Zhongli chuckles lightly, intertwining his fingers with Childe's. "These are from the Traveler. There's one addressed to you."

"Since xiansheng's been showering me with lots of affection and attention, I think I'm becoming a spoiled brat." Childe releases his hold on his fiance and plucks the envelope from waiting hands. He siddles up beside the older man to let his head rest on the other's shoulder. He smiles when Zhongli doesn't shrug him off.

"Weren't you a brat to begin with, before I came along? I don't see how I am to blame."

Childe snorts in laughter. He pecks the former archon's cheek before letting his head settle on the sturdy shoulder once more. A yawn escapes from him as he opens the envelope. He takes out the single photograph and barks a laugh as it comes to full view.

Zhongli raises an eyebrow at his fiancé's reaction; it had roused him out of reading the Traveler's letter about a young alchemist she met in Dragonspire.

"Eh? What's with all the ruckus so early in the morning?" Venti asks as he rounded the corner of the stairs, rubbing sleep away from his eyes. He visibly gags at the sickly sweet sight of the two lovebirds from his place by the front door.

The couple who saw him visibly gag responded in kind. Zhongli's eyes narrow as he shoots him a glare, while the younger man beside him shoots a very real water arrow in his direction, which the bard expertly sidesteps.

"Well?" The bard skips merrily to Childe, completely ignoring the blatant attempt to harm him.

Childe half-turns to hand over the photograph. Venti huffs in amusement.

"She really did it, huh?"

The photograph had a Ruin Guard and a Ruin Hunter looming before a maid-attired Geo Vision holder (as one could assume based on the attire and the Geo Shield around her). The shot was taken somewhere dark, an underground ruin perhaps. It did well to emphasize the ominous glow of their collective eyes.

Venti flips the photograph and the two read the note scribbled on the back before erupting in laughter.

Zhongli watches on with bewildered amusement, content that these two were getting along well. He'll simply ask them to fill him in later.

"Ruin Guards aren't so hard to photograph after all. All I needed was the right help and the right source of inspiration.

-Lumine"

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

FOOTNOTES:

[21] Having served in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for generations, Zhongli had been able to find a comfortable human routine he could stick to. But as Hu Tao, the 77th Head of the organization being the way that she is… he often finds this routine mostly ruined due to the abnormal hours he has to stay working. Some days required longer hours, and there were also days that he would find the work day cut short. It all depended on Wangsheng Director's whims, which were troublesome—from asking her to take her work seriously to prying her off from a traumatized Qiqi—to deal with. He is grateful that the Ferrylady is ready to assist whenever it is needed. [back]

[22] Zhongli had heard somewhere that sweets help reduce the effects of stress on the body. He made some for Childe after hearing about this 'fiscal year end rush' at the bank from Vlad sometime that week. He had planned to give it personally… but he simply could not get a hold of the man. In the end, he shared it with the Ferrylady and a crying child they found on the parlor's doorstep. The small child was separated from his parents, getting swept up by the rush of market goers. The smile he received as the boy waved him goodbye, thanking him for the yummy treat and helping find his parents, made all the trouble worth it. Hopefully, this new batch would be the same. [back]

[23] As we have seen before, those blessed with the power and mastery of an element are able to do as they pleased with it. Who says one cannot make use of anemo power for hair blow-drying purposes? [back]

[24] The man grumbles at how reckless the youth are, and inspects his roof. There are definitely roof tiles that need to be replaced. The impact was bad enough to put a sizable dent in his roof rafters. He sure hopes there wouldn't be any rain today or the rest of the week. He scratches his head in frustration. Could he trust those youngsters? How much would the repairs cost him, and could he take their word for it? Could they really pay for it?

He takes a look at the paper that the floating mascot gave him. He smirks.

Northland Bank ℅ Bank Manager Childe

Maybe he could inflate the repair costs and those Fatui Scums wouldn't be any wiser!

...

Except, the Fatui were, and he got his just compensation, and nothing more. If he only claimed the correct amount in the first place, maybe he would've gotten a bit more as hush money. Tsk tsk tsk [back]

[25] Venti didn't. He just made a beautiful creature look even more radiant, and probably indirectly helped his friend's love life a bit. [back]

[26] It isn't the first time they stood in front of the house that morning. Zhongli noted that something was amiss in the bard's appearance as he was locking the front door.

"Do you have all your belongings on your person?" the consultant inquired, testing his theory.

"Yu—Oh! Wait, I think your couch ate Der Frühling," Venti giggled as he scratched the back of his head.

Zhongli gave no reaction for he expected as much, and unlocked the door.

"Please do hurry, I have arrangements to oversee in the Parlor before the director comes in."

"Yes, yes," Venti ran inside as though the motion of opening the front door was a signal of a 100m dash.

The consultant bit the inside of his cheek, along with his complaint, when he saw that Venti didn't leave his outdoor shoes behind as he rushed to get his lyre. It took a few minutes to hear the shuffling of frantic feet on the steps.

"If only you left a window open… Gilding out would've been faster, you know?" Venti showed his friend the missing lyre as he watched his friend lock up the front door for a second time. "Also, here, I got this on my way down."

The bard shoved a Mora bag into the consultant's unassuming hands. He relished the look of surprise he received in turn. Ha, seems like age had touched this old man in some way.

"Do you always forget to bring Mora along? How did you survive in this city for so long?" Venti laughed. His usually responsible friend was going around the City of Commerce with no Mora on his person? Laughable, and understandable since he himself has no Mora to his name. But the thought that the god who made Mora not having any at all on his person was just funnier.

"Yes, ironic as it sounds, forgetting to bring Mora has become a bad habit." Zhongli conceals the Mora Bag under his overcoat. "I am fortunate to have Childe within arm's reach should the need for some arises."

Oh, right. Morax had a different bank account he could sink his hands into. [back]

[27] Hongru looks up at the ceiling, trying to decipher the thumping sounds he could hear from the above him. He glances at his co-worker, Licai, and sees that she is looking up as well.

"It's the Traveler, isn't it?" Licai asks, as she halts from her sweeping.

Hongru says nothing as more muffled sounds seep into the room.

"Looks like she's talking to someone." Licai gets into the swing of sweeping the floor again.

"Yes, that seems to be the case." Hongru's hands start moving again, carefully arranging the tableware to perfection.

"You think they'll be finished soon?"

"Hopefully, they finish their business soon." He says with a tinge of worry. "We can't serve the guests here if they stay long. The atmosphere and the guests' dining experience will be ruined."

"I'll climb up there myself to ask them to scram in 15 minutes." Licai chuckles. "It's a good thing the guests haven't arrived, huh?"

"Tell me about it." Hongru smiles. "You have my thanks." [back]

[28] "First, we assume that Childe wouldn't mind us not paying back the debt. Next, we should guilt-trip Venti into paying us for covering the expenses. It would probably take awhile for him to give us the whole amount, but Mora is Mora, isn't it? It should teach him a lesson to be more careful next time." Paimon giggles as if she hit the jackpot on the lottery, her legs stomping rapidly in excitement.

"That's good and all, but how can we be sure he'll agree to that?" Lumines whispers back, unsure if Paimon's assumptions would play out as expected. They did need as much resources they could get their hands on...

"Oh, right…" Paimon deflates a little, but perks up a moment later. "Well, even if we only convince him to work for a bit, at least we get a little back for all the trouble~ That should make you feel less guilty now, right?" [back]

[29] "Pining," Zhongli repeats under his breath. Was that what he was doing that day he chatted with Madame Ping—when he was penning his request letter to the Traveler? And… Childe too?

"Mister Zhongli? What about these Qingxing, are they acceptable?"

The consultant blinks and studies the flower samples on his desk. Yes, this isn't the time to think of such matters. It will have to come later. [back]

[30] Childe thinks he had done a wonderful job at this self-imposed challenge in self-restraint. He had not given into the temptation of sneaking into Zhongli's house just to watch the older man sleep, or breaking in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor just to soak in the consultant's lingering presence in the office he spends a full work day in during this entire ordeal. No, he doesn't usually ponder these questionable actions. The loneliness was just getting to him. [back]

[31] Please see [Footnote 18]. [back]

[32] The 'please' was an afterthought, but give the guy some slack. He's trying, especially when Verr Goldet keeps hounding him about appearing more approachable and drilling proper customer service conduct into him from time to time. [back]

[33] Only Rex Lapis knew how to make Xiao's medicine; he made it himself. He thought that the bottle the Traveler gave him months ago would be the last of it; thus, he used it sparingly, tiding each episode the best he could until he couldn't.

The presence of another bottle was unthinkable… until now. Was there a stockpile of the medicine somewhere? Or could it be that his Master is telling him something? [back]

[34] Some of the more prominent figures in the business scene would often mix business and pleasure; the thought of conducting negotiations in a stuffy office with a palpable tension was absolutely revolting (unless the matters at hand truly called for such a setting and atmosphere). For this meeting, Childe has been invited to a game of 'Chess', a board game from Sumeru, that Gentry Go Kongwei had recently grown fond of.

Childe found himself wearing multiple masks in order to prevent his ire from rearing its ugly head into this meeting. The cause of his ire: at having to stare at sight of a particular play piece, while going over the specifics of a new contract.

And to think the objective of the game is to capture or corner it into surrendering… Oh how cruel life is sometimes.

He had never kicked so many stray pebbles off the street in his life until today as he made his way back to the bank. [back]

[35] While the game may feature a polaroid-like function for the Kamera, the author has taken the liberty to assume that the Kamera given to the Traveler (via Snapshots World Quest) is the kind that uses a roll of film and would need a Dark Room for the photographs to develop. (The reason behind it is… well, the author would want Lumine to also have a copy of her friends' photos instead of being a one-time deal). [back]

[36] It takes several hours for film to get developed. Their usual shop has their own mix and extra in-house procedures that allow for the film to develop at a faster rate. But with this last reel, they might not make it in time, even with those in-house methods.

Luckily, their trip to Wanwen Bookshop has been very fruitful. They were able to enlist Xingqui's help in finding a faster and reliable way to develop and print the newer photographs via Feiyun Commerce Guild connections, and even get help on her cover story she'll send to Teucer (with matching photographs).

All of this intel on Ji Tong's new Kameras from Fontaine (if, and possibly, when he asks the Traveler for help in testing it), and for five photographs of Chongyun drunk on Jueyun Chilies… when the opportunity presents itself. (Just when will Xiangling be back to Liyue? Lumine hates suspended debts). [back]

[37] Yes, it was juvenile, and yes, it was crude. But the thought wouldn't leave Zhongli be. (Was a night's exposure with that bard enough for his crudeness to rub off on him?)

He realized that it would be most efficient to ask outright. He reasoned that Childe has still not completely forgiven him for keeping things to himself and acting for his self-interest. (Based on their conversation in Childe's office)

"Would you find it agreeable for me to act upon my sexual urges even when you are in a torpid state?"

Childe spat out the tea he was drinking in response. He didn't quite get the last bit, but the 'act upon my sexual urges' part was enough to coax such a reaction from him. He looks at the older man's face, searching for hints of embarrassment, discomfort, or anything aside from the usual calm and collected look he has on. He wanted to cry seeing just how unperturbed the man before him is.

"That is very ungentlemanly, Childe, even if we are at home," Zhongli lightly scolded and drank from his own cup. "Should I take that as a 'no'?"

"NO!" Good Celestia! Childe had wanted nothing more than for Zhongli to initiate things between them from time to time. He was starting to wonder if he had been too pushy these days, but if Zhongli wants this too, then why in Abyss would he refuse? "I mean, yes. Ugh, wait, let me compose myself."

Zhongli made a sound of agreement as he continued with his breakfast, keeping an eye on the younger man as he took a deep breath.

"No, please don't take my reaction as a 'no'." Childe turns to face the older man, his face burning red. "Your forwardness just… caught me off guard. But, yes, that's totally fine with me."

There was a glint in Childe's eyes, always eager for a fight.

"Surprise me, xiansheng."

Zhongli's lips quirked up in a smirk, but chose to take another long sip of his tea.

"Duly noted." [back]

[38] Lumine and Paimon left the Harbor two and a half weeks after the completion of Mr. Zhongli's request.

It wasn't a planned one, sadly. [back]

[39]

"Dearest Big Brother Ajax,

"I am writing to you in the midst of chaos brought upon a letter that was addressed to Teucer sometime ago.

"We are glad to see that you look well and that you're surrounded by wonderful people. Oh, the toys, food, medicinal herbs and trinkets are all so wonderful! On behalf of everyone, thank you for doing your very best there to let us live comfortably here. You're the best!

"Going back, the chaos I mentioned is as follows:

"Mother and big sister are always worrying about whether you would or wouldn't introduce your fiancé before the wedding. They have decided to gut you if you came home already married without properly introducing Mr. Zhongli to us.

"Father is mostly in a bad mood and would drink more and more during the day. He would mumble things like 'at least I have other sons who could provide me grandkids' or 'with his status, Ajax could get any girl here. Couldn't he just stay here?'. With his constant headaches and ailing back, he is going through the medicinal herbs at a faster speed than usual.

"Teucer and Anthon are having the time of their lives boasting about you, saying how amazing you are to their playmates with the new kite and the Mr. Cyclops plush in one hand and a picture of you in another.

"As for myself… I'm giddy with excitement planning for your and Mr. Zhongli's wedding! I have always looked forward to your little stories about this mysterious funeral consultant you always hang out with. I cheered for your budding love on the sidelines. Oh, but when I saw a photograph of him, I understood why you see him as the One. And being your best sister, I would put my all into arranging the perfect wedding for you! Please look forward to it!

"Seeing that this letter is getting too long, I will end it here. I know that big brother is a busy man. Please take care of yourself, and please remember to rest!

"Lots of Love, Tonia" [back]

Chapter Text

Hello there, nice to see you again~

Yes, it’s still me! I just slightly changed species. (Panda >>>> Red Panda)

Caution: This entire thing was not beta read, so I apologize for any grammatical errors/misspellings, and whatnot. I die like those Pyro Abyss Mages who follow the character deep enough into the water, do their silly 'victory dance' before disintegrating their shields, and ultimately drown.

I'm just here to belatedly announce, in chapter-form, that I did end up expanding on this story. It is under a 'series' now. I did change the summary to say that, but I bet the older readers didn't see the change, so here's a chapter-version of that announcement. (^ ^ );;

It's called "The Lens of the Kamera Shouldn't Have Been This Long".

(I hope you get the inside joke especially with how many times I've been complaining and apologizing about this story's length. XD

A little bit more info on this series of stories later!)

And to make clicking on this more worthwhile, I provide you a Q&A!

This is to celebrate Venti's birthday (since he carried this fic), and as a 'thank you' for letting me reach milestones I thought I would never reach (Almost 15k hits and 900 kudos?!)

So, I decided to celebrate by writing down the Q & A portion I mentioned in an A/N before that I scrapped (in favor of your eyes' health), and writing out a few ‘extras of extras’ and an update (so look forward to June 16~) that I didn't get to write before.

(Yes, I'm in too deep. Send help. Huhuhu I did not expect that picking up a plot bunny meant I'm signing a 1-year contract trying to flesh all of this out).

Now, here's the gratitude-giving part:

I want to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who interacted with the fic/me over these past few months. You made me happy, and I hope I made you happy with my work as well. <3

And for those who have seen the series and bookmarked it -or dare I assume, even subscribed(?!) to it- , THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING MY ENABLERS! I'm touched that there are those who are actually willing to join this ride with me.

/gives virtual group hug/

ALSO, before going straight to the Q&A portion, just note that this is written with the assumption you haven't seen anything past this [parent] story. So some info might not be new to anyone who has read any/some/all of what I've got for this 'series' so far.

I'll go list the questions randomly. I hope you don't mind. (^ ^ );;

———○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ ———

And, without further ado, I present:

The Q&A That No One Asked for

1)

Q: Wait, so this is a series now?

A: AO3 calls related fics a 'series', but I'd still like to call them extras/omakes. Because that's what they are, extras that try to expand on what has been presented/hinted at in this fic.

When I said I had a plunny playpen somewhere, I was actually not kidding… (I was just wondering if there would be people who would enable me, so y e a h.)

Follow-up Question : So, what are the stories you have planned?  👀

A: It… looks like this (yes, taken from the Series Description, BUT since you actually cared enough to read this, I'll expand on each a little bit~)

1) Ruin Guards are so Hard to Photograph

[This Story = Parent Story]

2) Venti Incognito

[Omake 3; originally planned to be part of Ch4]

- set after Venti's escape from the travelling duo

- This fic basically answers the question: 'Where did Venti go after the events in Wangshu Inn?' 😊

3) ???

[Omake 5 - Set the next day after the PS's ending]

-To be more precise, this happens the day after Zhongli receives his requested photographs from the Traveler

- basically Zhongli-Venti Childe bonding~

4) ???

[Omake 7 - Set the next day and so on after Omake 5]

-This one would tackle the rumour that inadvertently kicked Lumine out of Liyue

-(The very first omake to be conceived)

5) ???

[Omake 8 - Set in between Omake 5 and Epilogue]

-The REAL Omake/Extra 1

Story Time

Tbh, I was going slightly kooky when I was writing Ch4 with how long it was. (^ ^ );; I just… couldn't handle much more at the time, so I replaced the real Omake 1 with what's in its spot right now (which is supposedly after the ending, but it would've ruined the mood so I chucked it somewhere else).

Originally, chapter 4 has FOUR extras: this unwritten one, the Ruin Guard Photos one, Venti Incognito and Paying Debts.

But thank goodness I decided to cut it short to just 2 at the time. For one thing, I didn't think 'Venti Incognito' would be almost 7k words long and I most certainly did not anticipate for 'Paying Debts' to be ongoing until now (or to be this long, or a good chunk of what it has become).

End of Story Time

-Childe will learn that Zhongli did not ask the Traveler to babysit Venti

-This fic will tackle the events that lead to the engagement rings~

6) ???

[Omake 9 - set somewhere in between Omake 8 and 'Confirmations' ]

-Just something short and sweet for Childe's birthday :D

7) Confirmations

[Omake 6] - set about 1/2 year after the PS]

-That fic where I fix that slight, accidental canon divergence for Xiao that somehow went so out of hand that there 3 things that were confirmed instead of 1

-fic where actual Xiaoven starts happening

=Special Mention=

Of Exclamations, Alabaster, Small Lampgrass, Small Lanterns, and Street Lamps

[Unofficially part of this series that takes place after Omake 6]

-Basically a 5+1 where Venti embarrasses himself because he can't bring himself to call Xiao by his real name

8) Paying Debts

[Omake 4; originally planned to be part of Ch4] - set about a year after the PS

-Remember Footnote 16 where Venti promises Diluc to pay for the wine he stole? This is where he'll make good on that. Of course some shenanigans and interactions ensue~ ^^b

-featuring a bit of Barmaid!Venti

-blame/thank this fic (and its citrusy footnotes) for why the series is rated M now

9) ???

[Set about a month after 'Paying Debts']

-Just a silly fic about people's relationships

10)???

[Set after after the story above]

-One of the Original Genshin Plot Bunnies I have that ended up getting devoured by the Parent Story

-Just a random moment between Childe and Zhongli after Paying Debts and the fic above

Follow-up Question : Why are the titles of the other stories in Question Marks?

A: That's because, of this writing, only those with proper titles are the stories that have been published. The question marks are meant to indicate unwritten and unpublished work (also because I don't have a proper title for them yet, OR the working title will give something away).

Follow-up Question: Now that I think about it… the numbering is off, and there are lots of questions marks before 'Paying Debts', what's up with that?

A: The numbering corresponds to this weird compromise between when I first thought of the extra and where I'm going to place them in the timeline—like a reading order that went wrong. (^ ^ );;

But basically, the way things are outlined on the series list is the chronological order of things.

As for the question marks before Paying Debts…

Story Time

Remember what I said above about the original extra contents that chapter 4 should have? Yeah, since Paying Debts was meant to be there, it gets 'Omake 4'.

Now, the rest should be chronological.

Also, I shared this in the A/N in 'Confirmations', but… the thing is…

Chapter 4 of this story made me develop an 'illness' where I can't seem to write things in proper order.

Fun fact, towards the end of ch4, my writing order for the scenes are as follows

Epilogue --> Ending --> Omake 2 --> Lumine third-wheeling --> Omake 1

So yeah, this plus my growing Venti appreciation equals to not-so chronological update order. 😅

Sorry about that, especially those who want more Zhongli and Childe content. -I came to Genshin for them and yet and yet , huhu  XiaoVen invaded my mind. Worry not, I always imply they're together cause I can't leave them be as well. I'll get to the ones I skipped, I promise. I'll get there cause I'll prolly run to the earlier omakes before I get to Ch 4 of 'Paying Debts', tbh-

Edit: the thing is 5 chapters in and I still haven't done the ones I skipped. OTL|||

 

End of Story Time

(Actually, now I'm curious about the differences in the reading experiences of those who read as I update and those who have read things in chronological order... 🤔)

2) [just because]

Q: What's up with the Hilichurl funeral pyre?

A: It's actually for practical and sanitation purposes—not to spread disease in the case the bodies don't disappear in a puff of smoke, like in the game. Also, Childe probably didn't want to hear a 'Hilichurlian Proper Burial Rite' lesson from Zhongli, in case he did it wrong.

3)

Q: Are Lumine and Venti paired to anyone?

A: For Lumine - No, she is not paired with anyone in this story. Mostly for my convenience, but you're free to imagine that she's with someone you like her to be with and that their romance is just off-cam.

(I did once fancy a thought about Xiao x Lumine, but ah, I can't handle the angst when Lumine finds Aether and they go off to another world. I don't want Xiao to be left behind, and his ties to Liyue are too strong so no, he won't be joining her. And how does an inter-world long distance relationship work?)

For Venti - Now this is interesting...

Short Answer: No; Long Answer: Yes

Story Time

I didn't intend to pair Venti with anyone before. It didn't cross my mind except as a joke where I subtly hint at a possible Diluc x Venti and Xiao x Venti.

But you know what? Xiao's trailer hit, and I got him as my first 5 star.

(He's my main DPS now and I don't care if you're gonna ridicule me for letting him use the Dragonspire Spear; I don't get polearm billets as drops, okay?).

Edit: Xiao has a Blackcliff Polearm now

 

Having him out most of the time is suffering cause he's suffering with all those flashbacks attacking/attempt of the fallen gods to corrupt him fully.

Some thinking led me to believe that Venti will make his life a much happier one.

So my brain just kept on coming up with ideas on how their relationship develops (or, well, mostly just with situations with them being fluffy and sometimes angsty, really).

End of Story Time

4)

Q: Did people die during that odd phenomena around Rex Lapis' Statues of the Seven?

A: Yes, a few people died. Some went missing since no one could find traces of them.

Follow-up Question: Well, that's dark. Do they, at least, get discounts for the funeral services?

A: Technically no, but Zhongli does feel enough empathy to pay part of the sum for their funerals out of his own paycheck.

Follow-up Question: So about Childe and his rigorous training with the newbies who broke that rule about 'no spying'...?

A: I think I was being subtle, but yeah, they died.

5)

Q: Did the Traveler write to Tuecer about Childe and Zhongli's engagement? I think she wasn't aware of it until that time she got back 3 months later...

A: No, the Traveler didn't outright mention anything about Childe and Zhongli's engagement in her letter to Teucer. She didn't even know they got 'engaged' until she came back to Liyue. All she really said was that the gentleman with Childe in one of the pictures is Mr. Zhongli, their big brother's closest friend. The expressions on their faces basically gave them away.

6)

Q: Will we get to see 'Round 2' where Lumine will be taking Zhongli's pictures this time?

A: Now, that's the funny part. I don't actually have a very creative take on this. As in, I kinda see it a bit more straightforward (mostly cause the travelling duo has more respect for Zhongli than they do for Childe) and very close to scamming Childe.

So the short answer is 'No', and the long answer is 'We'll see', because my brain may just have some bathroom epiphany and get obsessed with it.

(Like with that 5+1…

Brain: Wouldn't it be funny if Venti couldn't find it in himself to call Xiao 'Alatus' and tries to cover it up?

Me: Actually… Yeah, I can't see Venti calling him that without asking permission or something because of the trauma...

Brain: Lantern, Lampgrass, Lamp… Street Lamp, what else? )

7)

Q: Wasn't this Rated G before? What happened?

A: That was my mistake. I wasn't—actually, even now—very familiar with the rating system in AO3 (I'm more used to FF dot net's). And as a casual reader, I don't pay attention to those boxes at the left too much. Oops, hahaha

So I kinda based it on what I thought was close to K+ in FF dot net.

But then I realized I hinted at some disturbing stuff despite everything being happy-looking. I asked my friend for advice and my friend was all: "Isn't this rated T already?"

And my answer was: "... … no"

I showed her an SS of the summary + blurb.

Welp, yeah, I hope I have learned by now.

8)

Q: Will we see the Jueyun Chili shenanigans that a footnote is hinting at?

A: Sadly, no… While I think they're cute, I haven't delved deeper into their relationship and interactions, I have anything planned for this.😅

I still don't have a grasp of their characters (-As is that stopped you from writing Venti or any of these characters before-)

9) [a few questions from a dear reader, ForgetfulCloud]

(They have been answered in my reply, but maybe you have the same queries? So here we go)

>Q: "how will the other Fatui members(the ones that don't work in Liyue with him) react about it?"

A: For the Harbingers, I think the ones that detest Childe the most would try to do something. But, they're kept on a leash by the Tsaritsa. For my purposes (I want this setting to be a happy one for most part), I believe that Childe and Zhongli's relationship is supported by the Tsaritsa. She doesn't ask for Tartaglia's immediate return after the completion of her contract with Rex Lapis because she knows that her dear 11th Harbinger is a good distraction for the eldest Archon. I believe that Rex Lapis is still very much powerful (more powerful than the Tsaritsa... at the moment as I am not sure how the Gnoses will react to an Archon that isn't their original owner) and the Tsaritsa would like to play it safe by keeping him occupied. This is purely speculation and self-indulgent so hehe.

^this will be slightly touched on in another omake or two

For the Rank and File people, well, they still know of Tartaglia's reputation and battle prowess. The recruits still catch glimpses of it, so fear is still instilled in them. And he's still their superior, so they will still follow orders even if they are not under the Liyue branch.

(I actually I used this ploy in the 'Paying Debts' omake ch1, featuring the Fatui in Mondstadt; this will be used again later on 😂)

>Q: "And how did the 5 archons react to Lumine prayer? Also, what did she said to them?"

A: Lumine's prayer is a very general 'please let me survive this so that I can see my brother' kind of prayer. (There was desperation, but it wasn't exactly a proper prayer hahaha) Since she doesn't exactly know all of the other Archons' names, some of them probably didn't reach them.

For those Archons who did hear her, well, they probably didn't think too much about it, especially since she's an outsider and mostly unbeliever (except the Tsaritsa who is chuckling in her seat).

Thank goodness, Barbatos is active and a busybody himself, right? Hahaha

10)

Q: Where in canon does the story take place?

A: Originally, since the story was meant to be a oneshot, the only important time of reference is that it takes place approximately 6 months after the Liyue Archon Quest content—which I will assume to be very flexible as each player will finish this at their own pace.

Also note that I started writing this around Jan 17, 2021, so Lantern Rite and Windblume Festivals weren't things yet.

But months later, while writing 'Paying Debts', I realized that maybe this story could take place right after the Windblume Festival in Mondstadt.

Again, because there originally wasn't a set date for this story, I'll apologize for the lack of seasonal descriptions. I will try to include some later on, but sorry if I forget to do so in the future. (^ ^ );;

11)

Q: Where's Xiangling?

A: Xiangling isn't around for this fic. By 'Of Exclamations…' omake-ish, she'll be back.

I imagine her going around places and having occasional cook-offs with Brook.

12)

Q: Where's the 'Crack' or 'Crack Taken Seriously' tag on this story?

A: Let me ask you the same question: is this story counted as 'crack'?

Later on, you'll see (if you haven't yet) that 'Paying Debts' omake is tagged as such.

It's because I didn't see it as crack when I was writing this story. Maybe that's weird, cause I know I put a lot of things to make it funny but I genuinely did not see this fic as crack. And at some point I believed that Zhongli would be that stupid to ask the Traveler for Childe pics. (Then again, I was lured in here by fanfics… and I haven't met them in-game yet when I started writing this. Welp.)

Also, ironically, my friend told me:

"You keep describing your writing as crack but i haven't really felt that after the very first bit where Zhongli sets that exorbitant reward for the kamera photo"

And I was all:

O _ O Ruin Guards is crack? And Paying Debts is not crack?

(Then we agreed that, yeah, the crack died when it got longer—it was supposed to be a oneshot—and I lost the punchline as well. Cause the original punchline was pushed waaaay back, and most likely lost its punch already.)

So I ask you again, does this fic need a 'crack' and 'crack treated seriously' tag?

13)

Q: So about those teas you mentioned in the story…

A: I… I’m not sure if they would taste good. At the time, I was trying to concoct teas that are similar to what we have in our world using just known Teyvatian ingredients available (as of time of writing).

14)

Q: Since we stayed and read through all these? Any bloopers you could share?

A: I actually have two right here!

1.Author trying to dialogue at 1 am:

(Yes, see me misspell 'sugar daddy' too.)

2.A funny coincidence that my friend caught when I was asking her about some other thing:

(Basically, I stopped writing at one part because I felt the flow elsewhere, but if they were placed like this, it would be funny and still make sense. XD )

The other 'beyond-extra' content I have are basically plushies I made of Venti (Sprite!/Wisp! Form and a Tsumtsum-nesoberi hybrid of Bard Venti). You can see them in the other extra fics, or you could check them out [here]

(I updated him a bit after this, hehe.)

Aaaaand, that's it for now~

If you have other questions, I'll do my best to entertain them (and maybe add them here!)

Oh, oh! It's June 12 from where I am posting this, so Happy Independence/National Day of Freedom to my fellow Filipinos~