Work Text:
"Have a safe trip, jie," Keqing commented, closing the door of the car before giving the taller, white-haired woman a hug, "Are you really sure you don't need me to go with you?"
"I have no say in the matter," Ningguang sighed, pinching her brows and waving a hand, "Don't you have places to be? You have work. Go on without me, you have to take over my work for the day anyway."
Keqing got on her scooter again, starting its engine. "Die, then," she replied imperiously, before driving off from the direction she came. The car window rolled down to reveal Zhongli, who seemed more amused and baffled more than anything about her antics than Ningguang.
"Is she going to be ok?" Zhongli jerked a thumb towards the receding purple figure, and Ningguang gave a tiny thumbs up, "Either way, let's see what we'd need. I'm considering some new shelves for Guizhong, or would you think she'd prefer a coffee table?"
Ningguang produced a list with a flourish, reading through it casually. "We need more cushions and pillows, first and foremost. Not to mention extra curtains for Xiao, I think he might appreciate the additional privacy after he tore off the curtain in the living room training before. How about some extra office chairs? It would be nice to have some for our shared workspace," Ningguang began, tapping several items on her list, "I'd also love some additional lamps. It'll help illuminate the diamond cuts I'd be receiving, those are delicate."
Zhongli sighed, getting off before shuffling his feet into the wheelchair he used. "You can decide on chairs. I think lamps would be a fantastic idea: the ones we have were getting rather old, and having an adjustable lamp would do us some good for late-night document processing," he replied as they began striding towards the sliding doors, "I'm sure there's some other unique choices at AS-IS. I know Ganyu usually selected items from that section."
"AS-IS? How insulting. Are you trying to imply I can't afford non-discounted items?" Ningguang feigned offense as they waited for the lift to take them towards the store proper, "Your punishment is assembling whatever we buy. And no, you're not allowed to ask Guizhong-jie for help about the matter."
To that, Zhongli shrugged nonchalantly. "The assumption is that we actually buy anything," he commented lightly in response, but allowed Ningguang to push him into the lift and motioning towards the ad mounted on the lift wall, "Oh, look, the heart-shaped cushions are for sale. 3 for $10? That seems like a steal, if you ask me."
"One for each of us...tempting," Ningguang made a quick edit to her list, "Putting that down for later if we pass by. First things first, though. We should probably get a trolley, considering how much we're getting. We should be focused on our list first and foremost. The other items are negligible."
Zhongli had wandered off, visibly distracted by a dining room display in front of the cafe. He let out a contemplative hum as he took out a tape measure, examining the length of the table's leg before comparing it against the wheel of his chair. "A little cramped," he muttered to himself, before heading over towards Ningguang (who was already busy picking out heart-shaped cushions), "Oh? Whatever happened to priorities?"
"It was right here," Ningguang protested, before lifting Zhongli gently by the chin, "Get over yourself. It's not like the cushions take up much space in the cart anyway. How about you? Was the table to your tastes?"
To that, Zhongli shrugged somewhat disappointedly. "It'd be a little cramped when we set it up. Maybe somewhere else...oh, would you look at how adorable that is." He pointed out an egg-shaped chair set up on the side, and Ningguang sat in it for a few moments before shaking her head with mild disapproval.
"Too comfortable. If I sit in it, I won't be able to get up for work," she replied solemnly, "It would probably fit you, though. Wouldn't seem like the retiree would have places to be."
"My legs are too long," Zhongli protested, but he was led to the next section by Ningguang pushing her trolley ahead of him, "The colors suit Keqing. She could probably just curl up inside it and pull the shutter down when she's upset."
Ningguang turned on her heel and examined the price tag. "We can come back for one later. Let's buy two as a part of wedding gifts for Keqing and Ganyu," she commented lightly, and offered Zhongli a hand for a hi-five (one he stiffly reciprocated), "We could put some pillows and blankets into them...they're both small enough for it."
They'd circled around the bed section for a while, mostly picking up bolsters and additional sheets.
Ningguang had tested out one of the beds, running her hand across it before laying down. Zhongli paused from his spot measuring a bolster to watch this occur, mildly confused at her behavior. "The sign said not to lay down, Ningguang," he pointed out stiffly, but sighed and casually flopped into the bed with her as well, "I feel I would probably be shooed less, since my shoes are always clean. How do you feel about this bed?"
"Terribly soft and warm. If only it were a little bigger, I think we could squeeze Guizhong-jie in the middle," Ningguang argued, though she now rested her arm on her stomach, "Now, if it were just the two of us, though...I think it would be perfect. How do you feel about it?"
Zhongli laid down next to her, getting himself comfortable. His ankles dangled off the other end of the bed, and both Ningguang and Zhongli snuck a peek at this before exchanging glances. "We probably need a longer bed," he stated the obvious, and Ningguang stifled a laugh before reaching out towards Zhongli to caress his face.
"Archons. I almost feel bad for giggling about this," she quipped, pulling him closer by two of his belt loops, "Let's go look for another bed. There has to be something that'll accommodate us both."
As they both got off either side, the lights began to dim. Zhongli checked his watch, then placed both his hands into his pockets. "Hm," he commented as if deep in thought, before shrugging slightly, "It seems they'd closed the store without us knowing. No matter, I'm sure the security would free us down the line."
"We can't leave without paying. I suppose this is better for us both, being able to shop undisturbed...the delivery fee is waived when you buy more than $200's worth of products, correct?" Ningguang nodded in tandem, already following Zhongli to another section without much thought, "We should buy a few more tables. How about flowerpots for the Glaze Lilies? I think we probably need ten- no, make it twenty, to factor in any potential accidents."
Zhongli measured another table with the tape measure, glancing towards Ningguang once more. "A rack for the Glaze Lilies. That could probably help," he replied idly, as if his mind was elsewhere, "We could set up a hydroponic farm using the racks from here. If we combine enough of them, we could start our own garden."
Ningguang watched as Zhongli continued to meander, idly adding more items to the cart while muttering to himself. She followed, mostly used to his antics before gently taking him by the shoulder to shake him out of a stupor. "Hey. Are you sure we need those?" she began, pointing out the small stack of pots in the cart that took up most of the space, "It seems a little excessive, even for my standards. Maybe we could put a couple back?"
"You asked for twenty pots. I brought you twenty pots," Zhongli blinked in bafflement, but dutifully put a few of the pots away, "I should carry some of the items on my lap. It might free up some space. Let me hold the heart-shaped cushions."
To that, Ningguang offered Zhongli the cushions and pillows from earlier. "I love bringing an additional cart out for trips. Very helpful, thank you for your offer," she quipped, giving Zhongli a pat on his fluffy head, "In the meantime...should we keep shopping? It's just the two of us. We could just call it a day and check out the next morning."
She'd hauled him into one of the other showroom beds, laying him down horizontally across before laying down on it herself, rolling over next to him and running a finger down his cheek. "Cute," she muttered to him, closing the gap between them before feeling something under her head, "I guess it's just you and me in this store, huh? You wouldn't read about it."
Zhongli returned the gesture, running a hand down Ningguang's cheek as she nestled into it, resting her head on his arm. "Mmm. I suppose we should try to sleep...are you tired? Shall I regale you with how beds were invented, so you may be able to rest faster?" he suggested, blinking slowly in her direction.
"You know I love hearing anything you talk about," Ningguang scoffed, relaxing into his grasp, "I learn so much everyday from you that it's a surprise that we haven't repeated any of the topics you've brought up yet."
At the store's opening, the duo had paid for their items along with arranging for delivery, eventually relaxing at the cafe with breakfast: pancakes with scrambled eggs and tater tots. It was then where the frantic-looking purple woman had shown up as well, jumping into the seat across them before narrowing her eyes suspiciously at them both.
"Where were you two last night?" she asked, searching their faces, "You weren't at home or the Jade Chamber. Please don't tell me you spent the night here."
Zhongli opened his mouth to speak, but Ningguang scoffed, looking surprised. "We were at the Haishan Bar. Ask Beidou, she had so much to say about our drinks last night," she lied, nudging Zhongli to cooperate with her so that Keqing wouldn't know of their embarrassing escapade, "You ate so many Filets because it was Beidou's birthday last night, right?"
"Ah, yes, it was her birthday last night," Zhongli fluidly chimed in, following Ningguang's lead while adding his own embellishments (despite being not particularly used to lying), "We...just had a good time there. Yes."
Keqing squinted again, before leaning back and drinking her coffee. "I hope you two are going to at least go back home and get your clothes changed. It's a work day today," she commented, still suspicious, "I still don't know though. It doesn't seem like you've left..."