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The Cryo Archon is an embodiment of her snowy kingdom.
A blanket of pure white snow without a hint of blemish on her skin. The moonlight dyes her long, wavy hair meeting crystal blue tips gives her an ethereal glow in the darkness of the night. Her eyes reflect the arctic blizzard; piercing and cold.
With a tip of her finger, she saps the warmth of all living beings and leaves their cold bodies to the mercy of her snowstorms.
Tsaritsa, the Cryo Archon, was described to be a Goddess without a heart.
“Mortals, as I come to discover, tend to enjoy spinning stories to their liking, Tsaritsa.” A pair of dainty hands grey like stones with bleeding gold lines run through her moonlight locks. The woman's soothing voice continues, “They are foolish, short-lived creatures who learn from their betters. What their betters know of the Gods is naught but a miniscule of the truth we know. Forgive their hindsight, Tsaritsa, for they know the stories of your love for humans as well. They can understand your love, but they cannot fathom the depths of it.”
“I do not need to be coddled like a little girl, Morax.” Tsaritsa admonished gently, never tearing her gaze away from the vanity mirror. The hard lines of her face soften, “...I’ve already acknowledged the fact that I will be their loveless Goddess.”
Morax hands pauses at that, quietly humming thoughtfully to herself. “Would you like your hair in a bun, Tsaritsa?”
“I am amenable to that.” Inwardly, she sighs in relief.
The skillful fingers continue to run through her hair. Her fingers occasionally pressing and rubbing a sore spot here and there, effectively helping Tsaritsa relax. A few braids curled into a neat bun, Morax finishes by adding decorative (and expensive) hair pins to keep the bun in place. “All finished now.”
Tsaritsa temporarily mourns the loss of Morax warm fingers. The attention shifts to her reflection when the other Archon says breathlessly, “You look beautiful, my little crystal.”
Indeed, she was impressed with Morax handiwork styling her hair. It was distinctly Liyuen, but Tsaritsa liked it enough to want to keep it for the rest of the day.
But her focus was wholly on the other woman standing behind her, hands on her shoulders, and chattering endlessly about the different hair styles popular among the Liyue women.
If Tsaritsa is the delicate snowflake, beautiful yet merciless, then Morax is both the mountains and grasslands; strong, unyielding, but very gentle.
An ethereal beauty surpassing nearly all the Gods, a trove of treasure hidden deep within the underground untouched by the world.
A waterfall of obsidian hair melting into golden tips brushing against an expanse of sand-covered ground. The skin is smooth to the touch, but it can also harden like stone with gold flowing in her veins. A pair of cor lapis eyes, polished and shining with no signs of dullness, glows divinely.
Morax, the Geo Archon, is the treasure unrivaled in both Heaven and Earth.
Stone she may be, but even people can look to stones for guidance from wealth to shelter.
Unlike Tsaritsa, the Geo Archon has earned the reverence and love from her worshippers.
She should be jealous of her, angered even, but she felt nothing.
“It’s my turn to do your hair now.” Tsaritsa politely reminds her. “You can continue your lecture about uncut gems while I style your hair.”
The Geo Archon smiles indulgently at her and nods. A faint blush adorns her cheeks at the fact she was rambling again, but Tsaritsa doesn’t mind it. She enjoys listening to Morax's voice.
They switched spots, the Cryo Archon removes the cor lapis tie and puts it aside on the vanity. She picks up an ornate comb, grabbing a handful of obsidian locks, and begins to comb her hair gently. The motion calming while Morax continues to talk.
“I bought a set of new hair ornaments I like for you to wear.” Tsaritsa informs her, smoothly interrupting her lecture briefly. She puts the comb down to pull out a gold and obsidian black box from her drawers. “They’re the latest trend made from silver and crystals and sapphires. Do you mind?”
“I trust your judgement, Tsaritsa.”
“Good.” She opens the lid to gently take out an ornate set of delicate, silver chains with dangling sapphires and crystals.
The Geo Archon eyes shine in interest, “Such high-quality materials, but the jeweler transformed it into one of it’s kind. Brilliant.”
Silently agreeing with Morax, Tsaritsa places the silver chains next to her dark locks. She looks up briefly to catch Morax uncertainty by the furrow of her brows.
“I’m aware I said earlier I trust your judgement, but are you sure they’ll suit me?”
Tsaritsa understands where the Geo Archon is coming from.
Morax is a Goddess of a land with gold flowing through her veins deep within the warm earth. Even if she shifts to the Exuvia, a divine dragon with shimmering bronze scales and golden horns, she is more suited to wear richer colors.
For the Geo Archon to wear silver instead of black and gold, sapphires instead of cor lapis and rubies, and crystals instead of amber was unheard of.
Because those are Tsaritsa's preferred colors and gems.
“You never know until you try.” The Cryo Archon said. Noticing Morax is still uncertain, she places a hand on her shoulder and suggests, “How about this, Morax? You wear my choice of hair ornaments for a day and I shall do the same with yours.”
“A contract, Tsaritsa?” Morax inquires, amused.
“It is only a minor deal, but yes.”
“...Very well, I see no harm for one day.”
Tsaritsa smiles fondly; warmly at Morax acceptance.
“Thank you, Sister.” She leaves a chaste kiss on her cheek, hearing the other woman chuckle softly into her hand.
Tsaritsa resumes her work on smoothing Morax hair. The silver chains jingle as they slowly integrate into obsidian locks completed with a silver hairpin in the shape of Snezhnaya national flower.
These weren’t the colors Rex Lapis will wear yet somehow she still looked beautiful in the Cryo Archon colors.
Most would be simmering in green envy at Morax beauty; her strength and wisdom, especially Tsaritsa- Rex Lapis opposite- should be the most envious.
Foolishness.
She had nothing to be envious about when Morax is her precious elder sister.