Chapter Text
The little girl held the dusty tome close to her chest. Today was a very good day for her. She was praised for answering all her questions correctly, and she got to eat her favorite fried noodles with her new friend. He was a gangly fellow, too young to be called old, yet did not stop her from teasing him when asked how old he was.
"Take care, Gramps!" the little girl waved.
"Farewell, friend…"
The man always said his goodbyes formally. Whenever he did, he would soon disappear for months at a time. He could not stand to be around mortals for long. Their lives tasted too peaceful for him. Toiling every day, repeating the same routine over and over. Peace never suited the man. The polearm by his side gave him more comfort than a soft bed.
Today was no different. The wind wolves howled from the northeast. He had to prepare.
A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. "Hey, Gramps!"
The man couldn't believe his eyes. "You— ?"
The little girl was running towards him. When her tiny legs finally caught up to him, she beamed.
"I forgot to thank you for the meal!"
"You shouldn't follow me," the man tried to warn. "The night is dangerous if you're alone."
The obvious threat fell deaf on the girl's ears. She hugged the man tightly— so tight, that his spear clattered to the ground.
"Thank you, Gramps! Thank you for telling me all sorts of stories!"
The man scratched his head in confusion. "You realize those stories are fake, right?"
"Fake?"
"Fake. They aren't real," the man repeated.
The little girl smiled wider. Real or not, she loved listening to his adventures. "Then, tell me a real one next time, okay?"
Pressured by the girl's insistence, the man buckled. "Okay, I will tell you a real one next time."
"Will you praise me more too and feed me lots of noodles?"
"If you desire it, so it shall be…"
"Then, let's make a promise!"
"A promise?"
From her pocket, the little girl handed the man a flower: a wild glaze lily— the bluest he has ever seen. "Gramps! Let's promise we'll meet each other again!"
"Okay, I promise." Taking the flower, the man gave the girl one of his rare smiles. He had never smiled for a mortal before.
Satisfied, the little girl waved once more. "See you soon!"
"Yes… Farewell…"
Rex Lapis Memorial Fair— or Moraxcon for short.
It was a crude name, one that underwent many, many revisions until it was decided that the most simplistic one they could come up with fit the best. Moraxcon? Really? What in blazes was a 'con,' anyway? If she had been present during the discussion, no doubt Keqing would have spat out her drink.
But, she hadn't. NOTHING about this was in her books. No meetups, no consultations, not even a goddamn memo. She only found out about Moraxcon today when, during her patrol, she noticed the citizens greeted her a bit livelier than usual. At first, she presumed it to be the atmosphere easing up after their battle with Osial— that was until she stumbled upon this.
Which probably meant one thing.
"Ningguang."
How deep did this go? If the Tianquan was behind it, then that meant huge sums of Mora were involved. Hearing the clink of coins falling into their laps, the other members of the Qixing clamored to join in— conveniently omitting details about the event from the skittish Yuheng simply because they could.
It was the right choice, to be… fair.
Keqing groaned.
Well, if the Qixing— heck, the entire city— went this far to hide it from her, then it better be up to her standards. If not, suffice to say the first-ever Rex Lapis Memorial Fair would soon be the last.
"Sir, you're holding up the line— "
...Literally right at the gate, something went terribly awry.
"What's going on here?" Keqing demanded to know. Her mood has been sour since morning and how quickly the security disappointed her didn't help matters. A fried noodle stall vendor seemed to be arguing with a customer and holding up the line. The hungry ones waiting behind were at their limits, fuming from the ears as their bellies grumbled from a lunch denied.
Despite the chaos, the gentleman at the front smiled calmly.
"I don't take credit!" the vendor yelled. "Pay me with the Mora or get the hell out!"
The gentleman nodded with an understanding expression. "Ah, will you be interested in a lecture instead? You see, in the time before Mora had been ingrained in civilization, barter was how merchants— "
"GET OUT."
Keqing facepalmed.
Since when had he stooped to such shameful behavior? Admittedly, she knew little of the man, but this was the lowest of the low— the pettiest of petty. She really wished she could be anywhere else at the moment
Sucks to be her, she supposed.
"How much?" Keqing asked. Her appearance was enough to make the vendor's eyes bulge in shock.
"L-Lady Keqing!" Recollecting himself, the vendor whipped up a bowl of fried noodles for her. "Please accept my humblest apologies. Let me— "
"Save it," Keqing interrupted. She shook her head in exasperation and glared at the man sheepishly looking away. "I'll pay for this man's order. How much?"
"Lady Keqing, I cannot possibly ask you to—"
If there was one thing good about her reputation, it's that most people knew when to shut up around her. The vendor very quietly took her Mora and went on with his day. Once they were out of earshot, Keqing sighed. "Paying for services rendered is the basic tenet of Liyue's culture. Surely you, Mr. Zhongli, are aware of that."
Zhongli slumped in quiet reflection. Suit wrinkled and dark hair frayed, he appeared as though he had wrangled with a very clingy hilichurl. Zhongli was usually not the type of person to be caught at a loss, but the concept of finances had never been his strong suit, as Keqing just witnessed.
"I apologize," Zhongli said, bowing his head. "I had underestimated the market pricing and brought too little of my Mora. If you charge the bill to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, I shall gladly pay you back in full…"
"Don't worry about it." Keqing smiled. It honestly didn't bother her. In fact, she found Zhongli's earnest attempts at improving himself rather endearing. If only her people could emulate that.
Aether did say there was more to the consultant than meets the eye.
"Actually..." Keqing crossed her arms. "There is a way you can make it up to me if you're willing."
"What would that be?"
"Your knowledge about Liyue is encyclopedic; I bet you know more about Morax than anyone else," Keqing said. "I want to learn more about him, and that's where you come in. Accompany me."
She needed to keep an eye on Zhongli anyway, in case he'd get in trouble again. Two pigeons with one stone.
Zhongli mulled over the words with an unreadable expression before answering: "I accept, Lady Keqing— with one inquiry."
"Speak your mind. I prefer it to dancing around the topic."
Amber eyes gleamed like crystals. Zhongli spoke firmly, his words polite, yet skeptical. "I believe you said so yourself that gods have no place in the land of mortals. It is curious to see you take an interest in a memorial dedicated to a fallen god."
Thought so.
Of course, that issue. Keqing knew the general public criticized her controversial statements in regards to Liyue's former Archon— up to the point of receiving harassment and threats over it. Nowadays though ever since Rex Lapis's supposed 'death,' more had come to embrace her views and welcomed it with a fresh perspective.
But, meaningful change took time. Animosity still lingered between her and Rex Lapis' die-hard fanatics, citing the times Keqing openly mocked and debased their beloved god. It was a fair assumption some would feel offended at her presence.
When did that stop her, though?
"Your worry is misguided, Mr. Zhongli. I neither desire, nor care to hear what others think of me. Believe it or not, I am a citizen of Liyue, too. Rex Lapis was once my Archon; I have just as much right to participate in Moraxcon as anyone else."
Zhongli nodded, satisfied with her answer. "You make a fair point."
"Now, c'mon. We've wasted enough time. Let's go."
***
If there was one thing Keqing realized during her brief conversation with the enigmatic funeral parlor consultant, it was that she knew next to nothing of the man.
"Hmm, an esteemed selection," Zhongli said, appraising the carved brush in his hands. Its sides were lined with golden scales, giving it a silhouette of a dragon breathing fire. "Quaint. This would make a delightful gift for Director Hu."
"A brush?" Keqing asked.
"Why, yes. The child often humors herself by writing poetry." Zhongli chuckled. "Unexpected, I'm sure. Despite how she behaves, Director Hu is actually a very introspective young woman— much like her grandfather did when he was her age."
"Oh?" He knew about Hu Tao's grandfather, too?
"Ah, don't be alarmed," Zhongli added with a wave of his arm. "I spoke with her grandfather a few times, that's all. It pains me I have not gotten to know him as much as I should. He was a great man."
Keqing nodded along, absentmindedly. "I see…"
Indeed, when it comes to the mysterious Zhongli, he often talked more about others than he did himself. A man with a wealth of information and a bottomless source of contacts, it wouldn't have shocked Keqing if he knew every person or pet in the entire country.
Yet, people hardly knew about him. His interests, his background, his family history— intimate knowledge not available in a registry. She had asked him before, but every time Zhongli managed to dodge the question. The only person Keqing trusted to glean knowledge about him was Aether, and even then, the details were scarce.
Almost as if…
"Well… nothing shady here," Keqing said, taking another quick glance over the shop's business permit. "You're free to go."
Right now they were inspecting the various stalls set up for the fair. The gaudiest gifts in the gaudiest shops always seemed the most suspicious and, luckily for them, most of the customers had since left for lunch, leaving the shops free to be perused at their leisure.
Which for Keqing meant 'not leisurely' at all.
"Thank you, Lady Keqing." The owner bowed. His trembling hands and meek smile gave little doubt to his innocence. "Perhaps something caught your eye, eh?"
"Ah…"
Truth be told, she paid less attention to the merchandise they were supposed to be inspecting, and more to the man still browsing the wares. Shopping brought out a person's hobbies and preferences; Keqing hoped to use her experience to get to know Zhongli a little more, but ultimately learned nothing. What a shame.
Her mistake. Maybe she could buy something for the trouble.
"Might I post a suggestion?" Zhongli interjected. As if reading Keqing's mind, he swiftly procured a yellow, bamboo folding fan from the shelf. "You have recently taken up painting, yes?" he asked.
"...That is correct." How did he know about that?
"In ancient times, fans symbolized the traditions and nobility of aristocrats. Nowadays, however, they are more often found in the hands of commoners, serving as a practical tool to cool off on a hot day, or to block the sun." Zhongli spread the fan open and flourished it around in practiced motions. "In addition, some fans have personalized paintings or calligraphy on them— making it an inexpensive, yet unique item to give to someone."
Smiling, he folded the fan and handed it to Keqing. "This one is a blank slate. With your budding artistic skills, you can paint whatever it is you need to convey your feelings across to the person you are giving it to— a message you feel proud to share with him."
Keqing stared at the fan in wonder. She did not disagree with Zhongli's assessment, rather, she was surprised it impressed her more than it should have. She knew little of the man, yet clearly, Zhongli knew more about her than she thought.
"A folding fan suits you perfectly, don't you agree?" Zhongli said, smiling. "I believe the Traveler will be quite fond of it as a gift."
Keqing nodded. "Yeah."
...Wait a minute.
"W-Who said anything about the Traveler?!"
"There is no shame in feeling gratitude for him." Zhongli tilted his head. "It was written all over your face. That, and the rumors of the two of you seeing each other…Hmm, forgive me if I misunderstood."
"W-well… that's not completely inaccurate, but—" Keqing stammered. Right on the money. Unable to control her embarrassment, she presented both the fan and the brush to the merchant before striding away. "A-anyway! We still have plenty left to see, so let's not dwell here for long. Let's go."
Zhongli laughed.