Work Text:
August 26th.
The sun was barely peeking across the horizon as Ningguang awoke. The chirps of birds making a rather peaceful melody as her eyelids flitted open.
She stretched and quickly slipped out of her bed and made it. She put on a simple outfit that would be easy to clean, and then she grabbed her basket filled with assorted goods. Afterwards, she quietly exited her abode, careful of not waking her parents in the process.
The white-haired girl came across some of her neighbors getting an early start on tilling their farms as she made her way to the shores of Liyue. She ran through acres of fields until she reached sand.
Her stomach ached as she made her way to her destination. She started walking to conserve on energy. The cool wind and warm sand a welcome distraction from her hunger. There was a crispness in the air, it gave a small boost in vigor to the young girl.
She'll have a meal soon. She just needed to sell and collect enough to afford it. The thought of a nice, hot serving of Mora Meat caused her mouth to water. She quickly shook those thoughts away lest she become more hungry than she already was.
Finally, she made it to Yaoguang Shoal. The scent of the sea was different here, it smelled fragrant almost like perfume. Ningguang knelt down and began washing her face with the refreshingly chilly waters thanks to an Ice Flower nearby. She shuddered and wiped herself off with a cloth she kept in the basket that she brought with her. She then brought her already aching bare feet and slowly began to wash them as well, preparing for her voyage from here to the southern wharf of Liyue Harbor.
The basket contained various ceramic goods, ones that Ningguang had created herself. They weren't outstanding by any means, but they were durable and crafted with care.
Once she had finished patting down her feet, the young girl got up and began her routine of collecting other trinkets from the shore that she could sell along with her wares. Be it sea shells, interesting-looking rocks, various jewelry washed ashore, Ningguang made sure she could turn a small profit off what she could gather.
Her hands and feet moved deftly as she picked along the shore. No one was here this early, save a fisherman or two. She had free reign to the small treasures the sea provided.
Then she saw another figure by the water. They were hunched over what appeared to be a small fire. A light, burning aroma seemed to be emanating from it.
Ningguang quickly moved to a position of cover behind some rocks, as she eyed this unidentified being. People she could handle, but beasts and hilichurls were a bit much for her at the moment.
This being seemed to be comprised mostly of frizzled, dark hair. It could be a hilichurl that she had not yet heard of.
She backed away as she tripped and fell into the water behind her, the noise causing the figure to look in her direction. Ningguang internally cursed herself as she struggled to get to her feet, her clothing extremely damp and weighing her down.
A hand was extended out to her as she pushed herself up. A voice called out to her.
"Smooth moves, princess." It was the figure from before.
If she wasn't so distraught, she would have glared harshly at the one who uttered such a mocking remark. But, Ningguang recognized that the stranger's tone was more of concern than amusement. Begrudgingly, she extended her own hand and the stranger helped her to her feet.
"Thank you..." Ningguang's gratitude came out more hushed than she would have liked. She looked to the stranger as she wrung some of the water out of her clothes. They stared straight into each other's eyes then, amber meeting ruby. The stranger appeared to be a shorter girl than Ningguang. Her hair was unkempt and her eyes were filled with wonder and curiosity.
The stranger gave her a toothy grin in response. " 's no problem at all. Can't just ignore someone needin' help." The stranger pointed a thumb behind her back towards the fire. "I was actually about to make breakfast. Want to join?"
Ningguang shifted awkwardly with her wet clothes and basket of goods. "It's alright, I ate earlier... I apologize for bothering you. I-I should get back to what I was doing."
A rumble came from Ningguang's stomach, exposing her lie. Curses.
A loud, hearty laugh came from the stranger. "Sounds like your tummy doesn't agree with you! Come on, we can dry your clothes by the fire. Even got a spare blanket you can use."
Ningguang hadn't even realized her other hand that wasn't holding her basket was still in the stranger's. She hesitantly nodded before the stranger began dragging her to their makeshift bonfire.
As Ningguang settled herself in the blanket by the fire and put her clothes on the rocks by it to dry, the stranger went behind another formation of rocks saying that she would just be a minute.
While she was waiting for the unruly youth, Ningguang took in the surroundings around the fire. There were a few bags, a weighted blanket sprawled out on the sand, and a tarp hat was held up with a few sticks of wood. This was a small encampment, Ningguang noted. However, when did this wild-haired girl set this up? Ningguang had been at the shoal just yesterday.
Inspecting the fire, the young girl noticed that while it seems to have just been made not too long ago, it seemed to have been done quite neatly with the fire not built up too high. An appetizing smell, however, started to distract her. It smelled of meat and bread with a hint of spiced honey. It came from a stone pot just off center of the fire that she had not noticed for some reason. A loud voice came from around the corner.
"Oh! Smells like they're just about done!" The stranger came back from around the rocks and made her way to sit by Ningguang. She looked different.
The girl took in the stranger's presence once more. The frizzled hair appeared to now be a smooth and silky texture and the features of the face were young, perhaps even younger than Ningguang. She had not even noticed that the figure had changed into a dark red clothing which accentuated their ruby-colored eyes. She cleaned up pretty well, considering that bedhead was something else.
The stranger patted down the ends of her hair with a towel before sitting down.
The brown-haired youth reached out to the pot and pulled out a steamed pastry. One that Ningguang could recognize almost immediately. Was it just coincidence that this stranger had the very thing that she had been craving for this whole time?
"Big Brother Mao gave these to me last night. Said I had to keep my strength up so I can train hard." The figure said as they handed Ningguang one of the pastries. The white-haired girl blowed on the still very hot piece of food.
Ningguang looked up at the stranger. "Big Brother Mao? Train?"
The stranger gave a prideful humph as she put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "That's right. I'm training to become the strongest pirate captain in Liyue—no, the world even! I just did 200 pushups not too long ago!" She then proceeded to take a bite of the piping hot Mora Meat and recoiled as she had burnt her tongue.
A giggle came from Ningguang as she joked, "I see that you have a ways to go, Captain..." She couldn't help but tease as she saw her companion run to a jug and drink straight from it.
After wiping the excess water from her lips, the future captain began to play along as a smirk danced onto her lips even as she was still enduring the stinging pain from the food, "Yeah? It may take a long time, but I'll be the strongest pirate ever. Everyone will tremble at Queen of the—no, LORD of the Ocean!" Her ruby eyes were so full of vitality. Her bravado was quite infectious.
The captain continued, "Willing to be my first mate? All great pirates need a great crew." Ningguang only blinked at the captain as she then proceeded to take a bite of her cooled-down food.
It was delicious, and the meat was so tender and succulent it practically melted on her tongue. She could feel her heart and stomach dancing with joy in being satiated that morning. She then looked up as she contemplated. "If we get to eat like this everyday? I'll think about it."
There was a dazzle in the captain's eyes then. "I'll get Big Brother Mao to join us! Feasts everyday at sea!" The captain then proceeded to bite into her food again, seemingly more cautious this time.
Ningguang only hummed, enjoying this comfortable moment with this rather pleasant stranger. "What would I even do? I don't think I could see myself fighting, pulling on ropes or—"
"Nah nah nah nah, it ain't just about that, pirate crews are SUPER large. There's gonna be a ton of people that can do that. You can't be just be super strong. You gotta be super smart, too! I can already tell that you're super smart." The captain interjected with a rather sure look on her face.
Finishing her food, Ningguang closed her eyes and let out a small smile and a rather pleased sigh. "I'm smart, huh? Why do you think so?"
The captain bit her lip and glanced to the side in thought. "Hmm, you just give off that sort of... ah, what's the word... 's like you know a bunch of stuff." The captain then proceeded to finish the rest of her meal as well and gave a big swig of a jug of water and then offering Ningguang it. "You go to school?"
The white-haired girl pulled out a ceramic cup from her basket and poured some water into it. "When my family can afford it, I take lessons, yes." After taking a drink of water herself, she continued. "I am trying to make my own money, too. I'm selling these things so I can pay for my own lessons without relying on my family." She then gave the captain her cup for her to inspect.
A big grin appeared on the captain's face again. "See? You're already making money and you're like what? 10? You could be like a person in charge of money or something!"
"9, actually—" Ningguang suddenly realized what today was. "No wait, you're right. I'm 10." The white-haired youth started to become a bit skittish. "I still don't think I'd be a good fit; I don't know if I'd be seasick or something."
The captain immediately knew something was wrong. She then pulled out another, albeit slightly more toasted, pastry from the still warm pot and offered it to Ningguang. "Hmm, if it ain't meant to be then it ain't meant to be. Offer still stands for whenever though, heh heh." She rubbed the back of her head with closed eyes.
Ningguang stayed relatively quiet as she gratefully ate the offered food.
The captain then turned her attention to the basket and inspected the other goods within. "Dunno when you'll be able to sell all these with your clothes drying and all... so, how 'bout I buy all of 'em right now and you can go home and rest?"
The white-haired girl's eyes went wide at this. "What?! No, you don't have to... I mean... all of this is worth at least 15,000 Mora."
The captain didn't seem at all bothered by this and gave Ningguang an inquisitive look. "15,000? I think you mean 8. 'sidering I did just feed you and let you hang out at my camp." The brown-haired girl gave a smirk.
Ningguang almost scoffed but she continued to mind her manners. "You did, and I'm grateful, but even if I did discount you for those things, I can't sell it for anything less than 12. The materials themselves are already worth more than half, that nocti- noctilu- that jade is worth it's weight in gold, and... I spent a lot of time making and collecting these." A small pout left her. She continued, "What would you even do with these? I can't see you wearing zanzi. Your hair is much too thick for them."
The captain laughed. "You're a good haggler. Told you that you were smart. How about 20?"
"I already said—" Ningguang turned to look the captain straight in the eyes. An exasperated look adorned the white-haired girl's face. "20... what... you—"
The brunette only shrugged."I'll give you 20,000 for everything. 's a fair deal, right?" The captain then headed towards her bags near the weighted blanket and pulled a few pouches from them.
"Fair deal? What do you mean... I said they were worth 15. You don't... Where'd you even get that kind of money? Are you a thief?" Ningguang couldn't help but become even more confused with every passing moment accompanying this stranger.
"Hey now, just cause I have some money doesn't mean I'm a thief. Pirates gotta start with some sort of moral high ground before they fall, y'know? I got my way of making money just like you do, and honestly, if you didn't tell me what they were worth from the start, you could have said 30,000 and I would have believed you. Gotta get good at hustling to survive, right?" The child captain winked at her then.
"Honestly, 20,000 is way too much." Tears started to well up in the young girl's eyes. "You really don't have to, you know?"
The captain's tone grew soft for the first time. "Hey, go home." She then pressed the pouches into Ningguang's hands. The captain then whispered into her ears. "Happy Birthday."
A small gasp escaped from Ningguang as she clenched onto the pouches.
"As my friends always likes to say... Money comes and goes but friendships last a lifetime! Also, consider it an... what's the word... an investment to your business! Pirates need good connections, no? Keep them outta jail?"
Ningguang chuckled at that and started to feel a little less flustered, "It's kinda scary that you're already thinking that way."
As she was making her way out of the small campsite, she couldn't help but gaze at the aspiring captain seemingly just enjoying herself. She was kicking up the water as she laid on the cool sands. Ningguang gave a small smile as she left with warm clothes, an empty basket, and two full pouches of Mora. She turned back again, just once more. "Are you going to be all right?"
The brunette turned and looked up at her leaving companion. "Hm? Oh, yeah, I'll be fine. Just relaxing, enjoying nature... OH! But, if you want, you should stop by the city later! There's this new restaurant that serves great food, and it's super cheap!"
"I'll... keep an eye out. Have a good day..." Ningguang turned and left the Shoal.
The walk back home was filled with exhilaration. Ningguang could not believe that she could feel so giddy. She tried to stomp her excitement out, but she couldn't help but let out a wide, tooth-bearing grin. It felt as though all her worries had just washed away in the course of that morning.
As she arrived home, her parents immediately knew something was different about her. Given the fact she came home way earlier than usual, they assumed she sold really well. When asking how far she went today, they were surprised to find out she never left Yaoguang Shoal. They then also wished her a happy birthday and told her to spend her hard earned money how she wished. There was no need to help them on her special day.
Ningguang dreamt peacefully as she dropped onto her bed for a quick nap, the adrenaline quickly draining from her.
Evening came, and Ningguang decided to visit the Harbor as her acquaintance suggested earlier. She put on a decent gown and made her walk there. Will she see the captain there? She didn't know, but she did want to try out this restaurant. She wondered if it was fancy and if the food was actually cheap. If a child who had 20,000 Mora laying around to give to a stranger called something cheap, how cheap could it actually be?
The sights and smells of Liyue Harbor enamored the young girl. It was busy, fast-paced, but at the same time, it was orderly. She never grew tired of visiting the city. Normally, every visit meant a class to be attended and something tasty to be snacked upon. The few times when her parents weren't busy, she was able to fully enjoy the Lantern Rite held there.
As she made her way past Second Life, Ningguang encountered a smell that wasn't familiar to her. It was a bit choking but not unpleasant to the senses. The spice that perfumed the air was actually a welcome change of pace.
Wanmin Restaurant.
It was crowded. People seemed to be pouring out in droves to have a taste of this new establishment. Even people Ningguang recognized to be loyal regulars to Liuli Pavilion and Xinyue Kiosk were gathered in the long queue.
Peering past the taller customers, the white-haired girl saw that the chef and assumedly owner of the establishment to be quite young, probably barely in his twenties. He had a baby attached to his back that he seemed to hand back a piece of food every so often.
Ningguang thought of what it must've been like to be in his shoes. It must be quite stressful to be a new parent and a new business owner. Probably not short on money, though. The drove of customers quite evident of that. However, that's when she caught a glimpse of familiar brown hair. It was tied up, but it was recognizable, at least to her. The aspiring pirate captain was stirring a pot in the back with two other older people helping.
"Beidou! Can you take Xiangling for a second? I'm sorry, it's starting to get really busy here. You can go out and play with her, we got this." The chef called out. Ningguang only caught the tail end of what the chef said with the buzzing of the crowd.
That familiar smile showed up as brunette took the tiny human from the chef's arms. "Sure thing! I love playing with Xiangling!" The baby cooed in agreement as she started hitting Beidou in the face.
The chef laughed and gave his thanks as he turned his attention back to the customers.
As Beidou turned to exit the restaurant, her face alighted in recognition. Ningguang inadvertently turned away, trying to avoid eye-contact for a reason that she didn't seem to understand.
"Oi! Princess!" A robust voice that came from the captain cried out. This caused the white-haired girl to bury into herself a bit further, a dust of pink on her cheeks from the inadvertent calling of her. She peeked out again when she saw that Beidou was back in the restaurant whispering into the ear of one of the older workers. The worker nodded toward the young captain.
After a short moment and without much notice, the brunette appeared before Ningguang. She had a baby in one arm and a basket in the other.
"Howdy! Hope you didn't wait too long!" The young captain stated as the baby pulled at her ear, she didn't seem to mind.
Ningguang tried to compose herself before she spoke. "I haven't. I assume this chef is who you were speaking of before?"
"Yeah yeah! Big Brother Mao! He's good people. Makes sure I eat and ain't gettin' in too much trouble. Ehe~" The baby knocked on the captain's head.
"Ah, I see." Ningguang moved to ruffle the baby's hair only to be rejected as Xiangling retreated into Beidou's shoulder. The white-haired girl seemed a bit offended at this.
"Oops, sorry about Xiangling here. She's a bit shy, but once she's eaten with you, she'll see that you're good people, too! C'mon let's go to the pier and have some dinner." Another flashy grin was shone while she brandished a basket before her.
On the pier, they dipped their toes in the water while Xiangling was nestled between the two. They were enjoying a simple soup along with some chewy, steamed dough buns. Beidou blowed on some soup to cool it before allowing Xiangling to have a spoonful.
Ningguang took a moment to actually enjoy her own spoonful before she mouthed, "This is really good! Is this a special item?" But her companion gave her a bit of a quizzical look.
"Uh... actually it's just some broth that I made earlier today while training, didn't want to take too much from Brother Mao's pockets. Haha... I'm glad you like it though!" Beidou went to tear a small piece of dough and handed it to Xiangling.
The white-haired youth replied, "Cooking is part of your training... to be a pirate?"
"Well yeah, crew's gotta eat while out at sea. If the food tastes good, then the crew will work hard, no?" Beidou continued, "I've been making real use of the leftovers from the restaurant... like this soup is made from nothing but chicken and pork bones that were boiled and drenched over cabbage and radishes."
"Oh, I'll keep that in mind..." Ningguang made a mental note for herself, "Maybe in a few years this little one will be teaching both of us a thing or two about food." She made a light pinch on one of Xiangling's cheeks. They were puffed out as she had one of the steamed buns stuffed in her mouth.
Beidou laughed at that as she motioned for the baby to swallow and then brought out some warm milk for her to wash it down with. "Yeah, she does love to eat, doesn't she? Maybe she'll be the head chef on our crew if Big Brother Mao doesn't join us!"
"You're serious about that, huh?" Ningguang pulled out a small cloth from Beidou's basket to wipe some of the dribbling milk from Xiangling's face.
Beidou downed the rest of her serving of soup before she answered. "Yup! I'm actually joining some of the older kids on their first boating trip... Let's see... Big Brother Juza, Big Brother Zhang... and Big Sister Yinxing! They're all super tough, but I'll be tougher than all of them!"
A piteous look came from Ningguang, but she still offered a small smile. "That does remind me. We never did introduce ourselves to each other."
"Hm? Oh, well, maybe I'll tell you my name when I get back and we hangout again! Or when we both get rich and famous!"
"I feel like only one of those two things will happen." A small pause, and Ningguang finished her own soup at this time before continuing, "And you're leaving..."
"In two days!" Another beaming smile came from the youth as she looked Ningguang straight in the eyes. At that moment Ningguang noticed Xiangling crawling onto her own lap and nestle against her torso.
"I suppose you would like to take some of your Mora back for the food?" She smoothed Xiangling's hair as she looked once more towards her companion.
"Oh? What? Nah nah nah nah. Keep it, keep it! Money always comes and goes... but good people can't be measured with money, they're worth way more! Even if I don't see you again when I get back, I'll know that today was a pretty good day! It is your birthday, after all!"
A whisper came from Ningguang then. "I'll... keep that in mind."
10 years later.
Ningguang twirled her smoking pipe dexterously on her fingers. She exhaled slowly as she finished looking over her documents for the day. Being the newly appointed Tianquan of Liyue Qixing was demanding, but she wouldn't have suffered all of those lessons of business and law if she was not up to the challenge.
She wasn't even going to be the newest member in a few months. There were talks of a successor for the current Yuheng. 'Another prodigy,' they had said. It did not bother the Tianquan one bit, as long as they were able to do their work with little hassle, then all should be well.
Ningguang set her pipe down and took a look out of her window and saw the construction of her Jade Chamber going ever so smoothly. The setting sun only adding to its beauty. It was only the size of a small shop in the sky, but it was also a symbol of her hard work, her dedication.
Others may look at this as her flaunting her overwhelming wealth, but she saw it differently, and that was all that mattered to her. A small knock on her door from one snapped Ningguang out of her thoughts.
Ningguang poised herself at her seat before speaking. "Come in."
One of her secretaries walked in. 'The one who could not seem to be any less obvious,' Ningguang mused. The secretary looked every which way before finally meeting the Tianquan in the eyes, a light dusting of pink on her face.
She feigned a cough before speaking, "Lady Ningguang, um, the last scheduled meeting for the day with the... uh..." She adjusted her glasses as she read off her report sheet, "... Captain of the Crux Fleet... is in 15 minutes."
No emotion showed on Ningguang's face as she folded her hands in front of her. "Thank you, Baishi. I'll prepare the necessary documents." She turned to the small stack of papers regarding this Captain. "You may tell them to come in when they're ready. You and the other two may prepare to leave for the day."
"Thank you, Lady Tianquan. I'll have Ganyu escort her in." Baishi turned to leave, however she paused and turned back around. "Would you like to have your dinner sent up as well?"
The Tianquan quirked her lips in contemplative thought. It would do her well to eat before she prepares for her own departure, as she wanted to separate her last meal for the day and the time she slept. "That would be nice. Thank you again, Baishi."
As she left with a soft thud and click of the door, Ningguang gave a look over at the documents regarding this captain and the numerous infractions that this individual had accrued.
'Captain Beidou, huh? Where have I heard that name before...' Ningguang thought. '18... 188 centimeters... brown hair... ruby-colored eyes... crew size 77... docking violations... tariff violations... inventory violations... so on and so forth...'
The Tianquan didn't expect for a ship captain to be so young, but she supposed no one would think that the head of the Liyue Qixing was young either. However, the two had very different views on how they handled the law it seemed.
She did the calculations in her head and the estimated total for the fines was rather lenient considering the amount of fines this Beidou had against her. Being a first time offender had its silver-linings, Ningguang supposed.
Roughly 800,000 Mora and the Captain would be free to go on with her business. Repeat offenders would normally pay five times that.
Before Ningguang could conjure up an image of what the Captain would look like, she was interrupted by laughter coming from outside her door.
She could immediately recognize the airy giggles that came from Ganyu—Ningguang had heard her speak with the future Yuheng successor before—but the more boisterous laughter was one that she could not recall.
As the two entered, Ningguang could not help but be washed over with a feeling of déjà vu. She recognizes those eyes and that body language. The shorter one of the two had a hand on the presumed captain's back in reassurance, and Ningguang swears she saw a hint of recognition light up in the eyes of the taller individual as well.
Ganyu regarded the Tianquan with respect as she sat Beidou in the seat facing her. "Good evening, Lady Tianquan. This here is Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet."
The Captain and the Tianquan regarded each other with a nod. "Very well. Thank you, Ganyu. You may leave. I'll call for you later to escort our Captain out when we're finished."
The secretary gave a small bow, and as she turned, Beidou gave her a wink. Ganyu let out a small sigh and squeezed the Captain's shoulder and left.
As it was just the two of them left, Beidou was the first to speak, "You know, you Qixing should let her take a break once in a while. I swear, if I don't take her out every so often, she'd work herself into an early grave."
A breath left Ningguang. "It's not that we don't allow her to take breaks, she seems to take pride in being useful. I do sometimes assign Ganyu work that might qualify as a break. Just the other day, I had her pick up snacks for the children."
Beidou raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? I think I remember that... she was with that purple-haired girl then when she passed them out."
"Keqing was there?" A smirk came from Ningguang then. "Guess it was more thoughtful of me than I originally intentioned." They both smiled then.
Ningguang continued and changed her tone, her lips now set into a line. "However, we are not here to discuss the Liyue Qixing secretary... we are here to discuss you."
Beidou leaned in and put her chin into her hand as she laid her elbow on Ningguang's desk. "Oh? Little ol' me?" A playfully, seductive smile was shone then.
The Tianquan continued, unaffected. "More specifically, these fines you and your crew have accrued these past four months. I can't believe you don't even have a license for your own ship."
The smile on the Captain's face did not leave. "Well, it's technically not my ship... and I technically just became a Captain six months ago..." She scratched her cheek with a finger as she looked away from the Tianquan.
"Be it as it may, having such discrepancies early on in your career does not look well for future prospects. Are you affiliated with any of the shipping guilds or companies?" Ningguang tapped on the papers on her desk, giving her guest a quizzical eye.
"Nope! Totally independent. Guess you could say I'm an... entrepreneur. Sorta like you." Beidou said with wink.
The Tianquan was not impressed. "Well... I would list your offenses, but they're quite numerous and I assume we both have better uses of our time. So, I'll just say that you owe Liyue Harbor approximately 830,000 Mora and your crew must pay it by the end of the month."
The Captain feigned being surprised at the rather large sum. "Oooh, that's gonna be a huge hit, and 5 days to get that much? You wound me, Lady Tianquan."
"Just have it by the 31st, and you don't end up being seized by the Millelith." Ningguang stated plainly.
All of a sudden a large sack landed on her desk with a huge thud. "Don't worry, I got it all right here." Beidou responded with much bravado.
Ningguang was taken aback just a bit, but she simply responded in kind. She took her vision and was able to surmise that the Mora to pay the fee was in there, plus a little extra.
"There's two million in here. I don't accept bribes, Captain." Amber eyes narrowed at ruby-colored ones.
"Actually, I wanted to go ahead and kill two birds with one stone... I noticed that new eye sore in the sky when pulling in to the Harbor. I think you can work something out with a ship-building guild here, and I'm using that extra cash to help persuade you to convince them to give me a fair price." The Captain's own eyes narrowed. "So... I'm helping pay for your passion project and my fees."
Ningguang could not follow that logic. "So... you're paying me to help get you a discount for your own ship? Why don't you use that extra Mora to fund the ship?"
"Cause a decent ship costs like 25 million Mora, and the one I want to commission is like 150 million normally. I would like to get a small discount if at all possible... I'm willing to pay a million if it helps save me tens of millions in the future." Beidou answered quite easily.
Ningguang could not refute that logic, but she can't help but feel that this was illegal in some way. She decided to counteroffer. "Hmm... How about we, as in the Liyue Qixing, commissions your ship?"
Beidou quirked an eyebrow. "Go on..."
"In doing so, you, your ship, and your crew will be under a contract with us." Ningguang gave smiled with closed eyes at this. This was an offer that was in her favor rather than Beidou's.
"I would say deal, with only one exception. Me and my crew will only be in a contract with you." Beidou retorted. Ningguang opened her eyes to stare back at her. While, the Crux would still be under the Qixing, the full benefit of utilizing them would be limited.
"Hmm... would you like to make a wager?" Ningguang motioned towards another table in her office.
10 minutes later.
Ningguang could not believe how easily she lost. Her King was blocked by Beidou's Queen and a Bishop preventing her from taking it.
A smirk came from Beidou at that moment. "I believe that is checkmate, my lady..."
The Tianquan accepted her defeat rather gracefully and nodded to Beidou. As she was about to speak, a knock came from the door. Two voices that she recognized were on the other side. Baiwen and Baixiao.
"Come in." Ningguang said coolly. With much luck, they wouldn't recognize her defeat in the game she had just played.
"Ah, thank you Lady Ningguang. Baishi requested us to bring you dinner," Baixiao graced as she and her companion moved to place dishes on the table in the middle of the room.
Baiwen spoke up as well as she placed two sets of dinnerware on the table. "Lady Ganyu said that you had some company and that we should prepare for two." Baixiao nodded in agreement and slightly gasped at the the sight of the chess pieces. Curses.
A small knot was forming in Ningguang's head as Beidou replied, "Thank you very much. I'll be sure to enjoy it!"
Baiwen and Baixiao both finished the preparations and left. Almost immediately, Ningguang could hear the gossip between the two.
Beidou regarded her, "How nice... nothing like a deal, a win and, a free meal. I should probably try my hand in gambling at this rate." A hearty laugh left the Captain.
"Well, gamblers aren't as nice when they lose a bet." Ningguang replied, still heated at the embarrassment of losing.
"Hmm... I suppose. But, they probably wouldn't want to mess with me." The Captain moved to flex in front of Ningguang. Her strong muscles were clearly defined.
They both moved to take part in the meal.
"Oh, what's this? I didn't know my lady had such simple tastes in food." Beidou moved to take a pastry from a plate.
An array of Mora Meat (of Ningguang's own recipe), simple soups, and rice dishes were laid out in a beautiful display.
As Beidou took part of one of the soups, she looked up in remembrance. "This... this is my soup." She looked more thoughtfully at Ningguang then; after a while, she chuckled to herself.
"I learned the recipe a while ago. A chicken and pork bone broth drenched in cabbage leaves... although I think the recipe also called for radishes. I never really cared for them." Ningguang silently slurped at her own serving.
"Hmm... humble roots, eh?" Beidou finished her portion of the food and stood up. Ningguang was not even done with a quarter of her portion. The Captain continued, "Listen... it's been well, but I gotta return to my crew. Can't have them thinking you killed me, yeah?" A smaller sack was dropped on the table then. "Keep the million and this..."
Ningguang did a quick scan. 20,000 Mora...
Beidou opened the door, turned back and said, "Glad to be working with you, welcome to the crew~!" As she exited, she finished with, "Oh! And Happy Birthday!"
The Tianquan spit out her food in finally figuring out who the Captain was.
2 years later.
Beidou arrived into Ningguang's private chambers late that night. The Tianquan was finishing up the last document she was to put on her wall later, to blow into the wind a week from now...
The white-haired woman barely regarded her guest as she said, "That's new."
The captain haphazardly crashed onto their sometimes shared bed and reclined back. "The eyepatch or the Vision?" Beidou said with the usual snark, but then winced as she held the left side of her face. Then a groan escaped her as the crash onto the bed upset the wounds on her body.
"Guess you're a full-fledged pirate now..." Ningguang mused. "How have you been?"
Beidou gave a small smile, it was genuine but it still held a bit of sadness to it. "It's been rough..." The captain pulled out her flask and drank the contents within. She then moved a little more and placed the flask, a small satchel, and her vision on the nightstand next to the bed.
"I can only imagine." The Tianquan let out, she put down her pen and motioned to her companion's flask. "What's in there?"
"Water," Beidou replied, "Can't afford to be hungover when I have families to talk to tomorrow morning."
"Did you just get back?" Ningguang asked as she got up and moved to join Beidou on the bed.
"Three days ago. I anchored the Alcor near Guyun Stone Forest..." She shuddered a bit. "I was actually wandering around Yaoguang for a bit before coming here... I've been thinking of how to talk to everyone..."
Ningguang pulled the Captain into an embrace but stopped short as to not irritate .
Beidou continued. "It's so weird, you awaken a Vision that you stumble across randomly... I don't receive a Vision until I defeat Haishan and suffer casualties in the process... I lost my eye... I almost lost my life."
Ningguang breathed in the scent of her companion. "You're okay, though. You're here. You can cry if you want."
Beidou shuddered a bit more and gave a small laugh devoid of the usual energy. "I would, but it kinda hurts the empty side to even move my face a certain way. It kinda hurts to do anything except lay down."
"Just rest then. I'll be here. Shall I send for a healer?" Ningguang moved Beidou's hair away from her face and intertwined one of her hands into the Captain's.
"Nah, I took some supplements earlier. Most of the cuts have been healed, it's just sore now." Beidou squeezed it.
"Did you eat yet?" Ningguang motioned to her table with a covered bowl resting on top.
"Is it still hot?" Beidou gave a small smirk and lightly punched Ningguang's shoulder.
Ningguang mused back, "It might be a little warm..."
"Might need a raincheck on celebrating for next year." Beidou said as she started to drift into sleep.
Ningguang closed her eyes as well. "I'll be waiting."
3 years later.
The sea felt rather refreshing on the Tianquan's feet. The Ice Flower nearby cooling the waters to a nice temperature for her.
The water smelt fragrant, almost like perfume.
The crunching of sand stirred the Tianquan from her thoughts. A soft but boisterous voice called out.
"I thought I would find you here. Ganyu told me you were 'out'." The Captain moved to sit next to her but stopped for a moment. "Want me to make us a fire? I brought some food. Xiangling even threw in some extra stuff..."
The Tianquan said nothing. The Captain quickly gathered some dry, dead wood and quickly started a fire. The contrast of warmth from the fire and coolness from the water felt rather nice.
The white-haired woman got up and dried her feet and then sat closer to the fire. The brown-haired woman's eye looking right at her. There was no pity. Only love.
"You don't need to say anything. I'm here. Every step of the way."
They scooted themselves closer together.
A head rested on the other's shoulder.
"The Chamber may be gone, but you aren't. You're here. If you want... you can cry. It's just us here."
A gentle kiss was laid on top of the other's forehead.
A silent sob was muffled in the crook of the other's shoulder.
Beidou softly brushed her hand through her hair. "Happy Birthday..."
There was quiet. There was warmth. There was the two of them.
"I'll be here."
"I love you."