Chapter Text
“Ah, Miss Sucrose, might I trouble you a moment?”
Sucrose yelped in surprise, nearly dropping her notebook— fumbling with it, catching it, leaving her pen to spin wildly in the air— only for a gloved hand to reach past and grab it out of thin air in a clean and elegant motion.
“My apologies for frightening you…”
She turned to see the now-familiar face of Zhongli, the consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Handsome, kind, generous, and ridiculously intelligent, she had at first been a little scared when the Traveler had asked them to spend time in the field together. She already got flustered enough just being around Albedo, and they were close friends already. She wasn’t sure that starting from square one was a good idea.
But she’d been pleasantly surprised, actually! They worked rather decently together, and he frequently asked for her input in combat strategy, odd mechanisms in the wild, and just in general on the things they encountered. He’d listen, calm and patient, as she went off talking about bones or flowers, his amber eyes gentle as he watched her waving her arms and gesturing and pointing at different things that caught her eye.
Sucrose had come to genuinely enjoy their time together, especially when their leisurely walks turned into lectures from him. Zhongli knew so much, it called to mind Albedo’s own discussions with her— but hearing the stories of Liyue like that fascinated her. Unfamiliar tales and unfamiliar specimens, thousands of years of history waiting to be unearthed…
“... Miss Sucrose?”
He held the pen out to her, drawing her out of her mind and back into the present. She felt her cheeks flush and ears stiffen as she took the pen back, carefully hooking it onto the front cover of her notebook.
“S-sorry! Sorry, I… thank you…”
“I should be the one apologizing. Again, I didn’t mean to frighten you… Are you alright?”
She nodded, smiling warmly as she turned to face him fully. “Yes! I’m okay, y-you just surprised me a bit. Did you need me for something?”
He nodded, gesturing for her to follow him— and so she did, happily hurrying along with quick steps to match his longer stride. “I was able to make arrangements for the research you wished to do. I believe you expressed curiousity in specific to the local specialties of Liyue, correct?”
“Yes!” Sucrose perked up at that, nearly bouncing on each footstep. “I-it’s really fascinating all the plants can be used for… of course some in Mondstadt are used for things like perfumes and cooking, but… I’ve never seen so many uses for flowers as they do in Liyue.”
“I took a look at the points of interest you shared before, and I’ve drawn a route for us that will take us through several such locations. There will also be ample time to explore and observe ruins and the like.”
“S-so… we might find some really old bones?” Her ears flicked up— and perked up even further as Zhongli nodded. “R-really?!”
He nodded again with a satisfied smile, pausing as they reached a corner of the boardwalk. “Ah, before we leave, we should make sure to gather supplies and enjoy a good meal. If…”
“Yes?”
She turned to look up at him, only to find his cheeks flushed a deep red. “... W-were I to entrust you with the Mora, would you be able to make wiser choices on supplies than I?”
Sucrose started to shake her head… but paused as she thought about it. It was true that they’d not really be able to write this off as a business expense, either for Wangsheng or the Favonious Alchemy department. They both received paychecks each week as well as a generous stipend from the Traveler every few weeks… and she recalled how quickly Zhongli burned through his each time. The first time he’d asked if she wished to accompany him while hunting she had thought it was simply another part of his sophisticated nature— wishing to prepare his food with control from start to finish— but he swiftly explained he simply didn’t have the money to afford takeout from Wanmin that night, and so opted to make soup to last him to the end of the week.
It was incredible soup, certainly, but it had shown her that Zhongli, in all his wisdom, got carried away in his generosity.
… I wonder if I could get some advice for budgeting from Kaeya or someone… Would that be rude…?
“Um! I can try,” she said with a smile, digging into her pockets and producing her pocketbook— a rather modest little wallet but held her money just fine. “Um, let’s sit down somewhere and see what we have to work with…”
As a catalyst, Mora was not simply useful for its aesthetic looks as pure gold might be. When combined with certain materials and had basic elemental energy applied— whether through natural means such as a lit flame or through more fantastical methods like a vision— it could do all manner of incredible things. As such, she had a habit of setting aside a bit every time she gained any for her own research, as it helped along quite a number of alchemical reactions.
Thankfully, though, for the moment, she only needed to really worry about sorting it out for costs.
“Um, how about we get tea somewhere and figure all of this out?” Her ears perked up a bit, her eyes drifting towards one of the nearby restaurants. Zhongli nodded, opting to follow her.
“Certainly. Lead the way, if you please.”
Thankfully tea wasn’t terribly expensive, and let them use the table to budget somewhat guilt-free. While Sucrose lacked the same adventuring experience many of the others the Traveler spent time with, she did have— for once— anxiety on her side. With her mind so quick to worry, it at least meant she could ponder a few more eventualities than the average person.
Money was set aside for basic supplies— camping materials, methods for preparing food and purifying water, and so on— as well as for dinner for the evening, plus any other unexpected costs. At Zhongli’s sheepish request, they divided it further into general estimates of how much to spend on each category.
As they finished their tea and wrote down their notes, a time was set for their expedition to begin— they’d meet at the bridge leading out of the Harbor just after dawn.
Excitement built up in Sucrose’s heart… as well as nerves. She really did enjoy Zhongli’s company, but the idea of spending all that time with him— alone?
Her heart pounded as she looked around the market, securing the necessary supplies and materials they’d discussed… A stove based off ancient designs that could be placed anywhere and use minimal elemental energy to activate, maps for the areas they planned to trek to, as well as a number of raw ingredients for cooking and such.
But then something caught her eye— just as she was satisfied she’d found everything they’d need.
Crystal Marrow— rare Inazuman import, the sign said. It almost seemed to pulse with life… She’d never seen such a thing. Not even on Dragonspine where Durin’s remains still reigned.
The price was almost obnoxious, though— and so she sighed in defeat. It would have to be studied another day… maybe when the Traveler did indeed go to Inazuma, they wouldn’t mind bringing back a tiny sample for her…?