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The sea’s breeze gently guided The Crux Fleet into Liyue harbor as Beidou made sure her crew stayed on task. Lookout in place, deck mates keeping her ship clean, fellow crew men making sure everything ran smoothly, and her, the captain, steering the ship into the familiar ports of Liyue. Everything was going according to plan and on schedule; she and her crew just robbed some of the Fatui’s worst agents. They were in the middle of pillaging a village before Beidou interfered. Had she arrived any later, and innocent civilians likely could’ve lost their lives. She returned any and all belongings stolen from the towns people, and took the leftover treasure the Fatui had on them. Just as her anchor was thrown overboard into the ocean’s riffling surface, she noticed a rather prestigious looking individual. While Beidou had never met her, she knew exactly who she was. Ningguang: head of the Liyue Qixing. This meant trouble. Ningguang never handles her own affairs; often sending her staff to do the work for her. This ought to be good.
She tied off the sails before descending down to the deck below, walking with a briskness that blew her bangs away from her face to reveal a ruby red eyepatch underneath.
The woman standing before her was a stark contrast to herself. Eyes the color of ancient amber; half of her platinum-blonde hair styled in an elegant pinup. Beidou wore hers very similar, but it was far messier compared to Ningguang’s neat up-do.
“I must say milady; you are as beautiful as the most valuable treasure in my collection,” Beidou proclaimed, bowing to her. She took her hand into her own and planted a kiss to the back of it. She looked perplexed, withdrawing her hand from Beidou’s as if she had been stung.
“Captain Beidou of The Crux Fleet, you have failed to pay your dues for the past 3 weeks in a row. If you refuse to get your affairs in order, we will be left with no other choice than to seize your ship,” A circle of expensive looking geo gemstones floated just behind her, framing her poise as she had the audacity to demand mora from the captain.
“Having your elemental skill fired up and ready to go? It really does give you a more menacing look,” Beidou held her hand out, producing a spark of blinding violet electricity just to prove she could do the same. The people who were casually observing their interaction started sharing frantic whispers; challenging the Tiaquan of the Liyue Qixing? No one has ever dared confront her like that before. Ningguang was admired and respected in Liyue; she wasn’t a cruel ruler. She was strict and withdrawn, but overall fair and liked.
She glanced over her shoulder, acknowledging the gemstone halo behind her.
“My apologies, Captain,” with a dramatic swoosh of her hand, she put her catalyst away; banishing the geo rocks with it.
She followed suite, relinquishing the electric energy off the side of the dock, causing the water below to momentarily electrify. Before continuing, she fidgeted with the material around her hands; any static electricity that remained, left through her exposed fingertips into the leather of her fingerless glove.
“With all due respect Lady Ningguang, I don’t take orders from anyone other than myself. All profit my crew and I make gets donated back into the community. I take only what I need to live on, and nothing more. You are the richest person in Liyue. You don’t need the measly taxes we would be paying you. Someone somewhere needs it far more than you do,” Beidou ended with tired sigh, crossing her arms in front of her, almost as if to shield herself from all that Ningguang was.
She was thrown into a state of shocked silence. Ningguang knew Beidou had a good heart, but she hated nothing more than those who broke the law. She placed a hand on her hip, the other resting under her chin. A pose that was one of both defeat and deep thought.
“I’ll be back here next week. I expect you to uphold the laws of Liyue, and pay your part.”
The captain just rolled her eyes, watching as Ningguang turned to leave. Her hair swayed from side to side as she walked, the platinum blonde fading into charcoal grey at the tips. Body guards soon shielded her from view. They both knew she would do neither, so why had she insisted on meeting up again?
The following week was pretty normal for Beidou. Checking in on the civilians in town, talking to the children in awe at the legends they heard about the captain- and donating mora to those who seemed to need it. She was doing routine maintenance on her ship when a flash of yellow caught her attention. She glanced towards the docks to find Ningguang waiting for her. She huffed, standing from her crouched position. She leisurely reached her hand out to her sail’s pole, spinning around it slowly to delay the inevitable. The sound of the wooden dock echoed in her ears as she approached the awaiting woman.
Ningguang bowed her head in acknowledgment.
“Captain Beidou.”
“Lady Ningguang,” she glanced around, suddenly aware that they were alone.
“No goon squad today?”
She paused for a moment before responding, “Goon squad… My body guards? No, just me.”
Another beat of silence.
“Look Lady Ningguang, I stand by what I said the first time you came to pay me a visit. I’m not-“
“I know.”
Beidou cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Then why are you here? To arrest me?”
She shook her head, the small tassel charm positioned in the middle of her forehead moving back and forth as she did so, “No, I’ve come to invite you to play a game of chess with me. Winner takes a prize of 30,000 mora.”
Convenient. That’s the exact amount she owed in taxes. She analyzed the amber-toned eyes before her, waiting for them to falter.
"Fine. But if I win, you will leave me and The Crux alone.”
A faint smile tugged on her lips, “Deal. I’ll send my secretary to have a date and time arranged for us to meet. Don’t be late.”
She extended her hand, waiting for their agreement to be confirmed. Beidou accepted the invite, Ningguang’s metallic claws digging into the leather on her wrist. They shook hands, sealing both their fates.
“Game on, milady.”