Work Text:
You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. All eyes were directed at the head of the table, as Zhongli carefully read each term of the ordinances in front of him. The Qixing had worked on the new budgeting allocations towards urban development for months, increasing zoning for new homes to be built. Liyue Harbor had been steadily growing, and its denizens had lodged complaints about the lack of housing availability.
He read the final page as everyone in the room waited with bated breath. A solemn nod, and with the few quick strokes of a pen, it was complete. The Qixing breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Ningguang cleared her throat.
“Congratulations everyone, as we all agree, the ordinance shall pass and this contract shall be upheld. We will issue a public statement regarding the matter on Monday. Thank you for all the hard work, we will reconvene next week.”
Ganyu took a moment to collect her meeting minutes, and glanced towards the door, where she only caught a glimpse of fleeting purple. As quick as lightning, that one.
Ganyu settled back into her desk at the head of the hallway leading up to the Qixing’s offices. Most of the staff headed home right after the meeting ended, however, Ganyu needed to upload the minutes immediately in case any of the board wanted to review it over the weekend. She got to work, scanning the minutes at the copier located at the end of the hallway to create a digital copy for recordkeeping, logging into her PC, and began typing up a revised version of events.
Typing in these additional notes were Ganyu’s least favorite part of the job. Call her old fashioned, but she preferred the feeling of pen on paper over the clattering sounds of keyboard switches.
Minutes ticked by when the clock on the wall beeped eight times. It was getting late.
A few final clicks, and she was done. All she had to do was place the printed copy on Ningguang’s desk and then she could finally rest through the weekend. It had been so long since she had slept until the sun was high in the sky, and the darkened puffy bags under her eyes were unbecoming. She was ready to nod off, and the thought of sinking into her fluffy duvet spurred her into motion. As Ganyu walked through the hallway, she noticed that Keqing’s office was still illuminated. She was still here?
Ganyu shuffled the paperwork in her arms and set off to bid Keqing a goodnight.
Keqing glanced up from her computer when she heard a gentle knock on the doorway.
“Hope I’m not disturbing you, Keqing. I’ve completed my tasks for the night and I’m about to go home. Will you be leaving soon?”
“Well, I’ve completed most of my to-do list, and I finished drafting the press release for the ordinance, as it was my responsibility after all.”
Keqing glanced at the documents Ganyu was holding. “You can give that to me, I’ll make sure to deliver them to Ningguang for you.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
Keqing quietly sighed to herself, she knew that Ganyu had her reservations about her. She often felt a sense of agitation from Ganyu during their scant interactions, which she didn’t fault her for. Keqing often did disparage the ideas that were brought up in council meetings and Ganyu was far more respectful than she was. Keqing didn’t mince words.
Keqing wanted to extend a peace offering and get more acquainted with the General Secretary. She deeply wanted to alleviate the tension between them.
“Have you eaten dinner yet? Let’s get something to celebrate the hard work we’ve done. I have firsthand witnessed the late nights you’ve been pulling to make sure that all bases are covered. You deserve a reward.”
“Um, well… I would be grateful for a meal. I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“Great, I know just the place. Ningguang once sent me to grab lunch with her from this upscale restaurant downtown. They specialize in farm to table dishes with the freshest vegetables procured from all regions across Teyvat. Ningguang has quite the following on social media, they love reading her recommendations and she must have each dish presented immaculately on her page. It’s frustrating since we can’t just grab a quick bite to eat, everywhere she goes has to be over the top.”
Ganyu blinks owlishly and stammers, “U-um, well, Ningguang has her own tastes and has worked hard to develop that following. I’m sure the extra time invested brings her satisfaction we might not understand.”
Keqing frowns to herself and murmurs, “That’s true…”. Great, she did it again. She went on another tirade and made her co-worker uncomfortable.
“Anyway, I’ll finish up and I’ll meet you at the front then?”
“Alright, I’ll drive, since I remember you’ve mentioned that you take the subway to work every day.”
Ganyu held the documents against her chest, surprised by the generosity. “Are you sure? I don’t want it to be such an inconvenience for you…”
“Don’t worry, besides, time is against us since it’s getting late. Let’s go.”