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The ball Ningguang was giving was in full swing.
The room was huge, fully decorated for the circumstances. There were some kind of waiters pacing around the room, giving everyone drinks. They were commissioned by the Tianquan for this task but also to check on everyone to make sure no one drank too much, and that no one would take advantage of any light weight.
A celebration ball, she had told Keqing.
There were way too many people in this ballroom for it to be only a gala. There had to be political meanings behind it. Keqing even noticed important figures from Inazuma, Mondstadt and Sumeru when she checked the list of guests.
Whatever, it’s not like the Yuheng would give anyone her hand. And dressed in a purple suit, it’s not like anybody would want to dance with her. White plain shirt, white and purple tie, jacket and trousers both dark purple, not mentioning the dark gloves she wore as well; it made her looking way stricter than usual. At least, that’s what she thought, because it seemed a certain half-Adeptus felt otherwise. She didn’t miss the widening eyes and the incipient blush of their general Secretary when she caught a glimpse of the purple maiden.
Ganyu was oh so beautiful tonight. She was wearing a long dark blue dress, with a slit on her left side showing her slender toned legs, stopping at the beginning of her hips. Her bell was nowhere to be found but the dress still covered her neck with a high collar. Her back was showing, allowing everyone to see her trained muscles, thanks to her bow practice. Her hair was put in a long lose braid. She also had put on dark blue gloves that climbed up her arms. Her right hand was softly cradling a glass of Qingxin wine. The secretary had put on a very light make up that only highlighted how dazzling she already was.
She was excelling in every field. This ball only showed more of her talents.
Keqing stopped tracking the half-Adeptus when she saw her going to Ningguang and Beidou. She scowled. Of course the white haired woman would be with that insufferable Captain.
The Yuheng then proceeded to stare at the mob. A lot were paired of and dancing to the music. What a blessing to have a dance partner. Noticing how some people were now glaring at her for staring, she proceeded to look at the ceiling. She didn’t want to fight with anyone because they felt their partner was desired by a Qixing member, therefore obliged to dance with said members.
She sighed and lost herself in the contemplation of the roof, seeing patterns that led to nothing.
A voice shook her out of her mind.
“Lady Keqing.”
A soft voice, that couldn’t be mistaken when you were working at the Yuehai Pavilion.
“Ganyu.”
The half-Adeptus held out her hand.
“May I have the pleasure of sharing a dance with you?”
“Oh so you’ve barely talked to me all day and now you’re asking for a dance? Plus with only that much words?”
The Secretary’s eyebrows shot up on her face.
“The others do the same and it works.”
“Not with me. Don’t take example from this dubious human crowd.”
“So you’re a difficult one to court?”
That added confusion to the mix of emotions showing on the Yuheng’s face. She was already surprised Ganyu would find the courage to ask of her beloathed co-worker a waltz, and was struggling to not make her admiration of the Secretary’s attire known.
“Are you courting me right now? For a dance?”
“Is your reluctance to dance caused by a lack of experience?”
Keqing let out a small laugh. What an odd way to court someone. She knew the Secretary learned exactly how to answer to her thanks to their long arguments about Morax, but to be attacked on a skill matter was something else. Interesting.
“I-“ She sighed, cutting herself off. “No, I know how to dance. I’ve been taught to have at least some manners. Aristocratic family, remember?”
“Being born in an aristocratic family doesn’t mean you’ve actually followed the lessons given to you.”
Damn, Ganyu was full of surprises tonight.
“That, Ganyu, is an insult I’m not willing to pursue. And I do not wish to dance for it is an act where a lot of eyes are trained on the dancers. There’s already a bunch on you right now.”
There, the blue haired woman’s expression changed. A little bit, but when you’re as accustomed to the half-Adeptus’ moods as Keqing is, you’d notice immediately. She was bewildered.
“On… me?”
“Yes, on you. Ganyu, you’re…” The purple maiden breathed in deeply, catching the older woman’s perfume at the same time. Glaze lilies, not that surprising considering she was always caught laying near them for her naps. “You’re gorgeous. Listen, I don’t want to dance with you, and it’s mainly because of the crowd. I’m used to having my fair share of curious and hatred eyes on me because I’m the Yuheng, but the glares right now… They all want to kill me because I’m sharing a conversation with you.”
“You want them to look away?”
“I wish for them to not look at me like I’ve insulted their family, and to stop ogling you like you’re a piece of meat. It’s so disrespectful.”
Keqing directed an angry glare at the mass, while Ganyu started to pick on her gloves. She was embarrassed once again.
“Anyway. I will not dance with you. Brave of you to ask, though.”
“What… What about… for me? To keep me safe from… the mob?”
Keqing scoffed. There was a new kind of undertone in Ganyu’s voice. She was almost pleading. The purple haired woman couldn’t stand it, so she did what she knew would be best in this situation: flee. She turned away from the other woman and started walking, only to have her arm gripped by the archer.
“Where are you going?”
“I need some air.”
She waited for Ganyu to release her then resumed her walk. On her way out, she heard two women talking to Ganyu.
“She chickened out?”
“Yes, Beidou, she did.”
“Lonely soul she is.” The third woman answered in her low voice.
Walking out of the building in the dead of the night, Keqing let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She shuddered, feeling the chill air invading all the small spaces of her suit.
What was that back there? Were the Tianquan and the captain showing pity? Was Ganyu displaying compassion as well because Keqing was alone in a corner?
The Yuheng didn’t need their empathy. She just needed to be alone. No one to judge her for who she is, or how she acts. No one to judge the company she could choose. Nobody to watch her every movement.
Roaming in the ballroom’s garden with such an angry state of mind, she started to forget how cold it was. She loved her position at the Seven Stars, but people were too much sometimes.
Her hands started shaking. She had to calm down before doing something unreasonable.
And that’s when she came across a sweet scent. Glaze lilies.
Keqing walked towards the batch. They were all opened, giving their surrounding a mystical sight as well as displaying their perfume for the whole world to inhale. Sitting down, she gently laid her finger on the petals of one of the flowers, which seemed to recoil at it. It was a bit like the Secretary. If anyone tried to pry her secrets open or tried to touch her, she would flinch.
What’s wrong with me? I called her gorgeous, made her hyper aware of herself, of the eyes on her. And then I rejected her. When she tried to… to do what? Court me?
Deep in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the soft footsteps on the grass behind her. The same voice from earlier startled her.
“Miss Yuheng.”
“Archons, Ganyu! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
Said Ganyu giggled, muffling the sound with the back of her hand. With the moonlight shining on her horns and outlining her body, she looked ethereal, and so much more stunning. Keqing lost her breath once again with such a sight. It was as if Ganyu had decided to fully show her holy heritage.
She shook her head.
“Are you following me?” She started again.
“Oh no, I did not. The Tianquan, however, told me I could find you here.”
“And you did! Now, you should go back to the ballroom. I’m sure people will want to dance with one of the most wonderful ladies of the gala.”
Ganyu looked at her, thoughtful. She sighed and crossed her arms on her chest. Then she placed a finger under her own chin, holding the eye contest with the Yuheng.
“I do not wish to dance with them, not until I’ve had the first one with you.”
The purple maiden broke the contact first, turning her gaze towards the Glaze lilies.
“Why are you so persistent on that matter?”
“Because I felt your eyes trained on me for the whole evening. And you keep on giving me compliments on how beautiful I look.”
“I never used beautiful…” Her voice and counter argument were weak; she was aware of it, but with what Ganyu said, it was hard finding something better without embarrassing herself furthermore.
“No, but you did use gorgeous and wonderful, did you not?”
The Secretary had a knowing smirk on her face. It was a look Keqing wasn’t conscious could appear on such soft features. It made her nervous. She could as well feel the heat starting to creep up her collar.
“I- I-… Yes, I did.”
“Come on, I’m serious. I want to share a dance with you.”
“But I don’t want to get back inside.”
She crossed her arms on her chest as well. Ganyu's smile turned soft.
“You’re acting like a child. But fine, I’ll indulge you. Now get your pretty ass up before your perfect suit gets dirty.”
“What- what was that?”
Ganyu avoided her question. “Isn’t dancing under the moonlight more romantic either way?”
The younger woman was baffled. She couldn’t believe her ears. Getting up, she patted her behind to get rid of any blade of grass that could have been stuck in her suit.
“Fine. For you, anything.”
“Anything, you say?”
“Don’t misunderstand my words.”
The half-Adeptus giggled once again and proceeded to held her hand out for Keqing. She was about to invite her once again, but the Yuheng beat her to it. She took hold of it in a chivalrous way and kissed it lightly on the back, eyes gleaming and locked on the other’s.
“Would you grant this miserable Yuheng the honor of a dance?”
Ganyu flushed from such a sight. The purple maiden was too handsome for her.
“Yes, I would love to.”
The younger woman straightened herself and stepped in closer to the half-Qilin. The latter put her free hand on the Yuheng’s shoulder, while Keqing put hers on her waist. Not too high to be awkward, not too low to avoid embarrassment.
“You do know your placement, Ma’am.”
“I told you I learned how to dance.”
“I couldn’t be sure since I had no proof.”
Keqing smiled at the friendly jab and started moving slowly, to her heart content. Ganyu followed suit, letting her head rest close to Keqing’s neck. She could hear her heart beating furiously thanks to her heightened senses. Was it because of her?
The half-Adeptus tucked this information in a corner of her mind for later. For now, she just needed to enjoy this fully.
Keqing broke the comfortable silence.
“Was the Qingxin wine to your liking?”
“I did enjoy it. A bit too much, maybe.”
Ah. That would explain her behavior, her persistence to dance and how she was clinging to the younger woman right now.
“Lady Ningguang told me you chose it, is it true?”
Keqing huffed lightly. Of course, she did. She knew Ganyu would like it. She smiled.
“Yes, I did,” she echoed, “and I’m glad to see you fancied it.”
They stopped dancing, not daring to step away from the other. Ganyu moved her arms to hug Keqing, putting her hands close to the latter’s shoulders blade. She hid her face in Keqing’s neck.
Then again came her soft voice.
“Thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank. The dance was just a-“
“I’m not talking about the swing, Keqing.” The older woman unceremoniously cut her off, and the Yuheng jumped a little from the lack of honorifics. “I mean to thank you about everything you did to make me feel better after… after His passing.”
“Once again, there’s no need to thank me. I only did what I thought would be best for both of us. Especially for you.”
Keqing then dared to put her arms around the Secretary. If she needed comfort, Keqing could at least give her that. Ganyu’s tightening grip proved it was the right thing to do. She sighed softly and let her rest on her shoulder.
After a while, she could feel Ganyu started shivering. It was to be expected, since she was the least covered of the two. Keqing stepped back a little and removed her jacket under Ganyu’s curious gaze. Wrapping it around the blushing half-Qilin’s shoulders, she smiled at her.
“Come on, let’s get inside. You’ll feel better.”
“Sorry to cut the moment with that.”
“No need to apologize, dear. Come!”
Keqing took hold of her hand and started dragging her toward the entrance of the ballroom. A few meters away from the doors, Ganyu tugged lightly on her arm.
“Keqing, wait.”
Turning around, she saw the flushed face of the older woman, who got closer.
“What is it?”
“I need to thank you properly.”
“You already did, and-“
The Yuheng was cut off by the Secretary’s lips.
This evening was full of surprise, and this one was the most welcomed one.
The half-Adeptus wrapped her arms around Keqing’s neck, and the latter reciprocated the kiss once the shock passed, holding onto her waist. They broke apart a moment ago, breathless. They stared at each other’s eyes, silently letting the other know of their deep affection for the other.
Once again, the Yuheng was the first to break the silence.
“I-… I feel like this is the best part of this damn party.”
Ganyu laughed freely this time. The sound was light and airy, and everything else Keqing would want to hear forever.
“So you didn’t hate me?”
“Keqing, dear, if I hated you, would I be in your arms tonight? Sure, I used to not like you, but you did bring me a lot of arguments to start feeling the opposite.”
“I like you too.”
Ganyu shivered once again.
“We should really get back in for you. I don't want you to catch a cold.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine.”
“I insist.”
With a nod, Ganyu let the younger woman bring her back inside.
Holding each other’s hand, they couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the gala.