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The Shogun had returned late from her trip to the Grand Narukami Shrine. Late, as usual; to the point where Sara had started abandoning her late shift in favor of an early night’s sleep. That way, when the Shogun inevitably returned, she would be on duty.
This is where the morning found her: training, as ever. Waiting in the compound, waiting for an announcement of the Almighty Shogun’s return.
“General.”
The voice of her God, her ruler cuts through the air. Sara stands at attention, inclining her head. “Your Excellency.”
A pause, a breath. The Raiden Shogun steps forward into the courtyard, inspecting the target Sara had dutifully been peppering with arrows. Her brow creases, tiny wrinkles forming at the edges of her eyes.
“What does Inazuma need from other nations?”
A puzzle, then. Sara mulls it over carefully; the Shogun often had many such questions after her visits to the Grand Narukami Shrine. She would pose them to the first soldier she saw, often distressing them greatly. Another reason for Sara to await the Shogun’s early-morning returns.
“I am unsure, Your Excellency. I can send a missive to the Kanjou Commission, if you wish-” Upon seeing the slight downward curve of her Excellency’s lips, Sara stops.
“No, no,” The Shogun waves off, pacing along the parade grounds. Her purple hair, long and braided, trails behind like a pennant in the breeze. She wanders-- no, the Shogun does not wander-- walks ever closer to Sara. “I asked you, did I not? And if you do not know, then I propose we learn together. Come down to the docks with me, my General, so we can speak to the sailors and smugglers. We can purchase Dango Milk on the way.”
Dango Milk? Something so sweet, before breakfast? Sara frowned, shaking her head before catching herself. “Inazuma City is not where international boats come to dock, Your Excellency, and the Dango Milk stand does not open for several hours. Ah-” Sara stops at the Shogun’s disappointed expression, and hurriedly continues, “The docks of Ritou are where much of our imports come in, and unfortunately where many of the smugglers make landfall. I can organize a trip for tomorrow, Your Excellency.”
The Shogun strokes her chin with one hand, resting the other across her waist. “Why do they not sell Dango Milk in the morning? Surely it is the perfect drink to start the day.”
Sara waits patiently, watching her God stare off into the distance. No matter how much the Raiden Shogun had softened thanks to the Traveler and regular visits to Guuji Yae, her penchant for long silences remained.
“How long must I wait before they start selling Dango Milk? We shall set out for Ritou Island once the stand has opened. Prepare your traveling clothes, my General, and I will find mine.”
“It will be done, Your Excellency. The stand opens in two hours, and I will notify the Commissions of your absence.” Her heart skips, mind racing at the countless dangers the Shogun could face. What use would a single Tengu be against the Fatui, should they strike?
...what use would the Fatui be against the Shogun?
She moves to gather her arrows before another thought strikes her.
“Your Excellency?” Sara says, hesitantly.
“Mmm?” The Shogun hums, tilting her head. A stand of loose hair dangled across her face, trailing down into the very open collar of the Shogun’s spotless purple kimono.
Her throat constricted, strangling her voice for a second too long. “You are already wearing your traveling clothes. Do you want me to call for someone to have them washed?”
The Shogun’s brow furrows once more, and she looks down to inspect her godly self.
“Ah. So I am,” she observes. “I shall return to Tenshukaku for contemplation. Retrieve me when the time is right, my General.”
The docks smelt of salt, seaweed, and for some reason, gunpowder. Yoimiya, Sara presumed. She scanned her surroundings for the fiery woman carefully-- the young Naganohara had been pleasant company on every occasion, but most meetings were prompted by noise complaints rather than a formal invitation.
No sign of her, or any other known troublemakers. The only people on the docks were sailors and customs officials, swarming around a massive Liyuean ship that was offloading its cargo. Perfect timing for the Shogun’s objectives to be met.
With her first sweep complete, and the Shogun’s safety temporarily assured, she looked to her feet. Geta were her preferred footwear, but the single narrow block did not agree with the holes in most docks. It would not do to have a tumble while escorting her god, after all!
“Your Excellency, we have arrived at a fortuitous time. It seems we will not need to wait at all to find sailors to consult,” Sara says to the Shogun, who turns her head to regard Sara with an almost-invisible smile.
“Fortuitous indeed, my general. The Alcor is precisely the vessel I would rely on. Miko tells me that the Traveler braved my storms on that ship,” The Shogun replies serenely, “I have personally pardoned them for their mercenary work against the Shogunate.”
Sara’s head snapped up, cocked like a crow’s to stare at the Shogun. Mercenary work? “Pardon?”
“Heyy! Is that General Kujou, here to say hello?” A low, rough, and distinctly feminine voice cuts through the crowd.
The Shogun only hummed in response, tilting her head. The stray hairs from the morning had multiplied to a stray lock, curling across her collarbone. “It was a request from the Tianquan of Liyue. A favor for a favor, she called it.”
If the Shogun felt it was right to pardon them, then it was. Sangonomiya Kokomi, leader of the rebellion, had rapidly become a close acquaintance after the Shogun requested they speak to one another. Regardless of Sara’s confidence in her god, seeing a muscular, eyepatched woman waving around a claymore made her instincts scream. The Electro Vision, dangling from the woman’s hip, only makes it worse.
Sara lays a hand on her sword, stepping in front of the Shogun. “Pardon or no, you may come no closer to Her Excellency with your weapon drawn.”
The sailor pauses, looks to her hand, and laughs. She dismisses her sword just as the Shogun puts a hand on Sara’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.
“At ease, General,” The Shogun says softly, gently pulling Sara backwards. “Your vigilance is appreciated.”
At ease, Sara repeats in the privacy of her thoughts, at ease. She takes a shuddering breath, allowing some of the tension to escape. “It is my duty, Your Excellency.”
Offering a quick smile at Sara, the Shogun steps past and up to the eyepatched woman. “You are Captain Beidou, correct? I wish to know about your business on our shores.”
The tension returned all at once, an apology forming on Sara’s lips. Her Excellency meant only the best for her people, but her phrasing left much to be desired at times. And, unlike the Tenshukaku guards, Sara couldn’t just send this ‘Captain Beidou’ on holiday to cope with a Shogun interrogation.
Captain Beidou stares at the Shogun for a long moment, her crimson gaze flickering with a warrior’s spirit. Sara spies the muscles in her neck tensing and relaxing, her jaw twitching. And then, against all odds, she laughs. She laughs, faint wrinkles forming around her lips and eye, and reaches for a corked gourd at her hip.
“Damn,” she curses, still chuckling, “So the Raiden Shogun already knows my name. Can’t tell if that’s good or bad for business...” she trails off, taking a long draft from her gourd.
“It shall be good, I am certain,” the Shogun explains serenely, resting her hands on her hips. “Inazuma has long been closed to outsiders, and all that entered was delivered by foolish, perhaps brave, smugglers such as yourself. I wish to know what my country desires, Captain Beidou, and those who deliver it would know best.”
By now, Sara notices, the docks had fallen into an uneasy murmur. Everyone was listening in, and nobody was doing a good job at hiding it. She clears her throat to speak up, squaring her shoulders.
“Your Excellency. Perhaps this would best be continued inside, and in private?” she says, eyes flicking to their audience.
Captain Beidou reacts first, waving a lazy hand towards the sailors. “Oi! No slacking, boys. Do you want to drink before sunset, or not? On your Captain’s coin, of course. And Juza, get over here, we’ve got someone who wants to ask us some questions.”
A disorderly mass of cheers signals the return to normalcy, and the Captain jerks her chin at the Shogun. “I’m the Captain, alright, but Juza’ll know our cargo better than I. I’ll stay out here and keep your General company.”
Sara stiffens, lips forming an objection. “Your Excellency-”
“General,” the Shogun says quietly, locking Sara in place with her amethyst gaze, “There is no cause for concern. Captain Beidou, do take good care of my General.”
Sara barely manages a nod as her Shogun sweeps away, her posture tightening as she speaks with a tall, muscular man. It is not long before they disappear into the customs house, leaving Sara to stare at the door.
"So, the Shogun, huh?" Captain Beidou says, tearing Sara away from her contemplation with a noisy swig from a gourd. She shakes it critically, listening. "Huh. Thought I'd have drunk more by now."
Sara barely glances away from monitoring the Shogun, just enough to regard the familiar smuggler with one eye. "What about the Almighty Shogun, Miss... Beidou, unless I am misunderstanding Liyuean names?"
"Oh, nothing, kid. Apparently." Beidou replies with a lopsided smirk, "Just a thought. And please, just Beidou. Miss is way too formal, and I get enough of that from my wife's secretaries."
“Your... wife?” Sara repeats slowly, turning the idea over in her head. “Just Beidou, then. I am Kujou Sara.”
“I think I will, Kujou Sara. Sara’s your given name, right?” Beidou remarks, extending a hand, “Ning told me all about it. Heard the Kujou Clan was working with the Fatui, though. Mind if I just call you Sara?”
“You would be correct on both counts,” Sara confirms with a wince, taking Beidou’s hand in a firm handshake. “Kujou is... my family, and Sara is who I am. Is this ‘Ning’ your wife?”
The Captain’s face splits into a broad grin, and Sara got the faint impression she’d made a terrible mistake. “Sara it is, then. And Ning... maybe you’ve heard of her. Tianquan Ningguang of Liyue? Jade Chamber and all that? Yeah, that’s my wife.”
Sara, as the General who stood closest to the Shogun, was more than just a military servant. She served as an aide to Her Excellency, to provide context when the Shogun required it.
So, yes, Sara knew who Tianquan Ningguang was. The announcement of her marriage to the Uncrowned Lord of the Sea had been one of the first missives Inazuma received after the end of the Sakoku Decree, in fact.
“Ah,” Sara says simply, “Yes, I have heard of her.”
“Good,” Beidou says with a grin, crossing her arms across her chest. “Everyone should know about my Ning. Did you know she invented Liyue Millennial? She’s amazing is what she is.”
Sara’s heart clenches. Looking towards the closed door, towards the Shogun, Sara merely nods. “I look forward to working with the Qixing, and I am sure the Shogun does as well.”
“You really admire the Shogun, don’t you?” Beidou says eventually, following Sara’s gaze. “Tell me about her.”
The Shogun’s greatest general takes a deep breath in at Beidou’s words. “The Raiden Shogun is my goddess, and Inazuma’s eternal leader. Now that the lies of the Kujou Clan have been revealed, and the Traveler has shown her the importance of ambition, I feel that Inazuma is destined only for greater things. It is...”
The door slides open, and the Raiden Shogun’s eyes meet Sara’s own. Lightning trapped in amethyst, sparkling with divine light-- yes, this was her goddess, smiling at her.
“It is an honor to stand by her side,” Sara concludes. Her heartbeat drowns out everything, and it takes all her will to try and look away.
Tearing her gaze away from the Shogun, Sara turns to Beidou. “Though I am sure you could learn more from one of Inazuma’s history books, Beidou. I can write down my recommendations, if you wish.”
Beidou’s eye sparkles. “Nah, I’ll trust you, Sara,” she says, much louder than before. “Juza! Hope you didn’t piss off the Shogun, or Ning’s gonna have our heads.”
The Shogun nods, gliding across the docks towards Sara and Beidou. “I have learned much, and know there is even more to be discovered. General, I shall be allotting this day of every month to our visits. Captain Beidou, you have my thanks for supporting my people.”
“It’s profitable,” Beidou replies with a chuckle, clapping a hand onto Sara’s shoulder. She does not resist, though she does wince under the pressure of the woman’s grip. “Better now that we don’t have to sneak in, actually. You’ve got a good General here, Shogun, and maybe Sara and I can trade tactics rather than blows from here on out.”
Her Excellency mouths something silently, brow furrowed. “Yes. I am fortunate to have her, Captain. We must be going now, though. General?”
Sara stands at attention, brushing Beidou’s hand off her shoulder. “Your Excellency.”
“We shall be departing shortly. Matters at Tenshukaku demand my attention,” the Shogun commands, “And I intend to return before the Dango Milk stand closes.”
Beidou snickers. “See you soon, kid,” she whispers, “And good luck with your girl.”
My girl? Sara wonders, shaking her head. “It was pleasant meeting you here today, Beidou.”
The Shogun has already walked off the docks, and is looking expectantly at her General. Sara runs to catch up; to be at the Shogun’s side is her duty, and her honor.
The Sun has long set by the time the Shogun speaks again, Dango Milk firmly in hand.
“General.” she states, staring Sara down.
“Your Excellency?” Sara replies, meeting her Shogun’s gaze head on.
“Captain Beidou called you Sara,” the Shogun says slowly, carefully, “And you called her Beidou.”
“You are correct, Your Excellency,” Sara frowns. “Is there something... wrong, with this?”
The Shogun shakes her head, taking a long sip from her Dango Milk. A thin strip lingers on her upper lip, and Sara’s hand twitches towards a handkerchief, buried deep in her pockets.
“Nothing is wrong, General,” the Shogun says eventually, and for the first time, Sara does not believe her god.
She takes a breath, steeling herself. “You may also call me Sara, Your Excellency.”
The Shogun falls into one of her long silences, eyes sparkling with lightning. There is a smile flickering across her lips, nearly hidden in the deep shadows of nighttime.
“Sara,” the Shogun says, rolling the name off her tongue. “Yes, I would like to call you that.”
A shiver runs down Sara’s spine, and she cannot fight the strange smile spreading across her face. Her voice fails her, held back by a grimace. It is not her place to ask anything of the Shogun.
So, the Shogun, huh? Beidou’s voice echoes.
“Your Excellency,” Sara forces out, “Is there anything you would like to be called?”
The Raiden Shogun’s smile lights up Sara’s world, and a single word tumbles from the woman’s lips.
Sara reaches forward with a handkerchief in hand, and wipes the Dango Milk from Ei’s lips. It is hardly becoming of the Shogun to look so adorable, after all.