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He takes a deep breath and sighs. The crisp, evening air feels cleaner somehow, as if the filter of Archonhood had been clogging his senses. When had that started, he wondered as he drifted to the southeast of the harbor, towards the outcropping of crags just beyond the docks, where no one really went.
A friend from long ago lives here, in her own abode, so close to the harbor, but out of reach and out of sight from those who don't know where to look.
It would be the first time since relinquishing his title and his Gnosis that he would visit this friend. There were plenty of reasons he could count why he had hesitated, why he had not consulted with her about his plans or his decision to retire. Even now, with his mind made up and his resolve shored up, he still braced himself for the encounter.
"Rex!" The loud, joyous laughter of the adeptus known as Alethea echoes through the abode. Even before he lays eyes on her, he tightens his jaw and closes his eyes against the audio assault that was his energetic and boisterous friend.
"Alethea," he allows himself to open his eyes and smile as she appears in his field of view. "It is good to see you well."y
"Pah!" She waves a dismissive hand and grins. "You've only gotten stiffer and more formal as time has passed, haven't you, old friend?" As she approaches, their difference in height forces her to look up at him and beam. "Finally gave the Harbor to the mortals, huh? You know, your little stunt almost put my home underwater!"
"Er, yes," he awkwardly shifts his weight as he looks down into her eyes, which were full of amusement upon seeing him squirm. "I apologize."
"Shut up and come here," she cuts him off before he can say more and envelops him in a big, welcoming hug. "Mmm, this is what I've missed!" She nuzzles her face against his chest and sighs as he reluctantly pats her shoulders with his palms.
He clears his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the display of open affection. "Y-, yes. I've missed you, too," he admits. After a long moment, his tolerance for contact starts to wane. He gently breaks away from her and removes himself from her embrace. "Please, enough."
She expected that response from him, and gave him a sly smile. "If that is what my Archon wishes."
He frowns. That tone. It sounded like she was teasing him. Surely, she knew. Still. "I am no longer-"
"No longer the Geo Archon, yes, I know, Zhongli," she emphasizes his mortal name with an undertone of mockery. She crosses her arms and her expression starts to sour. "Did you think you could pull one over on me? 'Oh, Rex Lapis has been assassinated! Whatever shall we do?!'" She dramatically places the back of her hand on her forehead and sways, as if faint. "Ha! Don't make me laugh," she points at him. "No one is taking you out unless you want to be taken out. A shame even your closest lieutenants had forgotten that." She crosses her arms again and indignantly sniffs.
He sighs, then looks at the ground between them. There was nothing to say to that. She was right, after all.
After a moment, she speaks again, this time with gentleness and care in her tone. "Why didn't you come to me, Rex?"
He chewed on that for a moment before he lifted his golden eyes to meet her grey one. "I feared you may try to talk me out of it."
At that, she cants her head and a lopsided smile cracks her features. "Even if I was so inclined to do something like that, do you honestly think I could stop you from doing what you wanted?"
"Yes," he says quietly. "No one else could, but you," he points at her as he speaks in his hushed voice, "you have quite a persuasive tongue."
She chuckles and pokes the offending appendage from between her teeth for a second before she sighs and shakes her head. "I only ask questions that provoke thought. It isn't me that convinces you to act. You simply convince yourself of the best course of action."
This is why he doesn't visit her often. Around nearly every other living thing, he is seen as a paragon of wisdom, a repository of lost knowledge, a bottomless well of information forgotten by time.
But with Alethea? She is only a century or two younger than himself. She was the one adeptus alive during the Archon War that did not sign a contract with him, and yet still stuck around to make sure Liyue was well looked after. She was a free agent, and saw the bigger picture from afar, while he governed Liyue with a more direct hand. While the other adepti were too far removed from human society (with the possible exception of Ganyu) to watch them grow, she was up close and personal to watch as their little seaside villa turned into a bustling metropolis.
As such, she could see things he could not. And now, in the span of moments within their reunion, she has flexed that bit of muscle and made him feel like a younger brother, even though he had her by a couple hundred years.
"Oh, quit scowling," she admonishes him and turns toward the rest of her abode. "I know you're here to catch up. I've already made some tea. Let's go and chat."
His mood instantly improves. There is one thing that never disappoints him about his rare visits to see Alethea, and it's the way she handles food and drink. As if on cue, the rich scent of hot tea wafts on the air, and he trots along behind her, happily forgetting the tense and awkward interaction from seconds ago.
It was an altogether pleasant evening. Once the warm drink soothed his nerves, conversation with Alethea felt a lot less stilted. It reminded him why he stayed her friend after all of this time, in spite of their differences.
"So," she lounges in her chair, "How's it feel? Being retired, I mean."
"Honestly," he smiles, "it's like the weight of the world has been taken off my shoulders."
She chuckles and nods. "In a real sense, that is what has happened." She studies her cup for a moment. "So, what name should I call you by, then?"
"Hmm?" He looks up from his own cup to find her eye on his once more. Her gaze pierced him, inquisitive like a cat. It holds him in place. Here was the one person who still called him by his adeptus name - a name he hadn't heard in casual conversation since Guizhong was alive. Was this a trick? "Why do you ask me this?"
Her smile was a little bit sad, but entirely genuine. "Because it's your name. I want to call you by your name. Not by some moniker you no longer associate with."
"I..." His voice quavers, and he feels something in him crumble. There was something final, something validating about one of his oldest friends willingly acknowledging his new identity. His hand beside his cup balls into a fist as he focuses.
A gentle hand covers his fist. Alethea soothes her friend with a light squeeze. "I apologize for saying your mortal name with such disrespect before, old friend," she says with genuine remorse. "You deserve better from me."
His hand relaxes, and his expression softens. This was no trick, no trap. He links his fingers with hers and huffs a light chuckle. "Thank you," he accepts her apology. "In that case, yes. This is my new identity. Zhongli. Consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
She nods in acknowledgment and brushes her thumb along the back of his knuckles. "Zhongli." She gives a soft laugh. "Guizhong would love the homage."
His face dusts pink at the accusation, but he remains silent on the matter. Truth be told, Guizhong might be embarrassed by the similarities. But, alas, they'd never know. So, he took the comment as intended: A compliment.
"You chose a pretty mortal body, too," she playfully chides him. "You are quite firm underneath all that funeral parlor gear."
"Tch," he blushes deeper and looks away. That's more like her. Forward and inappropriate. "Thanks, I suppose," he curtly responds.
She lets herself giggle at his embarrassment. "Tell me, Zhongli," she teasingly purrs, "Why do you resist my charms?" Her touch in his hand becomes less supportive and more playful, which makes him snatch it away, making her smirk. "No, truly. After all of this time. Why do you resist my proposals for companionship?"
His brow sets in a line. He reaches for the answer he would have given a hundred times before, but it no longer applies. Liyue is no longer his direct and constant responsibility any more than any other ordinary citizen. There were no wars to wage, no Rites of Descension to perform, no books to balance. His responsibilities were inherited by the people of the harbor.
As his reasons all fell away like so much chipped armor, realization dawns on his face. His amber eyes find hers again, and he sees her knowing smile.
He had to decide for himself if that's even what he wishes for.
"I'm... not sure," he struggles to answer.
She shakes her head and smiles. "The interest isn't there. That's okay. I have suspected for a long time."
"... Sorry," he bows his head. Why does his skin feel so active? Why are his hands trembling?
She sighs. "We must be too different," she reasons and shrugs. "At least now, I have a real answer instead of some excuse."
She's slipping away from him. The barrier between them is going back up. Why is he panicking on the inside?
Her hand slides from his. She puts on a brave face, but the look in her eye is one of disappointment bordering on sorrow. She wears a smile, but it is plastic.
"I'll stop teasing you, then."
His hand hovers in place, as if hers still linked with it.
"But, please, come and see me whenever you need a friend, okay? I'll behave from now on."
He rested his hand palm-down on the table once more. A small part of him feels relief. But another part of him feels bitterly stung.
"Maybe..."
"Hmm?"
"... maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you kept teasing me."
She stares at him for a long moment. He wouldn't look up at her again. She wearily sighs. "Are you serious? You are as hopeless as ever."