Chapter Text
The screeching seagulls outside of her porthole woke the Captain up after a short night of sleep. Beidou stirred in bed, turning around and throwing the covers over her head with a groan to block out the annoying cries of the birds circling the Alcor.
Shut up already.
At least it was not one of her crewmates knocking loudly at the cabin door. Her slightly throbbing head wouldn’t approve of any overly loud noises. After they had celebrated her first mate’s birthday yesterday night with a lot of beer and a special sake from Inazuma, Beidou guessed that her crew was not faring better.
And at least she had stopped drinking at some point between the second and the third bottle of sake. Or was it the fourth?
“Gah! Shut up you greedy bird!”
The seagull kept screaming as Beidou sat up in bed and rubbed her face with one hand as she tried to tame her unkempt hair with the other. She resigned to her fate and accepted that her peaceful slumber had come to an end and slowly got out of bed.
She got dressed, washed her face, put her hair up with her hairpin, tied her eyepatch behind her head and was ready to start the day as the Captain of the Crux. Because as annoying as these white birds were, they were an unmistakable sign for every seafarer.
The Alcor was approaching land; Liyue to be precise.
Stepping out of her cabin and onto the main deck, Beidou was greeted with the salty breeze of the ocean which filled the red sails and carried the ship towards their destination. She took a deep breath, smelling and tasting the familiar scent, and the dizziness in her head vanished when her lungs filled with the fresh air. Her crew was either busy steering the ship - Sea Drake greeted her from the helmsman - or cleaning the mess they had made last night, mopping the planks or collecting the empty mugs which had rolled all over the deck during the night.
She made her way to the bow beside the dragon’s head and leaned onto the railing, observing the sea and the sky in front of her - still no sight of her favorite guiding star - and listened to the bustle of her crew behind her.
And the ever present pain in the ass flying above her…
A slight breeze smelling of autumn leaves announced another member of her crew as he descended from his lookout.
“Good morning, Captain. The winds are in our favor today. It seems we will return to Liyue ahead of time for once.” Kazuha landed beside her in a flurry of anaemo, his gaze calm and relaxed as he too, looked at the horizon. Beidou glanced to her right, inspecting the Inazuman samurai with an incredulous look on her face.
From his calm and relaxed features to his straight posture he seemed completely fine, whereas she was sporting a slightly throbbing head and a profound hatred towards ear-piercing shrill noises.
"What has you in such a good mood today?” Beidou questioned, turning around fully and resting her elbows on the railing behind her. "Normally one or two glasses are enough to find you passed out or mumbling some incoherent nonsense head-first inside a barrel."
This was of course exaggerated, but everytime Beidou had the pleasure to see him drunk, he would indeed sit unresponsively at the table mumbling normal words for once. After ONE single glass of sake.
Kazuha smiled, his eyes never leaving the horizon. "I made use of the gentle winds to lead the intoxicating liquids away from me. Juza was more than delighted to taste more of the fine sake without refilling his glass."
What the…?
Beidou chuckled in disbelief and shook her head. "I don't even wanna know how you did it, but thank you for not refilling my mug. Otherwise I might be…"
Bam!
The loud noise of a door being flung open - and nearly flying out of its hinges - turned the heads of the crew and their captain towards a man running out of the sailor's quarters, his face sickly pale and a hand clasped firmly over his mouth.
“Bleeeargh!”
"…yeah…just like that." Beidou deadpanned, sighing at the sight before her.
The poor soul, a scholar from the Academia, was slumped over the railing of the Alcor emptying his stomach, again, like he had done the last couple of days since they had left Sumeru.
"These scholars are eager to train their mind, but disregard the needs of their body altogether. They would benefit from a more balanced way of life."
Beidou snorted at Kazuha's words of wisdom. He was one to talk when his first voyage with the Crux had had him clutching the bucket for three days straight and it took him at least a month to fully get rid of his seasickness.
But before Beidou could come up with a witty remark the lookout shouted "Land ahoy!" and she turned to squint at the land in the distance.
Liyue Harbor was barely visible on the horizon. The Jade Chamber, her guiding post when returning home, floating like a guardian over the city, protecting land and sea from above, broke through the low hanging clouds, gleaming in the early morning sun.
It was home to her most precious treasure.
She wondered if Kazuha could use his anaemo vision to push the ship even faster towards Liyue Harbor.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Having a reliable and trustworthy first mate had its perks, especially if the captain could leave the management of the cargo and harbor regulations in the capable hands of her second in command.
After saying goodbye to Juza - go already Captain and have fun with the Tianquan - Beidou strode past the many crates and barrels full of ore, fresh lavender melons and lacquerware they had shipped to Liyue, passed the Sumeru scholar, who was trying to regain his land legs albeit still looking like he might throw up any moment and his own stack of boxes, and made her way towards Yujing Terrace.
Beidou still couldn't fully grasp that she was strolling leisurely towards the plaustrite platform and Buy'un greeted her amicably, before activating the elevator. That neither the Millelith standing guard at the entrance nor the staff inside the Chamber questioned her presence and instead bowed when she descended the spiral staircase.
It was like a dream after years of secrecy, meetings behind closed doors and feigned quarrels. But defeating two gods made them realize they cared, deeply and unconditionally and that fate could be a cruel master.
And then Lantern Rite happened.
And a certain sinful, form-fitting, blue dress.
Ah, the memories .
At first, only a few chosen people knew, like Ganyu, Juza and Ningguang's three secretaries, but Beidou suspected that her crew had seen through her numerous white lies and late night meetings from the beginning.
She had her doubts, the ever-present nagging feeling, the knowledge that she would bring misfortune to everyone who dared to come closer - sooner rather than later. But Ningguang silenced her evil thoughts with words and kisses and promised her a future they could shape together. Not by fate, but by their own will.
She was her guiding star even in the darkest of nights.
Nothing could come between them.
Nothing except…
"She's busy right now."
"Good morning to you too, Baishi."
There, at the entrance to Ningguang’s open office stood her most faithful secretary, standing her ground with her arms crossed and a look on her face that could kill hilichurls and sea monsters alike. She tried to maintain a neutral expression although her eyes were shooting daggers at the sea captain.
Beidou strained her neck to peek into the large open office behind the secretary. No one was seated at the expensive wooden desk and clouds of smoke hung heavily inside the room. A lone figure in a gold-white qipao was standing by the window.
“Is that so?” Beidou was up to the challenge. This was not her first encounter with the overly-jealous secretary who worshiped the ground the Tianquan walked on and who had memorized her wardrobe up to the last hairpin.
And her underwear.
About time to shake this little bug off.
Beidou smirked, took a step forward and leaned down to whisper into Baishi’s ear. "You want her all for yourself, am I right?” She made sure that her hot breath tickled the secretary's neck. “Did you fantasize again about her when she rises from the bathwa..."
"Ah, stop it! She will hear you!”
The poor secretary, face redder than a jueyun chili, scrambled away, up the stairs and out of sight, shielding her flaming cheeks with her hands from any onlookers.
Beidou, proud of her latest handiwork, observed with a lopsided grin how Baishi ran away from her tormentor.
"Captain."
Oh shit.
Slowly, Beidou turned around to face the owner of the Jade Chamber. The Tianquan was wading through the layers of smoke towards her and stopped right in front of her, taking a drag from her intricate pipe. Her face was a perfect mask, showing no emotion, eyes sharp and calculating.
"How many times do I have to remind you to treat my staff with respect?"
As she spoke the smoke flowed out of her mouth and nose and Beidou could smell the sweet fragrance of the herbs. Intimidating.
"She's just scared. Nothing serious." Beidou joked, trying to lighten the mood. Nothing could keep that one away for long.
"Are you jealous?"
Ningguang's face was still emotionless and her voice even, a perfect illusion for someone who didn't know her well enough to detect the curiosity in her red eyes. Her head was slightly tilted to the side, the red tassel nearly touching her white eyelashes.
"No…yes…that's not it." the ever-confident captain stammered. Three well-chosen words and that look and she was talking gibberish.
The Tianquan’s expression suddenly changed into a loving smile and her eyes sparkled mischievously.
“I jest, Beidou. Come here.”
And in an instant the geo-infused pipe dissolved with a flick of her fingers and Ningguang closed the distance to wrap her arms around Beidou’s large frame.
“Welcome back, Captain. I missed you dearly.”
The first kiss after being separated for a longer period of time always felt like coming home. The soft lips, the slender frame, the hands exploring her back, memorizing every part of her. Ningguang smelled of glaze lilies and herbal tea on top of the heavy smell of smoke she carried today. Her hair was as soft as she remembered, like the finest silk-flower cloth as Beidou’s hand caressed her loose tresses and came to rest at the back of her head to keep her rooted.
When their lips parted, Ningguang's cheeks were faintly tinted red as were Beidou’s lips from her lipstick. They didn’t move, just stood there and grinned at each other, time forgotten. Until…
“Ex…excuse me…Lady Ningguang.”
Ningguang’s gaze fell when one of her secretaries demanded her attention and after a sigh she detangled herself from Beidou and faced her employee. “Yes, Baiwen. What is it?”
“Your next meeting starts in five and Mr. Kadarin is ascending the elevator as we speak.”
“Thank you. Please fetch me the relevant documents and…open the windows to let in some fresh air.” Baiwen bowed politely before rushing to complete her tasks.
“I apologize,“ Ningguang said, turning towards Beidou and clasping her gloved hands. “It seems my time is limited again.”
Beidou brought her right hand to her mouth and kissed her silk-covered knuckles lightly. “That’s what I signed up for, didn’t I?” She could see the guilt slightly dissipating from Ningguang’s eyes, albeit not fully. It really was no big deal for the boat captain. She was early after all.
“How about lunch? At Wanmin’s? I’ll treat you.”
The Tianquan nearly snorted. Nearly.
“Fine. You can treat me to lunch.” She closed the distance to brush her lips lightly over the pirate’s cheek. “I’m looking forward to it.”
And with that she turned around, clicked the fingers of her right hand and Baishi appeared out of nowhere, hairbrush and a small pouch in hand, rushing to stand beside her to rearrange her hair as Ningguang seated herself at her desk.
Or better, to correct the hairdo Beidou had mussed up with her hand. The look Baishi shot her could have resurrected a poor hilichurl from the Abyss and killed it all over again.
High time to leave and avoid her wrath.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Wanmin's Restaurant was packed today. Like people-queueing-up-to-old-granny's-kite-stall packed.
"Seems like Xiangling is back again with a new delicious recipe." Beidou mused as she watched the little chef chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Her dishes were famous for special and unusual ingredients, but sometimes the girl had a wild imagination of what could please the customers. The captain wrinkled her nose as she was reminded of the soup she had eaten - out of courtesy - which consisted of crab roe drenched in slime condensate and dried butterfly wings as a topping.
“It seems that the little girl has gained quite some reputation lately.”
Among the chatter of the people, the clatter of plates and cutlery and her own thoughts, Beidou had not noticed Ningguang approaching. She was now standing right beside her, fanning herself in the midday heat and observing the stall. Behind her two Millelith stood guard.
“It seems your investment paid off, doesn’t it?” Beidou stated, putting an arm around Ningguang’s shoulders, pulling her close. She let it slide, despite the heat and even rested her head on the pirate’s shoulder.
Beidou angled her head to get a better look of her face. She looked tired. And with all the smoking she did this morning there must be a particularly stressful topic she was dealing with at the moment.
The least the captain could do right now was offering her a shoulder to lean onto. And a meal - if they decided to skip the line and go to Liuli Pavilion instead.
“On the other hand, I'm pretty sure your break will be over before we reach Wanmin’s. Why don’t we…”
“Aaaahhhhhh!”
All heads turned towards the plaza not far away where a pained cry had torn through the bustling noises. There was a commotion, children wailing and people shouting for the Millelith.
Beidou’s senses were on high alert - years of seafaring and engaging in dangerous situations did that to you - and she instinctively pulled Ningguang away and behind her bigger frame, further away from potential harm. The two Millelith had taken a defensive stance too, preparing themselves to shield the Tianquan from any threat.
Meanwhile the screaming stopped and the other Millelith brought the situation under control as they led the onlookers away and formed a wide circle near the pond on the plaza. Beidou could make out a man laying on the ground, his hands shielding his head as if he was being attacked by an invisible monster and his whole body shivering despite the warm weather.
“No, noooo!”
The poor man cried out again, seemingly in pain and a Millelith rushed to his side trying to console him.
“Beidou, could you please let go of me?” Her brain had totally forgotten she was still clutching Ningguang close to her chest as the smaller woman tried to wiggle herself out of the tight embrace.
“Oh, yeah…sure. Sorry.” She reluctantly let go of her, still not convinced that she was safe enough without her strong arms to shield her. She glanced at the plaza and the man still laying on the floor before her eye focused on Ningguang again.
“You need to be there?”
“As the Tianquan it is my duty to look after the citizens of Liyue.” she recited, fixing her rumpled clothes and giving her a reassuring smile. “Do not worry. The Millelith will protect me and just in case I have my vision.” Her fingers ghosted over her geo-vision, which lit up a fraction, before squeezing Beidou’s hand.
“I know…just be careful.” the captain sighed, unwillingly letting go of Ningguang’s hand and her gaze following her love as the crowds parted to make way for the Tianquan and her entourage.
It was probably nothing. Just a foreigner who got a heat stroke waiting in line for a meal. Still…
Beidou ascended a few steps and made her way through some curious onlookers before standing on the terrace of Third-Round-Knockout. There, among the nervous whispering customers, she had a better view over the plaza.
And I can watch over you.
But nothing seemed to be amiss. Ningguang was currently kneeling beside the distraught man, who was still shivering and whimpering on the ground. She had laid a hand on his shoulder to console him, but he didn’t seem to acknowledge her. He was indeed a foreigner, his clothes having distinct features of Sumeru.
A scholar. Perhaps Kazuha was right after all.
Her concerns partially quietened, the captain let her gaze wander over her surroundings. The crowds encircling the plaza were still there, of course. This incident would be Liyue’s gossip for the next few days until some higher-ups would make an official statement or the man could explain himself. Though, with the state he was in, Beidou doubted he would give a speech anytime soon.
She let her eye wander over the crowds again and spotted a few familiar faces. Sea Drake and Huixing were among them as well as a few other sailors from her Crew. And directly opposite of her, standing in the shade of a large tree, was the Sumeru scholar they had sailed to port this morning.
Beidou zeroed in on the man. He looked far too calm as he observed the scene and casually took a bite from his Grilled Tiger Fish. Even her nerves were on high alert and not even weapons were involved this time.
She filed this observation away for later when she noticed the Tianquan approaching her. While staring at the man she hadn’t noticed that the crowd was dispersing, the people seemingly calmed down to attend to their everyday tasks, and the Millelith had helped the Sumerian man up and led him towards Bubu Pharmacy.
Ningguang stopped in front of her, folded her arms and shot her a pointed look and Beidou understood the gesture and hopped down from the terrace. Now, at eye level and without further need to raise their voices, the other woman started talking.
“I am sorry to cancel our meal, but there is this urgent matter I have to attend to.” Aside from the fatigue still present in her eyes, Beidou could detect a hint of worry now. This was no ordinary sunstroke. Not when the Tianquan herself had to deal with something seemingly mundane.
So there is something fishy going on here.
Beidou’s hands rose to clasp Ningguang’s shoulders, trying to alleviate her worries by just…being there.
“Hey, if there is anything I can do, you just have to tell me.”
Beidou put on her most reassuring smile, the one she knew put the other woman at ease and let her know she had her back. She would do anything for her love; battle another Haishan if it meant to free her head and soften the crease between her brows from whatever was troubling her right now.
The small smile she received in return was genuine. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” she said earnestly, one hand coming up to squeeze Beidou’s on top of her shoulder.
“I will call for you later and then I will explain everything to you. We can not discuss this…here. I’ll send a messenger to fetch you.”
“Yeah…sure. I’ll be waiting.” Beidou didn’t really know how to react. Should she be anxious or alert, worry for the man from Sumeru or for the Tianquan whose strings were again entangled with whatever this was. Her arms fell limp to her side as she let go and she nodded her goodbye, a silent promise to stay close until she was summoned.
And with that Ningguang turned around and walked back to the Jade Chamber, Millelith guards in tow.
The captain decided to grab something to eat now; the queue at Wanmin’s restaurant had magically vanished and she was about to turn around, when her eye spotted something on the floor. She walked a few steps until she could get a better look and then froze in her tracks.
There, on the exact spot the man had been laying, was a large bloodstain.