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"Are you sure you have to go on this yearly spirit guide thing alone? There are talks of a hurricane brewing, and I want you to be safe," Yanfei worried.
"Come on darling, we've been over this! You don't need to worry. It'll take three days maximum," her girlfriend retorted. The funeral director had been planning her annual journey to the border, as was customary for the funeral directors before her. No matter how terrible conditions were, the directors of the past would always make it back to Liyue within three days.
"The only time we can take someone with us is when we're showing the way to our selected replacement, and since Mr. Zhongli has already taken his journey, I'm going alone! Storm or not, the directors before me-"
"Always came back. I know." Yanfei grabbed Hu Tao's hands. Her girlfriend, and planned fiancé, looked back at her, eyes glowing like Xiao lanterns during the Lantern Rite festival. The lawyer sighed.
"You're right, I need to trust you, but still! Be safe, and watch out for that storm." Yanfei kissed Hu Tao on the cheek. The funeral director blushed, then grinned back at the lawyer.
"I will, don't worry! I love you~" After some silence between the two, Hu Tao pouted at her girlfriend. "Say it back, please?"
"I'll say it back when I see you again. In three days."
"No fair!" Hu Tao stuck her tongue out at Yanfei, then started her journey to the border, waving back to the lawyer until she was out of sight.
That night, both girls had a hard time sleeping. They were used to having their other half by their side. Having been together for four years and living together for half that time, they had grown accustomed to each other's company. It felt cold and lonely being apart, even if only for three days. Both eventually fell asleep, dreaming of seeing the other again. Unfortunately for the girls, a storm was brewing.
~~~~~
Yanfei spent their second day apart worrying about her girlfriend. Everyone could now see the storm clouds above. It wasn't quite bad yet, but the sun was blotted out behind the dark clouds, and some swore they saw lightning crackle across the sky. The haunting clouds could even be seen from Wuwang Hill, where Hu Tao spent her day praying and fasting for safe spiritual travels. Tomorrow, she thought, I'll get to see her again. I miss her dearly. I hope she's caring for herself, and if not her, then at least Mr. Zhongli will watch over her. Ah, but his boyfriend's in town. The former Fatui Harbinger, Childe, Tartaglia, and another name Zhongli calls him when they think no one's listening. Apparently, his real name. Whatever you call him, doesn't change the fact he's fucking weird.
The director sighed. No point dwelling on things unimportant to her work. She could go home soon enough and see her girlfriend. The director tried to clear her mind and go back to meditation and praying, but suddenly a few drops of rain started dropping down through the trees. Frustratedly looking up, she noticed the dark storm clouds covering nearly all of Liyue. Hu Tao managed to set up some shelter before the rain got too bad, but the cold, the wind, and not having eaten since breakfast on the day she left bothered her.
Just one misfortune after another for me, huh?
~~~~~
Yanfei wished desperately that she could warn Hu Tao not to return. In Liyue Harbour, the winds were so strong that young children could easily be swept away. The Millelith issued a warning against going outside. Waves created by the strong winds were causing damage to ships, and even Captain Beidou had docked temporarily. Back in the funeral parlour, where Yanfei had been stuck since the warning was issued, she and Zhongli conversed about the storm outside and about Hu Tao's safety.
"I really hope she's alright. She's supposed to be coming back today, but I'll be fine if she comes back tomorrow or in a week. I don't care, as long as she's safe."
"You really love her, don't you?"
Yanfei looked at him, stunned. "Of course I do. You know I asked for your blessing to marry her."
"I still don't understand why you did that."
"She doesn't exactly have any other family I can ask. You're the closest thing she's got."
The pair sat quietly for a while, the wind and rain threatening to blow Liyue to the ground. Suddenly, Zhongli spoke up. "I used to have a wife, you know."
Yanfei looked at Zhongli in shock. "I thought you were gay."
He chuckled. "I simply like people. Don't label it. Regardless, she died very long ago. Yet, I know she's waiting for me, as is a friend of ours. So, if they can wait so long for me, I'm sure she can bear one extra day without you. She'll be safe."
"I'm sorry to hear about your wife and your friend."
"Don't be. I'm sure they're very happy, even if I'm not around."
"Besides!" Childe sprang out from gods know where and wrapped his arms around Zhongli. "I'm here now." He rested his chin on his boyfriend's head, smiling smugly.
"Where do you even come from? I don't mind all that much, but you always find a way to ruin a beautiful conversation."
The ginger chuckled, then unwrapped himself from his partner. "I come straight up from Hell itself. It's certainly beautiful this time of year!" He responded, sitting next to a slightly tense Zhongli.
"Of course you do. Make sure to say hi to our long-gone Geo Archon for me."
"Of course I will! He's you and that director's biggest supporter."
"Enough, both of you. One of the worst storms in a hundred years is blowing over us, and here you two are quipping over those residing in the underground."
Now having no topics to speak over, the trio quietly listened to the whirling and whistling winds outside, praying for the director's safety.
~~~~~
Despite the people at Wangshu Inn warning her not to continue, Hu Tao pushed through the heavy storm. She knew Yanfei would be upset if she wasn't home soon, storm or no storm. And she couldn't afford to ever let Yanfei down. Rain stung her cheeks so hard it felt as though they were being lashed open. Wind blew her long hair every way possible, and she gripped her hat tightly to stop it from blowing away.
Finally seeking refuge just beyond the Statue of the Seven near Liyue's entrance, the funeral director sat in a crevice. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but she was in no hurry to get out of it. The wind still blew, but Hu Tao focused on what awaited her at the end: her lover. She could imagine Yanfei's face, smiling in the sunlight, holding her hands, just them against the world.
Hu Tao was snapped out of her thoughts by a slightly heavy tap to the head. She looked up, only for a rock to hit her just between the eyebrows. Clutching her head in pain, her eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen. She quickly began trying to stand up, but there was a problem.
She was stuck.
Wiggling as wildly as she could to avoid her incoming doom, Hu Tao pushed with all her strength to get out of her temporary shelter. However, the only thing she managed was making herself exhausted. Slowly, more and more rocks began falling down, each rock getting progressively bigger until rocks the size of watermelons were beginning to fall. With a final push, Hu Tao wedged herself out of her hiding spot and began running to get out. Suddenly, a smaller, baseball-sized rock hit her right in the back of her neck, causing her to trip and fall. The director crawled towards the exit as fast as she could, until she heard the rocks above her beginning to give out with a loud rumble.
Hu Tao sighed, accepting her fate. Moving over to the wall, she sat up and tucked her knees into her chest. She placed her hat into her bag, which she in turn placed close beside her. The director closed her eyes and sighed, then buried her head in her arms as the rocks finally gave out, crashing down on the poor girl.
I'm sorry, Yanfei. I let you down.
~~~~~
In the funeral parlour, Yanfei had been taking a nap on the couch, when she suddenly bolted upright, breathing heavily. Zhongli looked at her with surprise.
"Did you get that peculiar feeling as well?"
Yanfei caught her breath, then nodded. "Something just happened. If that's the feeling you mean, then absolutely."
Zhongli sighed. "At least the storm seems to have passed. You get to see Hu Tao again soon."
Yanfei smiled a bit at that, but a nagging feeling churned her stomach. What if something happened to her? I didn't even tell her I loved her back.
Zhongli seemed to notice her worry. Though he was unable to comfort her due to Childe being asleep on his lap, he was able to provide warm words. "She's fine, one way or another. She's always loved storms. I'm sure she's living it up right now."
~~~~~
Hu Tao was not, in fact, living it up. Taking a deep breath of air and sitting up, she looked around her. She was in a dark, warm room, walls apparently made of baked clay. It was lit in a firey glow, lights gently cascading on the terracotta. She had been sleeping on a brown leather couch in a corner of the room. The couch was in an L-shape, and about 2 feet away was a glass coffee table with a vase. Inside the vase was a branch of red plum blossoms. On the other side of the room, the decorations were symmetrical.
Against the middle of the back wall, a receptionist-style desk hid a neat, quiet young woman. She looked at Hu Tao, first with confusion, then with delight.
"Hey! We have another soul here!"
Another voice, far beyond what seemed to be a lobby, called back to the receptionist in a teasing tone. "Ria, remember what he said!"
"Sorry!" The receptionist, Ria, turned back to Hu Tao. "My apologies. How may I help you?"
"I'm dead, aren't I?"
"Smart girl. Any other questions before I get started?"
"Is this the bad place or the good place?"
Ria laughed loudly. "Ah geez, they always ask that one. As far as most things go, this Underworld is neither a bad place nor a good place. You have a better position, if that helps."
"What do you mean by this Underworld? Are there multiple?"
"Yes, one for each nation. It follows what the leading Archon wants. In Mondstadt, all souls just become one with the wind for eternity, no matter how you acted. In Inazuma, it works a bit more like reincarnation, with the worse you act the lower you get. Apparently, a corrupt man became an Onikabuto in that system! Here, you work. Criminals and the like get the worse jobs, like toilet cleaning or other such janitorial stuff. The better of a person you are, the more likely you are to enjoy your job. If you like cleaning, maybe you'll love another janitorial job. If you like cooking, you can go down to the kitchen. Those particularly close to Morax get the best jobs. Nepotism, am I right? Me and my friend back there are examples of that. We assist the new souls."
Hu Tao took a moment to process the information, then nodded. "Right. Last question, and it's about your last few statements. Who were you and your friend to Morax to be treated so well?"
"Easy. I was a very good friend of his. As for her...she was his wife. Guizhong, the God of Dust. I'm certain you've heard of her."
"Oh, you must be Havria then, with Ria coming from your last name."
"Bingo! Anyways, let me pull up your file here. Miss Hu, first name Tao. A funeral director? Ah, with Wangsheng! No wonder. All your predecessors have a very good job." Suddenly, Havria stopped. She seemed to freeze at a particular part of the file.
"Something wrong?"
"Oh. No, it's just...wow. Ok. Hm. I don't know how to feel about this, but ok. That's fine, I guess. It's fine." Havria popped up from her seat, smoothing out her dress. She walked around the desk, then extended her hand towards Hu Tao.
"Pardon my rudeness. Allow me to show you to your job."
~~~~~
A knock at the door broke the conversation between Zhongli and Yanfei. Zhongli got up to answer it, and Yanfei followed a few steps behind. After he'd opened the door, the pair was greeted with the solemn face of a Millelith.
"Good morning. How may I help you?"
"Would you happen to be a Mr. Zhongli?"
"Yes, I am."
"And is she a Miss Yanfei?"
She nodded. "I am. What brings you here?"
The Millelith soldier pursed his lips. "I need you both to follow me. Last night, something happened."
Zhongli and Yanfei looked at each other, then followed the soldier through Liyue. The storm hadn't caused too much damage to the city itself, but debris was scattered everywhere. After crossing the bridge out of Liyue, they continued up a path. Just ahead, they noticed a mountain that had once been there had crashed down. A large chunk of work had already been done to remove the rubble, but the workers were now surrounding something on the ground.
"Everyone, please stand aside. They're here now." The Millelith guard pushed through the crowd, seperating them, but still blocking whatever was on the ground from view. He turned to face the two following him, sighing, and with a pitiful look on his face.
"The reason we needed you both up here...was to identify a body." He stepped aside. The thing on the ground was a body, slumped over against a part of rock. Beside it lay a bag, apparently containing its belongings. It was absolutely caked in dust, and its long hair was a mess. Zhongli took the initiative to look at the face, kneeling down beside it and gently lifting the head. Moving the hair in its face, he gasped in shock and horror.
"Yanfei. Get back."
"Huh? Why? Who is it?"
"Just turn around. Please."
"No! Tell me who it is, damn it!" Yanfei threw herself beside Zhongli and the body, pushing her way past Zhongli's attempts to conceal the corpse. Eventually, she broke through his defenses, and got a good look at the body's face. It was female, very dirty, but no bleeding. Her eyes were still open, the one part of her face barely dirty, and her mouth was gently curled into a smile smile. Small streaks ran down her cheeks, as if she had been crying, cleaning off some dust. However, the face seemed eerily familiar. Yanfei's eyes widened as she realised who it was.
"Hu...Tao..?"
Her eyes began to well up with tears as her body went limp, allowing Zhongli to finally push her back. Attempting to comfort her, Zhongli listed some basic facts.
"There's no blood or visible broken bones, so it looks like she wasn't injured in the initial collapse. What I'm saying is, she didn't suffer. It was likely a lack of oxygen, based on the blueish tint around her lips and fingers, and therefore a very painless death."
"She can't be gone. I was going to propose soon."
Zhongli's eyes widened, his heart sinking. He'd always seen the director in part as a daughter, or family of some sort, and seeing her girlfriend in such pain over her death made him feel even worse about the whole ordeal.
Yanfei wiped her tears on her sleeve, then wrapped her arms around Hu Tao's limp body, hugging her close. The skin that was once so warm was now cold and rigid. The lawyer tucked her face into her girlfriend's neck, sobbing quietly. She could only mumble four words before breaking out into more sobs: "I love you too."
~~~~~
The funeral was exactly as she would have wanted. Her closest friends, in place of family, were first for most everything. Almost the entirety of Liyue attended. After the funeral itself, the body was placed on a raft with some plum blossoms they had saved just in case. After pushing the raft out into the water a good distance, someone lit an arrow on fire and hit the raft. It went up in a smoky, floral blaze, onlookers sobbing. After the body was taken care of, everyone went back to the funeral parlour to finish it with the announcement of the next Wangsheng Funeral Director. Hu Tao had chosen Zhongli a long time ago, and he picked an outstanding person to be next after him. After everything was said and done, Liyue was officially given 2 days to mourn, the funeral day counting as one.
Zhongli kept the director's old friends, including Yanfei, in the parlour, offering them tea and a place to talk. Some accepted the tea, but barely anyone talked. Especially not Yanfei. She had been silent ever since she'd seen the body, always staring off at nothing. She barely reacted to anything anymore, unless it was someone leaving while it was raining. When that happened, she would have a panic attack, remembering what happened to her partner. With nobody else talking, Zhongli spoke of his news.
"It's unfortunate, but I am leaving the nation for about a week on some unattended business. Can I ask one of you to watch over the parlour until I return?"
Chongyun responded nearly instantly. "I can. The exorcists are on a bit of a strike, as nobody particularly wants to accidentally exorcise Hu Tao in fear of hurting her."
Xinyan nodded. "I can too. I don't feel like performin in this atmosphere."
Zhongli sighed. "It's good for there to be two of you. One to run cases, and one to..." he trailed off his sentence, gesturing from the group to the quiet lawyer beside them.
She seemed to notice the attention, as she turned to the group smiling, and opened her mouth to say something. However, no words came out, and her smiled faded. The lawyer stood up, looking away from the group, and walked out of the building. Zhongli moved to stop her when Childe placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I got this. Don't worry."
Zhongli gave a concerned and questioning look to his partner, but let him go anyways.
~~~~~
Yanfei was standing just outside the building, right by the special offers board. She looked exhausted, as though she hadn't slept in years. Childe approached her, standing next to her.
"Hey. You holding up?"
Yanfei stayed silent.
"I get that." He paused for a moment, then continued in a whisper. "You can see her again, you know."
Yanfei chuckled. "That's a dark solution, even for you. I'm not that desperate, though."
Childe looked at her, stunned, then laughed himself. "You misunderstand, that's not what I meant at all! Lighten up!"
"So we're summoning spirits now? Chongyun would kill us."
"No he wouldn't. And wrong, again." Childe lowered his voice even further. "All nations have some form of afterlife, but only Liyue's is physically accessible by the living. Basically, by being born in or immigrating to Liyue, your soul forms a sort of contract to Rex Lapis. That contract states that after your death, you can still provide for him. Or something like that. Also, don't ask how I know this. Anyways, the place where those dead souls work is accessible to the living. It's in the Chasm. Incense sticks that have been lit will naturally glow brighter and hotter when you're close to the entrance. You'll find a weird rock with cool symbols, trace any of them with your finger. They all do the same thing; they take you to Rex Lapis's palace. There are four guards outside, but that's your problem, not mine."
Yanfei stared at him, shellshocked. "That's way to detailed to be a lie...you're sure I can see her again?"
"Positive. You can choose not to go, but if you do, I'd leave after Zhongli goes on his trip, and before he returns. Otherwise, you'll be watched like a hawk by him. He's scared you'll do something drastic."
"I mean, I am. I'm going to the Underworld for my dead girlfriend."
"You've decided then. Well, we're leaving today. I know it's short notice, and I'm sorry all I can do is warn you. Be safe, Morax is not a forgiving man." Childe walked back inside with a mischievous grin on his face, leaving Yanfei perplexed.
~~~~~
After she'd gone back inside, Yanfei spoke more, leaving the group relieved. Around sundown, Zhongli and Childe bid their goodbyes, and everyone apart from Xinyan, Chongyun, and Yanfei followed suit.
"Are the two of you going home, or are you staying here? I've been using Tao's old bedroom, but that was really the only open room. If you two are ok with the fact you'll have to sleep on the couches, then you're free to stay."
"Of course we're fine stayin! She was our friend too, so we can all be here for each other. Wake us up if you need anything, even if you have a bad dream. Right, Chongyun?"
"She's right. We'll be right here if you need anything at all. Goodnight, Yanfei."
"Goodnight, both of you! And thank you." With that, Yanfei moved deeper into the funeral parlour to Hu Tao's old room. As soon as she knew she wouldn't be heard, she stated, "Fuck. That makes things harder. I'll have to get up before them and avoid waking them up while I get ready."
Yanfei released the built up tension in her body and sighed. She looked at her hands, then clasped them together on her chest. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Wait for me, Tao. I'm coming.
~~~~~
"XINYAN WAKE UP WE FUCKED UP"
The rockstar jolted up, accidentally headbutting the source of the voice.
"Chongyun, why are you feelin the need to scream right now? What happened?"
He took a deep breath, then continued his bad news far too calmly for the situation at hand. "Yanfei's missing."
Xinyan looked at her friend, dumbfounded. "Oh."
"Yep."
"We fucked up."
"We fucked up."
"WE. FUCKED. UP."
"Xinyan, I am aware that we fucked up, and I am freaking out. I already had 3 popsicles this morning."
"What are we gonna tell Zhongli?"
The two stared silently at each other, realising the consequences of fucking up.
"I won't spill the beans if you don't."
"Who's Yanfei? We've never met her. I never even knew Tao had a girlfriend."
Chongyun sighed. "We're fucked, aren't we?"
"Yeah. Yeah we are."
~~~~~
Yanfei had successfully slipped past the Chasm miners and entered the mine. Armed with a stomach full of breakfast, one stick of incense, and her Vision, Yanfei took a deep breath and lit the incense, walking around the walls and trying to follow the glow.
The stick of incense was nearly depleted when it suddenly began glowing hotter and brighter, just as Childe said it would. Yanfei spun her head, looking all over the room for the symbols he had mentioned.
She noticed them, then proceeded to walk over to them. They were carved smoothly into a rock, the design elegant and charming. Yanfei noticed one symbol in particular that stood out to her; a butterfly, sitting on a branch. She extended her index finger, starting at one end of the branch and slowly tracing the wings.
Sure enough, just as she finished, she was instantly transported to another area. It was a stone pathway that seemed to stretch forever, except for the lights in the distance. The hidden cave was infinitely dark, and it would have been impossible to see if not for the trees adorning the path, carrying lanterns in their branches. As Yanfei walked down the path, she heard voices, which eventually had bodies. Ducking behind a tree as to not be seen, she looked at the supposed guards.
There were four, two girls, and two guys. The guys were arguing over something, and the girls were laughing over it. One of the girls would occasionally butt in something stupid, which would send the guys arguing all over again. Each individual was different. One of the girls, the one who never seemed to interject, had long, blue hair, as well as blue horns, and a type of shoulderless jumpsuit. The other girl, much more passionate about the disagreement going on, had firey red hair that seemed to defy gravity. She wore a type of red dress with black leggings, and was smiling and laughing much more than the other girl. As for the guys, one was completely shirtless. He had a scar across his left eye and nose, and his hair was cut very short. Something to note was the fact he had two extra arms, and was generally muscular. The last guy looked very similar to Zhongli, wearing a nearly identical long brown coat as well as long, brown hair. The main difference was the fact he did not wear his hair in a ponytail.
"Bosacius, I refuse to argue with you on this any further! That man is his husband. They are GAY."
"They could just be homies! You don't kiss the homies good night?"
"We don't sleep, Bo! And even if we did, I'd be concerned if you were making out with the homies."
"I dunno Meno, have you ever kissed the homies goodnight? You have no clue how it's done. I say they're just homies."
"Inda, please, we both know they're gay."
"Why don't you just ask him? I mean, we do know he's gay, though an answer could help clear the air."
Yanfei began tuning the conversation out, instead looking behind them. It was a beautiful building, and it was massive. The towers extended high into the cave ceiling, some so high up that they couldn't be seen through the darkness. Beautiful stained glass windows adorned the main walls, and the entire castle gave off an ominous feeling. Somewhere, though, Yanfei could faintly smell a floral scent. Did Rex Lapis seriously have a gardening hobby?
"Bonanus, what did you say?"
"I said go ask that girl over there if she knows if he's gay or not. The one behind the tree."
Slowly, Yanfei made eye contact with the guards.
"Ah. Shit."
"Hey! Girl! Come here, we have a question!"
Yanfei slowly walked up to the guards, who waited with a patient expression.
"Well?" the four-armed one, apparently named Bosacius, asked.
"Well, what?" Yanfei replied.
The red-haired girl sighed. "Do you think Rex Lapis is gay? He's been showing up here with a guy every time he visits, and we've seen them kiss. However, Bo here thinks that, because he already has a wife, the guy is just a homie."
Yanfei looked at the group, confused. "No. No, yeah, that's gay. That is very, wholeheartedly and completely, gay."
Everyone seemed to smile in relief except "Bo," who sighed in frustration. Suddenly, he became extremely alert.
"Hold on a second. No one's supposed to be out here unless they're from the living world. Who are you? State your purpose." Suddenly, the group all stared at Yanfei with an intense look.
"Um. My name is Yanfei. I'm a legal expert, and I'm here to see someone. My girlfriend. She died recently, and I didn't get to say goodbye."
The guards turned around and huddled into a group. They whispered to each other, wondering what to do, until they turned back around. The blue haired one eyed the lawyer curiously.
"Is Alatus okay?"
"Alatus..? Oh, do you mean Xiao?" Suddenly, Yanfei's eyes widened. These guards were part of the five foremost Yaksha. They were Xiao's siblings.
"A-ah, he's alright! He's adjusting to humans a bit more. His karmic debt isn't as severe either, from what I hear."
The group sighed in relief. "Alright, technically we shouldn't be doing this, but you answered a question we haven't been able to ask Rex Lapis yet. So, we'll let you in. Don't you dare cause any issues though!"
Yanfei sighed, relieved. "Right. I won't. Thank you all so much."
"Yeah. Just touch the door and think about where you want to go."
Yanfei nodded, walking up to the door as the Yakshas stepped aside. Before touching the door, she addressed the guards around her.
"He doesn't talk much, but sometimes we know what he's thinking. And he misses all of you so damn much." With that, Yanfei touched the door. I want to see Hu Tao again.
In that instant, the room changed again. Yanfei was now in a room with terracotta walls, brown leather couches to either side, as well as glass coffee tanles with vases of flowers. The room was as dim as the cave outside, and the interior was as warm as the sparse lighting on the walls. Directly ahead was a receptionist desk. Behind it, a young woman with very pale skin and salt-white, shoulder-length hair gaped at the lawyer.
"Um...hi?"
Immediately, the receptionist bolted off down the hallway, leaving Yanfei alone in the room. A minute later, voices came down the hallway.
"Havria, darling, you're my best friend. But I sincerely doubt there's a living down here. If anything, the Yaksha would have stopped them."
"Guizhong! Listen to me! She was alive! Look, we're nearly there!" At that moment, two girls turned into the lobby. The one was the pale girl from earlier, and the other was a young woman. She wore her sandy-brown hair in a ponytail, with hair framing her face. She had a gentle face, and long sleeves that had to get in the way. The sleeves matched a short, white, shoulderless dress. She was also barefoot, but her attire wasn't as important as how shocked she looked.
"Hello."
"Havria?"
"Yes?"
"She's alive."
"I'm aware."
Yanfei looked around, wishing to simply disappear. Suddenly, one of the girls spoke up again.
"My apologies. We don't get many of your kind down here. My name is Guizhong, and this is my dear friend Havria. And you are?"
"Guizhong? Havria? Like the gods of dust and salt?"
"Yes, the dead ones. And you're alive. So what's your name?"
"It's Yanfei."
Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other as if Yanfei had just said something very wrong.
"Oh shit. Um. Hi Yanfei. Very nice to meet you."
"What is it now? Rex Lapis got a target on my head or something? I'm not actually a Liyue citizen? I just want to say goodbye to my girlfriend."
Havria was the one to answer her. "Long story short, Rex Lapis's newest partner informed us you may be coming. The good news is, your girlfriend misses you too. The bad news is, she will very certainly freak the fuck out if she sees you in the place for dead people. So, it's best if we take you to talk to Rex Lapis himself. Uh...be warned." She gestured for Yanfei to follow her down the hallway, and the lawyer obliged.
~~~~~
Havria and Guizhong covered Yanfei from view, then entered a room with large doors. From what Yanfei could see, there were three thrones with stairs leading up to them. In the center throne, a man sat. Is that Rex Lapis? Does he really have a human form? He looks weirdly familiar. He stood up, approaching the girls.
"My love," he addressed Guizhong first, "Havria. I have a question. Please have an answer. What are you doing?"
At this angle, Yanfei still couldn't quite see his face. But she definitely recognised that voice.
"Heyy, Morax. You look great today. Did you change your hair?" Havria deflected.
"What are you hiding?"
The girls sighed, then stepped apart. Just as she feared, Yanfei came face to face with Zhongli. He was wearing a white tank top, attached to a hood and with long pieces of fabric dropping in front of and behind his legs. He was wearing black pants, but his arms were exposed to reveal more dragon-like features. Dark scales with golden accents adorned the outer parts of his arms, but the inside still seemed human and fleshy. The scales also lined his cheekbones, and his golden eyes seemed to glow a bit more, as well as the shape appearing more dragon-like.
"Hey buddy...long time no see?"
Zhongli pinched the bridge of his nose, tipping his head back as he groaned. "How did you get here, and more importantly, how did you get this far?"
Suddenly, he was jostled from behind via a hug. "Morax! I thought I lost you when I didn't see you in your throne. Who are you-" the voice's face poked from around the man in front of Yanfei, revealing a certain blue-eyed ginger. His eyes widened in panic when we realised exactly who his boyfriend was talking to.
"Oh, hey, how did she get here?"
"Ajax, what did you do?"
"Me? Uh, I didn’t do this!"
"Explain what happened, Ajax."
"I’ve never seen her before in my life!"
"Why did you tell her how to get here, Ajax?"
"I do not do that. That is…that is my least favourite thing to do."
"Tell me, Ajax, exactly what you were doing when you went out to comfort her."
"Alright, well, I went outside..."
"Okay."
"I was uh…I was comforting her…"
"Go on."
"And, uh, well this idea came to mind…"
Guizhong stared at him. "You fucking didn't."
Ajax continued, ignoring her. "So, I went up to her..."
Havria covered her mouth in shock. "Ajax!"
He blushed. "And I…I told her exactly how to get here."
The room stayed completely silent, processing his confession. Finally, Zhongli sighed. "Havria, can you please go grab her?"
"You don't need to tell me twice!" Havria immediately bolted out of the room. Zhongli sighed, shaking his boyfriend off of him. He placed two fingers to Yanfei's neck, then removed them, nodding to Guizhong. She seemed to sigh in relief. Wanting to break the silence, Yanfei decided to ask a question that had been nagging her.
"So...what's this situation?" she asked, gesturing to the three people still in front of her.
Guizhong sighed. "We were married, until I died. We are still married, but then he met Ajax and fell in love. I asked to meet him, and we became friends. So now Morax is with both of us, and Ajax and I together in a less romantic way."
"Why is everyone calling him Ajax?"
"It's a bit more of a personal name. Seperates him from being merely his old Fatui title."
Yanfei nodded. "So why is everyone freaking out about whether I'm alive or not?"
Zhongli sighed. "When most mortals, and even adepti, enter the Underworld, they can't return. They're dead. You, on the other hand...you picked the butterfly, didn't you? That's why I checked your pulse; the butterfly gives you some time before you die. However, you'll be dead by the sunrise. Time passes differently here, thirty minutes is twelve hours out there. You've been here half an hour, so after we smooth some things over, you have around that same amount of time to get back before you're dead."
Yanfei turned to Ajax. "You tried to get me killed?"
Zhongli sighed. "The blame lies, in part, on me. He has a special permission that I gave to him before he entered, so he will not die down here. If I knew your plan, I would have done the same for you. I told him he could use any symbol, as none would matter. For those without permission, it does matter, sadly. I apologise."
Yanfei was about to ask another question when the throne room doors opened again.
"Come on, Havria, can't you just please tell me what you dragged me through the castle for? I'm sure whatever it is, it's not that important!" A girl of about twenty was then dragged into the room by Havria. She was wearing dirty tan work boots, a white T-shirt, and a pair of short brown overalls. Her knees and hands were covered in dirt, and there was a leaf in her hair, which was tied back in low twin tails. She looked up at Yanfei, instantly recognising her.
"Yanfei?"
The lawyer immediately dashed towards her girlfriend, squeezing her arms around her tightly, oblivious to the fact that they crashed to the ground in her excitement. Hu Tao immediately returned the hug, laughing at the fall. The girls laughed together, hugging each other tightly, neither wanting to let go first.
"If you want Yanfei to die, you can stay like that, or we can work something out."
Somewhat reluctantly, the girls got back up, looking at Morax. He sighed, turning to his assistants. "What do you guys think?"
Havria pouted. "We probably can't let them both go, but...can we? Please?"
"I agree with Havria. She came all the way down here for her girlfriend, it would be cruel to seperate them again. What do you think, Ajax?"
"Ajax?"
"Long story, I'll tell you another time. I don't think we're allowed to just let her go back that easily. Yanfei can leave on her own, but I doubt she's leaving without Tao."
Zhongli sighed, pondering for a moment. "You're right. I want to send them back as much as you, but Hu Tao's been dead a week. People will ask questions, and if they get answers, they'll try it themselves and die. On the other hand, I desperately want to send them both out and let them grow old and die together."
The room knew Ajax was right. It would take some heavy explaining to the people of Liyue, and some people stupid and desperate enough would get themselves killed trying to bring back a loved one. The room felt heavy, stiflingly silent, until Guizhong came up with a solution.
"The other exit, the stairs. She's got about half an hour yet, right? She can make it up those stairs in that time. But, make it a challenge. Have them go up together, single-file, with no physical contact. If Hu Tao speaks to Yanfei at all, they fail. If Yanfei looks back to check on Hu Tao, they fail. If Yanfei makes it up to the top by sunrise, and Hu Tao doesn't, she stays in the Underworld while Yanfei gets to be free. Same applies in reverse. Also, even if Hu Tao fails, Yanfei will obviously still be able to get out. I know it's harsh, but I know you can make it."
Morax nodded. "That could work. I'm alright with it, if they are."
"I agree." Hu Tao looked at her girlfriend, smiling. "I have nothing to lose from this, and everything to gain."
Yanfei kissed Hu Tao on the cheek. "We can do it. Alright, lead the way to these stairs."
Morax snapped his fingers, and two things appeared. The first was an entrance to the stairs. The second was a clock. "If you two happen to run out of time on this clock, which also measures the time until sunrise, the stairs will disappear, and you'll be brought back here." He handed them the clock. "I should warn you, the closer you are to death, the weaker you'll become, so I suggest finishing fast. Good luck."
Yanfei took the clock, then immediately began climbing the stairs. She tried to keep an even pace to save energy, but she also wanted to move fast so she could make it.
Around five minutes into the climb, doubt began to crawl in. What if she isn't behind me? What if she gave up? Am I doing this now just because I'm selfish? Suddenly, a dirty, tan boot flew over her head and landed a few steps ahead of her.
"Is that your way of saying you're still there?...Thanks." Yanfei continued walking past the shoe. Behind her, she heard the shoe being put back on someone's foot.
After about another ten minutes of climbing, Yanfei began absentmindedly talking to Hu Tao, who she hoped was still behind her. "These stairs are ridiculously long. There's a little measure on this clock, and we're only about halfway though the climb. Meanwhile, out there, its been about six hours! You were here for like, seven hours before I showed up. It was a week for us. A day here is nearly a month out there. People here for a year have been dead for, what, seven thousand years? Eight? I suppose no one's been here for a year then. I don't think the history goes back that far. Most of the Liyue we know will be here in, like, four months. I think. I'm horrible with math."
Suddenly, Yanfei began coughing and fell to the ground. She heard footsteps approaching and quickly closed her eyes. "Don't touch me! Remember the deal? I'm fine. With all my talking we only have about ten minutes yet. That means I'm probably dying, like Zhongli warned. We need to hurry." Yanfei shakily got up, and began speeding up the stairs with all her strength.
Soon enough, Yanfei saw a light, small at first, but progressively getting larger with each step passed.
"Tao, look! We're nearly-" Yanfei began, being cut off by her foot getting caught on a step and crashing to the ground almost ten steps from the light. Upon impact, she began coughing, the force of each cough eventually tearing her throat and causing blood to be mixed in with the coughs.
"Yanfei! Shit, are you ok?" Hu Tao bolted up the stairs to her girlfriend, still coughing on the ground. Both had tears in their eyes, Yanfei from the coughing, Tao from worry.
"You really did follow me...but you can't come with now..."
"That's not fucking important! You need to get to the top right now before you die!"
"No! I don't want to live without you by my side!" Yanfei began coughing again from the strain on her voice.
Hu Tao opened her mouth to argue back, but couldn't find a proper argument. She desperately wanted to be with Yanfei again, but she knew she was being selfish. Liyue couldn't handle two deaths within a week. She wrapped Yanfei's arm around her neck, then propped the girl up using her body.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't go with you. But you can still live."
Yanfei was too weak to fight back, climbing one step at a time and using Hu Tao as a crutch. After around six steps, Yanfei's legs gave out and let the girl crash to the ground. Hu Tao immediately knelt down beside her, clutching Yanfei's head in her hands.
"You're really pretty...you know that? I love you..." she whispered, smiling at the director.
Hu Tao shook Yanfei gently. She was unresponsive. "Yanfei? Yanfei!"
~~~~~
"I was really hoping you guys would make it! Welcome back, I suppose."
Yanfei opened her eyes slowly, turning her head to the side. She was back in the lobby, Havria sitting on the desk, looking down at her.
"I'm dead?"
"Yeah. You didn't make it, and because Tao broke every rule, she didn't either. About a day after you went missing, they found your body in the Chasm. It's been, I'd say, about three hours you've been out? So, three days. They're preserving it till Morax gets back. Also, I have your job here. You've been given a job where you get to see her often, but not often enough to get sick of each other. Hang on, I'll just read the description. 'Your job is to check on the four elite groups, plus Ajax and Morax when they are around, and see if they need help with anything. The four groups are the ones personally assigned to their jobs by Morax, and includes the Acting Ruler Guizhong, the Special Assistant Havria, the guards Bonanus, Bosacius, Menogias, and Indarius, and the florist Hu Tao.'"
"There's only one florist?"
"There's about a hundred gardeners, but surprisingly none of them could keep the flowers healthy. Tao was an amazing florist in the living world, so Morax had her give it a shot, and voila! Oh, by the way, I urgently need this note delivered to her. She's in Morax's personal flower garden right now, last I checked. So go, right now!" Havria slapped the paper into Yanfei's hand and shoved her to the front door. "Just think about going to that garden and the door will take you."
Yanfei tentatively grabbed the door handle and thought about stepping into the garden. Just as she had finished the thought, an overwhelming floral smell attacked her. The door was now behind her, and she was in a greenhouse style room. Exotic and native flowers adorned every inch of the room. Yanfei followed the stone pathways, eventually taking a rest on a bench.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? So many flowers, and I get to take care of them all." Hu Tao sat down beside Yanfei, smiling at her. "Hi again. I'm glad you're ok. It's unfortunate that you didn't make it, though."
Yanfei looked back at Hu Tao, then handed her the paper. "Havria asked me to give this to you." Hu Tao opened it, then immediately began laughing.
"What? What's it say?"
"It's blank. That's Havria for you!"
Yanfei tried to hold it in, but then immediately began laughing as well. "I'm glad you like it here."
"I'm glad we're together again. Seriously. I swear, I'm never going to leave you again. I promise. And...I love you too."