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Despite her commitment to aiding its people, Beidou never felt particularly attached to Liyue itself. It wasn’t that she didn’t find it hospitable, or the environments too harsh, or the terrain too mountainous, or the culture not engrossing enough. In fact, it wouldn’t matter if she were born in a different nation entirely, she simply couldn’t ever call any of them ‘home’. Beidou was just… bound for lifelong travel; it was her purpose. Remaining stagnant for too long always brought her monotony, as she perpetually craved novel experiences, even if she did so unconsciously.
Becoming the commander of a fleet that engaged in transport, commerce, and even combat, enabled her novelty everywhere she went. Even if she had been to Fontaine dozens of times before, the majesty of the Opera Epiclese still held the air of a fresh experience if her previous voyages were to Port Ormos and Watatsumi Island respectively. Sometimes her business partners even demanded resources so rare there wasn’t even a market for them, which meant Beidou had to acquire them directly from the source. These endeavours range from climbing atop a small cliff to gather some sakura blooms, to hunting a vulture 15 times her size with god-like elemental powers and prying the scales off its body.
But the celebrations of Lantern Rite never failed to bring an ambience so warm and cozy that even the ever-in-motion seafarer herself couldn’t resist taking some time to drink it in (both figuratively and literally) each year.
Furthermore, this particular Lantern Rite was special. Beidou had finally managed to convince a certain stowaway samurai from Inazuma that such foreign festivities were worth experiencing for himself. By this point he had come to know a few friends from Liyue other than his captain, as well as being more familiar with the nation’s culture. As such, he agreed to the pirate queen’s offer to, in her own words, guide him on a once-in-a-lifetime sightseeing adventure of the finest Liyue had to offer on the climactic last day of their most hearty festival. Though he hadn’t explicitly stated so, Beidou was also pretty confident that another significant factor in his willingness to join her this time around was how close he had grown to her. They weren’t dating or anything; as far as either of them are concerned they’re still friends. But Beidou knew what they had was something one-of-a-kind, she just didn’t bother placing a label on it.
By this point in her life, the captain had a pretty much set-in-stone routine for navigating the many different food stalls and games set up around the wharfs of Liyue Harbour. Their first visit was to Xiangling’s spice variety stall. Every year, Wanmin Restaurant would run a food stall where one is served with each of their spiciest dishes, and they’re challenged to consume as much as they can without requiring milk to quench their thirst. A down payment of 60 Mora is required, and each minute they spend eating without a beverage earns them back 2 Mora. Beidou managed to last 14 minutes, a new record for the day, triumphantly cackling through the evening air as she leaned on Kazuha for support.
Their next visit was to a carnival-style game booth, with the goal of knocking down as many bottles as possible within 30 seconds by throwing small rubber balls. Beidou managed to convince her companion to attempt this one first, and just as she expected, he managed to take down 18 bottles, which set a new record for the evening just like Beidou did at Xiangling’s stall. After seeing the smug look on his face, the seafarer decided she’d knock him down a peg. Despite throwing the exact same amount of balls as Kazuha himself did, Beidou managed to take out a whopping 21 bottles, as she was able to successfully bounce a few balls off of one bottle onto another. Satisfied in seeing even Kazuha’s unbridled composure bend a little as he wore a confused look on his face, Beidou cracked her knuckles in celebration.
“You knew something I didn’t…”
“Hah, ‘course I did, toots. See those blue balls? They’re about a quarter pound lighter than the orange balls, which allows them to maintain a lot more momentum when they bounce off the bottles.”
Kazuha scoffed in a sarcastic manner.
“Well, seeing as I wasn’t fully informed of the game’s precise conditions, that doesn’t seem very fair to me, does it my lady?”
“Pfft… Have you ever been to a casino and watched those drunken landwalkers play Adepti’s Gambit? The key to winning that game isn’t having superior tactics to the dealer, it’s simply
being
the dealer.” He couldn’t help but chuckle as she clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re on my turf, flower boy. Don’t try to beat me at my own game~”
While her antics would be enough to make the average festival go-er uncomfortable to be in her presence, the samurai simply seemed amused, appearing to find enjoyment in her… extravagant personality.
Most of the night’s remaining activities consisted of more friendly competitions, and plenty of drinking. Knowing his own limits, Kazuha opted to stop after the first glass of beer from Mondstadt, while Beidou even decided to be rather conservative with her consumption… by her own standards, at least. She didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere of the occasion so she did her best to remain sober.
Regardless, the main event and whole purpose of Lantern Rite was now upon them. The captain had explained to her subordinate how each year, a fallen warrior of Liyue’s history is chosen to be displayed on a Mingxiao lantern, while all guests may release smaller Xiao lanterns of their own across the sea, to help guide the martyr’s soul to their home in the heavens. On their lanterns, they may choose to embed their own personal wishes for their loved ones, in the hopes that they, too, will have the right path illuminated for them.
Before the releasing of the lanterns, this year’s festival was accompanied by a dramatic theatre performance, commemorating the chosen hero’s role in the Archon War. Beidou was never formally educated, so she didn’t recognize the adeptus they were celebrating, or even remember hearing their name. But the story spoke of colossal beasts emerging from the sea, bringing terror to human civilizations in an attempt to draw out their divine rulers. When one particular leviathan attacked Liyue Harbour in search of Rex Lapis, who was preoccupied at Guyun Stone Forest, this adeptus came to the people’s rescue. In a valiant effort, they slew the monster, only to accidentally ingest some of its toxic blood. Descending into madness, the adeptus chose to sacrifice themselves as they would otherwise become a threat to everyone around them.
She was sure Kazuha could sense the way her breathing quickened and her muscles tensed as the fable was recited. Everyone in Liyue knew of her encounters with the great beast Haishan, but only a select few knew the verity of the toll it took on her. In her final decisive battle with the monster, Beidou landed a catastrophic blow to Haishan’s throat, the energy she had absorbed with her greatsword from his attacks resulting in an explosion that severed the very beast’s head from its neck. Naturally, with a beheading comes a spout of blood, and what Beidou opted not to tell others was that from that day onwards, her eyepatch wasn’t merely for show. Just like the monster in the story, Haishan’s blood was highly toxic to the human body, and even the infinitesimal amount that landed around her left eye was enough to sear the nearby flesh and leave her half-blind.
Even the crewmen who were present that fateful day knew not what Haishan’s defeat had brought upon their captain. Beidou only informed her surgeon Yinxing about the gravest details in order to be treated efficiently. Since then, the only ones lucky enough to hear the story behind her scars were those with whom she had shared her bed at one point or another. All those who partook in such endeavours were either too drunk to recall everything she had confessed to, or prepared to let that truth die with them out of respect for Beidou. However, there was one exception, and he currently stood adjacent to her against the railing of the bridge connecting Xinyue Kiosk and Luili Pavilion.
She felt as though she should say something; there was no doubt her tension was causing Kazuha discomfort. However, before she could muster up a quip, words were already flowing from the samurai’s mouth.
“
O divine benediction cut from cloth; Shall we weave from you a beautiful tapestry, or a rope with which we restrain ourselves?
That was a verse from one of my favourite poets’ works. That line alone is not enough to convey the author’s intentions, but to summarize that verse,
luck
is a sparse resource. Should we be blessed by it, we’re to cherish it.”
For some reason the captain couldn’t bring herself to take her eyes off the starry sky in front of her. She knew what he was implying and she knew it couldn’t be true, for her childhood had proven the exact opposite. She peered slightly to the left and saw seven stars that sparkled distinctly brighter than all those around them, almost as if striking a pose for Beidou, trying to catch her attention. They form what many would call the tail of a bear, or perhaps the handle and head of an oar. But what Beidou made of this asterism was a coffin, with the funeral’s mourners in pursuit.
She felt her stomach drop, a reaction far more raunchy than any she’d endure at the hands of a storm at sea. Based on the fact that Kazuha had remained silent for several seconds now, it seemed she made her dissatisfaction towards the current situation quite clear. If she knew him, she knew he’d take it in stride and find a way to turn the tides to his own tongue’s benefit, and she was proven correct moments later as he inched closer to her side so he could speak more softly.
“I don’t much care whether you’re a beacon of fortune or a vortex of disaster.” The chilled Liyue evening breeze ghosted her skin, forming goosebumps across her arm. “The wind guided and continues to guide me to you. Don’t fret about where else I could be, what else I could be doing or who else I could be doing it with. Forget about my pie-in-the-sky musings of wandering aimlessly into the fathomless wilderness. Tried that for a few years, didn’t exactly work out. What I see in you I see in not a single other soul as far as the eye can see.”
Without looking, Beidou felt how close his hand was to hers on the railing, and she slowly allowed herself to place her hand on top of his fingers, coaxing him to flip his hand in haste so their palms could meet.
“I see home.”
Beidou felt him trace an incorrigible pattern on the tips of her fingers as he gradually pulled away.
“It’s clear you desire some alone time, so I’ll take my leave. If you don’t arrive in our cabin by midnight… I will quite literally follow your scent like a dog until I find you.”
After taking a few steps away from her, Kazuha stopped in his tracks and shook his head. Spinning on his heels and retracing his steps, he approached Beidou again delicately. Beidou felt something ghost the surface of her cheek, and this time it wasn’t the breeze. A very soft squelching sound made its way to her ears as the surprisingly warm touch of Kazuha’s lips departed.
“This is a game you won’t defeat me in, Beidou. No matter how much you close yourself off, I’ll only be more encouraged to come back to you.”
This time Beidou watched as Kazuha’s half-worn haori disappeared behind the corner of Xinyue Kiosk, turning around once more, allowing her visage to be bathed in moonlight.
She knew he was right. She knew he was either too stubborn or… too whipped for her to leave for good, no matter how much she encouraged him. She still felt the same fears — whether or not she’d be capable of keeping her crew safe, if she’s not even certain of her own safety sometimes. But no matter how hesitant she was to admit it, Kazuha’s carefree spirit was rubbing off on her. Beidou grew more and more prone to just… giving in to the little voice in her head urging her to let go of all her reservations. It was agonizing to resist, and yet she held steadfast in her endurance of temptation.
Without care, Beidou simply lost herself in the sea of stars up above, lamenting her worries to the attentive sky who, much like a certain someone, refuses to leave her. She knew not how futile her pleas were. She prayed, not to any god in particular, that all who journey with her would find their true place of belonging, for such a place was not, and could not be, with her. A sole, thick tear briefly stained the wooden railing she had been leaning against for an hour as Beidou finally turned to make her leave.
How could someone else call Beidou home, if she herself had no home?