Work Text:
Includes HSR and GI spoilers. Quite heavy but all out of context.
Bennett walks down the stairs leading to Katheryne, thinking about the thankfully uneventful day.
“Hello, my name is Aventurine and I am a representative of the IPC.”
Katheryne replies with something that Bennet was unable to make out. As he inches closer, he trips and falls, landing on his side and stumbling while trying to stand back up.
Aventurine turns around, watching the boy fall at his feet.
“Is this…a local custom? Thank you for the welcome.”
Bennett explains that he fell because of his bad luck, but the outworlder is simply confused.
“Did your people offend Mama Fenge or something?”
“Here, we follow Barbatos.”
“Oh, no wonder.”
“I wasn’t even born here.”
“Ah, my apologies. It must have been rough on you.”
“What’s the purpose of your visit?”
“I am here to discuss a potential trading-”
Before they can finish, Lumine walks up behind them.
“Sparkle no-”
“Hi traveller!”
“Ad astra abyssosque”
Lumine walks to Katheryne, asks to collect commission rewards, takes 20 primogems and leaves.
“What?”
“That’s the traveller, Lumine.”
“Ad astra abyssosque”
“Can you say something else?”
“Thank you for completing today’s commissions. Here is your reward.” (Katheryne)
“Something else” (Bennett)
“Forget that, as a token of my appreciation, have 10k credits as our meeting gift, miss.”
“Currency not accepted at the Adventurer’s Guild. Please try again later.”
“What are those blue things?”
“They’re credits, a universal trading currency.”
“You don’t use mora?”
“What is mora?”
“Did you trade all your mora for luck or something? You’ve never had mora?”
“I have seen red copper coins though.”
“Huh?”
“Forget it. Can you point me in the direction of the nearest authority?”
“Up those stairs, I can take you there!”
“Thank you, kind lad.”
Bennett leads the way, sprinting, and Aventurine follows him. Suddenly, Bennett slowed to a halt.
“What’s the matter my friend?”
“Wait, I need to catch, my breath…”
“You get tired?”
“You don’t get tired???”
Anyway I really hate writing dialogue that’s friendly banter, so basically Jean was busy but he managed to get an appointment to meet her at a later date. He then went to Liyue.
“Hello I am Aventurine from the IPC’s Strategic Investment Department, I am here to discuss-”
“The IPC needs to back down. I will protect Liyue from the likes of you.”
“What?”
“Are you not from the IPC?”
“I am, yes. Why?”
“What did the fake Lumine say again…oh yes, Lapdog of the Aventurine’s Guild, if you try anything funny like the Fatui, you will regret it. I don’t trust anyone the fake Lumine knows.”
“Wait, when did I have a guild? Who is Lumine again and why does everyone know her?”
Xiao crosses his arms, confused. Aventurine stares back at him, also confused.
“Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Aventurine pulls out two chips and puts one in each hand.
“Left or right?”
“Oh, we don’t bet on chips here. We bet on Jade.”
“You what? Jade is here? Why is she a celebrity?”
“Why would Noctilucous Jade be a celebrity?”
“Oh it’s a mineral, I keep forgetting we’re named after minerals.”
“There’s more of you?”
“Kind of, yeah”
“Are you a vision holder?”
“I mean, my eyes are pretty and functional?”
“No, a vision like this one”
“What happened to your cornerstone?!? Why did you carve a symbol into it???”
“What?”
“Why is it square?”
“Is it supposed to be a circle then?”
*Confused screaming
“Anyway, I have no ill intentions.”
“You also have no general knowledge, I live away from civilisation and I know more than you.”
“In my 4k defence, I am an Alien.”
“What do you mean Alien?”
“I came from another planet.”
“Does that make you the sixth descender?”
“What is a descender?”
“Let’s not dwell on that right now. I apologise for my impetuousness just now. What is your purpose in Liyue?”
“I want a meeting with your leader.”
“But my leader is reti-I mean, dead.”
“How is this place still running?”
“The humans are running it now.”
“Wait, are you an Emanator?”
“No, I’m Xiao.”
Anyway he tried to get a meeting with Ningguang, but honestly it could end multiple ways so I won’t give it a fixed ending.