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When I was sure that only one person was present in the room, I slipped inside and with a whistle I annouced my presence.
"Miss Lapis. It's wonderful to see you again," Mister Zhongli said, while walking over to me.
"I would never miss our weekly meetings," I stated, waiting for him to come. "Besides, I have a lot to talk about," I admitted, just as he offered me a hand.
"I'm all ears," the man replied as I took his offer. On the table, to which I was brought to, waited a teapot, with a cup and a thimble standing next to it.
"I should start with the fact that I finally met Traveler and Paimon," I said, while walking off the hand.
"And what is your impression of them?", Zhongli asked and took a seat at the table. I also sat down, not on a chair but cross-legged.
"That all the good things I heard about them were true," I replied, making him chuckle.
"I'm glad you think such way. Their reputation exedeeds them," he stated, before picking up the teapot. It was a silent question and the answer to it was for me to pick up the thimble. It always impressed me how careful he was, enough that he never accidentally spilled a single drop of tea.
"You bought a new batch?", I inquired, upon tasting the drink.
"You noticed?", he asked, a bit surprised.
"Of course I did," I replied. A smile apeared on his face, which he hid behind his cup. After taking a sip, he asked
"What else did you wanted to tell me?". I told him about the 'Whooperflower incident', as we called it with Xiangling, which caused him to chuckle in the end.
"Well, her stew certainly seemed slightly diffrent. It's good to know why," he admitted, to which I said
"Xiangling would be glad to hear that. Not many customers noticed that. Or anyone, as far as I'm aware."
"I will surely tell her that," Zhongli promised, after which we shifted our focus to another topic. Mister Zhongli didn't seemed like a type who would enjoy gossip, but he certainly listened when I brought him the news from the city.
A certain pirate captain returned with her crew from a voyage.
A certain exorcist caught a thief, thinking that it was an evil spirit.
A certain teahouse owner tricked a scammer into lossing all of his money, after which she got him arested.
And many more 'certain people' caught my attention. The list was longer than unusual, so it seemed like Traveler's presence brought a wave of excitement over the city.
"As far as my memory goes that's all what I heard," I said in the end, as Mister Zhongli refilled my thimble.
"And as always, it was a pleasure listening to you," he replied. He was about to add something, before a knock echoed.
"Mister Zhongli? Can we talk for a moment?", the person on the other side of the door asked, causing me to panic. It was Hu Tao. Without much thinking, I scrambled onto my feet and, much to the man's surprise, I jumped inside the teapot. Just in time to hear the door open.
"Director Hu. With what do you require my assistance?", he asked, to which the girl explained
"It's not about me, actually. Someone asks for your opinion."
"Can you lead me to them?", Zhongli asked, and after what I assumed was a nod, I heard him stand up, after which the two of them left. I released the breath that I didn't realized I was holding, and carefully crawled out of the teapot.
I was lucky that it was almost empty, otherwise I would end up fully soaked in tea. Still, I got worried because of the wet footsteps I left. It was hard to tell who would return to the room first, so just in case, I spread the tea around, so it would like some was spilled.
With that done, I grabbed the thimble (Also a bit suspicious to have next to a teapot) and with the aid from my vision, I dashed and jumped off the table.
The landing was far from elegant, but my bones were intact, so I could consider myself fine. When I collected myself, I hid under the stool, on which Mister Zhongli previously sat, and I waited. A few minutes passed, until the door opened again.
"If that's all, then allow me to continue my time in solitary," the man said, while closing the door behind him. "Miss Lapis?", he called out, which I took as a sign to apear.
"Good to know that the coast is clear," I stated and walked into the open.
"There you are," Zhongli said, after which he crouched next to me. When he offered his hand, I walked onto it without hesitation, while asking
"Are you sure we won't be bothered by Hu Tao?"
"I told you countless times that she won't hurt you," he stated, but when I shot him an unamused look, he added "But yes, she won't come unless absolutely necessary."
"I'm glad," I replied, as I was put back on the table. "And, I told you already why I don't want to meet her," I quickly added, making him sigh.
"Yes, I remember," Zhongli said and after glancing at the teapot, he asked "Shall we continue our conversation after I prepare more tea?"
"Of course," I replied, after which I waited for him to do what he intented. When he was finished, we continued talking, although this time, he was the one to mainly speak.
"Thank you once again for the pleasant afternoon, Mister Zhongli," I thanked, preparing myself to leave.
"For me too, it was a pleasure. See you next week, Lapis" he replied while bidding me goodbye.
"See you then, Rex Lapis," I replied and turned to jump out of the window. But, I stopped myself when I heard him ask
"Pardon?"
"You may deceive others, but I'm a little more observant than most," I explained with a smirk.
"I should've expected that from someone like you," Zhongli replied with a troubled expression.
"Don't worry. No word will come through my mouth," I assured him and to emphasize my point, I put a finger on my lips.
"I hope so," he said and for the first time since meeting him, I felf a shiver go through my body.
It wasn't cold tonight. It was those eyes of his. As expected of the Geo Archon.
"Well then, I should get going. I don't like staying up late," I said and after a nod from Zhongli, his eyes softer this time, I finally left.
And I decided, to never bring up the topic of Rex Lapis with him.