Chapter Text
Walking along the countryside, carrying a basket, a blanket, and some other odds and ends to make for a delightful picnic, Aether breathed deeply of the crisp, mountain air. It had taken some negotiations with Paimon to get her to let them have this time together, and most of it boiled down to dropping a bag of Mora and sending her to Wanmin Restaurant with a pre-set tab. Even with Paimon’s appetite, it would likely take the better part of the day to exhaust that reserve.
After that, it was a matter of getting themselves to their destination without hindrance, something Yun Jin had some practice with, losing any tails they might have picked up, and from there, Aether had used one of the waypoints to teleport out of Liyue Harbor, taking the rest of the journey on foot.
Dating one of Liyue’s foremost opera sensations had a multitude of complications that had taken careful guidance to navigate, and so far, he felt confident he had absorbed the lessons properly. If he hadn’t, they probably wouldn’t have managed this kind of thing in the first place.
He’d have to write down some notes for Bennett; it’d help him with his and Barbara’s dating life.
Meanwhile, Aether threw out the blanket on a cliff overlooking Jueyun Karst and laying out the food he and Yun Jin had prepared beforehand.
Suddenly, Yun Jin gasped, jolting upright, nearly spilling the pot of tea. “Did you hear that?” she asked.
“Yeah…” Aether answered, looking out towards a collection of darkened clouds off in the distance, towards Fontaine. “it was just a bit of thunder, wasn’t it?”
“…Right.”
Eyeing his girlfriend, concerned, Aether asked, “You have any bad experiences with thunderstorms? We can find another day to do this and go somewhere else for the day.”
Yun Jin delicately covered her mouth, looking away from him to an indeterminate point to the south.
“My mother is the Raiden Shogun.”
Aether’s eyes widened. “The Electro Archon? That Raiden Shogun?”
She slowly nodded, her hand falling to her lap. “Yes. I don’t believe there’s anyone who has attempt to lay claim to the title since the Archon War.”
“Wow. Your father must be either pretty crazy or pretty lucky to manage that.” The Sakoku Decree didn’t exactly spell out happy things for the country, and Yun Jin’s presence in Liyue didn’t speak of a happy family life. “So when you hear the thunder…?”
“Every time I hear thunder, I can’t help but imagine her being cross with me for some reason, even if it doesn’t make sense. And in that moment, I can never be sure if I’m frightened or delighted that she could be there at all. Or disappointed when she’s not.”
This was far heavier a subject than he had originally anticipated, but the point of this outing was to relax away from prying eyes and ears. He needed to turn this around and fast. Unfortunately, he was drawing blanks on something to immediately divert the conversation towards, so he just had to hope that walking it back to safe harbors didn’t walk him off of a conversational cliff.
“Okay, but if your mother is the ruler of Inazuma…why are you in Liyue?”
A sense of levity returned as Yun Jin smiled, fondly. “Oh. That would be because of my father.”
“So he’s from Liyue?” At least he sounded present in her life. And she seemed to think well of him. Go me!
“Mmhmm.” She gingerly sipped at the tea. “He works as a consultant at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.”
Thinking over the staff he had encountered, most of them were too young to have children Yun Jin's age. Some of them were closer to grandparents, or even older, if one counted....
No way. “He wouldn’t happen to be a…an older gentleman, would he? Surprisingly knowledgeable about a wide array of subjects? Tall, dark, conventionally attractive despite his apparent age?”
Yun Jin laughed. “Mr. Zhongli is my father, yes. I had almost forgotten you were acquainted beyond the surface details.”
Aether’s eyes widened at the implication.
“So…how does that work out for you? Like…he’s kind of a big deal to the Adepti. I can get you being able to keep things quiet with the rest of Liyue, but I’d have thought that it’d have come up in a conversation or two.”
Like when he had first visited Cloud Retainer after Rex Lapis’ “death”. She had been ready to burn Liyue Harbor to the ground the moment, not find a hidden heir, or get them out of the city. And Aether didn’t exactly have high confidence in their acting abilities.
“That would specifically be because of my father’s doing. I believe he already was growing weary of his duties, and didn’t wish to foist similar expectations upon me, so he never told them he had a child. I think Madame Ping is aware of me, though. and I told Yanfei a couple of years back, and both she and Madame Ping have kept their silence on the matter. Aside from them and my father, I’ve had few direct dealings with any Adepti or their disciples.”
“So you’ve managed to convince all of Liyue, human and adepti, that you’re just a normal girl with a talent as playwright, actress, and singer?”
“One of the greatest acts that can be played, and perhaps the most draining, but yes.”
Huh. “That sounds difficult, but also impressive."
“All the more reason for moments like this,” she said with a smile, then leaned her head against his shoulder.
“But wait. If you’re the child of-” The words nearly stalled out in his throat, but he managed. “Of two Archons…how does that work out? Are you some sort of super-strong hybrid? Or is your Vision the extent of your power.”
Yun Jin snuggled closer against him, a dusting of pink on her cheeks. “You’ve been to the Guyun Stone Forest, yes?”
The place where Rex Lapis rained down stone pillars to pin down and seal Osial, and created a lasting geographic feature in Liyue? Yeah. Aether knew the place quite well. “That is both impressive and mildly concerning. But oddly alluring, too." It also probably explained why she was completely unconcerned by a Ruin Hunter.
"I don't believe it would be an easy task for me. Certainly not as easy as Rex Lapis managed it, and I would likely be exhausted after the fact, but that is theoretically within my capabilities. Also…” She pressed a finger to his hand, and a flash of electricity shot into it. Not enough to hurt, but enough to know that it was deliberate and not an accident or a trick of the mind.
Blinking at the implications, Aether wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him and kissing the top of her head. “And yet – no judgment here – you chose a stage career.”
“Indeed. While I could rearrange the countryside in an afternoon, I find it far more enjoyable to rearrange emotions with my singing and dancing. And this way, I get standing ovations and kind requests to return instead of the Millelith chasing me out of town.”
“Or the country. I guess that's just another reason to love you.”
“I love you too, Aether.”
“Still. You have one heck of a play on your hands if you ever feel like telling it someday.”
“Preferably a long ways into the future. At some point, the truth will come out, but I am in no hurry see that come to pass.” Yun Jin lips pressed together and furrowed her brow. “What kind of story would it be, though? What genre?”
Resting his hand in hers, Aether smiled and said, “I suppose we’ll have to find out together."
Leaning against one another, fingers entwined, the two of them basked in the midday warmth until the sun began to set.