Yakshas Grief

Soooo, I decided to push back the outline. This is going to be a chapter on Hu Tao and the next should hopefully be about Zhongli. Just FYI, I don't have Hu Tao, nor did I look at her friendship quotes, or story. This is all made up from what I have read in other fanfictions. Beware that it is coming to be testing/exam season for students, I will likely not write for a bit. I also had states this weekend so ...

To become the director of the esteemed Wangsheng funeral parlor, one not only needs to be extremely talented and intelligent, one would also need to be incredibly honorable. Once a heir is born and chosen, they are groomed from when they take their first steps to become capable enough to run such a sacred business. Many who haven't met the current director would assume them to be a serious and wise young adult with many years under their belt. Maybe they might consider how such a child would be lacking in friends, or how anyone could handle the stress let alone a child. Upon hearing that the current funeral director is only 18, many would only gap in surprise, wondering what kind of prodigy she could be. Anyone who had actually met her though, would be surprised for a different reason.

"You've been pranked!", she exclaimed, jumping out from her hiding spot. Chungyun, or YunYun, as she preferred calling him was too busy trying to quell the burning of his throat to respond. Hu Tao frowned briefly, the chili pepper popsicles weren't too spicy she hoped, she had made them just for this prank. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously, worried that it might have been worse than she expected. "NO, OF COURSE NOT YOU REPLACED MY YIN SUPPRESSING POPSICLE WITH A SPICY ONE". Seeing Hu Tao flinch, he knew he went overboard but he was still angry. "Just stay away from me and my stuff, I could have gotten seriously sick". With that he stalked away to find Xing Qiu, he had promised to exorcise demons with him. There were supposedly more demons around, although he never actually saw one. He had heard that the sole yaksha was troubled, and was determined to pick up the slack for him, but first he needed to get more popsicles. Privately he might admit that he overreacted, Hu Tao was a slightly sensitive person, but he was in a rush, so he made up his mind to apologize after dealing with the demons.

Watching YunYun stalk away, muttering about demons, Hu Tao knew that she had gone too far. She already knew that she was disliked, but being called a demon was a first for her. Ever since her grandfather had died and left her in charge of the funeral parlor, she was too busy to make friends and she hadn't the time during her childhood to make good friends. Sure she had met plenty of people her age, but they all just wanted the prestige that came with knowing the heir of the Wangsheng funeral parlor. That was without taking into account her ability to see ghosts. Even her own father was distant at best and abusive at worst, the only person she had was her grandfather. Until he died too, some small part of her brain said, like her mother. But we all die eventually, even archons, she tried cheering herself up. Of course she knew that she was being unreasonable, that there were plenty of people that liked her and cared for her. But she eventually drove them away, like Chungyun, or they had an obligation to care for her like her employees at the funeral palor. Sure, whenever she came back after using her, admittedly self destructive, vision, covered in burns, they were quick to get her help and medicine. They were just protecting themselves, if she were to die, then where would they work, she reasoned.

Her grandfather always laughed at her jokes and pranks. He had shown her, in between strict tutors and endless history lessons, his favorite pranks to pull and the best jokes to get someone to laugh. It was where she learned to never let funerals be filled with grief, to bring joy and laughter into it. She could tell that he liked her pranks. If someone really cared for you, no matter how annoyed they may pretend to be, you could always see the mirth in their eyes. The ghosts would also constantly be passing judgment on everyone she meets, and possibly worse, on her. Day in and day out, she dealt with the ghosts company and judgment. Only her grandfather was exempt from the judgements of ghosts, he also had that twinkle in his eyes whenever she saw him. Except at the end, his eyes were distant and foggy then. She remembered how her tutors tuted when she pulled a prank, saying that she would be the death of him. Maybe if she were gone, everyone would be happier. Except Zhongli, sometimes she thought she saw a glimmer in his eyes.

Her new consultant was strange, he had a suspicious knowledge on anything relating to Liyue, sometimes knowing things that were supposedly only in their Wangsheng ancenstoral library. She knew he wasn't normal, but she let it go. She told herself that it was because he was interesting and she wanted to know how he knew what he knew, but personally she knew that she would have reported him to the officials if not for the glimmer in his eye she occasionally saw. She knew that it was dangerous to trust someone as unknown as him, but she has started to trust him and seeks him out whenever she becomes too melancholic. Despite her dangerous tendencies and apparently her ability to trust strangers, she only had the best in mind for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. She respected the traditions, and (hopefully) wouldn't leave before securing its future. She keenly felt the crushing weight of her duties, and combined with her constant need to be upbeat despite her profession it left her feeling depressed and slightly mad at the world. Idly she wondered if anyone else felt like she did, but she pushed the thought away, she wasn't special, no doubt everyone had some kind of stress.

AHHHH this is supa late, but I wanted to get it out for Xiaos birthday. Ironically its not about Xiao, but about Hu Tao. Sorry if I missed any crucial piece of lore for Hu Tao, I might change it later. Next is gonna be something, maybe, probably back on track because I don't know how to write Morax. Review please because I don't actually know if anyone likes this.