Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball
Aether slowly drifted into consciousness and immediately wished that he hadn't. His body ached like he had gone ten rounds with a lawachurl. There was a weird taste in his mouth and he was fairly certain the mouthful of hair wasn't the cause. He tried spitting the hair out and immediately regretted it as a pounding headache made itself known.
What happened…?
He tried opening his eyes but quickly shut it again with a low groan. Sunlight filtered in through an open window and the light made his headache substantially worse.
"Make that ten rounds with my hands tied…" he mumbled through the hair. Aether tried to move his hands – oh. He couldn't feel them. But he certainly felt a body – warm and soft, pressed up against him. With a growing sense of panic, he pushed through the pain and opened his eyes to look downwards and –
Violet; a violet shock of hair with a whole lock firmly in his mouth. Had… had he been sucking on it in his sleep…?
Ignoring his headache, he quickly spat the hair out, the panic being slowly replaced with mounting horror as he realized he was topless. At least the other person wasn't but that mattered little to him at the moment; she was draped over him, her hands firmly around his chest and he could feel a wetness on his chest – she was drooling.
Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, slept without a care in the world, drooling all over his bare chest.
Aether opened his mouth, maybe to say something – anything, but no words came. What would he say? What could he even say in this situation?
Hey, I totally can't remember what happened last night but did we do it? A hysterical giggle escaped his mouth and he immediately froze as Keqing stirred.
"… grzz rpls snaww…" she mumbled and snuggled deeper.
Aether held his breath for what felt like forever but she didn't move again and her breathing was still even so he released his breath in a slow sigh, taking care to not disturb her.
Clarity was slowly returning despite his pounding headache and he gazed around the room. He didn't recognize the place but there was little to see; a throw rug, a chair, a table, and a rack for hanging clothes. A hotel room then?
Focus, Aether told himself. One thing at a time.
He tried moving his hands again but they didn't respond – his right arm was firmly wedged between the two of them. That was going to be a pain when blood flow returned, he idly noted.
He tried wiggling his left hand but all he managed was a little tug of the shoulders. Looking to the side, he noticed that he had slept with his hand folded under his head. No wonder he couldn't feel his arms, they were both numb. But what caught his attention was his hair – it had come undone sometime in the night, spilling all over the pillows but that mattered little to the simple fact that it now was a vibrant shade of green.
Aether paused, blinking. That was new. He blinked some more. Nope. Still green.
In a display of great mental fortitude, he willed himself to move on. He could have a mental breakdown later. For now, he assessed the situation again. His shirt was off and at least she was wearing hers, but what about below?
He tried wiggling his legs and with immense relief discovered that he was still wearing his pants. Thank the Archons for small mercies. While that certainly didn't dismiss anything had happened between them in their inebriated state, it really reduced the chances. Aether paused to take a slow deep breath. No funny smells either, he thought with relief.
All right then, he decided, time to fix this.
For starters, he tried to pull his legs away and –
Keqing shifted.
Aether froze. Their legs. Their legs were somehow intertwined. How? WHY?! Oh no. Ohnonono.
He could feel color flooding his face to the tips of ears as the whole crazy situation slowly sunk in. An attractive – very attractive, he would shamelessly admit- woman laid with him, practically embracing each other in their sleep and all Aether could hope for was to detangle himself before Aether Jr. woke up.
If anything had occurred, or could, Aether wanted it to mean something. Certainly not a tryst in drunken stupor where either parties could wake to regret and certainly not when he didn't remember any of it.
All right, maybe he could still preserve both their dignities. All he had to do was untangle himself from their unfortunate position and be presentable before waking her up and talking it out like the responsible adults they were.
He raised his gaze to his left hand. All he had to do was free it from above him. He lifted his head slightly and winced at the sudden sensation of pins and needles in his hand but he pushed past the discomfort and carefully moved his arm over and down. Down to where a pair of bleary amethyst eyes was slowly blinking awake. Oh dear.
Their eyes met and he managed a smile.
Abort! ABORT! He hadn't come up with a line! What should he say? I can explain? Explain what? Whatwhatwha
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Aether distantly heard himself say, "Sunshine says 'hello'."
The statement hung in the air for an eternity. Aether saw the exact moment realization dawned in her eyes. Her body tensed. Her eyes widened. She breathed in. Her lips parted.
She was gone in a violet flicker.
"-AAAAAHHHHH," he heard through the open window.
With a defeated sigh, Aether flopped back on the bed.
"Why," he asked the ceiling. But it simply hung there, cold and unfeeling. "Yeah. I thought so."
/-/
"So…" Aether began, "about last night."
"Nothing happened," Keqing said curtly.
"I mean, something did happen."
"Nothing," she hissed.
Aether raised both hands in a placating gesture. "Nothing at all, ma'am."
"Good."
The redness on her cheeks told a different story but he wisely chose to remain silent. Conversation lulled as they both tried to gather their thoughts.
By the time Aether had managed to wrangle his hands into being usable appendages, the headache had mostly subsided. Unable to find his shirt or any other apparel, he had commandeered a sheet from the hotel room and wrapped it around his upper torso. He only had time to tie his long –green!- hair into a messy bun before rushing out to find his unfortunate bedfellow.
It was still early in the morning, and he had found Keqing seated at a table nursing a cup of coffee under the open skies just below the Wangshu Inn. The staff was already awake and bustling about although Aether had yet to see any of the other guests so he simply joined her across the table.
They sat in awkward silence as the sun rose higher over the horizon, painting the world a brilliant shade of gold. A beautiful moment in any other scenario but all Aether wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die of embarrassment.
"I'm… certain," she said at length.
"Hm?"
"N-nothing happened," she continued, keeping her eyes firmly locked away from his general direction.
"Nothi- oh. Oh yeah, of course. That's good," Aether cleared his throat. "I mean, that's very good. I was worried for moment that we – not that I don't want it and you're very, um, attractive – see, the thing is I'm glad that we did nothing and all not to mention when I woke up I-" he cut himself off with a sigh. "I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry, sorry, it's just that…"
With a groan, he buried his face in his hands. Smooth, man. Real smooth.
"… Don't worry about it. Clearly, I was also a willing participant of… whatever happened last night. Chin up, Traveller. That look ill suits you."
Aether raised his head to look at her but she still refused to meet his gaze so he took the moment to observe her. She looked exhausted, and he could see traces of dark bags under her eyes. Her hair had been hastily pulled into a ponytail and the wrinkles on her clothes were quite prominent. But for all intents and purposes, she simply looked like she had pulled an all-nighter in the office, rather than look like having gone ten rounds with a lawachurl like him.
Diligent as ever, he mused. Still, he had to clear the air.
"… I guess. And… I just want you to know that," he paused to gather his thoughts, "if anything happened – and I'm not saying I want it to- but if anything happened between me and someone, I'd want our time together to be special. Something to remember and treasure. Not…" he gestured helplessly. "Not like this."
She hummed thoughtfully in reply and he thought he saw the edges of her mouth curl upwards but it might've been a trick of the light.
The sun was warm on his face, yes, that was certainly the reason why Aether could feel his face heating up. The golden light highlighting her as she sat across him had nothing to do with it. Not the way it lit up her hair. Not the way it traced the elegant curves of her features. Definitely not the reason why his heart skipped a beat. He was just tired. Tired.
"Are you ready to order, honored guests?"
"Holy-!" Aether jerked in surprise as a waiter seemingly materialized next to their table.
"Regretfully, we have nothing blessed by Rex Lapis in stock," the man said without missing a beat, "but I'm sure we can arrange a suitable substitute for your palate."
Trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, Aether leveled a finger at him, "Okay first of all, you're too cheerful for this hour. It's not fair. Second, you have tell me how you did that. Is it teleportation? It is righ-"
"Please don't mind my companion," Keqing interrupted and motioned to her cup with a smile. "Could I bother you with a refill?"
"Of course," he bowed. "And the gentleman?"
"… the gentleman," Aether groused, "would like a cup of water. Thanks." He added as an afterthought.
"Very well. I'll be back shortly."
Aether waited for the man to be out of earshot before leaning forward. "Did you see? He just appeared like –" he splayed his fingers. "I don't think that's normal. Seriously, there's something going with this inn. Did you see his smile? That was – eek!"
Aether definitely let out a manly shreik as the waited reappeared with a tray. He would defend that to his dying day.
"You were saying?" Keqing prompted with a smirk.
"… cheers, garcon."
They sat in companionable silence after that; Keqing taking slow sips while Aether took the time to arrange his jumbled thoughts. He was feeling considerably better too, the aches and small pains fading; perks of his unique physiology. The gentle clink of Keqing's cup was the only sound between them as they watched the sun begin its ascent above the skies of Teyvat.
It could've been a few minutes; it could've been an hour, before she placed her cup down with a content sigh. The sound roused Aether from his thoughts and he brought his attention back to the moment.
"Better?" he asked.
She hummed. "Much. I suppose we should get to the matter at hand."
"Where do we even start?"
"Well, what do you remember?"
"The Lantern Rite." Aether stroked his chin. "I just finished a commission…"
Aether stolled down the steps leading away from Bubu pharmacy. He had taken a last minute commission to deliver medicine to various clients around Liyue harbor and had checked in to confirm the delivery. The clerk at the desk had given him a hearty bonus as thanks and Aether could feel his pockets jingle merrily. He had been saving to splurge on this particular night of the Lantern Rite festival – maybe treat a few friends. The festive spirit was alive and he didn't want to miss out on this.
Evening was quickly approaching and he could see the lantern lights begin to glow. The crowd wasn't as heavy at the moment but he could see people begin to take to the streets. Hawkers and stall owners began opening up shop and the festive sounds slowly began to grow.
There was a buzz of excitement in the air, it was almost palpable. Aether grinned.
"All right! Let's make this a night to remember!" He pumped his fist and turned to-
"-PAIMON!" Aether shot to his feet, a look of horror on his face. "Where is she?! We gotta find her. Oh no. Ohnono-!"
"Traveler!" Keqing interjected. "Calm down. I understand your concern, but right now we need to calm down. Panic will do us no good."
"I… yeah," he jerked in place, before sitting down dejectedly. "Paimon. I can't believe she never crossed my mind."
"Yes, well, we had… other concerns on our minds this morning."
"I'll say."
"…I'd also like to apologize. It didn't occur to me to inquire about your small friend. Since you two were always joined at the hip, I assumed you already knew her whereabouts."
Aether gave a weak chuckle. "Normally I'd say that was the case. But these are unusual circumstances."
"Quite." She gave a faint smile and indicated at his hair. "I like the new look."
Aether recognized her attempt at levity. "Yeah?" he said with a laugh, "I think I'll call it Spring Sunrise. 'Green season for all reasons.'"
"Mm. Name could use a bit of work, though."
"It's subject to change," he sniffed, "I'll need to consult with my partner first. Speaking of…" he shook his head lightly. "Right, where was I? Okay, so…"
Aether turned to Paimon. "Where do you think we should start?"
"The food! The food!" Paimon excitedly gesticulated towards the rows and rows of footstalls. "I've been getting ready for this all day! Ooh~ my mouth is already watering! Paimon skipped lunch for this, y'know!"
Aether folded his arms with a wry smile. "Funny thing, that. I received a receipt from Xiangling while I was out delivering. Guess whose name was on the list for a takeout order not two hours ago?"
"Eh?" Paimon stumbled mid-air. "W-well, it certainly couldn't have been me. Ahaha. No, siree…"
"Entertaining as ever," their third member laughed.
"Yes, your bard friend. Venti, was it?"
"Venti," Aether nodded. "He's… he has his vices but he's a good guy and a good friend. So yeah-"
Venti had somehow caught wind of the Lantern Rite and, never one who would turn down an invitation to merrymaking, had tagged along. Aether certainly didn't mind – the more the merrier – and they had spent the last few days taking commissions together to fund their time at the festival.
"Tone-Deaf-Bard! Not helping here!" Paimon hissed.
"Maybe so~" Venti said in a singsong voice. "But I wasn't the one whose stomach was grumbling the whole day~"
"Urk. M-maybe I used my sheer willpower to stop my hunger. That could've happened. Right, Aether?"
"Paimon, please," he said, "we both know you only use your willpower to eat more than you can hold."
"It is a sight to behold," Venti nodded thoughtfully. "Paimon eating, that is."
Paimon gasped and reared back as if struck. "No way! Paimon isn't that bad! Tell him, Aether! Aether? Aether, why are you looking away? Ne, Aether, why do you look so sad? Aether!"
Venti laughed again.
"Ugh," Paimon faltered in her flight as she drooped lower, "betrayed by my own sidekick."
"There, there," Aether patted Paimon but she hastily shoved his hand away.
"Paimon doesn't want your sympathy! And it's not like we've ever seen Venti eat anything anyway," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "All he does in inhale alcohol."
"Umu," the bard in question nodded proudly.
"That wasn't a compliment!"
Aether shook his head helplessly. "Will you fine eating again so soon, Paimon? We could check out the food stalls later-"
"No way. It's food! Food all way!" Paimon quickly recovered her cheer. "I can already smell it. We've wasted enough time already. Let's go!"
With a flourish, she did a little twirl mid-air and charged headlong into the growing crowd.
"After that we checked out a few stalls. I remember eating… and then… we, ah…" Aether frowned. "That's weird; I'm drawing a big blank here. This has never happened before. I remember eating… but I can't remember what. I-do you think…?"
Keqing lightly shook her head. "There is no way anyone would've laced their food with anything. All the businesses are strictly scanned before they're allowed to set up shop. And they're all local too. There's no way they'll risk their careers like that."
"Oh," Aether deflated. "That's good for them. Bad for us cause I can't remember anything else right now."
"I think I can take over from here."
"What?"
"Missive from the Tianquan, ma'am," the girl repeated, holding out the folded slip of paper. "I was told to deliver it to you immediately."
Keqing took it. If it was directly from the Tianquan's office, then that meant something had gone wrong. The girl also mentioned the urgency and she certainly looked out of breath. A complication had arose then, one that required the immediate attention of the Yuheng and the secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion.
With building dread, she turned the paper over and opened the fold.
***Take the night off. You both have earned it.***
"…"
"Keqing? Is something the matter?" Ganyu looked over her shoulder to read the contents of the paper. "Oh."
Keqing read the missive over again, wishing that it was somehow wrong but the handwriting was familiar and the official seal of the Tianquan had been pressed just below the words. She couldn't deny it.
"… Are you sure this is correct?" Keqing asked the girl anyway.
The girl shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, ma'am. I was just told to deliver it you and the secretary."
"…I understand." Keqing held in a sigh. "Thank you for your service."
The girl nodded and ran off into the crowd. As soon as she was certain the girl was gone, she released the breath she'd been holding. "What is she thinking?! Now, of all times?" Keqing threw her hands in the air. "Ugh! That woman!"
Ganyu laughed nervously. "I'm sure she has her reasons."
"I'm not dressed for the occasion! I even had to cancel plans for tonight…!"
"M-maybe we can still continue with the inspections. Just… in an unofficial capacity. All we'd have to do is report to the Millelith if anything is out of place."
Keqing sighed again, running her fingers through her hair. "You're right. You're right. It's just… never mind. What would we do without you, miss secretary?"
"Now you're just teasing me."
Keqing laughed. "Perish the thought. So, what was next on the agenda?"
"We had to check on the liquor supply."
"The bars? Easy enough."
She crumpled the paper in her hand and applied a trace of electricity. The paper caught on fire and was nothing but ashes within seconds.
"… was that really necessary?'
"Ganyu, dear, when dealing with the Tianquan? Yes. Always yes."
Aether raised a questioning brow. "Your boss just gave you a free night. Shouldn't you be happy? Glad, maybe?"
"That normally would be the case, yes, if I had received the notice prior to canceling my plans with my friends for the night. I'm sure you can understand that I was… slightly peeved."
"But you guys decided to continue with the inspections anyway?"
"Quite. The Millelith, stretched thin as they were, needed all the help they could get. We laid regulations for the proper functioning of the festival and it was up to us to ensure that the contract remained intact."
"Regardless of if you were on duty or not?"
"Wouldn't you do the same?"
"Got me there."
"Mm, which was why we were visiting the bars around the docks. And imagine our surprise when we ran into you…"
"Keqing! Ganyu! Over here!"
They turned to see the Traveller waving at them, a wide grin –manic, even- on his face. He was sat at a table in the far corner, a small pile of empty mugs lying haphazardly around. There was another person with him, dressed in green and white, who was apparently trying to swallow the mug in their hands, if the way their head was thrown back was any indication.
"Aether?" Ganyu blurted in surprise.
Keqing narrowed her eyes as she noticed the mug in his hands. She turned to the bartender and asked, "How many has he had?"
"Just the one," the bartender grunted.
"It's still full."
The bartender grunted again.
"And the empty mugs?"
"The green one."
"Keqing! Ganyu! Join us! Sit, sit." Aether patted the chair next to him.
She glanced at the adeptus; Ganyu had a concerned look on her face with one hand held over her chest, clearly worried about the Traveller. So with a sigh, she ushered her companion over. "C'mon. Might as well accept the invite."
"Man, are you a sight for sore eyes!" Aether grinned as they approached. "All I gots are –hic- this dead man," he gestured to the boy in green who was busy chugging down the contents of another mug, "a-and, and this thing over here."
'This thing over here' was laid out flat on her back, eagle spread on the table, groaning every now and then with a pinched look on her face. Clearly, Paimon had seen better days.
"Traveller, are you alright?" Ganyu took the offered seat beside him, sitting sideways to face the Traveller. "You seem…"
"Never been better now that you're here," he waved her concern off. "You're looking very pretty tonight, by the way. I mean, you look very pretty all the time. You're just looking prettier tonight. Have I ever mentioned that you're pretty? You're very pretty."
Ganyu squeaked, her face instantly lighting up. Even in the dim lighting of the bar, Keqing could see the adeptus' face turn red to the tip of her ears. She had never been one who could receive compliments well and coming from the Traveller who was being very brazen, well…
"T-thank you, but, um, that is to say-" Ganyu stuttered and glanced helplessly at her.
Keqing decided to come to her friend's rescue. "Traveller, you're certainly forward tonight. Is there something you want to tell her?" Ganyu shot her a betrayed look but she pretended not to see it. Okay, maybe watching her squirm for a while longer wasn't so bad.
"Nah, I'm just telling it like I see it!" Aether hiccupped again and threw and arm around the half-qilin. "See? Purty. Very purty. Like-like a very purty flower."
"I did not say that." Aether said flatly, arms crossed. "I definitely did not do that."
Keqing simply shrugged.
"I said that. I can't believe I said that. What was I even thinking." He buried his face in his hands. "I wanna die…"
"On the contrary, I think she appreciated it."
"Eh?"
She smiled at his befuddled look. "Moving on…"
"Heyo," said Venti, pausing long enough to take a breath before returning to chug at the drinks again.
"He's certainly enthustiastic," Ganyu said haltingly. "But… is Paimon okay?"
"Paimon is dying," Paimon groaned. "Paimon is gonna die."
"And what a tragedy that would be," Aether rolled his eyes, pulling his arm back from around Ganyu. Keqing was surprised the half-qilin was still upright. Poor girl seemed ready collapse from all the blood rushing to her face. "We just took the –hic- medicine. Give it a while, Paimon. We'll be back to the streets again in no time."
"Medicine?" Keqing asked.
"Yeah, from Bubububu. Bu. I had to deliver some medicine. It's supposed to help with -hic-"
"Digestion, I'm familiar. It happens at every festival. Although I'm surprised you'd take it," she frowned. "I'd assume you know your limits well enough."
Aether snorted and jabbed a thumb at the dying Paimon. "Oh believe me; I know it all too well. This missy, on the other hand, refused to take it. Said it was suspicious or something.–hic- Had to take it with her to convince her. Honestly, you're such a child sometimes."
Aether poked Paimon on her side and she moaned piteously in reply.
"We're just taking a break here," he continued. "Also, Venti was thirsty. But Venti is always thirsty."
Venti made a noise of approval from behind his mug.
"Lucky for me though, I got to meet two beautiful ladies. Eh?" Aether waggled his brows. "A fairwind, as they say. Eh? –hic- Eh?"
Keqing raised an unimpressed brow while Ganyu coughed awkwardly.
"No? Nothing? Though crowd tonight."
Keqing decided it was a good time to stop there as Aether looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. That or fuse with the table and chair and fall through the floor. Or all three simultaneously.
" … I wanna die," he groaned.
"Not before finding your friend," she teased. "Then you have my permission to die."
"How very generous of you, princess."
"I am, aren't I? Your conduct however, leaves much to be desired."
"Ugh, don't remind me. Why?! I can't believe I acted that way," he repeated for the hundredth time. "What would Lumine say? She would kill me."
"Lumine," Keqing rolled the name on her tongue. "Your sister?"
"Yeah," Aether said fondly. "She'd never allow me to…" he trailed off, a far look in his eyes.
Keqing wisely decided not to continue that train of thought so she changed subject. "You were acting off last night. Ganyu wanted to stay but her sense of duty is next to none so she had to leave. I assured her I would at least chaperone you."
The half adeptus' name snapped him back to present. "Ah, I really worried her didn't I? I should apologize to her. Uh, later. And thanks, for staying with m – Us. Staying with us."
She caught his slip but ignored it, smiling bitterly. "Fat load of help that did us."
"What happened then?"
"I can't remember either. I had a couple of drinks and then…" she shrugged.
"We'll have to go back there then. Back to the Harbor. Maybe ask around. Can't leave Paimon alone. Or Venti. Who knows what they'll be up to." Aether shuddered. "So I think Verr Goldett should be at the desk by now. Let's start there."
There was a story in there somewhere but Keqing decided not to pursue for now. She rose from her seat and followed him as they made their way to the elevator.
"Maybe get some answers for this," he mumbled as they walked, inspecting a strand of his vibrant green hair.
"You should keep it," she smirked. "It lends a certain, ah, how do I put this, je ne se quoi to your looks."
He regarded her with a flat look. "And since when did you start speaking Fontaine?"
"Why, Traveller, you don't expect a lady to reveal all her secrets, do you?"
He snorted. "I'll tell you when I see one."
She faux gasped, holding a hand over her heart. "How scandalous. You would imply that I'm anything but a lady?"
"I've seen what you can do with a hairpin, princess."
They traded barbs back and forth as they made their way to the front desk but there was no real heat to them. It was fun to simply unwind with a person who wasn't from Liyue; someone who didn't regard her as just the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing; someone with whom she didn't have to watch her words or to consider their station, either due to her work or her birthright. Sure, she had her friends but they were still a part of the Liyue collective. Aether was an outsider so he really didn't have any political affiliations. Keqing had missed this. It was nice.
All too soon, they arrived at the lobby and Verr Goldett regarded them with a polite smile.
"Ah, Traveller," she greeted. "Miss Keqing."
"Hey," said Aether, leaning an elbow on the counter. He gestured to the sheets wrapped around his torso. "Sorry bout this. I really couldn't find my shirt and I wasn't keen on flashing the… ahem, other guests."
"I think we can find you a shirt."
"Oh yeah, thanks. You wouldn't believe how breezy this is."
"You've helped the inn on multiple occasions. Think nothing of it. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Yes, actually," Keqing said. "I'd like to inquire on the circumstances of how we, um, arrived here. If you could recall it for us…?"
"We can't exactly remember, you see," Aether explained, rubbing the back of his head with a bashful smile, "Honestly, I think we were too drunk. Sorry if we threw up anywhere," he added. Keqing quickly elbowed him.
Tears of pain pooled in his eyes but he held his smile. Those were some sharp elbows.
"Last night? Certainly. Let' see…" Verr crossed her arms and assumed a thinking pose, tapping a finger on her lips. "If I recall correctly, a… certain gentleman brought you two in. You were both terribly out of sorts, could barely walk; he had to practically drag you in. He requested a room to house you both for the night but didn't specify further. I offered help but he assured me he'd manage himself so I handed him the key to the room and… well, he left soon after."
"A certain gentleman?" Keqing wondered. "Did he leave a name?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Ah!" Aether snapped his fingers. "Was it…?"
Verr tilted her head slightly forwards but gave no other reply.
"A friend of yours?" Keqing asked curiously. "Could it have been Venti?"
"Ah, no. Definitely not Venti," Aether chuckled sheepishly. "Nevermind, I thought it was… Hm. Did he mention where we was going?"
"Unfortunately not," Verr shook her head.
"Um, did you see Paimon with me last night?"
"Paimon? No, I don't think I saw her at all." Then Verr gasped, raising a hand to cover her mouth. "Oh dear, did something happen? Is she all right?"
"No, no, nothing of that sort," Aether waved his hands hastily. "We just… kinda misplaced her. Ha ha."
"That's not better," Keqing said with a sigh, before turning to Verr. "Yes, we can't remember what happened last night and Paimon is missing. We hoped to get some information here but it seems we'll have to retrace our steps further."
"I'm really sorry I can't help more," said Verr with a worried frown. "If anything comes up again, I'll be sure to inform you but right now –"
"Don't worry about it," Aether interrupted good-naturedly. "We'll figure it out. I'm sure she's fine."
"I do hope so."
"One last thing," he pointed to his head. "Was this green when we came in?"
"Yes, in fact. It was certainly shocking at first glance," she hid a smile behind her hand. "I'm assuming it wasn't voluntarily, then?"
"Oh I'm sure it was voluntary," Keqing said dryly.
"Done by a different me," Aether defended. "We'll call him mini-me. Mini-me did this to me. Vengeance will me mine."
"Mini-me?"
"Yeah, y'know, cause he only came out last night. It was a very short life."
"Ah, and what a life it was. Here we are, still picking up the pieces."
"Eh. He burned bright and fast." Aether shrugged and turned to Verr who had been watching their exchange with a bemused expression. "We should probably be on our way. Can I bother you about that shirt?"
"Oh, certainly," she said promptly. "Let me just call my husband over…"
/-/
It wasn't long before they were on the road, heading for Liyue Harbor. Aether had exchanged his toga made of sheets for a plain shirt and they both had taken a short break to freshen up before they had taken off. It was going to be a direct trip, straight into Liyue Harbor and to the bar. They needed to retrace their steps and had decided to start where they had met. It would be easier that way.
They set off at a brisk pace and made good time, being the seasoned adventurers that they were. As they walked, Aether glanced at the position of the sun and made a mental note of the time. They would be in Liyue Harbor by late morning, he reckoned. Paimon should be fine. She could handle herself in a fight and out in the wilds. Nothing short of an Archon could keep her down.
Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, he turned to his companion. "Remember anything else?" he tried.
Keqing shook her head. "Just flashes of memories that don't make sense. I'd need something to jog them, I think. You?"
"Same here. Vague feelings that I know I should remember but I can't. It's kinda frustrating. I think we visited wuwang hill sometime in the night."
"Now that you mention it…" She instinctively shivered, pulling her arms closer to her body. "I have a feeling we did. This is getting us nowhere."
He strode forward with a quick burst of speed and turned around to face her, walking backwards. "We've got the best mind in Teyvat and his assistant working this case," he grinned, "It's gonna be solved by afternoon, easy."
Her eyes flickered down, and then up again. She matched his grin, "Assistant, you say? You do fit the bill."
"Hah, I'll have you know thaaaaa-!" Aether cut himself off with a cry as he tripped over a jutting rock and tumbled over on the road. He landed flat on his back with a heavy thud. "… ow."
"You were saying?" she leaned over his prone form, still smiling.
"I'll have you know that," he said, flat on the ground and with as much dignity he could muster, "I know you know I know you saw that rock coming."
"Clever. Up at em, Traveller," she laughed, holding out a hand, "we still have ways to go before you sleep."
/-/
"The Three Legged Sailor," Aether squinted at the sign above the entrance to the bar. "I can't tell if it's supposed to be a bad innuendo or something to do with their sea legs after a few drinks."
As expected, it was late morning by the time they entered Liyue Harbor and made their way to the docks. It had been a simple matter to just walk around until they had recognized the place. The streets were mostly empty too with a few workers milling about, cleaning up the streets. If nothing else, the people of Liyue were proud of their efficiency.
"Probably both," Keqing stated. She walked past him and pushed the door open. "Or most likely the former. If it matches both, it's just a happy coincidence. Ugh, men and their fragile egos..." She glanced over her shoulder. "You coming?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah." Aether hurriedly followed her into the dimly lit bar. "Right behind you… princess."
"And stop calling me that."
"Whatever you say, princess."
"I can see your grin."
"So you can, princess."
"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"
"I have no idea what you mean, princess."
"Bold words for someone within striking distance."
"Bold of you to come here after what happened last night," a deep voice stated.
Aether and Keqing halted on their entry to see a man stepping out from behind the counter. He was a portly man with a balding head and a clean shaven face, wearing an apron with a rag tossed over his shoulder. At the moment, he also wore a scowl on his face as he regarded the two new entries into the bar.
"The sign outside says closed," the man grunted.
"Yes, I do apologize for the entry," Keqing said, "but this is really a matter of urgency."
"Our friend is missing," Aether said. "We were hoping you could-"
"No!" the man gasped, who Aether recognized as the bartender from the night before. "Missing? Yer bard friend is gone?!"
"Venti's fine. Probably. I think," said Aether. "I'm here about my other friend, Paimon. The small one."
"Ah," he said, seemingly losing interest. He turned and grabbed a cup from the counter and started polishing it. "Yer little flying friend? I won't be of much help."
Aether and Keqing shared a look. At least the man recognized them. They were off to a good start.
"Look," Keqing stepped forward, "we'd appreciate whatever you can tell us."
"Hm?" the bartender picked up another mug and continued polishing. "What can I say? There's nothing to say. Ya were customers at this my fine place and then left. Mm, last night was a good night. Ya tell your bard friend to come back anytime."
"I'll be sure to pass on the message," said Aether, "but right now, could you maybe tell us what you can about what we did here? Our memories are kinda off right now."
The bartender eyed Aether for a moment and then guffawed. "Boy, ya can't hold your liquor for shit! I'm surprised ya even had to guts to walk in here again. Can't remember, eh? No surprise there. All righty, I'll tell ya all about it…"
"Come on!" Venti was saying. "Just a few drinks won't hurt. It'll be fun! Just unwind and relax!"
Ganyu smiled apologetically and declined. "I'm really sorry but I can't have alcohol tonight. It's… it's a matter of principle. Sorry."
"Aw. What about you, miss?" he swiveled in his seat to focus on Keqing, mug in hand and sloshing the contents about. "Just one. You know you want it~"
"Maybe another time," she leaned back, wrinkling her nose. "You're certainly in your cups. Maybe you should pace yourself-"
"Oh pish posh!" Aether loudly interjected. "This bad boy can hold alcohol like nobody. –hic- Rum, ale, wine –you name it, he's got it!"
"Yeah!" cheered the bad boy and offered a high five. "Put it there!"
"Woo!" Aether tried to respond but missed the hand completely and ended up awkwardly slapping their elbows together, not that either seemed to mind. "Awesome sauce!"
"Oh dear…" said Ganyu.
"Maybe you -hic-," the Traveller leaned forward conspiratorially, "maybe you scared of a little drink? Princess?"
"Oh please," Keqing scoffed. "Now you're not making any sense."
"Scaredy scared~" he sang, rocking back and forth on his seat. "Oh the times were good but the cat was scared~"
"Leave her Aether, leave her~" Venti joined.
Keqing narrowed her eyes dangerously at the duo.
"I guess it's time for us to go~" Aether continued.
"And it's time for us to leave heeeeer~"
"She would not stay and she would not drink~"
"Leave her, Aether, lea-"
"Oh, for-!" she snapped, throwing her arms up. "Fine, I'll take that drink if it gets you to shut up."
"That's the spirit!" the bard cheered and motioned to the counter. "Bartender! Another round for this table! We're going all night!"
The patrons in the nearby tables joined in the cheering. Aether turned to his friend with a grin. Too easy, he mouthed and Venti smirked in reply. The bard received four mugs of ale from the waitress who passed by. Their little exchange was lost on the girls as the Archon placed a mug in front of Keqing, taking three for himself.
"Enjoy," he said and then returned to attempting to drown on dry land.
"Paimon, you did remember to pick them, right?" Aether asked. She groaned and rolled over, mumbling something. Her reply was lost to din of the pub but Aether started rummaging his pockets. "All right, must be – hic- in there somewhere."
Ganyu didn't see it but suddenly the Traveller pulled out a bunch of fresh qingxin flowers from… somewhere, and handed them to her, much to her surprise.
"Tadaa. Purty flowers for the purty lady." He winked.
Her face flushed but she accepted them anyway with a grateful smile. The evening progressed as the alcohol flowed and the group grew more rowdy. After a while, Aether started telling stories of his adventure, regaling tales to the slowly growing crowd around their table.
"She cleared out a hilichurl camp with-"
"A hairpin, yes, I've heard the stories," Ganyu said.
"-a hairpin. A hairpin!" The crowd gasped. Aether slammed his mug down for emphasis, rattling the table and earning a dirty look from the bartender. "Who can do that?!"
She eyed the mug with concern. It was his first cup and he hadn't even taken a sip. Was he getting high on the fumes? She turned to her friend but Keqing was of no help, already on her fourth round. Oh dear. She nibbled worriedly on a qingxin petal.
"Oh please," Keqing slurred, her face pink, "it was nothing. Anyone with a Vision and half a brain could've done it."
Aether was acting weird.
"Samachurls! –hic- a few mitachurls too!" The crowd ooh'd and aah'd. "Girl, you is wild!"
Ganyu worriedly chomped down on a whole flower. Aether was really acting weird.
"Aether, I think you've had enough," she tried. "Maybe we should leave…?"
"Don't worry about it, the night's still–hic- young!" Aether declared dramatically, waving his mug about. "Let's just have some fun! Cheers!"
He threw his head back and gulped down the whole content in one go then slammed the mug on the table again to the cheers of the people in the tables nearby. Aether burped and stood, grinning. "Another one!"
Then his eyes rolled back and he promptly collapsed.
"Aether!"
"Aet-Traveller!"
Ganyu rushed to his side, cradling his head in her hands. "Aether! Are you alright? Dear heavens, what happened?!"
Keqing clumsily tried to get up from her seat and tripped over her own feet, landing on Ganyu in a tangled mass of bodies. "Oof!"
"Wha-what?" Paimon sat up groggily on the table only to see the commotion. She quickly rose to her feet and zoomed over, adding to the mess of limbs. "AETHER! NO! You're too young to die! Don't leave Paimon with the tab!"
Venti – the good friend that he was – simply laughed and reached for another drink.
The bartender let out a belly rolling laugh. "Ya was knocked out by a single drink, boy!"
Aether hunched his shoulders and stood with his hands in his pockets. And he was definitely not sulking, thank you very much!
"There, there," Keqing patted his back, a faraway look in her eyes. "Happens to best of us."
"You weren't any better." He shot her a dirty look.
"Aye," said the bartender, wiping tears from his eyes, "good on ya, boy. Anyway, the young missus wanted some smelling salts but we got here none so yer lot settled the tab and left. Yer bard friend too, sadly. That's the last I saw ya."
"Um, did we mention where we were going?" Aether asked hopefully.
"Hm…" the man stroked his chin, "the Wanmin place? Yer small friend mentioned that place. But that's all I remember."
"A-alright then," Keqing said diplomatically. "Thank you for your help."
The bartender grunted and pointed at the door with his chin. "Now get yer ass out. I got work to do."
They quickly left the Three Legged Sailor with mortified expressions on their faces.
"That… that couldn't have happened, could it?" Aether asked as they stepped out onto the streets.
"Far as I can tell, he was telling the truth," Keqing shrugged, feigning indifference. "What did he have to gain by lying?"
He could see the bright blush lighting her face on fire but wisely decided not to comment on it. Time and place, people. Instead, he said, "Okay then. Let's head to Wanmin. I'm sure Xiangling will know something…"
/-/
"Aether!" the bubbly girl waved excitedly. "Back again? How nice to see you! Miss Keqing too!"
"Hey, Xiangling," said Aether. He and Keqing both propped themselves on the stools by the counter at Wanmin. "How's business?"
"Ah, you won't believe it, really great! Are you ready to order?" She glanced around. "Hey, wait a minute. Where's Paimon?"
"We're here about that, actually. Paimon, I mean. Not the food."
"Why? Is Paimon in trouble? Did she run off without paying the bills again? Cause I'm not lending you any mora."
"Lending mora?" Keqing arched a brow at Aether.
"Not me," he said hurriedly. "It was Paimon that one time. C'mon Xiangling, don't do me dirty like this."
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry," the chef said. "So, what's this about Paimon?"
"She's-"
"One Jueyun Chilli Chicken, please!" a voice interrupted from one of the customers.
"Coming right up," she called back. "Just a sec. I'll be right back."
Aether and Keqing watched as she skipped to the back to prepare the order. The Yuheng turned to the Traveller during the lull in conversation.
"Paimon ran off without paying?" she asked.
"… please don't tell the Millelith."
"Tempting but no. If the Millelith handled every small case like this, they'd never get anything done. They're not the Knights of Favonius, you know. I'm just curious, what happened?"
"The honorary knight in me is offended at what you just implied and I'm obligated to defend their honor."
Keqing silently arched a brow in challenge.
"Buuuut I'll take the high road and be the bigger man," he cleared his throat. "Back to Paimon. We'd just gotten back from a week's journey to Dragonspine and she was in one of her episodes. Y'know, the kind where she transforms into a black hole and sucks everything edible thing in. I needed to report to the guild so Xiangling volunteered to take Paimon out. She was also tired from the jouney so she couldn't just take over a kitchen and create one of her monstrous recipes to feed the other monster-"
"-and I'm back," Xiangling skipped to a stop in front of them. "What did I miss?"
"-as I was saying, Paimon is missing," he finished.
"Nice save," Keqing murmured under her breath.
"No!" Xiangling gasped. "But I just saw her with you yesterday!"
"Sometime after that," he said. "Like I was saying, we're here about that. I was smashed out of my mind - well, I think the whole group was. Completely wasted, you know? Blackout. And… I was hoping you could help us by telling us what we did when we came over to your… place?"
Aether's voice progressively got higher as he continued, ending with a squeak as Xiangling's face grew more and more severe with every word. Keqing marveled at the way he wilted under the young chef's glare, squirming in his seat. Ah, if only she had a kamera to capture the moment.
"Diona would be very sad if she heard this," the cooking prodigy said coldly. "I thought you were acting weird last night but you didn't really explain so I was giving you the benefit of the doubt but…"
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"… and to go so far as to literally lose a friend."
He hung his head in shame. Keqing decided to come to his rescue.
"Now hold on, he didn't-" she began.
"And you!" the girl leveled her ladle right in front of Keqing's face, making her go cross-eyed as she looked at it. "I'm holding you responsible too! After what you said last night, I thought you would look after them!"
"But I-"
"No buts!"
"Now listen here-"
"You listen here! Reflect on your actions!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"… Good! I can't believe this. When you came over yesterday…"
"Hey, Xiangling!"
"Paimon!" Hearing the voice, Xiangling smiled and looked up from the cooking stove. "How are yooou?!"
Seeing Aether unconscious and being princess-carried over to the restaurant made her voice pitch several octaves higher in alarm. She immediately dropped her utensils and rushed over to the front of the shop. Thankfully, there were no other customers at the moment so she could easily focus on the matter at hand.
"What happened?!" she cried.
Ganyu, carrying the Traveller, gently sat him down on one of the stools, leaning him over on the counter. "Something he ate didn't agree with him."
"That's putting it lightly," Keqing muttered, swaying on her feet.
"Do you have some smelling salts?" Ganyu continued.
"Of course! Just a moment!" Xiangling rushed over to the back of the restaurant and began rummaging through the various ingredients stored there. "I'll need this… and that…"
While she was tinkering around, the two Liyue officials broke off from the group and took a step back, watching as Paimon fussed over the Traveller while Venti happily looked through the menu.
"I need to report this," Ganyu said.
"That's not a very good idea," Keqing winced, "with how volatile things are right now, especially with the Rite of Parting so fresh in people's mind. They need this. You'll need to be discreet about it or else there'll be a commotion and that's the last thing the Millelith – or the people- need right now."
Ganyu hummed thoughtfully.
"Tone-Deaf-Bard! Paimon needs you to be more concerned about the situation!" Paimon was shouting. "Stop looking through that!"
"Ehe, sorry Paimon." Venti pointed at something on the menu. "But this thing looks really good right?"
"Paimon will not be distracted by- oh. Oh that sounds really tasty- NO! Stop trying to distract me!"
"I'm feeling better now, too," Keqing continued. "Definitely. Sorry about my lapse in judgment earlier. I guess I just… needed an outlet to vent and drinking seemed like a good choice at the time."
"You need to trust the Tianquan more," Ganyu said plainly.
"I know."
"I know you don't agree with the way she handles things most of the time but she's got the best interest of Liyue and her people at heart."
"I know."
"I trust that you can handle things here, then?"
"I kn- yes. I mean yes."
Ganyu eyed her friend worriedly but she waved it off.
"I'll walk it off," Keqing assured her. "Just give me some time."
"All right then… I'll be off."
"You won't wait for him to wake?"
"I trust you. Besides, the earlier this is done, the better."
Xiangling arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the exchange and she looked on with curious eyes but declined to say anything. Ganyu briefly said her goodbyes and left, making her way back to the docks.
"Alright, I've got the smelling salts! Let's just put it near his nose and Aether will be right as rain."
Keqing had a mortified look on her face. She was beginning to see a pattern there but she currently had bigger issues at hand. Like trust. I trust you, Ganyu had said. That was lot of trust from her friend wasted. She really needed to fix this situation if she ever wanted to look her friend in the eye again.
"So… you were sober again at this point?" Aether asked, breaking her out of reverie.
"Hm? Oh, yeah," she said. "Now that you mentioned it..."
They placed the smelling salt under his nose and waited with baited breath. His nose twitched. Once. Twice. Then his eyes fluttered open.
"Yay!" Paimon cheered, pumping her fists. "Aether! You're alive!"
"Paimon? What happened? Did I die again?" He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "I feel like…"
"Take it easy, Traveller," Keqing placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He opened his bleary eyes and they landed right on her. "An angel…" he breathed. "I'm dead, aren't I?
"Excuse me?"
"Venti!" he suddenly lunged for the bard, wrapping his hands around him, "Don't let 'er take me! I dun wanna go! Go away, you angel. Come back later, shoo! I've got the power of Archon and anemo on my side."
Venti laughed sheepishly, prying the Traveler's hands off from around his neck. "I'll try my best. How about we order something to eat first? C'mon, miss angel. Take a seat."
Though the Traveler was awake, he was still far from back to normal. Keqing sat with the group, watching as they crowded over the menu, hotly debating on what to order. She needed to keep an eye on the Traveler. It didn't take genius to figure out that he was under the influence but as far as she was aware, it had happened before he had even began drinking. What on Teyvat really happened to Aether, she wondered.
"-now this. This really sounds good," Paimon declared.
"Paimon no. Bad Paimon," Aether quickly shot her down.
"I suggest we put it to a vote, then" said Venti. "All in favor?"
Paimon and Venti raised their hands while Aether crossed his with a huff. Then in unison they turned to her.
"Anything is fine," she said.
"Then by majority, I win!" Paimon high-fived Venti. "Xiangling! We'd like to order the 'Most Marvelous Multi-Colored Super Pancake!"
"Wait, what-!"
"Ah!" the chef clapped her hands excitedly. "My masterpiece! You guys are the first to order it! Don't worry, you'll love it!"
Aether turned to Keqing with teary eyes and wobbling lips. "L-look at what you've done."
"I… who knows, it might actually be good?" she offered.
Xiangling was already prepping the ingredients and describing the eclectic choices, while Paimon and Venti made appreciative noises. "-the yellow sunfrog meat brings out the flavor of the bright red squirrel ham and if you add the green calla lily they clash in a wonderful explosion of taste that-"
"… Can I take back my vote?"
"You just don't know how to appreciate good food," Xiangling sniffed, hands on her hips. "Anyways, does that help, Aether?"
Aether slowly shook his head. "Sorry but it really doesn't ring any bells."
"Aw. Well, I remember you ate it. You said you liked it, by the way, so no take-backsies!"
"Did… were we acting any different?"
"Not really. Like I said, I thought you were a bit energetic but other than that," she shrugged helplessly.
"Uh, okay then when we left, there were four of us, right?"
"Four…? Um, it was Aether, Paimon, Venti and miss Keqing. Yep, that's right."
"So Ganyu left? Did she come back?"
Keqing shook her head. "No, I don't think we met her again."
Aether stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So Paimon and Venti were with us till this moment, at least, which means we parted ways sometime after. I think it would've been after the tribute to Skybracer. Paimon was really excited to see the giant xiao lantern so we would've waited for it. Keqing?"
"I think we left for the docks after we had dinner here, but… ugh." Keqing shook her head in frustration. "It's like this big chunk of my memory is missing. I can remember bits and pieces but if you ask me to retrace our steps in its entirety…"
"I'd love to help," said Xiangling apologetically, "But-"
"Miss! I'd like to order!" a voice called as new faces entered the restaurant.
"Be right there," she answered then gave Aether another apologetic look.
"Go on," he said with a smile. "We'll manage. Thanks for the help."
"Good luck," she waved over her shoulders, rushing off to serve the other customers. "Come back when you find her. I'll make something special!"
"Will do," Aether called back then turned to Keqing. "Shall we?"
So they set off again to the docks.
/-/
Or they would've if they hadn't immediately bumped into Xinyan just as they were leaving Wanmin.
"Aether," she smiled, "Hey! Good mornin'. You here for lunch too?"
"Actually, not really," he said. "We have some work to take care of first. What bout you?'
"I woke up just now," she said sheepishly, "and thought I'd grab a bite to eat. Hey, thanks for stopping by last night. Sorry I couldn't stop to say hello but hearing you cheering me on like that," she scratched the back of her head with a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks, "it really means a lot. So thanks, again."
Aether briefly shared a look with Keqing and she subtly shook her head. She couldn't remember either. Well this was going to be awkward.
"Oh yeah, for sure," he said instead and he could feel himself dying with every lie, "it's the least we could do. You really killed it up there."
"You think so? Aw thanks, man." She laughed embarrassedly. "Yeah, I practiced really hard for it so I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Oh god. Oh god the guilt. Archons strike him down, he couldn't-!
"… Actually, I have to admit something," he said, nearly in tears. "I do-"
"What he means is that I wasn't really a fan before but I am very much now," Keqing interrupted with a smile. She also elbowed him for good measure. "Your performance was exemplary, miss. Color me impressed."
"Why," he wheezed, cradling his ribs.
"Aw, you're embarrassing me now," Xinyan said, missing their little exchange.
"I'm curious, though," Keqing continued. "How do you do it? I couldn't imagine myself performing in front of a crowd like that. How was it like?"
"Aw, shucks, ma'am. You're too kind. It wasn't really that big a crowd."
"No, no, don't sell yourself short. It really was a good show. Do tell."
"Well…"
The music. The lights. The crowd. This was what she lived for. She called on her Vision and the flames responded, snaking around her and lighting up in sparks and miniscule explosions to complement her own music. She closed her eyes; could feel the heat, she could hear the cheers and most of all, she could feel the rhythm of the music– it was pumping in her blood. She lost herself in a trance as she shredded riff after riff on her guitar.
"WOOOOOO," a voice was screaming. "XINYAN XINYAN!"
Soon the crowd started chanting her name as well. This was it. This was the moment she lived for. Her vision glowed bright and her fingers moved with renewed vigor, dancing across the neck of her guitar, strumming the strings like never before.
"XINYAN! WE LOVE YOU! WOOOOO!"
"THAT'S MY FRIEND! THAT'S MY FRIEND RIGHT THERE! YOU GO, GIIIIIIRL!"
And she ended the song with a bang, fireworks from her Vision going off around her. Breathless, she opened her eyes as she gazed at the crowd. They were cheering, hooting and hollering. A wide grin played on her face as she searched the crowd – there.
Aether and Paimon were shouting something, waiving their hands wildly about, but it was lost to the din of the crowd. Thank you, she mouthed to them. They threw air kisses back at her and she laughed. This was shaping up to be one of the best nights of her life.
"Thank you so much, ya'll! Luv you all. This next song is…"
"-once it's just you and the music," Xinyan shrugged, her face flushed. "Y'know?"
No, Aether didn't know but he nodded all the same. "Sounds like you really had a good time. I know how much your music means to you so I'm glad things worked out. Sorry we couldn't stay until the end, though. We kinda had other plans…"
"Oh, no, no! That's okay," she said, waving her arms, "it'll be too selfish of me if I asked you to stay. I'm just happy you stopped by."
"… yeah, me too…" he said. "Oh, by the way, this is Keqing. Keqing, Xinyan. We hang out sometimes. You know, take a few commissions together and all that."
"Nice to meetcha," Xinyan said with a grin. "I saw you with Aether and Paimon too. Where is she, anyway?"
"About that," Keqing began.
"Wait a minute," the rock star smacked a fist on her palm, "You're the Yuheng! Uh, ma'am. Are you guys on official business? Oh damn, is this about the Golden House?"
"… the Golden House?"
"Yeah, those goons that tried to break in."
"Last night?" Aether asked, confused. "This is the first I've heard of it."
"I just saw those flyers on my way here too," Xinyan said, shaking her head. "Can you imagine? Trying to break in on the night of the Lantern Rite. Some people just got no sense."
"That is very concerning," Keqing frowned. "They've already put up flyers?"
"Yep, with sketches of their faces and everything. Now that I think about it, the two of you look… nah," Xinyan chuckled. "Nevermind, I don't even know what I was thinking. Anyways, I gotta go. I'm actually starving."
"We also need to get moving, actually," Aether said and held out a fist. "See you later."
She bumped her fist with his and smirked. "I like what you did with your hair, by the way. New look?"
"Something like that."
"Alright then, later," with a final farewell, Xinyan strode past and made her way to Wanmin restaurant at a brisk pace. There was a bounce to her steps, and she was humming a tune. Aether and Keqing watched her go.
"You really think we shouldn't have told her?" he asked.
"It's for the best," she said. "Let her have this."
"And if Xiangling tells her?"
"… they're friends?"
"Good friends."
"…"
"…"
"Good luck, Traveler."
"Hey, don't pin this only on me!"
"I'm actually concerned about the attempted break-in at the Golden House."
"Don't change the subject!"
/-/
"'Wanted'," Aether read aloud as he squinted at the notice. "'Any information that leads to the capture of these two individuals will be rewarded'. Let's see here… 'Two women tried breaking into the Golden House…' blah, blah 'midnight,' blah 'Millelith presense' blah."
They had decided to take a detour to the Millelith headquarters. Keqing had wanted to take a look at the notice regarding the attempted break-in and had dragged him along. He had initially protested but she pointed out that they had no further leads regarding Paimon and that a short break would be good so he grudgingly admitted to the logic in her statement and had followed along.
"Very interesting that they would try this," Aether mused. "It's definitely not the Fatui. They're practically rolling in mora. I'd say it was just a bunch of drunks but the reports say 'they possessed great martial abilities akin to those in possession of Visions.' … what's with this flowery language? They could've just written they had Visions, eh? Keqing?"
Aether turned to see her focused on the sketch of the two perpetrators. She was looking at the image with narrowed eyes, deep in thought. Well, she was an administrator in Liyue so it was only natural she would take an interest in this matter. With a shrug, he turned back to the notice.
"Hm… 'timely interference by the night guards' … 'fled into the night' …" Aether paused. "This is one very wordy notice. Like… what, the guy wanted his debut in story-telling here?"
He chuckled at his lame joke. Silver linings, people.
"Traveler, come here for a minute." Keqing's voice came from behind him.
"Huh?" he turned to see that Keqing had moved away to a corner, leading into an alleyway between two buildings. "What're you doing there?"
"Just… could you come over? Please?"
"Sure," he strode over to where she was standing. As soon as he was in reach, she grabbed his arm and pulled him deeper into the alleyway. "Whoa, what's going on?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she stopped after they were further and then glanced around. Satisfied they had enough privacy, she lifted the flier she held in her hand, the one that contained the sketches of the criminals. She glanced at it, then back to him and then back to it again.
He caught on to what she was thinking. "Hey," he joked, "I know I'm not the manliest looking guy out there but you don't need to immediately compare me-"
"Undo your hair," she interrupted.
"What?"
"Oh for-," she rolled her eyes and without another word, moved behind him and started undoing his hair. He had tied it hastily into a bun earlier that morning and she easily let it drop down. She combed it with her fingers a bit, straightening what she could.
"At least buy me dinner first," he protested but there was no heat to it.
"Mmhm." She took a step back and observed her work. Satisfied, she brought up the flier again, lifting it next to his face.
"Well?"
She pursed her lips, and then tilted her head sideways. Still looking, she squinted and tilted her head the other way. Her face scrunched in concentration, sticking out her tongue in concentration as she compared him with the flier in her hands.
"You're worrying me here," he frowned.
Finally, she dropped her head with a sigh. "…I can't believe it," she said.
"What? What's the verdict?"
In response, she thrust the paper into his hands. He hastily caught it and she used both hands to undo her own hair, freeing it from the ponytail she tied it to earlier.
"Just check," she muttered, running her fingers through her hair.
He raised the paper up and… oh dear. It wasn't an exact match, far from it, but there were enough resemblances that he could actually begin to believe what he was looking at was the two of them with their hair undone.
"We robbed the Golden House?!" he hissed.
"Attempted!" she hissed back.
"That doesn't make it any better!"
"Of course it doesn't!"
"Oh my god! We're wanted fugitives now. What the hell?!"
"Alright, alright. We need to calm down. Deep breaths. Deep. Hee hoo. With me now," she motioned to him. "In, hee, out, hoo."
"I am calm! This is my calm face. I'm so calm tha- yeowch! Did you just shock me? Di- ouch!"
"Calm down or I'll do it again."
"Like I said, I am CALM- ow!"
"…"
"Hee hoo."
"…Good."
She eyed him for a moment and then started pacing back and forth, a thoughtful look on her face. "This is what we know so far, sometime after we left Wanmin, we stopped by to watch Xinyan's performance. After that, we somehow plotted a break in at the Golden House, got caught by the night guards and escaped. The reports do not mention Paimon or Venti so I assume they were either uninvolved in the plot or we lost them before the incident."
"What if," Aether said, "we lost them at the Golden House?"
"What do you mean?" she shot him a sharp look.
"Think about it, what if they managed to get in and then when it was our turn, we got caught. Maybe?"
"Unlikely. They would've checked inside the House after the incident in order to record any goods missing."
"Maybe we should visit the place? Could help us find some clues regarding those two."
"Maybe we should turn ourselves in?" she rolled her eyes.
"No, no, hear me out. You're the Yuheng. They'll never suspect it."
"You do have a point…"
"You just need to exercise your authority. They'll be sure to let you in!"
/-/
"We can't let you in, ma'am," the guard repeated.
"I am the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing." Keqing said through gritted teeth.
"And I am sorry but orders are orders," the guard stationed at the gate to the Golden House shrugged. "This was straight from the Tianquan, ma'am. We're not allowed to let anybody in or out until the situation is resolved."
With a growl, she stalked off. She waited until she was several paces away from the gate and then teleported to a lightning stiletto she had placed near Aether. He had been hiding out of sight just around the corner, a precaution in case the Millelith somehow recognized him. He looked surprised as she blinked back.
"No luck?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
She shook her head wordlessly.
"Was worth a shot," he sighed. "What do we do now? We're out of leads."
"We head back to Liyue Harbor," she said, "and ask around. Someone will know something. We weren't exactly conspicuous last night."
He looked up at the sky. It was fairly past noon at this point and would be evening soon. "Better hurry back," he murmured, "before the trail goes cold."
"We'll find them, Aether," Keqing placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I give you my word."
"I don't doubt it," he smiled hollowly, a faraway look in his eyes. "But I'm more concerned of how empty my wallet would be after Paimon has not eaten for a whole day."
"O-oh." What more could she even say?
With heavy hearts, they trudged back to the Harbor. Or they would've if they hadn't immediately bumped into Xiao just as they were leaving the Golden House.
"Traveler," he nodded.
"Xiao," Aether absently returned the nod. They passed other in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
It wasn't until they had taken several dozen steps that it registered with Aether. "Xiao?" his head perked up suddenly, realization dawning on him. "XIAO!"
He pivoted on heels and turned, using a burst of anemo to launch himself at the yaksha.
"Aether?" Keqing cried in alarm.
Without missing a step, the yaksha simply sidestepped the ballistic missile and Aether face planted into the road.
"Ow," he groaned through a mouthful of dirt.
With a long suffering sigh, Xiao leaned over and pulled the Traveler up. Then the yaksha carefully placed him on his feet and unceremoniously started dusting him off. Aether grinned and threw and arm around his diminutive friend, waving Keqing over in the process.
"Explain yourself," Xiao grunted, pausing in his ministration.
"Don't be like that," he said cheerfully. "It's just good to see you again, man."
"Aether…" Xiao growled warningly.
"Alright, alright," he pulled his arm back from around the adeptus. "I actually wanted to ask about last night. You know, after the Lantern Rite."
Keqing approached, baffled at the turn of events. "Friend of yours?" she asked.
"Actually yes," Aether nodded and then gestured to each other as he introduced them. "Xiao, this is Keqing, the Yuhen of the Liyue Qixing. Keqing, this is Xiao. He's…"
"The Conqueror of Demons," Keqing finished, nodding respectfully at the adeptus.
"Hn," Xiao scoffed. "I care little for such titles."
Keqing narrowed her eyes but declined to response.
"About last night," Aether said quickly, sensing the tension in the air. "I wanted to ask how you came across the two of us. Uh, Verr said that it was you who brought us in and I was wondering if you could fill in the gap? Thanks for that, by the way."
"Think nothing of it."
"Appreciate it, regardless." He smiled expectantly but the yaksha simply stood there, cradling a package wrapped with paper in his hands. They stood in silence for a while. A gentle breeze passed by. Birds chirped in the distance. Aether coughed. Keqing shifted from foot to foot. They shared a brief look. "Well?" Aether prompted.
"Hm, you said something?" said Xiao flippantly.
Keqing could feel a headache coming on.
"Xiao," Aether said, shooting him a dirty look. "Your humor needs work."
The adeptus in question didn't smile but he didn't scowl either. "I found you wandering in wuwang hill…"
Xiao stopped to see two figures in the dark, standing shoulder to shoulder propping each other up, stumbling around in the dark.
"Xiao," Aether slurred, his hair undone and shirtless, "boy am I glad to see you. You gotta help me, man. They're coming for us. They got her. Then they'll get me. Oh my gooooo-hic-."
Xiao narrowed his eyes at the pitiful state of his friend. And his friend's friend; she didn't even notice him, giggling as she kept brushing away Aether's hair from falling on her face. "Her?" he asked.
"Paimon, man. She's gone. It's just the two of us now."
"I dropped you off at the Wanshu Inn to sleep off your inebriated state," he concluded.
Aether stared at him for a moment. "That's it? That's all that happened?"
"You were uttering nonsense. I saw no reason to entertain your foolishness."
"Wait, wait, back up," Aether said, waving his hands. "I feel like you said some very important lines there. 'They got her'. What do you mean they got her?"
"Did I say that? Hm. I recall it was you who did."
Aether groaned. "Xiao, c'mon, work with me here. Alright then, what were you doing in wuwang hill in the first place?"
"Even in times of jubilation, death waits for none. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had to perform rites. It attracted unwanted attention. I dealt with it."
Keqing frowned. "Could that have something to do with what happened to Paimon?"
Xiao shook his head, "Unlikely. Two of you wandered off after the conclusion of the rites. Paimon stayed with the director."
"Wait, what?" Aether reeled back. "Paimon was with Hu Tao?!"
"Oh," he smirked. "Did I fail to mention that?"
Aether's shoulder sagged with relief. "I hate you sometimes."
He exhaled softly and Keqing would later come to the realization that it would be the closest the yaksha adeptus would ever come to a genuine laugh. But for the time being, she asked, "Did you see a third – fourth figure? Venti?"
"Venti? That would be… no," he shook his head again. "I didn't."
"Alright, yeah. That's alright, one down, one to go," Aether said, recovering. "Thanks, man. We'll head over to the parlor right away. What that in your hand, anyways?"
"My… medication." He said, looking at the package.
"Oh, yeah. You met Zhongli?"
"Unfortunately no, he was occupied. I had to pick it from Bubu Pharmacy."
"But, you said it wasn't potent enough."
"Zhongli left it for me to pick up," he said in a tone used to explain to a child.
"Oh. Oh yeah, that makes sense."
"Zhongli is adept at crafting medications potent enough to affect adepti?" Keqing asked in surprise.
"Eh, something like that," Aether waved a hand in a 'so-so' gesture. Then with a grin, he turned back to Xiao. "Can I see it? Usually Paimon is always with me so I gotta keep it under tight lock when I deliver it. I'm kinda curious."
"I suppose," he said, opening the package and pulling out a few pills in his open palm.
"Aether," Keqing said immediately on seeing them. "Aether, what am I looking at?"
"Hm?" sensing the alarm in her voice, Xiao turned to look at his friend. Aether was frowning heavily. A rare expression on his normally friendly face. "Problem?"
"This," said Aether, picking one up and rolling it between his fingers, "looks exactly like the pills we got from Bubu Pharmacy. The ones that help deal with overeating."
"Impossible," said the adeptus. "I know this medicine. Intimately."
"…Venti was the one who offered me the pills at Wanmin," Keqing said slowly.
"And Venti was the one who talked to the clerk…" Aether said defeatedly, "he must have somehow swapped it. Oh Venti what did you do…"
"Something I should be concerned about?" Xiao asked.
"Nothing at all, my friend," Aether smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He put the pills back into the bag. "Nothing at all."
/-/
It didn't take long for the two of them to hurry back to Liyue Harbor and make a beeline straight for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. The moment Aether opened the front door and entered, he was struck by a small ballistic missile.
"AETHER!" Paimon cried, crashing into him. "What took you so long?"
"Oof," Aether stumbled but before he could fall over, Keqing caught him. "P-Paimon, that hurt."
"Do you know how lonely I was?" Paimon raised her head with indignant eyes. "You left Paimon alone! Paimon was so bored!"
"Ahem," a voice said and they turned to see Hu Tao standing by the doorway, hands on her hips. "Bored you say? Then maybe you could help by sweeping the front of the house that housed and fed you for the night?"
"Eep," Paimon eloquently said, immediately moving behind Aether. He laughed.
"Hey, Hu Tao," he waved.
"Aether, Miss Keqing," she nodded to the two of them, a smirk on her face. "Good to see you again. Had fun?"
"Oh like you wouldn't believe," Aether said, straightening. He gave a grateful look at Keqing and she responded with a quick smile of her own. Hu Tao didn't miss the little exchange. Her smirk grew.
"I bet you did," she laughed. "It certainly looked like you were having fun last night when you approached me for a disguise."
"Disguise?" Keqing asked.
"Oh, certainly. Imagine," she began dramatically, "a young couple approaching me in the middle of the night, desperately asking for a way to disguise themselves; to hide away from prying eyes. Oh, how could I deny them shelter?"
"I can't believe this… so you dyed my hair?" Aether asked, horrified.
Hu Tao shrugged, barely containing her laughter. "You wanted a quick and dirty solution. I gave you one. Imagine my surprise when I realize that there had been an attempted break-in at the Golden House and the description suspiciously matched you two. The Yuheng of all people too…" she clicked her tongue in faux disappointment.
"You-!" Keqing made to move forward but Aether put a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks, Hu Tao," he said, instead. "For looking after Paimon."
"Ah, it was nothing," Hu Tao waved a hand airily. "But go on, praise me more. Wa ha ha!"
Keqing sighed and shook her head. "What about your shirt? Didn't that go missing as well?"
"Oh, Paimon can answer that one," the diminutive girl answered. "He left it with me as a blanket. It was getting cold at wuwang hill so he gave it to me. At least, I had it with me when I woke up."
"Aw, isn't that sweet," Hu Tao gushed. "Got him shirtless all for herself all night…!"
"I-what?!" Keqing scoffed, her face going pink. "I have no idea what you mean, young lady."
"Hu Tao, please," Aether said before Keqing could commit a war crime, "not helping."
The director laughed again and beckoned them in, "You have to tell me what happened. This will be good. Come on in, I'll put the kettle on."
"Wait a minute! Paimon asked him a question first!" Paimon interrupted, stomping her feet on air. "What took you so long?"
"Well, Paimon," Keqing said exasperatedly, "that's kind of a long story…"
"Hey, where's Zhongli anyway?" Aether asked as the group made their way into the parlor.
"Oh? He had some personal business to take care of," Hu Tao answered from within. "Something about an old friend…"
/-/
Elsewhere…
"H-hey old, man. Let's put that away. I don't think we need that, right? …right?"
"Give me one good reason. One."
"I just wanted the boy to have some fun. To relax and unwind. He looked like he needed it!"
"And you saw fit to drug him to this end? Against his will?"
"… at least he had some fun?"
"Perhaps I should… educate you on what fun pertains."
"… ehe?"
"I will have order."
"W-w-waaaaiiiiiit…!"
~fin~
AN: Written for the 50k KQM Event. Sorry if it seemed rushed at the end, I was close to the word limit (time, too). Leave a review if you liked it. Also leave a review if you disliked it, pointing out which parts you disliked. Thank you for reading.