"You're stuck?"

For an aspiring musician, that's kinda…

"Bad," Xinyan finished, rubbing her temples and leaning back on her chair. Idly, I wondered if the poor thing could handle the weight with how far it's tipping. Clumsy accidents like that happened to clumsy people. Xinyan was, by principle, the definition of slapstick. I was proven wrong. "Ahhhhhhh! What should I do?!"

"Aren't slumps common?" I asked. I wasn't an artist myself, but I had dealt with them before. Slumps usually resolve themselves after a while— in the worst case, months. In the meantime, a person could use this as an excuse to look for inspiration for their next piece or to try out something new.

Summer vacation was coming up soon; Xinyan should have time to—

Ah. I see the problem now.

"Summer means lots of gigs. You can't land them until you get out of this slump. Is that it?"

She whimpered.

"Can't you use your older songs?"

Xinyan shook her head. "Nuh-uh. No way. Rock is about passion! Spontaneity! I can't go up there with pre-heated recyclables. I need something new! Something fresh!"

"Must be tough." Recycling saves the planet, as they say. It would definitely save me a headache.

"I'm seriously begging here, Keq! Tell me what to do!"

Xinyan grabbed my shoulders and shook me with tears in her eyes. Salty. I couldn't eat my sandwich like this.

"Alright, calm down," I said. Xinyan fortunately obeyed. Good. If it's her, she just might be desperate enough. "I think I know how I can help. Not sure if it will work, but it's better than nothing."

Xinyan sniffed. "Really?"

"Mhm." I nodded, taking a slow bite of my sandwich. "I may need to take one of your kidneys, though."

…

"Huh?"

As I realized, I'm not the best at judging people. Color me biased, but I always considered hiring maids pretentious. Degrading, even. Maids do all the petty labor people are too lazy to do and feed those that oftentimes can't work to feed themselves. An evolutionary biologist out there would scoff at this lack of survival instinct. Yet, at the same time, a naturalist might rationalize having maids as the mighty lording over the weak.

So for someone as young and talented as Noelle, choosing a life of servitude came as a shock for me. She had no aspirations other than to be a good maid. Not that I can't admire the determination, but it did strike as odd.

That was… until I sampled some of her cooking— at which point I stopped caring.

"Delicious..." I mumbled. How can oatmeal cookies taste so goddamn good? She even made raisins palatable.

"This is awesome!" Aether exclaimed, echoing my thoughts. Bits of dough flew out of his mouth as he kept chewing in between praises. Either he forgot I was right in front of him or he did it intentionally just to annoy me. Probably the latter. "Noelle, these are amazing!"

Xinyan was too busy stuffing her face with soda to comment, only letting out a satisfied burp afterward.

My fault for forgetting I was surrounded by idiots.

Noelle smiled and bowed, taking our plates with the finesse unseen of a woman half-clad in armor. We... hadn't gotten to that before the cookies arrived, so don't ask. Katheryne assured us it was one of Noelle's quirks and asked us to let it be. Not that we minded. Have I told you these cookies were delicious?

"Lady Keqing?"

It took me a few seconds to realize I was being called for. "Yes?"

"The room is prepared for you, as per your instructions," Noelle said. "Shall I escort you there now?"

I nodded. Wasn't she just in the kitchen?

Aether hopped into my view while we made our way through the halls towards our next destination. His eyes sparkled with boyish glee. "Hey, hey, what's this about a room? No, wait, let me guess…"

Whatever he thought it was, it was most likely wrong.

"A theater-sized movie room!"

Called it. "There's one at the back, but that's not where we're going."

Xinyan rolled in from the left. "Nah, it's gotta be a game room! Wouldn't surprise me. Keq's a real hardcore at the stuff."

"Huh? Are we talking about the same Keqing here?" Aether asked, throwing me an aside glance. "Stuffy grumpy over here wouldn't even let ME play games in my spare time, let alone be hardcore."

...

Like a car switching gears, Xinyan gawked at us and blinked. I promptly looked away. Regardless of what Xinyan said next, I wanted no part in disproving it.

"Aether, you didn't know?"

"Huh?"

Confession. Xinyan and I did 'sometimes' play games in her house (where I kept my console). Plenty more in the arcade. She called me hardcore— it wasn't true. The only reason I didn't tell Aether was because I didn't want to feed his growing list of addictions.

"So, that fighting game last time…" Aether mumbled.

I bit my lip. "I was going easy on you. Sorry."

Hey now, no need to look so betrayed. I never said I didn't know how to play.

Speaking of play…

"Unfortunately, games and movies will have to wait."

I said that with a smirk on my face. Prying the door open revealed a huge chamber. White sofas and chairs were arranged neatly around a stage, and a golden chandelier hung high above. Freckles of sunshine glimmered through the curtains, and past it, the view of the mansion's garden popped with color like fireworks in a verdant sky.

In the back of the room, however, was my stop. A grand piano, dusted and prepped by Katheryne smiling beside. I didn't need to look back to know my audience was picking their jaws off the floor in awe. Quite frankly, they really should have seen this coming.

I played a simple song from memory. Like the keys still tuned after all these years, my fingers glided through the notes in harmony. Some soft, others deep. When I felt I couldn't reach the next, my body swayed on its own, pressing the key in perfect rhythm. Immaculate perfection. My father wouldn't have it otherwise. Into the final verse, my foot dug into the pedals harder, yet the melody transitioned in a gentle wave. Tenacious, but caring. Rebellious, yet dignified.

I peeked an eye open to see Aether's grin just as the last notes drifted into silence.

The piano was my grandfather's instrument, and this song was his composition. Looking back, I figured out why he dedicated it to me. The piece's name? 'A Friend's Smiling Face.' Cheeky old geezer.

"Awesome!" Xinyan cheered, clapping excitedly. "Bravo! Encore, encore!"

Aether voiced his compliments with a less enthused: "Not bad."

I wasn't used to the flattery, but I guess it was worth it in the end. On to business.

"You can use this room for practice," I said to Xinyan. "There's an amp and a mic in storage; I'll have one of the maids get it later. Hopefully, you can find your inspiration here and get you out of your slump."

"R-really?" Xinyan gasped. She looked to be in shock and could barely hide her disbelief. "You'd do all this for me, Keq?"

I shrugged. "It's nothing really. I was going to stay here for summer anyways. I figured I could invite a couple of friends along."

"Really really?"

"Yes, really. The mansion is yours."

"Uwaaa—"

Xinyan broke down crying in my chest, the make-up literally melting on her face. I probably should have eased her into it. I mean, I kinda knew Xinyan wasn't the wealthy type; she's attending Qixing High on a music scholarship program. Free lodging and a studio for a few weeks seemed a bit much for her. Maybe I underestimated just how desperate she was.

"Or, you're underestimating how generous you actually are," Aether said as if reading my thoughts. I had Noelle escort Xinyan to the bathroom to freshen up, leaving the two of us alone. "Not many people would handily lend their entire house for a favor."

"I'm not 'many people,'" I retorted. "And besides, wouldn't you? You're not the sociopath here."

"Guess you're right." Aether chuckled. He shuffled beside me before playing a single array of notes. I instantly recognized what he wanted to play:

A sad somber theme, playable with one hand before doubling into a well-known fugue.

I wasn't even surprised. Part of me wanted to watch him screw up midway, but as he kept going, my hands moved on their own— playing the voices on my side of the piano. At times, my arm would cross his, chasing the notes as they came at his frantic pace— and he would let me, weaving in and out until I could almost feel him breathing in my ear. I would pull away, but that did not deter him from playing his part flawlessly.

...Not bad.

"So why'd you do it?"

"Hm?"

The keys stopped, and Aether stared at me in exasperation. "You seriously won't convince me you did this all on a whim."

"What do you mean?"

"This mansion." Aether gestured around him. "You sure it's alright being back here? We can always hang out in the apartment."

Ah, I see. In a weird way, he cared.

"It's fine. A house is just a house. It's leased in my name, and I'd rather not argue with my family about it." I found it easier to ignore the mansion and leave it as is. Katheryne handled all the housekeeping, and sometimes on holidays, I invite my nieces and nephews to come over.

Aether shook his head. "It's all about pragmatism, huh?"

Pretty much. "What about you? You didn't tell me you could play the piano."

"You never asked."

"I'm asking now."

"Well…" Scratching his cheek, Aether glanced around the room— seemingly embarrassed about something. For once. After a pause, he spoke nonchalantly. "We... used to have a rich relative in Fontaine."

Oh.

"You know what that's like. No time for family, and not even attempting to try and get along. Makes for some pretty bored children. Eventually, we managed to convince our guardian to let us at least take music classes, just to kill the boredom. My sister naturally picked up the violin, and I accompanied her."

His face lit up in nostalgia as he sighed. "They called us the 'The Golden Twins' because of how good we were. Can you believe it? Man, it's been years since then, and nothing could ever compare to that feeling on the stage. The thrill and the excitement. It was amazing."

I smiled.

"What's so funny?"

Apparently, he didn't even realize. "That was the first time I heard you talk about your sister so fondly. It's refreshing."

Aether blushed. "S-shut up…"

He can be cute sometimes, too. Hehe.

"Anyway!" Aether exclaimed, hoping to change the topic. "I thought you said you called somebody over to help Xinyan."

"I did. He should be arriving soon."

From what I heard of him from Aunt Beidou, this person was an excellent poet and songwriter— a specialist. A polite gentleman with a flowery way with words. He never raised his voice to anyone; I doubt someone like him would renege on a deal.

"And, is he a part of what I think he is?" Aether asked, as delicate as a sack of bricks.

In all fairness, it's not an inaccurate assumption.

"Right."

So what if he's a part of a gang? I've met him before and he seemed nice— albeit a bit airheaded. Around our age too. Should be fine.

Maybe.

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA— "

A scream that could only be described as rabid pierced the halls. It was Xinyan, and it came from the...

"Argh—"

Clotheslining Aether before he could barge into a bathroom with women in it, I rushed over to where Xinyan sat trembling on the floor, her face a mortified red. She clutched a towel over her body for dear life as she pointed deeper into the room where the mist was thickest— the telltale sign of someone else already using the showers.

A man stood there. A boy, with long platinum blond hair dripping with soap and shampoo. His expression lingered more on confusion than shame. Not even bothering to cover up, he knelt in front of Xinyan and spoke in a courteous manner. "I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you…"

...Forget airheaded. You'd have to be on a whole 'nother level of dense to not notice Xinyan almost dying of embarrassment.

I sighed.

"Put on some clothes, Kazuha."

And thus the party is complete. Nothing much to say, except maybe some musings on how much different this AU Keqing is in characterization with the release of the Moonchase event. What do you think?

Comments, reviews, etc are appreciated.

See ya.