I'm slowly getting around to cross-posting some of my other Genshin Impact fanfictions over here. This was actually my first for the fandom, written in October 2020; it was written based on speculation after 1.1 and after seeing the 1.2 trailer reveal. Not spoiler-y by any means but it might have an impact on early-game experiences.

Zhongli rose, perhaps a little too quickly, when a soft knock came from the set of sliding wooden doors across the room. He cleared his throat and gave permission to enter, his breath catching yet again at the sight of the golden-eyed Traveler with blossoms in her hair.

His mouth seemed to go dry and his heart beat its own rhythm every time he caught sight of her.

No amount of rehearsal would take that away. An entire day's worth of play-acting could never prepare him for the way her smile, her presence, could make an already sunny day just a bit brighter.

She lived up to her name in every way.

Lumine.

One moment he was only thinking about her and the next here she was, lighting up the visitors room of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in a way that only she could. Her escort stepped out of the room silently, but not before bowing deep at the waist.

"Thank you for coming. I'm sure you have plenty to do as you prepare for your journey to Inazuma," Zhongli said, gesturing for Lumine to take a seat at the low table as he sank back down. "I hope I didn't offend your companion by asking that you come alone."

Lumine's smile seemed to only grow at the mention of Paimon, the floating guide who was rarely ever seen without the Traveler nearby.

"Paimon was more than happy to be left behind when Xiangling offered to take her to the restaurant."

A small thread of tension released itself from his shoulders at the knowledge that the floating black hole was, for now, occupied.

He invited her for tea under the guise of a quieter celebration now that her business in Liyue was finished. Before them was a fresh pot of tea, along with a small selection of desserts to go with the blend.

Zhongli wasn't sure who the ruse was meant for, in truth. Surely it was obvious he cared for the wayward traveler from another world? Couldn't she tell the effect her generosity and steadfastness had on him, on the others around her? It was rare he was ever able to impart his centuries of knowledge onto another, let alone with passion to do so that seemed almost infectious from her own exuberance. So often, eyes would glaze over when he spoke too long and it was rare that anyone listened, intrigued and filled with questions.

Although he much preferred to listen to her. From what little she had told him about her brother, it seemed she already knew so much of other realms beyond Teyvat.

But this bright star before was leaving tomorrow to continue on her quest, one she needed to see through so she could find her beloved brother. He knew this day would come but back when they first met, it felt so far away.

As Rex Lapis, he cared for all; he would make a poor Archon otherwise. But for Lumine...he would quite literally move the earth beneath their feet for her, even if she didn't ask him to.

Until a few days ago, he couldn't quite understand why. But the confrontation, the battle...seeing her push herself despite her injuries and despite the odds against her…

The world would be poorer without her if she lost, he realized. His world. Poorer in a way he understood more deeply than any economic principle that guided his city.

And when it came to making sure she recovered afterward, he spared no time or expense. After all, now that the dawn of mankind finally crested over the horizon, with the Fatui threat managed, what good was an Archon?

Which culminated in the very moment Zhongli now found himself in.

No pressure.

They sat in pensive silence as he poured both of them tea, an oolong blend that he preserved for favorite company. A woody scent lingered, a hint of sandalwood mixing with tobacco and a sweetness he could never quite place but one he always enjoyed.

Lumine's eyes grew curious as she took a small sniff before the porcelain met her lips. Few people knew about the existence of this tea, let alone could afford it if they did. Sharing it with her to see her face light up with intrigue as she took a second sip was worth whatever his usual vendor would charge for.

"Is that...brown sugar?" she asked, turning her gaze back to him. "And a hint of cocoa?"

Her attention to detail never failed to astound.

He chuckled. "Yes. This particular blend is called Da Hong Pao. The legend goes that the mother of a distant emperor was cured by a rare tea; the leader was so grateful that, in thanks, he sent grand red robes to the tea farmer for the plants to be draped in. The trees still exist but it is the descendents of those trees, cuttings taken long along, that are used for the leaves…"

Zhongli took a sip himself, closing his eyes as he noted each of the flavors.

"It is typically reserved for honored guests of Liyue, given its long legacy and its...market value. Especially vintages like this one, I'm unsure of how long I've had this particular blend."

She was after all, an honored guest. Not just for her bravery and for her actions in preventing a Fatui foothold, but for...

Ah, if she continued to blush like that, this was going to be much more difficult than he originally anticipated. Lumine gave a soft smile as she adjusted her hands around the small cup.

"Thank you for sharing it with me. It tastes wonderful."

She looked away first, golden eyes darting back to her cup, before looking up at him again.

"What will you do now? I can't imagine you returning to business as usual."

Lumine's words held a tinge of sadness in them. Did she, too, not want to leave?

"Wangsheng will continue to operate as it always has. Liyue will continue to prosper; Ningguang and the Qixing will see to that. I, on the other hand…am not quite sure I have a place here any longer…"

She cocked her head but rather than fill the silence, she waited, attentive and kind. He had everything so organized in his head and now it was a jumbled mess again. How did she do that to him?

Zhongli took a sip of his tea before he continued.

"Do you recall how I once told you not all currency is Mora? Time is a currency, a finite one for most, but as an Adepti I find myself with…more than the average person. And I have all of this," he gestured to the room they were in, indicating the funeral parlor as a whole, " and for centuries, I have seen to Liyue's well-being…its prosperity. But the people of Liyue have taken the reins and it leaves little space for the Adepti."

He reached for a wrapped bundle next to him. Her eyes seemed to almost glow every time she heard her name. "To thank you, I wanted to give you something for your journey. But I'm afraid I have a request as well."

He presented the package to her carefully, their fingers brushing for only a moment, the heat from her fingers barely passing through his gloves.

She shot him a look that said everything she did not, confusion mixing with a silent remark that he needn't have given her anything.

If her companion was present, Zhongli didn't doubt that Paimon would have asked if he had even spent his own money for such a purchase.

Of course he did. He just enjoyed circulating Fatui money into Liyue's economy whenever he could.

Lumine's fingers worked at the knot and the fabric fell away, revealing a well-preserved but nonetheless beloved edition of the Teyvat Travel Guide for Inazuma.

"I thought perhaps it would be helpful to have a copy. The only way to get to the region is by ship, which can be...tedious or even unpleasant, depending on the person," Zhongli explained, watching as she ran her fingers over the title on the cover, brushed the spine, holding it almost reverently.

"This is fantastic, I know so little of Inazuma…"

Her Vision flickered and Lumine beamed, holding the book close to her chest. A look of confusion then crossed her face again, as if second guessing something. Her patience with him was more than a virtue.

"I would also like to help you find your brother, if you will allow it."

"You...want to come with me?"

"There is more to life than Mora, of course, but there is more than duty as well. You have shown me that, in the short time you have been here. And I...would like to see more of the world. With you. If you permit it, of course."

"I…like you a great deal and I think, if you were to stay, I would miss you greatly. I enjoy listening to every spec of knowledge you impart. This volume is no doubt informative but it's no match for hearing about the world from the experience of another directly."

Zhongli smiled, a weight settling in his stomach at her slight melancholy. Her cheeks flushed again and she ducked her head. He reached across the small table between them and carefully brushed the hair out of her eyes, daring to tuck a few of the pesky locks behind her ear.

Lumine leaned into his touch and he hesitated before pulling away, almost instantly missing the warmth that passed through his gloves.

"Then it's settled, I'll make arrangements to join you and the rest of your party to depart for Inazuma tomorrow."

He poured both of them another cup of tea as she opened the travel guide, the spine cracking just once as she did so. And for a single moment, it was just the two of them, Archon and Traveler, in a moment of hard-fought peace.