A/N: posting this here for shits and giggles as I finish up the penultimate chapter of this fic. Should post weekly until I inevitably catch up with everything I've written so far. Hope you enjoy.
If Ningguang wished to have peace with her, perhaps she should have reconsidered the company she had over these days.
Keqing had a certain work environment she maintained, being forced at the side of the Tianquan and the funeral parlor consultant as they talked each other's ears off made for a great disruption. There was work to do, piles and piles of papers going unattended, and Ningguang plucked her from her duties just for afternoon tea?
Her expression soured as she looked down at the stagnant liquid in her cup, she hadn't exactly cared for Ningguang's taste in things, a facet she had told her before.
There were times she truly believed that woman was testing her, and this—this had to be her most vexing assessment yet.
"My, Keqing,"
The ever so elegant Tianquan began.
"Are you feeling ill? You've barely touched your tea."
Keqing turned her face toward her superior, suppressing a grimace. To act so curt in the presence of a guest would be a little too disrespectful, even for her.
"I believe we've discussed this before."
There was little to add, the way Ningguang lips turned up told her she knew exactly what stopped her from partaking.
"Is the tea not to your liking?" The consultant earnestly spoke up. A gentle glint in his eye, as a way of apology—she assumed.
"The fault is not yours Mr. Zhongli," She said so with a faint smile, the kindest she could muster before wiping it away as her sights returned to the elder woman beside her. "Lady Ningguang seems to love pulling practical jokes on me."
Yet she only had a small chuckle to offer her, eyes quickly meeting with the man sitting across from them, a sort of silent understanding shared between them. Keqing's sights jumped from one to the other, their unspoken conversation only putting her more on edge.
"I was hoping you wouldn't notice just this once, my young Yuheng. I suppose I underestimated you."
"You often do." The swordsman shot back, easing her hands to her lap.
Again, Ningguang laughed at her jab, fluidly standing. Careful hands took the teapot from the table and she gave a sly look to her underling.
"Allow me to resolve the issue."
Keqing's brow furrowed. Had she wanted an excuse to leave her here?
Was there some sort of detail she was missing?
"In the meantime, why don't you keep our dear friend some company."
Her body instinctively drifted toward Ningguang, close to commanding her to sit back down and explain herself.
But this, as most things were, was a matter of pride. To beg for the Tianquan to stay by her side was desperate, like a child clinging to their mother's leg. So she would straighten herself out, do as she was told—whatever that may have been— and do her best not humiliate herself in front of Ningguang's newest pet project.
And...
Perhaps she should have refrained from thinking of him like that.
As her superior left the room, she had racked her brain for anything she and the consultant could talk about, something that could pique the interest of a person so knowledgeable in seemingly all things.
"You and Lady Ningguang seem like you're getting along quite well."
Why did she choose that topic?
While it did bother her in some minuscule—absolutely microscopic way, she had better questions for the mysterious man sitting before her. And certainly, concern for who Ningguang took as a partner was not among them.
It certainly was not. The Tianquan was not family—not her mother...There was no concern at all.
"Hm, I suppose we are. Although, I would hesitate to say it's anything too personal."
There was a subtle lilt in his voice, the slightest bit of disappointment—or some indistinct emotion close to it, warping his aura of stoicism. As stone faced as Rex Lapis was often described as, she did wonder about this man...Not only for his intellectual similarity to the geo archon, but what was truly in his mind as he quietly took a sip of his tea. Whatever it was, he never spoke of it, stirring a small amount of curiosity in her she could not ever hope to quell.
And Ningguang was the person that had stifled him, if only in the smallest of measures.
Curious, so infuriatingly curious.
"Nothing is, to Lady Ningguang. All strictly business. In all candor, it's the one thing we have in common."
Keqing dipped her magenta gaze to her hands, realizing too late how she unintentionally gave away something personal about herself. Zhongli seemed more interested now, a brow rising as he hid his mouth behind his teacup.
"I take it you have your fair share of disagreements with the Tianquan."
She nodded with a smile. It was not her place to air her feelings about her superior. That would be beyond disrespectful to a woman of her caliber, regardless of the ache that settled in when she knew Ningguang thought little else of her than a simple business partner. It was best to direct their conversation elsewhere.
"You almost sound let down Mr. Zhongli, but no worries— I still argue with you the most."
Setting down his drink, she could see the look of amusement he had, a small smile gracing his features as he clinically analyzed her.
"I appreciate how meaningful you find our talks to be, young Yuheng."
She felt herself bristle at the borrowed nickname. Ningguang could get away with bringing up her youth and inexperience so lightly, considering their familiarity. Though with Zhongli...She nearly felt insulted by it.
"I wouldn't go that far."
Her quick objection threw his composure, he let out a low chuckle.
"And you still cannot find it in yourself to agree with me on even the most innocuous of matters."
His eyes bore into her in a single moment, intense and hypnotic—like the most vibrant cor lapis ore she had ever set sights on. She was stunned by his gaze, and she hated herself to even admit it. So mesmerizing, so immaculate it hardly felt human.
Fingers dug further into her thigh.
She didn't like it.
"You are truly something special."
Keqing squared her shoulders, snapping herself out of the daze she was in.
"I am merely telling the truth. Are you so unfamiliar with honesty? Or has the silence of Rex Lapis lowered your expectations for any response at all?"
The older man seemed taken aback by her retort.
"Rex Lapis is—"
"Dead?" She finished for him. "I wonder..."
Keqing let herself thoroughly inspect Zhongli in recourse. Still so difficult to read, and yet—she had a cursory grasp of what he was, what he wanted to be. Perhaps that strange aura about him was what drew Ningguang in, that woman never did explain why she had become so fascinated with a funeral consultant of all things. She presumed that maybe the Osial incident had changed her perspective a great deal.
But just what about this man was it?
If she looked harder, she hoped she could find the slightest clue from him.
"You're a devout follower of him, yes? Isn't that the reason we will never see eye to eye?" His only response was a half hearted smile as his gaze settled to the surface of the table. "You parrot the same talking points whenever we speak. Every value of his that he's ever recorded you seem to share."
"Do I?" It felt like more of a challenge than a question, and she wondered if he truly knew who was speaking with.
"Not overtly, it's in the way you say things, the way you tell stories. Did you think I wouldn't catch on to that? Are you underestimating now, Zhongli?"
His subtle change in position let her know he took notice of her drop of formality.
"I would be a fool to ever underestimate you, Keqing."
The inadvertent high praise nearly had her blush. With how hot her face felt, she wouldn't be surprised if she really was. Embarrassment swelled in her chest, and she looked for anything to calm herself down. It wasn't as if she was unused to praise...it was simply... Unexpected.
"Keqing?" He echoed her name with a softer tone after moments of quiet from her. Somehow, he sounded smug behind that calm demeanor.
The Yuheng shook her head, pulling herself back into reality. "I'm only curious, if someone so reverent of Rex Lapis would ever be... crushed by how silent he was."
This was better left in her thoughts, rotting in the back of her mind, but it had been there for so long...surely someone had felt the same sentiment.
"Silent?" His voice was hardly audible, gone into his own rumination, leaving her alone—waiting, like always.
This man had a comical reputation of being Liyue's walking encyclopedia, any question given to him had often come with a long winded reply. So it was more a matter of opinion than a fact, something Zhongli was impartial to in the short time she had known him, but it seemed far too irresistible to him to let a pointed question go unanswered. And try as he might have, she could always see through his way of remaining unbiased. His leanings were clear through what lied in between his words.
She may have studied him a little more intently than she was willing to admit. Only for the purpose of understanding Ningguang, of course.
"Had you expected him to speak to you directly?"
Keqing felt her nerves tangle together, anxiety reaching her chest.
Of course not!
The passionate Keqing in her head had shouted.
The diplomatic Keqing, the one left in reality, had to be the more composed of the two. A difficult task to accomplish, with the topic at hand.
Nothing was personal to the headstrong Yuheng, except of course—when it always was. Rex Lapis being a prime example.
The geo archon was amongst the most involved of the Seven, she was well aware of that. Stern, deliberate, unwavering, available to his people and yet...so distant. Not in presence, but from his understanding of the mortals he ruled. The lack of empathy, lack of consideration he had for them. The history books she read gave him immense praise, even when he hadn't deserved any. A clear mind could read into his actions, strong and resilient as the mountains. Firm in its nature, with no use of a change, of adapting to the elements around it. Time could not change him, unlike the mortals that had populated Liyue.
"I wasn't talking about me." She managed to pull herself back together, enough to string together a level headed counter. Because this was not personal. Not in her search to create a better path for her country, and not in her bitter past that left her scarred. "It's simply well documented that Rex Lapis is... was,"
Her slip of the tongue made her falter. The lingering thought of what carved her into what she was now dulled her confidence.
Long enough for Zhongli to take her place in speaking.
"He'd disappointed you, then. I can imagine your frustration. An all powerful archon who you've been hearing romantic tales of all your life, a dutiful god bound to protect his people..." Zhongli paused, as if he struggled to continue "Failed them, countlessly, without a word of apology."
The younger woman let herself breathe, eyes wide in wonder, "That's not—"
She stopped herself, she would be arguing again, somehow in favor of Rex Lapis.
"I...I hadn't expected you of all people to criticize him."
Zhongli gave her a genuine smile.
"Archons are hardly flawless, you seem to understand that quite well. More so than any other I've ever met."
The consultant was just full of surprises today.
He might have even entered her good graces with his admission. It was a rare day in her line of work when anyone would give the slightest complaint of their dearly beloved archon. Though, praise from her, did not come so easy.
"Your flattery is appreciated, but unnecessary. It's my duty to think of the future of Liyue. The best way I can help this country is to learn from its past."
For better or worse, Rex Lapis had given her much to learn from. The knowing gaze she saw from Zhongli seemed to indicate he had the same train of thought.
"The prayers of the people never reached Rex Lapis, or maybe he never bothered to listen. So they suffered without council, desperately clinging to something so high above them to come to their rescue. Placing their lives into the hands of a god who barely knew what that meant to a mortal."
It didn't take her long to see the apathy of gods, or the willful subservience of humans. The blame was on both sides.
"I have never been disappointed in Rex Lapis, Mr. Zhongli. For all his faults, for all his failures."
Of which, not many in Liyue seemed to want to discuss.
"I have always respected what he's done for Liyue. And perhaps, now that he's died as we mortals do, he understands how fragile life can be. Perhaps he understands the value in those he left behind."
If only they could have seen their value. Her long diatribe did seem to fascinate her guest. Though boring people was hardly a common occurrence for her. No, she was more likely to unintentionally start a fight because of her views.
She was pleased to see Zhongli was a perfect gentleman. Expected, but all the same pleasant.
"You've given me a lot to think about." He plainly stated, back to his stoic demeanor. "I'm certain Rex Lapis can rest easy knowing you've taken his place."
Behind the calm tones of his voice, she thought she might have heard relief. Suddenly, all previous assumptions she had of this man fell apart. Keqing stared at him, confusion apparent in her features, begging him to look back up at her. And when he did, her mouth fell open, a dozen questions flying through her mind.
Praise from him was one thing.
Gratitude...was entirely different.
"Mr. Zhongli," The Yuheng would keep him all day if she could, but she would limit her inquiries, she was running on borrowed time as it was.
He made a small sound as he rested his chin on the back of his hand, and she was close to arranging her thoughts before Ningguang had stepped back in.
A teapot hit the table, startling them both as the Tianquan took her place by Keqing. As she settled back in, she gave a curious glance to the both of them.
"Oh, am I interrupting something?"
Keqing clutched at the hem of her dress, trying to hide her annoyance as best as she could.
"Not at all." She stood, turning herself toward Ningguang with a small bow. "I think it's about time I get back to my work. Thank you for the tea."
The elder woman let out a single breath, as if she wanted her to stay. With how well they worked together, it wasn't surprising the attachment they built up over the years. At least, that's how Keqing thought of it.
Love, in the familial sense, should not have been the word she was looking for. Why was it that she always fell back to it, then? It was all business, she reminded herself, it always was between the two of them. How it had to remain, that was how Ningguang must have thought of it.
Turning her heel, the violet haired swordsman was ready to leave any and every emotion she felt behind her.
"Keqing," Ningguang beckoned for her, and if she asked her to stay—she wouldn't have the luxury of declining, not in front of company. Certainly not in her current state of mind. It was tempting to look back at her, even if it was hardly a wise decision. "Try not to over exert yourself again. Your productivity greatly suffers because of it."
She rolled her eyes. Foolish of her to even hope she had something more sentimental to say.
"Yes, Ma'am." With that, she left. No doubt leaving a sour taste in her superior's mouth.
How she was able to handle the Tianquan and the consultant isolated, but not together, was not a grievance she was ready to think through. And she was sure she would be getting the cold shoulder from Ningguang later, but it was preferable to another minute of useless chatter between her and the carbon copy of Rex Lapis.
And she couldn't say it was because she disliked Zhongli, just the opposite—if she was honest. Given the opportunity, she wouldn't mind talking to him alone. Pulling his attention away from Ningguang might have even sparked her interest.
For the benefit of her superior, of course.
Visits to the Tianquan's office had become more frequent after the Osial incident. Either Ningguang had caught on to him, or she was suspicious of his role in it. Her motivations had a tendency to center around money, he had once thought it always did, but lately…
Observing her behavior around Keqing led him to believe the Tianquan was not as cold as she presented. Cutthroat, yes. Conniving, even more so. Yet—caring, in a subtle way.
Zhongli tried not to show his inner conflict around her, so staggeringly different from the woman he once knew, and somehow so similar.
As far as appearance, she was a dead-ringer. And often, he nearly wished he didn't have to shoulder the burden of remembering for her. Avoiding the Tianquan avoided pain that came with every memory of what Guizhong used to be; with her delicate snow white hair, the soft features of her face, the contours and curves of her body— archons, even her voice was the same.
Ningguang was entirely her own person, however. Raised in a separate time, to a separate culture, not an adeptus but a mere mortal. Seeing how different she was from the woman he loved helped ease his longing, but moments like these—where she displayed the same affection (the same affection that had her killed) weakened his facade stoicism.
Guizhong had moved on without him, it was time he did the same. Leaving his position as an archon meant he had to abandon his regrets. No longer was it his purpose to serve, to remember. The Yuheng understood change better than he could, taking her example would only benefit him. Finally letting go would bring him peace, as Barbatos had insisted to him so long ago.
"So, how did my lovely Yuheng treat you?"
Ningguang's familiar voice shook him from his thoughts. She had gone into silence for minutes, gathering this and that as he waited on her lavish sofa across the room.
Odd timing.
"Better than usual," He began with a small smile. "I feel as though we actually reached an agreement on something."
She reflected his expression, turning to him with a certain gentleness that made his head swim. This wasn't like her, Guizhong and Ningguang couldn't be any more different. The reminder was superficial, no deeper than its surface.
"Now that is surprising. Keqing is typically combative about—well, practically everything. So particular and stubborn." The Tianquan pursed her lips as she looked away, lost in thought. "Doesn't that sound so strangely familiar?"
Her eyes landed back to him, something nearly accusatory about it. There was no hiding from her here, but he was hardly one to cower away.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure what you're referring to." He said so easily, while intimidating to the public of Liyue—Ningguang had never frightened him, only left him with the occasional migraine. On worse days, like this, the ghostly image of a friend long passed.
The Tianquan let out a chuckle shaking her head, reaffirming her independence from Guizhong.
"You really think you're so sly, don't you?" She turned taking long strides away from him, a sudden disinterest in her guest.
Just what exactly was she after anyway? Without a gnosis, he wasn't sure he could provide her with much as it was. Zhongli leaned forward, a question on his lips. When she glanced at him from over her shoulder, it was lost in his throat.
"Maybe the others can be fooled, but I cannot. I would advise you to keep that in mind, Morax."
Teeth found their way to the inside of his cheek. It was less shocking than it was annoying. Being under the Tianquan's thumb wasn't exactly how he wanted his retirement to go.
"What is it that you want from me?"
Her gaze shifted as she rounded the corner of her desk, dusting her hand against the surface.
"So pragmatic, why do you assume I want anything from a fallen archon? What could you possibly give me?"
Patience was typically a well versed practice of his, in this situation however...
Zhongli narrowed his eyes.
"I'm certain you have the answer to that. And I would advise you not to waste my time any longer."
Ningguang was bold, but challenging the oldest of the seven was a little more reckless than it was valiant. Though, that cunning glint in her eye seemed to disagree with him.
"I want to repay you, Rex Lapis, for your long lived service to Liyue. And no service should go unrewarded under my rule."
He merely cocked his head.
"I've heard that you could use some financial assistance. Now that you have no business with the Harbinger here, your bottomless source of mora has run dry. However, mine is still as plentiful as ever."
She was bribing him? The offer was somewhat, albeit shamefully, tempting.
"Repay me?" He couldn't help but scoff. "Rather generous of a woman obsessed with mora. Surely you don't expect me to believe you'd simply give this away. What are you really after?"
Ningguang brows lifted, a smirk hardly suppressed. "Must everything be so transactional with you?"
A strange question for the god of contracts .
"I believe we have that in common, Tianquan."
With a laugh, she sat herself down on the edge of her desk.
"Then, let's make a contract."
Of course, he knew this was coming eventually.
"I will provide you with enough funds for anything that you might need, or might fancy. In return," The confidence she had fell suddenly. "In return, I'd like a favor from you."
"And that is...?" Perhaps he was a bit eager to agree to the terms, but between himself and Hu Tao, their budget was extremely limited at the parlor. Besides, he had to admit he was the least bit curious what could pull Ningguang of all people out of her commanding tone of speech.
"I...I want you to look after Keqing." He saw her hand curl into a tight fist. "She is more than capable of taking care of herself, but as of late she—I'm not entirely sure what she's thinking, I fear she's endangering herself. Taking on too many things at once, I've never seen her so frantic."
He should have known, her interests in money were no longer what was most important. The people of Liyue proved to be her biggest priority, and she must have taken a special interest in her Yuheng. More than she could freely admit.
"The millelith could easily protect her."
Ningguang bowed her head
"She would only find some way to give them the slip. She hates feeling watched, she hates being caged even more. She's such a difficult young woman."
To that, Zhongli had to concur. Though he had the utmost respect for the Yuheng, she was certainly more than a handful. While he wouldn't necessarily oppose seeing her more frequently—there was more he had to know before accepting this proposal.
"How would I be any different? I doubt she would appreciate anyone watching over her, let alone me." A sudden revelation hit him, reflexively smiling at the notion. "Except of course..."
Her head tilted up, an honest expression on her features
"If it was you, Tianquan."
The fair haired woman's sights fell again as a breathy laugh left her lips.
"Somehow I get the impression she would hate that even more. I believe there is no other more suited for this than you."
Still, she had left out why that was.
"You'll have to let me in on what you know, if you wish to reach an agreement with me."
"She likes you."
The statement fell so quickly out of her mouth.
"Admires you, even—be it Rex Lapis, or Zhongli. I wonder if she would shoo you away so easily. She holds you in high regard, despite all her musings. So, if she would listen to anyone, I dare say you are my best choice."
Were they talking about the same Keqing? The same woman who constantly put him under scrutiny?
"She doesn't listen to me. I believe she goes out of her way not to listen to me."
Their interactions before today were far from hostile, but certainly not as friendly. She seemed to open discussions only to shut him down, and he thought that perhaps, it was simply in her nature to. Though, she seemed to take an exceptional amount of pleasure lecturing him, when he wasn't lecturing her.
The woman across from him looked amused by his answer.
"Give it time, you'll start to see her how I do. In the end, my young yuheng is just a girl. Ambitious and hardworking, but delicate underneath it all. And I would be...disappointed if she was taken from me."
Her posture shifted back upright, her bravado coming back in.
"I had spent so much of my time building her into the wonderful woman you see today. What a shame it would be to let all that go to waste."
Just like that, she dismissed any question of her feelings stretching beyond professional.
Yet, he understood perfectly. It was the same as how he treated Guizhong, when she was alive. Having that vulnerability was hard to come to grips with, never letting himself feel it until it was too late. Perhaps Ningguang was what he made her.
With a sigh he nodded. "I comply with your terms. I will fill out my end to the best of my ability."
The Tianquan smiled, unlike anything he ever saw from her. Hopeful and kind. A combination that sunk his mind further into the past. Zhongli averted his gaze, it didn't matter where—as long as it wasn't in her direction.
"I don't expect you to keep an eye on her at all times, that would be asking too much. Just if you see her leaving the city alone."
Her concern for Keqing was hardly concealed by her inflection. Their relationship was not his business to stick his nose in, if they wanted to dance around it all their lives, he had no say in the matter. Finally he stood, eager to find his way out of this woman's office.
"I presume that will be all."
"Yes, that's all."
The sooner he left this place the better, he could let the memories subside and focus on his work for the remainder of the day. As he reached the door, she spoke up once more.
"Morax,"
She beckoned, and he hesitated, as he often did hearing that voice.
"I understand that my appearance might distract you."
He felt his shoulders drop, an uncertain quiver coming to his body.
"I apologize if it...disturbs you in any way."
Weeks had gone by since he traded his gnosis, the affects all too quickly threw him off course. That vulnerability he could barely stand was so much stronger than it ever was, emotions more potent than he had ever felt them.
Zhongli shook his head.
"Rest assured, Tianquan, it does not."
He rushed himself out, likely slamming the door behind him. A set brisk pace ushered him forward with the reminder not to look back. What more was there to say? Guizhong could never understand, she didn't remember—
The slip up had him stop dead in his tracks, a hand raised to his temple to nurse the aching in his head. Attempting to convince himself they were not the same had failed miserably. With all the differences in the world, he was still unable to separate them. Unable to remove the vestigial feelings from him entirely. Sooner or later he would have had to face them head on, face her.
And it was not Ningguang he loved, of that he could be sure. Nor was he enamored with Guizhong as he once was. The memory left behind haunted him, regret welled in him now more prominent than ever.
The empathy Keqing told him he lacked, he wished he could have had then, so it wouldn't crush him now.