"Never would have taken you for such a picky eater."

Kazuha stared down at the vegetables on his plate. No meat...none?

Beidou shrugged with a grunt. "Overfishing's been a problem in this part of Liyue. Qixing's trying to do something about it. And before you ask when I started caring about Ningguang's rules, I'm all for them when they have a point. So we're going green for a couple days."

"Days?" He sounded more spoiled than he was comfortable with.

"Yes, days." Beidou grinned. "You're a wanderer, aren't you? In pretty good shape too. Woulda thought you'd have learned to eat your vegetables by now."

"I've learned." Kazuha returned her smile, impaling a mouthful of lettuce on his fork. "It's just taken me a while, that's all."

"Uh huh," Beidou said, pushing her empty plate away. "So you were fussy even as a kid, then. And...how old are you now?"

"I turned twenty-five a few months ago. ...Why?"

"So you're done growing. Stand up." Beidou pushed herself to her feet. Kazuha quirked a brow, but followed suit, looking up as Beidou placed her hand on his head, then moved it to place it level with her chest. "That's why you're short."

Kazuha's smile turned to a grimace. He was aware, of course. The Kaedeharas were a tall enough family. As a child, he'd not so patiently awaited the day he'd grow taller than his father. Yet the time for growth came and went, and he still found himself no taller than shoulder height with his mother, and he often had to crane his neck even to look teenage girls in the eye.

Beidou saw his reaction and nudged him with her elbow. "Hey, I'm kidding! Not like that sort of thing matters anyway."

"I think that's a little easier for you to say." Kazuha sat back down."

"I'm serious. Look at the Traveler. You two are about the same height, aren't you?" Beidou leaned against a wall, waving at a few sailors passing through to the mess hall.

"More or less."

"Look at what the two of you have done. He's fought a dragon and a god, you're one of the only people who escaped the Vision Hunt tellin' ya you can't be insecure, but it's all in your head," Beidou said. "It's only as big a deal as you make it."

Kazuha chuckled. "That's just like you, Captain. Dropping us in it, then steering us out."

"Really?" Beidou asked, rolling her eyes. "You're always so dramatic, Kazuha. I hardly dropped you in anything."

"Alright, alright." Kazuha said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Still, thanks, Captain. Goodnight." Finishing off his meal with a little bit of effort, Kazuha moved towards the deck, probably to sleep in the crow's nest.

His words echoed in her mind as she patrolled the deck before lights out. The kid had her thinking again, and it kind of pissed her off.

Kazuha was always thanking her. He'd been raised in Inazuma. Manners were important there. Beidou didn't hate it, but it was strange. Liyue liked to pretend it was polite, but that was just surface gleam. Liyue was the city of contracts, which meant in many ways it was the city of legal deception, of sharks with charming smiles. Real nobility, the kind Kazuha had. That was rare. It reminded her of a younger-

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" The wind appeared to lower right on cue to let that effortlessly composed voice reach her ears.

When Ningguang had first appeared on the deck of the Alcor, Beidou had almost lost her lunch. Whatever it was about Ningguang- Vision, technology, or otherwise- that let her blink across vast swathes of Liyue in an instant, she used it sparingly, at least for Beidou. She'd thought she wasn't due another visit from the Tianquan for at least a few months, but here she was.

Beidou turned around as the golden light surrounding Ningguang faded away, placing her hands on the railing of her ship. "Nope, just me. Aren't you a little busy to be visiting little old me again?"

"You;re usually half the reason I'm busy in the first place," Ningguang replied in a deadpan, never losing that smile. "But no. I find myself with a few moments to spare, and I saw you were in a low limit fishing zone. I wanted to make sure you were behaving yourself."

"I'd be insulted if you didn't already know I am," Beidou drawled, then closed her eyes as a refreshing gust of cold air washed over her face. "You'd have the Millelith ready at the harbor for us and we'd never know how you rumbled us."

Ningguang chuckled. It was about as coy as she got, and Beidou hoped she didn't notice as she bit on the corner of her lip in response. She probably did though. She saw everything. "How apt of you," she said at last, before her expression turned a touch more serious. "How is Inazuma this time of year, by the way?"

Beidou quirked a brow. "I wouldn't know. Inazuma's locked down, remember?"

"Of course. How remiss of me." Ningguang touched a finger to the corner of her lips. "Come find me when you're back in Liyue Harbor. I have a new board game I think you'll love. Your accommodation won't be quite up to the usual standard, but you'll find it more than satisfactory."

"Right, right. I heard about the Jade Chamber. I've got a pretty great bulk deal on some ore, you know. Just for you." Beidou grinned at Ningguang, who gave a good-natured sigh in response.

"All legally obtained, imported, and subject to the correct paperwork, I assume."

"Nothing but."

"Wonderful." Ningguang looked over her shoulder. "Mm. It appears my brief respite is over. Until next time, Captain Beidou." With a flash of golden light, Ningguang was gone.

Beidou turned around to face the sea and scowled. She'd definitely come out of that exchange a little more submissive than she wanted. She'd have to pick out a nice dress for her night with Ningguang and pay her back.