Change

"I'll need these transcripts checked for errors and filed by this evening. It's not too much, is it Baishi?"

"No, Miss Ganyu," the young woman smiled. "Please enjoy your afternoon off." Unspoken, but betrayed by a very slight tenseness to her smile, was a fervent plea to please, please return this time.

Ganyu hid a wry smile. With the keen perspective of hindsight, she knew how foolish she'd been to doubt her place here in Liyue Harbor, but her emotions at the time had been very real, and she was able to forgive herself for her selfish whimsy. Ningguang's secretaries, on the other hand… well, nearly a year later, they still all but flinched whenever Ganyu departed.

It was a status quo Ganyu was working to change. Aether had eventually shared in confidence with her the true story of Rex Lapis's "death". The ancient Archon had recognized that his people had become too dependent on him, and had orchestrated a trial to see if they could stand independently from him. They had, indeed, and today's Liyue thrived without the supervision of an Archon.

Ganyu had been astounded. She never would have dreamed that Rex Lapis harbored such feelings, but had little reason to doubt Aether's honesty. It also cast her misadventuresome attempt to "find herself" at Jeuyun Karst in a new light: When she had departed unexpectedly, how had her own "city" fared?

Not well. Not well at all. Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao had practically been in tears of relief upon her return, and the backlog of paperwork that hat built up after her mere few days' absence was astounding. She did not doubt that the three had worked diligently while she was gone, but it was clear that she had gravely underestimated the ability of her juniors to shoulder the burden she bore each and every day.

Gradually, over the course of months, she studied the work habits of those around her, and provided advice to help them improve. Over the course of the thousands of years she'd performed her duties for the Qixing, she'd learned innumerable tricks and tips for performing her work more quickly, efficiently, and accurately, and they had become so ingrained that she hadn't considered that those around her lacked the knowledge.

By training her subordinates, she was able to gradually increase their workload without overwhelming them. With Ningguang's authorization, she hired additional workers, as well, to further distribute the work. While she loved Liyue and her job, she now saw the folly in building such a weighty structure atop a single pillar. It took months, but eventually she became satisfied that her staff would be able to carry on without her, potentially indefinitely.

Her efforts had another side effect, one which, at first, she did not particularly welcome: Ganyu had a lot more free time on her hands than she had had in thousands of years. Without the weight of work to occupy her time, she became bored and discontented. Just what did people DO when they had free time?

By coincidence, Aether happened to find her listlessly browsing an assortment of puzzles at a local merchant, and after a conversation he invited her to join him on his travels, whenever her work schedule allowed. She agreed. It was something to do, and she hadn't been outside of Liyue for quite some time.

It was… fun. Far more fun than she'd imagined. She found their adventures together to be deeply satisfying – almost as satisfying as her work was. No, it wasn't really fair to compare them. Her adventures with Aether scratched an entirely different itch. They also awakened something else within her, a feeling she hadn't felt in more than a hundred years, but one she knew quite well.

As she crested the staircase, she caught sight of Aether, already seated at Heyu Tea House. He spotted her immediately and waved her over. As ever, Paimon floated next to him, though she was entirely too fixated on a confection she was ravenously devouring to notice her. The scent of the tea brought a smile to her lips: Qingxin. Leave it to Aether to have her favorite ready for her.

It wasn't until she took a seat that Paimon finally glanced up at her. "Oh, hey there! How's it goin'?" she chirped around a mouthful of food.

"Hello, Paimon," Ganyu smiled in return. "I'm glad to see you're doing well!"

"And how! Almond Tofu is the besht!"

"Say it, don't spray it, Paimon" Aether admonished with a chuckle.

Paimon paused in her eating. "Don't be ridiculous! You know that Paimon would never waste food by spitting it out! Hmph." She stuck out her tongue at him before digging in again.

"And how about you, Aether? Where have your travels taken you?"

Aether's eyes lit up, and he eagerly began to relate his adventures. Ganyu listened intently, sipping on her tea. As the story unfolded, Aether described a mystery he had uncovered recently in Sumeru.

"…and the weirdest part was, those Abyss Mages seemed to be working with the Fatui!" Aether finished up.

"Hmm, that is quite disconcerting," Ganyu agreed. "The Abyss are enemies to all humans, and the Fatui are no exception."

"I know, right?" Aether bobbed his head. "I'm not sure why they'd team up, but I'll figure out what's going on." Ganyu nodded, fully confident that he would. Aether had an uncanny talent for this kind of work.

Now that his story had ended, however, it was time for the main event. "Aether, there is something important that I wish to discuss with you."

Aether's eyes focused on Ganyu, sensing the seriousness in her tone. He nodded for her to continue.

"The time I've spent with you has been precious to me, and I believe that I am falling in love with you. Would you become my lover?"

Whatever response Aether was going to muster, the clatter of a forkful of tofu slipping from Paimon's hands spoiled the moment. (Ganyu did notice that said slipped fork landed safely on Paimon's plate – still no food wasted!) "Whoa sister, you don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"The lives of mortals are brief," Ganyu answered primly. "It is my experience that nothing is gained by dithering. Every second we spend together is precious, and should not be wasted."

"Ah, you have a lot of experience, then?" Paimon asked slyly.

"Paimon!" Aether scolded.

"No, it's fine," Ganyu smiled. "I'd planned to bring up the topic myself. I have, indeed, had lovers in the past, though it has been quite some time since the last. In my lifetime, there have been seventeen, and fifteen of them have I wed."

"Wow, I guess you do have a lot of experience!" Paimon remarked with slight awe. "Fifteen husbands! How do you keep track of them all?"

"Not all at once, of course!" Ganyu giggled at the thought. "Remember, I've been alive for more than three thousand years. That's plenty of time to space them out. The last one, my dearest Bulai, passed away one hundred and thirty-three years ago."

"I guess that makes sense," Paimon nodded. Then she got a shocked look on her face. "Wait a minute! That means you're a super seriously old maid! Should you really be robbing the cradle like this?"

"Paimon!" Aether tried again, helplessly. He was adorably cute, and it was understandable that he might like to take part in this discussion himself. From their travels together, however, Ganyu knew that she'd need to satisfy Paimon's curiosity before the two of them would be able to make any headway.

"When you get to be my age, the dating pool shrinks considerably," Ganyu explained patiently. The moment she spoke Venti and Zhongli walked past their table with the former chattering animatedly at the latter, and with a visibly reluctant Xiao in tow (carrying bags of mora, for some reason) before descending down the stairs and out of sight. With only a slight twitch of the eye indicating her irritation at the undermining of her argument, she powered on, "Besides, I have gotten to know Aether well over the past few months, and he is charming and mature well beyond his age."

"That's true!" Paimon nodded. "He may be young, but Aether's as manly and charming as any man I've met! But what about the Adepti? Don't they live for a really long time, too? Why not date one of them?"

"I like humans," Ganyu said, simply. "Once, long ago, I did attempt a union with an Adeptus. Heaven's Forge was his name. I do remember him fondly, but… how should I put this. He was… not boring; that's not quite right. Static. Unchanging. Two hundred years, we were mated, and when we finally parted ways, he was no different from the day we met. He was not unique among Adapti in this regard – all of them tend to be slow to change, if they change at all, with few exceptions. Humans, even with lives as fleeting as theirs, are in a state of constant change, rarely the same even from day to day. When I take a human as a lover, they continue to change. I change them – and they change me, as well. I think the human side of me craves that change."

"Huh," Paimon responded, oddly silent. "Paimon never thought about that. "I guess Adapti really would be boring after a while."

"Really, I mean it: 'boring' is not the right word," Ganyu repeated, sounding a bit strained.

"That's a good enough reason, I suppose," Paimon continued as though she hadn't heard Ganyu's correction. Then, suddenly changing topics, "Oh, Paimon just thought of something! If you've been married so many times, you must have kids all over the place!"

While she had expected this line of query to come up, it still stung a bit, and triggered a few unhappy memories. "No, I do not," Ganyu answered softly. "I'm… unable to bear children. I've tried, to be sure," her cheeks colored slightly, as she recalled some of her… enthusiastic attempts, particularly among her earlier marriages. "But it's just not possible. I suspect that, much like the offspring of horses and donkeys are rarely fertile, so is it with children of unions between Adapti and humans."

Apparently sensing that she maybe stepped over a line, this time, Paimon got a guilty, concerned look on her face, "Ah, Paimon's sorry. That was maybe a bit too much…" Paimon squirmed a bit under Aether's disapproving gaze.

"I have adopted many children over the years," Ganyu continued, "And I've treasured them as if they were my own. None still live, and their descendants have no idea about my relation to their families, but there are a few I still keep an eye on."

"That's neat," Paimon enthused, trying to make up for her earlier faux pas. "I'll bet you were a great mother to those kids! Still, a shame… little blonde babies with tiny horns would just be so cute!" It was, perhaps a slip back toward the insensitive, but Ganyu found herself nodding in agreement – and noticed Aether was, as well. He caught her gaze, and both blushed and looked back to Paimon.

"Anyway, I suppose that's enough," Paimon announced. "You have my permission to date Aether!" She rose from her chair, and winked, broadly. "I think I'll go for a little walk and leave you two lovebirds alone for a bit. Have fun!"

After she left, both Aether and Ganyu waited in patient silence, gazing knowingly at one another. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Paimon returned, sheepishly grabbed her plate, scarfed down her remaining tofu, and then floated off, again.

Ganyu rested her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her intertwined fingers, gazing expectantly at Aether, "So, have you given some thought to my proposal?"

Aether blushed at her direct gaze. "I'm… flattered. Really I am. And the truth is that I'm… well, very attracted to you, as well." This was not news to Ganyu. Her experience with past lovers had made her very familiar with the sidelong glances, caught breaths, and other bodily tics that indicated interest. Had Aether's body language not been so clear, it was unlikely she would have taken the plunge that evening.

Aether made a clear attempt to compose himself, and mustered up a serious gaze of his own. "Before I say yes, though," Ganyu's heart made a giddy leap, at that – he was planning on saying yes! She tamped down the feeling, though, sensing that a heavy shoe was about to drop. "Well, I think you may have a few misapprehensions about me. Serious ones."

"What do you mean?" Ganyu asked, curiously.

"Well… for starters… Um…" Aether paused. "Just… how old do you think I am?"

The question caught Ganyu off-guard. "Well, if I had to guess," Ganyu considered thoughtfully, "I'd place you at sixteen or seventeen years." He was the youngest she'd ever proposed to, but still well past the age of majority in Liyue.

Aether nodded, but not in agreement, but as though confirming a theory. "I've told you, haven't I? How my sister and I have visited other worlds?"

"Yes, of course," Ganyu answered.

"How many, do you think? At most?"

Well, that was a harder question. Ganyu obviously had no way of knowing. Certainly, Aether had shared stories of a few, specific worlds – and fascinating stories they were – but there were clearly more. "Perhaps… a dozen? Maybe twenty?" Assuming they spent a few months at each, it couldn't be more than that.

Aether shrugged, a wistful look on his face. "To tell the truth, I don't actually know, myself. But I can remember at least a hundred, and I have the feeling there were more. A lot more. On occasion, we'd spend years on a world we particularly liked."

Ganyu had a dawning realization as to where Aether was going with this. "Aether… how old are you?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know that either. For as long as I can remember, my sister and I have been traveling. For as long as I can remember, she was exactly as she was the last time I saw her. For as long as I can remember, I have been exactly as I am now." He smiled, a bitter, rueful smile. "Unchanging."

It was if a gaping pit had opened under Ganyu's stomach. She'd talked so airily about the inadequacies of her time with Heaven's Forge. She realized, now, that each word might as well have been a solid blow against the man in front of her.

"If I was ever a child, I don't remember it," Aether continued. "If I had parents, I don't remember them. It's always just been my sister and I. Always together, always traveling from world to world. For all I know, I might be older than you are."

It was an angle Ganyu honestly hadn't considered, even for a moment. It was difficult to imagine a human older than she herself was.

"Before you tie yourself down to me, I wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into," Aether said. "Remember, too, that one day, I'll find my sister – and when I do… We will most likely be leaving this world. Traveling is what we do. It's what we've always done. You love this land; I know you do. You wouldn't want to leave it, I know, and I wouldn't want to be the reason you felt you had to."

This time, it was Aether's words that were striking her like blows. To her shame, she realized he was right. In an irony among ironies, she, the immortal, had not put enough thought into the long-term. It had been entirely too easy to fall into the same pattern she'd followed with her last several husbands: Fall in love, become lovers, be wed, and share a long, loving life together until he finally passed away.

Why had she been so sure it would have been the same with Aether, a self-professed traveler? She'd practically plotted out their life together, up to and including the home they'd share in Liyue Harbor. Aether was not the first lover she'd taken who was not a native of her home nation, but he was the first who was not a native to her world. And yet, she'd assumed he'd settle down in Liyue and live out his life there with her, just like all of the others.

She couldn't believe her own selfishness. Why was she expecting him to conform to her plans for their future?

"I've… never had a lover," Aether confessed. "Not that I remember, at any rate. Neither has my sister. We've both fallen for people in the past, but in the end, we always came to the same decision: It wouldn't be fair to them, when we'd be leaving them in the end. It always came down to a conversation like this one, and in the end, we always parted as friends."

"So, there you go," Aether spread his hands in a half-shrug, and waited expectantly for Ganyu's reply.

Ganyu was silent, and her heart was in turmoil. Eventually, though, she centered herself and mustered up the courage to speak. "I… don't think you're as unchanging as you think you are," she started. "When I spoke of Heaven's Forge… Well, loving him was like loving a statue. I did not affect him; I think that's what hurt the most when we parted, that his life without me was no different than his life with me."

"You, though," she continued. "Even in the short time I've known you, you've changed. All the people I've seen you interact with have left their mark on you. I've left my mark on you, too; I can see it in the way you act around me, compared to the way you were when we first met. There might be a part of you that is unchanging, but I think that you change in all of the ways that truly matter."

"Just as importantly," Ganyu continued, "You have changed me. And I believe you will continue to change me. When I asked to speak with you today, I was giddy with the thoughts of how you might change me in the future."

"I will admit, though, that the things you've told me were unexpected. For now, I will retract my proposal. I will think about what you have said with the utmost care. But I strongly suspect I will be asking again. With each of us changing the other it's impossible to say what the future will hold. Perhaps we will inevitably part ways – but, perhaps we will not. Whether you stay, or I leave to join you on your journey, perhaps we will change enough together to make such a future possible."

"And even if our time together is short," Ganyu's expression took an unexpectedly mischievous turn, "It would please me greatly to become your first lover. There are many things I would be able to teach you."

Aether blushed bright red at that, and Ganyu took advantage of his stunned silence to lean across the table and brush her lips against his, in the most fleeting of kisses. "I'll see you again soon, and I hope that you take the time to carefully consider what I have said, as well. Until then!" She stood, and left the table.

Ganyu had barely descended the stairs, when an excited voice called, "How did it go? How did it go?" Paimon apparently hadn't gone very far on her "walk" and was practically bouncing with giddy excitement.

"Sorry, I'm not one to kiss and tell," Ganyu teased.

"Aw! Maybe Aether will spill the beans, then," Paimon pouted, and raced up to the tea house.

On a whim, Ganyu made her way to Yuehai Pavilion. She strode up to the railing and rested against it, gazing out over Liyue Harbor. Her home. Her home for nearly all of her three thousand years of life, and the place she loved most in the world. She imagined a future in which she left it behind, forever, and found the thought to be terrifying. She didn't think she would be able to do it.

At least, not as she was. But "who she was" was changing each and every day. That human part of her that the Adepti could never quite understand. That, to be frank, she did not truly understand herself. That lack of understanding, though; the idea that she could look to the future and have no idea what to expect. It was exciting. As exciting as it was terrifying.

For all her talk of enjoying the change humans brought about, she could see now that she had been in a bit of a rut for the past few millennia. Her conversation with Aether had allowed her to see that rut, now – and perhaps more time with him would shake her out of it.

And his talk of endless worlds and endless travel… Ganyu didn't think Aether realized it himself, but he and his sister had been in a bit of a rut, as well. As tragic as the capture of his twin had been, perhaps some good had come of it, as well. He'd had no choice but to change the routine he and his sister had shared for so long. She was a part of that change, now, and she was determined to make sure that if Aether did decide to travel once again, he would do so with his eyes wide open.

She would consider Aether's words, as she had promised, but the longer she considered, the more the terror and the excitement grew within her. She was all but certain, now, that she would be presenting her proposal to Aether again when the two next met.

With any luck, this time he would say yes.

Afterword:

While not a prolific writer, every now and then I'm inspired to write, and this story was short enough that I actually wrote it to completion. I managed to pull Ganyu on her banner, and as is often the case when meeting a new character, I thought of her in terms of romantic pairings. What would romance mean to a being three thousand years old who is in appearance and mannerisms still a young woman? When nearly all romantic prospects are more than two thousand years her junior, how would the power dynamic work? I decided that Ganyu would be very matter-of-fact about it, and very practiced at it, as any being with so many years of life likely would be practiced at anything they do. Since very little is known about the Traveler siblings, I decided to use that mystery to my advantage, and provide Ganyu with an unexpected impediment to her routine.

While nothing is impossible, it's unlikely that I'll be writing a sequel or continuation. My muse is very random in when she chooses to strike. Feel free to imagine your own ending, happy or bittersweet, for this nascent couple!

2/19/2021 update: No real content change; mostly just grammar and spelling corrections (as well as fixing one awful there/their issue). I also changed the bags Xiao's carrying from rice to mora, since the Northland Bank is nearby; what the trio plans to do with that cash is still a mystery! I'm pleased to see the story was well-received, and am sorry to disappoint those who were hoping this update would include a sequel. I'll confess that the requests have made me consider what I would write if I were to write a sequel, but these musing are still far from any kind of finished product. Still, the odds are ever-so-slightly higher now that I might write one!

One reviewer asked my opinion on a pairing for Lumine, and suggested Xiao since he, too, is an immortal. Honestly, I don't think that mutual immortality is a requirement for a working, loving relationship; after all, in my story Ganyu was fully expecting Aether to be as short-lived as any human, and has had numerous mortal lovers. I don't think she considers any of them to be unsatisfying, simply because she outlived them all. Mutual immortality could even be an impediment; forever is a long time, and no matter how devoted the lovers, can their feelings truly last for eternity? As much as I'd like to think so, well, just about anything will become boring, given enough time.

When considering Xiao in particular as a lover… well, Xaio has the same problem as most of the male playable characters in this game, in my opinion: He's kind of a jerk. XD With few exceptions, male playable characters are bad boys, or dangerous or unreliable in some fashion. Perhaps they cater to the popular trope of "my love can ease their pain and change them for the better". For that trope to work, though, Lumine needs to be the one to do the heavy lifting in the relationship, to draw her partner out of his shell – and for that, I need to provide her with a personality, since the game allows the player to decide what the main character is like. I might as well be writing an OC!

While technically a Ganyu/Aether pairing, Ganyu was the focus of this story, and she and Paimon do most of the talking. This was by design, as Aether is kind of a blank slate. While Ganyu/Aether was the topic, my intent was more to explore what romance would be like for Ganyu, rather than it was to pair up two characters.

Anyway, no shade on anyone who loves to pair characters. For me to be inspired to write a pairing for Lumine, though, the game must first provide a male character for whom I want to tell a story involving romance.