EPILOGUE TIME. Spoilers ahead for Chapter 1 Act 3, obviously.

For the smoothest and the most painless of transitions, assume 'A starlit bridge' happened before Act 3, and that the events Act 3 happened as-is in the game, albeit with the minor variation of Aether having already met Keqing.

Stalking is a strong word.

Yes, they were following around someone wherever they went. And yes, they were trying not to be found. But, Aether would have to argue that it wasn't really stalking if the one being stalked was someone you were really close with. In this case, it was his maybe-sorta-it'snotofficialyet-andshewasbeingveryambigiousaboutit-girlfriend Keqing out on a Sunday stroll.

The smart move was to mosey up to her and ask her out on a date. Last time he did that, he ended up with an empty wallet and face full of freezing-cold superconducted ice slime candy. What did that one florist once say? Never give Cryo-infused gifts to Electro Vision-bearers?

He wasn't smart, is the point.

Still. This wasn't stalking. He was just silently following her a few steps behind, that's all. From the shadows. Yep.

Paimon, his trusted comrade-in-arms, materialized beside him. For lack of a better description, she was curious too about why the Bossy-Thunder-Lady was out and about Liyue Harbor in a disguise. Aether would chastise her for it and say that it wasn't any of their business, but Paimon wasn't smart, either.

"Eagle One to Haystack, do you copy?" Paimon whispered loudly. She was trying to emulate her voice like she was holding a radio; it only ended up making her sound ridiculous.

He never should have told her about radios. As far as he knew, they haven't even been invented yet, for Archon's sake.

"Eagle One to Haystack, do you copy?!" Paimon whispered louder.

"Loud and clear," Aether said, not so loudly and not so clearly. Since Paimon could theoretically appear in and out of reality and can fly, she had been tasked with reconnaissance.

"The panther has left the nest! She's heading to your position now!"

By panther, she was probably referring to Keqing— which meant he should probably hide. Slipping inside a random building, Aether left the door slightly open and peeked outside. Paimon parted his hair with her diminutive fingers, using it as a makeshift bush.

Keqing bowed to the shop owner before skipping down the street holding several bags in her arms. She seemed to be enjoying shopping by herself... and it showed. Aether couldn't tear his eyes away from her beaming smile. She'd forgone her usual pigtails again for a loose braid draped over her shoulder. The jeweled hairpins tying it up were a wonderful match to her floral qipao.

And Aether definitely was NOT staring at her shapely, buttery smooth legs underneath.

While he knew she liked her disguises, the orange sunglasses might be a bit much. Other than that, Keqing looked gorgeous. Casual, but gorgeous.

"Why can't she dress like that more often?" Aether wondered aloud.

"Hey, focus!" Paimon said, kicking his shoulder. "We need to find out what she's looking for so we can bribe— I mean, buy her gifts, right?"

"Your evil is showing, Paimon."

"Shhhhh! Look, she just came from a paint shop, holding a huge bag of paint. Don't you think that's suspicious?"

Again, none of their business— but he did admit it was curious. What did she need them for?

"Ah, the panther has gone to another shop!" Paimon shouted. Covering her hands to simulate static, she floated way up and vanished. "Eagle One, moving out! Haystack, stay where you are."

Aether sighed.

Entering the shop they last saw Keqing in, Aether met with someone he did not expect.

"Ah, Traveler. How do you do?"

The dapper man greeted him with a gleeful smile. There was a towel worn over his hair, and an immaculately clean apron draping his suit. He held a clay sculpture of a majestic dragon in his hands, a symbol of pride and reverence among the people of Liyue.

Considering who it was, it actually felt kind of vainglorious.

"What do you think?" Zhongli asked, offering Aether a closer look at the sculpture. "It turned out pretty great if I do say so myself."

"You're selling Rex Lapis merchandise. Wow," Aether said. "I thought you were done with your business ventures."

"Ah, that." Zhongli went to a nearby shelf and presented them even more figurines made in the likeness of his now-supposed rotting corpse. "I did say that, but this business is not mine, per se. I make the figurines as a hobby, and the owner graciously pays me for it."

Relieved of his godly duties, the former Archon probably had all the spare time in the world.

"Uwahh!" A starry-eyed Paimon exclaimed, admiring the tiny works of art. Some were made from fragile-looking gems, and others from wood and resin. "They look so detailed! Zhongli, did you make them with your Geo Archon powers?"

Zhongli chuckled. "No— and even if I could, it would be an insult to artisans everywhere. Have a look at this one."

He held up a palm-sized one made of a sort of boreal wood. "This one I carved from the branch of a winter-everlasting tree, gifted to me by the Fatui. What do you think?"

Examining it closer, the intricacies of the statuette were indeed superb. The curves of the dragon's mane exuded an air of grace and power, much like Rex Lapis himself, its claws sharp and glittering like gemstones. The overall texture of the wood emulated the reptilian scales quite well. Twin amber beads made from the highest-quality Cor Lapis constituted as the figurine's eyes, gazing at Aether with the dignity and the pride of a true god.

"Including the cost of the materials," Zhongli said, "this would fetch around twelve hundred thousand Mora."

Twelve hundred thousand?!

Paimon jaw-dropped. She started handling the priceless artifacts with a little more care now.

"T-this is just a figurine, right?" Aether said, already fearing for his wallet. "Made for kids, right?"

"Most of them are, yes. However, there is a growing market for figurines targeting more mature audiences. Art collectors, for example. There are others like that one; I sold about four in the past two weeks."

"W-wait— " Paimon said, clutching her head as she tried and failed to do the math. "Four times twelve hundred thousand is… Four times twelve hundred thousand is…."

"Four million, eight hundred thousand Mora," Zhongli answered. "If you factor in importing costs and taxes, it may well cost over six million."

" $#%!"

With that much money… Aether didn't even know what he could DO with that much money. And did Zhongli just say he sold them all in a couple of weeks?!

"Perhaps such a luxury doesn't suit you, Traveler?" Zhongli pondered for a minute before grabbing another figurine from the shelf. "If that's the case, might I recommend this one? This is made from processed pine resin. It may look delicate, but it is actually quite sturdy— perfect for an adventurer like you."

"H-how much?" Aether asked.

"Normally, it would be twenty-thousand, but I'm willing to give it to you for free if you want."

Okay, twenty-thousand didn't sound so bad. Certainly far, far away from six million— and it's free to boot. Maybe he could give it to Mona, or something. That'll get her off his back for a while.

"Thanks."

"Have another one for Paimon, too," Zhongli added.

Aether shook his head. "T-that won't be necessary!"

"If you're sure? Alright."

"HOLD IT!" Paimon shouted at the top of her lungs., having recovered from mathematics-induced catatonia, She pointed accusingly at Zhongli. "You're just a gravedigger! A coin-less, shovel-towing fossil! How are you making so much money all of a sudden!?"

Zhongli for his part seemed nonplussed. "Hm? I'm afraid I do not understand. Six million Mora isn't anything special; the Tianquan regularly makes over a hundred times that."

"...The Land of Commerce is a truly terrifying beast when it comes to money," Paimon mumbled.

"That said... I have come to notice that the Mora I have on me always seems to dwindle of its own accord." Zhongli pulled out his wallet and flipped it over. Empty, as usual. "For that reason, I have taken the initiative to deposit all of my Mora in a safe I keep under lock and key at home."

He laughed, jolly proud of his achievement. "Now, I don't have to worry about suddenly losing Mora anymore. It is a foolproof plan, wouldn't you agree?"

"...But wait," Paimon said. Hand on chin, she stared at the ceiling in deep reflection. "If all of your Mora is at home… how are you gonna use it to buy what you need?"

"Eh?"

The laughter stopped, and there was a cracking sound as the figurine in Zhongli's hand split apart spontaneously.

...

"...Let's go, Paimon."

"Hm? Sure. See ya, Zhongli!"

Leaving behind the old man whose world was just turned upside-down, Aether stepped out of the shop and had a look around. They were still sta— er, following Keqing. Where could she have gone?

"Still," Paimon said. "Six million smackeroos… Just wonder how many Sticky Honey Roasts Paimon can buy with that much cash!"

"I can't imagine."

"Aether! Paimon's got a great idea! Let's stop it with this treasure hunting-gig and set up our own merchandise shop! With your fame and my stellar guidance, we're gonna climb up the ranks and—"

There was a flash of lightning. The next thing Aether knew, there was a steaming Paimon laying flat on the ground, unconscious.

Second thing he knew was the extremely sharp stiletto brandished to his neck. It discharged volatile electricity. Third thing he knew was the pair of extremely angry eyes glaring at him, tearing holes into his very being.

Fourth thing he knew was that he was also extremely dead.

"Hi," he said. Pleaded. "It's not what you think."

"You were gone for weeks and the first thing you do when you come back is to stalk me without so much as a 'Hello'?" Keqing glowered. "What do you THINK I'm thinking right now?"

Oh, he knows this one.

"I'm glad to see you, too?"

She snarled.

"I'm sorry."

Crossing her legs, Keqing turned her nose up his prostrating figure. "Is that all you have to say in your defense?"

"I'm sorry for not visiting sooner," Aether said. "Please don't blast me with lightning again."

"What's got you worried? It's not gonna kill you; I bet it'll barely even tickle."

He prostrated harder. "I'm sorry for stalking you. It was Paimon's idea— she made me do it."

Throwing Paimon under the bus always seemed to work. Not like she could defend herself; the semi-useless fairy was still out cold, snoring with snot bubbles coming out of her nostrils.

Keqing frowned. "Regardless of whose idea was it, do you realize what would have happened if somebody reported you? A celebrated figure discovered stalking a pretty girl out on the street? You have no clue how much of a headache that would have been for me! I can only do so much to keep you out of trouble."

When she put it that way… yeah, it did sound kinda bad.

"...if you're gonna do it, at least do it in a way you won't get caught…"

"Huh?"

A foot pressed into his face. "And who said you could look up, you pervert?"

"Ghhh…"

Aether had a perfect view of her thighs and legs from his position. Judging from the fact that Keqing also wasn't wearing anything to cover them up under the qipao, it was most likely intentional.

"Okay, fine," Aether said, trying to wipe the footprint off on his sleeve. "I was going to buy a present for your birthday, and I thought I'd follow you around and see what stuff you might like."

Keqing blinked. "...Really?"

"If I say yes, will you promise to stop stepping on me?"

She did so, then turned her head away and coughed in embarrassment. "If that's the case, then I suppose I can overlook it for now. Just don't let me catch you doing it again."

"Thanks."

"So… what were you going to buy for me?" she asked.

"To be decided," he answered truthfully. "You sort of assaulted my gift-hunting partner."

"Ah, that's fine then. I can wait."

With the situation explained and resolved better than he would have expected, Aether stretched the sore away from his legs. Keqing's room was just as modest as he remembered it to be. There was a single bed, a wardrobe, some furniture, a door leading to a balcony, and a whole lot of books and scrolls strewn about the floor. Knowing about her perfectionist attitude, the messiness implied that she was too busy studying to clean up properly.

Ever since taking over for the departed Rex Lapis, Keqing, Ningguang, and the rest of the Qixing had been entrenched with reconstructing the laws of Liyue from the ground up. Seeing Keqing working hard like this… made him really glad. She was finally one step closer to achieving her dreams of a better Liyue.

Above all, he was really happy seeing her again after all this time. He'd admit that much.

There was one especially memorable thing about Keqing's room though.

"The famous 'Rex Lapis Memorabilia' shrine seems to be growing by the day," Aether said. And how. The shelf above her desk held all sorts of merchandise in Rex Lapis' image— illustrations, dolls, sigils, emblems, and even small handbooks. It was basically common knowledge by now that the once-hated skeptic among skeptics Yuheng had become one of the former Geo Archon's biggest fans.

Where before she would stutter and try to deny it, now Keqing just grinned at him, clearly embracing the title. "I'm not gonna lose to anyone, especially not to HIM," she said. "The bigger the shrine gets, the harder it is I have to work so he doesn't overtake me. I can't get complacent just because he's gone."

"Well, here's my contribution." Aether placed the pine resin figurine he got from Zhongli on the shrine. Keqing smiled ecstatically at it, finally acting like someone her age.

Worth it. He could always buy another one.

"I actually bought something from that shop too." Keqing picked out a similar figurine from her bag and placed it on her desk. It was painted in a singular dark-grey hue unlike the rest though, like a figurine made of coal. "Mr. Zhongli's craftsmanship is unlike anything I've ever seen."

Probably because he had over thousands of years of practice, of course— though it would be unwise to let her know that.

"New hobby?" Aether asked.

"Mhm." Nodding, Keqing poured a brownish-orange pigment into a palette and mixed it with a yellow one, resulting in a rich amber color reminiscent of Geo crystals. With a fine brush, she carefully applied a thin layer of paint over the figurine, going over it once or twice to make sure it had a nice, even coat, and hummed all the while.

Aether watched her apply even more layers, taking small breaks in-between to let the paint dry. With a contented sigh, she experimented with more dye combinations, diligently testing them out on a scrap of paper before she put it on the figurine. They talked about a lot of things while she was doing that: how they've been doing, how the missing posters were holding up, the upcoming festivals, and other random stuff under the weather.

Boring stuff maybe, but Aether didn't feel bored at all. The look on Keqing's face told him she felt the same.

She handed him a brush. "Wanna try?"

"Are you sure?" Aether asked. He was pretty sure he was going to mess up spectacularly at some point; he hasn't held a brush since forever.

"It'll be fine."

Taking a position behind him, Keqing gently maneuvered his hand through the preparation process. She showed him how to properly thin the paint with water and taught him the strokes she uses on a blank canvas.

Aether let her take the lead, savoring the warmth on his back and stealing glances at her lips whenever they came near. He could also feel her breath dangerously close to his ear that it made it hard for him to concentrate.

"Got all that?" she asked. Her hair was tickling his neck now. "You should familiarise yourself with brushstrokes first before you….'re not even listening, are you?"

"Sorry. Can you run that by me again?"

She sighed. "You're really hopeless, you know that?"

With a patient smile, Keqing guided him through it again, gripping his hand tighter and explaining things at a slower pace. Aether paid attention this time, watching the brush glide fluidly across the canvas. He instilled Keqing's graceful movements in his mind and tried to replicate them, eliciting a giggle from her whenever he'd make an awkward jerk with his wrist.

"I'm not cut out for this," he said, eyeing the turbulent mishmash of color he caused. It looked almost like it was done by a blind hilichurl. He was trying to paint something from memory, but right now he wasn't so sure if he was staring at an image of Dvalin's Lair or a portrait of Kaeya and Venti making out.

It was that bad. Evidently, an artist he was not.

"Oh my!" Keqing gasped in awe at his handiwork. "It's amazing! Liyue's holding an abstract art exhibit next month. I could put this up there if you like~"

"You would really do that?"

She shook her head and laughed. "No."

"Wonderful." Aether sighed. Soon, he found himself laughing, too.

"Maybe painting sculptures would be different?" Keqing said. "I'll mix the colors, you just layer it on."

"I really don't think this is such a great idea."

"Oh shush. It'll be fun!"

Hugging his back, Keqing got to work mixing the pigments to her palette with one hand, and with the other wrapped around his neck. She sang a cheerful melody in Aether's ear as he tried his best to paint Rex Lapis' mane. Having a reference did make it easier somewhat, and Keqing assured him that blocky colors were alright for that stage—they could just tidy them up as they went along.

"Relaxing, isn't it?" she asked.

"Mhm…"

"I picked up this hobby while I was studying land infrastructure and development, and how to manage them."

"Wasn't that your worst subject?

Keqing pouted. "I wasn't that bad! Maybe I did stall one or two projects because of inexperience, but I've already taken care of those!"

"Sure, sure," Aether said. He'll believe her. For now.

"Anyway, the reason I brought it up was that I read about how painting can be used to teach someone to be patient. I think that was my problem all along and why I was having such a hard time adjusting."

True. You can't just rush things like land infrastructure.

From what little Aether knew of it, that field handled the acquisition, development, and maintenance of infrastructures meant for the public, like roads, water reservoirs, nature preserves— stuff that took a lot of time and resources to build. It wasn't like real estate where proprietorship could change overnight. Land infrastructure meant creating facilities that could last decades. If one didn't have the proper macro-management abilities and the desire to look at the bigger picture, it could lead to dire consequences tens, if not hundreds, of years down the line. Suddenly, Keqing's track record of finishing projects five years in advance paled in comparison.

"Honestly, I thought Morax was playing a cruel trick on me," she said, her eyes melancholic. "I thought that it was karma finally catching up to me. My divine punishment, dooming me to make the same mistake I did to those orphans all those years ago."

She touched their cheeks together and idly combed his hair. Maybe she didn't realize it herself, but she liked to play with his ponytail whenever she felt calm. "Thinking about it now, maybe that's exactly the reason why Rex Lapis wanted me to take over for him."

Aether had to agree. Failure was the best teacher, after all.

"I think you'll do great, Keqing," he said.

"I know." Keqing wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer. "I don't hate Rex Lapis, not after all he's done. I just think there's little reason left for us to fight. He entrusted me with the one thing he loved the most. All I can do now is move forward and paint it as best I can, relentlessly."

"For a better Liyue. Like you always do."

Carrying on as his living legacy. As Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing.

"Yeah," Keqing said. "I still have my doubts about whether he made the right choices or not, I always will; it's who I am. But..."

She grabbed Aether's hand and smiled fondly, hovering it over a spot he had missed. "It's okay to have little faith sometimes, right?"

He smiled too. "Of course it is."

What a relaxing hobby indeed.

A taunting remark popped into Aether's mind. Maybe it was better to say that it was a doubt of his own.

"I have to admit though, I am gonna miss your bossy attitude."

Keqing smirked. Widely. "Less procrastinating and more brushing."

Never change. "Yes, ma'am."

For a time, they just stayed like that, enjoying each other's touch as they painted in silence. When all was said and done, their efforts were rewarded with a… semi-decent sculpture. They gave up trying to make the quality consistent partway through and agreed to just have fun with it. Where once an exalted Geo Archon stood, now what was left was a desecrated Exuvia husk painted in all the different shades of the rainbow.

It wasn't as professional as the rest, but it had its charm. That's what matters.

"Phew, that was fun…" Keqing said, stretching her arms up and wiping her brow. "What are you going to do now, Aether? Gonna stay a while or do you wanna go do something else?"

"Hm…"

A sleepy voice interrupted his thoughts with a big yawn.

"Aether…" Paimon slurred out. She scratched her bum lazily. "Hungryyyyyy…"

Aether shrugged and turned to Keqing. "Well, Eagle One has spoken. Wanna join us?"

"Sure. You go on ahead, I'll clean things up here for a bit."

"Aetherrrrrrrr…"

"Yeah, yeah, breakfast is coming," he said, shepherding the doozy fairy out the door. "See you later, Keqing."

"See you."

As soon as the two of them had left, a peaceful silence descended into her room.

Keqing frowned.

Glancing around cautiously, she touched the wall adjacent to her desk. There was a switch there; if you didn't know about it, you would assume it was merely a decoration. It was a good thing that Aether was too distracted to notice. He had an uncanny perception when it came to traps and levers— probably from his years of dungeon crawling. With a kerchunk, the panels of the wall folded in itself, revealing a hidden compartment on the other side.

What was in the compartment? Only her most prized possession, of course: an altar, dedicated to a certain one-of-a-kind traveler from another dimension.

A smile curved on her lips.

Ever since her friends discovered her shrine to Rex Lapis, she'd been more careful not to let her secrets slip. This one, however, dwarfed the memorabilia shrine in comparison. The altar was jam-packed with goods and souvenirs made in the Traveler's likeness. In the corner was an entire novella series about the Traveler's exploits along with framed portraits of his gorgeous face made by esteemed artists— though some of them she admittedly painted herself.

Honestly, buying every single one of his merchandise available was quite the chore. Liyue adored their precious golden boy, almost as much as they did Rex Lapis.

She took one of the photographs pinned on the wall. "Hmm… paying a scryer for these was certainly the expense, but they did turn out far better than I expected."

It was well worth the extra effort she put in her job just so she could look at his face whenever she wanted. At first, she was content with one photograph; now, there were dozens of them, with more on the way. Pictures of Aether doing things he normally did in his daily life. Adventuring stuff like fishing, camping, bounty hunting, and falling off cliffs. She also had photos of him in Mondstadt, casually sleeping atop one of the windmills and another of him picking up flowers under a huge tree.

The one she was holding now was taken in a tavern called Angel's Share. A reputable establishment, selling Mondstadt's finest liquor. Aether was there chatting with a bard while they discreetly sipped on some Dandelion Wine.

Naughty boy, Keqing thought. From what he told her, most bartenders refuse to serve him alcohol because of his appearance. Maybe she could invite him to stay the night and get cozy— use her connections to buy the poor man a drink he desperately needed. She was pretty sure the minimum drinking age didn't apply to ageless gods. Not one bit.

How was his tolerance? She was curious to see how he would act drunk around her. You know, have him strip off that stoic guise of his and be more… intimate with her. Preferably under a blanket.

Merely a thought. They had to make the most of their time together, after all.

She stared at the photo again and laughed. "Heheheh…"

Stalking is a strong word.

"Anyway..."

She had maybe twenty minutes before she needed to go. Plenty of time.

Reaching for a chest, Keqing pulled out from within another figurine much larger than the rest. A statuette of Aether posing triumphantly above the Jade Palace, having defended it and Liyue from the forces of evil. It was a historic moment for all of them— a moment she would never forget.

"Finally…" she said, preparing her brushes. It wasn't like she could paint this one with guests around. At the very least, she wanted to get started on the eyes— Aether's luscious, otherworldly golden eyes. "Why, hello there~"

Leaning close to the figurine, Keqing felt a foreboding feeling that maybe she forgot something. Oh well.

The door opened.

"Keqing, are you still here?" Aether asked. "Paimon wanted to ask what you would like to have for… dinner…"

He paused.

"Ah."

…

Mouth ajar, Aether's gaze wandered over to the altar absolutely plastered in his image. It then moved to the figurine in Keqing's hands, then back up again.

"Ahh..."

He stared at the photographs with judgemental eyes. Motionless. Unflinching— his stiff face betrayed not a single shred of emotion. Or humanity.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

The fabric covering up a portion of the compartment fell down and revealed an even larger photograph— a candid poster of a blond-haired stud half-naked and bathing in the river. The fairy companion beside him splashed about in the water as beads of sweat glistened all over his chiseled body.

She used it as a reference for painting his muscles.

"AaaaaahhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—-!"

As surprise turned into mortification, Keqing watched the door to her room shut closed. Gently, and with but a sound.

Ever since then, Aether was barred from entering within one-hundred meters of Yujing Terrace— and for several days, he refused to look Keqing in the eye.

Balance has once again been restored in the land of Liyue.

I have my misgivings on how the writers handled Keqing's character arc, but they mostly stem from the fact that they wasted it's potential. Do I find it dissatisfying that they didn't address it as much as they could? Yes. Do i still find her tsundere-ness cute? Y e s.

Amazingly, and hopefully you'll agree, my fic makes her in-game character development a lot more believable. (I initially wrote all of this before more of Keqing's character story was revealed.)

Anyway, thank you for all the support and comments and reviews. You asked for more, and more shall come. Writing this epilogue just gives me more leeway~

See ya.