FlamingSkyDragon: Thanks for the advice, I hope this chapter makes it easier to tell what's what.

AndyKurosaki98: This is such a rare ship, it'd be a shame to only be a one-shot. I don't know the total length at this time, but it's at least going to be seven chapters.

Xingqiu may be a dear friend of Xiangling, but his residence - the illustrious Feiyun Commerce Guild - was nothing short of her worst enemy!

Ok, maybe that was a bit much. But the fact is she didn't enjoy coming here in the least bit. And honestly, given that the second son himself didn't invite her over at all, the feeling was likely shared.

Still though, desperate times call for desperate measures!

With this thought inspiring our young chef to action, she grabbed the golden chain of the individual grand doors before her with each hand, tightened her grips, and started pounding.

Bom-boom-bom-boom-bom-boom-bom-boom-

Such a damp series of golden handles thumping on wood was annoying even to her, so surely somebody must be on their way to the front doors, to check what in the world was going on. And no less than ten seconds later-

Ccrrrreak.

A very exacerbated woman comes out of the guild…a maid if Xiangling had to guess. Aside from the obvious attire which is a spotless shade of white with black edges, the woman carries an air of maturity with her…probably a requirement if they work for one of the largest trading guilds in Teyvat.

…Instantly, Xiangling wants to challenge this lady to a cook-off one day. Sadly, that day is not today.

On the other side, the maid sees Xiangling and her face darkens. Whatever this child wants, it's probably a waste of her time.

"Dear guest, it is extremely uncourteous to pound our doors so rapidly. A simple knock is all that's required for a quick summon." She says this with a gracious bow, and a plain face to expertly hide her disgust. Kids these days…ruder than the last.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry…" Xiangling stutters, feeling awkward. "Can you tell Xingqiu that his friend came to ask for him? Actually, never mind that, is Xingqiu here?" She attempts to walk into the manor, but is blocked by the maid.

"The young master has stepped out with his friend. I do not know when they'll be back, but if you have a message to give-"

Perfect! Like peas in a pod, those two! "No need, I'll wait here!"

….

The maid blinks at Xiangling. And deeply sighs.

"One moment." Ccrrrreak- SLAM. A gust of wind swirls past Xiangling, making her re-tied braids dance.

It takes a lot longer than "one moment" for the doors to be re-opened, but eventually out comes the same maid with the same patient smile and empty eyes.

"What is it? I'm pretty sure I'm not breaking any rules…"

"Ahem. Given your friendship with the young master (and the sight of your…uniform potentially giving the actual important guests anxiety), the head of this manor has arranged for you to wait in the back garden until the young master's return. I hope this is an acceptable accommodation."

Xiangling can't believe her luck. "Ooh, the garden? Thank you, I accept!"

One more sigh comes out and the impromptu tour begins. Naturally, it's extremely short, as the servant for Feiyun pretty much forces the Vision holder to make a beeline for their destination, with no time for any wandering. Not that Xiangling cares about the manor anyway, the only reason she's here is to chat with her friends, and walking aimlessly in the streets of Liyue looking for two needles in a haystack sounds like a great way to squander the day.

So with a furious pair of doors opening, Xiangling is quickly overwhelmed by the several rainbows-worth deep of flowers. There are the usual rows of pristine Dandelions and calming Mints, but it also features many, many other kinds of blossoms. Windwheel Astels, Qingxin, Silk Flowers, Glaze Lilies, and even more, more flowers Xiangling doesn't even know the names of. Bright violets, beautiful golden shades….they are smell wonderfully!

And…imagine how good they much taste!

She drools…and drools a-plenty.

"A-HEM! Ma'am, if you please."

"…Hahaha….: She quickly wipes away her drool, embarrassingly. The maid then proceeds to guide Xiangling over to a pair of neat and tidy wooden benches, with a thick table separating the two halves. The view from where they she'll be sitting allows for Xiangling to nearly make out the entire garden.

Speaking of making out, she's also able to tell the hint of water droplets in the atmosphere; was the whole garden just watered this morning? No wonder they're making her drool! Edible flowers can be downright delectable when wet, as excess moisture activities their buds and stems in a really tasty way, perfect for soups or stews or even just the raw unadulterated crunch of a lone plant-

*A-HEM!"

Drooling again.

"Please take a seat, Madam Xiangling."

"R-right! Sorry!" With an apologetic bow, she quickly goes down to the benches.

"We'll send a message to the young master for an audience with you." The maid curtly speaks, leaving before a response can even be properly formed. Of course Xiangling still tries.

"A-ah, t-thank you…!"

And…she's gone. Xiangling pouts…but at this point, leaving would be extremely rude. So she closes her eyes, allowing the sounds of nature time to breathe.

Plus, the flowers smell so nice too!

…..

'Knock-knock' 'Knock-knock'

"Hey! I'm home!"

"Hm? Who-….Ah!"

Dropping her pan with a thud across the countertop, Xiangling quickly dashes to action. A half leap across the parlor- one that even her tightly-fit apron can handle- is all that separates her from the voice.

A quick pair of exhales into her hand spells great relief. The onions didn't stain her breath with their scent…phew….

She opens the door with gusto.

"Aether~ You're back!"

Said blonde- complete with dark briefcase in hand, sharply dressed in an expensive black suit- immediately smiles back, however wearily. Xiangling smirks as she's reminded of an important fact; she caught Aether in height a few years back. Now she truly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

"Hey Xiangling~ Oooh, were you cooking? …Meatloaf I'm guessing?" He says after a quick sniff, licking his lips.

"You've got it!"

"Nice, don't mind if I do-"

"Not~ So~ Fast~" She says as she lightly flicks him in the forehead, making a satisfying 'thwap'. "Change out of that."

"What, this?" Aether asks, taking a fistful of his suit in hand.

"Yes that. We know how hard Mr. Zhongli worked, I'm not about to let you get sauce on it!"

"Oh, ye of little faith~ Do you really think I'm that clumsy?" But despite his protests, a strong hand goes up and begins to undo buttons.

Xiangling won't lie. The sight in front of her- Aether working his way out of formal attire- makes her feel…a bit funny…

"So how was your day?" He asks mid-change. "Any wacky stories at Wanmin?"

"O-oh, well….nothing wacky per se, but guess who stopped by?"

"….Xiao?"

She rolls her eyes happily. What a jokester… "Yeah, in the middle of the day WITH Qiqi unsupervised too- of course not!"

"Darn~"

"It was actually Hu Tao and Yanfei, good sir. I almost couldn't believe it, because well, it's been so long, yet Yanfei looks so similar to how she's always been."

"Adeptus blood, remember?"

"I know, but it's just so weird, especially next to Hu Tao now. Her height always amazes me….talk about a laaaate growth spurt!"

Aether chuckles as she falls silent. Thinking about their friends' appearances now brings an important question to her mind.

"…Hey Aether, do you think Mr. Zhongli is an adaptus too?"

He quickly turns wearing a dark undershirt and an amused expression. "What brought that on?"

"Eh, linking the two conversations. But you want to talk about people who haven't changed in looks? He's exactly the same!"

Aether doesn't even try to argue back, nodding before he speaks. "If he's an adeptus, he must be the wisest of them all. All that knowledge, with the ability to fool an entire harbor too! How crafty~"

"Well he's either an adepti, or a traveler from another world…" Xiangling muses aloud, looking up into a bright grin from Aether. Such a smile makes her not only instinctively return one, but also sears her face with a thick blush. "And we all know there can only be two of those in all of Teyvat…eheheh…"

"Lucky me then~ Being one of those two is a blessing…although, considering my partner took five years to catch up to me, it does make it a little tougher to tease them now. "

"Oi!" She gives a light jab square on the shoulder. "No food for you if you keep going down this line!"

"Y-Yes ma'am. But seriously, it does make me wonder if people will start thinking the same about us." Aether continues after a minute, sitting in a nearby chair to take off his shoes. "I mean, in the same way you see Hu Tao and Yanfei now, compared to a decade ago."

"You mean in the 'Are they really together, they look so different?' way right?"

"Yup."

"Hmm, maybe? Maybe they already have…" She answers somberly as nostalgic flashbacks emerge, namely about how the passage of time affects them differently. This lasts a second before she perks back up. "But phooey to them if they do that! Our friends will give them a piece of their minds if anything bad comes from it!"

Aether chuckles again. "No, no, you're right… Ah, now that I'm all changed, let's table this for another time, eh?"

"Sure~" She receives Aether's work shoes from him, tossing them into a neat pile in the entrance hall nearby. "Alright then, what would you like first?!"

For some reason, she feels the need to get close to him here, chin practically touching his shoulder and whispering: "Dinner? A bath to fully clean up? Or…?"

"Or….?!"

Wow, he's eager! Xiangling smiles.

"Or… dessert! Consider it a reward for all the hard work we do! …Ah, but just this once! I won't allow you to make it a habit Aether~" She winks at him with a laugh, but pauses when the blonde doesn't react the same.

Instead, he looks at her with piercing eyes of gold.

This is an expression that she has seen many times, always making her breath weak and legs wobbly when he pulls it out…

"How about a fourth option?" He asks.

"F-F-Four..th…o-option…?" Xiangling takes a step back, but doesn't get very far before her back is pressed against a wall. "W-What do you m-mean?"

Aether stands up from the chair, turns…slowly walks over to her…and gently puts a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I think you know what I mean."

"B-But I-I-I've never been good at this k-kind of s-stuff…!"

"Hey you asked what I would like first." He says with a playfully evil smile, face now all Xiangling can focus on. "And there IS one thing on my mind…"

"W-Which is?"

Aether smirks- and gets close. Really close. Xiangling, through the sudden sweat and heat she's feeling, looks slightly downward…right at the ex-adventurer's lips. They look…so soft….and the funny feeling from earlier comes back a thousand-fold….

"You."

Aether leans forward. Xiangling shifts backwards to accommodate. She can feel her fingers wrap around his broad shoulders-

…

"Wa-aaa-ack?! OOF!" THUD.

Xiangling opens her eyes, and sees her knees above her, bent 90 degrees along the bench.

She can feel a hundred soft brushes on her back and arms. Grass.

…The way it touches shoulder blades through her shirt's window tickles.

Her hand goes right in front of her face. She bundles it into a fist and splits it apart. Just the same as always; five fingers, pale, youthful…

Meaning…

"That was…all a dream…" She breathes out. There was no owning a house with Aether, no being older, no lack of Gouba or Paimon. She's still in the garden of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, waiting for Xingqiu and Chongyun to return…

"Right…to discuss what my weird actions might mean…"

….Although, considering the end of what she just imagined….

Aether…

He was… going in for…for a-

No wait, h-he wasn't! That was all in my head- it didn't happen!

…..But….but wait….

Doesn't that mean….

Aether…do I…..have a…..?

Her face burns brightly. She covers it in total humiliation, even though nobody is looking anymore.

At last, Xiangling Mao is beginning to understand her own feelings.

Maybe her friends won't be necessary after all.

-0-

"Is that girl still out there…? Ugh, what was the Master thinking?" A younger maid speaks - complains, more like - to her superior. The latter of whom is the same person that let Xiangling in the manor in the first place.

The two carefully peer out a window to the garden. They see Xiangling, who hasn't moved from the seat in quite some time.

"He was thinking that it'd be bad form for us to kick the young master's friend out. Their relationship is already tenuous with the young master playing hooky with that exorcist at every opportunity. Denying another companion a resting place would've surely brought an unneeded confrontation. You do know how much Master hates those."

"Even so-"

"I don't like it either, Meiying, but Master's orders are law."

"….Underst-"

"Wa-aaa-ack?!

Xiangling leans back to a part of the bench that's not actually there, and from there, gravity does the rest of the work and finishes her off.

THUD.

The two maids look at each other, and act oblivious.