Ch 3 - Big Trouble in Little Liyue
It was a coincidence that Tuesdays just so happened to be Chris's off day. While most coffee shops or any well-established food place would be open all seven days, the Amber Teahouse just didn't have the manpower to supplement that. And given how crazy Mondays were, especially with the morning rush, deciding to take the Tuesday off gave him a much-needed rest.
Well. Crazy is a nice way of putting it. Monday mornings still provided ample customers, but compared to the rest of his competitors, it really wasn't much. He supposed it was only crazy in the sense that he was essentially a one-man army. Though that didn't mean his day off wasn't well deserved!
And thus, he found himself in Feiyun Slope. On his day off. Inside the Liuli Pavilion. Because the unfortunate truth of it all, was that work was never over. His day off meant meeting with his suppliers to determine just how much stock he needed for the upcoming weeks, as well as various other errands. Reading? Fishing? Going to his favorite Dim Sum place in all of Liyue? Such worldly desires came second when it came to the wellbeing of his store. He groaned. Prime example of coping at its finest.
"Mora for your thoughts?"
Chris broke out of his stupor as a voice spoke up. A woman wearing a pink fashioned qipao blouse with accents of gold, complimented with a long black skirt, placed a single serving of Mora Meat in front of him. She tucked her dark brown hair behind her hear, no doubt a habit virtue of working as a waitress in the service industry, before taking a seat across from Chris.
He squinted between the plate and the waitress. "Don't tell me you were waiting to serve this just to make that stupid joke, Licai."
She giggled. "Guilty as charged. Though you could stand to look a little happier to eat that." She leaned back in her chair. "Even if it is just Mora Meat, most people have to wait up to three months to eat in this establishment. And yet, here you are."
He took a bite out of the sandwich, savoring each bite. It was good, he had to admit. After a quick swallow, he responded, "Yea, here on business."
"And at the expense of my break time." The waitress feigned a sob, going as far as to dab at her eyes with her beige apron.
"Seriously, is teasing young men part of Liyue's pastime or something?" He continued to eat, choosing to ignore Licai's crocodile tears in favor of finishing his meal.
"You still never answered my question by the way," Licai said slowly, "and you've been looking a little worse for wear." She sized Chris up and down, giving a worried frown. "I can even see the bags under your eyes."
Chris managed a weak smile. Of all things he wanted to think about, the last he needed to know was how bad he was at hiding his fatigue. He did love his work, but the working hours over the past few weeks were catching up to him.
"I'm just adjusting to the daily grind. Plus, I only look this tired because I take stock of my inventory the day before. That way, I know what I'll need for the upcoming work week. Trust me, it's not that big of a deal."
Licai rolled her eyes. "Red flag number one. 'It's not that big a deal' is the first sign of a coping mechanism in the food service industry." She continued to give him a blank stare as Chris chose to look to the side, avoiding her line of sight. "Besides, I know this is your day off. I passed by your store on the way to work several times by now and noticed the working hours." Chris winced as he could hear the vibrant tapping of her foot tiled floor. "Did you think I wouldn't notice the fact you're still working on what's supposed to be your day off?"
"I wasn't ever hiding it to begin with?"
She quirked a brow. "Are you really trying to play semantics here?"
He pushed the plate aside after finishing his meal, propping up his chin with his elbow on the table. "Ok fine, you got me I suppose. But what do you want me to say? It doesn't change the fact that I still have a lot of shi-, uh crap. I mean, pardon the language." He coughed. "I still have a lot of stuff to do today. So are we going to arrange the next batch of Mora Meat to be sent over each morning or are you going to keep nagging? I'd like some semblance of free time whenever I do end up getting home today."
It was just one of the deals he set up to make up for his own lack of expertise when it came to bulk products. Mora meat wasn't exactly an established food item in the Liuli Pavilion thanks to its high-establishment nature, but the ingredients itself were high quality to begin with. They were looking for other avenues of approach when it came to advertisement and offered the idea of supplying the Amber Teahouse with a batch of Mora Meat each morning. The caveat being that he had to sell a certain quota. If he sold above the quota, any remaining profits would be split a certain amount between Liuli Pavilion and himself. Failing to sell them however, meant that he would have to pay the difference in cost himself. All he had to do was just slap Liuli Pavilion's logo right on the wrapping and it was a win-win, so long as he could meet the goal. The goal, as Licai liked to put it, of giving everyone a taste of real Li-style cuisine.
She slid a document across the table. "Just give us your signature as always and we can call it a day."
Grabbing a pen from his front pocket, he gave it a quick sign and slid it back over. "If it means anything, I do appreciate what it is you're doing for me."
Licai shrugged. "Don't think anything of it. I know what it means to start from the bottom. I didn't get to work for the Liuli Pavilion without going through a few struggles of my own." She stood up from her seat. "And after what happened with the Fatui? I figured an outsider like you could use the help."
Chris sighed, knowing full well what Licai implied. "It's the whole reason why I couldn't get a loan from anywhere but the Northland Bank."
Sometimes he wondered how both his home and business venture would fare if he didn't manage to put a down payment on his store before Osial ran amok Liyue Harbor. Would the real estate agents under the Yuheng still have even given him the option? Going off his interactions with Keqing, he's sure that Keqing herself wouldn't allow discrimination like that on her watch. But she was only one person. And it's not like he has enough connections to take any complaints of the matter directly to the Yuheng herself even if it did happen.
He tried his best not to blame the natives, but it was hard not to resent the fact he was denied an initial loan because he wasn't Liyuean to begin with.
'Are you Snezhnayan?', he remembered the clerk asking him.
'Obviously not,' he replied.
The look of relief on the man's face did leave a sour taste in Chris's mouth, however. One he failed to hide if the clerk's scoff in response was anything to go by. It wasn't like his answer mattered either because the clerk went on a tangent on how 'there were other variables to take into account' or 'there's still a queue of applications before we can reach yours', blah blah blah. All an excuse when they could have just said no.
How ironic was it that the only bank who'd eventually cover his initial loan on the business were the Fatui themselves. The Northland Bank. He'd heard the ramblings of the locals enough, like Old Man De'an ranting about how he had to sell Minghua Company to them because of his daughter's suicide. Or how their Debt Collection division goes after clients if they miss too many payments.
Yet, during his loan application, the front desk had been nothing but helpful. Ekaterina was kind throughout the entire procedure. Sure, she led off with a few vague warning signs, especially with that weird iceberg analogy of hers. But the interest rates she offered at the time were a steal! Maybe it was because they couldn't afford to be picky with their customers?
Somehow, he felt it was a lesson in solidarity amongst outsiders. Granted, they were the source of tension against most foreigners currently residing in Liyue. But he couldn't bring himself to hate the Fatui. Not when Ekaterina went out of her way to ensure he could jumpstart his business.
"Anyways," Chris stood up. "Now that our business is more or less concluded. I think it's about time I hightail it out of here."
Licai stretched in place. "What are your plans for the rest of the day? More work I imagine."
He nodded his head, "Pretty much. Now that I'm done taking stock of my inventory, I was going to head over to Changshun to cement my next order of sugar and cheese. Then head over to the warehouses and see if Gou San'er received my next shipment of coffee beans."
"Try not getting yourself killed because you don't know how to take a break," Licai drawled.
Chris sighed and looked towards the window for any help. "At least I know one person who'll be happy if that ever does happen."
"Yikes, morbid much?"
Chris laughed silently, glad that Licai hasn't been blessed with Hu Tao's antics anytime soon.
"Ah, Christopher! To what do I owe the honor?"
Chris waved over to the buff man in his blue and white worker's clothing, patches of sweat visible from the clear labor as he grunted, slowly placing the crate he was holding on the ground.
"Same as usual. Just here to check on my shipments and head back home," Chris held his right hand forward. "You have the list ready?"
Gou San'er reached into his back pocket, procuring a small notebook before promptly ripping out a page and handed it over to Chris. "You came right on time actually. I just finished loading your latest shipment in."
He nodded as he examined the contents of the list, not even bothering to look up as he asked, "Can I confirm the contents myself?"
At that, Gou San'er froze. "About that…," the man shuffled awkwardly. "Your shipment is actually undergoing an inspection by the Millelith."
"They're doing what!? What for!?" Chris nearly crumpled the list in his hand, eyes shooting up as he demanded an explanation.
"Hey, kid. Don't shoot the messenger alright! I was just following orders." Gou San'er held his hands up. "It's a new protocol they just implemented this week. Any shipments ordered by anyone who hasn't lived in Liyue for at least six months are to be inspected for safety."
That was ridiculous! He's lived here well past that timeframe already. He glared pointedly at Gou San'er who finally let his hands down and inwardly groaned. And he knew that Gou San'er was well aware of that fact.
The laborer finally relented, pinching the bridge of his nose as he continued, "As…well as anyone who's in direct contact with the Fatui."
Chris reeled back. Direct contact with the Fatui?! You mean to say that the Millelith are ransacking his shipments with no prior warning, all because he took out a loan from the Northland Bank?
"Take me there."
"I was told not to let peo-,"
"I said, TAKE me there!" Chris interrupted.
With a deep breath, Gou San'er sighed, tilting his head to the side as he motioned for Chris to follow. He sympathized well enough.
Chris growled at the scene before him. The myriad of soldiers – the same ones he's seen patrolling the wharf whenever he visited the warehouses, and they each had one of his products in their grubby little hands. Their weapons weren't out, but a quick glance at both him and Gou San'er's entrance nearly rectified that. One of the soldiers promptly put one of his bags of beans down and placed his hand on the shaft of his weapon.
"I thought I instructed you that civilians weren't to come in until our investigations were finished."
"You did sir, but that crate you're investigating belongs to this man in question." Gou San'er coughed as he nervously introduced Chris, slowly backing up to the entrance.
Chris tried his best to hide his seething as he stepped forward. "Is there any reason I wasn't made aware of the inspection of my goods, sir?"
He wasn't sure how it happened. The day had been a little rough yes, what with all the work he's been doing to ensure his business would keep afloat this upcoming week. But he liked doing it. It was his business. Everything within that café belonged to him and he worked for it.
He never made trouble for anyone, so why is it today that everything seemed to be crashing down.
A different Millelith soldier stepped forward, a sense of pride swelling up in his voice. "Normally, we would inform a civilian such as yourself in advance, that we are to inspect your shipments." He coughed into his fist as he corrected his posture. "But given the circumstances, we felt it would be dereliction of our duties if we didn't take matters into our own hands to ensure the safety of the populace."
Chris was stunned. Did they really consider him a threat? Any one of them could pull up any of his records and find that he had a clean slate.
"And what exactly are these…given circumstances?" He knew exactly what the reason was after his short stint with Gou San'er. But he wanted to hear it from them directly. He was hoping that there would be a glimmer of hope it would be something else entirely.
The man scoffed, as though it were obvious. "Why, your connection with the Fatui of course."
"You'll have to be a bit more transparent than that."
Chris could feel the man roll his eyes. "Must we really spell it out for you? Was it not recently that you took out a loan from the Northland Bank to help sustain your business?"
"Only because no one else in the Harbor felt it was worth a damn to try and help me." Chris began to tap his foot.
The soldier continued, "If it were just that, we would have left it alone. But it's obvious to anyone that your business is a hub for conspiring Fatui. We've had witnesses report that the Fatui frequent your shop, especially into the late hours."
He placed down one of Chris' bags back into the crate before continuing, "So if you put two and two together. We had no choice but to expedite the investigation. Lest we have another incident on our hands. Surely, you could understand that at the very least."
Great, now they were patronizing him. "Why can't you understand that they're just customers? Unless you're saying it's illegal to serve the Fatui, which is a load of bullshit if you ask me."
"Watch your tone. You'd do well to remember the Fatui nearly caused an incident within our borders."
"And you'd do well to remember they can come in and out of my store if they damn please!"
One of the soldiers brandished their spear as Chris raised his voice.
"That is enough!"
The tension broke as a commanding voice boomed through the interior of the warehouse. Heads turned as the sound of heels clacked near the front entrance. A tall, young woman wearing a white and gold qipao decorated with a fur wrap around the collar played with a pipe in her hand as she surveyed the scene in front of her.
The guards dropped to one knee as they each beat their right hand against their chests, keeping their heads low. The man who'd been patronizing Chris earlier now spoke in a nervous tone.
"L-lady Ningguang! To whom do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Well, this was awkward. When in Liyue, do as the Liyueans do. Chris began to take a knee as he glanced at the men from his peripheral, doing his best to copy their stance. After meeting Keqing, he made a note to figure out the important figures in Liyue's government. He wouldn't allow unintentional disrespect of the Tianquan to be the death of him.
"Stop. You are no subordinate of mine, so you are not beholden to the same customs. Please, stay as you are."
Chris' throat clammed up. "Y-yes, Lady Ningguang."
"And to answer your question." She pointed the pipe at the men behind Chris. "I was originally here to meet with one of the warehouse managers to discuss the periodic clearances. What I did not expect was for the manager," Ningguang snapped her finger as Gou San'er peeked in from outside, "to implore I deal with a scuffle within one of the buildings."
She breathed in through her pipe and let out a puff of smoke. "Care to explain?"
Chris decided this was no opportunity to waste. "These men broke protocol in order to dig through my belongings because they're accusing me of working directly with the Fatui!"
Ningguang sized him up. "And your name?"
"Christopher. I own the Amber Teahouse near the harbor."
Ningguang hummed in response. "Ah, the Yuheng mentioned your place in particular. Said it was rather…quaint."
"If you would allow this lowly Yijian to speak."
Well now he could finally put a name to the man's face. At least.
"I allow it," Ningguang answered.
"We have suspicions that this man over here may potentially be importing Fatui contraband. There are reports that the Fatui were visiting his establishment late into the night, well after closing hours."
Ningguang and Chris shared a look. Understanding her intent, Chris spoke up. "Like it or not, I'm friends with a few members of the Northland Bank. They work late into the night, so I do them a favor and give them a quick brew to help them through the shift."
"A likely cover-up story." Yijian mumbled under his breath.
"Everything with you is a god-damned excuse!" Chris yelled back.
"Silence!" Ningguang ordered. "As for you, Yijian. Did you take it upon yourself to investigate Christopher's background before launching this operation?"
Yijian froze. "W-well, with everything that's been going on, we didn't have time."
"A likely cover-up story," Chris mocked.
The two chose to ignore him as Yijian continued, "There's already a series of investigations involving people that have had run-ins with the Fatui so we thought to nip it in the bud before it became a problem."
"And what did you find?"
Yijian gulped. "We checked everything over and found that everything in the crate matched the paperwork approved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. B-but, we still haven't opened up the bags themselves and-!"
In the end, it didn't take long for Chris to burst, no longer unable to take the man's excuses. "And what! You were going to rip open my bags and destroy my products? News flash, they're just fu-, they're coffee beans! What more do you want!"
Ningguang raised her hand, signaling for him to stop. "So the way I see it, you took it upon yourself to ignore the proper procedures under a mere suspicion Christopher may be involved with the Fatui, with no real evidence to uphold your claim."
"T-…that is correct, Lady Ningguang. I have no words."
Ningguang frowned. "The laws established by the Liyue Qixing exist for a reason. Placing yourself above the law in order to enact your own form of justice makes you no different than a common criminal. You would do well to remember that." Her pipe disappeared into motes of light, "return to your stations at once. Your due punishment will be received shortly."
The Millelith soldiers responded with a 'yes my lady', before hightailing it out of the warehouse. Chris swallowed audibly, his face still red from his outburst. He stared at Ningguang, unsure what to say.
"Don't worry, I can tell by your look that you're in no mood for a conversation." A letter appeared in the same motes of light from before as she handed it over to Chris. "Even so, I feel it's only right that you get some form of compensation after this whole debacle. And do double check to make sure your belongings in the crate are in order. If there's any damage on account of their behavior, I'll also personally ensure that the proper reparations are doled out." She gave a slight nod, "Now if you'll excuse me."
As she disappeared, Chris slumped against the wall, cradling his head in his arms.
"What a joke."
Chris moved from table to table, flipping the chairs on top as he prepped up for the opening of his café tomorrow morning. He stretched his neck, tilting it to the left and right as he glanced at the clock. He'd like to think he was making a profit given that he already put aside the amount needed for rent and appliances needed. But having enough to keep work going didn't exactly mean you had enough to keep a little spice in your life.
He still had a few couple days left in the month and if things kept going the way they were, he'd land enough extra mora to see the sights in Liyue. All work and no play is something he'd like to avoid. Especially if Licai had anything to say about it.
Incidentally, he did leave one table free. If he was right, it'd be right about...
A small chime played as the front door opened.
Now.
"Thank the Tsaritsa you're still open." A voice rang from the entrance, followed by a small 'sorry' from her companion.
"Today is supposed to be my day off, Eka." Chris replied with no trace of venom in his voice. He chuckled at the two women in front of him, despite the fact he couldn't exactly tell their features apart.
With the Fatui mask in the way, all he could really tell was that Eka had brown hair with a side braid and her friend Nadia, had silver hair fashioned into a long bob.
"And I never gave you permission to call me that. It's too cutesy."
Nadia fidgeted from the side as she tried to sneak furtive glances at the cakes he still had on display.
He rolled his eyes playfully as he nudged his head in the cake's direction. "Plate's all yours. And don't forget to grab a couple for your boss over here."
"If you'll pardon me then..., this break won't last forever." She couldn't hide the glee in her skip as she quickly grabbed a plate Chris had conveniently left on the counter and made her pick of the bunch.
"Thanks for that." Ekaterina said, reaching for her wallet as she sat down. She paused momentarily as Chris gave her a blank stare, before putting it away with a groan. "You really should let me pay for that you know. It's not like I'm strapped for cash. I work at the Northland Bank for heaven's sake."
"Yes, but I don't make it a habit of charging people once I'm closed." He made an effort to point at the clock. "Those cakes won't make it to tomorrow even with refrigeration anyway, so you're doing me a favor by getting rid of the stock."
Now it was Ekaterina's turn to roll her eyes, "Oh, so you're feeding me and Nadia scraps then?"
"Yea, well she doesn't seem to mind." Chris remarked as the two of them turned their heads at Nadia who already jabbed a fork in one slice.
Realizing she was being stared at, she returned the gesture with a pointed look of her own, but didn't do much to hide the cake in her cheeks.
"What?" She muffled in between a bite.
"Point taken," Ekaterina sighed before yelling at Nadia. "Also stop hogging all the cakes! I want one too y'know!"
With a mouth still stuffed with cake, she hurriedly brought the plate over, nearly tripping in the process.
"The cake isn't going anywhere." Chris laughed.
"It is when you only have twenty minutes left off the clock before going back to work. Ugh, I hate the night shift." Nadia complained.
Chris pushed a cup of raf coffee over to Nadia, alongside a serving spoon. "Because I know you'll be clamoring for one after you finish that slice."
Nadia took a big whiff as she leaned back in her chair. "You're the best. This'll definitely get me through the night."
Ekaterina tapped at the table to grab Chris' attention. "Mora for your thoughts?"
"You're only the second person to ask me that all day."
"Pardon?"
He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Just thinking about how much trouble you've been causing me."
Her brows furrowed. "The hell did we do? I don't remember doing anything. Not yet at least."
This was about the sixth or seventh time the duo had visited, and they essentially became his late-night regulars. It wasn't hard to see that the Fatui weren't well-liked in the city, especially after his run-in with the Millelith. He thought about telling Ekaterina about what transpired over at the docks but thought against it. All it would do was just further cement how unwanted they were in Liyue. Despite all that, he wouldn't bar them from visiting, circumstances be damned.
If no one else would give Ekaterina and Nadia a place to say, then he'd provide them one. It helped that he now truly felt like an outsider in his own right. So, there was sympathy to be had.
I may or may have not posted all three chapters at once as I'd already been uploading this over at my account on Archive of Our Own. It's under the same name, so give it a look-see over there if you happen to prefer ao3's ui! And leave a comment if you can!