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It's been on his mind for a while now, and he had to ask the question.

"Hey, Keqing, uhh, aren't you a bit young to buy alcohol?"

They were walking back to where the Rite of Descension happened, to meet with the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing herself, with Aether now fully cleared of suspicion. Walking behind her, Aether was appreciating the sights of Liyue, having plans to travel to the next city. If he could, Aether would've wanted to investigate on the murder of Rex Lapis, but it seems they had no lead. He was the only suspect. With him out, there weren't any other possibilities. After all, those who came to see the event two weeks prior were only tourists who had no experience in weapons. They were all questioned by the guards, so the case had gone cold. There could be a chance that he could somehow, though it was likely improbable, find a lead.

"Traveler, I suggest that you cease giving me tasteless comments. If somehow you are actually so mindless to the point you didn't know, it is legal to purchase and drink alcohol at the age of 16, a year after becoming an adult. I am 17."

"...Ohh. That's a bit weird."

"The fact that I'm 17?"

"No—"

She had stopped all of a sudden, and Aether realised that the Tianquan was looking at him. They had arrived, Millelith soldiers patrolling the area as usual, with only a few more due to her appearance. Keqing, thoughtlessly crossing arms as she grunted, glanced back at the blonde-haired lady. Despite the difference in their age, both of them held the same charisma, possessing an air of seriousness that honestly made Aether feel a bit intimidated. Was this really how business in Liyue went? A stare-down? Looking at the Tianquan, whose name was apparently Ningguang—something Keqing had said whilst drunk—he imagined Lisa in his mind for a second.

"Is everything resolved?" the older of the two inquired, a nod coming from Keqing as they turned around to face Aether. Both bowed lightly, speaking in the same polite tone, "We apologise for taking up your time. You are clear of suspicion and are free to go."

It felt a bit anti-climatic, compared to Mondstadt when he had to fight a dragon. Liyue was more like a break from the action, and he never achieved anything here aside from meeting two leaders of the Liyue Qixing—and he kind of liked it. Liyue was a fresh breath of air, and he didn't mind spending two weeks with a girl at all, even if she always teased him. If Keqing couldn't find anyone with her amount of contacts, there wasn't any point of asking Ningguang. Maybe luck, or fate, or the archons will finally let him get to the starting line in the next city. Aether politely smiled in return, bowing back as he said his thanks. Once he walked off, Paimon appearing beside him, Ningguang and her subordinates left, leaving Keqing alone.

Well, shit. Back to normal.

She thought of chasing after him, but how would she explain herself? Why would she want to chase after him in the first place? The thought of work didn't necessarily pain her, she's been used to it for ages now that it had become a habit, but even then there was this tight feeling in her chest that wouldn't go away. Was that really all? Maybe, in the end, she just got a bit too distracted by that boy, enough that she didn't want it to end. To be honest, they were just... acquaintances, weren't they? Sure, he took care of her, but that was probably more fear of what would happen to him than kindness. Two weeks was, after all, not a lot of time. Now here she was, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, hoping that Aether wasn't cleared of suspicion so soon.

"I didn't even call him by his first name."

She didn't know if they were going to meet again, and she had a feeling they wouldn't, and that she wouldn't even have time thinking about him with her work. Keqing, finally having realised, thought her life was depressing. An urge to drink later at night surfaced, quickly being forced out.


Last Night


Her long purple hair fell from the table like pools of lavender-coloured water, shining ever so slightly from the lights above them, blocking a bit of her right eye. He subconsciously smiled, and there was this strange feeling in his stomach that made him feel... mellow? Normal? As if his sister wasn't missing, as if he wasn't all alone in an unknown world separated from everyone, as if he was back home. Was this strange? They've only been with each other—stuck with each other—for 2 weeks because of some circumstances. It had its moments, but was she more an acquaintance, or was it okay to call her a friend?

He liked it whenever she glared at him, and sometimes, although it was rare, her cheeks would go red from embarrassment, sometimes she'd pout to herself, thinking she wasn't being seen, and sometimes Keqing's eyebrows would scrunch up whenever she was angry, silently sneeze out of nowhere like a baby, laugh in the most carefree manner, and smile like she was having the time of her life. Maybe he was too, he didn't know. If only his sister didn't disappear, if only that stupid person didn't get in their way, if only he lived in Teyvat... would he be able to meet this girl again.

This girl, who's grasping his hand at the moment and welcoming his head pats, seemingly attempting to nuzzle into it?

He sat a bit closer to her. Aether knew he wasn't supposed to be doing this. He was going to suffer from this. Getting close to anyone else was a bad, bad idea. He was an outlander, someone who travelled from world to world without a care. He's passed by countless ones without a thought, but now, he couldn't bare to imagine the possibility of ignoring this one like all the others. This world was special. She was special. Aether was getting a bit too carried away, but whatever. He gave up. He'd already ran to protect her. And he got injured badly because of it, too. The question was why? Of course the answer was there a long time ago. Aether just ignored it, not bothering to face the truth because it'd be bad. What would Lumine say? She was always good at giving advice.

Aether couldn't deny it. He wouldn't for the world.

Maybe the alcohol was just getting to him.

He's most likely drunk, even if just a little bit.

He was probably being delusional.

He's confident that his thoughts aren't worth anything.

You're very important to me.

"You're... important to me."


A/N: Probably ending this in 2 Chapters! Damn, I really wanna do the new Archon quests, but I rerolled and I'm only starting the 2nd part of Liyue.