"But how?" Hu Tao asked.
"Maybe some treasure hoarders got there before us."
"Just to take a piece of stone? And that Hydro mark- something doesn't add up here."
With the cart dislodged, the conversation took a more serious tone. Frankly, Aether wasn't too happy about this. He considered waiting to tell her later, but there was no escaping it now.
"I've seen Geovishaps absorb other elements, maybe that's what happened."
"Oh I know, I know! I'm just worried what else those thieves could have taken. If we don't find them soon..."
Her expression worried him.
"It looks like a part of the pillars- I don't think anyone could have gone in. If something got lost, it had to be taken by the Geovishap itself."
Yes. All those precious artifacts- tossed around the grass like garbage. The dignified resting place of a great man, reduced to rubble.
Those bones.
"It was just an animal, Hu Tao. It meant no harm."
"... Perhaps we should have taken Keqing's records, after all..."
Shaking off her concerns, she quietly walked beside him.
An ancient road wound its way up Qingyun Peak. Many pilgrims seeking Adepti guidance have marched through these roads in unspoken awe. Even those with scarcely any spiritual inclinations found themselves contemplating matters far beyond their mortal understanding. It is said that those that emerge from the sea of clouds are forever changed, like a deep-sea whale that tastes the ocean breeze for the first time.
Some say it's because of Adeptal energy, others explain it by the air density or the value of the scenery itself. Perhaps it was all of those at once? The world was not one uniform mass, after all. Things spiritual and profane intermixed, forming a complex whole.
Few words were exchanged, despite it not being their first time here. Time heals all wounds, the same went with unpleasant conversations. Time spent in silence is like being apart without saying goodbye. And there can be no happy reunion without separation.
When Aether himself first pierced the sea of clouds, he felt a great weight fall off his shoulders.
Even Paimon was quiet back then.
Nothing but the mountain winds and the rhythmic thumping of the wagon wheels was heard on that quiet afternoon.
The journey through Huaguang Stone forest was unforgettable, even as nothing of note happened on the way.
After passing the spear-like columns rising from the fog, Mt. Aozang was in full view. A single bastion crowned by a crimson treeline, descending into a flat basin, like a bird bath.
No wonder Cloud Retainer liked that place.
Speaking of whom, The Illuminated Beast was in a position Aether had never seen before- sitting. Not only that, he could see the inventor Adeptus at work- a sight both comical and impressive. Several components levitated around her, while she used her beak to take apart one on the ground.
Apparently her Adeptal sight could detect their presence from leagues away, but couldn't readily tell whether they could actually see her.
Upon noticing that they could, she stood up and dropped the components with little interest.
A booming voice echoed from the crane. "One was told one could expect visitors. Though this one-" She cast her beak towards Hu Tao, "One does not recognize."
She shot a glance at Aether, who only shrugged.
"That's her thing- you'll get used to it."
"One would prefer not to be discussed in the third-person in one's presence, Traveler."
Ignoring the obvious irony there, Paimon gleefully explained their predicament.
"This is Hu Tao, from Liyue Harbor! We're here to see Ganyu."
"One does not accept visitors without good cause," she sternly warned, "But if it is the Traveler, and it is for Little Ganyu's sake, one will allow 'Hu Tao' to stay. Do not break anything." Hu Tao politely bowed, the Illuminated Adeptibeast acknowledging the gesture.
"And where is Ganyu, anyway?"
"Ah, you will have to wait, she is currently resting. Perhaps one could amuse you until then?" She said, strangely accusative in her tone.
"Resting, you say?" Hu Tao muttered to herself. "How long do you think she'll be out?" Her mischievous grin flew right over Cloud Retainer's head.
"Hm. One reckons it to be... Another three minutes and forty seconds." Hu Tao slinked off somewhere once she got her answer.
"Can she tell the exact time?" Paimon asked incredulously.
"Indeed. Once, long ago, one was pestered by her to explain a device one was working on. One tried many methods to explain the concept of a clock, but they all went over poor Little Ganyu's head."
Paimon floated closer as if clamoring for a front row seat.
"Eventually, one compared a minute to the amount of time she would take a nap. It was then that she understood completely."
There she is! Said blue-haired Qilin was currently curled up in the shade of a Sunbearer tree, out like a light.
Placing her hand just over Ganyu's head, a mysterious balloon-like form flowed from under Hu Tao's sleeve.
"A 'second' one explained as the amount of time she took to consume a Qingxin Flower." The mental image made Paimon crack up.
The translucent bubble now covered most of Ganyu's field of vision, should she open her eyes.
"C'mon, wait for it- Do a better face- spice it up a little-" The clock was ticking- how many Qingxin had passed?
"The day needed no explanation. As Ganyu's figures were not what they are now, an hour was then to her the time she would have to hide from a wayward human."
Whatever that thing was, it put on its best war face- if war was fought by caricatures of ghosts, that is.
Hold on. Maybe doing this in front of an Adeptus is a bad idea?
Nah.
As the seconds counted down, Hu Tao placed her head beside Ganyu's ears, and went for the classic.
"Boo!"
...
The delicate Half-Qilin's eyes slowly blinked open as she awoke.
Her eyes awoke before her brain, lazily scanning the strange shape before her.
...
"AAH!" She screamed. In a flash, she summoned her bow, awkwardly steadying it next to her waist. Before Hu Tao could so much as chuckle, the air shivered with harsh frost, an arrow piercing through the ghost's body. Or so it appeared at first- the ghost actually stretched further and further into the sky as the arrow pushed it upwards.
The arrow shattered, exploding with Cryo energy. As if it weren't enough, the remaining energy reformed into a halo of icicles, striking the ghost one final time.
The Qilin gasping in surprise, the ghost dizzily spiraling downwards and Hu Tao staring motionlessly into the distance.
The ghost, inexplicably 'bruised', recovered from its deflated stupor and whizzed around Hu Tao.
Slapping her in the face.
"...Yeah, I deserved that one."
Coming to her senses, Ganyu rushed to check on her shell-shocked prankster.
"Miss Hu! A-Are you alright? I'm so sorry- I just-"
"It's fine- it's fine!" She awkwardly dodged her victim's concerned examination.
Processing the absurdly fast series of events- she began laughing- much to the confusion of Ganyu.
That is, until a certain beak was pointed her way.
"What is the meaning of this?! One demands an explanation!"
"..."
"...Prank..?"
The two locked eyes.
"..."
"Aha- one is glad to see Little Ganyu finally playing with others- one didn't think one would live to see the day. One has heard of a certain 'Keqing,' though she did not sound a fitting playmate."
"Cloud Retainer! I am not a child!" Shaking off both her shock and worry over Hu Tao, Ganyu turned her attention to the Adeptus.
"What you missed in childhood ought be sought in adulthood, Ganyu. Perhaps you and your friends could partake in the game 'Hide and Seek'?"
"I... Don't know about that, Cloud Retainer."
"Oh? Well, as one understands it, it is quite simple. One person waits for the others to hide and then-"
"That's not what I meant!"
"One was only making a suggestion. One is sure your friends are much better apprised of the pastimes of today's youth." Perhaps Tag.
Ganyu opened her mouth to speak, but the elegant gaze of the Illuminated Adeptus, combined with the look of sincere cluelessness of said Adeptus took away any words she could have used.
She instead turned towards her unexpected visitors.
"What is it that brings you here? And what is Ms. Hu doing with you?"
"We're here to hear some stories!"
"And I'm here for marketing!"
"That was blunt, even for you, Hu Tao..."
The three travelers all spoke their piece.
"And what are you doing here, Ganyu? Don't tell Paimon you got "fired" again!" She said, with distinct Paimonial frustration.
"No, no, it's not that at all! Actually, I've been... Taking a break."
The trio froze in astonishment.
"So you're not here soul searching?"
"So you're not here to seal some ancient evil?"
"So you didn't fall asleep in a wagon again?"
"No, no- And most certainly not, Director." She glared at the chipper Hu Tao.
"Ehe~"
"Even with one's exceptional perception, one could hardly believe Ganyu would return of her own will. Let alone forgo her work for more than a single day. Especially to visit an old fossil such as one's self." She scoffed.
Ganyu chuckled. "I admit, it's not something I would usually do, but ever since I was temporarily replaced," Paimon slapped her forehead as she said that, "I've been thinking about change."
"When Rex Lapis left us, at first I thought of it as an increase in burdens- Not that the prosperity of Liyue is a burden to me, of course! But now, I think of it as a sign of sorts. Don't worry, I won't be leaving anytime soon. I'll just try this out, for a while."
"Then I hope you have a a most wonderful vacation- Ms. Ganyu." Hu Tao smiled cheekily.
"I'll do my best- I mean-" She shook her head at her obvious mistake, but-
Something sparked in Hu Tao's eyes. "No, no, you're right! Relaxation is hard work!" Where was she going with this..?
"Really? Isn't it all about refraining from strenuous activity?" The Secretary asked. She looked as though she was both used to this, while simultaneously completely oblivious as to where she was going with it this time.
"Yes- but the secret lies in the method." She paused. "Tell me, Ganyu, what did you think about this morning?"
"This morning? Well, let's see..." She humored her. "I went over the letter I sent to my replacement to see if I missed anything- then I remembered Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's tax records needed updati-"
"Stop, stop stop! There! You see the problem?"
"I do, actually. They've been overestimating their tax-deductibl-"
"No! Not that, not that, hehe... All you think about is work!" She frowned.
"Is there something wrong with that? I enjoy my work, I-I thought it was normal."
"Of course, I do too! But there's a fine line to be kept!" She raised her finger solemnly. "If you don't keep your work out of your mind, it won't matter if you're on a vacation or not. It'll just nibble away at you until all that's left is a pen and rubber stamp!"
Her impassioned speech struck Ganyu quite deeply.
"Tell me, did thinking about work give you the satisfaction of actually working?" She asked with a strange sense of delight.
"Now that I think about it- not at all. Thinking about the letter just made me want to rewrite it, and the Wangsheng affair made me worry about having to organize an audit once I ret-"
"There you go! You need to cast it out of your mind! No Yuehai Pavilion, no audits, no secretary." She swung her arms around as if to disperse a cloud of smoke.
"Oh! I understand, trust me, I do. It's just- I can't bring my mind off of it." Ganyu muttered with a sudden solemnity. "Even here, when I look at the Sea of Clouds- I can't help but think that all I've done still pales in comparison to Rex Lapis..."
"But did not the great Rex Lapis also sample all of Liyue's culinary styles? Didn't he stop to appreciate all that he made? Maybe even he could've done better... But what use would it be if he couldn't enjoy it?" Hu Tao exclaimed triumphantly in the face of Ganyu's ruminations.
Her tender expression turned from mild puzzlement at Hu Tao's antics to one of solemn realization.
"So you're saying... I should find pleasure in the work of others- and... I suppose-" Her face scrunched up in a sweet smile,
"'Goof off?' as you'd call it?" She cracked up saying it.
"That's the spirit!" Hu Tao beamed- the two ladies faced one another, as if oblivious to-
"Now hold on just a second!" A shrill voice inquired!
"Are you two friends or something?" The two turned to face the compact questioner.
"Oh- Ms. Hu and I have met before- we're not very well acquainted, but she can be rather talkative. She's come up to me a few times, and even though I'm not exactly the best company, she treats me like we're-"
"Best of chums~!" Hu Tao completed the thought, Ganyu smiling awkwardly.
"Uh huh..." Something made Paimon doubt that. Whether it was the Qilin's nearly shooting her 'chum' or her nervous smile around said chum, 'Chums' appeared less than fitting to describe the two. Cloud Retainer on the other hand was completely convinced.
"'Chums,' you say. From what one has heard, in all your years, none has yet to earn such a title from you, Ganyu, whatever it means. One is most proud of how far you've come..."
"T-Thanks, Cloud Retainer." Ganyu's eyes fluttered.
"Well then, dear chum, shall we goof off?" Hu Tao smiled ear to ear.
"R-Right now?" Ganyu asked, expecting some pause, but Hu Tao wasn't exactly one for patient debate.
"H-Hold on! Where are we even- Cloud Retainer!?"
"You need not one's permission, Ganyu," An uncharacteristic sweetness filled the Adeptus' voice, "Go, and be merry! 'Hu Tao,' you have one's gratitude."
"That's- That's not what I was asking-" Ganyu's voice slowly faded with the growing distance. The flustered Ganyu had quite a few more unintelligible comments, but the stern grip and blissful skip of her 'Chum' made short work of them.
...
"...Did they just leave us?" Paimon furrowed her brows.
"I wonder what they're up to," Aether mused, very amused by the situation.
The very mismatched trio looked at one another in silence.
"...One presumes one of us must then be 'It'."
"...What are you talking abou- Hey! Ow! Stop pecking Paimon! Aether! HEELP-"