Weeks after the Lantern Rite festivities made its way out of the Liyuean populace's schedules, work was beginning to go back to what it used to be for Keqing.
At least, that is what she had expected.
Right as she was about to head out to her first business meeting of the day, her assistant stopped her by the door, a letter in hand.
"Lady Keqing, there is a letter directed to you from the Adventurer's Guild."
"The Adventurer's Guild?" Keqing questioned, failing to recall if there was anything in her schedule that had involved communicating with them, "Is there something that they require my assistance with?"
Her assistant shook her head, recanting the information that Katheryne had relayed to her, "Nothing of sort, Lady Keqing. The receptionist simply said that it was a personal letter that had she been requested to pass on to you."
"A personal letter?" That got Keqing to wonder even more. Those who frequently work with her will always take note of how little she takes time for her own personal business. Admittedly, with the lack of familial connection within the city itself, she hardly ever has anyone, or anything that would actually be something of personal relation to her. "Did Katheryne at least specify who that letter was from?"
Another shake of her head came out of her assistant's response.
"Unfortunately, she couldn't leave her post for long, seeing as there were many other adventurers waiting to get a commission from her." Her assistant shrugged her shoulders while staring at the letter, "She might have mentioned it, but she was talking so fast. I was only able to catch half of what she said before she dropped the letter and made her way back to the Guild."
"I see." Keqing nodded understandingly, grabbing the letter from her assistant and immediately observing the envelope. Only to find that nothing had been out of the ordinary. At least, as far as envelopes go. Nothing to signify who wrote, or where it might have been bought from.
But, from the slight bump that had been formed from within the letter, she could tell that there was an item within it. She tried to feel its shape and property from the exterior of the letter, but struggled to come up with any viable guesses. In the end, she merely sighed and stuck the letter to the side of her waist.
"Thank you, I will give it a look when I have the time."
"Right…" Her assistant gave her a slight bow, before moving out of the doorway, "I apologize for the delays in your schedule, ma'am."
"It's no trouble… have a good day."
"Have a good day, Lady Keqing."
Walking out of the Pavilion, she had planned to head straight towards the location of her first meeting. But, the presence of the letter that she had stuck to her waist continuously prodded at her conscience.
Eventually, it wasn't even until she made it to the Terrace stairs before she let her curiosity get the better of her.
Let's see what we have here then…
Tearing open the envelope, she was surprised to see that the content of the letter itself had barely consisted of a few sentences. But it was so concise that even she had to admit that it hadn't been as confusing as she had expected it to be.
If you're free, come to Wuwang Hill in the afternoon. I got something I wanna show ya.
Accompanying the letter, was the item that provided her with the final piece of the puzzle.
Her insignia.
…What?
Another busy working day passed by Keqing in a flash. Though for most of the people who were around the Pavilion, it was quite a surprise for them to see the Yuheng walk out of her office, locking it down at five in the evening. Considering the fact that barely any of them have personally ever seen the Yuheng walk out of work any earlier than ten in the evening.
Some chalked it up to an emergency, while some simply thought that she had finally work her senses around, and decided to have a normal person's work hours for once in her life.
None of them, however, caught sight of her catching a ride on one of the merchant caravans that was heading towards Qingce Village.
Right about half an hour later, Keqing waved goodbye to the merchants that had kindly given her a ride, and made her way towards the path leading to the top of Wuwang Hill.
Noticing the lack of monsters occupying the normally dangerous road, she knew that the man she's looking is still somewhere within the area.
As she nears the domain that sits at the small pond atop of the hill, she found the person that she was looking for.
What she hadn't expected however, was the fact that he had been in the middle of working an axe into the trunk of decently sized pine tree.
What in the world does he need a whole pine tree for?
Seeing as he hadn't noticed her, she kept observing from a distance. Carefully watching as he furrowed his brows during every instance where he swung the axe into the base of the tree. The small huffs of satisfaction that he makes every time he does a good number on the dilapidated pieces of fiber. The way he used his forearm to wipe the little beads of sweat that had been forming on his forehead.
How he stood strong and proud every time he took his stance.
The way the light plays on the glistening surface of his biceps, revealed by the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt.
His muscles…
Keqing then shrieked internally. Crouching out of view while she slaps herself silly. Her face piping hot just from touch.
What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing!?
Get a hold of yourself, lady!
She remained in that position for a little while longer. As soon as she was confident that her mind wouldn't be playing any of its rather… imaginative tricks on her, she stood up and look towards his direction once more, only to find that he is now sitting on a tree base, the pine tree that he had been battling now lying flat on the ground ahead of him. His back against her as he took a sip from a nearby bottle.
Taking advantage of the timing, she nimbly moved across the forest, grabbing the insignia he left in his letter in the process. Careful to not make any noticeable noise, before she stood directly behind him. She held the insignia by the edge of her fingertips. Dangling it in front of his unsuspecting face from above his head.
"Remind me to give you a stamp instead." Keqing uttered with mock annoyance, noticing the upwards tilt of his head as he opens his palm to receive the insignia, "I'd rather not have you lose this from constantly shipping it within letters."
Aether laughed sheepishly at her comment. Scratching his head as she drops the item into his awaiting hand, "Sorry, I knew it was bad idea. But I was way too excited, I couldn't think of a faster way to contact you."
She won't lie to herself. Her heart fluttered ever so slightly at the thought of someone genuinely being excited to have her presence around them, seeing as such a situation in her life had been rather scarce.
"Alright then, I'll let this slide for now." She loses her stern façade, knowing full well that he had probably seen through it by now. Diverting her attention towards the axe, she pointed a curious finger, "So, what is it that you wanted to show that involves an axe, a whole pine tree, and is situated in Wuwang Hill, of all places?"
"Ah, right. Hold on a sec." Aether paused as he approached the fallen pine tree, placing his hand on it as he slowly dematerializes the entirety of the tree, just as he would store away his sword. Wiping the dust off of his palms, he beckons her with a wave of his hand, "This way, Keqing."
At this point, she simply rolled her eyes at his display of otherworldly abilities and chose to focus on the simpler questions.
"Where'd you get an axe from around these parts anyway? Merchants avoid this path like a plague."
A silly question really, considering she knows that this man plunges ruins for the fun of it. Who knows what sort of weapons and tools that he now has under his arsenal?
"A friend from Mondstadt gave one to me." Aether explained, continuing his path to a clearing at the edge of the forest, "He owns a vineyard, so he knows a thing or two about the knowhows on how to cultivate and clear forestry properly."
"I see. So, I assume that you're replanting those trees afterwards?"
"Of course. I wouldn't dare hang around the person in charge of Liyue's land and infrastructure around if I wasn't going to take care of nature myself." Aether turned to a smiling Keqing, which he replied with one of his own. He then pointed towards the ground, "Now, feast your eyes on today's main event."
Facing the palm of his hand towards the ground, his signature golden hue of light began to protrude from his arm.
Reminiscent of what had happened during their Lantern Rite celebrations, Keqing eagerly waits for whatever it is he was conjuring, to take its full form.
Slowly, but surely, the item began to take a clearer shape.
And as the golden hue that surrounds it slowly dissipates.
Keqing looked on to see…
A floating teapot.
…
"It's a…" Keqing tried her best to not sound overly unimpressed, "It's… Uhm, that's a pretty big… Uh, teapot… You got there."
Aether on the other hand, showing no signs of decreasing enthusiasm, "No no no, not only is it a huge teapot," he pointed towards the gap between the teapot and the ground, "It's a floating teapot, how cool is that?"
On one hand, Keqing really didn't want to burst his bubble, seeing his glowing features as he looked at the teapot with such awe. But on the other hand, she also didn't want to hide her true reactions, in fear of unintentionally, and falsely lifting his hopes up.
"Umm… Aether… I understand that it had probably been some long few months for you." Trying her best to avoid sounding as if she had been looking down at his choice of excitement, "But the Qixing's workspace, used to be under what essentially was an enormous floating mansion." Pointing towards the teapot, she added awkwardly, "Seeing a floating teapot isn't really something that's about to make me jump out of my shoes in excitement."
The slight, but incredibly noticeable droop in his eyes, had stung her heart in a far greater effect that she had anticipated. More so as he shifted his hands to rest on his hips, a disappointed sigh escaping his lips.
"Damn it, I forgot that the Jade Chamber was a thing."
"B-But, it's still quite impressive!" Keqing desperately tried to stop him from losing anymore of the glow that his face had so eagerly showcased, "I… uuh, I've yet to see one with such an intricate-,"
"It's alright, Keqing…" Aether pensively muttered out, holding his forehead, hiding his eyes from her gaze, "You don't have to pretend to be excited. I've completely forgotten about how advanced Liyue's technology really is."
"O-Oh… okay then." Not knowing what else to say, Keqing can only cursed herself over and over again.
You've done it again, Keqing. Way to crush his spirits.
Looking at his face, she felt like she had just robbed a fish from a hungry kitten.
For a good minute, a crushing and uncomfortable silence descended upon them. Keqing shifted her feet around as she waited for him to say something.
Anything that can guide her on what to do now.
"Although…" Aether suddenly spoke again, his face still unreadable, "It'd be great if you can take a look at its content."
"Oh, O-Of course!" At this point, she'd take any suggestion to lift his energy back up.
However, as soon as she opened the cover, her previous guilt had almost been replaced with full on confusion.
She looked into the teapot to see what seemed like a never-ending golden swirl of… something.
A substance that she clearly wasn't familiar with, nor had she ever remotely seen anything similar to it before.
"Wha-,"
Before she was able to finish her sentence, Aether's pair of hands had rapidly shot forth. One of them grabbing her by the wrist, while the other took the teapot cover that she had been holding on to. Leaving her with one hand that was extremely close to the surface of whatever substance is in the teapot.
Keqing looked up to question his intentions, only to see that his face now holds the biggest grin that she's seen from him. Alongside a dangerously mischievous twinkle in his once-again glowing eyes.
And amongst all that, he only said one word.
"Gotcha!"
"Wait-,"
With that, he dipped her hand into the content of the teapot. However, instead of feeling the icky sensation that one would feel when they suddenly get into contact with liquid, what happened next only serves to confuse her even further.
A sudden ray of light quickly enveloped her person, and instead of seeing Aether, her vision rapidly became encapsulated by a blinding cast of white.
It had been so bright; it reached a point where Keqing had to close her eyes to prevent it from searing an image of just pure whiteness to her brain. And at the same time, she also felt as if the ground beneath feet her had suddenly disappeared into thin air, only for it to reappear not a second later.
Unsure if she was supposed to move or not, she tentatively called out to the blonde who was supposedly standing in front of her.
"A-Aether?"
His reply had come from behind her instead.
"You can open your eyes now."
Already she could tell that the blinding white light that had surrounded her earlier is no longer trying to sear itself into her retinas. Slowly, she inched her eyes open, careful as to let her eyes adjust to the new light level her surroundings had suddenly entered upon.
What she came to see, she can really only react with one word.
"W-Wow…"
Gone was the gloomy foggy atmosphere that had been surrounding them atop of Wuwang Hill, and in comes the beautiful mountain peaks of an area that she could only describe as mesmerizing. Similar to the jagged peaks of the rock formations in Huagang's stone forest, her eyes trailed up into the top of the mountain. It's tip pretty much piercing the cloud surrounding it.
Of course, she immediately took note of the fact that these breathtaking landscapes had been supported by an air of nothingness. All of the moderate-sized islands simply floating in what looked like a field of clouds, right down beneath them.
"Pretty neat, don't you think?" Aether pepped up, placing himself beside her, "There's no giant floating mansion just yet, but… It'll get there someday."
Keqing can only laugh at his small jab, knowing that she fully deserved it.
"Alright, now this is impressive." She jokingly admitted, taking in the way the islands have connected to each other, "A world within a teapot, huh? And here I thought that I've seen everything."
Aether hummed in wonder, "I know right? Adeptus technology really likes to one up itself."
"An adeptus gave this to you?"
"Well… more like the adepti as a collective did. At least that's what Madame Ping had said," thinking back to the days after Lantern Rite had finished, the work that he had to do with Yanfei to allow Madame Ping to craft this masterpiece, "It was a thank you gift. You know… for helping Liyue and all of those stuff. Though, I highly doubt that I had deserved a gift of such caliber."
"Why not?"
"Are you kidding me?" Aether asked in disbelief, almost as if he hadn't wrapped his head around the space surrounding them himself, "They essentially gave me my own private domain. Not only that, but apparently, they left behind a main estate building for me to start things off."
Keqing hummed in amusement, trying her best to not sound too relieved in his presence. In hindsight, it was a good idea for her to tell Madame Ping to hide any Qixing, or specifically, any of her involvement in coming up with a gift for him. Otherwise, she highly doubts that he'd be able to freely react this way in front of her, had he known the she had any hand on the decision.
In any case, she's glad to see this side of him. A side that she can only describe as… endearing.
He can be pretty cute sometimes.
She makes a mental note to thank Madame Ping when she has the time. For a gift well done, and for providing her with the opportunity to witness this man's warmth.
"Honestly, you deserve no less." Keqing affirmed, looking on to the orange kissed sky above them, "In the end, there are some things that even us Qixings are not yet capable of providing, and a stable domain within a teapot is one of them."
His hand had found its way on her shoulder, a genuine look of appreciation on his face as she turns to look at him, "Hey now, don't sell your selves short. I wouldn't have had half as much fun as I did in Liyue, if it wasn't for you and Ningguang's help."
"It's not selling ourselves short by any means." A thoughtful gaze now in Keqing's eyes, "It's just recognizing our limitations as humans. Of course… it is only temporary." Scoffing as her stare grew mockingly cynical, "I'm sure Ningguang has a secret project somewhere that revolves around space object manipulation such as these ones."
Aether can only grimace, both in fear and astoundment, "Seriously, between your work ethic and Ningguang's wealth. I don't know which one is more terrifying."
"Alright, enough about us." She hadn't come all the way to Wuwang Hill to talk about the inabilities of the Qixing, "Show me what you have developed around these parts."
Eager to get going himself, Aether grinned and extended an open hand, knowing very well that she hadn't forgotten what it meant.
"Really, this again?" Feigning a look of annoyance, she took his hand in hers, "Fine, let's not waste any time."
In a blink of an eye, they were already teleported into another island. This time, the island had a flatter plain to it, and at one corner, stood the grand Liyue-esque estate that the adepti had left him to live in. Looking at the both the size and stature, it was clear that they hadn't been holding back with what they can provide the deserving Traveler with.
Not bad, Madame Ping…
As they made their way towards the mansion, Aether pointed to a pair of trees in the distance, a makeshift hammock bridging its trunks as a small white blob occupies its center.
"Paimon, Keqing's here!"
Squinting her eyes, Keqing could barely see the small blob turn to look at them. An even smaller hand can be seen waving at them as Aether waved back with energy, while Keqing can only wave with a tiny bit of doubt, wondering if the little fairy can actually see them. Just a moment later, Paimon had gone back to facing the opposite side of the island, snoozing and floating towards the clouds of her own world.
"She ate a massive breakfast earlier, so she's been doing nothing but laze around in that hammock all day."
"As oppose to your hard-working self, I assume?"
"That's right," Aether crossed his arms with a huff of his breath, "I gotta do all the work around here."
"But to what purpose?" Tilting her head with curiosity, all while observing their surroundings once more. Taking the sparsely filled landscape, safe for a few small buildings and forestry that has been sporadically spread across the plain, "As far as I've noticed, there's nothing here that would require you to take down a whole full-sized pine tree."
"Ah, that…"
He ran towards another teapot of significantly larger size than the one that had been supposedly supporting this domain, and one that had window design etched to its side.
"…Is where she comes in."
Knocking on the closed lid, Keqing let a little squeak escape her as a bird-looking figure popped its head out of the teapot, wearing the lid like a hat.
"Hi there, Tubby." Aether squatted to get to the Tubby's eye-level, an apologetic smile on his face, "Didn't wake you, did I?"
"Ah, not at all, Traveler. I had just completed our previous creation, and it has created a magnificent addition to this land." Tubby reported, before noticing the lilac-haired woman beside him, "Oh? It appears that you have brought a guest. Dear me… I have yet to prepare any kind of refreshment."
"That's alright, Tubby. When it comes to it, I'll handle that myself." Aether then gestured towards Keqing, who promptly stood forth, "This is Keqing, a good friend of mine. She knows a thing or two about land and infrastructure, especially ones of Liyuean style. So, I'm looking to get some opinions from her."
"Ah… Keqing, as in the Yuheng of the Qixings?"
"Exactly the one," looking surprised that Tubby had known her title, Aether turned to Keqing, who just about recovered from the pause that she had to take to avoid reacting to the revelation, "You guys met before?"
"Not in person, no…" Tubby began explaining, "Though I had been dormant for quite an extensive period of time, I am well aware of the changes that Liyue is currently undergoing. Madame Ping had told myself about the Qixings and who they are, including the Yuheng in specificity."
Keqing internally sighed in relief, knowing that she had only known about her through what she assumes to be general information.
"Madame Ping had also told me that Lady Keqing had been the one to-,"
Alright, you've said too much, birdy.
"A-Anyway…!" Cutting off Tubby before she reaches the end of her sentence, Keqing immediately diverts the topic elsewhere, "Tubby, was it? It's a pleasure to meet you. You seem to be well acquainted with Madame Ping, are you perhaps an adeptus yourself?"
Hearing that her adeptus origins are being brought up, Tubby paid no attention to the interruption and simply shines a bright smile.
"That is correct. I am previously known as Rain Calmer. Quite the mouthful, I must say." Tubby then began clarifying, "Madame Ping has assigned me in assisting the Traveler with maintaining this Serenitea Pot. We have been slowly amassing work to the areas that we have been given, and it has been quite a treat to work alongside him."
Deep in conversation, they hadn't noticed that Aether had walked off to the side of the mansion. Crouching on the ground as another golden glow began to materialize more items.
"I see…" Keqing then began to wonder over what exactly it is that she does to help maintain the teapot, "If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you do to help Aether in maintaining this domain?"
"Simply put, she builds the stuff."
Coming back from where he had just stopped by, Aether answered her as he proudly gestured towards all the materials that he had just laid out on the ground.
"What do you think, Tubby? Should last us for quite a number of big projects, wouldn't you say?"
"Ah… that is marvelous! I see that you have been incredibly diligent. Thank you for your hard work." The bird floated towards the pile of materials, eyes sparkling in excitement, "Together with all the new blueprints you have collected for me, this should make do for a good many of wonderful additions to our land."
While the two had been clamoring over the anticipation of creating new buildings, Aether quickly noticed that Keqing had only been standing there, mouth agape as she couldn't believe the sight that she was seeing.
"You okay, Keqing?"
"T-This…?" She said, sounding as unsure as she could be as she took note of all the piles of building material that she is seeing. Most notably, at least five pieces of full-sized pine trees, all neatly stacked on one another. "This, is what you've been doing for the past couple of weeks?"
"Uhh… basically, yeah." Aether answered, unsure of how to voice his answer.
"How in the world did you manage to collect all that in a span of weeks?"
"Hey now, I may not look it, but I'm quite strong for a guy of my build." He puffed his chest out, a smug grin on his face, "Abundance of stamina as well. Getting all this heavy work in that span of time is child's play for me."
"I know tha-, I-, I mean… NO… but, I do, but I-, it's not like, gaaah…" Keqing physically clasped her own mouth shut. She had almost inadvertently revealed that she had been watching him earlier, and knows full well of the potentials of his physical capabilities, "Ne-Never mind… forget that I said anything."
Aether subtly eyed Tubby, who can only offer a birdy shrug as a comment.
"Okaaay… then…?"
Coughing to regain control over her senses, Keqing steeled herself in an effort to quickly remove the heat in her face, "I-In any case, what do you mean by, she builds the stuff?"
Quick to move on from her unusual antics, Tubby, once again, paid not mind as she inched closer to the materials.
"To summarize, I am a Teapot Spirit. Us spirits, have been granted the inherent sub-ability of Sub-Space creation by the prime Adepti himself." Tubby then began to emit a wondrous rainbow hue from her teapot, the same hue then made its way to several of the materials ahead of her, each starting float in the air, "Our abilities focus on the manipulation of material and essence within the sub-space world itself."
Keqing watched in wonder the pine tree that Tubby had picked up became cleanly sliced into equal parts. Using one of the smaller logs, the hue systematically sheds the log's outer skin and began to take a different shape from its previously natural cylindrical form, to a now more refined form.
Within a mere few minutes, the piece of log that had been freshly cut by Aether, just mere hours ago, had taken the shape of a finely made stool. With a splash of red dye, the stool took on an elegant looking auburn color.
"Voila! Just like that, she made a red pine stool." Aether announced, taking the stool and brought it over to where Keqing was standing, "And it's ready to use, right off the bat. Give it a try!"
When it comes to product quality, Keqing would usually be a lot more hesitant to take anyone's word for it. But with the energy that both Aether and Tubby had been showcasing throughout their demonstrations, she completely bypassed that one process her working habits have built within her, and went to take a seat without a second thought.
That being said, it's not like she wouldn't have trusted his judgement from the start.
Not to mention, for a stool that was literally made from its raw materials just less than minutes ago. It definitely had a build quality that surpassed her unfamiliar expectations.
"Incredible…" Of course, Keqing didn't only have product quality in mind as she settled on it, "If only such an ability is available to our industries… The amount of work and infrastructural constructions that can be done in a snap of a finger. The amount of time we would be able to save."
Aether sighed, scratching his head at the considerations of her thought process, "Leave it to you to be thinking about industries in an instant."
"Hey, it's just a thought!" Keqing protested, though it did nothing to stop her brain from continuing its thinking in the background, "Of course, such a prospect is impossible to effectively be put in place without many people losing their jobs…"
As Keqing went off on her own tangent, Aether chuckled turning towards Tubby, voice low enough to not draw attention from the lilac's wandering mind.
"So, is the item ready?"
"Ah yes. I've been meaning to inform you." Tubby answered, chirping happily as she looked towards a certain part of the estate, "It is on the desk in the room that you have requested it to placed in."
"Alright, thanks a bunch." Passing on a wink and a thumbs up, Aether beamed at the adeptus, "Get some rest, okay? You've done so much these past few days."
"I will, Traveler." Tubby complied, a smile of her own on her beak, "Have a good day!"
"You too, Tubby."
Watching as Tubby went back to checking on their materials, Keqing's still-ranting mutterings slowly made its way back to Aether's ears.
"…The cost reductions, the lack of need to process materials…"
"Okay, okay, Lady Yuheng." Taking a hold of her shoulders, he swiftly swung her to face the estate. Ushering her as he attempted to shake of her off from talking a mile a minute, "Since you're already in work mode, I might as well lead you to the thing that made me invite you out here in the first place."
To his surprise, Keqing barely took notice of what he just said. Her tangent still the one thing that her mind was focusing on.
Thinking about what he had been intending to do, a grave thought entered the mind of the blonde.
"I'm digging quite a hole for myself, aren't I?"
After minutes of physically guiding the distracted woman unto the second floor, going past all the other clutter that he had left around as the aftermath of spontaneous furniture plans, he finally managed to arrive at his target location.
A room that he could only hope to be fitting for the person who's still rambling about the earlier revelation.
With sharp clearance of his throat, Keqing quickly snapped into attention.
"Oh…" she muttered softly. Finally taking in the surroundings that she had unwittingly ignored for the last few moments, "Uhh… where are we?"
"In my house."
"Ah…"
Her ears turned red. This time, internally reprimanding herself as she had let her work habits cloud over her actions, in the face of a good friend.
"I was distracted, weren't I?"
"You could say that."
Keqing groaned guiltily.
"Sorry…"
"It's fine." Placing a hand on the door, he shrugged dismissively, nodding towards the room ahead of them, "With what's behind this thing, I'm not entirely in a position to really comment."
Her gaze turned inquisitive.
"What do you mean?"
With a push of the door, Aether reveals the contents of the room.
"I'll let the room do the talking."
Moving out of the way, he waved his hand into the room, bowing ever so slightly, "Ladies first."
Apprehensively, Keqing held a still curious gaze towards him, before she stepped in and finally took notice of what the room had really been.
"T-This is…"
It was a sight that she would've been used to, seeing as it was the type of room that she'd always hole herself in, when any free time came about.
But for some reason, there was just something so inherently… different, about this particular room.
"A-An office?"
"Eh, I'd rather call it a study." Walking into the room, Aether nodded towards the bed, "An office doesn't usually have a bed mixed in to it."
"Really, but mine does-,"
"No. You have a couch." Aether rebutted, wagging a finger at her, "That hardly qualifies as an actual bed."
"Huh, but it's comfortable enough to do the job."
It was then, did something in Keqing's mind finally took notice of what he just said.
"Hold on a second, how do you know that I have a couch in my office!?" Keqing charged up to him, finger prodding at his chest, "You've never been in my office!"
Aether grinned mischievously.
"Not to your knowledge, at least…"
"What does that mean?"
"I asked Ningguang, and she gladly gave me a quick enough tour." Aether waved the kamera for her to see, "This might be a tiny bit outdated. But she said that the only real difference would've been the amount of paperwork you have cluttered all around it."
Keqing groaned, loathing at the thought of Ningguang one upping her once more.
"I swear, I'm going to get her one day…"
"Hey, to her credit, she contributed to the idea of the bed." Putting his kamera away, he crossed his arms, a disapproving gaze in his eyes, "She said that you spend months' worth of overtime in there. So much so, that there are days where she isn't even sure if you ever went home."
"Hey, I go home most of the times!"
A few seconds of Aether's pointed stare chipped away at her masked words.
"Okay… some times."
Another few seconds passed by. His stare still ever as sharp on her soul.
"Every other day?"
"I can safely say that the bed idea is wholly justified."
"I will concede to that."
Falling into silence, Aether made his way to sit on the bed, as Keqing took the opportunity to observe the rest of the study.
At times, Keqing would have some momentary sense of déjà vu. Though she hadn't intended to compare it to her current office, she couldn't help it, due to how similar it had been in shape and form. The desk, the carpets, chairs, and even down to the books that she would normally have stored on her bookshelves. Though Aether would've chalked the difference up to only the paperwork she would have cluttered around it, yet the calmness of the space had also been a huge contrast to the suffocation that she would often feel in the midst of all her workload.
It then occurred to her, as she turned to look at the man just fiddling around with an item on the bed.
"Why did you build a study?" Pure confusion on her features, "You don't have an office job, and I can think of plenty of other things that you can build before I even get to thinking about a study."
Aether snickered as he shook his head.
"I never said that it was my study to begin with."
"Then… who?"
Standing up from the bed, he slowly made his way towards her.
"I didn't get a tour of your office just for pure reference."
Finally registering it in her mind, she could really only wonder out loud.
"But… why?"
Pulling up the item he had fiddling with, Aether pointed at her with the now glowing badge.
"I figured that it was only fitting that I thank the person who suggested to give me a place to call…"
A sigh of acceptance filled his pause.
"Home…"
…
In hindsight, it had made sense in Keqing's mind.
"Ah…" She muttered, her voice growing timid as she twiddled her feet, "So, you knew?"
Chuckling to himself, he shrugged with a knowing smile.
"Even as an adeptus, it doesn't guarantee grandmas from accidentally spilling information."
Damn it, Madame Ping…
She could hear the distinct, goofy laughter of the adeptus from miles away.
"Still, that was barely over two weeks ago." She protested, looking at the quality of the room, "You get a whole domain tor yourself, and the first thing you did was build something for someone else?"
"Hey now, I built a bedroom for myself next door." Aether argued, pointing a thumb towards the opposite wall, "Besides, you need a place to kick around if you find yourself back here."
Keqing stared at the implications of his words.
"You're talking as if I can come back here any time I please."
"Well, of course…" Aether offered the still glowing badge in his hand, for her to take, "And that's why I asked Tubby to make these."
She observed the glowing insignia as she noticed the carving of the teapot itself on its gold-plated base.
"W-What's this?"
"It's called a Realm Dispatch." Gently letting her take the badge, as she continues to curiously eye the item, "From now on, you just to hold it in your hand, and you can come and go to this place as you please."
"W-Whoa…" Still eyeing the item, she asked, "And if I want to go back out?"
"The same thing." Aether simply answered, "Where you last enter from is also where you will reappear, as it is in the teapot itself."
"Alright, noted."
Without warning, Keqing held the badge tightly, closing her eyes before she morphed out in a glow of gold, and disappeared in a puff.
Only to reappear in the same spot, just seconds later.
"Wow, so it does work that way."
Aether smiled at her wonder.
Though he did build his bedroom first, this study had been the first thing that he had in his mind, once he found the true nature of how the adepti had thought of giving him such a thoughtful gift.
"Now… If you ever find yourself suffocating in that office of yours." Gesturing towards the study, he smiled with welcome, "Or even if you just have time to spare, feel free to come back here as you see fit."
He nodded out towards the empty plains around the estate.
"I haven't decided who else to give a Dispatch to, so you needn't worry about the area becoming loud and crowded any time soon."
Once again, he casually reveals something that she had only thought of being troublesome to her.
"How'd you know…"
"Come on, Keqing. I only spent minutes in your office and I can barely think to myself."
He clasped her hand in his, clutching the badge on within it.
"You deserve a quiet place to yourself. You need one. For the sake of your mind."
Of course, she was no match for words and gaze.
She'd have to be heartless to say no to that face.
"Alright… that was entirely unnecessary." She relented, dematerializing the badge from her hand, "You know that I would've accepted either way, right?"
"Eh, pays to be prepared." He beamed at her, once again motioning towards the rest of the teapot, "Besides, I do plan on getting your expert opinion on what I should build round these parts. I'm kind of at a loss of what to actually construct."
Thinking to herself, she can only voice out her honest opinions, "To be honest, with such otherworldly properties, I can't give you any guarantees of any viable plans." She veritably admitted, but nodded in assurance, "But I can guarantee you that I'll give you the best of my efforts."
"No pressure." Aether made sure to voice, in order to rectify the extents of his expectations, "All in all, feel free to use this place when the tough get going. Or… to do some work in peace, however that works for you."
"Thank you…" Keqing accepted with genuine gratitude in her voice.
"No, thank you." Aether replied, looking around at the space around them, "Without your suggestion, I highly doubt that all this would be possible in the first place."
"That's an overstatement…" Her ears turning red, she averted her gaze to the floor, "All I did was make a fleeting statement."
"Which, without it, would've left the adepti at a lost of what to think." He lowered his vision to make sure that she can see him, "I know you've been looking for something to thank me with, even when you didn't have to. But this, is so much more than enough."
A fuzzy warmth began enveloping her heart. Knowing that she'd been able to provide some sort of comfort to him, as he trudged through the challenges that he had faced in a world that isn't his. To an extent, she had known the tribulations that had come when you're dumped in a world that seems to be going against you, and the little bits of comfort that you get can mean a whole lot to the presence of the mind.
"Like I said, I didn't do much." Keqing once again said, but her tone now much more resolute, "But as I've also said… This is the least that you deserve. I can rest easy now knowing that you have a place to go to when things get tough, even for you."
"Oh, so you do think of me in your free time?"
"Okay, now. Don't flatter yourself."
Aether himself had begun laughing it out, thinking that she hadn't thought much of his obviously rhetorical question.
"But yes, I can't help but to do so." Keqing earnestly continued, her eyes glazed in an emotion that Aether couldn't quite discern, "You've grown to become someone of great importance to me. So, knowing your situation, I can't help but be concerned every now and then."
With the tenderness that her words had carried, Aether simply couldn't bring himself to respond with anything that he had deemed to be right.
"I'm no stranger to the life of an adventurer myself, but I've rarely ever had any time where I don't have a home to go back to." She tugged at her own arm, clearly thinking through her words, "At times, I can't help but wonder if you're okay. What if you're tired, and you're not in a location that's adequate enough to rest? I understand that Paimon is a great guide, but there's only so much she can do when you two are stuck in the middle of nowhere."
To Aether, he would've thought that no one would be thinking of his situation, in a way that she had presented her own. An early trick he found out when it came to avoiding people's questions, is to just nod at the fact that people consider him an outlander, or an adventurer. Due to the nature of the profession, many wouldn't bat an eye at seeing one be somewhere out in the wild for no good reason, and would just pass without so much as a thought to their wellbeing.
Most of the time, he would actually feel just at home with camping out in the wild.
But as she had somehow noticed, there are times where a proper roof over his head would've been much more of a preference.
Of course, it barely has anything to do with physical comfort.
"I know that you've mentioned that you don't get tired, but that's just physically." Keqing continued, her tone growing increasingly concerned, "But what about your mentality, and your emotions? You may not be entirely human, but you experience feelings all the same."
This time, she made sure that she kept her eyes on his.
"You laugh, you care, you hurt, and you cry. And you know that I know, I've seen it all." Clutching her chest, trying to calm her nervous heart, "You've been through a great deal of things, and have yet to fully solve many of them."
She fiddled with her badge, eyeing it fondly, "So, when you said that the bare wilderness would soon take its toll, I immediately thought of somehow providing you with a home." Shrugging with a relieved smile on her face, "Thankfully, Madame Ping just so happen to have the perfect answer to the matter."
Reaching for his hand, she slowly fiddled with his idle fingers, making sure that he could feel her touch.
"As much as I oppose some of their views, I am thoroughly grateful for their gift. Because, as you said, it is important for the soul to have a quiet place to retreat to."
Finally, she intertwined her fingers with his, bringing it their vision.
"Not only for myself, but also… for you."
A beat of silence went by them, as she held her gaze and smile to his own astounded face.
Before suddenly, Aether launched himself forward, and held her tight.
Caught off guard, she can only stammer as she tried to decide on what to do with her hands, flailing around to find a proper position.
"A-Aether?"
He said nothing, and tightened his hold ever so slightly.
Still unsure of what to do, she tried her best to keep her emotions afloat.
"C-Come on now..." Turning her head to look at him, only to find it still buried in the crook of her neck, "The last time you did this, you were crying your heart out."
He stilled for a split second.
Keqing was ready to ask if he was alright, before he had softly muttered.
"Thank you…"
And just like that, her heart finally calmed itself.
And no longer were her hands flailing in crude panic.
Slowly wrapping her arms around his body, she placed a hand on the back of his head, gently caressing the smooth strands of his blonde hair.
"You're welcome." She said with finality, her smile evident through her tone, "I'm only looking out for you, the way you have looked out for me. An equal and fair contract, through and through."
Aether could only chuckle as he released his hold. Keqing internally moaning at the loss of comfort.
"Ever the Liyuean philosophy flowing through your veins, huh?"
She threw a wink at him, "You know it. Though for a second there, I thought you were going to bawl your eyes out again."
"Heh, sorry…" He apologizes, sheepishly scratched his head, "I just couldn't think of any other way to properly express how thankful I am."
"Don't apologize." Waving his apology away, before gingerly muttering out, "If anything… that had been a pretty good hug."
"Oho…"
She just had to say it.
"Guess I can actually claim that my hugging ability is Yuheng-certified."
Groaning with mirth, she could only run her palm through her face.
"In fact, it looks like the Yuheng herself needs another one-,"
"Oookay… now you're pushing your luck, Traveler."
Feigning pain, Aether clutched his heart.
"Ouch, demoted once again to just my profession."
Keqing laughed at his expressions, before her tone turns somewhat menacing.
"As I should, since you're enlisting my expertise and Liyue's top land and infrastructure coordinator."
Her gaze turns serious, and she crosses her arms with authority.
"So, you better be prepared to get an earful, dear Traveler."
Aether could only laugh nervously.
This could've been a huge mistake…