There was something off about the blonde Traveler, Dehya could say that much.
Apart from the fact that the man is helping a ragtag group of random individuals try and overthrow their own government, there was another thing that she had observed to have changed from his veneer.
She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was to be exact. But, she just knew that there was something that had been missing from the first time they had met.
It was only after they managed to stop the samsara that kept the Sabzeruz Festival on a cycle, did she finally realized what he had lost through their ordeals.
For a split second, when she had caught the sight of him magically materializing in front of her, she saw a smile that had really befitted his expressions. As if, it was a look that really suited the man.
And it brought her back to the times before they had to delve into the shenanigans of the Akademiyan sages.
"He used to smile like that a lot more."
Her thoughts passed through the medium of her voice before she could do anything about it. Catching the attention of the scholar who had been sitting in the village elder's house in silence – his attention initially stuck on the small book that he had always brought around with him.
"I'm glad that you don't seem to be overly perturbed by the fact that we plan on overthrowing our own government." Alhaitham commented, his eyes filled with that usual sense of judgement she had come to get accustomed to, "But maybe delving into a bout of romance isn't exactly the best option to be exploring this time around."
He just about avoided the table cushion that lobbed itself onto the wall next to him. The culprit responsible for launching the projectile simply looked on with a click of her tongue.
"Not like that, you idiot. I'm just saying that for someone who looks the part beforehand…" She mulled her words for a moment, before concluding, "He doesn't exactly smile all that much anymore."
Focusing back on his book, Alhaitham could only think that the reason had been somewhat logical, "In all rationale, there is not a whole lot to grin about if you are one of us at the moment." Not that any ever came into his mind anyways, but he continued with his justification, "Maybe his being here is preventing himself from encountering whatever it is that normally brings him happiness?"
"Huh…" Dehya hummed in thought, a dismissive scoff permeating the space between them, "Apparently, you make sense every now and then."
He shot her an incredulous look, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
In all honesty, she didn't think that the stoic scholar would be able to provide any useful insight on this sort of matter. But, if her life had been anything to go on; the gods do love to prove her wrong every now and then.
Unable to see what makes him happy?
The thought lingered on the back of Dehya's mind as their days of preparation goes by. Throughout all the things she had done, she kept thinking of ways in which she could cheer up the blonde. In retrospect, the guy had been doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to saving someone who he isn't even remotely associated with. The least any of them can do for him is to keep his spirits up.
Finally, the day came where she had both gotten a good plan, and it had also been the day where they would finally get on with the first phase of their operation.
After inciting that they should go and find Tighnari, she brought up her rates as a pretence of insinuating her want for a reward.
Of course, it came to no surprise when the two travelling duo had thought of it to be her asking for Mora in exchange of her services.
"H—How much Mora do you want? Paimon's not sure we can afford it..."
The fairy had been the one to bring up the question of the day, and Dehya happily took the chance.
"Hmm, how much do I want...?" Feigning consideration, she proceeded to simply wink at him, "Hey, how about paying me with a smile, whaddya say?"
Aether's eyes had blared with confusion.
"Huh?"
"I haven't seen you smile all that much recently. You used to smile a lot more when we first met." She admitted, before taking pointers from what Alhaitham had said days before, "You can teleport right? Why don't you go somewhere that can guarantee to put a smile on your face?"
Still processing her request, Aether asked with hesitation, "W-Wait, are you serious?"
"Heck yeah! It wouldn't do for the star of our show to be dispirited before we even begin, right?" She urged him with a playful nudge of his shoulder, "Come on! I'll give you… let's say, ten minutes. Whatever you do, just make sure you come back right here with a good ol' smile on your face."
The blonde spent a good few seconds just gauging her expressions, before he nodded with a spry thumbs up accompanying it.
"Alright, got it."
And simply disappeared from sight. Leaving Dehya with a bewildered Paimon. Who shifted her gaze in confusion, before she realized where the man had gone off to.
"Oooh… Paimon knows where he's going."
To say that the day had been going slow for Keqing, had been quite the understatement.
Sure, it had barely even reached ten o'clock in the morning, but with the amount of document she had managed to sift through, coupled with the fact that her schedule for the day hadn't been filled with anything particular imperative – she could tell that it was going to be a slow one, productivity-wise.
Though it hadn't meant that it didn't come with its advantages. With her physical presence practically unrequired until the sun begins its trek down the horizon, she took the time to find some much needed solitude in the teapot study.
She also took the time to overcome a hurdle that a certain idiotic outlander unintentionally placed upon her. It was tough enough when his Inazuman trip caused him to be absent for months, but she could find reprieve in the fact that they weren't exactly an item during that period of time.
Now that they have been together for months instead, every spell of absence that he had from her life somehow took a bigger toll on her routine than she would have initially admitted.
Which brought her to a new resolution, which is to let her heart remain longing for his company, but not to a point where longing turns into yearning.
Miss him all she wants, but she wasn't about to let it be the basis of distraction which would prevent her from fully focusing on her work. And what better way to do that than to surround herself with everything that reminded her of him, and simply will her soul to be content with that.
The teapot study had been the perfect place for such a scenario, or test if she might be so direct about it with herself.
Even though Liyue in itself have its own charm about the atmosphere that she felt whilst working in her office, it didn't quite compare with the warmth and serenity she was able to resonate with in this unique realm.
Taking the time to let the chair fully support her full body weight, she sighed serendipitously. Her gaze stuck on the ceiling as she allowed her mind to wander the plain of idle wishes.
It would've been perfect if he had been sitting right by this side of the desk.
She could vividly picture it. Instead of the normal image of them being in her office, he would be sat just to her side of her right arm. Laying his body flat on the desktop to close as much distance as he can between him and her without ever getting in the way of her busy hands.
Shaking her head out of the notion, she refocused her thoughts towards her internal mission.
Come on, Keqing. This is exactly why you're doing this in the first place.
A few slow intakes of breath brought her heart and mind to a calmer pace. Stretching her arms out before positioning it back to its usual angle, she was about ready to go back on the parchment laid ahead of her.
That is, before the door to her study suddenly blasted open. Revealing a panting Aether, who looked as if he had finally struck a jackpot for the first time in his life.
While he surged forward to her direction, Keqing shifted her chair to face him. Bewilderment still evident on her face and in her voice.
"A-Aether? What are you-, mMppH!"
Still sat on her chair, she had no way of escaping when the man suddenly clasped her lips with his own. His hand on her cheek brought what had initially started as a rough and surging devouring of her lips, to his more signature tender and softer kiss.
Even though she had grown into the feeling of kissing him for months now, it still didn't change the fact that she hadn't been ready for such an intense one, right then and there.
Frantically, she tapped on his shoulder. To which he released the kiss within a heartbeat. His eyes glazed with that bit of tenderness and concern that always accompanied his kisses. She knew that he thought that he had done something wrong.
Before he could apologize, she waved his concerns away.
"N-Needed air…" She coughed a few of the building air bubbles away, "I'm not sure what this is about, but-,"
"I love you."
His fingers lay gently on her chin, tipping it up ever so slightly. His gaze now searching for something that Keqing herself couldn't quite figure out. Of course, that didn't mean that she didn't know how to respond.
"I love you, too." She cooed, but remained at the topic of his urgency, "But, I'm kind of lost at the moment…"
Aether sighed, his breath tickling the tip of her nose, "Long story short, I had to find a way to smile in ten minutes." He looked over to the clock in her study, "And now I have about four minutes to head back to where I was in Sumeru, and start fighting another government."
Even when pitted against her many verses of justifications, none were able to form a direct enough comprehension of what he had just explained to her. Yet, at the same time, it truly feels like as if she had gotten so used to the amount of idiotically suicidal projects he'd involved himself that it really doesn't strike that deep of a nerve within her.
But she was still worried.
"I'm sorry, what?"
His eyes grew sheepish, "I'll explain when I'm finished with all of this." Both his hands then snaked up to her cheeks, "For now, I need you to take a deep breath."
Closing the gap once more, he paused just inches before their lips touched.
"Because I'm feeling a bit greedy right now."
She knew that the time to ask questions had long past the both of them.
Before he could fully close the gap, she took in as much air as her lungs could store. All of which began to be expended the moment his lips had pried hers open once more.
It was searching, it was surging, it was somewhat searing. All the longing that he had held back for her released in the same veracity as the longing she had stored for him. It was so full of him, and after a short while, she could feel that slight curl in his lips that could only tell her one thing.
He found the smile that he had been looking for.
When he pulled back, the view in front of her all but confirmed it.
The goofy grin that she had fallen in love with, on full display as they took their time to catch their breath.
In the midst of it all, he leaned closer.
"Can you say it again?"
She asked through bated breath, "Say what again?"
"What you said before…"
A smile of her own find its way on her lips. With her arms now around his neck, she nuzzled his nose with her own.
"I love you."
"Again…"
"I love you…" Her fingers traced his jawline, "So much."
"Oh, now that's unfair."
She shrugged gleefully, "You looked like you needed it." Before she feigned a pout, "Besides, with that earlier kiss; you don't get a say on what constitutes as fair play."
This time, he embraced her instead. And in her heart, it reminded her that as much as she liked being able to love him through means of peppering kisses such as before, it still doesn't quite fulfil her soul the way a good hug had always managed to achieve.
And of course, he knew just that.
"Thank you." He almost whispered with frailty, "I'd love to stay, but-,"
"You have to go, I understand." She ran her hand in a circling motion on his back, letting him know that she was fine by it, "If you ever need to smile again, don't hesitate to find me."
Sensing her acceptance, he pulled back to give her a final light peck.
"I'll make do with the thought of you, for now."
"Cheeky." She playfully pushed him off of her, "Don't go dying on me now, alright?"
"I won't. I promise." He stood up straight, making sure that he had finally regained the stability of his footing, before brandishing a light wave of his hand, "I'll be back before you know it."
Right as they shared that one final smile, he began to dematerialize away. Leaving her and her thoughts alone in the room once more. The remnants of his teleportation fading away under the brilliant light of the teapot sky.
Slowly, she shifted her chair back towards her desk. Though the moment she attempted to focus back on the documents, she found herself slamming her head against the desk instead.
Her mind now filled with nothing but him.
In the end, she can find a little bit of solace in the fact that it hadn't fully been her own fault.
"Damn it, Aether…"
So much for self-restraint, Keqing…
Dehya hadn't expected him to just wheel himself away in an instant, but it all seemed to have been for the good.
Because the moment the blonde had returned, it was with a grin that had rivalled the shine of the desert sun.
His voice of conviction spurred her own confidence for the operation.
"Let's get this show on the road."