CHAPTER FOUR: PLOTTING & BATHING
The moon radiated a ghostly glow upon the streets of Mondstadt as Ganyu made her way back to Angel's Share. The previous hours had been of nothing but walking from door to door of each house that occupied a Mondstadt citizen, and while Amber's strength had been spent at the end, Ganyu's was far from even wavered down.
As an adeptus, her physical strength was much more durable than a human's, meaning she could walk for miles and still feel no wear on her muscles. While she didn't look strong, her age and experience of years of war, knowledge, and roaming the mountains of Liyue said otherwise. Something Amber hadn't been aware of, seeing Ganyu had told her that the horns atop her head were nothing more than decorative props.
By now, Ganyu was aware that her attempts of cloaking her adeptus nature were useless, but was relieved that her company had just bought her excuse, even though it was dead obvious that Amber knew it was a lie. In the end, Ganyu could respect her sidekick for having caught on that she intended to not be open about her true nature, and that was enough for Ganyu to trust Amber.
It wasn't because she was ashamed of her true self, but more as a way to prevent people from judging or begging her for guidance as if she was a goddess with powers that could alter fate. The latter was the more clear reason, seeing humans expect to be blessed by the gods out of pity and arrogance when they can't find answers for themselves. It was a part of their nature, and back when Ganyu had still resided in the mountains, she constantly had found herself in said situation.
Working at Yuehai Pavillion, out of the eyes of strangers, gave her an escape from the constant harassment, but it also wore her down to a certain degree. However, if she had to pick her poison, she'd definitely choose working endlessly. The arrogance of humans was definitely a worse choice, and she didn't feel like getting called names and being bullied by people who couldn't see past their own rear end.
Now, she was at the mercy of fate, searching for answers while amongst the people of Mondstadt. She was thankful that nobody had taken interest in her, minus her new mysterious business partner. He was clearly well-versed in the differences between Liyue's culture and Mondstadt's, seeing he'd guessed her to be from Liyue just based off of her clothing.
Just because of that reason alone, Ganyu knew that she had to think carefully before speaking in this meetup; this man was an expert at reading and judging people, and Ganyu couldn't risk giving information away that was critical to the mission she was on. She burned that into her mind as she approached the back of the tavern, finding the bartender resting lazily against the back door of the building.
"You made it," he said. "Good. Now we can get to business."
Ganyu wasn't sure how to feel, but just to be safe, she remained attentive, should this whole meeting go south. Her main weapon was her bow, but she was very well trained in defensive and offensive combat as well and had used said tactics plenty of times in her lifetime to escape dangerous situations.
"I trust that anything regarding our agreement was kept out of your conversation with the Acting Grandmaster?" he added.
"Yes," Ganyu assured, nodding her head. "We only spoke of the reason I came here, and came to a conclusion on how to resolve it."
The man nodded his head.
"Interesting, but I have no interest in the conclusion, only the details of why you came here in the first place," he clarified bluntly.
Ganyu decided to keep the details to a minimum to avoid spilling anything that could affect the resolution Jean had come up with.
"Yes, well, to put it straight, as of yesterday night, Liyue Harbor was attacked and sunk into the ocean by an enemy unlike anything that we'd ever faced. In the process, my co-worker was severely injured, and my boss was killed by said enemy."
Her partner showed intrigue, but knew there was more to be said.
"Hmm. Now that is something indeed," he commented. "Now, let me be clear. I know who you really are, as much as who your co-worker is, and who your boss was."
Ganyu flinched at that, but for some reason, felt as if she had nothing to fear. Upon his next comment, she knew she could be open with this man on anything regarding the tragic event she was in Mondstadt for.
"Allow me to drop any skepticism you may have about me, seeing if we're going to work together, we can't have any distrust towards one another," he started. "My name is Diluc, and I was one of your boss's best partners regarding wine."
Ganyu immediately recognized the name, seeing she'd seen it multiple times in documents that had met the center of her desktop. All of her nerves rested, and all of her anxiety lifted from her body, knowing she had nothing to fear.
"Ah! Sir Diluc of Dawn Winery!" Ganyu confirmed. "It's a pleasure! I apologize for my secrecy, but I couldn't speak of the matter at hand to some stranger."
Diluc held a hand up, a mild chuckle following the gesture as a showing that he understood.
"You are smart to do so, Ganyu of the Qixing," he complimented. "I was simply testing you to be sure that you really were who I suspected. Congratulations, you passed."
Ganyu smiled as an answer, to which Diluc took as an assurance to continue.
"Now, back to the matter at hand," Diluc started. "Though I have revealed my true identity, and we have a better understanding about one another, I want to make it clear that any business between us is still to remain hidden from the knights. Is that understood?"
Ganyu nodded as an assurance.
"Alright. We may continue then. Let's start with this enemy; you said they were unlike anything you have faced in the past, explain how they are different from the average enemy."
Ganyu proceeded with explaining the same details that she'd given to Jean, being sure not to leave out anything. At the end of it, Diluc had an expression on his face that had matched Jean's; heavy thought and focus.
"A Fatui soldier who can absorb elemental energy and move as fast as a flash of lightning…this is truly something that I've never faced nor am aware of in the Fatui's ranks," Diluc confirmed. "Same goes for the symbol you mentioned. Never have the Fatui had a separate group of supersoldiers that are capable of such abilities, so either we are dealing with some form of a new creation, or the Tsaritsa herself had initiated some phase of her plan to reset Teyvat entirely, and part of it is unleashing this group of lethal assassins."
"So, you believe that that attack wasn't the last as well," Ganyu questioned.
"Yes, and that their targets are not just nations and their leaders, but the archons as well," Diluc confirmed. "In other words, the Tsaritsa plans to potentially eradicate the entirety of Teyvat by eliminating her greatest threats using this posse of deadly assailants."
Ganyu gulped, finding Diluc's assumption sensible. Why else would they be targeting leaders specifically; because they were the biggest threat!
"If that's the case, then what do we do to stop it?" Ganyu questioned, fear staining her tone.
"For now, you just stay quiet about our interaction and follow whatever the knights have in mind," he answered. "In the meantime, I'll contact some connections about the matter at hand, seeing we need to find out if my assumption is correct first before we do anything too hasty.
If we move too quickly, we could leave an opening that could cost lives and another nation's existence. Therefore, we must first confirm what their next act is in this potential plan to find an answer to stop them."
This was the type of plotting Ganyu liked to see, and agreed to the conditions. It was clear that Diluc knew how to properly handle a dire situation, and right now, he was clearly her best ally.
"Alright, I will follow the Knights of Favonius's plan for now while you figure out what the next phase of action will be," Ganyu agreed.
"Good. For now, our business is concluded, Ganyu of the Qixing. I'll update you via a letter in a couple of days, so please watch your mailbox for a letter sealed with an imprint of a boar. That'll be how our business will remain confidential."
Ganyu nodded, but before her departure, had one last question.
"One more thing, Sir Diluc."
"What is it?" he replied.
"What about my co-worker? Is our business to remain hidden from her as well?" Ganyu confirmed.
"For now," Diluc answered. "Shall things get more drastic, only then will the Yuheng need to be involved in our meetings."
Ganyu nodded, turning to leave in the other direction. She processed everything she'd been told by her new secret accomplice, her stomach turning in knots. If the assumed plan that Diluc had processed was the actual truth, things were about to get even more chaotic.
She hadn't been able to stop one, so was there even a chance of winning against these supposed assailants?
Another critical problem in the air at the moment was the absence of Rex Lapis and the Adepti. Had they faced the same fate as Ningguang and Liyue Harbor? That was something she didn't want to even think about, but she couldn't lie to herself either. It was clear that there was peril afoot, but until she knew for sure, she'd just have to wait.
A wait she wasn't sure she could handle.
Upon opening the door to her temporary abode, she wasn't even tired, so she decided to draw herself a bath. One difference between Liyue Harbor and Mondstadt's infrastructure was that the water for the baths in Liyue Harbor was filtered straight from the springs of the mountains; here, it was drawn from somewhere else, and that made Ganyu have second thoughts about her plan.
Clean mountain water was all she'd ever bathed in, so doing anything outside that was enough to draw Ganyu outside of her comfort zone. If the gate to Mondstadt wasn't closed, she would just go out and find a natural spring, but thus was the cruelty of life.
She had found a lone box on the bed upon walking into her little home, the package having contained the extra clothes that Jean had promised her earlier. It hadn't been anything fancy, just some plain white dress shirts that were made of a soft fabric along with some beige pants that were loose to Ganyu's thin legs.
Not exactly her preferred style of clothing, but it was better than smelling like a campfire. Then she paused, realizing that she had just confirmed that her body reeked of the essence of a simmering campfire.
That settled it.
After confirming she needed one, she decided to just take the bath, returning to the wooden tub supported by a metal plate that extended past the length of the bottom of it. Below that was a freshly spread out clutter of charcoals and wood, along with two pieces of flint set aside to spark a flame.
"If only I had a pyro vision…
Ignoring her thoughts of starting an easy fire, she turned the single water tap and watched as a stream of clear and cool water began to pour and fill the wooden tub. While the water filled the tub, she returned to the base of the tub, grabbed the two chunks of flint, and began to clack them together in hopes of creating a spark of fire.
After about ten good hits, the base of the wooden structure was ablaze with flames and slowly beginning to heat the metal plate to where it would then begin to heat the water.
Ganyu was no stranger to starting a fire, having done it before on several occasions as a child and adult. During many missions Ningguang had sent her on, she'd had to start a fire with two sticks to keep herself warm, so she was pretty familiar with the task at this point. A pyro vision surely would make things easier, but she had accepted her fate as a cryo user, so she just went with whatever she was given in a situation that required the task.
Knowing her bath wouldn't be ready for a while, she returned to her provided bed and sat on the edge of it. Much had happened as of late; too much for her to comprehend, and taking just a moment to sit and think was a relief to her sanity. She had survived the Archon War, but only because of her lord, Morax, but she wasn't sure if she could handle another potential war.
While Ningguang wasn't necessarily anybody she was "close" to, it still had been unbelievable that she was killed in two blows. Ningguang had always been a very strong and intelligent woman, so to even think she could be defeated and killed in two strikes was blasphemy.
Yet, here she was, somehow alive after said person was murdered, living with the traumatizing memories of their gruesome end. It was raw and vivid, and only until she had this moment to stop and think did the emotions finally meet the surface.
In a sudden culmination of emotions and trauma, Ganyu buried her head in her lap and began to cry violently. It wasn't just a quick fit of crying; she balled and whined like she once had as a child after stubbing her toe on a rock while training with her adoptive mother. Except, in this instance, Cloud Retainer wasn't there to comfort her in her soft and ancient wings.
She was alone, stressed, sad, and scared.
Warm tears stained Ganyu's lap as she continued her fit of releasing her built up emotions, her breaths rapid and causing her body to tremor. She cried for a long time, up until she finally stopped and couldn't cry anymore tears.
Her bath was done by the time she'd finished her sobbing, wiping her eyes clean and moving to the bath to turn the tap off. The room was slightly cool due to the vent above, designed to provide ventilation for the fumes of fire, letting in some of the cool wind of the night air. Nonetheless, upon her fingers touching the water, it was a perfect temperature for her bare body to handle, so she proceeded to undress herself.
First, she kicked off her shoes, setting them neatly off to the side, then followed by slipping off her slick leggings, allowing her skinny legs and wide hips freedom of their confines.
Next, she moved to her upper attire, gripping her shirt's base and lifting it up and over her head. Once her hair had made its way through the head hole of her attire, she tossed it to the side, watching as it lazily met the floor.
Next came her black silk bra, untying the knot holding it against the middle if her back and allowing the straps to graze down her arms slowly, onto the floor. With her breasts now lazily resting against the flesh of her upper chest, she moved to her panties, slipping them from their tight grip on her hips, past her thighs, and down to the top of her feet.
Kicking her underwear from their hold on her toes, she moved to the last piece of binding that needed to be removed. Moving her hair to the front of her body, she freed it of the hair tie holding it from complete freedom, allowing her icy blue locks to flow gracefully over her flesh.
The entirety of her divine fleece shielded her entire back, rear, and even front chest. It's the main reason she kept it tied, seeing she was a warrior and needed her hair not getting snagged or pulled by obstacles. After all, she had only had it trimmed a few times in her entire life of over one-thousand years, and had never gotten it caught on anything while fighting.
That's something to be proud of.
Now fully undressed, she proceeded to simmer out the blaze beneath the wooden tub using some of the water. The flames died down after three cupped handfuls of the liquid, allowing her to finally take the initiative to relax her bare body in the warm bathwater.
She winced upon stepping into the clear and steamy concoction, but upon dousing her entire body into the practical mini hot spring, her body adapted and relaxed. She let out a long breath that exhumed all of her current stress and grief, allowing her mind and muscles to just go numb and drift away like a calm breeze.
Ganyu just lay back for a long while before dunking her head under the water, finding that the water, while not spring water naturally filtered from the peaks of Liyue, was very similar to such.
She was very glad that she'd decided to take this bath now, seeing it was what she had needed ever since that dreaded night. Under the water, it was as if she were being embraced by some sort of sensation that put her in a trans; as if she were standing in the sun in a place where there was nothing except happiness and peace.
However, just like in the spring, she knew she eventually had to rise to the surface and return to her reality of a potentially lingering war on the horizon, along with the fact that she was homeless and unemployed.
She knew she had to go back, but she envied every moment in that peaceful embrace underneath the water. A peace that lasted for over a minute's time, until she finally had to breathe again, and ascended back to her cruel reality. She took in a deep breath upon resurfacing, moving her soaked icy mane from her eyes, wiping them free of water, and opening them again.
It had been nice while it had lasted, but Ganyu knew her paradise couldn't last forever. She laid back against the rim of the tub and took time to catch her breath again, her fleece acting like a practical soft bed against her back. She closed her eyes again, bathing in the steamy atmosphere and thinking about the following day to come.
If everything went according to plan, Keqing should be back to normal after the healing session, and that would most likely follow with getting her caught up to speed with the plans Jean has in mind.
Upon the thought of Keqing, Ganyu felt herself pause. She thought back to their discussion back at Wangshu Inn, mainly the last part.
"Thank you for saving my life. I'll never forget that."
Ganyu hadn't truly realized that she had indeed saved Keqing's life that night, mainly because there was too much going on in the midst of hellfire.
Then as she thought more about their interactions in the past days, she caught a few things. First, was the fact that she had been open with her when she came to see her before leaving Wangshu Inn, even allowing her and ONLY her to enter.
Sure, she did so to inform her of additional details needed for Ganyu's meetup with Jean, but why didn't she just tell Verr to tell her instead? It wasn't a trust issue, seeing Wangshu Inn was a trusted source by the Qixing prior to Liyue Harbor's destruction. So, why just her?
That was a good question.
The Yuheng and her had not always been the most likely to get along, having different views about Morax and all the other gods in general. Usually the closest they'd get to a form of "getting along" is a case where they had no choice but to put their differences aside. Any other time, they always kept their distances, greeting one another with a wave or smile.
So, why so open and nice now?
Then it clicked.
Ganyu gasped at the realization, feeling guilty for her behavior towards Keqing ever since that night.
She was scared.
She was just as lost and sad as Ganyu was, and she was looking for someone to vent to; someone who understood her feelings. After all, Liyue Harbor was her home too.
Ganyu felt her heart twist at her naivety, feeling like a cold and cruel fool for not realizing the truth sooner.
"Rex Lapis above Ganyu, you are a deluded fool!" she chastised to herself, sighing heavily in guilt. "How could I have been so stupid!? She must feel so alone right now, and I treated her as if I didn't care about her feelings!"
To avoid waking any potential neighbors, she took a deep breath and did her best to calm down. The past was the past, and there was nothing she could do about it. Therefore, she thought about the next day and how she'd make up for her idioticy.
"I could treat her to a meal…or is that not enough? Hmm…what about a gift? No! That's clearly too much! Ugh! Ganyu you are literally a millennia-old half-adeptus! Surely you can come up with something as simple as an apologetic gift!"
She chastised herself over and over, up until she was suddenly stopped by the sound of something she wasn't expecting; knocking.
Could things get any more awkward?!
"One minute!" she alerted, not wanting some random Mondstadt citizen to walk in on her in her birthday suit.
She worked over the rim of the tub and quickly grabbed the provided towel off the rack. Her thick locks caused the floor to quickly become flooded, having absorbed a massive amount of the water in the tub. She worked quickly to wrap herself in the towel, shielding her privates from the eyes of whomever was outside her door, then made her way.
"Who is it?" she questioned. "I'm not dressed."
"Messenger for Master Jean," spoke the voice of what sounded like a young man.
Now she was really thankful she had decided to not even open the door the slightest.
"What is it?" Ganyu questioned further.
"Master Jean sent me to inform you that the Yuheng has successfully arrived at the gate with Captain Kaeya's calvary. They will be transporting her to the Cathedral soon, so please do come to the Cathedral in the morning after you've had a chance to properly prepare."
She was regretting even asking if things could get more awkward. Now, her predicament to resolve her idiotic naivety just got even harder.
"Oh for Morax's sake!"
"Ma'am are you okay?" asked her visitor.
"Yes, I'm fine," she lied. "Please tell the Grandmaster that I will be there."
"Yes, Ms. Ganyu," the messenger confirmed.
Upon hearing the sound of heavy footsteps in the opposite direction towards the stairway that led to her door, she knew she was safe to return to her self-blaming.
It was clear she wasn't going to get any sleep, so she decided to just get ready for her long day ahead.
She returned to the bath and pulled the drain plug loose, allowing the tub to slowly become vacant yet again of no bathwater. While the water drained, she proceeded with dressing her body yet again, but this time with a pair of her newly provided clothes, then tied her hair into a more controlled state with the hair tie.
Now dressed, she took her leave from her abode and headed for the tavern. The same intoxicating scent purged her senses again upon entry, moving to the counter and awaiting someone to serve her.
It didn't take long, a skinny man with your usual bartender attire returning to his workstation after collecting some glasses from empty tables.
"What'll it be, miss?" he questioned, not taking her as the drinking type.
"Do you serve coffee?" she questioned.
"Only in the mornings," he answered. "You're in luck, because we just barely started preparing it. If that's what you want, that is."
Ganyu nodded, following up with another request.
"I'll take three cups. Make sure it's black and the strongest you've got."