CHAPTER SIX: DINNER

Five daisies and ten Sweet Flowers rested upon the table Ganyu had decided to occupy with her colleague, having been picked by said occupant along their walk around the perimeter of Mondstadt's walls. It had taken around twenty minutes to do a whole lap around the entirety of the city's borders, the trek having been peaceful with some conversation, to which both them had enjoyed dearly after going through the past days of sorrow and grief.

While the sights had been nowhere near the massive peaks of Liyue, it still had a peaceful serenity that the two could agree had been a great change of pace to their current situation. They even stopped to admire the view of Mondstadt's Cider Lake, the sight having been the equivalent of looking into the very manifestation of infinity, given how the lake had no barriers and extended long beyond the horizon of Teyvat.

It had been a view the two had never seen, and had led to them feeling as if all turmoil had disappeared from the world for just the slightest moment, but it was eventually broken by Mondstadt's church bell ringing out the current time at that moment. It had rung seven times, meaning dark was approaching, which led them back into the city.

Keqing had chosen Good Hunter as her preferred place to eat at, so Ganyu hadn't objected and had led her to their current spot. Her attendee's face was shielded by the provided menu of the establishment, scrolling through the massive variety of dishes that the place had to offer. As expected, Ganyu's nose had met the overwhelming smell of meat dishes, but to avoid being disrespectful to her coworker, she just powered through the smell.

Keqing had been aware Ganyu wasn't a meat fan, so in return she had decided to avoid getting something like steak or anything beefy. It was practically like eating one of Ganyu's own qilin, and she didn't want to offend or disgust her colleague. Therefore, she turned to the seafood part of the menu and found a dish similar to her favorite that she'd usually order from Liyue Harbor's restaurants; a fancy dish named Crispy Potato Shrimp Platter.

She lowered the menu, to which Ganyu winced at, surprised that Keqing had found something so quick in the array of dishes listed.

"Find something?" Ganyu asked.

"Yeah, it's very similar to the golden shrimp balls I ordered all the time in Liyue Harbor's food establishments," Keqing replied.

Ganyu could see that Keqing had decided against anything like red meat or poultry for her sake, and immediately spoke out on it.

"Lady Keqing, please don't hold back on ordering what you truly want because of me," Ganyu stated. "This meal is for you, and I don't want to be the reason why you order something that you don't want."

Keqing shook her head.

"No, it's fine," Keqing assured. "I'm not a huge fan of things like steak anyway. I'm more a fish or seafood type of person, so please don't worry about it."

Reluctantly, Ganyu just nodded her head.

"Alright, I believe you," Ganyu assured.

Keqing smiled and nodded, getting up and walking up to the counter of Good Hunter. She gave her order to the waitress, Sara, and walked back to the table, scooting her chair back in.

"Should be about twenty minutes," Keqing inquired, looking downward at Ganyu's serving of vegetation. "Please, you don't need to wait for me, Ganyu. Eat if you wish to."

Ganyu shook her head in disagreement.

"That would be very disrespectful of me, Lady Keqing," Ganyu stated. "I can wait for you to be served your food first."

Keqing nodded her head.

"Alright, if you wish so, I'll oblige," Keqing agreed. "Also, no need to be so formal. Just call me Keqing."

Ganyu just agreed, wanting to respect her colleague's wishes.

Resting her arms lazily upon the table, Keqing started conversing with her fellow co-worker. It wasn't very often the two got to actually talk about things outside of their occupation, so she took that opportunity.

"So, how are you liking it here?" Keqing started.

"Hmm, it's been alright," Ganyu attempted, not being one for conversation. "Between what happened and coping with the reality of it, it's been hard."

"I see," Keqing replied with sorrow, taking a minute to find the right words. "Ever since that night, I've been lost. Everything happened so fast that it doesn't even seem like it's real, even though I saw the city sink right before my eyes.

We were so confident that we had the upper hand and could stop it before it even had a chance to start, but upon that first explosion, I knew that we had been fools that thought we were invincible. The entire time I was trying to find help among the fires and suffocating smoke, the only thing I was thinking of was the things I cared for the most.

I saw my past as a child, my family before I left them to pursue a career, the things I never got to do or say, and the entire time I was wondering "is this it? Is this my last day? My last breaths? My last chance to say the things I never got to say?"

It was as if my entire life was flashing before me, and when I had finally accepted that my time had come, I heard the sound of footsteps. They had been hazy and distant, but I knew they had been real, and in that moment, I had done something that I had never done in my entire life; I had turned to the gods for answers.

I asked, "if the gods really don't judge any of their subjects, then show me now," and right after that, I saw a silhouette among the flames. It got closer and closer, and once I saw that two horns were atop their head, I knew it was you. That's when I called out your name, and you saved me from assured death."

Ganyu gasped at the explanation, knowing Keqing was being serious. She'd always known Keqing as one who despised the gods, so for her to turn to them for an answer in her most desperate moment, she must've truly felt hopeless in her near-last moments of life.

With that information, the truth hit harder than before, seeing it seemed as if Ganyu had been an answer sent by the gods to save her from death. Something even Ganyu, a servant of Morax, had a hard time believing, but knew for sure that it was true.

"To be honest, before I saw or heard you call out to me, it truly felt as if I'd failed to save any lives, and all I had hoped for was that to not be true," Ganyu confessed. "After searching the buildings and seeing the charred bodies of the very people I'd sworn to protect from harm, I really felt like I'd violated my contract and that I had no reason to live anymore."

Keqing's eyes bulged at the confession from her colleague, knowing she wasn't bluffing and meant exactly what she was leading to.

"Had your voice not called out when it did, I probably would've chosen to perish with Liyue Harbor," Ganyu continued. "Therefore, in a way, you saved my life as well that night, and I don't believe it's a coincidence that we met up in both of our greatest moments of hopelessness. As you stated, I think it was an act of fate by the gods, giving us a second chance."

Keqing couldn't believe it. Now she knew for a fact that the gods had spared her and Ganyu from death, and that they had not been spared out of pity, but for another reason.

"Then let me ask you, seeing you've lived and experienced much more than me, why do you think we were spared?" Keqing questioned. "Do you think it was solely out of retribution for Liyue Harbor's demise?"

Ganyu put a hand to her chin in thought, curious herself on why things had played out like they did.

"In my years of life during the Archon War, I saw many great cities and kingdoms fall, so I doubt it was for that reason," Ganyu explained. "I once asked Rex Lapis if he believed Liyue Harbor would outlast eternity, and even he said he didn't believe it would, seeing every nation eventually meets its end, no matter how great it may be. It's part of the natural flow of history and time, and corrosion is the ultimate enemy of anyone or anything."

Keqing nodded in agreement.

"If the very god who created Liyue Harbor said that, then our reasoning for surviving that night is definitely not due to the current actions we are forging with Mondstadt's government," Keqing analyzed. "But if not that reason, then what else?"

Ganyu answered by putting her right hand atop Keqing's left one, lightly smiling.

"The gods work in mysterious ways, and the best thing we can do is keep living the lives we were granted a second chance at," Ganyu advised. "The reason of our survival that night will come with time, so it's best to not even worry about it and focus on the present."

Keqing nodded, realizing Ganyu's words were right. She was worrying about something that will eventually come to both of them in the future. When? Only the gods knew that answer.

"You're right," Keqing admitted with a blush. "Looks like old habits don't die easily."

Ganyu giggled at that.

"Let's just enjoy the night," Ganyu finished, moving her hand back to her side of the table.

So they did, without a single thought of anything to do with their current situation. Keqing received her meal around the estimated wait time of twenty minutes later, and as they ate together, they enjoyed the sights the night had to offer while having laughs over tales of their pasts.

It had turned out that this hadn't been Keqing's first time in Mondstadt, and that she had been there before as a young aspiring child. She had come there with her parents mainly to sightsee and taste the cuisine during the Windblume Festival, and Keqing had been amazed at the sights of the celebration.

She had only been able to attend a single day before heading back to Liyue, but less to say, she remembered that single day perfectly.

"The city was bustling with bards and tons of different decor that symbolized their god, Barbatos, in more ways than one," Keqing explained, having finished her order. "It's definitely something everyone should experience at least once when they visit here, even if they reside from another nation."

Ganyu felt as if she were talking to a whole different person at this point. She'd known Keqing as a strict and hard worker that didn't take any clout in her duties as the Yuheng, so to see her so open and carefree without being drunk was a whole different kind of experience for Ganyu. She seemed like a kid who was telling her every story she possibly knew, and Ganyu was all for listening.

"I'm sure it's an amazing experience," Ganyu agreed, nibbling away at the remaining petals of the Sweet Flower gripped in her right hand.

"Mhm. It's basically the Mondstadt version of Liyue's Lantern Rite festival, only with different traditions and such." Keqing stated confidently.

She paused for a short moment, wondering if she should even say her next words. Eventually, she decided to just go for it, seeing it wasn't anything illegal or offensive.

"Perhaps I can show you myself, if we manage to survive until next spring," Keqing offered.

Ganyu blushed and winced at that comment, surprised that Keqing even had offered her any sort of acquaintance as such.

"K-Keqing…umm…that's very kind of you, b-but…I…I'm not the best with festivals or any sort of social gathering," Ganyu stumbled. "I-I'd most likely ruin the experience."

Keqing shook her head.

"Ganyu, I've worked with you for nearly two decades now; if I can put up with you for that long, I doubt you could ruin a festival for me," Keqing countered. "Besides, I wouldn't make the experience to a point where you'd feel uncomfortable. I know full well that you aren't a socialite, so I'd make it so that you'd be able to enjoy the festival without being put outside your comfort zone."

"O-Oh? In what way would you accomplish that?" Ganyu asked.

"By allowing you to see the sights, taste the food, sample the drinks that are non-alcoholic, and altogether just have a good time."

Ganyu gripped her chin in thought, pondering about the proposition she'd been offered, eventually coming to a conclusion.

"Very well, Keqing. I accept," Ganyu assured. "That is, if we get to that point."

Keqing nodded, coming back to reality.

"Right. Let's focus on the matter at hand first, then once it's resolved, make plans for the Windblume Festival next year."

"Sounds good," Ganyu agreed, chomping down the last of her dinner. "Well, now that we're full, and our hunger is satisfied, shall we get back to the room?"

"Sure. After all, tomorrow is going to be a long day, so we'd best get some rest," Keqing agreed, following Ganyu in getting up from her seat, and moving back to the practical home they'd been provided.

It was only a short walk of about five minutes, the two coming to the door in less than that and unlocking it. Entering the abode, Ganyu lit the provided candles with their accompanied matches, something she hadn't noticed the previous night, and moved to the bathroom to freshen up for the night. To give herself some privacy, she shut the door then moved to the mirror, being met by her reflection shortly.

She splashed her face with some water to remove any dirt or anything else that the winds of Mondstadt may have littered her face with, then wiped away the remains of it with a nearby rag. With her skin clean, she proceeded with removing her hair tie from her icy blue locks, allowing her hair to flow freely over her back and shoulders. It was like a secondary natural blanket for her body that did its job well, having kept her body warm as if she were wrapped in sheep's wool while she slept over her centuries of life. Lastly, she kicked off her shoes and set them aside where they wouldn't cause either her or Keqing to trip in the morning, having learned that lesson decades ago.

Freshened up for slumber, Ganyu retired from the bathroom, back into the main part of the entire room that she called home for now. Keqing was in nothing but her bra and underwear upon her exit, a familiar sight to Ganyu's memory.

Keqing wasn't even phased by her colleague walking in on her half-naked, seeing the two had been out in the field together many times before. Therefore, they had both seen each other in their near-natural states many times in their careers as members of Ningguang's government.

Keqing unwrapped her pig tails from the hairpiece that gave her fake cat ears, eventually pulling it out completely and causing her violet mane to collapse to its natural straightened state. Her locks extended down past her buttocks, draping over them like a curtain to a group of actors at the end of a performance on a stage.

"I see you let your hair grow out more," Ganyu commented.

"I see yours hasn't changed," Keqing replied back. "But, that's expected of a qilin, seeing their hair also acts as a blanket."

Ganyu smiled, happy that Keqing had actually taken time to learn about her kind.

"You're okay with sleeping together?" Ganyu asked.

"It's only for one night, and I'd rather not have you sleeping elsewhere where you're not comfortable," Keqing assured. "Besides, it's not like we're doing anything else; we're just getting some much-needed sleep for the day ahead."

Ganyu nodded in agreement.

"Which side do you want?"

"Either is fine," Keqing confirmed.

Ganyu nodded again.

"Alright, I'll take the left side then," Ganyu decided, moving to the bed and settling herself into a comfortable position.

Keqing followed shortly, pulling the covers over her body and moving into a proper pose for the night.

"Goodnight, Keqing," Ganyu said, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight, Ganyu," Keqing returned, and upon shutting her heavy eyelids, she dozed off into a dream she'd most likely forget.

Ganyu had followed suit, the warmth of her practical blanket of long light-blue locks embracing her into a blissful slumber under the starry sky of Mondstadt's night.