A/N: Hey everyone so I'm back with a short story. This chapter is admittedly much shorter than what I usually do, but that was mainly due to the fact I didn't feel like there was a lot I could write on the subject. This chapter was more so aimed to be a comfort and fluff chapter than it was a smut and lemon chapter. So it ended up being a bit shorter just because I was able to cover what I wanted to a lot quicker than I was expecting to. More than likely this is just going to be a one-shot so don't expect an update in future. But I hope you all enjoy regardless.
In the midst of one of Liyue's many kitchens stood a female, partially Adeptus like many others in the land. She had long flowing platinum blonde hair tied up in an ornate fashion with several tags attached to the strands of hair that she possessed, her eyes were an icy blue, and she had fine facial features making her an overall very attractive. Her figure was the envy of many having a shapely body with a voluptuous bust. This female had come to be known by many as Yaling. And at this moment Yaling was mixing some leaves preparing what seemed to be a type of tea blend.
It shouldn't be long before the tea for the ceremony was ready. So she was doing her best to make sure that everything was perfect, or at least as close to it as it could be. It wasn't often she was allowed to indulge herself with some of the other semi-adeptus of Liyue. So of course she wanted to try and show off and impress. As she crushed the leaves together she heard some footsteps approaching her and when she turned she saw a familiar figure before her. A female with blue hair and multi-colored eyes. "Ah~ Hello Ganyu! It's been far too long!" Yaling said as she looked at Ganyu.
"Yes, it had been a while," Ganyu said as she walked over smelling the aroma of the crushed leaves lingering in the air. "I take it the tea is nearly ready?" Ganyu asked.
"Not quite, it still needs to brew. But the mix is just about done," Yaling explained as she looked at the young a half-qilin.
"Right, right, my apologies," Ganyu said as she looked at the figure in front of her.
"Think nothing of it, deary. Say why don't you keep me some company? It's been so long since I've last seen you," Yaling said with a smile.
"That sounds like a lovely proposition, Miss Yaling," Ganyu said as she looked at the figure before taking a seat next to Yaling. Not doing anything in particular apart from occupying the space. "I suppose it is true there has been some time since we last spoke, I've just been so busy . . . " Ganyu began as she looked at the female before Yaling cut her off.
"Worry not deary," Yaling said as she took the lid off her teapot and threw in the tea leaves before allowing it to fill with water. She always thought the idea of working for the Qixing was a ridiculous notion. Why Morax would have her enter a contract so tedious and mind-numbing was beyond her, but Ganyu seemed content with such a position and thus chose not to speak on the matter much. "I know the Qixing have you running back and forth like a hamster in a wheel. So I don't hold it against you," Yaling said as she turned looking at Ganyu who seemed to be letting her eyes wander across the many containers, of herbs and utensils in the kitchen.
"Oh, well . . . aside from my busy workload as a secretary . . . and the occasional tasks the Qixing ask of me . . ." Ganyu began letting her mind wander as her face slowly turned a slight hue of pink as a certain someone crossed her mind. "N-nothing all too exciting. I often find myself wandering alone in thoughts during the night as I look up at the stars," Ganyu said as she looked at the dragoness in front of her hoping that she'd buy her half-hearted attempt at concealing the truth. A look that Yaling of course took notice of. It was a look she had become familiar with at this point.
The little Qilin that resided in the heart of Liyue was once again becoming a love-struck girl. "I see~," Yaling said with a slight smirk as she mixed the tea leaves for a moment. "And I suppose these thoughts you have. I assume some strapping young man is in them~" Yaling teased as she looked at Ganyu. When she said this the female tensed up her hair almost standing on end as the hue on her face shifted from a light pink to a vibrant cherry red.
"A-Ah!" Ganyu said almost instinctly as she looked at Yaling who still had a devious smirk planted on her face. "O-oh . . . you caught me . . . Hehe . . . Yeah, there is some . . . someone . . . I find my thoughts wandering constantly about on those lonely nights," Ganyu said as she looked down fidgeting with her hands.
"Oh lovely~" Yaling chimed happily. "So does this boy have a name?" Yaling asked trying to pry out more information from the young qilin.
"Oh . . .I . . .uhm-" Ganyu began as she cleared her throat looking away still a bit embarrassed by the topic. "W-well . . . his name is Qiaoxi, a . . . lovely gentleman I've been getting closer to," Ganyu said trying to be as vague as possible on the information that she was offering.
"Oh? Qiaoxi is it?" Yaling asked as she looked at the female a bit teasingly. "A fine name indeed," Yaling said
"Yes," Ganyu said letting out a slight giggle and starting to become a bit more comfortable with the topic. "I feel like I am really connecting with him . . . and . . ." Ganyu began as she started to fidget a bit more with her hands, almost unable to stop blushing.
"I see," Yaling said as she picked up the pot and began to pour them some tea. "So are you going to tell him this time?" Yaling asked as she looked at the female. Her tone is far more serious than normal. Ever since Ganyu's first love had passed, she was far more reserved when it came to relationships, and even more so when it came to the topic of marriage.
"T-tell him what?" Ganyu asked as she looked at Yaling, clearly trying to play dumb and dodge the topic. When she did Yaling sighed and slowly slid the cup of tea forward.
"I'll take that as a no," Yaling said, it wasn't her place to meddle in Ganyu's affairs especially not when it came to ones like being in love with humans. The room was silent for several minutes. Ganyu took a breath her breathing shaking slightly before she finally spoke. Looking down at the tea instead of the female in front of him.
*Ganyu takes in one final breath of courage, her breath still shaky, before slowly lifting her eyes to meet yours*
"I . . . I haven't yet, because . . . I'm scared," Ganyu admitted, this was the first time she ever talked about the topic. But she knew it was about time that she finally spoke on the matter. She wasn't the same woman she was those centuries ago, she was different now, and she was ready to speak a bit more openly about how she felt now.
"I know sweetie," Yaling said as she looked at her. Ganyu took a moment to collect herself before she eventually began to speak.
"I just . . . " Ganyu began as her voice slowly drifted off. As she did Yaling sat and waited, she knew what was coming, and knew it was going to be hard for Ganyu to admit. So she was going to give her as much time as she needed to properly process it. "I don't want to get hurt again," Ganyu said her voice barely above a whisper. "Like the last time," She said her voice shaking as she finally admitted out loud what Yaling, Cloud Retainer, and others had known for a while.
"And that's perfectly valid," Yaling said as she looked at the girl with sympathetic eyes, the traces of her usual teasing self gone, now replaced with a far more compassionate look. "It's okay to be scared, and . . . it's okay to be sad. You spent almost seventy years with Qin, no one blames you for missing him," Yaling said as she looked at Ganyu who had tears building up in her eyes as she thought back to Qin, the love of her life.
"I-I . . ." Ganyu began her voice quivering with fear and sadness. "miss him. I-it's been so long and yet-" Ganyu began as said raised her hands trying to wipe away her tears before they had the chance to fall. "I still dream of him," Ganyu said as she eventually broke out into a sob crying gently as all the memories she tried so hard to forget over the years came flooding back to her. The memories of the man who had won her heart all those years ago, the man she watched slowly fade in front of her eyes, and eventually leave her and this world. As she did Yaling slowly moved over to Ganyu and brought her into a gentle embrace allowing her to cry much more freely.
"That's it, deary," Yaling began as she did her best to comfort Ganyu. "Let it all out," Yaling said, as she rubbed Ganyu's back she could feel the qilin trembling beneath her sobbing gently as she let out years of untold emotions. Yaling had always just assumed the reason Ganyu was so prone to sleeping was because of how overworked she was. But knowing that when she sleeps she's able to see the face of a past lover, a lover that even to this day she hasn't fully been able to let go. Yaling could certainly understand her a lot more now than she had previously. Yaling didn't try to stop Ganyu or offer words to try and calm her, she just let Ganyu be, letting her cry to her heart's content. After roughly an hour had passed Ganyu eventually began to wipe away her tears, her sobs having long since turned into soft whimpers and sniffles.
As she did Ganyu looked at Yaling with her red and puffy eyes. "I . . . I'm sorry," Ganyu said trying to regain some control over her emotions which she was finding increasingly hard to do. "You probably think of me as silly," Ganyu said laughing slightly, though it was obvious that her voice was still shaking slightly. "It's been so long now, I guess it's childish of me to get so upset," Ganyu said trying to force a smile as she looked at Yaling.
"No, not at all," Yaling said as she looked at Ganyu still maintaining the same kind, caring, and compassionate look. "The fact you get so emotional about him . . . even now, is proof of how deep and true your love is. You should never be ashamed of that," Yaling said as she looked at Ganyu.
"Really?" Ganyu asked as a small smile appeared on her face as she began to once again face Yaling's gentle gaze. "You really think that? . . . That it's not too immature or silly to still hold onto a love like that?" Ganyu asked as she looked at Yaling causing her to shake her head.
"Not in the least, anyone could have seen how much you two cared for one another. You're never too old to continue loving someone. Perhaps humans may think so, but they could never relate to being such as us when it comes to experiencing such losses. After all, if they were to lose a partner as long-lived and loved as them. It would only be a matter of time before they join those figures themselves. They won't have to endure centuries or millennia of that pain and loneliness like we will. So while some humans can understand our pain, it's unlikely that our experiences will ever truly be a one-to-one comparison," Yaling said as she looked at Ganyu causing her to slowly nod.
"Y-yes. I think you're right. It makes it easier to bear when I consider myself amongst my kin," Ganyu said as she looked at the female in front of her finally wiping away the last of her tears. "I'm glad," Ganyu said as she looked down at the tea taking a sip to help calm herself though at this point it had become noticeably cold. "It makes me feel better, knowing that cherishing those memories we had, isn't that strange," Ganyu said with a gentle and warm smile. "But the problem remains, these thoughts that I've been having . . . about this young man . . . Qiaoxi," Ganyu said as she looked up at Yaling.
"Ah, well I'm afraid there's little I can do to help there," Yaling said as she looked at Ganyu. "I think you should come to your own decision. If you want to wait a year or two for those feelings to fizzle out in honor of your beloved. I won't blame you, or if you want to pursue these feelings with this young man, then I also understand that as well. But ultimately the choice is yours, and it's not something I can help you with. There's no replacing your former lover, and no one can deny that, but this path . . . it's for you and you alone to decide. " Yaling said as she looked at Qilin in front of her.
Ganyu smiled and slowly nodded as she listened to Yaling's unsarcastically sage advice. "I understand," Ganyu said as she took another sip of tea and she began to think the matter over. Yaling was right, there was no replacing Qin, but during his last few days, he told her it was all right to move on, to find love with someone else. Because he wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. It's taken Ganyu a long time to finally accept those words, and prepare to move on. Qin had left a hole in her heart that no one could fill. And while Qiaoxi could have very well been someone to mend that heart. She still wasn't ready.
"I . . . I'd like to try soon. M-maybe in the next generation. But for now . . . I like to wait a little more. Just to honor my beloved Qin," Ganyu said as she looked up at Yaling with a smile. She wasn't ready to move on just yet. But she was a lot closer now than she ever had been. If nothing else she was at least ready to just try, ready to attempt and just see where things took her.
A/N: Alright everyone, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Like I said this is more than likely just going to be a one-shot. But I may come back to it at some point if that's something you all really want to see. So if you do please let me know and I will continue the story.