I apologize for the wait on this chapter. Between end-of-year festivities, a nasty cold making its' way through my family, and good old writer's block, it was tough to make progress. Enjoy the longest chapter so far to compensate.
ASM769476: This might ring a little hollow considering the time gap, but I remain just as motivated as ever for this fic. Honestly, I would be lying if I said that harem fics prematurely ending doesn't serve as a major reason why I want to buck the trend.
FirstWinterLight: About the Yanfei bit, remember that the MC received Ganyu's letter before ever meeting her. I'll spoil right now that we're not at that level of seriousness yet since nothing really 'objectionable' has happened. Also it's funny that you talk about his friend amount, these next two chapters I want to highlight the flaws in our man's personality.
A Lazy Ace: Oh I will! Thanks for reading!
Maybe I'm being melodramatic, but why is it so damn hard to finally get what I want- no strings attached, no mess or fuss, just me and Ganyu actually alone, with enough time and no pressure? Seriously, I first have to spend Furina-knows-how long writing the perfect message to the Jade Chamber to even get my foot in the door, literally just the opportunity! And that's only to get interrupted in the end. Then I have to find another way to continue because Ganyu's so fucking busy, that my suggestions to meet may as well have not even been made. I do that by fully hypnotizing her co-worker, fabricating an urgent story and arranging something. Of course this works out and I finally get my shot- but oh wait! We're still on a time limit! Ganyu has to continue working… and I screw up anyway..! So here are, now I've been summoned literally by her, you'd think I'm finally in the clear, right? And fucking yet…
"Please take a seat." That was not said by the blue-haired adepti, but by her purple-haired coworker in the desk adjacent. And who do we know who has purple hair~? That's right; class; Keqing! Yay….
Yup, it's not just me and my desire in the room, but Keqing as well, behind a mountain of paper and pens. Well, after this, I suppose that both her and Ganyu do their job here. So it kind of makes sense, but still…! Saying I'm a bit frustrated would be a big understatement, being denied private time yet again, however I'm also just plain angry. Angry at Keqing for being present? Sure. But mainly, just angry at myself. Ganyu's letter runs through my mind again…
I apologize for the sudden request, but please come to the Jade Chamber tonight…
There is an important topic that I would like to discuss…
My single focus on Ganyu's signature requesting my presence deluded me, blinded me to an objective fact. Two of them actually. First is that there was absolutely no part that said Ganyu would be meeting me alone. And given who's here now, it's too late to fix that. The second…
"Is something wrong?" Keqing asks again, noting my pause.
"Uh, no…" My feet literally drag against the floor, moving slowly to the desk suspiciously in front of the two occupied ones. As if they're a pair of teachers about to scold a naughty student after class. Which brings me to the other revelation- there was nothing in the letter that even implied "good news" for me.
In fact… there's a chance this is going to be very very fucking bad.
But that's impossible right? I did everything correctly! I only hypnotized Ganyu and Keqing when we were alone, I told them to forget everything every time; I know I did! And nobody else knows anything! There's no way Xiangling would be able to keep her mouth shut if she saw me, Chef Mao's more concerned with being an idiotic overprotective father than doing anything productive with his worthless wife-less life… so unless it was someone at the harbor…! Did I let my guard down…?! No, no no no, that's impossible! There's NO WAY someone saw me, knew specifically what I doing, and told anybody. I refuse to even entertain the idea…!
And yet, here I am, in front of Ganyu and Keqing, in a scene that looks an awful lot like an interrogation… I really hope that's just my nerves though.
After what feels like an eternity, I slide into the seat provided. The two women are wrapping up another sheet of paper, scribbling something. If there's anything to say freely, now's the time- but the only thing that comes to mind is 'Am I in trouble?' A question that only people in trouble ask. Because of this, the craftsmanship of a wooden desk is the only thing I really notice.
C'mon now…! Think of a strategy, think of what you're going to say!
"Ahem…I apologize for the wait." Ganyu says, meaning the time for formulating is over. Before it even begun, ugh…. Looks like I'm playing this one by ear. A horrible idea really, but it's all I got. Though, looking up reveals both Ganyu and Keqing to be smiling at me…? Right, I did force the two of them to have a higher opinion of me, but if I am actually in danger here, that's not gonna help. They also could be just using that to get my guard down…
"What's this about?" I ask slowly.
Ganyu leans forward to a more attentive posture. "I do apologize for requesting your presence at such late hours, but we have some questions to ask of you."
….Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
"If you will allow me to start, have you noticed the harbor getting ready for Lantern Rite?" Keqing throws me off with the first inquiry.
"Uh, yes… yes, I have." If this was an entirely different situation, I would definitely tell them all about how I was exploring the harbor with Xiangling, adding in everything we did. But here, now, any extra language dies in my throat.
"Mm. What are your thoughts on this?"
I turn to face the purple-haired woman. "I'm sorry, what do you mean? My thoughts as an outsider or…?"
"Allow me to rephrase the question then. When Fontaine has a festival to celebrate, do you see the city prepare months in advance?"
"Um no. But isn't that because of Lantern Rite's importance? Yearly celebration for the whole region and all that?" Apologies Lady Furina, but the Film Festival doesn't seem all that critical…
"Quite right." Keqing confidently says with a flip of her hair. "And despite still being a couple months out from the start, preparations are progressing smoothly- and have been for quite a while at that. Now, the resources needed for a successful event on this magnitude- well, they dwarf other celebrations we host. There is a need to maintain constant contact with suppliers, vendors, customers, and even hiring agencies for temporary workers to assist us. For example, handling guests from over regions." She smiles, but only for a moment. "Not to mention, countless contingency plans must be developed, discussed, and be ready to be implemented on a moment's notice in case of emergency. These are all vital activities that take place behind the scenes, and are a fraction of our duties here at the Jade Chamber. After all, our normal activities persist as well.
"I-I understand." I say, wondering where she's going with this.
"This is all said not to intimidate you, of course. We just thought you'd understand the magnitude of Lantern Rite better with this knowledge. Ganyu's and my team do tremendous work, getting everything in order. Delegation has been…ahem, a work-in-progress for this department, but I sincerely believe we will master that aspect as well."
I shoot a quick look over to Ganyu, and manage to catch the tiniest flash of a blush.
"And yet," Keqing takes my attention back. "With the sheer volume of work at this, we find that there is a severe lack of healthy work-life balance in the Jade Chamber. Now, we've had many discussions about the importance of taking a break, including discussing new techniques for relaxing during non-work hours, be we have had limited success in that area."
"However, in our latest talk, Ganyu suddenly recalled a recent event where she was suddenly - and rather inexplicably - feeling tremendously refreshed. And upon hearing about this, I was struck with a similar memory."
…..Oh. ..Ohhhh….
"And that is what we have come to talk to you about. Neither Ganyu nor myself seem to recall exactly what occurred these time, isn't that right Ganyu?"
"Correct." Comes the voice to my left. I don't look though, mainly because I'm noticing a pit forming in my stomach.
"However we do remember that you were present both times. Do you recall these events, by chance?"
I nod immediately, before I can stop myself. Sweat is forming on my forehead, and breathing is getting rather difficult. I'm becoming more and more certain that I've completely fucked up- where the hell did I go wrong…?! Or, was this all an inevitability? It doesn't seem like the hypnosis itself is what got me here… Damn it! I didn't think that overworked employees would ever talk about the relaxing sleep they had together!
"Ah, that's a relief. We wouldn't want this conversation to be with the wrong person~" She smiles again, but it isn't returned at all.
"We were hoping that you'd be able to tell us more about this then, if you could?"
…That has the tone of a question, but it's not really one I can refuse to answer. If I'm purposefully dismissive of this, then I'm definitely not going to have any future opportunities with Ganyu…! I-I need to tread carefully here! Yeah… Find out what they know about hypnosis and my abilities, and don't tip them off to anything sketchy. …Fuck, it's all I've got…
"Uh, I'll try. So, what do you both remember?" I ask, with maybe a little more eagerness than ideal.
Ganyu begins this time. "Well, I recall your act…the Probing Pendulum. But I don't know anything beyond that, just a relaxing feeling throughout…and then you seemed to know what and whom I was thinking of. As I said, it's an impressive trick."
"I'm sorry, but can we go back for just a moment?" Keqing looks at us like we're strangers. "The 'Probing Pendulum'? What in Teyvat is that." I wince a little at her implied disapproval before she continues. "Either way, our experience was a bit different as I'm sure you recall. I remember offering my hand and your deck of cards. Speaking of which, drawing so many correct cards in sequence is either a sign of otherworldly luck, or some hidden trickery- er, magic at play. But just like Ganyu, I felt remarkably… comfortable during it."
It honestly would be a bit funny how Keqing doesn't can't square away her memories with her logic-first mindset. But I'm on an impromptu witness stand, so I can't show my amusement…
"Do you have either of these tricks with you?"
…Oh boy, the moment of truth. Back out, deny and deflect every question, and act as unhelpfully as possible. If I did that, I'd be safe- assuming they don't have any more twists up their sleeves. Maybe I could pivot to somebody else as my interest, or maybe I could just live normally…?
But if I seriously did that…this trip would be a gigantic fucking waste of time. I came here for one thing and one thing only…!
With a resigned sigh, my hand slowly creeps down, reaches into my pants pocket, wraps around the cool metal, and reveals the watch to my unintended audience. The third time to Ganyu, but the first for Keqing- a fact which she quickly makes clear.
"…That's it? Just a watch?"
Nodding in affirmation, I change my grip to holding its' gold chain instead of the actual spherical part. The two ladies get a good, long look at it- but obviously, because I'm not swinging it, nothing will happen.
"Ganyu, are you absolutely sure it was this?" Keqing turns to her colleague post-examination. "This ordinary pocketwatch and his words somehow read your mind? That's quite hard to believe to be frank. Sure, it's clearly well-maintained and appears to have a unique pattern, but there's absolutely nothing pointing towards it being special…! I could hire the local blacksmith to make an exact copy of this."
The adepti puts a hard up to her chin. "Believe me, I harbored similar doubts. But I experienced just that - twice in fact, so I find myself unable to argue. We both have memories of the unbelievable, Keqing. For example… would our guest here believe the Jade Chamber has been used as a literal weapon before?"
I blink in alarm. What did she just say?!
"See what I mean? To me, the pocketwatch before us is outright magical, yet another phenomenon that seems unexplainable to those without prior knowledge."
"Is that right…?" Keqing faces me again, still musing. "So, how were able to install a similar feeling in me without using this then?"
"A-ahem, well, a-a magician must always be prepared to keep the show moving, even through equipment failures~ ..Simply put, there are tricks I'm able to do without necessarily needing a tool. It just helps, you know?"
(Translation: I'm able to hypnotize someone without this watch, as you know, although it takes longer on average- especially since I need to get the person in the right mental space first.)
"And this trick can make your audience relax?"
"Ehh, not exactly, but that's the long and short of it." No point in telling her about suggestions, inductions, or anything like that…
"May I take the watch for a moment?" Keqing asks suddenly, wanting to examine it even closer. Fitting for her I guess..so I comply, hand it over, and get to watch the marvel of Ganyu and Keqing looking for something strange in something ordinary. At least to them. "So, this has been yours for a while I assume?"
"Yup, a gift from my father when I came of age. Said it was made by a Melusine."
Both ladies stare at me with blank looks. I mentally facepalm- of course they won't know what they are.
"Ok, so imagiiiiine… oh- imagine Gouba." For once, Keqing's face appears lighter than Ganyu's, the latter of whom wears a slight scowl. Probably reminded of who Gouba's friend/owner is… Huh. I don't actually know how those two are together. "Now imagine a person that's Gouba-sized, but with regular-ish proportions to a human. That's a Melusine- well, except for their hands which are basically mittens. They kind of feel like mittens all over actually. They also have these huge floppy ears that- I am NOT helping am I?"
Keqing has the decency to smirk at my piss-poor attempt for an explanation. "Well, whoever made this exactly, they are a master artisan- but I now feel confident saying that I notice nothing odd." She passes my pocket watch back. "To be honest, I'm a little disappointed- I really believed we discovered something extremely helpful. I apologize for taking up so much of your time."
I frown. It almost seems like she's dismissing my abilities, expressing the doubt that she did… And then, before my brain can apply some much-needed logic-
"Shall I give a demonstration then?"
Now both of them are surprised by my outburst. "A demonstration?" Ganyu asks. "Do you mean- perform your trick again?"
"Why not? There is no quicker way to prove that your memory is right than by experience-"
"Why not", I say, just like that. Like it's nothing, am I for real? How about because it could very easily backfire. Am I absolutely SURE I want to try in the middle of enemy territory? I should change my mind, and back out-
"That won't be necessary I'm afraid." Keqing speaks back up, firm as ever.
"Huh?"
"The point of summoning you here was to find out if the unknown relaxation Ganyu and I experienced was in anyway linked to your watch. If it was, such properties could perhaps be copied and used for our benefits. Apologies for saying this, but your 'mind reading' and the rest of your magician tricks are irrelevant. Even if you could teach us these methods, implementing them would no doubt take too much time, when we're busy enough as is. And with the watch being an ordinary piece, I fail to see the importance of continuing this discussion. You may go."
"Keqing!" It was Ganyu who piped up that time. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
And just like that, she whisks her comrade away, leaving me to blink while staring at the watch in my hand. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what I said, Inviting them to witness a trick like it's an actual, completely normal magician's trick, putting someone to sleep via hypnosis. Like hell it is~ But I was just so… eager to prove myself to Keqing…!
In fact, now that I think about it, I just sealed myself off- I can't retreat now. My eagerness to preform has explicitly implied that I am absolutely capable of making someone sleepy. There's no way to lie… which means…
"Sorry for the wait." Ganyu reports, quickly taking her seat with Keqing in tow. "We have agreed on the next steps. Keqing, if you would?"
Another tired-sounding sigh. "You may preform your 'Probing Pendulum' trick."
"Seriously? But I-"
She interrupts me with only a stern look. "You will preform it only for Ganyu. I will be off to the side, examining the trick closely. Such a method - using a watch to relax someone - is quite strange, and not a little unsettling, so having a witness will keep it all safe."
"Oh, alright." I attempt a smile-
"Also you are prohibited from talking."
"What?!"
"It can't be helped. This must be repeatable by us in the Jade Chamber. If the trick requires the inflection in your voice or similar, it's worthless. Not to mention, your description was 'there are tricks I'm able to do without needing a tool'. So let us see if that goes both ways, shall we. Does this 'Probing' trick need you?"
What…the…fuck…?
…Does it need me? DOES it need me…?!
Of course it fucking needs me…! What kind of question IS that?
"…Understood." I say, very slowly.
My frustration is slowly seeping out, but it's ignored as we all prepare. Keqing drags her desk over to the right wall, allowing Ganyu to move her desk so that it's directly in front of me. I try to take a breath and reconfirm this current situation- but I can't for more than a few seconds as I feel the absolutely crushing gaze of the purple-haired Yuheng. A quick look makes her actually smile at me, but the second I focus on Ganyu, she's back to scrutinizing my every move. The pressure is immense… it's suffocating…! But, thanks to the gorgeous adepti in front of me, I'm able to steel my nerves and raise my watch-filled hand up to her beautiful eyes. Right, just like before…this is just me hypnotizing Ganyu again…you've got this!
One thing is for sure though.
This will absolutely, definitely, without a doubt- be one of the least fun sessions I've ever done. Thanks a lot Keqing…!
SNAP
As soon as my finger and thumb make contact, I hear someone rapidly approaching, quick footsteps against marble thundering in my ears. There is literally no time to whirl my head around before that same person rushes into me, and then past me to a certain blue-haired horned woman.
Of course this frantic somebody is Keqing. She's probably in this state because she can't believe what just happened-
"Ganyu…? Ganyu, can you hear me?!"
Called it. Her panic is perfectly understandable too, with how her colleague has completely changed. Eyes shut tight again, head limply hanging forward, and gentle inhale and exhale of breath making it obvious what has happened. Well, obvious to me anyway.
"She's asleep, don't worry. That's it."
Keqing seems to remember that I'm in the room, quickly turning around to face me. The sheer bewilderment she wears is hugely entertaining, but could quickly backfire into something dangerous if I don't reassure her. "You wanted a demonstration of my abilities with the pocket watch, and I'd say you got it." Speaking of, the watch still lies in my hand- annnnnd never mind. Keqing jerks her hand into mine, swiping it with a speed too fast for my eyes.
"But- How?!" She holds the watch so close to her face, it might get permanently imprinted there. "This is just a normal watch…! There was no elemental traces or anything!" Ah, so that's what she did, not like I would know.
"What can I say except, 'magic'?" I cough. "Can I have it back?"
With a light blush (how cute~), she passes me the watch again, clears her throat, and turns to Ganyu, still sleeping.
"You are sure she's just asleep!? There is nothing else to this?"
"Absolutely." I lie. "Just a nap, like anybody would take after a long day. You could wake her up now even."
"Incredible…" Keqing whispers, then gets close to Ganyu. "This…has amazing potential…!"
"Excuse me?"
"Think about it: this could be a cure for so many! Insomniacs, people with sleeping disorders, even just a handy tool for anybody who wants a quick rest…! Your 'magic' could be a big benefit to everyone!"
…Huh, I never thought of hypnosis like that before… as a good thing for the world…
Hold on though. Wouldn't that mean teaching other people how to do this?
"Uh, Keqing?"
"We just have to figure out how such a thing is possible. Was it the rhythm of your swings…? Or the distance between you and Ganyu? Hm, or maybe it actually is the pocket watch, but the way this 'Melusine' crafted it embed it with a special power…! Perhaps a trip to Fontaine is in order then…"
"Keqing please." I repeat and pry some more until she succeeds in looking my way. "Shouldn't we wake up Ganyu first and actually see how she feels?"
The Yuheng takes one look at her partner, and shakes her head. "Let us give her some time to rest. Nobody here works as hard as Ganyu, she deserves a break more than anyone."
"Okay~"
"But she should give her opinion on this, you're right. So you can wait outside for…30 minutes, let's say?"
"Wait, what? Why?"
"There is nothing here for you, I'm just going to return to work while we wait." There's a weird feeling as soon as she says that, a flash of… suspicion. This is a trap, wanting to see if I try to remain in a room with a sleeping Ganyu for seemingly no reason…! Maybe she wants to see if I'll be a creep…
But I won't fall for that~ So as maddening as it is to leave the room- "Ah I see. Can I borrow a desk though? If I leave entirely, the Millelith may not let me back in."
"Of course." So with that she helps me carry a desk outside into the hallway, making sure I'm all situated before closing the office door behind her. At least she was generous enough to offer some water.
No matter. I have some serious thinking to do.
Keqing's words pound my mind, over and over and over again. It's relentless, and it's a testament to the fact that inspiration can come from wherever, at any point..
"This could be a cure for so many…!"
I wasn't kidding when I said it had never crossed my mind before. Hypnotism was always a something for myself. My wants. My desires. If I couldn't get something I wanted the normal way, there would always, always be someone who could. And sometimes it took more than pretty words to 'convince' them to act. It was absolutely perfect too: Hypnotize, get rewarded, then erase all memory of the action. No real harm done to them, no punishment for me~
But now… I'm being told that my abilities could help people. That the action of hypnosis may actually be a benefit to people's lives- not just mine. Theoretically, nothing Keqing said is impossible- it doesn't sound like it is, in any case. I am absolutely sure that when we wake up Ganyu, she's going to say that she feels very refreshed, ready to keep working. So… why not tap into that? Why not advertise hypnosis as a cure for all kinds of problems? I could even potentially turn this into personal profit, offering lessons and strategies for how to get someone comfortably under trance…!
This all sounds great on paper. A brand new way to help people all over Teyvat.
….So why does it feel so wrong…?
I reach into my pants, pull out my watch yet again, and stare at it for a long while.
...
Why am I asking myself that…? I know why.
…Hypnosis is my thing. And by trying to do everything I just thought of… well, it wouldn't be just for me anymore.
And without that…without hypnosis…
..I'd be a nobody.
Just another magician in Fontaine. Not even the best one at that, or even the second-best if you count Lynette. Just another plain, ordinary, good-but-never-great street performer, scraping by life with little money, nothing unique, having poor prospects for the future. I mean, the Archons themselves clearly agree with me, or else they would've given me a fucking Vision…!
And yet, with this strange power only I have, I'm unique. I'm special… As much as I respect Lady Furina, I don't need to pray to her- or any of the other Archons. I can do what I want, when I want…! Because…I'm the only one that has this…
So the idea of teaching people my strategies? Well, I don't think Keqing is going to like my answer. Or my next action.
Oh well. Time to formulate.
"You're sure this is alright?"
"Positive."
Back in the office- and with some encouragement needed- I watch as Keqing slowly puts her hand over Ganyu's shoulder. Witnessing her hesitation for this is understandable, this does not seem like something co-workers do on the regular, but I still don't want her thinking anything is up with me, so I insisted. And shortly after, Ganyu is jarred just a bit- and begins to stir.
"….H-h..uuh…? Ke… Keqing…?" How Keqing precisely reacts, I don't know as I turn away to hide my gaze. It's not my fault Ganyu is so attractive!
"Good afternoon Ganyu~ How do you feel? Do you remember what happened?"
Yawn… "Pretty…good actually…! And-" She faces me. "I do. Your watch…the pendulum… it put me under again huh? It felt nice and familiar…~"
I smile and nod- and I'm able to see Keqing do the same, likely thinking about what this means for the future. A possible future that will soon exist only in my memory. Time to start acting a little more forceful.
"Well I'd say we have much to talk about." Keqing says to Ganyu after a few minutes of filling her in. "So if there is nothing else-"
"Wait." I interrupt, to quizzical looks. "Keqing, don't you think you should experience this as well?"
"Me…? Ah, no need-"
"I…think you should." Shockingly, it's not me who says that, but Ganyu. And I had no opportunity to influence her this time. "It was very relaxing, I feel refreshed."
"Ganyu, I have some urgent assignments that need-!"
"You always do Keqing…! Everybody here knows you work incredibly hard, harder than anyone else! This method will end up benefiting people like you the most!"
"Not to be cheeky, but this is exactly what you said about Ganyu, Keq-"
In apparent revenge for what I did to Xiangling yesterday, the Yuheng slaps my mouth shut with an expertly-placed palm. There's a thin red line across her cheeks as she glares at me. "…Fine."
"Huh?"
"I said fine! I'll participate, it would only be fair anyway!"
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I take the initiative instantly, bring 'my' desk in from the hallway. Meanwhile Keqing and Ganyu swap roles, with the adeptus moving to the wall and the Electro-wielder sitting across from me. Her embarrassment still easy to see.
After taking a breath and a seat, I raise the watch up to her level- only to immediately slam it back down. "This is not going to work."
Keqing looks surprised. "What do you-"
"You're preparing to fight me. Stop that."
"Now hold on just a second-!"
"I didn't mean that in a nasty way, I assure you. This happens every show with volunteers. There is always at least one person who thinks "I'm going to resist whatever comes at me for as long as possible." Because it's fun to them, they can't help themselves, they want to make the magician annoyed or humiliated, they want to impress the audience themselves, et cetera. Whatever- I don't know. Could even be nerves I suppose. It's not always done with ill intentions, but it does grind things to a halt nonetheless. And looking at you now Keqing, your body is sending very clear 'combative' signals. You're extremely tense, and your stare is downright piercing my soul."
A silence permeates as neither Keqing nor Ganyu can quite believe what I said, until the Yuheng grumbles, "Why are we having a second lecture about your profession…?"
"Because it's my career, you know~ Now let's make both of our lives a little easier. Try to calm yourself down- at least a little. I recommend imagining someone or something you like, a friend, family member, colleague, Lantern Rite, dropkickingGoubaofftheJadeChamber, you get it."
"Fine… fine." Keqing sighs at me, oblivious to what I just motormouth'd. The annoyance on her face is written clear as day, but she does close her eyes and begin to unwind. Meanwhile I catch welcome glimpses of Ganyu looking back at her work during this.
A few minutes pass before my attention is taken by Keqing again. And indeed, she does appear to be a lot less tense, making me wonder just what she did think about. But of course it is of no concern, so after asking and receiving confirmation on if Keqing's really ready for this, I call out:
"Ganyu, you're going to watch this time?"
"Right." Yup, she's in the exact same spot as Keqing, meaning I won't be able to do or say anything suspicious.
Not unless I make a friendly suggestion, anyway.
"Great~ I promise to keep my mouth shut this time too, so it'll be exactly the same. Be sure to watch everything carefully- the watch, me, and Keqing- and prepare to be amazed!"
"Hm, someone's confident." Keqing quips.
"Well preforming in front of an audience, even for an audience of two, is my bread and butter. I was nervous the first time, but this should be a much smoother session." Also… well, it's time to me to start dictating just exactly HOW things should go… "Everyone ready?"
A scan around the room gives me two nods. So like before, I raise my pocket watch up high; easily allowing Keqing's red eyes to lock on to it. My face remains neutral throughout; hiding my perverse excitement. The angle is also giving Ganyu a full view of the action, so everything is set up nicely.
One final breath- and I start to swing. And I don't even have to look to know what happens next.
Oh Keqing, Keqing, Keqing~ You are.. just a brilliant person! And I mean that completely seriously too.
I've honestly got hand it to you, you came up with the perfect plan! Well… the nearly perfect plan. But I mean, it was completely unintentional, so good- no, great on you! You being here prevented me from wrapping up this little journey early, you had Ganyu go first and make sure everything was fine- including shutting me up in the process-, and you even resisted the watch's power when you were examining.
Unfortunately, you made one. Fatal. Mistake. You exposed your lovely co-worker to two rounds of hypnosis in quick succession. Granted, you had no idea that hypnosis gets more effective with each use, nor did you know that Ganyu got another blast just the other night. So from your perspective, this was all perfectly safe.
But, well… I'll let the complete lack of someone telling me to stop speak for itself.
Keqing's eyes have closed, tension in her body reaching a dead zero as she drifts off completely. And as soon as this happens, my feet pivot a full 90 degrees, taking a few steps forward as well… until I'm right in front of Ganyu's desk. And unlike any previous time, my hand doesn't stop swinging the watch while I do so.
As for the adeptus herself in front of me? Nothing short of a near-unconscious mess, completely slumped over. She's practically on her desk, hands that were previously holding her chin in place when leaning forward now the only things keeping her off the shiny wood. I suppose this was to be expected given how quickly I felt an attentive gaze fade away while I was working on Keqing, but it still throws me for a loop.
"H…huuuh…? - you….aren't…." Ganyu pulls her head ever-so-slightly off her desk, probably recognizing something is wrong in the deepest reaches of her mind. Of course though, she is looking up- right into the watch, still swinging steadily across her vision.
"Ssshhh….dear Ganyu, just relax…." As to be expected from all the recent hypnosis, combined with just woking up, those words utterly melt whatever is left of her rationality. So much so that-
THUD
The beautiful adeptus falls asleep, once again.
This time though, it won't be a waste. But I hardly need to say that, do I?
"Ganyu, stand up and walk over beside Keqing. Keqing, you stand up too."
"Yes…"
"Yes…"
Once they do so, I pinch myself; hard. To think I managed to turn a situation where I thought I was capital F fucked into one where I have not just the beautiful adeptus Ganyu hypnotized, but ALSO one with the equally-beautiful Keqing too…! Incredible! Both women sleep helplessly before me, ready for commands. But what to say first…?
Well, of course with the benefit of hindsight, I realize that I was really never in danger. The reason for getting me here was simple, to find out if I knew the reason behind the 'mysterious' relaxing memories. But it still gave me quite a fright so…
"Ganyu, Keqing, listen to me. You will completely forget about everything related to this discussion tonight. Anything about my hypnosis, the sleepy feeling you experienced, the potential of using my watch for cures, anything like that. You will remember I have the watch, but it's only for innocent magic tricks, like I have shown you two before. I don't think this matters, but if you told anyone about tonight's topics beforehand and they follow up on this, do not know what they're talking about. Understand?"
"Yes…"
"Yes…"
"But if this discussion didn't happen, what was I here for? Glad you asked." I continue with a smile. "You just needed a third pair of hands to help around the office. Organize books, put some files away, those kinds of things. The fact that I agreed to do this makes your opinion of me increase even more than ever." This is done not only because of the reason stated, but also in case a guard gets a little too curious as to why I was here.
"And now… from now on, if you two come with any ideas on how to use my pocket watch, you'll always come to me first. And if I reject the idea, you will not argue it further, or have any negative feelings at all. The idea will be burned forever, never to be brought up again. Got it?"
"Yesss….." Two sleepy voices ring out, free from emotion and thought.
Good… the power is for me, and me alone. I've decided that, and I'm not going back.
"Well, as much as I'd like to stick around further, and this is a bit weird to say given how long i've been here already, but there's actually no guarantee someone won't open the door at any time. So ten seconds after I leave, you two will resume your duties like nothing strange happened."
"However, I am really, truly done playing hide-and-go-pray-for-an-opportunity. So!" I turn my attention to the more-hypnotized individual. "Ganyu?"
"Yesss….?"
Tomorrow after midnight, meet me behind Wanmin Restaurant. Keqing, if/when see her leave, don't give it a second thought. Understood, both of you?
"I understand…" Huh, you know, it just hit me. I should really change up their response to avoid any confusion. And who better to test this on than-?
"Ganyu, you shouldn't have a problem. Whenever you are hypnotized and given a command from now on, address me as 'Master', understand?"
"Yes….Master…"
Perfect.