Genshin Impact: Mondstadt Alter
Act 1 Chapter 3.5:
A Couple of Questions
[Morgan, we need to talk.]
"I want to sleep. I'm tired. Shut up."
[I know he bothers often, and so to me. I want you to deal with him.]
Quickly, I open my eyelids, "... You can't be serious? Hell no."
[Why hesitate? Deep down, you know they won't stay put forever.]
"In a few days, I don't plan to go anywhere. That much will do."
[That is nothing but adjourning the problem itself.]
"I don't care. Let me take a nap." I tugged the blanket and covered myself before closing my eyes.
[How about a game, then? Take action against him, regardless of the method you choose. If you succeed, I'll remedy any harm you've endured.]
This time, I rise from the bed, "... Oh, you just have to pull that card, don't you? The risk is too high. I'm pretty damn sure he's going kill me."
[Perhaps. That's the reason I mentioned that it doesn't matter to me which approach you choose or if you'll simply allow your power to consume you. Your choice.]
"I'm gonna die no matter what I do, huh?"
[You wouldn't even if you failed. I still owe you a favor.]
"... What favor?" I got perplexed.
[Maybe it's better to call it a wish instead. Basically, you can ask me almost anything.]
Hearing that, I blink many times as I can't believe what I heard. I do not remember I have it nor even done something worthy to get it, at all. Did he temper with my memory?
[It's understandable for you to be skeptical, but that's beside my point. Are you going to do it or not?]
"What did you do to me?!" I snapped, only raising my voice slightly.
[I have no idea why you are angry for having something everybody could only get by praying and miracles. That is a byproduct gift for your collaboration.]
"Nonsense…" I mumbled, "Then how about I use it to kill him?"
[Pft, are you seriously risking something so valuable for something so measly? I can do that if you're sure about it.]
I breathe heavily to calm myself. What he was saying is right, even though I doubt something like that has no string attached to it.
"No, I was just pissed off. I'll do it since if I refuse, you will compel me to do it, right? I'll think something about it." I sighed.
[Good, take your time. If you're worried about your own well-being, why don't you send someone to do it for you?]
I breathe out once again, "I'm not that naive to make someone get rid of somebody and expect them to do it with baseless accusation. I also don't want to endanger anyone because of me as much as possible. Leave me alone." I said before laying back in bed.
…
Now I can't sleep.
I've been staring at the ceiling, lying on my bed for the last hour. The room is pitch black, with the only light source coming from the small gaps in the door. There isn't much noise due to the isolated room that I am in. Yet, my mind resists taking a rest.
The harder I try to sleep, the more my head is filled with anxiety. Somehow, I feel restless. It's his fault and what has happened today. But I'm processing too much information right now to think about it. If anything, it would make me feel more agitated.
"Ah, this is just great…" I grunted, getting up.
I turn on the light and get myself dressed. Opening the door, I see some sisters are still working. I step into the front door to get some fresh air. But of course, one of the sisters stops me before I can leave.
…
It wasn't hard to convince her when I've been showing improvement to pretty much everyone about my mental rehabilitation.
At first, I thought sparing some time to stroll around the city would be a good idea, but I realized I wasn't in the mood. Even though exhausting myself sounded like a perfect need for me right now. Once in a while, I guess sleeping late should be okay.
There's one place I want to visit again, so I bring my purse and head to the destination. On my there, I saw and passed some people. Without stopping, it doesn't take long for me to reach the Angel's Share.
Before even stepping inside, I can hear the loud laughter of the patrons. It gets worse the moment I open the door. I suppose that's natural, knowing I've been here only once. This place is just as I predicted. It's cramming with people.
The front desk chairs are full, unfortunately. I can see the bartender is too busy serving customers to notice me. While I know some people I acquaintance with are here, I don't see them. Well, I have no plan to chat with them anyway.
It seems the second floor isn't as packed, so I go there. There's one vacant table in the corner next to a painting of a scenery that is oddly familiar. I take the chair with the wall on the back and close my eyes while waiting for someone to pick up my order.
During my half-napping, my instinct tells me some folks are coming and going to this floor.
...
"... gan."
...
"Morgan…"
...
"Hey!" Someone suddenly shakes my shoulder.
I open my eyes in reflexes and see Kaeya standing next to me.
"Oh, hey there. Sorry, I dozed off." I said, fixing my position.
"You look tired. You good?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Just feeling sleepy, that's all."
"... If you say so." Kaeya shrugged, "So what do you want for tonight? Another coffee?"
"Hmm, I'm thinking about drinking something sweet, maybe a tea or something. Any recommendation?"
"Haha, you sure you want to take my suggestion?" He snickered.
I ponder for a moment, "Fair enough. Give me a love poem, then."
"Hoo, I'm surprised you remember what's on our menu. Alright, one love poem. Anything else?"
I wag my head.
"Okay, please wait for a moment."
I nodded before he left.
Once again, I wait as I rest my back and fold my arms. I was puzzled. How did I fall asleep despite all the noises? I account that to my fatigue. My sonar didn't even react to Kaeya waking me up.
During my wait for a drink, someone approaches me.
"Good evening, Morgan."
I pause to examine the figure before answering, "Evening. Do you need something?"
"You look lonely, so I'm feeling to accompany you~" She teased, "May I sit here?" She asked, implying the chair on the opposite side.
"By all means."
Mrs. Frederica drags the chair out and sits in front of me. There's silence because she's fixing her hair and tying it into a ponytail. Different than usual, she's not wearing the armor. The last time I saw her like this was the first time I met her.
I wonder if Jean will grow up just like her.
"Do you often come here, Mrs. Frederica?"
She sighs, "I wish. Sometimes work takes too much of me, you know? But I guess that's better for me." She answered as she fixed her hair on the side.
"Make sense. I hope babysitting me didn't do that to you."
She laughs lightly, "You jest. Compared to what I usually do, being a bodyguard isn't hard."
"Is that so?" I muttered before leaning back, "Right, before I forget, you have my thanks for your input. It helped a lot."
"Glad to hear that." She smiled, "Although I am curious since you've been doing it for these past few days. Do you mind telling me about it?"
Mrs. Frederica rests her cheek on her hand, waiting for my response. There's no point hiding it from her because she will know my intention of joining the Knight, especially since she's a high-profile knight. Unfortunately, I'm afraid someone might be eavesdropping.
"Before I do that, can I ask you a couple of questions first?"
"Oh, sure. What is it?"
I wait for Kaeya to bring our order before I raise my questions to her.
"Thank you for waiting." He said before giving us our respective drinks.
I pull my mug closer to me while Mrs. Frederica does the same. Judging by the smell, our drinks are different.
"Thanks. That was rather fast for the busy time, huh, Kaeya?" Mrs. Frederica commented.
"Haha, it's just the usual, really. By the way," He halted as he peered at me, "You two are an interesting combination, I must say."
"Fufu, meeting Morgan here isn't part of my plan for tonight. It's a surprise but a welcome one."
"I see. I believe this is the second time Morgan has come here, no?"
I nodded as I drank my tea.
"Well, enjoy your drinks, you two. I'd love to join, but there are customers to serve beforehand."
"No problem. Good luck, Kaeya."
He bows a little before leaving. After he is out of sight, Mrs. Frederica picks up and shakes her mug leisurely. She took a few shots like I did and extended our previous conversation.
"So, where were we again?"
A/N: Word of advice. Do not take everyone's words at face value.
Thank you for reading, and carry on!