The paralegal checked and rechecked his roast. Everything had to be perfect when the CEO came over for dinner tonight. Otherwise, his whole life would be on the line. He doublechecked that the napkins had been properly folded, dusted every corner to perfection, and insisted his wife bring out the fanciest Liyue silverware they had.
"Daddy," said the precocious infant son, "why must we prepare everything so rigorously?"
"Because, son, this woman is my boss. Also, there's some bad blood between us. She interviewed for a job at the office, and I dismissed her due to her lack of experience."
"Goodness," said the precocious infant son. "She became your boss despite lacking the proper experience?"
"Yes, but don't mention that in front of her."
"You must be under much stress."
"Every day working under her is just another stressful hell, wondering if she'll let me go out of vengeance. We must impress."
"We shall, daddy. After all, even if she is your boss, she's still just a woman."
At last, came the knock he'd been dreading. The paralegal lined up his family members.
"Everyone remembers the battle plan?"
His infant son nodded. "I'll offer to take her coat."
His wife said, "I'll invite her to the living room for tea."
"Be polite, efficient, and thorough," he told them.
He opened the door and began his greeting. Then, he, his precocious infant son, and his wife went pale with shock.
Kuki Shinobu, clad in a casual blouse, hung to the arm of a young man with golden hair, amber eyes, and a suit. Standing on their humble doorstep was none other than the savior of Teyvat himself: the traveler.
"Hello," said Aether, "I'm Shinobu's boyfriend. I hope you don't mind me tagging along."
Boyfriend?! The paralegal's jaw dropped like a stone plummeting through water. His wife lost all capacity for speech. His infant son said, "Holy ****."
"Language," said Aether with a chuckle. "May we come in?"
He nodded dumbly.
"C-coats?" the precocious infant son stuttered.
"Uh, what about them? Do you want to take them?"
Aether and Shinobu handed over their jackets. With the care and precision normally reserved only for heart surgeons, the precocious infant son hung them on the racks.
"T-tea?" said the wife.
"That would be nice," said Shinobu. The wife brought them into the living room while the paralegal and his precocious infant son stood back.
"Daddy. The traveler is in our house."
"I know."
"The traveler's in our house, and he's your boss's boyfriend."
"I know."
"The traveler is your boss's boyfriend. You rejected her application."
"It seems I did," he said.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, precocious infant son?"
"You really ****ed up."
"I know."