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Zhongli stood, hands clasped behind his back, as he looked out over his city from the top of Mount Tianheng. A smile crept onto his usually stony face, as he called out for his most trusted yaksha.
"Xiao."
"Yes, my lord?"
He turned, slowly, and glanced at the young adeptus that was suddenly behind him. He looked… exhausted.
The Lantern Rite was always a time of great stress for the child. Monsters and the foul energies of gods long dead came in droves in response to the cheerful and exuberant atmosphere of the nation. The lights that once guided soldiers home, now guided evil to their doors. And Xiao… always took it solely upon his own shoulders to protect every living thing in Liyue from that evil.
"I have a favour to ask of you."
The reply was instant, without a trace of doubt.
"Of course, my lord. What do you require of me?"
His smile deepend, and he turned back to face Liyue Harbour. "I wish for you to leave the protection of our home to the humans for this Lantern Rite. And to… join me. In the festivities."
Silence echoed loudly behind him, and he felt the young adeptus shift his feet on the ground.
He had known Xiao for millennia. He didn't need to turn around in order to know that he was currently chewing on his lip, frantically trying to come up with some excuse to refuse that would not offend his archon.
But Zhongli did not wish to be his archon any longer. He had given up that privilege when he gave up his gnosis.
No, what he truly wanted was for the boy he had long seen as his own son… to rest.
"I… But, my lord–"
"Zhongli." He corrected, gently.
"... Z-Zhongli. Can the humans really…?"
"Do you not trust in their strength?"
"No."
He laughed, covering his mouth with the back of his gloved hand.
"I do not blame you for your hesitance. Humans are… fragile. However," he turned to face him, still smiling, "if we always protect them, we're robbing them of the chance to grow. Are we not?"
"However true that may be, I…" Xiao's gaze fell to the rocks at their feet, and he clenched his hands. "I do not deserve…"
His smile saddened, but stayed in place. Even after all of the years spent slowly killing himself and in excruciating pain for the protection of others… Xiao still couldn't forgive himself for everything he had been forced to do under the hand of that cruel god.
"You deserve rest, Xiao." He struggled to keep the pain out of his voice, before pausing as he pondered for a moment. Slowly, he turned to face him. "And it would make me incredibly happy to spend these next few days with you."
Xiao managed to lower his head even further than it was, trying in vain to hide the blush that went all the way to the tips of his ears.
"I-if that is what my lord wishes…"
"It is what your friend wishes."
He watched as Xiao shuffled uncomfortably, giving nothing but a small, shy nod in response.
Placing a hand in the child's hair, he ruffled it affectionately. "Come, then. Hu Tao is likely already at Wangshu calling for you."
"She is." He confirmed, a slight scowl on his face. "The girl is very loud."
"You best be off then. Do accept her invitation, yes?"
Removing his hand, he watched as Xiao shuffled, before curtly nodding his head and vanishing in a puff of black and green anemo.
Letting out a long sigh, he let the smile slowly drop from his face and return to the stony neutrality that was comfortable for him.
Hope blossomed in his chest that one day… maybe soon… Xiao would allow him the privilege of calling him 'son'.
—
"Although I am glad for the company, you all did not have to come along to keep an eye on me." Venti cheerfully said, skipping ahead of the group that had been insisting on following him to Liyue Harbour. They had left Wangshu Inn shortly before, and although he had contemplated leaving them behind, he had found himself trapped under a drunken Kaeya after they shared a few…. Okay, a lot… of drinks together before bed. So he figured he might as well babysit them.
Said tall, star-eyed friend of his was still grumbling and squinting angrily about the sun that insisted on worsening his hangover.
"I don't know if I trust the rest of them to keep you from starting another archon war." Diluc scowled, arms crossed as he walked as far away from Kaeya as he could manage.
"I do take offence to that, Master Ragnvindr." Albedo spoke up, strolling calmly down the middle of the path as he kept his hand securely around his little sister's. Klee kept trying to run off to investigate all of the new sights and sounds, but the alchemist was determined to not let her leave his side. "I am quite capable of babysitting an archon. He is nothing compared to Klee. In terms of brains or strength."
"Wha– hey! Rude! I could totally blow things up if I wanted to!" Venti pouted, careful not to trip over his own feet.
"It's fiiiine, Ven." Kaeya mumbled, head in his hand as he pressed against his temple. "They're just teasing you." He paused for a few steps, before frowning at him. "Can't you like… blow some cloud cover in? The sun is murdering me."
Venti smiled as he walked backwards, ahead of the ragtag group of his friends.
"I could!"
He smiled innocently.
Kaeya sighed dramatically. "Are you going to?"
"No way! It would ruin the lovely festive atmosphere!"
"It's a light festival. It works better in the dark."
"There's no lanterns until nightfall, so your point is moot. Now hurry up, pick up the pace of those boots!"
"Big brother 'Bedo, is mister bard really Barbatos?" Klee spoke up, swinging her arm back and forth.
"That's right. Although that's a secret, so you are not allowed to tell anyone besides those of us here. Or Jean, I suppose. Understand?"
"Yup!" She grinned, before her brow furrowed. "But… how come Barbatos only looks like a big kid? Isn't he suuuuper old?"
"I assure you that I am likely even older than you think! And that appearance does not always dictate one's ability to drink." Venti sing-songed, giving a pointed stare towards Diluc at the end.
The fiery haired bartender only rolled his eyes in response.
—-
Ei stood, arms crossed, as she stared across the ocean in the direction of Liyue. Morax had invited her over for a festival, and while normally she would be hesitant to go… Miko had found out about it somehow and coerced her into attending.
She sighed, turning to look at the fox who gave her a sly smile and batted her eyelashes innocently. "Shall we be off, Ei?"
"I suppose we might as well, since I already went through the hassle of taking control of the puppet." She held out a hand, and waited as Miko laughed and gently took it in her own.
"I'm sure the shogun would also appreciate the holiday, if not for the fact that she doesn't feel anything. Really, Ei, you couldn't even have let the poor thing feel happiness?"
"Emotions do not serve it any purpose. It only exists to–"
"To rule the nation, yes, yes. I am aware my dear. Now. Let us be off?"
She sighed, before closing her eyes. When she once again opened them, they were standing in the middle of a crowded harbour. People were staring at them in a mix of astonishment and apprehension.
"You couldn't have picked somewhere a little more quiet? Morax did say to be discreet if possible. This is the exact opposite of discreet, if I'm being honest with you, dear."
Ignoring the stares of the humans, she held Miko's hand tighter and strode through the crowd. They quickly scrambled out of the way to let the pair through.
Whispers came from all around them.
"Is that an adeptus?"
"No way– those are just a myth."
"Adepti in the city? Are they here for the festival?"
"Wait… isn't that the Shogun? Inazuma's archon..."
Ei rolled her eyes, continuing to stroll forward. The ramblings and musing of mortals served no purpose to her. She glanced around, looking for anything that seemed familiar and could give her any idea of where this 'Wangsheng Funeral Parlor' was. The old fool of a dragon had neglected to mention that Liyue Harbour looked nothing like it did the last time she had come for drinks.
"Miko, where is it we are meeting Morax?"
"Oh? You do not know?" She giggled, pulling ahead and tugging her along as she teased. "I thought the almighty shogun would not need directions~"
"It is not my fault that nothing looks the same!" Ei blushed, looking away with a huff as she was pulled along the busy streets.
It didn't take them long to find themselves in front of an unassuming building. Without missing a beat, Ei released her hand and strode up to the woman standing outside of it.
"I am looking for Morax."
The woman blinked at her, "Umm… While I am aware that we are a funeral parlour … we do not… readily have the ability to commune with dearly departed gods."
Her brows furrowed. Was this human trying to insinuate that Morax was dead? Foolish. The man had personally contacted her only days prior. "I assure you Morax is not dead, and he asked me to meet him here, mortal."
Miko laughed heartily before slinking up beside her and hugging her arm. Resting her head against Ei's shoulder she smiled at the human. "She's just joking–"
"I am not jok-"
"--SHE'S had a little to drink, you understand. Zhongli asked us to meet him here. We're old friends of his."
"Oh!" The woman smiled in sympathetic understanding at Miko as she pulled the door open and stepped to the side. "Of course. He's just inside. Go on ahead."
"I am not drunk, Miko. Why would you lie about that?" Ei whispered loudly at the fox still hanging off of her arm as they walked inside.
"Shush darling. It's all right." Miko smiled as she patted her arm.
Ei raised her scowl to look forward, and promptly turned it into an annoyed glare. "Morax!"
Hu Tao blinked, looking between Zhongli and Ei in evident confusion.
The old dragon slowly turned, smiling at her. "Ah. Ei, you've arrived. How wonderful." She noticed the irritation he was trying desperately to keep hidden as he gestured towards her. "Director, this is my old friend Ei, and… Yae Miko. It has truly been awhile. You've… grown."
"And yet you still recognize me? I'm flattered." Her ears twitched happily as she clung tighter to Ei's arm. Had it really been so long since they had seen each other that he was expecting Miko to be in her fox form?
"Morax, why did that mortal outside attempt to tell me you were dead?" Ei continued to glare at him.
His nose twitched up into a snarl for a moment, a clear sign of warning, before he cleared his throat and smiled stiffly. "Ei, while I do appreciate you acting so familiar with me even after all this time, that… nickname is a bit of a touchy subject these days; what with our dear archon's sudden death. I implore you to refrain from using it, so people do not get offended."
Oh. Had the old dragon faked his death? She smiled, and ignored him as the human beside him spoke up.
"Your nickname was Morax?!" The child bellowed in laughter. "That's amazing. I'm going to start calling you that too-"
"Please do not, miss Hu Tao."
The child grinned cheekily and slapped him on the back a few times.
"Well, go have fun with your friends, Morax! Don't forget that you have work in the morning~"
He sighed. "Of course, director. I shall see you tomorrow." Turning towards the door, he walked past them and held it open. "After you, please."
Ei squinted at the human, who was bossing a god around, in intrigue and confusion. Who was this child?
Hu Tao waved happily as they left the building, stepping back out into the noisy festive atmosphere.
—-
“Are we there yet?” Kaveh whined, sluggishly walking a good few feet behind the others.
“Almost!” Nahida happily replied from her perch upon Cyno’s shoulders. He had insisted on carrying her, since her legs were much shorter, and the chasm was not easily traversed. She had tried to protest, claiming it was fine, she could just float up the ledges, but he insisted so determinedly that she didn’t have the heart to turn him down.
And plus, she never would have known how soft the ears on his hood were if not for having to hold on to them to stay where she was. She found herself mindlessly petting them, and wondered quietly to herself how soft Tighnari’s ears must be.
”Uhhhg…” Kaveh groaned loudly. “‘Haithey, carry meee…”
“If you have the energy to complain, you have the energy to walk. And do not call me ‘Haithey’ again if you wish to keep your pretty face intact.” Alhaitham deadpanned from the front of the group, easily navigating his way through difficult terrain.
“Aww, you think my face is pretty?” Kaveh swooned, suddenly finding the energy to skip all the way to his side and grab his arm.
“That is not what I—“
“No take backsies!” He giggled, turning back to Cyno and herself. “Right, guys?”
“Do not drag me into your squabbles.” Cyno said, disinterested in their conversation.
Nahida giggled, “I also think that your face is quite pleasing to look at, Kaveh. All of you are indeed what humans would call ‘attractive’. At least based on what I’ve learnt about human behaviour, anyway.”
“Thank you!” Kaveh shouted, turning back to Alhaitham as he clung to his sleeve. “Even our archon thinks I’m pretty! Would it kill you to show me even a little bit of affection? It’s not like we’re in the city where you have to worry about people seeing you have a heart.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “I still don’t understand why we have to keep our relationship a secret. It’s not like people would care.”
“It’s bad enough that the General Mahamatra and our Archon now know. At least I can trust those two to keep a secret.”
“But why do I have to be a secret?” He grumbled, clearly having touched upon a topic that had long been upsetting him.
Nahida tilted her head, and had to stop herself from reading their minds out of curiosity. It was rude to invade someone's privacy without their permission. That’s what she had learned recently, anyway.
She decided it would be simpler to ask them her questions, than try to navigate the complicated puzzle that was human social rules.
“Why do you wish to hide your relationship with him?”
Alhaitham hummed in response, and she waited.
“Because I don’t want to cause him trouble by having people associate myself with him. I am… not well liked.”
Cyno scoffed. “Says who? You follow all of the rules, and have never given me any trouble. I think you’re fine.”
“Most people don’t base their opinions of others based solely off of how good they are at following the rules, Cyno.”
He huffed. “That’s not my only criteria— I also judge them based off how good they are at Genius Invokation TCG. The skill and foresight required to win a game speaks volumes of their intellect—“
“Uhg, but I’m shit at that dumb card game.” Kaveh whined, having fallen back in line with the two of them after giving up on keeping pace with Alhaitham.
“… I am aware.”
Alhaitham laughed, and everyone blinked at him in surprise.
“Was… was that a joke? I don’t get it.” Kaveh whispered to Nahida.
“I believe Cyno just implied that you lack intellect. Which, for some reason, Alhaitham found funny.” She held her hand to her chin in thought. Was it normal for lovers to laugh at others making jokes at their partners expense?
This definitely warranted further investigation later.
“Wha— Cyno! I am plenty intellect! … I mean… Intelligent. I am plenty intelligent— Shut UP Haithey!”
Alhaitham stifled his laughter as they crested over the hill. Nahida smiled, thoughts distracted, as she gazed over the majestic city before them. She had never left Sumeru before, and couldn’t contain her excitement as she bounced up and down.
“We’re here!”
——-
The festival was loud, bright, and jubilant. Children ran through the streets, carrying their paper lanterns and filling the air with laughter as merchants hawked their wares to people, from all across Teyvat, who had come to enjoy the festivities.
Zhongli stood patiently off to the side, scanning the crowds, as Ei all but drooled over a stall selling an assortment of desserts. Miko was chatting with the owner, slyly getting him to give them all manner of discounts and free samples. He didn't blame her. He was sure even Childe would have paled at the amount Ei was spending on sweets.
At least it was distracting her from loudly referring to him as Morax in the crowds. He had already noticed people staring and whispering to themselves; no doubt spreading rumours about his identity. Rumours that were, unfortunately, correct. Which made them harder to dispel.
He sighed.
"Zhongli!" A sweet, young sounding voice called out to him, and he turned. Nahida was perched upon a young man's shoulders, waving excitedly. The lanterns reflected in her eyes made them look as though they were literally twinkling in amazement.
Smiling, he turned fully towards them. "Nahida. It's a pleasure. Thank you for coming all this way on such short notice."
His eyes glanced over those with her. The young man she sat upon was studying him intently, for all he looked relaxed and disinterested. There were two others who appeared to be with them. They were off to the side, bickering.
"Of course!" She excitedly exclaimed, leaning forward as much as she could. The young man's ears were squished out of the way. He hoped that wasn't too uncomfortable for the boy. "Being able to leave Sumeru has been exhilarating! I was going to come alone, but these three insisted on coming to protect me." She paused, putting a hand to her chin. "Well, at first it was only Cyno, but then Alhaitham said he wanted an excuse to get away from Kaveh for a few days. That's Alhaitham there, and the blonde one is Kaveh. So, his plan didn't really work out."
"I see." He smiled. It was nice to see her so excitable. "So I take it the young man here is Cyno?"
The boy looked up, meeting his eyes with calculated determination. "I am General Mahamatra Cyno of the Akademiya. Nahida is under my protection while we are here."
"I appreciate you looking out for her. She is my old friend, who we had thought lost. I am glad to see she is doing well, even if her memories have become muddled."
Nahida suddenly grabbed the boy's ears tightly, although he did not seem to react, and gasped. She pointed excitedly at the mingxiao lantern.
"It's so big! Is that really a lantern? How does it float? Fascinating… who designed it? How is the paper fastened to the wooden frame? Ahh– how is the wooden frame even made? The type of wood needed that would be flexible enough to be bent into such shapes without breaking would be…" she continued to ramble to herself, hand on her chin, as her eyes darted back and forth in thought.
He chuckled. Even with memory loss, she was the same as ever.
The other two finally made their way over, the blonde one– Kaveh, she had said– was still loudly complaining while the other– Alhaitham – was pointedly ignoring him. His eyes wandered to the coverings over his ears, and he silently wondered what they were for. Cyno turned towards them while Nahida continued being lost in her head.
"Haithey, stop ignoring me! Why don't you want to go and look at the architecture? It's beautiful and I never get to visit!"
Alhaitham continued to ignore him, eyes closed as he breathed steadily. Kaveh huffed before reaching up and doing something to the ear coverings.
"Stop turning those off just so you can ignore m-"
A flash of panic went through the young man's eyes as they flew open, before he quickly reached up and, presumably, turned whatever they were off again. He aggressively moved his hands, and it only took a moment for Zhongli to realize it was sign language.
"It's too loud here! I can't handle it, Kaveh. Please… Please don't do that again."
"...Shit. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Do you want to go sit somewhere quiet?"
The man nodded, and Zhongli spoke up before they could turn to leave. He signed along with his words, and Alhaitham's face lit up in surprise, before he forced it neutral.
"If you need somewhere quiet, we can go to the funeral parlour. People tend to avoid it as much as they can."
When the man nodded, he smiled.
"Miko," he said in his normal speaking voice. Her ears twitched slightly so he continued, "I'm taking Nahida and her friends to the funeral parlour. Shall we meet back there once Ei has finished?"
Miko looked back at him, and sent him a quick smile and nod, before turning back to her task of keeping Ei from decimating the poor man's entire display.
With that taken care of, he turned and led the way.
—-
"Big brother 'Bedo look!" Klee screeched in excitement, slipping free of Albedo's grip and running off ahead of the group and onto the massive bridge that connected them to the docks of the harbour. They were beautifully decorated with fabrics and twinkling lights that shone in the darkness.
"Klee! Don't run off–"
"Eh, she'll be fine!" Venti laughed cheerfully. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Albedo glared at him.
"Ehe… I just… jinxed it didn't I?"
Kaeya, who seemed much better now that the sun wasn't assaulting him, smacked Venti on the back of the head. "If something blows up, it's your fault now."
"Wha– but! That's not fair! I don't even have any bombs! I can't blow things up!" Venti scoffed, offended.
Albedo turned back towards the bridge in front of them and froze. His eyes darted around the entire area. "Klee?! Klee, where are you?" He hurried ahead, calling out for her as he went.
"Well, so much for avoiding a second archon war…" Diluc mumbled to himself, staring at Venti. "If Morax gets angry because half his city is blown up, we're giving you over to him."
"Please don't do that, he'll bury me under a mountain. Again!!" He whined. The last thing he needed was to piss the old blockhead off…
"Again…?" Kaeya asked, raising his eyebrow.
"It's a… long story. One that involves Xiao and a very angry dragon–"
"Xiao?" Kaeya asked, confused.
"... You called?" A voice suddenly spoke up behind Venti, and he screeched in fear as he darted behind Kaeya.
"Wha– Xiao! Don't scare me like that!" Venti placed a hand on his chest, dramatically breathing heavily when he realized who it was.
"...Bar…batos? What are you doing in Liyue?" Xiao asked, confused, as he crossed his arms.
"We're here for the music festival, of course!"
"Music… festival? You are mistaken. It is the Lantern Rite."
"Where'd this pipsqueak come from?" Kaeya suddenly sauntered up to Xiao and rested his arm atop his head, as if to prove his point, before Venti could advise him against it –
He winced as he watched Kaeya smack into the ground on his back, a glowing spear at his throat.
"Do not touch me, mortal." Xiao all but growled.
Venti noticed Diluc's gaze darken angrily, and quickly stepped forward, pushing Xiao back gently as he put himself between them. "It's okay! I'm sorry, Xiao. I know you don't like being touched. I should have stopped him."
He glanced nervously at Diluc, who simply scowled and looked away. Kaeya pushed himself into a seated position and laughed.
"Ow, damn! That was amazingly fast. I didn't even see what happened." He got to his feet and brushed himself off, awkwardly chuckling as he smiled at Xiao. "Sorry."
Xiao looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and froze. He quickly glanced at Venti, and then back at Kaeya. "He's… Khae–"
"Eeya! Kaeya! He's my friend! I'm surprised you remembered his name from when I told you about him last time we met!" Venti laughed, nervously, as he prayed for Xiao to play along.
Xiao just blinked at him, clearly incredibly confused. "... Right."
He kept his spear clutched in his hand.
Distraction. He needed to distract Xiao from the fact that his friend was Khaenri'ahn, before he accidentally tells everyone here his secret.
He looked around, desperate, before suddenly remembering that Klee and Albedo were gone.
"Xiao!" Venti quickly yelled.
He scowled. "What?"
"I need your help! Liyue needs your help!"
That got his attention. He gripped his spear tighter and turned fully towards him. "What is it?"
"Liyue Harbour is in danger. It, uh, might get blown up if we don't find Klee."
"Blown up?" He looked shocked, before confusion coloured his face. "What is a… 'Klee'?"
"It's a little girl about -this- tall, wearing all red with a backpack on. She, uh… she has a tendency to blow things up, and we… kind of lost her?"
"You… lost an exploding child… in the harbour?"
"Yes! Please help us find her before it's too–"
Xiao teleported away.
"-- … Late."
—--
Ei happily walked along the harbour, eating something the man had called 'Almond Tofu'. It didn't seem like tofu, but it was sickly sweet, so she wasn't about to complain over the name of something so delectably delicious.
She had ended up buying out his entire stock, with the promise that he would deliver it to Tenshukaku in Inazuma. The man had paled, and then readily agreed.
"You really gave that poor mortal a fright, once he realized you were the Shogun." Miko laughed, tucking her wallet back into her sleeve as she walked beside her. "I saw the poor man sit on the ground, head in his hands, as we left. Hopefully he follows through on our contract, or we'll have to get Morax to show him the wrath of the rock, before you show him the wrath of you."
She hummed, far too lost in the bliss of the dessert to really pay attention to the meaning of her words. By the time she had finished the delightful little cubes of joy, they were once again standing outside of the funeral parlour.
Nahida was there, excitedly talking to Morax as three mortal men lingered nearby.
"Really, if you think about it, the correlation between the existence of ar– oh! Hello!" Nahida cut herself off mid sentence and excitedly waved at them as they approached. "Zhongli said that you were tasting the local sweets! Did you find anything particularly delicious? I would love some recommendations!"
She smiled, happy to speak about desserts. It was one of the few mortal things that she had any experience with. "The… 'almond tofu', as they called it, was irresistible. Although it wasn't actually tofu, surprisingly."
She turned to Miko, about to ask her opinion on the dessert, and stopped. Blinking, she watched as her friend, ears sticking up, stared intently at the man standing beside Nahida with his arms crossed.
A similar, albeit quite different, pair of ears were atop his head.
Nahida mumbled to herself, deep in thought. "Why would it be called tofu if it isn't tofu…?"
The eared man raised his eyebrow at Miko, who then twitched her ears in annoyance.
"Are you making a mockery of me?" Miko almost hissed.
Ei could just imagine Miko's tails puffing up in anger, and had to restrain herself from giggling. Her loyal kitsune would likely not appreciate the sentiment at the moment. However cute the image of it was.
"A mockery of what kind?" The young man asked, displaying no emotion.
"You wear fake ears atop your head."
A look of slight surprise adorned his features, and he huffed out a laugh before reaching up and lowering the hood of his black cloak.
The ears went down with it.
"It was a gift from my partner. It's made to match his ears." The boy said plainly, unintimidated by Miko's display of displeasure.
Her ears pressed back down against her head and she squinted at him. "What race is he?"
"Tighnarian."
Miko instantly relaxed, crossing her arms while giving a long hum of interest. "Fascinating. And the colour, do they also match his?"
Cyno smiled, clearly happy to talk about the man. "They're black and green."
"So dark? Aren't Tighnarians usually… lighter in colour?"
"They are. I'm impressed that you're knowledgeable about this. I myself have never heard of a pink kitsune. Perhaps you two would get along."
Miko purred happily, her mood completely shifted with a few small words exchanged.
Ei looked at the boy curiously. A human being so blatantly unafraid of Miko was… rare to witness.
"The ears are not real… that explains a few things. I cannot believe I did not notice sooner." Zhongli mumbled to himself.
Ah, yes. They were here for a reason.
"When are we to dine, Morax?" Ei spoke up, hoping to get to the sake and more desserts sooner, rather than later. Standing around socialising was never something she had enjoyed. It was much easier to bear when she could distract herself with something sweet.
"As soon as Venti arrives." He stated, looking up at the moon. "It is already a few hours past sunset. He should have arrived in the city by now…"
—-
Nahida struggled to keep up a friendly appearance.
The woman standing before her was the one who had created and then abandoned her own puppet; Leaving him to suffer for centuries.
And she could say or do nothing about it. Because this Baal did not have any recollection of ever doing such a thing.
She took a deep breath. He would not want her to discuss any of this with the woman, so she would not.
She stubbornly snuffed down her instinct to defend the boy that she had taken under her own wing, and smiled up at her as they walked through the crowds once more. She had eventually convinced Cyno and the others to stay behind, asking them to direct Venti to the location of their gathering should any of them find him.
Of course, she could still feel Cyno's presence following them from a distance. That child took his responsibilities far too seriously.
"I have reserved us a spot to drink, overlooking the mingxiao lantern." Zhongli spoke as he leisurely strode slightly ahead of her and Baal. "This year the lantern is commemorating Sea Gazer. He was always cheerful, and fiercely loyal." He chuckled as he reminisced, "he also had a habit of collecting fantastical things."
"So he had a dragon hoard of shiny trinkets, like you?" Baal smirked.
Zhongli took a measured breath, before curtly replying. "His was not a dragon hoard, I assure you." Mumbling, he added, "He was clearly not a dragon of any sort."
Nahida smiled. For as much as Zhongli tried to hide behind his stony exterior, she was learning quite quickly how easy it was to push his buttons.
After a few peaceful moments of walking across the beautiful red bridges and climbing stairs, they were gestured to enter a room as Zhongli held the door open.
"Here we are. Please, have a seat."
She happily skipped into the room, excited to see the view of the harbour from so high up–
But upon entering the room, she froze, and blinked at the boy already sitting at the table.
"You guys finally made it!" He cheered, holding a bottle of wine into the air, before bringing it to his lips and chugging it. Taking a breath, he hiccuped. "C'mon and sit down already! Or I'm gonna drink all your sake and osmanthus wine too." He giggled to himself. "...'nd maybe even the juice, since master Diluc always insists it's so damn good or something…"
Ah. Barbatos had beaten them all here.
"If you drink too much, you're going to throw up!" She advised as she skipped past him, hoisting herself onto the window ledge and looking out into the world.
Hundreds of xiao lanterns floated up into the sky, shimmering against the calm waters of the ocean. It was beautiful. She watched for a few minutes in amazement as the others settled into their seats.
"Venti, if you were just going to follow your nose to the alcohol, you could have given us a warning. We would not have spent so long waiting for you to arrive at the parlour." Zhongli sighed.
"Ehe~ I was gonna but I couldn't find it!"
"You seemed to have found our table perfectly fine on your own."
"Well, 'course I did! Where else in all of Liyue would one find this specific assortment of alcoholic beverages? It's not like you weirdos have any taverns to frequent."
Nahida rolled her eyes to herself, smiling. This was so… domestic. Jumping back down, she made her way over to her seat.
"Sumeru has a tavern, if you're ever so inclined as to visit, Barbatos."
He made a face, scrunching his nose up dramatically. "Ew don' call me that. M'names Venti!"
"Alright, then. Venti. How was your trip here from Mondstadt? I would love to visit one day."
"It was so boring! 'Bedo wouldn't let Klee blow up anything or even run around with me." He scoffed, trying to appear offended. "Can you believe that? I'm a great influence on kids. She would have had a blast…"
"And!!" He continued, after taking a moment to giggle at his own joke. "Master Diluc and Kaeya just awkwardly walked as far apart as possible." He hiccuped. "He really just needs to hurry up and apologize to him so they can stop acting so… so… dumb."
Nahida tilted her head. She hadn't been aware that archons could get so… wasted, was the word some humans used? It was rather impressive for him to be out-drinking his own innate, godly healing.
She picked up the cup of juice Zhongli had placed in front of her, and took a sip of it. It was delicious –
An odd sound, followed by an explosion, lit up the sky outside. She turned and looked, just in time to see colours fading into the night. Before she could ask if that had been a 'firework' she had read about, another flew into the sky and exploded into a different colour.
One after another, they danced high into the sky and let their small, fleeting existence burn up. She watched how, even after they were gone, their sparks fell gently towards the water.
It reminded her of humans. How impossibly short their lives were, but how dazzling, bright, and beautiful each and every one was.
She decided, at that moment, that fireworks were something she loved.
The colourful display of light slowly came to a stop, as her three companions continued to chat about whatever came to mind.
But another explosion was heard. One that wasn't followed by beautiful lights, but by rumbling, and yelling.
She worriedly stood, glancing at the others. Zhongli and Baal looked at each other in concern, but Venti looked terrified.
"...Fuck." Was the only thing that left his mouth, before he chugged the entire rest of the mug in his hand.
Zhongli sipped his wine, before levelling a stare at the drunkard. "I do hope you are prepared to pay for any damages."
"Wha– how do you know it's my fault?"
The older man simply smirked as he took another sip.
—--
The adults around her were panicking, yelling and carrying buckets of water to the smouldering staircase in front of her. She hadn't… meant to blow it up.
The clasp on her bag had come undone while she was dragging her new friend, Qiqi, along behind her. A bomb must have fallen out, and gone off on impact…
She'd have to get big brother Albedo to fix her bag.
"Qiqi… thinks we should run away, before we are caught." Her new friend spoke up; weirdly monotone. It was funny, and Klee found she enjoyed the sound of it very much.
The people in Liyue were all so different from her friends back home.
She was probably right, though. So she held her hand a little tighter, and turned to flee the scene.
Only to have her face smack against someone's legs.
Rubbing her nose, she looked up at an annoyed looking boy with his arms crossed.
"I found you, red exploding child."
She was suddenly being hoisted up by her backpack, and desperately kicked her feet. "Ah! Put Klee down! Klee's bag is–"
Before she could finish her warning, she heard Qiqi let out a quiet "uh oh…", and then they were all sent flying from another explosion.
She landed on the boy's chest, and he let out a grunt of frustration. He sounded angry so she quickly scrambled off of him, made sure Dodoco was okay, and then promptly ran to find Qiqi. She hoped her new friend was okay…
"Hnng… ow… hey– get back here!" The boy shouted after her, so she ran faster.
Only to once again smack face first into his legs.
How had he… moved so fast?
Her ears drooped as she looked up at him.
"Mortal children are such a handful…" he grumbled, before grabbing her hand.
She blinked, about ready to try and pull herself free, when she suddenly found herself in an entirely new place. Black and green swirls were in the air around her, and Qiqi was standing in front of them. A little ball of ice was floating around her, as she stared down into the new hole in the floor.
"Qiqi thinks this is… probably bad."
The boy sighed, before grabbing Qiqi's hand as well. "Come with me."
She slowly looked up at him, "Oh. Qiqi knows you. You're mister adeptus."
Mister Adeptus? What a weird sounding name…
She blinked, and they were in a new place again. How was he doing that?! They were in a room, somewhere, and mister Venti-Barbatos was there.
"I found your red exploding child. Take her." The boy narrowed his eyes. "And do not lose her again." He let go of her hand, before turning to the tall man in brown and bowing his head. "M-... Zhongli. I will return here after I take Qiqi back to Bubu pharmacy."
The man just smiled at him, and then the boy and Qiqi were gone.
She blinked at the spot they had just been.
"Kleeeee… why'd you blow things up without me?" Venti whined. "I thought we were gonna do that together…"
"It was an accident! Klee's bag is broken, look!" She swung it off of her back without thinking, and watched as a bomb flew out of it. Oops. "Uh oh–"
She reached for it, desperately. If a bomb goes off inside a room with people, it's really bad!
But… when it exploded, nothing got broken. A shimmery golden thing was floating where the bomb had been, and brown clothes man's eyes were glowing. It looked so cool–
The door burst open, and a guy with big ears on his head looked at everyone.
"Nahida…? What… was that explosion? Are you alright?"
A cute little fairy girl spoke up, and Klee could only stare at her. She was pretty!
"I'm alright. Zhongli contained the explosion in a shield."
The big eared boy visibly relaxed, and suddenly Mister Adeptus from before was back, without Qiqi.
"Zhongli."
"Xiao. Was… anyone injured?"
Mister Adeptus shook his head. "Only Qiqi, but she healed herself before I even got to her. No mortals were injured."
The man sighed, and she nervously fidgeted. Was… she going to get in trouble?
"I am glad to hear it."
Mister Adeptus looked around the room at everyone, and stopped when his eyes landed on the big ear boy. His head tilted slightly to the side.
He reminded Klee of a bird.
"Who are you?"
Zhongli chuckled. "That is General Mahamatra Cyno of the Akademiya. He is Nahida's chaperone."
"Chaperone…? Why would a god need a babysitter?"
Klee looked between everyone, who were clearly distracted, and slowly inched her way towards the door.
"Because if something were to happen to her, I would never forgive myself. It is my duty to ensure her protection; regardless of whether she requires it."
Mister Adeptus crossed his arms, and nodded in understanding. "I respect that."
About a foot away, she made a dash for freedom–
Only to be snatched up gently, and find herself face to face with her big brother as she sat in his arms.
"Klee."
Uh oh. 'Bedo sounded upset, and outta breath.
"... Did Klee do bad?"
"You scared me, when you suddenly ran off like that. I looked everywhere for you."
Her ears drooped once again. "Klee is sorry… Klee just got really excited and wanted to see the pretty lights, and then I made a friend! Her name is Qiqi and she talks funny! Oh– but then my bag got broken and Klee needs you to fix it please cause bombs keep falling out of it…"
Uncle Kaeya and the weird grown-up suddenly came around the corner, shoving each other. She waved at them, and they both stopped. They sighed really big, looked at each other, and then moved apart.
She heard Mister Venti-Barbatos yell from inside: "Oh just make up already, you idiots! It's annoying seeing you two acting like you don't care about each other!!"
The two looked at each other, before the weird adult looked away, and crossed his arms over his chest.
Klee watched as Uncle Kaeya hesitated, before putting a fake smile on his face and walking up to them.
"So, what'd you blow up, little spark knight?" He ruffled her hair affectionately.
"It wasn't my fault!" She pouted. He laughed before he walked past them, mumbling to himself something about 'needing to be drunk to deal with a room full of gods', and snatched a bottle of wine from mister Venti-Barbatos.
Big brother Albedo carried her back into the room, and placed her down before carefully taking her backpack. She watched the door as the weird grownup hesitantly went and sat beside Uncle Kaeya.
"... How did you manage to snap the metal clasp…?" Her big brother mumbled to himself as he inspected it.
—-
Zhongli sipped his wine, enjoying the commotion around him as he smiled. Xiao had sat beside him, careful to ensure he was as far away from everyone else as possible. He was very glad that his yaksha had even elected to stay.
Alhaitham and Kaveh had ended up joining them at one point, trailing behind Miko as she excitedly spoke to them about making them the main characters in a new light novel. Kaveh seemed excited at the prospect, but his partner just looked annoyed.
Miko sat on Ei's lap, stealing her sake as they stared lovingly at each other. He was glad that Ei had someone important to her again. Hopefully the kitsune could keep her from making any more rash decisions. The kissing did seem effective at distracting the god.
His eyes wandered over to Venti, who was loudly singing as he switched between chugging each of the bottles of wine in his hands. The child and young man– Klee and her older brother Albedo, he had learnt– were sitting off to the side as he attempted to fix her bag of explosives. Why he allowed a child to carry them in the first place baffled him.
Beside Venti, the Khaenri'ahn boy– Kaeya– was excitedly egging the drunkard on and laughing. It was… good that he could still laugh, and enjoy their company after everything the gods had done to his people. He smiled sadly, and tried to push the memories of that time out of his thoughts. If a child of that nation could still smile and laugh around him, he wasn't going to complain.
The man who sat beside Kaeya kept awkwardly switching between staring at the cup of juice in his hands, and looking towards the door like he wanted nothing more than to leave. Kaeya cheerfully wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders.
"C'mon 'Luc! Quit looking so depressed and have some wine! It'll make you feel better~" he poked him in the chest, before giggling drunkenly and attempting to pour his wine into the man's cup.
The bottle was quickly snatched from his hand and held out of reach. "I think you've had enough, Captain."
"Nooooo…." He whined as he tried to reach the bottle. "Gimmie baaack my brother, dumb wine– I mean… uh.. gimme back my wine, dumb brother–"
"N...no."
Zhongli chuckled to himself as his attention continued to shift around the room. Cyno stood near the doorway, arms crossed, as he watched everyone carefully. When their gaze met, he smiled and gestured for the boy to come and sit.
He stared at him, expressionless, before he pushed off the wall with a sigh and walked over. He dropped down silently into the large distance between Kaveh and Xiao.
"Would you like some wine? Or juice?" Zhongli offered with a smile.
"I'm fine. Thank you." Cyno replied, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes.
Zhongli chuckled to himself. "I think you and Xiao could be good friends. You're very similar."
Both boys looked at him in surprise, before settling their gazes on each other.
Neither wanted to be the one to break eye contact, so Zhongli watched as they just… stared at each other in silence.
"What are your hobbies, Cyno?" He tried to break the tension between the boys.
He replied without breaking their staring contest. "Genius invitation TCG, mostly. I'm usually too busy with work to do much else. And I only got into that because Taj nagged me, insisting that focusing on nothing but work was bad for my mental health."
"Taj sounds like a very smart man." Zhongli replied, staring at Xiao; who tried not to fidget under his gaze. He silently wondered if he could help Xiao find a hobby.
"He was." Cyno smiled. "He was like a father to me."
Xiao looked surprised, before letting his gaze fall to the hands he was resting in his lap. What was on his mind…?
"So, Xiao, do you have any hobbies?" Cyno rested his elbow on the table, and plopped his chin into his palm.
Xiao fidgeted awkwardly. "...No." he furrowed his brow before continuing. "My duty is the only thing that matters. I do not have time for the things mortals do to pass boredom."
"... Mortals?" Cyno's own brow furrowed, before he shook his head. "Would you like to battle me in a game of cards? I have an extra deck you could use."
Xiao looked up at Zhongli, clearly unsure of what to do, so he smiled at him. "I think that would be fun. I am also curious about the rules of this game. Would it be alright if Xiao and I teamed up while we are learning?"
"Of course." Cyno excitedly pulled two decks of cards out of somewhere on his person, and quickly started explaining the rules to them.
—--
Hours later, perched upon the roof, Xiao listened to the laughter and chatter of the others, still in the room below him. Everyone had gathered together, and he had tried to stay in the room, and be social… but the longer he stayed in there, the harder it was getting to control his karmic debt. He could feel it festering just below his skin, spurred on by his own anxiety.
Morax had, thankfully, been understanding and allowed him to come up here for some fresh air after they lost to Cyno for the tenth game in a row.
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he closed his eyes.
"It really is lovely up here."
His eyes flew open, and he blinked in surprise as Morax sat down beside him.
"M-my lord?"
"Just Zhongli is fine, Xiao."
"R… right. Apologies." He awkwardly tried to relax again, but his heart was pounding in his ears.
"Deep breaths. You are alright."
He felt his face heat up, and buried it in his hands as he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. Eventually, his racing heart and mind both calmed, and he lifted his head to look up at Mo- … Zhongli.
"Are you not… enjoying the festivities with everyone?" He asked, looking back towards the lanterns floating high into the sky. "They are your guests, aren't they? I thought…"
"They will be fine entertaining themselves. I would much rather spend the time here, with you."
"M-me?" He blinked in confusion, and furrowed his brow. "...Why would…" you want to be near me? He left the thought unspoken. But Zhongli seemed to hear it, regardless.
"Because I care for you deeply. You are…" he hesitated, taking a shaky breath. Xiao looked at him in worry.
Morax was never anxious or uncertain… what could possibly…?
"You are like a son to me, Xiao. You… have been for a very long time." He smiled warmly at him, before chuckling. "I've just been too afraid of your rejection to tell you before now. Although obviously it is alright, no matter how you feel."
He felt his brain halt.
Morax had… thought of him as his son?
His Lord, who he has served tirelessly for millennia… he…
Suddenly, a lot of things made sense.
He felt his eyes burn, and tried to blink the tears away.
Zhongli had always been a father figure to him. The only one he had ever had. He never thought…
He never thought that the man he respected more than any other living thing… would actually care about him, let alone think of him as a son.
Tears fell down his cheeks, and he couldn't find it in himself to care.
"Xiao– I'm. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have–" Zhongli panicked, hovering his hands just shy of resting on Xiao's shoulder.
He shook his head, wiping his tears on his sleeve.
Finding a sudden spike of courage, he turned to face Zhongli, and did something he had wanted to do for centuries.
He leaned forward, tentatively, and wrapped his arms around Zhongli's middle.
"Why am I crying, if I'm… happy?" He mumbled into his shoulder, as arms were quickly wrapped around him in return.
"Because…" Zhongli started, before taking a deep, shaky breath. He sounded like he was also crying– "Because, my son, we have waited far too long to have this conversation."
He felt a hand in his hair, and relaxed further into the embrace. He was… so tired.
Maybe Zhongli was right.
Maybe it was time to rest, and let the humans learn to grow stronger on their own.
"Happy Lantern Rite…" he whispered. "Thank you for… inviting me."
"And thank you for agreeing to come… you've made this old dragon very happy."
He felt an odd warmth spread though his body, and slowly allowed a smile to rest on his face.
Maybe it was okay to let himself enjoy this.