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It always fascinated Neuvillette how alive Liyue Harbour became during the Lantern Rite. While it was only a mere Harbour for most of the year, the current festival seemingly breathed new life into it. Decorations and lights were draped over the arches and awnings, bathing the Harbour in a warm, inviting and celebratory amber glow. It made Liyue seem so unlike Fontaine in that way, though, Fontaine was also known for its spectacle, so it really wasn’t all that much of a shock. Though when it came to the Lantern Rite specifically, it held far more cultural significance than most of the festivals and markets that Fontaine would find itself graced by.
Speaking of markets, the Lantern Rite also found its streets filled with pop-up stores during this time. It was an attempt to get tourists and visitors to try out Liyue cuisine, or even play a few festival games that far more interested children than Neuvillette. There were even a few children in the street right at that instant, talking with the black-haired girl beside the stall covered head to toe in rattan figurines, to the girl’s obvious delight, and although this wasn’t Neuvillette’s first time in the Harbour, he couldn’t quite recall the young woman’s name. Though, in the most fairest of situations, he didn’t quite recall ever meeting the girl on the occasions that he had happened upon Liyue. And this wasn’t even the first time he’d come to Liyue for this particular event either, and yet, any memory he had of the young girl was slight at best.
Still though, it was nice to know that children found delight in a festival that might have otherwise bored them beyond measure.
He was quite sure that Zhongli must delight in this festival too, especially since he’d now settled into his ‘retirement’. He could walk among his people without worrying so much. Not that Zhongli particularly showed worry all that much, masking it with a rare laidback expression, or he’d mask it with a far more neutral one, depending on his mood. Whatever was the case, Lantern Rite certainly had a calming effect on people. It was even having one on Neuvillette, even if his mood was quite jovial.
Zhongli wasn’t his reason for coming to the Lantern Rite, but seeing him during the event was just a happy coincidence, should it occur. None of Liyue, or of Fontaine, for that matter, knew the true nature of their relationship. To them, he and Zhongli were mere acquaintances, one dragon to another, though Zhongli never showed his dragon form in person. And his dragon form was quite blatant should it appear in front of someone. Umber coloured scales, adorned in a golden-amber mane and whiskers, not all that different from Zhongli’s hair colour. Should someone see that, they might not realize that what they were seeing was actually the Geo Archon himself. Zhongli kept his dragon from separated from himself in a way. Not physically, only true death could split them, but in the way where he was ‘Zhongli the Vision Wielder’ and not Rex Lapis, or Deus Auri or Morax the god. It was why Zhongli had even requested that Neuvillette call him that in the first place, but it hadn’t been all that hard to make the switch.
No, Neuvillette’s reason for coming was something different. It wasn’t even that he’d just wanted to celebrate the festival for Zhongli, however roundabout way they went about it. For the past few weeks he couldn’t shake the feeling of needing to go to Liyue, as if some supernatural force had been pulling him in that direction. There had been cases he could have been working on, making judgements, giving verdicts, but that simple, nagging feeling had overwritten any thoughts he might have had. Something was off, something was telling him that he needed to go Liyue.
Usually, Zhongli would have been the only reason he made the trek to Liyue, outside of his commitments as the Iudex, even if it had been to only see him and not interact. But this was different. Though not was it like the urge that came during a certain time of year either, if anything it was only a slight nudge, a gentle push in that direction, and it didn’t seem related to Zhongli in the slightest, but if the urge was particularly moving him in the direction of Liyue, Zhongli must be involved in some way, right? But Zhongli had been nothing but cordial the last time they met, if not a little clingy. His voice had been light, and airy, but Neuvillette hadn’t thought him drunk. Zhongli had always been a sort of ‘hardweight’ or whatever the opposite of lightweight was. Still though, the clingy behaviour seemed out-of-character.
Though, perhaps it had been a simple matter of the Leylines having an issue.
There were many powers within the lands of Teyvat, and even the most well-read scholars didn’t know all of them. And if that had been the case, the effects of those on dragons were about as undiscovered as the rest.
But all of these were mere theories, and openly worrying about Zhongli possibly being affected by the leylines would do them no good. All Neuvillette could hope to do was shake these thoughts from his head and hope that actual evidence might present itself. For as it stood, he had nothing to go on, and was quickly entering a bout of paranoia.
Running his hand down his leg, and smoothing it out, Neuvillette took a breath and looked back out at the festival, only to find the black-haired girl from earlier now gazing at him. “Are you lost, sir?” She asked curiously. Neuvillette shook his head silently.
“No, I know how to get around,” he said, simply. “This isn’t my first time here.” The girl blinked and then smiled at him.
“Oh, you just looked lost, so I thought I’d come up,” she said in response, and Neuvillette shook his head dismissively.
“Please don’t apologize,” he said. “I simply got lost in my thoughts.” He paused and then looked at the girl. “This seems busier than last time, is something happening in addition to everything else, perhaps?” The girl looked at him.
“Not really, we’re more just wondering where Zhongli got to. Personally, I haven’t seen him at all.” Neuvillette tried to subtly bite his lip.
“Well, you never know, you might have missed him?” Neuvillette offered, and the girl gazed at the lanterns.
“I suppose that’s true,” she agreed. “Well, I may just have to wait and see?” The girl glanced behind them, and suddenly her eyes lit up. “Hey! Hu Tao! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in hours!” Neuvillette watched as Hu Tao noticed the girl and smiled back at her.
“Lan Yan! Getting me new customers, I see~” Hu Tao said with a grin, though when her eyes glanced at Neuvillette, she blanched suddenly. “A-Actually, Yanyan, why don’t we just go to Mao’s? I’m sure you don’t want to keep Xiangling waiting~! I’m… I’m sure she’ll be waiting! C’mon let’s go! Last one there’s a dead body!” Lan Yan was shoved in the opposite direction before either her or Neuvillette could react, Neuvillette noticing where exactly Hu Tao had placed her hands. It seemed like Zhongli’s coworker had made her own progress in the partner department, though finding out before even Zhongli himself felt slightly uncomfortable.
Though, Hu Tao’s response to Lan Yan had seemed odd. While at first, she’d been perfectly fine talking with her, as soon as she had caught sight of him, she’d suddenly become aloof and forceful, trying to push Lan Yan in the opposite direction, as if his mere presence had upset her in some way.
Though, might it have to do with his connection to Zhongli?
Neuvillette wasn’t sure.
Deciding to ignore them for the time being, Neuvillette started walking through the streets. In one corner, there were four boys, and the one Neuvillette recognized as Freminet, though there wasn’t time to chat as he appeared to already be in deep conversation with the others. All four of them were standing fairly close to each other. Though Freminet was further way and more hidden, behind a brunet dressed in orange. Xingqiu, Neuvillette remembered his name, was talking about some sort of novella he’d been reading, while the other one was leaning on his best friend’s shoulder, looking half asleep. “It appears we have a dragon in our midst,” Xingqiu suddenly said, snapping Neuvillette to attention. While his dragon status wasn’t exactly hidden, the statement still sent a chilling sensation into Neuvillette’s horns. “What brings you here, my liege?”
“What brings me here, should be obvious, no?” Neuvillette replied awkwardly, completely caught off guard. “Can’t the Iudex enjoy a festival?” Xingqiu grinned.
“I mean, sure, but… it’s obvious why you’re here,” Xingqiu replied as if he knew the reason, though Neuvillette was sure he didn’t. “You’re here to see Zhongli, aren’t you?” Neuvillette blinked.
That wasn’t what-
That wasn’t true.
“I am not,” he responded. “But, if I were to happen to see him, then I wouldn’t be opposed to that. But, no that is not the reason I’m here. As for the reason-“ Suddenly a faint smell graced Neuvillette’s nostrils, the faintest hint of osmanthus wine and glaze lilies, and his heart took a nosedive. But he decided to ignore it, for it could simply be one of the further stalls and not Zhongli’s scent. Plus, the likelihood of it being Zhongli’s scent was nigh impossible with how faint it was. If Zhongli was in the streets somewhere, the scent would’ve been much stronger. If he was inside a building, the scent would be nonexistent if Neuvillette wasn’t in the room with him. The only exception, if it was Zhongli’s scent, that would explain the faint smell was-
Neuvillette flushed out of shame at the thought
“I’m not here for Zhongli,” Neuvillette repeated, though he wasn’t sure if the boys were even still listening to him at that point. “And while this conversation has been wonderful, I feel I must go, and enjoy the festivities.”
“Mr. Neuvillette…” came Freminet’s voice quietly. “Have… you seen him?” Neuvillette looked at him.
“I haven’t, I’m afraid. Though I have just arrived, so I may still find him as I enjoy the festival. After all, the festival is here for a while. I don’t doubt that his absence won’t be long. I doubt that he’d want to miss out on such an event anyways.” Xingqiu frowned at that moment.
“While I’ll admit that I don’t see him all that often during these things, I don’t remember seeing him at all this year so far. Gaming, have you heard anything?”
“Nope. I haven’t heard anything, but I’m sure he’s just late. I don’t think he’d want to miss out on it anyways.” He turned his head on Neuvillette. “But hey, if you manage to find him, do feel free to invite him to the performance me and my group are having! A Wushou dance that’s watched by the very Archon himself would be so cool to witness! Dude, you have to bring him, it’s perfect! And it’s a perfect way to celebrate as well! I’m not sure if you’ve ever watched a performance before but it’ll be fun! I promise! Oh hey, Freminet! You’re coming too right? You have to come! I don’t want you missing out. Oh hey! Dragon guy! Did you know that Auntie Xianyun is down here too? She almost never comes! But then I saw her talking to Shenhe and Ganyu! I couldn’t exactly tell what they were discussing but it definitely sounded important. Oh, oh! Have you tried the food yet? If not, you should! They make killer moon cakes down by Mao’s, oh! You know what Mao’s is right? It’s one of the local restaurants! You should definitely try it if you don’t. Also I have to ask,” Gaming rushed, his eyes sparkling in a way that had Neuvillette feeling a tad exhausted. He was almost like Furina in a way, bright and full of energy. Not seeming to slow down in the slightest. “What do you exactly want with Mr. Zhongli? From what I’ve heard, he’s a pretty simple guy. He’s like, prim and proper, and had these like, brown scaly patches on his skin? Very weird, and he also seemed to be growing whiskers?”
“‘Growing whiskers’?” Repeated the voice of the other kid that was standing next to Xingqiu. “Zhongli doesn’t have whiskers? Did you eat something off? He doesn’t have whiskers.” Gaming gazed at the other boy in disbelief.
“Chongyun, I swear I saw them! Golden whiskers. Y’know, like you see on tapestries? Whiskers, like he was turning into a dragon. And not to mention the stubs of horns either. I’d never seen him like that!”
Neuvillette froze on the spot.
Brown scales, whiskers, horns…
Things all characteristic things of Zhongli’s dragon form. The form that he had never shown any mortal being. And usually the transformation was instant, you’d see Zhongli, and the next thing you’d see was the Exuvia, nothing like Gaming was describing. If Zhongli was transforming gradually there had to be a reason, and Neuvillette wasn’t quite sure he was ready to find out, but the situation had now turned far more fraught than it had already been. But he couldn’t go off mere testimony, he needed proof.
There was the scattered testimony, there was the scent.
He needed viable proof.
Proof that something was off with Zhongli, proof that he would have to investigate for.
But, Liyue couldn’t know the nature of their relationship, the consequences were far too many. But maybe, if he could get proof whilst under the guise of a mere tourist, then possibly, he could get closer to finding out what was causing this uneasy feeling regarding Zhongli to fester in his insides.
“Gaming,” Neuvillette began, his tone as neutral as he could make it. “Do you happen to remember where you saw Zhongli last? Perhaps I could catch up and see for myself. Maybe if two eyes witness what you have, it will add credibility to your statement, as I do find myself curious about this strange ailment that Zhongli seems to have.”
“I saw him dart away into an alleyway before anyone else could see him, complaining of a headache,” Gaming reported. “Though, I don’t really think it was because of a headache. Plus… Hu Tao has been acting extremely oddly as well. First I’d chalked it up to her near-death experience last year, but no, that clearly has nothing to do with it. She all the sudden seems weirdly shifty and almost secretive. It’s like she’s gone from an extrovert to an introvert overnight and it really isn’t like her.”
“Even while she’s with her girlfriends, she’s acting odd,” Xingqiu added. “She still goes on dates and everything, but for the last few weeks, she’s seemed on edge. As if she has a secret that she cannot tell anyone and it’s eating her alive inside. If she can’t be honest with her girlfriends, I doubt she’d be honest with us if we asked her what was up.”
“Even when Zhongli is so much as mentioned, her demeanor completely changes,” Chongyun said. “I just can’t tell why. It’s so unlike her. Bringing Zhongli up before has never caused such a reaction. I don’t know what’s changed.”
“She… hasn’t chased Qiqi… in weeks…” said a slow-paced voice beside them, but the owner left as suddenly as she appeared.
“So, I’m taking this to mean I should try and talk to Hu Tao?” Neuvillette said, mostly to himself. Earlier, Hu Tao hadn’t even spared him a second glance, quickly leaving as if his very presence had frightened her, though he couldn’t fathom a reason as to why. He’d never given her a reason for believing that he might hurt her in some way, so the odd behaviour must in some way be related to Zhongli. That had to be it, especially regarding the testimony from these three. Especially the ‘change in behaviour after Zhongli is mentioned’ one. Something was wrong with Zhongli, and Hu Tao had the task of keeping that a secret to the rest of Liyue, possibly so that the festival could continue without anything being delayed due to Zhongli’s condition.
That was Neuvillette’s leading theory anyway, and he set out.
Soon enough the same scent from earlier entered his nostrils. Faint and wafting, and had it been a different, more particular time of year, perhaps even tantalizing. He followed the scent as subtly as he could, glancing at the various stores as he did so, a dull, yet small gnawing sensation alerting him to his growing appetite, but he ignored it for the time being, focused more on the scent than his hunger. That could wait, but finding Hu Tao and learning of Zhongli’s condition were far more important. Finding Zhongli was more important.
After all, he could be having an early bout of something, or it could be much worse.
It wasn’t long before something brown flashed on the ground. Invisible to most of the other onlookers, but all too familiar to Neuvillette.
A brown tail scale, along with a strand of golden-amber mane.
Great Foçalors, Zhongli’s tail was showing too? What was happening?
What was his condition, and why was it causing him to transform?
Picking up the scale, and putting it into his pocket, he looked around. Zhongli was nowhere in sight, but the scent was still there, and so Neuvillette continued following it.
It wasn’t long before his travels brought him upon Mao’s and the scent dissipated, only to be replaced with far more delectable scents, and Neuvillette was once again reminded of his hunger, his stomach practically yelling at him to take a break and eat. Investigations never go well on an empty stomach. So he conceded, and took a seat at the restaurant. He looked around as he waited to be served, and then he noticed Hu Tao at another one of the tables. She was laughing about something with the two other people seated at the table, Lan Yan, and a third girl that Neuvillette had seen cooking once or twice in the restaurant. “I’m surprised that Chongyun hasn’t confessed yet,” Hu Tao was saying, smiling wickedly. “I was so sure that he was going to do it this year, I mean, it’s perfect! Missed opportunity for sure.”
“Those two can be so stubborn headed sometimes,” the chef girl replied. “If it’s not him, then Xingqiu needs to grow a pair-“
“Xiangling!” Lan Yan yelled playfully slapping her. “You can’t just say that.”
“That’s a me line, I’m so proud, Lingling,” Hu Tao hummed to herself, to which Lan Yan and Xiangling just laughed. Then, Xiangling blinked, and she got up.
“Oh! There’s a new customer! Hang on, I’ll be right back.” Xiangling skipped away from her table to Neuvillette’s and she threw him a grin. “Hi, are you new here? Do I need to list out a few recommendations? Or have you already decided?” Neuvillette looked at her.
“I’ll only have something small, I… have other things to do, but I also haven’t eaten yet, so, feel free to get me whatever you want,” he replied and Xiangling nodded.
“I’ll get you Zhongli’s favourite then! It can be an acquired taste, but you can’t judge it until you try it!”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing that,” Neuvillette said, “if I were to insult the favourite dish of the Archon himself, I don’t think I’d leave here alive.” The amused tone in his voice caused Xiangling to smile.
“You’re funny,” she smiled. “But, of course you would say that, Mr. Neuvillette.”
“Pardon?” Neuvillette said, confused.
“We know you,” she said. “The Iudex from Fontaine just freely wandering on over with seemingly no purpose to Liyue far too often to be for simple work? You thought you were hiding it well, but after a while, it no longer becomes a secret. Well that, and Zhongli hasn’t been very tight lipped recently. One of the two.”
“Well I-“
“Please talk to Hu Tao,” Xiangling pleaded suddenly. “I don’t know what you are exactly to Zhongli, and I don’t know where he is, but I suspect that Hu Tao’s odd behaviour is related to him in some way, and, it’s hurting me to see her like that. But every time Lan Yan and I try to bring it up, she immediately shuts her mouth or tries to change the subject, and I don’t know why. I just want to know what’s making her act so odd. It really is not like her, and we can tell that whatever it is is hurting her. She’s a rumour-spreader, not a secret-keeper, and she’s suffering.”
“Well, that depends on if she even wants to talk with me,” Neuvillette stated. “I cannot interview an unwilling witness. It wouldn’t feel right or be proper of me to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do.”
“Please just try something,” Xiangling pleaded. “Maybe mentioning Zhongli might do something?”
“Last time, she didn’t even give me a chance to speak, so the likelihood that she would want to is slight.”
“Neuvillette, please, she cannot live like this.” While Neuvillette doubted that it was that dire, he nodded in any case, and Xiangling nodded in response, quickly leaving to put in his order. Neuvillette once again turned his eyes back on Hu Tao’s table and the scene had changed. Lan Yan and Hu Tao were no longer talking, almost as if Xiangling leaving had left an uneasy feeling in the air. It shouldn’t have in most cases, as Xiangling did appear to work there, but maybe since she’d left, the conversation had gotten far more accusatory than Neuvillette had been aware of? He couldn’t be sure, and he was only really watching them out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to seem like he was eavesdropping, even if in technicality, that was exactly what he was doing.
“Hu Tao,” Lan Yan murmured eventually, causing Hu Tao to very visibly flinch. The behaviour certainly did suit the testimonies, as from what Neuvillette knew of Hu Tao, she didn’t exactly flinch easily. If anything, she could be somewhat belligerent. Not all the time, but it had occurred once or twice, and despite being Zhongli’s junior, she usually acted as if she was above him in superiority. And she was also right eager to… erm, advertise the business, though she’d made the joke earlier, now she was as silent as a stone on the riverbank, and her orange eyes were all sorts of conflicted as well. Just what was up with Zhongli, that Hu Tao was acting like this?
It made Neuvillette very uneasy.
Zhongli, most days at least, was quite calm and collected, almost as if bathing in the quiet serenity of the sun rays. His other side almost never came out unless it was a battlefield.
And it wouldn’t have even been related to the Leylines either, that tended to make Zhongli more affectionate, as opposed to aggressive. Strange if you thought about it too much, that the Geo Archon, who had fought in multiple wars beforehand, would turn out that way, but, that had simply just been how he presented. This was especially true during certain, hidden parts of the year, when most of the world would have been none the wiser.
Did Zhongli even know that he was (presumably) causing Hu Tao so much strife?
What was wrong?
Neuvillette’s nails clawed at the table, his horns twitching a little out of worry.
He may not have come here initially for Zhongli, but it seemed that his holiday had turned into being about him anyway. The scent was still in the air too, only it had changed somewhat, now adding a sort of oceanic scent to it as well. It almost reminded Neuvillette of the oceans of his homeland-
Wait a minute.
A dull scent. Liyue and Fontainian scents mixing together within the same scent. A scent different from the sweet aroma that would grace his nostrils every so often.
A Liyue and Fontainian scent…
Could…
Could it possibly be…?
Though, in that case, did the dates line up? Was there a connection? And if there was, was that what had been calling him here? Were the Leylines giving him a subtle hint? Could Zhongli’s condition be something as simple as…
He needed to find him.
Neuvillette looked up to find Xiangling putting down his plate in front of him, smiling slightly. “Here’s your food, sorry if it came late-“
“Get me Hu Tao. Now,” Neuvillette blurted out suddenly. “I need to know Zhongli’s whereabouts, now.” Xiangling blinked.
“Well, okay, but didn’t you say-“
“Now. I feel that I’ve worked out the reason for Zhongli’s disappearance and I fear that if I don’t find him, it might get worse,” Neuvillette replied. Though he didn’t like the idea of lying to her, he felt he had to, to not only keep the true nature of his relationship with Zhongli a secret, but for if Zhongli’s condition did just so happen to be what he was expecting, then Zhongli was in no condition to join in on the festivities anyway. Plus, he wasn’t sure if being half-transformed was having an effect on him either. He needed to find him. Xiangling blinked and went white before nodded silently, moving over to the table to the side of him. Neuvillette then turned his gaze on his plate. He’d long forgotten his hunger, but he still ate anyways, not wanting it to go to waste or even anger the hypothetical Zhongli should he not eat it. Still though, his foot was tapping on the ground, and his horns were twitching ever so slightly out of fear.
“Xiangling, I’m not supposed to say-“
“Hu Tao, he says it might get worse…”
“What?” Hu Tao’s tone was odd, it sounded disbelieving, but also somewhat heartbroken, nothing like how she usually reacted. She usually would’ve jumped at the opportunity to advertise the funeral services, but now she seemed genuinely upset. “I thought it was something as simple as having to l- I’ve said too much.”
“Xiangling, could you leave us alone for a while?” Neuvillette said, simply and she nodded.
“Lan Yan and I will make ourselves busy! Don’t worry about us! We’ll see you soon.”
“Hu Tao,” said Neuvillette. “I apologize for making it seem worse than it is, but those two don’t know anything regarding the… arrangement me and Zhongli have. I had to think of a way to make it seem more than it is, because I doubt they know about the… quirk, us dragons have. I’m sorry for any pain that I’ve caused you with my lie.” Hu Tao blinked and looked at him.
“So the old man isn’t dying?” She asked, sounding far more like herself than she had the entire time. “Don’t you think you could’ve told me that before? Rude. He’d make a very nice corpse, I’d say.”
“No, he isn’t,” Neuvillette said with a slight chuckle. “Though if what I think is happening is happening, then I feel sorry that I couldn’t be here sooner.” Hu Tao tilted her head.
“Zhongli didn’t tell me what’s happening either,” she admitted. “Just rushed inside without another word and said, ‘Cover me,’ like he believed he’d come out of there. But, I haven’t seen him since. He hasn’t left that room at all in hours, and I’m clueless as to why.”
“Tell me Hu Tao, does a mother snake look tired once she lays her eggs?” She blinked.
“Well, I suppose she does, but what does that have to do with anything?” She gave him a look. “And how is it relevant to Zhongli at all?” Neuvillette looked out at the ocean.
“Oh, just ignore that, I’m speaking nonsense,” he let out a little chuckle. “Though, I would like to know where he is. Just to make sure. After all, all I have to go on is theories, and at this point, I feel that I cannot enjoy the festival until I put my mind at ease. Even if it’s just a visit, I need to see him. That is, if he wants to see me.” Hu Tao suddenly started grinning.
“Why are you being so doom and gloom all the sudden? You didn’t have a fight last time, did you?”
“No! No, definitely not. It’s just, I’m not sure how he’s feeling right now. I can smell him, but I can’t tell how he’s feeling. Scents don’t have that ability.”
“I really didn’t get the scent thing at first,” Hu Tao stated, “until I suddenly got a strong whiff of scents coming from Lan Yan and Xiangling. I was under the impression that only dragons could… y’know… have that.” Neuvillette blinked.
“As far as I’m aware, there is nothing saying that only dragons can experience it, maybe it just takes humans longer, but Hu Tao-“ Neuvillette knew that she was only curious, but was also unintentionally stalling him from seeing Zhongli.
“Is protectiveness… normal?” She asked. “But it’s a different kind of protectiveness, not one that one might have over their belongings.”
“In some cases, but Hu Tao, I still don’t know where Zhongli-“
“Back room of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor,” she smirked. “Told ya he didn’t get far. I know where he is, but I don’t know why he hasn’t resurfaced. I could walk you there if you want? Besides, you won’t get into that room without my help anyways, but seeing as you’re so worried, I’ll help you.” She got up from the table. “I’ll catch up with Lan Yan and Xiangling later.” She gave him a look. “I know where they are already, after all~.” Neuvillette got up as well and started following her to the funeral parlor.
“Are you going to tell them?” Neuvillette asked to make conversation, and Hu Tao gave him a sort of sad smile.
“I think I’m the only one who’s really noticed anything going on, so I doubt that they’re even aware of that. So maybe, if they notice something. But seeing as they haven’t, it’s my secret to keep.” She went quiet, though she practically hopped over to the parlor, Neuvillette following at a walk. “We’re here,” she announced, opening the door and letting him inside, but neither of them stopped to take a look around, Hu Tao beelining for the back room, and Neuvillette following silently as she did so.
“Hu Tao?” Came Zhongli’s voice, drenched in surprise. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying the festival?” Zhongli honestly sounded half asleep, almost as if he had just woken up. Hu Tao closed the door behind them, but she didn’t lock it.
“I was, but this worrywart came over and was asking for you. The poor thing was terrified that you’d died. And believe me, I would have known if you died. I have a coffin prepared and everything~.”
“Hu Tao,” Zhongli said, unamused. “This would have never ended me, and I’m sure you’re well aware of that.” Hu Tao only chuckled at the reprimand.
“And I don’t think ‘worrywart’ matches my description either,” Neuvillette responded with a sigh. “I was worried, but not to the point of a worrywart. I’d like to think I’d have worried more before I even got to that point.”
“Neuvillette?” Now Zhongli’s voice was directed at him, and a shuffling could be heard before Zhongli lifted his head above the couch.
Zhongli looked awful. It hadn’t been all that long, based on the testimony of the festival goers, but it seemed that in that time, Zhongli had somehow deteriorated. There were bags under his eyes, and the golden whiskers now sprouting from his face were lying limply against his frame. His ear had become elongated and covered in brown scales, and the start of a tail could be seen wrapped around something from the corner of the couch that was visible.
“It appears that I’ve found myself in a… predicament,” Zhongli added with a somewhat embarrassed chuckle, and Neuvillette walked over, only to find that the entirety of Zhongli’s lower half was his dragon form, leaving only his torso human. It was so odd, and Neuvillette didn’t still quite have an answer as to why his condition was causing Zhongli to present himself like this. It was then that he noticed that Zhongli’s tail was wrapped around something that was hidden from view by the fluff of mane at the end of Zhongli’s tail.
“Zhongli, what is this?” Neuvillette asked, hearing the door shut quietly behind him. Zhongli attempted to right himself, but he seemed far too weak to even lift himself. Eventually, Neuvillette had to push him down. “Stay, you’re clearly too weak to move. Just, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Well, I awoke this morning with a headache,” he said. “And then I noticed that my horns had manifested themselves without my input. And then the scales followed and now, I look like this.” Neuvillette looked at him.
“Do you have any idea as to why that could happened? Cause I have to say, that I don’t know myself. I’ve never known our abilities to just go rogue like that. So do you-“
“I do,” Zhongli said quietly.
“Then why-“
Zhongli unwrapped his tail, uncurling it from whatever it was wrapped around, and eventually, it showed itself.
A black and teal egg, speckled by a few drops of blood, but it was nothing serious.
Neuvillette’s heart skipped a beat.
Where did Zhongli get an egg? The blood suggested a few origins, but the possibility was causing Neuvillette to short circuit. Zhongli was gazing at him sort of sheepishly, though with his baggy eyes, he just looked tired. Zhongli nudged the egg in Neuvillette’s direction and he caught it before it could fall on the floor. Usually, offspring’s shells were quite hardy, and the egg likely wouldn’t have been affected by the fall, but Neuvillette didn’t want to take the chance. All that to say that there was a young dragon in the egg, but still he didn’t want to take the chance. Zhongli closed his eyes suddenly, energy seemingly seeped and he let out a small chuckle.
“It’s yours…” Zhongli murmured, looking up at him. “It can only be yours…” Neuvillette looked between him and the egg, before placing it back beside Zhongli’s tail. It would be the warmest there anyways, and Zhongli seemed to pick up on the message, immediately curling his tail around the egg again.
“So, you’re saying that this is the reason you started transforming in public?” Neuvillette asked.
“That’s the theory at least,” Zhongli said, once again trying to sit up, tail still curled around the egg. “Humans don’t exactly have the… mechanisms to pass an egg. So my body chose transforming against my will, rather than try to pass an egg while in human form.”
“Are you okay?” Neuvillette asked.
“Hm?”
“Are you,” he glanced at the egg. “And them, okay? I wasn’t here when this happened, and I’m not sure if you’re okay or not.” Zhongli blinked and then chuckled with a smile.
“Yes, he and I are fine, I’m just tired. I’ll be fine after a rest.”
“‘He’?”
“Yes, it’s a boy. You can tell through the eggshell,” he joked. Neuvillette once again looked at the egg.
“Will you be okay if I leave you here?”
“Come again?”
“You’re probably hungry after going through that, so let me get something for you and then we can discuss this further, alright?” Zhongli smiled at him.
“Alright then. Don’t worry about me, I won’t be going far,” he said with a smile, and Neuvillette nodded.
“Though perhaps one of the things we should discuss is moving you and them somewhere more private, I don’t exactly think being holed up in a funeral parlor is particularly fun.” All Zhongli did in response was a chuckle.