Art and Drabbles

Zyglavis sighed, rubbing his forehead. “And just how did you jump to this conclusion?”

“By staring at you for long enough and realizing all of you wear rings.”

“True,” Karno agreed hesitantly before trampling all over my idea, “But it was the King who gifted us these rings to be able to freely travel between worlds. He doesn’t go around gifting mortals rings just because they want to get into the Heavens.”

Karno turned to face me, only to falter in surprise when I lunged at him and latched onto his arm, desperately pleading, “Then can you ask for me? I really want to go and see! It’s just not the same looking through a reflecting pool. You know that! That’s why you guys come to work on Earth sometimes. Please, let me go? Pleeease?”

Karno was almost holding his breath as he looked away from me, determined not to give in to my request. But he always did his best to grant my wishes… 

“Stop begging Karno to spoil you,” Leon interrupted us, grabbing the back of my collar to drag me away from his vice minister. “We’re not asking to bring our pet goldfish out of its bowl.”

“You're being so mean,” I pouted with tears pricking the corners of my eyes. “I hardly ever ask for anything I really, really want; and I really, really want this, Leo.”

Leon finally released the back of my shirt as he fell back into his chair. His eyes denied me before he even opened his mouth, but I was thrown off guard when he agreed so easily. “Alright. You can come to the Heavens with us… if the King gives you a ring. And no, another god can't ask for you.”

I frowned, my eyebrows furrowing in frustration. “How am I supposed to ask the King for a ring if I can't go to the Heavens and no one's willing to ask for me?”

“You're pretty dense, goldfish.” Leon scoffed, a smirk crossing his lips. “In other words, we're not taking you.”

“Karnooooo!”

“What did I tell you about bothering my vice minister?!”

***

The next day, I was sure the sun was shining brighter than usual. It was such a fortunate morning! The gods have looked down upon me with good tidings and blessings! By gods… I meant the King of the Heavens! 

Leon made getting to the Heavens seem impossible but he was going to have to live up to his promise since the King gave me a nice and shiny ring while I was sleeping. 

I grinned, throwing open the door to the mansion. “Leo!” I eagerly shut the door behind me as I practically skipped to the living room. “Leeeoooo, I brought a gift!”

Opening the door to the living room, I almost walked right into Karno who looked like he was just on his way to find me. But instead of listening to me, he explained, “Leo’s in the Heavens today. He'll be back later tonight if you want to stay and see him.”

“The Heavens?” For a moment my brain automatically told me I'd wait for him in the living room, but it only took me a second to correct myself. Grinning widely, I brushed off his suggestion. “No worries. You can just take me to see him, can't you?”

Karno blinked before a weary expression found its way onto his face. “I see… You heard Leo. We're not taking you to the Heavens. Just because he's not here doesn't mean you can start begging me again. It’s not going to work.”

“I'm not begging,” I defended myself, lifting my hands innocently. “I’m here to make sure he keeps his promise. I was told I could go to the Heavens if the King gifted me a ring.”

Heeding my words, his eyes instantly trailed over to my hand where his eyes widened. “The King… gifted you a ring? He personally granted your wish?”

“The King is too busy for such inconvenient wishes…” Zyglavis murmured, joining the two of us beside the door of the living room. Though, he saw the ring, same as Karno. He was sure it was a fake ring that I'd gotten just to try and fool them, but there was no denying the Divine power this ring held. Pursing his lips, he relented, “If the King has gifted to you this ring then it indeed means that he has granted you permission to enter the Heavens.”

The two were surprised, but they couldn't deny that it was a real ring from the King; after all, it matched their rings almost too perfectly. 

“Ah-haha!” My eyes glittered with excitement as I testingly asked, “So will you take me to see the Heavens now?!”

“Well,” Zyglavis sighed heavily, briefly nodding his head. “It seems we will. However, humans are not typically allowed in the Heavens, so remain close to us.”

Stay close to them, that was rule number one. I was sure Zyglavis was going to add rules as we went along, but for the moment, I was going to bask in excitement. Even if he didn't have a choice, I was glad Karno could grant my wish. 

I glanced between Karno and Zyglavis excitedly as they opened the door to my desired destination. The inside was too bright to see through, but I was betting on the other side being more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen before. The sky would probably be clear and blue and full of stars! Well… I assumed stars would be visible during the day in the Heavens. I had high expectations for this place the gods called home.

Karno carefully lifted my hand in his. “Are you nervous? You can hold my hand to get through the door. Follow me.” 

A shy smile crossed my lips as I eagerly took his waiting palm. “Thank you.” He offered me a kind smile before walking me through the bright door. I was waiting expectantly to see a wondrous scene… But I couldn't see anything. The minute I tried to look at the Heavens I had to close my eyes again thanks to how gleaming everything was. I thought the Heavens would be more illuminated than Earth… but I didn't expect it to be pure light. 

I pursed my lips together, my eyes remaining shut. How did I tell Karno about this…? No! I couldn't tell them I couldn't see! If I did that then they'd want to take me back home after I just got there. I didn't even get to see anything yet!

While I was inwardly panicking, I didn't realize Karno had leaned closer to me with furrowed eyebrows until he asked, “What's wrong? I thought you wanted to see the palace. It's just ahead but you can't see if your eyes are closed.”

Karno seemed to genuinely believe that I would be able to see the Heavens the same way that they did. But… neither of the gods I was with realized that everything was too bright for me to so much as think about taking a peek at the palace, however much I wanted to see it.

Awkwardly, I tried to excuse my temporary blindness by coming up with another idea. “N- No, thanks. I think I'll keep it a surprise for later, yeah? Let's see the inside of the palace first, please?  Then I can see where you guys work!” Because maybe things would be a little less bright inside the halls of a building. Was the Heavens located closer to the sun or something?? Come to think of it, the kind of pain I felt when looking at the Heavens was equivalent to having my phone on full brightness and accidentally looking at it in the middle of the night. If I was lucky, my eyes might be able to adjust to the brightness by starting inside of a less illuminated building. 

Zyglavis shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “There are things I'll never grasp about your behavior.”

“You'll lead me to the palace, right?” I tried asking again, squeezing Karno’s hand slightly to ensure he wouldn't let go. I didn't want to be blind and lost. “Please? I don't want any spoilers.” No, more like I didn't want to go blind from staring at the equivalent of the freaking sun!

But, quite frankly, going inside only slightly helped. I was still left squinting at everything in an effort for my eyes to not burn out of my skull. But at least I didn't need to suspiciously keep holding Karno’s hand the whole time. 

Unfortunately, it still didn't take long for Zyglavis to notice that something was off. Well, not that it wasn't obvious that I was squinting. Exasperated, Zyglavis asked, “What are you doing now?”

Frantically searching for an excuse, I sputtered, “I- I’m looking at the palace. It's much more impressive than the mansion, I must say. Look at those amazing statues. So… So life-like. Beautiful heavenly art. Truly avant-garde.” I nodded my head convincingly as I gestured at the beautiful statues.

Zyglavis sighed, deadpanning, “Those are members of the palace.” I stood awkwardly as he apologized to the gods for my seemingly purposeful blunder. 

Of course they had to be real gods, I acknowledged as my face flushed in embarrassment. They were moving, now that he mentioned it—clearly getting away from the strange human.

Karno leaned closer to me, his fingers gently tilting my chin up so he could get a better look at me. “Have you always had trouble with your eyes?”

Blinking, I hesitantly denied, “I… Eh… No. I can see just fine. Heh. No problem.” I tried to widen my eyes a bit more so as to not look as suspicious. But. It. Hurt.

Maybe I would develop eye problems if I kept this up. 

“Hmph,” a scoff stole our attention and we found Leon strutting over to us. “So, you still managed to manipulate Karno into bringing you here.”

Karno frowned, releasing my face from his gentle grip. “She hasn't manipulated me. Don't make her seem so callous. I just fulfilled a wish she had that you promised to grant if the King gave her a particular gift.”

“That trickster?” Leon suspiciously looked me over as I was having trouble keeping my eyes wide and on him. He didn't believe me any more than Zyglavis or Karno when I first showed them, but he finally caved in, “Fine. I might as well give my goldfish a treat while she's here. Come. I'll show you the Department of Wishes while I'm not busy.”

Despite how Karno and Zyglavis were being my tour guides, Leon eagerly took the job to show me everything he was in charge of. Though, we were sure he only did so to act better than Zyglavis.

There were many cases when other Wishes gods wanted me to stick around and see a few things of their own in the Heavens, but Zyglavis was good at keeping us on track. For every time someone mentioned seeing something else in the Heavens he would quickly be there to say, “We cannot stay indefinitely. Finish your tour of the department so we can leave this lion's presence.”

Leon was certainly quite proud, showing me nearly everything in his department. My head was starting to pound at the effort it was taking for me to keep my eyes as wide as they were. Pausing in front of the exit door, Leon cockily asked, “What do you think, goldfish? Do you think the Department of Wishes is more impressive than that other building?”

“I haven't seen the Department of Punishments yet, but I'll let you know!” I was secretly praying that since it was Punishments that it would be visually darker than Wishes. I could only pray with my whole heart as my eyes strained to fully look at anyone for too long.

However, the minute I turned around to follow Zyglavis and Karno out of the building, the doors suddenly swung open before I could close my eyes. “Wah!” Instinctively, I bowed my head, covering my eyes from the fierce brightness as I turned away from the open doors. I was going to close my eyes as soon as Zyglavis was opening the doors, but Huedhaut really didn't give me any time to prepare.

That didn't do any good for my headache, but… My eyes were hurting. I wasn't sure that was normal.

“(Name)?” Zyglavis carefully called my name to try and gain my attention.

Huedhaut, on the other hand, was unsure of if he should be amused by my avoidance of him. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation, he asked jokingly, “Did I startle you?”

I tried rubbing my eyes, blinking, anything to restore my vision, but everything was appearing as nothing but white blobs. I couldn’t even see my feet no matter how wide I opened my eyes or how tightly I squinted. This was enough to make me panic. I just blinded myself, I was sure, and the gods had no idea what was going on. Well, maybe they had an idea, but I was terrified to admit what happened.

“(Name), what’s wrong?” I felt Karno putting his hand on my back, his eyes searching for any outward issues, but their minds were already going back to the issue they previously discussed.

Without giving me a moment to waste, Zyglavis hit the nail on the head as he addressed, “Are you having trouble with your eyes? Be entirely honest with us.”

“W- Well…” I hesitated, “Sort of? But I could see inside the buildings before. But- but now I can't see anything at all. Everything’s just white and I can’t-” I vigorously rubbed my sightless eyes that were growing moist with panicked tears, regretting having lied to them before about being fine when I entered the Heavens. I was just hoping my eyes would eventually adjust to the brightness. But… Maybe using a phone brightness as a metaphor didn't apply here and maybe I caused some serious damage. Hearing that they weren't saying anything in response to my blunder, I frantically apologized, “I’m really, really sorry!”

“Hold on,” Huedhaut’s hands rested on my shoulders to calm me down so they could get answers out of me. “Stop right there. What do you mean you could see inside the buildings? Explain what’s going on.”

Being with me the whole time, Zyglavis suspiciously questioned, “Is there an ulterior reason behind why you’ve had your eyes closed?”

They were really making me feel intimidated by ganging up on me like that. Wincing, I timidly explained, “I said sorry…. Everything’s just really bright in the Heavens, but I really wanted to see it. I thought even if I could see inside the buildings it might be worth the visit….”

“Bright?” Leon inclined his head with a frown, glancing at the other gods. “Do things in the Heavens appear to be glowing to you?”

I pursed my lips and shrugged my shoulders in response.“Sort of?” I mean, were things glowing or was the bright sky making everything look bright? I couldn’t tell, and now I regretted my brash decision to not say anything. “I don’t know. I guess it’s like… looking at the sun?”

Zyglavis immediately snapped back, “And you've just elected to ‘look at the sun’ this entire time without telling us anything?”

“I already said sorry,” I timidly repeated, knowing I had upset my gods. I added, “I really meant it.”

“There seems to be no limit on the stress you’re capable of causing.” Zyglavis rubbed his brow in frustration. “Keep your eyes closed for now. We’re taking you back to Earth.”

My head rose in alarm as I argued, “But I haven’t gotten to see the rest of the Heavens yet!” I probably spoke way too soon with the number of sighs I heard beside me. Yeah… Zyglavis definitely had a point.

Karno pointed out, “I doubt you’ll be seeing much of Earth either if you’re intent on destroying your vision by staring at things that aren’t good for your eyes.”

They were making fair points. Besides, even if I happened to have a good argument in store, they certainly weren’t going to stand around and listen to it. Almost immediately, Leon took charge of taking me straight to the mansion on Earth, forcing Huedhaut to examine my vision. 

Fortunately for me, it didn’t take Huedhaut long to find a cause and explanation. “You overloaded the light receptors in your eyes, causing you to suffer from significant afterimage.” Seeing my confused furrow and frustrated expression, he knowingly added, “In other words, you’re not blind, and this is only temporary. However, considering the length of time your eyes were exposed to the radiance of the Heavens… I can’t say for certain that you won’t have caused damage. What were you thinking?”

I could tell that this was about to turn into another lecture. But hadn’t I had enough lectures for one day? Honestly, I responded, “I don’t think I was…” And I wasn't. My focus was on seeing some place new—so what if I couldn’t actually see the place? I hesitantly tried to reassure him, “I’ll… uh… think harder next time…?” Well, if there was a next time. 

Stupid trickster King. He probably knew that this would happen and that the gods would panic and try to fix me. Stupid trickster King…

“Come now,” Partheno piped up. “There’s no need to be so harsh on our blind goldfish.” He pat my head gently. “Now’s the perfect time for me to take care of you until you’re better. Then I’ll find another way for you to see the Heavens with that ring.”

I pouted at Partheno’s patronizing tone. “Don’t coddle me!”

“But you’re going to need help, won’t you?” Dui inquired, tilting his head. 

I groaned, falling back onto the sofa. I hated that all of the gods were getting involved in this. The last thing I needed was for them to look down on me for a mistake that I made. Begrudgingly, however, I mumbled, “Yes…” As if I had a choice. Not that I minded having help from my gods, but I could go without the patronizing… Ah well. That’s the price to pay for ‘seeing’ the Heavens. 

I paused thoughtfully. 

“So when I get my vision back-”

The lanterns were so pretty during Lantern Rite, gracefully floating through the sky like mortal-made stars over the harbor. 

I had just finished my shift in Wanmin Restaurant with Xiangling, Guoba, and Shenhe. It had been a busy day with all the tourists that were in Liyue this time of year. Usually, I liked to go straight home after a long afternoon of work, but tonight I had a task to complete. 

Aside from eagerly sightseeing the new stalls and lanterns and lights, I was really on my way to buy a kite. Customers were talking about the new devices from Fontaine that were supposed to help kites rise and stay afloat in the sky regardless of whether they had wind or not. Of course, there was a lot of chatter about it, solely because everyone was interested in the kite flying competition that the Ministry of Civil Affairs was soon to be holding. It was advertised as much by the beautiful variety of kites that were soaring across the harbor.

I was so enraptured by the sight of the different kites to choose from that after a step back I was caught off guard when my feet were swept out from under me. 

However, my landing wasn't painful… It was surprisingly soft… My eyes widened in confusion when a blond stranger was suddenly hovering over me with a kind smile. As he reached out his hand to help me up, he commented, “Nice catch, Jiehu.”

I flinched as the surface beneath me moved and said with a sigh, “It was the least one- ahem- It was the least I could do for walking into the young lady.” 

Frantically, I scrambled to get off of the poor man that I landed on. “I- I'm so sorry,” I stuttered, accepting the blond’s hand as he helped me to my feet. 

I faltered at coming face to face with the man who caught me. He was surprisingly handsome and maybe a little too polite as he spoke, “I apologize for inconveniencing you. It appears you, too, were admiring the kites fitted with their mechanical supports. They are fascinating… so I too will admit to having been distracted with their function.”

What was I supposed to say to someone as well-spoken as that? Was he a scholar or something? Come to think of it, I didn't recall even scholars from Sumeru using that kind of vocabulary in casual conversation. 

While I was struggling to figure out what to say in response, the awkward silence was suddenly filled by a high-pitched voice, “Traveler, Paimon couldn't find a finch kite the same colors as you or Paimon! All the golden ones must be sold out today.” Floating next to us, she suddenly paused to take in the awkward setting. Her eyes flickering between us, she asked, “Who's this?” Before she could wait for an answer, she accused, “Did you two do something to her?!”

“When one is admiring kites, it's inevitable for an accident to occur…” Jiehu explained, albeit with an embarrassed tone. “In any case, I apologize again.”

“I- No, no,” I finally spoke up, my voice returning to me. “I’m sorry; It was my fault too. Though… I guess it's like you said, this was pretty ‘inevitable’ when both of our heads were in the clouds.”

“Head in the clouds…” He repeated, and I couldn't help but notice the strange look on his face. He seemed to have something on his mind as he slowly asked, “Do you happen to be-”

“It’s just an expression,” Paimon quickly said, cutting off the man before facing me once again. “Well, anyway, Paimon’s Paimon, this is the traveler, and this is Jiehu. Hmm…” The little fairy hummed, getting closer to my face. “You look familiar. Where has Paimon seen you before…?”

“Well, I happen to work at-”

“Wanmin Restaurant!” She interrupted me with an excited grin. “You work with Shenhe!”

She was quite the energetic little thing. But now that they introduced themselves, I recalled Shenhe and Xiangling talking about the two of them. This blond traveler was the hero of Liyue. 

Trying to keep up with her speed, I said, “It's really nice to meet friends of Shenhe. I've heard nothing but good things about you. My name's-”

“Traveleeer!” A shout interrupted us from down the harbor and our gazes shifted to a pink haired Fontainian with a camera who was waving widely for his attention. 

“Charlotte?” Paimon floated just a bit higher as she excused them, “Sorry, Jiehu. We'll meet up with you later.” They waved to me as they ran off, Paimon adding, “Bye! It was nice to meet you!”

I watched them frantically leave to meet their friend. Humming with amusement, I commented, “Wow… They're fast…”

“It hardly qualifies as meeting you if they don't know your name,” Jiehu muttered, still looking me over, as if worried I'd gotten injured during our fall. Noticing that my attention was back on him, he offered his hand. “Allow me the honor of formally meeting you in their place. My name is Jiehu.”

I smiled at how polite he was being. I'd never heard this man's name before, so I didn't think he was local, despite how local his name sounded. So, I reached out, shaking his hand in greeting, introducing myself, “In that case, I’m (Name). It's nice to meet you, Jiehu.” 

His hand was extremely soft as he shook mine, almost as if he were afraid to grip it too tight. Still, his smile was pleasant as he asked, “I take it you're here to purchase a kite? Fortunately, they have not retired for the evening, and we have much time to peruse at our leisure.” 

I tilted my head. He certainly had a curious way of speaking. “In that case… Why don't we look together? I'm not exactly sure what to buy; there are so many options.” The two of us walked side by side, as I asked, “Are you planning on joining the kite flying competition?”

“A competition? For kite flying? That sounds like it could be difficult to decide a winner…” He mused aloud, making me wonder if he was simply talking to himself. “Though, I suppose there are many ways one could decide the victor for such a competition. How is it to be judged?”

I covered up an amused snicker. He was making it pretty obvious that he wasn't from around here. Maybe he was a traveler, like Paimon and the Traveler. I curiously asked, “You're not from around here… Are you?”

He faltered, his wide eyes flickering to me. “I… Do I lack the air of being from Liyue? I assure you, I am.”

“I wouldn't say that,” I replied thoughtfully. “You just seem a little uninformed for someone from Liyue—or, I should say, someone from the city.” I tilted my head curiously. “So, where are you from, Jiehu?”

“I see,” he said, feeling much more relaxed now that it didn't seem like I was suspicious of him being an adeptus. “Then your suspicions are correct. I am, indeed, not from Liyue Harbor. I am from-” He paused, rethinking his impulsive urge to be honest and tell me he was from Jueyun Karst. Of course, normal mortals would never dare to step foot in such a location, let alone live there. So, he vaguely revealed, “I am… from the mountains, and I haven't been to the city in many a year. As you can probably imagine, I'm not so familiar with the modern qualities of the harbor.”

That explained more than he probably thought it did. It was common for people who lived in the mountains to refrain from visiting the bustling city often. He was a prime example of someone who seemed out of touch with the city.

I offered Jiehu a friendly smile. “Well, fortunately for you, I'm as modern a local as they come. Since we're looking at kites together, why don't I help you out?”

“Help me out?”

He was looking at me with such adorable confusion in his eyes. Yes, I definitely wanted to help this lost mountain-fairing soul. “You don't want a little help getting around? If you haven't been here in years, I'm sure there are a few things I could help you with. Not to sound too offensive… but you act like a tourist, and I wouldn’t want you falling for any of the sale traps.”

“In that case… I would very much appreciate your guidance, miss (Name).” Since the traveler was busy, Jiehu was glad to have the company of another who was willing to help him blend in—whether I knew it or not.

After a while of walking around the harbor, chatting about what we liked about this year's lantern rite, and discussing our similarities and differences in hobbies, we finally laid eyes on kites that caught our eyes.

Standing amidst the lights of the lanterns, I proudly displayed my silver finch kite before asking for his opinion. “It’s cute, isn’t it? I’m not using it as it is though, I’m actually going to add a special kind of paint to make the silver accents glow in the dark.” 

“That would indeed be a beautiful sight to see in the moonlight,” Jiehu agreed, displaying his kite alongside mine. Considering it was an image of the Jade Chamber, it was a tad bit bigger than my kite was. “Perhaps I too should add glowing accents to my kite. I would have a fairly unique Jade Chamber then.”

“That’s a good idea,” I beamed excitedly. This gave me a great idea. Since Jiehu was my new friend, I offered, “Why don’t we paint them together? I have all of the supplies.”

He seemed surprised, though not appalled by the idea. “You would wish for me to join you?”

“Why not?” I shot him a reassuring smile, silently encouraging him to say yes. “How about we meet back here tomorrow evening after I get off of work? It’s nice lighting,” I continued, making it sound like a lovely scene. “After we paint them, we can let them dry and take them out for a test flight.”

“A test flight?” Jiehu looked as if he suddenly realized something. Reacting to my curious expression, he slowly admitted, “I suppose now is an ideal time to acknowledge my shortcomings… I have never flown a kite before.” 

My eyebrows lifted slightly. While it wasn’t entirely surprising for a person to have never flown a kite before, he sounded sure of himself when we purchased the kites. “All the more reason for you to join me tomorrow!” I encouraged him once more. “I promise it isn’t hard once you get started. Look…” I pointed at the kites that were already on display, soaring above the harbor. “Come see how these work. These are great examples for you.”

Directing him over to the side of the harbor where all of the kites were reeled out into the sky, I showed exactly what the final product was supposed to look like when all was said and done. Of course, I made sure he understood the difference between having one of those nifty Fontaine mechanisms as opposed to having a natural wind-blown kite.

To be fair, I also shared these little kite-flying tips with him in case he wanted to try it on his own before we flew kites together. After all, he seemed like the type of guy to want to uphold his pride. Who was I to keep him from practicing before our meeting so he didn’t get flustered in front of me? 

“Thank you very much,” he said, his appreciative smile making my heart flutter.

“Y- Yeah,” I quickly replied with an awkward smile. “It’s no problem. Lantern Rite is all for fun!” I definitely didn’t regret inviting him to join me for kite painting and flying. He was pretty handsome, all things considered.

My silent praise was interrupted as he suddenly added, “I will have to show a friend of mine these helpful tips you’ve shared with me. I’m sure he’ll be most interested in learning to wield a kite if he’s going to participate in the Lantern Rite competition.” 

“Oh, your friend?” I wondered if he was referring to the traveler… Probably! He seemed capable enough. “Hopefully he’s as quick a learner as you are, or you might need to get another kite. I don’t think you want your Jade Chamber flying away.”

“Indeed not,” he agreed with a quick shake of his head. “It would be upsetting to lose the kite you’ll be helping me decorate.” 

He seemed so genuine and excited to be able to paint and fly kites with me. A familiar feeling of excitement bubbled up in my chest. I couldn’t wait to tell Xiangling, Gouba, and Shenhe about the new friend I made!

***

Over the course of the next few days, while Jiehu and I did indeed meet up to paint and fly kites as previously discussed, we would randomly run into each other through the city. 

These encounters, as random and unexpected as they were, were always eagerly retold back to my friends at Wanmin Restaurant. After all, according to Xiangling, this was the first time I appeared interested in anyone. Shenhe certainly couldn’t help but be interested in this seemingly blossoming relationship.

I sighed, staring out through the city while we had a lull in our work. I was, of course, still wiping tables and doing my usual chores, but my mind was elsewhere. 

Jiehu was just so kind and polite… Mountain dwellers were definitely something else compared to the usual city folk or tourists. 

Of course, he wasn’t exactly what I expected from someone so far removed from the city. My thoughts of someone who lived in the mountains were originally muscular and sturdy people. While Jiehu wasn’t weak by any means, he certainly wasn’t built like a mountain. 

Not to mention, he was insanely gentlemanly and considerate for someone who didn’t seem to get out much. He was so pretty too—it made me wonder just how kind the mountain was on a person’s complexion after living there for so long. Not that living in Liyue Harbor was such a bad place to live; I didn’t have anything to complain about.

“Is there something interesting over that way?” Shenhe curiously asked as she stood beside me, staring out at the harbor where my attention was raptly fixated. 

“Oh,” I shook my head vigorously as I turned my attention back to my work. I couldn’t help the embarrassed flush to my cheeks. “N- No. It’s nothing. I was just thinking… Got a little lost in thought for a minute there.” 

“I see,” Shenhe nodded in understanding. Though, in truth, she had absolutely no understanding whatsoever in regards to being infatuated with someone as I seemed to be. To constantly have a single person on your mind… In her opinion, it would be better to just admit my feelings for this person than to keep them bottled up and distract myself. Then again, she offered, “I have a break soon. Would you like me to go find this Jiehu person and bring him back to you?”

“What?!” My eyes widened in alarm as I quickly turned back to face her. “No, no, no! Dragging him all the way to Wanmin Restaurant would definitely not help!” On one hand… it wouldn’t hurt to have something nice to look at… but it definitely wouldn’t help! “Shenhe…” I awkwardly started, “I appreciate that you, Xiangling, and Guoba are concerned about me, but I’m fine. It’s just a little crush, that’s all…” I trailed off awkwardly before adding decisively, “Besides, I don’t need him to come here while I’m working. That would probably only distract me.”

“So… I should make him leave then?” 

“Huh?!” I frantically turned, my eyes wide and panicked as I saw Jiehu taking a seat at one of the tables. “J- Jiehu?!”

“Greetings, (Name),” Jiehu said with a pleasant smile. “Am I interrupting anything?” His eyes flickered to Shenhe for a moment. “And how are you doing, Shenhe?” 

Shenhe was visibly surprised at getting personally addressed by this stranger she had never met before, despite how suspiciously familiar he seemed. She hummed quietly before responding, “I am well. Have we met before?” 

Jiehu paused as if struggling to find an answer before he replied, “I apologize for acting overly familiar. (Name) speaks quite highly of you and her other coworkers.”

Xiangling peered out from the kitchen, her eyes glittering at the sight. She eagerly approached the group of us with a menu in hand, placing it before Jiehu. “Welcome to Wanmin Restaurant,” she greeted brightly. “You must be Jiehu! You got here just in time. (Name) was just about to go on her break. I can make you guys something to eat.”

“Wha- Wait,” I frantically stopped her. “I thought Shenhe-”

“It's fine,” Shenhe interrupted me. “I know you mentioned being hungry earlier due to having a small breakfast. Besides, your friend came here to eat. You might as well join him.”

It wasn't like I wanted to impose, but glancing at Jiehu, he seemed to understand my reluctance. Glancing through the menu, he looked up at Xiangling and ordered, “I would like an Adeptus’ Temptation, please. However… I'm afraid it may be a big serving. I'd be more than willing to share, if you'd be inclined to join me, miss (Name).” 

I faltered, my cheeks heating up slightly. Was this a date? No way, no way! All of our encounters so far had been nothing but casual, friendly, and enjoyable. Well… this could be too, couldn't it? 

Taking in a deep breath to calm myself down, I nodded my head. “Since you'd like me to,” I shyly took a seat across from him. “I guess this makes things easier on me, since I had originally planned to ask you if you'd like to join me for dim sum on one of my days off sometime.” 

“You had?” He looked over at me curiously, his eyes gleaming. “I would have graciously accepted. Though, considering today’s circumstances, I would gladly take you up on that offer another time. Today will be my treat; Or, if you’d prefer, consider this compensation for all you’ve done to show me around Liyue Harbor.”

“Please,” I huffed. “I don’t need to be compensated for something the traveler could have accomplished.”

He tilted his head slightly. “Was that not part of our unspoken contract?”

“Pfft…” I rolled my eyes. “Our unspoken contract? If we had one, it’s been fulfilled already. Joining me to decorate kites was enough payment. It would’ve been lonely celebrating Lantern Rite by myself.”

“I insist,” he continued, his eyes searching mine, but I wasn’t budging in my decision. 

“Jiehu,” I fussed, shaking my head. He was so stubborn—well, I was too. But at least there was a way to compromise here. “It doesn’t matter whatever this is! I’m joining you for a meal, and you’re going to be joining me for dim sum in the future!”

Seeing how proud I was of my declaration, he couldn’t help but chuckle. I didn’t bother mentioning that instead of compensation, this could be considered a date. I certainly wasn’t about to tell Jiehu that. 

Instead of arguing, we decided to focus on having a nice meal together… like a couple—er… a couple of friends!

Xiangling and Shenhe peered out from Wanmin restaurant, gazing at the two of us enjoying our Adeptus’ Temptation. 

Shenhe tilted her head and asked, “So… are they together?”

Xiangling grinned and said eagerly, “If they’re not, they should be soon. Look at how cute! (Name) deserves someone who cares about her.”

With a firm nod, Shenhe agreed, “She does. I’ll have to threaten him if he hurts her.” 

Xiangling faltered at her promise, but knew that she was very much serious about threatening the poor guy. “They look like they’re enjoying each other’s company. Come on, let’s not get caught staring at them!”

***

As excited as I was over my blossoming relationship with Jiehu, I was definitely looking forward to our next meal together. After all, he sounded as excited as I felt when I mentioned inviting him for dim sum. I knew that after Lantern Rite he was probably going to return to his home in the mountains. All I could do was milk our time for all it was worth. 

However, maybe it wasn’t going to pan out quite like I expected. 

On my journey home after a short trip to Wangshu Inn, I had a bit of an unironic run in with my new friend—literally. 

From a short distance, all I heard was a curiously faint, “Away! Let us away!” I didn’t think anything of it until, not a minute later, a body was trampling into me, disorienting me as I was taken straight to the ground.

An unfamiliar voice called out from above us, “Mount- uh- Jiehu?”

“I’m terribly sorry- Oh? (Name)?” Jiehu’s eyes were wide as he looked down at me, meeting my equally wide eyes. 

“J- Jiehu?” Why was he wearing a mask…? He looked kind of like a treasure hoarder. So did his friend. What was going on here? 

“Hey!” Gaming suddenly shouted, pausing in his pursuit of the two men upon seeing me being helped up by Jiehu. “What do you think you’re doing with (Name)?!”

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Gaming?” My gaze flickered to him, noticing his weapon was drawn as if he were ready to attack these two. My eyes darted frantically between the two parties. “What in the world is going on?!” But my eyes also landed on the intimidating man beside Jiehu who adorned a matching mask. “And who’s this?”

Before Jiehu could answer me, Gaming shouted, “These two are bandits! They just tried to rob the tea merchant I’m escorting to Liyue Harbor!” His glare sharpened as he demanded, “I’m only going to ask you to move away from (Name) one more time…”

My expression fell as I looked helplessly at Jiehu. “Is… Is that true, Jiehu?”

Jiehu immediately removed himself from me in hopes of avoiding further conflict, but my reaction broke his heart as Gaming separated the two of us. I was under the impression he was a bad guy now, and he didn’t know exactly what to say without informing Gaming of the traveler’s plan. “This… isn’t-”

Gaming was taken off guard as he asked, “Wait, you know him?” He now seemed to be struggling with how to approach the situation, unsure of what kind of danger I was really in. Who were these two?

The man beside Jiehu was troubled by the turn of events as he muttered, “This seems to have escalated beyond the directives…” 

Interrupting their musings, Gaming informed me, “The traveler is back that way with my dad and Paimon. You go on ahead. I’ll handle these two.”

My gaze lingered on Jiehu, longing for answers, but I was too confused to defy Gaming’s wise demand. Gaming was more familiar with fighting than I was; I knew I’d only be in the way if things got out of hand. Jiehu was always such a gentleman… How could he be a bandit? Besides, I thought he was friends with the traveler. Why would he suddenly try to rob them?

“(Name), wait!” I paused in my retreat, my begging gaze returning to Jiehu who called for me. “This is all a terrible misunderstanding!” 

Houzhang, Jiehu’s bandit companion, observed me for a moment before his gaze flickered to Jiehu, speaking to him telepathically, “One can see that this is the mortal you spoke of.” He paused. “This will inevitably alter the traveler’s plans…”

“One has considered such an eventuality.” Jiehu’s eyes met Houzhang’s uncertainly. “However, consider this mortal’s potential to understand one’s purpose. Surely beings such as one’s selves should find it relatively simple to convince this mortal it was for his own good.”

Houzhang was not convinced by his friend’s words, but he was starting to see what was going on here. “You do this not for this mortal boy… but for the sake of the other one. You’ve grown soft for this mortal, Mountain Shaper. Very well. If it saves us the trouble…” He trailed off, their attention returning to Gaming and I. 

Agreed amongst each other, it was explained that they were close friends of the traveler—something I had already known from when I first met Jiehu. It turned out that the two of them had only done this little charade to give the traveler time alone to get to meet Gaming’s father personally. Evidently, there was some ulterior mission going on regarding the traveler and Paimon. 

Of course, the only condition for them revealing this information to us… was that they wanted Gaming to keep it a secret. After all, the traveler trusted them with this task and they just spilled the beans… all for my sake. 

Though, upon agreeing with each other, I looked down awkwardly as I was left alone with the two pretend ‘treasure hoarders’. I pursed my lips, hesitant to speak. “You two are pretty brave pretending to be treasure hoarders for the sake of trying to help Gaming…” I trailed off, observing Houzhang who was equally looking me up and down. I didn’t recognize him from the city, but he and Jiehu were close enough that they were willing to take this risk together. “So,” I hesitantly broke the ice as I asked Jiehu, “Is this your other friend who can’t fly a kite?”

Houzhang’s gaze flickered accusingly to me before shooting toward Jiehu. “How does this one know about that incident?”

“Ahem…” Jiehu cleared his throat. “I believe she has been made aware of that incident purely from your own admittance…” 

I blinked in confusion. “There was an incident…?”

Houzhang looked away and grumbled, “One will not be repeating that story…”

I crossed my arms, my eyes flickering to Jiehu. “Even after everything I tried to teach you? I guess there’s nothing like learning it directly from the master…”

Jiehu snickered at my apparent teasing, his shoulders relaxing in relief. He was glad to see I didn't harbor any suspicions or spite after what they had done. He added reassuringly, “Please, don’t be concerned. The Jade Chamber was safely retrieved from Mount Aocang and will be ready for flying by the time Lantern Rite is here.”

“Mount Aocang? You two went really far out to fly a kite.” I tilted my head. “Then again… I remember Shenhe and Shuyu saying something about their master… Xianyun? I think they were making kites up on Mount Aocang not too long ago. I would have joined them, but I had work that day… Did you two join them? I heard the traveler was there.”

“Actually we-”

“We are acquainted with Miss Xianyun,” Jiehu interrupted with a forced smile. “However, we did not join them for kite-making. We were merely in the area. Which proved to be quite convenient considering Miss Xianyun was the one who recovered our kite for us.”

“You know quite a few people from the city,” I commented, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment as I looked down. “Kind of makes me feel bad for how I thought you were actually mountain bandits…”

“One could hardly take offense for the mistake,” Houzhang waved off my embarrassment. “If anything, our disguises were convincing.”

“Wow…” I passed a hand through my hair as I pointed out, “Your friend talks just as… eloquently as you when we first met, Jiehu.”

“That…” Jiehu glanced at Houzhang for a moment before excusing, “That’s simply how we speak from the mountains. It’s quite uncommon in the city. Of course, you’ve helped me adjust to a more… local dialect.” Pausing from his wording, he glanced at Houzhang and suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, how could I forget? Miss (Name), allow me to introduce you to my friend, Houzhang. He is also a fellow from the mountains.”

Houzhang nodded his head in greeting. “Indeed. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss (Name). Jiehu has spoken very fondly of you in recent days.”

I faltered at his unexpected statement. Jiehu talks about me…?

“One agreed not to bring that up…” Jiehu muttered, his face flushing as he looked away.

“Oh?” Houzhang leaned closer, a smug grin upon his face as he countered, “Is that so? Well, one recalls agreeing to not again mention the kite incident… It appears we’re even, are we not?”

Seeing that Jiehu wasn’t about to respond to him, I snickered, my chuckles breaking out into a laugh. The two men glanced at me with amused smiles as I admitted, “You two… I like you guys. Your chemistry is funny, but it’s also obvious that you two are close friends.” My gaze flickered to Houzhang as I smiled at him. “I’m glad to meet you too, Houzhang. Now that we’ve met… I hope you’ll be joining us for Lantern Rite. You will, won’t you?”

Seeing my hopeful eyes, he didn’t want to just outright refuse my offer. But glancing at Jiehu, he came to a decision as he said, “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your time with Jiehu.” 

Pursing my lips, I quietly asked, “If I steal Jiehu, will you be all alone for Lantern Rite?” At his hesitancy to respond, I pouted, “You will! Please join us… Surrounding yourself with friends and people you care about will make Lantern Rite all the better. And it’s supposed to be good luck for the new year ahead!”

Seeing Houzhang’s questioning look on him, Jiehu nodded and encouraged, “You’re not going to make her pout, are you? Or… if it’s flying a kite you’re worried about, I’m sure she’d be happy to-”

“That was not the topic of discussion!” Houzhang shot a glare at Jiehu, but his gaze softened when he met my pleading eyes. Sighing, he hesitantly nodded. “If you insist… I suppose I will join the two of you.” 

“Great!” I beamed at the two of them. This was going to be a fun Lantern Rite. I had no intention of spending it alone, but spending it with my new friends sounded like a great idea considering they wouldn’t be around all the time. “I bet you two are very close to one another. Why don’t we hang out and get to know each other better? If you’re not busy today, that is…”

Jiehu gave a brief nod between himself and Houzhang before he said, “That sounds like a lovely idea. It’s a fine day outside, after all.” 

***

While I had originally thought I would be a third wheel between the two close men, I didn’t realize just how great I would get along with the two of them. Though, if I had considered that Houzhang would be anything like Jiehu, then I should have known better. The two of them got along wonderfully with me and were very receptive of my critiques on their local vocabulary. 

Needless to say, we spent a great deal of the afternoon chatting and enjoying the Liyue scenery before I realized how hungry I was. I reached for a hand from each of them to drag them with me back to Liyue Harbor. “Since you’re both done playing robbers for the day and we’re all acquainted, why don’t we head back to the harbor for a meal and we can enjoy some of the festivities together?” Despite my eagerness to get the two to the harbor with me to enjoy the festival, I paused at having them suddenly stop behind me. “Huh…?”

Despite what I initially expected, as I turned to see what their attention was on, I met the gaze of Zhongli who was heading back to the city, much like we were. I didn’t understand why the three of them were standing in awkward silence. 

Of course, it didn’t take me long to draw the conclusion that maybe his attention was on the two men beside me for a reason. They were disguised as bandits, after all. Surely that would catch the attention of anyone. There was surely a lot of explaining to be done.

Though, addressing the problem, it turned out that wasn’t what Zhongli was focused on at all. He was simply familiar with the two men I was with. It made sense, considering that Zhongli was a very knowledgeable man and knew a great many people—even if he didn’t really remember them all. 

Zhongli was oddly pleased to know about our seemingly close relationship despite only having met each other the week of Lantern Rite. But it was nice to know his old friends were enjoying their time down from the mountains. 

He was especially pleased to find out they were there for the kite flying. That particular topic was amusing to watch, considering the two adepti in disguise were being teased by a mortal. This was just what he wanted for the adepti, to become one with humanity. Seeing the three of us heading off toward the city, he had hope that things were going to work out.

***

“Lantern Rite is tomorrow,” I said, looking up from my meal. “Are you two still interested in joining the kite flying competition?”

Houzhang’s gaze flickered to Jiehu before meeting mine. “A kite flying competition, you say?”

“I may have forgotten to mention it,” Jiehu mentioned, crossing his arms. It wasn’t that he wanted to avoid the competition, he simply forgot to mention it when they were so absorbed in the new mechanical lifting device from Fontaine. “It seemed relatively unimportant at the time that we were conducting our own research.” 

“And…” Houzhang prompted, “Will we be attending this kite flying competition?”

My hopeful eyes met Jiehu’s, and he had no intention of letting me down. “As I previously promised, I will be joining the kite flying competition. As (Name) previously asked, you will also be joining us, Houzhang.” Shooting him a glance, Jiehu added, “Of course, you could use some practice beforehand. We wouldn’t want to make fools of ourselves and lose the kite entirely in front of the entirety of the harbor.”

“I have an idea,” I suggested, putting my fork down a little too loudly. “Why don’t we meet up tomorrow morning? I don’t have work tomorrow so we have all day to practice! You’ll be a pro at flying kites in no time, Houzhang!”

“An excellent idea,” Houzhang agreed, taken by my enthusiasm to teach him how to properly fly a kite. If Jiehu wanted to do this so badly, he would try his best. After all, it seemed like all of their companions were taking part in the Lantern Rite celebrations. Even Rex Lapis seemed to be enjoying the peaceful activity of kite flying. “Should we return to Mt. Hulao?”

My eyes flickered wider for a moment, missing the look that Jiehu momentarily shot toward Houzhang. I asked in surprise, “Mt. Hulao? Isn’t that on the other side of Jueyun Karst? Forget how far that is… But that’s the territory of the Adepti. I get that Miss Xianyun went around there with her disciples, and I don’t really understand how all of that works, but I’ve heard stories about mortals who wander into there without permission… They have people that have gone to Mt. Hulao and have never returned…”

Jiehu winced slightly before trying to comfort me, “Those are all rumors and tales meant to keep mortals at a distance. All from Liyue are aware of the reclusive nature of the Adepti. Of course, that isn’t to say we’ll be making the trip there. We’ll settle on a location nearby, that’s within your comfort zone. Perhaps a beach outside of the Harbor? Guyun Stone Forest makes a lovely view in the morning hours.”

“Sure,” I agreed hesitantly, my mind still on something that was said by Houzhang. “That works. But… I was wondering…” I trailed off quietly, my gaze flickering to Houzhang. “You’ve both been to Mt. Hulao before.” It wasn’t a question. “Do you two have special permission from the Adepti? What’s it really like?”

For a moment, neither of them were sure of how to answer. I was being rather direct with them regarding the home of the Adepti. While Jiehu was tempted to tell me the truth of the matter, they knew it wouldn’t be so simple. They wanted to retain what they’d developed for themselves here in the city. 

Pursing his lips, Jiehu finally spoke up, “I do not wish to keep secrets from you. That being said, we’ll take you to Mt. Hulao to see for yourself. In the meantime, however, you may feel free to ask us whatever is on your mind.”

There was something about these two… Based on our interactions the past week, I could make a few speculations, but I wasn’t yet ready to ask one of the most pressing questions on my mind. For the moment, I decided not to ask them about the Adepti. Instead, I asked them about their trips to the mountains. I suspected that they were from Mt. Hulao, but I wasn’t going to outright ask. 

They were expecting me to be a little more assertive in my questions. But based on what Jiehu knew of me, he couldn’t decide on if I was simply ignorant to my surroundings, or if I was just avoiding the topic of them being Adepti on purpose. After all, he was sure I wasn’t stupid. 

Still, he wasn’t going to press the issue. He enjoyed our relationship and was going to do his utmost to maintain it as long as it lasted. 

“Okay,” I mumbled, mentally going over all the answers they gave me. I was trying to figure out how I was going to go about this. “So, you know the traveler, you know Miss Xianyun, you know Shenhe, you know Ganyu, and you know the knowledgeable mister Zhongli. You know a lot of important people,” I concluded. They were sure I was about to out them. However, I surprised them when I said, “Safe to say… You probably know the Adepti who live in the mountains too.”

Houzhang’s eyebrows furrowed as he slowly asked, “Is that what you gathered from our answers…?”

“I wouldn’t be all too surprised.” I nodded confidently, adding my own opinion, “You two are pretty likable. No wonder you can live in Adepti territory. And if you have the approval of the Adepti… Well, that just means I have a pretty good eye for people.”

Jiehu glanced at Houzhang and let out a quiet sigh before turning to look at me. “(Name)-”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” I waved him off with a reassuring smile. “I promise I won’t snitch. If people started to find out the Adepti were suddenly letting humans into their territory, then who wouldn’t want to go check it out? Your secret’s safe with me!” They shared another glance, but I wasn’t about to give them a chance to correct me. I added, “I should be getting home now. If we want to make sure we’re ready for the competition then we’ll have a long day ahead of us.”

Before they had a chance to argue, I was already walking off to head home. Though, I couldn’t help but glance back at the two who were mumbling to each other. There were definitely questions and answers that were unspoken between us. But to say it outloud… probably meant that our relationship was bound to change. After all, how could a mortal be with Adepti?

I tried to ignore the creeping thoughts that tomorrow was likely our last day together. 

***

The day of Lantern Rite finally came and, much to my relief, my two friends weren’t awkward from our previous conversation. I was grateful that they decided not to bring it up at all. 

Instead, we focused on flying our kites. Well, their kite was much easier to fly in the rough ocean breeze being that they had a mechanical device to help keep theirs steady. I had to admit, though, that just made kite flying all the more fun since we had two different kites to practice with. 

It was pretty amusing watching Houzhang struggle to keep the normal kite steady in the wind. The mechanical device on the kite was clearly unrivaled by the natural wind. This made it interesting as we had our own personal competition to see which kite could soar higher faster.

However, with an odd gust of wind, I panicked, failing to be able to reel back in my kite as it plummeted down into the choppy waters of the ocean. We stared in shock as the paper finch disappeared beneath the waves.

The wind was so utterly horrible and cruel to me today… My hands trembled around the kite string at my loss.

Houzhang immediately acted, reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I am sure it isn’t as bad as you imagine. Let’s reel it in and assess the damage.” 

Though, maybe ‘reel’ wasn’t the best word to use at the moment. I didn’t want to reel my kite in like some kind of fish! Unfortunately, there was no other choice in the matter. As sad as I was, I began to roll up the reel of string, bringing my soggy and damaged kite back to shore. 

However, during the reeling process, the underwater kite was caught up on something—something rather big and unfriendly. My eyes widened as I was nearly pulled into the water. Houzhang immediately wrapped his arms around my waist and Jiehu quickly grabbed my wrists to aid me in reeling in my kite. 

Jiehu frowned at the strength of whatever was tugging on my kite. He huffed, asking, “Do fish find finches to be appetizing?”

Houzhang snipped back in reply, “I do not believe now is an appropriate time to be contemplating the appetites of fish.”

Despite our struggle, the moment the line snapped, I was thrown back into Houzhang who luckily had a firm grip on me. But I was left gazing at the end of my popped string with watery eyes. “Ah… Kite…”

Jiehu sighed, electing to pat my head comfortingly. “This is… an unfortunate development. However, do not lose heart. There is still time to purchase another kite.”

Of course, I could always get another one. I was just sad that it wouldn’t be one that we decorated together. Still, there wasn’t another choice if we wanted to join the competition. “Yeah,” I mumbled quietly. “I guess we should be heading back to the city now anyway.” 

Reeling in his kite, Jiehu walked beside me with his kite in hand while Houzhang walked on my other side. Seeing my despondent nature, Houzhang encouraged, “We will find you an even better kite than before. I hear those butterfly kites are quite popular with young ladies.”

They tried their best to cheer me up on the trip back to the Harbor, but our luck seemed to hit a brick wall at every turn. My hope seemed to crash even further as the lady in charge of the stall apologized, “I’m terribly sorry… We just sold our last kite. Everyone’s been extremely interested in joining the competition later today.”

At the wrenching news, Jiehu nodded his head, once again leading me away from the kite stall. This was turning out to be a rather rotten Lantern Rite. But seeing the silent tears dripping down my cheeks, Jiehu decisively turned to me and decided, “We’ll share!”

“Sh- Share?” I sniffled as I gazed up at him. 

“Yes,” Houzhang instantly agreed, leaning closer to me to wipe the tears from my cheeks. “We’ll share the kite. You helped Jiehu decorate this one, correct? And so, we will fly it together. There’s no need for tears on the day of Lantern Rite.”

“But I… I thought you were going to share the kite with Jiehu,” I pointed out, gazing at Houzhang. 

Jiehu huffed in amusement before pointing out, “I don’t see why all three of us can’t fly a kite. Sure, it may have been made for one person, but as long as we’re enjoying ourselves, there shouldn’t be an issue, right?”

“I… guess so,” I reluctantly agreed.

Houzhang nodded his head at Jiehu’s carefully chosen words before speaking, “Jiehu will go find us a spot to set our kite for the competition so we’re not lost in the crowds. While he’s doing that, why don’t we go get a snack? I hear cotton candy is popular.”

“I’m not a child,” I pouted, turning my head away. I may have been pouting like a child, and I might’ve just cried like a child after losing an important toy… but cotton candy wasn’t going to solve all my problems. Regardless, I mumbled, “But I do want some cotton candy to snack on…”

Walking alongside Houzhang through the stalls and decorations, I quietly praised, “You and Jiehu are really nice. Today might not be the greatest so far, but I’m still glad I’m able to spend it with the two of you.” Hesitantly, I asked, “Are you both going to be leaving the city after Lantern Rite is over?”

“That is likely so,” he nodded his head in agreement with my question. “Our home is in the mountains. Of course, I don’t mean for this to upset you. After all, we did promise to take you to visit our home, did we not?”

I gingerly glanced up at him. “You meant that?”

“One does not make commitments that are not to be kept,” he said sternly before catching himself on his phrasing. “We meant every word of what we said. You’re a sensitive one, aren’t you?” Before I could fire something back, he added, “That is not meant to be an insult. Your soft nature is endearing.”

“S- Stop,” I looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. “You’re going to embarrass me…” 

Hearing his amused chuckles brought a soft smile to my face, making me forget why I was crying in the first place when I had them at my side. 

As one sided as things seemed to be when Jiehu first got to the Harbor, the situation was starting to turn around. Whereas I was the one taking care of him on his arrival, it seemed like they were the ones taking care of me now.

Sharing their kite with me… buying me cotton candy… Part of me wished they’d stay in the harbor longer despite their promise to return for visits. 

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon as I returned to Jiehu’s side with Houzhang. Eagerly, I presented a stick of cotton candy to him with a big grin, something he was relieved to see from me after the day we had. As we enjoyed our cotton candy together, our expression fell as the lights along the harbor suddenly dimmed out.

My gaze flickered around at all the panicked people. “What happened to all the xiao lanterns…?” At the sound of drums, lights shimmered along the water and I noticed Gaming preparing to perform a dance. “C’mon, let’s go see!” I took the hands of my two companions, pulling them over to the side of the water so we could watch the show together.

Watching a beautiful dance amid the lights and being able to fly a kite with my new close friends… This was my new favorite Lantern Rite of all time. Sure, I was a bit flustered standing between Jiehu and Houzhang. They both had each a hand on the reel of string, adjusting it to make sure our Jade Chamber flew the highest. But I was certainly happy.

“Happy Lantern Rite, Jiehu and Houzhang!”

They smiled at me in return.

Tauxolouve tilted his head to the side as he observed the room. There were items scattered across the floor, pillows and blankets piled atop the sofa, books strewn across the desk, and clothes haphazardly placed atop the bed. He was used to my messy way of organizing myself, yet this seemed chaotically different from my usual methods of ‘cleaning’. 

For one, I wasn’t even in the room, which made Lou even more curious.

Still, he wasn’t about to dig around in my things when I wasn’t there. He knew better than to move something that was likely methodically placed during what was possibly one of my seasonal cleanings. 

Instead, he decided he’d wait on the sofa until I made myself known. What he hadn’t expected, however, was the startled grunt from beneath the pile of pillows and blankets. 

Frantically shooting to his feet, the pile shifted, tumbling across the floor as I sat up on the sofa and accused, “You sat on me!”

“I-” He faltered, unsure of how to even defend himself against my accusation. Of course he sat on me; there was no argument there. Rather, there was an unanswered question here. “What on Earth are you doing under all of those blankets?”

“Procrastinating,” I responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Obviously.”

“Obviously,” he repeated with a quiet sigh. “Do you usually procrastinate when you’re cleaning your room?”

This time it was my turn to tilt my head. “I’m not cleaning anything,” I denied as I tossed the blankets beside me on the sofa. “I’m… well… I’m procrastinating, like I said.” 

Tauxolouve pursed his lips. There was clearly a bit more to the story than I was admitting right away. I typically never procrastinated by hiding under a pile of pillows and blankets while surrounded by a messy room. It was a bit counterproductive. 

“Well,” he started, sitting beside me. “If you’re not cleaning because you’re so busy procrastinating… What are you procrastinating over?” He shot you a suspicious side glance. “It's not your school work again, is it?” 

“It's summer break! Don't harass me!” I defended my choice to procrastinate fiercely. However, after an awkward silence, I admitted, “Okay, maybe a little, but also not really.”

“A little but not really?” He repeated incredulously. Lou then leaned closer and offered, “I could try to help if you were a little more straight with me…”

“Louie,” I hummed, falling against him. My head rested against his lap as I dramatically laid across him. “You, aside from Teo and maybe Partheno, are the most womanly god I know. You're beautiful. I can't be straight with you, love. But,” I interrupted him before he could argue against his femininity, “I appreciate the offer… I'm just not sure where to start.” 

Going over what I said so far, Lou guessed, “All I’ve gathered thus far is that it has something to do with school—inadverdently perhaps?” 

“Yeah,” I mumbled, my fingers fiddling with the edge of his coat. “You know how I graduated high school and everything, right?”

“Of course,” he responded with a smile. “And I’m very proud of you for having made it this far. You’ve worked very hard.” After a moment of thinking, a thought occurred to him. “Is it that you’re struggling with where to go next?”

A soft sigh left my lips as he caressed my hair comfortingly. He was trying to understand, at least. Maybe gods didn’t think a higher education was as necessary as humans did. Well, regardless, my studies weren’t entirely the problem here. I admitted, “I’ve just never been away from home before. Well—Okay, sleeping at your place doesn’t count. Vacations don’t count either. I’ve just never been away from home for an extended period of time.” 

This time, Tauxolouve faltered, as if getting the gist of what I was implying. “Are you moving to a new place? If you’re worried about us in all of this, I’ll follow you regardless of where you choose to go. I’m a god, remember?”

“I wish that’s all I was worried about,” I grumbled, throwing my head back as I dramatically closed my eyes. “I’m going to be starting college in fall and I have no idea what I’m getting myself into. There are so many things I don’t know. Like, what should I bring to my dorm? Will I have everything I need? Will I go to the library to study, or somewhere else, or will I be a complete otaku shut-in?”

“A complete… what?” Lou asked with narrowed, confused eyes.

“Nothing… Just- Forget I said that last part.” I brushed him off. “Anyway, you get what I’m saying, don’t you? College is a completely different universe. It’s a world dedicated to focused studies, and clubs, and fraternities, and sororities, and sports, and- and- It’s college, Lou!” 

His smile didn’t waver, as if he already knew what to say. “It is a different world, isn’t it? I’m honestly excited for you. It’s an opportunity to try something new with others who are attending for the same purpose that you are—and also possibly attending for the very first time as well.” 

“Of course, you would think like that.” I shook my head as I glanced up at him with a blank expression. “Mr. Optimistic over here. You’re starting to sound kind of stereotypical with your whole ‘college is an experience to enjoy’.” I huffed tiredly, covering my face with my hands. “I’m just a little stressed out, okay?”

“Understandably so,” Lou agreed, rubbing my head. “This isn’t like your typical school where people simply tell you what to do. You get to make your own choices here. Which, I take it you don’t often get the opportunity?” 

“Don’t forget about the roommate,” I groaned with a wince. “What if we don’t get along? I don’t even know who it’s going to be, so I can’t look into this ahead of time! What if they aren’t super clean? I can’t be the one mopping the floor for someone else every single week!”

“Do you mop every single week…?”

“That’s not the point!” 

An amused snort left Lou’s nose as he relented. “I know, I know. I was just prodding. But truly, you’re overthinking this. It won’t be as bad as you’re imagining.” 

“Oh, really? Let me guess, it’s because you already know my future roommate?” I asked sarcastically. Glancing up at him, I noticed the knowing smirk that was on his face and I immediately shot up, getting onto my knees on the couch as I grabbed his arm. “Lou! If you know anything, you have to tell me! No secrets! You know who I’m rooming with?!”

“Of course I do,” he proudly responded. “I’m so glad you asked. With your kind explanation, I’ve decided that I can’t let you go off and learn to navigate the human world on your own. As a demi-god, I should have this experience too. So, you’ve officially been introduced to your college roommate!” Following my shocked silence, he added, “If it makes you feel better, I’m impeccably tidy and, if so demanded of me, I can take turns mopping every week.” 

I gaped. Was this god being serious right now? “You’re going to college? Do the other gods even know about this? What about the Department of Wishes?”

Lou waved off my concerns with a charming smile. “Most college students have a job. Mine is no different. Granted… It is from the Heavens. But don’t you think a college campus is a wonderful place to grant wishes? There are so many budding students there, all trying desperately to make their dreams come true!” 

“And the other gods?” I pressed, knowing he was avoiding that for a reason. “You didn’t tell them.”

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “It was a spontaneous decision on my part. I’ll get to telling them.”

“One problem fixed and I’m already on to the next,” I groaned, falling back onto the couch with my head leaning over the back of it. “You’re going to stress me out!”

Tauxolouve hummed, a frown falling across his perfect face as he struggled to understand my reaction. “I was sure that would make you feel better; sharing a dorm with someone you know…” He trailed off. “If this is about what the other gods might say, you don’t have to worry. They won’t make me back down from a choice I’ve already made. I decided this is something I must do as a demi-god who wants to get in touch with his human side.” 

“That’s just it,” I frantically pointed out, gesturing firmly to him. “You’re a demi-god. You can’t stay on Earth for that long, grant wishes, and then expect to be perfectly fine.”

A sigh left his lips. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that little detail. I’m sure I can work around it. After all, I’ll have to return to the Heavens at some point or another.” 

“Every weekend,” I demanded, not giving him the opportunity to argue. “You’ll return to the Heavens every weekend to recharge! I can’t have my demi-god dying on me!”

“I’m not going to-”

“Lou! Every weekend!”

“But, sweetheart-”

“No ‘sweetheart’! Every weekend!” I reiterated sternly, glaring at him the entire time. 

“Okay, okay.” His hands gently reached out as he wrapped my fingers in his. “Every weekend,” he reassured as his lips brushed against my cheek. “And I won’t die on you. We can always talk this through more. After all, you still have to explain how all of this works to me. Alright, now?” 

“I guess I can play the part of a teacher,” I begrudgingly accepted. “But… Hey… You won’t be following me to classes, will you?”

“What?” He teased with his familiarly flirtatious smirk. “Are you worried I might distract you during class?”

I stubbornly looked away from him with a scoff. Yet, my quiet answer was something he already knew. “Yes. I can’t have you in the same room as me when I’m trying to focus.” 

“Fine,” Lou reluctantly agreed, “I suppose your studies are more important than looking at me. But if you ever miss me, you can feel free to make a wish! You’ll do fantastic in college if your journey thus far is anything to go by.” 

I sighed, this time in relief. I was lucky to have a boyfriend like Lou by my side. “Hey, Lou,” I said quietly, my gaze still glued on the opposite end of my room. “So… what would you do… if I said I missed you right now?”