Lord of Geo

" Zhongli! "

"Ah, good afternoon, Miss Natalee. I presume you've come to celebrate as well. If you're looking to get a kite, they do have quite a selection." Though not what he wanted. Of course, it wasn't as if he planned on participating in the competition.

" What brings you here all of a sudden ? "

"I was invited to visit at my convenience, was I not? I had the time, so I wanted to see what the Astral Express is like." He finally removes his hand. "I've been here for a few hours."

" Mm... Maybe... Mmmaaaaybe... " You were thinking long and hard on this, your face scrunching up a little. " I dunno. Somewhere with a cute view would be a nice picnic spot, don't you think? "

"Perhaps somewhere near the Wangshu Inn. They keep monsters away from the vicinity."

And he turned. “Please remember your time with me is limited, Director Hu. Three hours.”

He folded his arms. “At any rate, my abilities are heavily defensive. It’s not as if I am taking our crowds of enemies.”

"Why would you assume I didn't?" Yes, he was answering the question with a question. He had no reason to give her a straight answer to any of this. "A friend of mine in Sumeru is a scribe by trade, yet put a sword in his hand and he can easily dismantle a Ruin machine."

"I assume you didn't because that seems to be the sort of assumption you want people to have of you." He must have great footwork too the way he always danced around her observations. "So are you and this friend a part of some secret underground strong nerd gang? Trying hard to be both brains and brawn."

And he turned. “Please remember your time with me is limited, Director Hu. Three hours.”

"Uh huh, right right." She had seen him use the power of Geo, but to say it was coming from the vision was another thing. Maybe others did not notice, but Hu Tao was very perceptive. "Well everyone's vision is different you know. Some can only do very basic elemental things. Why would I assume a consultant would need that much fire power?"

"Why would you assume I didn't?" Yes, he was answering the question with a question. He had no reason to give her a straight answer to any of this. "A friend of mine in Sumeru is a scribe by trade, yet put a sword in his hand and he can easily dismantle a Ruin machine."

Lucky for her, she had pretty great reflexes and was able to steady herself again. "Well well well, I didn't know you had that in you." Hu Tao was able to easily reach any brand in the tree now and hopped down after. "Think if you did that fast enough you could launch someone in the air?"

"And I fail to understand what you think I 'have in me.' You have seen my Geo vision." The one that conveniently didn't light up when he used it.

" Well, since I'm paying, it's your choice where we eat, " You remarked with a grin, calmly slipping your hand into his. " So you're down for a picnic? Good. I think it'd be cute - as long as we don't get surrounded by slimes again... "

"Mm, perhaps we can set up near one of the Statues of the Seven. The monsters tend to shy away from them."

"Hmmm so mysterious. Fine, we can head towards the city entrance. There should be some good spots to place them. Get the customers from the moment they arrive."

"Alright. Brace yourself." With a hand held out, one of his Geo pillars formed under her, lifting her up to where she wanted to be. Was it honestly less effort to use his powers than to just reach up? Maybe.

"my apologies for staring, but as you can see, i'm not the only one. it's just... we never get tourists, so you understand my surprise."

"Hmm? No need to pay me much mind. I'm simply a traveler from Liyue. I do have some connections here in Snezhnaya that I plan on visiting while I'm here."

"You do?" She tilted her head, looking him over. "Gonna let me climb your shoulders?" It would certainly make her very tall if she did that.

"Simply direct me to the first spot you'd like to put those 'charms' and I'll show you." Not here in the town. There wasn't really room.

"If you make it three I'll treat you to dinner when we get back.~" Because travel time alone was going to take a large portion of that. The other villages were so far away. "I've got banners to put up higher and then these posters. Oh and on the path to the next village I was thinking of putting these little hanging charms in trees." She held one up. A cartoonish looking ghost holding a sign with the funeral parlor's address.

"...fine. But I won't be putting them up myself." Because if there was one thing he learned in his long life, it was pettiness. "I do have a way of getting you up to higher places so you can arrange them however you want."