#yanwangye

" i saw something invisible in you, a gaping hole in your chest. "

He had not expected that familiar presence to step upon the shores of Guyun so soon. Hidden behind stone and foliage Osial listens quietly, breath caught in his throat, careful not to make a sound. Memory recalls the last time this presence came upon these shattered remains of his domain, where he had lingered in the depths weak and powerless from battle and terror had gripped his heart that he might be returned to his chains. It had not been to be, perhaps his presence had been too quiet, what little residue he left no stronger than that which had once leaked from his imprisonment, bleeding into the land. Instead, all he had heard were melancholic words and felt what once was held by Havria returned to the depths. All that remained of his once dear friend. By the time his fear and confusion had calmed, the one he knew as Morax was long gone.

Movement draws him from his thoughts and he steps back on instinct, this bipedal form clumsy as his weight shifts the plants to a cacophony of rustles and snaps a twig beneath his heel, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet expanse. He is too far from the water to sink quickly into its depths, and close enough to the presence that has him on edge that any retreat would only give the mark of a coward. A fate he will not abide. The decision is made for him then, so he steps forth instead, breath held until vivid cerulean meets molten gold and he lets the single name fall from his lips, its sound weighed with the multiple millennia's worth of emotion that swirls in his chest.

And yet, the time outside is a welcome change. The view from their spot at the edge of the Jade Chamber is one everyone should experience, even if just once. The Harbor glows brightly against the darkened skies, the hustle and bustle of every day life muted as the nature around them filled the absence. A warm smile rises on her face as she continues to observe the life below. Cold and shrewd the people may call her, but the Tianquan's love for Liyue shines through action and by deed. At the end of the day, she can only hope her actions show her love even if her words cannot.

❛ we’re not so different after all. ❜, @yanwangye spoke.

Now that's a bold statement. The smile quickly falls back into neutrality. An eyebrow rises at the comment as her arms cross against her chest. And just how could he have come to that conclusion?

❝ Are you sure of that? I may not be as convinced as you seem to be. ❞ If it were true, she would have found a similar resemblance in him already. Ningguang would finally have been able to find a weakness... But he's revealed nothing, as unmoving as stone. Mere knowledge for the intricacies of their world reveals nothing tangible. Nothing to be held in her grasp, nothing she can use to hold power over the situation.

That lack of power forces her to keep her cards close. She's polite, ever the image of grace and wit, but distant. Nothing from her will taken so easily again.

❛   take   deep   breaths,   okay   ??   ❜

for   as   long   as   he   had   known   zhongli,   it   never   got   easier   with   time   whenever   the   other   would   go   through   a   turmoil.   venti   always   wished   he   had   the   ability   to   remove   people’s   pain   whether   it   be   physical   or   emotional   because   seeing   others   struggle   wasn’t   a   fun   thing   to   witness.   especially   someone   like   the   geo   archon   who,   in   venti’s   eyes,   was   one   of   the   most   headstrong   characters   he   had   ever   known.

❛   are  you  okay with telling me what happened ??  i’m  sure  whatever  it was,  you  did everything in  your power to  make  things right.  ❜  

headcanons I have about our muse’s relationship :

aerith feels at most like herself when around zhongli , who often experiences all sides of the person she is . with the archon , her youth can sometimes shine through , feeling like a kid again . not only is there comfort to talk to him , but to trust him as well . his calm is also her serenity , enjoying tea time with him and listening to his stories in which fascinate her . ( at times , she’ll doze off whilst leaning against him as he can sometimes speak at length ) .

when a rare appearance of glaze lilies sprout in abundance , aerith will take zhongli to it where they can sit / lay within the field of them before they’re gone . sometimes asking for his help to pick some of them .

prior to hearing about the kind of god guizhong was in personality , aerith too tries to surprise zhongli by covering his eyes or hugging him from behind to “ guess who “ . only to know later how akin they seem to be . 

zhongli has experienced aerith’s stubbornness & temper , though mostly experiences her hospitality , kindness and affection more than the first two .  in times where aerith has felt zhongli is in need , she generously opens her home to him as a place of rest , food , and company . she also aids him in need of mora , finding it more useful in his hands than her own ( as she hoards it with no real need ) . she finds it fulfilling to take care of him and often looks forward when he visits again .

most of aerith’s small puzzles and trinkets are built for challenging mind stimulation entertainment , she’ll often gift them to zhongli to try and solve . because aerith loves puzzles and challenges , she often likes zhongli to go with her around liyue to complete other grandeur challenges ( created by either her mother , ancestors or guizhong ) that have not been completed . 

when aerith attempts any incomplete work of her mother’s inventions , she carries a lot of pride when they are successfully brought to fruition . she shares these complete works with zhongli , sometimes to impress him . 

during times of zhongli arriving wounded or becoming wounded whilst out with aerith , she will take care of healing & cleaning him up . often wrapping any serious ones to make him more comfortable . depending on how serious his wounds are , she may reprimand he stay with her so she can change his dressings until he’s fit to move again .

there comes a point in their relationship where aerith begins to occasionally kiss zhongli on the cheek when she knows he is departing .

now there was a voice that would oft’ result in a particularly cheerful maiden to leap to her feet in greeting the former archon .     however , 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓾𝓼𝓾𝓪𝓵 𝓶𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱 𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓾𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓭 ; previously upset since their last encounter .     the upset is mostly with aerith , as zhongli’s coolheaded composure is the reason she is a little disgruntled .     what she actually fiddles with whilst keeping her back toward him , is a component of her failed mechanism .     the clinks and clacks of loose pieces that fall ‘pon the surface of the table , leaving the maiden to put it down in frustration to respond to him . ‘     . . . a little bit .     ‘     she sighs with some confusion .     wanting to be glad he’s visiting , but still annoyed with him for feeling as though he did not take her side in supporting her creation .     in her heart she feels these thoughts to be untrue , certain it is only the anger of her failure that needlessly wants to blame someone .     she contemplates to speak again , pink lips parting to express some words , ‘till they close and she resumes to pick up her pieces . 

fumbling a little longer , success is not likely to come with a flustered mind .     ‘     are you seriously not--     ‘     she turns to peer over her shoulder , whilst juniper eyes behold his tall figure looming in the doorway .     𝓪 𝓼𝓸𝓯𝓽 𝓶𝓾𝓶𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻 is interjected to the previous words she did not finish to voice .     she might be able to understand that showing the same upset she held over the discovery of her broken invention , was not something he could do ; but she would have liked it , maybe if he verbally expressed it at least .     even when he did that , however , it seemed unconvincing with how stoic he naturally is .  ‘     i think someone broke it on purpose .     ‘     a little sigh of disappointment escapes her , not able to prove this for certain , but a hunch she comes to with the pieces she had been tinkering with at the table .     ‘     i know i don’t want to think i failed . . .     ‘     her eyes narrow whilst her gaze is nowhere near looking his way , whilst also hurt at the thought of someone in qingci breaking a useful tool that could benefit them all .     ‘     i guess . . . i thought you would be upset with me . . . since it didn’t seem possible this would break so easily .     ‘     𝓪 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓸𝓷𝓮 , the emotion of her disheartened status shining through . ‘     i'm not asking for you to do anything about it , i just . . . want to feel like you’re upset that someone would hurt me this way .     ‘     her gaze is still fixed ‘pon the surface of the table , though her body language has shifted to begin facing toward him .     there is a little feeling of being vulnerable when it seems one sided , if he was unable to express himself verbally she at least welcomed a physical act ; anything , 𝓲𝓯 𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻 .