What would you do to get your hands on ten million Mora?

Be honest.

Be brutally honest.

Instead of focusing on receiving the ten million, why don't you question what it would take for someone to give up ten million Mora? Imagine the desperation. Hopelessness. Misery. What kind of lows do you have to be dragged through to come to the conclusion that your only solution was to give up hard-earned money?

What's the point in all this, you ask?

Lord Scaramouche cannot be left alone. It's dangerous. He's like a puppet without its master, uncontrollable. Instead of being limp and lifeless, he's rouge and violent. There is no one to hold him back or steer him in the right direction. He acts on instinct and on emotions. Unfiltered. Fervent. What was my job again?

Secretaries are on top of things. They organize and plan their boss's schedules. They lay out the day's plans. They bring in the soldiers and they support other agents. You did all those things and you'd admit, you did them pretty well.

What good is a secretary if there is no boss to serve?

Morning, soon the afternoon. The sun failed to shine through the clouds and the wind was prickly. The air felt staticky, electrified, roused like there was something to be excited about. Or maybe, in this case, scared. Your lungs tickled from the inside. There was always that lingering thought in your head: where is he? You hadn't a clue about his whereabouts, you were sure it was the opposite for him.

Perhaps some would be angry that you find it thrilling to walk around the city in a disguise, ultimately waiting for Scaramouche to sweep you off your feet and haul you back to a Fatui campsite, or meet up with Captain Beidou and her right-hand man to embark on an exciting adventure back home. You flip a coin, whether it lands on heads or tails, that would become a part of your daydreams.

The sound of a bell rings the start of a funeral. It's crisp and echoes back and forth throughout the hallways, bouncing off the walls. Sometimes you could hear the sound repeating even though you were sure that the bell hadn't been touched by anyone at all. Candles burn, incense fills the air. The curtains are drawn in tightly. Privacy. Something you had every leap year.

Hu Tao had given you two options.

Option #1: Leave the Funeral Parlour and familiarize yourself with the city. Liyue Harbour is definitely known to be changing, festival after festival, new visitor after visitor, tragedy after...

Option #2: Help sweep up the ashes of a cremated pregnant woman who had died from a broken heart after hearing that her baby was stillborn. A clumsy new-hire had dropped the urn. It was supposed to be buried along with the husband. The fallen Millelith soldier.

Even the cheerful and energetic Hu Tao was unsmiling, unimpressed, and unhappy at the worker's drastic mistake. As much as you wanted to help, you didn't know how to handle it. Some of these tragedies are never spoken of after a day or two. It's swept under the rug. They won't be remembered. Who will mourn for them? You felt like it wasn't a good idea to join the clean-up.

You walked across the wooden bridge walkway, dodged the oblivious Millelith guards, and skimmed past the Yanshang Teahouse. Luckily, no one from the establishment paid any mind to your presence. You remembered hearing that Master Childe was assigned to collect an outrageously large debt - he ended up killing the owner. You wondered if the teahouse staff or the debtor's family held a grudge towards the Fatui.

As you partially covered your face with your hand, you moved swiftly to avoid having Dongsheng recognize you from that incident. And after almost falling into that body of water that was in the middle of the road and slipping by more guards, you finally made it to the Wamin Restaurant without any trouble.

Without another thought, you swung around the door and looked into the kitchen, stopping under the archway. A certain Pyro user and her little companion didn't seem to notice your presence right away, she was too focused on the wooden crate of ingredients resting in her arms.

"Xiangling."

"Yes?!" The chef's response sounded like a short scream as she threw the box back onto the shelf, Guoba even turned into a large ball of fur after being startled. She turned around and clumsily leaned against the structure. "Oh... Hello, [Y/N]... What- how are you doing...? What are you doing here...? Hi... Looks like it's about to rain, right...? What's up...?"

Her elbow was swaying in the air as it failed to find any leverage, her feet shifted to adjust to her body's awkward positioning. Guoba was staring intently at the ground, finding the stone slabs to be more interesting than your arrival. You kept a neutral expression.

"I want to speak with you and Xingqiu." Hearing you request for such a thing was a first for Xiangling, who was still not able to lean comfortably on the shelf.

"Xingqiu...? I don't know where he is..." Xiangling shrugged her shoulders and the bear mimicked her movements. "Have you tried checking the Wanwen Bookhouse? He practically lives there ahahaha!"

You let out an airy laugh as well, slightly frowning at her forgetfulness, "I'm trying to avoid walking around the upstairs part of the complex... I can't place myself in disadvantageous situations especially around the Northland Bank area, it's very risky..."

Xiangling abandoned the shelf and went to go be distracted by something else.

Again, you followed along, "Are you busy? Can we talk now?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty busy... There's a lot of supply and demand!" She and you glanced around the empty restaurant, the sounds of crickets were heard from a distance. "M-Most of the customers chose take-out today..."

You pushed past the excuses, "I only want to speak with you for a little bit. I really want to get this off my chest."

The chef girl avoided being trapped in one place and began cleaning the already spotless place around her. Guoba was wobbling around aimlessly.

"It's been bothering me since last night..."

She swept the floor for about five seconds before placing the broom away and setting her attention on the tables, ridding them of any loose crumbs.

"I have a really bad feeling..."

A chopstick rolled off the edge of the table.

"The city is feeling less and less safe for me..."

She then started wiping an already dry plate with a cloth, her thick eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"Xiangling,"

"What?!" She shouted back.

You spilt the truth, "The bounty Lord Scaramouche put on my head is set at ten million Mora."

The plate slipped from her grasp, shards scattered all over the floor. Guoba jumped and scurried away. It seemed like the loud crash was able to snap her out of her horrified state as she carelessly crouched to the floor and began picking up each porcelain piece with her bare hands.

You bent down as well, picking up the bigger bits to be discarded first. It would have been better to grab the broom. Xiangling yelped and pulled her hand away sharply, shaking her fingers in the air from the sudden piercing of a shard of the broken plate. She went down to continue cleaning.

"Stop, calm down." You grabbed the girl's wrist to halt her movements - from hurting herself any further.

"I'm sorry..." She suddenly hissed in a small voice.

"For what?"

"I don't know... I'm just sorry, [Y/N]."

You saw it in the way she narrowed her eyes and crinkled her eyebrows. Xiangling had a look of detestation, all the while refusing to look at your face. For a split second, your heart sank and the blood in your body went a little frigid. You were hanging onto her every word.

"The Wamin Restaurant is closed. I won't be serving anyone now." She muttered under her breath.

"So, this means we can talk?"

Finally, she turned to you, opened her mouth and then tore her gaze away, sighing. She reached over and slowly scooped Guoba into her arms, while the bear itself flopped slightly to be carried away.

You glanced up as she got onto her feet, surprised by her unusually gloomy attitude, "Xiangling, where are you going...? What's gotten into you?"

"I don't wanna talk about this... All this Fatui business is scaring me..."

"Scaring you...? What do you mean by that?" With a porcelain piece still in your other hand, you mindlessly grasped the shard into your tightening fist. Unaware of the smooth edge being pressed along your skin, you were livid, "Hold on a second...! Are you giving up on me, Xiangling?"

"It's not that!"

"What is it then?!" Your voice projected louder than she expected, the girl shied away as she held the small animal comfortingly. "I'm telling you that I don't feel safe in the city anymore! We can't underestimate the things Lord Scaramouche can do once he realizes that I'm stuck here. Plus, a ten million Mora bounty, I know he's scheming something. Something horrible. Something that I can't even think of."

Xiangling squealed a little out of frustration against the back of Guoba's fur and stomped slightly, landing her focus back on you, "The Traveller is speaking with Captain Beidou! Don't worry, you're going home!"

"When?! How long does it take for Lumine to convince someone to do her a favour?! I'm sure she has her ways of getting things done right away. A girl who travels a lot should be able to do her requests as quickly as possible. I'm starting to feel like I'm being stored away for safekeeping."

"Fine then!" Xiangling exclaimed in a teary voice. "If you're growing that restless, I will go find the Traveller and tell her how much you want to go home! I'll find a way to meet her on the way to Captain Beidou's ship. Next time you see us, you'll be on a ship back to Snezhnaya."

You finally stood up and stepped closer towards the girl, shaking your head feverishly, "Let me come with you. I've got nothing left here in this city. I can leave as early as tonight! I would rather flee like a coward than die here with no honour. I won't be anyone's trouble anymore!"

Xiangling held Guoba in a way where he stood in between the two of you, the little bear held his paws up to distance you from the chef girl, "I'll die if something happens to you... I wouldn't be able to handle the fact that I dragged you into any kind of dangerous situation. Please, from one friend to another, I really do care about your safety... but what can I do? Please, please stay in the Harbour. You will be alright, it's only for a few more days. We all want you to go back to your family. Just please don't leave the city."

The porcelain shard broke under the tense pressure of your hold on it, the fragments clattered onto the stone floor. You were perplexed. Astonished. Dumbfounded. Never in your life have you been told to do absolutely nothing to help yourself. The stinging pain added to the shock value. Xiangling didn't even notice.

"My father will be in charge of the restaurant until I get back." She explained woefully, clutching her companion like the animal was her comfort plushie. "There's no need to let Xingqiu and Chongyun know about my departure. I know how they get worried about me when I go on my own expeditions."

"Let me join you."

"You can't."

Before you could persuade her any further, Xiangling had already turned away and headed for the door. Helplessly you watched her move on without another word, summoning her sharp spear and holding the weapon behind her back. She ran off, running to Archon knows where.

Alone again. Again. And again. It's painful, isn't it? You stared at her from afar, following Xiangling until she was out of sight. At the same time, your mouth was hanging open, voice wavering as you struggled to even let out a sigh.

Slowly, your face contorted into an ill expression when you felt the stinging in your palm flare up to your wrists. You glanced down at your hand and saw how the porcelain shard had sunk into your skin. Only slight cuts. Small scratches. Still, you hated the sight of your own blood outside of where it is supposed to be.

Another friend, another loss. This is getting so annoying. Can everyone just shut up and listen to what needs to be said? No one cares what you think. I hate you. Just die already. Stop trying to think you will be loved.

Maybe a more ignorant approach would have been better. You were too straightforward. Too strict. Perhaps if you loosen yourself up more or tried to make jokes, Xiangling wouldn't have run away out of fear. You really hated the idea that you scared her, it seems like she still sees you as the Fatui soldier you are and always will be.

Just as you discarded the broken plate into the trash bin, you were partially startled by a familiar pink-haired girl. You jumped back a little when the Adeptus swung in front of the restaurant.

"Oh, Xiangling! I'm here for my regular! Take-out this time, please...! Oh, it's you." Not even a second later, a repulsed expression was plastered over the girl's face. "I don't think that the Wanmin Restaurant had any outstanding debts. So, what is the Fatui doing here, hmm?"

Yanfei spoke in a very condescending tone, almost forcing you into such an awkward position. Of course, you didn't really have any valid explanation as to why you were in the restaurant in the first place. You couldn't tell her about your little problem so you forced a grin, flirting with the borderlines between law enforcement and crime, "Hello, officer. Arrest any baddies lately?"

"For the last time, I am simply a legal advisor-"

"I mean baddies as in criminals."

"I understood you the first time."

Too ignorant! You scolded yourself internally, still having an intense smile on your face. Maybe you just had very bad judgement, it's not too late to put her at gunpoint- oh, that's right, you don't have your weapons anymore.

As if your situation wasn't worse enough, you manage to catch a man dawning uniform armour walking in front of the restaurant. Yanfei kept her eyes on you briefly and glanced at the guard who was strolling nonchalantly.

"Good afternoon, miss Yanfei!" A Millelith guard greeted, raising a finger to his forehead and gesturing towards the young woman. "I just saw chef Xiangling run the opposite direction of the restaurant, I doubt that the Wamin Restaurant will be taking any orders at the moment!"

"Yeah... Thanks..." She replied uninterestedly, focusing her attention on how you fell back against the wall to hide. Your shoulders rested sheepishly on the stone, glaring back and pursing your lips as a way to shush her.

Yanfei had enough of the childish, playful deception and leaned forward to prop her arms on the high table. A slight up quirk of the corner of her mouth practically exposed whatever she was thinking about. One wrong move and you knew that the Pyro-user was going to call back to that Millelith soldier.

But to your surprise, she remained quiet, grinning coyly at seeing you in such an unfortunate situation. Yanfei even rested her chin in her hand, leaning to the side, clearly intrigued beyond belief. You stared back, drawing her attention to the side of your hip, shaping your fingers into a gun, and pulling your thumb down while you pointed at her. She giggled. You leered.

Once the Millelith soldier was well out of earshot, Yanfei was back to toying with you, "I see you put on a disguise. I can't ignore your efforts to attempt living amongst the locals... Good on you for trying to lay low."

"Am I a model citizen yet, miss legal advisor?"

"A model citizen does not hide from the authorities."

"Does it look like I'm hiding from you?" Your words left your mouth were harsher than expected, yet Yanfei gave you a smug smile in return.

"Sit next to me, [Y/N]. Let's talk like grown women." She patted the chair next to her gingerly, ensuring that there were no other soldiers who would come by and arrest you. "I'll be honest, you sparked my interest. Would you like a drink although it is the middle of the day? I know where Xiangling keeps the Baijiu - white wine."

"The Fatui does not allow soldiers to have alcohol while on missions. Plus I only drink on national holidays..." You muttered the last part self-consciously. I would like to drink with Lord Scaramouche again...

"Tea then, I'll prepare a pot."

At first, you were skeptical about her friendly behaviour but you decided to follow her instructions because you practically had no one else to turn to. Maybe getting arrested by the Millelith would mean that you would be getting some sort of protection from the outside world? Though, you knew that Scaramouche would probably find some way to bail you out of jail.

As Yanfei placed a teapot full of water on top of the fire stove, she completely turned back to you. While she moved closer, you looked at the wooden box attached to her waist and noted how her hat sat comfortably on her head. She too studied you as well. How interesting it must be to have two different sides of the law practically going neck and neck.

"How's the culture shock?" Yanfei asked when she made it to the front of the high table.

You paused for a moment before answering, "I believe Liyue and Snezhnaya have their similarities and differences. Crime is looked down upon, yet I don't understand why there are so many scam artists and criminals such as Treasure Hoarders littered around the nation. Respectfully so. There should be stricter laws against outstanding debts."

Yanfei had an amused smile on her face, giggling slightly at your determination to have a debtless Teyvat, "To think that the Fatui has such adorable little soldiers running around and getting so overwhelmed by a few bags of Mora."

"Watch it, I'm probably older than you."

"Yet I seem to be babysitting a runaway Fatui member. I'm sure the Traveller must be growing tired of playing a motherly role if you're making her run all over the nation."

Long salmon-coloured hair swayed gracefully to the side when the young woman impatiently grabbed the kettle from the stove, the flames seemed to reach out for the clay pot in disheartenment.

Yanfei walked through the doorframe and sat in the chair beside you, placing two cups on the table and pouring the hot drink equally. She placed the teapot on the open wooden window frame and inhaled the pleasant scent of Green Tea.

You thanked her for the drink in the form of a light sigh.

"I read plenty about you, Cryogunner [Y/N]. Or should I say, secretary..."

You found drinking boiling hot flavoured water to be disgusting.

"To think you wouldn't mention such an honorary title to me. Your high position is almost enough to grant you some sort of immunity to Liyue's travel laws." She began to recite from pure memory. "Diplomats from any nation, as well as their personal assistants, slash secretaries - that's you - are welcome to do business anywhere within the nation of Liyue. Unfortunately, we can't say no to Fatui campsites being planted throughout the region."

You decided to wait until the tea turned cold.