"Come this way...!"

There were a series of grunts and heavy sighs as both you and Chongyun turned a sharp corner and eventually were able to lose track of the Fatui soldiers who were chasing after you. It was quite funny to see how thrown off they were after you tossed Nadia's jacket at them and disappeared without a trace.

Being pressed up against the stone wall and having a finger to your lips, the two of you waited anxiously for the final agents to turn around and give up.

After a few tense seconds of silence, you peeked your head around the corner and let out the breath you were holding at the empty sight before you. Giving the all-clear hand signal, Chongyun threw his head back in relief, laughing uncomfortably to himself.

"Getting arrested by the Fatui and then breaking out of prison was not a part of my schedule, ugh." The exorcist couldn't help but cover his face with his hands and push back his bangs. "I just hope that no one else knows but us."

"Hey, at least you're alive and your auntie can finally get off my back." You replied with a mild sarcastic undertone, giving him the hint that you were forcing yourself to crack jokes. Seeing Chongyun's horrified expression at the mention of his aunt, you gave him a smug grin. "Yeah, that's right, I risked my life to save her poor little nephew and I bet that she'll only give me a death glare as thanks...!"

"Auntie Shenhe..." He blinked a few times. "She told you to rescue me...?"

You shrugged your shoulders dismissively, "She didn't ask nicely, that's for sure. More like gently persuaded with a few threats."

"And I thought you came back because you liked me, Fatui girl."

"You're funny. I only came back to stop you from being killed."

Chongyun smiled bitterly at your words, letting out a small scoff as he looked to the side, "You chose to rescue me as an excuse to see that Harbinger, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Your voice wavered.

"I get it, Fatui girl." He raised his arms in the air dismissively. "I'm just a scapegoat in your stupid love affair, which I find totally pointless by the way. Harbinger Scaramouche... he didn't plan on killing me, at least not anymore - and he certainly does not want to kill you. I think he just wants you to go back to him..."

"I cannot believe what you're saying!" You shouted out of nowhere. "Do you even hear yourself? You're no different from those soldiers that were trying to capture me. You think I want to return to the Fatui-?!"

"From the way you kissed him, yes!" Chongyun let out a strained laugh. "I think you want to return to your precious Lord Scaramouche-!"

You suddenly grabbed Chongyun's shoulders and pulled him closer, "You're trying to convince me to go back-!"

"Archons, Fatui girl! You're overreacting...!"

"You two made a deal together, didn't you?! About the bounty money!" You pressed on. "Whatever my Lord Scaramouche is promising you is most likely a lie to get you to work for him-!"

"How dare you, I would never do something like that. I already deal with a lot of Fatui problems," Chongyun referred and poked you with an angry finger. "I don't want to add any more!"

"What did he do to you while you were his prisoner?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

You shook him again, "What did he tell you?"

"He told me to keep my hands to myself." The young man shot back.

"What did you tell him?"

"What did I tell him?" Chongyun fumbled with his words.

Your eyes fixated on the exorcist's neck as it moved when he swallowed the lump in his throat. A breathless sigh left his lips and the glazed look on his face hinted to you that he was stuck remembering everything he said to Scaramouche. The sweat drop that rolled down Chongyun's temple only meant that he was distressed at the memory.

"Fatui girl... Don't get mad, okay...? I only told him what he wanted to hear because he was threatening to add more charges to my arrest..."

"What did you tell him?" Your grip got tighter on Chongyun's sweater as you thought about a million and one things that you wanted to keep a secret from Scaramouche. "What did you say...?!"

Seeing how wide your eyes had gotten, Chongyun let his lashes lower until your figure was nothing but slits in his vision. With a small inhale, his shoulders rolled back the slightest and he raised his chin toward you - facing you directly. His irises gleamed alluringly with the rising moon's reflection.

"I told Harbinger Scaramouche you were happy without him... and that you wanted nothing to do with him or the Fatui ever again."

You were winded.

"That was the first time I've seen a man be broken by words... and the last time I'll ever talk back to a Fatui Harbinger." Chongyun shuddered at the memory.

Absolutely winded.

"He had tears in his eyes when I told him that," Chongyun muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "Then, he left me alone."

Like there was a swift punch to your chest.

"It was the truth anyway."

You let out a strained breath, "That was not something he wanted to hear."

"Yes, it was. He wanted to know how you were feeling after you betrayed the Fatui - that's what he wanted."

"So, you spoke for me? You put words in my mouth..."

"Don't you try to turn this on me, Fatui girl." His voice fell into a whisper. "I was just trying to survive, he could have easily killed me and dumped my body in Wuwang Hill."

"You don't know what my feelings are."

With that final straw being taken away, Chongyun guided you off his shoulders, "You two are the same. You're making this everyone's problem. You are in denial about everything. Harbinger Scaramouche is no different. He refuses to admit his mistakes. Both of you are a match made in Celestia. I can't believe I got caught in the middle of this mess. Just... find a compromise."

He's... right...

Even though he was the least likely person to have ever wanted to even breathe in your direction, he had a point that made you realize that you were the cause of this entire situation. Well, although not the main cause, you could call yourself reactive collateral damage.

With this, you came to a possible conclusion. The main goal was to get back home, or at least out of the nation to a safer location. The lack of a response letter had you fearing the worst for your family, yet you knew it would be difficult for them to be killed off so easily. They must have found somewhere to hide and lay low for a couple of days.

You have to remind yourself not to be so worried.

Then, there was the question: were you running from Lord Scaramouche or the consequences that came with being captured by him? Taking note that you were more than comfortable walking up to him in restraints and kissing him directly on the lips was kind of a telltale sign that you weren't as fearful of him as you were before. Maybe you were only scared of the aftermath. If it were only Scaramouche alone, then...

"Let's go, Chongyun."

The young man was surprised to see you suddenly stand upright and pace before him. He stared at you longingly, his face flushing slightly in the process.

"What?" You put your hands on your hips questioningly. "You're speechless."

"That's the first time I've heard you say my name...." He muttered.

A laugh resounded from you, "Well, that's ironic because I recall being called Fatui girl every day since the day we met."

"And what you're saying is...?"

You partially rolled your eyes as you extended a hand toward him, "Let's just forget about our differences and appreciate the fact that we escaped the Northland Bank with our lives. I think we can finally say that we're friends now, right?"

•••

This time of evening felt much different from the others.

You met her at the entrance of Yujing Terrace and greeted one another with a curt nod. Before that, you stopped by the Bubu Pharmacy to grab your trusty Cryo tank. Now, you felt complete.

Walking through the agreed-upon location, you questioned why you weren't met with an angry aunt or a certain lawyer storming their way toward you. Seeing that you were in the presence of someone else, you couldn't help but let out a sigh of questionable relief.

When the Traveller noticed the other person behind you, she smiled brightly at the realization that Chongyun was now free from his Fatui imprisonment.

"I'm glad you're back in one piece," Lumine teased the exorcist.

Chongyun goaded slightly, "I'm not sure if I will be after explaining to auntie Shenhe about my entanglements with the Fatui... Excuse me while I prepare for a second war..."

As he left, the Traveller's attention was drawn toward you.

"[Y/N]..." Lumine uttered your name softly, almost intimately.

"Traveller..." You replied in the same manner.

"I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to say that I'm happy to see you." She smiled cheekily. "I thought that you would be on a boat ride to Snezhnaya right about now?"

You nodded crookedly, "A little change of plans, but I believe everything is under control. I think Captain Beidou and Kazuha are just about ready to depart as soon as I get onto the Alcor."

"Oh, about that... I'm sorry to tell you..." Lumine cringed at the thought of her next words while you hung on that thin thread. "Captain Beidou and Kazuha... The Alcor already departed from the Harbour."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"They're not leaving the nation just yet...!" She added quickly, which did little to ease your growing anxiety. "The Liyue Qixing and the Adepti are preparing to defend Liyue Harbour from an already anticipated Fatui sabotage. They are calling for help from anyone who can fight. That would include our party and the Crux Fleet."

"What do you mean...? There's going to be a really bad attack...?"

"Bad as in maybe the worst Liyue has seen since the last 500 years? Yes, it's bad."

Without thinking, your hand went up to your face to cover your mouth... to cover your smile. How bitterly your lips decided to curl upwards at the worst time possible. Even after hearing the countless warnings from both Childe and Scaramouche, you weren't exactly surprised to hear that.

A battle against Liyue Harbour...? What were they thinking? Was it for the Geo Archon's Gnosis all this time?

Oh yeah...

It seemed like you have forgotten already. Of course, the main reason why you were in Liyue in the first place was because of the Geo Archon's Gnosis. Well, you decided to be more forgiving to yourself since a lot has happened since you landed here in this wonderful nation.

"Don't be afraid, [Y/N]," Lumine reassured you with a gentle pat on your shoulder. "The Qixing is cracking down on the Fatui's movements and it might be too late to have you escape the city. I spoke with Zhongli and Hu Tao before coming here, they gave me advice on how to help you. I wouldn't want you to be arrested by the Millelith while the battle breaks out, so we decided to devise a plan."

"Who's we...?"

Lumine brought you along the stone walkway at the same time she explained your next steps, "Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, she was able to make an exception for you not to be arrested only if you stay under the Qixing's watch until the battle is over."

You were skeptical about the offer, "This Lady Ningguang seemed quick to trust you, Traveller. How do I know I'm not just walking into a trap they've set up?"

"It wasn't just me that convinced them. Xiangling and Xingqiu were quite persuasive with their promises of cuisines and business partnerships." Seeing how your face changed at the mention of your friends' names, Lumine was quick to add on. "Both of them are preparing to join me on my trip to the Golden House... Chongyun will tag along too soon after he finishes clearing things up with his aunt."

"You're not accompanying me to face the Liyue Qixing...?"

Lumine sighed regretfully, "A lot has happened since we last spoke... Childe is going after the Exuvia's corpse... he believes the Gnosis is hidden in there and will stop at nothing to get it. I can't let him get ahold of such a powerful piece of the Geo Archon..."

"So, what you're saying is...?"

"What I'm saying is..." The Traveller paused her walking and situated herself in front of you. "I will be taking the trio with me to confront Childe at the Golden House. While the Millelith begins their crackdown on the Fatui soldiers in the city, you will be with the Qixing in the Jade Chamber. That way, you will be safe."

"And Captain Beidou and her crew?"

"They are preparing for the same fight."

Those eyes... Lumine's eyes... were they always shining with determination like that? Seeing the seriousness in her expression led you to deduce the seriousness of the situation at hand. Ultimately, you nodded slowly to Lumine's content.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want you to be stolen away from me, especially from Childe of all people." Lumine grinned teasingly. "The Liyue Qixing is waiting for your arrival. Go further into Yujing Terrace and tell them I sent you. I promise their welcome won't be as hostile as the one you had before."

•••

The Liyue Qixing were as beautiful as they were calculated. Even standing before them with your hands free as you posed no threat to any of them, they stared at you like you were the enemy.

After walking through the gateway at the end of Yujing Terrace, the clouds seemed to have covered the rising moon and the unexplainable redness in the sky shined down on the three women standing on the higher stone platform.

With your Fatui uniform as the main subject of their sights, you started to feel smaller the longer you were being stared at.

The one with purple pigtails leaned her hip out with her arms over her chest, disdained.

The other one with black horns blinked slowly, disinterested.

The woman in white curled her finger forward to gesture to you to move closer, delighted.

"I am Ningguang, Tianquan of Qixing." She introduced herself with a sly smile and motioned toward the other two ladies. "Keqing, Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing and Ganyu, the general secretary. Now... You must be that Fatui soldier the Traveller had told me about."

"Not just any Fatui soldier." Keqing cut in with a sharp counter. "The Northland Bank records show an impressive resume about you, secretary [Y/N], assistant to the sixth Fatui Harbinger, the Balladeer. We are not naive about your crimes and we will certainly not ignore how you've been evading authorities."

"Yet the Traveller requested for us to keep you safe," Ganyu spoke softly, seemingly to gently interject Keqing's previous comments. "This threat of calamity in our city can have us put aside our tense relations with the Fatui and allow for us to work together. Shall we consider this the start of a new partnership?"

For a while in your silence, your thoughts were plagued with an idea that could possibly ruin everything that brought you to this very moment.

You realized your other goal. Once that you kept locked away within yourself since you deemed it to be too risky - impossible even. But now that you were presented with this golden opportunity, this universally aligned, Archon blessed chance... it would be foolish to consider not stealing it.

Lady Ningguang noticed the hurried deployments of Millelith soldiers and warnings of Fatui flooding into the city. She turned over quickly and signalled to the others with a swift hand, "We are no longer safe here. Come with us to the Jade Chamber, we will continue our discussion there."

It was risky to even think of doing such a thing.

Stealing the Gnosis...

But Zhongli said it was hidden away in the Jade Chamber... not the Golden House...

Now, what are the odds...?