Chapter Text
At the very edge of the platform, no more than a foot away from the edge, stands Keqing, as daring as always. She is still looking at the sky, watching the xiao lanterns float away, carried by the gentle winds of Barbatos farther than the eye can see. Surely from the Alcor, still anchored at the Stone Forest, the lanterns can still be seen, soaring in the skies.
The show, that which the Seven Stars of Liyue have prepared with such effort and dedication, is long over. And those that, up in the Jade Chamber, observed it, one by one have all left. Xinyan and Yun Jin, well-known artists in their own right, fled the minute the show was over, seeking to spend just a few more instants in each other’s company, and Ningguang watched them leave while they whispered and smiled. A love as tender as theirs doesn’t deserve to be kept a secret; but, although there will be hard times and conflict, Ningguang is sure they will overcome all adversity. They are brave, and they are strong, both of them; breaking with tradition is always a complicated affair.
But once they two have left, there have been five remaining: the One who journeys across Teyavt, with an objective that every day seems further away, and their floating companion; Keqing, spectacular in her new dress, and Beidou, watching her in silence. They have always been friends (although sometimes, she wonders whether they would have crossed the limit if they had tried), and the fact Ningguang is avoiding her gaze so obviously might be due to that; she is, after all, who best knows her.
“Ningguang, you still haven’t spoken with her?”, the pirate whispers in her ear. She has always been a very open, extroverted woman, maybe a bit too talkative, but someone in whom you can truly trust, good at distinguishing when to speak and when to keep quiet.
Ningguang doesn’t say anything, just blushes. She curses, in her mind, her companion, who does nothing but remind her of how much of a coward she is in the subject of love.
“What exactly do you want me to tell her? We’re always fighting.” An excuse, as always.
“If you actually tried, I’m sure it would go well…” Ningguang is already shaking her head no, but Beidou presses on, “No, no, listen to me: even you know that. If you told her, what do you think would happen? Do you think you’re the only one like this? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re not the one that has heart-eyes in this equation…”
Looking at her sideways, Beidou sighs. Ningguang has already turned around, and is looking at Keqing’s back, naked under her gaze. She can see in Ningguang’s eyes the longing she feels, the need to reach out and touch her skin, caress her back, whisper in her ear sweet nothings. Her actual hand, though, is closed on a fist, and her other one plays with her pipe. What a dumb way to suffer, she thinks. But that’s her problem.
Silence settles between the two, and the conversation between Keqing and the two others reaches their ears.
“We promised Xiangling we would go have dinner at her restaurant!,” screams the little pixie. “I think we should get going, right?”.
Keqing looks a bit sad, but seems to recompose herself quickly. She asks about the show, whether they liked it, and the little fairy explains how pretty it all was, and how much she liked the lights and the shapes of the fireworks.
With the conversation seemingly over, a silence settles over the entrance to the Chamber. Beidou stands up, leaving behind the wall where she was chatting with Ningguang and walking up to the group.
“Well, if you’re leaving now I might as well come with you, I gotta try that new dish of hers,” she says while laughing, “Xinyan says that, apparently, Xiangling has found a way to emulate slime secretions. If you mix up water with some grinded leaves from a kind of tree that grows near Qingce village, you get a substance that has a similar texture and taste to that. She believes that if she introduces this in her menu, her clients won’t be so against their dishes having actual slime condensate in them!”
Beidou and her companions start a discussion on Xiangling’s quirks and eccentricities while they travel down to the Harbour again. One of Ningguang’s secretaries wishes them a happy festival before they step onto the platform, and they happily say it back to her. From her position, leaning against one of the entry pillars to the Chamber, she can still hear their conversation, slowly fading into silence as they descend. But even still, when nothing can be heard from them anymore, the Chamber is not at peace.
From down at the Harbour noises of screaming and cheering get carried up to the Chamber. It’s the people of Liyue that are playing, running around and talking, setting free the xiao lanterns with all their dreams and hopes… Once again, same as last year, the environment is full of happiness, and Ningguang is thankful. It seems all her efforts have been worth it.
A sigh comes from in front of her, and Ningguang raises her head to Keqing. She hasn’t allowed herself to truly appreciate her before, but now, with the little light that comes up from the streets, and the warm lights of the xiao lanterns before her, with the both of them alone and in the intimacy the Chamber’s placement offers them, she looks like an angel. Surrounded by a sea of lights, as dark as she’s glowing, Keqing is like a star… Her star, the one that guides her in the darkest nights.
Keqing has always been a sparkly thing, sly and smart as a whip; honest and efficient. A very methodical and hard-working person…, although maybe a bit too much. Ningguang can’t stop herself from remembering the past weeks, and the way that even Ganyu, notorious over-worker, expressed her concern for the Yuheng for not having taken a break in days, always working ahead, further and beyond what anyone really expected.
She wants to be closer, desperately. Wants Keqing to tell her about her day, about her last fortnight work, wants to be told all of her dreams and ambitions for her city and her nation, wants to be a witness to the Yuheng’s passion, her perceived responsibility for all that surrounds them. But she also wants to share all of herself with her, let the other one see her for who she is, more than just the Tianquan, and more than just a coworker.
Before the festival preparations started, after the Jade Chamber fell, and during the planning and reconstructing of the Jade Chamber, Keqing and her had been getting closer, turning into friends, or acquaintances, past the initial rivalries due to their respective positions and beliefs. With the fall of the Chamber, and a consequently vulnerable-r Ningguang, Keqing started to truly empathize and understand her. Now, all seems lost again; these past few weeks they haven’t as much as breathed a word in the other’s direction, and Ningguang doesn’t know how to approach her at all.
But with such a beautiful scene in front of her, she can’t help but want to capture it. It comes from within, a desire to engrave the essence of this very moment in a picture and keep it for herself. She can’t stop thinking about it.
With silent hands she disappears her pipe, hiding it away in the void where she keeps her dear catalyst and her usual attire, and brings out her Kamera. It is a magnificent thing, a present from one of the shezhnaian ambassadors from a trip to Fontaine. Although it is a rare and expensive item, hard to find, she has barely ever used it. She took one picture of her, the Traveler, and Paimon (due to the latter’s insistence), and she keeps a couple of them in her Chamber, one of Beidou and one of her harbor children. It seems like, tonight, she’ll be adding another one to her collection: a picture of a star, surrounded by her siblings.
Ningguang’s mouth feels dry, and her heart seems to want to beat out of her chest. She holds her breath and points the Kamera in front of her. Through the viewfinder she can see her companion, watching the skies on her tiptoes, keeping her hands behind her. She prays that the photo will be focused, and presses the little button which will allow her to create a replica of this scene.
Surprised by the noise, barely seconds after taking it, Keqing turns. “Did you just take a picture of me?” She’s watching her now, and Ningguang doesn’t know how to answer that. “Can I see it?”. With almost silent footsteps she’s by her side, and they both watch the picture that came out of the Kamera. Ningguang can’t help herself but to comment. “You look beautiful”, she says, sighing, and Keqing blushes up to her ears. Suddenly shy, she looks away.
“I’m sorry”, Keqing starts, watching the floor. “I haven’t been paying attention to you these last few days… I know I’m a bad friend”.
“I think I should be the one to say sorry, if anybody. I just took a picture of you without your consent. I guess I wanted something to remember this moment by…” Damn, trying to confess is so difficult! “It’s true that I was hurt when you stopped speaking to me so suddenly, but… I guess I just had very high hopes, is all”.
Keqing is watching her, in silence. Her gaze seems as though it could penetrate her soul and even further within. “What do you mean by that?”, she asks. Ningguang can’t bear to answer though, “No, no, it’s… It’s nothing, it doesn’t matter”. Of course, evasion is always the answer. “No, Ning. What did you mean by that? I don’t know what you’re talking about, please explain yourself…”
(there comes a point, sometimes, where one has spoken too much. then, the only thing you can really do is to keep going).
“I just had some very high expectations in our relationship… I-I like you, Keqing.” Ningguang looks at her for a moment, but her gaze quickly comes back down to the picture. “I wanna be with you. And… I thought you felt the same, but then you started ignoring me and I thought that maybe our relationship wasn’t as important to you as it was to me”.
She starts walking, to the edge of the platform, and stops there, hugging herself. Her Kamera still hangs in one of her hands. She feels shy, and exposed. Much too vulnerable to be around people.
“Ningguang… I didn’t know you felt that way towards me”, is the shy answer that comes from Keqing. “Well, it doesn’t matter what I feel. I just wanted to say it and stop holding it in, so we can move on past it. I know you don’t like me…”. There’s a short silence, broken by Keqing’s voice, “Well, I didn’t say t-that”.
Ningguang’s head turns around as she feels Keqing gently lay down her head to her exposed back. One of the girl’s hands now surrounds her waist.
“We didn’t really know each other, and I never told you, but I liked you, from before I started working as the Yuheng…”. It’s all silent now. “I would like-no, love, to be with you, Ningguang”.
And, as if it were magic, Ningguang feels a door opening right in front of her. One that leads to a path full of life, hope and… endless possibilities.