#rhaerhaewrites

[ladyrhaerhae]

An Accountant’s Nightmare - Zhongli

Synopsis: Being the Wangsheng funeral parlor’s accountant and financial manager wasn’t as difficult as one would think. However, reigning in a certain walking encyclopedia’s spending habits from causing the establishment to go bankrupt is the true challenge in both keeping the parlor afloat AND your soul from ascending to Celestia with the amount of IOUs piling up on your desk. Never mind the wrath of the rock, but heed the wrath of a frustrated financial manager! (and the taxes demanded of from the Liyue’s government.)

Where Zhongli is a shopaholic and possibly in crippling debt, yet somehow it’s your problem.

Genre: SFW - Fluff and comedy.

Word Count: 2,359 words

“Master Zhongli, kindly explain this.”

Pausing midway from sipping his tea, the amber eyed consultant turned to face you as you held what seemed to be a small piece of paper in between your fingers. He placed the cup down on the table, confused as to why he was being disturbed during his allocated break hours, but heeded your request. Zhongli blinked once, scanning the contents of what was scribbled neatly on the piece of paper you were holding in front of him.

“I believe that is payment for the twin Cor Lapis and the jade bracelet I have purchased a few days ago in one of my walks down the harbor.” Zhongli explained, a small smile gracing his lips. “Yes, the quality of both items are superb as the artisans behind the craftmanship took great care in unearthing the Cor Lapis. As for the jade bracelet, the shine of the green ore was fascinating and reflected through its surface when the daylight hit. It would be a shame not to purchase such art.”

As Zhongli continued to speak, you couldn’t help your eyebrow twitch with every flowery word that dripped from his lips.

Crossing your arms, you scowled and tapped your foot impatiently. The man in front of you sensed your displeasure, but having no idea what caused it, he simply tilted his head to the side as he cupped his chin with his thumb and his pointer finger in question.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked in concern.

A sickeningly sweet and insincere smile curled up your lips. Behind you, Hu Tao and the other accountants of the parlor exchanged nervous glances. Well, the accountants looked pale enough with anxiety one could mistake them for nearing their death bed while Hu Tao was jokingly saying how she could prepare some extra caskets for the poor souls foolish enough to evoke your wrath.

“Master Zhongli!” You yelled, slamming your palm on the table loud enough to cause the other workers to flinch. “You spent almost half a million mora for the price of 3 items! It’s absurd!”

Zhongli was unbothered from your wrath, which somehow made you even more irritated. His nonchalance towards the matter certainly did not fan the flames of your temper, nor did hearing the prayers uttered under the breaths of the other workers in the parlor to Rex Lapis with the request of you sparing the poor consultant from his impending doom.

“The quality of the items matched the price it was sold. I’m quite confident that the mora spent for this transaction was of equivalent value to what has been received in exchanged.” Zhongli continued.

“That is not the point!” you said, ready to tear your hair out in frustration.

Upon seeing Zhongli’s clueless expression, you knew that this conversation would go nowhere. Zhongli had made himself a valuable part of Wangsheng Funeral parlor as a consultant. Liyue is an old nation rich with lore and myths, stories of old and traditions that had long been forgotten from the passage of time. His knowledge for the funeral rites of different people and cultures within Liyue has helped the parlor pay the proper respects to the dearly departed and, in turn, has allowed the business to thrive and gain reputation as a respectable establishment. 

Despite his undisputable value and work as a consultant, his spending was a source of your never-ending battles against the financial forces of Liyue. Where Zhongli seems to know traditional rites, historical facts, and even the most forgotten lore about Liyue like the back of his hand, his inept ability to purchase anything lower than 50,000 mora for a single meal and the amount of IOU tabs being sent to the parlor was piling up more than a camp of hilichurls gathered around a precious treasure chest in the middle of nowhere. No matter how many times you have scolded and warned Zhongli not to purchase such expensive items and send the expenses for the parlor to cover, the tabs have yet to cease.

You sigh helplessly. 

“Master Zhongli, I understand your appreciation for grandiose items, but I implore you to at least attempt to live within your means.” you said, voice on the verge of breaking. “You can’t keep walking around as if you can produce mora straight from your own body! Mora is very valuable and I’m sure the Geo archon himself would be astounded with your casual disregard for its importance in our daily lives!”

“Is... that so?” Zhongli said, strangely looking amused by your words. You didn’t let this stop you from your lecture.

“You have your own earnings, do you not?” you said, feeling your temper wane as you saw the consultant thinking carefully. “The economy and citizens of Liyue is still recovering after recent events, so mora is much more valuable now and spending it frivolously without thinking carefully would lead to more problems.”

“I do think carefully before purchasing,” Zhongli protested lightly. “In fact, before I purchase any items, I contemplate on the history and effort behind each and give the appreciation due its work and existence.”

Seeing how the point of your conversation completely flew above his head, you released a short sigh and clasped your hands together in a praying position as your face turned into a neutral and blank expression.

“Oh Rex Lapis, bestow upon me patience and grace.” You muttered to yourself.  “If you grant me strength, there will be a job opening for a consultant by late this evening and an extra filled casket in the parlor.”

(While Zhongli was no longer the Geo archon, he could still hear any prayers mentioning his name. He may not see you as a threat, but there was a brief tingle of nervousness that ran down his spine upon hearing your words.)

Behind you, Hu Tao snickered at how hopeless the situation was. While she did agree with your reaction to the unbelievable expenses being sent their way, she wasn’t particularly bothered. The parlor would never be in danger of bankruptcy, seeing as it is the only funeral parlor in the entirety of Liyue after all. But seeing you so adamantly lecture Zhongli on how even the Geo archon himself would shame him for his spending problem (unaware of how the funeral parlor consultant was the former Geo archon himself) and seeing said consultant look like a scolded child was too amusing to miss.

“I meant for no trouble to come for anybody.” Zhongli said. “However, it seems I have caused such with my actions. So tell me, is there a way to rectify what I have done?”

You huffed and crossed your arms before looking at the amber-eyed man in front of you evenly. Try as you might to stay upset, it was difficult to maintain with how sincere Zhongli spoke. You knew he was always the eccentric individual, but was a kind-hearted and considerate friend to those he held dear. Neither of you two had grown close enough to be considered more than acquaintances, but only a fool would be blind enough not to consider Zhongli a respectable and sincere man.

And perhaps, you were overreacting. The expenses may have been ridiculous, but the items themselves can always be pawned or is in the ownership of the parlor as per contract terms and statements, so really the items Zhongli purchases could also be seen as an investment in its own sense.

For the nth time that hour, you released a sigh.

“We can start by discussing on only purchasing things you actually need or use.” you mumbled, chastising yourself for letting Zhongli off the hook simply because you didn’t want to admit you had a soft spot for him. “In fact, the items you purchased just a few days ago made no sense.  Cor Lapis, jade bracelets, a bouquet of silk flowers, tailored suits- and an order for a pair of flower hairpins, you don’t even use hairpins- What are these even for?”

“A-ah, those purchases are actually-” one of the accountants tried to say behind you, but when you snapped your head towards them and scowled, they quickly shut up and looked away.

“I did indeed purchase those items three days ago from an antique shop and requested for a services to fix my suit.” Zhongli admitted casually. “As for those items, I planned to gift them to someone as a token of my gratitude for their hard work and hopefully ask them to enjoy a calm dinner with me.”

A small burning feeling of jealousy sparked inside of you, but you managed to keep it low enough so as not to let it reflect on your facial expression. Thankfully, your scowl of irritation was easy to mistake as due to Zhongli’s expenses instead of the discreet feelings you harbored for the amber eyed man in front of you.

“Is that so?” you said haughtily as you tried to mask your soured mood. “Well, then perhaps they should shoulder the cost of all these items.”

An amused smile appeared on Zhongli’s lips.

“That would be rather unfortunate for your case, as initially I purchased all these items for you in order to request for your time and spend the evening with you.”

“If this person is as grand and as deserving, maybe they should even shoulder your paycheck-” you continued to mumble bitterly until Zhongli’s words slowly dawned into your head. 

You stared at Zhongli in disbelief. A small but mischievous smile quirked up ono his lips as he watched your face slowly redden at understanding his words.

“M-me?!” you said, unintentionally speaking 3 pitches above your normal voice register. “These- these absurd gifts were for me...?!”

“Yes, well-” Zhongli answered. “I did notice your fondness and hobby for collecting hairpins- especially those with a unique floral arrangement- so I procured a custom made one created from an old flower arrangement dated long before Liyue’s age as a center of commerce, the silk flowers were a part of the bouquet I planned on readying, and the jade bracelet simply caught my eye and I thought would suit you perfectly. I asked a dear friend of mine for pointers on how to ask another on a date.”

Any and all rational thinking quickly evaporated from your being as you were reduced into a flustered mess. Whether Zhongli seemed sheepish or even the least bit bashful of your state, he did not reveal through his facial expressions. Rather, he seemed to enjoy how you had turned redder than the ripest Jueyun Chili and how he was the source of it.

“I’m- I’m thankful-” you sputtered out. “- but it was unnecessary to go through these lengths.”

“Nonsense.” The amber eyed individual said firmly. “While I do believe the value of one cannot be measured easily in its weigh in gold, I could only hope to impress you with what I can afford to provide.���

A small and impressive ‘oooh’ echoed behind you and you almost forgot that you had an audience witnessing everything that was happening. The other coworkers seemed to look at Zhongli in a positive light whereas Hu Tao was simply watching everything unfold, sending a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows as her only indication that she was completely alright and undisturbed by the scene at hand. In an attempt to regain your dignity in front of your coworkers and boss, you cleared your throat and crossed your arms.

“Next time just ask me out normally.” you mumbled with pink still dusting your cheeks.

A deep chuckle was received as a response and you swore your heart did a somersault.

“Understood my dear friend.” Zhongli said as he slowly rose from his seat. “Now that lunch is over, I would be glad to resume my duties to the parlor.”

You nodded and was about to follow behind him until he raised his hand in a motion to stop you. Confused, you raised an eyebrow at him.

“Ah, but since you’re already here, I suppose you can directly receive this invoice instead of having it sent to you. Many thanks again for your hard work.”

You were about to ask Zhongli what invoice he meant until a soft tap on your shoulder caught your attention. As you turned around, a piece of paper was shoved in front of your face and you gingerly took it before giving the waiter who handed it out to you a curious look.

“Here’s the payment for today’s lunch!” The waiter said as they allowed you to pick up the paper from them. 

“Well, Mr. Zhongli, speaking of working on your spending habits!” You said, smiling a bit as you realized you found the perfect opportunity. You were about to call out to the consultant’s name when you realized he was nowhere to be seen nearby, almost as if he was never there in the first place.

Rolling your eyes lightheartedly, you decided to let him off the hook again for this time since he had been thoughtful enough with trying to find a proper way to ask you out on a date. 

‘Maybe this bill won’t be that bad.’ You mused. ‘After all, all he ordered was-’

“One serving of qingce stirfry, two bowls of tianshu meat, three bowls of crystal shrimp, one serving of bamboo shoot, one bowl of adeptus temptation, and two servings of jade parcels. This is excluding the take-out food service of adeptus temptation to be delivered to Wangshu Inn under the name of the Traveler and their flying companion.” The waiter said as they listed off all of Zhongli’s orders continuously.

You stayed quiet.

“Oh, and that would amount to a total of 350,000 mora sent to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s tab!”

A few seconds of tense silence passed before Hu Tao and the other workers started to slowly back away, sensing the quick shift in your demeanor and also seeing how your form visibly started to shake. The waiter, seemingly undisturbed nor fazed, continued to smile happily as they watched you crumple the receipt in your hand and the flames of your wrath surrounded your body.

“ZHONGLI!”

a/n: silly ol’ zhongli ufufu~ also my first genshin fanfic! 

[ladyrhaerhae]

At Peace - Xiao

Synopsis: Maybe it was because he knew it was his final moments or maybe it was the blood loss, but he had no reservation in expressing himself. He allowed his facial expressions to finally show the emotions he normally kept bottled up inside and let a relieved smile appear on his face.

Where you stay by his side as Xiao finally reaches his peace.

Genre: Angst and tragedy. I am so sorry in advance.

Warnings: Character death, mentions of violence

Word Count: 1815 words

He opened his eyes and, for a moment, he felt at peace in his momentary ignorance.

But fleeting was that moment as his body was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of pain. He gasped for breath, yet even that simple action caused the ache to worsen and reverberate all throughout every part of his body. He could feel the tendrils of karma chain around him as he writhed in helpless agony, the prickling sensation tempting him to succumb to his own weakness. Yet he refused, willing himself not to let even a single sound escape his lips as he gathered what little bits of sanity and consciousness from the back of his mind to win over the battle that reigned inside of him.

Just as he felt like he was about to slip - (no, he cannot afford to disappear yet, his duties called to him and the low hum of evil still swept on the lands of Liyue) - a gentle and soft glow appeared in his peripheral vision. Had he more strength left within him, his glowing polearm would’ve appeared and swiftly cut down whomever dared to lay a hand near him. But he was weak, he was fragile; he could do nothing but slowly allow himself to relax as the faint glow of what seemed to be a healing energy encase him.

It was almost like the curses that latched onto his very soul slowly washed away, disappearing into thin air as if it never existed in the first place.

In the haze of his mind, he could make out the faint sounds of hiccupping and sobbing. As the pain slowly vanished, he also realized so was his ability to stay alert and how he felt himself slip from in between the realm of consciousness and unconsciousness.

He tried to open his eyes, which seemed to be a feat that needed more energy than taking care of a horde of ruin guards that he had finished prior to his current situation. Through his blurry perspective, a silhouette of someone he swore was familiar hovered over him.

“Please... please, archons above... just let him have peace...”

Ah, it was you.

Of course it was you. Only you could provide him the refuge and momentary feelings of safety and security through the power only you possessed. Only you would have the audacity to approach him, the mighty and feared yaksha who swore himself to Liyue’s safety and prosperity, then treat him as if some common injured folk on the side. Only you, the only adepti who has never been tainted by the corruption of the darkness throughout the war, who stood consistently by his side, no matter how many millennia passed, always was there right when he would tip over the precipice of sanity and insanity to keep him alive.

He should tell you off. Warn him about the dangers of staying too near to him. Push you away so that you would cease your useless attempts at trying to heal the karma away. Maybe intimidate you enough so you would never even think of setting your untainted self with his bloodied and disgusting soul.

But how could he, when already tears poured like a never ending waterfall down your cheeks, as you continued to beg for whatever deity out there for mercy and strength for his predicament? How could he think of making you suffer more when you choked on your own sobs as your hands shook violently in an attempt to pour whatever power you have left just to see him live?

He couldn’t.

In his mind, he knew that this moment would be his last. Millennia of slaughter and bloodshed would finally overcome him as he could feel his consciousness tether back and forth.

He called out your name and saw how you momentarily paused from your sobs to stare at him in shock. He never called your name, rather it was always the other way- you reaching out for him with your soothing voice for trivial reasons. Like when you called him to assist you in picking Qingxin flowers by the cliffs, or when you called him to escort you around the corners of the Chasm, or when you called him for his companionship during the Lantern Rite.

Each time you called him, he would appear as his contract stated. But each time you requested his presence when not in the context of slaying beasts or vanquishing monsters, he would leave at once. Decades of rejecting your advances had him silently hoping he had pushed you away enough that should the moment come he too must join his fallen siblings in the land of the dead, you would continue to shine and live your life as carefree and as innocent as you deserved.

Yet here both of you were, his head lying on your lap with one hand supporting him and the other hovering over his chest in a futile attempt to soothe the karmic debt that ran rampant with his system.

Again, he called out your name. It felt so foreign on his tongue to say it out loud, but he relished on how right it felt. This snapped you out of your shock and you cupped his cheek gently, pulling him closer to you yet still not halting in your futile attempt at trying to keep him alive.

“It’s alright Xiao, you’ll be-” you hiccupped. “You’ll be alright- Master Zhongli will be here and we’ll get you patched up and-”

“All this time...” he whispered, his voice so low and barely audible you strained yourself to understand. “You never stopped... reaching out for me...”

He trained his golden eyes at you and for once, you felt as if his gaze had captured your very soul and being.

“Why?”

Your lips quivered in disbelief and more tears poured down your cheeks. You leaned down and pressed your cheek against his forehead, pulling him so close in the hopes that you wouldn’t feel yourself breaking apart from the grim reality which was slowly closing in.

“You ask me ‘why’- Xiao, you utter and complete fool!” you said, unaware at how Xiao’s eyes widened at how he could feel your sobs worsen.

“I pushed you away.” Xiao mumbled. “Why are you still here? What have I... what have I done to deserve you here...?”

A wail left your throat and you felt yourself grip him tighter to you. You leaned away just enough so you could stare at his face- the face of the tragic warrior who attempted to close his heart and walls towards the world while simultaneously dedicating himself to protecting it.

“You idiot.” you said as you stared at his face, engraving every feature of his form and committing into the core of your memories so you may never forget him. “You deserve the world- You deserve everything. Your efforts are what allowed Liyue to thrive, your battles are what allowed the mortals to continue living on. And I...”

Xiao waited for you to continue. He willed himself to stay away for a bit more, to hear more, to feel more.

“I would given you the world if I could.” You said, a sad smile appearing on your face. “But I couldn’t, so all I could do was give you myself. Even when you rejected me over and over, I never gave up on you. Why, you may ask... well-”

“It’s because I cherish you.”

Maybe it was because he knew it was his final moments or maybe it was the blood loss, but he had no reservation in expressing himself. He allowed his facial expressions to finally show the emotions he normally kept bottled up inside and let a relieved smile appear on his face.

“... such as I feel for you.” he whispered, reaching out for you weakly. You used your other hand to entwine your fingers together, no longer feeling any ounce of reservations or shame for how affectionate and physically intimate this moment was coming to be.

He felt your grip tighten even more, but no longer felt any sensation of pain. His time was up. He could no longer fight against the ticking of his own end.

“Rest, General Alatus.” you said softly, lips brushing against his cheek. “The war is over. The battle is done. You have served our nation and our Lord well.”

Whenever Xiao would think about how his family met their inevitable end, he silently hoped that should he meet his own, he would choose to disappear quietly and unnoticed, so as not to disturb the life of the nation he had sworn to protect. He fought not for praise or validation, but in exchange for the freedom he had now from his previous tormentor and the cruel monster who had enslaved him against his will from a time he would never mention out loud again.

But with you cradling him so dearly and tightly within your arms, he knew he couldn’t possibly find any other way he would like to depart from this world than in that moment. Even as the remnants of his karmic debt attempted to overtake you as well, a selfish part of him knew that this was at least what he deserved after all he had gone through.

His eyesight was turning blurry and he could feel himself slowly slip away. The soft brush of your lips over his eyelids was the last action he needed before he allowed himself to close his eyes, lips moving one last time before he could let himself completely go.

“... thank... you...”

As you felt his body grow limp and his skin turn cold, the power leftover from the great adeptus’ body started to pool and grow around you. The surrounding area was swept in a violent whirlwind of adeptal energy, a response and sign to how much effort it took for Xiao to control himself and his own powers. Now that his soul was no longer of this world, the raw elemental energy started to violently release itself around you. Tendrils of leftover energy from the fallen adeptus’ whipped at you, scraping against your body and hurdling towards you violently.

Yet you didn’t care about how your life was in danger and instead hugged Xiao close, no longer bothering with trying to defend yourself as finally you felt the Conqueror of Demons reach a place that he never thought he would deserve to dwell in. You could feel your injuries worsen and the angry whispers of the fallen gods Xiao had slayed cause more wreckage and ruin around you, but allowed yourself one final goodbye before intending to depart and follow in pursuit of the one you held dear to your heart.

You closed your eyes and, for a moment, allowed yourself to feel peace in your blissful ignorance.

“Sleep and be at peace, my love.”

a/n: as you can see i am capable of breaking my own heart as well *violently sobs*