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There was once the spirit of the moon, and the spirit of the sea.
As all stories went, they loved each other dearly. But the moon rose and fell with her brother, the sun, as was the natural order of the world.
They could never be together. Not forever. But even as the moon waned and waxed, and the sun rose and fell, they found ways to be with each other. The year was young, and the nights were long - long enough so that they felt inseparable.
It was enough to pretend, for a while.
~
She saw the girl in crimson when she was four.
Four, or five - it did not matter at the time. The seemingly omnipotent Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing had been but a poor girl on the shores of Yaoguang Shoal, barefooted and selling wares.
More specifically, conches.
She had no memory of her first family. As far as she was concerned, she had been born, raised, then abandoned once she was too expensive to maintain. All that she’d had was a single conch shell and a name.
At least, that last statement was half true. She remembered only that her mother used to call her xiao guang - from there, Ningguang seemed like a good option for a name.
Condensed light.
Little light.
Sometimes Ningguang misses that nickname.
But like many other things she wishes she had - shoes, a comfortable bed, even just a chunk of meat and a bag of flour to make some simple mora meat - there are some things she must forgo in order to survive - to live to see another day, to witness the sunrise spill over the waters and see the pink, purple and blue.
Just like this little girl in crimson, paddling around in shores that Ningguang has already claimed for herself.
(She cannot lose these wares, not now, not forever - this is her only source of income, the only way she can possibly climb her way through and make a difference, become prosperous, and these shells are hers to sell. Never others’.)
“Excuse me.” Ningguang decides to try a more civil approach. The book she’d traded two angel wings and a paper fig for was invaluable in many aspects, and quite notably mentioned that if you wanted to make business or strike a deal, you must be calm and confident in your speech. “You’re on my land.”
Internally, Ningguang winces. Probably too straightforward. She’ll have to study the book further - or she can trade some of her rarer conches for more books.
That’s a problem for later, though. At this point in time, the girl in front of her is paddling in her territory, picking up shells that Ningguang will have no choice but to sell and collecting them like they’re grains of sand, and she is laughing.
Ningguang’s face heats up. She may be poor, but she has her pride.
“These lands aren’t yours. ” The girl in crimson declares, and Ningguang knows she’s right - but never has another Liyuean taken from her, as pitiful as she is. “You don’t own it by- by-” The girl frowns, trying to sound out a word she does not yet know.
“By contract, ” Ningguang puts in, relishing in the feeling of superiority as she speaks an advanced word, “I do not own this land. But I was here first.” She says petulantly.
Yeah, she could work on her negotiation skills.
“Well, I was here first this morning. Therefore, this is my land for the day.” The other girl says triumphantly, arms full of starconches and short black hair waving in the wind behind her.
Ningguang resists the urge to roll her eyes. “That’s not how it works.”
“It is.” The other one grins.
“It is not. I need to sell those.” Ningguang points to the armful of shells that the other girl has gathered.
The girl in crimson looks surprised. “Oh, these? You can have these, I don’t need them.” She sets them down on the sand, carefully, like they’re delicate gems worth a million mora each.
How she wishes that they could be. Ningguang thinks.
“I was just admiring them, really.” The barefooted girl says. “If you want them, you can take them.”
“ Beidou! ”
“Coming!” The other girl yells back, then looks back at Ningguang with something like… disappointment? Nervousness? “Mother needs me back. Will you… will you still be here?”
“...Not like I have anywhere else to go.” Ningguang shrugs.
Something in the other girl’s face lights up. “Good!” She turns and runs, waving a hand in the air. “See you around!”
Ningguang does nothing but watch in bewilderment as the other girl sprints away, over a hill and back… home, presumably.
With nothing else to do, she collects the shells left behind and prepares for another day of grueling selling and a little bit of haggling.
At night, though, she sounds out the name on her lips.
Beidou.
When she looks up at the stars that night, the North Dipper seems to shine brighter than ever.
~
“Have you ever been to the harbour?” Beidou asks one day.
It’s been a while, but they’ve met together several times since their initial meeting. They’ve talked - not too much, but not nearly enough to be only called acquaintances. Friends, at the very least - that’s what they were.
Ningguang hesitates. “Yes, I have.” She finally admits. “Only to sell. I have never eaten at Wanmin, or haggled with the fishermen, or visited… Yujing Terrace.”
Beidou runs a hand through her hair. “But you’ve seen the streets, right?”
“Never during festivities.” Ningguang says with a touch of sorrow. “The Lantern Rite and Moonchase festivals are no place for a beggar like me.”
Beidou flicks her on the forehead. “You’re being stupid.”
“That was not self-deprecating, Beidou.” Ningguang says dryly. She is already beginning to speak like an adult - at the mere age of eight, already starting to master trade and the intricacies of the harbour of commerce. “But the people of Liyue are tricksters. They can ruin your life easily - like a snap of a finger.” Her fingers come together in a snap to demonstrate. “Best to stay hidden and draw no ire.”
Beidou pouts. “You’re no fun.” She slumps. “I’ve been to the harbour once during the lantern rite. It was really pretty.”
From where she’d been sorting her conches by value and rarity, she pauses. “Oh?”
“Yeah, it was, like…” the girl of the ocean (because she had never been able to stay away from the sea, never, not even from the start) gestures wildly, her hands coming to form incomprehensible shapes to describe what words cannot. “...pretty.” Beidou finishes lamely. “I don’t know. It’s so hard to describe.”
Ningguang chuckles, sorting once again through her precious wares. “I’m sure I’ll see it one day.” She assures her friend. “I have plans, after all.”
“ Ambitious, are we?” Beidou smirks.
Ningguang hits her.
“Hey!” the black-haired girl yelps, and Ningguang laughs as she is chased around - she feels like a child here on the sandy beaches, running to avoid her first (her only) friend, playing like someone of her age would.
It’s… nice.
~
When Ningguang is twelve, she walks home slowly with a battered and bruised body, her wares stolen and the heavy expectation of a day with no food on her shoulders.
Of course, she’d always known that it would be dangerous. Traveling alone, in the forest and roads between Yaoguang and Liyue Harbor, where there are only a few millileth guarding the ancient and ruined plains that once held a civilization. She’s just lucky that the treasure hoarders that caught her had enough compassion to let her go alive.
Bitterly, she thinks that maybe there isn’t any point to hope for something better. The incident has set her back at least a few months, slow but painfully accumulated wealth stolen. For all she knows, she’s back at square one.
Even the shoes that she bought have been taken from her. The dirt and rocks cut into her feet as she makes the slow hike back to her little shack, weathered and dirty.
“Can I be of any help?”
The deep voice startles her out of her thoughts and she raises her red eyes up to meet the hauntingly amber ones of a well-dressed and tall man, standing in front of her. His face seems both timeless and aged, and there is a kind of power radiating from him - as if he is unafraid of any and all mortal woes, above humans themselves.
Ningguang swallows and bows her head. Out of all the days, why today? “This lowly one is unworthy of your attention.” She says, and hopes that the man’s arrogance will be enough for him to leave her alone.
Surprisingly, the man’s tone softens. “Of course you are. The welfare of every citizen of Liyue is my priority.”
“This lowly one is merely a beggar with not a single mora to her name.” Ningguang replies evenly, and she is proud of herself for not letting bitter poison seep into her words, her tone neutral and calm.
To her surprise yet again, he bends down - stoops down - to her eye level and cups her cheek tenderly. “That does not make you less of a person,” he whispers, tone gentle and kind.
“To others, it does seem that way.” The girl replies, and she knows that this is not the most courteous response, not the one that would help his image of her - but she is twelve, and she just wants to be a child for once, one that can fly kites and light fireworks and play in the open waters instead of walking, day by day, across an unforgiving plain of marshes and dead glaze lilies, and something in her breaks at the admission.
Dimly, she realizes that she is crying.
The man in front of her wipes her tears. Something in those amber eyes flashes - anger? Has she gone too far?
But the anger does not seem to be directed at her when he says, “They are wrong,” with the firmest conviction that she has ever heard, “and they will pay for it. Liyue is a harbour of trade and commerce, not dehumanization.”
He pauses. “Do you have parents, child?”
“No,” she admits.
He nods, as if she were merely confirming his suspicions. “What is your name?”
Here, she hesitates. She is young, but she knows enough - knows that often, names have power, and giving one’s identity is the same as making yourself known - the very thing she cannot afford at this point in time.
“This one’s name is Ningguang.” She says anyway.
“That is a lovely name.”
“...” She stays silent, casting her eyes downward again.
The man lets out a breath akin to a sigh.
“Do you know the story of the adepti, Ningguang?”
This one piques her interest. She has bought many books over the years, her shack now a small treasure trove of buried pages of parchment and ink, and this one she is intimately familiar with. “This one knows.”
His lips curl into a soft smile. “The tale goes that there was once a lady dressed in robes of blue, her billowing sleeves waving in the wind whenever it blew in her direction.” There is a note of fondness in his voice as he continues. “They say that she was the brightest of all gods who first founded the Guili Assembly - the brains to Rex Lapis’ brawns. She taught the people many things - four commandments, inscribed upon four jade plates, and helped her people prosper. It was even said-” here he chuckles, “-that she left Rex Lapis a final challenge.”
Now this one, Ningguang has never heard. She raises her head up and listens intently.
“Despite the power gap between the two gods, she managed to befriend the then-insensitive dragon, and taught him many things - among them, wisdom, virtue, and perhaps most importantly, compassion.” The man - is he truly mortal? - in front of her takes her hand in his, a mere touch washing away the pain and aches in her body. “It is, perhaps, why he is so beloved among Liyue’s people, after all.”
Ningguang blinks, and then the man in front of her is gone. There is nothing in front of her, nothing to indicate that he was ever there at all - but there are echoes of a melody floating in the wind, faded bruises and closed cuts all over her small body, and glaze lilies - blooming for the first time in the seven years that Ningguang has traveled through the marsh.
She stares in wonder at the flowers around her, and resists the urge to pick them.
~
When Ningguang arrives home, there is a steaming pot of bamboo shoot soup on her doorstep.
She does not question a blessing from the adepti.
~
But the year had to progress in some way, and as spring covered the land and melted the fresh snow, green peeking out under a blanket of white, the sun regretfully informed his sister, “I must help this transition. We have a responsibility to help these mortals, and they wish no more for long nights of moonlight.”
Both the moon and the sea had to concede, for the sun was right - but the transition would be gradual and slow, slow enough so that they could still. They could still pretend for a while.
Maybe.
Even though their nights got shorter and their hours stolen away, they pushed the thought to another day.
~
Ningguang is fifteen and extremely worried.
Beidou has always shown up, even though her responsibilities are starting to pile up and they are starting to spend more time away from each other - unlike their childish days, when they had nothing to do but survive and play.
She had looked a little bit unwell yesterday, but she’d assured Ningguang that she would be fine before departing and going to catch more fish for her family… surely it was alright? Surely there was nothing that Ningguang had to worry about?
The same worries still get the better of her, and she runs in the direction she has seen Beidou run in for the past ten ( ten ) years, just over the hill and into the valley.
Beidou is sick.
She hurries to introduce herself as Ningguang, Beidou’s friend, asking around and begging, trading shells for information (she will have to take away from her Qixing application funds but it is a small price to pay, anyone but Beidou- ) and when she finally arrives in front of her house, ushered in by a worried mother, she sees Beidou pale and shaking from fever.
Sometimes, she wishes that she had traded the books of stories for books of practicality. Craft. Adventuring. Medicine.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” She asks in a raspy voice.
Beidou’s mother twists her hands, clearly wanting to say something but unable to bring herself to say it.
“Beidou has done much for me. Kept me company for all the years I have built up and prepared for my endeavors. This is the least I can do for her.” Ningguang stresses, and she finds that she means it.
The woman in front of her bites her lip. “There is a flower. Qingxin. It is useful in bringing down fever, but it is only found in the highest mountaintops…”
Ningguang does not need to hear another word before she is out the door. She had always been able to see the mountaintops of the fabled Qingyun Peak from her spot at Yaoguang Shaol - surely it is not too hard of a trek?
It may be, she thinks fiercely, but Beidou needs something, or she may very well die.
That is the thought that compels her to walk through rain and brave thunderstorms, traveling day and night and stopping only to rest when she feels like she may collapse on her feet. There is no other choice, however - an hour wasted is another hour of Beidou at risk.
The peak looks so very high.
She scales one of the stones in Huaguang forest - climbs for what seems like hours (what may as well be hours) and when she is at the top, she is rewarded… only with two blooming flowers, the petals white and unblemished.
Nonetheless, it should be enough. Surely it is enough.
As she reaches forward to pick it, however --
“Who is the one so bold to trespass upon the abode of the adepti?” A booming voice demands, and Ningguang flinches back.
Shit. she realizes. Huaguang stone forest. Qingyun Peak. Mount Hulao.
She’s dead. She’s well and truly fucked, because there is no getting out of this - she, a mere mortal, has dared to step foot in the abode of divine beings.
A magnificent stag flies down from a higher peak and comes to a stop in front of her. In her fear, she takes one step back, two - but the next one sends stones crumbling down and she is suddenly so very aware of how cornered she is.
There is no running.
Ningguang prostrates herself in front of the adeptus. “This unworthy one did not mean to step foot in your illuminated abode,” she says, voice quivering and tongue heavy with a half-lie. “She wishes only to help her dying friend, and appeals to the illuminated adeptus’ mercy.”
The stag scoffs. “Qingxin, though rarely found in other places, can indeed be picked from mortal mountains or grown in gardens. Do you not know?”
I don’t, she longs to say, but that may just irritate the adeptus further.
He huffs. “No mortal may leave Jueyun Karst alive. You have committed a crime, unknowingly or not. For this, your punishment shall be-”
“At ease, Mountain Shaper.”
The adeptus in front of her pauses, and she hopes, she just so desperately hopes, because she knows that voice, recognizes it, and-
And she dares to lift her head and there he is, the same man that had helped her when she was at her lowest, healing her injuries and feeding her for days after with a meal she could never hope to scrape together on her own, and her suspicions are confirmed - he is an adeptus.
Mountain Shaper bows his head in reverence. “Morax.”
Ningguang’s thoughts screech to a halt.
~
Ningguang returns three days later with a handful of qingxin flowers in her hand and an adeptal remedy for mortal disease, coaxing it into Beidou’s fevered lips and grinding the petals of the flower into a paste.
She does not speak of her encounter with the adepti, though Beidou, once recovered, prods her endlessly for it.
“You have an adeptal affinity - have had one for three years, and you didn’t think to tell me? ” She complains, as if she weren’t on the verge of death mere hours ago. “What am I to you?”
“Someone who clearly does not know how to take care of herself.” Ningguang replies archly, eyeing the tea leaves she has gathered and watching them seep into water. “Besides, I wasn’t sure. I had to be certain.”
Beidou groans. “Always such a stick-in-the-mud. Never change.”
The last two words hold more weight than usual, but Ningguang brushes it aside. They have time, after all.
~
They could only pretend for so long.
The nights are short, their time spent fleeting, and both moon and sea find that absence does not always make the heart grow fonder. Disagreements arise, and when they do, the tides roar and the moon is obscured, storms raging across the lands and frightening many - even the sun, whose day shines light upon the wreckage and damage caused by these ‘natural’ disasters.
When the summer solstice arrives, there is more distance between them than ever - both because of their short time and their anger.
~
Ningguang is sixteen and a rising star within the ranks of the Qixing.
A diamond in the rough. She’d submitted her application - the Qixing have been looking for more secretaries in the wake of the Tianquan’s decline - and they had been extremely skeptical at first. Why would someone allegedly as brilliant as her not have made a name for herself yet?
But the Tianquan meets with everyone, and as soon as she’d laid her eyes on the young and bright lady, it was said that she was overcome with a vision - and she pointed at her and immediately said, “She’s the one.”
There was quite an uproar over that.
So here she is, her position the result of a compromise. The Tianquan is due to retire soon - should Ningguang prove herself worthy in the short time of half a year, she will ascend directly to the position of one of the Qixing.
Silently, Ningguang thanks Morax for every blessing he has sent towards her over the years.
“But this means I won’t be coming back here, probably never again.” Ningguang says, slightly regretful as she picks out more shells, this time collecting solely for the sake of collecting. Banded tulip. Horse conch. Even a lace murex or two.
Beidou shrugs. “I was going to tell you, actually.” She swings a claymore over her shoulder, one that has become a weapon of her choice over the years. “Plannin’ to sail the seas over here. ‘Course, it’ll take me a while to gather up a crew, but-” Beidou grins, and Ningguang can’t find it in her heart to feel disappointed. “-the sea is what calls to me, and I plan on making the most of it. Might break a law or two, of course.”
Ningguang gasps in mock horror. “Oh, whatever shall I do? As a law-abiding citizen- ” Beidou snorts, interrupting her briefly, “-I suppose I may only… turn a blind eye to it.”
Ningguang winks. Beidou gapes.
“And here I thought you were going to turn me in.” Beidou laughs, hearty and loud. “Rising star of the Seven Stars, eh? It would be damaging to your reputation if they heard you were encouraging your friend to engage in dubiously legal activities.”
“Oh, of course, I must gain your trust and allow yourself to cultivate a rather infamous name before I can do anything, for maximum effect.” Ningguang responds, voice laced heavily with sarcasm. “No, Beidou. I’m not going to give up our eleven years of friendship for a simple increase in reputation points.”
Ningguang pauses. Beidou is sniffling.
“Ah.” She is only slightly panicking. Only slightly, she swears. “I did not mean to-”
Beidou throws her arms around Ningguang, wailing. “I didn’t know you thought so highly of me, you emotionally incompetent prick! ”
The future Tianquan awkwardly pats Beidou on the back as she cries into her new robes. She’ll have to get those cleaned later. “It’s… nothing, really. You would do the same for me.”
Beidou sniffs. “I was scared, you know. I thought that you’d leave me behind once we got older.”
“ Never. ” Ningguang swears. She pulls away from her friend to stare into her eyes, willing her to see her sincerity - just this once. Just this once. “You were my only companion when everyone else forsook me. You gave me food and shelter whenever I could not scrape together enough to survive. I may not be a strong believer in the philosophy of repayment, but I do believe in karma.”
“You’re going to make me cry again, you little shit. ” Beidou says, though her voice feels the slightest bit shaky and fragile. “Promise?”
Ningguang does not make promises easily.
“Promise.”
~
But after summer will always come autumn, and just as surely as the leaves will turn yellow and fall from their branches, the moon and sea will always be brought together once again.
It does not matter that they will disagree, because they will always love, and will always, perhaps traitorously, long for the days of winter once again - when the year is old, when the months are cold, and when the night is long enough for them to feel inseparable once again.
~
Dear Ningguang,
I didn’t think you would be the one to start our hopefully long-lasting correspondence, so I thought I’d send you the first letter. If this incompetent bird does actually manage to reach you, please send me a message back. It may not know you, but it definitely knows me.
How’s your position as secretary going? If anyone is making things difficult for you, don’t hesitate to tell me; I’ll beat them up in a heartbeat.
A small warning that I will be engaging in slightly dubious activities in accordance with the laws of the harbor’s seas, though I suppose you wouldn’t expect any less.
Miss you!
Sincerely,
Beidou
~
Dear Beidou,
You were correct in assuming as such, as I did not know what method of communication we would serve ourselves with to stay in touch. The golden pheasant of yours is indeed quite well-trained. I must ask, where did you find such a bird so similar to a phoenix?
Please refrain from physically assaulting any members of the Qixing, especially on my account. Everyone has been treating me well - the Tianquan seems particularly fond of me, though I cannot say I’m certain why. Do not hesitate to reach out to me for supplies of any sort - I may be only starting to accumulate wealth, but now that I am allowed to be a full player in the game that is the market, I am confident that my wealth will rise.
For all intents and purposes, you did not inform me that you may possibly be engaging in illegal activities, and I did not read the line in question. I would urge you to refrain from doing such things, but you are quite far from home and I cannot thus be held accountable, as I am, by all accounts, unable to reach you.
Regards,
Ningguang, Secretary of the Qixing.
~
Dear Ningguang,
Aiyah, you’re so formal in our letters. I even made a face while reading yours! Don’t worry about those ‘last sections’ - I will deny any and all involvement.
Always thinking about business, are we? I caught the pheasant flying from an area west of the harbor itself - Qingxu pool has many treasures, or so I’ve heard.
Recruitment has been slow, but I’ve already found myself a right-hand man - Drake! He’s super reliable, and don’t worry, I’ve already done a background check - though I suppose you’re free to do so if you wish. He’s been a fisher for a while on his own, and we’ve already saved each other’s lives a couple of times. We’re slowly finding more honest and good people to join us.
Any ideas on a name fitting of a fleet?
Indecisively,
Beidou
P.S: If you don’t mind, can I pull in some of those resources?
~
Dear Beidou,
I must ask how you managed to get yourself into life-threatening situations. You put much stress on me, even thousands of kilometres away.
I will be sure to check the area you have mentioned.
As for the name of your fleet, why not the Crux?
Regards,
Ningguang, Secretary of the Qixing
P.S: Would it be possible for you to wait a week or two? I will be ascending to the position of Tianquan within three days, possibly two once you receive this letter. Once I do, all of the Qixing’s resources will be at my disposal.
~
Dear Ningguang,
Now, why didn’t you tell me of your ascension sooner? I wish I could’ve been there for such a momentous occasion - alas, it appears that the ocean must draw us apart. I promise we'll see the lantern rite together soon, though!
Don’t worry about me! You know I’m pretty handy with a claymore, and we rarely see vision holders out on the open seas anyway. Those pirates? Ha, they don’t stand a chance.
The Crux Fleet has been named as such! Thank you for the brilliant name suggestion. It is only a small boat of a crew of two currently, but I’m sure that we’ll get more and more lads on this family of ours!
With joy,
Beidou
P.S: No rush on those resources! We’ll be coming back in a month or so anyway - as long as you have the wood and iron ready, I’ll come along with payment.
~
Dear Beidou,
I do apologize, but the former Tianquan had caught a rather serious illness, and there was a brief succession crisis before Ganyu finally brought up the initial deal. I ascended with no problems, do not worry.
I am glad to hear you are doing well. Please remember to refrain from making reckless and impulse decisions, and do not drive your new boat into storms.
Regards,
Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.
~
Dear Ningguang,
My oh my, wasn’t that encounter quite the conundrum. I could see your eyes calculating - half the merchants were shouting for my arrest, and the other half begged you to spare me, eh? Didn’t know I’d made such an impression on Liyue!
I’ll consider the fine I paid as payment for those resources you got Ganyu to send me - did you know Ganyu is an adeptus? She tries her best to hide it, poor girl, but I think it’s an open secret at this point.
Nonetheless, I thought you handled the situation quite brilliantly! Pretty much everyone was appeased near the end, and we could use that ‘negotiation’ time for a game of chess.
Speaking of chess, how’d you come up with that anyway?
Curiously,
Beidou
~
Dear Beidou,
Thank you for your flattering praises. As for the chess game, it was mostly on a whim - Liyue is a place with an intricate and complicated web of connections, relationships and trade, and I sought to represent that in a game. The game you played with me was actually the tenth set of rules I have come up with. So far, I believe the seventh edition to be the easiest to comprehend, though I do need a few more opinions. Perhaps you would deign me with yours?
[Attached are a set of papers with small print, detailing ten sets of rules in Ningguang’s neat and orderly handwriting.]
In addition, might I inquire about the welfare of your crew?
Regards,
Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.
~
Dear Ningguang,
I will be surprised if anyone can read and understand any of those rules at all! Quite complicated, I must say, but if you need an opinion from me, it’ll be the eighth.
As for my crew, we have a full one already! It’s surprising, how much you can do in a year. The ship is also coming along nicely - should I sail over once it’s done?
With excitement,
Beidou
~
Dear Beidou,
You are welcome anytime. Many thanks for your opinions - Ganyu and Keqing too believe that the eighth edition may be the best choice. Speaking of the latter, however, have I told you that she has risen to the position of Yuheng? It was all quite sudden, much like my own - but we have no complaints, and she does almost as much work as Ganyu does.
Your pheasant is looking quite young. Did you, perhaps, wash it for once?
Regards,
Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.
~
Dear Ningguang,
That pheasant that got sent to you the other day was the original pheasant’s son, please. The original pheasant is now living her days out in the crow’s nest of our ship, pampered and well-fed. Perhaps, too well-fed.
Nonetheless, please pass forward my congratulations to the Yuheng! Anonymously, of course. I’d hate to be the reason behind your fall from grace.
Should I expect a fine when I sail in on Thursday morning?
Wryly,
Beidou
~
Dear Beidou,
Yes, you should expect a fine when you sail in. Your congratulations have been well-received - I suspect that Keqing has her suspicions, but she will not say anything so long as you do not cause too much trouble.
I will see you at the harbor.
Regards,
Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.
~
Dear Beidou,
I have not heard from you in some time. Might I inquire about your welfare?
Regards,
Ningguang, Tianquan of the Qixing.
[This letter was crumpled, likely once the original author realized that she had no way to send it to its intended recipient. Four more letters can be found like this in the office.]
~
Dear Ningguang,
I’m so sorry for worrying you! We went and decided to go kill Haishan, and our dear little pheasant was unable to escape the storm that we stirred up for a couple of days. Don’t worry, no one’s dead! Besides, I now have a title, just like you - even a vision! Can you believe it?
Sorry once again for the months of radio silence! I didn’t want to worry you by sending out a message before I went on my trip. Nonetheless, I have attached a little something I thought you’d like. Maybe to sell? ;)
Cheekily,
Beidou
~
Dear Beidou,
Even you admit your cheek. Haishan? Seriously? Did you have a death wish?
Nonetheless, I am glad that you conquered the sea monster. I have heard all about you around the harbor - Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean.
Did you know that the vision you sent me happened to light up? I was quite disgruntled at the lack of profit.
Regards,
Ningguang
~
Dear Ningguang,
The fact that your first thought was loss of profit and not blessing of the gods when the vision lit up speaks volumes, I think. And yes, I have heard all about myself around the docks! Seems like I’m starting to match your fame.
Speaking of your fame - since when did you have a floating palace in the sky?
With confusion,
Beidou
~
Dear Beidou,
The “floating palace” in question is my Jade Chamber. It is a small room for now, but I will hire more and more individuals to expand it. It is quite the show of my wealth, and I revel in it.
Nonetheless, I have heard quite a few rumours about unrest in Inazuma. Please be careful whenever treading its waters from now on.
Sincerely,
Ningguang
~
Dear Ningguang,
Inazuma has closed its borders. I am now harboring a fugitive.
~
Dear Beidou,
What.
~
Dear Ningguang,
Don’t worry, he’s a good kid. Running from the vision hunt decree and all - please don’t turn us in? Please? He lost a friend already and clutches his dead vision like a lifeline - I really don’t want to take more from him.
~
Dear Beidou,
Of course I won’t. What do you take me for?
~
Dear Ningguang,
Thank you so much. Kazuha says thank you as well, and gifts you a bottle of Inazuman wine he has managed to sneak from one of his Resistance friends. If the pheasant has dropped that tiny little bottle please tell, I’ve been waiting to punish the smug little shit of a bird for a while.
~
Dear Beidou,
I extend my thanks to Kazuha. Please refrain from punishing your pheasant, as he did his job with no problems.
The Fatui have stationed themselves in Liyue, and I am currently keeping a close watch on them. I fear that whatever they have done in Inazuma may occur in Liyue soon.
~
Dear Ningguang,
Be careful.
~
Dear Ningguang,
Are you alright?! I heard the news - what happened?
~
Ningguang?
~
Ningguang if you receive this please answer Kazuha can’t get off the ship but I need to know you’re okay
~
Ningguang please
~
Dear Beidou,
Apologies, your pheasant seems to be habituated to flying to my Jade Chamber, which, as I’m sure you know, has been sacrificed in an attempt to seal Osial underneath Guyun Stone Forest once again. Do not worry - there have been no casualties, and the Traveler was of immense help.
Please take care. The Traveler is currently looking for a way into Inazuma. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.
~
Dear Ningguang,
You’ve missed a lot, haven’t you? The Crux Clash has already happened, and we’re already getting ready to go to Inazuma. Though I suppose you were made aware of the… incident… since you sent it out, seeing that you had to “summon me back to talk about regulations” for the umptieth time.
I’ve heard you’re rebuilding the Jade Chamber. Can I suggest a new decor for you to deck your halls with?
~
Attached to that last letter is a starconch.
Ningguang picks it up. It is not the same as the ones that she had picked up at Yaoguang, back when she did not have stacks and stacks of paper surrounding her and when she was clothed in nothing but rags rather than expensive silks and golden nails - but it still brings back memories of a four-year old with windswept and short black hair, cradling an armful of stolen shells and grinning brightly right back at her.
No one else sees it, but she smiles as she picks up her brush to draft another letter, this time making good on that promise to see those lanterns in the sky they once talked about.
~
And so the cycle of the year goes. The nights grow short and then grow long, the years young and the years old. Though the moon and sea are apart for months at a time, the winter solstice will always see them together.
~Fin.~