𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗔 𝗚𝗢 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 ✦ 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 [OLD]
𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴
"So now that we've got the flowers, how do we make the perfume?" Paimon asked after y/n had paid Bolai half price before being dragged away by Aether.
"Ideally, with the help of an expert. Unfortunately, none of my acquaintances have personal experience in the art of decoction..." Zhongli murmured then glanced at y/n, "Though y/n has mentioned she used to work at a perfume shop..."
"I only know a little about perfume-making. I've only learned by watching so my skills are mediocre." y/n said with an apologetic smile.
"Talk about first-world problems..." Paimon sighed heavily, disappointed.
"Hence, I need you to help by asking around in the city." Zhongli told them, "Try the common folk, especially women."
"So this time we get to go around town looking for nice-smelling ladies to talk to?" Paimon gasped, "Paimon likes this job!"
"I will wait for you near the Statue of The Seven. Meet me there when the perfume is ready-" Zhongli began to say but y/n was already sprinting away.
"Y/n! Where are you going?" Aether shouted after her as she ran.
"I'm gonna go find nice-smelling women to talk to, obviously!" y/n shouted back, clearly delighted.
"Well. Y/n seems to know what to do. C'mon! Let's follow her!" Paimon exclaimed.
Y/n got to Lan first, e/c eyes bright, "Hey there Lan, you smell wonderful today!"
"Oh!" Lan seemed surprised by the sudden compliment but smiled, "Thank you, y/n! You smell quite nice yourself."
Y/n was practically glowing, so happy that her brains decided to forget hiw speaking worked..
"Hey, uh, do you know how to make perfume?" Aether asked for y/n since the girl clearly wasn't going to be able to form a proper sentence.
"Do I look like the kind of girl who wears perfume to you?" Lan asked, "I think you're underestimating the kind of person I am..."
"Well, Paimon thinks you smell amazing!" Paimon chirped, "So come on Lan, what's your secret?"
"Oh, it must be from the Qingxin flowers I picked on the way back. I forgot I still had them with me..." Lan laughed, almost embarrassed.
"Aha! The truth is out, Lan's got a soft spot for wildflowers!" Paimond declared.
"Ahh... No, they were for medicinal use only." Lan told them with a shake of her head, "Anyway, this is a pointless conversation. If you want to know about perfume, try talking to Qiming."
Y/n snapped out of her daze, "The fortune teller, right? Got it! Thanks!"
She sprinted away before Aether or Paimon could react, already halfway around the corner when they realized she was gone.
"Just how fast is she?" Aether wondered aloud before hurrying after her.
By the time she actually found her, she was getting ready to go elsewhere.
She waved to Aether and Paimon when she spotted them, "Hey! Let's go to Scent of Spring! Qiming suggested that we go to Ying'er if we wanna learn something about perfume!"
"Wow! You sure are speedy, y/n!" Paimon commented and y/n beamed.
"Thanks I guess?"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Damn, okay-" y/n huffed then turned away, waving a hand, "Come on, we don't have all day. We should get this over with."
The trio made their way to THAT WRETCHED PLACE WITH THAT WITCH-
ahem
I mean Scent of Spring.
Y/n was immediately wary of the woman there. She was pretty, yes, but there was something off about her...
"Well hello... you found me at last. I've been waiting for you." the woman greeted and y/n suddenly realized why she'd been so wary.
"What? How did you know we were coming?" Paimon demanded, eyes narrowed.
"Oh, I heard a rumor about a couple who were snooping around town looking for a sweet-smelling lady..." Ying'er hummed with a smirk, "Actually, I was starting to worry you wouldn't find me. This is the ultimate test of my appeal, after all..."
"H-Hold on now, you've got the wrong idea-" y/n wheezed, "And how come you're saying we were snooping?"
Look, y/n likes women but this woman was an entirely different breed-
Scary af.
Ying'er sighed, a sound that didn't sit well with y/n, "What can I say? People love to talk... maybe you ought to be more discreet in the future if you don't want word to get around."
Aether looked confused at first but when he spotted the flustered look on y/n's face he seemed to understand.
His face went red and the only thing he could do to keep himself from turning away was to hide behind y/n.
"Relax... I know what you're here for. You want to get your hands on my homemade perfume, don't you?" the woman laughed, "What kind would you like? A bespoke triple-silk-flower variety..."
"Whichever one you're wearing." y/n blurted out and both Aether and Paimon gave her horrified looks.
"Heh... I'm not wearing any, darling." the woman purred, "Could it be that you've been bewitched by my natural scent? If so, I'm afraid it's one of a kind..."
"Wait, no-" y/n began to say, in a panic, "That's not what I meant, damn it-"
"Whatever this is, you need to snap out of it right now!" Paimon snapped and pulled on y/n's ear, "Aether, hand her the Silk Flowers!"
"OW, OW, STOP IT, THAT HURTS...!" y/n cried as the angry Paimon kept pulling on her ear while scolding her.
"Three in one go... my goodness." Ying'er exclaimed as y/n curled up on the ground and sobbed while Paimon glared daggers at her, "You have extreme tastes for someone your age. Maybe the rumors I heard were true after all. You're on the prowl and need some sweet-smelling ammunition, is that it?"
"Huh...!?" Aether demanded then looked around in a panic before grabbing y/n and hugging her with an awkward smile, "It's for, uhm, y/n here!"
"WHAT!?" Both y/n and Paimon demanded, one shocked and the other confused asf.
Under normal circumstances, y/n would be delighted. She still hadn't forgiven Aether for "endangering" her several times two days before.
"Oh my~" Ying'er said as y/n gave Aether a confused and helpless look which was ignored, "You two must be close then!"
"Super close/No, not at all!" Aether and y/n said in unison while Paimon sighed.
"I must say, you two are rather cute together!" Ying'er exclaimed with a smile as y/n's braincells struggled to process the situation, "Alright then, I'll help you out. You, with the gorgeous h/c hair."
"M-Me!? Gorgeous!?" y/n squeaked, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment.
"Yes you, dear. Stay here while I help your little friend with the perfume." Ying'er told her then winked, "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for you!"
Y/n was stunned as Aether reluctantly wandered after Ying'er, Paimon following.
'WTF JUST HAPPENED...!???'
('◉⌓◉')
"Again, y/n? Seriously?"
The boy sighed, shaking his head at his friend as she sniffled and rubbed her eyes.
There was a mark on her cheek where she'd been slapped by some drunkard who had nothing better to do than to harm a child.
Ayumu waved a hand, signaling for his friend to sit down and she obeyed, plopping down on the floor and pulling her knees close to her chest as she tried to hold back tears.
She could feel a pair of turquoise eyes on her and sat up a bit taller, not wanting the little girl to worry about her.
When she spotted Kaori, the child's cherry blossom colored hair tied back into a little bun, she tried to smile.
The little girl smiled back before hurrying away, in search of something.
Ayumu returned with a cloth and sat in front of y/n, wiping dirt from her face and pressing the cold fabric against the spot where y/n had been hit.
"Tell me who did it." he said simply. Y/n hummed quietly, a doubtful look on her face, and she jolted in surprise when the room suddenly got very... cold.
She glanced at Ayumu, and he was staring at her unblinkingly. His gaze was just blank, but she could see a fire blazing behind his turquoise eyes.
"Tell me. I'll burn down their house."
"N-No, don't do that!" y/n cried, "It's not that big of a deal! Besides, we just managed to get our own place! We can't risk getting in trouble!"
Ayumu pouted, "Hmph. Goodie-two-shoes..."
"H-Hey!"
The boy flicked y/n on the forehead, "Fine then. But if you don't want me committing arson, you should stop being such a crybaby. I can't stand seeing you cry."
Y/n nodded, "O-Okay! I'll try my best!"
Ayumu shook his head as his sister entered the room again and offered y/n some tempura.
"Here!" she exclaimed, "Food!"
Y/n smiled awkwardly, "Thanks Kaori..."
"Y'know, if you ever get married and your partner hits you, you can always come to me for help!" Ayumu was saying as y/n was eating, looking elsewhere, "Or if anyone hits you... I'll beat em up for you!"
Y/n laughed, "Okay, I'll be sure to tell you then. Thank you, Ayumu."
The boy blinked, regarding y/n carefully before he got veryyyy close. Y/n began to sweat profusely.
"I mean it. Tell me."
"O-Okay... I will." 'I don't think I want to...'
"Man, if he was here he would've punched Aether..." y/n realized as she sat alone, staring at the sky.
She'd been waiting for Paimon and Aether for a while now but she understood that making perfume took time.
She was still a little puzzled as to why Aether had just hugged her out of nowhere but figured she'd ask him later.
"Hah... Ayumu would've kicked his 🍑 for that one..." y/n chuckled, imagining her friend's angry yelling while a confused but still excited Kaori cheered him on.
"Y/nnnn, we're back!" Paimon shouted as her and Aether approached the h/c haired walking train wreck, "And we've got the perfume!"
Aether was silently begging y/n not to mention what happened earlier and almost collapsed from relief after y/n nodded.
"Good, let's go find Zhongli then." y/n announced, getting up from her spot.
They zoomed on over to a Statue of the Seven but before they could proceed, y/n held out a hand in front of Aether to stop him.
He already knew what was coming.
"...Aether."
'Damn it.' "Yes?"
Y/n turned her head to give him a look, her eyes holding no sign of, well, anything.
"What the hell was that about?"
Aether smiled nervously, "What was what about, you have to be more specific..."
Y/n narrowed her eyes at him, "Hm..."
Paimon was watching the two, curious as to what would happen next.
"Couldn't you just have told the lady that we were offering the perfume to Rex Lapis?" y/n asked, "Rather than hugging me out of nowhere and causing a huge misunderstanding?"
"Oh, my bad. I just panicked..." Aether apologized sheepishly and y/n sighed.
"It's fine. Just don't do it again." she murmured, pursing her lips, "We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."
At least it was only Ying'er.
Right???
Haha, she's gonna tell everybody. Look out, Aether. You've got a lot of simps who are gonna be out for blood once they hear about this.
They wandered over to Zhongli who was staring at the Statue. Y/n frowned, questions swirling in her brain but shooed them away.
"Zhongli! We've brought the perfumes!" y/n announced cheerfully.
"Did we take too long? You were just staring up at the statue..." Paimon chimed in, curious.
Zhongli glanced at them before turning to face them, "You're back. Don't worry, I haven't waited long. Compared to the watch that Rex Lapis' statues have kept over Liyue, this was but a brief moment."
"Haha, well, how can a person compete with a statue?" Paimon laughed.
"They'd have to be as old, if not older than said statue." y/n said with a shrug.
"That is true." Zhongli chuckled.
"We've got all three perfumes you asked us to get." y/n informed the man, gesturing to Aether who was holding the three bottles that emitted pleasant fragrances.
"Thank you all. Let us offer them up." Zhongli said as y/n nodded to Aether.
"This is the first kind of perfume. Golden House Maiden." Paimon began, "Ms. Ying'er said that it's sweet as a dream, and it's liked by younger ladies."
Aether offered the perfume but nothing happened so they proceeded on to the next.
"This is the second kind, Valley Weaver! It's got an elegant smell, and the daughters of high society love it!" Paimon continued.
Nothing for the second.
"The third kind, Fate's Yearning, has a gentle but lingering fragrance, something like the dusk mist, and it's a favorite of mature ladies." Paimon finished.
"Smells nice..." y/n murmured, a smile managing to shine through.
Not even a second later, the damn statue glowed and nearly gave y/n a heartattack.
"Oh... what was that? Looks like Rex Lapis really likes this one. I guess the final answer is number three." Paimon decided, "That's the one older ladies like, right?"
Aether nodded, "I think it is."
"Does that mean that Rex Lapis is actually an older lady?" Paimon asked.
"Perhaps, perhaps." Zhongli chuckled, "Rex Lapis has taken on countless forms. Perhaps that really was one of them."
"And you, y/n. You said you liked it too!" Aether pointed out then squinted, "Are you actually older than you look?"
Y/n deadpanned, "Are you calling me old? I don't even look that old!" Aether yelped when y/n grabbed him by the front of his clothing and shook him violently, "Aether you little 💩, I haven't even hit thirty yet! Twenty is not old, you little turd, get it in your thick empty skull!!!"
"Okay, okay, you're not old!"
"What a shame, we only got to see the giant dragon form, and..." Paimon cut off with a sigh as y/n stopped shaking Aether, "Let's hope the Qixing can catch the real killer."
Y/n sighed heavily. As much as she felt iffy about archons, she couldn't ignore how safe she felt during the time period before the disastrous Rite of Descension.
As soon as that dragon fell from the sky, it didn't just crush the table with the offerings. It crushed her hope for a safe place to live with Kaori, Ayumu and Gramps. It destroyed the feeling of belonging.
Now that she thought about it, she had indeed been rather jumpy and easy to startle ever since the death of Rex Lapis.
'Good grief...' y/n thought wearily.
Perhaps she would pay a visit to Guyun Forest a but sooner. She needed to voice her thoughts a little and the Harbor would not be the best place to do so.
"We can leave that to the authorities. Let us focus on the fond farewell for Rex Lapis." Zhongli was saying when y/n's attention returned to the conversation.
"So, we've finished another step in our preparations. What's next?" Paimon asked.
"Next, I would like the two of you to help me borrow the Cleansing Bell." Zhongli informed them and y/n tilted her head.
Cleansing Bell? Even that one was new to her.
She'd never heard of it before.
"Cleansing Bell?" Paimon echoed.
"At present, a friend of mine named Madame Ping is the guardian of the Cleansing Bell. She lives near Yujing Terrace." Zhongli explained, "If you ask her, she will know what to do."
Y/n blinked, realizing something, "Are you not coming with us, Zhongli?"
"Ah, I have certain reasons why I cannot be there in person."
Y/n could hear a little something something in his voice but couldn't quite tell exactly what it was.
No use dwelling on it though.
"Man, why's he got to be so secretive this time?" Paimon huffed, pouting.
"Meh, let's just go get the bell." Aether said with a shrug and looked at y/n, "Do you know this person Zhongli was talking about?"
Y/n looked thoughtful, "I do believe I've spoken to her before... yes. I can take you to her."
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