Keqing's Talk

Keqing was in her office doing some documents. In these last years she has started to actively participate in Liyue's politics, her title as the Yuheng, no longer being just to decorate.

With just 13 years, she had showed her intelligence and competence, showing her incredible talent that didn't fell lower than the other Qixing. With her dream of changing Liyue's way, she directly started participating in more events, making her name, not her title, known all over Liyue, everyone recognizing her.

It could be said that she was becoming the representative of the Qixing, the face that would be recognized by the people.

Of course it wasn't all by her own strength, she had received a great support from her companions, specially Ninguang, Ganyu and Tianshu who were quite familiar with the work

Tianshu had been her mother's master and he had always treated Keqing's as a granddaughter, helping her and raising her. Ganyu was more than familiar with her thousand of years of experience. And finally, Ninguang was incredibly talented and Keqing consider her as an older sister, always giving her support, she also learned that Ninguang had been helped by her mother when she was very little and was the one that made her start as a merchant, so Ninguang felt a little indebted to her.

All those relationships with her mother would have made angry at Keqing in the past, but after these years and a little help of someone special, she was able to accept it. Her mother was an incredible person and Keqing was very proud of her, even if she had never seen her before. Being compared with her only being a good thing, because in the end, Keqing knew that she was her own persona and in the future she would make to surpass her as well and the gods.

"Keqing are you free?" A voice came from the door.

"Yes, you can pass" Keqing quickly cleaned a little the desk before the door opened, revealing a man in his 60s with white hair and bear "Hello, grandpa Tian"

"Hello, Keqing" Tian smiled at her, before frowning a little "Please don't call me grandpa, it makes me seem old. I still have a long life left."

"Of course, you have, grandpa" Keqing giggled "Sorry. But how did you come, uncle Tian?"

"It's about Inazuma" Tian informed. "A ship had arrived from it just as the storm appeared, so they are bound to have the most exact information."

"Good. I'm quite shocked by the sudden news of Inazuma closing its borders." Keqing nodded "It doesn't affect much my work but Tianxuan as the one in charge of the pier and maritime transport had been quite busy. He would be delighted to know more about it."

"Yes that would be normal, but there's something a little peculiar of that ship" Tianshu explained "That's the reason I'm in charge of it and I wanted to talk with you before you discover for yourself. Allen was inside of it."

"Allen!" Keqing's eyes went wide "Can I see him myself?"

"I don't think that there will be much of a problem after we finish asking him, but Keqing, you shouldn't be so exited, remember everything that happened" Tianshu warned.

"Yes, I know. That day while I passed the time with Allen, the Fatui took advantage to gain control over the market. And even that year, they seemed to have discovered Rex Lapis' policies, making a lot of problems for us." Keqing remembered "But it didn't think that Allen was behind, even if he is from Snezhnaya."

"Keqing, I like that part of you, but you should put so much trust in someone like him" Tianshu warned her "When he had arrived at the pier, he had been specially escorted by Aleksai with an excuse of Allen's health while calling Allen his friend."

"With that guy?!" Keqing said surprised "I learned a little of Allen and I really doubt that he could be friends with such a nasty guy. He would most likely not be reciprocated and would be one of his twisted games. But even so, it would most probably mean that Allen was part of the Fatui."

"Exactly" Tianshu nodded "That's why you should be wary of him. I don't think that your friendship was real, you shouldn't trust him."

"I shouldn't trust him..." Keqing whispered thoughtfully while she remembered that day with him, that young intelligent boy that let himself being guided by her. The hit on the heat, the hood, the lunch together, their discussion and shouts, their fight against the Treasure Hoarders, with Allen risking himself and finally their good bye and their promise to meet again.

Keqing touched the hairpin of the half butterfly and turned over Tianshu "Thanks for your worry uncle Tian. But I still want to meet him and I still want to trust him in his innocence even if he is part of the Fatui, because..." Keqing smiled "I knew it for a long time."

'Even having to fucking make a deal with a demon to live!' Those were Allen's words in their fights 'Yes, I don't think that he lied at that time. Most probably he joined against his thoughts to save her sick sister.' Keqing thought.

"As Ninguang would say, I want to invest in him, giving him my trust because even if I regret in the end, I don't want to lose what I have now. Friends and family, I don't want to doubt them, sorry but I'm not that kind of a merchant."

"Yes, you aren't" Listening to her Tianshu smiled "And please never become one." Tianshu then turned around to leave "I'll quickly finish asking him about Inazuma and prepare some me-"

"Tianshu!" Just as he was about to leave, one assistant entered the office. "Allen had left the Harbor."

"How can it be?" Tianshu asked shocked.

"Aleksei explained that his state had turned critic and that he needed to return to Snezhnaya for his treatment urgently." The assistant informed.

"And Yelan let him leave?!"

"She couldn't act, the patient's situation was really unusual and even one of our doctors couldn't guess what it was so we were forced to let them go." He informed.

"Yelan was sure that it was only a weakened condition and nothing important." Tianshu thought aloud "The most probable is that they had planned it to escape from Liyue, he is clearly hiding something."

"Allen..." Keqing was worried as she held the Promise hairpin. She was quite well aware that this seemed a trick.

'Did you really want to escape and not respected our promise or had really something happened?' Keqing doubts that had been plagued all this time and she thought was about to solve, only became worst.

...

Just as Allen left Aleksei's room, he was blocked by two guards, immobilizing him with a surprise attack as Aleksei approached who took the little bottle from him, forcing the liquid into his eyes

"HAAAAAAAA!" Allen shouted painfully, his eyes birning

"You really had turned naive, Allen" Aleksei left the room, lowering his body and lifting Allen's face.

"Fucker!" Allen shouted in his pain at Aleksei, not really being able to see him.

"I can't force you if that's your decision? What a joke!" Aleksei said coldly "Things would go as I want Allen and you don't have any say in it."

"I could finish you here now and nothing will happen" Allen could feel the feeling of cold metal over his forehead "You are lucky that you have some uses" The cold feeling disappeared and Aleksei's cold voice disappeared "With this pain, I forgive your insolence. So appreciate it. Hahaha!" He laughed.

"I-i'll fucking kill you!" Allen struggled to say as he collapsed on the ground.

"You can try any time that you want, but..." Aleksei turned again cold "once you try be prepared to lose yours. I'm not very merciful, you know. Hahah" He finished laughing as he called some soldier.

"Allen's condition had taken a turn for the worst, his illness had restarted, we'll take him to Snezhnaya with the first ship" Aleksei informed "Make sure that Yelan is aware. Hahaha!"

'Fuck!' Was the last that he could think before losing consciousness.

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