Keqing was overseeing the construction of a new (and very needed) bridge. Ganyu stood next to her, holding a clipboard against her chest, fidgeting with her hair. Keqing couldn't help but stare as Ganyu fidgeted cutely, a worried expression plagued her beautiful features.

Keqing tried to peel her eyes away, she really did, but some strange feeling in her kept her looking. She blamed it on curiosity, even though she knew in the back of her mind she already knew every fidget Ganyu did, every twist of her hair, and every expression on those graceful features.

She didn't know she was helplessly in love because she can't feel much emotion and doesn't understand it anyway, but you readers have probably already guessed this by now. Dense af ngl.

The two Qixing stood in comfortable silence, the bridge crew had taken a break and the girls didn't know what to do. The two of them were tired, running on fifteen cups of coffee, and had sore throats from yelling at construction crew too much.

Ganyu eventually fell asleep standing up, and Keqing decided then that she should probably take the job over alone. Steering a half-conscious Ganyu down Liyue's streets, she set the girl down on a bench near Hu Tao's funeral parlor. Hopefully, Hu Tao or Zhongli would notice the sleeping girl and take her into the building for a nice nap in a comfortable coffin. They'd done it before.

Keqing went back to the site and ordered the ten minute break over, and proceeded to oversee every square inch of the bridge's perfection in detail. She tried to convince herself she wasn't lonely, but she was. She always was once Ganyu was gone.

The next day, Keqing met with Ganyu again. At times, the girls were so busy that they couldn't see each other for months on end, so a rare opportunity as such (this time, Keqing and Ganyu met at a restaurant to discuss future economic conditions and plans to combat them). The two had become very close friends, but the two of them both knew to value work over friendship. Work brings in the future, friendship only enhances such.

That's what they believe, at least. Really they are helplessly in love- cough I mean-

Anyway, since the two are dense and work-focused af, they don't get much time to talk about their relationship. That was what Keqing was determined to get done today. Yes, she has realized she wants to establish a permanent "friendship" (cough). Big step for her, realizing feelings.

So she arranged a meeting with Ganyu. The two were to use the free time they had for bathroom breaks to talk for about ten minutes, and Keqing was somewhat ready to express her desire for human (adeptus)? interaction.

Keqing had begun styling her hair in a specific way to make it look like she had something similar to horns so Ganyu, the only being she'd ever met with horns that was trying to work and fit in with human society, could feel more welcomed.

Today she planned to explain why she styled her hair that way, how much she loved spending time with Ganyu, ways to get Ganyu to sleep more, and to establish a friendship (ehe) between them. She was feeling productive like she'd never felt, and she was ready.

Only Ganyu never came.

Later at work, she planned a meeting with Ganyu over the recent increase in international trade routes and a new business line (of course we all know the real topic of this meeting).

But Ganyu never showed up.

Keqing raced through the halls of the Jade palace, trying to find Ningguang. Another Ganyu disappearance to a meeting the blue haired girl seemed excited to attend? Keqing and her overreactive imagination were not having it. She needed to find her comrade, and Ningguang was her first thought.

Just outside of Ningguangs door, she hesitated. She realized that Ningguang probably wouldn't want to be disturbed right now. She could handle Ganyu on her own, right? She was running on only a gallon of coffee and emotional trauma, but she thought she could find Ganyu.

Determined to prove herself, Keqing began investigations. She searched into Ganyu's origin, local holidays, potential personal crisises, and created a list of Ganyu's closest friends.

Keqing walked across the main street of Liyue. The city was bustling around her; merchants chanting enticing sales, business owners bargaining with their indecisive clients, and storytellers deep into tales of the past.

Keqing breathed in the fresh air, but not relaxing for a second. She needed to reach the upper parts of Liyue as fast as possible. After much decision making and maybe perhaps an hour straight of contemplating, she decided Ganyu might be in the mountains.

Knowing some of Ganyu's past, she suspected her work friend might be visiting home, or a friend.

Keqing knew she shouldn't disturb Ganyu if she were visiting family, but this was a pressing matter. She knew Ganyu. She would leave with a note, maybe a warning. At least cancel their appointment. Ganyu must have been kidnapped, or forced to return home by a mysterious evil adeptus.

Keqing requested a week long break from Ningguang, who granted it to her with great surprise. Keqing had never asked for a break.

Reaching and exceeding her physical limits, she traveled over twenty miles a day until she reached the tall-standing rocky mountains of Liyue's north-western sector. But she didn't take a moment to take in the view, she immediately begin scaling one of the many mountains, walking and hiking up the path.

She trudged, keeping her mind busy by reciting the financial state of Liyue and the stock markets rising rates. By the time she reached the top, her journey had lasted three days of nearly straight walking.

"Ganyu?" She called out, completely out of breath.

She was greeted with the silence of the peaceful mountaintop of one of Minlin's mountains. She looked out over the cliff edge of Mt. Hulao, the Huaguang Stone Forest rolled out before her, the bridges intertwined with the occasional hut or two, a river snaked around the bases of the large stone pillars.

Keqing camped up on the mountain, and the next morning set out to the stone forest. Taking the bridges, she slowly crossed between pillar to pillar.

"Who goes there?" A voice called out.

Turning, Keqing saw a simple farmer standing off the side of one of the bridges ahead.

"Keqing of the Qixing," Keqing replied, walking still.

"You have no business here," the farmer argued.

"I do, in fact," Keqing replied simply, not halting for a second.

"These lands are peaceful, we don't need you city type regulating our lives," the farmer raised a pitchfork in aggression.

Keqing stopped at this.

"Regulating your lives? We regulate Liyue harbor's economy, not its people. You must be misinformed," Keqing reasoned.

The farmer faltered.

"My father said you made him sell his crop for cheap because it 'helped Liyue's economy'. We lost money that year, we couldn't eat three meals a day," the farmer continued.

"There must be some mistake, then. We are economists, not communists," Keqing fought back, and then took up her pace again, walking past the farmer.

Keqing decided Ganyu was more important than some misinformed farmer, so she ignored his angry shouts.

"Fine! You wont pay us back, we'll make you!" The farmer dropped their pitchfork and took out a sword.

Three reinforcement treasure hoarders came out from behind a large rock Keqing hadn't thought much of. She sighed. Predictable, though. Treasure hoarders had been rather more difficult with their scheming, plotting fake robberies to then use that cover to commit murder was a very common theme of theirs. Faking farmers to rob travelers was another common one.

Keqing flicked her hair beind her back as she twirled around, her sword already hanging loosely in her hand. She didn't have time for this, so she would finish them quickly and leave.

Four treasure hoarders came running at her, but she stayed still, almost compelled to check her nails.

As they neared, she released a flurry of electro-powered attacks- moving at the speed of light, all the treasure hoarders saw were blurs of purple figures floating through their vision faster than Electro Seelies.

Leaving them all relatively alive, Keqing knocked them out and left the area, continuing her way.

Qingyun peak was her next location: the highest peak, she thought, might be where Ganyu was being held prisoner. Feeling a rush of adrenaline from the battle, she quickened her pace, and suddenly she felt nervous. She realized she just disrupted the peace of the mountain.

Would the adepti try and force her out for violence on the sacred land? No, it didn't matter, Ganyu was all that mattered. I mean- cough, her mission mattered. Not Ganyu, ahahaha, she's just a work partner, nothing more. Keqing doesn't form attachments! ...At least that's what she tells herself.

The peak of Qingyun is the tallest in Liyue, so when Keqing doesn't find Ganyu there, she uses it as a looking point. Scanning the horizon for blue hair, she found nothing. But there were still rocks to check behind, mountains to scale, and adeptus domains to enter (if possible).

Then she caught sight of it; bright blue hair, the color of Snezhnayan ice, clear as day. It wasn't far, but far enough that the color of the hair was all Keqing could see. Fuled with a sudden burst of hope she didn't know she was capable of feeling, she rushed down the mountain.

Near the river that flows between the peaks she found the blue-haired person was not Ganyu, but Chonyun. He was walking slowly with Xingqiu by his side, the two quietly chatting, trying to not disturb the peaceful silence of the mountains. Keqing decided to approach them.

The two jumped three feet apart when they saw her, blushing hard.

"I know you're gay, I work for Ningguang," Keqing greeted casually.

"O-oh," Chongyun forced out.

"Have any of you seen Ganyu?" Keqing asked as she neared them.

"No," Xingqiu replied. "Who's that again?"

"Make it a priority to know those who govern your city," Keqing sighed. "She's a dear f- work partner, and she's missing."

Xingqiu joked something to Chongyun along the lines of 'I know you're lesbian, I write fanfics', and Chongyun chuckled. Keqing decided this was useless and continued on her way.

Her week's leave was nearly up, and she decided that the mountains might not be the right place. Feeling antsy and useless, she headed with haste back to the harbor, not taking more than three hours to stop throughout the now two day journey.

She reached Liyue harbor at around three in the morning, and continued her investigations with the day left until she had to return to office. She checked the mountains, now she just had to investigate local holidays, or finally ask Ningguang- but no, Ningguang was busy, she shouldn't.

She walked throughout the entire town until it was six o'clock. She decided then the finally stop- well, her body told her to stop. She would keep going if not for the lack of sleep and constant strain on her body. Plus, she hadn't had food for a day or two.

Sitting quietly and inconspiciously at Wanmin Restaurant, she ordered a simple seafood dish, and ate with herself. She occasionally glanced around at the street. She realized now how little she left the Jade Chamber except for busy work purposes. She had never simply observed the people.

Sighing, she stood, leaving her polished off plate on the table. She was heading back to the Jade Chamber, finally giving in to asking Ningguang.

Once she made it up, and knocked on Ningguang's door, she instantly regretted it. But no going back now.

Ningguang answered quickly, which was unusual. She opened the door, already fully dressed, and asked Keqing what she needed.

"Do you know where Ganyu is?" Keqing asked respectfully.

Ningguang took in Keqing's appearance.

"You're a mess," Ningguang chuckled, walking up to Keqing and pucking a leaf from her somehow still perfectly-waved pigtails. "What have you been up to?"

"I was looking for her," Keqing admitted, feeling like a child about to be punished.

Ningguang chuckled again.

"Did you check her office?"

Keqing froze, slowly backed away, and ran toward Ganyu's office, leaving Ningguang smirking behind her.

She burst into Ganyu's office and then stood still, quietly letting go of the sliding door. Ganyu sat peacefully sleeping at her desk, face on top of the financial state of a small Liyuean town being drooled on. Her hair was displayed across her arms which were folded as a pillow for her small, perfect head.

It made sense. Ganyu hadn't attended the meeting because she was sleeping. She must have been embarrassed about forgetting and stayed in her office to work her worries away. Keqing knew Ganyu well enough that she knew her theory was correct. And here she is again, sleeping peacefully.

Laughing lightly, Keqing picked up a blanket from a nearby rack of goods yet to be approved for importation from Sumeru. She placed it gently on Ganyu's shoulders, and let it hang down her back. Keqing sits in the chair opposite Ganyu's, Keqing herself leaned on the desk, yawning. Resting her head on her arms, she fell asleep staring at Ganyu's relaxed expression.

—

Ningguang opened the door to Ganyu's office, followed by her secretary and a reporter, mid-sentence. She was about to ask Ganyu about how the most recent report was going on the recent environmental changes and the results of such on the topography of the harbor when she noticed the two girls sleeping.

Before the two people following her walked in, she pushed them out the door, followed by herself, and shut the sliding doors as quietly as possible.

"Is something wrong with miss Ganyu?" the reporter asked.

"She'll be ready in an hour," Ningguang replied.

Glancing through the crack of the door, she could see Ganyu waking up and finding Keqing there, and starting to blush.

"Let's go review the development of the main street," Ningguang smiled, hiding knowing and amused smile.