Ei's eyes as she looked upon me were rather scary but then a light entered her eyes as she remarked bluntly. "Jake, don't you already have a harem? In that blond Lumine, another woman with a Cryo Vision besides Shenhe and possibly that weird flying creature Paimon?"
My face twitched at hearing her words and I snapped out instantly. "I am not involved with Paimon!"
That floating little mascot eats so damned much that her eating bills were enough to kick me up a tax bracket in my old world. And I couldn't help but evilly chuckle at times knowing that Lumine was now bearing the cost of supporting that flying food vacuum.
But Ei just raised an eyebrow at my outburst and I shook my head and taking a breath I held Shenhe's hand and said. "Yes, yes I do have a harem." Sure Lumine was a greedy goblin who also loved the female form but hell... If my ageless lover also wanted me to drag more ladies into our bed who the hell was I to say no?
She slowly nodded and then after a moment Ei without a change in expression tilted her head to the side and asked bluntly. "Then Jake, may I join your harem?"
My face at hearing that... I was stock still with my face twitching as Ei looked me with utter sincerity in asking that. She wasn't joking at all in asking that.
But knowing this was complicated, to say the least I sighed and sat up with Shenhe growling cutely with her hands curling up in my outfit's back as she tried to 'gently' pull me back down into her lap so she could continue her meditative spoiling of my snowy hair.
I remained undeterred from Shenhe's needy behavior and I matched Ei's gaze as I answered clearly. "Ei... You are emotional with your sister's return, you do not love me, you are my martial master and-"
Before I could continue Ei cut me off with her eyes glowing with her Electro power that made my chest shudder as lightning cracked in the skies above us with divine might making the palace shake. "Jake Bariss, do not mistake my words. I am not rushing into things. Makoto and I were born of the same lightning divine lightning bolt, we shared everything and slaughtered gods together in taking Inazuma for ourselves and our retainers."
She looked at me not as my martial master or teacher in the ways of electro-manipulation and instead as a hollowed-out person who had seen too many things in her several millennia of life. "I lost everything and everyone during the Archon War and the Fall of Khaenri'ah Jake, and you are here dangling my beloved twin, my literal other half in front of me. I will be following you to the ends of Teyvat and nothing can stop that unless you kill me."
Before I could respond to that declaration Shenhe squeezed my shoulder and said. "She wants to make you happy so your soul will heal her sister more. Along with making sure that you don't die and Makoto is thus lost... Don't overthink it Jake."
I slowed down and took a deep breath and ordered my thoughts before I opened my eyes and looked back to Ei who shifted slightly with her arms folding under her chest as she endured my look as I spoke. "Ei, you are the Raiden Shogun, you can't just run around Teyvat with us right?"
To my question, Ei just blinked and smiled before saying flatly. "And who could or would stop me from my wanderings? Barbatos is a useless drunkard, Rex Lapis hides in his mountain all year long and only comes out once a year at best, and the rest of the archons are either shadows of their former selves or are in hiding to avoid Erosion from Celestia's laws."
She shook her head and continued. "I myself fall into the recluse category as for the last century before the Raiden Shogun decided to start the Vision Hunt decree I would only give the Tri-Commission orders once every few years while they take care of Inazuma's day-to-day operations."
Ei took a step closer and then elegantly kneeled to sit on her heels in the typical Inazuma/Japenese style as she looked into my eyes and with total seriousness she said. "Yes, you are right though I do not love you Jake. I do however respect you as my student and as a worthy man, but arranged marriages are common in Inazuma and feelings between the two of us can be cultivated in due time."
I closed my eyes as I mentally screamed. And then at the thought of Lumine's mischievous face when she realizes I bagged both Ei and Shenhe as my lovers... I mentally screamed louder.
'Oh dear gods... That blonde little gremlin is just going to be proud of me and happy to have in her own words. 'Tall thicc dommy mommy's to be spoiled by.' I thought before Ei cut off my thoughts.
"So... Jake will you accept?"
I opened my eyes and as I met Ei's glowing purple eyes with a spark of blue toned Electro lightning in her irises I realized that... I was damned either way and this wasn't going to go any other way. So I stiffened my shoulders and I said frankly. "I will accept your courtship, and inclusion into my 'harem" Making finger air quotes as I said it but I still continued.
"If you do two things for me, just two tasks."
Ei nodded and said with a small smile. "Consider it already done then."
I gave a wry smile and then said. "Alright then... I want you to end Inazuma's civil war without more deaths, and then end the Vision Hunt Decree and have your men and Kujou Sara return your people's visions."
And without losing that smile Ei simply said with complete confidence. "Alright. Although the ending the Civil War without more deaths could be difficult but I will have it done within the next three days then."