As I sat on this chair, staring at the table full of pictures in this yet to be opened teahouse, I couldn't help but be reminded of that one time in Mondstadt where I decided that taking a walk outside for five minutes to get potions was a good idea.
Not so much when I had the bad luck of running into a harbinger of all people, but considering it didn't escalate into anything serious, I should probably count my lucky stars.
Really though, I could honestly do without all this 'coincidence' trying to drag me into something I'd rather not. Granted, both this case and the one in Mondstadt is bound to happen at some point considering who I attached myself to, but come on. Give a guy a break, will you?
Realizing that I've been silent for a bit too long, I stopped tapping my fingers and reached over the now cold cup of whatever-the-fuck and down the whole thing slowly to give myself some time to come up with some bullshit to get myself out of this mess we made.
The burning spice making its way down my mechanical throat serves as good of a wake up call as I can possibly get, driving away the bits of sleepiness threatening to come back. Maybe I should consider asking for some more, given that the others are dead drunk at the moment. Of course, it's not because I'm annoyed that I have to deal with this non entity lady while they get to sleep like a log.
'Me? Being petty? I would never.'
"A very interesting hypothesis you have there, Miss Yelan." Taking a brief glance at the now empty liquid, I placed the cup back towards its saucer while simultaneously leaning towards the table, bringing myself closer towards the strands of blue. "With this much information already gathered, along with the thoughts you've laid out, I'm afraid that I don't really have much to say regarding this case of yours."
"That's fine, Honorary Knight. Anything you can think of would be much obliged."
'Damn, there's really no getting out of this, huh?'
"...in that case, here's what I think."
What follows was a discussion I'd rather omit from memory. A long and surprisingly tiring one, considering I had to stop myself from unintentionally reacting to every single little thing, whether it's from consciously trying not to cringe at whatever bullshit I was spewing or from Yelan's muted reaction to the information.
I'd like to think that I managed to string whatever nonsense my brain came up with into one coherent argument, but I'm not too sure.
'Well, I'm still sitting here and nothing happened yet, so that counts for something right?'
"I see. Thank you for your input, Honorary Knight." Yelan, who was jotting something into the notebook in her hand since god knows when, suddenly said, breaking me out of my musing. "I would need to go over this later, but so far, it has been an enlightening discussion."
'"Enlightening", she said. Yeah right. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.'
"Though with that out of the way," suppressing the urge to groan at the thought of more talking, I sat a bit straighter and made a show of listening closely, "let's talk about something else I'd like your opinion on: how we should go about this case."
"As in, what to do from here?"
"Correct." Yelan nodded at my question. "Ideally, we would want to be able to both apprehend the people responsible as well as retrieve everything they might have stolen from their respective houses – evidence or not – while also closing the other case as we do so.
"Unfortunately, ideals rarely bear fruit in this line of work, so we're willing to be a lot more forgiving and settle for less." Propping her head up in her hands, she taps a finger against her chin before coming to a decision. "As long as the evidence is handed over, we should be able to make do with the rest."
Now that's a surprise.
From my perspective, it's a bit weird to see a capable person like her even willing to consider letting a catch go. Then again, perhaps that's what she's going for. After all, it's quite obvious now – more so after our discussion – that she knows more than she's letting on, and this could be her deliberately throwing a lifeline of some sort for us in exchange for helping her exterminate some rats.
Or it could just be me reading too much into things.
It certainly doesn't help that her expression is practically impossible to read.
'God I hate things like this. Next time around, I'll make sure to drag the others along so they can suffer with me. Hopefully, should something like this happen again, the collective thought process of our empty brains can come up with something better.'
I sincerely hope I'm right, because I really do not want to look like more of an idiot than I already am.
Backwards priority at its finest, am I right?
"Do you have some ideas, Honorary Knight?"
"Perhaps." Clearing my heads of useless thoughts, I gave a quick glance at the table before looking towards Yelan. "Though I would like you to keep in mind that what I'm about to suggest is purely a hypothetical scenario."
"Of course." Her usual plastered smile once again stretched just a bit into a knowing smirk. "It's important to establish this kind of thing. After all, wouldn't it be bad if the other party started assuming things they shouldn't?"
"Exactly." I nodded, ignoring the amusement Yelan radiated. "That wouldn't be good for either of us, now would it?"
"Nope." She said, popping the 'p' as she covered the laugh she let out with one hand before motioning for me to continue. "Shall we hear it then?"
"Before that, I would like to confirm something, if you don't mind."
"Of course. What would you like to know?"
"You said before that you are willing to look past the culprit's transgression in favor of simply obtaining the evidence they may or may not have handed over towards the director. Is that simply a lip service, or do you actually have the authority to make such a decision?"
"Hmm… a valid concern, though one you shouldn't need to worry about."
Slipping a hand into her white coat, she rummages through her inner pocket before pulling a small insignia that she threw in my direction.
"Contrary to popular beliefs, Liyue, for all the glorification it has on a contract's sanctity, is not nearly as strict as people made it out to be. Of course, just like any other nation, it upholds its laws to the best of its abilities, but there are times where gaming the system is necessary."
Stopping the insignia mid air, I controlled the surrounding elements and brought it closer. "That is quite the slippery slope you're playing with, Miss Yelan."
"It is. Because of that, we've been very careful in deciding when such an act is deemed necessary so as to not create an unwanted precedent. After all, if we're not careful, then what is the use of the law at that point?"
"True."
And if it does ever reach that point, before a situation where 'rules for thee and not for me' could ever be established, the hermits over at the mountains would've come swooping in to cleanse the corruption slowly destroying Rex Lapis' precious harbor anyway.
"So what's this then?" I asked, grabbing onto the small insignia in between my thumb and index finger.
"Take it as a symbol of authority handed to me by the higher ups." Yelan replied. "Unlike others within the ministry, I am unique in my position in the fact that I answer directly to the Tianquan Ningguang. The head of the Liyue Qixing, in case you are not familiar with the term. You know, the one that owns the floating castle in the sky?"
"I'm aware."
With the item in hand, I raised it towards head level and began inspecting it.
A small insignia made out of gold created into the shape of the jade chamber itself, the back of which is carved with a signature filled with something that causes the signature itself to pulse with a golden light.
Marveling at the piece of art for the last time, I handed it back towards Yelan.
"While I would've like to further question whether the insignia itself is authentic or not, I think you, as an intelligence officer, know better than most how fragile trust can be."
'That, and I already knew who you were anyway.'
"Of course. I've been in this line of work for a long time, Honorary Knight, the ins and outs of it is not something unfamiliar to me." Giving the insignia a once over, she nodded before putting it back in her coat. "Now then, what was it about a hypothetical scenario?"
"Right."
As I discreetly took a deep breath, I finalized the sentence I thought of one last time before opening my mouth.
"Let's say that, hypothetically speaking, I was able to find where the director is currently hiding and either get my hands on the evidence, or convince her to hand them over to the ministry. What would happen then?"
"Oho, what's this?" Suddenly, Yelan leaned closer towards the table with a sparkle in her eye as her voice took on a teasing tone. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Honorary Knight, but I distinctly remember you saying that you have never seen her before during the entire duration of your stay in Liyue Harbor?"
"It's a hypothetical scenario, Miss Yelan. You seem to forget about that."
"Ah, of course. How could I forget?" Returning to her previous position, the lady in blue reached over towards the teapot as she poured herself another cup. "Right, we were talking hypotheticals weren't we?"
Seeing her like this, going about things so nonchalantly, acting like she knows nothing about what I'm talking about while devouring a cup of her monstrous creation, I had to stop myself from succumbing to the urge of banging my head against the table.
'I really should've dragged those two girls with me so I don't have to suffer alone.'
"In that case, I think I have just the perfect answer for that."
"And that would be?"
"Hmm… let's say that, hypothetically speaking," it's hard to miss the clear emphasis she put onto those words when she's being so blatant about it, "that such a scenario were to occur. Then, I would instruct one of my subordinates to wait near the entrance of the ministry and wait for you, the director, or whoever it is you ended up sending, to retrieve the evidence and properly process it.
"As for the specifics of what happens after… sorry to say that it's classified information, Honorary Knight. However, you can rest assured that everything from that point on will be dealt with impeccably." Yelan explained as she shrugged her shoulders. "How can we not, given the severity of the problem?"
"I see. And what happens after that?"
"After that? Lots and lots of paperwork to sift through, along with whatever cleanup procedure is necessary but I'm sure that's not what you're asking about. In fact, why don't we address that now?"
Ripping a page out of her still open notebook, Yelan wrote something down before handing it over to me. "Here you go, Honorary Knight."
With slight hesitation, I eventually took the paper out of her hand before reading its contents.
"'Bolai, Wanyou Boutique.' And what is this supposed to be?"
"A name, and a location." Before I could ask further, Yelan already began explaining as she once again scribbled something on her notebook. "A promise is a promise, Honorary Knight, and it wouldn't do for me to tarnish the Qixing's reputation by not adhering to my own word now would it?
"Anyway, Bolai is an… associate of ours, tasked with dealing with whatever black market dealings that happen in Liyue. While Wanyou Boutique is a legitimate business as far as anyone is concerned, it's ultimately just a cover for what he's really up to." She said, motioning her hand as she continued writing something. "If you ever have something you want to get rid of in exchange for Mora, then he's the man to go to."
And isn't that convenient? A fencer with ties to the black market, just like that. I should have expected as much from someone like her.
It's probably fine to just accept things as they are right now.
'Just in case though.'
"I was under the impression that it was a monetary reward?"
"Ah but it is. That and much more, in fact." Raising her head, Yelan once again had that knowing smirk on her face. "Let's not put up with this song and dance any longer than we should, Honorary Knight, we both know exactly what all of this is for."
'No more pretenses then. So be it.'
"Hmph, and here I thought me playing along is an act of courtesy."
"Oh it is. And I very much appreciate it. After all, not many people are willing to indulge me with all this… nonsense, as a certain lady would say."
"Gee, I wonder why."
"Fufu. Please, I'm not blind to my own flaws, Honorary Knight."
After that, seeing that she retreated into her own world and focused on the bundle of paper in front of her, I silently released the breath I've unconsciously been holding and quietly collapsed into my own chair.
All things considered, things went pretty well. It would be even better if this never happened in the first place, but hey, you gain some, you lose some. Or however the saying goes. Maybe the next free time we have, we'll be able to get rid of everything we permanently borrowed and the sight of Mora piled into the high heavens would be enough to calm me down.
That's something to look forward to.
"Now then," the sound of light slamming of the pages in her hand suddenly broke the silence, "I initially had something else in mind after our first talk, but," she glanced towards the clock up in the wall, its hands pointing towards somewhere close to noon, "I feel like I've taken enough of your time as it is and we should probably end things here and meet some other time."
'Thank fucking god. The sandman has been calling and I think I've put our meeting off for long enough.'
Mentally letting out a sigh, I instinctively reached towards my own cup, which had been refilled at some point. "So we're done then?"
"Mhm. Though I would appreciate it if you can fill these in for our later meeting, Honorary Knight."
"...and what is it this time?" I asked, not even bothering to hide how exhausted I was at this point.
"Something we need information on. Feel free to decline should it not interest you, but I do have to mention that the reward for it is quite lucrative as it is something the Tianquan herself requested."
And just like that, my meeting with the sandman has to be pushed back just a little bit.
"I'll look into it later."
"Fufu, of course. By your own time, Honorary Knight."
And with that, our 'coincidental' meeting finally came to an end, with both parties having gotten what they wanted. Her being my meager assistance in helping her solve her case, and me with a free get-out-of-jail card, a contact with the black market, and a box of specially brewed tea for the others to wake up to.
Alongside one white envelope Yelan gave me that I have yet to open, but I reckon I can fill her in whatever information it was that she wanted at the comfort of Xinyan's house.
It wouldn't take that long anyway if the information she's looking for is what I expected it to be.
'Now where is that floating emergency food at?'
___________________________________
"It's been a pleasure talking with you, Honorary Knight."
"Likewise, but I'd prefer it if this kind of meeting was a one time thing ." The masked man replied, before waving the white envelope he held in his hand. "Though it would be a different story if you have something worthwhile for me to do."
"Fufu, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
With one last farewell, the Honorary Knight steps through the double door towards the outside, the hustle and bustle of the crowd briefly flashes by through the gap before it disappears as the room returns to silence once more, the sound of their previously animated discussion nowhere to be found.
Yelan gazed into the door for a bit before eventually moving her focus back towards the report she's been writing for Ningguang.
At the top of the page, written in a much thicker ink than the others, is the name of the masked honorary knight, followed by a profile she's constructed of the man as their conversation goes.
Though the results were preliminary at best, it should be enough to satisfy her boss.
"It was worth observing their interaction for a while."
For quite a while now Yelan has always made time in her busy schedule to observe the two outlanders whenever possible to get a feel of their character. How they talk, how they respond to one another, how they act around one another; it makes things easier when you know how you should act towards the other party to get the response you wanted.
It was one of the many things she learned to take advantage of in her long years of working as an intelligence officer.
Though it was a shame that the moment she chose to act was the time that his partner seemed to be absent. She was sure that their little 'adventure' wouldn't have caused anything that would result in the incapacitation of the other Honorary Knight, but she chalked it up to bad luck on her part.
"Another day, I suppose."
Taking one last sip of her spicy Yunlai White Tea, Yelan closed her notebook and began packing her things before she suddenly stopped as she glanced at the table. Focusing her gaze towards the two empty boxes connected in blue elemental threads.
"Kamiyama Yuu and Lumine, huh?"
Waving her hand, the tangled web of hydro suddenly attached itself to the numerous pictures placed onto the table and began moving back towards Yelan's hand before disappearing from sight, the pictures now grouped into a single neat stack on her palm.
With that, she began walking towards the exit, leaving behind an empty table left with an empty tea set, before she immediately joined the busy crowd as she made her way towards Yujing Terrace.
"Shanghua."
Seemingly out of nowhere, a bespectacled man wearing white and black fingerless glove appeared and started to walk in step alongside her. "Yes, my lady?"
"Keep an eye on the ministry area for now. There should be someone coming to show up later to hand over some evidence that we need."
"Of course. Who should I be looking for?"
"Either the Honorary Knights or most likely our missing opera director."
"As you will."
With that, he once again disappeared, leaving Yelan to sort her own thoughts.
'Honorary Knight Kamiyama Yuu. Relatively unassuming, despite his distinct appearance. No sign of excessive wariness when it comes to dealing with authority figures, which might indicate that the reason he hid his face is not due to being a criminal of some sort. Further assessment required.
'Relatively clever and quick witted. Knows his way with words and is capable of maintaining a calm demeanor despite the micro gesture of his body suggesting otherwise the further we get into our discussion. Whether the same can be said when his face is not covered remains to be seen.
'Result of the preliminary investigation suggests for the subject in question to be placed in the Special Attention List for now, while his partner Lumine is to be provisionally placed in the list as well until further notice.'
As her thoughts came to a close and she approached ever closer towards the small elevator, she slightly nodded her head at the report she compiled in her head.
While she would've preferred to have observed their combat capabilities, she would have plenty of time for that later. After all, if her instincts were to be trusted, if the alarms quietly blaring at the back of her mind were to be believed, then something big is about to happen.
'Perhaps, with the help of those two….'
Yelan shook her head. There was no use in contemplating such a thing. All she can do is prepare to the best of her abilities and make use of every resource she has available, whether it be her information network, her subordinates that follow her with all their heart, or even the two outlanders that she has her eyes on.
"All in due time."
Hopefully, whatever it was that was coming, Liyue would be able to stand tall in the face of it.
As it always does.