A few hours earlier.
Inside the Serenitea Pot.
After freshening up, Keqing and Lumine sat at the edge of the bed, chatting about girl talk.
"What? You've never won even once? He's that good?"
"Mmm, Ah Qu's situation is a bit special right now. He's practically a god in that world, so it's normal for him to be a little… intense in that area."
Keqing didn't tell Lumine about his boundless stamina.
Mostly because she was afraid it'd freak her out. And then that mischievous Lumine would probably recruit a few more sisters to 'share the burden', and where would Keqing even go to cry then?
"So he became a god in just a few months? Although… he always was a bit of a mystery, pulling out those Creation Crystals from who knows where. I guess it's not too surprising he became a deity."
Lumine's eyes gleamed with curiosity, and she suddenly reached out to touch Keqing's belly.
"Speaking of which, you two have been together for over a month now, any signs of… something happening down there?"
"Signs? What do you mean?"
"You two are practically at it every day, and you haven't used any protection, right? So… is there a chance you're already carrying a little one?"
"What?!"
Keqing shot up from the bed.
Then, as if realizing how sudden her movement was, she instinctively shielded her stomach.
"I-I… I don't think so… I… I don't know! This is way too soon for me. No, I need to ask him about it!"
"Hey, wait!"
Lumine quickly grabbed her hand.
"I was just teasing! It doesn't mean it's actually true. You haven't been feeling nauseous or losing your appetite lately, right?"
"..."
Your silence was deafening.
"Wait, don't tell me I hit the nail on the head?"
"No, it's just… I suddenly remembered, Lumine, you and Ah Qu have been traveling together for, what, two and a half years? In all that time, did you ever… you know, try to have kids?"
"W-Well… back then, we were just traveling companions! Pure and supportive partners, nothing like that dirty stuff that'd ruin our friendship"
"So… you never did it."
"..."
"Not even kissing? You didn't even manage that?"
Lumine's face crumpled.
"Ugh… no, not even once! Back then, he was like a block of wood. The most he'd do was flirt with his words. I even lifted my skirt a little to tempt him, and he didn't dare to touch me!"
"Heh. Well, I kissed Ah Qu on the very first day we reunited, you know."
"That's so unfair! Teach me your ways, Keqing, sensei!"
"In that case, Miss Lumine, do you still dare to tease your teacher so shamelessly?"
"Eh?" Lumine's dramatic act vanished in an instant. She scratched her head sheepishly. "Haha, you saw through me, huh? Ehe~"
"Hmph! Ah Qu was right, Lumine, you're way too mischievous."
"Hey, that's slander! I, the Traveler Lumine, always walk the righteous path. If anything, he's the one always stirring up trouble wherever he goes, don't you think?"
"Oh? Then would you dare say that to his face?"
"Why not? Tomorrow morning, I'll get up bright and early and tell him straight to his face!"
Watching Lumine's proud, confident grin, Keqing couldn't help but chuckle behind her hand.
Silly girl, she'd understand soon enough. The body of a Minecraft world's god doesn't play by any normal rules.
...
The next day.
Ah Qu strolled into the Serenitea Pot, looking refreshed.
He greeted Tubby, the round, fuzzy teapot spirit, and stepped inside.
The décor was all too familiar.
Swords carelessly hung on the walls, a stone lion tucked into the corner, and a huge folding screen that was the first thing you saw upon entering.
"Ugh, what a mess. I really should find time to redesign this place."
Settling into a chair in the inner room, Ah Qu noticed a small clay figurine sitting nearby.
"Huh, isn't this the statue of Narukami Ogosho-sama, the Almighty Shogun? Not gonna lie, it's pretty cute."
He picked it up just as footsteps sounded on the stairs.
"Good morning, Keqing. Did you sleep well?"
Keqing let out a sleepy yawn.
"Mmm, Lumine kept me up chatting half the night. Slept a bit late."
"Ah, that figure you're holding is adorable."
"Oh, this? It's a limited-edition clay figure of the Narukami Shogun from Inazuma. Even Kujou Sara from the Shogunate can't stop praising it."
"Divine, huh."
Keqing studied the little figure for a moment, though in her mind, she thought of the dragon statue of the Geo Archon back in her Liyue home.
Despite still holding deep respect for the Archon who'd protected Liyue for 3,700 years…
These days, the most important thing in her heart was the man standing before her. Even if it meant going against the Geo Lord for him, she wouldn't hesitate.
…But hopefully, it'd never come to that.
"Keqing! Keqing, what's on your mind? You're completely lost in thought."
"A-ah, nothing! I would never be disrespectful to the Adepti!"
"If you're still tired, go rest a bit longer. I'll handle breakfast."
"It's fine. Cooking with you is a kind of rest, isn't it? Most of the time, all I have to do is watch while you handle the ingredients."
"You really don't give me a choice, huh?"
Ah Qu ruffled her hair. Keqing beamed, hugging his arm as they walked into the kitchen together.
On the second floor…
A flash of golden hair vanished quickly.
...
"Breakfast, breakfast! Chicken drumstick, chicken drumstick! Nom, delicious!"
"Paimon, don't talk with your mouth full."
Lumine rapped Paimon's head with her chopsticks.
"Okay, okay!"
Paimon pouted, then her eyes lit up as she noticed an extra slice of fried egg in her bowl.
"Wow! Keqing, you're the best!"
"Hehe, you're such a tiny thing, Paimon, but you sure can pack away a lot of food."
Keqing radiated gentle, maternal energy. Paimon was like a pampered little kid in her care.
Ah Qu looked up at Lumine, noticing her slightly stiff expression.
It felt like she'd been unwittingly swept into Keqing's embrace too, always the one being 'stolen away.'
To break the awkward tension, Ah Qu put down his chopsticks and shifted the conversation.
"So, Lumine, what's your plan next? Keep exploring Sumeru?"
Lumine shook her head. "Not for now. I need a break from exploring."
"Oh? You're not going to keep looking for Aether?"
"That riddle-spewing brother? Anyone who wants him can have him! I'm more of a 'follow the chicken, follow the dog' kind of girl these days. I heard your world still has lots to uncover?"
"Yeah, so far Keqing and I have only explored within about 300km. It's mostly temperate forests and plains."
"We haven't even touched the tropical jungles, the snowy pine forests, the oceans, or the frozen tundra. Plus, if we want to tame dragons, we'll have to scour the entire world for their lairs. That'll take a lot of time."
"Oh, and only the underground dragon nests spawn dragons at stage four or higher. You have to kill the female dragons to get an egg… though, of course, there's always the chance of just swiping one instead."
The mention of taming dragons made Lumine's eyes sparkle.
"Dragons, like Dvalin? I've always wanted one, but that stingy Venti never let me. He says, 'Freedom that's ordered is no freedom at all.'"
"Probably about the same. But the physics in the Minecraft world are a bit different, so I'm not sure how they stack up power-wise."
"From size alone, a stage five dragon would probably be bigger than anything else around. I'd bet it's pretty formidable."
"Great! I'm in! Tonight, you can tell me to pose however you want!"
All for the sake of getting a cool dragon mount.
Lumine figured a little sacrifice of dignity wasn't such a big deal. Besides, Keqing was already way ahead, she couldn't afford to lag behind now.
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