//; mm i love me some opposites attract relationships
You were one of Zhongli's associates and constantly bugged the poor man. You admired his work ethic and skill quite a bit. Though, yourself, you struggled to do so. You were a bit of a wild card, running around Liyue to avoid your duties. Zhongli would often lecture you if he caught you. This time, you spotted him heading your way. You climbed up the side of a building, reaching your way to the roofs. You used your glider to help you jump across roofs.
Zhongli sighed, he saw you there and the next minute you took off. He continued to walk through Liyue harbor. Zhongli pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head as he saw you overhead in the distance with your glider. He assumed you'd try and avoid him so your course of action was to head to the harbors. Zhongli headed over there as well. You leaned over the railings with an apple in hand. You let out a sigh, knowing your inevitable lecture. Today you were supposed to join Childe and Zhongli at the Jade palace to speak with Nigguang. And sort through a bunch of diplomatic papers and sign a lot of things. Once you reached the palace, you took off. Childe stayed behind as the meeting was mainly between the Fatui and Liyue. Zhongli joined to keep an eye on you.
As a harbinger, you had duties to attend to. Your loyalty to the Tsaritsa was a must. Unlike the rest of the harbingers, you were an oddball. More than Childe, so to speak. You questioned the Tsaritsa on multiple occasions and defied several orders. The others wondered why you weren't killed quite yet. Of course, you knew why. You twisted the dendro vision on your finger, glancing down at it. Very few dendro users were fighters in Liyue. Or even in Snezhnaya. Especially Snezhnaya. Most of Sumeru were healers, where you were from. Yet your loyalty to your original homeland wavered much more than to Snezhnaya.
Your eyes flickered as you glanced down into the waters. You never fit inside the walls of Sumeru. Most valued wisdom and knowledge and had patience that could withstand a millennium. You were antsy and jumpy, wanting to explore and be free. Snezhnaya was nothing like that too. You never stayed in one country for so long yet Liyue seemed to keep you grounded (no pun intended). It was a world of contracts, a thing you broke religiously. Zhongli would become strict at the mentioning of you breaking a contract. As a harbinger, you knew of the plans the Tsaritsa gave. And the contract Zhongli had with the Tsaritsa. A gnosis.
You were very blunt with Zhongli, even more than he was. You shook your head, tossing the apple core into the water below you. You ran your hands over your face, angry at yourself. You had fallen for the Geo Archon who was directly involved with the Tsaritsa's plans.
Zhongli paused, seeing you at the harbor. A sense of calm surrounded you. He studied you briefly, seeing a mix of frustration and confusion scattered across your face. You seemed to be deep in thought, not paying attention to any of your surroundings. Zhongli saw the shifting of your vision, meaning you were upset with something. He wondered why, there wasn't much for you to get angry with. You had everything in the palm of your hands. Money, riches, power, influence.
The Geo Archon walked over to the harbinger who was deep in thought. "[Y/N]." He stated. Though you couldn't sense the anger or disappointment in his voice. You jumped, turning wildly. Snapping out of your thoughts, shocked to see Zhongli here. You knew he'd come but not this early. You squealed, jumping over the side of the railing, attempting to glide to the fisherman boat that was anchored nearby. Of course, you failed. There was no wind currently. You splatted directly into the water. " Miss [Y/N]!" Zhongli shouted, a bit of alarm lacing his voice. The archon walked down to the dock to meet you as you swam over. You spat out water in his face. "Miss [Y/N]." he groaned.
Zhongli helped you out of the water. "[Y/N]."
You snapped out of your thoughts, "oh hi...Zhongli." You cleared your throat, a faint dust of pink rising on your cheeks. Direct with your thoughts and everything you said, you wondered why you couldn't tell him that you loved him. Your fear wasn't rejection. You asked out several guys from several nations during diplomatic meetings, getting a 'no' from several of them. Those...relationships didn't last. You'd be out of the country within a week and never talk to them again. "Where's the lecture at, darling?" You pursed your lips, putting a hand on your waist. Though of course, you flirted your ass off to Zhongli.
