𝗜 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗔 𝗚𝗢 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 ✦ 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁

𝗭𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀

Y/n was the first to walk into the Pharmacy without hesitation while the other three with her stayed back.

She paused, noticing their absence and looked back at them with a frown, "Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"It just seems a little creepy." Aether murmured and y/n tensed slightly.

"Creepy...!?" she squeaked, "Wh-What do you mean creepy? You don't sense a ghost or anything, do you...?"

She glanced towards the reception desk with a, "Now that I think about it... I do hear someone else here. But I can't see them-"

"What if it's a ghost?" Paimon gasped.

"A GHOST!??" y/n shrieked before darting back to the group to hide behind Zhongli, "Zhongli! Please! Protect me!"

Zhongli pat y/n's head as she trembled, looking amused, "I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of, y/n."

"Welcome to Bubu Pharma-"

The soft, monotone voice as cut off by y/n's shrill screech, "IT'S A GHOST--!!!!"

Aether damn near ruptured his eardrums when he slammed his hands over his ears to block out y/n's high-pitched screaming.

Zhongli didn't seem bothered at all as y/n, tears gathering in her eyes, actually screamed so much that she passed out.

Y/n, bby, you need oxygen.

Don't scream to the point where you deprive yourself of it and pass the 🚚 out.

(My eyes kept missing the s in scream so I kept reading these sentences wrong-)

"Did she faint?" Aether asked when he realized that the screaming had stopped.

Zhongli glanced at y/n whom he was holding up before nodding, "She did."

There was shuffling just before a child peeked over the counter with magenta eyes, "Oh. That's normal."

"Oh! It's a kid!" Paimon exclaimed, "Wow, she could barely reach the counter."

Aether gave Paimom a look and the pixie immediately got defensive.

"Don't look at Paimon like that! Paimon floats so height doesn't matter!" Paimon snapped then glanced back at the child, "There's something weird about this kid... there's a talisman on her! Is she a zombie?"

Qiqi blinked once, glancing at the unconscious y/n whom Zhongli was holding bridal style, "Yes, I am. Once upon a time, Qiqi died. Then, Qiqi was saved by the adepti. Now Qiqi is a zombie."

"Zombies count as adepti...?" Aether wondered aloud with a thoughtful expression.

"Something like this would be unimaginable in Mondstadt..." Paimon murmured.

"Are you Miss y/n's friends?" Qiqi inquired.

"You... could say that." Zhongli was the first to reply, causing Aether and Paimon to smirk knowingly at one another.

"Ah, well, a friend of Miss y/n is a friend of Qiqi." the child said with a nod, "Is there anything you need?"

"Yes! Everlasting Incense!" Paimon exclaimed and the child hummed.

"Did you bring your prescription? Qiqi needs to see it before she can get your medicine." she said, being sure to check on the unconscious y/n.

Qiqi had made a note for herself to always watch over y/n when she fainted. It was also a request from Baizhu.

Y/n had fainted when her and Qiqi were attacked by geovishaps while gathering qingxin flowers.

Qiqi had been ready to protect y/n only for the young lady to defeat all the geovishaps by herself with nothing but a stick. All while she was unconscious.

When y/n woke up, she clung to the zombie girl while crying and thanking her for getting rid of the monsters.

The experience was an odd one and Qiqi was 100% sure that it wasn't normal.

So, until they could figure out what it was, Qiqi would keep an eye on y/n whenever she passed out.

"Prescription?" Zhongli echoed, frowning, "Surely we don't need a prescription for Everlasting Incense..."

"You need a prescription before Qiqi can get your medicine. These are Qiqi's orders. From Qiqi." Qiqi explained.

"Orders?" Aether questioned.

"I'm afraid that she's probably right, it's to do with her orders." Zhongli said, patting the sleeping y/n's head, "Zombies are limited to acting within the confines of their orders. And somehow, in this case, the zombie issues her own orders to herself."

"Oh, Qiqi's here?" y/n mumbled sleepily, a drowsy look on her face as she woke up.

"Hello Miss y/n." Qiqi greeted, a bit more energy in her greeting than when she greeted Aether, Paimon and Zhongli, "Your friends want to buy Everlasting Incense without a prescription."

Y/n blinked, "My friends?"

She suddenly noticed that she was actually being carried by someone.

Y/n realized it was Zhongli carrying her and her soul damn near left her body.

"Z-Zhongli! Why are you- when did I-!?" y/n's head was spinning as her face got extremely warm and she became acutely aware of how close her body was to her co-worker's.

"You're awake..." Zhongli sighed in relief, not at all aware of how y/n was malfunctioning, "Do you have a fever or anything?"

"Oh n-no, not at all!" y/n squeaked, waving her hands, "Fainting is completely normal for me, haha! Ask Qiqi!"

Everyone looked at Qiqi and the zombie child nodded twice with a, "Mhm."

"Qiqi! We need Everlasting Incense for something very important. We don't have a prescription but we can make a deal!" y/n exclaimed, Zhongli not bothering to let her stand rather than holding her. Y/n didn't mind to be honest, he was fine asf.

"A deal?" Qiqi inquired, her head tilting slightly.

"Y/n, I don't think that's actually going to work-" Aether began to say.

"Okay. Let's make a deal." Qiqi decided with a little nod, surprising everyone except y/n.

Aether was shocked.

Paimon was even more shook.

And Zhongli just looked so proud of y/n.

"Qiqi will get you your medicine but before that, you have to go to Mt. Tianheng, find the Guizhong Ballista and hunt a Cocogoat." Qiqi told them then added, "Please and thank you."

Aether deadpanned, "...a what."

"Oh! I know what a Guizhong Ballista is!" y/n chirped, "But a Cocogoat is a new one!"

She turned her head to look at Zhongli who, may I add, was still carrying her.

"Have you ever heard of it, Zhongli?"

"No, I don't believe I have..."

"What even is a Guizhong Ballista?" Paimon asked and y/n was quick to speak so Zhongli wouldn't start rambling again.

"A Guizhong Ballista is sort of a crossbow turret. It was made by an adeptus and, as you heard, is on Mt. Tianheng." y/n explained hastily, "It fires at large monsters automatically since it was made to protect Liyue."

"You sure know a lot about Liyue." Aether commented and y/n smiled.

"Hehe, everything I know about Liyue came from Zhongli!" y/n chimed, "If anything, he's the real expert here. But neither of us know what a Cocogoat is..."

"A Cocogoat is a legendary animal. An adeptibeast." Qiqi informed them.

"Okay, did you wanna add anything else to that or...?" Paimon trailed.

"Mm, what it looks like... don't know. Where to find it... also don't know. Where it came from, don't know either." Qiqi murmured.

"Yeah... at this rate, I don't think we'll find it..." Aether said, face-palming himself.

"We could try going to the Guizhong Ballista!" y/n suggested.

"That would be a good place to start." Zhongli agreed, "Very well, we'll start by investigating there."