[Xingqiu x Chongyun] Lost For Words☆

A Stroll

"Please do talk to me if you die! I promise you wont find any business better than the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to help you crossover!" I wave to goodbye to a stranger while trying to advertise for the parlor.

"Director, I believe it's best not to be bothering the citizens of Liyue for now."

"Bothering? Me? I'm simply advertising business Mr. Zhongli." I turn, giving him a nice smile.

"Well, yes." He responds. "But I dont believe the millelith, or the people of Liyue are seeing it that way."

He points over to the other side of Liyue's streets. "So perhaps it's best to call it a day."

I look over to see a few people I had been offering deals and coupons to with a displeased look, along with the millelith focusing their gaze onto me.

I give them all a sweet smile and wave before turning to Mr. Zhongli once again.

"I suppose we'll call it a day." I put my hands together and ask zhongli to join me in the parlor to help tidy things up before properly heading out.

"Goodbye Zhongli!" I tell him as we both walk out of the Parlor.

"Goodbye." He bows, walking off to go meet up with that wallet of his.

"Dont go dying zhongli, I would hate to see you become a client so soon." I say one more time.

"Ah... yes." He responds before finally heading off.

I stretch my hands into the air and begin to head off myself.

"Hiya Xiangling!" I walk into her restaurant, taking a seat near the kitchen.

"Hello!" Xiangling greets me. "One moment okay, I need to go give Chongyun his drink."

'Oh?'

I watch Xiangling pass by me, as she walks over to a corner, where Chongyun was sitting.

Xiangling gives him his drink, and tries to talk to him.

I cant hear what she says but Chongyun seems to ignore her.

"Xiangling." I call to her as she heads back. "What's up with Chongyun? He looks like he lost his popsicles on the way here."

She stops and looks back at Chongyun and sighs.

"Well, I'm sure something happened between him a Xingqiu." She continues. "An... incident happened... and things have been a bit off since then. It doesn't seem like Chongyun is willing to say anything about it. I dont think asking Xingqiu wouldn't work either, last I heard of him was from his friends that are visiting from Mondstadt.

'So something with those two?'

Xiangling looks back at me and offers to get me anything, I politely I refuse her offer.

"Alright then, hang around for a bit then." She smiles, going off to the restaurant's kitchen, taking more orders.

'Now let's see what I can do.'

I smirk to myself as I sit up and make my way over to Chongyun.

"Greetings Chongyun, I see your living... quiet well." I say, even though he looks closer to death more than anything.

I sit beside him waiting for his response.

"..."

Nothing.

"Soooooo.... how ya doin' Chongyun?" I lean closer towards him, in which he now gives a response.

"Okay." He says, looking at the cup Xiangling had given him.

With this clearly not going anywhere, I decide to get straight to the point.

"Chongyun, you dont look so good... what's wrong? Really?"

"Nothing, Hu Tao." He slides back his seat to stand and leave. "I should go." He last says before beginning to walk away.

But I notice something different from Chongyun's usual wear.

He was wearing two tassels, instead of his one.

"Oho? Chongyun, what's with that extra tassel?" I stop him, pointing at them.

"Ah, it's a new one I got." He tells me, facing away.

"Lying." I say, not amused.

He turns around giving me a rather annoyed expression and sits back down.

"Its... Xingqiu's." He says after some time of silence.

"Then why do you have it?" I ask him, already feeling as if I should be regretting this decision.

"He... gave it to me." His voice sounds forced, a tone I've never hear him speak before.

I look to his lap, were he had been resting his hands, they were in tight fists, holding grabbing onto his clothes.

'So Xiangling was right. Whatever happened must of been bad.'

"Eh... Chongyun, how about we go for a stroll?" I try to make him stand up again, pushing him to go outside.

"I dont really feel like it Hu Tao." He stays in his seat.

'He's farther down in the ground than my clients.'

'Not good.'

"alrighty then!" i wrap my arm around his and begin to drag him out of his seat, but he protests.

"bye bye Xiangling~! we'll be steping out for a bit; we'll be back!" I call out to Xiangling.

"O-oh... okay." She turns around with a confused expression from seeing the little scene me and chongyun were now causing.

with chongyun more or less hanging on for dear life to the table, you could say i was now pulling on his leg, quite literally.

'isnt this supposed to be Xingqiu's job? aiya, what a pain these two are.'

'this is why i work for the dead'

Eventually, Chongyun caves in and joins me on a happy stroll outside.