La petite mort

The Little Death

Author's note: I don't actually have Hu Tao, and I don't main my C6 Yanfei. Nevertheless, I've been influenced by the amazing cover art to give this ship a go! And I have to admit, I can see why this pairing is so popular. I really enjoyed exploring their dynamics, even if I don't know them as well as I maybe should. Enjoy.

*

The new couple in Liyue's power circles had been the talk of The Steambird newspaper for the past few weeks:

"The heir to the dark arts seen hand-in-hand with the Harbour's rising young lawyer, a half-adeptus legal advisor."

By dark arts, Hu Tao assumed that the reporters were thinking of the perfectly benign – and socially necessary – traditions of embalmment, funerary rites, and entombment or cremation, depending on the client's religious beliefs and commemorative budget. She'd welcome an interview to clear up misunderstandings about the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, and maybe even get a good word in to the paper so as to get some business going. But, alas, no journalist seemed interested or brave enough to talk to her.

She couldn't help feeling amused at how big of a deal the paper was making her new relationship out to be. Despite the gossip, they saw little of each other in their day-to-day working lives, and when they went out, they more or less did what young ladies do when dating: a casual but rich and full dinner at Wanmin Restaurant, watching the moon by the docks, a bit of hasty and breathless snogging and fondling behind the back alleys of the Chiyu Rock district...

But today was different; Hu Tao was knocking on the mahogany door of Yanfei's new home on Yujing Terrace. Yes, her girlfriend had made it; her law practice so respected and sought-after that she'd earned the Mora to buy a small apartment high up in one of the great spires imperiously overlooking Liyue Harbour. That was the privilege of the esquires and gentlemen of Yujing Terrace, whose lordly fiefs in Liyue's business, social, and cultural circles were outranked only by the Qixing.

And now, Yanfei could count herself among them.

The lavish door opened, and a pair of bright teal-green eyes with elliptic pupils peeked out. Creamy antlers extended from behind a mop of salmon-pink hair. Hu Tao's crimson eyes brightened. "Good morning, sweetie."

"Hey," said Yanfei, her languid gaze locked onto Hu Tao's. For a moment, Hu Tao wasn't sure if she should welcome herself in, but Yanfei took her hand and drew her close, pressing a pair of warm lips on hers. They kissed lovingly, closing their eyes and savouring being reunited, even though it had only been a few days. Yanfei tugged at Hu Tao's black sleeve, guiding her into a well-appointed lobby, with a kitchen to the left, and a single large bedroom to the right. The furniture in the middle of the lounge was tasteful but bespoke, and faced a large open window from which Yanfei could enjoy a sweeping view of the harbour and a pleasant sea breeze in the evenings. Yanfei smiled, holding Hu Tao's hand, as the latter mouthed a "wow," and sighed. "If only Wangsheng Funeral Parlour could reach heights of success like yours, sweetie."

"This is one of the smaller flats," qualified Yanfei, "and there are far bigger fish that count themselves as my neighbours. Lawyers for the Qixing, lobbyists and representatives of foreign interests like the Northland Bank... and I think the Liyue bureau chief of The Steambird has a mistress living here."

"Can you see this director of the Wangsheng Funeral living here, too? With you?"

"Hey. You're here, and I've already prepared a second set of keys." Yanfei reached over and put a gentle finger under Hu Tao's chin, and they beamed at each other. "I've taken care of everything. What's yours is yours and what's mine is also yours."

Hu Tao grinned. "A hot shot legal advisor like you shouldn't say that carelessly around others."

"I know. That's why I brought you here first. So, we have all the time we need to debate who loves who more."