Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 51: Ganyu

Diluc walked down the busy streets of Liyue, but it wasn't long before a couple familiar faces caught his eye in the crowd. Aether, Paimon, and Zhongli were walking in the opposite direction. Where could they be heading? He thought.
"Diluc?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.
"Ah, a pleasant surprise," Zhongli said, stopping to talk. "What brings you to the streets of Liyue today?"
"Where's y/n?" Aether said, scanning the crowd for her.
"Ah, y/n is... feeling unwell, so I'm going to grab some food for her," Diluc said, scratching the back of his head. It wasn't far from the truth.
"Hey, we're going to the pharmacy!" Paimon said, a twinkle in her eyes. "Does she need any medicine?"
"No, it's just a small ache," Diluc said, barely avoiding flushing. It was an ache. "What are you going there for?"
"We've been helping Zhongli prepare a ceremony for Rex Lapis," Aether began, looking over to the tall man with a geo vision.
"We are searching for everlasting incense, it will make a fine offering for the lord of geo," Zhongli said. Diluc felt as though there was something strange about him, and not because he had made a deal of sorts with Childe. Try as he might, Diluc couldn't not place his finger on it.
"I'm sure it will," Diluc agreed. "Still, it doesn't sit right with me that it happened during the rite. Why when so many people were watching?"
Aether furrowed his brows. "I can't help but feel the same, but thats why we are trying to expose the culprit. To do so, we need to find the exuvia," The exuvia, a vessel for archons. Essentially, Morax's body.
"Yes, precisely," Zhongli said, nodding towards Aether. "We should get to Bubu Pharmacy soon, there is only so much light in a day, after all."
Aether and Paimon nodded to Zhongli, and then waved to Diluc. "Tell y/n we said hi!" Paimon shouted, floating away with the other two.
Diluc readjusted his tie and then continued down the street towards Wanmin. What would y/n like to eat? There was much to choose from. Chop Suey, Jeuyun Chilli Chicken, and even grilled Tiger Fish.
Hmm, those seem like they'd be good, but... Diluc furrowed his brows as he made his way towards Wanmin.
As he made it to the counter, he found a familiar face. "Oh hey, you were here last night!" Xiangling said, her hands on her hips. "Diluc, right?"
He nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, I was just going to order something to go."
"Sure thing! Where's y/n?" She asked innocently.
Diluc was faced with the question again, and kept himself from going red. "She's not feeling well, so I'm here to pick something up."
Xiangling nodded, holding a pen to her paper. "I see. How about some Jewel Soup?" She suggested, her pen ready. "It's a great comfort food, especially if you aren't feeling well!"
"That sounds perfect," Diluc said, realizing that comfort food might be what y/n needed.
"It'll be right out!"

I heard the sound of the hotel door unlocking, causing me to wake up from my nap. My eyes opened, Dilucs red hair instantly catching my gaze. He came through the door and shut it behind him, the lock clicking again.
He turned with a box in his hand, surprised to see me awake. "Oh, you're awake. I hope I didn't do that," Diluc chuckled a little.
"No worries," I said, sitting up. The covers fell, exposing my chest. I had forgotten why I had fallen asleep in the first place, and went red when I remembered.
"I brought you some Jewel Soup," Diluc said, bringing a bowel out of the box. I looked around for a shirt, since the room was a little chilly.
I reached down to the floor and picked up Dilucs night shirt out of his bag. It had been set down by his side of the bed, and was peeking out of the top. It was almost as if it was begging for me to put it on.
Diluc watched me slip it on, his face a little pink. "You want to wear my night shirt again?" He asked with a slight smile.
"It's the same one I wore when I stayed over," I said, feeling the soft fabric on my skin. "It's soft."
"Fine by me," he said, removing the lid from the bowl. He handed it to me, steam rising from the soup. "Here, it's still hot."
I sighed in contempt as I took the bowl, bringing it to my lips. As I drank it, Diluc sat beside me. "This soup is good, did you get it from Wanmin?"
"Xiangling made it herself," he said, smiling a little. 'She'll love it, I promise!' "Ah, I also ran into Aether, Paimon, and Zhongli."
"You did?" I said, looking over to him.
Diluc nodded. "Yes. They said hello," he said, extending their greeting to me.
"They were with Zhongli?" I said, raising an ear. "What for?"
"They were preparing a ceremony for Rex Lapis," He replied. "I believe they were looking for 'everlasting incense'. As an offering."
I nodded, remembering the pharmacy. "Oh man, they're going to be real surprised when they get there..." I said, remembering Qiqi.
"Why's that?" Diluc said, tilting a brow.
"Oh..." I said, laughing a little. "I forgot to tell you, didn't I?"
"Forgot?" Diluc said, confused. "What did you forget?"
"Ah... I bought your medicine from a zombie yesterday," I said, scratching the back of my head.
"...a what now?" Diluc said, slightly stunned. He seemed like he thought he hadn't heard me right.
"A little girl, her name is Qiqi," I said, smiling. "She's a little strange, but she really is kind."
"Are zombies even real?" Diluc said, still not quite believing me.
"Believe me, she was quite dead," I said, holding back a chuckle. "There was a talisman hanging from her hat, and she'd forgotten my name within a minute."
I remembered how she wrote my name down so she wouldn't forget again. Despite barely knowing her, I felt sad that she struggled to remember. She seemed to really want to remember, too.
"Well..." Diluc said, smiling a bit. "They will be surprised, no doubt."
I nodded as I finished my soup, setting the bowl down on the nightstand. "Hm... what should we do later tonight?"
"Should we walk around later and see?" Diluc said, a finger to his chin. "There is much to do in Liyue, especially at night."
"Sure, what were you thinking?" I asked.
"Well, there is this place that has a story teller..."

"Ah, there it is," Diluc said, pointing down the street. We weren't far from Wanmin, in fact we were just around the corner. The tavern seemed to be a hole in the wall style restaurant. Along the tables outside, a story teller was standing with a fan.
"Hey, look!" I said in recognition. "I didn't think we were going to run into them here."
"Y/n?" Aether said, his head turning. Paimon looked over excitedly, and Zhongli simply nodded in my direction.
"Well, I didn't expect to see you two here," Zhongli said, holding steaming hot tea. He gestured to the empty seats at the table. "Why don't you two join us?"
I looked over at Diluc, who nodded. "Sure," I replied, walking over and taking a seat.
"Y/n! Are you feeling any better?" Paimon asked, smiling at me. Feeling any better?
I looked over to Diluc, an ear raised. "Yes, y/n is feeling a bit better since I brought her some soup." His foot nudged me slightly, and I took the hint.
"Oh! Yes, I'm feeling much better," I said, smiling. He must have told them that when he ran into them earlier. Good thing they don't know the truth. That'd be embarrassing...

"They say that when Lady Ningguang ponders important affairs, she retreats to her Jade Chamber," the storyteller began, causing the chatter among the tables to hush as his voice rang across the area. We all turned our heads to watch attentively.
"-With none but her three closest confidants in tow," he continued. "Why brings she these trusted three? To sift through sources, dig through documents, looking for information."
"Piece by piece, facts and figures paint a picture on the walls of the chamber. But well before the wall is filled, Lady Ningguangs mind is made. Having made her call, she has every last document shredded. And 'fwoosh!'" He said, waving his fan. "She scatters the shavings out her window. Ah, look at them! How they billow in the wind like a sudden swirling blizzard!" His fan waved before him, as if he were the one scattering the torn paper.
"As the fragments fall, traces of text flicker before the eyes of the merchants of Liyue, like ink stains in white snow." He folded his fan, holding it against his chest. "The saying goes, 'the rarest treasures in the land, are the words brought by the paper snow.' For the words of Tianquan have the power to move mountians, and all throughout the land know it."
There was a humble amount of applause as the storyteller bowed, and then left the stage set for him. Paimon put a finger to her chin, a notice look of deep thoughts reflected on her face.
"Lady Ningguang... Paimon wonders what sort of person she is," she said, eliciting a similar response from all of us.
"I wonder what sort of secrets are on those papers, that merchants hold them so dear to their hearts..." I pondered, wondering if I would ever lay my eyes on the paper snow.
"At last I have found you, you who returned from Jueyun Karst," Aether looked around, searching for the source of the voice.
"Who's there?" Paimon asked, Diluc and I also turning our heads for the source of the voice. She, the voice, sounded serious. What for?
"Paimon, we gotta go-" Aether said, but the voice quickly interrupted him.
"Wait!" She called out, and we all turned our heads to the roof. The roof? "I am not with the Millileth, nor am I here to claim your bounty!"
Looking up to her, I saw that her long blue hair trailed behind her like a waterfall. She had red accessories in her hair that seemed reminiscent of horns, although I doubted that they actually were. From her hip swung a cryo vision. Another cryo user...
"I am an emissary of the Liyue Qixing. My name is Ganyu, secretary at Yuhei pavilion," she looked over to Paimon and Aether, who were also confused as to why she was on the roof. "I've come specifically to meet you."
"Emissary?" Aether said, tilting his head.
"At the moment, I am serving as Lady Ningguangs special emissary," Ganyu replied, smiling to us politely.
"Ningguang sent you?" I said, raising an ear. How coincidental.
"We were literally just talking about her!" Paimon said, also surprised.
"I am duty bound and cannot extend my courtesy in full," she said, looking at all of us before glancing back at Aether. "But I have a letter from Lady Ningguang. She formally invites you, traveler, to the Jade Chamber in her capacity as the Tianquan."
"An official invitation?" Diluc said, sounding surprised. "To..."
"The Jade Chamber?" Paimon said, in absolute awe.
"Lady Ningguang said this," Ganyu said formally. "'Invite him to come here. I wish to meet him. At the Jade Chamber, together, we shall snip every one of these entwining dark threads.'" And with that, she walked along the rooftop until she was gone.