Brewed of Memories

Chapter 10: Veins of ichor

It's pleasantly warm out when your workday draws to a close, the sky swelling a soft blue in the absence of clouds. A cool breeze gently ruffles the tree leaves and sends tremors down their spindly branches, a welcome relief from the heat of the blooming sun.

Speaking of sun, there's so much natural sunlight streaming in through your windows, you don't even need to light any of the shop's lanterns. Instead, the room is well lit, bathing in all the thousand hues of a cozy afternoon.

It's a lovely day, indeed.

It also wouldn't hurt to mention how incredibly accomplished you're feeling at the moment, and for good reason; your tea shop has been gaining significantly more customers. Really, with four of them in the last hour, you're considering quitting your part time job at Wanmin.

The shop bell tingles, its front door swinging open despite the closed sign; you've left it unlocked on purpose.

It's Zhongli, as expected.

He enters, holding a small bundle in his hands. You're finding it hard to focus on that though, especially when his soft smile — the one that never fails to mercilessly twist up your insides — is already making butterflies erupt like fireworks in your stomach.

You snap back to reality upon hearing objects clink together inside the bundle, tingling like tiny crystal charms as he moves to the counter and sets it down in front of you. Curious, you watch in interest as he pulls the fabric's ends apart to reveal several glass containers full of...herbs?

"I brought some ingredients that I doubt you have here," he says, holding up one with needle-shaped silver leaves inside, "only because they're very obscure and generally unknown by most tea brewers, even the most experienced."

"That's perfect." You lean in to take a closer look at one of the containers. It has a brown herb inside, but you can't identify it.

"They were commonly used long ago, some even before I was alive." He wraps them up in a bundle once more. "Allow me to teach you how to make tea with them. That was our deal, was it not?" he asks, smiling.

"It was."

It was the single condition to your secret-keeping, that he would teach you how to make an old tea — but really, you and he both know that you would never tell a soul without his permission. Now it's just an excuse for you to do something with him.

Does he see it that way too? As an excuse? Maybe he sees it as a hindrance. Maybe—

"(Y/n)?" His voice is so close it takes you a moment to realize he's right next to you behind the counter. When did he get there?

"Oh, yes, sorry- let's begin."

Real smooth, (y/n), reeeal smooth.

But Zhongli seems to be having an internal crisis of his own. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to...take off my gloves," he begins eventually, sounding cautious. "It would make the process easier."

You don't even register his last sentence because did he just say gloves? The same gloves that you've never seen leave his hands?

When you fail to respond he speaks again, hurriedly this time. "If you don't feel comfortable with that, I'll keep them on—"

"No."

Wait.

"I mean- I meant yes, you can take them off," you assure him. "I have zero qualms."

An emotion akin to disbelief adorns his features. "Are you certain?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" you say, giving him a kind smile.