…

  …

  Astel, now Aster, hummed as he was led deeper into the Komore Teahouse, the st location he needed to gather things from for Keqing’s delivery.

  She was apparently here once prior to the Inazuma lockdown, having been invited for some diplomatic talks alongside some of her colleagues or something… Aster was too busy thinking about what to have for lunch to focus on her expnation.

  She was requesting some special high-quality tea leaves she knew were likely only avaible here, if not extremely rare anywhere else. Probably because they were Inazuman tea leaves.

  What a world, eh? Hard to find Inazuma tea outside of Inazuma. Crazy.

  The dy at the front was quite harsh when Aster first approached, threatening him quite rudely and telling him to scram until he showed Keqing’s signature and request. Only then was he let inside…

  But he wasn’t too upset. His Wackiness informed him that only those approved by the Kamisato Cn were allowed inside, so it made sense that he was barely being let inside in the first pce.

  “Morning, pal! What are you here for?” As Aster was preparing to stand around doing nothing until they brought him the needed tea leaves, a cheerful and friendly voice cut through his daze. Aster blinked and turned to the person speaking to him, tilting his head as he saw a blonde man with green eyes…

  …

  [A few minutes ter…]

  “-no way they actually did that! That’s hirious!” Aster ughed alongside his newly made friend, Thoma, as the duo held onto each other’s shoulders to keep themselves from colpsing from ughter.

  “It’s true! You wouldn’t imagine what some soldiers resort to just to stave off their boredom! You should’ve seen it yourself… They had to discipline the entire force the next day after Our Lady saw the ordeal.” Thoma covered his mouth to hide the smile as it was inappropriate for him to ugh when his Lady had to see ‘that.’

  Not like she was any better. Astel would rather do that than walk in water with socks on.

  Huh… She did that, hm? Neat.

  “An entire spear… They’ve got guts, to say the least.” Aster and Thoma snickered at Aster’s pun, pausing as one of the Komore Teahouse staff approached with a package holding the things Keqing had requested.

  “Ah, that’s the package you’re delivering, right?” Thoma asked with curiosity as Aster nodded happily.

  “Yep! That’s the st thing I need to pick up. Now, I just need to deliver it to Lady Keqing.” Aster replied as he received the package and inspected the content briefly with a spatial gnce before dismissing it into his space.

  “Oh? You mean Lady Keqing of the Liyue Qixing?” Thoma’s eyes stared at the disappearing package with interest before turning to Aster with a smile as Aster nodded. “Ah… It’ll be a tough journey past the thunderstorms. I wish you good luck, friend!”

  “Oh, no. I don’t need to travel by sea. That’s too slow for my Company.” Aster shook his head and smiled with pride as Thoma blinked and tilted his head curiously.

  “Hm? How else will you travel to Liyue, then?” Thoma inquired while chuckling in amusement as he saw Aster’s smugness.

  Aster has Aster capabilities, that’s how.

  “Oh, you said you were from Mondstadt earlier, right?” Aster returned Thoma’s inquiry with a question of his own, making Thoma nod with a smile. “Watch this.”

  Aster put his hand on Thoma’s shoulder.

  *POP*

  *WOOOOSH!*

  Thoma gasped in shock, recoiling at the sudden atmosphere and air pressure change.

  “Welcome home, Thoma!” Aster welcomed as the two stood atop a beautiful, windy mountain facing the majesty of the city of Mondstadt.

  The familiar breeze of freedom swept past the duo as Thoma stared in shock, his pupils diting as he stared at his old home.

  Aster crossed his arms and nodded smugly, reveling in Thoma’s shocked and moved expression.

  “That’s how I travel around, Thoma. I’d normally offer to let you run around and visit your old country, but I bet everyone back in the Teahouse is panicking right now at our sudden disappearance.” Aster sheepishly pointed out while extending his hand to Thoma as the blonde blinked.

  Slowly and reluctantly, he turned away from Mondstadt’s majestic scenery and looked at Aster.

  “Ah, right… I suppose that we’re in a bit of a rush, huh?” Thoma answered rhetorically while smiling weakly, clearly quite hesitant at returning so soon after getting to see his old home.

  “Mhm. Plus, Mondstadt is in a bit of a pickle right now, with Stormterror and all.” Aster sympathized with Thoma and reminded him of Mondstadt’s ongoing crisis, wearing an understanding smile as he saw Thoma’s slight nod.

  Thoma didn’t regret leaving home, but anybody would be a little emotional when faced with their old home country so suddenly.

  “Let’s return before my colleagues do anything rash.” Thoma csped Aster’s hand as they disappeared with a *POP*, reappearing where they had disappeared earlier in the Komore Teahouse.

  There, they found the dy Aster had spoken to at the front and the man who delivered the package to him staring at them in surprise. They appeared pretty panicked until Thoma and Aster reappeared, their faces filled with confusion and wariness.

  “Oh, I’ll be heading out now to deliver this package, Thoma.” Aster cut the drama short as Astel had a few appointments soon after delivering the package to Keqing. “I’ll see you ter, friend!”

  “Oh, is there a way for me to contact you again soon, Aster?” Thoma quickly interjected before Aster could pop away, his words holding a certain haste dissimir to his usual rexed and friendly attitude. “Or will you not be returning to Inazuma anytime soon?”

  Aster summoned a peculiar box simir to a mailbox and handed it to Thoma with a smile.

  “Here, this device is my Transmissional International Tech Storage. If you ever wanna hang out, just put a time and pce on a piece of paper and throw it in. I’ll receive it.” Aster expined cheerfully as Thoma blinked and stared at the contraption, his face turning incredulous as he visualized the acronym in the device’s name.

  “... Aster, what’s the name of your company?” Thoma asked worriedly as Aster smiled brightly at the question.

  “Teyvat International Trading Syndicate!” Aster proudly decred, watching as Thoma’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Alternatively, we’re the Astral Express.”

  Teehee.~

  “A-Astral Express, huh? Your name is quite simir to the Kamoniya Express… It’s a shame they don’t have your delivery prowess.” Thoma noted with a weak smile as he tried to move past the first name Aster said, noticing Aster’s ‘obliviousness’ to the abbreviation.

  “The… Kamoniya Express?” Aster muttered in confusion, freezing momentarily as information began flowing into his head about the ‘Kamoniya Express.’ “Ah!”

  Aster suddenly gained a brilliant idea!

  “Something wrong, Aster?” Thoma noticed Aster’s sudden change in expression, seeing the metaphorical lightbulb lighting up above his head. “What’s wrong with the Kamoniya Express?”

  “Nothing! I just suddenly got an amazing idea that I’ll have to run by the boss ter.” Aster grinned mischievously and brought a finger to his lip in a shushing motion, clearly quite pleased with the idea he just got. “You know how my company technically shouldn’t be working right now?~”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Despite not knowing the context, Thoma matched Aster’s grin, tilting his head as he waited for Aster to continue.

  “Of course, of course… But, if Astral Express were to absorb Kamoniya Express by purchasing it, we’d technically get some leverage to work in Inazuma legally… Not that we’re working illegally right now, of course.~” Aster slowly expined his idea to Thoma with a grin as Thoma’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of cunning entering them as he nodded along.

  “Indeed… Should everything go smoothly, and perhaps with a bit of help from one of the Commissions, there shouldn’t be many complications popping up for a while.” Thoma agreed and thoughtfully brought a hand to his chin, undoubtedly making some pns in his head.

  “Heh, right?” Aster puffed his chest proudly before suddenly pausing as he felt the Tech Storage device he gave Jean alert him of a new message. “Oh, right! I’ll have to head out now, Thoma! Let’s hang out again ter if we can.”

  Jean wanted to see him urgently? Keqing would have to wait, it seems… Oopsie.

  “For sure, Aster. I’m sure I’ll be contacting you quite soon.” Thoma nodded with a friendly smile, waving goodbye as Aster saluted.

  “Adios amigo!”

  *POP*

  “Mr. Thoma?” Kozue, the Shop Assistant standing outside, quietly called out as she saw Thoma deep in thought.

  “I’ll be away for a while, Kozue. I’ll be away talking to the Lady.” Thoma decisively decred, smiling brightly and giving her a nod before quickly rushing out of the Teahouse as the assistant sighed. “Take care while I’m gone!”

  “Very well…”

  …

  …

  [ Angel’s Share ]

  *POP*

  “Aster is here!” Aster announced cheerfully, freezing as he saw the intimidating group of characters gathered around him. “Ouh…”

  Over by the entrance were Lumine, Paimon, and Venti, all staring at him in surprise as he suddenly appeared. Next to Jean was Master Diluc, owner of Dawn Winery, Angel’s Share Tavern, and also the Batman of Teyvat, staring at him with slight surprise and suspicion as he suddenly apparated into the empty tavern room.

  Well, this isn’t very favorable.

  Jean was only just putting away the Tech Storage device, showing how quickly Aster had answered her summons…

  “Oh, Aster! I didn’t expect you to answer so quickly.” Jean greeted Aster brightly, unaware of Aster’s plight as she patted his shoulder. “Do you not have any work today?”

  “Um… Actually, I’m supposed to be delivering something to Lady Keqing right now. You just wrote that you wanted to see me urgently, so I came.” Aster expined sheepishly while waving at Paimon and Lumine, who he had met once previously back when they first arrived in Mondstadt. “Hello, everyone! Greetings, Lord Barbatos.”

  Aster nodded brightly to everyone before bowing his head slightly in respect to Venti as everyone stiffened in surprise.

  “Huuh!? How did you know about Venti’s true identity?” Paimon loudly questioned with a fbbergasted expression as Aster puffed his chest out proudly.

  “How could I not know something as important as that? It would be really stupid if a member of the Astral Express couldn’t even pay proper respects to one of the Seven Archons, disguise or not!” Aster proudly boasted as Jean chuckled exasperatedly, patting the top of his head.

  “Can’t say I’m not surprised, Aster. I thought I’d be used to your numerous baffling capabilities by now.” Jean rolled her eyes and sighed amusedly, turning to Diluc curiously once he cleared his throat to get their attention.

  “Should you not introduce the ‘friend’ you brought?” Diluc questioned curtly, staring at Aster suspiciously like the Batman he was. “You said you were sure he’d be able to help us.”

  “Ah, yes, of course, Sir.” Jean nodded in embarrassment and cleared her throat, stiffening a moment ter as she realized her mistake by calling Diluc ‘Sir’ again. “Ahem… This is Aster, a great friend of mine and a representative of the Astral Express, who are close allies to the Knights of Favonius and have been helping us quite a lot with rge deliveries of resources. Food, weapons, materials, and even information.”

  Aster crossed his arms and began nodding proudly, appearing quite smug at Jean’s high praise in front of such important figures.

  “Hoho?~ I should thank you for all the help you’ve provided Mondstadt as its God, then!” Venti enthusiastically greeted Aster with a bright smile, getting an equally enthusiastic nod from Aster.

  “It was my pleasure! Jean is my friend, and it’s not like we were doing it for free either.” Aster humbly deflected the thanks despite the smug expression on his face showing quite the opposite, getting a bright ugh from Venti at Aster’s terrible acting ability.

  Lumine remained silent in the corner of the room, staring at Aster intently while Paimon looked between them in confusion, sweatdropping slightly.

  “Have you heard of what happened in the Church st night, Aster?” Jean quickly expined why she brought Aster here, not wanting to waste more time with introductions or pleasantries.

  Since everyone was gathered here like this, it meant that Lumine tried to steal the Lyre and then failed like a loser!

  “Miss Lumine and Lord Barbatos tried to steal the lyre but got their ankles broken by one of those purple Fatui girls,” Aster’s comedic expnation and straight face had everyone fbbergasted, torn between commenting on how much he knew or the way he described it.

  “... Ankle broken?” Diluc muttered in confusion, turning to look at Venti and Lumine’s ankles.

  “Paimon was there too!” Paimon protested with a huff while pcing her small hands on her hips and gring at Aster.

  Lumine sighed and facepalmed at the little fairy’s takeaway from Aster’s words.

  “... Isn’t it better if you aren’t included in the crime?” Aster asked with puzzlement, making Paimon pause and think about it for a few seconds before clearing her throat.

  “You’re right. It was Lumine and the Tone-Deaf Bard that were there!” She nodded like a pecking chicken, not a hint of shame on her face. She didn’t spare Lumine or Venti a gnce as they looked at her exasperatedly, pointedly looking away sheepishly.

  “... Seeing as you already know the intricate details, I won’t waste any more time.” Jean brought the conversation back on-topic again, furrowing her brows seriously. “Do you know where the Fatui took the Lyre?”

  Aster blinked.

  Aster turned to Diluc as the red-haired man raised an eyebrow.

  “Shouldn’t you know, Master Diluc?” Aster asked in confusion, puzzled at why the Batman of the world hadn’t already discovered this information, considering his hatred for the Fatui and all.

  Diluc’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing.

  “I do.” He nodded silently before turning to Jean as she looked at him in surprise, expining why he hadn’t told them immediately. “I was originally pnning to tell you right away until you spoke about an informant you believed would know. I decided to withhold the information momentarily, if only to meet this so-called partner to the Knights of Favonius.”

  “Ah… How very like you, Master Diluc.” Jean smiled wryly as Diluc casually revealed his cunning deception, an exasperated yet nonetheless amused glint in her eyes.

  “Heh… Are you impressed now that you’ve met me, then?” Aster puffed his chest out proudly and crossed his arms, clearly quite confident in his capabilities.

  Aster is quite awesome, no?~

  “... The fact that you’ve somehow learned that I obtained the information about the Fatui’s Stronghold despite having only learned of it mere hours ago has certainly made me quite suspicious,” Diluc spoke with clear wariness as he stared intently at Aster. “... You’re not normal, are you?”

  The tense words of Diluc were accompanied by Lumine suddenly stepping closer to Aster and staring into his eyes with narrowed eyes.

  “Aster… Do you know Estel?” She slowly asked, watching Aster’s expression intently.

  …

  Oh damn.

  Aster’s face froze at Lumine’s question, which everyone immediately noticed as they looked at the suspicious Lumine.

  “You do?” Lumine blinked in surprise before smiling brightly. “Does that mean that you’re also…”

  Her words trailed off as she couldn’t exactly reveal her otherworldly status so easily, but the intent between them was quite clear.

  “Ahem…” Aster didn’t answer her directly, coughing into his fist and ‘sneakily’ moving closer to Lumine to whisper in her ear despite everyone watching him quite easily. “You should visit Dragonspine at some point and meet Chief Alchemist Albedo…”

  “Hm? Is he also…?” Lumine’s eyes fluttered slightly in confusion before widening slightly. “Ah! Estel did say that there were actually quite a few just in Mondstadt…”

  “Are you friends with Estel?” Aster asked curiously as he saw that Lumine was distracted by her thoughts, smiling brightly as she nodded with a small smile. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Please take care of him when you’re together, okay?”

  “Oh? Are you two reted in any way?” Lumine asked with a blink as she looked Aster up and down… finding it quite difficult to see any simirities between him and the white-haired Estel. Different physical traits, personality, and demeanor…

  “Oh, um… Estel would probably try to cut me down with his sword if he ever saw me.” Aster admitted sheepishly as Jean narrowed her eyes in the corner of his vision. “It’s probably better for the two of us not to meet…”

  Not that Aster would let that happen; he’d just teleport to a different country! Take that, Alter!

  “Ah… I see… I guess my pn of bringing Estel in to possibly help us won’t work then.” Lumine furrowed her brows and pursed her lips, sighing as she gave up her earlier idea. She thought Estel would be quite helpful, considering how strong he was and how useful his abilities were.

  “Oh yeah! You could’ve totally invited Estel! There’s no way he would’ve refused the chance to fight Stormterror with how bloodthirsty he is!” Paimon gasped and nodded rapidly, shamelessly smearing Estel’s image with her words.

  They were technically trying to obtain the Lyre to not have to fight Dvalin…

  “Paimon…” Lumine facepalmed with a tired sigh, clearly exhausted by her fairy companion’s ck of tact.

  “Estel… That should be the Adventurer who vanquished the Primo Anemovishap alongside you and Eu, no?” Jean muttered thoughtfully as she remembered seeing the name in one of her reports a day ago.

  “Yeah! He’s a total nutjob, you know? Upon learning that the Anemovishap was a Primo one, he asked Eu not to help just to complete his rank-up!” Paimon compined while kicking the air and crossing her arms, apparently only having bad things to say about Estel. “Lumine almost got hurt saving him!”

  “... Actually, I was the one who almost got him hurt trying to save him.” Lumine sheepishly corrected before pinching Paimon’s cheek to keep her from saying anything more. “And his decision resulted in a double rank-up for us, so you should be grateful, Paimon.”

  “Ah, I heard about that from the report Eu gave… After you all split up from the Adventurer’s Guild, he apparently challenged Eu to a duel that left quite a bit of damage in the training grounds behind Favonius HQ.” Jean revealed with a hum, a slightly amused smile on her face for some reason. “She had a few choice words about him… but vouched for his strength, nonetheless. The duel even ended in a draw because of the damage they caused, which made them stop halfway.”

  “... Cavalry Captain Lawrence is certainly no push-over despite the Knights’ usual incompetence.” Diluc frowned and crossed his arms with furrowed brows, clearly considering pulling Estel into the fold now that he’d heard of his capabilities. Or keeping a mental note to investigate him ter. Maybe both.

  “Indeed. Considering how most of my duels with her end in a draw, his strength is certainly admirable.” Jean nodded with a bright smile as she heard Diluc’s compliment towards Eu, clearly quite pleased at the praise towards her colleague. “Do you think he’d agree to help, Aster?”

  As Jean turned to him for his opinion after mulling it over with the others, Aster had to keep his face straight as he didn’t know if he should ugh or cry.

  How was he supposed to know??

  “Oh, undoubtedly!” Despite his inner pout and tantrum, Aster smiled brightly as he nodded. “As long as Lumine asks, he’ll surely not refuse to help his friend.”

  “Didn’t you say earlier that he’d cut you down if you two met, though?” Lumine pointed out with furrowed brows as Jean frowned again.

  “Yeah, but it’s not like we have to meet. I’m not much of a fighter, after all!” Aster chuckled sheepishly, shrugging helplessly as he pointed out his ck of usefulness in the upcoming battle. “I’ll help where I can, and Estel can help you fight.”

  “Then it’s settled! Lumine and I will try to find Estel after we retrieve the Lyre.” Paimon decred proudly, getting an amused nod from her partner as Lumine huffed good-naturedly.

  The group then began discussing their current pn to raid the Fatui Stronghold and retrieve the Lyre, allowing Aster to take a backseat as he prepared to leave to continue Keqing’s commission.

  “Hey, hey.~” Venti quietly called out before he could, though, subtly moving to Aster’s side with his usual dopey smile as he greeted Aster after staying unusually silent for the st few minutes.

  “Lord Barbatos.” Aster smiled warmly and nodded, tilting his head at Venti’s approach as he thought about what the wine gremlin could want. “Was there anything you needed?”

  “You easily recognized who I was earlier, so you should know where to find the other Archons, do you not?” Venti asked with a mischievous grin, elbowing Aster’s side gently. “Does that mean you know where to find Morax in Liyue?”

  “That is a very real possibility.” Aster returned the mischievous smile and whisper, watching Venti’s eyes hold a complex emotion for a second before returning to their earlier mischief. “We could even deliver a bottle of Dandelion Wine as a gift on your behalf if you wish. Free of charge.”

  “Oh, really!?” Venti’s eyes sparkled at the mention of free wine, even if it wasn’t meant for him. “I’d much rather get that bottle for myself.~”

  “Pfft… I wouldn’t mind bringing you some wine from around Teyvat if you'd like. You could be a taste tester for the Astral Express’s wine delivery!” Aster offered with an amused ugh as Venti’s face practically bloomed with excitement at the offer. “We’ll even send the Dandelion Wine to Lord Rex Lapis still.”

  “Then don’t mind if I do!~ I will humbly accept this mountainous task only because you ask, Aster!” Venti ‘humbly’ accepted the offer before grinning at the offer to deliver a bottle of wine to Zhongli. “And that’s perfect! But also… Do you have a paper and pen?”

  Aster wordlessly summoned a paper, pen, and a vintage envelope for Venti as the Archon chuckled mischievously and began scribbling away…

  … Aster just saw a penis get sketched on the paper.

  “Please deliver this alongside the wine!” Venti requested with an eager grin, handing Aster the letter he had written. “You’re sure you can deliver this to him, right?”

  As Venti asked to make sure that Aster could do the delivery, Aster cleared his throat and adjusted his colr to appear more formal.

  “Osmanthus Wine tastes the same as I remember… but where are those who share the memory?” Aster spoke with a deep, reminiscent tone that would’ve armed Venti at its accuracy had the bard not been ughing his ass off. “Do I have the right person?”

  “Oh, definitely! You’ve got the Old Geezer all figured out!” Venti eventually regained his bearings, smiling like a loon as he wiped a stray tear away. “I’ll leave this letter to you, then!”

  “Don’t worry. When it comes to delivery, Teyvat International Trading Syndicate-” *Shatter!* “-is unparalleled!” Aster confidently reassured while bringing a hand to his chest and patting it, making Venti nod with a smile despite

  “Ah! I’m so sorry, Master Diluc!” Jean apologized profusely after accidentally dropping a gss, appearing extremely panicked and embarrassed at slipping so clumsily. She gnced in Aster’s direction with exhaustion before bowing her head to Diluc in apology.

  “What’s up with her?” Venti raised an eyebrow and whispered to Aster, turning to look at him as Aster lowered his head to whisper back.

  “Sleep deprivation, I think. She’s got quite a lot of responsibilities as the Acting Grand Master, so she’s constantly overworking herself.” Aster helpfully expined on her behalf, watching as Venti shamelessly gasped and sent her a pitying gnce as if it wasn’t him who was letting his people handle all the affairs of Mondstadt on his behalf. “Thankfully, she’s been getting less work thanks to Teyvat International-”

  “Aster!” Jean roared, interrupting Aster before he could say his company's full name again.

  “Oop- Alright, I still need to hop by Liyue to finish my commission. I’ll be seeing you all ter!” Aster smartly decided to leave before Mama Jean delivered maternal justice upon his poor form, probably with her belt. “It was nice seeing you all, friends! If you ever need anything, you know where to find me!”

  “I don’t.” Lumine deadpanned.

  “Jean!” Aster dramatically pointed to the frowning Jean before turning to Venti and slipping him a business card. “With that, I shall be taking my leave! Goodbye, friends.”

  “Teyvat International Trading Syndicate…” Venti slowly read out the name on the business card before pausing as the gears turned in his head.

  Then, he ughed.

  And he ughed hard.

  “T-TITS! Ahahaha! I just sent a letter to the Old Geezer through TITS!” Venti howled loudly, cackling loud enough to grab everyone else's attention as they all looked at the bard in shock.

  “Barbatos, help me… ASTER!” Jean gritted her teeth and roared, making Aster immediately jump into the air.

  *POP POP POP*

  Despite only teleporting once, a hasty triple pop emanated as Aster disappeared, leaving Venti to ugh until his feet couldn’t hold him up anymore, and he fell to the ground.

  Jean rubbed her temples tiredly while ignoring the pointed stares of Lumine, Diluc, and Paimon. She didn’t have the energy to expin to them why the God of Mondstadt was currently yelling out “TITS” while ughing maniacally.

  Why did she have to be surrounded by idiots? Was this the fate of being the Grand Master of Mondstadt’s Knights of Favonius?

  … At least she only had to worry about Aster… And Klee.

  Thankfully, those two weren’t going to meet under any circumstance. She made sure of it herself.

  She had nothing to worry about. Yes.

  …

  … Right?

  …

  …

  [ Keqing’s Office - Liyue ]

  *POP!*

  “Watashi Ga Kita!” Aster appeared in the middle of the extremely organized room, his arms raised high and with an expensive-looking Kimono adorned around his body.

  “Wha?- Aster!?” Keqing jumped in shock at Aster’s sudden appearance, a few arcs of Electro sparking around her body before quickly receding as she recognized Aster’s face. “You! Do you not know how to knock?”

  “Sorry!” Aster smiled brightly without appearing apologetic whatsoever, making Keqing huff and quickly walk around her desk to raise her hand and jab his chest.

  “Speaking of being sorry, did I not instruct you to be here by dusk? In case you haven’t noticed, it’s already night!” Keqing spoke accusingly, huffing as she grabbed Aster’s arm and extended it to inspect the kimono he wore. “And what’s this? I don’t remember commissioning you to get any Inazuman clothes?”

  “Oh! I saw a lot of items that I thought you’d love, so I picked them up for you!” Aster expined with a happy smile, missing the pause in Keqing’s initiative as her face softened slightly. “Don’t worry. We can remove anything you don’t like from the total sum, so you won’t have to pay for it with the extra Mora you gave.”

  “... And why were you te in the first pce?” Keqing asked with a less accusing tone, listening intently for Aster’s expnation before she continued her angered accusations.

  “Jean urgently called upon me for important stuff!” Aster expined proudly before crossing his arms. “Can’t say more… Super sensitive Anti-Fatui stuff...” He nodded proudly.

  …

  “Uh… Not Fatui, actually…” Aster weakly corrected after having a sudden realization, watching as Keqing barely suppressed a smirk by huffing and turning around.

  “If whatever made you te was for the sake of ruining a Fatui Agent’s day, then I have no more compints.” Keqing gracefully twirled around to sit atop her desk, crossing her stocking-cd legs and dramatically pushing back one of her waist-length twin tails. “Very well then! I suppose that we mustn’t dey any longer, Aster…”

  *POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!*

  A red carpet suddenly rolled toward Keqing’s desk from the front door, and several chairs were strewn on each side after being summoned. The lights in the room were turned off and repced by many stage lights and moving lights.

  An ominous fog slowly crept around the stage as Keqing’s lips twitched upward…

  “Let’s get this show on the road!”

  …

  …

  Keqing slowly walked down the runway with a graceful gait, grabbing her scarf and exhaling softly as a cold breath left her lips from the chilly atmosphere caused by the stage.

  “Beautiful… I never thought of incorporating Mondstadt fashion together like this.” Keqing whispered softly, unable to suppress the bright smile as she inspected herself in the giant mirror on her desk adjacent to the red carpet she walked atop.

  She wore a white maxi skirt with purple edges at the bottom and a shoulderless, cotton purple sweater with a few white adornments. Her shapely legs were covered in her usual bck stockings, and her feet were covered by a beautiful pair of bck boots with fur ends. Her purple hair was also adorned with simir white decorations to her sweater, and she wore a striking bck scarf with white and gold trails. With every movement, the sway of her long skirt allowed a small glimpse of her legs, teasing all those who looked with the possibility of seeing further up… but to no avail.

  “Hm.” Keqing couldn’t keep the smugness out of her face, even if she tried. She turned around with prideful fir and walked back on the runway with a slight sway of her hips amidst the sound of appuse emanating from seemingly nowhere. The moving lights followed her until she reached ‘backstage’ and disappeared behind the curtains.

  As the appuse finally faded, Keqing’s footsteps returned, and she walked out from behind the curtains with a fbbergasted expression.

  “How am I already in a new outfit…?” She murmured in confusion despite not pausing her graceful walk, now more dignified and elegant than her previous smugness in her st outfit.

  She couldn’t help but smile softly as she reached the end of the runway, staring at the traditional Inazuman clothes she now donned. Her top half held a lic purple in a beautiful mix of different purple shades, while her lower half was decorated with darker shades like indigo. Her waist was held by a dark purple and iris purple Obi belt, and a long African Violet wallet was in her hands. Her hair was lightly curled yet still pced into her iconic twin tails, albeit with more decorations.

  As she raised her arms to inspect herself, a slight flush entered her pale cheeks as she saw how the obi belt hugged her waist so tightly, allowing a clear view of her alluring curvature despite the decent clothing she wore to cover it. It was the perfect representation of purity, yet undeniable allure and appeal. The lighting from the traditional nterns floating behind her only enhanced said image…

  “... What are you even doing?” Keqing asked amusedly as she looked back to see Aster walking behind her while juggling multiple traditional nterns, helping her achieve the perfect lighting and background for her image in the mirror.

  Aster paused for a second and saluted her with a serious face before returning to keeping the nterns afloat, lifting them before they could slowly nd on the ground like gravity kept willing them to do.

  Aster also wore traditional Inazuman clothes to fit in the background, but his colors were too dark to not grab any attention and fade into the backdrop. Keqing couldn’t help but giggle as she watched him focus on keeping the nterns floating.

  After several more moments of inspecting herself in the mirror, Keqing nodded in satisfaction and turned around, grabbing Aster by his colr and pulling him backstage. He made a few muffled protests before being silenced as they moved behind the curtains.

  A few minutes ter, Keqing finally emerged with a proud smirk and a sledding board in hand.

  “I’m surprised to see Snezhnayan clothes with you after you said you didn’t make deliveries to or from Snezhnaya… I suppose you must have outsourced them.” Keqing noted with curiosity before her eyes widened slightly. “... Although, these are a bit too light for a pce like Snezhnaya, no?”

  While a cssy white crop top sweater covered her chest… The rest of her body was covered only by a skin-tight spandex body suit that hugged her perfectly, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. She could see her belly button through the material.

  “... Aster, where did you get this?” Keqing lowered her hands between her legs to try to cover herself, turning around to see Aster holding up a giant fan behind her and summoning snow into it to match the background with her outfit properly.

  “Trade secret!” Aster gently set the fan down and wiped his sweat before giving Keqing a bright grin. A moment ter, a strangled noise left his lips as Keqing’s hands wrapped around his throat. “F-Fontaine…”

  Keqing slowly let go of his throat with a slight flush on her cheeks, still crossing her legs to try to cover herself as she slowly nodded.

  “... Apologies.” She whispered quietly, clearly embarrassed at having to apologize but doing so anyway, as she knew she was a bit too rash in threatening Aster like that. “... Of course it’s the Fontainians. It always is… Hmph.”

  “Um… Next outfit?” Aster suggested with a weak smile as Keqing huffed and nodded.

  “Last one!”

  …

  “... I’m gonna throttle you.” Keqing’s face blushed furiously as she stared at her new outfit and shook Aster in her hands by his throat. “What even is this!?”

  “O-Office Lady… Or secretary…” Aster spoke shakily as he was being choked, summoning a golden bracelet around her wrist and a singur golden leaf wreath on her head to finish her outfit.

  Keqing gritted her teeth as she stared at her exposed thighs, her legs only covered by some extremely short booty shorts. Her torso was covered by a loose office shirt that looked nothing like any fashion she had seen in Teyvat, and her waist was held by a tight bck corset that stopped just short of her breasts… Allowing quite a generous view of her cleavage.

  “Where the hell did you get these clothes??” Keqing demanded through gritted teeth as she shook Aster again, still blushing heavily at having to wear such clothes.

  … Despite that, her gaze had an undeniable glint of… fascination as she looked at herself in the mirror.

  “... S-Should I take this as a no to the st two outfits?” Aster asked breathlessly as Keqing froze, pausing momentarily to contempte his words before suddenly letting go of him with a scowl.

  “Absolutely not! I paid for them, so you have no right to take them away!” She decred sternly while looking away and crossing her arms under her chest, allowing for an even more enticing view of her deep cleavage…

  “So…” Aster trailed off while rubbing his neck and getting up, staring at the blushing Keqing expectantly.

  “D-Despite your ck of shame regarding the type of clothes you’ve picked… You’ve done an… a-adequate job.” Keqing admitted in embarrassment while huffing as she saw the runway and moving lights slowly disappearing, courtesy of Aster. “Stop! I’m buying all this advanced equipment as well!”

  “But… they’re not for sale-” Aster was hit in the face with a giant bag of Mora.

  “I expect to see you appear in my office next week at the same time as st time! Next time, I’ll bring a friend to… help judge the outfits with me!” Keqing decred with passion before blushing slightly as she saw herself in the mirror again and mentioned bringing a ‘friend’ next time. “I expect the same quality of clothes next time!”

  “Alright…” Aster chuckled helplessly and nodded with the same bright smile, a gleeful glint in his eyes.

  “Commission Complete!”

  …

  …

  The Astel (or Aster in this chapter) hath returned. I've been focusing on developing AoI for a bit and will try to finish up the Academy chapter I've been promising for quite a while now, but no promises for now.

  If you wish to know the reason for my absence, it's a combination of Uni struggles, Yuri lovers, and almost going into surgery like two weeks ago. Yeah.

  Anywho, I'll see you guys ter for now. Oh, and, if you do want to more Pretender stuff, I truly do recommend that you write something or another either here or on my server. My next chapters are usually decided by what is loved most by my readers, and the AoI readers are quite, quite vocal about their love for the fic. It's why I've updated it 3 times in a row. So... Speak up if you're craving Pretender.

  …

  I have a Patreon now, by the way! If you want to see the next chapter early or want to support me, check it out!

  Be sure to check my discord out while you’re at it. We fuck around sometimes in there.

  See you all ter!

  …

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