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This whole situation is just a huge misunderstanding.
It had started when Kaveh had been commissioned by an extravagant merchant in Sumeru, to realise a lavish holiday abode which required some of the most exquisite wooden carvings from Liyue. The merchant had tasked Kaveh to personally source them, trusting his keen eye and good taste, even offering a generous amount of mora to cover travel costs. In fact, it had been so generous that after having met with the artisans and arranged the commission and shipment, he had been left with a large sum to extend his stay for a few more days and indulge in the harbor's cuisine and attractions.
This is how he had crossed paths with the Traveller, browsing the stalls in the port for local produce and craft, and spotting the girl buying what looked like small cakes from a vendor. She was not alone, two elegant ladies were at her side, and looked up in surprise when he called the Traveller's name.
"Kaveh! Long time no see you! What brings you to Liyue Harbor?" Shrilled Paimon, flying towards him, the Traveller following her to greet him and introduce her companions. And so he had made acquaintances with Ganyu, a polite girl with a peculiar pair of black horns sprouting out of her head, and Shenhe, a tall and sligly imposing lady with long candid hair. They both had jobs in the town, Ganyu as a secretary, and Shenhe in a popular restaurant, and were currently planning to visit their mentor who lived in the mountains.
The conversation had made it clear just how interesting a character the woman was.
"Yeah, you guys really have a lot in common!" Had exclaimed the floating fairy at some point, "Shenhe and Ganyu's mentor also likes to create all sort of complicated knicknacks!"
"I'm an architect, I don't create knicknacks!" Had responded Kaveh, indignantly. The Traveller had tried to make things better: "what she meant to say is that their mentor is a very skilled engineer and inventor, and you seem to have that in common, despite your different professions."
Paimon had laughed, a smug expression on her face, "if you can call being an adeptus and lounging around all day a profession!" Traveller's alarmed expression and the other two girls' surprised look had made her realise just what she had let slip, and she had hurried to cover her own mouth, but in vain. Kaveh had heard that clearly: an adeptus. The legends circulating in Liyue were quite different from the one in Sumeru, where most mythological creatures were described as elusive fairy-like beings. Here adepti were seen as powerful beings fighting in ancient wars, protecting the nation and granting wishes. Although not many had seen them, everyone revered and respected them, bringing gifts outside their abodes as you would a wise hermit.
"That's alright. He is your friend, I don't think there is any problem if he knows about Master." Had reassured Ganyu. "Master may even like receiving a new visitor." Had added Shenhe.
And this is how Kaveh had ended up being invited to pay a visit to an adeptus living on top of a mountain, scrambling to find a last minute gift impressive enough to please the woman. Eventually, the group had set off to mount Aocang. Although getting to the top had not exactly been easy for Kaveh, the magnificent scenery that awaited them, a crystal clear pond surrounded by uncontaminated nature, had been more than worth it.
The wait had not been long, but nothing could have prepared Kaveh for what had greeted them, once they had reached the stone table located in the middle of the pond. A blue and white crane, roughly the size of a person, had glided down and joined them at the table. It had taken a moment for Kaveh to process that that must have been Cloud Retainer, then his confusion had turned into panic: in choosing a gift for the adeptus, he really should have stopped one moment to consider whether her form would have even been that of a human! He had watched on in horror as the pair of jade and gold earrings he had bought were lifted by a claw of the (definitely earlobe-less) giant bird.
"Hmmm... delectable." Cloud Retainer had simply commented, to Kaveh's surprise and relief. The giant bird had then spent a few moments studying him with her piercing non-human eyes, contemplating the new face, "and who does one have the pleasure of meeting?"
It had gotten better after formal introductions. As it had turned out, the adeptus was far more amicable and talkative that Kaveh had thought, albeit a little peculiar and stern. She had invited her guests to join her for a meal, bringing out a device extravagantly dubbed by her "Supreme Cuisine Machine". It was an engineering marvel, truly, a more advanced kind of multi-purpose pressure pot operated via elemental energy. It clearly relied on advanced mechanics, as well as adeptal arts beyond Kaveh's comprehension. He had soon expressed his interest in the machine and the adeptus' knowledge of mechanics, and Cloud Retainer had answered enthusiastically, going through the most obscure details of the contraption. The conversation had been so engrossing for Kaveh not to mind too much when the Traveller and Paimon had left him alone with the three former strangers to forage for some herbs.
Cloud Retainer, on her part, had developed an interest for Mehrak, who Kaveh had volunteered in helping to prepare the ingredients to add to the pot, listening intently to Kaveh's explanation about the suitcase's abilities and composition.
Which brings us to the current predicament.
"Ingenious..." the adeptus observes the floating suitcase as it levitates a handful of chopped cillies into the pot. "So you integrated a core from an ancient Sumerian construct into a mechanism of your making."
"The core seems to date back to King Deshret civilisation. No one is certain how they were made to operate in origin, but this kind of core is capable of interacting with elemental energy. By letting my own dendro power course through Mehrak, her capabilities and mine are greatly enhanced!" He explains, engrossed by the conversation.
"A harmonious relationship between inventor and device, and between tradition and innovation. Hmmm... one must say that one is positively surpsised." The adeptus gives him a long look with those inquisitive, piercing eyes, and Kaveh's ease dissipates as easily as it had come.
After what feels like eons, Cloud Retainer makes a small sound as if to clear her throat, before addressing him again. "Young man, one has been convinced and gives you full permission to court my disciple."
"...huh?"
Kaveh is lost, Ganyu and Shenhe's expressions matching his confusion. Cloud Retainer studies their reactions intently, seemingly annoyed at the lack of response, before clarifying: "one is admittedly surprised that my darling Shenhe would give no mention of having met someone earlier..." she sighs, "regardless, one can not help recognising that your intention is genuine."
"Master!" Exclaims Shenhe, looking agitated for the first time in the whole day. "You must have misunderstood Kaveh's intentions."
"What is there to misunderstand, dear child? This young man has come to meet one, bringing an unusually luxurious gift and his finest craft to demonstrate his worth. One supports your choice, there is no need for alarm."
Shenhe tries to object, but is once again interrupted by her mentor when she addresses Kaveh. "Well then, from this moment you are to refer to one as 'mother', and abandon all other formalities reserved for an adeptus such as one. This is a most joyous moment!"
Any other objection from Shenhe is lost to her mentor's excitement. Meanwhile, Kaveh's mind is still grappling with the notion that somehow gifting earring to a bird was a resounding success, let alone processing the enormity of Cloud Retainer's implications.
Seeing her fellow apprentice in such a difficult position, Ganyu also joins in the attemp to snap her mentor out of her ecstatic frenzy: "Master!" She almost shouts, which seems to get the adeptus' attention, "please listen to Shenhe, you are mistaken: it really wasn't Kaveh's intention to court her."
Cloud Retainer's avian eyes are immediately on Ganyu, studying her carefully for several seconds. The girl is visibly holding her breath in anticipation, by the time her mentor speaks again. "Well... one must admit that one is surprised. On the other hand, one must recognise that one misread the situation." Ganyu barely has the time to let go of her breath and soften her posture, that her expression has to morp back to one of confusion and dread when the adeptus continues, "One had no idea you were harboring such feelings, Ganyu. One merely made assumptions based on Shenhe's and Kaveh's shared nature."
"What do you mean, master?"
"Naturally, what one means is that, being both human, it would be logical to think of them as the best fitting pair." The bird makes a long sigh-like sound, "but one was mistaken. You may be an adeptus, Ganyu, but one knows better than to think the heart would be deterred by these obvious considerations."
Kaveh lets out a startled squeak, the reveal that Ganyu is not human (the horns were already a major indicator) somewhat less shocking than the adeptus' persistent misunderstanding of the situation. Ganyu seems to share the feeling, dragging her palm across her face in exasperation with a groan.
"There now! No need to fret, as if expecting one to object to such unusual unions. One likes to keep an open mind when it comes to modernity. After all, this is not the first time something like this happens."
At this point no objection can halt Cloud Retainer's passionate rambling, the three being forced to listen on in horror. "Yanfei's father chose to take a human wife, and the offspring is now healthy and even has a successful career. And if Rex Lapix gave him his blessing, one will certainly not withold one's own." The adeptus' avian features suddenly seem to assume a more concerned quality, "indeed, a human spouse's short lifespan is a pity... but one believes you will have your children to keep you company throughout the centuries."
"Master!" Cries Ganyu with her face in her hands, looking on the verge of tears despite Shenhe's sympathetic hand on her shoulder, while Kaveh wishes to sink into the ground and never reappear.
"There is no need to act embarrassed now, child. One reckons that your progeny will possess particular beauty."
Ganyu shoots up from her seat as if burned by fire, "I'm going to check if the Traveller and Paimon are alright" she blurts out, desperate to escape this ridiculous conversation, "I think I heard monsters in the distance." She declares, leaving the table as fast as she can manage, despite Cloud Retainer's objections. In this moment, Kaveh would probably give everything to be able to follow her example.
"One is certain the Traveller will manage just fine." Calls the adeptus.
"No need to leave in such haste."
"One desires grandchildren, Ganyu!"