Work Text:
The bustling streets of Liyue hummed in the background as Ga-ming waded his way through the harbor. The Lantern Rite was approaching and his lion dance needed to be perfect . Though, one quick pit stop was guaranteed. Yun Jin. She was the only thing—person who could interrupt Ga-ming’s hustle.
The opera singer was his greatest inspiration. He’d seen her perform at the center of the harbor, and fell heads over heels. She was the reason he tries harder and harder on his routines. Everything about her—the silky dark blue-black hair, the stories she expressed in her plays, that iridescent Geo Vision that hangs on her shoulder—truly entranced him. He looked up to her so much and her stories were his greatest inspiration.
He ran a hand through his brown hair, adjusting the hairband that kept his hair out of his face but still made place for his bangs. Back to the main goal— props! He made his way through the thick crowd of tourists and shoppers, passing by familiar faces. The sun was lowering itself and the moon was arising. The street lamps slowly flickered to life, lighting the cobblestone pathway ahead.
On his way to the Feiyun Commerce Guild, he bumps into someone. A certain someone with long dark hair and the voice of an angel.
“Ah–Yun Jin! I didn’t expect to bump into you here!” He nearly exclaims, holding his hands up momentarily as if found guilty of physical contact. It was like fate had read his mind and decided to grant his wish. He smiled quickly and rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly.
She smiled back at him, her soft red lipstick complementing her scarlet eyes. “It’s nice seeing you among the paparazzi. It’s insane out there.” She says, chuckling softly. She holds a hand up to her mouth, a habit to protect her idol image. Her soft locks blew in the brisk wind, the cerulean braids from her hat flowing along.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t relate to that, but I get how it’d feel.” He says, offering another smile as compensation. “I was just on my way to the Feiyun Commerce Guild to pick up some props. What about you?” He gestures his hands for her to follow and he continues his walk.
“Oh, I was just about to grab some dim-sum. Want to come along with me?” She proposes, walking along with him. “I could help you with the props.” She adds, trying not to sound like a nuisance.
“Dim-sum! Yeah, I’m down!” He beams, “And thanks, the help would be appreciated.” He smiles, fidgeting with his gloves a bit. He didn’t understand why the pure idea of hanging out with his friend was so exciting to him.
“So it’s a plan then.” Yun Jin comments softly, a small airy laugh evident in her voice. It was like she could tell he was nervous and jittery; his body language said it all. They arrive in front of the guild, Ga-ming stepping up the stairs of the most powerful trade economy like it was nothing.
“I forgot you knew Xingqiu.” She says almost bewilderedly. Xingqiu was the son of the man who ran the Feiyun Commerce, therefore making him an important figure in the Teyvat trade economy. She giggles softly as she sees Ga-mings face, biting back a huge laugh.
“Props for the lion dance, Ga-ming?” The register says. He looks to Ga-ming’s side, eyes widening upon seeing Yun Jin. “Ah, Miss Yun Jin! I assume you’re here with Ga-ming?” He says with a slightly out-of-breath sounding voice.
“Yes, that’s correct.” She sweetly says, bowing her upper body slightly. He repeats the gesture, just he does it frantically and shyly.
“I didn’t know you two were friends! And–” He cuts off, turning his body backwards towards the storage room. “Hey! Ga-ming’s props are ready for pick-up!” He calls back to the workers and a few thumbs-ups appear in view. “Your props will be right here in a minute.”
Ga-ming gives a nod in response to the worker, smiling. “We can sit and wait.” He says, gesturing for Yun Jin to follow him to the seating area. The cushioned seats dip under their weight, Yun Jin crossing her legs respectfully. “Are you performing at the Lantern Rite this year?” he asks, creating small talk.
“I’m not sure about it yet even though there’s not many days until the festival.” She says, messing with her hat’s overwhelming amount of accessories. “I don’t think so though. I won’t steal your spotlight.” She plays, poking at his forehead.
“Well thank you.” He teases, moving his entire body to look directly at the singer. “Well, I’m going back to Chenyu after the Lantern Rite. Pops needs me back for the new year dinner.” He explains, glancing over at the boxes being pulled out.
“They’re ready!” he hears. The shop clerk looks at the few boxes of props and costumes, and glances back at the two people carrying all of it. “Are you sure you can carry all of this?” He asks, cocking his head.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you though.” Ga-ming says, rising from his seat. Yun Jin follows suit, tucking her Vision under her cloak, protecting it from damage of rubbing it against the box or hitting the box and it cracks. “I can take four. you can take the other two.” He says, picking up two larger boxes and two other medium ones. “We just need to get to the studio. It’s not far.” He explains, nodding his head to the side as a sign to follow him.
They made their way down the cobblestone to the building up near Bubu Pharmacy where the adorable little girl does stretching exercises with Ga-ming every time he stops by. Lion dance causes him to receive injuries, but she has her mind set on it being because he has stiff muscles.
“Alright, we’re here.” He says, pushing the door open. The director perks up his head and sees the two walking, rushing over to help with the boxes.
“Ah, let me help with those.” He says, taking the two boxes from Yun Jin. He bows out of respect, setting them down at the corner of the studio. He takes two of Ga-ming's boxes too, Ga-ming following his actions, setting them against the wall. “I see Miss Yun Jin is here too. You’re a friend of Ga-ming’s?”
“Ah–yes, I ran into him in the central area of the harbor earlier today.” She explains, smiling softly. She watches as the dancer returns out, dusting off his hands. He joins the singer outside of the studio, placing his hands in his pockets.
“Well–thanks for the help, director! We’ll be heading out now!” He says, bowing his upper body. He waves as he walks down the stairway to the main plaza. The click of the footsteps and Yun Jin’s heels contrast the muffled ambience of the night. “Dim-sum? I can pay because you helped me with the boxes.” He offers, smiling at her.
“Dim-sum sounds nice.” She agrees, holding her hands behind her back as she walks, putting some pep-into-her-step. “We can split the bill if you’d like.” She looks up at his expecting soft eyes, filled to the brim with admiration.
“Sure, that’s fine. I’m kind of broke anyways.” He laughs, taking his situation sarcastically. Yun Jin laughs too, covering her mouth. They make their way to the local diner in the harbor, setting down in an outdoor dining area.
~*~
The Lantern Rite has started. Paper lanterns fill the sky, families wishing the best for their children’s future, wishing the best for the elderly’s health. The smell of savory and sweet delicacies wafted through the air, filling everyone’s head with hunger. The harbor was even more crowded than usual, tourists from all over the world filling the booths and game tents.
Ga-ming on the other hand was losing his mind, stressing over his performance. His hands jittered and twitched, causing the huge lion head to shake too. His performance was next up after the lantern setting, and that just finished. Thoughts swarmed his mind like bees do near flowers.
“Now for the performance most of you have been looking forward to…Yip Ga-ming!” The announcer had called out, the loud drums a que for him to leap up and start the routine. The kicks and prances felt like muscle memory, running through the routine like it was something he learned since the day he was born.
Red envelopes were being thrown down near his performance lot, a gesture of enjoyment and appreciation. The heavy drums drowned out any negative thoughts his brain had conjured as a way to bring his mood and performance down, His feet were light on the ground, his main focus on steering the lion head correctly.
The drum’s beat came to a closing point in the song and he made his way back to the ledge where he set the main prop down on the ground, waving to the extending crowd. The final drum beats signaled him back out of sight, walking back to his starting position. The crowd erupted in applause, whistles, and cheering. He appeared one final time, bowing and waving as he made his way through the crowd to get to his destination.
He spots Yun Jin clapping in the VIP seats on the second floor of the buildings, quickly making his way to where she sat. His feet went up the stairs hastily, one after another. He found Yun Jin and joined her, sitting in the seat she had saved for him. Next to her sat Keqing and Ganyu, the two secretaries for the Qixing.
“Hey! You did really well today!” She says, smiling his way. Ganyu and Keqing looked over too, waving at him.
“Thank you!” He says, bowing his head at the three. Ganyu had tied her hair in a nice bun rather than her normal rattail and Keqing had her twin braids in dark purple bows rather than her normal golden ones. “No special outfit for the occasion?” He asked, poking at her arm.
“Nope, I wanted to look normal because you were.” She explained, ruffling the latter’s hair. His face filled with distress and he quickly grabbed Yun Jin’s hand to stop, smoothing his hair out.
He chuckles at her comment, settling his emotions down. “Well, that’s another Lantern Rite cleared. All I have is a few more years.” He says, looking up with his eyes as if imagining the future years and performances.