Betrayal will make anyone cry.

You knew that better than anyone.

It's been about an hour after that altercation with Kliment and you were sure that he was already making his way out of the city. Right now, you were sitting on a little stool in front of a little stove, still inside the Wanmin Restaurant. With your elbows on your knees, you had your chin in your hands as you waited patiently for further instructions (and for Lumine to return from wherever she went).

The sun was setting over the Harbour, street lights were slowly being lit, and people were already heading to their homes for the day. It's been such a long journey from the Fatui campsite, to the rendezvous-point and then finally, Liyue Harbour. You felt so exhausted that you might as well fall asleep in the kitchen.

Xiangling was in the middle of cleaning up her working space. She had just cooked everyone their favourite meals and made sure that everyone had a happy, full stomach. Xingqiu was leaning against the wall, book in hand as he continued where he left off. It seemed like his love for reading collided a little when it came to adventuring. Lastly, Chongyun was on his twelfth popsicle this hour, chowing down the dessert-like it's been a million years since he last had them.

Everyone seemed to be quite normal, they didn't really look tired from all the crazy stuff that has been going on. You on the other hand, never felt this drained in your life, and that says something. Ever since your promotion, you were always on your feet, running errands and doing missions with Scaramouche.

Perhaps your emotional and mental stresses were finally catching up with you? Everything feels so overwhelming, you honestly didn't know what to do. There's been this heavy feeling in your chest that seemed to ripple all over your body, you were scared that your anxiety was going to put you in cardiac arrest or something.

You jumped a little in your seat when you heard approaching footsteps. The trio was also on high alert: Xiangling paused her cleaning and leaned out of the restaurant's window, Xingqiu quietly shut his book and had a firm hold on his sword, Chongyun bit down on the popsicle stick and had his free hand ready to grab his weapon, the other arm was blocking the door.

"Hello, Xiangling!" The voice was heard from outside. "I came by because I skipped dinner and I'm starving! Wow, the restaurant is so full tonight...!"

You didn't really have anywhere to hide other than inside the burning furnace or under the dusty tables that you were sure your ice tank wouldn't be able to fit under. Once again, you felt caught in another trap. But at least this time, you had people to help you.

"We're closed," Chongyun declared, pulling the popsicle stick out of his mouth and abruptly stopping the trespasser from entering the restaurant.

You managed to get a peek under the Cryo user's arm to see who was visiting this late into the evening. Standing outside with a hand on their hip was a girl with salmon pink hair and two antlers sticking out from the sides of her head. She was giving Chongyun quite a smug look as they seemed to have a mini-staredown.

"I was going to ask Xiangling if she could make me some Crab Roe Tofu...! Gosh, why are you being so cold all of a sudden? I thought we were friends!" The girl replied playfully, toying with the exorcist more.

Xiangling was quick, yet a little nervous, to speak up, "A-Actually, we were just about to head back to our homes for the night! Right, guys?!"

"You're correct, Xiangling," Xingqiu added on, turning towards the pink-haired girl. "We just came back from a long journey and I believe we need our well-deserved rest-"

"Oh, who is this?" All of a sudden, green eyes fell onto you and the stranger started to walk closer.

"She's no one special," Chongyun suddenly jumped in front of you protectively, shielding your face in hopes you wouldn't be recognized. "Only a lost Snezhnayan tourist - we got everything under control."

"Aw, you're lost?" The other girl focused on you, smiling sincerely. "Would you like my assistance in finding you a temporary place to stay while you're in Liyue?"

Chongyun laughed nervously, shaking his head and trying to distance the both of you, "That's not necessary-"

"My name is Yanfei, top legal expert in Liyue!" She introduced herself, extending her arm around the male's body to give you a friendly handshake. "Travelling alone can be a little challenging and it's easy to get lost in this big nation. Luckily, you were found by these wonderful adventurers!"

You kept quiet, looking at her up and down briefly and silently judging her. By the looks of it, she looked like a Pyro user. Her eyes were a bright teal colour, her clothes were indeed made for summertime, and she had a book strapped to the side of her body.

"Yanfei, can you please leave my friend alone-" Chongyun went silent when she placed a hand on his chest to push him away this time.

"So, Miss lost tourist, I can provide you with a place to stay inside the city. However, I would like to see any documents proving you're in Liyue for vacation! As you see, an incident occurred during the Rite of Descension. We, the legal team of Liyue and the Millelith, are doing everything we can to ensure that whoever is entering the Harbour is a friend and not a foe!"

"Are you a cop or something?" That was the first thing you said to the girl, your expression becoming dark.

"Legal adviser!" She smiled brightly.

You looked at her with half-lidded eyes and tilted your head sheepishly, "I don't have any papers on me, miss legal adviser."

"No problem! We just need to report to the Liyue Qixing and have you sign a few contracts that will state that you will act accordingly while inside the city!" Yanfei twirled around and took you by the wrist, raising both her hand and leg as if she was a leader in a march. "Come on, let's go!"

"I said: we got everything under control." Chongyun shoved you back into your seat when you were almost pulled away. The legal adviser turned around with a questioning hum and raised an eyebrow when she saw his hand on your shoulder.

Her gaze shifted from you to Chongyun, then back down to you. Then, she glanced at both Xiangling and Xingqiu and was surprised to see them with semi-guilty expressions. Yanfei chuckled nervously, "Why does everyone seem so tense...?"

The legal adviser leaned to the side and placed her chin in her hand, pondering deeply. After a few more seconds of looking back at you, the girl came to a horrible conclusion. Her face paled and her hands began to shake frantically, jumping in surprise.

"She's no Snezhnayan tourist- she's a Fatui soldier! Moreover, the one the Millelith is looking for!" Yanfei exclaimed, whipping her head to look at the trio of best friends. "You guys are breaking the law by keeping her in Liyue Harbour! You guys might get arrested, or worse! I have to turn her in!"

Your gun was already pulled out of the holster when the girl took another step towards you, in turn, she summoned her catalyst. There was a ball of fire building up inside her palm and you pointed your glowing spray gun at her threateningly, cryo energy seeping through the muzzle. Xingqiu unsheathed his sword and prepared to intercept, Xiangling was holding back a very energetic Guoba tightly against her chest.

"On behalf of the Millelith, you're under arrest for suspicious connections with Rex Lapis' assassination!" She shouted. "Get up, or I will use excessive force!"

A surprised chuckle left your lips as you steadied your aim directly at the girl, "What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you. I'd rather be arrested for an actual murder... would you like to be a part of my crime?"

Her eyes went wide with fear, "Hold on, where's your Inazuman partner?!"

There was a testy groan from Chongyun as he took his heavy claymore and stuck it into the stone floor to separate you and Yanfei. He turned towards the Adeptus girl, "Stop it, Yanfei. Drop your weapon, there's no point in fighting. [Y/N] is our friend... and we're trying to help her."

"B-But..." Yanfei frowned deeply as she closed her book. "The law... You're breaking the law...!"

"Let [Y/N] stay with us only for a few days," The young man replied, glancing down at you and tapping the front of your spray gun to lower the firearm, you brooded as you put it away. "See, she's a good listener and I promise she won't do anything bad."

You sulked further into your seat and harshly put the gun back into its holster. Then, you began grumbling out of embarrassment from how Chongyun was treating you like some kind of child. If Scaramouche was here, he would have allowed you to shoot this law adviser in the face.

Yanfei crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm sorry, I still think it's a bad idea to hide a Fatui soldier in the city! You're betraying the whole nation by protecting a suspected assassin!"

"What?!" You whipped your head back up at her, bellowing angrily. "I did not kill your God!"

"Relax," Chongyun patted your shoulder to which you shook him off right away.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Yanfei pointed frantically, "See, she is a danger to society!"

"If I may intrude," Xingqiu eased into the conversation, standing beside the exorcist and playing the peacekeeper. "We don't see her as the Fatui assassin you say she is. You see, my liege, we made a promise to [Y/N] that we will bring her back home to Snezhnaya. She just wants to return to her parents and older brother... and then after that, we will never see her again."

"But... the law says-!"

"[Y/N] saved our lives." Xiangling defended, eyes casting downwards as she remembered the past events. "The journey back to the Harbour was not easy. Everywhere we went, we were ambushed. [Y/N] could have given up and gone back to her boss... but she didn't. She stayed with us, even though we knew how guilty she felt being the one attracting the danger. Sure, [Y/N] put us at gunpoint that one time but things have changed, she's different now. She's my friend."

"She's my friend as well," Xingqiu declared confidently.

"And mine too," Chongyun finally confessed, glancing down at Yanfei with a crooked frown. "What do you want us to do so you'll keep this a secret?"

She raised a finger to respond, but then lowered it as she thought deeply. Despite her drive for justice and desire to put you behind bars, the girl couldn't help but give in to the too-good-to-be-true offer.

"Well, Chongyun, I want you to come with me and give the Millelith some sort of explanation for this lost tourist! And after that, you buy me dinner...! Only then I'll consider keeping your little Fatui girl friend a secret!"

"Are you serious-?"

Yanfei took him by the arm and dragged him against his will, giving everyone a playful grin, "We're leaving! We're leaving~!"

He sent you a "you owe me for this" look, narrowing his eyes and pointing at you silently, all while clumsily walking with the legal adviser out of the restaurant, not forgetting to take his claymore.

Xiangling and Xingqiu bid the both of them farewell. You gave Chongyun a pitied expression in return and sadly waved goodbye.

Well, that was quick.

•••

It was now the middle of the night and still no sign of the Traveller. It felt a little ironic that you were back to wonder about Lumine's whereabouts, just like the beginning of your mission. Though it's only been a few days, your mind kept telling you that it's been years since you last saw Scaramouche. You were starting to believe that you were becoming a bit delusional from your separation from your boss.

You were too busy wallowing in your own darkening thoughts that you didn't realize the sound of hurried footsteps making their way towards the Wanmin Restaurant. When an unknown figure emerged from the doorway, you almost fell out of your seat trying to raise up your arms to block any violent advancements.

"Let me see her~!" Another new girl dashed towards you and grabbed your face excitedly, not taking into account your love for personal space. "How beautiful! Such fair skin and soft hair! She would look good in a white casket surrounded by Lilies of the Valley!"

To your horror, flowery pupils stared intently at your entire face. From the corner of your eye, you saw that Xingqiu and Xiangling didn't exactly hop in to save you from this random girl, making you even more nervous. Then, a certain blonde entered the restaurant with a guilty smile.

"N-No, [Y/N] is not a customer, Hu Tao..." Lumine laughed worriedly. "She will be staying in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour with you. Remember what I said?"

About a million questions were flying around in your head at the moment. First of all, who was this girl and why is she inspecting you? Secondly, why were you going to stay with her?

Plus, you remembered that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour was the very place that Scaramouche said was the next destination for the Gnosis mission. Would it be suspicious to ask about that Zhongli man?

"Traveller where have you been?!" Xiangling pouted quite deeply. "Chongyun was stolen away by Yanfei to stop [Y/N] from getting arrested!"

"That's correct," Xingqiu confirmed. "I do hope your plan of hiding [Y/N] will be good enough to fool the Millelith for a while longer."

"Well, [Y/N]..." Lumine began to explain her plan, placing both of her hands on her hips happily. "I would like to introduce you to my friend, Hu Tao, owner of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour! You will be hiding there for a few days until I get a hold of Captain Beidou! After that, you'll be on a ship back to Snezhnaya!"

"Oh..." You processed what she said and slowly nodded your head, shaking Hu Tao's grip away from your face. You decided to ask your lingering question, "Will a man named Zhongli be in the Parlour as well?"

If so, maybe you could actually be one step ahead of Scaramouche to obtaining the Gnosis. Imagine that, you wondered what kind of expression would be on his face if you went back to him with the sole item the both of you have been searching for. Maybe he would consider forgiving you? Or better yet, spare your life? Would he love you all over again?

But that would mean betraying Lumine and her party. Now, you didn't know which side you wanted to be on.

Hu Tao cracked up from hearing your question, "That old-fashioned guy is too busy running errands for the Rite of Parting! He hasn't been at the Parlour in so long!"

"So, he's not there?"

"Nope!"

"Darn..." You dropped your alternative plan. No one seemed to be curious about why you asked about Zhongli, you felt like you were still under the radar for now.

Anyway, Lumine was saying that she needed to head off again to find Captain Beidou. Even though Xingqiu and Xiangling offered to join the journey, she refused. It seemed like the name Traveller was very suitable for her. She didn't even consider stopping at a local inn to get some shut-eye for the night, no wonder why it was difficult to trap her in one place.

It amazed you how Lumine was always running off to random places, doing favours for everyone. Hopefully, her good karma will catch up to her at some point.

"So, Hu Tao," The Traveller turned towards the brown-haired girl. "Do you understand [Y/N]'s situation with the Fatui Harbingers?"

"Yep! I don't really care if she's a runaway! We all have the same mortality! We're the same after death! As long as she respects my clients, she's welcome to stay for as long as she'd like!" Hu Tao giggled feverishly, raising her eyebrows teasingly. "Plus, we, at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, have connections with the Fatui."

You perked up, "W-Why would you hide me in the very place I'm trying to run away from...?"

"Think of it as being hidden in plain sight!" She nudged you a couple of times with her elbow. "Eh? Eh? Sounds clever, right?!"

"Thank you again," Lumine smiled brightly at each and every one of you. "I'll be off to search for Captain Beidou! I won't take long!"

Once again, you and the half-trio of best friends waved farewell to the Traveller. Who would have thought that you would be saying countless goodbyes? Lumine left to continue on with her journey, her mission to bring you back home.

Xingqiu couldn't help but be in high hopes standing next to Hu Tao, Xiangling also had a quarter-smile on her face. You could safely assume that they were friends with her too. Maybe Chongyun was friends with Hu Tao as well? Perhaps it would be better to ask them later.

"What to do? What to do?" The director thought out loud.

"Woah...!" You were pulled to your feet and twirled around like some kind of little girl's ragdoll, you felt her gaze run over your uniform and your weapons.

"I got it! [Y/N] needs a disguise...!" Hu Tao clapped excitedly, eyes shimmering with glee. "I have just the thing in the Funeral Parlour! Don't worry, they're brand new clothes! Totally not worn on by the clients! Let's go-!"

"Oh, your majesty Tsaristsa, help me-"

You hoped that she didn't mean her dead clients.

•••

The nights in Liyue Harbour were quieter than you thought. Right now, you were escorted into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour. Well, more like snuck in, since there was an abundance of Millelith guards marching around the area.

The funeral director, Hu Tao, was a very interesting person indeed. Honestly, you liked her - in a weird way. She's very blunt, not afraid to speak what's on her mind. She's also very concentrated on her business, every now and then she'll ask you if you would rather have your casket open or closed, you respected her priorities.

When you entered the building, you were amazed by the interior design. Though you didn't seem like the type to be so impressed by a few sets of furniture, the inside of the funeral parlour brought you strange comfort.

The girl directed you up the stairs and down a dim hallway, she led the way with a single handheld candle. Because of the countless portraits on the wall and stretched maroon carpet on the floor, you felt like this hallway was going on forever.

It felt like some sort of illusion, a way for people to feel a sense of uneasiness while in the parlour. Like, you swear you walked by the same door over and over again, yet Hu Tao did not say anything. The hallway was disorienting, indeed. You thought it was a very unique tactic to ward off unwanted visitors.

To your confusion, Hu Tao pushed through another set of double doors, leading you outside. You came to the realization that you were on top of the Funeral Parlour, technically walking on the second floor of the complex. Once the girl stopped in front of another building (it looked like a single square room), she opened the doors and extended her arm as a way to welcome you in.

Entering the unknown area made you highly alert of your surroundings, but you figured that there were no threats present. After all, this room seemed to be fairly hidden from the Millelith. But then again, it felt a little too close to the Northland Bank for your liking.

Anyway, you were given a brief tour of the room. Hu Tao pointed at a bed, wardrobe, a bedside table with an already lit candle, a stand-up mirror, and a small wooden chest. You were told that the bath and restroom were inside the main building and instructed to make sure that the windows in your room were kept shut.