Violetgrass

Warnings

Baizhu had gone and confiscated all the knives, so Chaoxing had taken to poking herself with the needle, because adapt, improvise, and overcome. She'd overdone it. Her skin bruised badly, blood clots forming under the surface.

She took a walk into Liyue harbor, but it was early morning—far too early for anyone to be up anyway. Which means no one knew where she'd gone. She was sure she'd get yelled at, but she wanted to look around. Heading up into Yuijing Terrace, she glanced at the spot where the Rite of Descension used to happen, before the country turned into a godless one. Zhongli stood there, hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the sky. Only one star shone in the sky, and he looked at it softly.

He turned at the sound of Chaoxing's footsteps.

"Mister Zhongli!" she said cheerfully. He offered her a gentle smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came to take a walk. And meet an old friend."

"An old friend?"

He gave a brief glance at a floating teapot. Chaoxing had to look twice. "It seems she's not up yet, however."

"The teapot?"

"You could say that." His eyes moved past her. "Someone's looking for you, and they seem quite worried. You should head back, little one."

"Who'd be worried about me?"

He tilted his head, his eyes holding wisdom of ages old. "A great deal more people than you believe."

Turning at the sound of footsteps, Chaoxing was crushed in a hug. "I... feared the worst." Baizhu held her tight.

"I smell blood," said Changsheng, lifting her head up from her perch around Baizhu's neck. "You're injured. Did you fall?"

"Uh... something like that?" said Chaoxing, gently pulling away from Baizhu. Anxiety pooled in her stomach, worry at what would happen when Baizhu found out what she did, but it went away briefly when he kissed her hair.

"We'll patch you up later than," said Baizhu. "Is there a reason you came here without telling me?"

"No, but-" she turned to say goodbye to Zhongli, but he'd vanished. She stared at where he'd been seconds ago. "No," she finished.

"Let's head back then."

She nodded, and they walked down the stairs together, Baizhu with a gentle hand at her back.

***

"These are not from falling." Baizhu gently prodded her arm as Chaoxing winced. He glanced at the tray of beads on the bedside table, narrowing his eyes at the needle.

"Don't take them away."

"If you're using them to hurt yourself..." he muttered. "You can keep them if you promise not to do this again." He stood up and walked into the storage room, and Chaoxing sighed, pulling her legs up on the bed. Baizhu came back with a jar of salve, and Chaoxing stayed silent as he rubbed it over her wounds and bandaged them. "Well?"

She still was at a loss for words. "I can try," she said finally.

He held her gaze for a while and then pushed up his glasses. "Do you really need the needles?"

"No," she said honestly. "They just make them easier."

"I'll keep them. When you really need them, ask me. Does this arrangement work for you?"

"Yeah, that works... mother."

He ignored the last part. "I thought you were getting better," he said, mostly to himself. "That assumption was my mistake."

"You can't save me from my own head, you know," she said, gently laying a hand on his arm. "And no matter how much 'better' I get, it'll always be there somewhere, waiting for a chance to resurface."

He stroked her hair absent-mindedly. "I'll make some herbal tea."

"Thank you."

Changsheng slithered off Baizhu's shoulder to join Chaoxing on the bed. "It's been a while since I've seen him so afraid," she mused.

"Why do you sound like you're enjoying this?"

"Wouldn't you be if you saw him lose his composure over a girl?"

"I... don't think so?"

"Pity."

***

When Chaoxing stepped out of the pharmacy the next morning, there was a paper stuck to the wall. She leaned forward to read it.

Why spend money on medicine when you could buy a coffin instead? Come to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!

"Nice, maybe I'll buy a coffin too." Someone knocked her on the head lightly. "Ouch."

"Don't even joke about that," said Baizhu, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. He tsked, grabbed the paper, and tore it in half. "Director Hu again."

Qiqi poked her head out from the door, her hair loose. Chaoxing fought the urge to braid it. "Is she coming? I'm going to hide..."

Baizhu grabbed her lightly by the scruff of her collar. "No Qiqi, she's not coming."

"Who's not coming?"

Chaoxing jumped in alarm, seeing a girl with her hair in a twin tail four steps away. She hadn't even heard her. Qiqi hid behind Baizhu, peering out from behind his legs. Chaoxing studied the eyes of the girl in front of her. Her eyes were fascinating.

The girl gave Chaoxing the briefest of glances, and then winked at Qiqi. Qiqi shivered. Baizhu picked her up, like he would a child... which Qiqi was, come to think of it.

"Director Hu, what brings you here?"

"Aren't I allowed to visit the pharmacy?"

"As long as you don't terrorize people on your way in or out."

Chaoxing looked between them. They didn't like each other.

Hu Tao scoffed. "I came to see whether you could feel it too, but I guess not."

"Felt what?" asked Changsheng, her head up in the air.

"Something off."

"How... clear," said Baizhu drily.

Hu Tao gave him a look that said she wouldn't hesitate to stuff him in a coffin. "Listen, when something bad happens, the first place to be overfilled is your pharmacy, and the second is my funeral parlor. Remember that."

She vanished in a sea of butterflies, and Chaoxing stared at them, mesmerized for a second. The first thing Baizhu did, however, was make sure Qiqi was still there, as though Hu Tao could've taken her from his arms. He set her down.

"What was that about?" asked Chaoxing.

"I don't know," said Baizhu with a sigh.

"But Hu Tao has good instincts. We should be prepared," said Changsheng.

Qiqi pulled on Chaoxing's skirt, and she looked down at her.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Braid my hair."

Chaoxing blinked, and then smiled. "With pleasure."

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