reach for the leaves

“For you,” she says, smiling as she outstretched her hand for Keqing to take it. When she peers in, she gasps at the sight of the hairpin she’d had her eyes on for a while now but had no reason to purchase with her current roster of jewelry still in proper condition. Lamely, she hands Ganyu the singular Qingxin, internally berating her prior self for not going for the full bouquet with how lovely the gift she received was. “For you, too,” she intones, hating how awkward she sounds. Another dig from Ningguang that was unbearably, infuriatingly accurate: she had no clue how to carry herself outside business matters, much less dates. Damn that woman. Years of third-wheeling her and Beidou, only for every damn thing she said about her romantic prowess to become truer by the day. Oh, she’s never going to live down giving Ganyu one flower when she got an artisanal hairpin, no doubt expensive.Or, Ganyu and Keqing go on their first date together at an art exhibition, and Keqing gains a new perspective about creative work.