"Oh, that's them!" Hu Tao recognized Qiqi from a mile, but then she saw the black haired man beside her having a conversation with the girl.
'Huh? Who's that? Did Qiqi made a friend?' The director thought to herself, as she not so subtly tried eavesdropping in their conversation.
"I'll take this one, this person wants someone to clean their store and sort out their storeroom." Qiqi explained.
"I'll be delivering some crates to the docks. Shouldn't be too hard. By the way, do you know that person?" Lars pointed at Hu Tao who became surprised at being found out.
"Hey, why are you acting so surprised? You weren't exactly hiding." Lars deadpanned at the director who laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head.
" Qiqi? What's wrong?" Lars asked the child who hid behind him, staring at Hu Tao with her usual dull expression, but Lars could tell there was a mix of fear in it.
"Are you here to seal me again?" Qiqi asked her. Hu Tao shook her head quickly.
"No! No! I just heard from Baizhu you became an adventurer and wanted to check up on you." Hu Tao explained. Qiqi remained silent, staring at her suspiciously.
"So who might you be, Qiqi's friend?" Hu Tao turned her attention to Lars.
"I'm Lars. Nice to meet you, you are miss Hu Tao I presume?"
"Hehe! Yup! But oh you're so formal! Just call me by my name. Hmm..." She narrowed her eyes at him, leaning in a little closer. Lars leaned back in response.
"Ah! So you're the guy everyone's been talking about huh? The mysterious big bad that sprung out of the Chasm out of nowhere!" Hu Tao grinned, making her hands look like claws. Lars laughed and scratched his neck.
"I'm neither big nor bad, Hu Tao. They're all just exaggerating. I'm just an average guy."
"Hmm... You don't feel average to me. I sense power within you." Hu Tao approached him, becoming more open with the man before her.
"Whatever you say..." He said before changing topics. "Me and Qiqi were actually just about to go do our commissions. We have some we want to clear out. And I'm sure you're going to have your hands full as the director of the funeral parlor. So, how about we catch some dinner later? My treat." Lars invited. Hu Tao tapped her finger on her chin, entering a thinking pose.
"Hmmm.... Sure! It's a date then."
" Woah, we're going on a date already? We just met." Hu Tao huffed and crossed her arms.
" W-well! Friends can go on dates too ya know?! Besides, I'm interested in getting to know you better." Lars grinned.
"Same here. I'd like to know more about you too, director~" Hu Tao laughed nervously as she looked away from him. His teasing voice getting the best of her.
"Y-yeah! So umm... I have work to do! I'll see you at 8! Bye!" Hu Tao quickly rushed past him. Lars stared at her with a smile on his face.
"Such an enthusiastic girl, don't you think so, Qiqi?" He looked down at the child who was staring at the direction Hu Tao stormed off.
"I don't like being around her. She gives me the creeps every time she's near me." Qiqi muttered.
"Well, maybe she accepted my offer was because she hopes you would be there with me."
"Why? So she can try and seal me?" Lars shook his head.
"No, so she can mend her relationship with you. I can tell by the way she looked at you just now when you hid from her. She's regretful and wants to turn over a new leaf with you. But now..." Lars patted her head.
"It's up to you if you want to accept her offer and start over. Your choice, Qiqi. Have a new friend or leave her feeling regretful for not treating you correctly?" Qiqi hummed. Well a new friend would be nice, but it's Hu Tao they're talking about, the girl who kidnapped Qiqi multiple times to seal her away. But leaving someone feeling sad isn't a good thing either, even if it's her worst enemy.
"Let's try then." Qiqi muttered. Lars smiled and nodded. "Alright then, I'm glad you made your choice. Let's go complete these commissions and grab some more when we're done."
"Mm. Let's go."
.....
"Hello you two! Sorry if I'm late!" Hu Tao rushed over, her eyes apologetic.
"Nah it's fine, we just got here too. Nice outfit you have there, looks good on you." Lars commented, looking at Hu Tao's casual dress. Her eyes sparkled as she grinned.
"Thank you! I decided to ditch my work outfit, would be kinda weird if we hung out with our work outfits on. And I see you did the same too! You look good I must say." Hu Tao looked over at his casual clothing.
"Thank you." He grinned at the compliment. The director then looked down at Qiqi and squealed.
"Qiqi! That dress looks so cute on you! You look adorable!"
"Thank you..." Qiqi nodded, looking down at the purple dress. Lars smiled, it was off to a great start.
" C'mon, I already have seats reserved for us. Let's go."
"Alrighttt!!! I'm hungry!" They sat down and were offered menus. If one looks at Qiqi at an outsider's perspective, they won't able to see her due to her face being blocked by the menu.
"Hm...." Qiqi looked at all the amazing options. But sadly, she wouldn't be able to fully taste them due to her limitations. Well, she can, only the basics like sweet, sour and salty, but the subtlety is lost. No complex aftertastes, no "hints of oak," no food critic arc waiting to happen. Texture may matter more to her than flavor.
Hu Tao noticed her silent stare at the menu as Lars was informing the waiter of his and her order. She reached out her hand, and gently patted Qiqi's back. The girl looked at her warily, but she could tell that Hu Tao was trying to comfort her. "How about century egg porridge with soy sauce? Can you taste that at least?"
Qiqi nodded. Hu Tao looked at the waiter. "One century egg porridge with soy sauce please."
"Will that be all?" The waiter asked after writing down the order on his notepad. After receiving nods from both adults, he went off to the kitchen.
"So, how's Liyue Harbor like for you?" Hu Tao started the conversation.
"Oh don't get me started. The scenery's very beautiful. The people here are very friendly. But it does get very noisy sometimes with the marketplaces and stuff. Not to mention the clanging and banging from the craftsmen part of town." Hu Tao laughed a little, finding it relatable.
"Hehe! What did you expect? It's been like this for thousands of years. I'm sure in the future it's going to get noisier."
"I sure hope not. I might go deaf after this." He grumbled, rubbing his ears. That sort of banter continued for a while. They didn't ignore Qiqi, as both tried their best to include her in the conversation. But the girl preferred to just listen, not one for lengthy talk.
The food arrived, they ate while talking, the chatting seemingly never ending, both comfortable with each other's presence.
After finishing the food and leaving, with Lars paying for Hu Tao's meal as he promised, they walked down the streets of Liyue. Qiqi in between them as they enjoyed the scenery in silence.
"That was fun. Didn't think I would talk a lot with you. My mouth's kinda sore from all the talking." Hu Tao laughed, looking at Lars who was smiling at her.
" What's up? Do I have something on my face?"
"Nah, I just wanna look at you. You look really good today."
"O-oh. Th-thank you." Hu Tao smiled, blushing as she played with her hair. "It's getting pretty late now, so I think we should end it here. How about we catch up another time? Does the weekend sound good to you?"
"Wait, there's a next time?" Lars blinked at her, a little bit in disbelief. Hu Tao laughed, covering her mouth at his reaction.
"Hahaha! Why not right? You're actually fun to talk to. Plus I really don't have people who I can share my thoughts with. So it's a win for me. How about it? I'll take you to another place, my treat."
" Of course."
"And Qiqi will be coming too, yes?" She looked down at the girl who silently nodded. Hu Tao grinned cheerfully. "Sweet!" He cheered.
"But before I go..." She knelt down in front of the girl. "I just wanna apologize for all the stuff I did to you. From now on, I won't do that again. Let's try to get to know each other better, alright?"
"Mmm. Yeah, alright." Qiqi nodded. Hu Tao grinned before she hugged her. "Ahh! You're so cute!" She declared as she stood up while carrying Qiqi. Qiqi couldn't resist a smile as she was being spoiled by Hu Tao. Lars smiled as he watched the bonding.
" That's a nice family you have there, sir. Cute daughter as well." An old man commented as he walked by, interrupting the moment.
"Eh!" Hu Tao froze, her face slowly became red as a rose. 'Wait! He thinks we're a—'
" Ah, thank you sir." She almost fainted hearing Lars' reply. 'Heyyy!!!! You're supposed to clear the misunderstanding not play along!!!' She shouted at Lars in her head. Lars turned to look at her, a mischievous grin on him, setting Hu Tao off.
"Oh you little—"
"Whattt? Better that then embarrassing him. From an outsider's perspective, we do look like one, so you can't blame him for thinking that way. Besides...." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You were clearly enjoying it."
"I did not!" Hu Tao huffed as she gently set down Qiqi. "I'm leaving! See you soon! Take good are of Qiqi!" She grumpily stomped away, face still red.
"Ehe!"
"Ehe nandayo? Why did she react that way?" Qiqi asked him. Lars chuckled and shrugged.
"Who knows, Qiqi. Women are weird like that sometimes."
"Hmmm, I see...."
To be continued...