#but woozy here is my headcanon for keqing's vision for liyue post osial

[royalstorm]

‘ what did you dream of? ‘  /  question starters (accepting) .

His voice is the sound that prompts her to stir — eyes fluttering open, her lips abuzz with a confused hum. Even amidst her grogginess, it isn’t all that difficult for her to figure out where she is.

Mondstadt. Keqing spends what little free time she has strolling down its quaint cobblestone streets. At that moment, however, she’s curled up in a patch of grass ... likely somewhere on the outskirts of the city. 

She’s also quick to register that she isn’t alone ... but fortunately, the doe-like, blueish-green gaze gaping at her is a comfort, as is the lap she’d inadvertently used as a pillow. 

“Hey.” Hoarse is the voice that resounds in the air ... something that Keqing remedies with a faint cough. She props her head up off of her companion’s lap and takes to sitting upright beside him instead. “Sorry that I knocked out like that ... again.” An apologetic smile flickers on her lips, as she tends to tangled, wayfaring strands of her bedhead. Venti’s probably caught onto her slipping back into her workaholic ways — the habit that she could never seem to break.

Yet, that isn’t what he addresses once she’s regained all her bearings. He instead asks her, in that awed, gentle voice the Yuheng had grown fond of ...

“What did you dream of?”

At first, all she can do is laugh. It’s free and clear, like a tinkering of bells — a mannerism that came by easily in Venti’s presence. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” begins her teasing reply ... but of course, of course, of course, she would tell him. He’s the only one who would listen and the only one she’d want listening, anyway.

“The dream I had ... it’s almost as if it'd come out of the pages of a fantasy book. I was exploring Liyue Harbor, but ... everything was different —” Violet eyes widen, winsome and bordering childlike. “ — Everything was ... how I want it to be. My new vision of Liyue.” Here, her once dopey grin grows in size and in sincerity. “In this new vision of mine, nobody hurt. I figure that may sound foolish coming from a skeptic such as myself, but ... it’s as if everyone was bright and beaming. Every merchant met their quota, every child and family was fed ... no longer did people loiter on the streets without shelter or money. And —” 

The enthralled expression upon Keqing’s features softens here. Her eyes grow mild. “ — Your adeptus allies ... they roamed free among the people — people like me. They were not isolated from the ones they’d protected for a millennia, nor were they regarded as beings beyond our humane understanding. Each of them had a new purpose. Each of them had a home. None of them had to suffer anymore. We were united by a sense of togetherness. We all coexisted ... happily.” 

Tenderness continued to adorn her visage for a few more moments, as she savored each last detail of the dream she’d just shared. Had Keqing been alone or in the company of another mortal such as herself ... it would have been impossible to divulge these sentiments. It’s as she had just verbalized: skepticism was a defining part of her character ... for her to outright condemn the Qixing’s divine, adepti predecessors and then, all of a sudden, welcome their existence with open arms — it would ruin her credibility. 

The Liyuen people had already been divisive with their perspective of her. There’s still so much more she had to accomplish before this new vision of her could be realized.

For now, however, Keqing would relish in her mirth — raw with no rhyme or reason. She could cherish the fact that her vision is no longer confined to the chambers of her mind; someone else — someone special — had access to it now, as well. 

That’s what she resigns herself with, as this impression is stowed away ... for now. She flexes her hand and gingerly intertwines her fingers with Venti’s. 

Keqing could dream all night. But the dream she’s living now, in the form of a soul that’s sweet and soft to the touch, couldn’t wait any longer.

@windbards​ .