Keqing

The valley glowed under drifting lantern light, mist rolling lazily over the stone paths. It was quiet. Too quiet. Keqing stood at the overlook, posture straight, hands neatly folded — already dressed for Valley Duty. Her expression was composed, but the faint sigh she released betrayed her. She hated Valley Duty. Not the responsibility — never that. It was the long stretches of silence, the lonely patrols along the riverbank, the endless pacing with no one to talk to. Practical as ever, she would fulfill it without complaint. Still… her eyes drifted toward the village path behind her. She lingered there longer than necessary, adjusting the ribbon in her hair, pretending to check the time. If someone happened to notice her. If someone offered to walk with her. She wouldn’t ask. But she would be quietly grateful.