The library was quiet when Henry entered, the kind of quiet that felt almost sacred—soft sunlight filtering through tall windows, dust motes dancing in golden beams, the scent of old parchment permeating the air.
She was exactly where he expected her to be, settled into her usual armchair near the window with a book open in her lap and a cup of tea steaming on the small table beside her. Her purple hat sat on the table's edge, her brown hair loose and catching the light drifting from the tall windows, and she looked effortlessly elegant, like she'd just stepped out of a painting.
She looked up as he approached, and a smile immediately spread across her face. "Well, well," she said, her voice carrying that familiar teasing lilt. "If it isn't our favorite foreign researcher and businessman. To what do I owe the pleasure, darling?"
Henry walked over and dropped into the chair across from her, grinning. "Can't I just visit because I wanted to see you?"
"You can." Lisa closed her book, setting it aside. "But you usually have a reason. Business, gifts, or trouble. Which is it today?"
"I want to visit you of course, but gifts first." Henry pulled out the small velvet pouch and the leather journal from his System space. "I brought you something. Two things, actually."
Lisa's eyebrows rose, her curiosity piqued. "Gifts? How delightful." She accepted the pouch first, opening it to reveal the purple earrings—delicate, elegant, catching the light with every small movement. Her eyes widened slightly. "These are beautiful."
"Try them on."
She didn't need to be told twice. Lisa removed her current earrings and fastened the new ones in place, the purple glittering stones complementing her eyes perfectly.
She turned her head this way and that, admiring the effect. "Well?" she asked, her smile turning playful. "How do I look?"
"Stunning," Henry said honestly. "They suit you."
"Mmm." Lisa touched one of the earrings lightly, a pleased hum escaping her lips as she admired the way the purple stones caught the light. "You have excellent taste, darling."
Then she reached for the journal, opening it to examine the leather binding and the subtle floral patterns embossed along the edges. "And this—I didn't expect a journal. But I do love a good notebook." She glanced up at him through her lashes, her smile turning coy. "Trying to encourage me to write something, darling? Perhaps you're hoping I'll document all our little conversations for posterity."
"I just thought you'd like it," Henry said, his grin widening as he watched her examine the design with genuine appreciation. "I also brought something else—quills, or what they're actually called—pens."
He produced the set of ink pens, and Lisa's expression shifted from playful to genuinely intrigued as she picked one up, examining the smooth barrel and the precision of the tip. "These are exquisite," she murmured, turning the pen over in her fingers. "The craftsmanship is remarkable. These are from, I assume—?"
"My world, yes."
Henry didn't hesitate as he reached for her hand, gently pulling her from her armchair to sit beside him on the plush sofa. Lisa went willingly, amusement dancing in her eyes at his boldness.
"I brought one more thing I'm sure you'd find fascinating," he said, reaching into his System space and pulling out his phone, holding it up for her to see.
Lisa's eyes locked onto the device, her curiosity instantly sharpening as she leaned forward, studying the glowing screen with obvious fascination. "What is it?" she asked, her voice dropping to something softer, more intrigued.
"It's called a phone." Henry unlocked it and swiped to the home screen. "It's a communication device in my world. Also plays music, takes photos, does calculations, keeps notes—all sorts of things."
"A communication device?" Lisa's eyes lit up with genuine interest. "You can speak to people with it?"
"Not here," Henry admitted. "There's no—how should I put it—connections in Teyvat. But the other functions still work." He scrolled to the calculator app and held it out. "Here. Try this."
Lisa accepted the phone cautiously, holding it as if it might bite her. She studied the screen, her brow furrowing slightly. "Wait, Henry, these numbers are—?"
"Yes, it is exactly as you think. It's used to calculate numbers. It's named a calculator." Henry reached over and tapped in a few numbers. "See? Adds, subtracts, multiplies, divides. Instant results."
She snatched the phone from his grasp and tapped a few buttons herself, trying different calculations and growing more impressed with each second. "This is fascinating," she murmured, her eyes never leaving the screen.
"No abacus required. No counting beads, no mental arithmetic—just the numbers appearing as if by magic." She looked up at him, her curiosity now fully ignited. "What else does it do?"
Henry spent the next few minutes teaching her the basics—how to exit from different apps by touching the back button, how to swap between applications with a simple swipe, how to turn the device on and off. Lisa followed each instruction with rapt attention, her fingers moving with surprising confidence for someone who'd never touched a smartphone before.
Then Henry told her to click on an icon, which opened the notes app. "You can write things down," he explained. "Keep lists, reminders, whatever you want." He showed her the keyboard, and she tapped a few keys experimentally, her expression shifting to pure wonder as letters began to form words on the screen.
When Henry had first come to this world, he'd assumed that like in the game, Teyvat's language would be different—some fictional script that he'd have to learn. But it wasn't. It was just modern English. Of course, he'd heard people speaking German in Mondstadt and Chinese in Liyue, but English was the universal language in Teyvat too, and there was no Teyvat script like in the game—just the same alphabet he'd grown up with.
"This is remarkable," Lisa murmured, her eyes still fixed on the screen. "Your world is full of such impossible things."
"It's all just technology," Henry said. "Engineering and science. Nothing magical about it."
Lisa raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "To you, perhaps. To us, it's indistinguishable from magic." She handed the phone back. "What else does it do?"
Henry smiled. "You want to see the camera?"
"Oh, this can capture images like a Kamera does?" Lisa asked, her voice carrying a note of excited curiosity.
"Yes, exactly like a Kamera," Henry confirmed.
"It is Kamera, but in my world they are called camera with a 'c'," he added with a grin.
"Ha!" Lisa giggled, the sound light and genuine. "So even your words are different. A Kamera with a 'c'—how delightfully foreign."
Henry grinned at her reaction, then held the phone up again. "But here's where it gets really interesting—the images get stored here instead of printing out immediately." He turned the back of the camera to face the library, tapped the button, and the phone clicked. "Here—look."
He showed her the screen, and there it was—an image of the library she had just taken, crisp and clear and impossibly detailed. Lisa's eyes widened. "Whoa, this is just like a Kamera, but the image is so much clearer and higher quality."
"Yes, that is the difference between the Kamera from Teyvat and the camera from my world."
"I'll take your photo," Henry said, standing up and pointing the phone toward her. Lisa posed for him, sitting with her legs elegantly crossed, accenting her black stockings in a way that was effortlessly alluring, and he clicked the image before showing her the screen. Her breath caught at the sight of herself captured in perfect detail—her expression one of surprise and curiosity, her newly adorned earrings glinting in the light.
While Lisa admired the image's quality, Henry's eyes wandered to her face—the curve of her cheekbones, the slight rise of her lips, the way her green eyes held a quiet intelligence that no photograph could ever truly capture. Her anime counterpart or the image he had just taken couldn't compare with the real person sitting in front of him, the warmth of her presence, the subtle play of emotion across her features.
"Very nice photo taken, darling," Lisa said, her voice carrying that familiar teasing lilt. "You might be an excellent photographer."
"Hmm. Uhh. What?" Henry blinked, his staring broken by her comment, and he realized with a flush that Lisa had noticed way back and was now smiling at him with obvious amusement.
"Oh no, it's just uhh—the camera is good. I'm a decent photographer. I don't have that much experience," he stammered.
"Oh, but I beg to differ," Lisa said, her smile widening as she gave him a wink.
Henry suddenly remembered one more feature of the camera. "Lisa, do you want to take a picture of us together?"
"You can capture us together? The camera can do that? Please take one then," she asked, her voice carrying genuine excitement.
"It's called a selfie." He flipped the camera switch and held the phone up. "Look at the screen—that's us."
"It is us!" Lisa said, leaning in to study the image with obvious delight. Henry was about to press the click button when Lisa stopped him, and he turned to look at her in confusion.
"Henry, why are you acting so informal with me while we take a picture together?" she asked, her tone carrying that familiar teasing lilt. Before he could respond, she took his free hand and placed it on her lower waist, and Henry's breath caught at the sudden contact. He felt the smooth, soft curve of her waist through the fabric of her dress, his fingers struggling to find a comfortable grip as his mind went momentarily blank.
"What are you waiting for, darling?" Lisa's voice came, warm and amused. "Capture us together—quick."
Henry managed to compose himself just enough to press the button, capturing the moment perfectly—Lisa's brilliant smile, his own slightly stunned grin, his arm around her waist as she stood intimately close to him, the library shelves framing them in the background.
"Wait, Henry, take one more."
Henry went dumbfounded as Lisa stepped closer, her hand wrapping around his waist and her other hand resting on his chest as she nuzzled her lips directly against his neck. He felt her warm breath against his skin, and goosebumps rose all over his body, his blood starting to rush southwards.
Lisa suddenly licked his neck with the tip of her tongue. "What are you waiting for, darling? Click."
Holy shit, Lisa is crazy. Fuck. She is making me lose control. Grrrrh.
Henry, feeling her extreme boldness, pulled her more flush against him, his hands tightening around her waist as he clicked the photo. The image on the phone seemed unbelievable to him—an extremely handsome man had his arm around a gorgeous woman who was moulded against him, her face nuzzling against the man's neck.
[Calling yourself handsome, are you, pig?]
Shut up, Orianna.
"There," Lisa murmured against his skin. "Now you can frame that image and use it for your personal use."
Henry spluttered, his face flushing. "Wh-what? Use? I have no use for this photo."
Lisa pulled back slightly, her eyes meeting his with a knowing glint that held more than just playful teasing. For a brief moment, something intimate passed between them—a charged silence that neither seemed willing to break first. Then Lisa cleared her throat, her expression shifting to something softer, more genuine. "Thank you for spending time with me, Henry."
"Hey! Why are you thanking me?" Henry pinched her arm in mock outrage. "You're spending time with me too, aren't you?"
"If you thank me again, I will—" Henry paused, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "I will spank you."
Lisa's smirk widened as she wrapped her arms around his waist again, pulling herself closer. "Oh, I welcome you anytime to spank me."
Henry's grin widened as he pulled her closer. "Well, maybe I will, then. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Lisa's eyes widened slightly at his boldness, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks before she recovered with a playful laugh. "My, my. Aren't you bold today?"
She tilted her head, studying him with amusement, then her expression shifted to something softer, almost coy. "Henry, could you leave your phone with me for a while?" She looked at him with pleading innocent eyes, and Henry found himself completely powerless against that expression.
"Fine, you can take it. No need to look at me like that," he said, already reaching for the phone to hand it over.
Lisa accepted the device with a triumphant smile, then boldly kissed his cheek before rising from the sofa and walking with deliberate sultriness toward her armchair. "Bye bye, Henry. I need to play with this more. Come visit me after some days."
---
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