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Business was ever busy at Wangshu Inn, as countless numbers of people from countless miles away traveled in for the Lantern Rite. Aether peeked out from the staircase down to the kitchen, moving to talk to Verr Goldet. He was forced asked to help out with keeping the inn in shape. Paimon huffed and puffed, floating around and being ditzy. "Aetherrr, you said we'd get food by now! Paimon's hungry!" she whines, earning a small grin and a shake of the head from him. He finished up with Verr Goldet, walking back into the kitchen once more. He rummaged around rather quickly, having pretty much memorized where ingredients are due to helping out so much, pulling what he needed. He quickly whipped up some Mora Meat for Paimon, having her monch on that while he prepared what he really wanted. He crushed the almonds into a powder, mixing them in with the sugar and making sure they were fully blended together. He poured the milk into a pot, letting it come to a simmer before putting in the sugar-almond mixture. He took his time cooking, making sure he watched the mixture closely and ignored Paimon as much as he could.
A few minutes later he crushed up some more almonds into chunks this time, sprinkling it over the freshly-made Almond Tofu. With a small garnish leaf, it was done. "Oooo, is that for Paimon too?" the little floating creature questions, to which Aether shakes his head. He begins to walk up the stairs of Wangshu Inn with the plate in his hands, his little companion taking a moment to realize what he was doing. "You know, Xiao's already said he's not interested in Lantern Rite. There's no point in asking again," she says, awfully pessimistic. It was true, Xiao had denied the request to come see the Mingxiao lantern, to make a Xiao lantern, even to just be near the city. He felt that as an adeptus he didn't need to partake in mortal events, and that he had no place in them as an adepti.
Aether came out to the highest balcony in Wangshu Inn, setting the plate of Almond Tofu on the one lone table there. He hopped over the railing, sitting down on top of it and looking out onto Liyue. What Xiao had said was true; you really could see the Mingxiao lantern from here. Each lantern in the sky floated past, carried off far away to fulfill the wishes written into each and every one of them. It was a beautiful sight, and Aether continued to stare at it on his own for a while. A puff of green and black smoke appeared, though, along with a very grumpy adeptus.
"What do you want?" he asks in a cold tone, picking up the Almond Tofu as he speaks. "Paimon thinks he's trying to ask you to do things for Lantern Rite again, and Paimon knows that won't work. You're just stubborn, Xiao!" the little companion huffs, earning a glare from the Vigilant Yaksha. Aether takes a deep breath, looking back out over the horizon. He pulls his braid over his shoulder, swiftly taking off the fastener and letting his hair unravel. He just sat there for a few more moments in silence before parting his lips to speak.
"I was wondering if you'd write on my Xiao lantern. I wanted to come up here to send it off, hoping that maybe it might travel through space and off to wherever my sister is. It's... special to me," he says softly, Paimon giving a very upset expression as she puts her hands on her hips. "Ooooh, so you ask Mr. Mighty Adeptus man to sign your Xiao lantern but not Paimon? The person who's been guiding you this whole time?!" she barks, turning her back on Aether with a little huff. "Paimon, you wrote on a separate one, remember? I don't want to clutter the same lantern," he replies, continuing to look out over Liyue. His expression was soft, his hands gentle as he held the Xiao lantern delicately in his fingertips. His hair gently tussled with the wind, unwinding behind him and down his back. His expression seemed hopeful along with the sorrow it contained.
Xiao looked on for a bit, wondering what he should do. As an Adeptus, he didn't quite feel human emotion other than his suffering as a Yaksha. But he could tell when humans found something incredibly important to them. He sighed, setting down the plate and holding out his hand. "Give it here. What do you want written?" he says with a gruff voice, making Aether turn away from his gazing in a bit of shock. He hands over the lantern and pen, giving a little smile. "Whatever you would like," he replies as he turns back to watching Liyue's moon gently glide across the sky. The adeptus scribbled for a bit, his handwriting rather messy. He took a moment before returning both the lantern and pen, looking out to the same view that Aether was staring at. "After all these years, Liyue is still beautiful."
Aether chuckles, surprised to see the adeptus being so open for once. He swung his feet back over onto the balcony, pulling himself up onto the railing. He held the Xiao lantern for a bit, murmuring something to himself before gently pushing it upwards. It floated away, getting closer and closer to the stars as it drifted farther and farther away from the three on the balcony. As he moved to step back down, though, he lost his footing and began to fall backwards.
He was met with a swift hand on his back to keep him from falling, a polearm sweeping over his feet to bring them to the ground. "Be more careful. Your windglider won't save you every time," he says, somehow the stern nature of his voice lessened. "Thank you," Aether says softly, giving a little nod. He moved and sat back down on the railing ledge, looking back over Liyue. Soon enough the yaksha joined him, still holding his plate of tofu. He paused for a moment before speaking. "Everything will be okay, Aether. You'll be able to return home once you find your sister," he says softly.
The Xiao lanterns that hung over Liyue had never shined so brightly.