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Aether really did not know what to think, how to feel, what to do about his present situation. The Traveler was, in a word, quite flapped currently.
Wait, does that word even make sense in this context? Well, whatever. The point was that something had been eating away at the back of his mind all day, affecting his performance in combat and other commission work (which his trusty comrade Paimon was sure to point out…) And the cause of his stress, the source of his current state of mind. An innocuous letter, given to him discreetly by Katheryne at the start of the morning, with the following line:
Aether,
When sunset hits the harbor, come to my office for a chat. It's very important.
Yours truly,
Yanfei
If Aether was honest, he thought this was some kind of prank at first. The sender - someone he knew quite well - was normally so much more fluent at writing and speaking than that. This letter smacked of unprofessionalism- short with basic words yet a formal request given. So why did she write this?
And why was he outside her office? Was he that scared of a lawyer hunting him down?
Ah well, may as well see what's up…*knock knock*
A muffled voice comes from just beyond the wooden door. "Yes? Who is it- Oh, is that Aether?"
"Yanfei?"
"So it is~ Come in, come in!" He definitely notices the extra bit of cheer, reflexively smiling. Putting a hand on the knob of her office, he realizes that it's the first time going into her place of work.
And he's not disappointed.
The spacious office for one is very clean, almost unnaturally so. Guess she just finished, huh? Well-used cream-colored rugs cover the spotless, shiny marble floor of the entrance. A nice and proper, if expensive chair from what he's seen around Liyue digs into the focal point of the room, as if the entire continent revolves around the person sitting in that red cushion. And a respectable distance away from the chair lies Yanfei's desk, with the pink-haired adepti just behind in a chair of her own. Except, aren't lawyer's desks supposed to be insanely crowded with paperwork and the like? But Yanfei's is empty, like she just got it… Oh yeah, and behind the desk, all along the walls, lie books as far as Aether can see. Thick ones, thin ones, ones in a series, individual works, books about history, politics, culture, and of course, law. Aether may not know what's in these books, but he's confident that Yanfei does…if she hasn't memorized them on her own time, that is.
"Take a seat~" She gestures with an easygoing smile, obviously to the only place he can sit: right in front of her.
"Th-Thanks…*ahem*…So what's this all about?"
"Ah, no small talk huh? That's great, cutting to the chase like that! I've never been one for it myself either." Aether nods along, suddenly grateful for Paimon's existence. He'd have to cook for her later.
"So, you're going to Fontaine next right?"
"Ah, yup~"
"…Any chance I could convince you…not to?"
Aether's eyes widen. "Wait, huh?! Why? Yanfei, are you ok?"
"It's just, Fontaine can be…very strict. They very much care about their laws, there's not a lawyer alive who isn't at least cautious of doing business with clients there…"
Unknown to the lawyer right here, Aether grows a small smile…one that's laughing at a strange coincidence he's been aware of for quite some time… That's why when Yanfei finishes her spiel about how dangerous Fontaine is, Aether only needs half a second to respond.
Just a shame then, that Yanfei is even quicker.
"That's why I brought you! Thiiiiis!"
BAM.
The biggest book in Aether's life is suddenly comically slammed down on Yanfei's desk, which instantly starts creaking in a futile attempt to beg for mercy. Well, it's more like a hard-covered encyclopedia or a dictionary with how thick it is, there must be a couple thousand pages in it- or as many as it takes to equal the height of one Paimon anyway. Adding to the absurdity, each page of the imposing opponent before Aether is in perfect place, none are bursting at the seams of their prison, hoping to escape.
"This bad boy!" Yanfei says, wiping sweat from her brow. "Is every Fontaine law, bylaw, regulation, provision, and amendment that have been legalized at some point or another throughout history! Oh yeah, it contains two versions of each and every line of text- one as it is formally written, and the other, written by yours truly, in the language of the layman! I know that legal jargon can be confusing Aether, but you'll be an expert in no time!"
"I never had much optimism that I could really persuade you not to go there, so this is the next best thing!"
Aether just remains motionless at the sheer monster- that Yanfei is patting proudly. Did she really do this all for him, by herself? Insanity…but save that description for a bit Aether, because she's not done yet.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Yanfei asks, eyeing her friend before an idea hits. "Ohhhh, say nothing, I understand!" To Aether's horror, the adepti wheels around, goes to the bookshelf behind, and grabs a large stack of similar-style volumes.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
"You were wondering…" She voices in between thuds and trips. "'Yanfei, how am I ever going to use that? It's way too big for me to just whip out!' Well, have no fear! Each of these books…" Bam! Bam! "Are an individual chapter of the same topic! You'll be able to find what you need super quick this way! And, of course, each one does still have my 'translations', if you want to call it that…"
…Aether has seen enough. He saw enough five minutes ago. So in between Yanfei putting a volume down and going back to the shelf yet again, he switches to Electro for near-instant movement.
And with this, he darts around the desk and snatches her wrist.
"About that Yanfei… I understand your feelings but…"
For being so calm most days, one can never forget that Liyue's number one lawyer is still a young adult. The sudden contact of Aether makes her blush, her green eyes sparkle, and fears begin to take root in her mind.
But? But what? …Is he going to reject the books? Reject me? B-But that's logically…illogical!
"You see…I think I'm cursed, heh~"
Yanfei snaps out of her mind and sees Aether…with a wistful look on his face. A fake smile….
"Between getting caught for stealing, accused of murder, being hunted down, and arrested….It is really just my fate to become a wanted criminal in every nation."
"…..Eh?"
-0-
Like any good lawyer, Yanfei needed, and had, lots of sources. It was a badge she wore with pride, because not only were the sources reliable, but they were coming from good friends. And in order to tap into the validity of what Aether was saying about his journeys throughout Teyvat (not that she particularly doubted him anyway), it was time for those friends to deliver.
Deliver they certainly did! From Mondstadt, Eula Lawrence was able to provide a confidential incident report about the theft of a relic called…The Holy Lyre der Hemmel. And although the knight who wrote the report was actually unsure about the identity of the thief (as it was written post-knockout), various follow-up reports made it clear to Yanfei…it was Aether. On the other hand, there was no formal writings for what went down in Inazuma (that she knew about), but that didn't stop her junior- the skillful Kuki Shinbou from getting what was asked. The deputy had gone to a certain tengu general, and got what could be considered a confessional, though obviously not legally enforceable.
Likewise, while Mondstadt's incident didn't make her worry about Aether anymore than she already was, the tale of Inazuma nearly made her eyes pop out! An order was given to capture him- by the Shogun no less…. For a time, Aether was even a resistance leader. It was almost too much knowledge to handle.
(Also for Liyue, Yanfei of course took care of that herself, collecting Millelith records about the incident regarding Rex Lapis. At this time, it really struck her as an odd coincidence that neither her, nor Eula, or Shinobu were around to witness their homeland's respective events up close. Luck of the draw, she supposed.)
Needless to say, a pattern was starting to emerge- one that Yanfei wasn't too thrilled by. The final obstacle was to learn what went down in Sumeru, and it was probably going to be the most tricky, since she lacked a direct contact and the Akademiya couldn't be trusted from Aether's stories. But every problem has a solution, and this one was no different...even if she didn't know exactly what happened here!
It was the darnest thing, but one night she met up with Zhongli and Madam Ping, telling/ranting all about these blockades she was encountering from Sumeru: no one was answering her messages and she had no leads to find out what happened. She went to bed tired, sad, and a little drunk. But then, a miracle! Days later, there was a letter in her office with an introductory paragraph from…the Dendro Archon? In tandem with the Akademiya's Scribe? But…weren't they at odds with each other? Eh, questions for later, assuming the report she requested was accurate.
Oh, and as for the letter of introduction, it was…weird.
It wasn't exactly "rude" per se, just incredibly blunt, containing such treasures as "I do not believe that any meeting between the two of us would have value, because I do not believe in face-to-face interaction being a net positive. Especially for a simple request such as this." Yanfei scoffed at that- one man's "simple request" was her invaluable final piece of the puzzle. But it was no matter- this scribe had indeed included a formal report detailing the chaos that occurred in Sumeru, naturally mentioning Aether throughout. After thanking Rex Lapis a hundred times over, she made a plan to deal with the scribe's response and tone after reading the story.
…That idea would fall by the wayside though the deeper she got into the report though. It was as Aether said: he really did get arrested for going against the Grand Sage. But what was different this time was that he got actually thrown in jail. Like, behind bars, that kind of jail. In isolation (with Paimon), had to be broken out by outside friends, etc etc. Not a Liyue-style suspicion of murder, or even Inazuma forcing him to be a fugitive. Aether, caught and detained. The very thought made Yanfei's blood boil. How?! How dare they! How dare they imprison her Aether! If only she knew this when it was happening…!
A glass of water cracking in her grip stirred the adepti out of anger. Right. Calm down Yanfei… remember Hu Tao's words…focus on what you can do now, in the present. Granted, the funeral director said that because of her philosophy on life, but it was relevant here too.
If she couldn't convince Aether to not go to Fontaine, she had to change tactics…and she would. A good lawyer has to have multiple paths to getting a confession after all!
-0-
Some time after that, Yanfei realized her mistakes. Even though she meant what she said about the meeting being important, she was also being way too formal. Meeting at the office, behind her desk, with the actual invitation being so cryptic? It was a wonder Aether even obliged. But not this time though. She had sent another letter- a much more casual invitation to one of Liyue's many teahouses. Aether was smart too. With how unsatisfactory their first meeting concluded, he likely expected any invitation to have a follow-up chat about Fontaine. But she included it anyway, not wanting to hide anything.
And sure enough:
"Aether~ Thank you for coming!" A lump in her throat nearly prevented her from speaking.
"Hey Yanfei, thanks for inviting me!" And there he was- looking just as eager as ever. It was a perfect look, Yanfei had to admit.
Right, small talk! "So can I get you anything? I hear this place allows its' customers to make their own brew- I would love to know your favorite~" ….Was that too strong?
Apparently so, as Aether sat across from her with a raised eyebrow, to Yanfei's internal horror. "…Are you alright? Oh no, is this about last time?"
Sigh…as expected. "Y-yes, it is. I would like to apologize for overwhelming you with my…everything."
"Hey, it's no problem." A finger scratches his neck. "I know you were just looking out for me and I really appreciate that. Honest."
"W-well, yes…b-but I…" Yanfei feels both of her hands on her thighs bundle into fists. Her voice becomes a charitable whisper. "…I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Hm? Sorry Yanfei, I couldn't hear you, what did you say?"
"N-Nothi-" She's about to say that…when it hits her. The real mental block, one that she's about to be defeated by in two seconds. This may be her only chance to take another path. The road less traveled. The truth!
Okay maybe not THAT grandiose. But the opportunity is right here, and Yanfei prides herself on taking chances!
"No."
"Huh?"
"Aether, I….I don't want anything to happen to you! That is why I care so much!"
She's able to see him reel back in shock and…a bit of pink dust his cheeks. "Yanfei thank you…but it's really no problem-"
"No problem?!" Clearly, the dear Traveller said the wrong thing. Yanfei bolts out of her stool and slams her fists on the table, attracting Aether's single attention… and the attention of everybody else at the teahouse. Nevertheless, she pushes. "As your lawyer, I could not disagree more! It's a HUGE problem and it's one that's only getting worse! First you get in trouble for stealing a priceless artifact - ok not so bad, we all have run-ins with the law and you needed that lyre anyway - but then you get suspected of MURDER! That's a huge leap mister!"
"Uhh…Y-Yanfei…"
"No, nope, you're listening to me! In Inazuma, you're literally declared an enemy of the state! You had the Electro Archon after you, for crying out loud! An ARCHON! Honestly I don't know how you got back in one piece!
"How…..?"
"And finally! Sumeru! They had you thrown in prison for nonsense charges- of treason! With no chance to contact me and defend you! They were going to be the judge, jury, and executioner! If your friends weren't able to help you in time…. "
Yanfei runs out of breath, and begins slinking back down to her seat.
"And now…you're going to Fontaine….a place that values justice more than any other virtue….and I….I can't stop you…. What will happen if your justice and the Hydro Archon's justice don't mix Aether?
"…What will they do to you this time?"
When did the tears start flowing…? Yanfei doesn't know, and she doesn't care. Her vision goes from Aether to the table underneath her, where she refuses to budge from it. This is so humiliating…it's not what she planned at all…
A few seconds pass without further incident, until she feels something- a smooth soft touch on her defeated hand: Aether's own palm, glove discarded.
"I had no idea…I was always worrying you Yanfei….I'm so sorry."
"N-No! Please don't apologize!" The lawyer looks up in a hurry, with reddened puffy eyes, at an ashamed Aether. "Your journey, your mission is the most important thing, I know that~ I just wish I could come with you, keep you out of trouble!"
"Heh…you should know, I never want to piss off the local authority figures…it just kind of, always happens."
"For four regions in a row?" She asks, tears slowly subsiding.
"For four regions in a row….and it probably will be five, sorry to say."
"Is that so? …Well then, I think I have just the things for you." There's some hesitation in her voice as she specifies the number of items, but she steels herself after. It has to be today, it has to be now.
With a shaky cough and a finger snap- "The first item is this!" A book, more like a pamphlet with how thin it is comparatively, is summoned by Yanfei and thrust into Aether's chest, accepting it without a word. He looks at the title.
"A Guide to Important Fontaine Laws: Life-Saving Knowledge Critical To Any Traveler. By Yanfei?"
Both her cheeks burn red-hot. "T-The title is a work-in-progress! …And I know what you're going to say, but I insist that you read this if nothing else! As it suggests, this contains only the laws and provisions I'm worried will trip you up. We don't want you to be arrested because you trespassed or something minor after all~"
"If you are really sure…I'll take a look." Aether smiles at her, and Yanfei feels like she'll faint, but then she remembers an extra feature.
"Oh r-right! The back cover has my office's contact info…and the last page is blank, but also made from a special kind of paper. Send it to Liyue and I promise, I'll drop everything I'm working on and go to Fontaine as quick as possible!"
The blonde Traveller whistles high. "Want to avoid another Sumeru huh? Thanks Yanfei, you thought of everything~"
"Ehehe…it's the least I could do."
"…Did you have something else?"
Urk! "S-So, you caught that, did you…? Too clever for your own good…."
"Look who's talking."
In an illusion of defeat, Yanfei stays silent at that snarky response, getting off the stool and walking over to Aether. Gulping so loud, she doesn't get how he doesn't hear it, but it's definitely for the best.
"Hey…"
She gets real close…and pecks Aether's cheek. Less than a second her lips were touching, blink and you'd miss it.
But Aether didn't.
"Be safe, alright?"