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"*groan* Where could she be?"
"Huff… Paimon… has to ask… did she say… where she'd be?"
"No, she didn't. Just that she was standing atop a cliff. Waiting for Amber to come down."
"Well, Paimon doesn't see anyone in the sky aside from some of the local wildlife."
"Plus, it's not like you can miss her; she is quite noticeable in the air."
Weaving his hand through his hair, Aether let out a weary sigh. The blazing hot temperatures of Natlan were beginning to get to him. He could also see his trusted companion begin to look scorched.
"Paimon, do you need some water?"
"Yes, please. Paimon's throat is getting dry…"
Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a flask and handed it to her.
"Whew. Thank you! Paimon was getting lightheaded there for a minute."
Before he could respond, another voice beat him to it.
"Honestly, you two are experienced adventurers; you should know better."
Slightly stunned, Aether and Paimon turned their heads to the side and spotted a familiar face with blue hair and a fair complexion. Not to mention, she was very beautiful, and her apparel made it quite evident that she was not a local to the Natlan region.
"Eula! There you are. We've been looking for you."
Placing a hand on her hip, the Reconnaissance Captain smiled at the two. It had been a minute since she last saw them.
"I figured as much. You two are quite the speedy duo. It's only been about an hour since I sent that letter to the Teapot."
"Happy birthday!"
"Yep! Happy birthday!"
A look of appreciation could be seen on the blue-haired girl's face.
"Thank you, Aether and Paimon. I truly appreciate it," Eula said with an honest smile. "Honestly, it's truly a wonder how I'm even in Natlan right now."
"Your letter painted a good picture. But why Natlan? What brought Amber to want to visit?"
"It's a rather long story, so to save us the benefit of time, I'll summarize it."
"Wait! Let me explain!" came someone's shouting.
Looking around, Aether and Paimon couldn't see who said that. That is, until they looked up and saw a familiar figure gliding right at them.
"Gah!? Amber!?"
Gracefully landing on her feet, Amber smiled brightly at the two and enveloped them in a hug.
"Hey, you two! It's been a while!"
"Yep! We're sorry we haven't been back to visit everyone in Mondstadt," Paimon replied.
"Things in Nod-Krai have been busy," Aether added.
"Oh, we know. Jean has been filling us in on what's been transpiring over there through the letters she's received."
"Letters? Does that mean- "
"Uh-huh! Grand Master Varka has been informing us about everything that's going on over there, and it sounds intense," Amber eagerly said. "He mentioned something about the Fatui, a Moon Goddess, and the Abyss being involved?"
Rubbing the back of their heads, Aether and Paimon could only look at each other.
"Yeah, it's a long story, but everything he's said so far is true."
"Truly? Even the part about Albedo being a part of all the chaos?" Eula questioned with a strict tone.
Nodding her head, Paimon took to answer the icy maiden's question.
"Yep. He and Durin played big roles in helping us stop Rerir. Who knows what might have happened if they weren't there?"
"Rerir…?" Amber muttered.
"Hmph."
"Eh? Eula, is something wrong?" the Traveler asked while noticing her obvious remark.
Letting her eyes meet his, she couldn't help but let out a strained sigh before coming up with a suitable response. Once she found the words she wanted to say, she said them.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that…"
Amber could immediately tell what it was that she wanted to say. She had been around Eula long enough to understand just how her friend acted. Just like how her vengeance comments were now seen in a different light, she could tell there was more to how she was currently feeling.
"You were in trouble… and you didn't think to reach out to us!"
Startled by her statement, Aether couldn't help but be left speechless.
Letting a disdainful expression appear on her face, Eula pressed her gloved hand across her face to compose herself and look presentable. However, she would not deny the feelings she had let slip.
"Albedo was… huh? We don't know where he was already. Same for Mini Durin. Heh. Paimon is still not used to him not being mini anymore…" Paimon muttered.
"We don't know where Albedo was before coming to Nod-Krai. When Varka said that he had called in for some reinforcements, we just took his word. Then, the next thing we know, Albedo and Durin showed up to lend us aid in our fight."
"Neither did we. He told Jean that he was taking an extended vacation and asked for a few days off. When Jean asked him if everything was alright, he just mentioned that he would be busy," Amber explained.
"And then he showed up…"
"*sigh* Putting his prior whereabouts aside, I'm… irritated- no… frustrated."
Eula took a step closer to Aether while Paimon and Amber watched with concerned eyes.
"You two are always dealing with impossible situations. Whether it involves dealing with an Archon, mythical monsters, the Fatui causing trouble, the Abyss waging war, or any kind of abnormal situation you get thrown into. You're always at the center of something dangerous."
"We tend to be a magnet for trouble, haha…"
Aether's attempt to make light of the conversation had fallen off a cliff.
"That's the point! Honestly, would it kill you to remember one crucial factor?"
Realization settled within Aether's mind on what she was trying to say, but Eula voiced what she was getting at clearly.
"You can rely on your friends!"
"Eula…"
Casting her eyes down, the Lawrence clan member couldn't help but scoff at herself.
"How unbecoming of me… getting this emotional over something so ridiculous. But I won't lie to myself… this is how I feel. And I'm sure this is how many others feel. When things get difficult and become hopeless, you have friends to rely on… You have me…"
That last part was spoken quietly so that only he could hear it.
"W-We're sorry, Eula. Had we known things in Nod-Krai were going to be intense, then we would have asked for help. Honest."
Processing her words carefully, Aether was beginning to have a better idea of what was going on with her today. The sudden change in her emotional response and what she was saying. Furthermore, the decision to join Amber in her desire to travel to Natlan was beginning to shed new light on the entire situation.
This may not have been the entire picture, but he had a feeling that part of the reason Eula wanted to come to Natlan with Amber was to try to be close to him in a sense.
"Eula, you're one of our closest friends. Sure, we've known you longer than most of our friends, but you're also someone that we can rely on. That goes for you, too, Amber. Had we known sooner about how dangerous things were going to be in Nod-Krai, then we would have asked for help."
Hearing Aether's calm voice, the two Mondstadt girls couldn't help but feel a sense of ease wash over them.
"But to be honest… I don't know if I would have reached out and asked."
"Huh? That… wasn't what Paimon thought you were going to say."
Amber and Eula's eyes shot up as they wore confused expressions.
"My reasoning is this… it was too dangerous."
"What? But that goes against what you just said?"
"I'm kind of confused now?"
Letting out a sigh, Aether sorted his thoughts.
"The man- no, the monster that we dealt with, Rerir, was a serious threat. We had no idea what he was capable of. But once we figured him out… we knew that he needed to be defeated."
"Yeah, Paimon still has the chills thinking about him. Even one of our friends got hurt badly, but she was healed thanks to another one of our friends' special powers."
"Whoa… that scary?" Amber asked, looking a bit distressed by what they were saying.
With a simple nod, Paimon wore a worried expression.
"We've dealt with a bunch of monsters and bad guys before, even an Archon, but dealing with one of the Five Sinners is… very different."
"Even so, we would have helped, no questions asked. I would have- "
"And that's exactly why I wouldn't have asked for your guys' help."
Glancing at Eula, the others could see that she was beginning to glare daggers right at Aether, as a cold presence could be felt around the area known to have scorching temperatures.
"Ahahaha… Say, Paimon, why don't you show me some cool spots that would be nice to glide around? Since you're familiar with the region."
Immediately catching onto Amber's plan, the floating companion eagerly nodded her head.
"Y-Yeah! Paimon knows a few places. Is that why you wanted to come to Natlan?"
"Not the entire reason. I wanted to try using my glider in areas I've never been before, but I was also curious about Natlan's…"
The two continued to walk away until their conversation was no longer hearable. This left Eula and Aether to be alone with each other, as she still had an icy expression glossed over her face.
"Eula…"
"Don't. I'm still irritated with you."
"You understand why I- "
"I am aware of your reasoning, but that doesn't mean I agree with it. Not even in the slightest. How could you think that selfishly?"
"Selfishly? I'm trying to keep the people I care about safe!"
"Then you're being an idiot! What about us? What about Lisa, Jean, Kaeya, Klee, Sucrose, Mika, Noel, Amber, and many others… what about me? How would we feel if you were seriously hurt, or even more… if you were…"
She could not finish that sentence as her vision was clouded with tears. With a forceful shut of her eyes, Eula wouldn't let a tear trail down her face. Instead, she kept her gaze focused squarely on the Traveler.
"…I… hadn't really thought it about that way. I've been so worried about those I care about getting hurt that I… "
"Hadn't thought about the obvious?" she questioned.
"Yeah, I've been a bit of a dummy."
"No comment."
Even through the tense situation, the two of them couldn't stop the small smiles that appeared.
"…I think this whole Rerir situation has pushed me more than anything else so far. Or maybe… it was the fact that my friends were involved so heavily, and things were different this time around. Plus, we dealt with one of the Five Sinners."
Eula could only agree with that statement, "That is anything but normal."
With a nod, Aether wanted to make things right between them.
"I'm really sorry, Eula. I don't want to hurt- "
"I know. And truth be told, I'm not entirely mad."
"You're not?" Aether replied, tilting his head with wide eyes.
"No, I just wanted to appear that way to mess with you."
Witnessing the jaw drop on his face was more than enough for Eula. She couldn't help but begin to laugh while covering her face with her hand.
"That'll definitely be a memory I hold onto."
"I-I… you had me worried!"
"Excellent. It means you do care."
"Of course I care! You matter a lot to me. I like you and would hate it if you despised me or didn't want anything to do with me!"
A gleeful grin appeared on the icy maiden's lips.
"And that's what I was hoping to hear."
A moment of realization flashed onto Aether's face before he could only shake his head and sigh. His face was also flushed red, and it appeared that his hands were becoming slightly shaky.
"Haha… I'm… stunned. You got me."
"You're not exactly shy with your feelings, Aether. I've known you've liked me for a while now," Eula replied with a confident grin.
"How long?"
"You don't want to know. Let's just say, it's noticeable by others within the Knights of Favonius."
An audible groan could be heard from the Traveler.
"Besides, I think this is more than suitable for a birthday gift of my liking."
"What? Seeing me all flustered?"
"That too, but knowing you feel the same way as me."
Before Aether could react, a pair of lips found themselves attached to his in what could only be described as a heavenly feeling.
Letting his body react with instinct, he could feel his arms gently wrapped around her as he kept his eyes closed. This feeling just felt… right. There was no better way to describe it.
For an unknown amount of time, the two remained locked in a passionate moment together before Eula was the first to break for air. Her eyes held a radiating glow, as her lips seemed to miss his own.
"That was…"
"Perfect…"
"Eula…"
"Aether…"
"Will you- "
"You already know my answer."
"…I know. I just wanted to hear it."
"Hmph. Well then, seeing as today is my one special day in the entire year, indulge me a bit more and I'll be sure to say what you want to hear."
"Heh. Alright then. What would you like me to do first?"
Eula began to ponder what he could do for her at this very moment. Dozens of ideas floated around her head, but one seemed to keen a great deal of interest.
"For my first request, I demand that you be first to serve me cake."
"Cake? That's… a bit odd. But ok. Err… I don't have a- "
"Don't worry. I've already come prepared. The cake is back at mine and Amber's camping spot. It's been decorated with Baron Bunny and Dodoco designs."
"Ah, that makes sense. Well, should we find the others and tell them we're heading back?"
"I wouldn't worry about them. I assume Amber took the initiative to give us space, and Paimon followed suit. They're probably back at camp already waiting for us."
"Well then, we should get going. I have to admit, cake sounds really good now."
"Oh? Better than a kiss?"
"…There's no competition there."
"Good answer."
Extending her hand out, Eula swiftly took Aether's hand into her own, and together, they shared one last tranquil moment as they took in Natlan's beautiful landscape.
While feelings had been addressed, the Traveler couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over his heart. That fear he had was no longer as grand. Granted, it would most definitely return, but he knew that behind the fear was also strength.
His friends were strong and together, and that strength only grew. This should have been obvious after the encounter with Rerir, but hearing it from someone close to his heart held an all-new feeling.
One that he would hold onto dearly.