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Following the crisis that fell upon Nod-Krai, Aether enjoyed this brief peace back where it all began. Mondstadt. Right now he was in Wolvendom, picking up wolfhooks while the night sky hovered above. The moon shone bright, which made sense given who he had as a companion in this place at this hour. Columbina.
She moved with an indescribable grace, and he could watch her for hours. Columbina made Aether feel a certain serenity whenever they were together. Perhaps that was why they were able to get along so quickly, perhaps that was why they eventually ended up together. It was a first for the both of them, to be sure, especially for the latter. Aether had always been a bit hesitant when it came to his female friends. He didn't really want to ruin their friendships, something that was inevitable if he dared cross the line, and his friendships with all of them held much too much weight in his heart to sacrifice.
"She'll stay a friend if you keep calling her one," was what Itto told him. A harsh but logical maxim. Though a nugget of illogic remained within it. Neither he nor Itto accounted for the simple idea of one of his female friends being willing to cross that line for him. It never really dawned on him until one morning, when he found himself awake next to her in the same bed. Not in a sexual way, but in quite the literal sense. Ever since he came to Nod-Krai he'd been having trouble falling asleep, the result of a widening and deepening chasm in his mind. A chasm that came into being when he learned that his sister, the woman he was looking for, was in fact at the heart of the evils that threatened this new place he called home.
Columbina was kind enough to ease his mind, and though she had no obligation to, she rested beside him. It wasn't until the morning after did she decide to take the next step. It was humbling, really. A goddess approaching a mortal.
Actually wait, was he mortal? He recalled someone theorizing he might have been a literal star or something of the sort, though in reality Aether always saw himself as a special human and nothing more. No matter, in the end, he wasn't really a god (or at least he hoped he wasn't, given the frames of reference he was working with) and yet he'd gone from aiding gods, to beating gods, and now to being courted by them. He said yes without hesitation, of course. His heart practically jumped out of his body, desperate to be loved, and so here it was.
Columbina eventually floated down beside Aether, sitting beside him and placing her head on his shoulder.
The two shared a tender moment under the heavens in quiet Wolvendom. False sky or not, Aether knew Columbina to be his truth, and she him. That was all that mattered. Together, there was nothing they couldn't handle.
Then, a rustling came from the bushes. Aether turned. Was it a hilichurl? An abyss mage? It could have been anything.
Instead, it was Razor.
"Ah, Razor has stumble upon lupical."
Aether smiled, "Heya, Razor. Haven't seen you in a bit. How's the outrider program doing?"
"Good," Razor nodded. "Other burny girl good teacher," he answered as he then looked at Columbina, who gazed upon him with her closed eyes. "Oh. Lupical is with lupical of his own. Razor sorry. Razor leave."
"Wait, Razor, before you go, since you're here, I thought I'd introduce you," Aether said, reaching out for him. "Not many people know it yet, and I don't really know how to go at it, but maybe fate threw you our way. A good start, you know? Lupical to lupical."
Razor nodded.
Aether stood up and took Columbina's hand. She would float upwards as she faced him properly.
"Razor, this is my girlfriend. Columbina. I met her recently. She's the moon goddess of Nod-Krai. She's the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."
"Moon?" Razor tilted his head.
"Yes, Razor," Columbina giggled softly. "I am the moon and Aether is my star. We have been apart for long but are now together. I never thought I could love someone as much as I do now."
"Moon!"
"Heh, yeah, Razor," Aether chuckled. "She's the moon goddess. I guess I really can't stay away from dealing with gods. They're everywhere. From the moment I started to now, and once I- we, get in Snezhnaya proper, we'll be facing The Tsaritsa, and her godlike allies."
"Awooooo!!!!"
"Huh?" Columbina tilted her head.
"Razor no"
"Awooooo!!!!!" Razor howled at Columbina. As he did, wolves across Wolvendom did much the same. Soon all of western Mondstadt was treated to a chorus of howls.
Aether shrugged, "should've seen that one coming."
The next morning, Mondstadt. Good Hunter.
Various members of the Knights of Favonius had gathered at the eatery for lunch. In this case, it was Jean, Amber, Noelle, Kaeya, Lisa, Eula, and of course, Razor.
In the case of our darling wolfboy, he was drawing something on a piece of paper, undoubtedly an attempt at art. But for what purpose?
"Watcha doing there, little one?" Lisa looked over at her pupil's drawing. "Ooh, that looks like my little cutie. And who's that?"
"Razor make art as gift for Aether and his mate."
And just like that, Mondstadt froze. That was one way to spread the news.