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With a simple nod, two very familiar figures glanced at one another and threw the doors open to pay a certain someone a pleasant surprise.
"Jean! Are you here?"
"Jean!"
"Huh?"
"You're not Jean!"
Sitting at his desk was none other than the Grand Master himself, Varka.
"Well, that's one way to greet a friend. Haha!"
"Varka? We thought Jean would be here."
Standing up from the desk, he rolled his shoulders and let out an exhausted sigh.
"Yep. That's what everyone's reaction has been today. But she's not here today."
"She's not? Then where is she?" Paimon asked.
Sporting a satisfied grin on his face, Varka folded his arms across his chest and let out a sharp chuckle.
"Where else? I gave her the day off."
"You did?!"
"That's… I don't think I've ever heard of a time where Jean got more than one day off," Aether replied while scratching the back of his head. "She worked even when she was sick that one time before Windblume."
"Wait a second, if she's here, then does that mean…"
"I'm afraid so, Paimon. I've been forced to… desk work."
Recalling Jean's birthday letter that she sent him, Aether began to remember the details. He and Paimon were helping Nefer with one of her complex projects and weren't able to see her, but they also came to realize that Jean had spent the day with her family, which seemed like something they didn't want to intrude on.
"Well, that's nice to hear. Jean deserves it!"
"You're telling me. It was like pulling teeth from a Frostnight Herra."
"That's… a very… creative answer…" Aether hesitantly said.
"She was very adamant against the idea. One day was like a miracle. But telling her to take another was like the end of the Knights of Favonius. It took Lisa, Amber, Eula, and Kaeya's bombardment of reassurance that it was okay to take another day off."
A smile appeared on the traveling duo's faces as they heard this news. It seemed all their friends were in agreement that the Acting Grand Master deserved some time off.
"So, as the Grand Master, I decided to lay down the law!"
"Mm. So there was no getting her out of taking the day off?"
"Nope! Instead, I gave her the week off!"
The switch-up on Aether and Paimon's faces just made Varka burst out in heavy laughter.
"Haha! The looks on your faces are photo-worthy. I imagine it would make the presses over in Fontaine. Hoo boy, thanks to you two. I really needed that."
"The whole week off!? That's…"
"Is Jean okay? Paimon can't even imagine how she might be feeling right now."
"Well, why not go and find out for yourselves? I'm sure she's also been expecting you two."
Agreeing with his idea, Aether nodded his head and looked over at Paimon.
"Yeah. You ready?"
"Yep! Paimon also has to say… where is everyone? Isn't Mika usually around? We didn't even see anyone on our way here."
"Well, with everyone throwing their support for Jean to take a week off, they delegated her roles to each person to make the burden less daunting. Of course, as the Grand Master, my roles are double everyone else's. Leaving me locked in the office, as you can see."
"Wow. Paimon is surprised. You're not trying to get out of the work."
"What can I say? I know when to take things seriously. Besides, Jean has done a lot of work not just for me as the Acting Grand Master, but for everyone else. Mondstadt owes her a great deal. Us taking her work is only a small part of gratefulness," Varka said, keeping a tone of admiration and sincerity. "I owe her a lot."
"As do we. Jean was one of the first people to help us on our journey. Without her… who knows how things could have gone…"
As he said this, Aether couldn't help but smile at all the memories shared with the Acting Grand Master and the many situations where she acted as a leader.
"Which is why I forced her to take a week off. I even tried getting her to go and take a trip to Fontaine and check out some of the sights. Eula mentioned that the Champion Duelist from Fontaine, I believe her name was Clorinde, was talking about a few events coming up that she was looking forward to."
"Yep. You got her name right. Huh. Wonder what events Clorinde is talking about?" Paimon said while taking on a thinking pose.
"I'm sure whatever it is, we will be getting an invitation sooner or later," Aether suggested with a smile. "It's happened pretty much every time."
"Yep!"
"There was another idea I suggested to Jean, thanks to Bennet telling me about his trip to Natlan," Varka added. "That resort sounds like quite the vacation if you ask me. Maybe once the paperwork finally gets done, I'll have to use up some of my leave time for a nice vacation… nothing but drinks and relaxation at a resort. Ha! I'm already starting to like this idea."
"Already planning your next getaway from work. Should've expected that."
"Haha! You two wound me! I wouldn't just up and leave Jean with a desk full of work. I'd be more professional about it. I'll give her a week's notice!"
"Not helping!"
Unable to break the smirk on his face, Aether recalled his trip in the Easybreeze Holiday Resort and how it was very much needed after the war against the Night Kingdom. The atmosphere was vibrant, and with so much positivity from the tourists and locals, there would be no doubt that Varka would enjoy it.
"Well, I won't be too harsh on you, but once you get it properly cleared with Jean… it'll definitely be worth it!"
"Yep! Paimon agrees!"
Wearing a satisfied grin, Varka shook his head and gestured to the door.
"Alright, you two. You're making me want to actually work now. Jean should be at her house now. Go and pay her a visit. I'm sure she's expecting you."
"He's right. Let's go see her!"
Waving goodbye to the Grand Master, the duo made their way out of the Knights of Favonius headquarters and began making their way to Jean's home.
"Do you remember the way, Aether?"
"Of course I do."
This was a true statement, as Aether had been to Jean's home a few times in the past. One time was a very brief visit, while another was when he and Paimon brought her some herbs and medicines conjured from Sumeru to help her with the cold she was dealing with.
"Paimon also wonders if Jean has any leftover pizza. Heehee. It was so good!"
Just as Aether was about to say something, his eyes caught sight of someone immediately. That someone was the very special person they came to visit.
"Jean!"
Turning her head to the side, the Acting Grand Master was not in her usual uniform and instead was wearing an outfit that he hadn't worn in quite some time.
"Aether! Paimon! You guys made it."
"Whoa! You look really comfy. Paimon remembers that outfit."
Feeling her face warm up, the blonde-haired beauty brushed some hair from her face as she smiled softly. Her clothes were that of a blue theme that matched what someone would aspire to wear on a bright and sunny day while at the beach. A clear contrast to what she usually wore.
"Thank you for noticing, Paimon. I will admit, I can't remember the last time I wore this outfit. I'm thinking it was back on the Island Adventure."
"Yep. That was quite a while ago. But… it still looks great on you," Aether replied with sincerity and a smile.
"Y-You're too kind, Aether. Thank you."
Before Jean was forced to endure the blush covering her face, Paimon then reached into her pocket and presented a small wrapped box.
"Happy Birthday, Jean!"
Reaching into his own pocket, Aether presented her with another neatly wrapped box that had a golden ribbon covering the top.
"Happy Birthday!"
"You two didn't have to."
"Are you kidding!? Of course we did!"
"It's your special day after all."
Deciding to take the gifts with heartfelt appreciation, Jean enveloped the young girl in a warm hug, which resulted in Paimon giggling. She then turned to Aether and couldn't help but feel the blush on her cheeks get warmer. Nevertheless, she brought him into a hug that was stronger than she expected.
"Thank you."
"You're… welcome."
Realizing the force she was putting on him, Jean let go while her entire face was glowing red.
"S-Sorry about that, Aether!"
"N-No worries! I didn't mind it."
From the side, Paimon could only glance at the two with a knowing look on her face. This was followed by a barely visible smirk.
"R-Right! *Ahem* Again, thank you two for the gifts."
"Open them!"
"Y-Yeah! Let's see you open them."
Fighting the cyclone of emotions swelling in her heart, Jean reluctantly nodded her head and began to open Paimon's gift first.
Taking great care to open the gift carefully, Jean was now staring at a cute little charm in the form of a creature she wasn't all that familiar with.
"Oh? And who is this little guy?"
"That's a Saurian! They're cute little guys found all throughout Natlan. Lots of the various tribes keep them as pets and even fight alongside them."
Examining the charm closely, Jean couldn't help but grow to like it even more, knowing that these creatures meant a lot to the people of Natlan.
"Thank you, Paimon. I like it a lot. I'll be sure to put it with my bag."
"Paimon's glad to hear that!"
Now focusing on Aether's gift, Jean carefully unwrapped the box and couldn't believe what she was looking at.
"Aether… is this…"
"It's something that I helped make while in Nod-Krai the last time we were there. We have friends within the Frostmoon Scions who are skilled at making jewelry through hands-on experience. That necklace is made with Rainbowdrop Crystals, a common ore found across all of Nod Krai."
Scratching the side of his cheek, Aether continued to say what his heart was telling him.
"I wanted to give you something that not only would catch your eye, but something that can't be replicated. Sure, you could ask Varka or any of the remaining Knights stationed in Nod-Krai for such a thing, but this necklace is something that had care put into it. Something that meaningful gifts carry. Plus, now you'll always be a part of our journey."
"..."
"Jean?"
Not expecting this kind of response, Aether glanced over at Paimon with a concerned look on his face. However, on the young girl's face was the exact opposite.
Instead, she was smiling with a sly grin at the Traveler while keeping her head up and staring right at him.
Suddenly, before he could say anything else, he felt himself being pulled and immediately found his lips coming into contact with another pair of lips.
"..."
"..."
The sensation was indescribable while also being something that caused a burst of emotions to explode. There was no real way of describing this feeling.
Feeling her pull herself away, Aether could see Jean's entire face flushed red to the point that he thought she matched the color on Amber's Baron Bunny's outfit.
"I-I…"
"That was…"
"I-I… forgive me!"
"No!"
"No?!"
Reaching for her hands, Aether held them together while providing her with a sense of safety and calmness. Jean, on her part, was freaking out internally as she could not help but think of one of her romance novels. At a time like this, this moment was something she had always dreamed about, and now that it was happening, she didn't know what to think.
"You didn't do anything wrong. Promise."
Looking into his eyes for what felt like eternity, Jean could only nod her head slowly while casting a nervous look toward him.
"...I'll hold you to that."
Nodding his head, the blonde-haired boy could also feel his face becoming flushed and didn't want to shake this feeling off. He figured that it would be better to welcome this new feeling.
"May I?"
Confused by what he meant, Jean looked at him and then followed as his eyes glanced down at the necklace still being held tightly in her hand.
Understanding what he meant now, she slowly nodded her head while whispering to him.
"Yes, please."
Gently taking the necklace into his hands, he brought it around her neck and latched it securely so that it was now hanging safely. The radiant shine from the necklace was all the more perfect thanks to who was wearing it.
"It's beautiful. Thank you, Aether."
"You're welcome, Jean."
Staring at one another for a good minute now, Paimon was the one to break the ice in a nonchalant way.
"*cough* *cough* Paimon's happy for you two… but Jean?"
"Y-Yes, Paimon?"
"Do you have any leftovers from the pizza? Heehee!" the little girl said while twirling her fingers together.
Bursting into a fit of laughter, Jean and Aether could not help but silently thank the young girl for her effort to lighten the mood after it had gotten a bit… intimate.
"I believe I do. Barbara had a feeling that we'd be getting guests and helped me make an extra one."
"Heehee! Paimon's going to eat well!"
Shaking his head at Paimon's usual obsession, Aether laughed and gently intertwined his fingers with Jean's hand. This caused the blonde to stare widely at him before squeezing his hand gently.
"Shall we get to eating?"
"Yes, please!"
"Come on in. I also want to hear what you two were up to while in Nod-Krai. Varka has told us bits and pieces about what happened, but I want to hear it from you two."
"Well, it's a long story."
"I've got time."
As the trio entered Jean's home, this would be a birthday to be remembered, thanks not only to the fun stories shared by friends, but also to the realization that sometimes the feelings found deep in the heart can also be felt by those who matter the most.
Paimon would wholeheartedly agree with that statement… as she devoured an entire pizza to herself.