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Stepping outside of their hotel room and feeling the cold air, Aether let a smile grace his lips as Paimon shivered beside him.
"Brr! Paimon still isn't used to this cold!"
"Are you feeling alright? You're not getting sick again, are you?" Aether asked, concern becoming apparent in his voice. "If you are…"
"No, no. Paimon's not feeling like she was before. It's just that this weather is so different compared to what we're used to."
"No kidding. I'm so used to traveling around without a worry in mind, but now making sure we have enough warmth and heat stones on us is a priority before even stepping outside. It's a bit surreal to get used to. Dragonspine wasn't even this cold."
"Right? Paimon wonders if Eula wouldn't have a problem with this cold at all. Ugh… How does Odette manage this weather while still wearing her outfit!?"
Smiling at the young girl's point, Aether thought the same. Her ballerina attire wasn't exactly suited for being in the cold, and yet, she managed to accomplish her Fatui tasks as well as maintain her work in the theater, all without a single complaint.
Shaking his head, he couldn't help but admire her more. This also expanded to think about everyone else's attire in this region and how some wore heavy clothing while others did not.
Perhaps it was a cultural thing that they got used to?
"Well, considering that Eula always talked about taking ice baths in Dragonspine, I'd happily say that she'd fit right in here. Her mannerisms also remind me of a few people we've met."
"Yeah! Paimon can also see that."
As the two continued to make their way down the street, they were also keeping their eyes open for a certain someone who was supposed to be coming here.
"Any idea where we might find them?"
Pulling out the letter that was sent to him by Clorinde, Aether began scanning it for any sort of hints that might point them in the right direction.
"Hmm. Based on what she said, Navia and her are here to do some… real-life experience for their Tabletop Troupe game. So, if I had to guess…"
"They're at a market!"
"Or they are at a game shop."
"That too! Let's go find them!"
Nodding his head excitedly, the traveling duo began making their way further down the street and talking to a few of the shop owners that they had now befriended. Based on what they were hearing, no one had seen any sign of a woman who matched the appearance of Clorinde or Navia.
This continued to happen a few more times, causing the two to feel a bit conflicted about their efforts to find their friends.
Before long, they found themselves in the train station, sitting on a bench and people-watching while sorting out their thoughts on the whole situation.
"Oh… Paimon thought for sure that we'd get some kind of hint as to where they might be. Maybe they went back home already?"
Feeling his heart race with a sense of anxiousness, Aether knew deep down that neither Clorinde nor Navia would leave before finding them. In the few birthdays they've been a part of for those two, he knew that they'd wait for them before making any drive to head home.
Moreover, he was sure that Clorinde would want to see him just as much as he wanted to see her. The two had bonded quite a bit the last time they crossed paths in Fontaine. Genuine moments between just the two of them had become a reality, and he made it quite clear that he wanted to see her again.
This same emotional response was reciprocated by the Champion Duelist as well.
"I don't think they'd go home yet without seeing us. Besides, you read the letter Clorinde sent; if I had to guess where they might be, then…"
Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off in Aether's head as he stood up from the bench.
"Huh!? Traveler?"
"Paimon! I know where they are. Let's go!"
"Hold on! Paimon can't catch up to you! The cold has her legs frozen in place!"
"But you float!?"
"Eh? Don't dismiss Paimon's struggles!"
Together, the two booked it from the train station and seemed to move with a purpose.
A few minutes later
Standing in front of a familiar, lively restaurant, Aether looked very confident in his decision to come here. He was also laughing to himself at how things were playing out.
"I can't believe we didn't even check this place first."
Joining him, Paimon also began shaking her head as she sighed loudly.
"No kidding. Paimon feels a bit silly for not even considering this place. It has the right things for both of them. Space enough to set up a Tabletop Troupe game, food and refreshments to enjoy, and it's a social meeting place!"
"Well, I think we've kept them waiting long enough."
Opening the doors to the hotel and restaurant, Aether immediately moved toward one of the corner tables and found exactly who he was looking for.
"Partner! There you are!"
"Took you two long enough. But I'm happy to see you here."
Sitting there, sipping on a cup of tea, were Clorinde and Navia. The table they were occupying had numerous bags surrounding it, while glimpses of what appeared to be boxes of dice could be seen. Additionally, it looked like a whole kit of game board supplies was on full display.
Glancing at the two girls, Aether could see Navia giving him a goofy smile while Clorinde simply shook her head with a small smirk.
"You two have been busy."
"There was no way we could stop. Once we stepped into the shop… It was over."
As Clorinde said this, she tipped her hat down slightly while trying to hide the wide smirk crossing her lips. This was easily thwarted by Navia snorting at her and breaking into a fit of giggles.
"Once Clorinde saw the dice kits, she gave in without wasting a single second."
"You're one to talk. After you noticed the trading card sleeves, you immediately asked the shopkeeper if you could buy them out."
"The trading card sleeves are not that expensive compared to the dice kits that you bought! Easily two of your kits match the price of ten of my sleeve packs."
"That may be true, but as a genuine player of Tabletop Troupe, I made sure my fellow players had a chance to purchase dice kits themselves."
Watching as the two girls were countering each other's spending habits, Aether couldn't help but smile at the two. It was always a joy to see them basking in their interests. Plus, he couldn't help but admit that he found Tabletop Troupe a fun game that could make you lose track of time.
"You two really are gamers at heart," Paimon commented with a giggle.
"I feel like we've always been that way. Even when we were younger."
Nodding at Navia's response, Clorinde brushed her hair back and let a soft smile flash across her face.
"I recall several times when Navia got so upset at losing that she'd run from the room and seek out her father and his close friends for tips on how to win. She wanted to find a way to cheat to win."
"That's not true! Papa wouldn't give me any hints at all and just told me to learn from my mistakes. I even remember one time he simply laughed at me and told me to go back and do everything that I didn't do."
"Remind me, did you manage to win after doing that?" Clorinde asked.
Giving the purple-haired girl a deadpan look, Navia simply kept her serious face before succumbing to defeat and sighing loudly, she responded weakly.
"No…I did not."
At this point, both Aether and Paimon were laughing happily while Clorinde simply smirked at Navia's dejected reaction. This moment was nothing but simple joy amongst friends.
"So, have you guys managed to find anyone new to join your games? You mentioned wanting to get first-hand experience with the new set's theme."
Having a glint in her eyes, Clorinde's body language indicated that her interest had shot up, and now her full attention was on him.
"Actually, while we've been waiting for you two, we managed to find two new players. They seemed thoroughly interested in the game. Especially the part about RNG being a part of this new set's overall theme."
"Ooh! That sounds like so much fun! Paimon definitely wants to join in. But where are the two new players?"
"They mentioned needing to run a quick errand, but they said they'd be eager to join us," Clorinde answered.
"Did you happen to catch their names?"
"Hmm. Now that you mention it, their names were unique in that I've never heard of them before. I may not be able to repeat one of the two's names, but it was something along the lines of…"
"Vodyanitsa."
"Yep! That was her name. Wait. Who said that?"
"I did!"
Running up to the table, the familiar face of Vodyanitsa appeared with a gleeful smile.
"I'm here! Oh? Traveler and Paimon! What are you guys doing here?"
"Vodyanitsa! So, you're one of the ones interested in Tabletop Troupe? Wait, does that mean…"
"Yep. You guessed it."
Making her way to the table, Odette was present and wore a small, dignified smile on her face.
"Aether. Paimon. It's nice to see you two again."
"Odette! This is a bit surprising."
"Not really."
"Oh? What makes you say that, Aether?"
Considering Vodyanitsa's statement, the blonde-haired boy couldn't help but glance over at the blue-haired ballerina and watch as her friendly expression turned into a deadly, narrowed look.
Normally, anyone seeing this expression would become fearful for their life when dealing with Odette. However, Aether was unlike most people.
He dealt with gods, monsters, crazy villains, and beings from different realms on a daily basis. Plus, he had gotten to know Odette and had an idea of how she conveyed her emotions.
Moreover, he knew about her fascination with gambling and could now see the interest she took in the Tabletop Troupe set that Navia and Clorinde were here for.
"Odette is a fan of chance."
A small blush appeared on the ballerina's face as she let out a silent 'Hmph' at him. This earned a bit of laughter from everyone at seeing how carefree Aether was and the reaction thrown at him.
"I take it you three know each other?" Clorinde asked.
"Yep. We met not long after Paimon and I got here. Heck, we even got involved in some crazy stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"That sounds just like you. Well, seeing that we're all here, shall we get started?" Navia announced to the group.
"Ooh! Let's get some food before we start playing!" Vodyanitsa blurted out.
"I concur. I'm a bit hungry, and I have a feeling that this game will be a bit of a learning curve," Odette added.
"Usually I'd say it's not that bad to learn, but with this new set, even we're having some difficulty with these new cards. Some of the phrasing on them is quite complex."
"Sounds like we're all in for a steep hill. Paimon's gonna need a lot of food!"
Before long, the group began making their way to the counter to place their orders.
Well, that is to say, Clorinde and Aether stayed behind while the others left.
"I appreciate you two for making it here."
"It's not a problem at all. You know we wouldn't miss your birthday at all. Same goes for Navia."
"Still… I am truly grateful for you coming. I'm also grateful for Vodyanitsa and Odette for joining us. Even if no one was interested in joining us, I really wanted you to show up."
A look of slight shock appeared on Aether's face as he wasn't used to Clorinde so openly talking about her feelings.
"It's been a minute since we last spoke in person. I was growing worried that you'd forgotten us in Fontaine."
From the corner of his eye, Aether could see a gentle expression growing on her face. The time he'd spent getting to know her back in Fontaine had let him notice small details about her that not everyone would see.
"There's no way I'd forget about you guys."
"I know. I only said that so I could prove Navia wrong."
"Wrong? About what?"
Folding her arms under her ample chest, Clorinde clicked her tongue.
"Navia has been pushing me to act more… open. Not necessarily in an over-the-top way, but more in line with how I feel deep down. So, when I said that… I meant it in a more dramatic way. If that makes any sense."
"Based on what I'm hearing, you missed us."
"...True. But I'd hate for Paimon to hear this… I did miss you more, Aether."
The hue of red was now splashing onto his face as he was surprised by her sudden confession. Clorinde wasn't normally the type to say something like this, but then again, people do change over time.
"The time we've spent together is something I cherish. While we didn't necessarily start as strong friends, I feel that over the last two years, we've gotten to know one another in various ways. I find your intellect and courage to be admirable, as well as your sense of direction. Working toward a goal but still manage to help others around you. You're also fun to be around while also being easy to talk to."
"Clorinde… I feel the same way about you. I'll admit, you were a bit intimidating when we first met. I still remember seeing you with Furina in the theater, but after we worked together, I consider you someone that I'd stand next to when things get tough."
Hearing all this, the dark-haired girl calmly let the blush take over her face and stay there while basking in the feelings flourishing within her heart. These were all new feelings, and she'd be damned to dismiss them now.
"...Aether. May I ask for a favor? Rather, may I ask for a wish?"
"A wish? Sure. It's your birthday after all."
"Thank you. Can you please… close your eyes."
Confused by this request, Aether closed his eyes and was prepared to open them while further questioning what was going on when he felt something soft touch his lips.
In the next instant, he felt Clorinde step back and cough into her hand.
"You may open them now."
Placing his gaze on her, he could see that the usually stoic and calm Champion Duelist was nowhere in sight and instead was a girl simply expressing herself in ways she'd never thought possible. From his point of view, Clorinde was blushing heavily while doing her best to remain calm and refined. She was fully aware of what she did and would not back down from her decision, but that didn't mean she could easily get past it yet.
"Did you…"
"Hey, you two! We managed to get some food for the whole table!" Vodyanitsa cheered loudly.
"Yep! Paimon even got her own little basket thanks to Odette's advice."
"It was nothing. I'm quite excited to see how this game plays out."
"Oh, don't you worry, Miss Odette! We'll make sure this game becomes one that you'll be addicted to."
"Don't tell her that! She might actually get crazy into it."
As the four were chatting amongst themselves, they did not notice how close Aether and Clorinde had become or the fact that their hands had somehow found themselves intertwined underneath the table.
While this was only the beginning of an exciting new game, this moment also marked the beginning of a new connection between Fontaine's Champion Duelist and Teyvat's Fourth Descender.