Never seeing you

She was the first face he saw, the first voice he heard, the first hand he held. So why is it, must she be the one to become a stranger to him as the days went by?

As the outrider of the knights of Favonius, Amber knew she was always in the wild around Mondstadt, which meant whenever her travelling friend came to visit her abode she was never around. It would've been fine if he stayed in Mondstadt for more than a couple of days, but he never was there longer than a day or two, visiting only briefly, going off with someone else and then disappearing entirely for months on end.

At first it was bearable, since he only went to Liyue, she could make the trip… but then he went to Inazuma, and then recently, Sumeru. His destination was becoming more and more foreign to her, no longer a simple trip down the road and more so a complete expedition to an unknown place.

It was of no help that wherever he went, he made his mark. News spread far and wide about the traveller and Amber would be the first to always know about this. But when the time came to meet him and talk to him about his exploits, she was always one step behind.

Sure there were many occasions where she would meet him briefly for a quick chat, but unlike the time he first arrive in the anemo archon's territory, their adventures had always been them plus a few more.

Now that is not to say she hated company, but Amber wished she could just spend a day with the traveller with just them, nobody else.

He's done it with others, but not her.

With that odd sense of loneliness plaguing her mind, it only made sense that she sought to appease it and the first thing she thought of doing was to monopolise him for one day, just them and no one else.

It was fair, everyone's spent some substantial, life-changing events with him, why couldn't she?

So devising a plan for the next time he visited Mondstadt, which was soon, Amber thought that in order to meet with the traveller without any problems she would work as hard as Jean in completing her tasks.

Which for her entailed gruelling several days of clearing out Hilichurl camps and making sure the slimes weren't being too active, therefore reducing the need for such commissions on the adventurer's guild. Her efforts were fruitful, those commissions were pretty much non-existent.

Although she did get a bit of a scolding from Klee since the spark knight was suspected of the mass bombing all across Mondstadt, even though it was actually Baron Bunny.

Still, she couldn't complain, at least now she had the traveller all to herself.

The day Aether was to arrive in Mondstadt, Amber ensured her day was free, she woke much earlier than usual to freshen up, taking a nice relaxing shower before putting on her outrider uniform. She did toil for several night as to what outfit was best to wear, but she eventually realised a familiar wear would be the best for the traveller, since he didn't change much either. After getting changed she would then sprinkle herself some perfume she acquired from Eula, who told her a lady must be elegant with exacting vengeance. Amber wasn't enacting any form of vengeance, but the elegant part was good advice for meeting with Aether.

Once all of that was said in done, she grabbed her bow and Baron Bunny before rushing out to the streets of Mondstadt to see if her blonde friend was around.

She soon reached the plaza where she saw a familiar duo sitting down at good hunter with a small buffet at their table.

"Oh this is so good!" a tiny fairy-like girl said as she chomped down on a slice of steak.

"But now we're running short on cash, we better do some commissions while we're here," a blonde boy said as he took a spoonful of mint jelly to his mouth.

She didn't expect to see them so soon, but it was a good thing she did before anyone else could steal him with some random errands or adventure.

Before heading over, Amber did one final check of herself, patting down her clothes and making sure her bow was nice and up. Once everything was accounted for, she gave a satisfied huff then confidently strutted over to the boy and floating girl.

"Aether, Paimon!" she called, waving at them with a wide smile.

"Oh it's Amber!" the little girl greeted, excitedly waving back at the girl.

"Are you going to do some outrider work?" the blonde boy asked.

Amber shook her head. "Most of my work has been accounted for so I'm free for today."

"Woah, Amber is free? You're usually out and about, I find it hard to believe you actually don't have anything to do," Paimon commented.

Amber felt like a blade suddenly pierced her heart. Yes she knew she was never free to talk to the pair, but hearing Paimon confirm that really struck a chord with her.

"Come on Paimon don't be rude," Aether scolded. "Amber works hard as an outrider, it just shows how dedicated she is to her work."

Now that time Amber felt her heart skip a beat. It wasn't even like Aether was being romantic, yet that comment felt like the world to her. Hearing him speak so highly of her nearly sent her to cloud nine.

"Oh Paimon wasn't trying to be rude. I'm glad Amber got some time off since there are way too many people who think the idea of a break is like some sort of crime or something!" the fairy said, holding her head in exasperation.

To that, Aether could only put out a strained smile since he knew the people Paimon was alluding to.

"I guess it is weird that just about every nation has one overworked person to their name," Aether off-handedly said.

Amber wasn't so sure what to comment on, the fact these two lumped her in with those types of people or the surprising fact they seemed to meet an overworked person everywhere they went. Next thing they'll say there's one girl in every nation gunning for the traveller.

However, as amusing as the duo's exchanges were, Amber kept her eye on the prize and so decided to put her plan into action.

"So Aether, are you doing anything while you're here in Mondstadt?" Amber asked, she needed her invitation to be as natural sounding as possible.

"Hmm, not really, we thought we would go on some commissions to earn some mora for our trip to Fontaine, but Katheryne said they were pretty much all clear for the day." Aether then sighed before pulling out a pouch. "We're short thanks to a certain someone."

Paimon went bright red and then started to wave her arms around as she complained. "Paimos was hungry ok?"

"When are you never hungry?" Aether prodded with a thinned gaze.

While the two bickered, Amber couldn't help but grin when she heard her plan was coming through perfectly. Aether was free, she was free and everybody seemed to be elsewhere. She could taste victory.

Slamming her hands on the table, splitting the two away from their back and forth, Amber then asked if Aether would like to hang out with her for the day. She told him she had nothing to do either and was just planning on going for a walk outside the city.

Aether thought about the girl's invitation for a bit before sharing a glance with his companion.

"Um, sure?" Aether responded.

Amber's eyes lit up and if it wasn't for the fact she was in public, she probably would've jumped around and celebrated her accomplishment.

"Alright then, let's go!" The outrider took hold of the traveller's hand and dragged him out of his seat, much to his surprise.

"Wait we're leaving now?!" Aether asked while he stumbled to Amber's side. "What about my food?"

"I can make you something later if we get hungry, now come on!" Amber dragged the boy down the steps and towards the exit, giggling to herself from a job well done.

Meanwhile, Paimon was torn between leaving the food and going after the two, floating around for a bit before waving at Aether who was still looking at her.

"I'll make sure to finish your portion!" she screamed before settling back down to her meal.

"What?!" Aether shouted.

With that, Aether was successfully separated from his floating companion and was now alone with the grinning outrider.

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Once pass the bridge, Amber finally let go of Aether who had yet to collect himself from being forced away from his dessert.

"You ok?" Amber asked, she was concerned she may have been a bit too eager.

"I'm fine, you're as energetic as ever Amber," Aether said in between breaths.

"Sorry," Amber said, her bow drooping as she hung her head.

Seeing her guilt-ridden face, Aether couldn't help but raise his hand and give the girl a pat on the head.

Amber jolted up at the sudden touch from the boy, it was embarrassing, having a boy pat her like a child. But something about his intimacy was quite soothing that she forgot all about what was bothering her.

Once Amber had calmed down, Aether then asked her where they were heading and the outrider proposed they headed towards Springvale as a start.

"Alright let's head on over then," Aether said gleefully.

The two walked over to the little settlement side by side while chatting about their routines with one another. The boy had been all over Teyvat by this point and he had much to share in regards to the people he had met and the adventures gone in. Though a highlight for Amber was how he became a wanted fugitive in just about every place he went to apart from Mondstadt. She couldn't help but laugh at him as he fretted over his visit to the next nation on his journey.

However, while she was enjoying the tales of heroism and daringness of the traveller, they promptly arrived in Springvale where they noticed a small crowd gather at the entrance, all huddled up and whispering to one another.

The two recognised them as the hunters of Springvale, from the bows strapped to their backs and the pouches they had hanging off the side of their belts.

"Wonder what that's all about," Amber said curious.

"Should we check it out?" Aether asked, sensing the girl's interest in the group.

Amber pondered for a bit, she was curious, but she also wanted to make sure nothing would get in her way during her free time with Aether.

"I mean, we can just check whatever is going on together. But usually, when that happens someone else gets dragged along for the ride, then my whole plan would be ruined." The cogs in her mind twisted and clanged together as she came up with a solution. Eventually, she settled on an answer. "This is too much thinking. I already cleared out as much of the Hillichurls in the area as I could, this should be nothing."

Amber turned to Aether, who was patiently waiting for her answer and gave a firm nod. Aether, who was secretly interested in the group as well, nodded back before he followed the outrider over to the group.

As they approached they could make out some of the mumbling, something about treasure and how some of them wanted to go look for it.

Without scaring them, Amber leaned over and called for their attention. "Um, excuse me?"

All the hunters then raised their heads and turned towards the outrider before standing straight and greeting her.

"Oh Amber, what brings you over to Springvale?" a brown-haired man with cat ears asked.

"Hi Draff, we were just going for a walk and we saw you lot just mumbling to yourselves here," Amber replied while scanning the entire group.

"Ah, we were just discussing this treasure map we found." Draff then unfolded an old piece of paper with a drawing on it and a cross. "Some of the boys think we should look for it, but I think we should just leave it be."

Amber took the map into her hands and scanned the page. "Hey, isn't this Springvale?"

Aether would lean over from behind the girl and take a look at the parchment for himself and sure enough the picture on the map was the outline of Springvale, it even matched the one he had on his map.

"Yep, do you want it?" Draff asked, surprising the two.

"What? Don't you want it?" Amber questioned. This was a treasure chest, who wouldn't want that?

"Ah, I doubt any of the folks here would have any big heaps of Mora, it's probably a toy or something," Draff explained. "Go on, take it."

Amber and Aether both shared a look before nodding at the same time.

"Alright, leave it to us," Amber said excitedly.

Draff gave the two an approving nod before telling his group that they were leaving, much to the dismay of a few who wanted to seek the treasure.

With a map in their hands, Aether and Amber quickly went into Springvale and looked around for where the treasure was hidden.

The treasure, according to the map, was hidden somewhere on a small cliff overlooking the place. With shovels in hand, the two began to dig into the earth and it didn't take long before one of them struck something in the soil.

"Hey, I think this is it!" Amber cheered.

She tossed her shovel to the side and buried her gloved hands into the soil as she pulled on a small box that was peeking out. Eventually the object popped out of the soil, but the force Amber used to pull immediately made her topple back once the box was free.

"Ouch!" she said, landing on her butt.

Aether rushed over to check on his friend and crouched down next to her. "You ok?"

"Yeah," she replied as she rubbed her soar bottom. "Let's take a look at the treasure."

Sitting on her knees, the outrider rested the box on her lap while Aether sat beside her.

The box itself was less of a chest and more like someone's jewellery box, it was small, compact and light. So light in fact that Amber thought it was empty.

"Doesn't feel like there's anything inside." Wanting to check the contents, the girl shook the box a couple of times, but there was no sound whatsoever, not even a little clack.

Thinking they may have either read the map wrong or were duped, Amber was somewhat disappointed at the lack of treasure. However, the boy beside her told her they should at least take a peek inside since there could still be something. Amber wasn't so sure what he was getting at, but she trusted his judgement considering that he had travelled everywhere and was more than familiar with treasure hunting.

Lifting the lid of the box, Amber and Aether then took a glance at the contents and much like Amber thought, it was quite empty, except for a piece of paper.

"Hmm? What's this?" Amber asked as she took out the paper.

"Could be another map?" Aether replied.

Amber unfolded the paper and the two shared a surprised yelp when they realised what the paper was.

"It's a letter," Amber pointed out. "Should we read it?"

"I don't see why not," Aether replied.

The two then shifted to a more relaxed position before scanning the letter together. Upon scanning the letter, the two immediately felt guilty the more they got into its contents. The letter was a lover's address to her partner who, due to their job, needed to keep travelling through the corners of Teyvat. The letter spoke of the loneliness of being left behind, the agonising ache one felt in their heart knowing a beloved would go missing for months, never hearing from them apart from the rare letter which would arrive months after it was sent.

For the two the letter wasn't exactly the treasure they were anticipating, but it was someone's treasure.

"Maybe we should return this to the owner," Amber proposed, she didn't want anyone to commit the same mistake they did. "Can we?"

"I don't see any reason why we can't. But who's letter is it?" Aether asked.

Amber scanned to the bottom of the letter where she spotted the writer's name. "It's someone called Elena."

"Hmm, she could be a resident here in Springvale," Aether suggested.

"Let's ask around."

The two scaled down the cliff and headed back into the settlement with the letter in hand. They asked around if anyone knew who the writer of the letter and unfortunately, whoever this person was, they may have been long gone since nobody seemed to know someone by the name of Elena. With no leads in Springvale the two were ready to head into Mondstadt to check there, but as they were departing, a young lady chased after them.

"Excuse me!" the lady shouted at the two.

Amber and Aether then halted in their tracks, turning back around to greet the girl who was heaving and sweating a storm.

"Can we help you?" Amber asked, leaning down to greet the lady who was bent forward, catching her breath.

"Ye… yes… you… you were looking for someone right?" the lady choked out.

The two shared a glance before Amber responded, "We are."

"My grandma says she knows her," the lady said, finally managing to get her wind back.

The twos expressions lit up upon hearing that tidbit of information. Amber asked if they could visit the lady's grandmother to talk about the writer and the girl replied that she was more than happy to guide them to her place.

A short walk later, the two arrived to the lady's home where her grandmother was waiting for them outside.

"Is this them dear?" the old lady asked.

"Yep," the lady replied.

"Um, excuse us, but you know the writer of this letter?" Amber handed the letter off to the elder woman.

The grandmother would scan the letter with her weary eyes before nodding. "Yes, this is definitely her letter."

"So you know the writer?" Amber asked, hopeful.

"Know her? She was my best friend," the old woman replied. "Though, I'm afraid she's no longer in this world."

Everyone's faces then drooped, their once joyful demeanour now faded with the reveal of the writer's passing.

"That's a shame, we were hoping of hearing the story behind this letter," Amber confessed, her head and bow both now hanging towards the floor.

The old woman then giggled. "Oh I can tell you all you need to know about Elena, including this letter."

"You can?" Amber's bow then perked up and her eyes had a glint of faith shine on them.

"Yes."

The woman invited Amber and Aether inside her home and with a few cups of tea, the old woman began her tail about the writer while the two visitors quietly listened.

"Elena and her husband were old sweethearts, close as close can be and truly in love. Nothing could make them hate each other, let alone separate them from one another. Nothing, except work that is. Elena's husband was a tradesman, he travelled through every nation for work and had to leave Elena here in Springvale for months on end. They communicated through letters like the one you two found, but months of not seeing one another still took its toll on my friend." The woman paused and looked at the letter. "This letter you found was most likely Elena's true feelings. She was never the type to tell anyone of her frustrations. She probably thought that complaining would make her husband like her less, so she said nothing to him, choosing to bottle up her frustration in a letter and hiding it away."

Amber and Aether already had a hunch it was as the old woman said. That was the feeling they got when reading the letter. Still, hearing the finer details made their hearts ache for the writer.

"Did her husband never return?" Amber asked, her voice starting to shake.

"He did, but whenever he did, he was either spending time with others or planning his next trip," the old woman replied.

"He didn't spend time with his wife?" Aether asked, shocked.

"Oh he did, but it was so far and few between that it was never enough for her. Elena was a very needy girl, she most likely wanted her husband all to herself whenever he returned. But alas, there just wasn't enough time."

Amber and Aether would then say their goodbyes to the young lady and her grandmother and decided to return to Mondstadt. However, on the way there Aether noticed that Amber was very silent, he expected her to be discussing the story, but instead, she hung her head and had a serious expression painted on her face.

For the girl, that tale wasn't just a mere story, it seemed more like an omen. It struck too close to home.

The outrider thought, "Is that going to happen to me?"

She dreaded to believe that she too would fall in a state where all she could do was write a lonely letter of frustration. However, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility, in fact when she really thought about it, her elaborate scheme was for the same reason. The aching in her heart was born from missing Aether, that loneliness was what made her act. So really, was she any different from the lover in the letter?

Amber didn't wish to think that she was so she shook her head furiously to try and rid herself of such intrusive thoughts.

"Don't think about it Amber, don't think about it Amber," she chanted.

"Amber."

But no matter what she did, the thoughts kept on creeping to the fore front of her mind.

"Amber."

The woe of having to relate to a woman in love, separated by distance born from their beloved's desire to venture out into the world, it was vexing.

"Amber!"

If only she could join Aether, then maybe her annoyance would go away, but as an outrider, her duty to Mondstadt was absolute. She couldn't just leave her grandfather's legacy to whither away after all. Oh but-

"Amber!"

At the call of her name, Amber then stopped shaking her head and turned to Aether, but rather than see his handsome face, she was instead greeted by nothing.

"Aether?" She then started to look around, but again, he was nowhere to be found.

Then, from the bottom, a gloved finger shakily rose and got the girl's attention. Looking down, Amber's face turned blue the moment she saw Aether lying on the floor, cheeks pulsating red and were completely swollen that they looked like apples.

"Aether!"

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By the time the boy regained his consciousness, the sun had set and the stars had come out to paint the night sky.

"Oh you're awake." The face of the outrider then came into full view, mere inches away from Aether's.

Being so close to a pretty girl, Aether screamed like a banshee and quickly bolted away from Amber, much to her surprise.

"You ok?" The girl asked, worried and confused.

After registering that it was the outrider, the boy took a couple of deep breaths as he nodded back in response. Once he was calm, he returned to her side and sat with her on the small hill before sharing a giggle at the ridiculous scene that had just transpired.

Following this, Aether would study the girl while she gazed at the stars, and he noticed the lonely expression she had worn. Thinking back to their walk from Springvale, Aether recognised her expression as the same one she wore after they had left the small village.

"Amber," Aether called in a gentle voice.

"Yeah?" The girl turned, her expression now back to her usual merry attitude. Or so it seemed.

"Earlier when we were leaving Springvale, you looked down after hearing that story. Is everything alright?"

Slowly Amber's expression soured, confirming the boy's suspicion that hearing the tale seemed to have had an effect on the girl.

Without coming off as forceful, Aether urged the girl to speak her mind. To which responded by turning her head away and tightening her lips.

"Is it that hard to say?" Aether asked.

"... No, it's just that, it might sound silly," the girl responded.

Aether shook his head. "Of course not, if it's bothering you, it can never be silly."

Amber was hesitant, but Aether didn't back down, he patiently kept waiting for her to open up in silence, he believed that by doing so it would allow the girl to accept his offer on her own terms.

And he was right, a few seconds later, the girl turned to him, her head downcast and her body shaking.

Aether said nothing, instead he merely placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and he flashed her a small assuring smile as a way to push her that little bit more.

Without uttering a word or even moving from his place, the traveller listened to the outrider's shaky voice whilst pouring her heart out. It was a hurtful scene to watch, but Aether kept his eyes on her at all times, even though his heart was slowly being knotted whenever she wept.

Minutes passed by before Amber would finish relaying everything she felt to Aether, and after that, the two just sat there in silence.

The boy didn't know what to say to her, but he knew exactly what wrongs he had done. He couldn't help but admonish himself in his mind, he found the irony painful. A traveller seeking his lost family, only to abandon another. Though they weren't family, he nevertheless treated everyone he had met as a part of his life, people he would cherish for years to come.

So, to see a precious person break down in front of him due to his negligence told him all he needed to know about his treatment of this world. He was merely still passing through it.

With that in his mind, he knew he needed to make things right, especially to the one person who continued to help him with his search since the beginning of his journey.

Closing his eyes, Aether then took hold of Amber's hands and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry Amber," he said in a soft voice. "I took you for granted."

"Huh?"

"I always thought that, because you were always off doing outrider stuff that you were doing ok, so I never even stopped to think that you too would like to have an adventure with me and Paimon." The boy continued to curl forwards, lowering himself closer and closer to Amber's hands. "You've done so much for me, you still do. Yet I haven't done anything for you back."

"No that's not true Aether," Amber interjected. "I was just insecure is all."

"No in truth, I probably did forget about you," Aether confessed.

He couldn't see her face, but Aether knew she reacted when he felt her grip tighten.

"I get it," Amber responded.

Shocked Aether then shot up and looked at her to retort, but before any words could leave his lips, he was stunned by the image of Amber smiling at him.

"Amber?" the boy uttered. "What do you mean, you get it."

"Well, you aren't exactly someone who can go anywhere without stirring up something, so I get that I'm not always in your mind," Amber responded nonchalantly.

Aether wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, while true, he wasn't expecting a rather casual reply.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" she answered. "But… I understand that you've touched a lot of people's hearts. You're the hero of four nations now after all, I get that I can't always be in your mind."

"No that's not-"

"But, I still want to be," the girl declared. "I want to always be in your mind Aether, and I'll make sure I will."

Aether was speechless, he didn't really know what to say, but he could feel his cheeks burn up when the girl declared her desire.

Amber then stood up and stretched her arms out before jumping off the hill and looking back at Aether, who was still somewhat stunned with the sudden turn of events in their conversation.

"Come on, let's head back, it's getting late," Amber ordered before walking towards the city.

"Wait." Aether jumped down and chased her down, while shouting, "Does this mean you're ok?"

"Mhm, I got a lot out of my chest, and I now I know what I want to do," Amber responded.

"Huh? And what's that?"

Amber stopped, she then pressed her finger on her chin before spinning back to the boy with a cheeky smile. "You'll see."

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A few days then passed by and Aether was ready to once again head out to another nation with Paimon repeating their plans to him once again.

But before he could depart for his next adventure, he heard Amber shout his name, stopping him and his companion from going past the gates.

The outrider then halted with a screech before bending forwards to catch her breath.

"I… I… got… a present… for… you," she said in between heavy breaths.

"Why don't you take a breather first?" Aether advised.

After a quick drink and a breather, Amber was able to finally get her wind back.

"Whew, that did the trick, thanks Aether," she said with a wide smile.

"No problem."

The boy but couldn't help but smile upon seeing Amber, ever since they returned to Mondstadt, she had become rather busy and hadn't talked to him since. He tried to visit her, but whenever he swung by her home, she was out, and when he tried to the Knights of Favonius HQ, she was gone to do her duties.

Her absence made the boy think maybe their talk was for nought, so to see her again with the same joyful expression she always wore, brought a sense of relief to Aether.

"So what were you going to talk to me about?" Aether asked.

"Oh that's right." Amber then fished something out of her bag and pushed it into Aether's hands.

Looking at what he was holding, Aether nearly jumped when he realised he was holding Amber's explosive stuffed toy, Baron Bunny. Luckily Amber quickly told him that this one wasn't set to blow up.

Calming down from his scare, Aether then took a good look at Baron Bunny and noticed that, unlike the ones that Amber uses for combat, this particular Baron Bunny had a different design. Rather than the predominantly red Baron Bunny, this Baron Bunny had white arms and ears.

"I based it off an outfit I have, it's probably not that good huh?"

"Not at all!" Aether argued. "It's really cute. I'll treasure this!"

Aether wasn't exactly thinking as he kept throwing compliments at the girl, utterly oblivious to the fact that the outrider's face was now completely red just like her outfit.

"Aether… I get it," she cried out of embarrassment.

The boy stopped, realised he may have gone a bit too far and proceeded to blush himself, alongside releasing some steam from his head.

"So, what did you gift me this for?" Aether asked so he could quickly change the subject.

"Well, I did say I wanted to be in your mind all the time, so I decided to give you one to remember me by," she said with flushed cheeks.

Aether felt touched, something about being gifted a toy meant to represent someone close to him just made butterflies flutter inside him.

"And I have this as well." Amber then pulled out another Baron Bunny from her bag.

Again like the one he had, Aether noticed the obvious difference in this new toy, it looked like him.

Pointing to the stuffed toy the boy inquired, "Is that me?"

Nodding, Amber then gave the Baron Bunny a tight hug, snuggling it closely. "I always miss you nowadays and I didn't know how to deal with it. So I made this for myself."

Feeling the heat flare up on his cheeks Aether could only giggle as a response to the girl's confession.

"You can use that too you know?" Amber clarified.

"Huh?"

"That Baron Bunny, you can hug it too if you ever miss me," she explained in a soft voice.

The traveller couldn't help but think she looked very adorable, all embarrassed, peering over the toy's head as her puppy dog eyes gazed at him.

"Su-sure," he reflexively responded, as if in a trance.

Both would then end up just gazing at each other for a while, only breaking up when a certain white-haired companion decided to intervene.

"Uh, you two going to be doing that for a while?"

Immediately tearing his eyes off her, Aether then turned to Paimon and told her that they should get going, giving one last glance to Amber to say goodbye.

However, before he could take another step forward, Aether then felt someone grab his hand and was immediately pulled backwards. He thought he was gonna hit the ground since the pull was quite strong and he had no time to catch his footing, but before he could smack into concrete Aether instead stopped midway and something soft landed on his cheeks.

At first he wouldn't realise what it was, but after seeing Paimon's red, panicked face, he then took a peek at what could've landed.

Slowly the image of Amber came into view, her eyes were closed and she was quite near him. Then it all clicked, it was her who pulled him and the soft sensation he felt? It was her lips.

Amber, was kissing his cheek.

"Am-"

The girl then separated from the blushing boy and took a couple of steps back with a wide smile.

"See you later Aether!" she beamed.

"Huh?"

"Remember to always hug that Baron Bunny if you miss me, ok?"

He wasn't a hundred per cent sure he understood all that happened in the past few minutes, but, something about it was satisfying. Almost as if everything that had happened was perfect and there was no need to understand any more.

With a small smile, Aether looked back at Amber's gleeful face and nodded.

"I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, see you later."

Aether then turned around and started to walk out of Mondstadt along with Paimon. But something was telling him that he may return to the city much sooner than he anticipated.

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That night, the outrider returned home and relaxed on her bed, hugging the Aether Baron Bunny tightly.

After their outing, she returned to her regular duties, but her mind kept replaying that conversation under the moonlight. That one exchange of hearts had made its mark on her, though the thought of becoming like that couple persisted, no longer was it a sense of fear for her.

Instead, it became her reason to always run to his side.

Satisfied, Amber hugged her toy tightly and slowly drifted off to sleep with a final thought, a new promise she wished to fulfil.

"Next time… maybe I'll tell him, I love you."