No Light In Your Bright Blue Eyes - PancakeBeast - 原神 (2024)

Chapter 1: Day 6: The silence in between what I thought and what I said

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Chapter 2: Day 7: The Boy with the Thorn in His Side

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Chapter 3: Day 8: Away With Obsessions and Falsehood

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Chapter 4: Day 8: On My Mind

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Childe is fine. He's fine. The Traveler was right and that's all there is to it.That pretense doesn't survive long as he walks briskly through the northern reaches of Narukami Island. It's quiet in the region, currently, with no more monsters leaking out of the Onmyou Chamber. The lack of anything or anyone to fight leaves him alone with his thoughts right when he'd rather put off confronting them.He'd arrived back in Inazuma standing outside the Chamber's gate. For a moment he just regarded its shimmering blue surface. It reminded him that the Traveler had wondered if the Chamber and his teapot both being adeptal realms (more or less) would affect where someone ended up when they left the latter. Apparently it did. He'd have to mention that the next time he sees him.There will be a next time. Of course there will. The Traveler had spoken like they'd be adventuring together just minutes before giving Childe a reality check on what that could mean.

He's frustrated with himself because the facts weren't news to him. He's angry at himself because he was ready to do something that might have put his family in danger. He had months and months to think it through to the same conclusion the Traveler reached and somehow he didn't.He can still have it both ways, but not to the extent that he'd daydreamed of.Joining the Fatui wasn't his choice. Even so, he hadn't minded it. It gave him much of what he desired at the time. The structure chafed a little, but he saw it as a good bargain: just follow orders and he'd get training, experience, and opportunities to kill without inconvenient repercussions. Then he became a Harbinger and met the Tsaritsa that same day, gaining much freer rein and the inspiration of an authority figure who was worth his utmost respect.It seemed like a perfect arrangement. Until an alternative revealed itself.The Traveler spilled his blood, forced him to hold nothing back, chipped away at his Foul Legacy armor, and outlasted him until he couldn't maintain the transformation and collapsed. He'll never forget how unimpressed the Traveler looked as he stood over him, sword held in a steady hand. It was the first time since he returned from the Abyss that he had any reason to feel humble.He became even more annoyed than before at the underhanded schemes of the Fatui, their convoluted plans. His ill fit with his fellow Harbingers, and the isolation they imposed on him, became more wearying. Compared to what he imagined he could gain from that person who defeated him, he was getting nowhere. Stagnating.Too often he was cooped up in the Northland Bank with paperwork: reports, orders, assignments, requisitions, logistics, intel. He generally didn't even have time to ignore propriety and go out collecting the bank's debts himself. Fatui operations in Liyue required much more attention from him after the Osial incident than before. In that sense, his part in it didn't go unpunished by fate. Once in a while he'd sigh, stare out the window, and wonder what the Traveler was getting up to. Whenever intel came in that answered that question, he read it more than once and wished he'd been there.Childe drags in a deep breath, holds it a moment, then sighs it out in a lung-emptying gust. On his long walk he's been keeping a hungry eye out for rogues, Treasure Hoarders, hilichurls—anything he can sink a blade into. The tension in his body is a particular sensation that makes him feel like he needs to crack every joint at once. Getting into a fight would loosen him up at least, and maybe even clear his head.With Teucer's very unexpected arrival in Liyue, seeing the Traveler at his little brother's side was secondary. His attention was on Teucer the whole time as he struggled and juggled to keep the boy alive and entertained. He couldn't have done it without the Traveler. Okay, maybe he could have. He had plenty of subordinates he could have told to watch over Teucer. But none he trusted like the Traveler.That trust shouldn't have come so easily. But the Traveler had spared him even as he prepared to destroy Liyue Harbor. There were countless people in the underbelly of the country who had fought him and lived to tell about it because he'd spared them too. He left a trail of good deeds and solved problems everywhere he went. He was a hero and, by all indications, a good person.There had to be more to him than that, Childe knew. That was where his interest became personal. He could sometimes gather insights from the Traveler's face and body language, but not usually, and his flat, laconic words were no easier to construe deeper meaning from. His voice, however, had a soft, thoughtful quality to it that snuck under Childe's skin.All too soon, Teucer and the Traveler were both gone again. Childe hadn't even gotten to spend that brief time with his brother who had come so far to see him. And it was, in part, his Fatui duties that kept him away.The Traveler had gone above and beyond for Teucer, and that was another thing he'd never forget."Sorrow and hesitation are the enemy of an implacable weapon." He'd said that to Shiki Taishou. He completely believes in those words. It's too bad he doesn't live up to them... Or, maybe not hesitating was how he almost got into trouble.Great. More doubts. Just what I need.

Childe finally spots a nobushi camp in the distance. He eagerly stalks closer, finding a vantage point to assess them from. To his disappointment, the four vagrants are all sitting or lying around in various states of injury. None of them own any armor, leaving their torn clothing and bloodstained bandages plain to see. Two of them have katanas nearby them and one just has a small woodcutting axe. There's also a broken katana, its three pieces lying haphazard at the edge of the camp as if tossed on the ground in frustration.Traveler, Childe groans inwardly, feeling a tad bit thwarted by his friend. This has to be you. If it were the Shogunate, those deserters and brigands would have been either killed or taken into custody.He considers what to do. There's no challenge to be had here. In their current state, these people would hardly even give him exercise. He has no reason not to kill them, but he doesn't think there'll be the slightest satisfaction in killing them. He's not in a mood to enjoy bloodshed for its own sake, he wants a workout.Maybe just give it a try and see...? He forms a throwing knife from Hydro and turns it in his fingers idly as his dull eyes peruse the targets. Which one...shall...it...be... Droplets drift off the knife and rejoin its shape continually, as usual. It's the less necessary parts that are like that: the spine of the blade, the end of the handle. The edge is absolute, just like his own should be.Come to think of it... If my opponents aren't up to the task, I can just get creative.Tartaglia leaves cover and jumps down into the camp.The nobushi yell in alarm and reach for their weapons. One of them makes a loud croak of pain as his sudden movement aggravates his injuries and prevents him from getting his katana. One of his comrades grabs it on his behalf, or maybe just because his own was the broken one.Childe raises his hands in a shrug-like gesture, showing them to be empty. He smiles, closing his eyes. No peeking. No hands. His knife rotates slowly behind his back, held by nothing but his will. "Hajimemash*te!" he calls out cheerfully. He always tries to pick up some local phrases when he gets to travel to a new place.He waits. Two of them have gotten to their feet and a third is almost up. Between their heavy footsteps and the sounds made by their clothing, he can all too easily keep track of where they are. Plus, they're breathing hard already. Probably dealing with internal injuries in addition to the slashes and stabs from the Traveler's sword.They're definitely in aggressive stances. No wonder the Traveler had to put you all in your places. You didn't even learn the lesson he generously taught you. He starts walking backwards, drawing the first two out until the third is prepared.Numbers One and Three rush him. He does little more than step out of One's headlong charge, then whirls on his heel to evade Three. Meanwhile, he's levitating his knife higher and higher. Number Two must have just spotted it, because he shouts a warning—"Oi!"—and there's a quick swish of cloth from the direction of his upper body before he dives for a low attack at Childe's right. It's an attempt to strike him from an angle where the knife might not be able to hit him past Childe's own shoulder, provided the nobushi can move fast enough. He does not move fast enough. Childe lunges out of the way and into a spinning kick at his latest attacker. At the instant his boot makes contact, he sends the little Hydro blade flying in an arc across where the man's back must be. The sound of cloth and flesh being sliced open together confirms his accuracy. The knife circles back to its floating position behind and above Childe. Kicked to the ground, Two coughs and curses. The only thing Childe cannot be sure of is exactly how deep he cut Two. Not bad. Better than the first time I got monster ichor in my eyes and could only flail like a fool while I got my ribs broken, heh. But I don't think this quite lives up to my performance the last time that happened.The fight has only just begun. Plenty of time to practice. Of course he could end it in a second, but he's going to draw it out as long as possible. It's not any danger to his life that'll limit that: there's no such thing in this scenario. It's just a matter of when the nobushi finally give up and flee.Maybe he'll even let them flee. Call it conservation. Foes are a scarce resource in the Narukami countryside these days.Number One's axe is really just a hatchet, which makes it more hazardous to someone whose eyes are closed. It's light enough to be swung from one side, turned quickly in the hand, swung from the other side, and so on. Due to the bulky shape of an axehead, the angle of each swing can't be altered as easily as if it were a dagger or sword, but there is some room for variation. That's exactly the kind of onslaught One brings when he darts in from Childe's left. That One stumbles as he does so actually gives him a fleeting advantage by making his speed less predictable. Not enough of an advantage. Childe drops to kick One's legs out from under him, causing the axe wielder to fall backward into the recovering Two. Past them, he notes a body-heavy dragging sound accompanied by grunts of effort; Four seems to be crawling across the ground. Going for a weapon I didn't see? Ranged? Noted, but not an issue yet.The issue at hand is that this is still far too easy. He contends with Three for a bit, evading a series of determined attacks by wider margins than necessary, dodging and ducking and jumping with increasing acrobatics just to feel himself move. At the same time, he concentrates Hydro into five more knives. The set of six lag behind him when he moves fast and gather in a semicircle around him when he's in slower motion.He baits Three into an overhead swing, then punishes him for it by sending two knives to slice across his trapezius muscles. It's a test of whether Three's shouted kiai is enough for Childe to target areas near his neck without killing him. He puts extra distance between himself and Three before slowing down to listen for the results. That's when three of his knives suddenly fly out, driven by his instincts rather than his conscious will. He hears the splash-like sound of one of them being obliterated by a midair impact with some other object. The other two return. Ahh, Four; must've had a bow in their tent that he's got hold of. The lost knife is replaced in short order.He baits another shot at him to catch the sounds of the arrow itself and the bow it came from. Abruptly deciding to abandon the 'no hands' rule, he grabs two knives out of his set. The rule hasn't made things any more difficult and he'd rather get to throw things with his hands than not. (Similar issue with his own bow.) It's his turn to charge, and he sprints much faster than any of the nobushi have managed to, closing the distance to the ad-hoc archer before he can fire again and before any of the others can intercept. For good measure he leaps up and flips forward to arrive behind the archer, a quick Hydro torrent sweeping aside any obstacles he might come down on near the tent. A fumbled clack of an arrow against the bow body tattles to him that Four is low—either crouching or still sitting. As soon as one of his feet touches solid ground, he pirouettes to face Four and weaves a rapid flurry of delicate slashes. Judging by when and where those slashes start to hit, he ascertains where Four's posterior deltoid shoulder muscles are. Could sever them. No more drawing that bow for you~ But nn...that would only make it easier for me. Childe leaves Four with the exploratory flesh wounds and turns his attention to meeting an attack from Two or possibly Three.While he and that combatant press each other back and forth, Childe limiting most of his own attacks to feints that nonetheless drive his nervous, angry opponent backward, the other katana wielder and One try to flank him. He drops into something like the landing of an ice skater's jump, one leg and both arms outstretched. The would-be decapitating slash from behind him whistles through empty air. His two held knives are thrown, aimed for near misses that should make Three(?) and One reconsider how close they've gotten.Childe is starting to get a taste of adrenaline. It's only been two days since he last got to savor it, but he missed it. It's a prickling sensation in his chest, not the sweet stab that emergency adrenaline gives him, but the faster he moves, the more that cleansing prickle spreads through his limbs.He hears Four's bow being drawn again. In a flash of Hydro he's two meters away from where that arrow is going. He jumps straight up, then, using water to propel himself higher and fling himself into a spinning fall. He hurls all his knives downward by hand, two at a time, aiming them using only his mental map of the small battlefield.Three hits out of six produce pained, exclamatory noises below. One of them is cut off early and one has a familiar gurgle to it. There's a horrified, half-suppressed scream from Number Four.His fall slowed by one more surge of Hydro, Childe lands in another ice-skaterly crouch. The water trails off into droplets and vanishes as he stands up.Opening his eyes, he sees that Numbers One, Two, and Three have all fallen. It's obvious why: One is trying in vain to stanch a bleedout from his right brachial artery, Two is already dead from a knife buried deep in his eye, and Three is gasping silently like a beached fish as blood pours from his carotid artery via his slit throat."Hmmm." Childe strolls over to Three. A gaze as blue and as cold as moonlit stone is the last thing Three sees before losing consciousness, never to wake again. "Tsk. I got carried away. Oh well." The knives are evaporated with a flick of his hand, but the damage remains.He turns to Four, whose dirty face is streaked with tears of abject fear."They're going to die, these two. This one is already dead," he informs Four matter-of-factly. "So don't go thinking you could have saved them. It wouldn't have made a difference even if you'd been in top form, except that you might be dead too.""D-damare konoyarou!""Mm? I'm afraid I don't know that one yet." He's definitely being cursed at. He rarely feels any call for profanity, so maybe he doesn't need to know what it means. Turning without another word, Childe walks casually out of the camp, stretching his arms and checking his clothes for blood. He just washed them... Fortunately there are no splatters he can see. He'll be presentable if he passes anyone on the road near Konda Village.So I haven't lost that particular skill. Good. That wasn't such a pointless fight as I thought it'd be. It still wasn't very satisfying, but it did ease his tension.

Aether doesn't have enough pillows yet to put one on every chair, and the various cheap chairs he bought are all rather uncomfortable without a cushion. So he's gotten into the habit of borrowing a pillow off one of the dining chairs on his way up to his study.There are four or five or even six places around the house that Aether regularly reads in, where books persistently accumulate, but only one of them is set up like a study per se. It has something like a desk (a coffee table), two chairs, the biggest bookshelf, and a sense of settledness about it. It lacks all the stuffiness that the term 'study' might call to mind, though, on account of being merely a corner in the open hallways upstairs.It also gets the best light. Aether got rid of several windows above the mansion's front and only door in order to fit the library-worthy bookshelf, after having acquired and rapidly filled a number of smaller ones downstairs. The remaining windows turned out to be more than sufficient. In that part of the house, the sun's 'golden hour' lasts for several hours.He often brews some low-effort tea for himself and brings that up with him as well. Today, he plops the pilfered pillow onto one of the chairs, sets his tea cup on the table with a gentle little ceramic-on-wood clunk, and lays a third item near the cup. Or rather, a pair of items.Childe had left his gloves behind. Aether is sure he has spares and, if not, the money and resources to get new ones without a second thought. Plus, there's the frayed seam on one of them, which got worse when Aether gave the gloves an inexpert washing. But what's he to do with them? Return them as they are, next time he sees their owner? Drop them off the side of the island?No, he has an idea. It may or may not be a good idea, but it couldn't do any harm. He just has to come up with the details.He's in the midst of reading a mostly speculative treatise on ancient predecessors to the Mora (and consulting a dictionary at least once every minute). During a deep digression into theories about the spread of agriculture across Teyvat, his mind wanders to the hungry Fatui soldier he met in the fields at Qingce Village. From there, he inevitably ends up thinking about fighting Childe in the Golden House. Bet he'd like to know how often I think about it...If it weren't for Childe's own repeatedly-expressed enthusiasm about it, Aether might not have given it so many second thoughts. But, either way, he had to admit to himself there was something special about that fight. Maybe because he got to know his opponent a bit, before he knew he was going to be his opponent. Maybe it was the breathtaking power of Foul Legacy erupting from such an unassuming-looking person. The Devouring Deep was...beautiful, as much as Aether hesitates to permit that thought. It's also terrifying, not for what it could do to Aether—he isn't concerned about that at all—but for what it could do to Childe in the long term.Most people who go chasing after that kind of power lose their humanity quickly. It might be too early to judge, but he respects Childe for retaining so much of his. That is his true strength, Aether hopes.One of the other memorable experiences in that fight was when Childe threw a whale at him. A whale made of water. The main thing he remembers about it, aside from the 'oh sh*t' moment of having to sprint a significant distance to get out of its way, was that it had a horn. Is that a specific kind of whale? A real kind? Are whales just like that swimming in the oceans of Teyvat?Aether's gaze has wandered along with his thoughts, and he finds himself peering over his book at the gloves on the table. ...I don't think I have any books about, um, nautical animals, but who do I know who studies everything just to have more knowledge?He knows exactly who that would be.

Aether made some goulash from Harris's recipe before setting off. It's being kept warm in a vacuum flask borrowed out of the basic laboratory he's been gradually putting together. Aether is being kept warm by very little else, as he's once again neglected to wear weather-appropriate clothes. In fact, he still neglects to own weather-appropriate clothes. Sometimes people question it. It's the kind of thing Paimon would be his #1 pesterer about, but she has a single-outfit lifestyle going on too.Oh, I forgot to tell Paimon where I'm going.Albedo's laboratory drives home just how basic Aether's is. He knows he'll never have one so oft used, much less so well equipped, and that's fine: his interest in alchemy doesn't equal even a tenth of Albedo's interest.He takes a sip of goulash to bring some feeling back into his lips before calling, "Hello?"Albedo turns around and notes him impassively. "Hello. Come in. And please, have a seat by the fire." From the day they met, Aether has felt a kinship with Albedo over their shared disinclination to big displays of emotion. The more he learned about the Kreideprinz after that, the broader that kinship's foundation became. There was never any doubt in Aether's mind that the feeling was mutual, thanks to Albedo being quite straightforward when it came to saying what he felt. Aether, as is his most unfortunate tendency, might have left his side of things ambiguous for...a while. Or that's how it would have been if Albedo weren't such a keen observer.Once, Aether visited for a whole day to organize the lab for him, unasked, just because he remembered Albedo saying he wished he had the time to do it. With Paimon watching Klee nearby, Albedo was able to explain how he would like things organized. Wide-ranging conversations sprung from the process. It was a day that confirmed how comfortable their friendship was."Thanks." Aether drags one of the stools around the cooking fire even closer to it before sitting down and warming his hands. "Everything alright up here?" He has to raise his voice a tad, what with Albedo being on the opposite side of the cave."Mixed. Klee is taking an increasing interest in alchemy beyond explosives. She has a bright mind that can no longer be satisfied by such a narrow focus." Albedo is watching a set of specimen dishes. Each has a magnifying glass mounted over it. "She did inadvertently cause a vial to explode yesterday..." He turns a small sand timer and takes notes."What, uh, size of explosion?" Even as he asks, Aether isn't too concerned. He doesn't see any damage on the walls or furniture."Small enough that all of its force was expended in shattering the vial. But, in her excitement over the unexpected reaction, Klee cut her hand on the broken glass. It didn't slow her down any, and that was the problem. She didn't let me tend to her injury until she finished salvaging her experimental material from the ground." The sand timer runs out and Albedo doesn't turn it this time, he just takes more notes."An impatient patient? I've had some experience with those." Aether can't help being reminded of tending to Childe's injuries the other day. However, among the people Aether has met in Teyvat, Childe is far from the worst about it. That dubious honor goes to Inaba Kyuuzou."Ahh, did you change your mind about children?""No, I just meant stubborn friends." Aether doesn't understand children. He never was one himself, nor did he ever have parents. Albedo once asked if he could look after Klee for a day and he excused himself from it by saying he'd be busy with a commission—then he went to Katheryne to make the excuse true. (And yet, 'no' isn't a wholly truthful answer anymore. Teucer may have had something to do with that, against all odds.)"It's strange to me how careless some people are with their health. It is fundamental to all other pursuits." Albedo pauses, then directs a blank yet meaningful stare over his shoulder at Aether. "By the way, where is the coat you said you would wear this time?""Uh..." Aether has no good answer for that whatsoever. After a long moment he meekly holds up his flask of goulash. It counts for something, right?"You've also imbibed a frostshield potion," Albedo states. It's what Aether does every time."Yes, of course.""May I remind you that that type of potion doesn't provide protection against extreme ambient elements? It can suffice for chill weather in moderate climes but not for subzero temperatures.""Oh. Right..." Aether has been told that before, but the effectiveness of those potions against elemental attacks, which he so frequently has opportunity to test, has allowed him to forget more than once.His point made, no more and no less, Albedo leaves it at that. He sets about detaching the magnifying glasses from the specimen dishes so he can open them and use a dropper to add something in. "I heard Inazuma has reopened. Congratulations are in order?""Oh, right. Yes, both the Vision Hunt Decree and the Sakoku Decree have been lifted. They did a lot of damage to people's lives...but the nation seems willing to move on. They haven't lost respect for their Archon. That kind of amazes me.""Mondstadt has never lost its respect for an absent Archon.""True. It's different though, or I thought it would be. But I'm glad this is how it's going. The Electro Archon has learned a lot from everything that's happened, and she'll be a much better leader from now on. It wouldn't do any good if she wasn't given the chance to be.""Do you think the people of Inazuma would have been equally forgiving if their leader was human?""Good question," Aether responds, starting to give it real consideration before recalling the question he came here to ask. He leaves the fire and approaches Albedo, just so he doesn't have to speak up anymore. "Actually, I have a question for you. It's not urgent or anything, and I'm only asking you because you're the most likely person I know to...well, know. If not, I can ask Lisa if the library has a book about it."Albedo regards him with what Aether can identify as curiosity. "What is it?""Are there whales with horns? One horn, I mean."Albedo folds his arms so he can seat his chin between two of his gloved knuckles as he thinks. "I did read a work of marine biology once."'Marine' biology, Aether notes. Not nautical biology, then."From Inazuma, in fact," Albedo is continuing. "At least one species of whale with a single horn exists, but I would have to look up the name of the species... I do recall they're relatively small and slender. Not much larger than a human. Ah, and they have teeth instead of baleen.""Is baleen the...stringy mouth stuff some whales use to feed on very small animals?""It is essentially hair.""Mouth hair.""Yes."But the horned whales have teeth, not mouth hair, Aether reminds himself. He doesn't know what Childe's whale has in its mouth, but there are some puzzling external differences between it and what Albedo described. "...So the horned whales you read about aren't huge and kind of wide.""No; of that much I'm certain. There may be other species, though." Albedo's head tilts by one degree. "If you're going to return to Inazuma, that might be the best place to find more information.""Hmm." Aether puts that on the back burner for now. "If I draw the whale I...'saw'...could you redraw it? Just to clean it up?""In theory. I'd like to see this mystery whale, even if only approximated distantly by your hand. I'll do what I can from there.""Ouch." Aether smiles, enjoying the joke at his drawing skills' expense. In keeping with Albedo's sense of humor, it was a joke completely unmarked by any difference of tone or expression. Half the reason Aether smiles is because he makes an effort to, wanting to ensure Albedo knows he noticed and liked it.Albedo takes out the notebook he uses for drawings and finds a blank page. This he presents to Aether along with a thin stick of charcoal. "Use the top half of the page and I'll use the bottom half."Aether settles the notebook into the crook of his left arm, taking care to support both covers. He doesn't want to risk doing it any damage, even though he knows Albedo wouldn't hold it against him. For a moment or two he just rehearses the whale's shape in his mind, replaying the mere seconds he saw it for and finding a more familiar shape to compare it to. Like...an understuffed pillow being thrown around. The stuffing gathers into one end...and the half of the pillow that gets thin...looks like this... Two lines tapering toward each other for the back half of the whale. And the front was sort of like a clam shell but... He extends those lines forward in widening arcs, then joins them to represent what he thinks of as the whale's snout. No, not quite that round, not that blunt. Pointier. A sloppy correction is made—sloppy not in the way a sketch ought to be but rather missing the point of a sketch by being too hard and final. He ends up adding two more corrections and having to tell Albedo which curve is the right one.The end result has the long flippers of Childe's whale, the fin on the end of the tail, and even the set of parallel lengthwise lines that run from its chin all the way down its underbelly. Aether remembered more details than he thought he would.Though Albedo doesn't recall the name of the horned whale, the name of what he's presently looking at comes to his mind right away. "That's a humpback whale. With a horn.""Oh. How different is that from the one that's supposed to have the horn?""It's in a different class of size altogether. It has baleen. That's all I can tell you without locating the book again.""Huh... I don't think that'll be necessary. You've told me everything I wanted to know for now, and more. Maybe I could've lived without knowing about the mouth hair. But thank you.""Do you still want it redrawn?""Yes, please."With Albedo's skill, the part that takes longest is getting clarification on which of Aether's lines are truly final. Once he gets the nod from Aether that the resulting design is acceptable (it's an immediate and appreciative nod), it only takes him seconds to copy it onto a separate sheet of paper.Aether carefully rolls that sheet up and even more carefully stows it in his bag. "Thank you!" he says again. "Is it getting close to mealtime for you?"Albedo looks to the entrance of the cave and then to a 24-hour sand timer on one of his shelves. "It seems so.""I'll cook you something. Any requests?""Hmm... Something savory without meat. I have plenty of energy left, so I don't feel like something very sweet is called for.""You got it." The traveler uses some vegetables the alchemist has on hand to make a small stir-fry. Large portion sizes are too much for Albedo, and one thing Aether never forgets is the food preferences of his friends.

It's late into the night by the time Childe arrives at the last Fatui camp on Narukami Island. It's well-hidden, and staffed only by a pair of Pyro agents. He walks straight in. They startle, metaphorical hackles raised for a potential fight, but in the very next second they recognize his outfit and face. It's not time to relax, though: they come to attention."Lord Harbinger," they exclaim, greeting him as stiffly as they stand. They're not remnants of Signora's; they're spies from a separate command who were given their assignment when the main Fatui forces withdrew.He waves their formality off. "At ease," he says with a light sigh under his tone. "Any messages for me?" he inquires as starts wandering around the small cave-camp, casually assessing it. He's just curious how they're getting on out here, not looking for something to chastise them for. If he were any other Harbinger, he might be looking for something to punish them for, and that's why his little 'inspection' immediately makes them more nervous. But that's not his problem."Y-yes sir, a sealed missive from Pantalone.""Mm." Childe shrugs with his face. If he's Zhongli's wallet (and he knows he is), Pantalone—or 'Regrator'—is technically his. It's Regrator's financial activities that fund the Fatui so abundantly. That doesn't mean he enjoys interacting with the man. You can't attain that kind of wealth without every bone in your body being a conniving one. So it's good that their direct interactions are few, and almost entirely limited to one-way correspondence like this.He circles back to the agents and is handed the missive. He almost tucks it into his jacket to read later, but admits to himself that he'd better read it now. That way, if there's something he needs to do around the camp or an order he needs to give the agents, he won't have to make a second trip here. So he sits on a crate with one leg folded up and the other stretched to the ground—perching, as he's wont to do—and opens the missive.Right... Sakoku Decree, et cetera... Sumeru, et cetera... Oh? Scaramouche is suspected to've left Inazuma already. Hah. It was starting to look as if that would be the case. But did they know that when they sent me? Podi tuda, ne znayu kuda, hmm? Well, that's fine with me. It got me out of the bank, and it sounds like they'd rather I keep sniffing around here until Signora's funeral.When he's done reading, which doesn't take long at all (it's a short message made shorter by code), he brings it back to the agent who gave it to him. "Burn this." The Pyro Delusion wielder turns it into ash and smoke with neither effort nor delay. Childe relays a couple of updates to the agents' orders that amount to 'keep watching.'And now: "Unless there are any concerns, I'll bid you farewell."The agents glance at each other and exchange a nod. It's not a hesitant or worried exchange, so Childe accepts it at face value when one of them speaks for both by answering, "No concerns, Your Excellency. Vsego khoroshego.""Do svidaniya." Childe leaves unceremoniously. It's another long walk to get to Inazuma City. He sets a quick pace once again. Until he reaches the city's outskirts, he even breaks into a run a few times when the terrain is interesting.By the time he's ascending the first set of stairs that'll take him from the outskirts to the downtown areas, the sky is starting to lighten. It's not dawn quite yet, and it's as cold as Narukami Island gets, which doesn't even register as cold for Childe. Especially with a nice little burn going in his still-healing muscles.That he could go sleep in the Traveler's teapot isn't a fact he properly recalls until after he's paid for an inn room. It barely gives him pause before he decides on impulse that he'd rather avoid complicated thoughts and just stay here for now. Besides, with his Fatui mask absent, he'll be able to explore the city very freely later on. Hardly anyone outside Snezhnaya recognizes the mask for what it is, much less his clothing, but some of the Tenryou Commission might be clued in. If they are, it'd still be laughably late.

Chapter 5: Day 9: Thoma takes in a stray

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By all indications, Childe hadn't returned to the Teapot at any point in the night. Aether accepted that and took the opportunity to refresh the room's linens. He debated what to do with the broken mask on the bedside table, and ultimately did nothing with it.He really doesn't mind. There was a small sense of disappointment, but it wasn't tough to move on from. The offer of the guest room for Childe's use was just that: an offer. It's no business of his why the man didn't make use of it last night, nor does he consider it his business why Childe would potentially make use of it at any given time. The disappointment came from a very simple place: Aether missed him.Aether wasn't about to mope around the house pining for him, though. He had things to do. He'd wrapped up just about everything that had come to his attention in Inazuma, and recently received word from the Adventurers' Guild about a big job in Liyue.(He could pine while he got things done.)The Chasm awaited.

Childe couldn't tell Thoma he grew up in a fishing village, as such, but the housekeeper-slash-fixer asked if he was from Liyue Harbor, and answering yes to that was enough. Inspired, Thoma asked if he wanted to learn some seafood dishes. And why not? So not only did he learn the basic principles of making sushi, he got a verbal tour of over a dozen variations. There was sashimi, too. Unagi dishes had to remain purely theoretical, as Kiminami Anna's home Cryo box only had fish.It was while they were cooking that Childe put together some thoughts about what else he wants from Thoma.He brings it up as they wait for a batch of mochi to bake. Thoma was only going to tell him how it's made from scratch, not actually make it from scratch, until he got to the part about pulverizing rice and Childe took it on as a challenge for his Vision. Via some trial and error, he got two converse torrents of water into the right shapes, and flowing at the right speeds, to contain the rice and erode it into a paste. It nearly turned into a catastrophic mess. But, once Childe pulled all the moisture back out, it was basically rice flour. He did not mention his thought that a similar technique could probably be used to flay someone.With the mochi in the oven, they're leaning back against a very clean counter, side by side just like at Shimura's. Childe regards Thoma contemplatively."Looking a little intense there. Everything alright?" Thoma asks.Intense? Childe resets his expression to something light and easygoing, not knowing what it was before. Maybe it was nothing. His 'nothing' can be unsettling, he's gathered from...mirrors. "Quite alright! I'm decided on what I would ask of you when it comes to sex. Only if you're amenable, of course."Thoma smiles softly. "I'm listening.""I'd like you to be the..." He realizes he doesn't have the terminology to articulate what he wants. Rarely paying attention to matters of sex has left him with this inconvenience. Even if he had paid more attention, he might not have become as familiar with the common-tongue terms as with the Snezhnayan ones. Frowning thinly, he raises a hand to chin level and rubs his thumb along the side of his finger in a vague gesture that lets Thoma know he's searching for a word."...Bottom? Top?" Thoma helps, after waiting for a long moment."...Insertive?""The one who does the inserting would be the top," Thoma nods.Childe is grateful for the clarity of Thoma's answer. "Ahh, then yes. I want you to be the top."Another amiable nod. "I can do that. Do you want me to do it myself, or use a...an object?" Thoma seems very comfortable with discussing it, only pausing to pick a word that isn't esoteric."Hmm..." Narrowing in thought, Childe's gaze drifts floorward. Do I have an opinion on that? ...Any at all? ...No? His eyes, lit by the oven's Pyro slime more than the late afternoon sun from the windows, snap back up to Thoma and he shrugs. "I don't care. That is to say, I don't have a preference.""I'd love to do it myself, in that case," Thoma ventures, his voice slightly quieter and an almost shy smile drawing Childe's attention to his lips."No kissing," he decides on a whim. It just strikes him as so...beside the point? No, that's not it: it's that even he thinks of kissing as something romantic or familial. He's pretty self-assured that if he was ever capable of romantic love, he isn't anymore, for reasons that have nothing to do with natural inclination or lack thereof.Thoma smiles a tad wider for a second. "Thanks for telling me that. And hey, this won't be the last time I tell you this, but if, at any point, you decide you don't want something you said you wanted, please let me know immediately. If we're doing that thing at the time, whatever it may be, I will stop doing it."Childe blinks, not exactly surprised, but yet again noting how Thoma's care and carefulness combine. If he's telling the truth. If not, Childe still won't have any reservations about using his contingency plan of murder. "Hm. Alright. I'll bear that in mind.""We should agree on a system for signaling each other to stop that works even if speech is difficult for some reason. But we can go over that later."Each other: right, I guess he would need to have that option too. "Sounds wise. Is there anything I should do to prepare?""You can bathe really 'thoroughly,' if you want?" Thoma shrugs, then has a small realization. "Ah, let's go back and clarify, is it-- where do you want me to penetrate you?"Oh, that...has a sound to it that I like. 'Penetrate,' like a knife into a chest cavity~ It takes a second for Childe to surface from that thought. "Ass," he answers abruptly, choosing a word that's heard often wherever common is spoken thanks to its versatility as an expletive. He even overheard a Fatui recruit calling him an ass after he kicked theirs in training, once. Even if he didn't think it was hilarious, which he did, he wouldn't have considered punishing them. He just kept out of sight and went along his way. The boldness to talk about a Harbinger like that is, if anything, commendable."Okay. Yeah. That's fine by me." Thoma glances down at where Childe's ass is all but perched on the counter's edge—accidentally, if his hurried redirection of his gaze to several places around the kitchen is anything to judge by. He takes a quick breath through his nose. "More than fine."What, is he thinking about it right now? Hahaha! Cute. An amused smile, slightly condescending, quirks Childe's mouth. He adjusts it like a glove, smoothing that condescension out of it before Thoma can notice. "That's good to hear. I do hope you enjoy yourself.""Aha, ha, well...it's more like I'd be enjoying you, isn't it? No, wait, that was terrible, sorry," Thoma groans regretfully.Childe grins. Is this turning into flirting? For the moment at least, it's actually kind of fun. He drapes his arm across Thoma's shoulders and moves closer, bumping his hip against the other man's. "It was, but I forgive you."Thoma looks at him with wide green eyes and starts to turn toward him, but his posture straightens suddenly under Childe's arm. "We're still in Anna's house," he says as if he forgot. He's not stepping away, though.How much can I make him want me? Childe is no stranger to impulsiveness. He and impulsiveness are old friends. He and impulsiveness get along like a forest and a fire. So he's ready to hit the ground running with this idea even though he's never done anything like it before or even wanted to.He crooks his forearm up and hangs his hand down from it to touch Thoma's hair. With his long, bony fingers, he experiments: petting this way and that with just his fingertips, combing through it lightly, and giving Thoma's scalp the merest hint of his nails. He watches how Thoma closes his eyes and presses his lips together, feels how his breath stalls and then is caught with a sharp little inhale. Thoma leans his head into his touch and Childe experiences a faint glimmer of satisfaction. Teasing Thoma is fun. Bit by bit, he gets Thoma's head into the perfect position for him to whisper in his ear. "Do you like this?""Mmhm," Thoma affirms. His voice, normally deeper than Childe's, sounds almost small just then.In a way, it's about tactics. Childe isn't inclined to a lot of conscious tactical thinking; combat is a time to stop thinking and flow with his hard-won instincts. This is not combat. He is thinking, and it's getting him somewhere.Very delicately, he catches the top of Thoma's ear between his teeth."Ah," Thoma breathes. "That's—" He swallows. "That's nice. But..."Childe lets go, although he doesn't pull away yet. He sneaks a glance down at the front of Thoma's trousers to gauge his success. Flat. So it isn't that easy. Heheh. Duly noted."Save it for later, okay?" Thoma whispers, turning to face him. His smile is sweet and promising.With a light sigh and an agreeable smile (in which there is a hint of softness he is unaware of), Childe withdraws his arm and gives Thoma his personal space back. Placing his hands on the edge of the counter, he settles into a comfortable slouch, crossing one ankle over the other. "You're right of course. I do think I want to take some time to prepare, in any case. What say we meet tomorrow? Early for sparring—or just advice and demonstrations, if you'd rather. And when we're done with that...""That should work. Unless you mind being sweaty already after sparring?""I don't think I do. Sparring will set the mood nicely, as far as I'm concerned.""No objection from me.""We should wait for this mochi to bake, I suppose?""I can watch it if you want to go for the night. Or have to.""Hmm. No, I can stay. Shall we get a head start by discussing your training methods? Such as they are.""Sure. Uh... Well, feel free to laugh, but the foremost reason I use a polearm is because I can practice with a broom while I'm sweeping."Childe merely chuckles. "I would say that's good thinking. You accepted your situation and adapted. Few things are more essential to the underlying mindset of a warrior than that."

Chapter 6: Day 10: Calm Me Down

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A,

Went out to get food , will be back soon

laundry supplies

~ Thoma

Chapter 7: Day 11: 集中できてないな　まだ体が迷っているんだ

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Chapter 8: Day 12: Never-Ending Performance (part 1)

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Chapter 9: Day 12: Never-Ending Performance (part 2)

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Chapter 10: Day 12: Never-Ending Performance (part 3)

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Dear Noelle,

Thank you for your help. I admit I really need it. Please watch for the cat and keep it out of trouble if possible. It is fine if it escapes outside. Tubby can help us find it if it does. The cat does not have special dietary needs that I am aware of and neither does the guest. Thank you so much. Sorry about the scare.

Chapter 11: Day 13: Emerging from the gentle grip...

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Chapter 12: Day 13: ...of night's unfolding arms

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They're just starting to open their mouths and deepen their kiss when there's a flurry of small knocks at the door. "Are you guys alive?" Paimon calls. "It's diiinner tiiime!"They both startle a bit. Aether smiles with amusem*nt at the interruption, and affection at Ajax's briefly wide eyes. They start to move, shifting stiffly away from each other to at least sit up and cover themselves."Oh," Aether says in mild exclamation as they're reminded that they left a mess on their stomachs. He lowers his voice: "How are we going to clean...?" Glancing around in search of a cloth to use, he spots his underwear on the floor, which needs a wash anyway. He reaches for it too fast, counting on his legs to counterbalance him. Under the extenuating circ*mstances, it doesn't work out that way. He basically dives off the bed.That fall is nothing, so Ajax isn't concerned even for an instant. He leans over to enjoy, a tiny bit, the sight of his comrade awkwardly lying on the floor with the absurd consolation prize of his own underwear in hand.Aether wipes his stomach clean while calling to Paimon, "We're alive. You don't want to be in here yet.""Paimon knows Paimon doesn't want to be in there with you two, all your clothes were outside! What are you going to wear!?""I went and bought some," Aether explains, his voice still raised for Paimon to hear clearly."You went clothes shopping naked!?""No! I wore the yukata!""Oh. Phew."Passing the makeshift towel up to Ajax, Aether struggles to stand, holding onto the mattress for support. Ajax gives him a hand. His conversation with Paimon continues concurrently: "What've you— and— Xingqiu and Chongyun, hngh, been up to?""We went back to the Chasm for a few hours. We found lots of cool stuff! Chongyun's copying it all onto a bigger map. One with notes that aren't handwritten by Xingqiu. They wanna talk about it after dinner.""Thanks. We'll be..." He glances at Ajax, who looks curious if anything. "...Out in a few minutes.""Okay!" Presumably, Paimon flies away. If there's food ready now or soon, Aether has no doubt she has flown away."This," Ajax says, "would be the time for me to ask if that private conversation you had with Xingqiu the other night went well. He's been civil with me, so I assume it did.""Yeah. It was...not smooth, but it ended well. I think. I guess you guessed that he guessed who you are?""He seemed to recognize me and he didn't look too happy about it. I wonder what I could have possibly done to offend a citizen of Liyue!"Now sitting on the edge of the bed and putting his yukata on, Aether regards Ajax with a tiny smirk. "Kind of glad you can joke about it. As long as it's not in front of them."Ajax raises his eyebrows. He's putting the zhōngyī undershirt on. "Glad? Actually that sounds like something I shouldn't ask about right now.""Probably not." The mood hasn't been darkened, and they both want to keep it that way.To give Ajax's cheek a quick kiss, Aether need only lean to his left.To his own surprise, that makes Ajax blush. Only somewhat, but still. Such casual affection... I could get used to this. He definitely isn't used to it yet. That doesn't stop him from leaning right a few seconds later and returning the gesture. "Should I put on the hanfu? The blue one?""If you want to, but I think it's fine to wear just the zhōngyī when you're in your own house? Or maybe it's even alright to wear it to things like summertime festivals? I can't remember exactly what the shopkeeper told me." Meanwhile, Aether is inwardly gleeful over the two-way exchange of affection.Ajax doesn't pinpoint what it is right away, but the analytical part of his mind marks what Aether said as having a hole in its logic. In any case, he decides he'll be fine with the zhōngyī pants and shirt alone.Aether doesn't have underwear to wear now. He'll have to go up the stairs to get some, and the stairs are in full view of the dining tables. Is that going to give his friends an unwanted glimpse? The yukata comes down to his knees. He stares at it, trying to picture whether it's going to be a problem or not. If I thought of this sooner I could've asked Paimon to get some. Is it worth asking, though? Better safe than sorry for embarrassing his guests. "Ajax?"Ajax looks swiftly to Aether with a deer-in-torchlight expression that fades just as swiftly. He isn't used to hearing that name outside of his family's home yet, either. It's not unpleasant, not when it's coming from someone he's as close to as Aether. It's just a strange shock. He wonders if he'd still be comfortable with Thoma calling him by it, or if that was a temporary thing. No, I probably still would. It wasn't only how preoccupied I was at the time that made it comfortable, it was his kindness, too. A sheepish smile takes the place of startled blankness. "Yes? That's going to take some getting used to, but it's alright."That makes sense to Aether. He takes Ajax at his word about it being alright. "Could you go upstairs to my bedroom and get some underwear from the bottom-left drawer in the wardrobe?" It feels weird asking for a simple, domestic favor like this from anyone who isn't Lumine or maybe Paimon. Speaking of getting used to things, he suspects it won't take long for him to get used to that. It shouldn't be much different from cooking with Ajax, although maybe what makes that so easy is that it's non-verbal."Oh, of course. Which room is it?" It's nice to be asked something like that. The casualness of it, again, makes Ajax feel like a normal part of Aether's life. How far they've come from when the height of wishful thinking was that Aether might consider him a friend too, even if that friendship could only be expressed in battle.Aether gestures north. "Upstairs, that side. Feel free to explore later."That's going to be a feast of largely inconsequential but personally fascinating information. For now, I get to see what sort of bedroom he has. On his way to the stairs, Ajax doesn't have to greet Chongyun and Xingqiu. They're completely absorbed in going over not two but three maps at the dining table, and some notes and books as well. He assumes Paimon is hovering in the kitchen. Now that he's out in the main part of the house, Ajax can smell the food. It's a very promising aroma, savory and meaty but not spicy. Is that something pickled I smell, too?He has to keep a hand on the banister as he climbs the stairs. Really ought to find some kind of immortality before it takes any less than three or four straight hours of all-out fighting to put me in this sorry condition. I do have access to some of the field research findings of the Fatui, and Aether gets around more than anyone... Shouldn't take long.Neither does it take him long to reach the door on the second floor's north side. It doesn't have a lock.The room beyond that door is colorful. A large Liyuen screen in warm tones livens up one side of the room, a big potted plant brightens the far corner, a sofa is stocked with blankets and pillows, an orange rug surrounds the bed, and most of the furniture is made from Cuihua wood. Paper lanterns in whimsical shapes are on every surface where light might be needed. There's an expensive-looking kimono hanging on a rack next to the wardrobe.He doesn't have time to make any other observations. Crouching (painfully) in front of the wardrobe, he opens the drawer Aether indicated. Socks and underwear, all pretty similar at a glance. Having been told no preference on color or anything, he picks a satiny white pair of shorts at random and tucks them in the overlap of his shirt to bring down.Aether, meanwhile, is thinking about Xingqiu and the possibility that he'll talk to Ajax directly. He and Ajax hadn't really gone into that, as easily sidetracked as they are. He also wonders why the guest room bookshelf is backwards.On his way back, Ajax sees that Xingqiu and Chongyun have moved to the other table. Someone wearing armor that manages to look like a maid uniform, or maybe a maid uniform that's armored, has brought five plates of steaming food out on a large tray. Ajax is pretty sure he hasn't seen that tray in Aether's kitchen; the ease of going back and forth between the Teapot and one's original location has countless advantages, for sure. Paimon is flitting around the table, probably aware of him but focused on the food, which looks like meat pies. He almost goes unnoticed otherwise, but the person whose name he just remembered must be Noelle looks up and instantly straightens her posture despite being in the middle of serving dinner."Hello, you must be the Traveler's guest!" she greets him with what Ajax thinks could be called enthusiastic politeness. Not polite enthusiasm, enthusiastic politeness.Xingqiu glances over his shoulder and nods with unenthusiastic politeness. Chongyun is just normal about it.Noelle continues, "I've been told your name is Childe and also Tartaglia. Which name do you prefer I use?""Either, but for the sake of an answer, call me Childe." He offers her an amiable smile. If she's been 'told' both names, how much does she know at this point? He's not concerned, but depending on what she knows, her attitude is more interesting."Very well, Mister Childe. My name is Noelle, maid of the Knights of Favonius. I hope you don't mind a Moon Pie for dinner? Aether noted that you have no particular dietary requirements, but if this is not to your taste, don't worry, I can make something else." Noelle resumes setting out the small but, judging by the smell, hearty and filling pies."I don't mind at all! On the contrary, I'm eager to try something new. Is this a Mondstadt recipe?" While Ajax is saying that, Zhongli emerges from under the table and does its meowing figure-eights around his legs. It evades his attempt to pick it up, so he just stays stooped a moment, holding his hand down for it to shove its face against a couple of times. Begging for scraps of human food is well-ingrained in the cat already thanks to Thoma, so its attention is fastened to that prospect. With amusem*nt, Ajax suspects it was merely checking if he'd oblige."It is; it's very traditional and it's considered a staple in Mondstadt. Pickled meat, usually wild boar, is covered in a soft meringue and then wrapped in pastry. I brought a cut of boar from The Good Hunter. Ah, that's a restaurant owned by, um, a friend of mine. She buys fresh ingredients from the hunters of Springvale every day.""That sounds delicious! This realm of Aether's is a wondrous opportunity, isn't it? Full of such possibilities as having the chance to sample the cuisine of faraway countries, made fresh by someone from that country. You have my thanks for this one.""Oh yes!" Noelle agrees. "It's remarkable. I haven't paid many visits here, so, that thought is fresh on my mind as well! Oh, ehm, I didn't mean to make a pun."Xingqiu is getting started on his meal. Chongyun has nudged his own as far away from Xingqiu's as he can in order to cool it without the Cryo affecting his friend's pie. As thick as these pies are, it might take him a while and some extra concentration."I'd love to ask you a few questions about the recipe if it's not a family secret or anything. But first, our mutual friend is waiting for me to bring him something. See you all in a minute.""It's no secret, I'll gladly answer," Noelle says in parting.Aether has been carefully stretching his legs, first while seated on the bed and then by walking around the room. He turns as the door opens, and he finds himself smiling as soon as Ajax steps in. "Hey sweetheart. Missed you," he half jokes. Or, more like a quarter of a joke and three quarters sincere.Ajax closes the door behind him. "Sladkiy, don't make me go in front of your guests blushing," he feigns complaint, but he's beaming, eyes squeezed shut by pure glee and heated face downturned. He's been peppering Aether with pet names like it's been in his nature all along—and it has been. It really has, hasn't it. This is just a new kind of relationship he's doing it in. But that's the first time Aether has hit him with a pet name, other than 'comrade' which, in Ajax's opinion, counts when it's coming from Aether. Is this how he feels every time I call him something like that? I hope so."Oh, I don't know. Maybe then they'd see how cute you are." Aether hikes up his yukata before he sits on the bed's edge to pull his undershorts on. His comment dislodges a chuckle from Ajax. "Speaking of...that, what should I call you in front of other people?"Opening his eyes, Ajax rubs a hand across his cheeks and nose as if he could efface the redness. Either way, it's fading fast and his smile is fading slow. "The same as before. The reason is one I honestly don't like to look too closely at.""You don't have to explain anything for me to respect your preference," Aether takes this opportunity to assure him. He pats the bed, next to himself. "We should talk about Xingqiu more before we go.""Right, we didn't get very far with that did we." Ajax joins him. "I take it there's something in particular you want to tell me?""I was just thinking, if he talks to you, you...maybe shouldn't tell him anything about your long-term goals. I have a feeling he'd, uh, have even more...uh...objections to the idea of you conquering the world than to what you've already done. Or, at least, it'll push over his line.""Hmm. Alright. It doesn't make any difference to me if he knows, so if you'd rather he didn't, I can just as easily not tell him. Does this go for the rest of your friends, too?"Aether rubs his chin in thought, idly staring at Ajax's clothed knees. His eyes flick back up to his face when he has an answer. "...I think that would be best as a...general mode of operation. I can't think of anyone who would take it well." He shakes his head, blinking. "Even though I don't see what difference it'd make to most of them.""I'd love to pry into that thought later.""You're welcome to. Anything urgent on your mind before we go?""Nothing comes to mind." Ajax gets back up. Aether follows suit.It's Ajax who gets the door, but Aether is the first out, simply because he slips out like a cat as soon as the opening is wide enough. An unconscious, habitual move, Ajax guesses; he has seen him do it before.Side by side, they walk to the tables. Xingqiu and Chongyun are next to each other on one side. Noelle is opposite them. Aether sits next to her, and Ajax next to him. Paimon is floating above the seat of a chair at the end.Ajax wonders why Paimon bothers with a chair at all. Maybe it's just something she does when a place has been set for her. Considering how often that must be the case, he supposes she might be so accustomed to it she would gravitate toward a chair anyway."Thank you for helping us out today," Aether says to Noelle as soon as he has sat down, touching his hand to his heart. "It means a lot to me. And next time you see Barbara, please tell her that she may not have seen much smiling yesterday but she...made a lot of smiles a lot easier."Ajax resists putting in that he'd rather she didn't heal the external wounds next time. If there is a next time that he and Aether...are overly inconvenienced by fatigue and injuries, and Barbara or another Vision healer comes to assist, he can bring it up then.Noelle adjusts one of the velvet roses on her headband. Ajax notes that her bashfulness seems to be genuine, not an affectation. "You know it's no trouble to me," she says. "It's been very pleasant here, actually. It's so peaceful and quiet. It's, um, almost like those vacations people keep kindly telling me I should take."Aether is now cutting into his pie. "When you put it that way, it does sound—... I understand, I mean. In fact, any time you feel like...tending things here, you're welcome to—... Well, think of it as doing me a favor. Maybe you don't need an invitation for that?"Like the other two guests, Ajax eats quietly rather than butting into this conversation. The halting care with which Aether is phrasing things to Noelle suggests to him that there's a subtext. She seems a self-effacing type who puts everything into serving others' needs. If that's the case, Aether has probably been trying all along to convince her to...be a little less so, perhaps, at least around him. Does he see the irony?"I shan't disagree with that," Noelle replies thoughtfully. "It seems only reasonable.""Thank you," Aether says, nodding. He's the second-to-last to begin eating, Noelle the last.Paimon is almost done already. She pauses to add, "Paimon hopes to see you around here more, Noelle!"Noelle smiles at her. A petite smile; it's hard to imagine a wider one on her. "Sara has missed you. I'll be glad to see you more often, too.""Oooh! Paimon has missed Sara too! It's nice that she kinda had a part in these yummy Moon Pies. Say hi to her for Paimon!""I will," Noelle says with a slight giggle.There's a lull then, and Ajax asks Noelle his questions about how the Moon Pies are made. It is, as he suspected, tricky to keep the meringue from burning. They end up talking about it for over ten minutes. Aether comments on a couple of points and, as Ajax's questions run out, segues into giving Xingqiu some cooking tips. That occupies the rest of the mealtime.Afterward, the Liyuen pair return to the other table to finish their cartography. Ajax starts gathering the plates and finds himself at an impasse with Noelle, both of them having grabbed the fifth plate."I'll take care of the dishes," he asserts chipperly."O-oh, but..." Noelle may not be assertive in a conventional way, but Ajax learns today that she can hold her own. "You're a guest, and what's more, you were injured... Please, rest and relax. I will take care of all the cleaning while I'm here. That's what a maid is for, after all."Ajax feels obligated by pride to not give up that easy. "Let me thank you for your assistance in my own way. You've been working all day, I can tell by the floor." It's been mopped; some faint scuff marks that were there before are gone. "It's about time you had a rest yourself."Aether watches them with his chin on his hand, expressionless and showing no intention of getting involved. He sees Paimon move to interfere and he communicates to her, with a subtle gesture and half a glance, to let it go on. She hesitates, then understands. Drifting closer to Aether, she puts her chin on her hand and spectates just like he's doing."But, Mister Childe, I'm not convalescing. I don't need any rest at this time. I can't be content to sit by while you exert yourself to do work I ought to be doing.""Ahaha. I'm not that weakened, and I'll prove it to you. Let's go outside and fight this out." Any excuse for a fight!Noelle looks aghast. "No! Er, I'm sorry, but I will not accept your challenge. It would be irresponsible of me. I don't mean to cast doubt on your capabilities, not at all, but under the circ*mstances, I just can't do that."Behind his neutrality, Aether is loving this. He didn't think to see it coming, but it's such a predictable conflict. Ajax and Noelle are every bit as prideful as one another and every bit as determined on their self-set paths.Xingqiu is also watching, dumbfounded, while Chongyun works."Then you'll allow me to handle the dishes," Ajax concludes, cheery as ever. He knows this is laughable, including the fact there's a small part of him that's completely serious about it.Noelle thins her lips into a reluctant frown, but Ajax can see in her eyes that she's going to accept his victory. She doesn't look as if she has accepted defeat, though, and that inspires his respect. "If the alternative is a duel, then I must," Noelle agrees, letting go of the plate and offering him a small curtsy.Ajax remembers just in time that this isn't an ideal day to attempt a fancy bow with a stack of plates in hand. He settles for a slight dip at the waist...and a triumphant saunter as he takes the dishes kitchenward. "I'd still be happy to spar with you some other day," he says over his shoulder.Aether smiles at Noelle with his eyebrows raised in friendly sympathy. "Don't worry about him too much. If he's overdoing it and he breaks something, whether it's a dish or himself, I'll laugh." Noelle lost because she's more constrained by etiquette. And being sensible. Ajax won because he was willing to throw sensibleness away and raise the stakes to a fight.Noelle sighs. "I see." She leans toward the others and lowers her voice just in case he can hear from the kitchen. "What a perplexing man.""You can say that again," Paimon remarks."A lot of people I know can be perplexing," Aether opines."On that note," says Xingqiu, leaning toward Aether, Paimon, and Noelle and matching Noelle's hushed volume. "just how many Harbingers do you know, Aether? They can't all be...like that...can they?""Heh, just the one, unless you count being knocked out by the Eighth and almost getting killed by the Sixth." Aether doesn't bother to lower his voice. It's already a little on the quiet side anyway, as usual. "And no, I'm pretty sure he's the only one who's...relatively normal." He catches a disbelieving look from Xingqiu. "Relatively. That I can say that should give you an idea what the other Harbingers are like." Though he knows almost nothing about all the ones he hasn't met, and not that much more about Signora and Scaramouche, he's taking Ajax at his word—his various resentful words—about his colleagues as a whole. Ajax is literally the nicest type of person he can imagine being at the top of an organization like the Fatui, and he's violent and unhinged.Ajax can hear that Aether and Paimon are talking, but nothing of what they're saying over the sounds of dish-scrubbing and splashing water. He's happily engrossed in speculating on Noelle's combat skills, based on her apparent use of plate armor and her ownership of a Vision."Hmm," Xingqiu responds, sitting back."I still don't understand why the Harbinger who came to Mondstadt attacked that poor bard," Noelle says, shaking her head."Who knows," Aether says. "The Fatui are searching for all kinds of power in all places. Sometimes their leads are dead ends." Signora got a very dead end. "I can't say whether or not that one was." He's trusted not to say, which is close enough to 'cannot.'Leaning forward again, Xingqiu posits, "And what if he is searching for some kind of power you can lead him to?""Again, you mean?" One corner of Aether's mouth stretches to the side in amusem*nt. "There's the same chance, from his perspective, that I'm trying to use him to weaken the Fatui in some way. But I'm not. And leading all sorts of people, knowingly or not, to powers I don't understand...is something that happens sometimes. It's unavoidable as long as I keep doing what people ask me to.""But you're playing with fire," Xingqiu objects. Noelle is starting to look uncomfortable. Chongyun stays completely out of it, not even glancing up from deciphering Xingqiu's handwriting and copying his notes to the new map in a legible form."More like water and electricity," Paimon tries to lighten the mood. "And lots of pointy sharp things." She's not trying to take charge, though; she understands that Aether needs to speak for himself on this.Aether's reply to Xingqiu is simply, "So do the makers of fireworks and lanterns.""He's a wolf in sheep's clothing," the Guhua swordsman persists."Yes," Aether says, unperturbed. "And inside that wolf is a sheep. Inside that sheep is another wolf. Inside that wolf is another sheep. It's wolves and sheep all the way down.""All the way down?" Paimon boggles. "How many wolves and sheep is that?"Aether shrugs.Xingqiu sits back again. "I know I'm not going to convince you to change your mind," he relents, reminding himself aloud as much as admitting it to Aether. He sighs. "I—... It just needed to be said.""Well, it's good to clear the air," says Paimon."I agree," Aether states. "It doesn't bother me that you tell me these things.""I can tell," Xingqiu says a little dryly, sighing again. But then he eyes Aether with an interest that's not irate. "By the by, when he's done in there, would you show me the different kinds of flour you mentioned?"What's on his mind now? "Sure." Oh, right, he probably wants an update on...the...wǔxiá romance. Everyone here knows we slept together."Ahem," Noelle ventures. "Aether, may I just say your hair looks very nice today?"Aether glances down at the portions of his hair that have fallen in front of his shoulders. "Oh. Thanks." Ajax must've done a good job."Also," she adds, "the last time I was here, wasn't it daytime all the time?"Paimon jumps in to answer that in case Aether is tired of talking. "Yeah! The sun didn't used to move and there wasn't any nighttime! Tubby fixed it so it does all that! There's still no moon, it's just the sun shrinking and getting less bright and turning blue. She and Aether are trying to make the place more natural-like. Isn't it cool?""It's literally cool at night now," Aether notes."It wasn't always like that?" Ajax inquires as he strolls forth from the kitchen. His sleeves are still rolled up, and he's thinking he'll keep them like that when he's wearing these clothes, same as his usual. It's a convenient way to show off some of his scars. That's one advantage of a warm climate: being able to walk around in public with rolled-up sleeves and a half-undone shirt.Paimon catches him up with the part of what she already said that he missed. Under that distraction, Aether leans across toward Xingqiu and whispers, "There he is: the First Harbinger of my heart."The heir covers his mouth and fakes a quiet cough. Aether hopes he hit Xingqiu right in his sense of romance with that.Aether gets out of his chair and gestures for Xingqiu to accompany him. "We're going to go discuss flour," he says to everyone else. As he passes Ajax, he gives his lower back a slight push with his palm to tell him not to come with them. He's not sure the impromptu signal will be understood, but figures there's a decent chance it will be.Ajax blinks at the unexpected nudge. It wasn't a casual touch or a hint to come along, that much is immediately clear to him. It takes him a few seconds, as he makes conversation with Noelle about Snezhnaya's closest comparisons to Moon Pies, to ascertain that it meant he should stay out here. It was a nudge toward the table and away from the direction of the kitchen, which makes it very clear as soon as he thinks about it that way. Another clandestine chat with Xingqiu about me? Suppose I'll find out later.Chongyun glances over his shoulder at his two departing friends. "That's good," he sighs. "This is taking longer than I thought it would." He frowns at the maps."Might I help?" Ajax gives Noelle a 'wait' gesture. He's feeling energetic after all that sleep, and he'd normally be exercising after a dinner like that. But what he can do in that regard is limited by doctor's orders, so he steps toward Chongyun and leans far to peer over his shoulder without abandoning Noelle. She comes over too, allowing him to slide the rest of the way to Chongyun's side and straighten up like a drawn bowstring being relaxed.Chongyun looks at each of them and then nods to the original map. It's awfully small, and covered in Xingqiu's scrawl. "Well...can you read that?"Ajax and Noelle peer closer."Ah. No, I don't think so," Ajax admits.Noelle too: "I'm sorry, I can't. Dear me, I thought you were joking when you said Xingqiu's handwriting is unreadable...""There isn't really anything you can do then, but thank you."Ajax and Noelle go back to their conversation, more or less. He brings up her armor and from there delves into what kind of fighting she does. Coming from an organization where many people are taller than him, Ajax is surprised to learn the petite 'maid' wields a greatsword and regularly gets asked to do heavy lifting.In the kitchen, Aether shows Xingqiu where the several bags of different types of flour are. He pauses then, giving him what he thinks is a questioning look (but which is pretty much just a blank stare).Xingqiu is quite ready to jump into that pause. With semi-contained excitement he all but begs Aether for an update: "May I ask please what changed? It was only the other day you said he didn't know! It's none of my business, I know, but it's marvelous! Did you confess to him? Did your sparring session prompt an outpouring of emotions? What— ah, I'm terribly sorry, I've gotten ahead of myself, and I must recall that this is not a novel but rather your life." Quickly he calms himself, outwardly at least, schooling his wide-eyed expression and ironing out his leant-forward posture.Aether is once again just...mildly stunned by this bemusing enthusiasm for the very same relationship that, when it comes to moral grounds, Xingqiu loathes. "...No offense taken. The sparring...certainly had something to do with it."He wanders a step or two away to have room to stretch his arms while he indulges his friend's curiosity. "It meant a lot to us. It was a long time coming, and it was the first time we've fought against each other since, um, that day in Liyue. Recently we had a chance to fight alongside each other for a few days, so...we're...much more familiar with each other's combat styles and limits than before. He was really excited to spar, but I was the one who suggested we go for as long as possible."Xingqiu's eyes could be easily imagined to sparkle with the fascination he's showing."I was too excited myself to think about breaks or drinking water or anything like that," Aether says with a flicker of a wry smile."Did you know you were looking forward to it so much? It sounds like you surprised yourself.""I guess I did. Surprise myself, that is. He was always the one who reached out. Always reminding me I 'owed' him a rematch." Aether smiles fondly, resting his gaze on the door he and Xingqiu closed behind them while he continues to stretch. "And he invited me to visit his family, too, several times. I love that...that combination. It says a lot about him. He called me a friend right after that first fight. He wrote to his family about me. And it was all nice things, according to his younger brother, who I met one day in a...really absurd...course of situations. That guy is not normal and I love him so much."At this point Xingqiu is covering his mouth, presumably to hide some type of smile he'd be embarrassed to be seen harboring over this specific subject. After a moment he gets his face back under control. "And he reciprocates?"The question sounds hopeful to a much higher degree than it has any reason to be, Aether notices. He means to answer that question like any other, but he comes up short of words. A wonderstruck smile forms. It's hitting him again that everything that's happened today and yesterday was, and is, real. "...Yeah," he confirms in a softer tone, amazed. "Yeah, he does..."Xingqiu appears to give that some rather deep thought. He grows pensive and troubled, but not in the affronted way that he's troubled by who Ajax is. Observing this, Aether sombers. His friend turns away and paces slowly. When he turns back and comes over to Aether, he looks outright depressed. Speaking quietly as if needing absolute certainty that he can't be overheard, he reveals, "There's something I have a need to talk about, and I don't believe there's anyone else I can talk to about it. You understand...complicated relationships. Relationships with...challenges and problems beyond the mundane."Aether receives the sharp turn in topic and mood with neutrality-masked concern. He's never seen Xingqiu like this before. "I'll...listen? And if you want advice I guess I can try?"A nod. "In light of..." Xingqiu gestures in the general direction of the door. "Well, your questionable but admittedly fascinating taste in romance, I do have reservations about asking you for advice. However, your actions have always spoken well of you, and you've never done me the slightest unkindness. And I really don't know who else I could ask. All that to say: please, if you do have any to offer, I'd be grateful."Aether's turn to nod.Xingqiu stands next to Aether and parks his pensive gaze on the counters ahead of them. He takes a deep breath. "I'm in love with Chongyun. I've known it for close to two years." For a long moment he's silent, fidgeting with the red tie that is part of his Adventurers' Guild uniform. Aether doesn't say anything: it doesn't seem to him as if he's expected to yet. Whatever Xingqiu is trying to explain, he's having a difficult time of it in a very self-contained manner."...You know about his condition," Xingqiu states. "He spends all his time suppressing his emotions as much as he can. He says that he'll someday consider trying all the things he avoids now...when he rids the world of evil." His frown deepens. He looks equal parts dejected and guilty. "It's not that I don't believe in him and his cause. I think if there's anyone who could accomplish that feat, it will be him. He's so very dedicated to it. As his friend and as a fellow in arms with a cause of my own, I admire that! I love that..." His voice gets smaller as he comes to what might be the heart of the matter: "But... How long? How long will it take?" After taking another deep breath and sighing it out, his voice is back to normal. Still quieter than necessary. "I never ask, because I know there's no possible answer. No one could size up a task like that and just...produce an estimate as if it was a lumber contract."Aether nods again to indicate he understands so far."In the meantime...I... I want more. It makes me feel so guilty that I can't be completely satisfied with the way things are. I've tried to be patient. I understand his commitment to his ultimate goal. It's the noblest of goals and I believe in it, and I believe in him! But I fear the years will keep going by and...and any chance we might have...will pass by as well. The most frustrating part is that I don't even know if he would reciprocate my feelings. As long as he keeps his emotions locked up and refuses to even think about anything as passionate as love, neither of us will ever know."Xingqiu's silence feels more like a period than a comma this time. Aether sympathizes with the position Xingqiu is in. 'Complicated' indeed. He has a question to start exploring the problem with: "Is that why...the pranks...? You keep tricking him into going 'out of control'...""Yes. Yes! I've been trying for years, ever since we were kids, to show him that it's not that bad if he loses control of his yang energy! The worst that has happened is a bedridden fever or a little property damage. If he would actually practice being in that state and not just avoid it, he could learn how to control it! I think he would start being able to remember what happens, and maybe eventually he could manage the wild impulses." Xingqiu hangs his head and shakes it sadly. "But he won't try. Not until..." He shakes his head again."Hmm." Well. That...sure is complicated, Aether repeats to himself. He has always been a bit dubious of Xingqiu's pranks; he's never been able to tell whether Chongyun tolerates them out of pure affection and trust or whether he tolerates them out of a worry that he'll lose Xingqiu's friendship if he doesn't go along with what he wants. He has also had the thought that that aspect of the relationship between them might be less concerning if they were still small children, and that the nearer they get to being deemed self-responsible adults by their fellow humans, the more questionable it becomes.Now knowing why Xingqiu does it, Aether believes it's well-intentioned and, at its roots, innocent. It was a habit formed in childhood that has yet to be reconsidered. That makes sense for the transitional stage of life he vaguely understands Xingqiu and Chongyun to be going through.And now Aether has to advise. He almost regrets offering to. This, to him, feels harder to figure out than the ethics of whether to help Ajax become immortal. "Have you tried telling him all that?""In certain ways, yes... I've asked him questions about it and made...oblique suggestions...""My advice is going to be that you should talk with him about it directly."Xingqiu grimaces. "I don't want him to think I lack faith in him or that I don't respect his life's work, or—""Tell him that too.""Was it that easy for you, or did you have to spar for hours first?" Xingqiu retorts.I don't blame him for being a little...snappish. This whole thing is as close to his heart as it gets and it's not...a thing that is going happily. "Good point. We did have to spar for hours, lie around a while because we couldn't stand, tell each other we're sexually attracted to each other because some of the sparring made it kind of obvious, sleep in the same bed, and then talk about each other a lot.""Don't you mean 'to' each other?""About each other, to each other. That was...a lot of how it went. And how it...tipped over into telling each other we actually love—..." Aether feels like he malformed that sentence and isn't sure how to end it, so he makes a vague gesture."Hm..."Wait, I'm talking to someone who sets up situations using pranks. "I don't think you can trick that into happening. Beyond the very simple plan to spar, neither of us saw any of it coming. It was natural. And it was how natural it felt that...helped." Weird to be...analyzing it for the first time at the same time as I'm telling someone how it happened.Aether can't decipher the frown he is then regarded with. "...I have been starting to realize," Xingqiu says, "that maybe I shouldn't be tricking him into all these things. I've been doing it so long... It still makes sense to me. He would never take a break if I didn't trick him into one. But even Xiangling looks uncomfortable with it sometimes, and she likes the way Chongyun is when he's out of control. She told me she thinks that's the real him.""Have you talked with Xiangling about all this?""No. Knowing both of us for as long as she has, I think I would be placing her in an awkward position if I told her."Aether doesn't question the apparent logic that he is not being placed in an awkward position. He hasn't known Chongyun and Xingqiu long at all, compared to Xiangling. He and Xiangling are very different people, too. "You're right about him taking breaks. I'm certain if it weren't for you, all he'd do is training and chasing leads on spirits, all day every day... I guess what I should ask you is this: being totally honest, do you try to get him to change the way he handles his yang energy because you want to expand the scope of your relationship with him or because you want him to be happy?"Xingqiu doesn't react defensively. He doesn't answer immediately at all. Somber and certain, yet folding his arms with a hint of vulnerability, he says after some reflection, "I've always wanted him to be happy... That will never change, no matter what else I wish for. It will never be secondary."Aether nods. Good. That's the most important thing, if I'm anyone to say. Am I? Better not think about that right now. What I know is that that's my first priority with Ajax, too. "...Then it's time to come up with a solution. What if I talk with him about it? Maybe he'll reconsider avoiding his yang energy all the time if he has a conversation with someone who has a different perspective than he's heard before."At last Xingqiu starts to look hopeful. "You could. It might not change his mind, but surely it won't do any harm. Uh, as long as you don't tell him anything about..."Before Xingqiu has to struggle through the request, Aether interrupts to relieve him of the necessity. "I won't tell him anything about how you feel about him, and I won't tell him we talked. You made and kept the same promise to me." He'd do this anyway, but he wants to acknowledge Xingqiu's courtesy toward him."Ah, thank you!" Xingqiu is relieved on a higher level than that. "You owe me nothing for that of course, it was the only honorable thing to do. I appreciate your discretion nonetheless, and I'm glad for your assistance. Not for my sake, but for his. I'm afraid he'll miss so much more of his life outside of thaumaturgy if he continues this way.""Yeah. He already missed his whole childhood. If he really wants his current path, that's one thing, but if he's just afraid of the alternative... He needs to know we'd all support him if he decided to try something different.""And that we will still support him if he doesn't," Xingqiu agrees.Aether nods once more. They stand there in a silence that has been lanced of its former tension, at least as far as Xingqiu's worrying over Chongyun goes. Maybe some of the tension over Ajax, too.Chongyun and Ajax... They're kind of alike, aren't they. Totally different worldviews, totally different directions they're going, different methods, but they're both driven by absolute dedication to a goal that would be impossible if it weren't for who they are. Goals that might remain impossible even so. They both have people who love them who won't say to them that their goals might be impossible. Dominating the world, ridding the world of evil: there can't be larger goals than that. Larger than most gods could dream of succeeding at.And they both started so young... I wonder what Chongyun will do if he nears the end of his life, or the end of his prime, and sees his goal attainable only if he lives longer.Would their goals come into conflict?"...Hey, Xingqiu?""Yes?""What does Chongyun mean by 'banishing all evil'? Evil spirits, right?" He's not even interested in fighting anything else, except when Xingqiu or I get him involved in something else."Right. As his lineage sees it, a world where spirits can show up and ruin the lives of human beings is a world where the goodness of humans can't thrive to its fullest potential. Chongyun inherits the solemn duty to protect Liyue from the kind of evil that torments its victims until they either have to flee their home, or... He's told me stories about severe hauntings that caused the victims to end their own lives, commit murders, or both. That's not even going into the horrific consequences that possession can have.""I see," Aether responds with due gravity. In truth, he's a bit numb to such things in the abstract. He needs to know someone affected by a tragedy to feel much of anything about it.Long ago, there was a naive star who set out with his sibling to see and learn everything about life on the worlds beyond their home. Though together they saw countless wonders of human goodness and nature's beauty, they also saw things that broke their hearts, until they couldn't be broken anymore. Not by anything short of personal grief.Something occurs to Aether on that personal side. "Um, how old was Chongyun when he learned about that stuff?""Twelve, I remember. He wasn't allowed to read certain tomes in the clan's records. But, you know Chongyun..." Xingqiu sighs. "He thought if he read those forbidden guidebooks and journals, he would become a better exorcist, and he saw no reason to wait. It was a terrifying story in one of those that inspired his vow to rid the world of evil spirits."There's nothing Aether can say that isn't expressed by a slow, heavy sigh of his own. ...Meanwhile, Xingqiu is the one who wants to deal with injustices caused by human people. Quite a pair they make. Aether isn't sure if he admires them or feels sorry for them. Xingqiu's going to have the harder time. Good thing he only has to hold his resolve for...how long do humans live, here? He has about eighty years left? Seventy? "...Should I give you a quick summary of the flours?""The flowers?""The flour." Aether tips his head toward the bags."Oh. Yes, if you please. I really am interested in cooking, if only so I can make Chongyun's favorites when he's feeling poorly on a hot summer day."And probably to make up for when you're the reason he's feeling poorly? Though, it sounds like you're rethinking all that. Aether opens all the sacks so Xingqiu can visually compare the flours' various textures. In his stock he has wheat flour, whole wheat flour, pastry flour, cake flour, rice flour, and glutinous rice flour. He explains the purposes of each as succinctly as he can, and informs him that the pastry and cake flours are also wheat flours.After Aether closes up the sacks, the two of them leave the kitchen. On their walk to the door and out, Aether lists off a few of the many flour types he doesn't have, including rye and almond.That's what Ajax hears when the kitchen door opens. Leaning with one hand on the table, he's been supplying a most receptive Noelle with training tips. Chongyun is listening keenly as well and appears to have just finished the map.Aether meets a glance from Ajax with a smile that he doesn't intend to be so faint that only Ajax will pick up on it, but neither did he intend to smile in the first place. It's a happy accident.Ajax's demeanor is focused and serious as he discusses one of his favorite subjects, but it lightens in reaction to how Aether looks at him. It seems like everything is now in place for Aether's joint adventure in the Chasm with Xingqiu and Chongyun to be reviewed, so he wraps up the conversation he passed time with, delightful though it was and despite a twinge of reluctance. This, he reminds himself, is going to be the first time he gets to sit in on and maybe even be involved in Aether's adventuring plans.All of them, except for Noelle, gather in seats around the table that was given over to maps and other information. Noelle excuses herself to unspecified 'tasks' which take her outside.Xingqiu spends a moment vocally appreciating Chongyun's work. He combined the precision of the larger features from a quality map of western Liyue with the greater detail of Zhiqiong's map, enlarging the scale of the latter with what will hopefully be sufficient accuracy for their purposes.Thereafter, Xingqiu uses a dry quill pen to point out things on the map. He explains, "We came up with an ad-hoc system of iconography to represent the types of landmarks and oddities we found." Since Paimon was with him and Chongyun for all of this, the explanation is mainly for Aether. It does turn out, however, that everything cartographic is news to Paimon, who admits she wasn't paying attention to it at the time."First we have the gravestone, which signifies where we found what appeared to be burial sites or memorials, most likely of Millelith soldiers from long ago." The chance of discovering lost historical details enthuses Xingqiu. "If we find more, we might be able to confirm that."Aether lends them a nod of support. Paimon, hovering close by him, tilts to 'whisper' none too quietly, "There might be treasure, too!"Xingqiu gives her a pained look. "We spoke of this, my lady. That's graverobbing.""Not if the treasure isn't in the graves!" Paimon rebuts, hands going to her hips. "It might just be near the graves, or, or the graves' locations make a big arrow that points to it!""It's probably worth looking into, regardless of what we find," Aether ends the nascent argument, perfectly placid and reasonable.Xingqiu moves on down the map legend Chongyun included at one corner. "The symbol that looks like a pile of three rocks indicates where we found cairns with no obvious purpose to them. We accidentally broke one open and discovered some Mora inside: about fifteen thousand. So they might be Treasure Hoarder stashes.""Keep breaking them open, then," Aether says. "More Mora for the Paimon food fund.""Hehee," Paimon approves.Third item in the legend: "This triangle marks rock pillars that are likely related to Rex Lapis's past actions in the area. Sometimes they're clustered in groups or neighbored by rock formations that host Geograna. Interestingly, they sometimes correspond to between one and three Geo runes on a nearby stone wall. The runes seem human-made and perhaps more recent than the pillars; Chongyun deduced that they crack these walls wide open if struck by a Geo resonance from the pillars. The number of runes corresponds to the number of simultaneous resonance strikes required to trigger that effect.""The pillars have to be hit by something heavy, like a greatsword," Chongyun fills in."Paimon, you mentioned that you and Aether saw these before?" Xingqiu reminds her."Mm-hm! We only saw them in the distance though," she replies."I wonder how they react to the Geo element being used on them," Aether speculates."Some had pressure plates that needed heavier weight on them than we could shift," Chongyun recollects.Aether bobs his eyebrows in the smallest possible nod. "I'll resonate with Geo before setting out next time, and find out if my 'meteorite' is enough weight.""All this resonating..." Paimon mutters.That makes Aether also wonder whether those pillars might, in some small way, help him better understand Geo and its relationship with the tectonics of the planet Teyvat is on. He's far from an expert in such things, but he'll take any insights into this world that he can get.When no one continues that line of thought aloud, Xingqiu taps the quill nib on the fourth symbol. "This 'Ravenwing' marks Treasure Hoarder activity and camps." The fifth: "The face with horns marks hilichurls. These two that have lines through them, we had to clear out."The last one: "And this plus-sign is where we saw Fatui. We could only spy four of them, but they have three tents: one here, and two here."Ajax narrows his eyes at the map. The 'advance team'? Ninth Company, was it? Why are they still there...Aether notes Ajax's reaction and the fact that Xingqiu is also noting it.The Feiyun heir speaks first. "I'm aware of the Qixing's former deal with the Fatui."At that, Aether casts a curious glance between Xingqiu and Ajax, hoping one or both of them will elaborate. It's the first time he's hearing about this.He isn't kept waiting. Childe leans back in his chair, folding his arms, and enlightens everyone at the table who doesn't already know. Everyone except Xingqiu, in other words. "Part of Signora's mission in Liyue was to work with the Qixing and get a company of Fatui into the Chasm, to investigate the problem down there. This was shortly after the Chasm was closed." Bitterly he adds, ”As far as I was aware, that and brokering trade agreements were the only mission she had." He sighs. "In any case, the incident born of both our true missions resulted in the Qixing cutting all diplomatic ties with the Fatui. That included the nullification of the deal regarding the Chasm. In the months since, I heard nothing more about it and assumed the investigative force retreated when Signora left." As he finishes outlining the situation, his mouth closes into a small but tight-lipped frown, and his eyes remain narrowed.Aether stares at the table in front of Ajax for a moment. Then, as he puts certain pieces together, he shakes his head and drops it into his palm. "Why. Did Signora. Never. Withdraw her people? She pulled the same...I'm sorry Paimon, the same horsesh*t in Mondstadt. Those people finally got reassigned only a few weeks ago."Everyone is visibly surprised to hear the Traveler swear. Paimon grumble-growls at him.Childe shakes his head to recover from that surprise, and in exasperation at Signora. "An excellent question. I'll be sure to ask her corpse. Now, given that she's dead...I suspect those forces have been abandoned and left to rot. Her inattention to loose ends is to blame, no doubt, but some of those people are subordinates of another Harbinger. When it comes to him, I expect he decided they weren't worth extracting from territory that is now hostile." It's in keeping with Pulcinella's modus operandi to dispense with 'assets' he doesn't deem valuable."You weren't aware the Fatui are still there?" Xingqiu questions skeptically."Quite honestly, no. As the purview of other Harbingers, that company wasn't mine to concern myself with, for the most part. Early on, I collected some preliminary reports from them for the Tsaritsa, but once their supply lines were established, that was no longer necessary. I never heard another word about them. Come to think of it, they must have been without supplies for several months now..."Ajax doesn't look or sound worried, but Aether gets the sense, from his word choices and the apparent path of his thinking, that he cares more than he's letting on. Maybe more than he's letting on to himself. At the very least, it's another thing for him to hold against Signora, and something that can be chalked up to the general attitude of the other Harbingers.Childe himself is brooding over it. The whole thing leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He's leaning toward doing something about it just to spite Signora even though she's already dead. A superficial feeling and a petty motive: these are enough for him, and he has no desire to look any deeper. As for Pulcinella, he shouldn't—in Childe's opinion—be offended if someone picks up the 'trash' he has already thrown away."...And are they still none of your concern?" Xingqiu prods, eyeing Ajax and clearly not expecting a satisfactory answer.Aether is watching Ajax too, but he is neutral inside and out. Before the Harbinger can answer, Aether provides additional information. "I ran into some Millelith who are trying to stop a deal between the Fatui in the Chasm and the Treasure Hoarders. They previously captured a load of goods the two groups were trading between themselves. It was just food and other basic necessities. The Millelith think that was a ruse and that something dangerous is being traded. Now that you mention supply lines, I'm seriously doubting that. At least, the dangerous items aren't going to the Fatui.""Trading Snezhnayan guns to the local riffraff in order to survive, perhaps? Hmm..." That's an issue in of itself: giving away Fatui materiel with no orders to do so. A Fatuus is expected to die before betraying the Tsaritsa. It's also possible the Ninth Company hasn't yet resorted to trading weapons and high technology, and might never do so. He'd better find out either way.Propping his chin on his hand, he borrows a moment to silently think it through. Perhaps no one would ask too many questions if he took the company under his wing. It's not as if he really cares about them as people, but...what a waste to just leave them there. If he didn't attend to this issue, Signora's sloppiness would become his sloppiness, and that's a detestable thought. Plus, whatever's left of the Fatui in the Chasm, especially underground, will have survived adversity and become stronger for it. He won't say no to having people like that around him.If there's a part of him that wants to see those people—trapped in the dark, some of them, and surrounded by peril—escape into the light and eventually home as he once did, it's only because one or two of them might now have potential to pose him a challenge someday.There is certainly no part of him that believes it could be any more than that.The problem is, he can't immediately be in Liyue to handle this personally, and he doesn't want to leave Inazuma right away in order to be in Liyue a few days from now. He would rather not leave for another week or two at least.Moving his hand out from under his chin, Childe opens it into a palm-up gesture toward everyone else at the table. "I can't return to Liyue just yet, nor do I wish to. I am, however, quite willing to cooperate with you four to resolve this issue 'peacefully.' If indeed that's what you want to do?" He glances at Aether, but he's asking the others too, because Aether can't be everywhere at once no matter how often he appears to be."I would prefer a peaceful solution, of course," Xingqiu says to Aether. "Justice isn't done by letting people starve, enemies or not. To wit, I have no desire to fight people weakened by such privations.""We should escort them out and turn them over to the Millelith," Chongyun suggests.Xingqiu readily nods his agreement with that.Aether tilts his head to look up at Paimon, expecting her to have an opinion.Frowning, Paimon says, "We definitely shouldn't just leave them there, or let them starve, even if they are the bad guys." From where she's floating, she can look at the Harbinger straight over Aether's head. Her expression cools for a second. "Full offense, Childe. But we're still friends anyway!" She flashes a brief, seemingly genuine smile.Childe's smile is genuine as well, in a way, and at the same time a bit fake. It's a rhetorical smile, the kind he occasionally uses like punctuation, but behind it he has no shortage of good will toward Paimon. "Someday, Paimon, you'll see that we aren't the bad guys. Well, some of us are~ Myself included. But the Tsaritsa's cause isn't a bad one. It may be that the rest of humanity never thanks us after all the conflict we've stirred up, but it isn't for gratitude that we persist.""Then why?" asks Xingqiu. It's a blunt question, but not as demanding as it could rightfully-enough have been. He's minding his manners out of consideration for Aether, obviously. He's not minding all of his manners."There's a reason for the secrecy, you know," Childe informs him. "It's not just for fun. I'll give you a clue, though: five hundred years ago a great calamity occurred, and it will happen again. Unless, of course, someone stops it."Xingqiu knits his eyebrows in concerned confusion. He almost says something, but thinks better of it and sits back to ponder. His chair has arms, so he gets to put his elbows on them and steeple his fingers. Childe would've liked to do that, but his chair does not have arms.Aether finally speaks up. He's been listening to everyone else, attentive but passive, ever since he told Ajax about the Millelith operation. "Five hundred years ago, hm?" he muses, so unruffled he almost sounds blasé. "I hear that a lot...""...And? What do you know?" Chongyun prompts when Aether doesn't elaborate."I don't think I'm much freer to go into it than Childe is. I've been told things that...I was only told because of the unique circ*mstances I'm in. By people who are usually pretty secretive. Maybe when I understand it all better, I can talk about it. Until then, I won't take the risk."Xingqiu sighs. Chongyun inhales and exhales a more measured breath."Well," Xingqiu brings up, "the actions of Rex Lapis that I referred to earlier took place five hundred years ago. A meteorite fell at the Chasm and somehow brought with it a horde of otherworldly monsters. Rex Lapis, the Millelith, and a mysterious yaksha fought a ferocious battle and succeeded in defeating the monsters, but at great cost."After a moment's thought, Aether asks, "So, the Millelith who fought at that time are the same soldiers whose graves you suspect these to be?" He gestures to the map."Perhaps. If nothing else, we can copy any epitaphs we find onto paper, in case they haven't been recorded in history. Speaking of which, we found an ancient tablet of sorts...here." Xingqiu taps a dot right next to a crossed-out hilichurl location and one of the triangles that represent pillars. Chongyun digs a pocket-size notebook out from under the other books he and Xingqiu gathered as reference materials; he hands it to Xingqiu, who smiles at him in thanks before showing a page to the other three people at the table.

...The dragon-king traversed the mountains, and the hills collapsed with a sigh... Vishaps and other beasts stalked the wide graze-plains...

...Rex Lapis called upon the people in haste, and we must not tarry for all the profit in the world... I too shall come forth, armor, bow, and all...

...We shall sacrifice ourselves for the nation, though our chances of returning be slim. Let the mourners mourn! Death shall be our home...

Chapter 13: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 1)

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Chapter 14: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 2)

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Aether is surprised it isn't noon yet in Liyue Harbor. He was under the impression that he and Ajax had procrastinated longer. This is good news, for people who care about things other than cuddling with the Eleventh Harbinger.He strides straight up Feiyun Slope toward the clothing shop he visited the day before yesterday. It's within sight when a familiar, sonorous voice greets him."Traveler, I almost didn't recognize you," Zhongli (the person, not the cat) greets him rather happily, emerging onto the main street from the direction of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. "Judging by the news coming out of Inazuma, you met with some success there? The free flow of news is itself quite telling."Aether promptly turns around and meets the former Archon at the curb. "Good to see you. No success in my search, but I can't be unhappy with how things turned out." Besides, I may not have found any direct answers in Inazuma, but I learned a lot, and...the most important answer came through Dainsleif."Likewise I'm glad to have run into you. I'm sorry however that your search has yet to bear fruit. Did you at least discover some useful information about this world?"Aether nods. I wonder what you expected I would find."That is good. Paimon is well, I trust?""Yes." Though, maybe you didn't have any particular expectations, since it was my and Paimon's idea to seek out the Archons. "She's back in the Serenitea Pot." As a quick afterthought he adds, "We had some close calls in Inazuma, but she's...as much herself as ever."Zhongli issues a single nod that Aether understands to be glad even though it doesn't come with a smile. "Perhaps I'll accept your offer of a visit to your realm soon. There is much to catch up on, if you're amenable.""I'd like that. I have other guests in, though, so let me get back to you on a day.""Of course. Where are you headed presently?""Shopping. I should get back as quick as I can, actually.""Would any advice help you make your purchase quickly?""Thanks, but not this time. I know exactly what I need."Zhongli nods 0.5 times. "Then I'll let you be going and wish you well.""You too." Aether starts to walk away but only gets a few steps before he has an idea. "Actually..." I could ask him about ropes. He might know who sells the best of the type I need. Nn, but eventually Zhongli might put together what that purchase means about Ajax, and Ajax is the one who should be in control of that information. But, speaking of Ajax—! He turns around and finishes the sentence he began. "Thank you for an indirect gift of a recipe. The owner of the Third-Round Knockout gave me one for borscht. He said he got it from you. You like seafood?"Zhongli's look of interest pinches into one of half-suppressed disgust. "Not at all. Just seeing it reminds me of...that slimy texture, and that scent that just won't wash off. As for why I hate it, it's a long story, so while we are short on time, let's just say my memory is a little too good." His expression then lightens. "I had in fact hoped Childe would find it a pleasant surprise on the menu. He has had no occasion to discover it, however; restaurants in the city are not as happy to take his Mora as they once were."Aether raises his eyebrows. It was an even nicer thing he did than I or Ajax thought.Zhongli assumes that reaction is incredulity, because he has no reason not to. "Odd though it may seem, I still value his companionship."Really? Odd way you showed it, back then. Aether had, and has, no objections to Zhongli's plan overall. It made sense. What he didn't and doesn't like was how the reveal went. But that's none of my business. He shakes his head and replies, "That doesn't seem so odd to me.""It seems your perspective on the matter may be more complex than one would assume. That doesn't surprise me." Zhongli smiles."Mm," Aether acknowledges somewhat affirmatively. To say the least. Literally. "Something else to talk about when we have a chance, maybe." Since they've already exchanged farewells, he just nods, turns, and continues on his way up Feiyun Slope.

Without Aether there, it only took about four seconds for Ajax to grow bored. He all but leapt off the bed and beelined to the most interesting thing in the room: the bookshelf.All the bookshelves in the house pique Ajax's curiosity because of what they might indicate about which subjects Aether has taken an interest in, but this one is even more interesting than the rest. Half its contents are envelopes, scrolls, and papers of all kinds. Holding these up are what Ajax guesses at a glance to be mostly journals and notebooks; many of them are small, some look old, and some are battered and damaged.He picks out an envelope at random. It's not sealed in any way. As it turns out, its only purpose is to protect the brittle, yellowed paper inside. It looks like it'll crumble if handled, so, after easily deciding idle curiosity isn't worth the risk, Ajax puts that one back. He doesn't intend to give Aether any reason to regret giving him permission to snoop.The next item is an intact, pocket-sized scroll tied with a Shogunate-purple ribbon. Untying and unrolling it, Ajax sees that it's one of the travel permits outsiders were required to obtain during the Sakoku Decree.Being that he's on Scaramouche's trail, Ajax has access to all the intel that the Fatui forces in Inazuma had gathered. Where Aether appeared in it, he didn't skip a word. It wasn't a complete accounting of his activities; there were gaps. Apparently Aether had gotten his travel permit from Hiiragi Chisato by delivering a love letter for her, to the man who's now the acting Kujou clan head. In a twist that mildly amuses Ajax, one of Signora's failed plots led to Chisato becoming the acting Hiiragi clan head.Everywhere 'the Traveler' goes, some people lose everything and some benefit greatly. Ajax bets Pantalone would love to be able to predict those effects, impossible as it may be. Aether meanwhile gained two highly placed connections in the Tri-Commission. Though, maybe that doesn't matter when the word on the street is that he was seen guiding the Raiden Shogun's personal tour of the city.It's the scale on which Aether is able to affect Teyvat as a mere individual that makes his feats and his ever-growing fame seem effortless to an outside observer. He isn't exactly keeping up with the Tsaritsa's plan, really, nor has he set it back significantly, but he has managed to be in the right place at the right time to interfere with the activities of three different Harbingers now—him included, of course.Ajax is certain it hasn't been effortless, though. Just how hard has the road been? Pondering the complex events surrounding the deceptively simple object of a travel permit, he's prompted to wonder about that. How have all these efforts affected Aether? His ability to keep going at such a breakneck pace for so long is admirable, and Ajax admires it immensely, but now his comrade's wellbeing matters to him more than ever.He has no baseline to compare to. By the time he met Aether, the man had already put an end to the Stormterror incident, encountered Signora, traveled to Liyue, and nearly became a suspect in the 'murder' of Rex Lapis. Ajax has no idea what Aether was like before his sister was torn away from him and he began his search for her—a search that doesn't seem to be going well. It has to have worn on him.Ajax can imagine turning the world upside down to find one of his siblings. What he can't imagine is being stymied at every turn and having no recourse but to go on solving other people's problems. Ajax can be impulsive, but he can also be patient. His patience however would wear very, very thin if he were in Aether's position. He would be angry, frustrated, and bitter. How does Aether not just lose it and start stabbing people until they give him answers instead of tasks?He's gripped by an urge to give his comrade a long, tight hug as soon as he gets back. But a sudden hug full of concern would worry Aether, and that's not what Ajax wants to accomplish. The mood Aether left him in is the best one to be in when he returns.Putting the travel permit back, Ajax idly scans the shelves. There's a row of bright red envelopes, quite a few of them, sandwiched between a couple of notebooks. It was in one such envelope, in accordance with a loose understanding of Liyue tradition, that he sent Aether the not-so-fateful letter revealing just how much he wanted to travel with him. In the end it had been fateful, just not right away and not in exactly the way he had consciously wished for.Curious whether that letter is among these, he slides each one out just far enough to check whether it's signed друг мой.None of them are. He frowns in a kind of confusion. Did he...not keep it? While waiting in vain for a response to the letter, he'd had the thought many times that Aether probably discarded it. But now, that possibility comes as a surprise.Two light knocks on the door almost startle him."It's me," Aether notifies Ajax.Ajax's first impulse is to relocate himself to the side of the dresser in one long, swift stride and lean his elbow on it in a casual pose. Naked. Perfectly normal. What am I even doing. He expects Aether to just come on into his own bedroom, so he doesn't say anything.Outside the room, Aether has picked up several more items of clothing that he found folded with impeccable precision on the floor. On top of the stack there was a piece of nice stationery paper folded just as neatly that he has yet to investigate. "Actually, could you open the door? My hands are full."Two of those quick strides bring Ajax to the door on footsteps silenced by the stealthy grace ingrained in him. Did he buy more things? A pair of pants doesn't seem like it could fill his hands. That curiosity is answered as soon as he gets the door. Clothes are tucked under both of Aether's arms: the long white underpants, yes, but also Ajax's boots, his trousers and shirt looking clean and mended, and Aether's whole outfit appearing to be in the same condition.Ajax half expects to see Paimon float in after Aether until he remembers what she said about not wanting to be in this room with both of them. As he closes the door behind Aether, he takes note of how quiet the rest of the house is. It sounds deserted."Where is everybody?" he asks Aether. He has no need to know, but he does have a passing want to know.Aether lays everything on top of the dresser, except for Ajax's boots, which he sets down. "I heard Paimon, Chongyun, and Xingqiu behind the house. Training, I'm pretty sure. Sounded like they're all having a good time." He inclines his head toward the clothes, except of course for Ajax's new pants. "These, I found on the floor right outside. It looks like Noelle's doing."Aether wonders when, exactly, she came by to leave them there. This house's walls seem well-insulated and the doors are solid with minimal gaps; sound doesn't travel far through them. But Noelle would have been close enough to the door to hear him and Ajax making loud and unmistakably sexual sounds, if the timing was bad. Noelle, I am so sorry for you if that's how it went. Humans in cultures with large houses and small families tend to be repulsed by overhearing such things.Ajax picks up his shirt, letting gravity unfold it, and looks it over. Amazement raises his eyebrows high. "It's... But... How? Look, Aether, it's good as new!"Aether doesn't look and doesn't reply. On top of the trousers, formerly tucked under the shirt, are several more items that he had felt as lumps in the cloth when the lot was under his arm: Ajax's socks, sternum strap, and original underwear. With these is a soft, hand-sized package, giftwrapped in bright blue and orange floral-print paper that was definitely bought from With Wind Comes Glory. Must be the gloves? Aether smiles at it while biting his lip in embarrassed humility at how much effort all this represents on Noelle's part.Ajax leans in and taps the gift curiously. "And what's this?""For you," Aether informs him, his smile warming for Ajax as he looks up. "From me, but it's all Noelle's work." And Albedo's, but Ajax doesn't know who he is. "Go on and open it.""Oh-ho!" Ajax hangs his shirt on the nearest bedpost before doing so. There's no ribbon, just skillful folding that allows him to open the gift without tearing the paper.Aether notes that and adds it to his admiration of Noelle while he also admires the choice of wrapping paper. Windwheel asters! Orange like his hair! Sky, blue like his eyes! Well not really, neither color is that close, but it's the best she could have picked at Marjorie's shop, no doubt about that. She put thought into it and it shows.Ajax recognizes the contents not instantly but after a second's delay, because he wasn't expecting to see his own gloves. "These—" he starts to state the obvious, pleased to have them back and apparently also mended; he's turning them over to confirm that and finds something new that halts his comment. On the back of each, along the two angled edges of the shortened cuff he prefers for maximized freedom of wrist movement, embroidery has been added. It's not large or elaborate, just a split outline of a shape with a few lines running along the insides. The thread is a dark but vivid blue. Overall, it's a subtle and tasteful design that would neither draw a casual glance's attention nor clash with the reds in his outfit.It's the design itself, of course, that makes him very quietly forget to breathe for a moment. It depicts in elegant lines an overhead or perhaps underneath view of Celestial Voyager, from the tailfin to the long flippers, from the familiar body shape to the short horn that joins the embroidery's split halves at the apex of the cuff edges. He stares at it with an open expression of not-unpleasant surprise, unable to immediately understand why it moves him.That almost-blank expression tells Aether that there's something unprecedented about the gift. Something good, he goes out on a limb to guess; he finds the look more charming than worrying. He steps over to Ajax and hugs him from the side, resting his upturned chin against his shoulder and continuing to watch him with a soft smile.Being hugged somehow nudges the pieces into place in Ajax's mind. This gift is special, he realizes, because it acknowledges all the parts of his life that gifts from his siblings cannot. Furthermore, it's lovingly attentive to that side of him: the Harbinger who lives for battle, the warrior who earned a Vision and with it shaped a whale to bring crashing down on his foes, the weapon forever honing himself. For the design to be so accurate, Aether would have had to—Ajax looks to his comrade with the kind of smile that ought to be accompanied by a shine of unshed tears in the eyes. (Ajax's eyes do not oblige, of course.) "When did you...arrange for this?""Three or four days after we left the Onmyou Chamber."He couldn't throw a whale around in that place, so, at that time, the last and only occasion Aether would have seen Celestial Voyager was when they fought each other. "...You were fighting for Liyue and still these details found a place in your memory..."Aether can't easily nod like this, so he shrugs. "I was a little surprised about that, too. But once I tried to draw it, it was all there." He shrugs, and, his arms still being around his beloved Harbinger's waist, he can't help noticing how Ajax's skin feels against his arms as the shrug's motion rubs them across it. Warm, even though he's wearing nothing but an earring. There's a raised scar under Aether's right elbow, and an indented one under his left forearm.Ajax thinks it's probably silly of him to have these deep feelings over a bit of embroidery on some gloves. But, he also can't take that thought seriously, because he understands gifts, and because, knowing Aether, he can't deny that the implications were intended. The man hugging him right now, gazing up at him so very softly, meant for him to read meaning into the gift. What he feels, once again, is a radical acceptance of who he is. Everything his family can't be exposed to and everything there is ostensibly no place for in a 'nexus of strife.'As he draws a breath to speak, Ajax becomes aware that he's not smiling anymore. Swallowing, he raises another smile.Such a bright smile Aether sees with his eyes. Bright and a little tearful, he sees with his heart. (A number of clues tip him off: the slightly unsteady curve of Ajax's lips, the way he swallows, and the pinched look at the corners of his eyes.)Aether keeps his arm around Ajax's back, but he reaches up his other hand and softly slides his fingers into the hair at the back of his head. With that hold and a gentle pull toward himself, he offers his shoulder for Ajax to bury his face in the way he hid it in his own arms previously. A shoulder to not cry on. Sometimes it's easier to accept one's own emotions when one isn't being watched, and a close hug can provide shelter from being witnessed even as it envelops one in intimacy.Ajax turns to Aether and leans down, following the suggestion of the uninsistent pull. Though he's still holding the gloves, his arms find their way around Aether as he rests his face in the crook of his loving comrade's neck. (Aether hasn't put his earring back on yet since taking it off to sleep last night; the glowing bead and the small feathers are not there to drag through Ajax's hair and settle amidst it.)Feeling permitted to dwell in that comfort silently, under no pressure to say anything, Ajax stays like that in silence until his breathing is steady and choppy waters are calm. The gift didn't bring up anything unpleasant; it was just overwhelming. Yet another unanticipated experience of care that he's not used to.His hair is being petted. Not much, only a bit, as if Aether understands he's overwhelmed and doesn't want to add to it.On a muffled sigh he voices what he's been thinking. "You make me feel whole."There is so much Aether wants to say to that. It's so tempting to pour reassurances and praises on his beloved whose egotism and solipsism naturally go hand in hand with deep disquiet about himself. But all those things he yearns to say would be too much right now. Too much for any time when Ajax isn't lulled into a different frame of mind by sex.Aether isn't certain what it is about sex that has that effect on Ajax, even though he understands it intuitively. It's probably a combination of things, he has theorized, involving the privacy that surrounds it, the release of adrenaline in a non-threatening context, and the constant low-level exchange of trust building up a safe haven for vulnerability.In any case, now is not the time to fill Ajax's head with ideas he's not prepared for. So, not even changing anything about how he's stroking his hair, Aether murmurs back only, "It's normal for that kind of thing to be rough to think about. I can help you think about something else now, if you want."There's nothing Ajax wants more at the moment than to sink down and lean against Aether and put his ear to his heartbeat. He almost does just that, but his head would be somewhere around Aether's middle, not high enough. Yet, he doesn't like the thought of getting back in bed. Part of him, and no small part at that, is itching to get outside and get moving. But, he doesn't know where the other guests are. Only Aether can be allowed to see him like this. "...C'mon."He lets go of Aether, straightens, and steps back so that the other man's arms slip from around him. Taking one of the freed-up hands, he leads Aether to the sofa by the bookshelf and sits heavily, pulling him down next to him. None of it is resisted, and, carefully setting aside the gloves, he leans in low to lay his head against Aether's chest. As expected, the sound of his heartbeat is exactly what he needs. He closes his eyes and puts his arms around Aether again.Aether gladly cooperates. When Ajax settles in with his arms encircling his waist, he places a hand on one of those arms as if to hold it there, and wraps his other arm around Ajax's shoulders. After a moment, he takes to stroking his arm as softly as he'd done to his hair.A very selfish question lodges itself in Ajax's otherwise tranquilized mind.Eventually he asks it. "If I asked you to stay with me instead of doing as you planned today... Would you?"It doesn't take Aether long to consider his answer. "Yes. Today, I think I could do that." The Millelith might proceed without me. There might be casualties. I accept that. "There might be consequences, but I'd accept them. But if I stay today, I can't stay tomorrow. When it's important to you, I would stop this world from turning. Or I'd pretend I could, anyway..."That's as generous an answer as Ajax could reasonably hope for. A petulant little piece of him wants Aether all to himself forever. That wouldn't mean just stagnating in this peaceful realm. They could do quite a lot in Inazuma. They could hop on a ship to Snezhnaya, never mind the risks. He could revive his old, not-so-great idea for Aether to join the Fatui. But actually, every second he dwells on this irrational fantasy, the less it appeals. It's too unrealistic. What he has with Aether is miraculous enough. It's more than enough that Aether said yes, qualified though it was.Ajax caps off that thought with a small sigh that is not disappointed. "Thank you, sladkiy. It's alright, though. I suppose I just wanted to hear you say that.""That's okay. You can ask me whatever you want any time, even if it's like that."Ajax mumbles another thank you, though at the moment he prefers to express his gratitude through physical means. He sits up a bit and slides the arm that he has behind Aether up to his shoulders. Now at eye level with him, Ajax stares appreciatively before giving his lips to him in a simple, lingering kiss. It's a somewhat firm press to emphasize the meaning behind it, but other than that, it is motionless.Aether's lips form a small, glad smile against Ajax's. Otherwise, he doesn't make any moves either. He just breathes with him, their eyes shut, everything calm and close and warm. It's a kind of hug within a hug.After a minute or so of that, Ajax feels his gratitude has been received. More than that, he feels at peace. Like he'd just had a nice, cleansing fight. He parts their lips, which, having been mostly dry, stick together for a fraction of a second. Once more he just looks at Aether.The gaze Aether meets is difficult to read. Serious but not thoughtful, solemn but not sad. A still surface on deep waters. He's seen similar looks on that face many times, but this one is peaceful, and a huge difference is made by Ajax being well-rested. Aether slows the hair-caresses to a stop; he doesn't remove his hand from where it comes to rest, behind Ajax's ear. "If you still want to go book shopping for me today, there's another one I want you to find."That perks Ajax up a little. It sparks his interest and gives him an extra dose of purpose. "What might that be?""Find a book about sexual use of ropes. Something that'll give me lots of ideas to try on you."Ajax flushes with anticipation. A twinge of desire in his loins doesn't set off any beginnings of actual arousal, as sated as the morning has left him, but he looks forward to how hot his blood is going to run in his veins when he gets that book into Aether's hands and watches him peruse it. "I'll find it even if I have to climb to the Grand Narukami Shrine and ask the Publishing House's editor-in-chief herself for it."Aether's smile brightens. The way Ajax makes it sound like some kind of important quest is endearing. "If it comes to that, tell Yae I sent you. Tell her...that I hope she can send my good boy home with what I asked him to find?" Yae strikes him as the type of person who wouldn't object to being peripherally exposed to knowledge of someone's sex life by an interaction like that.It turns out Ajax does have some virility to spare. As he blushes hard, his chlen starts to harden against his thigh. "Y-your good boy?""Do you like that?"He nods quickly. "Yes. Yes, I really do." Aether touches his chlen with one finger and a very small, very plaintive moan shudders out of him under his breath."Do you want me to do something about this?""Mmh," Ajax responds. "Maybe. I don't know what.""You don't have to worry about what, if you'd rather leave that to me.""Yes. Please." Ajax gets no hint as to what Aether might have in mind as he's teased to full mast by light strokes. Aether silently lays even lighter kisses atop his hair while he's doing that, and the petting resumes. All together, it's enough to make Ajax frown in pleasure and breathe another faint moan.Finally he hears his comrade's soft voice again, lowered to a gently authoritative undertone that makes Ajax's leg muscles flex in a subtle writhe. "You're not going to climax again until tonight. You're going to go to a certain place in Kannazuka this evening and wait for me. I'll meet you at that place and show you something beautiful, almost beautiful enough to be worthy of comparing to you. If it's alright with you, I'll hold you under the stars and make you cum with the moonlight on your naked skin."Ajax now exhales a long, reedy moan, his hips twitching upward once before he controls himself. "f*ck," he whines, high and soft and a little shy. "I want it, that, so much. How do you do this to me?""The same way you do it to me, Ajax," Aether says, obliquely but sweetly informing him that he does in fact have the same effect on him.With a weak chuckle, Ajax quips, "You don't beg as much."Aether grins, nosing aside some of Ajax's hair to kiss his forehead. "Is that how you remember me yelling your names earlier?" Not quite yelling, but close enough for his point to be made. Or when I said I wouldn't say please but I cheated by saying it in other languages."Hhah. A fair point..." He's still being stroked, Aether's hand closing around his shaft to keep him erect and simmering with low-key want despite being told he won't be allowed to org*sm. He likes that. It feels good as it is, and he loves every touch Aether will give him. He can just relax into it.Aether doesn't speak for a few moments. He can tell he has Ajax leveled off at a moderate buzz of sexual pleasure; he's not going to get him any further without changing things up. That's perfect. Aether merely saw him getting excited by the experiment of calling him a good boy, and wanted to do something with that. Another pleasant sensation for him to enjoy while having his hair petted. He wonders— "What's more pleasant right now," he asks in an unintrusively quiet tone, "what I'm doing with your hair, or what I'm doing with your chlen? Just curious.""Hair. It's close, though. They're starting to blend together. 'S nice." The movements of Aether's hands fell into sync at some point.Should probably stop soon, Aether thinks. He looks so tasty though. I know what a mouthful of his co— chlen feels like now, and I want him like that again, twitchy and noisy and getting his brain f*cked out so he all he can think about is when I'm going to let him cum. That's going to be him tonight. Not in my mouth, maybe, but somehow.Another question comes to Aether's mind. "Are you interested in...having me use a...nn, Ajax what's the word for a replacement limb?""Prosthetic?" It reminds Ajax of Dottore, who refers to his clones as 'prosthetics' because he uses them more like augmented limbs of his own than assistants or colleagues. Thinking of his weird coworkers makes his libido wilt slightly, simply on account of his distaste for them. Hey, think about getting to fight your clone. Now that's a happy thought!"Thanks. Would you be interested in me using a prosthetic to..." Aether doesn't want to say 'to f*ck you,' but 'to make love with you' isn't precise enough for a question, and he's blanking on any other terms he could use. He's left with one option: "Impale you, as you said so temptingly to me?"That obliterates any other thoughts and sends a fresh jolt of arousal through Ajax. "f*ck me? Would you!? Yes please, I would very much like that."Oh. So that whole struggle over words was for nothing, Aether is amused to find out. "Alright." The enthusiasm of Ajax's answer warms him with joy; finding another key to his beloved's pleasure is so gratifying. His hands slow to a stop as his thoughts pick up speed. "Then I have another task for you today. Find a shop that sells that kind of prosthetic in Inazuma City. Pick one out, and I will f*ck you with it."Ajax sits up to beam at Aether. "Ohhh," he reacts, his voice low and husky and wishful. "I really hope there is such a shop. I would hate to come back empty-handed and have my ass left empty as well."Grinning back, Aether laughs a short, soft chortle, surprised and pleased to meet this side of Ajax's sexuality. "Wow. This is new." As he raises his hand to trace Ajax's jaw with a fingertip, he leaves his chlen dipping toward his thigh, stiff enough to remain semi-upright unsupported. "You know what you want and you're being very good telling me. Have you gotten yourself f*cked before?" The freckles on his ass... Won't be able to stop thinking about them, now.Ajax's chin is nudged upward by Aether's finger and he holds his head high, basking in this sunny attention. Looking down his nose at his sladkiy only in the physical sense, his wide, closed-mouth grin sustains itself on the happily intrigued scrutiny he's being given. "Mmm-hm! Are you jealous, comrade?""Heh. If you're hoping I would get all territorial about it, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, my love. Anyone who's treated you right is an ally to me.""Four days ago," Ajax prods that claim, letting some smugness into his expression. He doesn't even know where it came from. As for what he was hoping for: nothing specific, just anything he could play into."Ohh?" Aether is much more curious now, and delighted by whatever this little game they're playing is. He loves to see Ajax giving him an 'insufferable' look. The boldness, the confidence. In this context it's even better, because there's no sign Ajax has any real worries about Aether being jealous, and if he got the impression that he needn't worry, it's more proof they're on great footing in terms of trust.Ajax pulls one side of his lower lip between his teeth and slowly lets it go as he decides exactly what to say next. He cants his head. "It was someone you know~"This just keeps getting more interesting! Aether enthuses. "Hmmm. Let me guess until I get it right?""Do you want any hints?""I guess I could use one. Does this person go by 'he,' 'she,' or something else?""He." Ajax blinks, his grin faltering briefly. "I think? Perrrhaps I don't know." A funny thing to realize now, days later, he muses."Probably good enough to start with. Okay, I don't know why this guy is my first guess, maybe just because he has a Hydro Vision and a lot of Mora: Kamisato Ayato."Ajax drapes an arm over the back of the sofa and stretches his legs out floorward. "Haven't met him. I'm giving the Tri-Commission a bit of a wide berth. Being identified by the authorities might create problems for me.""That narrows it down. Kazuha's not back in Inazuma yet, so..." Aether's eyes widen. "Arataki Itto?" he asks in an incredulous tone he's not sure of the reason for."Who?""Okay. Uh... General Gorou?""Aha, I'd jump at the chance to spar with him! But no, I haven't met him.""Hmm... Can I get another hint? Is this person a Vision user?""Yes."Aether adopts a similar position to Ajax's in order to face him fully. He puts his arm on the back of the sofa as well, folded instead of extended so he can prop his chin against his closed hand. "...What was that guy's name... Kurosssomething... His first name sounded like Harunosuke but it wasn't that?""Don't ask me, I've no idea who that is," Ajax disconfirms, chuckling."Iiis he...a dojo master?""Definitely not." No offense, Thoma. Dressing the part of a samurai doesn't count.Aether has been counting Thoma out because of his association with the Yashiro Commission, but he's scraping the bottom of the barrel now. "...Thoma?" he asks with a shrug and a confused quirk of his lips.Ajax bursts out laughing. "Stop reading my mind, comrade!" He playfully slaps Aether's shoulder. A light slap for them, but not so light for most people.Aether laughs too. In the same jovial spirit, he swats Ajax's hand away after it connects. "What? I'm not! I can't! I swear I can't."Their laughter fades but their mood remains merry. Ajax elaborates, "Well, anyway, I made his acquaintance the day prior at a restaurant. Shimura's?"Nodding, Aether comments, "You hadn't been to Inazuma before, right? So I thought it had to be very recently you met Thoma."A nod in turn. Ajax brings his forearm up from behind the sofa to idly finger Aether's elbow. "He was very kind. No need for you to worry about how he treated me, hm? He is not shy though! I respect that he knew what he wanted and went for it. And what he wanted...was me~"Aether bites his lip to half-suppress a grin so he can say a second later, "I didn't know he had such good taste.""Good taste? Ahaha, I don't know about that. I didn't tell him I'm Fatui, much less a Harbinger..." Ajax wonders again if that was fair to Thoma. He still thinks he couldn't have told him the truth, for multiple reasons."Oh he probably knew.""Huh?" Ajax's eyebrows quirk in confusion. Why would he?"He...how should I put this, because this is definitely not why he liked you or why he had sex with you. Don't think that for a second; he really isn't that kind of person. But he keeps himself aware of possible threats to the Kamisato Clan. By the way, that's a weird way to give the Tri-Commission a wide berth, befriending the Kamisatos' fixer." Safe to say they're friends, I think. Ajax can make a friend in two minutes sometimes, no way he and Thoma don't see each other as friends. Why's he look so surprised, though?Ajax's confusion increases and he stares at Aether for a few seconds. The Kamisatos' fixer? They didn't come up at all. Why would he hide that? Because he knew who I was? Unless it's a card he keeps close to his chest as a matter of course? Would someone like Shimura or Kiminami know? Wait...that report about— "Ah!" He facepalms. "The Komore Teahouse! Of course. He's connected to it and the Kamisatos control access to it..."

"You didn't know," Aether states rather than asks as he reaches that conclusion. "Hm. There are other people who are connected to the Teahouse, too. If that's all the information you had, I don't see how you could have guessed. Not with any certainty."A pouting huff wafts Ajax's longest forelock. "I suppose you're right. Signora wasn't especially interested in the inner workings of the Yashiro Commission, and Scaramouche not at all. Their main focus was on the warfront. As a result, there are certain gaps in the intel our forces gathered under his field command.""...How do you feel about not knowing that?""Ah, don't worry yourself, I just feel a little caught out. If we were in the same boat, I'd not even have that qualm." I'm not sorry I lied, anymore, Ajax thinks pettily. Nothing against Thoma, but. "I told him I'm a banker from Liyue, by the way."Aether raises an eyebrow. "That is what you are."Ajax puts on a hurt expression. "Don't say that! How could you diminish me like that..." He gives Aether a slight wink to ensure he knows he's joking. (Unrelated, his erection has gone soft by now.)Though that's what Aether would have intuited anyway, he appreciates the cue. It's considerate and cute. "Hmm. If you were just a banker, even then I'd probably fall in love with you. Probably find you taking your break on the docks— no, in the morning, before you go in. Watching the fishing boats bring their catches in. You're from a fishing village, right?"All artifice has vanished from Ajax's visage, which has been taken over by a soft smile full of warmth. "When did I even tell you that, lyubimy?" he murmurs admiringly. The hypothetical scenario is vivid in his mind, too, from the dawn breaking over Liyue Harbor, and the smell of the sea, to the image of Aether wandering over to him to strike up a conversation. He has none of the doubts about this idea that he had before Aether convinced him the other scenario, the one where he was nothing more than a toy salesman, was plausible."The first day you visited here," Aether reminisces. "We were talking about languages. You said Teyvat common and Snezhnayan are both spoken in the fishing village you grew up in." It was evening and they were making borscht. Well, they started making borscht; they didn't cook it that night. Borscht! Zhongli! I have to tell Ajax what he told me about that.One of Ajax's hands has been resting on his own knee since the last time he changed position. It's this hand that he reaches across the small span that formed between them, and with it he cups Aether's face, stroking his cheek with his thumb. "That is information I don't give out freely, and yet I told you so easily I didn't even remember doing so. That's the level of trust I placed in you even then...""You're protecting your family by not talking about the Eleventh Harbinger's hometown to just anyone," Aether guesses.Ajax nods once, gently, with a slow blink of his eyes. "So when I tell you that its name is Morepesok...""I'll keep it secret," Aether promises, touching his heart and then covering Ajax's hand. "I would die before endangering your family.""Thank you, comrade," Ajax intones sincerely. "I knew I had nothing to worry about in that respect, when it comes to you."Aether meshes his fingers between Ajax's, and places on the inside of his wrist a light but earnest kiss. "I'm honored by how much you've trusted me for so long. I...guess I understand why? My reputation, right? My actions in Teyvat. Nothing fairer than judging a person by their actions."Ajax's wrist is so sensitive to a kiss from Aether. It's funny, he reflects, that he used to think he knew everything there was to know about his valued but unloved body. "Yes, but I'll admit to intuition playing a part. And perhaps a dash of optimism. I think what I'm saying is that it was instinct as much as judgment."Laying their comfortably entwined hands between him and Ajax, Aether momentarily extends his other arm to touch a finger to his auburn-haired head. "I love getting to know what's going on in there...""Haha, hm." Likewise, Ajax taps Aether's head with his free hand. "I wish I knew more about what goes on in here."Aether's response is a small and almost shy smile. "Believe me, you're much more interesting." I've always been kind of passive, but since coming to this world, I'm more passive than ever. Most of the time it feels like I just exist and react."Nonsense! I know I'm interesting, but I'm not that interesting as to be comparable to the infinite depths of the night sky. If the brilliance of its stars seems to shine from unfathomably far away, it's only because those stars hold so many secrets.""Shush," Aether mutters, inclining his head. He's not too serious, though, and his smile widens in spite of himself. "Firstly, I'm just one star. I'll let you have your poetic...um...""Poetic license?"A slight nod of thanks and Aether tries that sentence again. "I'll let you have your poetic license, though, because it's always nice listening to you talk like that. Secondly, you can ask me anything you want to. I don't intentionally have any secrets from you."Ajax gives Aether a placid look that's exquisitely subtle in its skepticism. "Do you ask me all the questions you wish to, or are there some you save for later because the time isn't right?"He's got him there. "Mh. Yeah... There are many more questions I want to ask than questions I have asked. I can't object to you using the same discretion."Ajax has a whim to draw Aether close, have him sit on his lap, and tell him something sweet. He doesn't know what he's going to say yet, but he has no doubt something will come to mind, just like a perfect excuse to have Aether closer comes to mind. "Are you going to put your hair back in its braid for today's outings?""Yeah?" Aether is about to ask Ajax if he'll do it for him, now that it's been brought up."No you're not," Ajax declares chipperly. "Because I'm going to braid it for you. C'mere."With a short, quiet chuckle and a flash of a grin, Aether starts to move forward. He pauses. "Shouldn't I just turn around here so you have room to...?"Ajax turns himself and sits like a normal person instead of a six-foot-long plank of wood lain diagonal against a sofa. He gestures cordially to his thighs. "Why don't you lay across my lap?"That sounds very relaxing to Aether. His smile melts into a generalized buoyancy of his whole face. "Happy to." He crawls over and lowers himself into place, not avoiding the other man's genitals, but careful not to get his elbow anywhere near them or put his weight there. "So close to temptation.""Hehe, get your mind out of the gutter, lyubimy." Ajax gets right to work finger-combing Aether's hair to prepare it."The gutter?""Just an expression that means 'stop thinking about sex.' Not that I mind, of course, but I have a job to do~""Thank you for this. Ah, I have to tell you before I get distracted again: I ran into Zhongli on my little shopping trip. The person, not the cat. I didn't mention you, but I thanked him for the borscht recipe. He told me something interesting. Did you know he hates seafood?"Ajax is perplexed by that. His fingers slow down for a second as he narrows his eyes. "But...he tried several seafood dishes I recommended..."Ohh, Aether thinks, feeling like he's starting to understand something but not clear on what. "He was vivid in his description of why he doesn't like it. He was definitely being honest.""Hmph. That man is too polite, he could have just told me he didn't like it...""You know what this means about the borscht," Aether prompts, looking up over his shoulder at Ajax.Ajax opens his mouth and draws a breath as his eyes widen, but he's actually speechless for a few seconds. "...It really was just for me, then?" Thoughtful and not entirely credulous."No doubt about it. He told me it was.""He mentioned me?" Again, a note of reflexive disbelief, albeit less."To explain why he gave the recipe to Three-Round Knockout. He meant it as a surprise for you.""That explains why he never said anything about it.""Mm-hm. He wants to visit the Teapot someday soon. He doesn't know you're here. Are you okay with him visiting?""You're asking me?" Ajax almost chuckles. "It's your—...""I think it's fine to wear just the zhōngyī when you're in your own house," he recalls Aether saying yesterday. It struck him as odd at the time but he couldn't put a pin in why. Now it's plain as day.Our, not my. Aether watches Ajax's freckles redden. He smiles slowly, suspecting but not certain why his beloved is blushing. "What?""You said yesterday—... And you said today—!""Tell her to send my good boy home with what I asked him to find."Ajax meets Aether's gaze with the kind of smile that crinkles the corners of the eyes and shines like early evening sunlight. "Yesterday," he composes himself to say properly, "you remarked that it's fine to wear the zhōngyī in one's own house. And today, you told me that if I have to consult Yae, I should tell her to send me home with what you asked me to find."Aether's eyebrows go up. He's well aware that he wants Ajax to consider the Serenitea Pot a place he can call a home away from home. But he himself never called it home before. A lump forms in his throat because he immediately understands why he did. Ajax being here made it home for me, too."Are you alright, Aether?" Ajax checks, seeing a strange look come over him. Bittersweet, maybe? Touched? Hopefully not hurt!"Yeah," Aether answers thickly. He wipes welling tears out of his eyes. "It's just never been home to me before, Ajax. You...are my home." A location could never be home to a perpetual traveler. A place that is not a location? Possibly. A person? Most definitely.Ajax smiles at him, again sunny in the manner of the golden hour, this time wide enough to half close his eyes. "Moya lyubov...I don't know what to say."Aether's expression grows into a similar smile. "I don't know what to say either. Except that...I love you, my comrade."Ajax strokes the back of Aether's head. "And I you... Barbara said something very insightful to me the other day. She said that if this 'teapot' is not in any particular location, then it's both as far away from my hometown as possible, and as close to it as possible. I've taken to thinking of it as the latter."Aether sighs, so happy he feels aglow inside. "Huh. I'm glad to hear that..." An idea that's been baking in the back of his mind springs forth. "Mm! I'll ask Tubby if the Realm Dispatch can still work if you borrow it. Maybe you can use it to give all your family access here the next time you see them! Uh, but I don't know if that will work.""Ahh, that would be..." Ajax shakes his head slowly in hope. "Superlative.""Doesn't superlative mean— isn't it just the whole category of words that mean 'best'?""Yes it is. What's the problem with that?" Ajax raises his eyebrows at Aether, tightening a droll smile into a small width for effect."I'm going to take that to mean 'superlative' can be used when you can't think of a better description.""By all means, and you're welcome.""Hah. Thank you. Hey, can you read the dictionary to me? One of these nights. Sometimes I read it myself to expand and remember my Teyvat vocabulary, but listening to you read it would be superlative."Ajax chortles. "If that's how much you enjoy my voice, sladkiy, it would be my pleasure.""Ohh not as much as it'll be my pleasure," Aether remarks."Now now, how are you going to stay focused on the vocabulary lesson?""Hmm. Good point and I don't have an answer. Speaking of answers, what about Zhongli? The person. Visiting. Okay with you?""Oh yes. I dearly want to find out how he reacts to learning why you and I have to specify to one another whether we're talking about a person or a cat. And speaking of that! I need to buy many things for the cat today. I should start a list, what with all this shopping I'm to do.""I have something else to add to it: go to the Adventurers' Guild and see if they have a uniform in your size. Xingqiu's disguise gave me an idea. If they give you any obstacle for not being a member...uhh..." Aether reaches for his earring but he's not wearing it right now. Instead he nods up toward Ajax's (although it just looks like he's nodding at his face). "Trade earrings for a day?"How about forever, Ajax almost suggests, but his earring goes with his outfit so well and Aether's really wouldn't. Besides, if they're going to trade jewelry they may as well— With some nervous internal laughter he stows that thought away. Again. He smiles like he isn't mildly panicking about his sudden certainty that it's going to get ever more difficult to resist that thought. He can't even pretend he didn't have it, this time. Too soon. Too soon. Be patient. We have so many new things to get used to, don't add another one. Acting skills to the rescue: the smile he has put on is a classic, but it's moderate and fits the moment. "Alright! And that will convince them of what exactly?""I actually haven't thought that through very well, but I'm hoping my, er, status in the Guild will count for something." Aether develops an impish little grin and he adds, "If they refuse, tell them not to send my good boy home empty-handed, and that I want you to wear the uniform for personal reasons." Attack me, get attacked. Inconvenience me, get too much information. Same principle.Ajax takes a measured breath, steeling himself against the distraction two of those words are pleasantly threatening him with. "Do you?""No, unless you'd like that.""Doubtful. Those Guild uniforms are..." Not my style. He starts to imagine what he'd look like if he transformed while wearing one. Oh no. Nooo no no. "—they have too many layers. In these parts of Teyvat, even two layers is quite a lot.""So that's why you leave your shirt and jacket half undone.""It also lets me wear my Vision on my belt.""There are so many other ways you could solve either of those problems or both. I like the method you chose, though." Aether isn't sure how he's going to survive seeing that corner of Ajax's waist framed by his usual clothes again. Why does that seem as if it would be so much more distracting than lying on his lap when he's not wearing anything ? Just thinking about it, I want to touch it. He looks around his shoulder at the waist of the man who is still combing his hair and has yet to start braiding it. Thanks to all the attention he has paid to Ajax's body in combat, it's very easy for him to recall and mentally demarcate the triangle that's usually exposed when he's not moving, rare though that is while he's fighting.It's his trousers' fault, actually, Aether decides. They hug his narrow hips so low, showing off the crests of his pelvis and the inguinal furrows leading from those downward. The shirt and jacket are just accomplices. He reaches around his shoulder with his opposite arm to lightly poke Ajax right where his inguinal ligament abuts the furrow."Ehey! It tickles there.""Really? You're ticklish there? So your weak spot is as advertised as a Ruin Guard's.""Comrade, no one's going to tickle me in combat.""Unless you have something against tickling, 'someone' is going to take advantage of this knowledge."Ajax considers. Their quality sparring time getting interrupted that way is an idea that holds no appeal in his imagination. It's too much of a tonal shift. He wouldn't even like to interrupt sparring for sex, he speculates, though having it as a kind of dessert after the nourishing meal of combat would be more than acceptable. They might have done that last time if they hadn't been so tired. "...I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you," he concludes. "However! If you'd like to try tickling me while you have me tied up, I'm game."With a smile, Aether nods, then kisses a bare sliver of his forehead between his forelocks. "I always like an honest answer. Thank you." He touches Ajax's chin, feels the stubble there, and takes the opportunity (of not being preoccupied with anything else) to comment on it. "This is different. My fault for throwing you off your routines?""Tsk. You're truly a menace in that respect.""I never saw this in the Chamber. You took the time to shave in there?""Plenty of quiet moments to be stolen from the jaws of death in there.""Mm," Aether concurs. "It's just interesting." He continues exploring the rough texture, tracing Ajax's jawline all the way and then running his finger sideways up and down the front of his neck. By then Ajax is smiling and his eyes are closed, and he now tips his head up like a cat who enjoys chin scritches."How's it interesting?" Ajax asks after a relaxation-induced delay. A lazy question, too."Well, I suppose this isn't the last time I'll see it and feel it, but it is new. Other than that, I'm curious about your reasons for always shaving your face completely.""Mh," Ajax shrugs aloud. "I like it that way. And yes, it serves me the same as your absence of facial hair serves you, 'encouraging' my opponents to underestimate me. Those who don't recognize me, anyway, and in Inazuma that's still just about everybody who isn't Fatui or Snezhnayan.""Hm," Aether acknowledges in a lilted tone of thanks for the answered curiosity. He doesn't stop stroking Ajax's neck, but he does start thinking about what to do next. They can teleport to the fourth island and have a Hydro shower, maybe. What about a real bath though? And would that be together?Ajax hesitates to bring up the third reason, but as he pieces the explanation together for Aether ahead of time, he finds it's a more comfortable prospect than he expected. So, he proceeds with it. "...I resemble my father much more when I don't shave. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dislike him, nor have I any reason to." He really doesn't blame his father for anything that happened. He still loves him as much as he did before everything unavoidably had to change. (Before he came back 'wrong.' Before he became, at best, a disappointment.)Aether observes that Ajax's expression hasn't quite fallen. The faint smile that remains is wistful, but Aether can feel under his thighs that Ajax hasn't tensed up. Whatever it is that he's alluding to, he seems to be at peace with it, at least at the moment. Aether isn't sure what to say or if Ajax is going to say more. He can keep supplying soothing little caresses, and that's what he does.Ajax tips his head back a tad further—slowly, so that Aether doesn't take it as a cue to stop—and rests it on the top of the sofa cushion. His eyes are still closed. I've told them so much about him, but I've told him so little about them. There's a lot to be said that has nothing to do with troubles past or present. Those are the things he'll say, for now. "...My father's name is Lev. He used to be an adventurer. I grew up listening to stories from his adventuring days. There were so many of them. In hindsight I think he may have spun a few extra tales from each of his exploits, stretching and embellishing in order to feed my insatiable appetite for them."Aether feels the beginning of a chuckle in Ajax's throat, under his fingers. It emerges only as a soft huff from his nose and a brief blooming of the germinal smile at the corners of his mouth. It must be past noon by now, Aether is sure in the very back of his mind, but nothing short of the impending end of this world could move him from raptly listening to Ajax open up about his family. Evidently no one's going to disturb me in my own...home. He leans forward, laying himself against Ajax chest to chest, yukata to skin."He'd take me ice fishing and regale me for hours. Those were happy times. He's a kind man who loves his family very much." Ajax opens an eye and a half to peek at Aether as the shorter man cuddles against him and extends his arms alongside his head. It seems at first that Aether is just going to let his forearms hang off the back of the sofa, but, perhaps as an afterthought, he folds them under Ajax's head. As pillows go, his comrade's arms aren't as soft as the sofa cushion, but they're warm, and they're Aether's.Aether and Ajax share an affectionate look before Ajax closes his eyes again. Aether may as well too, and he does, because he resumes his attentions on Ajax's neck in the form of brushing the bridge and tip of his nose against his throat. Slow, aimless, and very light so as not to make speaking difficult for Ajax. At times he simply holds still, his nose poised where Ajax's bobbing laryngeal prominence grazes it as he speaks. Neck: not ticklish, Aether notes."As much as he evidently enjoyed traveling around, delving into mysterious ruins and facing dangerous beasts—not highly dangerous, I'm talking about hilichurls and slimes and the occasional vishap for the most part—well, he found he enjoyed settling down at the seaside with a certain Nadezhda even more. Which, come to think of it, isn't unlike those hypotheticals you and I considered earlier." Ajax isn't going to pause to dwell on what he accidentally implied (that in those scenarios Aether would settle down with him). "It's a good thing he had a soft spot for children, because they ended up with quite a few! I haven't told you about all of my siblings, have I. Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself, and I don't know if these mundanities of human life even interest you." No reproach toward either of them, just Ajax checking that his second-favorite audience isn't bored. (His favorite audience, of course, is any or all of his younger siblings.)"They do. Especially when they're about you and your family. Besides, I did ask you to read the dictionary to me, so...it's safe to say...that even if I wasn't interested, I'd still be very happy to listen.""In that case, how will I know whether you're actually interested or just using me for my voice?~""If that's what it was about, I'd be on your chlen. Or we'd be having some kind of sex, anyway.""You, er, technically are sitting—""And neither of us seems to care right now. Please continue, my love."A silent chuckle shakes Ajax's chest. "Yes lyubimy. Where was I. Ahh, my siblings! My father named all the boys and my mother named the girls. So, all of us boys have names from old stories p— father came across in the course of his adventuring career. Evander is my oldest brother. Damian is...rather, Sveta is— ahah, let me start again and make this clearer for you. From oldest to youngest it's Evander, Sveta, Damian, me, Tonia, Anthon, and Teucer.""You really are in the middle. The middlest, one might say."Ajax grins. "That's what Tonia says, in fact! Anthon, too, after he picked it up from her.""You know, if Teucer's such a cute kid and you're such a cute man, your whole family must be...just...irresistible if they ask for anything. Suddenly I understand your relationship with Teucer a little better.""H'oh? Well—... Oh. Oh I see. Alright, and suddenly I understand a little better why you keep calling me cute. I wouldn't have thought I was anything like—...""You and he are different, but the family resemblance goes deeper than just looking alike. You both have a way of being...hmm...—of getting what you want by being charming instead of annoying. And there's a forthrightness you both have. And you both act before you think, sometimes. Heh, did he grow up listening to your father's stories, too?"I'd rather Teucer wasn't like me. One of the things Ajax will readily admit to himself that he fears is Teucer's adventurousness leading him to run away from home like he did. In a way, it already happened: the boy boarded a ship just because he thought Ajax might be on it! That was terrifying to hear and it's still bone-chilling to think about the thousand ways that could have gone horribly wrong. Worse could still happen. He never wants to see Teucer's bright eyes turn into what he sees in the mirror."Ajax?""Sorry, just thinking. I really wish I could be home often enough and long enough to give him proper training. He's taking archery lessons from father and a local hunter, but... I feel as though if I don't have a hand in guiding him, he'll make the same mistakes I made." Not mistakes for me. Fate, for me. But for him...I reject any fate that would make him like me.Aether nods. "I...think I understand." That's how I feel about you sometimes. "It feels like if you're not there something will go wrong? Like you just can't trust the rest of the world to treat him as you wholeheartedly believe he should be." Your path has so many forks that lead to bad ends. "All the worst possibilities that could happen to him are laid out in your mind, and there are just so many..." You aren't even undefeatable yet.(Ajax is too focused on his own worries to wonder why Aether understands.) "That's it exactly, and yet... To answer your question, I don't think my father tells those stories anymore. But Teucer...he looks up to me so much. That's not a good thing. Aether, I'm selfish, I really am. I could cut ties with them, and it would hurt my younger siblings at first, but it would also prevent them from taking after me. If I had the guts to do that, if I could be that cruel to myself, they also wouldn't be hurt if something happens to me in the future.""Good that you don't," Aether says firmly, lifting his head. "You know where I stand on you being unkind to yourself. You also don't have it in you to be that cruel to them, and you're downplaying that fact because you're trying to convince us both of your point. But you're not selfish, you're self-centered. You see the world in terms of what each and every thing in it means to you, but the parts of it you care about, the people you care about, you really care. You—. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying this right now should I." He grimaces apologetically.Ajax has opened his eyes, has been observing the stony conviction on Aether's face. How abruptly that melts into a softer expression makes Ajax pause, despite what they're talking about, and just privately be in love with Aether for a few seconds before he goes back to thinking straight. (Or thinking that he's thinking straight.) He gives Aether a smile meant to reassure, and it's apologetic too. "It's alright. If I'm honest, the reason it's alright is that I don't believe it. I don't think you're lying, but it's not something I can believe. Admittedly, and this isn't easy to admit, you've a track record of being right that I can't wholly ignore, even though I should be the expert on my own nature."Aether draws a deep breath and sighs it out, for no reason other than he feels like he hasn't been taking in enough air while taking in Ajax's response. Accepting that response isn't hard: it's about as good as he could hope for under the circ*mstances. He nods. "I don't hold that against you." Softer, he reiterates, "Of course I don't." He leans in then to offer his own reassurance in the form of a simple kiss——and Ajax feels him smile as he meets him halfway. He prolongs the kiss that Aether seems to have meant to be short and sweet, because he wants to make it sweeter still. Every little push and ply of his lips is a way of stating respect for Aether's certainty, treasuring his high opinion of him, and thanking him for listening.Aether is very content to have Ajax take the lead, making no attempt to stop after his initial move to pull away. It had been only the smallest move, the very beginning of an end, something he would have assumed was missed if he and Ajax weren't such attentive students of each other. When Ajax slowly releases his lips, they exchange warm looks and a moment of stroking chins and cheeks. "...Thank you for telling me things about your family. I want to hear more, in time.""You're welcome, and I'm sorry I digressed into complaining about troubles that—...I suppose...you aren't entirely uninvolved in, given recent developments, and given you've met Teucer already.""It's more than fine, sweetheart. You and I never stick to one subject for long anyway.""Hmm, you've got us there," Ajax almost chuckles. Us. I like the sound of that. Us... As it should be. The two strongest warriors in this world, they'll be. (This time he successfully avoids thinking about them being the two strongest married warriors in this world.) He reaches around Aether's back to start and finish actually braiding his hair. Aether cooperatively leans in again, resting his chin on Ajax's shoulder and draping his arms on the back of the sofa to keep them out of his way. As he nears the end of Aether's hair, Ajax inquires, "Do you want me to tie it off with itself or use...your..."Aether feels Ajax crane his neck to glance around the room in search of the tie Aether usually uses. Aether sits up and stretches his arms. "I'll get it." His body, though hardy against a considerable range of temperatures, feels the loss of Ajax's warmth instantly as he moves off his lap and stands up. Heh. Every time...There's a slight tug on Aether's hair as Ajax gets up after him. He looks down and sees that Ajax is still holding it, keeping it from coming undone with uncalled for smugness. Because something must be said to that face, Aether quips, "Didn't know you wanted a leash.""Aren't I intangible and unbound?""Hmm." Aether doesn't have a comeback to his own description of Ajax.As he follows Aether across the room to the nightstand near the bed, Ajax asks himself whether he would like the other man to put a leash on him. Everything is worth considering. No immediate answer comes to mind, no physical reaction of desire or revulsion, so he just keeps trying to imagine it—until his attention is stolen by a glimpse of bright red paper in the drawer Aether is fetching his hair tie from. Before the drawer is closed he asks quickly and without thinking, "What's that?" And, breaking the inhibition he learned in Liyue, he points at what he hopes is a certain envelope, reaching an arm around Aether to do so.Aether looks up at Ajax, who is almost leaning over his shoulder. His eyes are, in their own way that makes Aether smile, bright with a special kind of curiosity. There's no need to wonder why. "Sharp eyes, comrade," he replies affectionately, his choice of phrase coincidental. He unearths the envelope from under his earring, the Realm Dispatch, a couple of omamori, and Yoimiya's fireworks note."There it is!" Ajax reacts, happily, to being handed the envelope with the words друг мой on it in his own handwriting. He takes a seat on the bed's edge to refresh his memory of the letter inside, only to encounter the problem that he can't open it with one hand. Not neatly, anyway. "Uh, comrade?" He smiles winningly up at Aether as a request for some assistance. He is handed the hair tie and temporarily trades the envelope back for it.While Ajax secures the braid, Aether opens the letter and looks it over for a moment himself. He reread it enough times that there's no point doing so now; he just skims it to enjoy the fact that the one who wrote it is right behind him. 'There it is'? Were you looking for it?~ He won't say that out loud. Making fun of Ajax for a perfectly understandable curiosity is not his intention, and the first step to honor an intention is to avoid foreseen risks of fouling it up.He's about to pass the letter back when Ajax takes the shortcut of pulling him onto his lap and plopping his chin on his shoulder to read over it. Aether huffs in amusem*nt and holds the letter at a good angle for him. "It's the first time you've seen it since then. It's probably the twentieth time I've seen it."Smiling wistfully to himself, Ajax closes his eyes a moment to dwell on that information and the complicated warmth it wraps around his heart. Though he has forgiven Aether for disbelieving what he said in this letter, knowing the full extent to which Aether was not ignoring it...hurts a bit, even as it flatters him. Because it means he didn't just dismiss his words once and never reconsider, no, he reconsidered many times and always came to the same conclusion. He didn't ignore the letter, he ignored him. Ajax supposes it doesn't change anything, though. Those months were what they were, and now things are completely different. He finds himself hugging Aether, holding him tight around the midsection, and to that he adds a single kiss on the unclothed portion of his shoulder near his neck. Lastly, he quietly fills his lungs with a slow, deep breath of Aether's scent before reopening his eyes.Aether notices the dead silence that follows his comment, as well as the hug and its progressive tightening. He can't guess the reason right away. ...Flattered? Too flattered? Thinking about how long I didn't—...oh. How long I didn't do anything about what I read so many times. How many times I convinced myself not to. He knows why and he said he forgave me, but that doesn't mean it's easy to think about. Ajax kisses his shoulder at that point. Reaching up and back, Aether apologizes with a tender brush of his knuckles along the side of Ajax's chin. He wonders if he should say something, but maybe limiting his acknowledgement to a touch is for the best: he doesn't want Ajax to feel obligated to respond to another explicit apology he hasn't even sought."I'm sorry, Ajax," he ends up murmuring anyway. "I know you forgave me, but the more I gain rearsight— hindsight on it, the more I regret every time I...convinced myself my fears justified not going to you and talking about this. I was selfish, and I hurt you. Even though I hadn't promised yet that I wouldn't do that, I really wish I hadn't kept you waiting so long." Months may not be long in the grand scheme of things, but Aether is keenly aware that it can feel like forever. Every month he didn't know what happened to Lumine was like that.Ajax answers by bending one of his arms upward and sliding that hand into place over Aether's heart. He had begun to loosen his hold, but he renews it in appreciation. In a creeping sense of displaced desperation, too, as he involuntarily imagines if they hadn't been drawn to the same spill of monsters onto Inazuman soil and taken interest in the source. Highly unlikely they wouldn't have, he reminds himself, and it feels like the scintilla of anxiety fades.Aether gently squeezes his arm with his free hand.Ajax almost starts to say something, like 'I know' and some sort of musing that would move them on and lighten the mood again, but other words leap to the tip of his tongue and he shuts his mouth so hastily to halt them that his teeth click together. Marry me, he almost said. Would you marry me? Will you stay with me? Please don't leave. A rush of thoughts that leave him inwardly chagrined and concerned. So... As compelling as all that is, it doesn't... That is, it's...perhaps not...ideal. I really should not be asking him that too soon if that's what's behind it. He doesn't have a big rationale for that opinion, just a sense that if he's going to propose it should be all about wanting a positive and not tainted by fear of a negative.A kiss on Aether's neck to orient himself, then he can try again. "Perhaps it had to be that way. You weren't ready, simple as that. Maybe I wasn't either. For this, for everything we can be? No...that needed to ripen, I'll bet."Aether leans his head against Ajax's. "You're probably right. Regret isn't...the right way to look at it. I'd do differently if I could go back from now, but if I only knew what I knew then, well...the only thing I would be able to do is what I did, I guess. Does that make sense?""It does, to me. Regret is of no use unless it changes your decisions going forward. You can't go back."Blond hair mixes among auburn and vice versa as Aether nods. "In that case, regret has served its purpose already."Ajax turns his head to kiss Aether's cheek, but Aether turns his too. Evidently they're acting on similar impulses, because Ajax gets a kiss on the bridge of his nose. Another one of Aether's amusedly surprised huffs suggests that's not quite where he meant his lips to end up. With a smile and a small chortle under his breath, Ajax sees fit to respond by catching the tip of Aether's nose in a quick kiss. It even makes a little 'chu' sound, unlike all the other kisses they've given each other so far.That gives back to Aether much the same smile and laugh that his accidental nose-kiss gave Ajax. "So, um, do you want to read it aloud?" A shy request. "Not because of your voice. I mean, not for that reason. I'm just...curious.""Why not. Let's see..." Ajax clears his throat, weighing his options in a second and deciding to make it funny at his own expense. In a weary, bored, and mock-depressed tone he begins, "Hey, pal." He heaves a forlorn sigh. "How have you been? You must have traveled far and wide...since we last saw each other...right?" He slumps against Aether's back to emphasize the dejection.It's obvious what Ajax is doing. Aether bites the insides of his lips sternly to keep from smiling, then switches to biting the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing. Maybe he just doesn't want to be serious anymore right after we talked about it, but I'm glad he can joke about it."These past couple of days, I've used a work opportunity to explore Dragonspine and seek out some local specialties. I hope..."—another sigh, thinner and more wistful than the first—"...they will be of some use to you." He unslumps somewhat to whisper in Aether's ear, "The harsh cold of the snow-capped mountains is reminiscent of the scenery of my hometown...ellipsis..."That's Ajax's poetic intonation exaggerated to a homesick homily that would have been funnier if he hadn't whispered it. When whispered, and with Ajax's breath warming his ear, Aether finds it confoundingly seductive. Then comes the stated ellipsis, which frees a choked yip of a laugh from Aether's suppression.Ajax smirks to himself. He doesn't give Aether time to recover his self-control. "Sigh!" The exclamatory reading is improv, but the word is what he wrote. "I've had. Many. Mundane days that make me nostalgic of..." He sniffles, then pitches his voice up into a slight mournful keen atop an actual sigh. "Our time together..." Another sniffle for punctuation before he pivots back to wistfulness, now deeply contemplative. Aether is shaking in his arms and a number of faint squeaks, the tips of laughing icebergs, are escaping him. "Whether it's a fight or a challenge, I always feel that having you around is what makes life really interesting. I'm more than willing to put my job aside occasionally to experience your travels with you. To be honest, I would even quit my job to join you on your adventures."Finally Aether can't hold back. The emotional impact of that line in the letter ironically jars loose a burst of gasping, wheezing, crying laughter. "Sor—rehehe," he tries to apologize for the timing. "It's n-ahaha, it's not, haa, not what you wro-hote.""Oh, I know," Ajax assures him, grinning victoriously. "I'm the one who set you up for this. I just couldn't resist, and I must say: it's worth it. Look at you: you're falling apart. If you admit defeat, I'll go easy on you now~" He turns Aether sideways on his lap and kisses his cheekbones, dabbing away the tears of mirth with his tonguetip."N-no, fin-ish it, I can— I can get through— to the end." Focusing on the cute little lick-kisses actually helps Aether regain some control.Ajax has to stop in order to reply and continue. "Aha, okay then, but don't say I didn't give you the chance to surrender." He clears his throat once again. "I've been planning a special date to meet up with you. Huh? It doesn't say 'date'?" He pretends to be mystified. "It says 'day'? Strange!" Next he whispers in Aether's ear again, imparting as a fun, conspiratorial aside, "I'm sure I meant 'date,' even though I didn't know it then."Aether keeps his grinning mouth clamped shut, and he has his eyes closed too so he doesn't have to deal with Ajax's face. But...a snicker breaks his front line and then the whole vanguard holding back his laughter routs. It all starts again, now with hiccups. Trying so hard to suppress it only tightened the spring."Ahh," Ajax sighs, looking like the cat that ate the canary. "At last, I win." The incidental implication that this counted as sparring is what gets Ajax laughing, equal parts smug and boyish (a combination which, it turns out, would pass for an evil laugh)."You win," Aether admits as soon as he can get the words out. He shakes his head, his face aching from so much grinning. It isn't used to it, though it has had some training in the past ten days. "I can't...believe...you did that.""And I'm not done yet. Where were we? Ah: I've been planning a special day to meet up with you. Today could be that chance!" Writing this letter and actually having it delivered (through the Adventurers' Guild instead of his own people) had been Ajax's birthday gift to himself. "If you have no special plans, how about you swing by my place?" By which he meant the Northland Bank, in effect. His plan was to be in all day, but just in case, he'd instructed Ekaterina to direct Aether to him if he came looking for him and he wasn't around. "P.S., ask me what the phrase on the envelope means~"Aether blinks his eyes open, glancing at the letter. He knows very well that it has no postscript and doesn't say that anywhere. He always thought it was odd that no translation was provided, and his curiosity eventually pushed him to copy the letters onto scrap paper and show them to Viktor. 'My friend,' Viktor had told him it said."And you still say you're not joining the Fatui?" "No, I'm still not joining the Fatui." "So you say, Traveler, but you seem to have a habit of making Snezhnayan friends." "Yeah, well.""It means 'my friend,' doesn't it?""Ask me," Ajax sportively insists."Okay, what does it mean?"Marry me? "My friend." His smile is that of a self-satisfied rascal.Aether scoffs, lightly thumping the back of his hand against Ajax's chest. He's smiling too, of course. "You... What am I going to do with you. Come on, let's get our clothes on.""Hah! Alright, yes, we've probably fooled around enough for one day." 'Til tonight, anyway! He shoves Aether off his lap, knowing his comrade will catch himself with ease.Aether ends up on his feet as gracefully as if he'd simply stood up. He shucks off his yukata and starts donning his normal outfit. In the process, he sighs in relief not once but twice, and he catches Ajax doing the same as he fastens his grey trousers and adjusts his burgundy shirt."How did Noelle find the time to mend all this?" Ajax wonders, squinting perplexedly as he looks an almost fully dressed Aether up and down."Not this, just your stuff. My clothes mend themselves.""Come again?""It's like alchemy, but from another world. Far away and long ago. This is one of the reasons I prefer these clothes so much, even when they're not ideal in other ways.""I see... I don't suppose they clean themselves?""No, unfortunately." Aether frowns in a general downward direction and folds his arms. "Noelle washed my underwear... How am I ever going to make this up to her... How am I even going to look her in the eyes again? I guess she's washed other people's underwear before, she's basically a professional, maybe that's how I should think of it...""What's this mean?" Having just opened the note that was left with their clothes, Ajax shows it to Aether.It's the word 'Revenge' written in an impeccably tidy cursive hand. Aether blinks several times. "Wow. Yeah, that's Noelle's handwriting. She and I have a friend who uh...uh, it's hard to explain. Her name is Eula and she sort of tries to mask how kind she actually is by saying you've done something she's going to avenge, then doing you a favor and calling it even." He notices that Ajax is now nodding to himself with his eyes shrewdly narrowed at the note, as if he knows something about it that Aether doesn't. "What is it?"Forming a subtle smirk, Ajax rubs his chin. "This is about the dishes," he states in no uncertain terms.A quizzical look lasts less than a second on Aether's face before he recalls the weird standoff Noelle and Ajax had over who was going to wash the dishes yesterday evening. "Ooh..." he voices his foreboding comprehension. He suspects a long-term but good-natured feud has begun between his friend and his partner.Rubbing his unshaven chin reminds Ajax of the next orders of business. He claps his hands together and rhetorically glances at the wardrobe. "You know what we need? Bathrobes. I've foregone one until now because I'd rather just dress quickly and be ready for anything, but this place of yours—ahah, ours," he corrects himself, a giddy smile flashing across his face, "is secure enough to justify putting aside such caution once in a while. We keep finding ourselves in situations where we don't have anything to wear from point A to point B within the house lest we scandalize the guests. Or Paimon.""Yes. She's not generally a fan of the...physical things about humans. Don't touch her, by the way," Aether advises. "She might touch you, rarely, if she feels like it. Heheh, a few days ago she kicked me in the head when I said to her that you probably wouldn't love me back."Ajax raises his eyebrows. (Everything that happens with his eyebrows is more than half hidden by his hair, but, as with Kaeya's winks, Aether is used to extrapolating from what he can see.) "Ohh? Sounds like I have to thank her.""I don't know if I thanked her for that. Let's thank her together with a...special meal? Her favorite foods are fisherman's toast, Sweet Madame, sticky honey roast, and basically anything sweet. In fact, we could start by adding a crust of semi-sugared sweet flowers to the Sweet Madame to make it more special."Ajax nods along, quickly growing keen on the idea. "Mm-hmm! This would be a gift that plays to our strengths, and since we're planning ahead with no time limits, we can go all-out. So fortunate for us that she loves food! I'll make varenye, too. Does she have a favorite fruit?""Sunsettias?""Can do!""Isn't it a whole-fruit jam?""Fruits that size are sliced. Smaller fruits that are still larger than berries are typically halved."Aether nods, already thinking about what other preparations they can start today.A moment passes in which they're both just thinking about that. Abruptly, Ajax remembers they were talking about bathrobes before, and why he brought that up. "Ah, but we can think about this while washing up. Do you...?”"Oh, right. I was thinking we could have another Hydro bath?""That would be the most expedient. Your tub might not be big enough for both of us, not without putting us into a distracting position.""It's barely big enough for you. I'll get a new one when I can.""Why don't we look for one together when we have a chance? I'll pay for it.""Okay. One, that sounds fun, and two, I don't have enough Mora right now to pretend I object.""Ahaha! Please, sladkiy, let me fix that? Let me spoil you at least as much as I've spoiled Zhongli."Aether is made to smile by Ajax's almost puppy-like eagerness. With a token roll of his eyes, he agrees, "Fine. If it makes you happy." Then he steps closer and leans up to give him a kiss on the cheek and a soft "Thank you, sweetheart."Ajax beams, because it does make him happy to turn some of Pants's funds to treating his family and friends.That uncomplicated expression of satisfaction on his beloved's face keeps Aether smiling fondly a moment longer. Without glancing down, he takes the opportunity of their proximity to touch the bare section of the Harbinger's waist, wiggling his fingertips as he brushes them against his skin."Ehehehey!" Ajax flinches, naturally, but he doesn't mind one bit. "That's your thanks?~ Come on now, where are you ticklish? I must know in the interest of fairness, you'll agree?""Oh no, of course not, you have to figure it out yourself, just like I did.""Challenge accepted!" Ajax likes it better that way anyway. He retrieves his gloves from the sofa and pulls each one on with a peppy little flourish. He's pleased to have them back, and he's admiring the tasteful addition that was made to them. "Thank you for this, Aether. Perhaps one day I can receive a thoughtful gift like this without having a miniature crisis of identity about it," he half-jokes sheepishly.Aether looks at him with a small, absolutely adoring smile. His reply is simple, but it possesses a soft gravitas given to it by his faith in Ajax. "Probably." He reaches over to Ajax's forearm, just below his rolled-up sleeve, and briefly strokes his thumb across one of the few meadows of very fine, light-colored hairs that haven't been scarred off.Aether then turns away to revisit the nightstand, where he tucks the letter safely under everything again and gets out his earring. "I'm curious what color this is going to turn when you wear it." As soon as Aether picks it up, the bead goes from dim greyish to glowing purple.Ajax takes off his. "I've wondered: you can use multiple elements at one time, so why does it only show one color? And what happens if we both hold it?""I'm technically...resonating with one element at a time. The others are still there, but they're harder to use. Like those attacks you don't usually use when you're not transformed, maybe? Hm. Could you have used those the whole time we were sparring that day?""No, I'd have been spent much sooner if I tried to do that.""So elements I'm not currently resonating with are not that much harder to use. Anyway, the bigger reason is that wielding the elements without a Vision is one thing, having access to more than one element is another, and being able to use more than one element at a time is another thing. The first two facts are, uh, low-hanging intel fruit."Ajax nods."The third one, I want to keep less known for as long as possible. So that I can still surprise opponents the way I surprised you in our battle."Ajax nods again with approval and a nostalgic smile. "Smart of you. I won't go telling anyone. Your next opponents can find out the same way I did." His smile gives way to a cold expression of bloodthirsty hope as he imagines getting to see that. He shakes that distraction off, then, and offers Aether his comparatively simple earring while holding out a forefinger and thumb to grasp the bead of Aether's.Based on the question about what would happen if they both held the element-responsive earring, Aether guesses what Ajax wants to try. He keeps hold of the bead between his own thumb and forefinger vertically, and Ajax takes hold of it horizontally. That's a much easier way for each of them to hold about half of the cranberry-sized sphere than crowding their fingertips against each other straight-on.It flickers gently between blue and purple. They watch for a moment to see if anything else happens, but that's all."Asked and answered." Aether shrugs his eyebrows, underwhelmed."My siblings would love to see this 'trick,'" Ajax notes. Aether lets go and the bead turns pure blue. The two of them put on their borrowed earrings and then stare at each other, both pairs of eyes slowly narrowing in thought.Arms fold. Chins are placed in hands."It looks weird, doesn't it," Aether finally says."It does, unfortunately, it really does. On both of us, I'm sure.""Yeah. We're both just too good at matching jewelry to outfits." This truth that happens to be funny is stated flatly by Aether.Ajax tsks in agreement, shaking his head a little as if lamenting. The sway of Aether's earring feels different, he notices, but that won't be difficult to get used to."Want to just teleport to the fourth island and wash there?" Aether asks."First I'll need to fetch my Vision from downstairs." Ajax goes to the door and places his hand on the knob. He shouldn't have left his Vision and Delusion in another room on another floor, but he pardons himself just this once. Until he's adapted to having so much of his attention preoccupied with Aether, he'll have to be very mindful to avoid doing that sort of thing again. "Ready then?"Aether collects the parts of his outfit that he didn't bother to put on yet, then casts a glance around the room. "I think so..." He sidesteps back to the nightstand once more and grabs his Realm Dispatch. "Just in case. Okay. If anyone asks what's taken us so long, say whatever you want. I'm not planning to answer any questions about it, myself.""That's some wide latitude you're giving me there. What if I say something embarrassing?" Ajax leans on the doorknob for a moment."Well, whose fault would that be? Mine, I'd say, because I'm choosing not to take that latitude back." A tiny smile or smirk turns one corner of Aether's mouth. "I would just be curious what you'd say.""Oh I don't plan on saying anything either. A unified front of mystery is more amusing.""Heh. I think so too." Aether gestures at the door. Ajax opens it, and out they go to face the world.

Chapter 15: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 3)

Chapter Text

"Are the others still training?" Ajax wonders as he and Aether walk through a seemingly empty house.

"Maybe?" Aether is doubtful until he takes into consideration that Chongyun is involved. He swings back to doubtful when he considers Xingqiu. It's lunch time for people who are going about their day on a 'normal' schedule, and Xingqiu, wisely enough, wouldn't have let Chongyun skip lunch.

No answer presents itself before Aether and Ajax reach the guest room. As soon as the door is opened, they're greeted by an exclamatory meow that turns into 'eow-row-row-row' in time with Zhongli's footsteps as it jumps down from the bed and bounds over to Ajax.

"Heeey there!" Ajax greets the cat in turn, bending over to show it his hand, then testing whether it's amenable to being picked up out of its habitual weaving around his legs. It is, this time. As he shifts it to the crook of one arm, he trusts the expensive and durable fabric of his shirt to be sufficient that mere cat claws won't give it new holes right after Noelle mended it. That she was able to match the material, at least as far as appearance and texture go, is why he was so shocked by her perfect and fast handiwork.

(He might be underestimating cat claws.)

Aether and Ajax both pause to impassively regard the murder scene on the bed. A virtual pool of red tatters adorns the middle.

"So that's where your sash went," Aether states the obvious, blinking.

"That's...a remarkably thorough destruction. Where's the top of it and the...?" Ajax twice glances from the bed to the feline culprit and back.

"Guess we'll find out sooner or later." Aether offers his hand up to the cat, which has no shame and probably no concept whatsoever of its own criminality. It appears to sniff his still-ungloved fingers, then it goes back to surveying the room from Ajax's shoulder height.

Zhongli's vantage point changes as Ajax goes to the bedside table. Its head swivels to track some point of interest as fluidly as a bird's. Ajax starts to lean down, realizes that's awkward with the cat, and instead has a seat on the bed while he gets his belongings out of the drawer.

Vision, Delusion, rings, Mora, and some pocket miscellany. He's used to swapping his Vision and Delusion one-handed when necessary, so he has no trouble clipping the former onto his belt. The latter, he has to settle for stowing in a trouser pocket in the absence of his jacket. He drops a fat wallet of Mora onto his foot and kicks it up toward Aether, who catches it just as Ajax expected him to. "Hold onto that for me for a minute. I'd say keep it, but—"

"—You'll need it today," Aether finishes.

Ajax doesn't bother to nod. He tries to adjust how Zhongli is sitting on his forearm so he can put his rings on, but the cat decides this attempt constitutes an offense and it jumps over his shoulder to sit at the center of his sash's remains. He glances back at it, shrugs inwardly, and goes on about his business.

Aether takes a quick step forward. "Wait, can I try? I want to know if I can remember which ring goes on which finger."

"Sure." Ajax offers him all three. Now he kind of wants to know, too. He won't be disappointed if Aether gets it wrong, but why not see? After the rings are taken, Ajax plants his hands on his knees and briefly wiggles his fingers.

Having placed the items constituting the other half of his outfit on the floor, as well as the wallet, Aether gets down on one knee for convenience. Two of the rings he now holds in his palm are identical, which feels to him like a trick question in object form as he looks between them and Ajax's hands. "At least one of these goes on a pinkie finger... Why's it called that, anyway?" With human fingers, either they're all pink like yours or none of them are pink.

"Mnn..." Ajax tries to remember if he's ever heard or read anything about the etymology of the last finger being called a pinkie in Teyvat common. "I've no idea." He watches as Aether decisively slides one of the two identical rings onto each of his pinkie fingers.

"Both. That's my best guess."

His gloved hands being held and manipulated by Aether reminds Ajax of when he tapped his palm with the Teapot sigil. It had been such a short, brusque touch, and not even directly on his skin, but it had been...human contact. Peaceable and inherently pleasant to his nerves, initially nothing like a grapple or shove in combat (which is fun, but not the same). That his hand was then hastily pushed away was very much in line with his expectations. He missed the touch in ways he couldn't then understand, but he hadn't gotten any hopes up to be dashed.

That past, not long ago at all, is such a contrast to the present. Aether isn't particularly tender as he puts the pinkie rings in place, but he doesn't hesitate, hurry, or flinch. And then there's the future this reminds him of... The possible future. It's been fifteen or twenty minutes since he last thought about that, Ajax estimates. Never mind that; why not ask him why he was so hurried back then? Seems a harmless enough question at this point. "Say, when you took my hand to give me access to this realm, why were you so, er, curt about it?"

"Curt?"

"Hasty? Short, brusque, abrupt?"

"Ah, thank you." Aether sits back on his heels, putting a pause to his ring-pondering in order to explain that moment from a bird's-eye view he hasn't previously thought about it from. "I was acting that way because touching your hand, even with both of us wearing gloves, was...too pleasant. I was still...conflicted over how I feel about you, and, I was uh...wary of...pushing you in any way. You agree to things so fast sometimes, I was kinda worried that if I let any hints out about what I wanted, you'd just go with it and not think about what you really wanted."

Ajax gives him a very flat look and then dramatically throws his hands up. "I—." He huffs. "You—. What—." He then wheezes a short laugh. "Archon, you and I were both idiots, weren't we." He double-facepalms, laughing again, before dropping his hands back onto his knees. Shaking his head in awe at his and Aether's recent past selves, he smiles. "We would truly be lost without Paimon."

Aether chuckles quietly. "Yeah. Yeah..." He shakes his head with the same awe, smiling the same bemused and amused smile. "The bad news is," he jokes, "we're probably still idiots."

"Truuue," Ajax sighs lightheartedly. "At least insofar as we are intelligent, capable people who evidently have some of that slip through our fingers every time we're around each other. I'm thinking back to the day we sparred?"

"Oh yeah. Didn't have one whole brain between us that day."

"Comrade, how are we going to be undefeatable together if that's how it is?~"

"Uhhm..." Aether rubs his chin, squinting at the side of the mattress in thought. "Well, by the numbers, most of our opponents are stupider than us. But, I'm a magnet for opponents who are smarter than me on my best days, and you're looking for fights with people like that. So..."

"Hmm..."

"...Obviously we should think about this when we're not around each other," Aether deadpans.

Ajax grins, shakes his head slightly, and glances down at the space between them for a second. Upon flicking his gaze back to Aether's eyes, he says, "I have confidence in us when it comes to important things."

Aether nods. "I do, too. Anything that turns out to need improvement, we can improve on."

"Yes! We have the will to do so, and we both know how to hone our will into praxis, and our praxis into excellence. No one in this world can match our determination individually, and certainly not combined."

"I wouldn't bet on that, but in any case, you're pulling way more than half the weight in that combination." Aether smiles fondly up at him.

"Don't sell yourself short, now! You have accomplished so much in such a short time, and you're set to do so much more. You will shake the foundations of this world, and I revel in having the chance to see it firsthand."

Ajax is getting rather high-strung in his enthusiasm, his body tensed like a spring and his eyes appearing somehow too sharp. "Okay," Aether says in a warm tone of amusem*nt, "take it down a notch, kitten. You're making me want to fight the Maguu Kenki with you or something, and we don't have time today." More than that, he suspects Ajax is making himself restless, and there's just no outlet for that in sight. Not of the types classically preferred by the Harbinger, anyway.

Ajax opens a pouting mouth to object. Aether quickly adds the important afterthought, "Besides, we're still recovering, even if we feel fine."

"Still," Ajax grumbles, "if we run into any problems in Kannazuka," and then he brightens, "we'll have to fight."

"Maybe, if we take it easy? There shouldn't be anything along the way that could give us real trouble." They could actively avoid confrontations, but Aether isn't all that interested in doing that. He really does look forward to the next time the two of them get to face off against someone or something.

"I could find some foes to giftwrap for you...and we could open them together when you get there..." Ajax considers wishfully, drumming his fingers on his knees.

Aether squints. He's curious what Ajax means by that and...not concerned enough. You know, this is what I was worried about. It's too easy for me to not care about people I haven't met. His self-centeredness is just one step past what an immortal always has to contend with. On the plus side, maybe that means it wouldn't get any worse if he became immortal. When he becomes immortal.

"Ahaha, oh, don't worry sladkiy, I'm only talking about a little 'catch and release,' assuming I find human foes," Ajax elaborates when Aether just stares at him like that. "And! Only if they're foolhardy enough to attack first. I would just lure them someplace convenient, near our meeting point, and 'gently' keep them busy until you can join me. Then, when we've all had enough, we part ways with them. Not too much harm done~"

Aether shuffles forward a few inches on his knees, moving in between Ajax's, and cranes his body up. He settles a hand firmly on one of the seated man's thighs—storing the third ring on one of his own fingers for the moment—and raises his other hand to his stubbly chin, delicately taking it between thumb and forefinger. He cants his own head as he regards Ajax with a narrow-eyed look of aloof contemplation. He's playing that up for him. "My poor kitten," he murmurs, "you need your exercise. They really waste you at that bank, don't they. You want to get out there and bring me a mouse, hm?"

"Please let me," Ajax breathes. All the bloodthirsty threads his mind was spooling out, all at once they bind together into a single rope that lashes his full attention to his loving comrade whose words imply understanding, whose touch assures him he is cared about, whose gaze pins him as surely and pleasurably as the other warrior's hands or thighs can.

"If I say no, will you be good and obedient, and patiently wait for me to make you so desperate to cum you forget everything else?"

Ajax bites his lip as potent mixed feelings rise in him. He wants to fight, he wants to submit, he wants to 'be good,' he wants to spill blood, he needs to feel his own blood pumping through his heart—

His heart is pumping. He can feel it. He can feel his pulse in his rapidly stiffening chlen, too; his trousers are much too confining when he's sitting down. He's breathing like he's been out on a short run.

He wants Aether to touch him more, hold him so tight not even a thought can escape, moor him, anchor him. He needs to feel alive, and it doesn't matter how, as long as Aether is there with him.

"I'll behave," he says in a choked voice, his breath catching. He's almost dizzy from how fast his mood accelerated and then changed direction, not to mention from the southward rush of blood within his body.

Aether caresses Ajax's face even more tenderly; feather-light fingers skim over his cheek to trace freckles below his eyes that are just visible. "Good boy," he whispers, cupping the back of his head and pulling it down forward so that he can, with soft reverence, kiss the bridge of his nose. "No diversions tonight. I'll take care of you."

Ajax shivers. He lets his eyes close. "Alright," he whispers back.

"It would be fine if you said no, and it'll be fine if you change your mind." His hand is still on the back of Ajax's head, rubbing into his hair, and he's now leaning their foreheads together. "But, I'm grateful you're willing to put off the chance for a fight so we can focus on our original plan for tonight. I'm going to make you feel so good, I promise. I love you so much, Ajax. How do you feel right now?"

All of that leaves Ajax reeling, and 'pleasantly' would be an understatement. A very small and faint moan creaks in his throat. He swallows and takes a deep breath before answering, "Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu... Need a moment..."

Aether has been completely improvising. It had been a while since he'd seen Ajax edging into what he guesses is some form of mania, in that it's an opposite counterpart to his sudden swings into depression. (He lacks the knowledge to make any distinctions between these minutes- or hours-long swings and the much longer cycles that would be more common.) It hadn't gone far, and might not have. In fact, the only reason he felt any need to try to redirect that energy in a less violent-minded direction was because he didn't like where his own mind was headed. It's not an inherently violent energy, he suspects: that's just the only way Ajax knows how to expend it.

Having exerted dominance for a new purpose, Aether is following that up with some soft, sweet doting. He wants to make sure Ajax still feels loved and accepted after his idea was rejected, and that the attitude Aether adopted wasn't too much. He goes from rubbing deep in his hair with one hand to light, synchronous petting with both hands—mostly his thumbs stroking backward from behind his ears, his fingertips just superficially grazing other regions.

Ajax's breathing slows and his posture relaxes as he starts to calm down. Though he's placated and very soothed, he doesn't like that his heartbeat is also starting to slow. He slips his arms around Aether and fidgets with the back of his croptop. "I'm looking forward to tonight more than ever," he answers the question of how he's feeling. "I...think I have whiplash from the pirouette the mood made there. Heh. I already miss how you made my heart race."

"I'll always make it race again, in fair time," Aether promises him in a low murmur.

That is nice to hear. "...In due time," he corrects when he gets around to registering the actual words and not only their gift of meaning.

"Thank you." In stages, Aether brings the hair-petting to an end. "...We can go wash up now? That'll be fun. Especially if you don't miss any spots this time." Aether pulls back to smile playfully at him.

Ajax blinks his eyes open. "What do you— ohh." A similar expression brightens his face as it clicks in his mind what Aether is referring to.

"Thanks for being so considerate last time, though."

"Of course! It was the least I could do." To avoid turning a merely awkward bathing situation into any kind of trespass on his comrade's boundaries. "Ah, ha, well, it was also the most I could do under the circ*mstances, I suppose."

"You did well," Aether tells him with the gentle gravity of praise. He brushes some of Ajax's hair aside to kiss his forehead.

"Mmm... You have one more ring to guess at, I believe."

Oh, right. Almost forgot about that. Aether kneels again, dropping the loose-fitting ring off his finger onto his palm, and quickly reassembles his thoughts about where it goes. He takes Ajax's right hand and starts to slide the ring onto his forefinger, but he stops midway, eyeing each of the hands in front of him for an extra second before putting it on the left forefinger instead.

"Well well, you got them all correct. I'm impressed. Not that I'd have blamed you if you got any of them wrong; I don't always wear all of them."

"Now I know why I was so unsure. Do they have any meanings? Are those two about promises?"

"That's what I had in mind when I bought them." Ajax extends his pinkie fingers outward, appearing to ponder the relatively plain steel bands, but right now their complicated significance is like water on a duck's back. He doesn't continue.

Aether leaves it at that, moving on to simpler questions as he stands up and gives Ajax a light hug, crossing his arms behind burgundy-shirted shoulders. The metal tab on one corner of the collar is cold against his right arm. "What are they made of, anyway? They match the metals on your jacket." Not the ones on his shirt, though.

It's natural at their relative positions for Ajax to wrap his arms low around Aether. "That would be because they are made of the same alloy. Some type of steel that's more resistant to corrosion." He tucks his head under Aether's chin with a smile that, unseen, turns mischievous as he lowers the circle of his arms a little further and tugs Aether's thighs between his. The warm press against his lingering erection draws a sharp breath across the bottom of Aether's throat and into Ajax's nose.

"Ahahey, you...mmh..." Aether bites his lip and lets himself grind against Ajax just a little. Just...a little... Just a little more... His hand hovers by Ajax's head, halted from sinking into his hair again. Gotta stop getting delayed... "Mmmh. This is good...but...too soon. We gotta stop." A weak protest, nothing like a command. As half-hearted as it sounds.

Ajax nudges the neckline of Aether's shirt down with his chin and murmurs right up against his collarbone, "I'm not hearing a certain two words...?"

"Ahhh damn it..." Aether clenches his hand closed, torn between the heaven of spending more time with his beloved Ajax and the purgatory of his responsibilities.

"Mmnot those two~"

"Can we at least take this to the fourth island and...?"

"Hm? You're asking me?"

Good point. That inspires Aether. He leans to one side and, catching Ajax's chin between his thumb and two fingers, he lifts Ajax's head in the other direction and holds it steady. He glimpses him looking at him with eager interest before he swoops in to lick along the edge of his ear, heedless of hair that gets in the way. The tonguetip lick is followed up by a nip at the top, then another nip that's slightly harder.

"Ah!" Ajax reacts quietly. It isn't painful, it's more of a neutral sensation, but the suddenness of Aether's action to retake control excites him. He feels Aether's hand between them, then, and the shorter man steps back just an inch, and suddenly he's being groped through the barrier of his trousers. The sturdy fabric increases the pressure of the gentle squeezes and intent rubs Aether barrages him with. "Ah, h'ah!" A louder reaction. "Ahh..."

Taking his hand off Ajax's chin to give him a mere hint of a stroke at his hair, Aether uses a tone of gentle authority to inform him, "I'm going to punish you for getting us off track." He pulls back to look Ajax in the eyes, checking for any sign that he's going too far. What he sees is that Ajax is hanging on his every word, with the beginnings of the exact frown that develops on his face when he's in the midst of intense pleasure. More aroused than before. Good signs. No bad signs, anyway. Aether is going to make sure, but first he stops groping Ajax's tightly-trapped hardness, because he has to stop to let Ajax stand up. He finds one of Ajax's gloved hands (which fails to remind him that his own gloves and all the other extra parts of his outfit are still sitting on the floor) and lifts it, inviting him to do so.

Punish? Huh... Ajax is fascinated by the idea and wants to find out what's meant by it. He's quite certain he wants to find out not by asking but by experiencing. His trust in Aether doesn't preclude questions and objections, but right now he is effervescing with wants and needs that Aether offers direction and outlet for, and he hasn't forgotten that he can stop this at an instant's notice.

Aether lets his demeanor soften as he smiles up at Ajax. He changes his hold on his hand, covering the back of it and lining his fingers up along Ajax's. "What was it, one or two for 'all good' and three or four for 'slow down'?"

Slowly smiling back, Ajax extends one finger against Aether's. He leans in and down to state in a light, low voice, "I'm quite ready for whatever you've got in mind. Don't tell me what it is; surprise me~"

"You wish for a surprise, I grant you a surprise." Aether's smile widens and he teleports away.

When Aether disappears, Ajax spots the other half of the traveler's outfit on the floor. He forgot these. Grabbing them up, Ajax has an impish impulse to tease Aether about it. It's not, perhaps, exactly in keeping with the mood, but... Aha, never mind, I have a better idea.

Ajax arrives with the armful of clothing and, to his satisfaction, Aether raises his eyebrows in a definite look of 'oh I forgot those?'

Aether doesn't even try to hide it. "Oh. Thank you." Immediately upon his own arrival he had made a few meters of space for Ajax's. Hands on his hips, he lets Ajax come to him.

And he does. Even at a coy stroll, Ajax crosses that distance in just a couple of long, slow strides. He tries for an innocent smile but doesn't try hard enough: above the innocent curve of his mouth, his eyes are narrowed smugly. "What do I get for being so helpful?" he asks as he hands over the stack of gear. He left the Mora in the guest room—there's no need to bring it here.

With amusem*nt, Aether cranes up and gives Ajax a sweet kiss that he isn't quick to end. Right away he can relax back down onto his heels, thanks to Ajax leaning his head down in happy cooperation.

Excited though he is, Ajax is heartwarmed by the sweet simplicity of this reward; he does nothing to change or hurry it. He rests his hands passively on Aether's waist.

After about half a minute, Aether bids farewell-for-now to Ajax's lips with a parting skim of his tongue along the bottom one. "How's that?" he murmurs while their faces are still close.

"Rewarding," Ajax answers, letting his eyes shut over a bright smile.

Aether sneaks an extra little kiss on his chin while his eyes are closed, incidentally prompting him to open them and making both of them chuckle under their breath. "Okay," Aether begins. "C'mon. We'll go to the other side of the island. Even more private." He leads the way, more or less, Ajax walking alongside him rather than behind him. Aether likes it that way, he notices within himself and doesn't mention.

The dirt circle where they sparred is still present (and littered with arrows), but it doesn't strike Aether as a great place to bathe. Grass was alright for Hydro-bathing on last time, so neither he nor Ajax try to fix what isn't broken.

That dirt is once more hard-packed in places, and the perimeter has risen into a meter-high ridge. Ajax starts to ask about it at the same time as Aether starts to volunteer an explanation, which causes another shared chuckle. The explanation, of course, is that Aether asked Tubby to keep working on the circle until it's a simple stone arena.

They enjoy stretching their legs as they walk to one of the places along the island's edge where craggy boulders and amber-veined trees preside. Ajax is kept hard by anticipation and the friction of his trousers. More hard than not, anyway.

Inefficient though it was, dressing just to get from their bedroom to the guest room was unavoidable. It's when they stop at a smaller boulder by the foot of a tree—a good place to lay their clothes—that Aether turns to Ajax and instructs, "Clothes off, then get your Vision ready. The water." He shucks off his own clothes quick.

Ajax does the same. Unfastening his trousers is a sigh-worthy relief. He notices Aether watching him and lightly bites the pleased smile that overtakes his face, casting a glance down to consider what Aether is admiring. He still can't see his body as anything but a weapon. That's how Aether sees it too, in part, and Ajax appreciates that a lot, but the other man's golden eyes seem to find so much more than that to study and enjoy. ...Ajax appreciates that, too.

Rousing himself from that moment of reflection (of looking at a reflection of himself that he can only find in the mirror of his comrade's regard), he plucks his Vision off his belt. Holding it in one hand as he did last time, he summons a stream of Hydro and begins lengthening, flattening, and coiling it, semi-consciously moving his free hand in vague gestures. That is a habit shared by most wielders of Visions and Delusions when it comes to uses of their power that they haven't practiced as extensively, or committed as deeply to the instinctual level, as their most common and critical uses. There is a kinetic aspect to focusing the elements, a connection between movement of the body and movement of the world's energies. It's for that reason that element wielders develop much more specific gestures and motions in the course of mastering their gods-given abilities. Delusions, also a god's gift in a sense, have been so thoroughly researched by the Fatui that every soldier who is given one is taught the same moves that have been proven to be most efficient.

Aether joins him, in that he comes to stand in front of him with scant inches separating them. He does his best to ignore how dry the air becomes on his eyes when the Vision pulls moisture out of it. Ajax is used to it, of course, and doesn't even notice anymore. How that moisture becomes enough water to form any of the shapes Ajax makes it into, Aether can only guess. Probably related to the fact that Hydro is not persistent water. As far as he understands, mainly from asking Mona, one can't drink Hydro because it would vanish from one's stomach as soon as the wielder stopped maintaining it. If they managed to keep it around long enough for it to be absorbed into one's tissues, it would vanish from there, too. It must be the case that most of it is summoned from some sort of elsewhere in the same way that a weapon is summoned.

Ajax had pretty much assumed, without giving it any conscious thought, that they'd be sharing the water this time instead of going one after the other. Aether's approach confirms that. He winds the stream around both of them. For now, he keeps it away from their heads, deferring hair-washing to the end of their shower.

Fully washing himself in Hydro is not something he typically does. He takes normal baths, and rarely does he have his Vision in hand during one. However, there have been times when he has been locked in prolonged combat situations, getting bloodier and filthier until he has a chance to do something about it. Times when he has simply been trapped someplace for an extended period, such as a ruin where the entrance collapsed due—ironically—to a Ruin Guard's unthinking actions. More often, he just uses a bit of Hydro to rinse blood out of his clothes and off his skin when there's an excessive amount of it.

Once the water is wrapped around and between them in roving runnels, Ajax adds the finishing touch: a gentler stream that swoops between their legs. He draws a sharp breath as the sensation coincides with Aether's reaction. He's never before been aroused while doing this.

Aether gasps, his eyelids fluttering shut for a moment. The water is cool almost to the point of being chilly, but more stimulating than that is the knowledge that Ajax's will is behind it. It's thrilling, too, to receive such a delicate sensation from the same power and expertise that makes his beloved so dangerous in combat. He gravitates closer to Ajax, reflexively seeking the warmth of his body. As close as they already are, that means pressing himself against Ajax from legs to chest.

They both experience a wave of arousal at Ajax's jutting chlen being enclosed upward between their midsections. Aether, however, decides he'd rather have it between his thighs. Temporarily making room to reach down, he uses his hand to tuck it in right under his vulva. If it weren't for the flowing water, it would be quite evident that he has been as aroused as Ajax all along.

Ajax's hand squeezes his Vision so hard that the metal setting pains his fingers. The heat of Aether's inner thighs and shchelka is elevated to bliss by the contrast with the water, which only seems cold to him now that that contrast is present. At the same time he's watching his Hydro course around Aether's body, and it's a sight that makes him feel proud and possessive. He felt nothing of that the other day, so deep was he trying to bury his feelings at the time. Now he has every permission from Aether and himself to look and savor.

Aether seizes upon the notion of rubbing his thighs together around Ajax's length, and he starts doing just that. The feel of it proves even more tantalizing in reality than in expectation. He's enamored with the whole concept of Ajax's arousal having this solid form that's so easy to play with in so many ways. It almost makes him wish he had the same, but the equipment he's currently stuck with has its own upsides. Free lube was always a major point in its favor, for one. They ought to make use of that right now, Aether decides. The water alone does little to help skin slide easily against skin.

He peers up at Ajax, who has his head low, his eyes closed, brow upturned behind his forelocks, and his lips parted around alternately heavy and bated breath.

"Could you..." Aether begins, too unsure of how to word this to make it commanding. Ajax's eyes open halfway in that they almost close again with each slow shift of Aether's thighs, which he is not pausing. "Uh, 'move' the water? Away from my shchelka. Feels good, but I think we'll both like it if I can just be wet the other way."

That opens Ajax's eyes fully. He hadn't thought of that, and he agrees. Glancing down even though he can't actually see between their pressed bodies, he promptly puts forth the focus to change his Hydro's path. As an afterthought, he unravels it completely, summons fresh water, and quickly recreates the whole altered path from memory.

"Oh, good. Good thinking. Thank you, sweetheart." Aether rewards him with another kiss; he smiles when he feels the Hydro falter.

It wasn't quite stable enough again that a lapse in Ajax's attention, which was already challenged, couldn't affect it. It's not like his weapons, which are so practiced and familiar that he can maintain them no matter what happens to his body (almost). His general proficiency with his Vision, however, ensures this is an issue for no longer than a second. That proficiency, born of extremely thorough experimentation and his discontentment with anything less than total mastery of its potential, is the same factor that allows him to do a wider variety of things with it in combat than the average Vision user. (Or at least, he's inclined to attribute it to his own proficiency...)

Now that the water isn't flowing between his legs, Aether narrows his stance to close his thighs tight around Ajax's length. Not too tight: he's very mindful not to overapply those dangerously strong muscles.

A low whisper of a moan from Ajax. He's making the smallest of thrusts into Aether's steady motions. Knowing there's going to be a punishment of some kind somewhere in this, he holds back, self-disciplining intuitively, much as he did when he kept his hands to himself until given permission to touch Aether yesterday.

It's not difficult for either of them to believe they had sex for the first time yesterday. Not at all. Their enthusiasm to explore this whole new option in their equally new relationship is a powerful drive. It's overwhelming, as evidenced by their repeating failure to resist it. The feeling that they're making up for lost time is also powerful. (Both of them harbor a deep-seated sense that all good things can come to a sudden and devastating end.)

"Tell me if you get close," Aether instructs him. He'll have to keep the stimulation steady and not flood Ajax with too much intensity and variety if he wants a reliable warning. No problem. This is the punishment he had in mind, or it will be. A preview of what he hopes to do to Ajax tonight, though he intends that to have a very happy ending that this won't.

"Mm-hm." Wherever this is going, Ajax is luxuriating in the keen awareness of his body, and Aether's, that centers on sexual organs and sexual instincts and radiates out. It's like a mist that spreads along his nerves until it saturates his mind and obscures everything but the present moment. He gives himself over to it, he leaves the decisions to Aether, and he is, in some small way, free—for a little while. It's still a new experience, exceeding his expectations every time and teaching him to anticipate the next.

Aether relaxes for now as well, letting his rhythm sustain itself, only needing to mind that he doesn't speed up and doesn't squeeze. He begins distributing slow scrubbing over Ajax's body with his hands...which is really just rubbing with a pretense of purpose. Ajax gets into doing the same for him.

That stretches into several serene minutes. The force of the water and the durability required of its form is so low that it takes hardly any elemental energy throughput to maintain beyond the initial summoning. The pretense of helping each other wash doesn't last long as their hands slow down to properly feel every inch of one another that they can reach.

They hadn't really done this yet. Piecemeal, in the process of other desires, yes, but there are places on Ajax's body that Aether had not touched yet, places on Aether's body that Ajax had not learned yet. Mundane plains of skin landmarked by insignificant scars. Previously-unvisited pathways that lead to nothing but the satisfaction of having followed them. Flesh that yields and feels, bones that scaffold their existences.

(Even Aether's existence is one delineated by flesh and bone and the false stars of this world, ever since his and Lumine's thwarted departure.)

The pleasure of their intercrural sex levels off, and as a result the act itself mellows until Aether is moving at the hips no more than Ajax is. From then on, they don't mind the sexual charge fading from what becomes merely a kind of embrace within an embrace. In the end, one man's thighs are simply keeping the other's former erection warm.

There is still plenty left untouched, below easy reach, by the time Ajax mumbles "Hair?" and Aether makes an affirmative noise.

They pull apart from each other slowly as if rising from bed. It does feel like their day has had a new start: they feel refreshed by their time spent in the cool running water and sated by the sex that turned out far more calming and languid than intended.

After cleaning off the free lube, Ajax again dumps out the bath water by unwinding it from around them, sending it a few meters away, and releasing it all at once into vapor and void. Again he summons fresh water, but it's a small amount, and instead of directing it into a semi-independent shape he gathers it around his hands.

Stepping behind Aether, he undoes his braid and combs the water through his loosed hair.

Aether sighs in appreciation. "Thanks, comrade," he says, without turning his head, lest he interfere with the favor Ajax is doing him.

Ajax smiles to himself and replies by pecking a kiss on the top of Aether's head, which earns a quiet chortle from the short blond.

When Ajax finishes rinsing his hair with excessive care and has dismissed the water, he remakes the braid in a matter of seconds. Aether is inspired to ask, "Did you learn to braid hair for yourself, your siblings, or...?"

The thought of himself with any kind of braid or braids would give Ajax a bit of a chuckle, but the answer to Aether's question is what makes him laugh softly. "My siblings, yes, you could say that. My older sister trained me to do her braid for her, every day, as soon as I reached an age where my hands had the dexterity to manage it. Now I do it for Tonia when I'm...home. With my—..." This is home. Aether is family, or near enough, and that has nothing to do with what I'm definitely not thinking about. The house of my parents, where Tonia and Teucer and Anthon live, is home too. There's no problem with these facts, no conflict, but how should I...distinguish between them when talking about them?

It seems to Aether that Ajax is just mildly puzzled and not troubled. It even strikes the 'cute' note. "Your...?"

"The rest of my family," Ajax settles on with a warm and sure smile, though he closes his eyes as a concession to the little bit of sheepishness that comes over him when he says that.

That warms Aether's heart and his face.

Summoning one last stream of Hydro, Ajax gets an idea so fast he doesn't hesitate before shaping a miniature Celestial Voyager and dropping it on his head, letting it splash and disintegrate into freely dripping water. Aether laughs, just as he hoped. He opens one eye, which is half hidden behind drenched-limp forelocks, and grins at Aether.

"Ajax," Aether exclaims amid his delighted laughter, "That was great. Drop one on my head next time."

"As you wish, lyubimy. It might be full-size, though~" With a sweep of his hand unintentionally resembling a hair-flip, Ajax draws the water up off himself and flicks it into oblivion. A certain amount of panache is intentional in these gestures, as he's quite satisfied with himself for getting that reaction out of Aether.

That gets an extra chuckle and a smiling shake of Aether's head. He starts putting his clothes on. "Actually," he brings up, suddenly curious, "why did you shoot me out from under your whale that one time while we were sparring? I'm pretty sure that I was pretty sure at the time that I wasn't going to make it out of the, uh, splash zone."

"I... Hm." Ajax remembers doing that, now that Aether mentions it, but he doesn't remember why. He could've won right then and there. That's a surprising realization. They were evenly matched right up until the end when Aether subdued him in a headlock, or so he thought. On the day-of, he felt the outcome had some ambiguity to it, but later he decided Aether was the clear winner. That self-sabotaged Celestial Voyager hadn't factored into his thinking at all. "To be honest...I don't know." And it doesn't bother him nearly as much as it should. He doesn't feel as if he failed to do what was correct in the moment. He succeeded in doing something very odd, but somehow not incorrect.

"Huh..." That confuses Aether even more than it does Ajax. He has no insight whatsoever into the thoughts behind the Harbinger's answer.

"Speaking of missed opportunities, weren't you going to punish me? Where's my punishment?"

"Uhh..." A sheepish grimace, then an even more sheepish smile. "I, um...forgot." Aether twists one of his gloves in his hands bashfully. He had been planning to bring Ajax close to org*sm and then deny him it, but the mood changed to such a relaxed one that the plan slipped his mind.

"Ahh...hahaha! Hehe. Oh my Archon, you're cute right now. Sorry, but you are!"

Aether huffs, trying to feign indignance, but it just sounds like one of his amused huffs. He thins his lips into a smirk under wry eyebrows, then lets the facade drop, revealing a soft smile. "Guess we're even, then. You with your mini-Voyager and me with my...whatever that was."

Ajax steps over to him and pats a hand down on his shoulder. "I'll call that even," he agrees.

They start walking. Detours are made, on their way across the island, to pick up arrows off their personal battlefield and retrieve the bucket they'd left behind.

"Aether," Ajax inquires, "I'm curious how much you enjoy the...role you play...in our..." Smooth, he snarks at himself. "Sexual relationship. I'm very happy with it, no doubt about that. I just wonder what you're getting out of it. Is it as exciting for you to take that authoritative tone and role as it is for me to surrender to it?"

A particularly thoughtful look comes to Aether's face. "...That's hard to answer. I enjoy...you enjoying it. But that's not to say I don't get...something out of it for myself. Everything is so different with you, so much better, that it's hard to sort out what's because of what."

"I can relate."

Small smiles of intimate camaraderie flicker between them on a shared glance.

Aether finds a way to clarify. "If I say I enjoy you enjoying it, it sounds like I'm just coldly providing a service. But I'm into it. Because of your reactions and the satisfaction of making you feel...good things. I'm excited the whole time." Never one to talk with his hands undeliberately, Aether leaves them hanging idle at his sides, even as his effort to explain leads him to speak more dynamically than usual.

Ajax has the bucket couched in one arm, the two tin cups inside it barely jostled by the graceful stride he has unconsciously shortened for Aether's sake. All the arrows, some broken and some not, are also in the bucket, their length making that arrangement precarious and necessitating more careful carrying than letting the bucket dangle by its handle. By making sure he got to the bucket first and started the storage of arrows in it, he manipulated the chain of extremely minor events so that he'd be the one carrying everything in the end. All on the vaguest of whims.

The thoughtful look that was on Aether's face is now on Ajax's. He's nodding slightly for several seconds before he replies. "I'm not certain I fully understand, if only because it's so much more of a 'direct' experience on my side. What I do understand is the satisfaction of earning positive reactions from you, whether by pleasing you physically or..."

"Or by doing something that I have words of approval for?"

"Yes... That." Ajax is beset by a shy smile. Downturning his head, he half-closes his eyes until the smile fades along with his irrational embarrassment over it. On some level, he feels like his newly discovered response to gentle praise says something about him that he isn't ready to say aloud.

Aether steals a glance at Ajax and smiles to himself. Getting to see this side of him... I hope I can protect it. Keep the world from snuffing it out. No, help him keep the world from doing that. He's been strong enough to protect the soft parts of himself this long. He doesn't need someone to do that for him. Just some support, as time wears on and the number of choices he has to live with rises. Aether can solve a lot of problems for people, but he can't solve the vicissitudes of life, or the vulnerability of the heart to hardening. He knows better than to want to, most of the time. What he can do is be there.

He already knows that he and Lumine aren't just going to move on from this world like they always used to. The uninterrupted daisy-chain of their travels together was broken by five hundred years and untold tribulations, and Lumine seems to be telling him that things can't go back to the way they were.

A companionable silence ensues. On some unspoken agreement to walk all the way back to the mansion instead of teleporting, the two men have descended the light-bridge to the third island. With its whole breadth ahead of them, they lengthen their strides to get some mild exercise. Very mild for them.

Between the third and second islands, Aether brings up, "Even if you find a prosthetic today, I don't think I want to use it for the first time anywhere near sand. I'm going to bring a sheet for us to be on, but still..."

Ajax feels a tiny bit of disappointment, which is overridden by his happiness to go along with whatever Aether has in mind for them tonight. "That's reasonable," he replies. "As for what you intend to do instead, again, surprise me." He tosses a smile to his comrade.

"By the way," Aether says, "speaking of reasonable... If you find a place that sells those, please get one that is of a reasonable size. I don't want to have to worry about breaking your spine if I f*ck you too hard." Aether hopes that what he just said is as much a joke as he meant it to be, but he has a suspicion about Ajax: that he is going to look at the largest prosthetic in the shop and take it as a challenge to master, something to conquer. It is all too easy to imagine him proudly bringing home something as long as his forearm.

Ajax doesn't know why he takes that as another tiny disappointment. "Well, what's reasonable?" he asks in an unnecessarily argumentative tone.

"Uh..." Aether thinks for a brief moment. "The same length and width as yours. That's perfect."

And Ajax brightens, any nebulous notion of offense disregarded. "Perfect, huh?..." He still doesn't care about that, but it's nice to know that's what Aether thinks.

Aether rolls his eyes and he won't dignify that with a reply, but he doesn't suppress a hint of a smile. And, it turns out, he will say something far sillier. "...Sooo..."

Ajax looks at him.

"Can I ask, uh... Not for any other reason than curiosity..."

Ajax peers at him.

"What...happens to your chlen when you transform?" Aether does not look at Ajax, at first. This is possibly one of the stupidest questions he has ever asked. He just couldn't pass up the opportunity. His two memories of Foul Legacy didn't single-handedly inspire the question: he has wondered this about other transformations on other worlds, and he doesn't get the sense that he has ever inquired before.

Stunned, Ajax stares at Aether as if he hasn't comprehended. To an extent, he hasn't. That dark transformation he was taught in the Abyss is a thing of combat and power, his purest expression of both, and he has never once thought about it in any other context. It is the past, present, and future apex of his fighting prowess; everything else he learns, masters, and wields will reach its maximum potential when he makes use of it while transformed. The Devouring Deep is heretical in theory and in application, and yet it feels almost sacrilegious to...even think about this.

Is double blasphemy like a double negative? That's the first complete thought he has on it. He barks out a disbelievingly hollow laugh and buys another moment by pushing his free hand through his hair. He's not offended, he's not disturbed or upset, it's just that the question slapped him upside the head out of nowhere and turned his attention to a strange little corner of his own life he has never looked at before.

Meanwhile, Aether is stoically hoping he hasn't struck into a sensitive subject or crossed a line. Hurting Ajax in some way by asking the most unnecessary question ever would be a special shame.

With a bemused smile Ajax at last says, "Alright, just to be very sure, did I hear you right? Did you ask what happens to my genitals when I transform?" There's almost no ambient noise, so he knows he heard Aether correctly.

"Yyyeah?" Aether chews his lip.

"Hah! Ahaha. Haha. Ha. Alright. It's just, I've never thought about it before. Not ever, not even once. It's almost as if you've informed me I have a tail I never noticed. I don't know how I'm going to stop thinking about this, because, in point of fact, I do not know the answer. When I use the Foul Legacy Transformation, all that's on my mind is the fight at hand. It is...functionally impossible for me to think about anything else during that time."

Hesitating to elaborate is a self-preservation reflex, because what he's willing to tell Aether next is an exploitable weakness. He casts a discreet glance around to make sure they're alone—as sure as he can be when invisible spies are a commonplace concept to him. Where they've stopped, they're in sight of the guest house but not earshot.

It's a sensible precaution to lean in and speak quietly. Nonetheless, it amuses him to be a little bit theatrical about it. A smile lurks in his voice if not on his face as he imparts secretively, "If I'm not focused enough on the battle, whether it's an imminent one or one I'm in the middle of, I cannot hold the transformation. A strong motivation, such as protecting my brother, can fill in for some of that, if it's urgent."

Aether does the thing where he catches up on what he just heard after a second of pleasant floundering in the wake of Ajax's voice. Focused enough, on the battle, imminent or the middle of, can't hold the transformation if not, motivation like Teucer, urgent... "I see."

What Ajax sees is Aether looking thoughtful in a manner that he thinks of as typical of him. Then Aether's gaze snaps up, sharper, as it always does after that look passes. It makes the traveler seem as if he's privately making perceptive connections that he'll be able to use to his advantage later. Ajax admires this familiar sight until he abruptly recalls what Aether told him about his voice's effect on him, and the connection Ajax himself drew to this habit of Aether's. He holds back a laugh and starts walking again. That's quite demystifying, he reflects with a swell of affection.

Aether promptly walks alongside him, no catch-up needed. The new information begs another question, quietly spoken out of a respect for caution but not heavy in tone: "Why was there a huge difference in how long it took you to transform the first time I saw and the second time?"

"Well, I was in a big hurry the second time." Ajax almost leaves it at that, to tease Aether. He waits until he's given an expectant glance before continuing, "But yes, there was more to it than that. I meant it when I told you I was going to use all of my power. I put everything I had into that transformation. Being under the impression that I was just one victory away from obtaining the Gnosis for the Tsaritsa, I decided to make it a quick and decisive one. Ahah. Heh."

"We both know how that went," Aether acknowledges, disinterested in teasing Ajax about it at the moment.

Ajax tries to sigh like he laments the loss, but he doesn't, and they both know that, and the sigh comes out a happy one. "Anyway, when it came to a few Ruin Guards, I didn't need as much power. Just as well... That was all I had in me at that point."

"Wow. I really...took that much out of you?" Aether did what he had to, and so did Ajax, and there's no room in that for regret or blame on either side. He's trying to flesh out his own understanding of how he won that fight.

"To be fair to myself while also criticizing my performance, I overexerted. If I had prepared for a longer fight...I might have lost in a less banal way than succumbing to exhaustion?"

"Or won."

"You really think so?"

"I really think it was a possibility," Aether replies honestly. "Even with the miscalculation."

"Interesting..."

"So that answers my question?"

"Pretty much."

It seems like they're going to stroll the last stretch of their scenic route home in another comfortable silence, but Aether suddenly wonders, "Are you going to shave with your Hydro?"

Ajax stops again, blinking. "I forgot. And you know what, that reminds me of something else I forgot. I meant to ask you if, in terms of bathing, I should prepare myself to be penetrated." He still likes that word, though at the moment, while he's boggling at his own forgetfulness, there's no thrill to be had from it.

"Oh. Uh... If you want to? No, that's no good with sand around either." Aether isn't sure the sand is going to be a problem at all, given the sheet he'll bring and given Ajax's control over water, but neither is he sure it won't be a problem. So, finger-f*cking Ajax is out, too.

"Well, no trip back up there needed, then." Ajax glances toward the fourth island. He doesn't need to set down the bucket, either, to summon a straight razor of Hydro and put it to very efficient use.

Aether watches in fascination. Ajax's hand is deft and swift, the strokes of the blade along his jaw precise and obviously practiced. He makes this mundane task look like an art, and an effortless one at that. Despite Ajax's performative inclinations, Aether suspects he really isn't trying to make it look like that. All he's really doing is putting his weaponry skills to an alternative use; he has dexterity and a fine sense of the pressure he's applying versus the resistance of his skin. That expertise is what Aether himself relies on every time he fights. By the time Aether notices a sheen of water on the skin around the blade wherever it goes, functioning as a substitute for shaving cream, Ajax is finishing up. And all with no mirror.

Ajax flicks the razor away, along with all the little hairs that were gathered into it. Its shape dissolves a meter away. Aether is staring at him, eyes slightly widened. A closed-mouth grin lifts Ajax's cheeks. "What are you looking at, comrade?"

"That was, uh. Cool."

"Why thank you. It's how I prefer to do it. I usually have my Vision on my person by the time I shave." He could use his Hydro as a mirror, too, but he never shaves in front of a mirror, or at least never facing one. In general he tends to avoid mirrors, although his aversion is not to the degree that he'd flee or even flinch from one.

"Huh. I don't think I was ever that good at it."

"You could be, I'm sure," Ajax says. "It's just an extension of skills we both possess."

"I could see that," Aether confirms. "You're probably right."

"Would you have facial hair again, given the chance?"

"No. Would you— not have it, if you could?"

Ajax shrugs one shoulder. "Perhaps. It's not such an inconvenience that I care either way."

They're nearing the mansion when Ajax thinks to ask, "When you're at your full power, are you able to...change the forms of other living beings, or only your own?"

"Only my own. Unless you count rearranging someone's body with a sword." Aether says that matter-of-factly, with no intent of humor.

At first Ajax takes that remark for granted as a natural thing for someone in their 'line of work' to say. Then he realizes it implies Aether has done far more damage to people in combat than he currently limits himself to. Or does it? It gets him thinking: how much does he not know about his comrade's history with the ways of war and battle?

It's a highly intriguing thought. He refrains from asking about it right now, because they're passing the fountain and approaching the porch.

Cheerful greetings are exchanged with Tubby. She informs them that Paimon and the two guests are inside, and that they just returned from an hour exploring the Chasm and having a 'cave picnic.' Some exploring had been done between breakfast and training, too.

"Tubby, is this a good time to ask you something about the Realm Dispatch?" Aether inquires.

"Of course! What is it that you want to know?"

"If I lent it to Childe, could he invite someone here by tapping their palm with it?"

"Oh, I'm afraid not. There is a connection between your energy and that of the realm, Aether, that the Realm Dispatch simply bridges to another person."

Aether and Ajax both slump very slightly in disappointment, Ajax quietly sighing and a faint frown visiting one corner of Aether's mouth.

"The answer is appreciated, regardless," Ajax assures Tubby.

"Thank you," Aether agrees.

"If this is important to you, I suggest asking Madame Ping," Tubby encourages them. "She knows arts I do not. It may be that she can find an alternative means to the end you desire."

That gives Aether hope. Ajax doesn't let it give him hope.

"I will, thank you!" Aether says. Maybe Madame Ping won't have to know who it's for.

This time Ajax, with a nod, is the one who seconds the gratitude.

Inside, they're met by surprised looks from the two humans and one Paimon gathered around the dining tables. The latter doesn't miss a beat, however. Jumping in the air and waving both her arms, she enthusiastically yells at them, "Aether! Childe! Guys! You're up!"

Chapter 16: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 4)

Chapter Text

Paimon zips halfway over to Aether and Ajax and turns her waving into beckoning. They come forward, she flies backward gesticulating all the way, and they follow her to the tables.

Sheer hype is the only reason Aether can think of for Paimon micromanaging their short walk to the center of the room. Supporting that theory, she doesn't stop being loud: "You were sleeping for sooo loooong! Didn't Barbara say you should get exercise too? Paimon didn't know you two could be so lazy!" There's no venom in her exclamations, just an enthusiasm that Aether can easily guess the origin of.

"You missed us," he asserts with a fond smile. In effect, gently yanking the veil off Paimon's bluster and revealing it for what it is.

She folds her arms, not quite ready to just hand that to him. "That's not true! Paimon didn't miss Childe!"

For a second, Ajax considers pretending to be shocked, but on what basis? Paimon has no reason to miss him, even though she called him a friend, and he has no reason to expect her to.

"Paimon!" Aether chides, chuckling.

Independent of Aether's retort, she is now ready to drop the act. She relaxes in the air, folding her hands behind her back with a big smile. "Ehee. Paimon hopes you're both feeling better. You must have needed all that rest."

"We were a little worried," Chongyun adds. "Are you well enough to fight the Treasure Hoarders today, Aether?" Xingqiu regards Aether with an interested, expectant, and faintly concerned look that seconds that question.

Aether is surprised to realize not one of them guessed that he and Ajax were doing anything but sleeping. Instead of being met with impatience and exasperation, they're getting concern and well wishes. In his periphery he sees Ajax glance at him, showing nothing on his face.

Ajax supposes it makes sense. He remembers kids around these boys' age being pretty gutter-minded when he was also a teenager. But, these two are sensible types, with minds full of far more than idle speculation about frivolous distractions like—...like what he and Aether have been distracted by for half the day. Oh. I...hm.

Still, he's surprised they haven't gotten a honeymoon wisecrack from Paimon. Or maybe that's just where his mind is.

Aether shakes his head. "I'm feeling a lot better. Don't worry, if I thought I was going to be a liability, I wouldn't go. But I am ready. After some food."

Xingqiu perks up. "I made zhōu! There's still plenty left." He and Chongyun have half-eaten bowls of rice porridge, plain for Chongyun and spiced with something for Xingqiu. There's an empty bowl at a nearby chair that must have been Paimon's.

It's nice, Aether thinks, to see Chongyun getting to eat at the same time as everyone else. It's a recent development. The dutiful exorcist had never thought to use his Vision for something as simple as cooling his food, despite the constant relevance of food temperature to his daily life. It hadn't occurred to Xingqiu, either. Both of them consider their Visions extraneous to their true callings, and that mindset applied outside of combat, too, as a matter of unquestioned course. There's also a mystique around Visions and their status as gifts from the gods; many Vision owners, Aether has found, hold the thing in too high regard to be used for mundane tasks that have nothing to do with the ambition that earned it. It's less of a conscious decision and more a blind spot.

Not too long ago he had asked Chongyun why he didn't use his Vision to make hot food cool off faster. There was a moment of confused silence from Chongyun in response, followed by some wide-eyed staring at his Vision, followed by several eager tests.

"Have you made zhōu before?" Aether asks Xingqiu out of friendly curiosity. It sounded like he started learning to cook very recently, but maybe he has some experience already.

"No, this was my first time making it. I knew how it was made, but I never tried to follow the steps myself before. It turned out...okay. The consistency is... Well, it's approximately..."

"It's not bad!" Chongyun insists.

"Put enough sugar and cinnamon and fruit in it and it's really not bad," Paimon says.

Aether suggests, "If it's too thick, more water can still be added. If it's too thin, more boiling will cause it to condense."

"Oh, I see!" Xingqiu says. "I thought once it had been taken off the stove and cooled, nothing more could be done about it. That seems a rather foolish assumption in hindsight."

Ajax points out, "Not so foolish, really. Dishes you can still fix after cooking are more the exception than the rule."

Aether nods. "Sometimes you can take a single portion and try things on it like heating it longer. That way you don't risk the whole meal."

"And when seasoning," Ajax adds, "all you need is a spoonful."

Xingqiu nods his thanks to Aether and looks only at Aether when he says, "I'm much obliged for the advice."

That's a bit petty, Ajax observes dispassionately, without showing that he noticed it. He doesn't begrudge Xingqiu a bit of pettiness. If passive aggression and the occasional argument is the worst he gets from someone whose hometown he threatened, he'll take that. He does wish an interesting warrior like Xingqiu wouldn't fetter himself with quite so many compunctions.

Aether doesn't notice. He's busy responding. "You're welcome. How was training?"

"The tightropes made all our normal routines more challenging," Xingqiu approves.

Xingqiu's satisfaction is matched by Chongyun's. "The amount of slack in the ropes affected every move; we didn't adjust them. It reminds me of some of my family's traditional training methods. The two ropes are well-spaced for sparring, too, and we took advantage of that."

Paimon giggles. "They fell so many times. They didn't get hurt, though! They're really good at falling."

"Being good at falling is very important," Chongyun acknowledges seriously.

"I'm glad to hear it was useful," Aether says, approving in turn. I wasn't thinking when I set up two ropes, but they've gotten plenty of use. Me and Kaeya, Yun Jin, Bennett, and Ajax, Xingqiu and Chongyun...

Ajax has stepped around the tables and collected Paimon's empty bowl. He leans toward the tiny lady herself and asks in an undertone so as not to interrupt the conversation, "D'you want seconds?"

"Yeah!" Paimon answers, not in an undertone. "With sugar and cinnamon and, umm, a peach this time!"

This preliminary catchup chat has run its course anyway. As Aether steps around the other end of the tables on his way to the kitchen, he says to Xingqiu and Chongyun, "We'll talk about the Chasm after everyone has finished breakfast." That reminds the boys they haven't quite finished theirs yet, and they get back to eating. Aether made chopsticks available, but for zhōu with few or no toppings, the Liyue locals are using spoons.

Paimon accompanies Aether and Ajax into the kitchen.

The two men say nothing to each other—they don't need to. After a quick survey of the remaining porridge, they look at each other. Ajax sees readiness in Aether's posture and tilts his head toward the side of the kitchen where water is kept on hand. Aether confirms with a nod. They split up: Ajax gets a jug of water, Aether gets two spoons and bowls. They return to the stove simultaneously as if choreographed.

While Aether is trying a spoonful of zhōu to make sure there's nothing off about it beyond the obvious over-thickening, Ajax reaches around him to set the jug on the counter. He could have gone to his other side, but this way he gets to brush his arm across Aether's back. It's also an opportunity he uses to lean down and whisper, "When was the last time you danced?"

"Haven't really danced on this world," Aether answers in an almost-whispering voice that makes Ajax decide he wants the dictionary to be read to him, too. He turns his head just enough to peek behind them and sees that Paimon is preoccupied choosing a peach from the fruit shelf. There are only two peaches to choose from, and yet. While she's not looking, Ajax removes a glove temporarily and places his hand on Aether's waist. It's oddly satisfying to touch him there when he's wearing the outfit that leaves it bare. Not more satisfying than elsewise, but off to one side of the normal satisfaction. The sudden, low breath Aether sucks in tells him he's not alone in that.

For the second time, Ajax feels possessive over Aether. It's not jealousy, though. It's the thrill of having this privilege, of getting to touch Aether's waist like this and receive the blessing of a pleased sound. He does derive some smugness from the fact that so many other people see it and never get to touch it, but that's not the important part. The permission of intimacy is what makes him feel special, and the rarity of such permission only adds a little to that feeling.

Aether is motionless for a brief moment, marveling at the pleasantness of this very simple thing. Ajax's palm is spread across his side in a spot where his fingers can wrap around to his abdomen. It's a gentle touch, almost a kind of holding.

Picking up the jug in one hand, he covers Ajax's hand with the other while he carefully pours an eyeballed amount of water into the zhōu. They tried to make a monster of him, and they keep trying, but he holds me so gently, Aether reflects with a pang of love. Setting the jug aside, he lifts the scarred hand—of Ajax, of Childe, of Tartaglia—to kiss each of his knuckles softly as he stirs the water into the porridge. He hears the quietest 'mh' of comfort and feels Ajax's chin come to rest atop his head.

Paimon flies over to deliver her chosen peach, but because she's covering her eyes like she expects to see something scandalizing, she's carrying the peach very precariously under one arm. Her attempt to set it down by blindly tilting her whole self down toward the countertop doesn't get far before the peach appears to leap out of her grasp. "Whoa-whoa-wha!" she yelps as she fumbles after it, but it lands on the floor with a small, squishy thud.

Observing this, unperturbed, Aether places one more kiss on Ajax's hand—the palm this time—and then lets it go. He felt the flinch of Ajax's reflex to go and retrieve the fallen fruit. Whether his chief motive is helping Paimon or just being housekeepy, Aether doesn't know and now wonders. Does Paimon's childlikeness set off his brotherly instincts? I don't think so, or he'd have objected to her being so close to our fight in the Golden House, probably. I can't see him having nothing to say if I had an actual small child tagging along with me there. By then, he knew Paimon well enough to know she's...unique. Just like he knew I wasn't a teenager. Heh, would he have seen me as a little brother if he had? That would have made everything harder on him.

Seeing that the peach has splatted, Ajax grabs a rag first and then wipes the juice off the floor when he picks up the peach. "The top half is fine," he assesses, giving Paimon a light smile. "I'll slice that part up for your porridge and I'll eat the rest."

"You can't eat that, it's been on the floor!" Paimon protests.

Aether has always thought it odd that someone as food-obsessed as Paimon absolutely refuses to eat food that's fallen on the floor or the ground. Odd, but nothing to argue over. Ever the pragmatist, he tends to claim floor food for himself, brush it off, and brush off her objections as he eats it.

Ajax doesn't see Paimon as a child, that's true, but he's not entirely immune to her resemblance to one. "Sure I can. Can't let food go to waste!" He changes his mind about slicing the top half for Paimon and fetches the other peach instead. Sucking juice off the bottom half of what is now his pre-breakfast snack, so that it doesn't drip, he proceeds to hearty, hungry bites while conjuring a knife of Hydro to prepare the second peach semi-handsfree in Paimon's bowl. He makes little slashing motions with one finger, and soon the fruit has been disemboweled of its pit and diced into Paimon-bite-sized pieces.

This amazes Paimon enough that she seems to forget where the peach he's eating has been. "Paimon didn't know you could do that! Can you make stuff with your Vision that's not sharp things and evil whales?"

Aether needn't keep his eyes on the zhōu as he reheats and stirs it, so he's watching how Ajax eats the first peach. Not a single drop of juice escapes at any point, and the reason is evident from the occasional muffled slurp: he's sucking on every bite. There are a couple of times when he darts the tip of his tongue out to catch a drip that gets past his guard. Aether can't help remembering what those lips and that tongue did to him this morning. No wonder he's so good at eating my— shchelka, if he can eat a ripe peach without dribbling any of the juice... He spares a thought of gratitude to his chosen anatomy for another benefit: he can dwell on this without any worry that his body will tattle on him.

"Of course I can~ I assume you and Aether have encountered the Oceanid of Qingce?"

"Yeah, lots of times!"

"Maybe four times," Aether corrects.

"Yeah, lots of times!" Paimon reiterates.

"Four times?" Ajax has already devoured the peach down to its pit and is nibbling off the last of the edible flesh between speaking. The very last of it. "Why? Did the first three fights not go well for you?" He turns a perplexed blink toward Aether.

"No, it went fine," Aether clarifies. "There are just some valuable residues and gems it tends to leave behind. It's an interesting challenge if I don't have help from a Cryo user. Have you fought it? With...your Hydro?" Now Aether is perplexed. "That could work if it's all Electro-charged..."

"Oh no, certainly not with Hydro. I didn't resort to my Delusion, either." Ajax starts taking care of some small tasks like disposing of the peach pits. "Just a real bow. The hawk mimics make decent target practice and the crabs are surprisingly brutal. Not bad for a little training session."

"How long did it take?" Aether has to ask.

"Not nearly long enough. A couple of minutes."

Paimon is astonished. "Whaaat!? Only a couple minutes with no elements!?"

Ajax disregards her amazement. It wasn't that remarkable by his standards. "And unfortunately, there's not much else to entertain myself with, in Liyue these days," he laments. Somebody cleaned the place up far too well."

"What about the regisvine?" Aether wonders. "And the hypostasis?" Those two should regrow and regenerate, respectively, on a regular basis.

"Fought them."

"Not going to fight them again?"

"Too predictable."

"So what was it that I cleared out that wasn't predictable? Treasure Hoarders?"

"Tch. Treasure Hoarders are even worse. No, there was an unusual geovishap in Tianqiu Valley."

Aether signals Paimon not to interrupt. He wants to hear Ajax's experience.

"Like all fully-grown geovishaps, it absorbed the elements to protect itself. But, as I have no doubt you're aware, given that it's gone now: instead of absorbing elements as needed, it always had one ready to go when I'd pay a visit to its lair. And it was a handful! Larger and fiercer than any of its brethren, and sturdy enough that I'd get a decent fight out of it before retreating to allow it to recover."

"That's the Primo Geovishap!" Paimon informs Ajax, bursting with 'well actually' energy. "But there's an even bigger one! Way bigger!"

Aether ladles porridge into their three bowls. "Azhdaha. Imprisoned under Nantianmen. We have to go in and check on his cage every so often. He forgets why he's in the cage and tries to absorb Ley Line energy again."

"The...legendary dragon Azhdaha? That Azhdaha?" Aether, I could kiss you! And I will! "Wait, what was that about a cage?" Please don't say we can't fight him!

"Ye—" Aether can't answer the first question before the second one is asked, so he answers both at once. "Yes, that Azhdaha. He's imprisoned kind of willingly, but his mind is lost and so are most of his memories. The seal keeping him contained got weaker over the centuries. He started manifesting himself outside it in the form of a young girl. No, not possession, just a shape of his will. He used that form to get a group of miners to dig down to the seal and break it. That was how Zhongli and I got involved; when those miners went missing, their foreman put up a commission to find them."

Ajax waits patiently-impatiently for Aether to get to the important part, standing with his hands on his hips and invisibly flexing his feet inside his boots. Does he know what he's doing to me? Is this my punishment come late?

(The likelihood that Ajax wasn't asking about the history behind Azhdaha's situation simply bounced off Aether's brain. He should know better, but he's not yet so used to being around Ajax that things like this can't slip his mind.) "Paimon, you tell him about how it all started."

Something is slowly happening to Ajax's face. Whatever expression it is, he hopes it will convey his plea for mercy.

"Yeah! So, Azhdaha and Zhongli became friends a long, long, long time ago," Paimon readily supplies. "Zhongli made eyes for him so he could see the sun and the world around him, and he was really grateful. He defended Liyue and coexisted with humans peacefully. But even though he's older than the mountains and oceans, his memories don't last long." She frowns, either in sympathy for the dragon or because she finds the concept troubling. "He kinda forgot everything, even who Zhongli was. But they'd made a contract where he agreed that if he ever became a threat to the people of Liyue, he'd be sealed underground. So that's what happened. It's all pretty sad when Paimon thinks about it."

Aether nods his agreement. He sees Ajax frowning, too, but it's quite distinct from a look of sadness. "Why the puppy face, Childe?"

"Huh?" Ajax rallies from his doldrums. "I have a question." That part about the eyes was interesting, I suppose. How does one make eyes for a Geo dragon? What else could that kind of power make? Does Zhongli still have that power?

Aether raises an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Is there any chance left of getting to fight Azhdaha? What do these 'checks' of yours entail?"

Paimon pouts and folds her arms. "You're always thinking about fighting. Were you even listening? Paimon told the story well! Right, Aether?"

Aether is smiling at Ajax. A small but very promising smile. "You did great, Paimon. Were you listening, sweetheart? If you answer a quiz right, I'll answer your question."

The 'puppy face' returns in full force and then some. "...Go ahead then, quiz me," Ajax resigns himself with a sigh.

Aether slides a conspiratorial glance over to Paimon as he asks, "How many 'longs' ago did Azhdaha and Zhongli become friends?"

Ajax was listening; he can listen and suffer at the same time. "Three."

"Good job!" Aether smiles brighter. He's tempted to do more with that congratulation, but, as they're in the kitchen and Paimon is here, he holds back. "Anyway, yes, we fight him regularly. That uses up any energy he absorbs. It's usually just me and it takes a while. You'd help a lot by coming along, and I think you'll have fun."

Word by word, Ajax's anticipation grows and his eyes widen to encompass it.

"He uses two elements each time."

A hopeful little grin is pursed by Ajax biting the inside of his lower lip. He almost makes himself bleed in his eagerness and the odd urge to sink his teeth into something.

"There's some kind of sigil on the outer seal that detects what elements he's absorbed, but if you want to be surprised...I can cover your eyes as we go in."

"Ahh, my sweet comrade." All his former boredom forgotten, Ajax steps over, takes Aether's head tenderly in his hands, and kisses his forehead several times in the same spot. "When I'm back in Liyue, let's fight a near-deific dragon together!"

"Ehehaha," Aether laughs softly under the kisses. Almost by reflex, he touches one of Ajax's wrists, neither pulling at it nor holding it in place, merely appreciating. "Childe..." he says, just to let out the affection effervescing in his chest. "Sounds like a date." Half confirming, half flirting.

"Eeegh," Paimon grumbles from somewhere about half a meter further away than she was before.

Ajax's eyes are alight with the joy of having everything he wants at this particular moment. It's an uncomplicated moment and he has no reservations about indulging in it fully. Hugging Aether around the shoulders, he lays a grin-firmed cheek atop his head and rubs it against his voluminous blond hair. "Of course it's a date," he coos. "Are you looking forward to it as much as I am?"

Aether holds Ajax by his sides. He hasn't stopped grinning either, his eyes closed while he's being hugged and...having his head rubbed by Ajax's face? He can't recall a Teyvat word for that, but it's pleasant, and the happiness behind it is achingly heartwarming. "I don't think I can match your enthusiasm for anything, baby. I love that about you. I am really looking forward to it a lot, though."

Paimon murmurs to herself, not quietly enough, "Baby?" She sounds baffled. "...Baby with an E, maybe?..."

It was usually a serious kind of enthusiasm, before, Aether is thinking. Intense and philosophical. I'm starting to see more of this happy, genuinely happy kind that suits you so well and shines so bright I almost forget how rare it was.

"Mmm, I love you, sladkiy." Ajax's grin settles into a warm and indeed lovestruck smile as he lifts his head to look at Aether. With a parting caress behind Aether's ear, he releases him from his embrace. "On that note, I think what you called me is fine, once in a while. Nothing wrong with it, and it's pleasant enough; it just doesn't strike me quite as wonderfully as some other things you call me."

Aether nods once, glad to have that answer. He feels more or less the same way about it, now that he has given it a try.

"Does Paimon dare ask what the word you called Aether means? It sounds funny but Paimon guesses it's not an ugly nickname?"

Aether has a small chuckle at that. Giving Paimon a smiling shake of his head, he points out, "You're the one who gives people ugly nicknames."

Ajax has never noticed this about himself before, but it's true that although he has a tendency to address people he likes by positive 'nicknames,' he rarely if ever bothers with negative ones for people he dislikes. It seems to him that it'd be a waste to spend any amount of attention on doing so. "It, essentially, means 'sweetness.'"

"Oh! That's actually...pretty nice!" Paimon grants him. "Now where's Paimon's sweet, sweet, peachy porridge!?"

"Coming right up," Aether tells her, chuckling again. Ajax pushes the bowls closer and Aether ladles zhōu into all three.

As soon as one of them is full, Ajax takes it and sets it further along the counter, where Paimon is hovering. He starts adding sugar. "Tell me when it's enough."

The sugar accumulates. Paimon just watches, saying nothing.

The sugar becomes a sizable pile on top of the porridge. Ajax slowly looks askance at her. "Tell me when, Paimon."

Aether observes in amused silence. He borrows some cinnamon for his own serving.

"Paimon...?" Ajax looks to Aether for help.

"We can always get more sugar." Aether shrugs by tilting his head. "It doesn't seem to do her any harm."

Paimon finally speaks up when the sugar is about to spill over the bowl's edges. "Okay!" She does a pleased little bounce in the air.

"Do you just want this on top, then?" Ajax puzzles over it.

"Mixed in."

"...You need a bigger bowl." The Harbinger shakes his head, gets one that'll hold the porridge and sugar with plenty of room to spare, and gives it a good mixing, along with the cinnamon Aether has returned. The porridge still sounds slightly crunchy as he finishes stirring it, despite some of the sugar dissolving. "Peaches on top?" he inquires warily as if Paimon is going to spring a truly absurd request on him.

"Yep!"

Ajax spoons the peach slices onto Paimon's porridge and nudges them into a nice circle. He hasn't forgotten the gratitude he and Aether owe Paimon, and he hopes to get along with her well in any case. She hasn't shown any dislike of him beyond a degree of resentful caution that he must admit is fair. That she supported Aether's interest in him is a good sign, one he intends to live up to where his treatment of her and Aether is concerned. No promises he'll meet her moral standards, though, because he won't and he's fine with that.

"Yay! You even made it look fancy like at a restaurant. Thanks, Childe!"

"It's nothing," Ajax says with a smile and a slight chuckle. It really is. Paimon might not be a child, but she is as easy to please as one, sometimes, and that's lucky for him.

Paimon's bowl is too big for her to carry, so Ajax carries it. The three of them find Xingqiu and Chongyun in conversation over a book. It doesn't look like any of the reference materials they had out here yesterday. As Xingqiu closes the book, the colorfully illustrated cover of a light novel can be seen.

Paimon gracefully dips down over her bowl to eat, taking her time. That makes the contrast between her and the other two residents more marked: Aether and Ajax plop into adjacent chairs and dig in even faster than Paimon usually does. They're both good at ignoring hunger right up until there's food in front of them.

Chongyun realizes, "It's been a long time since yesterday's dinner. Aether, are you going to bring any snacks for yourself?"

Aether nods. He'll bring some jerky to keep his energy up. Dealing with entrenched Treasure Hoarders might take some time, assuming the Millelith haven't already gone ahead. The chance of that is about fifty-fifty at this point, he guesses.

"Alright," Chongyun responds. "I'll be bringing my own, and plenty of popsicles of course. Is there anything else we're going to need?"

Pausing between mouthfuls, Aether replies, "You're probably bringing all this anyway but: glider, something to take notes on if we end up with a need to, a backpack, and uh... Oh, I have some extra climbing gear you can use while Xingqiu has the other set."

Paimon pipes up, "How is it extra climbing gear if it's the only set you have?"

Ajax has an answer for that. "Extraneous to his needs." He's not sure if that's where the word 'extra' comes from, but it doesn't matter.

Eating again, Aether briefly tilts his head toward Ajax in a 'what he said' gesture.

"Hrmmn," Paimon ponders, but she comes up with nothing to say to that.

As soon as everyone except Paimon is done with breakfast (and she doesn't have much left), Aether leans back and declares, "Okay. Let's put the horse on the table. The—..."

Xingqiu is looking at him with a quirked brow. Chongyun is squinting. Ajax has a blank look fixed on him. Paimon simply informs him, "That one's not a saying in Teyvat."

"Ah." Sometimes Aether gets lucky and an idiom or metaphor that comes to mind as he's speaking happens to be one that Teyvat shares with other worlds, due to partially parallel cultural evolution. Some are simple and obvious enough that they just work. This idiom is neither, apparently. Paimon is used to this and so is Aether. He moves right along. "What I mean is, let's talk about the most important thing first. Childe, you said yesterday you're willing to help resolve the Fatui situation in the Chasm peacefully?"

Ajax has leaned back, too. When he saw Xingqiu steepling his fingers yesterday, he idly wished he could do the same; today he does happen to be sitting in a chair with arms, but his more natural inclination is to put one elbow on there and fold his other arm across, tucking his hand between his forearm and upper arm. "And I meant it," he addresses the Liyuen pair. "But my assistance comes with a condition."

Chongyun is leaning forward with his hands clasped under the table. Xingqiu, sitting in a perfect straight posture, raises an eyebrow warily. "What is the condition?"

"No Millelith involvement beyond the extent to which they are already involved."

Frowns form on the faces of Xingqiu, Chongyun, and Paimon, expressing a range of reactions from overt objection to puzzled uncertainty. Xingqiu draws a breath to say something, but stops himself. Aether shows no reaction whatsoever, nor does he have any.

Ajax continues, "You would rather they face a formal justice process for any actions they might have taken that are against Liyue's laws, right?" He may as well invite the comments that are on the tips of certain tongues. Put the horse on the table, as Aether said. Why does that phrase make sense without making any sense at all?

"Yes, of course," Xingqiu replies. "And if they've done nothing outside the bounds of the law, they will not be punished. They'll be sent home, and I think after everything they've been through, those of them who have done nothing wrong deserve to go home."

"And what do you imagine will become of them then?"

Again Xingqiu draws a breath and stops. Objection turns to thoughtfulness. "...What do you mean?"

"They've been abandoned. They're no longer under any Harbinger's authority. At best, they arrive in our motherland and are immediately reassigned. I will have no influence over their fate if they're sent back by the Ministry or the Qixing."

"And at worst?" Xingqiu inquires measuredly.

Ajax shrugs one shoulder in a small, slow motion, glancing north out of habit. What relation this realm's 'north' (as reckoned by the sun) has to that of the outside world, he doesn't question right now. "To survive for all these months with broken chains of command and supply, they may have taken actions that would not be favored by Fatui internal law. Some of them might be charged with desertion, absence without leave, insubordination, mutiny, surrender, wrongful disposition of materiel...even treason, perhaps."

"That seems unjust," Xingqiu notes.

"Yeah!" Paimon agrees. "If they're just trying to survive, why would they be blamed for all that? They were abandoned! Shouldn't the...the Harbinger who was in charge of them be punished instead?"

"It may not be fair," Ajax responds, "but unfairness can cut both ways. Which brings me to my point: if they're brought out of their current predicament directly into my command, it's up to me what happens to them. Harbingers answer only to the Tsaritsa, for better or worse. For my own convenience I wouldn't have it any other way, but it does create some...problems for those underneath."

Aether wants to raise an eyebrow at that, but it wouldn't communicate anything he'd intend it to. He would look like he's judging Ajax's words on moral grounds, when in fact he's judging them on accuracy. That's the most self-...minimizing way you could have put that without completely lying. You make it sound like you like the way the Fatui are run, and that you like it because it gives you some kind of minor convenience like...free napkins or something.

"What will you do with them?" Chongyun asks.

"In short, nothing. I can't send them home right away; that would be, more or less, to the same effect as Liyue sending them back. A little time is needed for the Pulcinella smell to rub off."

Paimon must know: "What does Pool-chee-nel-la...smell like?"

"Uh? Like an old man." It's not bad. Ajax never met one of his grandfathers. He has the vaguest memory of the other one, a memory of a scent that the occasional whiff of mothballs and mild cologne around Pulcinella reminds him of. "You know I wasn't speaking literally, right?"

"Paimon thought so, but you never know with you Fatui," she defends.

"Huh. I'm not going to ask what you think we'd do with...smells. Regrettable metaphors aside, Dragonspine is a peaceful rug to sweep them— nope, that's another metaphor. But it is a peaceful and safe assignment—..." Realizing he was about to say 'since the Traveler moved on from the area,' Ajax stops himself again.

"Since I was there?" Aether fills in placidly before Ajax can swerve.

"Yyyes... If you want to put it bluntly in present company."

"I don't mind."

"Very well then. The Dragonspine command was delegated to me not long ago. Another 'inheritance' from Signora."

"No wonder you're so bored," Aether comments. "Lately all they're doing is having you hold the bags left by other Harbingers."

Ajax leans his chin on his hand as he sighs wistfully, dropping a heavy stare on the empty bowl in front of him. "It does seem as if my eventful first years as a Harbinger were an early peak. This year, so far..." He looks over at Aether, and the cloud cover of his blasé attitude is pierced momentarily by the light of a certain sun. Almost as if to himself, he says in a very soft voice, "Not so bad, actually..."

Aether's smile at him has the same softness.

Before anyone needs to find a polite way to get the conversation back on track, Ajax attends to it by sliding back into his more businesslike mode. "So, a month of light duty in Dragonspine, amidst snow and ice that they will surely find reinvigorating after all this time languishing in Liyue. For a Snezhnayan, cold comfort is the best comfort. During that time, I'll arrange for their service records to be...somewhat creatively updated. Most of the delay will be owed to the time it takes for paperwork to travel back and forth."

There's a moment of thought had by Xingqiu and Chongyun, who look at each other.

"So they'd just be...chilling out?" Paimon puns, grinning.

Ajax can't help smiling a little. There's something to be appreciated, he thinks, about Paimon bringing levity to this table and many others. "Just enough to properly enjoy a sit by the samovar and a hot cup of tea."

Paimon's curiosity is caught. "Samovar? What's that?"

"It's a container for brewing tea. It doesn't need to be over a fire; it has a pipe to put fuel in so that it heats on its own. 'Samovar' means 'self-brewer,' in fact. Add a lot of black tea and a little water to the teapot to make very concentrated tea called zavarka, place the teapot on top of the samovar, fill the body of the samovar with water, and you get a large amount of tea that's diluted to normal strength. There's a spigot at the bottom that you can use to pour into a cup or a second teapot."

"Wow, that sounds complicated!" Paimon says. "Not as complicated as Zhongli's tea ceremonies, but why the extra steps?"

"When you have a larger number of people and you want hot tea to be available for a good while, it becomes the simplest solution to those needs."

Paimon appears to consider that deeply. Meanwhile, Xingqiu is polite about picking up the original subject of discussion: "I'll admit that this tangent has been interesting. Now that my lady's curiosity is satisfied and the rest of us are a little more educated on Snezhnayan culture, there's another question I must ask. Possibly the final question before we come to a decision."

"Ask away," Ajax replies casually. He's starting to get antsy again, though. He has a lot of shopping to do before nightfall, and the fresh air of Inazuma City beckons him. That air is warm and a bit smoky, actually, but it moves, and it carries those lovely sakura petals around.

"Why do you care what happens to the Fatui in the Chasm? Does it reflect back on you?"

Aether guesses what Xingqiu is trying to indirectly suss out: why would a Harbinger want to coddle those soldiers and send them home instead of using them to strengthen the Fatui's very precarious foothold in Liyue?

"I don't particularly," Ajax answers, "and it doesn't reflect on me any more than it will have reflected on Pulcinella. But my colleagues have been sloppy. I get petty satisfaction from picking up their trash and making it useful again." All true, and as it makes no difference to anyone, including himself, whether he has any other motives underlying those truths, he doesn't plan on expanding his explanation. He's used to not being listened to, anyway.

Then he remembers that someone is listening. He casts a sidelong glance at Aether. Being hit by this awareness mid-conversation is a little disorienting. The feeling it leaves him with is strange and inscrutable...and warm. It feels like having a connection to the world outside himself.

"Reason enough," Aether opines. He's been watching Ajax. To an inevitably lesser extent, he's been watching everyone else, too. At the moment he's looking directly at his beloved Harbinger, who seems half-dressed without his jacket and sash. In Ajax's glance at him, he observes boredom-dulled eyes again softening for a second. A faint flicker of naked humanity.

"Is it?" Chongyun doubts. "It sounded as if you find cleaning up after the other Harbingers burdensome. Yet now you're taking on something you weren't even called upon to do?"

"There's a certain appeal in that, don't you think?" Ajax evades, settling into a smug and flippant attitude that might annoy them enough that they stop asking questions. He presses, "Though, you both seem like dutiful types, so maybe you don't~ Take my word for it, then. Besides that, being unpredictable is advantageous not only in battle. I have a reputation for being such, and I'll happily maintain it." The fact that he's actually quite predictable is all the more reason he can say that and mean it. As long as Ajax stays light on his feet in every way and Aether remains the only person who cares to study his innermost self, he'll keep that perceived advantage. An advantage perceived by one's opponents is a very real one.

I'm going to ask him about this later, Aether decides. Not tonight though. He has a new theory: that Ajax won't talk about anything good he's done or wants to do unless it comes up and...some other factor comes into it. Necessity? Comfort with who he's talking to? Mood? In any case, it's clear there's a lot he isn't going to learn about Ajax unless he asks the right questions. The picture Xingqiu and Chongyun are getting from what he's saying about himself right now is not a complete one, and it seems like that's deliberate on some level. Of course, it's possible and probable that this is how Ajax is about the worst things he's done, too. Aether assumes those are also unknown to him as of yet.

Xingqiu still looks skeptical, but Chongyun is starting to come around. "I see," the latter says, pinching his chin between thumb and finger. "I understand the importance of tactical advantages in battle, and the strategic advantages that come with knowledge of one's enemy. Knowledge is indeed half the battle for an exorcist. Turning that around, it makes sense that if your enemies are also human, their knowledge about you can become an advantage against you. Unpredictability takes that back from them. That is reason enough."

Looked to now for his conclusion, Xingqiu issues a reserved nod after a moment. "Your motives aren't as noble as I hoped, but they are, if you'll pardon me, about as noble as I expected."

Ajax shrugs his eyebrows.

Xingqiu continues. "Considering the group of Fatui we've been talking about had nothing to do with what transpired in the city, taking no action to get the Millelith involved is a condition I can accept. However, the Millelith are already involved where the Treasure Hoarders come into the picture."

Chongyun picks up that line of thought by asking Ajax, "What is it you're asking me to do if Aether and I are faced with a conflict between Fatui and Millelith today?"

Ajax inclines his head as he looks once more to the man sitting next to him. "I leave that entirely up to Aether."

"I'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it," Aether says to Chongyun. "You don't have to cross it with me if you don't agree with the decision I make at that time. I won't hold it against you. You don't owe me support in a hypothetical fight where you believe I'm on the wrong side."

Chongyun takes a moment to grapple with that, his brow knitting slightly in thought.

"That seems fair to me," Xingqiu says, though his voice is a tad quiet and there's almost a question mark implied at the end of the statement, making it a humble suggestion rather than an assertive declaration. He glances between Aether and Chongyun.

"...It is fair," Chongyun concedes. He might not be too happy with the position he's in, but he evidently has no better idea. Addressing Ajax again he asks, "If you're not going to be in Liyue soon, what kind of help are you offering?"

"The means to avoid violent confrontation with the Fatui, and to gain their trust as far as accepting your guidance out of the Chasm goes. Aether is already wearing my earring, and that's something he can use to back up his claim that I've sanctioned this, once he gets close enough. The real issue is, of course, getting that close without trouble. For that..." Ajax sheepishly looks across the house at the guest room door.

He grimaces an apologetic smile. "I had one idea that's no longer an option, thanks to the cat's, um, actions with regard to that red sash I usually wear. Somehow, I don't think armed strangers approaching wearing tattered pieces of it will send the right message. But there is another option. There are code phrases that were valid at the time the Ninth Company was abandoned, which are no longer in use by any of the other groups in Liyue; we should still have a record of them for the purpose of interpreting old reports. Aether, you'll have to drop by the Northland Bank and ask Ekaterina, the receptionist, for a copy of that code sheet."

Ajax reaches over and brushes his hand over Aether's hair by his nearer ear, which is, conveniently, the one with the earring. "I wouldn't be surprised if she grasps the full meaning of this right away. She saw what you did for me that day—you know the one I mean. And, uh...aheh, I don't think she's unaware of...how much I..." He clears his throat quietly and utters a soft laugh, shaking his head. "Never mind. My point stands."

Aether smiles, affection welling in him at the gloved touch, the trail off into shyness, and the way Ajax resigns himself not-unhappily to the impossibility of a smooth recovery. "Okay, I'll do that." He reluctantly takes his eyes off Ajax to speak to the others. "So is there an agreement?"

Xingqiu and Chongyun both nod.

Aether prompts Paimon, who looks unsure whether she's included, "What about you? What are your thoughts after all that?"

"Oh. Paimon is just glad it's settled. The whole thing is confusing. The Fatui are the bad guys, except these ones aren't, but they might be... And if what Childe said is true, about what their homecoming would be if they're sent back to Snezhnaya by Liyue, justice wouldn't be fair... It's getting hard to think all this through when we haven't met any of the people we're talking about."

A small nod from Aether and a long, slow one from Chongyun. Aether is acknowledging Paimon's viewpoint, not sharing it, but he suspects Chongyun is feeling a bit lost in this matter as well. His whole life is built around dealing with evil spirits, not morally ambiguous humans.

"Thank you," Aether says to all of them. "I'm grateful that we've been able to talk this out and reach an agreement. If circ*mstances or information change, we'll talk again. For now, we have a plan. Chongyun, how soon will you be ready to go?"

"I can be ready in five minutes. I only need to pack your climbing gear in my backpack and fill my canteen."

"I'll show you where the gear is. We'll meet at the place where Squad Leader Yanbo told me to meet him. It happens to be right where I'll arrive when I teleport. If we don't find him there, we'll go looking for him and his squad. Where will you be coming from?"

While these logistics are figured out, Ajax privately goes over some of his own: he tries to think of all the things a cat needs. Without ever having owned, lived with, or spent any extended amount of time with a housecat before.

"From the northwest side of the Chasm. All we did earlier was explore some of the cave we found, so we didn't go far."

"Right, how did that go by the way?" Aether inquires.

"We ran into some slimes that weren't much trouble," Chongyun answers at the same time as Paimon announces, "We found treasure! It wasn't a lot, but it was treasure! The slimes were guarding a chest."

"I'm not sure they were guarding it per se," Xingqiu says, smiling. He seems endeared, or at least amused, by Paimon's interpretation of their encounter. "We disturbed their habitat when we slogged through the water to get to the chest."

"We found the entrance to a domain," Chongyun reminds Xingqiu.

That fills Xingqiu with enthusiasm. "Yes, we did! In that cave, we went down the hole with the waterfall, made our way up a very uneven mining passage, and found a spoutrock coupled with a powerful, persistent updraft—"

"Paimon got caught in the updraft. It was scary! The spoutrock made it way too fast."

"Yes," Xingqiu concurs, "one second Paimon was with us and the next second she was gone. But it was no mystery where she'd gone—"

"Paimon screamed," she admits.

"Yes, and so we looked up to see a long vertical tunnel. As soon as we opened our gliders we were thrown aloft just as fast, and the three of us found ourselves right in front of a domain's door. We haven't gone in yet."

Ajax takes note. There could be interesting foes to be fought, in there.

Aether gives Paimon a tiny, sympathetic smile. "Let's check it out when the four of us are no longer split up."

"My hopes are high that we might discover something of historical import," Xingqiu says.

"And treasure!" Paimon adds.

Ah, Ajax sighs inwardly. I'll miss out on that. But that's probably no great loss. Instead, I'll have the chance to spend quality time in Inazuma with my dear comrade and the strongest foes he can point us at. That's a wonderful prospect that no single domain could measure up to.

"Paimon and Xingqiu: are you still reporting to Zhiqiong today?"

Xingqiu glances at Paimon, who answers, "If she hasn't wandered off somewhere else."

"Ah yes," the young swordsman remarks, "Paimon told us about what happened at the warehouse. A very strange form of negligence. So far, though, Zhiqiong pointed us in all the right directions, so I trust she knows what she's doing when it comes to scouting and mapping, at least."

"And that's what matters," Aether agrees. "We can't all be multitalented prodigies, I guess, even if three of the five people in this room are."

"Paimon is multitalented, too," Paimon objects.

Aether teases her, "But can you say you're a prodigy without letting anyone know how old you are?"

"Sure!" she meets the challenge. "Paimon has always been multitalented, therefore Paimon is a prodigy."

"Ahh," Aether concedes.

Xingqiu points out, "The location Zhiqiong told Aether and Paimon to meet her at after destroying the middle three Bedrock Keys is on the east side of the Chasm. Paimon, Chongyun, and I can travel there together and Chongyun can go north from there."

"Hmm." Aether is only slightly embarrassed to realize, "I didn't think about the fact I don't really have to go until around the time you'll be arriving in Lumberpick Valley, Chongyun. Unless you'd like me to meet you halfway?"

"That won't be necessary," Chongyun assures him. "Depending on the terrain, though, it'll take...anywhere between one and two hours for me to get there. That's also assuming no obstacles are encountered. So, I suppose two hours is the better estimate."

Ajax checks back in. Aether is looking at him with a raised eyebrow that he gets a sense of hinted-at flirtation from. He plays coy by keeping his own expression very neutral. "So you have two hours of free time, hm?" He rubs the back of a finger against the bottom of his chin contemplatively.

"I may as well go with you," Aether suggests.

"You're more than welcome to, comrade."

Chongyun gets up, his direct and dedicated nature having no more time for sitting around. "Then let's all of us be on our way, or ways."

"Paimon can show you where the climbing stuff is," Paimon offers Chongyun, doing Aether a favor which he thanks her for with a small smile. She smiles back and waves goodbye as she floats backwards toward the alchemy room, Chongyun in tow. Aether, rather than waving, touches his hand to his heart as a more overtly affectionate goodbye, which brightens Paimon's smile before she twirls to face the direction she's floating in.

Chapter 17: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 5)

Chapter Text

The sounds of Feiyun Slope in the afternoon: footsteps on the pavement; voices haggling, chatting lightly, and discussing heavily; a name called and a child's voice answering; wheels of a small cart bringing goods up from the North Wharf to one of the shops; a dog barks once in the distance.

The air is warm and laden with the smell of the ocean. A mild tang of smoke tickles his nostrils, inextricable from the aromas of the high-end restaurants' cooking.

As quickly as Aether's senses are flooded by Liyue Harbor's hustle and bustle, it all fades away with another teleport. A sweeter, less spicy, but no less smoky melange greets him as he arrives in Inazuma City's Tenryou district.

Ajax is returned, of course, to the exact spot he snatched Zhongli away to the Teapot from. The warmth and humidity of Inazuma is made less stifling by the shade of Hanamizaka's big tree. A dog skitters away as soon as he arrives, understandably spooked by his sudden appearance.

He takes several deep breaths. The air in Aether's realm is perfect in its cleanness, but the air in the outside world is so much more dynamic. It's invigorating whereas the Teapot is soothing. Ajax wouldn't want to give up either atmosphere.

He strolls a loop around the tree on his way to the stairs, passing his hand through the coagulation of sakura petals that seems always to be found in the tree's lee. It tingles, as expected.

Both he and Aether had forgotten to mention any specific meeting place. However, it's very easy for him to deduce that Aether will be at one of the two statues in the city that the traveler refers to as waypoints. It's no harder to reason that the one in the Tenryou district is closer to all the shops and would thus be his lyubimy's logical destination. Incidentally but conveniently, it's also closer to Ajax himself.

Aether hops up onto the fence behind the waypoint and looks out over the lower section of the Tenryou district. He's been seen climbing around and gliding in this city often enough that the sight has apparently become an urban legend attached to his broader fame. He has that to thank for the fact that, this time, no one reacts to him standing on this fence. It looks like a very precarious perch, he's aware, but his balance on the narrow wooden beam is flawless.

Parking his hands on his hips, he gives some thought to where Ajax might be. The last time he entered the Serenitea Pot, as far as Aether knows, was when he brought the cat. He hadn't taken the time to get any cat supplies, hence all of that being on his unwritten shopping list today. That, and knowing just how impulsive Ajax can be, tells Aether that his beloved very likely emerged in Hanamizaka.

Aether snaps out his glider and steps off the fence into empty air. It doesn't give him any vertigo or thrill, things that humans almost invariably experience when embarking on a flight or dive. He has heard they're often terrified for at least a second; those who have no fear of heights tend to at least receive an adrenal warning from their self-preservation instincts.

The currents over the city are a little unsteady and whimsical. The heat of many small fires rises, forming eddies in the breeze. Aether compensates reflexively. A glider isn't the same as his wings, and it took a fair bit of getting used to. He had insights into flying that helped, but it differed in every nuance. He never had to use such a device before. Nonetheless, his use of the artificial wings has become second nature by necessity.

As he floats northwest, Aether searches the crowds for bright auburn hair. It occurs to him that Ajax's height and hair color are often going to make him easier to find in a crowd. That's encouraging.

There's no sign of him yet, though. Patient and unconcerned, Aether alights on the roof of the Amenoma Smithy, right on the ridge. Walking along it, he steps down where it dips, over a crosspiece, and onto the shallow upward arc of the end-part that reminds him of a boat's prow.

And there he is, the incognito Harbinger. He has stopped near Naganohara Fireworks and is smiling up at Aether. They're not so far from each other that Aether can't tell how soft that smile is.

Ajax crosses the street to a square of pavement below the smithy that isn't getting any foot traffic. If the guess in the back of his mind is right, it's a temporary storage spot for goods coming and going; it probably saw a lot more use during the war. In any case, he has plenty of room here to open his arms wide and, grinning, brace himself to catch Aether.

Seeing that, Aether couldn't stop himself from grinning back if he tried. Extending his glider once more, he jumps off the rooftop into a gentle descent, buoyed by the heat emanating from the forge. When he's right above Ajax, he retracts the wings and falls neatly into his arms.

Ajax chuckles as he hugs Aether to him. Aether, keeping his feet folded up behind him, snickers warmly and then laughs as Ajax swings him around once.

It feels different and special, being together in the outside world. For the first time, their connection is witnessed by any random stranger who happens to glance their way. Anyone can see how proud they are of each other. Anyone can see that there's someone who makes the Traveler grin and laugh, and that that someone is a tall foreigner whose hair looks like honey in the sunlight and whose eyes shine with joy.

Ajax sets Aether down and they stand there for a moment, literally looking at each other in a new light. Whether Teyvat's sun is real or fake, it's still brighter and whiter in the afternoon than the one in the Serenitea Pot ever gets. Aether wishes he brought his kamera, because behind Ajax is the Hanamizaka sakura tree, and it would make a wonderful background for a picture of him.

He can actually just go and grab it. He's not going to stop himself. "Wait here a minute sweetheart, I forgot something." Aether pats the center of Ajax's chest before willing himself back to the Teapot, where he doesn't have to go far to snatch his kamera off a shelf.

Ajax doesn't entirely stop smiling even after Aether disappears. He's glad Aether could join him here. Yes, they would be out and about in Inazuma tonight too, and they'd surely spend time in the city together at some point, but there's nothing wrong with getting to sooner than expected—and everything right with it. His heart feels so very full, and he knows exactly why. Being cocooned in an adeptal realm with Aether for days had a dreamlike quality to it. If there's any irrational part of him that feared it would all fall apart in the light of Teyvat's day, such a doubt has been eradicated. It has all been real, it's still real, and Aether loves him. Aether showed that to the world without hesitation.

That wasn't on Ajax's mind when he held out his arms. It was no test. He was acting on pure empty-headed whim, out of pure joy at seeing Aether standing atop that roof. Bright and golden the man was, his surefootedness making him seem immovable even as the wind played with the ends of his cape.

It's not on his mind anymore, either, when Aether reappears in front of him. It's obvious that Aether is holding something behind his back. Ajax starts to lean over the shorter man's shoulder to see what it is, and smiles innocently when he gets a light shove for the attempt.

Aether suspects his own smile looks mischievous. Fortunately for their time management, Ajax doesn't try to step around him to see what he has in his hands. "Just stand there. Good. Cocogoat."

The meaning of the last three syllables, tacked onto the rest so seamlessly, only hits Ajax after a second's delay. He starts laughing, and in the next moment he's almost doubled over, hand on his mouth to muffle himself. Aether looks pleased with what he's done to him by just saying a single word, too, and that makes it funnier.

Aether is very pleased indeed to watch Ajax get slain by the unexpected callback to 'the best laugh he'd had in a long time.' He figured it had been long enough that Ajax wouldn't in any way see it coming, and it seems he was right. He himself is grinning uncontrollably and struggling not to laugh.

In gasps and giggles, Ajax catches his breath. "I had almost forgotten about that. Well, no, I could never forget that," especially since he has that ongoing project to set up a reliable supply of coconuts for Qiqi, "but I hadn't thought about it in some time. I must thank you again."

Aether holds up the kamera and points it at Ajax, though he doesn't yet peek through the tiny window-thing to aim it properly. His grin relaxes into a small, sunny smile.

Ajax blinks at the kamera, then darts his gaze the very short distance from it to Aether's eyes. He's aware that his own smile is taking a shy turn, and the only justification he has for that is that if Aether photographs him, he's probably going to see the result, which he doesn't have any reason to look forward to. But then Aether says to him—

"I love you." Aether can't say it as softly as he wants to, lest he go unheard under the noises of Inazuma City. The forge burns behind him, Hajime intermittently hammering a blade. The shrill, constant tone of cicadas is coming from everywhere and nowhere. The trees rustle in the winds. As in Liyue Harbor, people are talking. He and Ajax are only a little bit out of the way of all that.

It's the subtle reverence in how Aether says it that hugs Ajax without even touching him and sweeps away the potential awkwardness. The words themselves, too, of course, but hearing it said so un-casually is a powerful reminder of how much Aether means it. They might be acting like tourists—the modish type who bring kameras with them everywhere in the past year or two—but for that moment it may as well be just the two of them alone in a deserted city.

Involuntarily, Ajax smiles wide and warm at Aether. He can plainly see him peeking at the viewfinder, adjusting his aim, and pressing the button, and he couldn't care less.

Saying that to put Ajax at ease was Aether's plan all along. All along the thirty seconds he took to fetch the camera, that is. Step one: make him laugh, step two: make him comfortable, step three: photograph! It's also a good excuse to say it for its own sake.

The kamera spits out the glossy square of paper and Aether carefully grasps it by a corner, letting it hang from his fingers, watching as the picture develops. He has it facing him and not Ajax, because he would like to make sure it turned out alright before showing it to him. Of course, Ajax starts to sidle around to see. "Aht," Aether noises to stop him, holding up one finger of the hand he has the kamera in.

"Hehe. Can we take one together? And one of you?"

"I'd like that. We might have to get someone to take the picture for us."

"I'm sure we can find a helpful passerby with a steady hand." Ajax looks around.

As the image becomes clear, Aether's smile is renewed. Got it. There you are... "Okay, you can look now."

Ajax still has low expectations of the result. He's sure Aether has plenty of experience with that kamera, but the subject just isn't a good one. He moves to Aether's side and peers down at the photograph.

He almost doesn't recognize himself.

He looks...like a normal person. No more and no less.

Aether looks up at his surprised expression and says, softly now that they're standing so close together, "See...?"

Ajax winds his arms around Aether's waist and rests his chin on the top of his head. When he goes to speak he realizes how difficult it'll be if he keeps his chin there, so instead he leans his cheek against the side. "...I don't understand," he murmurs in peaceful thought. "That looks so different from the last time I chanced upon a mirror. Is it the kamera?" Is it because I'm happy?

"You look different than you used to," Aether admits. "You used to look very tired all the time. Very, very tired. And bored. And depressed. Always ready to be disappointed. But every time you were happy, the sun broke through those clouds and you...you shined so bright."

Ajax sighs, silently for once, his exhalation ruffling Aether's hair. "Shone," he offers as a correction.

Aether thanks him by means of a slight nuzzle.

Thinking back, Ajax finds Aether's description—the flattering part aside—pretty accurate to both how he looked and how he sometimes felt. At the time, though... At every time until now... He assumed it was because he had been fundamentally changed by the Abyss, just like his family thought. That he'd lost something. That he came out less human than he went in. He had seen it as a fair trade for the strength he gained.

Just like his assumption that he couldn't love, it wasn't true.

"So," Ajax muses, "all it took was getting some rest? Which is to say, the best sleep I've had in years, an amount of time spent idle that I'd never confess to, and, all in all...slowing down long enough to catch up to myself. Ah yes, and the simple matters of finding love and happiness~" Ajax kisses Aether's hair, then leans further over his shoulder to kiss his cheek and smile at him with deep appreciation.

Aether turns his head to give Ajax a casual kiss on his lips. "Mm-hm~ Just those little things."

"Mm, hehe. Shall we find—"

Aether interrupts, because he can't let that subject pass by without letting Ajax know this, "It's the best sleep I've had in Teyvat, too. When I sleep with you." My nightmares...if I'm still having them, I'm not remembering them.

Ajax's eyebrows rise. "Oh. I'm glad to hear that, to say the least. Being able to give back any of what you've given me...is a fond wish of mine."

"And you do." Aether smiles. "You're really good at loving me."

"Good. I won't accept that as an excuse to rest on my laurels, though."

Aether chuckles. "I know. You haven't sat on a laurel in so long you...uh... I don't have an ending for this joke."

"Haha, ha! How about this... Hm... No, I don't have anything either." He claps his hands onto Aether's shoulders and straightens up.

Aether is about to suggest they cross the street to Naganohara Fireworks to see if Yoimiya is in, but a random passerby notices them standing by the street's edge with a kamera and offers to help.

"Should we stand next to each other, or...?" Aether looks Ajax up and down. Their height difference isn't unusual for a couple, and it's not going to be a problem for the photograph, but there's a decision to be made in any case.

"We could—..." Ajax moves behind Aether again and drapes his arms around his shoulders. "Something like this?"

"Yeah." Aether follows his natural inclination to lean back against him and place his hands on his arms. He feels Ajax's chin settle atop his head once more, and it makes him smile. Yeah, I like this. We fit together perfectly this way.

As soon as Aether's head is tucked under his chin, Ajax feels a smile utterly take over his face. He closes his eyes in contentment...and remembers, just in time, to open them for the picture.

Or not in time. A picture is taken of Aether alone, and by then, the one with both of them has developed. Ajax's eyes were caught half-open in a way that does not look good, but which they get a laugh out of.

The second attempt comes out perfect. Ajax is privately amazed that he looks normal in this one too, that it wasn't just a fluke. I'll send this one with the letter. That one, with only Aether, is going in my wallet for those inevitable times when we're apart.

He insists on tipping their ad hoc photographer more than a few Mora. Between his smooth confidence and Aether's mostly silent nods seconding what he says, they convince the person to accept enough for a meal at Uyuu Restaurant.

As the person rejoins a very patient friend across the street, Aether and Ajax pocket the photographs and start walking up the Tenryou district. Neither of them knows who reaches for the other's hand first, only that their hands bump into each other by mutual intention and easily interweave.

They keep their eyes out for shops that might have any of the things they're looking for.

"Is that place selling animal supplies?" Aether nods to a small building with several cats loitering on and around it. There's a sign, but it's written in Inazuman. Part of his view of the place is blocked by a cluster of people.

"Ah...?" Ajax peers over the other pedestrians' heads but doesn't glean anything more informative. "Suppose we'll have to go in and see."

The door is ajar and equipped with a tinkly bell. The smells of dry feed for various animals instantly fill their noses as they enter, and they see that every inch of wall space is occupied by deep shelves which in turn display all manner of pet toys, beds, boxes, carriers, kennels, and so forth. Larger versions of those items are stacked on the floor. The building's limited space has been utilized to the point where there's just enough room for customers to walk single-file.

The owner appears from around a stack's corner and welcomes them, offering any assistance they might need. Aether just nods, and Ajax unwittingly takes on the role of Paimon with his outgoing sociability.

The two of them split up and start at opposite corners of the shop, piling into their arms everything that looks necessary until they meet in the center.

Once everything's paid for, the masculine urge to get all of it back to the Teapot in one trip takes hold of them. Crouching down for a foreseen reason, Ajax gathers the largest armload he can on his own. Aether then piles the rest on top without having to jump, throw, or climb. Ajax stands up and they victoriously admire their architecture for a moment before he wishes himself home with it. Aether is glad the shopkeeper isn't in sight at that point: he doesn't have to explain why his partner (or whatever that person assumes Ajax is to him) just disappeared into thin air.

When Ajax returns, he finds Aether outside, idly observing the cats.

Paimon and I should check up on Neko again soon. Aether's gaze flicks from the cats on the roof to the flame-like brightness of Ajax's hair catching sunlight as he emerges from the shop. "Went well?"

"Mm-hm. Left it on the porch when I recalled that there's no reason not to, for the time being. Tubby didn't seem to recognize what any of it's for, so I took a moment to answer her unspoken curiosity."

They fall into step beside each other again, continuing their southeastward stroll. "That's better than letting her wonder for the rest of her life what we're using the fake mice on strings for," Aether muses.

A familiar young woman's boisterous voice turns their heads toward a side street. "Is that you, bro!?"

"Xinyan?" Ajax responds happily.

Xinyan runs up to them from beyond a passing pair of samurai who are being pestered by an inquisitive adventurer. She scoots to a stop, now able to see Aether. "Hey, it's both of you! Awesome! How you guys been?"

They're both delighted to see her. Aether smiles slightly; Ajax beams. "Hello," the former says. "We've— I've been..."

"Fantastic, actually!" Ajax finishes for him. Aether confirms with a vigorous nod that that's where he was going.

"That's great to hear! What say we grab dinner together and catch up?"

"I can't stay much longer," Aether lets her know. "Actually, do you want to come to my Teapot tomorrow for dinner? Or lunch, either one."

"Ohh right, yeah! Sounds great! Should I bring takeout?"

"No, no, let us cook for you," Ajax suggests.

Aether agrees. "You're welcome to request something, as long as it doesn't need too much preparation ahead of time."

"Well shucks, I always love some extra-spicy chicken. Hey, I could make dinner for you guys instead?"

"As tempting as the chance to try your cooking is..." Ajax considers. He looks to Aether, who doesn't give away any hint of a preference. "What about this: you bring an ingredient, such as your favorite blend of spices, and we'll do the cooking?"

"That sounds good," Aether comments. He likes that it lets both parties feel they've literally brought something to the table.

Xinyan grins. "If I bring my favorite spice blend, it'll be pretty intense, I warn you."

Ajax comes awfully close to saying he's gotten used to spicy food thanks to his time spent in Liyue. I need to tell her the truth, but not here and not now, and certainly not by a slip of the tongue.

Fortunately, Aether is responding to Xinyan's warning. "We can use different amounts on each portion if necessary. Do you remember how to get to the Teapot?"

"Just focus on it, yeah?" Xinyan answers and asks.

"Right," Aether confirms.

"It has been a while," Xinyan admits with a sheepish little chuckle. "I've been real busy makin' the most of my visit to Inazuma, meetin' local musicians and tryin' out the local instruments. And then there's the folktales all rich with inspiration, and the gorgeous scenery..."

"It's hard to find enough hours in the day for everything Inazuma has to offer," Ajax agrees.

"Right? Anyhow, what time should I show up tomorrow?"

Aether glances at Ajax. "Noon? No, one— no, two hours after noon." The two of them are meeting at midnight and they're probably not going to be sleeping until at least an hour after that, and they haven't been good at early mornings in the past few days even when they go to bed early. "Mh, maybe three hours after noon?"

Ajax bets he knows what 'math' Aether is doing. His eyebrows rise a tad; he's mildly amused to watch his comrade think it through in realtime and keep amending the answer. "I don't mind," he professes once Aether seems to have settled on one. "A warrior must be ready to rise at any hour and must be prepared to meet any situ— huh?"

Aether has reached up and placed a fingertip on Ajax's nose. He's not pressing, just leaving it there as he stares up at him with no expression whatsoever. I just had to see what would happen if I did something like that in the middle of one of your lectures. Not that he minds the 'lectures,' but he really wanted to see what would happen, and the result, he thinks, is rewardingly cute: Ajax is staring back in blank puzzlement.

Xinyan covers half her mouth with her fist to stifle a giggle.

Aether takes his finger off his nose. "Continue."

"Uh...as I was saying...no, never mind that." Ajax decides it isn't important at this moment and in current company. "We do have limited time before you have to be on your way. Xinyan, when is your concert?

Aether planned on reminding Ajax to check the bulletin boards for that, but here's Xinyan herself, and Ajax has beaten him to asking her.

"Day after tomorrow! Sorry 'bout the short notice, I just got the ads up the other day. With the Irodori Festival coming up soon, I had to get a move on. I thought about performing at the festival, but it's too late to get in on that. The next best thing I could do was space things out a lil. It's okay if ya can't make it."

"No, I can make it," Aether assures her—

—at the same time as Ajax says, "Of course!" He pauses with an apologetic gesture to his comrade, only continuing when Aether gives a slight shake of his head. "I promised I'd be there, and you did say it was going to be soon."

"Rockin'!" Xinyan folds her arms triumphantly. "Lemme tell ya, I'd understand if you couldn't make it, but you'd be missed, both of you. Speakin' of which!" She grins. "Paimon said you can dance, bro. That true?"

"Aheha, yes, it's true. Dance isn't unlike combat. Both require precise control of one's body. I don't find dancing nearly as thrilling, but it's a very appealing crossover between exercise and performance."

"Well then why dontcha hop on stage with me? I've seen your moves in combat, I'm bettin' you'd shred to the songs I've got lined up."

Ajax smiles. "I'd be honored! Though I neglected to say so at the time, I really enjoyed what you played for Shiki Taishou. So very lively and stirring."

"Aw man, thanks! And don't worry about it! I know you'd been awake for like six days straight at that point, or close enough. You're too tough for your own good!" Xinyan bops him on the chest.

"I'll agree to disagree on that," Ajax chuckles, the light bop having no physical effect whatsoever. "Remaining fit to fight for that length of time is just about the minimum I would demand of myself."

Xinyan shakes her head and briefly closes her eyes in acceptance, smiling. "Well, you do you." She eyes Aether then, her smile knowing. "The you that you do definitely has fans."

Aether is happy she noticed that, though he doesn't show it right away. He first casts a glance at Ajax, who is looking at him with a softened smile.

Ajax sees how Aether's expression softens in turn. He has zero thoughts at that moment except for the glow of knowing that Xinyan's observation is true.

"He does," Aether affirms, a smile spreading across his face that's wider and happier than any Xinyan has seen before.

"Welp, I better let you two lovebirds go," Xinyan declares merrily. Receiving surprised looks from both men, she has to stifle another giggle. "Guys, you've been holding hands this whole time."

They flex their fingers.

Aether glances down at their hands unnecessarily before mumbling, "Ah...right...of course." How did I not think of that? Did I forget his hand is in mine?

Ajax winces his eyes closed over an embarrassed smile. At least he's not alone in having been caught unawares. He quickly brightens, not at all unhappy to be seen hand-in-hand with Aether. "You have a firm grasp on the situation I see, Xinyan. Evidently, the only firm grasp we have is on one another."

A short chuckle jumps out of Aether. "As soon as I leave, your intelligence is going to go up something like forty percent, and so will mine."

"Hahahey," Xinyan laughs, "you two did great in all those fights, it can't be that bad. Congrats, by the way! This's gotta be new, right, 'cause you hadn't seen each other in a while?"

"Overdue," Aether confirms.

Ajax nods. "Overdue indeed. But all is well now. Thank you for your congratulations, haha."

Aether seconds that. "Thank you. See you tomorrow at our— our home." He looks to his and Ajax's linked hands again and smiles softly.

Ajax glances at Aether's downturned head and gives his hand a squeeze and rub before they both let go.

"Aw man, you guys look so happy!" Xinyan enthuses. "You better take care of yourselves 'til then!" She has a warm smile as she waves goodbye to them, heading back to the northgoing street she came from.

Ajax gives her his typical small wave, smiling fondly. "You too, Xinyan."

Aether lifts his hand in his brief, motionless, and rare version of a wave. She's probably on her way to the park on the north side of the city, he guesses.

When she disappears from their line of sight, Ajax leads Aether aside to the shade of a narrow awning and moves in front of him. Taking both his hands and holding them gently between his, he places two kisses on the gloved knuckles. "Good luck, lyubimy. Your skill will surely see you through a few Treasure Hoarders with no trouble, but if matters become complicated, perhaps a little luck might be of use. Ah, and remember to see Ekaterina first."

Aether feels like he's going to blush. It's so good to be loved by someone who understands what he does, who respects his capabilities without disregarding his personhood. He hopes fervently that he makes Ajax feel the same way. "I will. Thank you..." He looks up and adds, with amusem*nt, "You'll definitely need luck for the rest of the shopping."

Ajax chuckles. "Most definitely." At Aether's behest their hands trade places. Instead of kissing Ajax's knuckles, Aether turns his hands palm-up and kisses the almost heart-shaped eyelets at the cuffs of his gloves. He has entire forearms Aether could kiss if the point was simply to touch skin with his lips, but no, he went for this little cheat through his gloves that makes Ajax hyper-aware of the sensation. It's strangely and savorably intimate. "...Piercing through my armor straight to my heart, as always," he compliments, leaning in close for just a moment so he can speak quieter and still be heard by Aether amidst the sounds of the city.

"They look like iconographic hearts," Aether observes, faintly teasing. He has an eyebrow raised and he's peering up at Ajax through his eyelashes. "Did no one tell you the saying isn't 'wear your heart on your hands'?"

Ajax enfolds Aether in a hug. "Hands, from which all things are built," he murmurs to his shoulder, quoting...something. A poem or maybe a song. He doesn't know why the eyelets look like that, so all he has for a reply is the random snippet Aether's words brought to mind.

"Hmm," Aether sighs, grateful for the hug, and more so for the chance to give one back. "What's that from?"

"Don't know." Ajax has a subtle smile residing in and around his eyes as they part. "I'll see you at our rendezvous point. Midnight, yes?"

"Yes. Try not to think about it too much until then." The playfulness of that advice is blanketed over by the contented tranquility of Aether's voice. It comes off more like a sweet nothing. His gaze remains entwined with Ajax's until he teleports.

"Hmh," Ajax responds belatedly under his breath, his smile blooming for a second as he shakes his head at the wall Aether had been standing in front of. Now I have to find a shop that sells sex accessories. He steps away from the awning and resumes the walk up the street, keeping an eye out in both directions. After we ran into Xinyan, is it too much to ask for Thoma to show up and avail me of his extensive local knowledge?...

It is.

Chapter 18: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 6)

Chapter Text

Aether fetches his backpack first. "Hello," he says to Tubby with a respectful nod as he passes between her and the pile of cat supplies to enter the mansion.

"Hello," Tubby returns cheerily. She's snuggled low in her teapot, her feathers fluffed out, looking very comfortable; only her eyes and beak are visible under the lid.

Aether opens the door and steps through. He pauses... Then walks backwards and asks Tubby, "Is it possible to have a waypoint inside the house?"

She twitches her head into a tilt. "There is no reason it shouldn't be. Would you like me to create another waypoint?"

"Yes, please. Thank you." It's going to be difficult to make room for the apparatus in his and Ajax's bedroom, but it'll solve so many problems. "Just hold onto it for now. I don't have a spot ready for it yet."

The teapot lid bobs as Tubby nods.

Aether walks into the Northland Bank as though the last time he saw the inside of it wasn't when Teucer left. He strides straight to the reception desk. "Ekaterina." He issues a nod in greeting.

She doesn't hide that she's intrigued by his sudden and unexpected visit. "Well, hello there Traveler. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Let's talk somewhere else."

"Very well." Ekaterina must be taking the earring seriously, because she lets him into the secure rear of the building through the gate at her desk. He follows her through a narrow passage and a door, up a back stairway, and along a second-floor hallway where she unlocks another door. The plaque on this one leaves no question of what room waits beyond: no name, just a horned whale painted in neat, blue minimalism. At Ekaterina's simple but cordial 'after you' gesture, Aether goes on in. She closes the door behind them and lights a lamp.

The first thing Aether's glance around the room halts on is an entire wall dedicated to the display of weapons. There's a wide variety of types, sizes, and presumably provenance, but not so much variety of origin: most of them are from Liyue.

Hmm. No way I could guess whose office this is. Aether's affectionate sarcasm is very deadpan even within his mind.

The second thing he takes note of is a painting, mounted behind and to one side of the desk that immediately identified this room as an office. It depicts a large building that, while not quite what he would call ostentatious, is characterized by an austere regality. Gilded with ice, it's surrounded by what might be a wall or a row of shorter buildings. There's another painting directly across from the door, but it's just some generic-looking picture of a sunny, snowless woodland.

"Zapolyarny Palace," Ekaterina labels the interesting one for him. He nods his thanks and studies the painting a moment longer, while she relocates a chair from beside the door to the front side of the desk. There wasn't one there already.

The desk is near the room's window. The leather-upholstered chair behind it is even closer to the window. Compared to everything on the main floor of the bank, the furniture in here appears humble upon first impression. But once Aether's eyes adjust to the difference of style, he can see that it's all top-quality. Even he can see that. Underneath flawless finish, the unstained grain of the sandbearer wood is ornamental in its own right, carefully selected and assembled by whichever carpenter made it. Most of the things downstairs are unstained sandbearer wood, too, but the golden shine of ormolu is nowhere to be found in this room.

Ekaterina has seated herself in the chair she brought over. When she invites Aether to have a seat and indicates the chair behind the desk, he looks at her with some confusion.

She smiles knowingly. Her typical demeanor, as far as Aether has seen, is coolly composed, and that's exactly what it is now. "You're wearing Master Childe's earring. Somehow I find myself quite sure he wouldn't mind you using his chair."

Aether shrugs and takes her up on the suggestion. On account of his backpack, he has to sit leaning forward.

"It's good to see that you and he are on such good terms now. He hasn't been the same since you left. For my coworkers, I have to pretend I haven't noticed that."

Aether fidgets with the earring. "I know," he admits quietly. "I regret staying away so long." A question comes to him, and it's one that he's sure he knows the answer to, but this is an opportunity... "Does he ever take out frustrations on his subordinates?"

He reads a slight tilt of Ekaterina's head as surprise. The straightening of it a second later feels like what he would he would do if he was surprised by something and realized he shouldn't be. Her answer sounds honest, but he bears in mind that she may be obligated to speak well of her boss, who is also above her in the chain of command and an extremely high civil authority in her nation. "No, never. The worst I've ever seen him mete out is a few mild words of chastisem*nt. Nothing more than advising an errant subordinate of his expectations going forward. Of course, even that is enough to strike fear in some hearts. We all know how...certain other Harbingers treat their lessers. He doesn't go easy in sparring and training, which makes it all the more remarkable he has never killed anyone under his command that way."

The last part is old information, but the rest is even better than Aether expected. He does then have one of those moments of realizing he shouldn't be surprised: he recalls that Ajax is afraid to show aggression around his family, and Aether guesses that, just like cursing, that extends to how he acts around most people at most times. 'Mild' is the right word. He hopes for fights but he doesn't try to make them happen by having a needlessly hostile personality. Why would he, anyway, when he sees strong opponents in such a friendly light. 'Conflict' and 'strife' are happy things for him when actual combat is involved, but he's not someone who feels a need to prove he has power over other people socially.

Ekaterina observes him attentively from behind her mask, no doubt. He has always gotten the sense that she's a sharp one, and he's sure her duties as a Fatuus go far beyond 'receptionist.'

It's also advantageous, Aether readily acknowledges. If he decided to attack someone outside of a...situation where a fight is obviously going to happen, it would not be easy to anticipate. Even someone who thinks of him as a dangerous person wouldn't see the exact moment and method coming, because he could be calm and charming right up to that point, and probably even while, I dunno, slitting someone's throat. Which is one of the reasons why he is dangerous. Aether tries not to find that thought attractive. He is not completely successful. It's too easy to compartmentalize.

"So what brought you here today?" Ekaterina inquires.

Ah, right, I don't have all this time; need to get what I came for and go. "I need a sheet of the, um, Ninth Company's code phrases. The latest one you have, whenever that was. Just a copy of it."

"The Ninth...? The Chasm expedition? Yes, I can get that for you." Her wondering tone and a thin downturn of her mouth express curiosity about things she knows better than to question.

Ajax makes some easy purchases while he searches for the sex shop whose existence he and Aether aren't even certain of. Bathrobes for both of them (he makes a very educated guess as to Aether's sizing), a replacement for the article of underwear he ripped, and a replacement for the plate he dropped.

He may as well buy a larger bathtub now, too. What Aether has is a simple tin one, and although Ajax thinks his comrade deserves something nicer as well as larger, he is not sure how to get a heavier bathtub into the Teapot. A tin one, he can just pick up. This way they can have warm baths together in the convenience of the bathroom. Later, they can upgrade.

When Aether teleports to Lumberpick Valley, the code sheet rolled up in his pocket, he sees before him a grassy path through grey crags. He's standing on a haphazardly-constructed platform, a signature sight anywhere there's been industrial activity in Liyue. A signature sight in Treasure Hoarder camps, too, since they often move into such sites after they're abandoned. How teleport waypoints get on top of such recent structures, no one has been able to tell him.

A few stacks of crates sit on the corners of the platform like paperweights. One open container is full of rocks that look unremarkable to Aether's untrained eye. From recent reading, he learned that the worthless byproducts of mining are called 'gangue' in common. He wonders fleetingly if that's what those rocks are, or if they do have some use and just haven't been transported yet. Considering they've been there, untouched, since the last time he was here, the former is more likely.

He turns around and sees a broken bridge, as makeshift as the platform and the two short, wide flights of stairs that descend into the gap that bridge used to cross. There's a pathway down there, too, running southwest into the Chasm and northeast toward the rest of Liyue. These wooden constructions littering the land are fairly sturdy except for the bridges.

There's no one else here. He might be a little early for Chongyun's arrival. His first thought is to climb to higher ground and watch from there, but he spots a Seelie across the way. He squints at it. How did I miss that one last time? Maybe it's one I already followed to its court and it's gotten lost again. Well, time to get something shiny for Paimon. Down the stairs he trots, and over to the diaphanous creature he jogs.

As he accompanies the Seelie back to its court, he tries to avoid a single hilichurl staring off into space under a tree. It's close to the road, potentially a hazard to travelers, but it's just one, and it's not guarding anything of interest. Without Paimon here to sic him on it, Aether has no reason to disturb it.

The hilichurl, however, has other ideas. Just when Aether thinks he's gotten past without being noticed, there's a snarly yell from back by that tree. A thrown rock misses him by two whole meters. The Seelie court is in view and its resident is floating onward to it as Aether stops. He turns around wearily and stares at the hilichurl, which is quickly ambling toward him. It doesn't seem too sure of its plan, but, for whatever reason, it's determined to do something about him.

Aether extends a hand toward the oncoming biped. He doesn't bother to summon his sword. "Back," he warns sharply.

The hilichurl hesitates, and starts sidling a circle around him, studying him.

Heh, maybe this one has some potential. It's a little more thoughtful than most. Aether gathers a small ripple of Anemo around his hand as a second warning.

"Nini," the hilichurl mutters, growing more wary. Then, as if reminding itself of its motive, it growls, "Ya ika..."

"Beru si, odomu?" Aether responds, firmly but not as sharp as before. "Mi kuzi. Yo kucha. Nye kundala."

He pays the same attention to Ella Musk's research as he pays to learning the common human language of Teyvat. The hilichurls are ubiquitous, and despite how frequently humans come into conflict with them, his objective view finds they spend far more time minding their own business than seeking conflict. It's the same story he and Lumine have seen in many other worlds: humans spread and spread, and when other intelligent beings are encroached upon, humans blame them for the resulting conflicts.

Surprised to hear its language spoken back to it, the hilichurl recoils, then tilts its head sideways.

Aether lets the Anemo dissipate and slowly lowers his hand. "Yo muhe mosi? Zido, mita." He crouches to defuse the threat he represents, putting up his hands for a moment, then very slowly reaches for a side-pocket on his backpack. The hilichurl shifts from foot to foot uncertainly, but it neither moves forward nor retreats. Aether pulls out his bag of boar jerky and holds it out on his joined palms, letting the hilichurl get a good—if not close—look at it. "Mita." Next, he takes some jerky strips out and offers them at arm's length.

A mitachurl's roar steals the attention of both beings. Aether looks up the hillside to his left and sees the axe-wielder atop it. Two crossbow-wielding hilichurls join it and take aim. Aether could stay and fight, or try to smooth things over and probably end up fighting anyway. He chooses to spring up and run back the way he came, tossing down the handful of jerky strips so that the hilichurl he spoke with might still take them. An Electro-leap speeds his retreat and serves as a show of power he hopes will discourage pursuit.

On the stairs up to the waypoint he slows down, and at the top he stops. A look back is unnecessary to confirm he hasn't been followed, as he hasn't heard any footsteps or yelling. He must have trespassed on hilichurl territory, he guesses; there was probably a village nearby.

These roads are disused for now, but as soon as someone finds a way to make a profit here again, that village is doomed. Aether wonders how many times they've been forced to relocate already. Dozens of times, no doubt, with hilichurl and human lives lost every time. Typical adventurers aren't strong and skilled enough to attack a whole village, much less succeed at killing many of the inhabitants, but an adventure team or a squad of Millelith can do enough damage to force a relocation, albeit at great risk to themselves.

It's to be expected, of course. It's no worse than what humans do to each other. Teyvat is a very peaceful continent despite what the locals might think. Aether suspects that's largely because the hilichurls and the Abyss Order are present to take the brunt of human aggression.

Aether slaps a barrel sitting next to the waypoint to test its sturdiness, then takes it as a seat. Facing southwest he has a nice view of part of the Chasm's mountainous perimeter. Tall cumulonimbus clouds drift across the sky behind the great arcs of stone. No other cloud type could complement the majesty of that landscape so well.

Time to memorize the relevant code phrases.

It's a few minutes later that Chongyun comes up from the Chasm, hiking the steep dirt road at an athletic pace. Aether raises a hand. As he anticipated, Chongyun catches the colorful motion in his peripheral vision and looks up. The young exorcist waves, and jogs the rest of the way to join Aether.

"You haven't been waiting long, I hope?" Chongyun asks as he crests the stairs. He's not winded at all from his trek; thanks to his training methods, he's able to manage his breathing even more adroitly than many similarly-skilled fighters.

"No." Aether lifts the open, half-full bag of jerky. "Let's take a few minutes of rest here, then look for Yanbo?"

"Alright. My trip here was uneventful, so I haven't had cause to take any breaks yet." Chongyun sits on the barrel next to Aether's and quickly thinks better of it when it starts to roll. He wraps his arms around it at the top and one side, and though his arms don't reach all the way around, he's able to pull it upright to match Aether's, using his foot to push the bottom. Then he climbs up onto it and sits. They aren't small barrels.

Some snacks are traded. Aether made sure the jerky wasn't seasoned with anything but salt. Chongyun brought a trail mix of mountain almonds, pine nuts, roasted melon seeds, and dried plums. He mentions to Aether that the almonds have antipyretic properties. "I'm not certain if they've helped me, though."

That reminds Aether there's a conversation he planned to have with Chongyun, and this is the perfect time for it. "What has helped the most?"

"Popsicles, and immersing myself in freezing cold water."

Aether knows about that, but he has one curiosity about it: "You never get frostbite or hypothermia from doing that?"

"Never," Chongyun sighs, sounding like he'd prefer it if he had. "It only mitigates the heat of my yang energy. That heat would have to be reduced much more before I'd be at risk of injury or illness from the cold."

"I see." Aether gnaws off and chews through a bite of jerky, and chases it with some pine nuts and melon seeds, before speaking again. "...Why doesn't your Vision help?"

"It helps with things like cooling food and water, but it takes too much energy, not the yang kind, to cool my whole body enough to counteract my constitution. It almost works...for almost a minute..."

"'Almost' means there's room for further improvement, right?"

"That's true. It's just very slow and..." Ashamedly Chongyun admits, "It's very...tiring, and frustrating. It's not like any of the other training I do. There are long stretches of time when I don't make any progress and I cannot find any exercise, reading material, or meditation that lifts me out of that rut. Eventually I hit upon an inspiration by chance or accomplish a little more by accident when I'm not trying to. It must be the nature of a Vision, that advancing one's mastery of it is at the discretion of the gods."

"I don't think that's true," Aether says, careful not to sound harsh. "I don't know how it is for most Vision users, but Childe masters his in a kind of systematic way, self-directed. Maybe it's something about his personality or his approach, but you don't think he's especially blessed by the gods, do you?"

"Um..." Chongyun glances up at Aether from the handful of trail mix he's picking through. "No, I wouldn't think so..."

"Maybe he can help. You are very different people, though. What works for him might not work for you. It's still worth trying, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so. I will ask him when we spar. Maybe, at least, watching how he uses his Vision and using mine against it will give me some ideas."

"Yeah. For me, too, it's a process of study, experimenting, and inspiration. Just like everything else." That gives Aether an afterthought. "Actually, what if the reason you feel like you're having trouble is because you're used to learning processes that are all about dedication? You read up, memorize mantras, exercise every day, build your strength and stamina, and all of that is pretty straightforward?"

"Hmm. Yes?"

"It just takes time and consistency?"

"That's accurate," Chongyun agrees. "But I'm also used to studying and experimenting and never getting any results when it comes to finding evil spirits."

"That is also consistent. With your Vision, it's anything but consistent. It defies the approach you're used to."

"I see," Chongyun considers.

Aether isn't sure he said anything truly useful, least of all in terms of convincing Chongyun to try a whole different approach to his yang energy problem. He leaves Chongyun to his own thoughts for now.

With both of them gnawing through tough jerky, their snack break is taking a while. It has definitely crossed the ten minute mark when Chongyun gives voice to those thoughts. "I've never wanted to depend on my Vision, anyway. I must bring my yang energy under control by my own willpower. None of the things I currently depend on to manage it are replacements for that, singly or combined."

Aether mulls that over for a moment. "...Have you ever met anyone else with your condition?"

"No. It's so rare that I've never even heard of someone else who's alive today who has it."

"You don't have anyone to talk to who really understands what you're dealing with," Aether observes, very much able to empathize.

Chongyun slumps. "No. People try to understand but they never do. Even Xingqiu doesn't understand."

"What does he misunderstand? Or, what's the part that everyone misunderstands?"

"That I'm not just being stubborn or a coward! With my fighting capabilities, I'm dangerous when I'm out of control. It's serious, and everyone treats it like a joke! Or like I'm being selfish because I say no when they want me to do things I can't do. I want to do all of those things! I want—..." Chongyun almost looks like he's about to cry. It's the first time Aether has ever seen him so upset, so close to losing control. The boy grits his teeth, then closes his mouth and eyes tight, and then takes several deep, exacting breaths. "...I'm sorry, I can't talk about this anymore." He gets out a popsicle and starts devouring it.

"Okay," Aether accepts patiently. "I'm sorry I...no, I can't say I'm sorry, only that I feel sorry. There's more I think I should say about your situation, but I won't. Not until you're ready. Come to me about it when you are. If that's never, it's alright. It's just...as one person in a completely unique situation, to another such person, I hope I can find a way to help."

Chongyun holds his popsicle between his teeth in a way that would be painful for most people, as he packs away the remainder of his trail mix with meditative slowness. He brought enough for a second meal as a precaution. When he's done with that task, he holds the popsicle in his hand by the wooden stick again. "...You have already helped," he reminds Aether.

"Can you forgive me for wanting to help more?"

Chongyun looks at him, seeming puzzled by the question. "...Of course? I appreciate it." His expression remains troubled, though. "People usually suggest things I've already tried, and I appreciate their good intentions, but it's harder to...be patient than it used to be. A year ago I felt as if I had all the time in the world. Now Xingqiu's brother is getting married, Rex Lapis is gone, and people from Inazuma are visiting Liyue. For the first time, I...feel the passing of time as something other than a road I'm walking to a known destination I'll certainly reach. I'm not certain anymore that I'll get there."

Aether nods slowly. Xingqiu's brother getting married is the first thing you thought of? Doesn't match the scale of the other events. "...Maybe because you're aging? But pinning it on that would be reductive of all the other factors. Anyway, I don't want to keep you on this subject. Let's talk about something else?" He pivots around on his barrel and dismounts it with a slight hop. When Chongyun follows suit, he heads for the southeast path that leads deeper into Lumberpick Valley. "Your trip was uneventful, but did you see anything interesting?"

"Not far down from here, there is a set of those stone pillars with runes on them. Some of them looked too far away to hit the target rock. There must be a trick to it, perhaps involving the use of Geo."

"Hm." That reminds me to resonate with Geo. It's been so long since I did; it'll be easier to work with once I've, uh, gotten in 'touch' with a Geo Archon statue again. "Opposite from the direction we're going, or I'd want to check it out now." If I touched Zhongli instead of one of the statues, would that work too? Probably not, since he doesn't have his Gnosis. But I'm only guessing that that would have anything to do with it.

The path is studded with planks, spaced irregularly, perhaps to hold the dirt down after the vegetation was cleared. Lopsided lampposts and collapsing fences border it on both sides. It curves southward, but the curve is gradual enough that Aether and Chongyun can glimpse a barricade of wooden stakes ahead and to the right long before they get there.

However, as they near the barricade, they still can't see who's behind it. They can hear people. So, they duck behind a bush to listen. There are two voices talking, their words not loud enough to be intelligible. Ambiguous clinking and shuffling are coming from even farther away.

Aether gestures for Chongyun to stay hidden for now and backtracks a few meters before standing up. He pretends to be walking up the path for the first time, approaching the barricade openly. While he's at it, he steals a glance up the path's left fork. No sign of immediate trouble from that direction.

Behind two rows of crossed stakes he sees someone on guard wearing Millelith colors and leaning on a Millelith spear, who spots him at the same time. The guard recognizes him, perking up and hastening to make a temporary gap in the barricade for him to enter through. "You're the Traveler, right? Yanbo! He's here!"

"I brought some backup," Aether informs the guard before looking over his shoulder and beckoning Chongyun out. The exorcist quickly catches up and they sidestep through the narrow opening. As soon as they're behind the barricade they take it upon themselves to shift the heavy stakes back into their proper places.

When Aether turns from doing that, Yanbo is right there. He doesn't look happy. Glancing past him, Aether can see why. A wounded soldier lies motionless under an open-walled shed near the back of this cul-de-sac between ridges, being tended to by a soldier with a bandaged upper arm. Several other sheds have been built here, and there's no chance it was the Millelith who built them. There are shelves stocked with food, and there's even an oven, and tables and chairs. This must be where the food trading Yanbo mentioned took place, and his squad must have evicted the Treasure Hoarders before encamping themselves here.

"You missed our rendezvous," Yanbo states tersely.

"I was delayed by a problem elsewhere," Aether replies in an apologetic tone. He could have said he was delayed by an injury of his own and that would be true, but from Yanbo's perspective, if he can fight today he should have been able to fight yesterday if not the day before. That would also be true. Stonewalling Yanbo with a simple answer is a better idea. "You went ahead, I see."

"There is a timetable we must adhere to on this operation. 'We' meaning my squad." A tacit admission that Yanbo doesn't actually believe he could arrest a reputed hero and have any charges stick. "We took this camp easily enough, but our attempt on the second was repelled."

"Is there anything that wounded soldier needs right away? I can—" I can teleport. "—Send my friend here to bring...?"

Yanbo turns his head partway, as if halting an impulse to look back at said soldier. "No. Their condition is stable. Now that you're here, I'm going to ask you and your friend to finish what we started. If this operation is wrapped up today, Xun will certainly recover."

Aether just nods. Though he's treating all of this with the solemnity it deserves, he is unfazed inside. He had accepted the possibility that the Millelith would go ahead and that there could be losses. He counts them all—the squad, himself, and Chongyun—lucky that a moderate injury was the worst that happened.

Yanbo briefs them without needing to be asked. Where his squad is holed up now was the Treasure Hoarders' cooking quarters where they stored food and fed their own people. Two other logistics camps remain: an alchemy lab and a weapons stash. Finally, farthest east, there is a larger camp where the transactions with the Fatui have been taking place. "Unfortunately, the element of surprise has been lost. You will likely meet stronger opposition than if we'd been able to proceed as planned."

"Is there anything else we'll need to know?" Chongyun asks. "Are the Fatui there right now?"

"That, we don't know. A transaction was supposed to take place sometime this week. It may have already happened, or it may not have. It's also possible they've responded to our attack by requiring the Fatui to reinforce their main camp and back them up, as a condition of continued trade. It would be in the Fatui's best interest to do so even if it's not demanded. But this is all speculation. Consider it an advisory. Other than that, there's nothing else."

Aether nods once. "We'll go now, then. All of those camps are up that east fork in the path?"

"That's correct."

He turns back to the barricade and climbs over instead of bothering to make a gap. Chongyun easily follows; he's not the best climber Aether knows, but these spikes have quite a bit of space between them. For people of his stature or Chongyun's, there's hardly even a risk of snagging their clothing.

They proceed east at a quick pace, keeping to the shadows of rock outcrops as much as possible.

At the Publishing House, Ajax finds two suitable books of marine biology.

To his private delight, he also finds a book about an art of rope bondage called kinbaku (helpfully phoneticized on the cover underneath the Inazuman characters). On the inside he jumps up and down and does a double fistpump. On the outside he smiles to himself and tucks the book into his arm with the others.

The first Treasure Hoarders they encounter are a pair standing in the middle of the path, on watch for the Millelith and any other intruders. The terrain is more open here, and the last cover available to Aether and Chongyun is a broken-down wagon. It's good enough. Crouching behind it, they agree on basic tactics with a few whispered words: Aether will go first, Chongyun will follow right after, Aether will take the crossbow user with the hat, and Chongyun will take the one with the bandana. Everything beyond that, Aether is implicitly comfortable leaving to Chongyun's discretion.

Aether jumps out into a straight charge at his target. Halfway there he throws himself into a dodge, anticipating the first shot. He comes up from a roll and circles around, his target turning to keep their eyes on him as they fumble the reloading of their crossbow. In the next second they shriek: the crossbow has been knocked upward out of their hands, leaving them clutching a bolt that they could still use as a weapon if they're smart, desperate, or Childe. Aether had lunged into a 180 to strike the crossbow from below with a thrust of his sword.

Chongyun is there too, smacking the flat of his greatsword against his opponent's midsection to knock them to the ground. At least one rib is probably broken, but against these human opponents, the boy is holding back. He slams one edge of his blade onto the ground next to the down-but-not-out miscreant and frost spreads across the dirt in an instant, forming a circle around them. Snow surges up with the force of a blizzard condensed into just a few square meters. Dropping their weapon, his opponent tries to use their arms to shelter themself from the onslaught of biting cold and sharp snowflakes. As quick as it arose, the snowstorm slackens to a slow, flat cyclone just above the frosted-over ground, maintaining the freezing cold temperature within the circle but no longer capable of lacerating skin.

Aether kicks his panicking opponent into Chongyun's circle to chill out. They fall on their comrade, temporarily halting that one's attempt to reach for their weapon. Chongyun lowers his greatsword, having readied it to discourage the attempt with another smack. Still, a victory hasn't been decided yet.

It's up to the Treasure Hoarders whether they want to keep at it. Aether points his sword at the one on top. "You two are going to let us pass. Do you want to get injured over it and still fail to stop us, or do you want to cut your losses and leave now?"

"Archons dammit," spits the one trapped under the other, sounding very pained. "I'm already injured."

"You can get off them," Aether says to the one on top, formerly his designated opponent. He flicks the tip of his sword to the left in a small gesture, but he doesn't withdraw it.

That one gingerly moves off of Chongyun's opponent and crouches, not wanting to sit down in the whirling layer of snow. They put their hands up for that reason, too, as much as to signal their surrender. Aether's opponent groans, an arm over their face protecting their eyes from the snow while the rest of their body grows colder and their injury aches. They must not have broken any ribs after all, Aether guesses, or they would have screamed when the other one fell on them. Probably contusions in the muscles around the ribs, like he and Ajax got from each other when they sparred. These guys are lucky they have so little tolerance for pain. They need all the help they can get to know when to give up.

"So, are you done?" Aether asks.

The injured one grumbles to the other, "Say no and I'll kill you, I swear on my auntie's grave."

Aether's now-definitely-former opponent sighs and nods. "We're done."

The frost lining Chongyun's greatsword dissipates at the same time as all the rest of his Cryo recedes into nothing with a soft, icy crackle. He has to be especially mindful of his yang energy during, before, and after a fight, so he's more than content to let Aether do the talking. "Don't bother running away," Aether advises the two Treasure Hoarders. He starts walking onward. "Your bosses will appreciate help with their own injuries more than they'll blame you for us getting past you."

Chongyun dismisses his sword and follows.

Ajax puts his search on hold. He should have asked someone for directions sooner; who he'd ask, he still doesn't know. The Adventurers' Guild will have to wait, too, because it's getting late and he needs to hire a fast boat to Kannazuka.

Six down at the alchemy lab, six down at the weapons stash. Aether had a look around both of those camps once the working Hoarders and their extra guards were pacified.

The equipment at the 'lab' wasn't of good quality, and judging by notes he found there, the only interesting use it was put to was a series of unsuccessful attempts to make cannonball fuses for something called 'the Safe Blasting Device.' The notes also mentioned a Hoarder named cl*topho going missing and taking the formula with him. It was unclear from that whether the formula was still incomplete or not.

The weapons storage camp was the most interesting to Aether. The lack of anything interesting there was itself very important information. He hadn't forgotten a comment Ajax made in that first dining table discussion about the Fatui issue, alluding to the possibility that the desperate soldiers might trade away their sophisticated Snezhnayan guns.

There's no question why that would be a bad thing. For Liyue, it'd mean a bunch of Treasure Hoarders acquired a major advantage. For Snezhnaya, it would be a leak of the technology that has been giving them an advantage. Furthermore, if Squad Leader Yanbo's assumptions are any indication, Liyue might blame the problem on Snezhnaya, perceiving it as an intentional plot against them. That would worsen the already nonexistent diplomatic relationship between the two nations.

That diplomatic relationship or lack thereof was none of Aether's business. However, the situation in front of him was somewhat his business. He became involved at the request of a Millelith officer, and it would be his actions that would decide much of the outcome. There was no point trying to pretend otherwise.

So, when all he found was mining tools, unfinished spears, and some bows, it basically confirmed his suspicion that Yanbo was wrong about what was going on there.

He did find one other thing, but that was just a letter from a 'Brass Bull Zhao' to an aging Treasure Hoarder, urging him to retire. It was very kind. Apparently some of the old man's younger comrades, including Zhao, had been scraping together a fund to help him 'get out of the business' and find decent artisan work in Liyue Harbor. There was indeed an old man in that camp, who had more fight in him than was good for him. He was the last to surrender, even as the others begged him to stand down. Chongyun's Cryo proved the least violent way to subdue him, and he wasn't seriously injured as far as anyone could tell.

They're now coming to the final camp, the largest one. As they approach, they see that the Fatui are present. One Pyro agent, one Cryo cicin mage, standing in conversation with a Treasure Hoarder who must be one of the bosses.

The guards at the entrance level their weapons at Aether and Chongyun, ready for a fight. They hesitate, though. Neither of the two short-statured interlopers have weapons out. Of course the Treasure Hoarders know they could summon weapons at any moment, but they also have their hands up.

"I need to speak with the Fatui over there," Aether states.

One of the guards sneers and challenges, "Who says you're invited?"

"Tartaglia," Aether says, raising his voice and looking straight at the Fatui. I know 'Childe' works too, but from twenty meters away? It would probably just sound like I'm talking about a child.

Overhearing that, the cicin mage looks toward him and their gaze collides with his. There's no sign they recognize him, and considering how long they've been out of touch with their organization, there's no reason they should. They recognize a Harbinger's name, though. Even if they aren't certain they heard him correctly from that distance, it's clear their cautious curiosity has been piqued.

"And who the hell's that?" the guard scoffs. "Ain't any boss of mine."

"We're surrendering," Aether points out.

Another guard remarks, "We're not taking a Vision holder into our camp. You think we're stupid or something?"

"I'm not a Vision holder. My friend can stay out here."

Chongyun takes a few calm steps backward to demonstrate.

The second guard skeptically studies Aether from head to foot, gesturing for him to turn all the way around; Aether obliges. "...Ehh...but you've got all that glowy sh*t. What's that? It's all glowing the color of Anemo."

"Decorative. I'm from Mondstadt, I revere the Anemo Archon." I am impressed by the Anemo Archon's ability to have a three hundred percent blood alcohol level, anyway.

By then, the boss is coming over to find out what's going on, and both Fatui are coming too. Before the guards can question Aether any further, their boss interrupts.

The petite but muscular Treasure Hoarder with a self-explanatory brass bull pin on their leather jerkin addresses Aether sharply. "Who are you!? This is no place for—"

The Pyro agent steps forward past them, holding up a hand, and they cut themself off with a scowl. They don't seem intimidated at all by the Fatuus, but that could be a brave front. Aether wonders what the power dynamic in this deal between well-entrenched Treasure Hoarders and desperate Fatui is. The Hoarders are probably hoping the Fatui will trade them the high technology sooner or later, but they lack the strength to defy Fatui soldiers in any way that might lead to combat.

"Repeat the name you said to these...people," the agent demands, their voice distorted by their mask.

"Tartaglia. You two are from the Ninth Company?"

The agent's mask completely hides their face, and their body language gives nothing away. "Yes," is their simple answer. The mage's mask only covers their eyes, however, and they're biting their lip. Still, what emotions prompt that reaction are a mystery to Aether. If he had to guess, he'd imagine the mood is very cautious hope.

Aether nods once. "Well, if you're scared of wolves, don't go in the woods," he says flatly.

The agent stands a little straighter, and the mage covers their mouth before looking to the agent for a cue. That one folds their hands behind their back and replies, "We fear not the wolves, for we are hunting them."

"What are you talking about? There aren't any wolves around here," Brass Bull Zhao interjects. Judging by the suspicion in their tone and the tension in their stance, they seem to sense that something about this situation has escaped their tenuous control.

Aether ignores them, saying to the Fatui, "Wait for me at the next camp down the road and I'll tell you more."

The pair starts to leave.

Zhao calls after them. "Hey! We're not done! What about the deal?"

They pause. The agent looks over their shoulder. "What deal? You were just saying the deal's off now that our original contact is missing."

"That was a negotiation tactic! Obviously!"

"You've extorted us long enough. We are done." Brooking no further discussion, the agent strides out of the camp followed by the mage. They pass Chongyun without acknowledging him.

Zhao scowls at Aether. "You. You just lost us one hell of a haul."

"They weren't going to give you the good stuff," Aether says, though it's possible they would have. It's possible they were just about to.

"It's not like we weren't going to make it worth their while! They have people stuck way down deep in the Chasm and we've got people who can find 'em. Used to be miners for years, decades; know the Chasm like their own ass."

One of the guards snerks and tries to pretend they didn't.

"Shut it, Wēi," Zhao snaps at them, but the rebuke is weary rather than aggressive. Wēi doesn't seem very intimidated, either, but they do shut it.

"Anyway," Aether says disinterestedly, "you're all under arrest by the Millelith."

"What!? First you're Fatui, now you're Millelith!? Chén, get out here and gather the lads!" Zhao whips a hatchet out of the air. Aether would laugh at how shoddy it looks if he wasn't already so inured to seeing pathetic weapons in the hands of opponents. Tetanus has always been the biggest threat offered by scrounging bandits like the Treasure Hoarders. (Seriously though. He might be immune to tetanus, but his human companions aren't.)

As Zhao attacks Aether, the boss who is evidently Chén the Flower charges across the camp toward them. "Got it, Big Sis!" Chén shouts. Matching their epithet, they have an enamel pin of a sweetflower on their jerkin. Aether prepares for an attack from them too as he parries a strong swing of Zhao's hatchet, but Chén runs right by, heading out to get reinforcements as they were told to.

Chongyun is ready for Chén. They raise their short but hefty (and actually well-maintained!) warhammer, aiming to knock Chongyun aside as they pass, but they don't get to pass. The hammer is met and deflected with a loud clang by the flat of a greatsword Master Zhang forged from crystal ore.

The Flower calls out, "Brass Bull, we've got to retreat, get the others, and surround these people!"

"We took care of your backup," Chongyun rather politely informs Chén while warding off three guards with a quick spin and a wide slash. Aether misses whatever prompts him to clarify, "No, not like that! We literally—" Another heavy clang followed by the sound of a much smaller weapon, like a knife, glancing off Chongyun's sword. "They are all fine, I gave them my spare bandages," the exorcist finishes.

Aether has maneuvered himself and his six opponents so he can keep a peripheral eye on Chongyun. Himself and Zhao are less than ten meters away from the fight outside the fence. That quaint fence is no barrier to vision or, if it comes to it, movement. Five Treasure Hoarders have joined in against Aether, accounting for the rest of the camp. None of them are armed with anything more than pocket knives, kitchen knives, or spare throwing knives from their boots. If any of them are potioneers, they're completely unprepared potioneers.

"Hey!" Chén barks, pointing past Chongyun at the guards with his free hand. "Where are your fake— I mean, your potions!?" They shake their head and start swinging their hammer fast in a looping motion, missing intentionally to build momentum, but Chongyun puts a stop to that with a burst of Cryo that staggers the much taller and bulkier fighter backward. Another whirling slash of his greatsword flings snow and ice at the three guards, whose knives are then kicked out of their hands one after the other in swift succession.

"Ugh, why are these scum all so useless?" Zhao complains. The number of opponents Aether is dealing with is dropping quickly as he focuses on forcing the underlings out of the fight. One of them takes a kick to the shin, falls, and stays down, clutching their leg. Two are tricked into slamming into each other when they both lunge at Aether and he dives out of the way; why exactly they don't get up is none of his concern for now.

"And where did you louts put your bows?" Chén yells again. As with the potions, no one volunteers an answer. The Treasure Hoarders are busy grunting and panting, already short of breath; they're evidently used to slow, steady labor and not the quick, lurching dance of combat. Someone in Chongyun's group psychs themself up by shouting "Fist of fury!" before trying to punch a greatsword. It's only thanks to Chongyun's merciful decision to dodge instead of parrying that that Hoarder gets to keep all the bones in their hand intact.

Zhao is fighting Aether alone now. She almost trips over a downed comrade. "What's wrong with you lot?" She's not winded at all yet but her voice rasps. "Did you not eat?" she asks the four who are still conscious, her exasperation decaying into desperate confusion as everything she and Chén have built here hangs by a thread.

"Uh, Big Sis...we really haven't eaten..."

"All day?" Aether questions out of bored curiosity as he presses his offensive and probes for chances to disarm Zhao. The sun is setting, the blue of the sky just now starting to dim into twilight. Other colors presumably paint the horizon somewhere out of view of Lumberpick Valley's combes. I don't have to be in Kannazuka before midnight, but what if something else comes up after this? That happens a lot. Come on, Brass Bull, give up.

He doesn't get an answer. Only Zhao gets answers around here, apparently. An explosive susurrus of ice and a "Gah!" from Chén borrow some of his attention. The three guards are down and...now the Flower is running back inside the camp, Chongyun in pursuit.

"What are you doing!?" Zhao objects as Chén reaches her side and takes a defensive stance against Aether and Chongyun. "You brought the Vision user here!"

"All our guys are worthless. Let's do this ourselves, Big Sis!"

"You're just stepping on my toes!"

Aether dodges the pair's uncoordinated attacks, nods to Chongyun, and puts an extra hop of distance between himself and them. Rising into the air a little on the Anemo he's gathering, he drops back down when he releases it a second later as a whirlwind that Chongyun adds Cryo to with a swing of his frost-encrusted sword.

Zhao is in the direct path of the whirlwind. She's steady enough on her feet that she only stumbles back instead of being carried off. That's unfortunate, because Chén's arm is yanked back and his hammer hits her shoulder. What that sounds like is lost in the powerful snowstorm's serrated howl. Her scream of equal parts outrage and pain is not. The whirlwind keeps going behind them until it dissipates halfway across the camp, its noise fading to a whistle and then nothing. Some firewood it picked up clatters dully as it's flung to the ground in every direction.

The only sound left is Zhao hissing ragged breaths through her teeth, and the thud of Chén dropping their hammer as they stare at Zhao with a look Aether can't see from his angle. "Zhào...Rex Lapis's golden balls, I—..." At the same time Aether hears a groan from a fallen Hoarder sitting up; they raise their hands momentarily to assure him and Chongyun they're not looking for another round. Two other Hoarders mutter to each other.

Zhào, still on her feet, just cradles her arm and glares hatefully at Chén. Whether that hatred will calm when they're in jail together, Aether doesn't bother to speculate.

Aether is glad no one's crying over their injuries. It always makes him feel a little bad when that happens, and it's not something he'd like Chongyun to see. Though, he's certain that if Chongyun hasn't already, he will before long, unless he stops participating in combat against humans.

"Should I go get the Millelith?" Chongyun asks.

"Hmm..." If the Millelith come up the road now, they'll encounter the Fatui Aether told to wait at the weapons camp. To prevent that, he's going to have to play a cup game. "No, I'll go." Leaving Chongyun alone with eight beaten incompetents, one semi-competent scrapper who technically wasn't beaten, and another who is probably but not certainly too injured to fight? Nothing to worry about. At no point today has Chongyun shown even half the strength Aether knows firsthand that he's capable of.

Aether runs to the weapons stash. There's a decent distance between it and the main camp, but it's been long enough that he's sure the Fatui have already gotten there. When he gets there, at first he doesn't see them. As he enters the perimeter and slows down, he spots them behind some storage a second before they step out into the open.

"Alright," he begins, wasting no time. "How well can the two of you climb?"

"Uh," the agent fumbles with the quick and unexpected question, "I passed the climbing section in basic training, of course... We both did, yes?"

"Of course," the cicin mage says. "I'm not fond of it but that won't be an issue." They're frowning, though.

Aether explains, "It would be ideal if you could climb up one of these ridges and make your way back to the Chasm from there. You need to report back to your commanding officer and tell them to expect a withdrawal soon, and they need to pass that on to the rest of the company. I can't give you an exact timing. Tartaglia wants the whole company out of the Chasm and I'm going to make that happen. As discreetly as possible, where the Millelith and Qixing are concerned."

"What—" the agent starts, sounding like they're going to ask a simple question, but they stop as if catching themself doing something wrong. "Pardon me, but we don't know how to refer to you. Perhaps you're undercover, and we don't need to know what we don't need to know, but...should we be calling you sir, or...?"

The mage whispers to the agent but somehow still fails to be quiet enough that Aether doesn't hear them: "You talk too much, Ivano!"

He answers before the soldiers' discomfort can get any worse. "Just call me—" Right, their company wouldn't have heard anything about me. "...Aether."

Both Fatui visibly relax. Aether isn't quite sure why that is. As long as they listen to him, it doesn't matter.

"Understood," the agent, 'Ivano,' replies. "When should we depart from here?"

"Now. The Millelith are going to come up the road from the first logistics camp to arrest the Treasure Hoarders, so be careful." He leaves them to it with a farewell in the form of "I'm sure we'll meet again soon." His next stop is letting Yanbo know that his squad can make that arrest now.

Behind him, he catches another of the cicin mage's loud whispers. "See, they're not the Twelfth."

"Shh!" urges Ivano.

Along his little voyage, Ajax gets to see the Electro-charged shipwreck Aether mentioned to him a few days ago. Only from a distance. Between the purple glimmer on the water and, well, the shipwreck, it's clearly the same location and phenomenon he described. The boat captain gives it a wide berth and Ajax doesn't ask them to go closer. He and Aether will go fishing there together one day soon, he bets.

He remembers knowing his way around boats well enough that he could maybe have hired one sans a captain, but he doesn't know these waters. Kannazuka isn't as strewn with the detritus of war as the land and water farther west, such as the infamous Nazuchi Beach, but the fact he didn't know what hazards to expect told him he had no business tempting fate when he has a destination to be at.

The rendezvous point Aether gave him is the sole Statue of the Seven on Kannazuka. The overland path to it from the seaside is shorter on the north side, but Ajax knew he could make good time on foot. He and the captain thus agreed on a route to the south side that cut the voyage shorter by not requiring a big detour around an islet that is still, for now, referred to as the Kujou Encampment.

Aether, Yanbo, and two of the latter's squad find everything in order at the main camp. Chongyun has already tied up all the Treasure Hoarders' wrists and ankles using their own ropes, and he's standing watch over them at the entryway. His greatsword is planted in the ground, but a chill mist rolls along the edges and he has both hands on its grip, ready to respond if the Hoarders get any ideas.

"Get them ready for transport, we'll use their own carts," Yanbo instructs his subordinates, gesturing to the scattered, seated, and bound smugglers. With a mind for preparation if not for the complexities of human behavior, Chongyun had ensured no Hoarder is close enough to another to tamper with each other's bindings. Zhào's hands are tied differently in consideration of her injured arm, which has been placed in a makeshift sling.

Yanbo hangs back for a moment, assessing the scene thoughtfully. He breathes a weary sigh. "Amazing..."

Aether says nothing to that. He steps over to Chongyun and compliments him, "Great work. Looks like you thought of everything. Was there any trouble?"

"Not really? I had to freeze Chén's feet in place while the others talked him down from trying to fight again." Chongyun lowers his voice so as not to be overheard. "I've never used my Vision in exactly that way before. It wasn't going to hold, so I'm glad he gave up. But that means I learned how to do something new with it..." He sounds hopeful, though he's not allowing himself to feel excited. The serious look about him tells Aether he's already planning how to train to improve this new application of his Vision.

Aether's expression lightens in happiness for him. "That's great too! Necessity and invention, huh?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Are you going straight back to the Teapot?"

"Yes. It'd be efficient to travel back ahead of time to where Xingqiu and Paimon will be tomorrow, but I can't be sure where they'll be until we talk."

Aether nods. "Alright. I have some other places to go, and I won't be back until late tonight. Don't wait for me for anything."

Chongyun nods in turn. He leaves the camp and walks down the road until no one except Aether will see him disappear.

Yanbo is working with his subordinates, having only paused for a brief moment. Aether still has time to spare, so he helps out. While they're tying every smuggler to a single, long rope by one ankle, preparing them to be walked to the carts, and then unbinding their ankles, Yanbo strikes up a quiet conversation with Aether.

"People like you and your friend, who can use the elements, really are a force to be reckoned with, regardless of whether you mean to do good or ill..."

Aether acknowledges that with a glance. He considers replying, but doesn't come to a decision before Yanbo speaks again. "A mission that we would have needed weeks, even months to accomplish before we met you, was but child's play to you two. If turned to evil, such abilities could produce outsize damage at a very small price."

Aether ventures a slight nod.

"That's why I don't really rue the fact that I don't have a Vision. I have seen people who dedicated their lives to seek superhuman power, only to become tools and puppets for others to use as they pleased. Do you think that was worth it?"

That hits very, very close to home. Aether inhales slowly, holds his breath a second, then sighs. "Well... People who seek that kind of power always exist. They always will. And people who would use them are always looking for the opportunities to do so. Whether it's worth it...can only be answered by the person being used."

Yanbo regards him with a long, studying look. "...I suppose so... Still, those without Vision-based powers make up the vast majority of humans, and those who can truly understand and protect them are, similarly, ordinary folk. As an ordinary person, I am proud to be among those who can protect the many. Even if, someday, Visions ceased to be given out, and even the adepti who defend Liyue Harbor were to pass away...I would not abandon this post of mine."

"I admire that," Aether says simply. His thoughts on it run deeper. People like me aren't brave to do the things we do. We don't face the same risks that 'ordinary folk' do. And yeah, after a while, we don't understand what it's like to face those risks. I never did. Even if I can be killed easier now, I still don't understand. If we die, or almost die, we still got farther than an ordinary person would have. If we— if I think that I understand, when I can't, that is as dangerous as the power itself.

They've come to the task's end, and they stand idle now. Yanbo's pensive mood lifts abruptly as his mind turns to his next duties. "Ah, um, sorry, I spoke too much. I guess we should cut the chit-chat short here; my squad and I have much more to do. It's largely clerical at this point, so we needn't take any more of your time. Thank you for your assistance, and please convey my thanks to your friend as well." He produces a pouch of Mora from a pocket and proffers it.

Aether accepts the payment. "I will, and I'll be sure he gets the bigger share of this." He too walks out of sight before teleporting. He needs to fetch a sheet from the Teapot, but first he's going to make that beach on Kannazuka as safe as a house.

All Ajax has to do, when he disembarks, is follow the beach until he comes to a hilly path through the cliffs. After that, he knows he's found the right place when he emerges into the open from under a natural arch and sees a pair of weathervane-like apparati, glowing with Electro energy.

Nearby there's a nice spot to sit, between a tree and an Electrogranum...bush. A nice view of a...larger, more special tree.

In an amusing reversal of the norm, he'll have to ask Aether for some terminology.

Chapter 19: Day 14: A Place Called Home (part 7)

Chapter Text

There's a waypoint directly overlooking the stretch of beach Aether has in mind. It's an excellent spot to survey a fair portion of the surrounding region from. The moon is bright enough tonight that, looking west, he can see that the near end of Nazuchi Beach is deserted. Hiking east a little ways, he sees that the local watchtower has someone standing guard in it, but they must be awfully bored. The only sounds are the wind that scours the cliffs and the distant waves beyond the tidal flats below. Soothing sounds. He'll have to be extra careful not to let his guard down.

He makes use of Electrograna to quickly ascend to higher cliffs, and from there he has a short climb to the highest. At the peak he has an overview of the road until it bends behind an outcrop. He'll follow that road to meet Ajax, so for now it's not really a concern.

Far more pertinent is the other direction; more nooks and crannies for trouble to hide in. Taking off from so high up, he glides easy on everpresent wind.

A waterfall-hewn crevice that once sheltered hilichurls is still vacated, he confirms. Sardonically, he admits to himself that Paimon urging him to do something about those hilichurls worked out well for his current convenience; he knows that makes him a hypocrite, but that's not news to him. He has to wonder where they ended up.

Peering down from the air into the forked stream that runs from Tatarasuna to the sea, he sees nothing except a Bake-Danuki playing around, by itself or maybe with a shapeshifted little friend.

Another former campsite on a sandbar, used by various troublemakers, is looking worse for wear after weeks of abandonment.

He turns around while he still has some altitude and lands at the waypoint. A short walk, down the adjacent path into the shadows of Tatarasuna, suffices to check on the stream from the other side. As long as no one is near either exit, he doesn't care to see whether there's anyone further inside.

Coming out into the open from the cavern surrounding the Mikage Furnace is a transition from the smell of ozone back to the smell of brine. There are no flowering trees around here to sweeten the sea air, but there's plenty of greenery lending it freshness. The wind steals scents away as often as it brings them.

It's strange, having only the wind as his companion. Something about wandering around alone at night, in such calm weather, makes the quiet seep through his skin and into his bones. This kind of quiet is not an absence of sound, or a silence shared between people. It's the absence of the feeling that there's another pair of eyes taking in what he's seeing. No one talking to him, no one thinking their own thoughts for him to wonder about...

It's notably not unpleasant, this time. Solitude isn't the same as isolation. In the two months before he met Paimon, Aether was more isolated than he'd ever been before. Now, he has the assurance that this alone-ness is only temporary, and he has some answers to the questions that plagued him back then. He has nothing to fear from a bit of quiet.

After gliding down to the beach itself, he walks quickly northeast. Any faster than a quick walk might alarm the guard in the watchtower. Down here, the singing of crickets adds another constant to the soundscape. A loop around the Thunder Barrier satisfies Aether that nothing is lurking on the side of it he couldn't see from the cliffs.

Southwest once more to decide on a specific spot. Just like the cliffs curve in toward Tatarasuna in their jagged manner, creating the blind bend in the road, so too does the beach curve. Between the two is a grassy embankment and some slabbish boulders that look like they crumbled off the cliff face. One such boulder offers a perfect shelter from the watchtower's vantage. It's on a slope, which isn't the most convenient place to lie down, but at least it's a smooth enough slope and not too steep.

With that spot picked out, Aether takes the shortcut of teleporting to the waypoint above instead of climbing. He could go straight to the Statue of the Seven and glide down to the meeting place he described to Ajax, but it's worth a few minutes of jogging to scout the road before they meet up.

He will keep Ajax safe. It hasn't been spoken, but he understands that he is being trusted to do that. Ajax is a warrior through and through, and he's almost certainly hypervigilant on top of that. For him to let his guard down, out in the open, and let Aether completely preoccupy him, is an act of trust and faith. If Aether misses a warning sign and some threat gets the drop on them, Ajax will probably enjoy the chance to fight. But if that's what it comes to, Aether will have failed to prove that he can protect both of them.

He needs to prove that to himself as much as—or more than—he needs to prove it to Ajax.

His jog up the road is also uneventful. Compared to the state he found Inazuma's backcountry in (significantly worse than Liyue and Mondstadt due to the war), it's almost too good to be true. As usual, he mostly just displaced troublesome humans and hilichurls. The vast majority of them should still be alive and free of permanent injuries, owing as much to the occasions he successfully intimidates them into surrendering as is owed to the purposeful precision of his fighting techniques. Sometimes he has to split the difference by challenging their best to a duel. They usually don't plan on honoring the implicit terms of a duel if it goes poorly: the whole gang would jump in at that point if he didn't make an example of his opponent fast enough to change their calculation.

Making an example is trickier than subduing. If he can't simply disarm and down them, he goes for an efficiently disabling injury like slicing through key muscles in their dominant arm. Arteries have to be avoided.

Paimon may be weirdly bloodthirsty every so often, and bellicose, but ensuring she doesn't see him kill someone is a solid secondary motivation to be careful.

But it really is uneventful, his jaunt on the road. The luminescent beam projected skyward by the Statue of the Seven would be a great landmark to follow if the road weren't there. As it is, it's just an omnipresence in his sight whenever he looks up from searching for footprints and other signs of human or human-adjacent activity. Until it's outshined, in his opinion, by a figure seated near an otogi tree.

Moonlight drains much of the color out of things, replacing even blue with its own pallid version. Ajax's hair looks almost brown, the red of his shirt is darkened, and the beige of his skin paled, but he's still a distinctive collection of colors. The borrowed earring, with its bead glowing vibrant cerulean in defiance of the moon, looks right at home on him now. He's looking in the other direction, so he doesn't see Aether as soon as Aether sees him. No telling how long he's been there already, though; Aether hasn't taken many boats but his own and Kama's between the islands of Inazuma. Ajax would have seen him on the beach from where he's sitting, if he's been there long enough.

Aether realizes he has slowed to a stop and is just staring at Ajax. At Childe. At Tartaglia. The man has as many names as an Archon, and apart from 'Ajax' being a special one, they all mean the same to Aether. They all make his heart swell, as does the sight of the person they belong to.

He looks so beautiful... I'm not sure I could ever put into words why. It's like...seeing a... A whale, heh. One-of-a-kind, rarely coming to the surface. He imagines Celestial Voyager surfacing in the open ocean, this same moonlight glinting off its inexplicable horn. Being the only one of your kind is hard. Sort of like it is for Chongyun. ...So what does your song mean, my love?

That reminds him that Ajax will probably have found a marine biology book. He should stop staring and actually go over and talk. With a soft smile he walks off the road into the grass, striding toward his comrade.

Ajax hears the rustle of footsteps a distance away and looks over his shoulder. Comrade! Aether, haha. There you are, my heart. He doesn't call out, he just waits, leaning back on his hands.

Aether thinks he sees a wide smile light up Ajax's face, but as it isn't a literal light, he isn't certain of that until he gets closer. His own smile widens the closer he gets, until a warm chuckle bubbles out of him as he drops to his knees right behind Ajax, throwing his arms around him.

"Hehehey," Ajax greets him, welcoming the embrace with a hand on each of Aether's forearms. "With a hello like that, you'd think we hadn't seen each other for a long time, not merely a few hours."

Aether shakes his head as if the very idea makes him shudder. His face is right up in Ajax's hair, and he enjoys the feel of it sweeping from side to side across his forehead and nose and brushing through his eyelashes. "Let's never let that happen."

"Wholeheartedly agreed. So, my sweet comrade...what is our destination, tonight?~"

"Southwest of here." Aether kisses the back of Ajax's neck and starts to stand up, but Ajax tightens his grip on his arms to hold him in place. Just to kiss one of his hands on the knuckles, it turns out. After that, they both stand up, grinning at each other. As they begin walking, once again hand in hand, their expressions relax into subtle happiness and their eyes turn to their surroundings.

"How did things go, with you?" Ajax inquires.

"About as I expected. We were right: all the Treasure Hoarders and the Fatui were trading was food, basics, some mining tools the Fatui must have gathered, and some simple weapons like spears. They looked like half-finished smithing products."

"Nothing that looked Snezhnayan, I take it."

"Nothing. Two Fatui were there at the smugglers' main camp. It sounded like the deal they had was off because of their Treasure Hoarder contact going missing, and the smuggler leaders wanted to renegotiate. They definitely wanted guns. I don't know if they would have gotten them. No chance now. The smugglers have all been arrested. I made sure the Fatui weren't seen by the Millelith. Ekaterina was very helpful with the codes."

"So it all went smoothly. Color me unsurprised." Ajax tosses him a smile. "And Katya didn't give you any trouble?"

"Ekaterina? No. The earring was enough proof. I can't say whether it would have been enough if I wanted something more sensitive than a few expired codes. Oh, and I didn't tell her the plan. I don't know what you want her to know." I don't even know what her role in it might be.

"Ahh, very considerate of you. I'll write her a note explaining what she ought to know so she can make some preparations. Could I prevail on you to deliver it, my magical teleporting boyfriend?~"

Aether grins for a second. "Sure."

"Thank you. On that note...do you like it when I call you that? My...boyfriend?"

"Hmm... I like 'comrade' better. But that won't be specific enough in every case, like when you're introducing me. It is funny, though, to imagine someone getting confused, trying to guess what kind of comrades we are. Same with the word 'partner.' Partners in what?"

Ajax laughs. Though short, it's a laugh that's bright and light and loud like a brass bell. Out of affection for it, Aether hugs his arm.

Their midnight stroll comes to an end near the waypoint Aether started at. "Let's climb down here," he suggests, letting go of Ajax's hand.

The descent is more of a series of hops and controlled drops than a climb. Naturally, Ajax has no trouble keeping up, and with his height he even gets ahead of Aether. At the bottom of the embankment he stands with his hands on his hips and watches Aether catch up. He's beaming victoriously, unashamed to be playfully competitive with him over this. "Comraaade, what's the matter, I thought you were a master of climbing?~"

Aether makes an effort to act standoffish, instead of letting the bit die on the vine by showing his amusem*nt too soon. "Who said I was?"

"All the after-action reports of you entering Fatui camps from 'unexpected' directions by climbing sheer cliffs and suchlike," Ajax enthuses.

"Well..." Aether takes off his backpack and sets it down. "If I wasn't as short, I'd climb those cliffs faster, and this one too." Pulling out the sheet he haphazardly stuffed into it feels like performing a hat-trick with a long scarf. "But, then I wouldn't be able to make you tall Snezhnayans fall over yourselves trying to hit me."

Hands still on his hips, Ajax leans down at Aether's shoulder and grins at him. It's a sharp grin, and maybe it's how the Harbinger is limned in silver by the moonlight, but somehow it gives off the impression of the glint on a knife's edge. "H'ohh, that's not true, I can assure you. Don't you remember? The recruits?"

"You can do it because you're small for a Fatuus."

Ajax raises his eyebrows, staring at Aether for a second before a giggle bursts out of him. He straightens up with a stretch and lightly slaps his hand down on Aether's shoulder in approval. "As we've agreed, it's an advantage!" Truly he doesn't mind: not the fact and not the observation of it. Somehow he wasn't expecting it from Aether, even though he's one of the few people who would say it to his face these days, and that, combined with the flat delivery, tickled him.

Aether smiles up at Ajax, fond of the vivaciousness of the man's current mood. (As long as it doesn't hare off in an overly bloodthirsty direction. No, even if it did...) He can't resist covering his hand momentarily. "Yeah. And it's another reason to call you my kitten."

That gleeful mood instantly softens, as does Ajax's smile. He slips his arms around Aether's shoulders and plops his chin on top of his head. "Myau," he quips, not making the slightest attempt to sound like an actual cat.

"Don't you dare purr, or I'll lose it."

Ajax ducks down to slot the bridge of his nose in behind Aether's ear. The smallest motions make for a nuzzle, and just taking a breath is like brushing a feather over the skin there. Under his arms he feels a small shiver run through Aether, and he counts a victory. "Lose what, lyubimy?"

Aether takes a deep breath...that only makes him more aware of every point of contact between them. They're standing meters away from the real ocean and all Aether can think about is how much he wants to fall backward into the ocean of Ajax. "...The willpower to take my time with you."

"Mmm, in that case, I'd better behave. Wouldn't want to rush our date night."

"Mm-hm. I brought some food. Are you going to let me spread this sheet out?"

Ajax greedily squeezes him in a quick hug before letting go. "Was I stopping you before I put my arms around you?~"

"No," Aether admits with a sheepish smile. He steps away to the side of that one boulder that will shelter them from the watchtower guard's sight. The point of coming here wasn't to be seen, it was to be outside in this scenic spot and accept the risk of being seen. Before laying the sheet down, he stomps the beachgrass flat.

While Aether is busy, Ajax finally turns around and takes notice of that scenery. One look at the water and he understands why they're here.

The water near the shore sparkles with its own starscape of blue-glowing particles. These shallows lap at the sand as gently as a tiny lake; each sandbar between the beach and the ocean tames the incoming waves in succession. Only traces of seafoam get this far, leaving the blue embers unobscured.

Awed, Ajax wanders forward to the water's edge. Where he stops, his boots sink into the wet sand just a bit. Looking left and right, he sees that these little glowing things spangle the shore in both directions. They're harder to discern in the distance, though.

He crouches down to have a closer look. The blue glow is so like that of Hydro that he wonders if this is an elemental phenomenon. But no: he can tell that's not the case as soon as he uses his elemental sight.

Aether's footsteps approach. Quiet hisses of dry sand, then the viscous splish of sand mud. He crouches next to Ajax and smiles at him, saying nothing.

The answering smile Aether sees has within it a fragment of innocent wonder that's been alloyed, and thus preserved, by a deep awareness of what is not innocent in the world and in Ajax himself. That particular alloy all but defines Aether, and so he recognizes it.

"Do you know what it is?" Ajax asks him, his happily curious gaze returning to the water at their feet. His arms rest on his thighs, hands hanging between until he raises one to the vicinity of his chin in thought.

"No. Creatures? Plants? The color reminds me of sea ganoderma..."

"My guess would be plankton or algae, but, what's sea ganoderma? The ganoderma I know is a reddish-purple mushroom found in the forests in Snezhnaya. Looks a lot like a kidney."

Aether stands up and points toward the ocean. Rising as well and looking that way, Ajax spots something blue peeking out of the water close to a sandbar. It almost looks like it has a similar luminescence, too, but that might just be how the moon is shining on it. He saw plenty of it growing—question mark—along Narukami Island's beaches. "Oh, those?"

Aether nods. "I don't know exactly what it is, either. It's not used in many recipes, Paimon won't eat it raw, and because it's common, it doesn't sell for much."

"Ahh, the Paimon metric," Ajax remarks with a nod of his own that is exaggeratedly knowing in manner. "Hmm. But does this show up anywhere else?"

The Paimon metric, heh. Yeah. Very important. Aether gets what Ajax is getting at with that question. "Not that I recall. So it must not be related to the sea ganoderma."

They stare quietly down at the minor mystery. They have not just the flats but also the calm weather to thank for a clear reflection of the sky, which Ajax, of course, is the one who muses on. "Stars above and stars below. Impossible that they meet, and yet, in the medium of water..." He looks up and wonders if Aether could point himself out in the sky. It only takes him a second to remember that Aether comes from a different world, and that what that means is that he's nowhere to be seen in this sky. That thought germinates the seed of sorrow he has in his heart for the man next to him. A man he is—a person, human in present form, mature if the concept applies, self-identified as a male—but there is much, much more to him, not only another body but countless locked-away memories. To have an other half of yourself that is so inconceivably far away, inaccessible... What must that be like? And to lose your twin at the same time...

Aether enjoys the remark, but he doesn't say anything, and it's because of where his own mind follows that musing to that he doesn't notice Ajax's pensiveness. The false sky... Scaramouche didn't know about it before those meteorites fell from Leonard's constellation. He was on an official mission. Did his findings...find their way to Ajax, or did he only report in secret to the Jester? Is it common knowledge among the Fatui now? What's the tactful way to ask someone, 'do you know that the sky of your planet is fake?' And if he doesn't know, then he'll have questions I don't have any answers to...

A stomach grumbles and neither of them is quite sure whose it is. It pulls them out of their thoughts and when they turn to one another, each with a small smile, they both independently decide to keep those thoughts to themselves for now. Everything can wait; for now, they've stopped the world and gotten off it.

Aether tips his head toward the sheet he laid out. "I brought some cheese and the last of the bread you made. And apples." Two extra flasks of water, too, which doesn't make for the best pairing with their meal but at least it'll hydrate them.

"Apples and cheese sound perfect right about now," Ajax says as they pluck their feet up from the wet sand and trudge across the dry. "As for the bread, I'll just have to make more." Such a simple, unambitious plan makes me happier than it has any right to. Sure, I do love cooking, but...

Aether is tempted to tease him about the unpickiness around food he professed to be a warrior's virtue. But he already teased him about that, technically twice even if the first time was so subtle he's almost sure Ajax didn't pick up on it, and a third time in so few days seems a little excessive to Aether. That's how he feels about it at the moment, anyway, when all he really wants to do is lean against Ajax and eat together. Once again he forgets to say anything in reply.

Ajax fills the silence, as he's accustomed to do. He hasn't had to with Aether lately, but it remains second nature. "I want to write a letter to my parents and siblings when we return home. It makes no difference, I suppose, whether I write it tonight or tomorrow morning. I can't send it off any sooner one way or the other. But I just can't wait to tell them about you. Hah, of course I've already told them a lot about you, as Teucer made you well aware of. It's just the latest news about you, really. I guess I'll refer to you as my boyfriend? Tonia will be the first to read it, she always is. I address them to her, after all. Sometimes I write an extra letter and address it to my parents or one of the other siblings, but she likes playing the role of herald to her 'knight,' so I usually just ask her to tell the others this or that."

They're sat down now, legs stretched out to keep their sandy boots off the sheet. Aether has been listening and there can be no doubt about that: his eyes are on Ajax the whole time except for a few necessary glances down at where he was stepping, and at the food and water he's taking out of his backpack.

That Ajax is so eager to tell his family about the change in their relationship warms Aether with a giddy sense of being honored. On top of that, hearing him talk about his family is a treat he doesn't want to interrupt.

Ajax forms a suitably simple knife of Hydro and slices the bread and cheese with unintentional flair, his continued cheer expressing itself thus. "She started calling me her knight years ago, as soon as she grasped that I do some kind of fighting in the service of the Tsaritsa. It's terribly sweet of her. I hope she won't regret casting my activities in such a flattering light once she learns the truth. Regardless, I'm happy to play along. That's what it usually comes down to, with children, you know. It's a whole lot of 'yes and,' as they say in improvisational theater. Even when you have to tell children they can't do something, it goes smoothest if you can find a way to put it in positive terms and redirect their energy to another interest."

"Oh? I've been wishing I knew your secret to dealing with children. I have a hard time understanding them."

"I'll have to teach you, then!" Ajax smiles at Aether. "Your first lesson, sladkiy: storytelling is important, and I don't mean telling fairytales, though that, too, is important for kids. What I mean is that what happens to us amounts to the story we tell ourselves about it. And, if somebody else can tell us a better story about what happens, we'll tend to accept that one and make it our own, especially if the person telling it is somebody we have respect or affection for. An adult family member is therefore in the perfect position to turn a kid's disappointment or unpleasant experience into something more palatable, or at least more forgettable."

Aether stares at Ajax while wolfing down a slice of bread folded around some cheese. They've both taken their gloves off. Ajax is now peeling an apple, and he's doing it so skillfully that the skin comes off each in a single long piece, which he eats. Is that how he's been able to be so resilient? He knowingly shapes the story he tells himself about himself so that it's more...encouraging?

(In a monumental feat of irony for someone as self-aware and intelligent as Ajax, he has no idea how much he himself has relied on that principle.)

Swoosh-snick swoosh-snick goes the Hydro knife as Ajax makes quick work of the apple, dropping the slices directly into a hand held out by Aether. He nibbles everything edible off the core, throws it away, and begins cutting up the second apple.

"Why peel them?" Aether wonders.

"Oh, no reason. I wasn't thinking about it." Ajax stops peeling and skips to slicing. The half of the apple skin he'd already flayed is wadded up, popped into his mouth, and munched.

"If Tonia likes knights..." I bet she'd love the Favonius souvenirs from With Wind Comes Glory. Aether adds an apple slice into the last bite of his cheese sandwich.

Raising his eyebrows affirmatively, Ajax holds up a finger until he's done chewing. "She very much looks up to you! She was perhaps even a little envious that Teucer already got to meet you, haha."

Oh. Because I'm an honorary knight. "Does she know the 'honorary' part?"

"That's how I first introduced you, but I can't say she paid that technicality much attention. The very next sentence extolled your defeat of a dragon."

"Heh." Aether presses a slice of cheese to a slice of apple and eats them together. That's what Ajax does, too. After a couple of bites Aether explains a detail that might not be known outside of him, Paimon, Venti, Diluc, and Jean. "Attacking Dvalin was just an unfortunate necessity to get to the...Abyss thing on his neck."

Coincidentally, Ajax isn't looking at Aether. He has his head tilted toward him to show he's listening, but his face is downturned; he had just begun assembling his apple and cheese slices ahead of time, amusing himself ever so mildly by turning his thigh into his own little zakuski platter. It's trivial, as a result, to show nothing of how his prompt curiosity about Aether's adventure grows keener at the mention of the Abyss. If it weren't for that, he's not sure Aether wouldn't have noticed, though he is sure no one else would have.

Unaware, Aether continues without pause (except for those pauses in which he searches for words). "It was some kind of...tumorous...crystal that the Abyss Order was using to control him. Ehm, not control, influence. They had to tell him lies to manipulate him, too. The plan was always to get through to him, not kill him, unless as a last resort. So, the 'thing' had to come off. In the end, all I really did was help rough Dvalin up to get him to land, then destroy a weird purple cone. That's not modesty, that's just the way it happened."

"I know that at one point the plan required a holy artifact to be stolen from the Church of Favonius, and that a certain somebody's agents stole it first. But you and Paimon got very close to beating the agent to it, didn't you? Wasn't it stored inside the same cathedral Barbara is the deaconess of?"

In a conspiratorial whisper Aether confirms, "She still doesn't know it's broken."

"Broken? I don't recall anything about that."

"Yeah. We did it. Oops."

"Tsk..." Ajax sighs amusedly and glances at Aether with a smile. "Your secret's safe with me."

Aether flashes a wry smile. "Thanks. If even Barbatos couldn't repair it, it's best if she just doesn't have to know about that, I guess."

Ajax wants to ask how many people in Mondstadt know that the bard Venti is actually Barbatos, but that impulse reminds him where they are. Even if he can't see or hear any signs of an eavesdropper—and he double-checks that presently—it's not a good idea to say anything too confidential out here. "Speaking of secrets," he leans closer to mention in a low whisper, "they don't say the rocks have ears, but they ought to."

Aether blinks, then nods. Leaning closer still, he admits as quietly as possible, "I was starting to forget about that. Thanks for catching me. I've been paying attention to what's around us, but...not..." Not finding a good way to phrase the rest of that sentence, he shrugs a hand in a helpless 'you know what I mean' gesture.

Ajax borrows that hand to give Aether a soft and softly-smiling kiss on the wrist. Right on his pulse. As a personal indulgence, he rests his lips there just long enough to count three beats of his heart's heart. "I'll always catch you," he intones after that, no longer keeping his voice down. The opportunity to say something like that isn't one he can pass up, as it turns out.

It's corny. Even Aether knows that, if not the Teyvat word for it. Far be it from him to complain, though! In his rather strong opinion, Ajax can be as corny as he wants to be. Returning a brief but besotted smile, Aether seats himself nearer Ajax's side and leans against him, just like he wished to a few minutes ago. He opts for a lighthearted version of his inevitable reply: "I'll always catch you too, unless we're fighting and I'm trying to knock you down."

Ajax laughs another of those unrestrained, effervescent cackles of his. "As it should be!" Looping an arm around Aether's waist might not be very convenient while they're eating, so he plants his hand behind Aether and contents himself to having the feel of his comrade's body all up and down his arm. And contented he is, sitting like this with him, chatting and sharing a midnight snack under the stars. Ajax isn't as relaxed as he has been in the Teapot: he is retaining a certain amount of vigilance and readiness. His typical, long-familiar state of mind is not uncomfortable to be in right now, however. It's mollified by the knowledge that Aether is also watching out for them.

Aether needs a moment to backtrack in the conversation they've had and figure out how they digressed onto the subject of the Holy Lyre der Himmel, of all things.

Ajax doesn't. He remembers clearly and he picks right up where that digression stemmed from. "Defeating a dragon isn't all I told Tonia and the others of your accomplishments. They know you saved Liyue Harbor—"

Aether almost chokes on his food. Ajax stops, looking poised to help if he's actually choking. Just one little cough though and a hurried swallow before Aether can laugh in pseudo-disbelief. "You...told them I saved Liyue Harbor?" It's inordinately funny to him that Ajax included that. Who did he tell them I saved the city from? I didn't, anyway; I was just there and helped. It wasn't even in that much danger.

Ajax gives him a perplexed look softened by affection and more than one kind of admiration. He played the villain in that scenario, yes, but that doesn't mean he can't be impressed by the hero's actions. "Of course? It is what you did."

Debatable. Aether shakes his head, having one more chuckle under his breath, then gives Ajax a narrow-eyed look that is nonetheless full of his own affection. "Fair enough." It isn't unfair to say, to a child who need not know any better, that 'he' 'saved' the city. I hope that someday when they learn the truths, they'll think it's as funny as I think it is that Ajax and I met the way we did. Out of the three, at least one of them has to have a sense of humor, right?

"What have I told you about selling yourself short?" Ajax chides him lightly. He pecks a kiss on the top of his head.

"Not to do it," Aether states. The promptness and flatness of his answer is puckish in a way that is too peculiar to his personality for most people other than Lumine to get.

Ajax finds that an oddly dead-end response. All he gets is the sense that he's maybe missing something. "...Yes..." His eyebrows are slowly rising. "So...don't do it?" He turns and tilts his head away a tad, peering at Aether sidelong.

"Okay. Can I kiss you?"

"What? Of course, it's—" Ajax is silenced by Aether snatching his lips into an assertive yet gentle kiss that feels both demanding and patient. —a safe assumption that I always want you to kiss me. ...Oh...don't stop kissing me like this... Though keeping his hands to himself, Ajax makes the kiss a very much two-sided engagement between pressing, pulling, plying lips and seeking tongues.

Aether breaks it sooner than either of them would like. The distance he permits between their faces is so meager, though, that neither of them open their eyes. Only his fingertip held up against Ajax's chin dissuades the Harbinger from daring to chase his comrade's mouth. "I noticed we finished eating," Aether says, low and breathy. "Your lips taste so sweet from the apple."

"So do yours." Ajax has a flicker of a thought toward what other foods he'd like to taste on Aether's lips, but he's too taken with the present moment to think of any. He may as well have forgotten all the things he has ever tasted that aren't Aether, apple, and the kind of cheese they ate.

Aether kisses him again. At a sideways angle somewhat necessitated by his position next to Ajax, he coaxes his mouth open with an insistence met by total willingness. Their lips slot together, perpendicular yet perfect, sealed by slight suction that both of them are creating unconsciously. They breathe in and out of each other's mouths, hot and humid and quickening. The mutual but asynchronous hitch as Aether lays a leg over Ajax's lap. The faint groan from Ajax that Aether feels on his tongue as vibration, as he sidles onto his lap fully. The angle they're kissing at is no longer natural; they reorient, their lips dragging against one another.

Ajax grabs Aether's hips, and he's not sure whether it's at the behest of his hands that Aether starts grinding hard on him or if his hands are just following motions Aether initiated. Soon he's so stiff in his pants that the grinding hurts, but he doesn't want it to stop.

Aether stops it to scoot back on Ajax's thighs, reach down, and hastily unfasten his belt and trousers. He fumbles, and Ajax is gratified by the confirmation of what he already knows: that Aether is every bit as affected as he is. Aether wants him, craves him, burns with the same passion for him (not the fire of ambition, but a hearthfire). "Ahh, yes," he murmurs when Aether thrusts his hand down past the waistband of his underwear, grasps his chlen in his fist, strokes once, and then carefully pulls it upright.

"Are you ready for the rest to come off, or do you want to go slow?" Aether makes both of those options sound equally appealing.

"I..." Ajax experiences choice paralysis for a second before remembering the simple fact that he doesn't care about shedding all his clothes here and now. "Um, off with it, yes." Aether strokes him again, down to the base of his shaft, and up all the way, pulling his foreskin over his tip. Gentle squeezing and releasing pleasures him with the silken slide of his own skin as it tries to slip down behind the head only to be drawn back up repeatedly. Ajax shudders. "Please," he adds.

A push on his chest tells him to let himself fall back, and he does. Not hasty this time, Aether leans forward above him to undo his shirt, pausing between every clasp to dip down and lick the revealed skin of his stomach and chest. His sternum strap comes off like the ribbon on a wrapped present. His chin is then nudged up by Aether's head for a final, circular lick at the junction of his clavicles. The bottom of his chin is kissed, kissed again, and then Aether lies on top of him to reclaim his mouth. They trade short, quiet moans and caught breaths.

Aether's elbows are planted next to Ajax's neck on both sides, keeping his upper half comfortably elevated while they kiss and putting him at an angle where he's tilting his head to reach Ajax's mouth, in the same manner he would have to if he was the taller of them and they were standing up.

And with the other man's forearms lying so close to his ears, Ajax feels pleasantly caged. He likes the angle, too: finding out what it's like to be the shorter one for once. When Aether closes his hands in around his head and buries his fingers in his hair, he inhales sharply, tips his head back toward those fingers, and bites Aether's upper lip in an unconscious attempt to bite his own lower one.

Aether huffs out a soft chuckle. Ajax chews lightly on his lip as if he meant to bite it, half-opening his eyes to catch a glimpse of how his beloved looks right now. It's not enough of a glimpse. He tilts his head to one side and attacks Aether's neck with nipping kisses, knowing he'll probably raise his head reflexively to offer Ajax more of his neck.

Aether does just that, the sudden deluge of tingle-inducing sensations on his neck drawing a pleased sigh out of him.

Ajax moves to his throat and gets to feel a moan vibrate through Aether's vocal cords; despite the cartilage between his lips and those inner workings, it's very tangible. Another one of those before I pull back. Inserting his hand between them, he digs it under Aether's still-belted trousers in a physically awkward echo of how Aether put a hand down his pants. He manages to get the very tips of his longest two fingers far enough to flick at his klitor. The abundance of wetness he found there this morning is not present yet, or at least it hasn't yet leaked that far up.

The sudden combination of Ajax's torrid mouthing at his throat and his hand inside his clothes certainly does make Aether moan again, exclamatory and plaintive. His cl*t is flicked several times—it's obvious and eminently understandable that Ajax likes how it makes him flinch. It's a dry, sharp sensation, but it delights Aether that it's being done to him by Ajax.

The clothes need to go. For that reason, Aether grabs Ajax's wrist and pulls his hand out, then sits up. Lest his kitten get the wrong idea, he kisses that hand in no less than four places while holding the wrist firmly. His eyes are on Ajax's and Ajax's are on his, and he loves how the moonlight gleams in the deep, dark blue just like it does on the ocean that they can hear tumbling ceaselessly over itself.

Aether isn't the only one getting lost in the other's eyes. The golden irises that haunted Ajax's daydreams for months appear cooled in hue, under the moon, but they have a bright, argent shine. "Aether," he marvels, "your eyes look like gold and silver tonight, yet more beautiful than either."

"The ocean over there should envy the beauty of yours."

They smile at each other with a bit of mutual shyness, but not too much. Then they're in motion again, Aether starting to undress and Ajax sitting up to help him get the armored parts of his outfit off quicker. When he's kneeling naked in the midst of all his shed clothes, he starts dealing with Ajax's boots while Ajax shimmies his trousers and underwear down as far as they'll go. When the boots come off, the rest follows.

Aether's breath is taken away when Ajax leans back on his elbows and stretches his legs out. All his contours are softly highlighted, and the smoothest of his scars have a muted shine like raw silver ore.

The way Aether's eyes widen is almost comical from Ajax's perspective, but he too is transfixed. How appropriate to see you bathed in starlight, my star. More ethereal than ever...

It's another long moment spent staring at each other. Ajax waits for Aether to make the first move, in no hurry himself. When Aether's desire to touch Ajax exceeds his contentment with looking, his move is to place his hands on the lanky fighter's thighs and hold them down as he descends on him.

For a second it seems like Aether is going for his chlen, and Ajax finds himself tensing his glutes to push his pelvis up slightly as anticipation flares within him. He recalls in a vivid instant how it felt when Aether first sucked him into his mouth this morning. But Aether leans down to one side and his lips land on the crest of Ajax's hipbone. Ajax lets his head drop back, closing his eyes to eliminate distractions from the new sensation. It may not be what he expected for all of one second, and it's not immediately fantastic, but he's game for it.

However, as soon as Ajax closes his eyes, ready and eager to give himself over to Aether's intentions, a jolt of adrenaline puts him on alert and forces him to sit up. He casts a glance around, then another, searching for the cause of his instincts' alarm.

Nothing...

Nothing?

Aether felt Ajax tense up right before the sudden movement. It was as if icy cold water had been dumped on him—or not, considering the Snezhnayan might like that. As Ajax sat up, Aether sat back, looking at him in expressionless surprise. The way his comrade's gaze darts efficiently across their surroundings—Ajax twists to look behind himself twice—tells Aether all he needs to know. He answers the unasked question: "I didn't hear anything. Did you?"

"I don't know..." To Ajax, Aether sounds farther away than he should,
while everything else sounds closer. Subtle
effects, but noticeable. The muscles in his leg,
the one his life depended on when he badly sprained his other ankle in the Abyss,
are haunted by tiny twitches. He wants to
be on his feet and ready to run and
fight. His hands feel starkly empty
without weapons in them.
Shouldn't have let my guard down. That's a
thought that presses itself on him,
(not one he voluntarily thinks, but as far as he's concerned that's a distinction without a difference)
because it's true.
A ranged attacker could be concealed anywhere; an arrow or bolt could come from seemingly nowhere at any time and he
or Aether
would be dead in an instant if it hit in the right place. No chance to defend themselves, just a senseless and ignominious death.
If a heavy projectile hit Aether's neck,
that lovely neck he was kissing minutes ago,
what he would see
would just look like a spontaneous explosion of blood.
The sight, the sound, the smell: it's all as vivid as his memory of their morning.
It can't end like that...

The wary, pinched tautness of Ajax's face should be narrowing his eyes, but it doesn't. The impression Aether gets overall is that of a threatened animal. Predators do not lack for threats to be concerned about, he reflects in the back of his mind, while the rest of it is occupied figuring out what he should do or say. Now Ajax is staring at him, but not at his face. Below his face? His neck? It's a dead yet absolutely focused stare, nothing like the reverie they shared such a short time ago. He's not sure if that focus is really on him or some other thing he's standing in for.

"Ajax?" he inquires, his tone weighted by concern but perfectly calm.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't let my guard down. The price of a single slip...would be too high." (The Harbinger sounds normal, merely solemn. He is highly functional in a panic; he has to be. To him it's not even recognizable as panic, so utterly different it is from what he knew as such in childhood; it's not an issue, it's just another instinct and he has every reason to trust it.)

Aether's heart sinks. It was going so well: Ajax was having fun and maybe even starting to relax. Did he miss something? A sign of discomfort from him? Or, some hint of danger around them? Did he get too carried away and allow his situational awareness to deteriorate? He shoves all those questions and worries aside. They're not helping. His outward calm is intact, even serene. "It's not unsafe here, I checked. I went up the cliff for a great overview, flew west, and walked the beach to the east. It's all peaceful and quiet, like a normal wilderness. Nothing like it was when Paimon and I first visited."

Ajax responds with a slow shake of his head, finally letting his gaze drop to somewhere around his knees. "That can change all too quickly. Surely you know that."

"Yeah... But since when has that stopped you?"

"Often, in fact. I may be reckless at times and willing to take on the greatest challenges I can find, but when it comes to everyday common-sense survival, I have no interest in giving up my life to some lucky vagrant or vermin. I have even less desire to see you lose yours under such pitiable circ*mstances."

"That's not unreasonable," Aether grants. "And anyway, it's alright if you want to stop, for this reason or any other. I just...want to know if there's anything I can do to...?"

Shedding his complacency is making Ajax feel better by the moment. He's tuned in to every rustle of grass and leaves, and he's confident he won't miss any humanly detectable warning sign of trouble. He's not exactly happy that he had to put an end to the activities he was very much enjoying, though, and he knows Aether was enjoying them too. "Ah..." he hems in embarrassment. "Will you...forgive me for spoiling our fun? It really was fun..."

"Of course, sweetheart," Aether reassures him wholeheartedly. He gently hooks a finger under Ajax's chin and raises it a little so that their eyes meet. "I want you to be comfortable, and that should never mean forcing yourself to be. It means that if you're not, I want to know so we can fix it. And fixing it can mean stopping. I'm not disappointed."

A small, tight smile, which grows and eases after a few seconds of Ajax looking at Aether. He doesn't know what to say, except: "Thank you, comrade."

Aether is having a lot of ideas about how they could fix it. He could bring his sword out so they'd have it close at hand. They could move somewhere else, maybe to higher ground. They could go for what would have to be a long walk and find a fight to settle Ajax's nerves. They could stick to positions where both of them can keep an eye out. There's a part of him that stubbornly wants to offer all these ideas before conceding, but...why? It's not important; what's important is exactly what he just said to Ajax. But what if this is his fault, and if they just leave it at this, what if Ajax never extends that kind of trust to him again, having seen no proof that Aether can earn it?

"You look troubled, though," Ajax observes. His smile now faint and a tad uncertain, he softly fingers Aether's jawline. "Could it be...that you are a little bit disappointed?"

Aether hadn't realized he was showing anything. Pensively, he cups one side of Ajax's jaw and strokes his cheek with his thumb. "That's not it... Well, maybe, but I'm not disappointed by you. I'm just worried I failed somehow."

His expression turning all at once to surprise, Ajax immediately replies, "Please don't think that. It's not that I don't trust you! On the contrary...I would be willing to do things like this again. Outings, picnics, stargazing, all of that." He pauses and his brows dip in thought. "Sex with you enraptures me in a way that I'm not used to balancing against a sensible degree of alertness. It's no problem now when we're just talking. It wasn't a problem when we were eating, either, you see?"

"Oh." That makes sense to Aether, for the most part. He nods. "I understand." Maybe he didn't think about that when he agreed to the idea. Yeah, he probably wasn't doing much thinking at that time; neither was I. Then a warm smile erases the pensiveness from his face. "Tonight I got to see you this way." He gestures to Ajax's nudity with his free hand and gestures to the moon with a brief uptilt of his head. "You looked...unforgettable." For lack of a better description, he tries to make that sound as complimentary as he means it.

"Eha-haha, is that so?" Ajax reacts in good humor. "Shall I take that to mean it made for a good memory?"

Ajax's laugh loosens a chuckle out of Aether. "Aha, of course. You're..."

He is shushed by a short but tender kiss. Ajax smiles against his lips and doesn't stop smiling when he retreats.

"I know," Ajax sweetly assures him, saving him the effort. "I know because you're an unforgettable sight as well. You wear moonlight splendidly, and going by the way you looked at me, I do too." He glances out to sea, sitting up straighter and then leaning away from the shelter of the boulder next to them. "I'm certainly enjoying the feel of the wind on my skin," he sighs. "It's not the brisk, cleansing wind of my homeland, but we won't freeze to death here~"

"We should go to Mondstadt in winter. You'll like the wind up on Starsnatch Cliff. That's where the cecilias grow."

"That sounds perfect. We can even combine it with something I've been wanting to invite you to do for quite a while, if the timing works out."

"Hm?" Speaking of 'yes and,' which I think I've heard of before but it was in a very different language, that was a good 'yes and' right there. Wait, maybe I'm thinking of the wrong—

Ajax beckons Aether to his side and they go back to just sitting with each other, Aether nestling close under the arm Ajax puts around his shoulders. "In Snezhnaya, there's a kind of liquor called Fire-Water. If a friend will join you outside in the bitter cold to drink Fire-Water and chat together, you know they're the kind of person you want with you on the battlefield. That's the idea, anyway." They already know they belong together on the battlefield. "It's a hard liquor, and I don't know if you have any fondness for that kind of drink?"

"I'm willing to try it. It sounds nice, this whole thing you're describing."

Happily, Ajax smiles again, closes his eyes, and rests his cheek atop Aether's head. "Then I would join you for just such a conversation."

Aether smiles too. To himself, in effect, since Ajax isn't looking. "Starsnatch Cliff never gets that cold, though. Shouldn't we do that in Dragonspine?"

"Yes, I was thinking we could hike through there together from Liyue to Mondstadt. I can't be sure when we'll have time to do that, and I expect that neither can you. But we can make, oh, half a plan of it?"

"I would love to do that. Half a plan it is."

Ajax sighs in satisfaction. "We have so much to look forward to! Short term, long term, whichever way you look at it, you and I are headed for great things."

"Great things, hm? That sounds like you're thinking on a larger scale than going for a hike, now." And although Aether feels neutral, at best, about Ajax's larger plans and his own potential involvement in them, at the moment he's just happy that Ajax is happy.

Two different answers spring to Ajax's mind: 'always' and 'not necessarily.' The second option is truer on the whole, he decides. There are plenty of times when he's not thinking about his ultimate goals, focused instead on living in the present and reveling in the little things. "Not necessarily. Life is great in its small glories also. Sinking your teeth into delicious food, fishing under the aurora, getting caught out in a refreshing rainstorm, traveling the world and witnessing all its natural beauty and danger... And Aether, if this night has proven one thing to me, it's that life is richer still when your hand is in mine and our eyes are feasting on the same sights."

That's not what Aether expected to hear, and maybe that plays a part in how very touching he finds it. Then again, his burgeoning adoration of Ajax's passion is enough to fill his heart all by itself. His heart overflows and he blinks back happy tears. "Ajax...I love you so much," is all he can say to the other man's eloquence.

"Hehehe, I love you too, Aether." A one-armed hug and a kiss on the blond's head. "What say we go for a run along the beach?"

Aether hugs him around the waist as best he can. It's awkward but worth it. "Why not," he says to the suggestion. A run will be good for him. And me. I haven't been getting enough exercise either. He slips out of Ajax's loosened hold and stands up, making an X shape of himself as he stretches his arms and legs. A dry kiss is pressed to the back of his thigh and he looks down mid-stretch to see Ajax once again managing to be smug and appear innocent at the same time. Aether smirks at him. "Rascal." That's what Zhongli referred to him as at one point, and it's a shoe that fits.

"What?~ Just for giving you a small kiss to show my affection?"

"It's a compliment." Probably not how Zhongli meant it, Aether assumes.

"Well in that case—" Ajax goes for a second kiss, intending to let Aether feel his teeth too. Just because he doesn't want to have sex here and now doesn't mean he's uninterested in teasing his comrade. He's stopped by a tug on the bit of his hair that always sticks up.

"Cool it," Aether commands, trying not to smile and...mostly succeeding. "We're going for a run, remember? Put your pants on, kitten."

The speed with which Aether's hand moved does the opposite of cooling Ajax down, and he has to remind himself: Not here, not now. Being called 'kitten' doesn't help either, nor does the no-nonsense tone that puts him in mind of how Aether acts in public. He's showing me that two can play at this game and I'm going to lose. The advantage is his: he can easily excite me with words alone. Hmph~ "Aaalright," Ajax sighs, moving to stand up. Aether lets go of his hair to allow him.

As Ajax stretches his arms behind his head and then above it, he eyes Aether, who has taken his attention off him for a few seconds to put his own pants on. With an urge for mischief that just won't stop and a wish to see how fast his comrade moves this time, he suddenly grabs him around the waist for an egregious hug, seating his chin on his shoulder. "What was I supposed to be doing, again?~"

Aether almost elbows him on reflex, catching himself just in time and then breaking into laughter. It's very genuine laughter, but it's not so hard that it's difficult to speak through. "A— Childe! Put! Your! Pants on!" He reaches back and smacks Ajax's thigh in playful retaliation. In truth he doesn't mind if they never get around to running, but the act he's putting on is fun.

Ajax laughs in turn. That smack is good enough to sting, which... Hmm. He likes that. Something to explore later? "I'm not going to let you go~" Can he at least see how Aether chooses to escape his grip?

Unknowing but suspecting, Aether obliges. In the span of three seconds he delivers a light kick to Ajax's leg, drops his weight limp, digs his heels into the sheet, and hurls them both down onto their sides.

They roll down the short slope to the sand. Ajax cackles triumphantly. He hasn't won, nor has he really lost anything, but he got what he wanted. Flopping onto his back with an irrepressible grin, he lets go of Aether and holds his hands up by his own head in surrender.

Aether rises onto an elbow and, smiling, shakes his head at the man he loves. No longer being bossy, he advises lightly, "You're going to regret not putting pants on before that. You're going to have sand in all the worst places."

"Hah, come on Aether, how could you have forgotten already?" Ajax gets to his feet and retrieves his Vision, tossing it up and catching it as he gives Aether a look of skeptical amusem*nt. "Such troubles are beneath me~" He makes a small torrent of Hydro burst out of nowhere and course over his body in swift, efficient spirals.

"Oh, right... Uh, I'll make the excuse that it's late and I should technically be asleep?"

"I would have thought you'd be accustomed to functioning on very little sleep when necessary."

He's got him there. Aether admits that with a tiny grimace. "...Yeah... Yeah, I don't have an excuse."

"Ahah. Not to worry! I think we must be about even in terms of boneheadedness tonight." It only takes a moment or two for Ajax's quick but thorough rinse, along with some washing by hand, to probably get any and all sand off him. When he dissipates the Hydro, he and the sand at his feet are left dry. His feet he can just brush off before putting his socks on, and that's exactly what he does now, sitting once more on the sheet. Then he dons his underwear and trousers.

Meanwhile, Aether wastes no time getting more of his own clothes on. Watching Ajax, he recalls a thought he had while falling asleep last night. Or maybe when he was waking up this morning? Either way: "Hey, you're going to have to replace your sash, right?"

"Most likely, unless Noelle steals it back from Zhongli and works her magic on it. I also need a new thigh strap; lost that in the labyrinth. Not to mention, a new mask. I have spares but they're in Liyue."

"Can you get an extra shirt like that one while you're at it? Your size, not mine. I want one to wear to sleep."

"Sure, that wouldn't be a problem." Ajax studies him, imagining what that would look like.

"Thanks. I think the color would suit me."

"I think so too. The earring would also match, then, but since you'll be wearing the shirt in bed, that's not really going to matter."

"Ah, um, actually, could I have your current shirt, and you use the new one?"

Ajax flicks his gaze up to Aether's face, raising his eyebrows subtly. Half by deduction and half by intuition, he thinks he knows why Aether is amending his request. They are both more sentimental than they typically let on, and this reminds Ajax that that's a fact. "...Only if you give me something of yours in return. If not something I can wear, then something I can carry with me."

"What thing?" Aether asks, willing and curious.

Didn't think that far ahead. "Mmh..." That's fine, we can come back to it later. "I'll tell you when I've decided."

"Alright." Aether doesn't mind the curiosity being prolonged. He shakes the sheet out and stuffs it into his backpack.

Shortly they stand on the sand with nothing left to do but start running. They look at each other. Aether can see a smile lurking in Ajax's eyes, betraying his eagerness for any physical contest between them. "No elements," Aether stipulates, because otherwise Ajax is going to get very far ahead of him very fast. He gets an easy nod of agreement.

"On your mark, then?" Ajax suggests. He hadn't originally had a race in mind, but when he looked at Aether just now, the urge to test himself against his comrade surged. And there's no reason not to!

"Sure. Let's make it a sprint past the Thunder Barrier that's just up the beach, and end at the Thunder Sakura." A nod to the northeast confirms for Ajax that Aether is referring to the 'special' tree he had a view of while waiting to meet up. Terminology acquired. Ajax nods once more in turn and readies himself. He stays upright but sets one leg ahead of the other and places his weight on it, feet no farther apart than his shoulders. Bending forward just slightly at the hips, he keeps the posture of his spine loose and neutral.

Aether readies himself in the same way, with the addition of adjusting his backpack's straps so it won't flop around.

The Traveler and the Harbinger are both used to breaking into sudden sprints of necessity with little or no preparation. Sprinters for sport they are not, and in a structured competition with dedicated sprinters they would quite possibly be outpaced.

Just like they're used to, no countdown or warning is provided. "Mark," Aether says, and they launch themselves forward the instant the word's last consonant hits the air.

Their boots strike the sand hard and fast, kicking it up behind them. They run close enough that they can each hear the other measuring breaths in and out of his lungs through his mouth, inhales and exhales synchronized to every second step. The difference of leg length between them creates two different rhythms that synchronize only intermittently and briefly, but Aether is keeping up with Ajax despite his disadvantage.

In less than half a minute they've skirted around the Thunder Barrier and passed the watchtower, paying no mind to the guard, who is just going to have to accept that two people are having a footrace in the middle of the night.

For a moment, it seems as if Aether is going to pull ahead.

It's far from Ajax's first time running on soft sand, however. In fact, he has much more experience running on Liyue's shores and Snezhnaya's sandier coastlines than his hometown's grey gravel beaches. He has also had far more terrifying reasons to run fast than Aether holds any memories of, and the immortal star will never truly understand what it feels like to be a human child just inches ahead of death.

Ajax is the one who pulls ahead and maintains a slowly growing lead. It occurs to Aether that he forgot to say whether dirty tricks are allowed, but he has no interest in using one and he doubts Ajax wants to either. The truth is that it doesn't occur to Ajax at all: he wants a fair contest of speed, not a quiz on who can come up with the most underhanded way to win.

Their straight-line path toward the Thunder Sakura has their boots splashing through lapping shallows at one point, then leaping onto and over the natural stairs of several flat-topped rocks.

There's no finish line, so Aether just calls "mark" again as they close in on the big, grey, gnarled tree. They scoot to a hard stop just short of its roots.

Ajax isn't above gloating. "You should work on your speed, comrade! It's a soldier's greatest asset."

"Hah. At my age I'm not going to get any faster." Aether is fast enough for most of his needs, and when he isn't, there are always other options. Almost always.

Ajax chortles and jokes, "I'll get you the nicest walking cane."

Aether rolls his eyes. Even so, while he's catching his breath he can't suppress the smile that betrays his amusem*nt.

As they ran, Ajax got a decent look at the 'Thunder Sakura.' Despite appearing dead, with its hollowed-out and cracked trunk, the very ends of its branches nurture immense purple blossoms, pale and practically glowing in the moonlight. Up close, he finds that the air around it is mildly charged with Electro—just enough to tingle. While stretching his legs to cool down, he hops from root to root, peers inside the trunk, and slaps it with his palm to see how sturdy it is. Surprisingly sturdy! Which begs the question... "Hey Aether, do you happen to know how it got like this?"

Aether is doing his own cooldown stretches where they stopped. "The five here on Kannazuka were damaged by Treasure Hoarders siphoning energy off them. They were selling—"

"Hang on, I know: it was all about some sort of bootleg Electro Hypostasis, right?"

"Yes. You read about it?" Remembering discretion, Aether avoids saying anything that identifies how and why Ajax would have read about it.

"I skimmed that part very quickly. It was one of many mad little side-projects. The details didn't interest me. That being said, I wouldn't mind hearing more about it from you..."

Aether nods.

"Ah, but," Ajax adds, "I need to be getting back to the east shore to meet the boat tomorrow. Tell me about it while we walk?"

"We can just keep following the beach, or we can climb up to the road?"

"I haven't really seen this part of the beach yet. The road, I've seen. So!" Ajax sets off along the shoreline and Aether is right there with him.

"So you want to know...about the Hypostasis?"

"The Thunder Sakura, actually. It's a little bit striking, how it looks."

"Striking. Heh. Before, all of the ones on Kannazuka and the Tatara Islands were throwing lightning bolts around. It was inconvenient, so I was glad when a shrine maiden asked me to investigate them. They healed on their own after I removed the devices the Treasure Hoarders were using."

Aether isn't certain how much he should tell Ajax about what the Sakuras do. It's information that would be very easy to weaponize against Inazuma. Then again, if it were that easy, wouldn't the Fatui have already destroyed at least one Sakura? Is it even possible they don't already know how it all works? The Adventurers' Guild seemed to know the significance of the Sacred Sakura and its root system, if the way Katheryne conveyed the urgency of the rifthound attacks on those roots to Aether and Paimon was any indication. But he's not certain how much they know, either, and whatever information they have might've been entrusted to them by the Tri-Commission.

Ajax waits for Aether to say more, because that can't be all there is to it. Instead, a silence falls, and he notes his lyubimy growing thoughtful. He almost asks what's on his mind, but something tells him to hold on a moment. That's long enough for him to perceive the cutout shape of what Aether left out: anything and everything about what the Thunder Sakuras are. They must be important enough that Aether, trusted by the Raiden Shogun and the Tri-Commission, is hesitant to explain them to a Fatuus. That's fair, considering Ajax hasn't promised not to use what Aether tells him for Fatui purposes. He's still not certain he can make that promise; there are complications to it.

"I have another question concerning trees," Ajax announces breezily, putting an end to the awkward silence that was starting to accumulate. He sweeps a hand out to gesture at some trees on their right. "What are those called? I was sitting next to one earlier and it occurred to me that you might know."

It's a relief to Aether when Ajax changes the subject. Smart enough to see the problem, wise enough not to take it the wrong way. In case there are any misgivings under the surface, he slips his hand into Ajax's left. The relative smoothness of the Harbinger's glove always receives the outlandish, grippy material of the traveler's without too much friction, making it easy to interweave their fingers. "Otogi. Most of the trees in Inazuma that have leaves are some kind of otogi, and most of the trees that have...uh... Pointy...?"

Ajax is heartened when his hand is taken. It stills an undercurrent of discomfort he hadn't even noticed was there, and he's left none the wiser as to what it was about. "Needles? Broadly, trees with needles are called conifers." He glances at Aether with a warm smile. Exchanging vocabulary like this is new and nice. Offering one-way corrections makes him feel somewhat helpful, especially given that Aether thanks him every time, but exchanging anything equally between them reminds him pleasantly of how they match each other in a fight.

Aether is relieved again, on a smaller order, to be rescued from the verbal pothole he stumbled into. "Thank you," he says with a little sigh. "The Inazuman conifers are called aralia trees. Most of them. There are pines, also, that are just called pines, that have blue needles."

"Huh. Do they have another name for their maple trees?"

"Not that I know of. Oh, and the trees with the pink flowers are just called sakura trees, but their wood is called yumemiru wood."

"I see! Those pink blossoms are lovely when their petals fly on the wind. I think I'm already kind of fond of them."

Aether makes a mental note of that. "Yeah..."

The sea has narrowed to a placid saltwater stream. It's more like a long tidepool than a running creek, gathered in the intertidal zone between the main body of Kannazuka, two bluffs, and another shallow inlet on the verge of the Kujou Encampment.

They're currently walking past the remains of a small bridge. Debris has caught on it and become piled up. The bridge was destroyed before Aether came here and it hasn't had any attention since. So many other, more important pieces of infrastructure were destroyed in the war. Aether expects it might be years before anyone has the time and resources to repair a bridge that probably isn't even necessary unless there's a storm. Ajax observes the same facts, but neither of them finds it interesting enough to mention.

Ajax yawns. He's starting to get sleepy and there's nothing to keep him energized. No dangerous situation, no physical activity greater than walking since the short run, no demands on his attention. He checks the position of the moon, and his second yawn is clipped at the end by an amused sigh at how late it is. "Do you have an alarm clock, sladkiy? I've got to meet the boat in the morning, and rising at that hour is almost certainly not going to be easy unless I get a good jarring wakeup. Of course, unfortunately, that would mean you, too, will be woken up, and I'm sorry for that in advance."

By contagion, Aether yawns, and his own sleepiness hits him. Tiredness, as well, because he's had a busier day. "I have one. Sometimes I need it. I don't want you having any trouble getting to Xinyan's concert the day after— that is, tomorrow... So I'll make that sacrifice, heh." He leans his head against Ajax's arm momentarily. When he raises it again, he notices the former site of the 'bootleg' Hypostasis is within sight. "Oh hey, that's where they were trying to make that Electro Hypostasis." A nod at the fenced clearing just visible beyond some trees, ahead and to the right.

"Well, well. Doesn't look like much to see anymore?"

"Nothing to see," Aether confirms.

"Either way, we're close enough to the rendezvous now. Let's go home, moya lyubov. You should get as much sleep as you can."

"Don't worry, I'll go back to sleep when you leave. Probably. As long as you come back to bed when you're...done. When you've gotten to Narukami."

What a wonderful prospect. Ajax entertains scooping Aether up into his arms and carrying him to bed, but there's no telling whether that would work, even if they managed to synchronize their return to the Teapot perfectly. Instead he releases his hand and hugs him around the shoulders with the same arm. "Alright, I will." He gives Aether an expectant look. You go first. I'll be right behind you.

Aether takes the hint, and seconds later they're tracking sand through the grass on their way into a house neither of them ever planned to have.

They take off their boots on the porch. Quietly, they open the front door and sneak upstairs, not wanting to disturb anyone or be disturbed. The kitchen door is open, and as far as they know that's where Paimon is sleeping. Zhongli doesn't come running and the guest room is closed, so they assume someone shut the cat in there for the night. Ajax wants to check on it, but he has a stronger desire to write his letter while he can still keep his eyes open.

In their bedroom, Aether brings out of a drawer a mechanical clock with a wind-up alarm. He sets it according to the time he and Ajax guess it is right now and the time Ajax agreed to meet the boat for his return trip. "The bells on this thing sound terrible," he forewarns.

"Exactly what one wants in an alarm clock: a sound so awful you can't ignore it~" Still preferable to many other sounds one might be awoken by. Ajax is stripping down to his underwear and donning his new bathrobe. He wants to freshen up a bit before bed: visits to the well and the outhouse are in order.

"Mm-hm." Aether places the clock on the nightstand and turns around to see Ajax tying a dark blue silk bathrobe around himself. Watching him cinch it around his lithe waist suspends Aether's own thoughts about what he needs to do before bed. The silk is light and loose, hanging limp off the corners of his body, accentuating how tall he is and leaving little to an imagination already educated in what lies underneath. He's going to look good even in the Guild uniform, I swear, somehow he's going to make that work. So handsome... Does the word 'handsome' mean you want to put your hands on the person? That's what it means to me right now.

"Like it? Yours is over there; I hope it's also to your liking. If not, it's no trouble to me to take it back and get a different one."

"Huh? Oh." The other bathrobe is draped over the back of the sofa. Aether crosses the room for a closer look. It's thicker than Ajax's, made of some kind of soft, quilted fabric. Mainly a luxuriously bright white, it has several shades of light grey in the layers of the stylized cloud that adorns most of one side, front and back. It calls to Aether's mind those tall, grand clouds over the Chasm, even if the shapes on this robe are wispy rather than fluffy. He isn't sure whether it's technically a yukata or not. "Oh," he repeats in a softer tone. "It's..." Pretty? Yes, but that's not all. "Apt." He smiles to let Ajax know he means it as a compliment. "Most of the names I've gone by mean 'sky'...and this design almost makes me feel like I'm there. In the sky..."

"As when you're gliding?"

"...Yes. Thank you, I like it." For now Aether doesn't want to talk about what he lost. This gift from Ajax doesn't depress him by reminding him what he had, no, it feels like a piece of hope he can wrap himself up in. And that's what he's going to do, as soon as he gets his clothes off.

Ajax smiles inwardly. Aether seems to be in a hurry to get undressed. "Want some help?"

"Yes please. I want to get into this very comfortable-looking robe." Aether hears Ajax move in behind him. He can feel him there, a gap in the air and the merest hint of warmth. He wants to lean back into that, but he has to resist. It won't be terribly long, anyway, before they can cuddle each other to sleep.

Knelt now on one knee, Ajax assigns himself to dealing with Aether's belt and everything else below the waist. His focus is on that half not for any prurient reason but simply because Aether started with his cape and chestpiece. Plus, this way, their arms don't have to cross paths.

One desire occurs to him, when he's sliding Aether's trousers down his athletic legs, and that's to put a quick kiss on his lower back. It's right in front of his face, he has to. He doesn't expect it to make Aether stutter a breath and then grumble, "Tease."

"Innocent of the charge," Ajax replies truthfully, though now that his slightly sensual act of affection has been commented on, he's biting back a grin.

"I did sort of promise I'd make you cum tonight," Aether considers as Ajax stands up. Having his hands on him was as pleasant as ever, and the gentle, quiet assistance was sweet. From the unwavering precision of those hands and the casualness of that kiss, he doesn't get the impression that Ajax is wishing for sex. Aether isn't sure he isn't, however. Every time he sees Ajax wearing something new, or even wearing his normal clothes differently, he feels so attracted. Extra attracted, that is, because nowadays he finds this human man confoundingly attractive to begin with. The experience still makes little sense to him.

"We had a lot of fun today, and I'm happy with that." Ajax is being honest. He doesn't feel like he missed out on anything they can't pick up some other day. "If you feel we have some unfinished business, I'm open to something, mmh...simple, before we sleep?"

"No, it's okay, I just wanted to make sure..." Aether doesn't finish the sentence, as that's enough to convey his meaning. He had built up anticipation in both of them and felt, until just now, a tad guilty for not fulfilling that. But if it's alright with Ajax to call it a day without having quite enough sex to earn a comparison to whatever animal in Teyvat notably f*cks a lot, it's alright with him, too.

Ajax smiles, placing his hand on Aether's shoulder as a reassurance. "No worries, sladkiy." A rub of his thumb across the end of the clavicle, then he lets go. "I'm going outside a few minutes. Unless you want to go first?"

While Ajax was touching him, Aether basked. "No, go ahead. I'll get some, uh...stationery ready for you."

Ajax brightens with appreciation. "Much obliged!" With that, he heads out.

As he sneaks past Tubby so as not to wake her, he decides he should bring his things here, like his toothbrush and soap. And his clothes, of course: in Liyue he has two spares of his favorite outfit, and there are also socks and underwear, some of which he brought to Inazuma. Should he even keep his inn room? It's paid up through the end of the month, so it's going to be his a while longer either way. Cheerful thoughts of this kind occupy him as he goes about the very makeshift nighttime routine he's currently limited to. A consistent routine isn't something he values—days when all he can do is fall into bed, exhausted by a real abundance of physical activity, are his good days—but he does value hygiene. Hygiene isn't all that different from a clean room, even if it doesn't give him the same satisfaction.

Aether, meanwhile, is finding the bathrobe so comfortable it's distracting as he digs his best stationery, pen, and ink out of the drawer he keeps such things in. The robe's lining is as soft as featherdown, but his guess is that it's some kind of fur or wool. Leaving Ajax's embrace and getting out of bed in the mornings will be a bit less dreadful if he has this to put on.

When Ajax returns after several minutes, he opens the bedroom door, steps in, and almost halts right there. He had chosen a white bathrobe for his beloved because he thought white would complement the color of Aether's hair without competing with it. The only other factor he really considered was physical comfort, and that was top priority. He hadn't imagined that his red earring would look like a drop of blood suspended above the snow-white fabric.

As he closes the door behind him, he can't take his eyes off that evocative resemblance, except to let them be drawn to where the robe's neckline lies across Aether's clavicle. From there his gaze caresses the intact contour of his partner's neck, wherein his pulse continues its silent drumbeat, strong and steady.

"Like it?" Aether asks with a knowing smile. He's leaning with his forearms on the bed-end dresser, where he was doing some writing of his own before Ajax came in.

Ajax shakes his head slightly in awe. How the appearance of a person could strike him so, he does not understand. As far as he's concerned, it puts Aether in the same category as mountain vistas, glimmering rainbows cast by light passing through water, and, indeed, blood on snow. "It would be nothing without you in it." He could hold that earring up to a white robe on a hanger and it would inspire nothing more than idle observation. His comrade gives them significance. Aether, snow, blood: his love, his motherland, his purpose.

Joining Aether at the dresser, he sees that stationery has been laid out for him facing the bed, so that he can sit there while writing. Aether has inked and borrowed the pen to write on a separate piece of paper. Evidently he either preferred to stand while doing so, or he just didn't get around to giving himself the same consideration. Ajax hangs back a meter, although his ever-burning curiosity about his comrade is tempting him to walk right over and look over his shoulder.

Aether notes that and hesitates, not actually sure whether he wants to let Ajax see what he's writing. ...He should, in case he's saying anything Snezhnayans would read as impolite or presumptuous. "It's alright, you can look."

Ajax moves to Aether's side as swift and smooth as a magnet.

Tonia, Teucer, all,
I wanted to take the opportunity to write to you for the first time. Ajax talks about you all the time, and it couldn't be more obvious that you're bright lights in his life. It makes me wish I could visit sooner.
The way he talks about Snezhnaya is also so captivating I almost miss a place I have never been to.
It may be a long time before I can visit, but as soon as it is possible, I certainly will. I miss you, Teucer, and I look forward to meeting the rest of you. Please do not sneak away from home to hurry it. Stay safe.

and ,
Thank you for him.
How we met may have been unusual, but Ajax is a very kind and sweet partner to me, and I trust him with my life.
I do not currently owe allegiance to any nation. The lines between Teyvat's nations mean little to me. Your son means everything to me.

Aether knew all the things he wanted to say. He hadn't expected to finish his letter before Ajax returned, but the written words came easily. His only pauses were given by debating how much to say. Should he allude to knowing something happened years ago that was difficult for Ajax and his family? Should he acknowledge the troubles of military life? No, he kept it simple. For the most part, he adopted the rule that he wouldn't say anything that required extremely careful phrasing to prevent the siblings from asking hazardous questions. The remarks he addressed to Ajax's parents took the longest to write, because they did require some care for discretion.

All that's left is to sign it.

Be well.
With affection and good wishes,
Aether

"What do you think?" he asks, looking up at Ajax. "Is it too direct? Is there anything in there I shouldn't say?"

Ajax can't quite wrap his head around just how honored and happy he is to see words like those written about him. And about his dear siblings! It reminds him how impossible all of this should be, what he has now with the man he once fought for a Gnosis (that he didn't have). Impossible by most logic, but not his own, because he never cared for those lines of allegiance that Aether mentioned on the page. Loyalty to the Tsaritsa herself, yes, but even that became...flexible after a long enough time spent spiraling deep into doubts about where being a Harbinger was (not) taking him. Yes, he is willing to serve Snezhnaya because it's where his family is, and it's a beautiful place, but the idea of it as a nation doesn't compel him, and the thought of all the other families living there fails to inspire protectiveness in him.

It went from impossible to possible when it turned out that Aether's stance on the matter was closer to his than to 'most logic.'

The only way he can express all of that, at the moment, is to wrap his arms around Aether from the side, over his left shoulder and under his right arm. His chin comes to rest on top of his head like it belongs there. "It's very you," he says of the letter in a soft, almost cooing voice. "And nothing could be more right than that. It's very touching that you would say those things, and I don't just mean about me. It gladdens me so much that you care about my family—the rest of my family. I just know they'll all love you."

Aether is touched in turn to hear that. He leans against Ajax, hugging him in spirit by placing his hands on his arm and gently squeezing. "I hope so," he admits very quietly. If nothing else, I can tell stories to them. It'll be a while before they notice that the person under all those stories is kind of boring.

So much of who he is is complementary to who Lumine is. Without her, he feels like half a person at best. That's been a slow realization that is still sinking in.

"The blank spaces," Ajax observes. "Are those for the names you don't know how to spell yet?"

"Yes. Write them in for me and I'll remember them." Aether lets go of Ajax's arm so he can actually do that.

Ajax keeps one arm around him as he writes in 'Nadezhda' and 'Lev' where his parents' names are implied. "You should write Anthon's name yourself," he advises, offering the pen back, "since you wrote Tonia's and Teucer's. He may see my handwriting and think you forgot him."

"Oh, right." Aether heeds the suggestion, Ajax spelling the name out for him verbally.

They leave the ink to dry and move onto the bed. Ajax crosses his legs and leans forward with his elbows on the dresser. He starts right away, a salutation flowing onto the page in a slightly streamlined cursive hand that could belong to anyone.

Dearest Sister, it hasn't been very long since my last letter, but I have good news. I hope it finds you all well, and if not, please let me know in your reply if there's anything you need.

Along with this letter you should receive several books. I had the chance to browse the Yae Publishing House's store, and Tonia, you would love it there! Many of the books they sell are light novels with illustrated covers. Packed into shelves and bins, they dazzle the eyes with all their colors. I hardly knew where to start!

Ajax couldn't jump straight into the news without first making sure his family would know if anything went astray in transit, and of course he had to tell Tonia about the book store. He won't be surprised if light novels, as a concept, have already made their way to Snezhnaya. The Sakoku Decree couldn't stop the trend from reaching Liyue, and now commerce between Inazuma and continental Teyvat is booming. The evidence is everywhere, from the increasing and diversifying crowds in Inazuma City to the new products Inazuman shops are preparing to appeal to foreign merchants coming for extended stays.

He might need to buy more of those light novels. Tonia and the others will go through them fast...

Inazuma City is beautiful. The trees here are covered in pink blossoms. Their petals fly on the warm breeze until they fall and collect on the ground, almost like snow.

Almost. The snow is never that light and sparse in Morepesok, nor in most of Snezhnaya.

I had quite an adventure recently.

The Mystic Onmyou Chamber will make a good story, Ajax decides, and it'll lead into the letter's main purpose.

A mysterious door appeared in the countryside, and from it, monsters spilled forth. To discover the origin of the monsters, I entered the doorway. Beyond it lay a Domain resembling the inside of a typical Inazuman building. It looked surprisingly mundane for a source of such danger, but I kept my guard up. Always be careful in strange places, even if they look like nothing to worry about.

Indeed, the place was a labyrinth filled with monsters of all kinds. Both were creations of an Inazuman magical art called onmyoudou (also spelled onmyōdō). Though those monsters were mere copies or "mirrors" of real ones, they were no less dangerous. Don't worry, they weren't too much trouble for a knight...and certainly not too much for two knights!

Yes, the greatest surprise came when I heard the voices of other people and recognized two of them as Aether and Paimon. Accompanying them was a delightful young woman from Liyue, Xinyan, who uses a Pyro Vision and plays her own version of Fontaine's rock music. She proved to be a strong warrior and a kind person. Also accompanying them was a "shikigami," a magically created being. His name was Shiki Taishou and he looked like a little paper samurai. I'm not kidding! He had lost his memory, but it was clear that he had some connection to the labyrinth.

After days of fighting our way through rooms and corridors that rearranged themselves, we all learned the truth together. Shiki Taishou was the master of the Domain, but not its creator – that much we already knew. He was left in charge centuries ago by his creator, a man who set up the labyrinth as a training ground for samurai. When it seemed as if there was no more need for such a training ground, the man set off on a journey to find a new purpose for himself. Shiki Taishou went into a deep sleep to wait for him, but he never returned. Then, less than a month ago, something disturbed the Domain, causing the monsters within to escape and waking Shiki Taishou. Now that all of that's been taken care of, he has rededicated himself to maintaining the Mystic Onmyou Chamber as a place where seekers of "ultimate attainment" in the martial arts can put themselves to the test.

When I ventured into that doorway, I didn't expect to make new friends and be reunited with old ones.

Ajax looks to Aether, who has looped his arms around Ajax's waist and is leaning heavily (for a man of his build, anyway) against him, chin on his shoulder. He's yawning periodically and getting drowsier by the minute, but it's apparent that he's still interested in watching Ajax write, and he's putting up a valiant struggle to stay awake. His slow blinks and slack expression warm the Snezhnayan's heart. "You look cute when you're this sleepy, my comrade."

"Mmh. Thanks." Maybe another time Aether could have come up with something funny to say to that, but all he's capable of right now is genuinely thanking Ajax for the compliment. Being called cute is a harmless hazard of being known well and being loved, he fuzzily reflects.

"Do you mind if I sign you up to tell my siblings your own version of the story?"

"About the Mystic Onmyou Chamber? Sure. I guess it would be a little different if I told it. More Kujou Sara and...the way my heart jumped when I saw you..." Aether buries his face in Ajax's neck, taking a deep, restful breath of his scent and laying a dry kiss on his skin. "Mm..."

"Hehe, it's an adventure story, not a romance novel..."

"What's the difference," Aether mumbles, keeping his face smushed against Ajax's neck but doing nothing more. This feels close enough. Just about. For now.

"Audience," Ajax answers, the lilt of a chuckle lingering in his voice. He takes a moment to frame this in his memory: sitting here in their bedroom with a soporific Aether draped on him, while he writes a letter to his family and feels nothing but happiness.

Seeing his original name written down in Aether's handwriting... Seeing those words Aether said to his parents about him... He's absorbing that bit by bit. It's amazing to see himself through Aether's eyes, and every time he is given a glimpse, he can see that image clearer. And maybe...(maybe his parents will see him through Aether's eyes, too).

When the ever-so-faint scratching of the pen across the paper resumes, Aether turns his head just enough to watch with one eye, the other squished closed against the corner of Ajax's jaw. He can feel his own earring resting atop his head.

I'm sure you would enjoy hearing Aether tell his side of the story, as well as many other stories from his time in Inazuma. He's been here much longer than I have, and he has done countless deeds of daring and heroism.

As you would have guessed from the included photograph, we didn't part ways. As a reward for saving Liyue,

Aether refrains from commenting.

Aether was given a teapot containing within it an entire Domain of his own. So far as I can tell, you don't shrink to fit inside the teapot when you enter, you're simply transported to another realm that is somehow anchored to the teapot.

"Not sure about that either," Aether admits.

"Hhhuh." There's nothing for Ajax to do with that information, or lack thereof. He sits with it for a second or two before tossing it on the pile of things that don't matter.

I know. I was also confused when Aether invited me to his "teapot," but it's completely real. As I write these words, I'm sitting in his house on one of four islands floating in the clouds. The realm is looked after by a

"...At this rate, my parents are going to be wondering if I've lost my mind, and I can't blame them."

"teapot spirit" named Tubby.

Maybe they don't need to know that Tubby is a giant finch living in a teapot of her own inside the Teapot. His siblings will love everything about that, but they can find out firsthand someday.

She is strange but friendly.

For now, 'strange' covers it.

"Mention that it's an adeptal art," Aether suggests. "Or that Tubby is a friend of the adepti. They might not know what that means but they can...probably find books about Liyue that explain more?"

Ajax nods. The earring he's wearing seems to be caught in Aether's hair, but that's not a problem yet. "I mentioned the adepti to them before. Haha, how could I not? Talking cranes and a talking stag, living in the mountains, protecting Liyue until humans could prove they were ready to protect themselves... Apparently Anthon was overjoyed to hear about all that, after being disappointed to learn that people in the land of Geo aren't made of stone."

The wonders of this teapot came about by the enigmatic powers of Liyue's adepti. There's no moon, but there is day and night. In the evening the sun reddens, dims, and then turns blue for the night. If you fall off an island's edge, you're whisked back to safety in the blink of an eye.

"Tested that?" Aether questions.

"Not yet~ I'm just making an assumption about what it's actually like."

This place is incredible and those days in the labyrinth with Shiki Taishou, Xinyan, Paimon, and Aether were unforgettable, but I haven't even gotten to the good news yet! The best and most surprising thing that's happened is that Aether and I have

The wording here needs some thought.

Aether surmises that it's not going to be all that surprising to the people Ajax has told so much about him.

finally opened up about the feelings we have for each other.

Ajax is made to smile by Aether's approval, which is expressed to him through a nuzzling nod against his neck.

We're in love.

Aether gives him a lazy hug without moving his body, but the tender, grateful kiss he lifts his head to place on Ajax's cheek is very deliberate.

Closing his eyes a moment, Ajax leans into it: tilts and turns his head slightly toward Aether, wanting to stay just like this but also wanting to give a kiss back.

A fraction more leaning and turning from both of them and their dry lips brush together. It's not centered and there's no pressure, it's just a brief touch, but it satisfies them. There is reciprocated reverence in it.

In short, he is my boyfriend and I am his.

Ajax has to pause after this sentence, too. No particular thoughts cross his mind, and that's the problem: what is there to say after that? That fact has changed few things, but what it has changed, it changed deeply and continues to.

Our lives have changed very quickly, but we agree that it was overdue.

We're looking forward to spending more time together. While my work and his journey permit, we have a lot of things to do in Inazuma. There's a lot to see here, and did you know seafood is very common and popular in Inazuma? As an island nation, they have countless age-old recipes for fish, mollusks, eels, and seaweed. In the coming weeks I will send along some recipes and whatever local ingredients can survive the trip. We'll take photographs of the places we visit, and of course, there will be more gifts.

I've been told I will be called home soon by our Tsaritsa. Exactly when, I don't know, but rest assured I'll take the opportunity to visit you all. Sadly, Aether won't be able to come to Snezhnaya with me, as he has important matters of his own to attend to. However, enclosed in the same envelope as this letter, there should be a single page with his own letter written on it. (As you know, he isn't one to be long-winded.)

Tonia, I trust you and your brothers are behaving at school, helping out at home, and keeping up on your archery lessons.

Aether inquires, "They're all learning archery now?"

"They are, and I'm very glad. After Teucer's lessons started, Anthon and Tonia became interested."

If you are, when I visit I'll bring you some fresh Inazuman sweets. If you're wondering how I would be able to keep them fresh, make sure to earn those sweets and I'll tell you the secret.

"While I'm in Snezhnaya," Ajax muses, "Can I really ask you for anything from anywhere? And you can pass it to me here in the Teapot?"

"I can't think of any reason why not." That could be a lot of fun, Aether thinks. "Let's find out how much we can impress your siblings with that." A grin starts to curve his mouth before a yawn subsumes it.

"Ahaha, ahahh, great, we'll be cheating geography itself. The natural laws of the world will bend the knee to our whims~"

"Eheheh. Yeah. I've never met a natural law that doesn't become...optional with enough effort and cleverness. Though, neither of us is responsible for any of the cleverness that invented adeptal realms, or the effort that created this one."

"True, true. Well, I'm about finished here. I'll just close and sign it..."

Yours faithfully,
Your loyal knight
(and his beloved knight)

Chapter 20: Day 15: Taking steps is easy, standing still is hard

Chapter Text

They jerk awake at the same instant, the alarm clock's clamoring bells rousting them every bit as rudely as expected. Ajax, spooning Aether and curled around him, gets his chin bonked by the back of the other man's head and his ribs elbowed. Aether is jabbed in the thigh by one of Ajax's knees. None of these accidents are hard hits, being not defensive reflexes but merely startled flinches. When they're sleeping together, their guards are truly lowered. As much as anything else, it was all the fighting in the Mystic Onmyou Chamber that taught each of their subconsciouses to trust the bodily presence of the other (no matter what their conscious minds might have had to say about it).

Ajax leans over Aether, reaching toward the nightstand to end the noise. To his credit, he's not flailing blindly. His hand shoots out and grasps the top of the clock without erring, and one of his fingers finds the tall button that halts the alarm mechanism when pushed in.

Aether ends up lying flat on his stomach under Ajax, pinned until the Harbinger's mission is accomplished. That's only for a few seconds, and he likes it. He feels a bit shortsighted in his furniture arrangement, however. There's a gap, between the bed and the nightstand, in which he's been keeping a stack of books. When he was the bed's sole occupant, that posed no problems. Maybe it still doesn't pose any real problems, but it seems silly for someone with arms as long as Ajax's to have to stretch to reach all the handy things one uses a nightstand for, like alarm clocks and, hypothetically, lube.

One of us needs to buy...what do they call it here... That thought slips away from Aether when he feels Ajax gently brush his unbraided hair aside and press a reluctant-to-leave kiss to the back of his neck.

"Sorry again," Ajax whispers, as if a quiet voice might counteract the loud noise from before. "Go back to sleep, sladkiy."

"Mmm," Aether sighs affirmatively. Right. I don't have to...get up or...go anywhere yet... "Love you Childe," he mumbles, his brain pulling an unintended name but not a wrong one. He doesn't bother to correct himself. There's nostalgia in using Ajax's other names on occasion, and it's a small way to make sure the Harbinger knows that all sides of him are loved.

It does make Ajax smile. "Ya tozhe lyublyu tebya~" After backing out from under the single thin blanket they threw on the bed last night, he carefully adjusts it over Aether. The second he's off the bed, he's moving fast to get dressed.

Before he leaves, he grabs another blanket off the sofa and spreads it over Aether too. He doesn't know if the 'cold' bothers him (to Ajax, it's always warm everywhere in the Teapot), but while he's stealing the warmth of his body away, it's only courteous to provide reparation.

As soon as Ajax is out of the Teapot, he starts to feel bored and restless. During the few minutes he has to wait for the boat, he wanders around in a small circle, kicking pebbles and eyeing all directions in hope of some excitement. It's a terribly peaceful morning on Kannazuka and the Tatara Islands.

It's the boat captain, the same one as yesterday, who suffers the brunt of Ajax's increasing antsiness. He ends up pestering them constantly with conversation, starting by asking if sea serpents are ever seen in the local waters. He is told with a scoff that sea serpents don't dare come near the shores of Inazuma as long as 'our Almighty Narukami Ogosho' protects those shores.

That answer inspires a thought Ajax doesn't voice, as to why the two disastrous Decrees came and went with no apparent consequences for the Raiden Shogun. He decides one of the reasons must be because the weak wish for safety. That's the average person's priority above all, he reflects, right up until the minute they are personally affected by a conflict or an oppressive edict.

It's so freeing to know there is no safety in the world.

(That he feels safe in the Teapot is not a fact he can perceive unless it's turned sideways, like a slip of very thin paper viewed edge-on. Even then, he can't comprehend it.)

Ajax asks if the captain has ever seen the Raiden Shogun slay a sea serpent. There's some waffling and then an admission that no, they've never seen that happen in their lifetime. Sighing, Ajax stares to the southeast at the open ocean, longing for a beast like Haishan to break the flat line of the horizon. A moment later he's abruptly asking if the captain ever served as a samurai.

No, they were never a samurai. Why not? Because they were busy helping with the family fishing business.

(The captain regrets mentioning that.) Half the trip, after that, is packed with friendly inquiries about a profession they gave up decades ago, with Ajax going off on wistful tangents about his own fishing experiences when the captain's responses are too short to keep him entertained. Eventually the topic of the Shogun's Navy comes up (the captain regrets mentioning that, too), opening the door to questions about the war.

When Ajax can't exert his body, keeping his mind occupied is the next best thing. Eager though he is to do that, he makes an effort to broach the war delicately. He doesn't know whether the captain lost anyone close to them, and if he offends them they might clam up and leave him to his boredom.

There's nothing unfriendly or intentionally impolite about the conversation he makes during the trip. Most of his questions are angled in such a way that they invite the captain to talk about themself and their opinions. After all, many people enjoy talking about themselves—Ajax can relate—and, for his part, he can suss interesting tidbits out of whatever the captain says. Under the circ*mstances, he'd rather have to sift through irrelevant trivia, because at least that engages his brain, if only a tiny bit.

But, evidently, the captain is not among those who like to talk about themselves. Ajax falls back on his ability to fill silence with one-sided sociability.

It's a time when he could really use Zhongli going on about something esoteric. He was never bored when Zhongli spoke at length. Why that is, he doesn't know; it's a gift horse he was never all that inclined to check the teeth of.

He's aware of the captain getting increasingly uncomfortable despite the charm Ajax puts on and the manners he minds. Why that is, he has some idea. When he is bored and restless and has no outlet, he doesn't get excessively fidgety, and pacing is something he only does when he's alone, as a general rule. In most situations, what he does is the opposite: he becomes largely still, with the exception of some kind of slow, repetitive motion of a finger or two. The resemblance to someone or something waiting to spring an ambush is not lost on him or on others.

Some nights, when he was a recruit, he'd sit awake for a while. Before the lights were out, he'd receive a few odd looks for silently watching everyone else conclude their day with chatter and little routines. He happened to have a good perch for that: top bunk near the middle of the room. Once, a fellow recruit grew frustrated with being watched and aggressively confronted him. It wasn't the first time he was called creepy, and it wasn't the last, but it was the last time anyone questioned him about that particular habit. At that age, he didn't hesitate to seize any excuse for a fight. They shouldn't have stood with their face in kicking range.

He got a talking-to from Pulcinella about beating up and injuring another recruit again, but nothing was said about what caused the conflict. At the time, Ajax didn't question why that was. He had no reason to wonder about Pulcinella's motives, because the Rooster told him in no uncertain terms: he was to succeed and become one of the Tsaritsa's greatest weapons. That always sounded good to Childe (as he had already insisted on being codenamed).

As for what he was doing after the lights were out...he could still see the other recruits in faint detail even though they could only make out his silhouette in the dark. His eyes hadn't completely recovered from the gloom of the Abyss yet. Bright sights like the sun on the snow pained his eyes and gave him headaches, but he never let anyone know that. Those minor problems (the pain was not inconsiderable, but at least he was alive to feel it and it wasn't threatening that fact) went away on their own over time, at the cost of his visual acuity in the dark going back to almost-normal.

So it was a physical comfort to stare into the dark for a little while. At the same time, he assured himself—unemotionally—that he knew everything there was to know about the large, crowded barracks room where he was expected to sleep, and about the young adults he shared it with, who were all feeble of body and mind in his co*cky opinion.

And, he reviewed memories of the Abyss. As Skirk taught him to, he sieved through all the scenes, sounds, and sensations that tried to overwhelm him when he was idle, and he extracted lessons from them. He plucked information from the grasp of terror. She taught him to welcome and treasure the memories as evidence of his survival and records of his victories.

When he disembarks near Amakame Island, Ajax looks up and down the beach with a small frown. He yearns to go looking for trouble, but two things stop him: his promise to return to bed, and the unlikelihood that he would find anything.

Taking a deep breath of Narukami's sweet and salty breezes, he wishes himself to the Teapot before sighing it out. His next breath brings in very subtle scents of grass, bamboo, and the big, amber-veined sandbearer trees. Bamboo smells no different from the average deciduous tree, and unlike some of the wild sandbearer trees, those at the edges of the Teapot's islands don't stink.

Tubby pops her head up as he steps onto the porch. "Good morning, Childe. If you're hungry, I believe Paimon, Xingqiu, and Chongyun are making breakfast at the guest house."

"Good morning to you too, Tubby," Ajax responds, affable but not quite matching her pep. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'm on my way back to bed though, so, I won't be having an eye toward breakfast for a while yet."

"In that case, may you rest well."

"Likewise." Ajax nods goodbye and continues upstairs. He opens and closes the bedroom door quietly, but, lest he startle Aether, he doesn't make any special effort to move quietly. Rounding the bed, he takes a seat on the side opposite Aether to pull off his boots and socks.

He hangs his shirt on one of the bedposts and folds his trousers, placing them on the rug that runs underneath the bed and provides about a meter of floor coverage on each side. For the usual sake of readiness, he leaves his belt in the loops on his trousers, his Vision clipped to it. Because he learned to fight before he obtained it, he has never felt dependent on his Vision for self-defense.

Aether started to wake as soon as he heard footsteps in the room, but they were familiar and expected footsteps. When he feels the mattress dip slightly, he gains enough consciousness to decide that all he wants to do is wait for Ajax to join him. Then, he can mumble a greeting and they can settle into whatever arrangement of limbs most comfortably minimizes the gaps between them. Simple, low-effort, and blissful.

Ajax turns down the extra blanket before he tucks himself in, and curls himself once more around his anchor.

Aether breathes deep and sighs quietly when Ajax's warmth is at his back once again. He's not chilly by any means, he just loves that bodily warmth that always accompanies other things he loves, like Ajax's bare skin against his, and his arms wrapping around him.

Ajax rests his left arm over Aether's waist; his right arm, he slowly and carefully maneuvers under his neck, not wanting to wake him if he's not already. The upper part of his arm fits along the bottom edge of the pillow just right, and he can fold his forearm down against Aether's chest. About half of the blond's hair is lying over his chest, such that Ajax can't even feel the skin hidden beneath.

His fingers find their way into the long locks and comb through a few inches that are within easy reach. He's not trying to comb Aether's hair in any productive sense; it's purely for himself that he runs his fingers through it over and over again. It helps quell some of his restlessness. Not much, but some. Takes the edge off the burning need to immerse himself in battle. Still burning, even now that he's home. He can't shake the feeling that the longer he is not exercising and fighting, the farther behind he falls in his pursuit of strength. It's like nails on a chalkboard inside his body, from head to foot.

Aether can't miss the tension in Ajax, as ensconced as he is in his arms and his curled-up legs. He's being held flush against the taller man's trunk, just the way they both like it, and he's not sure if he's actually feeling the thump of a nervous heart against his back or if it's just his imagination extrapolating from hardened muscles and stiff limbs.

Turning his head a little, Aether drowsily asks, "You're really tense. What's wrong?"

Ajax tucks his nose down into Aether's hair, breathing the scent of him for a moment before answering. He can't think of any way to put it other than, "I need to fight. I'm not maintaining myself to my standards."

We fought for hours non-stop just a couple of days ago. Aether isn't sure what to make of this. There's a subtle inflection of worry in Ajax's tone. Why so soon? Is this the way he always is, in private? "...Give me a moment," he requests gently. "I'm thinking." In the meantime he takes one of Ajax's hands and, with his thumb, rubs around the knuckles, a firm massage to avert any misinterpretation of his hesitation as dismissal.

Not sure what Aether needs to think about, but at least having the spontaneous hand-massage to help occupy his senses, Ajax nods against the back of his head. With his free hand he toys with Aether's hair, trying to concentrate on its silky texture as well. If he had no one to answer to but himself, he supposes he'd go for a half hour of intense exercise and see if he could sleep after that. Maybe that's what I'll do. Sex would likely stave this off, but...I don't want to just avoid it. The underlying issue will still be there.

Forcing much of his drowsiness aside, Aether endeavors to put things in context. Two, no, three days ago, we sparred. You loved that, but we overdid it. Just over a week before that, we came out of the Onmyou Chamber. You were fighting almost constantly for six days before that. You loved that, too, but the more sleep-deprived you became, the more serious you got, the less happy you actually seemed, and the more you dehumanized yourself...

Ajax wishes he had had an excuse to use the Foul Legacy Transformation between Teucer's visit and now. He misses that power, and even misses the agony of it. Every time he survives that process, it feels like proof that he truly can survive anything. Mastering his own body's panic and pain as it is undone and remade: that itself is part of why he's not too concerned about trading his health for the sublime influx of raw power. Transformed, he is cleansed of all doubt and hesitation. That is attainment of the state of mind a weapon ought to have, and he wishes Shiki Taishou could have witnessed it. The nigh-uncontrollable aggression is just a necessary component, another edge of himself to wield with purpose.

Last night, Aether ponders, we got maybe three hours of sleep, and that was after you...were... I don't know what to call it. After you had a problem with...the vulnerability of the situation. And for months before you came to Inazuma, you were having a hard time with not getting out enough in Liyue. So...all considered, yesterday was the peak of a short reprieve from a lot of...deprivation. Not enough fights for a long time, then an intense week of too much fighting, that you would still be recovering from.

Aether turns over, letting go of Ajax's hand. Ajax lets his hair slip out of his fingers, and loosely closes his arms around his back.

Their eyes meet. To Aether, Ajax looks troubled. To Ajax, Aether looks inscrutable, until he speaks and his tone sheds light on his mood.

Softly earnest, Aether acknowledges, "You've been worrying about that for a lot longer than this morning, haven't you."

"Yes, I have... I'll admit, it was no small part of why I was so eager to join you. So eager that I couldn't think clearly. I don't know if being a Harbinger is worth it anymore, and that problem hasn't gone away. I'm still stuck at a plateau, and if I remain sidelined and fettered, I will sink into mediocrity..."

Aether touches Ajax's cheek. Moved by empathy, he wants to soothe him however he can and help him with not only the symptom but the problem itself. It's a familiar dilemma, on some level. Maybe he has had similar struggles in the fathomless depths of his past, but either way, he can't help relating it to one of his present issues: that he faces a challenge he does not understand right when he's at his weakest in every capacity. He doesn't know what he needs to prepare for. All he can do is move forward one blind step at a time. It frequently begs the question: is he ready? Is he doing enough? Will he, a being twice halved (his power and his twin riven from him), ever be enough?

"Our days lately have been so full of new things," Aether continues his pondering aloud. "Wonderful, unforgettable things. Because of that, they've felt like a longer time." He gently reminds Ajax, "But we sparred three days ago. Two weeks ago you were in the middle of fighting for six days straight. The problem you're facing is real, and with your goals being what they are, you...shouldn't not be worried about it. What I mean is, I understand, and I'm not going to tell you not to worry."

A very quiet 'heh' puffs out between Ajax's lips. It's nice to be validated for once. He's not used to it, but, over the aforementioned days, Aether has been doing his best to make it something he could get used to. "Well, thank you, for that. I appreciate it more than I can say." He borrows Aether's other hand and places it under his other cheek, wanting to feel that instead of just the pillow, and closes his eyes. "I know it hasn't been long since we sparred...and since I got to gorge myself on battle in the Onmyou Chamber." The reminder has an effect on his thinking, however. What seemed sensible a minute ago, he's now starting to question. He can't call it rational, for one thing; it is very much centered on a feeling, and the logic it has is secondary. It's not a matter of instinct, either: it's too sudden and emotional, bringing not clarity and confidence but a muddle of dread.

Aether waits to see if Ajax is going to say more, though not for very long. He has more to say himself. "All these good things that've happened are like...snowflakes, piling up, until...the landscape covered in snow looks completely different. But... In some places, we put a foot down and it sinks through to the same old ground."

Aether's voice dipped to one of its lowest and breathiest registers, deeply thoughtful and unusually poetic, luscious to Ajax's ears. The snow simile is attractive to him, too. "Hmmh," he reacts, and his own voice sounds somewhat lightened. "That's about the shape of it," he agrees. "Of course I expected no different, but sometimes when you step in a soft patch of snow, and your foot sinks down suddenly, it's a bit of a shock..." He's not yet connecting that to a specific happening. Just carrying the metaphor forward and seeing if it fits anywhere.

"Like last night? I still don't mind, but it seemed sudden. You didn't say anything about those concerns when I put up the idea of having sex outside." Outside the Teapot, not just out of doors. "Because we were both distracted then? Or...?"

Yes, Ajax would apply the metaphor to that moment when his total willingness to relax turned all at once into alarm. He didn't simply recall a reason not to be complacent, he overreacted. That's not like him. Not for the past ten years, anyway. Nothing this world above can throw at him compares to his time in the Abyss, so it's always been relatively easy to keep his cool, outwardly at least.

It's harder when his family is in danger. When Teucer was in Liyue, he couldn't hide his worry and he was constantly on the back foot. He's not certain he needed to resort to Foul Legacy to handle three normal Ruin Guards. Was it calculated caution, or was it panic?

He has always accepted having that one fear. Fear is a useful warning, and it can bring out unprecedented strength in an emergency. He was afraid for Teucer, and he'd rather be that than overconfident in such a critical moment.

Still, he's conflicted over what happened last night. Either he dropped the ball when he didn't foresee the issue with the situation, or he overreacted when he noticed it. He doesn't like either of those possibilities.

None of that changes the fact that he doesn't have to dwell on troubles when he's sufficiently busy.

Aether waits a whole one or two minutes while Ajax seems to contemplate. Refraining from any distracting actions, he has lowered his right hand to rest between their stomachs and kept the left where Ajax placed it.

In the end, Ajax just muses unhappily, "I...don't know." He's tired. He's definitely tired. Sleep isn't unimportant, he knows that. He also hasn't forgotten that sleeping better lately, even if not on an entirely regular schedule, had such a positive effect on him that he looked like a normal human being in those photographs yesterday. He doesn't want to give that up, unless he has to for the sake of achieving greatness.

"I should have asked if you wanted to talk about it," Aether notes, half to himself. "Putting aside the whys and hows...what do you want to do now? We can go look for something to fight on Narukami. If you want to go alone, I don't believe it's my place to actually, sincerely ask you not to, and I don't want you to not to...nnh... Those words got away from me but you know what I mean. Anyway, we could spar some, too. We could have any kind of sex you want. Or something simpler?"

"If only I knew what I really want right now, hah..." The path of least resistance is not the path Ajax typically chooses, but currently it leads to hugging Aether. Nothing wrong with that, so he proceeds. He is hugged in turn and held tight. The fretful tension in him untwists a bit, and he realizes it has been slowly diminishing the whole time he and Aether have been talking. It's not gone, by far, but in terms of physical discomfort, it has lessened. "...I hate being indecisive."

"I got that impression. There's nothing wrong with being indecisive here, you know," Aether gently suggests. "We're not in battle, or out in the open. I won't hold it against you. You don't have to hold it against you, either."

I can't afford to make a habit of it, Ajax thinks. Then don't make a habit of it, he argues with himself. It's just a matter of discipline, the same as keeping Hydro in the solidified form of a blade until it is no longer needed. In conclusion, he sighs and nods. "I'll...give it a try?"

Aether rewards him with a simple, lingering kiss. Their lips are dry and stick to each other until Ajax sweeps the tip of his tongue across. Aether echoes that action, and they're both tantalized. Yet, they keep it simple. It's a sweet half-minute before they part.

"Ironically," Ajax murmurs, "...I'm quite sure now about what I want to do. Let's have a short spar outside, shall we? A light one, using those training poles you have at the back of the house." And after that, maybe he'd like to burn a little more energy?

"Alright. It'll be fun seeing you use a different weapon, even if it's just a training pole."

"Oh? You want to see me wielding other weapons? And why is that?" A flirtatious question that comes with a hint of a knowing smile. Ajax, for his part, can't find a line between his professional interest in Aether's martial skills and his attraction—of every kind—to seeing those skills demonstrated. He wouldn't be surprised at this point if it's the same for Aether.

Having met so many warriors and witnessed so many fighting styles, Aether is almost impossible to impress on merits alone. He's impressed by things like seeing a friend making progress in their training or executing a tricky move. When it comes to Ajax, he thought nothing of his strength and style until an emotional attachment developed. He is very much attracted to those things now, and there is nothing professional about it.

His expression lightened to the verge of a smile by Ajax's tone, Aether toys with a lock of auburn fringe as he flirts back, "You have no idea. I think if I saw you with a greatsword I'd climb onto your hips right then and there."

"Ahahoh! So, if it's just a training pole, you'll be able to wait until we've finished sparring?" Now Ajax is smiling openly.

And so is Aether, after that. "Is it really waiting if I feel like sparring with you is...mm, what's it called, foresex?"

Closing his eyes, Ajax leans in so close that, with a slight tilt of his head, the bridges of their noses practically slot together. Not a kiss, but as face-to-face contact goes, it's almost as intimate and thusly pleasant. "I believe it's called foreplay..."

"Thank you," Aether chuckles.

They enjoy the closeness and the feel of each other's breathing for a moment longer. Then, with a tandem of two parting kisses that are asynchronous and quick, they disentangle. Trousers are thrown on and nothing else before they trot down the stairs.

Halfway to the front door, Ajax holds up a finger and diverts to the guest room to check on Zhongli. The cat greets him enthusiastically, paying little attention to Aether, who is happy enough to watch Tartaglia's smallest fan meow at him an impressive number of times in the few seconds between their entering the room and Ajax picking the cat up.

Ajax is unperturbed by the mess he's going to have to clean up. Someone—Noelle?—moved all the non-food cat supplies into the room, and even set up the litter box, but Zhongli didn't get the memo. He's starting to seriously rethink that name... Petting the cat and scritching its cheeks comes first, and in return he receives nuzzling headbutts on his chin.

He left cleaning supplies here in anticipation of many future needs. He's not even sure if a cat of Zhongli's indeterminate age and questionable origin can be housetrained. Also, he has no idea how to housetrain an animal. If all else fails, he supposes, there's no harm in letting Zhongli reside outdoors. There are no dangers for the cat here, at least not that he's thought of yet, and none of the landscaping he's seen on any of the islands appeared very delicate.

Aether comes to stand by the cleaning supplies. He reaches for a towel and a bottle of vinegar water, but thinks twice and pokes at the mop instead. He can clean things...sort of. Laundry? No problem. Housekeeping? He's no expert, but he gets by. In the presence of an expert, he suddenly has no confidence in that.

"Don't worry about it," Ajax says buoyantly, upon noticing Aether looking like he wants to be helpful. He sets Zhongli down and gets to work. "Won't need but a couple of minutes. Actually, would you put some food out in the kitchen for...them?" He's pretty sure Zhongli is female at this point, but not one hundred percent sure. It's usually harder to tell on young animals, isn't it? He thinks he learned that, at some point in his very early years, but the fact remains that he can much more readily identify the sex of various saltwater fish species by their dimorphism.

Aether nods, glad to have a way to help after all. He finds the food bowl Ajax bought at the pet supply shop drying in the rack by the washbasin. It's distinguished from a normal bowl and made worth the purchase by being shaped and weighted to not easily flip over. Someone must have used it to feed Zhongli at least once already.

It really is just two or three minutes before both tasks are finished. The cat doesn't seem picky about food; it moves fast as soon as it smells something to eat, circling Aether's legs until he sets the bowl down. It devours its breakfast not unlike how Aether and Ajax tend to when they go without for a while and belatedly discover they're hungry.

When they head outside, they go in the opposite direction of where they intend to be another minute later, first visiting the well so that Ajax can wash his hands.

There's a bar of soap Aether keeps on a nearby rock, which he had kept on the stone rim of the well itself until the day it fell in. He had to ask Tubby to teleport it out.

He mentions that to Ajax, eliciting a smile and chuckle, then they start chatting about the cat. As they walk around the side of the house, their pace quick and springy in anticipation of sparring, Ajax brings up the second thoughts he's having about the cat's name. "I have to wonder if it isn't a little insulting. Not that I intended it to be, but every time I clean up after the cat I question if it was a good idea to name it after someone I know and like. Aether, I want you to give it a new name."

"You know I'm bad at naming things," Aether warns, amused skepticism quirking his lips and eyebrows.

"Ehaha, h'ahh, that's true, but what if Paimon has even worse ideas? She gives very good names to combat techniques, but the nicknames she comes up with for people tend to be less flattering. I'm not sure where on the scale of 'combat technique' to 'person' a cat falls in terms of her charitability."

"Hmm." Aether grabs a staff-length pole off the rack and gives it a twirl. "You have a point."

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Not a single thought filters through their satisfied haze before they drift to sleep. Aether doesn't even bother to stretch out his legs, the afterglow making him feel perfectly comfortable in his current position, as long as he has the weighted blanket of Ajax on top of him.

"Hey!" Paimon calls from the other side of the door. "Hey!" She knocks, pattering the wood with both fists. "Guys, it's time to— it's time to rock'n'roll! Guess who's here!"

Ajax wakes all at once, feeling energized and refreshed and on top of the world. He's on top of one of the best parts of his world, in fact, and he smooches Aether between the shoulderblades before pushing himself up and sitting back on his knees. "Good morning Paimon!" he calls sunnily.

"Uh, good morning Childe! Aether's there too, right?"

"Yeah," Aether raises his voice to answer before mumbling, "Rock and roll?" At some point in his sleep he did flatten himself out, and now, yawning, he stretches all his limbs farther. "Think we did that..."

"We sure did!" Ajax inhales deep and puffs out a big, happy sigh, leaning back on his hands and tipping his head back with a serene smile. A second later he raises his head again to look at Aether, as the other man starts to turn over and sit up. "Was it everything you wanted?"

"It was perfect." Aether smiles at him, remnant sleepiness softening his whole expression from fond to besotted. "You—"

"Hey, guess who's here! Paimon gave you a great hint!"

"Xinyan," they indulge her, almost in unison. The undertone of a chuckle renders Ajax's voice syrupy-sweet.

Aether scoots forward between Ajax's legs, which happen to be wide apart as one dangles off the side of the bed and the other was folded up to be out of the way of his stretching. Seeing Ajax's pupils dilate as he comes close is flattering, and he's distracted for a couple of seconds by how very pretty those blue eyes look when they're wide with interested curiosity and bright with vim. He catches them flitting down his body, probably not just appreciating but also looking for clues of intent, before refocusing on his face.

He's not actually touching Ajax, merely stealing one more moment of intimacy, of some kind, before they have to get up and be semi-normal around each other. "You gave me everything I wanted and more. You were perfect. It seemed like you enjoyed it too—"

Ajax nods vigorously, in that his small, quick nods continue for almost five seconds.

Aether grins and has to pause until he's not in danger of giggling. It makes him happy to see such an unreserved affirmation that Ajax had a good time with him, and it's cute besides. "Good. Um, also..."

"So when are you guys coming out?" Paimon asks.

"Soon," Aether calls to her. "We're putting on clothes."

"Eh!? Okay, take your time and come out with lots of clothes on!" Aether bets she flies away at that point.

You're almost like siblings, Ajax observes. The interaction between Aether and Paimon makes him smile, and being involved in it himself makes him feel yet more at home in Aether's life. The comparison of the famous pair to siblings isn't something he thinks it's wise to mention, though, considering Aether has an actual sibling who's missing.

Because Ajax is smiling at him, a smile crosses Aether's lips too. "I was going to say...that I really, really like it when you...make rough love with me. I guess that's something about me that hasn't changed; I still like pain in sex. It's so much better when it's you, though."

Ajax's smile was softening into a subtler expression of happiness, but now he involuntarily beams. With a bashful humility that contrasts against the pride in the broad curve of his lips, he shuts his eyes and ducks his head a little bit, one more compliment away from blushing.

"Having said that, I also want to find out what it's like when we really take it slow. Wanted to tell you that, just to make sure you don't get the impression I don't want that."

"No doubt we'll have a chance to find out before long." Reopening his eyes, Ajax leans forward briefly to bounce a kiss off Aether's forehead. "I like the intensity of 'fast and hard.' It's incredibly similar to the feel of battle, and I'm still so surprised by that I'm questioning it even as I speak. Having said that... Everything we've tried has left me wonderstruck. It's so easy to lose myself in you, and I mean that in only the best of ways. I didn't know my body as well as I thought I did, and that, in and of itself, is exciting. I wish we had more hours in the day to explore these things, haha."

"Heh. Me too!" Aether sighs. "And speaking of that, let's..."

"Actually get dressed?"

"Mm-hm. I can't believe it's already two in the afternoon."

Chapter 21: Day 15: The sun is out, the day is new

Chapter Text

Xinyan throws her hands up high, making horns with two fingers on each. That's what she told the others the sign means, on their collective second day in the Onmyou Chamber. "Mornin', bros!"

Aether and Ajax, trotting down the stairs side-by-side, respond to her exuberant greeting characteristically. Smiling, Ajax is quick to raise a hand and return the gesture, playing along like he would with his younger siblings (like he used to with his older siblings). Aether starts to do one of his low, motionless waves, then instead attempts to echo the gusto of two of his most spirited friends—with a lackluster result followed by a covered yawn.

Ajax jovially slaps his back as they leave the stairs. "Would you like some coffee, comrade? Strong tea, perhaps?" He doesn't wait for a reply before accepting a hug from Xinyan with a warm laugh. "And what'll you have?"

"Either," Aether answers. "I'll have whatever Xinyan wants." He gives her a nod as she and Ajax step apart, bringing him back into her line of sight.

"Well alright, if you're sure?" she double-checks, smiling at him and opening out one arm as an optional invitation for a hug. Between her and Aether, it would be a first, whereas she and Ajax have hugged before.

He hesitates for a split second, then comes forward to give her what ends up being a side-hug that she single-handedly manages to make seem natural. She gives his back two vigorous pats.

With a small but very comfortable smile, Aether assures her, "It's fine, I hadn't even thought about what I'd drink with breakfast. Is it supper for you?"

"Something like that! Guess I'll have some black tea. Whatever you got."

Paimon muses, "But it's too early for supper, and it's too late for lunch. Hnn..."

Ajax finds a small bag on the table and picks it up. "This is the spice blend?"

"And fresh chilies, too," Xinyan answers. "Can't have one without the other, trust me. Ask anyone in Liyue and they'll tell you the chilies gotta be fresh."

Ajax remembers just in time that he can't let Xinyan know he's been to Liyue. Or maybe he can? To his knowledge, no one told her he'd never been there, and adventurers do travel. Better not to invite questions about it yet, in any case. "I'll take your word for it," he promises.

"You can take Paimon's word for it, too. And Aether's! Right, Aether?"

"I can't say. I've always cooked with fresh chilies."

"Hee-hee. That's true, you only cook recipes that call for chilies when we're in Liyue. Or when Xiangling brings them. Orrr when we go there to pick some because Paimon is hungry for a dish that has them."

"That is an endorsem*nt, of sorts," Ajax points out to Aether. Don't start thinking about all the fresh Snezhnayan ingredients we can get once he's been there... "That you've not even bothered to try using dried chilies speaks to your satisfaction with fresh ones." Think about Mondstadt things, like...dandelions and moon pie.

"I suppose so," Aether agrees, heading for the kitchen. "Paimon, do you want to hang out with Xinyan while we cook?"

"Mmnh..." Paimon gives the kitchen doorway a considering look. "Why don't we all hang out in the kitchen? It'll be like old times!"

"Old times?" Xinyan questions with a warm laugh underneath the words. "Like two weeks ago?" She's more than amenable, though, and a few seconds later they're all in the kitchen. Ajax lights the stove and puts some tea on, then lopes outside to fetch more water. While he's at the well, he washes up a bit, too.

As they haven't yet decided exactly what they're going to make, Aether can only line up a few utensils and dishes and the most basic ingredients before Ajax gets back. "Have you met Yoimiya?" he asks Xinyan.

"Uhh nope, don't think I have! That a friend of yours?"

Aether doesn't mind that Paimon jumps in to tell Xinyan about Yoimiya. If he has anything to add to what Paimon says, he will.

"She makes fireworks at Naganohara Fireworks with her dad. Paimon thinks you'd get along great! She could make your show even more explosive! Er, maybe that wouldn't be such a good thing..."

"What's she like? Is she cool?"

"She's one of the coolest people in Inazuma City! She helped us bust somebody out of the Tenryou Commission's jail, she hid Vision users from the Vision Hunt Decree and helped them get away, she made two guys confess their love to each other instead of killing each other—"

Aether looks up from prepping the oven. "Not exactly." His quiet interjection is heard by Paimon, who's used to listening for it, and she stops to let him speak. "They didn't exactly confess love, I mean." As of late, Aether has come to understand why people call it 'confessing.'

"You're the one who told Paimon they were in love," replies a confused Paimon.

"Yeah, but...I don't know if they knew that."

"Aw. Well, Paimon hopes they figure it out. Sakujirou should be able to come back to Inazuma now, right?"

"Hmm. He'll probably visit Yoimiya when he comes back. We can ask her if she's seen him, next time we see her."

"She sounds like a rebel." Intrigued, Xinyan folds her arms, finding a spot at one end of the counter to lean against the wall. It's a rare spot where the wall isn't behind shelves and cupboards, and it's not too close to where the cooks are going to be busy.

Aether quickly stakes his claim to be the one who clarifies. "It's more like..." After a brief moment he has the words assembled and he's sure enough that they're the right ones: "She's willing to do what's right even when it's against the laws, and she's in a position to do that without her father and their family business suffering for it."

Paimon nods and adds, "Because they're really respected in Inazuma City, and because they kinda have the Yashiro Commission's protection."

Xinyan guesses, "That's because the Yashiro Commission handles ceremonies and festivals and all that? Are fireworks really that important? I mean that's awesome! I'm just wonderin' what fireworks mean to folks in Inazuma."

Aether leaves that one to Paimon, who happily explains, "When people in Inazuma want to make an occasion extra special, they buy a custom firework from Naganohara and launch it at the next festival. Saying goodbye to a friend who's going traveling? Boom! Proposing marriage? Boom! Remembering someone who's passed away? Boom! Yoimiya and her Pops make the firework unique, and they give you a paper slip with the formula written on it in a code only they can understand. If Naganohara Fireworks went out of business, nobody would ever get to launch their special fireworks again. Ooh, now Paimon's kinda sad just thinking about that..."

"That's so rockin', though," Xinyan exclaims. "Knowing every firework that goes up is meaningful to someone... That makes it even more beautiful, right? I hope they're gonna have fireworks at the Irodori Festival. I really wanna see 'em, now. And I've got to meet this Yoimiya gal!"

"I haven't heard of the Irodori Festival before," Aether says, "but I doubt any festival in Inazuma skips the fireworks."

"Oh, hey," Paimon remembers, "we probably all saw some Naganohara fireworks at Lantern Rite! Not the custom ones, but Yoimiya sent some out with the Crux Fleet so everyone in Teyvat would get to enjoy them."

"While Inazuma was shut?" Xinyan raises her eyebrows. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised; we're talkin' about Beidou here, and Yoimiya got people out too."

Paimon and Xinyan chat about the last Lantern Rite for a minute or two. Aether pours some stored water into the sink and washes his hands, then decides to go ahead and set out some ingredients that may or may not be used in the meal. With these, they can at least make some small snacks to tide them over. He's deciding whether to set out more than one kind of sugar for Paimon's snacks when Ajax returns.

Placing the bucket of fresh water where it'll be convenient, Ajax is handed a ladle for it by Aether. "Aha, thank you. Say, do you have any ideas you're fond of, with regard to what we're going to make? If not, I have one."

"Not really," Aether answers. "Let's go with yours."

"You haven't even heard it yet." Ajax grins.

Aether smiles. It's so easy to do when Ajax is smiling, these days, that he feels like the corners of his mouth have somehow become magnetized to the other man's. "Should I be hesitating? Should I have less faith in your cooking sensibility?"

Ajax just chortles softly and shakes his head a tad, then runs a hand up through his fringe to reset a lock of hair that's straying too far over one eye. Soon he'll have to trim that. He used to be in the habit of doing that every time he shaved, but that fell to the wayside when he came to Inazuma, apart from one hurried hackjob in the Onmyou Chamber. "Paimon," he prompts, "what's that Jueyun chili dish you like the most?" Jueyun chili chicken, he knows (from a long time ago), but since it's Liyue cuisine he probably shouldn't seem too familiar with it in front of Xinyan. He can hardly wait to dispense with such precautions.

"Jueyun chili chicken?" Paimon supplies, buoyed a couple inches higher in the air by hungry hope.

He snaps his fingers in thanks. "That's it! Aether, how about we make Jueyun chili chicken pies?"

"Yeah!" Paimon voices her support for the idea, possibly voluntelling Aether to get onboard as well. "Paimon-sized pies?"

"Sure." Aether is interested in trying this new variation on the recipe he's cooked before. He wastes no time, adding a few more ingredients to the collection on the counter and then starting the dough.

"Chili chicken is what I usually make with this," Xinyan remarks, arranging her folded arms to prop her chin on a hand. She has a typical wide smile and a spark of curiosity in her golden-hazel eyes. "Never had it in a crust before. Reminds me of xiàn bǐng, but that's a pie made with red meat. Cool idea, bro!"

"I'm taking some inspiration from Mondstadt cuisine," Ajax truthfully says to her. "There's a pie made with boar meat and meringue called moon pie." Never mind that he learned about that particular recipe for the first time two days ago.

"Man, I bet this kind of thing is great when it's really cold out," it occurs to Xinyan. "Mondstadt gets freezing-cold in the winter, right?"

"Not exactly freezing," Ajax is able to say, in part thanks to the story he was told about Boreas. "Unless you find yourself in Dragonspine, of course. But it certainly gets colder in Mondstadt than in Liyue." A logical assumption. "Wind chill isn't to be underestimated." A simple fact.

Ajax enjoys acting and dislikes lying. Now he's gotten himself wedged between those two things. It's uncomfortable, but not enough to dampen his mood. After all, he's surrounded by friends (Xinyan and Paimon) and family (Aether) and sharing one of his favorite hobbies—one that's very much meant to be shared.

"The waters don't freeze in Mondstadt," Aether adds. "Not even in Dragonspine, actually, but that's for a different reason. Hey Paimon?" She twirls to face him and he continues, "Didn't the Gourmet Supremos have a Jueyun chili chicken recipe?"

"Hmm..." Her little arms curl into a thinking pose, one across her chest and the other supporting her chin. "You mean 'Jueyun Chilili'? Paimon doesn't think it was chicken specifically. We never did ask about it."

Ajax has to inquire: "Gourmet Supremos?"

Aether nods, glancing up from his dough-mixing, which is at the stage where he has made a paste of flour and butter and is combining it with the rest of the apportioned flour. "Three cooks I keep running into in Inazuma. One from Mondstadt, one from Liyue, one from Sumeru. Their, uh..." He pauses not only in search of his next words but also because Ajax just nabbed the bottle of vodka off the alcohol shelf and placed it in front of him. Aether looks up again, one brow barely rising before his unspoken question is answered.

"Replace up to half of the water for the dough with vodka," Ajax suggests, the cadence of his voice almost bouncy with cheer. "It helps make the crust flakier by preventing gluten formation. A little trick, courtesy of my grandmother."

"Wow, thanks," Aether replies quite sincerely. He can't be sure if he's ever learned that trick before, as his knowledge of cooking is an absolute mess of unconscious habits and scattered information in various stages of forgotten-ness. It is, at least, not a trick he's aware of on a level where he would have thought of it.

"Ohh I'm taking notes, and I don't mean the musical kind," Xinyan comments, leaning forward as if to see better. Now that it's just her butt against the wall, she starts to put one foot on the wall too, to brace herself—and stops right before the sole of her shoe would make contact. Sheepishly she checks with Aether, "Is it really okay to have my shoes on in here?"

"Yeah, it's still fine," he reaffirms. It's what he told her last time, but that was a while back, and he knows she's not an impolite person at heart. Maybe some people who object to the loudness of her shows being heard anywhere inside Liyue Harbor's city limits would disagree, but that is far below Aether's sh*t-giving threshold. (It would have to be, seeing as the occasional murder committed by certain friends is also below that threshold unless he happens to know the victim.)

"Uhh," Paimon ventures, uncertain with confusion, "wouldn't vodka in the pie crust make us drunk?"

"That depends," Ajax takes the initiative to explain. He's preparing chicken taken from the Cryo box. "The longer and hotter the cooking process, the less alcohol remains in the end. Some people say it all 'burns off' after a while, but I've also heard alchemists say that it's impossible for all of it to simply..." He gestures. "Vanish. As for my grandmother's opinion...hmm. I never got the chance to ask her, and I don't recall it ever coming up."

Paimon squints. "That doesn't actually answer Paimon's question."

"Well, baking a meat pie tends to take a fairly long time, and it's high-temperature. I can't say how much the alcohol content will diminish, but it shouldn't be enough to..." Ajax hesitates, eyeing Paimon speculatively. She's so small. Would alcohol have an outsized effect on her? But she can eat so much more than she should physically be able to, so how much does the size of her body have to do with her metabolism?

Aether hasn't added the vodka yet. He's taking a break to study and appreciate the subtleties of Ajax's current expression. He can't trace exactly how he knows the darker-auburn brows are faintly knitted underneath that center forelock; other muscles around the eyes giving him a hint, maybe? Ajax's thin, pale lips are slightly pursed in thought. Aether has seen how much pinker those lips can get when they've been kissed enough.

Ajax changes tack from what can't be known to what can. "More to the point, how keen are you to avoid alcohol, Paimon?"

"You've had food with small amounts of alcohol used in the cooking before," Aether reminds her. "I don't think any of that was vodka, though. It's a strong liquor, so more of it will be left when the cooking's done."

"Hrrm. Paimon doesn't like the sound of that..."

Ajax, moving closer to Aether's side than he has to, takes the bottle. "No worries, Paimon." He gives her a genuinely easygoing smile. "Aether and I can always try it another time, if he likes, when we have something else lined up for you to eat." The vodka is put away and he returns to the stove with a long, springy sidestep.

"I would like." Aether finds that a very warm smile has made itself at home on his face, and he chews on his lip a little, watching Ajax get back to work. Ajax catches him watching and they're both struck by an absurd second of something like shyness: Aether making a halfhearted attempt to pretend he wasn't looking, Ajax sort of trying to pretend he didn't catch him, neither of them succeeding.

None of that moment is explicable in Ajax's mind. All he knows is that it feels good. The domesticity of it is deeply comfortable, fulfilling a part of himself that he never allowed to die but which he never had quite enough time for until now.

"You two sure seem to be having a good morning," Xinyan observes, smiling at them. As yesterday, she seems joyful for their happiness. They all forged strong bonds in the crucible of the Onmyou Chamber.

The explanation Ajax provides is simplified. "He took me out on a date last night~ It was a picnic by moonlight, on a beach where tidal flats gentled the waves and something in the water sparkled like a second set of stars." At this moment, the night's complications are minimized even in his own view.

Aether can't stop smiling. His eyes close over warmed (though not visibly blushing) cheeks, while his hands continue separating dough into pieces of appropriate size and shape for some hand-sized foldover pies, as well as six Paimon-hand-sized ones. Ajax... Hearing it described that way by you, especially after what happened, is...

"So thaaat's why you got up so late." Paimon, who knows how fast Aether recovers from injuries, seems to find that a more plausible explanation than an ongoing recovery, today. "What was in the water?"

"Can't say for certain," Ajax responds. "I think it was some kind of plankton, but Inazuma is a totally different environment from what I'm used to."

Paimon tilts in thought. "And you said it sparkled like stars? Was it blue?"

"Yes?" Ajax wonders if he's about to get an answer from Paimon. She prides herself on being Aether's guide to Teyvat, so maybe she does know some things of this nature?

Not exactly. "Oh, like the blue sparklies in the water in that cave!"

"What cave?" Aether questions, a little confused. He thought the only place he'd seen those 'sparklies' was at the beach.

"The one next to Jakotsu Mine, with all the Electro Monuments! Don't you remember?"

"Huh... No, I guess I wasn't paying much attention to the water there..."

Paimon adopts a proud posture. "Well Paimon remembered for you!"

With a flicker of a smile, Aether nods. His voice is softly mirthful: "Thank you, Paimon."

Xinyan chuckles. "It's great seeing this side of y'all. Paimon, you wear that sweet heart of yours on your sleeve, so it's no surprise seein' you let your hair down, but you two? I almost wouldna thought you had it in you! You were both so serious before."

"Was I that serious?" Ajax doubts. The way he remembers it, he was relaxed and happy. Even the sleep deprivation was enjoyable. He felt so sharp. Sure, there were a few momentary instances when conversation dredged up thoughts that weren't so pleasant, but for the most part he was loving life and carefree right up until the time came to leave it all behind.

"Kind of?" Aether attempts to explain. "Your attitude changed over time. It got...heavier?"

Ajax looks at him blankly.

"But you still smiled and laughed sometimes, even in the last couple of days in there. Just not like now."

"Hmm," Ajax responds. "Sometimes joy doesn't come with a smile, but with a clear mind and a sense of satiety."

Aether's response in turn is a slight nod. That's true.

"Yeah, I s'pose I get that," Xinyan accepts, nodding. "I'm happy for you either way. It's just cool getting to know ya like this, Tartaglia. Can't wait to see how you cut a rug!"

Aether doesn't have to ask; Paimon swoops closer to him and stage-whispers, "That means how he dances." He mouths a thanks.

"That'll depend on your songs," Ajax replies. "I know a few different styles, but music as dynamic as yours gives me a great excuse to improvise."

"Yeah!" Xinyan punches her right hand into the palm of her left. "Improv rocks! How 'bout I break outta my set and play to your moves? Maybe, eh, two minutes after two songs?"

Ajax grins. "Sounds fantastic."

"What about you, Aether? You can join him!"

"Yeah!" Paimon encourages. "Didn't Childe ask you about dancing yesterday?"

"Uh-huh!" Ajax confirms. "You said you hadn't since you came to Teyvat." Euphemisms for sparring aside, he's as curious as ever about Aether's ability to dance. Now that it's been brought up, he's bubbling with interest, but he can already tell Aether is not so eager.

It's time to put the pies together. Aether saves some of the dough for making snacks, foreseeing how much hungrier Paimon is going to get while the pies bake—and how hungry he and Ajax are going to get when they start to smell their breakfast. He slides the cutting board of raw crusts toward Ajax. "Uh, well... I've never, um... I've never liked dancing on a stage, no matter how many times Lumine dragged me into it..."

Seeing Aether so shy about something so simple, Ajax can't be disappointed. He just wants to hug his boyfriend and ruffle his hair. "Aw, haha, that's fine, I promise I won't drag you up there with me."

"That's fine!" Xinyan concurs. "What about hittin' the drums?" Aether is more receptive to this, so she continues, "Even if you don't know how to play 'em, it's a question of soul, not skill. I know you got a good sense of rhythm." He would have to, as a fighter of his caliber, and she's seen the proof of that. "You'll be great, I just know it!"

"I don't mind doing that," Aether assents. "It sounds like it'll be fun. Especially the improv part. It'll all be improv for me, but drumming along to whatever Childe does... Extra fun."

That lights up Ajax's face with another grin. "I'll make sure of that."

Smiling and maybe smirking a bit too, Aether shakes his head slightly. "Dance like I'm not watching. I don't want you getting distracted. When you get distracted, I get distracted."

"Ehaha, alright, I'll behave~" Honestly I don't know what 'not behaving' would look like there, but I'm full of new and sudden notions lately, so a boundary, even a vague one, might be worth drawing. I'll consider it drawn.

"Yeah, I'm not playing love songs tomorrow," Xinyan chuckles. "But hey, uh, would you guys mind if I took some inspiration from...y'know...you?" She gestures to the new couple. "I did promise I'd write you a killer tune for helping me get my permits sorted, Aether."

Paimon looks enthused. A glance is exchanged between Ajax and Aether, their brows raised in simultaneous attempts to wordlessly check each other's stance on the question.

"I'd be honored?" Aether ventures when they fail to communicate anything definite with their eyebrows.

"Yes," Ajax readily agrees, "so would I." He's vaguely aware that there are songs in Snezhnaya about the Harbingers, himself included. As an institution, the Harbingers have been around for half a millennium. Several of the Harbingers—he's not sure how many—have themselves been around that long, give or take. Despite that lengthy, shrouded, and mythologized history, his own youth never relegated him to their shadows. As bright and fast as he burns, no shadow falls on him, and he quickly became one of the more visible Harbingers in Snezhnaya's public eye.

He's pretty sure he's never been part of the inspiration for a love song. (He's wrong. On the down-low, there's a certain amount of lyricized wishful thinking about the youngest and most personable Harbinger, even as that personability is acknowledged to be a velvet sheathe concealing a deadly knife.)

Honored though he is to inspire his friend's art, it's the other aspect that excites him more. In his opinion, it's only right that there should be a song about Aether, and he can't wait to hear it. "Xinyan, only your music could live up to the earthshaking impact Aether has had on me and on the rest of this world."

"Hey," Aether protests meekly. "That's more true of you." Or Lumine. You both love to take the stage and shake the earth. He admires that, and he doesn't covet it for himself. His comfort zone is in the shadow of someone who burns brighter. That's where he was always strongest: sneaking around while Lumine created a distraction, holding off countless attackers while she talked a nemesis down, always being in the right place at the right time to parry a strike at her back.

"Hey!" Paimon protests his protest. "Cut out the false modesty. Childe's right, and once people hear Xinyan's song about you two, they'll pay you more for your work!"

"You know it's not false," Aether grumbles, glazing a spare piece of pie dough with butter before sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on it.

"Come on dude, you saved my hometown," Xinyan points out, making the very mild disagreement a three-against-one.

Ajax jumps in on that. "You saved a city from a rampaging sea monster god." He knows Aether doesn't see it that way, and he doesn't quite understand why, but he reckons he's probably not crossing any line by smugly needling him on it in a conversation where they can't get into the details. "My siblings love that story, you know," he reminds Aether in a sighing, faux-innocent tone.

Aether rolls his eyes at none of them and all of them. Ajax's ribbing earns a direct look and a second eye-roll. "Anyway, it's not about me, it's about us. Right, Xinyan?"

"Yep. I'm thinking I'll work it around that whole 'fighting back to back' thing. Gonna put the epic in epic romance ballad!" Xinyan steps forward to the counter and stretches her arm out over it, mindful of where the braided tassel on her sleeve trails across the surface as she prompts Ajax for a high-five.

Ajax completes the high-five before stepping away to get something else from the Cryo box. "Right!? What could be more romantic than fighting back to back, day after day?" He's only joking a little bit, and he can't help going on while starting his own impromptu Paimon snack project. "There is no trust deeper than that which is earned in battle, no faith stronger than the certainty that your comrade can hold their own and cover you at the same time, a certainty which is also very much earned." He picks a number of Mondstadt cabbage sprouts off their stem, then steps away again to find breadcrumbs and choose seasonings.

Aether finds that statement both pleasant to listen to and relatable. "Mm..." he sighs his quiet approval. Ajax returns from the other side of the room, and Aether accidentally-on-purpose brushes against him on his way to put a tray of cinnamon-sugar pie crust cookies in the oven. They'll bake alongside the main course and be taken out after a short time. "That... For people who aren't fighters, maybe that's not true, but for us... It's not everything, but it's foundational?" He says it like a question because he wants to trade musings with Ajax, not assert that his own are in any way truer.

With a shrug in his voice, Ajax dismisses any speculation about 'people who aren't fighters.' "I don't waste my time pondering what boring people think." Therefore, it's his intention to move right on to pondering what one of the least boring people he's ever met thinks, but Paimon interjects.

"Wow, that's rude to a lot of nice and interesting people we've met," she says, folding her arms and frowning.

Placidly, Aether points out, "It's also rude to Paimon."

It's an awkward realization for Ajax. All of a sudden, two things he holds to be true have collided with each other. People who don't even bother to learn how to defend themselves are people who value their lives so little that, obviously, he shouldn't concern himself too much over their lives either. That doesn't include children, of course, because obviously adults should protect them. Where does someone like Paimon fit into that? As for other friends of Aether and Paimon, he's inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, but...

What about grandparents? What about a little old babushka he'd gladly help across the street, who never learned to fight because she was lucky enough to never see a reason to? Still a fool, part of him asserts. What about the children in Liyue? No, don't— What about the girl at the bookshop who looked up at him and asked— No, this is useless thinking, a weapon doesn't— What about Xinyan, who would've been swept away with all the rest if something had gone wrong, or if the plan had been different? No—

It's only been a few seconds, he guesses, when he succeeds in shutting all that out and sets himself back on track. The smile he presents is sheepish and apologetic and, because he really does feel that way, it quickly becomes genuine. "Sorry, you're right. My apologies, Paimon."

"Hmph," she responds. "What would fighters do without farmers and locksmiths and people who make chairs, anyway? What would your— your, uh... Nnnrr, what would Aether do without a great tour guide like Paimon?" She dips close to Aether again and mutters, "What do you call what you and him are to each other?"

"Partners, I guess?" Aether is preoccupied wondering if Xinyan noticed what he noticed a moment ago: how Ajax's gaze grew distant and dull. There's no sign she did. It was one of those times where he didn't know what crossed Ajax's mind under the surface, but he saw the ripple of its passage. "Or boyfriends. Anyway, Childe is allowed to be bored by certain people, isn't he? Doesn't mean he doesn't want them to exist."

"Yes, that." Ajax wouldn't have been able to put it so succinctly, he thinks, and considering the faux pas he made, he also thinks it's rather generous of Aether to stick up for him. Especially to Paimon, who, in the time Ajax has known the two, almost never receives any objections from the traveler. "And besides, I didn't mean you, Paimon. You're far from boring, haha. More importantly, you've been a great friend to Aether much longer than I've even been acquainted with him, and that earns you quite a lot of respect in my book."

"Y'know, I don't really think of myself as a fighter," Xinyan informs Ajax. She's leaning on the counter, her head tilted on the support of one hand. "I'm a musician."

"But I've seen what you can do in battle," Ajax says, eyebrows rising in a kind of perplexed, somewhat questioning surprise. "Even if it's not your profession, you have a fighting spirit, and it's strong enough to keep you ahead of opponents who are more technically skillful, and monsters thrice your size."

"Well, yeah, I guess so. But my point is, if you hadn't seen that, if you didn't know me, wouldn't you think I was boring?" Xinyan's calm, outward-directed pensiveness leaves little room for worry that she's hurt. She just seems to be probing Ajax's viewpoint.

"Nnn...hmm." Unsure, Ajax rubs the back of his neck. "When we first met, you were with Aether, and that may've biased me in your favor a little. If not for that, I could answer easily. If we met in the street at random? It's obvious, by your own design, that you're something of an iconoclast and bold enough to show it... You always have at least one musical instrument on you, no?"

"Yeah, my drum with my Vision."

"So I'd see a musician, just as you said. A musician who is confident in her style and always ready to rock." He smiles. "Not boring at all."

"Hah. That's real flattering, and I believe you, but I dunno... Maybe you're judging people by their covers too much?"

Folding his arms and bringing his own hand up to his chin, Ajax takes that into consideration. "A warrior must judge potential foes on first impressions...but only to the extent that one doesn't blind oneself to the ever-present possibility of unexpected strengths and tactics... I underestimated Aether once. Maybe I am a bit prone to making false assumptions?..."

Xinyan, apparently content with getting him to ask that question of himself and proud of him for doing so, comes around the counter and gives him a light, affectionate punch on the bicep. "That's my bro, always thinkin'! Keep it up, hehe."

Ajax smiles at her again, softer, and nods. "I appreciate the push, Xinyan, I do. For my own longevity's sake, I'd better not get too stuck in one way of thinking." For the sake of victory, and living to learn from losses...but also for Aether's sake.

Paimon's annoyance at Ajax faded at some point, as she and Aether listened. Now she pipes up, "Speaking of warriors and fighting, we should check in on Shiki Taishou soon."

Grinning, Xinyan announces, "Actually I was gonna ask y'all if you want to come along when I go visit him the day after my gig. So, how about it?"

Ajax perked up at the mention of Shiki Taishou. As Aether simply nods, Ajax voices, "A reunion of labyrinth alumni, huh? Of course! I'd love to."

"Alright!" Paimon cheers.

With the pies still needing to bake for a while longer, Aether invites Xinyan to have a seat on the kitchen stool. He fetches chairs for himself and Ajax, as well as a book of crossword puzzles. Second cups of tea are poured. Paimon had finished her first cup with an avalanche of sugar in it early. Xinyan, taking hers with nothing added, finished next. Ajax guzzled most of his first cup in one go as soon as it was arguably cooled enough to drink, then nursed the dregs for a while. Between cooking and talking, Aether and Ajax were slow drinkers. Now, everyone sips at a more even rate.

Over the next half hour, they make each other laugh with joke guesses, tangent stories, and the sad guitar noises Xinyan plays whenever someone thinks they have a solution only to realize it doesn't fit. It's almost exclusively Paimon and Aether who make that kind of error, and both of them love the comically mournful, intentionally out-of-tune strummings. Xinyan also plays victory riffs when a tricky word is solved. Leading up to one of those, Aether, Ajax, and Paimon all develop intense expressions of thought on their faces, and, holding back a giggle at how serious they look, Xinyan plucks suspenseful notes that gradually get faster until the solution is figured out. At the same time, she and Ajax carry the team with her lyric-writing vocabulary and the payoff of his bookish childhood.

"So what's the Irodori Festival?" Paimon asks between sniffles. Xinyan's spice blend was delicious, but not one of them other than Xinyan herself made it to the end of their pie without side effects. Aether is sniffling too, even after chugging a tall glass of cold milk, and Ajax is holding a handkerchief to his whole face, waiting for his eyes and nose to stop watering. The Harbinger went into this challenge with the same high confidence he enters a fight with. That doesn't always work out too well for him in his battles, either.

Xinyan sits back, drumming her chin with her fingers. "It's an 'international cultural festival' that used to be some kind of poetry celebration a long time ago. Sounds to me like a great place to meet cool people and find inspiration."

Ajax peeks over his handkerchief, his interest piqued.

"If it's international," Paimon wonders, "does that mean people are going to come from all over Teyvat to be part of it?"

"Yeah! One of the ads I saw said the biggest light novel author from Liyue is going to be there."

Aether wonders privately where 'Zhenyu' is right now. He hasn't had a good chance to ask Paimon yet. If Xingqiu and Chongyun got an early start today, the latter had more than enough time to've already trekked south from Lumberpick Valley and met up with the former. If Xingqiu's going to be at a festival in Inazuma, he'll have to depart Liyue soon. "...When is it?"

Xinyan tells them the start date she's seen posted. The festival will last several days, taking place on Ritou in phases, and culminating with a book signing event and the unveiling of a portrait by a famed painter. It isn't as soon as her concern about the scheduling of her concert had Aether thinking it was.

He'll probably have Xingqiu and Chongyun's help in the Chasm a bit longer, but either way, now that the 'Maw' is nearly unsealed, he needs to get more involved.

Chapter 22: Day 15: Everybody's waitin', waitin' on you

Chapter Text

After Xinyan leaves them with hugs and high-fives, Aether sets out to find the boys. Following a tip from Paimon and followed by her, he walks all the way up to the guest house instead of teleporting. It's an opportunity to stretch his legs, and it's also a chance to spend a little quality time with Paimon. Ajax is spending some quality time with the unnamed cat formerly known as Zhongli, checking it over with a flea comb and testing its interest in various cat toys.

Aether's conversation with Paimon doesn't start the way he expects it to. He's going to ask her how she's been doing, he's just mulling it for a minute while thinking about what needs doing in the garden. Normally she would take the silence in stride, but this time, maybe it deepens a worry of hers that surprises him when she voices it.

"Are you mad at Paimon for arguing with Childe?"

"Huh?" Aether looks at her, answering her frown with a blank look. "Of course not," he reassures her. "It probably needed to be said, what you said."

"Oh. Phew."

In short order he clarifies, "I'd only be mad if someone...tries to hurt him, intentionally. Or says something about him, to him, that isn't true."

"Like..." Paimon ponders, and Aether waits to see where she's going with that. "...Like saying that he's really bad with kids?" She seems uncertain of her understanding.

"Yeah. That would be something that's not true. Or that there's something wrong with his eyes."

Lowering her voice abashedly, Paimon admits, "They are kinda weird sometimes, though, aren't they? A lot less now, but..."

Aether lowers his gaze to the grass ahead of them. It's thinning out as they approach the light-bridge, exposing the tawny stone the islands are made of. "Let me think about how to explain," he requests, not wanting Paimon to think he's offended.

"Okie-dokie. Paimon will wait."

He deliberates as quickly as he can, not only over how to explain but also how much he should explain. It's all just his own theory, anyway; he's not sure if that makes it more acceptable to tell Paimon, or less. "Keep this conversation between us, please."

She nods. "Lips sealed."

"Have you noticed how young he would have been when he joined the Fatui?"

"Err, hrm. Paimon hasn't really thought about it, but now that you mention it... How young would he have been?"

"He's been a Harbinger for more than one year, he said that yesterday, but it didn't sound like he'd been one for much longer than two. So, maybe he's been at that rank for two or three years."

Paimon nods again. It was during the team meeting about the Chasm situation.

"Before that, though..." Aether doesn't know how old Ajax is. Under thirty, he'd guess, but he isn't good at estimating humans' ages. He doesn't need to know, because Ajax told him something happened when he was fourteen that precipitated him joining the Fatui. He's not going to relay that information directly to Paimon, but he can steer her toward the right age range. "If the Fatui are a typical military as far as...rising in their ranks goes, he would've joined as a recruit, spent some time training even if he was already a skilled fighter, then spent some years as a soldier before he could've been considered for a rank like Harbinger. The training, and the time as a regular soldier, is important to militaries because it's their chance to break down a person's morals and replace them with things like duty and loyalty."

Paimon grimaces. Aether guesses it might be the first time she's been confronted, explicitly, with the thought that duty and loyalty aren't necessarily good things. She doesn't question it, however, at least not aloud.

The two of them have slowed to a stop at the middle of the light-bridge. It's a good thing neither of them is afraid of heights or wide open spaces, standing on a transparent pathway as they are. Unreal mountaintops far below stretch out all around, into the shroud of clouds and haze-scattered light.

"That's why militaries like to recruit people who are young. Well, and younger humans are usually more fit physically." He takes a deep breath as a way of pausing and reorienting himself toward the point he's trying to make. There are so many tangents he could wander onto from here, and he has just as many reasons to avoid them. "At best, Childe went through that process as a young adult. At worst, he went through it as...well, a child. Either way, his whole adult life so far has been lived as a soldier. A soldier gets put into a lot of bad situations. They see things, and have to do things, and experience dangers that...change them. It changes their brain, I mean. Makes their brain work differently. They get used to watching out for threats constantly. Never feeling safe."

By now, Paimon looks saddened. Aether counts that as a sign of comprehension, limited though it might be.

He continues, "Some sleep light every night just in case they have to wake up in an instant and defend themselves. Sometimes they have horrible nightmares, or can't fall asleep unless they're totally exhausted. Of course, some can't fall asleep even then, and they might use alcohol to make themselves pass out. But, um, my point is that— is that people who've been through a lot sometimes have a certain look in their eyes. On other worlds I've heard it called 'the thousand-meter stare' or 'the thousand-mile stare.'" Translated to Teyvat's terms. "It's because the person is tired, distracted, emotionally disattached, and...sort of separated from the world around them by a layer of...uh...detachment." That's the word I was looking for. "Because the world is dangerous, and it could become deadly at any second. Or so their brain believes, even long after they're out of those bad situations."

"So...s-so Childe, he...?"

"I don't know. All I know is, when I look at him, I see someone who's tired and distracted. Detached. Drawn-within. People in Teyvat don't seem to understand this...stuff. I haven't found any books about um...applied psychology? Medicinal psychology? Just some texts on really basic psychological theory. You have a word for that but I haven't found a word for the other thing."

Paimon, ever ready to suggest a course of action, tries to encourage him with the first suggestion that springs to her mind. "If you know so much about it, you could write about it! Couldn't you?" She seems to pin her own hopes on this idea, too, gaining a few inches of altitude and curling her hands into fists.

Apologetic to her and the rest of Teyvat, Aether demurs, "I could write one page about it, maybe. But I'm not an expert. I'm not even sure what I've said to you about it is accurate enough." He starts walking again at a slow pace, doing some arm stretches as he goes. "Heh... I...almost wish Lumine had taught Teyvat about medicinal psychology five hundred years ago. If that were possible, it would've been good for a lot of people. But she doesn't know any more than I do."

"There's gotta be somebody out there who's had the same ideas," Paimon supposes, choosing optimism. "And since you're traveling all over, you're bound to run into them. Maybe you can help them get the word out, or test theories on hilichurls, or something."

"Hilichurl psychology? Someone should look into that."

"Paimon thinks we've probably got that figured out already." Hunching over and putting up her hands like some kind of monster that is not a hilichurl, she growls an imitation of an average hilichurl's voice. "Mosi mitaaa!"

"Mora Meat?~"

"Yeah! Let's have some! For, uh, bonus breakfast!" More like a second lunch for her, but she's trying to make it sound like it's for Aether too.

Aether smirks inwardly. "So you want to eat more meat?"

"Why not!"

"Mosi mita, huh?"

"Wh— hey! Paimon sees what you're doing. Paimon is not like a hilichurl."

Aether could debate that. He doesn't. "You're right. Their ears are much cuter than yours," he jokes with her, meaning no insult by it and feeling a little bit heartwarmed to be bantering with her one-on-one like usual.

"Paimon's ears are perfect for Paimon! Buuut...hilichurls' ears are kind of cute."

They've reached the guest house. Aether knocks lightly on the door, and it's opened just a few seconds later by Xingqiu, who's wearing normal clothes. Normal for the heir of a commerce guild, that is. His hair is pinned back.

"Ah, Aether! We've just finished our midday meal. Chongyun said I should practice cooking regularly if I want to improve, and he's right. The zhōu turned out much better this time."

Behind him, Chongyun looks oddly guilty about that.

Touching a hand to his heart to make sure his sincerity gets across, Aether replies, "Well done. You both know all about training, and there's not much of any difference between the two." Both require commitment, observation, the ability to deconstruct one's mistakes, experimentation, creativity, awareness of environmental factors...

Paimon asks, "Does that mean you could write recipes for combat?"

"Many manuals for various aspects of combat have been written," Xingqiu says, "but alas, it is much harder to reflect the true nuances of physical movement on a page, even with illustrations, than to list ingredients and describe preparation steps."

Chongyun adds, "In combat manuals you often find a lot of martial philosophy and personal memoir. There's typically a list of short aphorisms that distill the author's philosophy on matters of mindset, tactics, and such. If they delve into specific moves, the descriptions are long and very meticulous."

"Pretty dry reading, at that point," Xingqiu comments. "I do enjoy the memoirs, superfluous though they can be. In any case, manuals tend to be written as supplements to a master's tutelage, and they acknowledge as much in their text." He clasps his hands behind his back and glances between Paimon and Aether. "So, my liege! Have you been apprised of the situation as it stands?"

"No?" Aether glances at Paimon as well.

"Ehh, Paimon forgot," she responds with a somewhat guilty smile before she shrugs. "There's not much to say, is there?"

"No, I suppose not," Xingqiu says. He's happy to take charge of saying what there is to say: "On our trips hither and thither across the Chasm, we've avoided the Fatui quite successfully. We sent two groups of Treasure Hoarders packing, however. Zhiqiong was where we expected her to be, and she led us to a location near the last Bedrock Key. She's encamped there, and she'll be ready as soon as we are."

"That's all good to hear," Aether nods. "I'm ready too."

"Excellent! I'll don my disguise, heheh." Xingqiu slips back into the house past Chongyun and disappears.

Chongyun steps forward to ask Aether discreetly, "Will, um," he gulps, "will Xinyan be playing her music here?"

Why Chongyun is asking that, Aether doesn't know. He puts one thing together right away: Chongyun urging Xingqiu to practice cooking, and the guilty look he had on his face, must be connected to this. "Today, or ever?"

Paimon remarks, "You know Xinyan isn't as scary as all those spikes she wears make her look, right? She's actually very nice!"

"I...have no doubt that's true." Chongyun ruefully scratches the back of his head. "I really try to avoid her performances, though. That atmosphere is so lively and heated, it affects you whether you want it to or not... It, uh, it makes me very uncomfortable."

Aether gets Chongyun's drift. "Oh."

"Ohh," Paimon responds at the same time, also understanding. She wasn't there when Aether met the young exorcist, but she once asked Chongyun why he can only eat cold food.

"So what I need to know is, will she be performing here today? Or in the coming days?" It's an inquiry in the resigned, semi-apologetic tone of someone who hates having to ask others to accommodate him and yet knows all too well he has no choice.

"She left already," Paimon answers first, "so you probably don't have to worry about today."

Aether continues the answer. "She doesn't have any plans to perform here. We've talked about having her, um, train her music here," he can't remember what Xinyan called her practice and rehearsal sessions, it was a very specific word, "but we didn't set anything in stone." That's a common saying across worlds, easy to remember but difficult to understand, what with all the ruins Aether has explored where inscriptions in stone were faded to illegibility.

Chongyun's relief is evident in the relaxation of his posture. "Thank you. For clearing that up, and for taking no offense."

"No need to thank us," Paimon assures him brightly. "It's not like it's a problem."

Aether nods.

It appears for a second that Chongyun might be contemplating some kind of elaboration, but then he relaxes a little more and just nods back. "I'm going to check our supplies. We might need to restock our rations from your kitchen."

"Alright. I'll meet you two there. Or three, if you don't want to watch me say goodbye to Childe, Paimon."

Paimon wrinkles her teeny-tiny nose. "In that case, Paimon'll stick with Chongqiu for now."

"Chongqiu?" Aether asks. Chongyun doesn't show much of a reaction, so this obvious portmanteau must not be news to its first constituent. ('Portmanteau' is a crossword answer Aether had no chance of being the one to find. Nevertheless, thanks to Xinyan, it's now in his vocabulary.)

"Paimon got tired of saying 'Xingqiu and Chongyun' or 'Chongyun and Xingqiu' all the time," Paimon herself declares. "And Chongqiu is more fun to say than Xingyun."

"Mh." Aether nods once. He almost leaves it at that, but then wonders, "Does that mean anything weird in Liyuewen, Chongyun?"

"No, not really."

No accidental ugly nicknames, only intentional ones. Aether gives Paimon a thumb-up before teleporting.

Ajax is found in the guest room. The door is open and he's seated on the edge of the bed, surrounded by cat toys, leant forward with an elbow on his leg and his chin on his hand. He hasn't put his gloves on for the day yet. Currently he's entertaining the cat with a fake mouse on a string hanging from a stick. Having seen or heard some sign of Aether's approach, he's already looking up when Aether lays eyes on him.

Aether pauses in the doorway, leaning against the frame and hooking one thumb into his belt. He wants to stand on the shore of Ajax's presence for a moment and let it wash over him. The tide is calm and the water is warm. There's a screen between the bed and the window, and Ajax is facing away from that light source anyway, but the look in his eyes is enough to put Aether in mind of the sun glittering across the deep.

As soon as Aether came into view, it was like a refreshing breeze swept through Ajax's soul, leaving him cooled and contented. Playing with the cat formerly known as Zhongli has been fun, in its own way, but he was starting to become preoccupied with thoughts of battle and whether he might be able to find some today—if nothing else, maybe he could find someone to spar with. That preoccupation has receded now. It's still in the back of his mind, but if he was headed toward getting restless, he's not anymore. For the moment, just having Aether close by is enough to halt his drift.

They regard each other with the same soft smile that both of them are admiring on each other, yet unaware of on themselves.

Their cat wrestles with the fake mouse it has caught, Ajax having neglected to keep jerking it around.

Aether inhales. He didn't forget to breathe, but his breath shallowed quite a bit, as if any sound of it in his own ears was an intrusion on his reverie. He exhales a small sigh and consciously smiles, pointing his chin at the cat. "Have you tried making Hydro fish for it to chase?"

"Hm-hmm," Ajax chuckles. "They didn't hold its attention for long. Water doesn't have a smell... On the other hand, this mouse is stuffed with something-or-other that's held the little menace's interest for nearly five minutes now."

'Little menace' is said so affectionately that a grin flickers across Aether's lips. "You sound like you're going to be proud of it when it makes trouble."

"Perhaps!" Ajax's smile briefly brightens as well. He reaches behind him and holds up the ornament from the front end of his sash, no longer attached. "Found this behind the bed. This cat and I are locked in a battle of wits. No, a war." The ornament is chucked back over his shoulder, landing on the mattress with a plop. "It's going to be a long war, and I will respect my little foe's victories~" Now that the cat has gotten complacent, Ajax yanks the mouse out of its loose grasp and resumes dancing it around in the air. The cat jumps to its feet and pounces in pursuit.

Aether breathes a low chortle. "I love you, you nerd." That word, he learned from Paimon pretty early in their friendship.

What is the opposite of hurt? The warmth Ajax is struck with is just as sudden, an extra dollop of honey in the sbiten mood brought on by Aether's presence and attention. The warmth quickly reaches his face as an incandescent laugh bubbles out of him, before he replies, "I haven't heard that one since I was a kid! Of course, back then, it didn't come with an 'I love you.'" He's sure he's blushing now. "I love you too, by the way..."

Aether twines his hands behind his back and sashays over, stepping around the cat, which has gotten hold of the entire toy due to Ajax's grip on the stick faltering. He sneaks one of his gloves off and lets it drop to the floor. When he reaches the bed, he remains standing, head tilted, and extends his bare hand to cup Ajax's cheek. As he almost always does when he touches the Harbinger's face, he ends up stroking it tenderly with his thumb. He feels Ajax exhale a silent sigh across his wrist, and he watches deep-creased eyelids grow heavy.

The act and the sight are simple, joyful, but so much had to happen for these to be possible, so much fear overcome... Aether isn't ashamed that it nearly brings tears to his eyes. They might even fall if he doesn't blink them away, which he does only because Paimon and 'Chongqiu' will be here soon.

The light is on Aether's eyes. Ajax isn't sure, but he suspects he sees them start to well up. Confirmed by the subsequent blinking. He inclines his face into Aether's palm so his lips brush the heel of it, and he lightly covers the back of it with his own. "Sladkiy," he murmurs.

"Ajax," Aether whispers in kind. The moment could be measured in heartbeats if either of them bothered to count. Then, he slides his hand up to Ajax's forehead, gently pushing his fringe back as he leans down to place a kiss there.

For a disorienting instant, Ajax is vividly reminded of how his mother used to kiss his forehead. She did that when they found him, her relief blinding her to the strangeness that would make her too hesitant to do so again until the day his father took him to the Fatui. On that day, she fleetingly pushed past her reservations, perhaps blinded once again by whatever was left of a mother's love for whatever was left of her child. As for him? He had felt numb to it.

Aether is fingering a spot on his forehead. Peering up past his eyebrows, Ajax manages to glimpse the other man's face without moving his head too much. There he sees a subtle smile and a quirk of something like amusem*nt.

"So you do have a scar on your face," Aether comments. "I never saw it until now, and I couldn't feel it." It's nothing large or distinctive, just a flat, diagonal pink line about an inch long, half hidden by hair even with his fringe held back. Being near the middle of his forehead, it's never visible under normal circ*mstances.

That puts a definitely amused smile on Ajax's lips. "That's not the only one." Digging two fingertips into the choppy locks in front of his left ear, he advises Aether, "There's an old scrape here, if you're that interested in my least interesting scars~"

Aether lets the fringe fall down into its natural disposition and replaces Ajax's fingers with his own, rubbing a little to suss out the very slight ridge. "Heh, don't worry, I will ask you about the most interesting ones at the next chance I have. If you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all...as long as I get to ask about yours, too. Provided you don't mind either?" There are some stories Ajax will have to omit the where and when from, if he doesn't want a fun time to turn into a potentially awkward conversation, but that's fine.

"Hmm. I don't mind, but... I'm sure you have a strong stomach, but..."

Ajax's curiosity rises.

"Not all of them are battle scars," Aether continues. "In fact, um...I can't tell you much about some of them because...I...forgot on purpose. For good reasons, probably."

Ajax's eyebrows rise in thought as his eyes wander down Aether's clothed body. He knows where all the scars are, aside from any that might be under the hair on his head. Some of them look fairly minor, but if it takes something extraordinary to leave permanent damage on his skin, they must not have originally been what a mortal would think of as minor. What does that say about the ones that appear to have been severe? "...I see. You really don't mind telling me what you can?"

"No. It all feels distant. The privilege of being able to...trim my memories, and I suppose it's the benefit of hundreds and thousands of years passing, too."

"Hundreds of thousands?" Ajax's eyes widen as his gaze shoots back up to Aether's face. That would be two orders of magnitude greater than the estimate Aether gave him before.

"Sorry, hundreds and thousands." It's what Aether gets for mumbling, he knows.

"Oh." Ajax lets out his breath.

"Technically...I might be millions of years old? Stars are usually millions or billions of years old, according to astrologists I've met. But for the longest time, Lumine and I weren't conscious."

Ajax stares at him. Only one thought comes to mind, sudden and quietly impassioned: "I wish I could see you. ...Even if from an incalculable distance." But he understood from the way Aether has spoken of 'worlds' that that star may be in another universe entirely.

The fearless matter-of-factness with which Ajax says that, and the genuine, personal adoration pressing up at the surface tension of those words: it's immense to Aether. "I have never felt more seen, by anyone other than my sister, than when you—..." Not just when Ajax looks at him like this and says things like that. So many other looks and remarks, and actions, and every kind of intimacy they've found in each other. All of it. "When you're with me." He can only hope that's how Ajax feels presently as he wraps his arms around his shoulders and rests his face in coppery hair. Repeated washing with only water has left it smelling of nothing but Ajax: a mild musk of humanity, petrichor, and the faintest tinge of salt.

(Certain people, like Kazuha or Razor, would detect another scent in the mix. Something dark and acrid and sweet, like black mud and rotten blood.)

'Seen' is exactly how Ajax feels as he in turn wraps his arms around Aether's waist. Always seen by this man, this cosmic entity he can hug and hold even if there is vastness beyond what he can encompass in his arms. In a short span of time he has witnessed Aether raw, vulnerable, shy, silly, selfish, tired, fallible... When it comes to this unexpected, unprecedented love between them, they're on even footing, both mystified and wonderstruck, both guided by nothing more than good intentions and careful consideration.

They hold each other in peaceful quiet, nothing needing to be said.

The cat hops up onto the bed, bored of trying to get at the enticing contents of the 'mouse' (which it has determined to be fraudulent). It sits next to Ajax and begins to lick its paws. This is not an interruption to him and Aether, per se, but it reminds at least one of them that time exists and is passing.

Aether leaves a kiss atop Ajax's head before lifting his. His arms loosen but linger. "I'm surprised the others haven't shown up here yet," he whispers.

"Are you going to the Chasm today?" Ajax turns his head upward and sets his chin against Aether's chest. He's been developing a certain amount of interest in how that whole affair is going to go. Maybe there's something special to fight down there!

Aether had forgotten to say anything about that yet. "Yes. We're all going; it'll be just you and the cat here." With a tiny smile and a playfully suspicious narrowing of his eyes, he adds, "Don't turn it into a warzone."

"Mm, too late I think~ And I doubt that cats know what collateral damage is."

"They most certainly do not." Aether's smile grows. He strokes the back of Ajax's head, then gives him a little shove.

Ajax leans back on his hands, a broad smile lighting his face. "If you get into any fights, you have to tell me all about them," he demands.

"Of course! I wouldn't neglect you." Aether offers his hand to the cat. It keeps licking its paw for a second or two before pausing, then it accepts his offer by headbutting an ear into his palm. Aether rubs obligingly.

"Hang on, were you talking to me or the cat?"

"Hmm... Yes," is Aether's answer.

"Hah. That would be the best answer, wouldn't it. Well, seeing as I didn't find everything we were searching for in Inazuma City yesterday, I might spend a while there. I have the letter to send off besides, and the gifts to pack up to go with it."

Aether nods. "Good hunting." He shrugs an eyebrow in acknowledgment of the humor that might be found in wishing a Fatui Harbinger good hunting for a sex shop. "Do you want me to take a note to Ekaterina today?"

"Ah yes! I'll write it now." Leaning far to his left, Ajax borrows a pen and paper from a nightstand drawer and uses the top of the nightstand as a writing desk. A quick scrawl of code words gets his identification out of the way. He twirls the pen a number of times while organizing his thoughts on what Katya needs to know. Getting food into the Chasm to keep the troops alive and lessen the urgency of their situation will be first priority. Getting them out is second priority. We might not be able to formulate a plan for that until we have more information. Fortunately, getting supplies in should be easy if they're left someplace Aether can pick them up from. Would have to be close to one of those waypoints...

Aether, meanwhile, earned an opportunity to pet the cat properly. Careful not to startle it, he has taken a seat on the bed; the cat is now between him and Ajax. 'Menace' might be a good name. Or... 'Rival'? There's another word like that, I think... He challenges himself to recall it. No need to interrupt Ajax by asking. It sounds like 'enemy' but that's not it...

Writing out his instructions now, Ajax is thinking, The Fatui are well aware Aether can teleport, but I'd rather they learn as little as possible about this place. I wish I could keep Pulcinella's nose out of that letter, but he's going to catch wind of its contents one way or another, in the end. A note like 'don't read this to Uncle Pulcinella or let him see it or talk about it around him' would not only be absurd to expect everyone in the family to heed to perfection, it'd arouse suspicion when it inevitably reached him. Then it hits him: Wait, that's nonsense, it's not inevitable, I just wasn't thinking last night! He stops and sits up straight.

"Hm?" Aether inquires of his sudden movement. The cat springs out from under Aether's hand, walking away across the floor with a miffed stare over its shoulder.

"I need to rewrite the letter," Ajax sighs. "I wasn't thinking last night when I included all that information about the Teapot. Pulcinella would see it, and I'd much rather keep the Fatui in the dark about this place."

"The Harbinger who was in charge of the Chasm operation? Why would he see it?" Aether guesses Pulcinella might also be in charge of monitoring communications, especially to and from other Harbingers.

There isn't time to start at the beginning, so Ajax summarizes the most pertinent facts. "He looks after my family." Getting up, he retrieves Aether's glove for him. "He makes sure they have what they need and brings the kids gifts. His own gifts, that is, not mine."

Aether accepts the glove from Ajax and busies his eyes with unnecessary study of it as he tugs it on. It's best if he doesn't show his concern, for now. They don't have time to compare notes on how worrying it is that another Harbinger has that kind of access to Ajax's family. All of the Harbingers do, in theory, but it sounds like Pulcinella is trusted by them. That only compounds the danger.

Gathering cat toys off the floor just to have another thing to do, Ajax is saying, "I'd rather not think the worst of him. He's always seemed genuine about wanting to help me, and he's never broken his promise to take care of my family. He even treats me like family."

That strikes Aether as odd. It doesn't align with the loneliness and isolation Ajax seemed to live under. The context in which Aether first heard the name 'Pulcinella' wasn't a good one, and he has yet to hear Ajax say a single approving word about the other Harbingers. Granted, that's a whole conversation they haven't had yet, but there have been no hesitations in his distaste for the group, no exceptions alluded to. He knows Ajax is too intelligent to have completely overlooked the possible threat Pulcinella represents. There must be more to it, a reason it hasn't come up before, and Ajax's remark about not wanting to think the worst is a sign pointing in that direction.

Ajax's pause doubles when he notices Aether is studying him. He gives Aether a wan smile and comes over to dump the cat toys on the bed. "If you're curious we'll talk about it later." On second thought he removes a couple of toys with strings, including the mouse-on-a-stick, and stows them on top of the wardrobe. He can imagine the cat getting those strings tangled around its neck.

"I am." Aether smiles to lighten his voice when he adds, "I also want to hear more about you being called a nerd when you were a kid."

"Ahah, does it seem unlikely?" A rhetorical question Ajax moves on from before Aether can answer. "The Snezhnayan way of saying it is to call someone a botanist. Comes from an old play or something."

"You knowing anything about where it came from makes it seem less unlikely," Aether fondly teases.

"Hey now, it's just what I overheard somewhere," Ajax 'objects' with a bright smile.

Hearing a murmur of two masculine voices in the main room, they both look toward the hallway.

Sure enough, Paimon flies into view, peering cautiously around the doorframe. Upon ascertaining that they're not busy, she swoops in and lets Aether know she's been stalling for him. "Are you ready yet? Hehee, Paimon made sure we took the longest possible walk down here so you'd have plenty of time."

Ajax is quicker on the response than Aether, a fresh smile springing to his face just for Paimon. "Your timing is excellent."

Softly, Aether smiles at her too. "Thank you. That was thoughtful."

"You have my thanks as well."

Paimon preens. "You're welcome! It's all part of the job."

"Of a guide?" Ajax questions, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Of a friend~ Anyway, Chongqiu are in the kitchen packing snacks. Catch up with us in there when you're all done canoodling, Aether." With that, Paimon swoops back out of the room.

"Canoodling?" Aether wonders at the unknown word.

"Chongqiu?" Ajax wonders. "Is that new?"

"Yeah. I think she came up with it today."

"Hm. Efficient, I suppose." Turning to Aether, Ajax snakes an arm around his shoulders and pulls him into a hug. "Canoodling, if I'm not mistaken...is what you and I get up to whenever we're left alone. Take this for example~"

Aether promptly encircles Ajax's slim waist with his arms and squeezes him like the precious thing he is. "Heh. Example gladly taken."

"Hehe." Ajax shoves him off after cherishing the hug for as short a moment as he can bear. "Now go on, comrade~ We both have things to do!"

Smiling, Aether huffs a wisp of a laugh. "Alright. I guess I'll go to Northland after the business with Zhiqiong and the others? Or would it be better sooner?"

Lifting a hand into a shruggish gesture, Ajax leaves it up to him. "As long as Ekaterina has the note before she needs it, any time should be fine."

"Mm," Aether acknowledges. They both need to leave the room, so they walk out together, Aether splitting off to the kitchen and Ajax continuing upstairs.

Little is lost in Ajax's rewrite of his letter. He faithfully copies almost all of it onto fresh sheets of paper. The issue is with a single block of text, one that doesn't really leave any holes in the rest of the narrative when it's omitted.

As you would have guessed from the included photograph, we didn't part ways.

Where, before, that was the beginning of a long paragraph about the Teapot, now Ajax skips ahead.

The best and most surprising thing that's happened is that Aether and I have finally opened up about the feelings we have for each other. We're in love. In short, he is my boyfriend and I am his. Our lives have changed very quickly, but we agree that it was overdue.

He still sees no real risk in Pulcinella or any of the other Harbingers knowing about the kind of relationship he and Aether now have. Aether can take care of himself, maybe even better than Ajax can take care of himself. It's a wonderful thing to be in such a relationship with someone so strong. If anyone wants to interfere, let them come. Let his blade run red with their blood. That's an appealing mental image that he tries not to become too distracted by.

There's one other section he considers rewriting, but decides to copy over as-is.

Tonia, I trust you and your brothers are behaving at school, helping out at home, and keeping up on your archery lessons. If you are, when I visit I'll bring you some fresh Inazuman sweets. If you're wondering how I would be able to keep them fresh, make sure to earn those sweets and I'll tell you the secret.

For all anyone will know from just reading the letter, that's owed to nothing more fantastic than some grocer's proprietary method of food preservation. Alchemy, or maybe something uniquely Inazuman. Without context, it shouldn't raise the wrong questions.

"You just missed another one," Zhiqiong greets Aether as he and Paimon join her, Chongyun, and Xingqiu. Her campsite is minimal, just a tiny fire next to a rock that looks good for sitting.

"Missed what?" Paimon asks.

Zhiqiong turns away to quickly smother the fire. "Another earthquake."

"Which Chongyun and I were still none the wiser to," Xingqiu adds.

As Zhiqiong straps on her backpack, Chongyun kicks the remains of the fire around and scuffs dust over them, making it a little less obvious that a person spent time here. Aether guesses the exorcist would rather avoid drawing attention from more Treasure Hoarders in whom he has no interest.

It's not a long walk to Zhiqiong's destination. Their four sets of footsteps rustle through the russet grasses, Paimon floating and sparkling along at Aether's side. Chongyun points out a hilichurl watching them from atop a ridge, but all it does is watch, so they leave it alone.

They approach a rock wall drenched in muted-red ivy.

"Paimon wonders if those leaves are that dusty color because that's just the way they are...or because they're dusty?"

No one ventures a guess. They're close enough now that they can suddenly see the gap between the ground they're on and that wall. Below, it turns out, is a narrow cleft between the Chasm's whorls. On the next plateau up, broken stone columns jut from the ground and one still clings to the natural ceiling of a ridge's overhang. The material and architecture are the same that Aether has seen all over Teyvat. There's a Geo Monument, too.

"Paimon," Aether mutters to her, "remember that's there. We should take a look up there one of these days." She nods enthusiastically, no doubt hoping some untouched treasure is concealed by that Monument.

Stepping to the edge of the cleft, they all look down and see a single Treasure Hoarder kneeling on one knee next to a spoutrock. No other Treasure Hoarders in sight. They're far enough down that they're unaware of the team's presence above them.

"What're they doing?" Paimon whispers.

Xingqiu holds onto Chongyun's arm and leans precariously forward. He peers left and right along the minecart track running through the cleft. It's in such terrible condition that it's not 'running' so much as 'meandering.' Long sections of it are either missing or buried. "The minecart over there looks like it might have some Cor Lapis left in it," he speculates quietly. "Perhaps that's what drew their avaricious curiosity?"

Chongyun notes, "Look at where that spoutrock is. It must be newer than the track, because it's right in its path."

"No surprise there," Zhiqiong says, keeping her voice down as well. "The Chasm has been mined for thousands of years. Although...hmm. I'd guess that track is only a few hundred years old, tops... Still, this is a pretty forgotten corner. That's why I had trouble finding the Bedrock Key."

"Centuries?" Xingqiu questions. "Wouldn't the wooden ties have rotted by now? I know the Chasm doesn't get much rain, but...?"

"They're treated with something," Zhiqiong explains briefly, shifting on her feet. "Keeps termites out, too. Let's get down there, shall we?" She readies her glider.

Everyone else readies theirs, except Paimon of course. The four float down almost as gently as she does.

Right before they land, the Treasure Hoarder sees them. With a startled yelp they jump to their feet and backpedal, almost tripping over a spot of gravel. "I don't have anything!" they shout. "And I didn't take anything! Leave me alone!" Turning, they bolt into the tunnel.

"Hey!" Paimon yells after them. "That's where we need to go!"

"Shall we give chase?" Xingqiu asks, stepping into a ready stance. It's unclear who he's asking.

Zhiqiong heads for the tunnel at a quick walk, compelling everyone else to follow her. "Don't worry about that fellow. He'll be our finch."

"Finch? Like the bird?" Paimon inquires. Aether understands, from some shapeless tidbit of prior knowledge, that Zhiqiong means they'll benefit from the forewarning if the Treasure Hoarder runs into trouble ahead of them.

"Exactly like the bird," Zhiqiong begins to explain. Chongyun and Xingqiu look interested. "Miners carry a finch in a cage to detect bad air, if they're wise. Mining can break open pockets of dangerous gases, and breathing the dust from certain ores can be dangerous, too. Finches need the same air to breathe that people do, and they're sensitive little things, so...when they start to get woozy or keel over..." The group is now picking their way through all kinds of rocks scattered inside the tunnel, which don't seem to bode well for its stability. The descent is steepening quickly, too.

"The finch will show signs of illness before the hazard becomes deadly to humans," Chongyun extrapolates.

The response is cut off by a familiar shout from below: "I said, I said leave me alone!" The Treasure Hoarder sounds even more nervous now. Then there's a small, odd-sounding explosion from the same direction and distance. "Gah!"

Zhiqiong sighs, exasperated but not very concerned. "Oh for..."

Passing some larger rocks, they see the Treasure Hoarder lying against a wall, wincing. No blood in sight except for a big scratch on their arm, Aether observes, just some dust drifting down around them. And...yes, they're already pushing themself up to stand.

"What happened? Are you injured?" Xingqiu calls to them. He was ready to attack them a minute ago, but his chivalry is about much more than subduing criminals.

That baffles the Treasure Hoarder, who is used to being threatened and beaten by adventurers wearing the Guild uniform and blond travelers with floating fairy companions. "What—? Yeah, whatever. Look, I was telling the truth, I don't have anything to pay you off with, but can ya find it in your mercy to just lemme go?"

Zhiqiong is nearest to the Hoarder. She shrugs, looking to Xingqiu and Aether. Aether and Xingqiu look at each other, then at their respective friends. More shrugs are exchanged.

"We might as well let him go," Xingqiu concludes from this inconclusiveness.

"Thank you! Agh." The Hoarder hastens to stagger past them.

"You should see a doctor," Xingqiu advises with genuine if mild concern. He steadies the Hoarder with a hand on their back until they're out of reach.

Without stopping, only climbing faster as the grade of the slope lessens, the Hoarder barks a bitter laugh. "You think I can afford that? Archons..."

"Wait," Xingqiu tries, but they break into a run before he can get any more words out. He sighs. Aether guesses he was about to offer to pay for the care, maybe on the condition that the Hoarder give up hoarding.

Chongyun gives Xingqiu's shoulder a single pat. "It's possible we'll run into him again. He's probably from a Treasure Hoarder gang based here in the Chasm."

Aether turns his attention to the path ahead, picking his way down the last few meters to a precipice with one end of a collapsed bridge dangling from it. He thinks he hears frogs? Across the gap, the tunnel continues, but not far below there's another passage running perpendicular, framed by huge tree roots. Deposits of a Cor Lapis-like stone, the same that's in all the Geo-active pillars on the surface, cast their surroundings in a dim but widespread golden glow.

The others very carefully join him at the edge.

"What happened to that fellow?" Xingqiu repeats, the question now directed at Zhiqiong.

She points across the gap. "See that sort of round, rocky thing on a stem? It's like a mushroom, but it's explosive. Another product of the Chasm's overabundant Geo. Get too close and you set it off. It's mostly made of a chalky substance, though, so if you do get caught in the explosion, you'll probably come out with some nasty bruises and nothing worse. That doesn't mean you shouldn't avoid them. If one is blocking your path, throw a rock at it."

Chongyun squints at that tunnel across from them. "Hmm. This looks familiar. Xingqiu, Paimon, isn't this the same place we stopped after finding that Domain?"

Paimon flies a few meters out and turns around to see the tunnel they've just come down from the perspective of the other side. "Oooh, it is the same place!" Not too fond of hovering so high above ground, she darts back to Aether.

It's a short glide to the bottom of the gap. Aether's boots splash down in shallow water, setting off gilded ripples across its still surface. Ground above the floodline is covered in green grass, and sure enough, there are frogs. The amphibians hop away into shadows, fleeing the multiplying ripples and splashes as Chongyun, Xingqiu, and Zhiqiong land.

There's only the one way to go. Ducking under the tree roots, the team enters a dark tunnel where all they can hear is loudly dripping water and their slogging footsteps. Their hair and clothes get soggy fast. Ahead, they can see the glow of Geo in a crystal formation.

"The Bedrock Key is right up ahead," Zhiqiong confirms.

Chongyun makes short work of the crystal and carries its Geogranum to the cage-rock they find, overlooking a tall cavern. Once that Geogranum is launched, the light of the slowly sinking Bedrock Key reveals more lush grass and stagnant pools.

It would be easy to climb down here if the stone weren't so wet. The cool humidity is stifling and everything smells like mold. So, one last glider-aided hop it is. The splashes of their landings echo over the constant background noise of dripping.

The final Key has only two cage-rocks. One down, one to go. Chongyun approaches a crop of crystal, hefting up his greatsword—

"Watch out! Something's dropping down!" Zhiqiong warns.

Two rolled-up Geovishap hatchlings tumble from high above and land right behind Chongyun, instantly unfurling their limbs. Frost races down his greatsword's blade and he whirls around to face them, his swing crashing into one and freezing it. The other swipes at him, misses—and before it can roll away for another go, the ice spreading across the water's surface reaches it.

Aether tosses out three nodes of energy in the form of Electro for Chongyun. Making quick and safe work of wet Geovishaps depends on Cryo. The nodes charge the water, too, superconducting the vishaps while Chongyun only gets a minor shock. At the same second, Xingqiu literally leaps into action, drawing his sword from the void and landing two rapid Hydro strikes on the nearest vishap, strikes that lead into a flick of the blade in his friend's direction. Now Chongyun is protected by an orbiting trio of 'Rain Swords.'

Xingqiu gets one of the Electro nodes, too. Entering the melee, Aether calls down lightning to accompany his stabs at the other vishap's joints. Chongyun sidesteps into a better position and keeps both vishaps frozen with wide swings.

Quick and safe work indeed, but just as the hatchlings fall apart, Zhiqiong shouts, "More monsters incoming! Mind your heads!" She isn't a fighter, but as a scout she has her eyes out.

The fighters are near a corner of the cavern: Xingqiu and Chongyun spring toward one wall, Aether toward the other, getting themselves out of the open. The slimy-wet rocks challenge their footing, but they're all able to maintain their balance—even as the heavy landing of a full-grown Geovishap shakes the ground.

It's the same principle: keep it frozen, keep it Electro-charged, aim for weak points. However, it's so close to the Bedrock Key that Chongyun gets an idea. "The Key! Let's get it under there!" A tricky proposition, but it might pay off.

"Let's do it," Aether agrees. "Xingqiu, I'm taking point." The Guhua swordsman hesitates fractionally before lending him some Rain Swords and retreating, leaving the Geovishap's attention undivided on Aether, who starts smacking it with the flat of his blade. It roars in annoyance and spins its tail toward him. He ducks, then dodges to one side as the monster's fist comes around. He keeps dodging in that direction until it jumps up. He leaps back, the vishap comes down hard where he was standing a split second ago, it recovers and surges toward him—

The Bedrock Key slams down through its back. It struggles, but the Key keeps going, slowly breaking it apart. The earth starts quaking, and this time everyone with their feet on the ground can feel it.

"That has to be the seal dissipating," Zhiqiong announces, unfazed. "We've done it. I would say this is impressive, but...it's about what I'd expect from a full team of adventurers."

The quake stops before the vishap stops. When it finally goes still, the rocky body crumbles.

"So that worked," Aether remarks. "Good idea, Chongyun." The exorcist nods, then startles at receiving a congratulatory touch on the back from a smiling Xingqiu.

Paimon does a lap around the remains. "Not that we'll ever get to drop a Bedrock Key on a Geovishap again," she says.

Zhiqiong appears impatient, the way she has her arms folded. "We should probably go and pay Muning a visit before we explore the area underground. Hmph, not that he's going to do anything other than scold us."

Ajax stays far away from the Adventurers' Guild. He strolls around lower Hanamizaka until he spots a uniformed adventurer, whom he approaches with a friendly smile and a small wave. "Hello, sorry to bother you, but could I trouble you with a simple commission?"

"Huh? Simple, you say? What's the job and what are you offering?"

"I need this box taken to the post office and sent off, that's all. It's a care package for a faraway friend. I'll pay you quite well for the convenience this is worth to me."

"Hmm. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why can't you do it yourself? I don't want to get caught up in anything shady."

"Well, that's a little embarrassing to explain," Ajax reels them in on the bait, making himself look plenty sheepish and adding a tinge of hurry to his tone. "I'm almost late for a business meeting. I'm new to Inazuma, so—"

He doesn't even have to finish the excuse. "Oh, of course," the adventurer nods, relaxing. "So many new visitors these days, you probably don't even know where the post station is. Don't worry, I've lived here all my life, I—"

"Ahh, thank you! You'll take the commission, then?" Ajax sets the box down and takes out the bag of Mora he prepared.

"Yeah, I'll do it. Do you want a receipt from the post?"

"Yes, I'd appreciate that. Find me at Kiminami Restaurant in one hour?" With an almost apologetic chuckle he adds, "I know where that is, at least."

"Ahaa, yes, good place isn't it. That's fine, I'll be there in an hour then." Taking the bag first, they squeeze it to confirm the right shapes and clinking sounds are inside it, then tuck it away and pick up the box. "Sorry about the suspicion earlier, it's not because you're an outlander; just, y'know, gotta keep your head on a swivel, as an adventurer."

"Of course; no offense taken." Ajax starts walking away as if very conscious of the time. "Thanks, and farewell!"

As soon as he's out of sight, he doubles back to follow the adventurer, easily staying unnoticed. He follows them to the post station and watches carefully while they hand the package over, pay postage, and pocket a receipt. Before and after, he takes stock of all the people nearby in case any of them are also watching. It's an overabundance of caution, but it's his preference over leaving any of this to chance. Mail addressed to his family going astray or being meddled with is unacceptable.

Chapter 23: Day 15: Childe in an adulte store, what will he buy?

Chapter Text

Over a lunch of tri-flavored skewers at Kiminami's, Ajax considers his problem: who does he ask for directions to a sex shop? He's not even sure what it's properly called...

A guard? No, he'd rather not leave a memorable impression on any Shogunate police officers or samurai.

A random passerby? Too unlikely he'd get the information by sheer chance that way, and too likely he'd cause offense no matter how much charm he puts on. What level of propriety is this question on, in Inazuman culture? He has no idea.

A random shopkeeper? Kiminami Anna? ...Not her. If she balks at the inquiry, it might get back to Thoma that he said something inappropriate to the person who so kindly lent them her home kitchen. He tries to imagine asking Shimura...and can't. The silk tailor? Can't imagine that either. Hajime down at the smithy? ...Might be his best bet. Whoever makes phallic objects skillfully enough to sell must have earned at least some respect from fellow crafters, right?

Maybe all he really needs is a map. With all the newcomers in Inazuma, someone must be making a killing selling maps of the city with all the stores, restaurants, and points of interest marked.

"Kiminami-san," he finally speaks up, making use of his latest-learned local language tidbit, "where would I purchase a map of the city, if you please?" And what a handy tidbit it is! No need to guess who's a mister and who's a miss, let alone who's married and who's not. Snezhnayan, Common, and Liyuewen could all take a lesson from that efficiency.

She smiles at his small effort, though it seems like she finds it cute rather than impressive, which is more than fair. "There should be maps for sale at Yae Publishing House. If not...I think someone's set up a kiosk on Commercial Street across from Yayoi Lacquerware. From Yayoi's, go past Tomoki's—the busy yatai cart selling dango milk—and you'll see more street vendors. Look around there."

"Commercial Street..."

"Oh, sorry, that's basically the upper half of Hanamizaka. But the Publishing House is much closer and I'm sure you'll find what you need there."

Ajax isn't so sure, as he didn't see maps for sale there before. But, maybe he was just too bedazzled the first time and too purpose-driven the second time. Whatever the case, he thanks Anna cheerily.

The maps are in a rack on the cashier desk, it turns out. Can't miss them! As he pays for one, he's facepalming internally. He can recall being pretty absorbed in thoughts of how his siblings would receive the books he picked out for them, the first time, and being distracted by thoughts of what he and Aether could do with the kinbaku book the second time. Those preoccupations left just enough brain for his usual level of vigilance, against things far less benign than maps.

Oh well. Now let's see here... Ajax picks an out-of-the-way spot to examine the map. He ends up leaning his tailbone against a safety fence, where the wind plays with his hair and the knowledge of the open air right behind him is a tiny thrill. (He misses his sash. The tug of it being buoyed up off his back and the sound of it fluttering is one of his simplest pleasures. One of the easiest to obtain, too.)

Unfolding cheap paper, he finds an overview of Hanamizaka. It doesn't seem to lack for detail, he's glad to see. To one side, there's a legend labeling the numbered markers. While he skims down the list, his lips purse, then part for some idle clucking of his tongue.

...Saboten no Hana Erotic Materials? Yes! Splendid. Alright. Having noted the location, he folds the map back up and rebounds off the fence into a long stride. He keeps it in hand just in case, but he's confident in his ability to memorize that sort of information.

Less than five minutes later he finds the shop. It's a building that looks like an extension of the one beside it until you walk alongside and find the entrance. The door is framed by tastefully suggestive paintings of flowering cacti, which lead the eye up to the sign above it. There's the shop name in Inazuman, and a depiction of a plucked cactus flower lying in just such a way that its stamens form an almond shape.

He goes on in without hesitation, tucking the map into his pocket. This shop reminds him of the pet supplier in that it's a small space crowded with shelves, but there are also display cases—and a tantalizing selection of coiled ropes hanging from nails on one wall. Big, bright lamps suspended from the ceiling provide plenty of light to see the merchandise by, while paper lanterns in green and pink make the place look cheerful and inviting to Ajax's eyes.

His stride slows, but doesn't stop until he reaches the back of the shop, where he turns around and boggles at the aisle he just walked through. He doesn't know what most of the items in those shelves are, but the display cases are, well, full of phalluses. His eyes widen incrementally as he takes in the facts: there are many to choose from, some of them are incredibly large, some are shaped unlike anything human, and they're made of everything from leather to polished stone.

The voice of a kindly old woman borrows his attention, and he turns to see just such a person sitting behind a counter. "Hel-looo," she says. "Welcome, welcome. Take your time, browse all you wish. Let me know if you need help finding anything or if you'd like to make a custom order. And don't worry, ah ha, I don't judge." Her laugh is soft and creaking. "This is the business I've been in for forty years, I've heard everything. Just mind your manners."

Ajax didn't have any expectations about what this type of shop would be like, nor what the proprietor would be like. Still, it's nice to be met with a warm welcome that alleviates a lot of unknowns right out the gate. Smiling easily, he replies, "Much appreciated, ma'am. Er, apologies, may I ask your name? I'm Karl."

It's a foregone conclusion that using a Liyue name is a bad idea even if he's using a Liyue cover story. One never knows when one'll run into a fluent speaker of Liyuewen who expects fluency in kind, cultural if not lingual. A Liyue name would imply he's a second-generation immigrant, whereas being a first-generation immigrant can excuse a variety of mistakes. He's certainly not going to blurt out his given name again; Thoma was a special case who was, at the time, teaching him the meaning of having his brains f*cked out.

"Nice to meet you, Karl. Call me Yuzuki."

"Yuzuki-san, I'm going to have a lot of questions. Could I request a tour of everything?"

"Of course. Hah..." She rises from her chair without too much difficulty and he follows as she ambles over to the nearest corner of the store. One of those walls is evidently where all the books are shelved; it's a sizable enough collection to extend almost all the way to the other corner. Yuzuki gestures to each section. "Instruction manuals, fiction, and shunga—p*rnography. Most of it, you won't find at Yae Publishing."

In short order she brings his attention to the freestanding shelves opposite the books. "These are sex swing kits," she begins with some open crates on the bottom shelf. Each is full of what appears to be just a pile of sturdy-looking leather straps, but when she pulls one pile up, he sees that most of the straps are connected together as an apparatus. "Hung securely from a ceiling in strict accordance with the included instructions, these can be used to suspend a partner in a fixed position, yet allow them to be turned, and adjusted in certain ways. And this one here, you can hang from a door, no screwing required, hohoo."

Two thoughts clash in Ajax's mind. One, this is an interesting idea and he's going to buy a kit. Two, they remind him of all those straps Dottore wears, and he would very much like to never have that thought again. (Sure, he likes to wear a couple of utilitarian straps himself, but what are the Doctor's even for?)

There are more straps and harnesses designed to help maintain specific positions, and then Yuzuki is pointing out something highly relevant to him and Aether that he doesn't right away recognize as such. "These are strap-ons. You attach a dild* through the loop there, which you can replace with a larger or smaller one to fit different dild*s."

"dild*?"

"Did you see the glass cases in the middle of the shop?"

"Oh!" She saw him walk by them, and Ajax knows she did. "That's what they're called, then?" Did I look that bewildered or is she just being polite? Never mind that, this strap-on thing, it's exactly what—!

"Mm-hm. dild*, harigata... Well, technically a harigata is hollow; a dild* has a solid core more often than not."

"Is there a difference in use?"

"No, no, not really. At the end of the day they're both for filling holes, aha? I make the harigata with the same methods and materials they've been made with for centuries, so maybe for tradition's sake I should talk them up a bit more, ha ha. But we'll get to all that. Now, these strap-on harnesses, they only come in three sizes, large, medium, and small, but the straps are very adjustable."

Last on the bottom shelf are odd-shaped pillows, another whole product category for maintaining positions. The next shelf up is whips, crops, 'floggers,' paddles, feather dusters(?), spiky little wheels on handles, and various implements that can absorb and hold a mild Electro charge from the places where charged sakura petals accumulate.

Ajax doesn't know when he folds one arm to prop up his elbow, but from then on, his hand is always somewhere near his chin.

He learns about 'co*ck cages' and 'co*ck rings.' He doesn't know what he thinks of the former, but he's intrigued when Yuzuki mentions that the latter can delay or prevent org*sm. That's a means of control he'd happily give Aether, though he is warned that a ring should only be used for ten to thirty minutes. That they can also be used on the testicl*s for the same purpose is a postscript he has no time to contemplate before Yuzuki moves on.

Gags, so many gags. Not so many blindfolds. For either of these purposes, he thinks he'd rather Aether use his cape, or his own sash. The same goes for handcuffs. It's a plus that the cape and sash both have a lot of extra weight from their size and ornamentation.

Candles made of wax that won't melt too hot for skin? He's skeptical. It wouldn't feel like much, then, would it? He admonishes himself that almost all of the sensations he's been enjoying with Aether—and Thoma, before—are not ones he expected to have any impact. It's worth a try.

Nipple clamps? He's not sure he sees the appeal, personally, but...he also doesn't quite understand how they're meant to work. "Wouldn't a good tug pull them straight off?"

"Yes, depending. The longer they're on, the deeper the indentations they make, the less easily they pull off. Most of these won't do any injury, but be careful with these that have teeth. Spinocrocodile clamps. They're not sharp, but they're still more liable to break the skin than the others. The safest are these velvet-covered ones, see? For someone who really loves pain, smack these off with a crop. And see these? Just clothespins on a cord, but if you attach them to a long line of skin, pulling them off all at once does it for some people."

Now he's curious.

The next aisle is lingerie and strange leather clothing. There's quite a bit of overlap between the two. None of it inspires Ajax; he'd rather he and Aether were both naked. The feel of Aether's skin against his is too sublime to hinder. Ropes are the most he's willing to have between them.

While he's half-listening to Yuzuki's informative comments on that aisle, his mind wanders to the probes, paddles, clamps, and such that were able be Electro-charged. Would Aether like it if I...? No, using a Delusion that way, that's... It's reckless, absurd, and almost a little sacrilegious. A certain degree of recklessness has its place, and he has no compunctions about using his Vision, a 'gift' from 'the gods,' for every mundane thing it comes in handy for. His Delusion, however, is a reward directly from his god. Unlike how he felt about being asked what happens to his genitals when he transforms, this is a genuine qualm, albeit one he's far from decided on.

But Aether has his own Electro, and making the connection between that fact and this context is kind of electrifying in of itself...

Now Yuzuki brings him to the display cases with all the dild*s, harigata, and more. She makes a point of explaining that every one of them is made of non-porous, easy-to-clean material—even the leather ones, which have been alchemically treated. Others are made of polished stone, glass, metal, or fine-sanded wood with an alchemical finish. Most of the harigata are made from tortoise shell: translucent and naturally patterned in hues of amber and brown.

Ajax has to wonder what Zhongli would have to say about these. Instantly upon that thought occurring to him, he finds he has no doubt Zhongli would at least be able to compare the materials and craftship to the equivalents that must exist in Liyue. He can't see the millennia-old former deity treating this subject matter any differently than porcelain diningware or vintage carpentry.

About half the dild*s are shaped and sized like human penises. At this point, Ajax isn't surprised that it's 'only' half. People are far more creative about sex than he ever heard or read. More creative than he ever imagined, too, but that's a low bar. Still, he doesn't know what to think of the ones shaped like animal penises.

Some of the most interesting items are the odd shapes invented to accomplish things like stimulating the prostate from both sides. That, in particular, teaches him something about his own body that he might never have thought to test. There's a similar device designed to fill the vagin* and stimulate the cl*tor*s at the same time.

He'd thank Yuzuki for introducing him to these common language terms for sexual anatomy, but, as far as he knows, Mondstadters only speak common in the modern era. If he's an immigrant from Mondstadt to Liyue, he has no excuse for not knowing.

A strapless strap-on earns a long and longing look. It's a dild* that sits against the groin with a part that curves down and back up into a bulb or second phallus that anchors it in the vagin*. Aether didn't say whether he wanted one that straps on or one like this. Obviously I'll have to buy both~

The existence of spheres and egg-shaped objects intended for insertion prompt him to ask, "They can't get stuck?"

"Nooo, they fall out unless you use your muscles to hold them in. They're a bit on the heavy side."

Would Aether like any of those? Would I? He doesn't have an answer for either, so he adds one or two of these to his mental list of things to buy. They can get lost in a drawer if they're not a hit.

Anal beads go onto that list as well. Those definitely intrigue him, thanks to Yuzuki mentioning that they can be inserted and pulled out as fast or slow as one likes. Being unable to predict how Aether will use them on him sounds fun.

'Butt plugs' are curious little things. Not meant to imitate anything real, and relatively simple in design, they're often just supposed to be there, he gathers. They're one way of preparing for larger objects, according to Yuzuki, but even then, they seem more passive than most of the things here. It does occur to him that it could be used similarly to anal beads, and it's a good sign that his ass clenches in response to the idea of a plug stretching him as it's slowly pulled out.

Learning about all these possibilities is giving him so many hints as to what he's going to learn about himself...

The most expensive item in the store, he's told, is a wind-up vibrating dild* from Fontaine. Hmm... Why not!

Some of the lengthiest 'toys'—no, he can't call them that after years of associating that word with Teucer—turn out to be 'tagaigata' and double-ended dild*s, which also clears up why they have a wide, disc-like part at the middle. These, too, can allow someone without their own chlen to penetrate someone else. Three options! Very good.

Last in the display cases are a number of 'co*ck sleeves' that function like inverted dild*s. Yuzuki advises lubricating the inside. Ajax sees no need for these where he and Aether are concerned.

Moving on to the rest of the shelves, he's surprised by just how many types of lubricant there are. Not only made of different substances, but offering extra features like self-warming and a wide selection of flavors. The flavors are interesting to him for about one second before he concludes that he prefers his beloved comrade's natural flavor. He can't get enough of it, in fact: it's so subtle that every taste urges him to another in search of a description for it. Thinking about it is distracting. It's only when Yuzuki is showing him the equally wide selection of condoms that he's hit by the realization he should be considering whether Aether is happy enough with his taste. A blush invades his cheeks and he turns his head away, scratching at his temple as an excuse to cover his face.

"If you lube up the inside of the condom as well as the outside, trust me, it will feel good," Yuzuki assures him, not missing the blush but mercifully making no direct comment on it.

"I'm sure. I was just thinking about something else," he admits. Glancing over the parcels of condoms arrayed here, he catches himself up on the tour. The boxes all have hand-inked labels and many of them have illustrations. The materials vary: processed animal intestines or bladders; rigid, harigata-like devices made of horn or tortoise shell; linen or silk. Nearby, there are 'cervical caps' that are similar in every regard except for being much shorter.

Meanwhile Yuzuki continues, "They used to be important protection from disease, but well, nowadays every pharmacist has reliable formulae for cures to the most common infections. I heard those scholars in Sumeru are to thank for that. Some people have other reasons for wanting to use a condom, but mostly it's contraceptive."

No need to worry about that, he said, Ajax recalls before drop-kicking the subject back to oblivion.

When he hears the term 'sounding rod,' he doesn't have to guess what it's for, nor does he have to be told, because the packages the rods come in also have illustrations. He blinks slowly at a package with a remarkably realistic illustration of a thin rod lodged in—

"Urethral play," Yuzuki sums up. "It's dangerous if not done properly. Each set comes with an instruction sheet and I have a waiver for buyers to sign."

It's not often that Ajax feels overfull of information. He can absorb new things pretty easily. It's an important skill for a warrior, and for a Fatuus. But he's unable to find within himself the slightest reaction to this concept, and he's inclined to chalk that up to some sort of mental capacity being exceeded. He doesn't see any reason why he wouldn't be interested in entrusting a novel and risky form of penetration to Aether.

He finds the 'sex dice' and card games boring. Hah. Who needs these to tell them what to do? Not me, and surely not my dear partner, who always seems to have ideas behind those sharp eyes of his.

Fake rose petals for scattering on and around a bed? He almost sighs aloud. Why bother if you're not going to go to the effort of getting real rose petals? A romantic gesture should never be half-hearted. He thinks that with exactly the same air of conviction as that which he states his aphorisms of combat with.

Finally they come to the wall where countless ropes, collars, and leashes hang.

"Well." Yuzuki puts her hands on her plump hips. "Any questions?"

"Hmmm," Ajax exhales, rolling his shoulders and hearing them crack. They've both been dislocated a number of times, and they get stiff if he doesn't stretch them enough. "...No, I don't think so. Only my gratitude, and a warning: I'm going to be buying a great many things here today."

Yuzuki smiles. "Gooood, good. Then I'll see you at the counter. Wave if you need anything out of the cases." Trudging away toward a well-deserved sit-down, she adds, "Take all the time you need."

He touches a couple of the ropes, curious how they feel. There appear to be more than two textures available, but he doesn't touch any more. There are plenty of red ropes, and plenty of diameters to choose from, but he's already certain he doesn't want to make this choice. "Should I get you some nice red ropes to tie you up with?" Aether had asked him. I don't know for sure that he wanted to choose them himself, but whether or not he does...I want him to.

That settled, Ajax looks to the collars. He wants to try one, not as any kind of mark of belonging, but simply as another means of restraint. He picks a thick, brown leather one; it has to be strong and durable, something that can genuinely hold him back, or down, or wherever.

Knowing he's going to have a lot to carry, he returns to the opposite side of the store and grabs a sex swing kit. The crate can hold some extra things.

By the time he brings that crate to the counter, it's brimming with things he's eager to bring home and show to Aether.

"See?" Muning shakes his head. "What did I say? You weren't guarding the warehouse as you should've at all!" A porter who just delivered a shipment of supplies shows him a clipboard and he signs it before continuing. "You've really done it this time, Zhiqiong. How are we going to resolve this matter, huh? Are you going to take responsibility for undoing the array of your own accord? Can you?"

She folds her arms and shrugs. "You're giving me too much credit." A glance over her shoulder meets Aether's neutral gaze momentarily as he walks to her side with Paimon. Zhiqiong had gone ahead up the lift to Muning's camp while they conferred with Chongqiu. That conference was just Chongyun suggesting he and Xingqiu stay out of sight and Aether nodding, but they still had to catch the lift on its next trip. If that meant Zhiqiong had to face the brunt of Muning's legal disclaimer alone, that was her fault for being in a hurry.

The put-upon Ministry man sighs. "Ah, you're here. So... How are you going to explain destroying the Bedrock Keys?"

Aether can almost hear what Lumine would say. The others may as well hear it too. "From an aesthetic point of view, this place looks better without them," he states flatly.

The line of Muning's kittenish mouth matches the line of his moustache when he frowns. "You...! Ugh, alright! You're taking responsibility for this. As for the rest, we'll wait for the Qixing to make their judgment first." His attention is stolen by another signature being requested of him by some worker.

Zhiqiong surreptitiously steers Aether and Paimon away. "Hehe, don't you worry, Muning only gets mad at people who don't care. Otherwise, he's just a worrywart, not a bad person." They follow her to the center of the camp, where she stops. "Anyway, welcome to the Chasm Exploration Team. If you'll allow me a bit of your time, let me introduce you."

From the lift, Aether could see that more people had gathered since the last time he was here. Zhiqiong extends a hand in the direction of a person standing at the cliffside fence.

"That's Khedive, a scholar specifically called in from Sumeru. His specialties are ores and biology. He's the team's leading man. Well, in scientific and financial matters, at least."

Another Sumeru scholar? Interesting.

Zhiqiong doesn't take them to Khedive, instead turning in place and indicating someone else. That person is half-visible through the doorway of a dilapidated building that's back the way they just came, past Muning. "That's Jinwu, who's in charge of safety. The repair and maintenance of any facilities we use, and our security, is ensured by her."

That's good, I guess.

"And that..." Zhiqiong turns again to nod toward a person standing at a table off to their right. They appear to be doing nothing more than thinking. "That's Taliesin. He's a bard from Mondstadt... Goodness knows why he insisted on coming down here with us."

We may as well talk to him, too.

"Also," she remarks, "perhaps you'll discover new allies once you get down into the mines, eh?"

In his periphery, Aether sees Paimon squint at Zhiqiong's seeming prescience of their secret secondary objective. He just gives the adventurer a blank look—a slightly blanker look than he already had, that is.

Zhiqiong waves the notion off. "Haha, who knows! And last but not least, you have me, the super hands-on surveyor! My job is to help scout the way forward and draw maps, which I'll share with you all, of course!"

Paimon, her squint vanished without a trace, smiles and nods. "Your map of the Bedrock Keys was really helpful!"

Zhiqiong smiles as well, and she leans in a tad to say in a lower voice, "I saw what your friends made of it. Not a bad job, not bad at all. And no need to tell them that, I already told them."

"Hehe." Paimon starts to excuse Aether and herself. It was a long hike from Fuao Vale to the camp, and she's hungry. "Speaking of our friends, we should—"

"One more thing! Once you're ready, head over to the crane by the central mines and I'll round everyone up to follow you down. Our purpose this time is to reach the deepest level of the Chasm, map it, and...uh, investigate the source of the anomalies."

Surprised, Paimon questions, "The crane's going to lower us all the way to the bottom?"

"Oh, no, it only goes down as far as the top level. What we consider the top level, anyway. It's still a ways down, but it's where the first major ore veins were discovered and where a lot of infrastructure was built."

"And the crane's safe?" It must be Paimon's turn to be a worrywart. "It's not hundreds of years old, is it?"

"No it's...not that old. All the parts have been replaced over time. Originally, it was meant to transport goods, but it can also bring a few people up and down the mines, no problem! Hmm, that said, since you have your wind glider," Zhiqiong casts a glance at Aether, "I suppose that you'd be fine even without the crane, eh?"

That makes Aether wonder which means of descent Zhiqiong will choose. In a small, nasal voice, Paimon advises him, "Err, Paimon would rather take the crane after all." He nods once. It doesn't make any difference to him.

Zhiqiong leaves them with a wave. Paimon sighs hopefully, "Maybe Childe is cooking dinner for us right now."

"We should talk to the scholar and the other two," Aether reminds her. He heads for Khedive. His small friend, who did zero walking or fighting today but is nonetheless tired, does her best to perk herself up and follows him.

Khedive is leaning on the fence, a notebook propped open atop it and held secure by one of his elbows. He's alternately staring out at the Chasm's Maw and dropping his furrow-browed gaze to the pages, writing what Aether guesses are observations about how the unsealing changed the Chasm.

To his own eyes, the only thing that's changed is that the streams of Geo energy that fed the seal are all gone. This campsite doesn't have a good view of where the seal itself was, as low as this vantage point is and as deep as the Maw is.

Khedive abruptly takes notice of him and Paimon. "Why, hello! It's you! Hah, they actually managed to get you to come here."

"Yup, it's us!" Paimon replies. "Erm, do we know you?"

"Ah, my apologies, please!" The scholar tucks away his notebook as he turns to them. "My name is Khedive. Khedive Pursina. If you know anything of the history of the Akademiya, you would know that our founder was once the rival of the Purbirunis in the field of astronomy..."

Paimon gives Khedive a slow shrug and an apologetic look.

Aether politely inquires, "Is announcing your academic school of thought traditional in Sumeru?" May as well gather what info they can about Sumeru before they eventually make their way there.

"Ah, no, no... It is just...let's just call it a scholar's pride, shall we? Actually, you know what? I blame Anisa for infecting me with the Purbirunis' bad habit in that regard."

"We know Anisa!" Paimon says. "We met her in Inazuma."

Khedive smiles. "Oh I'm well aware! We regularly exchange correspondence, she and I. She told me all about...well." He clears his throat. "To be honest, she told me more about her new partner she's staying with than about you. But that isn't to say she's told me little about you."

"Wow," Paimon comprehends, "she must talk, er, write a lot about Kumi, then."

"She is effusive, in her own way, about everything that catches her interest," Khedive says with a bit of a chuckle. "Ah, but it's the Chasm you're here to discuss, isn't it?"

Aether nods. "I wanted to know more about what you're doing here."

"We're on the same team, after all," Paimon chirps.

Khedive first tells them what Zhiqiong told them, then goes into the paleontology side of his task, which she had mentioned only in the broadest possible sense as 'biology.'

"I know what you're thinking," Khedive sighs, "and to be honest this does, in principle, violate the rules of the Akademiya. But the Liyue authorities were quite firm about this. I doubt anyone could have moved them an inch."

That perplexes Aether and piques his curiosity. Why does he expect me to be thinking that? "What rules?"

"Procedural rules pertaining to cooperation and knowledge-sharing with outside institutions. That is to say, there are procedures to be followed and I have not been following them. It's not as if I'm committing any of the cardinal sins, though..."

Aether extrapolates, "I've never heard of Sumeru having a government other than the Akademiya. If knowledge is the most important thing to the Akademiya, then this is like sharing important resources without permission?"

"Yes, something like that. My Darshan is Amurta, not Vahumana, so I can't really confirm any comparisons to how foreign governments operate. The structures of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Qixing are mysterious to me. There are similarities to certain administrative bodies in the Akademiya, such as the Mahamata and the Sages, but one of the most fraught inferences you can make in biology is overinterpreting a superficial resemblance. Organisms that appear similar can be vastly different in ancestry, behavior—"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Paimon stops him, waving her arms. "You could've left it at 'something like that.'"

"Oh, apologies! I did get off track there."

Aether wouldn't mind hearing more, and if it was just him, he'd lose an hour or two listening. Paimon is his insurance against that. "Thank you," he says to Khedive. "If we had more time I'd ask more questions." But it is getting dark and I actually have somewhere to be. He still needs to deliver the note to Ekaterina.

"I had assumed my colleagues already covered any questions you have about the Akademiya."

With a wry smile on the inside, Aether shakes his head. "Never enough time."

"Understandable. See you in the Chasm."

"Bye!" Paimon says pleasantly.

Both of them determined to make the remaining introductions quick for different reasons, they check in on Taliesin. All they learn from him is that he lost a ring. Paimon agrees to keep an eye out for it, while Aether mentally checks right back out of the conversation. He wonders if Ajax has ever lost one of his three rings and commissioned an adventurer to find it.

As they cross the camp to meet Jinwu, Paimon muses, "So there really are people who take their rings off before going to bed... Huh."

Aether shrugs. "Childe does."

"Well he's wasting good beauty sleep. If you take a ring off before you go to bed, you need to think about where to put it, and then what if you forget where you put it? Paimon doesn't want all that trouble."

He and I 'waste' a lot more time on other things before bed. "You don't have any rings."

"Hmph!" She must be too tired to elaborate on that retort, because she says nothing more until they enter the building they glimpsed Jinwu in. Waving, Paimon announces their arrival with a jaunty 'hello!' to the muscular woman in dusty clothes who's leaning over a worktable.

Jinwu sets down the pickaxe she was examining and turns to them. "Huh, it's a new face. Ho there, youngster!" She seems to be addressing Aether, casting only a puzzled glance at Paimon. Aether's solution to that is to take half a step back and cast a glance of his own at Paimon, signaling that he doesn't intend to lead this conversation either.

So, Paimon takes over. "Zhiqiong told us you're in charge of safety and maintenance and stuff?"

"Oh, you've met Zhiqiong. Yeah, I'm the Safety Technician for the Chasm Exploration Team, and I'm in charge of the facilities here besides. I've worked at the mines for the past twenty-odd years. To most of these lads, I'm their big sister. You have any questions, or the facilities give you any trouble? Give me a shout. And if you're up for a few old stories, I'm up for telling them."

I'm no expert, and it's ironic for me to judge by appearance, but she really doesn't look that old.

"What kind of stories?" Paimon asks.

It must be a role thing, not an age thing. Unless she's immortal? Or not human?

"About the Chasm and its history. That's a history that goes back a long way."

Aether puts in, "I would like to hear those sometime."

"Alright. Guess I'll be seeing you down below?"

Paimon nods. "Yep! We'll catch up with all of you when you've got everything moved."

"That'll take a couple days. Thought you might be going ahead with Zhiqiong."

Thankfully, Paimon is quick to come up with an excuse. "Well, she's the professional scout. We're, uhh, we'll need the map she's gonna make."

"Oh, I see—sorry, I'm no adventurer myself. Well, next time you see her, remind her to look after herself down there. It's been a long time since she was a miner and I worry her instincts ain't what they used to be."

"We'll tell her," Paimon agrees.

They go back down the lift and find Xingqiu and Chongyun sitting just inside the shadow of the adjacent platform. They're gazing up at the sky, where the last blushes of pink and purple are fading from the clouds as a chilly dusk falls. In that shadow it must be cold: comfortable for Chongyun, and not too uncomfortable for Xingqiu under layers of Guild uniform.

The automatically descending lift doesn't tear their attention away until Aether and Paimon step off of it. Paimon catches them up on who's who and what's next.

Chongyun floats the idea of him and Xingqiu trekking down to the Maw tonight so they'll be in position for the next phase. But, Xingqiu reminds him it's dinner time and that finishing off their snacks won't count as dinner.

"I have something to do in Liyue Harbor before I go back to the Serenitea Pot," Aether lets them know when the other three are about to wish themselves off to it. "I'll just be a few minutes behind you. Should I bring some food from Wanmin?" A second after saying that, he remembers that Ajax might be cooking. Maybe not, if he had something else to do. But if he did cook, we can save the takeout for tomorrow. Aether doesn't want to assume either way.

Whether or not that occurs to Chongqiu, they take him up on the offer. Whether or not Paimon remembers her own speculation about Ajax making dinner tonight, she jumps on the chance to request one of her Wanmin favorites. The only reason it's one and not several is that the amount of that one thing she requests is a binge's worth.

Chapter 24: Day 15: Тише едешь – Дальше будешь

Chapter Text

Ajax had a lot of time left in the day, after he brought his haul home. He placed the crate in the bedroom and, free to do anything, made preparations for a dinner that would give him time for some exercise between the prep and the actual cooking.

He leaves a pot of vegetable broth simmering on the stove, and near the heat he sets a bowl of bread dough to rise. Just to make sure it'll be done rising by the time he's done exercising, he covers it with a dampened towel. He doesn't really understand how that works. Something about warmth plus humidity, but more importantly, something both his parents often did.

The stove is modern enough. It's not one of those high-tech piles of bells and whistles from Snezhnaya City or Fontaine, but it's much easier and safer than cooking over a hearth, which he heard all about from his babushka. Her grandparents had to do it that way and she made it sound awful. Quite unlike cooking outdoors over a campfire. Poor though his family used to be, they had an oven sort of like Aether's. Theirs was of course...simpler, aesthetically, and fueled by wood instead of whatever adeptal arts are integrated here. This just has to have the candle inside it lit with a match, and...well, Ajax has yet to see the wax show any sign of melting. The candleholder is ornate and covered in script like what was on the Sigil of Permission, as is the wax itself.

All things considered, he's comfortable enough leaving the lit oven unattended for a while. He doesn't go far, anyway: just out behind the house. An opened kitchen window ensures the smell of smoke can reach him quickly, if anything manages to catch fire that isn't supposed to be on fire.

Ajax spends extra time on warmup stretching, reviewing the readiness of every muscle and joint, and giving special attention to those he's had issues with. He hates to admit it, but his many injuries over the past decade have left more than scars. Amidst the slowdown forced upon him in the past year, he began to notice the accumulation of quirks in his body. Things that don't want to bend quite as far as they used to, recurring aches he stubbornly ignores, stiff joints in certain weather... Altogether it gave him one more reason to hate not having enough to do. As he sat alone in his office in the bank, stretching and fidgeting over endless paperwork, he felt time creeping up on him. Time never mattered before, when there was only the vast horizon of his potential and he could run toward that horizon at top speed. It was when he realized that he's only going to get older from now on that he decided he must obtain immortality.

None of that worries him today. Today, he has everything he wants, and the days ahead are looking good. The beat of his heart is easy, and air fills his lungs in steady expansions and contractions as he transitions from warmup to stances and attacks. The rhythms of his body ramp up on a respectable curve as he moves into acrobatics atop the tightropes, weaving offenses and defenses into flips in all directions. His booted feet find purchase every time and his balance never fails his standards.

He has not rusted beyond what a little extra maintenance can fix.

By the time he starts finishing up with cooldown stretches, he has the sweat to prove his hour of exertion. As he strides to the front of the house, he peels off his shirt and hangs it over his shoulder from the hook of two fingers. There's a satisfied smile on his face that shifts to friendly when he waves at Tubby. "Hello again! Shall I bring you a bowl of Snezhnayan cabbage soup when it's ready?"

"If there is enough for everyone, then I would very much like to try it! I'm rather partial to soups."

"Unless we have a bunch of unexpected guests, there should be plenty to go around, and leftovers too."

Indeed, Ajax used Aether's largest pot for that vegetable stock he's had simmering. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms went into it, along with a few basic seasonings. It'll feed six people two suppers of cabbage soup, no problem, and after that there'll still be enough left for more soups.

He towels himself off and washes his hands. He'll need a bath later. Inaugurating the new tub. Maybe Aether will join me. That sounds lovely to him.

First, he breaks out the vodka for sipping. Second, he gets the bread into the oven, and third, he strains out the vegetables from the stock. Those vegetables have lost much of their flavor, and they're the oldest-seeming ones he could find in the kitchen, but they're not bad. With Paimon around, he doubts any ingredients go unused long enough to spoil.

For the soup itself he mixes the stock vegetables in with fresh ones, adding cabbage, tomatoes, butter, and more of the same seasonings. A topping of sour cream and dill will go on each bowl. Aside from this stock being a shortcut replacement for beef broth, all that's missing is the shchavel that characterizes his family's cabbage soup recipe; he hasn't been able to get that in Liyue or Inazuma.

Next time I write, I'll ask for some seeds. Several herbs from home should be able to grow here...

Once again, he finds himself taking a step back to look at the domesticity of what he's doing. Now he's planning to do even more, and again, it feels right. It could never substitute for battle, nor could it usurp the central place in his life reserved for his ascent to the top of the world, but it's a piece that was missing. Maybe what he has gained, of late, is all the outer pieces of the puzzle. With only middle pieces, you can see most of the picture, but it's never complete without the edges.

He takes a longer, slower sip of vodka, closing his eyes, then tips his face up and breathes a sigh. He smells all his own work: the steaming, garlicky soup stock and the beginnings of wheat bread; the trace of dill on his hand holding this glass; the fresh scent of carrots and the residual sting of chopped onion in his nostrils; ripe tomato and a whiff of pepper...

The world is not fair, and for someone like me, that's a good thing. Just as the innocent don't always get what they deserve, neither do the guilty always get what they deserve. And if that's just the way of the world, who am I to say no to all this happiness?

Not that he'd ever seriously consider turning his back on Aether out of some ridiculous, misplaced sense of responsibility to tip the scales of justice. No, he knows he doesn't have it in him to do that, and he's not sorry he doesn't. What would even be the point? But the dissonance of all this with the kind of person he thought he was and the kind of life he thought he'd have is something that has been coming to his mind repeatedly in one form or another. Unbothered today, he just turns it over for a moment and then lets it go.

A while later, when he hears three voices in the main room, the aromas of cabbage soup and baking bread are in full bloom and have no doubt spilled out of the kitchen.

The first person to appear at the open door is Paimon. At that moment he's idle between stirring, and he's doing little spinning tricks with a spoon he used for a taste. "Childe is cooking!" she shrieks happily. He can hear her inhaling deeply as she swoops into a quick circle around him and the stove. Coming to a stop about a meter to his three o'clock, she starts to say something else but interrupts herself with a startled jump. "What's it— why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I got myself some exercise," he smiles. "If—"

Paimon gasps. "You didn't hurt anyone, did you?"

His smile is rumpled by a wry mix of confusion and understanding. "No, no, it wasn't that kind of exercise. As I was saying, if anybody needs their clothes washed, I'll be doing laundry tomorrow morning. Let the others know, will you?"

"Oh, okay! Uhh..." Paimon looks very sheepish. Her hesitation drags on. Ajax just stirs the soup and waits for her to continue. "...We didn't know if you were going to make dinner, so we kinda asked Aether to get some takeout from Wanmin..."

Inwardly, he's amused at the coincidence. "That's more than alright! As it so happens, cabbage soup is better the second day than the first." It's almost a shame to eat it fresh, so this works out perfect.

"Ohh! Paimon's looking forward to tomorrow, then!" She wiggles, grinning, then flies back out the door. To pass on his message about laundry, he hopes.

He still pours and garnishes a bowl for Tubby, since he said he would. She doesn't seem to need to eat, at least not often, and as far as Ajax has seen, she isn't habitually included in meals. Knowing Aether, a conversation about her food preferences took place at some point.

Vlad must have had the day off yesterday. Tonight, however, Nadia is on duty as usual. She's probably surprised to see Aether at the bank, though she permits just the smallest of smiles to sneak through her watchful neutrality as he approaches. A couple of months ago, during Lantern Rite, he informed her and Vlad they'd been writing to each other all along.

On his way through the door, he sees her do a double-take. Maybe she recognized the earring; he doesn't stop to ask. It seems to him like it would be an awkward interaction for both of them. 'Hi, what are you looking at?' 'Is that my boss's earring?' 'Yes.' 'Oh.'

Inside, he discovers a small problem: Ekaterina isn't here. There is a familiar face behind the counter, and Aether vaguely recollects that that's the...bank manager? The name isn't coming to him at all, but he knows two things about this person: the guy loves Lantern Rite, and Ajax entrusted him with escorting Teucer to the boat back to Snezhnaya. Aether keeps walking, only hesitating when he reaches the counter.

"Ah, Traveler! Welcome! How may I assist you today?"

"I need to talk to Ekaterina." Aether's tone is polite, he hopes, despite his words being as to-the-point as ever. "Is she off for the night?" He has no clue what her schedule is, given that he's seen her here during the night as well as daytime.

"No, she's on her break. I'm afraid I can't tell you where to find her. Where she goes for her breaks is a mystery to me. If it's not terribly urgent, she should be back in about fifteen minutes."

"Hmm." How long will it take to get the food?... "I'll come back soon, then." It's never safe for Aether to assume he won't be delayed, so he doesn't say anything more specific than that.

As soon as Aether steps into the house, he knows the trip to Wanwen was unnecessary. One good sniff tells him there's cooked cabbage, something with garlic, and fresh-baked wheat bread. His teammates are at the table with empty plates and a good mood. The cat is watching them from the sofa. No sight or sound of Ajax yet, but the appetizing smell sure is a sign of him.

"Hey Aether!" Paimon is quickest to greet him. Chongyun raises his hand in a little wave and Xingqiu inclines his head with a light smile. Paimon goes on, "Childe said it's fine we got takeout because the soup he made is better the second day anyway!"

"That worked out well." Aether sets the bag on the table and starts sorting out whose box is whose. A triple order of golden shrimp balls for Paimon, carrot-free crystal shrimp for Xingqiu, ketchupless squirrel fish for Chongyun, and rice buns for everyone to share. For himself and Ajax, Aether ordered black-back perch stews in large, lidded cups.

"We had some bread," Chongyun says as he moves his takeout box onto the empty plate in front of him. Now that he mentions that, Aether notices the crumbs on their plates. "I wasn't able to eat it warm, but I can still appreciate how soft the inside is and how...crusty the crust is."

"What he means is you should have some too while it's still warm," Paimon says, tearing open one of the three boxes Aether has just arranged around her plate.

"Mm," Aether agrees. He swings by the kitchen and snatches a slice, intending to munch on it while he returns to Feiyun Slope from the Chihu Rock waypoint. But, it deserves better than that. His haste wanes all at once, and he wanders slowly around the counter as he eats, eyes closed. His hands made this...

...I love that. Hands can create and hands can destroy: an old thought. The line between creation and destruction isn't really clear: another philosophical souvenir from bygone times. Philosophy has scarce relevance to the simple, inexplicable affection Aether holds for Ajax's physical being. He is enchanted by all the things that happen when Ajax's will flows through his flesh and bone. That flesh and bone is all Ajax has, as a human...and some suspiciously fateful not-stars embedded in the not-sky.

He thinks he hears Ajax walking through the main room from outside. Perhaps confirming that, Paimon pipes up, "Aether's in the kitchen!"

Ajax shoots Paimon a bright smile of thanks. It's his last trip to and from the well to bring water in for the bath. There is plenty of water stored in the bathroom as well as the kitchen, but that reserve would have to be refilled, so he's just front-loading the chore.

Aether is down to a corner of his bread slice. He turns toward the kitchen doorway and, relaxed, lets his eyes drift open. Ajax's footsteps come closer—

—and Ajax leans around the doorframe, lighting up inside and out the instant he lays eyes on Aether. "Comrade, you're back," is how he welcomes his boyfriend home.

Aether feels a warm smile spread across his face. He's holding the bread between his two hands like a squirrel, he realizes just now. "Hey. Um, the bread is nice." Where's his shirt? Hope it didn't get destroyed again.

"It turned out rather well," Ajax acknowledges. He steps into the room to ask, "Say, I'm going to have a bath, would you like to join me?" He's been going about his business sans shirt and sans compunction. Let the young warriors be inspired by his scars to earn their own: that's the only thought he's had about it.

Aether's hair has been given an unpleasant texture by all the cave wall condensation that dripped on it and then dried. His clothes suffered the same, and he's sure that under the ambient aromas of food he smells musty. He needs a bath and if Ajax is willing to share, so is he. "Yeah. After dinner? I brought black-back perch stew for you. For me, too. Er, but we don't have to split one portion, I meant I got two."

Ajax grins, endeared by everything about Aether right now and pleased that his invitation was accepted. "Perfect!"

"I actually have to go back to Liyue for a few minutes, but then I'll be back. Ekaterina was out for a break and she should be in now." Aether noms the last bite and darts over to the sink basin to brush crumbs off his gloves.

"Oh, see you in a few minutes then!" Ajax leaves him to it, heading for the bathroom. The quicker they finish their tasks, the sooner he'll be cuddling with Aether in the water and listening to the latest news from the Chasm. He really hopes the somewhat disheveled look about the man means there was combat.

Take two, as Xavier would say. Aether is pretty sure Ekaterina has her eyes on him from the instant he reenters the bank. There's one thing he's not sure about, and that's how discreet he should be with this note. Should he ask to talk to her in private before he even takes it out of his pocket?

"Welcome back, Traveler." Is that a smug tone in her voice? Aether remembers how certain she was, the first time they met, that he was joining the Fatui. Her theological self-assurance on that point wasn't dissuaded by his denial then, and what he's doing now is going to make that denial seem even less credible.

She can think what she wants, he internally shrugs. "I just need a quick talk with you in private." No, 'a quick word with you,' that's the way it's supposed to go. Remember that next time.

"Andrei did inform me you were looking for me." She ushers him once more into the back corridor beyond the lock and key of the teller desk. "To Master Childe's office?" she asks.

"No, this is fine." Aether bends slightly to reach into a deep pocket. His fingers close around folded paper and he hands it to Ekaterina without ceremony. "From him." And that's all he needs to say, he reckons, so he turns around and walks right back out, into the brighter light of the bank's public floor.

"I see." She follows him promptly, and she must have put the note in a pocket of her own, because it's nowhere to be seen when she moves past him to unlock the gate again. "I take it a response isn't expected?"

"I guess not." Aether sounds disinterested, he is aware, but the only thing he's disinterested in is making an effort to fix that.

"Alright. Well, give him my regards. I'll see to this immediately." Locking the gate behind her and leaving Aether outside it, Ekaterina disappears around the corner. To open the note in the same privacy they just emerged from, he assumes.

That's done. Time to go home and stay there. Uh, better give those regards quick before I forget. ...Don't forget as soon as you see him.

The cat has moved in on its target. In passing, Ajax noticed it doing rounds from one person at the table to the next, meowing at each of them from underneath. The notecard on the cat food said to feed 'once or twice a day,' which is a baffling ambiguity. While selecting towels for the bath from the closet that's thankfully in the bathroom—he wouldn't know where else to look—he comes to the conclusion that he should just split the difference: one full portion in the morning, a half portion in the evening whenever people are eating dinner.

Aether has some alchemical tablets for warming up bathwater. They're easily found in a half-full box with a Flaming Flower label. These have instructions that unambiguously say to use one tablet, and allow at least three minutes for it to dissolve before touching the water. The part that says 'wait longer if lower heat is desired' is about as useful as 'season to taste' is in a recipe, but Ajax likes a hot bath. He isn't picky about the temperature of the water he dunks himself in, but a steaming-hot soak reminds him of Snezhnaya. Almost ironic, that.

Along with his pajama hanfu and Aether's, he brings down candles, borrowed from their bedroom on a romantic whim. It feels like the right finishing touch.

All of that is quickly squared away. He comes to the table before Paimon has mown through all her shrimp balls, but rather than sit down, he arrests the cat and carries it off to the kitchen, where he takes on the challenge of getting its food ready one-handed. He remembers his parents getting all kinds of things done with a wiggling baby Tonia or baby Anthon in one arm, so this should be possible. Besides, he's had to do many things one-handed when he's gotten an arm badly injured, including tending worse wounds.

It is possible. However, without a shirt on, he notes a key difference between babies and cats: claws. The pinpricks are nothing to him, so it amounts to no more than a back-of-the-mind observation.

In a reversal of how it went ten minutes ago, Aether comes in through the front door and is told by the others that Ajax is in the kitchen. He decides to take his seat and unpack their stews, and he is very soon joined by his copper-haired comrade.

Out of a sense of table manners, Ajax has put his shirt back on.

The two of them sitting across from Chongyun and Xingqiu look like the sun to the blue-haired boys' moon, which occurs to Ajax when he amusedly plucks some kind of plant detritus out of Aether's braid.

"Ekaterina sends her regards," Aether tells Ajax right away. He can't think of any reason not to mention her in front of Chongqiu, who are in on the whole plan except for whatever additional details may have been in the note. His private guess is that those details are only pertinent to Ekaterina's part in it, but he doesn't go as far as to assume. Maybe he'll ask Ajax about it later.

"Ah? I can take that to mean she'll be on top of things." He could also take it as well wishes, but knowing Katya, she's wishing her Harbinger well as a matter of devotion to the Tsaritsa; it's not personal. After a spoonful of stew he rambles, "She's my highest and closest subordinate. Her competence is beyond question, and I owe her a lot of averted headaches." Devotion to the Tsaritsa is always a good thing in Fatui, and that's his own opinion, not just an official line. He despises the irresolute type of person who is one good bribe away from betraying Her Majesty.

The moon pair haven't finished eating when the sun pair starts. Paimon has, but she fights her post-feast drowsiness to stay at the table and help regale Ajax with how they 'squashed a Geovishap like a bug.'

"Clever, Chongyun," he congratulates, not smiling at that moment but bright-eyed and enthusiastic. "Your environment is a weapon that can be wielded by you and by your foe. Always see to it that it's you getting the most out of it."

Chongyun nods. "My training thus far has focused on viewing the environment around me as a spiritual landscape. Different objects are attractive to different kinds of spirits, and the age and history of a place is important to know for an exorcist. Xingqiu, Aether, and my aunt have been helping me see it in other ways."

Xingqiu concurs, "Pulling a good trick on your opponents can save everyone a lot of time and pain sometimes. Nothing too ruthless, of course."

Ajax scoffs inwardly but doesn't allow his skepticism to show. Where do you draw that line, hm, Xingqiu? Are you going to waste time in battle worrying about whether you're going too far?

Aether also knows better than to comment on that subject. Where he draws his own line is situational, to a point. He draws a hard line at directly harming children, but he can't draw it at 'indirectly,' because if he did, he could never harm a human again in any way. Any one of his adult foes might be a parent, an older sibling, or a favorite cousin. He's willing to bet that Ajax's view on it isn't dissimilar.

(And it isn't, even if Ajax is momentarily fixating on an absolute that rings true to him in its abstract.)

The potential tension is no more than that: potential. Xingqiu had the diplomacy to refrain from making his caveat a callout, Ajax isn't interested in arguing, and Aether has a few anecdotes to educate the younger martial artists and entertain the Harbinger.

Those lead to a discussion of methods for overloading an Electro crystal without a Pyro Vision. A makeshift torch? Yes. An oil lighter? Can't be thrown while remaining lit unless jury-rigged. Flaming Flower? If it's not close enough for a gust of Anemo to spread the fire to the crystal, it's useless because the flowers go inert when picked. Kicking a Pyro slime barrel at the crystal? No, too risky. Shooting the barrel at it? Nope, the impact force of a flying arrow always triggers an explosion. Ajax can assure them of that, based on 'plenty of testing.'

As soon as that conversation slows down, Paimon turns attention to herself and her current #1 agenda item (now that she's full of food). "When is Paimon getting a Paimon house? Sleeping in the kitchen isn't too bad with all the food right there, but it's not very cozy."

"You mean you don't cuddle with the potatoes?" Aether asks.

"No!"

"No bed of rice and blanket of herbs?"

"No, silly. Paimon sleeps floating. You know that."

Ajax is far from the first or the last puzzled person to ask Paimon something along the lines of, "Then...what do you mean by 'not very cozy'?"

"It's not warm. Annnd...it just doesn't look like a nice place to sleep, y'know?"

Standing up, Ajax thumbs his chin as he thoughtfully scans the room. "I'm sure we can do something about that," he says, just above a murmur. He marches over to the sitting corner and scoops up the big lantern in the middle. It fills his arms, and it's as warm to the touch as he expected. "Hey comrade, do you mind if this goes in the kitchen for the time being?"

"Ooh!" Paimon approves.

"No, that's fine," Aether responds, and Ajax carries the lantern off. Chongyun has just gotten up with his empty plate, collected Xingqiu's before Xingqiu even knew what he was doing, and is reaching across for Paimon's. Aether grabs it himself and offers a hand to take the plates Chongyun has. "Let me. I'm still the host."

"You let Childe do the dishes," Chongyun points out, a bit puzzled.

"He's host too." Aether let him wash the dishes before that became the case, and that might be what Chongyun is referring to, but the young exorcist doesn't press.

"And he loves doing stuff like that," Paimon adds.

As she speaks, Ajax is figuring out where to put the lantern. Some minor rearrangement might be required.

At least one of those facts mentioned by Aether and Paimon is news to Xingqiu. "Does that mean he resides here now on a more permanent basis?" he inquires politely.

"Yeah," Aether pauses to confirm, now standing with a stack of all five plates. The disposable chopsticks have been stuck in the takeout boxes to await 'disposal,' which is Tubby's purview. "I want to keep a close eye on him," he says, marking the joke with a small smirk.

"A very close eye," Xingqiu replies. Accompanied by a slight smile, the arch of a dark blue eyebrow looks like amusem*nt. Rising from his chair, he revisits Paimon's original question. "By the by, if there's anything I can do to aid in the procurement of materials and labor to build the esteemed lady's house, do let me know."

"Aw, thanks!" Paimon smiles before she yawns.

"Thank you," Aether echoes. "Yanfei introduced me to some builders and negotiated a good deal for me, so it'll probably be fine." That was when he had the guest house constructed.

"Ahh, you're in good hands indeed! Whenever the Commerce Guild retains her services, we come out very well." Xingqiu stretches his arms, bracing his elbow as he extends his left arm to the right and then his right arm left. "Chongyun, what would you like to do for the remainder of the evening?"

"Um...train?"

"Alright," Xingqiu grins. "We'll train your mind with a round of chess!"

"Oh." Chongyun clearly has mixed feelings about that. "Okay." He goes ahead while Xingqiu takes an indirect route to the front door.

Passing Aether on his U-turn stroll around the tables, Xingqiu leans in to whisper, "Just remember: his eyes are on you, too."

Aether raises his head minutely as if to nod, but doesn't complete the motion. That's all the reaction he gives, and Xingqiu doesn't linger for one anyway.

"What was that about?" Paimon asks.

He waves it off. "Nothing." Truly. It does, however, serve as a reminder that he and Ajax should talk about how they'll handle the inevitable slippage of sensitive information between them.

"Huh, okay. Paimon's going to go see what Childe's doing."

Ajax emerges from the kitchen, dodging Paimon by simply leaning his head away from her path.

"Oops!" is Paimon's apology for almost flying into him. She peers through the doorway. "Ooh! It does look nicer!"

From where he is, Aether can see the warm glow glinting softly across surfaces. Except for that, the kitchen is dark, Ajax having snuffed the other lights. 'Cozy' is the exact impression he gets. He hears Paimon yawn before she drifts inside like a sleepy moth to a flame.

Ajax's job is not quite done. "Aether, my darling, where might I find some blankets other than in— our, our bedroom?" His predilection for nicknames made the affection flow easily, his voice lilting and confident, until he stumbled over the latest new thing he has to get used to. He walks up to Aether bearing a big, sheepish smile.

Being casually called 'my darling' by Ajax puts Aether at the mercy of an uncontrollable smile. A little bit of heat blooms in his cheeks at Ajax stuttering over the room that so recently became theirs, because he knows the feeling.

They stand there smiling at each other, Ajax scratching his neck and Aether trying to fidget with gloves he isn't wearing, lost in a feedback loop of fondness. ...Until Aether recalls the question that was asked of him. "Oh, um, there are some spare blankets in the guest room and some in...over there." He nods over his shoulder at a wardrobe under one of the staircases.

"A-ha." Not a laugh, just an acknowledgement more verbose than 'ah' and less verbose than 'I see.' As he moves past Aether, Ajax briefly grabs him around the shoulders, kisses him on the top of his head, and darts away as if he pulled off a prank. He doesn't look back as his own cheeks heat up. What was that? Why do it like that? It's not as if I'm shy of kissing him, nor is he shy of being kissed. Odd though the impulse was, the action felt...normal. It made him feel normal. Of course he's allowed to kiss Aether, that's been made abundantly clear to him already. But he's also allowed to be silly about it: the warm chortle he heard behind him leaves no doubt.

Aether watches him pick out the softest and most colorful blanket, extract it from the stack without disarraying the others, and take it into the kitchen. The kindness Ajax is showing Paimon... That quick half-hug and kiss, so inexplicably furtive... Every day, you give me more reasons to call you sweetheart. With a smile to himself and a small shake of his head, Aether decides to go ahead and get most of his musty clothes off in the bathroom.

Paimon is hovering above the lantern when Ajax returns to her ad-hoc bedroom. She's making herself comfortable with slow twirls this way and that, like a dog turning in place but on more than one axis. Her eyelids are so heavy she doesn't seem to notice him. He had to move a few things off the wall end of the counter, but his conclusion was that that was the best spot: dignified and fairly out-of-the-way.

Quietly he hangs the blanket over the shelf nearest to her. They can lift it up when they need to. The thick fabric will insulate the area and absorb the slight echo the room tends to have, but the biggest difference might be made by the charming picture of a windmill that revealed itself when he unfolded this quilt. In orange lanternlight, it becomes a windmill at sunset. It has a...homey look to it, like Aether's r— like our bedroom, with all those vibrant rugs and screens.

He hears a tiny snore. His job here is done, and his boots make no sound as he leaves Paimon to her slumber.

The bathroom is the first place he looks for Aether. It's a very short search: the door is ajar and the traveler is inside, standing by the bathtub. He's down to his undershorts and skintight crop-top, the rest of his clothes lying in a pile on the floor. At the moment when Ajax comes in, he's undoing his braid. His hair is so used to being woven and tied that it always has to be loosened up by hand before it'll hang straight and free. Today it's reluctant to the point of recalcitrance, Ajax notes from the way Aether is having to peel it apart from itself. Must be because of those caves he and the others were in earlier. They mentioned there being quite a bit of water.

He approaches his comrade and takes up some of his hair to help. To his surprise, Aether startles, turning his head sharply as if he didn't know he was there.

Aether relaxes right away when he sees who it is. Ajax is holding his hands up at chest level, eyes wide, unafraid but so very surprised it strikes Aether as comical. "Hello," the older warrior chuckles. "Why did you sneak up on me?"

Ajax drops his hands. ”I didn't mean to, hahah. I was trying not to wake up Paimon." And he forgot to stop trying.

Asleep already. "Heh." I don't know how much that says about his success in improving the kitchen for her; she could've fallen asleep an hour ago. But it was looking good to me. "Worthy cause."

"Indeed." Realizing now is the time to warm up the bath, Ajax momentarily postpones his assistance to toss a Flaming Flower pellet in the water. That done, he gets his hands on the coarsened cascade of normally silky gold. 'Normally' since he started combing it for Aether, anyway. The almost matted tangles it had before are a thing of the past, and he takes a small pride in that.

Even putting aside his fondness for Aether's hair, he doesn't have a word of criticism to say about the length. He has first-hand experience with how the long braid makes a tempting target, for an opponent who fails to anticipate how it can be used against them.

Aether decides it's good enough when it occurs to him that the bath must be ready now. He stops; looking over his shoulder causes Ajax to stop as well. The water is steamy and shows no trace of the pellet. After closing the door, Aether is the first one in, able to simply slide off his scant remaining clothes while Ajax is busy removing boots, trousers, and the rest.

Without his jacket, sash, and gloves, he looks underdressed to Aether, who settles in at one end of the tub. Not the right end to face Ajax, but that's temporary. The hot water makes him lethargic enough that switching places feels like too much effort. "I guess Noelle is still trying to fix your jacket." It seems I've gotten used to his mask not being there, though.

"Do you think we might have missed her dropping by sometime in the past couple of days?"

"Mmh... No. She would have left a note. I think she's probably been busy turning Mondstadt upside down looking for the right thread."

"Oh. It's really not necessary. I am impressed by her determination, but there are far better uses she could put it to."

"She seems to get satisfaction out of it."

"My point stands. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the source of her satisfaction is broad enough that she would lose none by spending her valuable time on something more..."

"Martial?" Aether guesses, mirth wrapping itself around the word but coming up short of a chuckle.

"Well, yes, ideally."

Before Ajax can elaborate, Aether teases him, "You want her to get stronger so she'll be more challenging to spar with."

"Hehe'hm, you have me there, although from the sound of it she lacks nothing in strength. It is skill and experience that any warrior, no matter how strong, can always benefit from."

"Preaching to the priest."

Then you agree, don't you? That interests Ajax less than getting a look at the smile he can hear in Aether's voice. He moves stealthily once more to the side of the tub; without boots on and with no rustling clothing, it would be harder for him to not be stealthy. Seeing a faint smile under tranquilly closed eyes, he crouches to fold his arms on the tub's edge. However, being that there's barely a meter between them, a pair of quiet pops in his knees is enough to tell Aether where he is. He winces not at the negligible pain of protest from his joints but at the thought of how dead he'd be if his body had made that uncontrollable sound in certain situations past.

Aether opens his eyes slowly, almost missing the wince. Almost. Human bodies make that noise all the time, but it's somewhat unusual to see someone as young as Ajax wince at it.

"This time," Ajax lets him know, "I was trying to sneak up on you. Just to see...what your face looks like when you don't know you're being observed, I suppose? Is that strange?"

"I don't think so. You can look at me whenever you want, for as long as you want." Aether ducks to wash his face and wet his hair. As he sinks down, it fans out around him, too fine to resemble seagrass as much as a golden liquid poured into the water. Shutting his eyes again, he stretches out to fully submerge himself. His face gets a bit of a scrub with his hands, then he runs them through his hair from temples to ends, just once. After that, he sits up. The water sluicing off his head leaves the fluffy hair atop it all but flattened. He blinks against the rivulets running down his face as his gaze rejoins Ajax's.

Ajax has his chin sat on his folded arms, head tilted, his soft smile ensconcing the flame of his adoration. "So I'm looking, and you...are exquisite, my love. In battle most of all, but, even at rest in a bath..." He reaches out a hand and, with one fingertip, follows the course of a rivulet along Aether's clavicle. The center of his chest is where it meets the water's surface, and where Ajax hesitates before dipping below and spreading his fingers across relaxed abs that are easier felt than seen. "I'm completely and utterly biased, I know. Looking at anyone else's body I would feel nothing. This I know with the certitude of experience. Is it because of what you can do with yours that I find it so attractive?..." That's the only theory he's come up with.

In Aether, the sum of Ajax's commentary is a buoyant sensation that has nothing to do with the water. His smile flickers wider at each remark, humble and flattered. He's sure he's been complimented on his appearance before, probably many times across the worlds and centuries, but there is no echo in his past of the meaning it has when Ajax does it. How Ajax's compliments make him feel is symmetrical to the sentiments they come from.

He's all in on the opportunity to admire Ajax, too. The beautiful smile, beautiful because it is his and its depth is rare (no longer, Aether hopes) and precious (always)... The happiness he shows when he gets to express the love inside him... This dim light makes his hair look closer to brown than orange, except for a few tufts on one side that are backlit by a candle. Those shine bright like amber, bright like the passion Ajax has for fighting and living.

Aether's admiration is silent, but on the chance that his undivided attention and the look on his face don't say enough, he touches the veins of Ajax's wrist and runs his fingers upward, slower than the thinnest drops crawling down his neck, as slow as the four parallel caresses of Ajax's fingertips across his abdomen.

His hand is taken and their fingers wander no longer, instead coming home to the spaces between one another where they fit like they were always meant to end up there.

Aether's soft, almost soundless chuckle feels like it rises from his heart rather than his lungs. "Get in here, Childe," he says, low and loving. Ever aware that he's not as good with words, he's saving the few creative compliments he's thought of for the bedroom. The tones and looks that come naturally when he and Ajax are together will have to suffice for now.

And they do. Ajax inhales a breathy little giggle, hiding behind his free hand for a second and biting the besotted smile that will rewrite the lines his face might someday have. His chest feels stuffed with joy. Not willing quite yet to let go of the hand that holds his heart (holds it close like it matters), he curls his fingers to knead at Aether's knuckles.

A whim slants Aether's smile in a playful direction. "Hmm? What is it? Do you...have a feeling for me?" he teases, pretending a little bit that they aren't already well aware of each other's sentiments. "How embarrassing, being caught having a romantic feeling about your comrade when you're about to have a totally normal, unromantic bath with him..."

Ajax laughs full-throated. He then uncoils himself from his crouch and steps into the tub. "Sounds to me like you're the one with a crush, and you're just trying to hide it by accusing me of the same~" The hot water presses a sigh out of him as it envelops his body up to the neck, pleasantly stifling. I have to take Aether to a banya one day. This bathtub is large enough that he doesn't need to fold up his legs unless he wants to submerge. His legs fit comfortably at either side of the smaller man's, and his feet can rest against that end of the tub with only a slight bending of his knees.

As Ajax lowered himself into the water, Aether drew his feet back just enough to ensure they don't brush against him. Ajax's chlen is soft and Aether's shchelka is a normal amount of wet (water notwithstanding), and he's resolved that they're going to stay that way. There will be no shortage of touch, however. Before the water has even stopped lapping at the sides of the tub from a second person getting in, he runs his hands up Ajax's left shin and calf, tracing each scar he can find interrupting the light hair there.

He picks one to ask about. "This...laceration that changes direction midway. You tried to dodge but you were too slow?"

Ajax watches, fascinated as ever by the intensity of Aether's scrutiny. "Mm-hm... Can you guess what it came from?"

Aether rubs the zig-zag scar, noting the divot in the middle where something sharp dug in before glancing off as Ajax moved. "Polearm, or animal horn."

"Haha, now pick one and I'll tell you if you're right."

That's an actual challenge. There's so much variation in polearm blades and animal horns that nothing readily distinguishes one from the other, at least not from the perspective of a traveler of worlds. Aether decides to be obtuse and give an unlikely answer: "A polearm tipped with a blade made from a horn."

"You're giving up so easily?"

"I'm not technically giving up. It could be true."

"Fair enough~ But no. It was a long, heavy lance. I got lucky with this mere graze." His master taught him to counter polearms using a black lance with a tattered banner on it. She never told him where she got it. Skirk had a large collection of weapons. When he asked about their origins, she would say that all he needed to know was what he learned by surviving them and using them.

His reminiscence melts away as Aether's fingers dig gently into his knee. He seems to be examining it, maybe searching for scars internal as well as external, but it feels like a massage. "Ah!" he gasps under his breath, tipping his head back and sinking down until it rests against the tub edge. "Mmh, oh, that feels good Aether... Not in a sexual way, just, ahh..."

Aether smiles at the little sighs and groans. Tilting his head up from an incline, he enjoys the sight of the Harbinger's eyes lightly closed under knitted eyebrows, an expression very close indeed to how he looks in sexual ecstasy but accompanied by a whole different body language. Instead of tensing up and writhing, Ajax is rapidly relaxing so much that a sleeping slime would look tense by comparison.

Some kind of babble switch is flipped on and words spill lackadaisically out of Ajax's mouth. "It's the joints that...hurt the longest after I don the armor. Ahheh, mmh, I— feel like an arthritic old man every time. The silly aches and pains linger for days, and, well, they never completely go away, anymore. I can't complain too much, though. It's a price I pay willingly. More than willing: gladly." (This he insists to the part of him that worries about it.) He twists to support himself against one side of the tub. Folding his arms on it and laying his head on them, he can crack an eye open to gaze at Aether without looking down his nose. "Archons, that feels amazing. I was such a fool to dismiss the idea of massages for so long."

"Why did you dismiss it?" It's fascinating to Aether to hear Ajax loosen his lips about the side effects of Foul Legacy. Not that he wasn't forthcoming about it—he let him know more about it than he should have, back then—but Aether didn't know how or when to inquire after the details.

Arching three fingers in the laziest possible shrug, Ajax does his best to articulate a reason he honestly never really thought through. "It seemed superfluous. Surely all the maintenance my tool of trade needs could be gotten through stretching and— exercise." A pause as his eyelids flutter shut and his lips part, nothing but slow, soft breaths passing through them for a moment. Then he licks his lips and continues. "If I was getting by just fine as it was, why take the time to lie around getting rubbed and prodded by someone? Now I think my definition of 'getting by just fine'...was not...entirely comprehensive."

And it's probably changed with the years, Aether guesses. Human bodies are resilient, to a point, but they're ultimately fragile and do not forgive repeated injury and strain. "So is this the first time you've...?"

Ajax smiles, reopening his eyes to observe Aether. "Not quite. Thoma... Aheh. He decided I wasn't relaxed enough, so he...fixed that...very effectively."

Aether smiles too at the mention of their mutual friend. "Somehow I'm not surprised he's good at massaging. Did you make all these pretty noises then, too?"

Ajax's expression pinches in embarrassment, but it remains a happy one. Happier, if anything. "No..." he mutters shyly. "I didn't make very much noise. S'pose I'm more open to it now, with you. With you I am—..." The word for it is somewhere in unmapped territory.

"...Raw?"

"Yes, exactly that!"

"That's how you make me feel, too."

Ajax beams. "It fills me with satisfaction to hear that, lyubov moy."

"We are very satisfied with ourselves and each other," Aether replies, half joking. Equal joy is reflected in the sheer warmth of his smile, smaller though it is. Those noises he commented on have become fewer and farther between; he guesses that's a fair measure by which to judge Ajax's knee adequately massaged. There's still the other one, and he plans to ensure it gets the same attention after they're out of the bath.

With his heels, Aether pulls himself forward, folding himself into a space closer to the gap between his feet and Ajax's inner thighs. "Pass the soap?"

Ajax reaches back, over his shoulder, and feels around briefly before his hand closes on the bar of soap sitting in its dish. He's mindful not to let it slip out of his wet fingers as he lifts it and passes it to Aether. "Here you go~" A faded memory crosses his mind, of chasing soap around the bottom of another tin tub long ago. His hands were small, and it was slippery like the fish papa his father brought home. It was a fun little game, but it made the bar melt faster, so one of his parents or an older sibling would always put a stop to it.

He (has told himself so many times that he) doesn't regret his childhood being torn away from him so violently that it sometimes feels like it belonged to someone else; there's no place or purpose for regret. Nevertheless, the line (the gash) that (never quite stops bleeding) separates him from his early memories is also a whetstone that sharpens their edges. This one, though... It is as soft as a favorite sweater and it doesn't feel out-of-place at all. It comes and goes in peace.

"Thanks." Aether rubs lather off the soap, then hands it back and starts working the lather into his hair.

Ajax sniffs the bar. A very subtle blend of flower, herb, and tree scents prompts him to take a deeper whiff in pursuit of anything he can identify. Lavender, maybe? A hint of mint? Myrtle?

"A friend from Mondstadt makes this soap for me," Aether tells him. "Her name is Lisa. She's good at alchemy, to say the least. I heard from a lot of people in Mondstadt that she was a highly honored student at Sumeru's Akademiya." Amusem*nt tweaks one corner of his mouth. "Now she's just the Librarian for the Knights of Favonius, and she likes it that way."

"Huh... And what are the origins of this nice smell?" Ajax gives the bar a quick dunk and then rubs it between his hands to lather them up. If the soap is good enough for Aether, it's good enough for him. The mild scent suits him, in any case, and he thinks it suits Aether too. It'd be a pity to smother the scent of his skin with something more perfumed.

"Oh, uh. She told me the ingredients...but I don't remember," Aether sheepishly confesses. "It was a busy day. I took commissions from the Adventurers' Guild and then I was asked to find Barbara and that got complicated..."

"Is that something I can make conversation with Barbara about, next time?"

"Sure. Ask her about the day with the Treasure Hoarder and the chilibrew."

They borrow the soap back and forth a few times. "I like it," Ajax concludes, snagging a washcloth from the end table. Aether, still working on his hair, doesn't need one quite yet.

"I'm glad. If there's anything else you want to use, bring it here. I wouldn't mind trying something new, either, sometimes." An idea is tickling at the back of his mind as he ties his rinsed hair into a loose bun to keep it out of the increasingly soapy water. Thoma... It sounds like he was good for Ajax. As he watches Ajax scrub his arms and idly notes how the heat has pinkened his skin, he organizes the idea into words. I wonder if he— if both of them would want to...f*ck again? With me...there? Would that be weird for Thoma? How would Ajax feel with two people...? Would it be intense for him in a good way? He'd look so—

Aether is caught staring, since he's stopped doing much of anything else. He catches a mostly-dry washcloth Ajax tosses at his face.

The traveler smirks. "I'm not that distracted. Thanks for the cloth anyway."

"Just testing my comrade's reflexes~" It was a feeble, obvious, and extremely close-range throw. In no way did it test any reflexes. But, the way of life they share is ever near and dear to Ajax. He's glad Aether seems to enjoy his sense of humor about it.

"Hmh." The gruff and minimalistic response is belied by how Aether's smirk softens before it vanishes.

Now that they both have washcloths, they don't have to take turns with the soap. They saturate the cloths with soap and get to work on themselves.

When Ajax reaches over his shoulder to start on his back, Aether grabs his elbow. Little more than a touch, really, but Ajax gets the hint and halts mid-motion, curious what Aether wants.

"Can I help?"

Ajax opens his mouth to say he's got it, but then he catches on: Aether just wants to touch him. A prickle of warmth starts in his chest and reaches his cheeks. This whole intimacy thing...it's a gift given to him again and again, coming in all shapes and sizes. "Alright, but only if you'll allow me to help you out, too~"

"Of course." Aether gives Ajax room to turn around and sit backwards. The water threatens to slosh out as they move, forcing them both to slow down, but it's still a simple enough maneuver that Aether is washing Ajax's back not a moment later.

A fleeting, unseen grin comes to the latter's face at how gently Aether strokes his skin with the washcloth. It's nice, but he can't help being amused. He's capable of enjoying a bath, of taking his time and being indulgent in what can be one of life's treats, so it's not the inefficiency that makes him react that way. He doesn't know why it hits him as something that's funny... It doesn't matter, anyway, as the mirth fades shortly after the grin does. He puts up no resistance against the tranquility of Aether doting on him; he even cooperates by rolling each shoulder and cracking his neck and then letting his head hang, chin to chest. His arms are draped over his knees, folded just enough to keep his hands from dripping over the floor.

"A lot of your older scars are certain types of slashes and punctures," Aether observes. "From claws and teeth, I think."

"Hmm. So you're asking about all of them?" Ajax is confident he'll figure out how to veer away from the full truth before things get difficult. No, he doesn't have to figure anything out: he can just tell Aether when he wants to change the subject, and that request will be respected. Knowing that, it's easy to be easygoing about this.

"If I may?"

"At the very least, I'll confirm your guess. What animal do you suppose it was?"

"Well...there aren't many bites. Most animals attack with their mouths mainly... Marks from two fangs across your right shoulder, with no evidence of any other teeth, and the same on your left shoulder, farther out. The angles aren't normal for something like a wolf...but if you were shorter at the time, maybe. It's hard to tell now, they're faded and stretched, but the claws seem...wide. And wide apart. Definitely something bigger than a—..." Aether recalls the rifthounds he found skulking around Wolvendom. Razor had described them as black wolves who broke Boreas's code; Boreas referred to them as 'an outside wolf pack.' When Aether and Paimon caught the culprits by chance while exploring the Wolvendom highlands, he had no idea what they really were, but it was obvious they weren't natural. It was a while before he encountered their ilk again. That's a very specific thing to have this many wounds from.

Ajax is just appreciating the deduction. "As perceptive as I've come to expect from you. You've probably encountered beasts that fit those clues, haven't you?" There's a chance Aether hasn't, but he's traveled so far and wide and got into so many extraordinary situations that Ajax doesn't think that's a large chance.

"Yeah. Rifthounds?"

One corner of Ajax's mouth twitches upward. "That's right. ...And that's all I'll say, for now."

Aether casually kisses the nape of his neck. "Is this guessing game fun for you, too?"

"Yes, I'm quite enjoying it, actually."

"How did you get the puncture wound here when you were in the Onmyou Chamber? You said it was a splinter?" Aether pokes the spot he remembers treating, but between that treatment and Barbara's healing, it's as if it never happened.

"Thrown back against a wall. The wall took more damage than I did, it was kind of brittle. I imagine that's one of many maintenance issues Shiki Taishou is addressing."

"Mm-hm. You're looking forward to seeing him again?"

"Of course! We really did become friends in that time, or so I'd like to think. He has no allegiances beyond the legacy he has chosen to uphold, which leaves very little reason for him to care what I do outside his realm."

"Were you really going to sneak off and not say goodbye to anyone?" There's no reproach in the question, even though it's saddening to Aether to think what wouldn't have happened if Paimon hadn't yelled at Ajax to come back.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. I wasn't lying when I said I was looking for a place to put my feet up. The Chamber was a safe place to rest, at that point. As for whether I thought I would have another chance to say goodbye to you...no. No, I didn't expect to see you again for some time, perhaps not until your journey took you to Snezhnaya."

Aether is halfway down Ajax's back with his leisurely washing. He's alternating between soft up-and-down strokes and slow, circular scrubs. "Do you think you'd be reassigned from Liyue by then?"

"Ahah. Weeell...that would be my hope. I like Liyue, but you know I'd hate to be stuck there forever. Coming to Inazuma was like being let out of the kennel knowing I'd have to go back in." Ajax places derisive emphasis on the word 'kennel.' A caged dog... A hunting hound reduced to some kind of house pet... "Whether I'd end up in Snezhnaya at the same time as you, I didn't know. Taking some vacation time to make sure of it wasn't out of the question. I hoped it wouldn't come to that, that the Tsaritsa would see the value in having me around on account of my prior experiences with you. But, by that time, I'd become capable of imagining that I might remain disused far longer than I had previously expected."

Why would she do that? Aether has wondered this more and more as he's learned about Ajax's predicament. Why is she doing it? Is it the Tsaritsa's decision, or someone else's?

His first tentative assumption was incompetence: she didn't know how to keep her 'weapons' content and sharp. Almost as immediately, he thought the Tsaritsa might just not have any use yet for Ajax's...signature approach to problem-solving. But then he thought about it more and came back to incompetence, because Ajax isn't all that loose of a cannon in reality. He carried out the non-violent stages of his initial mission in Liyue very smoothly, as far as Aether saw. For someone who craves battle at every waking moment, he has profound self-control. He lacks the anger issues that can make a normal person dangerous and unpredictable; he is dangerous because he chooses to be, when he chooses to be. He's a trained warrior, a true martial artist, not a lurching drunk mindlessly looking for a fight outside a tavern.

But underestimating an Archon would be a mistake, so Aether hasn't been able to come to a conclusion he has any certainty of. There's at least one possibility that the Tsaritsa has been intentional about sidelining Ajax: that her plan is to bore and frustrate him until, for a chance at a major role in a conflict, he'd completely abandon his principles and not look back. Aether doesn't know if that would ever really happen. Though he loves Ajax, admires his strength of character, and has no small amount of faith in him, he can't deem it impossible. He has also been aware of the possibility that the Tsaritsa knows things about her Eleventh Harbinger that he, a new arrival in Ajax's life, doesn't.

All those considerations are background to the questions that have returned to his mind. He's no closer to answers, and neither is Ajax.

Aether doesn't say anything before Ajax speaks again. His thoughts quickly turned from his ongoing woes to something that hindsight has sweetened. "...I knew also that if I said goodbye to you, I would say more than I intended." The nervous embarrassment he had to hide in the end by turning away from Aether is such a vivid memory that thinking back to it almost makes him blush. "I knew my tongue was going to get away from me. Responding to Paimon's call seemed like a bad idea. Yet I did, and the next thing I knew, I was all but confessing sentiments to you that I couldn't understand in the first place."

Aether leans in. His nose squishes against the back of Ajax's neck as he lays his face there, and he has to turn his head to one side to reply. His voice is especially quiet, heavy with affection for the man in front of him. "It...what you said, it...meant a lot to me. It went straight to my heart. And not just because you happened to compare me to a star—to stars. But maybe because you chose those specific words, I started to see how close to my heart you already were. You could reach it because you were already so close."

Ajax leans back. With hints carefully given through his movements, he gets into Aether's arms, the washcloth slipping away, and he lets his weight rest against his comrade's chest.

"Yeah," Aether whispers, his breath on Ajax's cheek. "Just like that."

With a turn and tuck of his head, Ajax nestles half his face into the region of Aether's jawline. Once the water calms, there are no sounds in the room except their breathing, the occasional swallow, and, when Ajax listens for them, their pulses.

Unbeknownst to Ajax, Aether's eyelashes are wet with a few barely-shed tears. His beloved comrade's weight is easy to support, the pressure on his chest defining itself as 'belonging.' He belongs here. Ajax belongs here. Here: where the lines of their lives intersect. Anywhere that may be, as long as those lines form a diagram of love.

Chapter 25: Day 15: I fear no thing as long as you're with me

Chapter Text

Ajax gives Aether's back the same benediction. Slow, stroking sweeps along the chiseled contours of his trapezius, teres, and latissimus muscles, for a start. He knows their names; Skirk taught him many of them, and she told him their names were adopted into Khaenri'ahn from a far older language. "The same language that your name belongs to." She'd peered down at him with such a strange expression when she said that...

There was so much in the Abyss he didn't understand. So much he still doesn't understand. Skirk's occasional cryptic remarks rarely clarified anything that wasn't necessary for his combat training.

Aether asks to be reminded what the human body's muscles are called in Teyvat. Ajax whispers them in his ear as he traces them with his thumb, embracing the excuse to take even longer at his task.

It's why Aether asked.

They notice the heat fade from the water. They don't let it hurry them.

Ajax almost pulls Aether into his arms twice before the washing is done. He spent long minutes—five? ten?—reclining in Aether's, thinking of nothing but the sounds of their lifesigns and the feel of his heart pumping blood through his body. Now he wants to wrap himself around the man like an octopus, wet and clinging. There's nothing more to it than that.

Eventually he gets to do exactly that. Aether welcomes it—him, his affection. No reason needed.

Aether stretches his legs out and nests his back into the concave of Ajax's front as his larger frame hunches over him. Flush and tight against each other from neck to pelvis, with Ajax's thighs hugging his hips, Aether doesn't care to concern himself with whether they're going to arouse each other. That's not the mood they're in. In these quiet minutes, the magnetism between them is as simple as it gets. He reaches up to lay his hand on the back of Ajax's neck. It doesn't stay there without effort, liable to slide down if Aether lets it. He makes the effort to keep it there because it's a way of holding, even while it's not his turn to do the holding.

Ajax's way had been to cross his arms over Aether's, tucking his hands under so they wouldn't slip. It felt like a hug to Aether, and the meaning that Ajax appreciated his embrace did not go amiss.

"So," Ajax murmurs into his neck.

When he doesn't continue, Aether wonders if he misheard. "...So?" His own voice barely rises above his breath.

A brief smile against his skin. Ajax does not lift his head or even tilt it to unmuffle himself. "The scar acrosh the topf obf your back."

Aether exhales a huff of amusem*nt that turns into a quiet laugh when Ajax softly nips the bend between neck and shoulder. "Stop that," he whines without being able to mean it.

Ajax does stop, if only because he wants an answer. In his defense he mutters, "You're sho biteable."

"Hmm. I'd bite you back, but that would encourage you. Are you going to guess how I got that scar or not?"

"Mmph." A mere thoughtful noise sounds like a harrumph under the circ*mstances. Ajax adds a sigh through his squished nose, lamenting that he won't be bitten. The compressed rush of air on damp skin almost makes Aether shiver: he tenses slightly, just for a second.

The low-hanging fruit is where Ajax starts. "Slash. Deeper 'an it looks? No, your spine ish right there..." He's keeping in mind what his otherworldly comrade said about not scarring easily. When something does leave a scar, is it less of a mark? Does it fade faster?

"There are some venoms that make me scar even if the wound is small. The kind that cause death of flesh. My body fights it off, but not without...showing signs of the battle."

"Nehrotic," Ajax supplies contemplatively. He finally raises his head, sacrificing the luxury of having his face pressed against Aether, and thinking himself magnanimous for doing so. It's all so he can enunciate the word Aether was looking for. "Necrosis. That'd be the noun, necrotic is the adjective. I had a brush with a necrotizing infection once, and there you have the verb. It gave me that purplish line on my right leg."

Aether knows the one. "I see. How'd you get the infection? And the wound?"

"It must have been the stream I waded through that day. It was summer, and it was in the south of Snezhnaya. No ice, but the water was still cold enough to be refreshing. I'd forgotten all about the open cut; going for a dip was an error in judgment." Skirk taught him better than that. Infection wasn't a major concern in the Abyss, as the life down there is limited. Other dangers lurk in its bodies of water. But, on the day he's talking about, he'd just finished repainting the halls of an extravagant estate in red, and he was riding high on the joy of it. At least he took the first signs of infection seriously. "It was a lesson learned." He shrugs. "As for the 'wound,' it was nothing special. A small cut from a glorified guard who managed to keep me busy for a few moments."

"That doesn't sound like nothing special." Glorified guard? How glorified? Aether lets his hand drop from Ajax's neck. He spreads it over the top of his right thigh, instead, and reaches down the outside, his fingertips going straight to the scar. He's already familiar with it: a purple-red groove about two inches long. He twists his hand to an angle and lays his middle finger in the line. It fits like a cart's rear wheel in the track of its front.

"I didn't say the occasion wasn't special~ Before I tell you the story, let me guess at yours."

"Alright."

"You were struck in a wide arc. A poisoned blade isn't out of the question. The other possibility would be natural venom from the...sharp end of some beast." No parallel marks from a typical set of claws or teeth, and no point speculating on the anatomical armaments of creatures from a whole different world—even if an old, young part of him would do that for hours, given the inspiration. If Aether hadn't specified venom, he'd consider a mundane mishap likely: anything from stumbling into a foul puddle to having bad luck with a makeshift bandage. "Hmm... Clipped by a long blade from behind?"

"Something like that. All I remember is what they were trying to do. They—." Aether's pause is abrupt. He was about to have to mention his wings. Saving that for a better moment. It'd be more fun to bring it up when...when we're not sitting in used bathwater that's gone neutral-temperature. Heh, maybe we should get out of here. With a deep breath he turns around in Ajax's arms and pecks a kiss on his brow. "Let's continue this in our room."

It seems to Ajax as if the topic may have troubled Aether. He's tense as he slips out of his arms. Ajax fails to appreciate his ass being right in front of his face when he stands up, focused on trying to interpret the sudden efficiency of how he steps out of the bath and towels himself off. Belatedly, Ajax gets out too. Not bothering to grab his Vision, he dries himself with a towel as well. He doesn't stop watching Aether, but he becomes more discreet about it.

It takes a minute before Aether notices that the silence isn't quite a comfortable one. He looks up from tying his hanfu, now trying to suss out his mood in turn. "Is everything okay?"

Ajax smiles, but there's an underlying frown that turns it into a wan grimace. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Did...what we were talking about remind you of something...?"

"Oh. No, it's fine. It did remind me of something, but it's...it's fine." Aether felt fine until he had to say that and discovered that it tasted like a lie.

Forgive me if I doubt that. You're pensive. For the time being, Ajax says nothing. He just touches the back of Aether's head to draw him in and kisses the top of it. Then, with a real smile, he uses two fingers to perk up the sprig of hair at the center. It was well on its way to recovering, now that it's dry and towel-tousled, but he couldn't resist playing with it.

This is for me, too. Putting it in a different context. I just hope it doesn't become the rest of our evening. Maybe I shouldn't— The kiss doesn't make him smile, but the dawn of a bright smile on Ajax's face does. It takes a second for him to realize what Ajax is smiling about and why he felt a slight tug on his scalp.

It hurts to be loved this much, and it doesn't take a grand gesture or an ode to remind him that he is. Right now, Ajax's ease and genuineness around him is enough. Aether has felt heartache before, and he never understood how it can be so physical. It's also hard to understand how that same feeling can come from happiness. At this very moment he grasps that it's because tending wounds can be painful, and Ajax has been tending his deepest, freshest wounds. (Setting what Lumine broke.) It's easy to imagine those battered, beautiful hands gently wrapping bandages. Gentler to him than they'd ever be toward Ajax's own self.

They can both patch themselves up. They can keep themselves going. It's so much easier with a helping hand, though.

He borrows Ajax's hand and kisses it.

After that, the last step of getting dressed is their earrings. Ajax reaches for his where he left it. What his normally precise fingers land on is Aether's earring, right next to his on the bathside table. He hesitates, glancing at Aether for...permission?

In answer, Aether silently takes the red earring and hooks it through his own lobe, looking straight at Ajax as he does so. His blond hair, released from the pseudo-bun he'd tied it into, backgrounds the red color so prettily Ajax questions why either of them thought it didn't match.

An almost nervous warmth blooms in Ajax, lighting his face with a small smile. The feather on Aether's earring brushes against his neck as he puts it on, not quite tickling. I want to get used to this, too. When he's wearing it, every brush of that feather is reminiscent of his boyfriend's kind touches. He'd asked Aether for something of his to wear or carry with him in his pocket, but, he thinks, maybe this is that thing after all. Something that'll never let him forget he has a home to get back to, one that will welcome him wholeheartedly.

"And here we have it!" Ajax announces as he closes the door behind them, sweeping a grand gesture toward the crate of spoils from his day's adventure. It's sitting on the dresser at the end of their bed, open but too high up for Aether to see its contents. That wasn't his intention—it was just a not-bad place to set it. Smug and beaming, he moves to the dresser in two springy steps and lowers the crate to the floor. "I found that shop and it was well-stocked." Was it? He can't be sure, but it sure seemed like it. Well enough to provide him and Aether a lot of new options and ideas. "Come take a look!"

Aether grins. You look so pleased with yourself, he thinks of Ajax with an internal chuckle. You should be. They crouch on opposite sides of the crate, arms on their knees. Aether's hanfu sleeves slip back to his elbows; Ajax always has his rolled up, just like his shirt.

Ajax sets aside a very large bottle of Hydro slime condensate lube and a box of wax play candles, balances a twelve-inch tortoiseshell tagaigata across his thighs, and then digs out the strap-on harness. He presents it to Aether dangling from his upturned palm. "Is this what you wanted, my darling dear?"

The double endearment shorts out Aether's brain, or maybe it's Ajax's joyful intonation, which has a very particular intensity to it that comes off sounding coy, almost teasing. That familiar lilt coils around the words like giftwrap and pretty ribbons. It warms Aether all over, flinging any sadness far, far away.

Ajax sees Aether freeze with his eyes widened. He gets the sense it's a positive reaction. He notices after a second, though, that Aether is looking directly at his face, not the harness. A flattered butterfly flutters in his stomach and his expression turns a tad sheepish. He can feel the tops of his ears redden. "What?... You're supposed to be looking at this," he wiggles his fingers demandingly, "and answering my question." He sounds shy, he himself can hear that, but it's not due to any worry. There's a light in Aether's eyes, a hint of an upturn to his eyebrows, and an uneven tilt to his mouth that Ajax recognizes altogether as adoration.

Aether swallows. "Sorry, I'm just...having a moment with your voice."

Ajax arches his eyebrows, canting his head up and to one side. "Should I leave you two alone?~"

That makes Aether laugh, a quiet snicker of a giggle. He snags the strap and looks it over. "Yes. This is what I wanted." Leaning over the crate, he raises his eyebrows. "Not the only option you got us." There's a large pile of leather straps half-concealing some items, but it's impossible to miss the several dild*s and plugs. He's quick to realize the twelve-inch thing on Ajax's lap is just double-ended. "Nothing too big." Nodding in approval, he puts a limit on his commentary.

"Why is it that you think I'd have my eyes on something bigger?"

"You like challenges." Aether looks up at him. "Especially challenges of body."

"Haha, you're not wrong. Strength, endurance, stamina, speed, dexterity, agility... I'd have a hard time turning down a challenge to any of those. That would fall under 'endurance,' I guess."

Aether smiles and glances away. To him, for a moment, Ajax's face is a sun too bright to look directly at. It's a passing feeling, nonsensical and pleasant: he won't go blind, but his heart might burst. Soft cheeks and secret freckles, sharp nose and chin. The coppery curtains of hair that cover most of Ajax's forehead are nearly back to normal after being washed; how that one in the middle doesn't tickle the bridge of his nose, Aether has no idea. The sides and back are shaggy, now that Ajax hasn't had a haircut for some time, fluffing out as much as they grow down—like feathers. Faint shadows and lines of fatigue remain around his eyes, but those ocean eyes shine so bright right now...

Before Aether knows it, he's gazing into the ocean once more.

Ajax plants his elbows on the crate's edge and puts his fists together under his chin, regarding Aether with amusem*nt and bemusem*nt both. "My voice again?"

Aether purses his still-smiling lips in a comfortable kind of embarrassment before admitting, "This time it was your face."

"You're going to make my face blush," Ajax grumbles through his own smile.

Aether leans over the crate, bracing himself on it with his hands. He kisses Ajax's cheekbones, once each. The tip of his nose brushes against the lashes of temporarily closed eyes. It's tempting to stay, despite the awkwardness of his position, but he reins himself in.

Ajax has to stop himself from chasing after Aether, too. He's taken by the memory of how they acquainted themselves with each other's faces after sparring. In hindsight that memory is heavenly through and through, regardless of the adrenaline-crash depression that precipitated Aether's attempt to comfort him. Calling that attempt a success would be a vast understatement. As if it was too long ago already, he craves the slow nuzzling-together of every part of their faces in every combination. They've done similar since, but... He can never get enough of the things he enjoys most.

Aether is smirking knowingly at him.

Ajax clears his throat. "Uh, anyway..." He grabs up a random object: the box of sounding rods. "I don't know if you'd like to try this sort of thing on me one day, and it's quite alright if you don't, it's just a...an idea I didn't have until I saw these. Actually I'm not sure how I feel about it, not entirely, but I'm more than willing to find out."

Aether nods but says, "I don't know how to use those." Or at least he doesn't think he knows.

"They come with instructions, I believe." Ajax turns the box over a few times. There's no sound of rolling or clinking inside, but there is a little bit of weight to it. Maybe the rods are slotted into a leather roll, like a knife set. His gaze flits to the one thing he purchased from Saboten no Hana's book section.

Aether is finding all the adjustment points on the strap when Ajax pulls a large book from underneath a coiled line of clips that look very much like clothespins. "And we have this!"

The traveler nibbles on his lower lip as it's curved by a small grin. On the red canvas cover, common-language words are engraved in bold and painted black, almost filling it from top to bottom, one by one, like a list: Bondage, Discipline, Dominance, Submission, Sadism, Masochism. "That'll be helpful," Aether murmurs, repositioning an arm to pinch his chin thoughtfully. Maybe we should read it from start to finish?

"Right? You know, it was very enlightening, going through the store and buying all this." Ajax springs up, stepping away to find a home for the book. Fortunately the shelves are tall; Aether's book collection is so diverse that cramped little shelves would be useless to him. "Is this spot alright? Do you have a system for these? I wouldn't want to make a mess of it."

"I try to group things together by where they're from, but that doesn't work for everything. Like general reference books like that one. Put it by the bed, I guess." A convenient place for what it is.

There's already a stack of books on the floor at the window-facing side. Balancing it atop those would be possible, but too precarious to be convenient, so Ajax sets it on the nightstand next to them.

He rejoins Aether, who is moving aside parts of the sex swing kit to see what slipped under it: small objects like the sphere- and egg-shaped insertables, the spiky wheel, the crop Ajax got specifically for the nipple clamps, the clamps themselves, the co*ck ring, the smallest of three glass butt plugs, and one of the smaller bottles of lube.

Aether keeps his face neutral, concealing his eagerness. "Enlightening, huh? Mind if I ask you about your thoughts on all these, tomorrow morning?"

Ajax is quite certain of his response. The smile it comes with is confident and his reply sounds like a dare. "Sure, but only if you're going to use at least one of them on me once your curiosity is sated~"

"Deal. I want to do that anyway." Aether gets up and heads for the sofa, gesturing for Ajax to follow.

They sit down, each turning to face the other unprompted.

Aether's straightforward way of speaking inclines him to just tell Ajax to lie down, but he stops himself. It's funny to him that although he has to be careful not to be too commanding outside of the right time, it's not for the original reason. His worries about accidentally coercing Ajax have been assuaged for the most part. "Lie back, please? And, uh, do you mind if I take off your pants?"

Ajax quirks his eyebrows as he makes himself comfortable with his shoulders against the armrest, elbows digging into the cushion to keep him somewhat upright. Whatever Aether has in mind, he wants to see. "So forward. I thought we were waiting until morning?~"

"I'm just going to massage your knee," Aether states, giving him a good-natured dry smile. "The other one." Of course he'd love to lean down and suck on Ajax, envelop his chlen while it's still soft and feel it expand in his mouth. Maybe they have time for a quick— no, Aether doesn't want it to be quick. He's not sure he could resist drawing it out as long as possible. He wants to ruin Ajax's composure and leave him breathless and tired.

He's never been so grateful that no one can see his cl*t swell.

Ajax's composure is compromised as soon as Aether presses fingertips into his bared knee. His breath is arrested at the back of his throat, and a second later that stalled inhale starts over as a quiet gasp. Exhaling a deep sigh just as quietly, he feels like his eyes might be rolling back a little as they close. How had he already started to forget how good this feels? His head drops back. Relaxation spreads through his whole body until his elbows slide out from under him, and he sags against the armrest in a slightly awkward position that he doesn't care to adjust.

The gratifying sight of his beloved melting again threatens to melt Aether in turn. The soft frown is back and Ajax's jaw hangs slightly, small sounds of relief falling from his lips. His leg is limp under Aether's hands, and soon the other one slides off the sofa, heel landing on the rug.

"...Ahh, thanks..." Ajax whispers.

"It's my pleasure," Aether whispers back truthfully. "Seeing you like this is...a great reward."

Ajax trusts him enough to believe that's true.

This kind of relaxation is like being in an especially hot and humid banya with air thick enough to make him feel like he's being cooked in soup. His lungs have been filling slower and slower, his irregular groans and whimpers fading into steady sighs.

He could fall asleep like this in the middle of the day, and it's well past dark. But he's not finished with this day. He doesn't want to sleep yet.

Never before has he thought that twenty four hours is not enough. The sleep cycle is an important part of training, a chance for the body to recover and the mind to integrate what has been learned. Even in the Abyss where time was of the essence—because he was starting from zero, and his survival depended on mastering combat—Skirk admonished him for lying awake when he should have been sleeping. He couldn't sleep because he was scared and in pain. She resorted to singing haunting songs in a language he didn't understand. They were effective: not being able to understand the words gave his overactive mind nothing to grasp.

So he has always accepted the limits of time, more or less. He has accepted many things.

His days with Aether are just too short, though. They feel long, but never long enough.

Things they wanted to talk about nag not-unpleasantly at the back of his mind until he dredges complete thoughts out of the soup and ladles them up as spoken words. "...You wanted to ask me about something." More than one thing. He leaves it up to Aether to decide which.

"Hmm... I want to know what you were like when you were a kid."

Ajax almost smirks. This is going to be full of surprises for his comrade. Opening one eye, then both, he flashes a drowsy smile at Aether. Folding his arms under his head puts him in a comfortable position to observe the other man's reactions. "Apart from the fishing trips with my father, I spent most of my time indoors. Some chores took me outside, but when it came to my free time, I preferred reading. That was enough to earn the moniker of 'botanist.'"

Aether can tell the returns from the massage are starting to diminish for now. He eyes Ajax's elbows sticking out at either side of his head. Arms next? Or go down? "I'm going to guess it was adventure stories you liked most. But that wasn't all you read, was it."

"Right. Anything I could get my hands on, fiction or not. I wore out the binding on an old book about swords and swordsmanship." Wryly he muses, "That book wasn't very helpful, as it turned out. It was much too focused on competitive sparring. Civilized, rule-bound, the stakes of survival absent and the killing instincts wrung out. When I actually had a sword in my hand and deadly foes to deal with, I had to unlearn all that." He catches himself digressing and his reflex is to retreat to safer ground. He wonders, though... How far could he keep going in that direction before clamming up, when it's Aether listening?

Not the time to test that. He diverts before Aether has time to ask any follow-up questions. "Fiction was more fun, however. Unrealistic stories written in dense, fanciful prose about heroes rising from nothing to slay dragons and save towns. Then there were all the legends and old tales—you have no idea how many Ivans there are in Snezhnayan folklore. There's often a magical, speaking horse that the hero can summon with a word. He stores his weapons and plot devices in the horse's ear." Ajax chuckles. "That's one way of explaining where a warrior draws their weapons from, huh? Encountering the witch Baba Yaga and her house on chicken feet is another staple of the old tales, as are the waters of life that the hero's allies use to revive him—no matter how thoroughly his body has been destroyed."

There's finally a pause. Aether has slowed the massage nearly to a stop, part by intention and part by distraction. He's been a rapt listener, watching Ajax as much as Ajax has been watching him. Realizing how little he has provided in terms of reactions for his studious comrade to watch, he's almost sorry about that. He now smiles his appreciation of the fascinating ramble. "Are all those heroes men?" Gender roles vary between every culture on every planet in every world. Retrieving Ajax's pants, he herds them up his legs 'til Ajax can tug them the rest of the way without moving much.

"Oh, no. Most of them, perhaps. There's definitely a stereotype and his name is Ivan." Ajax chuckles again. "And I suppose I was drawn to the male heroes because I saw my father as one of them, and myself—..." It's no trouble to admit that he wanted to become one of them, but he suddenly doesn't know how to say that.

"...As one of them, too? Someday maybe?"

"Yes." Ajax laughs, too loud and too long.

That's the first time he's looked away since they started talking. Aether suspects he understands; Ajax wasn't secretive about his certainty that the truth of what he does will disappoint his younger siblings. He talks so little about his older siblings, who know the truth already, that Aether can guess it's an expectation based on prior experience. Teucer thinks of him as a metaphorical hero for being a toy salesman, and Tonia thinks of him as a knight. The reality is dark, and there's no getting around that. "Kind of a bad guy."

"Sounds like you were a cute kid," is what Aether says, a few beats after Ajax stops laughing. He says it with a thoughtful smile at him, sincere and full of love for the adult in front of him. At the same time he folds up Ajax's right leg so he can massage his ankle. Here, his fingers are less sure. Knees are one of the most common pain points in humans, and when he put his hands on Ajax's he could sense that he had extensive experience with them. Ankles, maybe not as much, but evidently some.

Ajax almost sinks into the 'were,' but his eyes go back to Aether's face, and the blatantly loving smile pulls him up by an unspoken 'are': Aether thinks he's cute now and he's said so several times. It's a description he never once wished someone would apply to him; he wants people to know him by his strength. Internally he makes a reflexive attempt to dismiss it as frivolous, but he's too smart for his own tricks when the truth is literally right in front of him. He can't deny that it feels good to be called all the things Aether calls him, and even better to be looked at this way. For so long, no one else did—apart from a few who sneered around the word 'cute,' like older recruits and officers before he developed his reputation for violently putting the lie to such remarks, or like Signora, who witnessed the self-control that he'd developed by the time they met.

The ankle massage doesn't shock a gasp out of him, but 'nice' wouldn't do it justice. It earns a guttural sigh and he lets his eyelids fall. "...Tak khorosho..."

"Yes?" Aether hopes his fond amusem*nt at the reversion to Snezhnayan isn't misplaced.

Ajax smiles without opening his eyes. These sensations make him so lazy. "Just saying it's good." His expression quickly slackens to peaceful neutrality.

"Want to move to bed?"

"No, not yet. I don't want to fall asleep. Rather be awake with you a while longer... Do you feel that way? Like there aren't enough hours in the day? Ah, but you're always so busy, it must not be a new problem for you at all?"

"I feel it more now," Aether can readily answer. "And I feel more selfish about my time now." If all goes well, they have plenty of time ahead of them. He doesn't want to dwell on how easy it would be for things to not go well. Ajax could die any day from one poorly-picked or unavoidable fight, and it makes Aether nervous to acknowledge that he doesn't know where to start looking for immortality for him. Every time he has to tell himself they have time, both of those thoughts are there.

"We have always...had enough time."

It doesn't help that that too-fresh memory is always there, too.

"Aether?" Ajax is concerned by the frown on his beloved's face and the sudden distance in his eyes. The gentle prompt seems to startle Aether somewhat as it brings him back to the here and now. There's a vulnerable instant, a glimpse of sadness, before he refocuses on Ajax and sweeps it under his natural stoicism.

"Sorry, I..." What am I apologizing for? What did he see? How do I get back to better conversations now? I don't know what to say. Think of something. "I don't—..." —want to talk about it. Except I do. But I don't. I don't want to. How much longer can I keep it—...? He rubs Ajax's ankle aimlessly like a worry stone.

Not knowing whether Aether needs to say something or needs an excuse not to, Ajax sits up and simply hugs him. You're not having the easiest of nights, are you, comrade. It's alright.

Squeezed around the shoulders, Aether migrates his hands to Ajax's sides and follows solid ribs to clutchable back muscles. So warm. Tears well under his lightly shut eyelids, but Ajax holds him together. As long as they're in each other's arms, Aether can keep his boiling fear of loss off the burner until it stops bubbling, even if it remains scalding-hot.

Ajax twines some of his fingers into Aether's hair. He plays with it, using the small motions to ward off his inevitable itch for physical activity—a minor itch that will soon pass, under the circ*mstances. A story might cheer him up. Now, which one...?

Aether barely feels the gentle tugs on his hair from Ajax weaving his fingers in and out of it. It's nice anyway. He lowers his arms, settling them into a limp loop around Ajax's hips.

Feeling Aether relax, Ajax smiles into a kiss on the side of his head. There, his hair is a mane of silky tufts, all dry by now, and it tickles Ajax's nose. He sniffs away the tickle, then proposes, "I can tell you a story or two that'll go some way toward answering your question. Oh, and they're happy stories."

"Tell me," Aether invites.

With some shifting and shuffling, they recline. Lying on his right hip, an elbow propping him up, Ajax presses himself into the sofa's back cushions while the other man figures out how he wants to lie down. In a moment, Aether is lying more or less supine, tilted toward Ajax. He tucks a leg between the knees he massaged, and Ajax entangles their legs further. Their hands find use smoothing out the wrinkles and ride-ups of each other's pajamas.

"I get to tell you a little more about my motherland with this story, too," Ajax whispers, his enthusiasm coming through—even without the fullness of his voice—in the way his intonation dances over each word. "Have you ever heard a lake talk? Some lakes in Snezhnaya are frozen over for most of the year, and the thick ice cracks frequently without breaking. And when it cracks, that is when it 'talks.' It's the strangest sound: like the report of a rifle in a canyon, the snap of a whip, or...a whale's song." He grins. "When you're out fishing at night, it can be startling...to put it mildly."

Staring up at him, Aether whispers back a request. "Will you show it to me?" He knows Ajax will. Aether asks because he yearns for him to know how eager he is to be shown all the things in Teyvat that inspire these fervent little soliloquies. They always make him feel like he's being let in on a secret, as if Snezhnaya's natural splendors exist only for Ajax and those he shares them with. It's not untrue: Aether wants to see them the way Ajax sees them, not through just anyone's eyes.

"Gladly, moye serdtse. I want to take you ice fishing on the same lake my father and I fished, where I first heard those incredible sounds." Glancing aside for a second, Ajax chuckles at the memory he's about to relate. He scratches his nose and lightly lays that hand on Aether's chest after it serves that purpose. "One of the first fishing trips he let me come along on, though I don't think it was the very first...it was so early in the morning and so cloudy that it was pitch black except for our lantern. We had just got set up to drop a line in when the cracking started. I can't recall if my father had tried to forewarn me beforehand. When— ah...mh..."

Aether has borrowed his arm and is starting to massage the elbow. It makes Ajax close his eyes and roll his head back against the sofa cushion, just breathing in and out as he gets used to the weird new sensation. It feels good only intermittently at first. "...How, no, why and when did you learn how to do this?"

The traveler closes his eyes too. Focusing on his task and the frayed end of the thread connected to it, he recollects, "Once...at least once, Lumine and I decided to stay on one planet in one world for a whole human lifespan. We had a friend there, who we met when they were young. They told us we should try slowing down for a while, and we agreed. We thought it would help us understand humans. We promised our friend we'd stay until they died. So we did. About halfway through their life they developed..." Aether rummages for a more specific translation but goes with, "A joint pain disease. I learned how to do this for them."

It happens to be easy, tonight, for Ajax not to think about his own mortality and what it could mean for Aether. His mortality is itself temporary, and the pain it could inflict on the man who loves him is just a hypothetical that won't come to pass.

Mortal or not, he can't compare himself and his accumulating aches to someone with a joint disease. (He refuses to.) "Huh! And you've never stuck around someplace longer than that?"

"Maybe, but I don't think so. We usually stayed a year or two. Uhm, by 'year' I mean a full cycle of seasons. Years are different lengths on different planets. Teyvat's day and night cycles are actually kind of short compared to a lot of the planets we've been to lately. Not enough to make an important difference...just enough that I noticed for the first few months. Night kept coming sooner than I expected." Aether didn't feel like he slept long enough, either, but the nightmares were more to blame for that.

"Really? That's..." Interesting, and weird to think about, but not very interesting and not terribly weird. It's information that contextualizes what he's learning about Aether and his travels, so he's sure it's getting filed away somewhere in the back of his mind for later use. At the moment, he makes one connection: "So even if you had a manageable age to count the years of, adding up so many different years would be..."

"Impossible." Aether shrugs. He moves Ajax's arm and begins massaging his wrist. It crackles and pops numerous times, eliciting some nearly-inaudible grunts of discomfort from Ajax between sighs of something like pleasure.

This time, Ajax lets his head droop forward, coming to rest temple to temple on Aether's. He feels one set of fingers leave his wrist, and receives a sweet stroke on his cheek before they return to it.

"So, when you heard the ice crack...?"

"Ah, yes. The sound came from all around us and nowhere, it seemed. I was thoroughly bundled up for the cold, but it was terror that froze me in place." He tells it like a ghost story. "My father put his hand on my shoulder and said something, but I didn't listen to him as I panicked, certain we were about to be plunged into the water and that we'd die of hypothermia if we didn't drown first. Terror curdled into horror when I realized that even if my feet would move, I had no chance of outrunning the multiplying cracks under the snow. We'd walked far from shore, placing ourselves at the lake's mercy for tomorrow's supper, and that mercy was at an end, or so I thought." A pause for effect.

"So it felt even more dramatic than you're making it sound." Aether can't keep the affection out of what he meant to be a dry quip.

Ajax giggles under his breath at both of them. "Ohh, you don't know the half of it. Prepare yourself for a surprise." He raises his head to see Aether's face, a mirthful smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Aether opens his eyes to give Ajax the expectant stare he seems to expect.

"No one outside my hometown knows this, but back then, I was afraid of everything," he confides with a light heart. None of his childhood scares and worries compare to what marked the end of that childhood. What all his old phobias amount to is whatever fun he can have by playing up the revelation, with the one person he's ever talked about it to. "Oh, not heights though! Never heights, but ladders...hahaha, I couldn't set foot on them."

The high-eyebrowed look of surprise Aether gives him is not a handout: he's genuinely amazed that someone could undergo such a complete transformation. A wisp of deja vu assures him he has witnessed and heard of huge changes in personality before, but that doesn't make it any easier to imagine Ajax being afraid of...anything as mundane as a ladder, much less 'everything.' The only fears he can imagine Ajax having, in fact, are a select few matters of infinite importance, like losing or hurting one of his siblings.

Aether's tongue separates from the roof of his mouth with an inadvertent tsk as he starts to say something, but he doesn't have any words at the ready. Asking what changed is out of the question—he'd rather not go that deep tonight, and he's almost certain Ajax doesn't want to be asked about it yet.

Ajax slips his hand free of the stalled wrist massage and runs a fingertip across Aether's lower lip. "You look like a fish with your mouth open like that~" The thoughts conjured by how soft his darling's lips are right now are much more flattering: half-baked compliments and all kinds of vaguely-imagined kisses threaten to distract him.

It's good, Aether thinks, that Ajax doesn't leave his finger on his lip. It'd be so tempting to do something suggestive to it just because he could. "Well, that was a surprise," he concurs with the earlier warning to prepare for one. "Uh... Everything, you said?"

"Mmnn, not small spaces." Ajax effects a shrug not with his shoulders but with a brief tilt of his head. "Nor large spaces. Strangers, yes, and the dark, yes. Going downstairs in the dark was something I avoided if I could. If it wasn't an errand I could beg one of my older siblings to do in my stead, I brought a light, and on the way back up, I ran as fast as I could, and shut the door behind me before the feeling of being pursued could catch up to me~"

Aether is starting to smile uncontrollably. He tries to restrain it with his teeth, biting the same lip that can't forget Ajax's touch.

Ajax can't help teasing him, though he fails to school his own expression into anything resembling offense. "H'ohh? You think it's funny? I'll have you know it was very serious! Every day was a struggle against the things that go bump in the night, tasks too frightful to accomplish, and the mockery of my peers~" Those are exaggerations, but not by much. It all seemed serious at the time, especially as his yearning to have his own adventures grew, and the pitch of the conflict between that wish and his fears heightened.

Aether reaches up and slips a caress under Ajax's forelocks. The hair is hanging at an angle, just off his skin, thanks to the way he's leaning over. Delicately scissoring a ribbon of auburn between two fingers, the smooth, fresh-washed texture flowing over his calluses, Aether replies, "Every day I learn something about you that...proves how interesting I already think you are. And I fall in love a little more."

Ajax's reply to that has to be physical. When he lowers his head to kiss Aether, the man's hand drags half his fringe with it as it slides backward. It's gratifying how the traveler holds his head close, then, and how responsive his lips are. And they are softer than usual. For a minute, everything fades but the serene statement being made by their slow-moving mouths without a word spoken.

Then something drops in Ajax's stomach, and when they part, a question he shouldn't ask finds its way to his unoccupied tongue. His face feels heavy as he mumbles, "So...you don't think I would be a better person if I hadn't changed?"

The sudden sadness in Ajax's expression is breathtakingly raw. Yet, there's also a guarded regretfulness in the way his mouth purses. The outer corners of his eyes are creased like a wince and he's barely maintaining eye contact. Aether gathers the impression that he's bracing himself for rejection, and he knows enough to know it's because of how his family reacted to him in the past—how they continue to. He wants to pull his soft-hearted Harbinger into more of a hug than they're already in, but he'd rather not give Ajax any room to wonder if what Aether is going to say would be belied by his eyes while they're out of view. So, clasping Ajax's shoulder, he tells him the truth again. "I don't know. I don't care. You're you. You're enough for me. You're not too much for me. I love all of you."

Aether will say that as many times as he has to. The consequent shock on Ajax's face is almost funny, though: how could it come as such a shock to him now, after...? Aether thinks of that single second, two weeks ago, of hastily-hidden shock when he told Childe he'd been 'a little' worried about him. He'd been so quick to smooth his reaction over, already laughing it off, perhaps telling himself not to take it seriously. It's not the same now, Aether realizes. Ajax does trust his avowals, and, untethered by any plausible deniability, they're sinking in deep. Deep into those wide eyes, turning sadness to shock and then...

"I—... Thank you," Ajax whispers awkwardly, his shock swept away not by a mask of ease but by honest, bittersweet gratitude. "It's a...heh, a silly question I didn't even mean to ask, but...spasíbo, moya lyubov." He emphasizes the last three words reverently.

Aether's tear ducts warm up and he preemptively blinks a few times, smiling. "My love," the same emphasis, "if you asked it, whether you meant to or not, it wasn't a silly question." This is a better time to pull Ajax down into a hug, and he does.

With that, the shadow over Ajax's mood is gone like a passing cloud. He's gotten his left arm under Aether's back, leaving the right under his neck. They're holding each other with every limb they have. In such warm comfort, his question seems to him as if it was completely unnecessary, and he's even more befuddled as to why and how he spoke it from start to finish without being able to stop.

He lets it go. No sense throwing good money after bad, or good time after bad. He'd rather lay a trail of kisses from Aether's chin to his forehead. Doing it slowly would be sensual, but he goes a bit too fast and they both end up chuckling at the series of soft 'chu' noises. That's as good a result as any.

"Now, where was I this time?~" Ajax knows where he was in his story, but this is a good transition back to it.

"You thought you were going to die in the lake," Aether supplies.

"I'm sure my father knew it was inevitable that I'd panic. As I said, I don't remember whether he tried to offer reassurances ahead of time, and it probably didn't make a difference either way—nothing could fully prepare a kid like me for the real experience." True of so many things. "I do recall that he took my hand calmly, drew me onto his lap, and hugged me while he told me it was just lake talk, and that the ice wouldn't break. 'You didn't think a lake would have so much to say, did you?' he asked. That got me to start settling down, enough to ask if he could understand the lake's speech." Ajax pauses, sifting the memory. "...I don't remember what he said then." A slight shake of his head. "It's all hazy from there. I must've been...six years old? Seldom did I have the bravery to stick to something in spite of fear. I really wanted to fish with Papa, though. None of the others went fishing with him; I had him all to myself for hours, and he told me the best stories during those times. So...I got used to the lake's fishmonger patter~ And it wasn't that active or loud every time."

"Would I be wrong to say...you always had strength in you and you just needed enough motivation?"

That's not the kind of strength Ajax typically thinks about, but he understands. Considering what I eventually did... "No, maybe you're right."

"Would you do anything differently than your father if you had to calm down a kid as scared as you were? Have you ever had to?"

Ajax chews a thoughtful pout, resting his gaze on a bookshelf. What an interesting question. You do spend much of your time asking people questions, my dear traveler. Do you ask strangers this type of question? Friends? Woops, I should be thinking about my answer. "...It would depend. No two children are exactly alike. If it was me with my younger self? Hmm... I wouldn't do anything different, no; after being hugged and reassured for a little while, I felt safe enough as long as I kept the corner of his coat clutched in one hand. That made it hard to help out with the fish, but he never made me let go. A few more trips and I outgrew that habit on my own."

"Ah," he continues, "and I have been in a sort of similar situation. Last Lantern Rite, when I was watching the festivities from my office window, I saw a boy on the footbridge crying. It was at the climax of the fireworks show, and no one seemed to hear him. I waited, hoping a citizen would notice him and sort out whatever was the matter, but everybody was enjoying themselves." Which he didn't begrudge. Lantern Rite was lovely, and the joy of the celebrants filled him with warm thoughts of his family. Perched on the windowsill, he was content to plan and replan everything he'd do to make sure his siblings had a great time if they came to Liyue for the next Lantern Rite.

"After a minute I snuck out the window and made my way over across the rooftops. Climbed onto the bridge—yes, just like everyone knows you do, you shameless abuser of architecture~ When I got to the boy I asked if he was alright and where his family was. Up close, it was clear he was scared. He was holding his ears, and every time a firework went off, he flinched."

"Poor kid," Aether comments.

Ajax nods. "I'd never thought about it before: that anyone would be made miserable by the same innocent festivities that everybody else looks forward to." He should have, considering his own childhood, but he never bothered to give it thought. "Though maybe he was just stressed from getting lost in the crowd?" That's what Ajax hopes; it'd be a shame if the kid had to go through that every year. "Anyway, I gave him my jacket to cover his head and told him some nonsense about the noise coming from the adepti trying to make music, and being very bad at it because most of them don't have hands. It didn't seem to help, but he let me pick him up. Asking around on the bridge was a bust, no one knew him, so I brought him to a Millelith fellow. Of course, they recognized me and were very suspicious. Their first question was where I took him from. Not subtle at all, haha!" He truly didn't care what the Millelith thought of him, then or any other time. "I handed him over and that was that. They told me to go back to my Fatui lair," he winks at Aether, "and I was about to, but...they weren't giving the boy anything to put over his ears and eyes. They had nothing on hand to give him, and they wouldn't let him keep anything of mine... Hey, you won't report me to the Millelith if I confess a crime to you, will you comrade?" He smiles playfully.

That puts a small, sly smile at the corners of Aether's lips, too. "Mm...I'll have to think about it. You've done a lot of thefts lately."

"Oh? Let me guess~ Did I steal your heart?"

"Yes. Keep it."

They grin at each other for a second. Then, not waiting for an answer to his joke question, Ajax finishes another little story he never anticipated telling. These stories weren't about battles, so why would he? "There was no time for shopping, nor was I likely to get any service anyway, so I swiped a winter scarf off a nearby stall and, er...surreptitiously delivered it to the boy." The Mora the scarf was worth was 'mysteriously' found in the stall the next day. Collecting debts is one thing, but Ajax would like to think he's above stealing from an honest streetside merchant while he has more Mora than he knows what to do with.

"Reverse pocket-plucking. Heheh."

"Ahah! Reverse pickpocketing, yes, although that makes it sound like I used more finesse than was needed and more skill than I had. The soldier was already walking away and the crowd was good cover."

"Huh." Aether regards Ajax fondly. If he's smiling, it's subtle; he doesn't know if his fondness shows at all. To rectify that, he cups Ajax's cheek and gives him a light kiss. Light, but lingering.

It's just a kiss, as far as Ajax is concerned. As a warrior, he's full of himself for sure, but he doesn't believe for one moment that the occasional good deed makes him a good person. All he needs to be is a good warrior, anyway, a good weapon, so he barely registers that Aether is looking at him like something more than that before he dismisses and forgets the thought. Aether knows he's not a good person, and that is far more comforting than any insistence to the contrary could ever be.

"Wanna go to bed," Aether whispers right up against his lips, "and just keep talking 'til we fall asleep? Does that sound better now than it did earlier?"

"Mmm-hm. That sounds just about perfect right now."

They disentangle from each other. Usually when he's been too still for too long, Ajax finds his limbs stiff, and he hates that. The obvious solution, to him, was to be as active as possible. Sometimes all his duties allowed him to do was discreet leg-stretching under a desk or table. It never occurred to him there might be another way to keep himself limber. Now, as he stands up and stretches, there's a lot less protest from the joints Aether massaged.

A pace ahead, Aether is stretching too. At the touch of a hand on his shoulder, he turns to see Ajax offering a sheepishly grateful smile.

"Your doting seems to've been pretty effective," Ajax admits. He flexes his elbow and wrist to make it clear what he means.

"Good. I'll teach you how to do it yourself—once I get used to doing it again. It's hard to teach what...is only known by my hands."

"Like muscle memory? You can't explain what you're doing, but when you set your body to the task, it simply comes to you?"

"Exactly."

"I find muscle memory more reliable than any other kind. Deeper instilled and quicker to access. Always there when I need it most."

Aether nods. "You learned by doing?"

Ajax understands that as a question about how he learned to fight (and it is). "Yes. Drills and sparring, and putting those hands-on lessons to immediate use in life-or-death combat." That's not too difficult to say, his tone arching over the words with pride, but it puts him a little bit on edge to come so close to talking about the Abyss. He came much closer when he mentioned fighting between the roots, but then he'd been low on sleep and high on battle, parts of himself blurring and other parts sharpening.

The topic doesn't go any further, anyway. The two of them quietly go around the room snuffing lamps and lanterns. After that, Aether takes off his earring (or is it his now?) and flops into bed, and Ajax follows suit. Contentment blankets them sooner and warmer than the sheet they pull up.

They don't cuddle close yet. Lying on their sides with a quarter of a meter between them, they can see each other's faces once their eyes adjust to the 'moon'-light. Though dimmed by the papered windowpanes, the bodiless, rippling emanation is a bit brighter than the real moon of the planet Teyvat is on, even compared to a full moon on a clear night. Aether hasn't felt any need for Tubby to adjust that. It's alright, in his view, if this realm never entirely passes for the world outside.

Ajax stretches one leg out, but curls the other up partway so that his knee touches both of Aether's. Likewise, Aether bridges the gap with a hand slipped under the fold of Ajax's hanfu, fingering his chest. Given this kind of opportunity, they can't not be touching each other. For Ajax, it's a subconscious reminder that Aether wants him. For Aether, it's a not-so-subconscious reminder that Ajax has chosen to be here and not elsewhere.

"What do you want to talk about?" Aether all but whispers.

Ajax doesn't have much of a preference at the moment. "I suppose I should tell you more about Pulcinella, and his relationship with my family. And with me."

If you want to, Aether thinks to provide as an out for Ajax, but he stops himself. If Ajax brought it up in direct response to being asked what he wants to talk about, maybe the word 'should' doesn't mean he wants an out.

Issued a nod, Ajax starts with the basics. "Pulcinella, codename 'The Rooster,' is the Fifth. He's the mayor of the capital, and as such, he's also more-or-less in charge of the Fatui headquarters and logistics. If another Harbinger needs troops, the requisition would usually go through him. In the same sense, whatever Mora we need pours from a purse the Ninth Harbinger holds the strings of. I can tell you about the Ninth, too, whenever you like. Not as much, though."

Aether says nothing, softly flicking his fingertip back and forth across a scar on Ajax's chest. I don't want intel, I want the personal stuff.

Ajax sighs. Explaining Pulcinella's role was a false start that didn't simplify everything else he's going to try to explain. May as well start at the beginning. "It was Pulcinella who recruited me. He was the one who saw my potential when all anybody else saw was a troublemaker. He offered me a purpose, and I embraced my destiny."

That's taken with a grain of salt by Aether. You would say that, Ajax, but was it really that simple? Neutrally he inquires, "So it was your choice to join the Fatui?"

Ajax wants to say yes, but it would be a lie and he'd be telling it to Aether's face in their bed. There's something gut-tighteningly uncomfortable about admitting the truth out loud. Surely there's a lesser truth he can tell in its place...

Putting a hasty end to his hesitation, he mumbles, "It was an opportunity I would've been a fool to throw away." Agh, it wasn't supposed to sound like that.

Aether lets his finger wander onto a nearby burn scar and strokes a spiral from the center out. "You don't regret it, from what you've told me. I guess that's what matters most."

The deadened nerves in that patch of tissue report nothing of the touch to Ajax; even the pressure is too minor to feel. Aether's reply lets him off the hook, though, and he releases a breath he'd been holding. "That's right. If I could go back, I wouldn't change anything."

"Think of this as an opportunity, Ajax.

"We have been waging a quiet war for five hundred years, but very soon it will no longer be quiet. The Tsaritsa's cause is nothing less than the salvation of humanity. She has the grandest of plans for this world, and she can most certainly use your remarkable talents...if you can learn discipline. Together with us, refine your strength, and you will never lack for what you crave.

"Your family will benefit from your service to Her Majesty, as well—that, I myself will see to.

"I believe you are destined for glory, but you must work for it. Your first order: work your way up from the bottom of our ranks and fashion yourself into a blade worthy of the Tsaritsa. Succeed, and perhaps you will even become known as one of her greatest weapons.

What I have said to you shall not leave this office, do you understand? As far as anyone outside this office is concerned, even your family, you are being inducted as a punishment. An alternative to criminal charges. Do not allow an inflated ego to stumble you on your path. Cooperation with your fellow soldiers is vital to your own success, as is respect for your superiors in rank and experience. You are an excellent fighter already, indeed superior to many in martial skill, but I can tell you have much to learn about working with people."

He doesn't remember Pulcinella's whole pitch verbatim, but many things the Rooster said that day are ingrained in his memory. It was a valuable opportunity he was given, and he listened well.

Aether's voice catches him slightly by surprise this time, though it's no different from a moment ago. Its softness is like something gossamer landing on his skin, silk flown on a mild breeze. "What if it was someone else? In the same position."

Ajax blinks, his mind blank for a second before the obvious answer comes. "Children should get to be children. If it was Teucer, I'd never let him get involved in the Fatui. The same goes for Anthon and Tonia."

Aether nods in a minimal motion. The idea of fate and destiny seems to make a difference between Ajax's opinion of his own past and his answer to the hypothetical. Aether isn't sure if that's all it is, and to him it feels contradictory; he's perplexed as to how someone with an ego like Ajax's can stomach submitting to 'fate' like that. But he's not going to dig at it. I still don't know everything about what happened, he repeats to himself for the nth time. It's not my life to pick apart, anyway. It's yours. To define. Past, present, and future. What he can do is promise to help, then leave it up to Ajax to decide when or if that help is needed. "...If Pulcinella or the other Harbingers ever become a problem—if your family is ever in danger for any reason, I'll be there. With everything I have and everyone who thinks they owe me."

Ajax's eyebrows lift once again. His comrade really is growing bolder. In an honored undertone he responds, "You said, before, that you'd sooner die than endanger my family, but this... This is proactive to put it mildly." Nevertheless, "Are you sure? Not to borrow trouble, but what if something happens before your journey reaches Snezhnaya?" Really don't like thinking about that possibility. Is it a possibility? Hah, of course it is. Anything that could go wrong can go wrong.

"Either I'll put aside whatever's going on where I am at that time, or I'll find help to send," Aether firmly commits.

"...Your resolve didn't waver in the slightest..." Ajax rests a hand on Aether's cheek, studying the implacable visage of the man he once fought against. He meets a steady gaze. Why? he almost wants to ask and almost fears to. Do you see them as your family, too, the way I see you as one of them? Is it because you know the pain of losing family? I haven't even known that pain myself—not as you have.

"Of course it didn't," Aether whispers. "I love you, Ajax." The traveler doesn't know what more he can say.

Aether's life changed irrevocably already. Losing everything was only the first change. Paimon changed his life, too, and for the better. The other friends he's made in Teyvat have each left their mark on him, and he's no longer sure it's the same erasable mark left by friends he and Lumine made together in other worlds. He made these friends without her, and the circ*mstances forced him to become invested in all their hopes and dreams, great and small alike. Without wings to fly away, he's had to look at everything differently, including people.

Ajax's impact on him is more like Paimon's, standing apart from the others. Ajax is the one who makes him want to stay.

They realize they've leaned in toward each other, and bit by bit they close the gap, sure of their desires yet in awe of the depth of them. Their lips join with a kiss both tender and emphatic.

"Rodnoy," Ajax murmurs into Aether's mouth, his voice thick around the word. He feels the vibration of a questioning 'hm?' in response.

They lighten each worshipful press and pull until their lips part. Rather than telling Aether what the new word means, Ajax tells him what he already knows: "I love you, too."

Aether doesn't ask about it right away, and his chance passes when Ajax's mind finishes absorbing how his promise was framed. It brings up more things that can and should be said.

"Pulcinella has always been kind to me," he opines. "What he's done for me is indisputable, and the way he looks at me is...fatherly. And unlike my father," he says with sadness but not bitterness, "he's proud of me."

Aether listens, watching the pale shadows of the moonlight shift on the other man's face as he speaks.

"I wasn't exactly warm toward him at first. He would smile at me from under his mustache, his old eyes crinkling, and I would just feel cold. I don't mean his smile was chilling, I mean I felt nothing. I learned to smile back, smile at everyone, but I had to wonder— no, I was sure that something was wrong with me. It wasn't just him. The last time my mother hugged me, even then...I didn't feel anything. Not sadness, not anger...not fear of an uncertain future, nor happiness for its prospects...and not love."

Aether does not interrupt, blinking tears away very carefully so Ajax doesn't notice. (He's stroking his forearm so slow and light he forgets he's doing it. Neither of them notices Ajax doing likewise to his. Their arms have been clasped between them ever since the end of their kiss.)

"But Pulcinella was the only person in the Fatui I could trust. That didn't really change much as I learned more about how he operates. How the organization operates. Some of what I learned, I found...distasteful, but, the truth was that it was too late for doubt the moment I signed on. Fortunately, he's never given me a real reason to doubt his intentions toward my family." Unless he takes Pulcinella's ruthless actions toward other people as a warning. But would Ajax do any different if it came down to it? They're both Harbingers with clear priorities. "He's gone above and beyond his promise to look after them."

"Does he write to you? You probably don't see him often anymore, since his job is in Snezhnaya and yours...isn't."

"Rarely, but yes. He checks in on me. In his letters he's as warm as he is in person. He mixes his personal greetings and inquiries with Harbinger business quite fluidly."

"Is that a Hydro Vision joke?" Aether hopes it's not a bad time for a little levity.

The accusation garners a quiet, easy chuckle. Within the moon's glow, Ajax's left cheek is moved by a smile. "It wasn't~ But it is now. How do you like my joke, lyubimy? I came up with it myself."

"I like it, but not as much as the one about making me wet."

Ajax coughs out an exclamatory laugh. "Oh yes, that one, which I've told many times. I'm amazed you're not sick of it." He never even thought of it before. It is kind of funny... Yeah, I might make use of it. It'll be your fault, Aether, so don't roll your eyes at me when I bring it out. Inhaling suddenly, he yawns.

Aether yawns next, then Ajax yawns again, and through watering eyes they snicker before another pair of yawns takes them.

"There's much more to tell you," Ajax lightly laments. "But I'd like to fall asleep with you now," he whispers, drawing Aether closer.

More than amenable, Aether moves in to settle an arm securely over Ajax's waist. The other, he angles under Ajax's neck to tuck his fingers into the bed of his hair.

They snuggle flush against one another. With his arm where it is, Aether doesn't find it comfortable to put his head under Ajax's chin, so he scoots up and they share the middle of the pillow, forehead to forehead.

In restful proximity to silence, they listen to each other breathing.

Sleep doesn't come right away, though. Aether wants to ask one more question, but he's not certain Ajax is still awake until the other man draws a distinct breath, shifts a tad, and idly runs his palm up and down a short length of Aether's side.

"Sweetheart?"

"Mm-mm?~" The little burgeon of joy Ajax gets from being called that puts a happy upturn in his voice.

"Um, what's the plan you gave Ekaterina?"

"That's for her to figure out, in part, but the idea is that we'll address the supply issue first, as quickly as possible. She'll have some food and medicine delivered to a discreet location where you can pick it up. With the— with our handy Teapot here, you can relocate that stuff to the Chasm and no one'll be the wiser to how it was done. If that meets with your approval? Otherwise, we can sort something else out. The most important thing, for now, is that Ekaterina gets the supplies ready."

"That will work. I guess I'll make contact with the Fatui on the surface and take care of their needs first, and Ekaterina can get more supplies ready by the time I find the Fatui down below."

"Yes. Good, we'll get this all sorted out in no time. Though we have to come up with an exfiltration plan. A company is sixty-four sol—" Ajax yawns. "—soldiers, but we don't know yet how many have survived. We can—... Mh..." He nestles his head into the pillow sleepily, rubbing their foreheads together.

"That gives us a place to start," Aether finishes. He tries and fails to suppress a yawn of his own. "We know the...scale... So... ...Maybe we can—..."

They both know they can talk about this tomorrow, somewhere between trying out their new toys and participating in Xinyan's concert. They let their words trail off, but they still have each other's breathing to listen to. Very soon now, they lull each other to sleep that way.

Chapter 26: Some time ago: The Fond Farewell

Chapter Text

Aether isn't sure the Fatuus at the door will let him and Paimon in.

Standing stiffly at his post, the masked blonde only glances at them. As Aether passes by, he sneaks a glance of his own at the guard and notes that he's wringing his gloved hands behind his back. A few words from a ranking member of the Fatui to this guard would have stopped us here. Are we expected? He pushes the door open just enough to step inside. Paimon darts over his head.

Childe is saying something in a cold tone, but Aether isn't listening. His eyes are instantly fastened on Signora. He assumes Paimon recognizes her too. She falls back to his side and her normal hovering height as he cautiously trudges forward to join the conversation.

Signora affects a small giggle. "Don't take it to heart, Childe," she says in an airy manner that foists on Aether the mental image of her patting her fellow Harbinger on the head none-too-affectionately. "Besides, weren't you happy that you got to skip the formalities and bring chaos to the land?" With her left hip co*cked, one arm folded, and a coy hand poised at her chin, she's putting up every sign of confidence and condescension. "I'm sure you must've enjoyed that..." Turning her head, she looks at him and Paimon and her entire demeanor changes, if only a little. She lowers her hands. "Oh, it seems that some of your friends have arrived." It almost sounds like she takes them more seriously than her colleague.

I guess I did beat him. In Aether's peripheral vision, Childe is standing improbably straight and easy. After a fight like that, he should be resting. An unsentimental strategic assessment. For a second, he lets his gaze be drawn to his opponent from no more than an hour ago. Either he has self-mending clothes (that work even faster than Aether's), or he's changed them: the rips and bloodstains that should be there are gone. If he had time to change, he also had time to patch himself up some. Unless he heals—

Paimon's reaction speed is on the slow side this time. "Hey, it's Zhongli and Childe," she waited until now to gasp. She tilts forward in shock: "And...you!" Her voice rises as she points and gesticulates. "You're also one of the Harbingers!"

"Signora," Aether confirms, sharper than he meant to.

The condescension is back in full force, but the veneer of amusem*nt is thin—too thin for any laughter. "Ah, it's you two. I believe we've met once before...in the City of Bards, was it?" She folds her arms, and not in the loose, comfortable posture she displayed before. "I'm glad you still remember my name." There's hatred underneath her formulaic words. Aether has no clues as to why, and he only cares in as far as it tells him he should brace himself for another fight.

Signora is the person who made him realize how little patience he has for the motivations of people who get in the way of his search. Delaying him with innocent requests for help is one thing: he can't blame humans for that, even if it frustrates him at times. But her attack on the first Archon he'd met was alarming. If she had killed Venti, he wouldn't even have known to travel to Liyue in time for the Rite of Descension. And now here she is again, swooping in on the resolution of things before he's had a chance to ask Rex Lapis any questions. If she attacks the man who may well be Rex Lapis, Aether will have to come to his defense.

"Ahh, right," Signora continues, stirring a mocking sweetness into her inflections, "I imagine that it must have been rather hard to forget watching helplessly as something precious was snatched away from your friend."

On edge now, Aether tells himself to keep his mouth shut and stay calm. He's ready from head to foot, though, and making no secret of it.

Childe manages to dial the tension back when he casually cuts in with a little wave and a friendly, "Hey, Aether. This is the first time we've seen each other since this whole business came to a head." He offers a grimacing smile and sort of shrugs, turning his palms up. "How shall I put it, the atmosphere is slightly...awkward?"

"Hmph! Paimon knew that we should never have trusted a Fatui Harbinger." The cuteness of Paimon's scowl undermines her point.

Just because I went along with what he said, doesn't mean I trusted him, Aether is not going to point out.

"Aw, don't say that," Childe responds. His hands move gently as he speaks: small, low gestures and another placating shrug. "Although I did deceive you a little bit, I have no ill will towards the Traveler..." He sheepishly rubs at the back of his neck and, for a brief moment, averts his gaze floorward. "Besides," he says, his voice brightening somewhat, "we were working quite well together, weren't we? Aside from that unfortunate turn of events at the end..."

Is this the best a Harbinger can do to apologize? Heh.

Childe's affable semi-contrition continues. "It's nothing personal, we're just in different positions, that's all. Of course, if you guys hold it against me, that's fine." His attitude darkens on the conclusion, "Zhongli and the 'Lady,' though, they really fooled me." The way he still maintains a certain lightness in his tone, and the sulky show he makes of putting his forehead in his hand, leaves Aether completely unable to tell whether he's genuinely hurt or not. Aether doesn't care if he is, but there's a reason every world he's ever been to has come up with the maxim 'know your enemy.'

More importantly: "Zhongli?" Is it true, then? He's Rex Lapis?

"Actually," Childe begins very glumly, but Signora interrupts him.

"Hmh. Stop wasting time, Childe." Stepping forward, she casts half a glance at him. "There'll be plenty of time to chat once I'm through here." Without skipping a beat, she addresses Zhongli in earnest. "You remember the agreement, Morax. Now, if you would be so kind...the Gnosis, please."

That answers my question.

Paimon boggles so hard she tips forward. "What in the world are you talking about!?" It's enough to draw an inscrutable look in her direction from Zhongli.

The Geo Archon looks down, then, in a heavy pause before he answers Signora. Once he speaks, there is no sign of hesitance. His words are firm and clear. "The contract is fulfilled. That which thou seeketh is now bestowed unto thee, for my promise is solid as stone." He extends his hand. Above his palm hovers an object Aether couldn't describe or draw if he was paid a million Mora to. The amber-colored inner structure resembles other examples of Teyvat's Geo element; the metallic outer structure is complex, brass-like, and more or less cylindrical. Aether didn't get a good look at Venti's Gnosis...

Paimon stares, incredulous.

"Heh, how sanctimonious." Rather than snatching the Gnosis right away, Signora folds her arms and spends a moment staring intently at it.

"I did have my suspicions," Aether mumbles. Learning that Madame Ping is indeed an adeptus was a significant puzzle piece. Until now there was still a chance Zhongli was just another adeptus living among humans, but...

"What!?" Paimon continues to be shocked. "You're the Lord of Geo!?" She shakes her head. "No, wait! That's an exciting twist and all, but—but why give the Gnosis to the Fatui!?"

It's a great question, and Rex Lapis respects it enough that he turns his head toward her. "I do not give it for free. I give it as agreed upon in the contract..." His gaze rejoins Signora's on the Gnosis. "For it is a matter solely between the Tsaritsa and I."

Aether speaks up. "Why did you feign your death?"

"Yeah!" Paimon shrilly reproaches. "You don't think you went a little bit too far with that whole fake death thing!? Everyone was preparing the ceremony for you when, splat, this big dragon falls out of the sky and all of Liyue goes into an uproar. Talk about a disaster!" The traveling duo have seen many of the effects the 'death' of this nation's god has had. Aether doesn't know what to think of Zhongli preparing his own funeral with such care and calm while his people—including the adepti—grieved around him.

They hear a single, soft giggle from Signora. She looks up from the Gnosis, bringing a finger to her lips as if to lightly chide herself for her amusem*nt, while making it clear she's completely unabashed. She lifts her gaze ceilingward momentarily in the graceful version of an eyeroll. "Gathering all the forces that had been bubbling behind the scenes, and then stirring them together in a pot that was bound to boil over..." The high arch of her one visible brow drops as she gives Zhongli a sidelong look. "That's what he wanted to see, am I right?"

Gathering? Stirring? He wanted all of this? Aether would like to understand what's going on here, please.

"Huh?" Unhappy confusion deflates Paimon's posture and volume both.

Signora plucks the Gnosis from its flotation above Zhongli's hand. It's anticlimactic, and all the more so for how simply Zhongli turns away from it to face Paimon and Aether. "Perhaps it's best that I explain," he says. There isn't much to read from his expression and body language at first. "As you know, I've dwelt upon this world for more than six thousand years." Folding his arms, he puts a knuckle to his chin, and from there the depth of his thoughts is bared little by little. "It is now three thousand and seven hundred years ago that I founded Liyue together with the adepti. Even boulders that can withstand whirlpools will erode with the passing of time... I kept convincing myself that cracks had not begun to form and that the end of my time had not yet come."

I see.

A young immortal struggling with the ravages of time. Unfortunately for Rex Lapis, stone acted upon by other forces doesn't last very long on the cosmic scale, and neither will he.

Zhongli lets his gaze drift to a distant point above Aether's head. "Until one drizzly day," he closes his eyes, "as I was strolling along the harbor, I heard a merchant tell one of his workers, 'You've finished your duties, go ahead and call it a day.'" His eyes reopen still trained on his memories, perhaps from longer ago, but then he focuses on the travelers once again.

"Oh, Zhongli..." Paimon murmurs. Her sympathy has kicked in.

"But as I began to consider relinquishing my divine role, I soon discovered that many reasons still remained to not hastily depart."

Zhongli has his back to Childe. Aether can see him standing there. Listening. Carefully blank-faced but for the unerring focus of his eyes on the back of Zhongli's head. From the neck down, he's fidgeting in subtle ways; light and shadow swapping with each other over a wrinkle on his sleeve is what clues Aether in, drawing his back-of-the-mind attention to other repetitive motions. Cycles of muscle tension and forced relaxation. It's worth noting in case whatever the Harbinger is bottling up explodes.

To all that, Zhongli seems oblivious. It'd be charming if it weren't such a deliberate obliviousness. "Was Liyue, the city I had dwelt in for so long, already prepared to enter its next age? ...I decided that a test was needed in order to reveal the answer."

From where he's standing, Aether can't avoid watching both Zhongli and Childe. Is it just him or is it getting awkward?

It's just him. Paimon isn't paying any attention to Tartaglia, and neither is Signora.

"...So I feigned my own death, and gathered the cast of Childe, the adepti, and the Liyue Qixing to play their roles together on the stage that was Liyue." Now Zhongli is speaking as if the man behind him isn't even there. Aether squirms inwardly at being trapped in this situation, constantly trying not to look at Childe and yet feeling guilty for ignoring him. He doesn't even care about the weird Harbinger's feelings, he just...doesn't have Lumine's shadow to hide in.

Aether speaks to relieve his own tension. "Let me guess: you had another plan in case it went wrong."

"Indeed, which is why I continued to safeguard the Gnosis until now. However, with the finale as successful as it was, the Gnosis suddenly seemed to have lost its meaning."

"So," Paimon works her way through it, "you mean that if the chaos ever reached the point of no return, you would simply appear and use your divine powers to bring Liyue back under control?"

Isn't that what Childe said? His plan depended on Rex Lapis's plan failing...

Signora is quick to comment, "Of course. And it would have been all too easy for him, too."

That's why he sent the Fatui. And the outcome Rex Lapis wanted depended on Childe's plan failing—

Signora's next words are for Zhongli himself. "Just as a child quickly matures after losing their parents, so has Liyue matured when faced with the death of its deity."

—which is why you don't send a handful of soldiers to die fighting the most powerful people in Liyue. I hope you aren't what passes for a general in your homeland. Aether resists glancing directly at Harbinger Childe Tartaglia Whatever.

Zhongli concurs with the answer Signora sniped from him. "In the end, the resolution to all that has transpired was even more satisfactory than I could have hoped for. Take the adepti, for instance. Owing to their years of seclusion, they were the least informed. Yet, when faced with a crisis, they, commendably, showed the greatest amount of restraint possible. Not only did they manage to cooperate with the Qixing, but in the end, they even made efforts to understand the hearts of the people. Credit is also due to Signora, the emissary dispatched by the Cryo Archon to fulfill our contract."

Signora appears bored at this point, or at least indifferent.

"At my request, she kept everything she knew in strict confidence—this despite the eavesdropping ears of her colleague, Childe."

Aether stares at Signora's ever-present catalyst, refusing to observe Childe.

"This meant I could remain as Zhongli, even having the chance to fulfill the age-old traditions of Liyue in this mortal form. Thank you for joining me on this journey, Traveler."

He nods, and finds something else to stare at. The floor will do, for now, and that way he'll look more solemn about all this information. He should be taking it more seriously, but he's having difficulty seeing the relevance to him and Lumine. This is just interesting drama more than anything.

What am I doing here?...

"All of these things turned out as I had planned. There is only one thing that I had not anticipated...and that was the conduct of the Liyue Qixing. I had expected them to do no more than the adepti... To come to the defense of Liyue. But when all was said and done..."

Making sure Rex Lapis doesn't disappear somewhere before I can question him.

"They seized the opportunity to supplant Liyue's divine protectors, and used the subsequent power vacuum left by my death to quickly gain complete control of Liyue." It's hard to be sure but, despite the strong words, Zhongli doesn't sound particularly displeased. Aether looks up to check his expression and finds nothing new.

"Eh!?" Paimon, not unreasonably, errs on the side of assuming a god wouldn't appreciate that sort of thing. "That doesn't sound good at all!"

Zhongli chuckles—a short, gentle laugh that Aether would even call pleasant. Serenity smooths the pensiveness out of his features. "On the contrary, I think it is excellent. I had always feared that it was far too soon for them to take over from me, and it was also that which I longed for the most. As such, this is the best parting gift anyone could have given this god of old."

Childe's remark comes without any forewarning from his body language, and if there was anything to see on his face, Aether missed it. The young man's voice is at once cold and soft, slithering over his words: "And what about me, Zhongli-xiānshēng?" Much of his forehead is hidden under his hair, but the parts of his eyebrows that Aether can see now sink ever so slightly. He placidly gestures toward the Archon's back with one hand even though Zhongli can't see it. Wait, did he just reach out, change his mind, and try to cover it up?

Zhongli doesn't turn. If he has any reaction at all, he hides it well.

Childe crosses his arms. He almost sounds as if he's just musing now: "Don't you have anything to say to me after deceiving me for so long?" His tone takes a bit of a pouting turn at the end, but he's as calm as an icy pond. Too calm? It raises Aether's suspicions as to what he's going to do next.

Signora laughs. Not long and not loud, but it's more substantial than her previous giggles. "I think that thanks would be more appropriate," she teases Childe. "You certainly played no small part in all of this... Wreaking havoc and turning the city upside down... The Lord of Geo ought to thank you for your performance, if anything."

Her colleague looks at her while she's speaking, but he shows no reaction Aether can see.

She continues, "If you hadn't created the pressure of a battle between mortals, adepti, and a god, the lump of coal resting in the hands of the Geo Archon—Liyue—would never have been able to become a dazzling diamond of a city."

Amazing, Aether thinks dryly. She gives the least sincere compliments I've ever heard—in this world, that is.

Either unmoved or doing a respectable job of pretending to be, Childe almost matches her tone with his response. "Hmm? I think someone is being sarcastic with me, or am I imagining things? Why do you stand up for the gods of other nations and mock your own peers? Is it a fight you want?" He's not readying himself for one.

Feeling a silly bit of sympathy for Childe, Aether points out, "We were both equally fooled."

The impassiveness of Aether's gaze doesn't discourage Childe from seizing the opportunity to sulk more (and the excuse to go back to ignoring Signora). His arms are still tightly crossed, high on his chest, like a child without an E. "Be that as it may, you've come out of this as the hero of Liyue. I, on the other hand, will forever be proscribed as a disturber of peace, no?"

'Proscribed' is a word Aether will have to look up in a Teyvat common dictionary later. If it weren't for Childe's good enunciation, he would've mistaken it for 'prescribed.' Archon-prescribed to disturb Liyue's peace.

Tartaglia's complaint amuses Signora, of course. "Hehehe... Well then, with the Gnosis in my possession, I have no use for such idle chatter. We should return to Zapolyarny Palace and seek an audience with Her Majesty the Tsaritsa. Come, Childe." She's pretty pleased with herself, and Aether can't blame her.

Childe is pleased with neither himself nor Signora. "Ugh, fine..." He drops his arms. "I'll meet you there later. I'm not sharing a boat with the likes of you."

"Heh. Do as you wish." Signora heads out the front door, her elaborate cape swaying, and Aether keeps an eye on her until she's gone. When he looks to where Childe was standing, that Harbinger is gone, too. He must have slunk up the stairs very quick and very quiet.

"Now then," Zhongli says to Aether and Paimon, the three of them seemingly all alone in the bank's opulence, "is there anything else you wish to ask me?"

"I'd like to know what the Cryo Archon offered you." It's the obvious question to ask. There's a chance that it was the Cryo Archon who attacked Aether and Lumine, and knowing more about 'Her Majesty' might be useful.

Paimon seconds it. "Right... As you always told us, 'a good trade is a fair trade.' Paimon has no idea what could be a good trade for a Gnosis..."

"Realistically speaking, there is no such thing," Zhongli states.

"Huh!?" That's not what Paimon was expecting to hear from the God of Contracts.

"However, I am the God of Contracts. For thousands of years, I have made countless contracts. If the deal was of no benefit, then I certainly would not be inclined to agree to it. My agreement with the Cryo Archon will be the last of my contracts as the Geo Archon—my 'contract to end all contracts.' As for the bargaining chip that the Tsaritsa used to balance the scales..." Zhongli averts his eyes. He's not behaving as if he's ashamed, but— "Uncover that answer for yourself in your future journeys." —he surely knows how frustrating his answer might be to someone who was interested enough to ask.

(Aether has not yet learned to hate that kind of answer.)

"Paimon...can't...absorb so much information at once..." She shakes her head. "So, Zhongli, what sort of contract did you sign with the Cryo Archon? Paimon's so curious!"

"...One of the clauses of our contract was not to divulge any of its contents."

"Ugh... You're so petty."

It's not like he can do anything about it now. "I have other questions."

"Hey, Paimon?"

"Yep?"

"After the Rite of Parting, let's visit Mondstadt. Maybe the posters there have been up long enough that someone will have information about Lumine."

[in the future]

"Good morning, Ajax." Aether nuzzles a smile into his neck, and leaves a kiss there.

Ajax comes to full wakefulness with a smile on his face as well. "Mmm... Good morning..." Turning over in his zhenikh's arms, he brushes his fingers through Aether's fringe. The sun hasn't yet risen to fill the golden strands with light.

Aether maneuvers an arm beneath Ajax's to cup his cheek, stroking near the corner of his eye with his thumb. His eyes are so very soft when he wakes up... "Happy birthday, moya lyubov."

"Heheha, you've been looking forward to my birthday more than I have."

Their lips find each other for a second, Aether's initiative just barely outpacing Ajax's.

"After today, you'll look forward to it next year, too."

Chapter 27: Day 16: Not Afraid To Fall

Chapter Text

In the morning, their first order of business is breakfast and other necessities.

Knowing Chongyun needs his food cold, although not knowing why, Ajax sets a serving of cabbage soup aside before he reheats the rest. Six people gather around the dining table; Tubby comes inside to join the other five, teapot and all. As the only one who had the soup yesterday, she's able to comment on how the flavors have come together. Ajax mentions that the shchi everyone is tasting lacks his family recipe's key ingredient, and on that note, he brings up his idea to have some seeds shipped from Snezhnaya and to plant them in the garden.

Aether's agreement is enthusiastic. The two of them and Tubby spend the next couple of minutes happily planning an expansion of the garden, one that's not too big for two busy people to keep up with. That leads to Ajax answering some questions from Paimon about what he's going to plant and what he can cook from it.

While they eat, Ajax notices Xingqiu sneaking carrots out of his bowl and into Chongyun's, but he just smiles to himself inwardly and pretends not to see. He's sure Xingqiu has been told many times that carrots are good for him, and the boy is too old for the playful persuasions Ajax would try with a child.

Xingqiu and Chongyun let everyone know they've decided to spend a day in Liyue Harbor. Both of them, especially Xingqiu, have responsibilities they want to check on before their involvement in the Chasm literally deepens. Paimon suggests they take Shiki Koshou with them to show him the countryside along the way, and whichever parts of the city they have time to tour. That's readily agreed on. Both the light novel enthusiast and the exorcist are fascinated by Shiki Koshou, and no one is quite sure if he has a mind of his own. He's mute and passive, but they've noticed him doing flips in the air and other whimsical moves. Paimon thought he was imitating her at first, but he seems to be trying to go through some samurai training kata. None of them are experts on samurai, so they're not sure of that either. In any case, Aether, Paimon, and Ajax are glad Shiki Taishou will have some sights to see when they bring his replica back to him tomorrow.

After breakfast, everyone splits up. Tubby returns to her spot on the porch for a nap. The duo from Liyue start their long walk back to the city, which will be less long if they manage to catch a ride on a cart. Paimon tags along with them. Ajax tends to the now-unnamed cat, which has yet to comprehend its litter box. Aether deals with the dishes and goes out to maintain the aforementioned garden.

When Madame Ping and Tubby crafted the realm, real soil was required for anything to grow without the constant help of magic. As Tubby once explained, a small sample of soil and some other ingredients were placed in the teapot before the scale of the space inside was enlarged. Through the physics-defying wonders of adeptal arts, that sample became all the soil in the realm, and the microorganisms living in it were given the energy to spread at an accelerated rate until they had fully colonized the four islands. That, in fact, was part of why the islands were made available to Aether and Paimon one by one: the process wasn't yet done when they moved in.

There were very few seeds in the soil sample, so unexpected plants cropping up have been rare, and Tubby controls where grass grows. However, where there are microorganisms, there are risks of plant fungus and bacterial infection, and Aether has to watch out for those. Tubby also takes care of fertilizer, up to a point, by infusing it directly into the soil under the garden. She manages disposal of materials fertilizer can be made from, after all.

Some plants need different fertilizer, and that's where Aether comes in with a sack of bone meal, seed meal, wood ash, aged manure from animals, or some other thing that doesn't 'naturally occur' in the Teapot. Even leaf mulch has to be brought from outside. With no chilly season, the trees here never have to drop their leaves.

Today, Aether finds a few flowers ready to harvest. Apart from that, all he has to do is crouch down and look around. He pokes into the mulch, just a little, to check the carrots for spots before covering their shoulders back up. His watering schedule is strict for consistency, and the weekly watering day is tomorrow. There will be time in the morning.

Aether is checking grape leaves for mildew when Ajax stops by the garden to ask if the high heap of clothes and sheets in his arms is everything that needs to be washed.

From how much there is, Aether guesses, "You got the stuff from the guest house, too?"

"What those boys brought over this morning, yeah."

Aether nods once. "That is normally what I do, too. I ask people who stay there to bring what they want to be washed, and only go in and wash everything after..." A quick rummage for grammar. "After their stay."

"For their privacy?"

Another nod.

"Got it." Ajax adjusts the pile in his arms. "And, er, does Paimon not have anything to wash?"

"Never." Aether shrugs. "She just doesn't get dirty, and neither do her clothes."

"Huh." Ajax swivels on his heel with a jaunty inhale. "I'll be over there, then!" Striding toward a clothesline strung between two sandbearer trees, he wonders, Am I imagining it, or is the breeze cooler today?

(Aether hasn't noticed any difference.)

There's a tub and washboard kept near those trees. Ajax filled up the tub before breakfast, when he came out for water. He prepared soap, a scrub brush, and a few other things he might need, too. Planning is no weakness of his, and in fact it's one of his strengths—provided he's not at the peak of a pre-midlife crisis and profoundly fatigued.

Aether, finding himself with time to spare after his grape patrol, begins clearing grass for the garden expansion. He doesn't have to be very thorough, since Tubby will discourage the grass from growing there anymore once the area is marked out. It's a welcome excuse to watch the Fatui Harbinger do laundry. Ajax is so enjoyable to watch. As in combat, he's efficient despite the flair he frequently puts into motions that could have been simple.

He doesn't use his Vision until the end, when he pulls the water out of everything he's just cleaned. It rushes up from the pile in the tub like a creek waterfall and stops midair, coalescing into large drops that still have enough inertia to rotate, split, and merge. They glimmer brightly in the sunlight, reflecting glare that makes Aether squint. Then, they're swept away by a wave of a hand. 'Rain' patters on the foliage of nearby bushes for a few seconds.

Short of finding a place to put the grass he dug up, Aether is done with his own task. He washes his hands at the well and, out of habit, shakes them semi-dry as he walks over to the person who just used Hydro to dry things. Oddly enough, that person is now hanging all the laundry on the line as if it's still wet. At closer range, Aether sees that although the clothes and sheets aren't dripping wet, they are still damp.

Knowing exactly where Aether is without looking over his shoulder, Ajax comments, "Best to hang things up and let them finish drying that way, I've found. They air out, nice and fresh, and you get fewer wrinkles."

"Things that can't be accomplished by only moving water around," Aether understands. "Can I help?"

"Sure, if you wish. It won't take long now, even by myself. But that also means there's not much else you would have time to get up to while I'm at it, huh?"

"Mm-hm." Aether gathers a sheet out of the tub and begins an awkward process of straightening it and then stretching up on his tiptoes to hang it over the line. For him and his compact stature, it's always a bit of a struggle to fully unfurl a sizable sheet and keep all corners off the ground. It doesn't occur to him that he can just leave the sheets to Ajax and focus on clothes. Lumine tended to be conveniently elsewhere when they had laundry to do. (At least that hasn't changed.)

As he starts on the next, he notices Ajax smiling at him. Such a sweet, innocent smile, and even the subsequent teasing is a lot less smug than Aether expects.

"Having a little trouble there?"

"I...am, yes, I guess," Aether ventures, disoriented by a rush of deja vu. Lumine made fun of him so many times for his unwillingness to temporarily change his height. He misses that.

"Let me help, hm?" Laying a pillowcase over the line, Ajax turns to Aether and holds out his hands, pointing to an edge of the sheet.

No reason not to. Aether gives him that side and, now that each of them only has to mind one pair of corners, they have it hanging wrinkle-free on the line in seconds. He isn't embarrassed by the minor difficulties he created for himself by choosing to be short, but he is, for a moment, a little embarrassed he didn't think of cooperating with Ajax to make it easier. Their immediate, instinctive synergy when cooking doesn't extend to everything, and now that Aether thinks about it, cooking together is the only thing that's been that effortless. Everything else has required some practice and no small amount of communication. That's as it should be, and he likes the process of getting to know Ajax and learning how they can cooperate.

They move down the line, carrying the tub between them by its handles. Either of them alone could manage its weight effortlessly, but they don't have to.

Aether looks at Ajax's hands as often as he can. His tendons remind him of the Holy Lyre der Himmel, if only because Aether refuses to compare them to anything less than a holy object. To his thinking, the beauty of things aspires to the beauty of living beings, not the other way around.