Out in the roaming fields within miles from Mondstatd, a group of Cryo slimes and hilichurls were gathered together in their own camp. Among them was also a Cryo Abyss Mage, sharing its plan to attack the city with its henchmen. But while it conveyed its words, one of the hilichurls looked to the sky before shrieking loudly, directing their attention to a rain of flaming arrows from above. The Abyss Mage and others quickly moved to avoid the attack, but some of the hilichurls and slimes were caught in the attack, burned by the arrows. The Abyss Mage hissed.

"Who did that?!" it shrieked. Just then, another flaming arrow was fired its way. It shattered the icy bubble covering the mage and caused it to flop to the ground. The mage slowly pushed itself back up before looking ahead, seeing the likes of Amber, Klee, Aether and Paimon. Amber held her bow drawn back, ready to fire another arrow as they all looked on with grins on their faces.

"So sorry to crash your "Take Over Mondstatd" party, but you're NOT going to be doing anything while the Knights of Favonius are on watch!" Amber exclaimed.

"Yeah! That's right!" Klee added "You monsters are not welcome!" The Abyss Mage hissed as it ordered the others to attack. However, just as it did, Aether drew his sword and begun channeling Anemo energy around it. Paimon had a smug grin on her face, arms crossed.

"Yeah….that's not going to happen either. We're here to just get this over with. Ladies? If you'd please…" Paimon said, Aether grinning alongside her. Klee drew one of her bouncing bombs as Amber stayed ready with bow drawn.

"Time for you to DISAPPEAR!" Aether shouted. He then swung his sword, sending a large twister in their direction. At the same time, Amber fired her arrow and Klee unleashed her bomb. Both attacks were suchked into the twister, starting to engulf it in fire.

"No no no no no NOOO!" the Abyss Mage shrieked as they watched in fear. All remained helpless as they were pulled into the flaming vortex as Klee's bomb went off, destroying all of them in a single blast.

~ Back in Mondstadt ~

With the threat neutralized, the group made their way back to Mondstadt's gates. Paimon stretched her arms over her head, floating alongside Aether.

"Whew! So glad we got THAT over with. Now…we can look forward to…uhhhh….what was it again?" she asked. Aether shook his head with a sigh.

"Really, Paimon? You're supposed to be my guide…and you can't remember what Amber told us? Maybe I should think about replacing you." Aether teased. Paimon gasped.

"You wouldn't DARE! Paimon's super helpful! Like earlier! You can't replace Paimon!" she retoreted. She then noticed Klee looking up at her.

"But….Traveller and Amber did most of the work. Oh! And Klee helped too!" she chimed in, leaving Paimon feeling defeated. Aether chuckled.

"Maybe you should learn how to use a weapon then." he said "Unless you want someone like Klee or Qiqi to replace you." Paimon puffed her cheeks before turning away, arms and legs crossed, letting out a huff. Just then, she felt a hand rubbing the top of her head. Curiously looking back, she saw it was Aether's hand.

"C'mon Paimon…you know I'm just teasing you. I'm glad to have you around." he said "Felt like we wouldn't have gotten this far without each other." Feeling a bit remorseful, Paimon's sour attitude dropped as she approached him. With only eyes looking on at each other, the two shook hands while Amber chuckled.

"You two were meant for each other! You get along so well." she said "C'mon. Let's go grab something at Good Hunter to celebrate a job well done!" Hearing those words quickly raised Paimon's spirits.

"Ooh! Ooh! Sticky Honey Roast please!" she exclaimed, waving her hands.

"Okay…okay. We'll see how much Mora I have left. Don't get your hopes up though." Amber nervously replied.

~ Outdoor Table | Good Hunter ~

Fortunately for Amber, Aether and Klee offered to help pay for their celebratory feast, most of the money chipped in by Aether himself. The three sat around together at a table. And while Klee and Paimon were busy munching away, Aether turned to Amber.

"So…what did you say you guys do during the Barbatos Winter Festival?" he asked. Amber set her mug down.

"Well, as you know, the festival last twelve days and all of Mondstadt gets together to turn the streets into a vendor's paradise. Folks from all across Teyvat come here for the wine, friendly atmosphere, food and the annual gift giving at the end." Amber said "At the end of the festival, you are allowed to exchange gifts with your friends and family by the giant statue up by the Church. And, as an added bonus, Barbara sometimes sets up the church choir and other bards to play music for everyone." Klee's eyes were lit up with excitement, as were Paimon's.

"Oh! This is gonna be so much FUN!" Paimon proclaimed "We needed a SERIOUS break after what we went through in Inazuma!" Aether chuckled.

"So…when does the fesitval start?" Aether said, turning to Amber.

"It's in a few days. I'm just glad my message reached you guys when it did. Part of me felt really bad thinking you wouldn't be back in Mondstadt around this time. You HAVE to check this out…at least ONCE in your life." Amber said "If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!" Aether nodded as Paimon began to ponder.

"Hey…you think maybe we could invite Razor to come? Or maybe any of the "friendly faces" we know from Liyue? I bet Zhongli never comes to an event like this. Knowing him…he probably doesn't have the Mora for it." Paimon added, giggling to herself at the end.

"Kind of like how I maintain ALL our Mora spending….lest I let my greedy, gluttonous little co-hort ends up spending it on lottery tickets or a life time's supply of Fisherman's Toast." Aether teased, glancing Paimon's way. Paimon looked back with a scoff as the others started to laugh out loud.

"H-Hey! Paimon is NOT a glutton! How DARE you say that about your guide! Ugh! How rude!" she yelled amidst all the laughing.

"Wonder if the Shogun will have time to come? It would definitely help promote good bonds between here and Inazuma. In fact, we'll take some time to head over and invite them. Kokomi, Sayu, Ayaka, Thoma...the others too." Aether said. Paimon nodded.

"Ayaka DID say she wanted to see what Mondstadt was like when the Vision Hunt Decree stopped. Sounds like a good time to me. Still...good luck convincing the "stick in the mud" that is the "Shogun". Ei is WAY better." she said. Amber asked what she meant with Aether cutting in, saying he would explain some other time. But while everyone was enjoying themselves, enjoying Grilled Tiger Fish on a stick in the nearby alleyway was the likes of Childe. He kept eyes on Aether and Paimon.

"A festival, huh. I wonder if any of my siblings would want to come. I'll have to hop back to Scheznaya sometime soon to see them." he thought to himself "After all, it's not like the Fatui has much going on now with Tsaritsa out of commission and all that. I've deserved some vacation time too." With eyes on Paimon and Aether, he finished his stick and tossed it into a nearby trash can before walking off.

Genshin Impact: Holiday Tales
Prologue: The Snowy Fields of Mondstadt