Care to explain your Diary?
Now, it wasn't every night the Deaconess of the Church of Favonius was outside of Mondstadt after dark. And it wasn't also every night that she was sneaking around and following people. Sure, Barbara did maybe, sorta, follow Sister Rosaria all the way to Dragonspire that one time. But she had good reason to! After all, Sister Rosaria needed to attend choir practice at some point!
With that being said, Barbara now found herself trailing behind Amber and Aether and was doing her best to stay hidden. As part of Lisa's gotcha scheme, everyone who had Mora in the pot had to do their part and "check-in" on the two love birds to see if anything would develop to allow someone to get lucky and win. And tonight was Barbara's turn in "checking-in" with Aether and Amber.
She had started following them just as the two of them had left Mondstadt, and after passing through the Whispering Woods they appeared to be heading to Starfell Lake. The two of them were clearly talking to each other, but Barbara was too far away to tell what they were talking about.
Just as Barbara suspected, the two of them stopped on the shore of Starfell Lake. With a quick hand motion from Aether, the two of them sat down next to each other and began to make themselves comfortable on the small ledge, their feet hanging over the edge, down towards the water.
As they were getting comfortable, Barbara quickly moved up closer and hid behind a nearby tree. Something in Barbara's heart got her thinking that tonight might actually be the night.
Aether looked over the small body of water that was Starfell Lake. There was a small amount of fish in the water and the cranes that usually sat by the Statue of the Seven in the middle of the lake were fast asleep. All in all, it was a beautiful sight. However, he wished he wasn't so nervous.
Ever since he had recovered from his fight with the Ruin Guards, he always found himself to be nervous whenever Amber was around. Lumine's words had a deep effect on him. He wasn't sure what to do about it.
"Just confess already!"
Common sense would be to do as his sister had suggested, but it just wasn't that simple. Yes, he did sorta kiss her on the cheek before he left last time, but he was worried that Amber had taken it as a friendly kiss between friends, and nothing more. He wished that love would be more simple. Aether looked over at Amber who herself was doing the same as him, looking over the small lake. If Amber ever noticed that Aether was acting weird and nervous around her over the last few days, then she had never said anything.
It was Amber who spoke first. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Amber turned her head and looked at Aether with a small smile on her face. "The full moon reflecting off the water, and all the stars in the sky. It makes you wonder what's really up there among the constellations." Amber looked at Aether, now with a serious expression on her face. "You were up there among them at some point right? The stars and constellations I mean. What was it like?"
Aether had told Amber bits and pieces of what he remembered before waking up in Teyvat. He and his sister gilding through the stars, only to be separated by an unknown god. If Aether had to compare it to anything, well it just so happened that Mondstadt's Gilding Champion was sitting next to him.
"You know that feeling you get when you're gilding Amber? The feeling where you could just keep going on and on without it ever ending? Just imagine that, but being able to constantly feel and do it at will."
"Yeah I know what you mean! Does it really feel like that? Constantly feeling like you can do anything no matter what, but at the same time one small mistake with your gilder handling and you could go crashing into the ground?" Amber said that last part with a small laugh in her voice.
Aether smiled, before continuing. "Yeah it feels exactly like that!. But thanks to my Gilding Instructor, I got my Gilding License on my second try and don't have to worry abo-ow hey!"
Amber hit Aether lightly on the shoulder, causing him to grab her hand and move it away. "Hey that was on you! You were the one that almost crashed into Jean's Office, and don't blame it on the wind like last time!"
The two of them let out a small chuckle as they recalled the memory. Moments like this made the two of them at ease with each other. Luckily it also gave one of them courage to ask a question that had been on her mind for the last few days. As silence fell over the two of them once again, Amber spoke up.
"So ummmm…...Care to explain your Diary to me?"
Aether turned his head to look at Amber with a blank face. It suddenly hit him with what she was talking about. "Hey! I told you it's an Archive and not a Diary! The two things are completely different from each other!" Amber let out another small laugh as Aether defended his Archive.
"But what is there to explain? And why so curious? I've already told you what I write in it. Just important stuff that I want to remember and never forget…"
Amber had no idea where she was getting all this courage from. It was as if a reassuring, soft melody was pushing her on in the background. Aether had looked away from her, a small blush on his face. With a reding face, Amber asked her follow-up question
"And is that why you wrote so much about me in your archive?"
Aether's eyes went wide and shock took over his face. Busted was the first thought that came to Aether's mind. How did Amber know he wrote about her in his Archive? He always had it on him, and she….had found it when he was wounded in his fight with the Ruin Guards.
She probably had the chance to read it when she found it.
How was he gonna explain himself out of this one? Usually Paimon would step in in situations like this, but the fairy was not around this time. Something about Venti and a drinking-food bet was keeping her busy.
Stuttering, Aether began to try and explain himself. "Ummm… well you know, like I've told you before, I write everything I can down in my Archive. I want to make sure I remember everything I can, no matter what happens….And you know, somethings mean more to me so I….ummm write more about them?"
Aether ended his sentence in more of a question than statement, unsure of what Amber's reaction was. When he finally looked over at Amber, she was looking at him with a small smile on her face.
"Before we came to see you for the first time at the Inn, Keqing pulled me aside and ummm...got me to flip through your Archive. She wanted me to see what you write so much about." Amber's heart was starting to beat faster. Any faster, and she was worried that it might burst.
"Yeah, I let Keqing read through it while I was in Liyue. She wanted to judge my writing skills to see if I knew enough to help her with mountains of paperwork." Aether was silent for a moment. "So you know I write a lot about you, and you want to know why?"
Amber nodded.
Aether signed internally. This was it. He was going to confess and put his feelings on the line. Despite his fast beating heart and increasing nervousness, he felt surprisingly calm, as if a lullaby was keeping his heart rate under control, or at least was trying to.
"Amber. I like you. A lot. When I first walked off that beach all those months ago, you were the first person that gave me their all. You were you! Sure you used the standard scripted knight greeting on me and almost hit Paimon with an arrow during our first battle together, but I couldn't help but be amazed by who you were. You showed me all of Mondstadt and helped me get back onto my feet."
Aether now moved closer to Amber, bringing her into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Amber just looked up at his face with wide eyes.
"You mean everything to me. I'm still on my own personal mission to find my sister. It's all up in the air but….I would really like to have you there with me. w-Would that be okay?"
Amber was still staring up at Aether with wide eyes. A couple of seconds of silence went by as the two of them just stared at each other, both wondering what the other was thinking. Just as Aether was about to take back everything he had said, Amber quickly moved in his lap, her lips moving up to Aether's own.
The two of them never heard the Deaconess hiding behind the tree gasp.
As the two began to run out of air, Amber was the first to pull away. Breathing heavily, she answered him with a smile. "Well, how's that for an answer!" With Amber back to her usual self, Aether could only laugh. With a big smile on his face, he moved his face closer to hers. "Just as expected from my favorite Outrider". And with that comment, they kissed again.
Barbara looked over at the two of them, still making out under the moonlight. Well, it looks like she had big news to share with everyone back in Mondstadt. Satisfied, she closed her floating grimoire and slowly began to leave her hiding spot and make her way back.
Now, Barbara is never someone who would use their vision for personal gain, but in situations like this, she was sure that Barbatos would not mind. After all, she loved helping people and she was helping Mondstadt's favorite couple finally find love. And knowing the odds, it wasn't like she was gonna win anything from Lisa's gotcha scheme anyway.
If only she knew that a certain Bard who was sitting at the bar drinking had just smiled. He had a feeling that something amazing had just happened to the Honorary Knight and Mondstadt's Gliding Champion. Perhaps he could make some Primogems and Mora go a certain way after all.
An empty mug hit the counter. "Bartender! Paimon wants another round! You're not gonna win that easily tone-deaf bard!"
~Ehe
AN / Closing Comments
And that's a wrap folks! Thank you so much for reading! For what's its worth, I had a really fun time writing this and am quite proud to call this my first foray into writing a fic. Being able to explore and put my thoughts down in a readable format is challenging, and definitely a learning experience. Amber is my favorite out of the starting 4, and carried me through the first part of the game. I am glad that I'm able to do her justice here.
A shout out to the other writers here, (For Genshin Impact and beyond!) Reading your stories is what got me into trying to write in the first place! I hope my story can inspire you and provide enjoyment like all of you did to me.
I've also just posted my next story, this time between Aether and Barbara, Photos of the Heart. Please check it out if it interests you.
Thanks again everyone, and good luck on your next 10 pulls! May the Anemo Archon bless your pulls.
(Updated to correct spelling mistakes)