"Thank you for completing today's commissions. Here are your rewards"
After Aether collected his rewards, he went outside Mondstadt's walls to camp for the night. He needed his rest, as the next day he was going to fight Stormterror to help save Mondstadt from its turmoil. He set up camp at the huge tree near the Anemo Archon's statue, laying against the grass and looking up at the leaves and the stars. He thought about his sister, how she was doing, and how he was going to get her back. He was invited to stay in Mondstadt by the Acting Grand Master herself, but Aether wasn't really a people person. He disliked talking to others, as they always asked him annoying questions about his past and his family. Lumine was the more social one, liking to talk to others. He liked the peace and quiet, preferring to be alone and absorbed in his own thoughts rather than be talked to and revered by the people everywhere he went. The only person he got on ok with was Diluc, as neither of them said much and just worked together as a team. He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep along with the gentle breeze of the City of Freedom and Wind.
However, that night, he had a strange dream. He was sitting on the edge of a cliff of a mountain, watching the sun shine gold as it set. The landscape was very unfamiliar to him. He had been all over Mondstadt, so he should have been familiar with the landscape, but it was alien to him. A woman was sitting next to him, taking in the cool breeze and the sun's colours. She had gorgeous flowing purple hair, wearing silk gloves and a purple dress with an electro vision holding it up at her back. Aether had never seen her before, but he knew that she was not an enemy. Aether felt really calm near her, and for some reason did not dislike her presence. He would usually walk away from people when they tried to approach him, but he felt calm and at peace with the world near her.
Seemingly sensing his troubled thoughts, she then turned to him, worry in her eyes. "You seem troubled. Are you alright?" she asked, receiving a shake of the head from Aether. "No," he replied, "I'm not." "Would you mind telling me what's wrong? If you confide your burden in someone, it makes it easier to bear," she said. Aether wasn't sure if he would reply, as he usually wouldn't, but he decided to open up to her, as she seemed like a good person, and he was feeling very happy sitting there with her.
After he told her of all his troubles and what he's been through and what he still needed to do, there were tears in her eyes. "No one should have to go through what you have," she said, leaning into his shoulder. "Talking to you about it made me feel a lot better," he replied, "Thank you," he said, resting his head on hers. They sat there for a while, enjoying each other's warmth and watching the sunset. Finally, after the sun had gone down, the woman told Aether that she needed to go, and he needed to as well. Aether nodded, looking slightly downcast. "Will I see you again?" he asked her. "We will meet again, I'm sure of it," she replied, lightly kissing his cheek in response. Her lips were warm and very soft. "I'll see you in Liyue Harbor." Aether knew Liyue Harbor by name, and he nodded and looked back at the ever-darkening night sky. "I'm looking forward to it." He looked back at the woman, but she was gone. Aether didn't even know her name. "I'll go look for you in Liyue once I'm done with everything here." Aether thought to himself.