"You sure you can handle all of that, Amber? That's a lot of stuff you have there."
"Yep! Busy day today! I got someone waiting for me."
"Oh~ Well, don't let me keep you here dear. Here, have some treats from yours truly."
"Aw shucks. Thanks, Sara!"
Amber graciously accepted the parcel that the shopkeeper of the Good Hunter gave her. This one felt cold to the touch, she wondered what it was.
"That was a lot of food you had ordered from me, not to mention it was all a to-go order too. A lunch date for your birthday?"
Amber blushed, her faux bunny ears tensed up. "Sara! It's nothing like that. I just want to chat with a friend on my birthday."
The blond woman chuckled. "Sure you are," she cleared her throat. "But I won't meddle. It's your day after all."
"Thanks," Amber smiled. "For… cooking and all."
"No problem. As I said, it's your day," she pumped her fist, a glint in her eyes that Amber wouldn't acknowledge. "Follow your heart. Go get 'em, yeah?"
Amber sweatdropped as she shyly smiled. "Y-Yeah, sure." she made to walk away, with her business concluded.
"Oh, and I almost forgot, happy birthday!"
Amber could almost hear Sara knock herself on the head even though she was looking in the other direction. "Thank you!" she said without looking back.
'And that's the third greeting of the day.' she cheered.
Huh? Who were the first and second? Well, the first was from Baron Bunny, of course! The second was from Master Jean! It didn't matter much to her how many greeted her, what she felt mattered more was who greeted her.
"Oh, Amber! Happy birthday! That's a lot of stuff you have there, need any help?"
A woman with light-brown hair called out to her. 'That's the fourth one.' Amber smiled and waved. "Hello there, Marjorie! Thanks, but it's unneeded. I can handle myself just fine." It was only three baskets of food. She could carry twice that amount and still be fine.
Marjorie slowly nodded. "If you say so. Still, where are you off to, if I can ask?"
"I'm heading off to cape oath."
"Ah, I see," the gears turned in Marjorie's head, and then they fell into place. She gave the outrider a smirk. "Ah, I see~"
Amber pouted. "It's not what you think!"
"Am I wrong in thinking a certain traveler is waiting for you there?"
"...No."
"In Mondstadt's most popular couple destination?"
"...Uwwww."
"The cape which two lovers left an oath and left a deeply touching story, an area most popular with young lovebirds-"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Without dropping her bastes, she slipped one on her arm and covered Marjorie's mouth. Red-face, Amber did what she could to hide her embarrassment, though, from the amused look coming from Marjorie, it did nothing.
At that, Marjorie softened. "I wouldn't worry. You're a great gal. I'm sure he knows that too."
"B-But it's not what you-
"Ah, baba, no buts, no cuts, no coconuts," Marjorie pointed the finger at her. "You can't think like that. You'll undoubtedly lose if you do. Don't lose your momentum, keep the pressure on!"
Sighing, Amber slowly nodded. "A-Alright."
"I feel like a teenager again with you," she sighed. "Actually, wait here, I got something for you."
As Marjorie went back into her store, Amber raised an eyebrow. A present? Maybe a trinket?
While waiting, Amber contemplated her words. It was true that she had leaped greater than anything she could ever glide today. When the traveler had agreed, she felt her heart skyrocket. She could barely get any sleep because of it. B-Because of the excitement of meeting a friend again after so long!
An even better stroke of luck was that he had visited Mondstadt precisely before her birthday! Amber felt that it was now or never back then, and she was glad that she took the plunge. All that was left now was actually to go through with it.
It would be easier said than done but… she couldn't lose her momentum now. Like Marjorie said. And then after that, maybe they could-
Amber shook her head. Her thoughts were going places that weren't quite rated T. She was sure her ears were going red again. She had to calm down before Marjorie-
"Oh, I guess someone is already thinking about the far future," Amber wanted the earth to swallow her whole when she saw Marjorie's knowing smile. "Here, have this." Marjorie opened her hand down on Amber's waiting hands.
Small, sturdy, yet shiny minerals with a shade of red. Glowing bright and hot to the touch. Amber knew what these were, hell, anyone with a pyro vision did.
"Agnidus Agate Sliver?"
Marjorie nodded. "May your heart become as hot as fire, and let your passion burn free," she smiled. "May this give your heart that extra dose of courage you need."
Amber clutched them in her hand. She put her hand to her chest and nodded. "Thank you."
"You're most welcome," she chuckled. "Well, I don't want to keep you here for too long. I reckon you would like to get to Cape Oath before noon?"
Her eyes widened.
Marjorie smiled knowingly. "Yes, it is already that time."
"Oh dear, I didn't know! How could I lose track of time so easily?!" she was the outrider of Mondstadt! She prided herself in environmental awareness!
"That happens often when you're nervous."
"I-I am not nervous!"
"Sure, whatever you say," Marjorie nodded, but Amber knew she was teasing her. She pouted. "Oh come on, don't give me that look. It worked when you were a kid, but not anymore."
Her pout never left her face, and Marjorie's gaze never left her. That face brought back memories, precious memories. She cracked.
"Uh… maybe it does a bit." she looked away and scratched her cheek.
Inwardly, Amber pumped her fist in victory. Her pout had been the bane of everyone that had taken care of her as a kid, and while it didn't work anymore, it still had a chance of affecting someone who had taken care of her most of the time when she was a child.
One of those people was Marjorie, who of course, had succumbed to the cuteness.
"Well, if you want my help, I guess I could provide."
Amber raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You wanna get to Cape Oath fast, right?"
Though Amber nodded, she was still a bit lost. She gasped. Would she? Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
As if reading her mind, Marjorie chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Consider this my birthday present to you."
"Angus! It's so good to see you again, boy!"
A neigh was her reply as Amber lunged herself and wrapped herself around the horse. With how affectionate Agnus was being, it seemed the feeling was mutual. Amber only ruffled his black fur more.
Amber excitedly turned around to Marjorie, who was currently carrying her baskets. "Will you let me borrow him? Really, really, really?"
She nodded. "You're old enough, so I will. Promise me you'll be careful on him?"
Agnus made a sound similar to a scoff. Amber proudly grinned and put her hands to her waist. "I can handle it. See? Even Angus agrees. Right, boy?" Amber took Agnus nuzzling his ivory muzzle into her side as a sign of agreement.
"If you say so, just don't think I'll ever forget your horse-riding lessons."
Amber grimaced. "I've gotten better…?"
Marjorie snorted. A rather unladylike sound but she couldn't give a damn. "Tell me that when you can ride a horse without flying off," she chuckled at Amber's defeated expression. "But don't worry. I'm sure Agnus is good enough to accommodate you."
Amber nodded. "That's fine with me," she stroked his fur. "I guess we're off then."
"Not so fast!" they turned to the entrance to the stables. A woman with short blue hair clad in a leotard could be seen. "Going so soon, without even telling me? I won't let this go."
Amber grinned. "Eula!" she ran towards the woman and wrapped her in an embrace.
"Happy Birthday, Amber." the taller woman ruffled her hair, and she smiled. "Going to ride Angus again?"
Amber nodded. "Yeah. Though I might need to put something on his back to career these baskets." she gestured towards the three baskets near Marjorie.
"Hey there, Marjorie."
"Hello, Eula."
Amber smiled. These two had an amicable relationship similar to Eula's relationship with Sara. Though she guessed it was because of Marjorie's mind as a merchant. It didn't matter where you came from, or who you are. As long as you're a customer who didn't piss her off, Marjorie was one of the best friends you could ever have.
Though her sense of humor couldn't be more different from Eula's. She took to more… sarcastic and sadistic ways of getting her fun.
Speaking of which, as they nodded to each other, Amber saw Marjorie smirk.
She didn't like that. Not one bit.
"Hey, Eula?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you know, our little Amber here is going to Cape Oath?'
Oh no.
"Oh," Eula slowly nodded. She stiffened up. Amber grimaced. Eula's eyes zeroed in her three wooden baskets, Marjorie's telling gaze, Angus' dismissal, and lastly, Amber's own eyes that darted around the room, whistling innocently. "Oh~"
Amber could only take a step back as she chuckled without any humor, before she suddenly grabbed her baskets, put them on a small contained beside Angus' saddle, and made to get up on the horse-
"Not so fast!"
"Ah! Eula!"
Eula had grabbed her by the shoulders before she could get away and was now embracing her for all she was worth.
"My Amber is growing up! How do I stop this? Who is causing this? I must find out and let them taste my vengeance."
"N-No one is-"
"Why, a certain traveler of course."
"Marjorie!" There was only one traveler that they all referred to, everyone in Mondstadt knew that. It didn't take long for Eula to connect the dots as a sharp grin appeared on her face. No doubt the two women were having a lot of fun with the situation.
"Ah, the traveler, I see," she made a move to brandish her weapon. "I have been asking him for a spar recently, this will be the perfect moment to execute my vengeance. For taking my Amber's heart, he shall pay!"
"It's nothing like that!" Amber exclaimed. "Just… please don't hurt him? He- He didn't do anything wrong… please." she held Eula's hands in her own.
Marjorie and Eula looked at each other, before they turned to Amber with soft gazes.
"I supposed we did go a bit too far," Marjorie told her. "Don't worry, we support you."
Eula nodded. "Yes. We simply care for you in our own way."
"Thank you," Amber sighed in relief. "I was really worried there for a second."
"But still, to get my little Amber this worried for him, I might have to test him a bit to see if he's up to the task-"
"Eula!"
"Relax, I kid. I'll just rough him up a little-"
"Eula!"
She sighed. "Fine, fine. Take the fun out of it. Mark my words, vengeance will be mine."
Amber let go of her with a huff. Though this was standard issue for her, she couldn't help but be infuriated by their insinuations.
She was not taken by the traveler. She was simply having a friendly outing with him. Yeah, that's right.
A friendly picnic in cape oath. Just her, the traveler, and his companion Paimon. Just them.
Absolutely no romantic subtext here.
Marjorie and Eula looked like they didn't believe her, but it was fine. They didn't need to believe her.
A neigh from Angus and she turned to him to see him give her the closest thing to a raised eyebrow a horse could give.
Amber groaned as she put a hand on his fur. "Even you Angus?"
They all shared a laugh while Amber pouted, though eventually she too joined in the laughter.
Moments like these did well to ease the tensions in her heart. The uncertainty that lay within was not necessarily erased, more like burrowed and would resurface some other time. It made her feel lighter.
"Well, anyway, I'll be off now," she jumped up onto Angus, who let out a neigh of approval, balancing himself carefully to avoid the baskets from spilling, not that they would. Sara had done well to package them. "Take care."
They nodded. "You as well, Amber," Marjorie said. "Take care of her, alright, Angus?"
Angus neighed as if to say "Did you even have to ask?"
"Just tell that traveler that I'm watching you two. Anything he does to you, I'll do to him tenfold. Vengeance will be swift I assure you." Eula smirked.
Amber groaned, but underneath her annoyance, she smiled at the concern directed to her.
"I'll be fine, Eula. I'm a big girl"
Eula nodded. She reached behind her and pulled out what looked like a keychain. "By the way, I almost forgot. Here's your present from me."
Amber raised an eyebrow as she reached down with a hand. Made with cotton, soft to the touch, she could see a small trinket that couldn't be bigger than two inches in height and three inches in width, a figure that she saw in the mirror every day was right in front of her eyes in her hands, albeit very small.
"Is this… me?"
"Yeah. I asked for some help making it, but I wanted to make sure you got something good from your birthday. And you already have baron bunny, so I thought I'd make you."
"Aw, that's so sweet. Thank you," she smiled warmly, which Eula mirrored. "It must've been tough, asking for someone's help."
"Well, I wanted you to have something well done. If I did the work by myself, it wouldn't be shabby," she shrugged. "Besides, the help I got didn't even seem to mind too much. She even made a bigger version of it with cute button eyes as her present to you. The audacity of that girl."
Amber chuckled. "Was this help of yours Noelle?"
Eula sighed. "Yes, yes it was. That girl is too much for me to handle when it comes to tasks like that, I swear."
"Ah well, I think it's cute. But since she's younger, we still need to take care of her," she patted Angus's side. "Anyway, again, I should get going now."
Eula looked at her with eyes filled with mixed emotion. She knew that the aftermath of today would change a lot, or would change nothing for the outrider, but it made her happy. Seeing her grow, get wiser, and experience new things. No matter how she felt about them, she would perform her duty as an older sister and watch over her, mark her words!
Eula nodded and smiled at her as she helped amber clip the keychain on her belt.
She smiled. "Make haste, and be resolute. For all that waiting for you may not be just a person, but your future."
Amber blushed.
"It's not like that!"
"Seriously… what is with them? It's a friendly outing! A picnic on Cape Oath!" she ranted to no one in particular.
She rode on Angus calmly as he strutted through the grass, savoring the breeze. Amber was enjoying it too. Not just because she didn't have to walk, but because this brought back fond memories for the girl.
They weren't painless memories, but they were memories she treasured nonetheless.
"Wow, the breeze feels wonderful, don't you think so, Angus?"
He made a sound that Amber attributed to him saying he thought so too. Of course, he would. He was a horse!
"I feel like it's been forever since we've seen each other, huh? You were so small back then… then again, I was too."
Marjorie's horse had been a constant figure in her life just like plenty of others had. Back then, he was small, meek, and dirty. Marjorie had taken him in and cared for him. She was her horse as a merchant, and anybody with eyes could tell that both of them were thankful to each other. Marjorie had saved Angus' life, and Angus had been very helpful to Marjorie's near-dying business at the time.
It also helped that Angus was one brave horse. They say that Angus had once rushed into battle with Master Varka! Whether that was true or not was still up for debate, but still! Amber couldn't help but imagine it. And every time she squealed in excitement without fail.
Though, Amber's first meeting with Angus had been… rocky, to say the least.
"To think I was scared of you back then. Silly me."
That's right. Amber the Brave Outrider had been scared of Angus when she was a child. She admitted it. But hey, back then, as small as she was, Angus might as well have been a giant walking on four legs. It was terrifying!
Angus made a sound akin to chuckling. "You find that funny now, Mister. But man I was so scared of you back then," she hugged his fur and rubbed her hands on it. "If I knew you were this soft from the get-go I never would've been." she sighed in relief.
It took her a while, a long one, to get used to Angus. To horses in general. But once she had, she had been conquering her fears left, right, and dead center. She was to be an Outrider, she had to be brave.
That was easy to do once she got to know Horse, especially Angus, better. Turns out, that people don't fear things they understand all that much, go figure.
Though, with her newfound interest and amiable disposition toward horses came another problem, a wall that she found difficult to get over, literally.
Angus made a move to adjust her on his back, a move that Amber knew by habit already. Amber made a noise of embarrassment. "I'm fine here, I don't need you fixing my position back here." though Angus couldn't see, she pouted.
Horseback riding. Another thing that Amber found difficult. There were… a lot of problems that came with that particular activity. Most of it was Amber, while some of it had been Angus' unfamiliarity with a rider since he had gotten used to carrying a carriage.
The extra weight was easy to adjust to for Angus. For Amber meanwhile, it had gotten to the point that Angus had developed a habit of adjusting the person riding on his back into their saddle due to Amber slipping most times.
"Yeah, I've grown now. I may not be the best but I'm improving, aren't I?"
An outrider who had difficulty riding a horse. The irony made her chuckle, but she couldn't feel bad about it.
Why would she when she was doing what she could to get over her fears and improve herself further?
Reaching a familiar point, she pointed in a direction. "Take a right here and go up- oh wait you already know."
Angus made a sound that Amber thought to be sass.
"Did you just sass me?"
A neigh told her he did.
"Oh, you've grown cheeky."
Amber felt that it was safe to say that Angus had been just as active as her. As a carriage horse, he had a duty to make sure merchandise and packages arrived on time, and safe. There wasn't a day in a week that he wasn't outside of Mondstadt.
Still, merchants had items of all kinds. Even the fragile ones. Safe to say, Angus had plenty of experience with that, and he made sure that whoever was riding with him, and whatever was riding with him, would get to their destination safe and sound.
Growing up alongside him, you can say Amber felt a bond with him. Angus felt the same way. Partners in a way.
Nearing her destination, she double-checked her items.
"Okay, each basket, check. Clothing, check. Hair, check. What else… oh, the Amber keychain! Right here. Check, check, and check!" she nodded to herself.
If he could, Angus would scoff. So much for a friendly outing. When Amber was so visibly worried, anxious, and yet excited about this all at the same time, what else could it be?
"Alright, Angus. You can stop here. I'll get down."
Angus made the lean down and sit on the grass to make things easier for Amber, but a tug on the reigns halted him.
"Nope! I'm not a child anymore. I have grown up, I can do this." Amber looked down at the ground. She put the baskets on the back of the saddle for now as she attempted to reach the ground with her outstretched feet.
Angus raised an eyebrow, almost tauntingly. Fortunately, Amber was busy focusing on the ground, rather than looking at him.
"Almost… there… got it!"
And to his surprise, she did. She had to jump a bit but she did stick the landing. Very impressive.
"Hah! See! Told you!"
Yes, very impressive indeed. Angus thought somehow, someway, she would slip-
"Told you I could do it- uwha!"
He spoke too soon.
His feet tensed up, yet as his gaze took in the sudden newcomer, he smiled. This would be a joy to watch.
Amber closed her eyes and waited for the impact. Luckily she wasn't carrying her baskets, otherwise, they would be wasted right now.
But the impact never came. With eyes still closed, she sighed and relief and wiped the sweat off her brow.
"Whew, thanks for the save, Angus. I was a bit too excited about my landing there and I forgot about my surroundings. How embarrassing. Luckily, only you saw that."
"Oh, I guess the horse's name is Angus? Nice name, nice horse."
"Yeah, he's great. He's- wait."
Angus couldn't talk. Now that she thought about it, Angus didn't have hands. If that was the case then…
Her eyes slowly opened. Her vision was filled with fair skin, long blonde locks, gold eyes, and a warm smile that omigosh-
"Hey there, just dropping in?
Aether was carrying her in bridal style!
"A-A-Aether?!"
"One and only. Happy Birthday, Amber."
"And me! Paimon is here too!"
Angus snorted as he saw Amber turn into a tomato during the two newcomers, a blonde one, and a floating white-haired one fuss about her. He was right, this was entertainment.
Now if only he had a few sunsettias.
"This is a lot of food."
"Y-Yeah I thought as much, but I knew Paimon would eat plenty and I wanted there to be enough for all of us."
"Haha, thanks for that. Sometimes I feel like you spoil Paimon too much."
"Paimon doesn't mind~"
Amber chuckled. "It's fine. I like seeing people enjoy themselves. Besides, it's my birthday. Today, and only for today, I am the law."
Paimon cheered, and Aether smiled.
On the grass of Cape Oath, the three sat on a picnic mat as Amber opened each of her baskets alongside the extra package Sara had given her, which miraculously was still cold. While off to the side, quite a distance away from them, Angus had acquired his own form of sustenance. Sunsettias.
Amongst the baskets she had were a couple of popular dishes in Mondstadt, including her favorite Sweet Honey Roast, which was currently being decimated by Amber and Paimon. Turns out, the thing that Sara gave her was a jug of iced tea, complete with cups!
She would have to remember to thank Sara for the next time she saw her. She couldn't believe she forgot about the drinks!
"I kinda wish you had told me about this earlier though, I would've prepared a present for you and everything."
"Aw, I appreciate the thought but there is no need. It's my birthday, and this is what I want," she smiled. "A picnic and the chance to chat with you is all I could ever ask for."
Though she couldn't help but feel that something was missing as she gazed upon what was on their mat.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh!" she suddenly exclaimed.
"What's wrong?"
"Every alright, Amber?"
Paimon and Aether immediately acted in concern, even Angus had tensed up, prepared to rush over.
"I forgot about dessert!"
How stupid could she be? That was two things she forgot today. Two! All because she had been so anxious and excited- why were they chuckling?
"What's so funny?"
Paimon punched Aether lightly on his shoulders. "I told you! I told you!"
"Yes, yes you did, Paimon."
"I expect you to pay up later!"
Amber sweatdropped as Paimon suddenly began making circles around the traveler.
"Am I… missing something?"
The duo looked at each other before they looked at her with wide grins. "About that desert…" Aether put his hands behind him and-
What?
"Tada~" Paimon cheered as Aether had pulled out his own basket from… actually where did he pull it from?
Amber shook herself, there would be time for those thoughts later. A quick sniff of the air told her it was sweet and minty.
"Mint jelly…?"
Paimon enthusiastically nodded. "Yep! Aether here was thinking about whether or not to bring something because he felt bad. Good thing Paimon insisted it was a good idea to bring some!"
Aether chuckled. "I agreed because I knew you would ask for it. But it's nice to see that it pays off."
"You need to listen to Paimon more!"
Amber smiled. "Aw, come here you two!" she wrapped the both of them in an embrace. "Thank you so much!"
Paimon nuzzled herself into her arms, while Aether wrapped an arm around her and gave her a pat on the back. "I couldn't show up empty-handed now, can I?" he remarked. "Though if I knew you were bringing a horse I would've brought him food as well."
"Oh, you mean Angus? He's fine. He's perfectly self-sufficient." Amber went back to her earlier position as she let go of the two.
Aether raised an eyebrow. "Really? Won't he get hungry- wait what?" he paused when he looked at the aforementioned horse.
Amber smirked and waggled her eyebrows. "Told you."
Aether looked at the horse. Angus waved to them with a nod of his head as he sat rather luxuriously on the vibrant grass, an entire smorgasbord of assorted fruits in front of him.
"Well… that's… not something you see every day." Aether slowly turned his head away. He'd seen weirder things. But he wasn't expecting to see something like that today.
But good for him. What was his name again?
"Angus, right?"
Amber nodded as she took a bite of her food. "Yep. He's Marjorie's horse."
"I didn't know you were good at horseback riding."
Amber grimaced. A neigh from Angus that sounded strangely similar to a chuckle made her want to glare at him, but she held the urge. "Well… I wouldn't say I'm great at it… but I do know how to."
Paimon and Aether shared a glance as they smiled. "Sounds like a story behind that."
Amber chuckled. "Yeah, quite a few. But, thankfully, I'm old enough to laugh about them now."
"Come on, let's hear it! I wanna know~!" Paimon bite into her food.
Amber found it amusing. She was like a child. Or maybe she was? Either way, it was very cute.
"Sure, I can. But you have to tell me your stories too."
"Really? It took you that long just to get up on a horse?"
Amber nodded. "Yep. When I was that small, horses were scary, Paimon. Aether, back me up here."
"I'm sure it is, but I wouldn't know. I've never ridden a horse before." Aether shrugged.
"Wait, really?" Amber was surprised. "From how often you go around, I thought you'd be an expert in it. Do you really not know how to ride a horse?"
Aether chuckled as he shook his head. "Nope. Not one thing."
"How do you get around then?"
Aether scratched his cheek and looked anywhere else. Paimon had also been whistling next to him. "I… I get by is all I'll say."
Amber raised an eyebrow before she nodded and smiled. His business was his business, after all.
Aether felt like he'd just dodged a bullet. How was he going to explain his… unconventional yet convenient way of transportation? Could he even?
"Still, this opens up new avenues." Amber excitedly exclaimed.
Paimon tilted her head. "New… avenues?"
"Yep yep!" she pointed to Aether. "Since you're a traveler, and you don't know how to ride a horse, maybe I can teach you."
"Uh, didn't you fall off a horse that wasn't even moving?" Paimon gave her a flat look.
Off to the distance, Angus was losing it. He coughed on a piece of fruit as he smacked the grass multiple times and laughed. He wasn't even hiding it anymore.
Again, Amber held the urge to throw something at the horse. "Well… at least I can tell you what not to do?" she grimaced. "Look, I know I'm not the best teacher but-"
"Sure, I'd love to."
"-I can get you a better teacher if you- what?"
Aether chuckled. Amber felt her knees start to go numb. Darn it, she was an outrider! Not some… some… whatever, she wasn't supposed to be like this!
"I'd love to be taught how to ride a horse by you," he told her. "You could get better teachers, but I think I'd listen more if I was being taught by a close friend."
"...Really?"
"Really. Plus, that close friend also got over her fear of horses, so I'll know that whatever she tells me, it's from experience. And if I get cold feet, I know you'll know just what to say to cheer me up."
Amber pumped her fist up into the air and to stood up. "Alright! Let's do this right now- oh!"
Her legs were numb, but not because of the reason she had been thinking. She had been sitting cross-legged for too long. When she stood up, she immediately felt her knees go numb. She could feel herself start to fall.
"I got you!" Aether immediately stood up, causing Paimon to shout in surprise at the sudden movement. He grasped her hand in his and pulled her in close.
She let herself smile fondly. There was never any danger when she was with him. No matter the faults, he would be there to catch her. That was one of the things she liked about- ahem.
Amber awkwardly chuckled. "Well, I guess we could do it another day."
"Yeah, we did eat a lot of food." Aether nodded.
"Paimon agrees. Paimon is so full."
"Then some other time it is then. But I'll never forget it, trust me."
Aether smiled. "I know you won't."
There it was again, that damn smile that made her feel fuzzy inside. She would've balled her hands into fists to control herself if not for the hand that was currently holding them-
Wait!
"Y-You're holding my hand."
"Oh, yeah sorry I had to pull you up somehow."
Now that she thought about it, she was really close to him too. She was practically hugging him! This was too much. This was too much! She wasn't ready!
"L-Let go-"
"Whoa settle down, you're going to make us fall- whoa."
And fall they did. Amber put too much force on Aether and caused her to fall toward the traveler. Luckily, with the help of Paimon pulling his collar, Aether found his balance quickly and positioned both of them on the ground
'So much for being brave. You got flustered and ended up making more trouble for Aether! Stupid Amber.' Amber chided herself. Though she was expecting to have her head laid down on the grass, she was instead lying down on something soft.
"Are you alright?"
She idly nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she looked at him. "Thanks for the save."
"Anytime. "
"No, seriously. I was a bit-" her eyes widened.
Why did this have to happen to her? Why did this have to happen now? But most importantly, why was Aether giving her a lap pillow?!
Aether noted her silence and looked at her with concern. "Something wrong?"
"N-Nothing." Everything! She didn't even wear the perfume that Lisa had given her a few weeks ago! Not to mention that, oh, this was just like one of the scenes from the books that Lisa had given her!
He would stroke her hair, play with her ears a bit, whisper sweet nothings into her ears, and that would bring his face closer to hers, then she would turn her to his, and then-! And then!
She shook her head furiously. Cleanse those thoughts. Why was she thinking of them suddenly? But she couldn't lash out with wild emotions like earlier. She had to calm down.
'Breathe, Amber. Breathe. Be brave.'
"Yeah, everything is fine." Amber smiled as she turned around and face the cliff, still laid down on his lap. She was overthinking things. If he wasn't complaining, then neither was she. Oh, their hands were still intertwined? Again, if he wasn't complaining, then neither would she. This was a friendly outing. That's all- oh my god he was stroking her hair.
FWOOOSH
All of a sudden, a strong breeze washed over them. Amber saw Angus shielding his fruits with his form, though thankfully their picnic mat and everything on it had been weighed down and nothing flew off and- was Paimon already asleep?
'She sleeps when she's full. So cute, like a kid.'
As the breeze slowly started to settle down, she couldn't help but feel that it reminded her of something.
The warm breeze, the gentle stroke to the head, the comforting presence, the breeze brought back memories of…
"Grandpa…"
Aether raised an eyebrow, then he smiled warmly as he gazed at the slowly setting sun and the scenery.
Cape oath was a tall mountain, and at the position, they were at, they were overlooking Mondstadt. It made for a nice, sentimental view of what both of them had considered home.
"I heard your Grandpa was a great man. I wish I could've met him." Aether didn't stop ruffling her hair gently.
"Yeah, grandpa was… Grandpa."
Aether frowned. His hands went to her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."
"No, it's okay. I've gotten over it. I just miss him, that's all," she shook her head. "You know, as a child I… I was a menace," she chuckled. " I was very energetic. I was fast enough to get out of trouble, but the one it would fall on would always be my grandpa."
"It must've taken great patience to deal with such a troublemaker."
"Hey!" Amber exclaimed in faux offense. "I wasn't too bad. But, yeah. Grandpa was nothing if not patient."
She turned around to look at Aether. "Hey, did you know that grandpa used to be a mercenary?"
"Oh, really? Can't say I expected that." Aether shook his head.
"From what I always tell about him, you wouldn't realize it. He was part of a mercenary group from Liyue. He got a job to escort a carriage to Mondstadt, but they got ambushed."
Aether slowly nodded. "I see."
"He was the only survivor, but he was saved by a doctor from Mondstadt. He… He was ashamed to come home, and he wanted to return the favor, so he joined the Knights of Favonius." she smiled. "Not long after, he found the outriders, he found love, a family, and eventually, me, tada~"
Aether reciprocated her joy.
"When I showed interest in what he was doing, he taught me everything he knew. I was so happy. I could finally repay him for everything until one day… he left," Amber pursed her lips. "I had just joined the outriders too… Grandpa was the heart and soul of the squad, without him… we crumbled until the outriders disbanded and quit. All of them… except…"
"You." Aether gently wiped her eyes when they got watery.
"I-I didn't understand why he left. I still don't," Amber leaned into his touch. "At the time, I thought I was the cause, I thought he'd finally had enough of me."
"Amber, It's not because of you."
"Don't worry, I know now. That was way back then," she assured him. "But after that whole ordeal, I thought about his words. He once me if I would inherit his responsibility."
"Responsibility?"
Amber nodded. "To watch over our new home, and become a loyal protector of our homeland. That is the responsibility that Grandpa gave not just to our family, but the outriders. But more than that, I wanted- no, I want to prove that I have his determination," she put her fist up at the sky. "And maybe, just maybe, he would come home. He would see what I've done and say… he's proud of me…"
"If he could see you now, how strong you've become, I'm sure he'd be very proud of you."
"T-Thanks. It's comforting to know that," she nodded. "This… this reminds me of him."
"What does?" he raised an eyebrow.
She took in a deep breath, she closed her eyes as another warm breeze made its way to them. "The breeze. He was a man of few words, but he gave his emotions out in the wind as strong as the breeze. He loved us. He loves Mondstadt. He loved… me." she chuckled. "To think I would offload all of this on you. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm grateful you did. I learned a lot more about you."
"I'm sure you might think I'm such an emotional person. To be affected by something that happened so long again." she awkwardly chuckled. She didn't expect to get so emotional all of a sudden but… the breeze brought something along with it.
Aether smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. Quite the contrary, I think you're amazing."
Amber blushed. "W-What's this all of a sudden?"
"I think you're amazing,' he repeated. "All of that, and you're still the same, energetic, and kind girl we know. I'm sure everyone in Mondstadt appreciates their sole outrider." he ruffled her hair.
"Y-You think so?"
"I know so. Why I'm thinking it right now, aren't I?" he told her. "So you're emotional, so what? It makes you kinder, more sympathetic, and charismatic."
"You've gone through so much at a young age, but you're here. Doing what you do with a smile on your face, every day. You've gotten out of it stronger than ever. And I think that's amazing. Hell, your grandpa is one of the most noteworthy individuals I've ever had the pleasure of hearing of. I'd love to meet him someday for raising such an amazing woman," she felt a hand cup her cheek. "You're amazing, Amber. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Her heart thumped harder than the stomp of a lawachurl in her chest. This was too dangerous. The setting, their proximity, her flaring emotions.
"T-Then, it's my birthday, right? I can ask for anything from you, right?" now or never. It was time to be brave. The winds were giving her courage, or was it the Cape Oath breeze?
"Of course, anything." He didn't do anything when Amber took the hand on her cheek in her own, effectively holding both of his hands as she lay on his lap.
"Can I… introduce you to my grandpa? You wanted to meet him and I… I want him to know you, but!" Amber quickly interjected. "In exchange, you're… probably going to be stuck with me quite some time.."
She resisted the urge to take in a deep breath as those words left her mouth. She did it. Now the ball was in Aether's court. She tried hard not to let her nervousness show on her face. She wanted Aether to answer from his heart.
If he rejected, then she would have to accept it and hope their relationship could still be salvaged. If it couldn't… she didn't know what to do.
"Quite a while? Why not for the rest of our lives?" he said.
Amber blinked. "Eh?"
"Sure, Amber. I'd love to meet your grandpa. Might have to bend the knee to one more person because of it, but hey, it's worth it."
Eh?
Eh?
"Eh?" she was pretty sure her surprise was now showing on her face, judging from the chuckles coming from the Traveler, he found it quite amusing.
And Angus was also choking himself with his laughter in the background, but she couldn't care less about that.
"R-Really? You're serious?! No takebacks! No refunds! This train is going full force if you board it!"
"I wouldn't want out anyway. Take the wheel and throw it to the sea."
Amber stood up, this time she didn't slip. She released his hands, turned around and ran just to the edge of the overlooking cliff to Mondstadt, and cupped her hands around her mouth.
With her emotions flaring, she let out her joy the only way she knew how.
"I DID IT! THANK YOU CAPE OATH! THANK YOU, EVERYONE! I'M SO HAPPY!" she exclaimed with joyous tears flowing down her cheeks, a beaming smile brighter than the setting sun on her face.
Behind her, Aether and Angus smiled. Aether felt a bump on his back. Angus had softly nudged him with his head, urging him to go after her.
As Amber took in a deep breath to recover the air she lost, she still left the adrenaline. And then, she smelled a familiar scent.
There was a legend in Cape Oath. With the mark of a successful ordeal or confession, came the congratulations of the spirits within the area. It came differently for different people. Yet they all said that somehow, they knew what was coming.
Amber understood that feeling now. It was familiar to her, it was comforting to her.
Without hesitation, she ran up to the cliff in a rush, uncaring if anyone followed after her.
"Hey! Wait! Amber, where are you going?!"
Aether had, of course, chased after her.
Amber didn't need to look back. Because in her heart, he knew he would be there. If she was in any danger, he would save her.
And thus, as her last foot left the grass of the cliff, she jumped.
"Amber!"
The outrider closed her eyes. She knew what was coming next. She could feel it. She turned around to see Aether's concerned and worried gaze as he jumped after her.
She smiled.
FWOOOOOSH
A massive updraft formed beneath them. On reflex, they both opened their gliders. Off in the distance, Angus shook his head. He wasn't even worried. He was used to Amber's antics already when she was high on adrenaline.
Still, he was happy. He was happy for Amber. She had found her courage, and ran straight home.
Amber laughed as Aether rose to her height and grabbed her hands. Both of them floating high in the sky atop the updraft.
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
Amber could still hear him, but a few moments later and she knew that neither of them could hear the other. The updraft was only getting stronger as if mimicking her feelings. She just laughed as she held onto his hands tighter.
"Aether!"
"What?!"
She didn't need an extravagant location, she didn't need too many things. For a bird to soar, what they needed was not a higher place, but the courage to jump from a higher place and glide.
She had picked Cape Oath to gather the strength, yet strength wasn't what she needed. What she lacked, was courage.
"I love you!"
"What?! I can't hear you the wind is too loud!"
Words needed courage, words were hard to say. But she had plenty of courage. What she needed was the courage to take action. They spoke louder than words, after all.
What she needed was to be brave.
And as she brought him closer to her, smiling at each other as the distance between them lessened by the second.
In a few seconds, their lips would meet, and it would be the start of a new journey just for the two of them.
But that moment, Amber would always remember this moment. She would repeat this story for years and years to come.
The moment she achieved her heart's desires. The moment she threw away her fears, insecurities, and doubts. The moment she let out all her heart's pains and made room for the joy the moment would bring.
The moment that she had become brave.