The trip to the ocean is largely uneventful, frankly expected when traveling as a group to eastern Mondstadt, to say nothing that this is a trio of Favonius Knights of course. They do encounter a couple of hillichurls, which allows for Amber to get a true taste of Eula's gift. Heavier than her previous bow, but still well within her abilities and the sound of arrows being released is simply to die for. The increase in power and ease of use just adds icing to the cake, and Amber could already see herself protecting Mondstadt better than ever before. As she promptly thanks her friend again for such a potent present, they arrive under the sun's watchful gaze.

"Aether? Aeeether?" The second her heels touch sand, Amber calls out for the adventurer, to no immediate result. This was the beach below Starsnatch, where Aether had said his journey in Teyvat began right? So where was he?

Right as she was pacing down the beach and about to go upon some nearby cliffs-

Splash.

That was way too loud of a noise to be a rock falling into water, so Amber spins around, and gets to clearly see…a small boat peeking around the named cliff. This brown vessel instantly 'sees' the lone figure right back and speeds towards shore.

It stops, feet away. And one second later, Amber grows the biggest smile of the day yet.

An updraft appears at the boot's location, and Aether emerges right after. Soaring through for the sky for but a moment, yet long enough for her to see his wings.

Still the same jet-black pair as always, the one she gave to him the very first day they met.

He doesn't even get a chance to take a breath before she's on top of him, arms clinging to his shoulders. Sand gets kicked up thanks to one foot dragging through the beach, while the other leaves the surface entirely. But despite all of this, the blonde isn't backing down in his return embrace, hands going around her hips to prove this.

"…Happy Birthday Amber."

Those words are the only sound on the beach for a solid minute, even the waves lightly slapping the ground melt away. Careful to not ruin the moment, Albedo and Eula, who have been purposely lagging behind, slowly approach the couple with just enough presence attached for them to comfortably separate. Paimon appears right beside Aether after, showing rare maturity.

And when the other two captains do catch up, Aether and Paimon greet them accordingly, as well as thanking them for helping with all of today's planning. Paimon then clears her throat and floats towards Amber.

"Happy Birthday!" She chirps out with attention on her. "Paimon made this for you!" An immediate thrust later, Amber's hands are clutching on to a distinct plush figure…of Paimon. Clearly modeled after her own Baron Bunny (a bit of a mini-version, granted), the figure's head is noticeably bigger than the rest of the body, and the face has a crudely drawn toothy smile. Instead of floppy ears, this Paimon has her signature white hair and star cape as well.

"Paimon really wanted it to float! But that wasn't really possible, plus Sucrose was busy…heheh…mph!-"

Her explanation is cut off by an Amber hug, granted much less fierce than the previous two, but still enough to communicate her feelings of happiness.

"…I believe there's only one person who has yet to go." Albedo says as fairy and archer separate. "But, he appears to have brought the needed instrument, so he should be fine."

Aether puts his hands on his hips as everyone turns to the Waverider. "Oh right, what is this anyway?" Amber asks.

"Huh, yeah, Amber hasn't seen this yet." Paimon realizes. "Ok, so you know how Inazuma is made up out of a bunch of islands?" The Knight nods, prompting a continuation. "Well this is how we got around. It's super fast and durable too!"

Albedo and Aether side eye each other, as they know that he actually had this a little before then. But there's no reason to say anything.

"Well, I'm not sure about the 'super' part." Aether corrects his companion. "But I got…permission, I guess you could say, to take you somewhere Amber. For your birthday of course."

"A very beautiful and relaxing place! You'll love it!" Paimon energetically dances.

"Really?" Amber asks eagerly- it's not everyday she gets to go somewhere new, after all. In fact, it rarely happens nowadays, with how busy she is. It's so tempting…

"Go, Amber." Eula crosses her arms. "This is exactly why everyone handled your tasks for today."

Aether snickers. "Just like with Jean huh?" He asks to a nod.

"Paimon will even leave you two all by yourselves! Though Paimon wouidn't say no if you brought her back a souvenir…"

Seeing everyone's commenting about the idea causes Amber to laugh out loud. She can't help it. "I'm in! Let's go!"

"…Honorary Knight, can I borrow her for a moment before you two leave?"

Both individuals in this pairing are caught off guard, but Aether relents as Eula takes Amber a few yards away, leaving him just looking at Albedo with a quizzical glance.

Meanwhile…

"Eula, this better not be something like 'Aether, if you do anything to Amber…'" The Outrider smiles at the person she's imitating, but Eula scoffs.

"Ridiculous. You and I both know what he's like."

"Yeah! So what's this about?"

"You heard what he said? About how he had to get permission to take you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well, this is just a piece of advice." Eula gets close enough to whisper her next words. "Make sure you come back with no regrets."

But before Amber can even think about responding- "My apologies for taking up more time Aether." Her friend is already dragging her back towards the adventurer and alchemist.

"N-Not a problem. …So shall we Amber?" Suddenly her vision is engulfed by Aether's right palm, clearly waiting for a respective partner.

Confusion over what just happened aside, seeing Aether look so excited to take her on this trip fills her with happiness. There's no doubt that he can't wait to see her reaction to everything she's about to see and experience…so when she puts it like that, there's nothing else to wait for!

…But first…

…

The Honorary Knight's cheeks get startlingly red in seconds. Amber giggles and swims ahead towards the Waverider, hiding her own face. Albedo and Eula try to contain their laughter amid surprise, to disappointing results. Paimon's jaw almost literally hits the beach.

"What are you waiting for, slowpoke? I'm gonna learn how to drive this thing if you don't get here soon~"

"Maybe I warned the wrong person.." Eula thinks in amusement.

Aether is able to eventually recover and chase after the Outrider. The two wave to Eula, Albedo, and Paimon just before they go inside their boat together. After receiving similar shows of farewell the Waverider's thrusters are activated and it glides off into the ocean.

-0-

"Those two are truly something else." Eula mutters, hand lowered.

"Hmm…"

"Yeah, Paimon agrees! It's like they can't think of anyone el- ah!" Paimon's cheeky comment is cut off when Albedo gives her a strong tug on the arm.

"We're not alone. This way."

Proceeding to the edge of the beach, Eula looks back the way they came and glares. Figures come into focus…two slender figures, red and brown respectively, carrying a rifle and staff right next to them. Behind them, a portly blue figure in a hat with a gun seemingly attached to his arm.

"Fatui. Three of them, probably a scouting party. A bit lost, if I had to guess."

"Hm, figures. This trip did seem a bit too simple." Albedo slowly materializes his sword, Eula does the same for her claymore.

"Wouldn't you much rather hang back and collect some more 'data', Chief Alchemist?"

"…I think, this calls for a hands-on approach. Care to assist, Reconnaissance Captain?"

Paimon just retreats at the smile that crosses Eula's face. "You two are insane."

-0-

"This is pretty spacious, but comfortable too."

"Yeah, I've actually had Master Jean, Klee and Barbara in here once before. And, oh boy, it feels a lot less roomy with the four of us."

"Five, counting Paimon you mean?"

"Right…" Aether puts his hand on his neck, reflecting on that time. Aside from his first visit to the islands, the only other people to be in this specific Waverider were Beidou and Xinyan during Moonchase. Although, Amber's counter question make him think of something else entirely.

"Hey. Speaking of Paimon, what do you suppose she does when we go off like this?"

His girlfriend pauses for a moment. "W-Why are you asking me? She's always by your side, after all."

"But that's just it. Since she's around me, I really can't imagine what she does when not doing that."

"Hmm…good point….do you think she helps out Katheryne somehow?"

Aether half-snorts. "I'm really struggling to think of how she could. With all of my respect to Paimon, she doesn't exactly….fight, and I can't imagine her lifting heavy things either." A mental image of a completely buffed-up, ripped fairy friend threatens to sidetrack the discussion, so he focuses on Amber's form when thinking intently instead.

"What if… she does food delivery? Going from Mondstadt to Springvale is pretty safe, and she could always fly away if there was trouble!"

"Well yeah….but Paimon with some food…it's probably not making there completely untouched."

As much as Amber wants to argue with him about his companion's priorities, she honestly can't in good faith. Paimon is known for many things, and being a glutton with food is certainly one of them. "I do like the idea of her delivering things though." Aether adds.

"Really? Well, I think we have our answer then. There are a lot of things that need to be delivered- Wood for training dummies, papers for Jean…she could even help out Lisa with organizing the library."

"Assuming that she's actually helping Katheryne."

"Assuming that she's actually helping Katheryne. As opposed to…?"

Aether lowers his voice, as if they can be overheard by the boat itself. His face wears a smirk. "With her abilities and no one to stop her, what if Paimon explores areas of Mondstadt I haven't been to yet…just like a certain Outrider?"

"Snrk…Outrider Paimon, reporting for duty~" Amber's voice heightens, attempting to match the target of their jokes.

"Exactly. With her own Paimon-sized goggles to boot."

"…Wow, I can see it now. Better step up my game then! I'll be out of a job with Outrider Paimon flying everywhere otherwise." With a confident gleam in her eyes, Amber looks forward at the calm ocean waves quickly vanishing beneath the Waverider.

"As you wish ma'am." Aether replies, easily going along with her enthusiasm. "Even though the place we're going to is plenty calm, there's a lot to show off on your first visit. So let's just enjoy the ride over for now." With that, his attention turns back to steering the boat along, meanwhile Amber looks around the interior some more.

Well, before remembering the one thing she hasn't had the chance to look into, that is.

Lisa said do it when I'm alone, but… Yeah, if they get to wherever it is they're going, odds are she'll have to wait until tomorrow to finally take a glance. The back of the boat does look to have enough space between her and Aether, just in case. So after coming up with some excuse or another. Amber retreats back there and silently pulls out the partly-opened box from her librarian friend.

Alright Lisa, let's see… A familiar rectangular shape eventually touches her gloves, telling her that this is indeed it. Feels like…another book, just like I thought!

An internal voice is telling her to be careful with how she takes it out…and the first line on the cover is indeed not what the archer saw coming at all.

"Written by Lisa Minci in collaboration with the Yae Publishing House"

"Oh, Lisa writes too?" She wonders aloud, luckily remembering in the last second to keep quiet so Aether doesn't hear. But back to the book, that's honestly an impressive feat…guess Lisa isn't so lazy as she likes everyone to believe.

That smug thought and smile on Amber's face is completely wiped by what she sees next.

…

"Make Him Beg for Mercy: A Bedroom Guide- Get your Partner to do What you Want, When you Want!"

…

If Amber had drunken something recently, it'd definitively would be expelled right now. If Aether had turned around, he'd probably wonder what's the deal with this huge Jueyen Chili Pepper. It takes an absurd amount of concentration for the reader to not make a loud enough noise here, even as her skin is currently being burnt alive out of embarrassment.

Wordlessly, as if she's not in full control of her limbs, Amber's hands turn to an early page in the book. There's an extremely detailed drawing of several steps in a sequence: a thick rope being bent around into a knot…being fitted around a person's wrist…and the respective passage leaves no guesswork as to what's going on.

"Ropes: Playing with rope and similar materials ideally signify an intimate level of trust with your partner. As the one in control, it's your responsibility to develop a respectable proficiency in the art of knot-tying. This section will assist in that pursuit, along with identifying the differences in various knots and the best one to use for each limb. Remember that a perfect knot should be able to restrain your partner with enough slack, while not obstructing blood flow. The use of safe words is strongly encouraged when engaging in rope play. For different activities regarding rope and similar materials, check the Appendix."

Amber was speechless…how long had Lisa spent on this?! She was expecting the pages to not have much in the way of descriptions as part of the joke, but nope. Lightning-quick flips through the rest of the book tells her that each page had been lovingly thought out and explained in detail. Most of them also contained one or more drawings, in similar way-too-much detail for the innocent Outrider. Even the front cover was two dark silhouettes… a woman standing upright while the other figure crouched on all fours.

That's not supposed to be me, is it…? Who drew these pictures anyway!? They were way too good for something like-

This was a horrible time to remember that Albedo was in fact an illustrator. Which is why Amber did.

No…..no way. …Does Albedo know about this?! Are the illustrations in this book…his!?

Memory was really starting to joke around with her now, as she recalled how the alchemist wouldn't let Klee read Lisa's birthday letter, even as he definitely knew how that would upset her.

Amber gulped…if anybody else knew what was in Lisa's book…she could feel herself get even redder somehow.

Trying her best to ignore that dang silhouette on the cover, Amber immediately looked below the author's name…if the illustrator wanted to be credited, their name would probably be here…

Don't be anyone she knew….Don't be anyone she knew….Don't be anyone she knew….!

'Written by Lisa Minci in a collaboration with the Yae Publishing House.'

'Illustrated by…Calx.'

…Those four letters feel so liberating to her, Amber releases a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding- several, in fact- before the facts really hit. She didn't know a Calx, and she tried to remember everyone she met on principle! Lisa probably just talked to somebody associated with this 'publishing house' and got an illustrator that way…!

"Ha….hahaha….haaaa…"

"Amber, are you ok? That laugh sounded weird."

"O-Oh! Ye-yeah, just fine!" Snapping to attention, she's grateful as Aether still focuses on steering them and not what she just did, which was naturally to send the now-infamous novel back where he won't see it. Man oh man, Lisa…that's one way to keep me on my toes…. With a cautious smile on her face, she takes a few steps forward and rejoins the Honorary Knight.

"We should be there in a few minutes." He says with confidence. "I'll tell you when to close your eyes." Aether, Amber learnt, only was allowed to bring someone with him like this if they agreed to not look for the very beginning and very end of the trip. Supposedly done to protect their destination from someone memorizing the route- not like she would've tried, but rules are rules.

And just as warned-

"Alright Amber, it's time." A quick nod before darkness comes again. Now although her vision has been cut, there isn't a rule about what she can hear, so the sounds of water being steadily parted by their boat still persist. However said sound slows down, and eventually, fades away entirely…they must be approaching some land. Are they there?

"Hmm…keep them closed for just a bit longer, ok?" But this time, as Amber is about to respond positively, her senses are assaulted a wide variety of stimuli.

First is a long drawn out breath from Aether, like he's gathering energy.

Second is an extremely firm pair of arms going around her thighs and back, naturally making her lean back into them, feet airborne.

Strong sunlight warming her skin is third.

And finally a feeling of weightlessness. Together with a sound she's all too familiar with, knowing what Aether is doing warms her heart.

"Open your eyes." She's able to catch a glimpse of wings disappearing before being greeted with a soft smile. "Revenge for Starsnatch." Aether says as he lets her off.

Amber instantly turns and gasps loudly.

Blue sky. Blue sea. A sandy beach just below them with the Waverider behind. And in the distance, she can see multiple islands, much bigger than the one Aether landed on just now. Several of them have towers of stone, going so high that one would think they're trying to reach Celestia itself. Amber immediately imagines herself jumping off the edge and gliding for who-knows-how long. In her awe, she's barely able to make out what Aether is saying.

"Welcome to the Golden Apple Archipelago!"