"So how many people have been here already?"
"Counting myself and Paimon as two, hmmm…". Aether attempts to do a quick count on his fingers, but is distracted when Amber pulls herself up to higher elevation, making him do the same. Climbing was never going to be his favorite way of getting around, even less so when talking about an absolute wall of rock, but if Amber really wanted to…
"Like I mentioned, Klee, Master Jean and Barbara came with me last time. And somehow Albedo, Diluc, Kaeya and Razor found their way to the islands too."
"I remember that!" Amber exclaims, offering a hand to assist. "A bunch of the Knights suddenly panicked, realizing that Lisa was giving them orders now~ Though, I also remember some were excited…"
"I'd bet…" Aether sighs hearing that, then continues. "Counting Fischl and Mona, that's everyone I know. Leaving Lisa, Eula, Sucrose….and more." Knowing that he can't name everyone in Mondstadt by heart, he plays it off.
"Think we could invite Eula next time then?"
"Of course!"
Amber beams as she reaches the top of the cliff and hoists herself up. As Aether immediately does the same right after, she puts a hand right above her eyes and peers as far as she can. The two have reached the highest point in this island- Broken Isle to be precise- so pretty much the whole archipelago is visible now, a dream come true for the Outrider. And there's a very obvious locale in the distance that instantly grabs her attention.
"Is that…a castle?! H-Here?"
Aether nods, but strangely, hesitates on saying more. "Do…you want to glide over there then?"
"Sure, let's do it! Oh, but I don't think we could make it that far in one go." She says after judging the distance. "So let's aim…there instead!" Pointing to separate island in between the two, slightly off-the-path northward, she examines Aether.
Making up his mind to inform her of his concern when they land there, the adventurer smiles back. "You're on! The usual bet?"
"Oh? Even for gliding? Sure! Just get ready to break open your wallet!" She playfully punches his shoulder as both take ready stances on the cliff's edge.
"Three…
Two…"
"Amber, look!" An arm suddenly extends and points past her.
"Huh?"
"-See you at the bottom!" Aether's legs strongly kick the grass and his wings extend right after. He's much better at the initial launch nowadays.
The echo of 'Hey, that's cheating!' quickly fades into the wind rushing by. Aether continues to get smaller as he soars, but back on the cliff, the Outrider's face changes from shock at the move to a new determination.
With no wasted motions, the goggles around her neck are quickly pulled up and fastened tightly. A leap off comes right after.
I've never done it here…but the wind feels just as good as ever!
Fueled by the false start, the Gliding Champion of Mondstadt starts to make up the distance between the two- with ease, at that.
Naturally the encroaching presence is felt by Aether just as strongly, if not more so.
"What- Amber, how are you-?!" He howls in mid-air before returning his attention to the destination.
"Heheheheh…Outrider secret!" She's getting close to him….soon she'll be able to grab a wing. But there's no need to play dirty here; so she instead takes a wide berth around the blonde.
"You should know by now! No one…can…escape from me!" Those words are a prelude to the one, and only, lead change in the race. Amber's wings latch on to a bit of a current, accelerating her past Aether by a nose. With pin-point precision, she takes full advantage of this situation to switch into preparing to land. The angle of descent changes very slightly, catching the most wind possible while allowing air resistance to slow her down. Finally, on the submerged sand, Amber takes her first step with a hearty smile.
Man Venti. Aether thinks to himself. How in the world did she not get an Anemo vision?! ….But then again, Pyro does fit her incredibly well also….
"Guess I deserved that huh?"
"Yup! Cheaters never win and you owe me a Sticky Honey Roast!" Amber smirks before turning. "But first, let's climb this and glide over to the castle!"
"Yeah, about that…" Might want to warn her now… "Amber, are you sure you want to go there?"
"Hm?" She catches on to seriousness he hasn't shown at all today. "What's wrong?"
"It's a bit troublesome to explain, but if I'm right, you won't really like what's over there."
"That's a bit ominous Aether…"
"W-well it's nothing that bad, I promise. I just thought I'd warn you, it's your birthday after all! Don't want anything to kill the mood."
Amber giggles. "It's fine. Whatever's over there, I can handle it!"
"Alright, just remember that everything is actually fine." There's nothing more to say here, so he takes her hand and they begin to climb. "Better than fine, actually."
-0-
A harsh lesson in life is that warning someone about something distressful often doesn't lessen the impact of whatever "it" is.
Twinning Isle did indeed house a very large, very elaborate castle straight out the pages of an epic fantasy novel, in addition to a number of sentient raven statues that call the fortress their home. However neither of those drew the attention of the visiting Outrider, who instead noticed something very familiar on the island's shore. Compared to the castle, it was a minor thing nobody would've noticed, unless they came from Mondstadt and deeply cared about the land. Two boxes Amber fit right into.
"This is what you meant, huh?"
"Mm." Aether nodded, hand slowly slipping into Amber's palm. He felt it lightly squeeze his skin, like she was confirming he was still present while looking ahead.
One, two, three Mondstadt-style houses surrounded the main attraction of the island, sitting at such odd, oblique angles that it was a miracle they hadn't slid right off onto the ocean directly below. Almost as if when the Anemo Archon sculpted the archipelago, they just ripped the homes from Mondstadt and threw them down with no care as to how it would look. In addition, there was a huge formation of stone near one of the houses- identical in appearance to the Knight of Favonius' Headquarters. But this one was unlike the others, as only the topmost part of the building stood above the water level.
For all the couple knew, there could be an exact copy of Favonius HQ completely submerged. Jean's office…solitary confinement…the library… Did those rooms exist here too, flooded? Everything ruined?
Quite an ugly thought, muses Aether. The first time he saw this, a nightmare scenario played in his mind. It looked so much like a ruined version of the city's building, he couldn't help it.
If…If a strong enough earthquake ever happened in just the wrong place, all of Mondstadt would fall into Cider Lake… and end up like this… total destruction…
…Could what they're seeing be perceived as a warning in that case?
Amber wasn't saying much obviously, but she was unfortunately entertaining the same thought, as much as she didn't want to. Although Aether had said that this didn't mean anything twice (once on the previous island and again on the glide over), it still stuck in her mind. Mondstadt was her home, her life, and seeing any part of it ruined gave an… uncomfortable feeling.
Her hand tenses again. Aether gives it a light squeeze back.
"Should we go to the castle?" He asks after who-knows-how many minutes of silence.
For an answer, Amber calmly raises her other hand and summons the bow Eula had gifted her. Not distracted by piloting the Waverider this time, Aether was free to admire the exquisite craftsmanship as it reflected off the purple-pink sky exclusive to Twinning. He didn't know much about how bows were made beyond what Amber attempted to teach, but the Spindrift Knight's skill was still apparent to see.
"I swear…Mondstadt will stay safe…!" The Outrider suddenly whispers, grip around weapon tightening. "This won't happen…we won't let it…!" Her golden eyes burn with a strangely subdued, but still fully determined fire- ones that immediately catch Aether's own pair with an expectant look.
"…Of course. No matter what we have to face, Mondstadt will keep standing proud. After all, it has the one and only Outrider of the Knights of Favonius!'
Whether it was because of the agreement, title recognition, or another factor, Aether can't tell. But he notices the tips of Amber's cheeks get just a little pinker than normal, making him smile at the implication. She chuckles right back and apologizes for holding them up, prompting a reminder of what day it is…
With one final lonely look at this 'copy' of Favonius HQ, they decide to head to the castle and enjoy the rest of their vacation.
-0-
"Alright, this will be the last time until we leave. Can you sit and close your eyes here?"
"Sure!"
As soon as her back hits the lounge chair, Amber can feel herself start to unwind. After a day full of traveling, swimming, and gliding races (that she won every single time by the way), she's grateful that the island they went back to at the start has such comfortable seats. Although with how things have been set up beforehand, Amber wouldn't be surprised if this was all part of Aether's schedule. After all, the sun has begun to dip down beyond the horizon, too late for the bright colors of sunsets to be seen, while also late enough so that the Outrider has begun to think about what the next day has in store for her.
"Alright here I come!"
Oh yeah right! She quickly closes her eyes and covers them with each hand, hoping Aether didn't see anything. As she's able to feel him come closer, a scent begins to tickle her nose…inviting, and sweet…it could only be-
"Open up…happy birthday!"
Sure enough, Amber is energetically greeted with a birthday cake made by Aether himself. It may look like just a single-layer vanilla cake from the side, but it also has Valberry chunks decorating the top, which surrounds the red writing of 'Happy Birthday Amber', naturally written in tasty icing. In between the lines of 'Happy Birthday' and 'Amber' stands a lone pink candle, its' fuse carefully lit seconds earlier.
The birthday girl is at a bit of a lost for words. It's nothing extravagant or anything, just a nice simple dessert to perfectly punctuate the day.
"Aether, I-"
"Now, now." He interrupts. "Blow out the candle, make a wish, and let's eat!"
The cake is gingerly placed on her lap, allowing for Aether to just look at her and smile. Spending the day with Amber…I wish this could happen more often…how selfish, Aether, ha.
A moment passes before the birthday candle is blown out without any problems. Aether briefly wonders if Amber is going to share her wish with him, but it seems that the superstition of 'If you tell someone your wish, it won't come true' is a world-crossing one.
(Luckily for us, we don't have to play by those rules.)
I wish…to be strong enough to protect you… You, Eula, Collei, Jean, Paimon, everyone in Mondstadt…! And…my grandfather too!
Upon seeing her eyes open, Aether silently cuts the cake, jokingly commenting that 'it was time to use the blade in Windblade'. With their appetite back with a vengeance thanks to all of the swimming and gliding they've done today, it only takes a few minutes to disintegrate the cake into a pile of crumbs. After all, in compliment to its' appearance, it's indeed a very sweet treat, with the Valberry pieces especially lingering on their tongues.
"Mmmm….. Delicious~ You know, every time we eat together, I'm reminded of how good of a cook you are."
"Well, cooking and baking are skills with enough of a difference. I had some help with choosing the recipe from Barbara."
Amber nodded with no surprise at hearing that. It screamed something Mondstadt's idol would pick after all.
"And now….what now?" Aether laughed, a bit nervous. "Want to move to the grass?"
Perfect place to relax, after all. She figured. One agreement later, the couple go to the highest elevation on their little island. Unfortunately, the sun is almost gone, so there's little else to do besides stargaze, chat, and just enjoy the other's presence.
Luckily both of them are very good at doing those things, hand cupping hand perfectly demonstrating that.
Aether asks about how working for the Knights is going, to which Amber eagerly replies with a story featuring her fighting off hillichurls at Springvale. She then asks about where Aether is planning on going next, even though she has an idea already.
"Sumeru."
She grows a very obvious smile.
"Something funny?"
"No…just…just make sure you're careful over there, ok? I've heard stories." For just a moment, she considered being coy and saying something like "If you see a young girl with green hair and violet eyes, be nice around her!" But it's probably better to leave that as a surprise…
They promised each other more than a year ago. He'll always return to Mondstadt- to her.
Maybe he'll bring someone with him this time.
-0-
"Thanks for doing all of this, Aether…I loved it." A flash-forward occurs in the archer's mind. Tomorrow, it's back to her normal, yet fulfilling life…helping out the people of Mondstadt with her bow skill, gliding ability, or just with a smile when someone needs it most.
"Glad you liked it. …I'm just a bit sorry that I can't give more."
"Hm?" Amber looks back towards the blonde, brow arched. "What do you mean, this was really great!"
"But I wish it was permanent." Aether explains, eyes shifting around. "According to Albedo, the archipelago will be inaccessible soon, changes in the currents and whatnot. After that we won't be able to return here, as much as I want to."
"Oh…I see…" That must have been what Eula was referring to…she wanted me to enjoy my time here as much as possible…
Well…
Unknown to Aether, the Outrider's face lights up bright red.
There…is something else…
T-The d-day isn't done, r-r-right? S-so-
"…Amber?" The adventurer tries to see his girlfriend's face, but she's looking away. Ah, I knew I should've told her about the islands being temporary beforehand.
"Aether!" Proclaiming his name so suddenly causes a bounce upwards."D-Do you know…..what couples do in this situation…?"
"Um, hold hands? Like we're doing now?" He chuckles innocently.
"N-no! Well, I mean yes!" Amber's voice begins to die as she squeaks out her words. "B-But I was talking about something…a little more…intimate."
A pause. Waves knock into the sand just below. Aether's face turns pink a moment later.
"O-oh sure…! But fair warning, it might feel a little weird on your lips…"
"That's fine!" Though closed eyes and an embarrassed face, she starts to feel a familiar presence getting closer. "This is a first for me, s-so…" Does….does he have experience with…this?
"Hmm, I know it's been a while since I initiated this, but I don't think it's our first time Amber."
Wait, what? N-no, we definitely haven't done it before, I'm sure-
But her thoughts proceed to get interrupted by a new feeling. Aether gently puts a steady finger on her chin, forcing her eyes to open to the night sky. The extremely close blonde studies her face carefully for any sign of his advance being unwelcome.
There are none to be found. Hesitation disappearing, his lone finger carefully creeps up and separates her bottom lip.
The minds of both of them completely melt into a collective haze. Amber is unable to tell if she nods, but a moment later, Aether's eyes…simply close.
He leans in, slow enough for every muscle to relax once more.
….
Aether was right about one thing: The explosion of sweetness on their lips is quite a weird feeling. After all, they taste like birthday cake, light, fluffy, and oh-so warm.
…
Time is a foreign concept at this moment, so neither one of them have any idea just how long it takes for them to separate. It's only Aether's next words that snap them out of it.
"I've been waiting for that all day."
Amber opens her eyes halfway and lets loose a simple smirk. "Me too…but-"
"Huh?"
A familiar shade of red covers her face again. "That wasn't what I meant either!" She lightly punches Aether's shoulder in happiness….or at least, she thought it was light, but the boy's hair meets grass as he stares back up at her with a smile.
He's definitely going along with this, backed up when Amber quickly cuts off his way of escape via her legs on each side.
"Ohh noooo. I'm trapped again. Paimon help~"
Horrible acting from Aether aside, Amber knows that there will be time to think back on her birthday later…For now though, just two facts run through the Outrider's mind.
One- It's just her and Aether for miles.
Two- She's got Aether right where she wants him.
Eula never had anything to worry about. She was never wasting this chance.
"Paimon isn't coming…' Amber playfully runs her fingers through blonde hair. "We can take as much time as we need."
"Even though the day is about to end, hm?"
Aether slightly sits up, allowing Amber to wrap her arms around his back. Once again, the two get closer and closer…their breaths wrap and mix together.
The last bit of light slowly disappears from the archipelago.
"….If the day is too short, let's go all night instead."