(Internal Lumine speech)

[Internal Aether speech]

That day soon descended into night; the traveller and her Mondstadt escort decided to make camp rather than push through the darkness.

After their… Coincidental introduction to Amber, Lumine let Aether take over, after enduring a healthy amount of complaining from her 'no-fun having' younger brother. Aside from some pest control on the local hillichurl population, the rest of the day passed mostly uneventfully. Aether tried to subtly undo what his sister had already started, and failed spectacularly. He could already tell; when she thought he wasn't looking, Amber let her gaze linger on him far longer than what was normal.

It was going to be a long journey.

That night found the two and a half sitting quietly around a blazing campfire, the crackle of the burning wood accompanying a chorus of chirping crickets filling the moonless sky. Aether watched his companion with a curious gaze, his eyes drawn to the unused goggles over her chest.

Lumine's attention, meanwhile, was drawn to something else.

(Damn… She's pretty hot.)

[Way too young for you.]

(You always say that!)

[That's because it's always true.]

Aether looked at the fire, stopping his sister from ogling their innocent guide.

(I know you were looking at her boobs, Aether. Don't deny it.)

[Well… To be honest, her thighs are what I've been trying to avoid staring at.]

(Aha! You have good taste, brother.)

Aether sighed, the sound coming out much more high pitched than what he was used to.

Amber shot him a curious look.

"Say Traveller, you never told me where you were coming from. Mind sharing?"

Aether glanced at her, watching the shadows from the fire move and dance across her face for a few moments before replying. He was still trying to get over the sound of his words coming out in his sister's voice. At least he was able to keep the… Implying tone that she so often used out of it.

"W–I… I'm from a place far away, I suppose you could say. I do a lot of travelling, as I'm sure you can tell from my name," he said, the slight smile on his face feeling a little unnatural in his sister's body. Amber chuckled lightly, her brown iris's flickering in the night.

"I see… You must've met all kinds of people, huh? And here I am, barely ever left Mondstadt."

"That's perfectly all right. Not travelling, that is. It's not for everyone, sure; but more than that, it can be… Rough."

The archer cocked her head at him, the bow on her head flapping around like a set of bunny ears.

(My gosh, she's adorable.)

Aether suppressed a sigh, thinking on how to explain what it was like.

"You're always moving, you never really have a place that feels like home. Sometimes, you never know if you're going to have a roof or a tree over your head for the night. But, the worst thing…" Aether trailed off, his golden eyes becoming unfocused.

Amber leaned in closer, hanging on his every word.

"... The worst thing is having to say goodbye." He sighed, pushing down a sudden swell of emotion. "All the good and wonderful people you meet…"

"Every time. It never fails…" The Traveller's head fell into his hands, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.

(Aether–)

[I'm fine. Being in your body is just upsetting my balance, it seems.]

(… I see.)

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and turned to see Amber right next to him, her gaze filled with compassion and understanding.

"Thank you for sharing, Traveller. I can't say I know what that's like, but I'm here for you if you need anything." Her smile was barely visible in the waning firelight, but it garnered an equal amount of warmth within him.

"Thanks, Amber. I'm really lucky to have ran into you."

"Ah, it's nothing. Any Knight of Favonius could easily be doing this with you."

Aether shook his head lightly. "I've only met one so far, but I have a feeling they'd have a tough time matching up with you."

The brunette's eyes were twinkling, her arm still resting on his shoulder.

"You're strong, Amber. I can tell."

It was hard to tell in the dark, but it looked like she was blushing heavily.

"Thank you, Traveller…"

(Wow. Even in a different body they can't resist your charms.)

[Be quiet you.]

(Hehe~)

Aether looked back at the fire, falling silent as he realized he'd made negative progress. Amber also moved, though with much more hesitation, scooching away from where she'd been practically leaning against him.

The fire was steadily dying, its heat barely anything more than a slight brush against his skin.

[We need to figure out how to get my body back. Getting powerful allies could help with that.]

(Our wings are clipped, that's for sure. Still, that powerup from the statue helped quite a bit.)

The twins ruminated on their predicament, weighing their options.

Well, one of them did, anyway.

(Hey. Ask her how old she is.)

[Sigh… Alright.]

"Hey Amber, can I ask you a semi-personal question?"

"Hmm, sure. I might not answer it though," she replied with a light smile.

Aether smiled awkwardly back, one of his arms reaching up to scratch the back of his head. The gesture felt alien in his sister's body, compared to how used he was to doing it in his own.

"Great… So uh, how old are you?"

"Oh! That's easy," she replied with a dismissive wave. "I'm 29."

(Wowee.)

"Uhh… I have to say, you look much younger."

"Oh, right; that's because vision holders tend to have reduced aging."

"Wow. That's convenient."
"I know, right?" She stretched her arms out above her head, accompanied by the sound of bones popping, followed by a dainty yawn.

The Traveller yawned in response, sensing that the time for sleep had come.

(Ask her if she's single.)

[No.]

(Let me take over.)

[No.]

(… Urgh.)

[It's time for bed, Lumine.]

(At least put your bed roll next to hers.)

[… Alright. For warmth.]

(… Of course.)

The next morning, the Traveller was awoken by the curious feeling of distant, inconvenience-level danger.

Carefully removing the slender arm draped over his torso, Aether got up, taking stock of the situation. The sky overhead was a bluish gray, the last remaining stars fading away before the rising dawn. Amber was gradually stirring awake next to him.

After focusing, Aether could hear the sound of someone yelling far away, in the direction of the city. Shrugging to himself, the Traveller ventured through the woods, curious as to what he might find.

As he got closer to the source, it was revealed to be the sounds of someone fighting. There, in the middle of a small clearing beside a large lake, a silver-haired kid fought desperately against two massive Hillichurls.

Mitachurls, Amber had called them the day before.

One, wielding a shield, swung it over the boy's head as he rolled out of the way, while the other leisurely swung its axe at him.

It seemed as if they were toying with him.

Aether sprinted the rest of the way, pushing through berry-laden bushes, until his sister's demanding voice stopped him.

(You fought those little goblin things yesterday. I want to have a go!)
[… Alright, fine.]

The twins switched, Lumine's expression shifting from neutral concern to barely-repressed glee.

She called out to the silver-haired boy. "Need a little help?"

He glanced at her, before ducking out of the way of an oncoming swing. "Ugh–that would be–hya! Appreciated!"

"Bet."

Lumine leapt through the air, not bothering to draw her sword as she landed in the middle of the clearing.

(Let's see how powerful this Anemo really is.)

The masked beast with the axe turned to look at her, its head tilting to the side when it saw she had no weapon.

Lumine smiled and waved as she strode towards her opponent. The beast gave a half shrug, hefting the great axe in both paws as it prepared to strike. The oversized weapon swung through the air, aimed to split the Traveller in two, leaving a small shockwave as it sank into the ground. Standing a couple feet to the left of it, Lumine observed the weapon, one hand on her chin.

The monster stared at her, uncomprehending of how it could have possibly missed.

"Let's try this." Lumine waved her hand, sending a blast of wind that severed the axe head from its pole. The monster staggered backwards in response, still clutching the handle.

With both hands, she lifted the axehead out of the ground, before she spun it around, sending it flying like a boomerang. The masked beast followed it, not unlike a dog tracking a stick through the air, as Lumine waved her arms around like a conductor, manipulating the wind currents to dance by the cadence of her choice.

She looked to see the person she was supposed to be helping lying on the ground, his arms held out in front of him. The other beast had somehow disarmed the kid, holding its shield high above as it prepared to deal the finishing blow.

Lumine sent the axe head flying towards it, putting enough force to slice the Hillichurls head clean off. Its shield fell to the side as it staggered on its feet.

"Woahh!" The young adventurer exclaimed, first in awe, and then panic, as the beast toppled over him, pinning him into the dirt.

[Oof.]

(He should be fine.)

Lumine released her makeshift boomerang, letting it fall to the ground. The first monster dropped its pole.

After a moment of staring at her, it suddenly let out an inhuman cry, charging towards her. The Traveller stood waiting, moving at the last possible moment, rolling under the monster's wide tackle as it slammed into the ground.

Lumine closed her eyes and focused, drawing the surrounding winds to a central point above the Mitachurl. It had just stood back up, emitting a thundering growl, when its feet were lifted off of the ground. Forming a miniature tornado, Lumine lifted the beast up into the air with the power of Anemo. She pushed her hands together, and then pulled them away, causing the winds to do the same.

The beast was shorn apart, the blades of the gusting air shredding it like a blender. The greenish glow of Anemo faded, leaving a pile of meat chunks as the only remainder.

[Nice.]

(Thanks bro.)

Lumine tilted her head; a faint cry for help could be heard. The silver-haired boy was still struggling to get the decapitated beast off of himself.

The Traveller spun on her heel and crossed the distance in a blink. She bent down, putting one hand under the carcass and lifting it up just enough to see his face.

"Hey."

"He–ah, little help 'ere?"

Lumine smiled lightly at the boy's rough appearance, shoving the dead Hillchurl to the side and pulling him to his feet in one smooth motion. He muttered a thanks, before looking at the carnage surrounding them with wide eyes.

"Wow. They didn't stand a chance against you…" He commented, almost in a daze, before shaking it off. "Well anyway, thanks for your help, stranger. Name's Bennett," he pointed a thumb towards himself, wearing a bright smile unmarred by the dirt and scratches covering his face.

"Nice to meet you, Bennett. You can call me Traveller." Lumine held out her unblemished hand.

Bennett gave her a questioning look, before reaching out and shaking her hand. A handful of dirt fell down during the gesture.

"You had great timing. Any longer and I would have been toast," Bennett said with a forced chuckle.

Lumine gave him an appraising look. "You're an adventurer, right?"

He nodded.

"Where's–"

"Oh, there you are!" Amber burst through the trees, her false ears flopping above her as she stopped to catch her breath. "Sheesh, how did you get so… Far…" Her voice faded as she observed the rest of the clearing. Seemingly in a daze, Amber walked up to Lumine, not even noticing the other person that was with them. "Wow, Traveller… Where did you learn to fight like… Like this?"

"Many, many different places, actually."

Amber stopped in front of the Traveller, somehow still not seeing Bennett standing right there. Lumine stuck her hands on her hips, bemused. "And for your information, my deft skills aren't just limited to fighting, my dear Outrider. And I'd be more than happy to demonstrate some of them for you."

Amber blushed and looked away, finally seeing the other person standing there.

"Oh, hey Bennett!"

The young adventurer smirked. "Outrider Amber; good to see you. Your friend here saved me at just the right moment!"

Amber smiled approvingly in that glowing manner of hers, and Lumine had to physically restrain herself from leaping at the unsuspecting brunette.

[Woah there, down girl.]

(Shut it.)

[I'm not the one corrupting everyone we meet.]

(Hey! I'm only 50/50 on seducing capture targets in this world so far!)

[Lumine…]

While the twins were fighting, Amber was helping Bennett apply a few new bandages on his arms, crossing over the several that were already there. The outrider put her hands on her hips after she was finished, giving the young adventurer a skeptical look.

"You're sure you're alright? I know Barbara doesn't mind healing you, even if it's every other day."

"It's just a flesh wound, nothing serious. Besides, I still gotta finish this commission…" Benny replied as he rubbed the back of his head, kicking a stray rock and stubbing his toe in the process.

"Oww…"

(This kid's got bad luck, huh?)

[We should help him out.]

Resisting the urge to pinch his cheek, Lumine reached over and patted the boy's silver-hair, even though he was a bit taller than her.

"Whatever your commission was, you can leave it to me."

Bennett opened his mouth in protest, but the blonde shook her head with a gentle smile, ruffling his hair a bit. "After what you just experienced, you need to take it easy for today. I'll see you in the city, Bennett. I'll find you if I need a partner for adventuring, yeah?"

"Ahhh, but I've got my own adventuring team…" He began to resist again, but relented the moment she raised her eyebrow.

"Heh, alright. I'll hold you to that, Traveller." He handed his commission sheet to her, rubbing the back of his head as she looked through it.

"Wow. You normally make a habit of biting off more than you can chew?"

"Ah, well…" He chuckled awkwardly.

Lumine sighed, glancing at Amber, who had been wordlessly staring at her the entire time.

"Well, in the future, I'll show you how to choose tasks that fit your current capabilities. You'll be knocking down commissions in no time at all."

"Alright, that sounds good to me!" Bennett replied, his voice bubbling with regained enthusiasm.

The Traveller chuckled, while Amber continued to gawk at her.

"You're really good with people, Traveller." The brunette remarked, almost in a whisper.

[Oh come on… You already overdid it, sis.]

Lumine patted the Outriders shoulder, chuckling lightly. "Ahaha, my dear Outrider, a sample size of two isn't the greatest…"

"... Sample size?"

"Heh, Don't worry about it. Just keep on being cute, and be my gorgeous guide for Mondstadt, yeah?"

"Yes, of course!"

The Outrider's smile slowly evaporated as the Traveller's words fully sunk into her.

"Wait–what"

"See you, Benny!" Lumine waved goodbye, as she grabbed an unresponsive Amber's arm and started leading her deeper into the woods, where his commission was supposed to be.

Bennett waved slowly back, befuddled as he took in the past fifteen minutes of his life. His gaze lingered on what was left of the two Mitachulrs that had attacked him.

"What… What just happened?"

A small branch from an overhanging tree fell on his head.

Bennett baby lets get it its bennett baby the goat woohoo bennys adventure team assemble

(Bennett will return)