The day of Lantern Rite had come by once again and Liyue was in full swing with the festivities. Lanterns decorated the sky and people crowded the streets. The brightly painted stalls were surrounded by customers and the ocean reflected the lantern-lit sky. The sound of the crowd was muted from the top of the Jade Chamber, a far cry from the wind that sings as it brings in the smell of the salty sea.
Aether stood atop the stone floor of the Jade Chamber, his eyes gazing down at the sea of lights below. Everyone was asked to take a break for Lantern Rite, even Ningguang decided to join in the festivities as well.
It was not to say that Aether wanted to work during one of the largest holidays in the whole of Liyue but rather, he could not find the one person he wished to spend the day with within the city. No matter how high or low he searched, even with Paimon's help, there was no trace of her. He sighed, there was one more place to check but it was a little out of the way and located far from the city. Would she be there? But she had mentioned she was returning to Liyue Harbour. Still, it would not hurt to take a look. A few minutes to check, a quick in and out with the waypoint.
"Aether? Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, just going to check out Mount Aocang."
"Huh? But we already went there this morning. Unless…Oh, oh ho ho…Okay! Paimon doesn't mind, let's go!"
Aether did not like the tone of voice that Paimon was using. It was as if she was implying something scandalous about him. He tried to recall if he had done anything that warranted that tone of voice but nothing had come to mind. He opted to ignore her instead, it would not be the first time he had trouble figuring out what was on his companion's mind.
The trip to Cloud Retainer's abode was uneventful. It was a quick teleport to the waypoint behind the mountain and the entrance was but a quick glide away. The mountain was quiet except for the occasional buffeting wind and the chirping crickets all around, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the city they were at a few seconds ago. Aether breathed in the crisp mountain air, savouring the cleanliness of a world far from the reach of humans. Paimon floated off towards the mountain lake of Mount Aocang while Aether leaped off with his glider and followed after her.
They found Ganyu sitting by the stone table alone on the island, in the middle of the lake. The gifts they had delivered to Cloud Retainer had disappeared, and there was not a single trace of them to be found.
Aether approached the lone half-adeptus, with Paimon staying close by his side. The crunching of the dead leaves in the grass from his footsteps were a loud contrast to the singing crickets in the background. However, as he neared her, he noticed her eyes were closed and her head resting on top of her hands on the table. He slowed his pace as he quietly approached his sleeping friend.
He frowned as he stood behind Ganyu. Liyue might not be as cold as the frozen mountains of Dragonspine but it was still a cold night out. At this rate, Ganyu might catch a cold.
'Could an adeptus, half-blood or not, catch a cold?' Aether wondered. Best not to test that, he concluded.
He pulled out a blanket from his inventory while making a silent reminder to himself to buy another one when he returns to Liyue Harbour later. However, as soon as the blanket met contact with Ganyu's shoulder, she snapped awake and gracefully flipped over to the other side of the table before bringing out her bow and entering into a combat stance. Upon realising who was standing before her, she discarded her bow and shifted into a neutral stance, her expression confused at her friend's presence.
"Aether? What are you doing here? Has something happened?"
Before Aether could assure her that everything was fine, there was a sound of a wingbeat before Cloud Retainer dropped down from above and landed beside Ganyu.
"One is surprised by your return. What has brought forth your return?"
"Aether just wants to see Ganyu. He really likes her!" Paimon said before Aether could speak.
Both Ganyu and Aether blushed the moment they registered what Paimon had said.
"P-Paimon!" Aether exclaimed loudly at his companion.
"What? It's true!" Paimon said, shrugging in a 'what can you do' way.
Before Aether could so much as protest, Cloud Retainer stepped in. Not to save him of course, but to ask Paimon to explain what she meant. "Hoh, do tell. One is interested in what you mean by those words."
Aether was quick to react this time as he dashed towards Paimon and quickly shoved his hand at her to cover her mouth. The words were muffled behind the limb and Aether struggled to stop Paimon from flailing about to free herself. The two tussled with each other on the ground until Ganyu was forced to step in to separate them.
At least Paimon was no longer interested in explaining to the adeptus.
"Ah, one still remembers when Ganyu would not dare to appear in front of humans," Cloud Retainer spoke, her eyes full of nostalgia as she gazed up at the starlit sky.
"Cloud Retainer!" Ganyu exclaimed, her face red in embarrassment. "Please don't!"
Cloud Retainer, either seemingly not having heard Ganyu or she heard her but was choosing to ignore her, continued with her remicinsing, "One still remembers the time a pilgrim had been climbing the mountain, little Ganyu had seen the human and fled as soon as they made eye contact. One found her stuck in a tree, unable to climb down for fear of falling."
Ganyu made a noise of protest just as Paimon spoke up to continue the conversation with Cloud Retainer. Aether felt a shiver go down his spine, what was this feeling of foreboding?
(In hindsight, Aether should have fled the moment he felt that shiver in his spine.)
"Oh, that reminds Paimon of the time Aether tried to fight a few vishaps. One of them rolled right into him and he was thrown all the way up into a tree. He couldn't get down because he got tangled up in the vines and branches, and Paimon couldn't help because the vishaps were knocking against the tree to try and get to him. Paimon had to wait hours until they got bored and left!"
Now it was Aether's turn to get embarrassed. He tried to quickly shut Paimon up but the latter had learned from the earlier onslaught as she flew up and out of reach. However, Aether was not one to give up as he channelled his Anemo power to throw a small blast of wind to gently knock Paimon out of the air. Unfortunately for him, his efforts were foiled when Cloud Retainer appeared beside him and effortlessly swatted him to the side, sending him flying into the lake.
"Aether!" Ganyu cried out as she rushed over to the direction of where her friend was thrown.
Cloud Retainer puffed up in annoyance while Paimon laughed loudly at her friend's misfortune.
"That reminds Paimon of the time he tried to parry Beisht's attack and ended up getting swatted aside by its attack. It was like swatting away an annoying fly!"
"One was there to see it and one agrees with you," Cloud Retainer said, nodding her head in agreement.
"I didn't come here to get slandered!" Aether exclaimed as he pulled himself out of the lake with Ganyu's help.
"Then what did you come here for?" Paimon asked, tilting her head in innocence but the all-knowing expression on her face told a different story.
"I was just…worried!"
"Worried for your future girlfriend?"
"I-No!"
"Then your future wife?"
Aether screamed incoherently as he rushed to shut Paimon up, only to be thrown back into the lake by Cloud Retainer. He pulled himself out of the lake once more with Ganyu's help, his very image the perfect replica of a grumpy wet cat, to the laughter of his friend. He silently swore vengeance, a plan already formed with everything to do with Paimon's future meal plans.
"Come on Aether, let's go somewhere else. We will not stay here and listen to this any longer," Ganyu said, pulling Aether towards the path out of the summit of Mount Aocang.
Once the two were out of hearing range, Paimon sighed, her face looking guilty as she spoke, "Paimon thinks that Paimon overdid it."
"One disagrees. They will become closer as a result of shared ill-fortune and experiences. One relates to the other and they will draw each other in. One expects to see them return soon, their hearts together as one."
Paimon giggled. "Well Paimon hopes so! Paimon was getting tired of all the lovey-dovey eyes Aether was showing to Ganyu. One time, he poured soup over himself when he was in the middle of drinking it because he saw Ganyu walk by."
"Hoh? That reminds one of the time when Ganyu wore a qingxin in her hair because she heard that the Traveller would be meeting with the Liyue Qixing, but she ended up eating it before the sun reached its zenith. Little Ganyu spent days crying over it," Cloud Retainer sighed in nostalgia.
As the two continued to trade stories of their charges, Ganyu and Aether were strolling down the mountain path under the moonlight. They chose not to stray too far from the summit so they would not spend too long returning, but at least far enough so they could no longer hear the voices of Cloud Retainer and Paimon. They walked slowly, both enjoying each other's company in pleasant silence. Their hands were linked together but neither felt the need to break apart the warm comforting hold. Ganyu led Aether to a flat stone, one large enough for two people to sit comfortably. They leaned against each other, absorbing the heat from each other's comfort to chase away the cold night air.
"Ganyu, thanks for helping me back there," Aether said as he straightened himself and turned to face his friend.
"It's no trouble," Ganyu said before sighing, "I understand what it's like."
"I wish she didn't say those things in front of you, it's so embarrassing!" Aether whined as he buried his blushing face into his hands.
Ganyu giggled, amused at his antics. "I think it's funny and cute. It makes you seem like a normal person, not an infallible hero but one who can make mistakes like everyone else."
"Y-You think so?"
"It is, and also…I…I like that about you," Ganyu confessed, the last few words were barely a whisper.
Even with the wind drowning out the sounds all around them, Aether still managed to hear the words she spoke.
"Really?" Aether asked, his voice full of disbelief.
"Yes. I…" Ganyu paused. She took a deep breath, seemingly to calm herself and to give herself a confidence push. "I like you. I like that you take action without wavering, that you would put others before you, that you would stand in front of others to protect them. Unlike me who avoid taking action unless I am pushed into it, who would cower with others, who would choose to stand behind instead of standing beside."
Ganyu looked away from Aether, no longer able to keep eye contact with him. However, Aether reached up and clasped her hands, drawing Ganyu back to meet his eyes.
"You're wrong," Aether said, his voice full of resolution, one that boker no arguments. "You're wrong. You're strong, people look up to you, they respect you. Unlike me, you think before you act, you stay with the people so you could help them, you stand behind others so you can fight at your best. And I…I like that about you."
"Then where do I stand? Do I stand behind you?"
"No, stand beside me, please."
The two leaned against each other as the moon continued its path in the starlit sky. Aether gazed up, noticing two lanterns drifting away side-by-side. Aether straightened himself and stood up before pulling out materials to make a Xiao Lantern, much to Ganyu's curiosity. He placed the materials at where he was sitting previously and arranged them into a row. He looked up at Ganyu, meeting her curious eyes.
"It is said that writing your wish upon the lantern and releasing it will one day make it come true. Paimon told me to make a wish to reunite with my sister but I felt it was too selfish to wish for myself," Aether paused, his eyes drifting back down to the materials laid out in front of him. "Ganyu, can you do me a favour?"
"What is it?"
"Can I…make a wish for you?"
"Huh?"
"If I make a wish for you, then it's not selfish because it's not for me. You can say no though! I won't force you. I can just make a Xiao Lantern without writing a wish down! I just thought that maybe you might have a wish…or maybe you haven't written one down yet…You know what, just forget what I said."
Aether scrambled to put the materials away, only for Ganyu to reach out to his hands to stop him.
"I want to make a wish. But before that, about what Paimon said earlier…Is it true?"
Aether tried to recall what Paimon had spoken but his mind, being unhelpful at his time of need, blanked out due to his nervousness. He could not recall what Paimon had said but he knew she was no liar.
"It's true. Paimon can't lie to save herself."
"Then I want to make a wish."
The two of them slowly build a lantern together with the materials Aether provided. As Ganyu set the wet tip of the pen to the small slip of paper, Aether turned around to give her privacy. A personal wish is a secret, it is not something that others should know. He heard the paper rustle as Ganyu tied it to the lantern and he turned back, assuming that she had finished writing her wish. The two walked towards the edge of the mountain trail, the lantern in Ganyu's hand. There were a few more lanterns visible in the sky now, no doubt drifting over from one of the towns or from Liyue Harbour. Ganyu gently held the lantern up before releasing her hold and letting it float up into the sky, carrying her wish along with the many others. The two continued to watch the lantern float away until it was nothing more than a speck within the sea of lights that lit up the sky.
"It is said that writing your wish upon the lantern and releasing it will one day make it come true," Ganyu said, breaking the silence between the two of them. "But my wish had already come true."
"Then what did you write?" Aether asked as he moved to properly face Ganyu.
She giggled as she clasped onto Aether's hands. "I made a wish for you."
"What? Why? It's supposed to be for you!"
"And wishing for you is something I want to do because my wish has already come true. I wanted to make a wish for you because yours hasn't come true, has it?"
Aether stared at her, dumbfounded as he tried to process the words she said. "But…why?"
"Isn't that something a girlfriend should do? Admittedly, I lack the experience for romance but I feel that this is something they would do. I'm sorry, maybe I should have-"
Her words were interrupted when Aether leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. She closed her eyes as she leaned into it as well. Their hands moved as they embraced each other, their lips never once breaking contact. It was but a minute later when they finally broke off the kiss, leaving both panting and gasping for air. Ganyu then placed her head on Aether's shoulder, mindful of the horns on her head while Aether pulled her closer towards him. The two enjoyed their close skinship in pleasant silence until Ganyu pulled away from her new boyfriend.
"We should return, at least to tell Paimon and Cloud Retainer the good news."
"Do we have to?" Aether whined, his arms felt empty when Ganyu moved away to stand up. "She's just going to make fun of me again."
"If it gets too much, just tell me. We can leave. I have enough experience with Cloud Retainer to understand your troubles."
"Okay, fine, let's go back," Aether agreed reluctantly as he was pulled up to his feet with Ganyu's help.
The two walked back at a leisurely pace. They were in no rush to return and Aether was still not in the mood to deal with Paimon's antics. As they walked, Aether told Ganyu stories of the worlds he had been to and in return, Ganyu would tell her of the many faces she had seen. They talked until the lake at the summit came into view. Paimon and Cloud Retainer were still at the same spot as where they had left them, except Paimon was now sitting on top of the stone table while talking animatedly to Cloud Retainer.
Cloud Retainer immediately noticed their arrival, swivelling her head to look at them. "One wonders if the two of you got lost on the road to life."
"Oh! Welcome back!" Paimon greeted, floating towards Aether and Ganyu. "Paimon was starting to worry if you left Paimon behind!"
"Can't ever get rid of you, unfortunately," Aether sighed sadly.
"Hey!" Paimon cried out, stomping in the air in display of her disagreement.
"Anyway," Aether said, trying to call her attention back to him, "I have an announcement to make."
"Oh, you guys are finally dating? About time!" Paimon huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms for added effect. "Paimon was getting tired of you two dancing around each other."
Aether sputtered incoherently as he blushed at Paimon's comment. Ganyu stepped closer to him once she noticed his discomfort.
"Just ignore her," Ganyu suggested, placing a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
Of course, despite his girlfriend's attempt to calm him, Paimon could not resist adding more fuel into the fire.
"So when is Paimon invited to the wedding?"
Now it was Ganyu who turned red at the words sprouted by Paimon. Aether tried to save her as he cried out Paimon's name, hoping that she would get the message to stop teasing the both of them.
Both of them however, forgot about the other person who dealt the finishing blow without any mercy. "One is looking forward to seeing children running around again," Cloud Retainer spoke, her mischievous eyes looking pleased at the outcome.
"C-Cloud Retainer!" both Ganyu and Aether cried out at the same time, the colour of their faces matching each other.
"Can Paimon be the godmother?"
"No!"