Chapter 3: Home

Starfell Lake, Mondstadt
10:49

Amber dragged the bodies of the Fatui 'diplomats' she had just mutilated hours ago, ignoring the disturbed looks she was getting from Jean, Kaeya and Lisa. She tossed the remaining corpse into a crack in the cliff, covering the entrance with bushes and twigs.

"Are you sure about this?" Jean asked. "As much as I don't condone their actions, this could be considered an act of war between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya." The Pilot stays silent for a moment as she leaves the bodies to their final resting place.

"You can't start a war over a crime that you don't have evidence to prove it really happened." She answered with a shrug, since they cannot see her wry smile under her helmet. "And don't worry about Mondstadt being under war, they'll have to find this first."

After a knowing nod, Lisa asked her own question. "And what of this...Titan?" She gestured to the broken metal behemoth. Amber glanced at the wreckage for a second before answering. "Eh, we'll take care of that when we have the resources to actually move it discreetly." She walks past the trio. "Come on, you guys mentioned a bar, right?"

"Tavern, actually." Jean corrected.

Amber shrugged. "Tomay-to, tomah-to. Let's go, I wanna try some of that wine."

Kaeya shook his head. "I'm just baffled over what just happened in the past fifteen minutes and she's fine about it."

[Fifteen minutes earlier...]

Amber kept silent as she held her DMR, walking through the Whispering Woods as the three major members of the Knights of Favonius follow suit. The entire five-minute walk on the way there had been relatively quiet since the Pilot's warning.

Amber herself felt uneasy for the most part, considering how she was going to show three complete strangers Militia technology. Granted, it was stolen IMC technology, but it was technology that was so many leagues ahead from what this world currently has. As much as she needed to trust them in order to get what she needs to return to Harmony, she still has that nagging feeling that they might use this technology for selfish gain. She shuddered to imagine to face Titans here without a Titan of her own.

Soon the familiar valley of Starfell Lake came into view as Amber led the three towards the location where the Northstar's broken hull lay. There was something off, however. Kaeya was the first to notice, as he scrunched up his nose.

"What is that stench?" He waved his hand around his face. "It's like someone left a piece of raw meat outside for way too long, but worse." Jean and Lisa noticed too, though Lisa was more vocal about it. "Indeed." She covered her nose.

Amber, meanwhile, realized what that smell was and coughed. "Oh shit. I forgot about that."

It was the smell of corpses.

Jean looked at her, looking a bit concerned. "Forgot about what? What happened?" Amber didn't answer as she pointed to a spot just about 30 meters away from them next to a few trees, where something big and metallic was hidden with branches and leaves.

"Over there is the other thing that came with me." She winced at the next thing she was going to say. Thankfully her helmet hid it well. "Uh, watch your step over the corpses." She went on ahead to uncover the wreckage.

"C-Corpses?" Lisa widened her eyes, now hesitant to follow her. Jean's concern only grows into fear as she cautiously follows after Amber. She walked over a bush...nearly screamed. There were indeed corpses. However, these weren't simple corpses killed by sword stabs and arrows. These were much worse.

The bodies of what appeared to be Fatui diplomats lay scattered across the grass, relatively fresh. A total of five. One being an Anemoboxer, a Pyroslinger, and three other Fatui grunts. The Pyroslinger had a gaping hole in his chest, his weapon laying across the grass next to him. The Anemoboxer had his head practically gone, only bits of flesh and...brains. Jean could feel the bile rise to her throat, but quickly swallowed it down.

Kaeya looked at the three grunts laying there. One had his head burst open from something that was more powerful than a simple crossbow. The other man had died holding his hip, which had a wound. Two knife wounds around his head: one at his throat, and the other one, more disturbingly, his left eye. The last grunt, which was a woman, had a wound on her foreleg. Her head was positioned in such an awkward angle, Kaeya proceeded to stopped looking at her, slightly disturbed. But he knew her neck had been snapped. He was no stranger to death, but never had he seen such brutality.

A short scream promptly made everyone turn behind them, seeing Lisa visibly shaken. She was staring off at one of the trees, where the remaining Fatui grunt was resting with a wound to his neck and a rather jagged hole was in his back caused by the grapple hook Amber used.

"W-Who would do such a thing?" She stands beside Jean, perturbed.

Amber finally finished unveiling the Titan, turning towards them. "I did." She said in a casual tone. "Now, you wanted to see what else might be a problem...?" Looking at their shocked faces, she sighed. "What now?"

"Y-You did this?" Jean asked, wide eyes looking down at the corpses and then back at the Pilot. Amber crossed her arms. "Yeah, and? Aren't you not supposed to be knights or something? You should be used to it, right?" That seem to baffle everyone even more.

"We are knights, yes! But we don't simply resort to brutality like this!" Jean answered. "I-I find it hard to believe you would do such a thing."

The Pilot shrugged. "You'll just have to get used to it." The three glanced at each other for a moment before they followed after her. Lisa voiced her protest. "Surely, you realize what you've done?"

"Oh what, I should follow my moral code and not kill people?" Amber turned around visibly annoyed, despite her covered face. "There is no code in war. It's kill or be killed out there. And if you have something dear to you, you'd do whatever it takes to make sure nobody takes it away from you, right?"

Lisa frowned a little, but she understood the idea. Her words hold experience to them, which drove the veteran soldier attitude she had home. Kaeya decided to speak as well. "Perhaps you should also consider these are diplomats you just killed?" The Pilot fell silent for a moment, before she suddenly punched a tree, denting the bark.

"WHAT KIND OF FUCKING DIPLOMAT BRINGS AN ARMORY TO A NEGOTIATION?!" Amber gave an angry sigh. "I get they need to defend themselves, but to suddenly just steak random shit for research? Diplomat, my ass." If there was one thing that she despised, it was dumb politics. And somehow, she caught herself in the middle of it. Fucking fantastic. It was rather hilarious though; she had heard rumors of similar situations with the IMC attempting to negotiate with the Militia. None of them ended well apparently.

"It's hard to believe, but yes, these people are officially considered to be diplomats from a nation called Snezhnaya." Jean explained. "While I don't share their views on how to handle things in Mondstadt and they clearly have an ulterior motive, they are our allies officially. So, to see their diplomats killed in cold blood, they'll start pointing fingers. Most notably at us."

Amber sighed. "How you even put up with those morons is beyond me." Thankfully, her Titan had a suggestion with the problem.

"With the information that this could potentially start a war between the two countries, I may have a temporary solution." BB spoke in her helmet. "Perhaps if we could get rid of the corpses, and thus removing the evidence, we could keep the opposing country off our tail for now."

Amber sighed, whispering so that Jean, Lisa and Kaeya could not hear her. "That could work, but where can we dispose of the evidence? It'll be too obvious to throw it out into the lake. And it will take too long to bury the bodies."

"I was able to access your Tactical Abilities. Using the active radar system in your suit I was able to find an inconspicuous crack in the cliff large enough to fit the bodies in." BB answered.

"Huh, just makes my plan much easier. Thanks." Amber said. "You're welcome, Pilot." BB answered with a chipper tone. The Pilot refocused back to the group.

"Okay, I have a plan about that diplomat thing, but let's focus first on your so-called 'threat to Mondstadt.'" She said, before gesturing to the wreckage. "This is my giant robot, called a Titan. It would be standing with me but unfortunately, she was heavily damaged in the crash."

"Damaged enough to be unable to move on its own?" Kaeya asked for confirmation.

Amber nodded with disappointment. "Sadly, yes." She could feel herself pouting. It would've been amazing to see the Plasma Railgun wreck the crap out of these tribal incels, or whatever they are. "It's not an active threat though. If it were, you'd be seeing a lot more hellfire coming from this beast." She slapped the hull with some pride.

"I see." Jean noted. "So...what exactly is your plan with these diplomats?"

[Present Time...]

Amber and the rest of the group were walking through the woods back to the town. The Pilot was striding back to the city, while the others still looked uncomfortable. Rightfully so, since they had witnessed a friend of theirs, who was known to be a pure ball of sunshine, commit brutal genocide. Not to mention seeing said friend so...casual about it? Despite this, they stay with her as they return to Mondstadt's capital.

"So, where's the bar, er, tavern, again?" Amber asked the group, walking into the gates of the city. Once again, the townspeople gave her looks like before, but she simply ignored it. "I figured after what you've seen you'd need something to clear your mind."

"Actually yes, I would enjoy some wine after what has happened." Kaeya answered, before pointing at the road at the right. "Just down the road, a tavern called Angel's Share."

Jean sighed. "I think I'll join you for now." She clutched the bridge of her nose. "I need a drink."

Lisa shivered at the memory. "Well, I wouldn't be drinking myself, but if a tavern is to be a tavern, I'd like to hear your stories, Am-" She was about to say her name before the Pilot put a finger to her lips.

"Don't. If you guys recognize me, then there's a fair chance I will be recognized by the citizens here. I don't need more people going over me." She said, before putting the finger away. "Now then. Shall we go?

[…]

The Angel's Share tavern, like many of the establishments in Mondstadt, added a small memoir in honor of the last Outrider. Charles the bartender didn't really mind the addition of the new drink, Outrider's Vanguard, but maybe whoever invented the drink should've refrained themselves from adding wolfhook berries to the recipe. From what he had heard during the times Amber would visit here, she hated wolfhook juice.

Currently, the bartender was simply wiping glasses clean and attending to the customers during the day, when four people entered the tavern. This group had surprised him. There was a woman in strange armor and a strange helmet with bunny ears of all things, accompanied by the three renowned members of the Knights of Favonius. Not to mention the Acting Grand Master. What were they doing here?

"Can I help you?" He asked the group. The armored woman gave a glance at the group before answering. "Uh yeah, I'll have the strongest wine you got. Bring the bottle too." For some reason, the three members looked surprised at the order. Charles, who didn't know who was underneath the mask, nodded while taking the order. "Okay, that's a Vanessa Red Wine." He turned to the others. "Will the Grand Master be having anything?"

Jean sighed. "I'll be having what she's having." This greatly surprised Charles. He did not expect the Acting Grand Master of all people to have such a strong drink. "Miss Jean, are you alright?" He asked in concern.

Kaeya waved off his concern with a smile. "She'll be fine, bartender. I'll be having something less...potent than what they're having."

"And I will be having tea. I realize I did not have some since we left..." Lisa said. Though Angel's Share was not known to serving tea, Charles had some prepared anyway in case Lisa went with the others to his establishment. "Okay, anything else?" All he got was shaking heads. Charles nodded, confirming their orders.

The armored woman snapped her fingers. "Great! Now, is there a place for us where it's less...conspicuous?" Charles nodded, pointing to the stairs. "There's a flight of stairs that leads to the second floor." She gives another nod. "Thanks." She says before heading up the stairs, with the three following her. The bartender narrows his eyes as he goes to prepare their drinks. Why did that armored woman sound familiar...?

As the group waited, Amber sat down on the table on the second floor that is farthest from the balcony. It was a dim table, lit only by a few candles. Jean, Kaeya and Lisa joined her on the table, occupying the other seats.

"So. You want to hear about what happened to little ol' me?" The Pilot guessed, taking off her helmet and placing it on the table, the soft blue glow of the visor illuminating their table. The question piqued everyone's interest, especially Jean. They nodded, wanting to know what had happened to their dear friend. Amber hummed as she tapped her fingers unto the surface. "Alright then. Ask away." They were about to start their questions when she raised her hand to stop them.

"But under the condition that you'll be answering MY questions." She added. "I'm just as clueless about this as you are about me."

Jean nodded. "Fair enough, you need to relearn about everything here in Mondstadt."

"I trust you won't use any of this information against me?"

"No, of course not. Why would we?"

"Habit of mine. Now that's settled, first question, go."

"What in Abyss happened to you?" Jean asked. "You're a lot bigger than we last saw you. And you mentioned you're now 21? Last we checked; you were about to turn 19 in a few weeks."

Amber chuckled. "That's...a bit complicated. Where I ended up in, time flows faster than here in...what's the name of this world again?"

Lisa answered. "Teyvat." The Pilot nodded. "Yeah. Time flows faster than here in Teyvat. I can't say exact measurements, but while you guys still look 20s or so I grew three years."

"Wait. How is it possible that time can flow faster than other perspectives?" Lisa inquires. Amber shrugged in response. "It's really complicated and frankly I don't want to get into details. I'm the last person you should go to about this kind of topic." The librarian still looked confused, but Amber ignored it. "Anyway, let's not get into physics. As for my height, well..." She grinned.

"Nanomachines." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Noticing the confused expressions on their faces, Amber sighed. "Okay, let me elaborate. So, you know about machines, right? You just seen my Titan, a 20-foot-tall hunk of machinery. Now, imagine machines so small they can't be seen by the naked eye."

"A very interesting concept. Such small machines could do things us humans cannot do. Though I don't see a purpose in those kinds of machines." Lisa pondered.

The Pilot smiled. "You'd be surprised. I have a bajillion of these mini-machines called nanites, which do some weird technological shit that makes me stronger, faster, more durable and faster reflexes." She tapped her chin. "We usually get those from training or in dire situations. Supposed to help us deal with the effects of advanced movement."

Jean widened her eyes. "Fascinating...machines in your body to enhance it." She thought of the Knight of Favonius's Chief Alchemist and his assistant, how they'd be very intrigued at the concept of it. She was about to ask another question when Kaeya asked his own.

"What about your armor and helmet, what is that?" He pointed at the equipment Amber had on her body. She looked down before she answered. "Uh, this is standard issue composite body armor, typical for a soldier like me. If your armor can stop swords and arrows, mine can stop projectiles that travel faster than the speed of sound." Once again, the concept of something traveling faster than sound piqued their interest.

"Faster than the speed of sound? I didn't know there was such a thing." Kaeya had narrowed his eyes slightly. To think such a concept is impossible, as there is no way one could measure sound. Or at least with the current technological level of Teyvat.

Amber seemed to smirk as she pulled out something from her hip, placing it on the table. Jean, Lisa and Kaeya leaned forward to look at the object. It was a peculiar shaped object with some kind of handle, a small hook-like piece that was attached to the 'body' of the object, and an angled end close to the handle. It showed a blue bar, with the number 12 at the bottom. On the other end of the object is a hole. "What is this?" Lisa asked.

"What you're looking at is basically the next level in warfare." Amber spoke in a quiet tone, like as if this was a secret that shouldn't be shared. "This is a gun." She pointed at the large object. "A real step up to swords and bows."

"So what does it do?" Jean glanced at the gun in curiosity.

"I'm glad you asked." She pointed at the hook with her finger. "This thing right here is a trigger. If I pull this mechanism, there is some internal machinery that activates the projectile." She pressed a button on the grip of the gun and a small box slides out. At the inner end of the box laid a small dome like object sticking out. She pushed it out from the box with her thumb, letting it sit in the palm of her hand for everyone to see. It looked smaller than the size of typical Mora. "Now this is the projectile. It's called a bullet. This kind of bullet has a speed of 253 meters per second. Meaning it can travel 253 meters in a second, which is very fast. Far faster than your typical arrow."

That certainly got wide eyes from the audience before her. "And being hit by this bullet is actually fatal, even if you're wearing steel armor." She chuckled nervously, remembering what a bullet did to a certain knight. "It's a good thing Eula survived then."

"Um...noted." Jean nodded, her face shifting from horror to morbid fascination and back. If she was the first meteor crash, what was even on the second one?

Amber put the gun away, not wanting to overwhelm them with the fact that the P2016 was a sidearm compared to the many firearms she has encountered. And the less said about the L-Star, the better. She shuddered at the image of what that weapon can do.

"I'll do demonstrations some other time." She said, putting on her helmet as footsteps came from the stairs. "Someone's coming."

It was here that Charles came up with their drinks. A bottle of red wine and two wine glasses, a wooden mug filled with...some kind of drink maybe, and a cup of tea. He placed them down on their table. "Your drinks." He said, handing the red wine to Jean and Amber, handing the mug to Kaeya and the tea to Lisa. He gave a glance at the Pilot, before he went back down to the counter at the ground floor.

Amber takes off her helmet again once she was sure they were alone and looks at the glass, the red liquid swirling as she fills the glass with the drink. After a moment of staring at it, she took a sip. Then the sip turned into a gulp and like magic before them, she finished the glass in one go. Her eyes seem to sparkle as she looked at the empty wine glass. "It's like a grapey version of mead..." She commented.

"Did you just...drink a Vanessa Red Wine in one go?" Kaeya widened his eyes, er…eye, at the sight. "That's practically one of the strongest wines in the industry and you have drunk it like it was water."

Amber raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "This is the strongest? I've had drinks with more alcohol than that." She looked at the empty glass and smiled. "Ah well, from what I heard, wine isn't made to be strong anyway. I like this."

The Pilot looked over to the Acting Grand Master, who was taking a sip of her red wine. She placed it down, looking a bit drowsy. "This is indeed strong." She muttered. She moved some strands of her blonde hair away from her face before looking at Amber. "So, you have a weapon that could clearly kill faster than our swords and bows and armor that can withstand said weapons, not to mention miniscule machines in your body. Where did that all come from? Where in the world did you get such advanced technology?"

"Correction. I did not get this from this world." She answered. "I haven't talked about where I went, did I?" Seeing their shaking heads, she continued.

"Well, where I ended up was a whole different planet altogether." Amber explained, which confused the members present.

"Is that what you call other worlds?" Lisa asked, sipping her tea.

"Yeah, pretty much." Amber shrugged. "As to what happened there..."

She paused, wondering if she should tell them about her time in the Frontier. There were the better parts of her experience – her relationship with Kay, her friendships in the 26th Platoon, and exploring the new Frontier worlds.

However, as a soldier of the Militia there were plenty of moments she wished didn't happen. Memories of the death of her loved ones, the atrocities the IMC committed just to get their way. The moments where she felt helpless and scared. Amber still had one memory, in the darkest corners of her mind, which scared her the most. Being stuck in a crumbling building as artillery shook the ground, threatening to crush her or blow her up to bits. What would've happened if she wasn't in that building but somewhere less intact? What would've happened if debris fell on her? Will she be left to die?

"Amber?" The Pilot jumped, accidentally hitting the table with her elbow. "Fuck!" She cursed as she held her arm. After a moment of recovery, she sighed, realizing she had spaced out. Amber saw Jean, Lisa and Kaeya staring at her silently in concern. "Are you alright? You've gone silent for a whole minute." Jean asked.

"U-uh...y-yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." She stammered, taking a deep breath. "Just...a bad memory that's all." She looked at her empty glass. "Mind if I have another one?"

"Sure..." Jean nodded, handing her the bottle. "Do you still want to continue after that...?"

Amber took the bottle, pouring herself another glass and downing it again in one go. "I think I'll just tell you guys when I'm comfortable." After one more glass and another moment of silence, she spoke. "Okay, now I have a few questions of my own..."

"Go ahead." Jean gestured for her to continue

"What the fuck is with the magic here?" Amber bluntly asked. "Like, why does it exist? How the hell does it work? You don't really have wands to wave around, do you?"

Lisa chuckled. "Well, the 'magic' you call are the Seven Elements of Teyvat. They are the natural energies of this world that resonate with all of Teyvat. They are called Hydro, Pyro, Anemo, Geo, Dendro, Electro, and Cryo."

Amber nodded. "If my understanding is correct – that's water, fire, rock, electricity and ice. What about Anemo and Dendro?"

"Anemo is the element of Wind, and Dendro is the element of flora." Lisa answered. The Pilot nodded. "So, these elements...are natural energies. If that's the case, how do people use that energy? I've seen the deaconess, uh Barbara, use water to literally heal a bullet wound that would take months to heal."

Jean was the one who answered this. "The only way one would use the elements is by receiving a Vision, granted by the divine Archons. I'm not entirely sure why people have Visions, others do not."

"Wait, there's fucking GODS in Teyvat?" Amber stopped her, putting a hand out. "I'm pretty sure that's just myth, right? And they're not omnipotent?" That seemed to confuse the three present at the table.

"They...aren't myth. They are very much real." Jean corrected. "I'm not entirely sure about omnipotence, but from what I know not all of them knows everything about their nation." A certain bard came to mind.

"So you're saying the gods rule over the nations here?" The Pilot asked incredulously. "So basically, what I did earlier to those diplomats, as much as I find them stupid, will incur the wrath of a god?"

Kaeya nodded. "That would be correct, yes." Amber gave a laugh as she sank in her chair, grabbing the wine bottle this time and taking a swig, much to the shock of the three. The Pilot put the bottle down with a sigh. "Fuck, now I have to deal with gods in this planet too?" She muttered.

"Anyway, so some people can use the elements using Visions. Do you guys have them?"

Jean showed her Vision, a medal with the cyan mark of Anemo. Lisa showed hers from her pendant, showing the purple glow of Electro. Kaeya grabbed his from his hip, the Cryo Vision seemed to make the air a little colder. Amber stared at each one, seeing her answer. "That's cool and all, no pun intended. Did I have one?"

"You did actually." Lisa answered. "It's a Pyro Vision. I believe that last place I saw it was with you, Jean?"

Jean shook her head. "It was with me, but I have given it to Eula during the funeral."

Amber blinked. 'I had fire powers?' She thought. The thought of spewing fire from her hands sounds...interesting to say the least. "Cool, guess I'll ask Popsicle later when I meet her."

"I'm sorry, Popsicle?" Kaeya raised an eyebrow at that. "Would you like to rephrase?"

"Popsicle." She repeated. "You know, like the ice cream?"

Kaeya seemed to grin at that. "I get that, but why call her Popsicle of all things?"

"Why not? It's a nickname." She shrugged. "Anyway, retracing back, if gods rule over nations, which one rules Mondstadt?"

"That would be V-...Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. He's...an interesting individual." Jean answered.

"Must be a fun guy at parties." Amber commented "So, that explains why you're called the people of the wind. Thankfully not all of you are airheads." This got a laugh out of the Cavalry Captain and the Librarian. Amber gave a chuckle, enjoying the small moment with her new acquaintances.

"Wait. What time is it?" Lisa asked, turning to her companions. Amber checked her wrist watch, and widened her eyes. "What the hell, it's been two hours already."

"Two hours?" Jean widened her eyes. "Oh my, I have to go back to my office to finish some work." She stood up from her seat. "I appreciate our talk, but I must return to duty as Acting Grand Master."

Amber stood up, grabbing her helmet. "No problem." She put her headgear on, putting back the locks. "Will you two be doing anything?" She asked Lisa and Kaeya.

"I will be assisting some other matters back in the headquarters." He shrugged. "I may be Cavalry Captain, but unfortunately, I have no horses to command."

"I will be in the library arranging books." Lisa answered. "Although I could show you your old home if you are interested." This, of course, got the interest of the former Outrider.

"Care to show me the way?"

Residential District, Mondstadt
13:02

Amber looked at the house that used to be her home. A small two-story cottage with a stone bottom and a wooden top like the rest of the cottages here in Mondstadt. Compared to the other houses, it was bare bones on the outside. No hanging planets, no flowers, not even lanterns.

Lisa had showed her the way, which was about a ten-minute walk away from the second level of the city. It was a bit odd that her house was in a less seen part of the city, but to the Pilot she didn't mind. The librarian had left minutes ago, so she was left to her own devices.

"Well, at least we have a base to set up." She muttered, maybe to BB, as she opened the door. The small place had a rather modest living room - with a small round center table and two small couches, both of which were dusty. There was also a fireplace where she could keep warm. Currently the fire has died out, with only ashes left. She roamed the other parts of the small house. The dining area with a small wooden table with four seats. To the east side of the dining room, there was a cabinet over a counter where she could prepare meals. From the looks of it, the cooking equipment was outside, meaning she has to cook there or order food from the restaurant. Amber went up the stairs into the second floor, which a small walkway greeted her to three doors. On the small walkway was a small bookshelf with dusty books. She grabbed one of the books there and checked the cover. It was apparently a small storybook for kids.

"Wind, Courage and Wings. Sounds familiar." She muttered as she opened the book and began to read...

When the first wisp of wind brushed across the land
Birds that yearned for the sky had wings
But no way to fly

They asked the Anemo God:
"How can we reach the heavens?"

To which the Anemo God replied:
"You have yet to find that which is most important"

As the God spoke, the wind thrust the seeds of a dandelion
High into the sky
The birds thrust out their wings
But the breeze was all too mild
Leaving them to stumble across the earth

So they went to the gorge
Where the wind showed off its wild and incomparable strength
They threw themselves off the cliff
And flapped their wings amongst the howling winds
Until they were able to fly freely in the sky

To the Anemo God they went, to gleefully say:
"We understand now! All we needed was a stronger wind to fly"

In reply the Anemo God said:

"What you lacked was not wind, but courage"
"It is courage that has allowed you to become the first flying birds of this world"

Amber closed the book and put it back on the bookshelf, feeling tears threatening to leave her eyes. For some reason, reading her story gave her a sense of great nostalgia and a childlike courage she had never experienced since Harmony. The story felt more impactful than she ever thought it would be.

"Amber, you are shedding tears. Are you alright?" BB asked, the AI's voice still monotone but showing concern for her partner. The young woman took off her helmet to wipe her eyes.

"I'm fine, BB." She gave a soft smile as she answered. "I just had a nice nostalgic feeling after reading that."

"Copy that, Pilot." BB answered before staying quiet, allowing Amber to continue exploring the old house. Despite being an old house, it was rather spacious. She checked the first room there, revealing to be a bathroom. Surprisingly, it resembled a contemporary bathroom she'd find back on Harmony – with a sink, a small cabinet for toiletries and even a bathtub. Amber looked at the bath tub and frowned. Although the idea of lying in a tub with water and soap sounds nice, she was not the tub person. She preferred showers, really. She wondered if showers have been invented at this time. Amber had hoped so, she was itching for a bath. She left the bathroom, closed the door, and entered the room.

This next room was fairly empty, except a workstation and a sewing kit. Amber had felt the urge to make an explosive plush doll, but honed it down. She looked through the empty room, perhaps planning on what else to add there. She decided to place her DMR here. "I'll probably make you a maintenance room."

After that room, it was the remaining one. This door felt a bit homey to her for some reason. Just the small red bunny hanging from the door with just a nail told her this was her old room. Amber opened the door...

It was a small bedroom, with one singular bed, a dresser, a closet to the side, and a window to let sunlight in. The Pilot could see the street from this bedroom window. Like the rest of this house, it was rather dusty. She placed down her helmet and sighed. "Well, looks like I'll have to get started to cleaning." Amber checked her wardrobe, which was revealed to be empty, save for a few clothes there. She had found the clothes she needed and began to dress down.

[Hours later...]

Another thing Eula didn't want to admit was the fact that sometimes in the late afternoon she would visit the old home of her dear friend, relive the happy moments she spent time with Amber before she suddenly disappeared.

Despite her wounded leg, and Barbara's insistence on rest, she went over to the house with a crutch supporting her body. She grunted as she walked, the pain still ebbed in her leg. Both from the cause of the wound and the extraction. Eula still wished to get vengeance at Amber because of that. After a few more steps, she hobbled over to the front door of the house.

But this time was different. Usually, she would enter her with her copy of the key to the house and stay in the its empty, lonely place. She didn't care if it was dusty, just enjoying the silence as memories of her and Amber spending time here filled her mind. So it was definitely a surprise when she heard noises from inside. Had someone moved in here already? Without her knowing?

Eula simply entered, looking at the living room to find it devoid of dust. She patted the couch to find no plume of dirt. Perhaps someone came here to clean the house? Or has she moved in already? Hearing more noises from upstairs, she slowly got upstairs to find the source.

It turns out her second guess was correct; Amber had moved back here. But she did not expect her to find the former Outrider this way.

In the old bedroom, there was the woman doing sit-ups on the floor. She was wearing nothing but old sweatpants and some kind of bra, which gave Eula a good view of her midriff. The Pilot was huffing and puffing as she counted. "67...68...69...70."

Eula's face flushed red as she watched her do her exercise. Seeing Amber in this outfit made the knight feel some type of way, with her bare midriff and shoulders packing muscle and glistening with sweat. She got up from the floor and grabbed a glass of water from her dresser, finishing the glass in a few gulps. It would appear Amber noticed her as she spoke after drinking her water. "Like what you see?" She asked in a teasing tone, giving a sly smirk.

"Yes." The knight blurted. "I-I mean, NO. I...could you please put on a shirt?" She turned her head away, the blush not leaving her face. Amber laughed as she put down the glass.

"Hm. Will you still look at me if I took a bath~?" She teased again, waggling her eyebrows much to Eula's annoyance. "H-How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" She crossed her arms, frowning.

Amber chuckled. "Relax! I'm just joking." She put a hand on her shoulder. "It's good to see you well." She glanced at her crutch and bandaged leg. "Relatively well. Just be careful climbing up stairs. Don't want to overwork your leg."

"I am quite fine, thank you very much." She answered. "Although it's a bit odd to find you here. How were you able to get inside anyway?"

The Pilot wiped her sweaty face and torso with a towel. "I could ask you the same question. Well, Lisa handed me the key to this house. If I didn't have it, I probably would've entered through the window."

"You do realize that is burglary you're committing?" Eula raised an eyebrow. Which Amber shrugged in response. "Is it burglary if you're breaking into your own house?" Eula stayed silent, not sure how to answer that question.

"Anyway, why are you here?" Amber asked, moving over to a folding screen she set up in her room after finding it in the old storage room of the house. Once she was away from view, she changed quickly, stepping out to be wearing some kind of sleeveless shirt with thin straps. It did little to cover her cleavage, which made Eula blush a little. "I doubt you're just here to roam around."

Eula stiffened at the question. "W-well..." She tried to think up of different excuses of her true purpose here. Which was starting to become a moot point. Amber was here in front of her, what was the point of indulging in old memories with her if she was now here? Unless...

"Back while you still gone, I would visit here whenever I got the time to do so. It was...my way of grieving in a sense." She answered. "Well, now that you're here, I don't think I have to grieve anymore."

Amber put her hands on her hips. "Uh huh, that's your way of saying 'I want to stick around'." She shrugged. "Alright, I'll bite. I'm guessing you're just as clueless as your superiors and you want to know more about me."

Eula nodded. That was enough for an answer as Amber led her to her room for them to sit down on the bed. Once they were comfortable, Amber asked. "So, where do you want me to start?"

[After a few minutes of explanation…]

"O-Oh, my." Eula muttered; eyes wide as she listened to Amber. "So I really could've died then and there."

The Pilot nodded. "Shots like those would've need great medical attention. At least you were able to get there in time." After a pause, she sighed. "I'm really sorry about that, by the way. I just…panicked. Instinct kicked in, maybe I was a little too trigger-happy."

Eula stared at her for a moment, no emotion showing on her face. Amber feared for the worst, when the knight said.

"You are forgiven. Although you were the one that shot me, you also saved me from certain death" she said, which made Amber sigh in relief. However, Eula narrowed her eyes. "But I am usually not so forgiving. If you weren't my closest friend and didn't know any better, I would've ended you then and there."

Amber wasn't fazed at her threat. But while she could've bested her in a fight, she didn't want that to happen. So, she gave a nod. "Noted." Suddenly she grinned with mischief. "You still want to 'get revenge' on me? We're in the right spot, you know~"

"I…what?" Eula blinked in confusion. Then she remembered what she had said before and her face turned red. "H-Hold on, there's a time and place for certain duels, and this certainly isn't the time or place."

Amber chuckled, before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I'll make sure you'll get the duel of a lifetime~" She leaned away with a wink as she stood up from the bed. "I'll be having dinner, wanna come?"

Eula's face has never been any redder from that. The nerve to assert her dominance over her was infuriating. She had the gall to be such a little rascal, it made her want her to see Amber put in her place. Yet at the same time, her curiosity had made her wonder how she fared. Was she…good? The thoughts of Amber on top of her in bed suddenly flooded her mind, as Amber leaned forwards to-

"Hey, Popsicle?" Amber tapped her shoulder, making her jump. "You good, you kind of turned into a tomato there."

"I'm fine!" She squeaked, mentally cursing herself for speaking like that. Eula stands up, using her crutch to support her weight. Amber moves to support her as she stands up. "How's the leg?" Amber asks.

"Better. I've been able to move around after a few hours. It still hurt, so I was given this crutch to help me walk." She answers. The Pilot nods, reaching for her helmet that was on the dresser.

"Pilot. Your schematics for upgrades for your Pilot gear are ready." A voice came from the helmet, which put Eula on edge. "Who's there?" She calls out.

"Oh, that's just my friend BB." Amber says as she puts on her helmet. "She's the AI in my helmet." Eula raises an eyebrow in confusion, prompting the Pilot to sigh and evaluate. "Basically, I have a machine spirit possessing my helmet that gives me combat help and other data."

"Okay...?" It didn't fully explain everything, but Eula seemed satisfied with that answer for now. "Do you have an idea where to get dinner?"

Amber shrugged. "Well, I heard about a restaurant nearby, thought it'd be fun to check it out. You coming?"

Eula thought of it, before nodding. "Sure."

There was a moment of silence before the Pilot spoke. "Uh...you got spare change on you?"

Favonius Headquarters, Mondstadt
19:45

Jean sat down at her desk, just finishing up paperwork for the day. She sighed, glancing out the window to see that it was already night time. The day had really taken a toll on her and would've headed to bed early, but there was one more issue to discuss about.

That being Amber. Despite disappearing from the face of Teyvat a few months back, she had changes that would've happened in years. While Jean was glad to have her old friend back, she had to accept the new reality that Amber is not who she was. The corpses she created and how casual she was about dealing them told her a lot about it. She has yet to hear Eula's take on the incident when Amber first came here.

A door creaked open, prompting the Acting Grand Master to turn towards the door of her office to see Lisa and Kaeya enter the room, closing the door behind them. Jean gave an acknowledging nod before she spoke. "So. About Amber..."

"She definitely isn't who she was a few months prior to the incident. It was as if that Abyss Herald sent her to the future and back here abruptly." Kaeya spoke. "She still has the drive and energy of the Amber we used to know, just more vulgar."

"I fear with her ways of handling things. Such brutality is obviously frowned upon and she might be looked down upon from the citizens." Lisa voiced out her concern. "So, Acting Grand Master, what do we do with our new yet former guest?"

Jean stood up from her desk and sighed. "It's a complicated situation we're having, but we'll just have to make do." She stared out the window, silently admiring the night sky as the moon lights up the streets of the city. "For now, we let her stay. I imagine she needs plenty of rest after just arriving here. We can discuss with her more tomorrow." She sighed. "But...truth be told, I'm scared. Of what she could've become with those kinds of power."

She faced her companions once again. "Anyway, any news on the second crash site?" Kaeya nodded as he answered. "Albedo and his team have set up a perimeter and are investigating as we speak. Last I checked from him, he told me everything was under control."

The Acting Grand Master sighed in relief. "Well, that's one thing settled that didn't go horribly wrong." She glanced at the window once again. "Well, I think it's time we retire for the night."

Lisa groaned softly. "Agreed." Kaeya seemed to shrug, but he agreed with the statement. Jean adjourned the meeting and the three went to their respective rooms and laid to rest.

Yet as Jean laid in her bed, she couldn't help but remember the nightmare those nights ago. Amber taking charge to a group of soldiers with their weapons, their guns, as they face a foe with metal giants. Was this what that dream meant? Did Barbatos know of where Amber went and was showing her events of what happened? Or is something more at play here?

Her body involuntarily shivered when she recalled the corpses that she hid in that cliff. To think someone so innocent kill someone in cold blood, and in the most brutal way possible felt terrifying to her. She could imagine what happened to Amber that drove her to kill, what that unknown world to her and what Amber herself did.

Safe to say, she was not falling asleep that easily tonight.

A/N: Holy crap, this took me quite a while. I did say to not expect for fast chapter releases, but part of me feels a little bad not giving this during Christmas or New Year. Plenty of stuff happening back home so I wasn't able to touch my PC that often. So, yeah, happy new year. 2022 will be fun, I hope. As for the chapter itself, sorry if it feels a bit rushed. I am way too excited for what will happen next.

Also, I'm planning on adding my own little tidbits to the universe of Titanfall and Genshin to connect things. Although the actual game will include more lore and worldbuilding later on, I'm not taking any chances waiting for release. If we did get working toilets canon in the Genshin universe by 2026, hooray, I guess.

P.S. Is the Eulamber relationship here too on the nose?