Life, thought Raiden, was such a strange and foreign thing.
It was abstract and volatile and unpredictable, prone to change in ways that ran counter to her programming. On occasion, she even mulled over her own existence, and whether she could be considered to be alive herself.
The Traveler had long since fallen asleep, his tale still fresh in her mind. At some point, he'd snuggled up against her, seeking warmth in the chilly, starry-skied night.
She knew what he would say, of course, and smiled, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest, his features at ease while in her safe embrace. Ei, too, acknowledged her existence, her life shared between the two of them, but the Shogun was still unsure.
She could fight and she could speak, she could even eat if she so desired. Her thoughts were complex, and more recently she found herself feeling emotions, intense and powerful in a way that bordered on unsettling.
Was that enough to be considered alive?
The question weighed heavily on her mind, and the more they walked amidst mortalkind, the more uncertain she grew. A lump formed in her throat, one Raiden struggled to rid herself of.
Life served to birth new life.
The thought that she may not be able to do the same was terrifying.
"Good morning, Aether." said Raiden. "Did you sleep well?"
Aether knew that Raiden had no need for rest, but waking up to find her face inches from his, eyes open and staring intently, without a hint of drowsiness, was something he'd never get used to.
"Mhm…" he murmured, reaching up to cover his face from the sun, its rays tickling his skin and daring him to open his eyes.
He couldn't remember falling asleep, nor finding his way into Raiden's lap, but he'd hardly pass up such a chance if he could help it.
"Where's Paimon?"
"I believe she spent the night in your teapot."
A feeling of dread washed over him at the thought - leaving Paimon unsupervised was a recipe for disaster. Scrambling to his feet in desperation, he looked around for the teapot, throwing himself over it as soon as he spotted it.
His surroundings shifted and blurred, whisking him away to the adeptal realm, where he was greeted by a sight that forever etched itself into his mind.
The teapot was in complete and utter disarray, the landscape disfigured, trees and bushes growing with abandon and dozens upon dozens of buildings stacked up against one another. Random items and decorations littered the ground, placed seemingly without any thought or care.
He spotted Tubby nearby, her eyes wild with rage.
"Get out!" she exclaimed.
"What?"
"Out! And take that flying menace with you!"
He heard a high-pitched yelp, and out of nowhere came Paimon's tiny form crashing into him. It all happened so quickly that he had no time to react, the surreality of it all adding to his stupor.
"Oof-" he wheezed, briefly seeing stars before finding himself back on the ground at Raiden's feet.
Tasting dirt in his mouth, Aether turned his head just enough to shoot Paimon a subtle glare. Once she caught sight of him she withered, like a naughty child caught in the act, prompting him to sigh in resignation.
"Well then…" he muttered. "I guess the teapot is officially under maintenance."
"Mondstadt?" asked Raiden, confused by the Traveler's suggestion.
It would take them a week to reach the foreign city, and by carriage at that. While she could ride the currents and be there within the blink of an eye, she wasn't sure that the Traveler was capable of similar feats.
"You've seen how Liyue's changed." he said, a mischievous smile working its way onto his face. "Aren't you curious about Mondstadt?"
She was - if only because it puzzled her that any nation founded by Barbatos could endure for longer than a year.
Raiden nodded.
"Take my hand, then."
She did just that, reveling in the way their fingers intertwined. In moments like these, at least, whenever they touched, kissed, or simply shared a moment together, Raiden did truly feel alive.
There was a strange, tugging sensation, when suddenly she felt as though someone had yanked her by the navel. Her vision went blank, an endless white surrounding her, and she repressed the urge to let out a shriek.
"You can open your eyes now." said Aether, his voice betraying no small amount of amusement.
"What in Teyvat was-"
A massive tree stood before her, viridescent leaves swaying gently in the wind. The air was unlike anything she'd breathed before, pure, carrying only a soft floral scent that immediately soothed her mind.
"Quite the sight, isn't it?" asked the Traveler, his expression soft, reminiscent, as he watched a tiny crystalfly dance circles around him.
Next to him stood a totem of some sort, a gentle, pulsating light emanating from it akin to a beacon. Raiden recalled similar totems scattered throughout Inazuma, though she'd never given them much thought, remnants of a forgotten age and inconsequential to her ambitions.
"You are capable of utilizing these contraptions." she remarked, a statement rather than a question.
"Yes." he replied. "No one else seems able to. I wonder…"
The Traveler trailed off, a sudden light shining in his eyes as though he'd come to a striking realization.
"Of course - Lumine! She must've set them up during-"
Raiden cleared her throat, distracting him from his excited rambling.
"Oh, right. I'll explain everything to you along the way. Come on, let's go! There's so much for you to see!"
It took some time to convince Raiden of his reasons for avoiding excessive use of the waypoints, but by the time they reached Mondstadt, crossing the bridge to the city, she'd finally caved.
"Is that- It is! Honorary Knight, you've returned!"
"It's good to see you, Lawrence." replied Aether, saluting the guard with a small wave of his hand, an action mirrored by Paimon.
Raiden stayed silent, something he noticed she tended to do unless spoken to. She really was unaccustomed to social interaction, he mused, unless it was to issue an order or a decree. He even had to give her a gentle nudge before she inclined her head towards the guard in greeting.
Thankfully, he could now pass her off as a shy, rookie adventurer.
"Say, isn't Swan on duty today?" he asked.
"Oh, you just missed him - his shift ended an hour ago. Knowing him I'd guess he's either at the Angel's Share or quizzing some poor sod on the Favonius Handbook."
Aether snorted, recalling the various times he'd suffered through Swan's interrogations himself.
"That sounds about right. Thanks Lawrence, I'll be seeing you around."
Stepping through the gates felt nostalgic, like returning home after a long, arduous journey. It'd been so long since he last visited Mondstadt, and it wasn't until he recognized some familiar faces that he realized how much he had missed the City of Freedom.
A chuckle escaped his throat when he spotted Flora jumping up and down, her hands high in the air as she tried to catch his attention.
"That's the resident botanist." he explained, waving back at the girl. "A real piece of work, that one - had me commissioned for an expedition to Dragonspine of all places!"
"That sounds… dangerous." said Raiden slowly, inching closer to him with each step that they took.
They made their way through the city, stopping only when someone called out his name or something caught Raiden's eye, such as the statue of the Anemo Archon, its arms outstretched as though in offering.
"Wondering about Venti?"
"He still goes by that name?" she asked, disapproval written clearly on her face. "Barbatos always was a sentimental fool."
"I rather like that about him."
"That is only because you are equally foolish."
The unexpected quip caught Aether off guard, and after a moment of slack-jawed staring, he burst out laughing.
"Can't argue against that, can I?"
It amused Raiden to see the Traveler fidget, nervously shuffling his feet outside the entrance to the Angel's Share. Clearly, there was something on his mind, but whatever it was must be embarrassing enough that he hesitated to voice it.
"Uh... Before we enter- You see... Everyone here thinks I'm... underage. They won't serve me any drinks except coffee and fruit juice."
"I do not understand."
"Oh-" said the Traveler, stunned by her response. "On second thought, never mind."
He reached for the handle, about to push the door open, when suddenly he froze, turning back towards her with a strange, wary expression.
"Actually, there's something else."
Raiden eyed him curiously.
"There'll be a lot of drunkards in there." he began, stating the obvious. It stood to reason that a tavern would be occupied by drunk people.
"Indeed."
"S-Stay close to me, will you?"
She noticed his cheeks sported a heavy blush, a feeling of glee welling up inside her. In the past few days he'd teased her relentlessly, taking advantage of her ignorance of the world, but as the age-old adage would have it, her dear Traveler would reap that which he had sown.
The Raiden Shogun wasn't quite as ignorant as before.
"Aether..." she whispered, an almost evil grin tugging at her lips. "Do not tell me that you are feeling jealous?"