Well back to the ship!
Amber couldn't remember the last time it had actually rained in Mondstadt.
Oh sure, as the only Outrider in the whole Knights of Favonius, she was absolutely no stranger to the elements, sun, rain or snow alike. Aside from the wet uniforms that would inevitably follow, she didn't even necessarily dislike them to begin with. But given that this was Mondstadt, most days there was no reason to even consider the weather.
So it stands to reason that she was NOT expecting to nearly get drenched the literal second she stepped out of Knight Headquarters.
As if it had been waiting the whole year for the opportunity, the rain came hard and fast over the whole city, completely engulfing the town in moments. As the people on the lowest level frantically ran to their nearest building for shelter, Amber jumped (almost literally) back into marble hallway. After making sure that she wasn't half-asleep and that, yes, it really WAS raining in Mondstadt, she shrugged and went to the library. Jean's task wasn't urgent, so maybe the rain would soften up soon. It would do no one any good if she was to slip on a step or anything, and there was a book she wanted to finish anyhow.
A few minutes later, the Outrider had settled into reading comfortably on the lower floor. Lisa wasn't present, nor were any others, understandable due to the early hour, but nonetheless a rarity. Being alone gave Amber the quick idea to check out the books in the so-called 'restricted section', but she laughed it off just as fast. The librarian would surely catch her somehow, not to mention that if the accidental peak she once had taken was representative of everything that was over there…Amber felt a blush come on and flipped through the book she had picked out, intent to distract herself.
*SMASH*
The sharp sound came out of nowhere so abruptly that she didn't even register that the origin was beneath her. Another moment passed before she looked down and saw…some kind of dark brown liquid spread out from the mess, the foreign substance slowly gliding across the once-reflective roar. Just before she finally realized what was going on:
"Oh dear!"
In the literal blink of an eye, someone else was tending to the now-halted liquid and shattered remains of something. This surprised Amber, who thought she was alone, but then another second went by and she knew what was going on. Lights from overhead shone within this person's light purple hair, revealing them to be wearing a spotless maid outfit with some kind of metallic armor covering her legs and hands.
"I-I'm so sorry Noelle!" Amber cried out, brain realizing the full picture. Clearly she had knocked something over and made a bit of a mess, so she quickly dashed out of her seat and joined the maid on the floor. Of course, Noelle was already one step ahead of her, frantically wiping away the earlier liquid with some kind of cloth while picking up shards with the other hand, "gloves" making her immune to getting cut. Seeing that she could do nothing to help out, Amber had no choice but to just stand back awkwardly.
-0-
Noelle bowed. "I should be the one apologizing, you just seemed so engrossed in reading that I felt I would be a disturbance. So I set some tea for you…" She trailed off here, looking mildly embarrassed.
"P-please don't worry about it." Amber reassured. "I should've been paying more attention!" To get them off this, she tried bluntly changing the topic. "What are you doing in the library anyway?"
Mission accomplished: Noelle perked up at the question. "Well, I had just finished my 100 daily push-ups and sit-ups when it started raining, so I hurried and grabbed everyone's laundry from off the line. But on the way back, the library door wasn't closed all the way, so I peeked inside and saw you. Oh right, that reminds me! I left one of your uniforms hanging on your door all clean~"
"T-Thanks…" Amber spoke hesitantly. It was well known the sheer volume of tasks Noelle undertook daily, but hearing it all rattled off like nothing really brought that stark reminder back up. Exercise, laundry, tea-making, and all that so early in the morning? It was impressive, if not a little concerning for her long-term health… "I just hope you have time for this."
"Oh, it's not a problem at all!" The young maid cheerfully added, grabbing Amber's book that she was (still) reading, eyeing for the proper place on the shelf to return it to. Coming as no surprise, it appeared that Noelle had memorized where every piece of literature went in the library. Of course, she first had to know precisely which book she picked up…but as the title was read aloud, her face began to heat up.
"Princess Mina of the Fallen Nation? Amber, isn't this…a love-"
"No it isn't!" With her face now growing red to match the rest of her uniform, she threw her hand over Noelle's mouth. "We finally got a copy of the latest volume, so I wanted to check it out! But it is certainly NOT that!" After a moment, she realized that she was perhaps reacting a little stronger than appropriate. "Sorry…"
Free from Amber's grip, Noelle found herself guilty of forming a smile upon seeing the Outrider's reaction. It was clear who she was thinking about when she heard the "L word". Unfortunately, the Geo-user had an occasional habit of saying things without thinking until a second after, evident by what she said next:
"I wonder how soon the Honorary Knight will see his princess again…" She muttered accidentally, loud enough for Amber to hear. Being a bit younger than the other Knights, she didn't have the subtlety that Kaeya or Lisa had developed when teasing her colleagues, so humorously her face lit up as well upon realization of what was spoken. "A-ah, I-I'm so sorry! I know how close you two are!" As she spoke, Noelle hid her reddening face behind the novel.
On the other hand, Amber was grinning upon seeing her friend blush, clearly amused now with the initial target reversed. "Hey now, Aether will be back soon~ So there's no need to be concerned for me. Thanks anyway Noelle!"
That was news to the maid though, who took Amber's prediction as a guarantee. "Oh my! He'll be back soon you say? How exciting! I should whip something up for him as a 'welcome back' gift. Do you know what his favorite foods are?!"
"Wait Noelle!"
-0-
After explaining that she didn't actually know when Aether would be back but just had a feeling, Amber left in a hurry before she accidentally gave Noelle any further ideas. Plus the rain was already letting up in the city, perfect time to get moving. This task was pretty far away from here, so after some light stretching (and readjusting her bow to get it just right again), the best Outrider was off to Stormbearer Point.
Early morning Mondstadt was quite a peaceful sight. If Amber wasn't out on the job right now, she'd love to sit down and feel the wind through her hair, or through her glider in the air. Maybe next time, she thought as she was forced to climb a small cliff to get to higher ground.
When one is out on very familiar land, the brain has a tendency to wander in interesting directions. And luckily for Amber, her life had been anything but boring, especially lately. It had actually been quite a while since she handled a string of tasks like this without either a partner accompanying her or someone waiting for her return back in Mondstadt. Eula's reconnaissance work had picked back up again, Bennett was off exploring, Klee was constantly getting into trouble, and naturally Aether was in Inazuma. For a brief time after her boyfriend left, Lisa tagged along with her, much to the archer's amusement. It was a sweet gesture, the pair talked about him and any future plans (now to Amber's overwhelming embarrassment) but they were still fun chats looking back.
Of course she made no secret of the fact that she missed him; everyone in Mondstadt did a little anyway. But…it just hit a little too close to home for her. That was twice now that a person important to her had left, first time being over four years ago now.
Amber frowned. No, "left" wasn't the right word. After all, they had spent weeks prior talking about how long he'd be gone for, the exact day may have been unexpected, but knowing about the journey to Inazuma certainly wasn't. Plus…except for Paimon, she was definitely the one who best understood where Aether was coming from. Not only because of her grandfather, but also being there with him when he last saw Lumine. She certainly couldn't forget that.
If Aether promised he'd return, I have no reason to doubt him. They'll be fine, I know they will… A soft smile creased its' way across her face. She could almost imagine the sound of Paimon's voice chirping in town, spoiling everyone to Aether's presence before he could even make a move.
With the happy thought in her mind, Amber picked up the pace to her destination.
-0-
Why did anybody even need a watchtower in the northeast corner of Mondstadt anyway? Honestly, that was a question nobody really had a good answer to. Stormbearer Point as it was known didn't have a lot to it, but it was home to an intriguing little spiral of ladders and stone in the middle of the northern field. It wasn't an exceptionally tall structure either, so there wasn't a point to climbing up to the top for star (or sea) gazing. Some nuns liked the feeling of being higher up so far away from the city, saying it made them feel closer to Barbatos, but that was really it.
Of course, they weren't the only ones. On occasion, some hillichurls would get the oh-so swell idea to climb the structure and just not come down. It was even rarer, but shooters would even threaten any nearby person of the cloth who tried to convince them otherwise. Whatever the reason, someone would inevitably have to be called and take care of the nuisances, and it just so happens that it was Amber's turn. Luckily for the Knights reputation, there were few better equipped for this, as the gremlins would have nothing to hide behind once the battle got going.
Leaping down from a nearby tree undetected, the Outrider planned her next course of action. There were five hlliichurls on the platform, two of which were the Cryo variant based on their light blue fur. As for the other three, two of them were the classic Pyro shooters and the final one was Electro. This was something Amber had noticed recently, Mondstadt monsters seemed to move around in more diverse groupings now, she would have to take it out first. Otherwise the Pyro 'users' would hit a blade of grass and ignite the surrounding field. All it would take if that happened was for an Electro arrow to hit and her mobility would be severely reduced.
"Sorry buddy, you aren't gonna be much help this time." Amber set down Baron Bunny to lie against the tree with a smile. On a flat playing field, she would've loved to use it as a distraction tactic, but there was no way it would grab her foe's attention from below. Now ready to begin, the archer reached over her shoulders to grab her bow. With a flash of light, Amber felt the energy from the Pyro Vision on her hip begin to flow through once again.
Gradually loading and pulling an arrow back until the resistance reached its' maximum, the Outrider inhaled…and exhaled calmly. Once she let go, the other hillichurls would surely lock-on to her position and all start firing back. The grass here was about to be covered in arrows and possibly burnt to a crisp. But she didn't care. This was her task, and she would do it and do it right. With a new smirk, the Pyro-infused arrow was gradually raised until it pointed at the side of the Electro Shooter's head…
…
*THWAP*
"Rgar!" "Wa!"
Run! In a blink of an eye, the four remaining enemies located her and began loading their weapons, their first attack coming quicker than the others. Sure enough, a Pyro arrow flew straight to the ground where she just stood and quickly spread flames throughout. With her focus never wavering, she dashed in a clockwise manner and watched the Electro creature pop back up, one hit being insufficient to defeating them. But with the first wave of shots all coming at once and a reload being required, this was a golden opportunity. Amber stood her ground and fired two normal shots consecutively. The first grazed, the second smacked its' target in the head, sending it back to the winds as ash.
Four to go.
With the one foe who could cause actual problems out of the way, Amber know she had the advantage. Good thing the rain had been limited to the city only, the Cryo shooters would've been much more difficult otherwise, but instead she could now face them head on. Jumping back to avoid another Pyro attack, she found it much easier to take the pain of burning grass this time as the target was straight in front. So with some nifty evading while charging up, a Pyro bullet was slammed into another one of the invaders.
As she was silently thanking Eula for some tips on her footwork, there was an actual explosion coming from the tree where Amber just stood. This caught both her and the hillichurls off-guard, but it was the Outrider who understood the cause and recovered faster. Unintentionally, she left her Baron Bunny…in the spot that quickly caught ablaze. And with enough time surrounded by fire…yup. This distraction proved fatal, Amber now moved to a spot where she had a chance of hitting the back of a different hillichurl head…three.
The classic flight-or-fight response never seemed to exist within her foes' mind, or really any monsters Amber fought. A group of five going down to three in a minute's time should've prompted at least some consideration, but they just kept firing away at her. It was really quite a pitiable sight, she would've been more than willing to let them go if they stopped attacking, but that was an impossibility. Singling out the one she already hit in the face, Amber ignored the passing whip of Cryo on her right arm and finished off her foe.
And now with only two monsters, it was just some standard clean up work.
-0-
"Phew…nice work, me~" Amber grew a big grin as she tended to herself, battle complete minutes later. A hollow cut on her uniform was just about the worst 'injury' she's sustained, something that could easily be patched by her or Noelle later. I'm sure she'll appreciate the request…should I? Questions for when she got back to Mondstadt, along with asking for some water with all the Pyro being thrown about everywhere making her a bit warm.
Examining the strange structure a final time, she slowly turned around…but not before hearing a rustle of branches.
Reinforcements? She blinked, eyes leering behind her. Wait…that's…!
Her bow dropped with a muted thud onto the grassy field below.
Fun fact: With Noelle's scene here, I have now included something for every Mondstadt character...except Diona. Oops.
This chapter was inspired by me not really having 'Amber POV scene' in 'A Proper Farewell'