"Come on Paimon! No time to waste!"

"H-Hey…when did you get…so fast?" Between gasps of air, the fairy choked that question out. Whatever the powers in Teyvat that allowed her to float, she felt much more grateful to it than ever before. Now imagine if she had to run like her best friend…yeesh, that would never work.

"We both know the answer to that one."

"Yeah, but did we really have to leave…so early? The sun's not even out, for crying out loud! She'll be there no matter what time we visit."

At this the adventurer stopped running and waited for Paimon to catch up with him. Due to the adrenaline flying, or perhaps because of his recent journeys toughening him up, Aether didn't feel tired at all. Being on the run at times from a literal god will do that to you.

"It's not just Amber, Paimon. Mondstadt is just important to me…I'm sure you feel the same way right?"

"Yup, definitely!" She confirmed with an excited flurry of mid-air kicks, exhaustion temporarily gone. "It's where we first met after all! Paimon could never forget that day!"

"Exactly, and what kind of people would we be if we didn't go back to visit the first chance we got? I have a lot of promises to keep after all."

"Ah, so that's what this is about. Paimon gets it!" Now matching his eagerness with her own, she let out a command. "Let's march!"

Although he wasn't technically lying at what he just told his friend (especially about the keeping promises part), Aether couldn't deny that Paimon was right in her initial assumption; he did really want to see Amber again first and foremost. Not just because of their relationship, but also the way her eyes would surely light up when telling her about his adventures in Inazuma…he couldn't wait for that. Granted, there had been plenty of dangerous encounters there too, it wasn't all fun and games, so he would save those parts for another day. No way he could retell everything in one night anyway.

As they continued to run within the Mondstadt night, it really struck Aether how much there was to say, he hadn't even gotten to the people he met while over in Inazuma. Ayaka, Thoma, Sayu, Gorou, Kokomi, Kazuha…even Yae and Sara really.

But specifically, he thought, it would be very interesting to see how she reacted to a girl named Yomiya Naganohara. Aside from being a descendant in a firework-making family, she also had both a Pyro vision and wielded a bow, just like Amber. Now this alone wouldn't have been more than a fun coincidence, as there are only so many combinations of Visions and weapons a person could have, but the reminders didn't stop with just that. Both had immense dedication to their respective crafts and the desire to live up to predecessors for one, while also being more than willing to help out their friends at any cost. It was fun to think about the two of them meeting up. Aether chuckled to himself. Actually, Yoimiya meeting the other Pyro users in Mondstadt would be exciting too…Fireworks and bombs…

That was neither here nor there at the moment though, as that thought was forced to fizzle out as they passed through Dawn Winery quietly. Well, more like 'went around quietly', as the last thing Aether wanted was to cause a commotion loud enough for Diluc, who was surely not asleep, to come out for.

The closer they got to the city, the more Aether felt his chest both tighten and get lighter. Yeah, despite his excitement he was pretty nervous about just popping back in Mondstadt after a few months. How would everybody react to him for one? Another thing to consider was that there was no way to know if anything changed within The City of Freedom; he was as blind to what happened here as they were to him in Inazuma after all.

"Aether? What's up? We stopped running…" Paimon pointed out, snapping the blonde out of it.

"Oh sorry Paimon. I'm just wondering what everyone will say when they see us."

"Hopefully something like 'Welcome back, here's some food to celebrate your return~'" Her stomach started to rumble just imagining the Sticky Honey Roast.

Amused at the hyper specific hope she wished for, Aether muttered, "You know, it's nice that I have at least one person who doesn't change much." with a cheeky grin attached. They then proceeded to fall silent as the blonde continued to make his way around the off path trees of nearby Springfield. Several minutes went by, complete with them taking quick nostalgia-filled looks across Cider Lake towards the city. Until at last, the bridge into Mondstadt was starting to approach, which spiked Aether's breathing again. So close to being home…

Just one small jump down from the rocks-

"Wait, isn't that…Amber?!" Paimon's voice pierced the night air and alerted the boy instantly. Despite the fact that he knew he shouldn't be startled by this, Aether froze, crouched low to the ground, and grabbed his companion on the way.

He could feel his eyes widen at what he was seeing. At the tail-end of the bridge, stepping out from behind the guardrail…there was no mistake from Paimon, it was the Outrider in the flesh. Her bright golden eyes, the long dark hair, the unique outfit she wore that Aether could never forget…yes.

Amber is here…she's really right there…

Fighting off the urge (as well as a tear) to pop back up and surprise her was incredibly tough…it was a good thing her appearance was so unique, the red ribbon on her head was such a giveaway that he might have literally run into her otherwise if Paimon didn't catch it.

"Uh…Aether, two things." A voice from his hand came. "First is that Paimon doesn't think… Amber's going to find us if we lie on the ground up here…and second is that you're…crushing Paimon…"

"S-sorry!" Aether, quite literally, unhanded his friend and the two just watched as Amber turned left as she stepped off the stone bridge, commotion being completely unheard.

"What is she going there for…? Paimon doesn't think there's anything in that direction."

Nodding along, Aether struggled to recall the last time he had gone to the corner of Mondstadt that Amber was now visiting, Outrider quickly getting out of sight. A commission- or well, it would be an actual job for her- seemed the most likely. Hopefully it wasn't to clean off the Statue of the Seven at Starfell Lake, without Anemo powers that could be a royal pain, so it seemed logical to assume it was something combat-related instead. And given how early it still was, the location had to be quite far away from the town…

Upon telling his theory to Paimon, she eagerly gave a recommendation. "How about it Aether? Wanna tag along?"

"Paimon, I'm sure Jean assigned tasks that Amber could handle just fine by herself."

"Sure, sure, Paimon knows that! But you neeeveeer knoooow, something might happen….Wouldn't this be the best time to talk about Amber alone anyway~"

Aether could only manage some slight resistance and a courtesy frown, he was being teased and he knew it. Still, his desire to see his girlfriend again ultimately won out. With an eager look grown on his face, the two marched into the Whispering Woods intent to provide any support that would be needed. Mondstadt would have to wait…

-0-

"Ohhh right, this…." Both unexpected guests cried out simultaneously with a shake of their head. The more they had followed Amber, the more Mondstadt commissions they could filter out…and by the time the Outrider had stopped moving north, the two had naturally reached the conclusion that it probably was a certain assignment in particular. Now truthfully, both completely forgot about this specific one until now, it wasn't a request they got often, but then memories of talking to that sister at the very tip of Mondstadt came back. Right, it made perfect sense why it was Amber of all people assigned to this…her bow would easily prove to be enough.

Aether parked himself upon a tree while Paimon floated right next, scanning the nearby area for any other hillichurls or, Archon-forbid, worse. Though both of them knew the action was just a formality, as there weren't even any monsters that they encountered along the way to begin with. A side product of being so early or just another spot where hillichurls didn't go by, who knew. Whatever the reason, this absence allowed for both Aether and Paimon to focus back on Amber without worry.

"Sure you don't want to help her?"

"There are five hillichurls…honestly, I kind of think she would be annoyed with me if I showed up here." Responded Aether with a smile. Still the enemies in question were three different elements, so he was curious how she would go about this. At this thought, he summoned a bow of his own: one he specifically made in Inazuma to be just like the ones that Amber had taught him how to wield. It had actually served him well in the Electro region, including in some non-combat ways that he would've never seen coming. Just for a bit of practice, Aether jokingly brought this bow up to him and pretended to draw an arrow after 'locating' one of the shooters in the distance. He was ready…time to shoot!

…Upon his fake firing however…the hillichurl shooter on the tower went down. For real. Aether wiped his eyes…

And saw Amber dash around to the front from the trees…he exhaled, relieved that everything was still making sense.

"Go Amber, go!" Paimon cheered on in a whisper. Seeing her maneuver around the incoming shots seemingly effortlessly reminded Aether of how much of a professional his girlfriend was. Every movement, every shot, and every decision was done with complete confidence, as to be expected for an Outrider who had no doubt done this countless times before. Additionally, no attacks from her own bow had missed their mark, helped out by hillichurls not being the smartest of foes, sure, but nonetheless great to see. Despite his earlier confident remark to Paimon, Aether felt a little conflicted about his inaction. Even if these were "just" hillichurls, should he really be doing nothing but watch as Amber was forced to dodge attacks? Or would jumping into the fray do the opposite of what he intended and signal a lack of trust in her abilities? He groaned slightly as he shifted to the branch's tip, never imagining the new meaning that these actions could take on.

Now his companion was of a much more simplistic mindset, these various thoughts never occurring. "Man, Amber is really something else huh?" She commented upon seeing the second shooter disintegrate into nothing. Nodding along, Aether had to ball up his hands into fists to keep from leaping off the tree and trying to give a helping hand. A decision was made, it wasn't one he felt the best about, but hopefully it wouldn't matter.

Naturally, it didn't. A minute passed and Amber finished up the shooters, taking a moment to make sure the fifth target wasn't popping back up from the upper platform. Paimon, always the action-taker first, didn't wait for anything else before pumping her tiny arm into the morning air and then taking a seat next to Aether, complaining about the travel time and her tiredness all the while.

Now the fairy was by no means hefty, but the additional weight combined with Aether sitting on the edge of the branch produced a certain uncomfortable noise to the blonde's ears. Cracking…splintering noises…it was clear he had better move…now. As he thought this might be divine punishment from Venti for not doing anything, Aether had no choice but to leap off his perch.

…Yeah, this was definitely the Ameno Archon's doing, thought him as he instinctively rolled across the grass. As luck would have it, that would end being his last free thought for a bit. Paimon, semi-desperately, tried to call him back to the tree, but it was too late by that point as Amber…slowly…turned…around.

And saw Aether crouching low, completely unprepared.

"Oops…Paimon's sorry."