"Well, it isn't exactly hard to be the best Outrider when you're the only Outrider," Lumine teased.
"Hey!" Amber pouted and crossed her arms with a huff. "I still trained my butt off to get where I am today!"
"Which is… floundering in the mud at the base of an abandoned Hilichurl camp?" Lumine tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, but she was unable to keep a playful smile from spreading across her face as she surveyed her fallen friend.
"Hey! I thought I saw one, ok?" Amber continued to whine, reaching out a hand and gesturing for Lumine to help her up.
"Eeew, no way! I'm not getting dirty too!" Lumine squealed playfully, stepping away from Amber.
"Oh, come on!" Amber complained, pout deepening as she reached farther for Lumine.
"No way," Lumine repeated, smiling and shaking her head, but Amber only continued to sit there with her hand outstretched.
This silent battle of wills carried on for a few more seconds before Lumine finally caved, her pity overtaking her amusement.
"All right, come here," she rolled her eyes affectionately, reaching back down to take Amber's hand. As soon as she did, though, Amber suddenly yanked her arm, causing her to come crashing down in the mud right beside Amber.
"AMBER!" Lumine shrieked. Amber doubled over in triumphant laughter.
"Ha! That'll teach ya!" she teased as Lumine looked down at her once-white dress with a dismayed expression. She didn't mind getting mind dirty, she just didn't want to have to deal with all the cleaning it was going to take to get all that mud out!
Lumine shot a glare at the laughing Amber. She scooped up a small handful of mud and slung it at the hotheaded Outrider and laughed in smug satisfaction once Amber's laughter turned into a horrified squeal.
"Eeew! Some of it got in my mouth!" she cried, frantically spitting all over the ground while trying not to use her hands in case she accidentally made the situation worse instead of better.
"Not such a big, bad, tough, scary, mean, old Outrider now, are you?" Lumine teased.
"Hey! Excuse you!" Amber crossed her arms again, but when Lumine only continued to smile at her in mock innocence, Amber rolled her eyes and slowly started to crawl to her feet, intentionally shoving Lumine over on the way up. Lumine was so tickled by Amber's little pouty face that she only laughed even harder as Amber tried to push her back down into the mud.
"Ugh. The laundry is going to take forever!" Amber sighed in disgust as she inspected her mud-soaked uniform.
"Tell me about it," Lumine snorted as she also clambered to her feet. She looked even dirtier, just because her outfit used to be white.
"Oooh, yeah, right…" Amber cringed, as if suddenly remembering that Lumine's clothing wasn't quite as built for outdoor use as her own. She scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment, looking genuinely apologetic.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Lumine gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm an adventurer and a warrior. Dirt is part of the territory!"
Amber smiled in response to this, remembering just why she'd taken such a fast and intense liking to the Outlander.
Amber had always been incredibly tomboyish and boisterous, and it was sometimes considered a flaw by her other, demurer friends. But Lumine, although she was easily exasperated and incredibly sarcastic, seemed not to mind Amber's outgoing, exuberant personality. Actually, she seemed to quite like the Outrider's spirit, even if it got them into trouble sometimes… And the most recent example was right here and now.
The two had actually been on a scouting mission together, trying to make sure none of the local Hilichurls set up shop too close to Mondstat. They stumbled upon what appeared to be the remnants of a Hilichurl camp, but there were no Hilichurls inside, just a bird, which Amber had somehow mistaken for a Hilichurl.
"DUCK!" she shouted, shoving Lumine aside protectively and drawing her bow, ready to shoot the supposed Hilichurl down. But when it suddenly sprang towards her and took flight, she jumped back in a panic. That was what caused her to go tumbling. She'd never seen a flying Hilichurl before! Lumine was lucky enough to watch it unfold in all of its glorious hilarity right in front of her.
"I still don't know how you mistook a bird for a Hilichurl," Lumine shook her head again and laughed softly. "And for the record, it wasn't a duck. It was a crane!" she added teasingly.
"Hey! It scared me! It wasn't my fault!" Amber defended. "Besides, I saw something tall, thin and white moving through the camp. What do you think I thought it was?" she demanded.
"Both Hilichurls and birds have white faces and brown legs, yes, but birds have feathers. Hilichurls have masks. And arms. I still don't know how you managed to mix the two up," Lumine used her most patronizing tone as she spoke.
"Grrr," Amber replied, narrowing her eyes at her companion.
"Besides, isn't an Outrider supposed to be a bit more… stalwart?" Lumine continued, raising her eyebrows and poking Amber's arm playfully.
"I'm a Pyro user, fire is in our blood!" Amber replied, and despite herself, a touch of pride entered her voice. Lumine had to give her that one. Amber was just as energetic, dangerous, spontaneous, and wild as the magic she controlled.
"But even so, I still think you should be a bit more careful next time," Lumine smiled, patting Amber on the shoulder.
"I was trying to protect you," the Outrider grumbled, looking away in embarrassment.
"Protect me?" Lumine laughed out loud. "I may be an Outlander, but I'm not a stranger. I'm well aware of the threats in Mondstat, and I've been through quite a lot before coming here. I know how to fight, especially now that I've resonated with Anemo…" A mischievous smile spread across Lumine's face as she opened her hand. A little green and white tornado suddenly appeared in her palm.
"All right, all right, no need to show off," Amber grumbled. Even though she also had a Vision, she once admitted to Lumine that she was a little jealous how quickly Lumine received hers. "Just let me have this, ok?" she pleaded at last.
"Have what?" Lumine laughed in confusion, tilting her head.
"Let me pretend to be a proper Knight of Favonius for once, and let's just say that I was trying to escort you through the woods when I thought we were being attacked, so I wanted to protect you," Amber clarified, still giving Lumine her best puppy-eyes. "I know you don't need protection, but let me just feed my ego a little bit… Please?"
"Amber," Lumine sighed, but she was unable to mask a smile. Even though they both knew Lumine was probably the last person in Mondstat who needed protection, Lumine was still touched that Amber cared enough about her to want to protect her. It was sweet. It meant a lot to Lumine that there was someone out there who cared for her so much, especially after all she'd lost… And Amber did have quite the cute puppy face.
"All right, all right! Fine!" Lumine caved, raising her hands. "But it's still not very befitting of a Knight of Favonius to beg like this."
"I regret nothing!" Amber replied in smug satisfaction. "I got you to agree to let me be your protector, so that's all that matters in my book!"
"Oh, is that what all of this was about?" Lumine raised her eyebrows.
"I mean, I like adventuring with you! What's so wrong about that?" Amber demanded, looking embarrassed and self-conscious again. She looked away and wrapped her arms protectively around her chest, unable to meet Lumine's eyes anymore.
Amber really was very fond of the strange but amicable and adventurous Outlander, and although she would never admit to it, the only reason she and Lumine were assigned to this particular patrol was because Amber was hoping to show off for her. Or at the very least, it would act as a good excuse for them to spend more time together. So even though the "mistaking a bird for a Hilichurl" thing had been a little more than embarrassing, Amber still felt selfishly glad that she'd gotten to spend the afternoon alone with the Outlander.
"Oh, there's nothing wrong with it," Lumine promised, looking way too pleased with herself for Amber to feel comfortable. "But please, do go on. I like hearing about how much you enjoy spending time with me!" She gave Amber a huge wink and Amber bit her lip, barely concealing a look of mortification at that knowing look on Lumine's face.
"You're just a lot of fun, Lumine. Not everyone enjoys my wilder side, you know?" Amber asked softly, still looking away. She could feel the heat rising to her face as she awkwardly admitted how fond she really was of the other girl, but even though it was scary, Amber still plowed on. A true Outrider never backed down from a challenge, no matter how intimidating.
Besides, perhaps it was just in the blood of a Pyro user, but even though Amber felt incredibly nervous, speaking so sincerely to Lumine also felt good. The words came naturally, and she didn't regret a single one. There was something cathartic about getting to say everything on her mind. She managed to struggle though her entire, impromptu speech, and even though she was quiet, she didn't stumble over a single word.
"I just really like you, Lumine. Like I said, you're a lot of fun. You're very easygoing and outgoing and you don't mind going on all these crazy adventures for me and the rest of the kingdom. You're just so helpful and sweet, even if you like to be really sarcastic and witty. But that's part of your charm! It's part of why I like you. You're clever! And that makes you even more fun! You're also a great fighter and glider and you've got the perfect balance of brain and brawn. You're everything an adventurer could ever want in a companion!"
"Oh. Amber…" Lumine sounded genuinely touched, giving Amber a soft, grateful look and reaching out to touch her arm. "I like you too," she promised. "You were my first friend here in Mondstat and you never hesitated to reach out to me and let me know that I was welcome here. The others may think you're a handful, and perhaps you sort of are, but I think that's what makes you so fun and lively. So vivacious! You were just the first person to make this place feel like a home after I lost my brother, so of course you're always going to have a special place in my heart…"
"Awww," Amber was blushing furiously now, almost as red as her uniform. But underneath her awkward expression, a little smile was beginning to spread across her face. Soon she felt as if she were on cloud nine. Not only was it a beautiful day, and not only had she gotten to spend most of it with one of her favorite people in Mondstat, but the time that they got to share couldn't have been put to better use!
An adventure, some laughs, a little "love confession" of sorts. Honestly, it was all Amber could've ever wanted, and more! Not even the strongest wind current, nor the sturdiest pair of gliders could've taken her up so high! But the best thing of all? The day was only half over. Even though it was going to be a bit uncomfortable, running around the woods in muddy clothing for the rest of the day, Amber absolutely did not want to head back to Mondstat any sooner than necessary.
"How about you, Lumine? Think you're up for a few more rounds?" she asked mischievously.
"You're on!" Lumine replied with a wicked smile. Then she and Amber bumped fists. Even if none of the rest of the patrols that they were going to go on that day were mandated, that didn't bother them in the slightest. Instead, all that mattered were the two of them, and the vast stretches of land that spread out before them. There was still so much more left to see and do that the Outlander and the Outrider were more than ready to keep on exploring. So long as they got to go adventuring together, they were both more than happy to go and see all that Mondstat had to offer them!
AN: My best friend got me hooked on this game and I absolutely love Amber's character (especially in relation to the player).
I mean, her combat mechanics kinda suck, but I'm getting better! And I just think she's so loveable, especially in her interactions with the player. I like her personality!
(I know there really isn't much "evidence" for this ship, but c'mon, you gotta admit, it's pretty cute!)