2007 – Early September, Autumn
It was quite foreign, the whole lot – new country, new town, new faces. New everything. Aether had never flown on a plane until some days ago; he'd never walked to school before – he was always driven. Perhaps, this was a sign of his now blooming independency.
Better put, half-independency.
"What are you staring at it for?" Lumine asked, towing him by his sleeve, "Not like it's gonna move, is it?"
Aether uttered some caveman-like sound of acknowledgement and continued to burn his gaze on the forty-foot structure of brick and glass that was his new school.
His mind vividly pictured it swallowing him whole. "It just might."
"…Right," she replied, tossing him a side glance. A harsh gale tore through the courtyard, ripping a new set of leaves from the surrounding trees. Burrowing deeper into her scarf, Lumine shoved her hands in her pockets and began to walk. "Best we go inside."
The two entered the school through the main doors on the opposite side of the courtyard. Inside was more packed than they'd expected, hills of students floundering to get to their classrooms or chattering away with others.
"Hey, we should–"
"I'll see you at break," she said, melting into the sea of students without so much as a wave. Aether remained standing, motionless, like a tree until the mass swallowed him, and he became part of it.
By utilising a secondhand skill he learnt from his parents – uttering the occasional "Excuse me" and "I'm sorry" – he found himself in front of a sleek door with a nailed sign reading, '20'. He looked at his schedule, at the door, then back.
"Seems correct," he shrugged.
What was peculiar, though, was this girl – about his age, he presumed – fighting fervently between two decisions. Her face was riddled with conflict – and it was pretty funny.
One moment, her hand would rest upon the knob, stay for a few seconds, before she shook her head and peeled it away, making rounds in the corridor as if she were some wind-up doll.
Unfortunately, Aether's amusement was short-lived as the bell was about to go; he chose to save his first impressions over his amusement.
He walked up to the anxious girl and asked, "Are you going in?"
She yelped, immediately bringing a hand to her mouth. Red splotches adorned her cheeks like war paint.
"You can go first!" she hastily squeaked out, her feet eagerly shuffling away from the door.
Aether laughed.
"W-what's so funny?" She frowned, steam practically emitting from her ears.
He merely smiled and reached out his hand. "Wanna go in together?"
September 21, 2020
Aether woke up in a daze, rising from a sofa with a hand pressed to his temple. He blinked several times and welcomed the morning with a yawn, stretching his arms to the ceiling.
"You're up?" came a familiar voice. Peering behind his back, Bennett greeted Aether from his slumber. The smell of breakfast wafted from the heated kitchen and danced on the tip of his nose. "Hungry?"
"You bet," he grinned. Standing, Aether neatly cleaned the sofa before heading to the kitchen.
Bennett's apartment was surprisingly clean yet expectedly colourful; a wide assortment of decorative plants either hung on the walls or was placed in intricate vases. There were a noticeable amount of frames littering the walls, too – varied works of painted scenery, posters and modern art.
Unique patterns wove into the fabric of the carpets that covered the pine floorboards, and sunlight gleamed on every niche and quirky piece of furniture through a few tall narrow windows that provided an invigorating view of the cityscape.
"Must be a pain in the ass to clean this place."
"Yep," Bennett replied through the sizzle and crack of the pans. "Fischl's scolded me for so long about cleaning I guess I got good at it," he laughed.
"Fischl?" Aether parroted. Intrigued, he took a seat by the countertop and leaned in close. "Who's that?"
There wasn't any need for words as Aether witnessed the unbridled smirk that spread from ear to ear on Bennett's face.
"Damn."
Turning the heat off, Bennett whirled around from the stove and laid on the countertop three vigorously appetising dishes – but not before Aether scrambled to put down placemats.
"Breakfast served," Bennett triumphantly uttered, wiping the oil off his hands before distributing plates and utensils. Aether's watering mouth had already gotten the better of him.
"Thanks for letting me stay over," he smiled, taking a large bite of Bennett's masterpiece.
"I mean, I was the one who persuaded you to come," he replied, taking an even bigger bite than Aether. "Truth be told, I didn't think you'd make it, but I'm glad you did. I'm glad everyone did."
"Yeah."
They listened to the hustle and bustle of the city as they ate.
Interrupting the silence, Bennett added, "I bet I relit about five old flames in that bar."
"Okay, Cupid."
The hours flew by, and by noon, Aether was at the train station, luggage practically clinging to every surface of his body. He had to stand out in the cold and wind for nearly twenty minutes before the next train came along.
"You sure this is the right one?" Bennett asked, a bit too busy admiring the station. They could hear the comings and goings of a hundred trains.
"I checked it at the ticket counter," Aether amusedly nodded, watching his gaze fly around. "Thanks again for letting me stay over," he repeated, "I owe you one."
They shared an oddly nostalgic fist bump – or at least what resembled one.
"Anytime." Checking his wristwatch, Bennett tapped Aether's shoulder and smiled. "It's almost time – you better go."
"Guess I'll be seeing you."
"Soon!" he joked, "I haven't shown Fischl off to you yet."
It was a weekday; the crowds weren't large, and Aether could still see Bennett from a few meters away. They shared one last wave goodbye before Aether entered the ticket gates, a refreshed smile on his face.
Upon reaching the platform, though, Aether's ringtone buzzed from his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
"Nilou," he smiled, holding it up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Aether!" her voice chimed through the line.
"That excited, huh?"
"Haven't heard from you since a day ago – of course I am!" He could have easily imagined her beaming smile spreading from ear to ear. "Well?" she asked, "How's Mondstadt?"
"Very nice, indeed. I'll be moving in soon; heading to the apartment right now, actually."
"I miss you already," she grumbled, "Office coffee doesn't taste as good."
He laughed. "I'm sure Faruzan can help with that."
"I'm sure she can, too, silly," she replied softly. After a moment's silence, she cleared her throat. "Well, uh..." Nilou mumbled, "So, did you see her?"
He paused, glancing at the tracks in front of him. "Yes, I did."
"And?"
"And it was very nice," he smiled.
"Aether!"
"I know, I know," he laughed, "We started talking, and the pace picked up pretty easily." His eyes looked to his shoes as a tinge of pink coloured his cheeks. "Shared a few laughs even."
"I suppose she must be very pretty."
"She is," he said, "Very." However, Aether added quickly, "She did leave pretty fast."
"Oh." In an attempt to recover the mood, Nilou replied, "I'm sure you'll see her again."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
It was true that there was this feeling in the back of his mind that they weren't done yet.
"Good luck on your first day," she smiled, "and the apartment. I'll call you again sometime."
"Thanks," Aether replied, "Bye."
Nilou held the call for just a little longer.
"...Bye."
His train approached the platform as soon as he ended the call.