Yoimiya took another long sip of the ice-cold lemonade she'd been given. Today was absolutely scorching, so a drink like this was worth about a million mora. Not only was it cooling, however, but it was the perfect balance of sweet and sour. She had to fight the urge to moan as her taste buds made contact with the ambrosia-like liquid. It seemed like the Travelers' talents extended not only to cooking but drink-making as well. Aether had made her this in order to protect her from the thirst she'd inevitably suffer from under such scalding conditions.

"Hey, Yoi, does it look okay like this?" Aether called out.

"Huh? OH! Yeah, you're looking pretty good Abs-ther."

"What?"

"I said it looks good, Aether!" she said, feigning innocence.

If only Aether knew that the sun's rays could never hope to inflict a thirst as intense as the one, he was responsible for. Yoimiya could only hope and pray to the Shogun that, at some point, she could woo the young man into helping her satisfy the primal needs he so painfully reminded her she had. Yoimiay took another sip of her drink in a futile attempt to distract herself. She honestly never intended to drool over him like this when she asked for his help. Her request was innocent enough. She needed him to assist with the construction of some new playground equipment, slides, swings, monkey bars, and things of that sort.

She'd promised him a handsome reward for his services, but he'd declined, saying that helping her with the kids she looked after was reward enough. She felt her face flush and her legs squirm from the memory of his earnest smile. There was no doubt about it, Aether was a keeper in every sense of the word, and she was ready to lead another rebellion to get him. Trying to get out of her head again, her eyes focused on the young man's upper body. Due to the sweat and dirt he was likely going to get on his clothes, he shed his shirt and scarf, leaving his toned, lean form out for all to see. Honestly speaking, that was the heat's fault, right? The poor lad was at its mercy out there, so she couldn't be blamed for keeping a close eye on him. She needed to be ready at a moment's notice if he were to faint and needed mouth-to-mouth.

Yoimiya felt herself gasp when Aether flexed while installing the foundation for the monkey bars. Despite the parasol keeping her in the shade, the comfy lawn chair she laid back in, and the ice-cold lemonade, she found herself feeling warm all over.

"Yoimiya, hello!" a voice called out. "I heard you and the Traveler were out here assisting in the construction of a playground for the children."

Yoimiyas eyes shifted from Aether to the source of the voice. Now approaching her was the heiress to the Kamisatio Clan. She was wearing her usual infectious smile and elegant aurora.

"Hey there, Ayaka, wanted to come down here and visit while Aether was here?" Yoimiya asked.

"W-well, I'll never refuse a chance to visit a friend! When I heard he was back from Sumeru, I couldn't miss this opportunity," Ayaka said, feeling a bit flustered.

"Ayaka? Hey! Good to see you again," The young man said, calling her attention.

Ayaka turned to look at Aether so she could give him a warm greeting. However, upon laying eyes on him, the normally composed young woman went into a catatonic state. The sight of Aether's unkempt hair and glistening upper body forcibly awoke something inside her, and there was no turning it off now.

"Good to see you again! Go ahead and grab a drink of lemonade. I left the jug with Yoi," He said, failing to notice Ayaka's state of pseudo-paralysis.

Yoimiya, on the other hand, took notice very quickly and took it upon herself to help the noblewoman settle down in one of the extra lawn chairs under the parasol. Ayaka, whose eyes were still glued to Aether, slowly sat next to the country gal with an expression that said she needed someone to bring her back to reality. Yoimya obliged and, after lifting the silver-haired girl's jaw off the ground, snapped her fingers to get the noble woman's attention.

Ayaka blinked several times before looking towards Yoimiya, who was still sipping on her lemonade. The blonde girl smiled at her.

"Want some? It's really, really good," she said in a sing-song tone.

"Y-yoimiya, what is Aether d-doing?"

"Helping me build the playground. Sweet of him, huh?" she asked. "He's giving me a show while he's at it, too," she giggled.

"I-isn't this a bit..um…" The normally pale girl was so red she practically glowed, even in the glaring sun. Yoimiya had to stifle a giggle. It was no secret how Ayaka felt for the Traveler. Practically half the island knew that she was, to put it eloquently, smitten, though if Yoimiya had to pick the words, then she would say that Ayaka was down bad as fuck. It couldn't be helped, as the past few hours had proven Yoimya was herself in a very similar boat as her rival. Suddenly the firework girl cocked an eyebrow. Rival, that's what the silver-haired girl was to her, right? A rival for Aether's heart. Yoimiya inwardly asked herself if she was really okay with this woman ogling her future baby daddy's hot bod.

It was a short debate. She contemplated leading Ayaka away but ultimately decided there was no point in being greedy for now. Aether was a free spirit; no doubt that Yoimiya and Ayaka had rivals that spread across Teyvat with the same goal in mind. So it was inevitable for other people to admire this adonis from the heavens. There was no use fighting it.

"M-may I?" Ayaka spoke up.

"Help yourself," Yoimiya handed her a glass of lemonade, but they both knew that wasn't what she meant.

Ayaka took a sip of the lemonade, experiencing the same bliss her friend had been earlier. She shut her eyes and tried to focus on the taste lest she give in to her desires. This was a losing battle, however, and she felt her eyes pry themselves open. The way his body glinted from sweat made her melt into the lawn chair she sat in. Inwardly Ayaka thanked and cursed the gods for blessing her with life so she may behold such a site but cursing them for testing her resolve so brutally. Ayakas internal struggle left her unable to tear her eyes away from the Traveler, which only seemed to worsen the intensity of the growing fire spreading through her body.

"Yo! I had a feeling I'd catch you two around here."

Both girls glanced toward the voice and saw the greenette deputy of the Arataki gang. Shinobu strutted up to the duo under the parasol with a friendly wave. The three of them had never been together at the same time, so today would be the first for this meeting.

"Hey, Yoi, Lady Kamisato," she greeted. "I heard the Traveler was in town, so I figured I'd meet up with him for a while. Is he nearby?"

Both the cryo and pyro wielder quickly glanced forwards and then back toward the deputy, using their eyes to guide her. The latest arrival gave a confused look before turning her head and falling victim to the same force of nature her friends had fallen to. Like a fly in the web, she was caught, sweat now beginning to run down her cheeks for a reason other than the aforementioned heat.

"Shinobu? Hey there, good to see you. I'm in the middle of something, but I guess you wanna talk, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Cool, we'll talk after I'm done. Is that okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Great! There's some lemonade if yah want some!"

"Uh-huh."

Shinobu shook her head. Had she used any actual words to communicate right now, or was it just noises? She decided it didn't matter and pulled up another one of the chairs set up beneath the parasol. Just before she could speak, a hand presented her with a glass of lemonade. She gratefully took the beverage and slipped her signature mask off.

"This is pretty good lemonade," she commented.

"Uh-huh," Yoimiya said in a teasing tone. That earned her a glare from the diligent Shinobu.

"How long have you two been here?" Shinobu asked.

"I've been here since morning; Ayaka got here probably 10 minutes ago," Yoimiya replied.

"How's she holding up?"

"Based on the look on her face.." Yoimiya quickly peeked in Ayaka's direction. "She'll never be the same again."

"I see," Shinobu said. "So you two wanna jump him later?"

The firework girl and the noblewoman looked over to the greenette and blinked.

"C'mon, you both know what I mean," Shinobu said with a wink. "I'm sure the three of us can persuade him into….blowing off some steam, right?"

"I can rent us a private bath!" Ayaka said, darting up to her feet.

The two other girls stifled a chuckle at her enthusiasm but nodded.

"Great! We'll need a space that's big enough for 4 people to fit in. I don't think it would be a problem if the bath was a bit cramped though, wink wink nudge nudge," Yoimiya said.

"Swordfish captain!?"

Everyone nearby jumped in surprise. Quickly turning their attention towards the noise, they saw the pink-haired priestess of Watatsumi island standing nearby, mouth agape.

"Lady Sanganomiya?" Ayaka said in a confused tone. She was fairly certain she recognized the woman standing nearby as the former rebel leader of Watatsumi island resistance. Given that relations had stabilized, again with Traveler's help, it made sense she would seek him out.

The other two girls weren't too sure what to make of the newcomer, but they could tell from her expression that she was likely yet another accomplice. They all shared a nod.

"Better make that bath house for 5."