Another busy day of inspecting the markets and harbour facilities dawned on Keqing's schedule.
With her checklist in hand, she kept a keen eye as she gave each point of interest a speedy, yet thorough overlook. Efficiently spotting any defects that she quickly points out to the person in charge, yet also quick to decide if an item in the checklist is perfectly fine the way she had seen it.
It had been going as per usual, before she heard a familiar voice rang out, frustration evident in their tone.
"Come on, is that the best you can come up with?"
"Look, uh… girl… or whatever you are. You're not exactly giving me much to work with here!"
"What Paimon's asking for is simple enough. Find something that would be a good gift for the saviour of Liyue himself!"
"That still doesn't help me!" The merchant in front of the flying fairy shot back, "In fact, that just makes it harder to evaluate!"
"Urgh…"
Keqing decided that it was time for her to step in.
"Paimon? It's rare to see you without Aether by your side."
The fairy turned to look at her, her eyes glinting in excitement, "Oh, it's Lady Keqing!"
Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, the merchant internally panicked as he bowed every so slightly, "O-Oh, Lady Yuheng… I wasn't aware that I was in the presence of an acquaintance of yours."
"It's fine, Xi Jia." Lifting her hand to wave off his concerned face, "I can take it from here. Keep up the good work."
"O-Of course… Thank you, Lady Yuheng."
"Wait, Paimon wasn't-,"
Before she could finish her sentence, Keqing had already dragged the fairy into a more secluded section of the harbour.
After making sure that they weren't within earshot of the surrounding merchants, Keqing groaned before she turned her attention towards the irate floating companion.
"Look, Paimon. I think I now understand why Aether never lets you go buy something by yourself."
Paimon looked at her incredulously, "What? Paimon thinks that Paimon can be trusted with buying things." She presented a pouch of Mora, "Look, Paimon even brought her own Mora to spend."
"It's less about the money, though I'm sure that played an integral part in his decision beforehand..." Keqing continued to reason, waving towards the general direction of the merchant Paimon had been haggling, "But you simply do not go around these parts asking to buy something with such an unreasonable request. Especially over something that had been as imposing as a gift for a person of status."
Paimon merely crossed her arms with an oomph, "Paimon's just speaking the truth."
"It might be, be I highly doubt that Aether would like it any one bit." Curious of her motives, Keqing decided to shift the topic as she didn't want to be lecturing the fairy any further, "Besides, why are you buying a gift for him? Did you accidentally spend his Mora again?"
"What, no!"
Eyes balking as she almost shouted back at Keqing, Paimon quickly clasped her mouth as she realized that she had been way too loud. Her voice back a reasonable volume as she continues to speak in a hushed whisper.
"Don't tell anyone, because Aether told Paimon to just keep it in the low."
Keqing leaned closer, allowing the fairy to speak in an even lower volume.
"But tomorrow's Aether's birthday."
In her mind, Keqing had thought nothing wrong about it.
Well, that's great! Something positive to celebrate for once.
Until her mind finally created a thorough analysis of why the man had wanted to keep it in the down low.
Oh…
Oh…
"Oh…"
Noticing that Keqing had arrived at the correct conclusion, Paimon released a heartfelt sigh.
"Paimon didn't think of it earlier, but Paimon would guess that he's thinking of his sister…"
"Of course…" Echoing her thoughts, Keqing could only think back to the encounter they had in Qingyun Peak, "They're twins. So, they must've spent their birthday together for a really long time."
"Even though Aether said that Paimon doesn't have to get him anything-."
Keqing can already figure out what Paimon had wanted to do.
"You want to do something, don't you?"
"Yes!" Paimon clapped enthusiastically, ever the childlike figure she is, "Paimon knew that Keqing would understand!"
"More than you know it, Paimon."
Not wasting another second, Keqing immediately jumped into the train of thought that Paimon had been busying herself with, for the better part of the day.
"As for what we should do…"
Right off the bat, Keqing could strike off anything that is remotely fancy from the list. Not that the guy wouldn't understand it, but Keqing knew, from what Aether had told him, is that there is no such thing as having fun without being relaxed. Fancy is nice, but would definitely put him off his stride.
People. They need people.
"Tell me, off the top of your head." Keqing inquired, her mind trudging through other aspects of the plan while she waits for Paimon to answer, "Do you have any Mondstadt connections we can work into this?"
"Oooh, Master Diluc and Master Jean would definitely like to help!"
To be honest, Keqing hadn't expect such a range of established names for Paimon to just casually throw out as her first points of reference.
"Alright… that's quite the connection."
"We helped them solve their Stormterror issue, that's why we are given the titles of Honorary Knights!"
"I get helping Grand Master Jean…" Keqing pondered for a few seconds, unable to recall if the Ragnvindr had been part of Aether's adventurous stories. "I know that you guys have a connection to Master Diluc, but what does the winery tycoon have to do with any of that initial issue?"
Suddenly, Paimon began to look quite hesitant, "Uuhh… that's cause Master Diluc's a, umm… a former knight! So, he lent a hand to Master Jean, all while helping us along the way."
"Uhuh…" Eyeing the fidgeting fairy suspiciously, Keqing decided that it wasn't worth pressing on for the time being, "In any case, that's a good start. Can you contact them and see if they can host such an event in the timeframe that we have?"
"Yep, Master Diluc owns a lot of things in Mondstadt. We can definitely find a place to reserve, and surprise Aether in!"
"A surprise sounds nice." Keqing agreed, nodding at the prospects of the plan, "Good, then that's venue taken care of…"
Though she had rarely planned birthday events that are of personal nature, Keqing knew all the prerequisites that are required for such an occasion. It was just a matter of adjusting to the person who is the centre of it all.
Something that she most definitely did not want to mess up.
"Invite people if you want, but keep it small." She reminded Paimon, her voice filled with urgency, "We don't want to overwhelm him, so we must be extra considerate of who we have."
"Got it. Paimon knows exactly who to get."
"Alright, I'll leave the Mondstadt side of things to you." Relieved knowing that it wouldn't be overcrowded, Keqing thinks to her part of the plan, "As for the Liyueans, I've got it covered."
"What about the cake? We absolutely must have cake!"
Keqing lightly grimaced as the fairy practically frothed at the idea of having such delicacies available to her for free.
"Sure, I'll let you decide. But, remember!" Raising an authoritative finger, Keqing wagged it in front of Paimon, "It's for Aether, so don't go choosing a humongous one just to satiate your own desire."
"Sure, sure… Paimon will keep that in mind."
"I doubt it."
But Keqing relented regardless.
"Of course, tell them to go easy on the gifts as well."
A nod of fury from Paimon was enough for Keqing to know that the message would be delivered.
"Excellent, that should be it." Thinking for a moment, she nodded in satisfaction. Covering just about all that Paimon needed to know, "Let's not waste any more time. I'll meet you in the teapot tonight, to finalize the plan."
"Okie dokie!" Beelining for the stairs, Paimon waved enthusiastically as she floated away, "Let's give him a heck of a surprise, Lady Keqing!"
With a smile and a nod, Keqing waved the energetic fairy a quick goodbye, before she too made her way towards the stairs.
"Now, as for my gift…"
Aether groaned into the crumpled pillow, shifting as he untangles the sheets from his legs.
The blinding morning light had seeped its way through the curtains of the room, casting a ray of sun onto his previously slumbering face.
Realizing that sleep had fully left him, the blonde sighed as he stared despondently at the ceiling.
Tis the day… huh?
He had let his mind wander for just a split second.
"I wonder if she's celebrating it."
A brief flash of Lumine's features skipped through his vision.
"Somewhere… out there…"
His shaky breath resonated loudly in the silent room.
"I miss you, sister."
Thinking to what the day had been, just serves to be all the more painful for his aching emotions.
"Today's gonna suck."
Fortunately for him, the day can sometimes be kind to one's soul.
Clamouring up to a sitting position, he rubbed the remnants of his slumbering off of his eyes. Stretching out his sore bones as it cracked away the fatigue that had been building from the previous day's work.
Eventually, his ears senses audio waves that had forced it to fully awoken itself from the dull state that it had been staggering from before.
Identifying that the sound had come from the room beside his own.
Curious, he finally got out of the bed and made his way to the opposite wall, putting his ears against it to get a better sense of what he is hearing.
Is that… pen scratching?
Of course, it was less about who was in the room next to his, but more about the time that said person had been in the room.
What's she doing there, this early in the morning?
Taking a quick look in the mirror to fix his bedridden hair, he promptly made his way out of his bedroom.
With just a few steps, he was already at the door of Keqing's study.
Cautiously positioning his hand, he was about to knock before a thought perked up in his mind.
Does she know?
Thinking back, he was sure that he had never told, or even so much as mentioned to her when his birthday was.
Yeah, no way. She probably had work to do.
Shaking that thought out of his head, he drew in a calming breath. Fixing his gaze as he rapped a few knocks on the maple wood door.
Her voice muffled as she calls out through the door.
"Come in."
Gently opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of Keqing at her desk. A decent stack of paper and a plain box by her side, her hands continuously working on each paper as her eyes systematically scan through the contents, never leaving the tint even as she spoke.
"Good morning, Aether."
"Good morning…" Aether hesitantly replied, scratching his head at the unusual sight, "This is the first time I see you here in the morning."
"Well, I left behind some paperwork." The lilac answers as she still kept her eyes on the paperwork, "I figured that I might as well wrap them up here before I go into the office."
"I see…"
Seeing the logic behind the reasoning, he was about to shrug it off, before he took notice of the box by her side.
Now, he feels the need to ask.
Just to make sure.
"Umm… just out of curiosity." Trying his best to sound as flippant as possible, he leaned on the doorframe, "Did Paimon happen to mention anything about today?"
The sudden stop of her pen scratching didn't go unnoticed by Aether.
"Oh yeah, she did mention something earlier."
Gulping, Aether steeled himself.
"…Which is?"
"She said that if you're awake, I should tell you to meet her downstairs." Pointing towards the ground with her pen, she squinted her eyes as she looked to be struggling to remember something, "Something about a commission that she got for you, or something along the lines of that."
"Ah, got it."
Aether released a breath that he hadn't known to have been holding in.
Of course, his own peculiarity hadn't gone unnoticed by Keqing herself.
"Are you okay?"
"What? Nah, I'm fine." Aether forced himself to quickly recover, not wanting to trouble her any further, taking the chance to shift the topic, "Just sort of wondering, what's in the box?"
Keqing looked towards what he had been nodding to.
And if Aether had been fully on his toes, he would've noticed the slight pause she took as she looked at the box.
However, Keqing had managed to steel herself before he was able to fully observe her reaction.
"Oh, this? There's an event I'm attending to later tonight." She casually explained, placing her hand on the box, "It's a gift for the person of interest, they have contributed a whole lot of assistance to the Qixings as of recent."
"Whoa. Must be a really important person then." Aether commended with genuine amusement, "I mean, the Qixing's are gifting them something for their service. It must've been quite a deed that they've done."
Again, if his mind had been fully alert, then he would've immediately noticed the irony of the statements that he had been making, in relation to what he had been doing in his tenure of being in Liyue.
And moreover, he would've noticed that Keqing had been looking at him, as she spoke ever so softly.
"Yes, it was quite a thing that they've done for us." A smile rose to her face, "And an incredibly important person indeed…"
Silence settled itself between the two. Aether unsure of what else to say, while Keqing seemingly held her gaze. As if sending a message that Aether just couldn't quite get at the time.
Drawing a sharp breath, Aether shrugged as he pointed to the lower floor, "Well then, I won't be taking any more of your time." Motioning to close the door, he shot her a thin smile, "Don't overwork yourself, okay?"
Nodding in return, she gave him a small chuckle, "I won't. Be careful out there."
Throwing a two-finger salute, he proceeded to close the door. A small click signifying its mechanism latching the robust piece of wood shut.
Somewhere in his heart, he wasn't sure whether he was supposed to feel relieved, or ashamed over the fact that he's cowering behind such a veil of unreasonable deception. Not that it had been particularly harmful.
I just don't want to trouble her any further.
Was the justification he had made up in his mind.
Though deep down, he knows that it was more of an excuse.
As he made his way down the stairs, he could only ponder silently to himself. His expressions completely overrun by his despondent visage.
Completely unaware that the door to Keqing's study had cracked open ever so slightly, whilst a pair of glossy amethyst orbs kept a track of him before he disappeared out of its field of vision.
Looking around as he set foot on the ground floor, it didn't take long for him to realize that his floating companion hadn't been in the vicinity.
"Paimon?"
Waiting for answer, he kept walking around. Trying to see if the fairy had accidentally fallen asleep somewhere in a random corner of the house.
He was about to call out again before he saw what seems to be a piece of parchment that was left on one of the tables in the living room. Consciously reading the contents as it had been directed towards him.
Aether, Paimon got news from Master Diluc's worker that another one of his slime-attracting thingies are ready for us to test tonight. Paimon will see you there at seven pm, okay?
"Splendid…"
Understanding the situation, he had remarked with a veritable sigh, knowing that it wasn't such a troublesome commission to deal with, coupled with the fact Elzer never shies away from a decent reimbursement of their services.
"So, practically the whole day to myself, huh?"
Sneaking a peek back up to the upper floor, he had contemplated whether he should just hang around the study seeing as Keqing was still wheeling away work. But after sparing of few seconds of thinking about it, he decided that it was best to just leave her completely undisturbed.
His mind still vehement stuck on his previous justification.
In the end, there wasn't much else that he could turn to when he encounters a rare day of chaos-less adventure.
Back to collecting building materials for Tubby.
One activity that he could count on to let time pass by him like a light breeze in the Mondstadt plains.
Checking up on the bird adeptus, he made a mental note of all the things that she had needed to build their next few projects. Soon after, he established a route that he would take, which would eventually land him in the area near Dawn Winery.
Stretching his arm, he drew in a breath of preparation. Mentally recollecting the teleport waypoints within his route.
Alright, let's get this day over with.
For hours on, he had essentially left his body to autopilot his way across Liyue. Places where the materials he seeks are available, ingrained within his memory as he teleported from one place to another. Searching all the variety of food that he had been looking for. Only stopping to check his list every now and then, making sure that he had been meticulously going through the path that he had set from before he had started the days' worth of collecting items.
Eventually, the sun that had greeted him throughout the day, retreated its advances as it made way for the bright white moon to take its place in the ethers above.
Only then did Aether took notice of the change, taking it as sign to begin making his way towards the winery.
Teleporting his way out of the teapot, he made way for the waypoint nearest towards Stone Gate.
"Might as well grab some crystalflies while I'm at it."
In a split second, he had found himself facing towards the lake that had bordered Liyue and Mondstadt. Taking a slight detour to eliminate the cryo slimes that frequently coalesce in the area, making sure the travellers and merchants alike wouldn't be troubled by their presence as they cross the border.
Pocketing the crystal cores that he hunted afterwards, he prepped himself as he finally made his way into the front yard of the winery's estate. Specifically, the place where he would usually meet up with Connor to get in touch with the latest batch of the elemental bait, that he had been experimenting with.
Only to find, that Connor hadn't been where he usually is.
"Huh." Scratching his head, he swivelled around, thinking that he had both missed the man and his companion, "Paimon's not here either…"
"Traveler?"
A voice rang out, Aether knowing exactly who it was as she gave him a polite wave.
"Ah, so it was you."
"Hey, Adelinde. Sorry to come in out of nowhere…" He spoke out to the head maid, gesturing to his vicinity, "I was supposed to meet Connor out here, and my companion actually. You happened to know where both of them are?"
"Oh, my apologies, Traveler. I was supposed to send a follow-up letter regarding that matter." Adelinde responded with regret in her tone, "That letter was from a few days ago, and unfortunately, Connor had to visit a family member that had fallen ill in Springvale, so he must regretfully cancel your appointment for today."
Ah, that explains it.
"I see…" Making sure to reply in a way that wouldn't distress her, Aether was ready to turn back towards the wilderness once more, "Well then, I'm going to assume that my companion has made her way back home, so I might as well take my leave."
"Actually, your companion is here in the estate, Traveler." Waving to stop him in his track, Adelinde gestured towards the mansion, "The fact the two of you have made the journey here does not sit well with us. So please, under Master Diluc's order, we have provided refreshments for the two of you to take back as reimbursement for your efforts."
"Oh, you didn't have to…"
"Please, we insist." Adelinde gave him a slight bow, making way towards the entrance, "It is the least we can do for you two."
Chuckling, Aether waved his hand to stop her from bowing even further, "Alright then. Please give our warmest gratitude to Master Diluc."
Adelinde nodded in kind.
"Of course, I shall relay it in our next meeting."
Passing by the head maid, he was about to push the door to the mansion open when Adelinde stopped him in his track once again.
"Oh, and Traveler. The main hall is currently undergoing some renovations. Just walk through the black curtains ahead of you, and your companions should be there waiting for you."
"Noted." Throwing a thumbs up as he pushed through the door, completely missing the fact that she had referred to Paimon with a plural form of the word, "Thanks again, Adelinde."
With a brief nod, he made his way pass the giant doors, only to be greeted with a sea of black curtains in front of him, a thin cast of light shining through it. Leading him to question just how big of a renovation was Diluc planning on doing to the already fancy-looking main hall of his mansion.
"Things that rich people can do, huh?"
Not wanting to waste any more time, he decided to call out for Paimon as he pushed through heavy curtains.
"Paimon, let's get out of-,"
*POP*
The loud snap of what sounded like a firecracker immediately jolted Aether to his senses.
It was until he saw the floating colourful piece of confetti that was flying around him, did he realize what the whole setup was actually all about.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
As his eyes adjusted to the new light levels, it glinted with a sense of emotion that he couldn't quite put in his heart.
In front of him, stood familiar faces that he couldn't help but share their smile with. Paimon quickly zipping to his side as he took in the view that he had been presented with.
"Sorry, Aether. Paimon knows that you asked to keep it down low…"
Though he could hear that tiny bit of concern in her voice, she continues in a more joyful tone as she zipped through the air with excitement.
"But everyone here wanted to celebrate the occasion!"
Scanning through the group of people in front of him, they all chimed in one by one.
"You didn't think that we'd be okay with missing your birthday, right?" Amber was the first to shout out.
Kaeya was next as he scoffed humorously, "Sometimes, you keep too much to yourself, partner."
Diluc, a few paces beside the Alberich, clicked his tongue, "That's quite rich, coming from you."
"Right now, settle down, boys." Lisa soft cackled as she situated herself between the two men, a laidback, yet threatening arm on both their shoulders, "Let's not cause a scene in our dear cutie's special day, alright?"
"Both of you, Lisa's right." Jean sidled up to Diluc, lightly smacking his shoulder in the process, "It's rare for us all to be able to be gathered for such an occasion."
"It is rare indeed…" Albedo added, looking down at an excited Klee as she stayed within Sucrose's guarding arms, "Even Klee is able to join us for tonight."
"Klee made sure to be on her best behaviour so that she was allowed to come out tonight!"
A chorus of chuckles sounded out from the group, as a voice from the other corner of the table sounded out.
"What a joyous group of friends you certainly have, Traveler."
Aether looked over to see that Madame Ping had been the one to voice her thoughts, Ningguang standing beside the adeptus as she heartily chuckled.
"Truly, maybe they can help Ganyu come out of her shell a little bit."
"L-Lady Ningguang, please don't say such things in front of new acquaintances…" The other adeptus chided as her ears turned to a light shade of red.
As they shared their light with one another, Aether could only look on with a wondrous glaze over his eyes. Wondering why he had decided to shut it all out in the first place.
The friends of which he has made over his short time in this world.
Really, he could only scoff internally at himself.
What have you been doing, you idiot?
Slowly, a soft chuckle had begun building from within him. Which then sent a supressed wave of laughter to his chest, before sparsely leaked out of his airway and out from his mouth.
Turning into a laughter that had carried all the warmth and happiness that had been slowly encapsulating him.
Those who were around him, could only share the sentiment, as they looked at him with anticipation. Delighted to see that the blonde had finally let out a reaction that truly felt as if he had been letting his emotions out.
Wiping the few stray tears of jubilations from his eyes, he managed to say with the utmost relief.
"For once, I'm glad that you didn't listen to me, Paimon."
Another round of laughter filled the space, with Paimon clapping with trepidation. Happy to see that the risk she took had paid off.
Drawing a calming breath, Aether finally took one good look towards the people who have gathered for him, and only him.
"Everyone, thank you…" He placed a hand over his heart, "From the bottom of my heart."
"Don't thank us just yet."
This time, the voice had rung out from the back of the pack, as they made way for the source of it all.
Walking up to him with a beautiful cake in hand, was one, beaming, Keqing.
"You haven't even made your wish."
Aether could only titter as he closed the distance, observing both the cake, and her candle-lit features.
"Attending a Qixing event, huh, Lady Yuheng?" Couldn't hold himself from jesting, "Very well played…"
"What, I was telling the truth, wasn't I?" Keqing countered with the same humorous nature, matching his tone, "Not an ounce of my answer had been a lie."
Looking back, he did notice that she had been answering him with nothing but the truth.
"Especially, when I said that it had been an event for such an important person."
Her eyes locked with his, as he lifted the cake to meet his features.
"Not only for the Qixings, but for everyone who's heart you've touched, in your journey across our land."
Once more, he observed her smile alone, and then the smiles of everyone who eagerly await his wish.
Closing his eyes, he leaned closer into the cake. The heat of the candles tickling the surface of his features ever so teasingly. Enunciating the warmth that he can only to be thoroughly incorporated to his wish.
I wish to remember this warmth… Forever in my heart.
With a deep breath, the winds within his lungs conjured itself. Ready to send his wish into the skies above.
And I can only hope, that where ever she is…
A gentle breeze from his exhalation promptly snuffs the light that had stored his wish. Carrying it to the wills of the gods.
That she can feel such a warmth, all the same.
A chorus of Woo's and Yays erupted from the gathering crowd, as Paimon punches the air.
"It's time to eat cake!"
The night had gone unlike anything that Aether had ever thought of it to have ever become.
Of course, when he thought that the festivities would simply revolve around the cake, everyone who had been there decided that they should bring him a gift.
Amber had given him a replica of baron bunny, stressing at the fact that it most definitely does not contain any traces of explosives. Similarly, Klee had also given him an explosive-less version of her jumpty dumpties.
Albedo had given him a painting of the serene Dragonspine landscape, while Sucrose provided him with a potion that would supposedly allow him to relive the happiest memories of his past year. Though Aether would rather wait until Albedo can provide sufficient assurance on whether or not would the potion actually have the desired effects.
The knights have given him an amulet that bears the insignia of their establishment. Kaeya and Jean both remarking that he has truly become one of their own, whilst Lisa cheekily mentions that she had imbued the amulet with some fortune-boosting properties, ensuring him better luck for the future.
Diluc, in true connoisseur fashion, provided him with an exclusive vintage wine from his personal collection, all while keeping a frothing Kaeya at arm's length.
Then, it came time for the Liyue group to step forth. Ningguang, Ganyu, and Madame Ping had come up to him at the same time, with Ningguang holding what looks to be some expensively looking fabrics in her arms.
"These are some of Liyue's finest brocades, woven from the best of silk and qingxin flowers." Ningguang started, handing the first one to his awaiting arms. "This one is for you."
She paused as she glanced at the second piece.
"And this one... "
With a hopeful smile, she gently placed it on his hand after he stored away the first piece of fabric.
"I hope that someday soon, you will be able to give it to your sister and I hope that she'll like it. I wish you both a happy birthday."
Choosing to relish at the prospect of one day giving the gorgeous piece of fabric for Lumine to use, Aether's smile had shone in virtue of gratefulness.
"Thank you so much, all of you…"
As the three of them replied with a short bow, Paimon came bounding over. Clearly in a sugar frenzy as she had been guzzling the cake that she sneakily ordered a humongous just so that she can ensure more portions for herself.
"Whoaa… that's some expensive looking things you got, Aether." Crossing her arms with a huff, "Paimon's jealous!"
Laughing at the fairy's antics, Aether took the opportunity to actually ask about all the gift.
"How did you guys plan all this anyways?" He pointed a mocking finger at his bloated companion, "No offense, but you kind of suck at making plans, and you were the only one who knew that today's my birthday."
Paimon's offended expression only grew tenfold.
"What!? Paimon always comes up with great plans!"
"In fairness to the Traveler…" Ganyu interjected, a chuckle of agreement on her lips, "We wouldn't have this much faith on the plan, had Lady Keqing not been personally involved in the makings of it."
"That is quite true." Madame Ping added, nodding in affirmation, "Lady Keqing gave us a precise outline of the plan had been, and all we had to was to adjust to what is needed of us."
At the mention of said Yuheng, Aether quickly scanned the surrounding area, unable to spot the lilac anywhere in the groups.
"That being said, where is she?"
"Are looking for the Yuheng?" Jean, who noticed Aether's swivelling head pointed towards the front door, "She said she needed some fresh air, and went out to the front yard."
Flashing Jean a thumbs up, he promptly excused himself from the group as he made his way towards the yard.
Outside, Keqing had been taking in the serenity of the vineyard to calm herself after the chaos that the day had been. Leaning onto one of the stone walls as she looks out to the landscape ahead of her.
All from making sure that everything is set on time, to ensuring that Aether does not get overwhelmed when the time comes, have been quite the challenge for even her experienced self.
But at the end of it all, she was glad that it had all turned out the way she had ideally envisioned it.
"How come the party's organizer sitting out of her own event?"
Of course, she knew that he'd find her the moment she excused herself from the liveliness.
"I could ask you the same thing." Turning to both lean on the wall and get a good look of the birthday boy, "This event is for you."
The reply had elicited a chuckle from the man as he closed the distance between them. Bounding forward with a grin on his lips.
Stopping just a few steps from her, a hearty smile replaced the grin that had occupied his feature.
"Thank you… so much." Sincerity practically gushing from his fond stare, "And please, for once, don't try to sell this short from what it had actually been."
Keqing accepted with no argument, "I won't. You looked like you really needed this." She lightly brushed her hand against his, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better now." He had answered with no hesitation, taking his place next to her as he leant on the wall all the same, "I couldn't have asked for a better way for this day to have gone."
"That's good to hear."
She watched as he looked to the stars. A contemplative gaze marring his orbs.
"Thinking about your sister?" Wanting to hear his side of things, she decided there was no need to beat around the bush, "She is the reason why you've been wanting to keep this whole thing on the down low, right?"
A few seconds passed by as he seemingly thought of his answer. An oddity in Keqing's mind as she would've thought that she had been right on the money.
"In a way, yeah…" Aether mused in wonderment, closing his eyes as he thought of his words, "But at the same time… not entirely."
"What does that mean?"
"She does have her part in it, but the entire thing is just basically me… running away."
Now that's an answer that Keqing hadn't put her mind through.
"Running away… from what?"
Aether could only shrug.
"From the current state of things… I guess."
Leaning forward to get a better view of his face, Keqing only needed to display her confusion through her expressions, for Aether to continue his explanations.
"I've been avoiding everything that reminds me of her… especially something as personal as a birthday." He explained, steadying his breath as he found his words, "You know how it is. Twins, we don't usually spend our birthdays apart from each other. And we've lived for quite some time."
A look of understanding now laced Keqing's eyes.
"It just feels… wrong. You know?"
Still not saying a word, he could see her nod in comprehension.
"But seeing all of you today… made me realize that I've been hiding from what I have." Looking at his palm as he balled it to a fist, "I've been hiding from the things that could bring that bit of hope into my life."
Resoluteness in his gaze, he bore his orbs through hers.
"So now, instead of wallowing and suffering over the things that I no longer have control over."
By instinct, his hand had found hers.
"I'll look forward, cherish what I have, and use that to face the challenges of the future."
She examines his eyes, and the emotions that have been underlining everything that he had been saying. And for the first time since she had met the wandering soul beneath those amber set of orbs, there was finally complete clarity in the light of his core.
"That's good to hear." Keqing felt her heart warm up. Assuring him of her relief with a short squeeze of the hand that he had taken hold of. "Looks like this whole event had thoroughly served its purpose."
"Again, all thanks to you." Aether chuckled, retreating his hand to massage his neck, "Honestly, a part of me had been worried when I thought that Paimon had been the one to plan all this."
"Hey, she tried her best!" Softly nudging his shoulder, though her mind hadn't exactly supported that notion all the same, "I didn't think to invite that many people, and it turned out to be better choice in this case."
"Eh, fair enough." Relenting at her reasoning, he looked back towards all the things that he had received from the people in the premises, "I got some pretty cool things from everyone anyways."
Materializing an item on his hand, he brought out the brocade that Ningguang had given to him. Showcasing it to Keqing as they took a rather radiant glow under lights of the manors dimly lit exteriors.
"Ningguang gave me this fancy looking fabric, though I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to use this." He explained as Keqing took a keen observation on the fabric that he had presented to her, "She even spared one for my sister as well."
Scoffing at the notion of Ningguang's generosity through wealth, Keqing could only remark, "Honestly… In some cases, that woman only knows how to be kind through her Mora."
After taking a brief look at the quality of the brocade, not that she had any doubt about it, seeing as it is silk that had been given by the Tianquan herself, she promptly handed it back for him to keep.
"Speaking of gifts…"
Opening her palm to begin materializing something, Aether could only ask with surprise.
"You also got something for me?"
"Well, of course. You didn't think I'd forget, did you?"
"But… You've planned all this just for me." He countered, gesturing towards the general area behind them, "Isn't that enough of a gift?"
"Nonsense, the event and my gift, are two separate things." Materializing a small box on her palm, handing it over to him, "First off, I finally got around to making one of these."
Taking the box off of her hand, he opened the small lid to reveal what looked to be a stamp and seal set.
Fittingly, one that bore the same insignia that she had given to him all those months ago.
"Now, you can send letters without having to ship that bulky insignia along with it."
"And I won't have to worry about ever losing it in shipping." Aether smiled as he gave the stamp a look over. Only stopping when he had realized the implications of her previous sentence, "Wait a minute, first off? You got me more than one thing?"
"Looks like your sharp senses have returned." Keqing acknowledged, another thing in her checklist that she can tick off to make sure that the man had actually been feeling better than before, "That stamp isn't exactly the gift."
This time, both her hands open up. Seemingly materializing something that had been of bigger size than the box of the previous gift.
"This, is what I wanted to give to you."
A new source of light slowly made its way as the item in her hand began to fully take its form.
A luminescent hue of violet began to fill the space between them, as a purple lantern landed itself on both of Keqing's open hand.
"It might look like any old ordinary lantern." Her gaze shining as the light of the lantern assimilates itself with the hue of her orbs, "But it runs on electro energy and stays alight for a prolonged period of time."
Extending her arms, she wholly presented the gift. A genuine twinkle of satisfaction dancing in her eyes.
"For those tough times, when you need that little bit of light in your life."
As the rebounding light off of the crackling lantern glimmers in her touch, Aether couldn't help but to just… stare.
The sparkle that her eyes had held as she fondly observed and traced the silken grooves that had been delicately sewn into the material. How her fingers had smoothly glided on brilliant hue of violet. How her lilac hair had been flowing ever so elegantly as the light breeze around them melodiously serenaded his soul into a sense of tranquillity.
How his heart had swelled over the thought of the woman in front of him.
Here she is, one of brightest source of light that had constantly saved him, even when he didn't know that he needed to be saved.
Providing him with another beacon that will look over his wellbeing.
A feeling that he had not felt for a long time, broke its veil of unfamiliarity as he understood what his heart had been telling him.
Just how long had it been, since these emotions last crept its way towards his heart?
But deep down, he knew.
That as much as he had wanted to, it wasn't a feeling that he would be able to provide a deserving response to.
At least, not at the moment.
So, he kept his heart shut. Only revealing what amount of gratitude, he had within him. Showing as much as he can without showing too much of what is behind it.
Gently taking the lantern from her open hands, he watched as the sparks of electro within it, dancing erratically. Sparking and crackling as if trying to tell him something.
As if, it was trying to reach him.
Before it was able to do any more than that, Aether had averted his gaze to her awaiting stare.
"Once again, thank you."
Both as and more than what he had expected, of course it just had to be her.
The one to have given him the things that he had never knew to have want, or needed.
"I'll cherish it for as long as I live."
Keqing giggled as she placed her hands behind her back, "What an honour. My gift will live a long and eventful life then." She then pointed to a tiny mechanism at the bottom of the lantern, "When the light dies out, you can simply recharge it with an electro crystal. Since I've tinkered with its output, the crystal within the lantern itself should last a copious amount of charging times."
"Alright, I'll be sure to remember that." Storing the lantern away, he chuckled, "Looks like those electro crystals have some use after all."
"Everything has its uses." Keqing shortly stated, walking to his side, "It's just a matter of finding the correct perspective on how it should be used."
"Right…"
She took a deep breath as she moved passed him, looking back towards the doors of the estate.
"Well then, Traveler." Pointing towards the doors with nod of her head, "Shall we take part in the event that I have organized for you?"
A soft bout of laughter was all that she had really needed.
"We shall, Lady Yuheng."
Shooting him a brief grin, she made her way towards the door, with Aether following behind her.
His fond gaze just about missed by her ever-observant eyes.
One day… Keqing.
He steeled his heart within him, as he made a promise to himself.
One day… I'll be able to return all this light with the feelings that it truly deserves.
But little did he know, that he would have to make that decision soon.
As a fettered letter awaited his presence, back at the adventurer's guild.
A letter that would signal his way, towards the land of Eternity.