"I must admit, Aether, when I received your letter, I was not expecting this," Yanfei teased as she sat across from the Traveler and his chaperone. "Of all the crimes to accuse you of committing, why did they choose something no one in living memory has ever even thought of? Then again, you were also accused of assassinating Rex Lapis; saying you kidnapped another Archon is not that hard to imagine."

"Who's side are you on, Yanfei?"

"On yours, of course." She says that but her smug expression cast some doubt on it. Granted, it was her usual expression so maybe she was telling the truth. "But why did they choose this crime of them all and let you stay here?" Yanfei glanced at Furina, who had been quietly studying her. "…Forgive me but you are the Hydro Archon, correct?" She did not quite have the air of divinity Yanfei expected.

"That is correct, I am the god of just—"

"Just to be clear, they are not letting me stay here. They are making me stay here," Aether interrupted Furina, making her pout. "As for why they're saying I kidnapped Furina here, it's because… it's sort of the truth?"

"Oh? Do tell."

The expecting tone in Yanfei's voice made Aether blush and let out of cough from embarrassment. "Do I have to?"

"Aether, if you want me to represent you in court, you cannot hide things from me." She was right but she didn't need to look like she was going to gossip about it to everyone. Aether knew that Yanfei would never do that but that didn't make it any easier to admit what happened.

Luckily (or unluckily) for Aether, Furina was more than willing to speak in his stead. "Because someone forgot 'rest of the day' does not mean 'until the next morning.' My poor guards had a heart attack when I did not return home that night," she snickered to herself, enjoying the look of Aether's increasingly reddening face. "As I was 'missing' for the entire night and the last known person with me was him, Aether became the prime suspect in my 'disappearance.'

"I see…"

"Yanfei, don't look so pleased by all this," Aether sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Aether. In my defence, this case sounds more enjoyable than the ones I usually deal with," Yanfei said with a small laugh. "However, it also sounds like an open-and-shut case to me. Assuming that you are fine with admitting why you were late in bringing the Archon home. But that does make me wonder…" The lawyer seemed to have realised the same thing Aether has from before. "If it's as simple as that, why are you being charged? Surely, Miss de Fontaine here is not the plaintiff in this case."

"Nope, it's not me. It is the government that's suing Aether or at least someone in it," Furina explained.

"For what reason then? Since both you, the 'victim', and the defendant are in agreement that no crime has been committed, this is a losing case. Does someone have it out for you, Aether? Aside from the Fatui, of course. Even then, if this case is made with the intent of putting you away or worse, why delay the trial and even let me, an advisor from another nation, be involved?" Yanfei did not understand it at all. She wouldn't say it aloud but she knew she had a good reputation and had been asked to help out in some lawsuits here in Fontaine. They'd know that she'd be able to get Aether an innocent verdict, especially with a simple explanation as this.

"Because Neuvillette wants some peace and quiet so I'm the fall guy," Aether admitted which further confused Yanfei and offended Furina.

"HEY!"

"I am suffering in his stead…" Aether bemoaned with tears running down his face. "…Hey, can we launch a countersuit?"

"Uh… pardon?"

"No, never mind. Just a thought."

After over a day's journey, Kaeya was glad to be back on solid ground. Despite having his default grouchy face, he was sure Diluc felt the same way. "Now then, I must be off," the Cavalry Captain told his brother as they walked out of the main port of Fontaine. In addition to them (though they came for work), there were many other tourists around. "I should be dropping by the government office and see if I can get an audience with the Chief Justice. Do not get into trouble, dear brother."

"Don't patronise me, Kaeya," Diluc grumbled, "And you get into more trouble than I do."

"Because you like to do things in the cover of the night, isn't that right? Going to be pulling another all-nighter tonight?"

"Perhaps, if you don't find out where Aether is from Neuvillette."

"I expected nothing less from you," Kaeya let out a small chuckle. "In any case, do me a favour and drop by the hotel to check into our room." Without waiting for any sort of agreement, Kaeya split away from Diluc and went off on his own, disappearing into the crowd.

Now alone, Diluc sighed and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, Jean. Why couldn't you have sent someone else with me?" Was Eula too busy or something? He'd even take Klee over Kaeya. But what's done is done, he thought, so all he could do is suck it up. He didn't need to enjoy it. 'Now where's the hotel?'

After getting lost for a couple of minutes and asking for directions, Diluc entered the lobby of the fancy hotel Jean had booked for them. Surprisingly, it was pretty crowded; news of the Traveler's trial must have drawn a bunch of tourists; their boat was also pretty packed too. He hoped the letter Jean had sent before they got on the ship arrived and their rooms were already ready. The courier she used had a reputation for being quick and reliable.

Diluc got in one of the lines and waited as it slowly moved. His mind soon wandered towards potential locations where Aether could be held; the prison naturally was his first thought but would they really put him there before the trial? It'd be more likely to keep him in a holding cell first. At the very least, they'd put him somewhere they could easily monitor. They'd certainly not let him walk around willy-nilly if he's suspected of kidnapping the Archon. Diluc would have to keep note of heavily-guarded buildings in the city— if he's still in the city anyway.

"Aren't you… Mr Ragnvindr?"

"Hmm?" Diluc glanced towards the girl in the line next to his. It took him a moment to recognise her and couldn't remember her name. However, he knew she was from Liyue and was one of the higher-ups in the government. More importantly, though, he was sure she was another friend of Aether's. "I see the Qixing's also taking an interest in the Traveler's case."

"That is correct. He's been a valuable asset to Liyue and we'd not like to lose that," the young woman answered. "But why is the owner of Mondstat's largest winery taking an interest too?"

Diluc didn't reply immediately and the line moved. After a few minutes, he finally told her, "I've known Aether for a long time now. We met during the Stormterror Crisis."

"I see…" she quietly hummed in understanding. "Are you here alone?"

"No, my brother came with me. Unlike me, he's on official business for the Knights." Diluc decided it wouldn't be bad to share some information with the girl. She might tell something in return.

"The Knights of Favonius? Oh, that's right. Aether's an Honorary Knight, is he not? The Grand Master would also have a stake in his trial."

"…And are you here alone?" Diluc asked after a moment.

"No, I came here with a couple of others. They're… taking in the sights first," the young woman took a moment to think of the right words. "And what is your brother doing now?"

"He told me he's going to speak to a local official about Aether."

"Ah, I was going to that after this," she said. "…And what are you going to do after this, Mr Ragnvindr?"

"…Take in the sights."

"Is that so…?" The girl hummed before suggesting to Diluc, "Why don't you meet up with my companions then? You might be able to find a good place together."

Diluc let out a low hum in gratitude. He should have expected they would find allies from Liyue; if Sumeru and Inazuma are also sending people to help Aether, it wouldn't be that shocking. But first, it was his turn at the counter.

"I'm sorry, sir," the receptionist apologised profusely. "We could only reserve a single room for you. We've been booked full after the Steambird's latest issue."

…Damn you, Venti. Is this retribution for kicking him out of the bar last time?

Having lived his entire life in Liyue, Xiao was not used to the sights and sounds of Fontaine. While the bustling streets were not unlike the Harbour, the Fontainian fashion style as well as the general colours of the city were vastly different.

"Stay close to me," Yelan instructed him as she took his hand so he wouldn't be taken away by the crowd.

"There are many foreigners here too," Xiao noted. In addition to the residents, there were people from Liyue and Mondstat. He also noted some Sumeran attires too.

"They're most likely visiting to watch the Traveler's trial. As one of the most famous people in the world, it's natural for people to want to see him, even in chains," explained Yelan. "At least we wouldn't stand out that much."

'Yes, it's not like you don't attract any attention.' Xiao rolled his eyes. As if the two of them could blend into a crowd that well. Yelan herself got the eyes of several men and women alike while they were exploring but never approached them. Xiao believed his presence intimidated them.

In reality, they just assumed they were a visiting mother and son. "Where are we going?" The Adeptus asked as they walked down the street. He glanced around at the street vendors promoting their wares—guess that sort of thing wasn't just unique to Liyue. Maybe he could look around with Aether once they get him out. '…No, we probably won't get the chance.' The second they spring him out of whatever hole the authorities were keeping him in, they'd have to take the fastest carriage out of Fontaine.

"We're just sightseeing at the moment, dear. It's best we familiarise ourselves with the streets before looking for the landmarks." Yelan spoke in a sweet tone. Xiao was confused for a second, especially with what she called him. He quickly realised what she was doing though and decided to play along for now, no matter how embarrassing it would look.

'Keep calm, this is to help Aether," he mentally grumbled. Just suck it up and start memorising the layout of the city—who knows if it'll come in handy should something go wrong…

A/N: I made Yelan mommy joke, pls laugh. Also kinda funny how I have her in-story and then it's announced she'd be part of the 4.0 banners.