*Morning rooster cry*

"... Phew." Sans sighed, opening his eyes and seeing the roof above himself. "What a night it was. I don't even remember what happened." He added to himself, slowly moving the upper part of his body up. "If that's their standard supper, I'm gonna scream in lowercase."

*Knock, knock*

"Yeah?" He asked, turning his head slightly to the right to look at the doors.

"Heya buddy." Man in the door frame said after opening the door. "I have a letter for you."

"Shoot."

"Alright."

"Not that shoot!" Sans pretended to panic, seeing how the man reached after his gun at the back.

"You're no fun when sober." Man shaked his head before taking out a paper plane and tossing it lightly towards him, having the paper piece land right on between legs. "Also, you have two hours to get ready for your Knight initiation. Acting Grand Master came around to notify us."

"Tell her thanks if she comes around again before me." Sans responded before the stranger closed the doors, leaving him alone. "Aight, now the paper piece." He thought, reaching for the paper plane and opening it to read.

Yo, dude! Fatui is pretty chill. Maybe you would like to join it or something?

Cheese Toucher

"At least they try to be nice."

"Far away travelers are hard to come by." One man said to the other as they both sat down in covering cloaks at an empty table inside the Angel's Share along with water glasses.

"They will become a common occurrence, trust me on that one." Second one added, taking off the hood from his head and revealing messy black hair along with a ponytail resting on the right shoulder and curly beard from chin to the neck.

"A pr-"

"I wanna lay low."

"... Fair then, then tell me thy reasoning." First man nodded, also taking off his cloak and showing a bald head with hollow green eyes that reflected the brown ones of his talking partner like a mirror.

"Iramati are just the first. The Khaganate is not exactly something all people want to be under, so they run away."

"You sure they will just mass on suicide travel to east?"

"Where else?" Second man waved his head widely, almost hitting the water glass on his side. "Depths of the sea is about the only way out of there."

"Hmm… Too bad." First one responded, taking a quick sip of water. "From what I heard, Liyue is missing one ship in reports from Iramati landing on their coast."

"Well, snap." Second man almost cursed. "It must have been the Khaganate spies."

"Or another Iramati traitor group." First man counterpointed. "Either way, East started to realize West exists. And with Khaganate influence spread all across Revenland, They're out of lands worthy of conquest or vassalization."

"So Teyvat is next…"

"Don't worry, they have Visions and stuff."

"Empowering ambitions can be redirected to serve others' will." Second man responded.

"How are you so sure that Teyvat won't unify itself against invaders from foreign land? What proof?"

"Many, actually. Human nature, divided reaction to Iramati arrival and whatever is happening in Watatsumi." Second man counted, moving three fingers of his right hand forward. "Inazuma is headed for a crisis."

"You've been in Inazuma before getting here?" First man asked.

"Yeah." Second one responded with a sad tone. "Iramati were followed from the beginning not only by the spies from within, but also a heavily armed diplomatic mission following them." He explained. "When I got to the island for a resupply, I heard that Kozlug-Khan was on Watatsumi Island rallying people to be more against Shogunate and desire full independence."

"Kozlug?" First man asked, earning a nod in response that prompted him to finish the entire water in one, quick but deep swing. "Inazuma as a nation won't survive long."

"Yeah, especially since his actions manage to actually succeed at the moment." Second man continued his report. "Divine Priestess of Watatsumi, being forced to fulfill the will of Orobashi and the people of Watatsumi, will probably soon declare independence under their pressure. And then…"

"Not if Orobashi will tells her not to."

"You think they won't just summon his spirit and make him advocate for more vengeance?"

"..."

"I know, a riddling issue." Second man crossed his arms. "But standing still won't do us much. I'll go to my friends and spread the world."

"Sure thing." First men nodded, placing a few golden coins on the table. "Not Mora, but gold sets the rule everywhere."

"Noted." Second man nodded, taking the coins back to himself as the stranger walked away… Only to be replaced with a certain, tall man with an eyepatch and tan skin.

"Now… About the Inazuma thing…"

"Huh, morning rush hour after eleven?" Sans said out loud, walking through the mess also known as the Mondstadt street crowd. "Guess the wave of Liyue villagers wasn't something they prepared for."

"Excuse me!" Distinct voice right behind him encouraged him to turn around and look at a petite girl with lavender hair, green eyes dressed in a balanced mix of maid clothes and armor pieces. "Can I ask you for something?"

"Sure, I guess." Sans shrugged his arms. "What do you need?"

"Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked

"I could use some company for my event today." Sans responded without thinking. "Wanna tag along?"

"Oh yes, please!"

"That's the enthusiasm." Sans smiled. "Now follow me."

"Mhm." She nodded as the two proceeded ahead in between the people. "By any chance, can I ask for your name?"

"Sans." He responded quickly. "Yours?"

"And I am Noelle, Maid of Knights of Favonius."

"Maid? Interesting." Sans continued speaking. "It's the one Lawrence said is thrown around more than Amber as filler. Curious."/"I assume you are a Knight?"

"What? No, nooo. I am yet to pass the exam." Noelle responded with hesitance before jumping back to positive cheerfulness. "But I am sure I will do my best preparing for the next try."

"Exam, huh?" Sans wondered. "Welp, I admire your drive. I took the easy way and became an Outrider."

"Outrider?!" Noelle exclaimed, surprised. "You are the one to be admired here! No one thought to join them in such a long time."

"Well. I am the one to out-ride the exceptions." Sans joked, giving her a side glare wink. "So you want to be a Knight?"

"I do, I do." Noelle replied in a hurry. "I dreamed of it since I was little."

"You still are." Sans teased.

"R-Really?"

"Oh no, it's the easily embarrassed type." Sans thought, noticing the early blush. "I need to think about what I say for a moment."/"It's not anything bad, though. Fact that you had the same, single dream for all these years is what I admire in your drive."

"Oh right, you did say that to me earlier." Noelle nodded as they finally made it out of the thick crowd and got to the stairs before Favonius Headquarters. "Still, I am glad to be on your initiation day."

"Sure you are." Sans nodded. "And I am glad too." He added before opening the doors and seeing Eula waiting for them in a corridor. "Oh, good day Captain."

"Welcome." Eula responded with a cold tone, then noticing Noelle coming behind him. "I see you brought an unexpected guest."

"I have a right to." Sans responded, shrugging his arms. "After all, it is my passing on a member."

"... Fine." Eula nodded, turning around and walking ahead with both guests following her after Noelle closed the doors.

"Why doesn't Captain Eula like you?" Noelle asked sand quietly.

"Lack of trust." Sans responded casually. "But don't mind it. This takes time and actions to build, my actions."

"So Sans is Outrider starting today?"

"Yeah, that whole Iramati situation made him quite famous."

"But wasn't Eula the one who mediated their peace with Liyue?"

"Eula and good deeds? What are you smoking buddy?"

"Not smoke… eat."

"Huh… Yellow crystal?"

"It's called sunshine rock. And it's amazing. Lets you smile all day long without any criticism breaking into your mind. Like you bathe in sunshine all day long."

"Where did you get this from though? I never heard of this."

"Funny man with a triangular face and feather armor gave these to me yesterday, been feeling like a new man ever since."

"..."

"Wanna eat some with me?"

"Eat a crystal? Won't my teeth break?"

"It melts in contact with saliva, tested myself."

"... Old hag has a romance anyway. Where's my piece?"

"That was a bone-a-fied ceremony." Sans joked, walking out of the room in a mildly too wide Favonius armor with Noelle by his side. "Thanks for joining me."

"It is always a pleasure to welcome a new Knight." She replied with mild modesty.

"I am an Outrider though." Sans pointed out. "But that makes me wonder…"

"What is it?" She gave him a curious look as they stopped in the middle of a corridor.

"You want to be a Knight of Favonius in general or something… Specific? Like a direct Company?"

"Err… In general, I think." Noelle responded with hestance. "Why do you ask?"

"It just so happens that Outriders have only a combat exam before joining." Sans responded. "At least that's how it went with me."

"Really?" Noelle asked him. "Then how could I miss such a way?"

"I mean, you probably focused on Knights proper." Sans reasoned. "Like, when was the last time you heard of Outriders doing something as a unit rather than Amber herself?"

"Hmm…" Noelle rubbed her chin, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "Never, actually."

"Precisely." Sans nodded. "But I think that Outriders are going to be necessary in the near future. Besides, Knights do have a lack of people in ranks and need more."

"Well, um, I did not pass the exam…"

"I didn't even take it in the first place." Sans threw her argument out the metaphorical window. "Yet, I am in and you aren't. What's the logic here?"

"... I am not sure what Acting Grand Master Jean will say about that." She crossed her arms and wiggled left to right, obviously nervous.

"I'll talk to her about the possibility. "Sans responded, looking behind himself at the person in question accompanied by a certain beauty in purple dress and stereotypical black witch hat. "Either way, I make sure you won't have consequences from listening to me."

"All right then, do what you will…"

"I think all of us know why we are here." Lisa said, standing aside while Sans stand in front of Jean's desk, observing blandly as she raised her head from behind the hand pyramid and looked straight at him.

"Sans, I respect your will to inform potential Knights about less popular units." Jean began, staring him down from the sitting position despite it making her shorter than him. "But we can't have Noelle join the Knights of Favonius."

"We?" Sans asked.

"Me and you."

"Then please don't put words in other people's mouths. It's rude." Sans counterpointed. "I can have her in."

"Ugh." Jean groaned while Lisa let out barely hearable 'ahuhu'.

"Her laughter reminds me of a certain Spider lady." Sans thought, but not letting himself zone out as Jean went back to have her turn.

"She didn't pass the exam."

"Official. Outriders only have combat exam,. singular. One that she can legally take." Sans pointed out.

"Outriders won't benefit from her joining as much as other Companies."

"She literally just runs around helping others. Kind of like Amber and possibly me." Sans responded. "And other Companies? It's her choice who she wants to apply for, so please don't shut the doors of possibilities you seem unfit to her."

"She is way more useful as a maid than a Knight."

"And these two terms contradict?" Sans asked.

"A…"

"You never thought about making a Maid Company with her in it for the sake of keeping her in action and making things easier for you?" Sans suggested under the disguise of accusation.

"Making a new Company is going to be a lot of work and stretching the already thinned out numbers."

"Not really." Sans responded. "There is a certain Company already asked exclusively with filling in for others and helping people."

"?"

"The thing is, they aren't recognized in your paperwork as Company." Sans pointed out. "But as a mere 'auxiliary unit'. You forgot about them so much you don't even write their name with capital letters."

"And what will Grand Master Varka think when he returns?" Jean asked. "I am an Acting Grand Master, remember?"

"Then act instead of bonedoggling." Sans responded, stuffing in a forced pun and winking to Lisa.

"And I am to think you approach this topic seriously?" Jean asked him.

"At least I approach it. Like, at all." Sans pointed out. "Where is your initiative to outright tell Noelle 'You aren't ready.'?"

"And tell her she doesn't have mental predispositions?"

"At least you won't be lying to her with something she, according to you now, can never achieve." Sans responded, having a sweat drop go down his right cheek. "I'm not even demanding you to be thoughtful about this, just… To be at all."

"Even so, I can't allow for fundamental elements of Knights of Favonius to be changed at the first better request. We don't even know if you can make this work."

"Fair, new to the job aren't meant to change the entire workplace." Sans nodded. "But what if I show you I am not some random person from the sky?"

"You want to prove yourself for the sake of having things your way?" Jean asked curiously.

"Mmm… If you put it that way, yes."

"In that case I have just a test for you." Jean smiled, looking aside at the third person in the room. "Lisa, please go and fetch him the Spark Knight from solitary confinement."

"Sure thing." Lisa smiled, leaving the room in a moment.

"Alright, Sans. Here is my proposition." Jean said, looking back at him. "If you can spend the entire day with Spark Knight without her causing any mess or damage while under your care, I'll let Noelle into the Outriders."

"... And the catch?" He responded, lowering his left eyebrow.

"You have only one chance, no other attempt from you will be considered."

"Fair enough." Sans shrugged his arms. "Where should I expect her?"

"Master Jeaaan!"

"Here." The Acting Grand Master answered, pointing ahead.

"Huh." Sans almost gasped, turning around to see deviously satisfied Lisa in the doorframe crossing her arms while a little girl in red stood before her. "So, you are The Spark Knight?"

"Yes I am!" Girl exclaimed, almost moving her arms up. "My name is Klee. And who are you?"

"Sans." He responded.

"..."

"I don't have an official title."

"Oohh."

"Anyways, we heard you would like to spend a day with her?" Lisa asked.

"Yup." Sans casually nodded. "Ready to go, little one?"

"Yes! Yes I am!"

"Welp, off we go I guess." Sans nodded, quickly proceeding ahead as Lisa stepped aside to let 'Dododo' mumbling kid run ahead.

"Ahuhu~." Lisa chuckled, looking away from Sans running after the kid. "Isn't letting a rookie handle Klee of all people a bit… Too much?"

"His interference in my way of command was as well." Jean justified herself. "Besides, mountainous challenges are an effective way to tame ambitions."

"I guess…" Lisa smiled lightly, looking away into the bright blue sky obscured by occasional white clouds here and there. "But I will tease you if he succeeds."

"As if…"

"So your name is Klee, huh?"

"Yes." Small girl responded as she and Sans sat down in the middle of a grassland hill, with Mondstadt City on the horizon before them. "But can you tell me how you suddenly moved us from home here in just one corner turn?"

"For the third time. No." Sans excused himself, getting a pouty face in return. "Not that I can't do this. I don't know myself."

"Then how do you do something while you don't know how?" Klee gave him a curious look, tilting her head down to her left.

"I… Just do." Sans sighed, grabbing Klee's hat and preventing it from falling off the head. "We don't always have a reason for what we do, how we do..."

"I don't understand."

"Me neither." Sans sighed, before giving her a communicative wink. "But hey, at least we have something in common."

"... Ooo."

"Anyways, there is something that bothers me." Sans added.

"What's wrong, Mister Sans?"

"To be honest with you, me being here to look after you is a challenge." Sans said to her outright."

"Of course it is!" Klee exclaimed, waving her legs like scissors. "Lisa came to me and brought me out of solitary confinement specially for you."

"That makes me need to ask something." Sans continued. "Why are you put there in the first place?"

"I…" Klee tried to speak, before looking away towards the distant windmill. "I think she didn't like me going fish blasting, but I'm not sure..."

"... Huh." Sans nodded, keeping his calm despite tense muscles on the forehead. "And did you ever think about why fish blasting was a bad thing?"

"I don't remember." Klee responded with wandering eyes directed upwards. "But Master Jean always sends me to solitary confinement where I am supposed to think about my behavior."

"Aaand, do you think about your behavior?" Sans asked her.

"I never thought about it." Klee said with a straightforward tone. "I always think about new bombs."

"Bombs?" Sans asked. "Of course, that's the Spark Knight you numbskull."

"Yes! Can I show them?"

"As long as you don't use them." Sans came with his demand.

"But, how can I show you what they do without detonating them first?" Klee asked.

"You don't need to use something to use it." Sans explained, suddenly taking out a bone from behind his back and presenting it to her. "Right now, I am showing you a bone. And I don't need to use it for it, now do I?"

"... Oooo." Klee gasped in amazement. "You are so smart, Friend Sans!"

"Whoa, Whoa, tiger." Sans said in response. "You can't just jump straight into friendship like that. It takes time."

"Awww…" She looked down, letting out a sad groan.

"... I think enough time has passed. We can be friends."

"Yaaaay!" She instantly moved up, almost jumping as her arms stretched up.

"Guess Patience is a stronger element than I expected." Sans took a mental note before continuing. "But back on topic, you wanted to show me your bombs?"

"I want, I still want!" Klee looked back at him, then gradually turned from cheerful to confused. "But why does Master Jean sends me to solitary confinement all the time instead of explaining such things to me?"

"..." Sans thought silently, moving his eyes from Klee ahead to Mondstadt. "I am not sure, but…"

"But?" Klee encouraged him, innocently saying the last word again.

"... But maybe she doesn't have time for that?" Sans suggested, following an interested, but mildly oblivious face of Klee. "She is a Grand Master after all. This is a lot of work."

"I know, she has to chase me every time I do something fun…" Klee almost groaned, looking down at the grassy slope.

"And many, many more things." Sans added. "You're not the only one, you know?"

"There are other Klees?" She asked, making a sudden turn with her head back to him.

"Not in that way!" Sans almost backed her away with his hands. "I meant that Jean has to do other things than look after you. Why else would I be here with you?"

"... Oh, right, now I remember! Master Jean has all the work of Master Varka!" Klee exclaimed.

"And how long has Master Varka been away so far?" Sans asked.

"I don't remember… Maybe a year?" Klee wondered.

"And how would you feel if you had to do your own, and somebody else, work for a year?" Sans asked.

"I would feel bad…" Klee saddened upon the realization.

"And what if I told you me being here with you…" Sans began slowly to give her time for changing the attention. "... Is there a way to make Master Jean feel better?"

"How?" Klee asked him. "Please tell me!"

"If you won't do anything bad today while with me, Maid Noelle will join the Outriders and take some work off of Master Jean." Sans explained. "So, can you be on your best behavior today for Master Jean?"

"Yes! Yes I can!"

"That's the sparkling attitude." Sans smiled at her enthusiasm. "Now let me spare the plan…"

"... Then turn left and you find yourself in front of the house."

"Thank you very much."

"Pleasure is all mine." Eula ended, walking away from a 2+3 farmer family as she proceeded away from their meeting in the middle of the street. "Now, to check on Sans…"

"And this is where Eula used to live."

"Klee?" She asked out loud, looking ahead at familiar posture with Sans right behind, observing one of the houses. "Oh no…"

"Used to?" Sans asked, looking down at Klee with an unserious face. "What happened?"

"Some people were throwing rocks and bricks at the windows for a few nights and she went to live inside Favonius Headquarters." Klee explained. "I am not sure why…"

"Me neither." Sans added. "But hey, at least they stopped."

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not really." He casually continued, turning to face the interjecting person. "Nice to see you, Eula, what's the occasion?."

"Nothing much, just checking if you don't stir up trouble." Eula responded, then looking down at Klee. "And who do we have here…"

"Hello, Captain Eulaaa!"

"I'm her caretaker for today, Grand Masters' orders." Sans explained.

"Acting, Grand Masters'." Eula corrected him with sturn expression.

"Hard to notice." Sans responded. "Not much acting, but a lot of action."

"... Was this another of your bad puns?"

"Maybe." Sans almost snickered. "But it wasn't… Bad to the bone."

"Phihihi!"

"With coworkers like you…" Eula groaned, not being helped by Klee's giggle.

"I know, I don't do much to be trustworthy." Sans nodded. "But at least I don't go out of my way to harm you."

"Huh?"

"Keep that in mind." He added, having Klee be casually pulled back to him with a deep blue outline around her body. "And you better not think you can escape from me."

"Aww…"

"You will make sure she won't cause any damage?" Eula asked him.

"Yup. But remember to scold me if she does." Sans nodded, slowly walking away past her right side. "Have a nice day.''

"Have a nice day, Captain Eulaaa!" Klee added, after which the duo walked away, leaving her alone and a bit clueless on what to do next.

"... Oh right, scout the Iramati lands and see how they fit in new lands."

"Alright Kadiq, our plan is done." Lily nodded, as the two sat down on a toppled tree in distant wilderness, accompanied by a sound of waves crashing against the shore. "But our tribesman won't just abandon the Huzarib kin, out of respect to him."

"You give our spirit too much credit." Kadiq responded, picking up a rock and throwing it forward, making it bounce off the grass a few times before falling down into a shallow ravine. "For the human spirit is like a rock. Thrown down, it bounced back. But does so weaker and weaker until it stops or falls down to a place it cannot bounce out of."

"Isn't Ike the one to preach philosophy?"

"Ike is a bookworm that hates life." Kadiq counterpointed. "Philosophy is for smart people who think, like us."

"Whatever you say…" Lily rolled her eyes, then turned her head to the right where she saw something unusually white attached to the tree. "A… Letter?"

"Nice." Kadiq smiled. "Makes me wonder what we can learn from it…" He said, proceeding to stand up from the log, walk up to the new found item and taking it in hands.

"And what is inside?" Lily asked him as he opened the letter and started to read the insides.

"... Lily." Kadiq said, slowly turning to her with weirdly living eyes, as if he got younger a decade. "Liyue affair isn't done."

"Huh?"

"It only began. And I know just a person that can help us…"

"Who?"

"... More people who drive away from Revanland, Aegpan, and…"

"And?"

"... Snezhnaya."