*Disclaimer* - I do not own the copyright to Genshin Impact
*A/N* - Greetings! Thanks for checking this chapter out. This chapter goes to one of the first girls we ever met in Genshin Impact. She's also the first one I think about when trying to get friends of mine to try the game out. I recall a few distinct yet amazing characteristics of Lisa when you play with her lol. Nevertheless, this chapter is centered around her birthday this year (2024) and will be incorporating the tweet posted by Hoyo along with the in-game letter she sent to the Traveler. How will this day transpire for Mondstadt's Librarian? Time will only tell. Now then, thanks for stopping by to check this story out and I hope you will enjoy it.
"Ok… how about this?"
"Hm? It looks… too small?"
"Err… what about this?"
"Now it looks too big."
"Ugh. How about this?"
"Eh? Now it's lopsided."
"We had this figured out yesterday! Why is it messing up?"
"…Maybe the weather?"
"That's never stopped us and our presents before. Something must've happened. Do you think someone stopped by the Teapot last night?"
The one asking this very crucial question was none other than the renowned and world-famous blonde-haired Traveler, Aether. And the topic of discussion being shared with his also world-renowned traveling companion, Paimon, had to do with a certain treat shared by others on a very special person's day.
A freshly baked cake.
The cake in question was for a very special girl. One of the first people they met at the start of their journey. A certain librarian who always managed to make their time in Mondstadt a joy. Especially the last time the two were in the region. The alchemical shop they helped get running was a lot more fun than it seemed at first. What with spending time making potions, cultivating ingredients for the potions, researching marketing trends, encountering various friends in the area, and getting to talk with Lisa throughout the day… Aether wouldn't mind doing that all again.
Hence, today was a very special day for him to make a good impression. This was further elevated when he received the brunette's letter this morning talking about how he hadn't talked to her in a minute or even seen her. He felt bad given that he's been busy adventuring around Fontaine and trying to learn more about his sister's whereabouts.
Nevertheless, today was a day he'd like to spend with his friend. And… secret yet obvious crush.
That last bit of information was an obviously known thing by his traveling companion. Paimon has spent countless times listening to him unexpectedly thinking about the librarian who had managed to leave a lasting impression on him. From their first encounter to their latest.
"Paimon doesn't think so. Maybe one of the animals got into the cake and had a bite? Or maybe a bug got into it?" Paimon curiously asked.
"I don't think so. None of the animals have ever done that" Aether said, recounting how well-behaved the animals around the teapot behaved. "I also don't think a bug got into it."
Glancing down at the cake before the boy, Paimon tilted her head and tried thinking about why it wasn't looking even or anything like last night's plans for the birthday present. Things were not going according to plan.
"Hmm… maybe… no… or we could… bah! Paimon's not sure what is going on with the cake!" the little girl said while twirling around in the air. "We could try baking another cake. It wouldn't take that long."
"Paimon. We don't exactly have a lot of time. I already feel bad for leaving Lisa unaware of us showing up. I mean, she knows we're obviously going to show up, but she doesn't know when. And with me not having sent a letter to her in a minute…"
"Oh? Does Paimon sense a bit of eagerness to see her?" Paimon replied with a mischievous tone.
The only response Aether gave to the little girl was to stare at her with a deadpan expression.
"Fine, fine. Paimon knows how you feel about Lisa. It's pretty obvious how you act around her."
"…No comment. But the sooner we see her, then the sooner you can have a slice of cake" Aether fired back.
"Mm! Paimon can't wait for this cake! Mixing in the strawberries was a great idea from Furina. Given that she's got a sweet tooth and can tell the taste and flavor of a treat just by taking a small bite is amazing! We should enter her in a taste-testing contest one of these days. She would easily win."
Getting ready to add to the comment made about Furina's sweet tooth, Aether suddenly had an idea hit him. The mentioning of strawberries seemed to have the light bulb effect play out in his head.
"Strawberries…"
"Huh? Did you say something, Aether?" Paimon asked, confused by the random mention of the berry.
"I'm thinking…"
Examining the cake before his very eyes, the Traveler had a sudden epiphany about the dessert he was trying to make for both his friend and crush.
"Last night… we checked the cake to make sure it was all even, right?"
"Yep! Paimon remembers flying around it several times to make sure it was all even!"
Beating his fist into his other hand, Aether had a smirk appear on his face now.
"We're in check, Paimon!"
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the confused floating girl.
Rotating the cake around and showing the front side of it to her, Aether cleared his throat and began to dive into an explanation on his part.
"When we checked it last night… that was before we applied to the frosting and little accessories."
A look of utter realization and joy appeared on Paimon's face as she was now understanding what he was saying. Their birthday cake was not completely destroyed.
"The frosting! And accessories!"
The cake's current appearance was that of a neatly and all-around professionally displayed cake with white frosting covering the entirety of it along with purple frosting around. Several cakes were stacked on top of the main piece to give it a more significant yet glamorous look. Moreover, the cake wasn't standing at an incredible height and could be easily transported.
In addition, the cake was decorated with fancy frosting that spelled out, "Happy Birthday Lisa!" across the front of it. The lettering was also in purple frosting along with fruit applied across it.
All in all, it was a beautiful cake.
"Yep. We didn't account for those on the cake when we first measured and aligned it. So…"
Taking his gloves off and using his hands to get a better grip on the utensil he was using to fix the cake, Aether focused heavily on not messing up the cake. There was even a bead of sweat dropping along the side of his face. This cake meant a great deal to him and Paimon… and would mean a lot to Lisa.
"Careful… Careful…" Paimon kept muttering while floating next to him.
The girl's presence was that of a younger sibling watching their older sibling do something carefully. Or a bystander watching someone do something extraordinary.
"I've… got… it!"
With slight movement and control of strength, Aether had successfully managed to move the cake back a few inches while doing only minor damage to the cake. The damages done to the dessert could be easily fixed with a bit of white frosting and possibly adding a few more pieces of fruit to it.
"Whoa! It looks better! Now it's ready to be eaten!" Paimon said with a hungry look and tone.
"Easy there. We still have to get it to the birthday girl."
"Ehehe. Paimon almost forgot."
Stepping back and seeing how the cake looked now, Aether could feel himself getting excited. This was going to be a delicious cake. And he couldn't wait to share it with the birthday girl.
Sometime later…
Inside the Knights of Favonius library, Lisa could be seen resting in her chair while examining a few records from this week's daily report. The number of late library books had dropped exponentially. Granted, the number was already very low, but now there were only a few books documented to be late. And those books had already been properly talked about by the individuals who rented them.
Taking a sip of her tea, Lisa sat comfortably while casually glancing up at the clock sitting inside the library. To say that she was growing impatient with how slow time was moving would be a lie.
Her nerves were kicked up a notch and the eagerness growing in her heart and chest was not stopping any time soon. This was the result of the letter she sent to her charming, helpful, and ever-inspiring cutie.
'Any minute now…' she muttered in her head.
It would be some time until the Traveler and Paimon would arrive. At least, that's what her mind told her. Usually when they stopped by it would be at random times. However, with the letter she sent to Aether, the chance of him showing up later in the evening was expected thanks to her letter's contents about choosing dinner.
What he would choose for-
"U-Um? Excuse me? Miss Lisa?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked up at who was talking to her and spotted a young girl wearing the Knights of Favonius attire. Behind the girl were a few other knights seemingly standing a bit back.
"Ah. Hello there. I'm sorry I didn't see or hear you. I was just lost in thought."
"Oh! Not at all, Miss Lisa! We just wanted to stop by and say Happy Birthday!" the girl said.
A graceful smile appeared on Lisa's lips as she was thrilled to have more birthday welcomes.
"Aw. You guys really know how to make a girl's day. Thank you!" Lisa gratefully replied. "I've been given so many birthday greetings and everyone is very special to me. So, thank you all."
Happy expressions were visible on all the knights' faces as they could deem this special greeting as a success.
"Of course! Birthdays are an important time for everyone. There was no way we could not wish you a happy birthday."
Lisa, who couldn't stop the gentle smile spreading on her face, brought a hand up to her mouth and let out a hearty bit of laughter.
"And I thank you so much for that."
Nodding at her appreciation, the knights all began to head out but not before the female knight slightly bowed her head and excused herself. This unexpected act warmed the librarian's heart and made her feel special.
Now, if only a certain duo appeared and did the same…
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"You may enter…?" Lisa said, confused that anyone would knock on the library door.
Expecting someone to just enter after she gave them the go-ahead, Lisa was confused to see that the door was not opening or even moving. Perhaps the person on the other side was carrying something? Could it have been Jean carrying too much stuff again? That was typical behavior for her. Always keeping busy with herself.
"Hello…?" the brunette beauty spoke up.
"…"
"I said- "
*BAM!*
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
The sudden shouting from Aether and Paimon threw Lisa for a loop and had her wide-eyed at the dramatic reveal of their presence. This was then followed up with Lisa blushing and smiling brightly.
"Hello, cutie! It took you long enough to show up~" Lisa happily replied. "And a very special hello to you, Paimon."
"Heehee! Thanks, Lisa!" Paimon commented positively.
"I'm sorry that we're late. We… ran into a slight error" Aether said, rubbing the back of his neck comedically.
"Oh, my? I hope it was nothing too serious."
"Not on that level. It had more to do with preparing one of your gifts. But we managed to solve it, so we're all good."
Relieved to hear that, Lisa nodded and could see that the two had nothing in their hands. Perhaps their gift was somewhere else?
"Well, I'm still very glad you two came to see little old me."
"Of course! Paimon doesn't think there was anything that could stop us from missing a friend's birthday. Much less someone we care about a lot. Well… that could be seen differently from Aether's perspective… heehee…" Paimon slyly remarked.
Aether immediately sent the small girl a look that could be summed up without even having to utter a single word.
The look translated to; I'm not cooking you your favorite meal this week.
Paimon's face morphed into one of despair as she lowered her head in defeat.
Watching the two interact, Lisa couldn't help but giggle before turning her attention to the blonde-haired boy and sending him a wink.
"So, you see me differently, Aether~?"
"I-I…"
The Traveler was caught off guard by Lisa's sudden and playful remark. His face betrayed his mind to try and play things off cooly. He now had a face as red as an apple and was trying to get back to normal.
Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be happening any time soon.
"…Yes…"
Taking a step toward the Honorary Knight, Lisa then did something that nobody was expecting. That also applied to herself as well.
She hugged the boy.
The hug was not just any kind of sweet gesture. Rather, it was the kind of hug that was shared out of sincere love and care. Any thought of the hug being considered friendly went out the window when Lisa traced her hand across Aether's collarbone and up to his cheek. The feeling of her hand on his face was one that he would always think about from now on.
"Thank you, Aether. You've made my day even more special. And quite frankly, it's already been amazing."
Before he could say anything, Lisa decided to take the initiative and leave the Traveler shocked beyond belief. The same could be said for Paimon who idly watched all this playout with a puzzled yet smug look.
Lisa carefully leaned forward with her eyes peering right into his and…
She kissed him.
A soft and quick kiss, but it was still a kiss. The kind that carried over a dozen feelings without really being able to describe them with words. It was a feeling that everyone should experience once in their lives.
Aether couldn't help but feel his heart get ready to blast out of his chest from feeling her soft lips upon his. He was almost tempted to lean forward and kiss her back. However, the kiss was then ended with Lisa slowly moving back.
Alas, she surprised him even more with another kiss along his cheek before giving him one of her most heartwarming smiles he'd seen yet.
"Thank you."
"…For…?"
"For being you. I know you work so hard to find your sister. And yet, you always manage to help those around you. You've certainly helped me quite a few times, and we both know there could always be another time I ask for help."
Understanding where she was coming from, Aether could only shake his head and smile.
"You're my friend… I'll always be there to help. Whether it's you, Jean, Eula, Kaeya, Klee, Amber, Razor, or any of my other friends. I'll try to lend a helping hand when I can. But also… you… mean a lot to me…" Aether affirmed while bringing his hand over hers which was still on his cheek.
"And you mean a lot to me as well, cutie. I'd like to make you my only cutie. Haha."
"No concerns there. Haha!"
The two then shared a deep and loving look between themselves for a whole solid minute before Aether suddenly remembered that there was another person with them in the room.
"Err… I think we might've forgotten someone…"
"Mm-hm. And she's been a good sport for letting us indulge in this little moment."
Lisa and Aether then looked over at Paimon who had her arms folded across her chest while floating there.
"Hmm. Paimon thinks it's ok for you two to be all lovey-dovey. It is your birthday after all. But… Paimon also wouldn't be against having a bit of cake now…"
Laughs were shared at hearing the young girl's casual demands.
"That can be done. We'll have to get a cake- "
"No need! We've already got that covered."
Aether then broke away from Lisa and went to the nearest table next to them and cleared a bit of space. Once he was ready, he then reached into his pocket and magically pulled out a decorated wrapped gift box and placed it on the table.
"Lisa, would you care to do the honors?"
"Why, yes, I would love to, cutie!"
Moving up to the gift, Lisa tenderly pulled the ribbon on the gift which then caused the entire box to expand and open revealing a beautifully decorated cake with white, purple, and many other colors of frosting. She could even see her name in full display.
"Aether… Paimon…"
"Happy Birthday!" the two shouted again. "This is what was causing us a bit of trouble haha!"
Admiring the cake, Lisa failed to realize that Aether and Paimon were now holding onto gift boxes and preparing them before her.
"Paimon, wanna go first?"
"Yep! Here you go, Lisa. I hope you'll like it!"
Touched by Paimon's gift, Lisa took it and began opening it only to be astounded at what it was.
"Paimon… is this- "
Seeing how excited Lisa was holding the large book in her hands, Paimon eagerly nodded her head.
"That's right! We managed to talk with a friend of ours in Fontaine about their alchemical projects going on in the Court of Fontaine. Given what happened with the whole disappearing dilemma and the Primordial Sea, we weren't sure we'd get any information about alchemical potions and whatnot. But Neuvillette managed to come through for us. Especially when we mentioned it was for a friend's birthday" Paimon explained, recalling their meeting with the Iudex of Fontaine.
Before Paimon could see Lisa's reaction, she was pulled into a tight hug by the purple witch.
"Ack!"
"Oh? Is my hug too much for you?"
"N-No! Paimon just wasn't expecting it."
"Mm. Well, I hope you are now. Thank you very much for your gift, Paimon. I love it!"
"Heehee! That's all that matters to Paimon!" the young girl claimed happily.
After spending a good moment of hugging, Lisa then broke away and placed the book down on the table before glancing over at the boy who pulled on her heartstrings.
"Hoo boy. It's gonna be hard to top her present haha!"
"Nonsense! Any gift you give me will be special to me."
Nodding his head, Aether then handed his gift to her.
"Well then, please accept this."
Taking the wrapped gift into her hands, Lisa made sure to carefully yet excitedly open the gift box and see what he had gotten her. The possibilities of what it could be were at an all-time high.
With the box now open, Lisa was left speechless.
Inside was a golden pristine necklace with an open space for something round. She immediately knew what this was.
"Aether…"
"May I?"
Not wasting another moment, Lisa gingerly nodded her head carefully removed her witch hat, and handed it to Paimon before brushing her hair to allow for him to put it on her.
As gentle as he could be, Aether carefully replaced her old necklace with her new one as well as making sure her Electro vision sat respectively in the open slot of the gift.
"There. How does it feel?"
"Perfect" she instantly replied.
Before he could give his response, Lisa had grabbed his head and kissed him again this time with a bit more force. The boy's face was once again covered in red.
"You've made my entire week, cutie."
"I'd call that win!" Aether commented.
"And it's a win you should be proud of."
Right before things could get any steamier, a high-pitched cough could be heard coming from a certain girl floating in the air.
"Paimon doesn't want to ruin the mood but…"
"Haha! Right, right. How could I forget? I'm so sorry, Paimon. As a way of apologizing, I think you should get the first slice."
"*gasp* Are you being serious? *giggle* Paimon can't wait!"
"Haha! Go tell Jean and bring the others to the library. Let's share the cake" Aether relayed to the young girl.
"Will do! And remember, Paimon officially has dibs on the first slice!" Paimon said before flying out of the library.
Now left alone, Aether and Lisa shared another romantic moment by just staring at each other in a respective yet affectionate tone.
"Thank you for making this day even better."
"It wasn't all me. Everyone else has made it even better. And the day's not even close to being over. We still have dinner planned. And everything else after today" the Traveler said with a bit of suave to his words.
"I'll be holding you to that, cutie."
"Haha! Happy Birthday, Lisa!"
This tender moment would be one for the books and a single moment out of hundreds to be shared by the new and aspiring couple. Being surrounded by friends and colleagues was certainly another morale boost to the birthday girl's mood.
But… being with the person she considered special to her heart… made the day a whole lot better. And it would only get better from there.
*A/N* - Thanks again for checking this story out. Lisa is certainly one of the standout characters in Genshin Impact. Whether it's for her personality, character, or lore, she's a standout. Until next time, take care out there.