Summary: Several familiar faces arrive.
"You're dismissed," Yae Miko said wearily. The hatamoto bowed deeply to his Archon before returning to his duties. "I'm glad we managed to remove the vandalism from the statue in time. The foreign emissaries are due to arrive any moment. That would have not have been a good first impression."
To the side of the dais where the Guuji sat, Aether sat in traditional seiza, his brow twitched violently. "Indeed, milady," he said, biting his inner cheek. That damn Zhongli! What was with his fascination with desecrating religious monuments?!
"Milady!" Sara spoke up from where she was seated across from him. "I still insist that we mount a search for the one who committed the vandalism! The sheer disrespect shown towards the Shogun is inexcusable!"
"Peace, Sara," Ayaka said from beside him. "They will be found in time. Far more pressing is the arrival of the emissaries from Liyue and Mondstadt."
"I—" Sara choked back her words like she was swallowing a lemon. "Very well. I apologize for my outburst, milady."
"You are forgiven, my dear," Miko said before turning to address one of the guards manning the entryway. "Please send for the emissaries at their earliest convenience."
"Hai, heika!" The guard saluted before performing an about face and rushing off to perform his task.
"I really wish they'd stop calling me that," the newly-crowned Archon sighed.
"I find it quite fitting... Your Excellency," Aether said with a teasing glint in his eye.
"Oh, don't you start," Miko quipped, sending him a glare.
"I find myself in agreement, heika," Chisato spoke up. "A... renewal, if you will. With the Shogun stepping down, and you forgoing her title, the "Shogunate" can no longer be truly called such. And so, the nation now finds itself under imperial rule."
"The mighty Empress of Thunder!" Paimon cheered.
"Let's just hope it doesn't turn out like another certain far eastern empire..." Aether muttered to himself.
"Heika!" The guard had returned, offering a crisp bow. "The foreign dignitaries have arrived and are awaiting your instruction!"
"Please see them in," Miko urged before turning to Aether. "If you would, dear."
"Of course, heika," Aether smiled at her annoyed glare before standing and turning towards the entryway. The sliding door opened, allowing light to pour into the room as several familiar faces gingerly stepped across the threshold.
"The nation of Inazuma extends its welcome to our visitors from afar!" He called out, drawing the attention of the new arrivals and earning several widened eyes.
"Aether?!"
"Milady," the blond traveler went on, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Representing the nation of Mondstadt, Acting-Grandmaster Jean Gunnhildr of the Knights of Favonius and Lion of the South Wind."
"...Mondstadt welcomes renewed diplomatic ties with Inazuma," the Dandelion Knight was quick to regain her composure and addressed the new Archon. "It is an absolute honor to meet you, Lady Yae."
"Accompanying her is Ms. Lisa Minci, Librarian and Archivist of the Knights of Favonius," Aether continued.
"A pleasure to see you again, cutie!" The brunette woman winked towards him, nearly causing Jean to suffer an aneurysm from her lack of decorum. "I'm here to record such a momentous occasion for our archives. An absolute pleasure to be meeting you, Ms. Yae."
"Such impudence...!" Sara hissed, though Miko was quick to wave her down.
"Finally, representing the Church of Favonius is Deaconess Barbara Pegg."
"I-It's an honor to meet you, Lady Yae!" Barbara curtseyed, her nervousness obvious to all. "May the blessings of the Anemo Archon be with you..." She trailed off and cringed as she realized how absurd it was to wish blessings from one Archon to another, though Miko paid it no mind and merely smiled encouragingly at the jittery young girl.
"Inazuma recognizes you and welcomes our friends from Mondstadt with open arms." The Archon nodded at Aether to continue.
"Representing the nation of Liyue, the Tianquan Ningguang of the Liyue Qixing and Lady of the Jade Chamber."
"Recently reconstructed," Ningguang added before bowing respectfully. "Gokigenyou, heika. Though Rex Lapis be departed, Liyue still remembers its ancient friendship with Inazuma."
"Accompanying her is the Yuheng Keqing of the Liyue Qixing."
"We place ourselves in your care, Lady Yae," Keqing mirrored her colleague's bow before sending a questioning glare towards the blond traveler. Aether merely chuckled before continuing with the introduction.
"And finally, acting as chronicler is the Secretary of the Yuehai Pavillion, Ganyu."
"A pleasure to see you again, Mik— er, that is to say Lady Yae!" The blue-haired adeptus smiled happily at her old friend, who gladly returned it.
"Indeed, it is good to see Liyue still thrives even in the absence of our dearly departed Morax." The two shared a sad smile at the passing of yet another dear friend. Such was the fate of all illuminated beings. The Archon shook her head and nodded at Aether once again.
"Representing the Yashiro Commission is the Shirasagi Himegimi, Lady Kamisato Ayaka," he said, gesturing to the girl beside him. "The Yashiro Commission oversees all cultural and religious affairs within Inazuma."
"Gokigenyou, honored guests from across the sea," Ayaka said with a picture-perfect bow. "The Yashiro Commission will do its utmost to ensure your stay in Inazuma is pleasant."
"Representing the Kanjou Commission is Lady Hiiragi Chisato," the traveler continued. "The Kanjou Commission oversees all financial and foreign affairs."
Chisato offered a bow. "I come in place of my father Shinsuke, whose advanced age prevents him from leaving Ritou for extended periods of time. Likewise, the Kanjou Commission looks forward to discussing trade between our nations and will do its utmost to ensure your stay is fruitful."
"Finally, representing the Tenryou Commission is General Kujou Sara," Aether said. "The Tenryou Commission oversees all military and security forces in Inazuma."
"A pleasure to meet you," Sara said a tad awkwardly before offering a bow. "I stand as representative of my brother, Kamaji, the Proxy Head of our clan. He is currently preoccupied with internal matters of our clan and is unable to attend this meeting. Nonetheless, the Tenryou Commission will do its utmost to ensure your stay in Inazuma is safe."
"I must say, it's a surprise to see you here, Aether!" Ganyu spoke up once formal introductions were concluded. "You as well, Paimon! I knew you two were heading to Inazuma, but I never expected to run into you here of all places!"
"Indeed," Jean said, giving him a worried once-over. "Information was sparse due to the Sakoku Decree. We know there was some sort of conflict going on here and the fact that there's a new Electro Archon speaks volumes... Please, tell me you didn't do anything too crazy..."
"Oh, you know..." Aether chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Just doing my thing."
"Inazuma owes Aether a great debt!" Ayaka said ardently. "When he arrived, our nation was in the midst of a terrible civil war. It is due to his aid that we were able to restore order and reconcile the warring factions. He is a great hero to Inazuma!"
"Lots of crazy stuff happened!" Paimon added enthusiastically. "We got branded as criminals, joined the resistance, fought the Shogun's army. And then the Fatui showed up and everything went all topsy-turvy!"
"As it often does when the Fatui are involved," Keqing scowled.
"Sounds like you two had quite the adventure," Lisa giggled with an affectionate smile.
"Yeah! Aether almost got executed by the Shogun in front of everyone!" The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees as an awkward silence descended upon the room.
"W-What?!" Barbara squeaked.
"Why do you like telling that story so much?" Aether asked, annoyed.
"Cause it's the first time Paimon saw you get your butt kicked that badly!"
"She did not kick my butt!" He retorted. "She totally cheated!"
"Uh huh, and how did she cheat?"
"She locked some of my abilities! I don't know how she did it, since I don't have a Vision but she did! Besides, I'm the one that came out on top during our rematch!"
"AHEM!" Keqing coughed loudly. "Ignoring the fact that you just claimed to go toe-to-toe with an Archon of all things... Can we go over the fact that you were almost executed?"
"Oh, yeah," Aether shrugged. "I lost a fight to Raiden. Even though she cheated..." He muttered the last part under his breath, prompting an eye-roll from Paimon. "She was gonna execute me to set an example, since I challenged her authority in public or whatever. My friend Thoma managed to bail me out though. Anyway, lots of things happened but Raiden and me eventually smoothed things over. We're cool now."
"So, she tried to kill you," Jean pinched the bridge of her nose. "But you made up. And now you're... cool?"
"Basically."
"I truly struggle to comprehend how your mind works," Ningguang sighed, rubbing her temples to stave off the oncoming headache.
"Aether has done a great service to Inazuma," Yae Miko spoke up, her words beginning to take on divine authority and causing everyone's backs to instinctively straighten. "It was his compassion and will that convinced the Raiden Shogun to step down, not his skill with a blade. He liberated Inazuma not through bloodshed, but through words and ideals. And for this, Inazuma is eternally grateful. I am eternally grateful. He will have a place of honor at my side for as long as he chooses to stay in Inazuma."
"""Hai, Heika.""" The Inazuman natives said, bowing as one to the Empress of Thunder.
"That... sounds like Aether, alright," Jean said with a fond smile.
"How does it feel?" Ningguang asked, a smirk forming on her face. "Oh, Great Hero of Three Nations?"
"Sangoku no Daiyuusha," Ayaka hid her smile behind her fan. "It has a pleasant ring to it."
"Okay, okay," Paimon broke in, waving her hands. "Let's not let it go to his head, now!"
"I don't know," Aether rubbed his chin. "I have done an awful lot for this world..."
"You literally told Ei the other day that the only reason you got stomped is because you got too cocky!" Paimon retorted. Aether was about to deflect by saying he'd let Ei stomp on him any day, but was cut off by...
"Ei...?" Miko repeated quietly.
"Eek!" Paimon squeaked as Aether sent her a glare.
"She meant... Mei!" He said quickly. "A kenjutsu student we befriended a while ago. She looks up to the Shogun and wants to be just like her, so we were telling her about our fight with Raiden..."
"Hmm..." The look of suspicion didn't fade from the miko's eyes, causing Aether to begin sweating.
"Heika!" A voice broke in, drawing the Archon's attention, much to Aether's relief. However, that relief came crumbling down as the hatamoto samurai spoke.
"The shipment of Dendelion Wine gifted by the Mondstadt Delegation has been broken into!" He exclaimed, causing Jean's eyes to narrow.
"Along with that, several high-end items have been purchased on credit, but the buyer has seemingly disappeared overnight. A large number of merchants are in an uproar." Ningguang's eyes narrowed.
"Lastly, many eateries have experienced mysterious explosions all across Inazuma! What was left from the explosions was some grotesque mockery of basic Inazuman cuisine." Yae's eyes narrowed.
Meanwhile Aether slowly felt himself dying inside. Those Archons... He was going to kill them.
Closing Notes: And with that, the elemental moms have assembled.
Anemo Mom: Jean
Geo Mom: Ningguang
Electro Mom: Yae
How will our protagonists deal with all these moms? Unruly A̶r̶c̶h̶o̶n̶s̶ children better watch out.
Also
THAT'S A LOT OF WAIFUS
Sep 2, 2021 Update: Not huge, but in line with updates to the other chapters I felt I should explain a few things. Unlike in the canon 2.1, in this universe, Yae never spoke to the Traveler about Ei's existence. Ei willingly allowed him into the Plane of Euthymia as a sort of "reward" for aiding her against an attack by Signora. So him even knowing Ei's name is extremely suspicious.