Hello everyone, the moment of the meeting will soon arrive, and you'll see how Ayaka reacts to the situation. We'll also be taking another trip to Mondstadt, where most of them are panicking more than anything else and plunging into regret. Enjoy your reading.
"Miss Kamisato, please calm down!" Kazuha pleaded, who saw the situation escalate, as well as the others who were more than surprised by Ayaka losing her temper and starting to shiver from the cold.
The sheer cold generated by the Frostflake Heron engulfed the expensive pieces of decor that adored Ningguang's office in ice and snow while the other Vision Users present were handling the cold far better than any normal person would. The secretaries and guards however outside the office noticed how unbearably cold the Jade Chamber was getting. Naturally, the guards immediately banged against Ningguang's office door demanding to know if The Tianquan was alright and what was going on inside. Yae Miko knew she needed to calm Ayaka down now or else Inazuma would be plunged into another war they really couldn't afford to be in.
"Ayaka, that's enough!" Yae ordered sternly, but Ayaka remained unfettered by the priestess's words.
"My apologies, Lady Yae, but I don't intend to let her off easy, this woman has no thoughts for Aether, her colleagues or anyone! She deserves far worse than burying herself in paperwork and self-pity!" Ayaka ranted angrily, summoning her katana from her hip.
Yae would never have thought that Ayaka, the normally polite young woman, would get so angry enough to commit murder. The cryo swordswoman moved closer and closer to Ningguang, who was quite frightened, and could no longer even think about how to avoid what she thought was the inevitable, while Kazuha and Beidou stood in front of Ayaka pulling out their own blades to defend The Tianquan againsts Ayaka's wrath.
Yae also joined in, ready to use force against Ayaka, if it meant stopping an international incident that could lead to war between two nations.
"Ayaka, think! You can't commit murder just because you blame Ningguang, it doesn't justify you killing her! If you continue like this, you will create a serious diplomatic incident between Liyue and Inazuma, don't forget that she is the one who runs this country! If you do this, your head will be sought after by all of Liyue, and even more, and you will not be able to try to see Aether again. In addition to this, you will condemn Inazuma to another war, I know you don't want that, so please stop!" Yae pleaded to Ayaka, piling on every grim logical conclusion that was going to happen.
Ayaka paused in her movements, knowing full well that Yae was completely right. While Ayaka loved Aether and hated that he was suffering with no one to comfort, or support him. The Frostflake Heron wanted to do just that, but couldn't do that if she was locked in a cell, executed and her homeland locked into another war that no one wanted.
Ayaka listened to Yae's words, she in no way wanted to create more problems than there already were, so she gradually calmed down, her sword dismissed, her Cryo aura disappeared, and the temperature became much more bearable. However, the office was still covered in ice and frost. Kazuha and Beidou dismissed their own swords, while Yae Miko breathed a sigh of relief, she would not think that a simple visit for information could have started an international incident.
"You're right Lady Yae, I can't take a risk of doing such a thing." Ayaka said simply, trying her best to remain calm.
"Thank you, Ayaka. I know that all this upsets you, especially in a fairly short period, but I think that you and I can't dwell on this. I think Ningguang has already had the punishment she deserves by seeing her two trusted people reject her and resign from their job, it is not necessary to do more. Can't you see she understood the lesson? " Yae says, placing a hand on Ayaka's shoulder, trying to reassure her.
"It's true... but that doesn't mean that I can forgive her... I just hope that she will become aware of her actions, as well as the responsibility for her nonsense." Ayaka said, still not in a forgiving mood.
"Yes, I'd will." Ningguang spoke suddenly, causing all eyes to turn to her.
"Miss Kamisato is right to not trust me and not to forgive me. After all, lately, I've only caused trouble, and I couldn't do anything to reduce the damage. I fully understand what you mean, and I take full responsibility for my irresponsible actions, even if I know that this is nothing, I apologize for everything against all the people in whom I have broken the trust they had in me." Ningguang said, bowing to Ayaka.
Under normal circumstances, Ningguang would have arrested Ayaka immediately, and torn up the new trade agreements Liyue had with Inazuma. Even allowing Liyue to go to war with Inazuma since a high ranking noble from Inazuma destroyed her office, and tried to murder her. However, Ningguang was too overwhelmed with guilt to care about formalities.
" I hope this will serve as a lesson for you."
"However, even if it is selfish on my part, I have a request to ask of you... If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you..."
"No!" Ayaka shouted without even giving Ningguang the chance to finish her sentence.
"Ayaka, let her finish at least!"
"I don't want this woman to come with us, she has already caused enough damage…We don't need any of the misfortune she's carrying.",Ayaka said coldly, shocking even Yae Miko on how hostile the heiress was.
"I don't expect you to forgive me, Miss Kamisato. Even though I know I don't deserve it, you're not the only one who's concerned about Aether's wellbeing. I'm not oblivious to the whispers behind my back that I'm just a shrewd businesswoman who values Mora more than people's lives. But I do care about everyone's lives, especially Aether's. Even if he doesn't forgive me, he needs to know that we're all grateful for him, not for our country's sake, but for how he came into our lives for the better. So please allow me to accompany you to find Aether." Ningguang pleaded, her voice cracking.
Seeing that Ayaka wasn't quite satisfied with her answer, she added to her plea her way of helping her.
"I know how I could at least redeem myself even a little... I could make sure to go very quickly where you wanted me to take you, after all I have the money for that. It would be enough for me to ask the best valet to take us. In addition, you could have everything you want as food and equipment during the getaway, I have quite high resources. And well, moving to Mondstadt will be less difficult, because with my status, I will be able to collect information quite easily. I know that I should not use my posture for this kind of frivolous thing, and I have never done it, but I really want to be forgiven by him, because if there is one who must suffer, it is me, surely not an honorable person like Aether... "
Yae was quite surprised to see Ningguang like this, and couldn't help but pity her. Kazuha and Beidou did not expect to see the Tianquan drowning herself in self-pity. Beidou displayed a face full of compassion, not bearing to see her friend, so miserable from her usual personality, and she did not know that Ningguang could show such a vulnerable side that people rarely saw.
"Miss Ayaka, in my opinion, I think you should accept, this is not every day that Ningguang puts herself in this state. I know what she did was foul, but she really wants to apologize to Aether, as well as to Keqinq, Ganyu and Yelan. You're not the only one with personal stakes, and Ning is offering us her full support. Also, it is better to take advantage of this kind of offer, because she will not do it twice in a row..." Beidou said, giving out her personal opinion, trying her best to have Ayaka see that Ningguang may not be perfect, but she was trying her hardest to make amends.
Ayaka's face softened as she realized that Ningguang was truly being sincere in her words.
"Fine, you can come with us."
"Thank you very much, Miss Kamisato." Ningguang smiled, feeling a strong surge of positivity finally come back to her after days of stress and endless paperwork.
" I hope so... Don't make me regret my decision." Ayaka said simply, making it very clear she is still reluctant to have Liyue's ruler join them.
"No, you have my word." Ningguang said with resolution in her voice.
"Alright, I'll give you thirty minutes to start getting ready or else I'm leaving without you."
Ayaka had said her final words and decided it was time to leave the Jade Chamber. The Frostflake Heron approached the frozen office door, bringing out her katana. In a stunning display of swordsmanship, Ayaka sliced the frozen door with a few masterful strikes, knocking down a few Jade Chamber guards who were trying to pry the door open in the process. Ayaka coldly ignored them as they demanded to know what was going on, but she simply walked to the outside platform of the Jade Chamber to wait for the others. This stunned Ningguang, Kazuha, Beidou, and Yae, especially the callous action of Ayaka.
The guards flooded the office relieved that Ningguang was alright but also confused as to why her office looked to have been caught by a blizzard. Ningguang assured them everything was alright, and not to question why her furniture was covered in ice. The guards immediately got the message before leaving the frozen office.
" I didn't know that Miss Kamisato could be so authoritarian and cold. As far as I remember, in Inazuma, she was always so polite and calm." Kazuha remarked finding Ayaka's ice-cold demeanor incredibly disturbing.
"You got that right, Kazuha. Even a sweet little princess can have a vicious bite to them." Beidou said, giving out her opinion.
"Now, I understand what Lady Ningguang meant by the fact that losing Aether would be very dangerous for all of the nations. We almost found ourselves in an international conflict because of his sudden disappearance related to his mental health." Kazuha said starting to realize the gravity of the situation was much more dire than he believed.
"Say like that, it's true that it's not cool, indeed. Come on, let's go see if she's calmed down." Beidou said.
"Good idea, Captain. Are you coming, Miss Yae?" Kazuha called out to Yae, who was lost in thought.
"... Uh... I'll be there in a few minutes, don't worry."
"As you wish. "
Kazuha and Beidou left Ningguang's office while Yae remained standing there, even more, overwhelmed by Ayaka violently lashing out. She was now concerned she didn't have things under control with Ayaka nearly killing Ningguang, understanding that she should be more careful because Aether's instability not only affected his way of acting, but also that of others. Yae also wondered if Aether could be even scarier than her, and at this thought alone, she shivered, feeling happy not to have provoked him too much.
Just after finishing her thoughts, she approached Ningguang who was exhausted from the entire ordeal, ready to pass out on her desk. Yae couldn't have that, so she did the unthinkable, she held out her right index finger, glowing with Electro energy…
Bzzh!
"Ow!"
Ningguang immediately jolted awake from being painfully zapped on her left arm. The merchant woman rubbed the wound and glared at the kitsune, who looked unapologetic and amused.
"That wasn't necessary."
"Oh, but it was. I can't let you pass out now since dear Ayaka made it abundantly clear she's getting very impatient and more than happy to leave you behind." Yae said simply, brushing off that she just assaulted Liyue's ruler, but at least she didn't lose her head.
Ningguang didn't dare to dignify Yae's words with a response.
Yae decided to change the subject.
"I admit that this visit went a lot more intense than I expected."
"No, I deserved it. In any case, even if I had sent Yelan to understand the situation, it's worth going by myself, after all, it's my fault and I want to apologize to Aether, even if he will surely hate me, it doesn't matter, at least, he won't blame Keqing, Ganyu and Yelan." Ningguang said.
"Hehe..." Yae giggled.
"Why are you laughing?"
"It's just that I'm certain this chase to find Aether isn't going to be just an exchange of a few friendly words between friends, but a lot more than that with Ayaka having some serious competition." Yae smiled wishing to write on her notepad if the situation concerning Aether wasn't so dire.
Yae could imagine this being a hit light novel about the heroic protagonist managing to win the hearts of so many ladies that seemed impossible to approach.
"You mean…" Ningguang's eyes widened.
"Yes, indeed. You have to understand, it's just more than a simple crush or an invasion of privacy. To them, you crossed the line when it comes to Aether even if you are still one of the most important people in this country, but for them, it is equivalent to stabbing him in the back, which is not far from the truth." Yae said, laying out the simple truth.
"I see... In a sense, she may be right, if I were more attentive to what people thought, we would not have come to this point." Ningguang said bitterly, ashamed of herself.
"At least you learned something useful, it's better than nothing. I hope Aether will forgive you... And me too…" Yae says this part quietly so that Ningguang does not hear it.
"Did you say something?"
"No, nothing at all."
"It must be the fatigue then... In any case, thank you for protecting me." Ningguang said being very grateful.
"Think nothing of it, I wasn't going to let a friend and an entire country collapse in difficult times" Yae said, smiling mischievously at the white-haired woman before extending her hand, which Ningguang accepted.
The head shrine maiden and businesswoman walked together to leave the Jade Chamber with a new ally. Ningguang made a quick announcement to all of her staff that she had to leave to attend an important business meeting in Mondstadt. The secretaries sobbed in despair knowing their already massive workload just increased by tenfold. Nevertheless, Ningguang walked to the outside world, enjoying the sun and fresh breeze for what seemed like an eternity. However, the merchant woman didn't have the luxury to enjoy it as she had more important matters to attend to.
Finding Aether and apologizing to him.
In the evening, Aether left the hotel in which he was temporarily staying, finally awake and washed, before going out to take a bite to eat, the only thing he now liked in Mondstadt was the Sweet Madame Dish prepared by Sara. Moreover, this dish, which was one of the first he had eaten when he arrived in this world, reminded him of Paimon, and her way of being playful for almost everything related to food.
While eating a piece of chicken thigh, always covered in its signature sauce, Aether thought of the little fairy, and the way he knew he had left her without an answer and promised himself that when he would leave this world, he would take his best friend with him, and the only one who supported him in this horrible place that is Teyvat.
"Paimon... I hope you're doing well, wherever you are... I'll come back as soon as Lumine is with me... In the meantime, try not to be fooled by these morons…"
He continued to eat after having these thoughts about them but listened to the voices behind him to the passers-by walking in the shining streets of Mondstadt, and recognized these voices as people he once called friends as well as high-blown sniffing.
"What is it, Razor?"
"Nothing, friend Bennett. Only, Razor smells... familiar smell... Like lupical..."
"What do you mean?"
"My dear, it seems to me that it is normal for your nostrils to be intoxicated by my perfect distracting perfume, you don't have to worry about this kind of subtlety."
"What Mein Fraulein means is that it's normal for you to smell us."
"No... There is...other smell... that is not yours... Very close."
"Razor, I just think you're just exhausted by the mission entrusted to us by Captain Kaeya, let's get our reward and go rest."
"Okay... But Razor finds it strange."
"If it ever bothers you again, let's ask Mona, she will be able to know with her astromancy..."
The trio composed of Fischl, Bennet, and Razor headed towards the guild, after a quest that had lasted all day and was full of problems due to Bennett's bad luck, but they were all used to it, so it didn't matter to them.
However, Aether did not like Razor's catching on to him, intentional or not. The traveler tried his best to keep his cool as Razor's nose was being brushed off by Bennet and Fischl as nothing. It was attention, he didn't need it right now, but it was difficult not to lash out.
"Can't wait for me to leave this country of degenerates before it's too late. I won't be surprised that the Knights already have another crisis on their hands needing me to solve it and blaming it on low manpower. I just want to be left in peace." Aether ranted quietly to himself before focusing on eating his chicken. Ironically sounding almost like Diluc.
After eating, Aether went to the Alchemy Table to create different potions against the elements and buffs to strengthen himself if he ever randomly met a Fatui Harbinger, which he believed was a strong possibility with his luck. He had taken advantage of the evening not to have to meet Timaeus who would probably recognize him, before going back to the inn, impatiently waiting for the next day, to pick up his sword and pick up the last of his supplies for Fontaine.
The next day, Noelle, the valiant maid-knight she is, woke up early every morning to do her morning exercises, 100 push-ups, 100 sit ups, and run 10 times around the city. After she finished her exercise, Noelle headed straight to the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius to perform her daily tasks, sometimes squeezing in a few bits of conversations between the different knights to hope to have clues on how to become a better knight and pass the exam successfully. Noelle secretly hoped that Aether would be there to see her succeed in finally becoming a real knight, because in addition to being her mentor, he was a very good friend to her and her role model, and even if she tried to hide it as best she could, she even hoped that they were more than friends, but discarded this idea for the moment, focusing more on her training.
Noelle saw a rare sight she saw on the way, Fischl, Bennett, and Razor arriving at the Knights of Favonius headquarters to report to Kaeya, because even if they were not knights, they had permission to enter the area, since they were experienced adventurers who proved useful to the knights.
Noelle greeted them, and saw that they were then accompanied by Mona, and when she asked the young witch why she was there, she said that it was related to the conversation she had had with the small group of adventurers about Razor and what he had smelled the previous evening, which was very upsetting for him, because he instinctively knew this person, but didn't know why. She also replied that she had had complications lately seeing the future, and it was getting even harder to see, which surprised Noelle and she realized that something was going to happen in Mondstadt that would not be very auspicious.
The maid knight understood Mona's decision and accompanied her to Jean's office, as well as Bennett, Fischl and Razor, before realizing that she heard a lot of noises coming from the Grandmaster's office. They were surprised because Jean is a calm person, and when Noelle was going to open, Mona prevented her from doing so because there were more sounds of irritation, especially from a woman who couldn't help being worried since she had heard the news.
"Are you kidding me?!" Amber's voice called out angrily.
"Calm down Amber, there's no point in getting angry, we're just saying that he can be in danger with his current state of mind, according to what we have received as information. We can't rule out the fact that he might perceive us as enemies." Tighnari's voice was calm and professional in contrast to Amber's.
"I refuse, you hear me Tighnari! Aether has problems, and you're treating him like a criminal! After all he has done for us, it's the least we can do, and try to help him!"
Noelle and Mona looked at each other strangely, wondering why they were talking about Aether as if he were going to die, and the same for the three people who followed them, having a bad feeling of what was going to happen, fear seizing them momentarily, before opening the door, not expecting to see everything in the office.
They saw most of the Knights of Favonius, with Collei, Tighnari and Cyno, who had hardly slept all night, except for Diluc who had gone to see him and manage his bar, because according to him, business is always business, even in a crisis. Beyond that, they saw papers everywhere, people who were on the verge of the breaking point, the stunned facial expressions of people in the room who looked at them with dark circles in their eyes, traces of tears, and frustration on their faces.
"What's going on? Why are you all here?" Noelle called out, looking confused and afraid.
"And also, what happened to Aether for you to talk about him in such a negative way? Don't try to divert the question, we hear you outside the door!" Mona asked a little upset, mixed with concerns that her "assistant" was in danger, and she feared that it had something to do with the fact that her Scryglass was getting increasingly difficult to function.
Jean, just like the others, but she in particular, did not know how to explain all of this. She clenched her fist, trying to face her problems once again, because she could not dodge the question, and Mona's serious look combined with Noelle's and Bennett's growing concern about their friend, as well as Fischl's and Razor's questioning look, made her feel more guilty, feeling that she was going to break, before a hand landed on her shoulder, which was the one of her old friend, Lisa.
" If you can't do it, I'll do it."
"Thank you, Lisa. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be, it's normal to freeze up in these moments."
Lisa displayed a serious expression, revealing the truth concerning Aether's mental state that he was not doing well, not making any sudden conclusions, hoping that it could help them if more people could contribute, it would be for the best.
During the explanations, Jean could only keep her head down, feeling not only useless but also weak, not even being able to give such simple information, as if she were afraid of reprisals from them, wondering if she was worthy of being called Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
Jean was not the only one who wanted to dishonor herself, because no one dared to say a word, as if a punishment fell on them, while they panicked internally that they could not find Aether and solve the problem as soon as possible, and to worry about people who would be collateral damage from their incompetencies such as the people who were in front of them.
The more Lisa spoke, the more people's faces fell. Those who knew the story could not bear to listen to it again while the newcomers would not be able to believe their ears. Mona felt worse and worse, holding the door because she feared that she would faint, her legs began to feel weak, while Noelle did not stop crying, hot tears ran down her face, feeling guilty for having asked for so much support when she never bothered doing the same. Bennett's face was saw, and a few tears also fell on his face, not expecting him to consider his friend, always brave in the face of trials and danger. Fischl stopped her eccentric character, during this short moment, feeling stupid roleplaying when Aether had played a much more difficult role than her, holding back his sorrows to stay focused on his goal. Razor did not know why he was crying, still new in the field of complex emotions, but knew one thing, that a person he considered his family was suffering, and he did not appreciate it.
When Lisa had finished explaining, some tears ran down her cheeks, while knowing well that she may have left them with some heavy guilt, but she preferred not to hide anything, because she felt that they would know this sooner or later. A silence of a few moments filled the air, leaving only occasional sniffing due to the sobbing, before Mona spoke again, an angry face on her face and guilt filled Lisa's eyes, who tried as best she could to bear this.
"And you just wanted to leave him alone!? Of all the people I met, I never thought it would be Aether who had the biggest problem! And you wanted to hide it from us?! You know that we are just as concerned with Aether as you are, and that in any case, we would have helped you, but you preferred to say nothing?!" Mona berated the knights who looked down in shame.
"Mona." Noelle said softly, catching the witch's attention.
"Huh? Noelle?"
"It's also our fault... You can't only blame them... Everyone is responsible in this room." Noelle spoke softly, her voice cracking.
"Noelle…"
"We neglected his wellbeing... If there is one person I admire more than everyone else, it's Aether... and we completely ignored him. We should have helped him more, every time he said he was fine, we should have insisted."
Noelle looked outside the window to the clear blue sky and spoke as if she was making a prayer, despair passing through her heart, the tears getting stronger and stronger as if she were trying to send a message to the Traveler, her hands locked together.
"Aether... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... You showed me so much, you helped this country so much, and we didn't do anything for you, I didn't do anything for you... Sorry to have been so selfish to want you to accompany me on my way... I should have accompanied you more to look for your sister... What's the point of trying to be a knight, if I can't even properly support and protect the people I love…"
Everyone wanted to try to comfort Noelle, but no one dared to move, except Mona, her haughty nature trying to project a strong front, as she began to cry too, caressing the young woman's back gently. However, someone spoke, Razor wiping his tears as best he could, remembering something that had bothered him.
"Razor remembers!" Razor called out, catching everyone's attention.
"Huh?"
"This smell... Lupical... Aether."
Now that truely caught everyone's attention.
"What?!"
"The smell of yesterday...The smell of Aether."
"Are you sure, Razor?"Amber asked, the desperation in her voice evident.
"Yes… That's why...it was familiar." Razor nodded his head rapidly.
"Are you really sure?!" Bennet exclaimed, who had said nothing at the moment, too upset, with a hopeful smile on his tearful face, while everyone in the room hoped he was telling the truth.
"Yes, it was Aether. Smells different but the same. Maybe because of what Teacher Lisa said... but it's him." Razor repeated with confidence in his voice.
"So, Aether is in Mondstadt?!" Noelle at the same time as all the others exclaimed even louder than Bennett, happy with this news.
" If I understand what he says correctly, he is in Mondstadt? But in which area of Mondstadt did you feel that?" Cyno questioned the feral wolf boy.
"Here… In the city."
"So, he's in the city? But I don't understand, why would he be here, yet he's trying to avoid everyone?" Cyno said, finding this piece of information confusing and ironic.
"That's not important, Cyno! I just want us to find and talk to him!" Amber exclaimed, wanting nothing more than to run out the door right now before Aether leaves.
"Amber is right, we can ask why when we find him. If Aether is still there, we must go now. As there are this many of us, we can cover more ground." Collei said firmly.
"What you are saying is true, Collei. I suggest…" Jean spoke up, ready to give out orders until she was interrupted by Mona.
"No, Jean, you won't suggest anything!"
"What?" Jean said, genuinely confused.
"You've done enough, and you let Lisa explain Aether's situation to us because you're too much of a coward, so stay out of the way!" Mona replied unafraid that she was talking down to Mondstadt current leader as she was quite irritated by Jean's decision to leave them in the dark.
"But…"
"Stop, we're wasting too much time. Now, let's form groups, and go to different sections of Mondstadt. You mentioned Diluc is aware of the situation, so let's find him on the way and tell him what Razor found. It may be only a false lead, but according to Bennett, Razor's instincts and senses never failed him. I can't use my Scryglass to see what will happen, but I know what I have to do to find Aether, and I won't let him down!" Mona said giving out a surprisingly well-formed plan.
The Hydro-user woman took charge of the operation all at once, under everyone's watch, very surprised by what had just happened, Jean at first, she increasingly questioned her role as leader of the knights but knew that for the moment, what mattered was to use the meager chance to find the blonde-haired Outlander.
Under Mona's orders, they dispersed, with reinforced guilt in their minds and an increasingly heavy heart, hoping that Aether had not left for good.