Could you be my tree hollow? (Aether x Collei)

Arriving In Sumeru

The day has arrived. With the summer rays of a freshly renewed sun pouring in through the windows, the time has been marked for our exuberant traveler to set sail for the next region, and leave this one behind.

Despite having already gone through this very same cycle twice by this point, Aether still has trouble holding back the tears; hitching periodically as he hugs his fellow Inazumans goodbye. It was moments like these, that really made Aether envy the Electro Archon – or rather, her puppeteered counterpart. Being stripped away of all emotion definitely has its drawbacks, but it also makes the concept of attachment nonexistent, meaning that you don't have anyone to cry over, nobody's absence to mourn.

Sounds miserable I know, but to some, feeling no emotion at all is a more worthwhile alternative. As long as it disposes of their immense grief, they'd rather go through life without feeling anything at all, as depressing as it sounds.

But alas, such circumstances weren't applicable to him unfortunately, leaving him with no other choice but to push forward, and deal with the grief head-on.

Regardless of the setbacks however, Aether tries his best to keep his chin up high. Not only to lessen the equally potent anguish his friends were feeling, but to quickly discourage this sudden sense of disparity. Affection was his main driving force after all, it was his attachment to Lumine that gave him this sense of determination in the first place. So to get rid of such an effective motivator, would go entirely against his moral foundations.

So, with one last hug to the eldest daughter of the Kamisato Clan, the blonde traveler and his floaty companion set sail back towards Liyue, the former now teary-eyed as he waves goodbye to all his friends.

"Aw, don't be sad..." Paimon comforts, using her small, dainty fingers to rub circles around his back. "We promised to visit as often as we can, right? And when we do, we'll have so many cool stories to tell!"

"Yeah...I know...." Aether concedes, recycling the same response for the third time now. "I'm just...really gonna miss them..."

Seeing her companion slouch in his seat as he bathes in his own misery proved to be too much for the grape juice-loving pixie to bear, and she quickly tries to cheer him up the best she can.

"...Paimon will too, but just think. Although we're leaving all our friends in Inazuma behind, we'll be able to make a ton of new ones with the people of Sumeru!"

The fairy did bring up a good point; Meeting new people and establishing friendships was Aether's favorite part of traveling. Not just because of all the useful connections he gained from doing so, but also because, he simply liked discovering all types of new cultures. Part of Teyvat's brilliance came from the surplus of unique, interesting people it was home to, and getting to know these vastly distinct individuals always brought the blonde at least some levels of enjoyment, no matter what region they were in. And although he probably won't get to meet anybody with the same enthusiasm as Amber, dedication as Ganyu, or even purity as Ayaka, he was confident he'd at least find somebody to get along with.

"Yeah...maybe..."

She was tempted to tease him for using nearly identical phrasing two times in a row, but the young man's soft, distraught face proved that he wasn't in the mood for her usual jests.

"...How about we go talk to Beidou?" Paimon suggests, happy to see the youthful joy recur in his irises. "It's a long way from here to the Chasm, so we might as well catch up with some old friends right? Come on, I think Xinyan and Kazuha are on board too!"

Having no reason to deny this offer, Aether slowly nods his head, determined to not let this internal adversary get the better of him. He's learned the hard way that just moping around and complaining won't ever lead to anything good, especially in situations like these.