Lantern Rite

Chapter One

There was a bright smile on Aether's face as he walked through the streets of Liyue Harbor, his steps aligning with the beat of the faint music that could be heard in the background. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, taking in the air and aroma around him. The smell of freshly cooked food filled his nose and he let out a satisfied sigh. The thought of how much Paimon would flip if she was there made him chuckle a bit. The poor thing was stuck with Albedo back in Mondstadt. He had asked her to take part in an experiment months prior, and she had agreed without realizing it would be during the time of the Lantern Rite. Aether told her he'd save some food for her but in all reality...he'd probably forget.

Without his floating travelling companion, Aether actually felt a little bit lost. He knew the Harbor well, of course, but he didn't quite know what to do with himself. She usually seemed to know what to do and where to go at exactly the right time. Aether certainly did not. He began to actually miss his emergency food, surprisingly enough. Though those thoughts were cut short as he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh my- I'm so sor-" he began to say. Though as he snapped out of his daze, Aether was hit with relief as he saw who it was.

"Oh, Ganyu!" he exclaimed, a smile crossing his face. "Thank goodness it's just you- I mean, not just you - it's lovely to see you, i'm just glad it's you i bumped into and not a stranger." he rambled, over explaining himself.

Ganyu let out a soft laugh, shaking her head a bit and resting her hand on Aether's shoulder for a moment. "It's quite alright, I knew what you meant." she said softly.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Good, that's good." he smiled.

Ganyu nodded a bit. "I'm glad to see you back for the festival! I wasn't sure you'd come this year, I know you're really busy searching for your sister."

Aether nodded a bit. "Yeah, I wasn't sure either at first but I just couldn't miss out. It's one of my favorite things to take part in." He said, a smile beaming on his face.

Though of course, that wasn't the only reason why he came back for Lantern Rite. There was a certain someone that he got extra worried about around this time of year. He thought about him a lot, so he figured visiting during the festival was the perfect to excuse to go check on his Adeptal friend. He knew things were especially hard for him at this time, so he really wanted to pay him a visit to see if he needed anything. Not that he would even admit to needing anything, but he figured it was worth asking.

Ganyu smiled and nodded. "Well i'm happy you're here, we all love having you around." she said softly, a shy blush crossing her cheeks.

Aether smiled widely. "Thanks! Hey- do you know where Xiao is? I planned on checking at Wangshu Inn but I figured I'd ask just in case you knew." He explained.

Ganyu thought a moment before shaking her head. "No I don't...In fact I haven't heard from him in a while." she frowned a bit. "Wangshu will be your best bet though."

Aether nodded a bit, a look of worry crossing his face for a brief moment. "Okay, no worries. Thanks! I'll come back to check on you later okay?" he smiled, hugging her and giving her a quick squeeze before running off.

She hasn't heard from Xiao in a while? He thought to himself as he left. He knew they weren't exactly close but still...he knew they at least talked here and there. He shook his head a bit and took a few deep breaths. It probably wasn't anything to be too concerned about. He just needed to relax a bit. Xiao knew how to take care of himself. He had to put faith in that.