Limitations ~ Scaraether

4

A/N: I watched a video about semicolons so, if I use any wrong, please tell me.
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Aether stared at Paimon perplexed by her question, before shaking his head. He should've expected to be asked that, so, why is he treating it as if he'd been asked something inappropriate?

"No, we haven't— yet." Aether looked away embarrassed, but Paimon took it as him being flustered, causing her to break out laughing.

"It's okay, Aether! Not everyone is at the point in a relationship, and it's good that you're taking it at your pace." Coughing as she stopped herself from laughing, she hugged the Traveler tightly, a bright look in her eyes.
Aether patted her on the head with a flustered smile on his face. The words she spoke were sweet, but it was still embarrassing to be told.
As the two began walking out of Sumeru City, they heard a very relaxed voice call out to them. Turning around, they saw Lisa and Amber approaching them, shocking the two companions.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Paimon exclaimed at the two, her mouth agape as she floated to the two.

"Well, we just wanted to meet the traveler's supposed boyfriend~ Jean would've come to give him a proper greeting, but you know how she is..." Lisa looked a bit worried as she came to the end of her sentence. Everyone knew how much of a pushover Jean was to herself, and it worried them immensely.

"We would've come earlier, but work had gotten heavy on us— well, mainly Amber."
Her demeanor changed once she noticed that it was just Aether and Paimon. No third companion, which confused her.

"So, where is he?" Amber asked excitedly, hands on her hips.

"He's busy presently; he had to go visit Nahida." Paimon briefly explained.

"Oh, the archon?" Lisa was intrigued by the thought; she was always fond of the idea of meeting with archons as if they were your everyday people, but pushed it aside as she waited for a response from the blonde in front of her.
Earning a slight nod, a smile appeared on her face as she began to open her mouth.

"Hm, well, we'll be on our way then; we have a reservation at Lambad's Tavern, so, come find us later." The two watched as the sibling-dynamic duo walked away, chatting about what the traveler's newfound boyfriend could be like.
Aether sighed harshly once the two were a few miles away, a breath he was holding in finally escaping his lungs, confusing the fairy next to him.

"What's wrong, Aether?" She whispered to the taller, who looked physically and emotionally drained.

"Nothing, I'm fine." He smiled at the floater, patting her on the head; an annoyed look took over his face as he looked off into the distance.

"Okay, seriously, what's wrong?"

"Hm? Nothing... I just realized that we don't have anything else to do since we're caught up on everything." Aether lied. Did he feel bad about telling a fib? Yes, especially since she's his most trusted companion, but he didn't want her to worry or gain suspicions.

"Oh, isn't that good? We don't have anything else to do, meaning we can relax." Paimon floated upside down with a lazy look on her face. Aether rolled his eyes playfully before taking a seat on a nearby bench.
Truth be told, he didn't know what brought his mood down at that moment; he just felt upset over something.
A soft breeze hit his skin, cooling him from the warm temperature that inhabits Sumeru, and a frown formed on his face. He should be looking for his sister, not being caught up in love things, right? But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel at ease. Not worrying about the future journeys ahead of him, what will happen when he'll have to deal with his sister, etc. he felt at ease knowing that he has some form of comfort— even if it's not real comfort.
He shook his head, trying to relieve himself of the guilt he was feeling; telling himself that it wouldn't be fair if he overworked himself trying to find a sibling who didn't want to be found as of now.
Flinching into an alert state, he turned around to figure out who had put their arms around him, only to calm down once he realized it was just Kuni.
Oddly, though, he didn't say anything and just leaned into his touch.