Limitations ~ Scaraether

15.5

After spending more time in Inazuma, the trio got tired of the ever-changing land and decided it was time to head back to Sumeru— mostly because Kuni's requested time off from the academia, approved by Nahida, was cutting short.
Aether had nearly forgotten the humanoid puppet was a part of the academia part-time and was confused by the letter he'd received from Nahida stating:

'Aether, can you tell Kuni that his five-month leisurely from Sumeru Akademiya expires by tomorrow? Thank you dearly. I would've sent it to him myself, but he seldom— if ever— reads his mail.
       —Nahida'

Kuni groaned with annoyance at the news. Why did he agree to partake in the Akademiya?

"At least we have a reason to go back, 'hat guy.'" A laugh escaped Aether's mouth once he remembered his name from the competition.

"Call me that again, and I'm ripping your tongue out." Despite the words being an obvious threat, the blush on his face told a different story, causing Aether to let out a soft chuckle.

"Sure, you would." Aether smiled, "You know, you remind me of a cat. I'm going to call you 'Scarameow' now."

"'Scarameow?'"

"Mhm."

"You're name-making abilities are as terrible as Paimon's. Do not call me that."

"Aw, okay..."

"Hey! Paimon has great name-calling abilities!" Aether jerked from the fairy's unannounced "visit."

"...Bull-Chucker..."

"Oh, yeah... that wasn't Paimon's best moment, but it got Paimon's point across!"

"No, no, it didn't." Aether shook his head, facepalming himself. Arriving in the City of Sumeru, Kuni kissed Aether on the cheek before leaving to inform Nahida that he was back.

"Bleh, romance..."

"Oh, hush. You do the same to your food; it scares me sometimes."

"Well, at least the food is delicious!" Aether rolled his eyes, petting Paimon on the head.

"Whatever helps you keep your inner peace."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Hm, anyway, what do we need to do?"

"Ignoring the topic change— What do you mean?"

"Fontaine. We need to begin our journey to the region, and we need to complete some things first."

"Shouldn't we inform Kuni first? What if he wants to come?"

"We are, don't worry." Aether smiled reassuringly at the fairy, "But I still have some exploring left untouched, so it'll be a while until we begin the walk."

"Hm, okay... man, Paimon already misses Sumeru."

"We'll still visit it just like all the other regions."

"Paimon knows..." Traveling back and forth between the thriving greenery and the blazing hot desert took a toll on both Aether and Paimon— even if she stayed in the shade floating, cheering, and eating to her heart's content.

The duo sat under a tree, drinking whatever water they found in the adventure bag. There wasn't much delicious food left due to a (particular) fairy, but Aether made it work.

Laying limp with his back against the tree, Aether noticed the distant chest and sighed heavily. He did not want to get it, but to complete the exploration, he needed it. But alas, it was too far away, and his legs felt like jelly, while his arms felt sore and as if they were about to fall off.

"Pshh, this is a pathetic sight." Aether perked up at the voice, a smile on his face.

"Hello, Kuni."

"Ugh, why is he here?" Paimon whined, going back to hiding in leaves for shelter.

"Rude, you should be pleased to be in my presence. Anyway—" Kuni sat down next to the blonde, letting him lay his head on his shoulder, "—I was searching for you, and a few people said they saw you coming in this general direction. What are you doing?"

"Exploration... I'm just trying to make sure I have everything stable here before I go to Fontaine."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I was going to find and tell you, but you found us first."

"Do you need help? If so, my gracious presence will be more than upset to help you."

"Haha, very funny, doofus."

"Doofus?"

"Yeah, I was going to call you a fool, but I remembered you aren't in the Fatui anymore." Aether giggled, "Perhaps that's why you acted a fool during those days..."

"I did not."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I don't need sleep."

"And yet, you still sleep."