Meraki

Part 1 Chapter 6: Barbatos Won't Forgive Snezhnaya's Fair Lady

One day later, Aether, and Sying returned to Mondstadt. Jean had returned to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters and Diluc went back to his tavern. Venti went back with Jean, leaving the duo by themselves. Amber met them in front of the bridge leading to the City of Freedom.

"You guys are back! The Honorary Knight returns triumphant!" Amber exclaimed. "You just returned yesterday, right? Jean got back first, and she told us all about your heroic deeds." Amber told them and sighed. "I wonder if I'll ever get an opportunity like that."

"Trust me, it's not an opportunity you'd want too often." Sying informed her.

"It's all thanks to your referral." Aether stated.

"That doesn't come into it. You guys deserve all the credit for how you resolved this crisis. When I brought you into the city that day, I was just doing my duty as an Outrider."

"You're welcome! But, have you been waiting here for us this whole time?"

"Of course not! Just because I'm out on the front line doesn't mean I don't have work to do. In fact, I'm dealing with the aftermath of the crisis as we speak." Amber announced.

"Aftermath? What happened?" Sying asked.

"While Master Jean was away, the monsters lurking nearby made a coordinated attack on the city. Fortunately, we weren't completely taken by surprise. I detected the hilichurls were moving closer to the city a while back." She replied.

"I'm glad you were able to hold them back." Aether let out a sigh of relief.

"Me too. I have a strange feeling that we're not out of the woods yet. Hilichurls aren't usually capable of coordinating like this. Our best guess is that the Abyss Order is behind it." Amber shared her thoughts. "Ugh, I'm sorry. You should be celebrating your victory, not listening to all this somber talk! Hmm. I promised to take you out for some Sticky Honey Roast, didn't I? Before everyone got caught up in the Stormterror crisis. There's no time like the present, right? You guys hungry?" When the three of them reached Good Hunter, Kaeya was there talking to Sara. Amber went to order their food, so the trio interacted with the Cavalry Captain.

"Greetings, may I take your order?" Sara wondered.

"Why so cold? I've always thought that we enjoy quite the intimate friendship." Kaeya teased the woman.

"Alberich!" Sying called out.

"Kaeya!" Aether yelled. The Khaenri'ahn turned to face them.

"Ah, so you do feel something for me. And people say my charm is fake. To bask in the presence of Lord Astral and Mondstadt's new big hero is quite the morale boost. And that's coming from a knight." Kaeya stated.

"Sweet talking sugar coated, Captain Kaeya." Aether sighed.

"Haha, nonsense! I speak from the heart."

"What are you plotting this time?"

"Me? Nothing. On the contrary, I'm trying to work out what others are plotting. That's why I'm here, somewhere quiet, where I can collect my thoughts." Kaeya explained.

"So, what are you thinking about?" Sying questioned.

"The Abyss Order, my Lord. A dragon wreaks havoc in Mondstadt, and the Acting Grand Master leaves the city to combat the threat. Strategically, that's the perfect moment for the Abyss Order to make their move. If you were the Abyss Order, would you squander this golden opportunity by sending in nothing more than a few hilichurls?" He replied.

"There must be more to the story." Aether commented.

"To get to the bottom of it, I decided to wait. So I waited, and watched for their next move. Then came the day when you made all hell break loose in Stormterror's lair, just as the hilichurls' cries sounded from the city gates. That same day, I saw shadowy figures lurking in the city itself. Well, all the other knights were outside, fighting the enemy. As you can imagine, that left the inside of the city completely unguarded. Except for me, of course. And so I approached the Abyss Order infiltrators for a bit of, hmm, let's call it fraternizing. Through various means, I managed to gather some rather interesting intel. The situation is this: The Abyss Order is united under a single leader." Kaeya shared.