Sometimes life changes for no reason. The interesting thing is whether these changes are good or bad.
Does waking up in an unknown world with many people who develop a crush on you count as a nice thing?
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It is agonizingly hot. From where does all this heat come from? It wasn’t so hot when- Realizing the oddity of the high temperature, you quickly open up your eyes. You were… strapped to a camel? And this camel is walking through the desert? If it weren’t for Aether sitting in front of you with his back facing you, you would be seriously concerned about this change of scenery. “Eh, Aether… What are we doing here? Weren’t we supposed to be in Sumeru?”
Your friend turns his head around. “So our sleepyhead finally decided to wake up as well. I am glad. To answer your questions: We are technically still in Sumeru, just in the eastern part of it where there are barely any plants. I would have preferred a different traveling route, but as it appears this is the easiest way to get to Fontaine. So please bear with the heat for a while.”
“Fontaine? I mean it makes sense as our next destination, but why couldn’t I say goodbye to anyone? Isn’t there supposed to be some celebration for - you know - saving an entire nation from its impending doom?”
Paimon’s head pops out of a bag which is hanging at the right side of the camel. “There was a celebration where we were able to say goodbye to everyone. The problem is that you slept though all of that.”
“…How long was I asleep?”
“Almost three days. According to Tighnari your body finally took its time to recover from everything now that you felt somewhat secure. You weren’t in any form of danger, just exhausted.”
“That’s… impressively long but couldn’t you have waited until I woke up?”
“We did originally plan to do that, but Aether over there got into an argument with both Alhaitham and Tighnari so that he ended up departing earlier.”
Looking at Paimon’s round head like that gives you the feeling that you forgot something. But what was- “One moment, where is Rosa?! Did my baby get left with that psychopath who calls himself a doctor?!”
Paimon tilts her head. “Who is Rosa?”
“Guys, this isn’t funny…”
“Have you looked into the bag in your lap?”, asks Aether.
You quickly take the bag, of which you haven’t acknowledged the existence before, into your hands and open it up.
Together with confetti, a pink glowing ball jumps out of it.
“Rosa!” Feeling the happiness of a sweet reunion, you hug your dear companion. “Are you okay? Did that madman traumatize you? Who am I asking, he traumatizes everyone he comes across. But now you’re safe…”
“Should I feel concerned that I didn’t get such a heartfelt greeting when I saved you from the Balladeer?” Aether does his best to put on a fake-sad tone.
You shake your head in response. “Nah, nah. First of all, I was bamboozled back then when you found me and had issues registering what was actually happening. Second, you aren’t my pet that followed me around from the very beginning. And lastly, if you want a hug, just say so.”
“…I will come back to that later, when we aren’t riding a camel.”
“Hm… Sounds like someone really wants a hug. A camel won’t stop me. Come here!” Hugging Aether from behind, you don’t see his blush. “Just like you wanted, an official thank you from me to you for saving me from-“ …Scaramouche. Memories of what trespassed before resurface.
“(Y/N)?”
“Now that I think about it, do you even deserve this hug? Sure, you saved me and I am thankful for that, but what kind of stunt was that after the fight?! If Nahida didn’t stop you back there, you would have killed somebody for no logical reason at all! I get that this decision came from a place of care, still there is no point at damaging someone who already hit rock-bottom!”
Aether’s grip on the reigns tightens. “Regardless of the earful I will get from you for this, I don’t regret it. Maybe the fact that I missed his head, but not the action itself.”
“You-“
“Think about it this way: I accept that you make naïve decisions one after another without getting angry at you, so maybe in exchange you could accept that I resent people like him.”
“But those are two completely different things! One is stupidity and the other is fúcking murder.”
“And yet both risk the death of someone. The difference is whether it is you or someone else. As long as I have a choice I prefer to kill someone else rather than see you die in my arms.”
This concerningly sounds like a situation where one friend would sacrifice themselves for the world and the other prefers to sacrifice the world for their friend. In a lighter form to be fair, but the directive is the same. How exactly are you supposed to respond to that? Both views are somewhat valid in their own right. Hoping for help, you look down towards Paimon, but she has hidden herself back in her bag. Seems like she doesn’t want to be a part of this argument. Great. “…Could we at least agree that none of us will take any extreme measurements as long as it isn’t absolutely necessary?”
“Sure. A̶t̶ l̶e̶a̶s̶t̶ n̶o̶t̶ w̶h̶e̶n̶ y̶o̶u̶ c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ c̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ w̶i̶n̶d̶ o̶f̶ i̶t̶.” He pauses, thinking for a moment. “…Ah, sorry. Here I am arguing with you again over unnecessary matters even though I promised Dainsleif not to.” He turns around and gently pets you head. “I didn’t intend to hurt your feelings… How about I take you out to the best restaurant or take you to the most beautiful spot in Fontaine as an apology? Or you can choose something yourself.”
“…I-“
Before you can finish your sentence, Rosa jumps out of your lap and flies ahead of the camel. It lets out a happy chime and that for a reason: You have reached the end of the desert. In front of you are massive bodies of water – one on the level of Sumeru and one that falls down a cliffs as a massive waterfall. Together with the light of the afternoon-sun it looks beautiful.
Excitement sparks in your chest as you get off the camel, temporarily forgetting the argument you were having just now and leaving the seed of an unhealthy attitude uncorrected in Aether. But that’s a problem for the future-you as you have finally reached a new nation with a new scenery, a new culture and new characters!
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