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Birds gather atop the ancient tree in Windrise, the melodic chirps sounding faint to the ears of two boys drenched in their own sweat. Aether, the golden-haired beauty, resonated with anemo at the statue of the Seven as soon as he and his companion, Albedo, met up for some summer experimenting.
"My, your ability to resonate with any vision is quite convenient," Albedo breathes, his pale blond hair dancing back and forth as Aether blows a puff of cool air at the Alchemist's neck with his elemental manipulation. Albedo's jacket suited for the sheer cold temperatures of Dragonspine has been long forgotten in his camp. Instead, he fashions a simple white t-shirt. It hardly prevents him from sweating buckets, though, but he is grateful to be wise enough not to wear his typical black shirts.
"I can't resonate with all seven just yet," Aether reminds him, his usual braided hair now up in a tightly wound bun. Beautiful, Albedo thinks. "Only three. My next trip will be to Sumeru, but not until I get things settled with Inazuma first."
Albedo looks at him. "You're quite the busy bee, Aether. It makes me ever the more grateful that you set time apart for me."
Aether blinds him with a smile. "Of course I would set aside time for you. I haven't seen you since the Golden Apple Archipelago. You've been hiding up in the mountains for a while, and I've been out... dealing with one nation's problems at a time," Aether chuckled. A small, merciful gust of wind in the fiery heat tickles Aether's back, causing him to shiver and curl in on himself.
Albedo smiles back. From a shocking ten foot distance, he could smell wood blasted with nitrate from the tips of Aether's choppy hairstyle. Could feel the static electrifying him from five. Can see the recent scar the blond sported on his face right in front of him. The alchemist reaches out to graze said scar with his fingertips. Aether makes a face at Albedo's sweaty palms radiating heat, but welcomes the touch anyway.
"What... what happened?" Albedo asks, concern dripping from his voice in the form of sweat.
Aether's scar ran from his left ear, to across his nose and down his right cheek, sharply ending at the soft point of his right jawline, where Albedo's hand rested. The closer the inspection, the more Albedo realizes that the faint purple scar was more like a new birthmark that forced its jagged pattern onto the traveler's face. A permanent bruise.
Aether flushes, the other assuming it was from the heat, though Aether did not shy away from the touch. "I was struck by the Electro Archon: the Muso no Hitotachi."
Albedo's hand froze against his cheek. He pulled his hand away, sitting up on his knees in utter concern. His eyebrows scrunched, and he frowned heavily.
Just how does Aether wind himself up in these situations?
"I'm fine, though! I'm perfectly recovered," Aether reassures, waving both his hands in front of him. This did not reassure Albedo.
"Recovered...?"
Now, Albedo knew that the traveler can handle himself well when in the face of danger. He's heard about the deeds he has done in Liyue, how he helped save the city of contracts from flooding, how he bested the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, Tartaglia, who attempted said flooding. Never from the traveler's mouth, though. Albedo makes note to ask about all of Aether's adventures during their outing together.
"Yes, recovered." Aether smiles his gentle smile, and Albedo feels his heart constrict. "It... It was a shock that I've never felt before. The Raiden Shogun's power is unmatched in every way. I felt the worst pain I could ever imagine for a second before I was knocked out. Paimon tried to wake me up, from what she and others told me, but I wouldn't move. The Shogun brandished her sword and went to kill me when I was saved, and brought back to safety, and to hiding."
Aether watches Albedo attempt to conceal his horrified expression. He appreciates the Alchemist's concern.
"Why did she best you? Who are these 'others'?" Albedo asks.
"My friends Thoma and Kamisato Ayaka." Aether smiles fondly at the thought of them. "I'm sure you know of the Raiden Shogun's Vision Hunt Decree," Albedo nodded. "Well... It's worse than that. People don't know the side effects of having their vision taken away. These visions represent a person's ambition, and to have that taken away... It's as if they lost all purpose in life."
Aether takes a moment to sigh through his nostrils. Albedo sees exhaustion in his eyes, though it is not the first time he's seen it.
"We saw for ourselves the consequences of the Vision Hunt Decree. Not the political aspect, but the personal one. One person I met is Kurosawa, a man who worked for the Tenryou Commission." Albedo nods again, vaguely aware of the long and complicated disputes between the Tri-Commission.
"He got his vision taken away because he was considered useless, while Kujou Sara and others under the Tri-Commission get to keep their visions as long as they prove to be useful.
"Thoma and Ayaka are one of the people who oppose this decree, though Ayaka doesn't make it known because of her high status in the Yashiro Commission. Thoma, however, is not related to the Kamisato family; just a trusted friend. This didn't matter to the Shogun, and she attempted to seize Thoma's vision." Aether smiled ruefully. "That's where I come in. I fought for Thoma to keep his vision. For the battle, I was sent to this realm called the Plane of Euthymia, and why the Raiden Shogun chose that place is a whole 'nother story that's too complicated to think about," Albedo laughs gently. He appreciates the other's humor in moments like these.
Aether sighs and leans against him, and Albedo's heart jumps.
"I have... not lost in a battle on my journey across this land. But Raiden, she... has a way of combat that is difficult to get used to. On top of that, she cast the Vision Hunt Decree on my team, making it even more difficult to beat her. Since I don't have a vision, I'm not affected by this decree, but... without my team, I'm just a piece of the puzzle. I'm not at my fullest elemental potential without my teammates.
"In the end, Raiden struck me with the Muso no Hitotachi. It's basically a glorified lightning strike that incapacitated me. I got knocked down, got saved, all that." Aether pauses, deep in thought. Albedo waits patiently for the traveler to gather himself.
"It's not just the fact that she had beaten me that bothers me, it's the feeling of helplessness when dealing with someone who is infinitely more powerful than you, which in this case, is a literal god." Aether put his head in his hands, and Albedo would usually crack a smile at his antics, but now, in his exhausted state, he realizes Aether is projecting the desperation he felt at the time the battle took place. Albedo can do nothing but listen.
Aether sighs, rubbing sweat from his eyebrows. "Everything's fine, though. The Vision Hunt Decree has been retracted. I'm now onto exploring this island called Tsurumi that has my mind all kinds of jumbled up. Would you like to hear about it?"
Albedo perks up happily, delighted in the change of subject. He nods, standing up and lending a hand to Aether, which he happily takes. They traverse through the plains of Windrise, Albedo listening intently on one of Aether's previous commissions concerning a disappearing Maushiro, towards the Dawn Winery, where the weather is cooler. The traveler shares his experiences with a mysterious boy named Ruu, who had a hobby of singing to himself in the blinding depths of fog thousands of years ago that still carry on today. They talk about the Thundering Fury and its possible relation to the Thundering Manifestation over sweet sunsettias that Tucker gifted them. Albedo even shares his own knowledge of the Thundering Fury soaring over Mondstadt, and Aether dares not to question just how Albedo got this knowledge.
Albedo touches Aether's fresh scar twice more before the day is over; once, accidentally, when brushing a piece of grass from the Aether's hair, and twice, when the two part ways in front of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, Albedo getting ready to bury himself in research about Tsurumi Island. Aether reminds him to eat dinner on time and to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Albedo, heart gushing, gently takes Aether's face with both hands and inspects the ragged scar once more, reciprocating the 'please, take care of yourself' sentiment.
Whether or not Aether had leaned into the touch was up for debate in Albedo's heart as he made a beeline back to his office.