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Teyvat, suffice to say, has put Aether through the ringer — and more than once, I might add. It has been nonstop since the moment he and Lumine first found themselves standing on it’s unforgiving soil to the day, centuries later, he woke alone and with nothing more than a shattered memory of their encounter with the unknown god to guide him on his journey to get his sister back. Teyvat, Aether learned quickly, does not pull its punches. Nor does it spare him any pity. Teyvat does not deal in mercy. Not for its own people, and not for outlanders either.
The singular highlight, in this otherwise secretive and dangerous world, are the people. Though needy more often than not, the friends Aether and Paimon have made on their journey through the seven nations have illuminated what would otherwise be a grim, desolate path forward. Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, even Snezhnaya. Even in the darkest corners of Teyvat, there is always someone there ready to extend a hand, offering Aether kind words or support as another lead proved fruitless.
Of course, this is only after Aether has helped to defeat the latest, biggest, baddest monster or whatever plagued that land in particular, but I digress. With each layer of this world’s mystery that he painstakingly uncovers, somehow finding everything this world has fought to keep in the dark while also finding nothing to bring him closer to his personal goal, it’s the people that Aether has been lucky enough to befriend who prop him up when this confusing mess starts to feel like a bit too much.
People like Albedo. Albedo, who in Aether’s totally humble and unbiased opinion can only be described as engimatic. And astute. Perhaps fascinating is a good fit too. Oh, and don’t forget charming. Brilliant too. Alluring. And of course, he’s hotter than the deepest domains of the Sumerian Des— ahem — Pardon. What he means is: handsome. Yes. Albedo is handsome.
All this to say, Albedo has, without a doubt, been one of those bright spots on Aether’s path. One might even call him the brightest spot, though he is far from the only.
Because of course, there are also people like Klee. Though given Aether’s current circumstance, he’s beginning to question if Klee is still the warm light full of joy and exuberance he first met in Mondstadt all those years ago. Now, it’s not a god or a god’s pet or a supposedly dead, defeated god or the ghost of a god or the puppet of a god or an artificial made god that Aether is facing down on the battle field. It’s a little girl, her sidekick Dodoco, and one mean red crayon. There is no trial against gods, monsters, or men here on Teyvat nor anywhere else in the universe that could ever prepare him for this.
The table is simple — Knights of Favonius standard issue — solid pine adorned with an embroidered banner bearing knight’s emblem. There's nothing special about the set up or this particular conference room in the Knights of Favonius headquarters but Aether can't help but feel like the room is shrinking, the walls growing closer and closer, trapping him as he waits to hear why Klee arranged this meeting. He resists the urge to tug on his collar. Lesson number 1: never let them see your fear.
Finally — finally — Klee puts down the red crayon, done at last with her furious scribbling. "Mister Honorary Knight." Klee clasps her hands in front of her and rests them on the table — a motion she no doubt learned from her many meetings with Jean. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today. I know you are a very busy person so I am grateful you could make time in your schedule for me.”
"We're grateful for you too Klee!" Paimon says enthusiastically, albeit a bit confused. While this is far from the first time that Klee has called upon them for help with something, this is the first time she wordlessly marched them to a conference room, sat them down, then silently scribbled in a notebook procured from her backpack for ten, excruciating minutes.
"We are bestest friends," Klee says matter-of-factually, "and my mom always says that you should be grateful for your friends! And double if they're the best!"
"Yeah! Uhh..." Paimon falters momentarily. "Your mom is right! So, Klee, why did you bring your best-est friends here today?"
Klee shuffles through the stack of crayon covered paper for the third time in as many minutes. "So we’re getting right down to business. I see. Very well."
"I see here—" Klee points to an orange scribble splashed across the top half of her paper. "That you're a Traveler from another world. Is that correct?"
Aether nods, once again fighting the urge to tug at his collar or fidget in his seat. A corrupted Dvalin? An archon’s puppet? The Balladeer? A walk in the park. A piece of cake. E-Z. Klee, piercing him with her gaze over the top of her paper? Terrifying.
"And you're on a journey to find your sister?"
"Yes,” Aether says, trying — failing — to keep the tremble out of his voice.
Klee squints at him then ducks her head to make a note on her paper in green crayon this time. Aether gulps.
"And you, of course, know my brother."
"Albedo?"
"Yes, Mister Albedo." She makes another mark on the paper. Though he has a good vantage point at the moment and can easily peek at her writing, it’s not in any language he’s familiar with.
Klee hums, setting the papers in front of her once more. "And you do know that he's the best, right?"
"The best… Brother?"
Klee’s mouth turns downward and a rock hard lump settles in Aether’s stomach.
Whatever Klee is looking for him to answer with, this is not it. She frowns and switches her green crayon for a red one. "Interesting."
He offers her a small, nervous smile that she makes no attempt to return. Aether hazards a glance toward Paimon who is caught between confusion and frustration.
“Do you know what she’s talking about?” Paimon whispers. Aether cringes, casting a look at Klee to see if she noticed but she remains absorbed in her notes. Aether shakes his head and gives an infinitesimal shrug.
No. He doesn’t know, but please for the love of all the archons keep it down until he does, is what he doesn’t say.
"Well then, I just have one more question for you,” Klee says, breaking both Aether and Paimon out of their increasingly heated, albeit silent, conversation.
A bead of sweat forms on Aether's brow, but he doesn’t wipe it away.
“Just when exactly are you planning on marrying my brother?”
Aether blinks.
Paimon shrieks then says, “wait, what?”
Klee gently sets both hands onto the table then meets Aether with unfaltering eye contact. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. Albedo is a patient guy — the bestest, remember? — but I am not.”
“Ok-ay…” Aether says slowly. He’s still a little stuck, having not processed a word since marrying my brother? left Klee’s mouth, but he does his upmost best to portray otherwise.
“So once again, just when are you gonna marry my brother? You and Albedo have been in love since forever! This is getting ridiculous.”
“Sorry, I — uhh — umm…”
“I’ve been waiting and waiting for you to ask permission.”
“Permission?” Paimon asks. “Permission for what?”
“Permission,” Klee says again, like that should explain it all. “Miss Lisa said it’s a rule. When people get married, they have to ask each other’s families first. And I’m Albedo’s family. Here I’ve been, waiting and waiting and waiting. Waiting inside solitary confinement. Waiting while fish blasting. Waiting while hanging out with Captain Kaeya. I’m done waiting. I’ve got the permission slip right here and everything.” She pauses, tapping a finger to her chin. "Although, you didn't get all the test questions right. If you want my permission slip to marry Albedo then you're gonna have to take the test again."
“Permission slip? Test?" Paimon mutters before catching sight of a very confused, very quiet Aether. “Uhh, Klee. I think you might have broken him.”
Klee pauses in her tirade, taking a good, long look at Aether for the first time since she sat down.
Aether, for lack of a better term, has completely and utterly shut down. In the end, it wasn’t Teyvat’s darkest secrets that took him out. Where the Fatui Harbingers and Abyss failed, a little girl and her stuffed animal armed with crayon succeeded in mere minutes.
“Mr. Honorary Knight?” Klee yelps. When Aether doesn’t respond, Klee jumps from her seat, dashing past Paimon and shouting over her shoulder, “I’ll get Master Jean. She'll be able to fix him! Master Jean is the bestest."
"There she goes," Paimon says with a sigh. She pats Aether on the shoulder. "Hang in there, Traveler. Master Jean is on the way."