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“It's time for Paimon's Little Life Tips!” The pixie was stuffing their face with none other than Good Hunter’s Sticky Honey Roasts. Meaning, Aether’s mora was bound to be much lighter after Paimon’s little feast.
Aether chuckled at their words. "Little Life Tips?”
“Yup!” Paimon nodded their head, quite aggressively. “In Mondstadt, if there's something you can't fix, or there's something you can't get clean, no matter what you do...If you ever run into something you can't handle yourself, you just need to shout this name into the skies: Noeeeelle!” Grinning at Aether with bits of Honey Roast caught around their mouth they scarfed down another before continuing. “And everything that's troubling you will be swept away in an instant.”
Shaking his head at his little guide’s antics Aether can’t say he took them too seriously. “So this is one of the tricks to living in Mondstadt? Pretty impressive…”)
_________
Aether frowned as he watched Noelle once again calm Henning’s worries. It irked him that apparently everyone in Mondstadt relied on Noelle and yet she still wasn’t a Knight of Favonious.
“In the future,” Aether cuts in, as once again Henning was praising Noelle, not all too bothered by how much of a kicked puppy Henning looked. “Don’t leave everything to Noelle.” He allowed themself to not force a smile out, to show that it wasn’t okay.
“Ha,” Henning chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. Obviously embarrassed. “No, no more of that. In any case, I’m extremely grateful to you both.” His shaky smile turned more genuine when he looked back to Noelle.
“N-No problem.” Noelle, obviously, reassured him. “Merely fulfilling my duties as a maid of Favonious.”
Aether fought against the urge to sigh, he did pinch his nose though. These most certainly were not duties of a maid, even one of the Favonius. However, there were a few worlds Aether could remember did run their maids ragged. Luckily, Teyvat was not one of them.
Clearing her throat, Noelle continued. “Maid Noelle of Knights of Favonius, at your service!” Begrudgingly, Aether stayed silent as Henning shook her hand, continuing to thank her over once more before leaving.
“You don’t have to do everything for everyone,” Aether tilted his head, a small smile on his lips. Her hard-working nature reminded them of Lumine. The idea alone causes the echoing ache in his chest to intensify. “In fact, I think you do so much for everyone already.”
“It’s,” Noelle frowned at her hands before continuing on. “It’s just my duty as a Maid of Favonius.” Her cheeks were dusted a light pink and that was another thing that reminded Aether of his sister. Lumine would always get so flustered at compliments.
“Ah,” Aether sat down on the grass and smiled as he watched Noelle slowly sit down too. “Well, I don’t see any of the other maids doing this much work.” He rummaged around in his bag before pulling out some pancakes with jam and some tea.
Noelle’s eyes widened as she stared at the food, covering her mouth with a gasp she began to profusely apologize. “If you had wanted something to eat I could have made you something, you didn’t have to do all of this.”
Aether laughed as Paimon started rummaging through his bag for something of their own to eat. “Noelle, you’re always helping everyone else, plus I know you like pancakes so I thought I would make some for you.” Aether held a plate out to her, his grin turning a bit sheepish. “They are not as good as your special pancakes but I hope you like them all the same.”
Noelle nodded quietly and began eating, so Aether decided to let her have a moment to think about what he said. He remembered Paimon telling him all about Noelle before he ever met her and he seriously thought they had been joking when they said Noelle was always there to help. But sitting across from her, as she struggled to understand the idea that she didn’t need to help everyone, he could see it had been true. Noelle was always waiting around to show that she was worthy to help other people however she could.
He found himself frowning. If she was able to leave Mondstadt, maybe everyone would realize they couldn’t always rely on her. He couldn’t exactly tell Noelle to tell other people no. He agreed with Venti that demanding freedom wasn’t freedom at all.
“Say,” Aether pursed his lips as he looked to the wide, waiting eyes of one of Mondstadt’s hardest workers. “Would you like to join me on my travels?”
“Travel around with you? Mondstadt’s Honorary Knight?” Aether cringed at the title but nodded nonetheless. “I-I mean, who wouldn’t, but I’ve got to train for the Knight’s test and-”
“It’s not a forever thing Noelle,” Aether shrugged his shoulders and tucked his feet in his lap as he figured out the best way to convince her. “You’re always welcome to leave whenever you want or you don’t even have to join. But I can promise you, you will get lots of training while traveling with me.” He smiled brightly at her. She would also get lots of rest but that was for later.
“You’d really,” Noelle chewed her bottom lip seemingly trying to figure out how to word her thoughts. “You’d really want me to come with you?” As much as he saw Lumine in Noelle, Aether had to say this was the farthest thing Lumine would have said. She had never been too insecure about herself. She had her moments of course, but she was usually the one consoling Aether. Whether it had been in the cosmos or in a small inn on another planet.
However, he knew exactly what Lumine would have said to Noelle. “Of course I do.” Aether smiled widely at her. “And not as a maid, but as you. I would love it if you, Noelle, Knight of Favonius in training, would come to travel with me.”
Noelle turned her face away from Aether, and he chose not to mention how her shoulders shook slightly. “I-I would love to, Traveler.”