Every nation has that one person who excels over the others. Whether it be in economics, combat, literature... or archery.
Inazuman Bayler Velice has sailed over the crashing waves to attend Mondstadt's first archery competition to claim a victory...
Bayler cringed. Of course Takeda would see through his lies; he always did have a keen sense of awareness. "I'm unfamiliar with the shops in Mondstadt, and I didn't bring the necessary supplies from Inazuma."
Amber smiled from where she sat on the ground. "Oh, it's no problem, Takeda! I'm happy to help Bayler with whatever he needs!"
"Great then, uh, wanna help me now?"
All-out chaos ensued. All three of them tried to speak over each other, and it was unbearably stressful for the whole lot.
"You don't want your bestie to help you out? Is it because I have a d-"
"Takeda can come with, it's no problem really!"
"I don't need this to be a circus, alright? I just need some help-"
"I think this is a personal attack! Bayler, how could you?!"
Bayler had about enough. "Amber!" He suddenly shouted. "Please... come with me."
His final tone was gentle and pleading. He held onto her wrist, the contact between them barely anything, and yet it lit his body on fire. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest with how fast it was beating.
"Okay..." she said with a nod.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bayler led her to his place slowly, guilt flooding through him. He didn't like that he had to lie to Amber to get her to leave Takeda's side. In fact, he didn't know what came over him. It was out of character for him.
As he glanced over at her, she was skipping along with a bright smile on her face. The red bow and goggles on her head bobbed with her movements. He'd never truly appreciated how well her outfit came together.
The red tube-top worked surprisingly well with her abnormally short shorts. He'd secretly wondered how she allowed herself to walk around confidently in them, although, he was a guy who preferred to seclude himself in layers of clothing. Amber was able to pull her outfit off well.
It took Bayler a moment to realize he was staring. He looked back in front of him just as they were at the steps to his residence. Now was the time to tell the truth before he had to explain how his stove miraculously worked.
"Ah, Amber, umm..."
Amber looked up at him with innocent eyes. She remained at the bottom of the staircase with one leg up on a step. Adorably, she tilted her head to the side, her mouth agape in surprise. "What is it?"
He sighed awkwardly. "My stove is actually working just fine. To be completely honest, I was hoping we could talk, so I lied to get Takeda off of our backs for a night."
Alarm was evident on her face, but she didn't turn away. "You could've just said so... will Takeda be okay?"
Bayler shrugged. "I imagine so. But... just don't tell him, alright?"
The smile returned to her face. "You can count on me!! But to be honest... I also wanted to talk with you, but I never got the chance to with the competition going on these past few days."
His eyes lit up brighter than a thousand suns. She wanted to talk with him too! All the doubts in his mind evaporated, and he breathed a giant sigh of relief. Amber didn't seem capable of hurting anybody. She was a ball of sunshine, too pure for their world.
"How about you come inside and I'll cook for you? I make a good steak," he offered, beginning to open his front door.
Amber jumped up the stairs. "No way! That's my signature dish!!! We can cook one together!"
Bayler threw open the door and raced inside to prepare everything he needed. While on the field he'd just take a plain slab of meat, but the inn provided the luxury of salt, pepper, and other herbs they wanted to add.
Amber joined at his side, and together they retrieved some meat from the cooler and began mixing up seasonings.
During that time, they were silent. It was ironic considering how badly they wanted to talk about things, but now neither one wanted to make the first move. Bayler frowned behind his mask, bit his lip, and finally sighed.
"Amber, I-"
"Bayler it's okay what happened between us!" She suddenly exclaimed. "Look, I... like you, okay? And I really appreciate what you did... what you didn't do. It was on me for egging you on. Plus... it was good."
He looked down at the steak in the pan, unable to meet her eyes or confess his own feelings. "It's my fault though. I couldn't control myself and I tried to take advantage of you. It won't happen again. Who knows how long I'll be here anyway-"
Amber frowned. "Are you implying you won't win the competition? Bayler, if it's you and I in the final round, promise me you'll at least answer my letters!"
Bayler's head snapped in her direction and he raised an eyebrow. "Letters...?"
"I send some to my friend Collei all of the time! She's from Sumeru, which isn't as far as Inazuma, but it sure feels like it! Collei doesn't get to visit as often as I'd like her to, but it doesn't matter because we write each other!" Amber explained with a cheerful chirp. She took over cooking the steak.
"Speaking of Inazuma..." Amber continued in a quieter tone. "What was it like there, during the Resistance? You've never really opened up about your experience."
Bayler's green eyes widened in fear. His body stiffened and he forced himself to look at the ground to prevent his vision from blurring right in front of him. Inside his chest, his heart began to pound to the heavy beat of a drum. It was happening again; another attack was setting on fast.
"I don't... I don't-"
All he could see on the wooden floor was blood and a limp hand in the very corner. He didn't move his vision from that very spot because he was afraid of who the hand might belong to. The blood was mixing with a sudden rainstorm. Lightning flashed around his head, and the faint rumble of thunder echoed through his body.
He felt the detachment of his Vision again. The pain from when it was ripped away from him. His whole world had felt like it was crumbling in that moment when Kujou Sara herself swiped it from him. The tengu often haunted his nightmares with her presence.
Amber grabbed onto his arm, and he flinched away instinctively. However, she held on firm and shot him a beaming smile. "Hey Bayler, my Outrider's Champion Steak is done...!"
The world seemed to return back to normal as he gazed into her eyes. She murmured a few affirmations under her breath, but what he couldn't hear any of them. All he saw was the genuine love in her eyes.
She cared, and that's what mattered.
Oups ! Cette image n'est pas conforme à nos directives de contenu. Afin de continuer la publication, veuillez la retirer ou télécharger une autre image.
