Captain Beidou and the Crux Fleet
"Welcome aboard, Traveler!"
Aether sees a woman standing right at the edge of the Alcor. She has a wide grin on her face and is waving at him. It was of course no other than Captain Beidou, who welcomed him on this new journey. Sumeru was now in the past and it was time for a new adventure, sitting around all day and only doing a few Guild commissions here and there just wasn't fulfilling.
"Been a while since I've last seen you Aether, what kept you busy?" Beidou asked, leaning against the ship's railing.
"The same as always, to be honest. I still wish to reunite with my sister, but on the way there, I meet new people, I get close to them, they ask me for favors and I can't say no." The Traveler replied, walking up a plank that connected the jetty of Liyue Harbour to the Alcor.
"Oh, is that so? You sure that you aren't presenting yourself as a bit heroic here?" Beidou replied with a big laugh.
Just as Aether was about to set foot on the ship, Beidou suddenly stepped to the side and blocked his path. Aether looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to let him pass, but that didn't seem to happen.
"Since you're so virtuous, how about you load some of those boxes on the ship? The rest of the crew already worked hard today, and if you wanna tag along as one of them, you gotta put in some work!" She said with a smile that almost seemed provoking.
Aether let out a soft sigh and turned around without a word, walking back down the plank and onto the jetty. There were three wooden crates stacked on top of each other, they were on the same level as the ship's rear. They looked a bit heavy to carry, but Aether got an idea to work around that. He positioned himself behind the three crates, facing the ship, and used his elemental powers to create a wind vortex that carried the crates with it, onto the ship. The vortex had to be quite strong, which Aether managed, but it seemed a bit too strong. One of the crates seemed to be heading right to the other side of the ship, or further, into the water. Just before it was about to fly past the Alcor, a young man rushed to aid. The vision he was bearing began to glow and a wind was created, blowing opposite to the one Aether had made. The crate's movement had come to a stop and fell down, onto the ship.
The Traveler thought this little journey would already be over and he would have to spend the next hours hiding from the Captain to ensure she wouldn't rip off his head, but the savior came just in time, Kaedehara Kazuha
"You should be more careful, just because an option seems easier, it isn't always better." Kazuha spoke in a calm and gentle voice. He stood behind the railing and looked over at Aether, he looked pleased to have the chance to spend some time with the Traveler again. From what Aether knew, Kazuha always enjoyed his company, and vice versa.
"Kazuha! I'm so glad to have you, you really saved me there."
"It was my pleasure, I'm always glad to help a friend. Besides... if that crate had landed in the water and Beidou found out... that is not something either of us would want to witness. She doesn't seem like it, but if it's about the Crux, she can quickly become frustrated."
With a lighthearted chuckle, Aether went back up the plank and finally set foot on the Alcor. The other ships of the Crux Fleet were already loaded and waiting in the waters outside of Liyue Harbour.
"I'll tell Beidou that we're all set up, you can have a quick look around." Kazuha then said as Aether had just gotten on the ship. The white-haired samurai disappeared beneath the deck and Aether was left with many unfamiliar faces. Though it wasn't his first time meeting the Alcor's crew, he had certainly forgotten anyone that he may have met before. The ship was well in shape, the deck was all clean and there was no damage to the equipment at first glance. As the flagship, the Alcor was the largest ship of the fleet, and exploring the area below deck would take more than just a few moments. Before Aether could really explore anything, however, he already heard a voice shouting from atop the elevated position where the steering wheel was located.
"Alright crew, listen up, we'll now set sails and join up with the rest of the fleet!"
Despite initially standing behind the steering wheel, Beidou walked back down onto the deck and another crew member took over. She was heading Aether's way.
"Thanks for loading up the goods, I'm sure it wasn't too much trouble, right? Meet in the office, we have a few things to discuss."
Before Aether had the chance to reply, Beidou had already turned around and walked away again. Being a captain sure seemed stressful, she was always in a hurry.
"Traveler, it's good to see you again."
A voice suddenly came from behind him. Aether turned around and saw a woman with long black hair that was tied into a bun. Two strands of her hair were hanging down on either side of her face, and in between were round golden glasses. He tried to think, but Aether just couldn't recall who this was. Paimon would have been useful in this situation, she would've remembered, but she stayed behind, in Mondstadt, together with Venti. While that barde was about as trustworthy as the next best drunkard on the street, he was still a good friend and the only one that Aether would burden with that needy fairy.
"Oh I am sorry, I'm Mora-Grubber, the bookkeeper, remember? I'll keep track of your expenses and since you're new, I was wondering how I should note your name here. Because just Traveler sounds a bit strange to me..."
Aether was both relieved and ashamed at the same time. He didn't have to embarrass himself by asking for her name, but it seemed that the lack of recognition was evident enough on his face.
"Aether, that's my name."
"Aether, huh... I honestly haven't heard that before, but thank you, that works! See you around!" Mora-Grubber responded and hurried off again. She seemed just as busy as Beidou did. Since everyone was working so hard on this ship, Aether almost felt bad for not doing anything. Almost.
The Traveler made his way towards the small cabin located beneath the steering wheel, Beidous's office. He saw Kazuha sitting on the edge of the railing above the room and smiled at him, but he was focused on the piece of paper in his hand. He seemed to be writing something. A poem, Aether would assume. If he had the time, he would later ask him about it. Kazuha's way with words was always fascinating to him
