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left in the cold

Aether was tired of her shit.

Paimon, the little child who had followed him on his journey, who told him everything he needed to know and guided his quests, was becoming increasingly suspicious. And the more she talked, the more paranoid he would get. The more she talked about the future, about "if she would ever leave him", or vice versa. Aether felt like she was sidetracking him from his quest, trying to make it so he never found his sister. It seemed as though she was kidnapping him.

Aether had thought about getting rid of it before. He'd even confided in a friend about it- talking about how frustrating this child was to him. However, he hadn't made a concrete plan until now.

He waited until she was asleep that night, creeping out of bed in the Serenitea Pot. Creeping out of the room and into the main hall, he took a seat at the small study table to think over his plan. Writing it out on paper was too risky- Paimon could definitely read.

It wouldn't be too hard to think of. He didn't want blood, he didn't want to just kill her. Better to leave her somewhere she'd die quickly than do it himself. The guilt would drag him down even if she was evil. No, better to leave her defenseless somewhere where monsters would finish her off quickly. Somewhere dangerous. He ran through locations in his mind: Dragonspine, Inazuma, the Chasm in Liyue..

He didn't know anything about the Chasm. The name suggested a deep gorge, a huge pit, that he could throw her into perhaps. But she could float, and it would be too obvious what his intentions were.

Inazuma was dangerous. Waters were infested with Electro energy, monsters were around every corner, and huge cliffs were easy to fall off of. Not to mention the battles between the Shogunate's army and the Sangonomiya Resistance. He could drag her into the battle as he had before, making it seem as if it was an accident. She'd be lost in the clash of their blades and he could slip away unnoticed, and nobody would blame him for her death. The only problem was that in Inazuma, people knew him. Not just Sangonomiya Kokomi herself, but even the Resistance soldiers could recognize him and Paimon.

Dragonspine was possibly the best place. Covered in snow and freezing cold if you couldn't find a place to warm up, crawling with monsters, water icier than the air. There wasn't anyone Aether knew on Dragonspine besides Albedo, and he was sure the alchemist wouldn't be out looking for small children. If he left Paimon in a cavern, if he made up some elaborate ruse to keep her in one place, she could easily freeze to death. He'd had commissions there before, even one where ten or so Fatui showed up to fight. It definitely seemed like the most believable option.

"Aether?"

The voice shocked him out of his thoughts, soft but shrill at the same time. Really, she couldn't help how she sounded, but every time she spoke he wanted to hit her.

"What're you doing out here so late? Did you have a dream about your sibling again?" Paimon reached the table, sitting next to where Aether's hands rested. "Do you need Paimon to hug your face to cheer you up?"

"No, I don't need anything. Go back to bed, Paimon." His voice came out harsh and she flinched at his words, squeezing her hands together in her lap.

"..Sorry." She got back up, floating back into the bedroom, looking back towards Aether fearfully. He felt too tired to care. The plan was the only thing on his mind at the moment; and he vowed to stay awake until it was fully formed. He decided on Dragonspine for the location- less risks, more monsters. He just needed a convincing commission. Something repetitive, maybe? Twice before he'd been asked by a woman named Esther to place beacons on the mountain for her. If he didn't want to waste time thinking up something elaborate he'd go with that.