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 didn't stick around the venue for long. He was itching with nerves now that Amber was his opponent. His worst fears were coming true... He would be the one who had to crush Amber's dreams, and he wasn't sure if he was capable of doing so.
He pictured her smile in his mind. She'd cried in front of him before, and it had been heartbreaking. There was no worse sight than that. The kissing, hand-holding, and hugs were about as far as he was willing to go without having to admit that he loved her. Why couldn't he just say it?
The inn was quiet despite it only being mid-day. All he wanted to do was sleep his problems away. That's all he could do. Winning tomorrow would not bring him joy, unlike how he originally thought it would. That was before he fell in love with the Outrider.
His mask was thrown off to be discarded onto the countertop. He went over to the basket of fruit and plucked an apple from the top. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and focused on eating. He had hardly eaten since Amber cooked that partially raw steak. It hadn't been very good, and he was sure his tastebuds were shot now.
Juices from the apple dripped down his chin. He wiped them away with his sleeve half-heartedly. What was he going to do? Takeda had been his last hope to eliminate her, but instead, the blockhead chose to get himself disqualified for harassment.
The previous Bayler would've had no problem wiping her out. His heart was too soft now. She was precious, and it was selfish of him to think he deserved the win in the first place. But what would he do if he didn't win? He'd head right back to the situation he was living in before he left.
An old house with other traumatized soldiers under the Archon who stole from them... He shuddered at the thought. This was his chance to get them all out of Inazuma. The Traveler may have forgiven the Raiden Shogun for her crimes, but he couldn't. No, he wouldn't.
"What a conundrum I've gotten myself into..." he muttered.
The hollow sound of footsteps on wood alerted him. It sounded like someone was walking up the stairs to his front door. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind.
His green eyes fluttered open suddenly. He shot his head toward the door and readied to prepare for an attack. He abandoned the core of his apple on the floor and slowly stalked toward the door.
"Who's there?" he called out. "I'm armed."
There wasn't a response from the mysterious person, but he knew they were still out there. He neared the door, grabbed onto the handle, and flung the door open.
Takeda stood on the porch as pale as a ghost. He looked around frantically, his eyes unable to focus on anything. "B-Bayler?"
"What the hell, man?!" Bayler scoffed, ushering his friend inside. "You scared the shit out of me. What if I had actually had my bow ready to shoot?"
Takeda picked up the apple core off of the floor and bit into whatever remained of the fruit. "Will you come drink with me tonight?"
Bayler frowned. Something was off about his friend, but he wasn't able to pinpoint what the problem was. Takeda didn't seem to be in their world, more like his own private purgatory.
"Drinks? It's a bad night, I'm really sorry."
Takeda lowered his gaze to the ground. "Oh, I understand. You have the competition coming up. But... not even one? The match isn't until the day after tomorrow!"
He shook his head firmly. The door shut behind Bayler and he approached his friend. A hand was placed on his shoulder. "I want to be able to focus on winning."
"You mean you want to focus on Amber." Takeda snarled.
"What is your problem, Takeda?"
His friend hesitated. He dropped his arm holding the apple and frowned. Takeda's eyes turned glassy and distant, like he was musing over something painful. Suddenly, he clenched his fists.
"I love her Bayler! And you're meddling in my business about it! Amber and I were connecting, and all of a sudden she started confessing that she loves you!" Takeda spat. "I didn't believe it at first until I saw... I saw..."
Bayler grimaced. He didn't initially respond to the outburst, instead he went over to the living room and sat down in a chair. He patted the spot next to him and tried to keep his face passive.
Takeda also loved Amber. That's what he just found out. Suddenly Takeda's bad attitude recently made sense. He was worked up about Amber loving another man.
"I'm sorry, Takeda," he murmured. "I'm really, really sorry. I don't really know what to say about the situation..."
"You could start by explaining why you've been such an ass to her. I've heard the things you've done from her! You're horrible, Bayler." Takeda's tone turned from angry to timid. "How could you do this to me behind my back? You told me there was nothing there, and now you're off making out in public... All I feel is hurt..."
Guilt rushed through Bayler. Takeda was right. He has denied any romantic feeling toward Amber, and yes, he was no actively involved with her romantically. Bayler had had a hunch that there was something between Takeda and Amber, but he'd never realized how serious it was
Takeda sighed. "I'm sorry for how I've acted recently. I know I'm a bastard and I should just disappear."
Bayler's blood ran cold. "Takeda, no. Don't go thinking those things again. I won't lose my best friend again..."
Blood. Pouring rain. It had been a horrible night for their army. The Tengu followed through with a surprise attack on the middle of the night without so much as the moon to guide them. Their camp had been obliterated.
Takeda had stupidly stood on the front lines against the Shogun's army, and he had also been the first one to be cut down. It had been Bayler who found the bloody, tattered body lying in a pool of water after the Tengu retreated.
The three minutes of CPR had been excruciatingly terrifying. Thankfully, Takeda had come back to them. But it left Bayler with a fear of losing his friend again.
Bayler leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Takeda, fighting the urge to cry. "Talk to her tomorrow, okay? Stay the night here until then."
Takeda hugged him back. Slightly, Bayler could feel him nodding. "Okay... okay..."
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