the pride reunited

The moment the rest of the party saw that Aether was safe, they rushed to his side.

Ganyu reached him first, cowbell jingling wildly as she pressed herself against him with quiet, honest relief. Cloud Retainer gave a small, elegant nod of satisfaction. Beidou laughed loudly and clapped him on the back hard enough to sting.

But the most surprising reaction came from Shenhe.

The tall, usually emotionless woman stepped forward slowly. Small tears had formed at the corners of her red eyes — the first anyone in the group had ever seen from her. She reached out and took Aether’s hand with a coy, almost fragile grip, holding it the way a beaten puppy might cling to the one person it trusted. She didn’t speak. She simply stood there, holding on, as if confirming he was real and alive.

Rosaria watched the display for a second, then deliberately walked past the reunion to where Yelan had quietly stepped aside so as not to intrude.

The cryo nun stopped in front of the spy, looked her dead in the eye, and spoke with complete sincerity.

“Thank you. For saving him.”

Yelan blinked, clearly not expecting open gratitude from the possessive woman who had previously treated everyone as competition.

Rosaria continued, voice steady.

“After you pulled him out, things got bad on the beach. We were about to be overwhelmed. Beidou and her crew opened fire from the ship — artillery support at the perfect moment. That’s the only reason the rest of us made it out. But if you hadn’t taken him when you did… he wouldn’t have.”

She gave Yelan a small, respectful nod.

“So. Thanks.”

Yelan, still bare beneath her cloak and still feeling the aftermath of their earlier activities, simply returned the nod with professional calm.

“Just doing my job.”

But there was a faint flicker of something softer in her expression.

Yae Miko watched the entire reunion with open amusement, chin resting on her hand, as if she had arranged even this emotional moment for her own entertainment.