A Chat with the Outrider
“Lisa? Are you okay? I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning. I got a bit worried.” Lisa turned to see Jean’s gentle smile turn into a worried frown. “Lisa! You look so tired!” Jean was correct. Lisa stayed up all night, kept awake by her noisy thoughts. Lisa forced a smile despite the obvious bags under her eyes, attempting to assure the knight.
“Don’t worry about me, dear. I just… had some trouble falling asleep last night. I figured I might as well arrive early.”
“That’s a first,” she chuckled. “You can always rest. I can have one of the knights to help out in the library if you’d like.” The thought of another knight managing the books of the library made Lisa feel… uncomfortable.
“Really, dear. There’s no need to worry about me.”
“If you say so…” Jean’s troubled face made Lisa uneasy. She didn’t like how she was worrying Jean. “Well, we should both head to work.” The two smiled, agreeing in silence.
Lisa headed to her desk at the entrance of the Library of Mondstadt. She noticed the slight mess on the desk. “I should do a bit of organizing…” She told herself. While Lisa was rather lazy, she certainly wasn’t the messy type. And so, she got straight to work sorting paperwork and straightening books. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure why her desk was more unorganized than usual. As Lisa stood up to throw away some unneeded papers, the door opened. “Oh, Amber! What a pleasant surprise!” She greeted the knight. Amber waved. “Are you looking to borrow a book?” She asked as she dumped the papers into a nearby bin.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”
“Is it about Jean?” She asked jokingly.
“Well…” Amber laughed nervously. Lisa raised a brow. “How about we chat where Jean can’t walk in on our conversation?” Lisa nodded, curious about Amber’s schemes.
“You asked her if she was in a relationship?” Lisa asked, surprised at the knight’s actions. The two got a table at Good Hunters to chat.
“I asked her if she’s been in a relationship! I was curious!”
“Even so, you shouldn’t be prying at the Grand Master’s personal life,” Lisa chuckled, placing a hand on her chin.
“W-well, I’ve known Jean long enough! And it wasn’t like I was being obsessive or anything!” Amber grew flustered.
“I’m a bit curious now. What did she say?”
“She told me that she’d never been with anybody because she never really had the time.” That made sense to Lisa. Even as a child, Jean spent her time training to be a knight. Jean being in a relationship was a bit of a strange notion. “Then,” Amber continued, “she asked me about what I thought about love, and if I had ever dated anybody.” Lisa was taken aback. Jean asked about love again? Maybe somebody had caught the interest of the Acting Grand Master. Lisa felt a bit of jealousy at the thought. She tried to shake off the feeling.
“What did you say?” Lisa asked out of curiosity and to distract from her noisy ideas.
“Well, I’ve never been with anyone, but it would be nice… Uh- but this isn’t about me!” Amber waved her hands frantically as Lisa laughed. It grew silent soon after. “I think you should tell her,” Amber said softly. Lisa looked up at her and sighed.
“I know that I should…” Lisa grasped her cup of tea. “However, I’m not sure if I can.” Amber looked at the witch with a solemn expression.
“Jean talks about you a lot.” Lisa looked at the girl in surprise. “She told me that a lot of people doubt you, but you’re really good at what you do! From everything that I’ve heard, I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll find the courage to confess to her!” Amber smiled brightly. The young outrider’s passion and determination reminded Lisa of the woman she held so close to her heart. Lisa smiled.
“Thank you, Amber.” Amber giggled and nodded. “Shall we head out now? I’m sure you have some knightly duties to attend to?”
“Right! Good luck, Lisa!” And so, the two went their ways.