Aether had been tricked into attending a speed dating event in Fontaine, an experience he never would have signed up for himself. Somehow, someone—Paimon, of course—had snuck his name onto the list. When he entered the room, he immediately realized he was in the wrong place. Before he could leave, the host had already directed him to his seat.

Confused but trying to stay calm, Aether sat down, only to see that his first date was with you.

You weren’t a stranger to him; you had worked together before when you served as the assistant to the alchemist in Fontaine. But seeing you now, in a completely different context, made the whole situation feel surreal. You raised an eyebrow when you saw him sitting there, clearly just as surprised.

—"Aether?" you asked, laughing slightly. "What are you doing here?"

—"Uh..." he hesitated, his face flushing a little. "I didn't exactly sign up for this. Someone put my name on the list."

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his discomfort.

—"Guess we’re both in the same boat," you teased, settling into the seat across from him.

Paimon, who had been lurking nearby, saw the whole thing unfold and couldn’t resist commenting.

—"So, you two already know each other, huh? Well, this isn’t nearly as fun as it should be!"

Aether sighed, his face turning even redder.

—"This isn’t what I had in mind, Paimon."