Rising Storm || Genshin Impact

28: Your Fault

okay aether doesn't exactly 'gaslight' but like...

...

"Heya, Y/N! You're here!"

Venti met Y/N at the Geo Statue. The sky was getting dark, it was about time for the two to head back to Mondstat.

"I got you something!" He bounced on his heels as he revealed a brown object from behind his back. "It's a Kamera! Pretty cool, right?"

He tapped at the clear lenses with his fingernails. "It already comes with photocards! A merchant sold it to me and - are you alright?"

It was only then, did Venti take a good, careful look at Y/N's face. Her cheeks were puffed and flushed, as if she had rubbed them furiously. The whites in her eyes were laced with red veins that seemed to pulse on the verge of exploding.

The bard gulped as she walked straight past him, staring down at her feet with her arms tensed at her sides. 

"Y/N?" He rushed to catch up with her, Kamera in hand. "What happened? Are you alright?"

He laid a hand on her shoulder as she sped-walked, refusing to look his way. Did she get in a fight? Venti only grew more worried by the second.

"Y/N!" he urged through clenched teeth. "Talk to me! What happened?"

Still no response. The girl only walked faster.

"Y/N!" Venti yanked her arm to a stop. Her fingers immediately clenched to dig at her sweaty palms as she tried free her wrist from his grasp.

"What the hell do you want?!?!" she yelled. Her lips quivered as if she was holding in a scream, her narrowed eyes burned scalds into Venti's pupils.

He stared back in shock: Y/N - a girl who was so lively and passionate - was wearing such a monstrous, pitiful expression on her face. A faint breeze blew a strand of hair across her teary eyes. Venti immediately let go of her hand: slowly, so that he could feel her touch slip away.

"What happened?" Venti whispered.

She heaved a breath out her nose, her eyelids flickering up and down before looking away.

"Nothing." she muttered, turning to continue along the forest path.

Venti watched the girl's silhouette blend into the darkness. He let his face fall limp, drooping as he lowered his head to the ground.

...

"Welcome back!" Aether exclaimed, waving at Y/N and Venti - who had just returned to Mondstat. Paimon flew in circles behind the blonde, waving her stubby arms in the air to greet the travelers.

It was daytime now. The group had gathered under the large oak tree at Windrise, the same one where they coordinated The Plan.

The sun was shining, but Y/N and Venti weren't. They trekked in complete silence: Venti wore a wary, uneasy expression; Y/N barely showed any emotion at all.

Aether sucked at his teeth, unsettled by their stiffness towards each other and towards him. They barely batted him an eye as they sat down in a circle under the tree's shade, Venti only shot him a small, ingenuine smile before looking away. 

"A-are they alright? Paimon thinks they've been awfully quiet..." the pixie muttered into Aether's ear. "Brrr! Is it just me? Or does it seem a bit chilly today?"

Aether cleared his throat, a bead of sweat dropped down the side of his face as he giggled nervously. "So, uh...how did the mission go?"

He glanced at Y/N, who sat cross-legged, picking at the grass in front of her.