lyre • venti

viii

"is this-- a tree? sOMEONE HELP MEEE--" paimon was freaking out, screaming and kicking as a result of her falling in, yes, a tree. aether reached in and grabbed the small fairy's hand, yanking her out of the leaves.

"ehhh? so this is where that bard is?" xingqiu remarked.

chongyun seemed a bit scared. "everyone is dressed... so plainly..."

"hehehe. i wonder what the cemeteries here look like..." hu tao, on the other hand, was very excited.

zhongli was alert. "well, wherever we are, we mustn't let our guard down. we need to locate venti as soon as possible and leave just as quickly--"

"do we need disguises?! are we going to be like secret agents?!"

"i don't think i want to walk around wearing all of this..."

the geo archon let out a sigh. as a result of the traveler's friend falling into the abyss, he and his friends agreed to accompany him in his search. with the help of mondstadt's chief alchemist, they created a device that would allow them to travel back and forth.

however, it was only good for one round trip. so if someone was left behind, they'd have no way of getting back. 

they had to locate venti, and fast.

"look! i think that's a clothes store!" paimon pointed to a small shop across the street. "we can start there."

the group agreed. they didn't really have a specific approach to their plan, but blending in would probably be a good start.

"why are there tears in these pants..." xingqiu was currently looking through racks filled with what were called "jeans."

"do not buy them," zhongli cautioned. "these are probably the failed versions of the actual product, hence the cheap price. though i do not understand why they would bother selling it in the first place..."

as if on cue, aether emerged from a changing room wearing the ripped jeans and a crewneck sweater he found. everybody turned, as he surprisingly pulled the look off well.

xingqiu reconsidered the jeans. but chongyun quickly steered him away from the aisle...

...

"it's a good thing you're able to replicate the currencies here, mr. zhongli! otherwise, there's probably no way we could get all of this," mused paimon, who was eating some ice cream.

the archon nodded. "it's very difficult, though. all of our elemental abilities have significantly lost their strength... as such, you can't even levitate anymore."

paimon pouted. "walking is so tiring. i have no idea how you people manage on a daily basis."

aether laughed. the five kept pressed on, now feeling a bit more in-place. those with visions kept them strung to their belts, and zhongli carried a large bag with everyone's belongings.

"where will we stay for the next few days, though?" chongyun pondered. "it's not like we can locate wherever he lives right away. and by the way you describe him, aether, i don't think he has a living space to begin with..."

hu tao let out a hearty laugh. "surely they must also have funeral parlors here, too! we can sneak into coffins and sleep there during the evening."

everybody looked at her in horror. "veto."

aether looked back down. as much as the others seemed to enjoy their adventure, he hoped that he could find his friend soon and apologize.