lyre • venti

ix

"y/nnn!! smile!!"

with a cheeky grin, venti snapped a photo of y/n with birds all around their arms, head, and feet. the person, on the other hand, was extremely uncomfortable. they had no idea how they attracted so many birds in the first place, since venti was the one carrying their snack for the afternoon. 

"ventiiii...help meeee..." they whined, too scared to move.

but the bard only laughed. "not yet! i still want to take more pictures."

"you are the worst."

after a few more minutes messing around, the two continued their journey home from extra grocery shopping.

"y/n, look! what's that?" venti asked, pointing to a small gathering near a park.

they turned, and it was a biking event for charity. upon closer inspection, the more you biked, the more money would be raised.

"we should try it! it's for a good cause!" the bard piped, gently shaking y/n's armed.

they frowned. "i don't know... it's kind of hard to store bikes in an apart--"

venti put on his puppy face again. "you are so unfair," y/n remarked.

and with that, the two rode through the town, with venti sitting sideways on the bar and y/n pedaling on the seat. their goods were stored in a basket at the front. 

"why am i doing the pedaling?" y/n complained. "this was your idea."

"we can take turns! because... i don't know how to bike! i thought it just looked fun!"

y/n grumbled, while venti cheered and greeted random strangers. 

the second hand embarrassment was real. but, deep down, y/n enjoyed it.

"y/nnn! selfieee!" venti suddenly called, holding y/n's camera.

"venti! not while i'm pedaling--"

...

"this is why i initially said no."

the bard weeped. "i said i was sorry! and the picture still turned out nice..."

y/n sighed. "there's a first aid kit in the restroom, could you bring it here?"

and with that, the archon scurried away. although their photo earlier looked great, it came at the cost of y/n's focus, causing them to embarrassingly sprain their ankle.

venti returned with some bandages and ointment.  y/n spoke, "i can take care of this, can you unload the dairy before it gets--"

but the bard sat back down. "i wish i could heal you properly, but as you know, my skills are weakened. so i'll just treat it with this method for now."

y/n pouted. "i'm still annoyed."

"i'm sorryyy!"

after securing the wound, y/n slowly stood up. it wasn't an extreme sprain, but they did walk with a bit of a limp. the two unpacked their goods and y/n decided to nap.

"hey, y/n," venti chimed. "can i play you a tune?"

said person paused, then agreed. they sat on the couch, and venti brought his lyre out and started playing a rather mellow tune. y/n gently rocked their head to the tune, and in no time, they fell asleep.

"that was my apology and thank you song! i know--"

the bard stopped mid-sentence, aware of his friend's quiet state. with a smile, he tucked them in quietly and decided to cook something for when they wake up.

...

"this seems like a good place."

the four liyueans + the traveler looked up "motel...?"

"i believe it is like wangshu inn. therefore, we'll probably have to pay a fee for a room..." zhongli trailed.

the group entered, and at the front desk was a young woman. she noticed the group and appeared to be slightly flustered. 

"h-hi!" she stuttered, fixing her blouse. "how may i help you?"

the geo archon spoke, "good evening, miss. we'd like a room for a week, if that is possible."

"wow, quite the stay! are you on vacation?" she asked, typing something up.

"y-you could say that," aether replied.

she nodded. "okay then! for a room large enough for you five--"

"i'd like a separate one, please!" hu tao chimed.

"ah, and one for the lady... comes to 190 euro!"

everyone grimaced. wondering why it went quiet, the receptionist looked up and saw their dark expressions.

"i-i think i can make a few adjustments!"

moments later, the group made their way down the hall. "she lowered the price significantly and complied without any of us saying anything. i wonder why?" zhongli pondered.

hu tao laughed. "it's probably since you have the looks, old man! she was flustered ever since we walked in."

everyone agreed, while zhongli still seemed to be in deep thought. they split into their respective rooms and prepared for the night, while chongyun and xingqiu decided to wander the building for a bit, leaving the geo archon and traveler to discuss alone.

"zhongli, do you have any clues as to where he might be? you're an archon, after all..." chimed a tired paimon.

the man replied, "it is very faint, but possibly detectable. this place is very different from teyvat, but i'm sure the winds will lead us to him."

aether looked out the window. lumine... could you possibly be here, too?

...

what's that smell?  y/n stirred from their sleep. soup?

they sat up from their spot in the couch. from the kitchen, venti greeted, "ah, you're awake, dear y/n! did you have a nice nap?"

said person yawned, still in a dazed state. "yeah. what are you cooking, though? it smells good..."

they wobbled on over to the kitchen, where the archon was filling two bowls with something that looked like a chowder. "it's my specialty! i call it a buoyant breeze, but it's known as barbatos ratatouille to most. it has a carrots, onions, potatoes... and the spirit of the wind!"

y/n smiled and accepted the bowl. "it sounds lovely, venti. thank you. wanna sit on the couch for a change?"

the bard nodded, and the two chat merrily while enjoying their meal. "venti, this is amazing! i'm not usually a fan of chowders, but this definitely goes on my favorites."

venti laughed. "haha, there's nothing i can't do! but it pleases me very much to know you enjoy my cooking."

the two continued to talk, exchanging life stories with one another. venti told them stories of his journeys as an archon and with the traveler named aether, and y/n told their own experiences of their childhood.

"i'm envious of you, though," y/n admitted, pausing to get another serving. "you get to explore a huge world with all sorts of landscapes and cities, but i'm stuck here dealing with student loans."

the archon shook his head. "i beg to differ! what you're doing is very admirable, i could never imagine myself studying and dealing with finances for so long. and there must be a specific goal you're working towards, no?"

y/n sat back down next to him. "my childhood dream has been to be a/an [job], though classes are quite expensive. so for now, i do general education and pursue photography as a minor, or on the side. but i still have time to save up, so don't worry."

venti studied the person quietly, who was eating their soup. "something wrong?"

he shook his head with a soft smile. "i wish i could take you to see teyvat. i think you'd love it."