lyre • venti

xii

"travellller! it's you!" venti exclaimed, wiping his face upon approaching his friend. "you've come here, i can't believe it! but how? are you hurt? and why are you wearing those hideous jeans?!"

aether blinked, shaking himself out of his shocked state. "venti... are you hurt? it's been very difficult to locate you."

the bard shook his head. "i've been aaa-okay, thanks to this friend of mine here, y/nn! they've been taking care of me dearly since i've arrived."

y/n bowed. "it's nice to meet you! i'm sorry, we were at a carnival today and somehow he managed to get his hands on alcohol. he's, well, kind of wasted."

the traveller gave an uneasy wave. "oh, no worries! it sounds like something he would, um, do. m-my name's aether, and i've come with a few other friends to look for our fellow bard here."

"aether! venti's mentioned you before, it's a pleasure to see you in person. but i see, i'm very glad someone came for him in the end. i hope your journey and time here hasn't been too arduous."

he didn't deny it. "i'll admit, it was quite difficult. we went through a lot of...interesting, experiences. but yeah, i'm glad that he's doing alright, except for the fact that he's intoxicated."

y/n awkwardly laughed along. "where are the rest of your companions? i'd like to give them my regards. also, do you need somewhere to stay? my apartment's small, but i think i have a few futons--"

"i appreciate it, y/n, but you needn't worry," aether interjected. "we have a motel, or whatever it's called, that we've been staying in for a while now. but here, i'll take you and-- venti? are you awake?"

the two turned, and the bard had fallen asleep standing up. "aish. i guess he finally ran out of energy," y/n remarked. the two each slung one of his arms around their shoulder and head to the area aether described. y/n, being a local, knew exactly where he meant, and in no time, found the rest of the reconnaissance group.

"aether! OH MY GOSH, VENTI!" paimon yelled. aether shushed her, as it was starting to get late. "how did you find him!? and who's this?!"

y/n gave an uneasy, closed-eye smile while they laid venti down on a park bench. "hi, it's nice to meet you all! um, i'm y/n, and i've been taking care of mr. venti here for the time being."

hu tao ran up to the person and engulfed them in a bone-crushing hug. "Y/NNNN! YOU'RE OUR SAVIOR! i don't know how many more shoddy funerals i can witness! i'm hu tao, the director of the wangsheng funeral parlor in liyue! though, you probably don't know where that is, ehehehe."

she let go, and y/n found oxygen again. the rest of the group introduced themselves-- a boy with dark blue hair named xingqiu, another with light blue hair named chongyun, a small-- child--? named paimon, and an older man known as zhongli.

"thank you for taking care of our friend here," zhongli appreciated. "i hope he hasn't caused too much trouble."

"it's no problem at all. i'm sorry to hear you had a difficult time while you were here," y/n replied respectfully. he's so formal! "are you all able to return back to teyvat?"

aether nodded. "a friend back home made a device that'll lead us there. the thing is, though, he cautioned us to use it in an open space. he mentioned something about energy surges, from what i remember."

y/n thought for a moment. "i see. i know a place far from here i can take you all to. but for now, if you're not in a rush, i advise you all rest up for the night."

everyone turned to zhongli, who y/n assumed was the main advisor for their trip. "i agree. it's been quite the long day, i'll admit. we can reconvene at noon, if that works for you."

y/n nodded enthusiastically. "yes, that sounds great. and as for venti--"

zhongli sighed. "that bard always drinks too much for his own good. we can take him in, we have our own room at—"

"noooooo," venti suddenly chimed, half awake. paimon jumped. "youuu are the last person i want to share a room with! old...geezer..." and he passed out again.

hu tao stifled a laugh, and zhongli's expression darkened.

y/n chimed, "he-he can stay at my place! he's been there for the past few weeks anyways, and his belongings are there—"

"i will gladly accept the offer, y/n. you don't know how much i appreciate it."

...

"venti!! c'mon, get ahold of yourself. you should be able to walk on your own," y/n scolded, trying to unlock their apartment door with the bard slung around them. "plus, don't you think that was kinda rude earlier? it sounds like they went through a lot to find you, and you were just passed out, y'know."

the bard stirred, picking some of his weight off of his friend. "i'm sorry, y/n."

their brows furrowed, finally managing to unlock their door. "you've said that almost a hundred times now. are you sure you really mean it?"

venti removed himself from y/n, now having a clear enough head to walk on his own. "i wish there were more ways i could express my gratitude— ah, i've got it! i'll write a song about you and make sure it reaches all ends of teyvat!"

y/n was indifferent. they hung their coat and headed towards their bedroom. "goodnight, venti."

but the bard grabbed their wrist. "before you go, could you maybe play me a song? on your guitar, please? it will my final request, before i leave..."

they looked down at him and frowned. for some reason, they never fully appreciated his eyes. though the tiredness of the evening reflected in them, y/n noticed how similar it looked to the grass and sky. a mixture of emotions swirled in them— was it curiosity? determination? or just the lingering effects of alcohol? they couldn't figure it out right at the moment, but those eyes, they compelled something in y/n to grant the bard's request.

"alright, fine," they complied, gently removing the archon's wrist. "just don't fall asleep on me, ya hear?"

with an excited nod, venti sat crossed-legged next to y/n, who slipped on their guitar strap. "no sheet music?" the bard queried.

they shook their head. "i'll play you one of my favorites."

and with a strum, y/n began. venti laid his head on his friend's shoulder once more, enjoying the soft and lovely tune.

"how could i know? / one day i'd wake up feeling more / but i had already reached the shore."

"guess we were ships in the night, night, night."

the song transitioned to humming. venti, picking up on the pattern, harmonized with the singer, causing them to accidentally strum a wrong note in surprise. he smiled, and y/n swayed back and forth to the rest of the song.

y/n wished they could capture the moment with their camera. it was a lovely setting, with the lamp light slightly dimmed, the few specks of city light out the large window, the strumming of the guitar, and--

a breeze? y/n thought.

they turned and looked down at the bard, who had his eyes closed with a soft smile. the only window in the apartment was the large wall window to their left, and it couldn't be opened. the turquoise in his braids seemed to faintly glow as well, and y/n wondered if the soft gale that circled them was because of him.

"and would it be alright if i / pulled you closer?"

the chorus repeated. the wind picked up a little, tickling y/n's hair. a feeling bubbled in their chest, a small feeling they were unfamiliar with. it was comforting, warm.  it was a feeling they didn't want to let go of.

i don't want the song to end, they thought. are we going to be those damn ships?

before the last few lines of the song, y/n suddenly stopped. they let their strumming arm fall, and they gripped the guitar with a sad expression.

venti perked up from his spot. "y/n? are you okay?"

they were quiet for a moment. then, they spoke, "i wish you didn't have to leave."

from the corner of the room, a light started to leak from y/n's bag.