let me play you a tune! {yandere venti}

chapter four

(this is not a special chapter, just a bit of venti POV!!! next special chapter voting is still going on >:D)

Liyue.

It looked very yellow.
Of course, I wouldn't know, since I'd rarely ever been here. On these meet-ups, Morax would typically meet me at the Angels Share in Mondstadt, and we'd talk quietly in the back for a couple hours, and share a bottle of dandelion wine. But now, I was seeking him out in his own territory. It was somewhat uncomfortable, since I knew so little about the terrain. Well, as little as a god would. But , of course, I knew where to find him. Wanmin Restaurant. He'd talked it up quite a lot on hits last visit, and last month you'd raved to me about how much you wanted to go. I wish I could take you here but it's dangerous. And you might meet someone other than me. I look up to the sky, the sun melting down to the clouds. It was around midday, quickly transitioning to evening. I've been away from you for about a week. I miss you. I hope Diluc hasn't gotten any closer to you while I've been gone. My feet carry me forward through the marketplace of Liyue, bringing me to a stop at the restaurant I only remembered the name of because you had talked about it once. You were so excited, you tried making food on your own. It tasted like flaming garbage, but no amount of mora could make me tell you that. Speaking of mora, I could only hope Morax could pay for this meal. There he was, sitting at one of the tables in front of the restaurant. Interesting. He was with some ugly ginger guy. "Morax." I whisper, sitting down eagerly. Morax takes a sip of tea, and doesn't meet my eyes. How rude. "You may speak aloud. This is only my friend, Childe." The ugly man nods at me, before turning to a pair of chopsticks and grimacing. I don't like him very much, and shoot him a glare. "Listen, buddy..." trying to grip the sweetest tone possible, I grab one of his hands and look him straight in the eyes. He stares down at me, eyes suddenly narrowed. "If it's about that person agai-" I cut him off.

"Could you tell me a bit about Adepti Chambers?"

_______

Today was a anti-Diluc day.

The meeting thing he had taken you to was boring, and he'd hardly talked to you the entire time. So you had resorted to sitting in the corner and not talking to anyone, not wanting to socialize with the stuck-up businessmen that he'd talked up so much. Now you were moping outside Mondstadt, sitting in a tree and caressing the "venti-cape". It had been a week since you last saw him, and everything had still maintained the same routine, just less fun. Rosaria was growing increasingly busy, so she no longer had time for your training sessions. It wasn't like you needed them anymore anyway, you just enjoyed her company. Now, the only company you had was the tree you were sitting in. It was halfway between Mondstadt and Windrise, leaves yellowing and trunk shedding from the upcoming fall season. Even the air had the same chill Diluc had begun to treat you with. Bitterness stung your chest. You needed to start thinking more about yourself. Maybe a shift at Lisa's library would cheer you up? Wait- that was still thinking about other people- Why was self-care so DIFFICULT? Still, you couldn't help but admit some time in the library would do you good, even if it wasn't working.

Lisa had let you in with open arms, even encouraging you to take a shift. She desperately needed a break, although you knew she was just going to go see Jean. So, the witch left the library, and you. Alone. Despite taking on the role, you couldn't help but feel the sting of betrayal. Venti would always make time for you, no matter what. Looking around, you found yourself surrounded by hundreds of books, stacked together neatly on bookshelves that reached to the ceiling.
And that was only the first floor.
Looking at the venti-cape, still strung in your arms, you decided to research the flowing vision clasped onto the back. After all, learning more about how to use hydro couldn't hurt. Wandering among the shelves, you couldn't help but feel lost among where you or your life should be. You had nothing much going for you except Diluc and Venti. You felt isolated. Dependent. You'd even been counting the days since Venti left, and hoping he'd come back. Venti always tainted your thoughts. Venti and other people. Your throat tightened. You felt no different than two years ago. In fact, you wished you could return to then, when your thoughts were only on yourself. In fact, you'd been so consumed by thoughts of everyone else, you'd forgotten about your upcoming birthday. Not that it'd matter. They weren't very special anymore, anyway. Not like when you were a kid. Taking another soak of your surroundings, you looked at a small cart filled with books. No doubt they needed to be put away. And so, you began the toiling task of shelving heavy volumes in places you could barely reach. How could Lisa do it?! You were literally only three inches shorter than her, it wasn't that much. Unless she had long arms, then maybe.
Still, even with the task, your thoughts continued tracking back to Venti, and circling around to Diluc. They were both so... suspicious. Like they had a semi-agenda. Then again, if given the choice between the two... you'd probably pick Venti. One of the doors to the library suddenly creaked, and your head snapped toward the second floor, the source of the door noise. Two people, a blonde traveler and that maid girl Noelle, entered the library, giggling. Your eyes narrowed. You and Venti used to do that.

Setting aside a heavy volume you'd been shelving, you decided you needed a trip of your own.

/word count 1028/