Operation: Make Zhongli Smile Forever

Part 3 - Peculiar Bards and Firey Bartenders

Childe woke up to light streaming into his eyes, the sun gently rising above the land of contracts, the busy inhabitants already running around busily, shouting prices and products to be carried through the air. He glanced over at Zhongli's overcoat on the sofa through a crack in his door, remembering slowly that he had to meet Zhongli at the gates in... well, now. With a grunt, he rose, pulling his freshly washed clothes onto himself and, as per morning, flattened his hair as much as he could.

The Harbinger gently picked up the jacket he had borrowed, slinging it over his left shoulder, picking up a small bag of personal belongings and throwing it over his right. With one last look over his abode, making sure all candles were extinguished, windows closed and no confidential letters or documents in sight, he backed out of the apartment, locking the door and leaving a small 'out of town' note hanging from the handle. He made his way out quickly, avoiding all of his agents to avoid being questioned about his sudden rush to leave the bank.

Thankfully for him, the walk from the bank to the front gates was a short one, but he still had to make sure to avoid as many people as possible; the public's opinion on him was still rather low after he almost destroyed their city (which, honestly, he thought was rather reasonable), ever after countless instances of Zhongli trying to convince the inhabitants that Childe would not attempt to kill them - again.

Childe notices Zhongli already waiting at the gate, a subtle smile on his face as they locked eyes across the distance, life around them stopping for a moment as Childe approached the Archon.

"Good Morning Zhongli," Childe smiled, positioning himself in front of his friend, pulling the extra jacket off his shoulder and passing it to the consultant, "I forgot to return your coat after I borrowed it, haha. Sorry." Zhongli chuckled, taking the item of clothing from Childe's hands and pulling it onto himself, buttoning it up and smoothing it down.

"It's quite alright, it wasn't intentional anyway," Zhongli responded, turning around and walking out of the gate. Childe simply followed along, a gentle skip present in his step.

"How will we be getting to Mondstadt anyway? It's an almost 2 day walk from what the Traveller told me," Childe questioned, Zhongli made his way up the hill with incredible ease; afterall, he had walked this very land for many centuries. The Archon stopped in his tracks upon a small raised piece of land, and from a small bag (that Childe only now noticed), Zhongli pulled out a single, perfectly round crimson apple.

"Zhongli, how is an apple going to help us? Is this our food for the trip or something?" Childe asked, genuinely perplexed by his companion's... unconventional methods.

"No, this is simply a payment. Wait just a few minutes. Our transport should show up soon," Zhongli stated simply, standing perfectly still while holding the apple in his hand, examining it intensely. The two of them waited together in silence for a while, watching as the sun arched over the horizon, illuminating the main city. A breeze began stirring.

Ahead of them, below their rocky pedestal, a small vortex of wind began forming; as it picked up speed, Childe felt as if he was about to be thrown from his feet, while Zhongli remained stiff as a rock, completely immovable as a mountain. As Childe braced himself for being blown away, the wind stopped suddenly, and the two men were greeted by a small man dressed in peculiar green robes, his hair styled in two braids with gently glowing teal tips, akin almost to Zhongli's own amber tips.

"This is Venti. He's a dear old friend of mine," Zhongli explained as the small anemo user made his way over, small legs clothed in white tights moving at a rather concerning speed; with a huge leap, he landed next to Zhongli.