Genshin Impact One Shots

XiaoVen #2

"A get-together? Who will be attending?" Zhongli questioned, glancing at the invitation he was handed then at Aether who had given it to him. The blonde answered with a smile, "It's a surprise." The former Geo Archon eyed him with slight suspicion but it faded rather quickly, knowing that the Traveler never had malicious intent for anything. "Alright," He said, "I'll be there." Aether quickly wished him a good day before exiting the funeral parlor, moving onto the next invitation.

-- Four Hours Later --

Paimon attempted to help the traveler with preparations but the blonde moved from one thing to a other so fast, she could barely know what was happening. "Let- Let Paimon help!" She said with a whine, a worried expression on her face. "It's alright Paimon, we got this." A female voice stated confidently as she carried crates of fresh ingredients into the kitchen. "Thanks for helping me cook, Xiangling. Everything else is ready, so we can focus on the food." Aether said as he caught his breath. In under an hour, he'd organized the living room, gotten more firewood, readied the guest rooms, and set up the dining table for dinner.

Xiangling worked diligently while Guoba lit the fire and waddled around helping fetch ingredients. Aether chopped vegetables and prepared the various meats, handing over whatever the cook asked for. The clock in the living room struck seven and warned them of the lessening time limit with rhythmic chimes. "Paimon, do you mind watching the front door? That way you can let them in." Aether asked as he handed Xiangling a wooden spoon. "Sure thing, Traveler!" And within seconds, White Flying Lavender Melon was already out of their sight. Now, both cooks hurried to finish the delicious dishes that were to be served to their soon-to-be guests. "If only I hadn't been sucked into a TCG duel earlier when I visited Mondstadt.." Aether thought to himself, wishing he'd backed out on the challenge with Cyno.

"Wow, Tone Deaf Bard is early! That's shocking -uh anyway- the dining room is over there." Paimon said, pointing towards a closed door. "Thanks." Venti said with a grin, walking away and humming a tune to himself. Paimon continued to peek out the window of the front door, only to see a face suddenly appear directly in front of the glass. "AHH!" The fairy screeched, flying back and twirling before regaining her stability. She looked through the glass again and noticed the ginger hair and lifeless blue eyes anywhere. Opening the door, Paimon started yelling, "Childe! Don't do that! You gave Paimon a heart attack." Despite her chastising, the harbinger simply laughed and walked passed her. Having been there before multiple times, he ignored whatever else she attempted to tell him and entered the dining room.

In said dining room, Venti sat in one of the seven cushioned chairs and strummed a lyre and now, Tartaglia sat across the circular table from him. "Hello, comrade. I've never seen you around here before." The Snezhnayan commented, seeing the dark turquoise eyes of the bard meet his with a smile to accompany them. "I'm Venti, a humble bard from Mondstadt. And you are..?" The Anemo Archon seemed to already know that the man in front of him was a harbinger but trusted Aether's judgement nonetheless. "I'm Tartaglia, but most people call me-" Before the ginger could finished, the door opened, "Childe?" Zhongli asked as he slowly walked in. "Xiangshen!" Tartaglia exclaimed, hopping out of his seat and approaching the other tall male like a happy puppy.

Zhongli hugged the harbinger and lead them to sit down side by side, "I see this is what Aether meant by 'surprise'." He eyed the bard across from him and both archons quietly acknowledged the others presence. "So, this is the man you've been talking about, Zhongli?" Venti questioned, leaning on his elbows and cheekily winking at him. Tartaglia's expression brightened, "Oh? You've been talking about me? What does he say about me? Is it about my big-" A hand clapped over the harbinger's mouth and he mumbled, looking at Zhongli with a playful glare. "We'll talk about that later, Ajax." The former Geo Archon stated with a firm gaze.