Winery Of Dawn

The Bard and The Bartender's Adventure!

Diluc let out a laugh when he was being dragged out the door. "You really are a handful!" he complained in a playful way.

"Oh, I know~!" Venti giggled and started to walk towards Windrise. Windrise was his favorite place to go when he was really tired and needed to recover in some way, shape or form.

"You're admitting everything. This is a side of you that isn't usually seen by the ordinary public."

"Do you seem like ordinary public to me? No! I'm sharing because you're my best friend, Master Diluc!"

Those words -best friend- got to him mainly because he couldn't believe that. Were they really that close? Of course, the way he was feeling made him feel like lard because just being called 'only a friend' stabbed him in the heart like a knife. They cut through him, because he felt like he had just been friend-zoned by someone he adored for a very long time.

"Is something wrong, Diluc? You looked awfully pained!"

"No. I'm fine. Just... thinking about something."

"M'kay!" he let out a laugh and sat at the big tree at Windrise. After staring for a while at the Statue of the Seven, he thought that it was a little strange that Venti looked a lot like the Lord Barbatos; Mondstadt's god. He sighed and looked to Venti.

"I... have a question."

"What is it, my dear Diluc?"

He turned red from being called such a thing. He wasn't expecting that of course and just sighed a little bit. "Are you the god of freedom? The Anemo Archon? Lord Barbatos...?"

Venti grew slightly discomforted by being asked that question. Diluc wasn't in the wrong for asking about that, but it just made him question why Diluc would ask that and he should just tell him at this point, because what does he have to lose hiding his real identity from the other. There wouldn't be any point in doing so since it was obvious. "Yes." is all he answered the other, laughing a little. "Don't call me Barbatos unless you're mad at me though, because it makes me extremely uncomfortable."

"Noted, bard."

"You're still calling me such an ugly nickname?" Venti grumbled lightly, not liking that too much.

"You're being like a bratty child. You're so picky with your pet names!"

"Oh? You're using them in a romantic sense, are you? Well then, I don't mind that, but only if you're flirting, Master Diluc!" Venti teased, a whistled snort coming from his laugh yet again. How could a young bard such as himself be so insolent to make fun of calling him something he often did? He wouldn't complain about the ugly nickname he got back, because he figured it was all because he was being teased back for calling him 'bard.'

"That's not what I-" Diluc was at a loss for words at the moment, unsure how to word what he wanted to say. "Let's go back to the Winery..."

"I want some wine, y'know! You didn't let me have any today!"

"That's because you wanted to spend time with and not get drunk. Are you revising your statement?"

"No! I just really want to drink some of that delicious dandelion wine right now!" Venti crossed his arms and huffed at Diluc, pretending to act mad like a child pitching a tantrum.

"You're lucky I put up with you," Diluc grumbled and got up from the ground, taking Venti's hand and started to walk towards the Tavern. He knew Angel's Share was still going to be open. He just prayed that Venti being drunk again wouldn't be the end of him.

"Are we there yet?" Venti pried, being quite impatient about his delectable wine.

"Not yet. I want to go there casually so we can converse while you're still sober."

"Hmph! You're no fun!" Venti grumbled, on the verge of actually pitching up a tantrum.

Diluc rolled his eyes and just walked faster to the Angel's Share, "you're such a pain, bard."

Venti snickered a little, "isn't that the point?"

Diluc facepalmed and let out a hard sigh, "why do I put up with you?"

"Because we're friends!" Venti giggled softly.

"That's a valid point, I suppose." Diluc spoke and reached the tavern. "Here we are. I guess I'll let your beverage be on the house tonight since you never seem to want to pay your tab anyway."

"I don't ever want to see the painful millions of Mora on that bill!" Venti huffed, being annoyed.

"Maybe some time in the future, you won't have to pay that tab anymore, or I'll just stop charging you all together."

"Really?" Venti's eyes lit up with excitement. "You're serious?!" He asked.

"Of course," Diluc smiled at the other, patting his head after swiping the hat off of his head for just a moment.

"Hey! When did I say you could treat me like a dog?" Venti grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't mean to. Did you not like that I didn't ask first?"

"Mhm. It's okay for the first time, so, don't worry about it right now."

"All right..." Diluc sighed yet again and went behind the counter to get Venti a drink of Dandelion wine.