𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | 𝐱𝐢𝐚𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢

IV

“Venti!”

Hearing his name, the bard swung around on his high chair and raised his glass, while his other hand tipped his beret. “My dear traveller. It’s so nice to see you again.”

Lumine got on the seat next to him and ordered a juice. “It’s been a while all right. How's everything here?”

“The same. Though, that's not exactly a good thing.” He planted his cheek on his palm and sighed dramatically. “If only the bartender at Angel’s Share would cut down the prices on dandelion wine, Mondstadt would be the perfect city.”

“I’m not sure if you want Master Diluc hearing that,” remarked Charles as he slipped Lumine’s glass over to which the outlander caught swiftly. She took a few sips, relishing in the cool taste of berries—but shortly after, she frowned.

“Could you put some alcohol in this? I want some.” Lumine asked, pushing her glass back.

Venti caught her hand, a cheeky grin on his face. “What’s this? Do I finally have a drinking buddy now?”

Lumine rolled her eyes. “I’m just having some headaches recently. Thought alcohol might help it.”

“Headaches?” Venti sounded concerned. “Alcohol won’t solve that though. It might make it worse.”

“I still want to try some.”

Reluctantly, Charles added a hint of alcohol into her juice, and served it back to her. As she downed her beverage, Venti started to feel uneasy.

“Is something wrong? You never drink alcohol.”

Lumine wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “Just been hearing things. Really messes with your head sometimes.”

The bard blanched. “Hearing things? That’s not normal. Shouldn’t you be seeing a doctor?”

“Doctors can't help me. No one can.” Lumine leaned back into her seat, sighing deeply. “Only I can help myself.”

For a moment, the gentle music of Six-Fingered Jose weaved through their conversation. His playing was soothing, and this made Lumine’s frown soften, as well as temporarily purging the violent, biting thoughts in her head.

Noticing this, Venti set down his drink and turned towards her. He may just have the remedy for her ailment.

“Lumine, come here.”

The traveller did as told, albeit a little wary. After all, this was Venti. Anything can go wrong with him.

Venti clasped his hands around her ears, then touched his forehead with hers. Gently, a pulse resounded in her mind, and soon Lumine’s ears were filled with the most pleasant melody, a song from the heavens. This distracted her from those gnawing thoughts, and Lumine felt relaxed, at peace.

I remember doing something like this before, thought Venti as a wind current swathed around their limbs, a barrier to prevent the patrons in the bar from watching them. 

Though, two particular individuals weren’t barred from his spell.

—

It was a pleasant afternoon in Mondstadt, with Timmy at the bridge feeding his birds, Flora tending to her flower shop, and members of the Knights of Favonius patrolling around, ensuring the security of the city as per their duty.

Lawrence cupped a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. Guarding the front gates was always a mundane task, as he couldn’t stroll around the city (to slack off) and was required to remain stationary until the night shift took over.