Falling for You

Chapter 10 - Questions

 "What?" It means what exactly?!

 "It means he loves you." Childe put it in simpler terms.

 "We only met twice..." Where does this even come from?

 "You, have met him twice, he, on the other hand, has been protecting you for a year or so already," Zhongli said.

 "He has been doing what?" This was getting a little too much to handle.

 "Every time I would send you out on a more dangerous mission, he would follow along to make sure you would be okay. At first, he only did this when he found out about it somehow, but after a while, I started informing him myself every time I sent you out. Even I don't mind if you have some backup if it's needed, and he's as good as any." Zhongli explained patiently.

 "And you didn't think of informing me about all this?"

 "We made a contract before I started informing him. I wouldn't tell you about any of this unless you noticed something and asked about it yourself, and he would stop playing around and do at least a part of his job."

 "Isn't that only beneficial to one side?"

 I was confused. The Morax I know would never sign a contract like this. Obviously, I wasn't the only one confused, as even Childe turned around to look at him questioningly.

 "Getting Venti to just stay in Modstadt and do his work, even if it's just some of it is the most difficult thing in Teyvat. I could brag about this to the other archons for years." A mischievous smile surfaced on his face, surprising me once again as this is the first time he showed a smile like that.

 "So you're also one to brag, xiansheng," Childe said in a playful tone.

 "When it comes to something as incredible as getting that guy to do his work, even that Tsaritsa of yours would brag to everyone she meets." 

 "No way!"

 "Then why don't you go and ask?" Zhongli asked jokingly.

 "Hmph! Then I'll go ask! I doubt she even knows him!" Saying that he really stormed out the door, leaving for Snezhnaya.

 "He really did leave..." Zhongli was completely baffled.

 "You expected him not to?" With that personality of his, it would have been more surprising if he didn't.

 "I guess you're right. But now back to you and Venti, do you want to ask anything?"

 "How many times has he followed me?"

 "Most of the times I sent you out on a mission, although he didn't follow along for the past two weeks. He just got back from Inazuma two days ago."

 "There haven't been any boats going to Inazuma for the past month though."

 "If something like that would stop him, he wouldn't have gotten where he is today."

 I didn't say anything to that, but I still had my doubts. How could he get across the ocean all the way to Inazuma? Instead of asking that, I decided to ask something else first.

 "Is he really a wind spirit?"

 "Wind spirit? So that's his original form then. I guess I could have guessed that sooner." Zhongli muttered to himself.

 "So he is a wind spirit?" Even he seemed to doubt himself when he told me.

 "I have no idea," Zhongli answered honestly.

 "You don't?" That's a surprise.

 "I have never seen his original form. He was in his human form already when I met him."

 "And when was that exactly?"

 "About 2500, maybe 2600 years ago?"

 It was as if lightning had struck me. Not only was he taller, but he was also older than me?!

 Knowing that he calls Morax by that name, I somewhat expected him to be older than he looks. But not by this much.

 "Something wrong, Xiao?" Zhongli asked concerned by my sudden silence.

 "It's... nothing. Do you know where he could have gone? We should probably talk some more."

 "Judging from his personality, he probably went to look for Dvalin."

 "Dvalin?"

 "One of the four winds of Mondstadt, the dragon of the east, that Dvalin." He explained.

 "Why would Venti... no never mind. Do you know how to find him?"

 "You should ask Cloud Retainer. She sometimes meets with Dvalin."

 "Thank you, Morax." I turned around to leave, but before that...

 "Do you know where my spear is?" I turned back to ask.

 "It's by the door."

 "Thanks, goodbye."

 "Goodbye, Xiao." Zhongli waved after him.