Music to my Ears [(Y/n) x Venti]

Chapter 22

  "What kind of creep lives among caskets?"

  "He works there!"

  "Oh..." I scratched my head. "I guess that makes it a little better. But it's still kind of creepy."

"Shh! We're here!" The bard lightly patted my head, signaling for my silence.

Knock! Knock! As I made my way up the stairs, the grandiose doors opened, flooding the path with warm orange light. A figured seemed to express surprise upon seeing Venti, and then creaked the door wider. I entered behind the bard, keeping my head down and my eyes trained on the polished floors. I didn't want anyone identifying me, especially not a friend of Venti's who'd tell him my true identity in a heartbeat.

"Who's your friend?" The figure seemed to speak, his voice sending a chill down my spine. Why did it seem so familiar?

I afforded myself a quick glance at him, before doing a double take. My heart skipped a beat. Recognizable Amber eyes eyes looked at me with scrutiny, heavy brows furrowing with suspicion. There was no doubt about it- this was the man I had met right before leaving Liyue! What was his name again? Something with a Z? Zho-

  "Mr Zhongli!?" I blurted out.

  The two figures turned to me, eyes wide in surprise.

  "How do you know my name?" Mr. Zhongli asked, trying to see my shadowed face.  

  I yanked off my hood, beaming at him in delight. He took a few moments to study my face, before smiling at me comfortably. He extended his arms out to hug me.

  "It's great to see you again! I see you've met my good friend from Mondstadt! How has life been there?"

  I gave him a swift hug, trying not to get pulled in by his warmth and tempt the idea of never letting go. Although we were not very well acquainted, he was the only person I could say I missed in Liyue. The man's presence made me feel a little fuzzy inside, a mix of pleasant emotions stirring within me.

"We've been adapting! In fact, Venti has helped me a lot!" I declared proudly.

"It seems you two have grown to be friends." He smiled.

I stopped, remembering what Venti had said a mere couple of days ago.

  "We're not friends, so don't go expecting me to treat you like one. I'm your protector, and nothing more."

  "Actually-" I murmured, wanting to correct the man.

  "What can I say? She grows on people." Venti interrupted, looking to the side while his cheeks grew rosy.

  "I'm glad she has someone to look after her."
  They both silently looked at one another, nodding their agreements. After a few quiet moments, Venti spoke up.

  "We'll, we're dirty and tired from our journey, and (Y/n) here is still recovering from a minor fever, so we'd really appreciate if we can stay here for the night."

  Zhongli sighed as though he expected it. With a quick glance our way, he waved us over. The two of us followed him up the long set of stairs sitting
discreetly in one corner of the funeral parlor. I shivered a bit, thinking about how much death this place had seen. Sleeping here seemed a challenge now.

"Although we don't have many rooms, I can share one with Venti and offer the other to you. Director Hu will is already asleep, so I advice we keep quiet." Zhongli murmured in a hushed tone.

  We both nodded in agreement, too tired to say anything else. Our feet dragged on the parquet as we were led to our adjacent rooms. After parting ways and exchanging a few words, I closed my door and lazily skulked to the bed, letting myself fall into its sinking sheets.

"I can't believe I'm back..." I murmured to myself, taking in the smell of Liyue. The sheets smelled of it, a mix of silk and glaze lilies. Almost as if I were out on Liyue's hills. Almost.

My eyes dropped, and my mind fogged, and before long, I was traveling through the land of dreams once more. This time, all was quiet in my mind. No dreams to remember. No memorable adventures. No haunting memories. And when morning came, and I came to, I was glad that I had had a blissful sleep free of stress.

A forward knock came at my door.

"Who is it?" I shot out of the bed, racing to comb down my bed hair.

"Zhongli. I was hoping you could be down for tea with us in a bit. I was also wondering how you were feeling. Venti insisted on giving you some medicine, but by the time I came with it, you were already asleep."

I had forgotten about my short lived sickness. My aching muscles had subsided in their bite and my mind was clear and free from the grips of sickness.

"That's alright, Mr. Zhongli! I'm feeling a lot better now." I spoke up, making sure he heard me through the door. I hoped it didn't come off as rude, but my morning self was a sight even I didn't want to see. "I'll be down in a few minutes!"

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The bard was cheerful as the door shut, but the minute the older archon turned around, he dropped the joyful facade.

"Morax, we have to talk. It's urgent." His hushed voice said, careful not to disturb his companion just a door away.

Although the other was surprised, he didn't object. He led Barbatos to a small tea area, shielded by folding curtains and ornamented with small trinkets.

"I knew seeing you here meant something was happening. It isn't about that girl, is it?"

"Why? Is it that obvious?"

"Well," the older paused, easing into one of the chairs. "I knew she would face conflict at one point in her life, considering everything..."

"Considering what?" The other archon's ears perked up in alarm.

"She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" He began slowly, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Never mind then. It's nothing..." Rex Lapis
cleared his throat, glowing eyes fixated on the empty table in front of them.

"Morax." Barbatos began, voice low and even. "You forget she's no longer your subject, but mine. I will ask again: what don't I know about her?"