Blissful Bite ─ Venti x reader

20. ; LIVE MEETS STRUGGLE

In the morning hours, I woke up even before the sun rose. I would use the opportunity of sleeping in at this place, but at this point, I didn't have the certainty to feel safe and sound. My nightmares would wake me up, sweat bathed, surrounded by a drenched pillow and watered cheeks. I couldn't rediscover the comfort to fall asleep again at all. Many occurrences in the past week were like this morning.

I sat on the same steps as the day before when I sat there with Diluc, but I didn't sit on the lowest cold step, I sat on the first that led to the wine garden-the top one.

Just like Diluc had, but unlike the other day, I felt lower than when I sat on the bottom. The difference was, however, while he looked down upon me yesterday, he gave me that advice and those soft spoken words. I felt my heart drop on shock. Somehow, the least I'd expect him to do happened. I didn't expect him to handle my feelings this well. I saw in my imagination how he'd scoff and shrug it off as he came across to me as annoyed more than I counted.

That sweet side caught me off guard when I thought I figured him out. And for a few moments, I forgot that he was one of my targets. That it was necessary for me to finish things off. It was weird in retrospect to furthermore humanize his character in my mind-he was right;I developed affection and empathy towards my targets, and it became a problem.

I watched the sun rise and shine above my head with every passing hour its light reflected and shone stronger. It was weird. The heat wave didn't bother me anyway. I saw the ground darken in front of me as I recognized someone's shadow blocked the sun. Time surely had passed faster than I anticipated. Her feet were small, unlike dilucs ash dark boots.

I looked up and noticed her mint green hair, the sweet smile, and her warm, amber eyes.

It seemed to me as though she'd offer me advice or a suggestion in the next moment, but what I didn't expect was her reaching out with her hands to help me up.

As she reached out, I embraced her help with a smile I couldn't hide in time. She was sweet and well-mannered.

"I need to go into the forest, I wanted to ask you as well to come and-Venti. He's quite experienced, and neither Mister Albedo nor Diluc had enough time to spare, unfortunately." Her smile came across as one she'd force on to avoid any awkward long stretched situations, but as I looked at her, long and quite intense, I found myself in that awkward position. I shook my thoughts out and took a deep breath in.

It ought to wreck with her awkwardness if I didn't let a word slip of my tongue. She inhaled sharp, and her eyes narrowed when she recognized my hesitation.

If I were to decline now, she would know there is something up. She was close to Albedo-if he knows about it, it's not impossible for her to know. Indeed, it is an actual outcome I'd anticipate.

I set up a smile that would play into their perfect picture of what our relationship appeared to be. The only constant part I could play again and again.

I'd take turns and steal opportunities until I'd grow old, wrinkled, and gray.

I can't be a normal person.

I looked at Sucrose and nodded. I saw her exhale. What was going through her head? Maybe she had managed to gain protection. Perhaps it was that she worried she'd struggle in a social situation or that she lacked the navigation to find the rights path to choose, maybe all that she needed was a guide who'd keep her from the false decisions.

One slip-up meant a lifetime of consequences.

I can not tell my friends how hard it felt to find out. Someone important hid something from me.

He never trusted me enough, I failed my objective and my goal. I was supposed to persuade him into trusting me, figure it out, and to hand him over whether it was on his terms or not, surrendering didn't matter in the eye of public safety the order would say.