𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 || 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨!𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙭 𝙛!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

[𝟔]. sunkissed

"What? What's Tone-Deaf Bard doing here?" Paimon exclaimed, crossing her arms haughtily at the mere sight of the bard.

"Hehe...?" Venti tilted his head, worriedly looking around the party to see whether his presence was welcomed.

"Venti?" Aether's jaw hung open, blinking slowly as to see whether Venti was a hallucination.

"That's me!"

"... You're coming to Liyue? Really?" [Y/N] asked, no hue of malice shrouding her voice—just pure query.

But, among her supposedly composed posture, the bard noticed the sparkles in her eyes. Lighting up like a starry night sky, he never failed to notice the breadcrumbs of excitement that those [e/c] orbs possessed. A child-like wonder, one that was typically lost in immortals... a part of it—ever so slightly— brought nostalgia.

And as she awaited an answer, the archon stared at the girl in awe. How wrong he was, for thinking that [Y/N] wanted to leave him in Mondstadt. How pitiful it was, sitting under the tree at Windrise, hoping and praying to the wind to assure her safe arrival... to assure that the wound he himself had created would heal over.

He was so wrong.

Staring into those glimmering [e/c] eyes, his breath hitched. Millenniums spent walking Teyvat and fighting battles, watching over his people with the wind as the guardians of life itself seemed to favor his pawn on the chessboard...

But nothing could've prepared him for the sheer adoration he felt for her, [L/N] [Y/N].

My, how she had him wrapped around her finger.

✩

"I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to join us to Liyue. You know a lot about Teyvat anyway, right? Considering you're Barbat—"

"Ah ah ah!" Venti shushed the traveler, gesturing towards an unknowing Bennett as the younger male cartoonishly had question marks dancing around his head.

"—Considering you're a bard. Ha, ha?" Aether saved himself, his index finger pointed up at the sky in thought.

"Yes, yes! I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to Liyue!" Venti maintained a close-eyed smile, ignoring the scoff that came from you as he dubbed such behaviors as 'tsundere-syndrome'.

"You don't even know what Liyue's symbol is."

"Liyue has a symbol?"

✩

"So, where in Liyue are we heading off to, Traveler?" Venti leaned forward, peeking out from beside [Y/N] as he walked right next to the girl, brushing their shoulders every once in a while.

"Liyue Harbor. For the Rite of Descension," Aether responded, opening up a map he received from 'Teyvat Travel Guides'.

"Is he sure we're going in the right direction?" Venti cupped his hand over his mouth, whispering to the girl beside him as shivers trickled down her spine.

"No idea."

"Alright! Off to a great start!" The bard cried happily(?), strumming his lyre as Bennett perked up.

"Liyue Harbor? Cool! I'm sure we can find some great ores there!"

Clearing his throat, Venti tuned his lyre, plucking a few strings every few seconds to check the tone.

"Minin' away,

I don't know what to mine, I'll mine this anyway.