vlanche - venti x reader

01: From the Mindless Black Hole ‧˚⊹♪

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SCENE I ⊹₊꒷︶꒷꒦‧₊˚⊹

"Traveler... Paimon's hungry!" Whined a shrill, high-pitched voice, seemingly addressing her traveling companion.

"You're always hungry," the addressed responded with an eye roll. "Maybe try a diet for once? Soon you won't be able to fly anymore."

This 'Traveler' was a boy of shorter stature, bearing long, luxurious golden hair that reached past his waist. It was fitted neatly in a braid as to not be a bother during his travels. His eyes matched that of his hair— golden, but just slighter more saturated as to add a unique contrast. Speaking of unique, that would be the word the locals in Mondstadt would use to describe his appearance, along with others like 'foreign,' or 'otherworldly.' In short, his clothes and his real name, Aether, resembled not even one of the seven nation across Teyvat.

"Hey, that's mean! Weight doesn't affect Paimon's magical floating abilities!" The shrill voice whined some more, stomping her feet at seemingly nothing but air. "So let's stop by Good Hunter on the way to... wherever we are going... and get a delicious Sticky Honey Roast. That way Paimon will be energized for... wherever we are going!"

"You clearly don't listen to a thing I say..."

Now if Aether, the traveler boy, wasn't an oddity enough, the bearer of this high-pitched and ear-bleeding voice was. To sum it up, she looked and acted like a child— well, a floating child. What was she? Who knows. Even Aether hadn't a clue of where she came from or what species she was.

Despite this, she bore the appearance of a human— just smaller and with more attitude. She had short white hair curled inward at the bottom, where on the top rested a pale pink crown of some sort. Her eyes were the darkest of all purples, so dark it could possibly hold the whole universe inside. Even more, her attire seemed to have been peeled from the gates of Celestia itself, and her starlit scarf, the Abyss.

The boy sighed as the two of them walked across a vast and sturdy stone bridge— the one which guided visitors from afar into what was now the city of Mondstadt. It granted them passage over the masses of water surrounding that of the small, quaint, quiet town.

"Just strop complaining and follow me or you'll be the Sticky Honey Roast."

Paimon gasped in fear. Being melodramatic was normal for her. "Okay okay! But Paimon wants—"

Aether abruptly turned to face her with a piercing gaze, knowing another complaint was on its way.

"Eek! What are you looking at me like that for?!" The floating child quivered, waving her arms around in a frenzy. "Paimon was only gonna ask where you wanna go so bad!"

Aether couldn't decipher whether that was the truth or just an attempt to save herself from his wrath, so he simply played along. "Do you listen to me when I talk? Do you have any sense of memory?"

Paimon thought to herself for a moment. "Hmm... Is this about those super duper creepy voices we heard around that one Seelie Garden earlier today?" For once, she actually managed to be correct about something. "And geez! Why are you being such a grump?"

"Yes... it is." The Traveler replied, ignoring the second half of his annoying companion's statement. "I've led many Seelie's home during my time here in Teyvat, but this was different. Never have I... heard such odd things."

It was in Aether's nature to be rather stoic and expressionless, so it was almost frightening to see him visibly concerned.

"Yeah, I mean... they were really creepy— so creepy that Paimon even lost her appetite!" She paused. "Don't worry though, it was only for like two minutes because then Paimon was hungry all over again!"