The Priestess (Venti x Lumine) [Genshin] ON HOLD

Chapter 2

Money really was needed for food and shelter, and they would have to sleep in the open. Which was like a dream come true for Lumine. Although, food was a little less extravagant than she was used to, but she'd finally obtained her freedom. She'd learned this place was the nation of Mondstadt, ruled by none, and led by an order of knights. It was the homeland of Barbatos, the god of freedom, wind, bards and music. He was one of the upper gods she'd read about. Masea was a normal god, but this one was one of the Seven Upper Gods that governed the seven nations- Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Natlan, Fontaine, Sumeru and Snezhnaya, who were labeled as the Seven Upper Gods as these nations were huge compared to the others, and their gods had won in the war among gods and demons in ancient times.

"Why were you travelling by yourself?" Venti asked. His aqua tips seemed like gems near their fire under the moonlight. He had his usual smile on his face, something Lumine couldn't comprehend. Venti's smile was not a business smile like hers. His was real, and he had it on all the time. He was happy no matter what the situation was, and never grew angry or frustrated. Kind of like a God. But surely there were people like that out there. 

"Well, I was imprisoned in the country where I grew up, so I ran away." she smiled slightly. Venti looked at her with pity in his eyes, and patted her head slightly. Woah woah woah. She was touched by a guy in a way she'd read about in one of those romance novels. She wasn't someone who could do stuff like that, but this was a shocker. Audience, she says, HELP. This action of his made her cheeks burn slightly, but she removed her blush as quickly as it had come.

"Thats painful. One should never be deprived of their freedom. This place is Mondstadt, the nation of freedom. So long as you choose to reside here, no one will be able to harm you or imprison you. Above anything else, we commonfolk of Mond think that freedom is the most important thing to have however-" Venti winked at her,"Some might not think the same way." he giggled and rolled onto the grass.

"You're really carefree, Venti. Thats how I wanna live." Lumine whispered, chin resting on her hand. Venti seemed to be thinking something as he looked off into the distance, with nostalgia. When he looked back at her, he wasn't as cheerful at all, and his eyes looked as if they were the gloomy clouds on a rainy day.

"I think its time for us to sleep!" Venti suddenly declared, with his usual high pitched voice. Lumine wanted to ask him what he felt, but she felt like she couldn't. As if there was something telling her not to. It was something baffling that she'd never experienced before. Why was she holding back her words? What was holding back her words? She lay down on the ground a few feet away from him.

It was hard to sleep. Well, she'd never slept in the open before. She couldn't get any sleep, nor was she getting some any time soon. She looked up at the stars strewn across the sky, glowing in all their different hues of blue and crimson and pink. The clouds rolled out near them, and merged halfway into the pitch black sky. Occasionally, a bat flew over her head after encircling the area for prey several times. She rolled onto her side to . . . find Venti completely awake. And staring at her.

"Venti?!" she sat up with a startled expression on her face. "Why are you still awake with that creepy expression on your face?" Well, he hadn't had a creepy expression, but she couldn't say that she'd been startled by his normal, harmless face.

"Ehe~" he giggled as he sat up as well. He grabbed his lyre from the sack that lay beside him and brought his fingers near the strings. "I'll play you a tune so that beauty sleep shall come to you of its own accord!" he grinned and strummed the strings gently. Lumine lay down on the grass beside him and listened to him play the lyre and sing. It was so beautiful and divine. Not even Barbatos, the god of this land, would be able to stand a chance against Venti. And slowly, to the sound of his lyre, and melodious singing about a priestess, awfully similar to her, she drifted off to sleep.