Spying on the Wind | Venti♡Reader

💫💫𝕋𝕎𝔼ℕ𝕋𝕐-𝕊𝔼𝕍𝔼ℕ💫💫

Y/N's POV:

I had gotten there in the nick of time.

Had Tartaglia told him any more, his impression of me would change drastically.

It was unclear to me why that would bother me much. Wasn't he just a bard? It wasn't as though he would pose a threat to me if I pissed him off or put him on edge—after all, he wasn't an archon like Morax, an adeptus like Alatus, or a fox envoy from the land of eternity like Guuji Yae.

And I would have nothing to say if he turned out to be a traitor from the Abyss, or a mutated whopperflower in disguise.

My thoughts paused. It wasn't like my usual self to fantasize. Why would I think he was an immortal entity when in truth, he was merely a beggar with songs?

A pang of guilt hit me as the thought passed through my mind. How could I think of a friend that way? Especially since... I hadn't considered anybody new as a friend for millennia. What kind of person's friend request would I accept? Given that some of my only "friends" include Scaramouche, Signora—and maybe the pink-haired kitsune from Inazuma, it was nothing short of strange that I would deem a bard like Venti worthy of my friendship.

And... perhaps more. But again, it wasn't like me to dream, so perhaps I should consider going for what normal people called "therapy".

Speaking of therapy, all the adepti definitely need it. All the Harbingers, too.

Silence enveloped us as our footsteps sounded on the plain road. The atmosphere wasn't tense or awkward, for we both enjoyed the lovely peace and silence. It was utter chaos in the city, likely due to the amount of freedom the citizens were given. I could never get used to the concept of freedom.

Since I had interrupted Tartaglia's little speech about my brilliant self, perhaps it was fate that caused our peace to be disrupted.

At least it was by a voice which I loved.

"Miss Y/N! Master Tone-Deaf Bard!" a little girl in red called out, running over to us. It was none other than our adorable little Spark Knight-Klee.

"I'm bored. Jean is busy with paperwork and I don't know where Albedo is... Sucrose said that he was in a sour mood when he left the city and that the traveler is tracking him down," the child complained with a cute little frown. "Will you play with Klee?"

With a smile, Venti was more than happy to accept Klee's little request. "Of course, Klee, what do you want to do?"

"Whatever floats your boat," I said, staring at Venti's grin.

"Yay! Master Tone-Deaf Bard's the best! Miss Y/N's also the best! Everyone loves Klee, right?" she asked with huge adorable eyes, making it hard to look away from those patches of light red within her irises.

"Of course, little Klee," I replied softly with a small smile.

"Klee loves you too! Let's go fish-bombing!"

As touched as I was from her first statement, her second one left me confused and bewildered. As I watched Klee scamper off, I followed her and asked Venti, "What did she mean by 'fish-bombing'?"

"Exactly what the words mean. Come on, let's not keep the kid waiting!" he urged and we sprinted into the trees with Klee's joyful giggles as our guide.

Klee halted her footsteps in front of Starfell Lake and began rummaging through her brown backpack. With mild curiosity, I watched as she threw a couple of soft toys out and declared, "My Jumpy Dumpties will help us fish! And Dodoco will watch as Klee reel in lots and loooottsss of fish!"

Clueless, I looked to Venti for an explanation on what those items were. Picking up a toy, he grinned and explained, "This is a Jumpy Dumpty. As for it's use—watch closely."

With all his might, he hurled the Jumpy Dumpty into the lake and a loud boom sounded. Dead fish floated on the water's surface and Klee reached out to grab them enthusiastically. "Yay! Fishies!"

I stared at them, mouth agape.

"Is that safe for such a young child?" I whispered to Venti. He smirked and winked before saying, "Klee's built different."

Whatever that was supposed to mean, I had no time to ponder as Klee shoved a Jumpy Dumpty into my hands. Copying Venti's movement, I ended the lives of multiple poor fish like him and Klee hopped to the riverbank to collect her "fishies". Joy and laughter filled the atmosphere and all negative emotions were swept away by the wind, which also carried my troubles far, far away.

"Miss Y/N! Meet Dodoco!" Klee exclaimed exicitedly with cute expectant eyes, squeezing a soft toy in her little hands. "Dodoco is family!"

If it was anyone else, I would have ridiculed them, but how could I smash such a precious and lovely child's dream? Smiling warmly, I patted Dodoco's head and replied wistfully, "Yes, Klee. Dodoco will always be your family."