Chapter Text
"You really shouldn’t touch our things,” Venti chirps lightly as he watches the bandits scour through every nook and cranny of the little camp. “You won’t like the trouble it brings.”
He knows it’s easy enough to break through his restraints and give them a well-deserved beatdown, but he wants to give them a chance to back away first. His newfound bloodlust still terrifies him, and he’d rather not indulge it. There’s always another way if one only cared to look closely at the myriad paths laid out before them.
A bandit fishes out a coin bag and turns it upside-down. “A bard from Mondstadt with not even a Mora to their name? How pathetic can you get?” He eyes Venti’s fake Vision thoughtfully. Is he thinking of stealing it?
Pathetic.
Venti smiles, though all he wants to do is to show these fools the fury of a thousand winds. He’s not Decarabian, he reminds himself. “See? You’ll get nothing here. I don’t have to make it more clear.”
Another bandit points a knife to the Archon’s throat. “Your rhymes are funny. But will you still be funny when I split your skin open?”
The smile never wavers, not even at the face of the threat. Getting out of here in case the situation escalates is going to be an easy task for someone as powerful as Venti. A small distance away, the wind conceals the sound of rustling among the bushes, accompanied by the brief flash of blue and white.
“You really don’t know what you’re dealing with,” Venti warns them, grinning at the sight of golden hair. This will be over soon.
“Funny, coming from you,” the third bandit sneers. “You can’t even use your Vision to fight us, can you?”
“That’s because I promised someone that I won’t lift a finger against you.”
An explosive gust of wind strikes the bandits from the back, throwing them off their feet. Lumine closes the distance, immediately knocking two of them out with the pommel of her sword. She approaches the one lying at Venti’s feet — the very same man who threatened him with a knife — and points the tip of her blade to his neck.
“Checkmate,” she tells him before stomping on his nose with a huff.
Without missing a beat, she whirls around to face the rest of the bandits scrambling to their feet, mismatched weapons poised to strike. She sweeps her blade, creating another gust of wind that hurls them down. She surges forward before they can recover, dancing around them with deft movements as she knocks them down, one by one.
Impressive.
She rushes to Venti as soon as the last bandit falls, unconscious, and immediately unties him. Her lips purse at the sight of the bruises on his cheek. “Sorry. I didn’t anticipate that.”
“It’s not your fault, but mine.” He flashes a wide grin, exposing his split lip. With a brief heave, he snaps the ropes off and rubs his sore wrists. “They didn’t appreciate it when I tried to diss them in rhyme to buy you some time.”
She reaches out to kiss his cheek briefly, careful not to touch the bruises. “Wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t use you as bait.”
“For the record, your plan was fun. Besides, what’s done is done.” He pats her hand reassuringly. “Now, I believe it’s time to call the milelith. What was that signal we agreed with?”
Though Lumine doesn’t seem completely reassured, she wisely drops the subject — there’s plenty of time to discuss it later. Instead, she lifts her thumb and forefinger to her lips and whistles, the sound high and clear.
Two hours and one wagon ride later, they make it back to Stone Gate. The sun is starting to set in earnest, casting the borderlands in saffron twilight. The smell of cooking wafts through the air as they enter the milelith outpost, making Venti’s stomach growl. Only then does he realize that he hasn’t eaten anything since they parted with Dvalin that morning.
He’s already missing his friend.
The milelith escort the captured bandits — half captured by a handful of the milelith and the other half by Venti and Lumine themselves. It’s sad to see Stone Gate so understaffed. Most have already been recalled to the harbor for the coming Rite of Descension, leaving the rest of the region poorly-equipped to deal with something as regularly minor as bandits. Someone needs to have a word with their god.
Paimon joins them at the entrance to their watchtower, arms crossed. “What took you so long? Paimon is bored!”
“Sorry about that,”
“We really appreciate your help here, adventurers,” the youthful Captain Sizhui tells them as soon as the last bandit has been taken away. “Now, we promised dinner and lodgings for tonight in exchange for your help. If you’d follow Jingyi here, he’ll show you to your room. We’ll call you as soon as dinner is ready.”
Jingyi’s textbook courteous bow clashes with the bright smile on his face. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen Vision wielders, much less from Mondstadt,” he gushes as soon as they begin climbing farther up the tower.
“Many seek it, but only few are chosen,” Venti explains in his most sage-like voice. “Owning a vision is not akin to owning a pen.”
“Yes, yes, of course! But what is it like to have one? Such power is amazing!”
“And with great power comes great responsibility, young warrior. You must understand such a gift’s meaning so you can truly soar.”
Jingyi falls quiet, mulling the words over.
Lumine leans over to whisper in Venti’s ear. “Weren’t you a little too harsh?”
He shakes his head and pats her cheek. “He has potential. I think a bit of an Archon’s wisdom might help him along the way.”
They stop before a small wooden door at the end of the circular corridor. Jingyi unlocks it with an old, slightly-rusted key. “Well, this is your room! Loud noises are prohibited, alright?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep that in mind.” Lumine flashes her sweetest smile, making the lad turn red.
He bows again, quick and flustered. “Thank you! We’ll fetch you as soon as dinner is ready.” With a last salute, he dashes off, mumbling to himself.
The room is a little cramped but comfortable. It smells freshly-cleaned, and the sheets are immaculate. A vase of silk flowers are even propped on a table by the small window, filling the room with their gentle scent. A handful of sunsettias have also been set down beside them. They’ll have to be careful tonight — it’s the least they can do for their hosts.
Paimon makes a beeline for the fruit. "So, so hungry!"
Lumine takes off her hat and sits on the bed with a sigh. She pats the spot beside her. “Come here, let me take a look at your cheek again.”
Venti settles down obediently after removing his own hat, wondering what he can do to assuage her guilt. “Lumine, I…”
She trails her fingers down his bruised cheek. “All this because I wanted a bit of practice.”
“Hey, at least no one got stabbed this time...” He cuts himself off as soon as he sees her turn pale. Guilt overwhelms him — his scheming got her hurt, he remembers — and he averts his gaze instead. “Sorry.”
She takes his hand and squeezes it comfortingly before pulling him into a tight hug. Sometimes, words aren’t needed to let one feel. A simple touch is all he needs to feel her love and forgiveness, washing over him like the wild waves of the eastern shore.
Dinner is not a quiet affair. A few sips of clear rice wine — a sparse commodity until the Rite of Descension ends, according to Jingyi — is enough to put even the most uptight milelith at ease. Captain Sizhui is the only one that doesn’t partake, opting instead for a cup of fragrant tea. Though he eyes the merrymaking with disapproval, he does nothing to stop it.
Venti approves. They don’t get to take down wanted bandits everyday — it’s truly a cause for celebration.
“Hey, adventurers. Aren’t you also bards?” an older milelith asks. “Why not grace us with a song?”
“I’m still an apprentice, but I’m sure Venti could sing a song or two for us.” A smirk quirks up Lumine’s lips as she takes a careful sip of her wine — a challenge.
Venti lifts his lyre, grinning, and spins out a song he’s made on the spot.
“When a humble bard graced a ride along
With the Warrior of Starlight, along came this song
And when this Starlight fought, a golden-haired marvel
The mightiest bandits, at her blade did they revel
They came after me with masterful deceit
Took away my lyre and tried to break my teeth
While their befouled fists minced our tender meat
Charging in came the Starlight, their asses she beat
Raise your glass to the Starlight
Oh Valley of Plenty!
Oh Valley of Plenty!
Oh Valley of Plenty!
At the edge of the world, fight the mighty horde
That bashes and breaks you till you lose a chord
She beat every man until they were senseless
She brought them to justice, with godly finesse
She wiped every pest down to the last man
She’s a friend of Liyue, she’s no charlatan
That’s my epic tale, our champion prevailed
Defeated the villains and left not a trail
Raise your glass to the Starlight
Oh Valley of Plenty!
Oh Valley of Plenty!
Oh Valley of Plenty!”
Venti takes another giggly sip of wine, watching the half-drunk milelith echoing his song in varying stages of success. He takes their moment of entertainment as another success for a bard. May this song remain in their memories for the nights to come.
“I don’t know if I should be embarrassed or impressed,” Lumine sighs, her flushed cheeks a sight to behold.
He takes her hand and kisses the back of it, still giddy from the wine and song. “Beloved Lumine, don’t be so mean!”
“Mean? Me? Never!” She grabs his cheeks, forgetting the bruises. “I’ll show you how un-mean I am!”
She pulls him into a kiss so intense that he starts seeing stars from breathlessness when it ends.
Tonight, his dream is not of his own making.
He stands atop the mountains surrounding Stone Gate, the midnight wind making his braids dance. Watching over the borders where the lands of the earth and sky meet gives him a profound sense of awe. Has this place always been so beautiful? So precious? There’s so much to protect, not just his own territory.
“You’re early.” Zhongli appears beside him in a shower of amber light. “I expected you to be, ah, busy with your lover for another hour or two. I assumed the two of you are still quite active.”
“Don’t give comments about my personal life because I don’t give comments about yours.” Venti feels his cheeks burn red. “Why did you seek me out like this, old man?”
Zhongli doesn’t immediately reply. Instead, he surveys the land sprawled out beneath them with a misty, almost wistful gaze. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Archons may rise and fall as the wheel of time turns, but this… this can never be replaced.”
“It’s worth fighting for,” Venti agrees, wondering where this is all going.
“I’ve heard about the events in Mondstadt. Tell me, Barbatos — why have you chosen to step forward when you used to be so content with letting your people be?”
“When an average human has done a small good deed, we can regard it as noble. But if this small good deed is all that a person of power has done, it is negligence. I choose to be negligent no more.”
A moment of silence passes, Zhongli studies the constellations dancing over their heads as he ponders over Venti’s words.
“Admirable, I must admit.” He smiles — tired and tense. He holds out his hand. “I came here to strike a contract with you. Protect my identity, and I will protect yours.”
Venti pauses, considering it. Something tells him that his old friend is plotting something and might be using him to further his plans. On the other hand, a contract will ensure that no one will discover his true identity in Liyue. Oh, the choices to be made.
It doesn’t sit well with him, but he does what he must. “I accept the terms of your contract.” He takes Zhongli’s hand to seal their pact in a flash of amber and teal light, their sigils briefly burning on each other’s palms.
May this be worth it.