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Venti has travelled and played his songs around Teyvat, and maybe it's because he is so attached to Mondstadt, but he can't help but think his homeland has the best flowers. Perhaps it's because his favourite flowers are Cecilias, the same ones his dearest friend saw for the first time thanks to Venti. Whirlwind Asters are beautiful too, born thanks to the peaceful winds, and Dandelions are the most representative of the word "freedom". Many Mondstadtians would fight over these days about which flower is the real wind flower, not knowing there's all of them.
He can't deny that, for example, Liyue has amazing flowers: silk flowers are delicate and representative of the Liyue delicacy and Glaze Lilies are amazing, fragile and attached to music. Qingxin flowers are lonely and beautiful as Cecilias are, and violetgrasses are fragrant and special, but still, Venti prefers Mondstadt.
Venti likes to walk around Mondstadt, alone, one with nature and playing his tunes to the animals disposed to hear him, just him, his lyre and the wind. Sometimes like these, Dandelion seeds would pass in front of him, carrying wishes of the person that has blown it up, usually dedicated to the Anemo Archon. He doesn't know what their wish is, but he hopes it becomes true.
"You can say it if you want me to play a song for you." Venti says at the end of his melody, looking over his shoulder with a light smile. "You don't have to hide."
From the shadows of the trees a shadow emerges. Soon, it takes the form of his favourite Adeptus.
"I didn't want to interrupt you." He says, almost apologizing. "I just… was passing by."
Passing by with a bunch of Cecilia flowers that he can smell even if Xiao is hiding them behind his back, in the Windblume Festival? Venti laughs.
"Don't worry about it, come, sit with me" He taps the trunk where he is sitting, and Xiao concedes, making the foxes go away. "I'm glad you decided to finally come."
Venti had invited him, Qingxin in hand, to the Mondstadt festival, given that it was just next to Liyue's one, but he didn't know if Xiao would accept his invitation. Venti was sure he would love music and poems, even if he's not good with humans.
"I gave it a try, and it's not that bad."
"I'm glad to hear that."
In Mondstadt someone hardly would recognize him as an Adeptus, and that difference with Liyue is the reason why Venti thinks Xiao would be better there. And he seems to like music, as he always asks him, in silence, to play another tune. Usually, the bard would ask for an apple, but only seeing Xiao's eyes shining with his melody it's more than enough.
"Also… since it's a tradition here to offer flowers to the Anemo Archon, I picked up these for you."
Xiao gives him Cecilias, as Venti had deduced before. They were fresh, recently picked from Starnacht Cliff, fragrant and beautiful.
"Thank you so much." He says, accepting the offering. "But the tradition is based on an exchange, and since I have no flowers here for you, what about a song?"
Xiao nods and looks at him, waiting patiently for him to start playing. Venti smiles, and leaving the flower on his left side, his hand caresses the lyre, playing one of the most popular melodies of Liyue. Liyue songs, unlike the ones of Mondstadt, have a nostalgic sound, the one Glaze Lilies adore. Someone would say Inazuma's ones are more delicate, but if Liyuenese music is nostalgic, Inazuman is delicacy. The opposite of Natlanian music, striking as a thunderbolt and perfectly integrated with Fontainean, quick and loud as a thunder. Snezhnayan music is composed by so many highs and lows that strike like the different peaks of the mountains, while Sumerian is perfectly composed and tries to reach the perfect rhythmic, which makes it hard to play.
A good bard has to know how to touch them all, and which song to play regarding the public. As the God known by music and freedom, Venti is able to do it with perfection.
Xiao has closed his eyes while hearing his song, and Venti can tell he's remembering good times in Liyue. Knowing him, maybe on a lonely hill where there are few Qingxin flowers, a breeze caressing his face and making him forget anything that could make him feel sad. That's the effect music has on people, and that's one of the reasons Venti loves to play for anyone who asks.
Slowly, Xiao seems to fall asleep and lose his stability, bending his body closer to Venti. Venti smiles and extends the duration of his song to not disturb him. Finally, Xiao ends with his head over his legs, sleeping with a relaxed expression rare to see on him except when Venti makes one of his jokes or is playing a song. Once he's peacefully asleep, he stops playing and caresses his hair while looking at the moon. The wind passes, bringing with it the smell of the sea near them.
Then he sees at his left side, looking at the flowers that he has left before. He notices that one of them it's not like the others. And of course not, because one is a Dandelion. Was it him who wanted a wish to come true? Venti smiles while he caresses his face softly. He doesn't know which one is his wish, but as always, he hopes it will come true.
"May the wind bring you force." Venti says, his voice lower than the rush of the trees being revolved by the breeze.
He puts a Cecilia over his hair, and he doesn't know if it was a coincidence or not, but Xiao draws a light smile over his face, still dreaming.
Venti has travelled and played his songs around Teyvat, he has seen more amazing flowers and most incredible beasts, but he has never seen something as beautiful before.
And he's glad to get to see it now.