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“Ah! I was wondering if I would find you here!”
The sky had started to darken, shops and stalls shutting down and packing up to mark the end of yet another day of festivities. Far fewer people were out and about by this time of day, which only made the form of the electro archon wandering between them stand out that much more, especially when illuminated by nearby hanging lanterns.
Ei’s eyes narrowed as they locked with those of the foreign bard who had called out from behind her, the voice vaguely familiar to her ears, though she wasn’t particularly pleased about that. “Barbatos, what brings you all the way to Inazuma?”
“The Irodori Festival, obviously!” Venti skipped ahead until the two of them were standing side-by-side. “I was invited, you know.”
Ei paused and started walking. “I see. The Yashiro Commission handled most of the festival affairs, so I personally had no hand to play in nor any knowledge of the guest list. All the same, I hope you are finding the experience to be enjoyable.”
Venti moved alongside her, easily matching her pace. “Oh, I am! Though there is actually something I wanted to talk to you about, if the Almighty Raiden Shogun has a moment to spare?”
Although she truthfully didn’t have anything particularly pressing to return to anytime soon, Ei certainly wished she did at that moment. She couldn’t imagine for what reason the anemo archon would request an audience with her, especially in such an informal location as the middle of the festival. She could think of no reason to decline, however, and was given no choice but to begrudgingly nod in agreement.
To this, Venti gave an unreadable smile. “Great! No worries, I won’t keep you long.”
The location the two archons settled in was relatively secluded from the rest of Ritou. A tall maple tree shielded them from the thin slivers of sunlight that remained as the sky gradually darkened, forming a painted progression of darker and darker blues and purples. Venti positioned himself directly beneath the tree, leaning against its trunk as Ei looked on with silent expectancy.
After a brief moment of silence between them, Venti finally spoke. “You know, Inazuman sake is truly unforgettable. It’s hard to find anything like it anywhere else.”
“Surely you didn’t bring me here to discuss alcohol?” Ei asked, incredulously.
Venti laughed. “No, no, of course not. I actually shared some with that lovely kitsune Guuji, Yae Miko, earlier today. We shared a rather enjoyable talk, as well, about sake, books, some of the recent festival events…”
“And what events are you referring to?”
His smile only growing, Venti provided a rundown of the past few days: the confusion with the Legend of Sword books (which he had initially been mercilessly blamed for, he added with vague bitterness), the stories of the Five Kasen that had been left for them to find, and the eventual discovery of the origins behind the Kaedehara clan’s downfall. To all of it, Ei listened quietly and attentively, allowing the bard to speak uninterrupted.
Only once he had heaved a sigh and looked up to her for a response did she provide any input. “I see. It sounds like you all had quite an adventure.”
“That’s not all. I trust you’re familiar with the Kaedeharas’ situation? Their sudden tragic fall from nobility and the end of the Isshin Art after the failed creation of the Goshintou blade—”
“Yes, though it was many years ago, I am familiar with these events, and remember them quite clearly.”
“Then, did you know that it wasn’t the runaway bladesmiths who had severely injured the Kaedehara and Kamisato clan heads, but another third party individual?”
Ei did not know this.
Venti continued, “As it turns out, this same third-party individual had also tampered with the blueprints, which is what actually caused the blade’s forging to fail. An individual who thought ahead enough to set them up and took out almost the entirety of their group single-handedly. Sounds almost too incredible to be real.”
Ei didn’t respond, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The full extent of her thoughts were difficult to gauge from her expression alone, but Venti could tell he had piqued her interest, so still he continued.
“This individual called himself ‘Kunikuzushi’. And you know, when I told Yae Miko this, she had the most interesting response! She said, ‘How interesting. So it was him who behind all of it this whole time.’ But when I asked what she meant, she just moved on to a new topic. So, I figured since the two of you seem to have a connection, it was safe to assume you’d be able to tell me instead.”
Still more silence passed between them, before Ei dropped her arms to her sides, replying, “You are correct in this assumption. Though this alternate series of events is news to me, I do know of the one who calls himself ‘Kunikuzushi’. However, I can’t imagine why this information would be of use to you, nor why I should tell you.”
Venti playfully pouted. “Come on now; we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Ei did not look impressed.
He huffed. “It’s honestly just curiosity. It would be a shame to have gone through so much to learn the whole story, just for there to still be pieces missing, don’t you think?”
The electro archon sighed, closing her eyes as the words began to take form within her mind and she, begrudgingly, took her turn to speak. “When I became the sole leader of Inazuma, I had decided it was a necessity that the country be kept in stasis, frozen in time and isolated from all other nations. Before achieving this, however, I required a vessel that would keep me in a similar state, protected from corrosion, and anything else that could pose a threat to my then-ideal of eternity.
“Using now-archaic techniques, I created a prototype. He was functional, but far too sensitive. At the time, I found no use for him, though in hindsight, my actions may have been…” She trailed off, appearing to struggle a great deal with figuring out what it was she wanted to say before forgoing her attempt to do so altogether. “Regardless, it wasn’t until later that I would find the creation I had set aside before developing the Shogun had awakened, completely on his own. It was much later still when I learned he abandoned the name I initially gave him, instead calling himself ‘Kunikuzushi’.”
The sun had completely set, the light of day now replaced by a blanket of stars and the perpetually full moon. In the dim moonlight, Ei studied Venti’s thoughtful look, an expression which felt jarringly out of place on the Mondstadtian bard.
“I see.” He finally responded, once more breaking the silence. “I wonder, what would have driven Kunikuzushi to do all of this…”
“I wouldn’t know.” Ei replied, the barest hint of hesitation audible in her tone.
He could tell there was more, something else worth saying, but as the electro archon let the silence draw out, it became increasingly clearer to him that she wasn’t going to tell him any more. It was fine by him either way. He had already learned quite a bit these past few days; if there was anything else Venti really needed to know, he’d find out sooner or later. At least, that’s what he told himself.
Finally, Ei cleared her throat. “If that is all, may I ask when you plan on returning to Mondstadt?”
There was a certain edge to her voice that told Venti their conversation was most definitely over, and he laughed a little at her suddenness. That said, he could take a hint and see where he was no longer wanted. “Hmph, I bet you wouldn’t treat Morax so coldly. No worries, I’ll be leaving on the return ship back home once the festival is over.”
Ei didn’t say anything back, silently watching as the other archon pushed off of the tree. The wind started to pick up around them as anemo energy gathered beneath him, stirring the maple leaves at his feet. She waits until he’s flown off completely to turn and head back to the – likely closed – plaza, feeling with great certainty that she wouldn’t be able to forget about this brief conversation so easily.
She really could not stand Barbatos, but there was no doubt that she would be thinking about the things they talked about for a while.