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Somehow, once again, Diluc found himself serving the bard that would need to provide hundreds of years of song to recompense the amount of gold lost to his thievery. Every evening since they met the bard would come to the tavern to appease the crowd of drunkards with songs of gods, magic, and monsters before adding to his ever growing tab.
“Okay, that’s enough for tonight,” he said, placing a glass in front of Venti. “I better not see you back in my wine cellar.”
“Oh Master Diluc you wound me so!” he cries with a hand clutched over his heart. “Such great pains I’m forced to know! Is it not right, in the land of free, to let the wind and whims direct me?”
Diluc glares at him, unimpressed. “It’s bad enough you claimed to be Barbatos himself when I caught you, you should really stop misconstruing his ideology before Sister Barbara decides to intervene with accusations of blasphemy.”
“Oh the sisters need to lighten up a bit. They never like their songs about their dear god, but those are my biggest hits!”
“Maybe it’s a good thing the church won’t be hiring you any time soon. No gold means I don’t have to worry about you drinking yourself to death. You’ve got to be what, 100 pounds? I really should have cut you off earlier.”
“Awww is Master Diluc worried about lil ol me?” Venti coos while swirling his glass. “But in all seriousness, don’t be. It would take way more than this to get me drunk.”
Diluc grimaced as he watched Venti take a sip, thinking about the time they first met. He’d already downed four bottles and was about to open a fifth when Diluc burst into the cellar, sword in hand. Just as he was about to whack the intruder with the flat of his blade, he noticed it wasn’t the usual culprit. Instead of his brother, stealing just enough to piss him off without hurting business, he saw a short man perched among the boxes strumming a lyre.
Diluc dropped his weapon and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, but before he could interrogate him, the thief twisted in the air and pushed out of his grasp with a gust of wind.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Fear not, dear patron, I’ll assure you before I must run. Your offering is not in vain, for I am the god of this domain!”
“You’re either drunk out of your mind or just really really stupid,” Diluc said while advancing on the intruder once more.
Venti only smiled, and without a single wobble in his steps, he shoved Diluc back, grabbed his lyre, and rushed to the door before disappearing into the night.
Thinking that was the last he’d see of him, he cut his losses and took count of the remaining bottles, realizing there was another missing that the bard made off with. He was thankful to likely never see the man again, only to arrive for his shift at the tavern the next day to find the patrons enraptured by the latest bard to receive the title of “Best in Mondstadt.” He was here to stay, and apparently, mooch off the tavern.
“Off to try your luck at other bars after this then?”
“Ah, no, not tonight,” he said.
Venti didn’t elaborate, instead choosing to sip quietly at his drink, so Diluc left him alone with his thoughts while he attended to other customers. Venti watched him work in silence.
How long has it been since he met the first Ragnvindr? 2500 years? About 1000 since he fought alongside one once again? He wondered if he’d fight alongside this one too.
He hadn’t been back in town very long, but it was still long enough to catch up on many of the stories that he missed. People loved to sing their praises of their accomplished knights, especially ones from the old families like the Ragnvindr’s. People liked to gossip too, and it was easy to loosen lips with wine and song. He’d only been back in town a single night when one of the regulars pulled him aside to tell the tale of the current bartender/former knight that had long since defected and skipped town, only to return once more just a few months before Venti returned to Mondstadt.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Diluc had caught his staring until he was right in front of him, plucking his glass from his grip.
“You’re not getting another one, so cut that out.”
“Ehehe sorry, it wasn’t that.” Venti rested his chin on his now empty hand. “I was just thinking, you get it, don't you? Leaving Mondstadt and finding everything so different. I wonder, do you find yourself searching for similarity too?”
“I don’t recall ever meeting you before last week.”
“You haven’t,” Venti said with a smile absent of his usual mischief. “I’ve been gone for much too long for us to have met before. You look a lot like an old friend, that’s all.”
It was an innocuous comment, but one that made Diluc pause nonetheless. Venti looked too young to be any older than himself, but was apparently old enough to remember Mondstadt before Diluc was born. The Ragnvindr family was too well known for anyone who visited the city to not know of them or their winery, nor did anyone share their distinct bright red hair. So maybe Venti met someone during his travels? Diluc dismissed the train of thought with a huff.
“You can just come to see me if you want. No need to work or drink yourself further into debt as an excuse to hang around,” he muttered under his breath.
Of course, ears attuned for subtle notes and the whispers of the wind heard it anyway, and suddenly he had an armful of bard reaching across the countertop to capture him in a hug.
“Awww Diluc! I knew you secretly liked my company!”
He stood there stiff as a board until Venti released him and returned to his seat.
“But really, I’m glad that you’re unlike him. Much too prickly,” he stage whispered from behind his hand. “I wouldn’t want to chain you down to an old man’s memory.”
It could easily be taken as another one of the bard’s teases, but the sincerity in his voice had Diluc stopping in his tracks once again. Just how old is Venti? He’s heard of celestial beings that walk among humans in other lands, but none in Mondstadt besides the rumored visits from the nation’s god himself. Surely that couldn’t be Venti of all people. There had to be another reason for the way he drinks without getting the slightest bit tipsy. And the way the wind seemed to be at his beck and call. And the way he sang so vividly of Mondstadt’s history, and talked like he’d known Diluc’s ancestors despite not looking a day over 20-
It was just a tease, right? Like when he claimed to be Barbatos. But now that he thinks about it, he does look an awful lot like the statue in front of the church-
As quickly as he opened his mouth to ask the question, a breeze swept through the tavern that carried Venti to the door. As if he sensed his revelation, he smiled at him as he waved and yelled over the chatter of the patrons before he could say anything.
“Farewell Master Diluc!”
And just like that, he vanished into the night.
A few days had passed since Venti’s last visit, and Diluc couldn’t say he wasn’t beginning to worry. For all that he annoyed Diluc… It was complicated. Since he fled the city he’d pretty much cut all ties that weren’t to his winery, not that he could take credit for facilitating them in the first place, and his younger brother had taken his place. Even being named the new Cavalry Captain after he quit.
Even if they weren’t speaking, Diluc was glad Kaeya seemed to have found a new family in his absence… though he’d be happier if it wasn’t with the knights. But whatever, Kaeya is an adult and he can make his own choices even if Diluc thinks he’s working for an incredibly inefficient organization completely hindered by the efforts to keep up appearances-
Not his problem. Though maybe he does miss having someone around to look out for and that’s why he lets Venti hang around. Though perhaps he should reevaluate that with the possibility he actually is Mondstadt’s absentee god…
He decided to stop thinking about it before he polished a hole into the counter. Just as he turns to bring the rag back to its hook, a single finger pokes him in the middle of his back making his shoulders climb to his ears. Diluc whips back ready to snap, only for his shoulders to untense as he sees Venti leaning over the bar.
“Yoohoo!”
Diluc nods in acknowledgment. “I was beginning to wonder where you were. It’s a good thing you’re a freelancer I suppose.”
Venti has the decency to look a little sheepish at the subtle jab which satisfies Diluc enough to get him a drink. Non-alcoholic this time, at least until he knows what in the world he’s been up to.
“Ehehe sorry, didn’t mean to leave the city so suddenly. But I got some urgent news and I had to go check up on an old friend living in the East.”
Diluc raises his eyebrows as he places down two glasses of apple cider, one for Venti and one for himself. “I’ve heard rumors of a dragon prowling out there recently, you should really be more careful.”
“Psshh I’m fine! That old lizard wouldn’t hurt a fly!”
Oh, right. Diluc belatedly remembered he was speaking to Barbatos, and if the old stories had any truth to them, it was very likely the old friend was the dragon.
“But enough about me!” Venti said. “I wanted to ask you about a very interesting rumor I heard.”
“Don’t you start most of the rumors in Mondstadt? Just a few weeks ago you convinced the entire tavern that Rex Lapis is deathly afraid of seafood.”
“I’ll have you know my songs hold nothing but the truth! But to an extent you're right, which is why I was so surprised! When I was returning to the city I got stopped by one of the knights. Say, do you happen to be related to Captain Kaeya?”
Internally, Diluc groaned. “Something like that. What did he do this time?”
“I think he tried to give me the shovel talk.”
Any optimism from knowing Kaeya is still keeping tabs on him was immediately overthrown by Diluc’s horror at the misunderstanding. And mostly how Kaeya would absolutely tease him about it.
“Please tell me you corrected him. Please tell me you said something.”
“What? No, of course I didn’t! Now you have an excuse to invite me over for the holidays!”
“Venti, we’re not exactly the sort of family to have dinners together. And if we were you could have just asked to come anyway.”
“Hmmm… well based on what he said I don’t see why you can’t be. So I’ll see you both for the winter solstice, right?”
Diluc thought of the idea of once again sharing a meal with Kaeya and their friends, old and new, and for the first time since he came home he felt there was a real chance he could reconnect with his city. Surely if they were both keeping tabs on each other that was a good sign he was willing to reconcile their differences? But of course, he couldn’t say that, instead he rested his elbows on the bar and hid his face in his hands.
“You are an absolute menace,” he settled on, cracking a small smile. “Now what do you prefer, boar or fowl?”