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"Alright," Venti sighed, setting the quarter-full wine glass onto the nightstand. He stared back into his reflection, breathing deeply, trying to still his heart. Closing his eyes and straightening his clothes, he took one more glance over at the full-length mirror. The small inn room felt restrictive.
"Ok," his voice cracked and he nodded. He'd go through with this. He could do this.
Breathe in.
Anemo energy swirled around in free but tight circles, light mint to rich emerald, lifting and whipping at Venti's clothes. The bard concentrated solely on his form, papers strewn about the room without a care. The earthly fruity scent of wine breezed past; the floorboards creaked and scuffed. The wind died down and papers settled, the shift complete. Venti's heels clicked on the ground as he softly landed.
Breathe out.
Venti opened his eyes slowly. Oh. The reflection that stood there dumbstruck recoiled ever so slightly. It was taller, with darker eyes and longer braids. It had a more defined face with a lanky, but fit body. His hand hovered over his mouth, catching a gasp as he stepped back. My friend.
Venti's face burned, his throat closing up and nose running. This is what could have- The tears that came rushing felt hot on his cheeks, snot bubbling as he choked out sobs and trembled. Wiping a sleeve against his nose and burying his face in his elbow, he dropped to his knees. The boards bent under his weight as he stared into those eyes. His eyes. Reaching a timid and shaky hand out to graze the silvery surface of the mirror, he blinked away even more tears. This wasn't right. It's not-
Vision blurred and hiccupping through sobs, he got up and planted his hands on the nightstand. It felt so small now. Taking the bottle and gazing at it longingly, he took another swig. It was hard to swallow, but the burn would do it's job soon enough. Placing it back on the nightstand, Venti shuffled over to the bed and fell onto it half-heartedly. There, he curled around a pillow and let the numbness encompass him. His throat had yet to stop stinging and his eyes puffy and irritated. He couldn't do his friend justice.
"See? That wasn't so bad..." Venti chuckled to himself as he curled tighter around the pillow. Nope... more tears. The smile that had spread across his face quickly died away as the tears kept coming. I still miss you.