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“You are aware that you can still step out of this?”
No matter how many times he has done it, the change from the living world to the inside of Lumine’'s Teapot still fascinates Venti.
The golden-yellow-purple-pink clouds overtaking his surroundings, encompassing him, and transporting him to the inside of the domain. The feeling of nothing as he makes the journey through realities, the way in which the ground under his feet disappears and how his body becomes weightless.
Almost like flying, maybe that the reason as to why he likes it.
Or maybe it is because of the anticipation that forms inside him for what is to come.
Maybe it will be the sight of mountains that touch the sky, waterfalls that feed deep and calm rivers that run all along the place, maybe it will be the sight of more familiarity, an infinite ocean extending over the limit of his eyes, a beach of yellow sand leading to a valley with small elevations.
Sometimes is the almost unfamiliar replication of the land of electro, and occasionally what will greet him is a realm that serves as a reminder that this was possible only thanks to Adeptal magic, a place in which the sun is always in the sky, yet it heat never scorching, bridges created by Adeptal magic connecting the place.
Whatever it is that he finds, he knows that it will always be a place that he can call home, a place in which who you are outside of the realm isn’t relevant, grudges and hate are forgotten, and all thanks to the owner of the place.
“My dear star, was I not the one that offered to help?”
Emerald Peaks is the place that greets him once the teletransportation is complete, he is welcomed by the breeze, one thing that still surprises him to this day is the way in which the air is still just as the ones outside in the real words, the currents are playful and cheerful, and with them they carry messages. Words, smells, sounds, the wind here still tells its tale and sings its songs.
And the message from today comes and hits him directly in the face, irritation and an itch inside his nose, and he moves his nose from side to side but it isn’t enough to make it go away, at the end a sneeze still escapes.
“Well then,” a smile is already on Lumine’s face, her previous worries over him have all evaporated, now only her cheeriness over his bad situation can be found, “if you insist. Just know that you can leave when you want to.”
I wouldn’t even dare to entertain the dream of leaving your side. This is what he wants to say, but instead, as the breeze once again passes by another sneeze is forced out of him.
A snort leaves her, and she walks towards the Teapot spirit, he stands there trying to recollect himself, to him this opportunity is a blessing, the Teapot has become Lumine’s home, her own place to the one she can always return, her sanctuary, it’s a reminder, a promise that she’s not alone.
For her to ask for his help when it comes to changing and remodeling it, it goes unsaid, but it is basically his brave hero way to say and show that he has become part of her family, that they are a family, him and her.
The bard and the knight.
It makes him so happy, and it fills a hole that for so long he had been so determined to pretend didn’t exist.
Still, as another sneeze leaves him with a runny nose he can’t help but lament the fact that their home Lumine’s home is full of cats, and she holds a preference for the little furry things.
***
For the major part of it, the remodeling and future planning for new buildings go with no major problems.
The Adeptal properties of the place allowing something that would take days or more in the real world, to be completed in a matter of hours.
Both are happy with the results, there is now more space for all of the new companions that Lumine has, but there are still a lot of places that are free of buildings or constructions, trees and fish ponds and flower gardens decorating.
And after a day of hard work, under the shade of those trees is where they rest.
The fishes jumping in and out of the water, the rustling of the leaves, and the dance that the flowers make thanks to the winds. Around them, a melody is created, and as a bard, it is nothing but his duty to use his instrument and voice and play along with them.
The notes he plays are light and from his lips cascades a tale about a bird that flies along the stars.
Lumine hums on occasion, harmonizing with the melody he has created, she is laying down over the grass, contrary to where he is sitting against a tree.
The wind passes by, and it carries away his melody, but it also leaves him a new message, and as he receives it, the melody comes to an abrupt and violent end when once again he sneezes.
And soon the sound of grass being rustled under tiny paws adds to the sounds surrounding.
He keeps on sneezing, his nose is all runny and the itchiness is starting to become unbearable, Lumine is now sitting and her head moves around, her eyes looking from one place to another, searching for the little intruder.
A meow sounds, but his sneezes don’t allow him to locate the point where it originated, and by this point, his vision has become blurry thanks to the tears starting to appear in his eyes.
“Found you.” He hears Lumine exclaim, and she moves at the same time that a white blur hurls at him through the grass.
“Gotcha!” Holding it by the armpits, meowing indignantly now that their plan has been interrupted, Lumine holds a dangling white cat.
Lumine easily scoops it between her arms, and the animal calms now that Lumine is paying it attention.
But now with the cat in her arms taking all of her attention, and Venti still currently sneezing his lungs out both of them are clueless about the danger that is now descending over him.
A meow above him is his only warning and while in med-sneeze from the top of the three a black figure falls.
Soon he’s nothing but a disaster of sneeze after sneeze, around him the world is a blur, and as he loses his footing the last thing he sees before hitting the floor is yellow eyes, staring directly into his soul.
His head hits the grass, and over his chest, the animal sits, even with the way his whole body shakes every time he sneezes, the animal still stays there.
“Come here you little rascal.”
The weight is lifted and as Lumine walks away from him with both cats now in her arms, he’s finally able to go for more than 5 seconds without sneezing.
Lumine appears to be reprimanding the 2 animals, but of course, they don’t care, he’s just getting his breathing under control when a new meow catches their attention.
Both of the cats in Lumine’s arms are silent, and at the sound, their ears have perked, another meow has Lumine and the cats turning around and locating where it came from.
“Venti,” Lumine’s voice is serious, she turns to look at him and her words sound more like an order than a suggestion, “it would be better if you start running now.”
He’s just about to question her words when from the grass several cats appear, all of them with their eyes trained over him.
This time he doesn’t doubt it and starts running.