Chapter Text
On Mondstadt’s bridge, Electro and Dendro energy appear, one after the other, before snapping into the form of a woman and a child.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Nahida asks hesitantly as they approach the gate and stunned knights.
Ei gently shoves her forward. “Yes, it’s fine. Let’s go.”
The guards exchange a frantic look with one another, very clearly trying to figure out what in the fuck is the protocol here.
So, the two gods amble through Mondstadt’s main road and into the plaza like this is just an ordinary occurrence— a sentiment clearly not shared by the civilians, one of whom dropped their food in surprise.
“I think we’re scaring them,” Nahida whispers.
“They’ll be fine.” Ei calmly — stubbornly? ignorantly? — assures her. But she stops to survey the area anyway. “Though I think you may be right.”
“Well, most of us can’t say we’ve ever had the experience of seeing two archons strolling about.”
Ei very nearly draws her weapon in surprise; the voice comes from behind them, amused and collected, yet smooth and with prickling undertones.
She nearly draws her weapon again when she locks eyes with the newcomer and finds herself faced with the signature star of K’hanriah swimming in the icy water of his iris.
“So, how can Mondstadt help you?” He descends down the stairs of the Cat’s Tail, stepping neatly over a cat fast asleep in his path. “The name’s Kaeya, if it’s of any importance to you.”
Nahida nods. “It’s nice to meet you, Kaeya.”
Upon reflection, Kaeya had cast a quick glance over the archons’ shoulders. But he’d been quick to look towards Nahida as she spoke, and break eye contact with Ei.
Thus, they missed the figure approaching silently from behind, pressing a quieting finger to his lips, where a smile already lay.
Kaeya stood a respectable distance away, perhaps ten paces or so. But the other person was rapidly closing the distance between them. Closer and closer, until he was an arm’s reach away from Ei’s braid.
“Boo!”
Ei hardly moves as Venti throws himself at her, wrapping his arms around her neck in a hug as he hangs in the air. She just rolls her eyes, though it seems affectionate. “Hello to you as well.”
He manages to lean his head forward over the taller’s shoulder. “How have you been?” Venti asks cheerfully.
“I’ve been well. And you?” Ei tries to turn to look at her brother, who thankfully lets go and drops to his feet.
Venti grins. “I’m good, thanks! And you,” he turns to Nahida, “I haven’t seen you in person since—“ he ponders for a moment “— ever! How are you?” He reaches out to pat her on the head.
She giggles, closing her eyes in time with each pat on her head. “It’s nice to officially meet you! I’m doing well.”
They both end up smiling impossibly wider. And then Venti scoops her up, supporting Nahida from under her arms, and twirling them around. Their capes and her dress twirl with their movements in a way very reminiscent of leaves spinning in the wind, because that’s literally what’s happening—
Kaeya makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and clearing his throat, which Venti takes as his cue to actually deal with the situation, and sets Nahida down. She dizzily stumbles around for a moment before Ei pulls the child to her side. She looks slightly exasperated, but bemused nonetheless.
“So,” Kaeya tries, “what brings you to Mondstadt?”
He ends up being cut off by someone from the growing audience. “ Whatthefuck.”
Hands are promptly smacked over Nahida’s ears.
(PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. YOU COULD POP SOMEONE’S EARDRUMS AND CAUSE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE.)
“ Master Diluc! ” Venti scolds, because yeah, Nahida might be five hundred years old and the god of knowing stuff, but she’s still his little sister and won’t be hearing any swearing while he’s around.
Diluc just looks back and forth between the three gods and Kaeya, his eyes slightly wide, but his expression otherwise blank. “Jean, are you seeing this?” He calls out.
Jean’s head pops up between two other people’s shoulders, who part enough for her to squeeze through to the front with Diluc. She looks baffled, but worried. “Did something happen?”
Kaeya shrugs. He looks way too calm. Venti slowly takes his hands off Nahida’s pointed ears.
“Good question,” he chimes in. He turns to his sisters. “As wonderful as it is to see you two, why are you here? Particularly you, Ei.”
A little face peeks out from behind the borderline excessive fabric of Ei’s attire, now freed from the hands over her ears. “We just wanted to see you.” Venti looks to the actual adult for confirmation. Ei just nods.
“Seriously?” Venti looks astonished. Meanwhile, Jean and Diluc exchange worried glances, because oh fuck, everyone’s gonna know.
Ei shrugs, a teasing smile creeping over her face. “We can leave, if you’d prefer.”
He smacks her arm playfully. “Don’t you dare. Buer, c’mon! Attack! ”
To the immeasurable bafflement of the ever growing audience, the bard and tiny God of Wisdom throw themselves at the God of Eternity herself, trapping her in a bizarre hug. And then it gets even weirder, because the three of them laugh like it’s an old inside joke.
“ Furina! ” Venti calls out in a sing-song voice. “C’mere!” Ei gasps in a way that’s so obviously theatrical, it sends Nahida into another fit of giggles. “Bard! Don’t you dare! ”
Jean and Diluc exchange another glance.
Clearly, Venti did, infact, dare, because a cloud of mist solidifies into a human form. “What requires me to grace you with my presence, dear brother— oh. ”
“We’re attacking Ei.” Venti informs her with a straight face. “Obviously.”
“Yes.” Furina blinks. “Obviously.” Venti waves a hand at her, as if that would entice her to join the blob.
It’s a true testament to Furina’s two brain cells that it actually does .
Venti speaks up from the blob, sounding very much like he’s making an announcement over a speaker. “Come along, my dear siblings. We’re going to go harass the old blockhead!”
“A most excellent idea!” Furina declares.
From the middle of the blob, Ei just sighs. “As long as there isn’t another argument about theater.”
“What about a debate?”
“Buer, you have clearly earned your title as the God of Wisdom.”
They disappear in a very colorful burst of light, leaving behind a supremely confused Mondstadt. “ Whatthefuck.”