Spying on the Wind | Venti♡Reader

💫𝕊𝕀𝕏💫

Venti's POV:

It was futile. It was then I realized my folly. He wouldn't budge despite my incessant pleas. If only I was Zhongli instead. I bet the Harbinger would get him as much wine as he wished for! I grumbled and took out my frustration on my ancient friend.

The Lord of Geo winced a little and proceeded to give me a death glare. "I'll buy you some later," Childe reassured me, "but these pouches of Mora are for- Hey, stop kicking poor Zhongli!"

Sighing, I began devouring the variety of dishes on the table and thought about what led to my unexpected visit. After I had bid the girlie farewell, I had exited the cave and flew towards the city of Mond. With a heartwarming smile, I had handed the purple box to Flora. Her lips had curved into a smile and she had thanked me profusely.

Later, I had chanced upon the Traveler while picking dandelions. Upon learning that he had been heading for Liyue to pick some Glaze Lilies, I had tagged along to give my old pal a nasty surprise. Zhongli was less than pleased to see all the drinks in Liyue replaced by dandelion wine and called me out immediately, so I appeared and began to pester Childe instead.

The rhythmic sound of steady footsteps jolted me back to reality. Still chewing, I lifted my head and my heart skipped a beat.

"Tartaglia," she greeted. It was the extraordinary girl I met in the cave, but she stared at Childe differently, as though they were arch-rivals. Her cold gaze could match that of the Tsaritsa's.

With a scowl on his face, Childe straightened up and gestured for her to follow him. Before leaving, he sent Zhongli an apologetic glance and grumbled something about "arrogant bitches". Intrigued, my eyes trailed them until they were out of sight. I turned back to Zhongli with a questioning gaze, but he simply shrugged, probably as clueless as I was. I figured it was Fatui stuff and let my thoughts slide.

Minutes flew past in the blink of an eye and soon, only food scraps remained on the ceramic plates. Childe was still nowhere to be seen. The old blockhead suggested that we do a brief search of the restaurant, likely concerned about the Harbinger's safety. On the other hand, I figured Childe would be fine as he wasn't one to get into trouble, but I went with Zhongli's idea as I desperately needed his sugardaddy to pay the bill as the owner of the restaurant was already eyeing us.

We searched separately to maximize efficiency and save time. Scanning my surroundings, I walked around the place, as if enjoying a languid afternoon, but my divine mind was on full alert. I searched every nook and cranny of the eatery, but Childe seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Lady Luck didn't seem to be on Zhongli's side either. I sighed inwardly as he approached me, his face contorted with frustration. This hide-and-seek game wasn't so fun anymore. We needed the Mora!

As I listened to Zhongli rant about Childe's (along with his Mora's) sudden disappearance like a broken radio, thoughts swirled around in my mind. Worst-case scenarios began replaying over and over again in my head. What if the Harbinger's Mora dropped into a canal? What if he was robbed of his riches by Treasure Hoarders? What if he was knocked out by a crowd of Ruin Guards and lost his life and Mora in the process?

Recalling the mysterious girl's icy gaze sent shivers down my spine. Perhaps she wasn't as friendly as she looked before. I theorized that she worked with the Fatui, after all.

The long-lost walking wallet's booming voice jolted me out of my thoughts. "Hey! Venti! Zhongli!"