Through Wine And Song

2. The Present

It had been a few years since Barbatos visited Liyue, and by extension Xiao, and as time went on the adeptus was starting to lose hope. The only think keeping his faith was the wind blowing gently through his hair, or lightly tracing his face, every so often.

"Barbatos..." he'd hoarsely whisper at nights on his own, sighing audibly as he leaned against the balcony of the inn. The owners would routinely pass by at night and check on him without fail, adding to the weight of his sorrows.

While over a thousand meters away, a bard walked through the city of freedom alongside two blond outlanders and their floating companion. Lyre in hand, he aimlessly strummed the strings as the twins spoke.

The city was getting ready for it's annual Windblume festival, white petals and dandelion seeds being carried by the wind. It was a time of year Venti always looked forward to, he only wished to share it with his love. He thought aimlessly about the past, wondering if or when he and the Vigilant Yaksha would reunite.

"Venti? Hello?" Lumine snapped him out of his head. "Were you listening? Aether's heading off to Liyue to "boost his reputation" or something and he's taking Paimon. So, we're stuck with each other for the next few days." She stretched tiredly.

Venti hummed in response, hesitating before opening his mouth. "Hey Aether?" The blond turned to him curiously. "Say hi to Xiao for me, tell him he should come to Windblume." Aether shook his head lightly with a smile in response.

"You're so weird, Venti." He chuckled before lightly punching his sister and heading off, Paimon floating not far behind him.

"You know Xiao?" Lumine questioned once her brother was out of sight, her face filled with intrigue.

"Yeah, I'd say I more than "know" him." He replied with a chuckle.

The two stood in silence for a beat more, before making their way to Angel's Share. Lumine there to converse, Venti there to perform as the season of Windblume has the tavern at its busiest.

Entering the tavern was like travelling to a different world, the strong scent of alcohol immediately present and the chatter of the patrons deafening.  The pair made their way to the bar, smiles bright as they greeted the bartender.

"Hey Charles! Seems like business is booming." The bard said looking around. "Care to serve two more patrons?"

Charles nodded, gesturing for the two to order their share.

"I'll have some sunsettia juice for today. What about you?" Lumine turned to Venti after she ordered.

"Dandelion wine, of course!" Venti said with a small giggle.

The two were served and made merry as they made no rush to finish their drinks, Venti occasionally standing and performing for the rowdy crowd, some familiar faces passing by and made small talk. They spent the day enjoying themselves and ordering more of their respective beverages.

Finally, the pair decided to finish up at the tavern, Lumine covering the tab, and head their separate ways for the evening.

Sighing wistfully, Venti left through the city gates and made his way to a specific tree.

Sitting down at its roots, he pulled out his lyre and started strumming aimlessly, the wind blowing his hair as he played a unique tune with a smile on his face. He had made the tune for his love, never playing it for any audience except the Vigilant Yaksha himself.

"I wonder...just what Alatus has been doing all these years..." he mumbled under his breath as he finished strumming his lyre. A sudden tightness started to build in his chest; he recognised the feeling all too well, guilt. He had spent many years away from the nation of contracts without warning for reasons he could only describe as selfish.