Tugging at my Heart Strings || Venti x Reader ||

The First String

Much time had passed, winds had blown and Hilichurls had danced.
The two travel buddies had been walking for a while, and figured they needed a place to take a small break. What better place than Liyue's infamous Wangshu Inn?

"So, Wangshu Inn then? We're definitely settling on there?" Venti questioned the Apprentice that walked by his side. They held a book in hand, opened up.

"Umm.. Well- Yeah! It seems like the best place for now, we'll be at Liyue Harbour before the winds of Mondstadt can cross the region."
(Y/N) confidently announced. Venti just smiled.

"Oh really? What makes you so confident in that?~" Venti asked, raising a brow, words were spoken of course in a teasing manor.

"Oh! Well-" (Y/N) started off with those two confident words, before cutting herself off. "Umm.. You know what, I don't know! Call it a hunch. They hummed with a shrug. It wasn't like it was serious or anything! Just a figure of speech..

Honestly, they knew about Wangshu Inn, but they'd never actually been them self!

Venti just shook his head. "That's pretty unreliable you know, but I guess this'll be like a trust exercise, besides, I barely even know you personally." He chuckled with a cheeky grin as he stretched his body as much as he could as he was busy carrying the books.

"Well, you may say that but you seem to have known me well enough to trust me in coming with you." (Y/N) challenged, glancing at the male beside them.

They then began to think... 'The way he phrased that was a bit odd.. Unless Lisa really did tell him a lot... Wait no- this is pretty much overthinking. I'm thinking of it like some secret in a storybook. Sheesh, awareness is weird-'

"Well, it seems you caught the bard there, Apprentice! If I had to think of a word to describe thou, I'd have to say relentless~" Venti chirped. "I expect great things! So try to match those expectations or Barbatos himself will be disappointed!" He grinned.

"Ohh? Barbatos? What, are you two close friends or something?" (Y/N) giggled. "And what kind of expectations? I feel like I have to know more specifically what they are so I can fulfil whatever it is you call 'great things'."

They huffed. 'Jeez, all of this over me saying we'd be there before the winds of Mondstadt could blah blah blah...' (Y/N) whined in their thoughts

"Well, I can't tell you! Think of it as..." Venti mumbled, trailing off. "Hmm.. Yaknow, a hunch! A hunch that you will figure it out on your own, maybe not even realise you've fulfilled the expectations." He chuckled, looking up at the sky.

"I see... So unreliable, I feel like I'm talking to a book character." (Y/N) grumbled with a small huff, this bard was the worst! Well, not the worst bard, just the worst person! Yaknow- It isn't literalz

"You shouldn't expect too great things from me anyway, I'm merely an apprentice I mean sure, I could maybe? But expecting things from someone you don't know that well is just interesting." They sighed and rubbed the nape of their neck.

Venti only frowned at their lack of self-confidence. "You want to do great things though don't you?" He asked the other, and before they could answer, continued on- "I know you do. And that's how I know you will."
He said, looking back at them with a soft smile.

(Y/N) paused entirely for a moment as those words sunk in, feeling a warmth spread across their cheeks. "Oh- Well um.." They muttered a little and looked the other way for a moment, taking a deep breath.

Venti simply raised a brow at the other, confused.

"..Thank you, Venti." (Y/N) mumbled and looked back at the bard. "Thank you."