SCENE I
"Take a seat! We might be here for awhile." The bard chuckled and slouched in his chair. He motioned for his guests to relax themselves, even though the place was such a dump that comfort was close to impossible. "Hmm... So what exactly would you like to hear from me?"
"Isn't it obvious..." Paimon sneered, her eyes going blank.
Before answering, the blondie did as Venti offered and sat. He rested himself on the opposite side of the table, away from Venti. Honestly, Aether was a bit wary of the bard at the moment, for more reasons than one.
"Who is Y/N and why are you so afraid of her." He asked as a matter of fact, so the tricky little bard wouldn't take advantage of his words and mix them to fit his needs.
Venti sighed. It was clear he was uncomfortable.
"Don't trust that girl." He started and straightened up, his resentment beginning to become apparent just by the mere mention of you. "This... Y/N is not what she seems. She's not the helpless little girl she's pretending to be. In fact, her entire appearance is just a hoax. She's a fraud... Don't trust her, don't speak to her, don't look at her-"
"Woah woah woah! Slow down!" Paimon cupped her head, attempting to process Venti's words. "Talk like a normal person, bard!"
"Right." He averted his eyes and breathed. "Y/N is not a mortal, as you may know. That is why she didn't die after she fell."
Aether's eyes widened, hit with two mind blowing statements in one sentence. As if the fact of your immortality wasn't shocking enough, there was something else that stood out to the traveler, but he would save his question for later.
"She's the goddess of Secrets, but she is known by more than one name..." Venti shuffled in his seat and continued. "Such as... the goddess of Illusion, the goddess of Lies, but more importantly, the goddess of Truth."
"What?! Paimon's confused... How can she be the goddess of Truth and Lies at the same time?" Paimon looked as if her head might explode.
"First of all... she is neither. Those are just other titles that have been given to her by mortals who know of her. Officially, she is the goddess of Secrets and, being the goddess of Secrets and all... there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings in her story." He explained, clearing up any confusion. "Some know of her as trustworthy and some know of her as a liar. It depends on who you ask."
Aether furrowed his brow, his curiosity growing by the second. "So, why is that?"
"Her powers... they are... unique." Venti intertwined his hands together, locking his eyes downwards onto them. This topic definitely hit a nerve for him. "She has the ability to conceal any secret she wants concealed- at any cost. This means she could go as far as altering the whole nation's appearance if it were to keep a secret. Her abilities depend on the secret itself, and her determination to keep it. So, the fact that her potential can be unlimited makes her one of the more powerful deities."
"I see." Aether's gaze was locked on the bard, as the bard himself prioritized looking away. "So I'm assuming you are one who thinks of her as untrustworthy."
"Yes." Venti jolted his head upwards again. "As you could expect, it's difficult for one to tell whether she is being sincere or not, based not only on her powers, but... she has a very cunning and mischievous personality too."
"Sounds like you two would get along perfectly!" Paimon teased, implying something to Venti. "Whatever happened between you two~? Hmm?"
Once again, the bard broke his eye contact, but this time turn his head along with his eyes. Paimon's comment definitely had some hidden meaning to it.
"Don't." He answered sharply, but a little panicky. "Don't go on imagining things. She is an enemy of the gods, that's all there is to it. That's why I don't associate with her."
"Busted." Paimon thought to herself, ignoring Venti and coming to her own conclusions.
"I can't wait to hear more~" The fairy grinned, still edging on the bard.
"She and I had a bit of a... falling apart in the past, so I try and avoid her at all costs. That is why I took both of you here- I noticed you had already fallen under one of her tricks and-"
"We have?" The traveler seemed genuinely baffled, probably concerned that Venti's words were correct.
"Well... I don't know how she managed to convince you this, but she is not your friend's wife."
"Erm..." Paimon stammered, welcoming a guilty expression. "About that..."
Venti shot up, showing true emotion for the first time since they had started talking. "Wait- is she... is she actually your friend's wife?"
"No, that's not it." Aether answered. "We were in on the lie. Rosaria told us that Y/N had fibbed about us, so we played along to get her away from the crowd."
"Oh."
That was all he said.
He cleared his throat.
"Anyways, all I know is that she is probably up to no good, so you should try and stay away from her." The bard had recollected himself and continued with his tales. "I don't know why or how she has suddenly appeared in Mondstadt after so many years, but it can't be good, and she is probably frustrated that some mortals like you have started to catch on because of the incident at Starsnatch Cliff." Venti smiled, trying to cheer himself up and remain a joyful friend to the traveler and the fairy. "If I were you, I'd watch your back... but remember! You can always call on me for help-"
"Venti." Suddenly, the Honorary Knight stood up. He placed his arms onto the table and leaned forward. His voice was cold. "Since the beginning of our conversation, I've noticed something odd in your words."
The accused perked up, turning pale. It seemed this pale color was seen on him quite frequently lately. "What are your concerns, dear traveler?" He smiled a friendly smile, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.
Aether sighed, calculating the right words to say.
"Venti, how do you know about Y/N's incident at the cliff? You weren't there and Katheryne didn't recruit you, yet you are speaking as if you know more than I do. Why is that?"
Silence. Complete silence.
Busted.
Aether's words struck Venti deep. It was obvious, for the panic in Venti's heart could've been seen by even a blind man.
"Venti..." He winced, hoping his hypothesis wasn't the truth. Unfortunately, the odds weren't adding up for the bard, for his peculiar behavior, his resentment against you, and the fact he knows so much about something he shouldn't all ticked up against him. "If I'm wrong, please forgive me, but..." He paused, and with a pained expression on his face he prayed that his dear friend, Venti the Bard, which he knew of as a kind and playful, carefree drunkard, couldn't possibly have done something like that.
"..."
"Is there a reason you know more than you should?"
"What?! What in Celestia are you thinking, Traveller?" Venti toppled over in laughter. His sudden mood change didn't fit the ominous atmosphere. "Oh don't be such a worry wart! Did you think I was the one responsible for her fall? How silly of you~" He clamped his hand onto the blondie's shoulder and reassured him. Once again, Venti was cheerful. He had shown such a rollercoaster of emotions that day that it confused Aether.
Was his smile sincere? Or was there something hidden behind that smile?
Was Aether just overthinking things? He couldn't tell anymore.
"C'mon, my friend. Why don't you accompany me to the tavern? It seems you need brighten up~"
After thoroughly thinking it through, Aether chose to trust his friend. After all, Venti had always been good to them, so there was no reason to think any differently of him now. Sure he had his secrets, but would this happy boy even be capable of harming someone to that extent? This is different than simply wiping out kingdoms to keep his people safe, which is what he had done in the past. Would he be capable of coldheartedly pushing someone off a cliff, knowing well what the consequences would be?
Probably not.
And even if he was, he surely would've committed the act out of self defense, right?
Of course!
"Traveller, let's go!" The cheery bard grabbed Aether's hand and yanked him along, dissipating any pervious tension. "To the tavern we go!" He wore a hearty grin to say that all was well.
"Hey! You two slow down! Wait for Paimon!"
~♪
SCENE II
"Surprise me." You smirked towards the handsome red-haired man behind the counter. "I trust you have good taste."
Surprisingly, you hadn't come close to being the strangest guest the staff of Angel's Share had seen, even with your hospital attire and practically celestial [H/C] hair. This man before you was clearly unbothered by your peculiar appearance, as he continued treating you like normal folk.
"I wouldn't go by my tastes..." He gloomily muttered, wiping away a tricky stain from a dirty wine glass. "I don't drink wine. Would you like grape juice?"
You swerved your hips around one of the wooden stools by the counter and sat, straightening out any ruffles to your gown as you finished. "Oh? This winery's own staff doesn't like wine... There are so many peculiar individuals in Mondstadt~" You bent your arms on the table and cupped your face in your hands, welcoming a charming grin. "Grape juice will do."
Without responding, he turned and disappeared into a back room, probably fetching your order as any responsible waiter would do.
"Hmm..." You hummed to yourself, peering around your new surroundings while you waited. Currently, those said surroundings were a local tavern called Angel's Share. This place was well known, being one of the higher ranked taverns in Mondstadt's vicinity. That's why you chose there to be your next stop.
After all, you knew your old friend, Barbatos, very closely, and even if you didn't, it wouldn't take much to know he loves a good glass of wine... or maybe twenty.
Your plan to find your old friend was sure to work. Barbatos' drinking habits were more severe than your average drunkard- meaning he was bound to end up there sooner or later... later probably being within an hour.
Your sudden appearance to him surely racked his brains, so what better to do but to drink away the night and distract yourself from the endless worry of the responsibility you must face from your past mistakes?
To you, it didn't sound like fun, but to Barbatos, it did. It was a habit of his, so you held confidence he would show up.
Of course, there were other well-known taverns in the town of Mondstadt- one strong competitor being the Cat's Tail. Luckily, and you knew this better than anyone, your friend had a hilariously severe allergy to cats, so there was no doubt he would avoid it like the plague, for the Cat's Tail Tavern's special touch was letting multiple cats roam freely inside.
So, with a couple of further speculations, you gathered that if there were any place Barbatos would prefer to exhibit his drunkardness, it would be Angel's Share Tavern, owned by the legendary Ragnvindr name and located in one of the busiest areas in Mondstadt.
As you finished analyzing the place, the handsome fellow from earlier reappeared, now carefully carrying a mouthwatering glass of grape juice.
You drooled, it looked so good. Stars practically bouncing from your eyes in anticipation, you remind yourself to wait for the bard.
Reason? For now, we'll say its out of politeness, for it would be rude to not have waited for your 'company' to arrive before catering yourself. That would be selfish, although, deep down, you couldn't care less.
You nodded, proud of yourself for temporarily justifying your schemes.
"Your grape juice, ma'am." With a napkin around his glove and a glove around his hand, he gave you the tasteful drink, which you accepted ever so willingly.
With the glass in hand, you focused on the chilly man, partially to distract you from hastily gulping down your beverage, and partially because his appearance was rather... nostalgic.
"Ah." The realization hit you faster than a train. "You're a Ragnvindr."
"I am."
"I'm glad to see the family is still so prosperous after so many years." The fact made you relieved, for at least one of the families you knew well during the Archon War had turned out alright.
"Man... at this point drinking away the worries might actually sound quite nice, for if the day gets any more depressing I may even let out a few tears."
Now being aware of your barista's identity, even more sorrowful memories bloomed in your mind, as if meeting Barbatos wasn't enough.
"Haha..." You wistfully chuckled, it not being true laughter at all. Desperately wanting to change the subject, you swiftly held your glass to the Ragnvindr, whom now also held his own serving of grape juice. "Cheers?"
It was apparent that the red-haired man noticed your sour mood, but working in a winery for so long, he decided not to ponder you about it. After all, taverns like these are the places that humbly welcome troubled souls, and it can be presumed even the few guests at Angel's Share at the moment were struggling, whether it be a light or heavy struggle, they were still struggling.
This man had learned not to ask questions for the benefit of his guests.
"Cheers." The frosty voice of his was oddly comforting, and it eased all of your assumptions about him.
"Yeah. He was used to seeing people feel like this."
The two fresh glasses of grape juice clashed together, echoing the clank throughout the empty tavern. Once finished, he calmly strolled away, minding his own business and leaving you with your drink.
Now, you were alone. Even though there were other sufferers within the tavern walls, you wouldn't dare speak to them. They were all probably too drunk to hold conversation anyway...
What to do... what to do... You certainly didn't want to sit pondering to yourself about this whole situation, for if you weren't feeling well before Barbatos arrived, you were sure to explode when he did.
That wouldn't be good.
"The upstairs looks nice and quiet. Perhaps I could use the peace while I wait."
After deciding on it, you gently caressed your beverage, the skinny piece of the glass fitting in between your fingers, and waltzed up the stairs. They were bendy, forming itself into a spiral, letting you turn almost a whole circle as you reached the top.
As you suspected, the higher floor was completely empty. It gladdened you, for you could practically do anything you desired up there and no one would notice.
"It would be fine if I took just one sip, right?"
You lifted the glass to your lips, hardly waiting to taint them purple. Slowly, the cup tilted, and along with that, the divine dark liquid dripped down the inside of the glass, reaching closer to your mouth.
Almost there... almost to tasting a blissful taste that you had been deficit of for so long. Almost-
BOOM!
With a loud bang, the front door of the tavern slammed open, rather aggressively in your opinion. The sudden noise startled you and your drink, for the grape juice was trembling in its cup. Quickly, you gathered yourself, not bothering to observe the probably rowdy, soon-to-be drunkard that had been so ill mannered.
"Gosh... Just as I was enjoying the peace."
You rolled your eyes, for based on their actions against the poor door, whomever had arrived was sure to be an obnoxiously loud bit of company.
It wasn't long before your speculations were proven true.
"The usual please!"
You jolted again, this time the grape juice spilling from your glass.
It was him. He had finally arrived.
THIS IS GOING TO GET RATHER JUICY~ ILL TRY AND UPDATE SPEEDY QUICK ;)