"Augh, did Aether and Paimon really leave me because they saw a fly? Is a fly more interesting than me?"
Having just rained, the sand and grass along the creak was wet, Venti kicking at the moist ground while walking with a dejected pout. His hands were placed firmly on his hips as he muttered things under his breath, looking up ever so often like a lost child. Fish gently swam in the creak, going along with the currents while they feasted on any small plants or insects that decided to play in the water, Venti taking a moment to look at the colorful and unique creatures.
He crouched down, a snapdragon to his right while he folded his hands under his thighs, whistling as he tried to charm the fishes to get closer. The fishes responded by swimming further away, to which he just stuck his tongue out and muttered about 'catching them later to have them for dinner'.
"Y-ouch!" Venti exclaimed, kicking his foot as he flailed his arm around, which resulted in him falling flat on his butt. Venti glared at the golden crab that decided it would attach its claws around his shoe, not exactly pinching his toes but the pressure still hurt.
"What was that for?!" Venti asked with an irritated expression but didn't really expect an answer. He watched in irritation as the crab simply waddled away like it didn't just assault him for absolutely no reason. He was really tempted to chase it down and serve some Adeptus temptation for dinner tonight, but the sound of... bubbling or gurgling took him out of his thoughts.
Blub blub blub blub blub
"Eh?" Venti stood up and looked to where the crab had scurried to, which was behind a rock conveniently shielding whatever was making that noise. Venti blinked rapidly before taking cautious steps over, half expecting a sleeping hilichurl, and least expecting what he had found.
"Urghh... Haha... Paimon, I'm not edible either..." The voice was muffled as they were face first into the sand, though Venti could clearly hear what they were mumbling in their unconscious state. His eyes widened at the familiar figure, the golden crab standing on their back in dominance as if it were boasting about the prey it had caught.
His heart felt as if it had dropped when he saw them motionlessly laying there, standing completely silent with parted lips for a moment as he processed the scene. He then reeled back in shock and unintentionally raised his voice when expressing his concern.
"(Y/N), ARE YOU OKAY?!" He shouted, quick to rush over and slide on his knees, checking their vitals even though they obviously were the one talking before, though it slipped his mind during the panic he experienced. (Y/N) shot up and rapidly looked around, startled at the loud voice, the crab flying off their back in the process.
"WAH--" They shouted frantically, panickily looking around them until their eyes landed on venti. They glared at Venti and let out a breath of relief, shaking their head in disappointment to which Venti was baffled with. "--Can you be more considerate, I'm trying to sleep."
"WHA--?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GONER!" Venti immediately exclaimed. It was only then (Y/N) noticing that they were soaked in water, a fish peeking out of their pocket. (Y/N) blinked repeatedly as they thought back to previous events, their face draining of color as they finally registered their situation.
"...Oh yeah." They calmly stated, whispering out the realization, though that calmness didn't last for long.
"AHHHHH!" (Y/N) shot up, standing as they frantically looked around, screaming even louder if possible when they saw the fish in their pocket.
"AGHHHHH!" Venti joined in, shooting up as well. He grabbed the fish from their pocket and tossed it back in the water, the fish scurrying off to find its group without looking back at the crazy duo once. (Y/N) was quick to calm down and go completely silent, blinking repeatedly as they looked at where the fish had swam off to.
"Wait, no I'm good now. I just had to let that out." (Y/N) mentioned, noticing venti was still screaming since he had joined them earlier. Venti immediately stopped and nodded his head, his hand reaching up and swiping at his eyebrow in relief.
"Alright, alright..." Venti trailed off with confirmation that he could stop, though that relief didn't last for long as he immediately looked towards (Y/N)'s direction with a plethora of emotions. He took a few emphasized steps in their direction, (Y/N) swallowing thickly as the aura around Venti was terrifying. It was like a mom when they walked in their child's room who was just playing on their DS and they shut it before she could see, but Mario screamed out "bye bye!", blowing their cover.
Venti placed his hands roughly on (Y/N) shoulders and shook them back and forth, their head wobbling around from the sheer force he had shook them with.
"What happened?! How did you end up washed up in this creak?!" He exclaimed, literally finding them in a near death situation. (Y/N)'s eyes spun around in their head by how violently Venti was shaking them, though Venti didn't stop, making their words come out weirdly.
"WElL yOu SeE..." They trailed off, not intending to elaborate until Venti stopped shaking them, which he was quick to do.
(Y/N) then explained all of the events that had led up to that point, the two walking along the creak as they did so.
"...And that led to me falling off the cliff and into the river, the abyss mage mockingly laughing above me the last thing I remember!"
Venti couldn't believe what he had just heard. Weren't they familiar with how infamous abyss mages were for being hostile? So how could (Y/N) decide, this one looks nice! And go up to it and try to pet the abyss mages fur?! He heard they were a coward, but not everyone had the balls to even approach one after seeing them.
"Augh! How can you be so reckless? I'm telling Aether to put a leash on you." Venti scolded with a finger pointing at his roommate, his other hand firmly planted on his hip.
"If I'm getting one, you're getting one too, drunkard." (Y/N) countered with a tic mark forming at the side of their head, though Venti ignored the blatant irritation.
"Hahah, they were right! You really do get yourself in a lot of trouble though, huh?" He was able to laugh now that he fully understood the situation, finding it rather funny now that he thought about it. It would definitely be a tale he would tell in his tunes, about a reckless but curious adventurer who treasures their life but throws it away all the same.
(Y/N) grumbled out a yeah, but they couldn't fake irritation for long since Venti was just so... joyful. His carefree nature really was in tune with their own, and (Y/N) found themselves rather relaxed around him.
"Oh, hey! Look (Y/N)!" Venti pointed out excitedly, bounding in front of his companion. (Y/N) looked in the direction of what he was so focused on, their face shifting to confusion of whether he was pointing out something specific or the rather pretty scenery.
"A tree?" (Y/N) questioned while looking at the rather large tree. Actually, (Y/N) doesn't think they've ever seen a tree this large, except on one other occasion but it was a different type of tree. This one had lush leaves hiding critters in its branches, crystal flies dancing elegantly within its grasp, shining ever so brightly even with the sun out, and a bard who's face softened with nostalgia.
"Not just a tree, the great oak tree of Windrise! Fabled in many stories, tuning many lyre for tunes, and adorning a statue of the seven. Ah~ the memories...--" Venti reminisced, fond memories residing in this very place. His excitement noticeably tuned down to one of a calm nature, (Y/N) picking up on it right away. His enthusiasm was infectious, so naturally, (Y/N) became more tranquil as a response to his own tranquil-ness.
Venti turned to look at his companion, a small gentle smile upturning his lips. He walked back over and extended his hand in (Y/N)'s reach, (Y/N) raising an eyebrow as they looked at his delicate facial features that held a gentle expression.
"--Would you like to sit and have a chat with me?" Venti invited while staring into (Y/N)'s (E/C) eyes, his aqua green ones reminding (Y/N) of the sky and grass, a rather pretty color they hadn't noticed until now. (Y/N) contemplated it for a moment, though the choice was obvious. They intertwined their hand with venti's (Smaller / Larger) one and let him take the lead, Venti's smile growing as he squeezed the hand in his own lightly.
He turned around with light airy steps, tugging (Y/N) along as he looked for a nice place to sit and enjoy the weather while they got to know each other a little more.
It was hard to believe, but the moment felt almost magical. The curious nature of Venti along with his lighthearted personality made everything feel so serene, like it was only the two of them in Teyvat. The sound of water moving along in the creek, the birds overhead chirping and singing their own tunes, and the leaves rustling in the wind was so harmonious as everything in this area coexisted with one another.
But that harmony was quickly disrupted at the sound of a familiar bubbling noise, almost like a fish jumping out of water. Venti and (Y/N) looked in the direction the noise came from, the two immediately stopping where they stood as the delicate looking creatures dragged themselves across the ground. The creatures froze as well as they stared at the two on their little date, their big beady eyes registering the potentially dangerous life forms.
The rather cute looking group of pudgy elemental creatures didn't remain cute for long, as there was definitely hostility when they all began to rush at Venti and (Y/N).
"WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO!?" (Y/N) shouted as the hydro slimes were very rapidly approaching, honestly a horrifying thing to witness.
"UH, AH! I DON'T KNOW!" Venti replied while frantically looking around, though (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him, recalling he definitely had a vision.
"LET'S GET TO HIGHER GROUND! THE TREE, THE TREE!" Venti gripped onto (Y/N)'s hand, way more roughly this time as he sprinted in the giant oak trees direction.
If anyone were to see the scene, they probably wouldn't be able to hold back the ridiculous laughter that would come out of their mouths. Venti and (Y/N) were frantically manually climbing the tree, their hands desperately climbing the bark while they kicked down slimes that would jump high and try to get them down.
The two panted exasperated while looking down at the group of hydro slimes, an army of them ruining their mood for absolutely no reason.
"DON'T YOU HAVE A WEAPON??? YOU ARE AN ADVENTURER, RIGHT?!" Venti whisper shouted over to (Y/N), there not really being any need to do so since they were already spotted, but it seemed to fit the situation.
"AETHER GAVE ME ONE A LONG TIME AGO, BUT I LOST IT!" They whisper shouted back, desperately clinging onto the branch like they were being dangled as live bait over a lions den, which technically wasn't far from the truth.
"I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED THAT!" Venti shouted while wiggling around on the same branch, which was a rather dense branch they didn't even need to cling onto. They could sit perfectly normal while dangling their feet of the side, but the both of them decided they would rather look like caterpillars for whatever reason. (Y/N) grew a mark of irritation at the side of their head from what Venti had said, quick to counter that.
"YOU HAVE A VISION, DON'T YOU? THEN YOU GET RID OF THEM!" They shouted this time, minus the whispering. Venti, now realizing they didn't need to be in such a desperate position, slowly inched his way to sit normally, (Y/N) following and doing the same.
Venti rubbed the back of his neck and looked off to the side, a small chuckle coming out from his mouth as he responded with words that brought forth unadulterated rage to (Y/N).
"Eh-heh..."
Of course, Venti was only going out for a few minutes and ended up not bothering to get ready in the slightest. He was just going to accompany Aether and Paimon, so he figured if any small trouble were to arise, they could handle it. His vision sat on his large bed accompanied with his cape and hat, and of course he no longer had a gnosis, though (Y/N) wouldn't know he had one to begin with.
If a camera were to pan in front of (Y/N)'s face right now, the angle would show that one angle of characters when they're about to go insane.
"...Eh-heh? Is that all you have to say for yourself?" (Y/N) calmly stated, their yelling totally gone and spoken with a softer tone. This horrified Venti, especially when it was accompanied by such a still face. He was about to let out another "eh-heh", but quickly slapped his hand over his mouth to prevent him from doing so.
He waited for (Y/N) to say anything while he cupped a hand over his mouth, the anticipation making a bead of sweat slide down the side of his face.
"Eh. Whatever." (Y/N) simply said with a shrug of their shoulder, Venti's lips quirking upwards before he sniffed in amusement and let his hand fall back to his lap. He wasn't seriously scared, just wanted to play the part, though the still expression was kind of horrifying.
"Oh? What's with the sudden change of attitude?" Venti asked with a hint of interest in his voice, the sound of slimes below fading out as the two focused back on one another. (Y/N) looked over at Venti, and could say the feeling of being in their own world was mutual, as the slimes wouldn't be getting to them anytime soon and they could still enjoy a conversation.
"We can just continue our conversation up here. The wind feels nice anyways." (Y/N) said with a shrug of their shoulders, their own lips reciprocating the soft smile Venti made upon hearing what they said.
"I'm glad you think so." He responded with a nod of his head. It was weird wording, but (Y/N) decided to ignore it in favor of feeling the soft breeze that blew in their face, not the annoying type, but the nice cooling type.
"Oh yeah, how old are you anyways?" Venti asked, an unreadable expression as he looked (Y/N) over trying to get an estimate based on how they looked.
"Definitely older than you, that's for sure. Underaged wine drinker."