Here's a Toast

...to all those who hear me all too well...

...

A bottle of wine, a mug of ale, a cocktail of whatever new concoction came out of the hottest new place in whatever land I found myself in… anything would do and anything did do to suit my tastes. Of course, that was assuming I could get someone to purchase it for me, and there I was typically never short of a greedy hand in the back alley who would take the mora or the favor in exchange for the drink.

Several bars, Angel's Share in particular, caught onto what I was doing- but after recent events, Master Diluc at least would take the coin I would offer those purchasing the beverage for me, even if they only managed to get me the single drink after he glared them down for conducting such shady businesses in his presence.

I could understand it but he had to understand how hard it was for me too. Getting alcohol looking the way I did was always difficult and I didn't like to resort to stealing if I didn't have to. By no means were my hands clean of such a thing, I was a thief no doubt about it over the many years, but being in my position and looking the way I did, it wasn't exactly easy to keep up any kind of job.

In the next few years I'd have to figure something out or the people of Mondstadt were bound to notice something and, now, I was missing a large chunk of my powers.

I'd worry about that when I had to.

For now I had another bottle and I was sitting in a dark corner of Liyue, wondering just how bored I was to have wandered past the gates and into Morax's place. Funny enough I couldn't find the guy. I knew he was around here somewhere but odds were if anyone had spotted me on the way, he scurried into a little hole somewhere that wouldn't make finding him easy.

I never understood why he always liked to make life so hard for me. He could just say hi. It wasn't such a difficult thing to do. I wasn't calling on him to dine out and drink with me like old times. It would be nice, I'd admit to that, but right now…

Right now I…

I don't know what I wanted.

I suppose I just wanted a friend.

Did I… Did I not have any?

Maybe I didn't. It wasn't that much of a surprise, really. I was never much of a people person, no matter how much I tried. He had always been the one good with people. He'd been the one that spoke to them with inspiring words, gave hope to those that needed it, knew just what to say to make you smile when you didn't think you could anymore.

Tugging at my clothing, I looked down at what I was wearing. It wasn't his outfit, not exactly. I had been changing it up slightly over the millennia, but, even if I hadn't, no one would know I had made them based on how he dressed. His clothes were so much more tame because, at the time, material was so hard to come by.

But he always told me he wanted to wear something like this.

I ran a hand through the side of my hair, doing my best not to knock the hat off. My hair was his. My face was his. Any mistakes I made when I first created this body were because I had no idea what I was doing and there really was no second go at it…

A harsh breath escaped me, alcohol already strong on it as I uncorked the bottle and drank what I had, staring up at the dark sky instead of the overly-bright and loud streets at the end of my little sanctuary. Someone was bound to find me at some point but this wasn't my first time in Liyue, nor even my first time drinking here. Odds were the worst they would do was put me somewhere to chide me for being underage and try to see if I was with any parental figure who could be put in charge of my care while they looked into things.

Morax really knew how to keep order here or, better spoken, had taught them how to do it. Too well if you ask me. Mondstadt might not have liked you drinking in public but they wouldn't lock you away for it unless you were being a public nuisance or a danger to yourself - of which I was currently being neither.

I let out another breath as I took another drink and rested against one of the crates. What was I doing here? Was it time to go back to sleep already? I hadn't woken that long ago but it felt too hard to keep facing life already. Drink could only keep me sane for so long and I was losing my edge. Maybe a change of scenery was better, what the doctor ordered, but the way I was doing it was clearly the wrong way.

Morax really shouldn't be hiding from me or things like this happen.

In any case, going back to sleep now wasn't going to work out. Something was stirring and it was something I knew I was going to be a part of. I wasn't sure what my part would be yet, but I felt that, if I wasn't there, I would regret it for the rest of my existence. That was a very long time for a wind spirit to regret something. I had far too many of those on my shoulders as it was.

The Traveler was changing things and, like it or not, I could feel something pulling at me. 'Destiny' some might call it. I called it a really short leash, one I hated. I suppose anyone who valued freedom would.

Peeking her head around the corner, I blinked as a little girl came into my view. She had her hair up in some kind of bun to the side, black as night like most of the people of the area, her dress a dull green that helped her blend into the alley as she slowly crawled inside. She looked around to see if anyone spotted her before curiously looking at me.

I could not have stood out more, the bright green of my clothing doing nothing to blend in with the night, nor the strange blue to my dark black hair that seemed to radiate randomly with my power, even if I don't want it to. Why blue of all colors too, I never understood.

"Mister." She put her hands on her hips after we shared looks and a curious determination came over her. "What do you think you're doing? Drinking is from grown ups. You don't look very grown up."

I felt a smile tug at my lips. Ah, children. I just couldn't help it. They always seemed to make me smile. "Oh, I don't. Tell me then, what do I look like?"

She seemed to think about it for a few moments. "You look like you're about to cry."

I had to swallow, the smile there but just barely, taken off guard almost completely by this little girl. That wasn't what I was expecting. "I do, do I?"

"Yeah." She nodded, pointed to the bottle in my hand still. "That just makes it worse. Adults drink that and get stupid or start crying. It doesn't make it better at all. Even I know that."

I took a breath, situating myself better to sit and face her, the bottle moving closer to me and beside my leg. My smile came back to me, gentle and real. "Sometimes it does. Sometimes it helps people, people like me, forget some of the bad things, for a little while at least. A very good friend of mine gave me my first bottle once, a long long time ago." I tapped the side with my fingers, hearing it echo. The walls inside the alley became our own little world with what little power I could put into the wind to snuff out the outside noise and keep our conversation a little more private. Talking to this child was safe enough, she was young, and if I said anything it could be put to the fact I had a drink in my hand and she had a good imagination. "I might look young but I'm an adult, and sometimes adults need to forget." Besides, i really had been drinking too much. If a child saw me, I really didn't want more attention.

"Why?" She blinked, as if the idea was truly confounding her. "Why would you want to forget anything? Did something bad happen?"

"Bad things happen all the time. I…" I stopped myself, blinking. Should I be saying such a thing to a child? I was a bard, I was there to bring amusement, happiness, laughter. I wasn't there to bring reality crashing down on the head of someone so young.

I was also fairly drunk at this point and taking another sip sure didn't help matters. The wine felt wonderful going down my throat as it burned ever so gently, leaving it's astringent fruity taste behind. The scent of fruit took over the smell of people and the dusty, cloth smell of the area around us. I couldn't tell what the girl smelled like. It was too faint compared to my own breath. "I like this place. Do you know how many people died to get here? Do you know what the people here used to do? Look like? Dance and sing like? I do. It wasn't anything like this." I let in and out a deep breath as my eyes stayed closed for longer than I wanted, opening them up slowly and staring down as I tipped my head, resting it against my arm and knee. "Though this is nice, in its own way."

There was silence for a bit and the girl, no horror stories told to her to fear strangers apparently, found her way beside me, almost half under my cloak she was so closely pressed up against me.

I smiled, staring at her as I tipped my head. "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to speak to strangers?"

"You're an adeptus, aren't you?"

I choked on a laugh. It hurt to do it and I found myself unable to restrain it after a few seconds, laughing to myself and trying to lean away from the girl so I didn't accidentally elbow her. When I had control over myself I couldn't hide the smile, though it grew more gentle by the hurt look I saw on her face.

"No, I'm not. At least, ah… No. I'm not from Liyue at all in fact. I just travel around a lot."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I see where I kind of gave you the idea. I'm not insulted or anything, and I'm sure they aren't either. In fact, I know they aren't. Okay?" It was hard to face her when she was so close to me. "I'm Venti, what's your name?"

"... Lulu."

"That's a pretty name." I reached to my side and, instead of touching the bottle I pulled at the lyre I kept there, strumming a few notes. I did my best to use what power I'd already scattered to isolate the noise. I didn't want the Millelith picking me up or anything. Who knows, they might try and charge me with kidnapping if they thought I was drunk enough.

The music seemed to get her attention and the hurt started to fade as I played a few more notes, turning my practice into a song. It wasn't the best I ever played, not when I couldn't hit the notes right and I wasn't going to try singing in my condition or this time of night, but it wasn't the worst I've ever played. I put it to my side when I was done, hoping not to accidentally damage it in the night.

"That was pretty."

"Why thank you. I am a bard afterall. Music is my life's work. If I wasn't good at it, well, I'd be a pretty bad bard now, wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. There aren't really bards around here. I heard of them though. My dad said there's a bunch in Mondstadt and sometimes we get people like that in for the festivals." Lulu's large, dark eyes were staring up at me. It was strange how frozen I felt in them. Maybe it was the wine. It was probably the wine. Eight was far too many for a night of drinking alone with no food, nine if I finished this one. "You're from Mondstadt, aren't you?"

"That I am." I shrugged a little with my eyes half closed. "We are famous for it so there's no point in hiding that. Besides, I'm not ashamed of my home."

"Hmm. I've never been to Mondstadt." Lulu looked away a moment and I was finally free of her gaze, feeling my muscles relax. When her eyes returned I was more at ease. "Your music is sad though, just like your eyes."

I frowned. "Sad? How so?"

She pointed to her chest. "Mommy says that when you're sad in here, the things you do come out sad. If she feels sad, I can tell. Her cooking is weird. When you're sad, your music is sad and your eyes are sad." She tipped her head. "You never told me why."

"I'm not sad." At least, I didn't think I was. Was I? "Life just… gets to me sometimes. It's hard, doing things over and over and over again. I know others can do it. I've seen others do it. It's like a job." My eyes trailed down the alley, watching those passing us, oblivious to the fact that we were there. "Working day in and day out just to survive. Only… only…"

Only people had a reason to do it. Humans had each other, they had family. They had friends.

Who did I have?

I swallowed again. My throat was dry and I took another long drink before putting it down, staring at the young girl. "Lulu, you should go home. Your mother's probably getting worried about you."

"It's fine. Mommy thinks I'm over at Meng's right now and he's fast asleep so no one's going to know I'm gone at all. He went to bed so early and I was so bored." I felt her tugging on my pant leg. "Why do you keep not telling me anything? Is it because I'm little. You're not that much older than me. I could tell on you if I really wanted to, but I won't. I don't like when people are sad and it's a bad thing and when I can fix it I like to fix it and I don't know how to fix it yet because you won't tell me what's wrong."

A child wanted to fix my problem. Did I have a problem? Who knows? I did want to talk to someone. What harm could it do? "Only doing the same thing over and over again when all the people you get close to end up dying is painful and sometimes you have to drink to forget it and sometime the people you think are your friends ignore you because sometimes you forget too much or you drink too much and living hurts and existing hurts and having a job hurts and sometimes all you want to do is sleep and forget about all of it because all of it hurts and sometimes the people you really really really cared about and loved and wish you had are dead and there's nothing you can do about it and thinking about it and talking about it hurts and and…"

What was I doing?

Tears came and I did my very best to ignore the fact that I was crying in front of a child, my fingers quickly digging into my bangs where I could hide my face as best I could near my palm. I whipped them away before they fell, the ones furthest from her and out of my reach staying in the shadows where they belonged until leaning into my shoulder where my cloak could take care of them. My breath hitched and I did my best to control that and not frighten- who was I kidding, I was simply trying not to seem like an overgrown child in front of the actual child.

Lulu crawled her way over and into my arms and, before I knew it, she was hugging me and any reserve I had was gone and I was hugging the child back as if she were the only thing keeping my world together, uncaring of the fact that there was nothing hindering my savage breathing or shaking and the tears fell worse than ever.

I held her, rocking her, as she held me back and all I could think was it had been so very long since someone had hugged me. It was such a human act of affection that no one had… no one had… had… It had been a very long time.

I don't know how long - too long though - it was before I let Lulu go, my face stained with tears and my cheeks likely red. My hands were shaking as she sat before me, her own face stricken with sadness and traces of tears as she moved her small hands to hold both of mine before me.

"Did someone die?"

My breath shook as I took in and let it out. Slowly, I nodded. "A long time ago, too long to still be mourning him. He died right in front of me. It wasn't my fault but I helped him get there, I put him in danger, I led him to his fate… It would have been different if I never existed. Maybe. I don't know. I lost my other friends years later, slowly. They had kids, they had a life. I'm sure it was fun. I don't know, I didn't stay. I never stay." I licked my lips as I spoke, feeling them dry. "They never held it against me. They even asked me… asked me, of all beings… Why ask me? I lead them to death. Sure I found the way in, I was small enough to get around the guards, I helped with the plans, I…" I shook my head. Why was I saying all this?

"Where's your family?"

"I…" The world felt a little out of place, even though I knew the wine didn't affect me that much. It never did. I was too tolerant of it at this point. "I don't have a family."

"Don't you have a mom and a dad?"

"No." I shook my head slowly. "I never did. I was just… born one day. If I did, I never met them."

"Brother? Sister? Anything?"

I shook my head again. "Nope."

"That's horrible." Lulu looked sad, and for me. I wasn't used to seeing that and I didn't like it at all. I reached out, placing my hand on her head.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I wasn't alone. I had friends. I just… I just lost them."

"That's even worse."

I had to laugh a little, choked up on something in my throat from the tears. "Maybe. That's… why I need help sometimes. See? Makes sense now. Grown ups just… need help."

She looked between me and the bottle, moving her hand where it still held mine, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked like she was about to cry as she stared me down. "That doesn't help! You got worse! You should have friends! I want to be your friend! Venti, I'm your friend! Next time you're sad, find me! I'll help instead!"

It hurt. Hearing those words from this child hurt some vulnerable part of me I wasn't sure I even possessed any longer. My eyes almost teared up and it took everything in me not to as I held her hand in return and forced the best smile that I could. Before me I could already see her growing up, living a life here, meeting others, doing the things that humans do, and then dying as all mortal beings must one day. In the blink of an eye I gained and lost a friend in my heart and it hurt and felt wonderful at the same time in such a beautiful way that I had to close my eyes and give myself a second.

"Thank you, Lulu, but it's not that easy. I'm not from here, remember? I'm just visiting. I-"

"Play pirates with us! We can do other things! We can do things every day if you want!" Her insistence grew and her hand held so tight it became painful around my fingers. "I can't be your family, mom wouldn't like it if I brought home a stranger, and you have a home you said, so I can't take you away, so I don't know what else to do and I really do want to play with you!"

"Okay, ouch." I shook my hand a little. "We can play." I found laughter in my words, real laughter. It hurt. I don't know why. "Tomorrow, when the sun is up and the other grown ups won't worry, okay?"

"Okay." Lulu calmed down, having stood up a bit in her excitement before taking her place back in front of me, releasing my hand. I took it back and gingerly ran my other hand over the fingers that took the brunt of that assault. I saw her eyes fall back towards the bottle I still had. The others were safely behind a few crates… where they would be staying. I didn't feel like I needed them tonight. "Are you still going to drink that?"

"It would be a shame to let it go to waste." I reached over, finding the cork and placing it back on the bottle. "Perhaps another night."

That made the young girl smile. "Good. Are you still going to be sad if I go back to Meng's?"

"No. All better. Well, mostly." I wiped my face with one the heel of my hand. "I think we're both going to look a little red in the face for a while."

She nodded before standing. "I'll come find you in the morning, after breakfast. Right here. Promise?"

"Promise." I held up my hand, waving it a bit. "Can't break one of those here after all."

Lulu laughed before running off, darting around the corner.

I let out a deep breath, leaning against the crate. That had been emotionally tiring in so many ways. All I wanted to do was rest. Maybe sleeping for the next five hundred years wasn't sounding as bad as it used to an hour ago any longer. Whatever large, catastrophic event was about to happen, maybe it was better off happening without me. I was bound to screw it up anyway. I did the last time. They still hadn't forgiven me for that.

Eyes closed and sleep pulling gently at me, I was tugged awake by the ground suddenly shifting, no longer there in certain cases.

I clung to what I could, feeling arms around me, lifting me off the cement floor I was trying and succeeding on making my bed for the night. The cloth had a familiar texture and scent that calmed my racing heart far faster than anything else could have as I watched the lights of the street fairway burn into my vision. I turned my head into the overcoat, freeing one of my hands to grab onto it and block out the light. "Morax, what are you doing? I was sleeping." I complained.

"So I heard." The deep voice of the man resonated through my body. I don't know if he did that on purpose when he made himself human but it sure had an effect. I could never do that. "Remember, you're in Liyue. The walls here have ears."

I let out a breath, relaxing into his hold. "You were spying on me?"

"Only a little."

I snorted. "That's great. You saw all that then? Ah, fine. I guess I deserved it. So, why are you kidnapping me?"

"Kidnapping would involve me taking you against your will and, right now, what I'm doing in enforcing a contract that you willingly entered into."

It couldn't be the drink. Maybe I was tired. "Ah, I'm confused."

"You agreed to meet that young girl there, Lulu I believe, the next morning after breakfast. I do not see how you are going to be able to partake of breakfast in such a place so moving you to reside with me in my accommodations for the night and enjoy a meal with me in the morning will allow you to abide by the contract, will it not?"

"I wasn't- I wasn't thinking it was that specific." But of course Morax would. I gave in, resting where I was and wondering what a fool I looked like, being carried through the streets of Liyue like a child. "Can I please at least walk there?"

"Are you able to?"

"I am."

It wasn't as if I hadn't teased him or pulled fun tricks on him before. I wouldn't have held it against him if Morax didn't just drop me on the floor and watch me fall. He was always far too proper for such a thing though and gently let me down, letting me fix my clothes after and calmly leading the way to an add on to the funeral parlor which appeared to be a small apartment. It seemed there were several of them as he opened the door and let me in.

I knew he worked there but I didn't think the employees actually lived adjacent to the building. That was a little morbid. Then again, I lived in a tree, or a church, or on the street… There really wasn't much I could say. I didn't have the mora to keep up an apartment and I didn't own land.

As long as there were no monsters, the whispering woods were always welcoming, and Venessa's tree still calls to me.

It was sparse, not much to see at all, and even less to play with. A few vases with flowers, some decorations of sorts from festivals and little bobbles I could only think were gifts from others, as they didn't seem to be things I'd think Morax would ever buy for himself.

"I have an extra mattress under my own you can pull out, if you would like to use it. I can make tea if you need help sleeping. You seemed ready to do so on the floor as it was though, so I doubt it's necessary."

"I'm fine." I started poking around at his things. "You've never let me in here before."

"In all honesty… I have not let many in here. I think personal spaces like this are a sanctuary for one's self and best kept that way. Daily intrusions by others clutter the environment and I find it best to spend time with others, if necessary, in an environment outside the home."

I stopped my poking and let my hands fall to my sides. "Oh, sorry. I.." What was wrong with me? Was I tired? I felt tired. My time spent conscious wouldn't be long, even if I didn't want to sleep. I'd have no choice.

"Barbatos, you don't look well."

"I don't feel well," I spoke honestly. I sat where I was, on the floor, looking up at him. I took in and let out a breath. "I'm just going to sleep here. I won't touch anything, I promise."

Instead of walking out of the room and going to bed in what had to be another room where the beds were, Morax, Zhongli, whatever he wanted to call himself now, crossed his legs and took a seat beside me on the floor. "Can you sit up? Speaking to you like this is already strange."

"Sure." I pushed myself up a little and turned so that I was cross legged like he was. Our height difference was such a contrast, even sitting. I had to look up to meet his eyes. "Did you need something? I swear I- I'm not going to go signing any contracts not to mess up your place. If i do something on accident I don't want you to hunt me down like I'm some kind of criminal so I think it's better that if you think that I'm that bad that I-"

"Please be silent for a few moments. That's not what I wanted to talk about, though now that you've said that way, you do have me worried." Zhongli, it seemed better to think of him that way, since that was who he was now. Morax was more or less gone, at least, the one I knew. "I didn't think of it before. Andrius, was it? An old enemy of Mondstadt turned friend. The four winds? I believe they were silent for a great many years, though Dvalin has returned. I have heard he has taken to a lair, as dragons tend to do. I am not short of companions, as allies have always seemed to flock to me. It had not occurred to me that the same could not be said of you. Mondstadt, as the city of freedom, has always remained under its own rule. Thus, the absence of gods and god-like creatures has never garnered my attention. And yet, there you were."

"They deserve their freedom." I shook my head. "I'm no ruler."

"No, you're not. I had heard it was between you and Andrius for who was next to rule Mondstadt. Why then, when he turned down the position, did you take it? I have never asked you this question before because it has never occurred to me to do so. There are few who would not want the power but, knowing you as I do now, it does leave me to question it. Is it because there was no one else? I'm sure the balance of power would have been evened out at some point."

I shook my head. I didn't think anyone would ask me this question. I had only asked myself it briefly, because I knew the answer. When Andrius walked off, I only hesitated a few moments. "No, no not because of that. I was… I was part of the fight. You knew that, didn't you?"

Zhongli raised his eyebrow. "The… insurgence? I did not."

I nodded. "Not a big part, but a big enough part to have made a difference. I think. It's kind of hard to be judgmental in that case. Anyway, I was there through all of it, I saw the pain it caused. Before the fighting, during the fighting, the aftermath of the fighting. Oppression… I hate it." There was a burning passion to my words. I wasn't used to speaking that way. "But I'm weak. I'm not a fool to that fact. The people of Mondstadt needed an Archon, they needed someone who spoke of freedom so…" I took a breath, wiping a tear away. Of all people, I wasn't going to cry in front of him. "I lied to them."

Zhongli sat, patiently. There was no sympathy there, no emotion of any sort. He simply waited as I got myself together and calmed down, more tired than anything as I felt myself slouch forward, the weight of this fact only on me. The people of Mondstadt, at least right now, would never know or care.

"I did it to give them the freedom they so wanted. I made them think that one of their martyrs that died in the battle had come back, a symbol of their freedom there, strong, that I wasn't that pathetic little wind spirit that floated around and did their recon. They needed a symbol, not a dictator. I became that for them." My smile was fragile, tired, too many years of walking in the ghost of someone else's shoes. "I'm their hero, the bard, back from the dead. I'm the one they should make statues of, the one Mondstadt should care about, not... not what I was. See? Makes sense now, doesn't it? I took the position to be a face, more or less. I gained power doing it, so I was able to fight off the few enemies that were left behind, and they were able to believe that freedom was real."

"I see. You became the Archon after his fall so that the people's wishes would be granted instead of an Archon making their own reign."

I nodded, feeling a little sick. "Yeah. The others helped, a lot. Dvalin and all of them, even Andruis, so I wasn't alone in keeping it safe. I just… I was just… I…"

"You had protectors of the land, and only protectors of the land. You yourself didn't know what to do about the people. I imagine it is why Mondstadt has gone through so many troubles over the years. It is not as if Liyue has not had its own share, so there is nothing I can say there, but I can say it was not its own people that turned on each other."

I had to wince. "Yeah. Human's can be cruel. They can also amaze you. I've seen both come out of the land through the trails that they've suffered. I can't say it would have been better or worse if I were more active, only that I don't think being involved with human affairs will help them." This time it was my turn to look at him. "You seem to have taken a page out of my book there."

Zhongli smiled. I don't think I've ever made him smile because of something I said. "Maybe I have. Or maybe I'm writing a far better book than you are and you simply got a head start on me. In any case, thank you for sharing that with me and, in return, I offer you an invitation."

Zhongli held his hand out to me and I stared at it, too tired to think much and knowing that a contract with this guy when I was sleepy was likely one of the worst things in my life I could do since he'd get the upper hand. "You've already done your part by sharing. I offer you reprieve. While I am not otherwise busy with affairs and, if you are in need of companionship, you are free to borrow some of my time as you see fit. You are not to abuse this right and any activity I deem inappropriate will not be accepted. Is it a deal?"

"What?"

Zhongli's voice grew softer. "Forgive me. I had not realized until I heard you what an impact being away from others like yourself must be. I'm sure it's not easy to hunt down someone, as there is little to no one in Mondstadt. I'm offering you my friendship and I am apologizing for not continuing the yearly parties, even if it would have been just the two of us. I could have made an effort."

I stared at him for a few moments as if his horns were back on his head. I could hear the sand dropping from the imaginary hourglass as my tired brain tried to wrap itself around this before finally I pushed his hand away. "No."

He looked surprised. "No? Well then, what more do you want?"

"I'd really like it if you got up and showed me where the bed is so that we can both get some sleep." I stood up, stretching and making as much noise as I could doing it. It felt good to move. I wondered how sore I'd feel in the morning with the horrible positions my body had already been in for too long. "Then that breakfast you promised would be great too."

"I see." Zhongli stood. "I suppose the deal is off then."

I smirked. "What deal? We're already friends, why make it official? Come over more you say? You got it." I lightly hit him on the arm. "You could have just said it like that."

"Hm" He let out an airy laugh, walking past me. "Very well. Come on then, old friend. I suppose it is time for bed and I did promise you a few things already. That should make us even for the story you've told me."

We entered a room, though this one was more decorative. It had jade statues in all four corners, these of dragons that had to cost far more than I would think people were willing to spend. I whistled as he pulled out the mattress, moving it beside the bed and fishing a sheet and pillow out of a nearby closet. Everything in his out, even his room, seemed to smell like tea and incense. There were shelves along the wall filled with glass figures, clearly some sort of collection and all types of different animals.

"Barbatos, they are fragile. I know I shouldn't be saying it, but please-"

"Venti."

"Hm?"

"Call me Venti, please? I'm not Barbatos anymore."

Zhongli nodded. "Very well. Here." He laid out the sheets and it all looked very comfortable. I plopped down on it, seeing him wince as I did. It wasn't like it shook the room and I would have rolled my eyes at him if I wasn't so tired.

He went over, shutting off the lights before I heard his footstep head over to the desk, turning on a smaller light. "I'm not sleeping in my clothes. Do you want something to wear for the night?"

"I'm fine." I was going to sleep in them anyway. I could use my powers to keep them clean. I was sure that Zhongli could do the same. I didn't know why he was changing. I'd give him the privacy of keeping my eyes closed though, hearing him shuffling through the drawers.

Once he was done his footsteps went over to the bed and I opened my eyes to see him in some kind of dark silken shirt and pants with a gold, blocky design that seemed to be the only kind of clothing the guy liked.

"Goodnight. I have one more thing I've been thinking about since speaking with you. About your form… I have very little power left, as I'm sure you do, but there are ways, and I have others that likely know outside sources… Would you like to change it?

I opened my eyes for that, blinking at him. I closed them again with a smile. "No, I'm just fine the way I am."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I snuggled into the sheet. "Sometimes I need a hero too." And he was my friend. It wasn't like I managed to look exactly like him, even if I tried my best to. Running my hand lightly down one of the braids of my hair, I managed to look at the blue there. Maybe it was better that I messed up. This way… we kind of looked like brothers instead of twins. Maybe I did have a family, at one point.

That idea made me smile, going to sleep on that thought.

And maybe I still did have family, just in a different form, sleeping nearby and worrying about me as too many years of stress started getting to me.

Or maybe I was just drunk.