Hello~
Hehe, this was supposed to be posted along with the other extras during Venti's birthday...
But, I didn't get to these until I finished all sections of Part 3 of Paying Debts that I- I just want to thank the friend who edits with me for being always being patient with me, and for being my cheerleader (both here and in RL).
Extra 2 - Favor for the Traveler
"Traveler, I'd like you to do me a little favor."
"Hm?" Lumine looks behind her after blasting away the last Hilichurl Warrior (that thought it was a good idea to come charging in at unsuspecting humans while they are preoccupied with the Balloon Flowers) into unconsciousness. "What's this about, Venti?"
An Exquisite Chest pops into existence, and Paimon need not be prompted when it comes to treasure. She is quick to reappear in a burst of stars, and zooms towards the loot—not even sparing a glance at either of her two companions.
"Paimon knew you were up to no good!" The fairy fumed and stomped her feet in the air, forgetting the spoils spread under her feet.
"Ehe~" The bard side-glances, scratching his cheek with a finger. Was he that obvious?
"And, are you sure you should be asking for more favors, Tone-Deaf Bard?! You still haven't paid us in full yet."
"I did offer to help today, didn't I?" He smiles proudly, his hands akimbo.
He may have blown his supposed installment for the roof the other day on a few bottles… (one proudly sits in Zhongli's cupboard as an apology gift!) which explains a certain someone's temperament, but he works diligently to pay his dues!
Paimon looks like she's about to burst a vein.
"Consider today's services as partial payment for this favor—an eye for an eye!"
"Alright, enough of this, you two." The Traveler gets in between the two, catching Paimon in the middle of swishing over to the shameless bard. Good ol' Traveler knows that violence is never the answer. "Calm down, Paimon. It's not like he's running away."
She takes a glance behind her, and smiles when she's greeted by Venti's bright smile.
"And besides, isn't helping out someone in need our thing?"
Lumine ruffles her companion's hair, who's puffing up her cheek like a squirrel's. She whispers in her bribe of food and giggles when the fairy mumbles her displeasure. Sure enough, the fairy is placated enough to diligently pick up the assortment of loot off the ground. The traveler chuckles to herself, bringing a hand over to her mouth.
"So, what do you need help with, Venti?" She turns to face the former Archon, her voice steady.
Venti raises his brow at her measured stiffness. His favors, so far, have all been rather exciting, if he said so himself! Imagine, would anyone else be so bold to request pulling off a heist—stealing Mond's national treasure?! And, who wouldn't have fun entering a mocktail drinking contest hosted by Cat's Tail? Sure, she may not fully appreciate the special blend of Windblume Applebloom Cider, but he did make sure she had a taste!
So, how on Teyvat could she not be excited for this?!
No matter, he knows it shouldn't take too much convincing for this one. Call it a bard's intuition.
"I need someone to act as an umpire…" He taps his cheek thoughtfully before raising a finger, accompanied by a wink. "... a mediator of sorts."
Lumine cocks her head to the side, scratching her cheek.
"So, we're going to play a ball game?" She treads carefully, sounding rather disappointed.
"No, no, that's not quite what I meant." Venti shakes his head. There is a different kind of light in his eyes when they make contact with soft gold ones. He could barely contain the chuckle and the fond smile spreading across his features. "Xiao figured it out."
"Huh?" Paimon asks as she flits closer to the Traveler with all the items from the chest piled on her arms. The meaningful glint in the bard's eye means nothing to her. "Figured what out?"
It takes a second to click in Lumine's mind, but she visibly brightens when it does.
"OH! So, they'll be meeting properly soon?"
She claps excitedly in delight upon receiving a nod from him.
"Hey, no fair, don't keep Paimon out of the loop!" Paimon pouts as she dumps the loot into the Traveler's bag. "And what do you need a mediator for?"
Venti uses a hand to gesture 'Mora'.
"Say, the respectable Mr. Zhongli makes dining reservations in any of the fine establishments that he believes to cater to both his and Xiao's tastes… who would you think will be present to foot the bill?"
Paimon's eyes widen.
"CHILDE!" The floating mascot exclaims so hard that the cranes some distance away have to make a quick getaway.
"Exactly~" He winks as he wags his finger. Since he has her attention, it is best to keep her interested. "Those two are like an oil and water solution. They won't blend together in harmony without us to shake things up!"
"Shake things up? But isn't it bad to stick our noses where they don't belong?" Paimon shrugs.
"Oooh, but isn't it like salad dressing? Those would make sure they would mix together! Things like honey and salt, and pepper or, or garlic!"
A smirk makes its way on his lips as stars populate Paimon's eyes. Her hands are grasping at thin air.
"Wine, vinegar, mustard… or, ugh, that slimy molten cheese you can't get enough of," he continues. "Liyue loves its spices, so you could even add..."
The Traveler and Venti wait for Paimon's ever-present food cravings to die down.
"What else?!" The fairy asks, wiping the drool from her mouth with her sleeve. "What else?!"
"What, you ask? That's my line!" The bard chuckles. "So, what do you say?"
"Stingy bard," Paimon mutters. She catches Lumine's eyes.
The travelling duo look at each other and nodded. There is a flame in their eyes and steadily burns within them. Oh, how he likes the look on their faces!
"We'll help," Lumine agrees to his request.
"Great! Let's get to planning over lunch!" Venti giggles. "My treat!"
The bard is greatly amused by the mute disbelief painting on their faces. He rolls his eyes at them with his arms crossed and a pout in place.
"How rude! I'm not as hopeless as Morax with his Mora, you know!" He raises his nose up high. "If you're going to be like that, then the one who reaches Wangshu Inn's kitchen last will be the one to pay for lunch."
Venti does not waste a second running to the edge of a cliff to glide far enough before disappearing amongst the trees below.
He likes to keep his audience on their toes.
•○●○• ◇ •○●○•
Despite winning, Venti insisted on 'paying the bill'. Truth be told, the Traveler didn't know if there was a bill to be paid when they're dining in Wangshu Inn.
Smiley seemed happy enough to cook for them when Venti asked, so that was the end of that.
Before them is a spread of food that she doesn't know if they could polish off. The 'unsuspecting' set of food containers by the chef's side tells her she need not worry about such things. Seems like dinner is also taken care of. A side glance at Paimon tells her there won't be any complaints on having the same thing for dinner tonight.
"Oh, oh, how about 'the most number of hilichurl camps—maybe, enemies in general—destroyed within a time limit' sort of competition?" Venti leans closer to her across the table, pointing his chopsticks at her. He swallows his food, chokes a bit, and gets a glass full of water in his system before continuing as if none of that ever happened. "As they say, location is everything. Guili Plains or Guyun?"
"Be more careful next time. Chew and swallow before you speak," she scolds as she refills his glass of water. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
"Couldn't you just pretend that the choking didn't happen?"
"Never," Paimon snickers before stuffing her face full once more.
Venti shoots a glare in her direction before deciding that ignoring her is for the best. He turns back to Lumine, his eyes sparkling.
"Hm, nothing like friendly competition as a form of bonding, I say!" His mood picks back up, and he smiles. "Besides, they're both the type who enjoy a little bit of a workout, don't you agree?"
Lumine sighs as she takes a portion from the Mountain Delicacies serving plate. Another killing spree? Well, eliminating some monsters isn't a bad idea at all.
She munches on a piece of mushroom and sways a little in her seat. Smiley's cooking is scrumptiously exquisite as always.
The food, hearing Venti's schemes on getting his family to get along, and the possible betterment of relationships is a good enough price for her services. She isn't counting, but if anyone asks...
"Well? Did that not sound like a good idea? You've gone quiet."
The way Venti's puppy-dog eyes bore holes in her as he awaits her approval, and the importance he places on her thoughts makes her feel like she's part of this family too.
She puts her chopsticks down and considers both locations, cupping her chin.
"Guyun, there's less people there. We don't want to attract too much attention."
"Excellent!" Venti nods his approval, singing her a long string of praises. "Now any ideas on how long of a time limit we should impose?"
"Oh, aren't they reeeaaally quick? Maybe two minutes?" Paimon chimes in, her mouth full of food.
"Ehhhh?" Venti whines, turning to Paimon in disbelief. "Aren't there… four Ruin Guards in Guyun? Are you sure two minutes is enough?"
"What, just 'cuz you can't take down four Ruin Guards on your own in under two minutes, it doesn't mean they can't."
At the taunt, Venti's eyes narrow dangerously, and he grabs onto the fairy's shoulder, making the other yelp. He looks deep into her eyes.
"There's no dessert for a floating little—"
Lumine snorts, and lets out a hearty laugh. She thought Venti was going to shake Paimon until she saw stars. But threatening her by confiscating her dessert? Pffft.
Two sets of eyes are on her now. Both of them are as still as statues.
The Traveler coughs, which the other two take as a sign to break it up and sit back down as if they haven't been squabbling like children all this time.
"Ten minutes sounds reasonable, right?"
She hopes her brother wouldn't be too impatient with her for dallying in her search a bit longer.
—○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ —
Extra 4 — A Half Step Backward Plus One-and-a-Half Step Forward Equals One Step Forward
*references Footnote #8: the first time they held hands
Darkness descends over the streets of Liyue Harbor. The glow of street lamps and establishment signs spring to life in quick succession—not unlike mushrooms sprouting from the ground after a thunderstorm.
Stern and critical eyes, by the edge of Mt. Tianheng, observe the pale glow of orange that sweeps over the entirety of the city. Each new addition contributes to the light's intensity, until there is no spot left unlit.
The Adeptus Xiao wonders if 'sleep' has become a 'luxury' instead of a 'need' for humans of this age. Have they overcome this biological imperative, or have they grown less appreciative of what is given to them?
Nature blesses all with calmness and peace in the form of darkness at nighttime. The darkness is conducive for rest, allowing one's body to recuperate better.
Yet, to reject this blessing by removing all traces of it… is it brought by fear stemming from the past [1], or by changes brought by the present?
The calm darkness becomes nothing but a fleeting memory, quickly forgotten by many, as the (now) blinding lights of the city reigns over.
Aquamarine takes the place of the orange in Xiao's vision. The change in view makes him blink and take a step back.
"Splendid, isn't it?" Venti asks softly as he takes a step back and skips a bit more backwards. "Is it your first time seeing the Harbor come to life?"
"Co-come again?" The Adeptus asks, still shaking off the elements of surprise out of his system. How shameful. To be caught off-guard when one bears the title 'The Vigilant Yaksha' is disgraceful.
Venti...
Venti's eyes shimmered differently under the moonlight, and seeing them so close drew out a rather violent reaction within him. He did not know that a heart—his heart—is capable of leaping out of his chest in that manner.
But, why would it do such a thing?
Is the former Archon employing tricks as an unmentioned form of training? If so, then he must sharpen his senses. He must be well and truly out of shape if Lord Barbatos has to go out of his way to train him.
He dismisses the thought and trains his eyes back on his companion.
They spent the afternoon together. Venti descended from the skies, and threw enemies into the air until all that remained was black soot. He was grinning at him, all the while. Unable to shake the persistent bard off, they subjugated the damned. 'Offering the gift of eternal rest to their suffering', as Venti is sure to say if asked to recount the experience.
In the idle moments in between, he was presented songs and tales from foreign lands as compensation for 'indulging a very bored bard who had nothing better to do', as Venti had put it when he pressed.
The very same bored bard shakes his head. A smile playing on his lips as he bows as a mortal would in the face of a higher being.
"I am sincerely grateful and deeply honored for One such as yourself to act as my humble chaperone, O great Illuminated Beast Xiao."
He recognizes the tone to be one of ludic mockery.
"No," the Yaksha replies, quick to kneel on one knee with one hand over his heart, bowing his head. "The honor is mine, Lord Barbatos."
That is not the expected response; he is meant to respond with an equal amount of snark.
He scrambles up to his feet, biting his lip, as he turns his head away from the also speechless bard. His cheeks heat up at his pathetic display.
The Yaksha had refrained from acting with reverence in front of Lord Barbatos, or as he prefers to be called these days, 'Venti'.
He observed early on that Venti prefers his attitude—no matter how abrasive he is to others—over the respectful and overzealous attitude expected of devouts and servants of an Archon.
'Venti' is a bard, and he expects to be treated as such.
Did seeing those jewel-like eyes up close make him lose himself for a moment?
He shakes the ridiculous thought out of his mind. Why would a pair of eyes affect him? He reproaches himself for lacking focus and discipline. He will have to work on this later.
This, too, must be part of this unspoken training.
He turns back to Venti once the wave of humiliation has ebbed away. A schooled look of calm composure resides on his features.
The bard's lips are tightly pursed and a tear hangs in the corner of his eye.
"Pfffft." The bard lets out after registering the Adeptus' look of unamusement.
"You called… this lowly bard... by the Anemo Archon's name." Venti's voice is shaky from the bits of laughter attempting to ruin whatever persona he is enacting.
The bard is too fond of theatrics.
Ever the 'professional' (as Venti refers to himself), the bard gets his act together by the second part.
"And, for a high-ranking Adeptus, such as yourself, to prostrate himself before a mortal… have you no shame?!"
A scandalized devout of the gods, is it now? Xiao rolls his eyes. How preposterous.
"Cut it out. You are making a fool out of yourself." Xiao crosses his arms and huffs. "You and I both know that you are no mere mortal."
"Awww, but Xiiiaaaoo! That's not the poooiiint!" Venti is whining now, crossing his own arms with a pout. "I thought I trained that stiff over-politeness out of you!"
"You did," the Yaksha agrees with no reluctance whatsoever.
"Then what was that? I clearly didn't do a thorough enough job."
Xiao looks away, unable to look at aqua eyes burning with cute frustration and curiosity. "It's nothing."
"How could that be nothing?!"
"Are you not pressed for time, Venti?" The Adeptus interjects before the bard could whine at him more.
The bard sighs, and mumbles something about 'at least remembering his name correctly'.
"I do as I have a performance coming up."
"Then leave," the Adeptus says sternly as he turns his attention back to the bard. He catches the other's mouth hung agape before it closes shut. He watches the other's shoulders slump—looking discernibly troubled—before straightening up a second later with renewed enthusiasm.
Aquamarine eyes sparkle like a clear pool under the moonlight.
"Wouldn't you want to lis—"
"You're wasting time," Xiao clicks his tongue. The memory of the bard making a fuss about 'not making it in time for his performance' back at Luhua Pool was clear. "Especially, when you prefer to employ human means of travelling to the venue."
"Alright, alright, geez, you don't have to be so cold!" The enthusiasm gives way to annoyance. The pout is back. "I thought asking would—oh, nevermind! I'll see you later, alright?"
"I prefer that you leave me out of your misadventures."
Venti rolls his eyes before taking a few steps closer to the unamused Adpetus.
"You're a meanie, you know that, Mr. Grumpy Sweet Tooth?" He says while pointing an accusing finger at the Yaksha.
Xiao huffs, which ruffles the bard's feathers more, judging from the furrow forming on the other's brow.
"Drop the nickname and go."
The bard harrumphs and turns a full one-eighty. He marches his way down the sloping terrain.
Once he reaches a certain distance, he stops and takes a peek behind him. The bard turns back around when he sees him watching over him with arms still crossed over his chest.
Is it unusual to ensure the safety of their charge until he reaches his destination?
He sends a questioning look at Venti's direction when the bard turns once more to look at him again.
Every few steps, Venti keeps looking back—even climbing up a few steps to see if he is still rooted in his spot (assuming he is out of Venti's sight when he strayed farther away).
The bard's antics are testing the Adeptus' patience. There is a limit to one's obnoxiousness. He pinches the bridge of his nose, thinking that this is going nowhere. Before Venti has the chance to look in his direction for the nth time, he leaps into the air and lands by the bard's side.
"There is no question about your tardiness at this rate." Xiao hastily takes Venti's hand in his and starts walking with the biggest strides he could manage. A look of surprise crosses the other's face, and Venti seems to want to say something but Xiao opens his mouth first. "Tardiness will greatly reflect on your performance in your employer's eyes. Let's make haste."
Xiao feels Venti adjust to his pace through the connection between them. There is less dragging and more walking. The small tune reaching his ears tells him that his companion has regained his composure and is in an overall better mood.
It does not take long for the welcoming arch of Liyue Harbor to come into view.
There are Millelith standing guard and making rounds as the multitudes gather in the area to welcome and be welcomed into the bustling city. He could hear the greetings and sounds of excitement from where he stood.
"Seeing me off here is more than enough."
Xiao jolts at the suddenness of the bard's words.
For Lord Rex Lapis' sake, how many times has he been caught unaware by this bard?
He blinks and turns to his companion, hiding his frustration at his failures.
Yet, Venti's smile is so gentle he could almost feel a hand ghost over his cheek, in an attempt to calm him down.
He does not notice the intensity of his grip on the bard's hand until Venti squeezes back with the same intensity before prying it off. He belatedly recognizes the thundering beat of his heart within the confines of his rib cage.
"I have wasted enough of your time, so you may go. I can make the rest of the way on my own."
Xiao nods curtly when he sees that Venti has nothing more to say to him. In wisps of black and teal, he disappears, blending into the darkness of the night.
Night has fully set in, and he finds himself near Nantianmen where the Geovishap hatchlings are growing restless. The chill of the night air nips at his exposed skin, which he brushes off.
He tracks the errant hatchlings who have strayed far from their usual dens, and is quick to deal with them. As he chips away at the rogue monsters' thick hides, he can't help thinking that Venti's last smile is meant to scold him for thinking he outstayed his welcome.
Once the last of the hatchlings have stopped struggling under him, Xiao takes a look at his hand. He clenches and unclenches his fingers over and over, clearly baffled. None of the Vishaps he had slain had the power to infuse itself with Pyro—they are too young for that.
"Thank you," the Wind carries the message of its master, delivering it straight into its recipient's ears, and ruffling his hair all the same.
Xiao takes a deep breath, thinking how absurd it is to be thanked when he did nothing of note.
Still, where is the lingering heat on his hand coming from?
—○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ —
FOOTNOTE:
[1] In the days when plague, monsters, and wars run rampant, and the Yakshas are called upon by the God of Geo to put an end to them, the night brings a sense of dread to humans.
The darkness is full of dangers of the unknown. These atrocities may strike at any moment. Humans fear the thought of drawing their last breath without having to glimpse the sun and its light ever again.
This age has come and gone.
Yet, do they still sense that dread, deeply ingrained into their ancestral memories?
—○ ● ○ ◇◇◇ ○ ● ○ —
BEHIND THE SCENES
No one asked for it, but… I present the picnic date spot in question:
(Please remove the spaces in between... You know how it is here...)
www i . ibb . co / 1LsbdL0 / 2021326112827 . png
(This place)
www . i . ibb . co / zSwmjS7 / Screenshot-20210326-112921-Genshin-Impact . jpg
(And here's Xiao scouting the area at the time. It's so, sooo close to the edge of the map that the red screen is happening—that's why it looks so dark. XD)
The views, you may ask?
www . i . ibb . co / S6sKj6L / 202132611258 . png
www . i . ibb . co / 098c7sM / 2021326112655 . png
www . i . ibb . co / nQDCRR1 / 2021326112716 . png
Actually, I've been debating between the spot above and that mountain spot near Mt. Hulao… The spot near Mt. Hulao has a prettier view and has more pretty foliage around, but since it is beside Mt. Hulao, it doesn't feel as private as they'd like.
The spot I did end up picking is near (bit at least not immediately adjacent) Mt. Aocang so when Venti whines a little too loudly… Well, who knows?
Hope you enjoyed reading this~ Yes, the extras are numbered that way because of the order they were thought of. The order in which you read them doesn't matter.
Yes, extras 1 & 3 exist-I'm just not done with them.