-I apologize for so suddenly interrupting you two, but it's high time to resume Alice's "quest": place the scales onto the devices in order to deactivate the barrier. -A familiar voice was soon heard from nearby, as Klee let go of Venti and both saw the speaker, who was an intrigued looking Albedo. -I am certain that you want to do the honors, Klee~
-Of course, brother Albedo! Klee will be glad to finish this "quest"! -Klee couldn't help enthusiastically saying, as she soon turned around and started skipping towards the mechanisms, where a few people were already waiting. -...I can't wait to see what mom prepared for us...!
Was heard from the retreating young adult,
Who even in her current condition, was as joyful as always...
*A scene that Albedo was glad to see, albeit with some intrigue added in,
As he couldn't help thinking how much Klee looked like her mother...
...
Hopefully, no matter what happens in the future,
He would be able to see her naturally grow up...
*With the state Mondstadt was in right now, as well as his own,
Surely, for a being made of chalk such as himself...
-Albedo, there must be a reason why you sent Klee away, right...? -His thoughts were interrupted by a serious looking Venti, the Archon's expression soon turning warm. -Thank you for yesterday, with yours and the others' help, I finally realized how things really are. -He soon admitted, his expression turning unreadable. -...I...I will let go of the past with my friend and would no longer dwell on it and what might have been...But I can't forget about it, I am sure you understand...-He quietly admitted, trying not to get sad again. Even though it was still so hard...And yet...-I now know that I have you all with me now, so it should be okay. Isn't that right, Seamus, Frederica...? -He gratefully added upon seeing them arrive, two familiar babies held in their arms, who were already making grabby hands towards him. -Jean and Barbara, they want to spend time with me again, isn't that right...? And just like before, you are going to trust me with your daughters' safety...-He knowingly commented, moments later getting his "guess" realized, as he was soon holding the happy babies in his arms. -...Even while knowing how troublesome I can be, you two still trust me so much...-He admitted while looking between the two parents, who even after everything were still somehow his devotees. -...Truthfully, I can't thank you enough.
He couldn't help adding, wondering how it was still even possible...
...
Sure, the Gunnhildrs were thankful to him for how he saved them in the past,
As for Seamus, he was the Seneschal of the Church of Favonius...
*And both he and Frederica must still be thankful to him for sending the Sigils of Permission...
-YAY! IT'S A FUN ISLAND! -His thoughts were interrupted by the enthusiastic voice of Klee, who was now running around the place and looking at all the "gifts". -THERE'S A BIG TENT WITH A BUNCH OF STUFF AND FUNNY BOUNCY CHAIRS AND MORE STRAIGHT SHOOTERS, FLOATY SPLODIES AND HOT PODS AND EVEN A BIG CANNON TO BLAST ALL THE BADDIES WITH!
"Hehehehehe, I see that you have finally finished the quest! The adventure itself was pretty fun, wasn't it?
Anyway, this vacation island is all ours to enjoy! But there seems to be a slight pest problem, so I prepared some tools to take care of those!
Coincidentally, I can't help feeling sad that the Traveler is not there with you. It's such a shame that not all of Klee's family can enjoy this fun vacation...
...
Oh well, I will have them join it next time, that's for sure!
As for now, have fun everyone! I made sure to make things interesting, as you would surely soon find out...~
There's actually a hidden mechanism to activate a water slide, hopefully it's not too hard to find~
PS: I left some gifts for you all to take back! I hope that you like them and they will brighten your day~"
This message from Alice was a lot shorter than the ones before,
But Venti still found it to be annoying in a way...
...
A lot less than before, though...
...
...
To think that Alice would leave him two Dodocommunication Devices as a gift,
She also saw him as Klee's and in turn her family, didn't she...?
*Usually they got along well, but recently he got so annoyed at her...
...
"If you meet any fun friends, you should share this gift with them!"
...
...
He could probably give one of those to the Traveler, yes,
Considering how they are also always on some kind of a journey...
*And just until recently were missing as well, why did he only notice their...
-B-beba...? -His thoughts were soon interrupted by a worried sound nearby, as certain babies were now looking towards him in concern. -Babe ba bababa baba...? B-beba ba...?
-I am alright! I am alright! I was just overthinking something, that's all! -He soon reassured them, starting to feel guilty for making them sad. Especially considering the mental state they must now be in due to the de-aging. Thankfully, they didn't cry...-...Now then, how about we have some fun?~ -He decided to change the subject, his question making them look towards him in confusion. -We can sneakily walk around and see what everyone else is doing, just like spies!
As sneakily as they could, at least, with Frederica and Seamus tailing them,
The two parents, while trusting their daughters with him again, were still following them and taking photos...
*Venti didn't have a problem with this, not at all, they were still those adorable babies' parents, after all...
...
But hopefully they would also be sneaky and quiet and don't give away his location!
*If his fun with the adorable babies was disturbed due to the...!
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
-YAY! IT'S ANOTHER WIN FOR KLEE! -The Pyromaniac enthusiastically yelled from nearby, as she and Amber were now seen manning the two canons, both of those pointed to somewhere far away. -I am so happy that I can have this small fun game with you, Amber, that...!
She soon started going on a whole enthusiastic ramble of how much she is enjoying this,
While also dropping bombs from time to time and not giving the Outrider any chance to say a word in...
*Which was something Venti realized he couldn't really fault her for, as blasting was always something Klee enjoyed,
But to think that Alice had a second cannon hidden away and after finding it Klee would invite Amber to a "Hillichurl Blasting" competition...
...
...
Well, as long as the two were having fun, it was not his place to interfere...
*Even if the Hillichurls were having a really bad time right now...
"YAY! IT'S A FUN ISLAND!
THERE'S A BIG TENT WITH A BUNCH OF STUFF AND FUNNY BOUNCY CHAIRS AND MORE STRAIGHT SHOOTERS, FLOATY SPLODIES AND HOT PODS AND EVEN A BIG CANNON TO BLAST ALL THE BADDIES WITH!"
Yes, this was Klee's vacation to enjoy however she wished to,
One that with her own free will, she...
-Yeah, even back then, he was such a handful. -Was soon heard from nearby, interrupting his thoughts, as he soon turned to its source. -...You would think that with being an Archon, he wouldn't glide headfirst into trouble...But nope! Venti is like a walking...I mean (wouldn't) "gilding" (be faster?) trouble magnet, that lovable idiot. -The speaker, who turned out to be Vennessa, was saying in some intrigue. -Like one time, when I was busy doing paperwork, like a responsible Grandmaster should do, he suddenly teleported in, completely drunk might I add and begged me to let him hide under the table because some people were apparently after him. It was really weird to tell you the truth and after all that paperwork I was doing until recently, I started wondering if I was just imagining things. -She then paused for dramatic effect. -But the thing is, I didn't! This situation was really happening and before waiting for my reply, he just crouched down and hid under the table between my legs! Then someone knocked on my door and asked for permission to come in and talk about a very serious matter...-She deeply sighed, a weary expression soon appearing on her face. -Apparently, someone got so annoyed due to his cat allergies, he yeeted all the cats(and even some Kätzlein people) to the top of one of Mondstadt's windmills and now they needed help getting down!
She added in some annoyance, soon starting to retell her account of what happened after,
Which was mostly having to clean up a certain Archon's mess, who also somehow fell asleep under the desk...
...
-I, uh...Before you say anything, I wasn't in my right mind at the time...? -Venti couldn't help saying, seeing both the babies' and their parents' nearby questioning expressions. -...When I woke up next I apologized and helped them all down, okay...? I even had to listen to a long and boring lecture afterwards, it was such a nightmare! -He tried to justify himself, yet it didn't seem like it was working. Plan B it was, then...Wait...-Why are those squirrels also here...? And the "Fantastic Boat"...? Why are they listening to my darkest (drunken) secrets?!
He couldn't help saying in rising horror, though whatever it was real or just him being dramatic, no one was sure,
Especially as the horrified looking Archon soon tried to stop the "story time", no matter what...!
*This unexpected and soon quite loud situation turning everyone's attention to the scene,
Everyone's but Albedo's and Emilia's, that is, who were way too busy with more important things...
...
Such as Albedo teaching Emilia(basically his older sister) to draw, while he was painting the beautiful scenery around...
-I wonder what they are being so loud about. -Emilia couldn't help saying, not even moving her gaze from the canvas. -...So this is how you draw waves, fascinating.
-Be sure to add foam at the right angles, so as to make it look as if the waves are kept in motion. -Albedo explained, as he pointed with his brush at said spots. -...As for them being loud, let them. This kind of situation is not new for Mondstadt, so it's best to just leave it be. -He nonchalantly added, all his focus still on the drawing. -Now then, what do you say about adding the shades of the swimming fish...?
At the same time, in Wolvendom...
"WHAT IS THIS BUFFOONERY?! MY CURRENT SHAPE MIGHT BE THAT OF A WOLF CUB, YET I AM STILL LUPUS BOREAS, WOLF KING OF THE NORTH!"
A loud yell was reverberating through the place, the speaker apparently annoyed,
Yet due to the voice itself sounding very young, it was not as threatening as the speaker might have wanted it to be...
*As both Razor and the surrounding wolves soon noticed, all of them conflicted about what to do...
...
Even with the explanation about what happened, they were still confused about this whole situation,
And even worse than that, they didn't know how to act towards their leader, their Alpha...
...
Who was currently a grumpy looking pup, looking so small and powerless...
*Just like the other pups, he needed all their care and protection, right...?
He was so small now, he couldn't even hunt for food or protect himself from predators, right...?
Even if he was originally their Leader, they couldn't leave him all alone by himself, unattended, right...?
...
...
Their instincts, ones they tried hard to resist until now,
Seeing their Leader...The small powerless pup...
...
...
-I can't fight my instincts anymore! Leader is small now!
-Leader protected us until now, so we have to do the same!
-Until he is big again, we have to take care of him!
-Yes, just like the other pups, we need to guard and feed him!
This and more emotional yells were soon heard from the wolves,
Who then started deciding between themselves on what task each one should do...
*In their frantic discussion, they were unknowingly ignoring Andrius' growing annoyance,
Which was something that Razor noticed and was now wondering about what he should do...
...
Should he stop Lupical and tell Guardian not like it...?
Should he join Lupical and help them take care of Guardian...?
Should he stay back and let Lupical and Guardian...?
...
...
-...Guardian really small and cute...Just like small pup...-He couldn't help saying, now seeing the similarity between the two, as he suddenly had an unexplained urge. -...This feeling...Is weird, but nice. Razor is going to join Lupical...
And with these words, he soon joined the wolves' discussion,
Much to a curtain's "Wolf Pup" even more growing annoyance and now weariness as well...
...
As Andrius started wishing that this embarrassing situation would soon end,
Already planning to chew Barbatos out for what he did when that idiot comes back...
...
The sheer audacity of that Sprite to put him in this kind of situation!