The faint smell of fire, sweat, and musical talent flowed through the wind. Reluctant as he was, Venti made sure to keep up on Liyue news, and he knew enough to know about their Rockstar's world tour. Apparently, she was making her way up to Monstadt, a clever choice if she wanted to gain fans that weren't as anchored-down as that Blockhead! As the Anemo Archon, perhaps he should be wary of the threats Liyue posed to his lands, but on the other hand, things had been relatively calm since Dvallin was purified. Perhaps it was time to expand his musical talents, who knows, this should be fun.
"Hey there, Xinyan," Venti said with a smile as he glided down to meet her.
"Howdy there, stranger. State your business, my band and I are on a schedule," Xinyan asked.
"Well~, I couldn't help but notice your little party making their way to Monstadt. Lot of drums and instruments, it almost looks like you're planning a concert."
"What if I am," Xinyan replied with interest.
"Do you mind if I join?"
Torches lit up the wooden stage that held the band. A fiery figure walked forth to the crowd. It was time. Xinyan began, "Hello people of Monstadt! I couldn't wait to come here all the way from Liyue to perform for you. For tonight's show, we have a special guest: a local bard, Venti!"
The conjoined cries of excited fans and newcomers welcomed Venti on stage as he held a guitar in his hand, it was different from a Lyre, but he would have to make do. Some people among the crowd even knew him.
Venti took a deep breath and strummed hard against his guitar, striking the match to start the song. "I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute," Venti began. He lit another match with the stroke of his guitar. "Couldn't bear another day without you in it."
Xinyan looked at him with a reassuring smirk, he was doing alright. "All of the joy that I had known for all my life: was stripped away from me the minute that you died."
"To have you in my life was all I ever wanted," Venti's hands stopped shaking and he gripped his guitar confidently, "but now without you, I'm a soul forever haunted."
"Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted. No way in hell that I can ever comprehend this!" Venti nearly yelled. The rest of the instruments kicked in, the special effects burst into life, and the voices of dozens nearly drowned out their song. If that happened, they would just have to sing louder, and so he shall!
"I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone. I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong," Venti sang.
"How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay? Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day!" The drums set a steady pace for him and Xinyan to follow.
The crowd simply rocked their heads in quick succession as Venti hastily sang, "It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending. Every scene fades black, and there's no pretending. This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well. There's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell!" "I know you didn't plan this~!" Venti yelled. "You tried to do what's right~!" The instruments interrupted with some hard notes. "But in the middle of this madness~. I'm the one~"
"I'm the one~," Xinyan sang along with Venti
"I'm the one~," the drummer sang along with Venti.
"You. Left. To. Win. This fight~" Venti sang as the guitars and drums intensely rose as they made their way to the climax of their buildup.
Venti swore he could hear his friend's screams of joy upon the wind among the momentary silence of the instruments.
"Free~ like~ cecelias~," Venti continued again, a tear falling from his eye.
"Fills my head~ with dreams~ and finds~ me~," Venti sang. "Always~ closer~."
Venti sang with the last of his breath, "To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you!"
The guitars calmed down in intensity, the drums took the lead, and Xinyan began, "I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness. You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness."
"Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute, make you understand the reasons why I did it," Xinyan sang out to the crowd as they slowed themselves down to listen.
"I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered. Want you to know that, for eternity, I'm shattered," Xinyan said.
"I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to, and in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you!" The guitars took the lead from the drummer and the crowd sprang up with energy. Sparks were beginning to fall from Xinyan's guitar. The air surrounding Venti was beginning to push and pull as Venti played his guitar.
Xinyan sang, "I never planned that I would leave you there alone. I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home! And all the times I swore that it would be okay. Now I'm nothing but a liar, and you're thrown into the fray!"
Xinyan took in a big breath, she would need it for this next verse.
Venti stood in front of the crowd as he played amazed. This was why he decided to remain a bard: to tell stories through music. Through this music, he could resonate with mortals all throughout time, and immortalize those who had the tales to do so. So he shall play and finish telling this thrilling tale to the end!
The drums and guitars rose in intensity as Xinyan began her hastily singing part. "This bedtime story ends with misery ever after. The pages are torn, and there's no final chapter. I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to do. I made a sacrifice, but forced a bigger sacrifice on you!"
The collective cries of the crowd were enough to overtake the band, if only for a moment.
The drummer began, "I know you've lived a nightmare~. I caused you so much pain~. But, baby, please don't do what I did~"
The drummer sang, "I don't want~"
Venti sang, "I don't want~"
Xinyan sang, "I don't want~"
The drummer continued, "You to waste your life in," the drums and guitar rose in speed, "vain~."
A solid moment of silence, even from the crowd. They were waiting, but for what?
Everything dropped right back into place as Venti began, "Free like cecelias~.
"Fills my head~ with dreams~ and finds~ me~," Venti sang with all his heart. "Always~ closer~."
Venti screamed out to the crowd, "To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the place of you!"
Venti looked to the other side of the stage where Xinyan was. However, gone were the streaks of black and red and white of a particular rockstar. A particular bard from an age long ago stood at his side with a guitar in hand.
The friend sang, directing their attention to his eyes, "You're not the only one who needed me; I thought you understood?"
Venti retorted, approaching his friend. "You were the one I needed, and you left me as I always feared you would!"
The friend finished, "Would I~ change it if I could?" They came closer to Venti.
"It doesn't matter how. The flowers scatter now," they both sang and played, glaring right at each other.
Venti's throat threatened to clamp as his hands began to slow, but he understood that the show must go on. "Every nightmare just discloses. It's you that's free like cecelias."
Venti turned his back to the image of his friend. He amplified his soft voice with the power of the wind as he screamed. "And no matter what I do, nothing ever takes the place of you!"
The instrumental kicked in, giving Venti freedom of mind. This had to be an illusion, a dream that he conjured up from drinking too much dandelion wine. It just wasn't possible to see someone he witnessed end in his own hands after so much time. Yet, he was glad. Glad to see the face of his friend somewhere other than the reflection of water or glass. He knew there was no logic to be found, it was simply impossible, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the moment.
The instruments kicked up in intensity until coming to a dead stop. The friend flashed Venti a quick smile from across the stage, they knew what was next.
Venti, singing from a forgotten place within himself, began, "Free~ like~ cecelias~.
"Fills my head~ with dreams~ and finds~ me~," Venti sang with all his heart and more. "Always~ closer~."
Venti yelled out to the crowd, and also to his friend. "To the emptiness and sadness that has come to take the placeā¦"
The wind guided a cecelia toward Venti. "Of," the flower planted itself onto Venti's head.
"You," Venti finished as he looked across the stage for his friend.
Gone were the streaks of green, white, and Monstadtian fashion. In its place was an excited and very nearly on-fire Xinyan in all her glory.
He wouldn't have it any other way, and for once, he didn't want wine.
