Venti was drunk. He couldn't even try and deny it this time.
He'd spent most of his evening singing for his drinks, since Diluc wouldn't serve him, and he'd done well. Too well.
After a while, he'd decided it was time for a break and sat down at the counter, where the grumpy red-headed bartender glared at him while cleaning glasses. Venti, in turn, smiled at him and started asking him any and every question he could think of until Diluc's face was nearly the same color as his hair.
"Hehe! You must really like the color red, Master Diluc!" Laughed the bard.
That was enough for Diluc to escort Venti to the door and push him out, telling him to sleep it off.
Venti walked down the empty streets of Mondstadt and headed for his statue. He hadn't noticed at first, but it seemed a little too quiet. Usually there were guards, at least. Venti realized he was alone, not a single other soul on the streets. He picked up his pace, wanting to get up high and away from the eerie quiet.
A smooth, familiar voice suddenly came out of the darkness, laced with humor.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping by now, dear Archon?" Diluc's voice rang through the shadows before the man himself appeared, a wicked smile spreading across his face, "I told you, you drank too much. Too bad you're caught out here with them."
"Master Diluc? What do you mean? You're the only other person I've seen!" Venti didn't like the look in Diluc's now glowing eyes and began to back up, until he heard a squeak behind him.
No, not a squeak, a meow.
He spun to see a small striped cat slowly padding towards him. "Uh- no, no… good kitty, stay right there!"
Even as he spoke another ten cats had begun to approach him, then more were coming from everywhere.
A-a-CHOO! "Stay back!" He yelled as he summoned the wind to lift him into the air. ACHOO!
He made his way to a nearby rooftop and looked over the side, relieved. Nothing was there. Diluc and every single cat, gone.
"How?..."
"You really shouldn't have annoyed me, Lord Barbatos." Diluc grinned, suddenly on the roof behind him, along with what must have been several hundred cats, now.
ACHOO! "What?! -ACHOO!- I was only playing! -ACHOOOO!- AGH! Get them away from me!"
Venti turned and jumped from the roof, only to be faced with Diluc and his cats, any direction he turned. He couldn't get away. Soon, they were rubbing against his legs, licking him, climbing him to snuggle his face. He couldn't stop sneezing and wheezing, he couldn't breathe.
He tried to push them off, but they were too strong, shaking him now, calling his name…
Wait, what?
"Venti!" He heard through the meowing. "Venti, wake up!"
He suddenly felt like he was falling and squeezed his eyes shut, but stopped before he hit anything solid. Blinking his eyes open, he saw a mess of red hair and scarlet eyes looking down at him.
"I told you, you drank too much." Diluc said.
Venti squeaked and bolted upright before running out the door, leaving a confused Diluc to watch him go.
He'd never annoy his bartender again.