-Lisa, are you certain you don't want to return to Cat's Tail...? -Jean couldn't help but ask her, looking and sounding a little worried. -...Not only did you look like you were having a good time, but you were clearly reluctant to leave.
-...Miss Lisa looked so happy to be snuggling with the cats, even though initially it was to help me and Mister Oz...-Barbara couldn't help but mumble soon enough, as she was looking towards the Librarian with a guilt-stricken expression. -...Miss Lisa, it's not because of my earlier request, is it...? If you chose to leave due to that, I...
-It's not because of you, Barbara cutie. I left because I had to, as hard as it was. -Lisa reassured her, looking quite warm, before her expression turned to a more mischievous one. -We still have to continue our "date", right...?~ Can't do that while being stuck snuggling with the cats, even if they are really adorable~ -She added with amusement, before chuckling. -Cat's Tail should have a "Rent a Cat" service, don't you think so...?~ It would surely be very popular, especially with the Adorable children~
She couldn't help but added,
Already imagining how it would be like...
*The adorable children snuggling to the equally adorable cats~
...
And they would surely ask Venti to join in with them,
In a big pile of sheer adorableness~
...
...
"PLEASE VENTI, BECOME MY "HONORARY PET"!
I WILL BE SURE TO BUY YOU MANY DELICIOUS DISHES AND ALCOHOL AND PAMPER YOU WITH HUGS AND CUDDLES AND...!"
...
"Don't look at me like that, I am not just going to kidnap Venti. Especially while knowing about the recent situation.
...But seriously, can you really judge me for this...? Cherub Venti is so adorable, you know~"
"I-I-I am not a pet! S-so stop saying weird things, Traveler!
...And it was already bad enough when everyone started acting so crazily due to my current form...Now I am even asked to act as a pet...
... Everyone's reaction to my current form and my "Wind Spirit" one, seriously, why is it so extreme...?! To begin with, as I am originally a wind spirit..."
...
...
"I really want to catch Cherub Venti, but I already have 6 active pokemon...
Paimon, you go to the PC."
"Hey, why does Paimon has to leave?! And we have 5 Pokemon, not 6!
...Wait a minute...This is not Pokemon, you meanie!
Why are you always so mean towards Paimon, traveler...?! First you kept calling Paimon "Emergency Food" and making fun of...!"
...
Oh, this very "amusing" memory of "Cherub Venti"~
*If he was still in this adorable form, it could have been even better~
Not just the Adorable children and cats, but their Adorable Archon could have also...~
".̸̧̜̲͓͉̼̓̀̍͗͒̈́̈́̚͝͝.̵͖̘̯́̎̈́.̵̹͖̬͚͍̬͚̰͖̹̓͊͋̀I̵̥̠̓̈̑͒͛̓͐̿t̷̨͔̳͔̞̹͔͉́́̅̕̚ ̷͓͎̻͔͙̄͋̿̾͝d̵̡̎ǒ̷̡͑̆̋̈͘͘͝e̷͈̮͍̲̹̎̌̍s̶̹͌̽̄̽̔͘̚ ̶̧̜̥͖̰͎̫̜̮͚̊̎̔͋͠s̴̪̠̠̄̋́̄͂̽͠o̸̡̭͉͎̖̤̮̅̓u̸̧͆͐ṇ̸̱̼̈͑̑́̔̈́̒̕d̷̨̛̛̠̼͓͎͕̮͍̪͊͗̈́̀̕͘ͅ ̶̞̞̦̮̒̏͝l̴̛̝̘̦̤̖͉̅̈́̓́̏̑̎͒͜͜į̴̧̦̟͚̹̫̞͌k̸̢̨̥̩̠̓̓̽͂̉͒͊͝e̵̲̐̑͌̈͛ ̵̨̨͕̣͇̍́̓̄a̵̧̟̹͍̭͕̱̯͕̥̅ ̷̛̭͑͂̔ņ̶͎͇̗̱̗͚͋̈́͋̍͊͗̊̋̎͝į̴̩̩̗͑̏c̶̮̪̻̩͍̯̲̦̠̓̓e̸̡̢̧̘̘̭̘͍̬̅̂͒̒̋ ̷͕̱͓̰̤̟͓̙̺͗̈͋͂́̅̈͊̅í̵̹̜̻̹̰̊̆̈́́̉̉̊͝͝d̷̡̝̭̙̺͋e̵̛̠̥̟͓͔͉͊̈́̇̈̉̈́ą̵̢̼͓̻̎̎.̸̤̫̦̪͖̬̇͆̿́͜.̵̧̫̳̥̮̮͙̳̟͋͋̽͆̈̇.̴͔̗̔͒̽͐̎͠
S̷̭̈́̂̅̔͊̽̒͘͘h̵͖͎̘̰͔͖̆͐̇͠o̷̺̬̰͉̮̞̓͐̈̆͋̆̍ú̷̢̧͕͖͜l̴̞̄̈́̂͋̌̾̔͐̚d̸͚̮͝ ̵̡̛͖͕̭̈́͗͒̈́à̷̧̧͚̞̟̥͖̱̯̺̃͆̈́͛̾l̶̠̦̱̇͗̌̆͐͜s̶̢̱̓̊̾̅̊͌͒̆͑o̸̼͉͖̫̪̝̅̾̒͛̐͐̔́̚ ̷̛̝͙̯̖̞͙̞͉̃̂͂͆͑͒̀g̷̢͓̜̗̫̹̗̎̒͛͜ȓ̴̨̤̤̮̺̖͙͙̟͓̋̂̈́̈͐̽̏̀̈e̶̼̹̘̥̣̞̜̯͑̒͑̋̌̈́͝͠ä̷̱́̿͂̒̈̂̄̚t̴̮͔͇̜̟̰̭̏̔͋͋̀ͅĺ̵̬̱͈̮͔̩̦̐͑̓́́͑͒̚y̴̨̜̙͍͉͉̱͓͂͜ ̷̼̺̈̐͗̏̏͋̚͝h̸̳͕̺̝̰̚ē̴̢̨̛͇̥̰̈́̽̄̍͒l̷̡̧̬̭̖̣͚̐̇̈̊͌̏p̵̨̰͔̱̈́̃͛̚ ̵̢̢̭̱̗̬̭̳̋s̷̪͔͋̈́͝ţ̵̛̀̾̈́͑͌̎͝͝ͅŗ̶̣̮͚͔͚͌̓͛̆̕̕͝͝e̴̫͋̌ņ̴͇̹̪̼̯̻̀ͅg̵̡͓̾͂̿͘͝ţ̵̛̣̬̪̈̄͋͑̃̒̊͜͝ͅh̷̡̩̩̬̬͎́́́̑̑̓͝ę̸͔̅ñ̷̰͖̖͕̘̦͆̈̎ͅ ̵̩̝̪͍͎͎̩̩̪͎͝Ḿ̵̦͐̋͒̀o̷̯͉̗̒̾̈́̊̚ǹ̵̠͖̯͙͔̻͌̊͌͑ď̴̗̬͇͙͙͙̘͇̙͎̏̇̀̓̉̀͋ş̷̧̳̱͔͖̞̺͈̅̋̓͋͗̀̍͜t̸̘͈̮͆͆̇̔̚̕a̷̰͎͈̫̦̐̉͒̏̉͝͝d̶̨̫̀̒͝ţ̴̗͕̝̭̜̀͌̉͊̈́̽̌̐̕ ̷̣͈̠͎̜̤͊͆̍̄̂̈́̄̚p̸̢͋̾̀̎̀́͆͊͠ė̷̢̻̳̹̟̳͍͛͗̍͋͐o̷̧͍̟̅͊̀̉͗̌͛͛͝͝p̴̜̺̖̗͎̭̤̒̈́̓̇̚̕l̵͙̺͍̯̟̤̞̈́͋́̃ę̶̬̩̻̭̙̺͌͆̃̀̅̇̐'̴̩̮̉̓̓͆̂͆̓ş̸̡̟͚̳̫̟̱̮̺̓͛ ̷͇͛͐̓̿͆͐͋̊̈́b̶̢̰̝͚̻̣̘̯̮̞͌͛̐̾͌̐͗̚͠͠o̷̟̲͕͎͑̒͑̒̚̚͝n̵̨̫̪̳̪̙̫̅̊d̵͔̼̻͉͐̈́̿͘͠ͅ ̸̬̈́̑̊̒͝w̵̰̄̆̾̔̅̓͊̑ĩ̴̛͓̻̽ͅt̶̩̒͂̑͊ḣ̶͕͙̗͎̗͔̜̗̾̎͗̀̽̕̚͜͝ ̸͇̪̥͚̖̖̱̜́́̈́̏̒̓͗B̴̛̛̟͖̹̪̞͛͛̔͛̋͠a̶̜̝͈̣̣͈̙̭̗̹̓̌̆̄͗ŕ̴̖͎͕̈́͌̈́̾b̶̢͇̹̲̳͍̠̺͐̍͂͐̕a̶̙͐̑͒̓̂̂̐̑͐t̷͉̬̝̮̺̦̘̳̩̎̇̄o̵̧͈̘͆̀̽̅̀̒̚͘s̸̞̰͉̝̠̞̣̮̼͋͋͘.̷̦̉̌̂̓̒̆̆"
...
...
Huh, did someone just interrupt her thoughts...?
*That female voice sounded familiar, but...
...
It didn't sound like anyone she knew...?
...
...
Weird, was her mind playing tricks on her now...?
*Now that she was dying, was her brain...?
...
...
Never mind that, she should focus on the "date" right now.
*A shame that the twin Clergy Trainees couldn't join in as well,
As Caleb and Sophia said that they still had some things to take care of...
...
Angel's Share, to think it's open during the afternoon now,
Mondtsadt's love for alcohol was still great~
*And who could blame them, Dawn Winery's produce was...
...
...
Drinking in moderation was still a valuable lesson to remember,
As for humans, which most of Mondstadt were, it was a matter of life and death...
*Lisa was quite certain some people were still jealous of Venti, even if they wouldn't voice it...
-P-plese...H-heeeeelp mmee! H-hic! B-Bea! B-Beaaaaaa! H-hic! -Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a crying voice, one coming from nearby. -S-shee only...C-care abou…! H-hic!...M-mah fruuit! H-hic!
...
-...Is that Mister Quinn...? Why would he...? -Barbara couldn't help but say moments later, as she worriedly looked in the direction that the voice came from, which was Angel's Share. -...Is he already heavily drunk...? In the afternoon...? Isn't this really bad...?
-It is. I know he drinks during the night. But at this time of the day...-Jean thoughtfully commented, looking a little worried herself. Perhaps something happened to him...? -Let's go and ask him what's wrong.
And with those words and without thinking much of it,
The Acting Grandmaster proceeded to walk to the direction of the miserable voice,
With a very worried Barbara and thoughtful Lisa soon following along...
...
...
Quinn was definitely talking about Beatrice, his childhood friend,
Whom, unbeknownst to the "Sir Dullwits the Oblivious Merchant", had an infatuation with him...
*One she had a..."Unique" way of showing...
...
...
Coming from this and Quinn's earlier words,
Lisa was pretty certain his "troubles" were of the romantic kind.
*She should probably be the one to ask for details...
...
-O-oh! A-actinn Grandd...H-hic! A-an Deaaco...A-an Libr...H-hic! D-did yoou...C-com hel...? H-hic! -A flustered looking Quinn as soon as he saw them approach, as he was sitting at a table near the tavern, a few bottles of wine scattered on it. -S-stupi...H-hicu...H-hic! Stupi wineeee...S-stupi...H-hic! F-feeliiiin...S-stupi...! S-stupi...! S-stupi...! H-hic!
-Quinn, did something happen between you and Beatrice...? -Lisa asked him almost right away, looking and sounding quite thoughtful, which shifted to slight worry as it didn't look like he even heard the question. He did drink a lot, so his focus must be quite bad. She should probably ask this in a simpler way, but ho...? Oh, right, Razor. -...Quinn. Beatrice. You. Trouble...?
She soon "asked", making sure to say each word separately,
And this time, it looked like "Sir Dullwits"...Quinn registered her question...
-...T-troube...B-Bea...H-hic! Y-yeesh! M-ma feeliiiin...! I-I...! H-hic! -He soon started, sounding even sadder now, as well as a little guilt stricken. -R-recen...W-whe city...H-hic! K-kep attak...I-I realiz...H-hic! B-Bea...L-likeee Bea...H-hic! M-moreee tha...F-frien...! H-hic! B-bat Bea...B-bat Bea...H-hic! O-onle lov...M-ma fruit...! H-hic! S-so I...I-I drin an...A-an drin...H-hic! A-an sad...! A-an fruit...! W-why fruit...?! H-hic! I-I bette…! T-tha fruit...! I-I bette...! H-hic! B-bette tha...! B-bette tha...! B-bette...H-hic! T-tha cheap...! T-tast fruit..! H-hic! W-why Bea…! L-likeee…H-hic! F-fruit…! W-why fruit…B-bette…H-hic! T-tha me…?! B-Bea…! H-hic! W-why…?! I-I…! F-fruit…! H-hic! W-whyyy I…N-no fruit…?! H-hic! I-if I…F-fruit…B-Bea wold…H-hic! L-lik meee…B-bac…! H-hic! I-I wibe…A-a Ce…C-ce…C-ceciliii…! H-hic!
Quinn was telling his tragic tale, his crying getting even worse now,
As he reminded everyone once again, why he is called "Sir Dullwits the Oblivious Merchant"...
...
...
Lisa wondered how to help the poor and oblivious guy,
Both for his own sake and for Beatrice's...
"Buy a bouquet of Cecilias for Beatrice and proclaim your love to her. If anything goes wrong you can simply blame it on the wine.",
That was the gist of her advice for the completely drunk and teary-eyed Quinn, one he took to heart due to his current "state",
Soon running off, or rather drunkenly wobbling, towards Floral Whisper in order to buy the flowers in question...
*All in all, Lisa just hoped that the "future meeting" between him and Beatrice goes well,
As she wished, for the woman's sake, that her childhood friend would overcome his obliviousness...
...
...
After that, their group finally entered Angel's Share...
"Upon entering the establishment and coming face to face with four judging eyes,
As both Diluc Jr. and Charlotte were sitting on the bar table and looking at the newcomers with deadpan expressions..."
...
This was the normal sight for a while after Charlotte's arrival in Mondstadt,
But ever since she became pregnant, she and Diluc Jr. started showing up in the city less and less...
*It would have been nice if she could experience the birthing of their cubs,
Ones that are bound to be extremely adorable~
...
...
It was now late afternoon, so not many people were in the tavern:
Diluc, who was currently working as a Bartender,
Kaeya and Rosaria, who were already drinking and talking between themselves,
And Mona, who was keeping everyone company, as she was unable to decline the invite for drinks.
...
Ever since they came in, Jean and Barbara started talking with them,
Discussing the day's events and some other matters...
*Like everyone's plans for the incoming Windblume,
One that would be held way after...
...
...
Lisa simply ignored all the discussions going on around her, instead ordering a few different types of drinks for herself...
*If she really wanted to know what everyone was talking about, she could simply listen in...
...
...
But those drinks that she could order only at Angel's Share,
It was the last time that she could enjoy them as Lisa Minci.
Angel's Share truly had the most exquisite of drinks,
From the Apple Cider and to the Dandelion Wine~
*Oh, how Lisa wished that she could...~
...
...
Huh...?
Her vision...
...
It got a little...
...
Foggy...
...
...
And this...
...
Sudden...
...
Heaviness...
...
...
Just…
…
What...?
...
...
SMASH!
...
...
Oh, her glass...
...
It shattered...
...
...
When did she...?
-LISA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! -Jean yelled out moments later, looking and sounding very worried, as she ran to the other's side in almost panic. -YOU WERE DRINKING LIKE USUAL BUT THEN YOU STARTED LOOKING DISTRACTED AND ILL AND...!
She soon went on the frantic rant about the situation,
All the while frantically checking her friend over...
*With Lisa herself no longer listening to the other's panicking words,
As she was instead fixedly looking at the shattered glass in deep thought...
...
She didn't realize it broke until she heard it shatter...
...
...
No, rather than realizing it...
...
Did she even see the wine glass fall out of her hand and...?
...
...
For a few moments,
Everything was so foggy,
And her physical condition...
*It was...Time now, wasn't it...?
...
It was...Almost time...
...
...
Time before she...
...
She had to leave,
Leave for the Alchemy Lab...!
*Go talk to Albedo and Emilia and...!
...
-Jean, I am fine. I just had too much to drink, that's all. -Lisa told the other in as much reassurance as she could muster, hoping that it would be enough. But it looks like her friend wasn't the only one worried...Even Rosaria looked really concerned. This wouldn't do. -I am fine, really. There is no need to worry about little old me~ -...Even Diluc looked more worried than annoyed at her breaking the glass...-Sorry about the glass, Diluc dear. I would like to reimburse you for it. -She added while taking out her wallet and proceeding to open it. -...How much do you...?
-Drop it. Since it's a one time situation, there is no need to pay me back. -Diluc interrupted her, looking and sounding very serious, as well as concerned. -But are you really alright, Lisa...? You didn't drink all that much to get so drunk you would drop your glass. Moreover...
-You looked a little ill for a few seconds there, almost gravely so. I saw it clearly. -Rosaria added, looking and sounding a little worried, as well as suspicious. -...Lisa Minci, you are not hiding anything, are you...?
-If you are sick, I can heal you. -Barbara soon volunteered, looking and sounding very worried. -Please, let me heal you, Miss Lisa!
-...I don't think that whatever Lisa has could be simply healed...-Kaeya thoughtfully mumbled, with Lisa being able to hear him only due to some of the Winds' power still lingering on her. -...With the way Lisa is currently acting, lying and hiding things...
-I am really alright, dearies. I simply need a good night's sleep and I will be just fine~ -Lisa interrupted him, as she tried to look and sound as reassuring as possible, once again. She really had to leave...NOW! -...Speaking of breaks, our "date" took quite a while~ And as fun as it was, it's time to finish it, right...?~ -She added upon finally putting her wallet back and proceeding to get up from her seat and the tavern itself. The quicker she does it, the better...If she suddenly "blackouts" again...! -Once again, I apologize for breaking your glass, Diluc. Jean, Barbara dearies, thank you for fulfilling my selfish wish for a "date". It was quite enjoyable and...
-Lisa, wait! Don't go yet, please! -Her words were suddenly interrupted by a panicky voice, as Jean almost jumped before her path moments later, looking quite alarmed. -...I am not sure why I am feeling like this, but if you leave now, I...!
-Thank you for today's "date", Jean. And thank you for being my good friend. -Lisa simply told her, meaning every word, as she proceeded to slowly walk around the other. -...I have to go now. So please, don't stop me, alright...? There's nothing that you can do for me, anyway...-She couldn't help but sadly mumble the last sentence, unsure if Jean heard her or not, but not really caring either way. -...Just take care of yourself, alright, Jeanie dear...? My dutiful and lovely friend~ -She warmly added upon opening the tavern door and walking out, soon closing it behind herself. -...Goodbye, everyone. Before you realize what is going on and try to stop me, I have to...-She couldn't help but deeply sigh, upon looking around the place, before turning to glance at the setting sun. How ironic it was...The sun and her own life, both of them...Slowly setting...-...It's almost time.