Windblume was fast approaching now,
It was supposed to start tomorrow, in fact,
And yet Venti couldn't help but wonder how it would go...
...
As unlike a year ago, things were different this time...
*And not just due to Lisa's sudden death,
As well as other changes that happened during the year...
...
The Traveler too, would probably not be able to attend it,
Busy with taking care of the post-crisis of Sumeru...
...
...
"It's nice to hear from you again, Traveler!
... I take it that everything is resolved now...?"
The Traveler's last retelling,
Why did he suddenly just collapse back then...?
*And the last thing Venti remembered hearing was...
"...After we all arrived at the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Xiao was left to stand guard, while myself, Paimon, Nahida and Samir entered Irminsul. That "Mysterious message" I heard before, I soon found out what it was about..."
And then, nothing...
-Neither the message itself nor anything that happened between it and me suddenly falling unconscious...-Venti couldn't help but start in some confusion, as he still couldn't help wondering what was going on. -...Somehow, I know I didn't collapse right away, but I can't remember anything in between...
It was just like that time when he fought against Durin with Dvalin and then went into a deep slumber,
But what happened between those two "Points in Time", he just couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried...
...
And no one would tell him what actually happened, either,
As he soon found out while waking up a few hours later...
...
"Venti, you are finally awake!", Barbara almost yelled out from her side of the bed, as she was looking towards him with worried eyes, "How are you feeling? Is everything okay? Is there anything you need help with...?"
"...I...Did I suddenly collapse...?", Venti couldn't help but wonder aloud, as he slowly looked around the room, noticing both the aforementioned Deaconess and her father standing nearby. But this was not what worried him the most. "...Right in the middle of the Traveler's retelling, why would I suddenly collapse...?"
"It's alright now, Lor...Venti. There is no need to worry.", Seamus soon answered, looking and sounding reassuring, "I can tell you a summary of the Traveler's words, if you want."
The Seneschal added, though Venti was no longer listening to him by this point,
As he was busy wondering why Seamus was acting so suspiciously and not telling him...
...
No, this was Seamus, one of his more devout people,
If he was hiding something from him, then there must be a valid reason for it.
...
...
"Thank you for bringing me here, Seamus.", Venti soon decided to say instead, looking and sounding grateful, before he turned towards Barbara, "I am really alright now, so there is no need to worry. But if you are still so worried nevertheless...", he added in some clear amusement, an idea soon coming to his mind, "...Having my wings groomed would be really nice, don't you think so?~"
He added upon making his wings appear,
Soon turning around so that they will be in the Deaconess' face.
*As he already imagined how embarrassingly cute she must now look~
...
After a little "back and forth", Barbara did accept grooming his wings,
Which felt quite relaxing and made him forget about the other "issue" for a while...
...
Yet still, even now,
He couldn't help but wonder...
…
Just what was everyone protecting him from…?
…
…
"Dodododododo~ You got a call! Dodododododo~ Pick up now! Dododododododododododo~"
Oh, the Traveler was calling now!
*Better answer them and fast~
-Good day to you, Traveler! How are you doing today...? -Venti said as soon as he answered the call, his expression soon turning a little guilt stricken. -Sorry for suddenly collapsing like that Traveler, right in the middle of your retelling. I am not sure what happened, but...
"Do you still blame yourself for your friend's death?", the Traveler interrupted his words with this "out of nowhere" question, one which sounded too serious to be in jest, with the inquirer looking just as serious, "...Do you, Venti...?"
-...I am not, Traveler. Not anymore. -The Archon truthfully answered, looking and sounding a little confused now. -But why are you suddenly asking...?
"...Just as SHE said you would.", was what the Traveler soon thoughtfully said, interrupting his words once again, "...From the very beginning, it went all according to HER plan.", they continued with a quiet mumble, followed by a few seconds of awkward silence, "...Venti, if someone did all they possibly could so that you would have a good life, but it hurt you emotionally in the process, will you still forgive them...?"
The Traveler asked another "out of nowhere" question,
And now Venti was quite sure that something happened...
*But why wouldn't the Traveler tell him what was wrong...?
...
Why did it feel like they were hiding...?!
"...No, it's nothing. Nothing for you to worry about, Venti...", the Traveler interrupted him a third time, looking and sounding reassuring, as well as risingly sad, "...Besides, SHE is not expecting that you forgive HER or that you two would return to having the same relationship that you had before. She simply wants you to continue enjoying your life with your "Mondstadt family"..."
"Oh, right, you must be wondering how Xiao and Cyno are doing. You heard a summary about me checking on them, right...?", the Traveler asked two minutes or so later, looking and sounding more thoughtful than anything, "I will start with Xiao...", they suddenly sighed, starting to look both weary and regretful, "Remember how that...How Dottore showed Xiao that horrible nightmare...? Yeah, Xiao was just faking being alright afterwards. Just like always, he decided that his wellbeing was nowhere near as important as the "Post Crisis" situation.", they explained, looking and sounding more and more sad as they did so, "Xiao didn't want to talk at the start, saying that he was alright and there was no need to worry for him. But I could see it in his eyes, that "nightmare", it scarred him. So when I pushed the issue some more, he just broke...", at these words, the Traveler started looking guilt stricken, as well, "...Venti, you heard Xiao's words yourself when he was having a panic attack, right...? He shakily told me about it in details, his horrible emotional torture. Thankfully, he didn't drop at my feet and started begging me to kill him like I feared he would, but seeing him so distressed..."
-...Experiencing his horrible past again, even if it was just a realistic illusion, must have left Xiao in pieces...-Venti couldn't help but add, now sounding sad and regretful himself. -...He is doing better now, right, Traveler...?
"...He is mostly fine now. As fine as he could be considering the circumstances.", the Traveler admitted, looking and sounding a little reassuring, yet there was still sadness in their voice, "...Xiao was a great help during the "Sumeru Crisis", so wherever he wants to or not (with that "I wish to repay my saviors!" promise of his), I am thinking of "sending" him to Mondstadt for the upcoming Windblume. It should be as lively as last year, right...?"
They wishfully asked, looking both hopeful and a little uncertain as they did so,
And it didn't take Venti long to realize the reason why...
-...Even with everything that went on during this year, including Lisa's death...-Venti started, trying to sound as serious and as determined as possible. -...We still plan to celebrate the love festival in full. Both for those who still live and for those who are no longer here. -...This is what was already decided, right...? Besides...-...I am certain that Lisa would have loved to see everyone enjoying themselves during the celebration.
"Yes, Lisa wouldn't have wanted people to continuously mourn her death.", the Traveler soon agreed, their expression turning a little amused, "Lisa always loved teasing others and giving people, uh..."Unusual" nicknames. But all in all, her family and friends, she always put them first place."
They ended the small summary with this, a confident and warm sentence,
One that Venti had to completely agree with, especially since...
...
"Venti, I know that you have to be very careful when you use your Time Power, both with its frequency and especially the amount.
One wrong move and you will surely invite THEIR wrath. You getting severely punished or even murdered is something I would never want.
You are Mondstadt's...And my, Adorable Archon and an equally Adorable Friend/Family member, right...?~"
...
...
-...Lisa, she...She knew I could have saved her with my Time Power. And yet...-He couldn't help but sadly say, upon remembering what happened, once again. -...She chose to quietly die, just so that I wouldn't be put in possible danger...
"...I can understand why she chose to do this. Especially now when SHE told me more about what is really going on...", the Traveler admitted, looking and sounding thoughtful, before there was a short pause, "...Venti, I can't tell you much, but you can't die and completely disappear, alright...? So make sure to be very very very careful, okay...?", they suddenly said, confusing Venti a second time during this still-quite-short call, a reaction which the Traveler clearly noticed, "...You like how things are now, right...? Between you and the Mondstadt citizens. Even me and the other nations' people. So if you want things to stay this way...", their expression suddenly turned dead serious, "...You are not allowed to die, Venti. So if I ever hear you doing something reckless..."
-I...I am not sure what this is all about, Traveler, but if you feel so strongly about it...-The Archon couldn't help but soon say, looking and sounding a little worried, especially after seeing the sudden glare sent his way. Why would the Traveler suddenly get mad at him...? Just what did they find out...?! -...I am going to be really really really careful from now on and not "run into" all kinds of trouble, so...-...It didn't look like the Traveler was believing him. Really, just what did they discover during these past 2 days...?! -...Do you want me to make you an official promise, Traveler...? Will that put your concerns to rest...?
He couldn't help but ask soon enough, hoping that the Traveler would agree to this...
*As Venti still couldn't help but wonder why the Traveler was so insistent...
...
Well, they were very good friends, so of course the Traveler didn't want him to die,
But it still felt like there was something more to it that his friend wasn't telling him...
*Like that part about how things are going now and if he wants them to stay this way...
...
...
It really sounded as if things would drastically change if he died,
And not just in Mondstadt, but in other nations, as well...
*But why would there be such a huge...?
"Alright, Venti, I agree to your proposal.", the Traveler interrupted his thoughts, looking and sounding both serious and now also hopeful, as well, "As long as it's a promise from "Barbatos, the Anemo Archon.", that is. You agree to this condition, right...?"
-...Ah, yes. I agree, Traveler. -The Archon soon said, as he still wondered what this was all about. But both the proposal and its condition weren't unwelcome, even if overly pushy, and as such...-I, Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, promise to do everything within my power in order to fight against death itself, striving to survive against every and all odds. -He declared with all the determination and seriousness he could muster, soon feeling the promise come into effect. -...Traveler, do you find my promise satisfactory or do you wish for me to elaborate on it further...?
He proceeded to solemnly ask, unable to drop the formal speech...
*Perhaps the reason for this was the Traveler's earlier "conduct",
The overly forceful way for which they asked him to declare this promise...
...
Without even a decency of explaining why...
"I am sorry for being so pushy with you, Venti. The moment I realized that all the "progress" will be completely lost, I...", the Traveler said around 2 minutes later, looking and sounding quite regretful, before they sighed, "...Well, since you made that promise, it should be okay. At least, I hope so...", they reassuringly mumbled soon enough, upon looking towards their Archon friend in thought, "...I should continue the "retelling" now, starting from where I last left off: Xiao going to Mondstadt to attend the upcoming Windblume, where he would hopefully be able to heal from what that "Mad Doctor" did to him.", they added in a quitter voice, before their expression turned both sad and regretful once again, "I am glad that I checked on Cyno when SHE told me to, since he is similar to Xiao with how well he can hide his distress. And since I don't know him as well as I do our Yaksha friend...", they couldn't help but deeply sigh soon enough, "Ever since the "Sumeru Crisis" started, he became more and more distressed, to the point where Cyno decided to do what he is told without question, just so he wouldn't break down. Not only did he have to do his duties as the General Mahamatra and a member of the Temple of Silence, he also had to make sure both Samir and Nahida wouldn't get depressed and do something dangerous. Then there's the whole situation with the Akademiya's machinations, "Dessert Dwellers VS Rainforest Dwellers" situation and the Fatui's involvement in Sumeru's affairs. And lastly, his own "Identity Crisis" brought due to the situation with Collei's kidnapping (who he actually sees as his adopted daughter), Lisa's death (He knew that his friend was going to die and the reason why) and the whole "issue" with Priest Kasala (Ever since seeing a certain video, he was "experiencing" the Priest's memories).", they explained before sighing once again, their expression soon turning a little annoyed, "...Cyno, just as Xiao did before, had to be "coerced" to take a break. So as soon as Samir and Nahida woke up, I told them everything that Cyno told me. It didn't take for both of them to decide that Cyno should also attend Windblume and ORDERED him to leave for Mondstadt with Xiao."
-...So I assume they would both be "coming"(teleported by Xiao) here soon...? -Venti couldn't help but soon ask, already wondering how to best welcome them. Though in Xiao's case, it was a "welcome back"...-...Considering how distressed both of them must be by now, should their "welcome" be similar to Collei's "Welcoming Party"...? They will accept it, right...?
"Considering how stubborn those two are, I am not really sure.", the Traveler noted, looking and sounding thoughtful, "...Though Cyno should be easier, I think. Both because his "distress" is "lesser" than Xiao's and since he can actually make jokes...As bad as they are. Nahida seems to like his puns, too...", they soon trailed off, their expression still very thoughtful and now a little confused, as well, "...Yeah, just have Cyno participate in a "Pun Show" or something and it would probably make him feel a little better...", their mouth suddenly widened into a big and mischievous smile, "...But I think Cyno should already be feeling a little better right about now. He was "given the duty" of punishing Scaramouche once the (former) Harbringer woke up, after all~", they amusingly explained, before there was a short and dramatic pause, "By telling him all the jokes Cyno could come up with, like this one I heard while exiting the room: "This will certainly a-PEAS our Archon. Appease, A-PEAS. Get it?"."
The Traveler soon recalled, going into short laughter at the end of it,
As they couldn't help but imagine Scaramouche's reaction to those jokes...
*And especially the (former) Harbringer's face at the end of his "Punishment"~
-...That is an interesting one and an equally interesting "Punishment", Traveler~ -Venti soon agreed, looking and sounding quite amused, as his expression suddenly turned a little confused. -...Actually, that "bad pun"...I think I heard it before somewhere, but I am not sure when or from whom.
He couldn't help but admit, getting silence from the Traveler in reply,
Before their expression turned a little confused, as well...
"...Now that you mention that, I could have sworn I saw a very "weird mirage" when I exited the room: Scaramouche sitting on a chair, with his feet in a handless basket of "Cool Peas".", the Traveler soon admitted, looking and sounding even more confused now, "...I think I also heard something about "PEASed to FEET you" during that (Probably made by Nahida, Samir or both) "mirage"...?"