After the end of the Talent Show,
Venti found himself in a dilemma…
*And it wasn't due to Callirhoe's song.
...
"Perhaps he should take that "Kapellmeister form" of his again,
As a reward to Sansa for her melodious song~
*She clearly seemed to like it a lot, remembering of it even now,
Besides, a little teasing wouldn't hurt anyone, right?~
...
But it would be best to do so after the end of the current event,
There were clearly still a few people who had to perform, which included Collei..."
He planned to show Sansa that mature form of his again...
*Actually, except for his "Kapellmeister form" at that time,
Did he ever really turn into a more mature form...?
...
Maybe he should try changing into a different one...
P̵̠͚̤̫̗̝̣͚̐͛̾͌͊͋̀ͅe̵̡̲͔̙͇̓͋̌͘r̸̢̨͉̘̹̰͖̼̜̫͊̑̄͝h̸̞̳̺͊́̎ͅā̸̪͈̜̯͑͒̋̒p̸̨̺̟͉̹̆s̵͓̙͎̬͍̤̯͈̱̓̓̏̍̐̃͑̔̕ ̶̨͍̣͉͍͒ì̶̛̖̖̳̜͛͆t̸̛͕̘̳͇̩̭͖̺̦̃͊̃͗̋̑́͘͠ ̴̛̰̯̫̳̭̎̚c̵̣̻͓̹͉̖̥͙̓̚̕ô̶̡̭͖͉̇̊̂͑̊̂̎͘͝ư̵̭̲͒̄l̴̮̘͖͖̘̝̂d̵̬͂̎̇̏͒́̚ ̶̨̧̨̛̻̣͎̥̪̻̄̆͗͛͗̎b̵͎̈́̑̈́͂̀̏͑͘̕͠è̶͚̣̝͒ ̶̻̮̖̰̪̉̍͊̚̚͜ͅo̵̰͒̈̐̈́̈͒̚ͅņ̵̙̭͍̲͓͙̦̰̈́͂͜ȅ̵̩̆͜ ̶̳͔͔̀̑̎̑͊w̶̢͇͎̙̤̠̖̯̦̭̓̾̚͝ḯ̸̡̬̤̟͚̫͇͖̈ṱ̷̡̠͍̦͊̀͌͜ȟ̴̪ ̸̡̯̭̱̾͠͝ḩ̶͈̄į̴̙͕̥̲̥͉͗̽̿͌͊̆̃͝s̷̨̰͕̙̖̓̀͛͛̓͌̓̕͠͝ ̴̡͍͕͖̦͕̹̬̍͂̀͊h̷͓̙͔͂̾̇̈́a̵̪̼͓̠͊̔̄͆͌͛̉͘͜͝i̶̟̇̒̉̏͂͠r̸̖͇͗̾̌͝ ̸͚̮̥̎̀͑̀̃́̉̎͌́l̸̘̝͓̼͈̘͓̟͎̾̒͑̅̔̍̉͂̀ͅò̶̢̻̰̤̠͓͈̖̐̆͝n̷̟̪̻̆ǵ̸̨̤̗͔̞̥̼̍͑̈́͌͜ ̵͔̠̒͌̑̐̌̈͛̇̇̃͜ȃ̵̱̳͌̿͑ņ̸̨̨̮͍̙͑̓̊͛̾̾d̷̛̼͌͛́̈ ̸̢̨̮̩̻̰̦̜̰̺̾͛͛͋l̷̦̖̹͙̮̔̊̂̌͘ͅo̸̼̫͋͌ơ̵̡̤͋̒ͅş̴̨̞̳̱̭͖͇̠̖̿̋̏́̆̚̚ë̶̡̺̙̳́̃̉͝͝
...
...
But first he should do something about the "Issue" at hand...
"And then, it was Lily's turn..."
...
...
"*It was no wonder she was so nervous before, first singing and now the Balancing Act,
One which looked like it required a lot of practice in order to perfect...
...
...
Once the Talent Show is over, he should tell her how well she had done~
*And of course, he should tell the other children this too, they truly worked hard~"
He also planned to reward Lily and the rest of the children for how nicely they have performed...
*The same children who were currently standing before him, showing him the "Puppy Eyes"...
...
Now that the Talent Show is officially over and everyone started to disperse,
He should have expected them to beg..."Ask" him to spend time with them...
...
...
"...As for Jean, Seamus and Frederica, I am certain that once the last preparations for Windblume activities are complete...
...They are surely going to have enough free time to enjoy the rest of the festival with you."
"...You should also join us then, Venti."
Yes, this was during his talk with Barbara just yesterday...
*He also wanted to spend time with her and the rest of the family,
And with him now feeling better, they would surely want it too...
...
...
But...
...
The children...
...
-...Venti, can you play with us?
-We couldn't spend time with you before, Father.
-Daddy, I want to enjoy Windblume together with you!
-Didn't Lily do good, Papa Venti...?
-Venti, pleeeease...
-Pleeeease, Venti...
-Pretty please with a cherry on top...?
That last sentence came pretty much out of nowhere (did the Traveler teach them that?),
But it was more than clear what the still pleading children wanted from him...
...
He should decide something and fast or those Adorable Children might just start crying…!
*And he didn't want to see them cry, especially not after the good job they did today.
...
...
Rewarding Sansa shouldn't take long,
And Barbara should understand if he joins her later...
...
-How about this, I am going to go find Sansa really fast and show her my "Kapellmei..."...The mature form I took that time when I decided to be the bards teacher. And then I am going to spend the remainder of the day with you all! -He couldn't help but soon suggest, upon looking between the now thoughtful children. -So, how does this sound...? Can you wait a little bit more...?
He made sure to ask in reassurance,
Soon waiting for the children's reply...
"...We just asked them, Deaconess Barbara wouldn't mind it if you only join her and her family for Dinner.", the Winds suddenly informed him, sounding quite reassuring themselves, before there was a small pause, "...Besides, the Talent Show cleanup is also going to take some time..."
They soon added in thought,
Before there became silence once more...
...
-We are okay with waiting, Father. Isn't that right...?
-Yes! I don't mind if Venti goes to see Miss Sansa first! Just don't take long, okay?
-Miss Sansa sang very nice and Papa wants to tell her that, right?
-...Daddy wants to show Sansa his Grown up form as a reward...!
-...Venti is going to show his Grown up form as a reward for doing well...?
-...Daddy, can I come with you to see Miss Sansa...?
-...Can I join? Your Grown up form is very pretty, Venti!~
-Papa is always pretty!
-...But Father's Grown-up form is a different type of pretty.
-...Daddy even made many Grown-ups fall in love with him!
-...Venti's pretty Grown-up form, I also want to see it again!
-...Papa, can Lily join you to see Miss Sansa? Lily wants to see this pretty form too!
-...Can we join you, Venti...?
-Can we, please...?
-Venti, pleeeaseeee!
-Pleeeaseeeeee, Ventiiiii!
This was the children's small, yet slightly embarrassing, exchange,
And now they were looking at him with "Puppy Eyes", yet again...
...
...
And soon, Venti had no choice but to accept...
"Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow Meow, Meow Meow~
Meow Meow Meow Meow, Meow~
Meow Meow Meow!
...
Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow Meow~
...
Meow Meow, Meow Meow~
Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow, Meow Meow~
Meow Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow!
...
Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow Meow~
...
Meow, Meow?
Meow Meow, Meow?
Meow Meow, Meow Meow?
Meow Meow, Meow Meow!
...
Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow Meow~
...
Meow Meow Meow Meow~
Meow Meow!"
As soon as the group entered Cat's Tail, they were met with a cat chorus!
*It sounded very melodic, even though no one had any idea what the cats were singing about...
-They did so well. I am glad that my vocal coaching didn't go to waste. -Diona couldn't help but say from her spot by the bar counter, looking and sounding very proud, before her expression turned more serious moments later. -...Do you want to order something or do you want to try our new "Rent a Cat" service...?
-What did the cats sing about...? -Shenhe was the first to ask, pretty much voicing everyone's thoughts, as her expression soon turned thoughtful. -...Perhaps this is common knowledge, but as I was training in the mountains for most of my life...
-Knowing Cat language is not common knowledge, Miss Shenhe. -Yaoyao soon interrupted her, as she was looking in thought between the cats and Diona, before turning to look towards the rest of the group. -...We would like to try the "Rent a Cat" service, yes...?
-Whatever this "service" is, they all look so cute! I would like to try this new service! -Jeht answered almost right away, before she turned to look towards the other members of the group. -How about everyone else? This sounds great, right? Just look how adorable they all are!
-Klee has to agree that all the kitties are really adorable and Klee doesn't mind trying this "Rent a Cat" service, whatever it is! -The small Pyromaniac answered her, looking and sounding quite enthusiastic. -You also find them really cute, right Qiqi...?
She turned to ask the small zombie,
Who looked towards the cats in thought for a few seconds...
-...The Kitties are cute, yes...-She answered moments later, a small smile on her face. -Qiqi agrees to try the "new service".
-I am just here to spend time with Collei and "reward" her for that beautiful dance she showed us~ -Amber was the next to answer, looking and sounding quite happy. -I don't mind trying the "Rent a Cat" service either!
She soon admitted, upon looking between the awaiting cats,
Some of which she saw in Cat's Tail before, while others...
...
Those were the former strays that Miss Valerina brought in, right...?
-I don't mind joining in the "Rent a Cat" service, either. -Shenhe soon admitted, as she also looked between the cats. -...They do look cute, yes.
-They are cute and warm. -A familiar voice soon agreed, as everyone soon turned towards its source, only to see Rosaria playing with a cat. -...This is similar to playing with small children, yet different...
-...I would like to try the new service, too. -Tadhla answered moments later, as she was glancing between Rosaria playing with the cat and the other cats waiting at the counter. -...This should be a new experience for me...Even though I have no idea what to do with those cats...
She soon admitted, upon stopping her gaze on the cats,
As moments later everyone turned to look towards the last member of their big group...
...
-...You invited me here as a "reward" for helping everyone out the last three days. Even though there was no need for this. -Xiao soon admitted, looking and sounding a little conflicted. -...I don't particularly care about this new "Rent a Cat" service, but I can help you with it, if you want. -He explained, before turning to look towards the Adventure Guild woman sitting at the nearby table together with Margaret, each one of them busy with brushing a cat. -...Can you tell us what exactly this new service entails...?
Long after the Talent Show and its clean up have had ended,
As everyone left to either celebrate Windblume or make preparations for tomorrow...
...
Vennessa decided to remain by the tree,
Sitting under its bark and near its roots,
And overlooking the Statue of the Seven...
...
...
She couldn't help but think about the situation with Venti's friend,
As well as Venti's reaction before and after SHE told him the truth...
...
"Just as SHE warned me before, I have to be very careful while using my Time Power.
Don't worry, I am going to follow that warning, it's a promise."
Whatever it was, for Venti to make another promise...
*And in such a heartbreaking way, too...
...
...
"Good morning, Venti.
How are you feeling...? Are you still...?"
"I got my answer from HER. In the "Dreamscape".
...Well, it's actually a "part" of HER, part of "Kairos". The Time Power she left me...
...The explanation itself wasn't long, but the information she shared with me...Truthfully, I still need some time to take it all in."
"Do you need a few minutes to yourself, Venti?
...Alright, I will be just behind the door if you need me."
Vennessa could clearly see that he needed some time alone,
But she didn't expect to find him crying so much later on…
…
"...I-I am okay...V-Vennessa…! …I-I just...
...I-it's hard...B-being an Archon...W-with a whole nation...T-that...
...V-Vennessa, I know I am important...T-to you and...B-but still...I-I...!
...I-I don't want others to suffer..."
For him to say all that, while crying so intensely,
It was truly hard to watch...
*She wasn't sure what to say to reassure him that everything was alright,
Vennessa could clearly see that whatever SHE told Venti, it was really bad,
And without knowing what exactly it was or having the heart to ask him...
...
...
It was truly a blessing that the Talent Show happened when it did,
And by the end of it, Venti clearly looked like he was feeling a lot better than before.
...
But as great as the show went,
Callirhoe's song from before…
…
"Windblume, Mondstadt's Festival of Love,
And the Celebration of the Thousand Winds
An opportunity to Improve any and all Relationships that people have
Familial, Platonic and Romantic Love
A Chance to Spend more time with those you Love
Cherishing the Time that you have Together
So that no matter how Long or Short your Life is
You will have no Regrets by its Eventual end
"You never know what you have until you lose it"
Is how the Well-known quote goes
And as you continue Enjoying this year's Windblume
Here's my Message to all of you:
No matter what Unfolds, for Better or Worse
United may you stand Against all odds
Just as Oceanids are able to Merge
Becoming a Single, yet more Powerful form
United against the Troubles that Arise
Against the Test of Time
And perhaps
Even Fate itself."
Even if partly, she too must know what was coming...
...
...
Things were unusually "peaceful" in Mondstadt lately,
Which led Vennessa to believe that sooner or later something is bound to happen...
*If only they knew what…
…
Is it the Abyss Order...? Celestia...? Fatui...?
Or perhaps some other threat they know nothing about...?
...
...
Wherever is going to happen, Venti is surely going to be in danger,
Both as Mondstadt's Archon and as someone who has so much involvement in everything.
*Even if neither they or even Venti himself fully knew about it.
...
...
And shouldn't the Hexenzirkel be arriving soon...?
*Miss Alice clearly informed her that they are going to help Venti remember,
But by them doing so...There could be "some trouble" with Celestia...
...
...
"...When it's time for the "Tea Party", I should accompany Venti. Just in case something happens.", was what Vennessa soon thought, but didn't dare say aloud,
As she couldn't help but realize that if she is not careful enough, she might get overheard...
...
THEY were watching Venti much more closely now, after all.