"We apologize for interrupting you, Barbatos, but you are going to have visitors soon. The Adorable Children have recently finished their lessons for today and already started their trip here!
...We have to admit that they are very Adorable, but we planned to cuddle with you, so with them on the way...We don't want to share our favorite Archon with them...!"
True to their words, the children soon arrived...
...
Together with the squirrels, the fox family and the pigeons,
As well as the Estate's cats, who also decided to follow after him...
*Not to mention the Wind Spirits who still stuck to him like glue...
...
...
And then, to the Archon's horror,
The situation he was afraid of actually happened!
...
-Hey, why are you taking Venti away?
-Father is spending time with us now!
-That's right! Daddy promised to spend this time with Nora!
-...Lily wants to play with Papa!
-Wind God should play us music!
-Yes, his music is good enough to...!
-No! Belly rubs! Want belly rubs!
-Pet me! Pet me!
-No, we fly.
-Yes, he one of us.
"Barbatos should be spending time with us!"
-Belly rubs! Cuddles!
-Venti's playing with us!
-No, he fly!
-Nice smelling friend play!
"Barbatos is ours and ours only!"
-Hey, don't stick to Father, you...!
Everyone suddenly started fighting over him, just as he feared...
*Back then, it wasn't just a normal "Vision", but a Vision of the future…!
...
...
And it was also extremely embarrassing!
-Thank you for accompanying me, Diona. -Callirhoe, now in her usual Oceanid form, couldn't help but thank the person by her side. -...Ever since Finch died, I...-She sadly added moments later, before sighing. -...Who would have thought I would be mourning him even now, after almost a week had passed...
-...There's nothing wrong about mourning his death. You two were in love, right...? -Diona said moments later, her expression soon falling. -...I-if Daddy suddenly died, I...!
She shakily said upon, once again, remembering the day she got her Vision...
There was once a storm that lasted for three days, and for those three days, her father, who had been out hunting, did not return.
...
She burst out the door and into the tempest, and the waters that stood in her path were frozen by some power she did not recognize.
Using her superlative tracking skills, she found her father under a broken gorge.
...
...
-Don't worry, Diona. If anything were to happen to your father, I promise to help you find and save him with haste. -The Oceanid soon reassured, before getting quiet for a few seconds. -...As for Finch, he died of old age after living a full life. So even if we were in love, in time I should...
Her words soon trailed off, as moments later she appeared to be deep in thought...
*Or at least that's how it looked like to Diona, who still wasn't quite able to distinguish her Oceanid friend's expressions...
...
...
Callirhoe was probably reminiscing about Finch now, remembering their time together,
Both before she met her friend, afterwards and during the last Windblume...
...
So she shouldn't interrupt her, right...?
*But should she say something anyway...?
Or just being silent was alright...?
...
She heard that being by the side of the mourning person was enough,
That just listening to their grief and staying with them is enough...
*But was that really true...? What if she should do more...?
...
...
Callirhoe might be an Oceanid, but she was also her friend...
*Shouldn't there be more she could do for her than this...?
...
...
But her friend looks a little better than she did before...
*Or was it just her imagination...?
...
...
"Oh, Diona, you can leave work early today. I heard that your friend, Callirhoe, should be arriving in the city soon.
Me and Valerina can finish with the work for today, so you can go and spend time with your friend."
Was what her boss told her around forty minutes ago.
*Did she perhaps know that this was going to happen...?
...
...
Maybe she should make Callirhoe a nice drink to make her feel a little better.
*And whatever her friend wanted it to be alcoholic or not didn't matter!
As her friend, she should...!
...
...
Wait, is that a Wind Spirit zipping through the city...?
*There were a lot of those recently, probably because of Venti...
...
It just changed direction and...
...
...
Eh, right towards them?!
*No, it was right towards...!
Whack!
-...What is the matter, little frie...? -Callirhoe started asking a moment later, her voice suddenly trailing off, as she slowly looked at the Wind Spirit who just crashed into her. -...You are...? -She couldn't help but soon say, as an important memory came into her mind, making her eyes widen. -...Is that you...Finch...?
She couldn't help but ask in disbelief,
The memory kept repeating in her mind once more...
...
...
"...Calli, it's alright...Even after I die...I promise to...Return to you...
So don't feel sad...About my...Passing...Alright...?"
After the "Fierce battle" concluded,
And him almost dying of embarrassment…
*This "Battle for attention" was still very new...
...
...
A-anyways, they were soon spotted by Mika,
Who appeared to have recently returned from taking care of the Aviary...
*Venti couldn't help but wonder how the place's current progress was,
Since the birds usually came to greet him, he didn't check that place in quite a while...
...
Perhaps, after they finish their Hide and Seek game,
Everyone wouldn't mind checking that place, as well...?
...
...
"Oh, I know. How about you play Hide and Seek?
This place is so big, that I drew a map of the Estate grounds as soon as I could. Do you want to see it...?"
Was what Mika soon suggested, before proceeding to show him the map in question,
Which was very well-made, as expected of the Front-Line Land Surveyor of the Knights of Favonius...
*Knowing Mika, he probably also already made a map of the Winter/Ski Resort and the Starfell and Dadaupa villages...
...
...
He was getting distracted with his thoughts, but since he was currently hiding...
...
There wasn't much else he could really do, right...?
...
Not only did he make sure to find a very good hiding spot,
But he also made sure to close his connection with the Winds beforehand...
*This way, it would take a while until someone could actually find him...
...
Now he was hiding in the middle part of one of the Manor's Chimneys,
And starting to get extremely bored from being stuck in this position for so long...
*Why did he decide on this place to hide in, anyway...?
What if he gets really crazy again, just like that time...?
…
…
Decades passed since then,
Yet, somehow it felt like just a few days...
...
In the back of his mind,
He could still remember those familiar voices…
...
Of those he got to call his friends,
Those he got to call his family...
...
Softly calling out to him,
Asking him how his day has been,
And making sure that he...
"Lo...Venti, you were very quiet for a while now.
Are you feeling okay...? Do you require me to take over?"
…
…
"AGGGGGH! HOW CAN SHE STAY COOPED UP IN ONE TINY ROOM LIKE THIS?!
HOW CAN SHE STAY COOPED HERE WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING SO BRIGHT, THE WIND IS SWEETLY BLOWING THROUGH THE STREETS, THE BIRDS ARE SINGING THEIR SONGS OF FREEDOM AND...?! AGH!"
…
…
"...Lord Barbatos, I can take over the Acting Grandmaster duties.
So, you can..."
"I AM GOING OUTSIDE NOW!", he interrupted Frederica, as he was about to teleport outside, but then stopped upon seeing his nemesis.
...
The office door.
...
IT DARED TO KEEP HIM INSIDE!
...
SUCH DISRESPECT SHOULD BE PUNISHED!
AND HE HAD THE PERFECT PUNISHMENT IN MIND!
"THIS IS SPARTAAAAAA!", he yelled out while teleporting to the door and kicking it open with all his might, as it soon broke off from its hinges, flying through the area and colliding with the opposing door, both doors breaking down upon impact, with only wood splinters remaining from the once annoyingly-arrogant office doors, "REPENT, THEE DISRESPECTFUL DOTH'R!"
…
…
"FINALLYYYYYYY! FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!", he couldn't help but happily yell soon enough, feeling like a bird that had just escaped captivity.
…
…
He realized that Frederica just became the Acting Grandmaster for the Acting Grandmaster for the Acting Grandmaster,
He should have noticed that there was something wrong with that sentence, but he was too annoyed and too done to care.
…
…
THIS PRESENCE!
IT FELT FAMILIAR!
"XIAOOOOOOO!", he shouted not even a second later, happy to see his favorite guardian Yaksha appearing before him, as he practically jumped on top of him, catching the other completely off guard and pushing them both to the ground below, "YOU CAME TO SEE MEEEEEEEE!"
After a few seconds, sat and then shakily stood up, as he still clung to his Yaksha friend like a Koala to a tree.
…
"XIAOOOOO! I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOOOOOOU! YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME THESE DAYYYYYYYS!
FIRST THE CRYO NATION ATTACKED! THEN I BECAME AN EYESTORM AND THEN I WAS DEAD! THEN I GOT STUCK BY THE TREE AND SITTING DOWN FOR HOURS WAS SO BORING! THEN I GOT STUCK IN THE CITY AND A BUNCH OF STUFF HAPPENED! THEN I GOT STUCK IN THE TINY OFFICE WITH MY WOOD NEMESIS! AND DURING IT ALL I COULDN'T LEAVE FOR THE LANTERN RITE AND WAS VERY SAAAAAAAD!"
…
H-he even…!
T-to Xiao…!
…
…
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!
…
The way he acted back then was just so embarrassing!
He didn't want a repeat of that time! No no no!
No no no no no no no!
*Though there was a "repeat" when he was finally allowed to leave the city,
And then he soon enough started kissing the "Symbol of Mon..."
-Hello there, Venti. To think you will choose this particular spot to hide in...-His thoughts were soon interrupted by a familiar voice, as the Traveler was now looking down at him in amusement, before their expression turned glad. -After being away for so long, it feels nice to return to Mondstadt.
They soon showed him a warm smile,
And as, uh..."Bizarre" as the current situation was...
*With the Traveler finding him hiding inside a chimney...
-Welcome back to Mondstadt, Traveler. -Was what he couldn't help but soon say, upon returning the smile. -I am not the first person you decided to visit, am I...?
