"It's finally time for an intermission.", was what Nilou couldn't help but think about in reassurance,
Just as the first part of the play finally came to end and she was able to take a break...
*This was the first time she acted as a character in a play,
And even though she gave it her all, she was worried that she was simply not good enough...
...
That she couldn't get the feelings across through her performance.
...
...
But it looked like the crowd liked the stage play, so maybe she did well, after all...?
*If only she could know this for certain...
...
-You did great, Nilou and don't ever think otherwise! -A familiar voice was soon heard nearby, as she then turned to its source, moments later freezing in shock. -For your first acting role, you did so splendidly that...
Lord Kusanali, who turned out to be speaker, soon said something else,
But Nilou could no longer hear her, as she felt like she was in some kind of surreal dream...
*Lord Kusanali...Was now here...?
...
And she was…
…
Complimenting her...?
...
...
This felt...So real...
...
But...
...
What if she was...
...
Dreaming...?
...
...
-...You are not dreaming at all, Nilou. -Samir couldn't help but mumble in amusement, as he was looking in the direction of the backstage in great interest. -...It was a good idea to suggest this to Nahida. To think that one of her biggest fans would get so touched she would freeze in place~
...
...
"In a few minutes there should be an intermission, with some refreshments already prepared.
...Can you hold up until then, Big Brother Venti...?"
...
Nahida's reassuring words to Bar...Venti,
He couldn't help but wonder how the Archon was doing right now...
*Was he still extremely embarrassed or had he already calmed down...?
...
...
It appears that he had actually managed to distract himself...
...
-Oh, this spirits drink is actually not bad at all. Almost makes me forget about how embarrassing that play was...-Barbatos was currently mumbling, as he was standing a few feet away and seemingly tasting all the alcohol he recently got as a gift. -...Seriously, what is with humans trying to glorify everything...I am not that wise, benevolent or great...Though I am also not the exact opposite, but...
His words suddenly trailed off, as his expression turned thoughtful.
*It felt like there was something he forgot, but what...?
...
"...We just asked around and the Sumerian Winds are saying that the dogs and wolves are from a family called Caninae or Canines, which includes animals like coyotes, foxes and jackals. So asking people who know about those animals would also be a good idea. And since we are currently en route to Sumeru, we could ask some people there about how to make Dog Treats.
...Like Dog Lover Nilou or Part-Fox Tighnari."
...
...
"Now you finally remember it, Barbatos! You were way too embarrassed to do this before, didn't you...?~", the Winds soon "helpfully" said, sounding quite amused, before there was a small pause, "...Part-Fox Tighnari is currently discussing something with Mahamatra Cyno and Cute Teen Collei on the other side of the theater."
They helpfully added, sounding more serious this time,
As the Archon soon realized that he needs to be quick if he wants to talk to Tignari now...
*It was a while since the intermission started and it was going to end in around 10 minutes!
...
...
-Tadhla, is everything alright...? -Jeht couldn't help but ask her friend in some worry, as she saw the other's expression suddenly turn dumbfounded. -...Are the memories of that time still tormenting you...? If so, then we can return to...
-No, it's not that. If it was...Those memories, I would have told you before we went to the parade. -Tadhla soon answered her, looking and sounding mostly calm, yet there was still some confusion in her expression. -...I was just confused about something...Can't gods teleport...? It should be way faster than flying, right...? -She soon quietly said, her words still heard clearly to her friend who stood by her side. -...Lord Barbatos just zoomed past.
-...Knowing how he is, he must have forgotten about it due to his earlier embarrassment. -The other said moments later, looking and sounding quite thoughtful, before her expression turned a little sad. The Archon zooming past like that had just reminded her of something important. -...The play's second part should be starting soon, right...? Even though I haven't seen my father in a while, we don't have much time left to talk.
-We can also talk after the play, Jeht. -Jebrael reassured her, as he gave her a pat to the head, before his expression turned a little guilt-stricken. -Besides, it's my own fault for rarely visiting you now. Ever since I took on the role of the Tanit Clan's head, I had been really busy. The Clan had been poisoned for so long that...
-You still found the time to visit Jeht, arriving in the city for the celebration. -Tadhla interrupted him, looking and sounding quite serious, yet there was a tint of reassurance in her voice. -...And this is all that really matters, right...?
-Of course! I am just glad to see my father again, after so long! -Jeht agreed right away, looking and sounding quite happy, before her expression turned more serious. -...Since we don't have much time left before the second part starts, let's go back to our seats now. And during that time, I can tell you all about my life here in the city and studies in the Akademiya. -She soon added, upon turning around to look towards the seats in question, before she suddenly paused for a few seconds. -...Oh! After the play is over we can also visit Benben! He should be currently attending a "Robot party" with Karkata and Mehrak! -She happily said, before letting out a small chuckle. -Can you believe that Mister Rhadames was the one who suggested this...? He can come up with some very interesting ideas!
After the intermission, the second part of the play started.
*Hopefully it wouldn't be as embarrassing this time around,
The Sumerians wouldn't glorify him this time, right...?
...
...
"Don't worry, Big Brother, after the play a Big Banquet is going to be held!"
"Everyone made sure to prepare it to the best of their ability.
There are even a few Mondstadt dishes freshly made just for this occasion."
"Collei worked so hard to prepare them all. I wonder why Amber couldn't help her."
"From what I noticed, her culinary skills are somewhat lacking."
"...It's quite a shame, then. She feels like someone who would want to make a feast for all her friends."
This was what Nahida and Samir told him just before the play restarted,
Before going into a long discussion of their own about the matter of Amber's cooking...
*He wondered if he should interrupt them or not, since Amber's cooking skills weren't that bad...
...
Unlike some other (immortal) people...
*Ei had decades to learn, so how was she still so bad...?!
Even he was much better at cooking than her and he mostly knew how to slice fruits and vegetables!
...
But if there's going to be a banquet after this, then he can as well ignore his (possible) embarrassment...
...
...
Was it just how, or was there no mention of Liloupar until now...?
*Or rather, instead of mentions of her actual name...
'...search for the Mother of the Jinn...'
'The Sinful Jinni was...'
'...of the Deceitful Jinni.'
'For she, the Destroyer of Gurabad...'
...
...
She was called either by her species or titles...
*It felt as if she was actually...
...
...
.̶̨͉̙̝͕̜̹̎̒̀̑̌̑͋̀̉̇͂̃́̄͂̿͘̕͜͝͝.̴̪͙͎̯̠͖͖̟̯̖̲̼̄̆͌͊͛͗̓̊́̎̚͠.̷̨̧̢̨̬͕̮͚̦̮̙̹̘̤̰̭̻̠̝̲͔̻̻̱̬́̍͋̔̌̌̓́̚͜͜͝ͅF̷̢̡̭̜͖͎̣͕̘͓̪̺̠̼̮̠̰̦̞̲̻͖̬̘͉̱̙̼̘̮̐̾̒̾͌͂͛̀̑̇̍̄̓͒̔͘ơ̵̛͔͓̥̝̰͉̗͚̱͚̖̻̭̹̟̞̤̮̜̙̠̂̅̀̔̎͐̏̓͒̆̿͌͂́̕r̴̢̧̰̩͖͈̝̟͔̪̮̪̭̲͎̦͚̤͖̬͍̣̗̖͋̀̋̔̇̿̈́̃̑̑͂̈́̇̉́̉̇̀̈́̇̅̄̄͆̚̚͘͝͠͝g̶̢̡̧̧̧̨̩̜͚̖̠̖̗̬̰͔̜͉͔̺͙̺͇͙̖̯͈̥͉̰̊̏̌́͋̀͗̇̒̓͊̄̈́͋̔̐͘͠͠ȏ̴͔͋͌̆̂ṯ̴͎̮͚̫̙͎̦̯̜̜̗̣͍̱̬̗̇͌͛͜ͅt̷̢̖̪̗͋̉̆̏̓̄̔͗̊̄̌̀̄̇̈́͒͌̀̂̐̐͌̉̚̕͠͠͠ế̴̛͇̣̜̯̮̻̔̑͛̈́̄͆̏̋̇̌̈́͆̓̍͆͘̚͝͝n̶̘͎̣̗̪͋̑͌̇́̄̽͘͠.̷̢͈̲̯͙͚̹̞͙̘̦͙͈̺̋͊͐̔̆̄̕͘.̷̙̬͂̅̂̈́͘.̷̨̧̣̘͇̥͉̬̙̠̲͔͎̱̮̠̺̗͖̥̣̠͈̘̲̙̼͚̠̈́̇͆̓͒̀̓̈́̀̍̔͂̅̐̔͌̓̊͝ͅ?̶̛̰̳̫̥̟͉͇̎̄͑͐̅͆͌̄̓͑̾́̏̿̅̂̈́͑̎̈́̚͘̚̕͜͠͝͝
...
...
To some extent, she might actually be.
*He had to know for certain...
-Nahida...Uh, Little Sister. -He soon started, wondering how to continue. Better to just ask it as is. -...You remember about Liloupar, right...?
To this question she looked clearly confused for a few seconds,
Before finally...
-...It's the first time I am hearing that name. -Nahida finally answered, looking and sounding quite confused, before her expression turned a little suspicious. -...Is there a reason for me to know her...?
-Not exactly, no. -Samir was the one to answer her question, as he looked and sounded quite serious now. -There's a reason you don't know and it's best to leave it this way. -He mysteriously explained and it appeared that Nahida accepted the explanation, though she still seemed a little suspicious. -...I will tell you what happened later, Venti.
The other god soon told him, before turning back to watch the play,
And leaving Barbatos to wonder what exactly happened to Liloupar...
*The last he heard of her from the Traveler...
...
...
He couldn't remember, as if it was so long ago...
*Was it truly before the...
"̶̡̡̝̙̣͓̪͇̳̪̫͚͖̘̭̭̗͉̜͙̞̀̍͑̚͜R̶̡̧̧̨̘̘̫͙̲̻̖͙̘̩̯͇̯̩̙̜̀̒̐̄͆͘͜ę̵̨̛̝͕̟̥̺̼͙̩̳̤̭̯̺̪͔̟̞͎̬̙̻̣̟͎̅̀̾͗͌̔̈̈̿͊̊̐̑̄͌̃̀̈́̉̾̓͛̑͛͘͝͝͝ş̸̱͔̹͈̦̝̣̳̱̂͋͊͒͑̾͗̉̀̏̍̿͂̇̍̅̀͛ͅe̵̩̯̺͒͐͗̓͗̈́͐͋̍́͆̈́̍̀̈́̓̀̄͋̋̉͋͌̒̀̀̇̕͠͠ţ̵̨̧̡̛̺̦̗̭͕͖̞͓̦̹͖̅̀́̄͊͠ͅ"̵̠̠͈͇̫̮̗̥͚̬̲̼̝̬̞̜̠̾̆̑͑̏̏̋́̂̀̉͊͗͌̃̀͊̈̒͑̓̅̈́̄̿͘͠͠͝͠.̷̺̥̮̤̝͈̥̮͔͔͉̱̄.̸̨̨̲̫͎͍̙̬̞̇̋̾̃̏͒̈́̇͑̂̒͌̀̂͆̀͑̏̀̿͑͘͘͝.̷̨̨̜͔̖̠͓͕̘͈̥͙͈̮̻̻͚̲̜̰͌̈̌̿́̀̄͂̄̈̓́̕͜͝?̴͓̙͍̿̔̏͋̾̓̈̍̄̆́͌̔͑̔̎̀̓̍́͐̊̓́́̃̚͘͠
...
...
It would be best to ask about this late...
-There's also something that I want to ask you, Big Brother. Something which I wish to know. -His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of Nahida, who looked and sounded a little sheepish now. -...Venti, can you tell me what you infused your people's weapons with...? -She asked moments later, looking and sounding a little afraid now. -...That person, Diluc Ragnvindr, every time he summoned his Claymore...For some unexplainable reason, I couldn't help but feel afraid...-She explained, her expression turning ashamed. -...I know that it's shameful for me to be so afraid and just from something like this, but I still...
She sadly mumbled, as her words soon trailed off,
And yet, Barbatos didn't reply to her, as he couldn't help but remember a certain memory...
*Or rather, a "Vision" of a Past Timeline he saw before, during the "Hexenzirkel Tea Party"...
...
"You are the new Dendro Archon, I presume. You look quite young...And very innocent...
...Do you mind helping me in a certain experiment...? It's this pseudo Artifact I just made and need assistance testing~"
...
...
Wait...Is that...?!
Is that the same Artifact that was found back then...?!
*The one that tried to absorb him, so it possessed Master Diluc and...!
...
...
"...W-why are you...D-doing this...? T-this "experiment", I...
...Y-you planned this...F-from the very...S-start...B-but I thought that...I-I believed that...
I-I know I can...N-never be...G-greater Lord Rukkhadevata...B-but I still...!
...A-as Sumeru's...N-new Archon...I-I..."
"Hopefully, we will get a better and wiser Archon once you are dead."
"...I-I was…M-mistaken…A-all…"
...
...
Somehow, Nahida seemed to be affected by what happened to her in a Previous Timeline...
*So much so, that each time she saw Diluc's Claymore, which was infused with the Evil Presence of THAT Artifact,
And she didn't even know why she became so terrified, having this "unknown" fear...
...
...
...
How much could the events of a Previous Timeline affect the Current One...?
"It's okay to be afraid, Nahida. All of us are afraid of something.
The most important thing is overcoming this fear, so that you can live life to the fullest."
"...'Don't let fear lead your life.', I know this well, Big Brother Venti.
...Yet, I just can't overcome this unexplainable fear. And this fact makes me feel so ashamed."
Dvalin heard some of their discussion, of Barbatos and the Dendro Archon,
As he soon realized that there were others nearby who still couldn't fully overcome their fears...
*One such person was Collei, who currently felt a sense of relief that her "part" at the play was over,
Ever since the Traveler met her and up until her kidnapping by...That person and...
...
She was just glad that her situation was not mentioned much in the play itself...
*Of course, it was mostly because the play was family-friendly,
If not, then...
...
...
"Amber...? You are...? Oh, no! Are you alright?!
...D-did I...D-did I do this...? I-I...! I-I...!
...A-after I was...A-and the experiment...I-I...T-to the place that accepted me...A-and to my good friend...! I-I...PLEASE, GET AWAY FROM ME!
...I-I did it...I-I did all of this...! B-because of me...! B-because of me...! B-because of me...!
...I-I can't control them...I-I can't control them...A-and it hurts so much...! I-it hurts so much...! I-it hurts...I-it...
...A-Amber, please, end it...W-while I am still myself...
...I-I already destroyed and hurt enough...I-if this continues...I-I might...I-I might actually kill you this time!
A-Amber, please...! V-Venti...! X-Xiao...! S-someone, please...! I-I am already...
...P-please, just kill me...T-there is no hope...F-for me now..."
...
...
She didn't want to remember any more of this or else she might...!
La la-la-la-la~
...
...
This sudden...Humming...?
*Miss Barbara...?
...
-Collei, are you feeling better now...? -Amber soon asked her, as she looked and sounded quite worried. -...The play didn't detail much, but it must have still brought up some bad memories. Do you want us to leave now, Little Sister...?
-...N-no, it's fine. THAT part is already over, so...-Collei slightly shakily said, as she was trying to reassure Amber, but more so herself, that everything was alright now. And that humming also helped. -...Thank you for the help, Miss Barbara. Your voice helped me calm down.
She thankfully told Mondstadt's Idol, with the other soon mentioning that she was glad to do this,
As the trio then went back to watching the play, unaware of the possible danger which was unfolding nearby...
...
...
As Klee was currently coming with a "Diabolical Plan":
Making two, huge and very huge, bombs to blow some "Baddies" with,
A Huge one for the "Meanie Grandpas" and the Very Huge for the "Awful Grown-up"
*She already planned to blow the Awful Grown-up before, but she realized that she needed a bigger bomb…!
...
...
He hurt Big Sister Collei and had to be punished hard!