"...I also heard from the Winds how you just talked about "sleep-cuddling" and Mister Albedo's explanation to Klee. I-I never really saw it like that before...But I still liked it...
After leaving the Hanayomi Estate and before coming to find you, Big Sister Jean and I talked about our sleeping arrangements. Both of us agree to "sleep-cuddle" together tonight, all three of us. Big Sister doesn't mind, but what do you think about this, Venti...? Do you want the three of us to share a bed...I-in a platonic way...Or do you not like this idea, since it sounds a little embarrassing...?"
After soon agreeing to the sleeping arrangements, the sisters led him to the Hanayomi Estate,
A place he didn't think he would return to, especially so fast, after suddenly leaving it in the middle of the Banquet.
*Apparently Nahida asked Shahzaman Hanayomi to let them stay at one of the Estate's Guest Rooms,
Which the family head soon readily agreed to and the rest of the family seemed happy about...
...
Even though he basically "ran away" from the place before...
...
...
And now, he, Barbara and Jean were in one of these rooms,
As they were in the middle of discussing their sleeping positions...
*Or rather, he proposed laying in the middle and using his wings as a blanket, but...
-...And this is why we should move the bed towards one of the room's walls, to have it lean against it. -Jean was currently saying in all seriousness, right after she finished a whole speech about the matter. -With the two of you laying right by it and myself at the edge, if anything were to happen, I will be ready to...
-Everything should be fine, Big Sister. This Estate has a lot of guards patrolling it and the Hanayomi's wouldn't let anything happen to their "Esteemed Guests", right...? -Barbara interrupted her, looking and sounding reassuring. -Besides, isn't Miss Vennessa and Mister Dvalin still patrolling the city itself...? Do you not trust them to protect us...?
She soon reminded her sister, who was clearly taken aback by the sudden accusation,
As moments later her face started rapidly going through a few different expressions...
*And Venti found that he couldn't blame her for it, seeing how Jean usually was,
Not only did she think of the two highly, but she was also clearly a big fan of Vennessa...
...
...
"...And then Mister Dvalin and Miss Vennessa said they are going on patrol...? Isn't Sumeru safe now or did Klee misunderstand...?"
"It is safe for now, but you never know what might happen in the future"
...
But to think that they were still patrolling the city,
How long did they plan to do this for, exactly...?
*The two didn't necessarily need to sleep, but,
They weren't planning to do "guard duty" for the whole night, right...?
...
-Rather than worrying about what might happen, I mostly feel sad that Mother and Father couldn't join us. -Barbara soon admitted, looking and sounding regretful, before her eyes suddenly widened. -I-it's not like I hate our current "arrangement", I actually like it a lot! B-but if they were also with us, just like during our visit to Inazuma and later to the Golden Apple Archipelago...-She nervously added, her words soon trailing off, as her expression turned thoughtful. -...Not just now, when we visited Liyue for the Lantern Rite, Mother and Father also stayed in Mondstadt.
-...I understand what you mean, Barbara…Little Sister. I would have also loved it if they had joined us for our Sumeru visit. But both of them have important roles to fulfil in the administration of Mondstadt. -Jean soon admitted, looking and sounding a little sad herself, before her expression turned regretful. -And you are right, with the Estate's guards and our own former/current members of the Four Winds protecting us, there is no need to be constantly on alert.
-Both Seamus and Frederica, they just need to take a break. Same way as you did back then, Jean. I and the rest of Mondstadt people will take care of the nation in the meantime. -Venti soon told her in as much reassurance as he could muster, deciding that this was the best time to join the discussion. After all, there was a bigger chance for her to listen if both Barbara and himself told her of...Wait, why did she suddenly look so worried...? He didn't say anything...Oh...-...I am not going to take on the role of Mondstadt's Acting Grandmaster again. Last time was more than enough. -...So much so that he still had memories of going crazy. As much as he wanted to completely forget them! -...I will just be helping the people out with this and that, like always and will leave the more "tedious governing stuff" to others. Like all of that paperwork. There's usually so much of it…! So there is no need to worry about me becoming completely insane again, from staying in one tiny room for what felt like ages!
This space he just appeared in,
Surrounded by nothing but brightness,
Which seemed to be going on endlessly...
...
In a certain spot before him was a small, lush-green garden,
Which included trees at the sides, flower pots and plants making a trail in the middle,
And then in the inner part, at the end of the trail stood a fountain, with a lamp at each side and a two-story building behind it...
...
...
This place again, it looked the exact same as before...
*But where were Nahida and Samir...?
Didn't they want to talk to him again...?
...
-Big Brother, I must apologize to you. -He soon heard a familiar voice from nearby, as a regretful looking Nahida moments later appeared in his sight. -While planning for the "Grand Welcome", I didn't even think about the possibility that this level of...Extravagance will leave you so embarrassed. I really thought that once you get used to it, you will surely enjoy what we have prepared and...
...And what...?
What did she plan to add here...?
...
As the God of Freedom, who never wanted to rule over his people, she should have known that he wouldn't like it.
*She should have known that he would dislike their...Over the top welcome.
...
"When Samir and I were discussing it, we decided on holding the Grandest Welcome possible at this point in time. We thought that Big Bro...Barbatos would get embarrassed at first, after which he would soon feel the "Festive Cheer" and start enjoying himself.
...From my understanding, being revered by the people and everything that comes with it is part of the duty of being Archon. And as for Samir, he experienced the same both in the distant past and in current times. So we didn't account for the possibility that Venti's reaction could be so much different...
Sheikh, Shahzaman, Dori, you have my deepest thanks for the help that you provided until now. Thanks to you, both the Parade and the Play were splendid. And as for the Banquet...
I apologize, but until now it was indeed more of an "Outdoor Buffet". And by this point, it's too late to do a change of plans, as everything had surely already been prepared for the Banquet."
...
Yet, she realized this only recently, when it was already too late to stop anything...
*She started feeling bad way before this and also told him a small apology,
But Venti was so embarrassed at the time, it didn't feel like the right moment...
...
-I have to apologize as well, Venti. Most of the plans for the recent welcome were originally my own suggestions. The extent of reverence that I was always shown, I came to believe it was normal. -Samir soon added, upon also appearing in the dream, his expression quite conflicted. -...Next time, if you still want to do it again, I will be leaving all the event preparations to Nahida. This way, it would surely be less...Overbearing, right...?
He soon added in some sheepishness,
Realizing that this might really be the case...
*After all, unlike Barbatos, he...
...
"...Faruzan, what are you...Currently doing...? Are you feeling…Well…?"
...
He felt weird just from being hugged by a human...
*He mostly ignored it when Jeht did it, possibly due to the crisis at the time,
But yesterday, when Faruzan suddenly hugged him, he...
...
"Lord Rhadames, are you alright...?
O-oh, was I overstepping my boundaries? I am really sorry, I...!"
"No, it's alright! I just...
...I just didn't expect that, that's all..."
...
...
-This is not really your fault, Nahida, Samir. I should have realized by now that not all nations are like Mondstadt. I should have realized by now that in nations such as Sumeru, Inazuma and Snezhnaya, the gods and especially the Archon are basically royalty. -Barbatos soon said, trying to look and sound as reassuring as possible, before his expression fell a little. -Even if no matter how hard I try, perhaps due to me being the God of Freedom, I don't seem to come to terms with this fact.
...
He should really get used to the way things are in other nations,
Especially those where the Archons are basically royalty...
*And when things go wrong, they could become tyrants like Decarabian and then the people will suffer and...!
...
Every time he thought about it, he kept remembering...
...
...
Oh, right...
-Is there a reason why you met me in a dream...? -He couldn't help but soon ask, upon looking between the two fellow gods. -...Since you could have apologized in the physical world, there's more to this meeting, right...?
-Oh, yes, it is! -Nahida spoke up, looking and sounding a little surprised, before her expression turned a little sheepish. -...In my wish to apologize to you, Big Brother, I momentarily forgot about it...-She quietly admitted, as moments later her expression turned more serious. -The Traveler told you about the "Dream Therapy" before, yes...?
...
...
"...Ever since Nahida exchanged the Dendro Gnosis for Irminsul's(and consequently everyone's in Teyvat) safety, the Internet...I mean, the Akasha can no longer function. So she, Samir and some others needed to have a discussion with the people of Sumeru on how to "function" with this big of a change, which also includes an explanation about dreams.
And it was just in time, as by that point and due to all the crises that happened in Sumeru, many people were itching to see their loved ones again. People needed to get closure, but reviving a dead person, especially one who died long ago...
...And so, "Dream Therapy"(I think it's called "Svapn Chikitsa" in Sumerian...?) sessions were soon organized for the people who need it. Nahida, with her power over dreams, is the one managing it now, making sure people have a chance to spend time with their loved ones for one last time and let them go without any regrets. Since there's a lot of people who need this..."Treatment", she has been quite busy lately."
...
-They did, yes. Do you plan to hold it again...? -Barbatos soon admitted, before his expression turned a little suspicious. -And since you also visited me at this time...
-We planned to do this earlier, but I had to make sure a certain person doesn't go overboard with his love for creating highly dangerous inventions. -Nahida soon said upon glancing towards Samir, before turning to look back at Barbatos. -...But yes, you are right. That was the plan. This is the other activity, a much tamer one, I told you about before. -She admitted, looking and sounding thoughtful now. -As part of the "Grand Welcome", the plan was to show similar kinds of dreams to our guests from Mondstadt. Which also includes you, Venti. -Her expression turned serious again, as she proceeded to slightly float up to his level and look him right in the eyes. -If you want to, Big Brother, I would gladly show one of those dreams, as well. And if you don't, I will understand.
She added upon showing him a small, warm smile,
As moments later, she floated back down...
*Calmly waiting to hear his decision on this,
Which, not really surprisingly, came up soon enough...
-I thank you for the offer, Nahida, but I have to refuse. -He told her in both seriousness and calm, before his expression turned warmer. -...I might have needed something like this before, but not anymore. I am quite content with how much my relationships with others have improved. So much so, that it's easier to let the past go. -...Thanks to His people, the other Archons and Immortals, the Traveler and even some nice people from other nations he doesn't know as well...-...But I wouldn't mind helping you and Samir out with this. Having nice music to accompany the people's dreams is quite the splendid idea, isn't it...?~
Venti woke up to an unfamiliar calling and soon looked around...
*This room...The Guest Room of the Hanayomi Estate,
Barbara and Jean must have already left...
...
What time was it...?
...
...
13:23, one and twenty three in the afternoon.
*He had slept in…Way longer than usual...
...
...
"...Barbara...? Why are you...?
...You are...! H-how long were you...?!"
...
"...V-Venti...Y-you...A-are you...R-really...?
...Y-you weren't...! Y-you weren't...W-waking up...! N-no matter...W-what everyone...! N-no matter...W-what I...T-tried...!
...I-I even...T-tried the...A-Anemo..."potions"...W-with a kiss...! A-and still...Y-you wouldn't...Y-you wouldn't...J-just like...I-if you...W-were dead...!
...I-I though...I-I though...Y-you were...D-dead...!"
...
Since no one seemed to be panicking about him not waking up,
Nahida and/or Samir must have reassured his people that he was alright.
*But still, for him to sleep way longer than usual...Which is already quite late,
It was due to him helping out the two gods with the "Dream Therapy", right...?
...
...
"Let's get back on track. The reason for this discussion: The upcoming Akademiya Extravaganza celebration.
...Though recently it's just the Wisdom Gala, which is held annually. There was a certain issue with one of the Interdarshan Championship rewards and it's been years since the Akademiya could hold it again.
...Yes, the diadem is still "missing". And by this point, it would be better to decide on a different reward."
...
...
"Alright, we will decide on a better reward for the competition. There's about a year until it's held again, so there's still time to decide.
...We should also decide on what to tell Kaveh and Jiwani about what happened back then...
...Venti, if you want to know, I will tell you more about what happened later.
...I am going to resume the explanation about the upcoming festival, if you don't mind.
I heard that you want to come to the celebration and would be grateful if you did! As thanks for your help during the recent crisis, I am planning to give you an unforgettable welcome!"
...
Excluding the news about the "Grand Welcome", which was quite embarrassing,
He didn't hear much information about the festival itself...
*Though Nahida promised to tell him about it later and...
...
...
The Wisdom Gala should have already started, right...?
*If so, then he should definitely check it out as soon as he can.