primos | from @bakerstreet

from @bakerstreet

meteorder

I've gotten a lot better with my drinks, thank you kindly! I think sticking to one type helps keep my pranking fingers at bay. Jeez, I'm actually pretty long overdue for a good pranking... maybe Master Diluc ... maybe Miss Lisa...

Gah! Now you have me thinking of pranks, stop that.

[ He's trying to be good! Although, Zhongli may find it more bothersome to think back on spilled drinks, isn't that just life? A bunch of spilled drinks? They had a good laugh, even if Venti ran for his life in the process of it.

Even now... he thinks of it from time to time. ]

My timing is as it needs to be. I'll arrive promptly at the outskirts of Mondstadt's east gate and give you the best tour. The history, the gossip, and the best company you can expect. Just... let's avoid the church, eh? The sisters have been a bit agitated lately.

[ Funny enough, Venti's already taking down notes in a small leather notebook – all key points of his city and the people he'd introduce Zhongli to. Little stars and hearts around important bullet items line the paper, but... he stops between messages to soak it in. It's funny how the tables have turned...

Morax is not dead. That news brought him such joy, just as Venti's awakening must have done the same to the geo archon. The bard can't help but smile a bit wider. ]

There's just a few rules you have to follow. Ready to hear them?

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[ Hearing Zhongli speak on about such things makes him beam for a brief moment before it turns to worry – ]

So your path leads you to be a critic now?! [ He takes a single thread from Zhongli's story and weaves it into more than a tease, a justified assumption. Of course, he doesn't believe Zhongli to be paid or live a life judging others so harshly. How tiresome, but there's no denying his bar is far higher than the Anemo Archon that ravages wine cellars for wares when he gets too ... ah, inspired to drink. ] They are quite admirable. Even the smallest seed can grow into the largest tree...

[ Or the nameless bard's memory could burn in his mind, centuries later. ]

I suppose it's only fair you mold this... squishy form of yours into their image as well.

[ Far from a wind wisp, Venti was the same, after all. He lets a smile linger, eyes trace his form for emphasis. Nothing the cut of his jaw, the sway of his bangs with each movement, and how tightly styled his attire was. ]

I'm glad you're here to see Mondstadt's stories, then. Just to give you some fresh perspective and new experience.

[ it's fine, Barbatos can just keep saying squishy like he's doing it not to get on his nerves or anything. ]

Less a critic and more of a participant in the entertainment and legacies that have been conceived since the beginning of Liyue. [ he has watched them evolve all this time – and it's about time that he also enjoyed them. ] Mondstadt is a part of that as well.

[ their borders were not so strict. ]

How about you, Barbatos? What have you been doing since you have awoken? I've heard of Dvalin's plight, as well as its resolution. Word reaches far on the loose tongues of merchants and adventurers.

Then I shall make sure you take in all that Mondstadt has to offer.

[ He did have his plans, even if they had gone astray, but Mondstadt deserved the attention and praise. ]

Since, you're here and all. I must make proper use of your time here.

[ Before the winds carry him back home and leaves Venti .. ah, alone.

He peps up a bit at the question, disregarding the stray sadness of their goodbyes, for who knows when they may have had their final one. ]

A-Ahhaha... I am but a humble bard, you see. Entertaining the masses, earning praises from Knights and weary travelers alike, birthing new songs to the world, and – why, helping our Traveling friend to their next destinations.

[ Venti tries to romanticize it all, but it falls a little short. ]

I fear now that I am without my gnosis, there is a limited answer of what I can do. It is up to the righteous to lead the world, far past when Archons grow old.

[ the way that Barbatos speaks certainly has its grandeur. it was true in its own way, if not hyperbolic, given that Morax assumes that a majority of his time was spent mooching free drinks out of the locals.

(he could only judge the mooching because he can't really fathom the own way that he mooches. just Zhongli things.) ]

The limitation is based on perspective. [ there's a little amusement in that. ] Surely your crafty side has not yet been sated. However righteous those who lead the world may be, you've never been so easily tamed. I trust that's remained a constant.

[ then he says, steady and easy, no matter how much of a tease it may be. ]

Though neither you nor I seem to have a drink in front of us, and it's almost mid-morning.

[ They were two mooching peas in a pod, if Zhongli ever forgot it... Venti would be the first to remind him. For now, however, he allows Zhongli to counter his ideals. There's something under the surface – a freedom in its own right to what Venti involves himself in and chooses to speak of. The mention of his craftiness earns a rub of his own nose shyly. ]

What, you a fan of my crafty side? Do be honest with me. [ For no one has tamed him, surely... but when people encourage him... ] You were set in your ways once too. My time will come, that much is true. Just be patient with me.

[ He goes from being wordy to being impulsive when he speaks of a drink. A lick of his lips and he looks around – a mid-day drink would be well... ]

Are you encouraging? I'm starting to think you like my company a little sloshed, ehehe. [ Thoughtfully: ] Would you care to share a bottle with me, old friend?

[ the days of Morax were long past – where Barbatos' flighty means of entertainment and childish pranks earned him a glare that would normally petrify anyone beneath it. nostalgia brings out the best in those annoying memories, even if he has to keep up some semblance of offense when asked about it.

(particularly, he remembers Barbatos' butt knocking into his very, very, very expensive vase.) ]

If you're able to keep your composure.

[ don't be embarrassing, Venti.

who's he kidding, Venti's going to be embarrassing. ]

My intention was never to encourage your more duplicitous traits, knowing that you have many of them. Though regardless, I find that you'll do what you like, even if it's not upon my suggestion.

[ e.g. he's not condoning anything but he's totally condoning it. ]

[ Barbatos being described as heavenly, angelic and graceful when the reality was he was anything but. He may be skilled with a bow, precise when needs be... but that broken vase was quite a notorious smear on Liyue's history – enough to be memorialized in artwork and stories.

He'll never live it down.

Maybe Venti can offer a vase in return for Morax to destroy, call it even. ]

My composure is as still as a feather on Cider Lake, floating along and pleasant. Thank you very much! Oh – oh, ma'am! Yoohoo!! [ Venti waves to one of the little workers, a young girl who had just recently celebrated an engagement and is saving funds for a wedding. Sweet, but always giving in to Venti's charm. ] A bottle of Dawn Winery's best. I know Master Diluc provides a few for early morning consumption!

[ Hitting a bar up so early would be in poor taste. Maybe.

He did it like two days ago, so he shouldn't make a habit...right? As the wine was pulled out and two glasses brought over, Venti's clapping his hands in appreciation. ]

Mr. Zhongli – [ Still so weird to say... ] Your intention is clear as day. You wish for an escape from Liyue, to experience the best of Mondstadt. And I'm here to give it to you. My traits are harmless. I swear!

[ perhaps Morax has allowed him to get away with far too much without the binds of a contract; there aren't many people who could test him like that and leave unscathed. Barbatos was always one to push boundaries, either in leisure or for reasons he thought were right. Morax couldn't fault him for that.

he's always been too easy on him.

like a sudden gale of wind, Venti sits upright and starts making noise. while Zhongli doesn't recoil, he sits back in his seat and crosses his arms, his chest rising in deep breath. he's quiet while Venti goes through the motions of ordering and yoohooing like he's never had a drink in his life.

it has been a while since he's held a mug of Mondstadt's famed wine in his hand within the stone gates of the city proper. yet he gives a tilt of his head to Venti's declaration, raising he glass.

Zhongli doesn't look entirely convinced, but, well. ]

You're as presumptuous as always. Hopefully your slumber hasn't affected your tolerance.

[ he's going to have to carry him somewhere halfway into the afternoon, isn't he. ]

[ When the opportunity arises to share a drink with an old friend? What was Venti to do, sit on his hands? The waitress was a little unsure but goes ahead and fetches it without complaint. Venti's gaze tilts with a smug little grin on his face.

When they both were gifted some of Venti's favorite swill, he leans over so carelessly to clank his cup to Zhongli's – not caring about how he looks before flopping back down in his seat. ]

To presumptions that lead us to good fortune, eh? [ That's not what the toast should be about??? But, Venti works with it??? Figures. ] Please, it's... as if some things haven't changed.

[ A bit more somber, Venti knows that truly there was no denying how quickly he had jumped to find a tavern suitable for his time and energy. Tolerance or not, it was a heavy burden but one that leaves him smiling – moving on. Coping. ]

It's as if things haven't changed. Well. Except it's usually I who visits you. [ With a hard swig, he tilts his gaze up to the sky. ] Do you remember the last meal we shared together in Liyue? The one... um, where ... ah, you stormed off to go change? I can't remember if it was a soup or a plate of rice we shared together.

[ The infamous Wine Incident. ]

[ it might be a little uplifting that someone is excited to share a drink with him, even after five-hundred years. it's not like the Seven left each other after the Cataclysm in the best of terms. ]

You were at admirable levels of intoxication that night. [ he remembers that well. at the time he had been – well, less than enthused at the mess that Barbatos had made all over him. there are a lot of trespasses that Zhongli now remembers with some level of fondness. ] From my understanding, you recall enough of the events to have woven it into song. It has reached Liyue in your absence, much as whatever you compose tends to do. It has crossed my mind that you had arranged it to do just that to ensure that I remember it as well.

[ but he can never really pin Venti down in that regard. the bard always tends to wiggle just out of his grasp in understanding those intentions. he's looking over him now, as if he could somehow tell what these five-hundred year old goals were as if he looked hard enough. ]

A song can be weaved of truths and lies. I... aha, perhaps am not sure which is which of that evening.

[ It's a true statement. Many of times, Venti's found no chill at the bottom of a wine bottle. Or two. Or three. Drinking was a hobby, but if it brings him together to people who still find themselves fated to cross paths with him? Why not go a little wild? It helps bury the ghosts of the past, even for a little while. ]

I'm glad a part of Barbatos remains in Liyue. [ Even with the nap.... ] Well, in your old age, they say the mind is the first thing to go.

[ Teasing, Venti takes a heavy swig. It lingers on his tongue as he roots himself here before Zhongli. ]

I, of all people, better not be lost to time!

[ with the trade between the two nations and the Millelith and the Knights of Favonius co-existing at Stone Gate, the mingle of Mondstadt to Liyue happens often. Rex Lapis had done nothing but encourage it; trade and commerce were important. all hands shaken and papers signed were contracts under his jurisdiction, efforts made in the name of prosperity. ]

The purpose of a contract is to hold a promise, and even in old age the deterioration of the promise is a fact, not a memory. [ he lifts the stein in his hand. ] The purpose of a ballad is more fluid. The power is not in the stability, but the flexibility.

[ the thing about Zhongli is that he looks perfectly serious when he teases. ]

The question would not be whether or not your memory is lost, but how your inebriation will be remembered in the coming millennia.

So your fondness of songs, which could be deceitful in their truths, rival a contract to you? My, oh, my.

[ That's not what he said at all, but... the smirk lingers. Venti teases, but there are times the elderly lets their mind slip. They forget faces and names, forget decades of their lives... but sometimes a song returns them back to fonder days. Despite Zhongli's own worries about erosion, Venti has little knowledge of its reality – on a weight it holds onto him. Venti is already sipping away, lost in is own thoughts for a moment. Behind those eyes holds something somber – a memory he holds dear that he speaks not of.

He's snapped back with the inebriation, thankful they can rebound from heavy talks – the kind Venti avoids readily. One day, the wind could be caught... ]

Is this a general 'your' or...?! My inebriation, from a personal manner, is quite functional!

[ Venti, that's not what he said at all.

but you know what? he'll go with it, why not? it's time to show Venti just how much he learned to be flexible in the last five-hundred years. after all, Venti still has to play a little bit of catch up.

Zhongli breathes in a sigh that comes out his nose. ]

There are some of your ballads that a delivered in slurs, no matter how functional you claim you are. [ he lifts the stein in his hand and pauses before he takes a drink. ] When you are true to your form, what comes from your lips is so mesmerizing that in those moments, you are beyond compare.

[ then he goes ahead and drinks like he didn't just say that. ]

There is a floral undertone this season ...

[ He was a god that saw the impossible as possible. He witnessed a revolution built from nothing but a bard's herald. The power of words and songs were deeply engrained into him, but there's something about how distracting his assumptions were. Venti liked it. Not being figured out, perhaps being underestimated.

Morax, no matter their bickering, seemed to not mind that he had befriended the 'weakest' among the Archons. Now... they were on a path so closely similar that Venti pretends that it was one in and the same. ]

Maybe that's just their charm and –

[ Interrupting obnoxiously did them no good. The red, rivaling an apple itself, rushes to his face at the compliment. He slumps forward with little shame, cradling his drink with one hand to top it off before resting his chin on his folded forearms.

What does he even say to that? ]

Quite. As if each petal has a purpose, to invigorate and renew.

[ perhaps he had learned more from his neighbor than not, it had been five hundred years since Venti slumbered, after all. ]

And you, Barbatos? Have you been invigorated and renewed?

[ after a long nap and five hundred years having passed upon return? Zhongli has always favored something more rooted. he likes his feet to be firmly on the ground, to watch those years pass at a steady pace.

Venti is still such a different creature in ways that he can't grasp. ]

I hope enough to sing like that again soon. While I appreciate your offerings, there are some experiences that I've come to remember as sweeter than the fruit and more delicate than the flowers that Mondstadt produces – perhaps because at it's core, it is the very thing that gives life to both.

In a sense. I'm still a little hungry, I guess. [ That's not what Zhongli means and he knows it. It's better to hide away the slight discomfort he's had since awakening. Worried about the Traveler, of the turmoil with Dvalin – on what waits ahead. However... every story was at his fingertips, he merely plays his part... as a good bard would. ] If I said I wasn't, you'd cast a judgmental gaze only you could. As if you'd turn me to stone!

[ He's snickering just a bit, trying to play off his own feelings of the matter. It had been some time since they sat – as equals, as friends, as those on the same path at times – and it felt... nice. He keeps half of his rounded face obscured, looking out to the city unfolding behind them. ]

Hey! That's a tall claim, friend. But... [ He tilts his gaze up. The brush of his braids fall sweetly to his cheeks, his eyes narrowed with a tight grin. ] If you're so confident, I do hope soon is quite literal. You know, this city is quite entertaining at night. If you plan to stay, that is.

[ the world is changing.

perhaps it was the traveler that had been the catalyst, but Zhongli could feel it. it wasn't something that he could ignore any longer. even as they sit, enjoying the day in a moment of calm of Mondstadt's morning, there is unease.

Barbatos can pretend he doesn't feel it, but Zhongli knows he feels it better than anyone else. ]

I was planning on turning a bard with a bad taste in humor to rock beneath my judgmental gaze, but if this is an invitation, perhaps I can make an exception this time.

[ you know, just in case Venti needs a reminder that he is, in fact, occasionally horrible at jokes. ]

...

Despite the legends, I do not, in fact, have the ability to turn anyone to stone.

[ Barbatos would be the first to feel the winds of change lift high and carry across Teyvat. It's a burden he carries alone, knowing the pieces in play must serve their roles. He was never interactive until he needed to be, after all. ]

An invitation carried so sweetly is not to be met with limestone and iron chunks!

[ Don't ignore his pout, he's trying to manage a lot of weird emotions right now. The fact they've come far from their own solidarities – their own responsibilities... ]

Oh? Then someone should get on rewriting some stories. [ Change a little of Morax's history? Hmmm... ] I do know some of your other traits and mannerisms, though.

[ Perhaps they'll have seafood for dinner? :) ]

[ one of Barbatos' more infuriating traits is his hands-off approach to anything that Morax deems a responsibility, but perhaps after a thousand years it's now something he simply accepts as is. the expert way that Barbatos evades even the simplest task that requires any type of discipline is a feat in itself. ]

I have no idea to what you're suggesting.

[ he knows exactly what he's suggesting.

LOUD SQUINT. ]

Oh? Do you believe there to be others walking this earth that know you better?

[ It was a bolder claim, one that Venti wondered if Zhongli would receive in the same way as intended. They were old. They had many of diverging paths but they also walked along side one another during crucial parts of their lives.

For as distanced as Mondstadt and Liyue is, they still had common ground. ]

I think I have prime insider info about Rex Lapis that not even his most devout know of. Perhaps my lips have loosened... hm, hm...

There are many that claim to know the secrets of Rex Lapis, a certain reckless, frivolous bard included. Especially now, considering all that's happened.

[ is that something that Barbatos truly wants an answer to? this is what he gets for humoring him for thousands of years. he just can't seem to bite when it comes to Barbatos, like a few of his harder edges had been sanded down over time by too much damned wind. ]

You can always add to the collective echoes of storytellers and songmakers. Maybe such things would get drown out in all the noise.

Claim and undoubtedly know are two different concepts entirely! To bundle me in a league with novice historians or fearful loyals... pah.

[ He does bite, but the bark is always so much worse. Venti crosses his arms, as if he truly takes offense. Yet... he may spread stories of Morax being a 'brute', it was all in good jest.

In reality... would his enemies fear a big stone softie? ]

Are you only saying that because you're curious as to what I'd spread? Would I sing your praises? Scorn you? I think you care about how I view you more than you let on.

[ give Barbatos an inch and he takes a mile. what should he expect? this is the way it's always been. it had been close to half a century since he last heard his voice, and this is a welcome change from those prior frightful circumstances.

there's a tilt of his head as he looks him over, golden eyes flickering over the expressive Anemo Archon with a look of stone. ]

You've five hundred years to catch up on if you wish to rival those who now believe they have insight to the Geo Archon. Even if stone weathers the elements, all things change in time.

[ Barbatos had been gone and he had stood as resilient as a rock in Liyue from the time of the Cataclysm until his – well, much exaggerated – passing as the Geo Archon. that hadn't made it less lonely, and perhaps the years as such had softened to the point of admitting it. ]

Though that's certainly what makes them exciting. Perhaps you should look for new material if you want to embarrass me properly.

[ take that. ]

[ So many people fall victim to Venti's own ... charm. He sneaks away from such dialogues that offer little, but assists when he can (or wishes to). Yet, here he remains. Rooted to a chair, opposite of an old... friend? Companion? The definition feels blurry, so he just... stays. For once, he's still. ]

Wouldn't you be the one best suited to ensuring I'm up to speed, I wonder? Every little rumor and secret about a topic still sore on the hearts of Liyue's most loyal. Perhaps that is your mission in life now.

[ To..... use against him. Venti can see the optics – that Morax was not a fearsome foe nor the ally he needed to be in battle. They were something else now. Two catalyst for a future they truly had little say in. Their faith had aligned: in their people. Venti waves off to the local grocer girl, insisting on something else. A small shot, one that was fragrant as it was powerful. Some swill that didn't catch Venti's mind often, merely to celebrate. ]

Show me what's changed about Rex Lapis in his final days. For the Rex Lapis I heard of would not have been bested by a mere assassin. [ He air quotes mockingly, as if trying to still play as if they were undercover. Play... that certainly was one of Venti's favorite pass times.] You never confirmed, by the by!

[ The glasses are set – one in front of Zhongli and one in front of Venti. He takes it, holding it high to the sky. ]

I have 500 years to make up for forming an opinion of you. You best make sure it's a good one, hmm?

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sorry for the delay!!!! work and then elden ring. rip

yo no worries

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