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Kaeya really didn’t like the way that stranger was looking at Venti.
They were having a nice friendly gathering at the tavern, in their usual company which consisted of him, Rosaria and Venti. Sometimes Dahlia or Varka would join them but today both of them were held back by their respective duties. So, this Friday night it was just the three of them, with Diluc occasionally joining in the conversation.
Originally Venti said that he didn’t want to perform tonight but he couldn’t resist the pleads of the crowd and eventually gave in to play a song or two in exchange for drinks. It was during his performance when Kaeya noticed that man. He was probably from Fontaine, based on his clothes, maybe visiting Mondstadt as a tourist or for work purposes, Kaeya wasn’t sure. In any case, Kaeya definitely didn’t see him around these parts before. And it didn’t take long for Kaeya to figure out that the nature of his gaze that was directed at Venti’s cheerfully dancing figure.
And the gaze lingered on him for the rest of the night. Kaeya would think that an interested person would normally at least try to approach their object of interest and have a chat but that man just kept staring, which, frankly, made Kaeya feel a bit uneasy. Venti, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered one bit, continuing with his night as if he didn’t even notice the creepy man staring at him from a corner. Sure, Venti was very attractive, Kaeya couldn’t argue with that, and with his field of work he probably was used to the attention or stares. But the safety of his friend bothered Kaeya a great deal. After all, who knew what intentions that stranger had and, even though Venti was a vision holder, he definitely didn’t look like he couldn’t put much of a fight in case of danger.
It was getting late and Venti was on his Brabtos-knows what glass of wine (Kaeya always respected his tolerance). Rosaria left a bit earlier and by now the tavern gradually started to get emptier. Still, that stranger didn’t seem to be ready to leave just yet. Pretty soon, Venti finished his final glass and, putting it back on the table with a thud, declared:
“Well, I think I’m done for the night. I did promise Dahlia to help with the choir rehearsal in the morning, so better hit the hay now.” He said, putting back his beret. “Good night, sir Kaeya, master Diluc.”
When he started to get up, Kaeya threw a quick glance at the Fontanian man in the corner. Just as he suspected, the man also started putting back his coat and preparing to leave. Kaeya looked at Diluc and received a slight nod in return. So, he wasn’t the only one who noticed it.
“Venti, wait up.” Kaeya said just when Venti was about to open the door. “How about I walk you home? After all, you had quite a lot to drink and it is pretty late.”
“How gallant of you, sir Kaeya.” Venti responded with a smile, his eyes without a single hint of inebriation. “But there really is no need, I assure you. I’ll be perfectly fine on my own.”
“Still, I insist.” Kaeya said.
Venti’s eyes shifted behind his back for a moment and something akin to understanding glinted in his eyes. He sighed and Kaeya could swear that glanced at Diluc, who almost unnoticeably shrugged. Kaeya had no idea what that was about but he decided to worry about it tomorrow. After all, Kaeya was a knight and protecting a citizen of Mondstadt from some pervert in the night is his top priority.
Seeing that Kaeya was pretty resolute in his decision to walk Venti home, the bard eventually responded:
“Who would I be to deny a courtesy of an honorable knight?”
When they walked out of the tavern, Kaeya couldn’t hold back a grin as he heard Diluc starting a hushed conversation with the guy. For all his exterior indifference, Diluc cared deeply about his customers and he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Fountainian with a black eye tomorrow morning.
“So?” Kaeya asked, breathing in the fresh, cold air. He’d really like to go for a smoke right now but he knew that Venti didn’t enjoy a smoking company. “Where do you live?”
Venti closed his eyes for a few moments, his braids swinging on the light wind. Then, he opened his eyes and looked at the stars.
“What a beautiful night, don’t you think, sir Kaeya?” He said. “How about we take a walk first?”
“Didn’t you say that you’ll need to be up early in the morning?” Kaeya asked.
“That is true but I do feel quite dizzy. Fresh air might help me sober up a bit.” Venti replied, looking at Kaeya with the eyes of the most sober man alive.
Still, as confused as he was by the sudden change of plans, Kaeya figured a short walk would be nice. They went to wander on the streets, talking about this and that. Almost an hour went by and Kaeya felt his head getting clearer. Still, Venti didn’t hurry to go home. Eventually, they stopped at the main square and sat at the fountain. That was when Kaeya began to do some guess-work.
Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t new for anyone to see Venti sleeping at the most random places. The knights had received multiple complaints from the Cathedral about a certain bard sleeping on the hands of the Anemo Archon’s statue. Kaeya himself saw him napping on the Windrise Tree or in abandoned wagons. And it wasn’t like Venti’s occupation could allow him to earn a lot of money, considering how often he too his payment in the form of alcohol. Sure, sometimes he gave poetry lessons but the price for them was almost charitable. Definitely not enough to make a living.
Still, it didn’t make sense for Venti to be homeless. Mondstadt simply didn’t have homeless people, with all their supporting programs both from the Cathedral and the knights.
Venti was humming a tune when Kaeya, unable to hold back, interrupted his peaceful melody.
“Venti, do you have a home?” He blurted out.
Venti blinked and tilted his head in confusion.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean…” Kaeya hesitated slightly, looking for better words. “A place to live? Do you have it?”
Seeing how flustered the knight suddenly became, Venti couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
“Oh, my dear sir Kaeya.” He started with an endearing smile. “You have so much worry written on your face. Surely, I’m not worth such attention.”
“Of course, you do, you’re my friend.”
“I have a home.” Venti continued with the same endearing smile. “How can I not? All of Mondstadt is my home.”
Kaeya rolled his eyes.
“Venti, I am being serious.”
Venti sighed, a sigh so similar to the one their father used to let out whenever Kaeya or Diluc pestered him with stupid questions and he had to come up with an answer so they would leave him alone.
“Fine, I see that you’re not planning on dropping the subject.” Venti replied. “Then, if you must know, I do have a home. I live in Dornman Port.”
Kaeya didn’t look so convinced.
“So far from the city, yet I see you here every day?” He said with a hint of skepticism.
“I’m okay with that, I love traveling.” Venti answered. “Anyways, it’s already late, sir Kaeya. How about you go home?”
Kaeya took a quick look on his pocket watch. It was already four in the morning.
“How can I let you go home alone at such a time, and to Dornman Port of all places?” He stopped when he turned around and saw no one. He looked up and down the street but it was absolutely empty.
Venti couldn’t have possibly run away in those split seconds when Kaeya wasn’t looking, all without making a sound. Nor could he just disappear into thin air. How could he slip away so fast, all without a seasoned knight noticing?
Everything about it felt weird and Kaeya decided that he couldn’t just leave it at there. Venti can try and run away from him all he wants, but Kaeya will find out the truth and, if needed, help. After all, they were friends. Or drinking buddies, no difference.
The first thing Kaeya did the next morning was going to the Knights of Favonius headquarters and try to find any documents that could confirm his suspicions. To his surprise, there was almost nothing on Venti in their archives. No information about his residency, no tax history or any information about his family. The only thing he found was a birth certificate and an identification document, both of which gave him absolutely no useful information, except Venti’s age (what do you mean he’s twenty-six years old?!).
All of that only strengthened Kaeya’s suspicions. He couldn’t get it out of his head the whole morning. He wanted to talk to Venti again and went to the Cathedral to find him but the bard seemed busy enough with the choir, so he decided not to bother him.
After giving it some thought, Kaeya decided that he should ask around about this whole thing. Diluc invited him to visit the Dawn Winery in the afternoon, so he could just start with him.
“Venti?” Diluc raised his eyebrow when Kaeya asked him the questions during their afternoon tea. “Why do you care where he lives, anyway?”
“I mean, he shouldn’t be just living on the streets.” Kaeya replied.
“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe he has a place to live.”
“How many times you let him crash at the tavern when he was black out drunk because nobody knew where he lives?” Kaeya pointed out, to which Diluc let out a tired sigh.
“More times than I would like to. But that doesn’t prove anything. Maybe he’s just a… private person.” Diluc said but it seemed like even he wasn’t very convinced with his own words.
“Venti? A private person?” Kaeya chuckled.
“Okay, yes, that sounds ridiculous. But trust me, there’s absolutely no reason for you to be worried about him. Venti may look like a helpless, jobless youngster but he’s older than he looks. He can take care of himself.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen his ID. Did you know he’s twenty-six years old?”
“ID?” Diluc blinked, then muttered under his nose. “So she finally got his some documents, huh..”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Diluc waved him off. “Anyways, my point is: he’s an adult person who can take care of himself just fine.”
Kaeya shook his head, unconvinced.
“Adults can still struggle. We all need help sometimes. I just can’t leave it at that.” Kaeya flopped back on his chair with a sigh. “Can you maybe talk to Jean about it?”
“Why me?” Diluc raised his brow. “You’re the knight here, you see her almost every day.”
“Well, I could, if I wasn’t leaving for Inazuma tomorrow.”
“What?” Diluc blinked. “You didn’t tell me you were leaving.”
“Well, I’m telling you now.” Kaeya shrugged. “So, will you do it?”
Diluc leaned back on his chair with a sigh.
“You won’t drop this topic, won’t you?” He asked, to which Kaeya nodded. “Fine then, I’ll ask. But really, there’s no need to be this concerned about Venti. He’s doing just fine as it is.”
“He’s a friend and Mondstadt’s most beloved bard.” Kaeya replied. “We can’t just leave him on the streets to die of a cold or be killed by some monster in the wild.”
“Oh, trust me.” Diluc muttered as Kaeya poured himself another cup of tea. “He will outlive all of us.”
It was a slow Monday morning when Jean walked into the tavern to grab a juice before work. It was one of those rare occasions when she wasn’t in the rush to get to the office as soon as possible, so she was happy to allow herself a bit of relaxing time. The bell on the door rang as she walked in and found Diluc standing behind the counter, sorting out boxes with ingredients. The tavern was empty, which was expected at such a time.
“Hi.” Diluc said as she sat down at the bar. “Here for some refreshments before work?”
“Yeah.” Jean nodded. “It’s terribly hot today. I’d say our sisters need to pray harder for Lord Barbatos to send us a cool breeze.”
“Speaking of him,” Diluc poured her a glass of cold apple juice. “Did you finally get him fake documents?”
“Venti? Yeah, I did that even before our troops returned from Nod-Krai. There were too many suspicions about him lately and it’s not like he’s trying very hard to keep his cover, so I had to help him a little. How do you know about it, though?”
“Kaeya went through the archive to find information on Venti. He’s been looking for his residence certificate but only found an ID.”
“Why was Kaeya trying to find Venti’s address?” Jean tilted her head in confusion.
“He was being worried that our bard is homeless.” Diluc chuckled. “But maybe you should add a residence certificate for him, too. To avoid such situations.”
“I didn’t think I needed to do that.” Jean shrugged. “Besides, it’s not like I know where he lives.”
“Huh.” Diluc looked at two oranges that he just got from the box, thinking. “Does anyone actually know where he lives?”
“I mean,” Jean frowned, straining her memory. “A lot of people saw him sleeping outside, on the trees or the statue. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him actually going home.”
They looked at each for a few moments.
“Do you think he’s actually homeless?” They asked at the same time.
“Oh.” Jean said.
This is bad. Their archon is homeless and she, the acting Grand Master, during all those years she knew him, didn’t even bother to worry about it. What kind of leader was she if she couldn’t even help her own god? What must Barbatos think of her? No doubt when Vennessa was here she provided Barbatos with everything he needed. How many times she saw him sleeping on the trees, not once wondering why he did that? Ugh, what a shame!
Jean buried her face in her palms, falling on the counter with a frustrated grunt.
“Hey, no need to worry that much.” Diluc hurried to calm her down at the sight of the distress. “He’s a god, after all. I’m sure he’d be able to find himself a place to live if he wanted to.”
“How?! He doesn’t have any money!” Jean exclaimed. “No other nation has fallen into such shame as to make their archon homeless!”
Diluc opened his mouth to retort when Jean interrupted him with another horrified exclaim.
“Oh god, what will Varka think if he finds out? He left Mondstadt in my care and I wasn’t even able to take care of my archon in return to everything he did for us.”
At this point she looked like she was ready to burst into tears at any moment, so Diluc hurried to intervene in her self-deprecating monologue.
“Alright, calm down. We still don’t know if he’s actually homeless. Or maybe he just likes staying outside. Isn’t he just wind or something? It feels right to be more comfortable outside, with fresh air.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Jean sighed. “But how can we know for sure?”
Diluc shrugged.
“I don’t know. Maybe we should just ask him.”
“And how would that look like? “Hey, Venti, I was actually wondering if you have somewhere to live or you’re just so broke you have to sleep on trees?” That’s just embarrassing for everyone. No, I need to find another way to figure it out.” Jean bit her lip, thinking. “Maybe we should ask someone he’s close to. He has a lot of friends around here but who is he closest to?”
“First one that comes to mind is Dahlia.” Diluc said.
“Dahlia?”
“Yeah, doesn’t Venti tell him almost everything. He’s the Anemo Archon’s chosen confidant. They often sit here in the corner, whispering and giggling about something.” Diluc scoffed. “If anyone’s knows Venti’s housing situation, I’m sure it’s Dahlia.”
“I guess you’re right.” An inspired gleam appeared in Jean’s eyes. “I will start with him.”
She took out a little notepad in which she wrote down all her daily responsibilities and on top of all the ones for today scribbled Ask Dahlia. Diluc peeked at it and sighed.
“Seriously, you shouldn’t worry so much about it.” He said. “Venti definitely wouldn’t hold any grudges on you, neither will the Grand Master.”
“Even so, Venti is still a citizen of Mondstadt on the dadily, so it’s my responsibility to care about his well-being.” Jean replied, finishing her juice in one gulp. “Well, I’ll be off now.”
Diluc watched her almost run from the tavern, definitely in the direction of the Cathedral.
“Kaeya, what the hell have you started.” He shook his head with a sigh before returning to sorting out the boxes.
When Jean found Dahlia, he seemed very busy.
“No, no, this is not right!” He yelled, looking at a cross that one of the sisters brought to him. “I asked for a bronze cross and you’re giving me a copper one! And where are the scriptures that I asked for?!”
The poor sisters ran around, fussing, as if preparing for some event. Jean wondered if they had any celebrations coming up soon but none came to mind. Looking at how busy Dahlia was, she felt a little guilty for distracting him but still dared to approach him.
“Deacon Dahlia, good morning!” She said. “Do you have a minute by any chance?”
“Ah, acting Grand Master.” Dahlia didn’t look very pleased. “I am sorry but I’m quite busy right now. We have three baptism ceremonies today and we are so not ready!”
He exclaimed the last sentence a little louder, making sure all the sisters heard him.
“And the Cardinal is nowhere to be seen.” Dahlia muttered. “You wouldn’t know where your father is right now, would you, Jean?”
“Uh, no, sorry.”
“Then I’m afraid you will have to seek me out another time.” Dahlia turned around to walk away from her.
“Wait, I really need to talk to you.” Jean tried again. “It’s about Venti.”
Dahlia froze in his tracks then turned back to her.
“Venti?” He said, a hint of intrigue in his voice. “Well, in that case, maybe I can find a minute for you. But let’s talk somewhere else. Sister Grace, I’ll be away for a while. Make sure to do everything accordingly.”
He turned around on his heels and led Jean up the stairs and into his office.
“So…” Dahlia says after he locked the door behind them, after which he walked to the window and closed in shut. “What is it our mighty Lord did this time?”
Jean looked at the closed window with confusion. It wasn’t customary for Mondstadters to close their windows.
“Ah, that.” Dahlia scratched his head. “You better do that if you want to talk about Venti without him eavesdropping.”
Jean felt her ears starting to burn a little with embarrassment. Does it mean he heard what she and Diluc were talking about? How could she not think of that…
“I just wanted to ask you,” She started, looking around the walls of Dahlia’s office that were covered with different images of the Anemo Archon. “Do you by any chance know where Venti resides nowadays?”
“Resides?” Dahlia raised his brow. “You mean lives? To be honest, no, I don’t. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“Well, he does spend most of his time outside.”
“Yes, but don’t you drink with him frequently?” Jean asked. “Have you ever, I don’t know, walked him home or something?”
“Usually if he’s out of it after we drink, I let him crash in my place.” Dahlia replied.
“Do you think that he, by any chance… Might be homeless?” Jean asked carefully.
Dahlia’s eyes widened at the suggestion.
“Homeless? No, no way…” He muttered, letting out a nervous chuckle. Then grabbed himself by the hair. “Oh goodness… He is, isn’t he? How come I never noticed, never even thought about it?! The holy Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, our Lord, is homeless!”
Jean raised her hands and opened her mouth to try and calm him down but the Deacon already started freaking out.
“How did we allow this? Can we even call ourselves his devotees after neglecting him so?” Dahlia screamed, pacing around the room. “Look at all the other nations. The Shogun lives in a palace, with tons of guards. Lord Kusanali lives in her shrine. The late Rex Lapis had his own domain. Even Lady Furina was provided housing after what happened in Fontaine! Oh, shame on me and on our whole nation.”
He walked to one of his icons, one which depicted Barbatos in pristine white clothes holding a bird on his finger, his expression pacified and exalted. Jean watched as he muttered a small prayer under his breath.
“This will not do.” He said eventually. “I will go to the Grand Master and demand that the Knights do something about it right now. To hell with those babies, I can baptize them later.”
“Wait, Dahlia!” Jean stopped him before he walked out of the door. “How about we both write a formal request to our Grand Master? It will be from both the Cathedral and the Knights. That way it’ll be more efficient”
“That’s…” Dahlia stopped at the door. “Isn’t a bad idea.”
He walked past Jean again and took out a few pieces of paper from his desk.
“All right then.” He said, gesturing Jean towards the vacant chair. “Let’s start.”
Varka was rereading the same document for the fifth time now, yet the words still made no sense for his sleepy brain. He woke up earlier today to be more efficient but it looked like it wasn’t really working. He yawned and looked outside the window, thinking of getting himself a cup of coffee or maybe something stronger when the door suddenly swung open, revealing both Jean and Dahlia standing there.
“Uh, hello?” Varka said carefully, looking at the disheveled state of the both of them. “Is something the matter?”
“Grand Master, we’ve got an urgent matter.” Dahlia said.
He marched into the office and closed the window shut, making Varka raise his brows in confusion. That was weird. Nobody closed windows in Mondstadt. Dahlia then walked up to his desk and placed a paper on it.
“Please take a look at this petition on the behalf of the Cathedral.”
“And the Knights of Favonius.” Jean added.
Varka took the document, looking at the all the official signatures and seals on it. As he read, his brows lifted in surprise. He finished and folded the document, looking at the two expecting faces.
“Alright.” He said. “If I understand it correctly, you want me to provide Venti, our Archon, with housing, because you believe he is homeless?”
“We don’t think, we’re certain of it.” Jean replied.
“Well, you might be right, I did see him sleep outside a few times. But maybe he wouldn’t want that. I mean, he is the embodiment of wind and freedom, maybe be loves being outside. I myself heard him say multiple times that being contained is not he wind’s nature. Shouldn’t we ask him first?”
“Our lord is the humblest being. It should be our initiative for him to accept it.” Dahlia said confidently. “Besides, how come we’re the only nation that didn’t bother to provide its Archon’s living? I know that he’s hiding his identity but that’s just not right. What does it say about us as devotees?”
“I doubt Venti actually cares about that stuff…” Varka muttered.
“Please, Grand Master.” Jean said. “Venti did so much for us over the last few years, especially while you were away. It’s only right for us to thank him somehow.”
Varka looked at their pleading faces then back at the document and sighed.
“Fine.” He said eventually. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Dahlia, where are you taking me?” Venti asked as Dahlia pulled him by the hand down the street.
“That’s a surprise!” Dahlia exclaimed, trying to contain his excitement.
“Oh?” Venti widened his eyes, intrigued. “Is that why you’ve been acting so weird lately? Closing the windows on me and whispering about something behind my back. How rude.”
“It’s not my fault you have ears everywhere.” Dahlia muttered. “Anyways, that’s beside the point. The point is we’ve got a surprise for you and you will definitely like it.”
“Okay, fine.” Venti chuckled. “Lead the way.”
Dahlia led him to a nice apartment building, very close to the Cathedral. To Venti’s surprise, Varka and Jean stood there as well.
“What is this all about?” He asked.
“Venti!” Jean smiled as she saw him. “I’m so glad you came. We actually have a surprise-”
“Yeah, I know, surprise for me. I hope it’s not what I think it is.” He muttered to himself. “So, what is it?”
Varka straightened his back and cleared his throat.
“On the behalf of the Knight of Favonius and the Favonius Cathedral,” He started in a formal tone, which sounded a little funny coming from Varka of all people. “We would like to, uhm… humbly present to you our gift as a form of gratitude from the people of Mondstadt.”
With that he gave Venti a set of keys, which he eyed with confusion.
“We’ve got you an apartment.” Varka explained shortly. “Right in this building.”
All three of them looked at Venti with expecting eyes. Venti looked at the keys, then at the building, then at the three mortals in front of him and sighed. Dahlia’s smile dropped.
“Wait, you don’t like it?” He asked.
“We just thought that you’d be happy with it, because well…” Jean hesitated, looking for better words. “We thought you were…”
“Homeless?” Venti asked, without a hint embarrassment or anger in his voice. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I can assure you that I am not. And even if I was, I’d be happy with that, too.”
“I told you,” Varka grumbled. “To be contained is not wind’s nature.”
“Precisely.” Venti shrugged. “I just like being outside, one with the wind and stuff. Especially at night, when it’s so quiet and peaceful. I can even hear the rustling of the petals of cecilias on the wind…”
“Wait, so you’re not homeless…” Jean repeated. “So, it means you have a house? Where? No one ever saw you going home.”
“Well, I actually have a few. Or, to be more precise, had.” Venti chuckled. “You weren’t the first ones to decide that I need a proper place to live in. First was Vennessa, insisted on giving me a nice house. I gave it away to the Kraus family back in the day… I’m sure their descendants still live there. Then I was once gifted an apartment as an award for one paper on poetry I wrote for the Akademia back in the day. I gave that one young single-mother who just lost her husband. Poor thing. I think her name was Michelle… And then obviously a few other Grand Masters like yourself, dear Varka, offered me apartments and houses, which I also gave away for those in need. By the way…”
He handed Varka the keys back.
“Better give it to someone who actually needs it. But thank you nonetheless. It’s nice to know that you children still care for dear old me.”
“So, you were given multiple places to live but you always gave them away?” Dahli said. “Well, that does sound like something you would do, now that I think about it.”
“But you just said that you have a house.” Jean asked. “Where do you live if you give all of them away?”
“There is one place that I didn’t dare giving away as to not offend a certain someone.” Venti replied. “So, you could say I live there. Although, to be honest, I barely go there and mostly just use it to store my stuff.”
“You really just like sleeping on trees, huh?” Jean muttered.
“Indeed, I do. You should try it sometimes yourself.”
“And that house you speak of…” Dahlia started. “Where is it? I doubt it’s in the city.”
“Actually, it’s in Dornman Port.” Venti replied. “If it’ll sooth your worries, I can show it to you.”
“Ugh, I told you.” Varka sighed. “Wasted my time for nothing.”
“Sorry, dear Varka.” Venti said with a smile. “I’ll treat you to some wine when we get back. For all you trouble.”
Venti opened a door of a big, although pretty shabby house. It looked like Venti wasn’t lying when he said that he’s not here very often – every surface was covered with a thick layer of dust.
“Oh, excuse me for this. I haven’t cleaned up in a while.” He flicked his hand and the room glowed with a turquoise anemo color. After it faded, the room turned perfectly clean.
The house was two-storied but didn’t feel very spacious because the whole place was piled high with different stuff, from some unknown ancient artifacts to pieces of clothing. Venti pushed aside a pile of emerald silk that lay right in front of the entrance and gesture everyone to come inside.
“So,” Varka started, looking around. “Who is that person who you’re so scared to offend that you kept this thing?”
“Oh, that one is Morax.” Venti replied casually. “That old lizard is so sensitive, if I rejected one of his gifts like that, he probably wouldn’t talk to me for years.”
Jean stopped in her tracks.
“The Geo Archon gifted you this house?!” She half-yelled half-whispered. “And you’re using it as a warehouse?”
Venti shrugged.
“It’s not that big of a deal, really. After all, I have to keep my bows somewhere.”
Dahlia looked around in awe.
“This…” He whispered. “This is a whole treasure. What do you mean there’s a whole house full of Anemo Archon’s stuff in Dornman Port? Everyone in our church would kill for such artifacts.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit too reduntant…” Venti scratched his head.
“Venti, can I take something from here?” Dahlia asked with puppy eyes. “It will be our most treasured artifact. Oh, imagine Barbara’s reaction.”
“I don’t think I want you to send my sister in a coma.” Jean muttered.
“Well, if you really want to, you can take couple of things…” Venti said, looking around. “Not my bows, though, I cherish them.”
“Thank you!” Dahlia folded his hands in a prayer and ran off to the second floor.
“Hey, what’s that?” Varka looked at some sort of silver scepter that lied in a pile of clothes in a corner. The second he picked it up, he dropped it back on the floor as if he was burned. “Damn, it’s cold!”
“Oh, I forgot I had that.” Venti said, picking up the scepter with his bare hands without a problem. “It’s the Tsaritsa’s scepter.”
Jean gasped in shock.
“The Cryo Archon’s scepter you mean?” She exclaimed. “Why do you casually have that?”
“I don’t know.” Venti shrugged. “It looked fun, so I stole it.”
“You stole the Cryo Archon’s scepter cause it looked fun.” Varka chuckled. “Yeah, sounds about right.”
Venti put the scepter on its previous place when they heard footsteps coming downstairs, followed by a happy-looking Dahlia.
“Venti, can I have this?” Dahlia said, holding in his hands some type of white clothing.
Taking a closer look, Venti distinguished his familiar short top and even shorter shorts.
“Obviously not my clothes!” He exclaimed, snatching them from Dahlia. “Go find something else.”
With a disappointed sigh Dahlia went back to rummage through all that stuff. Venti put his old clothes on a chair and said:
“Well, since you’re at my home now? How about I treat you for a cup of tea? I should have a tea set somewhere around here… Or maybe even a bottle of wine.”
Venti led them to kitchen. He opened kitchen shelves one after another, not seeming to find what he’s looking for. Then, his eyes settled on the highest shelf, one that he could definitely not reach himself.
“Ah, did he put it here back then?” He muttered to himself. “Grand Master, would you be so kind?”
After Varka retrieved the tea set, Venti started preparing tea for all of them, listening to Dahlia’s muttering somewhere on the second floor. As he boiled the water, Jean said:
“I’m glad that you’re doing okay, lord Bar- I mean, Venti. But you really should show it to Kaeya, as well. After all, he was so worried that he started all of this.”
“Don’t worry, dear Jean. I will make sure to make it up for our noble sir Kaeya once he gets back.” Venti winked at her. “And I will make sure to treat him to some wine.”